Cinnamon Bear 37-12-14 16 Oliver Ostrich

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Cinnamon Bear 37-12-14 16 "Oliver Ostrich"
Air Date: December 18, 2025
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

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Episode Overview

This episode of Harold's Old Time Radio features another whimsical chapter in the beloved children's radio serial, "The Cinnamon Bear." Today, Judy, Jimmy, the Cinnamon Bear, and the Crazy Quilt Dragon continue their fantastical quest to repair their broken silver star, encountering the book-eating Snapper Snake and the eccentric Oliver Ostrich as they follow cryptic magical instructions through the Wishing Woods. The story is marked by playful banter, clever wordplay, and a palpable sense of adventure—recapturing the lively innocence of radio’s golden era.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Highlights

1. Recap and the Problem with the Lost Instructions (02:11-03:45)

• Narrator sets the scene: The group is in the Wishing Woods, having lost the magical instructions needed to fix their Silver Star when Snapper Snake (the crooning crocodile) eats them.
• Judy and Jimmy are distraught, fearing there’s no way to retrieve Queen Melissa's valuable instructions now locked inside the crocodile.
• Cinnamon Bear: "A pretty kettle of kipper snacks. This is a pretty kettle." (02:51)
• Snapper Snake tries to soothe them, despite his mischief.

2. Snapper Snake's Unusual Solution (03:45-06:38)

• Snapper Snake reveals he 'reads' by swallowing written material, digesting it, and thus absorbing its content.
  • "You see, I can't read a thing with my eyes. Not a word...when I want to know something, the only thing I can do is swallow it, wait till it's digested, and then I know what it says." (04:53 - Snapper Snake)
• He humorously recalls "digesting" mystery stories from the library but laments being banned for not returning (digesting) the books.
• This wordplay draws laughter and wisecracks from the group; Snapper Snake then attempts to recall and "read" the instructions.

3. Snapper Snake Reads the Instructions (06:00-07:21)

• After some confusion with details from a short story he also ate that morning, Snapper Snake successfully retrieves the actual magical message:
  • "The wishing well is where to go to find out what you want to know." (07:09 - Snapper Snake)
• The group is frustrated the instructions are so vague—they now need to find the wishing well for further help.

4. Preparing to Seek the Wishing Well (07:21-08:03)

• Crazy Quilt Dragon remembers Queen Melissa said extra magic would be required to fix the star, so this lead to the wishing well is their next step.
• Snapper Snake admits he rarely leaves his bathtub, but gestures towards the general direction of the wishing well as the party departs, offering one last humorous plug for his singing talents.

5. Encounter with Oliver the Ostrich (09:09-11:22)

• The group follows an odd ticking sound to discover Oliver the Ostrich, a quirky character with his head buried in the ground, who proves to be both whimsical and poetic.
• Oliver’s Song: Delivers a comedic ode to "scrambled alarm clocks and bacon," showcasing the whimsical, surreal humor of the series.
  • "There's nothing so yummy or so good for the tummy as scrambled alarm clocks and bacon..." (10:20 - Oliver the Ostrich)
• The party worries the ostrich might try to eat their precious star, but Oliver reassures them on his "delicate" tastes and diet.

6. Locating the Wishing Well (11:22-13:15)

• Oliver the Ostrich, between talks of breakfasts, points the group to what appears to be a mere tree stump—but is in fact the wishing well.
  • "That may be, young man, but it's the wishing well. For all of that, I can't..." (11:55 - Oliver the Ostrich)
• The group investigates: the Crazy Quilt Dragon helps Cinnamon Bear peer inside; the well appears very dark and deep. In a classic radio serial cliffhanger, the Cinnamon Bear falls in unexpectedly:
  • "Well, well, I'm not making a pun. I hope you understand." (12:45 - Cinnamon Bear, just before his fall)
  • "Oh my goodness...he's fallen into the wishing well!" (13:17 - Judy & Jimmy)

7. Cliffhanger Ending (13:23-End)

• The Narrator closes with suspense, leaving listeners wondering how Cinnamon Bear will escape from the dark wishing well and what will happen next.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Snapper Snake's Literary Appetite:

  "Well, I couldn't return them, you see. Most annoying, too. Why, I haven't read any good books in ages. Have to content myself with old newspapers and magazines."
  (05:30 - Snapper Snake)

• Oliver the Ostrich's Signature Song:

  "There's nothing so yummy or so good for the tummy as scrambled alarm clocks and bacon..."
  (10:20 - Oliver the Ostrich)

• Comic Timing:

  "Well, well, I'm not making a pun. I hope you understand."
  (12:45 - Cinnamon Bear)

• Cliffhanger:

  "He's fallen into the wishing well!"
  (13:17 - Jimmy)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Recap of prior events: (02:11)
• Snapper Snake's 'reading' method explained: (04:53)
• The actual reading of Queen Melissa's instructions: (07:09)
• Farewell to Snapper Snake: (07:59)
• Meeting Oliver the Ostrich and the Alarm Clock Song: (09:14-10:55)
• Identifying the wishing well: (11:52)
• Cinnamon Bear's fall: (13:15-13:17)
• Narrator’s closing cliffhanger: (13:23)

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Episode Tone & Style

The tone is lively, witty, and full of wordplay, as characters joke, quip, and support each other through mishaps. The humor is gentle, often absurd, and deeply imaginative—perfect for children and nostalgia lovers alike.

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Conclusion

This episode delivers a classic mix of gentle adventure, memorable characters, musical interlude, and serial suspense, capturing the charm and creativity of mid-20th-century children's radio. The story leaves off on a classic cliffhanger, ensuring listeners will return to discover how Cinnamon Bear fares at the bottom of the wishing well.

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Transcript

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[Cinnamon Bear]

And here's the cinnamon bear.

[Snapper Snake]

Sam.

[Judy]

Ram.

[Narrator]

It's time again for Judy and Jimmy, who, with their friends the Cinnamon Bear and the Crazy Quilt Dragon, are having a pretty difficult time. After Queen Melissa of Maybeland gave them an envelope containing instructions for having their broken silver star put back together again, they set out for the wishing woods. Because the instructions were written in magic ink and could only be read in total darkness. In the middle of the woods, they met Snapper Snake, the crooning crocodile, who lived in a big white bathtub and sang. He was very, very much interested in the magic instructions and asked if he might take a look at the envelope. Jimmy obligingly held it up for Snapper Snake to see, and. And clack, clack went the crocodile's jaws, and the instructions were gone.

[Cinnamon Bear]

A pretty kettle of kipper snacks. This is a pretty kettle. Yeah.

[Jimmy]

What do you mean by chewing up Melissa's important instructions? Snapper Snick.

[Judy]

They were ever so valuable. And now we'll never know what they said. And we'll never be able to find out how our broken star can be mended.

[Snapper Snake]

My friends, my friends. Don't carry on like this.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

A fine thing. I do believe you're the crudest crocodile I ever laid eyes on.

[Cinnamon Bear]

And just wait till I lay me cinnamon paws on him. I'll teach him a thing or two.

[Snapper Snake]

Splendid. Maybe you could teach me how to sing a low H flat. Huh? I've never quite been able to swing it.

[Jimmy]

Well, if you didn't have such a big nose. I twist it. That's what I do.

[Judy]

Oh, dear. Do you suppose if we went back to Melissa, she'd give us some more instruction, Cinnamon Bear?

[Cinnamon Bear]

I'm afraid not, Judy. She'd probably think us very careless and unworthy.

[Snapper Snake]

Oh, come, come, my friends. Why so bleak? Don't be like that. Didn't you say you wanted to read the instructions?

[Judy]

Of course we did, you bad, bad crocodile. But how can we read them when you've got them inside you?

[Snapper Snake]

Didn't Melissa say those magic instructions could only be read in Total darkness.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Sure, that's what she said, you big blunt nosed bully.

[Jimmy]

But even if we did find some darkness like that, we wouldn't have anything to read in it now.

[Snapper Snake]

Aha. Did you ever stop to think that there's nothing more totally dark than the inside of a crocodile?

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Goodness gracious me, that's certainly total darkness, all right. But you're not suggesting, my good fellow, that one of us climb in and read them, are you?

[Cinnamon Bear]

You bet he is. It's just a trick, crazy quilt. A low, deceiving, crocodileish trick.

[Snapper Snake]

Balderdash, my fuzzy friend. I'm simply trying to be of assistance. That's why I grabbed Melissa's instructions and downed them.

[Judy]

But that doesn't help us any. Even if they are in a tilt of darkness now we can't read them.

[Snapper Snake]

No, but I can.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Don't be funny, my bathtub baritone. How can you read them when they're snug in your tummy?

[Snapper Snake]

Ha ha. Just a bit of Snappersnik service. But perhaps a little explanation is in line, huh? A little light on the subject.

[Cinnamon Bear]

You're daffy. Just plain daffy.

[Snapper Snake]

Not at all. You see, I can't read a thing with my eyes. Not a word. Mother forgot to send me to school when I was a lad. Consequently, when I want to know something that's in print, the only thing I can do is swallow it, wait till it's digested, and then I know what it says.

[Jimmy]

You mean you just eat anything that's written and you know what it is without looking at it?

[Snapper Snake]

Exactly. And a voracious reader I was in my day, too. Used to digest three or four mystery stories a day. Got them from a circulating library. But finally they took my card away because I never returned the books.

[Judy]

Oh, my goodness.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

You seem to have too literary an appetite, I suppose.

[Snapper Snake]

Well, I couldn't return them, you see. Most annoying, too. Why, I haven't read any good books in ages. Have to content myself with old newspapers and magazines.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Then you can read Melissa's instructions?

[Snapper Snake]

Absolutely. Read anything I eat. In some ways an advantage. I eat all my singing lessons and the music, too. Incidentally, I have quite a repertoire of songs on tap. How would you like to hear me sing on the Road to Maybeland?

[Cinnamon Bear]

If you don't mind, we'd much rather hear you read those instructions.

[Judy]

Yes, please do, Mr. Snappersnick. How long does it take you to digest something so's you could read it?

[Snapper Snake]

Well, that depends on what it is. Took me all last summer to digest half of Anthony Crocodile. Then I. I Gave it up. Little too much of a meal. But these instructions. Nothing should be digested by now.

[Jimmy]

Hurry up and read them, Snapper Snick.

[Judy]

We've got to get going.

[Snapper Snake]

Very well. Must close my eyes first so I can concentrate. There. Mm. Ah, m. My, my.

[Judy]

Tell us quick. What do they say?

[Snapper Snake]

Most interesting. Quote. Then Christopher Crocodile stared deep into Cynthia Crocodile's blue eyes and the. Oh, pardon me. Got mixed up with the short story. I ate out of Crocodile confessions this morning.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Quit fiddling around and read the instructions, will you?

[Snapper Snake]

Right away. Ah, here we are. Quote the wishing well is where to go to find out what you want to know. Unquote.

[Jimmy]

Gee, that doesn't say how we can get the Silver Star put back together again.

[Judy]

It just tells us to go someplace. Are you sure you read them right, Mr. Snappersnick?

[Snapper Snake]

Positive. Right there in black and black.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

If you'll remember, Judy, Melissa said it would take a little extra magic to fix the star. This just means we'll have to go to the wishing well for further instruction.

[Cinnamon Bear]

That's it. Do you know how to get to the wishing well, Snapper Snick?

[Snapper Snake]

Not exactly. I never venture very far away from my blessed bathtub. But they tell me it's in that direction.

[Jimmy]

It is. Come on, everybody, let's get started.

[Judy]

Yes, let's. Thanks so much, Mr. Snapper Snake, for reading Melissa's instructions and everything.

[Snapper Snake]

Oh, glad to have been of some assistance. And sorry you can't stay to hear me sing a bit. Really remarkable voice, you know. May do a little opera next season.

[Cinnamon Bear]

And thanks again. Thanks again, Snapper Snake, and goodbye.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Yes, goodbye, Snapper Snake.

[Cinnamon Bear]

So long.

[Snapper Snake]

Ah, yes. Goodbye, my friends. Regret I can't walk away with you, but must practice my scales now.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Well, I guess everything has turned out for the best after all.

[Judy]

I guess it has. All right. But my goodness, who'd have thought of reading those instructions in a crocodile's tummy?

[Jimmy]

I was all ready to bust him one.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

It certainly was as close to total darkness as you'd be able to find anywhere.

[Cinnamon Bear]

I wonder what we'll find out at the wishing well.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Which wishing well do you think we're supposed to find? There must be more than one. That's why these are called the wishing woods. I fell into a lemonade wishing well once upon a time. You remember. But I didn't think to make a wish to keep my colors from running.

[Judy]

I suppose we have to wish that the stars put back together again.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

That sounds logical.

[Judy]

Gee, what's that? Sounds just like a clock. But what would a clock be Doing here?

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

I'm sure I don't know. But we find many strange things in the wishing woods.

[Cinnamon Bear]

You know, it sounds like it came from over there. Let's go around this tree and see where it comes from.

[Judy]

My goodness. It looks like a feather duster. But it's got shoes on.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, and they look just like those old shoes of Uncle Jed's up in the attic. Yes, I know what it is. It's an ostrich. I've seen pictures of him.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Ahoy, friend. Ostrich. My word. He's got his head stuck in the ground.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Who's there?

[Jimmy]

Just us, Judy and Jimmy, Patty O.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Cinnamon, and yours truly, Crazy Quill.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

I'll be right out.

[Judy]

What do you suppose he's doing with his head stuck in the ground?

[Cinnamon Bear]

That way maybe he can tell you. Judy.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Hello, my friends. And what can I do for you today?

[Judy]

Well, we were just wondering about that ticking noise.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Oh, that. Just my breakfast mates. A lovely green hallam clock.

[Judy]

Alarm clock.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Yes, indeed. Oh, it was a beauty, all right. Most refreshing.

[Judy]

Jimmy. I remember that ostriches eat awful funny things. Don't let him see the broken star. He might take that away and eat it.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Pardon me, little lady. I couldn't help hearing what you said. Very keen ears. You know, you don't have to worry about my eating anything you may happen to have with you. I'm not like other ostriches. I'm delicate. That's what I am. Delicate. I'm an ostrich as knows what he likes. If you don't think I am, you're mistaken. My favorite dish is divinely delicious. It's scrambled alarm clocks and bacon. Some ostriches go in for dainties like hot water bottles and socks. They rave about lampshades and doorknobs but stick up their noses at clocks. I've tried everything in the cookbooks and of all of the food I've partaken There's nothing so yummy or good for the tummy as scrambled alarm clocks and bacon. Just follow my simplified diet for peaceful, contented insides. Alarm clocks will stifle your hunger and call you for dinner. Besides, you can set all the clocks that you eat for the next time you wish to awaken. And when they start clanging, you're up with a bang and it's scrambled alarm clocks and bacon. Strike me pink, dear. Scrambled alarm clocks. Bacon.

[Judy]

You certainly are a very unusual bird, Mr. Ostrich.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Holiver's my name, little lady, and you don't have to put an andle to it. Just plain holliver. But I will admit to the unusual without too much boasting.

[Judy]

Would you mind telling us why you put your head in the ground?

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Not at all. Just having had my breakfast, I was indulging in a spot of meditation.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

He means he was thinking, Judy.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

And I always thinks best with me that way.

[Jimmy]

Do you know which way it is to the wishing well, Oliver?

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Rather right in front of your nose.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

It is.

[Snapper Snake]

Where?

[Oliver the Ostrich]

A bit leftish of where I'm standing now.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Do you see it?

[Jimmy]

Oh, it looks just like an old tree stump.

[Oliver the Ostrich]

That may be, young man, but it's the wishing well. For all of that, I can't.

[Judy]

What's that?

[Oliver the Ostrich]

Strike me pink. That's the clock telling me it's time for more scrambled alarm clocks and bacon. I each have to dash off like this no end. Sorry. Cheerio.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Bye.

[Judy]

Bye.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Well, I guess it's up to us to look it over anyway. It doesn't look like a well from here, now, does it?

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

It certainly doesn't, but come on.

[Jimmy]

Gee, I can't see over the top.

[Judy]

Of it at all. Can you, Judy? No, and I'm standing on my tiptoes too.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

I can see over it.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Hmm.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Certainly is dark down there.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Stop taking up all the room, crazy quilt. Now, come on, let me look.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Oh, certainly. Want a boost, Patio Cinnamon?

[Cinnamon Bear]

No, I'll just climb up on your.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Shoulder just as you like. Making it all right?

[Cinnamon Bear]

Of course I'm making it all right. There. Well, well, I'm not making a pun. I hope you understand.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Oh, no.

[Cinnamon Bear]

There must be something to show. It's a wishing well. A sign or some writing. Hmm, awfully dark down there.

[Jimmy]

What do you see? Cinnamon Bear.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Not a blessed thing. Jimmy. Just a minute. I lean over a little farther and slip a knife.

[Judy]

Oh my goodness.

[Jimmy]

He's fallen into the wishing well.

[Narrator]

Poor Cinnamon Bear. The bottom of a deep, dark wishing well is certainly a terrible place to be. And while we're on the subject of wishing wells, I wish I knew how the Cinnamon bear is going to get out. But it looks like we'll have to wait till next time for that. And believe me, I'll be right here to meet.

[Cinnamon Bear]

Foreign.

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[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

What do you think makes the perfect snack?

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Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.

[Judy]

Could you be more specific?

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When it's cravinient. Okay, like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at a.m. p.m. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at a.m. pM.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

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Well yeah, we're talking about what I.

[Crazy Quilt Dragon]

Crave, which is anything from am pm.

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What more could you want? Stop by AM PM where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience ampm Too much good stuff.