Podcast Summary: "Fountain Of Fun 42-11-29" – Harold’s Old Time Radio

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Fountain Of Fun 42-11-29 (x) First Joke - An Upset Squad
Date: September 26, 2025
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Theme:
A delightfully silly trip back to 1942, this episode of “Fountain of Fun” captures the spirit of the Golden Age of Radio, blending zany comedy sketches, musical interludes, and wartime camaraderie into a variety hour set in the fictional Crossroads Soda Parlor. Regulars like Bob Jellison, Admiral Jellison, Veronica Lagoon, and the show’s house band offer laughs, songs, and a healthy dose of patriotic spirit.

Overview of the Show's Main Theme

This episode embodies lighthearted comedic relief in wartime America. It features a running “soda parlor” sketch, music performances, and bits full of slapstick humor and corny puns, all while weaving in references to supporting the war effort—buying war bonds, joining the service, and helping the USO. Listeners are invited to sit around the “radio” and enjoy a wholesome, family-oriented evening mixing fun, music, and gentle satire about daily life and service at the time.

Key Discussion Points and Segments

1. Soda Parlor Comedy & Opening Jokes (01:15–02:00)

• Bob Jellison asks Admiral Jellison for “an upset squad,” launching the episode’s first joke cycle about “sports upsets” and confusion over terms:
  • “What would you suggest for an upset?” – Bob Jellison (01:20)
  • Admiral Jellison reacts with confusion: “Squat and upset squat. I never heard of an upset squad.” (01:22)
• Announcer and Bob play with mistaken identities, culminating in a Boston College football joke: “I'm the coach at Boston College.” (01:27)
  • Chatter quickly digresses into slapstick about a rabbit left at the soda parlor and needing it retrieved, setting the tone for quick, vaudevillian pacing.

2. Music Interlude – Milky Way Candy Plug & Serenade (03:42–04:00)

• After a musical performance by Phil Davis’s Orchestra, ad copy about Milky Way candy bars is delivered in characteristically lush and playful radio style.
• The host and characters riff on the ad, blending it seamlessly into the show’s patter.

3. Thanksgiving Tales & Wacky Family Antics (03:46–04:42)

• Admiral Jellison shares an outlandish Thanksgiving story:
  • Losing at cards to Veronica, the wild antics of “Uncle Beecham” (including attempts to fly out a window), and “a Christ landing.”
  • When asked why he didn’t stop the uncle: “Stop him? I was betting he could do it.” – Admiral Jellison (04:39)
• Segue into wartime financial responsibility: Phil Davis wins $100 on a horse and invests it in war bonds:
  • “Lucky Strike Green has gone to war.” – Admiral Jellison (04:53)

4. “Tickety Boo” – Musical Number & Pep Talk (05:06–06:49)

• Bill Davis and Admiral Jellison lead a rousing, morale-boosting tune called “Tickety Boo.”
  • The phrase is repeated as a punchline and expression of things going well.
  • “Do what you do for me and for you. We can stick it, we can lick it, that's the ticket. Tickety boo.” – Bill & Admiral (06:32)
• Context of the song: Ushering in positivity and resilience during wartime.

5. Doc Fiddle Faddle’s Antics & Christmas Rhymes (07:04–08:47)

• Doc Fiddle Faddle drops in with his usual brand of nonsense. Notable misheard phrase: “Going to drill with incendiary blondes.” (07:17)
  Admiral corrects: “No, that's incendiary bombs.”
• Doc tries his hand at homemade Christmas cards, attempting a rhyme about jelly cake and Hitler.
  • “May you have mince pie and jelly cake and give Herr Hitler the- I wonder what rhymes with jelly cake.” – Doc (08:26)
• Quip about “articulation to my aesthetic sensibilities.”

6. Showbiz Memories: Theater & Quick-Change Mishap (08:59–09:44)

• Doc reflects on his showbiz past, culminating in a memorable blunder during a stage blackout:
  • “She said, ‘Give me the tights.’ And I thought she said, ‘lights.’” – Doc (09:35)

7. Veronica Lagoon, Christmas Shopping & USO Kisses (11:51–13:35)

• Veronica reports buying Uncle Beecham a box of pecans based on his Santa wish for “nuts” if “bottled goods” can’t be had (12:16).
• The comedy turns to Veronica “selling kisses” for the USO at $1 each:
  • "[Between 9 and 10] I collected $60...that averages a kiss a minute." (13:10–13:15)
  • “Between 10 o’clock and half past and a whole half hour, I sold only one kiss... Gosh, when those marines get hold of something, they really hang on to it, didn't I?” – Veronica (13:24)

8. Nautical Farce: “Admiral Jellison and the Island of Pandemonium” (18:36–24:51)

• Comedy sketch fantasy: Bob dreams he's Admiral Jellison, leading a comic expedition to “the island of Pandemonium.”
• Standout exchanges:
  • “We're making 20 nuts, your majesty. Trouble is, one's in the propeller.” – Admiral (18:45)
  • On a coded message about military weakness:
    “Who's that from? The commander of the Royal Navy?”
    “Nope. The manager of the Cincinnati Reds.” (22:33–22:35)
  • Propaganda minister pipes up repeatedly: “All is well, have no fear...Has anybody got an eraser.” (20:11, 20:29)
  • Stowaway scene: Bob says, “I’m trying to get away from her [my wife].” (23:08–23:13)
  • Ship “sinking”—it’s raining down the smokestack; lifeboat joke about saving "just the women – young ones." (24:36–24:42)
  • Dream ends with the reality check: “You fell asleep, Bob.” (24:46)

9. Service Branch Dreams – Closing Comedy (24:52–27:11)

• The cast imagines their preferred Navy jobs:
  • Bill Davis wants to be in the air patrol:
    “I'd quickly span each sea and lake...I'd make a perfect Navy blimp.” (25:32–25:46)
  • Doc wants to join the Marines for a South Sea adventure with “Doc Lamour.” (26:01)
  • Circular, rapid-fire puns and childish competitive humor as they debate roles.
• Lighthearted musical closing.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Thanksgiving Escapades:
  “Uncle Beecham of hers certainly is wacky. After that big dinner he'd had, he insisted on having herring. Pickle fell flat on his face...he went up to a second floor window and said he was going to jump out, fly around the house and fly back in again. Boy, what a Christ landing he made.”
  — Admiral Jellison (04:06–04:36)

• On Misheard Phrases:
  “Gonna drill with incendiary blondes.”
  — Doc Fiddle Faddle (07:17)
  “No, no, Doc, that's not incendiary blondes. That's incendiary bombs.”
  — Admiral Jellison (07:24)

• USO Kissing Booth:
  “Every time I'm kissed, I collect a dollar for the USO… Between 9 and 10 o'clock I collected $60…. averages a kiss a minute.”
  — Veronica Lagoon (13:10–13:15)

• Admiral Nonsense:
  “Trouble is, one's in the propeller... Darn good reason for losing too.”
  — Admiral Jellison (18:45, 19:47)

• Dream Finale:
  “You fell asleep, Bob.”
  — Narrator (24:46)

Important Musical Acts & Transitions

• Phil Davis Orchestra – “Serenade for Liza” (03:42)
• The Trasher Sisters – Upbeat “Tickety Boo” (05:06–06:49)
• Sweet Georgia Brown – Crooned by Bill Brito (11:47)
• Sailors Hornpipe – Nautical instrumental (13:57; 17:52)

Timestamps – Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------|---------------| | Soda Parlor Jokes Begin | 01:15 | | Thanksgiving Story, Humor | 04:00 | | “Tickety Boo” Song | 05:06 | | Doc Fiddle Faddle Segment | 07:04 | | Christmas Card Comedy | 08:02 | | Theater Mishap Riff | 09:01 | | Veronica Lagoon’s Kiss Booth | 11:51 | | Sailor Fantasy Sketch | 18:36 | | Blimp/Marines Joke-Off | 25:13 |

Conclusion & Overall Tone

“Fountain of Fun” brims with corny humor, fast-paced wordplay, and warmhearted musical numbers—all wrapped in a thick layer of absurdist sketches and authentic 1940s camaraderie. The show moves briskly, rarely pausing for breath between puns, gags, and cheerful songs. Its blend of light, escapist comedy and USO spirit makes for a classic Old Time Radio treat.

Listeners looking for a peek into the Golden Age’s humor—and a dose of nostalgic patriotism—will find this episode “tickety boo.”