Harold’s Old Time Radio – "Packard Hour 36-11-03: Fred Astaire – The Dentist"

Original Air Date: November 3, 1936
Podcast Release: December 5, 2025
Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Featured Cast: Fred Astaire, Charlie Butterworth, Frances White, Johnny Green, Eddie Moran

Episode Overview

This episode brings listeners back to the golden age of radio, featuring a star-studded Packard Hour with Fred Astaire leading a lighthearted variety program. Blending comedy, original music, and playful stage banter, the show presents renowned musical numbers, original dramatic sketches, and sharp-witted exchanges between Astaire and his cast. The episode evokes the community and glamour of pre-television entertainment when families gathered around their radios to be both serenaded and amused.

Key Segments & Highlights

1. Opening & Musical Number: "Fancy Free"

Fred Astaire opens the show with a spirited rendition of “Fancy Free,” showcasing his trademark smooth vocals and playful lyrics.

• Notable Quote (Fred Astaire, 01:07):
  “No strings, no connections, no ties to my affections. I'm fancy free and free for anything fancy.”

2. Gratitude & Cast Banter

Astaire thanks last week’s stand-in hosts and the show’s contributors with his characteristic humor, poking fun at remembering names and introducing the players.

• Notable Banter:
  • Fred Astaire, 02:53:
    “First of all, I'd like to give special thanks to those who so kindly took over the opening program last week. Ginger Rogers—she was swell… Alan Jones, he… he was swell… And Francia White, she was swell.”
  • Running Gag (03:13–03:32):
    Astaire, Butterworth, and others struggle to remember "Jack Benny" as the prior host, reflecting the show’s gentle, self-referential humor.

3. "The Variety Rebusical Melange": Astaire Defines the Show

Astaire humorously attempts to describe the unique format.

• Fred Astaire, 03:47:
  “I would describe this program as a sort of variety rebusical musical melange of Swing Moments Deluxe… smothered in a symphonic atmosphere of stop and blues and Charlie Butterworth.”

4. Comedy Routine: Charlie Butterworth as Talent Scout

Charlie Butterworth claims credit for discovering Marlene Dietrich with an increasingly absurd story about the Foreign Legion, sunstroke, and missed connections.

• Running Joke (04:44–07:10):
  Butterworth struggles to finish his Dietrich story, gets sidetracked by wordplay, and trades quips with Astaire.

  • Charlie Butterworth, 05:31:
    “…I lay out there in a dead faint. Well, sort of a semi conscious faint. You know that kind. When you know what's going on and you wish you could be there.”

• Name Confusion Gag:
  Continues with Johnny Green, further blurring lines between cast and role.

5. Musical Interludes

A. “Yours Forever” by Johnny Green

• Introduction (09:18):
  “Johnny's next number tonight is one of his own compositions being played for the first time on the air. It's called ‘Yours Forever.’”

B. “A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody” (16:03–20:04):
Ken Carpenter frames the song’s enduring popularity; Francia White and Johnny Green perform a nostalgic, lush version.

6. Comedy Sketch: "Plain Susan Brown"

(20:04–25:30)
A mock-dramatic playlet with Fred Astaire and Frances White. Sound effects are improvised due to the “absent sound man”—delightfully handled by Butterworth honking a taxi horn out of place.

• Memorable Moments:
  • Sound Effect Silliness (20:15–22:15):
    Butterworth offers to "moo like a cow" for Parisian ambiance.
  • Dramatic Climax & Twist (22:48–25:28):
    The “Countess” is revealed to be plain Susan Brown from St. Louis rather than European nobility, and all is forgiven in a mock-romantic resolution.
  • Fred Astaire, 24:45:
    “I like you better as plain Susan Brown.”

7. Mid-Episode Musical Set

• “Stompin’ at the Savoy” by Johnny Green and Orchestra (25:48)

8. Talent Scout Returns: Butterworth and the Movie Review

Comedic back-and-forth as Butterworth claims to have combed the world for a talent—before a zany, confusing movie critique from Eddie Moran (28:10–31:34).

• Eddie Moran’s Absurd Review:
  Delivers a string of non-sequiturs, fractured English, and slapstick plot points about love, airplanes, and an inexplicably tragic ending.
  • Ken Carpenter, 31:36:
    “Well, must have been quite an interesting picture.”
  • Eddie Moran, 31:41:
    “Mr. Beast goes to Town.”

9. More Song Classics: Fred Astaire & Frances White

A. “The Way You Look Tonight” (32:19–34:52):
A highlight duet, smooth and sentimental.

• Notable Lyrics:
  "When I'm awfully low, when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight."

10. Francia White: “Romeo & Juliet” Scene

(36:01–39:22)
Francia White gives a dramatic and operatic performance as Juliet in Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet.”

11. “One Kiss” from The New Moon

(39:24–42:22)
A romantic, wistful song, full of operetta charm.

12. Fred Astaire: "Bojangles of Harlem" Tribute

(42:26–47:00)
Astaire discusses the origin and inspiration for “Bojangles of Harlem,” written in tribute to legendary dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, and then leads the cast in a lively, swinging number that conjures the energy and rhythms of Harlem.

• Fred Astaire, 42:51:
  “No matter how it is done, I can't help thinking of Bill, this is not an impersonation of him, but the idea was most certainly inspired by that one and only Bojangles, Bill Robinson.”

Standout Quotes & Comic Exchanges

• Charlie Butterworth, 08:24:
  “Harold T. Harold. What’s the T for?”
  “Oh, just to break the monotony.”

• Butterworth’s “Cow” Sound Effect (20:36):
  “I can moo like a cow.”
  Fred Astaire retorts dryly, noting the sketch is set in a Paris apartment.

• Comedic Miscommunications:

  • Eddie Moran’s entire movie review segment is full of fractured English and elliptical conversation, typified by:
    “With my sweet hot days I had in front of the post office with you. Two days I was, till I was late till now.” (29:27)

• Name Gags:

  • Charlie Butterworth, 49:32:
    “I’m sorry. Well, good night, Fred. Good night, Mr. You know, that’s a swell orchestra you got.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | Description | |-------------|----------------------------------------|-------------| | 01:07 | "Fancy Free" Opening | Fred Astaire performance | | 03:47 | "What’s This Show About?" | Astaire comically explains the format | | 04:44–07:10 | Talent Scout/Marlene Dietrich Story | Butterworth’s legendary “find” | | 09:18 | “Yours Forever” by Johnny Green | Musical performance debut | | 16:03 | "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" | House staple revived | | 20:15–25:30 | "Plain Susan Brown" Comedy Sketch | Paris, love, mistaken identity – and taxi horn sound effects | | 28:10 | Butterworth’s Worldly Search | Talent segment starting | | 29:27–31:41 | Eddie Moran's Movie Review | Stream-of-consciousness gag | | 32:19 | "The Way You Look Tonight" | Astaire and White duet | | 36:01 | Francia White as Juliet | Operatic scene from Romeo & Juliet | | 39:24 | “One Kiss” from The New Moon | Lush duet | | 42:26–47:00 | "Bojangles of Harlem" & Tribute | Astaire credits Bill Robinson and sings |

Tone & Atmosphere

Warm, witty, and vibrant, the show thrives on easy banter, pun-laden gags, and cheerful camaraderie between the cast. Musical interludes are lush and tuneful, while even the dramatic sketch is gently parodic. The classic radio energy—ad libs, inside jokes, improvisational sound effects—keeps things light throughout.

For New Listeners

If you haven’t listened, this episode will give you a quintessential taste of 1930s radio at its best: a blend of star talent, memorable music, period humor, and inventive storytelling. It’s a snapshot not just of entertainment history, but also of the playful, collaborative spirit that defined old time radio.