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Listening to radio programs from the yesteryear has become a breathtakingly standard form of entertainment. Many of the old radio shows from the 1920s to the 1950s have even been adapted to play on the progressed gadgets and gizmos we use today. In fact, like most other media formats, old time radio offers a wide selection for public consumption. Crowd favorites are the general mystery, horror and suspense, thriller, drama and adventure genre. Of course, comedy was in particular bestloved by the listeners of what has now become known as the golden age of radio.
The 1930′s spawned galore note-worthy programs that are still talked when it comes to to this day. However, one of the most famous sitcoms to grace the airwaves was none other than “Fibber McGee and Molly,” which begun airing on NBC Network April 16, 1935. When situational comedy is talked about, this illfamed series without delay comes to mind and is said to be the spark that launched James “Jim” Jordan and Marian Driscoll to stardom.
The success of this syndicated serial was something like a slow burn. Unlike other hit old radio shows, the audience of Fibber McGee grew over the years. Perhaps what set the series apart from contemporaries of it is time was the fact that it was a bright ray of sunlight in what was other than as supposed or expected a bleak and dark moment in American history. The Depression blanketed the country with the after-effects of World War I and the lighthearted cheer that the McGee’s of Wistful Vista exhibited as they went with regards to their every day lives was a comforting balm to homes and households throughout America.
Jim and Marian relied to a great extent on their witty repartee to entertain their audience. It was not strange that their listeners would end up doubled-over in laughter at the rib-tickling and guffaw-inducing jokes delivered by the spunky cast. In the comedy genre, it’s rather easy to fall into cliches and a repetitious routine. However, Fibber McGee with great success got away with such over-used plot gadgets through sheer bravado. In fact, one of the most illfamed running gags they used was the “Hall Closet.” Many an unsuspecting soul fell victim to the closet and was promptly buried beneath an avalanche of Fibber’s things and no one was safe from the junk-filled monster. It became a standing joke in the McGee home and Fibber extrapolated the catch-phrase “I have to get that closet cleaned out one of these days.” That ironic and self-derogatory remark delivered in an closely bored voice would leave the listeners in stitches.
Undoubtedly, the colorful characters living in Wistful Vista also helped drive the show’s popularity. One of the most eccentric persons living in the village was a senior resident called “Old Timer.” The gruff and cranky old man was portrayed by Bill Thompson. The comical situations he and Fibber would get into were made more ridiculous as he appeared to be arguing with somebody who was deaf as a doorknob. Another reputation that he many times interacted with was the haughty and self-styled aristocrat, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve. He had a love-hate kinship with Fibber and their wordplay was akin to a verbal battle at times. Harold Peary portrayed the arrogant next-door neighbor so well that a spin-off program was invented for the character. “The Great Gildersleeve” was another old time radio show that became general for the duration of it is time. Last but not least was the lovable and precocious little girl who followed Fibber around all the time. “Teeny” was likewise played by the charming Marian Driscoll. The former Vaudevillian actress had an aweinspiring voice talent which was shown by the wide array of characters she played allround the span of her career.
Outrageous Radio American Comedy Network
In 1954, James Thurber wrote: ‘You may count on the thumb of one hand the American who is at once a comedian, a humorist, a wit, and a satirist, and his name is Fred Allen.’ Several decades after his death and more than forty years since his radio program left the air, Fred Allen’s reputation as a valued humorist remains intact. In this book, Alan Havig explores the origins of his comedy, the themes it exploited, the troubles and challenges that faced the radio comedy writer, and Allen’s distinctive success with the one-dimensional medium of radio. Tracing a career that lasted from 1912 into the 1950s and encompassed vaudeville, Broadway revues, movies, radio, and television, Havig describes the “verbal slapstick” style that was Fred Allen’s hallmark and bequest to American comedy. More than a biography of Fred Allen, this is a study of the development of the radio industry, a discussion of American humor, and the story of how one relates to the other.Using a wide potpourri of published and unpublished sources, including the Allen Papers, Havig analyzes Allen’s radio comedy of the 1930s and 40s within the context of the queer vantages and limitations of radio as a medium for comedy. He argues that Allen did not merely transfer vaudeville routines to a non-visual medium as did Eddie Cantor, Ed Wynn, and others. Allen devised a comedic style that depended on word play, sound effects, and on his audience’s capacity and readiness to imagine a visual world in which his eccentric characters operated.Havig illustrates his story with a lot of examples of Allen’s humor, with arousing and attention holding anecdotes, and excerpts from radio broadcasts. In accounting for the comedian’s success, he deals with vaudeville, comedy writing, sponsor’s demands and censorship of material, and the organizational world of radio broadcasting companies. Describing radio as “an instrument of wit,” Fred Allen wrote: ‘on radio you could do subtle writing because you had access to the imagination…that was why I liked radio. we had numerous fun.’ Readers will also have some fun remembering or discovering for the basi time Allen’s Alley and the magic of radio comedy in it is prime. Alan Havig is Professor of History and American Studies at Stephens College in Columbia Missouri.
From Publishers WeeklyA Stephens College (Missouri) professor of history here examines Allen’s (1894-1956) 20 years in vaudeville, his career in radio from 1933 to 1949, and his characteristic brand of air-wave comedy, and concludes that Allen was a literary humorist who devised “comedy in a unique manner aural in accomplishment and appeal.” His humor, as Havig observes, often times involved parody, insult (as in Allen’s long-time feud with Jack Benny); puns; dialect humor (a Chinese-American was a “Yangtse Doodle Dandy”); worldly satire; and sporadorically unfathomed wit (Allen specified life as “a lull amid stork and epitaph” and a spinster as “a woman who indulged once too seldom”). Havig’s searching account amuses and informs, providing further proof that the line amidst high and ordinary culture has blurred in our century. Photos.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review “A noteworthy example of radio at it is best.”
—Back Stage/SHOOT
Outrageous Radio American Comedy Network Pic
Outrageous Radio American Comedy Network Pic
Outrageous Radio American Comedy Network Pic
Outrageous Radio American Comedy Network Image
Most helpful client reviews
2 of 2 humans found the following review helpful.
 Fine book regarding Fred Allen’s radio career and what went into it
By Marie Lamb
While this book is not a barrel of laughs in itself, it’s not meant to be. It’s a scholarly work on Fred Allen’s radio career, and has a factual approach. Alan Havig gives a outstanding deal of detail regarding Allen’s radio programs and the mercantile and other circumstances beneath which they were created. In Allen’s day, network radio programming was for the most part governed by sponsors and advertising agencies. The fact that Allen was capable to formulate such outstanding comedy, in spite of pressure from overly-cautious ad types and network brass, shows his creative thinking and strength of character. Those of us who are applied to Jay Leno and David Letterman fearlessly poking fun at network executives need to do not forget that, over sixty years ago, Fred Allen took the risks that made their satires possible. Steve Martin is right in regards to comedy not being pretty; a lot of work, sweat and hassles go into the best of it. Once you read this and find out what was behind Fred Allen’s radio career, you will be grateful for his jibes versus pretentious network vice-presidents and pompous advertizing language even more. Enjoy Allen’s shows and books by all means, but also read this to learn when it comes to the man and what has behind his work.
5 of 7 humans found the following review helpful.
 The worst book I’ve read with regards to this great man
By A
This book reads like somebody’s doctoral dissertation. The writing is arid and pedantic. Really awful. Robert Taylor’s book was much better–but of course the best thing would be to read Allen’s two books (Treadmill To Oblivion and Much Ado About Me).
4 of 6 humans found the following review helpful.
Great book when it comes to a brilliant radio show
By A
Fred Allen himself wrote 2 autobiographies. Robert Taylor later wrote another biography of Fred Allen. As far as I know, this book is the only one in existence that centers on only the radio show. It starts out with Fred’s early years in the medium and traces the evolution of the show until it went off the air in 1949. A person who doesn’t know very much with regards to Fred Allen may get a clear picture from this book of who the man was and what made him such a beloved comedian. This book captures the magic of Fred Allen’s distinctive brand of humor.
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