Quarreling about radio 1946: Sunday

Radio shows below are rated by triangles. Three triangles is as good as it gets. My commentary follows:

Agreed. But this show got WAY better in future years after losing Bea Benaderet (whom I greatly admire as an actress but her character was just lousy on this show.)

I have been through the entire series. The first few years (including 1946) are the best. I seriously can't think of anything on the show (pre-William Waterman, who took Gildy's place in 1950) that I would consider corny. As stated before in this blog, Walter Tetley does a superb job as Leroy and Harold Peary's other supporting cast do a marvelous job as well. The show holds up as well today as any.  Three triangles.

While this show is not horrible, it's one of those shows I usually skip in my listening rotation. Bergen's McCarthy is usually fine but the other dummies are not very entertaining. Guide calls the show "fast-moving" and "slick"; I'd say there's far too much music and the guest stars are usually of the who-cares variety.  

By the time 1946 came around, this show was as stale as old black market bread.

Granted, we don't have very many episodes to listen to - so judging this program properly is pretty much impossible.  However, I've heard what's available and if that is any indication of what the series was like, the show was just plain rotten. It's not funny, plain and simple.  Beulah here was nothing like Beulah on FM&M.

Allen's Alley has proven to be historic and Fred Allen is brilliant. But Allen is the straight man almost always and his wife Portland's VERY annoying voice kills any joy the show brings. It's worse than nails on a chalkboard. Even if she wasn't on the show, the highest I'd rate the show would be one and a half pyramids.

Three pyramids for opera?

Finally, they get one right. This show is sadly over very quickly. It's fun and funny both. Usually, a guest star shows up and proves just how dumb they are. It's too bad so few of these shows are available to listen to because this is great radio.