Showing posts with label Parley Baer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parley Baer. Show all posts
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Ten supporting characters who were superb
10. Emmy Lou - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Emmy Lou was played by Janet Waldo (who was also the star of Corliss Archer.) She did such an excellent job of playing a tiny part - that I simply had to mention her.
She played a bobby-soxer teen who seemed to have a crush on Ozzie and would often wail, "Ewwwwwwwwwwww!" - but in a nice, giddy way, not the "bad sour cream" way.
9. Raymond Johnson - Inner Sanctum
Raymond was the host of Inner Sanctum but was just as much a part of the show as the actors himself.
His humor was pure corn but it was delivered in such a way that remains memorable even if you have listened to the show just once.
8. Old Timer - Fibber McGee and Molly
Bill Thompson (who played several parts on Fibber McGee and Molly) made the Old Timer such a phenomenal character that his expression, "But that ain't the way I heerd it." became a national catch phrase during the second World War.
A near-deaf fellow with a propensity for telling jokes and ribbing Fibber week after week, put him on this list.
7. Chester Proudfoot - Gunsmoke
Chester (Parley Baer) seemed to fit in so seemlessly into Gunsmoke that he hardly seems to be there at all sometimes. But he was there - and this why he's on the list.
6. Miss Duffy - Duffy's Tavern
There were lots of Miss Duffys... but only one really stands out to me. As I wrote the other day: I really like the acting of Sandra Gould. Who's she, you ask? She played Miss Duffy on Duffy's Tavern from 1944-48; you may know her better as "the 2nd Gladys Kravitz" on the TV show, Bewitched. To me, she is perfect for the part of Miss Duffy.
Her accent seemed perfect and she delivered her lines flawlessly week after week.
If not for some stiff competition, she would rank even higher on this list.
5. Rush - Vic and Sade
Bill Idelson (who later became a writer for television) wasn't the star but by George, his performances easily stand out over the length and breadth of the entire series.
4. Perry White - The Adventures of Superman
Julian Noa created the character of Perry White and made him real. The character he created was later added into the comics and the various motion pictures and television for the Superman franchise.
While White wasn't on but perhaps a fifth or less of the radio shows, the character was done with such uniqueness that he remains the stereotypical newspaper editor.
3, Dr. Watson - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The episodes that Nigel Bruce took on the role of Watson were so good that when Basil Rathbone (the "preferred" Holmes) left and John Conway took over that role, the show really never seems to skip a beat because Bruce was the anchor in which the show remained steady.
2. Gillis/Digby O'Dell - The Life of Riley
John Brown played both characters and played them so well and so differently that the uninformed would never know they were the same person.
Each character was so completely different and played such a vital part in the show that Brown probably deserves special recognition.
1. Leroy - Great Gildersleeve
Walter Tetley's role of Leroy is superior to all other supporting character roles on radio to me. Not only was he a very good actor - he was very funny. His delivery was second-to-none (aside from the likes of Orson Welles and Helen Hayes.)
©Jimbo 2010/2011
Emmy Lou was played by Janet Waldo (who was also the star of Corliss Archer.) She did such an excellent job of playing a tiny part - that I simply had to mention her.
She played a bobby-soxer teen who seemed to have a crush on Ozzie and would often wail, "Ewwwwwwwwwwww!" - but in a nice, giddy way, not the "bad sour cream" way.
9. Raymond Johnson - Inner Sanctum
Raymond was the host of Inner Sanctum but was just as much a part of the show as the actors himself.
His humor was pure corn but it was delivered in such a way that remains memorable even if you have listened to the show just once.
8. Old Timer - Fibber McGee and Molly
Bill Thompson (who played several parts on Fibber McGee and Molly) made the Old Timer such a phenomenal character that his expression, "But that ain't the way I heerd it." became a national catch phrase during the second World War.
A near-deaf fellow with a propensity for telling jokes and ribbing Fibber week after week, put him on this list.
7. Chester Proudfoot - Gunsmoke
Chester (Parley Baer) seemed to fit in so seemlessly into Gunsmoke that he hardly seems to be there at all sometimes. But he was there - and this why he's on the list.
6. Miss Duffy - Duffy's Tavern
There were lots of Miss Duffys... but only one really stands out to me. As I wrote the other day: I really like the acting of Sandra Gould. Who's she, you ask? She played Miss Duffy on Duffy's Tavern from 1944-48; you may know her better as "the 2nd Gladys Kravitz" on the TV show, Bewitched. To me, she is perfect for the part of Miss Duffy.
Her accent seemed perfect and she delivered her lines flawlessly week after week.
If not for some stiff competition, she would rank even higher on this list.
5. Rush - Vic and Sade
Bill Idelson (who later became a writer for television) wasn't the star but by George, his performances easily stand out over the length and breadth of the entire series.
4. Perry White - The Adventures of Superman
Julian Noa created the character of Perry White and made him real. The character he created was later added into the comics and the various motion pictures and television for the Superman franchise.
While White wasn't on but perhaps a fifth or less of the radio shows, the character was done with such uniqueness that he remains the stereotypical newspaper editor.
3, Dr. Watson - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The episodes that Nigel Bruce took on the role of Watson were so good that when Basil Rathbone (the "preferred" Holmes) left and John Conway took over that role, the show really never seems to skip a beat because Bruce was the anchor in which the show remained steady.
2. Gillis/Digby O'Dell - The Life of Riley
John Brown played both characters and played them so well and so differently that the uninformed would never know they were the same person.
Each character was so completely different and played such a vital part in the show that Brown probably deserves special recognition.
1. Leroy - Great Gildersleeve
Walter Tetley's role of Leroy is superior to all other supporting character roles on radio to me. Not only was he a very good actor - he was very funny. His delivery was second-to-none (aside from the likes of Orson Welles and Helen Hayes.)
©Jimbo 2010/2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Review - Honest Harold (The Harold Peary Show)
Imagine The Great Gildersleeve show. Now imagine taking away all the characters on the show besides Gildy and replacing them with ones of inferior talent. If you can successfully do both, you'll have a 'vision" of the 1950's radio program called, "Honest Harold."
The show is situated very much like The Great Gildersleeve. This is certainly what Harold Peary envisioned in 1949 when he left NBC for CBS. It's not like he was the only one doing this as many of his contemporaries were doing the same thing (Jack Benny, Amos and Andy, etc.) He was sure he and his cast would rake in more revenue, would gain a bigger audience... but none of that happened When he left NBC he assumed Kraft (the Gildersleeve sponsor) would jump on the bandwagon and take the successful Gildersleeve Show right along with him. But Kraft was super faithful to NBC and Peary wound up at CBS without his sterling cast and without his show.
To make matters worse, William Waterman (a man who looked and sounded an awful lot like Harold Peary) stepped right in and replaced him on The Great Gildersleeve without skipping a beat. Most people never knew the difference when he left the show!
Honest Harold was about Peary running a daytime radio show for women called, "Honest Harold: The Homemaker." He would sing and give tips to the gals about housework. He was a bachelor who lived with his mother. Actually, this was probably a 100% innocent situation in 1950 but kind of queer when we reflect back on Honest Harold's "life."
Although this show boasted Peary, Parley Baer and Joseph Kearns, I dare say all 3 played their weakest parts of any show in recollection here. Kearns is particularly weak in his role of Doc Yak-Yak, an annoying "Judge Hooker"-type character in a rip off of the Gildersleeve show. Joining the cast is Peary's real life wife, Gloria Holliday playing one of his girlfriends. Sorry, but she's no Shirley Mitchell or Bea Benaderet.
Honest Harold lasted just one lonesome, unimpressive season. His partnership with mega-talent Walter Tetley was broken and Peary's show business career would continue it's stumble from here.
It's not a horrible show; but it's a far cry from The Great Gildersleeve. 2 Stars at best.
©Jimbo 2010/2011
The show is situated very much like The Great Gildersleeve. This is certainly what Harold Peary envisioned in 1949 when he left NBC for CBS. It's not like he was the only one doing this as many of his contemporaries were doing the same thing (Jack Benny, Amos and Andy, etc.) He was sure he and his cast would rake in more revenue, would gain a bigger audience... but none of that happened When he left NBC he assumed Kraft (the Gildersleeve sponsor) would jump on the bandwagon and take the successful Gildersleeve Show right along with him. But Kraft was super faithful to NBC and Peary wound up at CBS without his sterling cast and without his show.
To make matters worse, William Waterman (a man who looked and sounded an awful lot like Harold Peary) stepped right in and replaced him on The Great Gildersleeve without skipping a beat. Most people never knew the difference when he left the show!
Honest Harold was about Peary running a daytime radio show for women called, "Honest Harold: The Homemaker." He would sing and give tips to the gals about housework. He was a bachelor who lived with his mother. Actually, this was probably a 100% innocent situation in 1950 but kind of queer when we reflect back on Honest Harold's "life."
Although this show boasted Peary, Parley Baer and Joseph Kearns, I dare say all 3 played their weakest parts of any show in recollection here. Kearns is particularly weak in his role of Doc Yak-Yak, an annoying "Judge Hooker"-type character in a rip off of the Gildersleeve show. Joining the cast is Peary's real life wife, Gloria Holliday playing one of his girlfriends. Sorry, but she's no Shirley Mitchell or Bea Benaderet.
Honest Harold lasted just one lonesome, unimpressive season. His partnership with mega-talent Walter Tetley was broken and Peary's show business career would continue it's stumble from here.
It's not a horrible show; but it's a far cry from The Great Gildersleeve. 2 Stars at best.
©Jimbo 2010/2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Photo dump/Jan. 16
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| How many dogs did Kate Smith own? |
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| Not a big fan of singing cowpokes - but I love Gene Autry |
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| Jack Benny - not feuding with Fred Allen for a change |
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| Back to feuding. I think that's Mary Martin in the middle. Fred Allen is about to die? |
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| I think I post more pics of Baby Snooks than anyone else. Good for me. |
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| Prior to this post, there were only 6 or 8 photos of the magnificent Parley Baer on the internet. Now there are 3 more. |
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| A nice depiction of George Burns and Gracie Allen, circa 1938. |
Friday, January 7, 2011
Hodge-podging once more
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| Bob Bailey; stuck in a bad script on LGDI |
The plot was pretty good but the subplot involved Valentine being afraid of horses; the way around this was to make George ride a hobby horse and a merry-go-round (in screaming terror, I might add.)
The episode was essentially passable but the meandering during the middle of the program (episode 461025 Cowboy Star Afraid of Horse) is some of the worst stuff ever.
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Well, The Digital Deli is back online, just shortly after I had taken down all the links to it on OTR People. So, it looks like the "A's" will NEVER be finished.
Every time I think I am done, I find a new person whose name ends in 'A' or the Digital Deli goes down or the Digital Deli comes back up...
Not only that but "B" may be delayed a while until I can add some more photos. I'd say 60% of the photos I need are not on Google Images. But I have found quite a few in newspapers, etc. I am in the process of adding them online now (it may take a week or more) and then I will try and continue with OTR People.
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| Parley Baer |
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| Marvo (William Conrad) |
In it, he plays a character named Marvo. He shows up roughly nine and a half minutes in. Check out the voice he uses! It's very deep and quite hilarious. It's the only time I remember hearing him use that voice!
This is my first run through Rocky Fortune but I find the show very entertaining. Frank Sinatra was a great actor (this is evident in each and every one of the films he was in.)
Rocky Fortune continues to surprise me with it's quality every time I listen.
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