This guy's favorite shows

"This guy" is Jack Palmer, not me.  He likes Vic and Sade the best (by coincidence.)  However, what he wrote about the show gave me chill bumps as I asked the same question on my blog.

click to enlarge

A different kind of Vic and Sade interview with Louie Johnson

The internet is a wonderful place (sometimes) where one can run into others who share your compassion for things.

One of my compassions is Vic and Sade.  I think that's pretty obvious.  I recently got an email from Louie Johnson, who has bent over backwards to help me in my research on my favorite radio show.

I asked him if he would consent to an interview, which he agreed to.  I asked him if we could take a bit of a different route and he agreed to that also...


Jimbo: Why do you think Nicer Scott was always doing things to provoke Rush?

Louie Johnson: I imagine Nicer's mother fed him on a diet rich in starch and cheese and that much of the time his gastrointestinal tract was rather sluggish.

To help him out, she would then try to counteract the binding effect by giving him Bromo-Seltzer, which, as we now know, contained trace elements of tranquilizers and other poisons.  Either that or he was just a jerk.

Jimbo: Let's assume the flirtation in Vic's life made him think ... thoughts.  Was he a Lolita di Rienzi man or a Pom Pom Cordova man?

Louie Johnson: Have to believe he was a Lolita man. Pom Pom seems to have been the more effervescent, lively one of the pair. Lolita was more quietly seductive, dropping subtle suggestions that tickled Vic where it counts.  He was much more thrilled that she thought he had a heart-shaped face than he was interested in becoming a third member of a dubious musical ensemble.

Jimbo: There wasn't a lot of affection shown between Vic and Sade.  Why is this?

Louie Johnson: I disagree with the premise. I believe there was a lot of affection expressed between them, done in the manner and mores of the times.

People pulling together for family survival was the hallmark of the era, and doing little things for each other was a quiet expression of their love for each other. Their quiet giggles loudly proclaimed their affection.

Jimbo: Which one of the Bright Kentucky Hotel inhabitants is the most interesting to you and why?

Louie Johnson: As I recall, Gumpox was a denizen of the Bright Kentucky and that while he was sleeping as the fast passenger trains shook the building at night, his bed would travel out the door and down the hallway.

Jimbo: Continuity on the show seemed to take a dive about the time Bill Idelson left the show.  Any ideas or thoughts on this?

Louie Johnson: When a major character departs any program, something needs to replace the vacuum left behind, and I suppose Rhymer and the directors soon realized there was a need for a central familial figure, and they were fortunate to find the brilliant David Whitehouse, whose performances, to me, are every bit as good as Idelson's.  He brought great intelligence to the role, and he was just a tiny bit more acerbic than Rush. I enjoy his sarcastic petulance as much as I enjoy Idelson's great enthusiasms.

Jimbo: What's the oddest incident we learn about in the show's history?

Louie Johnson: The two things that stand out for me are both from the same episode from 1942 "Landlady's Washrag Collection". The idea that someone would issue a commemorative washrag in remembrance of a man who had a railroad trestle fall on him is gargantuan in its absurdity, and the idea that someone else would create a washrag with pockets for coins, keys, and an insurance policy reduces me to tears every time I hear it.

Jimbo: At my site, Imagined Plots of Vic and Sade, I imagined Mr. Sludge having a very social moment and deciding to join the Sacred Stars of the Milky Way and the Thimble Club on the same day.  What crazy things have you imagined could have happened?

Louie Johnson: That would be an interesting situation for sure.  I haven't imagined many crazy things that could have happened because Rhymer did such a good job to begin with.  I truly believe his humor was subversive in the way he knocked the pins out from a lot of stuffed shirts (who always deserve that treatment).  The Bible says God is not a respecter of persons. Neither was Rhymer, and I love them both for it.

Jimbo: Imagine that 3000 Vic and Sade discs were found tomorrow and they were all put on the internet by 2013.  Would you take the time to listen to them all?

Louie Johnson: I'm certain I would listen to them all eventually. Even in the worst episodes there's always a Rhymer-ism to grab onto - a nugget of linguistic wonderfulness. When I first discovered Vic and Sade back around 1991, I listened to the 200 episodes we had available at the time every night while drifting off to sleep. This went on for four or five years, and then resumed again in 2004. I haven't listened to them much since then, but they are constantly swimming around in my skull, affecting just about everything I do.  When I was a teenager in New Jersey, I listened to Jean Shepherd (also a Rhymer afficianado) every night from 1962 until he left the air in 1977.  His world-view formulated my aesthetic sensibilities more than any other single human being, and Rhymer's Vic and Sade put a high polish on those views and attitudes.

Jimbo: Imagine having dinner with the following characters.  You can only ask each character one question.  Reveal the question you would ask:

Sade?

Louie Johnson: What is your objection to Vic's simple desire to wear a wide-brimmed hat?

Homer U. McDancey?

Louie Johnson: Will the All-Star Marching Team ever actually perform together - I mean in the same place at the same time?

Mis' Appelrot?

Louie Johnson: Have you been tested for tetanus recently?

Mis' Neagle?

Louie Johnson: How did you get so beefy and are you busy tonight?

Russell Miller?

Louie Johnson: How come you never talk about your brother?

Robert and Slobert Hink?

Louie Johnson: Honestly, are Cupid and Stupid as creepy as you two?

Rotten Davis?

Louie Johnson: Is ill-fitting underwear the real reason you want to raise such a fuss all the time?

Mr. Sludge?

Louie Johnson: How did you develop your fear of naps?

Hank Gutstop?

Louie Johnson: Would you consider training me to be Deputy House Detective at the Bright Kentucky?

Jimbo: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.

Louie Johnson: Thank you for asking them ...


©Jimbo 2012

An interview with Sarah Cole about Vic and Sade

Fans of my Crazy World of Vic and Sade will no doubt recognize the name, Sarah Cole.

I "met" Mis' Sarah on Twitter and she's such a big fan of Vic and Sade that I want to marry her! Well, at least do an interview with her, which I haven't done yet. She has provided many of her thoughts to the website (which I am very grateful for) and her insight is so valuable and precious to me. I enjoy her ideas and work very much and I am so privileged that she devotes so much of her time to The Crazy World of Vic and Sade.

Without further ado, here's an interview I did with her:


Tell me about your website and what your mission is there.

I'd hesitate to call "Old Zorah's Pew" a proper website. It's mostly a chance to 1.) Vent, 2.) Post information or insights I haven't seen anyone else address. Its purpose is mainly 1.) To keep me from wandering about muttering to myself, and , 2.) To put the ideas in a place where they can be shared at appropriate times via social media. I'm as sporadic a blog-poster as I am a letter-poster, so it's a wonder any one notices the blog at all. But, if someone makes a remark about Jesus Christ being born in April or September, I can whip out this and remark, "Scripturally, you know, there's good evidence that He was born in December;" or if someone lavishes eloquent praise on John Williams for his originality in creating "Yoda's Theme." I can shoot back, "Ahem. I believe that particular melody dates from 1942," and pass on this URL.   Or, I can keep quiet and keep my friends. 

(One of these days, I'll have to post the story of how I came to become a church lady, as compared to a Christian woman who attends church. It might be good for laughs.) 　 

Which one of the real characters do you enjoy the most and why?

Probably Rush or Uncle Fletcher. Youthful exuberance is always bracing; and Uncle Fletcher is so enveloped in his own world that any conversation with him is bound to seem like a travelogue.

Which of the pre-1945 imagined characters do you like to think about the most? Why? What do they look and sound like to you?

The actual character varies, but, at the moment, I'm thinking about Aunt Bess. I picture her as looking and sounding like a gentler version of Sade, not as tall, and with brown hair (for some reason, Sade sounds like she's bigger than Bess, and blonde.)

What do you think about Uncle Fletcher? Is he crazy, hard of hearing, selective hearing, senile... what gives?

Uncle Fletcher is an artist, a poet, a dreamer. Therefore, he can't see the prosaic world around him. Instead, it is one of continual glamour and excitement, peopled by fascinating personalities. To digress briefly, in the old fairy stories, one theme that regularly came up was of mortals not being able to see the fairies, but, when their eyes were treated with a special ointment, they could see all the magnificence that, to everyone else, looked like rank shabbiness. Uncle Fletcher's eyes have been anointed; and, through him, we can see the fairies.

Is Vic and Sade your favorite radio show or is it just one of the better shows you listen to?

That's like asking what's my favorite movie: it depends on my mood. Vic and Sade is definitely one of my most favorite programs, though The Halls of Ivy, or Jack Benny, or Bob and Ray, or Fred Allen are all right up there.

Finish this sentence. "When I think about the show, Vic and Sade, the first thing I think about is _____"

"Absurdity." If we watch ourselves, and those around us, we would be either shocked, or vastly amused, at the silly things we say or do, that don't' seem silly at the time.

What do you feel is the most interesting premise to the show?

Vic as Exalted Big Dipper of the local fraternal organization. My grandmother was a staunch Rebekah for years, and understood and taught the ritual. Although the Rebekah ritual actually makes sense, hearing Vic recite the gibberish of the Sacred Stars of the Milky Way makes me think of my grandmother.

And in all her days, she never tore the buttons off of the coat, vest, shirt, and underwear of any member!

Since Proctor and Gamble destroyed so many disks and we are left with only 1/10th of the episodes, tell me, have you ever imagined what happened in some of those shows? Tell me some of the things you have wondered about?

I've been so taken by the things that happened in the shows that are extant, and in the scripts Mrs. Rhymer published later, that I've never given much thought to what might have been lost. It may be that our imagination makes the missing better than they acutely were. For instance, I like the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Many of them originally included additional songs. Out of all those songs, I can only think of two that are memorable; and even they are better as novelties. While musically interesting, they drag on the plot without adding anything to it. If something were really good, somebody would have preserved it. The fact that no one did suggest that what we have is the very best of the series..

Anything else you'd like to say about the show?

Vic and Sade still goes on today. Look around at your friends and family and you'll hear episodes every day.

My grandparents didn't seem to care for Vic and Sade. In fact, the only radio program I recall them ever talking about was the Paul Gibson show (a Chicago area talk-show host). My grandfather liked to listen to him in the morning, my grandmother couldn't stand him. When she gave the ultimatum that my grandfather could either breakfast with Gibson or her, but not both, he chose Gibson. (This disagreement was not fatal to their marriage, however: when they died last year, aged 99 and 94, Grandpa was as much in love with Grandma as he was before he had ever heard of Paul Gibson.)

The thing about Vic and Sade is its seemingly unconscious wacky naturalness. Real people may use different phrases, but they are just as prone to malapropisms as Sade. Youth still plan impossible plots without recognizing their limitations. And men still take pride in their exploits with their comrades, whether they're following a sports team or building computer networks. The program may be set in the 1930s-40's, but Paul Rhymer has captured the timeless elements of human behavior. It takes time, a sense of humor, and self-awareness, to recognize the humor, but, once a listener catches on to it, he or she will begin to hear it everywhere.

©Jimbo, 2012

I interview a husband and wife about their fascination with Vic and Sade

Recently, I was sent an email from a female fan of Vic and Sade. 

Eventually, this turned into me finding out that not only was she a fan of Vic and Sade but so were her husband (who runs a blog called "Miscellany") and their children!

This provided the impetus to ask them both for an interview.  This will be the first time I have interviewed a husband and wife team about the show.  They gave some great answers...


OTR Buffet: Thank you so much for joining me for this interview. Please tell us a little something about yourself.

Yaakov: Happy to have the chance to talk to Vic and Sade fans, thanks for the opportunity. Radio has always been a great interest of mine. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the 1970's in the coverage area of WOR in New York City, so as a young teen I listened to Bob and Ray every afternoon and Jean Shepherd each evening. On weekends I heard reruns of Dimension X, X Minus One, and Inner Sanctum. I learned to love radio as something more than music and news.

I also learned to love the insides of radios and became a ham radio operator. So, I've been very "radioactive".

Shoshana: Like Sade, I am a Midwestern housewife. But instead of the daily little love story or Glory Golden movies, OTR is a big source of entertainment for me.

OTR Buffet: Do you remember when and how you first heard about Vic and Sade and what you first thought of the series?

Yaakov: I sure do. My wife an I are both OTR fans and we were trolling around in archive.org's fantastic collection. We listened for a few minutes to an episode but it failed to resonate and we moved on. Later, my wife told me she'd listened to more and I had to listen. After a few episodes, we were both hooked.

Shoshana: Yes! OTR used to be an expensive hobby, because the only way to acquire recordings was to buy records or cassette tapes at about $10 a pop (at least when I was buying them in the 70s and 80s). So my husband and I were like kids in the proverbial candy shop once all the free recordings began to appear on archive.org. We had exhausted most of the episodes of the better-known programs and were searching around for something "new" to listen to. We tried a few minutes of Vic's New Hat, not really knowing what to expect or understanding how to interpret this very different format. With no audience, no live band, no hilarious ad spokesman, no raucous jokes, and few sound effects--just a small family having a conversation in their living room--we must have thought it was a slow-moving, light drama. We decided to try something else.

But the next day, I wanted to listen to OTR while doing dishes, so I downloaded a number of episodes onto my mp3 player. Listening all the way through, with my full attention, I found myself charmed and entranced by the unique and off-beat humor of Vic and Sade. I encouraged my husband to listen with me after that and he very quickly came to appreciate Vic and Sade as much as I did. Since then we have spend countless hours not just listening to Vic and Sade, but also discussing it with each other and with our six kids. 

OTR Buffet: Which one of the family do you enjoy listening to the most and why?

Yaakov: That's a tough question. I think it really depends on the episode. Some are better vehicles for one character or another. I do enjoy the Rush/Uncle Fletcher duo in things like Souvenirs and Mementos; and Washrag Collection, and the Vic/Sade duo in anything to do with Vic's naïve and repeated attempts to tell Sade about anything to do with Lolita Di Rienzi.

When Rush and Uncle Fletcher interact, we get to see just how patient and good-natured Rush is (it seems that only Nicer Scott and Sade's clothing plans can really get him upset). He takes all that Uncle Fletcher can throw at him and remains respectful and sincerely interested. He really enjoys Uncle Fletcher. With the pressure off—no Vic or Sade to get exasperated—Uncle Fletcher can be his full-blown crazy self without having to make a pest of himself (as he does when trying to get attention among others). He can tell his crazy stories without the tension. The closest Rush gets to being upset with Uncle Fletcher's stories is the "chamois bush" in Washrag Collection.

Vic seems to be in charge, but when Vic and Sade are having a one-on-one, as in Heart-shaped Face or any Lolita story, we see a reversal with Vic as the gullible one and Sade completely in charge. Sade's jealousy should make Vic happy, she clearly feels proprietary, but he feels small just when he was feeling a bit puffed up. Vic gets to be the one in charge when it comes to math or "science" (even though he doesn't have much actual knowledge) in things like the Sade and Ruthie shopping money episodes, and in Don't Scrape off the Watts. In either case, they work well together in these pairings.

If I had to pick just one, it would be probably be Uncle Fletcher, because it is pretty consistent that if you have Uncle Fletcher in an episode it will be a good one. But, that's artificial, you'd have to ask me about each episode to get the real answer.

Shoshana: While each of them is a treasure and I love the way they all work together and play off each other, I most enjoy listening to Rush, because of his easy-going attitude. He seems to take everything in stride; he acquiesces to demands, laughs off inconsistencies, and even accepts disregard for himself with a fairly tolerant attitude. He doesn't get out bent of shape over small stuff, and when it comes to the point where he really must assert himself, he does it calmly and appropriately. So he's my role model. :-)

OTR Buffet: Outside of the Gooks and Uncle Fletcher, who is the most intriguing character on the show to you and why?

Yaakov: Again, to pick just one is a kind of lying. There are so many great characters to choose from. I won't go through them all but maybe I can break it down a bit. First, for characters that are never actually heard, I would probably pick another pair: Lolita di Rienzi and Pom Pom Cordova. They are mysterious and doing unusual things in a little town in the 1930s. They get Sade pretty riled up. I suppose I would also pick Miss Neagle, because of her historical value as the first woman to single-handedly tear up a city street. OK, I will stop picking characters. But I don't want to.

Later, when we hear more voices (an innovation that I am not fond of), the most interesting ones were really very one-dimensional. People like Jimmy Custard, the city callestalker, because of his great iron-bound notebook and his inability to hold on to it providing one of the few sound effects and a great impact; Orville Weeny who really doesn't care about anything but raising a pompadour so he can say just what he thinks, and Mr. Sprall with his baby bonnet, shawl, and demented belief that he was born in every city that is mentioned. I like these because they couldn't have been done without the voice, while others, like Mis Harris, don't add to the ensemble, in my opinion. They are good actors, but they seem "bolted on".

Shoshana: It's hard to give an answer to that, because they all seem so strange, other than Mis' Harris. But probably the one with the most "intriguing" background is that prince of good fellows, L. Vogel Drum.

OTR Buffet: Do you have a favorite episode and why?

Yaakov: I don't. I have a list. There is no one single reason other than that they represent the best of Rhymer. He has the form down, and is at his most musical. A "good" Vic and Sade episode is like a musical piece. It starts out with the statement of a theme, there is tension as it moves away from the "tonic" and various dynamics, then eventually, it resolves by restating the theme. There are many, but not all episodes are "perfect" like these.

Shoshana: I have many favorites. Vic's New Hat, which we initially rejected, eventually became a favorite, because it demonstrates the foibles of the characters in one of their perennial conflicts. Forty Pounds of Golf Clubs in another, because in spite of the sheer madness of the premise the family seriously considers logistics of the situation. Souvenirs and Mementos is great because of the opportunity for Uncle Fletcher to tell a number of weird stories, and for Rush and Uncle Fletcher to list off the states. I could go on with probably another 5 or 10 actual favorites, but I'll try to be like Mis' Keller and leave it go at that.

OTR Buffet: What is the most interesting/funniest/strangest premise in the show to you and why?

Yaakov: It's not fair to ask for one. But, if I am going to try to pick out one, I would say, the Forty Pounds of Golf Clubs premise could be it. It is right in character, though for Mr. Buller who pulled his own tooth with a ticket punch "without turning a hair". The insult-to-injury was "and I am counting on your ability as a catcher because it is a new and expensive one and I wouldn't want to get it scratched"*. It's good that Vic was willing to stand up to Buller at least this once.

* I quoted this from memory, just as Vic does in the episode, but I think I can just about do that.

Shoshana: Well, as mentioned above, I think Forty Pounds of Golf Clubs is over the top. Vic has often been subjected to indignities in his quest for honor (ironically), but this is the only case I can remember in which his life was actually placed at risk. 

Of course, a few episodes near the end were pretty strange (people detouring through the house because the road was closed, for instance), but so extreme that I don't appreciate them as much. Sort of "jumping the shark".

OTR Buffet: Choose one - Uncle Fletcher is senile, crazy or hard of hearing? Does he use the 'hard of hearing' act to deflect things he doesn't want to talk about?

Yaakov: I don't think that Uncle Fletcher is senile or crazy. I think he is simply self-involved. He wants to be the center of attention and uses "important" and "unusual" things to try and be it. Of course he has "selective" hearing, and if it's not intentional, it is subconsciously managed. He's demonstrated he has no problem hearing things he wants to hear.

The one real mystery about Uncle Fletcher is his time in Boone, Iowa.

Shoshana: I think he actually is hard of hearing, by the way he reacts to comments and how he doesn't even hear conversations that are held in hushed tones. But I also think he plays it up as a device for dramatic effect. I don't think he's senile or even crazy, but I do think his thinking is a bit muddled a lot of the time. But none of his impairments seem to bother him as long as he is able to cultivate a sense of importance in his circle of friends and family.

OTR Buffet: Rush or Russell?

Yaakov: Well, here's one I can answer without equivocation: Rush. I don't even enjoy listening to Russell episodes very much. He is just a mini-Vic, with a bad attitude. Rush's unflappability is so important to the ensemble that Russell's negative energy just upsets the whole balance for me.

Shoshana: Rush, hands down. Where Rush has tolerant good humor and makes clever observations, Russell whines and doesn't add much substance. It seems, from what we've read, that Paul Rhymer also preferred Rush, and sometimes I wonder if he may have started deliberately writing Russell to be more annoying because he didn't care for him!

OTR Buffet: Which talked-about character would you like to know more about?

Yaakov: I think it would be Mr. Buller. He's a very dynamic guy who seems to live life to its fullest.

Shoshana: I have always wondered about Mr. Donahue and why he commands so much respect and consideration from Sade. It sometimes seems she is more concerned for his comfort than for that of her own family. He is always going against the norm, whether by having his days and nights reversed so that he can't even enjoy his vacations or by stepping down from a promotion that he had wanted. And then, of course, there is that issue with Donahue's attic. . .

OTR Buffet: What question should I have asked you but didn't and what's your answer?

Yaakov: I suppose it would be, "Of all the OTR out there, why is Vic and Sade the one show you listen to almost every day?"

I think it is the music-like quality. There is rhythm, dynamics, and flow to Vic and Sade. You can anticipate the dialogue, just as you would familiar and favorite music. It's always amusing, and seems to fill a need to step away from real life to a simpler one.

Shoshana: Maybe: "In what way do you find the humor of Vic and Sade characteristically Midwestern?"

My answer: Being from Indiana, one of the things that first appealed to me about Vic and Sade was that the characters and the humor were familiar in a way that no other programs I had seen or listened to were. Sade's accent, for instance, is just about identical to that of my grandmother, who grew up in a tiny town in Illinois. Uncle Fletcher's repertoire of "startlin" stories, and his cadence--such as the way he repeats a phrase and pauses dramatically before delivering some amazing bit of information--reminds me of my grandfather. The way Vic spontaneously recites bits of verse and plays with the sounds of words is something people in my family have always done (and I do, myself), yet I don't ever recall a character in a popular TV or radio program with that habit. In my experience, having lived both in Indiana and up and down the East Coast, these are Midwestern peculiarities. I was delighted to finally hear a representation of this segment of the population that I know and love!

OTR Buffet: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions!

Yaakov: Thanks for asking them!

Shoshana: It's a real pleasure to be able to discuss Vic and Sade with people who understand! 


©Jimbo 2012

Keith Heltsley, Sarah Cole and I talk a little Vic and Sade

Keith Heltsley, Sarah Cole and I talk a little Vic and Sade on Keith's podcast:


(((HEAR)))

Rare Bill Idelson (in the Navy) photo

Ask me - I live there (Finally, my review of Vic and Sade)

I live in a small house halfway up the next block.

I spend hours most everyday pouring over Vic and Sade material - most of it is stuff I have written myself.  There's no cure for me - the lure of being in the small town halfway up the next block is too strong.  It's become commonplace for me to imagine myself as a fly on the wall at the Gook house.

There's little plot.  What I hear are bits and pieces of stories, generally about people I have heard of, but I don't "know."  Well, I DO know them because the Gooks talk about them all of the time.

The Gooks are not really doing anything - which may seem to make the show slow.  But what they are actually doing is having a "conversation." And while they are having their conversations, it's plausible to say that Vic is not really listening to Sade and he sure isn't listening to Rush.   Sade is not listening to Vic or Rush.  Rush is reading from his books - outloud - and no one else really wants to hear "that trash."  Uncle Fletcher is either DEMANDING to be heard or goes away quietly.  Meanwhile, everyone is talking over each other, striving for someone to hear what they say.

It sounds chaotic - and it is - but there is a magical rhythm to it that becomes predictable after a while of listening.  As a matter of fact, the show is all about rhythms: Brainfeeble... Kneesuffer... Gutstop... Kissy Lunge... J.J.J.J. Stunbolt, Y.I.I.Y Skeeber, for crying out loud.  The whole secret of the show is acclimating yourself to the rhythm of what's being spoken.   Once you learn that, you don't really care what they say.  The rhythm and the very silly names (Cupid and Stupid Golfbake, Robert and Slobert Hink, Rishigan Fishigan from Sishigan, Michigan) are jumbled up inside of the rhetoric - but then you soak up the ridiculous situations and reflect on your knowledge that has been passed along before - because the continuity is overwhelmingly good and you realize - yes, these friends of the Gooks are crazier than they are and everything that's been said is completely plausible.

Writer Paul Rhymer often took normal situations and made the most ridiculous things happen in the 1940's; for instance, a set of four idental twins call the Gook residence, think Rush is a girl, asks Sade how much she weighs naked.  

Vic's visiting lodge brothers might come for a visit; not 2 or 3 but 19 of them.

Or Vic  -very intelligent yet a big "kid" trapped in a man's body- having to have his wife participate in one of his strange lodge ceremonies (he tells her to screw in a green lightbulb, make him soup and serve it to him barefooted.)  Then there was the time that Vic complimented Sade's fat friend on a dress she was wearing; the fat friend gains confidence because of this and buys a new dress.  The fat lady then invites the Gooks over hoping Vic again will compliment her and he's reluctantly prepared to do so until he finds a set of antique guns and a cowboy hat over at her house - he dons them all and literally psychotically escapes into a world where he looks to kill desperados.  When the fat lady comes out to show Vic her new dress, he doesn't give a flying fang about it - all he cares about are the cattle rustlers he's imagined he can shoot.

Sade on the other hand, is all about some gossip.  She loves to share it with anyone who will listen; the family listens only out of being forced to.  Sade is thrilled when she gets a boring, predictable letter from her sister but the family could care less.  Vic and Rush care less, eh?  Well She'll guilt trip them and nag them to death.  And she does.  And it's hilarious. 

Sade is uneducated and doesn't understand even the simplest math.  Her vocabulary is short as well.  Yet, her enormous powers of insight and observation make fools out of the much-better-educated Vic and Rush almost every show.

The women in her sewing club can get furious at each other over the fact that one has smaller feet than the other.

Rush is "a big old high school boy" but cares little about girls - he's enamored with counterfieting ___ (fill in the blank) and movies at the theatre, which are at least 90% love stories.  No, Rush isn't gay - I think he gets a kick out of watching these movies as there are no other movies to watch.  His adopted mother and father sure aren't about affection nor listening to him, so he watches the love stories. 

Sometimes, he and his father conspire to do dirty deeds like draw a pencil mustache on a sleeping, silly neighbor who cries all the time and is afraid of the dark.

Uncle Fletcher is a head case.  But is he crazy, senile or are his stories so crazy that they only make him appear nuts?  

He knows an endless line of inventors. He enjoys riding on the garbage wagon.  He knows the ages of people when they got married.  He seems to be endlessly rich.  Yet his passion in life seems to be his friends and his family.  Everyone loves Uncle Fletcher even though he is bothersome, partially deaf and probably as nutty as a squirel's house.

If it appears to you the family is disfunctional - think again.  They are simply quirky and they all know quirky people. 

Just ask me, I live there.

©Jimbo 2010/2011

Vic and Sade revisited (1972)

Hodge-podging about "Squad Cars" and other things

Thanks to OTRR.org, I have been introduced to Squad Cars, a South African series that came out in the mid-1960's.

I haven't listened to that many episodes so I'm not reviewing the show but I do want to tell you it's Dragneteque combined with that British feel (yes, I know South Africa is nowhere near the United Kingdom.)

If you like police drama on radio, this is a series I'm pretty sure you will enjoy.   The accents are not hard to understand.

Later, after I have listened to more episodes, I will try and write a review.

------
Meanwhile, there literally is nothing much going on that I can post.  A lot of my time is spent with my three Vic and Sade blogs (you non-Vic and Sade fans probably only know of the one but there are actually three of them now!)

This stems from the fact that I am a tremendous fan of the series and I suppose I will never understand why you people who do not listen to Vic and Sade haven't given it a better try.

I honestly am looking for things to post but I am just not finding much.




©Jimbo 2010/2011

Guest Sarah Cole answers all sorts of OTR questions

I first "met" Sarah Cole via Twitter.  I instinctively knew she was someone who appreciated old-time radio and someone from whom I would benefit from "following" on Twitter.   Turns out I was correct.

I'm very happy to have her join me in this interview.   I'll be  you will agree as she explores many various topics dealing with old-time radio.


OTR BUFFET: I'm not going to ask your age but can you tell me how you first got involved in listening to what we now call, "old time radio?"

Sarah Cole: My parents, who were educators, grew up during the Depression, and had many fond associations with dramatic radio broadcasts.  In the early 1970s, that venerable powerhouse of the airwaves WGN was broadcasting some short programs of "old time radio" – though the oldest of the programs was barely in its thirties: hardly "old!" – and my family enjoyed them. Later, we bought a number of LPs of the programs, which were just coming out in that format.  Finally, in the mid-1980s, we discovered, on one of the local stations, the weekly broadcasts of Radio Hall of Famer Chuck Schaden, which featured four hours of those wonderful programs, along with commentary from him, his guests, and his constant friend and aide, the lovely Ken Alexander – Oops!  Just make that Ken Alexander!

From then on, I've been hooked, and an amateur collector of those radio programs.

It occurs to me, though, that my inclination toward audio drama started even earlier.  Back before Disney began selling video recordings of its animated features, they sold albums of the films' songs, connected with narration.  I think I wore out three Cinderellas, and at least one Finocchio.  My brother and I just loved them.  (In fact, as far as Cinderella goes, I think I preferred the album to the film!)  The point is that I don't recall a time when we DIDN'T have non-visual, audio drama available.  So, in a way, a fondness for audio drama was my destiny.

OTR BUFFET: Which real character on Vic and Sade is the most-interesting to you and why? And out of all of the unheard characters, which one do you think is the most intriguing and why?

Sarah Cole: (You may laugh, but when I first read the question, I thought you meant which of the actors interested me the most.  That question is harder to answer than the one you are asking: all of the original cast members have surprising twists to their personal and professional lives.  Of the actors, I suppose Billy Idleson interested me the most, because of his dramatic intelligence, and his later career in broadcast writing and performing.)  As far as the main characters go, it will probably come as no surprise that Rush Gook is the one I look forward to the most.  His striving for the respect due the adult he was becoming, his idealistic whimsey in the ways he would try to do it, yet his patience with the status quo is very funny, yet very touching.  In one episode, the young man is in a rage at the neighbor boy, who has passed the word among his friends that Rush eats with a baby knife and fork.  As it turns out, Rush DOES eat with baby silverware, because that's what Sade has always put by his plate, and he didn't want to make a fuss about it.  His struggle is the struggle we all face, or that remind us of what our children are confronting.

As for the unheard characters: pick any of Uncle Fletcher's acquaintances.  There's a collection of intriguing people!  The funny thing is that the listener DOES know the unheard characters pretty well, after hearing a few of the broadcasts.  Well, Rooster and Rotten Davis are an interesting pair.  The episode in which a two-story porch falls off a house, and Rotten pretends he tore down the house himself, is strikingly funny, because of the pair's whimsical response to a public nuisance.  Rush's Sunday School teacher, who is beefy enough to take the place of a whole road crew, intrigues me, too.

And one does wonder about anyone named Robert and Slobert Hink!

OTR BUFFET: In 2001 I was fortunate enough to be able to read every Damon Runyon story. I feel that the Damon Runyon Theater is one the most-overlooked shows in old-time radio. Have you read Damon Runyon and would you tell me your feelings about the show?

Sarah Cole: I have read many Damon Runyon stories, and just love them!  They describe a magnificent, barbaric world, in plain sight, yet virtually unrecognized by the civilized world whose space it shares.  The (then) modern adventures are told with a cool directness that force the readers to exercise their imagination to fill in details, and, in doing so, brings them into the stories.  Then, when the stories end with a surprise, the readers are knocked free of that fantasy world, yet, because of the splendid shock, not likely to forget that place.

The radio version of the stories are reasonably faithful to Runyon's text.  They lack the narrative's directness, which is to be expected when in a drama with multiple characters, but "Broadway" the narrator's stilted grammar and dispassionate observations, help restore the feel of the written stories.

They aren't all happy, but they're memorable.  A couple of my favorite episodes are "Lillian" and "A Neat Strip." Oddly enough, one of my favorite Damon Runyon radio plays WASN'T on The Damon Runyon Theater.  One Christmas, the series The Whistler dramatized the story "Three Wise Guys."  John Brown appeared as the narrating character in that episode, and, later, created the role of "Broadway." While I don't know for sure, I suspect that episode was the inspiration for The Damon Runyon Theater.

OTR BUFFET: Until I found the joys of Vic and Sade, The Six Shooter was easily my favorite show. It's different than any Western on radio (even the so-called 'Kiddie Westerns')
because the show almost always tries to be non-violent. It's even less violent than Frontier Gentleman! Tell me your feelings about the show?

Sarah Cole: I have enjoyed both The Six Shooter and Frontier Gentleman (though, for whatever reason, find myself preferring Have Gun, Will Travel).  The Six Shooter, like Gunsmoke, was a "new" Western, in the vein of High Noon.  It didn't glamorize violence, though it didn't flee it, either. It wasn't above humor, such as the episode in which Britt Ponset is forced to be judge in a preserve-making contest between two sisters, which has divided their town.  (His approach to this problem was inspired!)  But the neuroses of the settlers does get a little wearing, so, although a Six Shooter episode or two every so often is always rewarding, a marathon can prove tiresome.

OTR BUFFET: Imagine you were the producer of The Six Shooter and Jimmy Stewart was unable to play the part. You have an unlimited budget and everyone but Stewart is available to you. Who would you cast as The Six Shooter?

Sarah Cole: One of the interesting things about the Six Shooter was that, though the scripts had been written for Stewart, and he was the main draw for listeners, the stories themselves don't rely on any of Stewart's vocal or personal characteristics.  Any actor, whose voice was not particularly distinctive and could sound uncluttered, and whose manner was reassuring , could play that part.  It doesn't require a big name.  Everett Sloan or Ben Wright might give interesting performances.

OTR BUFFET: I haven't listened to much of Henry Morgan, but anyone who knows you from Twitter knows you are a big Henry Morgan Show fan. Tell us what you like about the show and what we are missing?

Sarah Cole: (Between us, I'm not THAT big a Henry Morgan fan, but I do enjoy his radio performances; even the one on Suspense – a real hair-raiser!)  I was once told that I have a tendency to look at things sideways: to look at things in a way no one else does.  Henry Morgan's humor is that way.  In his first broadcast, he featured a demonstration of how a BBC broadcaster unfamiliar with the game might describe a baseball game, and a visit to modern New York as if it were an archaeological expedition.

Another episode made fun of Readers Digest, people who read Readers Digest, the contents of the magazine, the types of features that were condensed, the politics of Georgia, Gilbert and Sullivan's Mikado, and the whole process of condensation itself!  Henry Morgan didn't let convention and social protocols get in the way of pointing out often uncomfortable truth.  But because the truth was presented in a funny way, the listener need not take offense.  As W.S. Gilbert said through the inimitable Jack Point, "When they're offered to the world in merry guise, Unpleasant truths are swallowed with a will; For he who'd make his fellow creatures wise Should always gild the philosophic pill!"  (The Yeomen of the Guard) Some of Morgan's inspiration may have been bitter, but his humor was always golden.

OTR BUFFET: Where do rank Henry Morgan as far as old-time radio comedians?

Sarah Cole: I don't know.  As a humorist of his time, he may not rank high.  As a comedian and satirist, period, I'd say he was in the top fifty of the 20th century.

OTR BUFFET: Do you think Jack Benny is special because he's Jack Benny or because he had great casts?

Sarah Cole: Jack Benny's program was special because Jack had wonderful comic sense, and some of the most insightful writers available.  He could have been just as funny with a different cast, though it would have funny in different ways.  What made the Benny program funny was how well the characters were able to fit with each other, and because their material suited them so perfectly.  It is theoretically possible to have done the same with a different cast, but it would have led to a differently-situated program. 

OTR BUFFET: Can you tell me why the jack Benny Show is so special to you?

Sarah Cole: At the end of 1945, the program held a contest: "Why I Can't Stand Jack Benny." (A very funny sequence, by the way).  In fifty words or less, contestants had to state why they couldn't stand Jack.  The winning entry was probably the most deserving winner to any contest of this nature I have ever seen.  I have to agree with winner Carroll P. Craig, who wrote: He fills the air with boasts and brags, and obsolete obnoxious gags. The way he plays his violin is music's most obnoxious sin. His cowardice alone, indeed, is matched by his obnoxious greed, And all the things that he portrays show up my own obnoxious ways.

OTR BUFFET: Everyone seems to like Fibber McGee and Molly. Tell me why they are so special to you?

Sarah Cole: The combination of crazy comedy, witty patter, clever music, exaggerated but familiar neighborhood characters, and genuine domestic affection is what made Fibber McGee and Molly the beloved program it is.  It, and The Halls of Ivy are the two most romantic radio programs ever written.  Anyone in a durable intimate relationship will tell you that love isn't adventure and wild passion: it's having your life partner get sick, and being able to clean up after him or her with a smile.  As Molly responds when Fibber expresses surprise that she doesn't tell him everything she thinks, it's because she HASN'T always told him what she thought that they are still married.

OTR BUFFET: Arch Oboler was famous for his horror stories but there was another side of Arch Oboler that was prolific in anti-war and pacifist stories and also strange and humorous fantasy. What do you think of when you think of Arch Oboler?

Sarah Cole: Arch Oboler was the best radio writer the United States ever produced.  Carlton E. Morse and Norman Corwin are fine WRITERS – they write well in multiple genres – but Oboler's greatest skill was in writing in innovative ways for audio drama.  His script "This Lonely Heart," about the relationship between Tchaikovsky and his patroness, is the finest one I've ever read.

It's odd you should describe him as a pacifist writer.  His pre-war, and World War II dramas are exposés of fascism in general, and Nazism in particular.  I believe the play is This Precious Freedom (in http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/396573 ), about a man who comes back from a camping trip to find the United States taken over by the Nazis.  It is brilliant, and terrifying.  Another fine play, set in postwar Europe, features an American family going to one of the military cemeteries to being their son home (I think it might be "V Day").  Oboler was not a saber-rattler, but he clearly loved liberty, and understood that there are things, liberty in particular, worth dying for.

OTR BUFFET: When I first tried listening to the Halls of Ivy, I really didn't like it. Then a friend prodded me into listening again (months later) and I found that Halls of Ivy was a very special show that had a deep, rich meaning - probably a far deeper meaning than any show I had ever come across. I love the show now. What are your feelings on the show?

Sarah Cole: The Halls of Ivy is what you get when you mix Goodbye, Mr. Chips with Fibber McGee and Molly.  Don Quinn, one of the writers for Fibber McGee, wrote, then later oversaw, the scripts. The stories use the witty wordplay and distinctive characters of Fibber McGee (though, in this case, the characters are not so exaggerated), to explore the significance of issues that arise among young adults; and to showcase another genuinely affectionate couple (President Hall and Victoria Cromwell-Hall/Ronald Colman and Benito Hume-Colman).  Its topics range from the humorous (getting out of a board meeting) to the serious (students afraid of the Draft), but they are approached in a gentle, straightforward, yet non-threatening way.  It also used dramatic techniques that only work in audio drama, and integrated them beautifully: flashbacks of President Hall's earlier life were used regularly to explain or illuminate the situation the Halls currently faced.  It is the finest comic-drama program of the Golden Age of Radio.

OTR BUFFET: Who do you think are the 5 most important old-time radio figures and why?

Sarah Cole: That question will take a lot of thinking, partly because the important people aren't going to be the 3 [most] famous people.  They would be the people who enabled radio drama to become great, and I don't know (or remember) enough about the history of radio to know who they are.  Some of the names I think of at this moment are the head of WXYZ, who enabled The Green Hornet, The Lone Ranger, and The Challenge of the Yukon to be produced, Charles Atlas, who oversaw all the work that was done at WGN, General Sarnoff, who understood the progress of broadcasting; and others like them.

Two of the most important were Ed Wynn, who introduced the live audience, and Bing Crosby who normalized pre-recorded programming.

OTR BUFFET: What are your 5 most favorite shows? Which show brings you the most pleasure?

Sarah Cole: A lot depends on how I feel at the time I'm asked, but, at the moment, my favorites are: Jack Benny, The Halls of Ivy,  Fred Allen, Vic and Sade and it surprises me to say it, but I think the fifth is Bob and Ray.

The Halls of Ivy is the most satisfying "listen", Jack Benny makes me laugh the most, Fred Allen is the cleverest program, and Vic and Sade and Bob and Ray share a genial absurdity that is refreshing and reassuring.  If you ask me again sometime, I may have a different answer; but, at the moment, these are my favorites.

OTR BUFFET: In 20 years, will people still be listening to old time radio?

Sarah Cole: I'm not sure whether they will or not, though it won't be because they aren't listening to narrated art.  Podcasts, audiobooks, and recorded speech are more popular now than ever, because people are too busy or impatient to read a lot of text.  One problem with vintage radio is the topicality: some of the jokes about events and personalities that were important at that moment are lost on modern listeners.

On the other hand, those references are part of what make the broadcasts valuable.  About a year ago, heard someone complaining how we don't know what it was like to live through World War II.  We DO know what it was like, because we can hear how the characters in radio serials and series "made do" in those days.  We also have the "non-fiction" programs of advice and such, which give more details about what daily life involved.  Vintage radio is a time capsule: it brings into the present the lives of the past.   To appreciate it as such requires research; but enough of the material speaks to the general human condition that listeners can still enjoy most of it, even without completely understanding the context.

OTR BUFFET: Sarah, I could easily ask you 10 more questions but I don't want to burden you and take up all of your time. Would you join me in the near-future again for another interview?

Sarah Cole: Certainly!  It's always delightful to talk about vintage radio!  Thank you for the opportunity!

OTR BUFFET: Thanks for answering my questions. I really had fun coming up with things to ask you!

Sarah Cole: My pleasure.

©Jimbo 2010/2011

A challenge to you: explore Vic and Sade

As you probably know,  I have several other blogs.  One of those blogs is The Crazy World of Vic and Sade.

I know (from looking at the statistics) that very few of you visit the blog.  But even if you aren't a fan of the series I think if you followed the blog, you'd get something out of it.

I spend up to 5 hours a day working on that blog.  Most of that time is spent attempting to fix the sound the best way I can.  It's not a simple case of running some program that automatically fixes it, because 90% of the time, it will not fix things.  So I have to go in there and piece by piece,  jot and tittle, fix what I can fix.  Since I appreciate the show so much, I do what I do out of love for the show.  I care about the quality.

However, my time is also spent examining the writing and the historical background of the situations and the hidden humor.  I try to keep track of a number of things, which I document.  And now there's even a companion blog to The Crazy World of Vic and Sade - that is, The Mixed-up World of Uncle Fletcher.

Immersing myself into the show means listening to each shows 4 times before I write about it.  Some shows may have 4 or 5 pages of notes, as I will listen in the evening curled up on a couch with pen and paper.  I have just finished writing about the 100th show and I find it a bit of an accomplishment to be as involved in the show as I am.  While Vic and Sade is not a soap opera  or anything like a soap opera (as many think) it is kind of built like a soap opera in that there are many, many characters.  I have documented each of the show's characters and even provided a photo "of them" - only, they are never heard, so they aren't actually real people.  Thus, there is a database of fictional people, with photos and links to the stuff they have done.

I dare say I know as much about the first 100 surviving shows as anyone.  And you too can find what I have learned just by exploring The Crazy World of Vic and Sade.

Folks, Vic and Sade is the finest program I know to exist.  Yes, Gunsmoke is great and The Six Shooter might be even better.  We all know the simplicity of Fibber McGee and Molly works on so many different levels as does the more complicated Halls of Ivy.  There are so many great things to say about the 21st Precinct and Dragnet and Suspense that it would be hard to know where to begin.  But I tell you this from my heart, from someone who listens and re-listens and documents Vic and Sade daily: it is the best show that ever has existed.

I dare any of you to go to The Crazy World of Vic and Sade, grab the hand-fixed files (they are on the top left corner of the web site) and listen to those 9 minute episodes and not come away thinking the same way I do.

Writer Paul Rhymer was a genius in more ways that one.  For instance, the show has incredible continuity.  Through 100 shows, I think I have found TWO continuity errors.  It's like the show is about real people.

And of course the show is hilarious.  From Vic and his lodge rituals that can involve Sade (who hates the lodge) to young Rush and his fantastic stories or the tales in his 3rd Lieutenant Stanley books to half-nuts Uncle Fletcher, who is eccentric to begin with - there is a crazy world waiting for you.

I challenge you: listen to Vic and Sade. It will be one of the best decisions you will ever make.

©Jimbo 2010/2011

The lodge: a staple in many sitcoms

Anyone who follows the show, Vic and Sade will know that Vic is not just a member of a lodge, he's wrapped up in it.  His lodge is like a religion to him.

Since the lodge is full of very stupid rituals and yet it's treated with such reverence, there is this comedy yin-yang that makes it almost impossible not to laugh along with Sade, who sees the lodge as a money pit and waste of time.

I've been thinking, "the lodge" shows up quite a bit on other old-time radio (as well as early television):

Amos 'n' Andy - We know that George Stevens is the "King Fish" because he is the head of the "Knights of the Mystic Sea" lodge.  I really don't remember hearing about anything much that goes on there, but we know the lodge is a large part of the show.

Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - Close listening will show that Ozzie is a member of an unspecified lodge.   It's rarely mentioned.

Fibber McGee and Molly - Fibber is an Elk and the lodge comes into play in 3 or 4 episodes.  He seems to take the lodge seriously but it doesn't seem to control Fibber's life.

Lum and Abner - Almost every male on the show (excluding Cedric) seems to be a member of the lodge.  The lodge name is never mentioned (or at least, I've never heard it in the many episodes I have listened to.)  For the most part, the lodge seems to be a place to borrow chairs from, more than anything else.  Squire Skimp is a big muckity-muck in the lodge.

Mel Blanc Show - Mel belonged to the lodge and greeted other members of the lodge with secret, silly stuff concerning, "ugga bugga boo" or something similar.  I haven't heard the show in a while but I seem to recall his prospective father-in-law was a lodge muckity-muck and Mel was always trying to impress him and work his way up in the lodge.  (By the way, I hate the show.)

As I mentioned earlier, early sitcom TV had it's share of lodge members.  On the Honeymooners, Ralph and Norton were devoted to the lodge.  Fred and Barney on the Flintstones (which was a knockoff of The Honeymooners) were also lodge devotees.  And I know there were others.

©Jimbo 2010/2011

You Can't Escape Vic and Sade

This is an article written by my friend, Sarah Cole.  She has graciously allowed me to share this with my readers.

Recently, I was speaking with my mother about Vic and Sade. She had been thinking about why, as a seven-year-old in an isolation hospital, she had enjoyed it so much, She knew she wasn't sophisticated enough to catch the subtleties of some of the humor (though she did think Sade's sister Bess's letters, which invariably began "We are fine, and Walter's kneecap has let up definitely on the twinges..." were deliciously silly), and the references to local Illinois towns were appealing; but most of all, she recalled, it reminded her of being home. To which I responded, "Of course it would: your family was a bunch of nuts!" I had put it bluntly, but she agreed with me. Nuttiness, however, is not limited to just her family. Each family has its share of eccentrics; and each member has his own eccentricities. The incidents taking place in that small house halfway up in the next block, and the characters living there, were exaggerated, but they were all strangely familiar.

What's frightening, though, is how little they needed to be exaggerated. In one episode, the couple's boy Rush is planning a party. He doesn't want to host just another boring party where everyone just stands around and talks. He wants something memorable. So, as he explains to Vic, he is planning to hire a detective to break up groups of loiterers, a trained nurse to care for anyone who might get sick, and would arrange for everyone to be tattooed. He had considered calling in a fire alarm, until Vic reminds him doing so was illegal. Wild stuff? Maybe, but when was the last time you heard a teenager plan a party? It's not all that wild, after all. The same goes for the times Vic practices the ritual for his fraternal lodge. It smacks of parody, but, if you know anyone in a fraternal organization, you know you've heard it all before.

Or a more startling example might be how, in one episode, Uncle Fletcher tells of a dentist of DeKalb, Illinois, who died while he was awake. (". . .Waved good-bye to his loved ones, and walked to the undertaker's under his own steam." He needlessly adds, "I've always been glad I wasn't there.") That sounded pretty bizarre, until I read of a case of a man being found dead in the parking lot of an undertaker's establishment. His wife concluded that he had known he was dying, and had driven there himself. Somehow, I doubt the man was inspired by this fictional DeKalb dentist; so the thought that the impossible situations of Vic and Sade could actually happen does give one pause.

What's even more scary, is when you start hearing ideas from Vic and Sade episodes being suggested by real, seemingly normal, people. For instance, in one of the episodes, Vic's lodge plans to set up hospitality routes for members, so they can stay at each other's houses while they travel. Of course, the mobs who would be traveling through the Gooks' town were so incredible, including such members as infant cousins, straw bosses, and partners in the Powdered Rabbit business, that they would need a trailer court to handle them all. We all get a good laugh about the idea. A few years ago, my mother's family put together a directory. One of the cousins suggested we run the addresses through some software he had that would pinpoint their location on a map. One of his persuasion points was that, when we were traveling, we could stay at each other's houses.

I'm not smart enough to make this up. But, so far, happily, we haven't made the map.

Uncle Fletcher, Sadie's vague uncle, was a monument of quirkiness. Besides calling everyone "Honey,' and turning up at inopportune times, he seemed to know everybody. Everybody! Everybody with an unexpected past, or an odd talent, that is. He would keep track of them by reciting, each time their names came up, their history. Invariably, these litanies of remarkable triviality would end with "later died." It was always worth a chuckle on the program. Now, listen to your elderly relatives talk about people they remember. One day, I was riding with my parents and grandparents. The area through which we were passing had been farmland, belonging to families my grandparents had once known. As we went along, the grandparents were discussing Peter Schwartz, who had come from Indiana, married Lily Plow, who was fifteen years older than he at the time, had sold the farm, moved to Mendota and died about ten years before. Or cousin Margaret Steepleknocker, who sent her children to military school after her husband drowned in a grain bin, bought a tree farm in Idaho and is buried in the township cemetery. Now, I made up these sample descriptions, but this was essentially how my grandparents were keeping track of these people they had known. The whole time they talked, my mother and I were pounding on each other to keep from laughing out loud. They sounded just like Uncle Fletcher!

I could go on, but my point is, if you listen to Vic and Sade, then listen to the people around you, you will soon hear your own personal episode of this absurdist, realistic domestic comedy. The underlying humor of Vic and Sade is its glorification of the commonplace and trivialization of the extraordinary.– just like real life So, look around. How many times have you seen the truly remarkable overlooked and the merely bizarre honored? My mother has described Vic and Sade as a program on which nothing happens. But in that "nothing," all kinds of remarkable things are taking place. Just like the real life it reflected; albeit in a funhouse mirror.

(By the way, I don't know what Powdered Rabbit is, either. But once I figure it out, I'll be going into business, and the directory shows I'll be traveling through your town...)

© Sarah Cole 2011
 

Nice Vic and Sade article from 1976

Are these not funny?

I'm pretty disappointed that so few of you are checking out my hard work at The Crazy World of Vic and Sade and over at Marxisms.

I can understand if you are not a Vic and Sade fan.  I realize that there are few of those out there.  But how can you avoid Groucho.  Go to the Marxisms site, spend a few minutes there listening to the audio and tell me that's not the funniest web site on the web!  And I've only gone through 4 episodes!

When I am putting the posts together, I can't help but laugh.  These are some funny mp3's people...

Please have a look at both.  Have a listen to the mp3 files there.  Both shows are hilarious and you can come back and kick me if you don't laugh!

Both sites are meticulously done.  Each Groucho joke can be found easily.  I know it's not complete yet but just imagine the sie when it's done!

I work on these sites everyday.  Don't let my work go to waste!

Interview about Vic and Sade with "faaus"

Back-to back Vic and Sade interviews!  I am lucky enough to have "faaus", who is the creator of the Vic and Sade Yahoo Group.  


OTR Buffet: Thank you so much for joining me for this interview. Please tell us a little something about yourself.

faaus:  I'm 64 years old, and grew up in a small town in upstate New York. I actually missed listening "live" during the golden days of radio, but I remember hearing my family speak fondly of the various shows. Many of the big radio shows made forays into early television e.g.- Boston Blackie, Lights Out, Fibber Magee and Molly, Amos and Andy and many others. Ironically, in a similar way that many silent film stars could not make the jump to talkies, most of the radio transitions faded rather quickly from the small screen.

OTR Buffet: Do you remember when and how you first heard about Vic and Sade and what you first thought of the series?

faaus: I had enjoyed glimpses into the magic of radio shows by listening to a few cassette tapes over the years. The connectivity offered by the internet enabled fans of OTR to gather, chat and share files. I had assembled a fairly extensive collection of various series when I became intrigued by by the odd title "Vic and Sade". All it took was a small exploratory sample to become entranced by the show.

OTR Buffet: Vic and Sade is a most unusual show because of the writing.  Paul Rhymer was a genius.  Can you talk about Rhymer and his impact on OTR?

faaus: From early childhood I've been a voracious reader. There have always been legions of excellent writers. Some write a single story or book that brings them fame and a following. Others are prolific, turning out many fine works over their creative lifetime. Paul Rhymer stands alone, in my estimation, for daily, deadline-driven, consistently excellent output. His gift, like Shakespeare's was his ability to reach and appeal to the masses. His writing was concise (program-length-driven) and gave listeners a trio of characters that always left them (us) hungry for more.

OTR Buffet: I have fun on my Vic and Sade blog about Rush being "abused."  I use that term very loosely, but I do feel he is somewhat abused.  He's adopted and he rarely gets a chance to talk.   What are your feelings about this?

faaus: Rush's character was always given short schrift and no respect on the show. Taking the historical perspective, his situation probably matched that of his real-life contemporaries, especially those whose parents were somewhat older. Truthfully, much of his prattle, while enjoyable to the audience, was quite empty and vapid, serving little interest (save as interruptions) to Vic and Sade. They had no interest or patience for Rush and his friend's silly plots, plans and machinations.

Was such treatment fair? Probably not by today's standards, but it worked for the show, the tines and the audience. Besides we must realize that all the young girls and boys in the audience sided with Rush's plight, enjoyed his exploits and commiserated because of their own treatment at home. So Rhymer thus built an audience with kid-appeal that was much larger than it would have been without Rush's character.

OTR Buffet: Which one of the family do you enjoy listening to the most and why?

faaus; I guess I get the most enjoyment from Vic, probably because I relate to his character. I enjoy his cool, usually-unflappable, easy speech patterns and hearing him rattle off nicknames and those not-so-nick but oh so enchanting. 

OTR Buffet: It's been said that Vic and Sade had 7 million listeners during it's heyday.  We know from many written and audio testimonials that most of the actors in Chicago (where most of the studios were in the 1930's) were huge Vic and Sade fans.  Was the show popular because of the acting, the writing or both?

faaus: It is certainly true and significant that Vic and Sade was highly regarded and appreciated by the peers of the creators and stars as well as the mass audience. Because very talented writers, like Jean Shepard, were unabashed fans, I have to credit Rhymer's work. Obviously though, the cast's skill at becoming the characters made the writer's delivery so flawless.

OTR Buffet:  It's amazing how well this show holds up today.  Please tell us about that and where does this show rank in your list of favorite shows?

faaus: I certainly agree that the remnants of the show still play well for us fans, it probably won't ever develop a new audience, especially in the youth market. The reasons are (at least) twofold. First the pacing, in it's delightful lazy, drawling amble, is the antithesis of the rapid-fire, short-attention span of media today. Secondly, family structures and relationships have changed (deteriorated) to the point that the "family circle", so central to the broadcast period is absent or unrecognizable today.

Vic and Sade is my most beloved radio program. Lum and Abner is my second favorite for gentle humor. I also enjoy many of the horror/mystery series.

OTR Buffet:  Are there any situations you can think of on the show that you'll remember the rest of your life?

faaus: For me, the quiet, private family time that they spent most shows was very warm and reassuring. Even when there was conflict, it was soft and gentle. Getting together with the Stembottoms for cards and ice cream reminds me of my youth.

OTR Buffet: Proctor and Gamble destroyed many of the transcription disks.  What were they thinking?

faaus: They weren't.

OTR Buffet:  Anything else you'd like to say about the show?

faaus: One element that makes the show work, but is easy to overlook is the fact that they really do love each other. Vic and Sade's mature love is clearly woven throughout most episodes. Even through the typical conflicts and minutiae of their relationship, they do love one another.

©Jimbo 2010/2011

Interview with Jim Sizemore about Vic and Sade

Jim Sizemore runs the Doodlemeister blog where he explores writing, cartoons and all kinds of fun stuff.  He has graciously agreed to do an interview with about the radio show Vic and Sade, which was written by one of his favorites, Paul Rhymer.


OTR Buffet: Thank you so much for joining me for this interview. Please tell us a little something about yourself.

Jim Sizemore:  I was born in 1937 and have no conscious memory of hearing Vic & Sade as a child, but I think I must have - perhaps when I came home from school for lunch, or in the afternoon, or when I was sick at home for the day. My mother was a big fan of soap operas, and since she always had the radio on, and since I now know that V&S was usually slotted among those shows, it seems reasonable that I would have been exposed - and infected - with “V&S fever” even without my knowledge. I find that thought very reassuring - and, if true, very lucky.

OTR Buffet: Do you remember when and how you first heard about Vic and Sade and what you first thought of the series?

Jim Sizemore:  My first conscious memory of V&S was while driving to the Baltimore airport to pick up a friend sometime in the mid-1980s. I happened to have the radio tuned that Sunday evening to an OTR show out of Washington, D.C. called “The Big Broadcast,” and they happened to be featuring V&S. Once more, great luck. Besides the fact that V&S was beautifully written and in every way delightful in the ear, I had the vague feeling it was somehow familiar. I became totally hooked before the end of the first 15-minute episode. Later I sat in the car listening to several other episodes, leaving my friend in the airport waiting by the baggage claim conveyor belt.

OTR Buffet: Vic and Sade is a most unusual show because of the writing. Paul Rhymer was a genius. Can you talk about Rhymer and his impact on OTR?

Jim Sizemore:  Not being an OTR or V&S expert I can't judge radio writing genius, but I do know what I like, and I love the writing in V&S. It's the only radio or TV show wherein I totally believe the dialogue, even while I know it's heightened for effect and for laughs. And it's also Art with a capital “A.” In my opinion few if any big time playwrights do humorous dialogue better, and in my experience most don't come close. Because of the high level of the writing, Rhymer's characters, the setting and the behaviors are “real” for me, while at the same time I'm fully aware that it's all fiction. It's humorous dialogue at its natural best.

OTR Buffet: I have fun on my Vic and Sade blog about Rush being "abused." I use that term very loosely, but I do feel he is somewhat abused. He's adopted and he rarely gets a chanced to talk. What are your feelings about this?

Jim Sizemore:   I have never in any way felt that Rush was abused. On the contrary, I envied Rush what I viewed as his perfect home life. I wanted to BE Rush. If I believed in another life, I'd want to come back in that radio program AS Rush. I thought he had the perfect parents, who just happened to not be perfect in perfect ways. That is, to put it another way, they were perfect even in their quirky imperfections. For me, there was never a hint of anything but love and warmth in that show, with just enough of an edge in the writing to keep it well on the good side of sentimental.

OTR Buffet: In your opinion, why didn't Uncle Fletcher ever join the lodge?

Jim Sizemore:   I have no idea other than to say that Uncle Fletcher doesn't seem the lodge type. Perhaps I've missed something or forgotten something - as I say I'm not a V&S expert - but in my memory he has never tried to become a member. Am I wrong?

OTR Buffet: Which one of the family do you enjoy listening to the most and why?

Jim Sizemore:   I enjoy all four of the on-air characters equally, but for different reasons. Rush for his intelligent struggle and desire to understand the grownups and their world, and then to become like them. Sade for her quiet calm and endless patience - and her dry wit. Vic for his sharper, edgier, humor and fathering skills, including his ability to remember what it feels like to be a boy and allow for that when judging Rush's over-the-top flights of fancy. Fletcher for his odd-angled views of the world, often expressed in what can only be called “poetic” language.     

OTR Buffet: Which one of the family members do you enjoy thinking about the most? And why?

Jim Sizemore:   If I can choose only one I guess it has to be Rush. He is certainly the one I identify with because, as I said, I'd like to have been him in my own growing up. I just think he's the luckiest kid in the world to have been raised by parents that, even when they don't fully understand you, they understand your needs well enough to give you the benefit of the doubt. Not something I experienced at all, sad to say.

OTR Buffet: It's been said that Vic and Sade had 7 million listeners during it's heyday.  We know from many written and audio testimonials that most of the actors in Chicago (where most of the studios were in the 1930's) were huge Vic and Sade fans. Was the show popular because of the acting, the writing or both?

Jim: From my reading about V&S, it wasn't just actors. Leading writers and intellectuals of the time such as Ray Bradbury, Edgar A. Guest, Ogden Nash, John O'Hara, James Thurber, etc., were enthralled by the show and made time to hear it as often as possible. Some judges were known to schedule their court cases around the program. I've also seen a report that at one time scores of radio editors voted it the best radio serial ever.

OTR Buffet: It's amazing how well this show holds up today. Please tell us about that and where does this show rank in your list of favorite shows?

Jim: V&S is the very top of my all time favorites, and there is no close second. It's the only radio show that I often think of out of the blue, without the prompt of a bit of music or some comment I happen to hear. The voices of Vic, Sade, Fletcher and Rush will just pop into my head unannounced; and when they do they always have something clever or wise and/or interesting to say. As much as I liked and enjoyed other shows such as the Green Hornet or the Lone Ranger or Captain America or Lum and Abner, I can't remember a single scene or line from any of them. But with V&S I remember whole shows, even ones about melting caramels. Especially ones about melting caramels, or intentional electric shocks from washing machines, or debates about baseball out by the garbage box. I could go on and on but I won't ...

OTR Buffet: Finish this sentence. "When I think about Vic and Sade, the first thing I think about is _____"

Jim Sizemore:   . . . the train passing so close by Uncle Fletcher's room in the Bright Kentucky Hotel that the rumble causes the chair to “walk” across the bare wooden floor and the cinders from the smoke stack fly into the room through the open window.

OTR Buffet: Are there any situations you can think of on the show that you'll remember the rest of your life?

Jim Sizemore:   If I had several more hours to spend on this interview I'd list them.

OTR Buffet: Proctor and Gamble destroyed many of the transcription disks. What were they thinking?

Jim Sizemore:   What they were thinking I can't know, of course - but I do know that thinking about the fact it did happen makes me sad.

OTR Buffet: Anything else you'd like to say about the show?

Jim Sizemore:   Just that I envy the person that encounters V&S for the first time - or the fifty-first - which is why I try to revisit the Little House in the Next Block several times each year.

©Jimbo 2010/2011

Yes, more Vic and Sade

News find

Looking for radio news in the newspaper is fun - if you don't already 90% of it already on your blog (as I do.)

While looking for something to post this morning - and staying away from Vic and Sade searches, I instead accidently run across something I haven't posted before, a Vic and Sade photo.

Honestly, I'm trying!

Hodge-podging about what I've been doing

Hi everyone.

I have been doing a lot of things away from the internet.  I've been exploring some television (traitor, right?)  I watched I Love Lucy and saw Jay Novello.  I've been watching the old Dragnet TV show.

Am I still listening to OTR?  Yes, of course.  As a matter of fact, I am heavily into Gleason and Armstrong (almost half-way done with it) and still listening hard to Vic and Sade and Superman.  I've almost been listening to a lot of Amos 'n' Andy "since I've been away."

I've been enjoying (or trying to enjoy) baseball, one of the things I enjoy most in life.  My team started off hot but is no longer hot - as a matter of fact, they waver on being horrible.  But I've been watching.

I have been listening to Lum and Abner as well - but I have noticed than in 1945, Alka Seltzer has taken some drastic measures to change the show a bit - and I am none too happy about it.  So much so that I almost don't want to listen to it.

Basically, I have been trying to stay away from the internet as much as possible.  I devoted 4 months to this blog (and it's siblings) and I need a rest is all.  As soon as I get a hold of some more news, I will get back in the swing of things.  This "vacation" was sorely needed.

I honestly hate to be away, but I was dangerously close to running myself into the ground here.  I still love OTR but the blog got to be a heavy burden because I was devoting so much time to it.

I'll see you soon.  I hope.

©Jimbo 2010/2011