Topic: A Pilsner Pick?

[jrvass]

Well, this logically goes there. But it's not his pick. So in the spirit of unsung "Pilsner's" everywhere...

I was poking around the 'net and came across the Mercury Theatre http://www.mercurytheatre.info/. From that site:

The finest radio drama of the 1930’s was The Mercury Theatre on the Air, a show featuring the acclaimed New York drama company founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman. In its brief run, it featured an impressive array of talents, including Agnes Moorehead, Bernard Herrmann, and George Coulouris. The show is famous for its notorious War of the Worlds broadcast, but the other shows in the series are relatively unknown. This site has many of the surviving shows, and will eventually have all of them.

There are dozens of their radio programs on the site.

An interesting leap was to the "Latest Project" http://www.dinosaurgardens.com/ which seems to be an odd collection of "audio-visual" (ahem) software. Or as they put it, "Excavating the tar pits of popular culture".





James

[Pilsner Panther]

That's a great find, James! 

I've got plenty of old-time radio programs in my collection, and I posted one in Pilsner's Picks a while back, a 1929 broadcast transcription by the Coon-Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra. However, due to bandwidth considerations, I haven't posted any more.

I'm going to really enjoy listening to these Mercury Theater programs; I didn't even know that that many of them still existed.

Maybe I'll create another subsection of the Picks for a radio show feature, as long as I'm not in any danger of frying Rob's server...

...(sniff, sniff) Do I smell burning insulation?



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[jrvass]

I'm glad you liked them. I was surprised that a message board search didn't find the links posted earlier.

James

[JazzBill]

Pils, the extent of your knowledge of recordings is amazing, and for once I actually know a little of the Mercury Theatre of which you speak.(most of the time I'm clueless) After my dad passed away , we were going through the process of cleaning out his house and I came across a old two record album of Orson Wells "War Of The Worlds". It almost ended up in the garbage but at the last minute I had 2nd thoughts and pulled it out. I have listened to it , and it just seems hard to believe that people fell for it. Different times I guess.

[shemps#1]

On the weekends and usually when Stern is on vacation I listen to the OTR station on Sirius, and from time to time they play some of the Mercury Theater stuff. Not bad, but I'm finding that I'm more into the comedy shows like Life With Riley, Fibber McGee and Molly, and Jack Benny.

[Pilsner Panther]

On the weekends and usually when Stern is on vacation I listen to the OTR station on Sirius, and from time to time they play some of the Mercury Theater stuff. Not bad, but I'm finding that I'm more into the comedy shows like Life With Riley, Fibber McGee and Molly, and Jack Benny.

I've clearly been a negative influence on you, young man, so I'll make up for that with a Railroad Songs segment, which I haven't done in a long time. It's your last chance to shape up, Jim, and become more like Eric!

Whoever punched his ticket, I dunno...
 

[Bruckman]

Hey, I'm always up for some Col. Stoppnagle and Budd (whom I know principally from their very brief appearance in INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, a bit likely culled from a series of short subjects they did - I've seen at least one of these goofball shorts in its entirety). Their werido "inventions" influenced segments of D. Letterman's show, esp. in its NBC incarnation, but also owe a little to Buster Keaton. I've always thought they resemble Penn & Teller a little - Budd is almost as silent as Teller.



Anybody for One-Minute Tapioca?

And remember: "Stoopnocracy is Peachy!"

[Pilsner Panther]

That's an interesting observation, Bruck. Come to think of it, Col. Stoopnagle bears a certain physical resemblance to Penn Jillette. It must be sheer coincidence, but in both comedy teams, you've got the big, burly, boisterous guy and the little quiet guy.

Judging from recent comments here, I'd say that both Stoopnagle & Budd and Joe McDoakes are due for a revival... any other forgotten comics you can think of? Anyone for Smith & Dale?

Columbia's Shorts Department had that whole stable of funnymen, including Harry Langdon, Andy Clyde, Hugh Herbert, and many others, but for some reason, only the Stooges and (lately) the Buster Keaton shorts have seen the light of day in the last 50 or 60 years. I've always been curious about the others, and I'll bet most of them are first-rate comedy.

Just how we'd go about getting Sony to release any of them on DVD is beyond me, though.