The Stan Freberg Show
Encyclopedia
The Stan Freberg Show was a weekly radio comedy
show that ran on the CBS Radio Network
for only fifteen episodes in 1957 from July 14 through October 20. The show, starring comedian Stan Freberg
and featuring the vocal talents of Daws Butler
, June Foray
and Peter Leeds
, Peggy Taylor
as the resident singer, and the musical direction
of Billy May
, appeared in the 7:30 p.m.(ET) time period following repeats of The Jack Benny Program
{"The Best Of Benny"} on Sundays.The show was produced by Pete Barnum
Despite its short run, the show managed to develop some running gags and stock jokes, from Freberg's ambivalence toward Madison Avenue (faux advertisements for "Puffed Grass" and "Food", as well as the classic sketch "Gray Flannel
Hatful of
Teenage Werewolves
") to the overwhelmingly popular interviews with a sneaker-wearing Abominable Snowman
.
By the thirteenth episode, it was clear that The Stan Freberg Show was suffering from a lack of advertiser interest (perhaps helped by Freberg's werewolf comparisons). However, according to Freberg in his autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh, two different cigarette companies did offer to sponsor the program, but Stan turned them down. Because no other advertisers were willing to provide primary or alternate sponsorship on Freberg's terms, CBS canceled the series after fifteen episodes; according to http://www.dawsbutler.com/Freberg2.htm, it was the last American network radio show to devote itself purely to comedy.
Radio comedy
Radio comedy, or comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve sitcom elements, sketches and various types of comedy found on other media. It may also include more surreal or fantastic elements, as these can be conveyed on a small budget with just a few sound effects or some...
show that ran on the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
for only fifteen episodes in 1957 from July 14 through October 20. The show, starring comedian Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
and featuring the vocal talents of Daws Butler
Daws Butler
Charles Dawson "Daws" Butler was a voice actor originally from Toledo, Ohio. He worked mostly for Hanna-Barbera and originated the voices of many famous animated cartoon characters, including Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, and Huckleberry Hound.Daws Butler trained many working actors...
, June Foray
June Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
and Peter Leeds
Peter Leeds
Peter Leeds was an actor who appeared on television more than 8,000 times, and also had many film, Broadway, and radio appearances. The majority of his work took place in the 1950s and 1960s...
, Peggy Taylor
Peggy Taylor
Peggy M. Taylor was an American singer and actress who later became a radio and television announcer.-Biography:...
as the resident singer, and the musical direction
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
of Billy May
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
, appeared in the 7:30 p.m.(ET) time period following repeats of The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program
The Jack Benny Program, starring Jack Benny, is a radio-TV comedy series that ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy.-Cast:*Jack Benny - Himself...
{"The Best Of Benny"} on Sundays.The show was produced by Pete Barnum
Despite its short run, the show managed to develop some running gags and stock jokes, from Freberg's ambivalence toward Madison Avenue (faux advertisements for "Puffed Grass" and "Food", as well as the classic sketch "Gray Flannel
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, by Sloan Wilson, is a 1955 novel about the American search for purpose in a world dominated by business. Tom and Betsy Rath share a struggle to find contentment in their hectic and material culture while several other characters fight essentially the same battle,...
Hatful of
A Hatful of Rain
A Hatful of Rain is a 1957 dramatic film. The movie was a rarity for its time in its frank depiction of the effect of drug addiction.It is a medically and sociologically accurate account of the effects of morphine on an addict and his family ....
Teenage Werewolves
I Was a Teenage Werewolf
I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a 1957 horror film starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager and Whit Bissell as the primary adult. It was co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen, and was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures...
") to the overwhelmingly popular interviews with a sneaker-wearing Abominable Snowman
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
.
By the thirteenth episode, it was clear that The Stan Freberg Show was suffering from a lack of advertiser interest (perhaps helped by Freberg's werewolf comparisons). However, according to Freberg in his autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh, two different cigarette companies did offer to sponsor the program, but Stan turned them down. Because no other advertisers were willing to provide primary or alternate sponsorship on Freberg's terms, CBS canceled the series after fifteen episodes; according to http://www.dawsbutler.com/Freberg2.htm, it was the last American network radio show to devote itself purely to comedy.
External links
- http://www.dawsbutler.com/Freberg1.htm, http://www.dawsbutler.com/Freberg2.htm — Summaries of all fifteen episodes, plus commentary