Al Crowder (1904–1981) was an American radio host, music teacher and humorist, best known as the creator of the

BunaB BunaB was the name of a line of purposely useless novelty products, promoted as if they were useful via carefully written marketing hype. They were created by American radio host Al Crowder (1904-1981). Beginning in the 1950s BunaBs were purporte ...

line of products. Crowder's BunaBs and related merchandise, ostensibly produced by "Orville K. Snav and Associates," are considered an early form of conceptual art. Crowder received nationwide exposure through appearances on ''

The Garry Moore Show ''The Garry Moore Show'' is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic tale ...

'' and in a 1957 profile in ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

''. Crowder was born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

in 1904. In the 1920s he toured as a banjo and accordion player and as an announcer at shows and on the radio. By the early 1930s he was teaching music in

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

, moving to

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical heritage, a significant ...

in 1939. He worked at the Vance Music Store and Carleton Stewart Music in Mason City. teaching and playing the banjo, accordion, clarinet, saxophone and bass clarinet. In 1951 Crowder was on local radio as "Grandma's Disc Jockey," playing music from his personal collection of early recordings.

BunaB

In 1951 Crowder conceived the BunaB #7, a device of obscure function that nevertheless "...will meet, or exceed specifications set up by the industry for accuracy, durability and simplicity of operation." Crowder developed a back story for the product, creating the firm of Orville K. Snav and Associates as manufacturers of the BunaB line and a variety of other fanciful products, operating from "Snav Towers", which in reality was Crowder's house at 111 North Jefferson Street. He was assisted by his wife Louise, alternately known as "Dame Minerva P. Snav", who continued to support the BunaB line after Al's death in 1981. Crowder, who had taught

Herb Shriner Herbert Arthur "Herb" Shriner (May 29, 1918 – April 23, 1970) was an American humorist, radio personality, actor, and television host. Shriner was known for his homespun monologues, usually about his home state of Indiana. He was frequently co ...

to play instruments in Fort Wayne, appeared on Shriner's television show in the 1950s. He appeared four times on ''

'' and was profiled in ''"The Little World of Orville K. Snav"'' in 1957 in ''

''. Crowder first used the name "Orville K. Snav" when he lived in Fort Wayne, sending empty envelopes to a radio station on a daily basis from Snav in response to an appeal from the station for letters from listeners. Marketing of the Snav line of "aids to nicer living" included an annual Christmas catalog, sent to the company's approximately 50,000 "Assistants to the President and Key Personnel in the Field" during the December 15 Mailing Frolic. Crowder came up with other BunaB products, ranging from the #2 to the #6, and several other Snav products, including a universal

chastity belt A chastity belt is a locking item of clothing designed to prevent sexual intercourse or masturbation. Such belts were historically designed for women, ostensibly for the purpose of chastity, as an anti-rape device, or to dissuade women and thei ...

key in either Snav-Metal or 14K gold. Crowder died on March 10, 1981, aged 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowder, Al American conceptual artists People from Mason City, Iowa 1904 births 1981 deaths Radio personalities from Louisville, Kentucky