''The Stan Freberg Show'' was a weekly

radio comedy Radio comedy, or comedy, comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve variety show, sitcom elements, sketch comedy, sketches, and various types of comedy found in other media. It may also include more surreal or fantastic elemen ...

show that ran on the CBS Radio Network for fifteen episodes in 1957 from July 14 through October 20. The show, starring comedian Stan Freberg and featuring the vocal talents of

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...

June Foray June Foray (born June Lucille Forer; September 18, 1917 – July 26, 2017) was an American Voice acting, voice actress and radio personality, best known as the voice of such animation, animated characters as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Natasha F ...

and Peter Leeds, Peggy Taylor as the resident singer, and the musical direction of

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet (TV series), The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad (TV series), T ...

. The show aired in the 7:30 p.m. (ET) time slot following repeats of ''

The Jack Benny Program ''The Jack Benny Program'', starring Jack Benny, is a radio and television comedy series. The show ran for over three decades, from 1932 to 1955 on radio, and from 1950 to 1965 on television. It won numerous awards, including the 1959 and 19 ...

'' ("The Best Of Benny") on Sundays. The show was produced by Pete Barnum. Despite its short run, the show contained some running gags and stock jokes, from Freberg's ambivalence toward

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

(faux advertisements for "Puffed Grass" and "Food," as well as the sketch " Gray Flannel Hatful of Teenage Werewolves") to the interviews with a sneaker-wearing Abominable Snowman. Freberg also developed an elaborate parody of

Lawrence Welk Lawrence Welk (March 11, 1903 – May 17, 1992) was an American accordionist, bandleader, and television impresario, who hosted ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1951 to 1982. The program was known for its light and family-friendly style, and the ...

's then-current '' Dodge Dancing Party'', which he later released (in a somewhat shorter form) as a single, "Wun'erful, Wun'erful! (Sides uh-one & uh-two)." (He would reprise the Welk impersonation for his final show, in which the fictional Welk tersely mocks Freberg's cancellation.) 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). According to Freberg's autobiography, ''It Only Hurts When I Laugh'', two different cigarette companies offered 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 author Joe Bevilacqua, it was the last American network radio show to devote itself purely to comedy. 1958's ''The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows'', a recording of collected material from the show, won the first 1959

Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album has been awarded since 1959. The award has had several minor name changes: * In 1959 the award was known as Best Performance, Documentary or Spoken Word * From 1960 to 1961 it was awarded as Best Perform ...

Episodes

References

External links

* American comedy radio programs American radio sketch shows 1957 radio programme debuts 1957 radio programme endings 1950s American radio programs CBS Radio programs Children's sketch comedy Works by Stan Freberg {{US-radio-show-stub