Search - Various Artists :: Golden Hour of Comedy

Monologues, skits, radio & TV soundtracks

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 01/24/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A GOLDEN HOUR OF COMEDY derives from what was originally a 1972 EVOLUTION Records twin-LP set called THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMEDY Volume One (there was never a second volume). This CD duplicates all 20 of that album's tracks in their original playing order. An eight-page booklet also includes original liner notes. Audio transfers are clear with uniformly high output.



Of particular interest is the Smith & Dale doctor skit. Unlike a later stereo version featured on Rhino's now out-of-print AMERICAN COMEDY BOX, which has these vaudeville legends clearly in their dotage, they sound fresh and full of energy here. NOTE: Neil Simon's THE SUNSHINE BOYS (1975), with George Burns and Walter Matthau, is loosely based on Smith & Dale.



ALBUM DATA:

Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First" is not the million-selling 78 but from one of their 'live' radio transcriptions.



Kovacs' "Question Man" and Groucho's "You Bet Your Life" are TV soundtrack transfers. The balance here are from radio sources.



"Feud" has quiz show contestant Jack Benny getting de-pantsed in front of Fred Allen's howling studio audience.



"Holdup" is a famous Jack Benny Program routine featuring Mel Blanc as the "money or your life" bandit.



"Jukebox" is an introspective early Gleason monologue.



"Hello Mama" is a George Jessel telephone monologue that pre-dates Shelley Berman and Bob Newhart by decades.



PROGRAM--



[2:54] EDDIE CANTOR and BERT GORDON - The Mad Russian

[2:15] FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY - Fibber's Closet

[3:18] ABBOTT & COSTELLO - "Who's on First?"

[3:48] FRED ALLEN SHOW (guest: JACK BENNY) - Feud

[3:16] JACKIE GLEASON - Jukebox

[2:19] SID CAESAR & IMOGENE COCA - Saturday Night Couple

[2:32] GEORGE BURNS & GRACIE ALLEN - Gracie's Relatives

[3:09] GROUCHO MARX - You Bet Your Life

[3:28] ERNIE KOVACS - The Question Man

[3:46] MILTON BERLE - Library Card (skit)

[3:36] RED SKELTON - Junior, the Mean Widdle Kid

[1:33] THE FRED ALLEN SHOW (guest: OSCAR LEVANT)

[3:15] BARON MUNCHAUSEN

[3:12] BOB & RAY - Matinee With Bob & Ray

[3:51] FRED ALLEN SHOW (guest: TALLULAH BANKHEAD) - Mr. & Mrs. Morning Radio

[2:32] GEORGE JESSEL - Hello, Mama?

[3:41] ED WYNN (for Texaco) - The Perfect Fool

[2:08] THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM (with Mel Blanc) - The Holdup

[3:31] SMITH & DALE - Dr. Kronkheit & His Only Living Patient

[4:40] LAUREL & HARDY - (circa 1932 78 rpm record)



Total Playing Time: 62:44"