Radio ... and Me - 2

Bob and Ray, began working as disc jockey and news announcer resp., at WHDH Boston in the mid-1940s and carried on their easy going, dead-pan, humour for more than 40 years.
Bob Eliott and Ray Goulding performed ad-lib skits while filling time during Red Sox baseball rain-delays, then later moved to work on New York contracts, for local and network shows.
Their quiet, irreverent delivery satirized radio shows and personalities who flourished -- and may have sometimes taken themselves too seriously -- during radio’s "Golden Age."

Here are some of my favourite characters --
-- Wally Ballou, pompous remote news reporter (His clipped start "-lly Ballou," was a dart at technicians, whose might be late switching on his mic.) His news beat was Times Square. Once, while interviewing The Cranberry Man, he traded a variety of cranberry recipies, ignoring the bank robbery heard in the background;
-- Biff Burns, sportscaster, whose fav. line was, "Rounding third and heading home...";
-- Charles the Poet, who attempted to recite sappy poety, but would dissolve into laughter, until unable to continue;
-- Gabe Preston, soused news commentator, who regularly fell of his bar stool ... er, chair;
-- David Chetley, whose name was spoof of Chet Huntley, / David Brinkley, the dynamic anchors of NBC News.
His signature delivery begins with the trade-mark clipped, short words, but morphs to a poly-syllabic diatribe -- makes you need to reach for a dictionary. (BTW, all the terms in his commentary on a politician’s mud-slinging concession speech -- example, "atribilious amphigoury," meaning, "bad-tempered nonsense" -- were used absolutely correctly.);
-- Natalie Attired, in Say a Song, recited song lyrics such as ‘Great Balls of Fire’ with military march snare drum beat, supplied by Eddie;
-- The McBeeBee Twins, Claude and Clyde, who echoed each other’s every sentence;

Favourite Skits;
-- One Fella’s Family, spoof of real long-running serial, One Man’s Family.
During any scene, when the family patriach as questioned, his reply was always off-mic, because he has already lost interest and moved to another room.
Opening line by Deep-Voiced Narrator, over a slow organ intro, "Around the corner and up your street ... it’s the sto-ry of ... One Fella’s Family."
Credits concluded with, " ... and was produced by T. Wilson Messey. This is a Messey Production.";
-- Komodo Dragon interview, with a dense reporter whose questions trail behind the information given. This one should be required study at all radio school courses; and, finally
-- S-T-O-A, Slow ... Talkers ... of ... America, featuring l-o-o-o-ng pauses between syllables.
Bob and Ray presented their top material on Broadway, in The Two and Only, in 1970.
If you ever find it in the ‘Deleted’ bin, please save me a copy.
I invite you to check out this cool article on Bob and Ray in Wikipedia.

Here is their finest exit line, gleaned from many a family letter;
"Write if you get work."