Friday, August 6, 2010

Old Time Radio Friday Morning - Vic & Sade 1938 and Superman pilot!

Warm up the Philco, Ma....it's "Oldtime Radio Friday Morning"!


First let's check in with the little house 1/2 way up in the next block...

In the interest of sorting through all the existing Vic & Sade shows in which the circulating files often are duplicates with different names, today brings us to 1938. What a shame that all the shows from 1932 to 1937 seem to be lost to the ether. The few that remain (260?out of 3500?) are some real meaty golden comedy gems. I can only imagine what we're missing.

I'm happy we have something, nonetheless.

The first of the 2 shows that I'm posting today, is actually one I posted two weeks ago to give the uninitiated a taste of the show. Like all these shows though, multiple listenings just seem to make them richer and funnier though. I encourage you to take another ear-full as Rush tells Vic all the better plans he has for their up-coming party that would make it memorable, in opposition to the run-of-the-mill everyday party that Sade has planned.

Wonderful turns of phrase, genius in it's rhythmic repeating patterns (which are never done in a technical way, but rather as part of the speaking characters personality) and imagery that fills your mind's eye. 5 minutes in and you forget it's not a movie...you can see it all.

From March 3, 1938:



The second show really gives you a funny glimpse into each character, and the way they each attend to their personal agenda vibrates with how real conversations happen.

Vic needs a new hat and Sade plans to take him shopping so that he buys a sensible smart businessman's model, and not a garish wide-brimmed floppy wild west Pennsylvania cowboy model, he would prefer. On the side-lines, Rush tries to regale the room with the tale of Smelly Clark's Uncle Strap's intent to escort his lady friend to Peoria for the purpose of enjoying a fish dinner. All the while, life moves forward as the household readies themselves for Fred & Ruthie Stembottom to visit for a game of 500.

From November 30, 1938. Glorious!



I really want to hear the end of Rush's story. And I want to see Vic in a wide brimmed hat and being dashing. And I want Sade to be in charge of my finances.

More Vic & Sade next week, but now something for you afternoon adventure serial radio fans!

Superman was on the radio air waves for 11 years from 1940-1951.

A few innovations in the character first happened here and not in the comic book. The first meeting between Superman and Batman for example, and even the introduction of Kryptonite are from the radio version and later integrated into the comic.

I'm not really a huge fan of the "Adventures of Superman" TV show from the 1950's. It seems pedestrian in comparison to the comic for it's limitations of putting this fantastic character into the real world...but this radio show really soared. Anything seems possible with the listeners imagination and the imagery of pure audio story-telling.

Many of you have heard episodes of this show before...maybe mostly out of curiosity...but they really are some fine stuff.

Here's the not-so-often-heard pilot made to sell the show. Note that the commercial announcements "brought to you by 'Blank'"!

From 1939, parts 1 and 2:





Happy listening.

Talk to you soon!

2 comments:

Marco said...

The 50's TV show was a joke. Superman stood for Truth and Justice.
Not truth, justice and "the american way". I did find all of Max's cartoons online, and LOVE those.

And someone gave me a couple of cool tapes a long time ago...

Unca Jeffy said...

I find the radio show and Fleischer cartoons endlessly enjoyable. Great to see how different hands saw the character right at the beginning, before he became so iconic. Shows just how exciting the concept was right out of the gate.

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