Terms Which Have Disappeared

[2jakes]

In 1974, I applied for work with the phone company. The only job available was
“directory Assistance” or 411.
The pay was good and I thought it'd be a piece of cake until
I sat down and was given a huge phone book and headsets.

These are some samples I can print from the customers asking
for “information”.

" I need Tony’s phone number, I can’t think of his last name but he visits the
Fedora Lounge a lot.”

“Hi sweetie...you have a ***y voice, what are you wearing?”

“Hey *******...you’re the one with the information, so how come you can’t
connect me with Louie, he lives over there somewhere across the railroad tracks.”

“Heh-heh, no hablo english,yada-yada-yada ”

“Hey sissy, what are you doing working in a place for girls?”


I was supposed to give out the information in less than 20 seconds!
I lasted one month.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My mother worked a manual exchange for years, and was only allowed to say two things "Number, please" and "Thank you." She could say "Number, please" in a voice that would break cast iron if a Slick Sammy tried to get fresh with her.

 

[Zombie_61]

Steve Allen at one point commented that the phrase itself was incongruous because it was so old-sounding, bringing up images of a fussy Victorian kitchen.

I wonder how many people under the age of 30 these days would even recognize the name "Steve Allen".

 

[Fading Fast]

I worked for one of the original baby bells (but oddly don't remember which one) briefly in the college doing "market research," which meant calling people at night to ask them about their service. I was trying to supplement my income from my "regular" college job working at the department store Sterns as a friend did it and said it was easy money with flexible hours. I hated it as I knew I was bothering people. I did it off and on for a few months (maybe less) and quit - truly could not do a job where I knew I was bugging people. Fortunately, more hours became available at Sterns and my ignominious telephone career came to an abrupt end.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I wonder how many people under the age of 30 these days would even recognize the name "Steve Allen".

Isn't he that clever young comic everyone is waiting around to see if he'll reach his full potential?

Seriously, though, anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of comedy ought to read Allen's book "The Funny Men," published in 1956, in which he examines most of the leading comedians of that point in time and considers what, exactly, it is that makes them funny. That was the period where the previous generation of radio comedians was just giving way to the new generation of TV comics, and Allen has some very potent observations on who was likely to survive and who wasn't. It's interesting to see that, at one time, George Gobel and Red Buttons were as popular as Jackie Gleason and Sid Caesar, but Allen didn't expect that to last. He also had some interesting thoughts about the difference between a "personality" and a "comedian," using Eddie Cantor as the example of a "funny man" who was more the former than the latter.

 

[2jakes]

Unless you lived in a cave, everybody in America knew the Ed Sullivan Show.
Especially in the mid 50s (Elvis) and early 60s (Beatles)


I’ve read that “Uncle Miltie” alias "Mr. Television” owned Tuesday nights
from ’48 -’55. I don’t remember watching him at all.


My favorite variety shows: Steve Allen & Jack Parr.
Mostly because of the comedians that were presented.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Berle was almost entirely a Northern urban phenomenon, with his audience concentrated on the East and West coasts, and the urban parts of the midwest. Television was frozen at 1948 levels by the FCC, so most smaller areas had no access to it until early 1953, by which time Berle's greatest popularity had passed.

I've written elsewhere about the appeal of Berle's early shows -- it was very aggressive, very "New York" and very anti-authority. He was not popular in areas of the country that went in for more traditional types of comedians. I had never cared much for his work until I sat down earlier this year and watched as many of the 1948-52 Texaco Star Theatres as I could find. Seeing him in bulk like that allowed me to finally get what he was trying to do.

 

[scottyrocks]

'Gracious, good afternoon!'

 

[2jakes]

Very entertaining and enlightening programing for me was Alistair Cooke
or Dave Garroway and “Omnibus" which aired if I’m not mistaken on
Sundays.

Arthur Godfrey Show.
I'd rather listen to fingernails scratching the chalkboard then to hear that
syrupy voice and Ukelele.

 

[tonyb]

I wonder how many people under the age of 30 these days would even recognize the name "Steve Allen".

I saw him perform at Jazz Alley in Seattle back more than 20 years ago. Bad hairpiece, of which we had a great view, perched as we were in that mezzanine/balcony there.

 

[tonyb]

...
Seriously, though, anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of comedy ought to read Allen's book "The Funny Men," published in 1956, in which he examines most of the leading comedians of that point in time and considers what, exactly, it is that makes them funny. That was the period where the previous generation of radio comedians was just giving way to the new generation of TV comics, and Allen has some very potent observations on who was likely to survive and who wasn't. It's interesting to see that, at one time, George Gobel and Red Buttons were as popular as Jackie Gleason and Sid Caesar, but Allen didn't expect that to last. He also had some interesting thoughts about the difference between a "personality" and a "comedian," using Eddie Cantor as the example of a "funny man" who was more the former than the latter.

There is a science to comedy, and to any art form, for that matter, of which the competent practitioners are aware, perhaps unconsciously so. A good comedian is the only person in the room who ISN'T laughing, after all. For him or her, it's work, and the apparent pleasure they take in it is part of the performance.

 

[BobHufford]

Our land line at the farm charges per call to make a call out. We are down in the valley in the boonies so we don't get cell reception. Everyone in the family knows if a call from "the farm" shows up on the caller ID to ignore it and then call back (no charge for calls coming in).

 

[LizzieMaine]

There is a science to comedy, and to any art form, for that matter, of which the competent practitioners are aware, perhaps unconsciously so. A good comedian is the only person in the room who ISN'T laughing, after all. For him or her, it's work, and the apparent pleasure they take in it is part of the performance.

Very much so. The art of doing comedy before a live audience is one of the most difficult things to do in all of show business. It's a matter of playing the audience response like a musical instrument -- it's work, but when you hit the right notes it's also exhilirating.

 

[tonyb]

Very much so. The art of doing comedy before a live audience is one of the most difficult things to do in all of show business. It's a matter of playing the audience response like a musical instrument -- it's work, but when you hit the right notes it's also exhilirating.

Yup. There's much more to it than just good material. Hell, I could recite a Rodney Dangerfield or old Bill Cosby routine word for word and it would fall flat, even if the audience had never heard a word of it before.

And then you get into a true original like Richard Pryor, who didn't tell jokes so much as concoct humorous scenarios. I took in a live performance of his something like 37 years ago. I and the rest of the audience laughed until our sides hurt, and then we laughed some more. But I couldn't tell you a single joke from that show.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Of all forms of comedy, character comedy is the absolute hardest to do. Anybody can learn to tell jokes, but to come up with character bits and sustain them is brutally difficult.

 

[ChiTownScion]

In 1974, I applied for work with the phone company. The only job available was
“directory Assistance” or 411.
The pay was good and I thought it'd be a piece of cake until
I sat down and was given a huge phone book and headsets.

These are some samples I can print from the customers asking
for “information”.

" I need Tony’s phone number, I can’t think of his last name but he visits the
Fedora Lounge a lot.”

“Hi sweetie...you have a ***y voice, what are you wearing?”

“Hey *******...you’re the one with the information, so how come you can’t
connect me with Louie, he lives over there somewhere across the railroad tracks.”

“Heh-heh, no hablo english,yada-yada-yada ”

“Hey sissy, what are you doing working in a place for girls?”


I was supposed to give out the information in less than 20 seconds!
I lasted one month.

"Information. What city, please?"

"Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Residence. Name of 'Lincoln,' common spelling. First initial, 'A.' "

5 seconds later..

"I'm sorry. I have no such listing."

"I don't understand. He gave a Gettysburg Address...."

- Old bit we did at least a hundred time as kids.

 

[tonyb]

Our land line at the farm charges per call to make a call out. We are down in the valley in the boonies so we don't get cell reception. Everyone in the family knows if a call from "the farm" shows up on the caller ID to ignore it and then call back (no charge for calls coming in).

Got a friend living in a log structure alongside a lake in the Cascade Mountains, a couple-three hour drive from Seattle. No cell reception, but he has a land line, outgoing calls on which are billed as "long distance." So if he wishes an extended conversation, his outgoing calls last long enough for him to say "call me back."

Among the advantages of cell phones is that there are no long-distance charges. And that you can take your number, all ten digits, wherever you go. My Seattle area code has now traveled with me as I've changed my residence to three other "areas," each with its own code. As a practical matter, it makes no difference where the phone itself is located. And "dialing" is becoming obsolete. I have need to recall very few phone numbers anymore. I just tap on the name in the directory in the telephone function on my, um, telephone. Some people I know have speech recognition setups that allow them to speak what the want the phone to do, such as, "call Joe Blow."

 

[2jakes]

Of all forms of comedy, character comedy is the absolute hardest to do. Anybody can learn to tell jokes, but to come up with character bits and sustain them is brutally difficult.

I enjoyed Tim Conway. But I was naive not to understand
at first why they would step out of character and laugh at their antics.
It was explained that it was part of the routine.
But like canned laughter, it was distracting.

 

[tonyb]

View attachment 82850
I enjoyed Tim Conway. But I was naive
to understand at first why they would step out of character and laugh at their antics.
It was explained that it was part of
the routine.
But like canned laughter, it was distracting.

Some of Johnny Carson's best nights were his worst nights. When the material just wasn't working his self-deprecating charm came to the fore. The version of himself he brought to the TV screen was so likable that his audience never strayed from his side.

As to the above referenced clip ... Yeah, it's a classic. I always thought that their breaking character was spontaneous.

I had heard that there was a time when Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle had to leave the set during scenes when his character was being dressed down by Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts, because he couldn't make himself not bust out laughing. Don Knotts was a great comedic talent, which I didn't really appreciate until recently.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Korman always insisted it was spontaneous -- at least the famous "elephant" clip was. The one who went in for scripted "fluffs" the most was Red Skelton, who got into this bad habit in radio as far back as 1939, and was still doing on TV as late as 1970. Comedians generally consider this a bush technique, but Skelton managed to make a trademark of it.

Fred Allen was expert at recovering from a failed gag -- he'd always bounce back with an ad-lib that was much funnier than the actual joke in the script.

Some fluffs became running gags. Ed Wynn started this idea in 1932, when Graham McNamee mispronounced "Gasoline" as "Gasoloon" during a Texaco commercial. The original fluff was undeniably spontaneous, and McNamee broke up over it, which brought down the house. Wynn latched onto the idea and for months after that would drop random "Gasoloon" gags just to get McNamee laughing again.

The most famous radio comedy fluff was probably the time, on Jack Benny's program, that Don Wilson mispronounced the name of newspaper columnist Drew Pearson as "Dreer Pooson." That drew a huge laugh, and Benny's writers immediately made some changes to a page late in the script so that when Jack confronted an annoying clerk played by Frank Nelson, Nelson's line became "Who did you think I was -- Dreer Pooson?" Benny, who had no idea this was coming, collapsed to the stage floor laughing.