Stan Freberg (1926–2015) may have been a genius but who knows these things? He was very funny and a great opponent of the stuff-shirt. Bent on driving all genuine talent out of radio, execs killed his network show (1957) so he went into advertising and made comedy records. He was able to be funny and satirical in the same sixty-second commercial. Naturally the ad people hated him too. The rest of us will miss him.
Listen to St George and the Dragonet:
You know why nobody likes your parties, Mary? Bad pizza. BAD PIZZA!!!
Stan Freberg and Stan Boreson – two Stans from my childhood that I continually mix up, but both very funny men.
“412! WHAT’S A 412?!!”
I grew up on his humor. Loved it.
Biting yet gentle humor – what a genius Stan Freberg was. Time to pull out my CD of “Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Volume One: The Early Years.” Who could forgot this priceless bit, courtesy of Wikipedia:
The album also featured the following exchange, where Freberg’s Christopher Columbus is “discovered on beach here” by a Native American played by Marvin Miller. Skeptical of the Natives’ diet of corn and “other organically grown vegetables”, Columbus wants to open “America’s first Italian restaurant” and needs to cash a check to get started:
Native: “You out of luck, today. Banks closed.”
Columbus: [archly, knowing what the response will be] “Oh? Why?”
Native: “Columbus Day!”
Columbus: [pregnant pause] “We going out on that joke?”
Native: “No, we do reprise of song. That help …”
Columbus and the Indian together: “But not much, no!”