The New! Improved! Bob & Ray Book [Paperback]

Bob Elliott (Author), Ray Goulding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1986

Bob and Ray's whimsically ridiculous dialogues and subtly satirical glances at the world have regaled audiences for fifty years -- on local and network radio and television, in movies and commercials, on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall, and in three delightful books. In an exclusive performance of skits from their third book, these beloved humorists take you into their world of restrained craziness and of gentle and relentless satire. 2 cassettes.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bob and Ray begin their comic routines on a deceptively low key, gradually accelerating to blissfully dizzy heights and finally leaving their audience howling." -- The New York Times

"Bob and Ray weave satire, non sequiturs, wordplay and elegant wit into brilliant comedy." -- Washington Post

"If you're looking for laughter, you can't go wrong with this delightful visit with Bob and Ray, among the funniest men ever on radio. Their crazy satire holds up today and will definitely please the current generation. Excellent 2-1/2 hour trip to the unique world of a legendary comedy pair." -- Union Leader, February 13, 1991 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding are members of the National Broadcaster's Hall of Fame and were named "Men of the Year" by the Broadcast Pioneers. Re-runs of "The Bob and Ray Public Radio Show" can be heard on National Public Radio and Bob Elliot is a frequent guest on Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion. Ray Goulding died in 1990. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill Book Co (Mm); 1 edition (November 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070193290
• ISBN-13: 978-0070193291
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,207,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New! Improved! Bob and Ray - as funny as ever., August 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The New! Improved! Bob and Ray Book (Audio Cassette)

Here are Bob and Ray on tape again, late in their career but still the funniest duo on, and off, radio. Here they're reading (with sound effects) from their book - which is more like a collection of radio scripts; it's a good introduction to their work, and longtime listeners will find their material as fresh and funny as always. And while some hardcore fans may miss the unique "live radio" quality that Bob and Ray had, they're every bit as funny as in any of their earlier work. The running gag about walnut pickers is reason enough to buy this, as is the grammar lesson. It's also fun to read along while listening to the tape, so get the book as well. Bob and Ray are a reminder that enduring comedy needn't be offensive.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightfully absurd, August 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The New! Improved! Bob and Ray Book (Audio Cassette)

A work of off-kilter genius from Bob and Ray, surreal comedy pioneers. From "small village endocrinologist Engelbretzen" to the seedy soap opera Garish Summit, it's one loopy deadpan laugh riot. The cheesy, mock-melodramatic music adds to the fun. Hilarious running gags, idiotic talk show guests, crackpot pseudo-experts, bizarre mini-dramas, pathetic losers we can simultaneously sympathize with and deride--the "New! Improved! Bob and Ray Book" is first-class lunacy.

How often do you find humor so insanely funny that you can't resist smirking and chuckling in public places as you remember your favorite lines? This is that funny. A great gift idea for anybody who likes warped humor that's both sophisticated and moronic at the same time.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Last Laughs, August 17, 2007

By 

Bill Slocum (Norwalk, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The New! Improved! Bob & Ray Book (Paperback)

In a broadcast studio, a man in the audience introduces himself as "one of the very few people in America with a name that is completely unpronounceable", spelled W-W-Q-L-C-W. "I'd like to say hello to my brother on your program, but I don't know how to pronounce his name, either."

Consumer affairs expert Hoyt Netley recommends a child's tricycle from Denmark on account of its rounded edges, plus the gunpowder-fueled rocket engine that eliminates the need for dangerous pedals. "The child just lights a fuse when he's ready to ride."

Bob and Ray. How I miss those guys. This 1985 collection of sketches was their last published work before Ray's death in 1990, and catches them just about wrapping up their comedy career. Even though it is a half-step below their earlier two books in terms of consistent excellence, there's enough good moments in here to sustain many of today's comics over an entire career.

There's another episode of "Tippy The Wonder Dog" and a new visit to "The Hobby Hut", where host Neil Clummer meets a man who collects numbers held by people who wait in line. Two doctors exchange rote platitudes about patient confidentiality until they repeat each other's lines.

The accent on newer material is a drawback. By 1985, Bob & Ray were reworking old concepts rather than trotting out new ones with the boldness they displayed in the 1960s and 1970s. As sharp and witty as they were, there was also a structural element to Bob & Ray's best comedy, Monty Pythonish logic-stretching, which simply doesn't come off as well in a series of sketches of a man being interviewed, which is what you have here.

The newer ideas they did use, like the soap opera "Garish Summit" (a couple of episodes from which appear here) annoyed some older fans who remembered the goofier antics of "Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife". "Garish Summit" was funny, though, and so is regular sports announcer Biff Burns' interview with champion low-jumper Big Steve Wurbler, who explains why standing atop a cliff and jumping should be an Olympic sport.

"In high jumping, you can strain a muscle or hurt yourself on the way up," Big Steve explains. "But in low jumping, you only have to worry about what happens to you on the way down."

One thing "New! Improved!" has over the earlier B&R collections is the audio version that came out the following year, which shows the two men in fine form giving even the weaker material in this collection a fresh life. Bob & Ray had a habit of surprising you just when you thought you had them figured out; their like won't be seen again for a long while.