Customer Reviews

Radio Years 1

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A lot of you probably know of Spike due to his classic parodies of songs like Cocktails for Two, replete with fiddle solo and gunfire. But he also had a successful radio run, as well as a TV show. Most of the humor is typical Spike "my musicians don't know what they're doing" humor, but a lot of fun. The Lorre/Karloff CD is a blast.

Quality of the recording is very good, and there are two tracks that talk about Spike, from the point of fellow musicians and the like.

Obviously includes several musical numbers, but is a great humor CD, on par with Jack Benny or Abbott/Costello. If you like Spike at all, this is a must own. Now I need to find more!

Both volumes of RHINO's Spike Jones radio show CDs include a double-panel insert with the same one-page bio. The two half-hour programs on each album were dubbed off oversized LPs known as "transcription discs." Condition of these antique records varies. Here, the first broadcast has lower fidelity and more crackle than the second, which may be short 90 by seconds.

SHOW #1
CBS broadcast sponsored by Coca-Cola originates from Boston. The 'aggregation' murder "Charlie My Boy." "Seeing America With Spike": Boston Tea Party; Harvard law professor; M.I.T. atomic research scientist; Prof. Feitlebaum (Doodles Weaver) does "Down Among the Sheltering Palms." Joe King for Coca-Cola. City Slickers version of a horse opera. Spike and guest Boris Karloff banter. Karloff's horror bedtime story, "Frankenstein's Mother-In-Law" or: "Paul Revere's Other Horse." Joe King Coke adv. Spike announces next week's guest, Basil Rathbone. Karloff publicizes his upcoming Abbott & Costello film, "Meet the Killers."

SHOW #2
Spike with Dorothy Shay (the Park Avenue Hillbilly). City Slickers do "After You've Gone." George Rock's razzy speech impediment. Prof. Feitlebaum ruins "Quanta la gusta." The band races through "Tiger Rag." Dick Joy delivers Coca-Cola spot. Dick Baldwin, Paul Frees (as Lorre) and Slickers' classic, "My Old Flame." Guest Peter Lorre does his own version of the song. Dick Joy for Coke. Upcoming guest: Ralph Edwards (of "Truth or Consequences").

PROGRAM--
[4:03] Introduction, Helen Grayco (Mrs. Jones) and writer Eddie Brandt
[25:04] "Spotlight Revue" (guest: Boris Karloff, 4/9/49)

[2:26] Eddie Brandt intro
[23:42] "Spotlight Revue" (guest: Peter Lorre, 12/10/48)

[0:28] Helen Grayco outro

TOTAL PLAYING TIME: 55:43


Related item:
The second (and final) edition of SPIKE JONES - THE RADIO YEARS features Frank Sinatra and Lassie.

All I can say is Spike Jones was one of a kind. I'm an old time radio fan and these shows, with their celebrity guests (particularly the horror/mystery ones, like Karloff & Lorre), make it even more fun to listen to.

This CD features two half-hour episodes of the Spike Jones radio show from the late 1940s. The first episode guest-stars Boris Karloff. The second episode guest-stars Peter Lorre. Both shows are pretty funny, in a slightly corny kind of way. I should mention that this CD is not Volume 2 of the series, it's Volume 1.