THE STORY OF VIC & SADE [Paperback]

Bill Idelson (Author), Norman Corwin (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1593930615 | ISBN-13: 978-1593930615 | Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Paul Rhymer's creation of VIC AND SADE began on radio in 1932 as a two-character play featuring Art Van Harvey and Bernadine Flynn. Bill Idelson was eventually added to the cast, as nine-year-old Rush, and Idelson is the man behind this fascinating book that tells the story of one of radio's most relished programs. Over 1,800 scripts are housed at the University of Wisconsin and thanks to Idelson, we now get an idea of the early "lost" episodes. For old-time radio fans who claim this series was a pre-curser to the SEINFELD TV series (the radio show made fun of nothing), and are forced to enjoy the very few episodes known to exist in recorded form, Idelson has opened the door for you. REVIEWS: "The gold of this book, acknowledged by Idelson, are the complete and excerpted scripts from the mid-1930s episodes of "Vic & Sade," which illustrate the gamut of Rhymer's humor, from trenchant satire to human comedy, all with an uncanny familiarity with the bizarre side of day-to-day familial and small-town politics." - Brent R. Swanson, Crooper, Illinois "Idelson provides background information on Art Van Harvey (whom he calls Van) and Bernadine Flynn (Bern) but especially for Paul Rhymer. The most surprising thing about this book is what Paul Rhymer was really like. One has a certain image of what a man who writes about a small Midwestern town might be like. Paul Phymer is not that man... If you're a man of radio drama, you'll like this book. If you're a VIC AND SADE fan, you'll love this book. I definitely recommend it." - Barbara J. Watkins, Sperdvac's Radiogram, January 2007 issue "One of the few books I have ever written that was an amusing read. I try not to judge books by their cover, but in this case, I did. Thankfully, the book is worth the read and recommended." - Martin Grams Jr., author

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: BearManor Media (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593930615
• ISBN-13: 978-1593930615
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Vic and Sade, June 9, 2009

By 

Marianne Bergson (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: THE STORY OF VIC & SADE (Paperback)

A little disappointed in this book. My dad had been the engineer on this show and I knew a lot of the episodes, so I was looking forward to a book more about 'behind the scenes' and the people involved in the show, whereas this book is probably 90% scripts. The scripts are fun to read, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. It's more like 'Paul Rhymer's scripts from "Vic and Sade" with comments by Bill Idelson'.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Missing character!, December 24, 2007

By 

Mr. Paul C. Hansen (Los angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: THE STORY OF VIC & SADE (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book for all the new information about Paul Rhymer, however, what completely puzzled me was the total lack of stories about Uncle Flecher! He was a favorite character of mine among the 4 actors and I wondered if Billy Idleson had something against him.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars That Small and Mysterious House, March 15, 2007

By 

Brent R. Swanson "coffee shop inspector" (Crooper, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: THE STORY OF VIC & SADE (Paperback)

"Vic and Sade," the radio comedy created by Paul Rhymer and populated by his characters and eccentric humor, is something that either grabs you and becomes part of your vocabulary, or else eludes you altogether. Organizations such as "The Friends of Vic & Sade" have made notable progress in collecting, cataloguing, and publicizing the show, which survives mostly in script form after the sponsor destroyed the majority of the recordings.

Bill Idelson played the role of Rush Meadows Gook, adopted son of Vic & Sade Gook. "Inhabited the role" would be more appropriate. Like the three other actors who voiced the scripts daily (Art Van Harvey, Bernardine Flynn, and later, Clarence Hartzell), Idelson's delivery was almost eerily natural and earnest, lending a surreal air to the bizarre goings-on described daily by one or more members of the Gook household. Of all the principles connected with the program, Idelson had the most active "afterlife," moving into scriptwriting (including "The Andy Griffith Show" and "MASH") and teaching of the same.

The gold of this book, acknowledged by Idelson, are the complete and excerpted scripts from the mid-1930s episodes of "Vic & Sade," which illustrate the gamut of Rhymer's humor, from trenchant satire to human comedy, all with an uncanny familiarity with the bizarre side of day-to-day familial and small-town politics.

Unfortunately, the book is not always well organized. Correspondence from Rhymer, much of it salty if not obscene, sits cheek-by-jowl with the scripts. It should be said this is not a book for the faint-hearted nostalgist, nor for children. It might also puzzle fans of the show who enjoy Clarence Hartzell's "Uncle Fletcher" character. Hartzell/Fletcher appears only on the cover and is mentioned only in passing. He is conspicuous by his absence. Idelson obviously prefers the cast in its original 3-person incarnation, but Hartzell was hardly as intrusive or out of place as the multitude of characters who invaded the program in its brief 1945 and '46 runs.

But at least we have a little more insight into the mind of Paul Rhymer, the history of his quirky and often hilarious series, and best of all, a few more conversations overheard from that small house halfway up in the next block.