Stan Freberg in 1926.
He has a scroll of credits that would stretch from coast-to-coast, however, I will never forget this bit —
PAUL FREES: Radio? Why should I advertise on radio? There’s nothing to look at, no pictures…
STAN FREBERG: Look, you can do things on radio you couldn’t possibly do on tv.
FREES: That’ll be the day.
FREBERG: All right, watch this…ahem, okay people, now when I give you the cue, I want the 700 foot mountain of whipped cream to roll into Lake Michigan, which has been drained and filled with hot chocolate. Then the Royal Canadian Air Force will fly overhead towing a 10-tom maraschino cherry, which will be dropped into the whipped cream to the cheering of 25,000 extras. All right – cue the mountain!
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I haven’t listened to this in years. Thanks.
I read the first line of dialog, and I immediately thought, “Cue the maraschino cherry!”
Freberg produced a series of radio ads for Pittsburgh Paints, based on this concept: “Advertising paint on the radio???”
From http://www.grammy.com/awards/3rd-annual-grammy-awards:
“In 1960 The Recording Academy also formally adopted its official credo, penned by early Academy booster and all-around satirist Stan Freberg. His credo was quite serious about The Academy’s goals, in a Preamble to the Constitution kind of way:
We, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, being dedicated to the advancement of the phonograph record, do pledge ourselves as follows:
We shall judge a record on the basis of sheer artistry, and artistry alone—artistry in writing, performance, musicianship and engineering.
A record shall, in the opinion of The Academy, either attain the highest degree of excellence possible in the category entered, or it shall not receive an Academy Award. Sales and mass popularity are the yardsticks of the record business. They are not the yardsticks of this Academy.
We are concerned here with the phonograph record as an art form. If the record industry is to grow, not decline in stature, if it is to foster a greater striving for excellence in its own field, if it is to discourage mediocrity and encourage greatness, we, as its spokesmen, can accept no other Credo.
Clearly, not Freberg’s funniest work by a long shot, but words to live by nonetheless.”
I believe he had the first Gold selling Comedy Album. His first Grammy was in 1958.
My favorite prune commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5NxG_rr5aU
Well, I listened to him as a lad. I wore out his STAN FREBERG SHOWS LPs.
There was some note somewhere that said he created the term “Grammy”.
“Grey Flannel Hatful of Teenage Werewolves” is still one of my all-time favorite bits of sf comedy.
The whole 15 episodes of THE STAN FRBERG SHOW were made into a fine CD set.
Mike: Thanks for the Stan Freberg link. He really cheered me up! Martin