Stan Freberg: That's Right Arthur (1956)

Here's a curiosity. Stan Freberg did an absolutely wicked (IMO) satire on Arthur Godfrey, but Godfrey and his lawyers would not let Freberg release it on a record. But here is a 1956 broadcast of the recording, on the CBS radio network, and CBS was also Godfrey's network! Go figure.

On the radio show, Freberg said it was the first and last time it would ever be played. The recording did finally get released, 16 years after Godfrey died, and it's now out of print.

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• Arthur Godfrey
• Daws Butler
• satire
• comedy
• parody
• frank

[2n918]

Oh this is priceless! Arthur Godfrey could be such an b*****d! He was HOT in the fifties, and by golly, he knew it too! I never watched his show, he was just too arrogant. Again, Stan Freberg shows his genius as a satirist! Thanks for posting.

[fromthesidelines]

Daws also appears as Godfrey's male vocalist, Frank Parker (he was let go at the end of the 1955-'56 season). "A glass of noodle soup" [1:30] represents Godfrey's perennial sponsor on "TALENT SCOUTS", Thomas J. Lipton {Tea, Noodle Soup Mix}.

[fromthesidelines]

In order to understand this record, you have to know something about Arthur Godfrey: in the '50s, he was on radio AND TV almost every day (except for Fridays, when he did his portion of the radio show from a studio on his Virginia farm, which couldn't be seen on TV), doing an informal variety show, with songs by his cast, Arthur discussing any subject that came to him while on the air...and PLENTY of commercials. He was also on Monday nights (again, radio/TV simulcast) with "TALENT SCOUTS"...

[fromthesidelines]

...AND an hour-long Wednesday night TV variety show, "ARTHUR GODFREY AND HIS FRIENDS". In October 1953, however, he fired his "boy vocalist", Julius LaRosa, on the air at the end of one of his daytime shows {"That was Julie's swan song with us..."} because he hired an outside agent without Godfrey's permission, which led to other dismissals [off-mike] amongst his cast over the next two years...and Godfrey's ratings started to decline. Daws Butler impersonates his announcer, Tony Marvin.