Bob and Ray

Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy duo that began in radio in 1946 with a daily 15-minute show titled Matinee With Bob and Ray. They continued on the air for over four decades on NBC, CBS, Mutual, New York City local stations WINS, WOR, and WHN, and NPR, ending in 1987. Some episodes were released on phonograph records, and the pair had a 15-minute television show that ran from November 26, 1951 through September 28, 1953 on NBC. (It was a full half hour for the summer of 1952 only.) The duo also returned to television in the latter part of their career, both in a one-shot 1979 NBC special with members of the original Saturday Night Live cast, and in a series of specials for PBS in the early 1980s. This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Possibly unfree images, because it is missing information on its source or copyright status. ... This file has been listed on Wikipedia:Possibly unfree images, because it is missing information on its source or copyright status. ... Robert Brackett Elliott (March 26, 1923— ) is an American comedian, formerly one-half of the comedy duo of Bob and Ray. ... Ray Goulding (March 20, 1922 - March 24, 1990) was half of the comedy duo of Bob & Ray with Bob Elliott. ... The double act is a predominantly British institution, a term used for describing the comedic tradition of a pair of performers. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) is a major television network and radio broadcaster in the United States. ... The Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. ... New York City, officially named the City of New York, is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ... WINS (AM), known on-air as 1010 WINS, is an all-news radio station in New York City at 1010 kHz, owned by Infinity Broadcasting. ... WOR-AM is a class A (nighttime clear channel), AM radio station located in New York, New York, USA, operating on 710kHz. ... NPR logo NPR redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Direct-drive_turntable be merged into this article or section. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... A television special is a television program, typically a short film or television movie intended to debut in prime time, the term used to define any television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. ... Jump to: navigation, search Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute comedy-variety show from NBC which has been broadcast virtually every Saturday night since its debut on October 11, 1975. ... PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ...

Their earlier shows were mostly ad-libbed. Later the shows relied more heavily on scripts. While Bob and Ray wrote much of their material, their writers included Tom Koch, who wrote many of their best-known routines, and Raymond Knight, an early radio pioneer (Bob later married Knight's widow). As sole performers, Elliott and Goulding lent their voices to a variety of recurring characters and countless one-shots. Those played by Elliott included Wally Ballou, an inept news reporter whose opening transmission was invariably cut off ("–lly Ballou here"); obnoxious sportscaster Biff Burns; Tex Blaisdell, a cowboy singer who also did rope tricks on the radio; Arthur Sturdley, an Arthur Godfrey take-off; and many more. Tom Koch was one of MAD Magazines mainstay writers from the 1950s through the 1980s. ... sArthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American entertainer, born in New York City. ...

Goulding played book reviewer Webley Webster and farm editor Dean Archer Armstead with the same low, slurring delivery; Charles the Poet, who recited soppy verse; serial characters such as Matt Neffer; and all female roles. Goulding generally used the same flat voice for all of his women characters; perhaps the most memorable of these was Mary McGoon, home economics adviser, who offered bizarre recipes for such items as "ginger ale salad" and "mock turkey." In 1949, Goulding, as Mary, recorded I Want to Be a Cow in Switzerland, which soon became a novelty hit and is still occasionally played by the likes of Dr. Demento. On radio, Goulding also played the females in the various soap opera spoofs, but for the television series, first Audrey Meadows and then Cloris Leachman appeared on camera in these roles (usually either Mary Backstage or Linda Lovely). Dr. Demento Dr. Demento (born April 2, 1941) is the stage name of Barret (Barry) Hansen, who has made a successful career as a radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music parodies. ... Audrey Meadows (February 8, 1922 - February 3, 1996), born Audrey Cotter, was an American actress best known for playing Alice Kramden in the 1950s American television comedy, The Honeymooners. ... Jump to: navigation, search Cloris Leachman (born April 30, 1926) is an American actress of stage, film and TV. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, the eldest of five sisters, she majored in drama at Northwestern University. ...

Spoofs of other radio programs were another staple, including the soap operas "Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife" and "One Fella's Family"; children's shows like "Mr. Science" and "Matt Neffer, Boy Spot-Welding King of the World"; adventure serials like "Elmer W. Litzinger, Spy"; and game shows like "The 64-Cent Question." There were spoof advertisements for such fictitious sponsors as the Monongahela Metal Foundry ("Casting steel ingots with the housewife in mind") and Einbinder Flypaper ("The brand you've gradually grown to trust over the course of three generations"), and such enduring routines as the Komodo dragon expert and the spokesman for the Slow Talkers of America. Binomial name Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912 The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world, growing to a length of about 3 metres (10 feet) and weighing between 80 and 140 kg (175 to 310 lb). ...

Bob and Ray starred in a two-man Broadway show, The Two and Only, in 1970; made numerous appearances on the Johnny Carson and David Letterman television shows; did extensive work in radio and television commercials; authored several books; and enjoyed supporting roles in the films Cold Turkey (1971) and Author! Author! (1982). This article is about the street in New York City. ... Jump to: navigation, search Johnny Carson John William Johnny Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his iconic status as the host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. ... Jump to: navigation, search Letterman at his desk on The Late Show with David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American talk show host, comedian, and television producer. ... From the earliest days of the medium, television has been used as a vehicle for advertising in some countries. ... Jump to: navigation, search Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ...

Bob and Ray also gained fame as the voices of Bert and Harry Piels, two animated characters from a very successful ad campaign for Piels Brothers Beer. Based on the success of that ad campaign they launched a successful advertising voice-over company, Greybar Enterprises. Jump to: navigation, search Animation (plural: Animations) is the illusion of motion created by the consecutive display of images of static elements. ...

Goulding died on March 24, 1990. Elliott continued to perform, most notably with his son (actor/comedian Chris Elliott) on the TV sitcom Get a Life. Jump to: navigation, search March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chris Elliott (born May 31, 1960 in New York City) is an American comedian and the son of comedian Bob Elliott. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Get a Life is the name of a television sitcom that aired on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990 to March 8, 1992. ...

Bob and Ray were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995. The National Radio Hall of Fame and Museum, an offshoot of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago, Illinois, recognizes and showcases those who have contributed to the development of the medium throughout its history in the United States. ...

Sources

Dunning, John. On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. ISBN 0195076788

External links

• The Bob and Ray Home Page
• Radio Hall of Fame - Bob & Ray