The sublime Bob Elliott, half of the "Bob and Ray" (the late Ray Goulding) comedy team, passed away February 2. The duo are considered one of the most inventive and influential humorists of the 20th century, with David Letterman, Woody Allen, Jonathan Winters and Kurt Vonnegut as just a few of their admirers. There are a number of their legendary quips, spoofs, parodies and shticks recounted here and here, that give you a quick sense of what they were about. While they didn't do "political humor," they didn't shy away from skewering the likes of the original Tailgunner, Sen. Joe McCarthy, or this skit on what we would identify as "Republican economic policy:"
One of their favorite skits involved Wally Ballou [Bob Elliott's character] interviewing a paperclip company tycoon who tackles “waste and inefficiency” by running a sweatshop of indentured servants. Employees, who earn 14 cents a week, are bound by a “99-year sweetheart contract” and imprisoned if they try to quit.
“How can anybody possibly live on 14 cents a week?” Ballou asks.
Goulding, as the industrialist, replies defensively, “We don’t pry into the personal lives of our employees, Wally.”If you've never heard them (or of them), here's a short radio piece that concerns a hobbyist (that's Bob's nasal voice) being interviewed by Ray ("Neil Clummer"), who keeps cracking up at Bob's dry delivery and the subject matter. Have some nice laughs to start the day ("... and find a good hobby!"). R.I.P.
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