In the summer of 2010 Dave Kuskie and I did a special episode of our “Dog and Pony Show” using my real-life trip to a Nebraska Broadcasters Association convention as a springboard to our fantasy version. In our fictional trip, Dave comes with me and we end up stealing a man’s identity (and his hotel suite). We did it as a Hope/Crosby “road” adventure.
Here’s the audio:
And here are some notes on the nonsense contained therein:
“He’s kind of an absent-minded professor isn’t he?” My landlord said this to a friend of mine. It’s very perceptive.
“The guy who fills the Pepsi machine can do the stuff you do.” A standby line of mine which doesn’t work anymore because we no longer have a Pepsi machine at the office.
“The Road To Nebraska”, of course, is the old Hope/Crosby tune “Road To Morocco.” Or, if you’re under 60, “The Road To Rhode Island.”
“I just hope that nobody mistakes me for your son.” Linnea Bleisch, who is now 13 (which makes me feel elderly), saw Dave give me rides to and from oodles of play practices and came to the conclusion that Kuskie was my Dad.
Willa Cather. American writer, author of “O Pioneers.” University of Nebraska Lincoln graduate.
“new technologies and advanced paradigms in media…” This is why I would not go to one of these clambakes unless I won an award, Everything except the awards banquet is painfully boring.
Adrian Fiala. Former Cornhusker linebacker and longtime member of the radio play-by-play team.
“Oh did you ever! What a swell party this is.” Line from the Frank Sinatra/Bing Crosby song “What A Swell Party” from the classic film “High Society.”
Lane Grindle. Former member of the Pinnacle Sports Network (Nebraska Cornhuskers) on-air team.
“Damned efficient commercial airlines.” A sentence I have never spoken and I would wager has never been spoken by anyone anywhere anytime.
“Small town jaspers”. A bastardization of the phrase “out-of-town jasper” from “Ya Got Trouble.” (“some out-of-town jasper here to tell about horse race gamblin’.”)
“Pattycake.” Gag pulled off successfully in many of the Hope-Crosby road movies. Many…not all.
“Here we are at the——-!” Typical (and pedestrian) old-time-radio scene setter…Johnny Carson went through a period of using this phrase:
O’Connor Production Library. That door opening and closing effect has been heard in about 10,000 different commercials and lots of our Doc-and-Dave productions as well.
“Honorable Mention, Outstanding Commercial 30 Seconds Or Less Advertising A Chicken Sandwich.” This is kinda what I won at the NBAs in 2009–a Bronze Award for an Arby’s roast chicken club ad. (They don’t have categories that specific–it’s just a “Commercial” category.)