Quite a few of you wrote to say you enjoyed that Spike Jones clip I linked to here the other day. I was and am a huge fan of Mr. Jones and his music and a collector of nearly all of his records…and I was, well before one of the more bizarre moments of my bizarre life. That would be when I discovered that the lady I'd been dating for around three years was his niece. I wrote about that here.
Here's fifteen minutes from one of Spike's live TV shows — and do keep in mind as you watch this that it was live. All those stunts and physical bits had to be done right the one time it mattered when they were on the air. Clearly, some of what happened (perhaps Hugh Herbert's second entrance) was not planned or rehearsed.
And I should mention who Hugh Herbert was. He was a popular comedian on vaudeville and later in talking pictures from about the time pictures began talking until his death in March of 1952. That's probably not long after this show was broadcast. His mannerisms and laugh were often-imitated and you've probably seen theatrical cartoons of the thirties and forties where some character looked and acted like Hugh Herbert.
It also may help one of the jokes here if you know that "Petrillo" refers to James C. Petrillo, the longtime president of the American Federation of Musicians. Mr. Petrillo was quite combative and willing to order work stoppages for the financial well-being of those who made music in this country.
With that in mind, I hope you're ready for some truly sophisticated comedy…