I "discovered" one of my heroes, Stan Freberg, in the early sixties when he was still making comedy records and also making a name for himself with innovative and funny commercials. His spots for Chun King Chow Mein were especially infamous…and one of the few times that the public was ever aware who was responsible for an advertising campaign.
In 1962, the company that marketed Chun King — which was so Chinese that they also made Jeno's Pizza Rolls — bought Stan a whole hour of network TV to do whatever he wanted to do. In fact, it was the hour on ABC which then usually housed Maverick, one of the highest-rated shows in all of television.
They hoped it would establish him as a television performer…and it did not. Critics called it one of the cleverest things they'd ever seen on The Box but everyone in the country who wasn't a critic or me was watching Ed Sullivan over on CBS that night.
But as you'll see if you click below, it was a unique 60 minutes of television time. Stan lassoed the famous designer Saul Bass to provide the "look" of the show and Billy May to provide music.
Then he brought along his stock company which included lots of people you may recognize, many of whom did cartoon voices. Most of you will recognize Sterling Holloway, June Foray, Shepard Menkin, Patty Regan, Peter Leeds, Mike Mazurki, Jesse White, Billy Bletcher, Frances Osborne, Arte Johnson, Ginny Tiu, Howard McNear, Byron Kane, Naomi Lewis, Max Mellinger, a few others and (briefly) some kid named Frank Sinatra.
Here's the whole show as aired February 4, 1962. You may not find it as brilliant as I did then or I do now but I doubt you'll think it's like anything else you've ever seen…