Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:32 — )
Burns and Allen – Santas Workshop. (retro302).
late in the evening and Gracie is trying to put Herman the Duck to bed. He’s too excited about Christmas to sleep, so Gracie tells him a bedtime story. It’s a story about a wicked witch, Prince George, and Princess Gracie.
As Herman and Gracie begin to doze, thoughts of magic carpets run through her mind. As Gracie dreams, she sings to Herman as they fly on their magic carpet, on their way to the North Pole.
They arrive at the North Pole and meet Arthur Q Brian as Santa. Santa is upset because all his toys were stolen by a wicked witch. Bill Goodwin, playing Aladdin, had his magic lamp stolen by the witch, so he can’t call on it to do his bidding. He at least gets to plug the sponsor, Swan Soap.
It’s up to Gracie and Herman to use their magic carpet and find the witch. They spot a hitch hiker, George, and give him a lift. George has a conversation about vaudeville that seems familiar to Gracie. They encounter Tommy Tucker, actually Jimmy Cash, who sings for Gracie, Beautiful Dreamer.
Gracie comes face to face with the witch. Can she get Santa’s toys back? Will Gracie survive the trap that the witch has lain for her? Now that Herman is missing, Gracie and George get the help of Humpty Dumpty and he join their travels. The band plays some travelling music in the form of a swinging Christmas medley.
At the witches castle, Herman is found, and sent for Santa. Gracie has a chat with the butler, a skeleton. They wait for the witch in the torture room. Through their womanly chit chat, Gracie learns the secret behind the witch’s evil nature.
As Gracie causes the witch to reform, she is awakened by George. The show ends on a happy note, and with the band to play us out to a final commercial by Bill Goodwin.
Bonus Track:
Erskine Hawkins, with vocalist Ida James. 1943. Come On and Knock Me a Kiss.
PS: Sorry about the technical difficulty that i’ve been experiencing. It seems to only hit on the past two weekends.
