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The show opens with the crowds entering the Town Hall, and the Ipanna Singers singing, I Feel a Song Coming On. Fred reads from the Town Hall Bulletin, making note of butcher shops. In the news, Fred recaps issues with psychiatrists in a college. In a reenactment, the doc hardly lets his patient get in a word in edgewise.
Leap year is the year for women to be forward, and do the proposing, the enacted drama presents the need for single men to take cover. Elsewhere patients are presented a new medical system, medical care on the finance system, but will that lead to repossessing body parts after a surgery can’t be paid for? Interesting.
The orchestra plays, I’ve Got My Fingers Crossed. Fred is greeted by Portland, who tells about buying a mousetrap. It seems the sleepless mice in Portland’s parents’ house keep them awake with all the noise they make.
Fred suggests getting a cat, and the two compare notes on tough alley cats. Fred gets insulted by a family walking down the street. It’s a deliveryman who also jokes about his wife’s singing. The married couple give a demonstration of their musical ability. Or they try to until Fred rescues us.
The Ipana Singers sing, Slip horn Sam and His Old Trombone.
The Mighty Allen Art Players present, Mumbo, or Who Stole the Elephant from Billy Nose’s Finale. Billy Nose goes to the police station to report his missing elephant. Fortunately, that famous detective is on hand, One Long Pan. The mighty detective investigates with jokes about political elections, hay fever, and more. One Long Pan is soon tracking down the elephant, and with looking into the obvious, and using some odd logic, the elephants are turned up.
After the midtown station break, the Apana singers are back to sing, Got a Brand-New Suit. Now it’s time for the amateurs as they compete for a $50 prize.
The ABC Quartet talk with Fred about their quartet name, and other topics. They sing, Tiger Rag.
A duet of women one from Ohio, and one from Canada talk with Fred about their singing ambition, then they sing an aria from the Vagabond King. Not bad individually, but they need work in their timing to be a duet.
Tommy Dunn is an 18-year-old who plays harmonica. After the young athlete talks with Fred about boxing, he plays standing on his head, a few bars of, Dark Town Strutters Ball.
A pianist and song writer is next, and he plays one of his original compositions, After Dark.
Eleanor Frieze, a short little lady is to play the musical chimes. After she tells Fred about her unusual instrument, she plays, Glow Worm.
Miss Fariza from the Bronx gets to joke around with Fred about the snow in her neighborhood, then she sings the popular song of the day, Eenie, Meenie, Meiney Moe.
The audio stops during her song. If someone has a copy of this that plays to the end, let me know, I’d love to get a copy. The only thing that’s really missing though is the outcome of who won, and closing credits, so it’s fairly complete.
ooohh.. sorry to say, this copy is very poor. Lots of artifacts and lack of bandwidth. The amateur opera singers are actually quite good. Maybe playing this file, and not using good speakers or not using headphones the audio would not sound so great. I doubt any female singers right now, singing in any theatre in this generation could come close to these two and I’m not exaggerating. Their tone is remarkable, both of them. What is missing is a proper orchestra behind them, and a conductor to keep time. Regarding this copy there MIGHT be a better file on archive, or on d.u.m.b’s “variety website” in their old time radio streamer, but there’s may be the same as OTRR’s on archive I fear. But, you’ve probably come a lot further considering this was posted six long years ago.
Thanks for the observations. I’ll dig around and try to find a better copy.