Before you hit another of my essays, here's the link to part 2:
• Subsequently Stabby! A...
AND part 3: • SCOTTRICK vs GOOD LORD...
At least once previously in a CBB video description ("The Exorcism of Cake Boss"), I have compared the podcast to the old time radio shows, in particular Jack Benny’s. I know it seems a corny suggestion, but if you haven’t heard any of that top-rating radio sitcom, which ran for more than 20 years before, like CBB, it became a TV programme (Jack would have been on TV sooner, if people HAD it), I highly recommend it to CBB fans.
As a kid, I loved the Jack Benny Show, which played on local radio in the 1970’s. Benny was a brilliant comedian in his own right, with character traits that launched a thousand comical situations and he could get a sustained laugh simply by putting his hand to his cheek, saying “Welll” and staring for as long as he wanted the laugh to last, but being the seasoned and generous performer he was, Benny also knew that it didn’t matter if HE didn’t always get the laugh, as long as the laughs kept coming (remind you of anyone?), which they did, thanks to a brilliant cast (including the voice of Bugs Bunny etc. etc. Mel Blanc) and Hollywood’s biggest stars, lining up to make fun of Jack and themselves. It was chaotic and crazy, Jack feuding with, and being frustrated by, an alcoholic band leader, sarcastic girlfriend, smart-arse announcer, naïve and stupid singer, pushy singing quartet and his lazy, opportunistic valet Rochester. Trigger warning: Rochester was Jack’s black valet, BUT one who always got the upper hand and was so popular, Eddie Anderson, the actor who played him, became a very wealthy man AND took on “Rochester” as part of his professional name. He has a cameo as one of the cab drivers in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (the other being future Columbo, Peter Falk) Apart from human annoyances, Jack Benny had pet pests too, including a parrot (voiced by Blanc) and at one time (story arcs would sometimes span several episodes) a polar bear named Carmichael.
So, hearing “Comedy Bang! Bang!” for the first time, re-living that theatre-of-the-mind craziness, I was instantly hooked. Though I can recall how I discovered most of my favourite podcasts (I was led to the majority via CBB), I cannot remember how I found “Comedy Bang! Bang!”, but it was 2012, early days for this podcast enthusiast and however it happened, I’m very thankful it did, because the show has given me a lot of laughter over the years and it was a little stabby orphan who sealed the deal. It had been ages since I had laughed as hard and as frequently as I did pissing myself to CBB episode 150: “Time Bobby”. Though I considered CBB mandatory listening, the spontaneous, outrageous and uproarious comedy Scotty Auks, Bobby M and PFT created in that episode dazzled me. There have been many instances since (“The Exorcism of Cake Boss”, “Lil’ Choices”, the Womptaculars) where I’ve been amazed by what Scott and his funny friends come up with and what makes it SO much more impressive than Jack Benny: THESE guys make it all up on the spot!
An edit of “Time Bobby” was one of my first CBB videos. The channel was basically started to share my favourite CBB moments. When I originally uploaded my edit, entitled "The Ragamuffin" on Nov 22, 2013 (which I’ve just realised as I type this, was the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination), it was very early days for channel BFB. It was just my sixth video and has now clocked up just over 50,000 views (this is my 471st video, tho they're not all CBBs). IT'S BEEN a long time since those early days when I was limited by how long my uploads could be (no 9-hour epics back then!), so my first edit of "Time Bobby" had to sacrifice a lot of great stuff. I did consider a Fourvel compilation years ago but assumed there would already be one, for such a popular character. It’s just as well I’m only getting around to it now, with the skills (still not perfect, but getting there) to go a bit crazy myself.
The ENTIRE “Feast of Fourvel” will be EPIC. I figure about 8 hours, so rather than wait to share the fun I’ve been having with this, I’m going to upload the whole shebang in three parts. Besides, I need a break, or I might get a bit stabby myself.
Enjoy!