44-04-14 Blue Tooth's Offering Scheme

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND DAVID WHITEHOUSE

• Russell asks permission to have Blue Tooth Johnson visit so they can work out his scheme: he hopes to raise eyebrows in church by wrapping the dollar bill he'll receive for his birthday around a wad of green paper so it looks like he's putting a huge offering in the plate.  
• Russell: Strong men will turn pale and women will swoon. 
• Articles in the newspaper mention Mrs. Barlow Froolp and Howard McFalper, Carl D Feetstroop.  Russell refers to Cracky Otto. - compiled by Barbara Schwarz, edited by Jimbo Mason

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Chicago Sun (Feb. 14, 1943)

This trick does seem Russell-like and not Rush-like.  There is a definite difference between the boys, despite the fact that it was about this time in the series when Rhymer tried to confuse his audience into thinking they were the same boy (this 1943 episode is a perfect example of this) despite going on record in various magazine articles and saying Rush was not going to be replaced.

Blue Tooth must be 14 or 15 years old; he gets a dollar for his birthday.  You wonder what a 14 year-old kid would say today if he/she were given only a buck for their birthday present?

46-07-18 Midsummer Madness

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN, BILL IDELSON AND CLARENCE HARTZELL

When the people around her begin losing their temper, Sade suspects "Midsummer Madness."

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"Midsummer Madness" is the heat of the summer; everyone is hot, bothered and irritable.

Trivia:

+ Ruthie Stembottom had some kind of argument with Mr. Kroucher, the grocer - so bad of an argument that she said she would not trade with him anymore.

Later though, they make up and things between them seem to be back to normal.

+ After Rush gets kicked out of the Bijou (by manager Milton Ferberman, no less) for making comments about Four-Fisted Frank Fuddleman and Gloria Golden, he plans on suing the theater. Recall Blue Tooth Johnson had plans on more than one occasion to do this as well.

However, later, Mr. Ferberman calls up Rush offers him $1.75 to usher at the evening picture show, which Rush gratefully accepts.

+ Vic and his boss Mr. Ruebush exchanged feverish remarks about a missing paper.

However, Mr. Ruebush calls later and apologizes and invites Vic to the Butler House Hotel to eat supper.

It is revealed Mr. Ruebush's initials are "J.K."

+ Uncle Fletcher comes over to the Gook house complaining that he's been insulted by landlady, Mis' Keller and plans to give her his six months' notice. (Actually, it seems he was mad because she threw out hyena grease because it was stinking and put on top of her sideboard.)

He's also mad at her because "she claims she's too busy to listen" to his dreams.

However, she later calls and everything seems to be all right.

+ Uncle Fletcher keeps his hyena grease in a crock that says, "Compliments of Sweet Esther, Wisconsin" on it.

+ It rains in this episode.

Here's Bernadine Flynn as Sade and Clarence Hartzell as Uncle Fletcher doing a commercial for Fitch Shampoo: {{{HEAR}}}

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44-09-25 Saving Blue Tooth from Tragedy

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND DAVID WHITEHOUSE

Russell and five of his friends plan to congregate and formulate plans to save Blue Tooth Johnson from the tragedy that is his public adoration of Mildred Tisdel.

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A hard-to-understand episode because of sound quality but one thing you won't miss is that "nature has given ____ (fill in the blank) the beautiful gift of laughter!"

Trivia:

+ Russell is anxious to call Heinie Call on the telephone, despite the fact that in previous shows the two did not get along.

+ Sade said Ruthie accidentally fell asleep in Yamilton's a few days earlier while exchanging stockings (during the downtime between all the red tape.)

+ Blue Tooth wrote Mildred a note, a poem, gave her a birthday present and walked home with her.

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44-05-01 Lodge Holiday Visits

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND DAVID WHITEHOUSE

In a letter from lodge headquarters, Vic is alerted of a lodge idea that could save him money if he takes a trip somewhere; he and his family would be the guest of a lodge brother in another town.

But the hospitality is reciprocal and there's almost 50 people that Vic knows of that ar headed his way in the coming Summer. Sade tells Vic to squash any ideas of her entertaining unknown lodge brothers.

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Fun episode with some really strange people making the trips with the lodge members, such as a straw boss, a dentist, a secretary, a music teacher, an errand boy, a milkman, a barber and a janitor.

Trivia:

+ Sade got another postal card from the Lazy Hours Pool Parlor; coupon is good for a free saucer of cole slaw with every third game played.

+ Russell got another card from his Sunday School teacher. Seems that whenever Russell (or for that matter, Rush) would act conspicuous at Sunday School, Mis' Neagle would send them an "I missed you at Sunday School last week" postal card.

+ Sade says that beef punkles take four hours to cook.

+ Charlie Razorscum is clowning around inside of his house; Russell is most amused by him.

+ One of the lodge members mentioned in Vic's letter has the first name of "Rose."

+ The list of all the out of town lodge members is listed in the Sacred Stars of the Milky Way section of the blog.

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41-09-09 Vic Gets Gift "Rap" Again

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

The gang at work has elected Vic to buy a gift for Mr. Ruebush at Christmas. While he and Sade discuss possible gifts to buy, Rush is busy in the background, almost constanly using the telphone to collect debts that will allow him to buy Defense Savings Stamps.

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This is sort of an unusual episode.

For one thing, Rush is there the whole episode but the action seems to be taking place around him.

For another thing, this seems to be some sort of propaganda episode for Defense Savings Stamps.

Even though this episode took place about three months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor (and thus the Declaration of War against the Japanese), the United States began selling Defense Savings Stamps in May of 1941 to help support the production of military equipment, most of it for the British Allies and the Lend-Lease deal.

Some stamps could be had for as little as a dime.

The photograph on the left shows that less a week after this episode aired it was, "Defense Week."

It was common for radio shows to be used for government propaganda purposes - although as a rule, it seems that Paul Rhymer and his Vic and and Sade program were not usually a part of such campaigns.

Trivia:

From 41-08-26 Uncle Fletcher the Protector

+ Sade mentions that Vic had went on a trip with Mr. Ruebush. This seems to imply that perhaps the recent Art Van Harvey vacation could have been (and probably was) explained away using that excuse.

+ Mr. Ruebush likes candy.

+ The Thimble Club (with Sade as one of the committee members) bought Defense Savings Stamps.

+ Cracky Otto is described as wearing a skull cap (a beanie, most probably) and tennis shoes.

+ Sade suggests (jokingly) that she and Vic should sit in the basement in the evenings in order to elude phone calls for Rush.

+ Here's a list of the gifts Sade suggests that Vic buy for Mr. Ruebush for Christmas:

• easy slippers 
• pipes 
• cigars
• valice (luggage) 
• handkerchiefs 
• candy 
• chair 
• footstool 
• umbrella holder 
• picture 

+ Rush calls several friends in this episode and that provides us with a list of telephone numbers that we haven't known before this episode:

• Smelly Clark (#2457-J) 
• Vernon Peggles (#2596-W) 
• Arnold Shipley (#7329-L)
• LeRoy Snow (#6509-R) 
• Heinie Call (#5542-L)

I love it when Vic gets frustrated when the telephone rings. His expression can't be beaten!: {{{HEAR}}}

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41-05-08 Landlord's Sneaky Trick

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY, BERNARDINE FLYNN AND BILL IDELSON

The Gook landlord, Mr. Erickson, drops by and tells Sade that he is giving the home the Gooks rent to his daughter Beulah Feeple as an anniversary present. He envisions wrapping up the house up in red ribbon and Rush being dressed up like Cupid to present the gift.

The bottom line is this: he's actually not giving Beulah the deed - thus, it really won't be her house. Basically, it's just another trick by the sneaky landlord but this time it's a sneaky trick against Beulah and not the Gooks.

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Erickson must really be a crumb. While Vic and Sade show no empathy to Beulah, this episode contains none of the usual derogatory comments leveled her way by Sade. So maybe there is some empathy for her, only hidden.

Trivia:

+ When Vic sees Rush coming up the sidewalk he says, "Here comes Raymond Belcher Beirman, the brainy bum from Buffalo." [Yet another reference to Beirman, who is showing up in many places in this part of the series.]

+ This is Beulah's 7th wedding anniversary.

+ Vic says, "The only advantage Beulah gets from the anniversary present is being able to say she owns property on Virginia Avenue."

+ Rush tries to tell a story about Smelly Clark (edited): {{{HEAR}}}

+ Rush tells a quick story about Cracky Otto, who broke a violin over a guy's head and still tried to take violin lessons (edited): {{{HEAR}}}

+ Rush tells another quick story, this one about Vernon Peggles and Leland Richards: {{{HEAR}}}

+ Freda was mentioned for the first time in the audio episodes. She is Heinie Call's sister.

Rush tells yet another quick story about Heinie at Freda's wedding: {{{HEAR}}}

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40-xx-xx Ice Cream and Salted Peanuts at Midnight

STARRING: ART VAN HARVEY AND BILL IDELSON

Rush gets home late at night and Vic wants to know why.  Seems that Rush and few of his friends have been invited to eat the salted nuts and ice cream that will be left over from the party at the Husher house.

The party isn't quite over, so Rush drops by the house to inform Vic (at 11:20 at night) while his friends are out in the Gook yard, skulking around.

Vic, reluctant at first, lets Rush skulk about a bit longer.  Vic will wait for Rush to get back because the faces, noses and tongues in the windows have frightened him.

MIS' CROWE SAYS:
A carnival atmosphere descends upon Virginia Avenue as Rush and his friends await free snacks at midnight. Vic is disturbed by the turn of events.

This is an old favorite of mine, as I love anything involving Rush’s goofy friends, and Vic’s reaction to the situation lets us see him much more jumpy and on-edge than he usually is. As in “The Davises are Asleep Upstairs,” Vic proves himself to be a little helpless against Rush and his friends when Sade is not around. He is highly flustered by all these people skulking in his yard in the darkness, but he also can’t bring himself to ruin Rush’s summer vacation fun. I doubt he believes himself capable of going up against 12 teenagers anyway.

I wonder what the scene was like at Mr. and Mis’ Husher’s when all 12 boys barged into their kitchen in the middle of the night…

 SEE THE SCRIPT (transcribed by Lydia Crowe)

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Sade is not in this episode but if she would have been, she would have no doubt reminded Rush that, "Ice cream gives nightmares."

Vic and Sade do not like Rush's friends skulking around. Recall a previous episode, where Rush's friends were out in the yard late at night, spooking Vic and Sade.

What's Sade doing? {{{HEAR}}}

+ The kids skulking in the yard are: Blue Tooth Johnson, Smelly Clark, Rooster Davis, Heinie Call, Willis Rohrback, Nicer Scott, LeRoy Snow, Leland Richards, Milton Welch and two new friends to the surviving audio series: Arnold Shipley and Cracky Otto.

+ Arnold Shipley lives on East Emerson Street. Rush owes him 6 cents but Arnold would "call it even" if he could be allowed to enjoy the ice cream and salted nuts with the gang.

+ This is the first time East Emerson is mentioned. There's already been a SOUTH Emerson Street mentioned; one wonders how there could be an EAST Emerson?

+ Rush claims that Willis Rohrback always flattens his nose against windows when he looks in them. Claims that it gives a "pleasent sensation." Rush also claims that Leland Richards presses his tongue against windows.

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