Ed Roberts, Announcer
Now, get ready to smile again with radio's home folk
- Vic
and Sade -
written by Paul Rhymer.
"Well, sir, it's late
afternoon as we approach the small house half way up in the
next block." There's activity around the Gook
residence on Virginia Avenue, as the Donahue's dog rushes
to greet Grandpa Snyder on his way home. Since Grandpa
and Mrs. Snyder live with their daughter across Virginia
Avenue, next to Mrs. Call, he's not taking a direct route
home. Wonder what devilry he's been up to?
Back in the alley, is that Howard (Bernice's brother) making the rounds with Mr. Francis Gumpox? The Grand Old Man of Garbage, better known as Jake, lives at the Bright Kentucky Hotel, which has been condemned for the past twenty years. The ladies of the Thimble Club, urged on by Ms. Applerot, have decided it's about time to tear down the Bright Kentucky Hotel, before it falls down. The President of the Thimble Club, by virtue of her office, was given the responsibility of obtaining petition signature.
There on the front porch
swing, as far as possible from the prying eyes of neighbor Mrs.
Fisher, the three members of the Gook family are
gathered together sharing the afternoon paper. By sheer will power,
Victor Rodney Gook manages to maintain control over the
paper. Vic has completed his day of number crunching as Chief
Accountant at Plant #14 of the Consolidated Kitchenware Company,
located a few blocks away, down near the Chicago & Alton
Railroad station. Although it's often required, Vic brought
no accounting work home for tonight, permitting him to spend time
with the family before dinner, then play a few games of rummy
with his son before he's off to a meeting of The Drowsy Venus
Chapter of the Sacred Stars Of The Milky Way, which
he serves as the Grand Exalted Big Dipper.
The newspaper reading is interrupted by Sade Gook, who objects to being called by her given name of Sarah, reading the latest newsy letter from sister Bessie Happers in Carberry. Good news! Walter's kneecap seems to have let up on the twinges! Their daughter Eucie is mastering her favorite composition for the piano: Aurora Borealis Elegy and Gallop. Sade has had her usual busy day, what with the telephone calls, B. B. Baugh stopping by with his stingyberry jam, and shopping for washrags at Yamilton's Department Store. Her best friend, Ruthie Stembottom, accompanied her to Yamilton's, and afterwards they stopped for lunch at the Little Tiny Petite Pheasant Feather Tea Shoppe. Sade arrived home by one in the afternoon to start the beef punkles cooking for a hearty evening meal. As President of the Thimble Club, she's responsible for getting signatures on the Bright Kentucky Hotel Petition. "Oh, ish!"
Rush Gook, who was
born Victor Rush Meadows and adopted at age nine, is his
usual garulous self, providing all the latest news from Edwards
High School, where Principal Chinbunny oversees the
"wheels within wheels" student society. He has a play
by play account of the baseball game after school down at Tatman's
Vacant Lot, with best friends Smelly Clark, Bluetooth
Johnson, and Rooster Davis. Rush has formed deep feelings
for the townfolk, including those living or working at the
Bright Kentucky Hotel. As for the Thimble Club petition,
his response is, "I will not sign!" With his algebra
assignment completed, Rush will have some free time tonight. Perhaps
he will choose to read the Third-Lieutenant Clinton Stanley
book, Outwitting The Counterfeiting Snake Charmers. Or....
Taking in the latest flick at the Bijou is one of Rush's favorite activities, ranking right up there with going down to the YMCA and watching the fat men play handball. The films of Gloria Golden and Four Fisted Frank Fuddleman he has seen include:
"Which concludes another interlude at the small house half way up in the next block. Good day for Crisco, 'It's digestable.'"
What? You say that I'm not done?
"Fine. I've got somethin' in my tooth..."
Oh, yes, Uncle
Fletcher! Well, can only say I'm sorry, but Uncle Fletcher
deserves more than a little add-on here, and it takes a while
to throw together one of these pages. Hopefully, this will get
someone else to put up a Vic and Sade page, and an Uncle
Fletcher page. How nice it would be if a page were available
for all of Clarence Hartzell's characters, including Dick
of Love Birds, Pappy Yokum of L'il Abner,
Jonas Hale of Waterloo Junction, Ben Withers
of Lum 'n' Abner, Uncle Fletcher of Vic and Sade,
Cottonseed Sample of The Road to Danger, Mr.
Watts of Those Websters, Cousin Jediah of One
Man's Family, Cactus Jim of the Cactus Jim Show,
and other radio and TV roles.
There is very little to be found on the internet concerning
this fantastic program. Only two significant information sites
are known, other than searching through cassette tape catalogs.
An Introduction
to Vic and Sade on the Old Time Radio site includes the author's
placement of this program in the TOP FIVE of the ALL time best
radio programs! Rick's
OTR/Vic and Sade Page includes a very comprehensive listing
of shows on cassette tape that are in general circulation, with
a short synopsis of each program.
The color pictures above are from what is apparently a Vic and Sade program premium, probably from the mid to late 1930s. If it is from the late 1930s, old photos were used to show Rush as a beginning teenager. There is no advertising on the premium, but there are many comments related to the program (edited out for this page), including the title:
A photograph reproduction of the complete map, in various sizes and prices, is available from Old Time Radio vendor who 'discovered' and shared it: George Fowler, 304 Eunice Street, Sequim, WA 98382. Contact him for availability, costs and ordering details. Or just send $17.50 (postpaid) for the 16" by 14" photograph.
This map and a 5x7 inch, 16 page Household Hints booklet, including 2 pages of Sade's Favorite Recipes, made available by Jelke's Good Luck Products ('discovered' and shared by Paul C. Palmer), are the only known Vic and Sade related radio premiums. Jelke sponsored the program for 13 weeks in the fall of 1933, followed by Ironized Yeast for 8 weeks early in 1934. Then Procter & Gamble, principally Crisco, sponsored the program from Nov. 5, 1934 until Dec. 7, 1945.
|
"IN HOC SPITTLE DUM CLUC NOMENCLATURE" Stephen Martin Lawson Friends of VIC and SADE ALL KNOWING WHAT AND WHERE CROOPER, ILLINOIS ARE..AND PROFESSING FAMILIARITY WITH Vic, Sade and
Rush Gook VICTOR R. GOOK Grand Exalted Big Dipper R. J. KONK Beloved Founder |
The above certificate was created for the Friends of Vic and Sade by the late Ernie Hood, soon after he became a member in 1979. Over the years, Ernie (and too many other members to individually name) have contributed much in time and talent to create a variety of Vic and Sade related items. It was Ernie who gave "the Town where we live" the name of Crooper, Illinois.
For information on the Friends of Vic and Sade, including access to the OTR Tape library, contact:
Ms. Barbara Schwarz
The Friends of Vic & Sade
7232 N. Keystone Avenue
Lincolnwood, IL 60712-2025
And, of course, both men and women are accepted into the Sacred Stars Of The Milky Way. Why, it's been over fifty years since Pom Pom Cordova was made an honorary Brother of the lodge for helping to cure E. W. Smith of stealing horses. Pom Pom, who plays the Tropical Guitar, thought Vic should let her teach him to play the Caribbean Dream Flute, but Sade would have none of that!
A special, personal Thank You! to Barbara Schwarz for all she has done, or encouraged others to do, over the past Umpteen Years (I only have Fan Newsletters 17 through 37 covering 1980 through 1997) - and for the photo below. None of this would have been possible without the genius of Paul Rhymer who wrote over 3600 Vic and Sade scripts, and the three principal actors who conveyed the life of those scripts to millions of radio fans:
Modified: 3/9/08