The Big Birdcast (1938) Poster

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4/10
Guess the Bad Impressions
stevenlally9 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I am not the greatest authority on old radio, but here's my stab at guessing the impressions - in order of appearance. Please fill in any I can't identify in the comments.

Bing Crosby ? (redhead in green overalls singing badly: "Hiya folks!") Rudy Vallee (w/ megaphone) Jack Benny (w/ violin; then "Buck Benny Rides Again") ? (caterpillar) Ben Bernie ("the old maestro") Walter Winchell (w/door) Eddie Cantor Parkyakarkus (bluebird w/ tuba) ? (judge) ? (lawyer) Ed Wynn Joe Penner ("Wanna buy a duck?") ? (boxing announcer) Primo Carnera (yellow canary boxer) ? (Bluebird Baking Powder announcer)

Most of the impressions are really poor, and I was born several decades after the cartoon was made, but I am sure of the ones I got. Can anyone identify the six that I couldn't? It ran on the "Telethon!" episode of "Toon in With Me" (Feb. 8, 2023)
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4/10
For the Birds
boblipton4 December 2015
The colors in this Columbia Technicolor cartoon are quite lovely -- particularly the blues. However, the gags and characterizations are weak. Like Frank Tashlin's "The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos", it concerns itself with caricatures of contemporary radio personalities. That results in a lack of universality. If they were good caricatures, visually and vocally, they would be difficult for modern audiences. However, the visuals range from good to very good; the vocals range from good down to poor; whoever was in charge of voicing the Jack Benny character sounds nothing at all like him.

There is a good deal of reliance on catchphrases, like Joe Penner's "Wanna by a duck?" Perhaps that was why Mr. Penner was popular. You could say the line and everyone would know the reference. The same sort of thing goes on these days. Well, except that I don't waste my time learning the modern equivalent. I waste my time learning about Joe Penner.
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