A Satirist for All Seasons!

As usual, I am always looking for my next ‘topic’ and as so often is the case, Paul Payton sends a comment my way that spurs me on. In this instance, Paul provided me with:

“Also, learning of Stan Freberg’s participation (in the foundation of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences NARAS – today the “Recording Academy/think Grammys) disappoints me; perhaps I don’t know as much about him as I should. But check out both sides of “The Old Payola Roll Blues” – he “gets” the stuff he’s putting down. And his big beat orchestra-and-chorus closing is echoed in Frankie Lymon’s contemporaneous big band version of “Goody, Goody.”

So, with that, Stan Freberg was born Stanley Friberg on August 27th, 1926 in Pasadena, California.

In 1944, soon after graduation from high school, Freberg made his way via public transportation to downtown Hollywood in order to find employment.

And that very day, that is exactly what he did! When he disembarked from the bus, he immediately spotted and entered a talent agency, and promptly passed an audition for a job voicing with Warner Brothers for cartoons!

He was featured as the voice of “Charlie Horse” in “It’s a Grand Old Nag” in 1947 and the voice of “Grover Groundhog” in “One Meat Brawl” that same year.

Freberg and Mel Blanc teamed up in 1949 as “Bertie” and “Hubie”, another Warrner Bros production.

Of his career, Freberg would state: “When something rankled me enough, I leapt to my typewriter and knocked out a record on the absurdity.”

And of his work on radio commercials: “Feeling the way I did about advertising, hating the hard sell I was assaulted with from my car radio each day, I felt I suddenly had been given the opportunity as a consumer to, in effect, answer back, to create some commercials that didn’t take themselves so damn seriously.” (San Gabriel Valley Tribune)

Freberg’s commercials earned him 21 Clio Awards, the top honor in the world of advertising.

Stan worked his way through many voice roles over the years for, not only Warner Bros, but also Walt Disney. In the early 1950s he would sign on with Capitol Records joining their spoken-word division, and in February of 1951, launched his series of satirical tracks with “John and Marsha”.

In a recording titled “Point of Order”, Freberg took on Senator Josephy McCarthy and his federal employee interrogations.

Comic Daws Butler often would support Freberg on his novelty cuts. Butler was the voice of Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quick Draw McGraw, Elroy Jetson and many others.

Nearly everything Freberg undertook dripped with sarcasm and satire. On a couple of occasions, Capitol balked at his creations including one titled “That’s Right Arthur” a barb aimed at the controlling Arthur Godfrey. His partner on that blocked recording was radio DJ Tony Marvin

Also off limits was a parody called “Most of the Town”, a jab at Ed Sullvan’s “Toast of the Town”. Many years later, both the Godfry and Sullivan tracks were released by Rhino Records.

When the payola scandals popped up in 1960, Freberg headed into the studio to record “The Old Payola Blues” and pokes at a young pop singer named “Clyde Ankle” (think Paul Anka).

In 1954, Freberg was awarded his own television show, a comedy called “That’s Rich” Stan took over the Jack Benny radio show in 1957 and his strong convictions made the venture a big of a challenge, when he refused to accept any tobacco or alcohol company as a sponsor. The show was cancelled after 15 airings.

Freberg passed through TV in “Time for Beany”, winning three Emmy Awards, and he moved into producing radio and television commercials with Mellon Bank and General Motors being two of his larger accounts. Others included Butternut Coffee, Jeno’s Pizza Rolls, Lark Cigarettes, Heinz Soups, Chung King Chinese Food and Reynolds Wrap to name a few.

It wasn’t always easy for Freberg’s material to find its way into the public domain due to his stance on sponsors and his selection of controversial topics.

Recognition includes induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame 1995

Stan Freberg passed away on April 7th, 2015 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 88.

Stan Freberg Selected Discography

January 1951 45 – “John & Marsha” – #21 b/w “Ragtime Dan”

July 1951 45 – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” – #11 b/w “That’s My Boy” – #30

February 1952 45 – “Maggie” b/w Tele Vee Shun”

March 1952 45 – “Try” – #15 b/w “Pass the Udder Udder”

May 1952 45 – “Abe the Snake for President” b/w “Ba-Ba-Ba Bell & Chain”

November 1952 45 – “The Boogie-Woogie Banjo Man from Birmingham” b/w “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise” – #24

January 1953 45 – “Rinky Dinky” Parts 1 and 2

September 1953 45 – “St. George & the Dragnet” – #1 b/w “Little Blue Riding Hood” – #9

October 1953 45 – “Christmas Dragnet Parts 1 & 2” – #1

With Daws Butler

December 1953 45 – “A Dear John & Marsha Letter” b/w “C’est Si Bon (It’s So Good)” – #13

With George Bruns and His Cottin Pickin Quintet

January 1954 45 EP – “Any Requests?”

June 1954 45 – “Point of Order” – #15 b/w “Person to Pearson”

With Daws Butler

October 1954 45 – “Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)” – #14 US – #15 UK b/w “Wide-Screen Mama Blues”

With the Toads

December 1954 45 – “Yulenet” Parts 1 and 2

With Daws Butler

1955 45 EP – “Real Saint George”

May 1955 45 – “The Honey-earthers” b/w “The Lone Psychiatrist”

With Daws Butler

September 1955 45 – “The Yellow Rose of Texas” b/w “Rock Around Stephen Foster”

1955 45 November 1955 – “Nuttin’ for Christmas” #53 b/w “The Night Before Christmas”

March 1956 45 – “The Great Pretender” b/w “The Quest for Bridey Hammerschlaugen”

June 1956 45 – “Heartbreak Hotel” – #79 b/w “Rock Island Line” – #24 UK

1957 LP – “A Child’ Garden of Freberg”

1957 45 Promo – “St. Freberg & “The Do-It-Yourself Dragnet”

1957 45 Promo – “Wun-erful, Wun-erful!” Sides 1 and 2

April 1957 45 – “Banana Boat (Day-O)” #25 b/w “Tele-Vee-Shun”

October 1957 45 – “Wun-erful, Wun-erful Side uh One” – #32 b/w “Side uh Two”

1958 45 EP – Contadina Tomato Paste – “Pizza Anyone”

With Daws Butler

1958 45 Promo – “The Whole Peeled Bounce-Recorded Exclusively for You by Stan Freberg & the Hi-Lo’s” b/w “The Whole Peeled Bounce Program Notes by Stan Freberg”

1958 LP – “The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows”

1958 45 EP Promo – “The Amazing Butter-Nut Coffee Commercials”

1958 45 EP Promo – “Some of the Best from the Best of Stan Freberg Shows”

February 1958 45 – “Gary, Indiana” b/w “Ya Got Trouble”

November 1958 45 – “Green Chri$tma$ – #44 b/w “The Meaning of Christmas”

1959 LP – “Stan Freberg with the Original Cast”

1959 45 – “Swimsuitsmanship” Parts 1 and 2

1959 EP – “Omaha!”

1959 45 EP – “Music to Bubble-Up By”

December 1959 – “The Old Payola Roll Blues (Like the Beginning)” b/w “The Old Payola Roll Blues (Like the End)”

1960 LP – “Kaiser Aluminum Distributor & His Screw Machine Pops Orchestra”

August 1960 45 – “Comments for Our Time” parts 1 and 2

May 1961 45 Promo – “Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America”

July 1961 LP – “Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America” – #34

1961 45 Promo – “Salada Foods Presents Stan Freberg”

1961 33 EP – “Stan Freberg”

1962 LP – “Kaiser Foil Salesman Faces Life!”

March 1962 LP – “Uncle Sam Wants You!”

April 1962 LP – “Face the Funnies”

December 1962 LP – “The Madison Ave. Werewolf”

1963 45 Promo – “Woburn!” b/w “Salada Tea”

1963 45 EP Promo – “The United Presbyterian Church Presents Three Radio Messages for Our Time”

January 1964 LP – “The Best of Stan Freberg”

1965 LP – “More Here than Meets the Ear” – Some New Stan Freberg Vignettes Commissioned by the Radio Advertising Bureau”

1965 45 EP Promo – “Who Listens to Radio?”

1965 LP – “Hey, Look Us Over!”

August 1966 45 – “The Flackman & Reagan” Parts 1 and 2

September 1966 LP – “Freberg Underground Show #1”

January 1968 33 Promo – “Funny Record by Stan Freberg for H.i.s

June 1972 45 – “John & Marsha” b/w “Try”

1978 LP – “Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Birthday Party

1979 45 EP Promo – “3 Audio Essays”