IDS 346 IDS Summer Rep 3 The Bickersons

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This is the final installment of IDS’s first Summer Rep.  We close with The Bickersons: John’s Operation.

According to Generic Radio Workshop:

John and Blanche were the “Battling Bickersons” — a comedy with a one-joke premise, but an infinite number of clever variations. Band singer Francis Langford and radio actor Don Ameche handled with brilliant timing author Phil Rapp’s genuinely acerbic scripts.

Many people don’t realize that there wasn’t actually a show called “The Bickersons.” The contentious couple first appeared as a recurring skit on The Chase and Sanborn Hour in 1946, and moved over to Drene Time in 1951. A later series of comedy LP adaptations kept the characters alive well past radio drama’s demise.

An immense number of later subsequent situation comedy shows, from “The Honeymooners” to “Married With Children” owe a great debt to John and Blanche’s nightly battles.

• http://www.bickersons.com is the official website, and offers scripts in book form.

• Wikipedia has an excellent appraisal of the show.

The Cast:

 

•  IDS Summer Rep #1 Sherlock Holmes: The Musgrave Ritual can be found here.
•  IDS Summer Rep #2 X-Minus One: Protection can be found here.

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