Skip Navigation

Old Time Radio - Radio Comedy

The Golden Age of Radio

Comedy

Bob and Ray

Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy duo that began in radio in 1946 with a daily 15-minute show entitled Matinee With Bob and Ray. They continued on the air for over four decades on NBC, CBS, Mutual, and NPR, ending in 1987. Some episodes were released on phonograph records, and the pair had a 15-minute television show that ran from 1951 to 1953.

The shows were ad-libbed, with Elliott and Goulding lending their voices to a variety of characters. These included Wally Ballou, an inept news reporter; Mary McGoon, a home economics advisor; Webley Webster, a book reviewer; Artie Schermerhorn, an "investigative" reporter; Biff Burns, a sportscaster; and countless others.

Spoofs of other radio programs were another staple, including the soap operas "Mary Backstayge, Noble Wife" and "One Fella's Family"; children's shows like "Mr. Science" and "Matt Neffer, Boy Spot-Welding King of the World," adventure serials like "Elmer W. Lintzinger, Spy"; and game shows like "The 64 Cent Question".

Bob and Ray starred in a two-man Broadway show, The Two and Only, in 1970; made numerous appearances on the Johnny Carson and David Letterman television shows; did extensive work in radio and television commercials; authored several books; and enjoyed supporting roles in the films Cold Turkey (1970) and Author! Author! (1982).

Goulding died on March 24, 1990. Elliott continued to perform, most notably with his son (actor/comedian Chris Elliott) on the TV sitcom Get a Life.

External link

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bob and Ray".