Stan Freberg stars in the second production of a script by “Therd Jefre,” the mysterious author that has been revealed as sisters Ruth and Mae Brandt, Brooklyn-based freelance writers to 1940s NY radio advertising agencies and producers. For decades, their identity was not known until the research done for the 1951-01-04 first broadcast with Mickey Rooney. Their “Jefre” script was adapted for Suspense by three-time Oscar screenwriting nominee Walter Brown Newman.
The identity of “Therd Jefre” and the story of success for this script for the Brandts is fascinating. The script was done twice on Suspense for radio, once on the Suspense TV series, and also on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Details about that initial 1951 broadcast that starred Mickey Rooney, along with the ups and downs of the Brandt’s radio careers are at:
https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/05/1951-01-04-alibi-me.html
https://archive.org/details/TSP510104 also includes the recordings for download and streaming.
Freberg does well in the part of Georgie, playing a small-time racketeer who murders the rival racketeer he hates most in the world. He muscled into the business that Georgie had established, and now he’s having trouble making ends meet. The racketeer had an upcoming appointment with his parole officer, and Georgie needs an alibi. That proves harder to get than he ever realized.
The program was recorded on Wednesday, April 9, 1958. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and ended at 5:00pm. Recording began at that time and finished at 7:00pm including in-studio edits. Production staff continued to edit until 8:00pm.
The only surviving recording is from the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS#976) and is in excellent sound. It replaces the prior circulating recording that was a heavily edited Armed Forces Network station aircheck in poor sound.
The length and extent of Stan Freberg’s career is widely appreciated. He was a voice actor in animation in the 1940s, had a recording career for his satirical and parody songs, and was involved in many creative advertising projects. His CBS program was the replacement for the Jack Benny Show, but lasted only 15 weeks when a sponsor could not be found. He refused to have a tobacco company sponsor the program, which limited the options for financial support, and likely annoyed CBS executives. His Wikipedia page is details his long and varied career https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Freberg
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP580420
THE CAST
STAN FREBERG (Georgie), Cathy Lewis (Joanie), Geraldine Wall (Mrs. Ettinger), Vic Perrin (Julius), Jerome Thor (Lt. Larkin), Jack Kruschen (Leo the bartender), Eddie Marr (Tim), Richard Beals (Delivery Boy), George Walsh (Narrator)
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