¡Disculpe!

I am not sure how many listeners picked up on the catch phrases James identified in his wonderfully discursive piece that began with Steve Martin and then took a variety of Lilekian detours. The period James recounts which I am old enough to remember in its terminal phase had endless catch phrases -(Fred)Allen's Alley could in one show have at least three or four. However one show never relied on catch phrases and in fact never had a narrative to speak of . It was the most surreal of all radio comedies. Created by Paul Rhymer it remains for me not only the funniest of all the great shows of the period but perhaps the one show where the absence of a plot line foreshadowed a show like Seinfeld that is a show about nothing. It is also a remaining link to the middle America of Lodges, milkmen,playing cards with neighbors,going to the movies at the Bijou(or as they pronounced it the Bi-Jou),"going to the Y to watch fat men play handball." The show of course is Vic and Sade

@jameslileks

Quick Draw McGraw would occasionally play a Zorro like character named El Kabong. (I realize that talking about a fictional cartoon character playing a fictional second character is a sentence that's a little weird; but can't be helped)

Could you possibly be thinking of El Kabong's sidekick, Baba Looey?

Tony C.

[Edit: or might you be thinking of Speedy Gonzales's cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez]

AllanMorris (View Comment):

I am not sure how many listeners picked up on the catch phrases James identified in his wonderfully discursive piece that began with Steve Martin and then took a variety of Lilekian detours. The period James recounts which I am old enough to remember in its terminal phase had endless catch phrases -(Fred)Allen’s Alley could in one show have at least three or four. However one show never relied on catch phrases and in fact never had a narrative to speak of . It was the most surreal of all radio comedies. Created by Paul Rhymer it remains for me not only the funniest of all the great shows of the period but perhaps the one show where the absence of a plot line foreshadowed a show like Seinfeld that is a show about nothing. It is also a remaining link to the middle America of Lodges, milkmen,playing cards with neighbors,going to the movies at the Bijou(or as they pronounced it the Bi-Jou),”going to the Y to watch fat men play handball.” The show of course is Vic and Sade

Vic and Sade was indeed unique - it's a miracle it gone on the air and stayed there. It never quite clicked with me, due to the main character's delivery, though. A idiosyncratic reaction for which I am completely responsible. Thanks for listening!

T.C. (View Comment):

@ jameslileks

Quick Draw McGraw would occasionally play a Zorro like character named El Kabong. (I realize that talking about a fictional cartoon character playing a fictional second character is a sentence that’s a little weird; but can’t be helped)

Could you possibly be thinking of El Kabong’s sidekick, Baba Looey?

Tony C.

[Edit: or might you be thinking of Speedy Gonzales’s cousin, Slowpoke Rodriguez]

BUT NONE OF THEM HAD SORE TOES

Or maybe Slowpoke did? I know I'm not thinking about Kabong.

His planned bits on Letterman were really funny: