The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show
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Project1:8 Page Booklet 4/30/08 1:36 PM Page 1 CD 10 A: October 8, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by THE PHIL HARRIS-ALICE FAYE SHOW: RCA Victor – After Julius scotches the RCA Victor deal, Frankie gets Phil and Money, Beauty & Brains Alice contractually obligated to perform in a burlesque show. To add insult to injury, Program Guide by Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. Phil’s been kicked out of his own band! Alice sings “When I’m With My Baby” and Phil performs “Possibilities.” With “…and that’s what I like about the South!” Richard Lane, Sheldon Leonard and Gale Gordon. The origins of The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Walter Tetley Show —one of old-time radio’s brightest B: October 15, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by RCA Victor – When the RCA Victor company lights during the waning days of the learns of Alice’s burlesque contract, they forbid both Phil and Alice to mention the medium—can be traced back to The Fitch company on their radio program. Frankie gets an idea to invent a women’s face cream that Bandwagon , a popular musical-variety series will get around that obstacle. Alice sings “I May Be Wrong (But I Think You’re that began on NBC on September 4, 1938. Wonderful).” With Richard Lane. Ostensibly introduced as a showcase for many of the popular big bands of its day (Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, etc.), its format began to change over the years to include comedy skits—most notably in the 1945-46 season when comedienne Cass Daley played host. The sponsor of the series, F.W. Fitch, had been impressed with the success of the domestic situation comedy The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and approached Phil Harris and wife Alice Faye about doing a similar program for the 1946- Phil Harris and Alice Faye 47 season. Since 1936, Phil had been plying his comedic and musical talents on The Jack Benny PO Box 1315, Little Falls, NJ 07424 Program , playing Benny’s bandleader as a flashy, vain Southern playboy who loved fast www.RadioSpirits.com cars, fast booze and fast women—and whose brash, obnoxious personality provided the perfect counterpoint to Jack’s character (an individual who thought of himself as a ladies’ Audio Engineering by Terry Salomonson man, although the reality was quite the opposite). Harris had married movie star Alice © 2008 Ivan G. Shreve, Jr. and RSPT LLC. All Rights Reserved. Faye in 1941, and though Alice had pretty much retired from the silver screen to The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show is © P 2008 Alice Faye Trust. All Rights Reserved. Project1:8 Page Booklet 4/30/08 1:36 PM Page 2 concentrate on raising her family, she CD 7 allowed herself to be talked into giving A: May 7, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – Phil and Frankie are scheduled to be out the sitcom a try. On September 29, 1946, of town to do a series of one-night stands with “some broken-down violinist.” Alice Phil Harris and Alice Faye became the suggests that Phil purchase a trunk in which to pack his clothes…a trunk that appears to new headliners on The Fitch Bandwagon. have a dead body inside! Alice sings “Dearie.” With Herb Vigran and Sheldon Leonard. Because the show followed Benny’s B: May 14, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – It’s Mother’s Day, and Phil treats Alice program (which was one of the main to both breakfast in bed and a taking over of the household chores. But this is nothing reasons why Bandwagon became a huge compared to the disaster looming in the distance when he and Frankie take it upon hit), many of the Bandwagon broadcasts themselves to cook a fifty-four pound turkey for dinner! Phil sings “Is It True What They Say About Dixie?” and Alice performs “You Were Meant for Me.” would often start with Phil saying, “So Alice Faye and Walter Tetley long, Jackson!” The show would follow CD 8 him on his way home from work, encountering various wise guys along the way. Chief A: May 21, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – Alice asks Phil and Frankie to among them was Frankie Remley, a character created by the show’s writers to adopt accompany her to the Motor Vehicle Bureau where she’s taking the test to get her driver’s many of the traits (drinking, carousing) displayed by Harris on the Benny show. It was license. A run-in with a cop comes back to haunt Phil when he learns his license has thought that the Harris character would be a bit of a bad role model for listeners (hey, he expired and needs to be renewed. Phil sings “Muskrat Ramble” and Alice performs “Stay had a wife and kids now), so they toned him down slightly (making him sort of a Chester With the Happy People.” With Alan Reed, Hans Conried, Hal March and Bob Sweeney. A. Riley stumblebum) and brought in the Remley character to pick up the slack. Frankie Remley was, in actuality, a real individual; a member of Harris’ band who had originally B: May 28, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – Phil has managed to secure tickets for been tabbed to play himself on the Harris-Faye show. It soon became clear, however, that “South Pacific” for himself and Alice and two other couples. But he finds himself having although Mr. Remley excelled at the guitar (albeit left-handedly), as an actor he couldn’t to scrape up two extra tickets when Mr. Scott expresses a desire to see the show as well. make the cut, and he suggested using character actor Elliott Lewis. The casting of Lewis Alice sings “A Wonderful Guy” and Phil belts out “Let’s Choo-Choo-Choo to Idaho.” as the “radio” Remley would prove to be true genius. Lewis made Remley—an With Gale Gordon. irresponsible con-artist with an endless thirst for the good stuff—one of radio’s most unforgettable characters. He and Harris developed an unbeatable chemistry, not unlike CD 9 that of Jackie Gleason and Art Carney’s on TV’s The Honeymooners . Unfortunately, the A: June 4, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – With a summer trip to London and Paris Remley character was only on temporary loan. In the fall of 1952, with Phil having left planned, Phil, Alice and Frankie must be vaccinated before they embark. Phil, the Jack Benny show, they could no longer use the “Frankie Remley” name and Lewis unfortunately, is a bit skittish when it comes to getting his shots. Alice sings “Who was forced to switch to his real name instead. Cares?” and Phil performs “You Can’t Do Wrong Doin’ Right.” With Hans Conried and Frank Nelson. The first season of the Harris-Faye show was written by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, B: October 1, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by RCA Victor – Phil and Alice are excited about a pair of veteran scribes who would later go on to pen many a misadventure of Amos ‘n’ signing their new contract for RCA Victor…until they learn from the company’s Andy , as well as create one of TV’s beloved family comedies, Leave it to Beaver . spokesman that a “morals clause” will keep Frankie off the show. Phil sings “You’ve Got However, the second season saw the arrival of the two men who would put an indelible to Dig For Your Dinner” and Alice does “I Love the Guy.” With Joseph Kearns, Sheldon stamp on the show. Ray Singer and Dick Chevillat infused their writing with a sarcastic, Leonard and Richard Lane. wisenheimer style that set The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show apart from its Project1:8 Page Booklet 4/30/08 1:36 PM Page 3 two little men. Remley gives the story to the newspapers…and tells them that Phil was contemporaries. The character of Julius Abruzzio, a nervy grocery boy with a the individual who witnessed the incident! Alice sings “Wilhemina” from Phil’s film Brooklynese accent, was introduced about this time--played by actor Walter Tetley as a “Wabash Avenue” and Phil does “The Uptown Poker Club.” much tougher and smart-assed variation of the Leroy Forrester character he originated on The Great Gildersleeve . Julius would serve two purposes on the show: either as a gadfly CD 5 determined to make further trouble for Phil in whatever hot-water situation he happened A: April 9, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – Thinking that Phil will be disappointed to be in that week, or as a patsy for one of Phil and Frankie’s outlandish schemes. if the Easter Bunny doesn’t show for Easter, Little Alice and Phyllis hire Mel Blanc (of Bugs Bunny fame) to play the part. Phil gets a look at Blanc in his rabbit costume and Despite her billing in the show’s title, Alice Faye had sort of the luckless job of being the thinks it’s about time he switched to Ovaltine. Phil sings “God’s Country” and Alice fourth wheel (behind her husband, Remley and Julius) on the series—so maybe it performs “Stay With the Happy People.” shouldn’t be all that surprising that in later years her feelings about the show were a bit mixed. “I didn’t particularly like to work with my husband,” she told Chicago broadcaster B: April 16, 1950 – NBC, sponsored by Rexall – The girls have been invited to the Chuck Schaden in a 1987 interview. “I don’t believe in wives and husbands working birthday party of Mr. Scott’s younger daughter.