Bill and I watched Disney’s animated version of Robin Hood, and right away I recognized the voice of Little John as Phil Harris. He also voiced the bear in Jungle Book, a favorite of our kids. Listen to “Bare Necessities” in the link above, and you’ll get a taste of Phil’s diversity. (To open the link, you might have to use Control and Click.)
But my knowledge and love for Phil Harris goes back to childhood when I listened to radio comedy, including Phil Harris, Jack Benny, Fibber Magee & Molly, and George Burns with his wife Gracie Allen. Gracie was known for her zany retorts in the duet comedy routines with her husband. My mother introduced me to these shows, but her favorite was The Breakfast Club.
In the evenings at home, I would also listen to mystery shows coming through on our upright radio (stood on the floor) with a wooden and screen front. I’d sit in front of this antiquated radio and (to my regret now) I would poke holes with a fingernail file into the cloth screen. My favorite shows included Mr. & Mrs. North, The Creaking Door and Inner Sanctum. The last two were one and the same. These sparked my continued interest in suspense novels.
The sound effects on radio kept me interested, such as when the closet door opened on Fibber Magee & Molly, and I heard items tumble out. Or when the intro to The Creaking Door really squeaked. I looked up Mr. & Mrs. North and found that episodes are on YouTube and a four-episode collection can be ordered on DVD, staring Richard Denning and Barbara Britton. I just might look into that.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my short trip down memory lane; and as I look back, these shows gave me, as a pre-teen, some clean-cut humor and intrigue. So listening to Phil Harris sing in the animated kids’ shows, I can rehearse the joys of radio from my youth.
Ann Coker 