Laughing Back - A Movie For Radio: Difference between revisions
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|labelstyle = background:#ddf; | |labelstyle = background:#ddf; | ||
|datastyle = | |datastyle = | ||
|title = Laughing back | |title = Laughing Back - A Movie For Radio [https://www.joefrank.com/streaming/shows/?jfsearch=laughing+back] | ||
|titlestyle = | |titlestyle = | ||
|header1 = Series | |header1 = Series | ||
|data2 = [[WBAI And NPR Playhouse]] | |data2 = [[WBAI And NPR Playhouse]] | ||
|header3 = Original Broadcast Date | |header3 = Original Broadcast Date | ||
|data4 = 11/29/[[ | |data4 = 11/29/[[:Category:1978|1978]] | ||
|header5 = Cast | |header5 = Cast | ||
|data6 = Joe Frank | |data6 = Joe Frank | ||
|header7 = Format | |header7 = Format | ||
|data8 = | |data8 = 58 minutes | ||
|header9 = Chronology | |header9 = Chronology | ||
|label10= Preceded by: | |label10= Preceded by: | ||
|data10 = [[Jewish Blues]] | |data10 = [[Jewish Blues]] | ||
|label11= Followed by: | |label11= Followed by: | ||
|data11 = [[ | |data11 = [[An American Hero Workshop]] | ||
}} | }} | ||
''I work hard at my job.'' | ''I work hard at my job.'' | ||
'''Laughing | '''Laughing Back - A Movie For Radio''' is a program produced by Joe Frank for [[WBAI And NPR Playhouse|NPR Options]]. It was originally broadcast November 29, [[:Category:1978|1978]], and was released as a monthly premium at [http://joefrank.com joefrank.com] in December 2004. | ||
== Synopsis == | == Synopsis == | ||
This program features | This program features several Joe Frank stories. Mike Waters, the announcer, begins by comparing hearing Joe's work to watching a movie. | ||
0:52: "The Night Watchman": the first person account of a night watchman who rises through the ranks of a company by inviting bosses to dinner, poisoning them, then burying them in the back yard. When Joe becomes the boss the new night watchman invites him to dinner.<ref>Joe tells a similar story in [[Lies]]</ref> | |||
7:55: "A Time On The Beach": Joe describes his life on a beach in Curaçao; though a diabetic, he eats a chocolate gun.<ref name=emergency>Joe uses this segment in [[Emergency Room]]</ref> | |||
12:05: "Caldwell": a fitness nut who dies while climbing stairs in the 1977 blackout has an out of body experience. He travels down a long dark tunnel and emerges into a festive dinner party attended by dead family members. They do the carnival dance. Then he's resuscitated, to his regret.<ref name=emergency /> | |||
17:26: "Isn't it true that we continue to strive all our lives in order to find peace and fulfillment ... life is not a game you can win, but a game that has no end, and all you do is die somewhere in the middle of it."<ref>Joe uses this segment in [[He Hesitated]]</ref> | |||
25:41: "Long Island Memories": Joe's childhood in Long Island. A child is open to experiences: Lady bugs, frogs, turtles, butterflies, campfire, grandmother's hollow chocolate-filled cookies, being in the countryside with a dog, walking to meet his father's car on its return home.<ref>Joe tells a similar story in [[Karma Memories]]</ref> | |||
30:20: It's now almost 30 years later. Joe's promoting rock concerts, is driving from Binghamton to Syracuse. Because of the traffic on Route 81 he takes a country road, gets lost, runs out of gas, starts walking. He sees a car approaching in the distance, remembers meeting his father's car coming home from work when he was a boy. It's Murray Gwertzmann, director of A&R at Capitol Records, who had made the same mistake, picks Joe up in his limo; they celebrate with Dom Perignon. | |||
33:59: "Beautiful Woman on Elevator": Joe's in an elevator with a beautiful woman; he fails to work up the nerve to talk to her. 'Hard Work' plays in the background. Joe says this happens to him almost daily.<ref>Joe tells the same story in [[Five Part Dissonance]] and a similar story in [[Obsessions]]</ref> | |||
53:54: "That was really wonderful, Alan - I've never heard it played quite that fast": a dispute between fast piano players.<ref>Joe uses this segment in [[Arena]] and [[Emergency Room]]</ref> | |||
== Music == | == Music == | ||
{{Banda (Cyril Jackson)}} <!-- | {{Music-Stub}} | ||
{{Evensong (John Abercrombie)}} | {{Banda (Cyril Jackson)}} [Intro] <!-- also appears on numerous compilations like "Afro Drums" and "African Drums & Afro-Caribbean Grooves" --> | ||
{{Hard Work (John Handy)}} | * Original music by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Peaslee Richard Peaslee] [8:14] | ||
{{Evensong (John Abercrombie)}} [14:48] | |||
{{All My Tomorrows (Frank Sinatra)}} [22:33] {{Unidentified|id=easy listening [29:17 & 32:51]}} | |||
{{Hard Work (John Handy)}} [33:59] | |||
== Shared | == Shared material == | ||
* [[Lies]] | * "The Night Watchman" shares some text with [[Lies]]. | ||
* [[Karma Memories]] | * "A Time On The Beach" and "Caldwell" appear in [[Emergency Room]]. | ||
* The striving/fulfillment/futility essay appears at the end of [[He Hesitated]]. | |||
* We hear another reference to Joe walking out to meet his father (Freddy) in [[Karma Memories]]. | |||
* "Beautiful Woman on Elevator" is not the same material as the elevator encounter in [[Obsessions]]. | |||
* The fastest piano players dispute appears in [[Arena]], [[Arena (Remix)]], and [[Emergency Room]]. | |||
== Miscellanea == | == Miscellanea == | ||
* | * About 16 minutes of the program is a distinct "Cartoon For Radio" segment by Mac Calhoun | ||
* The background music to the elevator story ("Hard Work") is used often on Harry Shearer's ''Le Show.'' | |||
*The background music to the elevator story | |||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
* [https://soundcloud.com/thejoefrank/the-nightwatchman-extended The Nightwatchman] - extended version at [https://soundcloud.com/thejoefrank SoundCloud] | * [https://soundcloud.com/thejoefrank/the-nightwatchman-extended The Nightwatchman] - extended version at [https://soundcloud.com/thejoefrank SoundCloud] | ||
* [https://www.worldcat.org/title/laughing-back-a-movie-for-radio/oclc/8236943/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true Worldcat] | * [https://www.worldcat.org/title/laughing-back-a-movie-for-radio/oclc/8236943/editions?referer=di&editionsView=true Worldcat] | ||
== Footnotes == | |||
[[Category:Absurd_Monologue]] | [[Category:Absurd_Monologue]] | ||
[[Category:Serious_Monologue]] | [[Category:Serious_Monologue]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:1978]] | ||
[[Category:Show]] | [[Category:Show]] | ||
[[Category:Show_by_date|19781129]] {{Airdate|airdate=1978-11-29}} | [[Category:Show_by_date|19781129]] {{Airdate|airdate=1978-11-29}} | ||
[[Category:WBAI And NPR Playhouse]] | [[Category:WBAI And NPR Playhouse]] | ||
{{Series|series=WBAI And NPR Playhouse}}{{Cast|cast=Joe Frank}} | {{Series|series=WBAI And NPR Playhouse}}{{Cast|cast=Joe Frank}} |
Revision as of 07:55, 14 August 2023
Series | |
---|---|
WBAI And NPR Playhouse | |
Original Broadcast Date | |
11/29/1978 | |
Cast | |
Joe Frank | |
Format | |
58 minutes | |
Chronology | |
Preceded by: | Jewish Blues |
Followed by: | An American Hero Workshop |
I work hard at my job.
Laughing Back - A Movie For Radio is a program produced by Joe Frank for NPR Options. It was originally broadcast November 29, 1978, and was released as a monthly premium at joefrank.com in December 2004.
Synopsis
This program features several Joe Frank stories. Mike Waters, the announcer, begins by comparing hearing Joe's work to watching a movie.
0:52: "The Night Watchman": the first person account of a night watchman who rises through the ranks of a company by inviting bosses to dinner, poisoning them, then burying them in the back yard. When Joe becomes the boss the new night watchman invites him to dinner.[1]
7:55: "A Time On The Beach": Joe describes his life on a beach in Curaçao; though a diabetic, he eats a chocolate gun.[2]
12:05: "Caldwell": a fitness nut who dies while climbing stairs in the 1977 blackout has an out of body experience. He travels down a long dark tunnel and emerges into a festive dinner party attended by dead family members. They do the carnival dance. Then he's resuscitated, to his regret.[2]
17:26: "Isn't it true that we continue to strive all our lives in order to find peace and fulfillment ... life is not a game you can win, but a game that has no end, and all you do is die somewhere in the middle of it."[3]
25:41: "Long Island Memories": Joe's childhood in Long Island. A child is open to experiences: Lady bugs, frogs, turtles, butterflies, campfire, grandmother's hollow chocolate-filled cookies, being in the countryside with a dog, walking to meet his father's car on its return home.[4]
30:20: It's now almost 30 years later. Joe's promoting rock concerts, is driving from Binghamton to Syracuse. Because of the traffic on Route 81 he takes a country road, gets lost, runs out of gas, starts walking. He sees a car approaching in the distance, remembers meeting his father's car coming home from work when he was a boy. It's Murray Gwertzmann, director of A&R at Capitol Records, who had made the same mistake, picks Joe up in his limo; they celebrate with Dom Perignon.
33:59: "Beautiful Woman on Elevator": Joe's in an elevator with a beautiful woman; he fails to work up the nerve to talk to her. 'Hard Work' plays in the background. Joe says this happens to him almost daily.[5]
53:54: "That was really wonderful, Alan - I've never heard it played quite that fast": a dispute between fast piano players.[6]
Music
This is an incomplete record of the music in this program. If you can add more information, please do.
- "Banda" - Cyril Jackson (from Afro-Stereo, 1958) | YouTube [Intro]
- Original music by Richard Peaslee [8:14]
- "Evensong" - John Abercrombie (from Characters, 1978) | Spotify [14:48]
- "All My Tomorrows" - Frank Sinatra (from High Hopes, 1959) | YouTube [22:33]
- "Hard Work" - John Handy (from Hard Work, 1976) | YouTube [33:59]
- "The Night Watchman" shares some text with Lies.
- "A Time On The Beach" and "Caldwell" appear in Emergency Room.
- The striving/fulfillment/futility essay appears at the end of He Hesitated.
- We hear another reference to Joe walking out to meet his father (Freddy) in Karma Memories.
- "Beautiful Woman on Elevator" is not the same material as the elevator encounter in Obsessions.
- The fastest piano players dispute appears in Arena, Arena (Remix), and Emergency Room.
Miscellanea
- About 16 minutes of the program is a distinct "Cartoon For Radio" segment by Mac Calhoun
- The background music to the elevator story ("Hard Work") is used often on Harry Shearer's Le Show.
External links
- The Nightwatchman - extended version at SoundCloud
- Worldcat
Footnotes
- ↑ Joe tells a similar story in Lies
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joe uses this segment in Emergency Room
- ↑ Joe uses this segment in He Hesitated
- ↑ Joe tells a similar story in Karma Memories
- ↑ Joe tells the same story in Five Part Dissonance and a similar story in Obsessions
- ↑ Joe uses this segment in Arena and Emergency Room