Laughing Back - A Movie For Radio: Difference between revisions

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== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
This program features several Joe Frank stories.  The announcer begins by comparing hearing Joe's work to watching a movie.  
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 and burying them in the back yard, only to find himself invited to dinner by the new night watchman.  
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": life on a beach in Curaçao; a diabetic eats a chocolate gun.
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 a 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.  
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."
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. It's thirty years later, the adult has dulled senses.  Joe runs out of gas in the country, experiences a vivid memory of childhood and imagines that his whole life has been a child's dream. 
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>


* [33:59] "Beautiful Woman on Elevator": the often repeated experience of an awkward elevator ride beside attractive woman.
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.


* [53:54] "That was really wonderful, Alan - I've never heard it played quite that fast": the often repeated dispute between fastest piano players.
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 ==
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== Miscellanea ==
== Miscellanea ==
* About 16 minutes of the program is a distinct "Cartoon For Radio" segment by Matt Calhoun
* 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 ("Hard Work") is used often on Harry Shearer's ''Le Show.''   


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* [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]]

Revision as of 07:55, 14 August 2023

Laughing Back - A Movie For Radio [1]
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.

Shared material

  • "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

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Joe tells a similar story in Lies
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Joe uses this segment in Emergency Room
  3. ↑ Joe uses this segment in He Hesitated
  4. ↑ Joe tells a similar story in Karma Memories
  5. ↑ Joe tells the same story in Five Part Dissonance and a similar story in Obsessions
  6. ↑ Joe uses this segment in Arena and Emergency Room
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