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Situation comedy · CBS

The Mel Blanc Show

September 3, 1946 – June 24, 1947 · 43 broadcasts

The Mel Blanc Show handed radio's most famous voice the joke of a lifetime: Mel Blanc -- the man of a thousand voices, the sound of Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig -- starred as plain, ordinary himself, running a small-town fix-it shop that never actually fixed anything. The running gag was that he saved his whole gallery of voices for a single stuttering helper named Zookie and the odd tall-tale disguise, while the plots turned on his endless, hapless courtship of girlfriend Betty Colby and his efforts to dodge her thunderous father, Mr. Colby. Mary Jane Croft played Betty; Joseph Kearns, Hans Conried, Alan Reed, and Bea Benaderet filled out a deep bench of radio-comedy talent, with The Sportsmen quartet on the songs and the lodge chant of the Loyal Order of Zebras -- "ugga-ugga-boo" -- never far away. Sponsored by Colgate, it ran a single lively season on CBS from September 1946 to June 1947.

Collection status: 42 of 43 held (98% complete)
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Episode Spine

Grouped by year. Jump to the full list below, or open a season on its own page.

1946

September 3, 1946 Birthday Cards Listen (MP3)
Opening night at the fix-it shop: Mel drums up trade with custom birthday cards and 'novelty' boxes of candy.
September 10, 1946 Efficiency Expert Listen (MP3)
An efficiency man reorganizes the shop into pure chaos -- now nobody can find a thing, least of all a burlesque dancer's missing zipper.
September 17, 1946 The Cake Contest Listen (MP3)
Mel's entry in the fair is a gorgeous cake for the YWCA -- until word gets out that he mixed putty into the batter.
September 24, 1946 Mel Tries to Fix a Water Heater Listen (MP3)
October 1, 1946 Muscle Man Contest Listen (MP3)
October 8, 1946 Sally and Marylou Listen (MP3)
Juggling a busted fishing rod and a motorboat repair leaves Betty feeling thoroughly ignored, and thoroughly jealous.
October 15, 1946 Postman's Ball Listen (MP3)
Mel angles to squire Betty to the Postman's Ball, with a checkers game somehow tangled up in a Portuguese sardine crisis.
October 22, 1946 Songwriter Listen (MP3)
October 29, 1946 Community Chest Show Listen (MP3)
November 5, 1946 The New Radio Listen (MP3)
Mr. Colby's shiny new console radio meets Mel's repair skills -- which is to say, it doesn't stand a chance.
November 12, 1946 Lodge Invitation Listen (MP3)
Mel gets stuck babysitting on the very night his lodge holds its solemn initiation.
November 19, 1946 The Astrologer Listen (MP3)
Betty's father means to sell the market and leave town, and the would-be buyer runs his life by the stars.
November 26, 1946 Thanksgiving Party Listen (MP3)
It's no Thanksgiving without a turkey, and Mr. Colby is distinctly unimpressed by Mel's threadbare holiday spread.
December 3, 1946 The Elopement Listen (MP3)
December 10, 1946 Christmas Present Listen (MP3)
Mel scrambles to scrape together the cash for Betty's Christmas gift.
December 17, 1946 Christmas Shopping Listen (MP3)
Betty can't decide what she wants for Christmas, and her father is sure Mel has taken up shoplifting; the recording keeps the pre-show warm-up, Mel singing his own praises.
December 24, 1946 Mel Plays Santa Claus Listen (MP3)
Betty is convinced Mel has another woman, when his real secret is moonlighting in a Santa suit for the widowed Mrs. Bradley.
December 31, 1946 Zebra of the Year Listen (MP3)
On New Year's Eve the Order of Zebras crowns its Zebra of the Year while Mel plays every part in a one-man pageant, 'Blanc Marches On.'

1947

January 7, 1947 The Broken Caruso Record Listen (MP3)
A prized -- and now shattered -- Caruso record sets the week's trouble spinning.
January 14, 1947 Foreign Relatives
To help Mr. Colby land a bank loan, Mel poses as his rich foreign relative.
January 21, 1947 Foreign Relatives Listen (MP3)
To help Mr. Colby land a bank loan, Mel poses as his rich foreign relative. (Community sources split this broadcast between Jan 14 and Jan 21.)
January 28, 1947 Masquerade Ball Listen (MP3)
At the Zebras' costume party Mel plays a whole crowd of characters and joins The Sportsmen for the 'Ugga Ugga Boo' number.
February 4, 1947 Betty's Suitors Listen (MP3)
Engaged four long years, Mel and Betty scheme at last to win her father's blessing for the match.
February 11, 1947 Mel's Birthday Listen (MP3)
The bank picks Mel's birthday, of all days, to foreclose on the fix-it shop.
February 18, 1947 The Missing Slice of Bread Listen (MP3)
A loose bread thief hands Mel his shot at fame -- and the show detours into a dream Mel narrates in his Bugs Bunny voice.
February 25, 1947 Vaudeville Team Listen (MP3)
The lodge's Grand Caliph is due for a visit, so Mel ropes Mr. Colby into a two-man comedy turn for the festivities.
March 4, 1947 Councilman Colby Listen (MP3)
Mr. Colby eyes a City Council seat, and a stuffed pheasant nearly wrecks his standing with the mayor.
March 11, 1947 The Art Critic Listen (MP3)
Short the money for his income tax, Mel only makes things worse by selling off the wrong oil painting.
March 18, 1947 Two Loves Has Mel Listen (MP3)
Mel discovers he is somehow engaged to Betty and to Cousin Dotty at the very same time.
March 25, 1947 Miss Ugga Ugga Boo Listen (MP3)
The Order of Zebras runs a contest to crown 'Miss Ugga Ugga Boo,' and Mel has to pick a winner.
April 1, 1947 April Fools Listen (MP3)
Mel's April Fools' gag convinces Mr. Colby that he has inherited an English fortune.
April 8, 1947 Easter Egg Hunt Listen (MP3)
April 15, 1947 Society Party Listen (MP3)
The swankiest society party of the season is tonight -- and Mel didn't make the guest list.
April 22, 1947 Literary Discussion Listen (MP3)
April 29, 1947 James Mason Movies Listen (MP3)
May 6, 1947 Oil Stock Listen (MP3)
May 13, 1947 Supermarket Journal Editor Listen (MP3)
With Mr. Colby about to be interviewed, it falls to Mel to sell a reporter on his college credentials.
May 20, 1947 Trial Seperation Listen (MP3)
Mel and Betty call a trial separation, and Mel gamely wades back into the dating pool.
May 27, 1947 The French Interior Decorator Listen (MP3)
June 3, 1947 To Rent a Summer Cottage Listen (MP3)
June 10, 1947 The Chinese Philospher Listen (MP3)
June 17, 1947 Show at the Market Listen (MP3)
June 24, 1947 The Missing Bread Slices Listen (MP3)
The Story

The Mel Blanc Show handed radio's most famous voice the joke of a lifetime: Mel Blanc -- the man of a thousand voices, the sound of Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig -- starred as plain, ordinary himself, running a small-town fix-it shop that never actually fixed anything. The running gag was that he saved his whole gallery of voices for a single stuttering helper named Zookie and the odd tall-tale disguise, while the plots turned on his endless, hapless courtship of girlfriend Betty Colby and his efforts to dodge her thunderous father, Mr. Colby. Mary Jane Croft played Betty; Joseph Kearns, Hans Conried, Alan Reed, and Bea Benaderet filled out a deep bench of radio-comedy talent, with The Sportsmen quartet on the songs and the lodge chant of the Loyal Order of Zebras -- "ugga-ugga-boo" -- never far away. Sponsored by Colgate, it ran a single lively season on CBS from September 1946 to June 1947.

Full story — coming soon while it's being curated.
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