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Stan Freberg, satirist and origin of '412', dies aged 88

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      LancedDendrite Chief Commissioner

    Location: Gheringhap Loop Autonomous Zone
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/07/entertainment/feat-obit-stan-freberg-thr/

    "Stan Freberg, whose freewheeling comic career in advertising garnered him worldwide acclaim and whose satirical entertainments abounded on TV, the radio and on records, has died. He was 88."

    Mr Freberg's sketch "St George And The Dragonet" has achieved a degree of infamy in gunzel circles as the origin of the '412' meme:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT3QYb7AN6k
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 13:04

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      michaelgreenhill Administrator That's Numberwang!

    Location: Melbourne
    Mr Freberg's sketch "St George And The Dragonet" has achieved a degree of infamy in gunzel circles as the origin of the '412' meme
    LancedDendrite
    For years I've been at a loss as to why 412 is such an important number to some railfans. I thought this video would enlighten me, instead it robbed me of three minutes of my life. Confused
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 13:34
      TheBlacksmith Chief Commissioner

    Location: Ankh Morpork
    Yeah, me too. Old time comedy, it probably was funny back then, but not so today. So, 412 is relatively well known as the post code for Pittsburgh, USA, but how does it relate to railways?
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 14:00
      Valvegear Oliver Bullied, CME

    Location: Richmond Vic
    412 (E): An in joke popularised by the spoof New South Ales Digest in 1969. The number was derived from the Stan Freberg sketch St George and the Dragonet in which a 412 was the crime of overacting. In rail fan circles, anything involving the number 412 is highlighted whenever possible.

    The sketch posted above by LancedDendritre is not the original Stan Freberg one. The original was not a television item, but was sound/radio only, and made in 1953 on a Capitol records release.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 17:07

    Last edited by Valvegear on 08 Apr 2015 17:13; edited 3 times in total
      michaelgreenhill Administrator That's Numberwang!

    Location: Melbourne
    412 (E): An in joke popularised by the spoof New South Ales Digest in 1969. The number was derived from the Stan Freberg sketch St George and the Dragonet in which a 412 was the crime of overacting. In rail fan circles, anything involving the number 412 is highlighted whenever possible.
    Valvegear
    It's increasingly looking like one of those jokes that needs explaining. Nobody likes those jokes.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 17:27
      LancedDendrite Chief Commissioner

    Location: Gheringhap Loop Autonomous Zone
    It's increasingly looking like one of those jokes that needs explaining.
    michaelgreenhill

    That's generally what an in-joke is, mate.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 17:47
      michaelgreenhill Administrator That's Numberwang!

    Location: Melbourne
    That's generally what an in-joke is, mate.
    LancedDendrite
    Fair point. I guess I'm from a generation that missed that in-joke.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 17:58
      TheBlacksmith Chief Commissioner

    Location: Ankh Morpork
    To appreciate the Stan Freberg radio sketch, you had to know about Jack Webb's 'Dragnet' television show, as it was a spoof of that.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 18:03
      QSB6.7 Chief Train Controller

    Location: Going off the rails on a crazy train.
    So, an "in joke" based on an ancient radio show that was a spoof of an ancient T.V show, that had nothing to do with the life wasting video?  How am I doing?
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 18:05
      Donald Chief Commissioner

    Location: Donald. Duck country.
    Now I understand the AMRM April Fool ABV 412 van. (Page 57).   Had no idea why van 412 would be so special.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 18:29
      TheBlacksmith Chief Commissioner

    Location: Ankh Morpork
    So, an "in joke" based on an ancient radio show that was a spoof of an ancient T.V show, that had nothing to do with the life wasting video?  How am I doing?
    QSB6.7
    Nailed it.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 19:02
      LancedDendrite Chief Commissioner

    Location: Gheringhap Loop Autonomous Zone
    So why are you coming back to the thread if it's completely pointless and about an 'unfunny' in-joke?
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 19:09

    Last edited by LancedDendrite on 08 Apr 2015 19:10; edited 1 time in total
      michaelgreenhill Administrator That's Numberwang!

    Location: Melbourne
    So why are you coming back to the thread if it's completely pointless and about an 'unfunny' in-joke?
    LancedDendrite
    I find the origin of such things interesting. It's been a part of RP since day dot (it remains Bromage's avatar to this day) and I've never understood it.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 19:13
      stopblock Junior Train Controller

    Location: Planet Earth
    It's increasingly looking like one of those jokes that needs explaining. Nobody likes those jokes.
    michaelgreenhill
    Old Confucious saying:

    He who laughs last......    usually need joke explained!!!
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 19:53
      The Vinelander Minister for Railways

    Location: Ballan, Victoria on the Ballarat RFR Line
    I am a member of a long...very long standing rail-fan bunch of 15 old and not so old grumps which is called the '412 Guinness and Gunzels'

    We meet twice a year and the criteria for the meeting which the organisation of same is on a rotational basis and the establishment has to be reached by day-return PT and serve Guinness.

    We have travelled to places as diverse as Avenel and Pyramid, Queenscliff and Coldstream.

    Mike.
    Posted: 08 Apr 2015 23:00

    Last edited by The Vinelander on 08 Apr 2015 23:02; edited 1 time in total
      TheBlacksmith Chief Commissioner

    Location: Ankh Morpork
    So why are you coming back to the thread if it's completely pointless and about an 'unfunny' in-joke?
    LancedDendrite
    Back in the day I found Stan Freberg's comedy to be amusing, but not now, it is dated and one can easily understand why younger people would not find it funny.

    Much the same as Laurel and Hardy, Abbot and Costello, The Three Stooges et al, time to retire that humour.
    Posted: 09 Apr 2015 09:09
      wurx Lithgovian Ambassador-at-Large

    Location: The mystical lost principality of Daptovia
    http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/07/entertainment/feat-obit-stan-freberg-thr/

    "Stan Freberg, whose freewheeling comic career in advertising garnered him worldwide acclaim and whose satirical entertainments abounded on TV, the radio and on records, has died. He was 88."

    Mr Freberg's sketch "St George And The Dragonet" has achieved a degree of infamy in gunzel circles as the origin of the '412' meme:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT3QYb7AN6k
    LancedDendrite
    In my collection of 78RPM records, I happen to have the Capitol disc of that sketch; the B-side is "Little Blue Riding Hood" (only the colour has been changed to prevent an investigation Wink ).

    Assisting Mr. Freberg in the St. George sketch are Daws Butler (who co-wrote it with Freberg), who some of you would know better as the voice of Yogi Bear, and June Foray, who did all the female voices in Rocky & Bullwinkle, including Rocky himself.

    More info here.
    Posted: 22 Apr 2015 19:12

    Last edited by wurx on 22 Apr 2015 19:13; edited 1 time in total
      Old Northern Locomotive Driver

    I think that Freberg's sketches which involve parodies of Dragnet are still funny but, and this is a big but, they will only be funny if you have seen episodes of Dragnet - if you haven't, then the whole thing just sounds odd.
    Posted: 19 May 2015 23:27
      allan Chief Commissioner

    This guy was clever, really clever. "What's a radio program?" and "The abominible snowman" are timeless, and priceless. Certainly, they are pure 1950s, but, unlike a lot of his tracks, they do not require a knowledge of the American "culture" (I use the term loosely) of the time.
    Posted: 20 May 2015 02:11
      Old Northern Locomotive Driver

    And his "Elderly Man River" is probably more relevant today than it was when it was written.
    Posted: 21 May 2015 01:23
      allan Chief Commissioner

    And his "Elderly Man River" is probably more relevant today than it was when it was written.
    Old Northern
    The title alone was enough to cause a chuckle...
    Posted: 21 May 2015 02:12
      M636C Minister for Railways

    Since this is a rail forum, it is worth mentioning that Freberg ran a campaign to keep the overnight train between Los Angeles and San Fransisco "The Lark" running, offering his services as an advertising writer for free to Southern Pacific, the operator of the train. "The Lark" was an all sleeping train with a triple articulated lounge kitchen dining car set.

    And the sad thing is that "Elderly Man River" might not be noticed today. Just look at the changes to the words in "Advance Australia Fair".

    M636C
    Posted: 21 May 2015 10:40
      Lad_Porter Chief Commissioner

    Location: Yarra Glen
    I have a CD of Stan Freberg with 16 tracks (including all those mentioned above, also "Rock Island Line"), and many of them are still relevant today.  "Green Chri$tma$", which sends up the crass commercialism of the yuletide season, gets an airing at my place every December.

    Vale Stan;  you did well.

    (As an aside, does anyone know what happened to W2 tram 412?  Vicsig lists it as "sold", no further information.)
    Posted: 29 May 2015 19:52

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