The Stan Freberg Show
The Stan Freberg Show was a weekly radio comedy show that ran on the CBS Radio Network for 15 episodes in 1957 from July 14 through October 20. The show, starred comedian Stan Freberg and featured the vocal talents of Daws Butler, June Foray and Peter Leeds, Peggy Taylor as the resident singer, and the musical direction of Billy May. The show aired in the 7:30 p.m. time slot following repeats of The [Jack Benny Program] on Sundays. The show was produced by Pete Barnum.
Despite its short run, the show contained some running gags and stock jokes, from Freberg's ambivalence toward Madison Avenue to the interviews with a sneaker-wearing Abominable Snowman. Freberg also developed an elaborate parody of Lawrence Welk's then-current The [Lawrence Welk Show|Dodge Dancing Party], which he later released as a single, "Wun'erful, Wun'erful!."
By the 13th episode, it was clear that The Stan Freberg Show was suffering from a lack of advertiser interest. According to Freberg's autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh, two different cigarette companies offered to sponsor the program, but Stan turned them down; because no other advertisers were willing to provide primary or alternate sponsorship on Freberg's terms, CBS canceled the series after 15 episodes. According to author Joe Bevilacqua, it was the last American network radio show to devote itself purely to comedy.
1958's The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows, a recording of collected material from the show, won the first 1959 Grammy Award for Best [Spoken Word Album].