The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 6

IFeaff wresSen i or Livin A6 The Republic Columbus. Saturday, February 1 3. 1 993 Good of days off radio What's Going On its MB Of (sjbftf who was this idiot who does interviews? Doesn't he know he gets the same guy every day?" So much for early TV producers and their sense of humor. For Josephson, himself a radio producer and host, -editing the tapes was a labor of iove. "I've heard all these bits hundreds of times and they still make me laugh," he said.

He has put together Bob Ray shows before, even winning a Peabody Award for one on public radio in the '80s. For this series, he spent hundreds of hours listening, editing Xand enjoying) routines the two did from their earliest days together. Elliot and Goulding met when both were just out of the service after World War II and working an early-morning shift at a Boston radio station. "They figured nobody much was listening out there, so they could do a lot of impromptu, extemporaneous things. And a lot of those programs never got preserved," Josephson said, "so it wasn't easy tracking them down.

But there is a network of collectors who are also devoted fans, so I asked at the Boston Old Time Radio Club and managed to find a few. "The movie critic from the Los Angeles Times, Charles Champlin, had one old tape, and knew someone who had another, so I got in touch with him. I copied and returned all the originals." Now he has built up quite a library eight volumes of Bob Ray audio cassettes, three of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards. He has even-founded Radioart, a marketing company, to sell the tapes. For a free catalog of the tapes: (800) 524-4424.

Bob Ray routines preserved From Staff and Wire Reports When Columbus' George and Mary Dugan married in 1930, his salary as a teacher didn't stretch far enough to cover lavish entertainment Or even bargain entertainment, for that matter. "Back in those days," says Mary, "nobody had a lot of money." In time, they found that some of the best things in life were free. Like the wonder of And the humor of a couple of comics known as Bob Ray. Mary mentioned that her husband, who died in 1963, rarely missed one of the pair's shows. Even if you're too young to recall the heyday of Bob Elliot and the late Ray Goulding.

(he died in 1990), you can now share the memories of their radio programs that lasted 45 years. That's because the duo's best old tapes have been edited and compiled into 26 half-hour programs called "Classic Bob Ray," hosted by the surviving Elliot The collection, though obviously appealing to seniors, could easily reach beyond that generation. Take Mary Dugan's thirtysomething grandson, for instance. "I've been a fan of Bob Ray for a long time," said Columbus' Dave Dugan, mentioning that he watched them on television years ago. "But I never had a chance to hear the radio shows.

I was pretty small when they were fairly popular. I thought they had a really laid-back sense of humor together." It would be hard not to smile, laugh, giggle or even guffaw while listening to the trials of Mary Backstayge, noble wife, noted soap opera heroine from Skunk Haven, Long Island. Or Wally Ballou, the roving radio reporter who never remembered to turn his microphone on on time. Another of their characters was Mary McGoon, hostess of a radio cooking show who cooked p.m.;' euchre. 6 p.m.

Wednesday: Free meals, 4 to 5 bingo. 6:30 p.m. Thursday: Senior bingo, 9:30 a.m. Friday: No special activities scheduled. Saturday: Bingo, 7 p.m.

GREENSBURG SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER 225 E. Main SL Meals served Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. Transportation Is available 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To make meal reservations or to schedule a ride, call 663-2232.

Monday: Closed for Presidents' Day. Tuesday: Sing-along, 12:30 p.m.; bread store. 1 p.m.; art class. 1:30 p.m. Wednesday: Educational film, noon; euchre, 1 to 3 p.m.; walking, 5 p.m.

Thursday: Grocery shopping. 1 p.m.; bridge. 1 to 4 p.m. Friday: Craft class. 1 p.m.; 5 p.m.; contract bridge, 6:30 p.m.; duplicate bridge, 7 p.m.

SEYMOUR COMMUNITY CENTER AND SENIOR CITIZENS CENTER Meals served Monday' through Friday at 11:30 a.m. Resrvatlons needed a day ahead. Information: 522-9146. Monday: Closed for Presidents Day. Tuesday: Cards and games, 9 a.m.; walking, 10 a.m.; bingo, noon; kitchen band plays at Hoosier Christian Village.

2 p.m. Wednesday: Cards and games, 9 a.m.; walking, 10 a.m.; Bible study, noon. Thursday: Cards and games, 9 a.m.; Jackson County Council of Area XI Agency on Aging meeting, 10 a.m.; shuffleboard. noon; grocery shopping, 2 p.m. Friday: Cards and games, 9 a.m.; walking, 10 a.m.; presentation on high blood pressure, 10:20 a.m.; card party, 6:30 p.m.

JENNINGS COUNTY SENIOR CENTER Located at 515 Buckeye St. In North Vernon. Meals served Monday through Friday at 11:30 a.m. Reservations needed a day ahead. Transportation Is available.

Information: 346-1234. Monday: Exercise, 8:30 a.m. Tuesday: Bible study. 10 a.m.; bowling. 12:30 p.m.; shuffleboard.

1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday: Exercise. 8:30 a.m.; crafts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; women's shuffleboard, 1 to 3 p.m.; art class, 2 to 8 p.m.

Thursday: Crafts. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; shuffleboard. 1 to 4 p.m.; dance. 7 to 9 p.m.

Friday: Exercise. 8:30 a.m. BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY -Senior Center In Columbus. Meals served Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Rural transportation serves Hope area, as well as Clay, Hawcreek and Sandcreek townships.

For transportation or dally meal. reservations, call 376-9241. Today: Senior Splash swimming. 9 a.m. Monday: Body motion, 8:30 a.m.; Golden Kiwanis.

10 a.m.; bridge and canasta. 1 p.m.; tone and firm. 5:15 p.m. Tuesday: Coffee at Jefferson Education Center. 8 to 10 a.m.; Senior Sweat aerobics.

8:20 a.m.; Senior 9 and 10 a.m.; ceramics, 9 a.m.; tax assistance, 9 a.m. to noon; Senior Products board meeting, noon; Medi-gap insurance counseling, 1 to 3 p.m.; bowling. 1 p.m.; Bible study, 1:30 p.m.; tax-free investment presentation. 2 p.m.; video, 6:30 p.m.; cards. 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Body motion. 8:30 a.m.; shopping, 9 a.m.; Just Friends. 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; pinochle. 1 p.m.; tone and firm, 5:15 p.m.; Wellness Walkers.

6:30 p.m. Thursday: Coffee at Jefferson Education Center, 8 to 10 a.m.; Senior Sweat aerobics. 8:20 a.m.; Senior Splash. 9 and 10 a.m.; Community Service Aides, 9:30 a.m.; duplicate bridge, 1 p.m.; tax assistance. 1 to 5 p.m.

Friday: Body motion, 8:30 a.m.; volleyball at Foundation for Youth. 9 a.m.; department store shopping. 12:45 p.m.; euchre, 1 p.m.; Becci's Bistro. 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday: Senior Splash.

9 a.m. COLUMBUS ADULT DAY CARE CENTER Located In the rear ot Columbus' First Lutheran Church at 3600 25th SL Open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Advance enrollment Is required. Cost Is based on a sliding scale.

Information: 372-6415. Tuesday: Coffee and conversations, Presidential trivia, Valentine word games, lunch, music with Richard, swing ball, bingo. Thursday: Coffee and muffins, manicures, devotions; pet therapy, musical sittercise. Friday: Coffee and conversation, fold bulletins, my favorite things, lunch, basketball. February word games.

EASTSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER 421 McClure Road. Meals served Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Call 376-7840 for meal reservation. Sunday: Euchre, 6 p.m. Monday: Bingo.

6:30 p.m. Tuesday: Free meals, 4 to 5 NBC TV photo In this 1973 file photo, Ray Goulding, rear, and Bob Elliot yuk It up during a sketch. ever interviewed was Bob. "Finally, one day came a memo from one of the producers asking If you have had your health insurance premiums go up too much too If you will consider another choice for your health insurance protection Then telephone me to see if we can give you America, the Sound-Alike Club, the Piel Brothers (Bert and Harry) and other, offbeat characters sprung full-grown from the fertile imagination of that pair of wonderful funsters. All the characters were played by the two men.

And they almost always worked exclusively on radio. One TV program they were on regularly was the early "Today" show, explained longtime friend and fan Larry Josephson, who edited the tapes. "It was in the '50s," he said, "and Ray would go outside and interview people you could do that then. But the only person he a better buy on your neaitn insurances UNDER AND OVER 65! CALL 379-7981 Ask for Christy Casas BANKERS LIFE AND CASUALTY' Chicago. Illinois 60630 an ICH company everything with alcohol in it and there was plenty in her already.

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