Stan Freberg, Acclaimed Satirist, Dies at 88
Last edited Tue Apr 7, 2015, 08:18 PM - Edit history (3)
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Stan Freberg, whose freewheeling career in advertising garnered him worldwide acclaim and whose satirical entertainments abounded on TV, the radio and on records, has died. He was 88.
He passed away of natural causes at a Santa Monica hospital, his son and daughter, Donavan and Donna Freberg, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was and will always be my hero, and I will carry his brilliant legacy forward as best I am able,” his son wrote on Facebook.
He is survived by his wife, Hunter Freberg, and granddaughter.
Read more: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stan-freberg-dead-acclaimed-satirist-787007
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Last edited Wed Apr 8, 2015, 10:21 AM - Edit history (1)
I was hoping that someone would start a thread. I knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but I'm going to miss him.
My first record was Stan Freberg's "A Child's Garden of Freberg." I later had the record of his radio show. I gave them away over 40 years ago to someone who was just as appreciative of Freberg.
Stan Freberg, beloved genius of radio, comedy and advertising, dies at 88
Morning Mix
By Sarah Kaplan April 8 at 5:43 AM
@sarahkaplan48
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Lightning-catcher, “national treasure,” “the Stradivarius” of comic voices — Freberg evokes near-mythological reverence in the humor world. On various occasions he’s been cited as the father of funny advertising, the originator of musical satire and the inspiration for nearly every comedian who came after him — most of whom said as much in online tributes to him Tuesday.
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Despite his talent for satire and snark, much of Freberg’s humor was just good-naturedly wacky. It earned him an earnest and devoted following. In a remembrance posted on his blog yesterday, comic book and TV writer Mark Evanier, who writes for the series “Garfield and Friends” recalled a dinner he had with Freberg years ago.
“When I asked for the check, our waiter said, ‘It’s been taken care of.’ I thought Matteo’s was comping us but no,” Evanier wrote.
A minute later, the waiter returned carrying a cloth napkin bearing a message from a fellow diner: “Mr. Freberg … you don’t know me but your work has meant so much to me over the years. It’s an honor to pay you back in even a tiny way by paying for your dinner tonight.”
Stan Freberg, R.I.P.
Published Tuesday, April 7, 2015 at 3:26 PM
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Right after Stan's first wife died, I would go over and take him out to dinner, just to get him out of the apartment. One night, I took him to Matteo's, an Italian restaurant that like so many in Los Angeles, boasts not so much about its food but about that fact that Frank Sinatra used to dine there often.
The maître d' they had then would greet you and then, to make you feel special, he would tell you, "I'm going to seat you in Mr. Sinatra's booth." Every time I went to Matteo's, I was seated in Mr. Sinatra's booth and it was a different booth every time.
I don't think it's there now but when you walked in, you passed a display of photos that looked like a shrine to Mr. Sinatra. As the maître d' escorted us to tonight's Mr. Sinatra's booth, we passed it and I pointed out a picture. It was this picture…
The man you don't recognize at lower left is record tycoon Glenn Wallichs. The others were then the top recording artists for Capitol Records: Frank, Danny Kaye, Gordon MacRae, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin and Stan. That evening at Matteo's, Stan was the only one still with us.
So many songs and videos have been linked that I hardly have one to add. I'll go with "Wide-Screen Mama Blues":