''The Baby Snooks Show'' was an American radio program starring comedian and ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Ai ...

'' alumna

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. ...

as a mischievous young girl who was 40 years younger than the actress who played her when she first went on the air. The series began on CBS September 17, 1944, airing on Sunday evenings at 6:30 pm as ''Post Toasties Time'' (for sponsor

General Foods General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, after several corporate ...

). The title soon changed to ''The Baby Snooks Show'', and the series was sometimes called ''Baby Snooks and Daddy''. Fanny Brice Baby Snooks 1940

History

In 1904, George McManus began his comic strip, ''The Newlyweds'', about a couple and their child, Baby Snookums. Brice began doing her Baby Snooks character in vaudeville, as she recalled in an interview shortly before her death: "I first did Snooks in 1912 when I was in vaudeville. At the time there was a juvenile actress named

Baby Peggy Diana Serra Cary (born Peggy-Jean Montgomery; October 29, 1918 – February 24, 2020), known as Baby Peggy, was an American child film actress, vaudevillian, author and silent film historian. She was the last living person with a substantial car ...

and she was very popular. Her hair was all curled and bleached and she was always in pink or blue. She looked like a strawberry ice cream soda. When I started to do Baby Snooks, I really was a baby, because when I think about Baby Snooks it's really the way I was when I was a kid. On stage, I made Snooks a caricature of Baby Peggy." Early on, Brice's character was sometimes called "Babykins." By 1934 she was wearing her baby costume while appearing on Broadway in the ''Follies'' show. On February 29, 1936, Brice was scheduled to appear on the ''Ziegfeld Follies of the Air'', written and directed by Philip Rapp in 1935–37. Rapp and his writing partner

David Freedman David Freedman (April 26, 1898 – December 8, 1936) (aged 38) was a Romanian-born American playwright and biographer who became known as the "King of the Gag-writers" in the early days of radio. Biography David Freedman was born in Botoşan ...

searched the closest bookcase, opened a public domain collection of sketches by

Robert Jones Burdette Robert Jones Burdette (July 30, 1844 – November 19, 1914) was an American humorist and clergyman who became noted through his paragraphs in ''The Hawk Eye'' newspaper in Burlington, Iowa. Mary G. Burdette was his sister. Early life He was born ...

, ''Chimes From a Jester’s Bells'' (1897), and adapted a humorous piece about a kid and his uncle, changing the boy to a girl named Snooks. Rapp continued to write the radio sketches when Brice played Snooks on the ''Good News Show'' the following year. In 1940, she became a regular character on ''Maxwell House Coffee Time'', sharing the spotlight with actor Frank Morgan, who sometimes did a crossover into the Snooks sketches. Danny thomas jerry dingle baby snooks 1945

Danny thomas jerry dingle baby snooks 1945

In 1944, the character was given her own show, and during the 1940s, it became one of the nation's favorite radio

situation comedies A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

, with a variety of sponsors (

Post Cereals Post Consumer Brands (previously Post Cereals and Postum Cereals; also known as simply "Post") is an American breakfast cereal manufacturer headquartered in Lakeville, Minnesota. The company, founded in 1895 by C. W. Post, owns a large portfoli ...

Sanka Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Heinz. History Decaffeinated coffee was developed in 1903 by a team ...

, Spic-n-Span,

Jell-O Jell-O is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of the brand. "Jell-O" is ...

) being touted by a half-dozen announcers—John Conte, Tobe Reed, Harlow Willcox,

Dick Joy Dick Joy (December 28, 1915 – October 31, 1991) was an American radio and television announcer. A journalism major at the University of Southern California, he went on to become well known on network radio and television. Early years Joy's in ...

, Don Wilson and Ken Wilson. On screen, Brice portrayed Baby Snooks in the 1938 film '' Everybody Sing'' in a scene with

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of ''St. Nicholas'') in 1886. The ill ...

. Hanley Stafford was best known for his portrayal of Snooks' long-suffering, often-cranky father, Lancelot “Daddy” Higgins, a role played earlier by

Alan Reed Alan Reed (born Herbert Theodore Bergman; August 20, 1907 – June 14, 1977) was an American actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on ''The Flintstones'' and various spinoff series. He also appeared in many films, includin ...

on the 1936 ''Follies'' broadcasts. Lalive Brownell was Vera “Mommy” Higgins, portrayed by Lois Corbet (mid-1940s) and

Arlene Harris Arlene Harris (July 7, 1896 – June 12, 1976) was a Canadian-born American radio, film, and television actress. (Another source gives her date of birth as July 7, 1898.) She was best known for her role as "the human chatterbox" on Al Pearce's ...

(after 1945). Beginning in 1945, child impersonator Leone Ledoux was first heard as Snooks' younger brother Robespierre, and Snooks returned full circle to the comics when comic book illustrator

Graham Ingels Graham J. Ingels (; June 7, 1915April 4, 1991) was a comic book and magazine illustrator best known for his work in EC Comics during the 1950s, notably on ''The Haunt of Fear'' and ''Tales from the Crypt'', horror titles written and edited by Al ...

and his wife Gertrude named their son Robespierre (born 1946) after listening to Ledoux's child voice.

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running sitc ...

was "daydreaming postman" Jerry Dingle (1944–45) who imagined himself in other occupations, such as a circus owner or railroad conductor. Others in the cast were Ben Alexander, Elvia Allman, Sara Berner,

Charlie Cantor Charles Cantor (September 4, 1898–September 11, 1966) was an American radio and TV actor. Cantor was known for his frequent appearances on radio, sometimes, totaling 40 shows a week, during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Cantor also appeared ...

, Ken Christy, Earl Lee, Frank Nelson,

Lillian Randolph Lillian Randolph (December 14, 1898 – September 12, 1980) was an American actress and singer, a veteran of radio, film, and television. She worked in entertainment from the 1930s until shortly before her death. She appeared in hundreds of rad ...

(as Mr. Weemish, Daddy's boss) and Irene Tedrow. The scripts by Bill Danch, Sid Dorfman, Robert Fisher, Everett Freeman,

Jess Oppenheimer Jessurun James Oppenheimer (November 11, 1913 – December 27, 1988) was an American radio and television writer, producer, and director. He was the producer and head writer of the CBS sitcom '' I Love Lucy''. Lucille Ball called Oppenheimer ...

(later the producer and head writer of '' I Love Lucy''), Philip Rapp (who often revised his scripts three times before airing) and Arthur Stander were produced and directed by Mann Holiner (early 1940s), Al Kaye (1944), Ted Bliss, Walter Bunker and Arthur Stander. Clark Casey and David Light handled the sound effects with music by Meredith Willson (1937–44),

Carmen Dragon Carmen Dragon (July 28, 1914 – March 28, 1984) was an American conductor, composer, and arranger who in addition to live performances and recording, worked in radio, film, and television. Early years Dragon was born in Antioch, California, ...

, and vocalist Bob Graham. In 1945, when illness caused Brice to miss several episodes, her absence was incorporated into the show as a plot device in which top stars (including

Robert Benchley Robert Charles Benchley (September 15, 1889 – November 21, 1945) was an American humorist best known for his work as a newspaper columnist and film actor. From his beginnings at '' The Harvard Lampoon'' while attending Harvard University, thr ...

Sydney Greenstreet Sydney Hughes Greenstreet (December 27, 1879 – January 18, 1954) was a British-American actor. While he did not begin his career in films until the age of 61, he had a run of significant motion pictures in a Hollywood career lasting throu ...

Kay Kyser James Kern Kyser (June 18, 1905 – July 23, 1985), known as Kay Kyser, was an American bandleader and radio personality of the 1930s and 1940s. Early years James Kern Kyser was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of pharmacists Emily ...

and

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

) took part in a prolonged search for Snooks. In the fall of 1946, the show moved to Friday nights at 8pm, continuing on CBS until May 28, 1948. On November 9, 1949, the series moved to NBC where it was heard Tuesdays at 8:30pm. Sponsored by

Tums Tums (stylized as TUMS) is an antacid made of sucrose (sugar) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) manufactured by Haleon in St. Louis, Missouri, US. They are also available in a sugar-free version. It is an over-the-counter drug, available at many ...

, ''The Baby Snooks Show'' continued on NBC until May 22, 1951. Two days later, Fanny Brice had a cerebral hemorrhage, and the show ended with her death at age 59. One of the last shows in the series, "Report Card Blues" (May 1, 1951), is included in the CD set, ''The 60 Greatest Old-time Radio Shows of the 20th Century'' (1999), introduced by

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...

. Radio historian Arthur Frank Wertheim recalls a few of the pranks: "…planting a bees' nest at her mother's club meeting, cutting her father's fishing line into little pieces, ripping the fur off her mother's coat, inserting marbles into her father's piano and smearing glue on her baby brother." Yet Snooks was not a mean-spirited child: "The character may have seemed a noisy one-joke idea based on Snooks driving Daddy to a screaming fit," wrote Gerald Nachman in ''Raised on Radio''. "Yet Brice was wonderfully adept at giving voice to her irritating moppet without making Snooks obnoxious." Nachman quoted ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' critic Hobe Morrison: "Snooks was not nasty or mean, spiteful or sadistic. She was at heart a nice kid. Similarly, Daddy was harried and desperate and occasionally was driven to spanking his impish daughter. But Daddy wasn't ill-tempered or unkind with the kid. He wasn't a crab." Brice herself was so meticulous and fanatical about the character that, according to Nachman, "she dressed in a baby-doll dress for the studio audience," and she also appeared in the costume at parades and personal appearances. She also insisted on her script being printed in extremely large type so she could avoid having to use reading glasses when on the air live. She was self-conscious about wearing glasses in front of an audience and didn't believe they fit the Snooks image. By her own admission, Brice was a lackadaisical rehearser: "I can't do a show until it's on the air, kid," she was quoted as telling her writer/producer Everett Freeman. Yet she locked in tight when the show did go on—right down to Snooks-like "squirming, squinting, mugging, jumping up and down," as comedian

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

remembered. Snooks proved so universally appealing that Brice and Stafford were invited to perform in character on the second installment of '' The Big Show'',

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's big-budget, last-ditch bid to keep classic radio variety programming alive amidst the television onslaught. Snooks tapped on hostess

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's '' L ...

's door to ask about a career in acting, despite Daddy's telling her she already didn't have what it took. Later in the show, Snooks and Daddy appeared with fellow guest star

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

in a spoof of Marx's popular quiz-and-comedy show, ''

You Bet Your Life ''You Bet Your Life'' is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original and best-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show deb ...

''.

Television

Brice and Stafford brought Baby Snooks and Daddy to television only once, an appearance on the June 12, 1950, edition of CBS-TV's ''Popsicle Parade of Stars''. This was Fanny Brice's only appearance on television, with Baby Snooks portrayed by the adult Brice in a little girl's outfit. Brice later admitted that the character of Baby Snooks just didn't work properly when seen.

Death

Fanny Brice died May 29, 1951, with her memoirs unfinished and with ''Baby Snooks'' due on the air that same night. The May 29 memorial broadcast, a musical tribute to Brice, ended with a short eulogy from Stafford: "We have lost a very real, a very warm, a very wonderful woman."

Books containing show scripts

Philip Rapp's ''The Baby Snooks Scripts'', edited by Ben Ohmart (BearManor Media, 2003), contains Rapp's original radio scripts from ''Maxwell House Coffee Time'', the ''Good News Show'' and other programs. ''The Baby Snooks Scripts'', volume two (BearManor Media, 2007), includes an undated script by Rapp featuring

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

in the unlikely role of Snooks.

Episodes

1937

* 12/30/37 Daniel in the Lion's Den

1938

* 02/17/38 Telling Time And Shaving * 03/10/38 Income Tax * 03/24/38 Rehearsing A Speech * 03/31/38 At the Circus * 04/14/38 Why? Because! (With Judy Garland) * 05/05/38 Vitamins & Hiccups * 05/19/38 Beach House * 06/09/38 At the Doctors * 09/01/38 A Tisket A Tasket * 09/22/38 Aunt Sophie Having a Baby * 10/20/38 Daddy Has An Hour to Kill * 12/22/38 Visiting Santa Claus

1939

* 01/??/39 The Man Who Came to Dinner * 01/22/39 Daddy's an Elk * 01/29/39 Daddy's Boss Comes to Dinner * 04/04/39 House Breaking * 05/05/39 Life Insurance * 05/11/39 Barking Rabbit * 05/18/39 Golf Tea * 05/25/39 Hugh What? * 06/01/39 Gone Fishing * 06/08/39 Violet Ray * 06/15/39 Living by Dyeing * 06/22/39 New Baby * 06/29/39 Jealousy * 09/07/39 Pulling Teeth * 09/14/39 At the Dentist * 09/22/39 Heat Wave * 09/28/39 Airport Meeting * 10/05/39 Mudneck * 10/26/39 Cake Writing & Abe Lincoln * 11/05/39 Barking Rabbit * 11/16/39 Rich Uncle & Slapsie Maxie * 11/23/39 Court Case * 11/30/39 Insurance Exam * 12/14/39 Psychoanalyzed * 12/21/39 Sneaky Snooks * 12/28/39 Hunting

1940

* 01/04/40 Bungling Burglars * 01/11/40 Male Secretary * 01/18/40 Chemical Catastrophe * 01/25/40 Shetland Pony * 02/01/40 Family Tree * 02/08/40 Anatomy of a Robot * 02/15/40 Tax Returns * 02/22/40 The Missing Dollar * 02/29/40 Wedding Cake * 03/07/40 Baby Snooks Has Amnesia * 03/14/40 Tom Thumb * 03/21/40 Laying an Egg * 03/28/40 Baby Brother (Wants Attention) * 04/04/40 April Fools * 04/11/40 Baby Fish Story * 04/18/40 Magic * 04/25/40 Motel * 05/02/40 Auntie Septic * 05/09/40 Lies * 05/16/40 Jokes for Jack * 06/22/40 Tonsils Operation * 07/11/40 At the Beach * 07/18/40 Library Visit * 07/25/40 Port Hole Safe * 09/05/40 Magazine Scam * 09/12/40 New Car * 09/19/40 Playing Hooky * 09/26/40 Where's the Medicine? * 10/10/40 Football Game * 10/17/40 Where's My Change? * 10/24/40 Raising a Loan * 10/31/40 Ruined Suit * 11/07/40 Oil Discovered * 11/14/40 Measles * 11/21/40 4 Fathers * 11/28/40 Stolen Turkey * 12/12/40 Haunted House * 12/19/40 Christmas Skates * 12/26/40 Returning Presents

1941

* 01/02/41 Sneaking Out * 01/09/41 Art Museum * 01/23/41 Flat Tire * 01/30/41 Jury Duty * 02/06/41 Flower Gardens * 02/13/41 Taxes Again * 02/27/41 At the Races * 03/20/41 Photographer * 03/27/41 Buying Shoes * 04/03/41 At the Zoo * 04/10/41 Trout Fishing * 04/17/41 Baseball Game * 04/24/41 Fixing Supper * 05/08/41 Riding Academy * 05/22/41 Insomnia * 05/29/41 Antique Auction * 06/05/41 Calisthenics * 06/12/41 X-Ray Machine * 06/19/41 Dollar Day * 06/26/41 Artist Daddy * 07/10/41 Going to Camp * 10/02/41 Snooks Returns * 10/09/41 New School * 10/23/41 Duck Hunting * 10/31/41 Halloween * 11/06/41 Defense Stamps * 11/13/41 Mixed Nuts * 11/27/41 The Opera * 12/18/41 Air Raid Warden

1942

* 01/01/42 Hangover * 01/08/42 Victory Garden * 01/15/42 House Guest * 01/22/42 Hiccups * 01/29/42 Report Card * 02/05/42 Knitting Lessons * 02/12/42 Camping In * 02/26/42 Stealing Chickens * 03/19/42 Fake Measles * 03/26/42 Red Cross * 04/02/42 Easter Suit * 04/09/42 Daddy's Birthday * 04/16/42 Poultice * 04/23/42 $50.00 Raise * 04/30/42 Quiz Kids * 05/07/42 Fishing Rod * 05/14/42 Driving Home From a Wedding * 05/21/42 Sugar * 05/28/42 Abnormal Psychology * 06/04/42 10th Anniversary * 06/11/42 The Twins * 06/18/42 The Trade * 07/02/42 Baby Buggy * 09/03/42 Camp Report * 09/24/42 Matinee * 10/01/42 Gozinta * 10/08/42 Charlie * 12/03/42 Getting Gas * 12/18/42 Cinderella

1943

* 01/14/43 Stolen Medal * 11/04/43 The Trial

1944

* 06/15/44 The World's Most Patient Father * 12/03/44 Daddy Tries to Cure Snooks Lying

1945

* 05/13/45 Live from the Bijou * 09/16/45 Snooks is Missing * 12/16/45 Baby Snooks is Lost

1946

* 11/01/46 Hallowe'en Trick or Treat

1947

* 03/02/47 Home Remodeling * 05/23/47 Miracle Children Quiz Show * 10/17/47 Daddy's New Suits * 10/24/47 Ugly Duckling (Snooks is Unpopular) * (April) Charles harding blaire to arrive

1950

* 11/12/50 Snooks & Tallulah

1951

* 01/05/51 Daddy's Old Flame * 01/15/51 The Lady Detective * 02/18/51 Hanging Wallpaper * 03/20/51 The Easter Bonnet * 05/05/51 Report Card Blues

Notes

References

*Dunning, John. ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. *Harmon, Jim. ''The Great Radio Comedians''. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2007. *Rapp, Philip. ''The Baby Snooks Scripts''. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2006. *Rapp, Philip. ''The Baby Snooks Scripts Vol. 2''. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media, 2007. *Sies, Luther F. ''Encyclopedia of American Radio 1920–1960''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2000. *Terrace, Vincent. ''The Radio's Golden Years: Encyclopedia of Radio Programs, 1930–1960.''

A. S. Barnes __NOTOC__ Alfred Smith Barnes (January 28, 1817 – February 17, 1888) was an American publisher and philanthropist. Early life Barnes was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Eli Barnes of Southington, Connecticut, a farmer and innkeeper, who fo ...

, 1981.

External links

''Baby Snooks'' official site
archived at the

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Fanny Brice Collection: ''Baby Snooks'' Robert Jones Burdette's ''Chimes from a Jester's Bells'': "The Story of Rollo""> Robert Jones Burdette's ''Chimes from a Jester's Bells'': "The Story of Rollo"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baby Snooks Show, The 1930s American radio programs 1930s in comedy 1940s American radio programs American comedy radio programs Radio characters introduced in 1936 1944 radio programme debuts CBS Radio programs NBC radio programs Female characters in radio