Bob Elliott, 1923-2016

Listeners of the old Bob and Ray radio shows know hosts Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were capable of extracting humor from the most unlikely sources: walnuts, cranberry sauce, flypaper. Their humor was timeless. In fact, they were ahead of their time on some issues.

For example, decades before American companies began hiring independent contractors instead of full-time employees, Bob and Ray noted that cost-conscious mobsters were switching to hoods hired through Rent-a-Thug, Inc. The firm featured a special “$50 pummeling,” however the victim was required to sign a bill of lading acknowledging receipt of the beating.

The duo’s inspired silliness was stilled in 1990 when Ray Goulding passed away. And now, Bob Elliott, 92, has reunited with his long-time partner. Beginning in 1946, Bob and Ray’s satirical barbs punctured the pompous, impaled the ignorant and berated the banal. Whether advocating oatmeal for Thanksgiving or visiting a paper clip factory in Napoleon, Ohio, they never strayed from the mark.

Bob and Ray were ubiquitous. They did television. They did Broadway. They even did commercials (remember Bert and Harry Piel?). Most of all, however, they did radio. Radio was the ideal medium for their intimate, off-the-wall banter. Listeners could focus on each inflection, pause and well-chosen phrase. You didn’t have to see the twinkle in their eyes – you could feel it.

With gentleness and incisive wit, Mr. Elliott and Mr. Goulding exposed our foibles and explored the nuances of our daily existence. They were the last of a grand tradition of radio comedians, most of whom flourished in the 1940s and 1950s.

During their 44-year career, the duo maintained an unrivaled consistency of material. As author Kurt Vonnegut said: “The best of Bob and Ray is virtually indistinguishable from the worst.” In other words, there was no best of Bob and Ray or worst of Bob and Ray. There was simply Bob and Ray.

- Wayne Cotter