But it's brilliant for exactly the reason I remembered it being brilliant. The fantastic premise is of course a spin on Planet of the Apes. But this being Bob and Ray, they veer in the opposite direction from sci-fi melodrama.
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Monkeyshines
There's an old Bob and Ray radio skit called "Galaxy of the Baboons" that I was hoping to find but wasn't sure I'd be able to. Well, turns out it was easy, and it's the very first piece on this audio "video" clip. Feel free to ignore the SubGenius-y graphics, which don't really add anything.
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Since it's one of their lesser known routines it's good you found Galaxy of the Baboons. Although it's funny by itself the thing that elevates it to comedy gold is the reference to the movie. They liked riffing on well known cultural memes.
'Sometimes I think getting ready for a vacation is more trouble than it's worth; you get out on the highway with a million other monkeys.'
'Hope you don't get upset next time you get behind a big truck.'
'That's the rude gorillas that drive those things.'
It's next to impossible to find any duo that was their equal at constructing a premise from some small oddity. Not all their routines were brilliant but when they were 'on' there was nobody funnier - how about the restaurant franchise called The House of Toast. Einbinder Flypaper, 'the flypaper that’s always in good taste, was a major sponsor.
George Burns and Gracie Allen provided some understated routines by way of misunderstanding (Gracie was a genius). A number of our favorites were the bits called 'Say goodnight Gracie' after the main program ended. They're still as amusing now as they were in the 50s:
https://youtu.be/SJULId_Gx14?si=5h2xZ0DLsqGjTYRO
Planet of the Apes was everywhere for a while. The whole thing had started in 1963 with a novel by French author Pierre Boulle. The first movie, obviously, was a huge hit. The sequels did okay, although much of the audience seemed less impressed with them. Marvel Comics (under their Curtis Magazines imprint) did a black and white comic, and there was a TV show for one season. All of which is to say that there was a lot of material to parody. Few could do it better.
The House of Toast was part of a bit where each of them gave reviews of various absurd restaurants. They also did a bit where Wally Ballou interviewed the owner of the Great Lakes Paperclip Company. Very funny, although the dire conditions of the workers might make you think of some Chinese/Asian industries after America offshored most of its manufacturing.
Gracie Allen was indeed a genius. She has many memorably daffy lines in that video, but the best thing may be the way she avoids George's persistent questions about how many men she had kissed before him.
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