'There must be a lot of teenage boys on tonight. Or 40-year-old men. Or lesbians.' by Kara
Monday, March 19, 2007 at 6:47 AM

I used to think about poking my head in on Emmy at the toy store, but as she's going to be working more and more hours at St. Claire's, I may have to leave that idea behind. Not that I mind. The time I worked at the colonial toy shop in Williamsburg was really not terribly exciting. The only enjoyable part was finding out about the astounding amount of drama and excitement in the lives of the other clerks (and occasionally mine), to the point that we would occasionally refer to our own personal soap opera called As the Toymaker Turns.

Next update is all for this story. But don't worry, St. Claire's is now a part of the Jefferson Institute continuity, and will have an effect on our main collection's life. So we'll be revisiting it. Besides, I know you guys like the maid costumes.

Lately I've been listening to old-time radio courtesy of ClassicRadioNetwork.com. I think I've mentioned that somewhere, but I'm not sure where. There are two channels, one being mystery/detective/sci-fi, and the other being comedy/features/western. I tend to stay on the latter, because I really do love good 30s-50s radio comedy. Although, listening to things like Father Knows Best on a regular basis, I start to realise that a lot of them were kind of crap. But crap in an endearing and addictive way.

My favourite is most definitely Red Skelton's show, with Fibber McGee and Molly in a close second. I have to admit that Fanny Brice as Baby Snooks is really growing on me -- that lady was hilarious, and more importantly, she wasn't a lot like Barbra Streisand, after all. When I first listened, I honestly thought I'd had it, but it's such a mean little show that I can't help it.

The features are pretty fun, too -- You Are There was actually great, and I feel like modern television might benefit from it quite a bit. I thought it'd be corny when I heard the concept (NBC reporters sitting in on historical events), but it's great. They even use the proper languages with translators when necessary. Adventures in Research is another I love, but not for the reason I should; it's so beautifully melodramatic, right down to the 'Dun-dun-DUNNNNNN!'s, and it kills me.

But the most fascinating thing is listening to the old commercials. Nine out of ten doctors smoke Camels, which are also great if you're smoking more but enjoying it less. (At least, I think the latter is also Camels.) From what I can tell, although I hesitate to ask my g'rents about this, people after the war were nicotine-and-Postum-loaded Hopalong Cassidy fans with incredibly shiny linoleum floors. I may very well be right.

If you have been, just wait.