Actor, Comedian. Well-known under the name "Charlie Weaver" for his appearances on "The Jack Paar Show" and "The Jonathan Winters Show," and remembered as the corner square on the game show "The Hollywood Squares." He was the grandfather of actress Roseanna Arquette.
Parr said Mondays were unexplainable for lower ratings, but not so when Arquette appeared.
His career spanned radio, movies, theatre and TV. At one time he had 13 daily radio shows from studios all over Chicago. His tight schedule forced him to find a creative way around downtown - a motor boat on the Chicago River.
Cliff says he developed the “Letters from Mamma” routine because “…I’m lazy and I don’t like to memorize things. So I write myself letters to read.”
One of my garage-sale finds is his 1959 book, “Charley Weaver’s Letters from Mamma”. Classic humor, funny, corny, timeless and never vulgar. Some jokes are old, maybe carved in stone, and sometimes the audience or reader beat him to the punch line; but no one ever tired of his homespun humor.
Mamma’s letters had a multitude of greetings and the latest happenings in Mount Idy and with father…..
“Dear Mickey” (Mamma always used to say, are you a man or a mouse)
“Dear Peyton” (Mamma always wanted me to have my own place)
“Dear Harry James” (Mamma said I should toot my own horn)
“Dear Rocket” (Mamma always wanted me to leave my pad and take off)
“Dear Ace” (Mamma always said I was a card.)
"Dear Gorgonzola" (Mamma always wanted me to be the big cheese.)
“Things are fine in Mount Idy.
Elsie Krack arrived back in town yesterday. You remember, son, she left town two weeks ago by rail. Leonard Box and Byron Ogg were carrying the rail."
"Ludlow Bean, the groom [at his wedding to Birdie Rodd], got pretty banged up at the wedding. Somebody hit him with some rice. It was still in the fifty-pound bag."
"The entire population of Mount Idy--308 souls in all--was rushed to the Mount Idy Emergency Hospital on Memorial Day, due to a slight oversight on the part of Ludlow Bean. At noon, the old Civil War cannon in the town square was fired, and everybody in town rushed out to the park and dove into our new swimming pool. Ludlow Bean was the only one who didn't go to the hospital. He was also the one who forgot to fill the pool."
"We all saw Elsie Krack the other day, which made us all very happy, because when you see Elsie at this time of the year it means six weeks of good weather."
"[Leonard Box and his wife] were such a lovely couple. She was so bowlegged and he was so knock-kneed that when they walked down the street they spelled OX."
"I was going to send you that $5 I owe you but I see I have already sealed the envelope."
"We had a fire in the bathroom. Luckily, it didn't spread to the house."
"We're all proud of Ludlow [Bean]. When he first came to Mount Idy, he started out in a small way. He started as an organ grinder, with one small monkey. He worked hard and saved. Two years later he expanded--now he has a pipe organ and a gorilla. He doesn't have any trouble with people putting money in the cup now."
“Well son, I must close now and go help your father.
He was coming up the stairs with five gallons of elderberry wine and slipped and fell clear down into the basement. Fortunately, he didn’t spill a drop - he kept his mouth closed.
Father found an old Civil War cannon ball and took a hammer to it in the back yard to see if it was still good - it was.
Father is now standing out in the yard and a bolt of lightening knocked him flat on his back. He is standing there again to see if lightening ever strikes twice in the same place. He’s on his back again - that should answer the question.
He just went down to the barn to feed the pigs with Grandpa Ogg. There’s a big fist fight going on down there. Grandpa doesn’t want to be fed to the pigs.
He just shook hands with Grandpa Ogg, and I’ve got to go take him a robe.”
Winnie
Parr said Mondays were unexplainable for lower ratings, but not so when Arquette appeared.
His career spanned radio, movies, theatre and TV. At one time he had 13 daily radio shows from studios all over Chicago. His tight schedule forced him to find a creative way around downtown - a motor boat on the Chicago River.
Cliff says he developed the “Letters from Mamma” routine because “…I’m lazy and I don’t like to memorize things. So I write myself letters to read.”
One of my garage-sale finds is his 1959 book, “Charley Weaver’s Letters from Mamma”. Classic humor, funny, corny, timeless and never vulgar. Some jokes are old, maybe carved in stone, and sometimes the audience or reader beat him to the punch line; but no one ever tired of his homespun humor.
Mamma’s letters had a multitude of greetings and the latest happenings in Mount Idy and with father…..
“Dear Mickey” (Mamma always used to say, are you a man or a mouse)
“Dear Peyton” (Mamma always wanted me to have my own place)
“Dear Harry James” (Mamma said I should toot my own horn)
“Dear Rocket” (Mamma always wanted me to leave my pad and take off)
“Dear Ace” (Mamma always said I was a card.)
"Dear Gorgonzola" (Mamma always wanted me to be the big cheese.)
“Things are fine in Mount Idy.
Elsie Krack arrived back in town yesterday. You remember, son, she left town two weeks ago by rail. Leonard Box and Byron Ogg were carrying the rail."
"Ludlow Bean, the groom [at his wedding to Birdie Rodd], got pretty banged up at the wedding. Somebody hit him with some rice. It was still in the fifty-pound bag."
"The entire population of Mount Idy--308 souls in all--was rushed to the Mount Idy Emergency Hospital on Memorial Day, due to a slight oversight on the part of Ludlow Bean. At noon, the old Civil War cannon in the town square was fired, and everybody in town rushed out to the park and dove into our new swimming pool. Ludlow Bean was the only one who didn't go to the hospital. He was also the one who forgot to fill the pool."
"We all saw Elsie Krack the other day, which made us all very happy, because when you see Elsie at this time of the year it means six weeks of good weather."
"[Leonard Box and his wife] were such a lovely couple. She was so bowlegged and he was so knock-kneed that when they walked down the street they spelled OX."
"I was going to send you that $5 I owe you but I see I have already sealed the envelope."
"We had a fire in the bathroom. Luckily, it didn't spread to the house."
"We're all proud of Ludlow [Bean]. When he first came to Mount Idy, he started out in a small way. He started as an organ grinder, with one small monkey. He worked hard and saved. Two years later he expanded--now he has a pipe organ and a gorilla. He doesn't have any trouble with people putting money in the cup now."
“Well son, I must close now and go help your father.
He was coming up the stairs with five gallons of elderberry wine and slipped and fell clear down into the basement. Fortunately, he didn’t spill a drop - he kept his mouth closed.
Father found an old Civil War cannon ball and took a hammer to it in the back yard to see if it was still good - it was.
Father is now standing out in the yard and a bolt of lightening knocked him flat on his back. He is standing there again to see if lightening ever strikes twice in the same place. He’s on his back again - that should answer the question.
He just went down to the barn to feed the pigs with Grandpa Ogg. There’s a big fist fight going on down there. Grandpa doesn’t want to be fed to the pigs.
He just shook hands with Grandpa Ogg, and I’ve got to go take him a robe.”
Winnie
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