Mister Ron's Basement II
Exploring the Universe of Public Domain Humor, featuring the greatest writers in the world, seven days a week! Indexed at http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html
Sun, Dec 31 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #594

Happy New Year 2007! On Mondays we have been serializing the 1890 book 'Samantha Among the Bretheren' by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley). Today we feature very last Chapter, Number 28, 'The End.'

Next Monday we will begin a brand new book! Don't miss it!

Time: approx nine minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-31.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:55am EDT

Sat, Dec 30 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #593

Beginning a new series -- 'The Sunday Salad' -- stories written by Stanley Huntley. Huntley had a fascinating career, and his life is as compelling as any tales we have told here in the Basement. During the last years of Huntley's life, he wrote a humorous weekly column for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle called 'The Sunday Salad.'

The feature ran an assortment of humorous pieces, including news items, funny poetry, spoofs of popular writers, and most importantly, immortal stories of the battling couple, Mr. and Mrs. Spoopendyke.

Most (but not all) of the Huntley pieces we will read from the 'Sunday Salad' will be Spoopendyke stories. They are superbly funny, and remained immensely popular in collected volumes with American readers for decades beyond Huntley's death in 1885.

Today's Spoopendyke story, from February 29, 1880, is called 'The Fifteen Puzzle.'

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-30.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:51am EDT

Fri, Dec 29 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #592

Mr. Bowser performs a self-sacrificing experiment involving the moon, mists, and a crazy old lady. From 1902, comes C. B. Lewis's 'Malaria and Mosquitos.'

Time: approx eleven minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/quad.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-29.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:46am EDT

Thu, Dec 28 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #591

Sneaking in late after going out for 'just a few minutes?' Learn how one husband handled the explanation in Robert Barry Coffin's 'The Morning After' from 1865.

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-28.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:44am EDT

Wed, Dec 27 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #590

From 1865, Robert Barry Coffin circles around a throbbing head and comes up with a sure cure in 'My Wife Has A Headache.'

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-27.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:42am EDT

Tue, Dec 26 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #589

Another 'Infelicity' from Robert Barry Coffin's 1865 Book, 'Matrimonial Infelicities' -- 'My Wife Wants Money.'

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-26.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:40am EDT

Mon, Dec 25 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #588

Mister Ron uncovers another great but obscure humorist that made people laugh almost a century and a half ago -- Robert Barry Coffin, writing under the pen name of 'Barry Gray' created a battling married couple that truly loved each other in the 1865 book 'Matrimonial Infelicities.'

Today's 'Infelicity' starts with a cup of coffee and takes off from there -- 'Conversation at the Breakfast Table.'

Time: approx ten minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-25.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:38am EDT

Sun, Dec 24 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #587

On Mondays we are serializing the 1890 book 'Samantha Among the Bretheren' by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley). Today we feature the Next-to-Last Chapter, Number 27, 'Back Together.'

Time: approx thirteen minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-24a.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:35pm EDT

Sun, Dec 24 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #586

A Special Holiday Treat!

Robert J. Burdette delivered his lecture 'The Rise and Fall of the Mustache' from 1877 to packed houses for well over thirty years. It is almost totally forgotten today, and while much of it is terribly outdated, most of it is timeless, and worth hearing today. It will make you laugh, and cry.

This is, without a doubt, the absolute longest story we have read, or ever will read, here in the Basement. It is worth listening to. Your comments are appreciated.

Time: approx One Hour and Thirty-Two minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/burdette.html

 

A hint to new listeners - you can use the catalogs to find stories by specific authors, or just type their name in the keyword search field. To find some of the best stories in the Basement, simply click here!

-- By the way, if you haven't noticed, you can get the episode by either clicking on the word 'POD' on top of this section, or on the filename on the bottom where it says 'Direct Download' or by clicking on the Victrola picture, or by subscribing in iTunes.

 

Direct download: revry-2006-12-24.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:25am EDT

Fri, Dec 22 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #585

There's nothing like a delightful picnic in a charming meadow -- and there is nothing like that at all in the 1902 tale 'Mr. Bowser's Day in the Country' by C. B. Lewis.

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/quad.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-22.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:22am EDT

Thu, Dec 21 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #584

An explanation of why a young man became bald-headed, involving a Church Sociable, a Buffet, and a deaf cashier, is all part of Robert J. Burdette's 1877 tale, 'Settling Under Difficulties.'

Time: approx five minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/burdette.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-21.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:20am EDT

Wed, Dec 20 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #583

Robert J. Burdette explores the contents of a sleepy Churchgoer's pockets in the 1877 tale 'A Trying Situation.'

Time: approx six minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/burdette.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-20.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:19am EDT

Tue, Dec 19 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #582

From 1877, Robert J. Burdette presents us with a fascinating character sketch in a Post Office, 'The Power of Dignity.'

Time: approx five minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/burdette.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-19.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:17am EDT

Mon, Dec 18 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #581

A common complaint today is the lack of civility in politics. Today's 1877 story from Robert J. Burdette brings us back to the Golden Age of Political Cooperation and Harmony between Democrats and Republicans in 'The Amenities of Politics.'

Right.

Time: approx ten and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Robert J. Burdette Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/burdette.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-18.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:14am EDT

Sun, Dec 17 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #580

On Mondays we are serializing the 1890 book 'Samantha Among the Bretheren' by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley). Samantha tries to squeeze a few dollars for the Church Fair from Josiah and compares notes with the other women afterward, in Chapter 26, 'Donating.'

Time: approx fifteen minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-17.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:11am EDT

Sat, Dec 16 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #579

Josephine Dodge Daskam explores the nasty habit women once had of mounting dead birds on their hats in the 1901 fable 'The Woman Who Bribed Her Niece.'

Time: approx five minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Josephine Dodge Daskam Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/daskam.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-16.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:10am EDT

Fri, Dec 15 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #578

Mr. Bowser jumps on another fad in C. B. Lewis's 1902 tale about that newfangled invention, 'The Horseless Carriage.'

Time: approx nine minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/quad.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-15.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:08am EDT

Thu, Dec 14 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #577

Thos. W. Jackson wrote and published a series of paperback books filled with silly Railroad stories and jokes around the Turn of the Century. Today we present excerpts from his first and most popular book, from 1904, 'On A Slow Train Through Arkansaw.'

Time: approx eight minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-14.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:06am EDT

Wed, Dec 13 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #576



A special story today involving packing for a train trip. Our first Basement episode ever to feature Mr. and Mrs. Spoopendyke, a marvelously funny couple, created by Brooklyn Eagle columnist Stanley Huntley. There will be more Spoopendyke stories in the future, but today's is called 'Hunting for a Receipt' from 1881.

Time: approx six minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Stanley Huntley and Spoopendyke Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/Spoopendyke_Stories.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-13.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:01am EDT

Tue, Dec 12 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #575

George Ade returns to the Basement today with a 1914 tale that takes place (well, at least a little bit) on a Train, to go along with our theme for the week -- A disgusted Father turns the tables on a headstrong daughter and her beau in 'The New Fable of the Father Who Jumped In.'

Time: approx thirteen minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The George Ade Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/AdeCatalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-12.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:58am EDT

Mon, Dec 11 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #574

Stories about Trains or that take place on board Trains are spotlighted this week in the Basement.

C. B. Lewis relates a story of strict Train Rule enforcement in the 1884 tale 'Making A Passenger 'Git' '.

Time: approx four minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/quad.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-11.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:56am EDT

Sun, Dec 10 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #573

On Mondays we are serializing the 1890 book 'Samantha Among the Bretheren' by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley). Today's episode relates how Samantha raises a young horse in Chapter 25, 'The Horse Corset.'

Time: approx ten minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-10.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:54am EDT

Sat, Dec 09 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #572

Josephine Dodge Daskam stresses the importance of knowing how to swim when one lives near the water in the 1901 fable, 'The Woman Who Could Not Help Herself.

Time: approx three and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Josephine Dodge Daskam Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/daskam.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-09.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:52am EDT

Fri, Dec 08 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #571

We are warned to 'stand by and let the fur fly' in C. B. Lewis's 1902 tale 'Mr. Bowser Beats the Carpet.'

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/quad.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-08.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:50am EDT

Thu, Dec 07 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #570

Ending a week of funny stories by Marcus Mills 'Brick' Pomeroy, from his 1868 collection, 'Nonsense, or Hits and Criticisms on the Follies of the Day.'

Here's a tale of lifelong (and beyond) romance with a country girl in 'My Milkmaid Miranda.'

And incidentally, Mister Ron discovered that the word 'womblecropt' means 'a rumbling stomach.' It was much more commonly used in the 19th century.

Time: approx ten and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-07a.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:47pm EDT

Thu, Dec 07 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #569

Marcus Mills Pomeroy, more popularly known as 'Brick' Pomeroy, published what were termed 'sensational' newspapers in Wisconsin and New York City in his day. He also published a number of extremely funny books. This week, we will be featuring pieces from his 1868 collection, 'Nonsense, or Hits and Criticisms on the Follies of the Day.'

It was a common practice in the 19th Century to have 'sociable' parties as fund raisers for missionaries, with a variety of games. A frustrating visit to one of these 'sociables' is related in the tale 'Slobbering Parties -- For the Heathen.'

By the way, Pomeroy uses the word 'womblecropt,' which Mister Ron has noticed in a few different 19th century stories. Anybody have any clue to this particular word? Please write!

Time: approx nine minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-07.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:44am EDT

Tue, Dec 05 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #568

Marcus Mills Pomeroy, more popularly known as 'Brick' Pomeroy, published what were termed 'sensational' newspapers in Wisconsin and New York City in his day. He also published a number of extremely funny books. This week, we will be featuring pieces from his 1868 collection, 'Nonsense, or Hits and Criticisms on the Follies of the Day.'

Coincidentally, Mister Ron was at home with sniffles, high fever, and a sore throat when he read this appropriate story -- 'Cure for A Cold.'

Time: approx nine minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-05.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:19am EDT

Mon, Dec 04 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #567

Marcus Mills Pomeroy, more popularly known as 'Brick' Pomeroy, published what were termed 'sensational' newspapers in Wisconsin and New York City in his day. He also published a number of extremely funny books. This week, we will be featuring pieces from his 1868 collection, 'Nonsense, or Hits and Criticisms on the Follies of the Day.'

Today's tale relates a unique method of dealing with insect pests in 'Mosquitoes on a Bender.'

Time: approx nine and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Brick Pomeroy Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/brickpomeroy.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-04.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:15am EDT

Sun, Dec 03 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #566

On Mondays we are serializing the 1890 book 'Samantha Among the Bretheren' by Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley). Today's episode is not too humorous, but is a Roller Coaster ride of a chapter -- Chapter Twenty-Four, 'A Break from the Bells.'

Time: approx twenty-two minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-03.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:11am EDT

Sat, Dec 02 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #565

Josephine Dodge Daskam tells of a clever method of snaring a husband in the 1901 fable 'The Woman Who Married Her Daughter.'

Time: approx three and a half minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The Josephine Dodge Daskam Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/daskam.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-02.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:09am EDT

Fri, Dec 01 2006

Mister Ron's Basement #564

Mr. Bowser once again proves his amazing psychic abilities in C. B. Lewis's 1902 hysterical tale, 'Mind Reading.'

Time: approx ten minutes

The Mister Ron's Basement Full Catalog can be found at:
http://ronevry.com/Mister_Rons_Full_Catalog.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/quad.html

The M. Quad (C. B. Lewis) Mister Bowser Catalog of Stories is at:

http://ronevry.com/mrbowser.html

Direct download: revry-2006-12-01.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:07am EDT