Bob & Ray
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were a comedy duo that began in radio in the late 1940s with a daily 15-minute show titled "Matinee With Bob & Ray." They continued on the air for over 40 years on NBC, CBS, the Mutual Broadcasting System, and NPR, ending in 1987. Some episodes were released on phonograph records, and the pair had a 15-minute television show that ran from 1951 to 1953.
The shows were ad-libbed with Bob and Ray playing all the characters, often spoofing the conventions of other radio programs. Characters included Wally Ballou, an often inept in-the-field reporter; Mary McGoon, a home economics advisor; Webley Webster, a book reviewer; Artie Schermerhorn, an "investigative" reporter; Biff Burns, a sports reporter; and countless others.
Spoofs of radio shows were also a trademark, including soap opera parodies like "Mary Backstage, Noble Wife" and "One Fella's Family," children's shows like "Mr. Science," and "Matt Neffer, Boy Spot-Welding King of the World," and game shows like "The 64 Cent Question."
Ray died on March 24, 1990.
