Slow Talkers of America
Encyclopedia
Slow Talkers of America is the title of a classic comedy
routine by Bob and Ray
. It was released on their live performance albums The Two and Only and A Night of Two Stars. In the routine, Ray Goulding interviews Bob Elliot, who is playing the President "and Recording Secretary" of the Slow Talkers of America. Instead of drawing his individual words out, Bob speaks the words at a normal speed, but leaves long pauses between them. Ray starts guessing what the next word will be, and speaking his guesses out loud during the pauses, in frustration at waiting. At first he is fairly successful at guessing what Bob is going to say, but soon Bob starts intentionally changing his responses to make Ray's guesses wrong. Ray's frustration increases until he can't take any more, and brings the interview to an end.
In their Broadway show, The Two and Only, they put a variation in the routine. Bob announced that he was going to tell Ray the "credo of the S....T....O....A." The curtain dropped for a 15-minute intermission. When the audience returned, Bob and Ray were sitting in the same places. Bob said, "And that about wraps up the credo of the STOA."
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
routine by Bob and Ray
Bob and Ray
Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding were an American comedy team whose career spanned five decades. Their format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as...
. It was released on their live performance albums The Two and Only and A Night of Two Stars. In the routine, Ray Goulding interviews Bob Elliot, who is playing the President "and Recording Secretary" of the Slow Talkers of America. Instead of drawing his individual words out, Bob speaks the words at a normal speed, but leaves long pauses between them. Ray starts guessing what the next word will be, and speaking his guesses out loud during the pauses, in frustration at waiting. At first he is fairly successful at guessing what Bob is going to say, but soon Bob starts intentionally changing his responses to make Ray's guesses wrong. Ray's frustration increases until he can't take any more, and brings the interview to an end.
In their Broadway show, The Two and Only, they put a variation in the routine. Bob announced that he was going to tell Ray the "credo of the S....T....O....A." The curtain dropped for a 15-minute intermission. When the audience returned, Bob and Ray were sitting in the same places. Bob said, "And that about wraps up the credo of the STOA."