Slow Talkers of America

Last updated

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 as Harlow P. Whitcomb, who is playing the President "and Recording Secretary" of the Slow Talkers of America. Instead of drawing his individual words out, Whitcomb 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 Whitcomb is going to say, but soon Whitcomb 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."

The routine was repurposed for the 2016 Disney animated feature Zootopia , using a sloth as the slow talker.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Newhart</span> American comedian and actor (born 1929)

George Robert Newhart is an American comedian and actor. He is known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Having started performing as a standup comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in television. He has received numerous accolades including three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Woodward</span> American investigative journalist and associate editor (born 1943)

Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist. He started working for The Washington Post as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor.

Comic timing or “Comedic timing” emerges from a performer's joke delivery: they interact with an audience—intonation, rhythm, cadence, tempo, and pausing—to guide the audience's laughter, which then guides the comedic narrative. The pacing of the delivery of a joke can have a strong impact on its comedic effect, even altering its meaning; the same can also be true of more physical comedy such as slapstick. Comic timing is also crucial for comedic video editing to maximize the impact of a joke, for example, through a smash cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob and Ray</span> American comedy duo

Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades, composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990). The duo's 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 though it were a serious broadcast.

<i>Slow Train Coming</i> 1979 studio album by Bob Dylan

Slow Train Coming is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979, by Columbia Records. It was Dylan's first album following his conversion to Christianity, and the songs either express personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan's existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.

<i>Holly & Stephens Saturday Showdown</i> British childrens programme

Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown was a British children's entertainment programme, which was broadcast on ITV from 10 January 2004 to 1 July 2006.

<i>Childs Play</i> (game show) American TV series or program

Child's Play is an American television game show in which adult contestants tried to guess words based on definitions given by children. The Mark Goodson-produced series debuted on CBS on September 20, 1982 and ended on September 16, 1983.

The Finale (<i>Everybody Loves Raymond</i>) 16th episode of the 9th season of Everybody Loves Raymond

"The Finale" is the 210th episode of the CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. It is episode sixteen of season nine, and the final episode of the series. It originally aired on May 16, 2005, and was preceded by an hour-long special looking back on the whole series.

Thomas Freeman Koch was an American humorist and writer. He wrote for Mad Magazine for 37 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Induction puzzles</span> Logic puzzle

Induction puzzles are logic puzzles, which are examples of multi-agent reasoning, where the solution evolves along with the principle of induction.

"Slowly I Turned" is a popular vaudeville sketch wherein a character is relating a story and is triggered into violent outbursts when the listener inadvertently utters a triggering word or phrase. Versions have also been performed in movies and on television. Comedians Harry Steppe, Joey Faye, and Samuel Goldman each laid claim to this routine, also referred to as "The Stranger with a Kind Face" by clowns, "Niagara Falls" by fans of The Three Stooges and Abbott and Costello, "Martha" by fans of I Love Lucy, "Pokomoko", and "Bagel Street".

<i>The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown</i> 1957 film by Norman Taurog

The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown is a 1957 American romantic comedy film made by Russ-Field Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Norman Taurog from a screenplay by Richard Alan Simmons, based on a novel of the same name by Sylvia Tate and the jazzy music was composed and conducted by Billy May.

<i>He Was a Quiet Man</i> 2007 American film

He Was a Quiet Man is a 2007 American black comedy drama film, written and directed by Frank Cappello. The film stars Christian Slater, Elisha Cuthbert, Jamison Jones, and William H. Macy.

Developmental dysfluency, or "normal dysfluency", is a lack of language fluency that occurs during early childhood development. It is commonly observed in children ages 2 to 4 years old. This typically occurs as they begin to learn language and communication skills. Developmental dysfluency refers to speech that is continually interrupted rather than flowing naturally. Developmental dysfluency is most commonly expressed through inconsistencies in speech such as stuttering, repetition, lengthening of sounds and syllables, mistiming, and poor inflection.

Love You to Death was a pop punk band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada formed in 1999, signed to Affluence Music Group.

<i>Braingames</i> (1983 TV series) American TV series or program

Braingames is an American educational program shown on HBO in the mid-1980s. It was a half-hour program consisting of brain-teasing animated skits designed to make the viewers think. It was HBO's first attempt at a show focused on educational skits, predating Crashbox by 15 years.

<i>Probe Audio</i> 2009 studio album by Guess Who

Probe Audio is the debut solo album from Romanian rapper Guess Who. It was produced by Agresiv, Sez and other producers and released April 25, 2009 by Okapi Sound in Romania. It was re-released as Locul Potrivit/Probe Audio by Cat Music on December 8, 2009 in Romania including three new tracks and a remix and remains one of the most critically acclaimed hip hop albums in Romania.

<i>The Condemned of Altona</i>

The Condemned of Altona is a play written by Jean-Paul Sartre, known in Great Britain as Loser Wins. It was first produced in 1959 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Paris. It was one of the last plays Sartre wrote, followed only by his adaptation of Euripides' The Trojan Women. The title recalls his formulation "Man is condemned to be free." It is the only one of Sartre's fictional works which deals directly with Nazism, and also serves as a critique of the then-ongoing Algerian War. The action takes place in Altona, a borough of the German city-state of Hamburg.

<i>Constant Hitmaker</i> 2008 studio album by Kurt Vile

Constant Hitmaker is the debut studio album by American indie rock musician Kurt Vile, released in 2008 on Gulcher Records and Woodsist. Self-produced, and recorded between 2003 and 2007, the album is primarily composed of lo-fi home recordings that Vile had previously issued on CD-R.

A late talker is a toddler experiencing late language emergence (LLE), which can also be an early or secondary sign of an autism spectrum disorder, or other developmental disorders, such as fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, learning disability, social communication disorder, or specific language impairment. Lack of language development, comprehension skills, and challenges with literacy skills are potential risks as late talkers age. Outlook for late talkers with or without intervention is generally favorable. Toddlers have a high probability of catching up to typical toddlers if early language interventions are put in place. Language interventions include general language stimulation, focused language stimulation and milieu teaching.