The Bickersons

The People Behind The Bickersons Show:
Philip Rapp, which created the Fanny Brice skits, which later grew into “Baby Snooks” on the radio, created “The Bickersons”. Philip Rap was also the one time writer of Eddie Cantor. Once the latter was able to establish it as a continuous favorite, Philip Rapp presented and developed Blanche and John Dickerson. First, they were presented and developed as a very short sketch that aired on “The Old Gold Show” as well as “The Chase and Sanborn Hour which was the show that was made-up of two stars, Edgar Bergen along side of his dummy known as Charlie McCarthy.

It was also included as a fifteen minute situational sketch that appeared as part of the “Drene Time”. “Drene Time” was a variety show that starred Don Ameche as well as Frances Langford who was a singer-actress as the co-hosts, which aired on NBC and was sponsored by Drene Shampoo. Michael Anthony announced the show, and he became familiar later to all of the television viewers as the executive secretary and presenter of “The Millionaire’s” as Marvin Miller.

Typically, “Drene Time” would open with Frances Langford singing an arrangement that was similar to the style of a big band which was before Langford and Ameche would fall into their routine comedy which was often aided by Danny Thomas who as the co-star, in routines that were often hooked around the frustration that Ameche possessed toward Thomas because he seemed too have more interest in modern discoveries and technologies than he did in women.

Once they completed one more musical number as well as a commercial spot for their producer Drene Shampoo, Miller would announce Langford and Ameche as the popular Bickersons in the final fifteen minutes of the show which was known as “The Honeymoon’s Over”.

The Bickersons and Television:
As it was, “The Bickersons” weren’t even slightly ready for what prime time radio would bring but they lasted on the air for two complete seasons after everything was said and done. However in the CBS Television version, it wasn’t even able to last that long. The role of John Bickerson was played by Lew Parker in both skits but it was said that the roles didn’t work as they did in the original skits. Langford and Parker didn’t seem to have the seamless anti-chemistry that Langford and Ameche had.