Impressionist George Bettinger seems to have resurrected almost all of the voices from the golden age of comedy to visit his general store on the 1998 CD Mom and Pop Variety Shop. The gimmick is that he takes famous figures from radio, old movies, and the early days of television and throws them into hilarious modern day scenarios. Imagine the Three Stooges ordering a skim latte or W.C. Fields shopping for phen-phen and you get the idea. In one segment, "the Professor" invents a time machine bringing back any celebrity from ...
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Impressionist George Bettinger seems to have resurrected almost all of the voices from the golden age of comedy to visit his general store on the 1998 CD Mom and Pop Variety Shop. The gimmick is that he takes famous figures from radio, old movies, and the early days of television and throws them into hilarious modern day scenarios. Imagine the Three Stooges ordering a skim latte or W.C. Fields shopping for phen-phen and you get the idea. In one segment, "the Professor" invents a time machine bringing back any celebrity from the past (allowing for two Groucho Marx impressions) and the episode where Laurel and Hardy run into a gang of oddly lisping thugs in the Bronx is funny, but probably not in the manner that Bettinger intended. His heart is in the right place, but unfortunately his impersonations usually fall a little flat, and while the humor would be perfect for kids ten and under, they'll never be able to place Joe Franklin or Gracie Allen in any context. Still, Mom and Pop Variety Shop is certainly family-appropriate in an age where most comedy albums are anything but, and if the idea of having the Three Stooges or Jackie Mason as the voice on your answering machine, then this is the CD for you. ~ Zac Johnson, Rovi
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