In the 1940s I enjoyed sitting on the floor and listening to the radio with my parents and siblings. One evening program that I especially liked featured a mischievous little girl who, with a lot of imagination, constantly drove her father crazy. She told "stories", always asked "why", and tried to change the subject when she knew she had done something wrong.When Baby Snooks got into trouble, she would make the wildest of excuses, or pretend she didn't know why her father was mad at her. Sometimes, the program would end with her bawling because Daddy had to spank her.
I remember laughing a lot when the program began and I heard the tiny child's voice of Baby Snooks, who was played by comedienne, Fanny Brice. The actress was actually over 40 years older than the character she portrayed, and she even dressed in a child's clothes when she appeared at the microphone. When Brice died suddenly, my Mother told a very disappointed young girl (me!) there would be no more Baby Snooks Shows.
Until today, I didn't know that it was possible to re-listen to some of these wonderfully funny episodes. [One of the writers of Baby Snooks was Jess Oppenheimer, later the producer and head writer of I Love Lucy]. If you have nine minutes to smile and laugh, listen to "Missing Dollar" or "New Car" or one of the other recordings of Baby Snooks Shows made during 1940-1951.
