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Line 3: {{quote\|''"Well, it's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, my hometown, out on the edge of the prairie."''\|'''The traditional opener for the "News from Lake Wobegon" segment.'''}} One of the more popular old-time [[Radio]] [[Variety Show\|variety shows]] ~~still in existence~~, ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was created by Garrison Keillor in 1974 and ~~continues~~continued to broadcast faithfully until 2016 from St. Paul every Saturday to a totally loyal audience. It's was popular for several reasons, chiefly nostalgia for the good old days of radio--which this is very, ''very'' evocative of--and Keillor's [[Signature Style\|distinctive]] [[Deadpan Snarker\|comedic style]]. Its successor is the Minnesota Public Radio show ''Live from Here''. Though the guest stars and location vary the segments almost always included are: Line 13: ** '''Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie''': In a similar vein to the Catchup Advisory Board, usually involves a long and drawn-out tale of failure and humiliation narrated by Garrison with appropriate sound effects. Always finishes with the catchy jingle and the phrase "Nothing gets the taste of humiliation out of your mouth like Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie." * ''''[[French Cuisine Is Haughty\|Café Boeuf]]''': An elite restaurant with Maurice the maitre d', who tends to be especially snooty, sometimes even insulting customers that do not meet their standards of class. * '''Shout-Outs''': Before the show, people in the audience write down their hellos and personal messages to their loved ones. Post-[[Intermission]], Keillor tries to read as many as he can. (Example: Mick and Sharon want to say hi to Ed and Doris: Congratulations on the baby, Doris! Sorry we can't enjoy the cranberries and stuffing with you this year, but we'll see you next Thanksgiving, God willing. We promise to bring the oyster stuffing, and we also promise ''[[Noodle Incident\|''not]]'' ~~[[Noodle Incident\|~~to bring the dog]]!) This was actually a fairly common thing to do in the early days of radio, when not everyone had access to a telephone, they would listen to the radio at a set time to hear the announcements to and from various people. * There is also always lots of folk music and general humor. The radio show was [[Sound to Screen Adaptation\|adapted into a film]] (famed director [[Robert Altman]]'s last) in 2006 - starring an [[Ensemble Cast]] and Garrison Keillor [[As Himself]] - which was generally well-received. ----▼ === Tropes found in the radio show: ===▼ {{tropelist}} ▲=== ~~Tropes found in the~~The radio show: === * [[Affectionate Parody]] (Much of the source material, especially ''Guy Noir'' and ''The Lives of the Cowboys'', based respectively on old-time private eyes shows like ''[[The Shadow]]'' and lesser-known [[The Western\|radio Westerns]], respectively. ** The Lake Wobegon skits are all parodic takes on nostalgic small-town media. * [[Catch Phrase]] ("Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average." It's even given rise to [~~http://en.~~[wikipedia~~.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon_effect~~:Lake Wobegon effect\|an eponymous psychological effect]].) * [[Celebrity Endorsement]] (For the Select Comfort SleepNumber bed, every episode since it was invented.) * [[Defictionalization]] (Powdermilk Biscuit mix is sold at the Lake Wobegon store at the Mall of America.) * [[Eccentric Townsfolk]] (Nobody is quite normal in Lake Wobegon, not even the clergy.) * [[Everybody Owns a Ford]]: Non - [[Product Placement]] variation; Every ''Lutheran'' drives a Ford; every ''Catholic'' drives a Chevy, the local dealers being members of those two churches respectively. Oh, and don't even think of buying the wrong make (or, heaven help you, ''foreign''), lest you fall victim to a [[Banana ~~Inthe~~In the Tailpipe\|potato up your tailpipe]]. * [[French Cuisine Is Haughty]]: Café Boeuf * [[Filk Song]] (Frequently, for example a tribute to Leonard Bernstein to the tune of "[[West Side Story\|Gee, Officer Krupke]]". When Marni Nixon (a great singer famous for having dubbed over many [[The King and I\|great]] [[My Fair Lady\|movie]] [[West Side Story\|musicals]] and never once getting credit) performed at the Hollywood Bowl, she sang a parody of "[[My Fair Lady\|I Could Have Danced All Night]]," called "[[Crowning Moment of Funny\|I Could Have Dubbed Myself]]." * [[Foreign Queasine]]: Lutefisk, lutefisk, lutefisk. Prepared in the trunk of the local seafood store owner's car, since it kills all his other business if he makes it in the shop and his wife won't allow it in the house. * [[Foreigner for Aa Day]]: Lake Wobegon regards itself as part of Minnesota (and the United States) despite not officially being part of the state because of a cartographer's error when Minnesota was officially surveyed. * [[Harpo Does Something Funny]]: The Lake Wobegon monologues are totally unscripted. * [[Hey, ~~Its~~It's That Voice!]] (Once you've heard [http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=9IgNzMOKULg Garrison Keillor's voice], you can't forget it.) ** Actor and Sound Effects artist Fred Newman has also played [[Doug\|Skeeter]] and [[Doonesbury\|Uncle Duke.]] * [[Ho Yay]]: Occasionally between Dusty and Lefty, the cowboys. They tend to say "my partner", which makes people think of the [[Have a Gay Old Time\|the newer version of "partner".]] * [[Ice Cream Koan]] (The following joke is a [[Running Gag]], because it has no real meaning:) {{quote\| ''Two penguins are sitting on an iceberg, when one penguin turns to the other and says, "You look like you're wearing a tuxedo." [http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/view.aspx?ciid{{=}}2555726 The first penguin says, "What makes you think I'm not?"]''}} * [[If I Had a Nickel]]: In a Guy Noir sketch set in New York: {{quote\| '''Sue Scott's character''': If I had a nickel for every time I have seen people talking on the phone while they drove today, I could buy the Taj Mahal. Or a studio apartment in Brooklyn.}} * [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]]: It's one of the few public radio shows not archived in its' entirety online, due to music licensing issues. Comedy segments are available, however, and there are cassette and CD sets floating about. * [[Key Under the Doormat]]. Howie Humde, inventor of the Cow-Pie Key Hider, is a sponsor of the show. Line 50: * [[Quirky Town]] (Lake Wobegon, natch) * [[Real Song Theme Tune]]: "Tishomingo Blues", but with lyrics rewritten for the show: {{quote\| "''Oh, hear that old piano, from down the avenue.~~<br />~~ ''I smell the ~~{{[~~[[Couch Gag]] \|<insert city-related objects}}>]], I look around for you<br /> ''My sweet, sweet old someone, comin' through that door<br /> ''It's Saturday an' <br /> ''The band is playin',<br /> ''Honey, could we ask for more?''" }} * [[Shaggy Dog Story]]: Every single "Beebop-a-Reebop Rhubarb Pie" commercial. Some [[Guy Noir]] stories end up like this. * [[Slice of Life]]/[[Life Embellished]]: Lake Wobegon, a take-off on nostalgic anecdotes you read about all the time. * [[Strawman Political]] * [[Tongue Onon the Flagpole]] (Garrison Keillor suggests that the ability to hypnotize children into doing this is an innate ability of pump handles and other metallic objects.) * [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?]] Lake Wobegon is in central Minnesota, but doesn't appear on any maps because the state was charted by four surveyors, starting at opposite corners and meeting in the middle, and Lake Wobegon is right where the maps they'd made overlapped. [[Blatant Lies\|True story]]. ** Furthermore, the "hole" in the map consists of Mist County, of which Lake Wobegon is county seat. The only way they have any train service at all is because the tracks were laid there by mistake. And you have to petition for each and every train to come there, because nobody has heard of the place. === ~~Tropes from the~~The movie: === * [[All -Star Cast]]: Kevin Kline, [[Meryl Streep]], Lily Tomlin, John C. Reilly, Woody Harrelson, Lindsay Lohan, and Virginia Madsen. * [[Angel Unaware]]: Asphodel * [[As Himself]]: Garrison Keillor. Actually, the character he playes is credited as "G.K.", with some notable personality differences: the [[Real Life]] Keillor doesn't have any problems with giving memorials on the radio, including moments of silence, and is only ''slightly'' less of a [[Cloudcuckoolander]] than his film equivalent. * [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Guy Noir most definitely ''and'' a lot of his clients; Garrison to a lesser extent. * [[Dead Air]]: After one of the singers passes away backstage during the show, they briefly consider having a moment of silence for him on the show. {{quote\| '''Garrison Keillor:''' ''Silence on the radio? [[Lampshade Hanging\|I don't know how that works.]] ''}} * [[Deadpan Snarker]]: {{quote\| '''Lola Johnson:''' ''This isn't really going to be your last show, is it? ''~~<br />~~ '''Garrison Keillor:''' ''Every show is your last show. That's my philosophy. ''~~<br />~~ '''Rhonda Johnson:''' ''[[Sarcasm Mode\|Thank you, Plato.]]'' }} * [[Folk ~~Song~~Music]] * [[The Grim Reaper]]: [[Meaningful Name\|Asphodel]]. * [[Mood Whiplash]]: Done ''brilliantly'' when the Johnson Sisters' [[Tear Jerker\|heartbreaking]] duet "Goodbye to my Mama" is followed up immediately by Dusty and Lefty singing "Bad Jokes" which is 4 1/2 minutes of pure, unadulterated [[Crowning Moment of Funny]]. * [[Murder Ballad]] * [[Never Say "Die"]]: Averted; we're told outright that, at the request of Guy Noir, {{spoiler\|Asphodel caused the critic's car to plunge fatally over a cliff}} because [[You Can't Fight Fate\|it makes no difference in the end]]. * [[Only Sane Man]]: The two stage managers, hustling around behind the scenes trying to make sure the show happens ''despite'' the talent. * [[The Show Must Go On]] Line 88: ** [[George Clooney]] was offered the role of Guy Noir, but regretfully turned it down due to scheduling conflicts. Keillor jokes in the screenplay that he actually wanted Clooney to play ''him''. * [[While Rome Burns]]: The singers bravely put on one last show for the memories. * [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: "Well done daughter woman", more like. Guy Noir helps quite a few people with these issues. * [[Woman in White]]: Pops up a few times in Guy Noir. ▲---- {{quote\|''"And that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good lookin', and all the children are above average."''\|'''The traditional closer for the "News from Lake Wobegon" segment.'''}} {{reflist}} [[Category:Radio]] [[Category:~~A Prairie Home Companion~~{{PAGENAME}}]] {{DEFAULTSORT:Prairie Home Companion, A}} [[Category:Radio of the 1970s]] [[Category:Radio of the 1980s]] [[Category:Radio of the 1990s]] [[Category:Radio of the 2000s]] [[Category:Radio of the 2010s]]