STAN FREBERG HERE...The Freberg Olympic Cigar Lighter
Stan Freberg here. Well, the Olympic torch was lit in Greece, flown to Los Angeles, and transferred to many relay runners on its way to Atlanta. Reminds me of how I once carried the Olympic torch and got a lot of laughs. A lot of laughs? After this. [:60 SPOT BREAK]
Stan Freberg again. I once played Australia at the same time the Olympics were held there. Three of my comedy records were in the top ten in Australia, so I flew there for a series of concerts in Sydney, Melbourne and so forth. I thought, "How shall I make my entrance?"
Well, every morning in the papers there was a shot of various torch bearers running on their way to Melbourne for the start of the Olympics. "That's it!" I said. So I had the emcee, who was on stage, put an unlit cigar in his mouth before he introduced me: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Stan Freberg!"
Then, as a stadium full of fans applauded, they noticed a strange, firey glow coming from the back of the stadium. It was Freberg, running down the aisle and carrying the Olympic torch! As I came up onto the stage, the emcee leaned forward and I lit his cigar with my torch, singeing his eyebrows.
The applause stopped...and so did my heart. The people there took the Olympics very seriously. "And this bloke is lighting a cigar with the Olympic torch???" Then the outrageousness of what I was doing sank in, and they cheered in a standing ovation!
That was one time nerve, or "cheek," as they call it down there, paid off.
Stan Freberg here.
Copyright (C)1996, Stan Freberg/Freberg, Ltd. (but not very) Distributed by Dick Brescia Associates and Radio Spirits, Inc.