Stan Freberg Day
Today is Thursday, August 7th, 2014 and there are just 140 days left until Christmas. (In fact, Christmas is just 19 weeks from today!)
It is Stan Freberg Day of Christmas. Freberg was born on this day in 1926.
For many fans of Christmas the name Stan Freberg may be unknown. Freberg’s contributions to Christmas came at a time when the waning golden days of radio allowed him to become a culturally controversial figure. His satirical and biting comedy seems tame by modern standards but back in the day Freberg could get a lot of attention. His signature Christmas related work, Green Christmas, remains a holiday favorite that still gets significant play each holiday season:
The ironic thing about Green Christmas is that producers at first refused to release the record. They feared a backlash from advertisers due to Freberg’s lampooning of commerce and industry in commercializing Christmas. The real irony is that after the success of the record and his controversial radio show Freberg went on to become a legend in the advertising business.
Freberg liberally leans on Dickens in Green Christmas and the orchestrations by Billy May and vocal talents of Daws Butler along with the choral backup of the Jud Conlon Chorale give the entire production a Christmasy feel that fans still love — as well as a social message that still resonates.
