Feb. 21, 1954 question

[Yhtapmys]

Toward the end of this show, Mel Blanc is doing his train announcer bit.

He gives a line about a train arriving with 75 carloads of Florida oranges. There are gunshots, and then Mel talks of 75 carloads departing.

What is he saying? I can't hear the line and can't figure out the joke.

Yhtapmys

[JohnM]

Can't completely hear it but it sounds like he just saying train now departing on track 9 with 75 carloads of florida oranges.

But the way the laugh escalates and the timing of it suggests either there was some topical connection to the gun shots gag (was a fruit train held up recently?), OR, there was something visual in the studio that caused the laugh. My $0.02.

[Roman]

My guess is that the joke has to do with the aggressiveness of the California authorities in regulating the importation of oranges from another state. California has always had a reputation of going to some lengths to protect the health (physical and economic) of its agricultural sector. At least that's how I interpreted it.

[ethanmuse]

I always thought that Californians were prejudiced against Florida oranges. I remember a Red Skelton television show where he goes to the bar and orders a glass of orange juice. When he drinks it, he starts gagging and making faces similar to those he makes in his Guzzler's Gin routine. When he finishes gagging on the juice, he says, "Florida oranges." The audience erupts with laughter and applause.

[mrdj]

Along a similar vein, I remember in a radio show, Rochester is serving Jack breakfast and Jack comments on the color of the grapefruit. Rochester replies something to the effect that some are pink because the ones from Florida blush when they see the size of the California grapefruits.

[JohnM]

Sounds like that's it. Come to think of it, wouldn't Anaheim, Azuza and Cucamonga be in the heart of the California citrus growers industry?

I get the joke now.

[Brad from Georgia]

I suspect this might be a topical reference--I even checked the late January/early February '54 copies of Newsweek and Time in our college library, but couldn't find any news item on a citrus war between CA and FL. We don't have access to California newspaper archives, though....