Freberg, Stan (1926-2015), was an American humorist known for his distinctive brand of satire. Much of Freberg’s satire took the form of short plays that humorously explored American history and popular culture. Freberg wrote his satire primarily for radio. He won three Emmy Awards for his children’s television show, “Time for Beany,” which ran from 1949 to 1954. Freberg also recorded several comedy albums that became best sellers. In addition, he created radio and television commercials that won numerous awards. Freberg acted in most of his works.
Stanley Victor Freberg was born on Aug. 7, 1926, in Los Angeles. In the late 1950’s, Freberg performed on radio for the Columbia Broadcasting System. During the 1950’s, Freberg also had several hit singles of novelty recordings. Many of these recordings and segments from his radio show were collected on several albums. In 1961, Freberg recorded his first album of original material, Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America: The Early Years. He released a follow-up recording, Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, Vol. 2: The Middle Years, in 1996. Freberg wrote an autobiography, It Only Hurts When I Laugh, in 1988. From 1990 to 1998, Freberg hosted “Stan Freberg Here,” a daily syndicated radio commentary program on Armed Forces Radio. He also hosted the radio program “When Radio Was,” a syndicated anthology of old-time radio shows, from 1995 until 2006. Freberg died on April 7, 2015.
