Chicken Man (radio series)
Encyclopedia
Chickenman is an American
radio
series that spoofs comic book heroes. It was created in the mid 1960s by Dick Orkin
, who at the time was a production director at WCFL
in Chicago, Illinois. Its famous catch-phrase is, "He's everywhere! He's everywhere!"
The series was loosely patterned after the Batman
television show. It made its appearance in the spring of 1966 as a segment on radio station WCFL's Jim Runyon
Show. Runyon served as its narrator. Orkin voiced the hero throughout the 195 episodes.
In the series, the super hero known as Chickenman is Benton Harbor
, a shoe salesman at a large Midland City department store. Because of his Monday to Friday working hours, Chickenman can only fight crime on weekends. The main characters include Police Commissioner Benjamin Norton, Norton's secretary Miss Honor Helfinger (Jane Roberts), Chickenman's mother Mildred Harbor (also Jane Roberts), and his girlfriend Sayde Leckner (Jane Roberts once again). Chickenman's mother sometimes helps out as the "Maternal Marauder" (also known as the "Masked Mother"). Chickenman roams Midland City seeking criminals in his yellow crime-fighting car, appropriately known as the Chicken Coupe. The program's music is borrowed; the introductory theme is taken from the James Bond classic "Thunderball", since the four-note trumpet sound fits perfectly with Benton Harbor's "Buck-buck-buck-buuuuuck" chicken call that precedes the title.
Chickenman's greatest foes include the Chicken-Plucker, the Dog Lady, Big Clyde Crushman, the Bear Lady, the Very Diabolical, Rodney Farber (a childhood playmate who never forgave Benton Harbor for breaking his red wagon one Christmas Day), and the Couple From SHTICK (Secret Henchmen To Injure Crime Killers). Benton Harbor is prone to spoonerisms
, such as "I shall not rest while rime runs crampant in the streets of Midland City."
The program was revived in 1973 as Chickenman vs. the Earth-Polluters, an ecology series in which the "Fearless Feathered Fighter" battles pollution in Midland City, organizing the BEAK (Beautiful Earth & Air Keepers) Patrol. A total of 52 episodes were recorded.
In 1977, it was revived as Chickenman Returns for the Last Time Again. The "Wonderful White-Winged Warrior" feels that time had passed him by and he decides to open a crime-fighting school to carry on his crusade. However, there is only one student: Leon Cabblemouth (played by Orkin's then-partner, Burt Berdis). Orkin and Rich Koz
co-authored several of the episodes, which numbered 65.
.
The show can be heard daily on XM Radio's Channel 151, Laugh USA
, and was formerly played on XM Radio Channel 6 before it merged with Sirius Satellite Radio
. It is also broadcast on WFJV 103.3 in Crystal River Florida on weekday mornings at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 AM. Also, WION-AM, I-1430(kHz) in Ionia, Michigan and their low-power FM translator station on 92.7(mHz) broadcast episodes weekdays a few minutes after 8:00am and 12:00 noon (generally around 12 minutes after the hour). Several episodes have been used by This American Life
.
In Canada
, Chickenman can be heard on CJBQ in Belleville, Ontario. The AM
station's afternoon drive host Freddy Vette airs episodes during his weekday programs.
Chickenman is well known in Australia
, and all of the episodes were broadcast in the 1990s on 5AD (now Mix 102.3 FM. It is currently heard on weekdays on Curtin FM 100.1 in Perth, Western Australia
, and on 5MU in South Australia
.
Chickenman is played in New Zealand on Mangawhai's Heads FM 106.4 FM, to the bafflement of the listening public.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
series that spoofs comic book heroes. It was created in the mid 1960s by Dick Orkin
Dick Orkin
Dick Orkin is an award-winning voice actor and commercial radio producer who created the series Chickenman and The Secret Adventures of the Tooth Fairy...
, who at the time was a production director at WCFL
WCFL (AM)
WCFL was the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, hence its call letters. The station is now known as WMVP. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove and is still in use by WMVP...
in Chicago, Illinois. Its famous catch-phrase is, "He's everywhere! He's everywhere!"
The series was loosely patterned after the Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
television show. It made its appearance in the spring of 1966 as a segment on radio station WCFL's Jim Runyon
Jim Runyon
Jim Runyon was an American radio announcer, disc jockey, and sometime actor from the late 1950s to 1973.-Career:He was the narrator of the Chickenman series which began on his program at WCFL in Chicago in 1966; Runyon also played several parts in the show.James Runyon served in the United States...
Show. Runyon served as its narrator. Orkin voiced the hero throughout the 195 episodes.
In the series, the super hero known as Chickenman is Benton Harbor
Benton Harbor, Michigan
Benton Harbor is a city in Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan which is located west of Kalamazoo. The population was 10,038 at the 2010 census. It is the lesser populated of the two principal cities included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
, a shoe salesman at a large Midland City department store. Because of his Monday to Friday working hours, Chickenman can only fight crime on weekends. The main characters include Police Commissioner Benjamin Norton, Norton's secretary Miss Honor Helfinger (Jane Roberts), Chickenman's mother Mildred Harbor (also Jane Roberts), and his girlfriend Sayde Leckner (Jane Roberts once again). Chickenman's mother sometimes helps out as the "Maternal Marauder" (also known as the "Masked Mother"). Chickenman roams Midland City seeking criminals in his yellow crime-fighting car, appropriately known as the Chicken Coupe. The program's music is borrowed; the introductory theme is taken from the James Bond classic "Thunderball", since the four-note trumpet sound fits perfectly with Benton Harbor's "Buck-buck-buck-buuuuuck" chicken call that precedes the title.
Chickenman's greatest foes include the Chicken-Plucker, the Dog Lady, Big Clyde Crushman, the Bear Lady, the Very Diabolical, Rodney Farber (a childhood playmate who never forgave Benton Harbor for breaking his red wagon one Christmas Day), and the Couple From SHTICK (Secret Henchmen To Injure Crime Killers). Benton Harbor is prone to spoonerisms
Spoonerism
A spoonerism is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched . It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner , Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency...
, such as "I shall not rest while rime runs crampant in the streets of Midland City."
The program was revived in 1973 as Chickenman vs. the Earth-Polluters, an ecology series in which the "Fearless Feathered Fighter" battles pollution in Midland City, organizing the BEAK (Beautiful Earth & Air Keepers) Patrol. A total of 52 episodes were recorded.
In 1977, it was revived as Chickenman Returns for the Last Time Again. The "Wonderful White-Winged Warrior" feels that time had passed him by and he decides to open a crime-fighting school to carry on his crusade. However, there is only one student: Leon Cabblemouth (played by Orkin's then-partner, Burt Berdis). Orkin and Rich Koz
Rich Koz
Rich Koz is a Chicago area actor and broadcaster best known as horror-movie host Svengoolie. Out of costume, he is also the knowledgeable host of the syndicated Three Stooges Stooge-a-Palooza program.- Beginnings :...
co-authored several of the episodes, which numbered 65.
Rebroadcasts
The 312 episodes of Chickenman are regularly played on the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS), especially on stations broadcasting to service personnel outside the continental United States. It first appeared on AFRTS during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The show can be heard daily on XM Radio's Channel 151, Laugh USA
Laugh USA
Laugh USA is a Sirius XM Radio channel featuring family comedy. The channel's slogan is "Classic Comedy and Good Clean Fun." The comedy aired sometimes contains mild profanities and slightly risqué material, and is only very rarely considered offensive...
, and was formerly played on XM Radio Channel 6 before it merged with Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
. It is also broadcast on WFJV 103.3 in Crystal River Florida on weekday mornings at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 AM. Also, WION-AM, I-1430(kHz) in Ionia, Michigan and their low-power FM translator station on 92.7(mHz) broadcast episodes weekdays a few minutes after 8:00am and 12:00 noon (generally around 12 minutes after the hour). Several episodes have been used by This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
.
In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Chickenman can be heard on CJBQ in Belleville, Ontario. The AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station's afternoon drive host Freddy Vette airs episodes during his weekday programs.
Chickenman is well known in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and all of the episodes were broadcast in the 1990s on 5AD (now Mix 102.3 FM. It is currently heard on weekdays on Curtin FM 100.1 in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, and on 5MU in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Chickenman is played in New Zealand on Mangawhai's Heads FM 106.4 FM, to the bafflement of the listening public.
CD
All 312 episodes, along with station promos and two CDs of exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, are available to collectors on a 14-CD package.External links
- Chickenman radio series on the Radio Ranch website
- Chickenman entry at Audio Theater.com
- Ira Glass presents the first new Chickenman episode since 1969 on This American Life.
- A couple episodes are snuck into TAL #252 (Poultry Slam 2003, rebroadcast in 2010)
- Reel Radio-Windy City airchecks-page includes 10 audio files of Chickenman episodes
- Mr. Pop Culture Week of January 16, 1967-Chickenman story page 9
- Time-June 9, 1967-It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Whoops, It's a Bird