Elliott and Goulding began on Boston radio. Each was a disc jockey with his own program on radio station WHDH-AM, and each would visit with the other while on the air. Their informal banter was so appealing that WHDH would call on them, as a team, to fill in when Red Sox baseball broadcasts were rained out. Elliott and Goulding (not yet known as Bob and Ray) would improvise comedy routines all afternoon, and joke around with studio musicians.

Elliott and Goulding's brand of humor caught on, and WHDH gave them their own weekday show in 1946. Matinee with Bob and Ray was originally a 15-minute show, soon expanding to half an hour. This is why Elliott and Goulding became known as Bob and Ray: it rhymed with "Matinee." Goulding later quipped, "If the word had been Matinob, we would have been Ray and Bob."

They continued on the air for over four decades on NBC, CBS, Mutual, on New York City local stations (WINS, WOR, WHN) and NPR, ending in 1987. From 1973 to 1976 they were the afternoon drive hosts on WOR.

Monitor publicity shot of Bob and Ray with Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman). All three made extended stays at the NBC studios in order to do hourly live appearances throughout the weekend on Monitor, which could explain why they were grouped for this promotional photo.They were regulars on NBC's Monitor, often on stand-by to go on the air at short notice if the program's planned segments developed problems, and they were also heard in a surprising variety of formats and timeslots, from a 15-minute series in mid-afternoon to their hour-long show aired weeknights just before midnight in 1954-55. During that same period, they did an audience participation game show, Pick and Play with Bob and Ray, which was short-lived. It came at a time when network pages filled seats for radio-TV shows by giving tickets to anyone in the street, and on Pick and Play the two comics were occasionally booed by audience members unfamiliar with the Bob and Ray comedy style.

Some of their radio episodes were released on recordings, and others were adapted into graphic story form for publication in Mad magazine. Their earlier shows were mostly ad-libbed, but later programs relied more heavily on scripts. While Bob and Ray wrote much of their material, their writers included Tom Koch, who scripted many of their best-known routines, and the pioneering radio humorist Raymond Knight. Bob Elliott later married Knight's widow. Another writer was Jack Beauvais, who had performed as a singer for WEEI in Boston during the 1930s and also worked for some of the big bands in the 1940s and 1950s. [1]

Volume 1 Episode List

48-10-13 Bob is off Because H 48-10-14 How Bob Got Rid of H 48-12-25 Their Worst Show Eve 49-07-00 In A Rush 49-07-18 Bob And Ray 49-07-20 Bob And Ray 49-07-28 Rays Sunburn 49-08-00 Bobs Drive Through 49-08-03 Guest Tex Sings Co 49-08-01 Covering a Legionair 49-08-02 Mary McGoon to Swim 59-09-14 One Fellas Family 49-08-13 Bob And Ray 49-08-11 Twenty-Five Years of 49-08-12 Review of Black Beau 49-08-17 Bob And Ray 49-08-18 Bob And Ray 49-08-19 Bob And Ray 49-08-22 Bob And Ray 49-08-25 Bob And Ray 49-08-24 Visit to a Chocolate 49-08-29 The Brockton Fair 49-08-31 Organ and Piano Play 49-09-00 Using Old Army Blank 49-09-03 How to Impress a Wai 49-09-06 Tuesday After Labor 49-10-13 Bob And Ray 49-09-20 Mystery Band Contest 49-09-24 Testing the Paint Sp 49-09-26 Guest is the Mystery 49-10-14 Old Sayings 49-11-16 Chief Warped Arrow 49-11-17 A Visit to an Old Ca 49-12-00 Conversation Between 49-12-03 Visit From Lyle Gump 49-12-08 Lawrence McGafigan, 49-12-09 More Lawrence McGafi 49-12-16 Bob And Ray 49-12-15 Bill Green Plays the 49-12-17 School Assembly 49-12-26 Bob and Ray Painted 50-12-22 Annual Christmas Par 50-12-23 Day After the Christ 59-09-22 One Fellas Family 51-03-20 Out West 51-05-03 Bob in the Hospital 51-06-01 Diet Expert Dr Claud 59-06-30 Musical Typewriter 59-07-01 Camp Counselor 59-07-02 Sports-a-Phone 59-07-03 Captain Cavalry 59-07-07 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-07-08 Our Fella Thursday 59-07-09 Laugh Machine 59-07-13 Charlie Chu 59-07-14 Grand Motel 59-07-15 American League Gree 59-07-16 Smelly Dave 59-07-20 Rescue Squadron 59-07-21 Barry Campbell Recor 59-07-23 Flaming Bombadine 59-07-24 Smelly Dave in Peori 59-07-27 Planning for the Com 59-07-28 Moose Gap, Indiana 59-07-30 Smelly Dave at Alban 59-07-31 Bob and Ray Employee 59-08-03 Gumshoe Flarety 59-08-05 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-08-06 Army Amature Program 59-08-07 Wally Ballou and Fam 59-08-11 After Hours Televisi 59-08-12 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-08-13 The Bob and Ray Saw- 59-08-14 Mr Sciences 59-08-18 The Great Tightrope 59-08-19 Lawrence Fecthenberg 59-08-21 Vincent Price 59-08-24 Arthur Shark From Du 59-08-25 Steve Bosco 59-08-26 Good Neighbor Award 59-08-28 Ransom Call for Smel 59-09-01 The Skinniest Man 59-09-03 Big Motor Race at th 59-09-03 Ward Stuffer Reports 59-09-04 Wally Ballou on Cone 59-09-08 Tex Blasedale and Hi 59-09-09 Bif Burns 59-09-10 Smelly Dave Found 59-10-05 One Fellas Family 59-09-15 Leonard Burnside Cro 59-09-17 Lawrence Fecthenberg 59-09-18 Wally Ballou Watches 59-10-21 Nick Tinneys Birthd 59-09-23 Public Lawyer 59-09-24 Grand Motel 59-09-28 Fly Away School of A 59-09-29 Wally Ballou in a Ba 59-09-30 Mr District Defender 59-10-02 Bob and Ray Trophy T 59-10-23 One Fellas Family 59-10-06 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-10-07 Old West Dramatizati 59-10-09 Wrap-Up Time Detecti 59-10-12 Guess the Name of th 59-10-13 Celebrating Columbus 59-10-15 Up in the Morning Wi 59-10-16 Natalie Attired 59-10-19 Weekley Fights with 59-10-20 Clifford Fleming 59-10-22 Setting the Record S 59-11-26 One Fellas Family 59-10-26 Professor Gragins Sp 59-10-28 Lawrence Fecthenberg 59-10-29 Webley Wester Player 59-10-30 Wally Ballou in Down 59-11-02 Bones Bronson 59-11-04 Good Neighbor Award 59-11-05 Charles the Poet 59-11-06 Visit With Traffic C 59-11-10 Clock Hospital 59-11-11 Wally Ballou at the 59-11-13 Natalie Attired 59-11-16 Professor Fallinger, 59-11-17 Arthur Shrank With a 59-11-18 Wally Ballou From Ho 59-11-20 Nelson E Plummershaa 59-12-03 One Fellas Family 59-11-24 Shrunken World 59-12-04 Al Bow-Wow Perthwa 59-11-27 Steve Bosco From Ann 59-11-30 Dean Archer Armstead 59-12-01 Wally Ballou at an I 59-12-15 One Fellas Family 59-12-21 One Fellas Family 59-12-07 Army Amature Hour 59-12-08 Tips for Travel to R 59-12-10 Barry Campbell

Volume 2 Episode List

59-12-11 Wally Ballou in Swee 59-12-14 Dean Archer Armstead 59-12-16 Wally Ballou in Fron 59-12-17 Wally Ballou From Sa 59-12-18 Bob and Ray Traffic 60-01-11 Lets Take a Tour 59-12-24 Giving Christmas Gif 60-02-09 One Fellas Family 59-12-28 Webly Webster Book R 59-12-30 This Place for Heroe 59-12-31 Artie Scermalhorn at 60-01-01 Sports-a-Phone 60-01-04 Mr Science 60-01-06 Jessie Few, Toy Bomb 60-01-07 Al Flaming 60-01-08 Bob and Ray Employme 60-01-12 Dean Archer Armstead 60-01-13 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-01-14 Agent Paul D 60-01-15 One Shot 60-01-19 Good Neighbor Award 60-01-20 Johnny Crescendo 60-01-22 Bob and Ray Report 60-01-25 Wally Ballou at Idle 60-01-26 McBeattie Family Sin 60-01-27 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-02-08 Ladies, Grab Your Se 60-03-02 One Fellas Family 60-02-10 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-02-12 Gourmet Club 60-02-15 Biff Burns Sports Ro 60-03-08 Bob and Rays World 60-02-17 Mr Science 60-02-19 Natalie Attired 60-02-22 Grand Motel 60-02-23 Anna Mary Sturdly, A 60-02-29 Feb 29th, Locking th 60-03-01 Mr Trace, Keener Tha 60-03-24 Biff Burns Sports R 60-04-15 One Fellas Family 60-03-23 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-05-10 One Fellas Family 60-03-25 Closing the Door Cer 60-03-29 Sports-A-Phone 60-03-31 Wally Ballou in Manh 60-04-01 The Coming Out Party 60-04-05 Steve Bosco From Flo 60-04-11 Secret Camera Progea 60-04-13 Mr Science 60-04-14 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-04-18 Junior Bob and Ray C 60-04-22 Jimmie Feeler From H 60-04-25 Test by the Space In 60-05-09 Mr Trace, Keener Tha 60-05-31 One Fellas Family 60-05-11 Mr Science 60-05-18 Project Farsight 60-05-24 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-05-25 Dean Archer Armstead 60-05-26 Gourmet Club 60-06-02 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-06-03 Harlow Hicks, House 60-06-06 Dean Archer Armstead 60-06-09 Audience Guests 60-06-10 Wally Ballou From Sa Be-st- o Comedy Routines 1 Be-st- o Comedy Routines 2 Pu-bl-ic Radio Show 48-08-27 Bob And Ray 49-07-15 Bob And Ray 49-07-16 Bob And Ray 49-08-05 Bob And Ray 49-08-15 Bob And Ray 49-09-14 Bob And Ray 49-11-14 Bob And Ray 49-12-07 Bob And Ray 49-12-10 Bob And Ray 49-12-19 Bob And Ray 49-07-19 Poets Corner 48-10-10 Bob And Ray 49-01-14 Bob And Ray 48-12-27 Life and Loves of Li 51-00-00 Tomorrows Boston Ma 49-08-16 Bob And Ray 49-08-20 Bob And Ray 49-08-23 New Singer Cleve McG 49-09-19 Bob And Ray 51-01-17 Anniversary of Brink 59-06-29 Basement Broadcast S 59-07-06 Home Affair Theater 59-07-10 Pheffernick Stadium 59-07-17 Sports Reporter 59-07-22 Tour of a Road Sign 59-07-29 Biff Burns With a Fi 59-08-04 Who Wants to Know 59-08-10 Answering Service 59-08-17 The Traveling Bedlow 59-08-20 Scarf Johnson, Crop 59-08-27 Barry Campbell 59-09-02 Courtroom of the Air 59-09-07 Dean Archer Armstead 59-09-11 Lawrence Fecthenberg 59-09-21 Bob and Ray Gourmet 59-09-25 Project Far Sight 59-10-01 Jack Headstrong, All 59-10-08 Campaign Microphones 59-10-14 Chat With Champions 59-11-09 Gourmet Club 59-11-23 One Fellas Family 59-10-27 Wally Ballou Visits 59-11-03 Late Night With Hack 59-11-12 Dr Howard Zickening, 59-11-19 Arthur Shrank From L 59-11-25 Lawrence Fecthenberg 59-12-02 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-12-09 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-12-24 One Fellas Family 59-12-22 Lawrence Fechtenberg 59-12-29 Charlie Chu, Orienta 60-01-05 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-02-16 One Fellas Family 60-01-18 Wally Ballou From a 60-01-21 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-02-05 The Green Pickerel 60-02-11 Armed Forces Humor 60-02-18 Ward Stuffer Reports 60-02-24 Good Neighbor Award 60-03-03 Ward Carr From Holly 60-03-30 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-04-07 Lawrence Fechtenberg 60-05-23 One Fellas Family 60-04-28 Wally Ballou From 52 60-05-30 Wally Ballou From Ea 48-09-13 Bob And Ray 49-08-09 Bob And Ray 49-09-17 Bob And Ray 49-12-13 Bob And Ray