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->''"The decision as to what's funny and what is not funny shall rest solely with Mr. Freberg."''

Stan Freberg (born Stanley Victor Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was a multitalented and iconic American comedian, author, actor, voice artist, and innovative creator of advertising born in Pasadena, California.

Freberg was probably best known for his comedy recordings, most of which are considered classics today. Beginning with "John & Marsha" in 1951, Freberg created a seemingly-endless string of hit novelty records, in which he did [[SongParody parody versions]] of popular songs of the day (including "Sh-Boom", "The Yellow Rose of Texas", "[[Music/ElvisPresley Heartbreak Hotel]]", and "[[Music/HarryBelafonte The Banana Boat Song]]") and satirized such figures as Music/LawrenceWelk. His 1951 "St. George and the Dragonet", in which St. George channels Jack Webb's [[Franchise/{{Dragnet}} Joe Friday]] in his attempt to arrest a dragon on a rampage, was a #1 hit and launched Freberg into the public eye. (He would eventually make no fewer than four ''{{Franchise/Dragnet}}'' parodies, turning them into something of a signature bit.) Freberg also created the seminal audio play ''AudioPlay/StanFrebergPresentsTheUnitedStatesOfAmerica'' (1961), about the founding of the USA, and the musical comedy parody/coffee commercial ''AudioPlay/{{Omaha}}'' (1958).

In both his recordings and his subsequent radio programs (1954's ''That's Rich'', [[http://www.otr.net/?p=freb 1957's]] ''Radio/TheStanFrebergShow''), Freberg never backed down from potentially controversial topics. "The Old Payola Roll Blues" was a two-part double-sided narrative that (prematurely) celebrated the demise of rock and roll music in the wake of the radio payola scandals of the 1950s, for instance. Politically-themed sketches on his radio shows were often [[ExecutiveMeddling censored by network executives]]. "Green Chri$tma$", which viciously skewered [[CommercializedChristmas the rampant overcommercialization of Christmas]], was almost suppressed by a record company terrified of offending powerful advertising agencies. "Los Voraces (The Greedy)" slammed both UsefulNotes/LasVegas' opulence and the UsefulNotes/ColdWar.[[note]]The ending, in which two battling casinos ([[PunnyName the El Sodom and the Rancho Gamorrah]]) escalate to detonating a nuclear bomb on stage, which of course destroys the city, was changed to an earthquake in the broadcast. This original ending is now available.[[/note]]

Freberg later skewered censorship in "Elderly Man River", which anticipated the comedy of PoliticalOvercorrectness by decades with a censor who forces him to change the lyrics of "Old Man River" until it becomes an unrecognizable mess. "Point of Order" mocked [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism McCarthyism]], leading to an executive asking if he'd ever been "part of any groups the Attorney General wouldn't like", which led in turn to Freberg jokingly replying, "Actually, I've been a member now for many years of--" the executive turns purple "--the Mickey Mouse Fan Club." Despite this, it was still broadcast. One of the ''Dragnet'' parodies, "Little Blue Riding Hood", previously had a veiled reference to [=McCarthyism=] as well: "Only the color has been changed to protect the record." Freberg also had difficulties because he refused to accept sponsorship from tobacco and alcohol companies. The combination of his moral stand on advertisers and a network nervous about his politically-tinged humor eventually forced his second radio show off the air after a mere 15 episodes.

Many others will recognize Freberg's voice work for various [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation vintage]] Creator/WarnerBros' ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoons, where he played Tosh of the Goofy Gophers, the dimwitted Pete Puma, and the even more dimwitted Junyer Bear. He's famously the only actor other than Creator/MelBlanc to get a solo credit on a WB cartoon, with ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittleBops'' (Freberg did all of the voices in this short, so it didn't make sense for Blanc to be credited in a cartoon he wasn't in). He also worked with former ''Looney Tunes'' director Creator/BobClampett on ''Time for Beany'', the TV show that originated the characters of WesternAnimation/BeanyAndCecil as puppets (Freberg played Cecil, and his frequent collaborator Creator/DawsButler played Beany).

Although he would continue acting in films (including a cameo in ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld'') and on television (''Series/TheMonkees'', ''Series/TheGirlFromUNCLE'' -- more recent audiences will know him as "Mr. Parkin" from ''Series/{{Roseanne}}''), Freberg's greatest contribution to television was as a creator of advertising.

After leaving radio, Freberg moved into the field of advertising -- carrying his sense of humor along with him and applying it to the commercials he made. This was a revolutionary development -- before Freberg, commercials had never been funny (at least, not intentionally). Ad agencies and their products were deadly serious, convinced that inviting the viewer to laugh at the commercial meant that they would also be laughing ''at the product'' -- and would not buy it.

Freberg and his new company, "Freberg, Ltd. (but not very)" [[note]](motto: ''[[GratuitousLatin Ars Gratia Pecuniae]]'' –- [[MoneyDearBoy "Art for the Sake of Money"]])[[/note]] turned this staid, petrified attitude on its head with a series of innovative advertising campaigns that, for the first time in television history, were intentionally humorous and often poked a little sly fun at their own expense. In Freberg's hands, commercials became ''entertainment'' for the first time, instead of simple attempts to convince customers to buy. From his "Who put eight great tomatoes in that little bitty can?" for Contadina tomato paste to Ann Miller's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jU2pl7bqKg showstopping production number for Heinz soups]], Freberg proved that humor made a commercial -- and thus its product -- memorable.

His commercials were also the first to play with and subvert the tropes and cliches that advertising had already accumulated by the 1950s. A prime example would be his famous "Nine out of ten doctors recommend!" ad for Chun King Chinese food, featuring nine smiling Asian doctors, and one frowning white doctor. Eventually Freberg would win 21 [[http://www.clioawards.com/ Clio awards]][[note]]Advertising's equivalent of the Emmys (TV), Oscars (Movies), or Grammys (Music)[[/note]] for his work in advertising, work which genuinely revolutionized the field. Freberg's willingness to buck the "conventional wisdom" of the advertising agencies in the 1950s is directly responsible for decades of amusing, entertaining and -- most of all -- ''memorable'' commercials. Remember him the next time you enthuse about [[SuperBowlSpecial Super Bowl ads]], or when you ask a coworker, "Did you see that commercial where...?"

Was a major influence on Music/WeirdAlYankovic, who had the great pleasure of [[PromotedFanboy working with him on occasion]], such as Al's [[Series/TheWeirdAlShow short-lived TV show]], where he played Papa Booley (a puppet sidekick to the old, crazy kids' show host Fred Huggins, played by Al) and the exec who gave Al the show in-universe.

For a more detailed biography of Stan Freberg, see [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Freberg That Other Wiki.]] You can find a vast selection of his work with [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stan+freberg&search_type=&aq=f a simple YouTube search]]. He published a memoir, ''It Only Hurts When I Laugh'', in 1988.

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!!Discography on TV Tropes:
* ''AudioPlay/{{Omaha}}'' (1958)
* ''AudioPlay/StanFrebergPresentsTheUnitedStatesOfAmerica'' (Part 1 1961, Part 2 1996)

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