History Radio / APrairieHomeCompanion

In 2015 Garrison Keillor announced he would be retiring, again, during the 2016-2017 season, with "The America the Beautiful Tour" as his GrandFinale. He will be replaced as host by Chris Thile, formerly of Music/NickelCreek and Music/PunchBrothers, but Keillor already retired in the late '80s, then did annual reunion shows often enough that he just decided to [[UnCanceled resume doing the show on a weekly basis]], and announced his retirement again in 2011, saying he would retire "within two years", only to change his mind once more, hence the word 'again' in this paragraph's first sentence. Keillor's ''latest'' final broadcast (a sentence that is just as odd to read as it was to write) took place on February 27, 2016 (and even that's only his final broadcast from Prairie Home Companion's offical "home" venue, the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul MN, he's currently still hosting the show on his farewell tour).

In 2015 Garrison Keillor announced he would be retiring, again, during the 2016-2017 season, with "The America the Beautiful Tour" as his GrandFinale. He will be replaced as host by Chris Thile, formerly of Music/NickelCreek and Music/PunchBrothers, but Keillor already retired in the late '80s, then did annual reunion shows often enough that he just decided to [[UnCanceled resume doing the show on a weekly basis]], and announced his retirement again in 2011, saying he would retire "within two years", only to change his mind once more, hence the word 'again' in this paragraph's first sentence. Keillor's ''latest'' final broadcast (a sentence that is just as odd to read as it was to write) took place on February 27, 2016.

* FrenchCuisineIsHaughty: Café Boeuf

* ForeignerForADay: Lake Wobegon regards itself as part of Minnesota (and the United States) despite not officially being part of the state because of a cartographer's error when Minnesota was officially surveyed.

* '''Sound Effects Man Challenges''': Not a named segment, but Keillor often relates a story requiring the sound-effects man to improvise ever more elaborate {{WackySoundEffect}}s. Sometimes included in one of the parody commercials, usually for Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie.

* ParodyCommercial: The aforementioned "Powdermilk Biscuits" routine, "Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie" ("Sweetening the sour taste of failure throughout the generations") and the "Catsup Advisory Board".

* WeirdAlEffect: the "Ketchup Advisory Board" commercials started as parodies of rather smug-sounding Merrill Lynch commercials from TheEighties, and have continued long after their inspiration, much like Merrill Lynch itself, are mostly forgotten.

* '''Sound Effects Man Challenges''': Not a named segment, but Keillor often relates a story requiring the sound-effects man to improvise ever more elaborate [[WackySoundEffect]]s. Sometimes included in one of the parody commercials, usually for Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie.

* '''Sound Effects Man Challenges''': Not a named segment, but Keillor often relates a story requiring the sound-effects man to improvise ever more elaborate WackySoundEffects. Sometimes included in one of the parody commercials, usually for Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie.

* '''The News from Lake Wobegon''': Garrison relates the goings-on in his (fictional) hometown of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota; as noted above, while it's always been a quiet week, a lot manages to happen quietly, considering the EccentricTownsfolk. This is the most beloved feature, and Keillor has written books about Lake Wobegon. The monologues are actually partially or entirely improvised based on an scenario or outline, which is why some end up as ShaggyDogStories and some turn out shaggier than others.

* '''Sound Effects Man Challenges''': Not a nameed segment, but Keillor often relates a story requiring the sound-effects man to improvise ever more elaborate or unlikely accompaniment. Sometimes included in one of the parody commercials, usually for Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie.

* Sound Effects Man Challenges: Not a nameed segment, but Keillor often relates a story requiring the sound-effects man to improvise ever more elaborate or unlikely accompaniment. Sometimes included in one of the parody commercials, usually for Beebop-A-Ree-Bop Rhubarb Pie.

* '''The News from Lake Wobegon''': Garrison relates the goings-on in his (fictional) hometown of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota; as noted above, while it's always been a quiet week, a lot manages to happen quietly, considering the EccentricTownsfolk. This is the most beloved feature, and Keillor has written books about Lake Wobegon.

* '''[[FrenchCuisineIsHaughty Café Boeuf]]''': An elite restaurant with Maurice the maitre d', who tends to be especially snooty, sometimes even insulting customers that do not meet their standards of class.

In 2015 Garrison Keillor announced he would be retiring, again, during the 2016-2017 season, with "The America the Beautiful Tour" as his GrandFinale. He will be replaced as host by Chris Thile, formerly of Music/NickelCreek and Music/PunchBrothers, but Keillor already retired in the late '80s, then did annual reunion shows often enough that he just decided to [[UnCanceled resume doing the show on a weekly basis]], and announced his retirement again in 2011, saying he would retire "within two years", only to change his mind once more, hence the word 'again' in this paragraph's first sentence,

->''"Well, it's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, my hometown, out on the edge of the prairie."''

->''"And that's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good lookin', and all the children are above average."''

In 2015 Garrison Keillor announced he would be retiring during the 2016-2017 season, with "The America the Beautiful Tour" as his GrandFinale. He will be replaced as host by Chris Thile, formerly of Music/NickelCreek and Music/PunchBrothers.

** '''Powdermilk Biscuits''': This is basically an excuse for the band to do an extended bluegrass jam session, which Keillor always tops off with a brief vocal jingle:

One of the more popular old-time {{radio}} {{variety show}}s still in existence, Creator/{{NPR}}'s ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was created by Garrison Keillor in 1974 and continues to broadcast faithfully from St. Paul (and various other locations in the U.S. and abroad) every Saturday to a totally loyal audience. It's popular for several reasons, chiefly nostalgia for the good old days of radio--which this is very, ''very'' evocative of--and Keillor's [[SignatureStyle distinctive]] [[DeadpanSnarker comedic style]].

* {{BFG}}: A parody commercial for a Texan big box store featured a deer rifle that will penetrate two-inch armor.

* HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: The Lake Wobegon monologues are totally unscripted.

* LongLostRelative: One Guy Noir sketch has Guy meet a young woman in a bar who turns out to be the daughter he didn't know he had, via a woman he'd dated decades ago.

-->''"Well, it's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota, my hometown, out on the edge of the prairie."''
--->'''The traditional opener for the "News from Lake Wobegon" segment.'''

One of the more popular old-time {{radio}} {{variety show}}s still in existence, ''A Prairie Home Companion'' was created by Garrison Keillor in 1974 and continues to broadcast faithfully from St. Paul (and various other locations in the U.S. and abroad) every Saturday to a totally loyal audience. It's popular for several reasons, chiefly nostalgia for the good old days of radio--which this is very, ''very'' evocative of--and Keillor's [[SignatureStyle distinctive]] [[DeadpanSnarker comedic style]].

* LongRunner: Celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2014 (but it was off the air from 1987-89).

* TenMinuteRetirement: The show was officially set to end in the late 80's, and they had a big, very memorable farewell show. But then they had a reunion show a year later, and another one the year after that, and eventually it came back as if it had never left.

** The small town of Freeport, Minnesota claims to be the "real" Lake Wobegon. The local cafe, Charlie's, is adorned with Prairie Home Companion memorabilia, and is a popular tourist attraction, bringing in people from all over the state, including a visit from Keillor himself.

** Powdermilk Biscuits: "Heavens, they're tasty... [[AuthorVocabularyCalender and expeditious]]."

** Powdermilk Biscuits: "Heavens, they're tasty... and expeditious."