The two and only

Comedians Bob and Ray were so closely associated with one another for so long — their partnership lasted 44 years — that when one of them was greeted by himself, especially by someone who didn’t know Bob Elliott from Ray Goulding, that greeting would often be, “Hi, Bob and Ray.” Now the pair must share a biography, Bob and Ray: Keener Than Most Persons by David Pollock.

Both Bob and Ray grew up in the age of radio and gravitated to careers in that industry. Their talents quickly led to new opportunities, one of which put them together in the same radio studio at the same time. Their ad-libbed commentary, complete with characters invented on the spot, caught on with local fans and soon led to a national audience.

“Neither was a cutup, nor a joke teller,” Pollock writes. “They were pleasant, but not effusive. Their total lack of spurious affability and slickness set the two apart from the very institution they were making fun of, yet were still a part of.” Elsewhere he calls them “two introverts in an extrovert’s business.”

Without much planning on their part, one thing led to another. At one time they were on the radio seven days a week. Later came television, movies, Mad magazine and even a successful Broadway show, “Bob and Ray — The Two and Only.” They pioneered the comic commercial, something thought quite daring until business boomed for Piels beer, their first client.

Bob and Ray were heroes to younger humorists, including Johnny Carson, Bob Newhart, Harry Shearer and Dave Letterman, who wrote this book’s foreword. Pollock includes enough excerpts from their performances to help any reader who does not remember Bob and Ray to understand why. I rarely laugh out loud while reading a book, especially a biography. This one had me rolling.

For as closely as they are associated in the public mind, “there was no great bond between them,” according to one Pollock source. They did not socialize outside of work. They rarely visited each other’s homes, and often didn’t even know where the other lived. They were close as business associates, not as friends. This separation when not performing may have been one of the keys to their success.