PhonOcord Playhouse
Sound Fun

Sound effects are an integral part of home recording as well as of radio and a challenge to the ingenuity of the PhonOcord owner. In the monthly scripts supplied PhonOcord owners by Packard-Bell, you will find many opportunities to utilize sound for comic effects. Remember that incongruity is the keynote to this type of comedy.

For example: On a line such as ' She dropped her eyes,' drop a dishpan or some other noisy object and the line becomes a laugh. Similarly on "She tore her hair," make a loud, tearing noise. When the hero says to the heroine: "My heart is at your feet," drop something heavy to create a dull thud.

Experiment with the PhonOcord sound effects kit which may be obtained from your Packard-Bell dealer. Follow the directions for improvising "homemade" sound effects and supplement them with some of your own ideas. You'll not only be the "'life of the party" but you'll find a line forming to the right of others who will want to take a turn at being sound man, too.

A different type of "sound effect" can he achieved by the human voice. Great hilarity can result from assigning one or more sound effects (depending on the number of guests) to each person present while the host or hostess acts as narrator of a story such as the following: The idea is to have each guest chime in with his particular sound effect as often as the character he represents appears in the story.

How the Zebra (haw-haw) Got His Stripes:

Zebra (haw haw), Lions (roar), Elephants (peanuts!), Monkeys (chitter chatter), Palm trees (swish swish), Coconuts (bounce bounce), Teeth (clack clack).

Once the zebra (haw haw) was all white. He lived in Africa in company with lions (roar), elephants (peanuts!), monkeys (chitter chatter) and many other animals. There were many palm trees (swish swish) there and the zebra (haw haw) loved to take a nap under the palms (swish swish) during the heat of the day. The zebra usually napped alone because the palms, (swish swish) didn't give enough shade for the elephants (peanuts!) because they were so big and the lions (roar) said that it wasn't restful under the palms (swish swish) because the monkeys (chitter chatter) threw coconuts (bounce, bounce) down on them. T'he zebra (haw haw) scoffed at this. It was usually too hot all noon, the zebra (haw haw) said for the monkeys (chitter chatter) to have energy to throw more than one or two coconuts (bounce bounce) and those he could easily dodge.

One day he didn't dodge quickly enough and a coconut (bounce bounce) thrown by a monkey (chitter chatter) hit him on the nose and made him so mad that he shook the palm tree (swish swish) with his teeth (clack clack) and when the monkey (chitter chatter) tumbled down, killed him.

The lion (roar),'the elephants (peanuts! ) and particularly the monkeys (chitter chatter) were shocked. While the lions (roar) and the elephants (peanuts! ) secretly felt that one monkey (chitter chatter) more or less was not a matter of great importance, they nevertheless agreed that no individual, such as the zebra (haw haw) must take the law in his own teeth (clack clack). The zebra (haw haw) was brought into court and sentenced to wear stripes forever and ever as a sign of his disgrace and a warning to future generations of lions (roar) elephants (peanuts!)-yes, and even monkeys (chitter chatter).