An early recording star
by the name of Cal Stewart is an example of a voice from the past
that would have been recognized by most phonograph listeners at the
turn of the century. Now his famous laugh is probably only known to
record collectors. Cal Stewart said that he wanted to make people
laugh and his humor in the persona of Uncle Josh Weathersby is a piece
of Americana. Uncle Josh said "I'd sooner tell Peter on the last day
about the laffs I've given folks on earth, than try to explain about
givin' them heart akes." It is also clear, however, that his success
was often dependent on 'humor' depicting stereotypical "rubes" and
"Yankees".
Uncle Josh recorded for
a number of record companies from the 1890's until his death in 1919.
In all, he wrote about 129 different comic monologues. His performance
and folksy monologue always included his famous laugh, a laugh the
Edison company called "infectious". His story telling usually found
him at home in Punkin Center where he observed the events of his time
under such titles as "Uncle Josh and the Lightening Rod Agent" and
"Uncle Josh Buys an Automobile"; "Uncle Josh at the Dentist's
and "Moving Pictures at Pumpkin Center."
For Friends of the Phonograph,
there are three selections of note: "Uncle
Josh Buys a Victrola," "Uncle
Josh and the Phonograph" and the song "I Wants a Graphophone"
which Stewart wrote for comic Bob Roberts. (1)
Uncle Josh's Punkin Centre Stories - List of
Uncle Josh Victor Records
| |
Title |
Record Number |
|
Train Time at Pun'kin Centre and
Uncle Josh and Nancy Put up a Stove |
18595 |
|
Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy Put
Up Kitchen Stove (with Jones) and Train Time |
18595 |
|
Uncle Josh and Aunt Nancy Visit
N. Y. and Uncle Josh on Street Car |
16227 |
|
Uncle Josh and the Billiken and
Hot Tamale Man |
16203 |
|
Uncle Josh and the Fire Department
and Uncle Josh at Skating Rink |
16931 |
|
Uncle Josh and Lightning Rod Agent
and Down in Jungle Town |
16805 |
|
Uncle Josh and the Photographer
and Farmyard Medley |
16676 |
|
Uncle Josh at a Camp Meeting and
Uncle Josh Playing Golf |
16226 |
|
Uncle Josh at Skating Rink and
Uncle Josh and the Fire Department |
16931 |
|
Uncle Josh at the Circus and Uncle
Josh's Troubles in a Hotel |
16193 |
|
Uncle Josh at the Dentist's and
Small boy and mother at the Circus |
16413 |
|
Uncle Josh at the
Opera and Uncle Josh in Society |
16145 |
|
Uncle Josh buys an automobile
and Village Gossips |
17854 |
|
Uncle Josh in a Barber Shop and
War Talk at Pun'kin Centre |
17820 |
|
Uncle Josh in a Chinese Laundry
and Uncle Josh on a Bicycle |
16068 |
|
Uncle Josh in a Department Store
and Uncle Josh's Visit to the Metropolis |
16520 |
|
Uncle Josh in Society and Uncle
Josh at the Opera. |
16145 |
|
Uncle Josh Joins the Grangers
and I'm Old but Awfully Tough |
16403 |
|
Uncle Josh on a Bicycle and Uncle
Josh in a Chinese laundry |
16068 |
|
Uncle Josh on the Street Car and
Uncle Josh and Nancy Visit N.Y |
16227 |
|
Uncle Josh Playing Baseball and
Uncle Josh on a Fifth Avenue Bus |
16228 |
|
Uncle Josh Playing Golf and Uncle
Josh at a Camp Meeting |
16226 |
|
Uncle Josh's Arrival in N. Y.
City and Uncle Josh's Trip to Boston |
16225 |
|
Uncle Josh's Huskin' Dance and
Last Day of School at Pun 'kin Centre |
16109 |
|
Uncle Josh's 2nd Visit to Metropolis
and Uncle Josh in Department Store |
16520 |
|
Uncle Josh's Trip to Boston and
Uncle Josh Arrival in N.Y |
16225 |
|
Uncle Josh's Trip to Coney Island
and Roll on de Ground |
16804 |
|
Uncle Josh's Trouble
in a Hotel and Uncle Josh at the Circus |
16193 |
| |
Uncle
Josh Buys a Victrola |
18793 |
Uncle Josh's Punkin Centre Stories
- Contents
| |
Title |
Page |
|
PREFACE |
3 |
|
LIFE SKETCH OF AUTHOR |
5 |
| |
MY OLD YALLER ALMANAC |
11 |
|
ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK |
15 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN SOCIETY |
21 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN A CHINESE LAUNDRY |
25 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN A MUSEUM |
31 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN WALL STREET |
35 |
|
UNCLE JOSH AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT |
39 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN AN AUCTION ROOM |
43 |
|
UNCLE JOSH ON A FIFTH AVENUE 'BUS |
45 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN A DEPARTMENT
STORE |
49 |
|
UNCLE JOSH'S COMMENTS ON THE SIGNS
SEEN IN NEW YORK |
53 |
|
UNCLE JOSH ON A STREET CAR |
57 |
|
MY FUST PAIR OF COPPER TOED BOOTS |
63 |
|
UNCLE JOSH IN POLICE COURT |
65 |
| |
UNCLE JOSH AT CONEY ISLAND |
70 |
|
UNCLE JOSH AT THE OPERA |
75 |
|
UNCLE JOSH AT DELMONICO'S |
79 |
|
IT IS FALL |
83 |
|
SI PETTINGILL'S BROOMS |
87 |
|
UNCLE JOSH PLAYS GOLF |
91 |
|
JIM LAWSON'S HOGS |
95 |
|
UNCLE
JOSH AND THE LIGHTNING ROD AGENT |
99 |
|
A MEETING OF THE ANNANIAS CLUB |
103 |
|
JIM LAWSON'S HOSS TRADE |
107 |
|
A MEETING OF THE SCHOOL DIRECTORS |
111 |
|
THE WEEKLY PAPER AT PUNKIN CENTRE |
117 |
| |
UNCLE JOSH AT A CAMP MEETING |
121 |
| |
THE UNVEILING OF THE ORGAN |
125 |
| |
UNCLE JOSH PLAYS A GAME OF BASE
BALL |
127 |
| |
THE PUNKIN CENTRE AND PAW PAW
VALLEY RAILROAD |
131 |
| |
UNCLE
JOSH ON A BICYCLE |
135 |
| |
A BAPTISIN' AT THE HICKORY CORNERS
CHURCH |
139 |
| |
A REMINISCENCE OF MY RAILROAD
DAYS |
143 |
| |
UNCLE JOSH AT A CIRCUS |
147 |
| |
UNCLE JOSH INVITES THE CITY FOLKS
TO VISIT HIM |
153 |
| |
YOSEMITE JIM, OR A TALE OF THE
GREAT WHITE DEATH |
157 |
| |
UNCLE JOSH WEATHERSBY'S TRIP TO BOSTON
|
163 |
| |
WHO MARCHED IN SIXTY-ONE |
169 |
Courtesy of Tim Gracyk
Victor matrix B-23118 August 11,
1919
LISTEN
Uncle Josh Buys a
Victrola by Cal Stewart - Victor Record 18793A Take 1
Transcription courtesy of John
A. Petty who sent me this copy in 1984.
Uncle Josh Weathersby
and the Phonograph - Cal Stewart, Columbia Cylinder Record
Transcription courtesy of John
A. Petty who sent me this copy in 1984.
Uncle Josh in an Automobile
- Cal Stewart, Victor 12" single-face Disc No. 31146 - 1903
Transcription courtesy of John
A. Petty who sent me this copy in 1984.
LISTEN
Note: This is the Columbia Phonograph
Company's cylinder recording of "Uncle Josh in an automobile"
performed by Cal Stewart (as Uncle Josh Weathersby). The Victor transcript
(above) is therefore not word for word.
Columbia Record Number 32240 (1903)
Courtesy of UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive
Uncle Josh: "Hey,
Henry, who's that feller with coal bucket and blinders on?"
Henry: "Why
that's the chauffeur, Uncle."
“Under the new law a reckless chauffeur
must have a bulging bank account,” from The Evening World,
June 6, 1904. Courtesy Library of Congress and Atlas
Obscura
Pacific Commercial Advertiser
cartoon titled "Make Way for the Locomobile" July 1902, courtesy
of Hawaii's
Digital Newspaper Project
Punch magazine, December
1900
"Say, Henry, what town was
that we went by?"
"The
Automobile - The Unwanted Child" (1)
JSTOR
“The Haunted Auto” by Alfred Zantziger
Baker, Puck cover April 20, 1910 with animal ghosts from the
reckless driver. Collection of Jean S. and Frederic A. Sharf, courtesy
of the Flagler Museum. and the Antiques
and Arts Weekly.
1905
newspaper cartoon critical of automobile drivers
Note: This is not Cal Stewart
in the movie as Uncle Josh and there is no audio recording by Cal
Stewart for this 'story'
Watch
Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show,
1902 (Library of Congress)
Archeophone Records has this CD
available for purchase where you can also
listen to excerpts.
A humorist who spent 22 years
waxing his Uncle Josh stories, Cal Stewart was the first performer
whose stage appearances were celebrated by reference to his records
rather than the other way around. In his famous role as "rube" Uncle
Josh Weathersby, he entertained millions of listeners with tales of
his antics both in New York City and at home in Punkin Center. The
Indestructible Uncle Josh provides a snapshot of Stewart's repertoire
at the height of his career, featuring all 25 of his 2-minute cylinders
for the Indestructible company and a choice sampling of his work on
U-S Everlasting cylinders. The package includes a 28-page booklet
with notes by Stewart expert and scholar Patrick Feaster. List price:
$16.49
The UCSB
Cylinder Archive also has many
Uncle Josh cylinder recordings available for listening, e.g, Uncle
Josh invites the city folks to visit him down on the farm.
Supporting UCSB's Adopt
a Cylinder Program would be an excellent way to be a Friend
of the Phonograph. Do it today!
