Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga R.R.

11388 views
11 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: London Ontario
  • 123 posts
Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga R.R.
Posted by Blaine's Trains on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 11:45 PM

Greetings folks,

I've had a thought going through my mind for some time now.  Does anyone model the fictitious railroad, the Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga? Mel Blanc (who voices almost all of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters) made the line famous on the old Jack Benny show.
I’ve looked, but I can’t find a .wav or .mp3 file of him, as the public announcer in the train station, saying his famous line. Does anyone in here know where I can find it?

Blaine

Blaine's 

Commit random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.

  • Member since
    September 2002
  • From: California & Maine
  • 3,848 posts
Posted by andrechapelon on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 11:57 PM

Greetings folks,

I've had a thought going through my mind for some time now.  Does anyone model the fictitious railroad, the Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga? Mel Blanc (who voices almost all of the Warner Brothers cartoon characters) made the line famous on the old Jack Benny show.
I’ve looked, but I can’t find a .wav or .mp3 file of him, as the public announcer in the train station, saying his famous line. Does anyone in here know where I can find it?

Blaine

IIRC, those were just destinations called out rather than a railroad. OTOH, I'm old enough to know what a Maxwell is, so my memory may be faulty.

In any case, you can't get to all 3 destinations from a single location. Azusa and Cucamonga were along the Santa Fe passenger line to San Bernardino, while Anaheim was was on the primary freight line in Orange County. I don't recall the relevant district/subdivision names. Maybe some knowledgeable Santa Fe guy like Andy Sperandeo could help.

Andre

 

Andre

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Fountain Valley, CA, USA
  • 607 posts
Jack Benny Rides the Santa Fe Railway!
Posted by garyla on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 12:51 AM
If you can, get a copy of the Winter 2000 edition of Classic Trains magazine.  On page 78 is great story about this whole comedy routine vs. the real-life AT&SF.
If I ever met a train I didn't like, I can't remember when it happened!
  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Carmichael, CA
  • 8,055 posts
Posted by twhite on Wednesday, February 20, 2008 6:30 PM

Part of the whole "Anaheim, Azuza and Cucomonga" skit came about because of the Bugs Bunny cartoons that Mel Blanc voiced for Warner Brothers.  Bugs would always be popping out of the ground into strange places like a bullring in Mexico, or a South Seas island or Ali Baba's cave in Arabia and saying, "I knew I should have taken a left turn at--(fill in: Anaheim, Azuza or Cucomonga)".   Then, on Jack Benny's radio show, Mel would always be a station master announcing the trains for all three destinations.  For years, I thought that the same Santa Fe train stopped at all three stations, LOL!  So we can all thank Bugs for this (among a lot of other things). 

Tom  Tongue [:P]

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Southwest US
  • 12,914 posts
Posted by tomikawaTT on Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:23 PM

Just as soon as I saw the thread title, I started ROFLMAO!!!

Didn't Jack Benny usually end up leaving on a cattle train?  Or was that Phil (ham hock) Harris?

Chuck (who has just dated himself terribly! modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

  • Member since
    September 2002
  • From: Redding CA
  • 56 posts
Posted by newusername on Thursday, February 21, 2008 12:50 PM
Blaine ... The Anaheim, Azuza & Cucamonga bit by Mel Blanc made its appearance on Episode 534 of the Jack Benny Program which aired January 7, 1945.  To listen to the program go to http://benny.crispy.com/audio/season_16/1945-01-07_534.mp3.  The bit comes up about 18 minutes into the program.  I'm sure this is what you are looking for.  ... Regards, Al
  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: Pacific Northwest
  • 3,864 posts
Posted by Don Gibson on Thursday, February 21, 2008 4:14 PM

"TRAIN LEAVING ON TRACK FIVE for Anaheim, Azusa, and 'Coo-ca- mun-ga'".

- All stations along the old Santa Fe RR IN So. California, but announced over the Station 'PA' by regular character actor  Mel Blanc for laughs, on the Jack Benny Radio Show.

At the time of the show, only 'Anaheim' remained an scheduled stop.

Mel did many voices, including Jacj's tortured Violin teacher, and the 'Maxwell' auto. Another 'regular' was Frank Nelson, playing an overly eager deparment store floor Walker.  "Yess?"

Don Gibson .............. ________ _______ I I__()____||__| ||||| I / I ((|__|----------| | |||||||||| I ______ I // o--O O O O-----o o OO-------OO ###########################
  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: London Ontario
  • 123 posts
Posted by Blaine's Trains on Thursday, February 21, 2008 7:31 PM

Many thanks to Al (newusername) for coming up with the .mp3 file that had Mel Blanc as the public address announcer calling out "Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga on Track 5" from the old Jack Benny radio show.

I'm going to cut out the announcement, and when I get my train station finished, i'm putting in a computer chip with the .mp3 file on it, and a speaker, so all I have to do is press a button, and I can hear the announcement whenever I want. I might even make up a train called the A,A&C RR.

 Blaine

Blaine's 

Commit random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.

  • Member since
    April 2004
  • From: Metro Atlanta
  • 28 posts
Posted by paul_r on Thursday, February 21, 2008 9:08 PM
And, of course, there was the Beach Boys song about "The Ahaheim, Azusa, and Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review, and Timing Association."
  • Member since
    August 2007
  • From: London Ontario
  • 123 posts
Posted by Blaine's Trains on Friday, February 22, 2008 1:08 PM

Sorry paul_r, but that was Jan & Dean. I didn't ask my question at the start of this topic without doing some of my own homework.

Blaine

 

Blaine's 

Commit random acts of kindness and senseless beauty.

  • Member since
    September 2007
  • From: Victoria, BC
  • 54 posts
Posted by Don 2816 on Friday, February 22, 2008 4:13 PM

Newusername,

Thanks so much for the link to the Jack Benny program.  I wanted to get a copy of Mel Blanc's announcement too!  I now have a 5 second 55KB sound bite of the first announcement that sounds great in my Digitrax combo decoder.

Don

  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Mpls/St.Paul
  • 13,771 posts
Posted by wjstix on Friday, February 22, 2008 4:57 PM

That routine was in the same vein as the song "Pico and Sepulveda" by Freddie Martin, which quoted the names of various odd L.A. area streets and towns (like the LaBrea tarpits, where 'nobody's dreams come true').

Some folks will know the song as the theme song of the Dr.Demento radio show.

Stix

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!