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The SmorgShow Podcast
The SmorgShow Podcast

The SmorgShow Podcast

Short for “Smorgasbord”, suggesting a variety of topics, the SmorgShow Podcast is an entertainment-variety show. The program originates from the Chris and Dave Smorgasbord radio show which aired on suburban Chicago high school radio station WDGC-FM between 1982-1984. Three decades later, Chris resurrected the Smorgasbord brand name and teamed up with his daughter, Ally in a new podcast series that fosters the same spirit of the original show. Original Smorgasbord Radio Show members Dave Jackson, Peet McCain, and Jerry Malauskas and Baba Gonesh also make regular appearances on the show. We love to hear from our audience, so call the studio hotline, leave a message, and you just might be on the show! 312-95-SMORG.

Available Episodes 10

Chris and Dave reunite again for another episode of the SmorgShow. This time, prepare yourself to kick back in the SmorgShow jazz lounge while Chris and Dave take a journey down memory lane and discuss how they met and decided to pair up together on high school radio station WDGC-FM.

The duo revisit their passion for radio and the individual life paths each has taken. Ally then visits the studio and talks about what pairing up with her dad for the SmorgShow Podcast has meant to her during her formative years. This is a very nostalgic and subdued episode from prior episodes, but one that gives a very intimate glimpse into the lives of three individuals.089_SmorgShow_Podcast.mp3

As we prepare for Christmas and to close out 2016, we present to you the 10th installment of SmorgShow Theater. "Letter from Cynthia" is a re-enactment of an episode from "The Whistler" old-time radio drama series.

Originally aired on 12-25-1949, "Letter from Cynthia" finds a medical intern receiving a letter from a lost love, the love he lost to his best friend. In a strange turn of events, the man who took his love, his best friend, ends up in an accident at the hospital where he is interning. He has to make a decision between getting revenge and doing what's right.

This episode has a different feel to it when compared with our previous radio plays. We hope you take some time out this holiday season to kick back and listen. Turn out your lights, bask in the glow of your fireplace or Christmas tree lights and let our story transport you back to a simpler time when families sat around their radio for entertainment.

The Cast

Narrator - Geoff Wells
Dr. Neil Andrews - Chris Bockay
Patty - Ally Bockay
Cynthia - Kim Bockay
Dr. Peters - Thomas Larsen
Charlie - Steve Larsen
Police Officer - Anthony Luperini
Intern - Thomas Larsen
Dr. Graham - William Bockay

We then discuss Ally's performance in the Let it Be Christmas musical and play the clip of her promoting the show on the Steve Cochran radio show on WGN-AM 720.

Chris and Ally return to the studio for the first time in over a year and catch on a variety of topics including Ally's first job at Chick-Fil-A and going off to college. Baba calls in from the Ratha Yatra festival in West Bengal. Ally performs live in the studio.

We are excited to bring you our latest installment in the SmorgShow Theater series. This time around we bring to you a re-enactment of 1943′s radio classic ‘Sorry, Wrong Number’, originally starring Agnes Moorehead. But wait a minute, you say! Didn’t you guys already do this one before? As a matter of fact, yes we did…way back in 2010 on Episode 9 of the SmorgShow Podcast. However, back then Ally was only 11 years old and we were working with really basic editing equipment. It sounded good at the time, but listening to it now, we’ve come to realize that we really didn’t do this classic play justice. We decided to tackle this project again. Coincidentally, the date this is being aired is April 11, 2015 (or 4-1-1).

This episode of the SmorgShow Podcast includes the latest installment of SmorgShow Theater where the SmorgShow Players re-enact Ray Bradbury's classic short story, 'The Ravine'. Written around 1936 during Mr. Bradbury's formative high school years, 'The Ravine' emerged as a true story of his childhood fears of a dark, foreboding ravine that existed just a short distance away from his Waukegan, Illinois hometown. The SmorgShow Players: William Bockay - Narrator Ally Bockay - Lavinia Kim Bockay - Francine, Neighbor Gabriella Vogel - Helen Geoff Wells - Drugstore Clerk Baba Gonesh - Mr. Tubbs Anthony Luperini - Police Officer Chris Bockay - Frank, The Lonely One Charlie Snyder - Douglas

Chris and Ally are finally back behind the mic after another rather lengthy hiatus. This time, Chris's Dad and Ally's Grandfather Conrad Cardello is in the studio. Chris's roots and passion for radio broadcasting are traced back to his dad's early days when he also recorded spontaneous skits with his best friend. An early recording from circa-1963 was recently unearthed and played here. We then ask the philosophical questions "If you had a time machine, would you travel to the past or future?" and "What time period would you visit?". This then leads into a discussion around American life in the 1950s and whether all that we see in TV shows accurately represent that decade. We then play a trivia game around the classic TV series "The Honeymooners". Baba Gonesh has left the country, this time perhaps for good, but he presents "Baba News" from India where he informs us about the end of the telegraph service. Featured Artist of the Week: Winner of The Voice Season 4, Danielle Bradbery.

Happy New Year and Happy St. Patrick's Day - The first episode of 2013! Chris and Ally have a lot of explaining to do about why six months have passed since the last episode. Chris discusses his days on the government dole and his victorious return to the workplace. Baba Gonesh returns for a belated 70th birthday and delivers the long awaited 'Baba News'. Former Smorgasbord Radio Show Co-Host Dave Jackson guest stars. Featured Artist of the Week: Celtic singer-songwriter, Marc Dunn

It's really hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Dave Jackson and I kicked off the original Smorgasbord Radio Show at Downers Grove North High School radio station, WDGC 88.3 FM. Dave and I had a unique chemistry that made the show special. Sadly, at the pressure of parents who wanted me to amount to something, I never pursued a professional radio career, so there was a 25-year gap between my last radio show at my college station and the time that I brought the Smorgasbord show back in podcast form in early 2010. Over the past 82 episodes, I have been blessed to have another fantastic partner by my side for this new adventure - my daughter, Ally. If you listen to the shows that have been recorded over the span of the past three years, you can hear how she has grown into a strong partner. The SmorgShow Podcast has been a great hobby for Ally and me as it has created a bond and special memories between us that will forever last. It's also allowed me to get the creative juices flowing again after two long decades of an office career. Thanks to 21st century technological advances, we have been able to take the show to a level that was not possible when Dave and I did the original show back in the 80's. For the most part, Ally and I have tried to make the new show our own rather than try and recreate what Dave and I did 30 years ago. But on this particular anniversary episode, we could not let the milestone occasion pass without looking back and celebrating what we did all those years ago. I think we created something special with episode 82. Those with an acute attention to detail will notice that the anniversary show where we look back on 1982 actually falls on episode #82. Coincidence? Of course, it would not be a complete celebration if we did not have one of the original co-founders of the Smorgasbord Show, Dave Jackson, present for the event. On this particular occasion, we chose to return to our original stomping grounds and host the event at the fabulous Carlisle Banquets in Lombard, IL. This is where Dave and I hosted "The Taste of the Smorg, 1984" (a nod to Taste of Chicago where local restaurants set up their stands and sell samples of their menu items). We were able to line up quite a variety of food vendors this time around. In addition to sampling some of the great foods from around the Chicagoland area, we couldn't resist the urge to dust off some of the old Smorgasbord Show recordings off and gave them a spin. Admittedly, some stood the test of time better than others. This episode is nearly 3 hours long because in addition to going down memory lane, we booked a list of great entertainers who performed live on two different stages at the Carlisle. On the Oakbrook Room Stage: Hawaii's David Kamakahi & Ikaika Brown, Iceland's Sjonni's Friends, the SmorgShow's very own Phillip Donald, and Ally performs her brand new ballad, "Untold Stories" to an adoring crowd. Also, we are very excited that our good friend from Cheltenham, England - Jordan Martyn - came all the way to Chicago for our show and decided to debut two brand new songs never heard before tonight. Finally, on the Butterfield Room Stage, we are entertained by the sounds of Richard Cheese and his band 'Lounge Against the Machine'. I'd like to thank everyone who has been with us on this journey. Whether you listened to us during the original run or just recently stumbled upon us, we really appreciate our audience. I hope we can provide additional entertainment value to you for many years to come.

We are proud to present Ally's new song - an original composition called "Untold Stories". We discuss the death of a 44-year old man out of Kalispell, Montana who was killed by a motorist while dressed in a ghillie suit, trying to stage a fake Bigfoot sighting. We then go to Rockwood Tap House in Downers Grove, IL where we find Chris and Dave having lunch together. They just came back from putting down the final deposit for the upcoming 30th anniversary show at Carlisle Banquets. They talk about how they used to think that being in radio impressed girls. This episode is shorter than usual because we are preparing for what we hope to be an amazing show on September 15. The SmorgShow will be doing a live podcast event from the Carlisle in Lombard, IL. We have just confirmed that Jordan Martyn, one of our featured artists of the week, will be traveling from the UK to Chicago to perform at our special event. In case you missed our exclusive interview with Jordan, you can check it out at Episode 56.

Campfire S’morgs ’12: Live from Waa Kee Sha Park in Oswego, IL. Last year at this time, we took the remote equipment out to the woods to do a live streaming podcast event. We called it ‘Campfire S’morgs’, a clever play on words if you didn’t figure it out. If you missed it, you can head over to Episode 57 and listen to us do the show from around the campfire. Given that the weather was absolutely perfect this weekend, we decided to do this show a week earlier than planned. In light of a recent tragic campfire accident where two young girls were badly burned from a campfire explosion, Anthony provides helpful tips for keeping safe when building and extinguishing a campfire. Baba tells some jokes to lighten up the atmosphere, and shares some unusual games that you can play around the campfire. We then take turns reading some extremely scary ghost stories. Finally, it wouldn't be an official campfire without singing, so we all take a stab at singing a John Denver song. Maybe we should have practiced a bit more before doing this one live. Featured Artist of the Week: Jenna Jentry