"Nobody enjoyed having pie in the sky turn into pie in the face."

Keenly aware of the 1988 Chevy Chase vehicle Funny Farm (the last movie directed by George Roy Hill), hosts Christopher Funderburg and John Cribbs only recently discovered its source novel written by sports columnist and humorist Jay Cronley. In this episode, they travel into rural life along with city slickers Andy and Elizabeth Farmer, who've just bought a seemingly idyllic country home complete with a pond with two ducks, a drunken mailman who hurls letters from his truck as he roars past, and a dead body buried in the garden.

The Farmers soon discover that Redbud, Oklahoma, the would-be Acorn Capital of the World, is pretty much hell on earth and do what they can to suffer through their new existence in an episodic narrative that's incredibly funny and often surprising. The hosts delight in this world Cronley created and probably quote more lines than any other book-themed episode.

Support our Patreon: www.patreon.com/thepinksmoke

Alternate summary: Elizabeth won't tell anyone she's writing a book about squirrels. She's middle-aged, pretty, and passionate - perfect for Andy, who just wants to write about casino heists. When they move to the country, she drops everything and her notebook begins to fill with poetry. But he's over-his-head and she's about to write two important words: The End.

The Pink Smoke site: www.thepinksmoke.com

The Pink Smoke on Twitter: twitter.com/thepinksmoke

John Cribbs on Twitter: twitter.com/TheLastMachine

Christopher Funderburg on Twitter: twitter.com/cfunderburg

Intro music: Unleash the Bastards / “Tea for Two” Outro music: Marcus Pinn / “Vegas"

Broadcast on:

28 Dec 2022