Write If You Get Work. The Best Of Bob & Ray.

ELLIOTT, BOB & RAY GOULDING

Publication: Random House, 1975, New York

First edition. Authors' first book. Foreword by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Fine, bright copy in dust jacket. Great humor by the two men, originally presented on radio and later on television. "Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades. Composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016[1]) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990), the duo's format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, such as conducting radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue presented in a generally deadpan style as though it were a serious broadcast." ------Wikipedia. Here, the comedy unfolds through polite, earnest correspondence that's meant to be encouraging but is quietly demoralizing instead. The phrase "write if you get work" is repeated as a kind of hopeful send-off, even though it clearly implies that employment is unlikely. The sketch satirizes show-business optimism, empty reassurances, and the gentle cruelty of well-meaning advice.