The best parody of the pitchmen in recent years is not Dan Ackryoyd and the "Bassomatic", but Troy McClure from "The Simpsons". He was voiced by the late great Phil Hartman and really had the salesman role nailed. As was the norm, "The Simpson's" had a real cast of characters developed around the con artist / TV pitchmen idea. There was Dr. Nicholsas Rivera (voiced by Hank Azaria), of the Upstairs Medical College, and the red headed psychiatrist /psycho analysist who's name escapes me,

Not really a comment about the story, but I've never heard 'linger' pronounced to rhyme with 'singer', as one of the reporters for this story does. It rhymes with 'finger' for me. Anyone?

Don't get to hear On the Media nearly often enough. Driving through Omaha got to hear part of Sunday, Jan. 3. The piece on Billy May was touching. It made me laugh, made me miss that pitch, taught me about pitches and tips and Popeil's relationship to May. A great piece I want to save and share with my class in Persuasion.

That was a Weird Al track - "Mr. Popeil".

What was the music played at the end of this piece? It sounded like a B-52's imitation of sorts.

In compiling your material on "picthmen," you neglected two of the most prominent examples during the past 60-years: One was Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's "sidelick" for more than 30-years. Ed began on the Atlantic City boardwalk as a pitchman. The other was Sid Stone. Sid dressed the part - with a derby, loud jackets, and a "kister," the picthman's folding tray-stand. Sid was a feature on the Milton Berle Show in the '50's and huckstered Texaco Oil products as the program's 'pictchman for the sponsor. His slogan, "Tell 'ya what I'm goin' to do" was nationally recognized. Sorry that you research on the subject missed these two famous "pitchmen."

Dick