What to do Percy? By KimB

[Editor's note: This story was written by KimB]

"What to do Percy?" Is a common saying in our family and is used to indicate a quandary of one type or another. I often wonder how many know of its origins?

Congo Percussion

Growing up we had limited access to TV and radio but we did have a record player. It was a rather fancy one and could play many types of records because it had a dial that could vary the speed of the turn table.

We used to check out records from the library and scour stores for cheap records to buy. As this was long before videos and streaming movies, the records would often have stories done in a "radio drama" format.

The Black Watch

We found interesting and unusual recordings like: Congo Percussion [Chief Bey Congo Percussion 1960s] that had this booming timpani drum and Scottish bagpipe tunes [The Black Watch Regimental Band and Massed Pipers], but the radio drama format was popular and we loved listening to the stories over and over.

On one outing to the store, we found a recording of Walt Disney Swiss Family Robinson [1963]. As we had a limited budget there was some debate about whether to buy it or not, but a bit of whining on my part got it put into the purchase column.

When we got it home and played it, we had a bit of a surprise. While it was the “Swiss Family Robinson” story, the radio adaptation left a lot to be desired. In short: it was awful. I'm not sure how the actors read those parts or if they were just scraped from the movie dialog but every line and description was just absurd. The sound effects where undeniably bad.

It was so bad we all started to laugh and the more we listened, the harder we laughed. Tears were flowing down our cheeks and sides where splitting as we gasped for breath and held our ribs which were hurting from laughing so hard. Every line was even worse than the previous one and we didn't stop laughing until the end of the recording.  It was so awful we just had to play it again! Each replay had the same effect: uncontrollable laughter. It became a staple for listening and guaranteed laughter maker.

In the opening of the recording is the ship wreck that lands the family on the island. There are the sounds of storms and lightening and rain pounding in the background. At a crucial moment, the Captain says “What to do Percy? What to do?”

And ever since, “What to do?” has become a standard phrase in our house. Even now, it brings a smile and a chuckle at the memory.

Swiss Family Robinson Recording