------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2006 : Issue 344
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Listening with Head phones [ "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@sbcgloba ]
"I Love Lucy" on radio [ Randy Watts <rew1014@[removed]; ]
12-7 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Development of the Sitcom [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
From TV to radio [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
Mcgee's Closet [ "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@sbcgloba ]
Wow! Thanks! [ Ken Greenwald <radio@[removed]; ]
Re: sitcoms [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Picture, if you [removed] [ Wich2@[removed] ]
DON'T OPEN THAT! [ Wich2@[removed] ]
House In Cypress Canyon on [removed] [ "belanger" <belanger@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 20:28:20 -0500
From: "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "The Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Listening with Head phones
Karen Learner says'
Like David, I also listen to my OTR on headphones. I like it because it
adds
to the feeling of the program (especially mysteries) being plugged directly
in to your brain (read: imagination).
I can't stand Head phones or ear plugs , I feel like I'm in jail or coffined
in some way, and they are [removed] In Bed at night I use a pillow
speaker or I turn the volume down so I disturb my wife.
When OTR was new we listened at a normal volume so every one in the room
could listen. Oh, yes we looked at the radio too.
In those days (1930's and early 40's) we could on afford one radio for
family listening. After WWII smaller radios at a reasonable price came on
the market and I had a radio in my bed room for personal listening. No
headphones or ear plugs.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 22:17:47 -0500
From: Randy Watts <rew1014@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: "I Love Lucy" on radio
(There is some indication that "I Love Lucy" may
have also gone this route, but I haven't confirmed
this yet.)
A pilot for a radio version of "I Love Lucy" was
produced in 1952, but never aired, and there was no
subsequent "Lucy" radio series. Unlike "My Little
Margie," the "Lucy" pilot tried to adapt a TV
soundtrack for radio, but the series' emphasis on
visual comedy prevented it from working very well. For
example, neighbors Fred and Ethel Mertz make an
entrance late in the episode that's greeted with wild
laughter from the studio audience. The reason for the
laughter is a mystery to anyone listening to the radio
version, because the reaction is based solely on what
Fred and Ethel look like when they come in.
Randy
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 22:18:01 -0500
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 12-7 births/deaths
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December 7th births
12-07-1879 - Rudolf Friml - Prague, Bohemia - d. 11-12-1972
operetta composer: "Railroad Hour"; "Chicago Theatre of the Air"
12-07-1892 - Fay Bainter - Los Angeles, CA, - d. 4-16-1968
actor: "Nobody's Children"; "Cavalcade of America"
12-07-1904 - Bob Brown - NYC - d. 2-14-1988
announcer: "Vic and Sade"; "Quicksilver"; "This Amazing America"
12-07-1905 - Charles Magnante - d. 12-30-1986
accordionist: "Major Bowes Capitol Family"; "Singin' Sam"; "Tony and
Gus"
12-07-1906 - Fred Stewart - Atlanta, GA - d. 12-5-1970
actor: "The Columbia Workshop"
12-07-1909 - Arch Oboler - Chicago, IL - d. 3-19-1987
writer: Lights Out"; "Adam and Eve skit on Bergen/McCarthy"
12-07-1910 - Rod Cameron - Calgary, Alberta, Canada - d. 12-21-1983
actor: "Screen Guild Theatre"
12-07-1912 - Louis Prima - New Orleans,LA - d. 8-24-1978
jazz trumpeter: "You Can't Have Everything"; "Songs by Sinatra"; "The
Navy Swings"
12-07-1915 - Eli Wallach - Brooklyn, NY
actor: "Eternal Light"
12-07-1918 - Randy Atcher - d. 10-9-2002
disk jockey: WKLO Louisville, Kentucky
12-07-1918 - Hurd Hatfield - NYC - d. 12-25-1998
actor: "Best Plays"; "Crime Does Not Pay"
12-07-1920 - Frances Gifford - Long Beach, CA - d. 1-22-1994
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
December 7th deaths
02-27-1910 - Joan Bennett - Palisades, NJ - d. 12-7-1990
actor: "Ford Theatre"; "MGM Theatre of the Air"; "Skippy Hollywood
Theatre"
03-06-1904 - Hugh Williams - Bexhill-on-Sea, England - d. 12-7-1969
actor: "Theatre Guild On the Air"
03-25-1919 - Jeanne Cagney - NYC - d. 12-7-1984
actor: (Sister of James Cagney) "Movietone Radio Theatre"; "Suspense"
04-01-1884 - Laurette Taylor - NYC - d. 12-7-1946
actor: "The Everedy Hour"
04-17-1897 - Thornton Wilder - Madison, WI - d. 12-7-1975
writer: "This Is My Best"
06-07-1891 - Alois Havrilla - Pressov, Hungary - d. 12-7-1952
announcer: "Campbell Soup Orchestra"; "Jack Benny Program"
06-23-1914 - Nat Hiken - Chicago, IL - d. 12-7-1968
creator, director, writer: "Magnificent Montague"; "Texaco Star Theatre"
07-04-1883 - Rube Goldberg - San Francisco, CA - d. 12-7-1970
cartoonist: "Famous Comic Artists"; "The Shell Show"; "Biography in
Sound"
07-12-1895 - Kirsten Flagstad - Hamar, Norway - d. 12-7-1962
opera singer: "General Motors Concerts"; "Metropolitan Opera"
08-07-1904 - Dr. Ralph Bunche - Detroit, MI - d. 12-7-1971
activist: "The Big Show"
09-30-1911 - Jerry Scoggins - Mount Pleasant, TX - d. 12-7-2004
singer: (Member of the Cass County Boys) "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch"
12-15-1901 - Gail Bonney - Columbus, OH - d. 12-7-1984
actor: "Family Theatre"; "Joan Davis Time"; "NBC University Theatre"
xx-xx-xxxx - Dolph Nelson - d. 12-7-1981
actor, director: "Captain Midnight"; "Art Linkletter's House Party"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 22:41:46 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Development of the Sitcom
On 12/6/06 8:36 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:
Anyway, I've always thought that while there certainly
were antecedents, perhaps the first really successful
sitcom--at least in terms of audience--was Fibber
McGee & Molly. So, how off-base am I? If you were
writing the Wikipedia entry on situation comedy, where
would it start?
First, it's important to define terms. I define a "sitcom" as a program
heard in a weekly half-hour timeslot, dealing with continuing characters
in humorous situations. The episodes are essentially self-contained, and
although some plot threads may continue from episode to episode the
program does not depend on a continuing serial storyline for its appeal.
That being so, I don't consider "Sam and Henry"/"Amos 'n' Andy" to be
"the first sitcom," although Correll and Gosden did lay the foundation
for the form -- they were the first radio performers to present an
ongoing dramatized series dealing with continuing characters as opposed
to an anthology program. Some of their situations were humorous -- and in
fact Correll and Gosden were the first performers on radio to do
character/situation based humor as opposed to joke comedy -- but the
comedy was mixed with an equal portion of straight drama, presented in a
continuing serial format. Though it wasn't a true sitcom until the switch
to a half-hour format in 1943, the success of S&H/A&A proved that
listeners would follow characters on radio as opposed to simply listening
to strings of jokes, musical selections, or anthology plays -- and this
laid the groundwork for every character-based radio program that would
follow. They were the seed not just for sitcoms but for the entire "OTR
Era."
During 1928-29, the success of S&H/A&A inspired a number of
continuing-character programs on the networks and on local stations. Some
of these copied the A&A nightly 15-minute serial format (Cecil & Sally,
Louie's Hungry Five, Luke & Timber, Lem and Lafe, Honeyboy & Sassafrass,
etc.) but others took the form in another direction. "The Smith Family,"
on WENR, Chicago, was a weekly half-hour serial dealing with both
humorous and dramatic themes in much the same manner as A&A. The program,
created by writer/producer Harry Lawrence is best remembered as an early
vehicle for Jim and Marian Jordan -- but they did not appear as a couple
in the series. Marian played Nora Smith, a middle-aged Irish housewife,
opposite Arthur Wellington as her husband Ed Smith. The Smiths had two
daughters, Betty and Irene -- and Irene's boyfriend was a small-time
Irish prizefighter named Joe Fitzgerald, played by Jim Jordan. The plots
dealt primarily with the romantic entanglements of the Smith daughters,
and is best described as a working-class "One Man's Family" rather than a
sitcom -- although it was certainly another step along the road. (Many
published sources date this series to 1925 -- but this is an error dating
back to a "Radio Guide" article published in the early 1940s and picked
up by many writers since. The series actually began on 2/20/29.)
There were a number of network programs in the 1928-29 period which also
fall into the evolutionary progression toward the sitcom format -- "Real
Folks" and "Mountainville Sketches" were weekly half-hour programs, but
the A&A influence of a serial storyline overshadowed their humorous
elements. "Soconyland Sketches" was primarily an anthology series (it
didn't permanently become "Snow Village Sketches" with continuing
characters until 1937) but its use of humorous scripts as opposed to
straight drama places it along the sitcom progression. "Raising Junior"
was a nightly comedy/drama serial dealing with a middle-class couple and
their two-year-old son -- and was notable as one of the earliest such
programs not to incorporate ethnic or dialect elements.
All of these ingredients came together in September 1929 for the program
which I consider the first "true sitcom." "Mr. and Mrs." was a weekly
self-contained half hour based on the comic strip created by Clare
Briggs, and dealt with humorous incidents in the lives of the Greens --
Joe and Vi -- a middle-class, middle-aged, childless married couple who
spent most of their time fighting. Typical of 1920s humor, the comic
strip was a bitter, cynical affair -- Joe and Vi could barely stand the
sight of each other, spat venom in every conversation, and stayed married
out of sheer inertia more than anything else. By all accounts the radio
series duplicated this tone quite closely -- while the dialogue wasn't as
poisonously exaggerated as "The Bickersons" would be in later years, the
Greens were often referred to in reviews and publicity articles as
"radio's battling couple" or other such combative descriptions. The
series ran on CBS for the Graybar Electric Company for two seasons, and
Joe and Vi were played by Jack Smart -- yes, the Fat Man -- and Jane
Houston.
Publicity photos usually showed Smart and Houston done up to look like
Joe and Vi -- which was quite an accomplishment, since Briggs drew Joe's
head in a scratchy, harsh, flattened manner that made it look a bit like
the crushed end of an old cigar butt. Smart would pose for these photos
in a bald cap, a scribbly-looking false moustache, and nose glasses, with
his faced compressed into an expression of utter misery. Houston would
usually be standing next to Smart, arms akimbo, giving him a cold,
fish-eyed glare. This, at last, was a pure sitcom.
However, "Mr. and Mrs." didn't spark a rash of imitators -- 1932 saw the
invasion of radio by vaudeville and musical-comedy performers, and the
sitcom idea was shunted aside. There were a few experiments during the
thirties -- Jack Pearl's "Peter Pfeiffer" in 1934, Gertrude Berg's "House
of Glass" in 1935, "Snow Village Sketches" in 1937. The most successful
move in the sitcom direction was "Fibber McGee and Molly" in 1935,
although "Fibber" was very loosely constructed, and had as much in common
with the vaudeville/minstrel tradition as it did with sitcom technique --
much of the dialogue was simple setup/punchline humor that could just as
easily have been delivered by Tambo and Mr. Bones.
The forties saw the sitcom format really come into its own -- "The
Aldrich Family" in 1939 was the leading edge of this wave, and by the
early forties, sitcoms had really caught on. By the end of the forties,
they were a dominant format, and as such carried over into television.
When Burns and Allen converted from a vaudeville-influenced variety
format to a sitcom in 1942, they were following a trend rather than
creating one. Likewise when Correll and Gosden finally bowed to the
inevitable in 1943 and turned "Amos 'n' Andy" into a sitcom, they were
following rather than leading.
It's important to note, as an aside, that the roots of the sitcom are not
exclusively based in radio. A number of movie comedians were making
continuing series of film shorts in the 1920s and 1930s that were
indisputably situation comedies -- Max Davidson's silent shorts dealing
with humorous aspects of Jewish ghetto life, Charley Chase's middle-class
comedies-of-manners, Edgar Kennedy's "The Average Man" series, Leon
Errol's jolly-alcoholic comedies, and much of Laurel and Hardy's work are
the best examples -- and it is quite likely that these influenced the
development of the form in radio, and certainly later in television.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 07:46:03 -0500
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: From TV to radio
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 17:55:23 -0500
From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
This means that there are at least THREE radio programs that started
on TV and then went to radio. Just backwards of many programs that
went from Radio to TV. Previously I thought there were only two.
There may be more - anybody aware of any besides: HAVE GUN, WILL
TRAVEL; TOM CORBETT, SPACE CADET; and MY LITTLE MARGIE
There was the sitcom "My Little Margie" and "Space Patrol." The
situation with Space Patrol was a bit complicated, since it was on
local TV in Los Angeles before it went network. The radio version
started just about the time the show went network, but the show
started on local TV. Some lists will give a different impression
because they show the starting date of the TV show as when it started
on the network.
There's also the Howdy Doody Show, which had a Saturday morning radio
version from about 1951 to 1954. This, too, is complicated, since
Howdy Doody originated with a kids show that Bob Smith did on WNBC
radio called the "Triple-B Ranch." As part of the show, Smith
created a character called "Elmer," who was a sort of a country
bumpkin. Elmer would come along, say "Well, Howdy Doody," and they'd
do a routine of "Hee-Haw" type jokes. Then Elmer would leave,
saying, "Well, Howdy Doody!"
Since this was radio, there was no dummy or puppet, and the kids in
the studio audience would complain that they wanted to see "Howdy
Doody." So that gave Smith the idea of going to television. And
since the kids were calling the character "Howdy Doody," that's what
he was called from then on. The show premiered on the four stations
of the NBC television network on 27 December 1947. Smith was
originally known on the show as "Mr. Smith." He didn't start to be
called "Buffalo Bob" until some time in 1950.
--
A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed]
15 Court Square, Suite 210 Fax [removed]
Boston, MA 02108-2503 [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 07:46:39 -0500
From: "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "The Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mcgee's Closet
Museum of Broadcast Communications, in Chicago was founded in 1987 and one
of exhibits was Mcgee's closet.
Volunteers built a closet and listeners to Chuck Schaden's "Those Were the
Day' were asked to donate items that would be found in the closet. When
completed you could open the closet door and it sounded like it did on the
radio program. I never saw it but I 'm told it as loud. When the door was
opened the contents would fall out. It was rigged with wire so the contents
could be returned. to the closet.
The museum is closed while their new home is being remodeled take a lookat
the website [removed]
Frank McGurn
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 07:47:01 -0500
From: Ken Greenwald <radio@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Wow! Thanks!
It's great when I learn something new that I didn't know before.
I want to thank Michael Ogden (on list) and Stephen Jansen (contacted
me off list) for revealing to me that my memory of
watching Charles Laughton's production of DON JUAN IN HELL is
actually available on recording.
I bow humbly in your direction, and really do appreciate how helpful
the OTR Digest is, and how helpful its members can be!
Ken Greenwald
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 10:01:31 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: sitcoms
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In a message dated 12/6/06 10:32:13 PM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
Anyway, I've always thought that while there certainly
were antecedents, perhaps the first really successful
sitcom--at least in terms of audience--was Fibber
McGee & Molly. So, how off-base am I?
Actually most of the arguments I've heard in the OTR community are that
"Fibber McGee & Molly" *is* the first actual sitcom. Part of what appears to
define "sitcom," for some reason (at least in television), is a 30 minute
running
time (with commercials). "Sam 'n' Henry" wouldn't fit that description and
neither did "Amos 'n' Andy" until October 1943.
"Fibber" 's character-driven and situation-driven humor is also what makes it
meet the (admittedly very loose) criteria. "The Aldrich Family" and "Fibber"
spinoff "The Great Gildersleeve" seem to have even more the look and feel of
traditional sitcoms. I would love to hear if any other shows fit these
criteria before "Fibber" but that's the earliest one I know.
Dixon
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 11:48:28 -0500
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Picture, if you [removed]
From: "Derek Tague" _derek@[removed]_ (mailto:derek@[removed])
that there are at least THREE radio programs that started on TV and
then went to radio ... How about the recent Carl Amari-produced THE TWILIGHT
ZONE ... our buddy Craig Wichman acted in a few of these newer "Zones."<
That's true, Friend Derek.
I did indeed, and had almost the same feeling of being blessed to give new
life to Serling's texts, as I always do Shakespeare's. (And before you laugh,
consider the similarity of gripping plots, the presence of otherworldly
elements, and especially, of Heart.)
Bringing this even more on-message, Rod of course started out writing radio
drama.
I was saddened recently at the passing of Bruno Kirby, as he had played the
Cliff Robertson role opposite me in the classic episode, THE DUMMY. I was
honored to step into the shoes of that great old Character Man, Frank Sutton.
Alas, we never met in the studio.
Merry merry,
-Craig
[removed] As you reading this, Carl? I'd love to pass That Signpost Up Ahead
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 11:48:40 -0500
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: DON'T OPEN THAT!
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From: jack and cathy french _otrpiano@[removed]_
(mailto:otrpiano@[removed])
... it showed the sound effects man doing
Fibber's closet ... an assortment of pots, pans, and other items
stacked on the steps of a ladder that looked to be about six feet tall. When
the cue came ... the sound guy started knocking
stuff off the [removed];<
...I suspect NBC fudged a little on this
too ... "Radio and TV Sound Effects" (1951)
has an undated photo of soundman Bud Tollefson on the verge of "opening
Fibber McGee's Closet." Seen clearly on a four step platform are
several items ... Was this set-up actually used for a live show?
[removed] probably
[removed];
I wonder, [removed]
My info is third-hand, but it does have a pedigree. I've worked on a few
Fibber recreations with our mutual Old Pro friend, Arthur Anderson. And, to
the
point here, our sfx setup was by Bill Nadel.
Bill, in turn, learned it from an OTR vet. Not sure which; but I believe
that in nearly 30 (?) years of experience, he's worked with Barney Beck, Bob
Mott, and several others.
My main point is contained within your comment: Fibber was a "live show."
The presence of a seeing audience is exactly why I think the very visual
(while
still audio-effective) ladder arrangement might have indeed been used?
The truth may be found in an item that they used to demonstrate years
ago at the Chicago Museum of Radio & TV. NBC had donated this item,
termed "Fibber's Closet," and it consisted of a large sealed metal
drum, filled with assorted junk, and mounted on a wooden frame. A large
handle was attached by which one could spin the drum at any speed<
There's an old (CBS, I think?) piece like that at MTR in NY. Such a drum
does indeed produce a lot of racket; but as all the "toys" are enclosed,
there's
a limit to the control the operator has over individualizing the sounds, And
it does, by necessity, create a "rolling" rythym-type cacaphony.
I've worked Bill N's contraption. You place the gimcracks yourself, and two
hands are used to knock them off, at your own pace, top-to-bottom.
Sounds good - and looks great! So I [removed]
Merry merry,
-Craig
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 19:01:03 -0500
From: "belanger" <belanger@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: House In Cypress Canyon on [removed]
Was " House In Cypress Canyon" ever adapted for the SUSPENSE television
series and if so, is it available? Incidently, the most comparable Hollywood
movie has got to be producer/director Robert Wise's 1963 "THE HAUNTING" with
Julie Harris. Like the SUSPENSE show, the house is the star, and the house
seduces Julie Harris. Here's another similarity to "House In Cypress
Canyon": forty years later, which also means after forty years advancement
in special effects, Robert Wise says people still tell him THE HAUNTING was
the greatest horror movie ever made. (There's just something about those
dark empty houses).
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #344
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