------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 236
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
OTR Songs [ Arcane <arcane@[removed]; ]
Re: "Long Playing" [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
The Phantom Pirate, again [ Osborneam@[removed] ]
Wendy Warren [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
Radio Censorship of News [ Donna Halper <dlh@[removed]; ]
Liberty radio network [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
Aldrich Family Voices [ "william mahan" <wmahan@[removed]; ]
Centerfield! (Put me in, coach!) [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
Re: STARDUST [ George Guffey <grguffey@[removed]; ]
Radio Spirits [ Mike Ray <MRay@[removed]; ]
Operation Danger [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
Most Recorded Song [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
The TRUE story of "Stardust" [ DSmith7855@[removed] ]
Ensembles [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Operation Danger 5/25/50 [ "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 14:00:38 -0400
From: Arcane <arcane@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR Songs
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I was interested to see comments on "Yesterday" and "White Christmas" as
rivals for the most often recorded songs in recent times.
The standing joke in some circles was that the three most often played songs
were "God save the Queen", 'Happy Birthday to You" and " Inna Gadda Da Vida"
( Iron Butterfly).
A quick search through WINMX ( the popular mp3 trading program) revealed
there were about 34 versions of 'White Christmas" available for downloading
compared to about 15 versions of "Yesterday
".
Ironically, I have collected 93 different versions of "Ghost Riders in the
Sky" in the last few years. I'm not sure what that implies, but it is
interesting. Maybe some of those Country and Western songs are sleepers.
For what its worth,
Len M
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 14:02:34 -0400
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: "Long Playing"
In reminding us that the 1948 Columbia LP was very late in the game,
Both Bryan Wright and Elizabeth mentioned the Edison Long Playing discs
that were introduced to the public in the mid-1920s. Bryan had thought
that the 24 minute discs that were sold to the public ran at 36 RPM, and
then without mentioning what speed the public records were recorded at,
Elizabeth also mentioned the 30 RPM discs the Edison company was
experimenting with for broadcast purposes. Let me clarify things a
little.
The discs sold to the public ran at the regular Edison speed of 80 RPM,
but the grooving was an ultrafine 450 threads per inch! That is more
than TWICE as fine as the Microgroove introduced by Columbia in 1948!
After the Edison LP reached the market, Edison's youngest son, Theodore,
continued to experiment on even longer playing discs. He slowed the
speed down to 30 RPM (and even tried 12 and 16 RPM!) and made the
grooving a little wider to make the tracking more secure: 300 threads
per inch.
It was an ideal system. 30 RPM meant that the disc revolved once in
exactly two seconds. Couple that with a grooving of 300 and you get a
tone-arm movement of exactly 1/10-inch per minute, or ten minutes per
inch. That meant the he could use a micrometer dial on the tone arm
locating mechanism to allow for placement of the arm at relatively exact
timings. They could easily get a 30 minute broadcast on one 12-inch
side.
Elizabeth mentioned that "the failure of the project may have hastened
the end of Edison's phonograph division." I don't think it hastened the
demise--in October 1929, several weeks BEFORE the stock market
crash--but if it had been successful it would have extended the
company's life. Occasionally we have mentioned the National Radio
Advertising Company. This Chicago firm in late 1928 was the first to
syndicate recorded programs containing advertising--the Amos 'n' Andy
syndicated recordings did not contain ads. In the Spring and Summer of
1928 NRAC was in contact with Edison in an attempt to use this system to
make its recordings. But the Edison company was too slow in perfecting
the system and they had already entered into an unfortunate arrangement
with the owner of a nearby radio station. Both of these situations
created problems for Raymond Soat of NRAC, and he instead contracted
with the Brunswick Record Company to do the recording. This resulted in
thousands of master recordings in the Brunswick Chicago and New York
studios between 1928 and 1933 and kept that company alive for a while,
while the depression killed off most other record companies. Edison
lost out on this opportunity, and gave up on the slow speed experimental
discs in 1930.
The Edison experimentals have been the source for some very interesting
late 1920s airchecks and demo broadcasts. I used excerpts of some in my
Mark 56 LP "Edison Speaks", and some others are now starting to be
posted on the web. In the past few months the Edison Site has received
from the Henry Ford Museum in Greenfield Village the original metal
masters of all of the Edison discs, and this includes the EXP series.
So there is hope that we might find even further broadcast material
among these. I'll try to drop by there next month when I'm in the area
and see what might be developing.
Michael Biel mbiel@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 16:46:55 -0400
From: Osborneam@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Phantom Pirate, again
Jim Widner was nice enough to reply to my query about The Phantom
Pirate. Unfortunately, it's not a part of The Phantom Spoilers. This
is a series from the 1950s. As far as I can tell, there are two shows:
"The Last Voyage of the Sally Anne", and "Helping Captain Starr"
(and before one can ask, it is NOT a Rocky Starr show either.). I
believe Steve Kelez's Radio Showcase has the shows in its catalog.
I've since noticed that Jay Hickerson has it listed in his book (of which
EVERYONE should have a copy). He lists it as "Kid's drama from
45 rpm record; not radio show, 1950). Theme was "Ride of the Valkyries"
Hmmm.
And I would like to doff my virtual hat to Tony Palermo for his fine
oration on the passing of Cliff Thorsness. It was inspiried.
Arlene Osborne
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 16:50:23 -0400
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Wendy Warren
Forgive me for questioning an esteemed attorney like A. Joseph Ross, a
frequent and valuable contributor to this forum, but I simply don't
understand his assertion about hearing the live news feature on Wendy
Warren and the News at the conclusion of that quarter-hour serial. I,
too, was listening to it in 1954 and 1955 when he recalls hearing it
performed in that precise sequence--fictional story line at the top of
the hour followed by the news with Douglas Edwards. I will have to say
that, because my mother kept it running every day on our kitchen table,
and I ate lunch around that soap opera for much of its 11-year existence
(1947-58), I simply have no recollection of that order, nor do I recall
it coming up in several interviews in the 1990s that I had with Florence
Freeman, who played the heroine. Nor, for that matter, has it appeared
like that in any OTR reference work.
Would it have made sense for a network to push its 3-minute live
newscast, offered at high noon daily in an era in which all 4 major
chains were quickly adopting "news on the hour" as a common practice, to
perhaps 12:11 [removed] daily? Makes no sense to me. It's possible a local
station could have recorded the show, of course, then played it back and
changed the order of elements. But that would have been more work than
most stations would have wanted, if CBS had allowed it.
I certainly do make mistakes and if I've erred on this one, regrets--and
no lawsuits, please. A. Joseph Ross is usually right on target. He
simply remembers this one altogether differently than I. Can anyone
substantiate either view?
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 16:51:49 -0400
From: Donna Halper <dlh@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Radio Censorship of News
Howard wrote--
In the [removed], for a long time the "standards" argument was used to justify
banning portrayals of interracial situations or any any significant
references to sexual matters. In the former case, the standard being
protected was one of "racial purity." George was largely correct that
during the war the government did not directly censor radio programming,
at least not network broadcasting.
We could debate just how much influence the government had on OTR, given
that the FCC reflected the conservative views of its members, and radio was
in fact forbidden to do editorials as a result of the "Mayflower
Decision." But directly or indirectly, the sponsors and the networks did
their own censoring. There is a very interesting 1937 book called "Not to
Be Broadcast" by Ruth Brindze, wherein she describes memos about certain
words considered too controversial-- some are the expected words about
bodily functions, but others are about news events-- "lynching", or "race
riot" for example were perceived as too incediary for southern
affiliates. George Seldes, the curmedgeon journalist of his day, wrote
similarly about censorship of news considered too controversial by the
powers that be, and criticism of segregation was high on that list. Recent
scholarship has revealed, sad to say, that there was much news about the
Holocaust that was censored. Okay, some will say "but we didn't know"--
except that memos have come to light which say we did know and decided it
was not a story of general interest-- in an era when anti-Semitism was
common and Father Coughlin was a media star, news about Jews being
massacred was absolutely down-played. Dorothy Thompson was one of the few
who spoke on air about it in the 30s, and I refer everyone to a wonderful
essay by Joyce Fine about how oldtime radio intentionally censored and/or
minimised news about the Holocaust till as late as 1944.
[removed]
In our worthy efforts to preserve and remember the best from the good old
days, we need to also keep in mind that it was a time when there were not
many alternative sources for information, and when the networks decided not
to cover something (or to slant their coverage), the public was left in the
dark. This was especially true on social issues such as women's rights
(some stations wouldn't even use the word "birth control" and were very
squeamish about news coverage of Margaret Sanger), racism or
anti-Semitism. Yes an occasional public affairs show might be done--
although the first American Town Meeting of the Air about racism featured
all white guests discussing the issue, if I recall correctly. There were
also some paid programs wherein a group like the American Jewish Committee
could do a fund-raiser to help European refugees. But in general, the
sponsors felt that controversy was bad for business, and evidently, the
networks often went along with that much more than they should have.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 16:57:54 -0400
From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Liberty radio network
In the 1950s Frank Bresee,s Golden Days of Radio show was part of the
Liberty Radio network. Frank started collecting transcription around 1942
and started to use them for his Golden Days radio show in August of 1949.
Frank Bresee show is heard on Yesterday USA, and a new show will start this
Friday at 7-30 PM California time will feature Frank sharing his thoughts
about a radio show or and taking calls for the listeners on the Yesterday
USA radio network.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 16:58:53 -0400
From: "william mahan" <wmahan@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Aldrich Family Voices
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John Henley wrote
"Yeah, the teenagers sound kind of whiny sometimes, but that's not
the POINT."
Obviously there are a lot of things that go into what makes a show good or
bad. On radio a major ingredient is the actors voice which will sometimes
make or break a show. While Ezra Stone and Jackie Kelk played Henry and
Homer, the voices matched the material and the show worked - for me anyway.
When Bobby Ellis and Jack Grimes took over these roles in the early 50s it
became a totally different show. Even though the stories lines continued
substantially unchanged, the spark was gone. I'll be happy to pay Radio
Spirits prices for the Stone and Kelk version but the 50's production is just
a sitcom I won't listen to. By contrast when Willard Waterman took over for
Hal Peary in the Great Gildersleeve, I barely noticed the difference because
the voices and acting styles were so similar. Johnny Dollar is another
example. Many actors played the part but Bob Bailey seems the consensus
favorite and most people identify how well his voice fits the part as their
reason.
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 17:11:51 -0400
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Centerfield! (Put me in, coach!)
Jell-O Again:
OK, gang, I caught my own mistake. In the "Who's On First?" starting
line-up, "Because is the CENTERFIELDER! I made a type-O, er, typo, &
inadvertently used the abbreviation "rf" instead of the correct "cf." Hence,
"Why" was in left-, & "Because" was in center- ;
the never referred-to name of the RIGHTFIELDER still remains a (Molle)
[removed]
Yours in the ether,
That Derek
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 17:14:57 -0400
From: George Guffey <grguffey@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: STARDUST
I read with interest the comments of Dave and Gwynne
on the creation, on-going popularity, and emotional
content of Hoagy Carmichael's "Star Dust." (Although
today sometimes spelled "Stardust," the spelling of
the title used by Carmichael and virtually everyone
else during the OTR period was "Star Dust.")
The song was, of course, frequently played by major
mainstream, swing, and jazz bands on radio broadcasts
during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. In his very
favorably reviewed new book STARDUST MELODIES: THE
BIOGRAPHY OF TWELVE OF AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR SONGS
(Pantheon Books, 2002), Will Friedwald says that by
the mid-1950s "Star Dust" had become the "most popular
of popular songs. Ten years later, it was estimated
that Hoagy Carmichael's classic had been recorded at
least five hundred different times and its lyric
translated into forty languages" (p. 3).
List members who value the song as much as Dave,
Gwynne, and I do will be interested in a few other
scholarly points made by Friedwald:
1. The first recording (music only) of "Star Dust" was
made in 1927 for Gennett Records by "Hoagy Carmichael
and His Pals" (p. 5).
2. Carmichael also wrote "sugary" lyrics for the song
in 1927 (p. 10).
3. The final, heavily revised "Mitchell Parish"
version of the lyrics was completed in 1929. That
version "seems to be a crystallation of ideas by
Parish, Stu Gorrell, and Carmichael himself (who had
used the phrase 'Star Dust melody' in his original)"
(p. 11).
In addition to doing a critical analysis of the
lyrics, Friedwald produces an impressive structural
analysis of the melody, which he characterizes as a
"reflective, contemplative tone poem" (p. 5).
Gwynne noted that "There's even a version with Hoagie
himself talking the lyrics that Mitchell Parish wrote
to that timeless melody. And ya [removed]'s even in
mp3 form!" It's also probably worth adding that
versions of "Star Dust" in MP3 format are frequently
offered to users of newsgroups like
[removed],
[removed],
[removed], and
[removed] Over the last couple of
months, I've downloaded more than forty versions of
"Star Dust" in MP3 format--many recorded during the
OTR period.
In addition to a chapter on "Star Dust," STARDUST
MELODIES contains informative chapters on eleven other
classic American songs: "The St. Louis Blues," "Mack
the Knife," "Ol' Man River," "Body and Soul," "I Got
Rhythm," "As Time Goes By," "Night and Day," "Stormy
Weather," "Summertime," "My Funny Valentine," and
"Lush Life."
George
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 17:37:51 -0400
From: Mike Ray <MRay@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Radio Spirits
Recently our friend ruk77@[removed] said
....I must admit I might
not have discovered OTR if not for radio Spirits.
Radio spirits under Carl Amari's leadership did more for the Old Time
Radio industry than any organization I know of. Also keep in mind, that
Before Media Bay purchased Radio Spirits, hardly anyone said anything bad
About the company. The reason for that was Carl's leadership. It was only
When Media Bay put pressure on Carl to do things he himself would have never
Done, (and never did do on his own) did people start to complain about his
Stance on Copyrights. The truth is Carl was a friend to all of us, and
really did care about Old Time Radio. I agree with ruk77@[removed], media bay
Has ruined radio spirits. The company is hardly recognizable at this point.
It will be interesting to see what Carl does with his next project, which is
Brining back the Twilight Zone for radio. I'm sure it will be terrific.
Best regards,
Mike Ray
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 17:36:23 -0400
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Operation Danger
Lois Culver asks:
Would like information on a show called "Operation Danger". The copy I
have
is dated 6/25/58. It is on CBS, requests you to "tune in next
[removed]".
Jay Hickerson's "Ultimate Guide" lists this show as being recorded
eight years earlier, on June 25, 1950 as an audition piece. No
information that the program ever aired. In those days, it was not
uncommon for CBS to end audition shows with their traditional "tune in
next week."
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 17:37:05 -0400
From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Most Recorded Song
Dave Smith wrote:
According to John Edward Haase, the Curator of Education at the Smithsonian
Institution, the most recorded song in history [removed] Carmichael's
"Stardust."
Mr. Haase must be the only person who holds this opinion. At one time it
was true, approximately 1,500 versions of 'Stardust' were recorded, a record
number until 'Yesterday' which can now claim over 2,500 versions.
'Yesterday' is also the most broadcast song ever.
Truly, it is 'Yesterday' not 'Stardust'.
'White Christmas' is the most recorded holiday song ever according to ASCAP.
Irene Theodore Heinstein
IreneTH@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 18:04:30 -0400
From: DSmith7855@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The TRUE story of "Stardust"
While GWYNNE'S romantic story of the composing of "Stardust" is
[removed] am afraid this is more of a figment of Hoagy Carmichael's
imagination than anything else. Fortunately we now have the definitive
biography of Carmichael just [removed]"Stardust Melody" by Richard M.
Sudhalter. In it he states, "The history of this melody is so encrusted in
myth, much of it the composer's own creation, that any attempt to establish
the facts seems almost disrespectful. Carmichael's memoirs weave an
elaborate tapestry of lyrical reminiscence." These somewhat mythical
reminiscences are outlined in both of Hoagy's published
[removed]"Sometimes I Wonder" and "The Stardust Road." Famed war
correspondent Ernie Pyle was a student at Indiana University while Hoagy was
there as a student. Sudhalter says, "In a 1936 reminiscence, he (Pyle)
reports that Hoagy worked out 'Star Dust' at the Pyle family's Indianapolis
home. ' I'd like to tell you about the evening he wrote it,' Pyle declares,
'but he asked me not to, because he says that the public likes to think these
sweet songs are conceived under the moonlight, amid roses and soft breezes.'
Hoagy himself later told a columnist that he'd worked out part of the melody
at the Book Nook (At Indiana University) and finished it at home in
Indianapolis."
Dave Smith
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 18:29:03 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Ensembles
I have listened to perhaps thousands of hours of old time radio. Many of the
programs I listened to have ensembles. In the field of drama is there a better
ensemble than Gunsmoke and in the field of comedy is there a better ensemble
then The Jack Benny Program? Both Gunsmoke and TJBP are the epitome of what
good
radio should be.
Consider Gunsmoke. Bill Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis and Howard McNear.
Does it get any better. Mix that with the wonderful guests that they had and
you can understand why it was one of the all time great dramas on radio.
Then consider TJBP. Rochester, Dennis Day, May Livingston, Don Wilson and Phil
Harris. This is the group that jelled, (not jelloed). When Bob Crosby replaced
Phil Harris it was not the same show. TJBP also had their share of great
guests. Frank Nelson, Sheldon Leonard and the list goes on and on.
In my humble opinion radio doesn't get better then this.
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day just a little better,
Listen to an Old Time Radio Program.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 21:33:29 -0400
From: "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Operation Danger 5/25/50
Thanks to Jim Cox who researched several books and found Operation Danger
only in Hickerson's guide. It shows only one show, 5/25/50 and is listed as
an audition show. Just as I suspected! Jim, your email is bouncing -I
tried to reply to it without success.
Thanks to Barbara Watkins for providing me with a copy of this show.
Lois Culver
KWLK Radio (Mutual) Longview, WA 1941-44
KFI Radio (NBC) Los Angeles CA 1944-47, 50-53
Widow of Howard Culver, actor
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #236
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