------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2008 : Issue 288
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Station Mgt. 101 [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
Fat Man [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed] ]
Coverage of Jack Benny Actor Harry S [ seandd@[removed] ]
Jack Benny, Ponzi Scheme Victim [ seandd@[removed] ]
re: Mysterious Dinah Shore Show [ rand@[removed] ]
Partially? [ <radioaz@[removed]; ]
Chuck Schaden [ trnhockey@[removed] ]
12-18 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Australian Fat Man log [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed] ]
Re:sponsor reference on AFRS show [ dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Re: Bing Crosby [ dixonhayes@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:10 -0500
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Station Mgt. 101
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:45:18 -0500
From: "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed];
And why cannot our wives understand why we are so upset?
Maybe one can explain it to them in terms of something they care
about deeply. Most people have something.
I'm speaking, of course, as one who is 63 and never married. On the
other hand, I've been a local politician for about 30 years, and I
think I've learned something about communicating with people.
--
A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed]
92 State Street, Suite 700 Fax [removed]
Boston, MA 02109-2004 [removed]
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Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:32 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Fat Man
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In issue #286, Jim Kitchen asked about the Australian Fat Man series.
Kevin Brennan played the lead. He played in so many series and serials, but in
circulating episodes you will also find him in the George Edwards production -
Afloat with Henry Morgan, also T-Men and Life with Dexter. I have him
documented in hundreds of Plays and series but most would be unknown to Digest
readers.
The Australian Fat Man was 1954 and was a 52 episode series produced by
ARTRANSA. The series remains undated as we have not completed research of
programming details in all states of Australia, to confirm which state
broadcast the series first. The first date currently confirmed is 19th August
1954. I am not sure if U. S. scripts were used. This was after Grace Gibson
left ARTRANSA and started Grace Gibson Productions, I suspect it was based on
[removed] scripts but have never made a comparison of story lines to confirm that.
I will do my best to find the answer.
As to who plays the part the best, I get mail for and against. I personally
don't worry about that and try and enjoy the differences. It is always
difficult to objectively measure one performance against another when one is
more used to one, more than another.
If you have the movie of On the Beach (1959), Kevin Brennan plays Dr King
(radiation diagnosis). That movie is a who's who of Australian OTR Actors.
Ian Grieve
Moderator
Australian Old Time radio Group
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Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:52 -0500
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Coverage of Jack Benny Actor Harry Shearer
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Harry Shearer unveils an amusing multimedia art display in Connecticut, which
he explains is informed by his history as a child actor in [removed] all
about it:
[removed]
Sean DoughertySeanDD@[removed]
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Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:30:59 -0500
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Jack Benny, Ponzi Scheme Victim
This writer notes that a previous generations massive Ponzi scheme (not
Social Security, the private sector Ponzi schemes) ensnared Jack Benny,
noting that as a "prodigious feat."
Of course, in real life, Jack Benny was remarkably naive about money, in
general trusted everyone he met and was probably the easiest mark Jack
Trippet ever met. I remember his daughter Joan saying on an FOTR panel that
his favorite president was "whoever was in office at the time." In one of
George Burns' books he related a story (probably exaggerated) that on a day
Jack signed a huge contract renewal with his network that he was more excited
that he had figured out how fast to drive down Rodeo Drive in California to
miss all of the red lights.
It's funny that so many people bought the illusion about the character that
he played on stage and can't separate him from the real man.
[removed]
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:31:06 -0500
From: rand@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re: Mysterious Dinah Shore Show
Andrew asks about a Dinah Shore program in his collection that starts with
the commercial (ie, network) opening, then has the AFRS ID at the end.
There are several things that could have happened here, but I'll hazard a
guess. Original transcriptions could only hold 15 minutes on each side of
a 16" disc, so a thirty minute show is spread over two sides.
Network shows were recorded on two discs, with part one on one disc and
part two on the other. In some cases, one of these discs gets lost or
damaged, so you wind up with only half the show.
So, my guess is that half of the network version of the show is missing
and someone joined it with the AFRS version of the show.
AFRS shows were done on pressed vinyl discs and usually contain both parts
of a half-hour show on one disc, so that's why you can hear the AFRS
opening on the other recording of the show you have - both sides of the
AFRS version survive.
These "half shows" are really frustrating - I have a few original network
and network line check acetates of shows like "Jack Paar", "Can You Top
This?" and others where one half of the show is missing because of lost
discs.
Randy
__________
Randy A. Riddle
Mebane, NC
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:31:14 -0500
From: <radioaz@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Partially?
OK, I understand what a live radio program was. And I know what a
transcribed radio program was. But what exactly is a "partially
transcribed" show? What part(s) were transcribed? Apparently some of the
show was pre-recorded and some was live? Why? Has all this anything to do
with Jimmy Petrillo and his union?
Ted
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:31:49 -0500
From: trnhockey@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Chuck Schaden
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Chuck Shaden did a multi part program with Fibber McGee where they were
dialing in old programs from the past on Fibbers "Super Hedrodine" Radio.
I worked for Chuck for many years but this occured before I got there. I
believe it was 1974 and it was called "Fibber McGee and the Good Old Days of
Radio". Larry Thor did the announcing and Chuck and Jim Jordan did show
introductions and most dialogue. There may have been a guest or two including
Harold Peary. I also seem to remember it was seven parts or one episode
highlighting programs for each day of a OTR week. I think it was sponsored by
an air conditioning company but the name escapes me.
Todd Nebel
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Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:06:26 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 12-18 births/deaths
December 18th births
12-18-1864 - S. Parkes Cadman - Wellington, Shropshire, England - d.
7-12-1936
preacher: "National Radio Pulpit"
12-18-1885 - J. Anthony Smythe - San Francisco, CA - d. 3-20-1966
actor: "Carefree Carnival"; Henry Barbour "One Man's Family"
12-18-1886 - Ty Cobb - Narrows, GA - d. 7-17-1961
baseball great: "Coca Cola Top Notchers"; "Baseball: An Action History"
12-18-1888 - Gladys Cooper - Lewisham, England - d. 11-17-1971
actor: "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour"
12-18-1890 - Edwin H. Armstrong - NYC - d. 1-31-1954
inventor: FM radio
12-18-1891 - Edward Reese - Baltimore, MD
actor: Spencer Dean "Eno Crime Clues"; "Just Plain Bill"
12-18-1895 - Harry Kogen - Chicago, IL - d. 12-xx-1985
violinist: "The Bobby Doyle Show"; "The Breakfast Club"
12-18-1897 - Fletcher Henderson - Cuthbert, GA - d. 12-29-1952
jazz orchestra leader: "Jubilee"; "Magic Carpet"
12-18-1904 - Montana Slim - Guysborough, Novia Scotia - d. 12-5-1996
singer: Had his own show on CBS
12-18-1908 - Celia Johnson - Ellerker Gate, Richmond, England - d.
4-26-1982
actor: "Desert Island Disks"; Read poetry and short stories during WWII
12-18-1909 - George Fisher - d. 12-9-1987
hollywood reporter: "Hollywood Whispers"; "Hollywood Gossip"
12-18-1910 - Abe Burrows - Brooklyn, NY - d. 5-17-1985
writer: "Abe Burrows Show"; "Danny Kaye Show"; "Duffy's Tavern"
12-18-1911 - Jerry Lawrence - Rochester, NY - d. 9-24-2005
host, announcer: "laugh 'N' Swing Club"; "Tom Power's Life Stories"
12-18-1913 - Alfred Bester - NYC - d. 9-30-1987
writer: "Charlie Chan"; "Nick Carter, Master Detective"; "The Shadow"
12-18-1913 - Lynn Bari - Roanoke, VA - d. 11-20-1989
actor: "Dan Carson"
12-18-1915 - Bill Zuckert - NYC - d. 1-23-1997
actor: Detective. Lieutenant. Parker "Crime and Peter Chambers"
12-18-1916 - Betty Grable - St. Louis, MO - d. 7-2-1973
actor: "Hollywood Showcase"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "So You Want to
Lead a Band"
12-18-1916 - Bill McCord - Colville, WA - d. 1-17-2004
announcer: "The Circle Arrow Show"; "Easy Money"
12-18-1917 - Ossie Davis - Cogdell, GA - d. 2-4-2005
actor: "Cavalcade of America"; "Story Hour"
12-18-1918 - Danny Simon - The Bronx, NY - d. 7-26-2005
writer: (Brother of Neil) "The Milton Berle Show"
12-18-1918 - Hal Kanter - Savannah, GA
writer: "The Beulah Show"
12-18-1919 - Ralph Levy - Phildelphia, PA - d. 10-15-2001
director: "Burns and Allen"
12-18-1921 - Chili Williams - Minneapolis, MN - d. 10-17-2003
actor: "Mail Call"; "Truth or Consequences"
12-18-1922 - Bob Dunnavant - Decatur, AL - d. 4-5-2008
co-founder of the Athens Broadcasting Company
12-18-1938 - Chas Chandler - Heaton, Newcastle, England - d. 7-17-1996
rock musician: (The Animals) "Saturday Club"
December 18th deaths
01-14-1915 - Mark Goodson - Sacramento, CA - d. 12-18-1992
producer, director: "Portia Faces Life"; "Stop the Music"
03-08-1919 - Mavor Moore - Toronto, Canada - d. 12-18-2006
actor: Nero Wolfe "Advs. of Nero Wolfe"; "The Crusoe Boys"
03-12-1908 - Eugene Conley - Lynn, MA - d. 12-18-1981
operatic tenor: "NBC Presents Gene Conley"; "Voice of Firestone"
03-15-1910 - Nick Stewart - NYC - d. 12-18-2000
actor: "Hollywood Newsreel of the Air"
03-17-1902 - Bobby Jones - d. 12-18-1971
renowned golfer, did a 15 minute show on golf
04-03-1923 - Elon Packard - d. 12-18-1977
writer: "The Bing Crosby Show"
04-06-1913 - Don Fedderson - Beresford, SD - d. 12-18-1994
a vice president of palo alto radio station
04-24-1907 - John Frank Anders - Upward, NC - d. 12-18-1983
composer, singer: live radio program in Knoxville, Tennessee
05-09-1923 - Connie Russell - NYC - d. 12-18-1990
vocalist: "The Dave Garroway Show"
05-17-1883 - Ethel Intropidi - NYC - d. 12-18-1946
actor: Phyllis Welby "Pretty Kitty Kelly"
06-14-1919 - Sam Wanamaker - Chicago, IL - d. 12-18-1993
actor: Ellis Smith "The Guiding Light"; "Lone Journey"
06-25-1903 - Anne Revere - NYC - d. 12-18-1990
actor: "Cavalcade of America"
08-30-1916 - Herman Klurfeld - The Bronx, NY - d. 12-18-2006
ghostwriter for Walter Winchell
10-01-1885 - Louis Untermeyer - NYC - d. 12-18-1977
writer: "Information Please"
10-04-1880 - Homer Rodeheaver - Union Furnace, OH - d. 12-18-1955
singer/composer: "Come On. Let's Sing"
10-07-1926 - Diana Lynn - Los Angeles, CA - d. 12-18-1971
actor: "Theatre Guild On the Air"
10-11-1897 - Leo Reisman - Boston, MA - d. 12-18-1961
conductor: "Sheaffer Revue"; "Johnny Presents"; "Your Hit Parade"
11-20-1937 - Jack Linkletter - San Francisco, CA - d. 12-18-2007
commercial spokesman: ABC News
12-01-1898 - Cyril Ritchard - Syndey, Australia - d. 12-18-1977
actor: "Best Plays"; "United States Steel Hour"; "NBC Star Playhouse"
12-07-1888 - Heywood Broun - Brooklyn, NY - d. 12-18-1939
theatre critic: "Author, Author"; "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour"
xx-xx-xxxx - Linda Sutter - Greenwich, CT - d. 12-18-1995
producer: "Monitor"
Ron
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:39:05 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Australian Fat Man log
In issue #287 Larry Husch mentioned the Fat Man log on the Australian OTR
website.
The online database was an experiment to show Screensound, now known as
National Film and Sound Archives, that we could do such an online database,
and is now many years out of date. It should be removed and will be at the
next update to the website shortly. Screensound has their own database,
however it only databases what they hold, not what was produced in
Australia, so we were showing them that more was needed for people
interested in Australian OTR. At that stage the Archives had advised the
Australian Government that there may possibly have been as many as 1,500
Series/Serials produced in Australia. We had already disproved that figure
and currently Moris Sztajer and myself, with the help of several collectors,
have actually documented over 6,300 Australian Produced Series/Serials.
These days the database is too large for us to include on the website as we
have also included over 500 representative episodes licenced from the
copyright holders. I think the current representative episodes are around
550 series/serials represented by a full episode and it fits on 2 DVDs
[removed] which is also going to be updated over Christmas as
version 2 is about to be released.
At this stage, when logging Australian series, I try and leave episode dates
out of documentation I supply other people, though the Encyclopaedia has the
earliest confirmed dates included. This is because most of our research at
this stage, is based in Melbourne and is based on Melbourne Broadcast dates.
Many series were broadcast in Sydney first and unless we have confirmed
which capital city broadcast it first, I like to leave the dates off. In
the case of Grace Gibson Productions, Reg James has the documentation and
has supplied us with the start date in each market and we can date those
logs accurately. For other production houses the accurate start date will
have to wait until we have finished documenting each capital city.
Its a long process and we have started decades after [removed] researchers, but
we are gaining more knowledge daily and appreciate the questions we receive
as it helps push us even harder.
The next website should be up in a week, it is designed to bring together
all the Australian OTR that is available for sale, together on the one
website. It is also where some major releases will be happening next year.
Its a shamelss plug I know, but I have been trying to get others to sell
Australian OTR legally rather than pirating, but have given up and done it
myself.
Ian Grieve
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:39:41 -0500
From: dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re:sponsor reference on AFRS show
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Why 2 different openings? Why a brand name in the title of an AFRS program?
We had a discussion on commercials and sponsor references that were chopped
out of AFRS broadcasts, and someone who worked there noted an occasional
commercial, sponsor ID/billboard or other reference, would slip by
[removed] That could be what [removed] I think I've heard at least one
Bing Crosby show that was still referred to on AFRS as the "Kraft Music Hall."
Dixon
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Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:03:52 -0500
From: dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Bing Crosby
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I just finished listening of all of Bing Crosby's Christmas shows that I
could find, and I must say it was an eye-opening [removed] (Still haven't
heard the "Korean Christmas Carol" show from 1951, so I imagine that's a good
incentive to order it from this [removed] Also haven't heard the late
1950s/early 1960s radio specials.)? Bing was an amazing [removed]
A few thoughts with some questions sprinkled in:
I didn't realize the Christmas song with the biggest tradition on Bing's
shows was actually "Oh Come All Ye Faithful."? Wonder how that started?? I
know when (1930's) but not how.
I was surprised "White Christmas" didn't make the annual Christmas show cut
at first, even though Bing introduced it in the 1942 film "Holiday Inn."? In
1944 he didn't sing it on the Christmas show but did sing it a week [removed]
By 1949 it's considered a big deal when Ethel Barrymore asks him to sing it,
then thanks him afterward.
I'm wondering if the 1950 Chesterfield show is the first time Bing used his
family, like he did on all the TV specials I grew up watching.
When did the commercials become non-selling "Christmas wishes" or get
suspended entirely?? Kraft appeared stubbornly insistent on still selling its
cheese and I did note a Chesterfield jingle on the 1950 show, but those were
the [removed] Even Philco abstained from selling radios and GE, light
[removed] Very classy.
And what was the deal with the conservative politics during the two General
Electric years (1952-54)?? Was that a GE thing?? Sound rather out of place on
a show like that, [removed] They didn't do it on the 1953 Christmas show, though.
I don't know of anyone, anywhere, at any time, who ever sounded so
comfortable behind a radio microphone as Bing [removed] Well, maybe Arthur
Godfrey.
Dixon
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End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #288
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