------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 137
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Important New Find [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Night of the Wolf [ Philipmarus@[removed] ]
They Burned the Books [ "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed] ]
The Jewell Players [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
Re: Legion of the Dead [ StevenL751@[removed] ]
Biographical information sought [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
YOU ARE THERE [ Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
April 2nd Birthdays [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
re They Burned the Books [ John Henley <jhenley@[removed] ]
Re: Larry Albert bookreview [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
Different Box #'s [ Ken meyer <kensbest@[removed]; ]
The 14th Annual Radio Classics Live! [ Alan Chapman <[removed]@verizon. ]
where are the papers of OTR writers [ Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
The Jewell Players [ "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed] ]
Marlene Dietrich in Otr? [ "Dominique Neuenhagen" <neuenhad@Sm ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 12:32:20 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Important New Find
I'm happy to announce a significant new OTR find, one which I've been
negotiating to make available for nearly a year now, and one which I
think will stand as one of the most historically-significant
transcription finds yet uncovered.
Thru the cooperation of a friend in the Chicago area, I've been able to
get access to what remains of the private, recording library of Maurice
Wetzel. He was an early staff announcer at Westinghouse station KYW, and
was an associate of a number of prominent figures in 1920s Chicago
broadcasting, including E. C. Rayner of Radio Digest, Orlando Marsh of
the Marsh Recording Laboratories, and Raymond Soat, founder of National
Radio Advertising Inc. And more important for our purposes, Wetzel was an
early experimenter in the off-air recording of broadcasts for purposes of
historical preservation.
Wetzel's earliest documented recording experiments date to 1927-28, when
he began using an Ediphone-brand dictating-machine apparatus to preserve
brief excerpts of programming he considered interesting or of potential
interest as a document of the history of the evolving broadcast medium.
By mid-1928, however, he had progressed to disc recording, using
equipment sold to him by his friend Orlando Marsh. At first, Wetzel used
wax mastering blanks and a rather primitive recording head directly
connected to the output stage of a Freshman Masterpiece radio reciever.
The low power of the output from this receiver, along with the poor
quality of the recording head led to disappointing-quality recordings,
but Wetzel was able, thru the use of several stages of amplification, to
finally achieve a sufficient signal to adequately drive the recording
head.
In 1929, Wetzel took his system a step further, purchasing equipment for
recording on uncoated aluminum blanks from Speak-O-Phone Incorporated of
New York, and using a high-quality E. H. Scott receiver as the
tuner/driver for his recording head. It was this arrangement which was
responsible for the bulk of the recordings in this collection.
About a year ago, I was contacted by a descendant of Wetzel, who had
inherited the bulk of the collection, and I immediately began
negotiations to transfer the surviving recordings and preserve the
significant amount of documentation connected to the collection,
includuing logbooks, recording ledgers, and personal correspondence. We
finalized the deal, thru intermediaries, about two weeks ago, and I
traveled to Chicago last week to personally examine the collection and
audition examples of the recordings.
The collection includes a number of Ediphone cylinders, but the Ediphone
itself will need servicing before the cylinders can be played. The
documentation accompanying these cylinders, however, indicates that the
recordings include a number of historically-signficiant broadcasts from
mid-1927 into the early months of 1928, including excerpts of the
Lindbergh arrival coverage which don't survive in any other archive;
several segments of major sporting events, including the 1927 World
Series and the 1928 Rose Bowl; excerpts from the annual Radio Industries
Banquet dinner, and a series of cylinders labeled "Barlow -- Henchmen,"
which I suspect may be excerpts from the CBS inaugural broadcast of
September 1927.
Processed shellac discs in the Wetzel colection include a significant
number of entertainment programs from 1928 and early 1929, both excerpts
and apparently-complete broadcasts. One example I auditioned while in
Chicago last week was the famous "Dodge Victory Hour" broadcast featuring
Will Rogers and Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, a recording which was
discussed by Wetzel in an article appearing in the March 1929 issue of
"Radio Digest. There are also several hours of continuous recordings of
the Democratic and Republican National Conventions of 1928, and a
near-complete recording of the CBS coverage of President Hoover's
inauguration, anchored by Ted Husing.
The uncoated aluminum discs in the Wetzel collection, however, are the
most signficant portion of the find. According to information in Wetzel's
recording ledger, the Speak-o-Phone apparatus, including a double
turntable and high-quality recording heads, went into service on the
evening of April 18, 1929, and he used this equipment on a regular basis
at least into late 1934. (The final pages of the last volume of the
ledger have significant water damage, but the last readable listings date
to 12/24/34, and include the first broadcast of Lionel Barrymore's
"Christmas Carol." I've not yet found the discs to correspond to this
listing, however.)
The uncoated aluminums are an extraordinary document of Depression-era
broadcasting. Highlights include apparently complete runs of these
series: "Westinghouse Salute," "Mobiloil Concert," "Bourjois' Evening In
Paris," "Hank Simmons' Showboat," "The Nit Wit Hour (one of the
holy-grails of early radio comedy), "General Motors Family Party,"
"Detective Story Hour" (early broadcasts narrated by "The Shadow"), "The
Radio Follies," "Sunday Evening at Seth Parker's," and "Columbia
Experimental Drama" (a precursor to the more famous "Columbia Workshop."
Dozens of other series exist in significant partial runs, including
musical features with the Ipana Troubadours, the Clicquot Club Eskimoes,
the A&P Gypsies, the Tastyeast Jesters, the Goodrich Zippers, the Dutch
Masters Minstrels, and the Corn Cob Pipe Club of Virginia. Dramatic
features represented in partial runs include "Sherlock Holmes," (a
recording of the first Holmes broadcast, with William Gillete, exists in
the collection, but the discs are significantly corroded and may be
difficult to transfer), "Radio Guild Dramas," "National Surety Company
Dramas," "Graybar's Mr. and Mrs." (arguably the first pure sitcom),
"Cheseborough's Real Folks," "Uncle Abe and David," "Empire Builders,"
"The Collier's Radio Hour," (several Fu Manchu serials are complete), and
"Arabesque."
The most important find in this collection, though -- and the one which
nearly stopped my heart cold when I saw it -- was a very large
accumulation of "Amos 'n' Andy" episodes, most of which seem to have
survived in excellent condition based on a visual inspection of several
hundred of the discs. The earliest A&A in the collection are *WMAQ
airchecks* of several of the late chainless-chain episodes, in which Bill
Hay's live introduction is followed by the playing of the transcribed
episode. These recordings include audible flaws in the reproduction of
the transcriptions as broadcast, including scratches, poor cueing, and
several instances of skipped grooves, and thus document Charles Correll's
recollection in an interview that the reproduction quality of the
chainless-chain episodes was often unsatisfactory.
The network A&A broadcasts in the collection include the first week of
the Pepsodent-NBC run, but there's then a gap until 11/18/29. From this
point, though, Wetzel recorded *every* A&A episode from that date until
3/26/32, complete with opening and closing theme music and Pepsodent
commercials intact. This covers the peak of A&A's popularity, and
includes several key storylines, including both the "Breach of Promise"
affair and Amos's 1931 trial for the murder of Jack Dixon, possibly the
two best-remembered storylines in all OTR history. To say that I'm
overjoyed at this find would be the understatement of the millenium.
I've made arrangements to have these discs shipped to me for transfer,
and expect to begin the first serious work on the collection later this
month. Arrangements are also being made for the CEDAR restoration of my
remasterings to be done by the First Generation Radio Archives, and
programs from the collection will eventually be released to members in a
series of special packages. I expect to spend several years, at least, on
this project -- but the results, I hope, will be worth it.
I want to thank everyone who helped me close this deal, by the way --
especially Karl Pearson, who handled much of the initial legwork, and
Harlan Zinck, who promised to keep this all secret (despite *really*
wanting to say something!) until all the contracts had been signed.
Look for the first releases in this new series to be available by April
1, 2004.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 12:45:02 -0500
From: Philipmarus@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Night of the Wolf
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/related
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was multipart/alternative
I have just finished listening to the BBC production "Night of the Wolf"
starring Vicent Price. Does anyone know around what year this later day day
radio drama was done.
Mr. Price is outstanding as usual.
Mike Kerezman
Macomb, Oklahoma
[server removed an attachment of type image/jpeg which had a name of
[removed]]
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:07:22 -0500
From: "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed];
To: "otr message" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: They Burned the Books
Katherine Baer inquired about the war time presentation "They Burned the
Books."
I have the broadcast she asks about, my date is 7/28/42, Ralph Bellamy, CBS,
30m.
Ms. Baer, contact me off line. I'd be glad to send it to you. My price:
lifetime access
to all NPR radio related material!! Only kidding, you can have it for a
hearty handclasp.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:08:05 -0500
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Jewell Players
William Halbe wrote:
From the earliest Lone Ranger radio programs, for a few years, the cast
was called the Jewell Players - named after one of the producers or
directors - Bill Jewell.
Actually, that would be James Jewell, Lone Ranger
director.
As to finding a photo, there might be one in the now
out of print, "Who Was that Masked Man" by David
Roethel or "Wixie Wonderland" by (if memory serves)
Dick Osgood. I'm sure others here will be able to come
up with additional resources.
Rick
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:41:47 -0500
From: StevenL751@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Legion of the Dead
Yes, that's correct. "The Legion of the Dead" is not an Oboler script. In
fact, it wasn't even originally written for LIGHTS OUT; it had already been
performed on the air several years earlier in conjunction with a series of
previously unpublished world war pictures that were being run in the Hearst
newspapers.
Michael,
I wish I had known all this before we did our recreation on Sunday. It would
have been interesting background information for both my cast and our
listening audience. Do you know if recordings of any of these earlier
broadcasts of the script have survived?
The LIGHTS OUT script that we used for our recreation had a penultimate
"optional" scene tacked onto the end that according to the author's note was
meant to be used only if additional time needed to be filled. The scene has
the Boy talking to his buddy Ed about big business making a profit out of war
and Ed has a long speech about how things could be settled without everyone
getting killed if they had just gotten together and talked it all out. Do
you know if this "optional" scene was part of the original broadcasts from
1934, or whether it was something that was especially written by Robinson for
the LIGHTS OUT presentation?
Steve Lewis
director, Gotham Radio Players
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 14:42:01 -0500
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Biographical information sought
Would anyone have birth and death dates and places for the following
persons? Please communicate with me directly if so. While I have data
on Leonard's life, I'm looking for a lot more on the other three. Thanks
for any assistance you can provide.
Philip Clarke (actor)
James (Jim) Kelly (actor)
Richard Leonard (director)
Edward Slattery (director)
Jim Cox
otrbuff@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 15:18:22 -0500
From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: YOU ARE THERE
I can answer part of Andrew Schneider's query about YOU ARE THERE-Whose
idea was it to bring the series back as a television show three years
after its demise on radio?
In 1952, CBS appointed Charles Russell and William Dozier to do the
television version. The writers were Walter Bernstein (who is still
around), Arnold Manoff and Abraham Polonsky. The three decided to get
away from the "facts and patriotism" approach --and chose instead to
focus on the continuing history of freedom of expression. It was Polonsky
who coined the famous phrase that Cronkite used during the show "What
kind of a day was it? A day like all days, . . ."
I discuss Polonsky in my book, WORDS AT WAR (Scarecrow Press) --see
[removed]
For a fuller discussion of the TV version of the show see A VERY
DANGEROUS CITIZEN (University of California Press), a biography of
Polonsky, by Paul Buhle and Dave Wagner
Howard Blue
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 15:18:45 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: April 2nd Birthdays
If you happened to have been born the day after All Fools day, you share your
birthday with:
04-02-1908 - Buddy Ebsen - Belleville, IL
04-02-1913 - Fran Carlon - Indianapolis, IN - d. 10-4-1993
04-02-1914 - Sir Alec Guinness - London, England - d. 8-5-2000
04-02-1917 - Gertrude Warner - Hartford, CT - d. 1-26-1986
04-02-1920 - Jack Webb - Santa Monica, CA - d. 12-23-1982
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 16:56:55 -0500
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re They Burned the Books
Katherine Baer of NPR asked,
One of our reporters based in [removed] would like
to use part of a radio play from that time called "They Burned the Books" by
Stephen Vincent Benet. She thinks it aired on NBC during May of 1942. Does
anyone have a copy or know where I can locate one?
"They Burned the Books" was published in book form by
Farrar & Rinehart Inc. in 1942, and so there ought to
be copies available through used-book sources, and probably
a number of academic libraries hold copies and can supply
the book via interlibrary loan.
[My employer, the Univ of TX at Austin General Libraries, holds
two circulating copies and several non-circulating copies. I have
emailed Ms. Baer offlist regarding this.]
John Henley
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 17:17:11 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Larry Albert bookreview
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Although the super nice (and very talented) Larry Albert brought up our
divergent views about the Blacklist issue, I forgive him. One can be
misguided, and still be aces high in my book. :) That's a figure of speech.
I didn't know Larry back when I wrote my epic, or else he would have been
"Aces high" literally as well, and deserving of a mention for his ongoing
activities as a professional actor, performing in current radio dramas.
After I'd read Hal's book I kind of gave it short
shift when it came to writing my opinion of the tome on
the digest. I want to correct that now.
I'm pleased to learn that the old adage "What the Left hand taketh away, the
Right hand [removed] Ya get my pun, Larry?
"I don't think any true lover of OTR history can afford not to have this
book.
If you don't own it get it, or at least borrow it. It's a good read".
May I caution folks about letting people borrow your copy (if you already
have one). You might not get it back. :)
And for those who want one for their very own, it will come to you inscribed
as well as autographed. (For whatever that's worth) :)
I don't plan on having more copies printed in the foreseeable future, so if
you are encouraged to order a copy based on all the nice things my fellow
Digesters have said about it, now might be a good time to do so.
[removed]
To those who will be going to the Cincy CoN next week, you can pick up a
copy there and save on the postage.
I'm looking forward to seeing old friends, and making some new ones.
All the best
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 17:18:05 -0500
From: Ken meyer <kensbest@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Different Box #'s
"But what's really strange is that each day they gave a different box
number. They'd say send $[removed] plus 10 cents for handling to box 1580
Grand Central station, NY, NY The next day it would be box 1730 or
1870 or 90 or 46. Can anyone come up with the reasoning
for the different box numbers?"
My guess would be that they did this so they would
know to which episode you were listening. Many
advertisers in magazines do this. Notice most magazine
ads say "Attention Dept- So and so", and usually the
dept will be the initials of the magazine you are
reading. That is so they can tell which magazines
produce responses. Hope this helps.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 17:20:15 -0500
From: Alan Chapman <[removed]@[removed];
To: Old-Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The 14th Annual Radio Classics Live!
The 14th Annual Radio/TV Classics Live!
Friday & Saturday, MAY 2 & 3, 2003 at 7:30 PM
At the BUCKLEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Massasoit Community College
One Massasoit Boulevard , Brockton, MA
Recreations of the most popular shows from radio's golden era,
[removed] Blondie, Columbia Radio Workshop (My Client Curley),
Duffy's Tavern, Ethel & Albert, Fibber McGee & Molly, Lux Radio
Theater, My Friend Irma, Pete Kelly's Blues, Sam Spade - and more!
Completely different programs each night ... Attend both nights!
Featuring veteran Radio/TV stars Peg Lynch, Arthur Anderson, Rosemary
Rice, Fred Foy, Herb Ellis, Will Hutchins, and Bob Hastings.
As well as many of Boston's leading radio, tv and theatre personalities,
including Kerry Connolly (WBZ-TV4 Morning Team), Alice Duffy, Rod Fritz
(WRKO), Ken Meyer, Barry Nolan (Extra Magazine, WBGH, Ben Parker (WRKO),
Jordan Rich (WBZ), Gil Santos (WBZ), Anne Williams (Nightscapes), and
Robin Young (WBUR)
Not to mention our own Massasoit Radio Players and music by (the one and
only) Ed Clute (oh, darn, I mentioned [removed])
For ticket and hotel information (and other details), see our website:
[removed] or drop me an email.
Alan Chapman, Coproducer
alan@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 18:44:18 -0500
From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: where are the papers of OTR writers and
actors?
>From time to time, I'm going to identify where the papers of various OTR
writers and actors are located:
For starters: MERCEDES MCCAMBRIDGE--donated her papers to the Historical
Society of the State of Wisconsin--whose library is physically in the
University of Wisconsin (Madison). While going through her papers I found
an envelope that was a little bit squishy. On opening it, I found a
thick lock of her hair!
Most of NORMAN CORWIN'S papers are located in a very unique public
library--The Thousand Oaks library in ---guess where? Thousand Oaks
California! (At least a couple of years ago, when I was during the
research for WORDS AT WAR, he still had a substantial amount of his
material in his office, however.
Cecil B. DeMille's papers are in Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
And in which libraries---one might ask, can one find WORDS AT WAR
(Scarecrow Press, Dec. 2002)? It is now in the libraries at the Naval
Academy, Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, Erie Community College, USC, Wake
Forest University, Bethany (MN) Lutheran College and more than 100 other
libraries around the country. But most public and university libraries
don't have it yet.
FOR INFORMATION ABOUT HOW YOUR PUBLIC OR COLLEGE LIBRARY CAN OBTAIN A
COPY AT A DISCOUNT, PLEASE CONTACT ME OFF-LINE
Howard Blue
Khovard@[removed]
[removed]
Next time: Where are CBS's papers? What about Rudy Vally's?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 19:39:27 -0500
From: "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Jewell Players
Director James Jewell was one of the pioneers in the development of The Lone
Ranger at WXYZ in Detroit during the thirties. His contribution to the
program and some photos of the crew are available in Dick Osgood's book,
"Wyxie Wonderland". His sister Lee Allman played parts on the Ranger as
well as the continuing role of Brit (The Green Hornet) Reid's secretary
Lenore Case.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 2 Apr 2003 00:34:18 -0500
From: "Dominique Neuenhagen" <neuenhad@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Marlene Dietrich in Otr?
Hi,
I dropped into an Otr Drama with Marlene Dietrich on one of the Otr
stations. I really liked it but unfortunately I do not know the title of
it. Can anyone help? The only thing I niw is she played a spy.
Thanks
Dominique
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #137
*********************************************
Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
including republication in any form.
If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
[removed]
For Help: [removed]@[removed]
To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]
To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
or see [removed]
For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]
To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]
To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]