------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2004 : Issue 144
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Palomar 'scope, Lowell Thomas [ Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed] ]
Sergeant Tattaglia [ "John Eccles, Jr." <jeccles@earthli ]
re: The Sergeant & Danny [ Gerald Wright <gdwright@[removed] ]
Art and friends [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
Sgt Tartaglia [ William Brooks <webiii@[removed]; ]
4-25 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Texaco's Sponsorship of Met Opera En [ Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 21:15:45 -0400
From: Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Palomar 'scope, Lowell Thomas
Mark Kinsler wrote about heavy coverage by Lowell Thomas of the 200" Hale
telescope mirror and its travails.
I wouldn't put too much faith in the admittedly funny line about people who
heard Lowell Thomas while waiting for "that other program". Thomas was a
huge success on the lecture circuit, through numerous fascinating books, on
film and newsreels, and on the radio, for many, many years. I gather from
the way he writes that Mr. Kinsler is too young to have heard Lowell Thomas.
That's unfortunate. I listened for decades, and enjoyed it enormously, even
on the several occasions when some funny news story would completely break up
the veteran newscaster.
There is a wonderful book which is titled, if I recall correctly, "Those
Radio Commentators". It describes about a dozen major commentators of the
30s 40s and 50s, and contains two of those paper-thin black plastic,
double-sided phonograph recordings (at 33-1/3 RPM) which contain brief snaps
of all the major commentators with sizeable sections in the book. Lowell
Thomas is the last major writeup in the book and inclusion on the records.
Get it from your library's Inter-Library Loan system, if they don't have it
on the shelf. Funny, informative, eye-opening, and definitely well
worthwhile.
Some years back, Newsweek or Time magazine, I think it was, carried a story
about "survival" arrangements for our national government, during the dark
days of atomic-war threatening Cold War. Shades of the news these past
couple of weeks, about the neo-executive branch that President Eisenhower set
up with major non-government people in case of atomic attack, the most well
known name (to us, at least) of which was Frank Stanton of CBS.
The Time article talked about the several emergency shelters set up in a ring
some miles away from Washington, where the Executive, Judiciary and Congress
would flee to underground bunkers, to conduct the business of the American.
One of them was opened a half-century later for visitation by us common folk.
It's underneath a high-priced vacation spa, the gorgeous Greenbrier in White
Sulphur Springs in the mountains of West Virginia, not far from where I now
live. It's owned by the CSX Corporation, which if memory serves is the
remains of the old Chessie (Chesapeake Railroad system).
Anyway, part of the Time story told that special recordings (and probably
films for TV use) were made by President Eisenhower and several
highly-trusted Americans, which would be aired in case of an enemy attack.
Obviously, the point was to help calm the people and avoid panic, while the
real executives and those on the recordings would be whisked off to remote
transmitters. Back then, science apparently did not know (or did not share
with us) what we have since been told, that atomic attacks would interfere
with any kind of electrical current and transfer, including broadcasts, auto
ignition systems, etc. Sort of like in the film "The Day the Earth Stood
Still", except that ambulances and aircraft and other emergency situations
would not be spared. The atomic and hydrogen bombs would not have been as
Gort and Klaatu. All right, everyone, repeat after me:
"Klaatu Mirada Nikto!"
The other voices beside the President included Arthur Godfrey, Edward R.
Murrow, and Lowell Thomas. The idea was that these were the voices which
commanded the most confidence and belief among the American public, and would
be instantly recognizeable and the hardest for some enemy (read: USSR) to
somehow duplicate successfully and believably over a long period of time.
This would involve the use of the ConElRad system (from
CONtrolofELectromagneticRADiation, discussed here a number of times before,
the successor to which is today's EBS (Emergency Broadcast System). For more
information, go to
[removed]
You will find more about Mr. Godfrey's involvement there as well.
Despite constant requests for confirmation from the named writer of the
article and from the magazine, I and others have never received any response,
except that the magazine said it stood by its story. The reporter weakly
said that he'd forgotten his source.
I spent hours with Frank Stanton some years back, and we talked about these
revelations. I said he must have been proud that these "most trusted voices"
were top CBS personalities. He smiled. Looking at the recent news based on
newly revealed material in the hands of the Eisenhower Library, I wish I had
pursued the topic [removed] he would have let slip about Ike asking
"Doc Stanton" to head up an ad hoc organization to keep the nation's media
and communications systems going. Sigh.
Other "inside information" long ago revealed by Eisenhower biographers and
anecdotists revealed that privately, the President thought all the Civil
Defense and government preparations in case of an atomic war, were
ridiculous, in Ike's opinion. He felt (I think quite realistically) that
were we to really get into an atomic holocaust, we'd not be worrying about
how to convene congress or save top people in Washington, but that we'd find
ourselves back in the dark ages or worse, the caveman era. Base survival
problems.
Fortunately, many things combined to prevent all that. The Soviet leaders
were avid and dedicated, but were not suicidal. Curtis Lemay built up SAC in
open view of our people and our adversaries in Moscow, just as they did with
their counterpart, keeping us informed of their ability to wipe us out just
as we would them.
It was a very scary time, but the strategic planning worked, and we got
through the cold war in that period until Ronald Reagan threatened the
Russkies with an increase in the arms race with which they could not possibly
keep pace. This ran into "glasnost", Gorbachev, and general upheaval among
the Soviet people. Remember Mr. Reagan's challenge, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear
down this wall!"
Unfortunately, Lowell Thomas had passed away in 1976, so we did not hear
about all of this from his "most trusted" voice, but rather from a successor
"most trusted", Walter Cronkite. Interesting that he is now quoted as ruing
the day he retired. Thomas, who like Cronkite initially said he was going to
enjoy retirement, later said much the same thing.
Like a lot of retirees who realize after the fact that they wish they'd never
done any such thing! Does that strike a chord with anyone here?
Bestus, Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 21:53:53 -0400
From: "John Eccles, Jr." <jeccles@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sergeant Tattaglia
Re Matthew Bullis' question about a radio show with a character named
Sergeant Tartaglia, the show was "Broadway Is My Beat" with Larry Thor as
Detective Danny Clover and Charles Calvert as Sergeant Gino Tartaglia. Jack
Kruschen was also a regular as Sergeant Muggavan.
John Eccles, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 21:54:32 -0400
From: Gerald Wright <gdwright@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re: The Sergeant & Danny
>Matthew remembered: a detective show which had a secondary character
named Sergeant Tetaglia that the main
character would visit at least once a show. I think the main character
was named Danny.
The show is Broadway Is My Beat starring Larry Thor as Det. Danny
Clover, and his foil was Sgt. Gino Tartaglia played by Charles Calvert.
There are over 150 shows in circulation.
Gerry Wright
ZoneZebra Productions
San Francisco
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2004 00:14:27 -0400
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Art and friends
I have a friend who just asked me on the phone the other day if it's
possible to acquire an old-time radio show of Art Linkletter's HOUSE PARTY
that features Bela Lugosi as a guest.
I laughed when I read this: the sunny Art Linkletter and his guest, sunny
Bela Lugosi.
The point, I guess is that it is easy for fans (like me) to confuse an actor
and his show-business persona. Art and Bela could have gone fishing
together every weekend, for all I know.
I had the same reaction when I read that Elvis Presley and Pat Boone were
old friends.
M Kinsler
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2004 00:58:07 -0400
From: William Brooks <webiii@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Sgt Tartaglia
Matthew Bullis asked about Sgt. Tartaglia.
He was the Sergeant to Lt. Danny Clover on "Broadway is my Beat"
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2004 16:58:06 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 4-25 births/deaths
April 25th births
04-25-1899 - Guinn (Big Boy) Williams - Decatur, TX - d. 6-6-1962
actor: "Biography In Sound"
04-25-1908 - Edward R. Murrow - Pole Cat Creek, NC - d. 4-27-1965
newscaster: (This is London) "Edward R. Murrow with the News"
04-25-1918 - Ella Fitzgerald - Newport News, VA - d. 6-15-1996
singer: "Flow Gently, Sweet Rhythm"; "Jubilee"
04-25-1919 - Albert Aley - NYC - d. 1-1-1986
actor: Hop Harrigan "Hop Harrigan"; Bob James "Stella Dallas"
04-25-1921 - Robert Q. Lewis - NYC - d. 12-11-1991
disc jockey, comedian, host: "Arthur Godrey Time"; "Robert Q. Lewis Show"
April 25th deaths
01-09-1915 - Anita Louise - NYC - d. 4-25-1970
actress: "Stars Over Hollywood"
01-16-1907 - Alexander Knox - Strathroy, Ontario, Canada - d. 4-25-1995
actor: "Document A/777", BBC
01-19-1906 - Lanny Ross - Seattle, WA - d. 4-25-1988
singer: "Lanny Ross Program"; "Maxwell House Show Boat"
01-22-1878 - Constance Collier - Windsor, Berkshire, England - d. 4-25-1955
actress: Jessie Atwood "Kate Hopkins, Angel of Mercy"
03-10-1905 - Richard Haydn - London, England - d. 4-25-1985
actor: Professor Carp "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show"
07-16-1911 - Ginger Rogers - Independence, MO - d. 4-25-1995
actress: "Star and the Story"; "Packard Hour"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
07-29-1911 - Florence Freeman - NYC - d. 4-25-2000
actress: Ellen Brown "Young Widder Brown"; Wendy Warren "Wendy Warren and the
News"
09-01-1900 - Don Wilson - Lincoln, NE - d. 4-25-1982
announcer: "Jack Benny Program"; "Good News of 1941"
10-01-1903 - George Coulouris - Manchester, England - d. 4-25-1989
actor: Hugh Drummond "Bulldog Drummond"; Frank Harrison "As the Twig Is Bent"
--
Ron Sayles
For a complete list:
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 2004 17:51:44 -0400
From: Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Texaco's Sponsorship of Met Opera Ends
Saturday 24 April 2004 is the very last Metropolitan Opera radio
broadcast to be sponsored (underwritten) by Chevron-Texaco, previously
Texaco prior to merging with Chevron (Standard Oil of California).
The following URL gives some history of the Metropolitan Opera itself
(which dates back to 1883), as well as the radio broadcast history:
[removed]
There is also a "timeline" chart regarding the radio braodcast of the
Opera:
1931 was the first regularly scheduled live radio broadcast of the
metropolitan Opera, on Christams Day with Humperdinck's "Hansel und
Gretel". (There is no mention of any sponsor, nor if it aired only
locally or regionally, or if it was on any network - either NBC Red,
NBC Blue, or CBS).
December 1940 was when Texaco took over sponsorship, with a performance
of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro". (Again, there is no mention of
whether this aired only locally in New York City, or regionally, or
possibly carried over a coast-to-coast network, whether NBC, NBC-Blue,
CBS, or Mutual).
The next "box" in the time-line states "1944/1958 Networks". It mentions
that the opera is now broadcast by NBC over a 129-station network in the
US, and by shortwave to Latin America. The the broadcasts moved to ABC
in 1944 and then to CBS in 1958. But the way the "box" states 1944/1958,
it isn't clear when it actually began on NBC, if it were supposed to
have "moved" to ABC.
I would assume that it started on NBC, the National Broadcasting Company
sometime in the *EARLY* 1940s, most likely being the Blue Network of NBC
which RCA sold off to Edward J. Noble (of Life Savers Candy) circa 1943,
the now-spun-off NBC-Blue Network being renamed ABC, the American
Broadcasting Company.
The CBS Radio Network did pick up the Texaco Metropolitan Opera for the
1958/59 broadcast season (beginning December 1958). I assume there is
some kind of article (in Broadcasting Magazine maybe?) explaining the
reasons for ABC Radio dropping the Opera with the 1957/58 [removed]
I wonder if maybe ABC Radio's O&O stations (and other non-owned
affiliates too?) were becoming more "youth" and "rock" oriented in the
late 1950s? (Even if ABC Radio had continued with the Opera into the
1960s, they would probably haved to have drop it by [removed] for the
1967/68 season because of the [removed] "four-way identity split" of ABC
Radio).
CBS Radio also carried the Texaco Metropolitan Opera a second season in
1959/60. But during 1960, CBS Radio announced *MAJOR* revamping of their
program schedule which was to take effect in late November 1960, which
caused NUMEROUS programs to be cancelled, including the Metropolitan
Opera on CBS. Another type of "opera" also left CBS Radio in [removed],
the last broadcasts of the long running P&G *SOAP* operas (Ma Perkins,
Helen Trent, Young [removed], etc) on radio being on Friday the day
after Thanksgiving, November 1960. That weekend after Thanksgiving was
also the last CBS Radio broadcasts of the radio version of "Have Gun
Will Travel", and the temporary end of "SUSPENSE". (Suspense would
return six months later in June 1961, cancelling the radio edition of
"Gunsmoke"). Another classical music program was cancelled by CBS Radio
at this time, the radio broadcasts of the New York Philharmonic.
Beginning in [removed], CBS Radio would concentrate mostly on its weekday
daytime personality/variety programming (Godfrey, Linkletter,
Crosby/Clooney, Garry Moore, etc), and there would be CBS Radio hourly
news for virtually every hour of the broadcast day (except when a
football game or such would be on), previously, while there were several
five-min CBS Radio hourly newscasts scattered throughout the broadcast
day (7-days a week), it was no where near most (if not all) hours. With
[removed], in addition to having hourly newscasts for virtually every
hour of the broadcast day, MOST of these newscasts were now a longer TEN
minutes in length. (I've heard promos for the expanded CBS News in tapes
of Suspsense, Johnny Dollar, Have Gun Will Travel, etc. of the 1959/60
and thru [removed] timeframe).
But the Texaco Metropolitan Opera would continue on radio, even with its
cancellation by the CBS Radio Network. During 1960, when CBS Radio made
it known that they were not going to be carrying the Opera anymore for
the 1960/61 season (due to major program schedule changes), Texaco and
the Met put togather an "ad-hoc" radio network similar to various "team"
or sports events radio networks. They leased their own 5-Kc landlines
from AT&T (Maw Bell) and had commitments from numerous local radio
stations, many also non-commercial (which was something rather "new" or
"novel" in the 1960s). I wonder how many CBS affiliates chose to
continue with the Opera via the new "ad-hoc" network after CBS Radio
dropped the broadcasts? In the 5-March-1977 CBS Radio special Saturday
afternoon "listener call-in talk-show" broadcast with Cronkite and
President Carter, it is mentioned in one of the CBS Radio hourly
six-minute newscasts a couple of hours prior to the "Ask President
Carter" special (Christopher Glenn anchoring that particular hour's
newscast - and he is *STILL* doing CBS Radio hourly news! :), that KLAV,
CBS Radio's Las Vegas affiliate, would tape-delay the CBS Radio "Ask
President Carter" special, because they would be carrying the Texaco
Metropolitian Opera LIVE, that Saturday 5-March-1977 broadcast being
Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro". KLAV-AM (according to the Opera's
website) still is the Vegas affiliate for the Opera, but I don't know
offhand if they are still the Las Vegas affiliate of the radio side of
CBS/Westwood/Infinity/Viacom/whatever.
I can remember hearing some of the Texaco Operas locally on WVOG-600-AM
and [removed] here in New Orleans in the later 1970s (I was still in
High School at the time), and WVOG was (still is) a local religion (paid
time) station, and [removed] was (still is) the NPR affiliate. WVOG-600
hasn't carried the Opera in *YEARS* (I don't know when they dropped it),
but [removed] still airs it. I can remember hearing the 5-Kc "network"
audio quality, and in mono even on the FM side.
Then for Fall 1999, as I was told by a contact with AT&T/South Central
Bell at the main telco building downtown -- he was the manager of the
network radio/TV distribution board for New Orleans, that Texaco and
AT&T worked out a MASSIVE project where the entire continental US would
get the Texaco Metropolitan Opera fed down *15* Khz bandwidth lines,
actually a *STEREO PAIR* of 15-Khz lines! It was very expensive for
Texaco and the Met Opera foundation, and it involved a lot of intricate
on-hands engineering by telco people all over the country to feed full
15-Khz audio (analog) in stereo.
Beginning in 1980, Texaco leased transponder space from NPR's
multi-channel satellite facility on Western Union's Westar satellite.
I don't know which satellite(s) Texaco is using now, but the Met is fed
by satellite to radio stations and other networks in Europe, in Latin
America, in Australia, Japan, and eslewhwere. Full listings can be found
at the Met Opera's website: [removed]
CBC's English and French networks in Canada have picked up the Met Opera
as fed out of New York City for *YEARS*.
Over the years, the network "outcue" for station identification at the
end of each act has grown considerably [removed] The commercial network
identification was most likely used in the 1940s/50s (NBC-Blue, ABC,
CBS). In the 1970s, it was simply "This is the Texaco Metropolitan Opera
Radio Network". In the 1990s, as other countries (in addition to Canada)
started picking up the satellite feedcs, the outcue was expanded to be
"This is the Texaco Metropolitan *INTERNATIONAL* Radio Network". And
more recently, with the merger of Chevron (SOCal) and Texaco, the outcue
is expanded even further, possiblly one of the LONGEST radio or TV
network outcues, even longer than the "formal" ones of the 1930s/40s:
"This is the Chevron-Texaco Metropolitan Opera International Radio
Network".
Also in more recent years, many individual radio stations and networks
carrying the Opera from the Met's own network, have set up their own
websites and streamings, thus one can now hear the Met streamed to their
computer from one of these many affiliates directly to their computer!
As I mentioned at the beginning, today, Saturday 24 April 2004 is the
very last Metropolitan Opera radio broadcast to be sponsored
(underwritten) by Chevron-Texaco. It was Richard Wagner's German Opera
"Gotterdammerung" (there's an 'umlat' over the 'o' and 'a'). This is the
forth (and final) Opera of Wagner's complete "Ring" cycle. It begn at
12:oo Noon (EDT), and is expected to run SIX hours total (with all
intermissions, the Opera Quiz, commentaries, etc). More info can be
found at [removed] or
[removed]
Even though Chevron-Texaco is dropping its almost 65 year history of
sponsoring the Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcasts, they will still be
involved with funding educational projects of the Opera. And the
December-thru-April weekly Saturday afternoon broadcasts will continue
with December 2004, this time underwritten by huge multi-million dollar
grants from The Annenberg Foundation and The Vincent A. Stabile
Foundation.
I don't know which opera will be performed for the first radio broadcast
under the new foundation sponsors, but I assume that it will air on the
first Saturday of December (2004), on 4-Dec-2004.
I also wonder how the network outcue will be re-worded as well! :-)
BTW, I know that Milton Cross was the announcer thoughout most of the
1940s and 50s, during the ABC Radio years, as Mr. Cross was also a staff
announcer at ABC well into the 1960s (at least). Who was the announcer
for the two CBS Radio years? Was it someone with CBS? Or was it an
announcer employed by the Opera itself? I know that in later years (at
least since the 1970s), Peter Allen has been the announcer.
Mark J. Cuccia
mcuccia@[removed]
New Orleans LA CSA
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #144
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