------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 436
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
REPS Showcase 2004 registration open [ otrarchive@[removed] ]
Velocipede [ wilditralian@[removed] ]
Re: A breath taking tale [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
Re: Audio-Scriptions [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
regarding Standards of Decency [ k g-g <grams46@[removed] ]
2 combined responses & a question re [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
Re: FCC & bad words [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Inter - personal/professional [ Wich2@[removed] ]
Rules Changes [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
16" discs [ "Tim Hughes" <rekokut@[removed]; ]
Answer to Green Hornet question [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 09:23:38 -0500
From: otrarchive@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: REPS Showcase 2004 registration open,
earlybird prices
Registration is open for REPS Showcase 2004 in Seattle.
The lowest 'earlybird' prices are about to lapse.
The dates are Thursday, June 24th through Sunday, June 27th. There's more
info and a registration form online at [removed]
The main program runs 9 am to 10 pm on Friday and Saturday, with optional
add-on events Thursday and Sunday.
Here's the description out of the earlybird brochure:
Thursday, June 24th
Showcase 2004 will kick off Thursday evening with a swank reception for our
guests highlighted by a career tribute and gentle roast of honoree Sam
Edwards.
Friday and Saturday, June 25th - 26th
The main program Friday and Saturday will include 8 full-length re-creations
of vintage radio shows featuring many of the original performers. Shows to
be produced include: Adventures by Morse, The Green Hornet, Let George Do It,
Lum and Abner, Quiet Please, The Shadow, and Superman, along with a new and
original episode of Imagination Theater.
Spotlight interviews, presentations and panels featuring experts and our
history-making guests from the age of network radio fill out the days.
Planned segments include the history of Mutual Broadcasting System and the
Don Lee Network, adventure on Mutual, musical shows on Mutual, mystery shows
on Mutual, Carlton E. Morse on Mutual, rare and unusual recording practices,
and restoration of radio show recordings.
Saturday evening concludes the main program with a 'Banquet of the Stars'
featuring a genuine OTR performer at each table, the close of our silent
auction of rare radio memorabilia and a special grand re-creation in the
round.
Sunday, June 27th
Sunday morning brings an intimate brunch with the stars for a lucky limited
number of members, with a special re-creation and opportunities to
participate in the show.
Sunday afternoon offers a curators' tour of one of the world's premiere radio
museums and the opportunity to see original one-of-a-kind artifacts that
can't be seen anywhere else.
The usual question is: `So, who's going to be there?' and from the same
brochure, the answer is:
Anticipated guests include
Larry Albert, Alice Backes, Harry Bartell, Dick Beals, Bill Brooks, Frank
Buxton, Ben Cooper, Jack Edwards, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Ray Erlenborn, Jim
French, Pat French, Barbara Fuller, Kathy Garver, Esther Geddes, Art Gilmore,
Phil Harper, Bob Hastings, Martin Grams Jr., Paul Herlinger, Jimmy Lydon,
John Patrick Lowrie, Ellen McLain, Jo Anna March, Norma Jean Nilsson, Paul
Petersen, Elliot Reid, Hal Stone, Gale Storm, Gil Stratton, Jr., Ginny Tyler,
Anne Whitfield Phillips, Janet Waldo and Doug Young.
Each performer is featured in one or more re-creations in which the actors
work from scripts of shows on which they originally appeared. Showcase
features an all-professional cast with the exception of the Sunday morning
brunch performance which includes selected audience members acting and
performing sound effects.
Martin Grams, Jr. is our guest historian this year, creating a good portion
of the content for the 72-page printed program booklet. He's currently
sifting through the Mutual archive and tells me he has a lot of good, juicy
stuff that no one knows about. He will also release his new forthcoming book
on Gangbusters at Showcase. Other content is coming from Elizabeth McLeod,
Stewart Wright and Harry Bartell.
There's an additional activity planned for Thursday afternoon when we will
have Dick Beals, Paul Peterson (and most probably others of the cast) working
with Showcase attendees who are interested in radio acting. They will work
with folks on radio acting technique, script handling, mike technique, cast
and rehearse a show and prepare it to be performed later in the weekend.
I've enjoyed the opportunity to do this myself and watch others under Dick's
tutelage and it's remarkable to see an experience radio director shape a show
from raw amateur talent. (It's also a lot of fun!) There should be ample
opportunities to participate, or to observe.
In the meeting rooms, we will again have on display some of the sound effects
from Ray Erlenborn's lifelong collection which REPS acquired a couple of
years ago. You'll also see some of them in use. I can't think of a better
use of the Jot `Em Down Store's original cash register than being used for
cash register sounds in our Lum `n Abner performance.
Last year we we able to bring the AMRE Theremin down and include a demo
during the Main Program. We are working with AMRE to arrange either a repeat
of that, or for another of their amazing electrical marvels to be shown
during the Main Program.
So what's it cost? Most of your cost is going to be airfare, which is low at
present. I'm hearing $275 R/T from the East Coast. The official hotel is
$79/night which can be split if you feel like sharing a room, and also
includes continuous shuttle service to the Showcase locations (most of the
main program is in a suite of six convention/performance rooms on the grounds
of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, near the base of the Space Needle about a
half mile from the hotel).
The main program Friday and Saturday (and the Thursday afternoon thing when
we announce it) is just $130 (which includes the `Banquet with the Stars'
which we do Saturday night at a fancy local restaurant) so long as you
indicate your intention to attend by December 6th. You can pay it in full or
by installments. The first (or full) payment is due January 3rd. The
payment plan is $50 by Jan. 3, $40 by March 6, and the remaining $40 by May 1
(first Saturday is the regular monthly meeting day). [NOTE: If this posting
is delayed hitting the OTR Digest, we should be able to work it out to accept
'earlybirds' a little late]
The Thursday evening tribute to Sam Edwards hosted by Harry Bartell is sold
out, but we are assembling a waiting list anticipating a few spaces will
open. The Sunday morning brunch, performance and your portrait taken with
the stars is also sold out. Space is limited for those two by the physical
location and by the nature of the events. Hey, we've gotta be doing
something good when those things sell out 7 months before the event.
The Sunday afternoon tour to the American Museum of Radio and Electricity is
still available. That's a $50 add-on which includes the transportation,
admission, a special tour with the founder/curators, a catered reception, and
a performance there by some of our actors. It's an amazing place which is
likely to turn into a more traditional museum soon. Meanwhile, you can
literally walk up and play a working 1930s RCA Theremin, or reach out and
touch the experimental test bench on which it seems Marconi witnessed his
first electrical experiment.
All my [removed]
- Paul
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 09:23:56 -0500
From: wilditralian@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Velocipede
06 DEC 03
Corganoid@[removed] wrote that he heard the word "velocipede" for the
first time. I've heard the word, and although I've never seen one of
these things, I believe that it was one of those various types of
pedal-powered children's vehicles -- somewhat like a pedal-car minus the
fuselage.
Regards,
Jim
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 09:51:45 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: A breath taking tale
Although not OTR related, this posting does follow a recent thread in our
beloved Digest. It is related to TV "entertainment" however, and concerns a
professional "Sports Celebrity" who was famous in his field.
This gentleman was, at one time, America's top Bowler. He was dubbed by the
media with the sobriquet, "Mr. Bowling". I directed him in countless TV
Commercials for the Ebonite Bowling Ball company and we became friends after
working together over a 15 year period. We even stayed in touch occasionally
after I retired.
Now, as it turned out, my son was interested in bowling from an early age,
and became fairly good at it. He was impressed all to heck and back that his
"Dad" knew and worked with all the famous bowlers of the period. By age 14,
when he continued to show promise at the game, I thought it wouldn't hurt
for him to get some "Professional" help and instruction, and for me to get
some advice and evaluation regarding his potential. Also, to learn if I
should encourage his interest in the game, and to continue financially
supporting the local Bowling alleys every time he wanted to go bowling. :)
By this time, "Mr. Bowling" had sort of retired from National TV
Competition, making room for the new (younger) crop of hot shots who were
beginning to dominate the sport. He lived quite comfortably in Florida, and
owned a huge state-of-the-art Bowling and entertainment center.
I prevailed on our friendship, and asked if he would have some time to look
at my sons bowling form, and perhaps give him some pointers. He readily
agreed, and we flew down to Florida to spend a few days at his fabulous
Bowling facility.
All seemed to be going extremely well, and my friend graciously, and
patiently, worked with my son. Off to the side, he informed me that if my
son was dedicated and worked hard, he could be a very good bowler. (We're
talking Pro Bowler potential here). With the possibility of making a good
living at it.
However, by the second day, my son seemed incredibly reluctant to go back
for more "lessons", and I was dumbfounded. He used all sorts of excuses to
cut the session short, and complained of his thumb getting too sore.
On the flight home, I finally got the straight story. It seemed my Bowler
friend had incredibly bad breath, and whenever he stood behind my son, and
bent over low to show him the proper release position, or knee bend, he was
very close to his ear, (and nostrils), and to hear my son tell it, "my eyes
would water and I had all I could do to keep from gagging and barfing up my
lunch". As much as my son revered the man, and was thrilled being helped by
him, I think he was ready to quit the game that day.
I'm happy to report that my son went on to a successful career in sales, but
not before he rolled a few 300 games in his early 20's. And what do I have
to show for my support of his interest in the sport. He gave me all his
trophies.
My friend may have had a bad breath problem, which I was unaware over all
the years we worked together. (I never got that close I suppose), but he
sure was an incredible bowler, a hell of a nice guy, and obviously, a gifted
teacher.
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 10:08:56 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Audio-Scriptions
On 12/6/03 9:19 AM [removed]@[removed] wrote
Last summer I was at an estate sale in Bedford, New York and came across
a small plastic bag containing two eight inch acetates recorded at
Audio-Scriptions. 1619 Broadway, New York, New York. There was even a phone
number,
CIrcle 7-7690.
The label was typed and under name it has, "Harry W. Fowler."
Under title it says, "American Eagle Club"
Recorded at WOR, 6/20/42.
I would appreciate anything anyone can tell me about these discs.
They both say "Part 1" so it must be they are copies. I have no
turntable on which to play them sadly so I know nothing of the content.
What can it be?
It's probably an address to a civic group or lodge. Audio-Scriptions
specialized in recording material of this sort off-the-air, and then
offering copies of the recordings to the program participants. The
originals were kept as part of the company's "Library of Recorded
Voices," and copies could be ordered by anyone.
Audio-Scriptions seems to have rarely, if ever, recorded entertainment
programs, but their collection of news and current-events programming was
the most substantial privately-held collection of its era. The company
began around 1935, and remained in operation at least into the mid-1940s.
Most of their first-generation recording was done on uncoated aluminum,
but many of their dubs, especially after 1937, were done on lacquer
blanks. The presence of the letter "W" on an Audio-Scriptions label
denotes that the disc is a dub, and the sound of these "W" discs is
noticeably fuzzier than an original.
About three years ago, I was approached by a non-radio-person in the New
York area who asked me about the "boxes and boxes of aluminum records" in
his garage. After questioning him about the specifics, I concluded that
these were, in fact, the remnants of the Audio-Scriptions library. There
were hundreds of 12-inch 78rpm uncoated aluminum discs, containing for
the most part speeches by public figures broadcast between 1935 and 1940,
airchecked off New York City stations. Most if not all of President
Roosevelt's broadcasts during this period were present in this
collection, as were substantial chunks of coverage of the 1936 political
conventions and other important historical events of the day.
The owner was interested in disposing of the collection for a price, but
I couldn't afford to buy them myself, nor was I able to interest anyone
else in fronting up the cash to acquire the recordings. I made him a
nominal offer -- more than I could actually afford to spend, but nowhere
near what he thought he should get, and pointed out that materials of
this sort have essentially no commercial value. I tried to explain that
the primary value of the collection is its historical content, especially
since many of the more obscure recordings weren't duplicated in any other
archive that I know of. But he was convinced he was sitting on a
financial gold mine, but when I told him told otherwise, I suspect he
thought I was trying to swindle him, and that was the end of that.
I've since lost touch with this individual, and I have no idea what
became of the recordings. This is, unfortunately, a story that's far
more common than the "stumbling over a great collection in the dark"
stories we sometimes hear. More often, owners of the discs can see only
dollar signs, and have no interest in proper historical preservation --
and as a result, the materials will never become available to anyone,
since the high-rolling bottomless pocket "Investor" crowd you run across
on eBay would rather pay ridiculous prices for dirt-common AFRS discs
than actually sink their money into materials with real historical value.
Elizabeth
(and no, this is not a "McLeod." This one really happened.)
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 11:28:49 -0500
From: k g-g <grams46@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: regarding Standards of Decency
philipmarlowe@[removed] wrote:
What concerns me more however is a story I read in a local newspaper THE ADA
EVENING NEWS [removed].
[removed]
It relates how the FCC recently ruled on obscenity on public airwaves.
According to the story the.
"The FCC has approved the use of the 'F' word for use on any TV show or
radio program, any time, day or night. The FCC said the word can be used
whenever desired except in sexual situations."
from kathy: please go to a hoax web site to find the truth. the one i use
has details on this ruling.
[removed]
".....The AFA "Action Alert" implies that the 2003 Golden Globes
ceremony marked the first incidence of anyone's using the "f-word" on
television, after which the FCC underwent a sea change and suddenly declared
that all offensive language, including the "f-word," could now be used at any
time, in any context, in all radio and TV programming. That wasn't the case;
they addressed one specific context in which the "f-word" was allowed (a
"fleeting and isolated" remark used as "an adjective or expletive to
emphasize an exclamation") while reiterating that certain other uses of the
"f-word" (those which describe or depict "sexual activities") and other
offending terms (such as scatological references) were still not permissible
under current FCC regulations."
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 11:45:53 -0500
From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 2 combined responses & a question re: Lum &
Abner
Robert, I have a print of the Teley you mentioned, but I thought it was from
an earlier period for some reason. I'll have to see if I can find my video
transfer to answer your questions. I doubt that it was an actual broadcast.
The "companion" film with Josef Hofmann, which also would have us believe
that it is an actual broadcast, was recorded on a number of different days.
I have the info somewhere but don't have it at hand on in my memory.
Echoing what Harlan wrote about finding transcriptions, a friend recently
contacted me about an add for some 16" transcriptions that appeared in a
local free paper. I was able to negotiate the purchase of the discs, about
200. Many were broken, some were music library discs (some of which are of
interest to me, like Benny Goodman's Thesaurus discs) and some were AFRS.
There was one ep of Superman. Networking works!
Lum & Abner fans, what was the name of their theme music?
Joe Salerno
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 12:10:40 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: FCC & bad words
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
In a message dated 12/6/03 8:24:32 AM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
"The FCC has approved the use of the 'F' word for use on any TV show or
radio program, any time, day or night. The FCC said the word can be used
whenever desired except in sexual situations."
This is actually false (though the belief is widespread), and arises out of
an incident early this year on an awards show. Here's a page from the "Urban
Legends" site that addresses this:
[removed]
Dixon
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 15:38:54 -0500
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Inter - personal/professional
From: Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed];
...Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. Many people were and still are
convinced that they were married. Not.
Dear Lee & [removed]
[removed] perhaps not with Benefit of Clergy, but -
After both had passed away, it was finally acknowledged in their official fan
publication that - shall we say - their off-screen togetherness was of a type
so intimate, that halitosis was probably of little [removed]
Happy Holidays!
-Craig W.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 15:46:49 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Rules Changes
Mike Kerezman relates,
"The FCC has approved the use of the 'F' word for use on any TV show or
radio program, any time, day or night. The FCC said the word can be used
whenever desired except in sexual situations."
The ruling, as I understand it, is that the "F" word can be used as an
adjective, (as in "this is a f***ing mess), as a verb (as in "you're
f***ing with my mind) or anything where there is no explicit sexual
content (as in what Regan says in The Exorcist several times, as voiced
by Mercedes McCambridge). However, I saw the light comedy movie, Miss
Congeniality, broadcast the other day on television where the heroine,
after a makeover, says to her partner (among other things} "you want to
kiss me ... you want to f*** me") in the film, and unless my ears were
playing tricks on me, it went out that way on the air. If so, the code
is even looser than what we were told.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Ok, folks, recent FCC rulings have nothing whatsoever to do
with OTR, so let's move on. --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 15:47:40 -0500
From: "Tim Hughes" <rekokut@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: 16" discs
THe price of discs has gone up so exorbitantly in the last 5 years or so,
that it's not worth getting them anymore (at least acetates) , in my
opinion. They're fun to have, but network acetates are a terrible
investment. Especially on ebay- people are paying WAYYY too much. A
handful of individuals drove up the price a lot over the past couple years
and ruined it for everyone else. You'll probably have to pay two or three
times what they're worth on ebay, and they'll just fall apart in a few
years. It's less pain to have the dub than the disc, in my opinion. You
have to have expensive equipment to transfer them properly, and it's a
heckava lot of work to do so.
If you gotta have them, I recommend getting an Armed Forces Radio or some
vinyl pressing. Music library discs are still cheap.
BUT if any 15 minute Nick Carter discs turn up, I'll take them! <grin>.
Just my two cents!
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 15:48:25 -0500
From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Answer to Green Hornet question
The answer is given in the lead in to the OTR
program: 'no criminal could escape the sting of the
Green Hornet'. Another factoid dealt with the sound
the Hornet's car made. One collector told me that
the car used by the Hornet made a buzzing sound
due to a defect of some kind with the engine. He
said he thought it was quite appropo, considering
his secret identity, that the sound was like that of a
hornet.
The theme music, or so I was told, was to be
an excerpt from Rimsky Korsakov's (sp?) "Flight of
the Bumblebee". Is this true?
Sincerely,
Kenneth Clarke
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #436
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