Subject: [removed] Digest V2005 #330
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 10/27/2005 8:29 AM
To: [removed]@[removed]

------------------------------


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2005 : Issue 330
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  FOTR: Backstage views                 [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
  Harmon and Glut: The Great adio Hero  [ jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns) ]
  Plus Deck 2                           [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
  FOTR 2005                             [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
  Cigs and such                         [ "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed]; ]
  Why there are no CDs inside most boo  [ "Jim Cox" <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
  OTR Books                             [ "Wayne Johnson" <wayne_johnson@mind ]
  Andy and Virginia Mansfield           [ "Lois Culver" <loiseula@[removed] ]
  Another Louis Nye Role                [ "WILLIS G Saunders" <saunders8@veri ]
  Andy and Virginia Mansfield           [ george aust <austhaus1@[removed]; ]
  Military cigarettes                   [ Steve Kostelecky <doyasteve@[removed] ]
  Who said it?                          [ Jim Widner <widnerj@[removed]; ]
  The Great Radio Heros                 [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
  cigarettes                            [ "OTR MP3" <goldenotrmp3@[removed] ]
  Re: Cynthia Gooding                   [ Brent Pellegrini <brentpl@rocketmai ]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 17:13:24 -0400
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  FOTR: Backstage views

Like all Digesters, I've thoroughly enjoyed the observations of the
many FOTR fans who shared with us their recent days in Newark. Rather
than repeat what was heard and seen at the entertaining panels,
re-creations, and banquets, I thought I might mention some of the less
publicized joys that occurred.

1) Bobb Lynes, who has been praised for his Thursday night portrayal of
Tonto in the Lone Ranger parody, was even better the next night. In "A
Date With Judy," Bobb perfectly imitated the quavering voice of Richard
Crenna as "Oogie Pringle," a much tougher vocal characterization than
the Masked Rider's faithful friend.

2) Elizabeth McLeod being mobbed after her presentation by hoards "Amos
'n Andy" fans, clutching her book, surrounding her with autograph pens.

3)  Hal Stone quietly thanking me for the page I sliced out of my
September 1949 magazine, "Radio Mirror," which contained a photo of him
(as Jughead) with a mini-bio of the young actor. Since he did not have
it in his scrapbook, I also gave him the cover.  On the back of his
article was an ad for a new movie starring Milburn Stone in a romantic
lead.  Said Hal, with a twinkle, "We're not really related, you know."

4)  Joy Jackson, and her delightful co-conspirators, Penny and Marilyn,
cordially promoting their new Seattle OTR group, American Radio
Theater.  Having been banished from REPS (and threatened with legal
action for inviting REPS members to ART's re-creations) this threesome
charmed many attendees and exchanged materials with anyone who asked
about their new audio drama.

5) Finding myself surrounded by OTR researchers after my seminar on
"History of Syndicated Radio." Barbara Schwarz wanted info on
syndication of "Vic and Sade," Patrick Belanger sought "Howie Wing"
recordings, Susan Seigel needed a copy of an article on transcription
services, Dr. J. R. Belpedio  wanted more data on "Candy Matson" and
Gerry Eskin asked how to locate Yiddish radio syndicated shows.

6) Arthur Anderson who, when asked Sunday morning to sing the Cream
O'Wheat commercial, replied, "Well, maybe a couple of you in the
audience know this one, if so please join me." With that, all 95
members in the audience broke into the song, the tune and words never
forgotten since their childhood (or since the last time they listened
to a copy of "Let's Pretend".)

7)  Ben Ohmart, the young CEO and creator of Bear Manor Media, proudly
sitting behind his dealer's table, jammed  with two dozen different
titles from his firm.  In the past two years, he has released more OTR
books than all the other publishing firms did in the ten years prior to
his creation of Bear Manor Media.

Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
[removed]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:46:00 -0400
From: jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Harmon and Glut: The Great adio Heroes

THE GREAT RADIO HEROES was certainly the first book I ever read on OTR.

And I can still remember my first glimpse of it, in an ad in THE MONSTER
TIMES.

TMT, like CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN before it, was--despite the
titles!--kind of an adult version of what FAMOUS MONSTES aimed for (or,
perhaps, I should say, a bright adolescent rendition!).

But THE MONSTER TIMES' ads for non-fiction books and magazines about pop
culture history--and other lovely genre ephemera--were the first glimpse
many of us had, of fandom.

So many little miracles of imagination on the newsstands, back in my
[removed]

Sweet days.

Jim Burns

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 18:46:29 -0400
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Plus Deck 2

Like many other OTR fossils, my audio archives consist of 95% cassettes
and 5% standard CDs. Cassette tape decks are seldom sold in stores,
repair shops avoid them, and even blank cassettes are getting scarce.
It appears that I am being dragged, very unwillingly, up the next rung
of technology.

A friend has suggested I buy "Plus Deck 2", a product that uses one's
computer to convert audio cassettes to CDs or mp3 disks.  With all
necessary software, this device lists for about $ 140 and supposedly
any turnip farmer can operate it.

Any Digesters had any experience with this device?  And if so, can it
be used by a technology-challenged geezer who still cannot operate a
DVD player nor change his VCR clock?

Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
(which is formatted on a wood-burning typewriter)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 20:23:29 -0400
From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  FOTR 2005

Hi Everybody,

I  want to thank all the re-creation directors, and panel host publicly who
gave Yesterday USA permission to broadcast the convention this year.  We had
a great time and were very busy.  My thanks to all of you who came up to me
over the 5 days to talk to me in many different places around the hotel.
Its a lot of fun in taking today technology of broadcasting and using it to
broadcast the convention and OTR.  We were  wireless set up and if we need
to we could have run off our own battery supply  if the hotel would have
lost power.  I got a chance to talk to Martin, Ben, Elizabeth, Derek,
Charlie, and many others.  Once again my buddy Hal Stone   gives me a bad
time, especially when I hang out with my friend Kim Bragg.  You are the best
Hal.  This was the third FOTR convention I have attended and I was able to
enjoy many more events.  I will never  for get the 1997 FOTR convention
where  I arrange for Kitty Kallen to be there.  At the last moment  Kitty
and I decided to bring her cds and there was a line up and down the hall way
waiting Kitty to sign alblums and CDs.  She sign for over 90 minutes
straight and was getting tired thus my brother had to shut  the door on many
people.  I been to 22 OTR convention and that the only time I was present to
some time like that.  We brought  Bill Farrell who was Bob Hope singer to
the 2002 FOTR convention.  My dad and I look out for Bill that week end.
What made that trip so special was Soupy Sale and Bill got back together.
Both know each other during there eerily TV days.  During the Saturday night
dinner Soupy wife came up to Bill at our table and told Bill Soupy wanted to
see him at his table.  Bill went  to Soupy table and that renew there
wonderful friend ship.  After the convention Soupy and Bill would talk to
each other on the telephone.  I thought all re-creation that I observe were
very good.  Those were the days players did a bang up job on Thursday night.
I enjoy many of the panels too.  It was fun to hear earily Shadow example by
Anthony, Elizabeth  playing an ambos and Andy broadcast from 8-9-37, Brian
and Sonny playing together during singer panel, Jeff David telling stories
on Orson Welles, John Provost telling great stories on the kid panel, , and
Niel Shell playing good music by his grand father.  I miss serval of the
panels do to having lunch or vesting the dealer rooms.  I have to thank Dr.
Dale Luketich and Dr. Mike Biel running the station during those time.  I
miss talking to friend because  they did not wanted to bother me while we
were on the air.  I am already thinking about attending a couple of OTR
convention next year.  Take care,

Walden Hughes

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 20:23:40 -0400
From: "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Cigs and such

Just to chime in on B. Ray's memory about cigarette commercials and
sending smokes to the troops ... I too remember the commercials commonly
in the '50s and maybe the '60s making mention of providing cigarettes to
the military ... often around Christmastime but all year long as well.

Art Funk mentions the "samples" being passed out near the chow hall [or
Base Exchange] ... but also in the early '60s on college campuses the
same thing would happen -- at the Student Union Building, especially
around registration time. When I returned to my alma mater about seven
years later, the tobacco people had gone. In their place, pushers of
plastic -- "How about a credit card, young man?" Cigarettes, credit
cards. Both can kill you.

Bob C.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 20:31:58 -0400
From: "Jim Cox" <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Why there are no CDs inside most books

Writing about Jim Harmon's work, my pal Paul Urbahns said:

Old Time Radio was a medium of sound, and no printed word, can
capture the essence of radio. Jim appears to have been the only person that
realized this and included the "record" with the book. I have not seen it
done
since, until the fine book on the War Of The Worlds broadcast. That's a
shame
as most OTR books today could include a CD of excerpts.

That sounds swell and I'm certain Paul isn't impugning the efforts of
colleagues on this list, yet I do think most of those authors could
establish a solid case for why the statement that "most OTR books today
could include a CD of excerpts" isn't a practical, workable idea.  Certainly
it isn't so for those who produce volumes for small publishing houses that
are, for instance, turning out roughly 300 new titles annually with a staff
(total editorial/administrative/clerical/shipping/janitorial) of about 40
full-time people.  I admit I've never understood how they can release the
quality products they do under those restraints.  The logistics of adding
recordings to such streamlined workflows would be absolutely impractical
(certainly so if it was done on an ongoing basis as Paul recommends) and
would drive already nearly-prohibitive retail prices through the roof,
certainly so for most potential individual buyers (not libraries, of
course).

It certainly isn't that we would oppose adding recordings to the packages;
I'm merely surmising that unless Simon & Schuster, Random House or
Scribner's was bringing out the OTR book (and most of those outfits wouldn't
touch it because the focus is much too narrow), it would be more than a
Greenwood, Scarecrow or McFarland would have the ability to tackle as part
of its normal routine.  Think about the nightmare of getting permissions and
releases to reproduce all of that for sale, too, from individuals, estates,
advertising agencies, programmers and networks that may no longer be in
existence -- whew!

In a nutshell, these are some of my perspectives on why it isn't done.  It
isn't that any author is "the only person that realized this and included
the 'record' with the book" as Paul hints -- Doubleday provided that benefit
in the case cited.  That takes nothing away from Jim Harmon's fantastic
pioneering contributions (which inspired many of us), enhanced by the little
vinyl record inside the front cover.  For the most part, publishers aren't
interested in stuff like that 35 years since for their OTR manuscripts (if
any) and that's the gist of why it isn't done.  I hope this satisfies
questions that may have been raised in readers' minds by the earlier post.
It's a great idea but simply not economical for most OTR environments.

Jim Cox

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 20:59:07 -0400
From: "Wayne Johnson" <wayne_johnson@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  OTR Books

I have a copy of "Words at War" written by our very own Howard Blue.  I
think that it would make an excellent addition to any personal OTR library.
It is well researched, well written, informative and entertaining.  I think
that most OTR fans would like it.

Wayne

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 21:07:59 -0400
From: "Lois Culver" <loiseula@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Andy and Virginia Mansfield
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

Andy and Virginia had a show in the mid-40's emanating from KFI, Los
Angeles.  Whether it was picked up by NBC from there, I don't remember (KFI
was the NBC outlet in Los Angeles).

Their show was in the mornings, and I shared a desk with them as I worked
afternoons in Continuity Dept after they had left.  Our paths crossed a
number of times, but I dont have any knowledge of them except for the above.

Perhaps Jim Hilliker or Stuart Lubin may be able to help Ivan Watson.

Lois Culver
Mrs. Howard Culver

  *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
  ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 22:14:12 -0400
From: "WILLIS G Saunders" <saunders8@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Another Louis Nye Role

Hi Everybody,

When I was a teenager, I remember hearing Louis Nye in the role of Sgt.
Gibbons on a show called "Under Arrest" on Mutual.  kAt that time, Gibbons
was the assistant to a Captain James Scott, who was played by Ned Weaver.

Buck Saulnders

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 23:08:41 -0400
From: george aust <austhaus1@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Andy and Virginia Mansfield

Ivan Watson asked if anyone on the list has heard Andy and Virginia
Mansfield.

I used to listen to Andy Mansfield on KFI around 1954-55. He was an
authority on the big band era and his program consisted of playing
records from that era. Very informative. This program ran something like
and hour and a half or two hours(my memory may be a little foggy here)
At some point his wife Virginia joined him for a segment they called
"Turn Back The Clock".  Virginia would play a recently recorded version
of an old song, and then Andy would gently criticize it and then play
what was often the original recording of that song or sometimes the most
famous or popular version of the song. Their banter back and forth about
the two records made it interesting listening.
I continued to listen while I was in the [removed] in Germany as they
were on AFRN. This was 1957-58.
I believe that during that period Andy had some health problems and had
to cut back on his program. At that point Andy and Virginia were on just
15 mins or possibly a half an hour with "Turn Back The Clock" only.
Chuck Cecil who began on KFI in 1956 also playing big band music took
over Andy's time slot with "The Swinging Years" which ran for years
until KFI was sold and went to a rock/talk format(Yuck).  I think that
Chuck is still on the air in some markets.
If you are into Big Bands and their vocalists these programs would be
good choices.

For those on the list who have emailed me in the past, PLEASE NOTE MT
NEW EMAIL ADDRESS! austhaus1@[removed]

George Aust

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:01:53 -0400
From: Steve Kostelecky <doyasteve@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Military cigarettes

They still included a pack of four per C or K rations
as of 1974 when my dad was in the service in Germany.
You could buy a case of many meals that were reaching
expiration date for twenty dollars or so and we
teenagers, thinking we would live forever, would rifle
the meals for the cigs first.
Cough, cough.
Steve

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:02:23 -0400
From: Jim Widner <widnerj@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Who said it?

Jim Harmon asked:

Who was it who said "If I am not for myself, who will be?"

and John Mayer answered:

I believe that was Dr. Bronner on the label of his famous [removed]'s
Castille Soap.

Not to disappoint John, Dr. Bronner borrowed this quote which actually
reads:

"If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for
myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?"

It was a questioned posed by the first century BC Babylonian rabbi
Hillel the Elder. Essentially it was a rhetorical question posed by the
good rabbi asking if we can't stand by our own convictions then how can
we expect others to stand by us or take us seriously.

Jim Widner

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 01:27:24 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  The Great Radio Heros

Date: Wed, 26 Oct 2005 14:34:34 -0400
From: [removed]@[removed]

This is one aspect that most OTR books miss. Old Time Radio was a
medium of sound, and no printed word, can capture the essence of
radio. Jim appears to have been the only person that realized this and
included the "record" with the book. I have not seen it done since,

"We Interrupt This Broadcast," by Joe Garner, published in 1998, about radio news 
broadcasts, contains two audio CDs.

I have to say I agree that "The Great Radio Heros" belongs on anyone's list of important 
books about otr.  I remember buying it when it originally came out and reading it more than 
once.  It came at a perfect time for me, when my childhood memories of otr had surfaced, 
but I was still fairly young when otr ended.  I tried to get my parents to tell me about otr, but 
they weren't really interested in telling me much.  And then "The Great Radio Heros" came 
out, and I was able to learn a lot about otr that I was too young to have known, and to re-live 
what I did remember.  Just a few years later, when I learned that otr was available on tape, I 
bought my first cassette recorder and began buying tapes.  And it was Jim Harmon's book 
that gave me that inspiration.   Thank you, Jim.

-- A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed] 15 Court Square, Suite 210 Fax [removed] Boston, MA 02108-2503 [removed] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 10:15:18 -0400 From: "OTR MP3" <goldenotrmp3@[removed]; To: [removed]@[removed] Subject: cigarettes X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from text/html Seems nobody here knows that all C & K Rations until the new meals (MRE) came out in the 1980s, they always had a small pack of cigarettes in them, which had been provided in them since WWII. Not only Camels, but most every cigarette brand made was included. I rememeber Winstons, Lucky, Newports, etc., Those that didn't smoke (very few) traded them for other things in meals, or just gave them away. Can't believe I'm the only military person here, that served from 1960s Vietnam to 1990s. GL *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear *** *** as the sender intended. *** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 10:15:26 -0400 From: Brent Pellegrini <brentpl@[removed]; To: [removed]@[removed] Subject: Re: Cynthia Gooding Is she still around? i have some mp3 files of her talking with zimmerman, him playing a little, before he was well known. -------------------------------- End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #330 ********************************************* 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]