------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 54
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Re: Hugh Beaumont? [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Hop Harrigan [ skallisjr@[removed] ]
Gildy [ "Arthur Funk" <Art-Funk@[removed]; ]
Lum & Abner in DC [ Ed Kindred <kindred@[removed]; ]
2-18 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Go For The House [ Art Chimes <[removed]@[removed]; ]
Wire Recorder repair? [ "bobb lynes" <iairotr@[removed]; ]
Olive Major [ Gerald Wright <gdwright@[removed] ]
Cars [ Rentingnow@[removed] ]
Ride VA to OH Cincy Convention? [ Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@earthlin ]
Robert Arthur correction [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
One Meat Ball [ "Dave" <dgehue@[removed]; ]
Re: One Meatball [ "jazmaan@[removed]" <dmf273@ya ]
One meat ball [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
Esquire [ "Mike Hobart" <zines50@[removed]; ]
audition [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
Re: Martin [ Zharold138@[removed] ]
Re: more on War of the Worlds [ CORBERAMA@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:36:26 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Hugh Beaumont?
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In a message dated 2/16/05 1:53:57 PM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
02-16-1909 - Hugh Beaumont - Lawrence, KS - d. 5-14-1982
actor: Appeared on radio in 1931
Does anyone have any more information about this?
Dixon
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 13:39:42 -0500
From: skallisjr@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Hop Harrigan
Hop Harrigan (America's Ace of the Airways, he was billed, though it was
never explained what he shot down to become an airways ace), or rather
the show he was title character to, was referred to as an underrated OTR
show. The show ended, "Remember -- America needs fliers!"
Well, Hop Harrigan was one of several aviation shows that aired on the
OTR age, and some of the puzzles presented were clever enough, but just
as Hop Harrigan was a feature in All-American Comics, so the show was
just a feature on radio. The network thought highly enough that it ran
for some times without sponsorship.
But Hop Harrigan, though a pilot, wasn't really a leader. Maybe it was
his age. He accepted and carried out assignments, but he was not one of
those usually making command decisions. I recall hearing his shows while
growing up, but then, I listened to several radio aviators in those days.
One of the surviving serials was about "wailing witches," where
experimental flights pushing Mach 1 were terminated catastrophically
after the pilots in the doomed aircraft reported witches by radio, and in
the background one could hear a wailing sound one could associate with
the Hallowe'en depiction of a witch. Hop's boss sends him to
investigate, and eventually the wailing is solved -- a technical problem
-- but the witch component gets completely forgotten. Why did the doomed
aircraft report witches?
Now don't get me wrong: Hop Harrigan wasn't a bad show; however, neither
was it outstanding. I can see doing some sort of book on Sky King, there
already is one on Captain Midnight, but I doubt one would ever be written
on Hop Harrigan.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 14:56:52 -0500
From: "Arthur Funk" <Art-Funk@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Gildy
In Digest 53 Rich Weil asked about the baby-naming contest for the child
Gildy found in his car. While I don't remember hearing that series of
episodes at the time, I have the concluding episode which I think was the
Christmas show for that year. In it Gildy meets the child's real father and
is heartbroken to realize that he can't adopt the child he had come to love
but must return it to the father. It's a very poignant episode and it's the
only episode of OTR to which I've listened as an adult which brought me to
tears. Hal Peary was an extraordinary actor, IMHO.
Regards to all,
Art Funk
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 14:57:29 -0500
From: Ed Kindred <kindred@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lum & Abner in DC
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Here is a little bit of fluff that should be a lot of fun for Lum and
Abner fans. I loved them
when I was nine years old and still do. My Momma was born in Hatfield
Arkansas in 1906
and by 1940 it was a boomtown of 115 souls. Hatfield is frequently
mentioned on their
radio shows. I reckon that makes this desert rat a genetically
predisposed razorback.
The film is short but covers plenty of ground, is unpretentious and
charming. The voices
and characters fit right in with my preconceived mental images. If you
haven't seen it,
give it a try in April.
Ed Kindred
So This Is Washington (1943)
CAST: Chester Lauck, Norris Goff, Alan Mowbray.
Director: Ray McCarey.
Two country bumpkins rock the nation's capital with their formula for
synthetic rubber.
BW-64m
PLAYING ON TCM:
Feb 17, 09:00 AM
Apr 15, 07:30 AM
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 14:57:39 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 2-18 births/deaths
February 18th births
02-18-1890 - Adolphe Menjou - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 10-29-1963
host: "Texaco Star Theatre"; "Eternal Light"; "Hallmark Playhouse"
02-18-1890 - Edward Arnold - NYC - d. 4-26-1956
actor: President "Mr. President"
02-18-1892 - Wendell Willkie - Elwood, IN - d. 10-8-1944
presidential candidate: "Information Please"
02-18-1894 - Andres Segovia - Linares, Spain - d. 6-2-1987
classical guitarist: "The Magic Key"; "Theatre [removed]"; "Concert Hall"
02-18-1901 - Wayne King - Savannah, IL - d. 7-16-1985
bandleader: (The Waltz King) "Lady Esther Serenade"
02-18-1903 - Jacques Fray - Paris, France - d. 1-20-1963
pianist, disc jockey: "Fray and Braggiotti"
02-18-1907 - Billy de Wolf - Wollaston, MA - d. 3-5-1974
actor: "Ginny Simms Show"; "Philco Radio Playhouse"; "Lux Radio
Theatre"
02-18-1913 - Dane Clark - Brooklyn, NY - d. 9-11-1998
actor: Perry 'Quiz' Quisinberry "Passport for Adams"; Flamond "Crime
Files of Flamond"
02-18-1914 - Pee Wee King - Abrams, WI - d. 3-7-2000
singer, songwriter, accordionist: "Grand Ole Opry"; "Pee Wee King
Show"
02-18-1917 - Jack Slattery - MO - d. 10-29-1979
announcer: "House Party"; "You Bet Your Life"
02-18-1919 - Jack Palance - Lattimer, PA
actor: "Bud's Bandwagon"
02-18-1920 - Bill Cullen - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 7-7-1990
host, announcer: "Winner Take All"; "Arthur Godfrey Show"
02-18-1924 - Sam Rolfe - NYC - d. 7-10-1993
writer, creator: "Suspense"; "Have Gun, Will Travel"
02-18-1925 - George Kennedy - NYC
actor: "Suspense"; "Hollywood Radio Theatre"
02-18-1933 - Mary Ure - Glasgow, Scotland - d. 4-3-1975
actress: Won the Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award for Radio Drama acting
in 1954.
February 18th deaths
02-09-1914 - Bob Hite - d. 2-18-2000
announcer: "Challenge of the Yukon"; "Green Hornet"; "Casey, Crime
Photographer"
03-14-1919 - Harry Caray - St. Louis, MO - d. 2-18-1998
baseball announcer: St. Louis Cardinals; Chicago Cubs
03-16-1908 - Robert Rossen - NYC - d. 2-18-1966
film director: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Director's Playhouse"
05-31-1938 - Johnny Paycheck - Greenfield, OH - d. 2-18-2003
country singer: "Country Sessions"
12-11-1894 - Eddie Dowling - Woonsocket, RI - d. 2-18-1976
host: "We, the People"; "Ziegfeld Follies of the Air"
12-25-1889 - Nat Shilkret - Queens, NY - d. 2-18-1982
conductor: "Eveready Hour"; "Music That Satisfies"; "Palmolive Beauty
Box Theatre"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 17:23:46 -0500
From: Art Chimes <[removed]@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Go For The House
Andrew Steinberg asked (Digest 2005:53)
During what years did the quiz show "Go For The House" broadcast on ABC?
According to Harrison Summers (A Thirty-Year History of Radio Programs
1926-1956, Arno Press 1971), "Go for the House" aired as a sustaining
half-hour in the 1948-49 season Sundays at 7:00 [removed]
Summers' book, which is an exceptionally valuable volume for any serious
student of OTR, doesn't give precise dates. Originally compiled in 1958,
it is a snapshot of network programs on the air in January of each year,
including sponsor, genre, time broadcast, and rating.
Regards,
Art
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 17:24:11 -0500
From: "bobb lynes" <iairotr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Wire Recorder repair?
Hi,
Does anyone on the Digest (in the [removed] area) know of someone who still
repairs Webster (or any brand) wire recorders? Maybe you know, Jay
Ranellucci. ( BTW, welcome to the Digest).
I cranked my old Webster up and, of course, as soon as it warmed [removed]
blew a capasitor (I think, as it started smoking!). Can ANYONE help me ?
I've got some radio "stuff" I need to [removed] I can't even listen to
it! HELP! Contact me off-line.
Thanx,
Bobb
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 17:25:02 -0500
From: Gerald Wright <gdwright@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Olive Major
Derek asked after the young vocalist Olive Major, age 13, who appeared
on the Eddie Cantor show in 1941.
As a former genealogy librarian, and an ever eager researcher, this
caught my attention, and with a little of this and a little of that I
found that:
Olive is here middle name and she was born
MARY OLIVE MAJOR
b. 1927, September 9, Santa Barbara Co., California
Mother's Maiden Name: SWENSON
And from the Social Security Death Index I found:
MARY O MAJOR
b. 09 Sep 1927
d. 12 Aug 1998 (Verified)
Last residence: Valley Village, Los Angeles, CA 91607
SS# 553-28-1344 - Issued in California
Possibly the Los Angeles Times would have an obituary notice that might
fill in her life after Cantor.
Gerry Wright
ZoneZebra Productions
San Francisco
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 17:29:40 -0500
From: Rentingnow@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Cars
I have heard cars given on other programs. I think that it may have been
either Dragnet or George Burns and Grace Allen. In the program they were
giving one a week. Too bad they don't give that now. Considering that cars
cost
$25000 and commercials on TV cost hundreds as well as a million or two, they
could probably get more bang for the buck.
Larry Moore
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:38:58 -0500
From: Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ride VA to OH Cincy Convention?
I am hoping I can hitch-hike a ride to and from the Cincinnati Convention
with someone in the southern Virginia area or perhaps eastern Tennessee or
West Virginia. I live in Appomattox County. This can be found between
Lynchburg and Farmville, west of Richmond.
Any kind folk I can hook up with? I can certainly meet someone an hour or so
away from me, but I can't make the entire trip by myself. I hope to join
with other good-hearted OTR folk. I know our conversations will speed the
trip!
Please answer off-list to: damyankeeinva@[removed]
Many thanks! Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:39:58 -0500
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Robert Arthur correction
Someone wrote:
After the slow decline of OTR (1960's), Robert Arthur moved to Hollywood and
went to work editing TV shows for Alfred Hitchcock and still wrote or
modified old Mysterious Traveler shows for "Suspense" and even took some of
his old pulp stories and modified some for shows like "Theater Five" in an
attempt to help keep otr alive.
Robert Arthur did not edit TV shows for the Alfred Hitchcock television
series. Joan Harrison and Norman Lloyd were directly involved in the
editing of the TV shows for the series.
Episode #120 "THE JOKESTER" (broadcast October 19, 1958) for example, was
scripted by Bernard C. Schoenfeld, based on the short story of the same name
by Anthony Morton (a pseudonym of Robert Arthur's originally published in
the March 1952 issue of THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER, later included in the book
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: STORIES THAT WOULDN'T LET ME DO ON TV published
in 1957, a publication which was edited by Arthur). Norman Lloyd stated
that Hitchcock preferred to do stories already successful in print, the
majority from the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, the Ellery Queen
Mystery Magazine, and the short story anthologies that bore Hitchcock's
name. Arthur did edit the books and even write the forwards, but Arthur
never went to work editing the TV shows.
Episode #227 "FINAL ARRANGEMENTS" (June 20, 1961) was scripted by Arthur,
from the short story of the same name by Lawrence A. Page.
THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR
Episode #42 "GOOD BYE GEORGE" (December 13, 1963) was based on Arthur's
short story "Getting Rid of George" but was adapted for the show by William
Fay.
Episode #46 "THE CADAVER" (January 17, 1964) was based on Arthur's story
of the same name, but scripted by James Bridges.
Episode #66 "CHANGE OF ADDRESS" (October 12, 1964) was based on Arthur's
short story of the same name which originally appeared in the January 1952
issue of THE MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER, (it originally appeared under a pseudonym
also, Andrew Benedict), but was scripted for the show by Morton Fine and
David Friedkin.
Episode #87 "COMPLETELY FOOLPROOF" (March 29, 1963) was based on Arthur's
short story of the same name, originally published in the march 1958 issue
of ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE but under the pseudonym of Andrew
Benedict again. That was scripted by Anthony Terpiloff.
Arthur was never the editor for the TV series - his only involvement was
receiving checks for the use of having his stories adapted for the TV
series, and on one occassion, a paycheck for writing a television script
based on someone else's story.
Anyone seeking more information about Arthur's involvement with the
Hitchcock connection, I recommend the 660 page book, THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK
PRESENTS COMPANION, which actually features 40+ pages of history about the
origin and conception of the published Hitchcock short story anthologies
which Arthur edited (ghost wrote), the Three Investigators series, and a
complete list (with table of contents and number of pages for each
publication - it's that detailed) for all of the books Arthur was involved
with.
On the other side of the tightrope, Arthur barely had any involvement with
the SUSPENSE series. During the 1961-1962 season, Bruno Zirato, Jr. was
pulling out scripts from Mysterious Traveller, The Whistler, Creeps by
Night, Inner Sanctum, etc. and retitled them, and slightly revised the
scripts for continuity. The initial script writers such as Robert Arthur,
again, received a check in the mail but again had no direct involvement with
the production of the series .
Martin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:40:09 -0500
From: "Dave" <dgehue@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: One Meat Ball
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I did some research on the song and it was based on a song from 1855 called
"The Lone Fish Ball" The Andrew Sisters had a hit with it in 1945 peaked at
#15 for one week. I got this info from a book called Joel Whitburn's Pop
Memories 1890 - 1954 - The Histrory of American Popular Music. Hope this
helps.
Dave Gehue
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Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:40:25 -0500
From: "jazmaan@[removed]" <dmf273@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: One Meatball
I believe its an old Yiddish song that got translated into English for the
vaudeville circuit.
You can hear an hilarious duet of this song by black OTR stars Ernie
"Bubbles" Whitman and Eddie
"The Waiter" Green in the February 20, 1945 episode of JUBILEE (which is a
killer episode all
around and not that hard to find!)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 22:31:06 -0500
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: One meat ball
Yes, Tony Pastor recorded "One meat ball" for Columbia. I think I have the
record in my collection of 78s.
Ted Kneebone / 1528 S. Grant St. / Aberdeen, SD 57401
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 22:31:36 -0500
From: "Mike Hobart" <zines50@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Esquire
Rich Weil wonders why Gildersleeve should put "Esquire" after his name.
>From what I understand, whatever meaning the title may have had originally,
by this time it was a genteelism - you either put "Mister" in front of your
name or "Esquire" after it.
It had also acquired a vaguely pompous ring, which of course would not be
out of place in this context!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 22:31:45 -0500
From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: audition
Hi Everybody,
a couple of digest ago a question was ask about if there was any other
audition show for Our Miss Brooks beside Shirley. I believe that the only
other audition show with another lead in the main role. I can not recall if
there was an audition done with Eve. She told John Dunning that she was not
expecting a hit show. She recorded many of them in advance in order to go
on vacation was got word that she had a hit show on her hand. Take care,
Walden Hughes
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:27:18 -0500
From: Zharold138@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Martin
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Hi Diane,
Martin writes books and writes notes about radio in the daily "Radio Digest"
on the Internet.
_[removed]@[removed]_ ([removed]@[removed])
Yours,Harold
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Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 08:24:46 -0500
From: CORBERAMA@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: more on War of the Worlds
In a message dated 2/17/2005 2:31:28 PM Pacific Standard Time,
pollock@[removed] writes:
a) My father. Meyer Pollock, was a violinist with the studio version (only
six or 8 violinists) of the CBS orchestra (Bernard Herrmann, conducting),
and
played for almost all of the Mercury Theater broadcasts - as well as in the
quartet on "Let's Pretend".
Wow. Every scrap of info on WOTW is of interest to me. Curious: did your
father ever comment on Bernard Herrmann? Any comment?
I just recently learned that the intermission music for WOTW, which I had
thought was original with Herrmann (it's just, essentially, 8 notes), comes
from
Debussy's Pelleas and Mellisande prelude. This means that the only original
music written by Herrmann for the show was the "end title" (later re-used as
the end title to the 1944 film JANE EYRE). The piano pieces were all by
Chopin,
then there's the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto (re-arranged) and all those
dance pieces.
I note from Howard Koch's book (released on paperbook) and interesting item
about the copyright in the radioplay. I would have thought that CBS owned the
script inasmuch as I believe Koch was an employee of CBS in 1938 and it would
have been "work for hire" as it existed in 1938.
Very esoteric but of interest.
Thanks for the e-mail.
Brian Lee Corber
CORBERAMA@[removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #54
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