Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #231
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 6/22/2002 7:45 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 231
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Re: CD query                          [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
  Jack Webb Statue?                     [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
  Re: Radio Spirits                     [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
  Re: Price of Fear                     [ Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed]; ]
  Origins of Wonder Woman               [ "Philip Adams" <padams33@[removed]; ]
  Full Price of Radio Spirits           [ Tsunami1000@[removed] ]
  Re: sharing my performance            [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  Re: Still More Censorship             [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
  radiospirits                          [ dantrigg422@[removed] ]
  Re: The most sung song                [ "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed]; ]
  most sung song                        [ "Arte" <arte@[removed]; ]
  Paley on C-Span                       [ Bill Jaker <bilj@[removed]; ]
  Selma                                 [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
  "Summerfield Bandstand"               [ "Richard Carpenter" <sinatra@raging ]
  Chaney Jr. answer                     [ Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed] ]
  YESTERDAY(S)                          [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
  Gertrude Berg                         [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 17:20:11 -0400
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: CD query

I had written:
Thus every time you buy a "music" CD-R you are putting money in
the pocket of Garth Brooks whether you like him or not.  If you
use a computer drive, make it a point to NEVER buy a "music" type CD-R.

From: Habegger <amej@[removed];
I hope you do not believe what is spoken!? This may apply to a
"specific" boxed "Music CD-R", I do not know. But, what I do
know is that the substrate is the reason some CD-R's will not
play in a CD-only player.

You are confusing two entirely different issues.  The subject of PLAYING
the discs never came up.  The question only concerned whether there was
a difference between "music" and "regular" CD-Rs.  There is one
basic difference--ALL "music"-type discs have a royalty payment made and
this allows them to be used on either stand-alone RECORDERS __and__
computer
RECORDING drives.  The "data"-type or "regular" discs can be recorded
__only__ on computer drives.  In both of these types you will come
across
all of the varieties and variations of dyes that you describe.  You will
find all of these dye variations in "music" type discs AND you will find
all of these dye variations in "data" type discs.  Whether your PLAYER
will play back a disc concerns only the dye situation, not whether it
was a music-type or data-type blank.  Music-type blanks are not
necessarily better just because they are more expensive.  They are more
expensive because Garth Brooks thinks you are stealing from him when you
record your own CDs.

There is a program "CDR Media Code Identifier" that will give you
the composition of the blank disc. Any CD-R which has a Cyanine Dye
will play on a CD-only player.   Dick Habegger  Anaheim

Only the recorder reads this code.  Your player ignores it.  Ideally the
recording machine sets the intensity of the laser beam according to what
type of dye reflecivity it discovers on the blank, but if it is a
stand-alone recorder it ALSO reads a code that tells it if the disc is
the "music"-type that included a royalty payment.  No matter how good
the dye quality, if the royalty hasn't been paid, then the machine will
refuse to record on the disc.  But once the disc has been recorded, no
matter what type of disc or recorder was used, the player will either
read or not read the disc depending on the reflectivity of the disc
dyes.

Again, if you use a computer drive to record, you are wasting the extra
money if you buy music-type blanks.  Those blanks are only needed if you
have a stand-alone recorder that will only record on music-type discs.

Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 17:20:14 -0400
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Jack Webb Statue?

Jell-O Again!

       Recently the TV Land cable-network commissioned a statue of Mary Tyler
Moore in Minneapolis, much akin to the Jackie Gleason statue which TV Land
financed here in NYC outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
I heard they were working on a Jack Webb/Sgt. Joe Friday statue for [removed]
Does anybody out there know about the status of this project? (yoo-hoo,
SPEDVACkians ) Has it happened yet? Is it still being planned, or is it on
"hold"?

Everybody, have a nice week-end!

Derek Tague

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 17:56:31 -0400
From: Ga6string@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Radio Spirits

"Thomas Mason" <batz34@[removed]; writes:
Reflective of the current state of Radio Spirits is the appearance of many
of their expensive collections showing up at warehouse stores like Costco at
a fraction of their list price.

Actually, that's been going on for a long time, at least a couple of years,
and I've picked up a half dozen or more of those 20-tape, 30-hour collections
at Sam's Club or Costco for less than $30 per. An excellent deal! In fact, I
bought the "Gunsmoke" set that way, without having ever heard a "Gunsmoke"
episode, and now recognize the program as one of OTR's finest achievements. I
might never have known that, or not known so soon, if not for the great
discount on the collection.

My question: Someone suggested that RS and/or MediaBay might file bankruptcy.
If so, what will become of RS product and rights? Will those products still
be available? Will others be restricted from selling those "protected"
programs, even though RS is moribund? I'm a blues music fan/journalist, and
something similar happened in the '70s with the catalog of the great Chicago
independent, Chess Records. The label went under, and for a couple years, you
were hard-pressed (no pun intended) to find a Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf
LP, until MCA picked up the Chess catalog later in the decade. In any case, I
hope that the fate of RS does not impede collector/fan access to programs, in
the long run. That would be a shame.

Bryan Powell

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 17:56:39 -0400
From: Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Price of Fear

Arte mentioned:
He recently came across a recording of a program called
"The Price of Fear" starring Vincent Price. It is dated 5/1/39. I've
never heard of this show. Was it on long or was this just an audition?

Who ever dated this program is off by some 35 years. "The Price of Fear"
was a BBC production with Vincent Price as narrator and star. The series
is comprised of 9 episodes broadcast in 1973, 6 episodes in 1974, and 6
more episodes broadcast in 1983 (these may have been recorded in 1973-74
and only aired at this later date).

Gerry Wright
ZoneZebra Productions
San Francisco

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 18:59:47 -0400
From: "Philip Adams" <padams33@[removed];
To: "otr digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Origins of Wonder Woman

Since there has been some discussion of Wonder Woman in this forum it might
be of interest to know something of her creation (and her creator).

The character was created almost on a dare. Noted psychologist (and adviser
to DC Comics owner [removed] Gaines) William Moulton Marston suggested that there
had never been a female "superhero". Apparently one of Marston's
relatives -- a noted advocate of women's rights in the early 30s had bet him
he couldn't sell Gaines on such a character nor would the market place
support one -- had given him the itch to create her.
Doubtful that such a character would sell -- but nevertheless willing to try
anything to increase sales -- Gaines allowed Marston to try her out. Marston
wrote under the pen name Charles Moulton since guys that wrote "funny
papers" tended to be looked down upon in those days and he had a successful
career in the medical field.
Interestingly he had also been a perfector of the the testing system for the
lie detector. Perhaps this had some influence on Wonder Woman's "magic
lasso" that made he captives speak the truth.
Also interesting is that five months after her debut DC polled its readers
to rank the Amazon against seven leading male heroes and "Wonder Woman came
in first with 80% of the vote, beating her nearst male competitor by about
40 to 1" according to the book "Fifty Who Made DC Great" published in 1985.
Considering that of all of the hundreds of characters DC Comics published in
the 40s Wonder Woman was one of only four characters who survived to be
published continuous for the next fifty years (the others being Batman and
Robin and Superman of course). So she didn't do to badly after all (for a
"girl")

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 18:59:54 -0400
From: Tsunami1000@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Full Price of Radio Spirits
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Speaking of Radio Spirits being sold at Costco, well, here in Tucson, they
are never carried anymore.   I don't know the reason why.   They once were
found in abundance.   I checked  Sam's Club here in Tucson, and the results
are the same, no Radio Spirits.   Barnes and Nobles don't have them----they
only had a disc attached to a book about old radio which they wanted a
ridiculous $49.  I did find a nice assortment of Radio Spirits offerings at
the local Borders, BUT, they are asking FULL retail prices for these things.
 I know, don't anyone tell me, the audio is excellent and should be worth
full catalog prices, but I do not think they are worth that much even if they
got up and sang "Yankee Dandy Doodle."  The reason why I don't buy from Radio
Spirits anymore is because they are just too blamed high, end of story, and I
have found one can get reasonable audio quality and reasonably-priced shows
from numerous reputable dealers if one elects to forego the fancy packaging.
As long as 4 cds from Radio Spirits is priced at $[removed], they will never get
my business, quality or not.   JIM FAULKNER

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Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 20:47:45 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: sharing my performance

Bryan Powell opines about my recent posting,

...I get more impact and pleasure looking at my beautiful new tile floor
every time I walk on it, and more self satisfaction at my tile laying
prowess, than I ever did following my performance on a radio show.

But Hal, the beauty of an entertainment medium or product is that many, many
people can share your performance, your work, over a long period of time
(decades, in this case!), whereas your floor can only be appreciated by those
who enter your home.

So, what's for supper?

You bringing the wine?

Seriously though, Bryan, you're absolutely right. Very shortsighted on my
part.

I will rectify that immediately. I will take a photograph of said tile floor
(in living color) and send to any interested parties. The [removed]$[removed]

Send [removed]+ $[removed] shipping and handling. For an extra $[removed] I will
include a 1 inch square piece cut from some left over tile. For a measly
$1,000, I will even pose laying butt naked on said floor and personally
inscribe the photo. For an extra $2,000 I will even send a 1 inch piece cut
from me. (no wise guy. Not that!...It will be a lock of my hair).

10% discount for cash.

Hal(harlan)Stone)
Jughead

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 20:48:58 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Still More Censorship

Kelli Stanley wrote --

And Elizabeth's comments about Wertham were fascinating--used, as I am,
to thinking of the man from purely a comic book history perspective, I
had no idea that he had actually accomplished genuinely good
works--however misbegotten his analysis of superheroes.

Wertham has gotten the image of being the Ultimate Intolerant Killjoy for
his writings on comics, but before "Seduction of the Innocent," he
actually had a reputation as a genuine progressive, particularly in the
area of race relations. I was astonished to discover in the course of
some recent research that during the 1920s, Frederic Wertham was the only
psychiatrist in the United States who would accept private sessions with
"Negro patients," and his concern over the psychological effects of
racial discrimination led to his opening his Harlem clinics -- which at
that time offered the only low-cost mental health services available to
African-Americans in the entire city of New York. "The [removed] the
story," as Mr. Harvey might say.

Just one more question, and then I'll go on to something new :).   I'd
be interested to know, in the experts' opinions, whether any of the
major networks were more lenient than others--I'm sure NBC was the most
zealous overseer, at least in Fred Allen's opinion.

I've never seen Mutual's guidelines, but I have to think that they were
far more permissive in such matters than NBC or CBS - perhaps as a result
of the fact that they were as a matter of organizational structure far
less centralized than the the Big Networks. I'd not be surprised to learn
that Mutual *had* no censorship policy other than the policies observed
by each individual station. WGN and WOR, which originated most Mutual
programs, were bedrock members of the NAB, and the NAB standards were at
least given lip service. However, given "DIE SUPERMAN DIE!" and other
such instances in Mutual children's programming, I'd have to wonder how
well this was enforced.

As for Fred Allen, he seems to have had much more trouble with NBC than
CBS -- he really seems to have had a strong personal dislike for Janet
MacRorie, the head of Continuity Acceptance at NBC during the thirties,
and MacRorie didn't think much of him either. During the CBS years, Allen
seems to have had more trouble with his sponsor than with the network --
there's a well-known story of him nearly coming to blows with a hapless
agency flunkey who relayed a message from Texaco which suggested that it
might be a good idea to drop Portland from the program. After that
incident, so the story goes, Texaco gave Allen a very wide berth.

Elizabeth

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 21:21:35 -0400
From: dantrigg422@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  radiospirits
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as radio spirits has gone to the dogs is there a place to get tapes that they
no longer handle. things like widder brown, ma perkins, and jack webb shows
before dragnet?

in the last 2 years i have spent a couple of grand with r. spirits and i
would like to continue to collect the old shows.

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Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 21:34:03 -0400
From: "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: The most sung song

"Jer51473" asked:
BTW, does anyone out there know what is the most "sung" song of
all time?

I recall reading *somewhere* that this honor goes to "Happy Birthday to
You;" the melody for which, under the title "Good Morning to You," is
actually under [removed] or was until recently.  (Somebody here named
Elizabeth will probably know for sure.)

Incidentally, it's amazing how much off-topic stuff has been cropping up.
Have OTR queries gone on summer hiatus? ;-)

Michael

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 22:28:49 -0400
From: "Arte" <arte@[removed];
To: "OldRadio Mailing List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  most sung song

Jer51473 asked:

Btw, does anyone out there know what is the most "sung" song of
all time? Again, this is "so they say", and how anyone would know for sure
amazes me.

I can't provide any evidence, but it's GOT to be "Happy
Birthhday to You"

Arte
[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 22:35:37 -0400
From: Bill Jaker <bilj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Paley on C-Span

Maybe I should begin this message with an actual quote from a
promotional spot circa 1950:

"If you live in one of our television [removed]"
   you might want to tune in to C-Span this Sunday morning, June 23rd.
The listing from [removed]:

Paper, Lewis, Author (2002-)
Mr. Paper will talk about his book, Empire: The Life and Times of
William Paley, a novel about the
life of CBS founder William Paley. This is third in a series of programs
looking at the lives and impact
of leaders in the media.

I believe the program will be seen live at 9 o'clock Eastern and
repeated at Noon.
It's a live phone-in.  Don't everybody call at once to point out that
Paley really wasn't the "founder" of the Columbia Broadcasting System.

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

Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 09:33:02 -0400
From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Selma
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          OK.  I'm not too proud to admit that I'm
prone to an occasional mistake now and again.
I was thinking of Florence Halop and her brother,
Billy instead of Selma Diamond.  Give me a break
though, I did get the TV program on which she
appeared correct, just in the wrong order.
          Speaking of  "Duffy's Tavern", didn't Shirley
Booth once play Miss Duffy at one time?  I think so.
I know she played wisecracking maid "Hazel" on TV.
I wonder if she ever had any relatives who performed
in radio?  Notice I said 'relatives', not JUST children!

Kenneth

From: Richard Pratz <[removed]@[removed];
To: kclarke5@[removed]
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 16:23:35 -0600
Subject: Selma

Although Selma Diamond did play the original bailiff on TV's "Night
Court".....the role was also played by Florence Halop who replaced Diamond
when she died. Flo was a child radio performer beginning in 1928 at age five.
It was Florence who comprised the sister/brother radio team and perhaps this
is the woman you're thinking of. In 1943, Flo was Miss Duffy on radio's
"Duffy's Tavern". She appeared on lots of radio shows too numerous to mention
and in '52 switched to TV. She died in 1986.

Billy Hallop was Flo's older brother and debuted as a child actor on radio
also in the 20's and was active on many programs including the lead role of
Bobby on "Bobby Benson's Adventures." Billy Halop also appeared in several
feature [removed] the leader of the original "Bowery Boys" in their early
[removed] like his sister went on to TV. Among his roles was Mr. Munson,
the owner of the taxi service on "All In The Family" in the 70's. Billy Halop
died in 1976.

Selma Diamond had no famous kin to the best of my [removed] I could be
wrong.

Rich

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Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 09:33:17 -0400
From: "Richard  Carpenter" <sinatra@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  "Summerfield Bandstand"

  Reading the enjoyable "The Great Gildersleeve" by Charles Stumpf and Ben
Ohmart, I learn that in 1947 the summer replacement show was titled
"Summerfield Bandstand" and included occasional appearances by Gildy hmself
and other cast members. My question: Do any of the "Bandstand" shows still
exist? I'd love to hear a few.

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

Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 09:34:27 -0400
From: Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Chaney Jr. answer

Fibbermac here-

Dual "Mayor LaTrivia Trivia Awards" go out to Nathan
Hutchins and to Martin Grams, Jr. for correctly
stating that Lon Chaney Jr. appeared on The Abbott and
Costello Show. Nate answered first, but Martin, as
usual, provided enough extra info on Chaney to prove
that he deserved a piece of this dubiou,..er, I mean,
distinguished award.

The June 2nd, 1948 episode of A&C featured Chaney Jr.
as their guest. Interestingly, a month earlier, the
boys had Bela Lugosi as their guest. They'd all been
working together that year on "A&C Meet Frankenstein"
(which was released in 1948) and I assume that both
Lugosi and Chaney had demonstrated enough sobriety on
that project to earn an invitation onto the A&C weekly
radio program. Chaney does read one of his lines quite
badly on his appearance, but since Lou would often
mangle several of his lines each show, the sudio
audience didn't seem to notice or mind Chaney's gaff.

When I asked about Chaney on OTR, I had no idea that
most of the responses would focus on Chaney's
alcoholism. It makes me sad to think of all of the
great performances that were never given by
entertainers like Chaney, W. C. Fields, and so many
others, all because of the bottle. Sigh.

I think I'll take Martin's advice and go watch an
"Inner Sanctum" movie starring Chaney Jr. Maybe it'll
cheer me up.

-FIBBERMAC-

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

Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 09:34:33 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  YESTERDAY(S)

Randy:
    Thanks man. I stand s corrected.

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

Date: Sat, 22 Jun 2002 09:35:02 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Gertrude Berg

Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 07:50:47 -0400
From: Donna Halper <dlh@[removed];

Correct me if I'm wrong though-- the Goldbergs lived a traditionally
Jewish life, which meant they didn't pretend to be something they were
not, and they didn't celebrate Xmas.  

As a matter of fact, Gertrude Berg appeared on a December Perry Como Show once in the 
mid-1950s.  She came on, in her Molly Goldberg persona, just after a large production 
version of "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."  And she said something about what 
a wonderful song that was, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Chanukah."  This was followed 
by enthusiastic applause.

-- A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed] 15 Court Square, Suite 210 lawyer@[removed] Boston, MA 02108-2503 [removed] -------------------------------- End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #231 ********************************************* 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]