------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2004 : Issue 250
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Sam Edwards - A Remembrance [ "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@worldn ]
Annie [ "Leslie Feagan" <lfeagan@actorsfcu. ]
Re: Sabastian Cabot [ "Dave" <davewh@[removed]; ]
Bill Randle and other truly nice gen [ damyankeeinva <damyankeeinva@earthl ]
Re: Sam Edwards [ "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@ea ]
Gun for a Dinosaur-description [ Mahlon Wagner <mwagner2@[removed] ]
in response to Hal Stones lecture ab [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
Rip-Off Or Coincidence? [ ilamfan@[removed] ]
Does the first Dragnet show survive? [ "Matthew Bullis" <matthewbullis@run ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 16:17:50 -0400
From: "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sam Edwards - A Remembrance
Sam Edwards - A Remembrance
Today I received word from Bill Edwards that his father, Sam Edwards
died. Over the years I had several opportunities to talk with Sam and
Beverly Edwards and see Sam perform when they attended various Old-Time
Radio conventions around the country. I always enjoyed my conservation with
Sam and Bev. I was fortunate to be a member on the Radio and the Silver
Screen panel with Sam and Harry Bartell at the 2003 Radio Enthusiasts of
Puget Sound Showcase.
I would like to share some of my memories and knowledge of this fine
actor and gentleman.
CORR-LAISS! OH, CORR-LAISS!
was one of the many memorable lines from the Gold Age of Radio. It was the
bellowing cry of love-sick teenager Dexter Franklin for the one, true,
love-of-his-life, Corliss Archer and was sometimes used as the opening for
episodes of the series MEET CORLISS ARCHER. The role of Dexter Franklin was
played by Sam Edwards.
THE FAMILY BUSINESS:
Sam Edwards got an early start in show business. As part of his
family's repertory company, he had lots of years to develop his acting
talents.
While the family was living in San Antonio, TX, his mother wrote a kid's
radio serial - THE ADVENTURES OF SONNY and BUDDY. Sam and brother Jack
played the kid's roles, while his mother and father played the most of adult
characters. The entire family made a total of $[removed] a week and had to pay
the other actors and the musicians out of it.
Later, the Edwards moved to San Francisco and Sam's parents wrote the
series SONS OF THE LONE STAR which starred the members of the family: Sam's
parents, John and Edna, Sam, Jack, and sister Florida. They also did the
first true-life family radio show in which family members played themselves,
appropriately called - THE FIVE EDWARDS.
RADIO:
Not surprisingly, Sam's favorite show is MEET CORLISS ARCHER. His
brother Jack tipped him off about the audition for the Dexter role.
Although Sam didn't think he could play a teenager, he auditioned for the
part. The series director suggested that Sam develop a distinctive laugh
for Dexter. Sam came up with something even better: his CORR-LAISS yell.
Later, Sam wanted to audition for the Walter Denton role on OUR MISS
BROOKS, but he couldn't because he already was doing Dexter on MEET CORLISS
ARCHER. He was able to appear on other shows; he just couldn't do a
character similar to Dexter.
Brothers Jack and Sam Edwards sometimes competed for the same role
during auditions. Both auditioned for the role of Wayne Grubb on ONE MAN'S
FAMILY. Jack won the role. The next summer, Sam got the role of Tracy
Baker on the same series. Ironically, both characters were unsuccessful
suitors for Paul Barbour's adopted daughter, Teddy.
Sam also appeared in featured roles in several other radio series:
HAWTHORNE HOUSE as Billy Sherwood, DOCTOR KATE as Morris Young, FATHER KNOWS
BEST as Billy Smith, THE GUIDING LIGHT as Roger Collins, and THE LIFE OF
RILEY as Egbert Gillis.
One of the most satisfying roles he ever had was in the radio play The
Game which aired on both ESCAPE and SUSPENSE. Sam and Gil Stratton Jr.
co-starred in it. It is a story about two bored teenagers who decide to
play Russian roulette. Writer/director Tony Ellis had Sam and Gil put an
unloaded gun to their heads while doing the show.
There is a very unusual aspect to another of Sam's favorite ESCAPE
roles, that of John Unger in the F. Scott Fitzgerald story - The Diamond As
Big As The Ritz. It aired three times on the series ESCAPE. Each time the
Unger role was played by an Edwards brother. Jack played him on 07/21/1947
and Sam did the honors on 08/29/1948 and 03/27/1949.
John Dunning once asked him, about projecting a whole character with
just a voice. Sam replied, "In your mind's eye you see the character. You
put yourself into the place of the character."
Sam remembers that LUX RADIO THEATER was considered The Big Show in
Hollywood. With its multi-day rehearsals, it was almost like a stage
production. LUX was the best-paying radio show. Supporting actors got
$[removed] for 3 days work; the stars got between $2,000 & $10,000.
During the Golden Age of Radio Sam was quite a busy actor. Four of the
best producer/directors in radio used Sam's talents on a frequent basis:
Jack Johnstone on THE SIX SHOOTER and YOUR'S TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR; Norman
Macdonnell on ESCAPE, GUNSMOKE, FORT LARAMIE, and HAVE GUN - TRAVEL; Elliott
Lewis on CRIME CLASSICS, SUSPENSE and BROADWAY IS MY BEAT; and Jack Webb on
PAT NOVAK FOR HIRE and DRAGNET. His ability to do an authentic Texas drawl
got him lots of appearances on Westerns radios series such as some of the
preceding shows and THE ADVENTURES OF RED RYDER, THE CISCO KID, DEATH VALLEY
DAYS, LUKE SLAUGHTER OF TOMBSTONE, THE ROY ROGERS SHOW, and TALES OF THE
TEXAS RANGERS.
Sam liked working for Jack Webb even though some actors had trouble
working with him because you had to play your role Jack's way. When THE
FIVE EDWARDS was on the air, Jack auditioned for the role Sam's sister's boy
friend and didn't get the part. Webb sounded too flat and wooden; in other
words, too much like Joe Friday. When Jack did PAT NOVAK FOR HIRE, he used
both Sam and Jack Edwards a lot. Later, when Sam told him that he was sorry
Jack didn't get that role on THE FIVE EDWARDS, Webb said when he auditioned
he sounded too much like Joe Friday.
VOICE WORK:
As did many radio actors, Sam also worked for the Disney Studios. In
the 1942 animated feature BAMBI, he provided the voice of the adult Thumper
the rabbit. For AMERICA SINGS, an audio animatronics show, Sam provided the
voice of Mr. Owl. He narrated the DISNEYLAND STORYTELLER albums of The
Cowardly Lion of Oz and The Tin Woodman of Oz and supplied the voice for the
character of Owl in the Disney Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
TELEVISION:
Sam was quite busy on television too. He appeared in the first
television episode of DRAGNET and many later episodes of the series. He was
cast in the LUM AND ABNER TV pilot that never made it onto the air. On the
long-running series LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, he played Mr. Anderson.
Sam appeared on several television series that had their roots in radio -
THE ADVENTURES OF OZZIE & HARRIET, THE BURNS AND ALLEN SHOW, DEATH VALLEY
DAYS, GANGBUSTERS, GUNSMOKE, THE JACK BENNY SHOW, THE RED SKELTON SHOW, and
YOU ARE THERE. Some of his other TV credits include ADAM-12, THE ANDY
GRIFFITH SHOW, CANNON, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, GUNSMOKE, HAPPY DAYS, HAWAII
FIVE-O, I LOVE LUCY, LOU GRANT, MANNIX, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, PERRY MASON,
PETTICOAT JUNCTION, PLAYHOUSE 90, THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO, STUDIO ONE,
THE TWILIGHT ZONE, THE VIRGINIAN, WAGON TRAIN, and ZANE GREY THEATER.
MOVIES:
He also appeared in many motion pictures including THE POSTMAN ALWAYS
RINGS TWICE, FLIGHT OF THE GREY WOLF, ESCAPE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN, HELLO
DOLLY, GANG BUSTERS, FLYING LEATHERNECKS, OPERATION PACIFIC, and TWELVE
O'CLOCK HIGH. Sam also played Chuck in the CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT movie serials.
RADIO PERFORMANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
Here is a list of a few Sam's finest radio performances.
GUNSMOKE - Sam did lots of work on Gunsmoke. Here are some of his best
performances.
11/21/1953 Custer
An Army deserter murdered old man Granby, but Marshal Dillon can't prove it.
Justice of another kind intervenes.
Sam plays Army deserter, Joe Trimble
08/13/1955 Johnny Red
Billy Crail returns to see his old mother 17 years after he left home. But
is he really Billy? Matt thinks he may be outlaw Johnny Red.
Sam plays Billy Crail/ Johnny Red
Note: This might just be Sam's best performance on GUNSMOKE.
10/30/1955 The Choice
Andy Hill is a former outlaw who trying to go straight. Matt gets him a job
riding shotgun on the stage. Will Matt regret his choice?
Sam plays Andy Hill.
NOTE: This is episode 1 of a two-part story.
11/06/1955 The Second Choice
Sam plays Andy Hill. This is episode 2 of a two-part story.
12/11/1960 The Cook
Sam plays Sandy King, a likeable drifter, has been eating on the cuff at
Hank Green's Delmonico restaurant. To pay off his debt he has a proposal:
he'll take over as the cook. Sandy soon becomes the most popular man in
Dodge.
Note: a really good role for Sam. An off-beat character
ESCAPE
08/29/1948 The Diamond As Big As The Ritz
F. Scott Fitzgerald story about an isolated Montana plateau and the strange
secret of a stranger family. Sam Edwards stars as John Unger
06/23/1950 Sundown
Sam stars as the boy who goes after a gunfighter who stole his horse.
Note: One of Sam's very best dramatic roles.
08/30/1953 The Game
A story of two boys and the deadly game they played.
Starring Sam Edwards and Gil Stratton
CRIME CLASSICS
10/21/1953 Billy Bonny Bloodletter: Also Known As The Kid
Cast: Dick Beals as the younger Billy the Kid, Sam Edwards as the older
Billy the Kid, Clayton Post, Harry Bartell, Barney Phillips, Lillian Buyeff,
Fred Shields, Tony Barrett, and Bill Conrad.
Signing off for now,
Stewart Wright
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 16:18:20 -0400
From: "Leslie Feagan" <lfeagan@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Annie
The mention has been made of the film ANNIE wherein Daddy Warbucks reads from
the radio script "Drop page" and then does so. This is directly from the
Broadway musical script. I played Bert Healy ( and Jimmy Johnson AND the sound
effects man) in many productions of this wonderful show and should know.
Any digesters in the Little Rock area, please come see me as Col. Pickering in
MY FAIR LADY 9/10-10/10 at the Arkansas Rep. Thank you.
Love,
Leslie Feagan
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 16:50:20 -0400
From: "Dave" <davewh@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Sabastian Cabot
I did not know that he did radio work, although it makes sense. In the
early crowd scenes in the movie " Casablanca " you will see him clearly
gazing skyward as the camera pans through a crowd of onlookers watching a
plane depart.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 19:08:19 -0400
From: damyankeeinva <damyankeeinva@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Bill Randle and other truly nice gents
To those who asked:
Yes, Bill Randle (correct spelling) had much to do with introducing Elvis
Presley to fame. Like the proverbial true friend, I liked Bill anyway.
He also had much to do with the early success of the Everly Brothers. That
role was then taken over with huge fame and sales by Archie Bleyer, for his
Cadence record label. For years, Archie was the orchestra leader on the
Arthur Godfrey radio and TV programs, after appearing on numerous other
programs as leader of a CBS house band.
Cadence was the label which Mr. Godfrey told Julius LaRosa to join. That
turned out well! LaRosa had a number of hits with Cadence. I think that had
the unfortunate blowup between LaRosa and Godfrey not occurred, eventually
most all of the Godfrey cast would have moved over to the Cadence label,
possibly including Mr. Godfrey himself.
There were other boffo hits on Cadence, the biggest of all being 27 year old
Vaughn Meader's "The First Family" album, which gently spoofed JFK, his
family and members of his administration. It was such a runaway best seller
so quickly, that it was furiously being pressed for Cadence by other record
manufacturers to keep up with the huge demand. It had a huge run until only
a few months later, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, basically killing
future sales of the album and its sequel.
Archie Bleyer also was responsible for enormous success with The Chordettes.
They were the former girls' "barber shop quartet" from Sheboygan, Wisconsin,
who appeared for years on the Godfrey shows. Archie married one of the
group, bass Janet Ertl. Their daughter married one of the Everly brothers.
Are you following this?
In addition to a very savvy businessman, Archie Bleyer was also a fine
musician. Soft spoken, lean, balding, looking like a wise old owl, Archie
was better known and highly respected in the 1930s as a song arranger, which
he did for many of the big bands. That's how he knew all the outstanding
musical talents, to pull together a fine group of great former sidemen for
the Godfrey band, who also worked with the Dorseys, Goodman, et al.
Archie had an absolute genius for judging what the public would love or not,
in music and other things. Arthur Godfrey frequently would go against his
own better judgement to follow Archie's lead. In one fr'instance, Archie
thought "The Thing" (recorded by Phil Harris on RCA) was a neat novelty item
for Mr. Godfrey on Columbia. Archie also felt that a silly song called "The
Too Fat Polka" had tremendous potential. So they recorded it in a lengthy
session.
As Messrs. Godfrey and Bleyer walked away from the recording studio, Godfrey
turned to Bleyer and said, "Archie, I can't believe we just spent over four
hours recording that piece of drivel". "Too Fat Polka" sold millions, and
was Godfrey's biggest single hit release. He had many other big sellers, but
none topped that one. Years later, it remains a standard in the polka
repertoire. Go to any polka joint and ask the band members if they know it.
Probably before you finish asking the question, they''ll be playing it!
Archie was also a consumate gentleman, and one of the kindest people I ever
met. Of the truly numerous nice and considerate folk who peopled the Godfrey
cast, he and Frank Parker were even more kindly than the others. Just like
Bill Randle. Rest in Peace, guys. Thanks for everything!
Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 19:14:32 -0400
From: "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Sam Edwards
Sam was one of the many veteran actors who appeared on and in DRAGNET and
graciously shared memories about it with me for "My Name's Friday." My
memories of him are tinged with the knowledge that I very nearly missed
getting his recollections at all.
Apart from his vast OTR canon, Sam was the last surviving player from the
1951 DRAGNET television pilot, "The Human Bomb." He played Elwood Carney,
and while he only appeared during the final five minutes, his was the
character around whom the entire plot revolved. When in 1998 I began to seek
out the folks who worked on DRAGNET, the Gassman brothers at SPERDVAC were
most generous, giving me a host of phone numbers to call. Sam's number was
not among them, and I was so green at this that I just assumed the names I
was given were the only ones available. Overall, I considered myself
extremely fortunate to interview so many people who were there from the
outset of the radio and first TV versions - including three players from the
first radio show - but it was a sore spot that no one from the TV pilot
seemed to be available.
Two years and a nearly-finished manuscript later, there was still this gaping
hole. At a visit to Herb and Sylvia Ellis' San Gabriel home, I saw a picture
of Sam and Herb on the wall, apparently taken about five years or so earlier,
and expressed my regret at not having spoken with him. Herb nodded. Later
he told me, a NJ native, that there was a great OTR convention in Newark
every year and that I should attend.
That led to the discovery that Sam Edwards would be attending FOTR in 2000.
My God! I raced to the phone and called SPERDVAC to request Sam's number.
Bobb Lynes explained that they were no longer handing out numbers
willy-nilly, but if I sent a letter requesting the interview, he would see
that Sam got it. I did, Bobb did, and Sam and I connected. Oh, what a
delightful man - full of funny stories, and (thank heavens!) a crystal-clear
recollection of that first TV DRAGNET, which exactly jibed with production
details I had obtained from UCLA two years earlier.
When I attended my first FOTR later that year, I couldn't wait to shake his
hand and thank him for speaking with me. His contribution, like everyone
else's, was immeasurable, but held a special place in my heart. Thankfully,
it wasn't our last meeting. Sam, Herb, Harry Bartell and I did a panel at
REPS in 2001, and the following year, he took time out from visiting family
to stop by the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio club and speak to our
membership about his entire career. I was also delighted to speak at length
with his charming and devoted wife at both the REPS and MWOTRC events. She
and the rest of the Edwards family have my deepest condolences for their loss.
I'm deeply saddened that we've lost both Harry Bartell and Sam Edwards this
year. I count my blessings that I was able to meet and thank them
personally. Great talents and gentlemen both. If you believe in angels,
rest assured they're hearing some fantastic stories right about now.
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 20:48:24 -0400
From: Mahlon Wagner <mwagner2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Gun for a Dinosaur-description
I am looking for a description of the X-Minus One radio program:
A Gun for a Dinosaur, by L Sprague De Camp broadcast March 7, 1956
I am making an audio CD for a very bright 9 year old boy and thought he
might enjoy this one.
Many thanks,
Mahl Wagner
[removed] Any other suggestions of Sci Fi programs appropriate for this lad
would be appreciated.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2004 23:59:45 -0400
From: Jer51473@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: in response to Hal Stones lecture about Mary as
a pro
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I took Marys defense when the statements and insinuations said that she was
not a professional actress, which is not true. Now if in ones opinion she was
not a so called "pro", whatever that means to an individual, i cant comment on
that at all except to accept the opinion of anyone that worked with her. But i
learned long ago to accept such things as what they are, opinions, and imo,
it is wrong to label someone based on someone elses opinion without being a
first hand witness yourself, which i, of course, was not in this case. But
again, the discussion was about Mary being a professional. Being a "pro" or
"real
pro" seems to have been brought into the question quite late and as i wasnt
there and am not an actor ill leave that to the "pros" to decide. But she was
a
professional, a well known name, and entertained for many years. And btw, back
then i doubt if most fans even realized she was married to Jack Benny as this
fact has become much better known in the years after Bennys death.
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 03:52:23 -0400
From: ilamfan@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed] (OTR Bulletin Board)
Subject: Rip-Off Or Coincidence?
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First off, THANK YOU to everyone who responded to my request for "best of"
Fibber And Molly shows! Your replies were a great help to me - I'm listening
to those shows now, to pick my own favorite "best".
So here's my next (oddball) [removed] was sitting around listening to a
remastered soundtrack of Disney's "Alice In Wonderland", charming music, very
nice sparkling remaster. From the original 1951 soundtrack. There's this
song that the Caterpillar sings called "A E I O U". From what I recall from
when I saw the film 20 years ago, the Caterpillar blows smoke from his
hookah, and the smoke forms these letters. Typical imaginative
trippy/funny/scary Disney fare.
Now, those of you who are Quiet Please fans may have listened to one of the
episodes titled "Northern Lights". This is my second favorite scariest
creepy radio show ever, after Quiet Please "Thing On The Fourble Board".
Don't let me spoil anything for you if you haven't heard "Northern Lights" -
go find it NOW, listen to it, get your bones chilled, and then come back and
read the rest of this.
This show from January of 1949 just happens to have in it, a CATERPILLAR that
sings "A E I O U". The FEEL is completely different from the Disney, but
you've got to admit that this is quite a coincidence ("A BIG coincidence!",
said Elaine)!
What is going on here? Did Walt lift the idea from Willis Cooper (creator of
Quiet Please)? Did Cooper lift it from someone else (I doubt this, myself).
Maybe there was some old schoolyard rhyme that referenced a caterpillar and
the Vowels - that Cooper and Disney both remembered and used in their own
ways?
Now that I think about it, there was that other caterpillar story (Corwin)
that was recently discussed here, but that one danced and ended up a
butterfly, right? Curly, right? I checked my archives, but I didn't have
that one, so I've never heard it.
What's up with all of these caterpillars? Has anyone else noticed this, or
is it just me trying to think when it's just too late at night?
[removed]
Stephen Jansen
--
Old Time Radio never dies - it
just changes formats!
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 10:57:50 -0400
From: "Matthew Bullis" <matthewbullis@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Does the first Dragnet show survive?
Hello, does the show from June 3, 1949 survive? Is it hard to come by if it
does? I have an mp3 collection of the shows, and this is not among them.
Thanks a lot.
Matthew
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #250
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