------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2008 : Issue 28
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Margaret Truman [ Allen J Hubin <ajhubin@[removed]; ]
Margaret and Mike, Martha and Walter [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
1-31 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
OTR in the News [ seandd@[removed] ]
RE: Margaret Truman, radio personali [ "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed] ]
Kraft Music Hall [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
Re: Margaret Truman's radio appearan [ "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed]; ]
Partially transcribed [ Jim Harmon <jimharmonotr@[removed] ]
Me and Janie [ Andrew Steinberg <otrdig2@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:29:35 -0500
From: Allen J Hubin <ajhubin@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Margaret Truman
Some of the obituaries call her a mystery writer. She wasn't. The books
where ghosted by Donald Bain.
Al Hubin
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:30:50 -0500
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Margaret and Mike, Martha and Walter
I thought everybody knew about Margaret Truman's radio ventures but on
reading Jack French's verse it would appear otherwise.
One of her more prominent venues was the NBC daytime washout Weekday which
aired from Nov. 7, 1955 to July 27, 1956. There, for up to five hours per
day Monday-through-Friday, two pairs of co-hosting personalities -- Margaret
Truman and Mike Wallace, Martha Scott and Walter Kiernan -- attempted to
replicate the success NBC had been enjoying on weekends with its 40-hour
Monitor service since June 12.
Both Monitor and Weekday offered omnibus magazine-type landscapes --
interviews galore, tips and advice and how-to stuff, news, weather, music
and sundry features designed to attract and hold an audience. The problem,
which surfaced all too soon, was that milady was accustomed to listening to
soap operas, quizzes, human interest and audience participation fare and
wasn't particularly thrilled by what Ms. Truman and company had to offer.
But it seemed that nobody among the NBC brass had seriously considered that
when giving the heave-ho to Lorenzo Jones, Just Plain Bill, Stella Dallas
and their ilk, interrupting listening habits that had been in place for 25
years.
Never admitting their grievous error, they nevertheless quickly realized the
pickle they were in -- for virtually nobody was tuning in NBC any more on
weekdays. So, Weekday itself got the ax with little notice just 38 weeks
after the changeover, and NBC plugged its faltering lineup largely with
washboard weepers nobody had heard of. And actually, not many ever did.
By then most of the audience had shifted to TV or CBS where daytime serials
from the 1930s had never ceased as the mainstay, still enormously popular
with the stay-at-home brigade.
Harry's daughter deserved better than this.
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:21:59 -0500
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 1-31 births/deaths
January 31st births
01-31-1872 - Rupert Hughes - Lancaster, MO - d. 9-9-1956
writer: (Uncle to Howard Hughes) "The Story of Holly Sloan"
01-31-1872 - Zane Grey - Zanesville, OH - d. 10-23-1939
writer: "Rudy Vallee Hour"
01-31-1887 - Charlies Irwin - Curragh, Ireland - d. 1-12-1969
actor: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show"
01-31-1892 - Eddie Cantor - NYC - d. 10-10-1964
singer, comedian: (Banjo Eyes) "Eddie Cantor Show"; "Chase & Sanborn
Hour"
01-31-1894 - Isham Jones - Coalton, OH - d. 10-19-1956
bandleader: "Isham Jones and His Orchestra"
01-31-1902 - Tullulah Bankhead - Huntsville, AL - d. 12-12-1968
actor, hostess: "Johnny Presents"; "Big Show"
01-31-1904 - Cliff Nazarro - New Haven, CT - d. 2-18-1961
actor: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show"
01-31-1905 - John O'Hara - Pottsville, PA - d. 4-11-1970
author: "Information, Please"; "Eddie Condon's Jazz Concert"
01-31-1906 - Edith Adams - West Union, IA - d. unknown
actor: Mrs. Gilman "Those Happy Gilmans"; "Jenny Peabody"
01-31-1908 - Connie Desmond - Ohio - d. 3-3-1983
sportscaster: play-by-play for the Brooklyn Dodgers
01-31-1909 - Walter Coy - Great Falls, MT - d. 12-11-1974
actor: Michael Lanyard/Lone Wolf "Lone Wolf"
01-31-1913 - Maurice Manson - d. 9-25-2002
actor: Reverend McArthur "One Man's Family"
01-31-1915 - Bobby Hackett - Providence, RI - d. 6-7-1976
cornetist: "Eddie Condon's Jazz Concert"
01-31-1915 - Garry Moore - Baltimore, MD - d. 11-28-1993
host, comedian: "Garry Moore Show"; "Camel Caravan"; "Take It or
Leave It"
01-31-1917 - Fay Baker - NYC - d. 12-8-1987
actor: "Words at War"
01-31-1919 - Jackie Robinson - Cairo, GA - d. 10-24-1972
sportscaster: (Baseball Hall of Fame) "Jackie Robinson Show"
01-31-1921 - Carol Channing - Seattle, WA
actor-singer: "Stagestruck"; "Arthur Godfrey Show"
01-31-1921 - John Agar - Chicago, IL - d. 4-7-2002
actor: "Big Show"
01-31-1921 - Mario Lanza - Philadelphia, PA - d. 10-7-1959
singer: "Mario Lanza Show"
01-31-1923 - Joanne Dru - Logan, WV - d. 9-10-1996
actor: (Sister of Peter Marshall) "Lux Radio Theatre"
01-31-1923 - Norman Mailer - Long Branch, NJ - d. 11-10-2007
author: "Highlights of Monitor's Twenty Great Years"
01-31-1927 - Norman Prescott - Boston, MA - d. 7-2-2005
producer: Boston radio
01-31-1929 - Jean Simmons - Crouch Hill, London, England
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "A Christmas Carol"
01-31-1929 - Joe Jack Cain - Philadelphia, PA
musician for NBC and CBS
January 31st deaths
01-07-1889 - H. R. Baukhage - La Salle, IL - d. 1-31-1976
commentator: "Four Star News"; "News and Comments"
01-17-1926 - Moira Shearer - Dunfermine, Scotland - d. 1-31-2006
worked briefly as a radio announcer in the 1980s
01-18-1882 - A. A. Milne - London, England - d. 1-31-1956
author: "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour"
02-02-1882 - Geoffrey O'Hara - Chatham, Canada - d. 1-31-1967
tenor: "Roxy and His Gang"
02-10-1868 - William Allen White - Emporia, KS - d. 1-31-1944
writer: "American Forum of the Air"; "University of Chicago Round Table"
04-01-1893 - Linton Wells - Louisville, KY - d. 1-31-1976
writer: "The Magic Key"
05-01-1892 - Howard Barlow - Plain City, OH - d. 1-31-1972
conductor: "March of Time"; "Voice of Firestone"
05-14-1910 - Paul Sutton - Albuquerque, NM - d. 1-31-1970
actor: Sergeant William Preston "Challenge of the Yukon"
06-25-1887 - George Abbott - Forestville, NY - d. 1-31-1995
broadway producer: "Stagestruck"
07-17-1908 - Jack Douglas - d. 1-31-1989
writer: "Jack Paar Show"; "The Martin and Lewis Show"
08-14-1867 - John Galsworthy - Kingston Hill, Surrey, England - d.
1-31-1933
author: "Columbia Workshop"; "Great Plays"; "Theatre Guil On the Air"
08-23-1897 - Ray Perkins - Boston, MA - d. 1-31-1969
emcee, singer: "National Amateur Night"; "Show of the Week"; "Nickel
Man"
08-27-1882 - Samuel Goldwyn - Warsaw, Poland - d. 1-31-1974
panelist: "People's Platform"
08-27-1901 - Roger Pryor - NYC - d. 1-31-1974
actor: "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Theatre Guild On the Air"; "Summer
Symphony"
09-26-1904 - Richard Thorne - NYC - d. 1-31-1957
writer, creator, producer, director: "The Hall of Fantasy"
11-01-1923 - Gordon R. Dickson - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - d.
1-31-2001
science fiction writer: "X-Minus One"; "Exploring Tomorrow"
11-08-1909 - Scotty Wiseman - Ingalls, NC - d. 1-31-1981
singer: (Lulu Belle and Scotty) "National Barn Dance"; "Boone County
Jamboree"
11-22-1875 - Elizabeth Patterson - Savannah, TN - d. 1-31-1966
actor: Maid "Halls of Ivy"
12-18-1890 - Edwin H. Armstrong - NYC - d. 1-31-1954
inventor: FM radio
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:51:45 -0500
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR in the News
A few interesting articles [removed] Canadian newspaper publishes a detailed
account of actress Carole Lombard's death, mentioning many OTR stars:
[removed]
The Wall Street Journal reviews "Comedy at the Edge," which chronicles the
shift in comedy from the Benny/Hope/Burns/Berle era to Richard Pryor and
beyond during the 1970s. I believe this is a free link although I am a
subscriber so it might not be.
[removed]
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Bill Virgin, who I always knew as a
reasonably good electric utilities writer, writes up Rainier Radio, an OTR
website backed by a college media collection in Seattle.
[removed]
Last and in this case most certainly least, a senior talent show in Carson
City, NV, includes stand-up acts that reference Jack Benny.
[removed]
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 13:52:23 -0500
From: "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: RE: Margaret Truman, radio personality
I remember Margaret Truman (or as Gordon McRae referred to her, "Maggie") on
the Railroad Hour, especially during the summer. As I recall, the show had a
different female guest of the week during the fall, winter, and spring,
usually performing a condensation of a well-known operetta by Herbert,
Youmans, Lehar, Friml, or Romberg. Then for the summer, the same guest
appeared for the entire season. One year it was Dorothy Warenskjold, another
it was Dorothy Kirsten, and once it was Margaret Truman. I think the plays
used were written especially for the show, by radio writers, because I never
heard them or their songs again after that single performance. To my ten year
old ears, Ms. Truman acquitted herself rather well for the entire summer. I
have no idea of how I would rate her singing ability if I heard her more
recently. All in all, it was with great sadness that I regard her passing.
Thanx,
[removed]
* Kiss a malamute today *
*Today's Lucky Number is 354 *
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:16:34 -0500
From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Kraft Music Hall
Got the below request from a professor at Lyon College.
If anyone can assist him, please advise him; contact information set
forth below.
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
<[removed]>
++++++++++++++++
For my current research project on Bob Burns, I am trying to locate
the only surviving episode of the Kraft Music Hall (1-6-36) from that
era when Burns was the sidekick to Bing Crosby. I want to obtain an
audio copy of that show but cannot find it for trade, download, or
sale. I've already located several copies of the regular "Bob Burns
Show" but need this one from Kraft Music Hall series. Can anyone help
me?
Dr. Brooks Blevins
Asst. Professor of History
<bblevins@[removed];
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:13:51 -0500
From: "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Margaret Truman's radio appearances
Hello again --
As a followup to Jack and Kathy French's question, I am more interested in
hearing some of Margaret Truman's appearances on radio (especially her
singing, but anything would do) than finding out where the information for
the obituary was obtained. Anybody out there who would be willing to trade a
couple of her radio shows for things I have in my vast catalog? Please write
to me off-group.
Thanks in advance,
yOurs TRuly,
Jan Bach
[ADMINISTRIVIA: And, of course, if you have any programs with Ms. Truman that
you'd like to "share with the class," contact me directly; I'll happily post
exmples to the Nostalgic Rumblings blog at [removed] --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:15:06 -0500
From: Jim Harmon <jimharmonotr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Partially transcribed
The word "transcribed" was considered by broadcasters to be almost a dirty
word. They felt that listeners vastly preferred to hear "live" shows and did
not want to hear recorded ones. The word "recorded" was almost totally
avoided, on the theory that the public might not know exactly what
"transcribed' meant. In reality, most people never paid much attention to the
word "transcribed" and there was no evidence that transcribed programs had
smaller audiences than live ones.
When a network show was recorded to only delay it for a few hours the
announcer would say "This program has been transcribed to bring it to you at
this more convenient time." When a show was recorded days in advance the word
"transcribed" was often hidden. A program might have its standard opening,
with Mr. District Attorney intoning his oath of duty, and there might even be
an opening commercial. Then the announcer: "As our transcribed story
[removed]" An extreme example, but the word "transcribed" was always sort of
swallowed by the announcer, revealing he certainly wasn't proud of it.
Sometimes there was dubious use of the word "record". A minor sports show
began with the commentator saying "And for f the record", [removed] the recording.
"Tales of the Texas Rangers" were also a "matter of record". It was unusual
for "The Lone Ranger" to begin "By Special Recording" but that was because
Special Recording was the name of the company who provided the transcriptions
(but not the owner of the overall show).
"Partially Transcribed" could mean several things. It might mean the show was
basically ALL recorded but the announcer might do the commercials live so
they could claim it was only partly transcribed, again in a phobia about the
word. I believe this was the case with the Gildersleeve shows a correspondent
referred to. Sometimes it meant the opposite -- some singing commercials
might be on disc. Other times it meant a brief portion of the show with
celebrity guest was recorded, such as director John Ford appearing briefly
after a version of "Stagecoach".
In the early days, there was a tendency for transcribed programs to be
syndicated on discs to local stations, and most of these shows were of lesser
caliber than the live network shows. Such shows included music programs like
"Singin' Sam", adventure serials like "Jimmie Allen", and mystery and horror
programs including "Haunting Hour". Bing Crosby was the first major star to
record his program, on tape from the new process invented in Germany. As he
got older, he had more trouble hitting those high notes and he did not want
to embarrass himself on the air. Tape allowed for retakes.
Taping or transcribing programs made it much more convenient. Busy stars did
not have to be in one place at one time. They could do a show when
convenient. They could do two or more shows at one time and have weeks of
free time. Even on lower budget shows, it was more economical to do several
episodes all at one time. Carlton Morse told me the cast of a series like One
Man's Family might get together only once a month and do twenty fifteen
minute episodes (as the format became in later years) over several days. --
JIM HARMON
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:49:49 -0500
From: Andrew Steinberg <otrdig2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Me and Janie
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I have a show called Me and Janie dated 491020. At the end a man, says thank
you, you've been a great audience. Tune in Tuesday night and let us know how
you like it.
Do you think this is more likely a rehearsal or a pre-recorded program?
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #28
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