Subject: [removed] Digest V2005 #381
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 12/12/2005 6:33 AM
To: [removed]@[removed]

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2005 : Issue 381
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Re: The History of Radio CDs          [ Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed]; ]
  Myron "Mike" Wallace                  [ "[removed]" <asajb2000@ ]
  re: Mike Wallace and Groucho Marx     [ Kermyt Anderson <kermyta@[removed]; ]
  Future of Radio                       [ "Andrew Godfrey" <niteowl049@[removed] ]
  Billie the Brownie                    [ "Mark E. Higgins" <paul_frees_fan@a ]
  Those Mad Masters                     [ Andrew Steinberg <otrdig1@[removed] ]
  video vs. audio                       [ "karl tiedemann" <karltiedemann@hot ]
  More On That Book                     [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@j ]
  Marla welcomes visitors               [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
  Mike Wallace                          [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
  Mae West on radio                     [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
  Re: Mike Wallace and Groucho Marx     [ Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed]; ]
  Spike Jones birthday special          [ Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed]; ]

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 12:06:14 -0500
From: Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: The History of Radio CDs

A number of people who are on this digest have written books and
posted messages mentioning them. So, I think I can mention a project
that I did a number of years ago.

Back in 1976, I released a 4 cassette set of tapes which I called the
History of Radio. The idea started about a years earlier when the
country was talking about the upcoming bicentennial. I noticed that
not only was 1976 the 200th anniversary of the country, but that it
was also the 50th anniversary of radio, if you use the 1926 date that
KDKA started broadcasting.

So, I came up with the idea of producing something for both the
centennial and the 50 anniversary of radio. I started by taking
excerpt from all the radio shows I had in my collection. I also had
about 5 or 6 radio program reference books. Back then there were not
as many books on radio as there are today. Using these books, my
memory of the programs, and the actual tapes of the shows, I wrote a script.

The idea was to categorize the programs into their different
categories. The comedies, the dramas, science fiction, detective,
children's shows, and so on. My first audio cut ended up being about
20 hours in length. When I started the project, I had not idea how
long the tape was going to be, but I was probably thinking 90 minutes.

However, after compiling all of the excerpts, I released that this
was going to be a lot longer that 90 minutes. I always hated
listening to projects that did short excerpts that were so short that
you didn't really get to understand what the show was all about. So
my plan was to use nice long selections of each show to really get a
feel for it. In many cases, I would select the beginning of the
program, then cut to the start of the thyme of the program and do
some more cuts to give the listener an idea of what the show was
about. For example I took a scene from a Lum and Abner show where Lum
wants to buy a Valentine. Learns the price of the card is more than
he wants to spend and then decides to make one himself. I jumped
ahead in time and used some more selections where he is in process of
making the card and included the part where everything goes wrong. It
probably runs about 2 minutes, and in that time you get a good
understanding of the characters and the show.

I did the same with all of the other shows. I ended up using 150
different programs. Then I did a second cut trying to get the 20
hours down in time. I also found that in searching my tapes, I had
shows that had interviews with some of the cast of the different
programs. So, I made part of those interviews a part of the project.
If the person being interviewed talking about a particular show or
subject, I tired to find that show or subject and cut it into the interview.

This  project took me about 6 months to complete. It ended up running
5 hours. On cassette it is on two C-90 cassettes and two C-60
cassettes. I later transferred it from my reel to reel master to CD.
In the CD format it is on 4 CDs.

When I got the project finished I had no idea how to market it.
Locally, I had it in some drug stores and record stores. Then I
thought of contacting a company that dealt with books, records, and
tapes. I think it was called Publisher's Clearing Service, or some
name like that. Anyway, I sent them a sample and they made me an
offer. However, their offer was less that $[removed] for the entire set.
At the time, with the current cost of cassettes, labels, and vinyl
case, my cost was very close to that figure. So without thinking it
through, I turned them down.

Years later, I realized that if I had made even $[removed] per set, they
may have purchased 1000s of sets and it would have been a good thing
to do, but I was young and missed out on what may have been a good offer.

So, over the years, I've taken this set to conventions and placed it
on our web site. I don't think people really understand what it is
when they see it. Most people probably just think it is short clips
of radio shows, but it is much more than that. There is much more
narration in it than the set of records they were put out with Jack
Benny narrating. Also a lot more selections than that set has.

You could almost say it could compare to a reference book with sound.
A lot of time and research went into the tapes and with all modesty,
it is a project that I'm very proud of.

I mention it here because I think it might be something that many of
you have not heard of or not understood what it is.

Our web site has it listed for $[removed] in CD format and $[removed] in
cassette format. But for readers of this list, I'm reducing the price
to $[removed] for the CD format and $[removed] for the audio cassette format.
Shipping is $[removed] We ship via Priority Mail not the slower and
cheaper media mail.

This makes an excellent gift to someone who would like to know more
about OTR and for those of us who lived through those years, it is a
nostalgic trip down memory lane.

I'm going to ask my web master to change the price on the web site to
reflect these prices, but if you want to order it before the prices
are changed, please email me directly or call me at 800-747-0856.

Fred
Check us out for old time radio & TV shows & Movie Serials
[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 13:57:36 -0500
From: "[removed]" <asajb2000@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Myron "Mike" Wallace

Yes, indeed.  Mike Wallace is none other than Myron
Wallace.  Listen to any Curtain Time and you'll hear
the same one, referred to as Myron.  That was his
humble beginning in show business.

Andy

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 15:06:41 -0500
From: Kermyt Anderson <kermyta@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  re: Mike Wallace and Groucho Marx

Michael Berger inquired about Mike Wallace reading commercials on the
West Coast. I'm talking through my hat here -- [removed], not speaking
authoritatively -- but it's possible he did those ads from the East
Coast, even though the show the ads appear on originated in California.
This seems to happen all the time in OTR. For example, Kenny Delmar did
Lucky Strike ads for the Jack Benny program, at the same time he was
working for Fred Allen in NYC. In at least one Fred Allen episode,
Kenny talks about doing these ads, so it's not simply somebody who
sounds like Kenny. Perhaps the same thing happened with Mike Wallace?

Kermyt

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 18:59:35 -0500
From: "Andrew Godfrey" <niteowl049@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Future of Radio

                                                          Future of Radio
   With the advent of satellite radio and MP3 players and the proliferation
of commercials on radio today there may be dark days ahead much like what
has been already shown by the demise of newspapers. The main selling point
of satellite radio is that you are not subjected to endless commercials. MP3
players make it possible to hear only the songs you want to hear and not
subject to a station's choices of what songs to play.
   I am personally a big fan of ESPN radio but the lengthy commercial breaks
tend to make you forget what they were talking about before the break.
   Another selling point for MP3 players is that with a FM transmitter you
can listen to songs or old time radio shows through a blank spot on the FM
dial for those people that don't like to listen through headphones.
   Personally, I can't see paying $[removed] a month to listen to radio but
understand those that don't mind paying to hear commercial free radio.
Eventually you may not be able to hear a major league baseball game or
professional football game without paying to hear it. Having not heard these
games on satellite radios I don't know what they do to fill in time between
innings and when timeouts are called. If I were to subscribe it would be old
time radio shows and baseball games.
   As prices of satellite radios drop listeners will be switching in droves
to this new medium. High prices slowed down the early growth of satellite
radio but with prices more reasonable now subscribers should sign up at a
much higher pace.
   With podcasts available online MP3 players will become even more popular
and podcasts are another serious threat to the livelihood of radio stations.
Radio stations may have to go to podcasts themselves to keep from being left
out of the mainstream.
   Radio station general managers have to be concerned about the situation
today as more competition challenges them to come up with new ways to keep
the interest in broadcast radio.      Some stations have even cut back on
commercials or arranged them in a different way so that listeners are not
subjected to 5 minute blocks of commercials.
   Satellite radio and MP3 players are two of the biggest new developments
in electronics and are on the brink of becoming more popular especially
since each Christmas that passes will find thousands and maybe millions more
embracing these new technologies since they are high on Christmas wish
lists.
    Radio as we have known it since the 20's may not go away but it
definitely will have to adjust to a changing marketplace.

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 19:00:26 -0500
From: "Mark E. Higgins" <paul_frees_fan@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Billie the Brownie

     It's Christmas time, and I'm happy to announce that Billie the
Brownie will once again be returning to the radio, in a live recreation
of an actual script which was originally performed on WTMJ radio,
Milwaukee on November 14, 1949.  This is a special anniversary year for
Billie, as it was 50 years ago, on December 24, 1955, that the last
Billie the Brownie broadcast was heard in Milwaukee.  Billie had a long
history with the Milwaukee Christmas parade, and Schusters Department
Store, first coming to radio on November 8, 1931, and continuing to
broadcast every Christmas season until Christmas Eve, 1955.  During all
those years, the scripts were written and performed by Larry Teich,
along with eight different Billies, and seven Santas during its run.
    Last year four member of the Milwaukee Area Radio Enthusiasts
([removed]) got together to perform a Billie script from 1932.  The
driving force in this recreation was Ralph Luedtke, a Billie the Brownie
Historian and expert.  Ralph took the part of Larry, with Carol
Boettcher as Billie, Ron Sayles (yes, the same Ron who does the births
and deaths lists for this Digest) as the announcer, and yours truly as
Santa.  We performed the show for our November MARE club meeting, and
then we were fortunate enough to be able to do the script live on Ron
Krause's radio program on WTKM, Hartford,WI on Christmas Eve of last
year.  Last year's broadcast went national, thanks to the internet and
this digest, with Ron Krause getting a call during the call-in part of
the show from a listener in the State of Washington, who was a Wisconsin
native, and remembered Billie from his childhood.  It was amazing, the
number of listener calls that were received, from people who fondly
remember Billie, Me-Tik the Eskimo, Bonzo, Willie Wagtail, Fairy Queen,
WhiteCoat the polar bear, and all the other characters that were brought
to life over the years.
    This year we have already done live performances of a Billie the
Brownie script for the Washington County Historical Society' Christmas
Open House, where the theme for this year was "A Brownie Christmas".  We
will be performing a live broadcast of the 1949 script twice this year,
first next Sunday, December 18, at 9 [removed] (Central Time), on WOKY radio,
(AM 920) on David Doyle's "Growing Older: A New Perspective" program
([removed]).  Then, on Friday, December 23, at 10 [removed] (Central
Time), we will once again be guests on Ron Krause's program, on WTKM
radio, (AM 1540, FM [removed]) ([removed]).  Both shows will be streamed
on the internet.  We have it on good authority that this year's audience
will be international, as Ron has a friend in Japan, who told Ron that
he will stay up until Midnight to hear next Sunday's WOKY broadcast.
    We hope that you will join us to relive a piece of Milwaukee's
Christmas Past.  We have fun doing it, and hope that you'll have fun
listening.
    Merry Christmas to all.

Mark Higgins

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 19:00:54 -0500
From: Andrew Steinberg <otrdig1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Those Mad Masters
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

This San Francisco show was only on the air a short time. There is an episode
of it circulating where Monte dreams he is a typing champion. It is
circulating under 2 different dates. 46-03-19 and 49-03-19. Does anyone know
which is right?

Visit [removed] for OTR program title and date corrections

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

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 19:32:27 -0500
From: "karl tiedemann" <karltiedemann@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  video vs. audio

Mr. Bill Jaker wrote:

Wrestling and puppets were almost the only thing on television in those
days. Radio was still more entertaining.

And for some of us-- thankfully-- still [removed]!

Karl Tiedemann

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 20:16:31 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  More On That Book

Jim Harmon writes,

In February, BearManor will release "It's That Time Again -- New
Stories of Old Time Radio -- Vol. 3" edited by me, Jim Harmon, with three
stories by me, one in collaboration with Jon D. Swartz, who also
contributes another story, and selections by Martin Grams Jr., Ted
Kneebone, Richard Lupoff, Barbara Gratz (Harmon), Dawn Kovner, and
others, some familiar to readers of these columns.

For those who haven't visited the Bear Manor website, the forthcoming
book takes a new twist.  In it, OTR characters who never got to get the
chance during the OTR era will get to meet and interact with other
characters.  What do you suppose Sherlock Holmes would do, confronting
Raffles?  What would The Whistler say to The Mysterious Traveler?  How
would Marshall Dillon work with Paladin?  And what would Johnny hoist at
Duffy's Tavern?

We'll know this February

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:14:38 -0500
From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Marla welcomes visitors

Marla's Slosberg's son, Lee, has advised me that she is making good
progress at the Park Terrace Care Center. Her memory is improving and
she is becoming aware of how and why she is in this rehabilitation
facility. She is also regaining her recall of her past, including
friends and family.

Lee would encourage her OTR friends in the Manhattan area to visit her
at the center, and for those of us in not in that vicinity, flowers and
cards of good wishes can now be sent to her. All such contacts will
assist her in her recovery.

The center's web site <[removed]; sets forth the visiting
hours, complete directions, etc. Visitors are requested to notify the
center when they are coming, either by email or telephone. Their
contact information is on the web site. One can use public
transportation to the center by taking the E or F train to 71st. Ave.
Exit (Forest Hills) and then hopping a Q Bus to 108th Street.

Flowers and/or mail can be sent to Marla in care of the center. She's
in Room 215-A and the center's address is 59-20 Van Doren Street, Rego
Park, NY 11368.

Lee again expressed his gratitude for the prayers and support of the
OTR community.

Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:15:00 -0500
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Mike Wallace

Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 23:34:23 -0500
From: Michael Berger <makiju@[removed];

Doubtless someone has mentioned this before, but I was stunned,
listening to a 1949 You Bet Your Life, sponsored by Elgin America,
to hear a commercial read by a man introduced by George Fenneman as
"Myron Wallace."  I thought, no, it couldn't be, but it was - the
voice unmistakeable, almost insisting that I should purchase a
vanity dresser set or cigarette case at my earliest opportunity. 

Yes, that was Mike Wallace.  The local newspapers here in Brookline, Massachusetts 
occasionally mention the fact that Myron Wallace was a 1935 graduate of Brookline High 
(more recent graduates have included former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, 
Patriots owner Bob Kraft, Conan O'Brien, Alan Rachens, and Michael and Kitty Dukakis).  
Wallace apparently returns from time to time to visit his old home town.

In the 1950s, before he went over to doing news interviews, he was the host of "The Big 
Surprise," one of the lesser-known big-money quiz shows.

-- A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed] 15 Court Square, Suite 210 Fax [removed] Boston, MA 02108-2503 [removed] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:15:22 -0500 From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed]; To: [removed]@[removed] Subject: Mae West on radio
Date: Sat, 10 Dec 2005 16:46:20 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];

1937 - The Federal Communications Commission was a bit upset with
NBC. The FCC scolded the radio network for a skit that starred Mae
West. The satirical routine was based on the biblical tale of Adam
and Eve and, well, it got a bit out of hand. So, following its
scolding by the FCC, NBC banned Miss West from its airwaves for 15
years. Even the mere mention of her name on NBC was a no-no. 

Listening to the routine now, it's hard to tell just what was so objectionable.  And why they 
blamed Mae West.  Mae West was a well-known movie actress, and she always played 
essentially the same role. Whoever hired her to play Eve in that skit (with Don Ameche as 
Adam) had to have known what they were getting.  And it certainly wasn't Mae West who 
wrote the lines she delivered.  

It's hard to listen to the routine with the attitude of an era before I was born, but it seems to 
me that the one really objectionable part involved Don Ameche more than Mae West.  After 
they've been kicked out of the Garden of Eden, Don Ameche as Adam gets really fascinated 
at the sight of Eve, saying, "It's like I'm seeing you for the first time!"  Of course, he's seeing 
Eve naked, and that certainly was more of a sensitive topic than it is today.

It seems to me that after the skit created an unexpected sensation, they were looking for a 
scapegoat, and of course they scapegoated the woman.

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 08:14:26 -0500
From: Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Mike Wallace and Groucho Marx

Mike Wallace was also heard as announcer on "The Spotlight Revue"
and/or "The Spike Jones Show" (CBS, 1947-49) on an irregular basis.
Bob Maxwell told me he was occasionally pressed into service as a sub
when Wallace didn't show up, or showed up less than sober. Wallace
did a shampoo commercial on Spike's 1951 TV debut on "Colgate Comedy
Hour."

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 08:14:44 -0500
From: Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Spike Jones birthday special

KTOO, an Alaskan NPR station, will broadcast a special program on
Spike Jones' birthday 12/14. It will also be aired over the Net that
day on [removed] at 4 pm PST. Jeff Brown of KTOO interviewed Spike
Jones Jr., Dr. Demento and yours truly for the program.

Jordan R. Young
"Spike Jones Off the Record"

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #381
*********************************************

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]