Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #278
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 7/21/2002 9:05 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 278
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Fu Manchu Identified                  [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
  Re:Little People                      [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  The Devil's Scrapbook                 [ Osborneam@[removed] ]
  Rings and Other Premium Things        [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
  Paul Harvey is 82, not 103 !          [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
  Andy Devine                           [ "welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
  Re: Graf Spee Redux                   [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
  Fred Allen Program                    [ Kubelski@[removed] ]
  Andy Devine                           [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
  Re: Stan Freberg                      [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
  Andy Devine                           [ Peter Kinder <pdkinder@[removed]; ]
  Paul Harvey age                       [ Frank Absher <fabsher@[removed]; ]
  Paul Harvey's age -- again            [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
  old electronics repair                [ Bill Harris <radioguyj@[removed] ]
  repair of old tape machines           [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
  phone ring opening                    [ "Arte" <arte@[removed]; ]
  Bob Bailey                            [ "Arte" <arte@[removed]; ]
  That's a joke, son                    [ ClifSr@[removed] ]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:47:23 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Fu Manchu Identified

Here are a couple of items which may be of interest to fans of the 1939
"Shadow of Fu Manchu" transcription serial, unearthed from the 12/15/38
issue of "Broadcasting,"

>From the "Behind the Mike" column --

"Lou Marcelle, KFWB Hollywood announcer-actor, has been cast as Fu Manchu
in the transcribed serial 'The Shadow of Fu Manchu' being produced by
Fields Brothers Radio Corp, that city, and cut by Radio Recorders Inc."

Marcelle is a rather obscure figure -- but you might recognize him as the
off-screen narrator heard at the beginning of "Casablanca." While the
common OTR references have correctly identified Hanley Stafford as Smith
and Gale Gordon as Petrie in "Shadow of Fu Manchu,"  fan speculation has
usually named Ted Osborne, of KNX, as the "Wily Oriental Mastermind."

Also in the 12/15/38 issue, an interesting look at how this series was
marketed:

"Radio Attractions Inc, New York, gave a prehearing of its first
production, 'The Shadow of Fu Manchu,' to a group of advertising agency
radio executives, station representatives, station managers, and the
trade press at a cocktail party at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, on
December 7th. Two episodes of the transcribed radio serial, which is a
dramatized version of a Sax Rohmer story, were played for the audience,
who were also told of the company's plan for helping stations and
sponsors purchasing the program series to popularize the program by
supplying them with tie-in promotion. In addition to the usual window and
display cards and tickets to 'The Radioside Theatre,' the company offers
Fu Manchu masks and picture buttons, fortune-telling incense, a Chinese
key trick, and a special radio edition of the story, as well as mats for
use in advertising the program. Firm displayed its technique in the
invitations to the affair, which were printed on dragon-decorated
parchment scrolls and delivered by a Chinese man and girl garbed in
flowing and colorful Oriental costumes."

Radio Attractions was determined to put this series over -- the same
issue of Broadcasting includes a full page ad, depicting a crudely-drawn
Fu Manchu casting a long shadow over a map of the United States, over a
caption proclaiming the series "the hottest program in radio."

Elizabeth

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:51:47 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re:Little People

Concerning the thread about Little People in OTR, I'm amazed that no one has
mentioned my friend Dick Beals (Speedy of Alka-Seltza fame). Dick is a
fixture at practically all OTR Conventions. As a young man, Dick did a ton
of radio work out of Detroit, and played a young child on many a program
("Lone Ranger" for example). Heck, I don't have any idea how old Dick is
today, (At least my age I guess, and that's old!), and he's still doing
child's voices.

I remember we were working together doing a recreation at the Colorado OTR
club. I was directing something that Dick was performing in, playing a young
kid. During cast notes following the rehearsal, I asked Dick to play him
about 6 months younger. He's a fun guy to be around, and very knowledgeable
about the shows that originated out of Detroit.

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:43:20 -0400
From: Osborneam@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  The Devil's Scrapbook

My friend "Big John" Matthews asks about The Devil's Scrapbook (hi John!).
This is a rare horror show done in the "Lights Out" format with Noreen
Gammill & Charles Penman.  Only one show exists, that being "The Conquest of
David Rugg"
from (11/28/38).

Arlene Osborne

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:51:21 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Rings and Other Premium Things

Kelli Stanley asks, anent Little Orphan Annit,

I'm [removed] kid commercials at all monitored?  Was anyone paying
any attention to the fact that an entire show was, for example, built
around LOA receiving a ring from Daddy Warbucks--a ring which, not
coincidentally-was that evening's premium?

Many radio premiums were made an integral part of a show's story line.
One of the best examples of that was the Dragon's Eye Ring on the 1940
Jack Armstrong Sulu Sea adventure.  Compressing the data, Uncle Jim
Fairfield receives a small box in the mail from the Philippines.  A
mystery develops because attempts are made to get the box by a sinister
individual.  Eventually, the box is opened, to reveal a ring that, an
enclosed note explained, could gain the cooperation of native tribes in
and around the Philippines.  The note also explained that some Uranium
235 was lost in the area, and asked Fairfield to recover it and turn it
over to the [removed] Army.  The ring, which glowed mysteriously, was the key
to recovering the uranium.  As Fairfield was preparing to set out on the
mission, there were further attempts to steal the ring, and so forth.

Naturally, the desirability of the ring, as evidenced by everyone either
trying to steal it or trying to protect it, led many listeners to want
the replica of it which was the premium being offered.  Others might have
[also] wanted it as a souvenir of the adventure.

Premiums sometimes had nothing to do with the story going on when they
were being offered (the Ovaltine Shake-Up Mugs are an example of that),
but incorporating premiums into an adventure had a plus: they gave the
story an added dimension, providing the writers with additional time
while not really advancing the plot.

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 10:41:48 -0400
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Paul Harvey is 82, not 103 !

Jim Faulkner has suggested Paul Harvey's age as 103.  Surfing the net, I
found an article from the Arizona Republic giving his age as 82.  The other
sites, ABC and some of their affiliates, repeat the same general info about
his career, but do not mention his age.  But even at 82 he sounds quite spry
and has signed a 10-year contract with ABC.

[removed]

Ted Kneebone/1528 S. Grant [removed], SD 57401/605-226-3344
OTR: [removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:51:50 -0400
From: "welsa" <welsa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Andy Devine
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

For info on Andy Devine, try:  [removed]

The Andy Devine Fan Club!

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

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:51:59 -0400
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re:  Graf Spee Redux

From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
I am not sure that was an NBC exclusive. According to my Listing
from the Milo Ryan collection of KIRO-CBS broadcasts, that
broadcast is listed and mentions James Bowen.    Jim Widner

The disc I got the broadcasts from had an NBC label and NBC announcers.
And I do not see the broadcast listed in "History In Sound" which is the
bound listing of the Milo Ryan/KIRO Collection.  The event is covered in
the December 17, 1939 edition of CBS's "The War This Week" and there is
an item at the end of the first disc of the program "Can't get
Montevideo".  Elmer Davis also discusses the event in his newscast of
that date.

I first heard the bulletin part of the broadcast (if memory serves me)
on a little 45 RPM record that the radio manufacturer Hallicrafters
issued in the late 50s.  The actual broadcast is in two parts.  There
first is a quick into to Bowen who shouts out "THE GRAF SPEE HAS BEEN
SCUTTLED!!!"  Then he signs off to get more info, and they turn the
broadcast back to him a few minutes later, and he talks for about 5
minutes.  The 16-inch disc I had had two bands for these two segments,
and my assumption is that it was a dub.  I have a feeling that it was
circulated among the NBC stations during the next few days, but, of
course, was not to be rebroadcast from the recording.

From: leemunsick@[removed]
Now the next thing is for someone (perhaps Mike Biel or Elizabeth
McLeod?) to find a recording of the original coverage (perhaps with
other American coverage for "our" slant?), do a nice editing job,
and put out a tape or CD!  Please!

Lee, I'd have to find it first!

Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:52:40 -0400
From: Kubelski@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Fred Allen Program

I'm listening to a Fred Allen Show from April 23, 1941 in which Fred visits
the circus.

Two field hands just finished telling Fred that it is so hot at the circus
they spent all day hanging around the Ubangi.  Why, he asked -- "Because the
only place where there was shade was under the Ubangi's lips."

Ugh.  I'm certainly no PC crusader, but if an urbane and intellectual
comedian like Fred Allen was using stuff like that on network radio, can you
imagine how horrible the average nightclub hack's act must have been?

Sean Dougherty
Kubelski@[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:53:02 -0400
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Andy Devine

Ryan Ellett  inquires about the man with the gravel tongue.

I am no authority on Andy Devine but I worked with him and Guy Madison on
Wild Bill Hickok radio.

Harry Bartell

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:53:32 -0400
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Stan Freberg

From: StevenL751@[removed]
A 2-record "best-of" set was issued of "The  Stan Freberg
Show".  ...  The two records were later reissued separately
as "Volume 1" and "Volume 2".  Steve Lewis

Actually they were first reissued in 1962 as "Face the Funnies" T-1694
and  "Madison Avenue Werewolf" T-1816 while the original 2-record set
(WBO-1035) was still in print.  The great cover graphics on these two
separate LPs make them far more interesting than the original set!  They
are also much scarcer--the original set is not really all that rare.  I
think the reissue of the two discs with the covers identical to the 1958
set came out in the late 70s or early 80s.  That cover shows a closeup
of Freberg at an RCA 44-BX mic.  The 1962 covers show (respectively)
Freberg and numerous cartoon characters sitting in some chairs in a
semi-circle, and a cartoon of what you would suppose a furry ad man
would look like.

It should be noted that the complete series has been issued by Radio
Spirits on CD and cassette, but the first of the two boxes is
transferred from horrible masters tapes with very restricted frequency
response.  It seems that Stan had loaned the original masters to June
Foray who mentioned it to Carl Amari after the first box came out.  The
second box was done off of the tapes Foray had, but because of the
misguided efforts of Amari's engineers, still do not sound as good as
the original LPs.  Carl Amari promised right here on this very digest
several years ago that he would reissue the first box off of the
improved masters and allow for a trade-in for those unlucky enough to
have bought the first box from the bad tapes.  BUT this has never
happened, and now that Amari is out of the company, probably never will.

Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:53:54 -0400
From: Peter Kinder <pdkinder@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Andy Devine

	Ryan in Kansas asks for information on Andy Devine.

	In front of me is a post card with a not-very-faithful portrait of
Andy in later years.  The note on the card reads:

	>>Andy Devine, October 7, 1905-February 13, 1977.  Kingman's
favorite son, born in Flagstaff, grew up in Kingman.  A mischievous child,
Andy grew to become a best-loved star of film, television and stage.
Dorothy, Andy's widow, commissioned this portrait of Andy, which welcomes
visitors to the Andy Devine Exhibit Room at the Mohave Museum of History and
Art, 408 West Beale, Kingman, AZ  [removed];<

	Damn!  They didn't mention his hilarious radio performances.  "Gee,
Buck,...."

	What registered with me watching Devine's wonderful children's show,
Andy's Gang, was that he was nothing but an over-grown kid.  He identified
completely with his audience.  The show stood out in my mind and memory as a
huge attack on authority.  There are some kinescopes-to-tape episodes
floating around.

	A marvelous character actor.

Peter Kinder

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:54:02 -0400
From: Frank Absher <fabsher@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Paul Harvey age

Paul began broadcasting while still in high school around 1933. His first
news work was at KOMA in Oklahoma City. He then moved to St. Louis where he
worked as a newsman at KXOK when it signed on in 1938. He went under his
given name, Paul Aurandt, and he met and married wife Angel while at KXOK.

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:54:50 -0400
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Paul Harvey's age -- again

For Paul Harvey's real age, surf the net.  The ABC and local affiliates do
not mention his age at all, but check the Arizona Republic's website.  They
claim he is 82.  Someone else posted his age as 84.  Next time I get to a
library, I'll try checking out some biographical sources for his date of
birth.  The DJ who claims he is 103 needs new [removed]

Ted Kneebone/1528 S. Grant [removed], SD 57401/605-226-3344
OTR: [removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:55:10 -0400
From: Bill Harris <radioguyj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  old electronics repair

Deric ask regarding repair of older electronics:

Are there any people who can or do look at older pieces of recording
equipment?

Check the [removed]+phono newsgroup, often the topic
there is the repair of older recorders. Also the forum at
[removed] is good for finding
such advice.

Bill Harris

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:56:55 -0400
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  repair of old tape machines

Derick wrote:

I have a couple pieces of recording equipment that worked real good years
ago.  Unfortunately, whenever I take them in for repair I get, "it isn't
worth repairing".  The real sad thing is that recording equipment made
these days are not as good sounding.  I realize parts are unavailable,
but whatever happen to the innovative and creative repairman.  I wish for
answers from those of you who have been here.  Are there any people who
can or do look at older pieces of recording equipment.

He also suggested that the subject be taken off-list, but he raises a few
points that should be of interest to many of our parishioners.

What happened to the innovative and creative repairman is that he got sick
of working for nothing at a demanding and often tedious job.

As to old tape machines, I think everyone who's been in the audio repair
business has learned to recognize trouble by smell: someone walks in with an
ancient Webcor tape recorder with its distinctively musty-smelling wood
case, and you know immediately what the story's going to be: they found it
in the attic and they wanna listen to Uncle Henry's old tapes that were
stored inside.

Is someone going to pay, say $150 to hear these?
It's a far better deal to have them copied onto other media by a shop that
specializes in such things.

An ancient tape machine will, at the minimum, need to have all of its rubber
wheels and belts replaced, its switches sprayed out with tuner cleaner, and
everything lubricated.

The parts are not cheap: there's no such thing as "new-old stock" for
rubber, because it deteriorates on the shelf.  Thus wheels and belts must be
rebuilt by PRB, Inc., and they get a lot of money for each job.  (Yes, I've
done a lot of experimenting to see if I could restore wheels and make belts
myself.  It's darn near impossible.)  Thus it's not unreasonable to rack up
fifty or sixty bucks in parts charges.

Now, this work is not particularly easy, especially since it is almost
impossible to do without disturbing the electronics, and it takes a few
hours at minimum.  After it's done, we get to see how the machine plays.
The answer is generally, uh, lousy.  Heads are typically so badly grooved
and worn that the tape can't make good contact with the gap, or the gap
itself is damaged.  This removes all the high frequencies from the audio.

I've heard of head restoration, but I'm sure not in a position to do it.
And have fun ordering, say, a head for a Vietnam-era TEAC cross-field head
machine.  These were impossible to get during the Vietnam era, as were parts
for many short-run Asian tape recorders.

It wasn't even worth _trying_ to get parts for European tape machines
because the parts business for most German and Scandinavian stuff turns out
to have been controlled from one company that never answered the phone.

Many parts _can_ be made in the repair shop or adapted from other
applications, but not tape heads, motors, or specialized play/record
switches.

Tape machines that use tubes are several orders of magnitude worse.  After
the cooling vents get clogged with dirt, the heat is so intense that
everything gets baked.  Oil is burned out of bearings, insulation of motor
and transformer windings is carbonized, and capacitors are reduced to lumps
of wax or plastic.  A tube-type tape machine that comes into the shop with
minor mechanical problems is likely to suffer a burned-out motor or power
transformer either in the shop or shortly after it's taken home.

Tube-type machines got worse as technology progressed, because there was a
demand for smaller and lighter recorders.  Thus the manufacturers crammed
the electronics into tighter spaces, which caused increased cooling
problems.  Then they ordered tubes that combined the functions of several
older tubes.  This saved space and ensured that the 'combined function'
tubes would be a treasured rarity for generations to come.

Old transistorized tape machines have troubles of their own.  Turns out that
transistors do not last forever: they get noisy and intermittent, with the
old germanium devices being the worst offenders.  Some machines from the
late '70's also used primitive, inobtainable integrated circuits.

Now, most of this doesn't apply to the professional machines used in radio
stations.  There aren't any rubber wheels or belts, and the electronics was
treated as a separate entity that was typically quite repairable.  Parts are
available, albeit expensive.

But old consumer electronic devices are, in general, _not_ worth fixing, I'm
afraid.  For the most part, neither are new ones.  It's a waste and a shame,
and I mourn the old repair business.

Mark Kinsler
Kinsler Hi-Fi Service, 1968-1989
512 E Mulberry St. Lancaster, Ohio USA 740 687 6368
[removed]~kinsler

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:57:07 -0400
From: "Arte" <arte@[removed];
To: "OldRadio Mailing List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  phone ring opening

Someone asked about shows that opened with a ring telephone.

He mentioned Archie. There was. of course that other Archie,
the manager of "Duffy's Tavern."
and, of course Johhny Dollar.
Almost but not quite, Didn't Burns & Allen start with a
doorbell that nearly sounded like a telephone?

Arte
[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:57:18 -0400
From: "Arte" <arte@[removed];
To: "OldRadio Mailing List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Bob Bailey

I agree with Larry Albert about Bob Bailey life.
when he said:

Are we eager to know more? Of
course. Do we have a right to that missing time?
Absolutely not.

My wife and I have been thoroughly enjoying listening to
"Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar," and I like to think a lot of
Bailey's personality comes through the character. If there
is anything bad or embarassing about his life, I, for one,
really don't want to hear it.

Just my feelings,

Arte
[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 21 Jul 2002 22:57:50 -0400
From: ClifSr@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  That's a joke, son

     Seantor Claghorn, where are you when we need you?  Kenny Delmar as the
blustering Southern Senator often puncuated his attempts at humor that fell
flat with "That's a joke, Son!"  He needs to say that in response to the
current thread about Paul Harvey being 103.  It all started as a lame and
perhaps stupid attempt  at being funny through exaggeration.  Does anybody,
including the fellows who originally said it, believe it's true?  Not likely.

     In a  recent exchange with an OTR friend about Shirley Mitchell ,
Gildersleeve's girlfriend and the voice of Julie on "Manhattan Tower," I
started to type "She has to be 110 if she's a day, " which is a dumb line I
often say about someone who seems to have been around forever.  .   (Actually
she's 83)   But realizing that without facial expression or inflections to
indicate that I thought I was being funny, I decided not to go with it.  It
was a joke, Son.

Clif Martin

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #278
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