Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #107
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/8/2003 7:36 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2003 : Issue 107
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  OTR [removed]                     [ "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed] ]
  Talk shows in the '50s                [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
  Re: Talk shows in the 50s             [ Bob Scherago <rscherago@[removed]; ]
  Chuck McCann                          [ jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns) ]
  re Chuck McCann                       [ John Henley <jhenley@[removed] ]
  Greta Garbo                           [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  Gunsmoke                              [ "Elizabeth Minney" <epminney@wcsonl ]
  A Shaken "64" Theory                  [ Grbmd@[removed] ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  Buddy Clark Revisited                 [ Grbmd@[removed] ]
  Ovalteenies Lyrics                    [ ilamfan@[removed] ]
  March 8th Birthdays                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  [removed]                   [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
  "Have Fun, Will Scabble"...Part Deux  [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
  Where to find "The Big Show"          [ "W. Gary Wetstein" <wgaryw@pacbell. ]
  Ovaltine                              [ "David H. Buswell" <dbuswell@rivnet ]

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 10:29:38 -0500
From: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  OTR [removed]

I was watching M*A*S*H yesterday.  It was the episode where Hawkeye decides
he has to have ribs from a Chicago rib joint named Adam's ribs.  As part of
his scheme, calls Dearborn station pretending to be a reporter named Cranston
Lamont.  Whoa, [removed]

There seems to be a lot of OTR references in M*A*S*H.  One that particularly
stands out is an episode where they're listening to the radio while in
surgery.  A Bob Hope program is on, and the announcer identifies himself as
Hy Averback.  Cut to the credits at the end of the show, and the writer (or
was it director or producer - I can't remember) of the episode was Hy
Averback.  Is anyone familiar with this episode?  Is the radio broadcast
heard in the show authentic, or created for the episode?

-chris holm

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 11:01:02 -0500
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Talk shows in the '50s

And, who could EVER forget the infamous, Joe [removed]

   [removed]
  TAKE FIVE WITH FRANK
  the bunk starts here

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 11:24:05 -0500
From: Bob Scherago <rscherago@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Talk shows in the 50s

Frank Kelly <fkelly@[removed]; asks:

On another (but related) subject, I worked at an
NBC affiliate (WDEL, Wilmington DE) in the late 50s.
I remember we had Western Union clocks that
corrected to the exact time once an hour . . .
the correction pulse came at exactly straight up on
the hour, so that a clock indicating, say, 7:59:48
would jump to 8:00:00 (the second hand would jump to
straight up).  My question is, using these clocks, how
did we join the network without either leaving dead air
or worse, clipping the first few seconds of the program?
Anybody remember how this was done?

I worked at a Mutual affilliate on Long Island (NY) in the early 60's that
used WU clocks; I seem to remember that we simply noted how slow or
fast the clock was, and compensated. We always joined on time - on
the hour and half-hour, as I recall.

In a related story, the other station in town used WU clocks, and used the
pulse to trigger a time signal on the hour. The clocks were all in series -
even from one station to another - meaning that if one station disconnected
one wire the signal to the other station would be lost.

One morning just before 8:00 we did just that - disconnected the wire - and
listened to the competition. The announcer (who later went on to a good
career at NBC Radio as a newscaster) said something like "The time at the
tone, 8:00. <long pause> <long pause> <long pause> Well, we were waiting
for a tone there. Here's the news!" Gave us a chuckle! John, if you read
this,
now you know!!!!!

--
Bob Scherago
(now with) Voice of America

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 12:42:13 -0500
From: jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Chuck McCann

Chuck was on a bunch of those to mid-to-late 1960s "full cast" comedy LP
records, and even starred,voice-acting wise, in the 1960s, network
cartoon, COOL MCCOOL (along with another New York kids-show host icon,
Carol Corbett).
McCann has done a TON of cartoons, including playing the Thing/Ben Grimm
in the 1990s FANTASTIC FOUR [removed]  But I'm not sure of any radio
work.

Best, Jim Burns

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 13:12:01 -0500
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  re Chuck McCann

Derek Tague asked
 Does anybody out there know off-hand if comic actor Chuck McCann ever
performed on radio?

I don't know, but he did work on comedy record albums
during their heyday, the 1960s.  I believe he impersonates
presidential press secretary Pierre Salinger on the famous
"First Family" LP with Vaughan Meador.  Good voice for that
sort of thing.

John Henley

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 15:09:29 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Greta Garbo

I just viewed the movie, Susan Lenox, Her Fall and Rise with Greta Garbo and
Clark Gable. My question is, was Greta Garbo ever on radio in any capacity?

Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 17:59:42 -0500
From: "Elizabeth Minney" <epminney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Gunsmoke

Although I am of an age to have listened to a lot of OTR in its heyday,
our family didn't often have the radio on.  I remember that my parents
simply didn't tune in except for Fibber McGee and Jack Benny.

When I moved in the 1960's to way far out in Texas we didn't have any
radio reception except for a local effort. I did a lot of reading aloud
to the kids, and we loved doing this together.  After some years I
began to find records of children's stories which I bought for our kids
to listen to.  We all adored them:  Treasure Island, Rip Van Winkle,
Sesame Street, and--get this--Conan, The Barbarian!  We didn't have a
tape player in those days.

About 10 years ago I ran across a set of 5 cassettes of OTR westerns,
two of which I had never heard:  The Six Shooter and Fort Laramie.
After listening to Fort Laramie I was hooked (big-time) and thus began
my slide down the slippery slope into OTR fandom.

Detailed sound effects are the hallmark of a fine radio program, and
those of Fort Laramie and Gunsmoke are wonderful!  The writers of both
programs knew how to use "silence," that is, moments when no one
spoke.  Often there were many background noises which painted a vivid
picture of what was happening:  birds singing, saddle creaking, wind
blowing.  This kind of "silence" heightened tension and gave weight to
what was said next.

I got to thinking last night as I listened to Marshal Dillon stride
toward the saloon from his office (with his marvelous, jingling spurs),
how did William Conrad know when to begin speaking?  Did he count the
steps from his office to the saloon, or did the sound man point at him
to begin his speech, or what?

Also, was the theme music performed live?  Sometimes I hear the
guitarist just take off with an ebullient little riff--you can almost
hear him chuckling to himself.  Other times the guitar is much more
subdued.  And who was the guitarist?

Last question:  Did the actors on Gunsmoke hear the commercials during
a live broadcast, and, if so, was it hard to sustain the momentum and
mood of the performance after the jolly Sugar Krinkles jingle?  I
always feel a little skewed when the commercial comes bouncing on right
after a moment of heavy drama.

As one of you says from time to time, "Love dis list!"

Elizabeth Minney

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:00:13 -0500
From: Grbmd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  A Shaken "64" Theory

Durn it, Hal Stone, you've just shaken one of my pet theories.  Recently you
wrote:

Our illustrious leader, one "Curly" Summers, sent me a private e-mail with a
 64 Thousand dollar question.

My long-held theory is that a person can tell the older generation from the
next one by observing which phrase he/she uses.
(1) Older:  "...the 64 dollar [removed]"
or
(2) Younger:  "the 64 thousand dollar [removed]"

The older phrase, of course, is from the Forties radio program, "Take It or
Leave It," with Phil Baker as host/quizmaster during much of its run.  The
younger phrase is from some TV show that came later.  Hal's use of the second
phrase would seem to place him in the younger group that doesn't remember
Forties radio.  I don't *think* so, Hal.  You've already spilled the beans in
your Archie book that you were indeed around in the Forties.

So you've seriously shaken my theory.

Spence Coleman

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:00:20 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Today in radio history

>From Those Were The Days --

3/7

1933 - CBS debuted the first daytime serial on this day.  Marie the
Little French Princess had a run of two years.

1944 - Norman Corwin hosted a program titled, Columbia Presents Corwin
on the CBS network this day.

3/8

1925 - Bernard McFadden was a physical culturist who had a radio show in
New York City. But not for long. McFadden failed to show up for his
daily morning program, causing a young, studio engineer, John Gambling,
to ad-lib on the air for a solid hour. As a result, the station (WOR)
decided to give Gambling the morning announcer's job. John Gambling
stayed at WOR for many years, then turned the mike over to his son, who,
finally, turned the program over to his son ... all named John. Mr.
Gambling's Rambling with Gambling program attracted tri-state (New York,
New Jersey, Connecticut) audiences in record numbers for over 70 years
on the 50,000 watt talk-radio powerhouse at 710 AM on your radio dial
from New York each morning.

  Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:12:03 -0500
From: Grbmd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Buddy Clark Revisited

In the recent discussion of Buddy Clark, his music, and his looks, several
OTR digesters have cited his recordings and their favorite songs.

My personal favorite has always been the 1947 song "Linda,"  which I've
enjoyed listening to whenever I've heard it on the radio then and now.  Why?

As a youngster in the Forties I was a bit shy, especially when it came to
girls.  In the song's lyrics I was impressed by Buddy's boldness in
approaching a girl who didn't even know him, and by his eloquent words and
style that won him a date with the girl.  At the time I had a crush on a
particular girl, but I didn't have the nerve to approach her.  So, even
though it was fiction, I admired the singer's way with women.

If I had known then what I know [removed]

Spence Coleman

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:52:12 -0500
From: ilamfan@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed] (OTR Bulletin Board)
Subject:  Ovalteenies Lyrics

     From an article by Ray Smith in the Summer 2000 issue of the NARA News,
here are the lyrics of the Ovalteenies gang song:

We are the Ovalteenies,
Happy girls and boys.
We wake each morning bright and gay
So we enjoy our work and play.
We love a song and story,
Won't you share our joys?
At work or play we're never mean,
No happier children can be seen.
Because we all drink Ovaltine,
We're happy girls and boys.

     Bring back some memories?

Stephen Jansen

--
Old Time Radio never dies - it
just changes formats!

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:52:21 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  March 8th Birthdays

If you born on March 8th, you share your birthday with:

1893 - Sam Jaffe - New York City
1893 - Victor Arden - Wenona, Illinois
1902 - Louise Beavers - Cincinnati, Ohio
1908 - Franklyn MacCormack - Waterloo, Iowa
1918 - Alan Hale, Jr. - Los Angeles, California
1922 - Cyd Charisse - Amarillo, Texas
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:53:44 -0500
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  [removed]

HI Gang:

    Harlan Zinck of the wonderful First Generation Radio Archives writes in
the on-going discussion about effeminate stereotypes:

   Granted, in today's society, it would be
considered passe (and insulting) to present one-dimentional characters like
cheap Scotchmen, drunken Irishmen, lecherous Italians, dumb Swedes,
effeminate "pansies" and the like. But, in the hey-day of vaudeville,
revue, and radio, these were all commonly accepted comic characters.

   As a First-Generation  Scots-American, I'd like to remind everybody that a
person from Scotland is  properly referred to as a  SCOT, or, adjectivally,
SCOTTISH--and not SCOTCH.  An American born person of Scottish heritage should
be called a Scots-American, or Scottish-American.
   SCOTCH is a drink, which I've never cared for--even when I was drinking.
   As for negative stereotypes, my father used to say, "I'm half Irish, and
half Scottish--the Irish half wants a drink and the scottish half doesnae want
to pay fer it."
   In conclusion,  I'd like to acknowledge what IJBFC president/founder Laura
Leff said during the Jack Benny panel at last year's FOTR/NJ convention. Not
wanting to misquote, I believe Ms. Leff said that Jack Benny, with his own
brand of trademark penuriousness, almost singlehandedly rendered the "cheap
Scottish stereotype" obsolete. [Help us out, Ms. Leff, would you please?].

Yours in the McEther,

Derek Tadhg [original Irish spelling of "Tague"]

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 19:02:31 -0500
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  "Have Fun, Will Scabble"...Part  Deux

It's me again, gang!

    I didn't have any takers when I made this request prior to last year's
FOTR/NJ convention, so here I go again:  Would anybody like to get an
after-hours  game of Scrabble going during next month's Cincinnati OTR &
Nostalgia convention? Please contact me off-list & I'll bring my collapsible
travel-Scrabble set.

Y(4)O(1)U(1)R(1)S(1) in the E(1)T(1)H(4)E(1)R(1)--

D(2)E(1)R(1)E(1)K(5)  T(1)A(1)G(2)U(1)E(1)

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 20:34:26 -0500
From: "W. Gary Wetstein" <wgaryw@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Where to find "The Big Show"

the most complete run of episodes i've found are available at
[removed].  reasonable prices, a very well organized and
searchable web site, and art pierce, the guy who runs the company, is a very
nice guy (i met him at an OTR convention in NJ a few years back).

most of the first season is available, but only a couple of shows from the
second and final season seem to be floating around.  if anyone out there
knows where to find more second season episodes, i'd really appreciate the
info.  this is one of my all-time favorite shows.

i'm curious what research project this relates to. . . could you fill us in?

regards,
w. gary w.

----------------
"there's some folks out there that if they don't get it, you can't tell
'em."  --(louis armstrong)

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

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 21:34:56 -0500
From: "David H. Buswell" <dbuswell@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Ovaltine

Michael Shoshani and others offered interesting postings about the origins
of Ovaltine and its manufacture.  I grew up in a suburb west of Chicago
(Elmhurst, Illinois).  Our next door neighbor was a chemist at an impressive
and large all brick Ovaltine plant in the next suburban town of Villa Park.
I have no idea whether it still exists today, but it was a significant
employer during the 30s,40s and 50s.

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #107
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