------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2006 : Issue 136
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
5-16 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
WCAU Radio Classics with Gary Hodgso [ Dancingdays72777@[removed] ]
Re: radio shows that died young [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
"Don't Touch That Dial" [ "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@sbcgloba ]
Short run series [ Ivan Watson <watsoni@[removed]; ]
Too short a series [ Jerry Shnay <jshnay1@[removed]; ]
SPRING REVERB [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
I definitely agree with Joe Martelle [ "Gary Dixon" <argy@[removed]; ]
Quiet, Please [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
Re: Short Series [ Christopher Werner <werner1@globalc ]
J. red MacDonald [ "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@sbcgloba ]
too short series [ K & J Hammel <haml@[removed]; ]
Lorre "TV" film of 1945 broadcast [ "bobb lynes" <iairotr@[removed]; ]
Frankie Thomas [ "bobb lynes" <iairotr@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 00:46:16 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 5-16 births/deaths
May 16th births
05-16-1882 - Mary Gordon - Glasgow, Scotland - d. 8-23-1963
actor: Mrs. Emmett "Those We Love"; Mrs. Hudson "Sherlock Holmes"
05-16-1890 - Kenneth Perkins - d. 6-7-1951
writer: "Hawk Larabee"
05-16-1891 - Richard Tauber - Linz, Austria-Hungary - d. 1-8-1948
opera singer: "General Motors Concert"
05-16-1892 - Osgood Perkins - West Newton, MA - d. 9-21-1937
stage actor: "Flying Red Horse Tavern"
05-16-1905 - Henry Fonda - Grand Island, NE - d. 8-12-1982
actor: "Eyes Aloft"; "Romance"; "Suspense"
05-16-1911 - Margaret Sullavan - Norfolk, VA - d. 1-1-1960
actor: "Electric Theatre"; "Hollywood Playhouse"
05-16-1912 - Studs Terkel - The Bronx, NY
journalist, sometimes actor: "Destination Freedom"; "Ma Perkins"
05-16-1913 - Woody Herman - Milwaukee, WI - d. 10-29-1987
bandleader: (The Thundering Herd) "Wildroot Show"
05-16-1916 - Bernard Braden - Vancouver, Canada - d. 2-2-1993
actor: "The Gracie Fields Show"
05-16-1919 - Liberace - West Milwaukee, WI - d. 2-4-1987
pianist, singer: "Stars for Defense"
May 16th deaths
01-23-1910 - Django Reinhardt - Belgium - d. 5-16-1953
jazz artist: "Djanjo Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club France"
02-27-1913 - Irwin Shaw - NYC - d. 5-16-1984
author: "Columbia Workshop";"Studio One"; "The Gumps"
03-29-1890 - Joe Cook - Evansville, IN - d. 5-16-1959
comedian: "House Party"; "Shell Chateau"
04-04-1904 - John Brown - Hull, England - d. 5-16-1957
actor: Digby "Digger" O'Dell "Life of Riley"; Melvyn Foster "A Date
with Judy"
06-22-1912 - June Carroll - Detroit, MI - d. 5-16-2004
composer: "New Faces of 1948"
07-11-1906 - Fred Feibel - Union City, NJ - d. 5-16-1978
organist: "Between the Bookends"; "Organ Reveille"
09-26-1912 - Al Helfer - Elrama, PA - d. 5-16-1975
sportscaster: "Game of the Day"; "We Want a Touchdown"
11-08-1918 - Paul Barnes - Chicago, IL - d. 5-16-1983
actor: Red Albright/Captain Midnight "Captain Midnight"
12-09-1902 - Margaret Hamilton - Cleveland, OH - d. 5-16-1985
actor: Aunt Effie "Couple Next Door"; "The Free Company"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Birthplace of Benny Fields
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 00:48:43 -0400
From: Dancingdays72777@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: WCAU Radio Classics with Gary Hodgson
The reason I am an old time radio fanatic is an OTR program that aired
about 20 years ago on WCAU AM in Philadelphia called Radio
[removed] by a gentleman named Gary Hodgson. It aired 7 nights a
week for a while, usually from 8 to [removed] he'd play 3 or so shows a
broadcast. I used to listen as an elementary school [removed] with my
parents or in bed. Mr. Hodgson would occasionally have guests from the OTR
era (Lee Allman, Paul Hughes, Mel Blanc for example). He also used to bring
his show to various Philadelphia-area malls during the holiday season, and
I had the pleasure of meeting him during one of these visits (I believe in
December 1985, when I was 8). He was a very, very nice man and allowed me
to join him on the program for about an hour. Turns out, it was my radio
[removed] work in the industry to this day!
WCAU went off the air forever in the summer of 1990 (it's now 1210
WPHT)...and with it went Radio Classics. For years, I've been wondering what
ever happened to Mr. Hodgson. I wanted to thank him for getting me involved
in this wonderful [removed] helping to inspire me to make a living out of
radio. Does
anyone know what became of him and if I would be able to get in touch with
him? Also, does anyone else remember this wonderful program, or even have
recordings of it? I'd love to listen back again.
Sincerely,
Matt Cherry
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:12:11 -0400
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: radio shows that died young
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In a message dated 5/15/06 11:19:07 AM Central Daylight Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
what series in OTR should have had a longer run? Lets say under 3 years
as a bench marker for a short run series on radio.
That's an easy [removed]"The Stan Freberg Show" should've been on for years and
years! Even if it was in purpose, a couple of months is way too short for a
show that funny and that creative.
Dixon
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Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:12:48 -0400
From: "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "The Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: "Don't Touch That Dial"
When I read Vince Long remarks about J. Fred MacDonald's Book , Don't Touch
That Dial",It dawned on me I have It. So I went to my book case and there it
was. The book was copyrighted in 1979, I probably bought it in 1980 and
haven't looked at since. Chuck Schaden (Those Were the Days on WDCB FM on
Saturdays 1 to 5 CST ) in the 80's was a fan and was helping to push the
book, I ordered it through Chuck. I seem to remember that Chuck interviewed
MacDonald on several occasions.
Mac Donald was a college Prof. and used his book as a text book for class on
Radio . I have to admit I never read the book word for word but I used it as
a reference book. I have not looked at for about 20 years. Growing up when
radio was growing up I felt that I knew alot of the subject covered by the
book. I loaned to several OTR collectors who were a lot younger that me and
they learned a lot and enjoyed it. I assume the book is out of print, I
haven't heard of J. Fred Mac Donald in 20 years plus.
I may just read the book maybe I've forgotten some of the history of Radio.
Frank McGurn
McHenry, IL
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:13:03 -0400
From: Ivan Watson <watsoni@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Short run series
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Walden Hughes asked about short run series. Some of my favourites that I
wished had aired longer include:
STUDIO ONE (1948) - I really enjoy quality, hour-long dramatic series and
although I think this one only lasted one season, it is one of my favourites.
The writing, acting and directing were all top-notch. Also, I think that the
director Fletcher Markle (a fellow Canadian!) was one of radio's greatest
talents in the dying days of network radio. Although Studio One only lasted
one season, it paved the way for the famous TV series of the same name in the
1950s.
ON STAGE (1953-1954) - Was there anything that Elliot and Cathy Lewis
couldn't do? Again, this series came late in the game for big time network
radio, but even today, episodes seem fresh and innovative. I think I read
somewhere that Elliot Lewis remarked that with On Stage he was able to
experiment in ways that would not have been possible even a few years
earlier. By the time On Stage was on the air, the big advertising bucks were
migrating to television and producers and artists had been given more freedom
by the radio networks.
JACK PAAR PROGRAM (1947) - I believe this began as a summer replacement
series for Jack Benny in 1947 but continued for a couple of months into the
fall season. The series provided the young Jack Paar with a premier showcase
for his comedic talents. Paar of course went on to fame and fortune at the
helm of the Tonight Show in the 1950s/early 1960s, but I find his early radio
work to be surprisingly fresh (and funny!) even to modern ears. I wish he
could have established himself as one of the greatest radio stars of the day,
because I think that his talent, temperament and style was perfectly suited
to the medium of radio.
NBC PRESENTS: SHORT STORY (1951-1952) - I have always believed that the
short story and the medium of radio are perfect partners. An excellent
example of this is the adaptation of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" from
this series. The stars and writers of this series were some of the most
professional in radio and I believe that this show provided opportunities for
rising talents like the young writer, Ernest Kinoy. I wish there were more
series like this and the others I have mentioned in this post.
I could comment on many more short run series, but these were just four
that popped to mind when I first read Walden's post. By the way, if anyone
has uncirculated episodes from any of these four series, I would be
interesting in trading for some uncirculated material I have.
Cheers,
Ivan
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Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:16:51 -0400
From: Jerry Shnay <jshnay1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Too short a series
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I would like to nominate CRIME CLASSICS as a prime example of a program that
should have had a longer shelf life.
The Howard Duff SAM SPADE series is also a worthy candidate, and might have
been, had it not been for the temper of the times.
jerry shnay
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Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:22:42 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: SPRING REVERB
Back in the days of Top 40 radio, we installed one of Damon's units.
Interesting reverb story re the Harmonicat's recording of Peg O' My
Heart. I was recorded at the NBC studios in Chicago, using their small
room, made of marble. The audio was fed into the room, 'bounced' off the
walls, into a mic. The 'round-robbin' method of reverb had not been
discoverd yet.
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 09:23:06 -0400
From: "Gary Dixon" <argy@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: I definitely agree with Joe Martelle!
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Hi!
It has been awhile since I've posted in the OTR digest, but (as always) have
enjoyed each issue.
I definitely agree with Joe Martelle when it comes to the (too short) runs of
FORT LARAMIE, TALES OF THE TEXAS RANGERS and especially, THE SIX SHOOTER. All
of these seemed to be the 'victims' of a new medium (at the time) called
television?
It would've been fun to see if Britt Ponsett (Jimmy Stewart) eventually
settled down with [removed] in a few episodes he came pretty close!
Raymond Burr seemed to be 'mellowing out' a little during the latter episodes
of FORT [removed] the original Captain Lee Quince character in the earlier
[removed] very cold! Since I only have a few of TALES OF THE TEXAS
RANGERS shows in my collection, I really can't make any comments about that
show.
But what's fascinating is that the network they aired on originally was
willing to give each a chance to find an audience?
[removed]'s a different story. If the audience isn't around by
episode #[removed] new TV show is HIS-TO-RY!
argytunes
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Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 11:23:27 -0400
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Quiet, Please
I surely agree with Kermyt that Quiet, Please should have enjoyed a much
longer run than two years. The creative mind of Wyllis Cooper and the
multi-talented voice of Ernest Chappell in my opinion had many years to run
before they ran out of ideas. Where would we find such talent today?
The science fiction series Dimension X and X-1, along with several other
neat series like Exploring Tomorrow and 2000+ deserved more years, also. We
see many of our favorite television series re-created for the movie screens.
Why not some re-creations of these radio shows on radio? The only one I
know of that is in regular syndication is Twilight Zone, a television series
re-created for radio.
Maybe when the talk shows have run their courses there will be time for real
radio to [removed]
Ted Kneebone / 1528 S. Grant St. / Aberdeen, SD 57401
[removed]~stmarkch/
Democrats: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 11:33:22 -0400
From: Christopher Werner <werner1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Short Series
I would offer up my all-time favorite: Crime Classics
Based on historic real events
Wonderful cast of performers
Absolutely hysterical puns
Karen L from RS offered up Black [removed] in a sense Whitehall 1212
was the second version of the program. I preferred Orson Welle's
delivery to that of the Whitehall program. There are some repeats,
perhaps Scotland Yard ran out of really good crimes? Crime Classics
didn't have that problem because they were not restricted to one
country or time period.
Dimension X/X-one had far too many repeats in their broadcast. I wish
there were two additional years of original programs extending the
run. It's not that the story volume was impossible, the Twilight Zone
created 5 seasons of new plots shortly after the series ended ... and
there were few crossovers to the Outer Limits who provided a long
list of their own plots. Other than the occult or occasional foray
into SciFi done by Suspense/Whistler/Escape/Mysterious Traveller it
was a genre that never got the air time it deserved (non-fans may
have a different view).
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 13:10:51 -0400
From: "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "The Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: J. red MacDonald
I did a Google search on J. Fred he has many accomplishments in the realm of
the history of audio & visual entertainment. Also did a Google search on
"Don't Touch That Dial" it is available for $[removed] Several other titles in
OTR category showed up one I may buy Is "I Love a Mystery"
If and when searching, on Google, for a book title or persons name type it
in "quotes" and you will eliminate all kinds combinations of different first
and last names in the search.
I missed Milt Rosenberg's show on may 5, because I was listening to the cubs
game on WGN and watching (muted) on TV. It's strange but baseball can't be
broadcast on line. So Milts program was on line instead of over the air.
Never thought about that until reading the digest.
Frank McGurn
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 13:17:47 -0400
From: K & J Hammel <haml@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: too short series
I'm pretty taken with a 1951 summer show called "It's
Higgins, Sir". Very funny family sitcom about a regular
American family that inherits the family silver from a
lofty British relative along with a butler (Higgins). I'd
sure have liked it if there had been more than the 13
shows.
I also have been part of a research group with Jack French,
Karl Schadow, Ian Grieve, and Archie Hunter (with
assistance from Jerry Haendiges) that are working on a
children's serial called "Howie Wing". It was actually
slated for a third season, but it got cut short when the
writer, Willfred Moore of "Jimmie Allen" fame, died
suddenly. (just a plug for a pet project!)
Kathy Hammel
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 18:14:38 -0400
From: "bobb lynes" <iairotr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lorre "TV" film of 1945 broadcast
Martin Grams, Jr. posted on May 13 that a copy of the "Suspense" film
exists.
True. The film was shown at a SPERDVAC meeting ('way back in the '70s!) and
I saw it then. I'm not sure of the source. Herewith, a slight disagreement
with you, Marty.
I believe it was NOT a live broadcast kinescoped. It appeared to be a
3-camera set-up (much like the system used for "I Love Lucy" YEARS later!).
Primative, but very well done (Roma Wines had deep pockets, I guess).
Maybe Karl Fruend filmed it? Yes, in color.
Anyway, it was straight-to-film and NOT through a TV screen. It was 1945. I
know [removed] this was no kinescope.
I,too would love to see it again!!!
Bobb
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 May 2006 19:10:54 -0400
From: "bobb lynes" <iairotr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Frankie Thomas
Frank Thomas ,Jr. is dead , and with him go the wonderful characters he
portrayed in the past.
[removed] Tim Tyler, Ted Nickerson, the mayor of "Boy's Town",
"Wednesday's Child" and Tom Corbett, Space Cadet are still with us on film,
tape, CDs & DVDs. They will be here for generations to come, to enjoy and
thrill to. He entertained about 4 generations during his time on this
planet. A pretty nice legacy.
What Frankie's death has taken away is more Sherlock Holmes stories and of
course, an autobigraphy that will never be written. He was so full of
stories and he loved to tell them. What I'll always remember is his
friendship and availability to all his fans in general, and personally, to
Barbara and me. One of my favorite pictures is of him in his "Cadet"
uniform (which he could still wear) and me in my "Superman" tee-shirt(which
gets tighter each year).
We'll miss you, my friend.
Spaceman's Luck on this, your final journey,
Bobb
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #136
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