------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 99
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Ben Grauer and Ron Poindexter [ Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@earthlin ]
Mr Keen today [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
WOR horror readers & Zacherly [ Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@earthlin ]
Re: SFX [ Cnorth6311@[removed] ]
Re best sound effects: [ "William Schell" <bschell@[removed] ]
WOR At 1440 [ Udmacon@[removed] ]
Best sound [removed]! [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
Re: Best Sound Effects [ LBohall@[removed] ]
3-28 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Phil's instrument [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
Where did I hear this? [ "[removed]" <asajb2000@ ]
Mrs. Roosevelt's margarine commercia [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
sfx [ "William Vest III" <tsukasasan@hotm ]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 11:10:23 -0500
From: Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ben Grauer and Ron Poindexter
There have been numerous references recently to "Golden Throats & Silver
Tongues", in comments on books about announcers. This gold mine was written
by Ray Poindexter, about which I can find little information. If anyone can
supply such, please do!
In one comment here (unless I wrote it down incorrectly), someone said that
Mr. Poindexter passed away in 1958. Yet his Preface in his book carries the
date 1978. It would help to know his birth and death dates.
In this marvelous collection of miscellaneous and fascinating travails of
journeymen mikesters, Poindexter mentions that the veteran NBC announcer Ben
Grauer (1908-1977) starred in a motion picture in 1922, noting that this was
when Mr. Grauer was in college. The Fox film was "The Town That God Forgot",
so he would have been around 14 - rather young for college! If the film was
actually produced in 1921, this may have made him younger still. I suspect
this may be the result of Mr. Grauer later fibbing about his age to get into
radio, and he was then stuck with the incorrect date. It worked; he remained
at NBC for over 40 years until his retirement.
IMDB lists him in this film as "Bunny Grauer". It and other sources list
other films as a child performer. Some searching uncovered a photograph of a
child star which he autographed as Bunny Grauer, and does indeed looks like a
young Ben Grauer, so they are the same person. Apparently he used both names.
Has anyone ever located a copy or video of this film? I would love to get
such. I "grew up" with Ben Grauer, who was constantly heard and then seen as
announcer and news reader on NBC programs and in New York over
WEAF/WNBC/WRCA/WNBC. As a youngster infatuated with radio (I still am both,
you understand), my heroes were the announcers, and he ranked in the top
echelon.
Another was Wendell Niles, whose IMDB listing is huge! Take a look-see -
it's marvelous! Type casting had him nearly always appearing as a radio
announcer, undoubtedly the single most "seen" announcer ever, in the
pre-television days! One film credit list shows him as "silent radio
announcer". I believe I have noted elsewhere that I don't recall "silent
radio". There certainly is nothing like that now, when executives insist
that there should not be as much as a half-second of so-called "dead air".
This produces gosh-awful clashing sounds, especially on classical stations
where they should know better. Tone-shredding segues! But I digress.
Grauer is included in various lists in connection with several other films,
including "Annabelle Lee" also in 1921, in which he was credited as Ben
Grauer, his true name. Whence the "Bunny" I have no idea. I imagine in
later life he was happy to leave it behind, especially around this time of
the year!
Has anyone ever located a copy or video of his film "The Town That God
Forgot? I would love to get such, and will appreciate any help to that end.
Poindexter also refers to a 1932 MGM film "Are You Listening?" which he says
featured one Roger Krupp, claimed to be the first person to appear in a film
as a radio announcer. That film featured Neil Hamilton and Jean Hersholt.
Info on various film data sources do not list Mr. Krupp. I'd like very much
to obtain a copy of this movie as well. Same request, please.
I have a whole series of films taken from or kinescopes of an educational
program I believe carried only in New York (I may be in error), honoring
young scientists and inventors from various high schools in the greater New
York area. It was produced for the Thomas Edison Institute or some such
organization. Some of them are absolutely fascinating. Grauer was one of
the hosts, along with another NBC veteran, John K. M. McCaffrey.
Thanks for the hitch! Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 13:03:17 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mr Keen today
The other day a neighbour asked me to listen to a message on his
answering machine and if I could figure out the number he was to return.
The fella spoke too fast to understand. Anyway, turns out the guy's
name was "Mr. Keen" and worked for the IRS. I thought that would be a
great job for Mr Keen today, tracing of lost persons working for the
IRS. :)
Joe
--
Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 13:15:21 -0500
From: Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: WOR horror readers & Zacherly
Mike refers to a late-night "horror reader" on WOR, possibly originating in
Philadelphia. I think perhaps he is mixing two different people, and
unfortunately right at this moment I can not recall the name of one.
There was a deliciously evil sounding monologist who held out in some New
York night spot. Perhaps that's not the right term, as it brings to mind the
likes of Stork Club and the like. As I recall, his venue was perhaps more
akin to the coffee houses of the 60s. He wrote and narrated some Edgar Allen
Poe-ish gems, virtually dripping with gore. Actually a fine writer and
actor, in performance he hammed it up outrageously, so was indeed an acquired
taste. If one enjoyed it - and I must confess that I did. In my collection
I have a 10" LP which he issued, but can't get at it as it's still packed
away since our move to southern VA from northern NJ. If you are recalling
this sort of personage on WOR radio, I suspect this was your man.
The second character was someone whom I met in the late 1950s, when he was
the television "host" of horror movies on a Philly TV station. My dimming
memory tells me Channel 6 WFIL, or Ch. 10 WCAU, but it could have been one of
the others, perhaps several over the years. He put on ghoulish makeup,
utilized lighting reminiscent of the old Hallowe'en flashlight held under the
chin, and he, too hammed it up marvelously. Even sang various songs, most of
them parodies, deliberately in the worst possible way. I believe there was a
video and one or more recordings. All of this made him a cult figure.
His name was John Zacherley, I believe spelled that way, but on the horror
air he used just his last name as Zacherly without the second E, which made
it even more dreadful appearing and fit the role. I suspect he used both
versions interchangeably at various times. I have also seen it spelled as
Zacherle, which strikes me as silly, as that leaves folk up in the air
regarding pronunciation. Previously he had various "straight" jobs as
announcer and/or DJ in the area, but it was his TV work which made him a
local star. He kept popping up in concert halls and on TV into the late
1980s. After that, I don't know what. I suspect he simply stripped off all
that yucky makeup and went back to announcing and voiceovers, at which he was
really quite accomplished. If you want to see more about John and his
likeness, go to the URL [removed]
At the time I was News Director at WKAP in Allentown, the market's largest
news-and-personality station. That's not far from Philly, so I got to know a
number of Philadelphia personalities. I probably should have moved into
Philly myself and perhaps I would have been the one to take Dan Rather's
place at some point, but things didn't work out that way. Anyway, Zacherley
attracted the interest of WOR-TV in New York, and he began doing his gig in
both cities, commuting back and forth.
If I recall correctly, his schtick bit came on after the hit WOR-TV operation
"Million Dollar Movie" which for some years ran the same major feature-length
movie every night for a week! It undoubtedly made many people totally
(perhaps annoyingly) conscious of its constantly repeated theme song, the
track from "Gone With The Wind". Probably more people than ever actually saw
that blockbuster film. That provided a great audience holdover for John, who
relished it and did very well for several years. This was the big
competition for the much more strait-laced CBS late night movie which also
had its oh-so-well-known theme, making a huge hit of Leroy Anderson's
"Syncopated Clock", synonymous still, with television late night film, and I
suspect still in use in various independent outlets across the country. I
think Leroy Anderson probably retired on this!
In person, John was actually a good looking, pleasant chap, and a
hard-working actor. After his morbid welcome wore out in New York, I don't
know if he'd given up the same gig in Philly or not. I hope he made lots of
money and invested it wisely. His schedule was cut back from nightly until
one a week, I think, and I suspect the novelty grew thin when the same kind
of costume and approach was successfully taken over by a series of female
copiers around the country, many of whom utilized variations on his name or
such as Vampira, etc.
I'm sorry I can't recall the name of the first chap. Perhaps another reader
here can. I have no idea what happened to him, either!
I hope all you ghouls out there enjoyed this trip down memory dungeon!
Bestus, Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 13:15:44 -0500
From: Cnorth6311@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: SFX
Hey all
This is small peanuts compared to Dragnet, Gunsmoke, and the other heavy
hitters mentioned, but, I listen to Captain Midnight, and Jack Armstrong
quite
frequently, and in my humble opinion, Jack Armstrong had far and away the
better SFX. Jack Armstrong just sounds like a high budget program compared
to The
Captain. As and example, in certain parts of the Jack Armstrong Philippine
Adventure, you can hear birds in the background, and water running in the
river, while the main characters are talking. In the Captain Midnight
adventures I
have heard, which I must admit are mainly the Mexican Adventure only, they
are almost completely devoid of any SFX what-so-ever, and what few they have
are not very good at all. The tolling bell, and the airplane roar, which by
the way never seems to change in pitch no matter if the plane is in a dive,
or
climbing. I am sure there are people like Stephen Kallis, and others who can
explain the differences.
One thing about Captain Midnight I like over JA, is the lack of character
ID. It is annoying on the JA series to have the characters constantly
identifying who they are speaking to, when it is painfully obvious.
Chuck
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 13:16:00 -0500
From: "William Schell" <bschell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re best sound effects:
I would like to cast my vote for best sound effects to the Great
Gildersleeve program. As Gildy walked up the front walk, the sound would
change as he hit the front steps then change again as he entered the house.
You could even hear him walking across a carpeted floor. Another nice touch
was the creaking screen door that , at times, replaces the traditional door
slamming. When Gildy talked to characters supposedly out of the room the
effect was great as the actor apparently started out away from the
microphone and moved closer as they supposedly entered the room. There are
more but these are the ones I remember best.
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 13:16:54 -0500
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: WOR At 1440
How many of your NYC radio types remember going to WOR thru the 60s and
having to "get past" the Art Deco reception desk? It was manned--rather
RULED--by a huge, determined woman named Belle Armour. She could well have
been a retired prison matron or NYC cop.
I can't imagine how WOR survived after this lady eventually passed through
the vale.
Belle cared not if you were a coffee deliverer, the Queen of England or the
Program Director. She faithfully and effectively guarded the gates and woe
betide you if you crossed her the wrong way.
In the 60s I was a public affairs officer for the US Air Force and on a few
occasions was escort to some AF person selected to be interviewed by a WOR
personality (I remember being there for a McCann and Barry Farber broadcast).
My first hurdle, getting effectively past Belle Armour, felt like mission
accomplished!
Aside to Hal: did you ever meet Roger Bower when was a WOR Mutual
announcer/producer/actor? A fine man with great stories to tell about "Can
You Top This" and "It Pays To Be Ignorant."
BILL KNOWLTON: "Bluegrass Ramble," WCNY-FM ([removed]) Syracuse, WUNY ([removed])
Utica; WJNY ([removed]) Watertown NY. On the web: [removed]. Sundays: 9 pm to
midnight EST (since 1973) 315-457-6100
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 14:04:11 -0500
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Best sound [removed]!
It's been surprising to me to note how many Digesters name the title of
a particular radio series as the "Best" in sound effects, when actually
they should be naming the best sound effects personnel.
To determine the shows with the best sound effects is an easy
assignment for me. You merely select three of of the most skilled at
the craft: Ray Kemper, Tom Hanley, and Bill James. Just one of them on
a show ("Straight Arrow") made it above average. If two were on the
same team ("Voyage of the Scarlet Queen") the results were excellent.
And if all three worked together ("Gunsmoke") the sound effects were
superior.
Case closed.
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 14:04:49 -0500
From: LBohall@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Best Sound Effects
In a message dated 3/27/2005 10:10:18 AM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
"Gunsmoke" without a doubt. You can hear a man
dismount from his horse! Just a suggestion of the
creak of the saddle and the man's body reaching
the ground. One example of many such sound
effects that lets me "see" the show. I would also
add that "Gunsmoke" is OTR at its finest! There's
no better radio show.
I think Dragnet was awesome. They get a drink from the water cooler and you
can hear the water [removed] light someone's cigarette and you hear the
scratch of the match, but also the pack rustling as they offer the
cigarette. I
read somewhere that the sound effects engineers had covered LA, recording
sounds in different locations, so that when a script called for a rooftop in
a
certain neighborhood, for example, it would be authentic.
There was another police drama like Dragnet with equally incredible sound
effects. I only heard it once on REN (the Radio Enterntainment Network,
broadcast over Yesterday USA), but do not know the name of it. It followed
the
investigation of a crime ala Dragnet, but included squad car noises. When I
first
heard it I thought I was listening to [removed] Joe Friday was [removed]
Anyone remember that? I want to say it was The Lineup, but I'm not sure
that's [removed]
Larry
My new novel, Martyr's Cry: a mystery for hopeless romantics, is available
now! Go to [removed] for more [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 15:10:56 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 3-28 births/deaths
March 28th births
03-28-1890 - Paul Whiteman - Denver, CO - d. 12-29-1967
conductor: "Kraft Music Hall"; "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show"
03-28-1892 - Philip Loeb - Philadelphia, PA - d. 9-1-1955
actor: Jake Goldberg "The Goldbergs"
03-28-1896 - Virginia Rea - Louisville, KY - d. xx-xx-1941
singer: Olive Palmer "Palmolive Hour"; "Rubinoff and His Orchestra"
03-28-1903 - Rudolf Serkin - Eger, Bohemia - d. 5-8-1991
pianist: "Concert Hall"; "New York Philharmonic"
03-28-1907 - Jon Dodson - Richland, MO - d. xx-xx-1963
singer: (Member of the King's Men) "Fibber McGee and Molly"; "King's
Men"
03-28-1910 - Jimmy Dodd - Cincinnati, OH - d. 11-10-1964
singer, songwriter: "Lifebouy Show"; "Command Performance"; "CBS Radio
Workshop"
03-28-1912 - Frank Lovejoy - The Bronx, NY - d. 10-2-1962
actor: Randy 'Lucky' Stone "Nightbeat"; Bill Weigand "Mr. and Mrs.
North"
03-28-1913 - Lucille Fletcher - NYC - d. 8-31-2000
dramatist: "Columbia Workshop"; "Suspense"; "Screen Guild Theatre";
"Inner Sanctum"
03-28-1915 - Jay Livingston - McDonald, PA - d. 10-17-2001
composer: "Hollywood Calling-George Fisher Interviews"
03-28-1921 - Sir Dirk Bogarde - London, England d. 5-8-1999
actor: "A Christmas Carol"
03-28-1924 - Freddie Bartholomew - London, England - d. 1-23-1992
guest: "Anchors Aweigh"
03-28-1925 - Jerry Walter - IL - d. 2-11-1979
actor: Gil Perry "Island Adventure"
March 28th deaths
01-25-1923 - Rusty Draper - d. 3-28-2003
country singer: "Dude Martin's Radio Ranch"
04-16-1921 - Sir Peter Ustinov - London, England - d. 3-28-2004
actor: "Freedom Forum"; "Mitch Miller Show"; "In Any Direction"
04-19-1913 - Sylvia Froos - NY - d. 3-28-2004
singer: "Sylvia Froos Show"; "Fred Allen Show"
05-05-1890 - Christopher Morley - Haverford, PA - d. 3-28-1957
author: "Information Please"; "Hallmark Playhouse"; "Studio One"
05-28-1888 - Jim Thorpe - Prague, Indian Territory - d. 3-28-1953
all around athelete: "Shell Chateau"; "Bill Stern Colgate Sports
Newsreel"
07-04-1910 - Alec Templeton - Cardiff, South Wales - d. 3-28-1963
pianist, satirist: "You Shall Have Music"; "Universal Rhythm"; "Alec
Templeton Time"
07-15-1905 - Dorothy Fields - Allenhurst, NJ - d. 3-28-1974
lyricist: "Music for Millions"
07-28-1914 - Carman Dragon - Antioch, CA - d. 3-28-1987
conductor: "Maxwell House Coffee Time"; "Baby Snooks Show"; "Railroad
Hour"
09-13-1918 - Dick Haymes - Buenos Aires, Argentina - d. 3-28-1980
singer, actor: Dick Haymes Show"; "Tommy Dorsey Show"; Crane Dockery
"I Fly Anything"
10-14-1890 - Dwight David 'Ike' Eisenhower - Abilene, KS - d.
3-28-1969
general, president: "War Production Drive Program"; "Let's All Back
the Attack"
11-16-1873 - W. C. Handy - Florence, AL - d. 3-28-1958
jazz trumpeter, composer: "Cavalcade of Music";"Freedom's People"
12-29-1904 - Wendell Niles - Twin Valley, MN - d. 3-28-1994
announcer: "Bob Hope Show"; "Man Called X"; "Hollywood Star Playhouse"
xx-xx-1930 - Art James - d. 3-28-2004
announcer: Armed Forces Radio
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 15:44:33 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Phil's instrument
Jim Hilliker writes:
After all the discussions recently about Phil Harris and his band/orchestra,
I want to know if Phil played a musical instrument in his own band, and if
so, which instrument?
Phil played drums at one time. In answer to Jack's query about how he
transitioned to being a conductor, Phil said, "I lost one stick."
--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 20:16:48 -0500
From: "[removed]" <asajb2000@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Where did I hear this?
I had a rather senior moment that is bothering me.
Not sure if it is a movie or a radio show but I cannot
attribute the comment: "He wouldn't light your cigar
if your house was on fire"...Not sure where this came
from but it seems awfully familiar. If anyone can
help, please feel free. I appreciate it in advance.
I seem to be having a senior moment.
Thanks.
Andy
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 23:49:00 -0500
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Mrs. Roosevelt's margarine commercial
Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 23:51:01 -0500
From: "Andy Ooms" <oomspine@[removed];
Is it possible that Ms. Roosevelt did a margarine commercial as a
wartime effort related to rationing butter?
I seem to remember that Eleanor Roosevelt did a margarine commercial in the late 1950s or
early 1960s. This inspired a Steve Allen routine with other people doing commercials,
including Fidel Castro advertizing shaving cream, Khrushchev advertising Borshtodent
Toothpaste, de Gaulle advertising a headache tablet in the shape of Brigette Bardot, etc.
--
A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed]
15 Court Square, Suite 210
lawyer@[removed]
Boston, MA 02108-2503
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Mar 2005 23:49:18 -0500
From: "William Vest III"
<tsukasasan@[removed];
To:
<[removed]@[removed];
Subject: sfx
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I don't know if they were recorded or what but my money is on Dragnet. The way
the footsteps echo in the courthouse and such and when Ben Romero was showing
Joe a new raincoat he bought. It was one of those plastic jobs that fold up to
pocket size. I could "see" the whole thing taking place. I love the show!
It's definitely one of my top 5 all time favorite shows.
For more reasons than sound.
Wm. Vest III
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #99
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