------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2006 : Issue 267
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
10-2 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Mercury Theatre [ "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed] ]
A delightful story? Not so [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
'Tis the season for recreations! [ Wich2@[removed] ]
A Last Bastion! [ Wich2@[removed] ]
It wasn't all over - just the shouti [ Wich2@[removed] ]
Adventures of Maisie [ KayLhota@[removed] ]
Tokyo Rose a heroine? [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
Mercury Theatre's 18th [removed] [ "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed]; ]
Resquiat en Pacem [ Wich2@[removed] ]
Rocky Fortune [ JayHick@[removed] ]
Private Eyelashes: Talking Book vers [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
WHOOPS!: Mercury Theater's 18th Broa [ "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed]; ]
Source For All "Mercury Theatre" Pro [ "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 01:05:23 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 10-2 births/deaths
October 2nd births
10-02-1890 - Groucho Marx - NYC - d. 8-19-1977
comedian: "Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel"; "Blue Ribbon Town"; "You
Bet Your Life"
10-02-1893 - Roy Shield - Waseca, MN - d. 1-9-1962
conductor: "Design for Listening"; "RCA Victor Show"; "Eternal Light"
10-02-1893 - Tony Burger - Brooklyn, NY - d. unknown
actor: "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch"; "Kate Smith"
10-02-1896 - Bob Burns - Van Buren, AR - d. 2-2-1956
comedian: (The Arkansas Traveler) "Kraft Music Hall"; "Bob Burns Show"
10-02-1897 - Jess Kirkpatrick - Illinois - d. 8-9-1976
actor: Harry Henderson "Beulah"
10-02-1898 - Baron Keyes - Greenwood, WI - d. 9-26-1976
writer: "Air Castle"; "The Story Man"
10-02-1898 - Bud Abbott - Asbury Park, NJ - d. 4-24-1974
comedian: "Abbott and Costello Show"
10-02-1900 - Barton Yarborough - Goldthwaite, TX - d. 12-19-1951
actor: Ben Romero "Dragnet"; Doc Long "I Love A Mystery/Adventure"
10-02-1900 - Cecil Roy - St. Paul, MN - d. 1-26-1995
actor: (Girl of a Thousand Voices) Junior Fitz "Ma Perkins"
10-02-1902 - Percy Crawford - Minnedosa, Canada - d. 10-31-1960
evangelist: "Young People's Church of the Air"
10-02-1904 - Graham Greene - Berkhampstead, England - d. 4-3-1991
writer: "Lives of Harry Lime"; "Studio One"; "NBC University Theatre"
10-02-1909 - Alexander Raymond - New Rochelle - d. 9-6-1956
cartoonist: Created Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim
10-02-1911 - Jack Finney - Milwaukee, WI - d. 11-14-1995
writer: "Cloud Nine"
10-02-1914 - Charles Drake - Bayside, NYC - d. 9-10-1994
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Director's Playhouse"
10-02-1915 - Bonnie Kay - Iowa City, IA
actor: "Barton Family"; "Mary Nobel, Backstage Wife"
10-02-1915 - Chubby Wise - Lake City, FL - d. 1-6-1996
musician: "Town and Country Time"
10-02-1920 - Rosemarie Brancato - d. 6-18-1994
operatic soprano: "Twin Sisters"
10-02-1921 - Scott Crossfield - Berkely, CA - d. 4-19-2006
test pilot: "Great Moments To Music"
10-02-1928 - George 'Spanky' McFarland - Dallas, TX - d. 6-30-1993
actor: "Thirty Minutes In Hollywood"
10-02-1934 - Peggy Joan Moylan - Sag Harbor, NY
singer: (The Moylan Sisters, Angels of the Airwaves) "Moylan Sisters"
October 2nd deaths
02-10-1913 - James Monks - NYC - d. 10-2-1994
actor: Jim Brandon "The Avenger" I. A. Moto "Mr. I. A. Moto"
02-26-1906 - Madeleine Carroll - West Bromwich, England - d. 10-2-1987
actor: "The Circle"; "NBC Radio Theatre"; "Stage Door Canteen"
03-01-1904 - Paul Hartman - d. 10-2-1973
actor: "Tony Awards"
03-28-1912 - Frank Lovejoy - The Bronx, NY - d. 10-2-1962
actor: Randy 'Lucky' Stone "Nightbeat"; Bill Weigand "Mr. and Mrs.
North"
06-11-1920 - Hazel Scott - Port of Spain, Trinidad - d. 10-2-1981
singer, pianist: "Free World Theatre"; "New World A-Coming"
07-14-1912 - Woody Guthrie - Okemah, OK - d. 10-2-1967
songwriter, singer: "Pursuit of Happiness"
07-18-1909 - Harriet Nelson - Des Moines, IA - d. 10-2-1994
actor: Daisy June "Red Skelton Show"; "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"
09-11-1926 - Lee Richardson - Chicago, IL - d. 10-2-1999
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
09-29-1907 - Gene Autry - Tioga, TX - d. 10-2-1998
singer, actor: "National Barn Dance"; "Melody Ranch"
11-17-1925 - Rock Hudson - Winnetka, IL - d. 10-2-1985
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
12-16-1913 - Verlye Mills - St. John, KS - d. 10-2-1983
harpist: "The Hour of Charm"; "Your Hit Parade"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:19:37 -0400
From: "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mercury Theatre
In #266, Glenn P asked:
Can anyone tell me where I might obtain
the Mercury Theatre's 18th broadcast?
If you just want to give the show a listen, and don't mind the sound
quality drop of an .mp3 (or even worse, Real Audio), check out this
site: [removed]. They have recordings you can DL
of Mercury Theatre and Campbell Playhouse shows, along with broadcast
dates. If you like it, I'm sure one there are many dealers here who can
get you a top quality recording on tape/CD.
FYI, they list the #18 show as "Heart of Darkness / Life with Father".
-chris holm
The horror! The horror!
all std disclaimers apply, I have no connection to this site other than
I have visited it before and found it useful.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:20:09 -0400
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: A delightful story? Not so
In the early 1950s and maybe the late 1940s NBC had a habit on weekday
afternoons of shutting down its soap operas with the tagline from a network
announcer just before the chimes rang: "Hear the delightful story of
___________ next over most NBC radio stations." Bong ... bong ... bong.
Take the 4 o'clock ET hour, for example. At 3:59:25 we'd get: "Hear the
delightful story of Backstage Wife next over most NBC radio stations." At
4:14:25: "Hear the delightful story of Stella Dallas next over most NBC
radio stations." At 4:29:25 the reference was to Lorenzo Jones, and at
4:44:25 to Young Widder Brown. A similar sequence followed in the 5 o'clock
hour for still more daytime serials.
Now contemplate this: Backstage Wife was filled with jealousy, suspicion,
innuendo, hussies galore all after homemaker Mary Noble's Broadway actor
hubby, the "dream sweetheart of a million other women." It was a tale of
pure angst for the heroine as she fought bravely to keep her Larry out of
the clutches of unbridled vixens with unholy intents. Stella Dallas, on the
other hand, went after outright villains of many types -- including
cold-blooded killers -- people who would stop at nothing to intervene in the
life of her precious Lolly Baby, something a mom with such resolute strength
would vanquish at whatever the costs. Lorenzo Jones was matinee's comedian,
a bumbling inventor who tinkered with all sorts of useless stuff (a kind of
daytime dolt of the Fibber McGee variety). That is, until his ratings
started falling. To rescue him, the Hummerts dispatched him on a three-year
amnesiac Odyssey while his beloved spouse Belle wondered if he was alive or
dead, a dreadful way to conclude a lighthearted romp proffering relief from
the rest of miseryland. Then there was Young Widder Brown, one of the most
beleaguered heroines in serialdom. The Hummerts made sure that neither she
nor her counterpart (Helen Trent, both plucked from the same assembly line)
made it to the altar in their decades-long attempts to get hitched a second
time. (Both were widows.) That, of course, would conclude the premise of
both shows were it to occur. So instead they waded through years and years
of deranged boyfriends, trials (some of the courtroom type in which they
were accused of murder) and the torment of not knowing -- in Ellen Brown's
case -- whether her "two fatherless children" would ever give their blessing
to a prospective daddy for mommy. Oh, the inanity of it all!
Still the NBC announcer droned on every afternoon: "Hear the delightful
story of ...." Somehow, under the spotlight of reality, that line seemed
incongruous as well as patronizing. Maybe a better plug would have been:
"Hear the anguished story of plagued Backstage Wife next over most NBC radio
stations." That would be calling a spade a spade and surely it wouldn't
drive the grief-thirsty listeners away.
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:20:42 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: 'Tis the season for recreations!
Dear (NY-area) Folks-
Sandwiched between the recent ones at Mid-Atlantic, and the upcoming ones at
FOTR* -
QUICKSILVER RADIO THEATER
In association with
THE CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION ("The Little Church Around the Corner")
and the EPISCOPAL ACTORS' GUILD
as part of the Fourth Annual
"openhousenewyork"
is proud to present:
"YOUNG MR. LINCOLN"
A Live Re-Creation
from the Guild's 1948 Radio Series
"Great Scenes from Great Plays"
Featuring (in alphabetical order)
ARTHUR ANDERSON, SCOTT GLASCOCK, SUSAN MUIR, DAN RENKIN, and Director CRAIG
WICHMAN
Music by CLAUDIA DUMSCHAT
Sound Effects by JAY STERN
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8th, 2006
2:00 PM
(ADMISSION FREE; NO RESERVATION REQUIRED)
Come early, and/or stay after, for Guided Tours by MART HULSWIT
(Executive Director, Episcopal Actors' Guild)
1:00 PM "The Little Church from the Actor's Point of View"
3:30 PM "History, Art & Architecture of the Little Church"
The Church of the Transfiguration
1 East 29th Street New York NY 10016
(212) 684-6770
_[removed]_ ([removed])
Best,
-Craig
*([removed] - Speaking of FOTR: Mr. Gwynne, I assure you that detective "Paul
Temple," in the person of my humble self, will well and truly smash such
nefarious plots as miscreants like you try to hatch!)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:21:38 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: A Last Bastion!
I'm , listening to a discussion about Yiddish Theater on WBAI right now.
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Don't forget to check out Max Schmid's Golden Age of Radio
show while you're there. --cfs3]
And he gets an "Amen!"
-Craig
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:22:12 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: It wasn't all over - just the shouting!
Dear Glenn-
From: "Glenn P.," _C128User@[removed]_ (mailto:C128User@[removed])
I have Mercury Theatre ... Did they even MAKE an 18th broadcast, or did the
WOTW put them out of business immediately?
No, indeed! Great things were yet to come (as well as, $$$ for the Merc!)
Can anyone tell me where I might obtain the Mercury Theatre's 18th
broadcast?
Feel free to write me off-list.
Best,
-Craig Wichman
QUICKSILVER Radio Theater
([removed] Harlan Z., are you reading this?)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 11:23:30 -0400
From: KayLhota@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Adventures of Maisie
Re: The Adventures of Maisie I found 22 episodes of the series last year
while browsing through the RadioLovers website, and the more I listened to
"The Adventures of Maisie," the more I became impressed with its humor, and
its wonderful ensemble cast. I'm also a little surprised that the series
isn't better known. It's very funny. I knew the Maisie character from seeing
several of the movies from the MGM series of films. I even have the LUX
Radio Theater episode "Maisie Was a Lady." Ann Sothern is a delightful
leading lady who handles the wise cracks with warmth and style. I now have
an MP3 CD of the "The Adventures of Maisie," but one episode: "Insurance" is
mis-marked and is actually a 2nd copy of "The Napoleon Letter."
Mis-identified titles seem to occur a bit in MP3 file sharing. The biggest
pleasure that "The Adventures of Maisie" has given to me are the
episodes that included Hans Conried in the cast. I'd always liked him as an
actor, but in particular with the Maisie series, Hans Conried played a wide
variety of roles and accents in the series from week to week. He played
comic, straight or villain with equal enthusiasm and brilliance. I can't
get over his amazing talent. My favorite of his many roles in the Maisie
series is as the slimy Harry Adams, who begs Maisie to pretend to be engaged
to him to impress his rich Aunt Hattie from Texas. --Kay Lhota
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 15:29:46 -0400
From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Tokyo Rose a heroine?
On Friday, September 29, 2006, at 06:18 PM, <vzeoOhfk@[removed];
wrote:
But I don't see why she might deserve to be called an American
"heroine," as Jack referred to her in his recent post. I think
the term is used too loosely nowadays -- sometimes as a label for
people who are more correctly innocent victims of crime, rather than
heroes. Perhaps Jack can elaborate if he still sees the term
as being warranted.
First of all, the word "hero" comes from a gallant woman in Greek
mythology named "Hero." When the term started to be used to describe
people who demonstrated such character, "hero" applied to just men and
to distinguish the women, the word was modified to "heroine." Nowadays,
while I think this is as silly as "aviator" and "aviatrix," it probably
still necessary to use the feminine version so as not to confuse the
public.
But I digress.
Iva Toguri D'Aquino is far more than a innocent victim; her life story
makes it clear that her courage, gallantry, and nobility (as well as
her unwavering loyalty to her country) entitles her to be called a
heroine.
As a young, single woman and American citizen who spoke virtually no
Japanese, she fearlessly went to Japan at one of the most dangerous
times for foreigners in that country. The storm clouds of war were
rolling around the Pacific in 1941 and all non-Japanese put in
restricted status, including house arrest or jail. Iva went there
anyway, with not even the mild protection of an American passport which
she was unable to get in time to make her ocean visit to care for a
sick aunt whose husband was unable to.
Trapped there after the Pearl Harbor attack, she was considered an
"American spy" by her ailing aunt's neighbors and pressured by the
authorities to renounce her [removed] citizenship. She refused, which was
an act of defiance and courage. Her food ration card was denied by the
Japanese and she was under constant surveillance and harassment by the
Kampeiai (military police.) Her aunt and uncle kicked her out of their
home and she became ill from lack of food. It was about this time she
learned her family in Los Angeles had been forced out of their home in
Los Angeles and interred with other Japanese-Americans where they would
spend WW II behind barbed-wire.
Despite pressure from the Japanese police, she gallantly refused to
give up her American citizenship or be silent about her American
allegiance. To support herself she found part-time employment at the
Danish embassy and taught piano lessons. After hospitalization for
malnutrition and beriberi, she got a full-time job as a typist for
Radio Tokyo. She put her into regular contact with American and
Australian POW's who had been forced to work at that radio station.
Risking arrest and imprisonment, she began to smuggle blankets and food
to the prisoners, under the noses of their Japanese captors.
When the Japanese producers insisted the Allied prisoners add an
English speaking woman to their radio program, they picked Iva, knowing
she could be trusted and would not betray them to the Japanese for the
clever way they were sabotaging this "propaganda" program aimed at
American military. So she became a voice on the "Zero Hour," a noble
act that would eventually put her in a [removed] federal prison.
There is much more in her history to justify the term "heroine" being
bestowed on her, but that would be too lengthy for this forum.
As a significant footnote, on January 15 of this year, the World War II
Veteran's Committee presented her with the Edward J. Herlihy Award as
one who best exemplified the American ideals of citizenship, love of
country and indomitable heroism.
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
<[removed]>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 15:48:22 -0400
From: "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed];
To: Old-Time Radio Mailing List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mercury Theatre's 18th [removed]
On 02-Oct-06 at 9:05am -0700, <kermyta@[removed]; wrote:
> According to the info I've got, the War of the Worlds (10/30/38) was
> followed one week later on 11/6/38 by an adaptation of two stories:
> "Heart Of Darkness" and "Life With Father."
That's curious, because I'm almost CERTAIN I remember the WOTW concluding
with "Next week, an adaptation of three famous short stories. This is
the ColUUUUMbia Broadcasting System!" I wonder what happened to the
third story!!! Or, am I merely [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 15:50:29 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Resquiat en Pacem
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Dear Folks-
I bear bad tidings, about an OTR vet and FOTR [removed]
I just learned from Arthur Anderson that Larry Robinson has passed away. He
had recently had a massive coronary, and according to his wife Susan things
were looking better, but it was not to be.
As an actor, I can only say that it was an honor and a pleasure to face a
mic with Larry (most notably, in the YOU ARE THERE a few seasons ago.) He was
that most precious of performers, a Giving actor; he truly played a scene
WITH
you.
Being blessed with the opportunity to work at Newark several years now, I
can say that there are three types of actors present:
1. Those to whom the convention is a lark. No shame in that; but they are
just there to have fun.
2. Those who give perhaps 50%, as far as "seriously" acting.
3. Those who give 100%+; who approach a gig there with every bit the
conscientious thought & effort that they ever did in the golden age - or
would a
Union job now.
Mr. Robinson was EMPHATICALLY a "Type 3." Anyone who's seen his work there
will testify to that.
And, perhaps more important than all of this, he was a gentle man, and a
gentleman. It was a joy to be a dinnermate with him and his equally gracious
wife Susan.
God bless him, Susan, and their loved ones.
-Craig Wichman
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:45:45 -0400
From: JayHick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Rocky Fortune
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I am working on a paper about the "Rocky Fortune" radio program (1953-54) for
the PCA national conference. I have enough radio and network info, and I have
the complete series on Mp3, but I can find no information about the Sinatra
motivation in doing the show,
or what impact, if any, it had on his career, or anything else. The Sinatra
biographies that I have (Summers, Kelly, Rojack) do not mention the show at
all, as if it never happened. Can you think of anyone who might have a lead? I
have tried contacting the family and his agency, to no avail. Any ideas? Also,
Ron Lackmann in his Encyclopedia claims that Sinatra was replaced by " Jack
Hoyles" Does he mean Jack Moyles? And he also mentions that the series
setting
was changed to a night club in Cairo. I am not familiar with that part of the
series.
Do you know if the show was transcribed? Did it originate in New York or LA?
Do you know anyone who would know, or even know where to look or who to
contact?
JBelpedio
Worcester, MA
jbelpedio@[removed]
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 16:48:59 -0400
From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Private Eyelashes: Talking Book version
On Friday, September 29, 2006, at 06:18 PM, Glen Schroeder wrote:
I'm in the middle of reading Private Eyelashes by Jack French and I
sure am enjoying it. I'm reading it on Talking Book from the National
Library Service for the Blind. I wish they would record more OTR books
than they do. Great book, Jack.
Thanks, Glen, I'm delighted you are enjoying my book so much. I've
heard from blind and disabled folks throughout the country who are
having a similar experience with "Private Eyelashes." (Of course, I'm
even more pleased when I hear it from a fellow Dairy-state Badger.)
The LOC now gives authors a copy of their Talking Book, if they request
it, and if they can go to the local library to play it on their special
machine. I took advantage of that offer and was thrilled with the audio
product that my friend and fellow actor, Nicki Daval, did in narrating
my book. Her dry sense of humor mirrors mine so she makes my amusing
portions much better than the printed text.
Of course, if you aren't blind or disabled, you can still buy the
soft-cover book through my publisher <[removed]> Don't
wait for the commercial audio copy; the Talking Book by the LOC has
wiped out that possibility.
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
[removed]>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 18:09:07 -0400
From: "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed];
To: Old-Time Radio Mailing List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: WHOOPS!: Mercury Theater's 18th [removed]
Ooops! "Dramatization", not "adaptation" --
"Next week, we have a dramatization of three famous short stories. This
is the ColUUUUUMbia Broadcasting System!"
-- I *knew* my memory was telling me that "adaptation" wasn't quite right!
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2006 18:09:14 -0400
From: "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed];
To: Old-Time Radio Mailing List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Source For All "Mercury Theatre" Programs!
I found a source for all the programs of the
"Mercury Theatre On The Air":
[removed]
Hope this helps!
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #267
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