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The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2011 : Issue 78
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
John Brown's body of work [ Derek Tague <thatderek@[removed]; ]
John Brown [ Bob Slate <moxnix1961@[removed]; ]
5-20 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
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Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 16:02:43 -0400
From: Derek Tague <thatderek@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: John Brown's body of work
With all this talk about John Brown, it's worth noting that on "The Life of
Riley" Brown not only played his most enduring role of mortician Digby
"Digger"
O'Dell, a role utilizing an air of refinement, but also his vocal stylings
were
lent to a character diametrically opposite, namely Jim Gillis, of Riley's
best
friends and fellow Brooklynese transplants.
Years ago, I was doing some research concerning Mr. Brown, who, like my
mother,
was born in England., at the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts, Billy
Rose Theatre Collection, I came across an NBC press biography about Brown
circa
1947 which stated that radio's "friendly undertaker" actually had worked in a
funeral home in New York City during his struggling days as an aspiring actor
during the early 1930s. My initial reaction was "No way! Some NBC publicity
flak
probably made that up."
On further exploration in Brown's clipping file, I came across a biographical
article re: John Brown from a major Milwaukee newspaper (it was either the
Sentinel or the Journal) dated Sunday, December 7th, 1941 (for some reason,
that
date stuck in my memory). Said article was in conjunction with Brown's then
having played the role of Judy's father on radio's "A Date With Judy" at the
time and did confirm the story about his former funereal livelihood. Since
this
was three years before the William Bendix "Life of Riley" (as opposed to the
earlier one with Lionel Stander), there had to be some validity to it.
[removed] it was not just any funeral home that employed Young Actor Brown.
'T'was
the firm of Frank E. Campbell and Sons, a still-extant entity that's been
around
for over a hundred years. Campbell's still has a reputation for being a kind
of
"Funeral Home to the Stars" here in New York City. Many celebs including New
York Daily News sports cartoonist Bill Gallo (buried out of Campbell's last
week) make Campbell & sons their final destination.
I guess I ought to be "shoveling off!"
Derek Tague
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Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 16:02:59 -0400
From: Bob Slate <moxnix1961@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: John Brown
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
In addition to his radio roles,John brown also was one of the boarding house
guests in the movie: "The Day The Earth Stood Still" ,along with " Aunt
Bea" of
"The Andy Griffith Show" on TV( Frances Bavier), and OTR actors ,Olan
soule,[removed]
Kaltenborn, Gabriell Heatter,
etc;
Bob
Slate
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
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Date: Fri, 20 May 2011 16:03:06 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 5-20 births/deaths
May 20th births
05-20-1894 - Adela Rogers St. Johns - Los Angeles, CA - d. 8-10-1988
novelist: Commentator on NBC 1936-1937
05-20-1899 - Stan Lomax - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 6-26-1987
sportscaster: "Evening Journal Sports"
05-20-1899 - Virginia Sale - Urbana, IL - d. 8-23-1992
actor: Martha "Those We Love"
05-20-1903 - Bob White - Philadelphia, PA - d. 5-1-1984
actor: Eric Cunningham "Ma Perkins"; Dr. Petrie "Fu Manchu"
05-20-1906 - Lyda Roberti - Warsaw, Poland - d. 3-12-1938
actor, singer: Freelance; Sang with Al Jolson two days before her death
05-20-1906 - Sandra Michael - Denmark - d. 8-22-2003
creator, writer: "Against the Storm"
05-20-1908 - James Stewart - Indiana, PA - d. 7-2-1997
actor: Britt Ponset "Six Shooter"
05-20-1909 - Jerry Hausner - Cleveland, OH - d. 4-1-1993
actor: "Lum and Abner"; "Silver Theatre"
05-20-1911 - Patricia Dunlap - Bloomington, IL - d. 2-24-2003
actor: Betty Fairfield "Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy"
05-20-1911 - Vet Boswell - Birmingham, AL - d. 11-12-1988
singer: (The Boswell Sisters) "The Boswell Sisters"; "Woodbury Soap
Show"
05-20-1912 - Julius Dixon - Barnwell, SC - d. 1-30-2004
host: "Variety Jive"
05-20-1916 - William D. Carey - Hollister, CA - d. 1-27-2004
actor and singer
05-20-1920 - Dorothy Howe (Virginia Vale) - Dallas, TX - d. 9-14-2006
actor: "Gateway to Hollywood"
05-20-1920 - George Gobel - Chicago, IL - d. 2-24-1991
comedian, actor, singer: (Lonesome George) Jimmy "Tom Mix"
05-20-1921 - Joel Kane - Los Angeles County, CA - d. 4-20-1993
writer: "Fibber McGee and Molly"
05-20-1921 - Sheldon Gross
announcer: WFIL Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
05-20-1923 - Edith Fellows - Boston, MA
actor: "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
05-20-1925 - Vic Ames - Malden, MA - d. 1-23-1978
singer,: (Ames Brothers) "Sing It Again"; "Robert Q. Lewis Show"
05-20-1926 - John Lucarotti - England - d. 11-19-1994
writer: "Doctor Who"
05-20-1926 - Miles Davis - Alton, IL - d. 9-29-1991
sideman: "Billy Eckstien Orchestra"
05-20-1928 - David Hedison - Providence, RI
Worked as a radio announcer early in his career
05-20-1934 - Ken Boyer - Liberty, MO - d. 9-7-1982
baseball player: "Tops in Sports"
05-20-1936 - Anthony Zerbe - Long Beach, CA
actor: "Earplay"
05-20-1941 - Hal Ross - Montreal, Canada
announcer: CJQC Quebec City, Canada
May 20th deaths
05-19-1931 - Eric Davidson - d. 5-20-1996
writer: "Tommy Steele Radio Show"
06-21-1910 - Montie Montana - Wolf Point, MT - d. 5-20-1998
actor, periennial Rose Parade participant: "All-Star Western Theatre"
06-28-1946 - Gilda Radner - Detroit, MI - d. 5-20-1989
comedian: "The National Lampoon Radio Hour"
06-30-1920 - Dean Harens - South Bend, IN - d. 5-20-1996
actor: Arthur Anderson "We, the Abbotts"
07-07-1919 - Jon Pertwee - Chelsea, England - d. 5-20-1996
actor: The Doctor "Doctor Who"; Worzel; Gummidge "Worzel Gummidge"
09-12-1893 - Gen. Lewis B. Hershey - Steuben City, IN - d. 5-20-1977
head of selective service: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show"
09-26-1913 - Margot Boyd - Bath, England - d. 5-20-2008
actor: Marjorie Antrobus "The Archers"
11-11-1908 - Jerry Devine - Boston, MA - d. 5-20-1994
producer, director, writer: "Mr. District Attorney"; "This Is Your FBI"
11-13-1936 - Ingrid Hafner - London, England - d. 5-20-1994
actor: "The Butcher, the Baker"
11-28-1917 - Elliott Lewis - NYC - d. 5-20-1990
actor, director: Frankie Remley "Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show"; "On
Stage"; "Mr. Aladdin"
12-06-1909 - Lyn Murray - London, England - d. 5-20-1989
conductor: "Chesterfield Presents"; "Your Hit Parade"; "Ford Theatre"
12-24-1914 - Abram S. Ginnes - Brooklyn, NY - d. 5-20-2006
adapter: "The Big Story"
12-25-1904 - Sidney Fine - Waterbury, CT - d. 5-20-2002
pianist, arranger: Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, Dinah Shore
Ron
[removed]
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End of [removed] Digest V2011 Issue #78
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