------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 22
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Godfrey and Larosa [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
Arthur Godfrey and FDR Cortege [ "Russ Butler" <oldradio@[removed] ]
Dates for Gangbusters Episodes [ Kubelski@[removed] ]
Ladies Be Seated [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
WOLF - 1490, Syracuse Historical Sit [ Duane Wadsworth <dwadsworth@wadswor ]
Re: Ladies Be Seated [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
Gildersleeve the Guardian [ "welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
RE: FAKE SEGMENTS ON I CAN HEAR IT N [ "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
Today in radio history [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Re: MP3 Files [ chascav <chascav@[removed]; ]
More Great Suspense Episodes [ Kubelski@[removed] ]
Phil Harris on CD [ "ecrasez" <ecrasez@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 19:42:55 -0500
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Godfrey and Larosa
I'm happy to see the material about Mr. Godfrey.
But in all fairness in discussing the Larosa "incident",
could we at least say "ALLEGED firing"?
The media said---and thus the lemmings believe.
Fact is, Mr. Godfrey did NOT fire Julius Larosa. Period.
He released Julie from their verbal agreement AT LAROSA'S REQUEST!
Period!
Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 19:44:49 -0500
From: "Russ Butler" <oldradio@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Arthur Godfrey and FDR Cortege
Chris Chandler perhaps questioned the authenticity of Arthur Godfrey
reporting of the passing FDR
funeral cortege: I'm listening again now to Arthur's final, fifteen minute
radio broadcast (his first one was in 1945).
He plays the except and describes his emotions,his relationship with FDR,
etc. and it does sound like he was in tears on the audio excerpt from Ed
Morrow's disc. He even sounds emotional saying good by on his final
broadcast (4/30/71) on CBS.
Russ Butler oldradio@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 19:44:39 -0500
From: Kubelski@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dates for Gangbusters Episodes
Thanks to everyone who helped me identify a missing date for The Falcon last
week.
Since that worked so well, does anyone have dates for the following episodes
of Gangbusters, also recently aired on WFUV in New York's "Classic Radio"
series.
Sean Dougherty
Kubelski@[removed]
Gangbusters Two-time Bandits
Gangbusters Case of Joe MacLean
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 22:01:18 -0500
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ladies Be Seated
Russ Butler asks for the name of the host of Ladies Be Seated and if it
originated in Chicago. It's best recalled hosts were Johnny Olsen along
with his wife, Penny. You may remember Johnny as the infamous
round-faced, bespectacled man with the grin in his voice who originated
that time-honored phrase "Come on down!" And he presided over this 1940s
audience participation clambake each day in New York.
Olsen was born at Windom, Minn. in 1910. His broke into radio as the
Buttermilk Kid on a Madison, Wis. station. He advanced to KGDA in
Mitchell, S. D., not only managing, selling, announcing and singing but
preaching, too, on a daily devotional series. He became chief announcer
at Milwaukee's WTMJ next and then went off to Hollywood for a year. When
he returned to Milwaukee he hosted an audience participation show that
quickly became an early trademark, Johnny Olsen's Rumpus Room.
In 1944 he left Milwaukee permanently to join ABC in New York as a staff
announcer. Over the years he warmed up audiences prior to introducing
Beat the Clock, Get Together, On Stage Everybody, Prince Charming,
Swingshift Frolics and True or False. He was one of several
announcers/hosts of Break the Bank. Olsen was MC on a myriad of game
shows, too: Get Rich Quick and Whiz Quiz, plus two more for which he is
better remembered in radio--The Johnny Olsen Show, running at various
times between 1946 and 1957 on ABC and MBS under the added monikers of
Johnny Olsen's Luncheon Club and The Johnny Olsen Rumpus Room (also
appearing on Dumont TV, 1949-52); plus Ladies Be seated, co-hosted with
his spouse Penny Olsen on ABC from 1946-49. In early 1945 the couple
starred in a five-week televised trial run of Ladies Be Seated on the
Dumont network. It was one of the earliest attempts by anybody to
videocase an audience participation program.
Olsen emceed ABC-TV's Fun for the Money and from 1951-53 he was a
principal in the cast of Kids and Company, a Saturday morning children's
show on Dumont TV. His most prominent role, however--the one for which
he is still recalled by millions--was as the announcer on CBS-TV's The
Price is Right. He appeared there from the show's inception on Nov. 26,
1956 throughout its first run, ending Sept. 3, 1965. He returned for a
second run from Sept. 4, 1972 until his death at age 75 on Oct. 12, 1985
in Santa Monica, Calif.
Ladies Be Seated was scripted for awhile by someone you'd most likely not
think of in that capacity, Walt Framer, who at one time coproduced Break
the Bank and went on to create a signature project, Strike It Rich.
Earlier in his career he penned scripts for at least four radio
series--The Black Hood, Break the Bank, Glamour Manor and Ladies Be
Seated.
Ladies Be Seated actually began under the banner of Ed East and Polly (an
earlier show); when the Easts left in 1946 it was taken over by Johnny
and Penny Olsen, and later by Tom Moore, who conducted games, sing-alongs
and interviews.
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 22:06:50 -0500
From: Duane Wadsworth <dwadsworth@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: WOLF - 1490, Syracuse Historical Site
Anyone out there that had anything to do with the great 1490 in Syracuse,
New York should check out:
[removed]
Bob Mitchell of Mitchell Productions has given us old timers a great
nostalgia site worthy of checking out. When I worked there 1954-1858
(part-time from college) WOLF came in with Hopper Ratings that would be the
envy of any station in the country. What a station, what a [removed]
-DUANE WADSWORTH-
Menlo Park, California
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 22:11:07 -0500
From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Ladies Be Seated
Russ B. has asked us about Ladies Be Seated ('40s, audience
participation).
Yes, that radio show originated in Chicago. The first(?) host was Johnny
Olsen; by Sept. 1947 it was Tom Moore. There's some info on the program in
Jay Hickerson's book. At least two broadcast recordings are available. I
believe Dick Judge sells both; possibly Chuck Schaden, too, for example.
In '46 I sat in the studio audience of a LBS broadcast, probably the only
kid there. At the Merchandise Mart. I remember Johnny Olsen going around,
before the broadcast, testing several ladies' singing voices in the audience
(probably to select one or more women for a stunt on the broadcast) and
making funny comments about the women's vocal efforts.
-- Phil C.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 06:58:25 -0500
From: "welsa" <welsa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Gildersleeve the Guardian
Some time back there was a discussion about how Throckmorton Gildersleeve
wound up in Summerfiled as guardians of his niece and nephew. I also
remember talk about whether or not he was married while in Wistful Vista.
I'm not sure how it was all resolved.
However, this past weekend on its regular Sunday old time radio night,
Wisconsin Public Radio played the first episode of Gildy. In it, he was
taking the train from Wistful Vista to Summerfield to become administrator
of his brother-in-law's estate. He only expected to be gone a few days.
As I see it, you have a brother-in law by one of two ways--either he is your
wife's brother, or your sister's husband. There is no mention of a wife
anywhere in this episode. But why would he be administering only the
brother-in-law's estate? Why not the BIL's wife's estate, too? This small
detail is not explained at all.
Suffice it to say that while on the train he manages to antagonize another
passenger who turns out to be Judge Hooker who is the judge hearing the
estate case. He is so mad at Gildy he winds ordering him to stay in
Summerfield and become guardian for Margery and Leroy.
OK, so this mesaage raises more questions than it answers--except that the
show itself did not answer them, either.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 06:58:53 -0500
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: RE: FAKE SEGMENTS ON I CAN HEAR IT NOW
The posting about the recreation of actual news events on Murrow's I Can
Hear It Now reminds me of the one of "the final broadcast from the
Phillipines," with the telegraph clicking and the voice repeating what the
message said. This obviously WAS a recreation. It was later revealed that
either Murrrow or the producers of the album contacted the original operator
who sent that message to re-create it for the album. I know there were more
on that album that were recreated. Can anyone think of any?
I understand the Godfrey segment was an actul broadcast taken from the CBS
transcription or tape of the Funeral. Yes?
Owens [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 06:59:04 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history
From Those Were The Days --
1956 - Raymond Burr starred as Captain Lee Quince in the Fort Laramie
debut on CBS.
From a long time subscriber --
1933 - Twenty-Thousand Years in Sing Sing, a radio crime drama starring
Lewis E. Lawes, Warden of Sing Sing, premieres over the Blue network.
1946 - The Philip Morris Follies of 1946 premieres over NBC.
Joe
--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 08:17:08 -0500
From: chascav <chascav@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: MP3 Files
You might consider one of the premium news servers. I use easynews
[removed]. they retain binaries for about two weeks and put the
files together for you. You can zip up the files for download in large
bunches if you want.
Charles
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 09:50:03 -0500
From: Kubelski@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: More Great Suspense Episodes
I'm working from memory here, but I can recall at least two other Suspense
episodes as good as those flagged by Ryan in today's digest.
1. Commuter Ticket - For anyone who's ridden the rails in and out of New York
on a regular basis, as I did from 1989-1991, this plot was classic. It
basically depends on a killer's knowing that no one ever notices anyone else
on the commuter train. Then after committing a murder, he gets on the train
and gets roped into a poker game. He gets a straight flush. He runs into
someone he knew from school, and a bunch of other stuff like that. The twist
is classic and rings to true to anyone who's been a commuter.
2. Hmm. I'm having trouble remembering the title of the next one, but it
starred Frank Lovejoy as an air-traffic controller trying to talk down the
world's dumbest recreational pilot. The guy in the plane is lost and needs
to be talked down through a storm and it's clear that he just doesn't have
the skill to save himself.
The tension builds throughout the episode as Lovejoy's desperate attempts to
get the guy down are consistently undone by pilot error. There is another
twist revealed about half-way through the show that made it even worse.
Update: The episode is The Long Night and aired 11-18-56.
Sean Dougherty
Kubelski@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 10:52:05 -0500
From: "ecrasez" <ecrasez@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Phil Harris on CD
Anyone out there know of a CD of Phil Harris songs that are
availabe? I've been listening to lots of Harris-Faye shows lately,
and I really enjoy his songs.
There are several out there.
The Thing About Phil Harris (1935-1942) - ASV
Southern Gentleman of Song - Collectors Music
My Kind of Country (1940-1947) - Flapper
His Original and Greatest Hits (1940-1950) - Jasmine
Echoes from the Cocoanut Grove (1932-1933) - Take Two
You can find them through [removed] by searching
on his name. I have no connection to this company, but I've ordered
many cds from them without a single problem.
Bob S.
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #22
********************************************
Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
including republication in any form.
If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
[removed]
For Help: [removed]@[removed]
To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]
For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]
To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]
To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]