------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 210
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Mr. President [ "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@hotm ]
Dragnet [ "Elizabeth Minney" <epminney@wcsonl ]
Re: Dressed for the Part [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
Automated Radio Item [ ilamfan@[removed] ]
re: hamburgers [ Jon Martin <mart459@[removed]; ]
Re: distinctive voices [ "Macandrew" <macandrew@[removed]; ]
24 hours [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
Re: Modern A&A references [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Another Simpsons OTR Reference [ ilamfan@[removed] ]
The Simpsons and OTR [ "W. Gary Wetstein" <wgaryw@pacbell. ]
ClearChannel & Payola [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]
Joltin' Joe and radio [ ClifSr@[removed] ]
baseball correction [ ClifSr@[removed] ]
Mr. President -/- Distinctive Voices [ ArtsMilitaria@[removed] (Arthur Fun ]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 18:04:40 -0400
From: "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Mr. President
Hello All,
Derek Tague wrote:
IMHO, my problem with Edward Arnold's
portrayals is that he tended to play each president in the same manner
as all harrumph-ing corporate types he played in all those Frank Capra
movies
There is a great Bob and Ray bit where Bob interviews a man (played by Ray,
of course) who claims to do impressions of various men who lived before the
invention of sound recording, like Abraham Lincoln. Each and every voice is
simply Ray's ordinary speaking voice. I wonder if the bit was inspired by
"Mr. President".
George
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 19:15:06 -0400
From: "Elizabeth Minney" <epminney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dragnet
Michael Hayde commented:
I also enjoyed your delight at seeing Mssrs. Bartell and Moody at work. But
I have to ask: have you never seen the latter-day "Dragnet" with Harry
Morgan? Mr. Webb remade that episode in 1967, and Mr. Bartell, Mr. Moody
and Mr. Vigran reprised their roles. It's definitely a highlight of that
particular incarnation of "Dragnet." (Wonder if Dick Wolf's version will
remake it again?)
What do you mean, "latter-day Dragnet?" Where does one find this
reworking of the Big Baby Jesus episode? And who is Dick Wolf?
(I'm asking these questions secure in the knowledge that you all
will understand that the only stupid question is the one [removed]
Surely others on this list will be curious as to the answers to these
questions)
What a pleasure to listen in on your comments! Thanks -- Elizabeth
Minney
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 19:22:16 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Dressed for the Part
From: yourstruly@[removed]
Subject: Dressed for the Part
I've seen several photos with radio stars dressed as the character they play
on the show, such as Bill Thompson in costume as the Old Timer. Did stars
dress the part for reasons other than for public relations photos?
[removed] I can only speak from my experiences in New York radio. (I can't speak
for the [removed] crowd. Nothing they do in La La Land ever surprises me). :)
But I suspect that even on the West Coast, where sanity prevailed solely
among the radio performers, the only three who dressed in Character for
their broadcasts were Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd, and Effie Klinker.
:)
You are absolutely right, [removed] The only time I ever had to don "Jugheads"
costume (Turtleneck sweater & silly hat) was for photographs sessions for
publicity and/or promotions undertaken by the NBC Publicity Dept, and/or the
Sponsor. (And that occurred often enough)
Most radio performers dressed neatly, but not too casual when they performed
on a program. Particularly when one had a studio audience. But even if a
show did not have an audience, (many were performed that wayŠ particularly
the Soaps) performers still dressed "neatly", because they never knew when
they would get a call for an audition following their earlier daytime
performance.
In the heat of summer, sport shirts and slacks were acceptable. But for a
summer prime time audience show, jackets were worn with open collar sports
shirts.(Remember this was the 40's and early 50's). Jeans were not in vogue.
But the height of sartorial splendor was when one had to work on "Theatre
Guild of the air". Heck, I bet there were some episodes that were done
"Black tie". It was a bit "snooty". Sort of a Broadway First Nighter
atmosphere and performed on the stage of a converted legitimate Theatre.
I mean it was required that one dress practically semi-formal. For us
teenages, I know we wore dark suits, white shirt, tie, and polished shoes.
For what it's worth, the only time I wore the "Jughead" costume for a
performance has been very recently at recreations of the "Archie" Show.
Just for laughs. The folks seem to get a kick out of me being silly. A fan
made the hat for me, so the least I can do is show my appreciation by
wearing it.
Well, [removed] that's all I know about actors dressing up as the characters
they played.
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 19:35:07 -0400
From: ilamfan@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Automated Radio Item
With this talk about "Voicetracking" going on, I
wondered if any of you know of another radio/computer
item - it's a device or program that speeds up the
silences between words?
I half-heard a story on NPR a year or two back
which played some examples of spoken Shakespeare bits
which were then sped up little by little. The first few
increments were barely noticeable, but then as the
program ate up more and more of the silences between
words, things just [removed] But there was a
nice in between where the gaps were not bad at all, and
then an entire audio selection could be made to fit into
a specific (shorter) timeslot very tidily.
I know I hear this thing often. Almost every time
a car leasing ad plays on the radio, the legal
disclaimers etc are spat out at a lightning-fast inhuman
speed. It must be this program at work.
I wonder if this is a program which is available to
us regular people - it would sure come in handy for my
own projects. Maybe fitting 3 30-minute OTR shows on an
80-minute cd, or [removed]
Stephen Jansen
--
Old Time Radio never dies - it
just changes formats!
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 21:16:31 -0400
From: Jon Martin <mart459@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re: hamburgers
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Say, maybe "The Wallace Wimple" hamburger could be the "Wimpy" hamburger
served in the UK, [removed]! But, Wimpy was the Popeye character, so
that doesn't jibe. What happened to the White
Tower hamburgers? White Castle is still around.
Actually, Wimpy's is a world wide chain. According to my father, the
founder & owner liked to
travel but hated the tax people (Dad knew him at one [removed]). But by
having a franchise everywhere he wanted to travel, it was tax deductable.
The man's name escapes me, but his standards were very high - if he stopped
into a franchise and it was not up to
standards, it got yanked. He also was known to jump the counter and help
out when lines were long when he went in to visit a store.
And for more trivia - if you have had a heart attack and are supposed to be
watching what you eat, White Castle is the only burger that you are allowed
because of the way that they are cooked - or so many of my "older" friends
have been told.
And a very quick pitch for my wife's favorite burger place - Steak & Shake.
(mine is White Castle for a quick drive through, or Max & Irmas for a sit
down burger).
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Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 21:16:58 -0400
From: "Macandrew" <macandrew@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: distinctive voices
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My choices are William Conrad, Parley Baer, Brace Beemer, Walter Tetley and
Paul Hughes.
Conrad, Baer and Beemer go without saying. Walter Tetley's voice was as
distinctive as Sherman on "Rocky and Bullwinkle as it was on Gildy's and Phil
Harris's show. Paul Hughes may not be a most familiar name outside The Lone
Ranger and The Green Hornet. Whether he played a good guy or a crook, the
voice stood out. I cannot omit Fred Foy, IMO the one of the most recognizable
announcers-narrators in the biz.
Macandrew
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 21:17:11 -0400
From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 24 hours
Is any one a where of any radio stations broadcasting 24 hours a day in the
golden days? I notice in 1944 that NBC went off the air at 3 AM eastern
time. Thus I imagine station would need to provide other programs during 3
AM to dawn hour in order to broadcast all hours. Take care,
Walden Hughes
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 22:42:37 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Modern A&A references
Derek Tague wrote:
The only other "A 'n' A" modern-day reference I can think of was circa
[removed]
Thanks for passing these references along. Eventually I may put them all
into an appendix to my web page -- so far they include everything from
Frank Zappa's "Thing-Fish," to the "Kingfish Missile," to "Saffire - the
Uppity Blues Women," to Harvey Fierstein's one-act play "Amos and Andy,"
(which isn't about two guys in the taxicab business.)
The most common references seem to revolve around The Mystic Knights of
the Sea -- a name currently being used by a motorcycle club in Southern
New England; a anti-drugs-and-violence youth organization working with
troubled teens in North Philadelphia; a wallbanging Texas punk band; a
group proudly billed as "the third-best blues band in Pittsburgh;" a
yachting supply shop in Newport Beach, California, and an Orange County
beach-boy surf band. Unfortunately, my favorite "Mystic Knights of the
Sea" variant appears to have disbanded -- a demented Northern California
novelty rock group which performed in cast-off lodge regalia and led its
audiences in chanting "We's all brothers an' sisters in that gr-e-e-e-at
[removed]"
Mystic Knights of the Sea references have a way of turning up where you'd
least expect them. I once ran across a long listing, published in the
1970s, explaining the abbreviations of fraternal-order initials commonly
found on grave markers. Such lists of information sometimes include fake
entries as a way of nailing plagiarists -- which may explain why the
author of the book snuck in "MKotS."
When the original A&A series ended in early 1943, an editorial in the New
York Times eulogized Correll and Gosden for "creating names and phrases
that became part of the American language." Little did they realize some
of those names and phrases would still be around sixty years later, in
forms the program's creators could never have [removed]
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 2002 23:35:29 -0400
From: ilamfan@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Another Simpsons OTR Reference
Another OTR reference that has appeared on the
Simpsons television show was one that would ONLY be
understood by an OTR fan:
At the end of one of the Halloween specials (chock-
full of gore, horror, and superb humor) the family is
there in the kitchen, when one of them notices a dark
mist seeping in from the kitchen door. When it comes
into the room, it covers the family, and turns them all
inside out.
They all scream in horrible agony as their bodies
are reversed, then pop on some hats and tap some canes
and close the show out in a rousing song-and-dance
number as slimy, bloody corpses. TA DAA!
Of course, we all know that they're paying tribute
to Arch Oboler's famous Lights Out show "The Dark". The
rest of the world just thinks it was a cool strange
thing to happen (poor uninitiated fools!).
I wonder if anyone has discussed these OTR
references with series creator Matt Groening. I'd bet
he's a big fan of OTR.
The Simpsons is proof that not everything on
television is bad. Most, but not all.
Stephen Jansen
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 13:35:33 -0400
From: "W. Gary Wetstein" <wgaryw@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Simpsons and OTR
another reference: the frank nelson character from the jack benny show has
popped up more than once unexpectedly, down to the patented "Yeeeessss!"
greeting. i can't remember which episodes, but i know i have seen him
appear in at least two.
--w. gary w.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 13:36:16 -0400
From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: ClearChannel & Payola
Rodney w bowcock jr. writes:
(1) "ClearChannel Communications is a disgusting monster that happens to own
over 60% of the radio stations in this [removed]"
and (2) "SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDANT RADIO STATIONS!
Even if they don't play OTR, at least they're probably not accepting
bribes to dictate what music they play."
According to the Los Angeles Times (in different articles), (1)
ClearChannel is being investigated by the FTC for possibly violating
ownership regulations by hiding their controlling interest in many stations
under fake corporate names; and (2) an owner of many "urban music" radio
stations says that PAYOLA is still alive and well in the [removed]
meaning that record promoters who don't pay well don't get their clients
played on stations' or networks' airwaves.
Both situations are dangerous because they limit listeners' choices.
Herb Harrison
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 13:40:41 -0400
From: ClifSr@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Joltin' Joe and radio
Found in an old (Oct 30 2000) New Yorker Magazine article about Joe DiMaggio
by John Gregory Dunne: "It should be remembered that DiMaggio was baseball's
last radio superstar. The beauty of radio is that, unlike television, it puts
the listener into the mix. There are no highlight shows, instant replays, or
lets-go-to-the-videotape features to show us what happened. Visual images
speak to the visceral, while voices heard but not seen allow free play in the
cineplex of the mind; when theYankee Broacaster Mel Allen said, "DiMaggio to
the wall ... he's got it," the listener could pretend that he himself was
making the catch with the Clipper's same loping ease."
Great writing, but Mr. Dunne hasn't listenend to radio play by play
lately. They do use all the high tech highlights and instant replays. But
even with that concession to the way things are today, baseball by radio
still gives us just a bit of that OTR feeling of being there.
Maybe this will inspire some of our contributors to reminsisce about OTR
sports. I'll throw out a radio name from the days of Briggs Stadium in
Detroit: Ty Tyson. And the venerable, recently retired Ernie Harwell may the
last of the great ones.
Clif Martin
Muskegon, Michigan
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 13:40:49 -0400
From: ClifSr@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: baseball correction
I left a word out of the last line of my post about great play-by-play men.
It should have said Detroit's Ernie Harwell may be the last of the great
ones. Fans in other parts of the country will no doubt offer other names.
Cubs fans will surely name Harry Caray. Band Leader Guy Lombardo said "When
I go, I take New Year's Eve with me." When Harry left us, he took "Take me
out to the ballgame" with him. I remember a Cubs game that went so long that
Harry got to do his legendary 7th inning stretch rendition of the song twice!
Clif Martin
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 2002 13:50:28 -0400
From: ArtsMilitaria@[removed] (Arthur Funk)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Mr. President -/- Distinctive Voices
Just catching up on a week's worth of Digests.
Dennis Crow mentioned Mr. President and wondered if anyone else
remembered listening to it. I certainly do. I can remember our Sunday
afternoons being planned so that Sunday dinner didn't interfere with
listening to Edward Arnold on Mr President. And the family would try to
guess the identity of the President in each episode.
Speaking of distinctive voices, I think Edward Arnold would qualify. I
don't know what other OTR he did but I always enjoy his movie roles.
Some other voices that are always recognizable: Hal Peary and Willard
Waterman, but I'm not always able to identify which is which. And the
inimitable Jackson Beck.
Regards to all,
Art Funk
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #210
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