Subject: [removed] Digest V2001 #297
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 9/8/2001 7:28 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

------------------------------


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2001 : Issue 297
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Telephone Hour                        [ Joe Salerno <salernoj@[removed]; ]
  My top 5 favorites                    [ elliot s ferber <otrcollector@juno. ]
  Re: A&A Illustrated and On Film       [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
  Missing word/Quiet Please             [ ARago17320@[removed] ]
  Johnny Carson Show                    [ "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed]; ]
  scrapple                              [ lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed]; ]
  Favorites                             [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
  Age, favorites                        [ Timothy Clough <tmclough@[removed]; ]
  MP3 questions                         [ Timothy Clough <tmclough@[removed]; ]
  Andy Devine                           [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
  Unusual Occupations                   [ danhughes@[removed] ]
  favorite 5                            [ "b bush" <bbush@[removed]; ]
  Tales of the OTR Heroes               [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
  Re: Quote to ID                       [ Frank Kendall <efkendall@[removed]; ]
  OTR Favorites: it was the writing     [ Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed] ]
  HEAVY SHELLACKING                     [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
  SCI/FI FI                             [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
  5 favorites                           [ John Politis <politisj@[removed] ]
  SMILIN' ED                            [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
  Favorites                             [ "Merv" <merv@[removed]; ]
  DA BOYZ SING FOR DA BOYZ              [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
  Froggy the Gremlin                    [ ArtsMilitaria@[removed] (Arthur Fun ]
  Frances Langford                      [ ArtsMilitaria@[removed] (Arthur Fun ]
  16in sleeves /address                 [ "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed]; ]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 20:10:03 -0400
From: Joe Salerno <salernoj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Telephone Hour

Mr. Atlas tuned in and wrote:

5) Bell Telephone Hour--great instrumental soloists and popular classics
make this show a gem to hear on a winter evening. I have a wonderful show
featuring pianist Josef Hoffman.

Hofmann made 8 appearances on the BTH, among many other great classical
musicians. In the days of live radio, live music was the norm. Too bad it is
so infrequent today.

Joe Salerno

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 21:06:53 -0400
From: elliot s ferber <otrcollector@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  My top 5 favorites

1-The Great Gildersleeve
2-Fibber McGee And Molly
3-Johnny Dollar 5-Part shows
4-Duffy's Tavern
5-Jack Benny
and my list can go on and on from there.
I'm 55 years old and have been an OTR fan for about 20 years

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 21:22:17 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: A&A Illustrated and On Film

Conrad Binyon recollects,

I remember doing a small role on the
show as part of a dinner table scene where two of us kids were
the children of the characters involved. in the story episode
presented.  I don't know why I think the girl may have been done
by Barbara Jean Wong, and I may be mistaken, but I was the boy.
*grin*.

Your memory is right on the button -- Barbara Jean Wong, played Amos and
Ruby's daughter Arbadella from 1940 (when she was fourteen) to 1954. My
best guess for the episode you were in is the 35th and final episode of
sitcom season 3, aired on 5/28/46, entitled "Andy and the Kingfish
Babysit." Unfortunately, no recording is currently known -- the 1945-46
season is the biggest gap in existing half-hour A&A, and even the LOC
only has one episode from this season.

As her name suggests, Barbara Jean Wong -- often billed in her younger
years as "the Shirley Temple of Radio" -- was of Chinese-American
descent, and during the live-audience A&A episodes in which she appeared,
a special point was made of introducing her during the pre-show warmup in
order to ensure that there would be no audible reaction of surprise from
the audience at the sight of a young Asian woman playing an
African-American girl. As odd as it might seem today, casting Wong in
this part was no conscious attempt at "non-traditional casting" -- she
was in fact widely recognized as one of the finest child impersonators in
Hollywood, and was considered by far the best actress available for the
role.

And Joe Salerno wonders about certain A&A short-subject film appearances

The March of Time: Vol. 4. No. 5. A March of Time Inc. Production. Released
12/23/37 by RKO Radio Pictures Inc. Narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis. 2
reels, 20 minutes.

Unusual Occupations. A Paramount Picture. Released ??/??/45 by Paramount
Pictures Inc. Produced by Jerry Fairbanks. Narrated by Ken Carpenter.
Photographed in Cinecolor. 1 reel, 10 mins.

Are these films currently available for purchase?

The "March of Time" footage is held by the National Archives, and may be
viewed there -- but is still under copyright. The rights to the series
are controlled by Archive Films in New York, who would have to grant
permission for a duplicate print to be struck. The edition noted above,
in which Correll and Gosden display the bound copies of their scripts and
demonstrate how they put their show together each night, also features
appearances by Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor, and Phil Baker, as
part of a segment on "The Laugh Business."

The entire "Unusual Occupations" series is currently owned by Shields
Pictures Inc. of Santa Monica, which bought the assets of Jerry Fairbanks
Productions several years ago. Many of these shorts are currently
licensed to the American Movie Classics cable channel, and are used as
filler between programs.

I've never seen the 1945 A&A sequence on AMC, but they *do* show a 1946
segment in which Charles Correll makes a fleeting appearance. Look for
the "Unusual Occupations" edition focusing on actress Gail Patrick's
hobby of providing custom-designed clothes for Hollywood kids -- three of
the Correll children (Dorothy, Barbara, and Charles Jr.) are among the
youngsters shown modeling the fashions, and Charlie can be seen leaning
back in his chair, beaming at his progeny and trying not to laugh out
loud at the rather foofy clothes they've been done up in.

Elizabeth

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 21:59:24 -0400
From: ARago17320@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Missing word/Quiet Please

Hi again,

In my list on digest 295 I see that my fingers got off the train a stop early
and just listed The Mysterious as one of my 5 favorites and left off the
Traveler.  I saw that and felt a bit stupid.

In the same issue of this great digest, Lanny Gilbert mentioned Quiet Please
and said he liked The Beezer's Celler more the On The Fourble Board.  My
purpose here is to highly recommend Beezer's Celler to those who have not
heard it.  I can never remember individual episodes of shows when people
start to mention their favorite scary shows but this one episode stands out
in my mind.  I got the chills at 63 years of age on this one.  Don't miss it
if these kind of stories are what you enjoy.

Just curious about Ernest Chappell, the man who stars in QP.  Is there anyone
who has any knowledge of how he was thought of or placed in the hierarchy of
actors on radio.  From the shows I have heard, I thought he was sensational.
Thanks for any input that may be forthcoming.

Take care,

Al Ragonnet

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 23:11:50 -0400
From: "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Johnny Carson Show

Yes, I remember Johnny Carson on radio.  One summer he was doing summer
replacement in Hollywood for (yikes, what was his name?).  I was under the
impression that it was on ABC. However, the man (and his wife) that got us
all together for a barbeque at the beach, Bob Lehman, was a producer for
KHJ, [removed] Johnny's show could have been there.  Shortly after that,
Johnny  got well known and had his own show.  Incidentally, it was a
hilarious night, with him narrating the problems he had with the man where
he tried to buy firewood for our campfire, etc etc.  The six of us were in
stitches!  (Johnny, first wife - high school sweetheart and mother of his
boys; Bob and Linda Lehman; and Howard Culver and me.)

Lois Culver
KWLK Radio (Mutual) Longview, WA 1941-44
KFI Radio (NBC) Los Angeles CA 1945-47, 50-53
Widow of Howard Culver, actor

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:16:33 -0400
From: lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  scrapple

There has been alot of talk about scrapple.  scrapple
sounds alot like something-a german dish (we think)
we make called Funhaus.  Boil up all the left overs
from slaughtered pig.  Take juice, keep small pieces
of meat. Then you added corn meal, flour, nut meg,
salt, pepper, all spice. Fill loaf pans and let set.
when harden pull out of bread pans, slice, fry in
grease till crispy.  Eat like that or my can put
maple or pancake syrup on it.  My family loves it
but we don't make it any more because of the fat
and cholesterol.  Sound like the same thing?

Lynn Wagar

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:16:40 -0400
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Favorites

My Favorite Five:

1. The show on which I worked most often.

2. The show with the biggest check.

3. The show with the best roles.

4. The show with the best scripts.

5. The show that was most fun to do.

Harry Bartell

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:20:01 -0400
From: Timothy Clough <tmclough@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Age, favorites

I'm 34 years old. My first exposure to OTR was when I was around 12 or 13.
My mother had bought some OTR shows, and I got to listen to them while I
was sick for a week. There were several series in the set, but the only
ones that I specifically remember were the Lone Ranger, Gunsmoke, and
Burns and Allen. I also remember the cassette player I listened to them on
and the problems I had with it not taking up the slack.

My second exposure to OTR, which has since become a regular hobby, was in
1995 at a "local" Walden Books. There, they had several sets of OTR shows,
including some that included Burns and Allen, of which I picked up one
set, listened to everything, then went back for another, also including
Burns and Allen. The reason for choosing sets including Burns and Allen
was my memories of it from several years before, as well as my father's
talk about what it was like. From there on, I was hooked (and not just
Burns and Allen).

As for my favorites, any comedy is good, but my favorites are (in no
particular order--that depends on what I'm currently listening to) Burns
and Allen (yes, even still), Jack Benny, and Our Miss Brooks. These
three are always great. In other genres, currently I like Dimension X/X
Minus One and Gunsmoke the best, but as my collection grows and my
horizons broaden, these choices may change.

Timothy Clough

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:20:27 -0400
From: Timothy Clough <tmclough@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  MP3 questions

I recently ordered a new computer which is coming with something new for
me--a CD-RW drive. I plan on copying my OTR cassettes to CD-R(W)s, both as
audio CDs and MP3s. That way, if somebody wants a copy of one of my
shows, they can get a copy of my audio CD version, unless they
specifically want an MP3. Does anybody else use this system?

I also plan on buying a Rio Volt MP3/CD player in the near future. From my
research thus far, it is clear that it will display both filenames and ID3
tags. Does it do both at the same time? My main question, however, is how
do people who use the Rio Volt with OTR programs name their files and/or
label their ID3 tags for different pieces of information? Personally, I
would want at least the series title, episode title or description, and
the date (if known).

Also, I know that OTR is usually encoded at 22 KHz, 32 kbps. Could
somebody please explain what these numbers mean and how they differ and/or
relate to each other, or else point me to a good website that explains
this?

It's a little late but my idea of computer hell: Being forced to use
nothing but Microsoft software!

Timothy Clough, whose new computer will have the Linux OS preinstalled

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:21:09 -0400
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Andy Devine

Andy Devine _had_ to have done some radio with that unique voice.  Thus I
feel that it's proper to ask those who are familiar with Hollywood monuments
about Andy's star on the Walk of Fame (or whatever it is) in Hollywood.  His
name is spelled incorrectly: it says "Andy Divine."  I can't imagine who'd
make a mistake like this, unless there's an Andy Divine who was famous in
movies.

This sounds like the sort of thing that Mr Gwynne or Mrs Culver might know
about.  Does the Walk of Fame have a gripe department?

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:21:31 -0400
From: danhughes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Unusual Occupations

Joe asks about an Unusual Occupations film short that featured Amos and
[removed]

Joe, I was awake in the middle of the night a few days ago and I turned
on the TV just in time to catch an episode of Unusual Occupations,
narrated by Ken Carpenter.  I'm embarrassed to admit I can't remember
what occupation was discussed, but I do know it had nothing to do with
Amos and Andy.

It must have been on either AMC or TCM.  It was not listed on the
schedule; just plugged in to fill time between the end of one movie and
the top-of-the-hour beginning of the next movie.

You should be able to email both these cable networks and ask if they
have the episode you're looking for.  But you probably need a more exact
date; I think there are a lot of different episodes all with the same
title (Unusual Occupations), and I don't think it had a subtitle.

Best of luck,

---Dan

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:21:46 -0400
From: "b bush" <bbush@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  favorite 5

Hi All;

Picking the favorite 5 is a bit [removed]
I'm 50, and have collected radio shows since 1967 back  when the cost was
about $15 for  6 programed hours on a  reel-to-reel tape. It took forever to
be able to afford many programs. This is one instance I'm glad times have
changed!

My faves;

1. I Love A Mystery/Adventures by Morse
2. Jack Benny
3. Speed Gibson of the International Police
4. Shadow of Fu Manchu
5. Adventures of Frank Merriwell

and honorable mentions; Hop Harrigan, Jack Armstrong, Broadway is My Beat,
and Johnny Dollar.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:32:27 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Tales of the OTR Heroes

Nik Kierniesky, speculating on the directions the OTR hobby will take,
observes,

Nostalgia will die with the people who directly listened to or worked
in OTR. We still have 20 years or so, I hope! The entertainment value of
OTR lives on for many shows, as evidenced by the favorite shows of
younger enthusiasts.

This brings up a corollary.  A lot of shows are lost, and what remains is
sometimes "impure."  By this, I mean that the majority of the stories
that used to be broadcast haven't survived in their original form.  To
take an example I'm very familiar with, besides my own book, there are
only five books of any sort devoted to the exploits of Captain Midnight.
Three were derived from the radio scripts.  Two were Better Little Books:
Captain Midnight and the Secret Squadron, and "Captain Midnight ...
Versus the Terror of the Orient.  The third was a Whitman "book for
girls," Joyce of the Secret Squadron.  These were written by R. R.
Winterbotham.  However, there were two other Better Little Books, Captain
Midnight and the Moon Woman, and Captain Midnight and Sheik Jomak Khan.
These were derived from a newspaper comic-strip, which was based closely
on the OTR show, but wasn't quite the same, and had different stories
altogether.  Now the point is that somebody 50 years from now running
into surviving copies of these last two BLBs might think that its stories
were originally aired, which would be in error.

While I'm on the subject, I'll point out that two BLBs were published of
OTR adventures of Jack Armstrong: Jack Armstrong and the Ivory Treasure,
and Jack Armstrong  and the Mystery of the Iron Key.  These were derived
from the radio scripts, so those who thirst for Jack Armstrong tales
might be able to visit further adventures.

However, there were BLBs of Lone Ranger and Orphan Annie stories that
there's no clear indication of their origins.  So there we are.

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 13:38:37 -0400
From: Frank Kendall <efkendall@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Quote to ID

My recolection is that "plunk your magic twanger
froggie" is from the Howdy Doodie show as delivered by
Buffalo Bob.

Anybody remember "Hi, my name's Buster Brown, I live
in a shoe, here's my dog Tigue, he lives in there
too"?

Frank Kendall
[removed]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:11:01 -0400
From: Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  OTR Favorites: it was the writing

A while back Glen wrote:
"My five favorite otr shows in order of preferrence
are Fibber McGee, Jack Benny, Suspense, Gunsmoke and
the Whistler.
Is anyone keeping track of these.  Too bad they can't.
It would be interesting."<

I haven't been keeping a tally, but for a time I was
moderating a Group on Yahoo that was like a "People's
Choice Awards" for OTR. (I had to give it up when I
switched jobs and lost a lot of my free time for
internet stuff.)

OTR enthusiasts would get to vote on questions that
ranged from the silly ("OTR character with the lowest
IQ." -Won by Mortimer Snerd if I remember correctly)
to the serious ("Favorite OTR broadcast starring Orson
Welles" -won by Mercury Theater's episode 'War of the
Worlds').

When it came to "Favorite OTR Program of All Time",
"Fibber McGee and Molly" narrowly edged out "The Jack
Benny Program" for that catagory. Of course, this was
a very unscientific poll, and judging from the number
of times Jack Benny has been mentioned in people's Top
Five Lists lately, a broader sampling could very
possibly have swung things in Jack's favor.
What I have observed in my experience moderating that
web site, as well as this List's Favorite Five
postings and my own personal listening, is the
importance of good writing in a radio program. Most
people attribute a program's success to the talanted
stars and supporting cast. But what they often forget
is how well-written a show must be for it to succeed.
Shows like Jack Benny, FM&M, A&A, Gunsmoke, and
Suspense thrived for years due in no small measure to
talented writers who could continually dream up new
and inventive scenarios for the stars to act out. Each
new episode of "Fibber McGee and Molly" I hear causes
me to be amazed at how each week, somebody figured out
a new way for Fibber to expend a tremendous amount of
energy in order to acomplish nothing, and causing me
to laugh out loud in the process.

I'm currently listening to a set of the complete run
of "Mel Blanc's Fit-It Shop". If you have any doubts
about the make-or-break quality of writing in OTR, do
a comparison of this program with "The Jack Benny
Program". No one can deny Mel Blanc's incredible
talent. One can only imagine what he could have done
with Benny's writers.

-The Fibber-

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:11:27 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  HEAVY SHELLACKING

A cool looking label would be nice (did they have neat designs? Or
handwritten or
typewritten on blank labels?).  How heavy are these things, anyway?

The commercially recorded discs were a quarter of an inch thick and
weighed A LOT, and did have factory printed labels.  Look for them in
antique shops--you may get lucky.

                  Sandy Singer
          A DATE WITH SINATRA

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:15:40 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  SCI/FI  FI

...it's a fairly useless exercise to castigate one author or one
tv/radio series for not
being scientifically accurate.

Rod Serling told me Science/Fiction was the easiest thing to write,
because you could write anything and still be legit.

                  Sandy Singer
          A DATE WITH SINATRA

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:15:55 -0400
From: John Politis <politisj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  5 favorites

My favorites are [removed]  Our Miss Brooks   2.  Burns & Allen  3.  Baby Snooks
4.  Life of Riiley  5.  Mr. & Mrs. North

Age= almost 57

I
John Politis  [removed]~politisj

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:15:49 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  SMILIN' ED

And, as I recall, Ed McConnell placed metal thimbles on 2 of his fingers
and tapped them on his piano to make the sound of one of his characters
dancing.

                  Sandy Singer
          A DATE WITH SINATRA

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 14:17:39 -0400
From: "Merv" <merv@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Favorites

My favorites were:

1.   Suspense
2.   The Whistler
3.   The Shadow
4.   Jack Benny Show
5.   Gangbusters

There was a show I liked when I was very young.   It was called "The
Greatest Story Ever Told"   about Jesus.   It may have been local to Los
Angeles.   I knew nothing about religion but liked it very much.   Did
anyone ever hear it?

Merv

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 15:12:21 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  DA BOYZ SING FOR DA BOYZ

<<Sinatra did other commercials, Epstein Pontiac comes to mind. I'm sure
that my pallie Sandy will fill in other [removed];>

You betcha, Tom.  If you haven't seen Tom's site
[removed] it is a MUST see.  I constantly use his
reference work.

In the early '60s Frank, Sammy and Dean, as a favor payback, played a
week at Villa Venice, and cut a number of radio spots for Peter Epsteen,
a Pontiac dealer in Chicago, written by the Prince of Parody, and one of
Frank's favorite writers, Sammy Cahn. I am going to feature these
commercials on my Sinatra show that starts airing on September 25th.

                  Sandy Singer
          A DATE WITH SINATRA

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 15:38:35 -0400
From: ArtsMilitaria@[removed] (Arthur Funk)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Froggy the Gremlin

Contrary to Russ Butler's statement, my recollection is that after the
"magic twanger" boinged, Froggy would say in a gravelly voice:  "Hiya,
kids, hiya, hiya!"  Makes me grin to hear it even today.

Regards to all,
Art Funk

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 15:38:32 -0400
From: ArtsMilitaria@[removed] (Arthur Funk)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Frances Langford

Kenneth Clarke asked several questions about Miss Langford and I regret
that I can't answer any of them.  However, I'd like to mention that for
years she has been a very active supporter, along with Wendy's found
Dave Thomas,  of the Children's Home Society of Florida.  Hal Stone
mentioned in an earlier post that show biz folks take care of their own.
Miss Langford and Bob Hope are prime examples of the compassion and
generosity of show biz folks for all who are in need.

Regards to all,
Art Funk

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 8 Sep 2001 21:25:06 -0400
From: "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  16in sleeves /address

hi
here is the address and toll free number, i take it the more you buy
the less they cost.
metal edge inc
6340 bandini blvd and commerce
90040
1-800-862-2228
ask for prs-16, you will probably want the 5in hole
ed
i buy and trade 16in discs

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2001 Issue #297
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