------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2008 : Issue 208
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
The Lone Ranger's disguises [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
RIP Fred Crane [ seandd@[removed] ]
Radio By the Book [ JayHick@[removed] ]
"Don Wilson (sic) of the Navy" [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
8-28 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Bob and Ray [ <georgewagner@[removed]; ]
WEAF's True Historical Importance [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Charlie Ventura and 'One Night Stand [ "Bob Scherago - Notebook" <rscherag ]
Just released [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
Eddie Carroll in Bloom in Erie, PA [ seandd@[removed] ]
Alfred Hitchcock [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
8-29 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Re: Roommate wanted for FOTR [ Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:57:55 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Lone Ranger's disguises
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:54:31 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
Maybe having pale skin where his mask covered his face would be
enough. Sort of like a raccoon in a negative. :)
There was a television episode in which the LR, in a bearded old-
timer disguise, came in to see a lady barber for a trim. While he
was in the chair, she noticed the outline of a mask where he wasn't
sun-tanned and decided he was an outlaw (as so many people tended to
do).
Stage makeup is fine for on-stage to create an illusion for people
sitting out in the audience, but I doubt that makeup disguises can be
that good to fool someone close-up. I don't believe Batman's
disguises either.
--
A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed]
92 State Street, Suite 700 Fax [removed]
Boston, MA 02109-2004 [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:58:06 -0400
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: RIP Fred Crane
This obituary of an actor who was in "Gone With the Wind" mentions that he
appeared on Jack Benny's Lucky Strike program.
[removed]
Can anyone shed any light on which characters he might have played?
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:58:41 -0400
From: JayHick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Radio By the Book
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Latest from McFarland; I will be selling all the latest radio related books
from McFarland, Scarecrow and others at our convention.
Radio by the Book
Adaptations of Literature and Fiction on the Airwaves
Tim DeForest
ISBN 978-0-7864-3972-0
bibliography, index
246pp. softcover 2008
$35
Description
During the first half of the 20th century, radiobs hunger for captivating
characters and stories could not be sated. Three national networks and dozens
of
independent stations had to fill a vast expanse of air time with comedy,
adventure, mystery, drama and music, night after night. Itbs no surprise
that
producers and writers looked to outside sources, drawing some of old-time
radiobs
most beloved characters (Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Hopalong Cassidy, Buck
Rogers) directly from books.
This work examines individual characters that jumped from prose to radio and
a number of programs that specialized in dramatizing literature. It covers
mystery and detective shows, adventure stories, westerns, and science fiction,
and anthology shows that adapted novels by such greats as Twain, Steinbeck and
Dickens. The text explores how the writers and producers approached the source
materialb"what they changed, what they kept and what they left out.
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:58:58 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: "Don Wilson (sic) of the Navy"
I caught a few minutes of _When Radio Was_ last night, specifically the first
few minutes and the closing of _Don Winslow of the Navy_ (in the interim I
did a brief bit of shopping). At the end, the host identified the program as
"Don Wilson of the Navy." Ordinarily that gaffe wouldn't be worthy of a
comment, since it's not unheard of for someone to mispronounce a name.
[removed]
I've noticed a lot of, shall we say, lack of attention to detail when
listening to this new incarnation of _When Radio Was_. Which may be one
reason I no longer listen to it very often. On many occasions, the host
doesn't give the title of a particular episode of a show, and the episode in
question does have a title. At best he gives the date. One case in point is
the _Light's Out_ episode "Murder Castle", which I have on tape, and which is
identified by title. It aired a few weeks ago, and he described it as being
about (paraphrased) "a nice old man who's anything but."
Since that particular episode has a name, why not identify it as such?
There have also been occasions where the host doesn't even name the second
series to air in a particular program, let alone the name of the episode (and
I think that was once the case with the _first_ program in the broadcast).
You might not know you're listening to _Jack Benny_, for instance, until Don
Wilson (the one _not_ in the Navy) touts the merits of Jell-O (in six
delicious flavors).
Am I the only one annoyed by this apparent "phoning it in" approach to
presenting the audience with basic information about the shows on a
particular broadcast of _When Radio Was_?
I first listened to the show in the tail end of the Art Fleming days. And I
listened a lot during the Stan Freberg run. I was somewhat disappointed with
Chuck Schaden's tenure, because he often sounded like he was phoning it in,
an irony considering his long relationship with OTR and his many interviews
with OTR stars; but as someone suggested at the last Cincinnati convention,
Schaden was likely recording his introductions and other comments separately,
and they were then edited into the broadcasts.
That may be so (and may have been so for all the other hosts), but whatever
the faults with his apparent level of enthusiasm, Schaden still told you what
programs you were listening to (as did Fleming and Freberg).
Plus, he included occasional interviews with people, such as Terry
Salomonson, who have connections with OTR.
This new [removed] it just doesn't draw me in. Frankly, if I was new to OTR,
I'm not sure I'd stick around to hear the actual shows being broadcast.
Like I asked, is anyone else annoyed by this new incarnation of _When Radio
Was_?
For that matter, does anyone know why the show has always been about 45
minutes in length, giving us one half hour show and the first half of another
show (usually a comedy?)? Wouldn't it make more sense to make it a full hour,
giving us two full shows (or one hour-long program)?
Rick
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:59:07 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 8-28 births/deaths
August 28th births
08-28-1870 - James R. Waters - Hungary - d. 11-20-1945
actor/comedian: Jake Goldberg "The Goldbergs"; "The House of Glass"
08-28-1885 - Vance Palmer - Bundaberg, Australia - d. 7-15-1959
writer: "Telling Mrs. Baker"
08-28-1891 - Stanley Andrews - Chicago, IL - d. 6-23-1969
actor: Daddy Warbucks "Little Orphan Annie"
08-28-1893 - Harriette Widmer - Water Valley, MS - d. 9-1-1964
actor: Madam Queen "Amos 'n' Andy"; Aunt Jemima "Aunt Jemima"
08-28-1895 - H. Norman Schwarzkopf - Newark, NJ - d. 11-25-1958
narrator: "Gangbusters"
08-28-1897 - Charles Boyer - Figeac, France - d. 8-26-1978
actor: Michel "Presenting Charles Boyer"; "Hollywood Playhouse"
08-28-1898 - Artells Dickson - Oklahoma Territory - d. 6-24-1968
actor: Tom Mix "Tom Mix"; Slim "Pretty Kitty Kelly"
08-28-1900 - Diana Bourbon - NYC - d. 3-19-1978
producer, director: :Double or Nothing"; "Life Begins"
08-28-1900 - Rudy Schrager - Czernowitz, Austria-Hungary - d. 8-24-1983
musical director: "Box 13"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-28-1907 - Roy Chamberlain - NYC - d. 5-14-1981
old gold rhythmaires: "The New Old Gold Show"
08-28-1907 - Sam Levene - NYC - d. 12-17-1980
comedian: "Fred Allen Show"
08-28-1908 - Genevieve Rowe - Freemont, OH - d. 2-26-1995
singer: "Gay Nineties Revue"; "Songs America Loves"; "An Evening with
Romberg"
08-28-1910 - John F. Holbrook - Cameron, WI - d. 9-20-1978
announcer, director: "The Bickersons"; "The Dinah Shore Show"
08-28-1914 - Glenn Osser - Munising, MI
maestro: "American Music Hall"
08-28-1914 - Maria F. von Trapp - Zell am See, Austria
singer: (Trapp Family Singers) "Christmas Seal Sale"
08-28-1914 - Richard Tucker - NYC - d. 1-8-1975
opera tenor: "Chicago Theatre of the Air"; "Standard Hour";
"Metropolitan Opera"
08-28-1915 - Tol Avery - Texas - d. 8-27-1973
actor, announcer: "Pat Novak for Hire"; "Richard Diamond, Private
Detective"
08-28-1919 - D. C. Muecke - Adelaide, Australia
writer: "Ls Signora Fantastici"; "Alcestis Ascends"
08-28-1920 - Don Glasser - Derry, PA - d. 4-26-2004
bandleader: "Don Glasser and His Orchestra"
08-28-1924 - Peggy Ryan - Long Beach, CA - d. 10-30-2004
dancer, actor: "Mail Call"; "Bob Hope Show"; "Proudly We Hail"
08-28-1925 - Donald O'Connor - Chicago, IL - d. 9-27-2003
comedian, actor: "Ginny Simms Show"; "Philip Morris Playhouse";
"Suspense"
08-28-1926 - Andree Wallace - Brooklyn, NY
actor: Mary Lambert "Brave Tomorrow"; Irene "Mary Noble, Backstage Wife"
08-28-1929 - Roxie Roker - Miami, FL - d. 12-2-1995
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
08-28-1930 - Ben Gazzara - NYC
actor: "Strange Interlude"
August 28th deaths
02-06-1913 - Porter Bourne - d. 8-28-2001
announcer: WXYZ Detroit
02-15-1926 - Mary Lee Robb - Chicago, IL - d. 8-28-2006
actor: Marjorie Forrester "Great Gildersleeve"
04-24-1894 - Norman Sweetser - d. 8-28-1980
director: "Just Plain Bill"; "Stella Dallas"
05-08-1929 - Miyoshi Umeki - Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan - d. 8-28-2007
singer: "Arthur Godfrey and His Friends"
06-05-1908 - Craig Rice (Georgiana Ann Randolph) - Illinois - d.
8-28-1957
writer: "Murder and Mr. Malone"
07-19-1917 - Larry Marcus - Beaver, UT - d. 8-28-2001
writer: "Suspense"; "Dark Venture"; "Nightbeat"
07-22-1917 - Lou McGarity - Athens, GA - d. 8-28-1971
jazz trombonist: "Eddie Condon's Jazz Concert"; "Arthur Godfrey Show"
08-05-1906 - John Huston - Nevada, MO - d. 8-28-1987
actor, writer: "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-17-1918 - Evelyn Ankers - Valparaiso, Chili - d. 8-28-1985
actor: Argentine Radio
09-03-1918 - David Harmon - NYC - d. 8-28-2001
writer: "America in the Air"; "Now Hear This"
09-12-1910 - Lehman Engel - Jackson, MS - d. 8-28-1982
broadway conductor: "Madrigal Singers of New York"; "Texaco Star
Theatre"
09-25-1896 - Noble Cain - Aurora, IL - d. 8-28-1977
choral director and producer for NBC
10-13-1918 - Robert Walker - Salt Lake City, UT - d. 8-28-1951
actor: Davy Dillon "Maudie's Diary"
10-13-1929 - Bernie Baum - NYC - d. 8-28-1993
composer: Composed the theme for "Monitor"
10-30-1896 - Ruth Gordon - Wollaston, MA - d. 8-28-1985
actor: "Lincoln Highway"; "Meet Mr. Weeks"; "Orson Welles Theatre"
11-11-1901 - F. Van Wyck Mason - Boston, MA - d. 8-28-1978
writer: "The Man from G-2"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:59:19 -0400
From: <georgewagner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Bob and Ray
I first heard Bob and Ray around the Spring of 1957, as a high school
sophomore. One of the very first skits involved an "interview" with a
character who was supposedly engaged in a coast-to-coast SWIM across the
United States, using a water-filled truck.
There was just one problem, he admitted:
"Whenever the truck runs uphill or down all the water runs out."
Sincerely,
George Wagner
georgewagner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:59:31 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: WEAF's True Historical Importance
On 8/28/08 12:18 AM [removed]@[removed] wrote:
Perhaps we can site the WEAF--Queensboro Corporation blurb as the first
commercial that was PAID FOR, rather than a co-op deal (loaned records for a
mention of the record shop, etc.)
The longstanding quibbling over the "first commercial" has unfortunately
obscured what was *truly* important about WEAF -- it was the first radio
station to be established *for the specific purpose* of selling time.
This idea of "toll broadcasting," the idea that the station would be
merely a rented hall for the use of sponsors paying for the privilege of
addressing the audience, was a vital innovation in 1922 -- and would be
the essential catalyst in moving broadcasting out of the realm of
experimenters and hobbyists and making it a viable, independent field of
business. "Toll Broadcasting" was the foundation stone of the entire
Golden Age of Radio, and as such, WEAF's historical importance is not in
the least eroded by the fact that, strictly speaking, it did not
broadcast the first commercial. It wasn't the commercial itself at all
that mattered -- it was the *reasoning behind* the commercial that was
important.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:05:53 -0400
From: "Bob Scherago - Notebook" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Charlie Ventura and 'One Night Stand'
On Tuesday, 26 Aug 2008, Peter Boe boe5650@[removed] wrote:
May I ask you if the shows you mention, particularly 'One Night Stand', are
available on the web? . . . I didn't/haven't seen the Charlie Ventura
program.
If you check out [removed] you will find 42 one-hour programs
featuring big band people including Charlie Ventura, Artie Shaw, Gene Krupa,
and many others. These are interviews and examples of their music, hosted by
Arnold Dean, as presented as a monthly feature by WTIC radio in the 1970s.
At the same site, you'll find more than 90 hours of interviews and excerpts
from "The Golden Age of Radio," hosted by Dick Bertel, also of WTIC. These
shows include interviews with Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Benny,
Mel Blanc, Robert Montgomery, and one of my favorites, organist Rosa Rio,
who at age 104 is still entertaining audiences. All programs are MP3s, and
can be listened to live or downloaded. No registration or log in required.
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
[removed]
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:06:00 -0400
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Just released
McFarland has just this week released a tightly-bound softcover edition of
my original "The Great Radio Soap Operas" featuring 31 members of the genre
in lengthy treatises. Many of these discourses are accompanied by
photographs, and included in this 331-page exposition are two appendices,
chapter notes, annotated bibliography and index, just as in the earlier
edition. And this one is priced more than $15 below the case bound hardback
release, now $[removed] If you've wanted this comprehensive work but never
could buy before now, this could be your chance to get a fresh copy of a
popular seller. Order from 800-253-2187 M-F daytime or [removed]
any time. Cheers, everybody, and thanks for making it a success the first
time around!
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:06:18 -0400
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Eddie Carroll in Bloom in Erie, PA
Eddie Carroll's Jack Benny show is doing dinner theater in Erie, PA. $35 includes the show and dinner, seems like a good deal.
[removed]
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:06:35 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Alfred Hitchcock
Two notes of interest related to Alfred Hitchcock AND old-time radio.
A new book hits book stores this week. THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK STORY by Ken Mogg.
Titan Books has just published a new edition of this book (originally
published years ago in Australia) and it features a chapter about Alfred
Hitchcock's work on radio.
The chapter is similar to an article that appeared in an issue of SPERDVAC's
Radiogram some years back.
Second, just the other day I came across a new entry for Hitchcock's radio
credits.
August 27, 1937 Alfred Hitchcock guested on "MOVIE CLUB"
This date is very significant as it is now the earliest documented appearance
on Hitchcock on American radio. THE ROYAL GELATIN HOUR with Rudy Vallee was
formerly the earliest known appearance.
Martin Grams
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:06:40 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 8-29 births/deaths
August 29th births
08-29-1882 - Richard Legrand - Mount Tabor section near Portland, OR
- d. 6-29-1963
actor: Richard Q. Peavy "Great Gildersleeve"; Ole "Fibber McGee and
Molly"
08-29-1898 - Charlie Grimm - St. Louis, MO - d. 11-15-1983
Sportscaster:(Jolly Cholly) WBBM Chicago
08-29-1898 - Preston Sturges - Chicago, IL - d. 8-6-1959
film producer, writer, director: "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-29-1899 - George V. Denny, Jr. - Washington, [removed] - d. 11-11-1959
moderator: "America's Town Meeting of the Air"
08-29-1900 - Buell Kazee - Burton's Fork, KY - d. 8-31-1976
banjo-playing, singing Baptist minister: "Renfro Valley Barn Dance"
08-29-1904 - Ronald Watkins - Surrey, England - d. 2-16-2001
Reader of prose and poetry
08-29-1906 - Joe Sawyer - Guelph, Canada - d. 4-21-1982
actor: Sergant 'Biff' O'Hara "Rin-Tin-Tin"
08-29-1907 - Lurene Tuttle - Pleasant Lake, IN - d. 5-28-1986
actor: Effie Perrine "Advs. of Sam Spade"; Ellie Connors "Lum and Abner"
08-29-1910 - John Kane - Davenport, IA - d. 3-15-1910
actor: Tom Jones "Five Star Jones"; Scubby "Nick Carter"
08-29-1912 - Barry Sullivan - NYC - d. 6-6-1994
actor: Steve Canyon "Steve Canyon"; Simon Templar "The Saint"
08-29-1913 - Sylvia Fine - NYC - d. 10-28-1991
writer: (Wife of Danny Kaye) "Danny Kaye Show"; "Forecast"; "Bud's
Bandwagon"
08-29-1914 - Willard Waterman - Madison, WI - d. 2-2-1995
actor: Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve "Great Gildersleeve"; Roger
Barton "The Guiding Light"
08-29-1915 - Ingrid Bergman - Stockholm, Sweden - d. 8-29-1982
actor: "Everything for the Boys"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-29-1916 - George Montgomery - Brady, MT - d. 12-12-2000
actor: "Hollywood Star Time"; "NBC University Theatre of the Air"
08-29-1916 - Max Bice - d. 11-18-2002
newscaster: KMO Seattle, Washington
08-29-1916 - "Georgia Slim" Rutland - Tilton, GA - d. 6-xx-1968
fiddler: "Three Fiddlers"
08-29-1917 - Eddie Hubbard - Baltimore, MD - d. 3-26-2007
disk jockey: "Music Unlimited"
08-29-1920 - Charlie Parker - Kansas City, MO - d. 3-12-1955
jazz musician: "This Is Jazz"
08-29-1922 - Arthur Anderson - Staten Island, NY
actor: "Let's Pretend"; Mark Davis "Lawyer Tucker"; Buddy "Tony and Gus"
08-29-1924 - Dinah Washington - Tuscaloosa, AL - d. 12-14-1963
blues singer: "Jubilee"; "Bob Hope Show"; "One Night Stand"
08-29-1927 - Marion Williams - Miami, FL - d. 7-2-1994
gospel singer: "Soundstage"
08-29-1928 - Thomas Stewart - San Saba, TX - d. 9-24-2006
operatic baritone: "Musicians Off Stage"
August 29th deaths
02-19-1924 - Lee Marvin - NYC - d. 8-29-1987
actor: "Dragnet"
02-20-1911 - Paul Tripp - NYC - d. 8-29-2002
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
03-04-1920 - Alan MacNaughtan - Bearsden, Scotland - d. 8-29-2002
actor: "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
04-06-1892 - Lowell Thomas - Woodington, OH - d. 8-29-1981
newscaster, commentator: "Lowell Thomas and the News"; "Man with a
Question"
05-01-1906 - Rose Hobart - NYC - d. 8-29-2000
actor: "Nightbeat"
06-05-1912 - Dan Ocko - d. 8-29-1991
actor: Killer Kane "Buck Rogers of the 25th Century"; "Sergeant
Muggin "Inspector Thorne"
06-27-1911 - Collins Driggs - Manchester, CT - d. 8-29-1966
organist: Collins Driggs at the Hammond Organ"
07-06-1912 - Redd Evans - Meridian, MS - d. 8-29-1972
vocalist: "Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra"
08-03-1923 - Jean Hagen - Chicago, IL - d. 8-29-1977
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Stars in the Air"
08-29-1915 - Ingrid Bergman - Stockholm, Sweden - d. 8-29-1982
actor: "Everything for the Boys"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
09-06-1925 - Jimmy Reed - Dunleith, MS - d. 8-29-1976
blues singer, guitarist, harmonica playere: "One Night Stand"
10-01-1889 - Ralph W. Sockman - Mount Vernon, OH - d. 8-29-1970
preacher: "National Radio Pulpit"
10-27-1898 - Kathryn Cravens - Burkett, TX - d. 8-29-1991
newscaster: "News Through a Woman's Eye"
12-05-1929 - Richard Beebe - Pasadena, CA - d. 8-29-1998
newsman: "The Credibility Gap"
12-25-1902 - Louis Jackobson - d. 8-29-1978
producer: "Mortimer Gooch"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:02:49 -0400
From: Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Roommate wanted for FOTR
Arlene Osborne asked me to post this to the digest for her.
Would you please post a note to the OTR Digest for me saying that
I'm looking for a roommate (preferably female) for the FOTR? They can
send me email directly at OsborneAM@[removed]
I would really appreciate it. We expect to be there starting Wednesday night.
If I don't find a roomie, I'll be stuck at home!
Arlene Osborne
Fred
Check us out for old time radio & TV shows & Movie Serials
[removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #208
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