Subject: [removed] Digest V2007 #100
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 3/28/2007 1:03 PM
To: [removed]@[removed]

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2007 : Issue 100
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Groucho's suit                        [ RAY <noho321@[removed]; ]
  3-28 births/deaths                    [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
  FW: bad ILAM?                         [ "Barbara Harmon" <jimharmonotr@char ]
  Re: TCM                               [ Mike Thompson <mthomp86@[removed]; ]
  #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig  [ charlie@[removed] ]
  Re: the lost shows                    [ Chargous@[removed] ]
  Real Sound Effects                    [ Richard Fish <fish@lodestone-media. ]
  Re: TCM Programing - Boston Blackie   [ Don Shenbarger <donslistmail@sbcglo ]
  Eh Cumpari, Professor Munsick         [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
  "Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Nig  [ "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed] ]
  Keeping the Classic in TCM            [ Kermyt Anderson <kermyta@[removed]; ]
  Re: GROUCHO AND YOU BET YOUR LIFE     [ "Mary L. Wallace" <mlwallace57@hotm ]
  special cost saving at the REPS conv  [ "Walden Hughes" <walden1@yesterdayu ]

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

Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:18:24 -0400
From: RAY <noho321@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Groucho's suit

Perhaps I can add a little  anecdotal something to the ongoing mystery
of the recording methods of "You Bet  Your Life" for what
it's worth
by Michael C. Gwynne.

may I add to an already wonderful story about
Groucho:
     Yes, he did wear that same blue suit week after
week and month after month. As a paige at NBC
Hollywood (1957) I would see Groucho arrive with that
SAME faded blue suit. The filming (not tape) went on
forever as more than three contestants played the
game. I remember the audience being there for an hour
and a half each week.
     As for the cameras filming the show, there were
six. Two were on the left of stage, two at center and
two on the right. When a given camera ran out of film
the camera next to it was used and the empty camera
was reloaded. I never saw so much film used on a show.
With that much film being used a lot of bits and
pieces were used to create the most (thirty minutes)
entertaining show.
.....thanks again Michael for sharing your story,
.....Ray Markham, "the old NBC paige"

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

Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 22:34:18 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  3-28 births/deaths

March 28th births

03-28-1871 - Willem Mengelberg - Utrecht, Netherlands - d. 3-21-1951
composer, conductor: "The New York Philharmonic Orchestra"
03-28-1888 - Jim Harkins - d. 10-24-1970
emcee: "Song Writing Machine Series"
03-28-1890 - Paul Whiteman - Denver, CO - d. 12-29-1967
conductor: "Kraft Music Hall"; "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show"
03-28-1892 - Philip Loeb - Philadelphia, PA - d. 9-1-1955
actor: Jake Goldberg "The Goldbergs"
03-28-1896 - Virginia Rea - Louisville, KY - d. xx-xx-1941
singer: Olive Palmer "Palmolive Hour"; "Rubinoff and His Orchestra"
03-28-1897 - Frank Hawks - Marshalltown, IA - d. 8-23-1938
flying ace: "Roads of the Sky"; "Time Flies"
03-28-1903 - Rudolf Serkin - Eger, Bohemia - d. 5-8-1991
pianist: "Concert Hall"; "New York Philharmonic"
03-28-1904 - Day Keene - Illinois - d. 1-9-1969
writer: "Kitty Keene, Incorporated"; "Little Orphan Annie"
03-28-1907 - Jon Dodson - Richland, MO - d. xx-xx-1963
singer: (Member of the King's Men) "Fibber McGee and Molly"; "King's
Men"
03-28-1910 - Jimmy Dodd - Cincinnati, OH - d. 11-10-1964
singer, songwriter: "Lifebuoy Show"; "Command Performance"; "CBS
Radio Workshop"
03-28-1912 - Frank Lovejoy - The Bronx, NY - d. 10-2-1962
actor: Randy 'Lucky' Stone "Nightbeat"; Bill Weigand "Mr. and Mrs.
North"
03-28-1913 - Lucille Fletcher - NYC - d. 8-31-2000
dramatist: "Columbia Workshop"; "Suspense"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
03-28-1915 - Jay Livingston - McDonald, PA - d. 10-17-2001
composer: "Hollywood Calling-George Fisher Interviews"
03-28-1915 - Joel Murcott - d. 2-26-1978
writer, director: "Tales of the Texas Rangers"; "Yours Truly, Johnny
Dollar"
03-28-1917 - Randy Brooks - Sandford, ME - d. 3-21-1967
bandleader: "One Night Stand"; "The Kate Smith Hour"
03-28-1918 - John Heath - Seattle, WA
actor: "Sherlock Holmes"; "Murder is My Hobby"
03-28-1921 - Dirk Bogarde - London, England - d. 5-8-1999
actor: "A Christmas Carol"
03-28-1922 - Paul Bartell - Milwaukee, WI - d. 2-19-2006
announcer, disk jockey: "Blue Baron Show"; "Fox Club"
03-28-1924 - Freddie Bartholomew - London, England - d. 1-23-1992
guest: "Anchors Aweigh"
03-28-1925 - Jerry Walter - Illinois - d. 2-11-1979
actor: Gil Perry "Island Adventure"

March 28th deaths

01-25-1923 - Rusty Draper - d. 3-28-2003
country singer: "Dude Martin's Radio Ranch"
01-26-1905 - Maria von Trapp - Vienna, Austria-Hungary - d. 3-28-1987
singer: (Trapp Family Singers) "Christmas Seal Sale"
02-16-1902 - Leif Eid - Idaho - d. 3-28-1976
nbc bureau chief: Washington, Ottawa and Paris
04-16-1921 - Peter Ustinov - London, England - d. 3-28-2004
actor: "Freedom Forum"; "Mitch Miller Show"; "In Any Direction"
04-19-1913 - Sylvia Froos - New York - d. 3-28-2004
singer: "Sylvia Froos Show"; "Fred Allen Show"
05-05-1890 - Christopher Morley - Haverford, PA - d. 3-28-1957
author: "Information, Please"; "Hallmark Playhouse"; "Studio One"
05-28-1888 - Jim Thorpe - Prague, Indian Territory - d. 3-28-1953
all around athelete: "Shell Chateau"; "Bill Stern Colgate Sports
Newsreel"
06-08-1902 - Elliott Jacoby - NYC - d. 3-28-1977
composer, conductor: "Rudy Vallee Show"; "Maude's Diary"
07-04-1909 - Alec Templeton - Cardiff, South Wales - d. 3-28-1963
pianist, satirist: "You Shall Have Music"; "Universal Rhythm"; "Alec
Templeton Time"
07-15-1905 - Dorothy Fields - Allenhurst, NJ - d. 3-28-1974
lyricist: "Music for Millions"
07-26-1919 - Virginia Gilmore - El Monte, CA - d. 3-28-1986
actor: "The Ford Theatre"
07-28-1914 - Carman Dragon - Antioch, CA - d. 3-28-1987
conductor: "Maxwell House Coffee Time"; "Baby Snooks Show"; "Railroad
Hour"
08-24-1898 - Malcolm Cowley - Belsano, PA - d. 3-28-1989
speaker: "NBC University Theatre"
09-13-1918 - Dick Haymes - Buenos Aires, Argentina - d. 3-28-1980
singer, actor: Dick Haymes Show"; "Tommy Dorsey Show"; Crane Dockery
"I Fly Anything"
09-18-1886 - Powel Crosley, Jr. - Cincinnati, OH - d. 3-28-1961
owner of WLW radio station in Cincinnati
10-14-1890 - Dwight David 'Ike' Eisenhower - Abilene, KS - d. 3-28-1969
general, president: "War Production Drive Program"; "Let's All Back
the Attack"
10-15-1929 - Art James - d. 3-28-2004
announcer: Armed Forces Radio
11-16-1873 - W. C. Handy - Florence, AL - d. 3-28-1958
jazz trumpeter, composer: "Cavalcade of Music";"Freedom's People"
12-08-1888 - Raymond Lawrence - Bedford Square, England - d. 3-28-1976
actor: "Escape"; "The Halls of Ivy"; "Pursuit"
12-29-1904 - Wendell Niles - Twin Valley, MN - d. 3-28-1994
announcer: "Bob Hope Show"; "Man Called X"; "Hollywood Star Playhouse"
xx-xx-1883 - Al Swenson - Salt Lake City, UT - d. 3-28-1941
actor: "Captain Diamond "Advs. of Captain Diamond"; Paul Hutchinson
"Hilltop House"

Ron Sayles

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:05:59 -0400
From: "Barbara Harmon" <jimharmonotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  FW: bad ILAM?
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Martin Grams is a prolific writer of good radio books, but he is not the
final authority on the quality of all old radio programs.

            Are the missing episodes of "I Love a Mystery' ones that "suck"
in his elegant phrase?  There are a large number of single episodes from
various serials surviving, or sometimes perhaps a couple from the same
serial.  Has anyone who likes ILAM (and it is not to everyone's taste, I
admit) heard any of these perhaps twenty or so random episodes and who would
not like to hear the rest of the serial? I personally do not know of a
person who has heard an episode of "Bride of the Werewolf" or "My Beloved is
a Vampire" or any of the others who said "What a dull story - I wouldn't
want to hear any more of that!"

            Of course, some shows are better than others.  But it is
profound "sour grapes" to say the "lost" shows are not worth having.

            The fact that these shows are not now obtainable, like the
sunken treasures of the Titanic, should make us appreciate the ones we have
all the more, and sing the common man genius of Carlton E. Morse higher.
The faint possibility  that more may be found gives us something to hope
for, like a more earthly search for a popular arts Holy Grail.

            -- JIM HARMON (using Barbara's email domain)

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:06:32 -0400
From: Mike Thompson <mthomp86@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: TCM

Martin wrote:

Here's an example:  During the first three days
of March, the following
aired on Turner Classic Movies:

Dead Poets Society (1989)
Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
Diner (1982)
Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
The Front  (1976)
Sounder (1972)
Breaker Morant (1980)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
The Elephant Man  (1980)
Awakenings (1990)
Stand By Me (1986)
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Quiz Show (1994)
Crimson Tide (1995)

While I definitely support sending letters to TCM
expressing your desire to keep old movies on the
schedule, I wouldn't read *too* much into this,
considering when these movies aired. For years, TCM
has aired "31 Days of Oscar" each year, when they turn
over their schedule to nothing but Oscar-nominated
movies and shorts. Newer movies are frequently
included in the lineup. They used to do the Oscar
stunt in March, but when the Oscars were moved to
February, TCM moved their Oscar month too. They still
kept it 31 days, though, so that means the Oscar
programming extends to the first three days of March
each year. I believe most, perhaps all, of those
movies you listed were at least nominated for Oscars.

Don't get me wrong, TCM does seem to air non-classics
a bit more often these days, and I definitely would
encourage sending mail to them saying how much you
like the old movies and how you hope TCM continues to
air them long into the future. But I wouldn't press
the panic button quite yet. TCM has always diverted
from the norm a bit during Oscar month, and now that
it's over I think things'll settle down.

Mike

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 02:12:01 -0500
From: charlie@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!

A weekly [removed]

For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
Network, the channel name is #OldRadio.  We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
over nine years, same time, same channel! Started by Lois Culver, widow
of actor Howard Culver, this is the place to be on Thursday night for
real-time OTR talk!

Our "regulars" include OTR actors, soundmen, collectors, listeners, and
others interested in enjoying OTR from points all over the world. Discussions
range from favorite shows to almost anything else under the sun (sometimes
it's hard for us to stay on-topic)...but even if it isn't always focused,
it's always a good time!

For more info, contact charlie@[removed]. We hope to see you there, this
week and every week!

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:39:55 -0400
From: Chargous@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: the lost shows

Per Martin's post, I've read a lot of the complete storylines in script
form - some of them are quite good, Murder on February Island, The Case of
the Transplanted Castle.  I wouldn't mind hearing The Case of the Terrified
Comedian, Murder Hollywood Style,  or even The Thing That Wouldn't Die,
which isn't one of the more popular episodes.  Bride of the Werewolf, of
which one exists, is pretty cool.   I liked Incident Concerning Death and
Murder is the Word For It too.

Martin does have apoint, there's some mediocre storylines, and even bad
ones.  Although I've only read a couple episodes of Turn of the Wheel -
that was pretty bad.

For some reason, Stairway to the Sun has long been a Holy Grail of
ILAMS.  I don't know why - in my opinion, it's one of the worst ILAMs ever
made.  Hermit isn't too hot either.

Martin's probably right - NBC/CBS ones are more likely to turn up. The NBC
one is the one I found.   I don't see a whole lot of instantaneous lacquers
of Mutual shows, I have only a handful of any series.

		Travis

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:40:07 -0400
From: Richard Fish <fish@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Real Sound Effects

What a fascinating thread!  Recording audio plays on location has become
a recognized technique today, but using this method in live broadcasting
is not as rare as I thought -- and goes back a lot farther, if you count
the Golden Spike!

I can contribute one example:  Norman Corwin did this in his play "El
Capitan and the Corporal."  The soldier and the girl get off the train
during a halt in a big-city station, and there's a delightful sequence
where they forget which track their train is on, and have to run up and
down stairs to find the platform. Norman used the stairway just outside
his studio at CBS, putting a mic at the top and another at the bottom,
and had the actors (Joe Julian & Katherine Locke) run up and down the
stairs while delivering their lines. It sounds great!

Back in the mid 80s, Vanessa Whitburn and the late Mark Decker from the
BBC told me they often taped or broadcast radio theatre from studios
arranged for this kind of thing. For a drawing-room scene, they'll put
chairs, a sofa, a coffee table etc. around like a sitting room. The
actor playing a servant will actually carry in a tea-tray, and the
actors will pour tea, clink spoons, etc. etc. while playing the scene.

There are a number of modern productions which have been RECORDED
outside the studio, often with a single microphone used like a movie
camera. Done properly, the results can be spectacularly good. But for a
live broadcast, I always thought this was considered just too risky. If
you get a plane flying over, a dog barking, a siren passing, or a drunk
wandering through -- well, you get the idea. If you're recording, you
can always holler "cut!" and "take two!" when the problem goes away. But
if you're live on the air, the lyrics to that song the drunk is singing
might give Aunt Fanny in Peoria the galloping fantods.

But it seems like this sort of thing was done by a number of people, and
I'd really like to know if there are any other examples of live radio
plays where the microphone was outside the studio, or where the actors
made their own sound effects as they played the scene.

Many thanks for bringing this up!

Richard Fish

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:41:12 -0400
From: Don Shenbarger <donslistmail@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: TCM Programing - Boston Blackie

3/27/2007, Martin Grams wrote:
...take a moment and write a letter to Turner Classic Movies,
telling them you don't want to see BATMAN RETURNS or GROUNDHOG DAY
when you turn to their channel.  You want to see Boston Blackie
movies with Chetser Morris, the Harold Peary GREAT GILDERSLEEVE
movies, the LUM AND ABNER films, PHILO VANCE [removed]

Writing a letter is a good idea, but I would say it's more meaningful
to support the TCM programming concept than to pitch for Boston
Blackie type films to the exclusion of other films. I believe it
would be better to avoid negative comments. No matter what else you
say, people seem to see the *don't* and *not* words first and it sets
an unfavorable tone. So I say avoid the hard sell language. Give them
a couple of cookies they already know and they will get the idea you
are their kind of folks. Then make your pitch low key.

 From my viewpoint, it is more constructive to simply say you enjoy
watching TCM where many of your favorite films are shown. You like
Robert Osborne's stories about the films. And you liked the Boston
Blackie films shown recently and would like to see more of those
kinds of films.

Don

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 09:02:21 -0400
From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Eh Cumpari,  Professor Munsick
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I knew my fellow New Jersey-born OTR fan Lee Munsick wouldn't diappoint us. He
truly stood up to the plate in rebutting the ever eternal question "Did Arthur
Godfrey really fire Julius La Rosa on-air?" However, for the sake of Lee's
typing fingers, I'd like to recommend that his epistolary musings be keyed
into an FAQs folder either on the home pages for The Nostalgia Pages or for
any other OTR website that might consider hosting such. I'm aware that Snopes,
the website that dispels "urban legends," does address the notorious Uncle Don
Carney and Joseph Cotten/Sonny Tufts "incidents." Maybe they can address the
Godfrey/LaRosa affair and offer Mr. Munsick's discourse. Dare I say it, but
perhaps Lee's recent postings can be submitted to the much-maligned
un-authoritarian Wikipedia for the "La Rosa, Julius" entry.

Hey, Lee, when things quiet down and you've rested up enough, would you tell
us the real story behind whether Godfrey really "buzzed the tower' at
Teterboro Airport?

Happy Passover and Happy Easter, everybody!

Derek Tague

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:05:00 -0400
From: "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  "Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Night Stand
 with the Big Bands"

The latest "Golden Age of Radio" programs with Dick Bertel
and Ed Corcoran, and "A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"
with Arnold Dean can be heard at [removed].

Wach week we feature four complete shows in MP3 format
for your listening pleasure or for downloading; two "Golden
Age of Radios" and two "One Night Stands."

We present new shows every week or so. The current four
programs will be available on line at least until the morning of
April 4, 2007.

 Program 46 - January, 1974 - Aldo Gisalbert (Part 2)

Aldo Gisalbert, NBC studio engineer continues his discussion
of the very early days of the NBC network.

Program 47: February, 1974 - Larry Haines

Larry Haines appeared in almost all of the major evening radio
dramas, including "Gangbusters." He was often cast as a heavy.
In 1951 he joined the TV cast of "Search for Tomorrow" as Stu
Bergman, where he stayed for 35 years. During the same time he
continued to work in radio, appearing in "X Minus One" and the
"CBS Mystery Theater," to name just two.

"A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"

Program 43 - July, 1975 - Ray Beller

Ray Beller was an Alto Sax player with many of the big bands,
including Will Bradley, Ray McKinley, Benny Goodman, and
Stan Kenton, among others.

Program 44 - August, 1975 - George Shearing

George Shearing was born on August 13, 1919 in Battersea
region of London, England and was the youngest of nine children.
He was born congenitally blind.

In 1947, Shearing moved to the United States, where he began
to play in the genre of hard bop. One of his first gigs in the States
was at the Hickory House. He performed with the Oscar Pettiford
Trio and lead a quartet with Buddy DeFranco. Read more at our
website.

In the 1970's WTIC decided that there was a market in
the evening for long-form shows that could be packaged
and sold to sponsors. Two of those shows were "The
Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Night Stand with the
Big Bands."

Dick Bertel had interviewed radio collector-historian
Ed Corcoran several times on his radio and TV shows,
and thought a regular monthly show featuring interviews
with actors, writers, producers, engineers and musicians
from radio's early days might be interesting. "The Golden
Age of Radio" was first broadcast in April, 1970; Ed was
Dick's co-host. It lasted seven years. "The Golden Age
of Radio" can also be heard Saturday nights on Walden
Hughes's program on Radio Yesteryear.

Arnold Dean began his love affair with the big band
era in his pre-teen years and his decision to study
the clarinet was inspired by the style of Artie Shaw.
When he joined WTIC in 1965 he hosted a daily program
of big band music. In 1971, encouraged by the success
of his daily program and "The Golden Age of Radio"
series, he began monthly shows featuring interviews
with the band leaders, sidemen, agents, jazz reporters,
etc. who made major contributions to one of the great
eras of music history.

Bob Scherago
Webmaster

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:10:24 -0400
From: Kermyt Anderson <kermyta@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Keeping the Classic in TCM

Folks,

I heartily second Martin's appeal for letters to TCM to keep them
showing classic movies. There are so many links between OTR performers
and old films that they don't even need mentioning. Does anybody
remember when America Movie Classics (AMC) used to show, well, classic
American movies? Those days ended long ago. Now only a small proportion
of their product dates before 1975, and most of that has commercials
inserted. TCM still manages to charm and wonder with their selection of
wonderful films, many of which are not commercially available and have
not been seen on TV in years. (Where else can you see so many radio
stars?)

Kermyt

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:46:02 -0400
From: "Mary L. Wallace" <mlwallace57@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: GROUCHO AND YOU BET YOUR LIFE

Michael C. Gwynne's story about being at Groucho's house was fascinating
except for:

Groucho's wife Erin's

Groucho was never married to the dreaded Erin Fleming. Otherwise, as I
already said, the story was fascinating and thanks for sharing it, Michael!

Mary Lou Wallace

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

Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:46:20 -0400
From: "Walden Hughes" <walden1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  special cost saving at the REPS convention

Hi Everybody,

if you are thinking about makeing  the trip up to the REPS convention this
year, you might want to consider some of the special REPS has to save money
on the trip, and fee.  Contact REPS at [removed] to ask for an
Alaska code number to save money on airfare.  If you use the code on line
you save 10 percent on your trip, and Alaska has a Spring Sale going on
right now.  If you buy the complete two day package before the middle of
May, you will save some more money too.  Take care,

Walden Hughes

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2007 Issue #100
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