Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #116
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/25/2002 11:45 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 116
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Re: Scarlet Queen/Quiet Please Date   [ Christopher Werner <cwerner@globalc ]
  Last request for Fred Allen and Gene  [ "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@ho ]
  Eileen Farrell                        [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
  Scripts, Copyrights, Etc.             [ GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@ ]
  Top Ten for January, 1944             [ Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed] ]
  Re: How many radios?                  [ ADeTol1@[removed] ]
  Rhubarb, Rhubarb                      [ "Ian Grieve" <ian@[removed] ]
  Re: Pay Scales                        [ lawrence albert <albertlarry@yahoo. ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  OTR Music - Origins and Sources       [ garcher@[removed] ]
  Broadcasting from Tables              [ Conrad Binyon <conradab@[removed] ]
  Why No Award Show?                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  (no subject)                          [ FKELLY <fkelly@[removed]; ]
  The Hermit's Cave                     [ Bryan Wright <bswrig@[removed]; ]
  South African Radio / Far East Netwo  [ John <glowingdial1@[removed]; ]
  Original Amateur Hour                 [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
  The Ultimate Confusion                [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
  Re: A New York Giant [removed]!     [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:14:52 -0500
From: Christopher Werner <cwerner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Scarlet Queen/Quiet Please Date Mystery

At 02:07 PM 3/24/2002 -0500, Doug Leary asked:
I am trying to solve a minor mystery. Tonight I noticed that at the end of
episode 22 of Voyage of the Scarlet Queen ("The Green Tourist and the Temple
Bell", broadcast date 12/03/47 according to Jerry Haendiges' logs), an
announcer says, "Stay Tuned for Quiet Please, another Mutual favorite." To
experience the original flow of programming, I looked for that night's Quiet
Please episode, but found that Quiet Please was not broadcast on 12/3/47.
The nearest dates are 12/1/47 and 12/8/47.

I gleefully grabbed my recently acquired November and December 1947 issues
of Radio Mirror (thanks to eBay) and found the following (Midwest EST)
schedule for-

Wednesdays on Mutual:

7:00    Fulton Lewis, Jr
7:15    Dance Orchestra
7:30    Leland Stowe
7:45    Inside of Sports
8:00    Crime Club
8:30    Quiet Please
9:00    Gabriel Heatter
9:15    Real Stories
9:30    Let's Go to the Movies
10:00   Racket Busters
10:30   Latin American Serenade

Thursdays on Mutual:

7:00    Fulton Lewis, Jr
7:15    Dance Orchestra
7:45    Inside of Sports
8:00    Water Front Wayside
8:30    Scarlet Queen
9:00    Gabriel Heatter
9:15    Real Stories
9:30    Mutual BLock Party
10:00   Family Theatre

As you can see, both programs began at 8:30 PM, but on different evenings.
Thinking that your announcer may have developed a habit of plugging Quiet
Please from an earlier schedule, I checked November.

Quiet Please began December in this new Wednesday time slot (Johnny Modero
ran there in November, but still after Crime Club). In November Quiet
Please was on Sunday nights at 10:00 PM following Exploring the Unknown at
9:00 and Jim Backus at 9:30. Water Front Wayside also began in the Thursday
8:00 time slot in December. Previously the Let's Go to the Movies program
preceded Voyage of the Scarlet Queen on Thursdays (at 8:00).

Was
the announcement wrong?

Yes. Perhaps the announcer thought he was doing Crime Club? All the
performers and production staff for the two programs are completely
different. Since the Crime Club show concludes by leaving the library, the
announcer on your recording would have been a local one.

Could one or the other show have been a re-run? I
didn't think the concept of re-runs existed in the 40's.

Perhaps the announcer is not from 1947 at all, but the two programs were
taped from a re-broadcast on one of the many OTR programs of more recent
date? Or the schedule was changed for the West Coast.

I would say that I am encouraged to find such evidence that folks *are*
interested in re-enacting a typical radio day using what programs are in
circulation.

Just to complete the 'view' the Wednesday Quiet Please competed with
Gildersleeve (NBC), Vox Pop (ABC) and Dr. Christian (CBS). Previously (on
Sundays) it was against Take it or Leave it (NBC) or the last half hour of
Theatre Guild (ABC) or Tony Martin Show (CBS). Scarlet Queen, on Thursday,
competed with Burns and Allen (NBC), The Clock (ABC), and Mr Keen (CBS).

Enjoy ---  Chris

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:15:13 -0500
From: "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Last request for Fred Allen and Gene Autry

Hey Gang,
I've been hunting all over the place for the answer to one of our
compatriots at the Fred Allen Forum (of which I am administrator.) Here is
his request:
"Does anyhone know where you can get a copy of the Fred Allen show,
broadcast on Oct. 18, 1939 where he had Gene Autry as a guest? If not a
recording of the show, then a transcript?"
I'm doubtful there is a recording of the show, but can't say so
categorically--can anyone else? If so, let me know and I can let my Forum
poster off the hook. I just need to know if anyone has it in their
collection or knows where it can be found.
Thanks again folks.
OTR fans are the best.

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:15:53 -0500
From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Eileen Farrell

In our last episode, JayHick@[removed] wrote:

We lost Eileen Farrell on March 23.  She was 82.  We were fortunate to meet
her at our FOTR Convention 2 years ago.  She was one of our great singers.

How ironic that for the past few days I've been transferring some recordings
of hers from transcriptions. All Wagner. All live radio broadcasts.

Joe Salerno

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:16:23 -0500
From: GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Scripts, Copyrights, Etc.

     The few original scripts I possess were
discovered in junk stores and antique shops at least
20-30 years after the fact. That is 40 - 60 years
after the fact today.

     I don't think anybody would ever come after me
for the mere POSSESSION of these scripts. But I
couldn't RE-PERFORM them if the copyright holder
objected, at least not on a for-profit basis. Amateur
recreations would PROBABLY be permitted, even if the
results were traded among other collectors.

     It's a little bit like the possession of actual
program discs, when the possessor has salvaged the
only known copies. He or she can't very well
re-broadcast those shows if the copyright holder
objects. On the other hand, neither can the copyright
holder without coming to some accomodation with the
disc owner!

     George Wagner
     GWAGNEROLDTIMERADIO@[removed]
     poetdreamerscholar@[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:16:37 -0500
From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Top Ten for January, 1944

In reviewing some old SPERDVAC magazines today, I thought the readership
might enjoy knowing the Hooper Top Ten for January, 1944, as recounted in
SPERDVAC RADIO MAGAZINE No. 7 [1986], p. 27.

1. Fibber McGee and Molly               Hooper Rating [removed]
(Johnson's Wax)
2. Bob Hope                     [removed]                    (Pepsodent)
3. Red Skelton                  [removed]                    (Raleigh
Cigarettes)
4. Charlie McCarthy                     [removed]                    (Chase &
Sanborn)
5. Jack Benny                   [removed]                    (Lucky Strike)
6. Aldrich Family                       [removed]                    (Jello)
7. Joan Davis-Jack Haley                [removed]                    (Sealtest)
8. Abbott & Costello                    [removed]                    (Camel
Cigarettes)
9. Mr. District Attorney                        [removed]
(Bristol-Myers)
10. Baby Snooks                 [removed]                    (Maxwell House
Coffee)

All programs were NBC. Nine were comedies.  Elizabeth commented once about
the phenomenon of "Mr. District Attorney" being a Top 10 program.   Perhaps
she'd do so again.

Dennis Crow

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:23:44 -0500
From: ADeTol1@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: How many radios?
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

Jim Yellen wrote:

I was listening to an episode of The Great Gildersleeve today that brought to
my mind a question about radios sets in the household.

Leroy was bored in bed alone and asked for the radio. Gildy had to lug the
radio set up the stairs to his room.

So I was [removed] many radio sets did the average family have during
the Golden Age? Was it just the one? Did you have to be "rich" to have more
then one? It seems to me that a household like Gildy's could afford more then
one. After all, they did have a maid.

I was born in 1931.  We had one large floor model Majestic Radio in our
Dining Room.  It operated on 120 volts  AC that fed into a power supply
whjich was contained in the back of the set.  It consisted of a huge heavy
metal case about 15" x 15" x 5".  The chasis had at least 10 tubes and was
huge,  The cabinet was about 30" x 36" x  15" and stood on four legs that
raised about 30" above the floor. I learned about electricity from that
monster when at the age of three or four I stuck my hand into the power unit.
 It was the only radio we owned until about 1940 when we accquired a Zenith
table model that was about the size of a toaster.
I still have a working Philco Cathedral Style table model that belonged to my
grand father.  It is a 1936 or 37 models.

Radios were quite expensive during that era, because the average family had
very little excess spendable income.

Andy

  *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
  ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:24:22 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <ian@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Rhubarb, Rhubarb

When someone was talking about this recently I didn't have much to offer so
I kept quiet, difficult for me at the best of times.

Eric Sykes and Jimmy Edwards are/were favourite British Comedians of mine
and I do have one of their Videos of a movie they did where Rhubarb, Rhubarb
were the only words spoken.  It was very well done and almost as funny as
THE PLANK which is my all time favourite British Comedy (no words spoken in
that one).

Today I received a 1947 Australian magazine called RADIO PICTORIAL.  On page
35 where they have little snippets of information it says:

A New York recording show sells records of sound effects entitled "Rhubarb
Noises."
A collection of people quietly murmering "Rhubarb, rhubarb," to give the
impression of a crowd talking in the background.  2SM's (Sydney Radio
station) John Dunne recalls that during his musical comedy days, singers who
forgot their lines often resorted to singing "Grips and graps and frays and
crows" with success.  He declares this line fits in with any melody at all.
The audience notices no difference other than the singer sounding a little
indistinct.

Well you learn something new everyday.  "Rhubarb, rhubarb" I had heard of
but "Grips and graps and frays and crows" is a new one on me.  With the
music differences now, I wonder if it would still work?  Any other examples
like these?

Ian Grieve

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:25:08 -0500
From: lawrence albert <albertlarry@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Pay Scales

   The thread regarding pay scales for actors during
the Golden Age comes at a rather timely moment. I'm in
the process of working with AFTRA to renegotiate the
contract for the union actors who appear on
"Imagination Theatre". It has so far taken almost five
months to even get the preliminaries into committee.
The major stumbling block is the concept of a weekly
dramatic radio series on commercial radio.
As far as AFTRA is able to make out we are the only
company in the country doing this under a union
contract, and the code under which all pay scales are
set doesn't cover such a thing any longer.
  The New York office of the union has come up with a
"new" term they call us a "sustaining" program.
   The above is my problem; the irony is that the
format, dramatic radio and the person ell, the radio
actor, for whose protections and benefit this union
was created, are now not even a part of the main pay
code any longer.
     Of course when Television, sponsors, networks,
public apathy and local stations demand for more air
time killed off OTR the union really had no need to
keep that particular code alive, did it.
  Oh, by the by I am and will always remain a loyal
member and strong supporter of AFTRA.
              Larry Albert
            Associate Producer Imagination Theatre

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:25:22 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history

  From Those Were The Days --

1943 - Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore premiered on network radio. The
pair replaced the popular Abbott and Costello following Lou Costello’s
heart attack. Durante and Moore stayed on the air for four years.

  Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:26:02 -0500
From: garcher@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR Music - Origins and Sources

Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 11:19:23 -0500
Chris Holm  <[removed]@[removed]; posted on 23 Mar 2002:

I recently realized something regarding radio and myself.  I am a big fan of
the genre of music one might call modern rock (or alternative, or
progressive, or whatever not particularly meaningful label you want to give
it).  I grew up in the Washington DC area listening to [removed]

My questions are:
1)  We mostly discuss OTR shows, but what about OTR music.  I have understood
that remotes were used as time fillers, etc.  Is this true?  Can anyone
estimate the ratio of live remote-style music to recorded studio music?  Was
it used at different times of the day, different purposes, etc?

I'm from the other end of the country and listened to many programs
on San Diego AM stations 1943-1948 and later Portland, OR from 1949 to 1955.

I got my love of classical music from listening to OTR in the 1940's
mostly on the car radio (my father was monopolizing the radio in the
house). Here is a correlated list of ORT music themes and their
composers and full names:

Lone Ranger - Chopin - Les Sylphides
              Rosini - William Tell Overature
              Webern -Oberon Overature

Green Hornet - Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumble Bee

Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons - Sibelius - Waltz Triste

Sgt. Preston of the Yukon -  von Reznicek's "Donna Diana" Overture

Radio theme music was also composed just for that program. Is there a
list of programs/composers of the radio theme scores?

And to answer my own question:

Rob Chatlin mentioned on 1 Mar 2002 that a book had been published on
the origins of the Lone Ranger's music called

"The Mystery of the Lone Ranger's Music, or something similar."

A quick summary of the Lone Ranger musical bridges can be found at:
[removed]

(others posted these leads):

More info on OTR theme music is at:
[removed]

(Note: Jay Hickerson sells a disk listing the themes songs of 380 OTR
programs)

New OTR fans might enjoy the Official OTR FAQ, at:
[removed]

George Archer

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:26:13 -0500
From: Conrad Binyon <conradab@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Broadcasting from Tables

Examples thereof shown at the following link:

[removed]

CAB
--
conradab@[removed] (Conrad A. Binyon)
   From the Home of the Stars who loved Ranches and Farms
     Encino, California.

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:28:44 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Why No Award Show?

Well, another awards presentation has come and gone. They present awards for
just about anything these days. For all you scholars out there, why was there
never an awards show for radio? This is something that has puzzled me for a
long time.
--
Ron Sayles

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:29:02 -0500
From: FKELLY <fkelly@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: (no subject)

A friend says he remembers a radio series in which the detective had an
aortic aneurysm, and therefore could absolutely not stand any
excitement.  Seems bizarre--does anybody else remember this?

Also, Remember WENN notwithstanding, is there any OTR history connected
with Pittsburgh?

Finally, what are the dates and location of the Cincinatti convention?

Thanks.

--
Frank Kelly
Pittsburgh

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:29:29 -0500
From: Bryan Wright <bswrig@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Hermit's Cave

Hi,

I'm trying to complete my collection of "The Hermit's Cave." I'm trying to
find non-MP3 copies of the following Hermit's Cave shows:

"Castle By The Sea"
"The Professor's Elixir"

I would be willing to trade for copies on either cassette, reel, or audio
CD-R. Please e-mail me off-list if you can help.

Thanks!
Bryan Wright
bswrig@[removed]
[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:19:37 -0500
From: John <glowingdial1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: South African Radio / Far East Network

Hi folks, does anyone on the list have any idea if any informative books on
South African radio are available?  I am looking for something that will
talk about SA radio in general as well as profile the more popular shows
like Sounds Of Darkness, Creaking Door, SF 68 and so on.  I think Jerry
Haendiges has some logs but I'd like to learn more.
Also, I am looking for info on a show called Macabra.  An announcement at
the end of the episodes says it was produced by the Far East Network and I
think the crew and cast were all military personnel.  Any clarifications on
this from our experts out there?
I am looking for better copies of Macabra episodes too, most of mine are
very muffled.
Thanks, see you on the radio.
John Matthews
The Glowing Dial Page
[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:26:31 -0500
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Original Amateur Hour

The Original Amateur Hour started in 1935 on WHN in New York. At that
time Major Bowes was the manager of WHN which was owned by Lowe's
Incorporated. When I joined the engineering staff of WHN in the fall of
1936, the Major had taken his show to NBC and Jay C. Flippen took over
the original amateur hour at WHN, which originated from the stage of
Lowe's Lexington movie theater. My long time friend, Frank Anzelone, was
the engineer , and WHN staff announcer Ray Saunders was the announcer.
There also was a new manager! L. K. Sydney. Later the show switched to
CBS.

The Major and his wife, a well known concert singer, had a suite in the
Capital Theater and a large estate on the Shrewsbury River near Red Bank,
New Jersey.

Ted Mack later took over the Amateur Hour. As I recall his mother worked
for the Major and their office was in the building that housed Radio
Playhouse 3, later becoming TV studio 50, and then the Ed Sullivan
Theater.

It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Eileen Farrell
yesterday. I never knew her at CBS but always enjoyed her Sunday Morning
broadcast. We did meet at FOTR in Newark and recalled our mutual friends.
 . I had a 16 inch transcription of one of her broadcasts which one of my
pals dubbed to cassette several years ago, so I sent her a copy.  Not
only was she a fine lady, but she had a fantastik voice.

Bill Murtough

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:30:44 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Ultimate Confusion

I was browsing eBay the other day.  With all the mythology about "decoder
rings," I was rather nonplussed to see someone offering a Captain
Midnight 1945 "Decoder Ring Badge"!  I'm sure that the seller had heard
of the mythical "Captain Midnight Decoder Ring," and saw an item  that
was clearly a badge, and just ... err ... put one and one together.

Before I leave the subject, a memory: a cryptologist who'd broken a
rather complex cipher that was written by the late psychologist, Robert
Thouless,  using a twice-enciphered message [for the morbidly curious, it
was a double Playfair using the keywords "black" and "beauty"].  There
was a news story on his achievement, and a reporter had a picture of him
taken holding a [Captain Midnight] Mystery Dial Code-O-Graph.  The
caption of the photo was, "Cryptologist James J. Gollogly with a Captain
Midnight decoder ring."  (Actually, it was the Klutz replica of the
Mystery Dial Code-O-Graph, but that's a quibble.)  How anybody looking at
what's obviously a badge could call it a "ring" is one of those mysteries
best addressed by theologians rather than logicians: for some people,
it's a matter of belief that a Captain Midnight Decoder Ring existed, all
facts o the contrary.

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 12:41:24 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: A New York Giant [removed]!

 Irene Theodore Heinstein posted

Re:  Archie
I just want to join the chorus of Archie and Jughead fans.  I am absolutely
thrilled to read Harlan Stone's messages as I was a major Archie fan in all
genres, starting with comic books and loved the radio shows.   Thanks for
the priceless information and memories, Jughead.

Your most welcome [removed] thank you!... However, Irene went on to [removed]

And Grand Central Station <SNIP>...I made many fast roundtrips there for my
Dad, arriving at GCS, going to the NY Giants (baseball) downtown box office,
one block away, buying tickets and heading right back home.

SIGH! Because Irene had such nice things to say about me, I am forced to
forgive her family for being [removed] Giants baseball team fans. I grew up as a
rabid Brooklyn Dodger fan. You could not be a Dodger fan unless you hated
the Giants. Irene certainly disproves the fact that Giant fans had no taste.
:)

One of my biggest thrills when I was older, (and Directing TV Commercials),
was the opportunity to work with (in separate spots) Don Drysdale, and Gill
[removed] of the Dodger team "Greats".

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #116
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