------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 414
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Old telephone prefixes [ Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed] ]
telephone system [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]
old telephone service [ EdHowell@[removed] ]
Dial telephone system [ JamesAltenburg@[removed] ]
Correction [ SNowitz@[removed] ]
Dial Telephone Letters [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
Re: Dial Phone Sevice [ Shenbarger@[removed] ]
The Fifth Horseman [ Joyce Brabner <jbrabner@[removed]; ]
Conrad [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
Re: Audio of FOTR talks? [ StevenL751@[removed] ]
Peter Potter [ "Harry Machin, Jr." <harbev5@earthl ]
A Quick Note [ "Shawn A. Wells" <swells@[removed] ]
OTR Announcers [ pamwarren2002@[removed] ]
Warner Brothers Studio [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
Thurl Ravenscroft; old telephone num [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
Breaking Stories [ SeptSev@[removed] ]
Obscure shows and poor sound [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
Tony the Tiger [ "glen schroeder" <gschroeder10@char ]
Dial telephone, more info [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 10:20:28 -0400
From: Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Old telephone prefixes
"Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed];
Because he knew that only one such combination was used, for those digits,
in that area. (The writers perhaps weren't aware that, in dial systems,
letter prefixes were usually used only with six- or seven-digit numbers; a
five-digit dial number would usually be given as, for example, 2-2428.)
While restoring on of my vintage radios, I pulled a tube for
testing. It had a label from a long ago radio shop with the shop
name and the number to call for any further service. The number
was 2 longs and a short. Those of you who had telephones in rural
areas in earlier times will understand.
Bill H.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 10:21:30 -0400
From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: telephone system
"Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed]; gives us a lot of valuable info on
how the telephone system worked.
Now, for a little personal rememberings:
When my two brothers & I went to live with our aunt in a small town in
western Pennsylvania in early 1957, this was the telephone system:
We had a round-base telephone in the livingroom. The phone didn't have a
dial; it just had a number-plate on the front which showed our four-digit
phone number (4333, if I remember right). To make a call you picked up the
handpiece & listened to hear if there was anybody else on the "party line"
making a call. Assuming the line was clear (& it usually was, since we were
on a two-party line, rather than one with four parties on it), you clicked
the receiver-plate twice to get the (live) operator's attention; then you
would tell the operator the number of the phone that you wanted to connect
to. She (it was always a female operator) would connect your [removed]
When our phone rang we had to listen to the "ring pattern" before picking
up to make sure that the call was for "our" phone (even though we paid a
monthly rental fee to the Telephone Company for the instrument). I think
ours was 2 long, 1 short.
The telephone switching station was downtown, on the second floor of the
Bank Building. Its big windows allowed the Operators to see what was going
on on the main streets of our small town. When the fire siren, which was
mounted on the roof of the Bank Building, sounded, all the volunteer
firemen in the area could rush to the Fire Station to respond to the
emergency. Some of the firemen volunteers who lived/worked away from
downtown usually called the operators in the Bank Building to ask where the
fire was - then they'd drive directly to the site of the emergency, and
meet the fire company there.
No big historical/cultural/technoligical judgements - that's the way it was.
Herb Harrison
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 11:31:27 -0400
From: EdHowell@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: old telephone service
Slightly off topic but since old dial telephones have been mentioned, I
recall working at radio stations where they had removed the dial from the
phone to prevent our calling out when on duty. I just lifted the handset to
get the dial tone and then clicked the hangup switch the proper number of
times for each number and never had any trouble getting the person I was
calling. "Where there is a will, there is a way!"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 11:31:54 -0400
From: JamesAltenburg@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dial telephone system
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When was that dial exchange in Aberdeen. I know Medford, Wisconsin near my
hometown had a very early dial exchange like 1912 or so and St. Petersburg,
Florida I know was 1912. Incidentally 40 years ago when I was a teenager, we
used to frequent a joint called Tombstone in Medford -- like a meeting place
for kids from all over. It was owned by three young guys who sold beer to
18's and over (it was legal then) and soda or pop as we called it, to the
younger kids. Tombstone Bar was named so because of an adjacent little
cemetary. Anyway, I inherited quite a lot of money (about $250,000 in
today's value) from my father when he died and my brother, the same amount.
My brother's best friend was the local banker's son -- he also owned a
automobile agency (Plymouth) as did my father (Ford) and in fact he was
president of another bank. Hmm, thinking about it the families were mirror
images. But, I digress. I remember when I was 18 my brother said his friend
wanted to meet with us and and the young owners of the Tombstone Bar because
they were starting to sell pizza and were looking for investors. They were
just starting to sell it to local stores.
I seem to dimly remember the figure of $10,000 being tossed around and of
course I declined as did my brother. Well, could have been buying all the
OTR tapes I wanted and living next to Rosie O'Donnell (ugh) over on Star
Island here on Miami Beach today if I had invested that ten grand with those
guys. Their business expanded and expanded and Tombstone Pizza was sold to
Kraft about ten years ago. That $10,000 probably would have cashed out at
$1,000,000 in those 30 or so years. On the Kraft Tombstone web site -- and
I think even on the boxes -- after they first bought it, they had the story
of the Medford, Wisconsin boys who started it but interestlingly, now, last
time I checked web site and boxes, no reference, instead believe it or not
they suggest that Tombstone is Tombstone, Arizona. However, pizza is still
made in Medford. I confirmed that by the want ads for plant workers recently
in our local Wisconsin weekly newspaper.
And now you know the rest of the story. Which brings another thought to
mind. I read on the Digest once where Paul Harvey was like Bill Stern. I
thought they were referring to his voice but in listening to old Bill Stern
shows I recently found, discovered the voices are dissimilar but the formats
of Harvey's Rest of the Story and Bill Stern's shows from the '40s and ''50s
were very similar and Harvey obviously got the idea from Stern. And now you
know the rest of the rest of the story.
Have a great day everyone.
Jim Alton (Altenburg)
WKAT Miami 1964-1979
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 12:58:07 -0400
From: SNowitz@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Correction
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The record on Columbia This old house was the B SIDE to the
hit HEY THERE both sides mad the charts Hey there for 12
Weeks at NO1 This old house at NO6 for 8 weeks. I
played it as a 78 vinyl white label as a [removed] That was the last
year for DJ 78's 45"s started to be sent to Radio stations.
it cost back in those days $125 to convert a huge RCA
Transcription player to 45. Two years later Gates Radio came
out with a 16 inche three puck driven turntable.
Saul Nowitz
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 12:58:42 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dial Telephone Letters
As has been pointed out, the original telephone numbers had exchange
names such as PEnnsylvania, MUrrayhill, RHinelander, and suchlike. (In a
literary contest, someone combined two movie titles to get BUtterfield
8-2001.) Though this was also a slight mnemonic in recalling numbers, it
had few other uses back then.
However, in one story, the telephone dial was used as a cipher device.
The Green Hornet discovered a light was blinking in a certain order:
first, a set of flashes running from two blinks to nine. This was
followed by a second set of flashes, varying from one to three. After a
bit of thought, he discerned that the telephone dial was being used as a
cipher table. The first set of flashes determined which number was
associated with a trio of letters; the second, which of the three
letters. (For instance "CAT": would be "** ***," "** *," "******** *,"
where the asterisks represent flashes.) This would be awkward
cryptographically, as it would take a lot of time to spell out words, and
relatively easy to crack (according to the story, the Hornet did it in
his head), but the sender and receiver would be able to locate a gadget
to decipher the message in any house and most businesses.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 13:00:59 -0400
From: Shenbarger@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Dial Phone Sevice
In a message dated 10/22/2002 9:29:59 AM Central Daylight Time, Ted Kneebone
writes:
I am happy to report that my town, Aberdeen, SD, was the first city in the
US to have dial telephone service.
I recall a news story on the occasion of closing the last operator service
and switching to dial. The location was Santa Catalina Island. One of the
persons interviewed was a child who said he didn't know how to dial and
needed to ask the operator to call his mommy. Naturally this was a radio news
broadcast.
Don Shenbarger
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 13:01:22 -0400
From: Joyce Brabner <jbrabner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Fifth Horseman
This eight episode 1946 series was broadcast on NBC "from Hollywood" to
warn Americans about the dangers of atomic war. Each broadcast was
narrated by a different star, beginning with Henry Fonda, then William
Bendix. About the time I was listening to Robert Young caution against
giving up civil liberties in anticipation of nuclear terrorism, I
realized how progressive mugh of the writing was (somebody named
Marquis, I think). Does anyone know the story behind these shows? Who
sponsored/funded "The Fifth Horseman"?
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 13:27:27 -0400
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Conrad
Dan Hughes wrote:
Any William Conrad experts? I have a small book of photographs called
WATERSEDGE, Santa Barbara, by William B. Conrad. The book is dedicated
to Hope, and inscribed to Frankie Fowler, Christmas 1949.
Is this the OTR William Conrad, or somebody else? Did our Bill dabble in
still photography? Was his middle initial B, did he know a woman named
Hope, who is Frankie Fowler?
This may be a series of coincidences. I never heard the middle intial "B"
used but Bill Conrad was a collector of hobbies, among them photography. He
talked me into using a Rolleiflex. There is a Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara
and Frank Fowler was an actor-director at Santa Barbara City College. I
worked with Frank as an actor in 1937 at the Pasadena Playhouse. If it is
the same Conrad, he never mentioned the book.
Harry Bartell
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 19:49:23 -0400
From: StevenL751@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Audio of FOTR talks?
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In a message dated 10/22/2002 10:30:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
Hello, just wondering if there will be someone taping the talks given at
the
FOTR convention? I'm out in Phoenix, so I won't have a chance to get there,
but I was really interested in most of these workshops. If anyone will be
taping, could there be a site to put the audio up on, or could it be
traded?
Thanks a lot.
All the panels and performances at FOTR are both audio and video taped, and
the recordings are made available for sale a few months later as a
fund-raiser for the non-profit FOTR organization. I encourage everyone to
help support the organization in this way, the money raised goes directly
back into the annual convention and helps us to keep our registration fees
down.
Send convention chairman Jay Hickerson (JayHick@[removed]) an e-mail in January
and he should be able to refer you to the person handling the sales for this
year's tapes.
Steve Lewis
committee member, Friends of Old-Time Radio
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 19:49:56 -0400
From: "Harry Machin, Jr." <harbev5@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Peter Potter
The mention of Peter Potter by Harry Bartell and
Sandy Singer brought back a memory. While in
the navy, in the early '50s, I attended a broadcast
(in Hollywood) of what I recall as being "Peter Potter's Platter Parade."
The guest judges were James Arness and Barbara Britton. Songs were played
and Potter would ask if the song would be a hit or a miss. I think there
was a sound effect for "hit" and "miss." I don't recall the show being
called Juke Box Jury --- I've always remembered it as I noted above. But
that was at least 50 years ago and my memory isn't the best. I
am curious, though, about the correct title of that show. I also remember
the heavy makeup worn by Arness and Britton, which was necessary in the
early days of TV.
Harry Machin, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 19:49:30 -0400
From: "Shawn A. Wells" <swells@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: A Quick Note
If any of you are interested, I have opened a new section of my catalog.
I called it 'Direct From Transcription.' Each show has been carefully
transferred from the original broadcast discs, digitally restored and
are in full beautiful rich sound. Each set will contain 10 Compact Discs
(not mp3) full of all kinds of shows. If there is enough interest, then
I will release a new set each month.
Thanks
Shawn A. Wells
The Old Time Radio Shop
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 20:01:42 -0400
From: pamwarren2002@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR Announcers
Attention OTR Buffs,
Does anybody have a collection or collections of OTR radio announcers,
specifically Tom Hanlon, Maurice Hart, Hal Sawyer, Harry Von Zell?
I am still looking for the L. Ron Hubbard radio broadcasts of 1950-51 and all
the above were on the same station at the same time as Mr. Hubbard's
broadcasts.
Contact me if you have any data. Thanks.
Pam Warren and Trevor Simington - 323 953-3336
pamwarren2002@[removed]
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Please contact the poster directly; this thread is now ended.
--cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:06:37 -0400
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Warner Brothers Studio
There was some postings about KFWB and the Warner Brothers Studios They
were on the South side of Sunset just below Gower. I was working at KNX
at Sunset and Gower from 1945 to 1951, when I transferred back to CBS-New
York. We used a KFWB theater studio regularly. It was a converted sound
stage. The audio amplifiers were RCA vintage of the 1930's, a model 40-A
line amplifier and 41-B pre-amplifiers. When Gene Autry first returned
to the air I was assigned there for three weeks covering for the regular
engineer who was on vacation. During the break before the show Gene would
take the director and I out for breakfast. A very enjoyable situation.
One Sunday just before "air time", during the audience warm-up, my RCA
40-C line amplifier "bit the dust". Even though it was ancient I was
familiar with it, and knew which tube had blown. Gene's manager, Mitch,
quickly cleared the control room, and at my request the KFWB standby
engineer got me a replacement tube. I made it and got on the air on time,
but was sure a "hairy" few moments. By the way, Mitch would later become
the producer of the Captain Kangaroo television shows which I would
substitute on, but our paths never crossed. However, I would run into
Gene from time to time. I think the last time was when I was spending the
summer on Catalina Island broadcasting the dance bands nightly from the
Casino. My announcer, Cliff Johnson and I were having lunch on the patio
off the country club between rounds of golf when Gene, along with [removed]
Wrgley, his friend and the owner of Catalina Island, passed by. I also
ran into him once after I returned to the New York studios.
KFWB was a very active station. Cliff Johnson returned to Chicago and
had a "chat" program on CBS from around his breakfast table with his
wife, Lou, and their three little girls, one of whom was born on Catalina
while we were there.
BILL MURTOUGH
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:06:51 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Thurl Ravenscroft; old telephone numbers.
In addition to his portrayal of Tony the Tiger, Thurl
Ravenscroft also did the singing in "How The Grinch
Stole Christmas (Boris Karloff did the narration).
Re advertisers who use names in telephone numbers, a
construction company in the Detroit area continues to
use one: TY 8-7100 (TY for Tyler).
And in addition to novels and movies that use named
telephone numbers, such as BUtterfield 8, let's not
forget the song, "BEachwood 45789" by the Marvelettes.
Rick
[removed] Speaking of old phones, we have one in one of the
stores in the Streets of Old Detroit at the Detroit
Historical Museum. I ask younger visitors what's
different about that phone from ones we have today (no
dial). Then I ask how they'd call someone without a
dial. Some know; some don't; and some come up with
imaginative solutions.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:07:27 -0400
From: SeptSev@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Breaking Stories
This is awriting question, either for those on the list who wrote for radio
or who know about the process.
I was a TV writer for over 10 years, both for sit-coms and hour dramas. In
TV, comedies were almost all gang written in a "writer's room." Hour drama
was "broken" (outlined) sometimes by the whole writing staff, and then
assigned to a writer. I have also been on staffs where I would pitch my
story to the exec producer, get notes, and write my draft.
Does anybody know how it was done in radio? I assume that comedy was written
by a staff, but what about drama? Did GUNSMOKE, for example, have a staff,
or were they all freelance scripts? The Shadow? Anybody know?
Regards
Thom
Thomas Bray
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:07:45 -0400
From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Obscure shows and poor sound
Thanks to Elizabeth Minney for posting, in #410, a nicely-detailed
description of the Charlotte Greenwood Show (1944-45), tapes of which she's
enjoyed listening to despite the fact that her copies are "muffled-sounding
and often hard to understand".
Her posting reminded me that: (a) lesser-known or unfamiliar OTR
programs can provide us with enjoyable and/or interesting listening and (b)
even muffled, hard-to-understand OTR recordings can be enjoyed by us when
recordings of those broadcasts or programs with good sound are not
available. And that reminds me that, to my understanding, a few years ago
Radio Spirits acquired from Radio Yesteryear recordings of OTR broadcasts
unavailable elsewhere but RS has refused to make many of them available to
OTR buffs (or anyone) because the shows aren't well-known enough or because
the sound is not excellent. (If my understanding is incorrect, please let
me/us know.)
--Phil C.
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:08:03 -0400
From: "glen schroeder" <gschroeder10@[removed];
To: "otr" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Tony the Tiger
Hi Walden and list.
You mentioned the song This Old House from 1954 having Tony the Tiger in it.
Another record that I think has his voice is Dance With Me Henry by Georgia
Gibbs from 1955. It sure sounds likie the same voice to me. Hope this isn't
off topic Charlie. Oh, by the way Walden, I sure like your shows on YUSA.
Thanks.
Love Dis List.
Glen Schroeder
Madison WI
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:08:15 -0400
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Dial telephone, more info
Here are a few more details on the first dial telephone system in the US,
from our Dakota Prairie Museum director, Sue Gates.
"In 1905, Aberdeen (SD) became the first city in the country to have
automatic dial [removed] In 1917, the first commercial long distance
service in the country was introduced to customers in Aberdeen, Huron, and
Watertown (SD)."
The name of the telephone company was Dakota Central Telephone Company,
which was founded by J. L. Zietlow. The company was originally called the
Aberdeen Telephone Company and was operational in 1887.
There is more information on the subject, but I'll await your questions.
Ted Kneebone/1528 S. Grant [removed], SD 57401/605-226-3344
OTR: [removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #414
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