------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 375
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Golden Age of Radio and One Night St [ "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed]; ]
old radios and TVs [ "Jim Harmon" <jimharmonotr@charter. ]
Re: Peg Lynch question [ stevenl751@[removed] ]
Resistsor color code [ BH <radiobill@[removed]; ]
Re: resistor code [ Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed]; ]
Re: Heath Kits [ Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed]; ]
Re: Program Structure [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Amos n Andy Thanksgiving 1949 - show [ Andrew Steinberg <otrdig1@[removed] ]
12-6 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
C Bear [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
Jerry Lewis Interview in Wall Street [ seandd@[removed] ]
Re: old premiums/toys [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 12:28:03 -0500
From: "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Golden Age of Radio and 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].
In the coming weeks we will feature three complete
shows in MP3 format for your listening pleasure or
for downloading; two "Golden Age of Radios" and
one "One Night Stand." We present new shows every
week or so. The current three programs will be
available on line at least until the morning of
December 12th.
Here's this week's lineup:
Program 3 - June, 1970 - Jack Bishop
Jack Bishop was a Network Radio research writer and
the creator of Mr. District Attorney.
Mr. District Attorney was first heard on NBC radio on
April 3, 1939. It began as a nightly 15-minute serial
broadcast. Thomas E. Dewey, New York's famous
racket-busting district attorney in the late 1930s, was
the inspiration for the character. Dewey was front-page
news in his war against corruption and crime. It swept
him into the governorship of New York and enabled
him to run for the presidency of the United States.
Ed Byron, once a radio script writer, was in the process
of developing his own radio production when District
Attorney Dewey was making headlines. Byron,
motivated by Dewey's activities, decided to develop the
Mr. District Attorney character and to write shows around
the headlines. The program began with Dwight Weist
playing the unnamed district attorney who was a vigorous
prosecutor of criminals. In the opening episode, the [removed]
had just been elected after a tough campaign against
racketeers. His sidekick, Harrington (who was never
given a first name), and his secretary, Miss Miller,
always called him "Chief" or "Boss". Throughout the
network run, the [removed] remained nameless.
Program 4 - July, 1970 - Peg Lynch and Margaret Hamilton
Peg Lynch is a radio pioneer - some call her the "Lady Who
Invented Sitcom." Her warm, fast and funny creation, Ethel
& Albert -- the everyday life of an average middle-class
couple living in small-town America -- became one of the
country's most popular husband-and-wife comedies from
the day it was first heard in 1938. Starting as a three-minute
filler between the Women's Hour and the weather, it zoomed
from a small radio station in Minnesota to ABC in New York,
where it was expanded to 15 minutes and later to a half hour.
During her six-decade career, Peg Lynch has written more than
10,000 scripts for radio and television, alone and unaided, and
she still performs her comedy material across the country.
Margaret Hamilton played Aunt Effie on "Ethel and Albert." A
kindergarten teacher in her native Cleveland, Ms. Hamilton
began her acting career there in community theater and with
the prestigious Cleveland Playhouse. In 1933, Hamilton was
invited to repeat her stage role of the sarcastic daughter-in-
law in the Broadway play "Another Language" for the MGM
film version. Though only in her early '30s, the gloriously
unpretty Hamilton subsequently played dozens of busybodies,
gossips, old maids, and housekeepers in films. Her most
famous film assignment was the dual role of Elvira Gulch
and the Wicked Witch of the West in the imperishable 1939
gem The Wizard of Oz -- a role which nearly cost her her
life when her green copper makeup caught fire during one
of her "disappearance" scenes.
"A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"
With Arnold Dean
Stan Kenton - August, 1971
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 - August 25,
1979), was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and bandleader
known for his innovations in jazz music. He was born in
Wichita, Kansas, but raised in California. He learned piano
as a child and toured with various bands in his teens. In 1941
he formed his own band and reached the height of his
popularity by 1953. Many of his band arrangements (he
used anywhere from 19 to 23 musicians at a time) were
written by Kenton himself, as well as other composers
such as Gene Roland, Pete Rugolo, W. A. Mathieu, and
Ken Hanna. The music made use of powerful brass sections
and unconventional saxophone voicings, demonstrating his
love of experimentation. Such examples included the
various names he gave to his ensembles: "Innovations
Orchestra," "Neophonic Orchestra" and "Mellophonium
Orchestra." "Artistry in Rhythm" was Kenton's theme
song throughout many recordings and concert performances.
Noted band personnel included Art Pepper, Shelly Manne,
and Buddy Childers.
Kenton's music evolved with the times throughout the 1960s
and 70s, and included elements from classical music as well
as rock music rhythms. His final performance was in August
1978, a year before he died.
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 1972, 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.
In the 1970's Dick Bertel created The Golden Age of
Radio for WTIC in Hartford, CT. The idea came to Dick
after he interviewed radio collector-historian Ed
Corcoran a few times on his radio and TV shows. "The
Golden Age of Radio was first broadcast in April,
1970; Ed was Dick's co-host.
For the next seven years the program featured interviews
with actors, writers, producers, engineers and musicians
from radio's early days. Each show featured excerpts from
Ed's collection.
"WTIC's Golden Age of Radio" can also be heard Saturday
nights on Walden Hughes's program on Radio Yesteryear.
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 12:28:36 -0500
From: "Jim Harmon" <jimharmonotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: old radios and TVs
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Recently I was sharing these thoughts with fellow writer, Steve Kallis,
but I thought I might as well share them with a wider group in the Digest.
Discussing repairs on TV and radio set brought forth a number of
memories.
I have a really ancient, non-working set I picked up at a thrift shop,
with about a six inch screen.
I can't remember the brand offhand but it is on display with some of my
collectibles. Of course, I have a number of old radios, back to about 1930.
Not a huge number, maybe half a dozen, Including
my own table model I actually used to listen to Tom Mix and Captain Midnight
on.
Frank Finn, who I used to know, tells a story of how he decided to bring
out his elderly mother and install her in a place in California, bringing her
in from Philadelphia. Being another old radio fan, he told her "Mom, please
bring our radio in with the things you take." When she arrived, there was no
old radio, but a new TV set. "Where's our old radio?" "Oh, I knew you
misspoke. Who would want that old radio -- I junked it. I knew you meant the
new TV."
JIM HARMON
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Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 12:50:28 -0500
From: stevenl751@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Peg Lynch question
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Forgive my ignorance, but not being a major fan of "Ethel and Albert," I'd
like to know if there are any appreciable differences among the shows "Ethel
and Albert," "The Couple Next Door," and "The Little Things in Life."
Not really. All three are pretty much the same show with just different
names for the characters. Bob Dryden plays the male lead on "Little Things
in Life" while Alan Bunce plays that role in the other two shows. The one
unique gimmick in "The Couple Next Door" is that we never learn the first
names of the husband and wife, they're just know to us as "The Pipers".
Although interchangable, all three series are very enjoyable.
Steve Lewis
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 13:51:56 -0500
From: BH <radiobill@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Resistsor color code
Fred Berney posted:
Roby McHone reminded me that there was the color blue in the code. So
it should have read
Bad Boys Violate Our Young Girls, But Violet Gives Willingly
Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Gray, White
We are beating this subject to death so lets get it correct before we
bury [removed]
Bad Boys Rape Our Young Girls, But Violent Gives Willingly.
Black (0), Brown (1), Red (2), Orange (3), Yellow (4), Green (5),
Blue (6), Violent (7), Gray (8) White (9).
Silver and Gold bands indicate precision tolerance.
Bill H.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 19:34:11 -0500
From: Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: resistor code
At 12:19 PM 12/5/2005, you wrote:
Bad Boys Violate Our Young Girls, But Violet Gives Willingly
Mr. Typo did is again. The word, to keep it clean, should have been
"ravage" not "violate". I need to start proofing reading what I do
type. No telling what I've said over the years.
(stop laughing Charlie :-) )
Fred
Check us out for old time radio & TV shows & Movie Serials
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 19:34:26 -0500
From: Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Heath Kits
At 12:19 PM 12/5/2005, you wrote:
and built my own color TV set. The
naked chassis and tube sat out on a low table until
the time I ordered the wooden cabinet it fitted into.
I enjoyed those experiences you can bet.
I always wanted to build that TV kit, but it cost as much as the
manufactured sets at the time, so I had a hard time justifying the
$1,000 on a kit. (translation - I don't think my wife would have
allowed me to spend that much on a kit)
Fred
Check us out for old time radio & TV shows & Movie Serials
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 19:34:36 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Program Structure
On 12/5/05 12:18 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:
Is there an evolution over time from the first shows to what became
familiar that one can look for and what might be examples? When did
scripts start to include what is now called "product placement"?
Integration of commercials into program content go all the way back to
the beginning of commercial radio with the notion of "indirect
advertising." With direct sales pitches considered inappropriate by all
respectable broadcasters of the mid-1920s, advertising messages would be
worked into the continuity of programs in a very subtle manner -- for
example, a musical selection by the Clicquot Club Eskimos might be
introduced as "sparkling and refreshing," a phrase which, it was hoped,
would be associated in the listeners' mind with the product itself.
Direct mention of the sponsor was limited to a few words at the beginning
and the end of the program.
This format continued into the late 1920s, but pressure from advertisers
for more freedom in presenting their messages led to the gradual
introduction of direct commercial copy. As early as 1928, aggressive
sponsors like the American Tobacco Company were promoting their products
with nearly-direct sales messages presented at breaks in the
entertainment portion of the program. A typical broadcast of the Lucky
Strike Radio Hour from this era would include two such messages,
presented at approximately the 15:00 and 45:00 points in the program,
leading into station breaks. The copy for these spots presents
endorsements of Lucky Strikes by various celebrities of the day, as read
by the program announcer, after a brief talk on the activities of that
particular celebrity
By 1929, direct advertising was becoming even more aggressive. The Lucky
Strike Hour by this time featured hard-selling copy taken directly from
American Tobacco's notorious "Reach For A Lucky Instead of a Sweet" print
campaign. Other sponsors were following suit, and not just in hour or
half-hour programs. In August of 1929, "Amos 'n' Andy" became the first
fifteen minute nightly program on network radio, and was presented with
the episode material sandwiched between two direct advertising messages
for Pepsodent toothpaste. Here a strict line was drawn between program
and product: Amos and Andy themselves never referred to Pepsodent within
the context of any of their episode, leaving the role of product salesman
exclusively to announcer Bill Hay. This precedent quickly became the rule
for the many other fifteen minute nightly programs that would follow
"Amos 'n' Andy's" lead during the first half of the 1930s, and endured as
the preferred format for serial programs of all sorts to the very end of
the OTR era.
By the dawn of the thirties, many programs combined elements of all of
these sales methods. Orchestra leader Ben Bernie's programs for Blue
Ribbon Malt featured direct commercials at the beginning and end of each
program, but were also salted liberally with casual product plugs by
Bernie himself. This approach led, in turn, to the fully-integrated
humorous spots popularized during the 1932-33 season by Ed Wynn and Jack
Benny.
As to the structure of other elements of popular radio programs, one
should look primarily to the vaudeville stage, and its antecedent, the
minstrel show. These forms of entertainment were made up of various acts,
each succeeding the other. The "Interlocutor" of the minstrel show
evolved into the "Master of Ceremonies" role popularized in vaudeville
during the 1920s by Frank Fay, and this format translated smoothly into
radio. These roots are very visible in most of the comedy-variety
programs of the OTR era -- I've noted before how the structure of Jack
Benny's 1930s programs is patterned almost exactly after the structure of
a typical minstrel show: opening comedy patter, musical acts, parody
sketch. This structure was duplicated in dozens of other programs of the
day, and remained a powerful influence even after Benny himself moved
away from it in favor of a more situation-comedy approach.
There were other program structures popular during radio's earliest years
that all but died out. The most popular variety format of the early and
mid 1920s was the "Frolic," a late-night program featuring a
loosely-organized hodgepodge of talent -- singers, comedy teams,
monologists, novelty instrumentalists, an orchestra, and whoever else
happened to be available. These programs could run as long as two or
three hours at a shot, and were extremely popular in their day on
stations all over the country -- but as radio became more strictly
organized, and broadcast time became an expensive commodity to be
parceled out and sold to individual sponsors, the frolic format all but
died out. By the 1930s, the only surviving frolics were country-music
programs such as the Grand Ole Opry and the National Barn Dance -- with
the Opry surviving to the present day. One could suggest that A Prairie
Home Companion is a throwback to the frolic format without even realizing
it.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 08:35:10 -0500
From: Andrew Steinberg <otrdig1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Amos n Andy Thanksgiving 1949 - show date?
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Jerry Haendiges recently broadcast a Thanksgiving episode of Amos n Andy (where a turkey fell off a truck) and gave a date of 49-11-20. His log for Amos n Andy at [removed] says the Thanksgiving show for that year was 49-11-13, and the 49-11-20 show was Sapphire's Birthday. Radiogoldindex agrees with the 49-11-20 date as the Thanksgiving show. [removed]+Amos+'n'+Andy+Show
Does anyone know the correct date for the 1949 Thanksgiving show?
Visit [removed] for OTR program title and date corrections
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 08:35:20 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 12-6 births/deaths
December 6th births
12-06-1887 - Lynn Fontanne - Waterford, England (Lived in Genesee Depot, WI) -
d. 7-30-1983
actress: "Theatre Guild On the Air"; "Biography In Sound"
12-06-1888 - Will Hay - Stockton-on-Tees, England - d. 4-18-1949
comedian: British Radio
12-06-1893 - Alma Platts - d. 7-xx-1970
actress: "The World's Great Novels"
12-06-1896 - Ira Gershwin - New York, NY - d. 8-17-1983
songwriter: "Lady in the Dark"; "Jolson Story"; "Barkleys of Broadway"
12-06-1898 - Gunnar Myrdal - Gustafs, Sweden - d. 5-17-1987
1974 nobel prize winner in economics: "United Nations Today"
12-06-1900 - Agnes Moorehead - Clinton, MA - d. 4-30-1974
actress: Margo Lane "The Shadow"; Marilly "Mayor of the Town"
12-06-1903 - Hugh Farr - Llano, TX - d. 3-17-1980
singer: (Sons of the Pioneers) "The Roy Rogers Show"
12-06-1904 - Elissa Landi - Venice, Italy - d. 10-21-1948
actress: "I'm An American"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
12-06-1909 - Lyn Murray - London, England - d. 5-20-1989
conductor: "Chesterfield Presents"; "Your Hit Parade"; "Ford Theatre"
12-06-1913 - Karl Haas - Speyer-on-the-Rhine, Germany - d. 2-6-2005
musician, broadcaster: "Adventures in Good Music"
12-06-1920 - Dave Brubeck - Concord, CA
jazz musician: "Dave Brubeck with the Paul Desmond Quartet"
12-06-1924 - Wally Cox - Detroit, MI - d. 2-15-1973
comedian: "[removed] Steel Hour"; "Wally Cox Show"
December 6th deaths
01-07-1908 - Eliot Daniel - Massachusetts - d. 12-6-1997
music: "Fabulous Dr. Tweddy"; "The King's Men"; "Rudy Vallee Show"
01-29-1885 - Leadbelly (Huddie Leadbetter) - Louisiana - d. 12-6-1949
jazz musician: "Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin street"
02-02-1893 - Len Doyle - Toledo, OH - d. 12-6-1959
actor: Len Harrington "Mr, Distric Attorney"
05-23-1912 - John Payne - Roanoke, VA - d. 12-6-1989
actor: "Hollywood Star Preview"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
05-31-1908 - Don Ameche - Kenosha, WI - d. 12-6-1993
actor, singer: John Bickerson "Bickersons"; Captain Hughes "Jack Armstrong"
08-01-1910 - Jerry Mann - New York, NY - d. 12-6-1987
singer: (The Jerry Mann Voices) "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round"
09-12-1897 - Walter B. Gibson - Germantown, PA - d. 12-6-1985
creater of "The Shadow"; writer for "The Avenger"
09-24-1921 - Edward Bryce - Allenport, PA - d. 12-6-1999
actor: Captain Strong "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet"
10-13-1917 - Burr Tillstrom - Chicago, IL - d. 12-6-1985
actor, puppeteer: "The Northerners"; "Kukla, Fran and Ollie"
11-03-1909 - James Reston - Clyde Bank, Scotland - d. 12-6-1995
new york times columnist: "University of Chicago Round Table"; "Meet the Press"
11-23-1915 - Ellen Drew - Kansas City, MO - d. 12-6-2003
actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Suspense"
xx-xx-1875 - Leon Rothier - Rheims, France - d. 12-6-1951
opera singer: "The Metropolitan Opera"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 08:35:26 -0500
From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: C Bear
Hi Everybody,
I receive an email asking does the TV version of Cinnamon Bear exists on
video? I understand it was part of a local TV show out of Chicago in the
early 1950s. Take care,
Walden Hughes
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 09:47:51 -0500
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Jerry Lewis Interview in Wall Street Journal
Today's Wall Street Journal features an interview with Jerry Lewis by Tom
Nolan (who is writing a biography of Burns & Allen bandleader Artie Shaw) in
which he discusses his career with Dean Martin and their early days.
The article is not avaialble online except to subscribers but can be found on
Page D8 of the December 6 edition.
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 10:04:33 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: old premiums/toys
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In a message dated 12/5/05 11:19:30 AM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
Also, a few years ago, I saw a radio premium so covered with corrosion
that its brass exterior was literally black. I pointed out to the dealer
that its appearance could be remarkably improved by using Brasso or
equivalent to remove the corrosion. The guy went ballistic.
I saw a recent "Antiques Roadshow" in which a man showed off a 1905 toy
limosine he had found in an attic. The expert said it was worth about $500
in its
current condition but restoring it would boost the value as high as ten times
the amount. He mentioned things like ordering new tires, which are still made
by a resin caster, and even a new coat of paint. I don't see why polishing a
Tom Mix badge (or whatever it was) would do anything other than increase the
worth, unless the seller is overly sentimental about the crud for whatever
weird reason.
Dixon
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--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #375
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