------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2007 : Issue 188
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
6-27 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Amos & Andy [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge [ Frank McGurn <[removed]@sbcglobal. ]
#OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig [ charlie@[removed] ]
Revisioning Amos and Andy [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
Amos'n'Andy & movie stars [ "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed]; ]
Internet Broadcast [ <hbhoward@[removed]; ]
Re: A&A on History Detectives [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Re: movie stars who were radio stars [ FabFicBks@[removed] ]
"Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controv [ "Arthur Funk" <Art-Funk@[removed]; ]
Favorite Radio Stars [ "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed]; ]
Re: Amos N Andy [ Cnorth6311@[removed] ]
Michael Gwynne and William Conrad [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:23:43 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 6-27 births/deaths
06-27-1862 - May Irwin - Whitby, Canada - d. 10-22-1938
actor: "The Eveready Hour"
06-27-1875 - Reginald Mason - San Francisco, CA - d. 7-10-1962
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
06-27-1880 - Helen Keller - Tuscumbia, AL - d. 6-1-1968
deaf and blind lecturer: "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour"; "Meet the Press"
06-27-1892 - Robert Ellis - Brooklyn, NY - d. 12-29-1974
actor: Del Tremaine "Arnold Grimm's Daughter"
06-27-1900 - Milt Mabie - d. 9-5-1973
singer: (The Westerners) "National Barn Dance"; "Plantation Party";
"Show Boat"
06-27-1900 - Rev. James G. Keller - Oakland, CA - d. 2-7-1977
priest: "The Christophers"
06-27-1905 - Sydney Mason - NYC - d. 4-11-1976
announcer, actor: "Famous Jury Trials"; "Johnny Presents"
06-27-1907 - John McIntire - Spokane, WA - d. 1-30-1991
actor: Benjamin Ordway "Crime Doctor"; Lt. Dundy "Advs. of Sam Spade"
06-27-1911 - Dr. Jay Morton - Hollywood, CA - d. 9-6-2003
Best know for the catchphrase "Look; up in the sky, etc." on "Superman"
06-27-1912 - Audrey Christie - Chicago, IL - d. 12-19-1989
actor: Assistant to Peter Standish "Peter Standish, Medical Examiner"
06-27-1912 - Bill Kennedy - Cleveland Heights, OH - d. 1-27-1997
announcer: "Nobody's Children"
06-27-1914 - Noboru Kirishima - Iwaki City, Japan - d. 4-24-1984
enka singer: "This Week's Star"
06-27-1918 - Ed Fleming - Baraboo, WI
newscaster, announcer: "Ed Fleming and the News", "Our Gal Sunday"
06-27-1918 - Michael Sheldon - London, England
writer for CBC Radio
06-27-1920 - Betty Bryant - Bristol, England - d. 10-3-2005
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
06-27-1924 - Rosalie Allen - Old Forge, PA - d. 9-24-2003
yodeling cowgirl: "Grand Ole Opry"
06-27-1925 - Chuck Balding - d. 6-10-2000
sportscaster: WOAY Oak Hill, West Virginia
06-27-1933 - Gary Crosby - Los Angeles, CA - d. 8-24-1995
singer: "Gary Crosby Show"; "Bing Crosby Show"
06-27-1934 - Anna Moffo - Wayne, PA - d. 3-10-2006
soprano: "Voice of Firestone"
06-27-1938 - Kathryn Beaumont - London, England
actor: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show"
June 27th deaths
02-08-1925 - Jack Lemmon - Boston, MA - d. 6-27-2001
actor: "Dimension X"; "X Minus One"; Dr. Brent "Road of Life"
06-09-1910 - George Bryan - NYC - d. 6-27-1969
announcer: "Helen Hayes Theatre"; "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts"
08-12-1888 - Eric Snowden - England - d. 6-27-1979
actor: John H. Watson "Sherlock Holmes"; Alvin "Parties at Pickfair"
10-14-1908 - Allan Jones - Old Forge, PA - d. 6-27-1992
singer: "Chicago Theatre of the Air"; "New Old Gold Show"
10-22-1913 - Jay Owen - d. 6-27-2005
worked in radio in Washington [removed] and New York City
11-04-1893 - Howard Hoffman - Ohio - d. 6-27-1969
actor: Chandu "Chandu the Magician"
11-24-1927 - Eileen Barton - Brooklyn, NY - d. 6-27-2006
singer: "Frank Sinatra Show"; "Eileen Barton Show"; "MGM Musical
Comedy Theatre"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:24:04 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Amos & Andy
I've enjoyed the "History Detectives" show for a number of years, but
I agree with many commentators here that the treatment of Amos & Andy
was rather superficial and stereotyped. What I thought particularly
odd was to hear the narrative talk about the racial stereotypes on
Amos & Andy, while on screen we saw a scene from the TV show in which
Andy and Kingfish appear in court before a BLACK JUDGE.
Amos & Andy, in its various incarnations, was a product of its times
and undoubtedly contained many stereotypes that bother us today. But
so do many other shows of former times. The TV Amos & Andy not only
showed a black judge, but also black doctors, black lawyers, and even
a black Santa Claus, long before such things became common. In fact,
I don't think a white person ever appeared on the show.
The black Santa Claus was Andy, who got a job playing Santa in a
department store (with black bosses). When I saw it, my reaction
was, "But Santa Claus isn't colored!" And my father replied, "to
colored people, he can be colored." It was years before I again saw
a black Santa Claus depicted anywhere.
--
A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed]
92 State Street Fax [removed]
Boston, MA 02109 [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:24:21 -0400
From: Frank McGurn <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge
I believe the Black comedian that is being referred to was Godfrey
MacArthur Cambridge who died in 1972. one of his credits is A Time for
Laughter: A Look at Negro Humor in America
<[removed]; (1967) TV Episode.
I found his biograph by searching Google. I away enjoyed Godfrey when he
appeared on the /Tonight S// //how.
Frank McGurn
/
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:25:57 -0400
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, 27 Jun 2007 12:27:13 -0400
From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Revisioning Amos and Andy
Karl Tiedemann - NYC wrote:
But, perhaps I should thank THE HISTORY DETECTIVES for giving me
another reason--
one I can place alongside such other irritants as Wayne Dyer, Bill Moyers,
and "Disco Explosion!"-- to continue not supporting my local PBS station.
I was with you all the way until that last line. Funny, Bill Moyers
is one of the main reasons I DO support PBS (and Mark Shields, of
course), despite the channel's having until recently been run by
Republican Kenneth Tomlinson. Tukufu Zuberi is Director of the Center
for Africana Studies and Professor of Sociology at the University of
Pennsylvania. He is not an historian. That he has a particular point
of view is not surprising, but it's unfortunate that he chooses to
color, so to speak, his description of Correll and Gosden's work as
"putting blackface on their voices."
I suspect that he relied entirely upon his experts Ms. McLeod and Mr.
Melvin Patrick Ely, author of _The Adventures of Amos 'N' Andy: A
Social History of an American Phenomenon_ for historical perspective,
and interpreted what they said in the light of his own
preconceptions. My impression from reviews online is that Mr. Ely
attempted to do a balanced study of the show; unless I miss my guess,
one of the reviewers calling themselves simply "Reader" on the Amazon
site and giving Mr. Ely's book good marks is not unknown to
subscribers to this digest. Mr. Ely confesses he only had personal
familiarity with the TV show, but says he's read many of the earlier
radio scripts. But he doesn't seem to have fully grasped the
transition in tone. The Kirkus Review of his book mentions, "Nor were
[Amos and Andy's] critics consistent--some who had praised it in the
30's damned it in the 50's, and vice versa," never hinting that maybe
it was the style of the shows from the different eras that was
inconsistent.
I think I have to agree that Mr. Zuberi was less than precise with
his statements. "Both Terry [the man who discovered the disk] and I
watched reruns of the old Amos 'n' Andy TV show, which came after the
radio show. The jokes and storylines were similar, only now African
Americans were doing the acting." Zuberi seems baffled and, perhaps,
a little annoyed that so many black people of the 30's actually
enjoyed Amos and Andy. He doesn't seem willing to acknowledge that
maybe it's not fair to expect people of the better part of a century
ago to have the enlightened sensibilities of the present day, nor
that, perhaps Amos and Andy did more good than harm and helped to
engender our enlightenment. For many white people back then Amos and
Andy and friends were the first black people they'd ever met, and
they laughed with them as well as at them, and, as the millions of
anguished letters sent to Andy warning him of the machinations of
Madame Queen proved, cared about them.
It's not clear to me if their malapropisms were intended to mock
blacks - many of the city blacks they interacted with were perfectly
"well-spoken" - or were intended to depict the unlettered country
bumpkin the characters were, competing against more sophisticated
city slickers. And their verbal lapses were no worse than those of
Chester Riley or Archie, Manager of Duffy's Tavern. The problem, I
think, was that there were not, in addition to comical black
characters, the occasional black Lone Rangers or Johnny Dollars.
Zuberi also says, "This form of entertainment was not only degrading
to African Americans, it excluded them from participating on the
stage. This is the mindset of Amos 'n' Andy." Plainly he wasn't
referring to the TV show which had almost no white performers, and
wherein all the professional people were black and presented as
well-educated and responsible. And I understand that the radio show,
despite having its two main black characters voiced by the white men
who created the show, had more regular black performers than any
other radio show of the time. Mr. Zuberi had not one but two
authorities to seek clarification from and didn't bother or
disregarded their more measured considerations of the show. I think
it's fair to say that this detective is following his own footprints.
I have written to PBS in the past without any response; I hope you
have better luck and will share with us any correspondence you
receive from them. The website for the show at least offers a brief
look at other old radio shows. Also, anyone who has not seen the show
in question can download a complete transcript of it. The URL (if
permitted) is
[removed]
You might have better luck contacting Mr. Zuberi directly from his UP
site: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:27:29 -0400
From: "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Amos'n'Andy & movie stars
Let me add my feelings of dismay re the "History Detectives"
piece on Amos 'n' Andy. Maybe those of us on this list were a bit
impatient for the report to get on with it in tracking down the
truth and significance of the aluminum disc.
I will grant you that a little background is in order for those
who know nothing about A&A ... I can even see as valid a brief
mention of the TV version since the disc's owner and the
"detective" were only slightly aware of A&A through it, BUT the
report sure went off on an unbalanced tangent when it got into
the sociological aspects of the program, its creators, etc.
Just as when we discover a significant mistake in a book, it
makes us wonder whether other "facts" are askew in it or any of
the the author's other efforts ... so it is that I will disregard
a lot of the stuff in future "History Detectives" until they get
to the bottom line of what something is, whether it's authentic
-- and even then, I will have some doubt.
-0-
As for movie stars on the radio, I'll add my vote to those of
others for James Stewart as one of the best. Whether it is The
Six Shooter or one of his appearances on Lux or Suspense, Crosby
or Benny, the guy was as expressive as any of the other radio
pro's.
Bob Cockrum
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:27:53 -0400
From: <hbhoward@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Internet Broadcast
This Friday, June 29, at 8 PM CENTRAL time, the National Audio Theatre
Festivals annual
Audio Theatre Workshop will present an evening of live audio drama. The
program
will be streamed by local radio station KKDY ( [removed] ).
While not OTR, you may find the the show of interest.
For more information visit [removed]
This year's performance will include:
The Art of Narration: featuring short readings about life in and around West
Plains. Special guest Simon Jones (known to many as Arthur Dent from the
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series) will reading from "West Plains as I
Knew It."
Improvisational Sketches: See what the audience has in mind as they decide
what stories these sketches will tell.
Histories: From playwright Michael Wright, this NATF Script Competition
winner, tells the story of a father and son, struggling both in their
personal and professional relationships, as they try to run a music store
together.
The Freshman Class will feature a new work call "Avian Invasion" created
throughout the week from new producers to the workshop.
The Peach Seed: Winner of the Native Radio Theater projects script
competition, this play by Navajo author Rhiana Yazzie tells the story of how
the Navajo desert came to be.
Sonic Force: A composition for jet engine, helicopter and voice. This is the
story of the pilots who fly the A-10 warthog jets and the relationship they
have with their planes. Sonic Force features in-field recordings of all
aircraft and a live vocal chorus telling the story.
Performance: Friday, June 29, 2007
Broadcast: 8:00pm - 10:30pm CENTRAL
Visit [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:29:04 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: A&A on History Detectives
One of the most important things I learned in my years of working in the
media was this: there's no point in debating someone who controls the
final edit. So the basic tone of the piece didn't really surprise me. My
interview took place immediately after the interview with Melvin Ely, and
between the two of us, there must've been a good six hours of material
taped that day -- but naturally, there's no way all of that is going to
be used, and as is always the case with infotainment-type programs, the
material that does get used will be that which fits the script already
laid out by the producers. It may not sound like good journalism -- but
infotainment is not journalism.
Dr. Zubari -- who's a very nice guy, agree with him or not -- *does* have
a copy of my book, because I signed it for him after the interview.
Basically my purpose in being there was to authenticate the disc -- the
producers had already arranged with Prof. Ely to discuss the social-issue
angle before contacting me, and I realized early on that I wasn't going
to get a fair chance to really state my own perspective on the topic. At
one point, the producer did suggest adding a bit of drama to the
interview by staging a confrontational discussion about whether the
lawyer heard on the recording was intended to be white or black -- but
both Dr. Z and I refused to do it under those conditions, and that was
that. (Lawyer Collins, who spoke with no dialect and who was very skilled
in the courtroom, was, in fact, portrayed by Correll and Gosden as an
African-American, a fact demonstrated from script evidence in both my
book and in Prof. Ely's.)
One thing I did discuss, which they left on the cutting room floor
unfortunately, was Correll and Gosden's skill as radio performers and the
contextual reasons why the Breach of Promise storyline was so compelling.
Given that one of the issues to be addressed in the piece was supposed to
be why A&A were so popular in their day, I was a bit surprised that they
didn't include any of this material.
The mispronounced name did peeve me a bit though. Nobody's called me
"McClod" since second-grade gym class.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:29:12 -0400
From: FabFicBks@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: movie stars who were radio stars
I have been reading with interest the comments of people concerning movie
actors who were also successful on radio. It seems to me that most people
are
concentrating on the really big name stars who did occasional radio programs.
I would like to mention a few people who did really well in both the
radio and the movie formats. How about William Bendix? Star of the long
running "Life of Riley" radio show, guest on many other programs, he also
made
close to one hundred movies, playing all types of roles from heroes to
heavies
and everything inbetween. While he starred as Riley and did those radio
guest
shots in the 1940s he was also busy making between three and four movies a
year. When TV came along his career really boomed, and not just because he
continued his Riley role on the tube from 1953 thru 1958 (217 weekly
episodes).
He was one of the most sought after guests on TV during the 50s.
Then there was one of the most versital actors around, Victor Jorey, who
did close to two hundred movies, and had a radio show "Dangerously Yours"
which quickly evolved into "Matinee Theater," an outstanding program which
ran
for years in the middle forties with Jorey playing a completely different
leading role every single show.
I'm also really surprised everybody forgot one of the biggest box office
stars of the era, who, along with his wife easily mastered radio in the long
running Roy Rogers show.
---Bob Jennings
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:29:27 -0400
From: "Arthur Funk" <Art-Funk@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: "Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controvery:
The narrator on that 1986 documentary was George Kirby. I found that it is
available on the internet for $[removed]
Regards to all,
Art Funk
Art's Militaria
(813) 840-9606
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:29:46 -0400
From: "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Favorite Radio Stars
Hello again --
I've mentioned this before, but it bears repeating. Cornel Wilde, the
dashing, romantic "hunk" in films of the 'forties, was a surprisingly good
radio actor, with the ability to change his voice from role to role. Just
for a few examples, compare his roles on "Suspense;" you'd never know it was
the same actor, you'd never know the voice belonged to a stage and screen,
not radio, actor.
When I went to the Internet Movie Database ([removed], preceded by www) to
look up the spelling of his name, I was surprised to learn that he was born
in Hungary and learned several languages growing up in Europe. Cornelius
Wilde was his real name, not a stage name. And he was a natural athlete and
a champion fencer on the U. S. Olympic team, in fact, it was while fencing
as Tybalt in Olivier's Broadway production of Romeo and Juliet that he was
discovered by Hollywood. And if you want to see a better example of his
screen acting than The Greatest Show on Earth or A Song to Remember, take a
look at The Naked Prey, which he filmed at age 51, and which required him to
run around in a loin cloth for most of the movie. How many of us OTR couch
potatoes would dare such a role at any age?
yOurs TRuly,
Jan Bach
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:29:55 -0400
From: Cnorth6311@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Amos N Andy
The name of the black comedian no one can remember the name of in the
current Amos N Andy thread is, George Kirby.
Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:14:59 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Michael Gwynne and William Conrad
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
OK Ryan, you asked for it.
Bill WAS as jovial as they get considering he usually always played a
stern kinda character.
Maybe it's a reaction from all the roles but I remember very early in my
Hollywood career being advised by a few character actors from the old days
that if I was invited to go hang out after a day's shooting I should always
hang with the guys who play 'heavies' as they are the most fun.
Leading men were secondary if only because they usually had no friends
and because they were rich and so usually bought all the drinks.
Last of all and to be avoided at all costs [removed]
A surly, mean-spirited and whiny lot by and large tho I have no
empirical experience other than a few nightmare events with John Belushi and
that
crowd.
Well, back to Bill.
I went to my favorite Deli in Studio City called 'Art's' where every
sandwich WAS a work of Art, and was told by my regular waitress that I had
just
missed a fun scene with Bill Conrad and his wife.
It went like this:
They were bickering about something and as my waitress passed by she
heard the wife say something like,
"Look at you you're so sloppy. You have gravy on your tie now."
Bill smiled broadly, picked up the rest of the gravy in the bowl and put
his entire tie into it, saying,
"Now THAT'S a gravy stain."
The laughter around them eased the tension and even Art found a chuckle
that day.
By the way, while in Southern California ya gotta go to Art's on Ventura
just West of Laurel Canyon.
Tell 'em I sent ya.
See ya in Newark Ryan at FOTR in October.
Michael C. Gwynne
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2007 Issue #188
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