Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #132
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/29/2003 4:56 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2003 : Issue 132
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Mercedes McCambridge Story            [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
  Re: Terrible goof                     [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  Daily News Covers the Gotham Radio P  [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  Chris McDonald                        [ "JETurk" <jeturk@[removed]; ]
  Music and the Presidents Spoken Word  [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
  mp3 player at sears                   [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
  Re: OTR story arcs                    [ "Jeffrey E. Chase" <retired98g@attb ]
  Grovers Mill                          [ Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed] ]
  Re: Story Arcs                        [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
  Story arcs in radio                   [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
  Newspaper Program Q?                  [ zbob@[removed] ]
  Birthdays                             [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
  Re: 28 Mar Today in radio history     [ "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed]; ]
  OTR Street Names                      [ "Arthur Funk" <Art-Funk@[removed]; ]
  OTR references                        [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
  March 30th Birthdays                  [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  Grover's Mill and FOTR                [ "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@hotmail. ]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:07:25 -0500
From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Mercedes McCambridge Story

We are so very lucky to have so many informed and entertaining writers
contributing to this digest.  Not the least of these is Michael C.
Gwynne.  His post in digest #130 about meeting Mercedes Mc Cambridge was
another example of his way with words.
I often think of his story about Mantan Moreland.  It was really very
touching.  I think that Michael is a first class story teller.

Any chance that there might be a book in our future Michael?

George Aust

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:11:24 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Terrible goof

In a recent posting, I responded to questions about memorable moments in my
career, and elicited two "private" responses that I feel compelled to share
with you.

Hi Hal:
Greatly enjoyed your recent post on your highest, lowest, scariest,
etc. OTR moments.
I was amused to learn that your recent OTR presentations are the nadir
of your career.  To quote Mr. Webster: "nadir--The lowest point; time of
greatest depression or dejection".  On the other hand, maybe you meant to
give Ralph Nader some much needed favorable publicity by comparing your
golden years to his. :)

I am mortified that I, an English major, should commit such a terrible gaff.

What possible excuse can I use other than I was in a hurry, and recalled
"Nadir" meant the ultimate of something or other. Yea! Sure. The ultimate in
depression or dejection. Please X out the word on your copy of that digest
and substitute the word "Zenith". (Not to be confused with the TV brand). :)

Then too, I got this message from someone who shall be nameless, and who I
will identify only as having very curly hair. (And wears suspenders).

In response to my [removed]

Wow! If my performance can bring tears to someone's eyes, that's gotta be my
"finest" moment as a performer. :)

This yo-yo [removed]

"But [removed] have been crying every time you perform for decades".

To quote Rodney [removed]" I don't get no respect".

And to quote [removed] here's a saying I use all the [removed]
"Paybacks are hell!!!! :)

Since that individual will also be attending the Cincinnati OTR Convention,
I will offer the hotel maid a princely sum to "Short Sheet" his bed every
night. :) It will not inconvenience his lovely wife. I have heard they
always request twin beds in the room, since she refuses to sleep with him
any more. The curlers he puts in his hair every night keeps poking her in
the eye.

Regards, and apologies for a vocabulary "senior moment".

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead   [removed]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:11:47 -0500
From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Daily News Covers the Gotham Radio Players!

Our own Steven M. Lewis and his Gotham Radio Players get a plug for
tomorrow's Light's Out recreation to be broadcast on WBAI-FM in today's New
York Daily News courtesy of radio reporter hero David Hinckley.

You can read the blurb here:
[removed].

I suppose it's accurate to call Light's Out Arch Oboler's series, but I'm
fairly certain Steve told me he didn't write the episode that is being
performed tomorrow night, by the way.

Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:12:02 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Today in radio history

 From Those Were The Days --

1932 - Jack Benny appeared on radio for the first time. He agreed to join then
newspaper columnist, Ed Sullivan, on his interview show.

1937 - The serial, Our Gal Sunday, debuted. The question, 'Can this girl from
a
small mining town in the West find happiness as the wife of a wealthy and
titled
Englishman?" was asked each day for next 22 years.

   Joe

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:12:21 -0500
From: "JETurk" <jeturk@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Chris McDonald

On Fri, 28 Mar 2003, GREGORY M PRZYWARA was looking for "an email address
for a Canadian collector named Xavier McDonald".

That is probably Chris McDonald who lives at xaviermcdonald@[removed]

Regards, Jake Turk  jeturk@[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:25:53 -0500
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Music and the Presidents Spoken Words

Hi - this may identify me as a total dolt, but here goes anyway:

I am a former newsman, a radio buff, former civic activist, and follower of
politics.  I can't tell you for how long I've heard about the Saturday
morning radio talks given by various [removed] Presidents over many years.

Yet I have never heard broadcast nor seen published, any indication as to
when the talks are aired, where they may be heard, nor how long each
program runs.  I have even checked the White House Internet page, but still
no reference to this information, although they carry quotes from the
broadcasts.

A week ago I SAW part of the Saturday talk by President Bush as part of the
ongoing TV war coverage, which has kept me glued -- glued, I say -- to the
television screen.  A small portion of that audio was telecast with a still
photo of the President shown on the screen.

Can anyone give me solid information as to where and when these weekly
broadcasts may be heard?
Many thanks!

In an effort to impart information regarding another, much longer-running
program, I have mentioned here before that I have been a listener to the
Sunday Mormon Tabernacle Choir programs for years.  "Music and the Spoken
Word" is carried by various stations, including some NPR outlets.  But last
week again because of the TV war coverage, to my surprise I stumbled upon
the program on television!

It was carried, I believe on the Hallmark Channel, Sunday at 8:30 am
EST.  The only change I detected other than the presence of pictures of
that incredible organization and its origination scene was that the radio
programs end with reference to how many years it has been running on radio,
and the number in sequence of the program just heard, now running into the
thousands.  That was not heard on the TV version, so apparently is done on
a separate brief recording, spliced into the radio version.  I hope this
helps many of you to find the programs on radio and television!

All the best - Lee Munsick

Lee Munsick

[ADMINISTRIVIA: Since contemporary Presidential addresses are considerably
off-topic for this list, please respond to the poster directly.

And while I'm at it, my thanks to everyone _else_ on the mailing list for the
considerable restraint you have all demonstrated in the past few weeks by
sticking to the topic of this mailing list. I know there has been
considerable temptation to stray into contemporary politics, but with the
glaring exception of this post, every poster has resisted that temptation and
has conspicuously avoided references to current events. My thanks to you all
for keeping the list firmly focused on this great hobby which joins us
together.  --cfs3]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:26:10 -0500
From: Jer51473@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  mp3 player at sears
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

 I just purchased Sony boombox zs-x3cp from sears for [removed] and it works
great, also very attractive with shock resistance and water proofed somewhat.
It comes with am and fm, but no cassettee player, which wasnt important to
me. They also had another sony model for $100 with a cassette player and am
and fm. This is one of the recommended  players listed on some of the otr
sites. This player (the latter) is also available at walmart. I chose the
$149 model at sears because it just seemed to be more solid or durable. Both,
however, play my mp3s with no problem. I carried my mp3s to both stores and
played them on the machines before i purchased. The display on the one i
bought is not bad, although when you hit resume the playback goes back to the
beginning of the track, not to the exact point you stopped at. Pause, of
course, will do this, but im not sure how long pause will stay in that
position. There is an advance and retreat button to find specific tracts.

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

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:26:37 -0500
From: "Jeffrey E. Chase" <retired98g@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: OTR story arcs

I don't know if you'd count this one, as it was on in daytime, but Vic &
Sade had story arcs.

Some that spring to mind are the great wallpaper saga, the marriage of
Uncle Fletcher's landlady,
and the visit of Pom Pom Cordova (of the Bahayma Islands).

I suppose many people would call it a soap opera, but I don't, because each
episode stands complete by itself. Plus, I don't know anyone who uses
Crisco (made with the patented, multi-million dollar gyrochurn process) as
[removed]

Jeff

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:54:12 -0500
From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Grovers Mill

The commemorative statue erected in honor of "The War of the Worlds" radio
broadcast  is found in Van Nest Park, which is in West Windsor Township,
New Jersey. Grovers Mill is now considered part of West Windsor Township.
 Not only does the statue memorialize  where the Martian vanguard set down
in 1938, soon to terrorize the entire Eastern seaboard, it also
commemorates the fiftieth anniversary celebration held in 1988.

Does anyone know who commissioned the statue, which is quite detailed with
spaceship, Orson Welles, and a terrified family chiseled in time?  Who was
the sculptor?

I have never visited the statue but a friend of mine sent  pictures.  I
can't read the inscription.  Perhaps if Derek Tague visits the area, as he
has indicated he will, he can send me the wording.

Dennis Crow

[ADMINISTRIVIA: A quick Google search shows:

[removed]

...contains a photograph of the monument. Another photo can be seen at:

[removed]

...but unfortunately none of these are clear enough to actually read the text
on the monument (other than the large, "Martian Landing Site" in the
upper-left).

And while I'm at it, the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce maintains a website:

[removed]

...with a little history, some seriously-outdated information on the 60th
anniversary celebration, and even an area to purchase glowing martian ears.
--cfs3]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:54:54 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Story Arcs

On 3/29/03 11:07 AM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:

So, my questions are these: Were there any prime time
radio shows other than the early Amos and Andy and One
Man's Family (were they both on in prime time?) that
made use of story arcs as described above? If so, what
were they and how successful were they when they first
aired? Are they enjoying renewed popularity among OTR
ethusiasts today because the story arc is more
prevelant on TV?

There were dozens of prime-time serial-type programs in the wake of the
A&A craze of the early thirties -- usually in the fifteen-minute nightly
or three-times-a-week format. Some of them, following the lead of A&A
itself, dealt with ethnic or regional dialect characters: "Uncle Abe and
David," "The Stebbins Boys," "The Goldbergs," and "Lum and Abner" were
the most successful, but there were also obscurities like "Tony and Gus"
and "Potash and Perlmutter"  There were also domestic/family serials in
this format: "Raising Junior," "Daddy and Rollo," "The Jenkins Family,"
"Dan and Sylvia," "Clara, Lu, and Em," and others like this. And then
there were evening serial programs which carved out their own niches --
"Myrt and Marge," a story of backstage life, and "Easy Aces," which
started out as an instructional show about how to play better bridge and
then evolved into an upper-middle-class domestic serial. Aside from these
network programs, there was an almost overwhelming number of local and
syndicated serials, some of them shameless imitations of popular network
series.

There were also number of early programs that did continuing storylines
or at least continuing story themes in a weekly format: "Real Folks,"
"Moonlight and Honeysuckle," "The Cub Reporter," and "Mystery House" were
all programs of this type on the air between 1928 and 1930.

These programs, however, fell out of favor in the wake of the takeover of
radio by big-time Broadway and vaudeville performers in 1932-33 -- a few
lasted to the end of the decade in their original form, but most of them
disappeared. Continuing storylines in general-interest nighttime programs
gradually fell out of favor in the forties, with the serial format
becoming pigeonholed as the stuff of soap operas and kiddie adventure
shows.  "Lum and Abner" was the last of the early nighttime 15 minute
serials to survive in its original format, lasting until 1948. There was
a brief resurgence of interest in the format during the late
forties/early fifties, with "Beulah" and "One Man's Family" becoming 15
minute strips, but such programs were nowhere near as dominant as the
serial form had been in the early thirties.

One of the few half-hour weekly shows to successfully blend stand-alone
episodes with a semi-serialized continuing storyline was "The Great
Gildersleeve," which used several long-term story arcs beginning in the
mid-forties. It was this structure which gave "Gildersleeve" arguably the
best-developed characterizations of any half-hour situation comedy of its
day.

Elizabeth

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:55:20 -0500
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Story arcs in radio

Rick Keating raises the thoughtful question, Were there any story arcs in
radio?  IMHO writer Irving Vendig was the absolute master of the trade in
applying the story arc to his thrilling adventures of Perry Mason five
afternoons a week that sometimes took as long as 18 months to resolve.
Little tidbits were thrown into the story line that built plot, action
and dialogue, yet which might not be retrieved for many months, setting
the stage for the stirring climax ahead.  It was totally fascinating how
Vendig worked his magic.

J. Dennis Bounds does a superb job of explaining the arc concept in his
chapter on this sterling radio melodrama in the little volume "Perry
Mason:  The Authorship and Reproduction of a Popular Hero" (Greenwood
Press, 1996).  Especially note pages 86-99.  Anyone into serious radio
drama will find it pretty absorbing stuff.

Jim Cox

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:55:37 -0500
From: zbob@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Newspaper Program Q?

Wondering if anyone recalls the program with 'Steve Wilson and the Illustrated
Press' newspaper stories?? Ed Robinson, and Claire Trevor as Lorelie Kilbourn.
Around the forties, I guess. Just remembering. . . Bob

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:55:58 -0500
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Birthdays

In todays list of birthdays by Ron Sayles the name of E. Power Biggs was
listed. I wonder how many of the OTR fans know who he was. He was a
legend. He had a pipe organ recital originating from Boston every Sunday
morning on the CBS network. It was originated by CBS owned and operated
WEEI. That program and the Mormon Choir from the Tabernacle in Salt Lake
City, with the "spoken word" by Richard Evans and Frank Asper at the
famous pipe organ were great favorites of mine, even before I became a
CBS engineer in 1944. Although I never had any personal contact with the
Bigg's program, I was assigned to the Mormon choir one Sunday when they
originated from San Bernardino, California, a fun day. Sunday was a very
intelectual day on CBS in the good old radio days. Anyone out there
remember Invitation to Learning with Lyman Bryson, The New York
Philharmonic from Carnegie Hall, the Church of the Air (two half hour
relidious programs from different cities), New Voices In Song ( a
showcase for  new operatic vocal talent), Eileen Farrell (a fantastic
voice). A wonderful era!. Anyone still around that remembers the
Metropolitan Opera on NBC with the great voice of announcer Milton Cross.
As I recall, it was broadcast Saturday afternoons, and sponsored by
Texaco.

Someone inquired  about hearing the same people laughing on audience
shows and wondered if they were hired stooges. Not that I ever was aware
of. However there were regulars who always seemed to have access to
tickets. One was the famous "Mrs. Miller". This lady was always in the
audiences, so much so that the talent was aware of her. I think that it
was my old friend, Steve Allen, who would refer to her at times. How this
lady always had hard to get tickets was always an unsolved mystery. In
theater studios the audience reaction mikes were permanently  installed
and hung from the ceilings of theater studios. The program engineer would
only "patch" them from a jack on the equipment rack into whatever mixer
position he desired in his control room, usually the one at the extreme
right of his console, as he used his right hand to "whap" in the audience
reacrion, whether it be laughs or applause. Directors appreciated, and
requested, engineers with a "fast" right hand. Cast mikes, 44-BX's, which
were "dead"  on the sides, usually faced crosswise of the the stage. This
eliminated any unwanted audio from the audience, such as coughing and
sneezing. If there were two cast mikes they were side by side, so that
the cast members could hear each other and also interact. Publicity
photos that you might see in publications were usually staged for the
photographer and were not shot during the actual broadcast. Consequently
they are often misleading.

Hope I have answered some of the questions. Also there were occasions
when we departed form the "norm".

Bill Murtough

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:56:17 -0500
From: "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: 28 Mar Today in radio history

1944 - WQXR in New York City, owned by The New York Times newspaper
banned singing commercials from its airwaves as of this day.
Understandable,
since the station has always been the classical music voice of Manhattan
and there aren't many classical singing commercials.    Joe

Then I guess you haven't heard Peter Schickele's album "[removed] Bach On The
Air".  There are a whole bunch of Baroque-style singing commercials and
jingles there.  Actually, WQXR often had advertisers record special
arrangement of jingles.  In the 50s and 60s I remember often hearing a
string quartette version of the Bowery Savings Bank jingle.  WPAT also
banned singing commercials when they were a background music station.

Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:56:28 -0500
From: "Arthur Funk" <Art-Funk@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  OTR Street Names

I'm a little behind in my reading of the Digest so perhaps someone has
already mentioned that there is an Arthur Godfrey Road in Miami Beach,
Florida.  The "Ol' Redhead" spent a lot of time there and often broadcast
his morning show from the Kennilworth Hotel of which I seem to remember he
has a part-owner.

Regards to all,
Art Funk
[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:56:40 -0500
From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  OTR references

I was watching Star Trek IV The Return Home. The 2 humpback whales that
Captain Kirk has to take back to the 23rd century are named George & Gracie.

Joe Salerno

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:56:49 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  March 30th Birthdays

If you were born on the 30th of March, you share your birthday with:

1892 - Ethel Owen, Racine Wisconsin - d. 12-28-1990
1913 - Frankie Laine - Chicago, Illinois
1919 - Turhan Bey - Vienna, Austria
1927 - Peter Marshall - Huntington, West Virginia
1929 - Richard Dysart - Augusta, Maine

Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program

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

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 16:57:08 -0500
From: "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Grover's Mill and FOTR

Our friend in the ether Derek wrote:

Since Newark is only about 1-1/2 hours away from the
Princeton area, I'm surprised nobody attending the FOTR convention ever
orchestrated a side-trip down [removed]'t'would be a natural >considering
the Oct. 30th anniversary usually falls within the same >week as the
FOTR/NJ convention.

They did, Derek. On the 50th anniversary of the show a group went to
Grover's Mill. Unfortunately I had just arrived on an all-night flight
(can't sleep on planes) and couldn't keep my eyes open so I napped at the
hotel while others had the fun. Later that day at the convention they sold
sweatshirts of Grover's Mill and WOTW. I still have mine and have great
hopes of losing enough weight to wear it again. :)

Barbara

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #132
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