------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 122
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Re: Thanks For All The Help [ "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed]; ]
Birthdays [ Tony Baechler <tony@[removed]; ]
Who's going to Cincinnati? [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
Re: Fred Allen [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
Re: Radio Free Obits [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
Re: Comics & OTR [ Mark Stratton <[removed]@[removed]; ]
Milton Berle [ "gary hagan" <grhagan@[removed]; ]
HARRY BARTELL AND WILLIAM CONRAD [ Bob & Ronna Rutishauser <solons@ear ]
Og, Son of Fire [ "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed]; ]
Re: "Sam and Henry" On The Record [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Tucson As A Possible OTR Convention [ Tsunami1000@[removed] ]
OTR Clubs [ "Norman Schickedanz" <[removed] ]
NAB Hall of Fame [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
Corrected Lunch Box link [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
STREAMLOAD [ "david rogers" <david_rogers@hotmai ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 11:04:45 -0500
From: "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Thanks For All The Help
This may be slightly off topic but it is an observation that I would like to
share. I am fairly new to Old Time Radio but a long time fan of "Fraiser".
After listening to some of Orson Welles' radio work, I have come to believe
that part of the characterization of the title character of "Fraiser" may be
partially derived from Orson Welles' style of speaking. This is by no means
a negative but there seem to be parallels in intonation, phrasing, and
choice of language.
Please no responses from angry fans--I love the show. Bravo & long live
"Fraiser"! Dare I say (very Fraiseresque turn of a phrase, isn't it), Mr.
Grammer and his associates have created in "Fraiser" one of the funniest,
best written, and most vibrant characters ever created in TV or Radio
history! The similarities may be total coincidence but I think it is an
interesting point.
I agree that the "radio recreation" episode is hilarious--unfortunately, I
do not have it on tape.
Thanks,
Jim Knaggs
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:24:15 -0500
From: Tony Baechler <tony@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Birthdays
Hello all. Well, I am posting this now since I know that many of you think
that "Gunsmoke," is the best OTR show ever produced. Just a reminder that
on April 26, it will be 50 years old. Its first show was on 04-26-52. I
know that most people know that, but it just occured to me so I thought I
would post. For me, I can hardly believe that it has been 50 years since
it was first broadcast, especially considering that an anniversary show was
produced in 1976. For those of you who do radio programs or write
newsletter articles, here is an idea for April.
Another show with a birthday this year is "Suspense." On June 17, it will
be 60 years old, with its first show on 06-17-42. While many people have
written and said things about the show over the years, I am not aware of a
comprehensive examination of it (except for Elizabeth's column posted many
months ago on a different list).
If any other noteworthy shows have important birthdays this year, feel free
to post them. Thanks.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:25:02 -0500
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Who's going to Cincinnati?
Is there anyone going to Cincy from anywhere near southern Virginia, by car
or train? Let's say south of Charlottesville, or perhaps west or south of
Lynchburg, whose route I could intercept? I'd like to share a ride and
expenses. Please let me know off Digest.
Many thanks. Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:24:45 -0500
From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Fred Allen
Elizabeth McLeod writes:
Most Allen programs from 1935-40 *do* exist in recorded form. The
original discs are housed at the Library of Congress, and tape copies are
available for on-premises listening in the Rare Books Department at the
Boston Public Library.
The issue of the Boston Public Library's handling of the Fred Allen
broadcasts in their Rare Books Department has come up before and I wonder
if someone on this list would be willing to post information on past
efforts to make this material more widely available.
My understanding is that Allen willed his papers and the literary rights to
his works to the BPL when he died. (Allen had worked for the BPL as a young
man and, thanks to their extensive collection and a voracious desire for
learning, this led not only to his learning how to juggle but also to his
first public performance at a library-sponsored staff talent show.) In the
early 1960's Allen's widow Portland, with the help of her second husband
Joe Rines, had most if not all of NBC's collection of Allen programs
transferred from their disks to 1/4" reel tapes. These tapes were donated
to the library where they were stored, inaccessible to the public, for well
over 30 years. Then, when Portland died in the mid-1990s, she willed a
sizeable amount of money to the library which led to a small Allen exhibit,
the tapes of the programs being transferred to cassette, and these
cassettes being made available for library listening only.
My questions are:
* If the BPL owns the literary rights to the Allen broadcasts and NBC holds
the right to grant permission to access the disks they deposited to the
Library of Congress, would these be the only two entities required to give
permission for the commercial use of Allen's programs? And does this
exclude Allen's "Texaco Star Theater" series of 1940-44, as this was
broadcast over CBS? (My understanding is that these recordings - at least
those that are known to exist - are *not* in the BPL collection.)
* What is the length of time for which the BPL and/or NBC will be able to
retain these rights, given the current copyright law?
* What has been the library's attitude toward overtures to more widely
distribute these programs up to now?
* Has anyone on this list actually heard the recordings held by the BPL? I
understand that they were rather poorly transferred originally but I've
never had the chance to hear them myself or get a first-hand report.
* Did I get any of this information wrong? I'd appreciate anyone who can
correct me or fill in the blanks.
As a big fan of Allen's radio work - and as a part of the First Generation
Radio Archives - I'd love to investigate ways in which more of his programs
could be made available, preferably in new direct-from-disk digital
transfers. I don't know what the possibilities for this are (it would, of
course, almost certainly be an expensive proposition) but it's worth
looking into.
Thanks --
Harlan
Harlan Zinck
First Generation Radio Archives
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:29:55 -0500
From: Ga6string@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Radio Free Obits
Eric Cooper writes, re Milton Berle's obit:
once again, the mainstream
media and its obituary writers ignore OTR like it was ancient Greek history.
I agree, and it's a shame. In most TV and films star bios, no OTR references
are anywhere to be found. I'm a Bogart fan, for example, and I'm still
awaiting the first mainstream reference to "Bold Venture." And isn't it
regrettable that such sources as the Internet Movie Database ([removed])
reference "notable TV appearances" but don't even list an actor's starring
roles in OTR.
Bryan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:30:33 -0500
From: Mark Stratton <[removed]@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Comics & OTR
Ah, comic books!
What I remember was that they were 64 pages in length. The ones you can pick
up from today's counters are, maybe, 16 pages. And, in the old days, they
cost 10 cents.
Today's comics are 32 pages and have been for over 30 years. They tend to range in
price from $[removed] to $[removed] There are Trade Paperback collections that run in price from
$15 to $25 or thereabouts.
Today's comics tend to have 22-24 pages of story with ads. That has also been the standard
for nearly 30 [removed]
At least Superman was a radio favorite. Wouldn't it have been great if some
other
of the above group had also been put on radio?
The Green Lama was a Radio Show, A Pulp Character and a Comic Character. The Blue Beetle
had a short lived Radio series as well.
Batman was a frequent Guest Star on the Superman radio show as well
Cheers,
Mark Stratton
The Big Little Comics Links Page
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:31:12 -0500
From: "gary hagan" <grhagan@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Milton Berle
With the passing of Milton Berle yesterday it reminded me of a funny
incident involving my wife and myself. Some years back we visited Hollywood
and were looking to take in some audience participation shows. Listed on
the tickets list was a tribute to "Uncle Miltie". Well we went out of our
way to stay another night and stand in line for the show hoping to see some
STARS. To our surprise, all the audience was able to observe was a taping
of the Texaco Service Station men that introduced him in the old days. They
sang and danced to
"We were the ones who once were guilty of presenting Uncle Miltie". Every
time Milton Berle is brought up now we laugh at the experience hoping to see
celebrities and when the show was broadcast all you could see was the backs
of the audience's heads. It did bring back nostalgic memories which I guess
is all that would matter. Goodbye Milton Berle. You will be missed!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:31:39 -0500
From: Bob & Ronna Rutishauser <solons@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: HARRY BARTELL AND WILLIAM CONRAD
I am listening to "The Six Shooter" series and enjoying them very much.
They are very well written and performed.
In the episode of "The Swedish Bride" from May 6, 1954, Harry Bartell is a
fellow who commits murder just prior to his bride arriving in town. At the
end of the show he is billed in the credits as, "Harry 'Killer' Bartell." I
wonder what the story was behind the use of the nickname?
As it is the Easter time of year, the episode of April 15, 1954, "Crisis At
Easter Creek," is about Britt helping to raise money for a new church organ
in time for Easter. He enlists the aid of a down and dirty desperado,
Red-Eye Kirk. Red-Eye is played by a barely recognizable William Conrad who
is not named in the credits other than being listed as, "..and Red-Eye
Kirk."
A great series!
Bob R.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:31:52 -0500
From: "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Og, Son of Fire
Has anybody ever run across any recordings of the series "Og, Son of
Fire" -- a 1930's show about a cave man and his prehistoric adventures? I
found a fascinating website about the show, the premiums, and the books that
inspired it. According to the site all the episodes are lost. Or are they?
[removed]
Doug Leary
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:34:01 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: "Sam and Henry" On The Record
John Mayer wrote:
can you identify the sketches from those records in
some way? How many such records were there? Were these records recorded
on both sides, one sketch per side?
The "Sam and Henry" records were standard 10-inch 78rpm double-faced
shellac discs, issued as part of Victor's regular black-label popular
series. Four such records were released:
20032: Sam Phonin' His Sweetheart 'Liza (matrix no. BVE-35328) /Sam &
Henry At The Dentist's (BVE-35329) Both recorded 4/20/26.
20093: Sam's Speech At The Colored Lodge (BVE-35066)/Sam & Henry At The
Fortune Teller's (BVE-35073) Recorded 5/27/26 and 5/28/26.
20375: Sam & Henry Rollin' The Bones (BVE-35067)/Sam & Henry Buying
Insurance (BVE-35068) Both recorded 5/27/26.
20788: Sam's Big Night (BVE-39092)/The Morning After (BVE-39093) Both
recorded 7/7/27.
In addition to these "Sam and Henry" sides, brief interpolations by Sam
and Henry are heard on Victor 19886, the Correll and Gosden song
recordings "All I Want To Do" (BVE-34578) and "Let's Talk About My
Sweetie" (BVE-34579), both recorded 3/2/26. The release of this record in
late March of 1926 marked the first public revelation of the true
identities of "Sam and Henry," although many astute listeners had already
recognized and identified the voices of Correll and Gosden.
And were they representative of the
show?
Yes and no. The voices and acting styles are probably representative of
what was being heard on the air -- and, indeed, these voices are
noticably different from the familiar voices of Amos and Andy: "Sam"
delivers his lines in a sort of hoarse yell, while "Henry" speaks with
almost an under-the-breath mumble. The content of the records are short
vignettes which are similar, but not identitical, to material actually
used on the air. However, like "Amos 'n' Andy," "Sam and Henry" was built
around continuing melodramatic storylines, not a disconnected series of
comic skits, and the records don't capture that element of the radio
program at all.
However, it's possible to get a very general sense of the characters from
these records, especially if you compare them with the text of the
scripts published in the "Sam and Henry" book. It's interesting to note
that despite the common belief that "Amos 'n' Andy" were simply "Sam and
Henry" renamed, there are significant differences between the
characterizations in the two series. Some of them are obvious -- Sam and
Henry were enthusiastic drinkers, but Amos and Andy never touched any
form of liquor. Sam and Henry enjoyed gambling, but while Amos and Andy
occasionally played cards for matchsticks, and Andy fancied himself a
bridge expert, the two were never portrayed as serious gamblers.
But other differences are more subtle -- Sam may sound like Amos, but he
is clearly not the same person. Sam was an utter, absolute innocent -- he
believed anything Henry told him, and was by far the more gullible of the
two, constantly being swindled by con men and hustlers. Amos, by
contrast, always had a healthy sense of skepticism whenever Andy started
with the big talk, and while he always tried to give people the benefit
of the doubt, he had long since come to realize that there were people in
the world you couldn't and shouldn't trust. From the very beginning of
A&A, Amos was portrayed as an intelligent, thoughtful man who never had
the advantage of an education -- whereas Sam was not only uneducated, but
not all that bright.
Henry and Andy are also quite different. Both are blowhards -- but Henry
actually seems to be genuinely *mean* to Sam. He's both a jerk and a
bully -- and most important, he seems to actually believe his own
exaggerations. But Andy, by contrast, is trying to fool *himself* along
with everyone else: Correll and Gosden carefully portrayed him as the
victim of a whopping inferiority complex, who used big talk and
"putting-on-the-dog" as a way of hiding from his own feelings of
insignificance -- if there was a chance he could convince everyone he was
"Andrew H. Brown, President," he might possibly be able to convince
himself of his own worth. That his bluster clearly convinced no one gave
Andy a tragic vulnerability that helped to make him a far more complex,
sympathetic character than Henry ever was.
The explanation of this evolution is simple: when they started "Sam and
Henry" in 1926, Correll and Gosden had no idea what they were getting
into, nor were there any other radio serials they could study to learn
the technique: they were literally inventing the form as they went along.
All they had ever written were short revue-type comedy sketches, and had
never attempted to create a realistic character. So "Sam and Henry"
started out rather crudely.
But by 1928, they had learned a lot -- and the break from WGN gave them
the chance to start with a clean slate. The first weeks of "Amos 'n'
Andy" are much more refined in terms of characterization than the start
of "Sam and Henry," and give evidence that Correll and Gosden were
applying the lessons they'd learned about how to create believeable
characters. You can see the seeds of this instinctive skill as far back
as the start of "Sam and Henry," but they didn't really master the
technique until they left WGN and started over from the beginning.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:34:23 -0500
From: Tsunami1000@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Tucson As A Possible OTR Convention Site
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Please pardon my tooting for Tucson, but this city would be the idea location
for future OTR conventions------excellent weather, hotel prices, and great
food and fun in a laid-back city renowned for its good natured people,
smiling faces, and good old Southwestern hospitality! One additional asset:
prices are cheaper here than most anywhere else because many facilities cater
to abundant retirees and snow birds! JIM F
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:35:06 -0500
From: "Norman Schickedanz" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "Old-Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OTR Clubs
Walden Hughes mentioned Chicago and Arizona as being good places for OTR
clubs.
Having just moved from the Chicago area last fall, I know there are OTR
re-enactment groups there, started as offshoots of Chuck Schaden's "Those
Were the Days" show. Also, there is another OTR club based there, ORCATS,
with members from around the country.
Having just moved to Tucson, I've recently started an informal OTR club
here. We've had one meeting so far and have over a dozen members at the
moment.
Norm Schickedanz
Tucson
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:35:37 -0500
From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: NAB Hall of Fame
Continuing on about radio awards: How about the National Association of
Broadcasters honorees? See below. (Hm. No award for Tesla.)
Bhob @ FUSEBOX ONLINE COMICS @
[removed]
----
NAB: [removed]
NAB Radio Hall of Fame Honorees
2001
"Cousin Brucie" Bruce Morrow (radio personality)
2000
Tom Joyner (radio personality)
1999
Wolfman Jack (radio personality)
1998
Rush Limbaugh (radio personality)
1997
Wally Phillips (radio personality)
1996
Don Imus (radio personality)
1995
Gary Owens (radio personality)
1994
Harry Caray (radio sportscaster)
1993
"Grand Ole Opry" (radio program)
1992
Larry King (radio personality)
1991
Douglas Edwards (radio correspondent)
1990
Charles Osgood (correspondent)
Hal Jackson (entrepreneur)
1989
Red Barber (sportscaster)
Nathan Safir (Spanish broadcasting pioneer)
1988
Roy Acuff (singer)
William B. Williams (personality)
1987
Robert Trout (political journalist)
Gordon B. McLendon (innovator)
Robert Todd Storz (industry leader)
1986
Mel Allen (sportscaster)
Earl Nightingale (commentator)
1985
Casey Kasem (personality, announcer)
Fred Palmer (broadcaster, consultant)
1984
Red Skelton (comedian)
Bob Elliot & Ray Goulding (entertainers)
1983
Charles Lauk & Norris Goff (Lum & Abner ? comedians)
Benny Goodman (entertainer)
1982
Edgar Bergen (comedian)
Don McNeill (entertainer)
1981
Ronald Reagan (Dutch Reagan, President of the United States)
Kate Smith (singer, entertainer)
1980
Bing Crosby (singer, entertainer)
George Burns (comedian)
1979
Paul Harvey (commentator)
Orson Welles (producer, actor, director of radio, motion pictures and
theatre)
1978
Arthur Godfrey (personality)
Jim & Marian Jordan (Fibber McGee & Molly) (comedians)
Walter Winchell (commentator)
Guglielmo Marconi (inventor)
1977
William S. Paley (entrepreneur)
Jack Benny (comedian)
Fred Allen (comedian)
Lowell Thomas (News reporter and commentator)
Edward Murrow (news reporter and commentator)
Milton Cross (music commentator)
David Sarnoff (entrepreneur)
Ted Husing (sportscaster)
Edwin Armstrong (inventor)
Herbert Hoover (President of the United States)
Gene Autry (singer, entertainer)
Freeman S. Gosden & Charles J. Correll (Amos and Andy ? comedians)
Bob Hope (comedian)
Graham McNamee (sportscaster)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:35:50 -0500
From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Corrected Lunch Box link
Sorry, I've heard from a few of you and it turns out the link I listed for
the Lone Ranger lunch boxes was incorrect. Here's the correct link.
[removed]
To help find the listing the item # is: 7877398
Irene Heinstein
IreneTH@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 22:30:19 -0500
From: "david rogers" <david_rogers@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: STREAMLOAD
Can I just ask how other folks find the "Streamload" service? I read this
today:
There are at least 9 Baby Snooks shows available on "STREAMLOAD".
Someone on this forum mentioned Streamload awhile back and I found it to
be a great site to download shows.
However, I have read other comments that have spoken negatively about
Streamload. Personally, I think that it is a great idea. I have recieved
some great Damon Runyan Theatre files from a very kind gentleman in South
Africa. (I would like to take this chance to publically thank him.) However,
I do find that sometimes the service can be very erratic. I seem to get
files that will not download, which adds to my total download amount and
then I have to wait a while for my download total to clear.
Therefore, even though I feel that it is a great idea it does sometimes
leave me a little frustrated. I was wondering about how other people find
the service.
Love as always, David Rogers
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Please respond to Mr. Rogers directly; I think we've
discussed Streamload on the list enough for a while. --cfs3]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #122
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