------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2007 : Issue 222
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Curley Bradley shows [ "Barbara Harmon" <jimharmonotr@char ]
Radio shows that didn't last on TV [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
Radio Recall [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
About MP3's [ Trinapreston3@[removed] ]
2-Way Cigarettes [ <SS01002@[removed]; ]
"M i i i - l d!" (-coff-coff-) [ Wich2@[removed] ]
Longevity on Television [ seandd@[removed] ]
Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat on OTR [ "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@juno. ]
Re: Johnny Desmond [ "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed] ]
TV shows OTR [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
Robert A. Heinlein on Radio [ Michael <Brightstar2761@[removed] ]
Chuck Schaden announcement [ Frank McGurn <[removed]@sbcglobal. ]
radio shows on TV-- easy aces become [ "wgaryw@[removed]" <wgaryw@pacbel ]
It's Christmas in August [ "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed] ]
Howard Culver/Chandu [ "whhsa" <whhsa@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:58:11 -0400
From: "Barbara Harmon" <jimharmonotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Curley Bradley shows
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I, Jim Harmon, not Jack Harmon, did the Curley Bradley shows, about 1976. I
have only written a number of the essential books on radio as well as
appearing on numerous radio and TV shows, CDs and DVDs. I would think a
personal of average perception should get my name straight.
Also because someone has only heard TWO episodes that does not
mean only two exist. I did six episodes of Curley Bradley, [removed] Marshall
starring Curley Bradley. I sold them on cassettes for years. At least two
have been stolen for MP3s. They are legally copyrighted by me but it is
impossible to enforce said copyright. Of course I did a few new Tom Mix
shows for Ralston, which they offered free to radio stations, and which in
part were offered on commercial LPs. I also did a number of other parodies
and sketches with Curley. I also did one episode based on the old public
domain movie serial, Miracle Rider, with Jack Lester (former Sky King) as
Tom Mix. I usually played the second lead in these shows, as well as writing
and producing them. A few years ago I graduated to play the top spot, Tom
Mix, in an actual old radio script of "Tom Mix" by George Lowther, the
original writer, called "The Raven". Even more recently this year I played
Tom in a pilot for XM radio, reverting to the old serial format, in a
condensed ten minute format, also featuring Frank Bresee and Tommy Cook, who
both played Little Beaver on the forties Red Ryder, at different times. It
was for a format reviving NEW productions of old radio favorites. At long
last, the idea was rejected.
I also have a word on who owns old radio shows. They are
generally treated as public domain de facto. Only occasionally does
someone press the point and demand payment for ownership Many if not most
radio shows were NEVER copyrighted, and even if they were, those copyrights
would in the main have expired. A number of radio series characters have
been deliberately let go into public domain, their owners concluding they no
longer had any commercial value. These series include Jack Armstrong,
Captain Midnight, Ma Perkins and many other Hummert titles. At least, this
is my opinion to the best information I have. The subject is so complicated
I can believe there are other viewpoints on the subject.
-- JIM HARMON (using Barbara's domain)
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Please, folks, let's not get into non-authorative opinions on
what programs are within valid copyright, and which have been "deliverately
let go." If you need to know if a specific program is protected, contact an
attorney specializing in this area of the law, and pay that attorney to do a
copyright search. ANY other opinion isn't worth the phosphors/LCDs on your
monitor. --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:03:21 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Radio shows that didn't last on TV
Burn & Allen had a long Radio history of Radio 28 years buy had hit
TV show but not very long, Gracie health wasn't good
It lasted 8 years, October 1950 to September 1958. That's pretty
good for any TV show. It would have continued if Gracie hadn't
retired. It was followed by George Burns without Gracie, which
didn't last a full season (October through April).
Jack Benny - long radio run about 30 years including re-runs. TV was
OK he used his radio formula not great for TV. His shows weren't on
every week at the end.
On the contrary, his shows weren't on every week at the beginning.
He started in 1950 with a few shows a year, then gradually moved to
every other week, and eventually went to every week in 1960. He did
weekly shows until 1964, then did several specials a year until
shortly before he died in 1974.
Fibber McGee & Molly long run on radio, 24 years, but the TV version
didn't have Jim & Marion Jordan. Marion's health not [removed] TV show
was a [removed]
You're right on this one. It lasted from September 1959 to January
1960, not even one season.
The Life of Riley , 10 years on Radio. TV show cast Jackie Gleason as
Chester Riley, miserable so the brought William Bendix back, but it
didn't last to long.
It lasted over five years with William Bendix. A respectable run for
a television show.
The Aldrich Family a long running comedy for 14 years on radio , had a
short life on TV.
It lasted four seasons, from October 1949 to May 1953. Relatively
short for a television show, but longer than many.
LUX Radio Theater was a long running anthology on radio, but didn't,t
make on TV. They started showing movies on TV ...
Lux Video Theater was a half-hour dramatic anthology series, not a
dramatization of movies. It lasted from October 1950 to June 1954 on
CBS and from August 1954 to September 1957 on NBC. Sounds like a
long run to me, as television shows go.
Boston Blackie was on Radio 1944 to 1950, Went to TV and didn't last
to long Blackie drove a 1950 Nash, what beauty.
This was a syndicated series whose dates are given only as "1951."
So you're right about this one.
Your Hit Parade 1935 1953 on radio every Saturday, On TV was done in
by Rock and Roll
It was. But before that, it lasted eight years on Saturday nights on
NBC. Then it moved to CBS from October 1958 to April 1959. It
returned briefly in August 1974 on CBS.
Suspense with a long radio history was on TV for a short time as Inter
Samctum
Suspense was a TV show from March 1949 to August 1954. That's a
respectable five-year run. It returned from March to September 1964,
on CBS.
Inner Sanctum was a different show. According to =Total Television=
by Alex McNeil (which I'm using to check all these dates), it began
on radio in 1941 and was a short-lived syndicated TV series in 1954.
"Its trademark, on radio and television, was a squeaking door." Paul
McGrath, who hosted the show on radio, also hosted on TV as "Mr.
Raymond," but was never seen.
Jimmy Durante tried TV as Part of The Colgate Comedy Hour That was up
against Ed Sullivan's "Toast Of The Town" so the comedy hour didn't;t
last to long.
The Colgate Comedy Hour, which ran on NBC from September 1950 through
December 1955, featured various guest hosts, including Dean Martin &
Jerry Lewis, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, Donald O'Connor, Jimmy Durante,
and Fred Allen. According to =Total Television= it competed
successfully against Ed Sullivan for its first four seasons. In the
fall of 1955 it was retitled "The Colgate Variety Hour." When
Colgate dropped sponsorship in mid-season, it continued as the "NBC
Comedy Hour" from January to June 1956.
The Jimmy Durante Show ran on alternate Saturday nights on NBC from
October 1954 to June 1956, two seasons, alternating with the Donald
O'Connor Show. =Total Television= doesn't list it, but I remember it
being rerun on Saturday nights in the summer of 1957. With just two
seasons, I'd agree that was short-lived.
It's important to remember, though, that TV shows generally have had
shorter runs than many radio shows had. Ed Sullivan may have lasted
from 1948 to 1971, but nobody else has had that long a run on prime-
time television.
--
A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed]
92 State Street Fax [removed]
Boston, MA 02109 [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:06:37 -0400
From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Radio Recall
The August issue of "Radio Recall" is at the printers and the B & W
hardcopy will soon be mailed to subscribers. A second version, in
full-color PDF, will be emailed earlier to subscribers who have
chosen this option. August is another 12 pages, jammed full of OTR
related information.
Jim Cox leads off this issue, elaborating on the smaller cities
(behind the "Big Three" of NYC, Chicago, and LA) who produced network
shows in the Golden Age. Paul Urbahns, the librarian for OTRR,
follows with a history of "Phyl Coe Mysteries" including a 1937 full
page ad by Philco plugging the now-elusive "mystery booklet" which
tied into this lady detective series.
William Harper's new book, "Straight Arrow," and Alfred Balk's
history, "The Rise of Radio" are both reviewed in this issue. There
are also details on the Library of Congress moving the bulk of their
Audio-Visual archives to a new center in Culpeper, VA. An article
highlighting the radio career of Ed Walker (of "Joy Boys" fame)
announces his upcoming appearance at the fun-filled Mid-Atlantic
Nostalgia Convention in Aberdeen, MD this September. All this plus a
crostic puzzle about OTR newscasters by our resident Quiz Master,
Adam Roslewicz.
Information on subscribing, and other benefits of the Metro
Washington OTR Club, can be found at our website: <[removed]>
Jack French
Editor
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:09:14 -0400
From: Trinapreston3@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: About MP3's
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I writing to find out if OTR shows on mp3's are the best choice in sound
quality? I ask this because I've been considering trying mp3's as a choice
now
since I bought a new home stereo that plays mp3's. I know in the past OTR
Digest readers had made some complaints about the sound quality of mp3's
disk. Can
anyone suggest any OTR sellers who have great quality OTR shows on mp3's
disk. My concern about mp3's is the sound, otr programs are very old so sound
quality to me is important.
Trina,
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
[ADMINISTRIVIA: [removed] [removed] has some good stuff, and
every purchase there helps to support the OTR Digest, the Nostalgia Pages at
[removed] the blog/podcast at [removed]
(currently running "It's Higgins, Sir!"), and all the other OTR-related stuff
at the [removed] --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:40:36 -0400
From: <SS01002@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 2-Way Cigarettes
When William Conrad did the Chesterfield plugs,
he mentions 2 way cigarettes. Google searches come up
empty on that phrase.
"Are these different from all other smokes, or is it
just a marketing phrase?
I'm not entirely sure, but I suspect that "2-way" referred to the fact that,
unlike Kent (with the Micronite filter), Chesterfield cigarettes could go
into the mouth either [removed] worry about accidentally lighting up that
pesky micronite thing!
Larry Santoro
[removed]
Larry@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:53:03 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: "M i i i - l d!" (-coff-coff-)
From: ROB CHATLIN _rchatlin@[removed]_ (mailto:rchatlin@[removed])
When William Conrad did the Chesterfield plugs,
he mentions 2 way cigarettes. Google searches come up
empty on that phrase.
Hey there, Rob!-
"Cancer, AND Emphysema"?
Best,
-Craig W.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:54:28 -0400
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Longevity on Television
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I think the recent thread on radio shows that transitioned to television is
comparing apples to oranges when comparing how shows like Suspense or Life of
Riley did against The Jack Benny Program or Burns and [removed] Riley was
a character and theoretically any actor could play him. Suspense was an
anthology with different stars every week. Jack Benny was Jack Benny and
George Burns was George Burns and Gracie Allen was Gracie [removed] the time
television came around those people were just OLD. They had started their
careers in the 1920s or even earlier. Their longevity was still amazing even
though their runs on television were shorter than on radio, you can't say they
weren't [removed], Jack's television show wasn't up to the standards of
his peak radio programs, but what could be? I've seen the last episode, with
the Smothers Brothers, and it was pretty [removed] and Allen's programs got
better as they went along, so in some ways the TV show was better and more
creative than their early radio shows in particular. I'm convinced that the
fact that radio shows didn't have to depict their characters aging was the
reason they were able to stay popular so long. For example, you couldn't do a
show about a family with two young children like "Life of Riley" on television
for 17+ years because the children would age and it would no longer make
sense. "Malcolm in the Middle" was like that on television. It was funny at
first but after a couple of years the kids looked like young adults and that
threw the writers out of the zone they were comfortable writing in and they
couldn't get it back together. In contrast, The Simpsons, where the
characters don't age, is still working at radio-style [removed]
DoughertySeanDD@[removed]
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:53:31 -0400
From: "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat on OTR
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Yeah, I know what you mean. When I first heard the ad they
had on radio (Quaker Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat, the cereal shot
from [removed]) it really didn't make it sound too appetizing to me. It
made me wonder how such an ad could have appealed to the public
back then. Was it the image that such an act brought to their minds?
Surely, the voracity of such a statement came into question at some point.
Cereals can't be shot from guns as we know them, can they?
Another OTR Fan,
Kenneth Clarke
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:56:31 -0400
From: "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Johnny Desmond
and to the fellow who gave directions to the johnny
desmond material, i forwarded it on
I should have responded to the list instead of Ed personally,
but I sent him this Johnny Desmond information:
Please check out [removed]
and let Diane Desmond know as well:
There's a program on Johnny Desmond - an interview
and his music - (program 27) at
[removed]
There's also more about him on the Glenn Miller
shows 85-86 at
[removed]
You'll also find a program there featuring Don
McNeill. (Program 15)
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:57:21 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: TV shows OTR
Roby McHone
Fairbanks, Alaska commented:
On the subject of radio shows that didn't make it on television; don't know if
anyone has mentioned 'The Great Gildersleeve'. I have a couple of the TV
Gildersleeves on tape and can readily see why it didn't have a very long run
there.
Most TV series had 39 episodes per season because many shows were syndicated
and stations required 39 episodes. Thus is a series ran two years, it ran
78 episodes. Three years meant 115 episodes. The Great Gildersleeve TV
series ran one year (39 episodes) but since Hal Roach TV Studios went under
in the mid-late 1950s, it's possible Gildersleeve would have gone another
season if the studio didn't fold. It's all a matter of how many TV stations
wanted more episodes are the first season, when it's syndicated. I can see
why a lot of TV stations would have wanted the Gildersleeve series and it
would have been easy to find a local sponsor, and I have no doubt there was
a demand for a second season.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:07:37 -0400
From: Michael <Brightstar2761@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Robert A. Heinlein on Radio
Jim Burns recently stated
Heinlein, as you know, had more than a few works adapted, to radio.
Actually I didn't [removed] What storeis of his were adapted, and on
what series were they done?
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 14:12:37 -0400
From: Frank McGurn <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Chuck Schaden announcement
For those who had trouble finding Chuck announcement Try this:.
[removed] and then click the link "When Radio Was" You
will find a copy of the an article ,that Chuck included, from the
Chicago Sum-Times and *A NOTE FROM CHUCK: *telling the sad story.
Frank McGurn
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:30:28 -0400
From: "wgaryw@[removed]" <wgaryw@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: radio shows on TV-- easy aces becomes trash TV?!?
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
well, talking about radio shows that didn't work on TV, how about "easy
aces". . .?
there was a short lived attempt to revive the show on the dumont network in
1949, which would presumably have been a live show and undoubtedly is lost
forever, but goodman ace would probably be happy about that. he hated the
show, and criticized the whole approach that was taken, in which the camera
would emphasize all the malaprops with close-ups of jane, killing all the
humor's subtlety.
but a truly bizarre TV revival took place 20 years later that isn't lost, but
which he would probably have been even more ashamed of. canadian TV
apparently recycled some of the "easy aces" scripts into a show called "the
trouble with tracy", considered by many to be the *worst* program ever
produced by canadian television. even the scripts have been viciously
attacked, the same scripts that were called "urbane" and "witty" when the
aces performed them 20 years earlier.
i've never seen "the trouble with tracy", but i'm sure it's as awful as i've
read. what's fascinating is that, again, you can take scripts that were
great in one context, and if you produce them incorrectly, or in the wrong
medium, the scripts themselves can appear weak. also, it's interesting that
this show was produced the same year that ace decided to publish some old
scripts in the book "ladies and gentlemen, easy aces". perhaps he was
strapped for cash that year. . .
are there any canadians out there who have seen this show? and if so, were
you aware that these were recycled "easy aces" scripts? was goodman ace a
credited writer? totally bizarre.
if you'd like to read some of the awful things people have to say about "the
trouble with tracy", check out the "jump the shark" website:
[removed]
--wgw
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 02:08:47 -0400
From: "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: It's Christmas in August
It's Christmas in August! Go to [removed]
to hear two programs hosted by Dick Bertel and his guest,
Ed Corcoran, which were broadcast in 1967 and 1968, and
were the precursors of WTIC's Golden Age of Radio.
These shows, dubbed "Echoes of Christmas Past," explore
the Christmas shows we listened to on radio in the '30s, '40s,
and '50s, including Jack Benny, Fred Allen, "One Man's
Family," "The Great Gildersleeve," and others.
Go to [removed] and click on "Additional
Features.
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 02:09:16 -0400
From: "whhsa" <whhsa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Howard Culver/Chandu
Dear Folks;
Peace.
Howard Culver, who was Straight Arrow/Steve Adams, was the announcer for
Chandu. What is especially remembered are those insipid commercials for
White King!
You can find some of the White King premiums on eBay.
Manituwah,
Bill
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2007 Issue #222
*********************************************
Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
including republication in any form.
If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
[removed]
For Help: [removed]@[removed]
To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]
To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
or see [removed]
For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]
To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]
To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]