Subject: [removed] Digest V2007 #80
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 3/10/2007 8:47 AM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2007 : Issue 80
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      3-9 births/deaths                     [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
      Prarie Home Companion in Charleston   [ seandd@[removed] ]
      Ludicrous lines                       [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      Re: Asking Actors to Pay Their Own E  [ jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns) ]
      Re: Donating OTR Materials            [ jimb <beshiresjim@[removed]; ]
      Titles Needed: Inner Sanctum and Nig  [ "RyanO" <rosentowski@[removed]; ]
      WikiProject Radio                     [ Bhob Stewart <bhob2@[removed]; ]
      The Luck of Joan Christopher          [ "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed]; ]
      OTR in the News                       [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
      Redux ABC mike in 1935 ?              [ <verotas@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 12:11:41 -0500
    From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  3-9 births/deaths
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    March 9th births

    03-09-1893 - Ara Gerald - Sydney, Australia - d. 4-2-1957
    actor: Countess Florenza "Our Gal Sunday"
    03-09-1902 - Robert St. John - Chicago, IL - d. 2-6-2003
    newscaster: 1943-46, NBC, weekdays at 10 [removed]
    03-09-1902 - Will Geer - Franfort, IN - d. 4-22-1978
    actor: Penny "Bright Horizon"
    03-09-1909 - Victor Seydel - d. 8-xx-1973
    director: "Counterspy"
    03-09-1911 - Leopold Proser - d. 2-xx-1981
    writer: "The Columbia Workshop"
    03-09-1912 - Ned Le Fevre - Indiana - d. 6-10-1966
    actor: Ned Holden "The Guiding Light"; Jonathan Kegg "A Life in Your
    Hands"
    03-09-1914 - Fred Clark - Lincoln, CA - d. 12-5-1968
    actor: "This Is Your FBI"; "Amos n' Andy Show"
    03-09-1918 - Marguerite Chapman - Chatham, NY - d. 8-30-1999
    actor: "Family Theatre"; "Silver Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
    03-09-1918 - Mickey Spillane - Brooklyn NY - d. 7-17-2006
    writer: "That Hammer Guy" based on his novels
    03-09-1920 - Jerry Byrd - Lima, OH - d. 4-11-2005
    steel guitarist: "Country Music Time"; "March of Dimes"
    03-09-1921 - Carl Betz - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 1-18-1978
    disk jockey: WCAE Pittsburgh
    03-09-1926 - Joe Franklin - NYC
    disc jockey: "Joe Franklin's Memory Lane"; "Main Street Memories"
    03-09-1932 - Keely Smith - Norfolk, VA
    singer: "Guard Session"; "Here's to Veterans"
    03-09-1934 - Joyce Van Patten - Queens, NY
    actor: Daisy "Reg'lar Fellers"

    March 9th deaths

    01-07-1913 - Shirley Ross - Omaha, NE - d. 3-9-1975
    actor, singer: "Raleigh and Kool Cigarette Program with Tommy Dorsey"
    01-20-1896 - George Burns - NYC - d. 3-9-1996
    comedian: "Advs. of Gracie"; "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show"
    03-15-1883 - Ernie Hare - Norfolk, VA - d. 3-9-1939
    singer: (The Happiness Boys)
    04-15-1907 - Casper Reardon - Little Falls, NY - d. 3-9-1941
    jazz harpist: "Camel Caravan"; "Kraft Music Hall"
    04-28-1892 - Joseph Dunninger - NYC - d. 3-9-1975
    mentalist: (Master Mind of Mental Mystery) "Dunninger Show"
    06-11-1900 - Lawrence Spivak - Brooklyn, NY - d. 3-9-1994
    moderator, panelist: "Meet the Press"
    07-02-1914 - Clint Alley - d. 3-9-1994
    sportscaster: WKOY West Virginia
    07-08-1917 - Faye Emerson - Elizabeth, NJ - d. 3-9-1983
    actor: "My Silent Partner"
    07-16-1907 - Ned Calmer - Chicago, IL - d. 3-9-1986
    news analyst: "World News Roundup"
    07-30-1922 - Meredith Davies - Birkenhead, England - d. 3-9-2005
    conductor: "City of Birmingham Choir"
    08-25-1913 - Bob Crosby - Spokane, WA - d. 3-9-1993
    bandleader, singer: "Camel Caravan"; "Bob Crosby Show"; "Jack Benny
    Program"
    10-09-1915 - Edward Andrews - Griffin, GA - d. 3-9-1985
    actor: Nat "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill"
    11-17-1918 - Paul Crabtree - Pulaski, VA - d. 3-9-1979
    actor: David Naughton "Claudia and David"
    xx-xx-1909 - Herman Chittison - Flemingsburg, NY - d. 3-9-1967
    jazz pianist: "Casey, Crime Photographer"; "The Gloom Dodgers"

    Ron Sayles

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

    Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 12:11:46 -0500
    From: seandd@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Prarie Home Companion in Charleston
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    Garrison Kellior of Prarie Home Companion fame will soon be performing in
    Charleston, [removed]  In an interview with the local paper there, he talks a bit
    about OTR and mentions Jack [removed]
    DoughertySeanDD@[removed][removed]
    mental/[removed];tableId=133394&pubDate=3/8/2007

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:38:20 -0500
    From: <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Ludicrous lines

    Jenny Haines, the grieving widow on the broadcast of Mr. Keen aired April 3,
    1952, was suitably shaken and sobbed uncontrollably when the great
    investigator exposed her late husband's killer.  The gumshoe had also
    earlier discovered that the dead man ran a narcotics operation, something
    his spouse knew nothing about.

    "It may help you to bear your sorrow, Mrs. Haines, to know that your husband
    was part of a dope ring, too," Keen offered as comfort to the sorrowing
    lady.  How in heaven's name was it to do that?  It's surely one of the most
    ludicrous lines ever pitched to a spouse-in-mourning.

    And then, attempting to console her further, Keen added:  "Your life will be
    better without him."  That week's scribe was none other than Frank Hummert
    himself.  Did anyone tell him he should stick to his day job?  That infamous
    line surely won the prize for the weakest dialogue during Mr. Keen's 18-year
    run.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:38:51 -0500
    From: jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Asking Actors to Pay Their Own [removed]

    Wasn't one ring of Dante's Inferno reserved for folks who impose upon
    actors?

    Especially older actors?

    Many seniors, Bob--

    No, make that many folks who aren't rich and are being comped--

    Look to get a first class air ticket, so they can trade it in for coach,
    and keep the difference.

    I've seen many, many famous folks, riding the skywaves with me, in the
    back of ze plane, boss.

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:39:42 -0500
    From: jimb <beshiresjim@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Donating OTR Materials
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    Hi All,

      I've followed with great interest the various musings about donating otr
    materials to libraries, churches, nursing homes, etc, and agree that it is
    not the best solution.  Mention was also made about donating to SPERDVAC as
    well, with the comment being that they didn't have enough dedicated
    volunteers to handle the donations.

      I'd like to point out that the Old Time Radio Researchers will take any and
    all donations of old time radio materials, including cassettes, magazines,
    and reel-to-reels. We have plenty of volunteers willing to convert the audio
    materials to WAV and MP3, and scan the magazines into pdf format.

      In the past two years, we've had one collector to donate 2500 cassettes,
    another 1000, another 500, another 600 reel-to-reels, and several to donate
    magazines, which are being rapidly scanned and uploaded to our website -
    [removed] for everyone to enjoy.  We have converted over 3000 of the
    cassettes(with the rest being done now) and are in the process of converting
    the reel-to-reels.  All of it is made available free for the asking to all in
    the otr community.  In fact, our volunteers ask for work!

      What better way to ensure that your collection continues to give pleasure
    to future generations?

      If you are interested in donating any otr, please e-mail me.

        Fans of OTR - please check out  the OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHERS GROUP
    [removed]
      MEMBER: ASSOCIATION OF OLD TIME RADIO GROUPS

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:39:54 -0500
    From: "RyanO" <rosentowski@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Titles Needed: Inner Sanctum and Night Beat

    Hello all. I am looking for two titles and know this is the right group of
    folks to ask.

    Inner Sanctum: The show stars Barbara Weeks and Martin Gables as a newly
    married couple who move into their home in a small town. The whole town
    suspects that the husband is a murderer. In the course of the episode, their
    maid gets murdered in her locked bedroom. Everett Sloane plays the town
    mayor and Louis Van Rooten plays the police chief. I know I'm butchering the
    name spelling and I'm sorry for that. It turns out that the mayor is the
    real murderer. I'm sure this show is from 1949 or 1950, but can't figure out
    what it is.

    Night Beat: A man is about to be put to death and Joan Banks plays his
    bitter wife who holds Randy Stone hostage in his apartment. She blames him
    because his articles helped convict her husband for the crime. At one point,
    Randy offers her some cheese from his ice box because she's hungry. I can't
    remember much else about the plot, except for one noteworthy scene in which
    Randy beats up a politician played by William Conrad in a bar because he's
    laughing over the impending execution I believe I have the entire available
    series, but can't seem to find this one.

    Any help is much appreciated.

    RyanO

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:40:16 -0500
    From: Bhob Stewart <bhob2@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  WikiProject Radio

    There are now hundreds of WikiProjects on Wikipedia, each devoted to
    organizing a cohesive group of editors and writers on a specific
    topic, while Wikipedia will soon have 2,000,000 articles in English.

    WikiProject Radio started in December. It has 23 participants, and
    more contributors could help. These pages give an idea of the work in
    progress: [removed]:WikiProject_Radio
    [removed]

    Hundreds of OTR series have been given individual articles, and many
    need to be added:
    [removed]

    Biographical entries continue to increase: Parley Baer, Harry
    Bartell, Brace Beemer, Gertrude Berg, Willis Bouchey, Bob Burns,
    Candy Candido, William Conrad, Norman Corwin, Jim Cox, John Dehner,
    Alex Dreier, Webley Edwards, Verna Felton, Stan Freberg, Betty Lou
    Gerson, Arthur Godfrey, Martin Grams, Jr.,Virginia Gregg, Raymond
    Edward Johnson, Kay Kyser, Frances Langford, Mercedes McCambridge,
    John McIntire, Howard McNear, Spike Milligan, Agnes Moorehead, Bret
    Morrison, J. Carrol Naish, Virginia Payne, Jack Pearl, Minnie Pearl,
    Drew Pearson, Joe Penner, Irna Phillips, Luis van Rooten, Herb
    Shriner, Olan Soule, Lawrence E. Spivak, Karl Swenson, Lurene Tuttle,
    Herb Vigran, Doodles Weaver, Jack Webb, Orson Welles, Marie Wilson,
    Walter Winchell, Paula Winslowe, Ed Wynn and Carleton G. Young.

    OTR research volunteers are needed to insert corrections and
    additions to these encyclopedic profiles and program pages, as
    WikiProject Radio expands into the definitive hyperlinked database of
    OTR information.

    Bhob

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:41:56 -0500
    From: "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  The Luck of Joan Christopher

    1. Turns out Joan didn't have much luck. If I'm reading the New York
    Times correctly, her series seems to have debuted on 7 September 1932
    only to be taken off the air by the following January.

    Here's an item from the radio column The Microphone Will Present in
    the 4 September 1932 New York Times:

    ***
    WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 7.

    8:15 P. [removed] inaugurates the first of a group of humorous
    sketches to be presented on Wednesdays under the title of "The Luck of
    Joan Christopher," with Rosalind [sic] Green [sic] portraying the
    principal r<<244>>le. These skits deal with the adventures of a girl from
    the West in quest of a career in the big city.
    ***

    The Times' radio listings confirm the debut date and reveal that the
    show is a fifteen minute long program scheduled for 8:15 p. m. over
    station WOR on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Initially, the series
    is described in the listings as a "Comedy Skit" but by the first week
    of October is usually referred to as a "Sketch."

    As far as I can tell, the Times' weekly listings (published on
    Sundays) claim that the show's final broadcast is Wednesday, 11
    January 1933 -- but the show's final appearance in the Times' daily
    listings is 6 January 1933. (Of course, it's also possible that the
    series was moved to a different time slot or put on "hiatus" or
    something -- and I failed to find later mentions of it in the Times or
    elsewhere.)

    Over at [removed], I could not find any listings of the
    show on a station other than WOR.

    2. Some other info. Here's the caption for a photo of the show's star,
    Rosaline Greene, in the 1 November 1932 Mansfield (OH) News:

    ***
    Rosaline Green [sic] is staging a comeback in radio. In her 'teens she
    earned her way through college by doing dramatic bits in a Schenectady
    broadcasting studio. She soon attracted attention by winning the title
    of "The Girl With the Perfect Radio Voice." With more hours on the air
    to her credit than any other actress, Rosaline has been doing much
    radio dramatic work this year.
    ***

    And here's a blurb from C. E. Butterfield's syndicated "Radio Day by
    Day" column as it appeared in the 28 January 1933 Lowell (MA) Sun:

    ***
    ... Pretty Rosaline Greene next Friday night will celebrate her ninth
    anniversary as a broadcaster by going back to the station from which
    she started, WGY, at Schenectady N. Y. It will be a special program of
    outstanding roles she has played on the air. ...
    ***

    According to another Butterfield column from December '32, Greene was
    also on NBC's Showboat series, playing the part of "Mary Lou" --
    though the character's singing was actually performed by Audrey Marsh.

    Finally, here's an item from The Woman Listener column by Sally Welles
    as it appeared in the 2 October 1947 Cullman (AL) Banner:

    ***
    ... Two Stars of CBS' "Big Sister", Paul McGrath and Santos Ortega,
    spend much of their free time in the studio reminiscing. They met back
    in the mid-twenties [sic] on a show called "Luck of Joan Christopher".
    Paul played the hero, and Santos starred as the villain. Now, in "Big
    Sister", their paths have crossed again, and they are enjoying the
    reunion. ...
    ***

    3. As usual, I don't know how much of the above is really true. You
    can't believe everything you read in the newspapers.

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 09:42:29 -0500
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR in the News

    Here are two articles about real-life stars making cameos in cartoons:

    [removed];article_no=3203&page=2

    and here, a fan who doesn't know who Jack Benny is attempts to review "The
    Mouse that Jack Built," which is sort of funny.

    [removed]

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 10 Mar 2007 10:34:16 -0500
    From: <verotas@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Redux ABC mike in 1935 ?

    THANKS to those who responded to my query re this strange photo.  If you wish
    to see it, go to

    [removed]

    It is credited by the David Sarnoff Library in Princeton as April 28, 1935,
    at a "Fireside Chat".  But ABC in 1935?  Perhaps some microphone expert can
    help us on this.

    Does anyone have the answer to this mystery?  Only thing I can think of is
    Blue became ABC in 1945 - but on what date?  If prior to FDR's death in
    April, I can understand why they'd rush a mike to his office (there were
    always newsprint photos of him doing his radio stints, especially given
    wartime news).    Is the date 1935 is simply a typo for 1945?  Negative -
    President Roosevelt died in Warn Springs on April 12, 1945, two weeks before
    April 28, 1945.

    FDR was not well in 1945 and was away from that desk a great deal.  The great
    American radio President had ended his 'Fireside Chats'  by then.  Please,
    does anyone have the answer to this historical "Enigma, wrapped in a
    conundrum, encased in a riddle"?  Thx to FDR's wartime ally and friend,
    Randolph Churchill's little boy.  -LM

    The mike that's says ABC in the 1935 White House FDR photo has to be some short
    lived "network" that used that acronym in the 30's. But who, or what?  The
    1935 picture is curious because the NBC mikes Model 44 have the old style
    desk stands which are consistent with 1935, but the round mikes labeled CBS and
    ABC are maybe WESTERN ELECTRIC mikes and were seen in the 30's ands 40's. The
    ABC could NOT have been American Broadcasting Company as it was 10 years too
    early. NBC blue was not ABC until 1945. -TH (edited by LM)
    -------------------------------------------
    Via Barry Mishkind's site I ran through everything starting with A.  See next
    entries.  Fascinating information, Barry.  "Our" subject ABC can't be any of
    these, right?
    ----------------------------------------
    The Amalgamated Broadcast System (ABS)
    Started: September 1933.
    Original stations: (not given)
    Amalgamated was the creation of the actor Ed Wynn.
    ABS went bankrupt in November 193x. (don't know whether x is error or don't
    know exact year)
    - ------------------------------
    ABS - The American Broadcasting System (another ABS)
    Started October 1934
    Original stations: 18
    This was George B. Storer's network. It ran 16 hours daily with affiliates from
    New York to St. Louis.
    Storer sold the rights to "American Broadcasting Company" to Edward Noble in
    1945
    ---------------------------------
    Affiliated Broadcasting Company
    Started: May 1, 1936
    formed in 1936 among low-powered local stations in WI, IL, and IN, with a
    couple of affiliates in St. Louis and Minneapolis. It was also known as the
    "Insull" chain since it was organized by Samuel Insull, a utilities magnate
    (and possibly something of a scoundrel) in Chicago. Insull, born in England,
    was brought to America by Thomas Edison, became TAE's secretary. He and others
    founded Edison General Electric. When TAE withdrew it became GE.
    Stations were in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri.
    Programming included Cubs and White Sox games.
    Bill Kirkpatrick notes: Insull was forced out in September, 1936. Rumor was he
    was too much of a free spender on the project. I'm not sure how long the chain
    lasted, but I know that KFIZ was affiliated with a different network by the
    1940s, so it couldn't have been more than a few years.
    -------------------------------
    The American Network
    Started:
    This was an FM network in New England.
    The American Network featured the first FM network sponsored program,
    underwritten by the Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. (Std Oil of NY merged w/ Vacuum Oil),
    later Mobil, now MobilExxon)
    --------------------------------------------
    The Associated Broadcasting [removed]
    Started: September 16, 1945
    On September 16, 1945 The Associated Broadcasting Corporation made it's coast
    to coast debut at 11:00 AM Pacific time from ABC's affiliate WWDC Washington.
    ABC's President was Leonard A. Versluis. ABC's headquarters was in Grand Rapids
    MI where Mr. Versluis owned WLAV. ABC started with 22 affiliates including KWJJ
    Portland.
    Associated filed a suite to stop the American Broadcasting Company from
    identifing it's chain as ABC. The American chain had started just three months
    earlier on June 15, 1945. In December 1945 an agreement between the two
    networks was reached. The Associated chain would change it identity to ABS or
    The Associated Broadcasting System.
    Not quite a year later, with 23 affiliates, including WMCA New York, ABS threw
    in the towel.
    End of operations: April 28, 1946
    -------------------------------------
    The AT&T Network
    Started: January 4, 1923
    Original stations in experimental operation: 2 - WEAF, New York and WNAC,
    Boston.
    Original stations in regular service (7/1/23): 2 - WEAF, New York and WMAF,
    Round Hills, MA.
    Started as an experiment, the AT&T links essentially begat what we today would
    call a "network".
    The first regular network service started July 1, 1923 and operated through the
    summer of 1924.
    The first scheduled commercial network programs began on October 6, 1924, with
    a network consisting of WEAF, WCAP, WJAR and WGR, Buffalo.
    First commercial network program: "The Eveready Hour."
    By 1925, the network had 13 stations in 12 cities. More stations were added as
    AT&T was able to extend broadcast-quality circuits to additional cities.
    When AT&T decided not to remain in the broadcasting business, the network was
    sold with WEAF to NBC in 1926.
    -----------------------------------
    Thanks to Tom Heathwood, Barry Mishkind, Craig Adams

    Many thanks - Lee Munsick
    Please reply here, or if you prefer, direct to Lee Munsick at
    verotas@[removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2007 Issue #80
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