Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #134
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 4/15/2004 9:50 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 134
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      4-17 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      4-18 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      4-19 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Mercedes McC. recording               [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
      RE: Lifebouy Soap, et. al.            [ "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed] ]
      1941 Jack Benny                       [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Pearl Harbor                          [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:21:30 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  4-17 births/deaths

    April 17th births

    04-17-1893 - Irene Castle - New Rochelle, NY - d. 1-25-1969
    actress: Best Dressed Woman "Life of Irene Castle"
    04-17-1898 - Howard Claney - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 4-1980
    announcer: "American Album of Familiar Music"; "NBC Symphony"
    04-17-1905 - Arthur Lake - Corbin, KY - d. 1-10-1987
    actor: (Brother of Florence Lake) Dagwood Bumstead "Blondie"
    04-17-1918 - Anne Shirley - NYC - d. 7-4-1993
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    04-17-1918 - William Holden - O'Fallon, IL - d. 11-10-1981
    actor: "Hour of Mystery"; "Smiths of Hollywood"; "So Proudly We Hail"
    04-17-1923 - Harry Reasoner - Dakota City, IA - d. 8-6-1991
    reporter: CBS News Washington

    April 17th deaths

    01-17-1891 - Marjorie Gateson - Brooklyn, NY - d. 4-17-1977
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    02-23-1912 - Thomas L. Thomas - Maesteg, South Wales - d. 4-17-1983
    singer: "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round"; "Voice of Firestone"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    For a complete list:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:21:53 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  4-18 births/deaths

    April 18th births

    04-18-1880 - Donald Crisp - Aberfeldy, Scotland - d. 5-25-1974
    actor: Jonathan Trimble "Jonathan Trimble, Esquire"
    04-18-1882 - Leopold Stokowski - London, England - d. 9-13-1977
    conductor: "NBC Symphony/Symphony of the Air"
    04-18-1889 - Gene Carroll - Chicago, IL - d. 3-5-1972
    comedian: Lena, the maid "Fibber McGee and Moly"; "Quaker Early Birds"; "Gene
    and Glenn"
    04-18-1902 - Harry Owens - O'Neill, NE - d. 12-12-1986
    bandleader: "Hawaii Calls"
    04-18-1907 - Miklos Rozsa - Budapest, Hungary - d. 7-27-1995
    composer: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    04-18-1912 - Wendy Barrie - Hong Kong, China - d. 2-2-1978
    hostess, actress: "Detect and Collect"; "Jack Haley Show"; "Star for a Night"
    04-18-1913 - Al Hodge - d. 3-19-1979
    actor: Britt Reid/Green Hornet "Green Hornet"; "Columbia Workshop"
    04-18-1918 - Page Gilman - San Francisco, CA
    actor: Jack Barbour "One Man's Family"; "Memory Lane"
    04-18-1922 - Barbara Hale - DeKalb, IL
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "This Is Hollywood"
    04-18-1925 - Bob Hastings - Brooklyn, NY
    actor: Archie Andrews "Archie Andrews"; Jerry "Sea Hound"

    April 18th deaths

    02-28-1893 - Ben Hecht - NYC - d. 4-18-1964
    panelist, writer: "Information Please"; "Jumbo Fire Chief Program"
    04-04-1901 - Gay Seabrook - Seattle, WA - d. 4-18-1970
    actress: Susabelle "Joe Penner Show"
    12-06-1888 - Will Hay - Stockton-on-Tees, England - d. 4-18-1949
    comedian: British Radio
    --
    Ron Sayles
    For a complete list:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:22:01 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  4-19 births/deaths

    April 19th births

    04-19-1900 - George O'Brien - San Francisco, CA - d. 9-23-1985
    actor: "Anchors Aweigh"
    04-19-1913 - Sylvia Froos - NY - d. 3-30-2004
    singer: "Sylvia Froos Show"; "Fred Allen Show"
    04-19-1914 - Betty Winkler - Berwick, PA
    actress: Joyce Jordan "Joyce Jordan, [removed]"; Rosemary Levy "Abie's Irish Rose"
    04-19-1920 - Frank Fontaine - Cambridge, MA - d. 8-4-1978
    comedian: John L. C. Sivoney "Jack Benny Program"
    04-19-1926 - Don Adams - NYC
    comedian: "Kraft Music Hall"; "A Salute to Humble Howard"

    April 19th deaths

    04-22-1900 - Joan Blaine - Fort Dodge, IA - d. 4-19-1949
    actress: Joan Houston "Tale of Today"; Mary Marlin "Story of Mary Marlin"
    09-10-1907 - Alvin Childress - Meridian, MS - d. 4-19-1986
    actor: "New World A-Coming"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    For a complete list:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:22:08 +0000
    From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mercedes McC. recording

    Bill H. wrote:

     > I have a record of Mercedes McCambridge as a vocalist singing a song
     > titled While We Danced" It's easy to recognize that distinct voice of
     > hers.

    I believe the correct title of the song referred to is "While You Danced,
    Danced, Danced"

    -- Phil C.

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:22:22 +0000
    From: "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  RE:  Lifebouy Soap, et. al.
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Well, here I am again trying to catch up with two-week old email . . .

    I hadn't realized that the Lifebouy brand had been sold, nor that Lava was
    no longer owned by Lever Bros. It seems that many old time brands have been
    sold to small companies, and several of them are available in the Los
    Angeles area, often at the "99 Cent Only" stores. Among them are Lava (which
    also comes as a green slime, remeniscent of triffids flushed with seawater),
    Rinso, Oxydol, and Pepsodent. Of these, Pepsodent is the most painful for
    me, because its name reflects the pepsin flavor of the original toothpaste.
    While many of you have heard of my dislike for Ovaltine, I'm also averse to
    mint flavors. I had been using Pepsodent for over 40 years, both when it was
    (I think) a P&G brand, and later, after the brand was sold to
    Chesborough-Ponds (the Vaseline folk), which is now a division of Unilever.
    I had been stockpiling the stuff, just in case the brand might be
    discontinued, and for a time I was using a prescription high-floride
    toothpaste. Imagine my horror a couple of months ago, when I bought a tube
    of Pepsodent and found that the "Original Flavor" is now mint.

    On another topic, much as I appreciate Ron Sayles' birth and death
    announcements, I can't help jumping up and down and holdin my breath until I
    turn blue when I see a mention of someone like Jack Kruschen, without
    stating that almost every week he was a featured player on "Gangbusters,"
    and, I think, one of the FBI programs. The listing that showed his death
    date was especially painful, when I consider that it was shared with the
    birthdates for Jack Webb, Alec Guiness, and Leo Curley, all of whom are
    fondly remembered from the days when I was growing up. May they, and all the
    others who have passed, rest in peace, and may we all be ever greatful that
    their voices, and often their images, can still be heard and seen via tape
    and disc media.

    Thanx,
    B. Ray

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

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:22:31 +0000
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1941 Jack Benny

    Well, I wrote this two digests ago, but for some reason did not make it, so
    I am sending it again:

    Chris Chandler writes:
     > In 1941, the networks lacked the inspiration and
     > possibly the ability to mount an open-ended crisis
     > news broadcast; by 2001, they'd lost the inspiration
     > and possibly the ability to do anything OTHER than
     > make the event into a four-day newscast.

    I personally think it is difficult to try to compare such a large news event
    coverage in 1941 to one in 2001. The reason mostly is that the nature of
    news coverage has changed. Due to the increased competitive nature of
    news coverage and especially the shrinking demarcation between what is
    entertainment and what is news - news organizations today are looking
    for ways to constantly catch the eye (and ear) of the viewer/listener.

    Back in 1941 such news reporting was literally an "interruption" (dare I
    say "intrusion?")
    into the night's entertainment. News was news and entertainment was something
    completely different and very, very rarely did the two somehow get merged
    together.
    Pearl Harbor certainly changed some of that as Chris cites in his post.

    But today news reporting IS partly entertainment: fancy eye grabbing graphics,
    ear grabbing music, streaming headlines, exploding sounds, etc. All designed
    to get you to stick to their coverage no matter the subject being the same
    as the
    others.

    Why one might have listened to NBC vs. CBS in 1941 may have been happenstance
    or a particular reporter's ability to speak to the listener (Bob Trout was
    good that way),
    but generally there was very little difference despite the quality of the
    reporter - they
    were all mostly darn good.

    Nowadays we might turn to CNN initially out of habit that developed with
    the first
    Gulf War (it was then the only all News station) - or now Fox News because
    you like
    their slant,etc.  But if you really think about it, some of it is going to
    be who best
    entertains your personal tastes despite the subject matter.

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:22:40 +0000
    From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Pearl Harbor

    I have noticed that there was some questions about radio news coverage of
    the  Pearl Harbor attack.  Broadcasting of news was not the big deal that
    it became during World War II. TV was in it's infancy. Although I was
    only 25 years old I was studio technical  supervisor with Arde Bulova's
    radio station WOV (10,000 watts) in New York City. My old friend, Dick
    GIlbert, who sang live with the records, was our late afternoon "disc
    jockey". He wanted to originate  from remote locations so I bought some
    portable turntables and put together a kit with which to handle the job,
    and took on the assignment myself. During the week of December 7th we
    were originating from a theater in Brooklyn where Dick was MC'ing the
    stage show which was starring Desi Arnaz. His wife, Lucille Ball, had
    just returned from a tour and was with him that evening, in his dressing
    room. Desi normally ate dinner with with Dick and I but due to Lucille's
    arrival, he dined with her instead. When we heard the news of the bombing
    od Pearl Harbor Desi asked to borrow my portable radio, which I used for
    cue purposes, so that he and Lucille could listen to the news in his
    dressing room. The big event of he evening was that I had a date with the
    girl half of a dance team that was part of the vaudeville portion of the
    show.  We married several years later, which ended in divorce, I think
    that because Pearl Harbor was a half a world away the incident did not
    effect the public as it might today. The theater was filled to capacity
    and there was no panic in the streets. It was just a normal evening.
    Later in the evening I took Renee home and rode the subway back to the
    city. Just an ordinary night. In the present era the news media woud have
    had a field day. Remote broadcasts and interviews from all over the
    world. Usually announcers would rip the stories off teletype printers and
    read them on the air during those times.

    Bill Murtough

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #134
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