Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #124
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/30/2002 2:55 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 124
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Sheet Music                           [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
  Re: Just a friendly frolic            [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  Sitting down on the job               [ "welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
  Tuscon/Phoenix                        [ "welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
  Re: Little Jack Little                [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
  Hal Stone's other roles               [ "Ryan Hall" <pezman419@[removed]; ]
  Romance theater.                      [ Lilhave@[removed] ]
  Re: Recycling scripts                 [ BryanH362@[removed] ]
  Re: Recycled Scripts                  [ BryanH362@[removed] ]
  RADIO-RELATED TV SHOWS                [ Kevin Michaels <kmichaels@doityours ]
  Radio Awards                          [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
  Re Arthur Godfrey at Boston.          [ gad4@[removed] ]
  Attention Reel-to-Reel Collectors     [ Trent Clifton <trent@[removed]; ]
  Cataloging OTR Collections            [ Trent Clifton <trent@[removed]; ]
  Lights Out "Murder Castle"            [ "Mike" <philipmarlowe@[removed]; ]
  "Suspense" program cast question      [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  re: more praise for archie            [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
  Funny bit                             [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  Re: My annuity                        [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 18:51:41 -0500
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Sheet Music

Though not totally on topic, I wanted to pass on some information to those
of you who look for and/or collect sheet music. I know some of you do
(include Jay Hickerson) and it is not unusual to see it at the FOTR convention.

The Lilly Library at Indiana University has announced the creation of an
online, searchable database for the Sam DeVincent Collection of American
Sheet Music [removed]~[removed] . The
collection contains approximately 24,000 pieces of sheet music,
songbooks, and folios. Sam DeVincent was host to a popular radio show on
WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The records in the database include the
following information: title, composer, lyricist, arranger, place of
publication, publisher, performance medium, subject (as defined by
DeVincent), first line, first line of chorus, title of larger work
([removed], movie, theater production, radio program), and other access
points.

Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 19:38:16 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Just a friendly frolic

Hi All. Listen up! Hark!

Please, please, be advised that Michael Biel and others (me included) were
just having a little innocent fun when we exchanged comments about my dear
friend Bob Hastings singing voice. He sang often on the "Archie" show. The
writer wrote it into the story line on a number of occasions. (Despite the
fact that NBC threatened to fire Carl Jampel (Our writer) if he did it
again).

Just kidding of course. Just like the posts from Lee Munsick and Clyde Biel.
All in jest. Bob Had ([removed]) a good voice. Do you really think we could
all rib him like that if we didn't think so. I have been a victim of
Hasting's acerbic wit and "put downs" for over 55 years. It's payback time.

Love to all, Happy Easter

Hal(harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 20:01:02 -0500
From: "welsa" <welsa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sitting down on the job

This thread reminds me of the old line about the grape stomper who was fired
for sitting down on the job.   Sorry about that.

I heard somewhere once, and maybe someone on this learned list can confirm
or deny it, that whenever Agnes Moorehead did "Sorry, Wrong Number" for
Suspense, she did it sitting down because it made her feel more like the
invalid character she was portraying.

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 20:01:18 -0500
From: "welsa" <welsa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Tuscon/Phoenix

I'm an OTR buff!  I have started a radio re-enactment group here in Madison,
Wisconsin which is going strong.

But, in less than a year I will be retiring and moving to the Phoenix area.
So countme in then on any OTR stuff in that area.  And, I am the proud owner
of almost 150 OTR scripts.

Personal note to Hal Stone:  Two months ago a certain beanie seamstress
moved to Phoenix.  We're moving in on you!

Ted

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 20:32:13 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Little Jack Little

Tony Baechler wrote:

Hello.  I just got a set of these programs from the First Generation Radio
Archives.  They apparently date from 1930.  Surprisingly, the sound quality
is much better than I would imagine from programs that old.  Anyway, can
anyone shed some light on these programs?

"Little Jack" Little was a very popular personality of the Depression era
who became well known as a "talk-singing" pianist, who half-sang,
half-talked the lyrics of his songs in a whispery crooning voice. The
programs you have were recorded for syndication, and distributed on
Columbia transcriptions -- which were of a quality comparable to
commercial phonograph records of the era. The format of these recordings
is basically the same as that used in Little's live broadcasts -- just
Little and a piano for fifteen minutes. The syndications ran a bit short
in order to allow time for the insertion of locally-sold commercials.
This type of intimate one-performer program was very common in pre-1935
radio.

Little was born in England in 1900, and started out with the idea of
becoming a doctor -- but during his college years he became distracted by
music, and began writing songs and playing in campus orchestras. From
there he found his way into vaudeville, and from there into radio, where
he first made a name for himself around 1924 on the "Midnight Frolic" out
of KYW, Chicago. He also continued writing songs -- "There's a Shanty In
Old Shanty Town" is probably his best known accomplishment in that field.

By 1933 Little was leading a dance orchestra which recorded regularly for
Columbia -- and his recordings of "You Oughta Be In Pictures" and "I'm In
The Mood For Love" are likely the definitive versions of those songs. But
by 1939, Little's style was out of date, and he tried to reinvent himself
by leading an unusual novelty orchestra that played all its selections in
"bolero" rhythm. This didn't catch on, and Little's career was
essentially over. He slipped down the ladder thru the forties, and by the
end of the decade he was scraping along as a smalltime disk jockey. He
finally ended up in Florida -- where he committed suicide in 1956.

Elizabeth

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 22:30:36 -0500
From: "Ryan Hall" <pezman419@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Hal Stone's other roles

Ron Sayles wrote:

Does anyone know if Hal Stone is available on another program besides
"Archie?" I would love to hear him in another role. Can he do something
besides, Reeeeeeeelaaaaax Archie, Reeeeeeeeeeelaaaaax!

Hal can be heard, or read, every Thursday night on the OTR #oldradio chat
saying "Reeeeeeeelaaaaax Lois, Reeeeeeeeeeelaaaaax!"

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

Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2002 22:30:43 -0500
From: Lilhave@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Romance theater.
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

You asked about a show called romance. Don't know if if you mean't romance
theater. If so I have 69 half hour shows from this series.

Harvey

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 00:01:45 -0500
From: BryanH362@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Recycling scripts
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Martin Grams  posting about the recycling of scripts was very interesting and
really grabbed my attention . I of course realized that the same  stories
with the same titles were  done on different series but I did not realize how
extensive scripts were recycled. Very interesting and I would like to hear
more about it.

Martin also wrote :

<<By that last date, radio was considered a dead medium for dramas,
according
to the big networks, just a sunday afternoon feature to fill [removed];>

Hey , I wouldn't mind that view today. I would settle for a few good series
each Sunday afternoon.

Bryan

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:42:37 -0500
From: BryanH362@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Recycled  Scripts

Martin Grams  posting about the recycling of scripts was very interesting and
really grabbed my attention . I of course realized that the same  stories
with the same titles were  done on different series but I did not realize how
extensive scripts were recycled. Very interesting and I would like to hear
more about it.

Martin also wrote :

By that last date, radio was considered a dead medium for dramas, according
to the big networks, just a sunday afternoon feature to fill time.

Hey , I wouldn't mind that view today. I would settle for a few good series
each Sunday afternoon.

Bryan

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:43:27 -0500
From: Kevin Michaels <kmichaels@[removed];
To: "Radio  Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: RADIO-RELATED TV SHOWS

In addition to the excellent episode of Fraiser called "Nightmare Inn," in
which he does an OTR Recreation, there were three more TV shows that had an
OTR Theme:

Twilight Zone:  The episode called "Static" with Dean Jagger and Carol
Matthews, had Jagger listening to his vintage Majestic, when all of a sudden,
an OTR Program is heard over the speaker.

WKRP In Cincinnati:  This episode was called "Those Strange Green Monsters
>From Outer Space," and was a take-off on WOTW.  The plot had the station
Manager, Gordon Jump, to increase ratings, wanting to do a recreation of OTR
like the statiion did yers ago, after discovering some SFX in the storeroom.

The Odd Couple:  This episode had Oscar wanting to recreate a great Sports
event on the station he had a talk show on.  Naturally Felix (Randall) had to
interfere and take over the show.  When asked what he knew about radio, he
produces an AFRA  union card showing Oscar that he used to be on Radio
(Obviously, an inside joke, known only to the few who remembered him as
Regggie York on ILAM). Felix winds up doing all the parts, SFX, and
announcing.  Another riot show.

I am sure there were others in those early days of TV that had a Radio-relate
theme  remembered by some of you on the Digest.  Let's here from you.

Kevin Michaels

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:44:26 -0500
From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Radio Awards

Although there is a current thread going re: radio awards, it was purely
chance that I happened to be reading  NBC reporter John Mc Vane's book
"On the Air in World War II".

He wrote about reporting on the assassination of  French admiral Darlan,
a Vichy stooge, in Algiers in December 1942. Mc Vane was first on the
air with the news to the BBC, CBS, CBC, as well as NBC. He again was the
first on the air to broadcast the news of his assassin's execution.

Month's later he received a copy of Time magazine with a large article
in it stating that Collingwood of CBS had received a broadcasting award,
of which he had never heard, a Peabody prize given by some southern
school of journalism. He won the honor, said the account, because he had
been the first to broadcast to America the news of the death of Darlan
and the news of the execution of the assassin.

Mc Vane said "it was something my friend Charles Collingwood would never
have claimed for himself, and he knew as little about it as I did". He
continued " I sent a reproachful telegram to NBC asking for the reasons
for "my own beat"being credited to another reporter". NBC ruefully
explained that the CBS publicity department must have been smarter than
NBC's". "
We had the news on the air first, but nobody at NBC ever thought about
claiming any honors for this fact".

Mc Vane goes on to say "then and there I lost my respect for
broadcasting awards".

I thought this a remarkable coincidence considering the recent posts on
the subject.

George Aust

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:44:59 -0500
From: gad4@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re Arthur Godfrey at Boston.

I asked if it is possible to obtain copies of those scripts involving Mr.
Godfrey, and also audio copies of those few programs on cassette, CD, or
whatever.  Also any correspondence or other references which may appear in
the Fred Allen archives at BPL.

Several times I have received no response.  Other times I just get put
off.  Never anything substantive.

Seems to me this is not what Mr. and Mrs. Fred Allen had in mind when they
gave their collection and funds to the Boston Public Library.  Perhaps
someone should take this up with some elected officials in Boston to
conduct an investigation?

Many thanks for Lee's explanation he has given.

It brought up a couple interesting questions.

Has anyone actually gone down to the museum and tried accessing the shows
face to face. At least that way, you'll be able to see what they actually
have and have maybe get a better idea as to who there might be more easy to
deal with.

The second idea that came up was Lee's mention of politics.  I'm wondering
what pull the mayor or any local politician would have in gaining access to
a library's holding. I believe they are a goverment institution.

If going there in person doesn't produce any good, perhaps someone with a
"political-in" could succeed where we failed.

George

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:45:16 -0500
From: Trent Clifton <trent@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Attention Reel-to-Reel Collectors

(There _are_ still a couple of people who collect on reel-to-reel,
aren't there?)

I have 40 new (all sealed but one) 7" Ampex 631 tapes, and I doubt I
will ever have use for them.  If you are interested in any quantity of
them, you can have them for $[removed] per tape plus shipping.  (If that does
not sound reasonable, make me an offer.)

Contact trent@[removed]

-Trent

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:45:38 -0500
From: Trent Clifton <trent@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Cataloging OTR Collections

Howdy, everybody.

A very long time ago there was a thread on this list about database
software for cataloging old time radio collections.  Unfortunately, I
wasn't interested at the time, and so I wasn't paying much attention to
what was being written.

I don't necessarily want to open this thread up again, as it would
likely bore the pants off of most readers, but if you've found a
database program that is well suited to this purpose, I would appreciate
it if you could contact me at trent@[removed] and let me know what
you're using and why you prefer it.

Thanks,

-Trent

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:46:12 -0500
From: "Mike" <philipmarlowe@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Lights Out "Murder Castle"

The "Murder Castle" show on Lights Out has always been one of my favorites
from the show. However I only recently became aware of its historical
connections. A few months ago I was reading the True crime book DEPRAVED
about America's first serial killer of the late nine-teenth century H. H
Holmes who built a urban mansion in Chicago which he used for carrying out
murders in a manner very much like depicted in the Oboler script. I was
reading this account when I realized the amazing similarities between this
account and the Arch Oboler Light Out script. I almost fell out of my chair
when I realized that "Murder Castle" was not just horrifying tale dreamed up
by Arch Oboler's imaginatiion. I can only assume Oboler  being from Chicago
was familar with this case and used it as inspiration in some way for
"Murder Castle". I would be interested in knowing more about Arch Oboler's
writing of Murder Castle if anyone out there knows anything.  Learning the
amazing historical basis of the Oboler yarn has done nothing to take away
from Oboler's genius for me; it has made it all the more horrifying for me.

Mike Kerezman

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:46:23 -0500
From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: "Suspense" program cast question

Today at work we listened to a "Suspense" show on KNX Radio (Los Angeles).
The program did not mention the names of most of the actors in the cast.
This is the way that [removed] describes the show on their site:

Friday, March 29
9:00 PM KNX DRAMA HOUR - ""Suspense," dramatic series featuring top
Hollywood stars. After a woman kills her husband she is forced to find the
evidence in, "Catch Me If You Can." Original air date 2-17-1949.

Question: Did FRANK LOVEJOY play one of the characters?
Thanks for your speedy reply,

Herb Harrison

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:46:32 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history

  From Those Were The Days --

1936 - The serial, Backstage Wife, made a move across the radio dial
from the Mutual to NBC. Once there, the program continued to air for the
next 23 years.

1945 - The Dreft Star Playhouse was heard for the final time on radio.
The show had been paying up to $3,000 per week to attract 'name' talent.
Dreft, the show’s sponsor, was a popular laundry soap of the time.

1946 - Academy Award was heard on radio for the first time. The first
dramatized story was titled, Jezebel and starred actress Bette Davis.

  Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:46:44 -0500
From: Jer51473@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re: more praise for archie

and the announcer DID say that archie replaced gildersleeve on wednesday
nights which means NOT perry como, huh?

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:47:18 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Funny bit

 Harry Bartell posts;

This is of absolutely no importance, but I just remembered another actor
who worked sitting down. His name is Errol Flynn and the show was The
Adventures of Casanova.

I will not hazard a guess as to whether this was a matter of necessity.

That's a very "inside" and funny bit. Aw! c'mon Harry. Tell it like it is.
(was).

He was quite a character, that's for sure. When I grew [removed] wanted to be
just like Errol Flynn. The only [removed] I always got deathly ill when I
drank too much. And unfortunately, I didn't have his "drop dead" good looks,
so failed miserably in trying to emulate his Amorous Adventures.

I do recall that he had a man in attendance throughout the rehearsals to be
sure that his water glass didn't go dry. Rumor had it that it was either
Beefeater or Smirnoff water. This was during the cold war so Stoly was
[removed] patriotic, you know.

Remember the joke about his automobile license plate that went the rounds
following his Young Girl [removed]  RU18

I also recall having to once help a severely hung-over Sound Effects man get
through a show. It was a case of "sitting Down" or "falling Down".

Bottoms up, Harry.

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 15:48:15 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: My annuity

Ron Sayles asked

Does anyone know if Hal Stone is available on another program besides
"Archie?" I would love to hear him in another role. Can he do something
besides, Reeeeeeeelaaaaax Archie, Reeeeeeeeeeelaaaaax!

Sure! But why would I want to. It was VERY STEADY WORK. :) Plus see the
posting immediately preceding yours in Digest #123. Apparently "Archie" was
"Big Time"...even for a kids show. Even I'm impressed. :)

Actually, Ron, I haven't a clue if anything else exists from all the radio
programs I did as a young kid over the years. And I'm not sure if I was
"credited" on any of the other shows. Does early NY Dr. Christian exist? Or
"Death valley days. Many of these shows were "One Shot's, playing a young
child. I was also on lots of the "soaps" back then. (bit parts). How about
[removed] Steels' Theatre Guild of the Air? I played "Spit" in their production
of "Dead End". Does that exist? I'm not sure about "Let's Pretend" episodes,
or my running part on the early "Nichols Family" episodes.

[removed] you are stuck with the remote possibility of identifying my voice when
playing a young child on lots of other shows,, or Jughead, (for approx 10
years). Or perhaps, an occasional bit on some prime time show. If you come
across  episodes of Henry Aldrich, with a teenage character named "Biff",
that was probably me.

My book will list my other credits. But work on Radio (between 8 and 13
years of age) was part time. I was doing a lot of Plays back then also, and
frequently away from performing on New York Radio while out on tour.

I earned money as a Model, Stage Actor, [removed] didn't matter. And I
never kept track. I was too young to care. (I'm still too young to care) :)

Thanks for asking.

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead (and others) :)

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #124
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