Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #109
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 3/24/2004 10:59 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2004 : Issue 109
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Jim Cox update                        [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]
  Re: Jack Benny Contest                [ "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed]; ]
  Now I've Done It                      [ "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@ho ]
  More Horn Blows at Midnight           [ Bob Fells <rfells@[removed]; ]
  Re: Wells/Welles radio interview      [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
  Wells/Welles Interview                [ "Bill Orr" <billorr6@[removed]; ]
  Amos n Andy baseball caps             [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
  Re: WOTW Welles and Wells             [ Shenbarger@[removed] ]
  I can't stand Jack Benny [removed]   [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
  Berle and the Buick Hour tapes        [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
  Pronunciation                         [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
  Mutual Radio Theatre on the Internet  [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
  Additional Gunsmoke                   [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
  Laura [removed] Vintage?            [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
  #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig  [ charlie@[removed] ]
  The Horn Blows at Midnight            [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
  Wells/Welles & wells on radio         [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
  Mercedes McCambridge OTR series       [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 12:47:45 -0500
From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Jim Cox update

Here's a message from Jim Cox, which he asked be
distributed to anybody who inquired about his
[removed] thought I'd post it here.

I have been released from the hospital after 22
consecutive days plus another week of illness before
that.  Congestive heart failure, fluid in the lungs,
about 85% renal shutdown, pneumonia and a half-dozen
complicating factors put me in a tenuous
spot. The 6-8 specialists treating me never confirmed
I might make it until  recently.  No matter.  My
kidneys waked up and I never required  dialysis or
surgery and everything else gradually began to
re-function.  I still have a long way to go.  Health
care heart specialists and physical therapists  are
visiting me at home multiple times weekly.  I'm on a
strict medication, exercise and diet regiment and have
lost 50+ pounds.  I'll do anything  to
avoid re-hospitalization.  Hundreds prayed for me over
these weeks (I know the names of many and many I do
not).  A confirmed believer in prayer's
power-I'm convinced those petitions spared my life.
I'm thankful to all who offered them and who are
expressing their sentiments in communiques.
I'm still here to fight another day.  Thanks for your
friendship "and may  God bless."

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 13:37:21 -0500
From: "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Jack Benny Contest

Ken Dahl <kdahl@[removed]; inquires:

If my memory serves me correctly, Jack had a contest in the late 40's where
people would complete the phrase "I can't stand Jack Benny because"

It was December of 1945, a contest Benny recalled in his memoirs as the
height of "masochism" in terms of how much abuse to which he was willing to
subject his radio character -- and, by extension, himself.

....Does anyone remember what the winning entry was?

Not from memory, but pulling up the 03 Feb 46 broadcast (the one with Ronald
Colman performing the winning entry) yields the following:

He fills the air with boasts and brags and obsolete, obnoxious gags;
The way he plays his violin is music's most obnoxious sin;
His cowardice alone, indeed, is matched by his obnoxious greed;
And all the things that he portrays show up my own obnoxious ways.

Carroll P. Craig, Sr.

(It sounds a whole lot better when Ronnie reads [removed])

If anyone is interested, I'll post the story arc on the Usenet group later
today.

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 13:37:44 -0500
From: "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Now I've Done It

My father always told me I only opened my mouth to change feet. In what I
thought was a rather gushing tribute to Jim Harmon I mentioned something
about "inaccuracies" in an attempt to ward off the expected response some
have had to his books. In the past 6 or so years there has been some
mentioning of inaccuracies in many early otr books so I really didn't want
that to become an issue in welcoming Mr. Harmon to the Digest. However in my
inept and poorly-worded attempt to circumvent the issue I made it the focus
of Mr. Harmon's posts and for that I apologize. I certainly have not found
any inaccuracies in the book--I haven't read it in 25+ years. I simply
wanted to welcome someone I respect and admire immensely.
Oh well,
Steve

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 13:37:55 -0500
From: Bob Fells <rfells@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  More Horn Blows at Midnight

Leonard Maltin praises Jack Benny's film, The Horn Blows at Midnight, in
his Movie and Video Guide.  Indeed, the film has a top director in Raoul
Walsh and is cast with excellent farceurs in addition to Benny himself.
But why is the film so, well, unfunny?

Let me try this theory. The film basically convolutes viewers'
sympathies by providing us with a likeable hero (Benny) whom we hope
does NOT succeed in his task (blowing Gabriel's trumpet and thus ending
the world) while we find ourselves rooting for some unappealing villains
who are trying to stop him. Perhaps if the story somehow came up with a
brilliant ending it all might have been worth the effort but when the
finale reveals it was all dream, the viewer feels he was the victim of a
feature-length practical joke. Perhaps that caused more resentment than
the quality of the film itself.

I still can't figure out why Benny never made another starring film.
After all, Horn wasn't THAT bad!

Bob Fells

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 14:53:37 -0500
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Wells/Welles radio interview

In a message dated 3/23/04 11:49:02 AM, [removed]@[removed]
writes:

Didn't the Wells/Welles interview occur in San Antonio?  If memory serves,
both of them happened to be there at the same time and a local station
arranged the chat.

***Yes, and the full KTSA interview ran 25 minutes on October 28, 1940.  The
75-year-old British writerr was in the Alamo City to discuss the European war
situation at the United States Brewers' Association's annual convention,
while the 25-year-old radio star had reportedly arrived early to meet some
Hollywood friends before a speaking engagement at the San Pedro Playhouse.
(However,
the timing of the meeting, two years after the Sunday when Welles' "War of
the Worlds" adaptation was broadcast, seems a bit of a coincidence, and I
wonder
if the "surprise" meeting may have been staged by Orson.)  H. G. Wells had
since forgiven Orson Welles for the changes made to his original story, and
the
two giants are obviously quite charmed by each other.  (I titled my chapter on
the broadcast: "All's Wells that Ends Welles.")  A 7-minute excerpt was
included on the Voyager Welles laserdisk, and a 10-minute segment is included
in
RSI's SMITHSONIAN LEGENDARY PERFORMERS: ORSON WELLES ON RADIO, which also
features a 60-page historical booklet by Texas Tony Tollin (writing from his
new
home in San Antonio)

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:18:18 -0500
From: "Bill Orr" <billorr6@[removed];
To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Wells/Welles Interview

In Digest # 108 Steve asked

Didn't the Wells/Welles interview occur in San Antonio?

[removed] in late October 1940 on KTSA. It was allegedly their only
meeting.

Bill Orr

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:18:29 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Amos n Andy baseball caps

Al Girard writes:

The faddishness which had surrounded A&A during 1930-31 cooled off
considerably during 1932 -- in part because every fad runs its course,
I'd like to believe that's true, but that darned fad of wearing baseball
caps backwards
just won't go away.  It's one of my pet peeves.

Did Amos n Andy start the fad of wearing baseball caps backwards?  [removed]
never knew that.

([removed]  It's a joke, son.)

--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:18:48 -0500
From: Shenbarger@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: WOTW Welles and Wells
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

In a message dated 3/23/2004 Steve (the delurker) remarked:

Didn't the Wells/Welles interview occur in San Antonio?  If memory serves,
both of them happened to be there at the same time and a local station
arranged the chat.

Yes. According to the recording notes included with "The Complete War of the
Worlds", Holmsten & Lubertozzi, 2001, the interview took place in the studios
of KTSA at the Gunter Hotel and aired on October 29, 1940. The moderator was
Charles C. Shaw. The two men were supposed to be in San Antonio on separate
speaking engagements.

The recording, or a portion of it, is included on the CD with the book. The
clip is about three minutes long.

Don Shenbarger

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

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 18:18:56 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  I can't stand Jack Benny [removed]

Ken Dahl writes:

If my memory serves me correctly, Jack had a contest in the late 40's where
people would complete the phrase "I can't stand Jack Benny because"....Does
anyone remember what the winning entry was?

The contest was held in last 1945, and the winner was Carroll P. Craig, Sr.
(I ended up involuntarily memorizing this ditty):

I can't stand Jack Benny because
He fills the air with boasts and brags
And obsolete obnoxious gags
The way he plays the violin
Is music's most obnoxious sin
His cowardice alone indeed
Is matched by his obnoxious greed
And all the things that he portrays
Show up my own obnoxious ways.

--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 19:22:17 -0500
From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Berle and the Buick Hour tapes

A. Joseph Ross mentioned tapes of the Buick Hour.

6 Volumes of Berle's Buick show have been released on DVD to date and they
are selling very well.  I can't even find a cheap used copy on [removed]
There are 2 shows on each DVD.

Given the life of many shows these days, including those with big names, 2
years isn't too shabby. However those DVDs are too pricey for me now at
about $20 each.

Also available on DVD is 'Milton Berle: An All-Star Tribute To "Mr.
Television"' which was recorded in 1998 at the Museum of Television and
Radio in Beverly Hills in celebration of the 50th year anniversary of
Berle's TV debut,  hosted by Steve Allen and released on DVD in July 2002.
Steve Allen revealed that his first 'meeting' with  Berle was during Berle's
vaudeville days when as a teenager he worked with Steve's mother who called
upon him to babysit Stevie from time to time.

One I really want to watch is the DVD release of a single Berle Buick show
of 4/3/56, recorded on the deck of the USS Hancock called 'The Lost Elvis -
The Milton Berle Show' which was released last June.   This episode has been
considered 'lost' for many years.  It was Elvis' full body performance on
that show that gave him the name 'Elvis the Pelvis'.   I remember it well,
because I was a senior in HS at the time and along with all my friends a big
Elvis fan.  Besides performing 3 songs Elvis did a full comedy spot with
Berle.   Elvis again appeared on the Berle show on June 5, 1956.   I think
that later program is included in the Berle Buick DVDs.  Interestingly, that
DVD was produced and released in the UK and exported.

I've been trying to find a copy of the VHS of the 1978 CBS TV special 'A
Tribute to Mr. Television, Milton Berle' hosted by Bob Hope with an
incredible guest list, which would be too expensive to assemble these days,
I suspect.  The idea of seeing all those greats together at one particular
time is very appealing.

There's a lot of stuff available on VHS which is cheaper but with the
exception of the special I'm looking for which I mentioned above, I've moved
to DVD, which I can also watch on my flat LCD computer screen.   The quality
is exceptional and DVDs often include additional material.  [Since I don't
subscribe to HBO, but did have a DVD drive on my computer,  I rented the
DVDs of 'The Sopranos' and was bowled over by the quality and clarity.]

I ran across a Berle remembrance written by Mike Clark, who was a Director
at Columbia Pictures Television.   This part of it, was especially touching
and very telling.

<<The last time I saw Milton was at Dolores Hope's 90th birthday party.  I
was shooting video and wondered whether I should approach Milton to say
something on tape for Dolores.  Milton was resting in a big, comfortable
chair and looking very frail.  I approached him carefully and asked if he
wanted to say anything to Dolores.  Milton looked as tired as a man could
be, and told me that his wife would have to do the greeting.  I powered up
the camera, handed the microphone to Mrs. [removed] then turned on light.
The light must have awakened the performer instinct in Milton because he
took the microphone from his wife, looked right into the camera, and
delivered an eloquent birthday greeting.  After the light went off, Milton
sank back down in his chair, and became an elderly man again.  With Milton,
the show [removed] did, go [removed];>

-Irene

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 19:22:50 -0500
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Pronunciation

Derek Tague wonders:
pronounced her name as MUR-seh-deez and not the prevalent mur-SAY-deez
<snip>
but which one is the official pronunciation?

I believe I once heard Himan Brown in an interview refer to her as  "Mur -
SUH - deez".

Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 20:00:51 -0500
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Mutual Radio Theatre on the Internet

For a long time one of my local stations carried Mutual Radio Theatre. The
station is WVXU, Cincinnati and they do stream all of their Old Time Radio
(and it is a lot). ([removed]) They run a program on Saturdays
beginning at 8:00 PM EST that runs until Midnight. It was in the last hour
or so that they ran Mutual Radio Theatre.

Mike Martini, one of the hosts and producers, occasionally haunts this
digest and if he sees this, could add more info on whether they will be
running it again.

With discussion in the past on all of the radio stations dropping
broadcasting old time radio, this station over the years has increased its
old time radio running at least 14-16 hours a week. If you want to see this
continue (and they stream it all), becoming a member can help. When I was
at the station about a month ago, an Internet listener in the west became a
member!

Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 23:02:10 -0500
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Additional Gunsmoke

Christopher Werner commented:

The definitive tome on the subject is a book by SueAnne and Gabor Barabas
published by McFarland and entitled "Gunsmoke". about 1-1/2 inches thick it
includes plot synopsis for all the radio and TV programs as well as
thorough discussion of the major characters. It is about $75 but worth
every penny. Most of their research was from personal interviews with the
cast/writers/producers and the scripts of the show.

The book can be purchased for less if you shop around,but you can order
directly through McFarland at [removed].  The GUNSMOKE book is by
far the most complete book to date documenting the GUNSMOKE phenomenon, but
regrettably, the radio log is not complete (regardless of how many people
praise the episode guide and as it's already been pointed out, has lots of
flaws).  I myself have completed an episode guide that is three times the
size of the one in the McFarland book, with details and corrections, trivia,
and much production info.  One of these days I'll put the episode guide out
so GUNSMOKE fans can read what they are missing.

Chris also commented:

Almost all of the OTR episodes are available, several sources have the
whole set. The only decent source for the TV version is Columbia House with
about 30 VHS tapes. eBay is probably the cheapest source for them.

Columbia House released both the half hour series and the hour-long series,
but only a select handful of titles.  Regrettably, the only place you can go
to acquire EVERY television episode is by recording them off TV Land and the
Starz Westerns Channel.  Starz is presently airing the rarely-seen 150+
hour-long episodes which also includes the change over episodes when Chester
left Dodge and Festus became part of the regular cast.

There is also a 5 tape radio 'history' of the program available, mostly
interviews with John Meston, Parley Baer, and Wilbert Hatch.

Available from Ted Davenport at [removed].

BTW, I began watching a new DVD set of the first season of the Flintstones
and the fourth episode has Fred sick in bed and WIlma calling for a doctor.
In comes a doctor (actually a vet) voiced by Howard McNear!

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, the first season, has just recently been released on DVD.
  During the first season, there was an episode (Gilligan fell asleep) in
which the cast spoofs GUNSMOKE and they really do a great job (Ginger is
Kitty, and so on).  Worth watching if you can find the DVD at your local
video store.
Martin Grams, Jr.

access.

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

Date: Tue, 23 Mar 2004 23:03:46 -0500
From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Laura [removed] Vintage?

X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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Hi Gang:

    Walden Hughes posted his upcoming YUSA schedule:

Sunday

A.  Mike Biels starting a new topic

B.  Laura Leff on the Jack Benny show of 3-21-37

C.  interview with Red Steagale

      WOW! I never knew Laura Leff was so old to have actually appeared on a
1937 stanza of "The Jack Benny Program!"  Well, that's how I first read it. We
all know that Laura will be "COMMENTING ON" said show. [Did I just foregoingly
spell "programme" the non-British way? I don't know what ever came over me!].

Yours/ether--

Derek Tague

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

Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 02:12:01 -0500
From: charlie@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!

A weekly [removed]

For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
Network, the channel name is #OldRadio.  We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
over six years, same time, same channel! Started by Lois Culver, widow
of actor Howard Culver, this is the place to be on Thursday night for
real-time OTR talk!

Our "regulars" include OTR actors, soundmen, collectors, listeners, and
others interested in enjoying OTR from points all over the world. Discussions
range from favorite shows to almost anything else under the sun (sometimes
it's hard for us to stay on-topic)...but even if it isn't always focused,
it's always a good time!

For more info, contact charlie@[removed]. We hope to see you there, this
week and every week!

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

Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 01:58:46 -0500
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  The Horn Blows at Midnight

Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2004 16:56:17 -0500
From: seandd@[removed]

Hey, there's no argument to be made that it was a GOOD movie, but if you
look at a bunch of the other films on the list it's clearly outclassed in
badness.
 
Of course, I first heard of "The Horn Blows at Midnight" from all the gags on the Jack Benny 
Program.  Sometime in the 80s, I got hold of a phonograph record of the Lux Radio Theater 
version, and from that decided that it wasn't that bad a movie after all.  But the Lux version 
was edited down to an hour for radio.  Eventually I found the movie shown on a local TV 
station and watched it.  I decided that it really =did= stink. It was movie length and tended to 
drag.  And a gag or two from the radio version weren't in the movie (including a self-referential 
moment in which a woman talking to Jack's character mentions her favorite commedian, 
Jack Benny).  

-- A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed] 15 Court Square, Suite 210 lawyer@[removed] Boston, MA 02108-2503 [removed] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 03:15:17 -0500 From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed]; To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed]; Subject: Wells/Welles & wells on radio Steve wrote:
Didn't the Wells/Welles interview occur in San Antonio?  If memory serves,
both of them happened to be there at the same time and a local station
arranged the chat.

You're right.   I have a copy of the very friendly, mutual admiration radio
chat of 10/28/40  and it is identified as KTSA San Antonio in an
introduction by Charles Shaw.  It's 7-1/2 minutes long.  HG even gives Orson
the opportunity to plug his upcoming film 'Citizen Kane'.  HG Wells was in
town to address the US Brewers Association [Beer on Mars?] and Orson Welles
was there for a Town Hall Forum Address.

Kermyt Anderson identified a lot of HG Wells  Radio Dramatizations
I can only add a couple more:

CBS RMT - 'First Men on the Moon'
Atlanta Radio Theater - 'The Invisible Man'

I don't know the dates of either of them.

-Irene

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

Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 10:47:12 -0500
From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Mercedes McCambridge OTR series

If anybody's interested in hearing a radio series from the early 50's
starring Mercedes McCambridge , you can hear some "Defense Attorney"
episodes at [removed].

Herb Harrison

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #109
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