------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2007 : Issue 106
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Radio Hall of Fame nominees [ Art Chimes <[removed]@[removed] ]
Beemer's interpretation [ "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed] ]
4-3 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
of grammar and commercials [ "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed]; ]
OTR Ads vs. TV Ads [ "Kirby, Tom" <Kirby@[removed]; ]
Re: Commercials [ Cnorth6311@[removed] ]
Gotham Radio Players win Emmy Award! [ stevenl751@[removed] ]
The Lone Hornet [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@j ]
COMMERCIALS [ "Andolina, Joe" <Joe_Andolina@cable ]
COMMERCIALS ON TV [ durangokid@[removed] ]
RE: The Lone Ranger's Speech Pattern [ "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 23:46:07 -0400
From: Art Chimes <[removed]@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Radio Hall of Fame nominees
Jimmy Durante and Lum and Abner are among the OTR-era performers who have
been nominated for induction in the National Radio Hall of Fame.
>From the press release:
"A highly competitive field of nominees was announced today for induction
into America's only National Radio Hall of Fame (NRHOF), housed at The Museum
of Broadcast Communications (MBC) in Chicago.
"'Our 2007 list of National Radio Hall of Fame nominees includes immensely
talented personalities who have entertained and informed radio audiences from
New York, to Fort Wayne to San Francisco,' said MBC President Bruce DuMont.
'The list also includes several great female broadcasters and minority
representation that underscores the diversity of talent in the radio
industry,' DuMont added. ...
"Jimmy Durante, (deceased) legendary vaudevillian turned 1940s radio comedian
and singer known for his mangled English and raspy voice.
"'The Great Gildersleeve,' comedy series that starred Harold Peary and
Willard Waterman alongside a strong ensemble cast.
"Phil Harris and Alice Faye, (deceased) the husband and wife comedy team that
portrayed a zany egotistical bandleader and his film star wife.
"'Lum & Abner,' an American radio comedy created by life-long friends Chet
Lauck and Norris Goff, which aired from 1932 to 1954 and was known for its
low-key, rural wit."
Among the more recent nominees are "Piano Jazz" host Marian McPartland,
legendary New York DJ Dan Ingram, and Area 51 favorite Art Bell, plus a
couple of raving right-wingers I won't mention.
The full list of nominees is at [removed].
The OTR era is well-represented in the Radio Hall of Fame already: Fred
Allen, Gertrude Berg, Hi Brown, William Conrad, Fred Foy, Freeman Gosden,
Virginia Payne, Fran Striker, Walter Winchell, and many others. Also programs
including Easy Aces, Little Orphan Annie, Lux Radio Theatre, and Your Hit
Parade.
Art (whose nomination must have gotten lost in the mail)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 08:51:20 -0400
From: "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Beemer's interpretation
Gregory Jackson asked about how Brace Beemer interpreted the speech patterns
of the Lone Ranger on the radio. It is my impression that Brace put his own
stamp on the role by using speech that was most natural to his situation.
Certainly he used contractions all over the place. To have done otherwise
would have made him sound stilted. For the most part, Fran Striker and the
other writers strove to be certain his English was correct, however there
are some cases when a plural pronoun gets used instead of a singular, and
occasionally the subject doesn't agree with the verb. This is rare however.
He taught a generation of kids how to use the English language properly and
how to pronounce common words correctly, like probably instead of "probly"
and have instead of "half".
I think Clayton Moore went overboard to sound proper, especially in the
early episodes. There is one line in the origin three-part series where he
says, "No, Tonto, there are too many of them" speaking of the Cavendish
gang, with the emphasis on "are" and the words "of" and "them" spoken
distinctly separately. He sounds idiotic.
All in all, the character of the Lone Ranger set a great example for
well-spoken English as well as law and order.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 08:51:27 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 4-3 births/deaths
April 3rd births
04-03-1783 - Washington Irving - NYC - d. 11-28-1859
author: "House of Mystery"; "Tomorrow Calling"; "American School on
the Air"
04-03-1892 - Lt. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon - Chester, PA - d. 2-22-1957
[removed] air force general: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show"
04-03-1893 - Leslie Howard - London, England - d. 6-1-1943
actor: "Leslie Howard Theatre"; "Streamlined Shakespeare"
04-03-1894 - Dooley Wilson - Tyler, TX - d. 5-30-1953
actor: "Theatre of Romance"; "New World A-Coming"; "Jubilee"
04-03-1898 - Bob Barron - Shell, WY - d. unknown
actor: "Tom Mix"; "Mary Marlin"; "Little Orphan Annie"
04-03-1898 - George Jessel - NYC - d. 5-24-1981
comedian, emcee: (Toastmaster General of the [removed]) "Hollywood Calling"
04-03-1904 - Peter Van Steeden - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - d.
1-3-1990
bandleader: "Town Hall Tonight"; "Mr. District Attorney"
04-03-1906 - Iron Eyes Cody - Oklahoma Territory - d. 1-4-1999
actor: "Straight Arrow Pow-Wow
04-03-1909 - Jerry Cooper - Bay Minette, AL
singer: "Krueger's Musical Toast"; "Vocal Varieties"
04-03-1918 - Sixten Ehrling - Malmo Skane Ian, Sweden - d. 2-13-2005
conductor: "Metropolitan Opera"
04-03-1920 - Stan Freeman - Waterbury, CT - d. 1-13-2001
pianist, composer: "Piano Playhouse"; "All Night on NBC"
04-03-1921 - George Bauer - d. 6-16-2004
announcer, newscaster: "Chicago Theatre of the Air"
04-03-1921 - Jan Sterling - NYC - d. 3-26-2004
actor: "Screen Director's Playhouse"; "[removed] Steel Hour"
04-03-1921 - Leonard Sues - El Paso, TX - d. 10-24-1971
music: "The Eddie Cantor Show"
04-03-1923 - Elon Packard - d. 12-xx-1977
writer: "The Bing Crosby Show"
04-03-1924 - Doris Day - Cincinnati, OH
singer, actor: "Your Hit Parade"; "Bob Hope Show"; "Doris Day Show"
04-03-1924 - Marlon Brando - Omaha, NE - d. 7-1-2004
actor: "Streetcar Named Desire"; "As Easy as [removed]"
04-03-1924 - Peter Hawkins - London, England - d. 7-8-2006
actor: Frankie Mouse "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
04-03-1925 - Jan Merlin - NYC
actor: Roger Manning "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet"
04-03-1929 - Miyoshi Umeki - Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan
singer: Singer on west coast radio
04-03-1938 - Jeff Barry - Brooklyn, NY
actor: Himself "It's the Barrys"
April 3rd deaths
01-11-1905 - Manfred Lee - Brooklyn, NY - d. 4-3-1971
writer: "Advs of Ellery Queen"; "Author, Author"
01-22-1893 - Conrad Veidt - Potsdam, Germany - d. 4-3-1943
actor: "Free World Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
02-18-1933 - Mary Ure - Glasgow, Scotland - d. 4-3-1975
actor: Won the Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award for Radio Drama acting in
1954.
02-20-1893 - Russel Crouse - Findlay, OH - d. 4-3-1966
panelist: "Information, Please"; "Transatlantic Quiz"
02-28-1907 - Milton Caniff - Hillsboro, OH - d. 4-3-1988
Creator of "Terry and the Pirates"
03-02-1900 - Kurt Weill - Dessau, Germany - d. 4-3-1950
composer: "Der Lindergflug"; "This Is War"
03-11-1862 - Frank Burt - NYC - d. 4-3-1964
writer: "The Six Shooter"; "The Unexpected"; "Hollywood Star Playhouse"
03-27-1892 - Ferde Grofe - NYC - d. 4-3-1972
conductor, composer: (The Grand Canyon Suite) "Florsheim Frolic"
03-27-1924 - Sarah Vaughn - Newark, NJ - d. 4-3-1990
singer: "Guest Star"; "Your Rhythm Revue"
05-02-1907 - Pinky Lee - St. Paul, MN - d. 4-3-1993
comedian: "Hoagy Carmichel Show"; "Carefree Carnival"
06-28-1906 - Ann Leaf - Omaha, NE - d. 4-3-1995
organist: (Little Organ Annie) "Ann Leaf at the Organ"; "Lorenzo Jones"
07-21-1912 - Robert Sloane - NYC - d. 4-3-1955
writer: "The Fat Man"; "The Life of Riley"; "Inner Sanctum Mysteries"
09-27-1923 - Mary McCarthy - Winfield, KS - d. 4-3-1980
actor: "MGM Musical Comey Theatre"
10-02-1904 - Graham Greene - Berkhampstead, England - d. 4-3-1991
writer: "Lives of Harry Lime"; "Studio One"; "NBC University Theatre"
10-10-1908 - Margaret Baker - Baltimore, MD - d. 4-3-1992
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
11-19-1883 - Ned Sparks - Guelph, Canada - d. 4-3-1957
actor: "The Grouch Club"; "The Texaco Star Theatre"
12-19-1907 - Ray Noble - Brighton, England - d. 4-3-1978
bandleader: "George Burns and Gracie Allen Show"; "Chase & Sanborn Hour"
xx-xx-1905 - Aline Berry - d. 4-3-1967
actor: Mrs. Dixon "Raising Junior"
Ron Sayles
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 08:53:03 -0400
From: "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: of grammar and commercials
Gregory asked:
Am I correct when I believe that Brace Beemer followed the same
guidelines for his portrayal of The Lone Ranger on radio?
I'm not so sure the guidelines rested with the actors as the
writers, but LR was incredibly precise with word usage. I recall
one episode in which he makes some reference to either his and
Tonto's horses or those of the outlaws and refers to them being
"hidden among the trees." Most of us, at least down here in
Texas, would say the horses were hidden in the trees,
understanding fully that the horses were not tucked away in the
tree-tops but were standing, out of sight, in the midst of the
woods.
You hear contractions and dropped word endings in other shows to
supposedly be authentic, but it hasn't rung true with me. In Ft.
Laramie, you hear virtually everyone going around saying
"anythin'". Maybe that's the way they talked in Wyoming, but here
in the Southwest, you're more likely to hear "anythang."
(As an aside, one of the things (or thangs) that drives me nuts
with today's newscasters (radio or TV) is that we're bombarded
with "Comin' up next ...." and from reporters either talking to
anchors back in the studio or even interviewing someone and
referring to them as "you guys." Robert Trout et al must be
spinning in their graves. "Coming" sounds so much more
intelligent and the plural "you" does nicely by itself.)
Re commercials, I fast-forward past TV commercials because, for
now, they don't hold any historical significance. As Dan Hughes
observed about OTR commercials:
When these shows were heard with a day or week between airings,
it wasn't so bad. But to hear Mrs. Beach spend two minutes
praising Crisco (with the same words, the same script) every 15
minutes while listening to a stack of Vic & Sade episodes will
drive even the most tolerant listener up the wall.
Which is the very reason I won't listen to a series' episode
after episode in one sitting. The commercials are tiring ... and
so are those characteristics of the characters we love
(Gildersleeve's sigh, Osgood Conklin or Mayor LaTrivia
exploding). As I listened to "CBS Radio Mystery Theater" when it
was broadcast in 1974, the creaking door began to wear on me
night after night ... as did those commericals for Kellogg's and
General Motors.
Bob Cockrum
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 08:53:41 -0400
From: "Kirby, Tom" <Kirby@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OTR Ads vs. TV Ads
There is one thing that makes TV ads *far* more irritating than
OTR ads ever could be: The sound is "processed" to bring EVERYTHING
up to a specified volume, making them sound "louder" than the TV
show you are watching. They do this, IIRC, to get around an FCC
regulation forbidding them from making the commercials actually
louder than the show. No wonder people love their mute buttons!
The result is that when I see a commercial for a product that I
don't want, I actually HATE that advertiser. For productst that I
would actually use, it just irritates me. And now, with the relatively
recent technique of squishing (distorting) the picture so that they
can put a commercial on the bottom, I tend to want to spit on all who
chose to make a career in marketing.
On the other hand, I enjoyed the Johnson's Wax commercials in Fibber
McGee & Molly and the humor they put into it, with Fibber needling
"Waxy" as he tried to pitch the product.
The auctioneers in the Lucky Strike commercials sort of grated on me,
mainly because they were the same every time, I could tolerate them
and just tune them out without having to resort to a mute button.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but do it [removed]
-- Tom Kirby
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 08:54:46 -0400
From: Cnorth6311@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Commercials
In my posting earlier, I was saying how I hate it when commercials are
deleted from OTR shows, and that I can't figure out why I like them, and why
I
either mute, or fast forward through commercials on television. Well, I think
I
may have finally figured out part of why I find TV advertising so irritating.
Here the problem, for me at least. I was just watching an episode of
Numbers, which I recorded earlier this week. In a span of about four, or five
minutes, there were no less than eleven commercials. That my friends is over
kill.
In the case of OTR commercials, you had one fairly long commercial at the
beginning of the show, one usually in the middle---which by the way, was
incorporated into the script in a lot of shows, so it actually was an
integral part
of the show---and one at the end of the show. Count em folks. Three
commercials total for the whole show. There were almost four times as many
in one
four, or in one four, or five minute span on television. That was just at
the 3/4
hour mark. I didn't count the ones before. At that rate of commercials,
versus programming, we are lucky to have 30 minutes of real show.
Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 11:46:57 -0400
From: stevenl751@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Gotham Radio Players win Emmy Award!
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We just won an Emmy Award! Well sort of. :)
At the 2004 Friends of Old-Time Radio Convention the Gotham Radio Players
recreated an episode of THE ETERNAL LIGHT radio series, "The Battle of the
Warsaw Ghetto". A brief excerpt of this performance was included in a
documentary that was produced about the series, "The Eternal Light: A
Historical Retrospective" . That documentary just won a 2007 Emmy Award for
"Best Religious Programming".
Steve Lewis
director, Gotham Radio Players
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 11:47:26 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Lone Hornet
Asking about the established relationship between The Lone Ranger and The
Green Hornet, Ted asks,
How do we know that? Was it mentioned either in
late episodes of the Ranger or early episodes of the
Hornet?
First, the genealogy: The Lone Ranger's nephew was Dan Reid. Dan Reid
was the father of Britt Reid. Britt eventually ran The Daily Sentinel, a
newspaper, and secretly was also The Green Hornet.
To answer the question, at one point Britt confesses/reveals to his
father that he's The Gree n Hornet. Old Dan then reveals that The Lone
Ranger was his uncle. He called the Ranger "the masked man," and The
William Tell Overture played softly in the background. Jim Harmon
recounts this ion his book, The Great Radio Heroes.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 11:47:38 -0400
From: "Andolina, Joe" <Joe_Andolina@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: COMMERCIALS
I pretty much only listen to a otr show with commercials intact unless
it's from a AFRS broadcast. Even though I wasn't around to experience
network radio back when, I want to get a sense of what it was like
tuning in to a particular program as originally broadcast. I even love
it when there is a commercial or some kind of announcement (like the
next upcoming program, [removed] which I sometimes throw on to follow which
is fun for me) at the tale end of a program. I'll go as far as throwing
a program on either at the top of the hour or 30min after the hour
during primetime hours. As far as TV, I only watch a select amount of
network shows from time to time, and speed thru the commercials. But if
I'm watching some old time TV, including recordings of a old Johnny
Carson Tonight Show from the 60's or 70's, I'll sit through the
commercials. Again, just getting a nostalgic feel for the program as
broadcast.
Joe
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 16:04:00 -0400
From: durangokid@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: COMMERCIALS ON TV
Today, when watching Television, I normally mute
the sound so I don't have to listen to the commercials.
If I have Tevo'd a show, I fast forward through the
commercials for the same reason.
I do the same thing, TIVO a show and watch it on nights that
don't have shows I care to watch and FAST FORWARD through the
commercials . . .
I have DirecTV with the three network channels on the East
coast (CBS, NBC & ABC) . . . Being in the Los Angeles area,
I'm able to view shows LIVE that are shown on the West coast
the hours later . . . I watch THE TONIGHT SHOW on New York
NBC at 8:35PM every night, at least Jay's open and first
comedy skit/routine . . .
TIVO is a great invention . . . A movie on TCM at 3AM, no
problem - TIVO takes care of business . . .
Glenn E. Mueller
Rowland Heights, CA
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 16:04:08 -0400
From: "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: RE: The Lone Ranger's Speech Patterns
(UNCLASSIFIED)
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Am I correct when I believe that Brace Beemer followed the same
guidelines for his portrayal of The Lone Ranger on radio?
Not quite. The way I remember the radio LR, he used what I considered a very
strange construction, as in "I'll not go into town tonight," rather than "I
shall not go into town tonight," or "I won't go into town tonight." I could
never understand how the scriptwriter(s) came up with that, as I never heard
anyone use it, nor have I ever seen it written. I think that because it was
so unusual, it stuck with me, even after 50 years.
[removed]
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--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2007 Issue #106
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