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

[removed] Digest				Volume 96 : Issue 298

Table Of Contents: 

	 The Back Seat of Our '47 Hudson
	 16-inch disks
	 If you were only able to take 12 [removed]
	 changing mediums
	 No School Today
	 "Adventures in Odyssey"
	 Re: turntables
	 Re: Adventures in Odyssey
	 Notes for new readers (more OTR on the net)
	 Did TV destroy the kid's love for OTR??
	 Re: RADIO DRAMA ALIVE AND WELL AT THE VOICE OF AMERICA

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 15:04:51 -0400
From: Bigkids@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Back Seat of Our '47 Hudson
Message-ID: <960824150450_186813636@[removed]>

I think that OTR is dead, alas, and will never come back as something that
people sit in the living room and listen to after dinner. It's part of the
Norman Rockwell/SEP cover world that never quite existed as portrayed, but
that approached it as a kind of Platonic ideal of what the American home of
its era was *supposed* to be like.

I do have very vivid memories of listening to kid shows in my own room, while
sprawled on the bed reading comic books. (See my short story, "A Funny
Thing," in my recent collection, [removed] 12[removed] AND AFTER.

And I also have STRONG memories of listening to OTR in the back seat of our
1947 Hudson while fighting with my brother over territory. 

The family gathered around the console radio in the living room, or the kid
sprawled out with the comics, may be gone forever -- TV is just too alluring
a competitor -- but the back seat of the '47 Hudson (or its equivalent)
definitely survives.

In the 1970s when the CBS Mystery Theater was running, we would turn it on
while on family outings, and I think our kids were more enthralled with it
than Pat and I were. The adults saw through the obvious plots and the corny
dialog, but the kids were totally enthralled.

Nowadays there's no CBS [removed] And besides, the kids are all grown up and moved
away. But Pat and I listen to either OTR tapes or audiobooks on all extended
auto trips and even many short ones. There is nothing like heading out to a
favorite restaurant on a dark night and popping a great old "Suspense" tape
into the deck!

Even if the broadcast audience for OTR is too small to support more than an
occasional semi-pro production . . . plus some secondary stations playing
tapes of 50-year-old shows . . . I think there *is* a sizable audience who
will listen to OTR on tape (or CD or whatever) in their cars. 

And, as someone mentioned in the digest, on Walkman players -- although the
concept of jogging through the park or strolling through the mall listening
to Raymond Edward Johnson is a little bit disombobulating to me. But, to each
his (or her) own.

My point is, I think we have to match up the technology, the material, and
the right user "niche" to have a successful form. It takes some smarts and
some commitment, but I think that OTR (including new, OTR-type productions)
still has a long life ahead of it.

One more point. About those new productions: much as I love Vic & Sade and
Suspense and a lot of the other old shows, we can't go on forever on a diet
of recycled material. We do need to keep at least a modest stream of new
productions entering the marketplace, or it will become strictly a
hobby-niche for antiquarians.

Dick Lupoff

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 15:07:35 -0400
From: Bigkids@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: 16-inch disks
Message-ID: <960824150735_186815192@[removed]>

Try a local radio station. You'll have to get through the bureaucracy and
deal with the engineering department, but there's a good chance that you'll
find a helpful person who is intrigued by what you've got and who will either
have equipment that can handle it or will jury-rig something that will do the
job.

Alternately, talk to some people in the audio collecting field -- there are
still people who collect 78's, maybe even wax cylinders. You'll probably be
able to find someone with a 16" turntable.

Dick Lupoff

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 15:28:54 -0500
From: vintage@[removed] (Andy Blatt)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: If you were only able to take 12 [removed]
Message-Id: <v01540b00ae4515092769@[[removed]]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

A quick question to all who would care to [removed]'s the year 2010 and
the scientists were wrong; there's actually life much like ours on Mars.
However,
you are going along as a guest (a personal friend of one of the scientists)
and you don't know know when you'll return to Earth.  You're not sure what
type of entertainment you'll have so you decide to bring some oldtime radio
shows (of course!), and a solar cell so you're set just in case you run out
of batteries or cannot recharge the ones you have.  Let's assume for the
sake of argument that whatever format you use is similar to cassettes, that
for some reason you have as little as one hour per tape or two hours per
tape and can take along only about 12 tapes maximum due to weight and space
limitations.  What shows would you deem essential?  I think any collection
would have to include SUSPENSE
("Present Tense"; "Sorry, Wrong Number"; etc.) and maybe a representative
cassette from some of the major shows like THE LONE RANGER and [removed]
Curious to know how my choices stack up against everyone else'[removed]

Andy Blatt

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 05:01:07 -0500
From: hhoward@[removed] (Henry Howard)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: changing mediums
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Charlie said>
Lest we consider the impact by TV on radio too narrowly, let's recall
that radio too replaced other more "old fashioned" entertainments.

But have you noticed in more recent years that radio tried to become like
newspapers
and tv is not acting like radio (talk shows etc)
And now  the newspapers are getting on [removed]
and of course books are on tape

The only thing that is constant is change.



+++++ Henry Howard == The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company +++++
+++++    [removed]   or/artc /audiocraft     +++++
+++++               Produced at Audio Craft  (770) 923-7955
+++++
======================================================= (2)

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 17:03:06 -0500
From: "[removed] [removed] Dressler" <tshdmd@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: No School Today
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Still looking for a source for "No School Today" with Big John and 
Sparky.

Thanks, Donna

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 18:58:18 -0400
From: Bigkids@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: "Adventures in Odyssey"
Message-ID: <960824185817_267878754@[removed]>

Did I get that title right, "Adventures in Odyssey?"

Our daughter lives in Tahoe City with her own family, and Pat and I live in
Berkeley, by happenstance, 200 miles to the tick, door to door. So we put in
a fair number of freeway hours, headed up into the Sierras and back down to
the Bay.

Much of that time is spent with OTR on tape or with audiobooks, but sometimes
we'll radio-surf, and occasionally pick up some of those religious radio
dramas. Never quite caught the full credits, so we dubbed the series
ourselves as, "God Theater."

You're right, it does get a little bit preachy and soppy from every so often.
But many of the stories are really valid OTR-style dramas, the acting is
first-rate and the overall production quality is nothing to be ashamed of.

Do you know who procudes these shows? (And -- are they still in production?
We haven't heard them on recent trips, but that my be a function of our
schedule and theirs.) And when are they broadcast, and on what stations?

I *think* we picked them up on a Sacramento AM station, but I'm not at all
certain of that.

Dick Lupoff

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 18:37:37 4
From: "edcarr" <edcarr@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: turntables
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

16in turntables
sl 1100a technics,i've bought 2
  for different people cost approx
$200,this had a very heavy cast iron
base,the tonearm fit a 16in trans
without a problem,you would have
to get the right cart/stylis though,
at one time shure had the stylis
but no more,they have to be ordered
as far as i know from england.
also i had,but no more a turntable
built for me played all speeds
played inside/outside trans,
i'll try and look his name etc up
he lives in chicago,well outside
of chicago if the person really wants
to go this route,otherwise i won't.
i can give the name of a fellow
who will record them for you,email
me if you are interested,
there were rec o kut turntables also
but i don't remember models,also i
have a friend who has a different
model than above,a sony?
what it all boils down to is,do you
want to invest this much money,time
etc to play 4 or 5 16in.
                      edcarr@[removed]                    
if 

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

Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 22:26:41 -0400
From: ad586@[removed] (Michael Cervone)
To: OTR-request@[removed]
Subject: Re: Adventures in Odyssey
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

In the last digest, someone wrote about the "Adventures" show
and mentioned that it was syndicated. It is for sure. The
series is produced by Focus on the Family, which also
produces a talk program by the same name. The group is headed by
christian author and psychologist Dr. James Dobson, who many
speculate may be one of the most influential conservative media
personalities in the country, second of course to Mr. Limbaugh.

"Adventures" is heard in Chicago on both WMBI and WYLL-FM, both
of course are Christian stations. The other series, "Focus on
the Family," which I feel is one of the best things going on
radio today, is heard on both of the above stations and on
commercial news/talk WMAQ (AM 670). 

BTW, WMAQ is a great source for OTR. They are currently running
"When Radio Was" with Stan Freberg Monday thru Friday at
midnight and they also have a special weekend edition hosted by
Carl Amari which runs Saturday and Sunday from 10p to midnight.

Glad to see many interested in OTR here.

Mike Cervone
MBC Radio Archivist

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

Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 00:20:16 -0500
From: Lou Genco <lgenco@[removed]>
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Notes for new readers (more OTR on the net)
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Subscribers just joining the Internet OTR Digest crowd are invited to check
the growing number of WWW pages whose theme is old time radio.  Program
logs, personality pages, station lists, images of old radios and stars,
soundbytes galore, nostalgic quizzes, The Humongous OTR Database, OTR source
materials, bibliographies, biographies, bulletin boards ... something for
just about everybody.  There is even an OTR FAQ (list of Frequently Asked
Questions [and answers]) that might have the answer to -your- question.

Other subscribers - If you haven't visited lately, come on down and have a
look around.  Several new features have been added recently, including more
sources where you can buy or trade OTR programs.  The new server seems to be
much faster than the old one, so accessing the images and sound files should
be more enjoyable.

Y'all are invited to stop by and enjoy the Texas hospitality at my new site
(yep, the move appeared to be successful, in spite of the weather
conditions).  Just point your browser at [removed], and make
sure the words "TEXAS SITE" appears near the bottom of the welcome page.
You will find not only a bunch of well-read, dog-eared, locally maintained
pages about OTR, but also a large number of pointers to similar WWW pages
around the world.


Lou
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WWW page on "Old Time Radio":                   [removed]
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 02:38:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: JSEXTON@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Did TV destroy the kid's love for OTR??
Message-id: <01I8ODGAY85K8WW3ZW@[removed]>
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT

  No,not in my [removed] was enjoyed as much as the [removed] remember watching
TV and listening to OTR in the same [removed] fact,where there were both shows
(on tv and otr)-I would enjoy both listening and watching the same favorite
[removed] imagination of the mind could make any otr program as rich and wonderful as the tv screen.
   I don't actually remember giving up on [removed] think the favorite shows justslowly faded [removed],John Sexton *

(JSEXTON@[removed])

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

Date: Sun, Aug 25 1996 05:24:28 EDT
From: Thomas Heathwood <theathwo@[removed]>
To: <[removed]@[removed]>
Subject: Re: RADIO DRAMA ALIVE AND WELL AT THE VOICE OF AMERICA
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

From: Tom Heathwood /Heritage Radio Theatre / YESTERDAY-USA RADIO NETWORK
(Based on 8/21 article in RADIO WORLD - Studio Sessions section)

According to author Alan R. Peterson in this week's RADIO WORLD, The Voice
of America and The Smithsonian Associates recently produced a real live,
1996 radio drama at the VOA studios (the VOA Auditorium in Washington).
Formidable actors, Ed Asner, Paul Winfield, and Lincoln Kilpatrick,
participated in the recording of "Mr. Rickey Calls A Meeting" which will
be aired on the VOA and National Public Radio in 1997.

Asner plays Mr. Rickey, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He taps
Jackie Robinson to be the first black major league baseball player and
summons heavyweight champ, Joe Louis, actor Paul Robeson, and Bill
"Bojangles" Robinson to obtain their backing and support.

Geoff Cowan, director of the VOA, stated "Radio drama comes naturally to
the VOA", a tradition maintained since the days when John Houseman was
director.

Asner says "I did radio drama in high school and it still carries an
enormous allure. I knew I had 'arrived' when I came back to New York and
did radio theatre. That's why it's a pleasure to be here and work so
cheap, for the artistic satisfaction." Asner was referring to the basic
AFTRA scale all the actors get for their performance.

Still to come VOA and the Smithsonian have three other radio dramas
scheduled for 1996.  "The Gin Game" will be taped in September and will
feature Julie Harris and Robert Prosky. In October, Richard Dreyfuss and
Kelly McGillis star in "The Devil's Disciple". In November, Stockard
Channing performs in "The House of Blue Leaves," all atthe VOA Auditorium.

The combination of digital technology, impeccable acting, and classic
sound effects prove radio drama is alive and well 75 years later!

<<TOM HEATHWOOD / HERITAGE RADIO THEATRE / YESTERDAY-USA RADIO NETWORK>>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




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End of [removed] Digest V96 Issue #298
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