Subject: [removed] Digest V2005 #328
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 10/25/2005 10:04 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2005 : Issue 328
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      A First-Timers' FOTR Experience       [ "David Kindred" <david@[removed] ]
      FOTR 2005                             [ "James Yellen" <clifengr3@[removed] ]
      FOTR Wall Street Journal article lin  [ Mark Hanna <mmmwh@[removed]; ]
      "The Great Radio Heroes"              [ "Jim Harmon" <jimharmonotr@charter. ]
      I stand corrected                     [ "Jim Cox" <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      Cigarettes to soldiers                [ "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@juno. ]
      Mike and Willa                        [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Hal Stone's Expertise and Credential  [ "Stuart Lubin" <stuartlubin@[removed] ]
      OTR CONVENTION IN NEWARK              [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
      Hal "Bobb Lynes" Stone                [ "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@hotmail. ]
      Lesson in futility                    [ JimBourg@[removed] ]
      Hal Stone, the small red-haired lad   [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 11:15:17 +0000
    From: "David Kindred" <david@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  A First-Timers' FOTR Experience

    Howdy, fellow digesters.

    After several years of thinking it would be fun to rub elbows with our
    fellow admirers of OTR, as well as to exchange barbs in person with our
    buddy, Hal Stone, my dad (Ed) and I decided it was time for a road trip
    from the DC area to FOTR. What was it like? In a word: FUN!

    In case some of you non-attendees (and you know who you are) wondered what
    transpires at these things, I'll try to relate some of our experiences to
    you. First off, imagine a seedy run-down motel, with gaudy 1950's aqua
    doors, an algae-ridden pool, and rooms that smell of mildew. The Holiday
    Inn at which FOTR takes place isn't like that. We met Charlie out in the
    lobby and gave him a howdy. He high-fived us, slapped our backs and bought
    us a snack. OK, he gave us a howdy back.

    We arrived early Friday morning and attended a panel on children's radio
    and TV shows, followed by Anthony Tollin's very interesting multimedia
    celebration of 75 years of The Shadow. Mr. Tollin's great love for the show
    is catchy, and I found myself engrossed in what he had to say. Afterward,
    Jeff David presented a video he had made about his good buddy, and OTR
    legend, the late Jackson Beck. Mr. David's recollections of Mr. Beck were
    warm and entertaining, making me wish I had known the gentleman, myself.
    Jack French then gave us a terrific presentation on the history of
    syndicated shows. My dad and I knew nearly nothing about this subject and
    learned a great deal. Next up was Simon Jones, Arthur Dent of Hitchhiker's
    Guide to the Galaxy fame, who simply kept us in stitches. His session was
    far too short. Then, we had a radio comedians panel, masterfully hosted by
    Kathy O'Connell, a self-admitted Soupy-Stalker. Afterward, we experienced
    our first re-creation of "A Date with Judy", starring Barbara Watkins as
    Judy, the gun maul.

    Dinner was great sitting with new friends Stuart Lubin, Patrick, Michael
    and Willa Leannah, Lou, Martin and Manuela. We continually ran into Stuart,
    Michael and Willa the remainder of our stay, which was a delight. After
    dinner, we were treated to recreations of "Mr. and Mrs. North" (excellent),
    "The Adventures of Superman" with Fred Foy as the Man of Steel; the warm,
    delightful--and still beautiful--Noel Neill as Lois Lane; and Hal Stone as
    the crazed (not too much of a stretch) villain (even more excellent),
    finishing off the evening with "The Shadow" starring Margot Stevenson,
    Frank Thomas, Margot Avery and Jeff David as a *fantastic* Shadow (most
    excellent).

    On Saturday, we finally got to meet our buddy, Hal, in person. I've signed
    my correspondence to Hal as "Tooth [removed]" (the "[removed]" being my initials, of
    course). When Hal found my dad's initials were [removed], he nicknamed him
    "Tooth Ache". Thus, the second time he saw us, we were greeted as "The
    Tooth Fairies". Only Hal could call us tough guys fairies and get away with
    it. ;-)  Hal, was very kind to give my three boys a special video message
    in his Archie voice. Noel Neill did the same as Lois Lane, and Jeff David
    (who voiced the robot Crichton in the 1970's Buck Rogers, a show they like)
    also was very kind to give my boys a video greeting. They LOVED this.
    Thanks, gents (and Noel)!!

    Saturday morning, we had a nice presentation on Nathaniel Shilkret by his
    grandson Niel Shell. I'm afraid I was unfamiliar with his work, but
    appeared to be in the minority. Elizabeth McLeod followed with a PowerPoint
    presentation about what was covered by her book, but didn't really educate
    us about A&A, which I found a little disappointing. But, she rescued me
    from my doldrums by playing an uncirculated A&A from 1937(?). This was the
    first time I'd ever heard any of the 15-minute serial episodes, and I loved
    it! It was far different than the half-hour shows with which I was
    familiar, and chronicled part of a road trip Amos, Andy and the Kingfish
    were taking in the "[removed] Taxicab" north for vacation. Unfortunately, Andy
    didn't know how to operate their compass (though, he blamed the technology,
    not his lack of knowledge), and they began seeing signs for Delaware.
    Andy's "log" of the trip was a riot, talking about how the ship was
    "listening" to port. Starboard was referred to as "the other side". One of
    their springs was shot on one side of the Taxicab, so Andy was going to
    address the problem by getting a larger wheel. I was pretty bummed to
    realize that I'll never learn how that story ends. Elizabeth described the
    episode as being fairly typical for the early run of the show, which made
    me sad to know that only a half dozen recordings are known to exist.
    Elizabeth said she tried her best to characterize what the original show
    was like, with excerpts from original scripts (she read 10,100 pages of
    them), and included pronunciation keys for the dialog. She's also included
    period public opinions of the show from newspapers of the time and a great
    deal of other topics that I can't recall at the moment. I'm very much
    looking forward to reading her book. She was a tremendous hit with the
    attendees, and fielded questions with a depth of knowledge that seemed
    bottomless.

    After Elizabeth came a salute to Orson Welles with some very funny
    recollections by Jeff David, then a "Frontier Gentleman" recreation with
    Simon Jones and the Gotham Players. This recreation was TOP NOTCH and
    seemed to go off as smooth as silk. I was surprised to learn from Steve
    Lewis, later, that their original pianist was unavailable at last minute,
    and they had to find a replacement *that morning* for him. It's a real
    testament to their gifts that they could achieve such excellence under such
    circumstances.

    Next up was Gregg Oppenheimer who gave recollections of his dad's career
    with Lucille Ball. Gregg is the penultimate gentleman who would only, with
    great reluctance, say something that wasn't positive of another. He donated
    all the proceeds from the sales of his book at the convention to two worth
    causes. You'll have to take my word on this: if you had been there, you'd
    have wanted to buy his book, too. His stories are THAT good and he is
    clearly one heckuva good guy.

    Following Gregg was the Joe Franklin show, which you've heard about from
    another poster. Let's just say that Jerry Stiller and Ann O'Meara stole the
    show. They were such a riot. You want to know what was even funnier? Joe
    simply could not stop talking, and the show was going waaaaaaaay long.
    Charlie kept trying to give them hand signals to end, but they went
    ignored. So, Charlie kept turning around and (maybe looking at me?) kept
    mouthing "Help. Help. Help." He was killing me. I would've helped but, you
    know, he never high-fived us in the lobby.

    Brian Gari was the person responsible for getting Joe to attend, along with
    other folks like Sonny Curtis. I'd like to especially recognize Brian's
    overwhelming work in finding audio and video clips to share for so many
    different panels, discussions and interviews. I don't know how he was able
    to pull it all off, for I know how time-consuming it must have been.

    Finally (for my dad and me), we got to enjoy a very touching recreation of
    "Dr. Christian" before heading out the door. We were sad to not be able to
    enjoy another meal with our fellow attendees, but had to get back to our
    families in DC.

    Did we have fun? Oh, yes. Will we back? Definitely.

    Thanks to everyone who gave so fully of themselves so fully to put on an
    excellent convention, and apologies for any misspelled names or forgotten
    events.

    --David (Tooth [removed] to Hal)

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 11:17:28 +0000
    From: "James Yellen" <clifengr3@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  FOTR 2005

    After reading the glowing reviews of this year's FOTR in Newark, I'm bow
    even more distressed that I had to miss it for the first time in many years.

    Now the questions is, how do I acquire the tape/DVD of the event. I've
    never had a need for this before, so I don't know when it's available or
    from whom. Charlie, our esteemed digest administrator, is it you?

    Please, I'm waiting. I want it. I need it!

    Jim Yellen

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: To pick up the video for the 2005 FOTR Con, contact Fred
    Berney (who posted above about the 30th Anniversary Video, which I bought
    but haven't had the chance to enjoy yet). I'm sure he'll stick an order
    form up on his website, and after reading this he should post the info with
    an URL.  ;)    --cfs3]

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:50:19 +0000
    From: Mark Hanna <mmmwh@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  FOTR Wall Street Journal article link

    A link for the WSJ article, as it appeared in a
    Pittsburgh paper, can be found at
    [removed] along with the
    Star Ledger link and a bunch of other articles.

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:50:28 +0000
    From: "Jim Harmon" <jimharmonotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  "The Great Radio Heroes"
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

         Who was it who said "If I am not for myself, who will be?"
         I saw a list of the ten or it became twelve books on old time radio that
    were the best or most important.  I really believe my book, "The Great Radio
    Heroes", should be on such a list.
    After thirty-eight years, it is in print from McFarland in a revised trade
    edition, $35, or directly from me.
         It was the first book to give detailed information on old time radio in
    1967.   Almost simultaneously Buxton and Owens' "Radio Golden Age" appeared
    but it was a list of casts and credits, and could not be reviewed for literary
    merit.
         "Great Radio Heroes" was the first and I believe only book on old time
    radio to be a "modest best seller".   I benefited by being first, but I had to
    be good for it to sell.  As a matter of fact, it may have had sales to equal
    all those which came after -- at least until the recent "explosion" of books
    on radio.
         "Great Radio Heroes" has been used in many colleges not only to teach
    radio history, but something I was pleased to hear, to teach how to write.
         "Great Radio Heroes" has been reviewed by many serious critics, some of
    which deem it a "classic".   It has been on at least one list of the one
    hundred most important books of the Twentieth Century.
         I have never been an extremely prolific writer of fiction or non-fiction,
    and I am awed by the many books of Cox and Grams, and the expansive work of
    Dunning, but I believe my pioneering
    "Great Radio Heroes" belongs on a list of the top ten books on old time
    radio.
         -- JIM HARMON

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

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:50:38 +0000
    From: "Jim Cox" <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  I stand corrected

    Well, the mind is the first to go.  I inadvertently credited Hal Stone with
    a part played by Bobb Lynes (both good friends of mine, incidentally).  My
    apologies.

    In my haste to send out recollections, and thanks to an airline that lost my
    luggage containing my convention notes, I was relying on memory.  Not a good
    plan.

    Heigh-yo!  I'm nailed for sure as an owlhoot of the worst magnitude!  Sorry
    Bobb and [removed]  Your minds will slip, too, one of these days.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:50:49 +0000
    From: "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Cigarettes to soldiers
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

             They did much the same thing on "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical
    Knowledge", which was sponsored by Lucky Strike Cigarettes.  I have
    some remote broadcasts of this programs which makes a point to explain
    to the audience how many cartons of cigarettes had been sent to various
    military installations and ships ports around the world.  Maybe I'm looking
    at this from a younger perspective, but wasn't it counter productive to send
    cigarettes (which caused cancer) to our military personnel in hospitals?

             Were there any other programs (sponsored by cigarette companies)
    who sent their sponsors product to military personnel during WW II? Which
    ones?

    Another OTR Fan,

    Kenneth Clarke

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

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:51:20 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mike and Willa

    Hal Stone wrote:

     > By the way, the winner of this years script writing contest (The
     > Lone Ranger Spoof) was written by a very pleasant gentleman (whose name
     > I forget, and I'm much to lazy to look it up), was accompanied by his 13
     > (or 14) year old daughter.

    His name is Mike Leannah and he is a member of the Milwaukee Area
    Radio Enthusiasts, not only a member, but secretary and past vice- president.
    He is also a frequent contributer to this list. His charming daughter is
    named Willa and I had the pleasure of meeting her when she was just a baby.
    She has grown into quite a young lady. As far as the script performed,
    the NightMARE Players were honored to have done it first.

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsins

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:51:57 +0000
    From: "Stuart Lubin" <stuartlubin@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Hal Stone's Expertise and Credentials!

    I do not care what anyone says, I put my money on Hal Stone's expertise!
    Anyone who reads his book can easily see the great depth of understanding
    that this man has about the profession that he loved and still loves.  We
    are privileged to have the book, his presence at OTR conventions around the
    country, and his writings here on the Digest.

    Stuart Lubin

    [removed] I did not mean to confuse anyone about signing off "formerly
    OTRadiofan".  I am still a present OTRadiofan, but I did change my username
    from that, and I merely wanted those of you with whom I have had
    correspondence off list to know that I was one and the same.

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:52:07 +0000
    From: PURKASZ@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OTR CONVENTION IN NEWARK
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    I'm still trying to get my breathing back to  normal.
         Whew.
         What a weekend.
         Having returned Sunday night from my very first OTR  Convention in
    Newark, I can only attempt to describe my feelings of overwhelming  delight
    in the
    generosity and spirit that pervaded the entire three day  affair, as those who
    were fortunate enough to attend will attest.
         Although I was severely jet-lagged from a return to  New York from
    Hollywood where I had just completed several fourteen hour days on  a
    Christmas show
    for Hallmark Channel called, "Meet the Santas" (plug), I was  quite
    unprepared for the sheer genius of organization and the
    almost  unbelievable gathering
    of luminaries.
         That's the doing of Jay Hickerson and his able  staff.
         The banquets were a ramble of  talkative fun and the food was absolutely
    great too. Something almost  impossible to find in a hotel these days.
         Others have written on these pages of the  sheer enjoyment the event
    offered and if you have the chance folks, don't  miss it when it comes around
    again!!!
         I had no idea the re-enactments would have so much  power, especially the
    DR CHRISTIAN episode.
         A show I was aware of but had never  listened to.
         It brought Saturday afternoon tears to my  eyes!!
         The Shadow, was a joy to watch and hear.
         The "Plot to Overthrow Christmas" was  mind-boggling.
         The actors, one and all, outstanding in their  skills and knowledge of
    the medium. The directors, in firm and loving  control.
         Finally got to put a face and a pretty one it was,  to Elizabeth McLeod,
    whose encyclopedic knowledge is now in competition with her  very radiant
    beauty and wily wit.
         I see by others who were there that I missed a few  performances but the
    truth is, I was just not prepared for the depth and  organizational skills
    involved in these events.
         I again thank Jay for inviting me.
         Then they called my name at dinner!
         I can't really describe my feelings, even now, at  the award I was
    honored to receive for my scant few decades in radio and early  TV.
         And in such stellar company too!
         Beverly Washburn, Jon Provost, and the great Mickey  Freeman from "Bilko"
    and many others.
         Many more names who now have faces in my  mind.
         I even got to thank Soupy Sales for the many  lunches and afternoon and
    evening fun I had with him when he was on the air in  Detroit back when I
    was a
    lad.
         Thanks Soupy. Trudy, his wife was most generous in  securing an autograph
    for my office wall.
         It is an indication of the warm and enveloping  nature of the folks
    involved in these loving gatherings that there were many  newcomers to the
    event as
    well.
         I'd never met so many people interested in what  was, is and will always
    be my first love. The magic of radio and the need and  desire of people to
    contribute to a performance with their imagination.
         It was a delight also and somewhat of a surprise to  me who should have
    know better, to see the Braille folks so happily ensconced,  sitting,
    knitting,
    dogs by their side, smiling at their own imaginative  contributions to the
    performances.
         After all, I had met Walter Brennan at the Braille  Institute in
    Hollywood in 1971 when I would go there to do readings. He had
    just  finished "The Red
    Badge of Courage" that day and I was delighted to meet  him.
         Let me say now that I am only a  recent invitee to this world but that I
    readily make myself  available to any and all functions in the future in the
    hope that I can be of  some service to this grand and glorious movement to
    keep
    radio and its inherent  magical powers alive and well.
         Thanks again folks. You all made it a major memory  for me.
         See ya next time!!!
                        Michael  C. Gwynne

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

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:52:27 +0000
    From: "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Hal "Bobb Lynes" Stone

    Jim Cox, writing about The Lone Ranger performance (written by Michael
    Leannah) Thursday night, said:

     > Mom, whom Tonto (Hal Stone) kept referring to as "Mrs. Kemosaby,".

    Boy, is Hal Stone a great actor! We all knew that. For those of you who
    attended the Sunday morning panel, we saw Hal do wonderful impressions of
    Arthur Anderson, Michael Gwynne, Cliff Carpenter and Jean Rouverol, but
    this is the first I've learned that Hal was doing BOBB LYNES! I've known
    Bobb for&nbsp; 29 years and Hal captured every nuance of his character.
    WOW! I couldn't tell them apart!

    OH oh! Which one did I bring home with me? I'd better check!!! (Dorothy,
    which one did you get?)

    Barbara

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:52:36 +0000
    From: JimBourg@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Lesson in futility
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Okay,
    so it is the top twelve.

    What about Elizabeth McLeod's new  book on Amos n' Andy? Does that make "top
    13" or pick one to  drop.

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

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

    Date: Tue, 25 Oct 2005 23:53:17 +0000
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Hal Stone, the small red-haired lad

    I thought I'd share with you an item I found about our own Hal Stone from
    the Chicago Tribune in 1940 while Hal was appearing there with Lillian Gish
    in "Life With Father".
    One other thing I learned in my search was that Lillian's sister Dorothy
    made a surprise appearance as the maid in July 1940 when the actress who
    played the part became ill.  Do you remember that Hal?  Apparently the
    audience never knew it was she.

    I have some other items, pictures that I'm emailing to Hal to add to his
    very large scrapbook.

    Irene

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

    Chicago Tribune, Aug 7, 1940

    Column:  Front Views and Profiles

    Long Distance Call

    Harlan Stone, the small red-haired lad who plays the youngest of the Day
    boys in 'Life with Father' received a telephone call from his father from
    the World's Fair in New York the other evening.  It was one of those
    free long distance calls from the telephone company exhibit.  Harlan
    began an excited recital of his trip to the circus with Lillian Gish.  He told
    how one of the clowns had come and sat with them, described the lions
    and tigers, and recited the antics of the midget clown.  His father
    reported that the entire telephone company exhibit was hilarious as they
    listened to the conversation via extension head phones.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #328
    *********************************************

    Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
      including republication in any form.

    If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
       [removed]

    For Help: [removed]@[removed]

    To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]

    To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
      or see [removed]

    For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
      in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]

    To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]

    To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]