Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #4
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 1/6/2002 9:03 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 4
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Today in Radio History                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Re: Harry Bartell                     [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      MSN Help                              [ "Wally" <wdepew@[removed]; ]
      Re: Bob Hope                          [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Paper record web site                 [ Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed] ]
      Born to play the role                 [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
      Re: actors and roles they were born   [ Jon Martin <mart459@[removed]; ]
      ACTORS/CHARACTERS BORN TO BE PLATED   [ "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 11:28:14 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Today in Radio History

      From Those Were The Days --

    1935 - We proudly remind you that Phil Spitalny’s All-Girl Orchestra was
    featured on CBS radio this day on the program, The Hour of Charm.

    1940 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) got its very first
    demonstration of FM radio. The new  medium, free of interference,
    static, and noise in thunderstorms, was developed by Major [removed]
    Armstrong. The first FM transmitter was put in operation in 1941. What
    did it broadcast? Talk, of course. Well, not ‘talk’ per se, but lots of
    talking.

      Joe

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

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 11:28:48 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Harry Bartell

    Of course Harry Bartell is right. Any good actor is born to play the part that
    they are currently in. Could Parley Baer have played Matt Dillon, yes. On the
    other hand, could William Conrad have played Chester, again, yes. Could Harry
    Bartell have played these two characters convincingly enough to have been
    considered born to play them? Yes! Harry is what I, along with many, many
    others, consider one of the greats of radio. Like many of the greats, I never
    heard Harry give a bad performance.

    Of course there are some roles certain people cannot play because of their
    looks, but on radio looks did not matter, talent DID! Thanks to the miracle of
    recording we can still enjoy the likes of Harry Bartell today and for many
    years to come.

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 11:29:00 -0500
    From: "Wally" <wdepew@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: MSN Help

    Hello Folks -
    I recently switched to MSN because, unlike my local ISP, they offer
    unlimited access.
    However, I am having trouble finding a newsreader that will allow me to
    download binaries that works on their service.
    If you can help, please email me at:
    wdepew@[removed]
    Thanks very much.
    Wally

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 12:41:27 -0500
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Bob Hope

    Joe Mackey wrote:

>     1935 - Bob Hope was first heard on network radio as part of The Intimate
>     Revue with Jane Froman, James Melton and the Al Goodman Orchestra.

    While this was Hope's first series as a regular, he had actually made his
    debut almost two years earlier as a guest on Rudy Vallee's Fleischmann's
    Yeast Hour. Hope made several appearances on the Vallee program during
    1933-34, and a recording is known of one of these, his appearance on the
    6/8/33 program. In this broadcast, there's little to set Hope apart from
    any other flip, wiseguy Broadway comic of the era -- he does a rather
    hokey monologue, and subsequently appears in a routine comedy sketch with
    a dumb-dora female stooge.

    While this is the only recording currently available of any of his Vallee
    stints, I do own an original script for Vallee's 5/31/34 program on which
    Hope was again featured. In this appearance, Hope is introduced as "the
    young comedy lead in 'Roberta,'" and works with two stooges, who are
    billed as "Maximillan F. Stomachlaff and Murgatroyd P. Tummygiggle."
    Typical gags from this appearance: "Did you hear about the Scotchman that
    fell down in front of a steam-roller, and just before it ran over him, he
    turned over on one side so his pants would be pressed for the funeral? I
    found out that the French people eat 23,000 snails a year. No wonder
    they're so slow paying their debts."  Hope still hadn't adopted the Jack
    Benny manner of making himself the butt of the jokes, and his craven
    coward-braggart stage persona is still years away. He clearly wasn't
    ready for the big time yet.

    Interestingly, there was a comic making occasional Vallee appearances
    during this same era who was a clear influence on Hope's style -- and
    Hope acknowledged as much in one of his autobiographies. This comic was a
    young man by the name of Richy Craig Jr, who specialized in sharp,
    self-deprecating topical monologues -- and he and Hope had known each
    other in vaudeville. Craig died unexpectedly just a week after his final
    appearance on Vallee's program, and Hope would eventually adopt important
    elements of Craig's performance style into his own.

    Elizabeth

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 12:41:44 -0500
    From: Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Paper record web site

    Fibber here-

    I stumbled accross this web page last night and it
    reminded me of the thread a while back about paper
    records.

    While you can't listen to those records at this web
    site. You can see what they looked like. Check out:

    [removed]

    I was interested to find that there were paper records
    released of Red Skeleton's "Pledge of Allegience" as
    well as a Spike Jones release.

    If you were interested in the "Paper Record" thread,
    then you'll love this site.

    -The Fibber-

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 12:43:26 -0500
    From: Jer51473@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Born to play the role

     I dont think the statement is not meant to say that no one else could have
    played the role and played it very well. Whoever does it first certainly has
    a great advantage. If the role is a very good one, then a good actor may make
    it a household name. Much credit goes to whomever is casting the part. There
    are others who probably could have  put their seal on the role if they had
    gotten it. Bing Crosby is identfied with the song White Xmas and many others,
    he got them first and popularized them. Does that mean that other singers
    cant sing them as well? No, but it would be understandable if someone said
    Bing was born to sing White Xmas or any * of his other hits. Ive heard many
    singers sing The Xmas Song and sing it, imo, as well as Nat, but i can agree
    that Nat was born to sing it. The reason, he was the first to have a hit of
    the song and to many its his signature song, almost like he has a patent on
    it. We are sort of indoctrinated by actors and singers to identify them with
    certain songs or roles that we are attracted to. That singer or actor though,
    must do an outstanding job or the song or role will never become "patented".
    Anyone read the book and/or see the movie Winds of War? I read the book and
    it was and is the best book i ever read. I cast the part of Pug Henry in my
    mind to be played by Ed Asner for the movie version because i think he was
    born to play the role. Robert Mitchum got the part in the movie, which i
    enjoyed very much. I read later that many people identified the role with
    Asner, so maybe he was born to play it but nevver got the chance. I identify
    Mitchum with the role now because he got it and did well. How about these
    roles-- Arthur Lake as Dagwood, Hanley Stafford as Mr. Dithers and as Snooks
    daddy, Howard Duff as Sam Spade?

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 13:07:58 -0500
    From: Jon Martin <mart459@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: actors and roles they were born to play

>     As someone who very seldom posts to the Digest, I was thinking the same
>     thing but was reluctant to say it.  Also, sometimes when more than one
>     actor has played a role, our idea of how the character "should" be played
>     may be determined by who we first heard (or saw) in the role.  Not to
>     mention that there's sometimes a fine line between "born to play" and
>     "typecasting."

    As someone who has been off of the list for awhile due to time constraints,
    I'm going to agree with this statement. Due to a recent illness I have been
    catching up on a lot of shows that I have gotten and am amazed with the
    quality of some productions that were regional, and the low quality of some
    of the national shows. Some of the shows that I remember Dad playing tapes
    for me made me think of who should be playing the parts, but hearing others
    made
    me realize how some actors are very versatile and set a style, while others
    have the talent
    of adapting themselves into a style. IMHO the ones who take a part and
    adapt it to their
    own make the listening more enjoyable, rather than the ones who adapt to
    the part.

    And not to start flame wars over storage media *again*, but I have set up a
    couple of
    different distribution systems for the house, and am designing and
    implementing a couple of others
    in the near future. please feel free to email me for some information on
    wireless, FM server based,
    several portable options (I hate carrying around a portable computer, but
    have some innovative Ipaq
    solutions that are cheap), my favorite (minidisc) and something that is
    exciting me - there is a new sony
    CD player coming out that handles 400 CDs and will play back MP3s
    (supposedly under $300).
    Not sure of the controlling protocol as of yet, but they do have a
    controller unit (Expensive!)
    Have some great ideas for those of you who have to travel, but like to
    travel [removed]

    And this one I have to brag on - a model of the *first* solid state radio
    that was ever "mass" produced
    (and there may be arguments on this - but I think there is a lot of
    documentation) An old Ratheon model that
    had a test production run with replacement solid state modules to replace
    tubes to check feasibility
    is up and running in the family room :) )  BTW - did you all know that the
    walkman was origionally
    an American design, and it took Sony to see the value? years ago Ratheon
    and Sony had a partnership, and
    some Sony people were given the run of several areas of Ratheon. One of the
    projects was using some "new"
    technology to make a commercial hearing aid - specs are specific for the
    market and too long to post here.
    To make a long story short, the Sony folks asked the designer who was
    working on it for thoughts on other
    applications, and one of the things mentioned was also a portable amplifier
    for audio signals. The Sony engineer
    was bright enough,and Morita being the ultimate marketeer, very quick to
    pick up that combined with their
    cassette (patents jointly owned with Phillips)  it would make a neat unit.

    Jon M.

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    Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 13:38:41 -0500
    From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: ACTORS/CHARACTERS BORN TO BE PLATED

    In reference to the threads about actors and characters born to be played,
    Orson Welles played The Shadow so differently than Bret Morrison, whom most
    of us remember as The Shadow.  Even the Laugh was different with Welles.
    (paly a Welles & Morrison Shadow intro and see the difference for
    yourself)....also the character of Fibber McGee was wasted on TV when Bob
    Sweeney played the role (I never could understand wht Jim Jordan did not get
    the TV role when he did such a good jobs in films as Fibber)...The same can
    be said of Will Hutchens & Bartbara Billingsley as the TV Dagwood & Blondie.
      Why in the world they did not allow Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton to do
    the roles they created on radio - and - in films! ...Ah, such is the feeble
    minded thinking of the corporate TV executives!...And let's not forget Bill
    conrad not playing the tv Matt Dillon, and John Dehner not playing Palladin.
    (Any others you can think of?)

    Owens

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    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #4
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