------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 303
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Today in radio history 8/4 [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Les Paul [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
You won't hear any classical music o [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
pitch control cd player [ "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed]; ]
Falling Asleep to the Radio [ "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@hotm ]
Re: cassetts [ Shenbarger@[removed] ]
Re: Kenny Gardner obit [ Merlin Haas <mvhaas@[removed]; ]
Re: 1951 Playoff Calls [ Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@yahoo. ]
Re: sleeping to OTR [ Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@yahoo. ]
OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK SCHEDULE [ HERITAGE4@[removed] ]
OTR As A Sleep Aid? [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
Re: Bob Hope programs [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Talking piano, tuba, etc [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
Talking Piano [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
Attention Writers of OTR books [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:35:38 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history 8/4
From Those Were The Days --
1921 - The first tennis match on radio was broadcast on KDKA in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was a natural since KDKA was the first
commercial radio station in the United States. Within eight months the
powers that be figured out that sports on radio would bring in big sales
revenues. And so, the Davis Cup match between Great Britain and
Australia was aired on the radio; but much to the wonderment of KDKA's
listeners. Tennis anyone? On radio? It rates right up there with radio
wrestling or, maybe, [removed]
1927 - Radio station 2XAG, later named WGY, the General Electric station
in Schenectady, NY, began experimental operations from a 100,000-watt
transmitter. Later, the FCC regulated the power of AM radio stations to
not exceed 50,000 watts on 'clear channels' (where few, if any, stations
would cause interference with each other).
1940 - Crime Doctor introduced a new kind of radio hero to audiences.
The CBS program presented Dr. Benjamin Ordway, the show's main
character, who was a victim of amnesia. He once was a criminal, but got
hit on the head, and suddenly began to work as a crime fighter. Nice
twist.
Joe
--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:36:20 -0400
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Les Paul
I enjoyed Lee Munsick (why do I always want to change his last name to
Music?) and his running commentary on Les Paul, one of my favorite
musicians of the early 50s. One of my limited possessions in those days
was a 45rpm phonograph. I do believe I must have acquired every Les
Paul-Mary Ford recording made (still have them, though the phono is long
gone). "Little Rock Getaway" was among my favorites.
Lee may have hosted Les at FOTR about three years ago when he made an
appearance there. Many of us hung onto everything he said. Some time
later that day I encountered Les Paul in a hallway where six or eight
believers had him cornered. I wasn't aware that he even saw me as I
stealthily pulled out a little notepad and held it by my side, hoping to
catch him for an autograph when he finished with the group. But he was
more observant than I realized. He quickly extended his hand, reaching
for the pad, never interrupting his conversation to the crowd while doing
so. As he talked, he took a pen and signed my pad and handed it back to
me. I realized he had had a lifetime of signing autographs and could
handle it unobtrusively, never missing a beat. I was impressed with how
he did so without infringing on anybody's time while giving everybody
what they wanted. To me it was the mark of the true professional he is.
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:37:09 -0400
From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: You won't hear any classical music on Muzak
Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; said, much to my consternation:
...that IMHO, MUZAK made a better sleep aid than any OTR program ever could.
...I also admit to referring to Chopin in this description as [removed] as a
generic reference to any classical music. Although I'm certain there are
some who may enjoy this particular genre of music, I am not one of them and
I'm certain there are many others who agree with me on this point.
Well, Ken, as Neil Crowley would probably say, "De gustibus non est
disputandum." But I don't think you'll hear much classical music coming over
Muzak speakers; much of it is far too rousing. And I defy you to sleep all
the way through "Ride of the Valkyries," "Der Todentanz," _The Firebird
Suite_, _Bolero_ or even _The Surprise Symphony_.
I have to question the reference to classical music as a genre. "Genre" is
defined by Merriam-Webster Online as *"*a category of artistic, musical, or
literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content."
What is commonly called classical music represents a plethora of styles,
eras, arrangements, cultures, traditions, interpretations, inspirations and
motivations and includes music from the middle ages up to the twenty-first
century. Are you absolutely certain, in all that variety (far more than
within any genre, or even than among popular genres; hip-hop and swing have
more in common than the most diverse forms of "classical music") there's
absolutely NOTHING to appeal to you?
Do you not care, for example, for the themes to _The Lone Ranger_, _The Green
Hornet_, _Challenge of the Yukon_, _The Shadow_, _I Love a Mystery_,
_Escape_, or _The Lux Radio Theatre_? It seems half the OTR shows we love
would have HAD no music had it not been for classical.
Sadly, yes, there are far too many who agree with you on this point. Our
public schools have abandoned the teaching of art and music as not having any
practical applications to justify the expense (a point on which I disagree);
probably literature will be discarded next, leaving only instruction in
grammar. Even NPR is gradually abandoning classical music in favor of car
talk (the popularity of which baffles me; doesn't help with my particular
automotive problems and not nearly as funny as its hosts seem to think it
is). Though it is possible to relate to classical music on an emotional
level, without any instruction in music appreciation (as I came to it myself
as a child), my appreciation is vastly increased by reading the liner notes
of classical records and by the single music course I eventually took in
college. Hearing classical music without some awareness of musical principles
is sort of like watching _Hamlet_ as children; our enjoyment is pretty much
limited to the sword fights.
So why do I, a product of the underfunded schools of the rural South, having
grown up without any musical instruction to speak of, have such a great
affection for classical music? Must have been all that great classical music
in the public domain that added so much excitement to my favorite radio
shows. To this very day I can't hear "Overture to Donna Diana" without
longing to hitch up the dogs and roam the windswept, snow-covered reaches of
the Great Northwest.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:37:29 -0400
From: "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: pitch control cd player
hi
could someone, anyone help me find a cheap cd player with pitch control
optical digital out and of course rca outputs, i would consider used lightly
looking for new, around $125, i bought one 2 yrs ago from j & r for
a hundred, of course when you realize you will need 2 that model or any
other model is not to be had for that price.
the model i have is a teac. i will/would conside any other brand
ed, and thanks
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:37:49 -0400
From: "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Falling Asleep to the Radio
Hello All,
Some years ago on the spring weekend when Daylight Savings Time begins just
before going to sleep I had turned on the radio of my clock radio and was
waiting for a top of the hour time check in order to set the clock radio
ahead correctly to reflect DST. I fell asleep. I woke up precisely at 2AM
to hear the announcer saying :"It is now 2AM, time to set your clock to
Daylight Savings Time." I did so, and then went back to sleep.
George
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:38:29 -0400
From: Shenbarger@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: cassetts
Ed Olko tells us, "Have recently been converting to mp3 and find I have this
huge collection of programs on cassette that I would like to get rid of."
Just this week my mother returned a CD I made with my computer of some OTR
shows. Hers are strictly audio, but no matter. The silver coating chipped
off. There is no apparent abuse, no indication of an impact, no chemical
loaded fingerprints. Mom is careful with her stuff.
Commercial CD's are quite durable compared to the CD-R disks. The CD-R disks
use various dyes which may be damaged by sunlight or prolonged bright room
light. The dye is under the mirror coating on the top of the disk and the
mirror coating is covered with lacquer. The quality of lacquers varies, just
one more variable. Apparently the metallic coatings bond weakly to the soft
dye layer. The disk integrity relies on an overlapping edge of metallic
coating off the dye layer and onto the poylcarbonate substrate (thick clear
plastic part) where the bond is strong. But the data area is still vulnerable
to getting whacked.
My point is, forget what you read about the 100 year life span of the CD-Rs
we burn. They are easily hurt and then they don't work. Unless you keep two
copies of your MP3's around, you might want to consider keeping the tapes.
Don Shenbarger
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:38:45 -0400
From: Merlin Haas <mvhaas@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Kenny Gardner obit
From the New York Times News Service: (edited)
Kenny Gardner, the light-voiced, cheerfully smooth tenor who for
almost 30 years was the featured crooner with Guy Lombardo and His
Royal Canadians, died July 26, in Manhasset, N. Y. He was 89.
Among the songs in which Mr. Gardner took center stage was the
1950 hit "Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think."
He won a scholarship to go west [from Iowa] to college, but
instead ended up singing for radio shows in Los Angeles.
He joined the Lombardo band--and the family--through Elaine
Lombardo, who in 1940 heard him on the radio. She insisted that her
brother listen. "Guy heard half the song and said, 'He's for me.' "
she recalled.
Mr. Garnder retired from the band in 1978, soon after Guy Lombardo died.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:39:02 -0400
From: Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: 1951 Playoff Calls
Elizabeth McLeod writes:
All that survives of the Russ Hodges/WMCA broadcast is the last half of
the ninth inning, followed by the Giants' clubhouse celebration.
Hmm, I find that very curious. When I was in high school in the SF
Bay area in the late '50s , early '60s, one of the stations kept
airing a promo saying, "the Giants win the pennant" with the day and
time of the broadcast. (KSFO? KABL? I don't remember for sure.) This
was a year in which the Giants were having a run at the pennant, but
I don't think it was '61, the year they did win it.
Anyway, when I tuned in the day promoted, they played the entire
Dodgers-Giants game from 1951, concluding with Russ Hodges' hysteria.
Incidentally, Hodges was still the Giants' announcer at that time,
too. I didn't listen to the whole thing, but now I wonder. Maybe they
played the McLendon broadcast until the last of the ninth? Does
anyone from the Bay Area remember this broadcast?
Alan
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:39:17 -0400
From: Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: sleeping to OTR
I'm interested to find so many others admitting to using OTR as they
drift off at night. I have a system that seems a bit more complicated
than most. I have a RioVolt in the "office" plugged into a small FM
transmitter. I set it to play about 4 or 5 comedy shows (Benny,
Allen, whatever) and repeat them throughout the night. At my bedstand
is an Aiwa TX 591 Walkman-type radio/cassette player. My wife needs
silence to go to sleep, so I, too, use an earphone. The nice thing
about the Aiwa, is that the radio has a sleep function. I usually set
it for about a half hour and I'm normally asleep before it shuts off.
If I wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back
to sleep, which happens every once in a while, I just turn it back on
again in half hour increments until I'm out. Sometimes I hear
something I'd heard earlier in the evening, but I usually don't mind.
Alan
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:12:56 -0400
From: HERITAGE4@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK SCHEDULE
Here's our upcoming shows for this week - through Saturday at:
[removed] 24/7 hie end streaming 32kbps.
SAME TIME, SAME STAION with Jerry Haendiges
1. THE JACK CARSON SHOW 3/5/47 Guest: Howard Duff
2. THE SCREEN GUILD THEATER 4/22/46 "Perfect Specimen" stars:
Betty Grable, Dame May Whitty and Jack Carson.
3. FRONT AND CENTER 7/13/47 Hostess: Dorothy Lamour with
Guests: Jack Carson and Dick Powell.
4. SUSPENSE 11/7/46 "Easy Money" with Jack Carson, Cathy Lewis,
Paul Frees and Elliott Lewis.
HERITAGE RADIO THEATRE with Tom Heathwood
1. X MINUS ONE NBC 10/10/57 "Death Wish"
2. LASSIE ABC 1947 "Jumpy"
3. I LOVE ADVENTURE NBC Summer, 1948 "What Big Teeth You Have
Grandma"
4. COLGATE SPORTS NEWSREEL with Bill Stern NBC 3/18/49
Pgm. #490 with Guest: Susan Hayward.
Enjoy --- Tom & Jerry
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:13:30 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR As A Sleep Aid?
With all the discussion of drifting off to sleep listening to OTR, I
recall that as a child of 9 years of age, I used OTR the other way. I
managed to get a crystal-set arrangement somewhat surreptitiously to my
bed, and after bedtime, I used to listen to Inner Sanctum Mysteries and
like shows while I was supposed to be sleeping.
Now it it had been Lights Out or Quiet, Please, I might have _stayed_
awake for another hour or [removed]
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:15:26 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Bob Hope programs
On 8/4/02 12:56 AM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:
I was wondering why of all of the big NBC comedies that were ratings
powerhouses, the Bob Hope Show is the program with by far the fewest episodes
currently available. Were most of the recordings of the programs just trashed
one day en masse?
Most of the Hope programs, at least from 1937 forward, do exist -- and
many of them in duplicate copies. The Hope family donated an enormous
collection of recordings to the Library of Congress a few years ago, and
the LOC already had a substantial number of Hope recordings from the
spring of 1942 forward.
Few of these have found their way into circulation because Hope
Enterprises has kept a very tight leash on the recordings so as to
prevent them from being bootlegged. Most of the Hope recordings that have
circulated up till now have been from AFRS discs or other recordings that
were not in the possession of the Hope organization.
In May of this year, MediaBay (Radio Spirits) obtained exclusive
worldwide distribution rights to over 700 Hope programs thru a contract
with Hope Enterprises. I imagine we'll soon be seeing boxed "Best of
Hope" sets, as well as hearing edited episodes airing on "When Radio Was"
before long.
Once that happens it'll be interesting to see how well Hope's radio work
has aged. Unlike his movie work, which depended largely on his
"fast-talking coward" characterization for laughs, he tended on radio to
simply be a mouthpiece for rapid-fire jokes. While he was probably the
single biggest influence on the aggressive tone of mid-forties radio
comedy, he was also the comedian who was most dependent on topical
material -- *much* more so than Fred Allen -- and it will be interesting
to see if his programs succeed today as anything more than historical
artifacts.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:16:23 -0400
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Talking piano, tuba, etc
The device that enabled any musical instrument, or any other inanimate
object, like a train or a bubbling brook, to talk, was called the
Sonovox. It was invented by Gilbert Wright in the late 30s. It consisted
of two transducers with magnet and voice-coil assembly instead of
standard speakers. One would place these on either side of one's throat
and merely mouth (not speak) the words. The two units would vibrate the
larynx with whatever sound was being played through them. Many OTR
sounds were produced this way, including the well-known Bromo-Seltzer
commercial. It was also used for the voice of the train in Disney's
"Dumbo." From the 1950s on, it was used more in movies and on TV, then
on radio.
You can still see this device today by viewing a video copy of "You'll
Find Out", a wacky musical comedy movie by RKO, released in 1940. The
film features Kay Kaiser and his orchestra with vocalists Harry Babbit
and Ginny Simms, along with movie horror-villains, Peter Lorre, Bella
Lugosi, and Boris Karloff. The devise is used in two or three scenes,
including Babbit singing into it, and Lugosi utilizing it in another
scene.
Musician and OTR researcher Gary Schneider of Alameda, CA has been
collecting data on this device and its inventor and recently wrote an
article on this topic for RADIO RECALL. He would welcome any additional
input from those who know more about the inventor. You can e-mail him at
GarySchmaltzy@[removed].
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:16:38 -0400
From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Talking Piano
Actually there were two taking piano records that I'm aware of. In addition
to Rusty in Orchestraville, there was Sparky's Magic Piano. The other
Sparky record was Sparky's Talking Train.
The Sparky here is not to be confused with Big Jon and Sparkie. Although,
the records may have been played on the No School Today show.
Fred
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:23:22 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Attention Writers of OTR books
If anyone has ever written a book or books about Old Time Radio and
self-published, please contact me asap.
OTR PUBLISHING is expanding and would like to go to print with a catalog in
late September, listing the largest one-stop source for OTR books ever. (I
know OTR Publishing couldn't list EVERY book, obviously, but they can be
close!) To the best of my knowledge, there isn't presently a real one-stop
source for all OTR books published, nor a publishing company specializing in
just OTR books, so now is the time.
If you've ever written a book on OTR and self-published (that means you went
and paid out of your own pocket to have the book printed), please contact me
asap with the name of your book and your mailing address. If you wrote a
book and it got published by a publishing house, still contact me as we'll
try to get your book's title and such put on the list. If you know of any
OTR authors who are not on this list, please call them asap!
Thanks!
Martin
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #303
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