Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #386
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 12/5/2004 4:20 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 386
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      12-5 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Daws Butler books are in!             [ benohmart@[removed] ]
      Re: Another question about OTR        [ "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed]; ]
      Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas  [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
      This week in radio history 5-11 Dece  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      OTR era                               [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      12-6 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2004 15:49:47 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  12-5 births/deaths

    December 5th births

    12-05-1890 - Fritz Lang - Vienna, Austria - d. 8-2-1976
    film director: "Bud's Bandwagon"
    12-05-1892 - Al Boasberg - Buffalo, NY - d. 6-18-1937
    writer: "Jack Benny Program"
    12-05-1901 - Grace Moore - Jellico, TN - d. 1-26-1947
    opera singer: "General Motors Concerts"; "Speed Show"; "Vicks Open House"
    12-05-1901 - Walt Disney - Chicago, IL - d. 12-15-1966
    actor: Mickey Mouse "Mickey Mouse Theatre of the Air"
    12-05-1903 - Fred Vandeventer - Tipton, IN - d. 12-2-1971
    newscaster, panelist: "Vandeventer and the News"; "Twenty Questions"
    12-05-1904 - Harold Huber - NYC - d. 9-29-1959
    actor: Hercule Poirot "Hercule Poirot"; Fu Manchu "Shadow of Fu Manchu"
    12-05-1906 - Otto Preminger - Vienna, Austria - d. 4-23-1986
    actor, film producer, director: "Fun In Print"; "Listen to the People"
    12-05-1906 - William Spier - d. 5-30-1973
    producer, director: "Advs. of Sam Spade"; "Suspense"
    12-05-1922 - Alan Freed - Johnstown, PA - d. 1-20-1965
    disk jockey: "Moondog Show"; "Alan Freed Show"; "Camel Rock and Roll Party"

    December 5th deaths

    03-09-1914 - Fred Clark - Lincoln, CA - d. 12-5-1968
    actor: "This Is Your FBI"; "Amos 'n' Andy Show"
    05-06-1900 - Dave Elman - Park River, ND - d. 12-5-1967
    emcee: (The Dean of American Hobbyists) "Hobby Lobby"
    05-08-1915 - John Archer - Lincoln, NE - d. 12-5-1999
    actor: Lamont Cranston/Shadow "The Shadow"; "Gateway to Hollywood"
    06-18-1897 - Henry Wadsworth - Maysville, KY - d. 12-5-1974
    actor: Alabama Randall "Jane Arden"
    09-15-1923 - Arvell Shaw - St. Louis, MO - d. 12-5-2002
    jazz bassist: "Floor Show"; "Damon Runyon Memorial Concert"; "Jubilee"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2004 15:50:39 -0500
    From: benohmart@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Daws Butler books are in!

    The Daws Butler biographies are in and will go out in the mail to all who have ordered
    tomorrow. They look Very good - and are the same size as the Paul Frees books, so I
    think you'll be impressed. To those who haven't yet ordered - remember, this is the
    official bio of the voice of Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound, has extensive info
    (including letters and interviews) on his radio career (including all the Stan Freberg
    stuff), Time for Beany (Einstein and Frank Zappa's favorite show), and all those Hanna-
    Barbera cartoons. Also comes with a Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson)
    foreword, his most famous student.

    Merry Christmas!

    Ben Ohmart

    Old radio. Old movies. New books.
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2004 17:04:45 -0500
    From: "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Another question about OTR

    Kenneth Clarke asked:

> >      When was the "Golden Age of Radio"? I've received several
> >     different answers, but nothing definitive. Some say that it was
> >     from 1926-1965, others say it was from 1929-1964, and so on.
> >     I just want to know when programs (any type programs) began
> >     to be broadcast by radio, as well as how long the era lasted,
> >     which we now refer to as OTR.

> >     No one seems to agree on this point. Why? It seems like
> >     a pretty straight forward question to me.

    This is because you did not ask a straight forward question.  You asked
    THREE questions, and each of them require a different answer,

    Question Number One:

> >     When was the "Golden Age of Radio"?

    I generally consider the period from 1936 to perhaps 1955.  I pick the 1955
    ending date because although production techniques continued to become more
    developed past 1955, TV had drained radio of most of its big names by then,
    making it largely a hollow shell.

    My pick of 1936 for the starting date is because when I began my research
    on the history of broadcast recordings it became evident that most OTR
    collections begin in 1936.  There are technical reasons for this, but
    beyond this reason, as I began finding the pre-1936 recordings I realized
    that even if they were more plentiful, they were usually not of the
    production quality that OTR fans look for.  The shows OTR fans LIKE start
    around 1936, and I think these changes were also noticed by the radio
    listeners and critics of that time.

    Question Number Two:

> >     I just want to know when programs (any type programs)
> >     began to be broadcast by radio

    As I said, this is a different question.  The first formal radio program
    was broadcast by Reginald Fessenden on Christmas Eve 1906 with an encore
    the next week on New Year's Eve.  There were other experimental stations
    into 1920, but following the election returns broadcasts on KDKA and the
    predecessor of WWJ in November 1920, radio stations started doing broadcast
    transmissions that evolved into "programs" during the next two years.
    Recognizable programs could be found in listings by 1924.  But this was
    waaaaaaaayyyyy before the Golden Age of Radio.

> >     I've received several different answers, but nothing definitive.
> >     Some say that it was from 1926-1965, others say it was from
> >     1929-1964, and so on.

    The reason for the different answers is easy.  Formal networks began in
    late 1926, but production and program formats were still crude.  1929 saw
    the introduction of some groundbreaking programs that continued thru the
    beginnings of the Golden Age, but at their start they didn't sound like
    their later recordings would lead you to believe.  There was a great
    expansion of production techniques and personality development between the
    1934 and 1936 seasons that marked a big change in the sound of radio.  Sure
    there are some exceptions--some earlier programs are great--but today's OTR
    fans are more satisfied with the later programs. And so were, I believe,
    the listeners and critics of the 1930s.

    Question Number Three:

> >     as well as how long the era lasted,which we now refer to as OTR.

    The answer Our Esteemed Leader, Charlie, gave can stand for the answer to
    THIS question.

>     [ADMINISTRIVIA: For the purposes of this list (which _is_ in the FAQ),
>     OTR defines the period between the 1920s and September 30, 1962.  --cfs3]

    The OTR Era and The Golden Age of Radio are not synonymous.  The Golden Age
    was only PART of the OTR era.  I hope this complicated answer helps clear
    up the confusion.

    Michael Biel   mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 4 Dec 2004 18:21:12 -0500
    From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Christmas just wouldn't be [removed]

    Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without the Cinnamon Bear.

    Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed]; wrote:

>     By now, many of you are enjoying "The Cinnamon Bear." The dozens of
>     folks who requested the lyrics to the  songs suggests to me that a
>     great number of families,  old and new, are discovering and
>     re-discovering  the magic of Maybeland. Good!

    As probably the world's greatest promoter of and authority on
    Cinnamon Bear, we must thank Mr. Crow for helping to keep the story
    alive for new generations of fans. I hope that some day it will be as
    much a part of an American Christmas as _It's a Wonderful Life_. I
    know it's hard to imagine that today's kids, surrounded by
    entertainment gadgets of all kinds, multiplexes and DVD's would find
    any enjoyment in an old children's Christmas story from the 30's, but
    I've seen with my own eyes that it is possible.

    I remember how ecstatic I was when I found the fondly remembered show
    on reel-to-reel, back before there was any interest in OTR, as far as
    I knew, sometime in the 70's. These were shows someone had recorded
    long ago by putting a mike in front of the radio speaker and had
    decided to offer dubs thereof in some hobby magazine. The sound
    wasn't good, but it was still heartwarming to hear the shows once
    again. I and Karl Wagner, later to become a well-known sci-fi author
    (and to have one of his stories dramatized on radio) listened to the
    whole thing, as I recall, in one sitting. Since then thousands of new
    listeners have discovered Judy and Jimmy and Cinnamon.

    Happily, original broadcast recordings are now available from First
    Generation Radio [removed] The entire
    serial is here with many extras. I recommend it highly. Also, note
    some of the full-color illustrations on the page. These are the
    images that Barbara Webster has worked into her Cinnamon Bear Quilt,
    which would make a wonderful Christmas gift for someone really
    special, perhaps accompanied by the Radio Archives Cinnamon Bear set.

    Barbara is an internationally acclaimed quilter; she just won the
    world's most prestigious quilting award at a show in London,
    competing against the best quilters on earth. I've got the Cinnamon
    Bear Quilt on my bedroom wall and it adds great warmth to the room.

    I recommend this quilt unreservedly to OTR and Cinnamon Bear fans,
    but I can't say I have no involvement. Because I did the art at the
    center of this quilt Barbara insists on sharing her proceeds with me,
    but that's not the reason I urge you folks to take a look at it;
    Barbara's design goes way beyond my contribution to create a true
    work of art, full of dazzling, rich color. Because the scene from
    Maybeland I illustrated was not in the Snow Country, this does not
    necessarily have to be regarded as Christmas art; you can leave it on
    your bed or hanging on your wall year round.

    I had no idea of the amount of work and time that goes into making a
    quilt; it took Barbara well over a year to get it to her liking; It
    may be viewed at [removed].
    She works from her rustic cabin deep in the Appalachians near
    Asheville, with just a wood stove, her home-canned provisions from
    her own kitchen garden, her old-fashioned water pump and her
    computer. She has perfected a process whereby she is able to transfer
    images such as mine into the fabric of her quilts so that they are
    dyed into the fibers, not simply printed on. Though she's getting a
    great deal of attention from the art and quilting world now since her
    recent shows and prizes, few quilt collectors are also aware of the
    treasures of OTR, and I think this particular piece deserves a wider
    audience.

    Originally I had drawn the illustration, way back in the 70's, for
    the cover of the program guide of our local public radio station WUOT
    when it aired The Cinnamon Bear, an episode at a time as it was
    intended, one Christmas season. In fact, I was the one who had
    originally suggested they consider running the series - they were
    already running other OTR with Christmas themes - and supplied them
    the reel-to-reel tapes I'd purchased by mail a few years earlier. An
    art major at the associated University of Tennessee at the time, I
    also did the cover for their guide pro bono. These were the
    characters as I had imagined them as a young child; I had never seen
    any depictions of them.

    At some point Barbara, visiting her family in Knoxville, saw the
    black and white drawing and asked if I'd be willing to add color so
    that she could incorporate it into a quilt. Of course I was flattered
    and did so. I got a little carried away and added some additional
    sketches and a repeating crazy-quilt pattern that I thought she might
    be able to utilize. You can see a close-up of the art at
    [removed].

    This would be a great thing to cuddle under or to tuck over your
    grandchildren at Christmas time. Barbara is asking $450 for it which,
    from what little I know about quilts, and considering how much time
    and painstaking work she put into it, seems a give-away price to me.
    She also offers a kit to complete yourself for less.

    Along with the show the quilt could become a part of your own
    Chrismas tradition and handed down to future generations. I think
    Barbara has truly imbued this luxurious counterpane with the
    self-indulgent spirit of the Crazyquilt Dragon. If you decide to only
    bring it out at Christmas time, though, just be sure not to store the
    quilt in your attic near the silver star.

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

    Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 11:27:00 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  This week in radio history 5-11 December

     From Those Were The Days --

    12/5

    1936 - Bing Crosby took over as host of The Kraft Music Hall. Jimmy
    Dorsey (who would later be host, himself) led the Kraft Orchestra.

    12/6

    1923 - The first presidential address to be carried on radio was
    broadcast from Washington, DC. President Calvin Coolidge addressed a
    joint session of the [removed] Congress.

    12/7

    1948 - NBC presented the Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program for the
    first time. The talent show earned Dick Contino, an accordionist, the
    $5,000 prize as the program's first national winner. Over the years
    Heidt gave some big stars their big starts: Art Carney, Frankie Carle,
    Gordon MacRae, the King Sisters, Alvino Rey, Ken Berry, Frank DeVol,
    Dick Contino, Al Hirt, Fred Lowrey, Ronnie Kemper, Larry Cotton, Donna
    and her Don Juans, Ollie O'Toole and many others.

    1952 - My Little Margie, starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell, made
    its debut on CBS. The TV version of the popular show had begun on June
    16, 1952. My Little Margie stayed on radio for three years.

    12/9

    1940 - The Longines Watch Company signed for the first FM radio
    advertising contract -- with experimental station W2XOR in New York
    City. The ads ran for 26 weeks and promoted the Longines time signals.

    12/10

    1927 - For the first time, famed radio announcer George Hay introduced
    the WSM Barn Dance as The Grand Ole Opry.  (I seem to recall something
    about this being in error and no doubt will be corrected. <g> --ed)

    12/11

    1944 - The Chesterfield Supper Club debuted on NBC. Perry Como, Jo
    Stafford and many other stars of the day shared the spotlight on the
    15-minute show that aired five nights a week. The show was sponsored by
    Chesterfield cigarettes.

    Little humour here:  The first display of the Northern Lights was
    recorded in America. The sighting was made in New England on this day in
    1719. The report said that a mysterious face seemed to appear in the
    atmosphere; and, since most aurora borealis displays occur in September
    and October and again in March and April, this is very strange, indeed!

    The green, red, and frost-white light displays occur most frequently
    when there is a great deal of sunspot activity.

    Old joke.  Phil Harris and Alice Faye go to Alaska to see the Northern
    Lights.  While watching them Phil notices Alice yawning and asks, "Does
    the aurora bore ya Alice?"

    Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 12:42:34 -0500
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR era

>     Date: Fri, 3 Dec 2004 18:26:20 -0500
>     From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];

>     That seems reaonable to me, Mr. Summers, except for one [removed] I was
>     born at the end of October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and,
>     therefore, missed being born within the "OTR era" by less than a month. As
>     a result, I like to exercise a little leeway by allowing for "Theatre
>     Five," "Arthur Godfrey," and "NBC Monitor"  so that I can half-truthfully
>     say that I was born in the OTR era.

    I think that in some ways Charlie is being charitable by extending the otr era to the end of
    September 1962.  There really wasn't much in the way of otr by that time.  There were the
    four dramatic programs being run early Sunday evenings on CBS.  There were also Arthur
    Godfrey until sometime in the early 70s and Monitor, which lasted until 1982.  There was
    also Don McNeil's Breakfast Club on ABC, and I'm not sure how long that lasted, but I think
    it went into the early 70s.

    But Godfrey, Monitor, and Don McNeil were just as much dinasaurs as CBS's dramatic bloc,
    and CBS's soap operas, which ended a year earlier.  The otr era ended sometime in the
    fifties for all intents and purposes, when the economics of radio broadcasting forced an end
    to most network offerings other than news.  We can all find our own demarcations, but by
    the end of the 50s, fans of otr could not turn on the radio for an evening's entertainment in the
    otr style.  We had to look for the occasional surviving remnants -- if they were even carried
    on our local stations.

    --
    A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@[removed]
    Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         [removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 13:33:54 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  12-6 births/deaths

    December 6th births

    12-06-1887 - Lynn Fontanne - Waterford, Essex, England (Lived in Genesee
    Depot, WI) - d. 7-30-1983
    actress: "Theatre Guild On the Air"; "Biography In Sound"
    12-06-1888 - Will Hay - Stockton-on-Tees, England - d. 4-18-1949
    comedian: British Radio
    12-06-1896 - Ira Gershwin - NYC - d. 8-17-1983
    songwriter: "Lady in the Dark"; "Jolson Story"; "Barkleys of Broadway"
    12-06-1898 - Gunnar Myrhal - Gustafs, Sweden - d. 5-17-1987
    1974 nobel prize winner in economics: "United Nations Today"
    12-06-1904 - Elissa Landi - Venice, Italy - d. 10-21-1948
    actress: "I'm An American"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    12-06-1906 - Agnes Moorehead - Clinton, MA - d. 4-30-1974
    actress: Margo Lane "The Shadow";  Marilly "Mayor of the Town"
    12-06-1909 - Lyn Murray - London, England - d. 5-20-1989
    conductor: "Chesterfield Presents"; "Your Hit Parade"; "Ford Theatre"
    12-06-1920 - Dave Brubeck - Concord, CA
    jazz musician: "Dave Brubeck with the Paul Desmond Quartet"
    12-06-1924 - Wally Cox - Detroit, MI - d. 2-15-1973
    comedian: "[removed] Steel Hour"; "Wally Cox Show"

    December 6th deaths

    02-02-1893 - Len Doyle - Toledo, OH - d. 12-6-1959
    actor: Len Harrington "Mr, Distric Attorney"
    05-23-1912 - John Payne - Roanoke, VA - d. 12-6-1989
    actor: "Hollywood Star Preview"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    05-31-1908 - Don Ameche - Kenosha, WI - d. 12-6-1993
    actor, singer: John Bickerson "Bickersons"; Captain Hughes "Jack Armstrong"
    09-24-1921 - Edward Bryce - Allenport, PA - d. 12-6-1999
    actor: Captain Strong "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet"
    10-13-1917 - Burr Tillstrom - Chicago, IL - d. 12-6-1985
    actor, puppeteer: "The Northerners"; "Kukla, Fran and Ollie"
    11-03-1909 - James Reston - Clyde Bank, Scotland - d. 12-6-1995
    new york times columnist: "University of Chicago Round Table"; "Meet the Press"
    11-23-1915 - Ellen Drew - Kansas City, MO - d. 12-6-2003
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Suspense"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #386
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