Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #165
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 5/14/2004 10:18 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 165
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Wendy Warren, from beginning to end   [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      Check and double check                [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
      A Re-creation Invite from Craig W.    [ Wich2@[removed] ]
      Mae West                              [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Crazy Quilt                           [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
      5-14 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Closet Inventory                      [ <welsa@[removed]; ]
      Re: Eastern War Time                  [ David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@yahoo. ]
      Lamont Johnson as convention guest    [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
      Mae West Scandal                      [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      CBS Harlem Serenade?                  [ danhughes@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:16:00 -0400
    From: <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Wendy Warren, from beginning to end

    A. Joseph Ross stated:

>     When I heard Wendy Warren sometime around 1954 or 1955, Wendy Warren
>     delivered the newscast herself, for a few minutes, at the end of the
>     show.  After returning from a commercial, the announcer said, "And now,
>     Wendy Warren and the News!"  And Wendy Warren (or the actress who played
>     the part) read the news.

    I believe this is not the first time Joe has made a similar statement.

    For the life of me, I can't figure this one out.  We were listening to Wendy
    Warren virtually every day all summer long during that period while my
    mother prepared lunch and served it and never recall anybody other than
    Douglas Edwards delivering the news headlines immediately followed by about
    a one-minute "news report from the women's world" given by Wendy (actress
    Florence Freeman) starting at straight up 12 o'clock.  If Edwards was
    removed and the "news" followed the drama, I simply never heard it.  And
    what would be the point?

    CBS wanted to capitalize on the vast audience of news-oriented listeners
    (including millions of males) who tuned in at noon for the news featuring a
    respected and well recognized journalist.  Legions of those stayed on for
    the brief narrative.  Why take Edwards away and deliver the news at 12:12 or
    12:13?  I need some more convincing before accepting such a really radical
    notion.

    Does anyone else remember it that way?  None of the
    researchers/documentarians I have depended upon, at least to my
    recollection, claim that the drama preceded the newscast.  Could it, for
    whatever the reason, have been "tried" as an experiment for a brief time and
    dropped?  (Still would wonder why.)  If so, I'd venture that it didn't
    happen during summertime when a number of us on this forum were listening
    every day.

    If I'm wrong, I beg a thousand pardons.  I'd really like to know if anybody
    else remembers the story being aired before the news at any time.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:16:17 -0400
    From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Check and double check

    At COSI, the giant science and industry museum in Columbus, Ohio, there is
    an exhibit that depicts the history of the Cracker Jack Company, including a
    definitive collection of the prizes since 1912.  It also includes a
    collection of candy and popcorn boxes made by Cracker Jack and its
    competitors since the 19th century.  I thought of Elizabeth when I found,
    amongst the Happykrax and Razzle Dazzle, a box of Check and Double Check
    popcorn candy.

    It was very old, with small pictures of two black men, one of whom wore a
    cap emblazoned "TAXI."  There was no reference to Amos and Andy anywhere on
    the package. I suppose that the "Energy Candy Co." (what a splendid name!)
    scooted around copyright considerations yet still capitalized on the Amos
    'n' Andy craze.  The rest of the box was decorated with a checkered pattern,
    the alternate squares of which contained either a check mark or two check
    marks.

    Long live the Energy Candy Co.

    M Kinsler

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:21:29 -0400
    From: Wich2@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  A Re-creation Invite from Craig W.
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    The Episcopal Actors' Guild remembers "The Golden Age of Radio"
    as SHERLOCK HOLMES meets FIBBER MCGEE!

    "THE HINDOO IN THE WICKER BASKET"
    (1932 - by Edith Meiser)
    The Great Detective and Good Doctor of Baker St. solve a murder
    committed in full view of a Music Hall audience!
    Directed by Craig "Sherlock" Wichman
    (Whose Quicksilver Radio Theater is in its 9th year)

    "THE GREAT WATER SCARE"
    The Blustering Braggart and Long-Suffering wife of Wistful Vista deal with
    a crisis in the town's water supply!
    Directed by Arthur "Fibber" Anderson
    (Who started in Radio at the age of 12)

    WITH AN ALL-STAR / ALL- GUILD COMPANY!
    Quicksilver's JOSEPH FRANCHINI and BERNADETTE FIORELLA
    Friends of Old Time  Radio's CORRINE ORR and WILLIAM NADEL
    also THOMAS BARBOUR  SCOTT GLASCOCK  PETER VON BERG MART HULSWIT

    Guild Hall
    One East 29th St., NYC
    Thursday, May 20th at 7 PM

    Limited Seating: Reservations a must! - Please call 212-685-2342

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:33:08 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Mae West

    Kenneth Clarke commented:

>     I'm not defending her choice to perform the role
>     by any means, nor am I defending what the sponsors chose
>     to do as a result.  This is all of the facts I have on the
>     matter.  As far as I know, however, she never appeared on
>     any radio program after the ruling was made.

    She was back on radio by the mid-1950s.  She appeared in dozens of radio
    programs consenting to interviews, and excerpts from her radio appearances
    fo the 1930s were featured on such 1954-1957 programs like BIOGRAPHY IN
    SOUND.

    An article about the Mae West "Adam and Eve" incident featuring Edgar
    Bergen's own words on the matter, and Arch Oboler (of the LIGHTS OUT fame)
    who wrote the skit and had to go to court to testify about the incident.
    [removed]

    Martin Grams, Jr.

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:34:04 -0400
    From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Crazy Quilt

    Steven Kostelecky" <skostelecky@[removed]; wrote:

>     I have to say I am very much impressed by Mr. Mayer's artwork on the
>     Cinnamon Bear and also Ms. Webster's quilting. ...There has to be a
>     feeling of period for the visualization to work, for one, and Mr. Mayer and
>     Ms. Webster's vision captures the feeling of a period children's
>     book admirably.

    Thanks very much, Steven, and also Dennis Crow who wrote me offlist.
    It's funny how elusive images you thought were clearly etched in your
    brain can be when you try to make them visible to the eye as well as
    the mind's eye. No one interpretation seems quite adequate. It's sort
    of like the computer programs that try to make multidimensional
    objects visible in only the two dimensions on your computer screen.
    Thus I conclude that the audio world has more dimensions than the
    visual one. But it was important to me that I come as close as
    possible to the impressions of my childhood.

    Ms. Webster had only fond memories of the Cinnamon Bear and had no
    idea that the show still existed in any form, nor that there were
    legions - no, Brigades - of folks still listening and still playing
    the shows for new generations of wide-eyed children (and, yes, The
    Cinnamon Bear CAN compete with computer animation, plasma tv's and
    Nintendo games; I've seen it with my own eyes). I sent her some mp3's
    and she was delighted by them (come to think of it, maybe THAT was
    when she saw the artwork). We'd not seen each other much since she
    and her husband moved to North Carolina, and I didn't realize how
    involved she'd become with quilting. I'd been thinking for some time
    I'd like to have a crazy quilt (inspired by the Crazy Quilt Dragon,
    of course) into which would be worked the shape of a star and,
    perhaps, the silhouette of a Teddy Bear and a Dragon. Obviously
    Barbara had her own ideas, and she suggested the quilt should
    incorporate a color version of my drawing; I'd no idea that was even
    possible.

    I'd like to see her do well with it, and not only because she has
    insisted that I receive a portion of the proceeds, despite my weak
    protests. Don't worry; at the price she's asking and considering the
    time required to make each one, neither of us is going to grow
    wealthy enough to lose our creative edge.

    However, I fear I may have left a misimpression in my previous post:
    though there is only one copy of the quilt at this time (and Dennis
    Crow has dibs on that one), it is not exactly a one-of-a-kind item.
    That is, Ms. Webster hopes to make more of them if anyone wants them,
    though, considering the pace of her handwork, there are never likely
    to be many. She is numbering them (I hadn't known that earlier) like
    art prints, but this is sure to be a very limited edition, indeed (I
    used to work in the advertising department of a department store that
    had a whole "Limited Edition" section, mostly wildlife; most of these
    pieces were regular offset press printings, indistinguishable from
    the art in a good calendar, that were "limited" only in the sense
    that even the numbers of the atoms in the universe are finite). She
    also will make available kits with pre-dyed squares, also numbered,
    for those whose fingers are still nimble enough, and eyes still sharp
    enough, to sew the quilt themselves; no price yet on those.

    For those who missed the previous post, here are the URL's one more time:
    The Quilt: [removed]
    Art close-ups: [removed]
    That latter address is at my own website, which I've never published
    - nor finished - because I misspelled the word "Animation" on one of
    my buttons and I've never found time to correct it. So my website has
    bloomed unseen. Until now.

    As to my success in capturing a sense of period, I suspect I have an
    affinity for bygone eras as I am a bit of a period piece myself.

    --

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:46:54 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  5-14 births/deaths

    May 14th births

    05-14-1890 - Carlton Brickert - Martinsville, IN - d. 12-23-1943
    actor: David Post "Story of Mary Marlin"; Howard Thurston "Thurston the
    Magician"
    05-14-1910 - Paul Sutton - Albuquerque, NM - d. 1-31-1970
    actor: Sergeant William Preston "Challenge of the Yukon"
    05-14-1925 - Patrice Munsel - Spokane, WA
    singer: "Prudential Family Hour"; "Voice of Firestone"

    May 14th deaths

    01-13-1919 - Robert Stack - Los Angeles, CA - d. 5-14-2003
    actor: "Family Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
    08-05-1920 - Selma Diamond - London, Ontario, Canada - d. 5-14-1985
    writer: "Big Show"
    08-06-1886 - Billie Burke - Washington, [removed] - d. 5-14-1970
    comedienne: "Billie Burke Show"; Mrs. Featherstone "Gay Mrs. Featherstone"
    08-15-1912 - Wendy Hiller - Bramhall, Cheshire, England - d. 5-14-2003
    actress: Queen Vic "Original Dramatic Work"
    10-15-1896 - Joe Sanders - Thayer, KS - d. 5-14-1965
    bandleader: (The Ole Left Hander) "Nighthawks Frolic"
    10-17-1918 - Rita Hayworth - Brooklyn, NY - d. 5-14-1987
    actress: "Orson Welles Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Bob Elson on Board
    the Century"
    12-12-1915 - Frank Sinatra - Hoboken, NJ - d. 5-14-1998
    singer, actor: (The Voice), "Your Hit Parade"; "Frank Sinatra Show"; Rocky
    Fortune "Rocky Fortune"
    12-30-1912 - Hugh Griffith - Marianglas, Anglesey, North Wales - d. 5-14-1980
    actor: "Under Milk Wood"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    For a complete list:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 14:53:46 -0400
    From: <welsa@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Closet Inventory

    A few years ago I thought I saw a website that not only showed a picture of
    how Fibber's closet was done, but also included an inventory listing what
    all objects were used.  A current net search turns up nothing.

    Does anyone know where I can find that inventory?

    Thanks.

    Ted

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 16:06:34 -0400
    From: David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Eastern War Time

    Joseph Ross wrote:

>     As I heard it from my parents, War Time involved
>     turning the clocks forward in the winter as well as
>     the summer.  I'm not clear on this part, but they may
>     have  turned the clocks yet another hour ahead during
>     the summer.

    My late mother-in-law, a native of Wales, and World
    War II war bride, told us that during the war in
    England they observed "double daylight savings time"
    .... moving the clock forward two hours instead of
    one.  Purpose being:  so that nearly all commerce and
    activity could be conducted during daylight hours
    without aid of electric lights.  When night came, it
    was hit the sack, and leave lights off to avoid
    creating a target for night bombing.

    -- D W Phaneuf

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

    Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 20:18:43 -0400
    From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lamont Johnson as convention guest

    Has Lamont Johnson, who played Tarzan on the Mutual
    Don Lee network (later rebroadcast on CBS) starting in
    1951, been a guest at an OTR convention? If not, has
    anyone responsible for putting together a convention
    considered approaching him about that idea. He's still
    active today, as a well-regarded director, and I
    understand his radio roles included a stint as Archie
    Goodwin on "Nero Wolfe" and various character parts.

    I've been listening to the "Tarzan" series, which is
    really quite good, even if Tarzan seems to have an
    excellent vocabulary for someone raised by apes until
    he was 20 (in the books).

    At any rate, has he ever been or been considered as a
    guest at an OTR con? If he were interested in
    participating,  I think he'd make an interesting
    guest, just for the range of his work.

    Rick

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

    Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 00:08:57 -0400
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Mae West Scandal

>     Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 20:03:24 -0400
>     From: kclarke5@[removed]

>            Several people have asked questions about this "Adam and Eve"
>     skit and the scandal which followed.  Some of these questions are: Why
>     didn't Don Ameche face similar consequences?  After all, he was part of
>     the skit as much as she was.  Weren't the sponsors aware of Mae West's
>     reputation BEFORE she was signed to do the skit?  If so, they should've
>     expected what eventually happened.  Her reputation as "Diamond Lil" in
>     the movies and other saucy, movie roles such as "She Done Him Wrong"
>     was already well known to the public. The fact that she chose to
>     project her successful movie persona into the role she had in the radio
>     skit should've been nothing unusual.

    Mae West was hired for that part, and the part was written for her usual persona.  It wasn't
    surprising to anyone connected with the show that she did exactly what she was hired for.
    Trouble was, the public reaction required a scapegoat, and she was the scapegoat.

    The amazing thing about it all is that, listening to the show now, it's really hard to see what
    the fuss was about.  She speaks in much the same way as she speaks in the movies, but
    the dialog isn't raunchy at all.  Essentially, she's bored in the Garden of Eden and wants
    some excitement.  Adam is happy with the way things are and doesn't want to change
    anything.  The serpent clues Eve in about eating the apple, and Eve gives Adam applesauce
    to eat.  Then the fireworks start.

    Actually, the only thing I can think of that makes it at all prurient is something that is never
    mentioned, but that everyone familiar with the Bible story knows:  that Adam and Eve are
    naked through the entire story. At the end, when Adam says, with awe in his voice, "Eve, it's
    like I'm seeing you for the first time," he is seeing her naked.

    Whatever it was, the clamor started, NBC was in trouble with Congress and the FCC, etc.
    Much like the flap over Janet Jackson's breast, but probably a bit worse.  So they needed a
    scapegoat, and Mae West was the one.

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

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

    Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 00:57:24 -0400
    From: danhughes@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  CBS Harlem Serenade?
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Need help in figuring out a vintage autograph page.  Signers and their
    notations:

    Nicodemus
    ????ma Turner, Tap Dancer
    Aida Ward, Singer (Harlem Serenade CBS)
    Leroy Maxey, Drums
    Eddie Barefield, Sax

    I can find no references to a CBS program called Harlem Serenade--perhaps
    a local NYC show on the CBS affiliate?  Or are my source books not
    detailed enough?

    Does anyone recognize this "group"?  I assume they worked together, since
    they are all on the same page and written with the same pen.

    Thanks for any [removed]

    ---Dan

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    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #165
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