
 SEE INFO SECTION AT END OF THIS DIGEST FOR UNSUBSCRIBE AND OTHER INFORMATION. 
	  	         === Last Update 1/17/95  ====





	    [removed]   Volume 96 : Issue 215


Articles in this issue of [removed]:

	 Herb Morrison
	 Generating interest in otr
	 Hindenberg
	 Re: Blimps vs Derigibles (blimps win 1-0)
	 Re: Buster Brown, Scripts
	 Re: Journey to Adventure
	 OTR on the air!
	       WLT or WIL
	 Web site update
	 Origin of Lone Ranger recording
	 Keillor Book
	 Burns and Allen Home Page

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 13:02:44 -0400
From: JRayb71827@[removed]
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Herb Morrison
Message-ID: <960616130243_329840456@[removed]>

   Just a couple of notes on the original posting by Andy Blatt and follow-up
comments from HKHinkley & Bigkids.
   Yes, Andy did it have it wrong that Herb Morrison was on WNEW and was sent
to cover the explosion of the Hindenburg.
  Yes, HKH was right when he said Morrison was on assignment from WLS,
Chicago and was recording the arrival of the airship when it burst into
flames.  The report was played back later.  I have a WLS station promotion
piece where he was later given an award from the company.  Incidentally,
announcers were often a nomadic lot in those days.  Morrison had been on
WLBD, Waukegan, Illinois; XER, Villa Acuna, Mexico; WTMJ, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin and KQV, Pittsburgh before landing at WLS in 1936.  He was 30-years
old when he persuaded station management to let him go to Lakehurst in May of
1937.  They started recording before the dirigible came into view and then
when the explosion happened, the needle was knocked off the disc and the
engineer had to quickly replace it.  They had started recording at 6:00 [removed]
and finally finished a little after 9:00.  They caught a plane to Newark and
flew to Chicago, arriving at 6:00 the next morning.  The discs were then
broadcast on WLS starting at 11:45 [removed]  Later in  '37, Morrison moved to
WOR, New York, not WNEW.  He eventually went to WCAE, Philadelphia and went
into the army as a first lieutenant in 1942.
   And, obviously Bigkids was right about Morrison not being sent to cover
the explosion since they didn't know there was going to be one. 

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 12:23:15 -0500 (CDT)
From: barrym <barrym@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Generating interest in otr
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

> Date: Sat, 15 Jun 96 18:42:44 -0500
> From: Nathan Gregory <ngregory@[removed]>
> To: "[removed]@[removed]" <[removed]@[removed]>
> Subject: RE: Essential Shows
> Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
 
> How about getting together to produce a CD-ROM of "essential shows"
> in some compressed audio format as a non-profit activity
> to make available to those newly interested in our passion.
> 
> Of course, there are the obvious problems with copyrights, etc,
> so we will have to select material with regard to it's legality,
> but by enlisting the permission and assistance of established 
> vendors, this problem should be minimized.  Think of it as an
 
I wonder what would happen if there was a lot of interest in otr.
That would make tapes of the old shows sell more and it probably
would make the owners of the copyrights of the shows that are now
being passed around like they are public domain come looking for
a chance to make money.

Nothing wrong with that, but when that happens it might kill otr
as a hobby.

I'm sure not objecting to your idea.  I think it sounds pretty
good.  But I think us "pirates" who have copies and trade copies
of these shows might be forced to make some moral decisions that
we really don't have to face now.

I guess my point is that we shouldn't just assume that we all
want to see interest in otr grow.  That's a question we should
ask, not an answer.

When there's money in otr my guess is we'll soon find there is
more profit in some shows than in others, and the less profitable
ones will be forgotten and maybe lost.  Only hobbiests can afford
not to care about profit.

Just a thought.  I don't pretend to have an answer.  I just hope
it'll get thought about.

Barry

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 12:39:24 -0500
From: bensmanm@[removed] (Marvin R. Bensman)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Hindenberg
Message-id: <v01540b01ade9f54208f0@[[removed]]>

>To Andy Blatt: I am under te impression that, at the time of the Hindenburg
>disaster, Herb Morrison was on assignment to Lakehurst NJ by WLS, Chicago.
>Also, he was RECORDING his discription for later broadcast. This can be
>confirmed by his frantic yelling to his engineer: "Get this Charlie! Get this
>Charlie!"

Morrison was sent by his station to promote American Airlines plane
connections with Hindenberg. As an independent stations they would carry
recorded reports (in this instance designed to be a promotional piece).

Networks refused to carry "recorded" material, and it took a special
dispensation to run Morrison's report on them once it was realized there
was a recorded eye-witness account. Independent stations, non-network, did
run recordings because it was too costly to maintain full-scale orchestras
for interludes, etc.

The reason the networks did not play recordings are interesting. The FCC
had a rule that if you played a transcription or recording of any kind you
had to announce that the preceding or following was recorded. This,
supposedly, was to prevent the public from being duped into thinking what
they were hearing was "live." This left a bad taste in the networks ears
(how's that for an analogy) as it somehow seemed inferior.

However, that rule came from the earlier Dept. of Commerce regulations of
radio between 1921-1927 when Hoover and the radio inspectors believed that
playing recorded music over the air was not an appropriate use of such a
resource. "Live" was better, recordings were inferior as to quality as far
as the regulators were concerned and the rule held true for some time.

************************************************************************
*Professor Marvin R. Bensman, [removed], [removed]                              *
*Department of Communication; Office Phone: (901) 678-3174 or 678-2565 *
*University of Memphis        Fax: (901) 678-4331                      *
*Memphis, TN 38152                                                     *
*E-mail: BensmanM@[removed]                                       *
*
*
* See: [removed]~[removed]            *

************************************************************************

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 12:51:36 -0500 (CDT)
From: barrym <barrym@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
cc: otr@[removed]
Subject: Re: Blimps vs Derigibles (blimps win 1-0)
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

> From: vintage@[removed] (Andy Blatt)
> Subject: Herb Morrison
> Message-Id: <v01540b02ade95e675de0@[[removed]]>
> 
> SUBSEQUENT and obviously unexpected accident which ocurred when they tried
> to land the dirigible.  Needless to say, Mr. Morrison became well-known and
> dirigibles less
> acceptable as a means of travel.  I think today's modern day blimps are
> related to the zeppelin family.
 
 
The Zeppelin was a derigable, which meant it was really more like a
balloon, or a series of balloons, that when deflated, lost their
rigitity.  Blimps, on the other hand, remain rigid and are inherently
safer although heavier and less efficient.

But the real safety difference is that they only helium is used today.
The Hindenberg was, I think, the last lighter than air vehicle to use
hydrogen, which is considerably lighter than helium, but explosive,
while helium is inert and completely safe in this regard.

I'm not sure that nothing every used hydrogen after the Hindenberg,
but after that helium became the norm.

Barry

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 18:12:22 -0500
From: usrtest <usrtest@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Buster Brown, Scripts
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

Bill Scherer ([removed]@[removed]) said: 

> Hi all, I saw a name of a show called "The Buster Brown Gang" the other
> day and I was wondering if my kids would like it? Would some one tell me
> what the premice of the show was?

My account must be from memory as I have no radio reference books, 
and it's been some 40 years now so some details may be in error, but 
*The Buster Brown Gang*, was one of my two favorite Saturday 
morning kids' shows (the other being *Big Jon and Sparkie*).  It 
was hosted by Smilin' Ed McConnell (mentioned by famed 
underground cartoonist R. Crumb in one of his classic "head" 
comics), a lovable, grandfatherly type with the perfect voice for the 
part, he was patriarch of a somewhat dysfunctional and 
non-traditional family that consisted of himself, Midnight the cat 
(who had a vocabulary of only one word: "nice"), Squeaky the mouse, 
Froggy the gremlin, and Grandy the talking piano.  After a brief intro 
to a frenetic audience of live kids, there would be a drama involving 
one of three or four rotating characters: there was Bomba the 
elephant boy who served as mahout for and Indian rajah, some space 
adventurers (all I remember about them was their nemesis The 
Space Siren, one of the best recurring villains in OTR), a 
middle-eastern kid with his own genie, and I seem to vaguely recall a 
western series about a native American boy.  The most memorable 
part of the show was the final five minutes when Smilin' Ed would 
summon up Froggy the gremlin with the incantation "Plunk your 
magic twanger, Froggy!"  With a lound "Boi-oi-oinnng" Froggy would 
appear (yes, it is possible to "appear" on radio if the listener is 
young enough) with a guttural "Hiya, Kids!  Hiya, hiya, hiya," to 
which the live audience would respond with a thunderous "Hiya, 
Froggy!"  Froggy would be asked to join the other characters and the 
studio audience in listening to an instructive lecture on ettiquette, 
deportment ("children should be seen and not heard", etc.), the 
perils of baseball, and so forth, delivered by one of a rotating cast of 
stuffed shirts and blouses.  Froggy, alas, was inevitably disruptive 
and would play pranks on the speakers and put words in their mouths 
("*Ssputt-*  No, no that's not what I meant to say!") sending the 
audience into gales of laughter.  (Midnight: "Nice."  Smilin' Ed: "No, 
Midnight, that *wasn't* nice!")  Some authories objected to this 
disrespect for authority, but we kids found it very empowering.  

The show was, of course, sponsored by Buster Brown Shoes ("I'm 
Buster Brown; I live in a shoe."  "Arf, arf!"  "That's my dog Tige; he 
lives in there, too"), but I remember it as *Smilin' Ed's Gang*.  The 
shoe folks had a number of promotions with Smilin' Ed premiums; 
I've got a couple of the comic books that featured Smilin' Ed's gang and 
Bomba, but I didn't happen to need shoes when they offered the one I 
wanted most: a Froggy toy that would croak and stick his toungue out 
when you pointed him at someone and squeezed.

After Smilin' Ed's death Andy Devine took over the role and the show 
became *Andy's Gang*; it was on TV briefly in the 50's but, special 
effects being much tougher on TV, all the continuing story characters 
were dropped except Bomba, and it was obvious that thosse hand 
puppets were not the real Squeaky et al. but imposters.  Probably 
some contract dispute.  

MY friend the late sci-fi and fantasy author Karl Edward Wagner 
remembered the show fondly and would sometimes sprinkle 
catch-phrases from the show into his conversation ("No, no, 
Midnight, that's *not* nice!")

I have no idea how the kids of today would react to such a show; 
humor is the most perishable of the elements of old-time radio and 
certainly the humor was very gentle compared to the (I think, truly 
hilarious) *Simpsons*, and today's kids may feel, at first, cheated to 
have no video.  Just point out to them how much bigger the screen 
was on radio and the fact that it was "interactive."



Donald Dortmund [removed]@[removed] said:
>      Hi,
>         I am a member of an OTR group that put on performances of OTR at
>      nursing homes, churches, schools, etc, WE  are always typing our
>      fingers to the bone transcribing OTR programs. The few places we
>      contacted for transcribed scripts turned out to have very poor
>      selections.
>         Please send me and  all information you may have as to where WE can
>      find transcriptions of OTR.


There is a book of John Dickson Carr scripts around; I think it's 
titled *The Dead Sleep Lightly*.  Probably OP, but a booksearch 
shoud turn it up.  The daughter of one of the posters to this group 
operates such a service; I didn't save his address, but perhaps he will 
contact you or repost her address.

Another possibility:  have you considered finding a good voice 
recognition program?  I gather some of the more recent ones work 
quite well.  A local maker of computer games and programs, 
Cyberflix, uses one to good effect; I believe it is for the
Macintosh platform, but I don't know the name of it.  Perhaps you 
could e-mail them; a net-search will turn up their address.  

With a voice-recognition program you could just play the show to 
your computer and let it translate it into text.  You would still have 
to edit the text (sound effects, grunts, foreign accents, etc.), but, in 
theory at least, this would cut down on your typing considerably.  
Perhaps some computer-savvy readers could comment on whether 
this is really feasible or must await further software improvement.

John Mayer 
johnmayer@[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 18:55:24 -0400
From: Michael Carraher <carraher@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Journey to Adventure
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

The so-called first episode of the Lone Ranger is from an album released 
by Decca in the early 50's and includes Brace Beemer (who did play the 
role a few times in the 30's) and Fred Foy (who did not join the show 
until after WWII).  In addition, "Journey to Adventure" also uses the 
familiar musical bridges obtained from Republic Pictures and later 
re-arranged and re-recorded by the NBC Symphony sometime around 1939.

The book "Who Was That Masked Man" includes a copy of the first 
broadcast script which the author obtained from director James Jewell.  
It does not include either Tonto or Silver (both were added later).  
Tonto was added "to give the Lone Ranger somebody to talk to."  In early 
episodes (and in Fran Striker's earlier novels) Tonto is referred to as 
a "half-breed" and the Ranger speaks to him in ways that would later be 
considered racist and personally demeaning ([removed], "old hatchet face").

The Lone Ranger was "a work in progress" for much of the time it was in 
production.  Even the familiar second opening ("With his faithful Indian 
companion, [removed]") did not become set until the late 40's.

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 18:25:49 -0700
From: [removed]@[removed] (Donald Dortmund)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR on the air!
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

     I noticed a few posts saying that local stations were not carrying the 
     new OTR programs. I thought it would be a nice idea if everyone posted 
     the programs and the stations they know of, that are still playing OTR 
     programs . I'll start.
     ====================================
     I know some of these programs are syndicated but all I can say is 
     These are Chicago Illinois area stations;
     
     Those Were The Days by Chuck Schaden
     WNIB & WNIZ 97 FM   Saturday 1-5PM
     
     Art Hellyer Show
     WJOL  1340 AM    Saturday  9AM-1PM
                    & Sunday   2-4pm
     
     Dick Lawrence Revue
     WNIB  97 FM  Saturday  8-9PM  
     
     Remember When with Don Corey
     WAIT  850 AM Sunday noon-4PM
     
     When Radio Was  with Stan Freberg
     WMAQ 670 AM  Mon-Fri 11pm-Midnight 
                       (sometimes midnight-1am)
     
     When Radio Was  with Carl Amari
     WMAQ 670 AM  Sat & Sun 10pm-midnight

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

Date:          Sun, 16 Jun 1996 20:17:14 4
From: "Ronald F. Apgar" <apgar@[removed]>
To: otr@[removed]
Subject:       WLT or WIL
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

The book is staring me in the face as I type.  The books 
title is, "WLT."
  
   
Ronald F. Apgar
apgar@[removed]
 
"As cold waters to a thirsty soul,
 so is good news from a far country."
                      -Proverbs 25:25
 
[removed]~hawkmtn/
  

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

Date: Sun, 16 Jun 1996 23:01:54 -0400
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Web site update
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

The newest sound files for Temple of Vampires (part 3) and Captain Midnight
(parts 15 & 15) are now at:

[removed]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Widner                      INTERNET: jwidner@[removed]
Dayton, OH                      WWW: [removed]
COMPUSERVE: 74566,3041          
AOL: JimWidner                            

                                                 

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

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 00:35:32 -0400
From: AndersonCK@[removed]
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Origin of Lone Ranger recording
Message-ID: <960617003530_218741109@[removed]>

Some recent posts mentioned some records concerning the origin of the Lone
Ranger.

In my dusty collection of old albums, I have the following:
The Adventures of the Lone Ranger
33 1/3 LP, Decca #DL 75125 in "simulated stereo"
Copyright 1957 by the Wrather Corporation

Side One:
He Becomes the LR, Parts 1 & 2
He Finds Silver, Parts 1 & 2
He Finds Dan Reid, Parts 1 & 2  (yes, the spelling is R e i d)
Side Two:
He Helps the Colonel's Son, Parts 1 & 2
He Meets the War Horse, Parts 1 & 2
He Saves the Booneville Gold,  Parts 1 & 2

... Brace Beamer is the LR, and Fred Foy is definitely the announcer (can't
mistake that voice).  

The LP cover art is a comic book-style drawing, with the LR in a white hat,
light blue shirt and red bandana around the neck, and Tonto is next to him.
 Both are on their trusty hosses, and a large Indian war party is shooting
arrows at them.  The comment above the LR reads "What do we do now old
friend?".  The response above Tonto is "What do you mean WE, Paleface?"

The back of the album has a write-up about the LR and OTR in general.  The
author is Dom Cerulli.

Overall sound quality on this album is quite good.   It does not mention that
these were derived from broadcasts from the original radio show ... but it
does say "original radio stories featuring the LR, Tonto, Silver, Dan Reid,
and assorted villains".    No credit/mention is given to Foy, Beamer, and the
other performers.

Regards,
Chuck Anderson

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

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 01:03:48 -0400
From: Bigkids@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Keillor Book
Message-ID: <960617010347_330397435@[removed]>

Was it WLT or WIL? Pehaps there is a book about radio station WIL; perhaps
the book is even titled WIL.

But the Keillor book is definitely WLT. In the stories, the station's
original studios were co-located with a luncheonette, and there was a
standing joke that the call letters stood for "With Lettuce and Tomato."

I again recommend the book. Anyone who enjoys WENN or in fact anyone who is
an OTR enthusiast, will surely have a ball with this book.

Dick Lupoff

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

Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 07:25:32 -0400 (EDT)
From: wmackey@[removed]
To: otr <otr@[removed]>
Cc: ILoveLucy@[removed]
Subject: Burns and Allen Home Page
Message-id: <[removed]@[removed]>

Hi everyone--

I am also a member of the I Love Lucy listserv and one of the members 
recently started a Burns and Allen home page and thought I would pass it 
along for anyone interested.

  [removed]

Stop by and check it out and let let Ted know what you think.

Joe (back to lurk mode) Mackey

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

    


    ****  END OF ARTICLE SECTION - INFORMATION BOILERPLATE FOLLOWS ****

1) Contacting the list administrator.
2) Unsubscribing from this list
3) Receive a DIGEST READING TIPS file
4) AIRWAVES web page
5) Funding Notice 
6) Redistribution of [removed]

1)  The [removed] maintainer can be reached at wdp@[removed]

2) To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send email to
[removed]@[removed] and place the word UNSUBSCRIBE
alone on the Subject: line of your request.  The body of
request mail is ignored by the server.  If you are unable to
unsubscribe using this method, and you are SURE you are doing
everything right, then (and only then) contact the administrator
(wdp@[removed]) for assistance.  Please send along the headers of
any problem mail for diagnostics.  

	* PLEASE Never send unsub messages to the list! *

3) For help in dealing with digests, asend for a file called *The Fine Art Of Reading and
Replying To Email Digests*  It contains tips on scanning digests and
making replies easier.  Send email to digest-tips@[removed] and use
the subject line of *Digest Tips*.  

4) Visit the AIRWAVES MEDIA WEB PAGE.  [removed]~rrb/

5) [removed] does not get any funds from your internet provider.
If this service is of value to you, please support it in whatever measure
you feel able, to help defray costs.  Suggested amount is [removed] per year,
but any help is appreciated.  Our mailing address is PO Box 8746
Springfield Mo 65801. Make any checks out to William Pfeiffer. 
Note: No payment is required to receive [removed]

6) If you are redistributing [removed] in any form, you must
contact the list owner for permission.  Generally permission is given,
free of charge, for non-commercial electronic distribution.
Commercial distribution rights are available under very reasonable
terms.  The listowner's address is  wdp@[removed]



---- 
End of [removed] Digest V96 Issue #215

