Subject: [removed] Digest V2008 #78
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 3/27/2008 4:18 AM

To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-to: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2008 : Issue 78
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Elusive thespians                     [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      Jack Benny reference                  [ Alan Bell <alanlinda43@[removed]; ]
      WQXR and Singing Commercials          [ Rentingnow@[removed] ]
      Happy Birthday, Bob Elliot!           [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
      Richard Widmark passes                [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      Garry Yoggy In the News               [ seandd@[removed] ]
      Macy's?                               [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
      Another trail grows cold              [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      3-27 births/deaths                    [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:58:50 -0400
    From: <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Elusive thespians

    Recently several of you coalesced to assist in rescuing the career of
    Florence Williams, an actress that had fallen off the radar regarding her
    death details.  Now I'm in a similar pickle with Ruth Russell who has
    seemingly fallen through the proverbial cracks, the data on her birth and
    death escaping my notice completely.

    Ms. Russell was prominent in Just Plain Bill where she was the original
    daughter Nancy Davidson Donovan from the serial's debut in 1932 until
    illness forced her off the air in 1951.  It was a sad parting, I've read in
    fanzines, as she left the great fatherly thespian Arthur Hughes and company.
    She had played other roles along the way in such series as The American
    School of the Air and Our Gal Sunday.  But it was as Nancy that she had her
    greatest opportunity to shine -- and did so for 19 years.  Just a handful of
    actresses got that much exposure in a solo role.

    The usual sources of radio historiography have given only nominal credence
    to Ms. Russell's contributions and -- in most cases -- have overlooked her
    altogether.  How has she been missed?  While some Ruth Russells have
    surfaced in various records, there's never been enough to establish that
    "this" is the individual who performed before the microphone all those
    years.

    Any help in pinpointing her birth and death dates and places, directly to
    me, will be truly appreciated -- and soon?  I'll be mighty grateful if we
    can place Bill's daughter Nancy in her rightful place!

    Jim Cox
    otrbuff@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:50:11 -0400
    From: Alan Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
    To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Jack Benny reference

    I teach a class called Radio and American Culture 1920
    - 1960, and of course, we spent some time on Jack
    Benny. That was at least a month ago. This morning I
    got an email from one of my students who linked me to
    this web comic she came across. I thought readers
    might appreciate it.

    [removed]

    Alan

    _________________
    Alan/Linda Bell
    Grand Rapids, MI

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:26:51 -0400
    From: Rentingnow@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  WQXR and Singing Commercials

    WQXR is unusual in a number of ways.  Thinking back it was one of the  few if
    not only radio station which had a significant number of women  announcers.
    I don't know the reason, but if one thinks about classical  music stations,
    announcers would need some knowledge of German and French to be  able to
    pronounce the names of the pieces being played.  Maybe women were  the
    cheapest way
    to get the skills. I was happy to have the names apparently  pronounced
    correctly as it is jarring to the ear to hear the names  butchered.

    But then as I don't know German at all and have only a  passing knowledge of
    French, how would I know the difference whether the names  were pronounced
    correctly or not!

    If my memory serves WQXR went back to  singing commercials back between 1966
    and 1968.  I remember how jarring  they were after not hearing any until that
    time.

    Could there be  anything more irritating  than a Motel 6 singing commercial
    on WQXR?

    While we are on the subject I have often wondered what motivated WQXR to
    broadcast episodes of Jack Benny in the 80s?  Was a delight to hear good
    quality
    recording.

    Larry Moore

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:31:53 -0400
    From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Happy Birthday, Bob Elliot!

    Folks;

       For you Bob and Ray fans, Bob Elliot is celebrating his 85th birthday
    today (Wednesday). I have it on pretty good authority there will be an
    interview with Bob on The Bob Edwards Show next [removed]'ll post when I get
    the schedule. (Non-subscribers to XM Satellite Radio will be able to sign-up
    for a three-day test drive of the on-line service and hear the interview that
    [removed] edited version will also likely appear on the Bob Edwards Weekend
    program, which is podcast for free.)

             Charlie

       [removed] Even though it got caught in an over-aggressive spam filter, there
    is now a copy of the registration form for this year's SPERDVAC convention
    on the blog at [removed] - get your reg in early, this
    year's convention looks like it's going to be amazing!

             Me

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:09:41 -0400
    From: <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Richard Widmark passes

    "The story of a crack newspaperman and his wife -- the story of David and
    Sally Farrell" rolls from the presses to announce that its original
    impersonator, Richard Widmark, who played Front Page Farrell at the enduring
    serial's inception in 1941-42, when it was broadcast on MBS, died Monday at
    his home in Roxbury, Conn.  He was 93.

    Widmark, more widely known for 91 Hollywood flicks between 1947-2001, was
    prominent behind mics well before his silver screen exposure.  Born Dec. 26,
    1914 at Sunrise, Minn., he taught at Lake Forest College and landed on the
    ether in 1938 with a role in the daytime anthology drama Aunt Jenny's Real
    Life Stories.  By 1943 he was playing on Broadway in Kiss and Tell.

    His network radio portfolio bulged with parts in Gangbusters, Inner Sanctum
    Mysteries, Joyce Jordan, [removed], Molle Mystery Theater, Suspense, The Private
    Lives of Ethel and Albert, et al.  From 1974-82 he frequently performed in
    The CBS Radio Mystery Theater, and was one of five luminaries hosting The
    Sears/Mutual Radio Theater 1979-81.

    As David Farrell, the part he may be best tied to on the airwaves, he was an
    ace reporter for the mythical Brooklyn Eagle.  As the narrative moved to
    NBC, he was succeeded by Carleton Young and later by Staats Cotsworth.  An
    announcer introduced it each afternoon as "the exciting, unforgettable radio
    drama."  It seemed to work for Widmark.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:00:23 -0400
    From: seandd@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Garry Yoggy In the News

    Friends of Old Time Radio Convention Board Member and recreation director Garry Yoggy's old time radio event in Elmira New York gets a nice write-up from the local paper today.

    [removed]

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:19:06 -0400
    From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Macy's?

    Folks;

       Received the following througth the website contact form; please copy the
    requester on any replies, as well as the list.

             Charlie

    --- begin forwarded text

    From: Michael Sajkowicz <sajkowicz@[removed];

    I am working on a project involving OTR and I am hoping that you can provide
    info,
    feedback or advice regarding this matter.  I was speaking with Paul Becton of
    the
    Gotham Radio Players yesterday and he recommended that I get in touch with
    you as
    a great source for info regarding OTR.

    I am trying to identify OTR shows in which Macy's, the department store chain,
    is featured, mentioned, referenced or served as a sponsor.

    I have currently identified the following:

    Macy Morning Show (from the 1930's)
    Escape- "Evening Primrose"
    Suspense-  "Evening Primrose"
    Lux Radio Theater- "Miracle on 34th Street"
    Screen Director's Playhouse- "Miracle on 34th Street"

    <snip>

    Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Best regards,
    Michael Sajkowicz

    --- end forwarded text

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:19:46 -0400
    From: <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Another trail grows cold

    Virginia Clark was Miss Little Rock and Miss Arkansas in the 1925 Miss
    America pageant.  Eight years hence, America knew her better as Helen Trent
    "who, when life mocks her, breaks her hopes, dashes her against the rocks of
    despair, fights back bravely, successfully, to prove what so many women long
    to prove in their own lives:  That because a woman is 35, or more, romance
    in life need not be over; that the romance of youth can extend into middle
    life, and even beyond."

    Actually, Ms. Clark was only 25 when all that misery began for her in her
    pretense existence, having been born in real life in Peoria (now where have
    we heard that name before?) on Oct. 29, 1908 as Virginia Bowers (a date that
    was to live in infamy in 1929).  I digress.

    It seems that this lady, too, who played Helen with such enchantment until
    the drama left the Windy City for Gotham in 1944 -- leaving Virginia behind,
    too -- lived that proverbial life of mockery with broken hopes, dashed
    against the rocks of despair.  Divorced twice, she was married a third time
    to a fellow whose name continues to elude OTR historiographers.  All we know
    is that in the late 1950s or 1960s she moved "East" with #3 (having earlier
    been the spouse of Gordon Clark and James Owen Bengston).  She was also
    known as Virginia Gale on WGN in 1950 with her own morning series.

    You can guess what I'm looking for already:  whatever became of Virginia
    Woolf (I'm kidding again) ... what became of Virginia Bowers Clark Bengston
    Gale _______?  Anybody know?  The leads play out, and I'm wondering if one
    of you might hold the key to unraveling her mystery.

    Kindly get in touch with me at once if you can decipher this little bit of
    radio nostalgia.  And many thanks.

    Jim Cox
    otrbuff@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:05:42 -0400
    From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  3-27 births/deaths

    March 27th births

    03-27-1892 - Ferde Grofe - NYC - d. 4-3-1972
    conductor, composer: (The Grand Canyon Suite) "Florsheim Frolic"
    03-27-1892 - Thorne Smith - Annapolis, MD - d. 6-21-1934
    writer: "Advs. of Topper" based on his book
    03-27-1895 - William W. Chaplin - d. 8-18-1978
    newsman: White House correspondent for NBC
    03-27-1898 - Gloria Swanson - Chicago, IL - d. 4-4-1983
    panelist: "Hollywood Byline"; "Suspense"
    03-27-1902 - Sidney Buchman - Duluth, MN - d. 8-23-1975
    movie writer: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    03-27-1904 - Hal Kemp - Marion, AL - d. 12-21-1940
    bandleader: "Phil Baker Show"; "Lady Esther Serenade"; "Gulf Gas
    Program"
    03-27-1906 - Pee Wee Russell - Maple Wood, MO - d. 2-15-1969
    clarinet: "Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts"
    03-27-1907 - Mary Treen - St. Louis, MO - d. 7-20-1989
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    03-27-1914 - Budd Schulberg - NYC
    writer: "Free World Theatre"; "The New Theatre"
    03-27-1914 - Richard Denning - Poughkeepsie, NY - d. 10-11-1998
    actor: George Cooper "My Favorite Husband"; Jerry North "Mr. and Mrs.
    North"
    03-27-1914 - Snooky Lanson - Memphis, TN - d. 7-2-1990
    singer: "Snooky Lanson Show"; "Your Hit Parade"
    03-27-1915 - Hugh Conover - Washington, [removed] - d. 9-27-1992
    announcer: "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill"; "Big Sister"; "Right to
    Happiness"
    03-27-1915 - Robert Lockwood, Jr. - Turkey Scratch, AR - d. 11-21-2006
    guiatrist: "KFFA King Biscuit Time"
    03-27-1916 - Howard Merrill - NYC - d. 4-20-2002
    writer: "Advs. of Leonidas Witherall"; "Leave It to Mike"; "Secret
    Missions"
    03-27-1920 - Richard Hayman - Cambridge, MA
    arranger, harmonica player: "Stop the Music"; "Steve Lawrence Show"
    03-27-1921 - Fletcher Markle - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - d. 5-22-1991
    actor, director, producer: "Columbia Workshop"; "Studio One"
    03-27-1921 - Fred Foy - Detroit, MI
    announcer, narrator: "The Lone Ranger"
    03-27-1921 - Harold Nicholas - Winston-Salem, NC - d. 7-3-2000
    dancer: (The Nicholas Brothers) "Big Broadcast of 1936"; "Ben Bernie
    Show"
    03-27-1924 - Sarah Vaughn - Newark, NJ - d. 4-3-1990
    singer: "Guest Star"; "Your Rhythm Revue"
    03-27-1930 - Bob Larson - Los Angeles, CA - d. 5-1-2002
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    03-27-1930 - Jack Adams - Hobart, OK - d. 6-14-2003
    singer in nightclubs and radio
    03-27-1940 - Janis Martin - Sutherlin, VA - d. 9-3-2007
    rockabilly singer: "Army of Stars"; "Reflections By Starlight"

    March 27th deaths

    01-10-1916 - Don Gardiner - NYC - d. 3-27-1977
    newscaster: "Monday Morning Headlines"
    01-17-1904 - Grant Withers - Pueblo, CO - d. 3-27-1959
    actor: "Calling All Cars"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
    04-09-1904 - Joseph "Sharkey" Bonamo - Milneburg, LA - d. 3-27-1972
    conductor: (Sharkey Bonamo and His Sharks of Rhythm) "Saturday Night
    Swing Club"
    06-12-1910 - Leon Carr - Allentown, PA - d. 3-27-1976
    composer: "Voices of Vista"
    06-18-1908 - Elmore Vincent - Amarillo, X - d. 3-27-2000
    actor: Phineas Peabody "Lum and Abner"
    06-22-1906 - Billy Wilder - Sucha, Austria-Hungary - d. 3-27-2002
    screenwriter, film director: "Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre"; "Lux
    Radio Theatre"
    07-08-1911 - Gertrude Niesen - Mid-Atlantic Ocean - d. 3-27-1975
    singer: "Songs by Gertrude Niesen"; "Good News of 1939"
    07-12-1908 - Milton Berle - NYC - d. 3-27-2002
    comedian: "Milton Berle Show"; "Let Yourself Go"; "Three Ring Time"
    08-05-1914 - Anita Colby - Washington, DC - d. 3-27-1992
    actor: "Radio Hall of Fame"
    09-25-1926 - Aldo Ray - Pen Argyl, PA - d. 3-27-1991
    actor; "MGM Musical Comedy Theatre"
    11-03-1889 - Gustave Haenschen - St. Louis, MO - d. 3-27-1980
    conductor: "Palmolive Hour"; "Show Boat"; "Saturday Night Serenade"
    11-04-1930 - Kate Reid - London, England - d. 3-27-1993
    actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
    12-12-1902 - Helen Menken - NYC - d. 3-27-1966
    actor: Brenda Cummings "Second Husband"
    12-17-1895 - Rudolph Anders - Germany - d. 3-27-1987
    actor: Dr. VanMeter "Space Patrol"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #78
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