Subject: [removed] Digest V2001 #242
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 7/27/2001 8:46 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2001 : Issue 242
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Re: Detectives -- my two cents worth  [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
      Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, "The Tra  [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
      Re: Operation Luna                    [ passage@[removed] ]
      Cavalcade of America                  [ "Ed Kindred" <kindred@[removed]; ]
      ESCAPE and Mr. Dehner                 [ "Mike Kerezman" <philipmarlowe@eart ]
      Station ID's                          [ "ANDREW OOMS" <oomspine@cybertrails ]
      OTR Detectives                        [ Mike Ray <MRay@[removed]; ]
      RE: Terry and the Pirates             [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
      The Whiffenpoof Song                  [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      (OT) Geauga Lake                      [ "Tim Lones" <tallones@[removed]; ]
      OPA                                   [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Self Serve Gas                        [ "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@hotm ]
      A&A and self-service gas stations     [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
      New Jersey gas (again)                [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Pete Kelly and Companions             [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Prvbate Eye Sam                       [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 13:19:25 -0400
    From: Ga6string@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Detectives -- my two cents [removed]

    Hey everybody,

    In reference to the discussion of detectives, and specifically to RyanO's
    comments, I'd like to respectfully add my point of view.

    Ryan wrote: "Gerald Mohr is a wonderful actor and I love his voice, but he
    just wasn't [SIC] Marlo.  He tried to be the tough guy, but he missed some of
    the grit and depth of Marlo."

    Actually, I found Gerald Mohr to be an excellent Marlowe -- plenty "gritty,"
    and also capable of projecting the human flaws and frailty that separate
    Marlowe and his hard-boiled peers from the predecessor generation of
    smarter-than-thou, puzzle-solving armchair detectives.

    By the way, it's a discussion all its own, but I think it's essential to
    distinguish the hard-boiled school, a la 1930s "Black Mask" and "Dime
    Detective," from the earlier generation of puzzle solvers. Yes, both types
    are detectives, but for that matter, Gunsmoke and the Lone Ranger are both
    Westerns, aren't they? And are they really comparable?

    It's worth noting, too, that (unlike those puzzle solvers) Raymond Chandler
    specifically commented later that he did *not* want Marlowe to be smarter
    than everyone else, and did not want him to get always get the last word.

    My only gripe with the Marlowe series, in fact, is that they didn't develop
    more of Chandler's short stories as radio episodes. I can think of three off
    the top of my head: "Red Wind" (6/17/47 w/Van Heflin as Marlowe, 9/26/48
    w/Mohr), "The King in Yellow" (7/8/47 w/Heflin, in which Mohr plays the title
    character) and "Trouble is My Business" (8/5/47, Heflin). Anybody know of
    others? The Chandler plot lines were notoriously convoluted, but certainly
    worth the effort.

    As for Mohr, after hearing him in the Marlowe series, I've sought out many of
    his other performances, and also found him to be excellent in romantic
    comedies (see Screen Director's Playhouse, "It Had to Be You" 1/27/50) or as
    a villain (in many appearances on "Rogue's Gallery," "The Whistler," etc.).
    As he got older, he also played an excellent bad guy in TV guest spots, [removed],
    "The Outlaws," as well.

    I digress. On the point of detectives, I found Dick Powell to be a convincing
    Marlowe in "Murder, My Sweet," and I also also enjoyed him as Richard Rogue
    (although those plot lines were cliched and redundant -- and how many times
    can one man get hit on the head?) and to a lesser extent as Richard Diamond.

    Contrary to Ryan, I did enjoy Howard Duff as Sam Spade, although I tire of
    the tongue-in-cheek humor that underspins the Spade radio series. I'd *much*
    rather have heard him in a straightforward depiction of Hammett's Spade, as
    written. By the way, I have a copy of Duff in "The McCoy," an audition, I
    think, from the Radio Spirits' "Missing Masters" set, which is done in a
    straightforward way, and I found it convincing.

    Speaking of Hammett, I've recently heard a couple of episodes of "The Fat
    Man," and I like the feel of that show. No nonsense, a reasonable pace and
    the gimmick (his weight) really doesn't get in the way of the story. I plan
    to seek out more of these.

    I agree with Ryan on his thumbs-up mention of Frank Lovejoy in "Nightbeat."
    Not a detective by trade, but that was certainly his function on the show,
    and he had an excellent voice for radio. I also agree with Ryan in my
    enjoyment of the over-the-top writing of "Pat Novak For Hire," and with
    Ryan's observations about the latter-day TV "Dragnet," which I think became a
    vainglorious, boring soap box for Webb's proselytizing. Joe Friday, in the
    end, functioned as a morally superior character. I doubt Raymond Chandler
    would have approved! :^)

    As for Johnny Dollar, I've noted that many of you view the Bailey episodes as
    the high-water mark for the series, but frankly I think it was an
    entertaining series throughout, and I also enjoy Edmund O'Brien and Mandel
    Kramer quite a bit. The latter ones, with Kramer, have an entirely different
    vibe, thanks in great part to the music, that separate them distinctly from
    the Bailey era. Give them a listen, and see if you agree.

    That's all for now. Thanks for listening!

    Sincerely,
    Bryan Powell

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 13:19:33 -0400
    From: Ga6string@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, "The Trans-Pacific
     Matter," 08-29-55

    Forgot to [removed]

    I'm trying to obtain a copy of his Gerald Mohr's audition on Yours Truly,
    Johnny Dollar, "The Trans-Pacific Matter," 08-29-55. Does anyone have that,
    and would you be willing to trade? Please contact off-list.

    Also wanted to add that I certainly enjoyed Mike Kerezman's comment on the
    detective string, particularly re: Sam Spade.

    Thanks,
    Bryan

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:08:06 -0400
    From: passage@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Operation Luna

>     Does anyone know the correct spelling of the 4 stars of the Journey
>     Into Space series. I have the names, but am not sure of the correct
>     spelling of two of them.

    Well, I'll stick my neck out here.  I believe they are Jet Morgan, Lemmy
    Barnet, Doc Mathews and Stephen Mitchell.

    Frank

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:08:07 -0400
    From: "Ed Kindred" <kindred@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Cavalcade of America

    The Cavalcade of America was one of my "Must hear" shows during my
    elementary school days. You other grey heads who know all of this can skip
    over but for those of you who are not familiar with this show I heartily
    recommend it to you and your "whippers." Dupont sponsored this show from
    1935 into the mid-late 50's. It speaks of the hardships endured in creating
    the greatness of our country. Today it is not fashionable to appreciate the
    greatness of this country but millions around the world still strive to
    become apart of the great melting pot. In the 50's the Koreans came working
    at two and three jobs that their children would become english speaking,
    college graduating professional Americans. They were followed by
    Hungarians, Viet Namese, Indians and many others. Hopefully we can stop
    hyphenating and be a glorious multi-textured America. Before we had
    femi-nazis the Cavalcade of America was telling the stories of heroic women
    who were scrapping for the betterment of conditions for children, family
    members and for property rights for women. Before we became bored with
    space accomplishments we had the engineering marvels of the E-Rye -EE
    Canal, Holland Tunnel, Empire State Building, the creation of the wire
    cables which brought on the wondrous suspension bridges and the invention
    of the sewing machine.
    I am now on a marathon of going through 220 of these stories. Some of them
    are only a few months removed from the historical events. The  commercials
    by Dupont are also quite informative. There are multiple sources, My three
    mp3 cd's came from Canada. I suspect that they are airchecks from CBS
    station WABC. They have skips and scratches but by crackies the stories are
    there and weave a vast tapestry of the experiences of our forefathers and
    mothers

    To our dingo fence patching digger I say, "you might enjoy loading a bunch
    of these in to a personal MP3 player and pretend they mirror the history of
    your country's history." while galumping along the fence.
    Be of good cheer, Ed Kindred

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:31:42 -0400
    From: "Mike Kerezman" <philipmarlowe@[removed];
    To: "OTR DIGEST" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  ESCAPE and Mr. Dehner

    I was just listening to ESCAPE "The Shanghai Document" (04-21-1950) starring
    John [removed]'ve always wondered about John Dehner character in this episode
    who calls himself Tony Dehner. Later when his passport by Ratigan (William
    Conrad) his full name is Anthony Dehner. Does anyone think this was purely a
    coincidence?

    Mike Kerezman

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:31:45 -0400
    From: "ANDREW OOMS" <oomspine@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Station ID's

         Although the FCC rules change from time to time, I believe that the
    current rule is that all AM and FM stations are required to state their real
    call letters and city of license at or near the top of every hour that they
    are broadcasting.  Many stations fail to do so for various reasons,
    including automated formats, satellite programming, no humans at the studio
    sometimes, and failing to program an identification message into the
    equipment.  Enforcement is lax, partly due to FCC holding down costs by not
    having a lot of people to detect this lack of compliance which is partly due
    to kind of a lack of practical reason to enforce (the fines would likely not
    equal the legal costs; few people care so virtually no one complains).
    Radio hobbyists care as they are very interested in where the signal they
    are hearing is coming from, but most people do not.
         The city of license aspect is interesting, because as long as it is
    mentioned first, any other cities can be mentioned.  So, WXXX, Wistful
    Vista, OH, 50 miles from Cincinnati could say legally: WXXX, Wistful
    Vista-Cincinnati.  Many suburban stations do that.  I have heard stations
    say: Long Beach-Los Angeles, Tempe-Phoenix, etc.
         To keep on topic, I believe that the 1940's rules were that each
    station had to state its call letters and city of license very close to the
    top of the hour and to the 30 minute point as well.  Exceptions were made
    for classical music works that had not completed.  This was much more
    strictly enforced as there were fewer stations to keep an ear on, and
    stations were much more conscientious in general about keeping a clean
    record.  Plus more humans were at the controls.  Plus licenses may have been
    harder to get (not more costly) and competition for the right to broadcast
    on a frequency could use operating lapses of the current owner to try to
    build a case why they should not get the license renewed.
         This strict attention to the hour and half hour leads to a story I read
    in the Reader's Digest in the 1940's in which the pastor on a network Sunday
    AM religious program was running long on this sermon, so the announcer
    jumped in at 11:59:55 (or some such) and in the middle of the pastor's
    sentence cut him off and said: "Amen!  This is the Columbia Broadcasting
    System."
         The trend now of identifying stations by names and slogans (Rock 95,
    Mix 98, etc) is because modern audiences are more interested in words than
    in call letters, and consultants advise on catchy marketing devices like
    this.  A 17 year old is more likely to remember Rock 95, when discussing his
    preferences, that KJKS-FM or whatever.
    Andy Ooms
    Pine, AZ

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:33:34 -0400
    From: Mike Ray <MRay@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OTR Detectives

    Hi Gang
    I must say that I am very fond of the OTR
    Detectives. If you are a detective than it's
    Easy and expected of you to be a tough guy.
    If you are tough but sensitive with a caring
    Heart then you are very rare. Johnny Dollar
    As played by Bob Bailey is the best without
    Question. We just have never heard anyone with
    That kind of range. Makes one wonder if it was
    The writing or Mr. Bailey himself that made the
    Difference. Johnny Dollar programs with Bailey
    In the lead, are more than just adventuresome,
    And entertaining, but rather they have turned out
    To be great classics of our human condition.
    Clearly nothing that I have heard in OTR comes
    anyways close to [removed] Like Richard Diamond primarily
    because of Dick Powell. And I must say I like that
    little song that he does at the end of show as he
    Serenades his Wonderful Helen Asher (Virginia Gregg).
    You know the Old saying, "once a song and dance man,
    always a song And dance man." The scripts for the shows
    are OK, but Not outstanding. Powell makes the show
    Believable. Which shows either his great acting ability
    or his Great desire to move beyond his song and dance
    [removed] of my favorites is Casey Crime photographer.
    Though not a very serious show, Casey is the type of
    Program you put on when you just want some light fun.
    Staats Cottsworth heads A group of fine actors who
    present a pleasant atmosphere. Jan Minor, (One of my
    Favorites) plays Casey's girlfriend Annie Williams.
    There are times I must say when Casey and Annie remind
    me of Boston Blackie and Mary Williams. Casey is a much
    Better show than Blackie, though I must say that I
    Believe the show was much better when Chester Morris
    Played the [removed] Because of the work that Randy Stone
    Did, I have to put Nightbeat down as a Detective show,.
    I never worked for a newspaper, but my first job in Radio
    Was as a roving reporter for a large Radio station in
    Indianapolis. My work schedule was Midnight to 6 am.
    Needless to say I had the same type of run-ins with the
    Gruffer side of life Just like Randy Stone did. Both of
    Us needed to find something of interest to place before
    The public. That type of work is clearly a kin to doing
    Detective work. Randy Stone (Frank Lovejoy) gave performances
    That were right on the edge. Putting himself in danger
    Many times to find the important aspects of the human
    Interest story that must hit the copy boy before the
    Chicago Star would go to press. These programs are very
    Special. Greatly saddened that there were not more.
    .........I have great respect for Jack Webb. One of the truly great
    OTR Actors. I have respect for Dragnet, but I must say, that the
    Program does not work for me. The "low key" approach to the
    Dialogue, does not bring me back, hungry for more. We might want
    Our police officers to be low key, distant, perhaps even plastic,
    But reality for the everyday cop, I believe is very different.
    .........Another show that does not work for me is Philip Marlowe.
    Which is too bad, because I like Norman McDonnell (Director), and I
    like Gearld Mohr a lot, and the writers for the show are among the
    best in the business. I found Marlowe to shallow and plastic. Not
    anyways close to the standard prototype detective Johnny Dollar
    (Bob Bailey).........Box 13 with Alan Ladd as well as Larry Thor in
    Broadway is my Beat are excellent shows, but for different
    Reasons. Thor's character is solid, encompassing all the
    aspects of what a good detective is all about. Dan Holiday
    (Alan Ladd) is more of the laid back investigative novelist
    who waits for the adventure to come to [removed] though they are
    secret agents I like the detective work of the Man called X. Hubert Marshall
    is great as X, and Brian Donlevy in Dangerous Assignment.
    I like the show very much despite the fact that Donlevy always sounds like
    he is reading a [removed] also like the Shadow with
    Orson Welles. Welles was and is the great hero of my life for radio drama.
    He was the Master Shadow and no one else came close. The final two shows
    that I want to talk about are great joys to listen to. Mr. Keen Tracer of
    Lost Persons, embodies what old time radio was about during the time of
    World War II. Every aspect of the program, from the Soothing theme music to
    the commercials, and at the end of the program When the staff announcer
    tells the listening audience to return next Thursday at 9 PM Eastern War
    time, when the Kindly old detective will Bring us another case from his
    files. Though Campy by today's standards, Keen was serious stuff in those
    days. Bennett Killpack was terrific even if he did commit a variety of
    crimes along the way. Most notably, "breaking and entering" for starters.
    This show still has great drawing power today. My 20 year old daughter
    discovered him last Summer and has determined to collect all of the shows
    still in [removed] something nice needs to be said for the
    Western Detective, "Tales of the Texas Rangers. Joel McCrea is outstanding
    as Texas Ranger Jace Pearson. The shows are very well written for radio, as
    they are real Cases from the Texas Rangers own files. The writing is a
    little Gritty as times, but that only serves to show the reality of the
    program. There may be tainted police forces all over the world, but
    you Can't say that about the Oldest Police force in North American.
    The Texas Rangers are the jewel for America's Police forces. And
    those great Radio shows bring honor to that long-standing commitment
    to honest law Enforcement.

    My Favorite OTR Detective Shows
    	1.	Johnny Dollar (Bob Bailey)
    	2.	Tales of the Texas Rangers
    	3.	Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons
    	4.	Nightbeat
    	5.	Box 13
    	6.	Casey Crime Photographer
    	7.	The Shadow (Orson Welles)
    	8.	Broadway is my Beat
    	9.	Mr. X
    	10.	Dangerous Assignment

    Best regards,
    		Mike Ray

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:33:32 -0400
    From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RE:   Terry and the Pirates

       In #240, Charlie N. asked questions about some episodes of Terry and the
    Pirates. Here's a partial response.
        He didn't give much identifying info re the episodes he has listened to
    but if they were from the LIBBY'S-sponsored run ('41-'42, Midwest regional),
    April Kane was played by Emily Vass (of the singing Vass Family). (Maybe she
    continued playing that role in the Quaker-sponsored network run; I don't
    have that info handy.)
       As for why the term "invaders" was used instead of "Japanese" in those
    wartime episodes, I think that may have been because that was how it was
    done in the comic strip version by Milton Caniff, who, I think I've read,
    had some control over the scripts in the Libby's-produced version.
       (By the way, Libby's offered the Terryscope on their run of the series;
    that premium was mentioned on recent Digests.)
       -- Phil C.

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 18:51:15 -0400
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The Whiffenpoof Song

>     From: JayHick@[removed] posts.

>     Got a letter from Dr. Richard LeJava, 240 Winter St., Hyannis, MA 02610 (508)
>     775-6713).  He is looking for a segment from Archie Andrews about Yale
>     University and the Whiffenpoof Song. Please respond to him.  Jay

    Hi Jay. (Is this the "Jay Hick"-erson that I know from the NY, NJ
    Convention?) If so, Hi! It's been awhile. Hope all is well with you.

    The only light I can shed on your question was that, yes, Bob Hastings did
    sing the Wiffenpoof song on an Archie segment, but I don't recall that the
    show had anything to do with the University itself. I'm not sure if that
    episode exists on tape, but I sure remember him singing it.

    Regards, Hal(Harlan)Stone

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 19:56:47 -0400
    From: "Tim Lones" <tallones@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  (OT) Geauga Lake

       Bill,
    I read with interest your experiences with Bob Crosby at Geauga Lake in Ohio
    in [removed] you might be interested to know that Geauga Lake was
    bought by the Six Flags Amusement Park people several years ago and this
    year Six Flags also bought Sea World-Ohio to combine the two parks into one
    large park called Six Flags Worlds of Adventure.
         Always enjoy your insight into the world of Network [removed] up the
    good work!

    Sincerely,
    Tim Lones

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 19:57:43 -0400
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OPA

    Israel Colon asks:

>     I was a little puzzled because we did not enter the war until
>     December 7, 1941. If we were not yet involved in the war, why was the OPA
>     established? Were we experiencing run away
>     inflation?

    Despite the creation of the Office of Price Administration in August, prior
    to Pearl Harbor and our entry into the war, the country was rapidly
    becoming embroiled in a wartime crisis effected by the events in Europe and
    Asia. We were already involved in Lend-Lease and despite the wishes of the
    isolationists, we were not totally free from what was happening in the rest
    of the world.

    The country was beginning to experience rising prices and inflation, and
    the government had been involved in some kind of price controls through the
    Price Stabilization and Consumer Protection Division of Roosevelt's special
    Defense Advisory Commission going back to 1940. But the price controls were
    not working and black markets were beginning to abound along with a
    public's growing dissatisfaction with the types of controls.

    Bernard Baruch, a Wall Street financier had written of a need for more
    stringent controls and rationing in an article in the Harvard Business
    Review (March, 1941 pp 261-270) as the country moved ever so more closely
    to war. His arguments were partly based on his experiences from World War I
    and he felt there needed to be a very strict management by a central agency.

    The Price Stabilization Division was proving ineffective prompting
    Roosevelt to create OPACS (Office of Price Administration and Civilian
    Supply) in April. But OPACS itself was ineffective because it lacked true
    formal powers of enforcement. So in the summer, the control was transferred
    to the Office of Production Management, which was primarily focused on
    military allocation. So finally, in August, the Office of Price
    Administration was created to focus on civilian allocation. But it wasn't
    until the office became aware that economic control of civilians was
    different from the military that by 1942 enforcement power through
    rationing and control of civilian prices was enacted. By this time, we
    were, of course, at war.

    Jim Widner
    (Who is sorry for the long (generally non-OTR) answer, but who believes it
    is a fascinating period in our economic history that many people should be
    aware of.)

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 22:33:08 -0400
    From: "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Self Serve Gas

    Hello All,

    I guess this thread is getting way off topic, but it has me wondering when
    self-serve gas got started in various parts of the country.  I got my
    driver's license in 1975, at the relatively advanced age of 18.  I"m pretty
    sure that I couldn't pump my own gas for the first year or two I was driving
    (I would have if the local gas stations offered it as it is cheaper than
    full serve and I certainly needed to save every penny then).  I've lived all
    my life in upstate New York.  A couple of months ago I was discussing this
    with a slightly older friend who had been driving since the late 1960s, but
    who grew up in Minnesota.  He said he had pumped his own gas since he
    started driving. Did self-serve gas come earlier to the Midwest than other
    parts of the country?

    George

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 22:33:11 -0400
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  A&A and self-service gas stations

    When I left New Jersey just a little over a year ago, they still did not
    allow self-service filling stations.  I never heard of this vis-a-vis
    Oregon; the Garden States' news media have for years been saying that New
    Jersey was the only remaining state not allowing self-service gasoline
    dispensing.

    Service at the pump may be the rule there, but the old "Check your oil?
    Wash your windshield?" and the like went by the {floor} boards years ago.

    Lee Munsick  "That Godfrey Guy"

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 22:33:13 -0400
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  New Jersey gas (again)

    I should have kept reading the Digest to the end!

    I have to correct one comment.  The filling station owners and their New
    Jersey Gasoline Retailers Association have been fighting for years to get
    legislation to ALLOW self-service, not defeat it.

    The motorists (more in New Jersey, I believe, than any other state) have
    made their dislike of the idea well known.  About 15 years ago, traveling
    widely around the east, I found that the difference between the price of
    "full service" gas charged to a credit card and self-service paid by cash
    could run as much as 30 cents a gallon or more.  And this was long before
    today's horrendous prices.  This despite the retailers' contention that
    self-service would cut their payroll expenses, which would be passed on to
    the customers.  Hah!

    By the way, the worst difference I noticed then was not in New [removed]
    was in Virginia, where I now live!

    Lee Munsick  "That Godfrey guy"

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 22:33:06 -0400
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Pete Kelly and Companions

    Mike Kerezman, speaking of various Jack Webb shows, notes,

>     one show that is consistently overlooked is PETE KELLY'S BLUES.
>     Alothoug this show was only on for about 2 months it inspired a later
>     FILM of the same name and a brief TV show. Its kind of  like Pat Novak
>     with More [removed] show is truly piece of art.

    I like Pete Kelly's Blues, but it had a different flavor than Pat Novak.
    It was set in the 1920s, and gave a good impression of the era.  Just as
    the classical bridges in The Lone Ranger added authenticity to the mythic
    aspect of the show, the jazz in Pete Kelly's Blues framed the show in the
    Roaring 20s.  Regrettably, relatively few Pete Kelly's Blues survive.

    The film, which was a bit more complex than the radio show, had one
    interesting feature: it gave an origin story to the character and
    explained where he got his trumpet.  It is or was available on videotape.
     I have a copy in my library, but I can't close my eyes and pretend it's
    an OTR show.  Great finish, BTW.

    Although I like all the Jack Webb shows, there is enough diversity that I
    don't have to try to determine a "best."

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 22:34:02 -0400
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Prvbate Eye Sam

    Ivan igsjr notes, speaking of private eye shows,

>     SAM SPADE is really almost a comedy show than a private-eye show; the
>     fun comes from Howard Duff's insouciant way with a wisecrack than any
>     believable plot.

    Sam Spade was a lighthearted show, and highly enjoyable.  Mr. Duff put
    his stamp on the character, and while there were a few serious episodes,
    many of them had a light touch.  This was a show I tried not to miss as I
    was growing up.  It wears well, and is quite enjoyable today.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2001 Issue #242
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