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

      Please Read Information Boilerplate at the End of This Digest
                          Last Updated 10-28-96

[removed] Digest				Volume 96 : Issue 440

Table Of Contents: 

	 Remember WENN show
	 Radio shows and WWII
	 ESCAPE and TWILIGHT ZONE
	 Re: Copyrighting Your voice and looks
	 Burns and Allen -- please help me find this
	 old time radio digest
	 Re: Jack Benny lives, apparently.
	 One Man's Family Family Reunion

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 09:00:07 -0500
From: Shawn Whalen <swhalen@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Remember WENN show
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

There is a great show on the American Movie Channel called "Remember WENN,"
a light hearted drama/comedy about and taking place in a radio station/sound
studio in the 1940's. They enact various fictitious shows. The interplay
between the actors, station people/sales, etc. is fun to watch. Not sure
when it on, but I believe it's aired on multiple occasions each week.

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 08:43:11 -0600 (CST)
From: Karen Warton <kwarton@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Radio shows and WWII
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

I'm sure some of our list members would remember better than I--I'm only 
29 and only have my own tapes and books to go by, but here are a few 
examples:

Fibber McGee and Molly carried on a war effort theme throughout their 
WWII-era radio shows.  Several shows dealt with pitching in by 
cooperating with the government in various drives and rationing schemes.  
They even took in a boarder, a night-shift factory worker called Alice.  
They encouraged the buying of war bonds, etc.

Jack Benny broadcast from several military bases during the War, and 
would often do little Red Cross, etc. spots at the end of the show if 
there was time.  For the base broadcasts, the writers would find out what 
the hot topics and names were on that base, and then thrill the camp with 
in-jokes in the script.  Benny toured during the summers, too, although 
Hope is better known for that activity. (One bio said that Jack would visit 
the hospital tents, chat with the wounded and get their names and addresses,
then write their parents a note--"I met your son, he's doing well and looks 
forward to coming home and seeing you soon, signed Jack Benny.")

I also have a lone tape of a show called "[removed] Jive."  It is mostly big 
band music, recorded by the biggest groups at the time, and the 
bandleaders usually preface each track with a nice little sentence like, 
"This is just for you, boys; we're thinking of you."

Some shows avoided mentioning the War or any of its side effects, even 
the mild ones like the nylon shortage.  But plenty of shows, and their 
stars, whether on or off the mike, did a lot for morale on both sides of 
the Atlantic.

Karen Warton
Development Associate
Southern Methodist University

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 09:42:25 -0800
From: "Jeff Fuller" <Jefuller@[removed]>
To: <otr@[removed]>
Subject: ESCAPE and TWILIGHT ZONE
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

There is an episode of ESCAPE that dramatized Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's
story, "The Ring of Thoth." It got me thinking, is there any connection
between that story and the TWILIGHT ZONE episode, "Long Live Walter
Jameson?" They are very similar. They both have the same premise, and both
immortals turn to dust at the end. And both immortals are from ancient
Greece. Maybe Charles Beaumont patterned his story after reading "The Ring
of Thoth." I looked in The Twilight Zone Companion, by Marc Scott Zicree,
but it doesn't say anything about that. Does anyone else see the
connection?

Adam (not Jeff) Fuller

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 13:33:24 -0500
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Copyrighting Your voice and looks
Message-ID: <961115133323_1149968428@[removed]>

The late, beloved Helen Kane, ad lib inventor of "boop-boop-a-doop" watched
her persona--voice, big eyes, movements, bangs, and rosebud mouth--ripped off
by the cartoon series, "Betty Boop." She sued, but the courts of the time
threw it out. The feeling in the 30s was that you could not copyright what
you looked and sounded like. A newsreel of the time shows several dozen young
women looking and sounding like Helen Kane, and celebratibg Helen's loss of
the court case!

It would be impossible today to create a cartoon called, say, "the twisting
hipster", using the look, actions and sound of Elvis. But Helen did not live
to see this reversal of the law. She died of cancer, and not at all well off,
in Jackson Heights, NY in 1966. Never did she get a penny from the Betty Boop
industry!

I interviewed Helen in her apartment in 1959 (still have the tape). When
discussing Betty Boop, she says: "yes, that's definitely me." And even in
1956 she still looked like Betty Boop; or more correctly: Betty Boop (and
copycat Mae Questel) looked like HELEN!

BILL KNOWLTON  

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 14:44:05 -0500
From: J&A <alagambi@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Burns and Allen -- please help me find this
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I'd like to toss out a question I posted last July.  I never 
read an answer but it was just before the server switch so it might have 
been in an issue I missed.  I am looking for any information that would 
help me name, locate and purchase one specific Burns and Allen episode. 
 In this program, Gracie's uncle is visiting, and the plot revolves 
around a sum of money hidden in a sugar bowl.  I believe the money may 
have been gambling winnings, or suspected as such.  Thanks in advance 
for any assistance! -- Amy

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 14:55:19 -0500
From: JJiovanazz@[removed]
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: old time radio digest
Message-ID: <961115145518_350015993@[removed]>

I had been receiving your otr digest under my previous E-Mail address
(JAJIO@[removed]).  I wish to continue with my new address now that I have my
own aol.  Please help me to connect with you folks.  I am not very computer
literate.

[removed]@[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 20:30:39 -0500
From: Michael Carraher <michaelcarraher@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Jack Benny lives, apparently.
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

The ad is for [removed] Healthcare and is running in several markets.

The telephone operator calls the character "Mr. Benny" in some of the
spots.  "Rochester" is referred to (but not heard) in at least one spot.

Several court decisions have held that celebrities cannot be imitated or
charactered for commercial purposes without their consent (or the
consent of the estates).  If [removed] Healthcare's lawyers did not get
clearance from the Benny estate, there will be even more money in his
vault sometime soon.  Use of deceased celebraties in commercials is not
uncommon (Chaplin-IBM, Boggie and Cagney-Diet Coke) but [removed] Healthcare
is the first hommage to OTR in some time.

Anyone know who does Jack Benny in the commercial?  (Rich Little?)

> Someone is doing a rather good impression of Jack Benny in a radio ad 
> I've been hearing in Pittsburgh lately.  I believe that it's for a health 
> maintenance organization.  It occurs to me that whoever holds the 
> copyrights to Jack Benny's shows can't be pleased, but Mr. Benny's name 
> is mentioned nowhere in the ad.  It seems to be an interesting legal 
> point: does a famous person have a legal right to his distinctive radio 
> voice and style?  Anyway, who's doing the voices in this ad?  It is 
> presumably aimed at people who are old enough to remember Jack Benny.
> There is a woman in it who sounds much like the woman in the Culligan 
> water softener advertisements.  
>                                 Mark Kinsler
>

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

Date: Fri, 15 Nov 1996 09:39:57 -0600 (CST)
From: James Ouzts <jouzts@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: One Man's Family Family Reunion
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

OTR Digest Members,

The SPERDVAC convention was the site of the first "One Man's Family"
Reunion.  Co-sponsored by SPERDVAC and OMFF, the event had 10 actors who
had worked on this classic program.

Actively involved were the talented:  Jeanne Bates, Sharon Douglas, Sam 
Edwards, Eddie Firestone, Jr., Barbara Fuller, Tyler McVey, Jeanette 
Nolan, George Pirrone, Jean Rouverol Butler, and Peggy Webber.

The first part of the program was a skit formatted like the popular "This 
is Your Life" show, with  [removed] Senator Pinky Murray being honored.  In 
addition to the surprise at how well Pinky turned out, the audience was 
delighted to learn that Dr. Elwood Giddings and Teddy had remarried.

Following this performance, the cast was on stage reminiscing and 
answering a variety of questions.  There were many insights about the 
show, the cast, creator Carlton E. Mores, and more.

The audience and the cast expressed very positive feelings about the 
chemistry and the content of the Reunion.  Future Reunions probably will 
be part of existing Old Time Radio gatherings around the country.

According to co-founder Mike Sprague, the "One Man's Family" Family was 
established earlier this year "to become the sought-out source of 
complete and accurate information about OMF."  He added, "It is essential 
that someone be about the business of preserving and protecting the 
wonderful quality of OMF in every way possible."

Interested fans are invited to contact Sprague at OMFF at:

             PO Box 723 Fax 206-402-6988
             Bothell, WA  98401    e-mail hrrmikes@[removed]
             206-488-9518

This announcement presented for submission to OTR Digest by Mike 
Sprague.  Any typos or other boo-boos are mine.  ----Jim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       James W. Ouzts, [removed], CCCA                        
                         jouzts@[removed]
  Chairman and Professor                        Speech and Hearing Clinic
  Department of                                 Delta State University
  Audiology and Speech Pathology                137 Bailey Hall
  DSU Box 3372                                  601-846-4110
                          Cleveland, MS 38733
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                                             



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End of [removed] Digest V96 Issue #440
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