Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #7
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 1/6/2003 12:32 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2003 : Issue 7
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Perry Mason                           [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
  CLEVELAND INDIANS                     [ Alan R Logan <arla2@[removed]; ]
  Perry Mason on radio                  [ David Lowell <davlor1@[removed]; ]
  Perry Mason on radio                  [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
  That "Silent" Movie                   [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
  Cinnamon Bear Candy                   [ Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed] ]
  Welcome Stranger on video             [ "welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
  Phil Spitalny                         [ "rcg" <revrcg@[removed]; ]
  radio cross-overs                     [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
  Hal Stone's new book                  [ "rcg" <revrcg@[removed]; ]
  Re: Films Without Dialogue            [ "Dennis Mansker" <dennis@[removed] ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  Perry Mason                           [ Paulurbahn@[removed] ]
  One Man's Family website              [ HRRMIKES@[removed] ]
  Bing Crosby & Barry Fitzgerald        [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
  Dragnet--help!!                       [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 15:38:42 -0500
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Perry Mason

Andrew Godfrey writes:

Have never heard the OTR version of Perry Mason. Would like to know the
opinions of Perry Mason by those who have heard it.

Put me down as a longtime connoisseur of this series, dating to when it
aired live every day.  For real, one of the things I hated to see most
about September every year was the fact that at 2:15 I'd be in class and
unable to find out if Perry's client was going to be silenced by the mob
before he could have his day in court and be rendered a verdict that
would possibly send him (the client) to death row.

Few people today recall that there ever was a Mason series on the ether
before Raymond Burr's video portrayal starting in the late 1950s.  But
for 12 years (1943-55) John Larkin and others held the home audience
spellbound in masterful portrayals of Erle Stanley Gardner's great
fictional detective-attorney.  Irving Vendig's fabulous scripting,
sometimes weaving a single case into an 18-month adventure, was
mesmerizing.  Lots of time there for character development and little
details that played into and out of the landscape as needed.  I never
knew a more chilling drama in radio's history than this 15-minute
serialized narrative offered us five afternoons a week.

To date 324 chapters of this series on tape have surfaced and are in many
private collectors' hands.  A boatload of those are consecutive, meaning
that you can follow a story for a very long time before they run out
(invariably at inopportune moments).  I never go to a radio convention
that I don't languish over dealers' tables looking for more episodes.
Now and then a few more turn up.

When I was researching and writing "The Great Radio Soap Operas"
(McFarland, 1999)one of the happiest memories for me was the period I
spent hunting down details on Perry Mason and putting all of it together
in its separate chapter.  As noted there, the radio series became the
model and forerunner of a much longer daytime television soap opera
thriller, The Edge of Night, which originally starred the same John
Larkin in a similar heroic role.  Be forewarned:  even if you never
listened to Mason on radio, with a few episodes you'll be hooked.  I
mean, after all, when the audience knows full well that a proven killer
is out there, that we and Mason know who his next intended victim is, and
that Mason has no idea where the victim is currently but must find her
first or else--golly, how can you possibly not tune in again tomorrow?

Jim Cox

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 17:10:45 -0500
From: Alan R Logan <arla2@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  CLEVELAND INDIANS

William L Murtough wrote Sunday re Cleveland Baseball saying:

Tom  Manning  was noted in those days for  broadcasting the
home games of the Cleveland Indians from League Park. (When the Lakefront
Stadium was built they played one game there,
didn't like it , and returned to League Park.)

Sorry Bill but once they moved  they stayed moved until a new Stadium was
constructed  several years ago  where the Farmers'
Market once stood.

Following Manning was the colorful and very popular Jack Graney.

Al [grew up there] Logan
arla2@[removed]

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 17:09:57 -0500
From: David Lowell <davlor1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Perry Mason on radio

The theme song of the 15 minute M-F radio serial was a piano version of
Debussy's "Claire de Lune."

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:04:04 -0500
From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Perry Mason on radio

If anyone purchases the Perry Mason mp3 collection, be warned that you will
not hear an entire story.   I listened to 237 tracks of the 15-minute serial
only to find that it ended before the story did.   I searched the web hoping
to find someone who had the 'rest of the story' but they all seemed to have
the same number of episodes.   Episode 2867 seems to be the last one
available.   This particular story was on in 1954.  If anyone finds more,
I'd love to hear about it.

It is barely recognizable as the Perry Mason we know from TV and from the
books for that matter.  (I've read that Erle Stanley Gardner was not happy
with the show.) He is more detective then lawyer in the radio series but I
did get involved nonetheless and would have liked to hear the story come to
a conclusion,  although it was pretty clear what would happen.  :))

I was unaware of the Edge of Night connection.   I only knew Edge of Night
as a TV serial, one which I liked very much, which came on after school was
over for the day.

~Irene

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:05:42 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  That "Silent" Movie

I wish to thank many people who responded directly and through the Digest
in identifying The Thief, starring Ray Milland.  Ask and ye shall
receive!

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:06:09 -0500
From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Cinnamon Bear Candy

Tony Baechler wondered if the Cinnamon Bear candy he located in a Google
search had any connection with the original CB.

I wish it did.

Alas, Paddy O'Cinnamon ate only cinnamon buns.  He even talks about them on
the recently discovered CB promotional tape.  In the series, you will
recall that Fe Fo the Giant (played by Joe DuVal) puts little Paddy on his
shoulder.  CB and the twins had entered a forest through a picture frame in
Wintergreen the Witch's  house.  When they run into the gentle giant, he
picks them up and whisks them off to a magical place with plenty of
cinnamon buns, cream puffs, and chocolate eclairs.

Paddy literally stuffs himself.

Dennis

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:06:44 -0500
From: "welsa" <welsa@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Welcome Stranger on video

John Eccles asked if the movie WELCOME STRANGER has been released on video.
Again, you should check [removed]  This is truly an amazing web site for
movie info.  And on the first page of each film it tells you if it is
available.

In this case, the film has been released on VHS and is available from
Amazon.

Ted

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:17:39 -0500
From: "rcg" <revrcg@[removed];
To: "Otr Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Phil Spitalny

Joe Mackey mentioned that in 1935, "The Hour Of Charm" featured Phil
Spitalny and his all-girl orchestra. This show, featuring Spitalny's group
lasted for many years, most of them on NBC.

Spitalny's featured (and highest paid) performer was Evelyn and her magic
violin. Mr Spitalny was known as a nice guy who was very protective of the
young women in his orchestra, promising their parents that he would keep
them on the straight and narrow. He was known to emulate Chicago Bears owner
George Halas in that he threw quarters around as if they were manhole
covers. Thus, it was no surprise when Phil proposed marriage to Evelyn. She
accepted and Phil saved a lot of money by keeping it all in the family.

I once met Phil's younger brother Maurice, who was an orchestra leader in
Pittsburgh. Maurice confirmed that his brother had "a way with a buck".

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 19:18:48 -0500
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  radio cross-overs

Joe wrote:

There seems, IMHO, a lot of recyling of scripts on several programs.
I'm a fan of Suspense, Inner Sanctum, Dr. Weird, Whistler, et al and
will hear a program that sounds a lot like one I heard on another
program and will check my list of shows and there it is, sometimes even
the same title.  Only the actors are different and maybe a small change
in the plot and some are better done on one show than another, and
usually a few years apart. I can't think of a good example off hand
through.

This happened so many times during radio and television programs that one
could write a small book on the subject.  I would say - having seen tons of
examples first hand - that 90% of these repeated scripts was the result of
the script writers.  Often a script writer would write for more than one
series, and could easily pullout an old script from a forgotten program and
submit it twice, sometimes with slight differences, sometimes with only the
title changed.

Exmaples for Joe (and others):
DRURY'S BONES broadcast with Boris Karloff in 1945 on SUSPENSE was later
done on HOLLYWOOD STAR PLAYHOUSE with Herbert Marshall in May of 1952.
Harold Swanton wrote the script and there are about half a dozen other
scripts on that series that Swanton took from his SUSPENSE-writing days.

Escape used many script from SUSPENSE, and SUSPENCE used many scripts from
ESCAPE such as "The Cave", "Leinigen vs. the Ants," etc.  ROMANCE used
scripts from both SUSPENSE and ESCAPE during the late fifties such as "Old
Army Buddy," "The Cave" (again).

A few STRANGE DR. WEIRD episodes were short fifteen-minute edited versions
of thirty-minute MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER scripts (because Kogan and Arthur wrote
the scripts for both series.  THE SEALED BOOK also used scripts from
MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER and vice versa.

Soemtimes dramatic programs did the same - MR. DISTRICT ATTORNEY used
scripts from other radio mysteries with only the names of the characters
changed so it fit with the program.

X-MINUS ONE used MANY scripts from DIMENSION X (for obvious reasons).

For television, especially during the era of "live" telecasts, anthology
series took radio scripts and did broadcast versions.  The unaired TV pilot
for INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES was a dramatization of "Only the Dead Die
Twice".  Sanctum's "The Bog-Oak Necklace" was dramatized on television's
LIGHTS OUT, as was Arch Oboler's "And Adam Begot" and a more curious pieces,
Wyllis Cooper's QUIET PLEASE episode "Dead Man's Coat" was dramatized with
Basil Rathbone for TV's LIGHTS OUT!

If I affended anyone for using the dirty word ("television") I appologize, I
don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.  Course, I said the four letter S-word
in front of my mother this morning and I regret saying that cause sure
enough, "SNOW" started falling.

Martin Grams, Jr.

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 20:40:24 -0500
From: "rcg" <revrcg@[removed];
To: "Otr Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Hal Stone's new book

My wife purchased a copy of Hal's book and gave it to me as one of my
Christmas presents. To say that I thoroughly enjoyed it would be a massive
understatement.

Each year, Christmas morning is pretty hectic for me. However, by early
afternoon all of the excitement dies down and we are left pretty much alone
to catch up on some rest. Thus, this Christmas was a perfect time for me to
settle in  my favorite recliner chair and start reading. I didn't expect to
finish the book so quickly but I couldn't put it down and, over the next
several hours, read it from cover to cover.

What an enjoyable read it was. Hal  brilliantly sets  the tone and allows
the reader to accompany him on a magnificent journey spanning a lifetime
full of of wonderful memories of his career as a child model, OTR performer,
stage actor, and TV producer/director. It is  abunduntly clear that Hal has
a tremendous amount of respect for his chosen profession(s) and for those
performers whose lives he touched and was touched by. The book was obviously
written with a lot of love. The reader will find no hatchet jobs or bad
mouthing in Hals book. He's a very nice man and it shows in his writing.

Hal touches briefly on his childhood but only to the extent that is needed
to lay the groundwork for his very early career. This book is not an
autobiography. I feel the same way about autobiographies as Lou Grant feels
about "spunk". When you read this book you won't be bored with several
chapters concerning his first grade teacher, childhood sweetheart, etc.
(WGAD?)

If you have not as yet read this magnificent book, do yourself a big favor
and buy a copy. I promise you that it will be money well spent. There are so
many great pictures in the book that you'll find yourself opening it up
quite frequently just for the visual enjoyment.

I know Hal only from his many years as Jughead on the Archie Andrews show
and from this forum. But, I have no hesitancy in highly recommending this
book.

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

Date: Sun, 5 Jan 2003 22:45:22 -0500
From: "Dennis Mansker" <dennis@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Films Without Dialogue

And let's not forget the 1976 Mel Brooks classic, Silent Movie, in which the
sole word of dialogue was spoken by -- in a stroke of casting genius --
Marcel Marceau!

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

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 08:55:42 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Today in radio history

>From Those Were The Days --

1941 - A young actor appeared for the first time in a new program on CBS
titled, The Home of the Brave. Along with others in the cast, this was
Richard Widmark's radio debut.

1950 - Ronald Coleman starred as the president of Ivy College in The
Halls of Ivy.

1974 - CBS radio returned to dramatic programming at night with the
first broadcast of Radio Mystery Theatre, hosted by [removed] Marshall. The
program debuted on 218 CBS network stations.

Birthdays:

1880 - Tom (Thomas Hezikiah) Mix, Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters, d.
Oct 12, 1940.

1914 - Danny Thomas (Amos Jacobs) Cousin Amos on The Bickersons, (and on
other shows) died Feb 6, 1991

  Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 08:56:18 -0500
From: Paulurbahn@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Perry Mason

Andrew Godfrey ask:

Have never heard the OTR version of Perry Mason. Would like to know the
opinions of Perry Mason by those who have heard it.

I hate to voice an opinion based on 8-10 episodes that I have (assuming I
haven't trashed them) The ones I refer to do not have opening or closings
(those were added locally to the syndicated series) and each episode is about
12 1/2 minutes of a continuing story. I never hear the beginning or end of
the story and the middle sounds like an uninteresting soap opera.
Jim Cox (otrbuff@[removed]) has a better opinion of the series and devotes 3
pages including a picture in his book, Radio Crime Fighters, so maybe he's
heard better examples than I did, or didn't expect as much.

Paul Urbahns

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

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 11:01:44 -0500
From: HRRMIKES@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  One Man's Family website

The "One Man's Family" Family club, devoted to this classic program, has just
made some significant revisions in our website ([removed]) .  While not
bristling with lots of bells and whistles, it is a good place for fans and
interested folks to check in on OMF.   We welcome your feedback.
Mike Sprague

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

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 11:10:14 -0500
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Bing Crosby & Barry Fitzgerald

Fred Berney asked for the title of a movie with Bing Crosby and Barry
Fitzgerald in which Der Bingle sings "Make Mine Country Style".

The song is actually titled "Country Style", although known by both
titles.  It was written like so many other great tunes--especially recorded
by Bing Crosby--by Johnny Burke and Jimmie Van Heusen.  This one was
published in 1947, and recorded on Decca by Bing, and also by Chet Atkins,
and the Nashville Children's Choir.

Bing introduced the song in the 1947 film "Welcome Stranger", one of five
films in which he appeared with Barry Fitzgerald.  The five are:

1944 Going My Way
1945 Duffy's Tavern
1947 Variety Girl
1947 Welcome Stranger
1949 Top o' the Morning

The Duffy's Tavern notation may be a surprise to many of us.  Written by
Abe Burrows, it starred Ed Gardner as Archie, and the (first) Crosby
Clan:  Bing, Dennis, Gary, Lindsay, and Phillip!
It was replete with great character actors including Walter Abel, Robert
Benchley, William Bendix, Eddie Bracken, Charlie Cantor, Cass Daley, Howard
da Sylva, Billy deWolfe, William Demarest, and a huge cast, probably
everyone under contract to Paramount at the time!  I'd love to obtain a video!

Barry Fitzgerald's real name was William Joseph Shields.  His brother was
actor Arthur Shields, who played many characters similar to those portrayed
by his busier brother.    Both were born in Dublin, Ireland.  They appeared
together in a few films.  But before someone asks, Arthur Shields did NOT
appear in any film with Bing Crosby!

Happy New Year to all!
Lee Munsick

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

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 14:01:00 -0500
From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Dragnet--help!!

Hey [removed]

I'm writing an article on the history of Dragnet, to
coincide with the new TV [removed] looking for an
expert or two on the [removed] anybody here IS
[removed] knows who might be good, can you email
me off list [removed] is of the essence.  [removed]

chris

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #7
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