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

[removed] Digest				Volume 96 : Issue 290

Table Of Contents: 

	 KFI On-Air Personalities
	 AMC list?
	 What Call Letters Mean
	 Burke and Hare
	 Fibber & Molly's Maid
	 Favorite Story Episode
	 Remember WENN episodes
	 New York radio
	 The Cisco Kid
	 Subjects that don't "resonate"
	 Benny's violin

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 12:44:59 -0700
From: "Eugene F. Kasper" <efk0490@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: KFI On-Air Personalities
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I'm actually enjoying the threads involving KFI.  I grew up in the Los 
Angeles area (well after the golden age of radio) and KFI was my 
favorite station.

I remember David Starling's programs, but whatever happened to Dick 
Sinclair?  He was all over KFI's schedules and struck me as an extremely 
personable and friendly and enthusiastic personality.

Chuck Cecil ran "The Swinging Years" on KFI (including a Saturday night 
program which included -- well into the middle '60s -- live pickups from 
the Hollywood Palladium (Lawrence Welk) and the Coconut Grove (I think) 
(Freddie Martin).  I understand Mr Cecil is still running his program on 
another LA station. 

One more on call [removed] NBC television station in LA was KRCA 
until sometime in the '60s when it became KNBC (...makes sense).  Last 
time I was in LA (a few weeks ago) the callsign KRCA has be reassigned 
to an independent TV station in the same area.  Possible confusion for 
historians unless they're aware!

Regards.

Gene Kasper

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 13:50:59 -0600
From: Chet Cox <CHCOX@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: AMC list?
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

Bruce, you made mention of an American Movie Classics list in a recent
OTR Digest.  Could I ask if you have, and would share, a subscribing
address?  Thanks (if you have it)!

*jeep!
~~~~Chet
---------------------------------------------------
quote of the day: "Vote for the man who promises least - 
he'll be the least disappointing."  -- Bernard Baruch

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 17:16:56 -0400
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: What Call Letters Mean
Message-ID: <960819171655_263463787@[removed]>

I'm fairly sure this line of chat has been on Oldtime Radio before I signed
on, but can we do it again? Like WSM means "We Shield Millions", WLS"
"World's Largest Store", WNEW: Newyork Ed Wynn; WSB: 'Welcome South Brother",
WIOD: 'Wonderful Isle of Dreams", WGN: "World's Greatest Newspaper", WMCA:
"(Hotel) Mc Alpin", WOR: "World of Radio", WTIC: "Travelers' Insurance
Company", WLAC: Life And Casualty, WFBL (Syracuse): "First Broadcast
License", WEVD: "Eugene V. Debbs", WGY: G: "General Electric"; Y:
"Schenectady", etc.

But did KFI mean anything; WJZ? WEAF? WMC? WHN? WBT? WBZ? KDKA? (WHAM,
Rochester means "wham.")

BILL KNOWLTON: "BLUEGRASS RAMBLE", WCNY (Central New York), Syracuse NY
(since 1973)

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 16:42:41 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Larry T. Lewis" <mfltl@[removed]>
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Burke and Hare
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

I remember hearing, when I was a kid, two episodes of programs
that have remained in my memory, but I don't know on which
programs they were boradcast.

The first was a story about two grave robbers, called Burke and
Hare.  This was a true story and it chronicles the doings of
said Burke and Hare.  The episode was entitled, appropriately
enough, "If a body need a doby call Burke and Hare'.  Does 
anyone know what program this might have been on?

The other story was about a ghost train. And that is all I can
remember.  I suspect that it was on a program called 
House of Mystery.  Anyone have any info on this one

Regards,

Larry Lewis            Internet: mfltl@[removed]
Geography  Department  Bitnet: mfltl@[removed]
Western Illinois Univ  Phone: (309) 298-1764
Macomb, IL 61455                  

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 18:05:51 -0400
From: "Michael A. Carraher" <carraher@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Fibber & Molly's Maid
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

>Now, regarding Fibber McGee and Molly, and how they could have a maid 
>despite living in otherwise modest circumstances . . .

In early episodes with "Beulah" Molly and others often mentioned that
Beulah is "with us" on Tuesday ([removed], worked for the McGee's one day a
week).  Beulah was with Fibber and Molly from January, 1944 until July,
1945 -- when "she" (the character was originally played by a White male,
Marlin Hurt) got "her" own show -- and full time employment with the
Henderson family.

It was not uncommon at that time for middle class families to have
"help" one (or more) days a week.  Partly this reflects lower salaries. 
Partly it reflects the no one (including Attorney-General Designates)
had to pay into Social Security for domestic employees.  And partly it
reflects that families hired individuals to help perform tasks now done
by corporations ([removed], Day Care Centers rather than nannies, take-out
and restaurant meals rather than a cook).

Fibber McGee's occupation?  Probably the same as Ozzie Nelson's.

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 23:52:17 GMT
From: j_jake_g@[removed] (James J. Gray)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Favorite Story Episode
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

I just finished listening to a FAVORITE STORY episode entitled "Moby Dick".
 I was really shocked when I heard it.  Besides being an OTR enthusiast, I
love Star Trek, and recently watched the movie "Star Trek the Wrath of
Khan".  Now, what really gave me a start while listening to "Moby Dick" was
the way William Conrad (Captain Ahab) delivered his lines while searching
for old Moby.  With just a bit of dialogue change, it sounded very much
like Ricardo Manteban (Khan) as he searched for Captain Kirk in the nebula.
 Does anyone out there know if Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek,
borrowed some of the dialogue and method of delivery from "Moby Dick" to
use it in "ST Wrath of Khan"? 
 
Jim from San Antonio

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

Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 21:01:51 -0400
From: DiReilly@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Remember WENN episodes
Message-ID: <960819210150_505224498@[removed]>

This is a list of "Remember WENN" episodes according to AMC's site at
[removed] They list the episodes through the last
four, so the episode titles for those with an asterisk (*) are my own. <g>
I've included short sentence synopses just so you can identify which episode
is which. The web site includes more detailed versions.

I. "On the Air" - the pilot episode. Betty's arrival and introduction of
cast.

II. "Klondike 9366" - the talk radio episode. Celia's introduction.

III. "A Rock and a Soft Place" - Acton Coal vs. the Pittsburgh Public Library

IV. "There But for the Grace" - Grace Cavendish puts in an appearance at
WENN.

V. "Sight Unseen" - Mackie tries to be the Vagabond for his blind fan.

VI. "Emperor Smith" - a black actor subs for Mackie as the mysterious Lord
Branley.

VII. "Who's Minding the Asylum" - the "second string" fills in while everyone
is away at a radio convention.

VIII. "Armchair Detective" - a convict wants WENN to reenact his case and
find a different ending.

IX. "Hilary Booth, Registered Nurse" - Hilary thinks she's one of her
characters -- Jane Timmons, a World War I registered nurse.

*X. "The Kiss of the Rajah" - a film director wants the WENN cast to finish
Rudolf Valentino's last film.

*XI. "Under New Management" - Scott Sherwood shows up to take over the reins
of station manager.

*XII. "Quiz Show" - Scott Sherwood rigs a phony quiz show.

*XIII. "World of Tomorrow" - the season finale. While the cast does a
broadcast for the World's Fair, the Blitz starts in London.

For those interested in awards and whatnot, "Remember WENN" has been
nominated for two Emmys -- Best costume design and Best Guest Actress. The
actress was the lady who played Celia's "mother" in a "Rock and a Soft
Place".

Diana Reilly
direilly@[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 00:53:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: "'A. Joseph Ross'" <lawyer@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: New York radio
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

> Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 22:58:15 -0400
> From: bilj@[removed] (Bill Jaker)
> To: [removed]@[removed]
> Cc: vintage@[removed]
> Subject: New York radio
> Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> WEAF changed call letters to WNBC on 2 November 1946 at 6:00 PM.  Four hours 
> later WABC became WCBS.  WNBC was called WRCA from 18 October 1954 till 20 
> March 1960, when it became WNBC again.

It might also be noted that there was no ABC network until 1943.  When did
WJZ become WABC?

======================================================================
A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                                      617/367-0468
15 Court Square                                   lawyer@[removed]
Boston, MA 02108-2573                    [removed]~lawyer/
======================================================================

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

Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 00:53:50 -0400
From: John Koppel <[removed]@[removed]>
To: otr <otr@[removed]>
Subject: The Cisco Kid
Message-ID: <199608200054_MC1-88C-53C0@[removed]>

Hello fellow OTR Digest readers.  I have a few Cisco Kid shows and as I
listen to them I have noticed that there is no sponsor in any of these
shows.  My question is, were there ever any sponsors for the Cisco Kid or
was it an Armed Forces program that did not have any commercials?

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

Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 00:59:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: "'A. Joseph Ross'" <lawyer@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Subjects that don't "resonate"
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

> Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 20:16:23 -0500 (CDT)
> From: barrym <barrym@[removed]>
> To: [removed]@[removed]
> Subject: Going with the flowing
> Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> I'm one of those that the thread about clear stations didn't resonate
> with, so, after realizing that, I just skipped over those articles.
> I didn't resent them or feel that they were out of place.
> 
> I do agree that that's probably a fringe area for the discussion but
> what's wrong with that?  Are we looking for the lowest common
> denominator?  We've done a lot of drifting from time to time but we
> always come back to the center before long.  That makes a lot of
> sense to me.  We stay on the main road and get to see a lot of the
> interesting side roads too.

Agreed.  I happen to be one of those who liked the discussion about clear
channel radio stations.  And New York radio stations.  And Ovaltine and
Bosco.  And Howdy Doody, for that matter.  But there have been no small
number of discussions on here that I didn't have much interest in.  I
especially dislike paging through long lists of episodes of programs. 

Well, so what?  I recognize that there are other people around here who
like the things that I don't.  So long as I find enough around here that
interests me, it's worth my while to subscribe.  (For that matter, if
I liked =everything= on the Digest, I wouldn't have time to read it all
anyway.)

======================================================================
A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                                      617/367-0468
15 Court Square                                   lawyer@[removed]
Boston, MA 02108-2573                    [removed]~lawyer/
======================================================================

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

Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:52:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Keith Houdeshell <khowdy@[removed]>
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Benny's violin
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Recently while listening to a Jack Benny show featuring Mel Blank as the
violin teacher, I wondered if it were actually Jack playing the violin.  Did
he put down his script and play or was it played by a member of the band?
What about the times during the commercials with the sportsmen when he was
featured with the violin?

On a different subject, on last week's Remember WENN they mentioned FM
Radio, I was under the impression that Armstrong developed it during the war
years and it would not have been around in 1939. When was FM first developed?

Thanks

Keith Houdeshell




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End of [removed] Digest V96 Issue #290
*******************************************

