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

[removed] Digest				Volume 96 : Issue 353

Table Of Contents: 

	 Lionel Barrymore as Scrooge
	 One Man's Family Family Reunion
	 Smudge
	 I've Been Silent Lately; Bester; Baseball
	 Re: BILL JOHNSTONE/Dennis De Marco's query
	 Freberg censor
	 WHORF--BEEMER
	 Gotham Radio Players appearances
	 Paul Weston
	 Re: Jack Armstrong
	 Pat Novak
	 That's Rich
	 Beanie & Cecil

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 11:57:09 -0500 (CDT)
From: Bruce Toews <toews@[removed]>
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Lionel Barrymore as Scrooge
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

I believe Lionel Barrymore was a Christmas-time staple on the Mercury 
Theatre as Scrooge. Our local OTR-broadcasting station broadcast an 
incredibly high-quality copy of the 1939 version of this show on 
Christmas Eve as part of their Christmas Eve OTR special. Actually, come 
to think of it, I think it was the Campbell's theatre or something to 
that effect. It was hosted by Orson Wells, I know that.

Bruce

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 12:46:41 -0500 (CDT)
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

As you may have seen in earlier posts, the One Man's Family Family
(OMFF), a group of devotees and supporters of the collection and 
maintenance of OMF materials and programs, has scheduled its first
"family reunion" on Sunday, November 10th in Los Angeles in connection 
with the annual meeting of SPERDVAC.  According to Mike Sprague, 
president of the group, there are some 10 actors who appeard on the 
program scheduled to meet with OMFF members to share memories in the 
spirit of the Carlton E. Morse series.  

We encourage anyone interested in additional information to direct 
inquiries to: 

                       Mike Sprague       HRRMIKES@[removed]

We anticipate an enthusiastic group of OMF supporters to contact us for 
additional information as required.

Jim Ouzts

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 96 13:17 CDT
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed]>
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Smudge
Message-Id: <m0v5yX0-000k2QC@[removed]>

The esteemed Lois Culver wrote:
>The early
>frost warnings, when I first was in Los Angeles, was a signal for the
>thousands of smudge pots to be lighted in the [removed] the skies were
>filled with the oily smudge for days!

Which brings to mind this exchange from one of the first OTR records I ever
owned:
Kraft Music Hall, 1948:
Al Jolson:  I don't know why they're doing all that smudging anyway.  This
morning I squeezed an orange, and instead of juice, I got cinders!
Groucho Marx:  You should have seen what I squeezed this [removed]
of my wife, I got the maid.
Al:  You oughta be more careful, Groucho!
GM:  Yes, I might get my wife sometime.  (Jolson cracks up.)




John Henley
jhenley@[removed]
ph  (512) 495-4112
fax (512) 495-4296

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 17:14:00 -0400
From: Bigkids@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: I've Been Silent Lately; Bester; Baseball
Message-ID: <960925171400_293129292@[removed]>

I've been silent lately and, I'll confess, not even been keeping up with
reading the Digest regularly. Have been jamming seven days a week, trying to
finish the first draft of my next novel. As things stand, the manuscript is
300 pages in length, against a target of 330, so I'm pretty much into the
home stretch, and rewarding myself with the pleasure of actually
participating in the Digest today.

The book is THE RADIO RED KILLER, and takes place in and around a radio
station called KRED ("Keep Radio Educational and Democratic"). Lots of fun!
(And tentatively scheduled for publication in October 1997, so don't hold
your breath.)

But to revert back to a couple of threads of recent weeks:

(1) Alfred Bester. Yes, this was the same Alfred Bester who wrote for the
comic books in the 1940s. He did Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, and a
creation of his own called Genius Jones, in addition to other work. He wrote
for the pulp magazines, was a leading travel writer, and authored about half
a dozen novels including two science fiction classics, THE DEMOLISHED MAN and
THE STARS MY DESTINATION.

He was immensely talented, a sort of "Golden Boy" all his life. He started
his career as a teenager by winning a prize for amateur science fiction
writers, sponsored by *Thrilling Wonder Stories,* and from there he never
looked back. I think he might have accomplished more if things had not come
to him quite so easily -- maybe that's just the Puritan Ethic bubbling up --
but if he'd had to reach down and really sweat it out, he might have produced
even more and/or better works than he did. But in any case, he left behind a
lot of good stuff . . . including OTR.

(2) Baseball. Pardon me if someone has mentioned this during my recent
absence, but there was a terrific Superman sequence involving baseball, circa
1950. My recollection is that Lex Luthor had got his hands on some
Kryptonite, rendered Supie helpless with it, and while Superman was weakened,
Luthor managed to induce amnesia in him. (Ah, what a wonderful chestnut
amnesia was!)

Somehow Superman escaped from Luthor. Once he was out of range of the
Kryptonite he regained his super powers, but for some reason not his memory.

So here's this strapping fellow wandering down a country road. Meets the
proverbial baseball scout who discovers that he can throw *really* hard.
Signs him to a contract as a pitcher. Superman didn't remember his name, but
everyone had been calling him Bud so he decided his name must be Bud. And in
due course he made his professional debut as a pitcher named Bud Smith.

You'll have to forgive *my* amnesia, but I don't remember how the sequence
ended. Obviously, though, Superman would have regained his memory in some
fashion, and given up his baseball career because he was needed to Fight
Crime. Also, it wasn't really fair to use his superpowers to throw a baseball
so hard nobody could hit it -- or, if anyone accidentally got his bat on the
ball, the bat would break.

Now that I think of it, I have a feeling that Lois Lane went to the ballgame
one day, maybe with Jimmy Olsen, and saw "Bud Smith" pitching. She recognized
him as Superman and reminded him, after the game, of who he was, and that
brought back his memory. Or am I imagining that?

In any case, I remember the Bud Smith sequence as being terrific. If anyone
has this sequence on tape, maybe you'll dub copies for me. But -- do I really
want to hear 'em, or are my glowing memories better than the reality?

-----------

And now, alas, I must sign off the Digest and return to Studio B at KRED,
where someone is very, very dead.

It may be some weeks before I can start participating in the Digest again on
more than rare occasions. But I'll be around, lurking if nothing else, and
sooner or later I'll be back actively.

Dick Lupoff

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 19:23:11 -0400
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: BILL JOHNSTONE/Dennis De Marco's query
Message-ID: <960925192309_293222379@[removed]>

Bill Johnstone began his acting career at NYC's Guild Theatre (carrying a
spear opposite Helen Hayes in the Theatre Guild production of "Anthony and
Cleopatra") and later appeared on Broadway in "Garrick Gaieties of 1926" and
played the title role in E. E. Cummings' "Him" at the Provincetown Playhouse.
  Bill's friend Allyn Joslyn recommended Johnstone to radio directors in the
early 1930s.  One of Bill's first recurring assignments was playing
supporting roles opposite Frank Readick on CBS's THE SHADOW.  He became a
regular on MARCH OF TIME and CAVALCADE OF AMERICA and moved to the West Coast
with the latter show in 1943.   In California, Johnstone was soon heard in
supporting roles on many episodes of LUX, starring roles on SUSPENSE and THE
WHISTLER.  He made a few films (some Westerns as I recall), is seen but not
heard as one of John Archer's G-Men in Bob Hope's MY FAVORITE SPY) and
portrayed John Astor in the 1953 film, TITANIC (starring Barbara Stanwyck,
Clifton Webb and Allyn Joslyn withe Frances "Mrs. Edgar" Bergen as Mrs.
Astor).  Bill Johnstone portrayed THE WHISTLER in the 1948 national season of
that series (sponsored by HFC) while Bill Forman continued in the West
Coast's Signal Oil version.  Some of his finest California work was as the
star of Blake Edward's THE LINEUP  which ended its run on my 1st birthday,
February 20, 1953.  Bill moved back to NYC in 1955 and began a 23-year run as
patriarch Judge Lowell on television's AS THE WORLD TURNS" (1955-1978).  Bill
has been married since the 1930s to Georgia, a former ballerina who was Agnes
Moorehead's personal secretary for more than three decades.  Johnstone is
alive and well but has no interest in reliving the past or attending OTR
conventions (unfortunately).  I did interview Johnstone about 15 years ago
and some of Bill's comments are featured in my new audio documentary, "Voices
from the Shadows."  I've never heard anyone from radio say a bad word about
Bill Johnstone.  He was (and is) one of "the good guys" and is entitled to
enjoy his retirement.    

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 09:35:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: roy547@[removed] (Roy Trumbull)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Freberg censor
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Length:         78

With regard to the Freberg Elderly Man River, it
was the CBS censor; not NBC.

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 19:23:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: BURT WILSON <futurecon@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: WHORF--BEEMER
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Has anyone else noticed the remarkable resemblance of the voice and speech
patter of Whorf, the Klingon on Star Trek, and Brace Beemer as the Lone Ranger.
It's almost as if Whorf went to school on him.  His pauses in the same
places as Beemer and gives out and occasional "uuuh", as if he's thinking
about something.
I can't get over how close they are!
Burt Wilson

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

Date: 25 Sep 96 22:57:40 EDT
From: Steve Lewis <[removed]@[removed]>
To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed]>
Subject: Gotham Radio Players appearances
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

For those fans of the Gotham Radio Players out there, here are some of our
upcoming appearances in the New York City Metropolitan area:

Saturday, September 28th:  7:00pm  
We will be taking part in a gala performance to benefit the Cathedral of St.
John The Divine, along with some of the area's most talented operatic, jazz,
classical, and R&B artists.  For our part of the program, the Gotham Players
will recreate a classic 1946 visit with everyone's favorite married couple, THE
BICKERSONS.   For ticket information, call 212-316-7483 or 212-316-7490.

Friday, October 18th:  1:00pm
The Gotham Radio Players will once again be appearing at the Friends of Old-Time
Radio Convention, but with a decided change of pace.  "Tootsie Rolls, America's
best known [removed] [removed] America's best known [removed] DICK TRACY!"
in "The Case of the Blackmailing Swami". This exciting lost episode is from the
1946 half-hour evening series, which was scripted by Sidney Slon.  For further
information about the convention, contact Jay Hickerson at JAYHICK@[removed]

Sunday, October 27th:  7:30pm 
What would Halloween be without the Gotham Players recreating a lost 1939
episode from LIGHTS OUT?  This year, our fourth, the tale is "Murder Mind",
written by famed horror writer Hobart Donavan.  It's part of the Max Schmid's
THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, at [removed] FM.

On behalf of Max and all the rest of the Gotham Radio Players, I hope you'll be
listening!

Steve Lewis (director)
  

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 23:25:53 -0400
From: JRayb71827@[removed]
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Paul Weston
Message-ID: <960925232552_529902769@[removed]>

Somewhere in a poorly filed pile, I have an old 78 record on which he was
listed as Paul Wetstein.  The comedy record with his wife, Jo Stafford, was
labeled facetiously as being by Jonathan and Darlene Edwards and it's
hilarious.  This excellent musician did some horrendous things to the piano
and Jo's off-key singing took a real pro.  It's kind of like the clown in a
gymnastics or diving act.  They have to be the best and anyone would be
hard-put to think of another couple who could so completely dismember some
great songs.  "I Love Paris" will particularly make even the most tone deaf
among us cringe in horror coupled with delight.  Paul and Jo saw to it that
the stuff has been reissued on the Corinthian label.  Of course, Jo had also
displayed her comedic ability on the better known "Tim-tay-shun" that she cut
as Cinderella G. Stump with Red Ingle.

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 23:41:11 -0400
From: Neubacher@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Jack Armstrong
Message-ID: <960925234110_293511883@[removed]>

I remember Jack Armstrong, and I know there is at least one commercial tape
with a single episode of a multi-part serial.  I don't have the company name
handy however.
As an aside, there was a 15 chapter Saturday movie matinee made of Jack
Armstrong which was the first one that I was ever able to completely see.  It
was made in the late 1940's just prior to the first Superman serial.

Bill Neubacher
NEUBACHER@[removed]

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

Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 23:43:54 -0400
From: charlie <scharlie@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Pat Novak
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I have listened to some of the Pat Novak programs and thought the dialogue
was wonderful, especially the similes.  I cannot imagine anyone delivering
some of those lines any better than Jack Webb.  If you can remember some of
the more amusing lines, they would make a great post to the otr digest!  I
remember one scene (no simile here) where Pat Novak was following an ugly
woman.  He was in a bus station when she went into a phone booth.  A crowd
passed in front of him and the woman didn't come out.  When he went to
investigate, she fell out of the booth dead.  A bystander asked him if she
was his wife and he said something to the effect that if she was his wife,
that's was the way he'd want her to be.

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

Date: 25 Sep 96 23:51:28 EDT
From: Steve Lewis <[removed]@[removed]>
To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed]>
Cc: Mark Ressor <hermonimous@[removed]>
Subject: That's Rich
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

>>Someone mentioned that Stan Freberg was well known to radio audiences >>before
his show ran because of his appearances on 'That's Rich.' Are >>any of these
shows available; besides his CBS show, did he appear on >>any others that are
available?

There are probably about a dozen THAT'S RICH episodes available out there, 
though I have yet to find copies of them that are not in very muffled sound
quality.  It's a fun show, though, and definitely worth listening to if you're a
Freberg fan.

There are also a pair of 1947 Freberg appearances on the HENRY MORGAN SHOW
available to collectors.  And there's also an excellent installment of the CBS
RADIO WORKSHOP called "An Analysis of Satire" which Stan hosts and illustrates
with short comedy sketches.

Steve Lewis
 

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

Date: 25 Sep 96 23:51:19 EDT
From: Steve Lewis <[removed]@[removed]>
To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed]>
Cc: Burt Wilson <futurecon@[removed]>
Subject: Beanie & Cecil
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

>>If I'm not mistaken, Stan got his start in TV, well before his radio >>days.
He played the part of "Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent" in the >>"Time For Beanie"
kids show that came out of San Francisco in the >>very early 50's--I think it
was KRON TV.  Anyway, the show was live >>and full of great wisecracks.  I
wonder if thereare any kinescopes of >>that show around.

There's one kinoscope of BEANIE & CECIL in the viewing collection of the Museum
of Television and Radio in New York City (and, I assume, also in Los Angeles).
I've seen it twice now, and it looks like both Stan and Daws Butler are having a
field day with the adlibs flying back and forth.

Steve Lewis

  




--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V96 Issue #353
*******************************************

