Subject: [removed] Digest V2001 #380
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 11/28/2001 2:52 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2001 : Issue 380
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Jack Benny on MP3?                    [ "Dixon H. Chandler II" <dchandler@n ]
  obit, Peggy Chantler Dick             [ John Henley <jhenley@[removed] ]
  First Piano Quartet                   [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
  Don Wilson                            [ William Harker <wharker@[removed] ]
  Lum and Abner and Horlicks            [ "[removed]" <swells@[removed]; ]
  Re:Hopefully, my last Rio Volt quest  [ passage@[removed] ]
  Lone Ranger Classic                   [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
  First Piano Quartet                   [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
  Re: Dramatized Commercials            [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
  First Piano Quartet/Lone Ranger       [ "Joe Salerno" <sergei01@[removed] ]
  cataloging your collection            [ "Joe Salerno" <sergei01@[removed] ]
  RE: Ref Rio Volt                      [ "Robert Yellen" <ryellen@[removed]; ]
  [removed] Kaltenborn                       [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  OTR mouse pads                        [ JJLjackson@[removed] ]
  Opening lines                         [ "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@hotmail. ]
  NEW PLAYS ABOUT WELLES/JOLSON         [ "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
  Christmas Carol                       [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
  Authors?                              [ Kubelski@[removed] ]
  Rolf Petersen                         [ Bill Beard <wnbeard@[removed]; ]
  Re: It's a Wonderful Life PBS Produc  [ Wich2@[removed] ]
  Johnny's $79 vacuum                   [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
  Re: First Piano Quartet question?     [ Larry Groebe <lgroebe@[removed]; ]

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 09:22:23 -0500
From: "Dixon H. Chandler II" <dchandler@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Jack Benny on MP3?

Does anybody have a complete (that is, complete of all circulating) set of
Jack Benny shows in MP3 format?  I'd like to give this to a friend for xmas.
I have a fair amount on cassette, but am not currently set up to make
cassette to MP3 transfers.  Please respond offlist to:
dchandler@[removed]

Thanks,

-dc

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 09:48:06 -0500
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: obit, Peggy Chantler Dick

AP reports the death on Nov. 20 of Peggy Chantler Dick, age 78,
in Santa Monica.  According to the obit most of her achievements
were in TV - she was a co-creater of the TV versions of "Dennis
the Menace" and "Hazel," as well as writing for "The Courtship
of Eddie's Father," "Bewitched" and "The Farmer's Daughter."

However, the obit also states that before any of that, she "interned
with the writing team of the 'Edgar Bergen Radio Comedy Hour'"
which I take to be the mid-50s hourlong Bergen show.  She married
Douglas Dick in 1963 so I presume she did her radio writing as
Peggy Chantler.

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

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 10:51:17 -0500
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: First Piano Quartet

To answer Dick Wamser's question, at least in part.  I do not know if there
are recordings extant of the First Piano Quartet radio program.  Jay
Hickerson's listings would answer, if such is available.

Most certainly there are recordings of this Quartet, which I suspect
changed personnel over the years.  If I recall, there were a number of LPs
on RCA Victor (some if not all probably transcriptions from 78 rpm).  I
have several, but they are still packed away due to our move, along with
Jay's excellent resource and numerous other reference items I miss
dearly.  I'll get to them yet!

Yes, there were four pianos, and they sounded great!  One of my favorites
is the Chopin "Black Keys Etude".  Imagine, all four pianists just playing
on the black keys!  Wonderful!

One wonders if there was a "Left-Handed Piano Quartet".  Let's see:  Jimmy
Durante, Alec Templeton,  Chico Marx, and Victor Borge.   [removed] would
be craaaaaazy!

Lee Munsick    That Godfrey Guy

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 10:51:23 -0500
From: William Harker <wharker@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Don Wilson

Can anyone provide me Don Wilson's (Jack Benny's announcer) birthplace and
birth year?

Thank you.

Bill Harker

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 11:11:18 -0500
From: "[removed]" <swells@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Lum and Abner and Horlicks

Dick asks:
    Why was the plug for Horlicks missing, and why didn't the actual program
expand enough to fill the void?

    Well, I may not have the authoritative answer but I do know that in the
early 70's Chet Lauck (Lum, etc) and Norris Goff (Abner,etc) had their own
personal collection of transcriptions re-recorded in the hope that they
could be sold into syndication, the original commercials deleted. From what
I recall reading, the syndication idea didn't really catch on.
    As for the shows and Chet & Tuffy being nearly all of the voices, that
is indeed true. Chet played Lum, Grandpappy, Cedric, etc, and Tuffy played
Abner, Squire Skimp, Mousey Gray, Dick Huddleston, etc. They truly possessed
great talent.
    For a show to have lasted nearly 25 years on radio, off and on, that is
some accomplishment.
Shawn

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 11:35:32 -0500
From: passage@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re:Hopefully, my last Rio Volt question

Bryan wrote:
Well, I finally decided to purchase a Rio Volt portable MP3 CD
player. <snip> I thought I'd run it by y'all first. Any info is
[removed]

The SP-100 is their original player and has been around a while.
You can upgrade it's firmware by downloading whatever's new
from RioVolt's web site.  However, you have to burn it onto a
CD and run the CD in the RioVolt to do the update.

The SP-90 and SP-250 (Jr. and Sr., I'm guessing) are brand
new models, that came out in September this year.  The SP-90
is not upgradable, the SP-250 is.  Upgrade for the SP-250 works
the same as the SP-100.

I've heard comments about the SP-100 being not so rugged.  I
haven't seen one but have seen and held the SP-250.  It seems
pretty rugged to me, about the same as other CD players (not the
cheapie ones).  It does seem to be made fairly well.  No doubt
about it, it is pricy and more so due to the inclusion of the FM
radio.

I'd suspect the SP-90 and SP-250 have improvements over the
SP-100, but if you think the upgrade option is important and
you don't want the radio, the SP-100 is the way to go.

By the way, the Soul player is virtually identical to the SP-100.

Frank

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 11:36:09 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lone Ranger Classic

Edwin Ortiz asks of The Lone Ranger,

i was wondering if someone can list the top ten or so best shows.

Good howling golly!!  There are so many really good LR shows that the Top
Ten -- or Top 40 -- might be all over the map.  However, IMHO, there's
one LR show that crystallizes the legend nicely.

That's the show about the construction of the Transcontinental Telegraph.
 I'll go into my reasons.  (For those unfamiliar with the show, there are
two parallel stories going on: one out West where a construction engineer
is in charge of laying out the telegraph wires, and his interaction with
local American Indians; the other, at Washington, [removed], where Abraham
Lincoln is coping with the fortunes of the Civil War.  The Lone Ranger's
help to the construction engineer impacts both events.)  The story
provides a good measure of history, more than a passing glance at
economics and currency, a sympathetic look at the plight of an Indian
tribe, and a good boost to the idea of using technology to help solve
problems constructively and peacefully.  All this in a single half-hour
episode that is utterly faithful to the legend of The Lone Ranger.  I
consider that particular show the quintessence of the Lone Ranger mythos.

I also have another question is the episode the return of cavendish the
same story as the origin of the lone ranger.

Well, it was a good show, too, and it recapitulates the origin story.

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:43:11 -0500
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: First Piano Quartet

Dick Wamser asked about the First Piano Quartet.  I remember listening to
that program as a child, collector of classical music.  Jay Hickerson's
Ultimate history of network radio [removed]" shows that those four
pianists (I suppose on four different pianos) aired from 1941 to 1953 on NBC
Blue and NBC as a 15:00 program, various days of the week.  Their theme song
was from Rachmaninov's "Variations on a theme of Paganini."  Jay says there
are 2 programs available.  Some kind person on this list sent me a cassette
of several of their performances on 78 rpm discs.

Ted Kneebone
1528 S. Grant St., Aberdeen, SD 57401 / 605-226-3344
OTR:  [removed]

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:53:41 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Dramatized Commercials

dick wasmer wrote:

I've been listening to some early Lum and Abner from 1935.  From
January to mid July, Horlicks Malted Milk sponsored the show.  I
was surprised to find that there were two actors doing the
commercials, and two others doing the rest of the voices for the
actual program.  This seemed to me to be a rather extravagant way
of presenting the product.

"Dramatized Commercials" were a major fad in radio during the
mid-thirties, and were especially common in quarter-hour serial programs
where longer commercials were common. The catalyst for the fad was the
use of dramatized commercials for Pepsodent toothpaste on "Amos 'n' Andy"
beginning in January of 1933 -- where the commercials themselves were
often serialized, telling continued stories of families going to the
dentist that would stretch out over three days. A variety of unbilled
performers would act out these spots, but they were kept totally seperate
from the program itself, and in fact broadcast from an entirely seperate
studio. (After A&A moved to Hollywood,  a number of well-known West Coast
voices appeared in these commercials, including Frank Nelson, Paula
Winslowe, and Jerry Hausner.)

These commercials were soon adopted by Pepsodent's other program, "The
Goldbergs," to promote Pepsodent Antiseptic, and by the middle of the
year, other sponsors were rushing to adopt the idea for themselves --
although few were ambitious enough to try to turn the commercials
themselves into a serial. The dramatized Horlicks' spots on "Lum and
Abner" were very typical of the genre.

The Pepsodent commercials inspired a backlash as well -- because they
frequently presented actors as  "dentists" extolling the product.
Complaints from the American Dental Association led NBC to adopt a clause
in its Standards and Practices to prohibit the impersonation of doctors,
dentists, or other professionals in commercials: any medical claims would
have to be presented by actual members of the medical profession,
speaking in person in the studio.

In some of the mid August shows I'm currently listening to,
Horlicks is still the official sponsor, but there are no actual
plugs for the product.  Pre recorded organ music replaces it.  Two
questions.

Why was the plug for Horlicks missing, and why didn't the actual
program expand enough to fill the void?

I believe these particular August 1935 programs were reconstructed from
edited reissues originally prepared by Lauck Enterprises for local
syndication.  During the 1980s, the entire 1935 run of episodes was only
available as reissues, with commercials deleted and the "That's our
ring!" opening and 1941-vintage theme music added. However, the bulk of
the run surfaced several years ago as original 1935 extension-spotting
disks, complete with commercials and original music. These episodes
duplicated most of the previously-circulating run, but were missing
several of the August shows. Someone along the line has taken the
reissues, cut off the "That's our ring" opening and theme music, and
dubbed in the Horlick's opening and correct pre-1941 theme. However,
because the commercials were different with every episode, it would have
been impossible to reconstruct them -- so they were replaced with music
fill. If you listen closely to these shows you can often hear the butt
where the edits were made.

Some of the dates given for the 1935 Horlicks shows seem very
questionable to me -- there are certain day-of-the-week discrepancies
between those currently attatched to the programs and references in the
programs themselves ("Join us next [removed]" announcements where,
according to the calendar, they shouldn't be). Has anyone ever actually
checked these episodes against the actual scripts to verify the true
dates?

Elizabeth

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:52:22 -0500
From: "Joe Salerno" <sergei01@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: First Piano Quartet/Lone Ranger

While listening to a Philip Marlow show from February 1950, I heard
a plug for the next program: the "FIRST PIANO QUARTET."

I suspect that this was an actual four piano program.  Four pianos
at one time? Four pianos in different locations?

What was the scope and length of the series?  Who were the pianists?  Do
recordings of these programs exist?

The quartet was active in the 40s, recorded for Victor. I have 4 Department
of State transcriptions of their performances which I just got a few days
ago and haven't even played yet. I also have one program on cassette and an
LP. I'd tell you the date if I could lay my hands on the cassette at the
momemnt but it is in hiding. If I could put my hands on one of the 78 sets
or the LP I could tell you their names. They all played together, 4 pianos
at one time. 4 pianos can make a big sound. Imagine how long it takes to
tune 4 pianos together. Some of the arrangements were delightful. Mostly
classical or light classical, some show tunes. I first encuontered them when
I was a child on one of their RCA 78 sets, playing Chopin and Lecuona.
Currently there is a 45 up for auction on ebay. You can search and find it.

Lone Ranger: the "Luther Jones" episode from the Mark 56 LP. I do not know
the date but this is the most interesting LR ep I have ever heard and also
one of the longest, even with no commercials.

Joe Salerno

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 13:28:36 -0500
From: "Joe Salerno" <sergei01@[removed];
To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: cataloging your collection

What databases have you discovered for cataloging an OTR collection?

I am open to suggestions.

Joe Salerno
Video Works! Is it working for you?
PO Box 273405 - Houston TX 77277-3405 [removed] joe@[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:12:25 -0500
From: "Robert Yellen" <ryellen@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: RE: Ref Rio Volt

Bryan wrote

I also remembered that the SP100 that most of you mentioned also benefited
from an upgrade that you downloaded from the site, and I don't know if I'd
need that with any of these models or not. Also, the Rio Volt site now has
an SPX100 for sale, not the SP100. Hmmm. Does the SPX100 need the update,
too, [removed]

I purchased the SPX100 and very satisfied. Wrote Tech Support and they told
me to register it as a SP100 and use that Model for updates. It came with
version [removed] of the software loaded. I donwloaded version [removed] and loaded it
on the Rio with no problems.

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:36:55 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: [removed] Kaltenborn

Being from Milwaukee, I have always had an interest in radio personalities
from Milwaukee and Wisconsin. We have had our share of great ones, in
fact some of the greatest. Orson Welles (Kenosha), Raymond Edward Johnson
(Kenosha), Tommy Bartlett (Milwaukee), etc. However, I want to dwell on one of
the great newscasters who was born and raised in Milwaukee, [removed] Kaltenborn.

Such was the reputation of [removed] Kaltenborn that his wife once said of Orson
Welles 1938 broadcast of 'The War of the Worlds', "Why, how ridiculous,
anybody would of known it was no real war. If it had been, the broadcaster
would have been Hans".

Hans, as his wife so affectionately called him was not only the first radio
commentator in the United States, he became the personification of what an all
American radio commentator was. Millions respected his intelligence, many
important people lionized him, and one president mimicked him.

Hans von Kaltenborn was born in Milwaukee, July 9, 1878. His father was a
Baron, a former Hessian lieutenant, and and alcoholic. His mother died giving
him birth. At the time of his birth he had one sister, Bertha. His father soon
remarried and two sons and a daughter were added to the Kaltenborn family.
When Hans was 13 the family moved to Merrill, a small town in north central
Wisconsin. Although as a youngster in Milwaukee, Hans sold newspapers, it was
in Merrill that he got his start as a reporter. His first job paid him
nothing, but he gained valuable experience. He soon hired as a reporter for
the Merrill Advocate at $[removed] a week.

Upon the outbreak of the Spanish American war Hans enlisted in the army. He
was turned down once for too thin, but after fattening himself up he made it
the second time. While in the army he picked up extra money by sending
dispatches to the Milwaukee Journal and the Merrill Advocate. Because his
German was flawless he also sent dispatches to the Lincoln County Anzeiger in
German.

When Hans got home he decide to pursue a journalistic career in all
seriousness. He got a job at the Brooklyn Eagle where he rose steadily to city
hall reporter. Hans always felt sensitive about his lack of education so at
the age of 27 he enrolled as a special student at Harvard. That one year at
Harvard gave him a desire to continue his education so he enrolled at Harvard
as a regular student. He graduated cum laude in 1909 with a [removed] in Political
Science.

During the early years of World War I, von Kaltenborn, now married and still
working for the Brooklyn Eagle, favored American neutrality. He felt that
England incited the war and he had high regard for German culture. He was,
however, dismayed at Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare. It was for this
reason that he began denouncing the Kaiser and calling for a strong defense
program. Because of strong anti-German sentiment it was at this time that Hans
von Kaltenborn became [removed] Kaltenborn. It was less Germanic.

Kaltenborn's first exposure to radio was in 1921 when the Brooklyn Chamber of
Commerce held a special radio night to demonstrate the new device. Kaltenborn,
himself an enthusiast who owned a crystal set, was the guest speaker.

It was another year before Kaltenborn had another chance at the new medium.
This time it was station WVP and he analyzed a coal strike from the points of
view of a miner, a mine owner and an average citizen. This is acknowledged as
the first analysis of a current news event on radio.

It was another year before he began a weekly half-hour commentary on station
WEAF. While at this stint he criticized many things, including Secretary of
States Hughes for sharply rejecting the Soviet Union's request for diplomatic
recognition. Kaltenborn said that Hughes could have been more courteous and
that the United States could recognize the Communist government without
approving what it stood for. Hughes was furious and he called [removed] & T., the
owner of WEAF, to shut Kaltenborn up. Kaltenborn was told to cease and desist,
he refused. Although Kaltenborn was not fired, WEAF did not renew his contract
when it expired.

On a trip to Germany in 1932 Kaltenborn had a chance to interview Adolph
Hitler who was not quite at his pinnacle of power yet. Kaltenborn found Hitler
simple and sincere. He would regret this early judgment.

On a later trip to Germany in August 1939, one month before the Poland
invasion, the Gestapo met Kaltenborn at the Berlin airport and forced him to
take the next plane to London; they no longer wanted him on German soil.

It was Kaltenborn's wartime broadcasts that have firmly entrenched him in
radio history. In a career that spanned the entire history of radio,
Kaltenborn is best known for his live battlefield broadcast in Spain in 1936,
his twenty day of commentary in 1938 when he virtually had no sleep and the
aforementioned Harry Truman imitation in 1948.

In 1945 Kaltenborn won the annual citation of the DuPont Radio Awards
Foundation. He won major award in 1946 and in 1952 when he was named the Radio
Father of the Year. In 1953 he stopped regular broadcasting, but he would
occasionally offer commentaries on radio and television. This in spite of his
dislike of television. He didn't like television because it forced you to do
things totally unrelated to what you were saying, such as keeping you heel on
a chalk mark on the floor, or making sure you were looking into the right
camera. [removed] Kaltenborn said of television, "It's a bastard art". When he told
a reporter this he was already past 80 and if he chose not to belong to
television. that was [removed] He belonged to radio and a history of radio without
Kaltenborn would not have been a history at all. Kaltenborn lived until he was
nearly 87. He died June 14, 1965. He is buried in Milwaukee next to his
parents. In his eulogy the minister said that [removed] Kaltenborn's life did not
end. It was competed.

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:37:13 -0500
From: JJLjackson@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OTR mouse pads

I've been asked if I know a source for mouse pads with old time radio themes
([removed] The Shadow, etc.) The person inquiring had surfed the internet, but to
no avail.

Any suggestions from the Digesters?

Joy Jackson
Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound
[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 15:59:16 -0500
From: "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Opening lines

I don't believe that this one has been mentioned:

"Yoo-hoo, is anybody?" (Molly Goldberg)

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:37:06 -0500
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: NEW PLAYS ABOUT WELLES/JOLSON

For all of the posters and theatre groups who are currently doing OTR
redreations and new material, there is an excellent site on the internet
that has plays called "Hollywood Legends," and among the plays available are
two one-man plays.  One is a musical called "Al Jolson" that has been
produced in Ft. Lauderdle, Fla.  The other is a one  man play, "Orson
Welles."  These plays werer written by  Michael B. Draxman. and his web site
is:   [removed]~druxy/  which gives a synopsis of the plays and
cost to perform, etc.  Check it out if you are interested.

Owens

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:37:31 -0500
From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Christmas Carol

I was wondering is the only surviving Campbell Soup Christmas Carol with
Lionel Barrimore is the one of 12-24-39?  Happy Holidays,

Walden Hughes

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:37:44 -0500
From: Kubelski@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Authors?

I recieved an inquiry today from a reporter looking for authors living in New
York's Westchest or Putnam counties, or Fairfield Connecticut, who are going
to publish books between December and March.

The book can be on any subject, preferably nonfiction, that would lend itself
to a profile of the author.

If anyone is coming out with an OTR book and fits these criteria, please
e-mail me offline and I'll make an introduction.

Sean Dougherty
kubelski@[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 19:37:58 -0500
From: Bill Beard <wnbeard@[removed];
To: "radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Rolf Petersen

I think he was an Aussie (Oz).
He was very big over there, and did well here.
Bill

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 20:42:37 -0500
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: It's a Wonderful Life PBS Production

I was browsing a well-known auction site tonight and came across an ad for
a program from the December 8th, 1997 PBS production of the original Lux
Radio Theater presentation of It's a Wonderful Life. ... How did I miss it?!
Thanks. Randy Collins.

Dear Randy & all-
Beware!
I'd be interested in what you all think of this production; as a lover of the
movie, & liker of the Lux original, I looked forward to [removed]
It was technically [removed], and some of the cast (Bronson Pinchet, esp.) "got
it" (audio acting, that is) & were great.
BUT several performers, ESPECIALLY Bill Pullman in the lead, treated it as at
best a plain reading, at worst a joke ("After all, it isn't a MOVIE, is
it?"), and were embarrasing to watch.
-Craig Wichman
QUICKSILVER

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:30:10 -0500
From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Johnny's $79 vacuum

While I wasn't around in 1956, so I can't say for sure how much a vacuum
was, one can't forget that Johnny would mercilessly pad his expense
accounts.

"Item [removed]$6.  Drinks.  I needed 'em."


rodney.

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

Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:58:04 -0500
From: Larry Groebe <lgroebe@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: First Piano Quartet question?

Dick wamser asked:

While listening to a Philip Marlow show from February 1950, I heard
a plug for the next program: the "FIRST PIANO QUARTET."

I suspect that this was an actual four piano program.  Four pianos
at one time? Four pianos in different locations?

What was the scope and length of the series?  Who were the pianists?  Do
recordings of
these programs exist?

I have a snippet of information - because the First Piano Quartet recorded
for RCA Victor and I have one of their discs. (They made at least two,
apparently.)

Yes, it's four pianos. The piano players are not named. Instead, the quartet
is described as "Originated by Edwin Fadiman." Now, there is an Edwin
Fadiman  listed as producer for the "Nero Wolfe" radio series of the late
40s, and I'll wager it's the same guy. So is Fadiman a pianist as well, or a
producer who had the idea for the Quartet?

Anyway, my FPQ disc is one of RCA's extended-play classical 45 rpm records,
released during the brief interlude before RCA realized that 33 rpm was not
going away. It contains two arrangements of "Rhapsody in Blue" and "American
in Paris." (The other FPQ album I am aware of is a 12" lp of waltzs)

Liner notes on these 45s are next-to-nonexistant, but the red-vinyl disc
itself is pretty. Oddly enough, "First Piano Quartet" is always referenced
inside quotation marks, and between that and the lack of performers' names,
I'd almost suspect this was some sort of early anonymous multi-tracking
experiment - but that's not likely.

--Larry Groebe
  Dallas TX

--------------------------------
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To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]

To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]