Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #58
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 2/5/2003 4:21 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 58
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Dragnet                               [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      ugly American women before WW-2       [ EdHowell@[removed] ]
      Dragnet (1967-70)                     [ Roo61@[removed] (Randy Watts) ]
      Re: It's in the Book                  [ Ed Foster <erfoster@[removed]; ]
      Thin Man                              [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
      One more Jack Webb comment            [ "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@sbcglob ]
      #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig  [ lois@[removed] ]
      Accents/Dialects                      [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      Memorex #3123 player                  [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      Yet another "remake"                  [ Rob Chatlin <rchatlin@[removed] ]
      Maurice Ellis, RIP                    [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
      Re: Johnny Dollar Theme               [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
      Many thanks                           [ Smzmurphy@[removed] ]
      Shadow Greatest Radio Adventures      [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Chopsticks                            [ leemunsick@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 19:55:49 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Dragnet

    In response to one of my comments about newer productions based upon
    original ones, Steve Kallis wrote:

    "But often the new production uses its predecessor(s) to attract those with
    the fondness of the original to check out the new version."

    and later writes:

    "The ads make it  clear that the producers are trying to play on the memory
    of the original."

    This all goes toward my own opinion that each individual is responsible to
    keep their "crap" detector on and activated at all times and be prepared to
    determine the meaning of such come on's. I might be an exception, but I
    generally try to determine how good a show might be before I go to see it.
    When Woody Allen came out with his "Radio Days" movie, I read what I could
    about it and knew going in that it was one person's nostalgic reminiscences
    of his childhood. Not a film about radio itself.

    To me each person has a responsibility to make such a determination. If
    they don't, then they have no one but themselves to blame and certainly if
    they are swayed by such ads without making a judgement about them, then it
    is their problem. For me the reality is that such come on's are always at
    play in the world of advertising (Steve, I know you were in advertising at
    one time) and I should always make an effort to determine the truth behind
    the ad (admittedly not always an easy task and sometimes more effort that
    it is worth).

    To bring it to radio - even old radio ads, which weren't terribly
    sophisticated (but then neither was their audience) seem at times
    unbelievable upon rearward reflection. I recall one product contained an
    ingredient that was essentially soap by another name - yet advertising made
    it sound like it was something that made their product special. Nothing
    wrong with that but if one bought it instead of another product based
    solely on that, then that is the fault of the buyer, not the advertiser,
    whose job it is to make the product special even if it is inventing a
    special ingredient name for a common ingredient. Admittedly, I possibly
    might have purchased the product, but projecting my own personality into
    it, I hope I would have given it an extra consideration BEFORE I bought it.

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

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

    Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 21:30:09 -0500
    From: EdHowell@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  ugly American women before WW-2

    Roby in Alaska disagrees with me about the new blood being a benefit to the
    beauty of Americans. He was in England I was in the States. I don't know
    about men, never really looked, but the women definitely were more beautiful
    after the GIs brought their foreign wives over and their children grew up.
    Then again, perhaps I was  just in an ugly section of the country. I think I
    picked the only pretty girl in our area and I have had her 57 years as of
    last Sunday.

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

    Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 22:09:11 -0500
    From: Roo61@[removed] (Randy Watts)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Dragnet (1967-70)

    What is perhaps most unfortunate about Webb's latter-day revival of
    DRAGNET is that it is this version that appears to be primarily
    responsible for the reputation as something akin to high camp the series
    has developed over the past couple of decades.  Certainly,
    Nick-at-Nite/TVLand took a rather snickering attitude toward the show
    during its run there, and the 1987 Dan Ackroyd-Tom Hanks film was hardly
    what one would call an "affectionate" parody.  Sadly, the revival also
    effectively buried the 1950s series.  Local stations had no interest in
    the older b&w films once the color ones were available and, today,
    Universal doesn't even bother to make tape transfers of the original
    series available to potential broadcasters.  DRAGNET has come to be the
    1967-70 series.  Period.

    Randy

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

    Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 22:09:28 -0500
    From: Ed Foster <erfoster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: It's in the Book

    "glen schroeder" <gschroeder10@[removed]; wrote:

>     Hi David and list.

>     The record you're talking about is "It's In The Book" by Johnny Stanley. I
>     don't have the lyrics or know where to find them but I do have the record,
>     or at least I have it on tape. If you want it, I could put it on a cassette
>     for you. It's really funny. I remember my brother got the record when I was
>     about five years old. I remember it was the first 45 that he got.

    A quick google on "johhny standley" came up with dozens of hits
    including [removed]~[removed].  Scroll down
    to "It's in the Book" and you can listen to all 6:03 minutes of it.
    Other sites will provide the lyrics.
    --
    Ed Foster
    erfoster@[removed]

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

    Date: Tue, 4 Feb 2003 22:37:08 -0500
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Thin Man

    Hi Everybody, I receive an interesting question via email.  The person ask
    me to find out why there doesn't,t seems to be very many Thin Man shows in
    the hobby.  He wrote that Highman Brown did not respond to his question.
    Does any one know if any of the transcription are in private hands , or
    stored away at an archive.  Take care,

    Walden Hughes

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 00:15:35 -0500
    From: "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  One more Jack Webb comment

    I thought some of you Jack Webb fans might find this interesting, and it has
    nothing to do with "Dragnet", directly anyway.

    Roughly 10 or so years ago, maybe more, (I can't recall exactly), I was
    listening to a newscast on San Francisco's ABC station, KGO in the middle of
    the Lee Rogers evening talk [removed] newscaster did a story regarding a
    dead whale that had washed up on a San Francisco beach that week and efforts
    to dispose of it.

    Then, the newscaster excitedly told Rogers that he did some digging into the
    KGO archives, and found a long-forgotten recording of Jack Webb when Webb
    worked at [removed] was doing a man-on-the-street type interview  in the
    1940s about the very same thing, a dead whale that washed up on the beach!
    So, the vintage recording was played over the air for the listeners, which
    was about 5 minutes long.  It was very interesting to hear Webb in the role
    of news reporter, asking people on the street what they thought of the dead
    whale, the smell, what should be done with it, etc.  His questions and the
    manner in which he spoke sounded very much like the way in which he would
    speak as Sgt. Joe Friday in future "Dragnet" radio and TV shows.  Has anyone
    else heard this particular Jack Webb recording from his KGO days?

    Jim

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 04:52:08 -0500
    From: lois@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!

    A weekly [removed]

    For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
    Network, the channel name is #OldRadio.  We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
    and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
    over six years, same time, same channel!

    Our numerous "regulars" include one of the busiest "golden years" actors in
    Hollywood; a sound man from the same era who worked many of the top
    Hollywood shows; a New York actor famed for his roles in "Let's Pretend" and
    "Archie Andrews;" owners of some of the best OTR sites on the Web;
    maintainer of the best-known OTR Digest (we all know who he is)..........

    and Me

    Lois Culver
    KWLK Longview Washington (Mutual) 1941-1944)
    KFI Los Angeles (NBC) 1944 - 1950
    and widow of actor Howard Culver

    (For more info, contact lois@[removed])

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 07:25:45 -0500
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Accents/Dialects

    Howard Bonner wrote in a discussion of Canadian dialects and other language
    differences:

>     As an example,remember, if you order 'chips' in a
>     restaurant, you receive 'french fries'. If you want
>     chips, you ask for 'Potato Chips'. BTW_Potato Chips
>     are seldom served as a natural part of a serving in a
>     restaurant in Canada.

    Canada shares "chips" with England so I wonder why Canada didn't stick to
    'crisps' the  word for potato chips in the British Isles?

    "Aboot" is the strongest clue that the speaker is Canadian, at least for me.
    Since so many TV programs (including one of my favorites,  X-Files, for all
    but a couple of years of its run)  are filmed in Canada it does seem not all
    Canadian actors find it easy to say 'about.'    And they often add that
    tell-tale 's' to toward.   What can I say -- when the story doesn't hold my
    interest I engage in Canadian-spotting.  At least they don't turn all
    nasally, as many British actors do when playing Americans.

    As for OTR while a NY accent is heard often enough I don't recall any Boston
    accents.

    ~Irene

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 07:25:56 -0500
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Memorex #3123 player

    I want to thank Bob Reynolds for his info on the 'Memorex #3123' mp3 CD
    player available at Radio Shack.

    I bought one yesterday on sale at my local Radio Shack for $[removed] and it is
    all Bob said it was.

    ~Irene

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 07:27:26 -0500
    From: Rob Chatlin <rchatlin@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Yet another "remake"

    This time it's "Have Gun, Will Travel"

    [removed];ncid=600&e=3&cid=598&u=/nm/20030205/film_nm/film_gun_dc

    How many ways will this be changed for a modern update?

    at least Hey Boy will have to be treated with more respect.

    rob

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 07:31:32 -0500
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Maurice Ellis, RIP

    Maurice Ellis, who was a guest at FOTR a few years back, is memorialized by
    David Hinckley in today's New York Daily News.  Apparently he died on
    January 25.  A pioneering black radio actor, he was in pretty bad shape by
    the time he made it to our convention but I recall his making the point that
    nearly all of his castmates in radio were colorblind even if audiences and
    others working in radio weren't.  He also knew Paul Robeson and mentioned he
    could "tap dance on a dime," and didn't want to discuss Mr. Robeson's
    retroactively embarrassing political views (he was a supporter of the Soviet
    Union - oops).  A very nice man it seemed.  When given his award for
    contributions to Old Time Radio he broke down with appreciation.  It was a
    very memorable panel.

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    The link is here:
    [removed].

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: A photograph of Mr. Ellis at the 1996 FOTR Convention can be
    seen at [removed]  --cfs3]

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 07:32:17 -0500
    From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
    To: OldRadio Mailing Lists <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Johnny Dollar Theme

    mark koldys <mkoldys@[removed]; responded to my conviction that the
    Johnny Dollar and Seahunt themes were the same:

>      I'm sorry but you are mistaken. This notion seems to resurface
>      regularly, but the themes are not the same. The first few notes are the
>      same and then they go off in different [removed] SEA HUNT: G -
>     G - A-flat > - f - g - G - B-flat ... JOHNNY $: G - G - A-flat - f -
>     g - G - A-flat ...

    I have never seen any mention of the similarity until I brought it
    up. Perhaps it is my own error that has now resurfaced; if not, then
    plainly great minds think alike. Or, is it "Fools think alike?" No,
    Great Minds, I'm sure.

    Well, not being very musical myself, I will not argue with one who
    can translate music into upper and lower cases of the alphabet. I
    didn't go to the trouble of redoing my research, so I can't remember
    why I became convinced they were the same. Likely, though, since I
    could not compare them note for note all the way through, I heard the
    same motif repeated in each and assumed they both came from the same
    stock piece of music. I will maintain, however, that if you strung
    them end to end no one would notice the transition. Perhaps the
    Johnny Dollar composer should have sued the Seahunt composer for
    copyright infringement (the fact that they were both copyrighted
    would not be conclusive; the LOC copyright office does not get into
    such matters). I have heard that a successful country music song
    differs only in a few notes from some other successful country song,
    the familiarity making it easier for people to warm up to. I
    encourage others to compare the two and offer their opinions as to
    how distinct the two themes are.
    --

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 08:20:26 -0500
    From: Smzmurphy@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Many thanks
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    My thanks to all the Digesters who responded to my query about downloading
    shows from CD-Rs to cassettes. Dan Hughes gave me very simple instructions
    which have worked just fine.

    Best,

    Mike Murphy

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 10:42:35 -0500
    From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Shadow Greatest Radio Adventures

    In listening to the tapes in my Shadow Greatest Radio
    Adventures collection, I've come across two curious
    things. First, the accompanying booklet says Bill
    Johnstone and Agnes Moorehead are introduced at the
    conclusion of the episode "Can the Dead Talk."
    However, there's no such introduction on my copy.

    Second, the booklet says the episode "The Ghost Walks
    Again" is about an assasinated mob boss rescusitated
    by science. However, the actual episode (which has the
    same title) is about the Puritan founder of a New
    England town allegedly killing those who are ignoring
    a law he passed centuries ago about who can use a
    local meeting house.

    Regarding the second instance, I'm curious as to
    whether the Shadow re-used titles, which is why the
    booklet description doesn't match the actual episode.

    On a related note, I recently received a "Nick Carter"
    tape from "The World's Greatest Old Time Radio Shows."
    The episodes listed on the tape's label were not the
    same as the titles given by the announcer. What's
    more, the actual episodes were nothing like the
    descriptions on the liner card; so it wasn't simply a
    case of a generic title given to a show, as some radio
    sellers have done.

    Did anyone else receive that same Nick Carter tape
    with the wrong programs? Did anyone receive a copy
    with the programs described on the card? How prevelant
    are radio show tapes with the wrong program listed on
    the label?

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 17:23:22 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

>     >From Those Were The Days --

    2/5

    1931 - Eddie Cantor's long radio career got underway as he appeared on
    Rudy Vallee's The Fleischmann Hour.

    1940 - Amanda of Honeymoon Hill debuted. Joy Hathaway starred as 'the
    beauty of flaming red hair'. The program stayed for six years on NBC.

    2/6

    1943 - Frank Sinatra made his debut as vocalist on radio's Your Hit
    Parade this night. Frankie had left the Tommy Dorsey Band just four
    months prior to beginning the radio program. He was described as,
    "...the biggest name in the business."

    1950 - NBC first broadcast Dangerous Assignment. The show starred Brian
    Donlevy in the role of soldier of fortune, Steve Mitchell.

      Joe

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

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

    Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 18:05:00 -0500
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Chopsticks

    I saw this as part of a notation of things musical from the date of
    February third:

    Subject: The Celebrated Chop Waltz [Chopsticks]

    Feb 3, 1877:  The Celebrated Chop Waltz - better known as Chopsticks -
    was registered this date at the British Museum.   It was arranged as a duet
    and solo for
    pianoforte, by one Arthur de Lull.  This was eventually revealed to be a
    pseudonym for Euphemia Alten, the sister of the music publisher'.  She
    wrote it at the age of 16.

    As just about anyone with any musical knowledge at all knows, it has since
    been played
    on millions of pianos throughout the world.

    It'd be curious to know how many radio programs and other venues featured
    this little ditty over the years, variously abbreviated and probably
    usually as part of a comedy routine -- and whether Ms. Alten ever saw any
    royalties!

    And how many "pianists" there have been in the intervening century for whom
    this comprises the entirety of their repertoire.  Like me.

    Lee Munsick

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #58
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