------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 89
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Harry Kramer [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
MP3 player wars [ Bruce Forsberg <forsberg@[removed]; ]
New Play About Orson Welles [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
3-20 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Looking for Betty MacDonald [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
Ebay and copyrights [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
Timothy Carey [ "Michael Guccione" <jetbonami@hotma ]
This week in radio hstoty 3/20-26 [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Amos n Andy [ OTRadiofan@[removed] (OTR FAN) ]
Re: in jokes [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Radio magazines [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
phil harris /mahlon merrick [ Partridge <rpartrid@[removed]; ]
Re: A&A Answers [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Phil Harris' band [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
killing time [ ".dan." <ddunfee@[removed]; ]
OTR copyright issue [ Richard Carpenter <newsduck@[removed] ]
Re: Radio Spirits [ Twizoner@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:15:40 -0500
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Harry Kramer
I'm looking for information on Harry Kramer, the familiar-voiced CBS-TV
serial and news program announcer from the late 1950s to 1970s. He was
hosting Alfredo Antonini's orchestra over MBS as early as 1939. He was the
final narrator of Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons over CBS from 1952-55.
But what happened to him between 1939-52 and after his career ended? OTR
historians appear to have missed him. Does anybody out there know what
became of him? I'd appreciate any data sent directly to me. Somehow in the
back of my mind I'm trying to link him to local Washington, [removed] radio
before CBS, but maybe he wasn't in the handful of players that jumped from
WTOP to the big time. Could he have been related to Mandel Kramer? It's
not a common surname, and they served together on The Edge of Night.
Anybody?
Jim Cox
otrbuff@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:16:06 -0500
From: Bruce Forsberg <forsberg@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: MP3 player wars
I don't know if everybody realizes it but there is an MP3 Player war
going on. There are some great MP3 players being released. I just got
one a month ago. It is called a Creative Labs Nomad Muvo NX 256MB. It is
a USB drive and MP3 player in one. I bought it refurbished on ebay for
$57 plus tax and SH. It plugs into the USB port of your computer and
shows up as a hard drive. You copy the mp3 files to the device. It takes
3-4 minutes for 256MB. You pull it out and plug it into the holder which
contains a AAA battery and you can play MP3 files. It has played all the
OTR files I have given it. It also resumes where you left when you power
the device on. The best part is, it is the size of a large cigarette
lighter. A NIMH AAA battery lasts about 5-10 hours. I have used a PDA
with software I wrote ([removed]) in the past but
this is now my MP3 player of preference.
Bruce Forsberg
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:16:24 -0500
From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: New Play About Orson Welles
There is a new play about Orson Welles open in Manhattan.
A review from today's New York Post follows.
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:16:35 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 3-20 births/deaths
March 20th births
03-20-1828 - Henrik Ibsen - Skien, Norway - d. 5-23-1906
playwright: "Great Plays";"Columbia Workshop"; "Theatre Guild On the
Air"
03-20-1890 - Lauritz Melchior - Copenhagen, Denmark - d. 3-18-1973
singer: "Magic Key"; "Metropolitan Opera"; "Voice of Firestone"
03-20-1903 - Edgar Buchanan - Humansville, MO - d. 4-4-1979
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
03-20-1906 - Ozzie Nelson - Jersey City, NJ - d. 6-3-1975
actor: "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"
03-20-1908 - Kermit Murdock - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 2-11-1981
actor: Rod Buchanan "Whisper Men"
03-20-1908 - Sir Michael Redgrave - Bristol, England - d. 3-21-1985
actor: Horatio Hornblower "Horatio Hornblower"
03-20-1908 - Stuart Metz - Buffalo, NY - d. 1-5-1994
announcer: "Pepper Young's Family"; "Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons"
03-20-1912 - Sarah Burton - London, England
actress: Mrs. Bixby "Mrs. Miniver"; Lisa "Against the Storm"
03-20-1913 - Judith Evelyn - Seneca, SD - d. 5-7-1967
actress: Grace Marshall "Helpmate"; Kay Miniver "Mrs. Miniver"
03-20-1913 - Kenny Gardner - Lakeview, IA - d. 7-26-2002
singer: "Guy Lombardo Show"; "Lombardoland [removed]"; "Your Hit Parade"
03-20-1914 - Wendell Corey - Dracut, MA - d. 11-8-1968
actor: Detective Dan McGarry "McGarry and His Mouse"
03-20-1915 - Sviatoslav Richter - Zhitomir,Russia - d. 8-1-1997
classical pianist: "Boston Symphony Orchestra"
03-20-1918 - Jack Barry - Lindenhurst, NY - d. 5-2-1984
actor: "It's the Barrys"
03-20-1918 - Marian McPartland - Stough, England
jazz pianist: "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz"
03-20-1922 - Carl Reiner - The Bronx, NY
comedian: "The Curse"; "Sounds of Freedom"; "Here's to Veterans"
03-20-1922 - Jack Kruschen - Winnipeg, Canada - d. 4-2-2002
actor: Sergeant Muggowen " Broadway is My Beat"
03-20-1922 - Ray Goulding - Lowell, MA - d. 3-24-1990
comedian: "Bob and Ray Show"
03-20-1924 - Philip Abbott - Lincoln, NE - d. 2-23-1998
actor: "Family Theatre"
March 20th deaths
03-03-1937 - Bobby Driscoll - Cedar Rapids, IA - d. 3-20-1968 (body
found)
actor: "A Day in the Life of Dennis Day"; "Family Theatre"
06-12-1909 - Archie Bleyer - Corona, NY - d. 3-20-1989
conductor: "Arthur Godfrey Time"; "Casey, Crime Photographer"
07-07-1908 - Ben Brady - NYC - d. 3-20-2003
host: "The Comedy Writers Show"
08-03-1920 - Marilyn Maxwell - Clarinda, IA - d. 3-20-1972
singer, actress: "Kraft Music Hall"; "Abbott and Costello Show"; "Bob
Hope Show"
12-10-1911 - Chet Huntley - Cardwell, CO - d. 3-20-1974
newscaster, producer: "They Burned the Books"
12-18-1885 - J. Anthony Smythe - San Francisco, CA - d. 3-20-1966
actor: "Carefree Carnival"; Henry Barbour "One Man's Family"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:16:52 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Looking for Betty MacDonald
Hello all,
WlfgngHmpl@[removed] is looking for the following information on the author of
"The Egg and I". Please contact Angelika directly if you are able to help:
"Laura, I'm looking for radio and tv appearances of Betty MacDonald. I
wrote to Museums. I couldn't find anything. Is there an index where you can
find
when this author appeared on Radio and TV. She was very popular in the 40's
and 50's and I know she was in several shows."
--LL
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 14:17:20 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ebay and copyrights
Jim Widner writes:
The best way to go after those trying to sell otr on ebay violating
copyright is to contact
ebay directly. Often the company wants to protect its good name and
usually will make
attempts to check into the legitimacy of the seller. If they find the
seller in violation, they
will ban them from the auction sales.
Already did that, to no avail. Laid out the legal grounds to support the
argument, and information on the Benny estate that owns them. No response.
They copyrights aren't mine to defend, so just saying who owns them is all I
can do. As Mike Ogden said, I'm sure the corporate suits aren't interested
in
losing the profits associated with selling this material; if you pick on one
show, aren't you obligated to investigate the same argument for all OTR
shows? And why would Ebay want to spend their time and resources checking
out
something that, in the end, will reduce their profits?
--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:27:24 -0500
From: "Michael Guccione" <jetbonami@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Timothy Carey
Can any of you terrific people out there direct me to any radio shows that
TV and Movie Star Timothy Carey had been in? His roles are mainly bad guys,
had a recurring lovable lug Deli owner role on the 'Columbo' TV series. I've
been listening to OTR for some years now and don't recall his name mentioned
in any radio work.
Thanks,
Michael G
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:27:29 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: This week in radio hstoty 3/20-26
From Those Were The Days --
3/25
1925 - The voice of Lowell Thomas was first heard on radio. Thomas was
heard talking about "Manís first flight around the world,' on KDKA in
Pittsburgh, PA.
3/22
1948 - The Voice of Firestone was the first commercial radio program to
be carried simultaneously on both AM and FM radio stations.
3/23
1940 - Truth or Consequences was first heard on radio. The Ralph
Edwards-produced program was hosted by Mr. Edwards. The show was
originally heard on only four CBS stations. Later, NBC picked up the
show where it eventually became the most popular of all radio quiz shows.
3/24
1932 - Belle Baker hosted a radio variety show from a moving train ... a
first for radio broadcasting. The program originated from a Baltimore
and Ohio train that chugged its way around the New York area. The
broadcast was heard on WABC in New York City.
1935 - After a year as a local show from New York City, Major Bowes'
Original Amateur Hour was heard on the entire NBC network. The show
stayed on the air for 17 years. Later, Ted Mack took over for Bowes and
made the move from radio to television.
3/25
1943 - Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore premiered on network radio. The
pair replaced the popular Abbott and Costello following Lou Costello's
heart attack. Durante and Moore stayed on the air for four years.
Joe
--
Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:27:58 -0500
From: OTRadiofan@[removed] (OTR FAN)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Amos n Andy
In attributing conclusions about Amos n Andy that Elizabeth Mcleod was
supposed to have made in the Digest, [removed] Fung, in today's posting,
wrote that "...she seemed to indicate that said show was more than just
racial [removed]". As a great fan of "The Amos n Andy Show", one of the
most hilarious shows n radio, I see absolutely no racial humor at all.
When I listened to that show every Sunday, I was aware that they were
African-Americans, but that fact neither added nor subtracted from the
humor. The basic kindness and goodness and ethical humanity displayed by
Amos' character; the sociopathic con man antics of Kingfish; the gross
stupidity of Andy; and the ungrammatical shyster-lawyer attributes of
Algonquin J. Calhoun, could have been characters in any parodical works
with people of any race or ethnicity. Blacks do not have a monopoly on
goodness, badness, or professional incompetence.
[removed] Fung also asks if there were any backlash from the black community.
I would hope that a Digester more knowledgeable in radio history than I,
would provide the details. I do seem to remember that, during the age of
political correctness, Amos n Andy was severely criticized as being
offensive. This, during a period in television, when all sorts of other
dialects (French, Mexican, Yiddish, German, Italian, Brooklynese,
Southern) were all politically acceptable.
What a shame, and what a waste of perfectly great humor! The
characteristics of the characters of the Amos n Andy show were
universal, not attributable to any particular race, and that's what made
it so funny.
Stuart Lubin
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:33:39 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: in jokes
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
In a message dated 3/19/05 1:18:14 PM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
shows seemed to have those
kinds of injokes here and there, in criminal names, references to addresses
and places, etc
I once heard about some type of gag on "Vic and Sade" in which there was a
chain gang of criminals that had escaped, and a radio announcer gave the
suspects' last names as those of several actual then-vice presidents of NBC.
Anyone
know anything else about that?
Dixon
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:34:11 -0500
From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Radio magazines
Re magazines about OTR, the January issue (#119) of COMIC BOOK
MARKETPLACE featured a radio theme with a large cover blurb ("Radio
Heroes!") surrounded by images of Captain Midnight, the Shadow, the
Green Hornet and the Lone Ranger. Many interior illustrations are in
full color on slick paper. Will Murray writes about radio scripter
Charles Spain Verral (BILL BARNES, MANDRAKE), Walter Gibson (THE SHADOW,
BLACKSTONE) and THE GREEN HORNET, and he also reviews Anthony Tollin's
MASKED MARVELS CD.
My own article, "Tuning in MAD," was inspired by last year's OTR DIGEST
thread tracing MAD's Alfred E. Neuman back to Henry Morgan's radio show.
This nine-page article is illustrated with beautiful full-color MAD
panels by Bill Elder, Wally Wood and Jack Davis. I cover "Outer
Sanctum!", "Sound Effects!" and all the other radio parodies and radio
references drawn into issues of the early MAD (1952-1958), noting
various linkages and parallels to Mel Allen, William Gargan, Norman
Corwin, Jean Shepherd, Aaron Lebedev, Stan Freberg, etc. along the way.
Pat Calhoun writes about Hugo Gernsback's role in radio, and Chris Boyko
dials "Dick Tracy on the Air." The price for COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE back
issues is $[removed] from CBM Back Issues, Gemstone Publishing, Box 469, West
Plains, MO 65775-0469.
Bhob @ FUSEBOX @ [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:34:23 -0500
From: Partridge <rpartrid@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: phil harris /mahlon merrick
My understanding was that the band was Phil Harris' but it was directed
by Mahlon Merrick in the same way that the band was Lawrence Welk's but
it was driected by George Cates. I though this was generally know by OTR
fans.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:35:40 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: A&A Answers
On 3/19/05 2:17 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:
My first question has to do with Amos N' Andy. I've read some material from
an Elizabeth Mcleod (actually they were selected answers from her on this
very list) and she seemed to indicate that said show was more than just
racial humour but rather there was some deph and meaning to the show. I'd
like to know what kind of situations did A&A got into? What kind of
storylines did they get involved in?
Well, I'm *that* Elizabeth McLeod -- and rather than go into depth here
again, I'd suggest you visit my website, "Amos 'n' Andy In Person," at
[removed]~[removed]. There you'll find an overview of
my forthcoming book, "The Original Amos 'n' Andy -- Freeman Gosden,
Charles Correll, and The 1928-43 Radio Serial," to be published this
summer by McFarland & Company. The product of over twenty years of
exhaustive research, this is the first -- and only -- book to focus
exclusively on Correll and Gosden's most substantial and most significant
body of work, a program which differed radically from the formulaic
sitcom familiar to most OTR and early-TV buffs. It is also the only book
on A&A to continuously place Correll and Gosden's own words at center
stage, with ample use thruout the text of lengthy script excerpts that
have never before been published.
Advance orders for the book are now being taken thru the McFarland
website, thru [removed], and most other online booksellers.
I'd also recommend my detailed summaries of every Amos 'n' Andy episode
aired from 1928 thru 1933, available at
<[removed]~[removed];. You'll soon get an idea of
the general development of plots and storylines during the prime years of
the serial from studying these summaries.
Is there any material (written or otherwise) that goes into Correll and
Gosden's attitudes on black people and if there was any backlash to the show
>from the black community? or was it universally liked by all?
These topics are also covered in my book, with an entire chapter devoted
to the dissonant African-American response to the series at the peak of
its popularity, supported by substantial quotations from black newspapers
and other contemporaneous sources. While this topic has been examined by
a number of other authors prior to me, notably Melvin Ely, I've managed
to unearth a great deal of primary source material that seems to have
eluded these prior scholars, and which should shed new light on this
question.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 17:43:23 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Phil Harris' band
Craig Peterson writes:
But I was truly flabbergasted by Anthony Tollin's contribution: "Actually,
the band on THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM wasn't Phil's, nor was Harris its true
bandleader."
I can confirm that Mahlon Merrick was the official leader and arranger of
the orchestra going back quite a ways, possibly even into the 30s. One of
the
cast members also confirmed that Phil would sometimes direct the orchestra
during the actual performance (you can even hear him occasionally
punctuating a
number in the 40s with an off-mike "Get down!" at the end). On one show,
Jack says something to a guy who stood in to lead the orchestra while Phil
went
in the hall for a smoke or something, and the stand-in says, "I'm the
janitor." That line was delivered by, appropriately enough, Mahlon Merrick.
However, there are several members of the orchestra who were well-known as
"Phil's band members", such as Frank Remley, Sammy Weiss, Wayne Songer,
Charlie
Bagby, etc. So I suppose it's all in how you define "Phil's" band.
--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 18:08:35 -0500
From: ".dan." <ddunfee@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: killing time
I have paid attention to how time is managed on radio shows with regard to
making the content fit the allowed period. Recently a local radio station
had a long ranger where the intro music seemed to go on much longer then
usual. In other shows a small bit was put at the end,ex. on a jack benny
show the announcer did a peice on the strength religious values gave
american society and urged everyone to attend their house of worship or the
stars would come back to do a joke that had only a connection to the show
topic by a stretch. Question, were shows observed in rehersal and these
fixes put in on purpose or were they always on hand to put in place if the
show ran short?
XB
IC|XC
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 20:44:31 -0500
From: Richard Carpenter <newsduck@[removed];
To: Old Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OTR copyright issue
Regarding the discussion of whether MP3s are being
sold on eBay in violation of copyright, etc., I notice
many auctions carry a statement like this: "Careful
research has shown that these items are in the public
domain and agree with eBay's policies on Public Domain
material selling. Some add: If any party demonstrates
otherwise, and they retain copyright protection for
any of the shows contained within this listing, please
contact me, and said show/shows will be immediately
removed from this and any future auction." Still
others say: "After a careful search of the Library of
Congress and the United States Trademark and Patent
Office, it has been determined that the programs
listed here are in the Public Domain." Is that all
phony baloney or have they a leg or two to stand on?
In any event, I have noticed that although there are
hundreds of auctions for them, old time radio shows
on MP3 usually go unsold or attract just one bid. On
the other hand, professionally made audio cassettes
and CDs from Radio Spirits and elsewhere usually
garner several bids, even though they offer far fewer
shows.
[ADMINISTRIVIA: So as not to let this go on too long with non-authorative
opinions, the ONLY way to validate the status of any given program is to hire
an attorney specializing in this area of the law to research the status
andfind, if any, the owners. Any other lay opinion - yours, mine, or others -
is worthless, and depending on it is hazartdous to one's legal health. I
realize everyone wants a "cheap answer," but there simply isn't one. Let's
put this discussion to bed, now.
And [removed] sales lying about the status of what they sell. What are
_those_ odds? --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 19 Mar 2005 21:42:28 -0500
From: Twizoner@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Radio Spirits
With Radio Spirits being discussed in the digest again, I thought I'd share
my recent experience with this company. In making my way through several
Radio
Spirits collections I've bought from a dealer, I came upon a tape that broke
near the start. This is the first such problem I've had with a Radio Spirits
tapes (and I've bought many from them). I e-mailed them about my problem and
requested a replacement tape. They didn't respond to my e-mail but I did
receive a replacement the following week. Previously, members of the digest
have
written about their problems with the customer service department. Perhaps
they have gotten things right now.
Mike K
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #89
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