Subject: [removed] Digest V2006 #55
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 2/20/2006 8:53 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2006 : Issue 55
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Helping hands for the Blind says tha  [ "Robert Acosta" <boacosta@[removed] ]
      Re: FRANK MERRIWELL                   [ Grams46@[removed] ]
      XM Radio                              [ "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed] ]
      Candy Matson's Family Tree, PT 3      [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
      WXYZ bad guy                          [ "Jody Davis" <baroygis@[removed]; ]
      Re: RMS Titanic                       [ StevenL751@[removed] ]
      XM Radio and OTR                      [ mikennancy2001@[removed] ]
      XM Radio                              [ William Harker <wharker@[removed] ]
      Rockford Ranger                       [ "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed] ]
      Re: OTR on XM                         [ Al Girard <24agirard24@[removed] ]
      Military Recruiting Shows, From the   [ jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns) ]
      Re: RMS Titanic                       [ "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed]; ]
      Re: Hawaiian-themed OTR?              [ "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed]; ]
      Re: Lone Ranger and James Lipton      [ Jim Widner <widnerj@[removed]; ]
      Re: XM and OTR                        [ Jim Widner <widnerj@[removed]; ]
      XM and OTR                            [ "Stuart Lubin" <StuartLubin@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 10:34:54 -0500
    From: "Robert Acosta" <boacosta@[removed];
    To: "oldtime radio digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Helping hands for the Blind says thank you to
     Digest OTR Fans.

    Dear friends,
    On behalf of Helping hands for the Blind, i want to thank you for the
    outpouring of support we received to our request for volunteer readers to
    read oldtime radio books for the blind.  We have received an overwhelming
    response and we now have more than enough fine volunteers to read to us.
    Oldtime Radio Fans are the best!
    Robert Acosta, president, Helping hands for the Blind

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:03:25 -0500
    From: Grams46@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: FRANK MERRIWELL

    In a message dated 2/20/2006 7:35:07 AM Pacific Standard Time,
    bbush3@[removed] writes:

>     anyone has any of the episodes from the 1934
>     Frank  Merriwell Radio Show that was sponsored by Dr. West  Toothpaste?>>>

    sperdvac has some frank merriwell programs.  i don't know who  sponsored them.
    peace from kathy
    support our troops; end the war
    john  3:16

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:04:54 -0500
    From: "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  XM Radio

    Since this subject has come up again, let me throw my two cents worth
    in.  I love XM radio.  However, I love it in spite of, not because of,
    the OTR channel.  Like others have said, the shows are edited to allow
    for modern commercials, and the schedule is limited.  It's not terrible,
    it's just that I'd rather listen to the complete shows I have in my
    collection.  That said, I have tuned in more than a couple of times,
    especially on long trips.

    That aside, XM is great.  I love it for the ACC sports coverage (go
    Hokies!), Air America radio, BBC world service, the wide variety of
    music channels (including one dedicated to the 1940s that I spend a lot
    of time with), Bob Edwards, and a ton of other great stuff, including a
    decent amount of original programming (like Sonny Fox's Stand Up Sit
    Down where he interviews comedians).

    XM has a wide variety of music channels, and you'd have to be the
    biggest music snob to not find something you like there.  My presets go
    from big band, to modern rock, to punk, to blues, to bluegrass, to
    classical, to techno, to many others.  Frankly, with the exception of
    some NPR programming, and radio coverage of my local minor league hockey
    team, I don't listen to regular radio anymore.

    I have no experience with Sirius, but I assume that it's similar.

    So yes, XM is worth the investment, but not for the OTR coverage.

    -chris holm
    (NON-standard disclaimer: I'm an employee of Delphi, maker of fine
    satellite radio receivers for home, auto, and on the go.  Unfortunately,
    my factory makes steering components, so no, I can't snag you free
    radios, Charlie.)

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: Ah, nuts.  --cfs3]

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:05:28 -0500
    From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
    To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Candy Matson's Family Tree, PT 3

    I've completed my examination of the 1979 will of Natalie Park Masters.
    There is no mention of any of the radio properties of Natalie and Monty
    Masters, including "Candy Matson" and "Mad Masters" presumably since
    they were of no value at this time, some 30 years after airing. Since
    we know that at one time they not only had a copy of every script
    written and performed, but also transcription disks of all "Candy
    Matson" episodes, it is curious these are never mentioned.  The status
    of those disks is still unknown.  All the scripts were somehow acquired
    by a California documents dealer who then sold them to Thousand Oaks
    Library outside of LA. A few years ago, I had contact with that dealer
    and he cannot recall where or from whom he obtained the scripts.
    (Perhaps he bought them from Natalie's son, Tom?)

    Digesters Irene Heinstein and Jim Widner, two OTR researchers who are
    internet-saavy, have compiled the following background information on
    Natalie's first (and previously unknown) husband, Melvin Vickland.

    His full name was Paul Melvin Vickland, born 7-27-13, probably in
    Kansas. He mixed up the combination of his first and middle names
    throughout his career, which was mostly in broadcasting. He was raised
    in Minnesota but apparently attended college in Stockton, CA where in
    1935, a newsclipping reported him among the debaters at College of the
    Pacific.

    Another clipping, in March 1946 referred him in Hollywood as a
    "golden-voiced announcer." In 1954 Vickland (then described as a TV
    writer) sued Ralph Edwards, claiming that Vickland, while in the
    hospital for polio, came up with the idea for "This is Your Life."
    Vickland alleged that Edwards had stolen his idea without compensation
    and he requested one-half of the estimated $ [removed] million in profits
    generated by that series. (We have not yet found the resolution of that
    civil suit.)

    Vickland, and his second wife, Geraldine, spent their latter days in
    Northridge, CA where he died on March 19, 1992, having outlived his
    younger first wife, Natalie, by six years. His obituary termed him "a
    retired screen writer."

    Jack French
    Editor: RADIO RECALL

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:05:47 -0500
    From: "Jody Davis" <baroygis@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  WXYZ bad guy

    [removed] who's listened to enough Green Hornets and Lone Rangers will
    know exactly the fella I'm about to describe. I know it only seems this way,
    but I swear he was the "heavy" in every single Hornet and many, many
    Rangers. He had a husky, deep, gravelly voice. He was usually the "Mr. Big"
    in charge of the racket, or the crooked politician running same. His
    delivery was usually a bit halting. His voice is unmistakable. WHO WAS THIS
    GUY??? Was he famous for any other roles? Thanx for any help that will let
    me sleep better.

    Jody Davis
    News Director/OTR Collector

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:06:00 -0500
    From: StevenL751@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: RMS Titanic

    In a message dated 2/20/2006 10:35:25 AM Eastern Standard Time,
    [removed]@[removed] writes:

>     Has the RMS Titanic ever been a part of an OTR plot?

    I  actually just listened to an episode of THE CLOCK which used the Titanic
    in the  twist at the end of the story.  The episode is called "Coming Events"
    (aka  "Madame Baba's Prophesy") and is from 6/8/47.

    Steve Lewis

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 12:49:14 -0500
    From: mikennancy2001@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  XM Radio and OTR

>     I've been out of the loop for awhile, so forgive me if this topic has been
>     discussed recently. How much OTR is on XM? Is it worth subscribing?

     There is one OTR channel on XM, and it has a pretty wide variety of shows in
    comedy, drama, cop shows, etc.  I wish they had two channels so they could
    accommodate more programs, but there are only 24 hours in the day and XM
    hasn't had a good financial time of it lately.   I wouldn't pay the monthly
    subscription JUST for the OTR, but it's a major reason why I have the
    service.  One of the best investments I've ever made!   Mike Messner Mountain
    View, CA

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:08:20 -0500
    From: William Harker <wharker@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  XM Radio

    As someone with three XM radios (two permanently installed in
    vehicles and one portable unit), but with no connection to XM Radio,
    I guess you can say I am an XM enthusiast.  I bought my first radio
    two years ago and have added radios since, including in the business vehicle.

    As others have stated, if I wanted to listen *only* to OTR via XM, I
    would not buy XM.  Having said that, having an OTR-ready radio
    channel in the car is especially convenient on long trips where one
    can break the monotony of the drive by alternating formats.

    As one can go online to [removed] and download two weeks worth of
    OTR schedule (channel 164 - Radio Classics), you can plan your
    trip/drive accordingly.  I find this convenient.

    You should be warned that the XM DJs tend to mimic the format's
    original DJ style.  Thus, on the '60s channel (six), the DJs talk
    over the intros and outros and songs and have the same annoying "DJ
    on speed" delivery.  However, other stations to which I listen,
    including Deep Tracks, Bluesville, Real Jazz, Fine Tuning (an
    eclectic station featuring anything from classical to bluegrass), the
    three classical music stations tend to have DJs who are both
    knowledgeable and give the programming its proper respect.

    In the case of Radio Classic (OTR), Greg Bell tends to fall in the
    middle, in my view.  He is enthusiastic about the format (see his bio
    at [removed]) but does not appear to be especially knowledgeable,
    or at least does not appear to want to take the time to impart that
    knowledge to the listener.  As XM Radio is DJ-driven rather than
    Program Director-driven, perhaps Mr. Bell might be amenable to
    suggestions.  On the other hand, some DJs (for example, the
    Bluesville DJ, Bill Wax) are very opinionated and give short shrift
    to listener disagreements with his own interpretation of the
    format.  The e-mail for Mr. Bell is radioclassics@[removed].

    Several people here have mentioned the sports coverage.  I love the
    XM coverage of baseball, college football (always take my portable XM
    radio and get comments from fellow tailgaters) and
    basketball.  However, one should be aware that almost all of the
    time, the coverage is of the *home* team's radio broadcast.  Thus, if
    your team is the visitor, you will have to listen to the opponent's
    "version" of the game.

    A final note concerning reception.  If you are putting it in your
    house, be sure you select a room with some kind of southern exposure
    (it *is* satellite radio, after all).   The indoor antenna comes with
    25 feet of wire but even this, sometimes, is not enough to get the
    radio into the room you really want.

    Second, if you live in an extremely mountainous area (as I do), you
    will lose reception periodically, for a few seconds, when you are
    driving as a mountain comes between you and the satellite.  Third,
    even in the largest SUV or pick-up, your signal is likely to be lost
    if you are slightly to the northern side and back of a semi. Again,
    this will be for only that length of time it takes you to pass.  The
    same is true of tunnels, car washes, some gas stations, in a large
    city with tall buildings (sometimes not even that tall as long as
    they block the signal).  In large cities, there will ground-based
    repeater stations, but sometimes these are not enough to guarantee a
    continuing clear signal.

    Bill Harker

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:53:27 -0500
    From: "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Rockford Ranger

    HK Hinkley posted that he remembers a Lone Ranger adventure in which Chief
    Blackhawk rides with the Ranger to Rockford, IL on a locomotive.
    Like HK, my programs are back in the midwest at the present, and I am not,
    so I'll have to rely on memory.  There is an episode entitled, "The Tribal
    Talisman", No. 2706, from May 22, 1950 in which the Ranger talks a reluctant
    Indian chief into riding a locomotive with him in order to prevent an attack
    by his own tribesman on white settlers.  A rogue medicine man has murdered
    the chief's son and pinned the blame on others.  The tip-off is some kind of
    talisman worn around the neck of the bad Indian.
    In any event, if anyone has access to this program, they could listen to see
    if "Rockford" is mentioned.  It's not Rockford, IL though, it's a generic
    name for a western town that Fran Striker was fond of.  This episode was
    also issued on a Radiola LP, so if someone has that, it beats cueing up a
    reel-to-reel.

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:53:55 -0500
    From: Al Girard <24agirard24@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: OTR on XM

    There's also an OTR channel on Sirius as well.  It's called "Radio Classics".
    There is no host, and the shows do not seem to be edited, as commercials
    are intact.

    The most annoying part of it though is that after each show they play
    Radio Spirit commercials.

    Al Girard

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 15:32:54 -0500
    From: jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Military Recruiting Shows, From the '[removed]!

    This is not quite the same thing, but there was a syndicated series, 60
    SECOND LP, hosted and produced by Jeff Craig, who had first cut his
    teeth at one of the many Buck Owens-owned radio stations. 60 SECOND LP
    ofered music news of the day, album cuts/previews, etc., and was
    syndicated all over the place--with the show being sent out, if you can
    believe it, on VINYL!  (I find it hard to believe, at this late date,
    that the show wasn't also avaoilable to stations, on cassette, but my
    samples of the series, are on records.) This was a daily [removed]  At
    least some of the batch of epidoes were sponsored, by the Army. (There
    were other sponsors for the course of the series, as well.) I only
    remember, bcause I guest-directed a few!

    Jim Burns

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:38:11 -0500
    From: "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: RMS Titanic

>     Has the RMS Titanic ever been a part of an OTR plot? ...
>     Or perhaps have survivors been interviewed on radio?

    Dramatizations include an episode of Cavalcade Of America called "The
    Unsinkable Mrs. Brown" (about one of the more colorful passengers)
    and, apparently, an episode of Adventures In Research called  "The
    Greatest Ship Afloat." There's a 1947 episode of The Adventures of
    Sherlock Holmes with Holmes and Watson on a fictional 1912 ocean liner
    called "Gigantic."

    The Titanic Historical Society sells tapes of survivor accounts
    (including a 1936 BBC broadcast with Commander Charles H. Lightoller,
    the Titanic's second officer) on their website:

    [removed];specific=j
    nqneoo4

    A brief .wav file of Lightoller speaking is here:

    [removed]

    The 1933 BBC Yearbook reports that a drama about the disaster was
    canceled because of protests from the public:

    ... Then there was Filson Young's play "Titanic", the protests about
    which were remarkable as they referred purely to the subject, the play
    itself not having been written at the time, and the author having
    publicly stated that the actual sinking of the ship did not figure in
    the play. This protest was all the more remarkable in that some of the
    most successful broadcasts of the past have been plays like "Journey's
    End" and "Brigade Exchange," which must have aroused many more
    sorrowful memories than the sinking of the "Titanic". In this case the
    BBC decided to abandon the projected broadcast, as it felt that the
    play would not obtain a fair hearing and would be prejudiced by the
    misrepresentation to which it had been subject. ...

    Source: [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 17:38:49 -0500
    From: "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Hawaiian-themed OTR?

    There was a query from Joy Jackson about recreating "an OTR show with
    a Hawaiian theme" in Seattle -- perhaps "a show that no longer exists
    in a recorded form, but only as a script. But if that doesn't exist,
    we'd consider transcribing from a recording."

    Here's an obscurity: The December 2, 1929 episode of Empire Builders
    (one of NBC's earliest coast-to-coast drama series, broadcast that
    season from WJZ New York) apparently dealt with a "Hawaiian legend" in
    which Mauna Loa, "the highest volcanic peak in the world, plays a
    sinister [removed]" Don't know if the script is available. Maybe it's in
    the NBC Program Files. (There's also quite a few episodes of that
    series set in Seattle.)

    I can think of two shows I've listened to that might be worth doing.
    One is "The Cloak of Kamehameha" which was done twice on "The
    Adventures of Philip Marlowe" and the other is "The Report from the
    White Jade Buddha" from "Voyage of the Scarlet Queen." Both are pretty
    solid adventure tales.

    [removed] lists a bunch of other possibilities I have not
    heard, including:

    A 1955 episode of My Little Margie: "After winning a trip to Hawaii on
    a radio quiz show, Margie becomes queen of a tribe of cannibals." (The
    myth of cannibalism in the Hawaiian islands dies hard, I guess.)

    An episode of "The Lives Of Harry Lime":  "Harry's in Hawaii after
    $75,000 is stolen jewels." (No title given. Might be "Cherchez La
    Gem"?)

    A February 21, 1949 episode of "Let George Do It" called "Journey Into
    Hate": "Twin sisters on a Hawaiian island, with a plot stolen
    shamelessly from "Gaslight," including insanity and a Charles Boyer
    clone!"

    A December 9, 1948 episode of "Tales From The Four Winds" entitled
    "Kula, The Sugar Cane Train": "The smallest train on Hawaii, with a
    funny whistle, becomes a hero."

    A March 4, 1952 episode of "The Red Skelton Show" which features
    "Flying To Hawaii," with Junior, The Mean Widdle Kid and "I Will Never
    Forget Hawaii," with Clem Kadiddlehopper.

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 18:47:07 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <widnerj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Lone Ranger and James Lipton

    Irene Heinstein wrote:

>     Chappelle (sp) both of whose parents had advanced degrees and whose
>     father taught at Antioch College in Yellow Springs OH for years, had
>     a great line. He said he was the first person in his family NOT to go to
>     college.  Chappelle still lives in Antioch.

    Though I know what you meant, Irene, Chappelle lives in YELLOW SPRINGS
    not Antioch. Actually, he has a farm near Yellow Springs. As I am about
    15 minutes from Yellow Springs, it is not unusual to occasionally see
    Chappelle around when he is in Ohio.

    His farm is a second home and mostly a getaway for him. When he was
    overstressed recently and left his show, he first went to Africa, then
    returned quietly to Yellow Springs where he came into Dayton and did a
    little standup comedy in some of the local clubs just to keep his wit up
    and to relax by returning to his roots.

    Jim Widner

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 19:43:08 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <widnerj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: XM and OTR

     > OTR was one of the reasons I got [removed] like the [removed] young man by the
     > name of Greg Bell, who seems enthusiastic [removed] like the fact of
     > hearing OTR clearly anytime I want.

    While I got XM for Major League Baseball and to listen to Bob Edwards
    again, I occasionally listen to the OTR. It isn't bad though what bugs
    me the most are the incessant commercials. During and between shows it
    gets pretty old sometimes.  I wouldn't mind the old commercials, but
    these new ones, like television, assume everyone is deaf and pump up the
    volume.

    Jim Widner

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

    Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2006 19:43:39 -0500
    From: "Stuart Lubin" <StuartLubin@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  XM and OTR

    I am glad you are enjoying OTR on XM Radio.  I would like to recommend a
    very talented group that does new radio drama on XM, although they do not do
    too much OTR.  They are a Southern California-based group called "New
    Frequency: A Theatre of the Mind".  They have appeared at SPERDVAC
    conventions (where they did OTR) and at the Museum of Television and Radio,
    in addition to other venues in Los Angeles.  If you enjoy radio drama, you
    will enjoy them on XM.

    Stuart

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #55
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