Subject: [removed] Digest V2005 #267
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 9/3/2005 10:18 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2005 : Issue 267
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      MORE OR LES PAUL                      [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
      9-3 births/deaths                     [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      MEL BLANC                             [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
      DUNNINGER                             [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
      classical theme and OTR questions     [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
      THE 'REAL' FRANK & AXEL STORY         [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
      Purvis and OTR history                [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
      Re: Classical themes                  [ "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed]; ]
      Other Theme Music                     [ tomheston@[removed] (Irish Tom) ]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 01:27:08 -0400
    From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  MORE OR LES PAUL

    Those marvelous folks, in the only round building in L. A. sent me the
    new CD, along with another -- loaded with sound-bites of Les & the
    others, whom he recorded this album with -- this album ROCKS!

    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 09:41:54 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  9-3 births/deaths

    September 3rd births

    09-03-1876 - Dick Teela - Wisconsin - d. 3-xx-1971
    singer: "The Breakfast Club"
    09-03-1893 - Anthony Collins - Hastings, England - d. 12-11-1963
    composer: "Ceiling Unlimited"
    09-03-1897 - David Rubinoff - Grodno, Russia - d. 10-6-1986
    violinist, conductor: "Chase & Sanborn Hour"; "Rubinoff and His Violin"
    09-03-1897 - Sally Benson - St. Louis, MO - d. 7-19-1972
    writer: "Junior Miss"
    09-03-1901 - Mantan Moreland - Monroe, LA - d. 9-28-1973
    actor: "Rudy Vallee Presents the Drene Show"
    09-03-1910 - Grace Matthews - Toronto, Canada - d. 5-15-1995
    actress: Ruth Evans Wayne "Big Sister"; Margo Lane "The Shadow"
    09-03-1910 - Michael Eisenmenger - d. 3-14-2003
    sound effects: "Captain Midnight"; "Backstage Wife"
    09-03-1912 - Peter Capell - Berlin, Germany - d. 3-3-1986
    actor:"Dimension X"; "Romance"; "Secret Missions"
    09-03-1913 - Alan Ladd - Hot Springs, AR - d. 1-29-1964
    actor: Dan Holliday "Box 13"; "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Proudly We Hail"
    09-03-1915 - Kitty Carlisle - New Orleans, LA
    singer: "Song Shop"; "RCA Magic Key"
    09-03-1918 - David Harmon - New York City, NY - d. 8-28-2001
    writer: "America in the Air"; "Now Hear This"
    09-03-1918 - Donna King - Salt Lake City, UT
    singer: (The King Sisters) "Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers"; "Al Pearce and
    His Gang"
    09-03-1920 - Jackson Weaver - d. 10-20-1992
    actor: "A Bright Tomorrow"
    09-03-1922 - Burt Kennedy - Muskegon MI - d. 2-15-2001
    writer: Wrote for radio in late 1940s

    September 3rd deaths

    04-15-1900 - Eddie Garr - Philadelphia, PA - d. 9-3-1956
    actor: (Father of Teri Garr) "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour"
    05-18-1897 - Frank Capra - Bisacquino, Sicily - d. 9-3-1991
    film director: "Gulf Screen Theatre"; "NBC Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    06-07-1903 - Joseph Kahn - New York City, NY - d. 9-3-1998
    pianist: "Voice of Firestone"; "Story of Mary Marlin"
    06-19-1919 - Pauline Kael - Sonoma County, CA - d. 9-3-2001
    film critic: Broadcast for Pacifica radio station
    07-08-1889 - Eugene Pallette - Winfield, KS - d. 9-3-1954
    actor: "Screen Guild Theatre"
    10-20-1905 - Frederic Dannay - New York City, NY - d. 9-3-1982
    writer: "Adventures of Ellery Queen"; "The Shadow"; "Ford Theatre"
    11-04-1900 - Arthur Schwartz - Brooklyn, NY - d. 9-3-1984
    composer: "The Gibson Family"
    11-10-1909 - Johnny Marks - Mount Vernon, NY - d. 9-3-1985
    songwriter, lyricist: "Great Moments in Music"
    12-13-1917 - David Street - Los Angeles, CA - d. 9-3-1971
    actor, singer: "Music Depreciation"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 12:04:40 -0400
    From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  MEL BLANC

    A DVD bonus of one the the Bogart-Bacall films, is a WB cartoon --
    Mel did Bogart to a T

    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 12:05:10 -0400
    From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  DUNNINGER

    Joseph, and all.  Most of you know, the 'other' way I 'steal' a pay
    check, is doing corporate magic.  My dad took me to see Dunninger, in '45
    -- he played Orchestra Hall in Chicago.
    Well, he calls me to the stage, and I 'learned' Dunningers 'secret' --
    also 'discovered' how he 'read minds'!  his radio show was always the
    most popular Thursday program on radio.
    He was a magnificent mentalist -- none better, before or since.  I have
    many broadcasts, and a lecture he gave to magicians.  Joe, if you'd like,
    I will be happy to dub them to CD for you.

    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 12:05:49 -0400
    From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
    To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  classical theme and OTR questions

>     "Tonight We Love" for "The Mercury Theatre on the Air," and "Night on Bald
>     Mountain" for, I believe, "Escape," are two that come to mind.

    Just to add, "Tonight We Love" was a popular tune derived from the opening
    theme of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

    =================================

    I could make a few comments about the comeback of OTR.

>     1 When experts  say that old-time radio is back what
>     exactly do they mean?

    It means those "experts" have been asleep. Was OTR ever gone? It may be more
    main stream now, but it has been a hobby that many have actively pursued &
    enjoyed for a long time. How long have they been writing articles about "OTR
    is back"? When was the first "OTR is back" article written?

>     2 Is there, indeed, a new interest or is it just that
>     it's newly available and access has become so easy? Or maybe it's a
>     little bit of both?

    New interest among young people because of easy availability, and a
    resurgence among older collectors for the same reason. There are young
    people discovering OTR, but the internet has made 2 big changes IMO. First,
    it's easier than ever to trade OTR, and technically savvy young people have
    embraced this as vervently as anything else. I was telling a young classical
    music collector friend of mine how we used to do trades in the old days -
    the 60s and 70s. We corresponded by letter and made open reel tapes which we
    snail mailed. Slow & expensive. Nowadays, fast and in many cases today,
    almost free to anyone with basic computer skills and net access.

    The second thing the internet has done to OTR, IMO, & I expect this will be
    a rather controversial statement, is that it has lowered the overall sound
    quality of OTR. Since dial-up speeds were the best we had for a long time,
    many programs were reduced to highly compressed MP3 files for e-mailing,
    posting on newsgroups, and storing on CDs (CDs were once much more costly
    than they are today) with result that much OTR circulates in degraded sound
    and I fear that many collectors have accepted this general lowering of the
    standard. I've heard amateurishly and cheaply produced OTR radio in cassette
    packages, in which the sound quality is equal to multi-generational open
    reel tape of many years ago. To be sure, there have been those who have
    sought out OTR in its finest form and released on CD. Ironically, digital
    technology has certainly taken restoration and distribution to heights well
    beyond anything we dreamed of 40 years ago. So the digital age has
    contributed to both the new heights and the new depths that the hobby has
    achieved.

>     4 Are these groups showing up on college campuses (not
>     just yours, [removed] ; )   )? Or is there some other indication of a
>     broader age group?

    I don't know about knew converts to the hobby, but if we took a poll of the
    ages represented just on this list, I think we would find the extremes
    represented. It would be interesting to have a graph of all of our ages
    (there are how many on this list? Did I hear 900 something, or did I make
    that up?)

>     6 What's so cool about this radio stuff? (I know it's
>     way cool, but readers might not . . . Yet)

    For me it's cool becasue it is just as good today as it was 60 years ago. I
    don't enjoy the Lone Ranger on TV nearly as much as I did as a child, but I
    still enjoy listening to the Masked Man as he was on radio, while driving,
    perhaps. There was also a lot more live music (not live on tape)
    broadcasting in those days.

>     8 If I (a reader) never listened before but am
>     intrigued, where would I begin? What's a good place to start?

    What's available to you? Check the public library for CDs or cassettes,
    that's the least expensive route. Wal-mart or Sam's Club may also have
    packages, or the local book chains - Border's, Bookstop, Barnes & Noble, and
    the usual on-line sources like amazon and ebay. What do you like? If you
    like comedy TV shows, try some comedy OTR. If you like detectives or action,
    that's available too.

>     10 Are people listening on their own or do they get into
>     groups? (One source said no; it's really a solitary experience; too
>     distracting to listen with others . . . )

    my experience is listening alone, but I go to movies alone or watch them at
    home alone too. Except on one occasion in the car I had some friends who
    enjoyed it with me. Very vocal response to the begining of the Lone Ranger.

    Joe Salerno
    Houston TX

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 12:06:31 -0400
    From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  THE 'REAL' FRANK & AXEL STORY

    This was due to Point of No Return being Frank's last obligation to
    fulfill for Capitol Records, who he had a very sour relationship with by
    1961.  He came into the sessions with a very bad attitude and refused to
    sing most of the songs more than once, and tossed the sheet music on the
    floor when he was satisfied with a take, even if it might be a first take
    and the guys in the booth requested another.  No, he didn't pay much
    attention to Axel or the musicians, yet he made yet another CLASSIC album
    somehow in the process.  And maybe he could turn his emotion on and off
    like a water faucet - that's what actors do, but, as with the greatest
    actors, the emotion comes from some place real.  It's evident in the
    recorded output.  At the end of the Point of No Return sessions, the
    musicians, and presumably, Axel, if he was there - he was getting cancer
    treatments - gave Frank a standing ovation, and Frank paused - I'm not
    sure if he said "thank you" - put his hat on, and walked out of the
    studio.  Another musical gem in the pocket.

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 13:46:04 -0400
    From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Purvis and OTR history

    On Saturday, September 3, 2005, at 12:18 AM, John Mayer wrote:

>     it's not inconceivable that the Dick Tracy character might have been
>     inspired by Purvis; at least, they wore similar hats.

    Interesting theory, but factually false. Chester Gould created Dick
    Tracy (originally called Captain Joseph Patterson) for the Chicago
    Tribune and it began in October [removed] full three years before
    anyone had ever heard of Purvis. As for the similar hats, virtually all
    men wore these hats in the 30s, including mystery novelist Dashiell
    Hammett, an ex-Pinkerton operative. (Hey, wait a minute, maybe Dick
    Tracy was based on Hammett?)

>     He became so
>     [removed] Hoover
>     pressured Purvis out of the FBI and, reportedly, hounded him
>     throughout the rest of his life, making it very difficult to get a
>     job.

    Obviously the Purvis family and the FBI have a different take on this.
    Purvis had no trouble picking up countless endorsements  (cereal, cars,
    etc.) In addition, he wrote a popular biography, "American Agent," and
    sold hundreds of different toys and games on just his name. (Check eBay
    any day for his souvenirs.) And to top it off, although he never fired
    a shot at the Biograph Theater during the Dillinger shoot-out, he sold,
    or gave away, to many associates "the gun that I killed Dillinger
    with." After his suicide, a few of these associates wrote the FBi for
    authentication of these weapons and I was at FBI headquarters, tasked
    with answering these letters. None of the guns were authentic, of
    course, and some had been manufactured during WW II.

>      One more radio connection: he had owned a radio
>     station in his hometown of Florence, South Carolina.

    Actually there is a much better OTR connection. About 1947 Purvis,
    described on the air as "The Ace Agent who got Dillinger," got his own
    crime show on Mutual, as the host and narrator of "Top Secrets of the
    FBI." At least two episodes have survived.

    Jack French
    Editor: RADIO RECALL
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 17:22:32 -0400
    From: "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Classical themes

>     I believe theme for "Quiet Please" was taken from
>     Dvoraks Symphony in D-Minor.

    Yeah, it's from the second movement of Cesar Franck's Symphony in D
    Minor.

    Wyllis Cooper, who wrote and directed "Quiet Please," also worked on a
    1935 series called "Immortal Dramas" which consisted of adaptations of
    Bible stories. It featured the "Faith" motif from Wagner's Parsifal as
    its theme and frequently used classical music for background.
    Interestingly, for the premiere episode, "David and Goliath," David's
    theme was, according to publicity, the second movement of Cesar
    Franck's Symphony in D Minor.

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2005 18:36:55 -0400
    From: tomheston@[removed] (Irish Tom)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Other Theme Music

    Here's a few more memorable musical moments of radio introduction:
    Prokofiev's ''Love for Three Oranges''       (Your FBI In Peace and
    War);
    Rossini's "William Tell Overture" (Who can hear that and not think of
    The Lone Ranger?);
    Grofe's "On The Trail", from his "Grand Canyon Suite" (Remember "Call
    for Philip Morris!" by Johnny?);
    Saint-Saen's "Omphale's Spinning Wheel," (Who knows what evil lurks in
    the hearts of men -- right!  The Shadow);
    Sebelius's s "Valse Triste,"  (I Love a Mystery);
    Rimsky-Korsokov's "Flight of the Bumble Bee", (The Green Hornet);
          And while we're at it, why not include "When Irish Eyes Are
    Smiling", (Duffy's Tavern), and Walter Shumann's 4-note classic,
    "Dum-de-dum-dum" opening for Dragnet, with Sgt. Joe Friday?  And one
    more, even shorter: the 3-note theme on soft chimes that sang, "This is
    the National Broadcasting Company,  "bong, bong, bong",  NBC.  You heard
    it just then, didn't you?

                   Tom Heston

      Slan agus Go n-eiri an bothar leat.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #267
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