------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 220
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Catching up from Waukegan [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
Dead Ernest [ "Harry Machin, Jr." <harbev5@earthl ]
OTR progeny [ "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed]; ]
Old opera broadcasts from Texas [ bwandel@[removed] (William Wandel) ]
Joseph Cotten / Hitchcock cleared up [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
FYI: Hans Conried book [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
Noel Blanc [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
Re: 1996 Telecommunications Act and [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
Re: Michael Biel [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
Re: Archives [ Vntager8io@[removed] ]
Superman vs Captain Marvel [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
Re: Dead Ernest [ Thomas Butts <trbutts@[removed] ]
Audio Engineering Society Recreation [ Larry Gassman <lgsinger@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 15 Jun 2002 22:22:57 -0400
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Catching up from Waukegan
Hello [removed]
I have put a lot of stuff (photos, etc.) on the IJBFC Web site under
"Waukegan Round Up" in our Featured Items. Enjoy.
Did anyone ever answer Ron Sayles' question about Mary Livingstone recording
her lines for the Jack Benny Program? There's a good story about the woman
(frequently Jeanette Eyemann, the script assistant, but Joan Benny on at
least a few occasions) who stood in for Mary blowing a line, getting a huge
audience laugh, and then forcing Mary to make the same mistake in her version
of it.
There's even a show where the stand-in gets a big laugh, prompting Jack to
comment, "Say, you're getting good at this!" The comment sounds odd if he's
saying it to Mary, but it's doubly funny to us "backstagers".
My thanks to all those who were able to make it to Waukegan, the great folks
from the City of Waukegan, and especially to our recreation cast. Am hoping
to have an MP3 of our performance to post in short order. In the meantime,
students of comedy can read the original rehearsal script for 9/23/51,
compare that to the show that actually aired, then see how we modified it for
our performance, and later compare that to what actually got performed.
[removed]'ll have to do this again [removed]
--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:46:58 -0400
From: "Harry Machin, Jr." <harbev5@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Dead Ernest
I've seen that the Suspense title of
"Dead Ernest" was given correctly
as the story about the cataleptic man
thought to be dead and so awaiting
the autopsy that would kill him. But
I don't believe that the actor's name
was given correctly. The star was
Pat O'Brien and the program date
was March 24, 1949. There were
several shows and actors named but
I don't recall that anyone mentioned
Pat O'Brien. My apologies if anyone
else posted the correct show and actor.
Harry Machin, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:47:41 -0400
From: "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OTR progeny
Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed]; wrote:
Before going into cinematography, Charles Jr. wanted to be a rock-and-roll
drummer, and while still in high school he formed a California surf band
called "The Cornells," which recorded at least one very obscure album.
Rich Correll played drums in high school, too -- in Jerry Mathers' band,
"Beaver and The Trappers."
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:47:55 -0400
From: bwandel@[removed] (William Wandel)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Old opera broadcasts from Texas
In issue #216, Robert Angus asked about
hilarious opera broadcasts from Texas in 1950. The name of the program
was "Opera, Once Over Lightly" and was written and hosted by Reuben A.
Bradford. It began locally in November, 1948, over WFAA in Dallas and
appeared weekly during the Met season. It continued for four years, and
became so popular that in the summer of 1952, NBC
decided to try it out for 2 weeks. It stayed on the air for 9 months,
drawing fan mail from all over the world. In 1955, Bradford wrote a book
of the same name, which I have, published by Perennial Press, with an
introduction by Sigund Spaeth. The
book contains 28 scripts and are truly
hilarious, such as the scene in Faust
where the Devil drinks wine at the tavern and sings, "Taint fit for
pigs". The chorus
sings back, "Tis fit for pigs", but snce the devil draws more dough, he
wins.
Bill Wandel in Houston
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:49:06 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Joseph Cotten / Hitchcock cleared up
I've been off the web for a few days, hope I'm notlate in getting into this
one. Evan came the closest with:
Joseph Cotten actually starred in a Hitchcock rendition (on TV) of Dead
Earnest with the title changed.
Dead Earnest on radio was a Suspence episode starring Wally Maher circa
1945-6, about a man with cataplexy who is in an accident and is taken to a
morgue; in the radio version, it is a note in his pocket which save's him
before imbalming.
They are two different stories. The first was the SUSPENSE drama done on
radio, entitled "Dead Ernest" performed three times on SUSPENSE. The first
time was on August 8, 1946.
The second time was on May 8, 1947, by popular request with many SUSPENSE
fans. But a recording of the second version reveals a special appearance at
the end of the program by Vice-President of CBS Radio, Dallom Thornbird
(sp?). The third time was on March 24, 1949, and the first two versions
featured Wally Maher in the lead. The third offered Pat O'Brien in the
lead, with Wally Maher in a supporting role. david Niven was scheduled to
star in the second version, but for reasons unknown, he wasn't able to
perform, so Wally Maher took his place. Joseph Cotten was not in any of the
SUSPENSE dramas.
The "Dead Ernest" script was written by two CBS staff writers, Mervin Gerard
and Cedric Lester, who later had the same story adapted for a television
series in the fifties but I can't recall the name of the series at present.
"Dead Ernest" won a Peabody Award, showing how popular it was among critics.
The second was "Breakdown" but although that story had a similar plot, it
was originally a short story of the same name by Louis Pollack, published in
the June 7, 1947 issue of Collier's magazine. This short story has appeared
in numerous anthologies and even dramatized on May 15, 1949 on radio's
PRUDENTIAL FAMILY OF STARS. James Cagney was originally scheduled to star
in the STARS drama, but for reasons I have not yet learned or dug up, he
wasn't able to perform so Joseph Cotten took the lead. (At that time,
Cotten was under contract with David O. Selznick, movie producer, and Cotten
filled in for dozens of radio appearances for numerous stars during the
mid-fifties, courtesy of Selznick.)
>From September 7 - 10, 1955, Alfred Hitchcock directed a television episode
of his TV anthology, ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS entitled "Breakdown." The
television episode was based on the same short story, and again, Joseph
Cotten took the lead (but now for Tv instead of radio.) It's not clear
whether Hitchcock heard the radio drama years before and wanted to do a Tv
drama with Cotten reprising the role, or whether Hitchcock read the short
story in an anthology that bore his name, and used Cotten who played in a
few of his films, and it was a coincidence that Cotten was reprising the
role.
What is know is that Hitchcock preferred to film his TV episodes based on
short stories instead of originals, and chose the stories personally, so the
later suggestion is the most probable. "Breakdown", incidentally, was the
seventh episode aired on ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, but was the first
episode filmed behind the cameras.
Two different stories with similar plots, not the exact same story retitled.
Now the pitch: All of the info above was taken directly from SUSPENSE:
Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills and THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS
COMPANION. For the record, as of last month, the SUSPENSE book is no longer
in print. It's been available for four years, but it's no longer available.
(I think a couple bookstores just removed it from their inventory.) The
only place I know that still have copies in stock (for any last-minute
chances) are [removed] and Gary Kramer of Great American Radio, if they
even have any copies left.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:49:40 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: FYI: Hans Conried book
FYI: There's a new book being released this fall, for all you Hans Conried
[removed]
Hans Conried A Biography; With a Filmography and a Listing of Stage, Radio,
Television and Voice Work
Written by Suzanne Gargiulo
Foreword by Leonard Maltin
ISBN: 0-7864-1338-7
[224]pp. ca. 75 photographs, notes, filmography, bibliography, index $[removed]
softcover (7 x 10) 2002
Description: Hans Conried was once described by the well-known Hollywood
gossip columnist Hedda Hopper as ìa high-strung, droll fellow, plagued by a
multitude of talents.î Conried was indeed a talented and versatile actor,
but his versatility often worked against him. A complex individual who
yearned to perform Shakespeare on the stage, he achieved success playing low
comedy in films and on television.
Conried performed in nearly 10,000 radio shows and hundreds of television
programs and stage plays, as well as more than 80 films. Over the years,
Conried also lent his distinctive voice to numerous animated shorts,
phonograph records, commercials, and other projects. Some of his most
memorable roles are Dr. Terwilliker in The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T; the voice
of Captain Hook from Disneyís, Peter Pan; eccentric Uncle Tonoose on The
Danny Thomas Show; the fussy elocutionist Percy Livermore on I Love Lucy;
and the voice of comical villain Snidely Whiplash from Jay Wardís Dudley
Do-Right series.
This book chronicles Conriedís life and career from his birth in 1917
through his death in 1982. Enlivened by many photographs as well as personal
reminiscences from family, friends, and colleagues, the book also contains
comprehensive information on Conriedís film, television, stage, radio, and
voice work.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:50:31 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Noel Blanc
To answer the question of whether Mel Blanc's son,
Noel Blanc, is doing the voices of the Warner Bros.
cartoon characters-- No, he isn't. He did do at least
one voice on Tiny Toon Adventures in the early 90s,
but for whatever reason did not follow in his father's
footsteps, though it's been said (I think by Mel
himself) he can do the voices nearly as well as his
father.
I'm not one to say he should have followed in his
father's footsteps-- everyone has their own life to
lead. However, I will say that having heard some of
the voice actors who have replaced Mel, I believe that
if they can't do it right, they shouldn't do it at
all. Some of the voices are acceptable (grudgingly),
others bear little or no resemblence to Mel's
rendition. A Miracle Whip commercial with Sylvester
and Tweety comes to [removed]
By the way, "Noel Blanc" is French for "White
Christmas." Ironic, as Mel himself pointed out,
because the family is Jewish.
Rick
[removed] Can anyone listen to Arthur Q. Bryan as either
Doc Gamble on Fibber McGee and Molly or as Lt. Walt
Levinson on Richard Diamond, and not think of Elmer
Fudd? I wonder if people listening to OTR in the 40s
had that same reaction, and if it helped or hurt him
in terms of people accepting the non Fudd characters?
(Personally, I can accept the non Fudd characters
without any problem, but since I first heard Bryan as
Fudd, that's who first comes to mind when I hear his
voice.)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 11:51:47 -0400
From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: 1996 Telecommunications Act and Bill
Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: the 1996 Telecommunications Act
>> Did it all start with the 1996 Telecommunications Act under Clinton?
> The "reform" Act was passed by a Republican House of Representatives
& > a Republican Senate, and signed by President [removed] By the way,
I > am SOOO sick of all the ills of the modern world being laid at Bill
> Clinton's door!
Well, if Clinton signed it into law, then Clinton signed it into law.
Acknowledging that fact is, I think, a long way from "blaming all the
ills of the modern world on Bill Clinton." In fact, I had originally
thought it had happened under the first Bush's watch, but facts are
facts. For what it's worth, I happen to admire much that Clinton did
and, in fact, wish he were still president. I was doing much better back
then. And, come to think of it, I didn't loose my eye until Bush became
[removed] Sorry to stray so far, but I felt I was being misrepresented.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 12:03:40 -0400
From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Michael Biel
Michael Biel mentioned that he has one of my old records that I cut back in
the 1950's or 1960's. Michael, you spurred my curiosity. When I started my
studio, I had a rubber stamp that I would use on my labels and it said
"Fred Berney Recording Studio". I believe that the address was 2377 Coral Way.
About a year after I started my studio, I changed the name to Satellite
Recording Studio and the address would have been 5938 S. W. 8th Street.
Which label do you have? Also, what is the content. It is possible that I
may still have the reel to reel tape from which I made the disc.
How did you come upon it? I cut thousands of disc between 1956 and 1964. It
is kind of neat to learn that someone has actually found one that is no
longer in the hands of the person I made it for.
If you want to email me a short file of the contents, I can probably tell
you the background of the recording.
Fred
For the best in Old Time Radio Shows [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 12:04:27 -0400
From: Vntager8io@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Archives
David Rogers asked:
"How do modern radio stations archive their programs? Are they currently
archived digitally or are they archived on tape?"
A friend of mine who works there gave me a tour of the Westwood One radio
"headquarters" in Washington [removed] about two years ago. I was surprised to
learn from him that all of the network's programs are archived on nothing
more than standard normal bias cassette tape (C-90s). Of course, for very
special programs, a digital or open reel copy might be kept, but otherwise,
daily news and talk shows are just reccorded on cassettes. And even then, not
everything is saved. We walked through the main storage room for "archived"
shows and I was amazed to see how poorly done it was: shoeboxes in no
apparent order held unboxed cassettes and a few older reels from earlier
days. I asked my host (who is one of the chief engineers there) if archived
tapes existed anywhere else, and he replied "Nope, that's it." That was just
two years ago; with the rapid spread of digital recording technology, things
might have changed since then, but I doubt it. Westwood One either has
already moved or will be moving its headquarters soon to New York, and things
may work differently there.
Bryan Wright
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 12:07:09 -0400
From: Jer51473@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Superman vs Captain Marvel
In the early forties my friends and i were huge comic book readers and
traders. It was the next thing to xmas when you looked out and saw one of
your fellow traders coming up your steps with a stack 20-25 comics. Oh boy! I
remember though, a sought of debate about who would win in a fight between
superman and capt. marvel. Now we all always wanted the latest superman
whether our parents bought it for us or we traded for it, but our preference,
as i remember it was capt. marvel. It was almost sacreligious to say you
didnt like superman, but i cant remember really enjoying his comics nearly as
much as those of capt. marvel. Maybe the story lines were more appealing or
the artwork was better in capt. marvel, but for some reason the vast majority
of us preferred the captain. I was never a fan of the superman radio show
either and ive always wondered why. Now i did enjoy the cartoons of superman
at the movies, the tv show, and the more recent adultlike movies. Any
responses out there on preferences of the two?
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 13:03:46 -0400
From: Thomas Butts <trbutts@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Dead Ernest
"Dead Ernest" was, indeed, broadcast three times on Suspense - 1946, 1947, and
1949. The first two starred Wally Maher and the third starred Pat O'Brien. I
think I recall reading that Wally Maher "lobbied" to star in the first version
since he was not a "big name" actor. I also seem to recall that Bob Bailey
played a minor role in the 1946 version.
Tom Butts
Dallas, TX
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 13:04:06 -0400
From: Larry Gassman <lgsinger@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Audio Engineering Society Recreation
Hi,
Shelley Herman asked me to post this to those interested in seeing a live
recreation. It will take place here in Southern California, and so for
more information you are encouraged to e-mail Shelley for more details.
Larry Gassman
In honor of the 75th anniversary of the release of the first talking picture,
The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, the Audio Engineering Society is
sponsoring a re-creation of the Lux Radio Theatre's 1947 broadcast of 'The
Jazz Singer' on Sunday October 6, 2002 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in
room 403A. The event will start at 6:15PM.
The re-creation will feature Richard Halpern in the starring role, Herb Ellis
will direct.
Although this event is being staged primarily for members of The Audio
Engineering Society, all interest members of the Old Time Radio community are
invited to attend. There is no charge for this event. Members who have an
interest in professional audio equipment are encouraged to come to the
convention center early in the day to observe one of the largest displays of
such equipment in the world.
Shelley A. Herman
saherman@[removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #220
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