Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #122
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/28/2002 9:31 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 122
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Re: Thanks For All The Help           [ "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed]; ]
      Birthdays                             [ Tony Baechler <tony@[removed]; ]
      Who's going to Cincinnati?            [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Re: Fred Allen                        [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
      Re: Radio Free Obits                  [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
      Re: Comics & OTR                      [ Mark Stratton <[removed]@[removed]; ]
      Milton Berle                          [ "gary hagan" <grhagan@[removed]; ]
      HARRY BARTELL AND WILLIAM CONRAD      [ Bob & Ronna Rutishauser <solons@ear ]
      Og, Son of Fire                       [ "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed]; ]
      Re: "Sam and Henry" On The Record     [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Tucson As A Possible OTR Convention   [ Tsunami1000@[removed] ]
      OTR Clubs                             [ "Norman Schickedanz" <[removed] ]
      NAB Hall of Fame                      [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
      Corrected Lunch Box link              [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      STREAMLOAD                            [ "david rogers" <david_rogers@hotmai ]

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 11:04:45 -0500
    From: "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Thanks For All The Help

    This may be slightly off topic but it is an observation that I would like to
    share.  I am fairly new to Old Time Radio but a long time fan of "Fraiser".
    After listening to some of Orson Welles' radio work, I have come to believe
    that part of the characterization of the title character of "Fraiser" may be
    partially derived from Orson Welles' style of speaking.  This is by no means
    a negative but there seem to be parallels in intonation, phrasing, and
    choice of language.

    Please no responses from angry fans--I love the show.  Bravo & long live
    "Fraiser"!  Dare I say (very Fraiseresque turn of a phrase, isn't it), Mr.
    Grammer and his associates have created in "Fraiser" one of the funniest,
    best written, and most vibrant characters ever created in TV or Radio
    history!  The similarities may be total coincidence but I think it is an
    interesting point.

    I agree that the "radio recreation" episode is hilarious--unfortunately, I
    do not have it on tape.

    Thanks,

    Jim Knaggs

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:24:15 -0500
    From: Tony Baechler <tony@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Birthdays

    Hello all.  Well, I am posting this now since I know that many of you think
    that "Gunsmoke," is the best OTR show ever produced.  Just a reminder that
    on April 26, it will be 50 years old.  Its first show was on 04-26-52.  I
    know that most people know that, but it just occured to me so I thought I
    would post.  For me, I can hardly believe that it has been 50 years since
    it was first broadcast, especially considering that an anniversary show was
    produced in 1976.  For those of you who do radio programs or write
    newsletter articles, here is an idea for April.

    Another show with a birthday this year is "Suspense."  On June 17, it will
    be 60 years old, with its first show on 06-17-42.  While many people have
    written and said things about the show over the years, I am not aware of a
    comprehensive examination of it (except for Elizabeth's column posted many
    months ago on a different list).

    If any other noteworthy shows have important birthdays this year, feel free
    to post them.  Thanks.

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:25:02 -0500
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Who's going to Cincinnati?

    Is there anyone going to Cincy from anywhere near southern Virginia, by car
    or train?  Let's say south of Charlottesville, or perhaps west or south of
    Lynchburg, whose route I could intercept?  I'd like to share a ride and
    expenses.  Please let me know off Digest.

    Many thanks.   Lee Munsick

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:24:45 -0500
    From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: Fred Allen

    Elizabeth McLeod writes:

>     Most Allen programs from 1935-40 *do* exist in recorded form. The
>     original discs are housed at the Library of Congress, and tape copies are
>     available for on-premises listening in the Rare Books Department at the
>     Boston Public Library.

    The issue of the Boston Public Library's handling of the Fred Allen
    broadcasts in their Rare Books Department has come up before and I wonder
    if someone on this list would be willing to post information on past
    efforts to make this material more widely available.

    My understanding is that Allen willed his papers and the literary rights to
    his works to the BPL when he died. (Allen had worked for the BPL as a young
    man and, thanks to their extensive collection and a voracious desire for
    learning, this led not only to his learning how to juggle but also to his
    first public performance at a library-sponsored staff talent show.) In the
    early 1960's Allen's widow Portland, with the help of her second husband
    Joe Rines, had most if not all of NBC's collection of Allen programs
    transferred from their disks to 1/4" reel tapes. These tapes were donated
    to the library where they were stored, inaccessible to the public, for well
    over 30 years. Then, when Portland died in the mid-1990s, she willed a
    sizeable amount of money to the library which led to a small Allen exhibit,
    the tapes of the programs being transferred to cassette, and these
    cassettes being made available for library listening only.

    My questions are:

    * If the BPL owns the literary rights to the Allen broadcasts and NBC holds
    the right to grant permission to access the disks they deposited to the
    Library of Congress, would these be the only two entities required to give
    permission for the commercial use of Allen's programs? And does this
    exclude Allen's "Texaco Star Theater" series of 1940-44, as this was
    broadcast over CBS? (My understanding is that these recordings - at least
    those that are known to exist - are *not* in the BPL collection.)

    * What is the length of time for which the BPL and/or NBC will be able to
    retain these rights, given the current copyright law?

    * What has been the library's attitude toward overtures to more widely
    distribute these programs up to now?

    * Has anyone on this list actually heard the recordings held by the BPL? I
    understand that they were rather poorly transferred originally but I've
    never had the chance to hear them myself or get a first-hand report.

    * Did I get any of this information wrong? I'd appreciate anyone who can
    correct me or fill in the blanks.

    As a big fan of Allen's radio work - and as a part of the First Generation
    Radio Archives - I'd love to investigate ways in which more of his programs
    could be made available, preferably in new direct-from-disk digital
    transfers. I don't know what the possibilities for this are (it would, of
    course, almost certainly be an expensive proposition) but it's worth
    looking into.

    Thanks --

    Harlan

    Harlan Zinck
    First Generation Radio Archives
    [removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:29:55 -0500
    From: Ga6string@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: Radio Free Obits

    Eric Cooper writes, re Milton Berle's obit:

>     once again, the mainstream
>     media and its obituary writers ignore OTR like it was ancient Greek history.

    I agree, and it's a shame. In most TV and films star bios, no OTR references
    are anywhere to be found. I'm a Bogart fan, for example, and I'm still
    awaiting the first mainstream reference to "Bold Venture." And isn't it
    regrettable that such sources as the Internet Movie Database ([removed])
    reference "notable TV appearances" but don't even list an actor's starring
    roles in OTR.

    Bryan

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:30:33 -0500
    From: Mark Stratton <[removed]@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: Comics & OTR

>     Ah, comic books!

>     What I remember was that they were 64 pages in length.  The ones you can pick
>     up from today's counters are, maybe, 16 pages.  And, in the old days, they
>     cost 10 cents.

    Today's comics are 32 pages and have been for over 30 years.  They tend to range in
    price from $[removed] to $[removed]  There are Trade Paperback collections that run in price from
    $15 to $25 or thereabouts.

    Today's comics tend to have 22-24 pages of story with ads.  That has also been the standard
    for nearly 30 [removed]

>     At least Superman was a radio favorite.  Wouldn't it have been great if some
>     other
>     of the above group had also been put on radio?

    The Green Lama was a Radio Show, A Pulp Character and a Comic Character.  The Blue Beetle
    had a short lived Radio series as well.

    Batman was a frequent Guest Star on the Superman radio show as well

    Cheers,

    Mark Stratton

    The Big Little Comics Links Page
    [removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:31:12 -0500
    From: "gary hagan" <grhagan@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Milton Berle

    With the passing of Milton Berle yesterday it reminded me of a funny
    incident involving my wife and myself.  Some years back we visited Hollywood
    and were looking to take in some audience participation shows.  Listed on
    the tickets list was a tribute to "Uncle Miltie".  Well we went out of our
    way to stay another night and stand in line for the show hoping to see some
    STARS.  To our surprise, all the audience was able to observe was a taping
    of the Texaco Service Station men that introduced him in the old days.  They
    sang and danced to
    "We were the ones who once were guilty of presenting Uncle Miltie".  Every
    time Milton Berle is brought up now we laugh at the experience hoping to see
    celebrities and when the show was broadcast all you could see was the backs
    of the audience's heads.  It did bring back nostalgic memories which I guess
    is all that would matter.  Goodbye Milton Berle. You will be missed!

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:31:39 -0500
    From: Bob & Ronna Rutishauser <solons@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: HARRY BARTELL AND WILLIAM CONRAD

    I am listening to "The Six Shooter" series and enjoying them very much.
    They are very well written and performed.

    In the episode of "The Swedish Bride" from May 6, 1954, Harry Bartell is a
    fellow who commits murder just prior to his bride arriving in town.  At the
    end of the show he is billed in the credits as, "Harry 'Killer' Bartell."  I
    wonder what the story was behind the use of the nickname?

    As it is the Easter time of year, the episode of April 15, 1954, "Crisis At
    Easter Creek,"  is about Britt helping to raise money for a new church organ
    in time for Easter.  He enlists the aid of a down and dirty desperado,
    Red-Eye Kirk.  Red-Eye is played by a barely recognizable William Conrad who
    is not named in the credits other than being listed as, "..and Red-Eye
    Kirk."

    A great series!

    Bob R.

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:31:52 -0500
    From: "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Og, Son of Fire

    Has anybody ever run across any recordings of the series "Og, Son of
    Fire" -- a 1930's show about a cave man and his prehistoric adventures? I
    found a fascinating website about the show, the premiums, and the books that
    inspired it. According to the site all the episodes are lost. Or are they?

    [removed]

    Doug Leary

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:34:01 -0500
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: "Sam and Henry" On The Record

    John Mayer wrote:

>     can you identify the sketches from those records in
>     some way?  How many such records were there? Were these records recorded
>     on both sides, one sketch per side?

    The "Sam and Henry" records were standard 10-inch 78rpm double-faced
    shellac discs, issued as part of Victor's regular black-label popular
    series. Four such records were released:

    20032: Sam Phonin' His Sweetheart 'Liza (matrix no. BVE-35328) /Sam &
    Henry At The Dentist's (BVE-35329) Both recorded 4/20/26.

    20093: Sam's Speech At The Colored Lodge (BVE-35066)/Sam & Henry At The
    Fortune Teller's (BVE-35073) Recorded 5/27/26 and 5/28/26.

    20375: Sam & Henry Rollin' The Bones (BVE-35067)/Sam & Henry Buying
    Insurance (BVE-35068) Both recorded 5/27/26.

    20788: Sam's Big Night (BVE-39092)/The Morning After (BVE-39093) Both
    recorded 7/7/27.

    In addition to these "Sam and Henry" sides, brief interpolations by Sam
    and Henry are heard on Victor 19886, the Correll and Gosden song
    recordings "All I Want To Do" (BVE-34578) and "Let's Talk About My
    Sweetie" (BVE-34579), both recorded 3/2/26. The release of this record in
    late March of 1926 marked the first public revelation of the true
    identities of "Sam and Henry," although many astute listeners had already
    recognized and identified the voices of Correll and Gosden.

>     And were they representative of the
>     show?

    Yes and no. The voices and acting styles are probably representative of
    what was being heard on the air -- and, indeed, these voices are
    noticably different from the familiar voices of Amos and Andy: "Sam"
    delivers his lines in a sort of hoarse yell, while "Henry" speaks with
    almost an under-the-breath mumble. The content of the records are short
    vignettes which are similar, but not identitical, to material actually
    used on the air. However, like "Amos 'n' Andy," "Sam and Henry" was built
    around continuing melodramatic storylines, not a disconnected series of
    comic skits, and the records don't capture that element of the radio
    program at all.

    However, it's possible to get a very general sense of the characters from
    these records, especially if you compare them with the text of the
    scripts published in the "Sam and Henry" book. It's interesting to note
    that despite the common belief that "Amos 'n' Andy" were simply "Sam and
    Henry" renamed, there are significant differences between the
    characterizations in the two series. Some of them are obvious -- Sam and
    Henry were enthusiastic drinkers, but Amos and Andy never touched any
    form of liquor. Sam and Henry enjoyed gambling, but while Amos and Andy
    occasionally played cards for matchsticks, and Andy fancied himself a
    bridge expert, the two were never portrayed as serious gamblers.

    But other differences are more subtle -- Sam may sound like Amos, but he
    is clearly not the same person. Sam was an utter, absolute innocent -- he
    believed anything Henry told him, and was by far the more gullible of the
    two, constantly being swindled by con men and hustlers. Amos, by
    contrast, always had a healthy sense of skepticism whenever Andy started
    with the big talk, and while he always tried to give people the benefit
    of the doubt, he had long since come to realize that there were people in
    the world you couldn't and shouldn't trust. From the very beginning of
    A&A, Amos was portrayed as an intelligent, thoughtful man who never had
    the advantage of an education -- whereas Sam was not only uneducated, but
    not all that bright.

    Henry and Andy are also quite different. Both are blowhards -- but Henry
    actually seems   to be genuinely *mean* to Sam. He's both a jerk and a
    bully -- and most important, he seems to actually believe his own
    exaggerations. But Andy, by contrast, is trying to fool *himself* along
    with everyone else: Correll and Gosden carefully portrayed him as the
    victim of a whopping inferiority complex, who used big talk and
    "putting-on-the-dog" as a way of hiding from his own feelings of
    insignificance -- if there was a chance he could convince everyone he was
    "Andrew H. Brown, President," he might possibly be able to convince
    himself of his own worth. That his bluster clearly convinced no one gave
    Andy a tragic vulnerability that helped to make him a far more complex,
    sympathetic character than Henry ever was.

    The explanation of this evolution is simple: when they started "Sam and
    Henry" in 1926, Correll and Gosden had no idea what they were getting
    into, nor were there any other radio serials they could study to learn
    the technique: they were literally inventing the form as they went along.
    All they had ever written were short revue-type comedy sketches, and had
    never attempted to create a realistic character. So "Sam and Henry"
    started out rather crudely.

    But by 1928, they had learned a lot -- and the break from WGN gave them
    the chance to start with a clean slate. The first weeks of "Amos 'n'
    Andy" are much more refined in terms of characterization than the start
    of "Sam and Henry," and give evidence that Correll and Gosden were
    applying the lessons they'd learned about how to create believeable
    characters. You can see the seeds of this instinctive skill as far back
    as the start of "Sam and Henry," but they didn't really master the
    technique until they left WGN and started over from the beginning.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:34:23 -0500
    From: Tsunami1000@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Tucson As A Possible OTR Convention Site
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Please pardon my tooting for Tucson, but this city would be the idea location
    for future OTR conventions------excellent weather, hotel prices, and great
    food and fun in a laid-back city renowned for its good natured people,
    smiling faces, and good old Southwestern hospitality!  One additional asset:
    prices are cheaper here than most anywhere else because many facilities cater
    to abundant retirees and snow birds!  JIM F

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

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:35:06 -0500
    From: "Norman Schickedanz" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: "Old-Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: OTR Clubs

    Walden Hughes mentioned Chicago and Arizona as being good places for OTR
    clubs.

    Having just moved from the Chicago area last fall, I know there are OTR
    re-enactment groups there, started as offshoots of Chuck Schaden's "Those
    Were the Days" show.  Also, there is another OTR club based there, ORCATS,
    with members from around the country.

    Having just moved to Tucson, I've recently started an informal OTR club
    here.  We've had one meeting so far and have over a dozen members at the
    moment.

    Norm Schickedanz
    Tucson

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:35:37 -0500
    From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: NAB Hall of Fame

    Continuing on about radio awards: How about the National Association of
    Broadcasters honorees? See below. (Hm. No award for Tesla.)

    Bhob @ FUSEBOX ONLINE COMICS @
    [removed]

    ----

    NAB: [removed]

    NAB Radio Hall of Fame Honorees

    2001
    "Cousin Brucie" Bruce Morrow (radio personality)

    2000
    Tom Joyner (radio personality)

    1999
    Wolfman Jack (radio personality)

    1998
    Rush Limbaugh (radio personality)

    1997
    Wally Phillips (radio personality)

    1996
    Don Imus (radio personality)

    1995
    Gary Owens (radio personality)

    1994
    Harry Caray (radio sportscaster)

    1993
    "Grand Ole Opry" (radio program)

    1992
    Larry King (radio personality)

    1991
    Douglas Edwards (radio correspondent)

    1990
    Charles Osgood (correspondent)
    Hal Jackson (entrepreneur)

    1989
    Red Barber (sportscaster)
    Nathan Safir (Spanish broadcasting pioneer)

    1988
    Roy Acuff (singer)
    William B. Williams (personality)

    1987
    Robert Trout (political journalist)
    Gordon B. McLendon (innovator)
    Robert Todd Storz (industry leader)

    1986
    Mel Allen (sportscaster)
    Earl Nightingale (commentator)

    1985
    Casey Kasem (personality, announcer)
    Fred Palmer (broadcaster, consultant)

    1984
    Red Skelton (comedian)
    Bob Elliot & Ray Goulding (entertainers)

    1983
    Charles Lauk & Norris Goff (Lum & Abner ? comedians)
    Benny Goodman (entertainer)

    1982
    Edgar Bergen (comedian)
    Don McNeill (entertainer)

    1981
    Ronald Reagan (Dutch Reagan, President of the United States)
    Kate Smith (singer, entertainer)

    1980
    Bing Crosby (singer, entertainer)
    George Burns (comedian)

    1979
    Paul Harvey (commentator)
    Orson Welles (producer, actor, director of radio, motion pictures and
    theatre)

    1978
    Arthur Godfrey (personality)
    Jim & Marian Jordan (Fibber McGee & Molly) (comedians)
    Walter Winchell (commentator)
    Guglielmo Marconi (inventor)

    1977
    William S. Paley (entrepreneur)
    Jack Benny (comedian)
    Fred Allen (comedian)
    Lowell Thomas (News reporter and commentator)
    Edward Murrow (news reporter and commentator)
    Milton Cross (music commentator)
    David Sarnoff (entrepreneur)
    Ted Husing (sportscaster)
    Edwin Armstrong (inventor)
    Herbert Hoover (President of the United States)
    Gene Autry (singer, entertainer)
    Freeman S. Gosden & Charles J. Correll (Amos and Andy ? comedians)
    Bob Hope (comedian)
    Graham McNamee (sportscaster)

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 21:35:50 -0500
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Corrected Lunch Box link

    Sorry, I've heard from a few of you and it turns out the link I listed for
    the Lone Ranger lunch boxes was incorrect.  Here's the correct link.

    [removed]

    To help find the listing the item # is:    7877398

    Irene Heinstein
    IreneTH@[removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 22:30:19 -0500
    From: "david rogers" <david_rogers@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: STREAMLOAD

    Can I just ask how other folks find the "Streamload" service? I read this
    today:

>     There are at least 9 Baby Snooks shows available on "STREAMLOAD".
>     Someone on this forum mentioned Streamload awhile back and I found it to
>     be a great site to download shows.

    However, I have read other comments that have spoken negatively about
    Streamload. Personally, I think that it is a great idea. I have recieved
    some great Damon Runyan Theatre files from a very kind gentleman in South
    Africa. (I would like to take this chance to publically thank him.) However,
    I do find that sometimes the service can be very erratic. I seem to get
    files that will not download, which adds to my total download amount and
    then I have to wait a while for my download total to clear.
    Therefore, even though I feel that it is a great idea it does sometimes
    leave me a little frustrated. I was wondering about how other people find
    the service.

    Love as always, David Rogers

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: Please respond to Mr. Rogers directly; I think we've
    discussed Streamload on the list enough for a while.  --cfs3]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #122
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