------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2001 : Issue 275
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Hi-Tech Old Time Radio [ "Bruce Queen" <musicman@[removed] ]
In awe [ John Henley <jhenley@[removed] ]
cemetary query [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
Payment to stations [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
Obsolete products correction [ Bob Noble <bobnoble@[removed]; ]
Two-Ton Baker [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
A whole store-full of obsolete produ [ Al Girard <agirard@[removed] ]
Info Request - Burn 'em up Barnes? [ mart459@[removed] ]
NBC Chimes [ Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed]; ]
FRANKLIN McCORMICK SHOW [ "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
OTR Slogans [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
By-gone sponsor items [ "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@worldnet. ]
Lux Up North [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
Two Ton Baker, The Music Maker [ KENPILETIC@[removed] ]
re Obsolete Products [ John Henley <jhenley@[removed] ]
OTR spots and slogans [ Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed]; ]
old products [ "Jerry Salley" <jlsalley@[removed]; ]
Re: Two Ton Baker [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
OTR Jingles [ "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@hotm ]
Re: THE LONE RANGER IN BUFFALO? [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 14:16:41 -0400
From: "Bruce Queen" <musicman@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Hi-Tech Old Time Radio
Hello all:
I'm a relatiavely new member (2 months) to the Old-Time Radio Digest and I
must say I really enjoy all the tidbits that everyone shares here. So, it
is with true humility that I add my own item of interest. I collect my OTR
in MP3 format on CD's. Now as you may know, OTR is placed on CD's in
different conversions, most with very low kbps and khz. The problem is,
what if you want to play these cd's somewhere besides your computer? Well,
I have become a true believer in a portable CD player known as the RIO Volt.
It handles all of my OTR cd's with no problems. The wonderful thing I have
found about this product is that it is great to carry along for walks and
listen to OTR while enjoying the great outdoors (no skips so far). I hook
up a car adapter when I go traveling. And, when I get home, I attach the
Rio to its AC adapter and a stereo Y-adapter cable (bought at Radio Shack)
and I can enjoy my OTR programs thru my stereo. One other hi-tech trick I
do is while the Rio is hooked to my stereo is to use my wireless headphones
(the kind that can be heard thru walls). When I'm mowing my lawn, washing
my truck, taking a nap or doing anything anywhere in or around my house I
can enjoy my OTR shows.
While I'm on the subject I must say, the fact that one cd can hold over
100 thirty minute OTR shows is very appealing to me. MP3 is a very nice way
to store audio files and with the new Window Media files coming out which
are even smaller than MP3's I just say WOW!
I do love these Old Time Radio shows but I really enjoy employing hi-tech
ingenuities to make listening even more pleasureable. Is there anyone else
who has found ways to combine the old with the new for an enhanced
experience? I'd sure love to hear about new and interesting ideas. Well,
enough of my ramblings, everyone keep up the good work. This is a wonderful
forum full of great people and I'm darn glad to be a part of it!
-Bruce Queen
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 14:17:37 -0400
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: In awe
Hello all,
I just wanted to take a brief opportunity to
say what a wonderful thing it is to have the
real folks among us, in on our chitchat.
I mean of course Mr. Bartell, Mr. Stone,
Mr. Binyon, Mr. Murtough, Mr. Erlenborn, and
forgive me if I'm forgetting any others who
belong with that group. It is to me a pretty
unbelievable thing that these folks have chosen
to join our list, and - with all due respect
to all us laypeople and scholars - I think they
elevate our discussions by many levels.
Thank you.
John Henley
jhenley@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 14:17:39 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: cemetary query
Ted Meland wrote:
Anyone know why this cemetery [in NY] attracts so many notables?
Interesting tid-bit. Off the top of my memory, there is a cemetary in
France that was known as the "in" place to be buried. Once was a plain old
ground and an enterprising individual got the idea of paying a respected
prince (a prince no one knew who or cared for) to be buried in the ground.
Within years it became the most popular place to be buried in all of Europe.
Jim Morrison and tons of actors and musicians are buried there now. can't
recall the name of the cemetary, but I recall that the man who started the
whole thing, shortly before he died, was charging people to be buried in his
cemetary ten times the amount he paid for the land initially. Anyone recall
that popular cemetary in Europe?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 14:17:41 -0400
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Payment to stations
The question has come up again about finances. The member stations were
paid their "card" rates less fifteen (?) percent for broadcasting network
commercial programs. It was their option whether or not they carried
sustaining programs. The station I built in Palm Springs, California, for
Dick Joy and Don McBain, KCMJ, was a CBS "bonus" station. "Bonus" meant
that they had to carry all CBS commercial programming for which they were
paid a flat monthly fee (about $900 as I recall). In our case there was
one exception. Our manager, Clint Jones, convinced CBS that it was
useless to carry the Ferry-Morse Seed program as even their seeds would
not grow in the desert. CBS had a thirty second "break" after system cue.
If the program had theme music it would feed for another fifteen seconds.
However the member stations could fade it out immediately after the
system cue for a commercial. As I recall, NBC had twenty seconds after
"chimes".
Not only did local stations have a good income from the networks, they
also received good programming to build their audience. It was a twofold
blessing!
Bill Murtough
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:25:25 -0400
From: Bob Noble <bobnoble@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Obsolete products correction
Jay Ranellucci noted: "And what about Adam's Pepsin Chewing Gum?"
Sorry, Jay. It's BEEMAN's Pepsin gum (which I think is still around
somewhere" and ADAM's Blackjack gum.
--Bob
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:25:29 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Two-Ton Baker
Yes, Two-Ton was a very talented free-lance performer, on the air a lot
at WGN -- sponsored by one of those obsolete OTR products, Balm Barr hand
lotion. Two-Ton was the spokesperson for the very popular Riverview
amusement park, boasting 7 roller-coasters, and miles of fun and
excitement. All rides were 2-cents a couple of days a week--in 1947,
that is.
Sandy Singer
A DATE WITH SINATRA
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:25:27 -0400
From: Al Girard <agirard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: A whole store-full of obsolete products
I may have missed seeing it mentioned, but I don't believe
Rexall Drug Stores exist any longer,so if that is the case,
those dozens of Rexall products which were advertised on the
Phil Harris/ Alice Faye Show are no longer being sold.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:25:32 -0400
From: mart459@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Info Request - Burn 'em up Barnes?
My father mentioned that one of the shows that he really used to like growing
up in the Boston area was "Burn'em up Barnes" about a race
car driver. I haven't been able to find any information. Has anyone else
heard of the show?
Jon Martin
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:26:19 -0400
From: Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: NBC Chimes
Dan Riedstra <[removed]@[removed]; comments on my favorite subject:
There has been some discussion on the digest about the NBC chimes. An
interesting thing I heard recently at the end of a Fibber McGee & Molly
broadcast from 1944 is that instead of the regular three chimes, NBC
used a sonovox (spelling?) just like the ones used to do the Bromo-Seltzer
train voice to say "Buy War Bonds" in place of the actual pitched chimes.
I'm sure this was done during one of the many War Loan Drives. Does anyone
know of any other surviving examples of this?
Anyone interested can hear this by going to:
[removed]
Near the end of the article click on the speaker icon under Chimes Past and Present,
there you can listen to not only the Sonovox "Buy War Bonds" but some of the earliest
recordings of the chimes (thanks to Elizabeth) and the latest chimes heard on the TV
network.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:26:54 -0400
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: FRANKLIN McCORMICK SHOW
Is there anyone in the Chicago area that remembers "The Franklin McCormick
Show"? I belonged to the Indiania Recoeding Club some years ago, and one of
the members would send me dubbs of his show. He played music of the Jazz,
Swing, & Big Band era, had guests i=on from Show Biz that werte appearing in
Chicago. All in all, it was a wonderful, nostalgic, program. His theme was
"Memories". Can anyone who remembers this wonderful personality give usmore
information about him. Are his shows available from any distributirs?
Owens
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:27:27 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR Slogans
jstokes does a montage of old radio slogans, such as,
"It's 8 o'clock. B-U-L-O-V-A. Bulova watch time. <snip>"
"So, next time you need to fill up your tank with quality gasoline,
stop at the sign of the Flying Red Horse!"
But he missed one of the most famous,
"Cawl for Philio Morrrrreeese!"
Once on one of those comedy shows of the era, the following occurred:
[Sound of a lot of glass breaking and splintering.]
Straight man: "What was that?"
Comic: "That was Johnny, stepping out of thousands of store windows all
across the nation."
(For latecomers, "Johnny," the bellhop who plugged Philip Morris,
indicated that he was "stepping out of store windows ..." as part of the
spiel.)
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 18:28:10 -0400
From: "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: By-gone sponsor items
One of the most notable casualties of progress is Johnson's Wax. The
invention of the no-wax floor would have killed ol' Harlow Wilcox if Father
Time hadn't gotten him first. [removed] Johnson uses very little wax these days.
Even their "Pledge" brand of furniture polishes contain no wax whatsoever.
The only wax you'll find in that place are the "Glade" Candle Scents.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:04:09 -0400
From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lux Up North
<welsa@[removed]; says:
I was interested in Lux Soap. Lots of web sites come up when you do a
search for it.
There is still a product by that name, but it all seems to come from
Thailand, India and
similar places. Probably not the same product.
Lux bar soap is still widely available in Canada, where it is marketed as a
lower-priced brand - probably because it isn't advertised.
One of the cleverist ideas I've heard is to buy about a dozen bars of Lux,
make a dozen cassette or CD copies of a holiday-related "Lux Radio Theater"
show, and send them out at Christmas time to your favorite OTR trading
partners. An inexpensive, yet thoughtful and unique gift - and far
healthier than sending out Jack Benny Christmas episodes along with a packs
of Luckies!
Harlan
Harlan Zinck
First Generation Radio Archives
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:10:36 -0400
From: KENPILETIC@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Two Ton Baker, The Music Maker
Hi Gang - August 24, 2001 - 2:45 PM cdt
In issue 274, Dave Buswell writes in part:
Does anyone who lived in the Chicago area in the 1940s remember a
a popular local (I believe) radio pianist and vocalist named Two-Ton Baker?
This was covered once before, but it was long ago, so I'll mention it agaiin
for the folks who may not [removed]
Dick "Two Ton" Baker had a fifteen minute program Monday thru Friday.
I think he might have been on twice a day, morning and afternoon, with
different songs. Perhaps someone else might provide station and time
information.
He composed, played, and sang such songs as:
"Im a Lonely Little Petunia in an Onion Patch (and all I do is cry all day)"
"The Soup Song"
"I Wuv a Wabbit"
He also played and sang songs like "All the Cats Join in", which were
popular at the time.
He had many sponsors and his program was very popular in the Chicago
area. I have a few of his programs (on different tapes) in my collection.
If anyone is interested in copies, please contact me privately and I'll try
to dub them to a cassette. I cannot vouch for sound quality, as these
were taped many years ago, and I have not played any of them in
a long-long time.
Happy Taping -- Ken Piletic - Streamwood, Illinois
kenpiletic@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:10:43 -0400
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re Obsolete Products
Ted "welsa" asked,
What's obsolete about Crisco? It's still very much a product, at least on
grocery shelves in Wisconsin!
In Texas too, and I suspect Crisco continues to be the nation's leading
brand of solid shortening. I was quite surprised to see it in the
previous poster's list (thinking, "then what's that in my kitchen
cabinet??").
I do believe, however, that Proctor & Gamble has recently been
selling off some of its old familiar trademarked products and I
seem to recall that Crisco had been offered up. I don't know if
they proceeded with the sale or had any takers on it.
In addition to Roma Wines being gone, how [removed]
Sometime during the early-to-mid 1980s, I saw Petri Wine at a grocery
store near my home - a whole shelf of gallon-sized jugs, and that's
the only size they had. Clearly it was a budget product at that
time. I haven't seen it since.
And Lava soap is still around (bar and liquid form, now), but what about
Lifebuoy?
Well, I thought it was still out there, but now I'm not sure. One
website offering a huge array of bath & cleaning type products still
lists it, but otherwise it's elusive by web search. If it's gone, it
was in the fairly recent past.
Then Dave Walter mentioned that Philip Morris no longer exists
as a brand name of cigarettes. This is likely correct, but when I
took up smoking (in the 1970s, and I quit 15 years ago), you
could still get Philip Morris Commodores - but they weren't easy
to find; only the most well-stocked tobacco places had them. They
remained non-filtered.
John Henley
jhenley@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:11:26 -0400
From: Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR spots and slogans
From: "jstokes" <jstokes@[removed]; posted:
"So, next time you need to fill up your tank with quality gasoline, stop at
the sign of the Flying Red Horse!"
For years the giant Flying Red Horse sign stood atop the Mobil building in the heart of
downtown Dallas, Texas. The huge sign rotated and being illuminated at night it could
be seen for miles around. The years took their toll and eventually it stopped rotating
and fell into disrepair. Recently the Flying Red Horse was taken down and restored,
the mechanism was repaired and the Red Horse now Flies again above downtown Dallas. The
only problem is that so many taller buildings have been constructed you have to be
practically downtown to see it.
More trivia: What is the name of the Flying Red Horse?
There is an OTR trivia question game going on over on another forum and everyone seems
to be really enjoying asking and answering trivia questions. Such as:
twelve full ounces that's a lot, twice as much for a nickel too, ___________ is the
drink for you.
I'd walk a mile for a mild, mild, _______.
You'll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with __________.
Smoke dreams from smoke rings while a _______________ burns.
And what was "it's all vegetable, it's digestible"?
Bill Harris
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:13:53 -0400
From: "Jerry Salley" <jlsalley@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: old products
Dave Walter commented: several brands of cigarettes that were once OTR
sponsors are no longer marketed, at least by his distributor. Among them are
Old Gold (Songs by Sinatra), Fatima (Dragnet) and, of course, Phillip Morris
itself.
Well, I may be living more in the past than I realized, 'cause I'm still
smoking Phillip Morris Commanders. They are hard to find. I gave up on Old
Golds a few years ago because they became almost impossible to find. Both
are still manufactured, it's the distribution, of course, that is the
problem. I've never even seen Fatima cigarettes, so I can't comment there.
Jerry Salley
(who wishes he didn't, but still smokes the long unfiltered [removed])
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:13:56 -0400
From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Two Ton Baker
Dave Buswell asked about Two Ton Baker, the 1940s Chicago radio pianist
and singer.
Dick "Two Ton" Baker "the Music Maker" was heard on WGN. One of his
shows, an informal 15 minutes of song/piano, might have been heard
coast-to-coast (Mutual network).
If you can go to a search engine ([removed], for example) and search for
"Two Ton Baker" you'll see several links to web sites with info on that
large, gentle, likeable fellow.
I'd be very glad to discuss Mr. Baker (and Chicago OTR, if you like) with
you via e-mail.
-- Phil Chavin philchav@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:13:58 -0400
From: "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR Jingles
Hello All,
Jim Stokes' montage of radio jingles includes:
Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. Winston has full rich
tobacco flavor. The flavor comes right home to you."
This reminnds me of the following, which was a grade school favorite:
Winston tastes bad
Like the one I just had
No filter, no taste
It's a fifty cent waste
(Note: This comes from a time when a pack of cigarettes cost 50 cents.
Soon a single cigarette will cost that).
George
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 20:14:21 -0400
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: THE LONE RANGER IN BUFFALO?
In a message dated 8/24/01 1:19:05 PM, Owens Pomeroy writes:
I was always under the inpression that The Lone Ranger came out of WXYZ in
Detroit and starred only George Stevens, Earl Graiser & Brace Beamer. Now,
lo & behold we find that there was a Lone Ranger in Buffalo at WEBR and
starred John Barnett & Art Schmidt. (Was this a local version of the Network
show?).
***First off, it's George Stenius ([removed] movie director George SEATON),
Earle Graser and Brace Beemer. (And Jack Deeds and director Jim Jewell each
filled in as the Ranger in single WXYZ episodes, as did another member of the
WEBR cast.) This was before THE LONE RANGER aired on a national network. It
first aired on plain ol' WXYZ and the 7 other stations in the Michigan
Network (which was launched only two days before THE LONE RANGER premier
broadcast) and later on the Quality Group (which eventually became Mutual).
The scripts were commissioned from Fran Striker who maintained a freelance
script service. WXYZ did not initially pay for exclusive rights for
Striker's WARNER LESTER and LONE RANGER scripts and Striker regularly sold
his scripts to a number of stations which produced them with their own local
talent. (Philips H. Lord had a similar script-syndication operation that
Striker patterned his business on.) Before WXYZ obtained exclusive rights,
Striker's LONE RANGER scripts were also produced on Buffalo's WEBR (which
paid $4 for a single airing of the script--the same as WXYZ) and also on
Omaha's KOIL (a slightly larger station that paid $5 per script).***
Nowhere in any of the reference books I have mentions this series from
Buffalo. Can anyone fill in the blanks - and - are any of these
Buffalo-based shows on tape? I hope someone can solve this "mystery".
***The story of THE LONE RANGER Buffalo and Omaha productions is documented
in Fran Striker, Jr's biography of his father HIS TYPEWRITER GREW SPURS and
in Dave Holland's exceptional history FROM OUT OF THE PAST: A PICTORIAL
HISTORY OF THE LONE RANGER (the definitive reference book on the subject) . .
. and also in the 64-page historical booklet for Radio Spirit's recent LONE
RANGER ON RADIO 60-show collection by yours truly. The Holland and RSI books
both include photos of the young George Stenius and John Barratt, the first
actors to portray "the daring and resourceful masked rider of the plains, and
of Earle Graser on stage as the masked man in the November 1933 LONE RANGER
stage play at Detroit's Fisher Theatre. None of the early Buffalo or WXYZ
LONE RANGER's were recorded, though WEBR produced a new version of Striker's
first script that aired during THE LONE RANGER 50th Aniversary celebration in
1983 and the same script was also recreated a few years ago at the FOTR
convention starring John Hart and Will Hutchins and directed by -- ANTHONY
TOLLIN
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2001 Issue #275
*********************************************
Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
including republication in any form.
If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
[removed]
For Help: [removed]@[removed]
To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]
For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]
To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]
To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]