------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 9
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Date Aragon Remote? [ Richard Pratz <[removed]@[removed]; ]
Molle Mystery Theater [ "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@neb. ]
Phil Harris & Bob CrosbySpeaking of [ "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed]; ]
Re: Sam and Henry Records [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Casablanca [ Osborneam@[removed] ]
Re: Caricatures [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
Re: Caricatures of OTR performers [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
Bartell the [removed] [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
Burma Shave [ Gary McDole <gmcdole@[removed]; ]
Burma Shave [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
Whither Shorty? [ Richard Carpenter <sinatra@ragingbu ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 12:02:34 -0500
From: Richard Pratz <[removed]@[removed];
To: "OTR (Plain Text Only)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Date Aragon Remote?
One of the great things about this Digest is the many nice people we meet.
Everyone I've corresponded with over the years has been gracious and giving.
One of them is Tas Richardson, an OTR fan who lives in southern Alberta.
Knowing I am a native Chicagoan, Tas sent me a tape of WGN's last remote
broadcast from the Aragon Ballroom featuring Wayne King and his Orchestra.
Ten thousand people were reportedly on hand at that broadcast from the
northside landmark to hear what was called "the end of an era" as Wayne King
(and Franklyn MacCormack) saluted the many bands that played at the Aragon
over the years by playing their themes. The place was so packed, the crowd
could only listen and not dance!
The only thing missing from that broadcast is a date. I would dearly like to
know when that farewell broadcast from the Aragon took place. One remark on
the program was "I'd rather be square than a Beatle" to which everyone
laughed. But that at least lets us know it was at a time after the Fab Four
burst onto the scene. So [removed] there anyone out there who might know
when this last of the big band remote's at the Aragon was broadcast? If
not, I'll see if WGN itself can dig in its archives and come up with a date.
My parents frequented the Aragon in the 20's through the 40's and I even
tried my hand at tripping the light fantastic there in the 50's. The Aragon
is still there at Lawrence & Broadway on Chicago's northside and will always
remain a landmark in thousands of people's memories whether they actually
danced there or just heard the many remote broadcasts from that location.
Sadly, however, the building is aging and now features rap [removed] it
aint dead yet!
Thanks in advance to anyone who can date that final big band remote from
"The Beautiful Aragon Ballroom ".
Rich
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 17:18:22 -0500
From: "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@[removed];
To: "old time radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Molle Mystery Theater
Hi all:
I heard my first episode of the Molle Mystery Theater last weekend. It was
called, "Talk Them to Death." I was quite impressed! I'm wondering if
anyone out there can tell me more about this show. Is it worth collecting,
or is it of the cheap horror caliber of Inner Sanctum?
Thanks in advance.
RyanO
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 17:18:54 -0500
From: "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Phil Harris & Bob CrosbySpeaking of Radio
A simple question for the Jack Benny Program aficionados out there:
What years was Phil Harris the bandleader for the radio program vs. what
years Bob Crosby held that position?
Why did Crosby come on board? Did Harris leave the show to pursue his own
career because of his individual popularity (I know that he had his own
show, movie roles, etc.)? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I was just
curious as I am just beginning to learn about the history of the show. To
me, the Benny program has held up well over time versus some other OTR
comedy programming which relied on more topical humor. Not that this is a
negative--I enjoy listening to topical humor from the 30s, 40s, & 50s it
gives a sense of where the world was at that time but to me the Benny show
is timeless. This is just my observation and I hope I don't offend anyone
on this point.
On an unrelated topic, has anyone heard of a latter day audio series called
"Speaking of Radio" that documented OTR history?
Jim Knaggs
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 17:20:04 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Sam and Henry Records
Alan Bell wrote:
A while back I downloaded some Sam 'n' Henry segments from the
binaries group and was wondering if they were perhaps recordings that
were never aired. Each one is around 3 minutes long or [removed]
1929 seems too late for a Sam 'n' Henry. Hadn't they become Amos 'n'
Andy by that time? Perhaps it's a typo and it should be 1927? Any
information you can pass along about these recordings?
These recordings have been floating around OTR circles for many years
without proper attribution, causing no end of confusion for collectors --
and are an object lesson in what happens when people dub things, trade
them, and don't include specific notes on the source materials.
As you suspect, these are not broadcasts. They are phonograph records
made for the Victor Talking Machine Company, and released commercially in
1926-27. The 1926-27 dates correspond to the recording dates. These
records were made at a time when there was a resurgence of interest in
talking-comedy records, and the first "Sam and Henry" discs were actually
on the market before the biggest sellers in the genre, the famous series
of Columbia recordings by Moran and Mack, the Two Black Crows. (These are
also floating around the OTR world, misattributed as broadcast excerpts.)
Here is a complete listing for the Victor "Sam and Henry" releases:
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. The "Fortune
Teller" side is adapted from a sketch that Correll and Gosden wrote and
performed in whiteface in the 1925 Chicago stage show "Red Hot," and
features Gosden doing a "European mind reader" voice that he would later
work into "Amos 'n' Andy" as the sinister Prince Ali Bendo, a character
who used his fortunetelling activities as a front for a blackmail racket
-- and who was finally sent to prison in 1937.
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. The "Big Night" side features Gosden as "The Most
Precious Diamond," the S&H character who served as the template for the
Kingfish in A&A.
In addition to these "Sam and Henry" sides, brief interpolations by Sam
and Henry are heard on the Correll and Gosden song recordings "All I Want
To Do" (BVE-34578) and "Let's Talk About My Sweetie" (BVE-34579-5), both
recorded 3/2/26.
The recording you have dated 4/20/29 is probably a misdated copy of one
side of Sam and Henry record 20032.
While on the subject, there were also four Victor releases by "Amos and
Andy" which also circulate misattributed as broadcast excerpts:
21608: The Presidential Election, Parts I and II (BVE-46426 and
BVE-46427) Recorded 7/17/28. A few lines from this sketch appear in
Episode 123, 8/16/28, but otherwise this material was never broadcast.
22119: Is Everybody In Yo' Family as Dumb as You Is? Parts I and II
(BVE-46424 and BVE-46425) Recorded 7/17/28. Never broadcast.
22234: At The Bullfight (BVE-57444)/The Dairy (BVE-57445) Recorded
11/22/29. Never broadcast.
22393: I'se Regusted (BVE-59915)/Check and Double Check (BVE-59916)
Recorded 4/4/30. While most of the Victor records have nothing to do with
any episode actually aired, both of these skits *were* condensed from
material used in actual episodes -- BVE-59915 is adapted from Episode
559, 1/6/30 and BVE-59916 is adapted from Episode 565, 1/13/30.
There were several self-contained vignettes like these broadcast during
the first two weeks of January 1930 which make it evident that Correll
and Gosden were trying to work up some special non-storyline-dependent
material for both their upcoming Publix theatre tour and their Victor
recordings, but these two sides were the only ones recorded.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:12:35 -0500
From: Osborneam@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Casablanca
George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed]; said in digest 007:
I've read that
CASABLANCA was originally supposed to star Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan in
the Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman roles.
How about the version I just heard this week? Alan Ladd and Hedy Lemarr!
Arlene Osborne
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:19:23 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Caricatures
Kenneth Clarke asked about Resturants which displayed some caricatures of
famous people (some of them from radio) on their walls.
Can
anyone provided some examples of some of these
restaurants for me?
Sardi's in NYC is the most famous for that, IMHO.
While we're on the subject, I'd like to find some
caricatures of OTR performers.
Many years ago, NBC's promotion and publicity department commissioned a well
known Caricaturist (whose name escapes me) to do caricatures representing
the stars of every major program that NBC currently had on the air. There
were probably 25 or 30 of them in the set. I am kicking myself from here to
Timbucto for not holding on to the 5 or 6 sets that had been given to me by
NBC. Primarily, because it included one of Bob Hastings and myself as
"Archie and Jughead". We were portrayed in costume (Ala the comic book
characters) but with Caricatures of our actual faces.
Something tells me those complete sets might be worth quite a few bucks
today. I've seen an occasional individual drawing from the sets at OTR
dealers tables.
They were rendered in color, and as I recall, the prints were about 5x7 in
size. The NBC Affiliated Stations received a full set mounted and matted,
but additional packets or the un-matted drawings were also available.
I would have to think a full set exists someplace in someone's collection.
Maybe someone on the list knows more about this series of drawings than I
can recall. It might have been sometime around 1948.
Hope this helps,Kenneth.
Hal(Harlan)Stone
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:42:32 -0500
From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Caricatures of OTR performers
Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; writes:
I'd like to find some caricatures of OTR performers. I know that Al
Hirschfield
did some for the U S Post Office a few years ago. He is (IMHO) the best
caricaturist
there ever was. It doesn't matter who the caricaturist is, as long as I
find some drawings.
I agree with you, Kenneth - Hirschfeld is a wonderful artist and easily the
best caricaturist who ever covered the entertainment scene. Personally, my
favorite of his drawings are those of the Marx Brothers and of Fred Allen,
as contained in Allen's radio biography "Treadmill to Oblivion."
Legitimate (that is to say authorized) prints of his drawings can be
purchased through the Margo Feiden Galleries: [removed]
There are also many, many books featuring compliations of his work - some
still in print, others not - and they come up for sale from time to time on
eBay. (Beware rip-off sellers, however, who often scan or even photocopy
Hirschfeld drawings and try to pass them off as authorized. After almost
100 years on this earth, Al deserves better!)
For strictly radio-related caricatures, there is a set of color drawings
originally given away by NBC circa 1947. This was a packet of about 30 5x7
prints featuring such stars as Allen, Benny, Bergen & McCarthy, Sinatra,
Cantor, and many others, as well as shows such as "Waltz Time" and
"American Album of Familiar Music." I have the set myself, but not right at
hand and I unfortunately can't remember the artist. They are really very
charming, though printed on fairly inexpensive stock, and can be had from
time to time on eBay for anywhere from $[removed] - $[removed] Not cheap, but
perfect for the radio enthusiast.
Issues of then-contemporary radio magazines such as "Radio Stars" can
sometimes yield caricatures, but the majority of the radio guide and fan
publications featured many more photos than drawings so browse before
buying if you can. Browsing the entertainment sections of old newspapers on
microfilm at your local library can sometimes result in fairly decent
drawings, but they're usually more often etchings taken from photos than
real caricatures. (And I've never seen a really decent copy made from a
microfilm anyway!)
Harlan
Harlan Zinck
First Generation Radio Archives
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:42:45 -0500
From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Bartell the [removed]
So, in addition to being a wonderful, versitle actor, Mr Bartell also
wrote. Could you tell us what other scripts you wrote, or was that
Gunsmoke episode the only one?
rodney.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 19:17:17 -0500
From: Gary McDole <gmcdole@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Burma Shave
At 12:03 PM 1/9/02 -0500, Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; wrote:
I'd like to issue a challenge to any members of
the mailing list to send me some examples of Burma Shave
signs which they remember.
I have mixed feelings about the possibility of cutting short any of the
fun, but they're all listed at:
[removed]~dgookin/burma_shave/
Gary in Berkeley
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 19:37:52 -0500
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Burma Shave
Free! Free!
A trip to Mars
For 500
Empty jars.
Burma Shave
He lit a match
To check gas tank
That's why they call him
Skinless Frank.
Burma Shave
In this vale
Of toil and sin
Your head grows bald
But not your chin.
Burma Shave
The future holds
Cell phone and jet
Wait till you see
The Internet.
Burma Shave
I'm not too sure about that last one.
M Kinsler
512 E Mulberry St. Lancaster, Ohio USA 740 687 6368
[removed]~kinsler
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 10:35:07 -0500
From: Richard Carpenter <sinatra@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Whither Shorty?
Listening to a later "Amos 'n' Andy" as I drove home from work tonight, I
found myself wishing Shorty the Barber was still part of the series. Does
Elizabeth or anyone know what happenbed to him? Did he move on or pass on?
Surely, his stuttering and sputtering weren't suddenly seen as politically
incorrect in a series that itself was accused of being incorrect? Or is his
absence just one of life's unsolvable mysteries?
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #9
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