Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #83
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/4/2002 1:27 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 83
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  AFRS Discs Life Span                  [ Richard Fisher <w9fjl@[removed]; ]
  Re: Vivian Leigh                      [ "Bill Sims" <paradygm@[removed]; ]
  The Creaking Door                     [ "Peter H. Vollmann" <vollmann@hawai ]
  Speech interrupted [removed]              [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
  AFRS Disks                            [ Roger Lorette <roger@[removed]; ]
  Emerson MP3 Player                    [ "JLF" <infom@[removed]; ]
  AFRS Discs                            [ Roo61@[removed] (Randy Watts) ]
  Re: Postage Stamps                    [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
  Radio Mayak                           [ "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed]; ]
  BBC World Service                     [ "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed]; ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  Re: H. P. Lovecraft on the Radio      [ GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@ ]
  Re: Work or Play?                     [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  Re: A good sport                      [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  MT&R Salute to Fred Allen             [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
  Show question                         [ passage@[removed] ]
  Actors                                [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]

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

Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 22:07:39 -0500
From: Richard Fisher <w9fjl@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: AFRS Discs Life Span

Randy asked in the last digest how long the discs were allowed to remain
in circulation.

During my assignment in Saudi Arabia in 1952 and 1953 I was chief
operator, announcer and chief repair man for our AFRS station in
Dhahran. I was in the USAF.

At that time we were the end of the line for material (both discs and
reel to reel tape) being sent to the west and to the east by AFRS
headquarters located in the Pentagon.

We ended up with thousands of transcription discs and hundreds of reels
of tape as once we received them they had no place else to go - we were
the end of the line.  The material arrived at our base after being heard
at our base in Tripoli, Libya and before that from Germany, etc. The
material from the west arrived from Japan. Since we were the turn around
point for the East and West MATS (Military Air Transport System) unit we
got our stuff from both sides. Of course we had duplicates but not all
were and I always wondered why we didn't have a double set of all discs.

I have told the story on the digest many years ago but the short version
is one day the Lieutenant came in and said Sarge we haven't got room for
any more of these discs.  Before we send them to the dump do you want
any.  Like a fool I said "No" and we spent a week loading the discs into
55 gallon oil drums which were then taken to our dump site in the Saudi
Arabian desert.  I am still in tears about that!!!

Oh yes, what was on the tapes. The tapes were of baseball and football
games.  No, no OTR shows on the tape.

Some of the tapes were in really bad shape squealing to the extent that
you had to clean the heads more than once during the broadcast of a 2 to
3 hour ball game.

Some of the transcription discs were not in that great a shape either
but I only remember one that was not playable.

Hope that answers Randy's question for at least the 1952-53 period.

Dick W8AM

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

Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 22:08:00 -0500
From: "Bill Sims" <paradygm@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Vivian Leigh

Someone recently inquired about any OTR featuring Vivian Leigh (I'm sorry
but I must have deleted the Newsleter with the person's name).  I was able
to find an old transcription recording of Ms. Leigh on the AFRS movie news
show "Hollywood Spotlight" hosted by George Fisher.  It is billed by Fisher
as Vivian Leigh's first radio appearance and contains an interesting
interview of about 7 or 8 minutes dealing with her discovery in Hollywood
and the just released picture (her debut he says) called "The Romance Of
Rosy Ridge".  If you can use this send me an e-mail and we'll work out
getting you a copy.

Bill Sims
Paradygm.

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

Date: Sun, 3 Mar 2002 22:10:27 -0500
From: "Peter H. Vollmann" <vollmann@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Creaking Door

This South African series took the "creaking door" of "Inner Sanctum" (and
later "CBS Mystery Theater") and made it its title. Radio Listeners' Lyceum
offers several episodes. Contact the librarian Robert W. Newman at
rto5@[removed]. He offers an incredible amount of obscure and well known
radio shows at very favorable conditions for rent.
Peter from hawaii

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 08:44:40 -0500
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Speech interrupted [removed]

This is related to the problem of missed cues, but it took place during a
stage play that my daughter, Nancy, was in while in college.  The telephone
was supposed to ring, and she was to answer it.  The phone rang, and she
answered it, but after she picked up the phone and started speaking, it rang
again.  Without missing a beat she said, "There's something wrong with this
damn phone!"  And kept on with the lines as written.  The audience was
delighted and laughed their appreciation.  The play was "Crimes of the
Heart."

Ted Kneebone
1528 S. Grant St., Aberdeen, SD 57401 / 605-226-3344
OTR:  [removed]

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 08:46:06 -0500
From: Roger Lorette <roger@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: AFRS Disks

I believe it was common practice for AFRS to destroy their disks when they
were no longer needed.  In 1976 I was living in Goose Bay, Labrador (Canada)
working in the local civilian radio station CJLS when the [removed] Air Force
announced the pull-out of the American personel there and the closure of
their portion of the base (the Canadians and British also occupied the
facility).  At the time I was on friendly terms with one of the AFRS
announcers and inquired what was to happen to their [removed] had hopes of
acquiring it for the civilian station which had just started opperations 2
years earlier.  At the time I was told that it was policy for all of the
station assets to be destroyed and would not be given or sold to anyone.  I
don't mind saying that I was shocked [removed] still am saddened at what
must have been lost.

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 08:49:37 -0500
From: "JLF" <infom@[removed];
To: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Emerson MP3 Player

I too bought an Emerson portable MP3 player and discovered the same thing -
it plays too fast - enough to be annoying. I returned it to K-MART. I've
since bought a RIO SP100 and the speed is great but I'm not happy with the
documentation as it's very programmable but in my opinion the manual (what
there is of it) must have been written by the designer and never given to
anyone who was unfamiliar with it. It also is exhibiting some strange
behavior and locking up after 6 tracks - sometimes! Beginning to think our
needs for OTR are just a bit ahead of mature technology!

Emerson on-line support appears to be a sales oriented operation and didn't
even know Wal-Mart and K-Mart were selling their product! So far RIO hasn't
even responded to any of my e-mail questions! Think I'll send the RIO back
too!

JLF

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 08:50:07 -0500
From: Roo61@[removed] (Randy Watts)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: AFRS Discs

Thanks, Jack, for the answer.  An uncle of mine, who joined the service
in 1958, swears that he remembers listening to INNER SANCTUM over Armed
Forces Radio.  It just surprised me that the series would still have
been running over any AFRS stations then, since it would have been off
the air for nearly six years.

This is presuming his memory isn't playing tricks on him, which happens.
My mother, for example, has very clear memories of listening to ARCHIE
ANDREWS on Saturday mornings, and claims to not remember ever hearing
THE ALDRICH FAMILY.  However, she absolutely insists that ARCHIE began
with Mrs. Andrews calling for her son, who would answer, "Coming,
mother!"  I played the opening to an ALDRICH show for her, to prove that
she was confusing the two shows.  She was quite unfazed, and just
wondered how those ALDRICH FAMILY people got away with stealing that
"Coming, mother" opening from ARCHIE!

--Randy

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 08:51:10 -0500
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Postage Stamps

If anyone wants to start this ball rolling, I think it would be
most appropriate to begin with the one American most responsible
for the birth of radio in the first place, my hero, NIKOLA TESLA.
Robert Dezendorf       Florida

There's already been an American stamp honoring Tesla.  Tesla's 20 cent
stamp was issued on September 21, 1983 as one a group of four stamps
honoring American Inventors.  The other three were Edwin Howard
Armstrong, Charles Steinmetz, and Philo T. Farnsworth.

to express our appreciation to all the OTR Stars that brought us
(and still do) so much [removed] Why not start a grass roots
campaign to have some postage stamps created to honor them. Its
been done for other media stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.

If you look thru a stamp catalog you will find that many OTR stars have
also already had [removed] postage stamps, including Jack Benny, Bergen &
McCarthy, Fanny Brice, Abbott & Costello, Edward R. Murrow, [removed],
Toscanini, Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, Judy Garland (and Toto, too), John,
Lionel, & Ethel Barrymore, Will Rogers, George Gershwin, and many other
musicians, composers, writers, and politicians who appeared on OTR.
Beyond the [removed] stamps there are many small countries and islands which
have issued whole sets of stamps and souvenir sheets honoring American
radio stars.  While there are some individual performers and industry
execs who have not yet had stamps, OTR certainly has not been ignored by
the stamp issuing authorities.  Go to a stamp store, or sit down with a
stamp catalog in your local public library.

You will find that this aspect of the OTR hobby presents endless
possibilities of collecting. In fact, in addition to the stamps
themselves and the first day covers and other forms they can be
collected, there are other crazy things that pop up in dealers bargain
boxes.  While pulling out things for this I discovered an envelope
postmarked in Omaha May 15, 1940 in honor of the National Surprise Party
Convention supporting Gracie Allen for President at the Omaha Golden
Spike Days.  Another envelope postmarked in San Francisco on June 14,
1936 in honor of Major Edward Boews Birthday, Born Frisco June 14,
1874.  These are called "occasionals".  I find stamps honoring radio
stations from all over the world, such as the [removed] stamp honoring the
Voice of America.

So by all means, start campaigns for issuing stamps of OTR
personalities, but first find out if it's already been done.

Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 09:02:15 -0500
From: "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Radio Mayak

Eric J Cooper <ejcooper2002@[removed]; wrote:

That was a domestic service of USSR Radio, called Radio Mayak, which means
lighthouse. It had a continous music format wth news (in russian of course)
on the hour. Radio Mayak was discontinued after the USSR breakup for
economic reasons.

And because it had been used, in large part, to "legitimize" jamming of
foreign broadcasts such as Radio Liberty; when Gostelradio started Mayak in
the mid-1960s they put its audio on most Soviet jamming stations instead of
noise.  Once the jamming ended, the rationale for Radio Mayak shrank
dramatically.

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 09:01:35 -0500
From: "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: BBC World Service

Ken Piletic wrote:

BBC has eliminated it's (shortwave) broadcasts to North America. We cannot
hear their "live" broadcasts any more.

They've only discontinued the SW transmissions intended *specifically* for
North America, and there are still some feeds audible in this part of the
world.  The frequencies they recommend are 6195 kHz in the morning (5-9 am
Eastern, 2-6 am Pacific) and 5975 kHz in the afternoon and evening (4-11 pm
Eastern, 1-8 pm Pacific).


Sandra Skuse <sskuse@[removed]; replied:

The BBC's World Service can be heard live on the internet at
[removed]

Also try these direct links:

World Service Radio
[removed]

24 Hour News Channel
[removed]

World News Summary
RealPlayer, RealOne Player -
[removed]
Windows Media Player -
[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 09:02:20 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history

  From Those Were The Days --

1925 - Calvin Coolidge took the oath of office in Washington DC. The
presidential inauguration was broadcast on radio for the very first
time.

1930 - "The Redhead", Red Barber, began his radio career this day.
Barber broadcast on WRUF at the University of Florida in Gainsville. He
soon became one of the best known sports voices in America.

1942 - Shirley Temple had a starring role in Junior Miss on CBS this
day. The show, heard for the first time, cost $12,000 a week to produce
and stayed on the airwaves until 1954.

1952 - President Harry Truman dedicated the Courier, the first seagoing
radio broadcasting station, in ceremonies in Washington, DC.

  Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 09:00:49 -0500
From: GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: H. P. Lovecraft on the Radio

     Martin, I'm currently having problems sending
regular e-mails (yes, I receive them just fine), so
I'm posting this reply here hoping that you'll relay
the information to Mr. Hummel.

     Agreed, Golden Age radio pretty much ignored the
horror stories of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, with the
exception of that Halloween, 1945, SUSPENSE adaptation
you mentioned. That version was nearly ruined for me
by the crude short-wave radio framing device, but
ultimately saved by the casting of Ronald Colman as
the hero.

     However, THE BLACK MASS later did two really nice
tales. The first, THE OUTSIDER, is basically a
one-person reading by Eric Bauersfield (Bauersfeld?),
with sound effects, but is excellent of its kind.
(This particular story has no dialogue and can't
really be done any other way.) But THE RATS IN THE
WALLS, also starring Bauersfield, has a cast, and I
still find it highly enjoyable even after many, many
re-listenings. (Make certain, however, of the fidelity
- many really inferior copies of THE BLACK MASS
episodes are in circulation and the very best I've
heard have been less than perfect.)

     In much more recent years THE ATLANTA RADIO
THEATER has produced some really wonderful full-stereo
adaptations of THE DUNWICH HORROR, THE RATS IN THE
WALLS, AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, THE SHADOW OVER
INNSMOUTH and PICKMAN'S MODEL. Aside from a few VERY
minor quibbles, these truly outstanding audio
presentations are hands down the most effective
Lovecraft adaptations I've ever yet heard.

     In addition, I believe that the late (and very
much lamented) Raymond Edward Johnson made some
Lovecraft recordings during the last years of his life
(abbreviated or rather condensed versions, though, the
ones I've heard), and that these are available.

     And of course there are also excellent readings
by David McCallum, Roddy McDowell and a few others.
While I normally share the general OTR dislike of
one-voice readings ("....one voice droning on and on,"
as Rob Imes used to say), these are all a lot better
than nothing.

     Sincerely,

     George Wagner
     GWAGNEROLDTIMERADIO@[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 09:52:48 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Work or Play?

Dennis Crow asked;

Can radio actors suspend the day-today reality of making their programs and
truly "revisit,"  in their imaginations, the stories in which they
participated? Or do they concentrate on "other" things?

What I mean is that radio actors know about their shows in ways audiences
don't. Thus can they enjoy them at the same level upon listening?  Can they
really transport themselves out of present-day reality, and pretend what
they hear is real just as we do? Can they truly enjoy OTR as escapist
entertainment?

I can only speak for myself Dennis. I mentioned in this digest, (a long time
ago), that I considered myself a big fan on many of the shows that were
popular among kids my age. I probably enjoyed being a "listener", more than
I enjoyed performing. I was addicted to The Lone Ranger, Captain Midnight, I
love a mystery. Inner Sanctum. All through my professional Radio Acting
career, when I listened to a show, I was caught up in the [removed] the
[removed] the reality of just some people standing in front of a
microphone. How's this for an analogy. Writing a book is hard work. But when
I read a good book, I never think of the pains the writer went through to
put the words on paper, I simply get caught up in the story. The Characters
come alive.

Now, the fact that I was young, 8 to 23, may have had a bearing on it
somewhat. Maybe "older" actors were more conscious of the "techniques", and
not the "tale".

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 09:53:22 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: A good sport

Kevin Michaels posted:

Subject: THANKS, HAL

Thank you, Hal for the ribbing.  I suddenly felt like a Celebrity at a Friers
Club Roast that were broadcast on radio years ago.

Phew! I was a little worried. A digest friend on mine expressed some concern
when e-mailing me privately'

"You sure are hard on poor old Kevin with his thoughts in the Digest
about radio writers and overlaps".

I am pleased that you took it in the spirit that I intended.

(Kevin goes on to say)
But seriously, I have (copies) of original scripts with cue notations penciled
in by the actor/actress  who used the script.

See. I was right!

I know this self-editing must have driven the writers insane if they
knew what was being done to their script.

Not necessarily. Many writers attended the rehearsals and/or broadcast, in
case they were needed.

Personally, I think the notations were done at the  request of the director
during a first read-through by the cast.

In all probability, Kevin.

Again, thanks for the ribbing. I consider it an honor to be ribbed by
the best! (I just stocked up on Ovaltine for you guys!)

Darn!. Can't you get anything right. I asked for Hot Chocolate. :)

[removed] all the best.

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 10:27:25 -0500
From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: MT&R Salute to Fred Allen

Sold-out celebration of Fred Allen at the LA Museum of Television &
Radio:
[removed]

3/4 LA TIMES excerpt: "Allen influenced such radio and television comics
as Garrison Keillor, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and David Letterman. 'We
are saluting Fred Allen because of his influence on American comedy both
on radio and television and in general,' says Ron Simon, who is curating
the event. A similar Allen retrospective in November at the New York
City branch of the museum was equally popular. 'We got a wide range of
people who in some way Fred Allen influenced, from historian Arthur
Schlesinger to Kurt Vonnegut to comedian Alan King,' Simon says. The
Paley festival has an eclectic panel for the Wednesday night event at
the Directors Guild of America Theater. Among those participating are
Dick Cavett, radio writer-producer-director Norman Corwin, writer Larry
Gelbart, writer-cartoonist Stuart Hample, writer Hal Kanter,
producer-writer Normal Lear, comedian-director Dick Martin and novelist
Herman Wouk of "The Winds of War" fame, who wrote for Allen in the late
'30s."

Bhob @ SHOWBIZ @ [removed]

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 11:34:46 -0500
From: passage@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Show question
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

Hi All,
I got this question from David Preiss ([removed]@[removed]).
Anyone got an answer?

- -----
there was an old mystery show I once heard about a journalist who
killed his ex-girlfriend because he knew a flood was heading for her
town, anyway. There was a witness whom he tried to kill, but survived.
The journalist ended up having to do a story on this witness's story of
survival.

Do you know the show/program's name?
- -------

Frank

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

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

Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 15:15:55 -0500
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Actors

Dennis Crowe writes

Can radio actors suspend the day-today reality of making their programs and
truly "revisit,"  in their imaginations, the stories in which they
participated? Or do they concentrate on "other" things?

Every good actor is really three people all at once: The person, the
character, and a sort of offstage critic who monitors what the character is
doing. Obviously the person is aware of the studio surroundings, his eye
contact with the director and other actors, his distance from the microphone
and the script he is holding in his hands. At the same time, as he reads the
lines, he can "see" the setting, his costume, and the appearance of the people
he's talking to. He has also created an appearance and a voice quality for the
character he's playing. And he is conscious of whatever sound patterns affect
the way he reads his lines.

That is why,  without makeup costume and props and sets, radio acting was
harder than film. And of course, before tape, there were no retakes.

Harry Bartell

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #83
********************************************

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]

To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
  or see [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]