------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 269
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Hi Yo Silver [ "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed] ]
Re: Shadow of Fu Mchu; Radio Spirits [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
War of the Worlds on WKBW [ Ronald Plumb <ronplumb@[removed]; ]
GIlderleeve [ William Brooks <webiii@[removed]; ]
Booze by phone [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
racist language [ Michael Berger <intercom1@attglobal ]
COUNTERSIGN [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
WWII broadcasts online. [ "[removed]" <ddunfee@[removed]; ]
drinking comedy [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
The Source of "the Sauce"... [ Wich2@[removed] ]
Dan Rather [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
Rexall and Rio [ Richard Carpenter <sinatra@ragingbu ]
Lee Munsick regrets he's unable [removed] [ Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed] ]
Og, Son of Fire trivia [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
The Hitch-hiker [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
Today in radio history [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Re: "The Big Broadcast" [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Joy La Fleur [ "Marcus Antonsson" <[removed] ]
Part 15 [ "Arte" <arte@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:08:18 -0400
From: "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Hi Yo Silver
Sandy Singer commented in bulletin 266 about "Hi Yo Silver", as used by The
Lone Ranger actor George Seaton in the first programs that began in 1933.
I, for one, was not there, nor do any recordings of programs from this time
exist, so I can't state positively what is true and what is not. However,
this version of how the famous call originated is a new one that can be
added to the half-dozen or so that already exist in various accounts of the
origin of the program. Supposedly, according to Trendle himself, and Dick
Osgood, the call was a variation of "Heigh Ho", the English hunting call.
I'm a little skeptical of George Seaton's version in that the Ranger was
supposed to already be in the saddle when he cut loose with this, rather
that replace a simple, "Here, Silver", or a whistle. Certainly, none of the
other versions I have heard or read suggest that the Ranger used the phrase
without already having gained his saddle.
As to just who is heard calling, "Hi Yo Silver" on the later radio programs
and on television, Brace Beemer did do his own calling after taking over the
role when Earle Graser was killed in an auto accident in 1941. (The very
first shows may be an exception). When the program was added to television,
George W. Trendle insisted that Earle Graser's version be used on the
soundtrack because he liked it better. (Graser once entered a nightclub
contest with Horace Heigt as emcee to see who in the audience could call "Hi
Yo Silver" best. He didn't even make the runoff!)
The voice of Clayton Moore was not used on TV, as he never really got it
down right. Later in the series, which began in 1949 and lasted until 1956,
if you listen carefully, and on the syndicated versions, which don't use the
original opening, you'll hear the voice of Fred Foy!
And yes, "Hi Yo Silver" was used as a password by American troops, who could
also hear the program over AFRS.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:14:55 -0400
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Shadow of Fu Mchu; Radio Spirits
In a message dated 7/8/03 9:49:35 PM, Rick Keating writes:
I wondered if anyone knew if this was the
same storyline available from Radio Spirits a few
years ago, and if so, whether it's complete.
***Actually, the "Shadow of Fu Manchu" collection was released by the
Minneapolis-based Metacom, not Radio Spirits. --Anthony Tollin***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:15:03 -0400
From: Ronald Plumb <ronplumb@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: War of the Worlds on WKBW
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Does anyone have a copy of the WKBW version of The War of the Worlds? I was
in Buffalo at the time of the original broadcast and have mentioned it to
several friends, telling them how good it was. They seemed skeptical that it
could be as good as the original and would like them to hear it. It used to
be available for listening on the Internet but it disappeared. Please let me
know if you have a copy and what you want for it.
Ronald Plumb
Please visit my website -
[removed]
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:15:20 -0400
From: William Brooks <webiii@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: GIlderleeve
Bill Schell,
According to Dunning's book Gildersleeve ran from August 31, 1941 to
March 21,1957.
1941 to 1946 airing Sunday at 6:30 pm.
1946 to 1954 airing Wednesday at 8:30 pm
There was a schedule change beginning in 1954 where the show went to
a 15 minute format,
weeknights at 10:15pm
In 1955 the show went back to a 25 minute format, aired Thursdays at
8pm until March 21 1957.
Further checking shows that on June 6, 1954 a show about "Getting Rid
of Aunt Hattie" aired and was the last show of he season and he last
show sponsored by Kraft. The show re-appeared in the fall in the 15
minute format with various sponsors.
There is no show theme that shows Bronco and Marie in a spat, however
4-7-54 has Bronco taking French lessons and Marie getting jealous;
and 4-14-54 Bronco brings his young attractive boss home for dinner
and Marie gets interested. Both plot lines could end up in Marie and
Bronco having a spat.
Hope this info helps you,
Bill Brooks
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:15:53 -0400
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Booze by phone
Jim Widner proxied:
i remember a old comedy sketch about a drunk ordering booze over the
[removed] as i recall about 5 5ths of bourbon, 5 5ths of [removed]
any idea who, what,where and when?
I think that's a scene from the Marx Brothers' movie "Horse Feathers", where
Chico is taking an order over the phone in the back room of a speakeasy. He
brings out the bottles while on the phone to confirm the stock. After
hanging up, he places funnels in the bottles and proceeds to fill them both
up with hooch from the same barrel.
There may be another, but that's what immediately comes to mind for me.
Swordfish,
Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:16:22 -0400
From: Michael Berger <intercom1@[removed];
To: otr <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: racist language
Howard Blue makes a good point. The best book about the Pacific war, John
Dower's War Without Mercy, documents not only the racism on both sides, but
the atrocities on all sides on the battlefield.
I grew up during WW2 and remember vividly how Japanese were portrayed in the
war films of the era as evil beasts, in contrast to Nazis who came across as
brutish and threatening, but never as fearsome as the Japanese stereotypes --
who were almost always played, by the way, by Korean or Chinese actors.
On radio, apart from the stereotypes, the ugly word Jap was used commonly,
not only in dramatic shows but on newscasts, before and during the war.
Again, this was in sharp contrast to references to Germans, who were almost
always "Nazis" or just "Germans".
Most importantly, we must always remember that whatever the actions of the
imperial Japanese army, racist language and thinking had the greatest impact
of all on those 100,000 Japanese Americans who were wrongly uprooted and sent
to internment camps in 1942. They are the ones who know best of all how ugly
racist language is, and what tragic results it can trigger.
Michael Berger
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:16:32 -0400
From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: COUNTERSIGN
In WWII, unit leaders, at night, in the darkness, would shout
Hi-yo-Silver, to round up their troops.
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:18:24 -0400
From: "[removed]" <ddunfee@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: WWII broadcasts online.
The below is the body of a posting on a radio related newsgroup, some might
find interesting:
World War II - The Wireless War
Humanity's Greatest Achievement / Greatest Nightmare
[removed]
World War II - The Wireless War features approximately 55
chronological hours of newscasts, breaks, speeches, documentaries, and
so forth in order.
The historical value of these broadcasts is immense. While they don't
always offer the exact facts of the battles and politics, as they were
created in the ultimate fog of war, they do offer an unmatched view of
the of the conflict in near-real time - explaining why as well as who,
what, when, where, and how.
As time goes on, I want to pare down some of the redundant material,
as well as adding fact corrections and an analysis of the role of the
various media (radio, newspapers, movies, newsreels, and literature).
If you have any comments, suggestions, resources, or can help me
produce some additional audio or web material, please feel free to get
in touch with me at the link in my website (available via the
Broadcaster's Website link on my station page).
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Remember that [removed] uses javascript, cookies, and other
methods to track your movements for advertising purposes. Surf safely.
--cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:19:18 -0400
From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: drinking comedy
On July 7 OTR wrote
something as i recall about 5 5ths of bourbon, 5 5ths of
[removed]
any idea who, what,where and when?
The duo was Hudson and Landrey. Where, I don't know but they only had I
think two albums out. Kurt
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:20:35 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Source of "the Sauce"...
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
Received this query today. If anybody knows the answer, please contact the
sender directly:
Done.
>i remember a old comedy sketch about a drunk ordering booze over the
[removed] as i recall about 5 5ths of bourbon, 5 5ths of [removed]
any idea who, what,where and when?
It is, of course, Hudson &Landry's "Ajax Liquor Store". It was second only
to The Toothfairy as an AM comedy smash in my area in the late 60's. And it
is quite hilarious- the punchline nearly killed a Roman Catholic friend of
[removed]
Best,
Craig Wichman
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:21:13 -0400
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dan Rather
A few days ago there were some comments about Dan Rather's reporting on
the assasination of President Kennedy in Dallas in 1963, referring to him
as a CBS newsman, Not so at that time. That day I was in rehearsal for
the nightime "Garry Moore Show" origination from CBS Theater studio 50,
on Broadway in New York City. On our cue monitor was our network coverage
of the procession in [removed] did not have a staff newsman in Dallas at
that time so they used Dan who worked for our local [removed] did such
a fine job under such difficult circumstances that CBS News subesquently
hired him
I got to know him when we were both assigned to Nixon's pre-inaugural
headquarters for a lengthy period of time on a dailty basis. He would
later regularly stop in my control room to say hello on his arrival in
the newsroom. His signature on my retirement card took up both sides . A
fine chap. One in a million! Great memories! Before I knew him he was
assigned to our Washinton facility.
Bill Murtough
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:21:20 -0400
From: Richard Carpenter <sinatra@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Rexall and Rio
While vacationing on Canada's Prince Edward Island,
I bought some spring water -- and to my surprise it
was labeled Rexall, with the familiar script. I ran to
my radio to see if this meant that the show Rexall
sponsored, Amos & Andy, was on the air again. Alas,
the time warp extended only to the bottle.
On another topic (and forgive me if this has
already been mentioned; I'm still catching up on my
Digests), I notice that my beloved Rio Volt is no
longer available at the Rio website. That does not
augur well; I wonder if Rio is no longer making what,
in my experience anyway, is a fine MP3 player for OTR
discs. The Volt is still available at some online
stores, however.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 15:21:51 -0400
From: Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lee Munsick regrets he's unable [removed]
Hello to all! I have been off line and out of commission for weeks. My
PC was attacked by at least 22 bugs, worms, viruses, whatever,
apparently when a lightning strike interfered with my Anti Virus
program. Then we think I got hit with a Klez, and it just snowballed
from there. Every time a techie friend and I thought we'd solved the
problem, it just came back with a vengeance!
Virtually every program in my computer was compromised and infected. I
have had to replace my processor, mother board, power supply, and hard
disk. Virtually every program including Windows, Earthlink, Norton,
etc., etc. In effect, I now have a new computer inside the old box.
In the interim, I have lost weeks of OTR Digest, and dozens of Emails
from friends and spams alike (just goes to prove that "every cloud has a
silver lining"). I am now wading through nearly 300 which I did not
lose, but which backed up in the system , mostly Spam. I've also lost
my Address Book which I will have to build up in time, so please help me
out.
If I have missed anything that readers feel I should know about, please
do send to me directly, especially Email directed to me which I should
read and to which I should respond.
Finally, if I passed on any viruses, my sincere regrets. It was
certainly not intentional, and occurred because my anti-virus program
was infected and I did not know it.
Happy Summer to all, including Charlie!
Bestus, Lee Munsick Still at: leemunsick@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:08:32 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Og, Son of Fire trivia
Small bit of trivia since the subject of OG, SON OF FIRE has been discussed.
(Surprised no one brought this up).
Although a variation on a theme, a recreation performance of OG, SON OF FIRE
can be seen dramatized on a stage in front of radio microphones, in one of
the early scenes of George Lucas' RADIOLAND MURDERS in 1994.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:09:20 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Hitch-hiker
Al Cohen asked:
Some time ago a contributor noted the broadcast dates of Lucille Fletcher's
"The Hitchhiker." Does anyone have that information readily at hand. I
suspect the original broadcast was in 1942 with a non-sponsored second play
a year later and a play in 1946 or 1947 with Pabst Blue Ribbon as the
sponsor.
Yes. The story was first dramatized on SUSPENSE on September 2, 1942
starring Orson Welles. Bernard Herrmann composed and conducted the music -
Herrmann was the real-life husband of writer Lucille Fletcher.
A month later, on October 15, 1942, Welles reprised the same role in another
dramatization of the same script, for THE PHILIP MORRIS PLAYHOUSE.
On June 21, 1946, the script was dramatized again on Orson Welles' THE
MERCURY SUMMER THEATER ON THE AIR, a half-hour anthology series featuring
many of the scripts Welles used on previous programs, and abridged versions
of hour-long scripts he used on previous programs. Alice Frost was among
the cast in the 1946 production.
I have heard two of these productions and I can say that the 1946 version is
the creepiest. Recommended listening.
Martin Grams, Jr.
Source of info: McFarland's RADIO DRAMA: AMERICAN PROGRAMS, 1932-1962
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 16:47:51 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history
From Those Were The Days --
7/11
1944 - The Man Called X, starring Herbert Marshall, debuted on CBS.
7/12
1934 - The first appointments to the newly created Federal
Communications Commission were made. The governing body of the American
broadcasting industry was first served by seven men named as commissioners.
Joe
--
Visit my homepage: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 17:59:26 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: "The Big Broadcast"
On 7/10/03 3:23 PM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:
I know this may sound like sacrilege, especially since Jim Cox et. al.
have been compiling and posting the essential OTR bibliography here on the
Digest, but sometimes "The [removed]" leaves me wanting. I still refer to it with
great regularity & even keep a paperbound copy of it at-hand at work, but,
IMHO, I feel it better suited the needs of the OTR hobby in 1972 than it does
today.
Nothing sacreligious about this at all -- "Big Broadcast" was all that
was readily available when I became interested in OTR in the mid-1970s,
and it served a purpose then. But it's long since been superseded by more
accurate, more detailed research undertaken by others, and there's
nothing wrong with that -- the work of documenting history is
progressive, after all.
My big problem with "Big Broadcast" is you never quite know where the
information comes from. Do those cast listings come from original source
materials -- scripts, production documents, contracts -- or are they
someone's twenty-or-thirty-years-after-the-fact reminiscence about who
they think they remember playing a part, or are they (least reliable of
all) pure conjecture based on someone trying to do voice ID from
surviving recordings. Or are they a combination of all of these? The
trouble is, we don't really know -- and if you can't judge the reliablity
of the specific sources used, it's difficult to know how much you can
rely on the finished work. All the more reason why it really bugs me to
see "Big Broadcast" cast listings lifted verbatim and used in other works
without acknowledgement or correction: for example, the sketchy,
error-tainted "Amos 'n' Andy" cast listing from Buxton/Owen has been
plagiarized all over the web, and it was obviously Dunning's primary
source.
Of course, "Big Broadcast" was never intended to be a tool for serious
research into broadcasting history. It was, like most all the OTR books
of the 1960s, a casual nostalgia book written more for trivia buffs than
for historians -- and if you keep that limitations in mind, much of the
commentary in the book can still be quite entertaining. For my money, the
foreword by Henry Morgan is worth the price of the entire volume.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 17:59:53 -0400
From: "Marcus Antonsson" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Joy La Fleur
Hi Gang,
Today I listened to a suspense episode titled "celebration" (05/05/1957). It
stars Joy La Fleur, who gives a magnificent performance. In his introduction
to the show, Bill Robson who was the producer at that time, says that this
is ms. La Fleur's debut on American radio but that she is well known to
Canadian and British listeners. I'd love to hear more shows with her and
also to find out more about her life and career. I did a google search, and
hardly found anything at all.
Any help is greatly apreciated.
Regards from Sweden!
Marc Antonsson
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2003 20:30:34 -0400
From: "Arte" <arte@[removed];
To: "otr digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Part 15
Sigh. I think every kid who could solder in the 1950's and '60's tried
this
at least once. I did, with little success. The FCC's 'general radiation'
or whatever it's called will maybe get you next door, but intermittently
at
that.
I was one of those "kids with a soldering gun" in the 50's. I built a
transmitter in my bedroom
that on a good day could reach the living room. (I also built a crystal-type
receiver using a razor blade
that actually worked, but that's another story.)
In the late 70's I operated a part-15 radio station out of my home in an
Eskimo village in Northern Alaska.
The trick was to use a weatherproof housing to hold the RF sections of the
transmitter on the roof so that
my antenna system would be legal. The audio circuits, turntable, tape
player, etc. were in our living room.
I played mostly old radio shows and gospel music. Almost the entire village
(pop ~600) could pick up the
station on 1000KHz.
The biggest problem I faced was being taken seriously by people outside the
village. I wrote to Jim Bakker
offering to air the radio version of the "PTL Club" for free if he would
provide the tapes on an exchange basis.
They wanted me to pay them $10 per program, so that never happened. I
carried no advertising, but did have
PSAs and occasionally personal messages for people out hunting or fishing.
There were no phones in the houses
in those days, but it was extremely gratifying to visit someone's home and
hear my station coming out of their radio.
Arte
[removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #269
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