Subject: [removed] Digest V2008 #109
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 4/29/2008 10:18 PM
To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-to:
[removed]@[removed]

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2008 : Issue 109
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  RE: "The Lost Special"                [ Michael Ogden <michaelo67@[removed] ]
  The Lost Suspense                     [ "Paul Thompson" <beachcrows@sbcglob ]
  RE: NBC Fourth Chime                  [ "W. Harris" <nbcblue@[removed]; ]
  McLendon's call                       [ Michael Berger <makiju@[removed]; ]
  Humphrey Lyttelton                    [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
  Re: Suspense - "The Lost Special"     [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
  Several Specials - one Lost?          [ Wich2@[removed] ]
  Proliferating Tenors                  [ Larry Gassman <lgsinger@[removed] ]
  Margaret O,Brien will be at the SPER  [ "Walden Hughes" <walden1@yesterdayu ]

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

Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:54:29 -0400
From: Michael Ogden <michaelo67@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  RE: "The Lost Special"

Congratulations to Randy on winning the SUSPENSE disc at "that auction site."
Coincidentally, I was getting set to place a bid myself when my internet
connection froze in the last ten seconds (thanks to a service whose name
starts with E and ends with Q and shall remain nameless). But my anguished
gasp turned to a smile when I saw his familiar "CoolCatDaddy" come up as the
winner 'cause then I knew that the person who had gotten it would not be
hoarding his find away but would be sharing it with all of us. Thanks, Randy.

Yes, to answer the question, this is an episode that has never been in
circulation and was not previously known to exist. Of Welles' nine guest
appearances on SUSPENSE between 1942 and 1944, eight have long been in
circulation. But until now "The Lost Special" has never surfaced.

I guess this just goes to show that there are still undiscovered recordings
out there, squirreled away in peoples' cellars or whereever. Take heart, ye
of the collector fraternity/sorority, the Age of Discovery may not yet be
over! :)

Just one correction: the 1949 ESCAPE version of "The Lost Special" does NOT
feature Orson Welles.

Mike Ogden

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:24:49 -0400
From: "Paul Thompson" <beachcrows@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  The Lost Suspense

Randy asks if The Suspense episode "The Lost Special" with Orson
Welles from 9/30/43 was in circulation. If it is I haven't heard about
it. This episode has been one of the missing shows from day one.
Unless it has quietly previously surfaced this makes a nice discovery.

Paul Thompson

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:28:26 -0400
From: "W. Harris" <nbcblue@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  RE: NBC Fourth Chime
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

 Cnorth6311@[removed] commented:

I recall the subject of the NBC fourth chime being discussed awhile back. I
found a program that aired in 1944 I believe, and it gave in detail what the
fourth chime was, and why it came about. the fourth chime was actually the
last  tone repeated again. It was used to alert all NBC news people, that
something of  great importance was about to happen. If I recall, the first
time it was used  was during the D-Day invasion on June 6th, 1944. The first
part of the show was  dedicated to the fourth chime, and it's history. The
last part was news people  giving war news. All in all, a very interesting
program.

Could you post the name of the program? I would be interested in hearing it.

The fourth chime was first used as an Emergency Call System to alert
certain NBC personnel to contact the NBC PBX operator to see if they needed to
respond.

The following is from an NBC memo dated April 7, 1933.

 "In anticipation of the Spring and Summer months, when many in key positions
will not always be available at home telephones, the following Emergency Call
System will go into effect on Monday morning, April 16th." The memo goes on to
say that whenever a fourth tone is heard on the network chimes rung at fifteen
minute intervals, it will indicate that someone on an attached list is wanted.
Upon hearing this fourth chime, all personnel on the list are instructed to call
in to the PBX operator to ascertain whether or not the Emergency Call is for them.
The chime would continue at fifteen minute intervals over stations WEAF and WJZ
until the wanted person communicated with the PBX operator. The list contained
the names of the following NBC executives:

John F. Royal
John W. Elwood
Frank Mason
J de Jara Almonte

The list also included names of personnel from Engineering, Press,
Programming, Traffic, and Service
departments.

The first use of the fourth chime in a news breaking event situation was the
crash of the HIndenburg at Lakehurst, New Jersey.

See: [removed]

Bill Harris

"I don't need the Shadow to cloud my mind, I can do that all by myself"

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

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:28:53 -0400
From: Michael Berger <makiju@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  McLendon's call

As Elizabeth wrote, McLendon's call of the '51 playoff was live,
but he also had a bad habit, as did Bill Stern, of
over-dramatizing to the point of disbelief. So if he said the
stands were packed that day, he was again overcome by his
dramatic impulses. The official attendance that day was 34,320,
well under the Polo Grounds capacity of about 55,000. In fact,
the Giants, for all their heroics that year, never had a single
sellout.

Michael Berger

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:29:47 -0400
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Humphrey Lyttelton

In Digest #108 Kermyt Anderson wrote about the loss of Humphrey Lyttelton:

I'm going to miss Humph. Somebody mentioned that they hope the show
does not continue without him. I've heard cast members say that it
would end when he died. I too hope that is the case. We've got some
300+ shows in the archives--a fitting tribute to a very funny man. I
can't imagine anybody else taking his place.

I too will miss Humph and his very witty introductions to [removed] (I'm
Sorry I Haven't A Clue) I have mixed feelings about the continuation of the
series.  I would like to hear the series continue, but then again I know
that I have never enjoyed [removed] (Just A Minute) as much as I once did, since
Kenneth Williams passed away.  Its always the episodes he was in that I
return to time after time.

I hope Humph didn't take the rules and explanations on how to play
Mornington Crescent with him, I still haven't come to grips with all the
variations of that game.  Perhaps he left them with the kindly old
archivists, we shall just have to ask Samantha to rifle their draws to find
them.

Ian Grieve

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:10:55 -0400
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Suspense - "The Lost Special"

Is this particular episode of Suspense in circulation?  I couldn't find a
recording of it at [removed] and some other sources, but it is listed
in logs of the series.

I am sure there will be others who respond to Rand's question. For me, I
believe, it is an episode that is not in circulation.

But my main reason for replying is to again mention to others what a
nice service he is doing making these shows available to all via his
nice blog. He is spending his own money buying these but also is making
them available for others to experience.

If you haven't visited the site, definitely give it a visit:

[removed]

Jim Widner

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:23:47 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Several Specials - one Lost?

From: rand@[removed]

I just won an AFRS disc ... It  appears
to be the 9/30/43 episode, "The Lost Special", featuring Orson  Welles.

A quick check of Jerry H.'s site lists that ep. as "not available," so you  
may have something there.

There was a 1949 episode of Escape called  "The Lost Special" with Welles
 
Right track, wrong train - it starred Ben Wright.

it's based on a story by Arthur Conan Doyle and concerns a train  that 
disappears, btw.
 
It is indeed. And though it was not originally a Holmes story, it was  later 
adapted into one by Edith Meiser. And THAT episode [removed] LOST!

Bill  Nadel directed a really nice recreation of same a few FOTRs ago. I was  
privileged to Sherlock in it, with the wonderful company of Bill Owen as my  
Watson, and Kevin Scullin, Corinne Orr, George Ansbro, etc.
 
Best,
-Craig W.
 

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:13:55 -0400
From: Larry Gassman <lgsinger@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Proliferating Tenors

	Hi Stuart,
When Larry Stevens sang on the Benny show, in the later half of 1944
plus the 1945/46 seasons, he definitely was a tenor.
When we first interviewed him he spoke and sang in the baritone
range.  Over the years his voice had dropped a bit.  I'd actually
categorize him as a second tenor in his later years.
Larry Gassman

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

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:03:35 -0400
From: "Walden Hughes" <walden1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Margaret O,Brien will be at the SPERDVAC
 convention

Hi Everybody,

Margaret O,Brien will be at the SPERDVAC convention this Friday on the panel
Radio Goes to the Movies hosted by Tom Hatten at the Sportmen,s Lodge in
Studio City CA at 1 PM.  Please come join us to celebrate the Golden Days of
radio with 50 personalities who are in panels, and on stage performing
radio re-creation.  We have many more radio personalities join us for dinner
on Friday, and Saturday night plus Sunday morning.  Some of the highlights
are Friday  night Shirley Mitchell stars in the Great Gildersleeves,
Saturday Peter ford talks about his parent Glenn ford, and Eleanor Powel.
the music on the radio panel will have many stars including Ray Briem, Kay
Starr, Gogi Grant and many others.  Eddie Carroll will star as Jack Benny
Saturday night, plus Fred Foy in the Lone Ranger show.  On Sunday morning we
will celebrate Norman Corwin 98 birthday with Norman.  You can call for more
information at (714) 454-3281.   Take care,

Walden

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #109
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