------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 304
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
The Three Stooges [ AandG4jc@[removed] ]
True Boardman [ "jay ranellucci" <otrfan@[removed]; ]
Vic & Sade [ "jay ranellucci" <otrfan@[removed]; ]
value of Victrola phonographs [ "ellsworth o johnson" <eojohnsonww2 ]
Wives on OTR [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
Re: Bird Book [ Al Girard <24agirard24@[removed] ]
Upright Victrolas [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
bird book [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
Re. "Bird Book" [ "Danica L. Stein" <danicas@baymoon. ]
Today in radio history [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Academy Awards Show [ "Christian Blees" <journalistenbuer ]
[removed] of [ "Katja and Tom" <kattom@[removed] ]
Re: "Jughead"update [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
The brothers Petrillo? [ Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed] ]
More on Mr. Zimbalist, Sr. [ Bob Fells <rfells@[removed]; ]
Re: Victrola [ Shenbarger@[removed] ]
Topical Humor [ "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@worldnet. ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:19:02 -0400
From: AandG4jc@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Three Stooges
I was wacthing the Three Stooges Bio movie last weekend and I was wondering
did they ever apear on radio. Joe Besser, one of the later stooges, apeared
on the Abbott & Costello television show. But was on thier radio show. I also
that another famous Stooge, Shemp Howard, apeared in the duo's feature film
"Africa Screams". Did Shemp apear on the air at anytime. And what about the
man who began thier career Ted Healey? Has any of the Stooges work, other
than thier short's, survived? If you can help you are most definitly a
"Morron from Morronica"! If not not you get the stooge slap!!
Thanks.
Allen
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:34:33 -0400
From: "jay ranellucci" <otrfan@[removed];
To: "Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: True Boardman
While listening (half asleep) to KNX Sunday night / Monday morning it was
mentioned that True Boardman had passed. I think they said he was 94,
but I didn't get all the details. Does anyone know of a published obit?
True was a very prolific writer on many radio series such as Family
Theater, Silver Theater, Skippy Hollywood Theater and many more and
was very well thought of in Hollywood Radio.
Thanks Jay
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:34:50 -0400
From: "jay ranellucci" <otrfan@[removed];
To: "Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Vic & Sade
Just heard another episode of a 1941 Vic & Sade show a couple of days
ago, and a statement at the end of the show got me thinking. "This
program came to you from Chicago and New York". Now I would assume
that the body of the show was from Chicago and the commercial was from
NY. Two questions about this come to mind. One: Why? Why not do the
whole show from Chicago? Two: In 1941, were they able to do a quick
switch between the two cities without a pause or was the commercial
recorded previously?
Maybe Bill M. or Barbar S could shed some light on this.
Jay
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 2003 20:23:43 -0400
From: "ellsworth o johnson" <eojohnsonww2@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: value of Victrola phonographs
For an education on this subject look at this website.
[removed]
Ellsworth Johnson
Spokane, Wa
Maybe you will get lucky and it will be a Victor orthophonic victrola. made
in the latter 20s
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 01:37:23 -0400
From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Wives on OTR
I've listened to several OTR programs over the years
and have noticed a recurring theme. Some of the wives
(some mentioned in name only) have been--what's the most
PC way of saying this--domineering(?) I'd like to see how
many of them the mailing list members can think of.
Allow me to begin this list:
1. There was one referred to as "Sweetie Face", I believe, who
was mentioned (but never heard) on "Fibber McGee and Molly."
2. Mrs. Nussbaum (wife of Pierre Nussbaum) on "The Fred Allen
Show".
Kenneth Clarke
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 01:37:35 -0400
From: Al Girard <24agirard24@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Bird Book
It was Wallace Wimple on the Fibber McGee and Molly program who
spoke so often about his bird book and of "Sweetie-face" his mean old wife.
Al Girard
Unofficial Fibber McGee and Molly Home Page
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 02:05:41 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Upright Victrolas
Date: Tue, 5 Aug 2003 17:16:07 -0400
From: Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed];
but then of course there is always the uneducated buyer who will
offer $400, or because he just HAS to have that thing, which is like the
one he ruined when a kid visiting his grandmother.
I ruined one, but not when visiting my grandmother. It seems my grandparents were moving,
and there was no place for their Victrola in their new apartment. So they gave it to me. I
was about 3 years old at the time, but I suppose they thought that since it wasn't electrical,
ti was safe to give to me.
Unfortunately, someone had also given me an Erector Set, and it didn't take me long to
discover that the Erector Set's screwdriver could also undo the screws on the door hinges to
the Victrola. I had a lot of fun taking the Victrola apart a little bit, then putting it back
together again. Then I'd take it apart a little more and put it back together. Until finally, I had
taken it apart too much to be able to put back. It would then sit like that until the next
weekend, when my father would put it back together for me.
Of course, I would continue to take it apart. Funny, I don't remember anyone ever telling me
not to (When they caught me taking an electric outlet apart, they made damn sure I
understood that I wasn't to do it again.). Eventually, I got some screws caught inside the
turntable mechanism, my father couldn't get them out, and that was the end of the Victrola.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 02:41:26 -0400
From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: bird book
I am sure you already got answers to this, but Mr. Wimple (spelling
questionable) was from Fibber Mcgee and always talking about his mean old
wife. You who watched cartoons remember him as Touchet Turtle (or
somebody like that.) As a blind person I was not always clear on who was
who or what animal they were supposed to be, but that is getting away
from the question. I am sure you got better answers. Kurt
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:18:44 -0400
From: "Danica L. Stein" <danicas@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re. "Bird Book"
Harry, that was Wallace Wimple on "Fibber McGee and Molly" who mentioned his
bird book; he was interested in bird-watching, an activity which temporarily
kept him out of the brutal clutches of Sweetyface, his "big old wife."
Wallace was played by Bill Thompson.
Danica
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:18:58 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history
From Those Were The Days --
1949 - Martin Kane, Private Eye was first heard on Mutual. William
Gargan starred on the Sunday afternoon program.
Joe
--
Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:20:42 -0400
From: "Christian Blees" <journalistenbuero@[removed];
To: "OTR digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Academy Awards Show
Dear folks,
in his book "On the air" John Dunning writes about the Academy Awards
Show that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences banned radio
from the 1939 ceremony and that CBS gave partial coverage from 1942 on.
Does anybody know why radio was banned in 1939 until 1942?
Thanks,
Christian
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:20:57 -0400
From: "Katja and Tom" <kattom@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: [removed] of
I've been listening to Gunsmoke and enjoying it tremendously.
As you know, the program was sponsored by Chesterfield cigarettes for
several years.
Here's a question that's only slightly related to [removed] billed
itself as "America's best two-way cigarette."
What in the world is a two-way cigarette? Can you exhale through it, too?
Tom Z.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:41:38 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: "Jughead"update
Hi All. I've been incredibly busy, but after getting the following e-mail, I
thought I had better resurface.
Are you doing OK down there? Haven't seen any of your informative and
entertaining posts on the Digest for quite some time. [removed]
To [removed] and anyone else that gives a sweet patootie, I'm just fine. And
thanks for asking.
My Gosh, I realize that I've been incommunicado for almost two months.
In late June, we went to the OTR Reps Convention in Seattle. We drove from
Arizona, left early to visit friends and relatives along the way, and had a
great time at the Convention. They kept us busy doing recreations, and I
finally had the chance to meet (and work with) Harry Bartell. A neat guy.
very pleasant to be around. My good Buddy Ben Cooper was one of the "first
time" guests, and it was a blast working with him again. I also had the
opportunity to meet Jimmy Lyden for the first time. (Remember him, he played
Henry Aldrich in the movies). What a charming guy, and loaded with stories
about the business. Now there's another individual who should write a book.
(I just learned he will be attending the FOTR Convention in the NY-NJ area,
so if you get the chance, come by and meet a fascinating character). I'll
also be in attendance again this year, and after talking to Bob Hastings
recently, he's feeling better and will try and make it also.
Ok, back to the update. Following the Reps Convention, the lovely Dorothy
and I hung around Seattle visiting with many of her relatives. Wow! What a
fourth of July fireworks celebration they had. Lots of "ooohs" and "Aaahhs".
The neighborhood bands together down at the beach, and they must have burned
up a small fortune in pyrotechnics.
>From there, we drove up to Vancouver, boarded a cruise ship, and sailed to
Alaska and environs for a week. The weather was so-so, but the scenery was
magnificent. But instead of coming straight home to Arizona, we did a jog
Southeast and visited more relatives in Idaho. (Dorothy is working on a
family genealogy thing, so she came back loaded with old photos and notes.
I signed back on the digest about a week after getting home, but all I could
do was a quick read of the recent issues, and then get back to work. "Work"
means trying to cross stuff off my 3 page "Honey Do" list, but the progress
is very slow. Besides, there were no postings that I could have made a
contribution by responding, or adding my two cents worth. (Three cents
worth, when you factor in inflation). Or perhaps 1 cent worth when you
factor in "depreciation". :)
But I suppose I should comment about a recent posting from Dwane.
Subject: Jughead's real first name - question on Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire
(SNIP) what is Jughead's real first name?
A. Cedric
B. Forsythe
C. Maxwell
D. Joffrey
The answer was "B. Forsythe"
Hal Stone spells it "Forsyth".
So sue me. Spelling was never my strong suit. Come to think of it, neither
was math. (But I got "A's" in drawing. :)
Here's what Hal Stone said in Digest Volume 2002 :
Issue 290 (July 28, 2002) about the middle initial:
Yes Derek, It most definitely was Forsyth [removed]
(No wonder he preferred being called Jughead). But
don't ask we what the initial P. stands for.
Since I only found one place that says this, I kind of
doubt it's true, but the following link says Jughead's
full name is "Forsythe Percival Jones".
"Percival", Yikes. What cruel parents those Jones's were.
Speaking of misspelling names. I just received a nice note from my friend
and OTR legend Arthur Anderson.
"Dear Hal: I have to admit that it has taken me until now to read your book,
but I did enjoy it. You're right. it is not at all like a conventional
autobiography. It's more like sitting down having a beer with you and hearing
you reminisce. Which is refreshing.
You spoke of many people I knew (For future reference, Nila Mack is her name,
not Nyla), and brought back many good memories of 30 Rock and 485 Mmadison.
(See! All I do is spell names like they sound. :) Except for Maurice
Lipschitz.
Thanks for the nice mention of my "Let's Pretend" book. Unfortunately, it is
out of print right now, but if my plans jell, it will be in print again.
All the best, Arthur.
Just a gentle reminder, for those who might be interested. My book, unlike
Arthur's, is not out of print. So in case you might wish to get a copy, go
to the website below for the details.
[removed]
That's all for now. Back to that damn long list of "Honey-do" projects.
Regards
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Forsythe Percival :(
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 09:42:26 -0400
From: Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The brothers Petrillo?
Friend Bill Murtough as usual delights, with his recollections. In the
most recent posting Bill refers to AFM labor czar James C. Petrillo, but
adds a new factor, at least for me. Bill writes, "His brother, Caeser
Petrillo, was the conductor on radio shows such as Mr. First Nighter".
I have often heard James C. Petrillo referred to as James Caesar
Petrillo, or as Caesar. Wasn't sure until I checked the web, if this
was his name, or sort of a comment on his absolute powers in the music
field, or both. Bob Hope, for instance, constantly wisecracked about
Petrillo, as did most other comics and commentators of his time. Now
Bill has added a third option, that people have mixed up two brothers.
John Dunning has an extensive writeup on "The First Nighter", but no
mention of any Petrillo. The only references to that last name in his
Encyclopedia are to good old Jimmy C. and the musicians and record bans.
I checked with various other radio reference works, and the closest I
could get to Petrillo were references to George (prolific radio actor)
and Howard (equally ubiquitous announcer) Petrie, beloved by us all. I
doubt there's any relationship there. There are a bunch of Petrillos
involved in Hollywood credits, most probably no relation.
Searching on Google reveals that the AFM prexy was indeed James Caesar
Petrillo 1892-1984. Because of this, a search for just Caeser or Caesar
Petrillo simply refers one back to James C. Petrillo. I could find no
references to siblings.
An item popped up that refers to a film "A Voice From the Fire" (USA,
1995, approx. 120 min.). Directed by James Petrillo and Betsy Davis.
But IMDB has no reference to that film or a director named James
Petrillo. There is, however, a director of this same recent era named
Julian Petrillo, and coincidentally in 2002 a producer of an Italian
film, whose name is Cesare Petrillo! Betsy (sic) Davis is listed as
producer of a 1998 film called " The General" (obviously not the Buster
Keaton CW epic), also known as "I Once Had a Life".
I hope that Bill Murtough will expand on his memory of Caeser Petrillo
and his musical leadership! This is intriguing.
James C. was, after all, a musician, generally conceded to be a not very
good trumpeter. But perhaps he could have made waves with a baton, just
as he did with his edicts.
Could it be that "big brother" did some moonlighting? If so, wouldn't
it be fun if he did so on transcribed programs and/or on recordings?
Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 11:27:51 -0400
From: Bob Fells <rfells@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: More on Mr. Zimbalist, Sr.
In reading the last Digest's posting on the Zimbalist family, I was
reminded that Efrem Zimbalist, Sr., violinist and composer, made an
appearance on the September 25, 1938 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater, a
show in general circulation today. The play was "Seven Keys to
Baldpate" starring Jack Benny and Mary Livingstone. Mr. Zimbalist was
the intermission guest interviewed by [removed] DeMille. The reason he was
on the show was tied into Jack Benny's infamous violin performance of
"The Bee" that had been an running gag on the Benny show since the
previous year.
Surprisingly, Mr. Zimbalist made a number of comical remarks, then said
that he did so to prove a point: that a violinist shouldn't try to be a
comedian and a comedian shouldn't try to be a violinist. While I
haven't heard this particular show in some time, I remember it because
it again proved the power of OTR to take a legendary figure such as Mr.
Zimbalist, who has become somewhat obscured by the mists of Time, and
make him a vivid presence before us today. Now if somebody would
restore those Ernestine Schuman-Heink broadcasts, we'd really have
something special!
Bob Fells
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 13:34:12 -0400
From: Shenbarger@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Victrola
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
In a message dated 8/6/2003 6:14:18 PM Central Daylight Time, Lee Munsick
writes:
Generally speaking, the upright Victrolas were so plentiful and so easy
to keep running that they are ubiquitous and therefore not demanding a
lot of money, but then of course there is always the uneducated buyer
who will offer $400, or because he just HAS to have that thing, which is
like the one he ruined when a kid visiting his grandmother. Depending
on the model, I would say that $400 is high; the more usual value would
perhaps be $200 to $250.
I agree with Lee regarding the value of most Victrolas. Of the table models,
which I believe Mr. Grams is talking about, VV-IX has been reaching $400 on
eBay lately.
But the real point of my writing is to recall that this unit is described as
including a base cabinet with records in it, which itself may be worth $400 or
more. It's all [removed]
As for the rattling noises Lee talks about, if there are lots of spring
snapping noises, it needs cleaning by someone special. But most Victrolas
need the
"sound box" (reproducer) gaskets replaced and this is an easy-do for many
people. Until that is done, the sound from the horn may be loaded with
"rattles".
Don Shenbarger
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2003 16:17:44 -0400
From: "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Topical Humor
A. Joseph Ross wrote, "I don't know, Nixon jokes still seem funny."
Certainly they are. If you either A) lived through the Nixon administration
or B) have a good enough sense of history to get the joke. And Ted Kennedy
jokes still have legs (wobbly though they may be) because he's still in the
Senate.
Bob Hope's radio monologues are still funny if you are steeped in that era.
Fred Allen insisted that there were very few jokes in the world, you just
needed to know how to rewrite them so that they would elicit laughs.
Democrats now tell each other jokes we Republicans told about another
president in the late 1970's. Only now, the names have been changed from
"Jimmy" to "George."
But for the most part, jokes about Harry Truman's choice of Hawaiian shirts
while on vacation or references to some long forgotten senator from one of
the plains states will go way over the heads of even the most fervent OTR
fans.
Brj
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #304
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