------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 10
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Really big mistakes [ ".dan." <ddunfee@[removed]; ]
The Hut-Sut Song [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
AFRS Ain't What It Used To Be [ Udmacon@[removed] ]
shooting a gun out of someone's hand [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
Re: Actors in Lum and Abner [ David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@yahoo. ]
no killing on radio? except for mars [ "Joseph" <drjoewebb@[removed]; ]
fighting and killing [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
1-11 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Blog links to New Zealand radio seri [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
Re: BIG "OOOPs" [ Hal Stone <otrjug@[removed]; ]
Cha-la cha-la [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
1942 music request [ "HOWARD BLUE" <khovard@[removed]; ]
re AFRS [ "From Mike" <zines50@[removed]; ]
Re: Lum and Abner [ Ehutchison@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 08:22:16 -0500
From: ".dan." <ddunfee@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Really big mistakes
One of the built in tensions of live radio was the always potential that a
live mistake would happen. One notices some small things from time to
time. On a "man called x" as Marshal approached a door a voice from within
said "come in" and then the sound of knocking. Are there any recordings of
really big mistakes? I have in mind such things as a character not coming
in when directed or someone pushing over a mic stand or some other event
too obvious to ignore or paper over easily. One hears in comedy where
timeing etc. were important a flub that often was cause for comic comment
that was as funny as the blown gag, but in drama etc. such was not so
easily covered.
xv
ic|xc
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 08:23:25 -0500
From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Hut-Sut Song
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Al Girard writes:
And who could forget the ever-popular
"Chickery chick, cha-la, cha-la
Check-a-la romey in a bananika
Bollika, wollika, can't you see
Chickery chick is me?"
Ditto "Hut Sut Ralston on a Rilla-Ruh
And a brawl-ah brawl-ah suet."
As the Horace Heidt recording of it goes on to say, the "Ralston is a Swedish
town, the rillah-ruh is a stream,
the brawl-ah is a boy and girl, the hut-sut is their dream."
I have sheet music for this on which is depicted Eddie Cantor and his raddio
singers Dinah Shore and Olive Major. I knoiw I've
asked this before but does anybody have any info of what ever became of Miss
Major?
Yours/ether,
Derek Tague
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Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:51:21 -0500
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: AFRS Ain't What It Used To Be
When I was stationed in Saigon for all of 1966 AFRS AM was for the troops,
and rightly so; AFRTS FM was classical and elevator music for the senior
officer corps.
My solution was to buy a Zenith Trans-Oceanic Radio (by then all-transistor)
and listen to English language broadcasts from the BBC, Radio Australia, and
even (for laughs) Radio Hanoi and Radio Peking.
I suggest you tell your military friend to do the same, although the
venerable Zenith Transoceanic is no more (right?)
BILL KNOWLTON: "Bluegrass Ramble," WCNY-FM ([removed]) Syracuse, WUNY ([removed])
Utica; WJNY ([removed]) Watertown NY. On the web: [removed]. Sundays: 9 pm to
midnight EST (since 1973)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:51:34 -0500
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: shooting a gun out of someone's hand
Mark Kinsler asked if one could really shoot a gun out
of someone's hand. I think the real question is would
the shootee ever be able to use that hand again? It
hardly seems likely. Based on an understanding of
simple physics, I think we can be sure that hand will
all but be done for.
"You're not hurt," the Lone Ranger often said.
Yeah, right.
Rick
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 09:52:24 -0500
From: David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Actors in Lum and Abner
In, issue 9, Matthew Bullis wrote:
Am I right that he did the voice of Dick Huddleston
then? What about Squire?
I'm speaking only of listening impressions, and
something I **think** I [removed] both of which can be
dangerously inaccurate. I once was convinced that Fred
Allen was the voice I was hearing on Easy Aces, but
was swiftly corrected when I made that statement on
the Digest. :) But I **heard** that Dick Huddleston
was indeed one of the few separate actors, not voiced
by either Norris or Lauck, that appeared also on the
show. I believe, however, that Norris voiced the
character of Squire.
Lately, I too have been listening as you have, in
chronolgical order to tthe broadcasts, but I lack the
discipline to do just one show per night (how do you
do that?????) And it suddenly struck me that the
characterizations in the Horlick's commercials must
have been done by Norris and Lauck also, there are
striking similarities in nuances and inflection.
However, unless they've brought in a woman or women to
do some of those parts, the boys' vocal talents are
far beyond what I ever realized.
D W Phaneuf
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 10:04:13 -0500
From: "Joseph" <drjoewebb@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: no killing on radio? except for marshall
dillon!
Regarding heroes killing anyone, I've been listening to Gunsmoke for the last
two months. I have over 100 episodes under my belt now, and for sure Matt
Dillon seems to have killed at least one person every show, sometimes more,
and always in self defense, and often when things aren't clearly black or
white. Today, he'd be hauled into a civilian review board, for sure. It's
such a part of the story line that he almost looks like a serial killer when
you add 'em all up and look at the piles of bodies. I'm surprised anyone
would get off the train at Dodge at all.
This is one of the differentiators of juvenile-aimed dramas like LR and
adult-targeted ones like Gunsmoke. You always wanted to be sure kids knew
that killing was wrong, and as an adult you realize that sometimes you're
choosing the least bad of terrible options, like Matt Dillon.
Now, when we discuss serious matters like what kind of business that Kitty
was running or even the why the writers would choose a name like that,
skirting (pun intended) it past the censors? :)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 11:00:32 -0500
From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: fighting and killing
The Lone Ranger never intentionally killed anyone, and the only death I
recall OTTOMH is when Cavendish fell off the cliff at the end of the
anniversary show. The Ranger was defending himself but had not intended to
send BC to his death. The Ranger cooperated with the law and took the bad
guys into custody or turned them over to the sheriff.
In the comics the story is different. Silver age heroes never killed anyone
because of the comics code authority, a response to criticisms of violence
being depicted in children's literature. Earlier comics had no problem
dispatching the bad guys, especially in WW2. Even Superman in his earlier
days on radio didn't seem to have much of a problem with bad guys biting the
bullet, although I don't remember an example of his having caused a death.
They usually went out as a result of their own wickedness. The moral of the
story was pretty straight forward.
js
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 15:56:55 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 1-11 births/deaths
January 11th births
01-11-1886 - George Zucco - Manchester, England - d. 5-27-1960
actor: "Encore Theatre"
01-11-1899 - Eva La Gallienne - d. 6-3-1991
actress: "Civic Repertory Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
01-11-1902 - Charlie Nehlsen - d. 3-30-1980
engineer: Recorded Hindenburg disaster as reported by Herb Morrison
01-11-1908 - Lionel Stander - The Bronx, NY - d. 11-30-1994
actor: J. Riley Farnsworth "Life of Riley"; Hoolihan "Grapevine Rancho"
01-11-1910 - Betty Miles - Santa Monica, CA - d. 6-9-1992
actress: Millie Anderson "A Day in the Life of Dennis Day"
01-11-1910 - Donald 'Red' Barry - Houston, TX - d. 7-17-1980
actor: "All-Star Western Theatre"; "Forecast"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
01-11-1910 - Richard Kendrick - Vermillion, SD - d. 2-10-1987
Bill Baker "Portia Faces Life"
January 11th deaths
05-03-1892 - Beulah Bondi - Chicago, IL - d. 1-11-1981
actress: "Free World Theatre"; "NBC University Theatre"
05-03-1902 - Jack Larue - NYC - d. 1-11-1984
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
07-10-1923 - John Bradley - Antigo, WI - d. 1-11-1994
Iwo Jima flagraiser: "Interview programs"
10-04-1893 - Reverend Walter A. Maier - Boston, MA - d. 1-11-1950
preacher: "Lutheran Hour"
12-04-1889 - Isabel Randolph - Chicago, IL - d. 1-11-1973
actress: Rhoda Harding "Dan Harding's Wife"; Mrs. Abigail Uppington "Fibber
McGee and Molly"
12-31-1910 - Richard Kollmar - Ridgewood, NJ - d. 1-11-1971
actor: John Perry "John's Other Wife"; "Michael West "Big Sister"; "Boston
Blackie "Boston Blackie"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 17:09:22 -0500
From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Blog links to New Zealand radio serial
Folks;
In case you don't follow the Nostalgic Rumblings blog (and why don't
you?), I posted links there to a 1990's New Zealand radio serial that has
been made available under a Creative Commons license, allowing the entire
serial to be _legally_ downloaded via BitTorrent.
[removed]
Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 19:23:18 -0500
From: Hal Stone <otrjug@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: BIG "OOOPs"
A thousand pardons. In the event that someone posted a question in recent
Digests that may have been addressed to me, or on a subject that I would
ordinarily be expected to respond, I have a confession to make.
I recently purchased a new super computer, and had some troubles learning
all there was to know to at least handle simple tasks, but somehow or
'tuther, my e-mail program got screwed up, and I was not able to get my copy
of the Digest since mid November.
I am now in the process of reviewing a whole passel of 'em.
Like the following.
WILLIS asked;
I may be--and probably am--wrong, but I seem to remember two characters in
particular who were never heard on two respective juvenile shows. The first
was Butch McGonigal on "The Adventures of Archie Andrews" and Sec. Gen.
Carlisle of the United PPlanets on "Space Patrol."
Please let me know if I made a mistake.
I can't speak with any certainty about Space Patrol, Willis, but if my
memory serves me right, I don't recall the writer using "Butch" as a
character on the Archie show. But it's possible. And if we did, it probably
was in the early years of the shows existence. We were using "Mr.
Weatherby", Pop Tate, and Miss ? (The school teacher) and Reggie every once
in a while in those early years.
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 22:19:36 -0500
From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Cha-la cha-la
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Re "Chickery Chick": I remember it well. It was 1945, and I was in the
third grade. The door opened one day, and a woman spoke briefly to the
teacher. The teacher announced that we were going to hear a song. A
colorful rooster stepped into the room and launched into a very loud a
cappella rendition of "Chickery Chick." I recognized the rooster as a
kid I knew from down the street. He was completely covered head to toe
in a rooster costume. At that moment I understood anything is possible,
and that this singing rooster was only the first of many strange things
I would be seeing in the years to come.
Another great mystery is, 'sala cadoola metcha caboola bibbity
bobbity boo', but I think this one is beyond definition.
Correct as "Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo" (originally
sung by Verna Felton).
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" and "Mairzy Doats" were both by Jerry Livingston.
"Mairzy Doats" went nowhere until Al Trace and his Silly Symphonists
used the novelty song as a sort of karaoke precursor during 1943
broadcasts from the Hotel Dixie:
[removed]
Btw, Jerry Livingston's only Broadway musical, MOLLY (1973), was
adapted from THE GOLDBERGS. The short-lived musical never had a cast
album, but some songs from MOLLY can be heard on Kaye Ballard's THEN &
AGAIN (1995) CD. Audio clips at Amazon:
[removed]
-0315209?v=glance
"Mairzy Doats" is somewhat similar to Anguish Languish, except genuine
words must be used in pure Anguish Languish. For instance: "Darn body
oat meals dream, wear aphids mate shoe."
Curiously, "Mairzy Doats" was written about two years after Howard
Chace first experimented with Anguish Languish. Chace's original notion
was that during WWII rationing words would also be rationed -- so other
syllables would be used as substitutions. While teaching French in
Ohio, Chace wrote "Ladle Rat Rotten Hut" in 1940 and used it in his
classes. Copies of the story received a wide circulation, and
eventually it was printed in STARS AND STRIPES, Merriam's WORD STUDY
and other publications.
Chace pointed out that every word in the English language has a similar
sounding word or syllable. The story begins: "Wants pawn term dare
worsted ladle gull hoe lift wetter murder inner ladle cordage honor
itch offer lodge, dock, florist. Disk ladle gull orphan worry Putty
ladle rat cluck wetter ladle rat hut, an fur disk raisin pimple colder
Ladle Rat Rotten Hut."
When it was printed in an early issue of SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, Arthur
Godfrey spotted it, read it to his audience and told them they could
get a copy by sending postage to Chace. After mailing out 5000 copies,
Chace got a book offer, and ANGUISH LANGUISH was published by Prentice
Hall in 1956. Minus the Hal Doremus cartoons, here's the text of the
entire book: [removed]
Bhob @ VINTAGE NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS @
[removed]
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 22:38:01 -0500
From: "HOWARD BLUE" <khovard@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 1942 music request
David Hokins, a list subscriber in Japan has asked me to post the following
on his behalf. For technical reasons he has problems posting, although he
can receive the digest (so reply to the digest -- or directly to David --
hopkat@[removed] and not to me -- HB )
Howard Blue
I'm trying to work on a presentation about 'm trying to work on a
presentation about US pop music in 1942 for an American Studies group. I've
pretty well conquered the record business aspects, but have a real need for
help in dealing with radio and pop music.
According to Hickerson, several shows each of Kraft Music Hall and Your Hit
Parade from 1942 are "available." My question is, where? I prefer to buy
rather than download, so that I can listen at my leisure and not just at my
computer! I might also want to carry them to a conference, for example.
Can anyone help?
I'm also interested in any other suggestions of shows that feature music. I
have listened to the whole year's worth of Jack Benny, a bunch of
CHesterfield Moonlight Serenades, and a few other isolated shows, like
Charlie McCarthy, Burns&Allen, Abbott&Costello, etc.
You'll probably all know that 1942 is when the American Federation of
Musicians went out on strike against the major record companies, so the
"crisis" in pop music, and reactions to it by the record companies and the
radio networks, (and, naturally, the background of the war!) is what I'm
really studying here.
Thanks for any advice or ideas!
David Hopkins
Tenri University
Tenri, Japan
I can read on-list messages, but can only answer off-list.
<hopkat@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 00:43:27 -0500
From: "From Mike" <zines50@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re AFRS
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Re armed forces radio, some of you may have seen the television
programme with a title something like "Music of War" which examined
the troops in Iraq's musical tastes. With one exception, they all
liked rap or heavy metal to get them keyed up for battle.
One guy, who was obviously looked on as a bit strange by his friends,
preferred Diana Kraal.
There's one in every group, isn't there?
Greetings from Australia,
Michael O'Brien
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Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 07:50:40 -0500
From: Ehutchison@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Lum and Abner
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A recent posting from Matthew Billis, who has just discovered the magic of
"Lum and Abner," asked about the source of other characters besides Lum and
Abner.
Norris "Tuffy" Goff played not only Abner but Dick Huddleston, Ulysses S.
Quincy, Mousy Gray, and Squire Skimp. Chet Lauck was the voice behind Lum,
Grandpappy Spears, Snake Hogan, and Cedric Weehunt. Both men also played
other
minor characters from time to time.
I think I do no injustice to Chet Luack if I say that Norris Goff had a
greater vocal range and, consequently, was better able to disguise and alter
his
natural voice so that he could be credible in more roles.
In reply to the question of whether or not Goff and Lauck sometimes forgot
which character they were playing: I assume that over their 20 year run on
live radio that they must have made errors of this type, but I cannot now
recall a specific instance. I have listened at least several times to the
hundreds of extant episodes, and found the actors to be real "pros." So if
they
goofed--or perhaps I should say "when" they goofed--they covered it well.
They
would occasionally find something so amusing that they would briefly "break
up," and I can recall one instance when Cedric was talking to Mousy but
mistakenly called him Abner, but these errors did not really distract nor
detract
from the great quality of the shows.
Matthew mentioned that he began with the first remaining episodes and is now
listening to shows produced in 1935. I believe that to this point in the
show's history, Goff and Lauck voiced all of the characters depicted. At
any
rate, if they employed anyone else it was in a very minor role. As the
series progressed, other actors were used in roles that would usually
continue off
and on over a period of a few weeks. Fans will recall Prince Ali Kush,
Mable Melrose, Uncle Henry Lunceford, Phinus Peabody, Dr. Ben Withers, and
Diogenes Smith, as examples of these characters.
In the weekly half hour shows that followed the long run of 15-minute daily
programs there were a number of different actors used on each episode. But,
in the opinion of most listeners and fans, these shows lacked the wit and
charm of the original serials, and they were certainly not as successful in a
commercial sense.
Goff and Lauck played off each other so well that their routines are, I
think, comedy classics. Their humor was not rooted in topical events, but
arose
from the universal foibles inherent in the human condition. It has,
therefore, held up well and is as entertaining today as it was when first
broadcast
over a half century ago. I greatly envy Matthew the fun he will have in
hearing the remaining episodes.
Edward Hutchison
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--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #10
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