Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #458
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 12/26/2003 12:56 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 458
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Thoughts                              [ Midmitvguy@[removed] ]
      a Very odd otr request                [ benohmart@[removed] ]
      Secret Messages and Jean Shepherd     [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Re: Christmas shows without Christma  [ "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed]; ]
      Weekends with Walden Hughes           [ BryanH362@[removed] ]
      Skippy                                [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      skippy                                [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]
      Re:Durant Program                     [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Re: Final Benny Radio Show            [ "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed]; ]
      Percy Crosby's Skippy                 [ Bhob Stewart <bhob2@[removed]; ]
      Two queries                           [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Re: Durant Motor Company              [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Andrew Tietjan                        [ "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed] ]
      MP3s and Mary Benny                   [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
      The Cinnamon Bear                     [ "Norman & Karen Schickedanz" <schic ]

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 10:42:02 -0500
    From: Midmitvguy@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Thoughts
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

        Just read Ron Sayles birth/death page for today Dec 26th and saw that
    Jack Benny passed way today in 74.   I normally commute an hour to work
    one-way,
    so today I will select my favorite Jack Benny episode to honor him.  I was not
    fortunate to grow up in front of the warm glow of a radio, but was luck
    enough to have someone in my family who was into old radio.  Being only 12 at
    the
    time and not realizing what I was listening to.  All I remember is that my
    uncle would come up from the Detroit area with his tape player and I would
    lay on
    the floor and listen to the wonderful stories he would bring on cassettes.
    Today my collection is so enormous that I can't keep track of them.
        While talking with a colleague at work, finding out that he knew the
    Beamer family (Brace's) and the next time he went back to northern Michigan he
    would get in touch with them and tell them about me, hopefully I can get with
    them and talk about the Detroit era of radio shows.  Well, back to work.  May
    all
    of you with e-shot of this list have a very safe and fun holiday season.

    Dave

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    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:09:45 -0500
    From: benohmart@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  a Very odd otr request

    Is there anyone here, or someone who knows someone offlist, who is a marriage
    counsellor or psychiatrist/psychologist? I'm trying to get my Bickersons
    biography done
    within the next 3 months, and would like a professional opinion to quote on
    the
    Bickersons characters and its comedy. Email me if you can help. THANKS!

    Ben Ohmart

    The Paul Frees biography
    [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:11:17 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Secret Messages and Jean Shepherd

    Charles Sexton, speaking to the Ralphie story, observed,

>     While I love the Christmas Story movie, the scriptwriters must have written
>     the scene of Ralphie decoding Annie's secret message to provide another laugh
>     in that marvelous film.  A message of a couple of words about tomorrow's
>     adventure without knowing anything about what had preceded it wouldn't bring
>     much response from the audience.  A message that touted the Sponsor's
>     product, however, was sure to bring a guffaw or two.

    Well, actually, they did it because Jean Shepherd created it.  I've heard
    one monologue where "Shep" was reminiscing on the supposed event.  He'd
    related that his family was poor and couldn't afford Ovaltine, though he
    really wanted a Decoder Pin.  Finally, he found a used Ovaltine container
    and was able to send off for one.  The first message he deciphered was
    the plug for Ovaltine, according to his story.

    But it wasn't credible.  A six-word message was longer than the usual
    two- to four-word form.  Also, "Ovaltine"  contains eight letters, far
    longer than most words.  As mentioned, every message enciphered for the
    Captain Midnight program was involved with the following episode; I'm
    certain that Little Orphan Annie was likewise, based on my visit to
    Ovaltine headquarters.  (It's worth mentioning that in the monologue I
    heard the story in, "Shep" enthusiastically speaks of the Harold Grey
    comic-strip character, The Asp, and described him minutely.  However, his
    description didn't fit The Asp; rather, it fit Punjab, another Grey
    character.  If he could make _that_ mistake, one should question his
    credibility anent Little Orphan Annie in general.)

    The problem is that for anyone who hasn't heard the show, it provokes a
    good guffaw, but spreads an inaccuracy.  In the cosmic scheme, I suppose,
    it makes little difference as to whether such an event happened, but this
    diminishes the integrity of the real OTR history.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:12:36 -0500
    From: "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Christmas shows without Christmas songs

    "Bill Scherer" <bspro@[removed]; asked the musical question:

>     I have noticed that on a lot of the Christmas episodes of
>     OTR shows the subject matter might be Christmas but
>     many times the music will not be Holiday related.

>     Was there a reason for this?

    Just to name three prominent examples that tend to go against the
    questioner's foundation, the annual Christmas programs of Fibber McGee &
    Molly (The King's Men's "A Visit From St. Nicholas"), Amos & Andy (Amos' "The
    Lord's Prayer") and Jack Benny (Dennis Day's "Ave Maria") were all known for
    their holiday-related songs, while Bing Crosby's programs often carried
    holiday-themed music throughout the entire Advent season.

    True, there were other shows that shied away from holiday music, largely
    because they would not fit within the program's format. Can you imagine Sgt.
    Friday or Ed "Archie" Gardner leading a group of carolers? Or a sloppy,
    sentimental, Christmas-music-themed, Very Special Episode of the Henry Morgan
    show? Or Raymond Johnson and the Lipton Tea girl in a few choruses of "Baby,
    It's Cold Outside"? To say nothing of Teddy Barbour's annual rendition of
    "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer"?

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:12:48 -0500
    From: BryanH362@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Weekends with Walden Hughes

    Where?   Yesterday USA
    When ?    10:30 pm EST/ 7:30 PST  Fri, Sat , Sun.

    [removed]   for live streaming.

    Highlights for this weekend include :

    Friday 12-26-03 Frank  Bresee  interview's  Gloria Jean.

    Saturday 12-27-03 replay of Frank Bresee's interview with Les Tremayne.

    Sunday  12-28-03

    Replay of interview with Kenny Guardner singer with the Guy Lombardo band  ,
    and also Al Pierson the current band leader of the Guy Lumbardo band .

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:15:05 -0500
    From: <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Skippy

    While preparing "Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory:  The Programs and
    Personalities of Broadcasting's Most Prolific Producers" which McFarland &
    Co. released earlier this year, I did some extensive research into the
    juvenile series titled Skippy, one of the Hummerts' 125 identifiable
    airwaves series.  There are several mentions of the program in my book.  The
    concise summary of it reads:

    "Based on Percy Crosby's animated newspaper strip, the serial focuses on
    Skippy Skinner and his young friends.  Skippy's physical and ethical traits
    magnify the wisdom and courage he exhibits as their leader.  Trouble finds
    these kids, although it usually overtakes them in humorous fashion.  1932,
    NBC; 1932-1935, CBS."

    Initially penned by Robert Hardy Andrews, one of the Hummerts' earliest and
    most prolific scribes, and later by Roland Martini, Skippy was a Tom Sawyer
    character perceived as "a less neurotic Charlie Brown."  Andrews depicted
    him as "a rascal, ever testing his parents' patience by figuring out
    honorable ways of fooling them without actually lying."  Promotional plugs
    assured the parents of radio fans that the program was "a great
    character-building force free from objectionable situations."  Despite that
    claim, not all listeners were as enchanted as the children and General
    Mills:

    "A Scarsdale woman told a meeting of her Parent-Teacher Association that
    'Skippy' was a dangerous and degrading form of entertainment, and newspapers
    everywhere printed her charges.  A panel of psychologists hired by Hummert
    pooh-poohed the Scarsdale lady's fears and said that the loud and
    rambunctious adventure serial was a good thing for America's over-cloistered
    young.  A kidnapping sequence in the story aroused criticism.  Although it
    was written long after the Lindbergh case, indignant ministers and editorial
    writers denounced it as an attempt to profit by exploiting a tragedy.  A new
    story line was instantly devised, and Andrews wrote twenty-five scripts in
    five days to catch up.  Percy Crosby, who had been moaning and wringing his
    hands over his mild little character's lost innocence, breathed easier.  But
    'Skippy' was not to last much longer.  General Mills was disturbed when they
    heard that Andrews was not only a newspaperman but a writer of books; the
    chances were they had a drinking fellow and a bohemian on their hands, and
    this might get to the listening women and distress them.  To forestall old
    wives' tales and young mothers' fears, Andrews had himself photographed
    eating Wheaties and sliced bananas with the child actors of 'Skippy.'"

    Skippy Skinner stood out among "his fellow small boys."  His body and
    ethical character were strong, a combination that positively enhanced the
    wisdom and courage he so aptly demonstrated beyond his years.  His cohorts
    included Sooky Wayne, Jim Lovering and Carol (who, oddly enough, had no
    known surname).  The kids' specialty was in engaging trouble, although the
    series took a humorous twist rather than a serious one most of the time.
    Needless to say, the fearless foursome probably appealed to more boys than
    girls in Radioland.

    Rejected for the narrative's lead, actor Charles Flynn was to turn up in an
    even more important Hummert fixture a while later (Jack Armstrong, the
    All-American Boy).  The title role of Skippy was instead awarded to Franklin
    Adams, Jr., Francis Smith appeared as Sooky, St. John Terrell as Jim and
    Patricia Ryan as Carol.  David Owen directed.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:16:31 -0500
    From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  skippy

>     Can you help? I was given the nickname Skippy
>     because my mother  listened to a radio program with
>     that charecter. I was born in 1946. Can you help me
>     ID the program?

    This could be Cliff's son "Skippy" from One Man's
    Family, though I'd hate to ask about your mother's
    mindset if so!  :)  Skippy was born Andrew in the late
    '[removed] mother died in childbirth, and Cliff refused
    to have anything to do with the child, or even call
    him by his given name.  Hence the nickname.

    Like most of the Barbour grandchildren, Skippy was a
    minor presence in the narrative for most of the
    [removed] occasionally served as a "spoiler" for his
    father's romances.  As he grew into adulthood, Andrew
    (no longer Skippy) became much more important to the
    story--as the only true Barbour heir, he had a special
    place in Father Barbour's affections, and the old man
    was devastated when Andy fell in love with a woman who
    could bear no children.  The end of the Barbour line
    had apparently arrived.

    Andrew also served as a link between Cliff and his
    family after Cliffie "moved to Scotland"--the actor
    who played him had died, and the character was never
    heard on the air again.  Andrew's occasional presence
    served as a reminder Cliff was supposedly still alive.

    chris

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:17:21 -0500
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re:Durant Program

    On 12/26/03 10:12 AM [removed]@[removed] wrote:

>     [removed]

    In brief, this was a series called "Durant Heroes Of The World," which
    ran from the winter of 1929 thru the spring of 1930. It featured dramatic
    sketches based on the lives of famous historical personalities, along
    with musical interludes under the direction of Dana S. Merriman (best
    known for his musical setting of "In Flanders Field," a favorite at
    Armistice Day pageants during the 1920s.) The acting talent came from the
    NBC-New York stock company, and the program was announced by
    diction-award-winner Alwyn Bach.

    You could find program-by-program details on it by checking the WEAF logs
    and NBC Master Books at the Library of Congress, which contain much
    specific information on NBC's New York-originated programming.

    No recordings exist.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:19:34 -0500
    From: "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Final Benny Radio Show

    "William Schell" <bschell@[removed]; asked the following about Plainfield's
    finest:

>     In earlier posts on the final Jack Benney radio show  it was mentioned Mary
>     Livingston dubbed her lines.  Exactly what does this mean? Thanks

    Jack's wife was not a professional performer by any stretch, and it was only
    a combination of dire need and convenience that got her in front of a
    microphone in the first place (the show needed a crazy female fan from
    Plainfield, NJ in 1933, and none of the auditioners filled the bill; Sadye
    Marks was in the studio that night and was pressed into service, astounding
    Benny's staff with her performance).

    Over the years, Sadye's nervousness and insecurity over her lack of
    professional experience manifested itself in a number of ways. The one that
    is relevant here is the case of "mike fright" which she developed over the
    years. There were the numerous and infamous line fluffs, of course, but there
    were also hysterical illnesses which kept her away from the studio for weeks
    at a time. (At least twice, these "attacks" were so sudden, she was replaced
    by her actual sister, the real-life "Babe" Marks.)

    By the early 1950s, her fears were so severe that she could no longer appear
    before an audience. The character was so important to the program, though,
    that there was never a serious thought of dropping or recasting her. The
    availability of then-modern recording technology, in conjunction with the
    successes of pre-recorded and edited shows like those of Bing Crosby and
    Groucho Marx (prior to which, nearly all sponsors and/or networks demanded
    their shows air live), allowed Benny to keep Mary =and= keep his wife in the
    role.

    To do this, another actress was hired to perform the "Mary Livingstone" lines
    for a studio audience (Dunning's "Tune In Yesterday" suggests these were
    "unnamed actresses", but Jack and Sadye's daughter Joan has since asserted
    that she was the primary "unnamed"). this performance would be handed to
    Hilliard Marks (Sadye's brother and, by this time, Jack's producer) who would
    then bring Sadye in to a private studio where he would direct her performance
    of Mary Livingstone's lines to be spliced into the broadcast tape in place of
    those recorded in front of a live audience.

    By the last radio season, though, Sadye's fears were so strong that she often
    could not even be coaxed into these dubbing sessions. Sometimes her
    unwillingness to work in a given week was known in advance and the writers
    were able to get her out of a particular show. Other times, though, she would
    become skittish before or even =during= a dubbing session, forcing Hilliard
    to use the undubbed version unless Jack and some combination of friends and
    staff could get her to change her mind.

    After the 1955 radio season, Sadye called it quits. Other than four filmed
    episodes of the Benny TV series (in which she agreed to appear on the
    condition that they be filmed in Europe, so she could get a fashionable
    summer vacation out of the deal), Mary's only subsequent public appearance
    was a single Tonight Show spot with family friend Johnny Carson in the late
    1970s.

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:24:10 -0500
    From: Bhob Stewart <bhob2@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Percy Crosby's Skippy

    NEWSDAY article (11/10/02) traces the tragic events of SKIPPY creator
    Percy Crosby's life: [removed]

    The long-running legal battle of Percy Crosby's daughter vs. Skippy
    Peanut Butter: [removed]
    [removed]

    Cover of 1934 comic book used as a radio show giveaway:
    [removed]

    Bhob @ VINTAGE NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS @
    [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:25:04 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Two queries

    I have received a couple of queries to my web site. If anyone can help,
    please email directly to the query:

    "Who was the radio character "Skippy"? I was born in 1946 and mom gave me
    the nickname because of a radio soap opera she listened to. Thanks for any
    help you can provide.
    From: Albert Latson <alatson@[removed];"

    " I am looking for information on "The Old Professor" who did some
    wonderful bits "Lil bo peep" and "Grammas Lye Soap"  can you help?
    From: Harry Crisson <hbcris@[removed];"

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 12:57:02 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Durant Motor Company

    At 10:11 AM 12/26/2003, Rick Botti wrote:

>     "Nation-wide radio program every Sunday at 7 [removed] (Eastern
>     Standard Time) through WEAF, New York and 39 associated
>     stations of the National Broadcasting Company."

    This program was called "Durant Heroes of the World" and featured
    biographies in dramatic form of famous people. The information comes from
    Harrison Summers book. It was a 30 minute program over NBC on Sundays at
    7:00 [removed]  and appears to have lasted only one year nationally (at least).

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]
    [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 13:28:02 -0500
    From: "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Andrew Tietjan

    I would appreciate any help in locating shows by organist Andrew Tietjan
    who did do some work for CBS in 1942. My understanding is that he had some
    organ
    recitals programs during that year, before being drafted into the army. E.
    Power Biggs took over the series at that time. Mr. Tietjan's son, Peter, is
    eager to locate any tapes or recordings.

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 13:41:57 -0500
    From: JackBenny@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  MP3s and Mary Benny
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Kurt Yount asked?

>     Did anybody ever come out with a definitive Jack Benny series on MP3?

    The IJBFC audio library has endeavored to collect as many of the best-quality
    MP3s available.  The whole library takes nine CDs.  I don't know that I'd
    call it the definitive collection, as we're always looking to improve.
    However
    it is pretty good.  For more information, go to [removed], then
    Programs, then IJBFC Library.

    And Bill Schell asked:

>     In earlier posts on the final Jack Benney radio show  it was mentioned Mary
>     Livingston dubbed her lines.  Exactly what does this mean? Thanks

    As Mary had developed quite bad stage nerves, she wanted to quit the show
    (the exact year on this is a matter of debate).  However someone (some sources
    say it was her brother, Hickey Marks, but I have my doubts on that) came up
    with
    the idea that she could record her lines at home and then have them edited
    into the show.  So she would sit in her room or the library, and her cues
    would
    be fed to her by Hickey or George Balzer.  In the actual performance, her
    standin would occasionally be Joan Benny, or script secretary Jeanette
    Eyemann, or
    another actress.

    This has given rise to a few interesting points.  One is that there are two
    copies of the 5/22/55 [removed] with Mary, and one without.  Another is
    that in these dubbed shows, Mary has very few lines and (if you're listening
    for it) you can hear the difference in sound dynamic between her lines and
    everyone else's.  On one of the shows, the standin blew a line ("they were
    walking
    in on their heads") which got a tremendous audience reaction.  So in recording
    her lines, Mary was forced to intentionally blow the line.

    And the final strange note is that while some biographies indicate that Mary
    did this "from then on" (when the decision was made), that doesn't seem to be
    true and it only happened from time to time.  A CBS employee in the 50s
    recalls Mary being in the live performances that she saw, and there's enough
    vocal
    overlap that there's little or no way that Mary could have been dubbed in many
    of the shows.  Ask me in a year or so about which ones were and weren'[removed]'s
    part of a big chunk of research I've got in progress.

    --Laura Leff
    President, IJBFC
    [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 14:40:28 -0500
    From: "Norman & Karen Schickedanz" <schick@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The Cinnamon Bear

    Hi, all.

    I finished listening again to "The Cinnamon Bear"  two days ago.  I enjoyed
    it as always.  I'm wondering which character or characters in the series you
    like best.

    My favorites are the Inkaboos, particularly the high-pitched-voice King
    Blotto and the low-pitched-voice Assistant Executioner.  Of course, the kids
    portraying Judy (Barbara Jean Wong) and Jimmy (unkown) did a great job
    (about how old were those two actors, do you think, when they recorded the
    show?).

    To be a scrooge, this time around I found the Santa Claus character to be
    annoying after awhile - too much of a goody thing.  I suppose kids enjoy
    him.

    Peace,
    Norm Schickedanz
    Tucson

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #458
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