Subject: [removed] Digest V2001 #320
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 10/1/2001 9:25 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2001 : Issue 320
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Rhiman Rotz                           [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
      Origin Show                           [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Grandparents                          [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
      Remembering OTR                       [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      RKO Radio Pictures                    [ "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@nfoli ]
      OTR for kids                          [ "Scott Eberbach" <seberbach@earthli ]
      1st Timer                             [ DROSEV@[removed] ]
      small correction-- Empire of the Air  [ Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed]; ]
      Major Armstrong                       [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Kix                                   [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Re: Turned Their Back on Radio        [ GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@ ]
      did they turn their back on OTR? NO!  [ Donna Halper <dlh@[removed]; ]
      reel to reel brake repair             [ BRC Productions <platecap@brcradio. ]
      Education, book                       [ "Tony Baechler" <tony@[removed]; ]
      re: Courses on Broadcast History      [ "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback ]
      OTR and our parents                   [ "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed]; ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey5@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:15:11 -0400
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Rhiman Rotz

    I'm deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Rhiman Rotz, who posted to
    this list frequently.  Although I never met the man, I had exchanged
    messages with him on a number of occasions.  I found him to be
    intellectual, expertly versed in OTR and particularly anxious to help a
    fellow traveler.  Speaking of travels, when I was planning a trip to the
    Chicago Museum of Broadcasting and other area landmarks in the summer of
    2000, I found Rotz--who obviously knew Chicago like the back of his
    hand--to be extremely willing and helpful to provide information about
    transportation, hotels and sites to see.  He knew the area well and it
    came across as a joy for him to share it.  There are many good men and
    women who are just as wrapped up in OTR as Rotz was.  I'm thankful that
    this hobby affords me opportunities to rub shoulders with some of you,
    even when it is only by long distance.  This is surely one of the joyous
    byproducts of our avocation.  And I'm thankful for Rhiman Rotz and his
    contributions to it and to my own learning experience.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:16:21 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Origin Show

    Tom Heathwood asked,

>     Which, if any, show of the HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL series might be
>     considered the origin show?  A similar question exists for GUNSMOKE
>     and SGT. PRESTON.
>     Some people suggested that the "origins" of these other shows were
>     not publisized like the origin story of the [removed]

    Actually, HGWT did have an origin episode, scripted by one of the
    co-creators.  During the final season of TV's HGWT, Sam Rolfe wrote an
    episode entitled "Genesis" and revealed much of Paladin's origin, how he
    came to live in San Francisco and how he got his suit and clothes and
    morals.  The radio series never offered the origin of Paladin.  But what the
    radio series did that the TV series didn't, was offer a concluding episode,
    in which Paladin retired from his western life and go to Boston to claim a
    family inheritance.  They never offered a conclusion on the TV version.

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:16:29 -0400
    From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
    To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Grandparents

    The recent posts having to do with the education levels and OTR
    listening habits of the posters grandparents got me to thinking about my
    own experiences.  My family tended to have a rather high educational
    level going back many generations. There are ministers, school teachers,
    and engineers among my ancestors ( I don't know what happened to me.( I
    had but two years of college and went into business).

    One of my earliest memories of OTR was listening to the Jack Benny Show
    in 1941/42 at my grandparents home and how they laughed at what they
    were hearing.
    My grandfather was a carpenter/woodcarver and at times a schoolteacher.
    Mostly I remember him listening to the news while we ate supper ( around
    5pm).I think that we had a great variety of programs tuned in during the
    evening hours, including music shows. The Voice of Firestone was one
    that was never missed. Also we listened to every speech or fireside chat
    that President Roosevelt made.

    When television came on the scene I don't remember what my grandparents
    watched,  however I do remember that my intelligent grandfather who had
    taught me many many things, would always shave, dress in a coat and tie,
    and comb his hair because he was convinced that those people on the TV
    screen could see him as well as he could see them!

    George Aust

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:16:53 -0400
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Remembering OTR

    Philip Railsback, speaking about memories of OTR by the seniorer
    generation, noted,

>     When I tried to start a conversation about radio with my 80 year old
>     mother and a friend of hers a few months ago, I was in for a rude shock.
>     They remembered Jack Benny, but that was about it.

    I remember a lot of shows, but few individual programs.  For instance, I
    remember listening to The Count of Monte Christo, but I can't remember a
    single story (all I remember is that the first time Edmond Dantes, The
    Fabulous Count of Monte Cristo, "appeared" on the show, there was always
    a fanfare.  All i really remember about Inner Sanctum Mysteries was,
    Raymond, Your Host," asking pithy questions like, "May I take your hat
    and throat?"  I could rattle off title after title of shows I used to
    listen to, but remembering specifics of an individual show are difficult.
     I remember more Phil Harris-Alice Faye shows than any other (the Jack
    Benny shows blended into a happy blur).  I remember listening to Pete
    Kelly's Blues, but only one show remained in my memories before I got
    some recordings to revisit.  Similarly Sam Spade.

>     It was obvious they couldn't care less about old time radio. My
>     suspicion is that the vast majority of radio fans dropped the habit the
>     day their TV appeared and never looked back.

    It might be that TV made more of an impression on them.  A lot may look
    back, but not as devotedly as we do.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:17:16 -0400
    From: "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  RKO Radio Pictures

     Hi Gang:

     In the last Digest #319 Elizabeth asked the following.

>     A question for any CW-proficient ham operators in our midst -- what
>     exactly does the morse code in the RKO logo say? I've never had the
>     patience to try and figure it out.

    I'm sure other hams on the Digest will quickly respond to this also.
    I remember seeing that logo many times. The morse code you're
    hearing is duplicating what is appearing on the screen, namely
    RKO Radio Pictures.

    Don Dean N8IOJ

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:17:27 -0400
    From: "Scott Eberbach" <seberbach@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OTR for kids

    Hi All!
    I have an extremely bright, sensitive, and imaginative 6 year old nephew and
    I am trying to think of some OTR that would be appropriate for this boy and
    his 3 year old brother with the same attributes.  He likes The Adventures Of
    Superman and The Cinnamon Bear and both of these collections are currently
    on loan to [removed] enquired whether or not I have any more radio shows.  I
    do (almost 2,000 shows) but most of them are of the mystery, suspense, and
    horror genre and probably not all that appropriate for a boy his [removed]
    least till he is a bit older.  Perhaps you folks could make some suggestions
    as to help me dub some copies for him in time for the Christmas season.
    Thanks!

    Scott

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:17:49 -0400
    From: DROSEV@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1st Timer

    I'm 66 and a new subscriber. Have been collecting shows since 1965. Grew up
    with radio and still love it. Hardest thing to find besides some shows are
    books on OTR. I have a modest collection, but most are long out of print.
    Would appreciate some titles of anyones's favorites. I have the Mary Jane
    Higby, Joseph Julian and Norman Corwin books. Concerning themes: The theme on
    the 30's series "Calling All Cars" is the same theme used in the 1939 20th
    Century Fox film "Jesse James". Any info on this piece of music?

    Roy Bonario

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:32:18 -0400
    From: Bill Harris <radioguy@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  small correction-- Empire of the Air

    From: Donna Halper <dlh@[removed]; corrected:

>     Umm, not exactly.  That was Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian (and a believer
>     in eugenics when he wasn't advancing the cause of broadcasting).

    Thanks for the correction Donna, I knew I should have dragged out
    the book, all those names of early broadcasters and who did what
    tend to run together at times.

    Bill Harris

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:43:35 -0400
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Major Armstrong

>     Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 13:16:34 -0400
>     From: "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed];

>     He didn't invent FM either -- what Armstrong did in that case was come up
>     with the idea of using *wideband* FM, and then develop the first practical
>     circuits to generate and demodulate FM.

    Ok, who did invent FM.  I've always heard it was Armstrong.  I've never
    heard that Armstrong invented AM, but he supposedly invented several
    forms of receiver circuitry, including superhetrodyne circuits.

    But, of course, who invented what is often a matter of who made the
    loudest noise about it.

     A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210          lawyer@[removed]
     Boston, MA 02108-2503           [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:43:30 -0400
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Kix

>     Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2001 13:17:08 -0400
>     From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];

>     For latecomers: Kix back in the 1940s wasn't quite as hard as crushed
>     rock out of the box, but close.  You could let it stand in milk for as long
>     as you wanted, and it would get no softer.

    I don't think it gets very soft in milk even now.  Some consider that a
    strength, not a weakness.  But I'm curious about whether the product
    was different in the 1940s.  I recall my mother giving me Kix for
    breakfast when I was about 3 or 4 years old, around 1948-49.  When we
    had it again a year or two later, it seemed different from what I
    remembered.  Did the product actually change?

     A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210          lawyer@[removed]
     Boston, MA 02108-2503           [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 01:43:59 -0400
    From: GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Turned Their Back on Radio

         So did I at age seven when we obtained our first
    television set - a 10-inch RCA purchased in February
    or March, 1949. (My parents both thought that I was
    dying and wanted to make my last days pleasant.
    Fortunately, my doctor and I both had quite different
    ideas about my health.)
         Up to that time I'd been an inveterate radio
    listener. I can remember listing to THE CARNATION
    CONTENTED HOUR (the original one, before the Buddy
    Clark version) and THE HARZ MOUNTAIN CANARIES. I
    listened faithfully to TERRY AND THE PIRATES and SKY
    KING. I was no more than four or five when I'd sit
    down once a week to listen to the opening of THE
    PHILIP MORRIS PLAYHOUSE - I was too young to
    understand the stories, but I was beginning a
    life-long love affair with Ferde Grofe's "On the
    Trail." I listened to ETHEL AND ALBERT when it was a
    segment of Kate Smith's afternoon program and Albert
    was played by (are you ready for this?)....Richard
    Widmark!
         One of my birthday presents in 1946 was a chance
    to attend a Ruth Lyons broadcast at WLW. My mother and
    I even got a tour of the sound effects closet.
         But as I said, I threw this all over at age seven
    in favor of that most insidious glass-eyed
    monstrosity, television.

         But I rediscovered radio again at age 12 or 13.
    It was such a private pleasure to sit in my bedroom
    and listen to SUSPENSE and GUNSMOKE and JOHNNY DOLLAR.
    I got to listen to the entire last season of THE
    SHADOW ("Is THAT still on the air?"  my father asked)
    and some of the penultimate one.
         It was only a few years after that when NBC
    announced that they were ending all network
    broadcasting save for news and sports (and MONITOR,
    for a few more years). When CBS made the same
    announcement a few years later I realized that Classic
    Radio had to be saved, and thus was born my OTR
    passion.
         In addition, I'd started collecting jazz,
    vaudeville and specialty records as early as age 10
    (1951-1952). Thus I was already amassing a lot of
    early OTR history ("Sam and Henry" being perhaps the
    classic example), without being truly conscious of
    what I was doing.

         George Wagner
         GWAGNEROLDTIMERADIO@[removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:36:38 -0400
    From: Donna Halper <dlh@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  did they turn their back on OTR?  NO!!!

    First, for Howard Blue-- I've been teaching the History of Broadcasting
    (and of Journalism too) for years.  That having been said, several of you
    noted that when you talked to your grandparents, they couldn't remember
    anybody but Jack Benny (or Eddie Cantor).  As a radio consultant for many
    years, I've done all sorts of market research and found that even with
    younger listeners (except for teens who are VERY aware of which groups sing
    which songs), the vast majority of people have no clue about the names of
    the artists they hear on the air.  If you've ever answered the request line
    at a radio station, you get calls like "I heard a song three weeks ago, and
    it had the word 'love' in it. Can you tell me what it was?"

    I give a lot of talks about the "good old days" and when I do, I make sure
    I bring lots of visuals.  Usually, all I have to do is show some of the
    old-timers the radio magazines (like "Radio Stars" or "Radio Mirror" that
    have the big name celebrities on the cover, or I have a table on which I
    put out some sheet music of the big hits, and those visual cues really
    seems to get their memories going.  Asking them what they listened to 40
    years ago doesn't usually work out, not because they forgot OTR once TV
    came along, but because they haven't thought about this stuff in years.
    Popular culture is often very time-bound-- even I, who do research for a
    living, am sometimes reminded of some item I had heard about on radio or
    seen on TV and I had not thought about it in years.  I also find that
    getting a microfilm listing of the day's radio shows and some of the news
    stories from a particular date and then asking about certain  news
    commentators or certain hit shows, or singing a little bit of a theme
    [removed] all of this usually helps the old-timers step back into those days
    when radio was a central activity.  And many old-timers tell me their first
    forays onto the internet have led them to Charlie's and Lou Genco's
    nostalgia pages, and they are amazed to find that the younger generation
    has kept the Golden Age alive.

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:37:19 -0400
    From: BRC Productions <platecap@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  reel to reel brake repair

    I wish I could be more helpful to Barbara Watkins regarding the ill reel
    deck.  Sadly, Pioneer has been out of reel equipment business for 20 years.

    Most reel brakes consist of metal bands with felt glued to it.   If the
    metal part is still servicable, my guess is they can be brought back to life
    by gluing some new felt strips in place of where the old ones were.

    If not, both Tascam (Teac) and Otari are still supplying parts for their
    professional equipment.  Replacement bands from either that could be
    modified MIGHT work on the Pioneer.  I haven't seen the insides of one of
    those decks in over 10 years, so I don't remember any of the details.

    I do know a lot of service centers don't like to be very creative with
    substititing parts like this -- but that is the approach I'd use.

    On the plus side, with computers and MiniDiscs replacing reels at most
    stations and studios, the used market for pro reel decks has exploded.  You
    can pick up a great machine that once cost thousands of dollars for probably
    the same price or less than what the Pioneer 707 originally cost in the mid
    1970s.

    Good luck!
    Bob Burnham
    BRC Productions

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:37:42 -0400
    From: "Tony Baechler" <tony@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Education, book

    Hello all.  I have not posted in awhile, but here are two comments about
    recent subjects discussed here.

    First, I would tend to agree with the lowering standards of education.  I
    have read with interest about how many people dropped out in the 8th grade
    but were still quite literate, but by studying the surviving OTR programs,
    you can see a decline shortly after the end of the war.  Maybe it is just
    me, but I think the Lone Ranger programs from 1938-41 are written at a far
    more advanced level than those of 1945-46, and those seem to be more
    advanced than the 1954-55 reruns.  Considering that this is supposed to be
    a kid show, I think it can be used to show an overall intellectual level.
    In other words, it would have to be written at a level which they could
    understand.  Again, maybe it is just me, but I could almost call the
    earliest surviving shows at an adult level.  I have read in various places
    that many adults listened to the Ranger as well as kids.  By the end of
    the series, it declines to a far simpler level and is not worth listening
    to.

    Second, for the blind members of the list, the recently discussed book is
    available from web Braille.  It is _Empire of the Air_ and is five
    volumes.  The book number is BR 9073.  It can also be ordered from your
    regional NLS branch library.  I have no idea if it is recorded or not.

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:37:59 -0400
    From: "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  re: Courses on Broadcast History

    Alan Bell wrote:

>     I teach such a course at Grand Valley State
>     University in western Michigan, plus a course under the "Media and
>     Society" heading called Radio and American Culture: 1920-1960. There
>     are several readings from contemporary and historical sources about
>     radio of the era, plus they have to listen to LOTS of radio shows,
>     both in and outside of class.

    That's neat that you do so.  I actually have a degree in Radio TV Film.
    Though my interest was in film, I did take a couple of communications
    courses.  Other than discussions about pivotal events, I don't remember much
    any material about radio at all.  I never once listened to an actual
    broadcast.  I recieved my degree in 1980.

      - Philip

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 08:38:46 -0400
    From: "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR and our parents

    Philip Railsback wrote:

>     My suspicion is that the vast majority of radio fans dropped the habit the
>     day their TV appeared and never looked back.

    Maybe so. Both of my parents were born in the late 1930's, and these days
    they both listen to OTR shows on tape - not so much to rekindle old memories
    but to experience what they missed.  Their primary OTR childhood
    recollections are of bands and singers (as a child, my mother once attended
    a Perry Como broadcast), and WWII news updates.

    They were both entering their teens when TV came in.  My dad remembers a
    family ritual of visiting a neighbor who owned one until his folks could
    afford their own set.  When I was young, my mother would watch Martin &
    Lewis movies with me and tell me how screamingly funny they were on "The
    Colgate Comedy Hour."  Or I'd be watching the late-sixties "Dragnet," and
    she'd tell me about the Ben Alexander version.  Yet today, they're not so
    interested in watching these things on video.  They'd rather put on a tape
    of "The Shadow."

    No doubt there are many among us who enjoyed OTR in our younger days and
    collect shows to indulge that nostalgia.  But I suspect that the majority of
    those who were there at the time just considered it a part of everyday life.
      For them, going to the [removed] *that* was special.  Those of us who grew
    up with television collect OTR to experience something unique.  As with my
    parents, most of these shows are [removed] to us.

    Michael

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

    Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 09:37:34 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey5@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

      Well, not actually today, but on 29 September-- From Today in History
    --

    In 1946, "The Adventures of Sam Spade," with actor Howard Duff playing
    detective Spade, became a big hit in the Sunday-night radio lineup.

       Joe

    --
    Visit my home page:
    [removed]~[removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2001 Issue #320
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