Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #116
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/25/2002 11:45 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 116
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Re: Scarlet Queen/Quiet Please Date   [ Christopher Werner <cwerner@globalc ]
      Last request for Fred Allen and Gene  [ "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@ho ]
      Eileen Farrell                        [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
      Scripts, Copyrights, Etc.             [ GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@ ]
      Top Ten for January, 1944             [ Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed] ]
      Re: How many radios?                  [ ADeTol1@[removed] ]
      Rhubarb, Rhubarb                      [ "Ian Grieve" <ian@[removed] ]
      Re: Pay Scales                        [ lawrence albert <albertlarry@yahoo. ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      OTR Music - Origins and Sources       [ garcher@[removed] ]
      Broadcasting from Tables              [ Conrad Binyon <conradab@[removed] ]
      Why No Award Show?                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      (no subject)                          [ FKELLY <fkelly@[removed]; ]
      The Hermit's Cave                     [ Bryan Wright <bswrig@[removed]; ]
      South African Radio / Far East Netwo  [ John <glowingdial1@[removed]; ]
      Original Amateur Hour                 [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
      The Ultimate Confusion                [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Re: A New York Giant [removed]!     [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:14:52 -0500
    From: Christopher Werner <cwerner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: Scarlet Queen/Quiet Please Date Mystery

    At 02:07 PM 3/24/2002 -0500, Doug Leary asked:

>     I am trying to solve a minor mystery. Tonight I noticed that at the end of
>     episode 22 of Voyage of the Scarlet Queen ("The Green Tourist and the Temple
>     Bell", broadcast date 12/03/47 according to Jerry Haendiges' logs), an
>     announcer says, "Stay Tuned for Quiet Please, another Mutual favorite." To
>     experience the original flow of programming, I looked for that night's Quiet
>     Please episode, but found that Quiet Please was not broadcast on 12/3/47.
>     The nearest dates are 12/1/47 and 12/8/47.

    I gleefully grabbed my recently acquired November and December 1947 issues
    of Radio Mirror (thanks to eBay) and found the following (Midwest EST)
    schedule for-

    Wednesdays on Mutual:

    7:00    Fulton Lewis, Jr
    7:15    Dance Orchestra
    7:30    Leland Stowe
    7:45    Inside of Sports
    8:00    Crime Club
    8:30    Quiet Please
    9:00    Gabriel Heatter
    9:15    Real Stories
    9:30    Let's Go to the Movies
    10:00   Racket Busters
    10:30   Latin American Serenade

    Thursdays on Mutual:

    7:00    Fulton Lewis, Jr
    7:15    Dance Orchestra
    7:45    Inside of Sports
    8:00    Water Front Wayside
    8:30    Scarlet Queen
    9:00    Gabriel Heatter
    9:15    Real Stories
    9:30    Mutual BLock Party
    10:00   Family Theatre

    As you can see, both programs began at 8:30 PM, but on different evenings.
    Thinking that your announcer may have developed a habit of plugging Quiet
    Please from an earlier schedule, I checked November.

    Quiet Please began December in this new Wednesday time slot (Johnny Modero
    ran there in November, but still after Crime Club). In November Quiet
    Please was on Sunday nights at 10:00 PM following Exploring the Unknown at
    9:00 and Jim Backus at 9:30. Water Front Wayside also began in the Thursday
    8:00 time slot in December. Previously the Let's Go to the Movies program
    preceded Voyage of the Scarlet Queen on Thursdays (at 8:00).

>     Was
>     the announcement wrong?

    Yes. Perhaps the announcer thought he was doing Crime Club? All the
    performers and production staff for the two programs are completely
    different. Since the Crime Club show concludes by leaving the library, the
    announcer on your recording would have been a local one.

>     Could one or the other show have been a re-run? I
>     didn't think the concept of re-runs existed in the 40's.

    Perhaps the announcer is not from 1947 at all, but the two programs were
    taped from a re-broadcast on one of the many OTR programs of more recent
    date? Or the schedule was changed for the West Coast.

    I would say that I am encouraged to find such evidence that folks *are*
    interested in re-enacting a typical radio day using what programs are in
    circulation.

    Just to complete the 'view' the Wednesday Quiet Please competed with
    Gildersleeve (NBC), Vox Pop (ABC) and Dr. Christian (CBS). Previously (on
    Sundays) it was against Take it or Leave it (NBC) or the last half hour of
    Theatre Guild (ABC) or Tony Martin Show (CBS). Scarlet Queen, on Thursday,
    competed with Burns and Allen (NBC), The Clock (ABC), and Mr Keen (CBS).

    Enjoy ---  Chris

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:15:13 -0500
    From: "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Last request for Fred Allen and Gene Autry

    Hey Gang,
    I've been hunting all over the place for the answer to one of our
    compatriots at the Fred Allen Forum (of which I am administrator.) Here is
    his request:
    "Does anyhone know where you can get a copy of the Fred Allen show,
    broadcast on Oct. 18, 1939 where he had Gene Autry as a guest? If not a
    recording of the show, then a transcript?"
    I'm doubtful there is a recording of the show, but can't say so
    categorically--can anyone else? If so, let me know and I can let my Forum
    poster off the hook. I just need to know if anyone has it in their
    collection or knows where it can be found.
    Thanks again folks.
    OTR fans are the best.

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:15:53 -0500
    From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Eileen Farrell

    In our last episode, JayHick@[removed] wrote:

>     We lost Eileen Farrell on March 23.  She was 82.  We were fortunate to meet
>     her at our FOTR Convention 2 years ago.  She was one of our great singers.

    How ironic that for the past few days I've been transferring some recordings
    of hers from transcriptions. All Wagner. All live radio broadcasts.

    Joe Salerno

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:16:23 -0500
    From: GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Scripts, Copyrights, Etc.

         The few original scripts I possess were
    discovered in junk stores and antique shops at least
    20-30 years after the fact. That is 40 - 60 years
    after the fact today.

         I don't think anybody would ever come after me
    for the mere POSSESSION of these scripts. But I
    couldn't RE-PERFORM them if the copyright holder
    objected, at least not on a for-profit basis. Amateur
    recreations would PROBABLY be permitted, even if the
    results were traded among other collectors.

         It's a little bit like the possession of actual
    program discs, when the possessor has salvaged the
    only known copies. He or she can't very well
    re-broadcast those shows if the copyright holder
    objects. On the other hand, neither can the copyright
    holder without coming to some accomodation with the
    disc owner!

         George Wagner
         GWAGNEROLDTIMERADIO@[removed]
         poetdreamerscholar@[removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:16:37 -0500
    From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
    To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Top Ten for January, 1944

    In reviewing some old SPERDVAC magazines today, I thought the readership
    might enjoy knowing the Hooper Top Ten for January, 1944, as recounted in
    SPERDVAC RADIO MAGAZINE No. 7 [1986], p. 27.

    1. Fibber McGee and Molly               Hooper Rating [removed]
    (Johnson's Wax)
    2. Bob Hope                     [removed]                    (Pepsodent)
    3. Red Skelton                  [removed]                    (Raleigh
    Cigarettes)
    4. Charlie McCarthy                     [removed]                    (Chase &
    Sanborn)
    5. Jack Benny                   [removed]                    (Lucky Strike)
    6. Aldrich Family                       [removed]                    (Jello)
    7. Joan Davis-Jack Haley                [removed]                    (Sealtest)
    8. Abbott & Costello                    [removed]                    (Camel
    Cigarettes)
    9. Mr. District Attorney                        [removed]
    (Bristol-Myers)
    10. Baby Snooks                 [removed]                    (Maxwell House
    Coffee)

    All programs were NBC. Nine were comedies.  Elizabeth commented once about
    the phenomenon of "Mr. District Attorney" being a Top 10 program.   Perhaps
    she'd do so again.

    Dennis Crow

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:23:44 -0500
    From: ADeTol1@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: How many radios?
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Jim Yellen wrote:

>     I was listening to an episode of The Great Gildersleeve today that brought to
>     my mind a question about radios sets in the household.

>     Leroy was bored in bed alone and asked for the radio. Gildy had to lug the
>     radio set up the stairs to his room.

>     So I was [removed] many radio sets did the average family have during
>     the Golden Age? Was it just the one? Did you have to be "rich" to have more
>     then one? It seems to me that a household like Gildy's could afford more then
>     one. After all, they did have a maid.

    I was born in 1931.  We had one large floor model Majestic Radio in our
    Dining Room.  It operated on 120 volts  AC that fed into a power supply
    whjich was contained in the back of the set.  It consisted of a huge heavy
    metal case about 15" x 15" x 5".  The chasis had at least 10 tubes and was
    huge,  The cabinet was about 30" x 36" x  15" and stood on four legs that
    raised about 30" above the floor. I learned about electricity from that
    monster when at the age of three or four I stuck my hand into the power unit.
     It was the only radio we owned until about 1940 when we accquired a Zenith
    table model that was about the size of a toaster.
    I still have a working Philco Cathedral Style table model that belonged to my
    grand father.  It is a 1936 or 37 models.

    Radios were quite expensive during that era, because the average family had
    very little excess spendable income.

    Andy

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

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:24:22 -0500
    From: "Ian Grieve" <ian@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Rhubarb, Rhubarb

    When someone was talking about this recently I didn't have much to offer so
    I kept quiet, difficult for me at the best of times.

    Eric Sykes and Jimmy Edwards are/were favourite British Comedians of mine
    and I do have one of their Videos of a movie they did where Rhubarb, Rhubarb
    were the only words spoken.  It was very well done and almost as funny as
    THE PLANK which is my all time favourite British Comedy (no words spoken in
    that one).

    Today I received a 1947 Australian magazine called RADIO PICTORIAL.  On page
    35 where they have little snippets of information it says:

    A New York recording show sells records of sound effects entitled "Rhubarb
    Noises."
    A collection of people quietly murmering "Rhubarb, rhubarb," to give the
    impression of a crowd talking in the background.  2SM's (Sydney Radio
    station) John Dunne recalls that during his musical comedy days, singers who
    forgot their lines often resorted to singing "Grips and graps and frays and
    crows" with success.  He declares this line fits in with any melody at all.
    The audience notices no difference other than the singer sounding a little
    indistinct.

    Well you learn something new everyday.  "Rhubarb, rhubarb" I had heard of
    but "Grips and graps and frays and crows" is a new one on me.  With the
    music differences now, I wonder if it would still work?  Any other examples
    like these?

    Ian Grieve

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:25:08 -0500
    From: lawrence albert <albertlarry@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: Pay Scales

       The thread regarding pay scales for actors during
    the Golden Age comes at a rather timely moment. I'm in
    the process of working with AFTRA to renegotiate the
    contract for the union actors who appear on
    "Imagination Theatre". It has so far taken almost five
    months to even get the preliminaries into committee.
    The major stumbling block is the concept of a weekly
    dramatic radio series on commercial radio.
    As far as AFTRA is able to make out we are the only
    company in the country doing this under a union
    contract, and the code under which all pay scales are
    set doesn't cover such a thing any longer.
      The New York office of the union has come up with a
    "new" term they call us a "sustaining" program.
       The above is my problem; the irony is that the
    format, dramatic radio and the person ell, the radio
    actor, for whose protections and benefit this union
    was created, are now not even a part of the main pay
    code any longer.
         Of course when Television, sponsors, networks,
    public apathy and local stations demand for more air
    time killed off OTR the union really had no need to
    keep that particular code alive, did it.
      Oh, by the by I am and will always remain a loyal
    member and strong supporter of AFTRA.
                  Larry Albert
                Associate Producer Imagination Theatre

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:25:22 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Today in radio history

      From Those Were The Days --

    1943 - Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore premiered on network radio. The
    pair replaced the popular Abbott and Costello following Lou Costello’s
    heart attack. Durante and Moore stayed on the air for four years.

      Joe

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

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:26:02 -0500
    From: garcher@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: OTR Music - Origins and Sources

    Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 11:19:23 -0500
    Chris Holm  <[removed]@[removed]; posted on 23 Mar 2002:

>     I recently realized something regarding radio and myself.  I am a big fan of
>     the genre of music one might call modern rock (or alternative, or
>     progressive, or whatever not particularly meaningful label you want to give
>     it).  I grew up in the Washington DC area listening to [removed]

>     My questions are:
>     1)  We mostly discuss OTR shows, but what about OTR music.  I have understood
>     that remotes were used as time fillers, etc.  Is this true?  Can anyone
>     estimate the ratio of live remote-style music to recorded studio music?  Was
>     it used at different times of the day, different purposes, etc?

    I'm from the other end of the country and listened to many programs
    on San Diego AM stations 1943-1948 and later Portland, OR from 1949 to 1955.

    I got my love of classical music from listening to OTR in the 1940's
    mostly on the car radio (my father was monopolizing the radio in the
    house). Here is a correlated list of ORT music themes and their
    composers and full names:

    Lone Ranger - Chopin - Les Sylphides
                  Rosini - William Tell Overature
                  Webern -Oberon Overature

    Green Hornet - Rimsky-Korsakov - Flight of the Bumble Bee

    Mr. Keen Tracer of Lost Persons - Sibelius - Waltz Triste

    Sgt. Preston of the Yukon -  von Reznicek's "Donna Diana" Overture

    Radio theme music was also composed just for that program. Is there a
    list of programs/composers of the radio theme scores?

    And to answer my own question:

    Rob Chatlin mentioned on 1 Mar 2002 that a book had been published on
    the origins of the Lone Ranger's music called

    "The Mystery of the Lone Ranger's Music, or something similar."

    A quick summary of the Lone Ranger musical bridges can be found at:
    [removed]

    (others posted these leads):

    More info on OTR theme music is at:
    [removed]

    (Note: Jay Hickerson sells a disk listing the themes songs of 380 OTR
    programs)

    New OTR fans might enjoy the Official OTR FAQ, at:
    [removed]

    George Archer

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:26:13 -0500
    From: Conrad Binyon <conradab@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Broadcasting from Tables

    Examples thereof shown at the following link:

    [removed]

    CAB
    --
    conradab@[removed] (Conrad A. Binyon)
       From the Home of the Stars who loved Ranches and Farms
         Encino, California.

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:28:44 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Why No Award Show?

    Well, another awards presentation has come and gone. They present awards for
    just about anything these days. For all you scholars out there, why was there
    never an awards show for radio? This is something that has puzzled me for a
    long time.
    --
    Ron Sayles

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:29:02 -0500
    From: FKELLY <fkelly@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: (no subject)

    A friend says he remembers a radio series in which the detective had an
    aortic aneurysm, and therefore could absolutely not stand any
    excitement.  Seems bizarre--does anybody else remember this?

    Also, Remember WENN notwithstanding, is there any OTR history connected
    with Pittsburgh?

    Finally, what are the dates and location of the Cincinatti convention?

    Thanks.

    --
    Frank Kelly
    Pittsburgh

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 10:29:29 -0500
    From: Bryan Wright <bswrig@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: The Hermit's Cave

    Hi,

    I'm trying to complete my collection of "The Hermit's Cave." I'm trying to
    find non-MP3 copies of the following Hermit's Cave shows:

    "Castle By The Sea"
    "The Professor's Elixir"

    I would be willing to trade for copies on either cassette, reel, or audio
    CD-R. Please e-mail me off-list if you can help.

    Thanks!
    Bryan Wright
    bswrig@[removed]
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:19:37 -0500
    From: John <glowingdial1@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: South African Radio / Far East Network

    Hi folks, does anyone on the list have any idea if any informative books on
    South African radio are available?  I am looking for something that will
    talk about SA radio in general as well as profile the more popular shows
    like Sounds Of Darkness, Creaking Door, SF 68 and so on.  I think Jerry
    Haendiges has some logs but I'd like to learn more.
    Also, I am looking for info on a show called Macabra.  An announcement at
    the end of the episodes says it was produced by the Far East Network and I
    think the crew and cast were all military personnel.  Any clarifications on
    this from our experts out there?
    I am looking for better copies of Macabra episodes too, most of mine are
    very muffled.
    Thanks, see you on the radio.
    John Matthews
    The Glowing Dial Page
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:26:31 -0500
    From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Original Amateur Hour

    The Original Amateur Hour started in 1935 on WHN in New York. At that
    time Major Bowes was the manager of WHN which was owned by Lowe's
    Incorporated. When I joined the engineering staff of WHN in the fall of
    1936, the Major had taken his show to NBC and Jay C. Flippen took over
    the original amateur hour at WHN, which originated from the stage of
    Lowe's Lexington movie theater. My long time friend, Frank Anzelone, was
    the engineer , and WHN staff announcer Ray Saunders was the announcer.
    There also was a new manager! L. K. Sydney. Later the show switched to
    CBS.

    The Major and his wife, a well known concert singer, had a suite in the
    Capital Theater and a large estate on the Shrewsbury River near Red Bank,
    New Jersey.

    Ted Mack later took over the Amateur Hour. As I recall his mother worked
    for the Major and their office was in the building that housed Radio
    Playhouse 3, later becoming TV studio 50, and then the Ed Sullivan
    Theater.

    It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Eileen Farrell
    yesterday. I never knew her at CBS but always enjoyed her Sunday Morning
    broadcast. We did meet at FOTR in Newark and recalled our mutual friends.
     . I had a 16 inch transcription of one of her broadcasts which one of my
    pals dubbed to cassette several years ago, so I sent her a copy.  Not
    only was she a fine lady, but she had a fantastik voice.

    Bill Murtough

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 11:30:44 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: The Ultimate Confusion

    I was browsing eBay the other day.  With all the mythology about "decoder
    rings," I was rather nonplussed to see someone offering a Captain
    Midnight 1945 "Decoder Ring Badge"!  I'm sure that the seller had heard
    of the mythical "Captain Midnight Decoder Ring," and saw an item  that
    was clearly a badge, and just ... err ... put one and one together.

    Before I leave the subject, a memory: a cryptologist who'd broken a
    rather complex cipher that was written by the late psychologist, Robert
    Thouless,  using a twice-enciphered message [for the morbidly curious, it
    was a double Playfair using the keywords "black" and "beauty"].  There
    was a news story on his achievement, and a reporter had a picture of him
    taken holding a [Captain Midnight] Mystery Dial Code-O-Graph.  The
    caption of the photo was, "Cryptologist James J. Gollogly with a Captain
    Midnight decoder ring."  (Actually, it was the Klutz replica of the
    Mystery Dial Code-O-Graph, but that's a quibble.)  How anybody looking at
    what's obviously a badge could call it a "ring" is one of those mysteries
    best addressed by theologians rather than logicians: for some people,
    it's a matter of belief that a Captain Midnight Decoder Ring existed, all
    facts o the contrary.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2002 12:41:24 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: A New York Giant [removed]!

     Irene Theodore Heinstein posted

>     Re:  Archie
>     I just want to join the chorus of Archie and Jughead fans.  I am absolutely
>     thrilled to read Harlan Stone's messages as I was a major Archie fan in all
>     genres, starting with comic books and loved the radio shows.   Thanks for
>     the priceless information and memories, Jughead.

    Your most welcome [removed] thank you!... However, Irene went on to [removed]

>     And Grand Central Station <SNIP>...I made many fast roundtrips there for my
>     Dad, arriving at GCS, going to the NY Giants (baseball) downtown box office,
>     one block away, buying tickets and heading right back home.

    SIGH! Because Irene had such nice things to say about me, I am forced to
    forgive her family for being [removed] Giants baseball team fans. I grew up as a
    rabid Brooklyn Dodger fan. You could not be a Dodger fan unless you hated
    the Giants. Irene certainly disproves the fact that Giant fans had no taste.
    :)

    One of my biggest thrills when I was older, (and Directing TV Commercials),
    was the opportunity to work with (in separate spots) Don Drysdale, and Gill
    [removed] of the Dodger team "Greats".

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    Jughead

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #116
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