------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2011 : Issue 124
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
8-4 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Jerry Goldsmith on Radio--Followup [ Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@yahoo. ]
Re: Conventions [ Bryan Wright <bryan@[removed]; ]
New Book [ JayHick@[removed] ]
______________________________________________________________________
ADMINISTRIVIA:
As some posters have consistently discovered, we have an issue with
UTF-8-encoded email - since UTF-8 allows for many many "high-bit"
characters (something not allowed in the US-ASCII encoding the Digest
announces), the Digest has been rejecting all posts using UTF-8.
I have instituted a test filter that should (or might) "repair"
UTF-8-encoded emails. I have tested it using internal email, but it
has NOT been tested thoroughly. I am activating it expecting it to have
some issues (not properly translating some curly-quotes or other
typographical characters), and unlike the other munging filters it does
not currently warn either the sender or the reader that the server has
made programatical [removed]'m more interested in getting it running
than being "nice" and letting everyone know the server is changing high-
bit characters. Hopefully I'll be able to add this in the future.
But unless the filter completely blows up, the UTF-8 postings will no
longer be rejected out-of-hand. --cfs3
______________________________________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 10:53:33 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 8-4 births/deaths
August 4th births
08-04-1792 - Percy Shelley - Field Place, England - d. 7-8-1822
poet: Many of his poems were read over the radio
08-04-1889 - William Keighley - Philadelphia, PA - d. 6-24-1984
host: Lux Radio Theatre
08-04-1890 - Carson Robison - Oswego, KS - d. 3-24-1957
singer: "Eveready Hour"; "Dutch Masters Minstrels"
08-04-1897 - Abe Lyman - Chicago, IL - d. 10-23-1957
bandleader: "Jack Pearl Show"; "Lavender and New Lace"; "Waltz Time"
08-04-1898 - Hugh O'Connell - d. 1-19-1943
actor, comedian: "Vanity Fair"
08-04-1901 - Arcadie Berkenholz - d. 5-1-1975
violinist, orchestra leader: NBC Blue Network
08-04-1901 - Louis Armstrong - New Orleans, LA - d. 7-6-1971
trumpeter: "Pursuit of Happiness"; "Sealtest Village Store"; "Story of
Swing"
08-04-1901 - Mildred Henry Merrill - d. 3-28-1995
writer: "Lone Ranger"; "Green Hornet"; "Official Detective"
08-04-1903 - Helen Kane - The Bronx, NY - d. 9-26-1966
actor: (The Boop-Boop-a-Doop Girl) "Today's Children"
08-04-1904 - Alice Bahman - d. 6-16-1970
woman's program: (Mother of Jonathan Winters) WIZE Springfield, Ohio
08-04-1904 - Phil Clark - London, England - d. 9-27-1985
actor: Mr. Keen "Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persosn"
08-04-1904 - Theodore Newton - Lawrenceville, NJ - d. 2-28-1963
actor: Christopher Parker "Joyce Jordan, [removed]"
08-04-1905 - Frank Luther - Lakin, KS - d. 11-16-1980
singer: "Luther-Layman Singer"; "Frank Luther Show"; "Happy Wonder
Bakers Trio"
08-04-1905 - Luther Roundtree - d. 4-30-1990
banjo player: "The Bob Burns Show"
08-04-1905 - Maurice Brown - Brooklyn, NY - d. 5-xx-1984
composer, conductor: "Let's Pretend"; "Theatre Guild on the Air"
08-04-1908 - Wally Maher - Cincinnati, OH - d. 12-27-1951
actor: Dan Murray "One Man's Family"; Archie Goodwin "Advs. of Nero
Wolfe"
08-04-1909 - Alan Kent - Chicago, IL - d. 12-4-1993
announcer, emcee, writer: "Duffy's Tavern"; "Career of Alice Blair"
08-04-1910 - Paul Harris - d. 11-2-1996
actor: "Covered Wagon Days"
08-04-1913 - Barbara Townsend - Oakland, CA - d. 1-29-2002
actor: "Theatre Guild on the Air"; "Cavalcade of America"
08-04-1913 - Wesley Addy - Omaha, NB - d. 12-31-1996
actor: "Theatre Guild On the Air"; "Cavalcade of America"; "Great Plays"
08-04-1914 - Dick Todd - Montreal, Canada - d. 5-xx-1975
singer: "Avalon Time"; "Your Hit Parade"; "Rinso-Spry Vaudeville
Theatre"
08-04-1915 - William Keene - Pennsylvania - d. 5-23-1992
actor: Red Lantern "Land of the Lost"
08-04-1921 - Herb Purdum - d. 4-16-1993
writer: "Gunsmoke"
08-04-1936 - Elsbery Hobbs - Manhattan, NY - d. 5-31-1996
singer: (The Drifters) "Grand Ole Opry"; "Camel Rock and Roll Party"
08-04-1952 - Kristoffer Tabori - Malibu, CA
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
August 4th deaths
01-01-1895 - Bernard Schubert - Brooklyn, NY - d. 8-4-1988
writer, producer: "The Falcon"; "Murder and Mr. Malone"
01-29-1915 - Victor Mature - Louisville, KY - d. 8-4-1999
actor: "Hollywood Star Playhouse"
02-05-1912 - Tex Atchison - Rosine, KY - d. 8-4-1982
singer: (Prairie Ramblers) "Smile-a-While"
02-14-1907 - Art Hern - Mannington, WV - d. 8-4-1997
actor: Ichabod Mudd "Captain Midnight"; "Richard Stone "Today's
Children"
02-16-1918 - Win Blake - d. 8-4-2003
disk jockey: WKXL Concord, New Hampshire
04-05-1901 - Melvyn Douglas - Macon, GA - d. 8-4-1981
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
04-10-1894 - Haven MacQuarrie - Boston, MA - d. 8-4-1953
emcee: "Do You Want to be an Actor"
04-15-1918 - John Baragrey - Haleyville, AL - d. 8-4-1975
actor: "X Minus One"; "There Is No Night"; "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
04-19-1920 - Frank Fontaine - Cambridge, MA - d. 8-4-1978
comedian: John L. C. Sivoney "Jack Benny Program"
04-21-1916 - Hunter D. Hancock - Uvalde, TX - d. 8-4-2004
disk jockey: Early rhythm and blues rock 'n' roll platter spinner
06-18-1911 - Babe Russin - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 8-4-1984
tenor sax: "The Ipana Troubadors"
06-25-1913 - John Pickard - Lascossas, TN - d. 8-4-1993
actor: Grant Thursday "Pretty Kitty Kelly"; Bruce Barrett "My Son and I"
07-09-1929 - Lee Hazelwood - Mannford, OK - d. 8-4-2007
disk jockey, singer, songwriter
08-25-1908 - Walter Burke - Brooklyn, NY - d. 8-4-1984
actor: Mark Saber's Assistant "Inspector Mark Saber"
10-25-1909 - True Boardman - Seattle, WA - d. 8-4-2003
writer, narrator: "Silver Theatre"; "Favorite Story"
11-16-1905 - Eddie Condon - Goodland, IN - d. 8-4-1973
guitarist, host: "Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts"
12-07-1901 - Jack Taylor - Summershade, KY - d. 8-4-1962
singer: (Prairie Ramblers) "Smile-a-While"
12-30-1927 - Bernie Barrow - NYC - d. 8-4-1993
actor: "Golden Door"
Ron
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 10:53:39 -0400
From: Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Jerry Goldsmith on Radio--Followup
Okay, that wasn't so hard. I found him on the very second CBSRW, an episode
called Storm, and it's a very extensive score. Perfect. Only thing is, the
version on [removed] sounds lousy. Any suggestions as to where I might find
a copy in better sound? I can use this one, but I'd rather not, if possible.
Alan
_________________
Alan/Linda Bell
Santa Rosa, CA
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 11:14:49 -0400
From: Bryan Wright <bryan@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Conventions
I think Rick hit the nail on the head when he said:
Maybe, with regard to bringing more people into the hobby, more emphasis
should be put on audio dramas (and mysteries, and comedies, and detective
shows, and so on) as "'heater of the mind' and less on 'this was the big
thing, decades ago.'
I've attended the Cincinnati convention and FOTR and I enjoyed them
very much. Of course, I did notice that I was quite a bit younger than
most: I'm still in my 20s (I started going to OTR conventions while
in my teens). At each convention I attended, I was thinking about the
future of these types of get-togethers and how to get younger people
like myself interested. I've had the OTR "bug" since I was a kid. By
chance, I heard a few tapes of "Suspense" from my local library, and
that's all it took. I started collecting avidly on cassette and open
reel, joined SPERDVAC and MWORTC, and and in high school I had a
weekly radio program on WLQE-FM in my area sharing the shows I loved
(and even those I didn't!). I may be something of an odd duck among
younger fans in that I enjoy OTR not only for the entertainment value,
but also for the history. I enjoy the warm, comfortable "nostalgia"
aspect of OTR: the opportunity to escape the "real world" of today for
15, 30, or 60 minutes at a time and slip into a world 60+ years ago
that I never knew. I won't go so far as to say I really believe the
world was better back then -- I don't -- but it is a time period in
history that fascinates me, and I value the unique window into that
past that OTR provides.
Having said that, I doubt that there are many others my own age who
share that passion for the historical element of OTR. With all the
conveniences of today, and the limitless choice of entertainment
through TV, the internet, and satellite radio, it can be a tough sell
to ask a young person to put all that aside and learn enough about the
entertainment scene of the 1940s to be able to understand and
appreciate the gags and references on the Fred Allen or Jack Benny
shows, for example. As entertainment today has become grittier and
more "reality-based," I think it may also be hard for younger
listeners to accept programs like "The Shadow," for instance. I don't
wish to offend fans of that series (for the record: I count myself
among them), but from the point-of-view of a 20-something accustomed
to action/adventure TV dramas like "24," such melodramatic programs as
"The Shadow" that pit the hard-boiled bad guys (gangster accents and
all) against the obvious hero week after week just seem to fall flat.
It's not enough to revel in the dated Blue Coal commercials or debate
whether Bret Morrison or Orson Welles made a better Lamont Cranston.
I understand that Martin Grams is doing very well with the MANC
convention, and I applaud him for it. I notice, however, that he
includes a fair bit of entertainment "nostalgia" from the television
era as well; I wonder if his success might stem in part from his
ability to draw a slightly younger crowd than the standard OTR
convention because of the draw of 1960s and 1970s TV actors -- a full
generation after the OTR era. The stars themselves are a big draw at
conventions, and in the case of OTR, there sadly are very few OTR-era
actors still with us. I will always cherish the memories of sharing
dinner at FOTR with Art Gilmore and Elliott Reid; of meeting and
chatting with Margot Stevenson and Harlan Stone (among others). I
think it was easier to "get into" the nostalgia component of OTR and
the conventions when these folks were still with us to share their
stories and experiences and to provide a living link that made the
past much more tangible and real. I'm sorry to say that looking at a
Captain Midnight decoder ring in the display case of a dealer in a
hotel meeting room just doesn't provide the same critical interactive
element that draws younger folks in. We've never seen these things
before; we don't have memories attached to the secret code messages at
the ends of those broadcasts.
Perhaps that's what I'm trying to say: for many people my age, OTR is
part of an almost alien landscape that's rapidly fading in the
distance. Many of the products advertised in OTR shows are gone. Many
of the stars are gone. Trying to get into the mindset of a time and
place where cell phones, personal computers, iPods, etc. don't exist
is becoming more and more difficult for today's youth. (I should add
that the more ubiquitous digital gadgets become, the more glad I am
that they are *not* present in OTR! Imagine the Shadow being
interrupted by a cell phone every three minutes -- yech!) The world is
changing rapidly, but the world of OTR is not.
As much as I love OTR on its own terms, for many of my peers to become
engaged, I think several things need to happen for conventions
dedicated to OTR to survive:
1.) Conventions need to to me more hands-on and interactive. People
like to participate. Maybe have more acting or writing workshops. Add
in a few more shows where casting is open to attendees, inviting
participants to audition and experience what goes into crafting a
show. The year I went to Cincinnati, they did one show this way and it
was fun to watch, and I'm sure fun to act in. FOTR has very few
opportunities for involvement, other than chatting with fellow
attendees, asking questions of panelists, or getting your own food
from the dinner buffet line. For me, this is the real killer. Forgive
my bluntness, but sitting still nightly for three-hour re-creation
sessions that feature actors in their 80s reading scripts of "Studio
One" and "A Date with Judy" is not something that is going to appeal
to very many people my age. Open more roles up to attendees and give
them an incentive to be there beyond the role of passive observer. I
can sit and listen to OTR shows at home for free. Why pay well over
$500 in transport, lodging, and registration costs to simply sit and
listen in a hotel ballroom?
2.) As Rick suggested, shift the focus away from OTR as a historical
museum piece whose "glory days" are long gone, and instead focus on
the possibilities of audio drama to continue to be a vital art form.
Keep a few recreations of old shows, keep panels that discuss old
programs, but add in a few more new scripts at re-creation time that
bring story-lines and narrative techniques up-to-date. Engage more
young people to act in them (if you don't like the idea of attendee
participation, hire professional actors of varying ages.)
3.) If possible, move the conventions around a bit if there are only
to remain a few of them. I realize this is an organizational nightmare
and may not be feasible, but having the convention in the same place
every year can make it hard for those without the financial resources
(or time) to travel half-way across the country. Maybe have one in the
New York area for a few years, then move it to Chicago, or Atlanta, or
Dallas, or wherever. As much as possible, bring the convention to the
people rather than force them to trek to one of the coasts.
These are just a few thoughts. Let me close by saying that I love OTR
as it is. I like the old programs, and I've enjoyed myself at the
conventions I've attended. I also enjoy newer audio drama efforts. I'm
sorry to see FOTR coming to a close this year, and I'm glad for the
four or five years I attended. I think OTR conventions have a place
going forward, but the format will have to change somewhat to draw in
younger crowds: less nostalgia, more focus on audio drama as a viable
art form.
Bryan W.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 13:20:45 -0400
From: JayHick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: New Book
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
FROM McFarland; Radio in the Movies; A History and Filmography, 1926-2010
by Laurence Etling ; Foreword by Kenneth Jurkiewicz; notes, bibliography,
filmography, index; 238pp. softcover (6 x 9) 2011
Price: $[removed]
About the Book
This richly detailed examination of two branches of American entertainment
focuses on the various ways that radio stations and air personalities have
been depicted in motion pictures, from 1926's The Radio Detective to more
recent films like 2006's A Prairie Home Companion. Cinematic portrayals of
various aspects of radio are covered, including disc jockeys, sports
broadcasts,
religious programs, and the talk-radio format. Such films as The Big
Broadcast (1932), Reveille with Beverly (1943), Mister Rock and Roll (1957),
WUSA
(1970), Radio Days (1987) and Private Parts (1997) provide fascinating
insights not only into their own times, but also into the historical eras
that
some of these films have endeavored to [removed] A chronological filmography
of more than 600 titles is included.
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End of [removed] Digest V2011 Issue #124
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