Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #269
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 7/15/2002 3:46 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 269
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Soda Pop/Fizzies                      [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
  answer to Derek Tague's Riley questi  [ Greg Przywara <gmprzywara@students. ]
  A&C 11-4-43 Show                      [ Bob Fells <rfells@[removed]; ]
  Gracie Allen bio                      [ Alan Chapman <[removed]@verizon. ]
  "Name of a News Anchor"               [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
  "Name of a News Anchor"               [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
  Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!             [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
  Bill Stern's Sports OTR program       [ "Captain Spiffy" <captspiffy@hotmai ]
  Sperdvac convention                   [ Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
  RE: correction on origin of gunsmoke  [ "ecrasez" <ecrasez@[removed]; ]
  Re: New twist on internet?            [ David Easter <DavidEaster@[removed] ]
  Oranges by the road                   [ "Nemesis@[removed]" <nemesis@[removed] ]
  The Line Up                           [ Osborneam@[removed] ]
  Orange Juice stands                   [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
  Buxton and Owen                       [ Eric J Cooper <ejcooper2002@[removed] ]
  Re: The Stan Freberg Show             [ Eric J Cooper <ejcooper2002@[removed] ]
  Comedians and FDR                     [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
  a few birthday dates                  [ "" <cooldown3@[removed]; ]
  Re: The LineUp                        [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:11:56 -0400
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Soda Pop/Fizzies

Jell-O Again!

    Boy! Do I remember  Fizzies! The cyclamates ban pretty much did them in.
During their final year(s), tha tablets were sugar-free, meaning one had to
add one's own sweetener. Where was the fun in that? That's what Kool-Aid was
for.

    Anyway, it's anathema for me here on the East Coast to call soda "pop"
(like my sister in the Mid-west does). All this talk reminds me of a great
joke from one of my favourite OTR shows, "It Pays to Be Ignorant."

  One of the panel of "experts" makes a drunk-joke at George Shelton's
expense, leading to this exchange:

George Shelton: I'll have you know   I never drink anything stronger
                       than [removed],
Tom Howard: ...And you should see what "Pop" drinks!

   I first heard this bit of schtick at the 1992 FOTR convention when the Dave
Warren Players presented their version of "IPTBI," with Dave Zwengler as Tom
Howard, Ron Lackmann as Harry McNaughton, Kathy O'Donnell as Lulu McConnell,
and  Bill  Nadel as George Shelton. If I'm not mistaken, Carl Amari played one
of the contestants.

Again, yours in  the ether,

DT

("

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:12:05 -0400
From: Greg Przywara <gmprzywara@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  answer to Derek Tague's Riley question
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

Yes, the Life of Riley theme did have lyrics for a time around 1945-46. The
song started with the words,
"Riley,Riley, what a [removed]"

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

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:12:53 -0400
From: Bob Fells <rfells@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  A&C 11-4-43 Show

In response to Bruce Forsberg's inquiry about the tragic November 4,
1943 Abbott & Costello broadcast that Lou Costello performed on just
hours after his little son had drowned, I have unsuccessfully attempted
to find a copy of it for several years.  If somebody out there has it,
they're not talking (at least to me).

However, the next best thing to hearing the show is to read the account
as published in Variety.  I suggest you call around to the public
library system to locate a multi-volume reference work called Variety
Obituaries.  Arranged in chronological order, you can find a detailed
account of the 11/4 broadcast and a verbatim speech that Bud Abbott gave
to the audience after the show ended.  Mr Abbott called his partner,
"The bravest man I've ever known."   Since the producers did not expect
Mr. Costello to appear - he was rehearsing the show earlier in the day
when the call came about his son- Mickey Rooney was standing by to sub
for [removed] This was especially ironic because this particular show marked
Mr. Costello's return after several months' illness.

Variety reported at least one sad irony contained in the script. Mr.
Costello read a line that stated, "I feel sad today."  When he had
completed his last line, Mr. Costello dropped his script and walked off
the stage.  Apparently, the studio audience was unaware of what had
happened until Mr. Abbott made his curtain speech at the end of the
show.  Frankly. I'm not sure I really want to hear this broadcast even
if it eventually turned up.

Bob Fells

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:17:00 -0400
From: Alan Chapman <[removed]@[removed];
To: Old-Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Gracie Allen bio

On Friday, July 26, A&E's "Biography" program is doing a bio on Gracie
Allen.  Check your local Cable schedule for time (Sorry, nonsubscribers,
unfortunately, A&E is strictly a Cable channel).

--Alan

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:18:01 -0400
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  "Name of a News Anchor"

Joy Jackson of REPS asks about a certain midwest news commentator.
I believe she is speaking of Frank Edwards.  He had been a nightly
commentator for years, I believe on Mutual.  In the late 1950s and 60s he
became interested in the serious study of "flying saucers", and began to
collect information on the subject.

He wrote a number of books about strange occurrences, among them "Stranger
Than Science" and "Strange People", and "Flying Saucers -- Serious Business".

The title of another is "My First 10,000,000 Sponsors" which refers to his
being sponsored on the radio for years by the AFL or the CIO, I forget which.

I knew Frank Edwards slightly, as we were both connected with a Washington
private investigatory group which studied Unidentified Flying Objects.  I
was assistant to its Director, Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe, USMC Ret.  One heck
of a guy, and prolific writer in his own right.  We became fast friends,
and I learned a great deal from this outstanding author.

Don was an aviator.  After he was smashed up in a crash, he retired from
the Marines and worked with early government aviation groups.  When Charles
Lindbergh returned from his flight to Orly, Don was assigned to be his
advance man on Lindbergh's extensive nationwide triumphant tour.  He wrote
a book about his adventures in that capacity, called "Flying With
Lindbergh".  Don became quite close with Lindbergh and his wife, Anne
Morrow Lindbergh.  Later he became Aviation Editor of True Magazine, which
assigned him to write about UFOs.  His books were the first serious ones on
the study field which became known as "Ufology" by many.  I am mentioned in
one of Keyhoe's remarkable books.

After occasional correspondence and phone calls with Frank Edwards, I
chanced to make a trip from New Jersey to Texas with numerous stops.  I
deliberately drove through Indianapolis, to see Frank.  At the time he was
hosting a local version of the Tonight Show on an Indianapolis television
station. I arrived much later in the day than I had estimated, so missed
dinner together and went to the TV studio.  We talked for a while before
the show began, at which point I sat in the audience and then had to be on
my way.

While we were chatting, an assistant came in to tell Frank that his guest
for the evening had arrived and was in makeup.  "Who?" said Frank.  The
aide answered, "George Shearing!".  This got my attention.  I'm hep to the
Shearing Sound, and immediately began hearing "Lullaby of Birdland" and
other Shearing delights in my head.

My reverie was shattered when my outstanding researcher friend Frank
Edwards queried, "Who is George Shearing?"

By that time the aide had left, so I tried to acquaint Frank with the
Shearing legend.  I inquired if there was a piano available for him to
play, because if he wasn't, his audience would be sorely disappointed.  As
an afterthought I added, "Just so you know, Frank, Shearing is
blind".  "Oh, great!" he groaned.  Once on the air, the program went well
indeed, and the two got along like old friends.

The moral is, just because you're an expert in some areas of interest,
doesn't mean you know diddly-squat about others.  A jazz, music and record
fan Frank Edwards obviously was not.  And no, to my regret I did not get
the opportunity to talk with George Shearing.

Lee Munsick	Appomattox County, Virginia

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 12:19:55 -0400
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  "Name of a News Anchor"

Joy Jackson of REPS asks about a certain midwest news commentator.
I believe she is speaking of Frank Edwards.  He had been a nightly
commentator for years, I believe on Mutual.  In the late 1950s and 60s he
became interested in the serious study of "flying saucers", and began to
collect information on the subject.

He wrote a number of books about strange occurrences, among them "Stranger
Than Science" and "Strange People", and "Flying Saucers -- Serious Business".

The title of another is "My First 10,000,000 Sponsors" which refers to his
being sponsored on the radio for years by the AFL or the CIO, I forget which.

I knew Frank Edwards slightly, as we were both connected with a Washington
private investigatory group which studied Unidentified Flying Objects.  I
was assistant to its Director, Maj. Donald E. Keyhoe, USMC Ret.  One heck
of a guy, and prolific writer in his own right.  We became fast friends,
and I learned a great deal from this outstanding author.

Don was an aviator.  After he was smashed up in a crash, he retired from
the Marines and worked with early government aviation groups.  When Charles
Lindbergh returned from his flight to Orly, Don was assigned to be his
advance man on Lindbergh's extensive nationwide triumphant tour.  He wrote
a book about his adventures in that capacity, called "Flying With
Lindbergh".  Don became quite close with Lindbergh and his wife, Anne
Morrow Lindbergh.  Later he became Aviation Editor of True Magazine, which
assigned him to write about UFOs.  His books were the first serious ones on
the study field which became known as "Ufology" by many.  I am mentioned in
one of Keyhoe's remarkable books.

After occasional correspondence and phone calls with Frank Edwards, I
chanced to make a trip from New Jersey to Texas with numerous stops.  I
deliberately drove through Indianapolis, to see Frank.  At the time he was
hosting a local version of the Tonight Show on an Indianapolis television
station. I arrived much later in the day than I had estimated, so missed
dinner together and went to the TV studio.  We talked for a while before
the show began, at which point I sat in the audience and then had to be on
my way.

While we were chatting, an assistant came in to tell Frank that his guest
for the evening had arrived and was in makeup.  "Who?" said Frank.  The
aide answered, "George Shearing!".  This got my attention.  I'm hep to the
Shearing Sound, and immediately began hearing "Lullaby of Birdland" and
other Shearing delights in my head.

My reverie was shattered when my outstanding researcher friend Frank
Edwards queried, "Who is George Shearing?"

By that time the aide had left, so I tried to acquaint Frank with the
Shearing legend.  I inquired if there was a piano available for him to
play, because if he wasn't, his audience would be sorely disappointed.  As
an afterthought I added, "Just so you know, Frank, Shearing is
blind".  "Oh, great!" he groaned.  Once on the air, the program went well
indeed, and the two got along like old friends.

The moral is, just because you're an expert in some areas of interest,
doesn't mean you know diddly-squat about others.  A jazz, music and record
fan Frank Edwards obviously was not.  And no, to my regret I did not get
the opportunity to talk with George Shearing.

Lee Munsick	Appomattox County, Virginia

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 13:14:32 -0400
From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!

Folks;

   I've mentioned before that my very favorite modern radio program today is
"Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me," the NPR news quiz hosted by Peter Sagal where
every week lucky contestants answer questions about the weird, wacky, and
wonderful stories in the news from the past week with the help (?) of a
rotating group of comedians to win the voice of Carl Kasell on their home
answering machines. (Since my local NPR station is too stoggy to run this
program, I listen to it on KUOW Seattle, WA via the Internet and a small FM
transmitter. Thousands of dollars worth of equipment used to listen to a
silly news [removed] figure. And remind me sometime to tell you the story of
how this show almost got me killed one day driving up the New Jersey
[removed])

   Ok, ok, normally this has nothing whatsoever to do with Old-Time Radio,
and any other week I'd rightly be criticized for posting off-topic drivel.
But THIS week's celebrity guest, the Senior Senator from Utah, popular
songwriter, and self-proclaimed athletic supporter (!?!) Orrin Hatch was
welcomed to the show to play a game they called, "And now, through the
miracle of electrical energy, you are On the Air!" composed of three
questions culled from John Dunning's "On the Air: An Encyclopedia of Old-Time
Radio," otherwise known to those of us on this list as, "Dunning's," or just
"the bible."

   To listen to the quiz (and hopefully, the entire program - if you don't
take disasters and calamities too seriously, you're guaranteed to love this
show and get hooked enough to listen every week) and see how well the Senator
did while playing along yourself, check out the website at [removed]

         Charlie

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 13:05:58 -0400
From: "Captain Spiffy" <captspiffy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Bill Stern's Sports OTR program

    I am looking for episodes/shows of this program. I would prefer them to
be in MP3 form, and on CD. I will trade for or buy the cd. If you have them,
send me an e-mail if you can help [removed] Thanks!

Mike

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 13:26:20 -0400
From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Sperdvac convention

does anyone have any information about whether the Sperdvac convention
will be a go? At this late date Sperdvac's web site still has no details
about it other than the dates.

Howard Blue

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 13:32:21 -0400
From: "ecrasez" <ecrasez@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  RE: correction on origin of gunsmoke

I posted a few days ago that i didnt consider gunsmoke legitimate
otr when comparing to programs like jack armstrong, just as an
example. I wasnt comparing the quality of either show, but instead
just pointing out that GS was rarely mentioned in otr writings
to the same extent as the shows of the thirties and forties.

Depending on when the books were published, they might not have
been "old" time radio then. I haven't read that many books on
otr, but Dunning writes a fair amount about Gunsmoke. I can't
imagine many people would consider Gunsmoke outside the realm
of otr though.

I must agree with a previous poster about listening to the show
first. I used to mainly listen to a limited style of OTR and
didn't think I'd be interested in a western, but WAMU's Big Broadcast
broke me of that habit. At 8pm every Sunday I try to tune in
and catch the show, and now I upload shows to my work computer
as well. I'm hooked.

Bob S.

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 13:59:05 -0400
From: David Easter <DavidEaster@[removed];
To: "Old-Time Radio Digest (E-mail)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: New twist on internet?

The real key here is California Congressman Howard Berman. Guess what
district in California (that also includes major entertainment corporations)
is his?

If you said Hollywood, then you understand why he wants to shelter copyright
owners ($$$$).

His legislation would allow said corporations to swamp suspect web servers
with false requests (DoS), hack websites, redirect links and/or supply
corrupt files (spoofing). All while protected by his legislation.

This is a really poor solution and should be fought. Ask yourself, "Do I
want corporations in the same league as Enron and WorldCom to have this sort
of power?"

Berman can be reached at [removed]@[removed]. Contact
Congresspersons from your state and request they vote against this piece of
trash. Of course, if you live in a state with a strong entertainment
presence, your request will mean very little compared to their $$$$.

It seems to me that the real solution is in revamping the copyright laws.
Technology has changed a great many aspects of our lives. Old ways of doing
things have been changed. The Internet has pushed things another notch.
Current copyright laws are terribly outdated. Businesses that do not adapt,
go under. Giving private corporations "legal criminal" status is not the
answer.

I suspect the answer lies more toward a "artist" being paid for his/her
work. Someone distributing that work, and the consumer (as the final
intended user) "buying" the work. Credit for creation of the work, remaining
with the artist.

David L. Easter
Email: DavidEaster@[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 14:09:08 -0400
From: "Nemesis@[removed]" <nemesis@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Oranges by the road

I also remember driving along the "Straightaway" in the San Joaquin Valley
in our 1950 Mercury.  We would stop at one of those orange buildings for
juice and some shade.

I now live in that same SJV.  The Straightaway is now Highway 99 and the
only oranges you can see by the roadside are the ones that fall off the
transport trucks ::sigh::
Linda T.

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 14:59:24 -0400
From: Osborneam@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  The Line Up

In OTR Digest #267, Jarrod asks about The Line Up:

Does anyone know more about this series?  How long it was around,
and stuff like that?

The Line Up was a police procedural series which starred Bill Johnstone as 
Lt. Ben Guthrie of the San Francisco Police Department.  It aired on CBS from 
07/06/50 - 02/20/53.

I've not seen a log of the show, and the titles in my collection are no doubt
made-up titles ([removed] Numbers racketeers murder a store owner)

Hope that helps.

Arlene Osborne
(who can't wait until the discussion gets back to OTR and not pop/soda/tonic!)

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 14:59:59 -0400
From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Orange Juice stands

Dennis Crow wrote:

Now I find myself  dreaming of huge oranges by the side of the road in
California. When I was a child and we traveled the byways of California, I
discovered these big oranges every forty miles or so.

Is my memory playing tricks or did California sprout orange-shaped and
orange-colored beverage stands fifty years or so ago? Do any still exist?

You are not dreaming.   Those fresh orange juice stands were wonderful but
died when the new freeways were built.    Highway 5 to southern California
was probably the one most responsible for their demise in the central
valley.

Irene

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:38:10 -0400
From: Eric J Cooper <ejcooper2002@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Buxton and Owen

Buxton and Owen write their books in the early to mid 70s when OTR
research and dating of shows was in it's infancy. Dunning's newer volume
is much more accurate becuase a lot of research was done between about
1975 and 1995

Eric Cooper

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:38:23 -0400
From: Eric J Cooper <ejcooper2002@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: The Stan Freberg Show

The Stan Freberg Show was not cancelled due to television competition. It
was cancelled due to Mr. Freberg's reluctance to find the right sponsor
(right for him) CBS was able to secure intertest from a cigarette company
and a deodorant company, but Freberg rejected both as being unsuitable.
And so THE BEST OF JACK BENNY reruns returned to the CBS Radio air for
one more season, beginning in late October 1957

Eric

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:38:42 -0400
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Comedians and FDR

Got a call today from Pete Harrison, a researcher at Calliope Films in
LA, who is working on a project for the White House Historical Society.
He needs to find audio copies of radio shows in which comedians talk
about President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

If any of you have such in your collection, please contact Harrison
directly. You can phone him (310-277-0986) or write him at his film
company (1551 S. Robertson Blvd, LA, CA 90035) or email him at
petersenharris2@[removed].

I told him I would check with members in Metro Wash OTR Club and gave
him instructions as to how he could contact SPERDVAC and REPS to request
assistance.

Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:38:57 -0400
From: "" <cooldown3@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  a few birthday dates

Info Please -'38-08-30 016 Ben [removed]

Jungle Jim -'47-04-12 598 Maharaja of Galore [removed]
Life Of Riley -'47-04-12 152 Real Life Soap Opera [removed]
Patrick

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 17:40:44 -0400
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: The LineUp

Richard Carpenter writes

In reference to a show called _The Lineup_, I remember this as one of the
first tv shows we watched on our first television around 1956; I think it
was set in San Francisco and involved the activities of two police
detectives, but I could be wrong. Possibly it is one of those shows that
made the changeover from tv to radio?

Lineup was on radio before TV . It was produced by Jaime del Valle who at
one time was married to Virginia Gregg, and if memory hasn't deserted me
starred Wally Maher.

Harry Bartell

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #269
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