------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 101
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
3-29 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Sound [ <whhsa@[removed]; ]
Re: best Detective/mystery program [ "Rodney W Bowcock" <[removed]@ ]
Zacherly [ Richard Fish <fish@lodestone-media. ]
Don Pardo [ dougdouglass@[removed] ]
SFX: The Lone Ranger, and Location R [ "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed]; ]
LONE RANGER SFX [ Dave Parker <dave@[removed] ]
Old NY stations in new quarters [ Bill Jaker <bilj@[removed]; ]
Thurl Ravenscroft [ "RBB" <oldradio@[removed]; ]
Don Pardo [ "evantorch" <etorch@[removed]; ]
Zacherley and Brother Theodore [ Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@earthlin ]
Thurl Correction [ "RBB" <oldradio@[removed]; ]
More Lucky Strikes [ "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed] ]
Request for [removed] [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
Re: better on TV? [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 15:50:39 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 3-29 births/deaths
March 29th births
03-29-1867 - Cy Young - Gilmore, OH - d. 11-4-1955
baseball pitching great: "Feature Project: This Game of Baseball"
03-29-1888 - Earle Ross - IL - d. 5-21-1961
actor: Judge Horace Hooker "Great Gildersleeve"; J. R. Boone, Sr.
"Meet Millie"
03-29-1890 - Joe Cook - Evansville, IN - d. 5-16-1959
comedian: "House Party"; "Shell Chateau"
03-29-1891 - Warner Baxter - Columbus, OH - d. 5-7-1951
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
03-29-1899 - Clifford Goldsmith - Aurora, NY - d. 7-11-1971
writer: Created "The Aldrich Family"
03-29-1902 - Onslow Stevens - Los Angeles, CA - d. 1-5-1977
actor: "Great Plays"
03-29-1905 - Philip Ahn - Los Angeles, CA - d. 2-28-1978
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
03-29-1906 - E. Power Biggs - West Cliff, England - d. 3-10-1977
organist: "Organ Program"
03-29-1908 - Dennis O'Keefe - Fort Madison, IA - d. 8-31-1968
actor: Treasure Agent Larsen "T-Man"
03-29-1912 - Fred Brady - NYC - d. 11-11-1961
actor: Himself "The Fred Brady Show"
03-29-1914 - Phil Foster - NYC - d. 7-8-1985
actor: "What's With Hubert"; "Baseball Round Table"; "Big Show"
03-29-1918 - Pearl Bailey - Newport News, VA - d. 8-17-1990
singer: "Kraft Music Hall "; "Tribute to Glenn Miller"
03-29-1919 - Eileen Heckart - Columbus, OH - d. 12-31-2001
actress: "Cloak and Dagger"; "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
03-29-1924 - Ginger Dinning - Braman, KY
singer: (Dinning Sisters) "Dinning Sisters-Songs"; "Eddy Arnold Show"
03-29-1924 - Jackie Vernon - NYC - d. 11-10-1987
comedian: "Bill Stern Show"
03-29-1924 - Jean Dinning - Braman, KY
singer: (Dinning Sisters) "Dinning Sisters-Songs"; "Eddy Arnold Show"
March 29th deathc
01-10-1908 - Paul Henreid - Trieste - d. 3-29-1992
actor: "Suspense"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
05-03-1920 - John Lewis - LaGrange, IL - d. 3-29-2001
co-founder of "Modern Jazz Quartet": :Modern Jazz Quartet";
"Listener's Digest"
05-22-1906 - Harry Ritz - Newark, NJ - d. 3-29-1986
comedian: (The Ritz Brothers) "Hollywood Hotel"
08-30-1902 - Ray Bloch - Alsace-Lorraine, France - d. 3-29-1982
conductor: "Milton Berle Show"; "Take It or Leave It"; "Johnny
Presents"
11-01-1908 - Harry Ellis Dickson - Cambridge, MA - d. 3-29-2003
first violinist: "Boston Symphony Orchestra"; "Boston Symphony
Rehearsal"
11-05-1905 - Annunzio Paolo Mantovani - Venice, Italy - d. 3-29-1980
orchestra leader: "Music In the Air"; "Of These We Sing"
12-12-1918 - Joe Williams - Codele, GA - d. 3-29-1999
blues singer: "Count Basie and His Orchestra"; "Stars for Defense"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 16:43:35 -0500
From: <whhsa@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sound
Dear OTR fans;
Peace be with each of you in this Easter Season.
Jack French hit the arrow on the head! I agreed that the recognition should
go to the creativeness of the sound effect crew. As I noted that Gunsmoke
ranked high I could not help to think that many have not heard Straight
Arrow. Unfortunately there are only 7 complete shows of the 292 shows. So
count my vote for the KHJ crew that gave fantastic sound to Straight Arrow.
Manituwah,
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 16:43:58 -0500
From: "Rodney W Bowcock" <[removed]@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: best Detective/mystery program
BTW, which detective drama and/or mystery program
was the best, IYHO (in your humble opinions)?
As far as I'm concerned, there was no better an example of quality
storytelling and plot/character development than the 1955-1956 year of
multi-part Yours Truly Johnny Dollar episodes. Bob Bailey was absolutely
perfect in the role, and the show had one of the finest supporting casts
assembled including Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, Virginia Gregg and Howard
McNear. Is it any surprise that so many other shows that are held in high
regard (like Gunsmoke and CBS Radio Workshop) had many of these same people
appearing on them?
Unfortunatly, only that one year of Johnny Dollar was truly great. The
incarnations that came before and after it simply didn't hold up. By 1962,
the show could only be deemed 'okay' at best. What gets to me the most in
these episodes is the self-awareness of everyone that's involved in the
plots. They all know who Dollar is as soon as he enters the room because
of those "radio programs that Jack Johnstone dramatizes for CBS". For some
reason that, and more importantly that you can't do much in a 20 minute or
less radio show, really ruins the later episodes for me. I do have to
admit though that even those are well acted.
Rodney Bowcock
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 16:44:44 -0500
From: Richard Fish <fish@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Zacherly
Lee Munsick mentioned John Zacherly, who has a special place in my
brain, as well as, I think, a notable OTR connection.
I grew up watching Zacherly present horror movies on TV, which he did
every Friday night in New York over WOR. As a small boy in the
mid-fifties, I never missed an episode of "Shock Theatre" once I conned
my folks into letting me stay up.
Clearly, the "ghoulish host" of a horror program was born on radio. A
nameless personage yclept The Man In Black introduced The Shadow, and
later on, Suspense! yarns. And of course, Raymond [Edward Johnson], who
opened the famous Creaking Door on Inner Sanctum, was an archetype.
So far as I know, Zacherly may well have been the very first to
translate this concept onto the small screen. Many others came along,
including "Sammy Terry" in Indianapolis (a pun on "cemetery" and jokes
that little shouldn't be up that late) and "Elvira" ("Vampira??") in
[removed], but was Zacherly the first? Anybody know?
Regardless, this is a case of OTR -- you should pardon the expression!
-- rising from the dead.
In those days the movie studios weren't giving television anything they
considered good, so Zacherly regularly presented old, black-and-white
turkeys which were usually so awful as to be hilarious. And he knew it,
too, and kicked 'em around with delightful abandon. Sometimes he even
had himself superimposed into the scene!
If you can find a copy, the Good Times Video collection, "Horrible
Horror," is a splendid way to find out about John Zacherly if you don't
know him, or to remember if you do. It's also a handy compendium of
excerpts from some of the all-time WORST horror movies ever made. Gather
friends and a pile of appropriate libations and munchies, and prepare to
laugh yourselves silly. You might want to sit around on the floor to
avoid any danger of falling out of your chair.
Richard Fish
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 16:44:56 -0500
From: dougdouglass@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Don Pardo
Don and George Washington share the same birthday. This year Don
celebrated his 87th, still the voice of "Saturday Night Live".
Doug Douglass
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 19:07:08 -0500
From: "R. R. King" <kingrr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: SFX: The Lone Ranger, and Location Recording
Now, a question for the group: are there any examples of location
production from the Golden Age?
After Wyllis Cooper died in 1955, John Crosby of the New York Herald
Tribune wrote a memorial piece that includes this paragraph: "He had a
million ideas about radio acting, and the old-timers who worked with
him had some memorable experiences. He had actors walking around
darkened studios, acting out their parts into different mikes, rather
than just standing there. Way back in 1932 he was talking about
binaural effects -- placing two speakers at opposite ends of a room.
Even today that's considered avant garde."
One early series that Cooper worked on was Great Northern's "Empire
Builders" which frequently performed its sound effects outside, on the
roof of the Merchandise Mart. Here are some quotes from 1931:
"It's a fact -- sound effects engineers for the Empire Builders
program solved the program [problem?] of bringing the sound of fire
engines, dashing to an alarm, to the radio audience by enlisting the
services of a Chicago policeman who rode his automobile around the
roof of the merchandise mart where the Chicago studios are located.
Microphones picked up the sound of the roaring cutout, siren and
bells."
"... the sound man on the roof sees his white signal light flash. He
pulls his cord and throws the steam into the great whistle, which has
been taken from one of the Great Northern's monster locomotives. ...
Then, as its volume fades, it gives a series of regulation
crossing-signal whistles. Outside sound effects are picked up by a
third microphone. In order to be certain that all the motley sounds
die off at once, the volume in the last ten seconds is faded out by
the engineer at the mixing panel."
"During a recent broadcast of the Empire Builders program from the NBC
studios in Chicago, part of the presentation required thunder for a
background. The production men on the roof were vigorously shaking a
great sheet of tin, to get the desired effect, when nature lent a
helping hand. A terrific thunder shower had appeared from nowhere,
laughing at man's efforts."
There's more of this sort of stuff at:
[removed]
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 19:09:52 -0500
From: Dave Parker <dave@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: LONE RANGER SFX
Enjoyed Richard Fish's kudos to the Lone Ranger sound efx guys. When
I was on the Ranger, the manual efx were done by Tony Caminita, Don
Davenport, Chuck Begun,and either Bill or Jimmy [removed] can't
remember which. Recorded efx were done by the OTHER Hengsebeck from 3
turntables in the control [removed]
Yes, the guys were great! All manual sound came from the SFX room
(not the studio). This gave Director Chuck Livingstone total control
of audio [removed] sfx guys could hear the show on earphones in
order to sync their effects with the dialogue.
Here's a great WYXY sound effect story told to me by Fran Striker
and Ernie Winstanley. I'm absolutely going to use it in my OTR
documentary!
Seems there was some old guy out in Colorado who told the Denver Post
that he had the ORIGINAL GREAT HORSE SILVER in his barn.
Welllll - the LR Incorporated was mighty litigious in those days, and
promptly sued the guy.
At the trial the LR lawyer (Ray Meurer) addressed the court and said
"Your Honor--it is impossible that this gentlemen could have the
great horse Silver in his barn or corral - or anywhere else. Because
you see, your Honor, the GREAT HORSE SILVER is here ----in
this paper bag!"
Much craning of necks and leaning forward by all in the courtroom to
see what Ray had in the bag.
"You see your Honor" said Meurer, milking the moment for dramatic
effect "The ORIGINAL GREAT HORSE SILVER is nothing but a sound effect
--done with these two toilet plungers!!!!" Much laughter ---and (of
course) our guys won their case,
un days?????? You BET they were.
hi yo silver
PS --re Richard's question about OTR productions done "on location".
Yes there was such a show and (I think) I have a copy of it. It was
called "That
Special Day" --and was done with actors in the REAL environments
called for in the script. I can't remember the author, but my friend
George Steiner directed it for WWJ (Detroit) back in the early 50's.
I'll try to track it down if anyone's interested. It's really kind
of a neat show.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 21:38:36 -0500
From: Bill Jaker <bilj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Old NY stations in new quarters
With all the mention here of WOR vacating 1440 Broadway after 79
years, we should also note the relocation of another fine old New York
station.
In 1927, WWRL signed on from the front parlor of engineer and owner
William Reuman at 41-30 58th Street in the Woodside section of Queens.
This working-class neighborhood is far from the glamorous venues of the
big Manhattan stations, but it was also the place where such performers
as Ethel Merman and Eddie Bracken launched their careers. Over the
years the facilities were expanded (the Reuman family eventually moved)
until the house became a labyrinth of studios and offices.
A few months ago, WWRL finally packed up and moved to 333 Seventh
Avenue in Manhattan. There were probably a lot of ghosts left behind in
Woodside, especially after a major technical upgrade simply left the old
studio spaces intact.
The oldest studio location in New York City is still occupied by
WNYC. Although no longer owned by the city, New York Public Radio
remains where it was when it signed on in 1924, in the Municipal
Building in Lower Manhattan, a few blocks now from WOR.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 22:59:26 -0500
From: "RBB" <oldradio@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Thurl Ravenscroft
<<<Leslie Feagan asked what Thurl Ravenscroft looks [removed];>
There's a nice picture of this nice man at a dedicated web site for him
called "All Things Thurd" maintained by Brian E. Jacob. There are links to
a lot of interesting information about this person with a marvelous bass
voice in The Sportsmen quartet for Jack Benny, and the voice of "Tony, The
Tiger" - - - "it's g=r=e=a=t!!" (....among other things in his career.)
[removed]
=Russ Butler oldradio@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 00:10:10 -0500
From: "evantorch" <etorch@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Don Pardo
Joe Webb is exactly right about Don Pardo's long and illustrious career as
NBC's last announcer (I am not including Joel Godard as he was not an NBC
radio employee).
Over the years, I have gotten to know Don a bit and visited with him when I
attended Saturday Night Live broadcasts.
His earliest NBC Radio work I was able to uncover was a war bulletin intro.
in 1944!!!
He did many NYC based radio broadcasts, including my favorite, X-One when
Fred Collins seemed to be elsewhere.
His tenure must be pushing 60 years now.
Evan Torch, MD
Atlanta
etorch@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 08:26:25 -0500
From: Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Zacherley and Brother Theodore
Reader Anthony Tollin has correctly identified the "other" horror-minded chap
to whom I referred in my post about John Zacherley: Brother Theodore. I had
no idea that he had continued for so many years. And in the same theatre -
but then with 7 million stories in the naked ci --- er, people in New York,
one could go on selling the same thing for years. Years ago I was a fan of
the Kirby Stone Four. When in New York I attended their Kirby Stone Forum a
number of times, to be entertained by (A) muc of the same act and (B) always
something new. For other Kirby Stone fans, every time I replace the toilet
paper roll and remove that empty cardboard tube, I think of the Kirby Stone
Four. For those of y ou who do not understand, you just don't know what you
missed!
Other reader Doug Douglass kindly sent me the URL for a biography and later
pictures with Letterman, of Brother Theodore. For those who would like to
read more, here 'tis:
[removed]
OTR Digest and the Internet are incredible in-cylopedias! Thanks to y'alls!
Bestus, Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 08:26:36 -0500
From: "RBB" <oldradio@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Thurl Correction
My apologies for a slip of the typing key: The Thurl Ravenscroft web site
is "All Things THURL" as posted earlier, not "Thurd" at this web address:
[removed]
=Russ Butler oldradio@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 09:08:34 -0500
From: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: More Lucky Strikes
When I posted last week about Lucky Strike slogans, I knew I was forgetting
one. When I finally remembered the slogan I was thinking of, I couldn't
believe that I had forgotten it:
Smoke a Lucky to feel your level best.
Those Lucky Strikes do everything! After listening to Don Wilson and all
those commercials, I might have to stop and pick up a pack of Luckies on the
way home. Nah, maybe I'll get some Jell-O instead.
-chris holm
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 09:13:21 -0500
From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Request for [removed]
Folks;
Received this request for info; please copy the list on anything you might
send, since there are a lot of folks here interested in the Welles'
[removed]
Charlie
--- begin forwarded text
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 11:16:58 +0100
From: "Emma Lorenz" <[removed]@[removed];
I was wondering whether you may be able to help me &
I am currently making a documentary for the BBC on the War of the World's
radio broadcast. As such I contacted the Library of American Broadcasting as
a research point and they suggested subscribing to your news list.
I am specifically looking for stories about any of the crew that worked on
the show, any contact for family members. Also any interesting stories or
anecdotes that your subscribers may know.
Tel: 011 44 208 846 2174
Many thanks,
Emma
Emma Lorenz
Producer
Days That Shook The World
Lion Television for BBC Two
Tel: 020 8846 2174
--- end forwarded text
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Mar 2005 16:16:44 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: better on TV?
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
In a message dated 3/28/05 3:02:26 PM Central Standard Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
I know this is going to sound sacrilegious, but I can think of one lone
example in which the TV version of a particular show was actually better
than its OTR counterpart: "Green Acres" was actually funnier than "Granby's
Green Acres," but that might be an unfair comparison
I hope I don't arouse some controversy by saying this, but personally I
always thought Red Skelton was much funnier on TV than he was on radio. Don't get
me wrong, he was funny enough on radio in the later years (when he stressed
his characters over the corny one-liners) but on TV his pantomime talents could
be more readily displayed.
Dixon
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