------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 362
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Seeking Juniper Junction [ EdHowell@[removed] ]
Request [ JayHick@[removed] ]
Dragnet [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
re:target audience [ mart459@[removed] ]
#OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig [ lois@[removed] ]
Struts and Frets [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
Zenith radio on The Waltons [ "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed]; ]
What did the Waltons listen to? [ Ivan G Shreve Jr <iscreve@[removed] ]
World's Greatest Old-Time Radio Show [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
The 1970s: "The Golden Age of Radio [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
Now I feel [removed] [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]
Van Deventer, 20 Questions and FOTR [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
CASS - CD [ "Jeff Bankens" <jeff_bankens@thenew ]
Mini-quiz [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 22:14:29 -0400
From: EdHowell@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Seeking Juniper Junction
Would like to locate at least one episode of Juniper Junction, Asher and
Little Jimmie, and the E. Howard Cagle broadcasts.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 22:53:06 -0400
From: JayHick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Request
Please send information directly to my brother, Joe Hickerson <
jhick@[removed]>
I am looking for a Breakfast Club
program, probably in the late 1940s, which includes a black family singing
"Kum Ba Yah."
And here's another: the Fred Allen program where he tells the story of the
fellow who is claiming injuries due to his attempt to lower a batch of
bricks from an upper floor by means of a pully. (Ouch!)>
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 22:54:47 -0400
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Dragnet
Doug Berry wrote
The first article referred to rare instances when
actors had to perform "Dragnet" cold, without any
rehearsal. I was quite surprised by that remark and
was wondering if Mr. Bartell, or any other OTR
performer could elaborate. What possible circumstances
could bring this about, and how often did this happen?
How far ahead of time did you know that there would be
no rehearsal? Was "Dragnet" performed live, or was it
transcribed?
The no-rehearsal syndrome did not happen often and it usually occurred when
one or more actors was given permission to arrive late because of a conflict
with a previously booked show. I can't recall the show ever having been done
live so there was always some leeway if things didn't go according to plan.
If it did occur, actors never knew there would be no rehearsal. Jack Webb
depended heavily on actors being able to react quickly which is one of the
reasons he used a fairly small group. One occasion I remember very clearly:
I was given a half-hour conflict because I was doing a show at CBS. When I
arrived, I discovered that I was playing an informer meeting Friday in a
park. Jack decided it would add a nice touch if we were eating peanuts
during the scene. Our scripts were put on music stands, we each had several
peanuts in shells and we recorded the scene in one take, shelling the
peanuts and eating them during the scene. I had not had time to even mark my
script. It was one of the most terrifying and rewarding sessions I ever had
in front of a microphone.
Harry Bartell
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 00:02:18 -0400
From: mart459@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re:target audience
Not to do any spoilers, but Disney usually throws in things for the adults as
well. I just watched 'Monster's Inc' with my wife and son at home for the
first time. I was in absolute hysterics at a few items (some non-verbal) that
were obvious tributes and trivia for the adults.
(we will not mention that I had to explain all of them to my [removed] the TV
lover)
And to the "kind" person who posted the feeling old article reply. I am 42
raising a 6 year old son. I never knew how bad knees could hurt :) That and my
idea of parenting was brought about by my upbringing ("Proper Bostonian"
parents - my grandmother was Conant's secretary for years). I am told that I
am too strict. But on the other hand, I am also told by all of the other
parents and teachers from his kindergarten that there is often an arguement
over who's group he is in for field trips since he is never a problem and
always helpful. Now I just have to wait for the shrink to blame everything on
me and to start billing me :)
And as to bringing in more people to the hobby- I use a minidisc unit for all
of my OTR recordings. Often some of the other software people ask what I am
snickering about. After explaining the economics of the LD minidisc, they
start listening to the actual content - you would be surprised at the laughs
that start. And then the "if you liked that, imagine how you would [removed]".
There was a science fiction story that I read in high school (70's) that gave
the premise that all humor had already been done years before - that anything
"current" was actually an experiment by aliens. IMHO, if you take away all of
the filthy disgusting language that current comedians think that they need to
use, that is a correct statement :) With the exception of Margaret Cho (SP?).
Outside of the disgusting language she uses, she is really funny. But on the
other hand, a lot of her humor would have been in the Friars club, and not on
any public forum years ago.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 04:52:04 -0400
From: lois@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!
A weekly [removed]
For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
Network, the channel name is #OldRadio. We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
over five years, same time, same channel!
Our numerous "regulars" include one of the busiest "golden years" actors in
Hollywood; a sound man from the same era who worked many of the top
Hollywood shows; a New York actor famed for his roles in "Let's Pretend" and
"Archie Andrews;" owners of some of the best OTR sites on the Web;
maintainer of the best-known OTR Digest (we all know who he is)..........
and Me
Lois Culver
KWLK Longview Washington (Mutual) 1941-1944)
KFI Los Angeles (NBC) 1944 - 1950
and widow of actor Howard Culver
(For more info, contact lois@[removed])
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 12:20:23 -0400
From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Struts and Frets
I am part of the chorus of appreciation for Harry Bartell. What a good
writer he is. And funny, with a nice light touch. I wish he would
reconsider and write a book. Maybe this column will give him a push in
that direction.
Irene
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:18:11 -0400
From: "Ed Ellers" <ed_ellers@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Zenith radio on The Waltons
Don Shenbarger (Shenbarger@[removed]) wrote:
There is a particular model Zenith tombstone radio used in the TV series
"The Waltons" that has made that model especially popular with collectors. I
watched a couple of Waltons shows to look for the radio and did see it in
the background once, but have not seen it used.
There were actually three Zenith models in the same cabinet, all 1938 models
with shortwave bands, a tuning eye and the Robot Dial (collectors call it a
"shutterdial" now) that displayed only the band you selected at any time.
The least expensive was a 7-tube job for $75, the 7-S-232; for $90 the
9-S-232 had three bands and motorized tuning; and for $100 there was the
12-tube 12-S-232 with push-pull audio (for lower distortion and more output)
and a "high fidelity" mode for expanded frequency response on strong local
stations. I don't know which of the three was used as the prop on the show;
in terms of the plot the 7-tube model would seem most likely, though even
$75 was a lot of money then for a typical farm family. (9- and 12-tube
chassis were more commonly found in consoles.) [removed] has
pictures of all three versions and even scans of the instruction book for
the 12-tube version.
I suppose it was used from time to time in the series and I am wondering
what shows the Waltons listened to.
I don't remember hearing any series on the show; I think the radio was only
heard for newscasts marking major events (the bombing of Pearl Harbor, etc.)
It may have been too difficult to obtain clearances for OTR entertainment
programs from copyright holders, unions and so on.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:18:45 -0400
From: Ivan G Shreve Jr <iscreve@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio Mailing List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: What did the Waltons listen to?
Don Shenbarger wrote:
I watched a couple of Waltons shows to look for the radio and did see it
in the background once, but have not seen it used. I suppose it was used
from time to time in the series and I am wondering what shows the Waltons
listened to.
I haven't seen any of "The Waltons" repeats in ages, but I do know that in
the pilot--the TV movie "The Homecoming"--they listen to Bergen & McCarthy.
Later, in their parody of the show, MAD magazine did a gag in which one of
the Waltons' children proudly proclaims that it's the only thing they get on
their radio.
While I'm thinking about it, I'd like to thank Elizabeth for giving me the
facts re: Eddie Green. I have been wondering about that for many, many
years and have never been able to find the answer in any of the OTR books I
own.
Ivan
--
"I know I'm [removed] as long as I make 'em laugh they're not gonna lock me
up." -- Red Skelton
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:17:09 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: World's Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows
Earlier this summer, I inquired about a MediaBay
offshoot called "The World's Greatest Old Time Radio
Shows", a company that has a subscription program
whereby they send two cassettes every three weeks or
so for $[removed] plus $[removed] shipping. (They also offered,
with their introductory shipment, a small
radio/cassette player; a cassette carousel; a small
binder and information cards about various shows; and
six cassette tapes-- four of which were free). I'd
asked for more information about this company, since
I'd gotten conflicting information as to whether or
not it was actually associated with MediaBay and Radio
Spirits.
Well, as it turns out, it is associated with MediaBay.
So I decided to take a chance with them and began a
subscription. As advertised, they sent me all of the
above items (the package arrived yesterday). The
radio, while smaller than what I'd envisioned, works
just fine; and the tapes are of good quality.
Now what happens if I get some tapes I already own?
Well, I'm told that I can return them. However, two
consecutive returns would constitute a cancellation of
my subscription. We'll see how well that aspect of the
program works when and if I decide to return a tape.
I still don't know, by the way, whether I can return
one tape and keep the other, or if I have to return
both. I also have to admit that it'd be nice to have
some idea which shows-- or at least which types of
shows-- I'll be getting. It's my understanding that
book of the month club programs let you select the
genre of books you'll be receiving (though that might
depend on the particular program). One would think the
same option would be available here.
Speaking of Radio Spirits, I've noticed two things
since Carl Amari left. First, the catalog descriptions
of the various collections now only list a select
number of shows in a collection, rather than all of
them as had been done before. Take, for example, the
60 Greatest Old-Time Science Fiction Shows collection.
I know from previous (and more complete) Radio Spirits
catalogs that I already own most of the programs in
that collection. Yet, the latest catalog only lists
three programs in that collection by episode title. If
I picked up a radio Spirits catalog for the first time
now, I would be hesitant to buy the higher priced
collections simply because of that lack of detail
about what they contain. One of the reasons I bought
tapes from Radio Spirits on a regular basis is because
I knew exactly what I was getting. Now, they
apparently think a partial list of shows is
sufficient, and that customers don't need to know if
they're buying duplicates of shows they already own.
The other thing I noticed is that shipping is now
$[removed] in the [removed] It didn't stay at $[removed] very long,
did it? By contrast, under Amari's tenure, shipping
stayed at $[removed] for years before increasing to $[removed]
I have to admit the $[removed] shipping from The World's
Greatest Old Time Radio Shows sounds better and
better, even without knowing what you'll get.
Rick
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:20:55 -0400
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The 1970s: "The Golden Age of Radio Fandom"
Hi Gang:
Recently, if I find myself home on week-end afternoons, I sometimes turn to
reruns of "The Waltons" on TVLand. I never really appreciated
this show when it was first on. It debuted in 1972, when I was in 5th Grade, &
no self-respecting boy in my school would belittle himself to watch it simply
because in my school, "The Waltons" with all that corny "Good night,
John-Boy," stuff was considered a "girl's show." Besides, all the boys watched
"Kung Fu" which aired on ABC at the same time. Me? Yeah, "Kung Fu," but
sometimes I'd get bored with all that Keye Luke philosophizing, that I would
turn on NBC's "Flip Wilson Show."
As maudlin as the Walton family might be, the stories are ten times
better thab anything on prime-time TV today, & sometimes there are OTR
references! The youngest girl wanted to listen to "Eddie Cantor" after supper
one night.
But, I've often said that if the 1930s-50s were "the Golden Age oi
Radio," then the 1970s were "the Golden Age of Radio Fandom." Consider this:
in the 70s, OTR-themed books were published by mainstream publishers instead
of scholarly houses like McFarland; OTR vets like Kate Smith, Jack Benny,
George Burns, Rudy Vallee, [removed] would show up on TV variety shows and be
receptively welcomed; "The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
reigned on syndicated radio; phonograph record companies like Radiola and Mark
56 were thriving by releasing OTR records; OTR conventions were coming into
their own; the Shadow had his own comic-book courtesy of DC Comics [Hi,
Anthony Tollin]; there were TV movies about "WOTW," theatrical movies about
the Hindenburg, and "Odd Couple" episodes attempting to re-create OTR; Bette
Midler had a hit record covering "The Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy," some English
singer named "Hurricane" Smith had a hit song w/ a 1930s-style song called
"Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?," and Mama Cass Elliott covered the 1930s
ballad "Dream a Little Dream of Me;" reruns of TV shows w/ OTR connections
like "The Lone Ranger," "Topper," "Dragnet," "My Little Margie," and "The
Adventures of Superman" were still being [removed] FREE TV; during the 50th
anniversary programs for CBS and NBC, there was plenty more radio history
unlike NBC's recent 75th; and, last, but certainly not least, many more OTR
stars were still alive and available for conventions,
and for interviews courtesy of OTR hobby elder statesmen like Chuck Schaden
and Frank Bresee.
The problem that I perceive with Generation-Whine, er, Generation-Y
is that many of its members fall into line with the prevailing younger
generation sentiment that it's "not cool" to admit that one likes, let alone
knows about, anything their parents, let alone their grandparents, like. Of
course, there will always be exceptions, like the young gentleman
who seeks out older things, unlike the general population of college freshmen
in the Beloit College asssessment.
Another factor is TV "narrowcasting" in this age of 100+ TV channels.
Back in the 1960s & 70s [removed] (before cable), everybody watched the same
programmes: Everybody watched, for example, "The Ed Sullivan Show." Mr.
Sullivan's "something for everyone" credo brought together on the same
show, someone from Jack Benny's generation, and the latest Motown
chart-topper.
Personally, I came to respect a great many of the performers of the
1940s from being exposed to them via popular t--------n shows. When, for
example, someone like Kate Smith appeared up on "Donny & Marie," she was shown
a great deal of respect. But nowadays, the TV audience is so fragmented,
demographics do not allow for nostalgia, and the today's kids--many of whom
can't even tell you in what decade World war II was fought--are programmed to
think that old = uncool.
In the words of Richard Brautigan, "this is all I have to say."
Yours in the ether,
Derek Tague
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:19:14 -0400
From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Now I feel [removed]
From: "Ryan Hall" <uncle_festor@[removed]; wrote, in part:
But I do agree that young OTR fans needs to be encouraged. I got involved in
OTR more as what my parents called "an eccentric hobby" back before the
internet opened up a whole new world of OTR to me. I'd get what few radio
shows I could find on cassette at Cracker Barrel or maybe the bookstore if I
was lucky. I had no idea that so many radio shows survived until I found the
internet OTR community.
Conversely, I know quite a few "oldsters" who lament the lack of the
OTR-style programs on today's radio stations, who won't go online to listen
to "radio drama" on the internet because "it's too complicated". I'm still
working on them, [removed] you might yet see some aged, decrepit OTR
"newbies" on this list due to my efforts.
However, Ryan, please spread the word among those of your generation (no
matter what you call it), because Generation O (as in OLD) won't last
forever, and OTR deserves to last beyond us.
Herb Harrison
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:21:38 -0400
From: leemunsick@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Van Deventer, 20 Questions and FOTR
I'm so sorry I can't be at FOTR to meet Van Deventer. Thanks to Phil
Chavin for bringing this up. I loved "Twenty Questions". Our family
listened regularly for years, and we played the game ourselves in our home
for many more years! It's still a great way to pass time and educate each
other. Requires no props, no great amount of space, not even the
beneficial exercise, perhaps, of "Charades"!
Van Deventer had his own news show on MBS as well. But I do not recall his
ever being referred to as anything other than "Van Deventer" on "Twenty
Questions". I thus assumed his "front" name was Van.
Dunning agrees with me, as to the use of "only his last name on the air",
but says his first name was Fred, not Robert! The alias "Bobby McGuire" is
totally new to me, as is the real first name according to Philip Chavin's
posting. Dunning does also list Bobby McGuire as a panelist, as well as
Nancy Van Deventer (presumably the missus), which should have told me that
"Van" was not Deventer's first name. Could it be that Bobby McGuire was a
different person?
Interesting tidbit from the same listings: Dunning credits Charlotte
Manson as the "Ronson Girl" for the program's longtime sponsor, the
cigarette lighter firm.
Bless 'em all! Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:22:20 -0400
From: "Jeff Bankens" <jeff_bankens@[removed];
To: "Old Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: CASS - CD
Hi all,
I rarely write in , but I have a serious inquiry that has been addressed
countless times on the digest. I have several hundred OTR cassettes
(personal use only) that I would like to transfer to cd, so I can play them
in my truck. What kind of equipment do I need to accomplish this, if any?
If this is too large a task, who do I contact to do this for me? Does any
member of SPERDVAC do this, or know someone who does?
Any help is greatly appreciated! Please e-mail me @
jeff_bankens@[removed] w/ your suggestions.
GOD Bless,
Jeff Bankens
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 13:22:53 -0400
From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Mini-quiz
Last month I posted a pretentiously-composed quiz I'd made up for the
Digest (based on OTR's 'Take It or Leave It') and posted the answers in that
issue. I neither saw nor received any feedback on the posting but hopefully
some Digesters enjoyed the quiz a little.
This time you only get a short and unpretentious quiz. I feel sorta
naughty today so I won't post the answer in this issue. :o)
Instead I'll post it (preceded by some hints) a coupla days from now.
OK, the quiz: What zany, deep-voiced comedian starred in several OTR
series (including a daily one in 1945-6 with his name in the title,
sponsored by Procter and Gamble and often having spoofs of westerns) and
appeared often (for a period) on Bob Hope's and Edgar Bergen's OTR shows?
-- Phil C.
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #362
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