Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #9
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 1/10/2002 8:41 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 9
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Date Aragon Remote?                   [ Richard Pratz <[removed]@[removed]; ]
      Molle Mystery Theater                 [ "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@neb. ]
      Phil Harris & Bob CrosbySpeaking of  [ "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed]; ]
      Re: Sam and Henry Records             [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Casablanca                            [ Osborneam@[removed] ]
      Re: Caricatures                       [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Re: Caricatures of OTR performers     [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
      Bartell the [removed]               [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
      Burma Shave                           [ Gary McDole <gmcdole@[removed]; ]
      Burma Shave                           [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
      Whither Shorty?                       [ Richard Carpenter <sinatra@ragingbu ]

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 12:02:34 -0500
    From: Richard Pratz <[removed]@[removed];
    To: "OTR (Plain Text Only)" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Date Aragon Remote?

    One of the great things about this Digest is the many nice people we meet.
    Everyone I've corresponded with over the years has been gracious and giving.
    One of them is Tas Richardson, an OTR fan who lives in southern Alberta.
    Knowing I am a native Chicagoan, Tas sent me a tape of WGN's last remote
    broadcast from the Aragon Ballroom featuring Wayne King and his Orchestra.
    Ten thousand people were reportedly on hand at that broadcast from the
    northside landmark to hear what was called "the end of an era" as Wayne King
    (and Franklyn MacCormack) saluted the many bands that played at the Aragon
    over the years by playing their themes. The place was so packed, the crowd
    could only listen and not dance!

    The only thing missing from that broadcast is a date. I would dearly like to
    know when that farewell broadcast from the Aragon took place. One remark on
    the program was "I'd rather be square than a Beatle" to which everyone
    laughed. But that at least lets us know it was at a time after the Fab Four
    burst onto the scene. So [removed] there anyone out there who might know
    when this last of the big band remote's at the Aragon was broadcast?  If
    not, I'll see if WGN itself can dig in its archives and come up with a date.

    My parents frequented the Aragon in the 20's through the 40's and I even
    tried my hand at tripping the light fantastic there in the 50's. The Aragon
    is still there at Lawrence & Broadway on Chicago's northside and will always
    remain a landmark in thousands of people's memories whether they actually
    danced there or just heard the many remote broadcasts from that location.
    Sadly, however, the building is aging and now features rap [removed] it
    aint dead yet!

    Thanks in advance to anyone who can date that final big band remote from
    "The Beautiful Aragon Ballroom ".

    Rich

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 17:18:22 -0500
    From: "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@[removed];
    To: "old time radio" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Molle Mystery Theater

    Hi all:
    I heard my first episode of the Molle Mystery Theater last weekend.  It was
    called, "Talk Them to Death."  I was quite impressed!  I'm wondering if
    anyone out there can tell me more about this show.  Is it worth collecting,
    or is it of the cheap horror caliber of Inner Sanctum?
    Thanks in advance.
    RyanO

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 17:18:54 -0500
    From: "Knaggs, Jim" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Phil Harris & Bob CrosbySpeaking of Radio

    A simple question for the Jack Benny Program aficionados out there:

    What years was Phil Harris the bandleader for the radio program vs. what
    years Bob Crosby held that position?

    Why did Crosby come on board?  Did Harris leave the show to pursue his own
    career because of his individual popularity (I know that he had his own
    show, movie roles, etc.)?  Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I was just
    curious as I am just beginning to learn about the history of the show.   To
    me, the Benny program has held up well over time versus some other OTR
    comedy programming which relied on more topical humor.  Not that this is a
    negative--I enjoy listening to topical humor from the 30s, 40s, & 50s it
    gives a sense of where the world was at that time but to me the Benny show
    is timeless.  This is just my observation and I hope I don't offend anyone
    on this point.

    On an unrelated topic, has anyone heard of a latter day audio series called
    "Speaking of Radio"  that documented OTR history?

    Jim Knaggs

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 17:20:04 -0500
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Sam and Henry Records

    Alan Bell wrote:

>     A while back I downloaded some Sam 'n' Henry segments from the
>     binaries group and was wondering if they were perhaps recordings that
>     were never aired. Each one is around 3 minutes long or [removed]
>     1929 seems too late for a Sam 'n' Henry. Hadn't they become Amos 'n'
>     Andy by that time? Perhaps it's a typo and it should be 1927? Any
>     information you can pass along about these recordings?

    These recordings have been floating around OTR circles for many years
    without proper attribution, causing no end of confusion for collectors --
    and are an object lesson in what happens when people dub things, trade
    them, and don't include specific notes on the source materials.

    As you suspect, these are not broadcasts. They are phonograph records
    made for the Victor Talking Machine Company, and released commercially in
    1926-27. The 1926-27 dates correspond to the recording dates. These
    records were made at a time when there was a resurgence of interest in
    talking-comedy records, and the first "Sam and Henry" discs were actually
    on the market before the biggest sellers in the genre, the famous series
    of Columbia recordings by Moran and Mack, the Two Black Crows. (These are
    also floating around the OTR world, misattributed as broadcast excerpts.)

    Here is a complete listing for the Victor "Sam and Henry" releases:

    20032: Sam Phonin' His Sweetheart 'Liza (matrix no. BVE-35328) /Sam &
    Henry At The Dentist's (BVE-35329) Both recorded 4/20/26.

    20093: Sam's Speech At The Colored Lodge (BVE-35066)/Sam & Henry At The
    Fortune Teller's (BVE-35073) Recorded 5/27/26 and 5/28/26. The "Fortune
    Teller" side is adapted from a sketch that Correll and Gosden wrote and
    performed in whiteface in the 1925 Chicago stage show "Red Hot," and
    features Gosden doing a "European mind reader" voice that he would later
    work into "Amos 'n' Andy" as the sinister Prince Ali Bendo, a character
    who used his fortunetelling activities as a front for a blackmail racket
    -- and who was finally sent to prison in 1937.

    20375: Sam & Henry Rollin' The Bones (BVE-35067)/Sam & Henry Buying
    Insurance (BVE-35068) Both recorded 5/27/26.

    20788: Sam's Big Night (BVE-39092)/The Morning After (BVE-39093) Both
    recorded 7/7/27. The "Big Night" side features Gosden as "The Most
    Precious Diamond," the S&H character who served as the template for the
    Kingfish in A&A.

    In addition to these "Sam and Henry" sides, brief interpolations by Sam
    and Henry are heard on the Correll and Gosden song recordings "All I Want
    To Do" (BVE-34578) and "Let's Talk About My Sweetie" (BVE-34579-5), both
    recorded 3/2/26.

    The recording you have dated 4/20/29 is probably a misdated copy of one
    side of Sam and Henry record 20032.

    While on the subject, there were also four Victor releases by "Amos and
    Andy" which also circulate misattributed as broadcast excerpts:

    21608: The Presidential Election, Parts I and II (BVE-46426 and
    BVE-46427) Recorded 7/17/28. A few lines from this sketch appear in
    Episode 123, 8/16/28, but otherwise this material was never broadcast.

    22119: Is Everybody In Yo' Family as Dumb as You Is? Parts I and II
    (BVE-46424 and BVE-46425) Recorded 7/17/28. Never broadcast.

    22234: At The Bullfight (BVE-57444)/The Dairy (BVE-57445) Recorded
    11/22/29. Never broadcast.

    22393: I'se Regusted (BVE-59915)/Check and Double Check (BVE-59916)
    Recorded 4/4/30. While most of the Victor records have nothing to do with
    any episode actually aired, both of these skits *were* condensed from
    material used in actual episodes -- BVE-59915 is adapted from Episode
    559, 1/6/30 and BVE-59916 is adapted from Episode 565, 1/13/30.

    There were several self-contained vignettes like these broadcast during
    the first two weeks of January 1930 which make it evident that Correll
    and Gosden were trying to work up some special non-storyline-dependent
    material for both their upcoming Publix theatre tour and their Victor
    recordings, but these two sides were the only ones recorded.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:12:35 -0500
    From: Osborneam@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Casablanca

    George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed]; said in digest 007:

>     I've read that
>     CASABLANCA was originally supposed to star Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan in
>     the Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman roles.

    How about the version I just heard this week?  Alan Ladd and Hedy Lemarr!

    Arlene Osborne

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:19:23 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Caricatures

    Kenneth Clarke asked about Resturants  which displayed some caricatures of
    famous people (some of them from radio) on their walls.

>     Can
>     anyone provided some examples of some of these
>     restaurants for me?

    Sardi's in NYC is the most famous for that, IMHO.

>     While we're on the subject, I'd like to find some
>     caricatures of OTR performers.

    Many years ago, NBC's promotion and publicity department commissioned a well
    known Caricaturist (whose name escapes me) to do caricatures representing
    the stars of every major program that NBC currently had on the air. There
    were probably 25 or 30 of them in the set. I am kicking myself from here to
    Timbucto for not holding on to the 5 or 6 sets that had been given to me by
    NBC.  Primarily, because it included one of Bob Hastings and myself as
    "Archie and Jughead". We were portrayed in costume (Ala the comic book
    characters) but with Caricatures of our actual faces.

    Something tells me those complete sets might be worth quite a few bucks
    today. I've seen an occasional individual drawing from the sets at OTR
    dealers tables.

    They were rendered in color, and as I recall, the prints were about 5x7 in
    size. The NBC Affiliated Stations received a full set mounted and matted,
    but additional packets or the un-matted drawings were also available.

    I would have to think a full set exists someplace in someone's collection.
    Maybe someone on the list knows more about this series of drawings than I
    can recall. It might have been sometime around 1948.

    Hope this helps,Kenneth.

    Hal(Harlan)Stone

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:42:32 -0500
    From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: Caricatures of OTR performers

    Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; writes:

>     I'd like to find some caricatures of OTR performers. I know that Al

    Hirschfield

>     did some for the U S Post Office a few years ago. He is (IMHO) the best

    caricaturist

>     there ever was. It doesn't matter who the caricaturist is, as long as I

    find some drawings.

    I agree with you, Kenneth - Hirschfeld is a wonderful artist and easily the
    best caricaturist who ever covered the entertainment scene. Personally, my
    favorite of his drawings are those of the Marx Brothers and of Fred Allen,
    as contained in Allen's radio biography "Treadmill to Oblivion."

    Legitimate (that is to say authorized) prints of his drawings can be
    purchased through the Margo Feiden Galleries: [removed]

    There are also many, many books featuring compliations of his work - some
    still in print, others not - and they come up for sale from time to time on
    eBay. (Beware rip-off sellers, however, who often scan or even photocopy
    Hirschfeld drawings and try to pass them off as authorized. After almost
    100 years on this earth, Al deserves better!)

    For strictly radio-related caricatures, there is a set of color drawings
    originally given away by NBC circa 1947. This was a packet of about 30 5x7
    prints featuring such stars as Allen, Benny, Bergen & McCarthy, Sinatra,
    Cantor, and many others, as well as shows such as "Waltz Time" and
    "American Album of Familiar Music." I have the set myself, but not right at
    hand and I unfortunately can't remember the artist. They are really very
    charming, though printed on fairly inexpensive stock, and can be had from
    time to time on eBay for anywhere from $[removed] - $[removed] Not cheap, but
    perfect for the radio enthusiast.

    Issues of then-contemporary radio magazines such as "Radio Stars" can
    sometimes yield caricatures, but the majority of the radio guide and fan
    publications featured many more photos than drawings so browse before
    buying if you can. Browsing the entertainment sections of old newspapers on
    microfilm at your local library can sometimes result in fairly decent
    drawings, but they're usually more often etchings taken from photos than
    real caricatures. (And I've never seen a really decent copy made from a
    microfilm anyway!)

    Harlan

    Harlan Zinck
    First Generation Radio Archives
    [removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 18:42:45 -0500
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Bartell the [removed]

    So, in addition to being a wonderful, versitle actor, Mr Bartell also
    wrote.  Could you tell us what other scripts you wrote, or was that
    Gunsmoke episode the only one?

    rodney.

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 19:17:17 -0500
    From: Gary McDole <gmcdole@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Burma Shave

    At 12:03 PM 1/9/02 -0500, Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; wrote:

>     I'd like to issue a challenge to any members of
>     the mailing list to send me some examples  of Burma Shave
>     signs which they remember.

    I have mixed feelings about the possibility of cutting short any of the
    fun, but they're all listed at:

    [removed]~dgookin/burma_shave/

    Gary in Berkeley

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

    Date: Wed, 9 Jan 2002 19:37:52 -0500
    From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Burma Shave

    Free! Free!
    A trip to Mars
    For 500
    Empty jars.
    Burma Shave

    He lit a match
    To check gas tank
    That's why they call him
    Skinless Frank.
    Burma Shave

    In this vale
    Of toil and sin
    Your head grows bald
    But not your chin.
    Burma Shave

    The future holds
    Cell phone and jet
    Wait till you see
    The Internet.
    Burma Shave

    I'm not too sure about that last one.

    M Kinsler
    512 E Mulberry St. Lancaster, Ohio USA 740 687 6368
    [removed]~kinsler

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

    Date: Thu, 10 Jan 2002 10:35:07 -0500
    From: Richard Carpenter <sinatra@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Whither Shorty?

      Listening to a later "Amos 'n' Andy" as I drove home from work tonight, I
    found myself wishing Shorty the Barber was still part of the series. Does
    Elizabeth or anyone know what happenbed to him? Did he move on or pass on?
    Surely, his stuttering and sputtering weren't suddenly seen as politically
    incorrect in a series that itself was accused of being incorrect? Or is his
    absence just one of life's unsolvable mysteries?

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #9
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