Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #110
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 3/22/2002 3:41 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 110
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      The Tales of Fatima                   [ "Kim Brown" <classictvlover@hotmail ]
      Hello Again & Dave Warren             [ "Sue Hamilton" <SHamilton@[removed] ]
      "Arsenic and Old Lace" trivia answer  [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
      Frankie Laine                         [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
      Singin' Sam                           [ ADeTol1@[removed] ]
      Singin' Sam                           [ "Don Sherwood" <dmsher@[removed]; ]
      re: Singin' Sam                       [ "Tas Richardson" <tasrichardson@spr ]
      Re: Answers for the "newbie"          [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Re: A rose by any other name          [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Old Time Radio in New York            [ Ivan Watson <watsoni@[removed]; ]
      Re: basic questions of a relative ne  [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 23:32:54 -0500
    From: "Kim Brown" <classictvlover@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: The Tales of Fatima

    Hey,
    I am looking for some "Tales of Fatima" on cassette.  Can anyone help me
    with that.  I am willing to trade for it.

    Thanks,
    Kim

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

    Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 23:33:25 -0500
    From: "Sue Hamilton" <SHamilton@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Hello Again & Dave Warren
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    Hello All - I was the manager for Adventures in Cassettes for 6 1/2 years
    (until it was bought out in 1999) and have maintained a love of old time radio
    (and a pretty good collection that I share with Valerie Hughes--my friend and
    the buyer at AIC).

    I just had to send a message to add to Terry Salomonson's note about Dave
    Warren. Dave and I worked together on a number of old time radio show album
    covers: Fu Manchu, Captain Midnight, Ma Perkins, Young Widder Brown (he hated
    drawing women!), Dangerous Assignment, and my personal favorite: Richard
    Diamond. What a wonderful artist--and an amazing talent for capturing the
    essence of old time radio! I was so privileged to have known him and to have
    seen his great artwork. (Hey Lou -- any way to put some scans of Dave's old
    covers on your Web Page?!)

    We had stayed in touch these past years -- mostly at Christmas -- and I knew
    he was quite sick. But it's never easy to hear of the passing of a friend.
    He'll remain in my thoughts forever. God Speed, Dave Warren. I hope you're
    party-ing with Jack Benny and Phil Harris and all the "Greats" up there!

    Sue Hamilton

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    Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 23:33:45 -0500
    From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: "Arsenic and Old Lace" trivia answers

    Conratulations to Scott Eberbach!  Right on both
    accounts.

    1)Boris Karloff was in the Broadway version of "Arsenic
    and Old Lace" in 1941.  A fact which was included in his
    introduction when he appeared on another radio show,
    "Information Please", shortly thereafter.   He originally
    turned down the role, but decided to change his mind
    when he was told the role was created especially for him.

    2)The final body count was 26---13 for the old ladies and
    13 for Jonathan Brewster.  The final victim, as I recall, was a
    Mr. Witherspoon.  This fact came in the form of one of the
    questions asked on the "Information Please" program I
    mentioned earlier.

    Bravo, Scott!

    Kenneth Clarke

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

    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 00:14:42 -0500
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Frankie Laine

    Frankie Laine will celebrate his 89th birthday on YUSA this Sunday with at
    least 5 surprise celebrities guest.  Take care,

    Walden

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

    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 00:35:43 -0500
    From: ADeTol1@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Singin' Sam

    Subject: Singin' Sam
    Jim F asked if anyone remembered Singin' Sam

    Jerry Bechtel replied:

>     John ask if anyone remembered "Singin' Sam" from the good old [removed]
>     yes, I remember him being known as "Singin' Sam the sunny smile man".
>     But I too forget what shows he was on.

    My memory is also hazy as to where or when, but I do remember him being
    called  "Singin' Sam the Music Man"

    Andy

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

    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:53:56 -0500
    From: "Don Sherwood" <dmsher@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Singin' Sam
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    Singin' Sam was the professional name of Harry Frankel. He claimed himself to
    be a balladeer and not a [removed] Singin'Sam radio show was on from 1925 to
    the late 40's. Many of his last few years were transcribed. He was most famous
    for the Barbasol jingle.
    ( Bar-ba-sol!......Bar-ba-sol!.......No brush, no later, no [removed],wet
    your razor, then be-gin! )

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    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:54:21 -0500
    From: "Tas Richardson" <tasrichardson@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: re: Singin' Sam
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    In answer to Jerry and Jim who asked about Singin' Sam.  His real name was
    Harry Frankel and he first turned up on radio in 1930 doing a 15 minute show
    with Barbasol as his sponsor, and was known as "Singin' Sam the Barbasol Man!"
    He always sang the old songs from the Gay Nineties to the 20's.  This show
    lasted on CBS till 1937.  In 1939 he began a 15 minute nightly syndicated show
    for Coca-Cola.  According to John Dunning's book 'Tune In Yesterday', by 1943
    he was on more than 170 independent stations and had an income of $175,000 a
    year.  The show was transcribed in New York, where he commuted by plane from
    his farm near Richmond, Indiana.  Sam rejoined Barbasol for a season on Mutual
    in 1943.   Then in 1945 he began another series of syndicated shows, called
    'Reminiscin' with Singin' Sam.  He died June 13, 1948.
    I have a few of his shows for Coca Cola from 1939, and never tire of listening
    to them.  Would love to get more.

    Tas, from a chilly Alberta where Spring hasn't arrived yet!

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    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:56:55 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Answers for the "newbie"

    Brian West posted:

>     Hi, this is my first time writing to the Digest and from what I've been
>     reading a relative newcomer to group of people who enjoy oldtime radio.

    Welcome aboard Brian. The more the merrier.

>     Maybe a couple of the elder statesmen I've been reading like Hal Stone or
>     Harry Bartell may be able to help me.

    No Problem. Generally, we get paid $[removed] bucks per answer. But since you're
    new, I'm offering a special [removed] $[removed] bucks per. :)

    Incidentally, I defer to Harry for a more learned and erudite response.
    [removed]'s the "elder statesman". I'm still a kid! :)

>     Here are my questions:

>     1) was the pay good for radio actors? I'm not necessarily looking for
>     numbers, rather whether it was a decent living.

    Like I said, Harry would probably be able to give you a more definitive
    answer on that one, since he did far more Commercially Sponsored Prime Time
    programs than I did. The successful actors (the busy ones, and those with
    running parts), could make a good living. As for me, I was pretty young to
    remember the pay scale back when I started. And since I lived at home, with
    no expenses, and didn't have a family to support, it really wasn't an issue.
    During the ten year run of "Archie Andrews", (when we were Sustaining), I
    think the starting pay per episode was around $25/$35 dollars per.
    (Naturally, that increased over the years, when the performers Union was
    able to negotiate pay increases in the "minimum pay scale" for work on
    Sustaining and/or sponsored broadcasts). One could always negotiate for
    "over scale" if they had the clout.

    During the Swifts Sponsorship of "Archie", I think I was paid $[removed] per
    episode. Then, one year, when the program went Primetime for a 13 week
    period, (Sponsored by Kraft) I was paid $[removed] per episode.

    Obviously, if a performer was active in the business, yes, they could make a
    good living. But just like today, unless they were lucky, and worked often
    enough, many had to find other "day Jobs" to make ends [removed] at the very
    [removed] another career.

>     2) One of my early assumptions had been that radio actors were people
>     generally waiting for their movie opportunity,

    Heck no! You must remember [removed] one time (IMHO) Radio was a bigger,
    popular, and more accessible form of entertainment in this Country than
    Motion Pictures.

    It's fascinating to trace the evolution of "Entertainment". Everything
    started with the Theatre. (AKA "The Stage"). Rumor has it the Greeks started
    it. :) The "Theatre", in all its form's (Drama, Comedy, Vaudeville,
    Minstrel's) was the seed from which all other entertainment sprang. When
    Radio burst on the scene, Movies were barely out of the Silent Film era.

    Initially, Movies competed with the Theatre. [removed] When Radio came along,
    it competed with both those visual forms of entertainment. As Radio became
    more and more popular, the "Stage" and Movie House revenue was adversely
    affected. Radio entertainment was "FREE" to the public, and at one point,
    the Motion Picture companies did not want their "Stars" to appear on Radio.
    They didn't want to aid or promote the competition that was hurting them at
    the Box Office. (That was also true when Television came along and became an
    even bigger threat to the film industry.

    Most Radio (and Film) actors evolved from a varied theatrical background. In
    the 40's, I divided my time between the Stage and Radio (7 plays, 2 bit
    parts in films shot in NY). All Actors was thrilled that many more job
    opportunities opened up in Radio as it became the dominant form of mass
    entertainment.

>     Was it more like today >where you generally have a split with those who are
>     movie actors and those were >tv actors and once in a while you had a
>     crossover?

    I guess to answer your question [removed] least for [removed] Actors, A
    successful career in Network Radio was a goal in and of itself.
    ([removed] Picture performers had to have a certain "look", stage
    presence, physical type, and be photogenic. Radio performers only needed a
    "Voice". That's an oversimplification of course. Those Radio actors who
    could do various "Dialects", (and vocal tricks to change the quality to
    their voice to fit Character types), obviously had more audition or casting
    opportunities.

    I'd say it was more prevalent for Stage Actors to aspire to careers in the
    Movies. But cutting to the chase. To quote the great line from the film
    "Jerry McGuire"... "Show me the money". An Actor didn't care what the medium
    was. Many of them jumped back and forth.

    When Radio was dying out, the actors (those that could) rushed to TV. (And
    we all know that the newer, more "Earth Shaking" medium was obviously the
    reason that Radio died out.) TV exposure often resulted in an actor having
    greater opportunities in Motion Pictures. (After the Movie Industry Moguls
    lost their resentment for their new competition).

    A good friend of mine is a perfect example. Ed Begly was a very popular,
    hard working actor in [removed] Radio. Ed successfully made the transition to
    Live TV Drama, then on to the West Coast, which then led to a successful
    film career as a Character actor.

>     3) This leads to my next question - why would established movie stars do
>     radio(I mean, even Humphrey Bogart had a radio show!!), did they need the
>     money from radio

    No. I believe it was primarily for the "Exposure". It helped the Movie
    Industry promote their stars. I doubt that is was the money that lured them.
    Harry might be able to add more on that score. He worked in "La La Land", I
    was [removed] based.

>     4) Did announcers, like Don Wilson, make decent money or were they considered
>     lesser lights and the payscale was low?

    I must confess, I can't answer that one. ([removed] just saved yourself $24
    bucks) :)

    I honestly don't remember if "Announcers" had a different pay scale than
    performers. I would suspect that they did.  Harry???? Help!!!!

>     5) my last question (for now anyways) concerns the physical setting for doing
>     the shows. My guess is that comedians (like Jack Benny, Burns and Allen,
>     Fred Allen, etc) did their shows in front of a live audience because they
>     might use physical gestures to draw a laugh, while other shows like dramas
>     and
>     serials were done in a room or hall with the actors sitting around
>     microphone. Am I close, or am I way off?

    [removed] for one thing. I don't recall EVER sitting around a table
    reading from scripts. We always worked standing in front of a microphone. A
    normal size cast might use two microphones, separated by 10 feet or so. If
    more than a few actors were involved, they would do a "ballet" of sorts
    around the Mikes to get close when they had a line to say.

    As for a "room or hall"... what's in a name? Special Sound Proof Studios
    (all sizes) were designed and built for the major radio outlets. Walls had a
    sound deadening material on them. A normal room or large hall presented all
    sorts of sound quality problems. Controlling the acoustics was essential.

    Some Dramas even had Studio Audiences. The Theatre Guild of the Air show was
    actually broadcast from a converted Theatre. I don't recall if it was a
    former theatrical or movie theatre.

    And speaking of Fred Allen, as you did earlier. He hated doing his show in
    front of a Studio Audience. He commented that a live studio audience ruined
    the purity of radio. (Or words to that effect)

>     Thank you for providing this outlet to me.

    [removed] problem, Brian. I hope you got your moneys' worth. I will be most
    interested in "Prime Time" Harry Bartells response.

    Regards

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    "Jughead"

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

    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:57:50 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: A rose by any other name

     Ron Sayles asked

>     In 1924 Harlan F. Stone was Attorney General for Calvin
>     Coolidge. Is there any connection between that Harlan Stone and Jughead? Hal
>     would be the obvious one to answer, but maybe someone else would know.

    Actually Ron, Harlan Fisk Stone was known for more than being the Attorney
    General in Coolidges' administration. He became famous as a [removed] Supreme
    Court Justice.

    As for my being related?. No Way, Jose!

    I was christened Harold Frederick Stone Jr. I had to change my name
    "Professionally" when I appeared in the stage production of "Life With
    Father" at age 8.  "Actors Equity",(the stage performers union), already had
    a member named Harold J. Stone (who eventually achieved success as a TV and
    Film actor), and the union suggested to my parents that I use a different
    name to avoid confusion. My Characters' name in the play that I was hired to
    do was "Harlan". My folks took the easy way out, and stuck me with that
    name. At age 8, I hated it. I thought it was "sissy" sounding.  (Sorry, my
    fellow Digester friend, Harlan Zinck) :)

    The only reason I use the name in my postings is that it's the only way
    people knew me when I was a performer. I much prefer Hal. Thank you so much
    for using that form of address when you asked your question. :)

    Regards
    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    AKA Jughead

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

    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 10:54:42 -0500
    From: Ivan Watson <watsoni@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Old Time Radio in New York

    Hello!

    I'll be visting New York for the first time in a few
    days and would like to visit some of the city's "OTR"
    history. I know about the Museum of TV and Radio and
    some of the venues when the great big bands braodcast
    from (Cotton Club, Rainbow Room, etc. ) but I was
    wondering if someone could help me out with any other
    "must-see" OTR places still in existence.

    On another note, my introduction to OTR came from
    listening to a programme called the "Owl Prowl" from
    CKNW 980AM in Vancouver, Canada. The host was Jack
    Cullen and I believe he had been broadcasting since
    the late 1940s up until a couple of years ago. He had
    a fantastic colelction of rare and interesting
    programmes. Does anyone know what happened to him?

    Thanks very much for your help!

    Ivan

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

    Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 12:12:14 -0500
    From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: basic questions of a relative newcomer

    In a message dated 3/21/02 11:05:00 PM, BrianWest2@[removed] asks:

>     1) was the pay good for radio actors? I'm not necessarily looking for
>     numbers, rather whether it was a decent living.

    ***It could be very good by the standards of the times for those who entered
    the inner circle of dramatic radio actors.  Orson Welles reportedly made over
    $1000/weekly in 1938 (most of which helped finance his Broadway Mercury
    Theatre productions).  Dwight Weist was making in excess of $800/week in the
    early 1940s and declined a Hollywood contract because it was for a good deal
    less.  John Archer received $350 per show to star in FBI IN PEACE AND WAR,
    less for THE SHADOW because it was officially a daytime show.  Bret Morrison
    received a peak of $250 per show as THE SHADOW, which was eventually reduced
    to $200 near the end of the run.  Gertrude Warner, one of the busiest
    actresses in New York radio, reportedly made $85,000 annually in the late
    1940s/early 1950s.  Lon Clark's top pay as NICK CARTER, MASTER DETECTIVE was
    $500 per show for a night's work (and also played portrayed lots of
    lesser-paying supporting roles on a lot of other shows during the week) while
    Jay Josten reportedly received $1000 per show for the top-rated MR. DISTRICT
    ATTORNEY.***

>     2) One of my early assumptions had been that radio actors were people
>     generally waiting for their movie opportunity, yet I've also noticed that
>     movie stars (Jimmy Stewart-Six Shooter, Edmund O'Brien-YTJD, for example) did
>     radio. Was it more like today where you generally have a split with those who
>     are movie actors and those were tv actors and once in a while you had a
>     crossover?

    ***Some radio actors, like Frank Lovejoy, definitely were waiting for that
    movie opportunity.  Some, like Dwight Weist, turned down movies because they
    were making better money in radio.  John Archer left Hollywood where he was
    under contract at $300 weekly to establish Broadway credentials whille
    supporting himself with radio work, quickly rose to a point where he was
    making around double his Hollywood paycheck just starring in THE SHADOW and
    FBI IN PEACE AND WAR, and eventually returned to Hollywood with an even
    larger paycheck.  Orson Welles continued his radio work for a decade after
    making CITIZEN KANE and usually made more in radio.  As an example, in 1944
    Welles only made one film (TOMORROW IS FOREVER) for $20,000 (a big pay cut
    due to the failure of his previous films).  However, his weekly radio series
    and occasional guest spots netted him $270,000 that year (as I recall, give
    or take 10 grand or so) while his royalties as an author brought in another
    $9000.  (Again, this is from memory and my numbers might be slightly off
    ($280,000 for radio possibly?) but radio was still Orson's biggest moneymaker
    by far.***

>     3) This leads to my next question - why would established movie stars do
>     radio (I mean, even Humphrey Bogart had a radio show!!), did they need the
>     money from radio ( I guess I'm comparing them to old-time ballplayers who had
>     to get a job in the offseason).

    ***As I recall, Bogart and Bacall's profit-sharing deal netted them $5000 per
    show, money they badly needed to buy out Bacall's contract with Warner
    Brothers.  Both desired to go freelance (as James Stewart had several years
    earlier) and regular radio income put them in a lot better bargaining
    position with the Hollywood Studios.  In other words, the could refuse bad
    scripts or bad contracts because they could live off their radio income.
    (And $5000 for a couple hours work was great money, even by Hollywood
    standards.)***

>     4) Did announcers, like Don Wilson, make decent money or were they considered
>     lesser lights and the payscale was low?

    ***Announcers were extremely-well paid, which is why actors like Dwight
    Weist, Bud Collyer and Kenny Delmar quickly moved into announcing.  They also
    worked on each and every show, unlike supporting players, and got to announce
    their own name at the end of the show.  (Ken Roberts regularly proclaimed
    "Your announcer, Ken Roberts" at the end of each episode of THE SHADOW, while
    stars Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead, Bill Johnstone and Marjorie Anderson
    were only acknowledged in the final broadcast of the season.  I suspect that,
    after the series' star, the announcer was considered the most important . . .
    since it was the announcer who delivered the sponsor's commercial message.
    Radio was a commercial medium, and getting that product plug in was what the
    sponsors and networks were really interested in.***

>     5) my last question (for now anyways) concerns the physical setting for doing
>     the shows. My guess is that comedians (like Jack Benny, Burns and Allen,
>     Fred Allen, etc) did their shows in front of a live audience because they
>     might use physical gestures to draw a laugh, while other shows like dramas
>     and
>     serials were done in a room or hall with the actors sitting around
>     microphone. Am I close, or am I way off?

    ***Depends on the performer.  Fred Allen detested physical comedy that drew a
    laugh that couldn't be understood by the audience at home.  Most comedy shows
    were done before a live audience, though Gosden and Correll performed AMOS
    'N' ANDY in a small studio with only an engineer throughout the heyday of the
    15-minute serial version.  Conversely, THE SHADOW and NICK CARTER, MASTER
    DETECTIVE originated from Broadway's Longacre Theatre for much of their run.
    In general, comedians preferred performing before a live audience.  However,
    so did a lot of dramatic actors.  In some cases, it had to do with logistics.
     It took a lot more setup time to do a show before a live audience than in a
    closed studio.  Cost even more to set up a show from a remote location, but
    Pepsodent contributed the extra funds to do Bob Hope's broadcasts from
    Military bases, partly as a patriotic wartime measure but also because the
    soldier's laughed harder than civilian audiences which made the star much
    happier (and sounded better over the air). --ANTHONY TOLLIN***

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #110
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