Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #219
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 7/3/2004 8:03 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 219
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Characters named Bradley              [ Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Unorthodox MP3 player                 [ "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed]; ]
      Independance Day Weekend with Walden  [ BryanH362@[removed] ]
      Re: Zeppo Lives!                      [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Re: comedy and laughing               [ David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@yahoo. ]
      Personal Album                        [ Jandpgardner@[removed] ]
      Morgenthau                            [ Richard Carpenter <sinatra@ragingbu ]
      IMPORTANT reminder                    [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Re: Eddie Anderson                    [ "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed]; ]
      Gangbusters books                     [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      REPS Showcase 2004                    [ Don Strong <donsplace@[removed] ]
      7-3 births/deaths                     [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:32:12 +0000
    From: Lee Munsick <leemunsick@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Characters named Bradley

    For the gentleman who thinks he was named by his broadcasting fan mother
    after a radio character named Bradley, I would doubt that this is the
    person who inadvertently gave you his moniker, but here is someone about
    whom you should know:

    Bradley ("Brad") Barker was one of the more famous sound effects
    artists.  He specialized in imitating animals, especially dogs.  And yes,
    his name was Barker.  Perhaps his most famous effort was as "Sandy", Little
    Orphan Annie's ubiquitous canine cutie.  In the late 1930s, Barker played
    opposite Agnes Moorehead on a program called "The Mighty Show", a CBS
    across-the-board airer which supposedly took place within a circus.  This
    undoubtedly gave Brad all kinds of roles to fill, differing week after week!

    Always a fetching character in vital supporting roles, Bradley filled many
    such, and became a pet choice of animal-loving directors!  He was nearly
    the star of "Renfrew of the Mounted", the CBS bold-faced rip-off of
    "Challenge of the Yukon".  Bradley bayed the opening and closing wolf howls
    that were practically the themesong for the show.

    RCMP Inspector Douglas Renfrew, by the way, was played with class and
    distinction as always by House Jameson, better known as Henry Aldrich's
    father.  This man of the House family was the veteran of probably a score
    of ongoing radio series, and appeared in a number of films and early
    television programs.

    But back to Bradley Barker.  OTR fans and SFX experts have had a lot of fun
    kidding about the man whose moniker was Barker, but who also played that
    role with great conviction, experience, panache, and expertise.  Arf!

    Our inquirer named Bradley might also want to check into Truman Bradley, a
    veteran actor-announcer whose voice and visage added prestige and class for
    numerous sponsors on many, many radio programs, films and television
    shows.   Probably this Bradley's best-known TV role was under his own name
    as host of "Science Fiction Theater", which aired in the mid-1950s and
    again in the 1960s.  In the latter run, it appeared under the title "Beyond
    the Limits".  This was about the same time as the better known "The Outer
    Limits" which is still kicking around in film and reruns.

    Bradley, I guess we've overwhelmed you with too many Bradleys to bite
    into.  Do your dog-gone Best!

    Cheers from dog lover Lee Munsick, whose pets resemble Corky of the Disney
    TV series.

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:32:22 +0000
    From: "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Unorthodox MP3 player

    I have a large collection of mp3 files which I wanted to listen to anywhere
    in the house. Running speaker wires from the computer to speakers all over
    the place is one solution, but then you have to keep going back to the
    computer to select programs, and different people can't listen to different
    programs in different parts of the house. What I really needed was several
    cheap little computers, each with a display screen for selecting programs
    from the main computer and an audio jack to connect to a stereo in the room.
    Happily I stumbled upon the perfect answer, in a failed product from a few
    years ago called a 3Com Audrey.

    The Audrey was one of a generation of "internet appliances" that a number of
    manufacturers unsuccessfully tried to sell. Basically it is a stripped-down
    computer with no hard drive, whose main purpose is Internet use. It was
    designed to sit on the kitchen table for reading the morning news, checking
    the weather, stock market, looking up recipes, buying things online, etc. It
    is about 10 inches square and 2 inches thick, with a small touch screen
    about 5" by 7". It looks sort of like a Jetsons version of an Etch-a-Sketch.
    Originally the Audrey sold for $499, but you can get them on EBay new or
    used for about $80. A large hobbyist community has grown up around the
    Audrey. People have figured out how to replace the original software, adding
    mp3 players and other fun things. Various people sell them preconfigured on
    EBay.

    I bought several Audreys and an 8-port network switch ($35) to hook them
    together, stringing many feet of network wire discreetly through the house.
    You don't really have to be a computer geek to get such a system set up.
    (Personally I am a computer geek, but all I did was plug everything in and
    turn it on and it all just worked.)

    So now, instead of sitting in front of the computer to listen to my OTR
    files, I can settle back in the recliner in the living room. Simultaneously
    the kids can be in the basement rec room streaming music on a different
    Audrey. At night my wife plugs headphones into the Audrey in our bedroom and
    listens to audio books to lull her to sleep. Whatever mp3 files I add to the
    main computer are immediately available throughout the house. It's a great
    system! My next project is to build an antique radio case around an Audrey.

    I realize this sort of setup probably isn't for everybody, but if you have
    an interest give me a buzz and I will go into more details.

    Doug Leary
    Seattle

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:32:46 +0000
    From: BryanH362@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Independance Day Weekend with Walden
      Hughes
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    _[removed]_ ([removed])    for  live streaming
    Friday , Saturday , Sunday  at
             9:30 pm   CDT    /  7:30  PDT. There was some talk that the  Friday
    Night Show would begin at 6:00 PM PDT  with a special live feature  this
    week .
      Not able to confirm by press time.

    Friday 7-2-04

    A.  Walden will broadcast part of the Friday night show from Fort  Worth
    thus during the Frank Bresee live  segment we will have no call in  number.

    B.  There will be background music with a live orchestra.

    Saturday 7-3-04

    A.  A short interview with Bob Hope by George Fisher.  Frank  Bresee was
    behind the scenes during this interview.

    Sunday 7-4-04

    A.  Mike Biels will be on the road, thus there is a good chance he  will not
    be available this Sunday .

    B.  There is a good chance that Laura Leff's Jack Benny feature   will be
    heard at 8 [removed] West Coast time rather than 9 [removed]  Laura will  present the
    Jack
    Benny show of 6-20-37.

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:33:19 +0000
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Zeppo Lives!

    On 7/2/04 12:18 AM [removed]@[removed] wrote:

     >I thought I was the only person in the world who viewed the
     >departure of Zeppo as a liability, not an asset.  Thankfully, there's an
     >online international organization that agrees with me: SPAZ - the Society
     >for the Prevention of Abuse toward Zeppo.

    Zeppo is, and has always been, my favorite Marx Brother. That he was
    actually a comic artist of rare subtlety cannot be denied by anyone who's
    ever closely watched his hilariously insincere performance of "Everyone
    Says I Love You" in "Horse Feathers," in which he sings right thru Thelma
    Todd without ever once suggesting that he actually believes any of the
    sentiments he is vocalizing -- and in doing so, he deconstructs the whole
    notion of cheesy early-thirties crooning.

    The problem with Zeppo's successors -- Allan Jones, Tony Martin, et al --
    is that they didn't realize and never acknowledged how ridiculous and
    superfluous they actually were in terms of their relationship to the
    Marxes' world. They took themselves, and their performances, seriously --
    which, today, makes them far more painful to watch than Zeppo ever was.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:33:32 +0000
    From: David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: comedy and laughing

    In speaking about "ritualistic stuff", Steven A.
    Kallis, Jr., writes: "I suspect that for many
    listeners, each repetition of the "funny" material
    merely evoked fond memories, which might have
    been enough."

    One of the "rituals" you didn't mention is one alluded
    to another message in this issue of the digest, and
    that is Mr. Oldtimer's "That ain't the way I heeerd
    it. The way I heeerd it [removed]" on the Fibber McGee &
    Molly show.

    On those rare occasions when I manage to get my oldest
    daughter to listen to FM&M (usually forced listening
    while riding in the car with Dad, haha) and Mr.
    Oldtimer's segment comes on, there is uproarious
    laughter from the audience.  Inevitably my daughter
    says: "What is so funny?" (Now she's 20 years old, so
    the humor is obviously not touching her, and not just
    over her head.)  In my own inept way I try to explain
    that it's one of those things that are just kind of
    expected, kind of a trademark, that is funny simply
    because of that reason alone.  My explanation had no
    impact.  And of course, I could think of no
    contemporary parallels to help her understand it.

    Of my three kids, my youngest, my son (13) is the most
    susceptible to OTR, and, if the truth must be told, I
    think a closet admirer of the art, though he wouldn't
    dare admit it to anyone else.  He fell in love with
    Archie's "twitter" when Veronica gave her trademark,
    "Hellooo, Archie", and every time he would hear it he
    would break up in his own uproarious laughter and
    rewind the tape again and again to that point (my
    cassettes of the Archie show have distinct thin spots
    in certain segments).

    Dave Phaneuf

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:33:43 +0000
    From: Jandpgardner@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Personal Album
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    On a CD I purchased recently there are some tracks that come from the AFRS
    wartime series called 'Personal Album'. I have been able to find very  little
    information about this series. In Jay Hickerson's book he gives  the dates as
    1944-5 and says 147 of the 15 min. shows are available  of 'about 1100 shows
    broadcast'. Jay refers to the shows as 'many bands'  and gives the numbers of
    the 147 shows that are available but does not  give the names of the bands or
    singers in those shows. David Goldin on  his website gives brief details of
    124
    shows in the series (nearly all  by female singers as opposed to bands) but
    many of his numbers do not match  those listed by Jay and he doesn't list the
    show by the artist on my CD  (Betty Grable). In his book 'This is the American
    Forces Network', Patrick  Morley only says that the series was "given over to
    one particular  performer (women vocalists to start with)" and was a "daily
    musical program  (stated on AFN to be) brought to you by the Theater
    Savings and
    Insurance  Office".  A 'Google' search has not assisted but I would like to
    find  out more about this series.
    Does anyone know where details of the shows in the 'Personal Album' series
    can be found and how copies of the shows can be obtained?
    Thanks in advance for any help.
    John.

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:33:56 +0000
    From: Richard Carpenter <sinatra@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Morgenthau

       In a posting in this forum about Fred Allen's
    topical humor, there was a reference to jokes about
    Petrillo. In my OTR listening I've also noticed a
    plethora of jokes about Morgenthau -- FDR's treasury
    secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. -- on shows from Fred
    Allen to Amos 'n' Andy. I can't imagine today's TV
    audience chuckling over jokes about a secretary of the
    treasury. I can't imagine that audience even knowing
    who the treasury secretary is. Either audiences were
    more knowledgeable then or Morgenthau's fame was an
    exception.

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 12:42:47 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  IMPORTANT reminder

    Just an FYI for posters and lurkers . . .

    There's a virus being spread through e-mail in the form of a .zip
    attatchment, and it's being spread through OTR fans.  I just received by
    third e-mail in the last three weeks, and all of them are people who are
    OTR fans and posters on the digest.  They usually have one or two word
    descriptions like "read me" or "important", and the subject line usually
    reads "I love you" or "thank you" or something of this type.  The
    attatchment has had different names but always ended with .zip

    Someone's already been working on figuring out who the culprit is, but the
    e-mails all have attatchments ending with .zip and vague descriptions and
    subject lines, and always giving the appearance that they are from other
    OTR posters.  As a reminder, DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENT unless you are
    absolutely sure you know what the attatchment is, and if you were expecting
    the attatchment or not.  Best to be safe than sorry.
    Martin Grams, Jr.

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: Questions or comments about viruses and how to avoid them
    should be sent to me DIRECTLY at listmaster@[removed] - please do NOT send
    virus-related posts to the Digest.  --cfs3]

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:34:17 +0000
    From: "Brian L Bedsworth" <az2pa@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Eddie Anderson

    "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback@[removed]; wrote:

     > A couple of nights ago I watched that classic Bette Davis movie
     > "Jezebel".  An actor appeared on screen who looked quite familiar.  But
     > then he talked and he didn't *sound* familiar at all. That is the voice
     > did not match the face.  I'm talking about Eddie Anderson, of course.
     > There was no gravel in his voice.  In fact, he sounded perfectly normal.
     > The movie was made in 1938, though I don't know if that makes a
     > difference.  My question -- how real was his Rochester voice?  If that
     > was his real voice, how come he sounded so different in 1938?  Did
     > something happen to his throat?

    The story has always gone that Anderson strained his vocal chords
    as a young boy trying to out-hawk rival newsboys on noisy
    streetcorners. Whether or not this is true is, of course, lost to history.

    What is =not= "lost to history", though, is the fact that, long before
    Anderson's association with the Benny program,  the "Rochester"
    voice had been Anderson's trademark as a vaudeville singer as well
    as in what were then called "race" films, like 1936's "The Green Pastures"
    or, later, his best-known film vehicle, "Cabin in the Sky".

    Having never seen "Jezebel" (yeah, yeah, I'm a philistine), I'm not
    qualified to say why (or, honestly, even =if=) his voice may sound
    substantially different there. It's certainly possible that screening
    audiences weren't enamored with the way his voice came across,
    leading the studio to loop another actor's voice over Anderson's
    performance, but that's only speculation.

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:34:30 +0000
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Gangbusters books

    In response to a few e-mails, for those who pre-paid for their book, the
    GANG BUSTERS books are being mailed out within a week or two.  I'm still on
    the road attending conventions so the books have not yet been delivered to
    the house for me to start packing and shipping them out.  Please have
    patience, it's only another week or two.
    Martin Grams, Jr.
    [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:34:40 +0000
    From: Don Strong <donsplace@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  REPS Showcase 2004

    For those of you who had to miss Showcase 2004, I am truly sorry for
    you.  I've been to many, many "fan" conventions over the past few decades,
    and I can say without reservation that REPS puts on the absolute best!

    Not only were the guests professional, approachable, and wonderful but the
    attendees were the most pleasant and likeable group of people I've had the
    pleasure to spend too little time with that I've ever met at such an event.

    The Thursday afternoon workshop was more fun than I could have imagined,
    the recreations were excellent (Gil Stratton's ''ghost" in the cold read
    was hilarious), and I made many new friends and learned a LOT.  How did you
    get to be so knowledgeable at such a young age, Martin?

    Rather than run on for far too long - many memories, many impressions -
    I'll just say that if at all possible, start making plans for 2005 now!

    --- [removed]
    "Never mess up an apology with an excuse."

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

    Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 11:01:09 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  7-3 births/deaths

    July 3rd births

    07-03-1878 - George M. Cohan - Providence, RI - d. 11-5-1942
    composer: "Collier Hour"; "Ed Sullivan Show"; "Free Company"
    07-03-1881 - Leon Errol - Sydney, Australia - d. 10-12-1951
    actor, comedian: WENR Chicago
    07-03-1899 - Herb Polesie - d. 6-8-1979
    panelist: "Twenty Questions"
    07-03-1903 - Wynne Gibson - NYC - d. 5-15-1987
    actress: Amah "Thanks for Tomorrow"; Angie "When a Girl Marries"
    07-03-1906 - George Sanders - St. Petersburg, Russia - d. 4-26-1972
    host: "High Adventure"; "Hollywood Hotel"; "[removed] Steel Hour"; "Cavalcade of
    America"
    07-03-1913 - Dorothy Kilgallen - Chicago, IL - d. 11-8-1965
    commentator: "Voice of Broadway"; "Breakfast with Dorothy and Dick"
    07-03-1914 - Gertrude Niesen - Mid-Atlantic Ocean - d. 3-27-1975
    singer: "Songs by Gertrude Niesen"; "Good News of 1939"
    07-03-1915 - Jerry Gray - Boston MA - d. 8-10-1976
    bandleader: "I Sustain the Wings"; "Philip Morris Frolics"; "Club 15"
    07-03-1930 - Pete Fountain - New Orleans, LA
    dixieland clarinetist: "New Year's All-Star Parade of Bands"

    July 3rd deaths

    02-25-1913 - Jim Backus - Cleveland, OH - d. 7-3-1989
    comedian: Hubert Updike "Alan Young Show"; Chester Fenwick "Sad Sack"
    03-22-1920 - Ross Martin - Grodek, Poland (R; NYC) - d. 7-3-1981
    actor: Soap Opera "Janice Grey"
    03-27-1921 - Harold Nicholas - Winston-Salem, NC - d. 7-3-2000
    dancer: (The Nicholas Brothers) "Big Broadcast of 1936"; "Ben Bernie Show"
    07-28-1901 - Rudy Vallee - Island Pond, VT (Raised: Westbrook, ME) - d.
    7-3-1986
    singer, bandleader, emcee: (The Vagabond Lover) "Fleischmann Hour"; Rudy
    Vallee Show"
    10-08-1919 - Gabriel Dell - Barbados, British West Indies - d. 7-3-1988
    actor: (The Dead End Kids) "Texaco Star Playhouse"
    12-22-1885 - Deems Taylor - NYC - d. 7-3-1966
    commentator: "Deems Taylor Music Series"; "Prudential Family Hour"; "RCA
    Victor Show"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #219
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