Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #227
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 6/6/2003 9:03 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 227
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Morality Themes                       [ Steve Gibbs <stevegibbs@[removed]; ]
      Morality shows                        [ "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed] ]
      youngest fans needed for article      [ rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed] ]
      Green Hornet TV                       [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Arthur Godfrey on TV                  [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Seattle OTR Event                     [ JJJ445@[removed] ]
      Fred Howard and WNAX tower anniversa  [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
      June 7th birthdays                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Martian Death March                   [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 00:53:48 -0400
    From: Steve Gibbs <stevegibbs@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Morality Themes

    I'd suggest any of the Archie [removed] programs
    always seemed to have a good message, and both my
    8-year-old and 13-year-old love them!

    Steve Gibbs
    Omaha, NE

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 16:45:17 -0400
    From: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Morality shows

    	In #226, Chris Werner (frequent raffle winner and all around good
    guy) reminded me of Nightfall, another excellent program that fits in well
    with the theme.  I've been fascinated in this thread and have been interested
    in each response to see what shows people would pick.

    	One thing I'd like to point out is that morality shows and religious
    shows aren't necessarilly the same thing.  You can have morality without
    religion and religion without morality.  Father Coughlin (sic?) comes to mind
    - certainly religious, but I doubt many on this list would argue that the
    show is very [removed]

    	Anyway, another show that comes to mind - and again I'm at work, so I
    can't give more details - is Gunsmoke.  Many episodes would work, but the one
    I'm thinking of is where a group of men lynch a man because they believe he
    was stealing horses.  Afterwords, they learn that he was innocent and try to
    conceal the crime.  Matt (who hates lynching) is trying to bring them in
    while the lynched man's son starts hunting them down.  Can anyone help with a
    title and date?????    Anyway, I think it would make an excellent basis for a
    discussion on judgement, vengance, due process, innocence, [removed]

    Just some thoughts,
    -chris holm

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 16:45:40 -0400
    From: rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  youngest fans needed for article

    I'm currently working on an article about the appeal of OTR on the under-30
    crowd.  I'd like to hear from a few people who fit into this demographic.
    Specifically, what I'd like to know is how you got interested in OTR, why you
    enjoy it, and what you think can be done to pass the love of audio drama onto
    other generations.

    I'd especially love to hear from some very young people (maybe under 15?)

    rodney.

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 16:46:32 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Green Hornet TV

    Rick Keating wrote:

>     I was too young to have
>     watched the show in first run airing, but I've never
>     even seen the Green Hornet series show up on any
>     station, network or cable, in any of the years since

    There is a possibility that Bruce Lee co-starring in the show might have
    something to do with it.  A few years ago a mom and pop publishing company
    released a book about Bruce Lee, and was all gung-ho about their latest
    book.  Months after its release, they were approached from someone of the
    Bruce Lee estate for royalties because they featured pictures of Lee in
    their book.  Since then the mom and pop company has had going-out-of-debt
    sales.

    Cable and satellite channels could play the series once each week like FX
    did years ago and that would last almost a whole year, but I'm sure with
    both 20th Century Fox and the Bruce Lee estate getting some piece of the
    action, that the chances of a station affording a syndication package would
    be less than I LOVE LUCY.

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 16:49:53 -0400
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Arthur Godfrey on TV

    Hello - belated response to Larry Jordan's question about whether Arthur
    Godfrey was on television, or just on radio as the self-admitted
    "babyboomer"  recalls.

    He was indeed, and without doubt the biggest thing there was in television
    in this country and across our northern border in Canada, where he was
    equally popular, and where his numerous phonograph records for Columbia
    Records, Incorporated were pressed by a Canadian company with the Canadian
    Columbia label.

    His morning show "Arthur Godfrey Time" was simulcast on the CBS TV network
    as they wanted to expand their coverage throughout the daytime hours.  I
    believe that when that started, the program ran 90 minutes (six 15-minute
    sections, each with a different sponsor) five days a week.  It was such to
    the end of that run.  Like many radio veterans (Jack Benny, Fred Allen,
    George Burns, and other radio favorites among them), Mr. Godfrey did not
    think much of TV, and did not want to "do a television show".  But he
    allowed the network to put TV cameras into the same studio where he did his
    morning show, and they undoubtedly had to add additional lighting, which
    was probably rather warm!

    They did not play to the cameras, but eventually he and the singers and
    Tony Marvin the announcer learned to look into the cameras as they did
    their stuff.  At first the same sponsors and their messages were seen on
    TV, but over time the TV director added visuals, and finally brief film
    intros and show-ending bits were used instead of what Tony Marvin was
    saying for the radio [removed] always the same sponsor.  If there was
    a sponsor that did not want the TV coverage (I know of none), they were
    replaced by someone who did.

    One byproduct of the enormous success on television was that Mr. Godfrey's
    physical anonymity disappeared virtually overnight.  He could no longer
    walk the streets or eat at Walgreen's, where he would eavesdrop on the
    conversation in the adjacent booth, as he formerly did.  This cut off a
    supply of wonderful anecdotal material, so Mr. Godfrey had to turn to a
    team of writers to supply material for his daily programs.  It was a very
    large team, indeed, as much of the material which found its way onto the
    airwaves was from thousands of letters weekly, received from listeners
    eager to share real-life stories and gags, with their colleagues in Mr.
    Godfrey's daily audience.  That group, by the way, at its peak was
    estimated to be some 80 Million listeners.  With a [removed] census of
    approximately 240 million at the time, it equaled about one third of the
    [removed] population.  That would now require a regular audience of about 100
    Million.  Very few broadcasts today ever achieve such widespread attention,
    and those which do are usually one-shot things and are televised around the
    world.

    Meanwhile, the network started "Arthur Godfrey and his Talent Scouts" on
    radio, first on Tuesday evenings, then moved to Mondays.  It was such a
    success there that it, too, was simulcast.

    Such success, indeed, that it was decided to have a television-only entry
    for "Arthur Godfrey and his Friends".  This was on Wednesday nights from 8
    to 9 [removed] Eastern time.   Over the years this format was changed, it cut
    back to a half-hour, and ran various days under differing names.

    All of these were top-rated programs for their days and time periods, and
    all ran for years.  Eventually Mr. Godfrey felt that television ground
    exceeding well, and retreated back to the morning radio show that started
    it all, which ran until 1972.  When it left the air, it was the last
    all-entertainment daily network program to do so, several years after the
    penultimate show did so.  That one was the somewhat similar-format ABC
    program, "Don McNeill's Breakfast Club".

    For one season, Mr. Godfrey's fascination with the ukulele caused him to do
    two 15-minute programs (Tuesday and Thursday evenings, at least at the
    beginning) giving ukulele instructions.  At that time, an entrepreneurial
    man named Mario Maccafferri had developed a very competent plastic ukulele,
    which performed well and sold for around $[removed]  Mr. Godfrey promoted it
    extensively, and published sales figures vary according to who one reads,
    but ran into the millions of units.

    Mr. Maccafferri wanted to give Arthur Godfrey a "piece of the action", but
    the "old redhead" declined to accept any part of this incredible
    manufacturing boon.  His reward, he said, was to help in the promotion of
    the ukulele.  Indeed, of the several ukulele "hot" sales periods since the
    Victorian era, this one was without question the biggest and most
    successful.  Many of these instruments survive (undoubtedly many more went
    the way of popular toys over the years), and are often seen as offerings at
    eBay and other auction outlets.  Varying in condition, they invariably
    bring in far more than that $4 to $5 original retail price.

    I don't have the exact dates for all of these handy, as my reference
    materials are still packed due to my move from New Jersey to
    Virginia.  Basically, this was a 1950s phenomenon, although as I said, the
    morning radio program ran for many years.  When it left the air, it also
    had cut back to 30 minutes a day.

    During Mr. Godfrey's heyday especially the 1950s on television, it was
    impossible to walk to a news stand or magazine store, and not find Mr.
    Godfrey's photo on the cover or front page of several magazines and
    newspapers.  Publishers and editors caught on quickly that by touting Mr.
    Godfrey on the cover, they could increase their usual press run
    substantially, and space salesman ahead of time would gleefully inform
    advertisers of the coming Godfrey connection.  In this way, Mr. Godfrey's
    salesmanship sold not only millions of dollars worth of his own sponsors'
    products, but increased the sales of many others who had no connection with
    his programs.

    This rubbing-off effect also caused a substantial increase in the sales of
    all kinds of tea, including brands in direct competition with Lipton Tea,
    which sponsored the "Talent Scouts" program.

    Mr. Godfrey's evening programs came from the CBS Television studio that is
    now called "The Ed Sullivan Theater", from which today the David Letterman
    program originates.  Andy Rooney, who in the 1950s was one of the writers
    for the Arthur Godfrey programs, says he feels it should in all fairness
    and respect be named "The Arthur Godfrey Theater".

    This year is the Centennial of the birth of Arthur Godfrey in 1903, and the
    Twentieth Anniversary of his death in 1983.  Many people respecting his
    activities and prominence are encouraging the [removed] Postal Service to issue
    a Commemorative Stamp in honor of Arthur Godfrey.

    If you'd like to join in this encouragement, please send an Email to me
    indicating that you support the issuance of an "Arthur Godfrey Stamp", and
    send to me directly, rather than to this Digest.

    My Email is:  leemunsick@[removed]

    Many thanks!  Lee Munsick

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 16:54:43 -0400
    From: JJJ445@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Seattle OTR Event

    Dear Friends:

    Just a reminder that it isn't too late to consider attending this year's
    premiere OTR event in Seattle,  the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound's (REPS)
    Showcase XI. "Radio and the Silver Screen" is the theme of this year's convention.
    We've invited close to two dozen OTR veterans to join us mikeside to make
    this a most memorable occasion.

    Events scheduled include:

    -- A career tribute and gentle roast of Harry Bartell, acting and announcing
    veteran of more than 10,000 shows

    -- Performances, presentations and interviews with a dazzling array of guests
    including: Larry Albert, Alice Backes, Harry Bartell, Dick Beals, Bill
    Brooks, Frank Buxton, Ben Cooper, Jim Cox, Sam Edwards, Ray Erlenborn, Jim and
    Pat French, Barbara Fuller,  Art Gilmore, Phil Harper, Bob Hastings, Paul
    Herlinger, Jimmy Lydon, Jo Anna March,  Hal Stone, Gale Storm, Gil
    Stratton, Jr., Ginny Tyler, Anne Whitfield Phillips, Doug Young and many others.

    -- A demonstration of sound effects techniques and devices by legendary sound
    effects wizard Ray Erlenborn, whose credits include Jack Benny's vault door
    creak, the Fresh Air taxi for "The Amos 'n' Andy Show," and the cash register
    at Lum and Abner's Jot 'em Down Store

    -- OTR Research & Writing will be the topic of a workshop and for a panel
    discussion featuring author Jim Cox, Harlan Zinck, Preservation Manager of the
    First Generation Radio Archives, and Stewart Wright, compiler and/or contributor
    to dozens of original radio logs.

    -- A lively panel discussion about working on "The Lux Radio Theater,"
    featuring several radio veterans who appeared on that series

    -- The annual Saturday evening "Banquet of the Stars," featuring one or more
    radio performers seated at each table, allowing guests to chat at leisure with
    one of the cast during dinner.

    -- A private tour of The American Museum of Radio with its curators Jonathan
    Winter and John Jenkins, and a catered reception and presentation on "Building
    Voices:" with radio veteran Dick Beals.

    For more information, visit [removed] for the tentative program
    schedule, registration form, and information on a convention hotel discount, or
    send an e-mail to REPSShowcase@[removed]

    We look forward to seeing you there.

    John

    John Jensen
    Federal Way, WA

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 17:00:31 -0400
    From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Fred Howard and WNAX tower anniversary

    Bill mentioned Fred Howard on Straight Arrow.  I have a short interview from
    WNAX's Midwest Farmer Days of 1944 in which he gives brief imitations of
    himself as Shuffle on Ma Perkins and of one of the villains on Jack
    Armstrong.  He probably played many role in his radio career.

    This year is the 60th anniversary of the completion of the "world's tallest
    radio tower" at WNAX, Yankton, SD.  The tower is still being used, and its
    signal reaches 5 states.  I have a tape of the description of the two men as
    they climbed that tower.  As they were climbing, they released helium
    balloons and inside were war bonds.  There are two interesting interviews.
    One is with then chief engineer, Cliff Todd, who describes some of the
    technical details of the tower.  The other is with the contractor who
    installed the tower.  Incidentally, the station had hired a "human fly" to
    climb the tower, but he backed out and was replaced by two men from Omaha.
    They climbed the 925 foot tower in about 45 minutes.

    Ted Kneebone/1528 S. Grant [removed], SD 57401/605-226-3344
    OTR: [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 17:02:27 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  June 7th  birthdays

    If you were born on the 7th of June, you share your birthday with:

    06-07-1891 - Alois Havrilla - Pressov, Hungary - d. 12-7-1952
    announcer: "Campbell Soup Orchestra"; "Jack Benny Program"
    06-07-1903 - Glen Gray - Metamora, IL - d. 8-23-1963
    bandleader: "Camel Caravan"
    06-07-1903 - Joseph Kahn - NYC
    pianist: "Voice of Firestone"; "Story of Mary Marlin"
    06-07-1909 - Jessica Tandy - London, England - d. 9-11-1994
    actress: Liz Marriott "The Marriage"; Mildred Rogers "Of Human Bondage"
    06-07-1917 - Dean Martin - Steubenville, OH - d. 12-25-1995
    singer, comedian: "Martin and Lewis Show"
    06-07-1926 - Dick Williams - Wall Lake, IA
    singer: (The Williams Brothers)

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn and Spencer Tracy

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 17:36:13 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

       From Those Were The Days --

       6/6

    1938 - Stella Dallas was presented for the first time on the NBC Red
    network. The serial was "the true to life story of mother love and
    sacrifice." Stella Dallas continued to do this and so much more until 1955.

    1944 - CBS radio saluted America's war doctors with The Doctor Fights,
    presented for the first time this day.

      6/7

    1945 - The NBC program The Adventures of Topper was heard for the first
    time.

    1955 - NBC presented The Lux Radio Theatre for the final time. The
    program had aired for 21 years.

       Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage: [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2003 22:43:26 -0400
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Martian Death March

>     One of the best, most heartbreaking, most human stories to appear on that
>     series, X Minus [removed]

    Ernest Kinoy said he was inspired by the march of the tribes of Indians who
    were forced from their lands to reservations against their will.

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #227
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