Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #284
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 7/24/2002 3:39 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 284
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Leftwich's reel-to-reel tapes         [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]
      Naughty person?                       [ ClifSr@[removed] ]
      Andy Devines greatest role?           [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
      Tasteless Humor                       [ "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@worldnet. ]
      Fu Manchu on MP3                      [ Steven Kelez <otrsteve@[removed]; ]
      CHICAGO TALENT DIRECTORY              [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
      Fred Allen                            [ "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@delphiau ]
      ERROL FLYNN                           [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
      RADIO DIGEST                          [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
      Artists Directories                   [ "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@worldn ]
      Ubangi's, the bomb and Fibber on TV   [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Five Exciting New Radio Shows         [ "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@ezlin ]

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 10:52:26 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

      From Those Were The Days --

    1933 - The first broadcast of The Romance of Helen Trent was heard on
    radio. The show continued on the air for 7,222 episodes and 27 years.
    Amazingly, Helen stayed at 35 years of age throughout the entire
    series.  The show used two Helen Trents over the years. The first Helen
    was played by Virginia Clark (for 11 years) and the second by Julie
    Stevens (for 16 years).

    1943 - Foreign Assignment, was first heard on Mutual radio. The title
    role of Brian Berry was played by Jan Jostyn, who also starred in
    another popular radio drama, Mr. District Attorney.

      Joe

    --
    Visit my home page:
    [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 10:52:42 -0400
    From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Leftwich's reel-to-reel tapes

    Robert Lewis Leftwich <rleftwich@[removed]; wrote, in part:
    "Last week I found a box of old (30 - 40 years old) reel-to-reel
    tapes and decided to see if I could retrieve anything before the
    oxide fell off. Surprisingly, some of them were in pretty good
    condition and were not too [removed]"

    I may be mistaken, Robert, but I think the Library of Congress has an
    ongoing program of preservation/restoration of old reel-to-reel tapes like
    yours. Would you be inclined to check this out to see if your tapes can be
    saved "before the oxide falls off", and let us know what the response is?

    Herb Harrison

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 10:53:14 -0400
    From: ClifSr@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Naughty person?

         A thousand thanks to Jimm Knagg and WCLV for that delightful Mighty
    Wurlitzer Radio Hour that he told us about.  But I wish you had featured the
    organ more prominently, Jim.
          I will no doubt be sorry I brought this up as we are already taking
    ourselves too seriously around here,  but it sorta fits with our current
    thread about political correctnes and applying today's standards to old time
    entertainers.  On that WCLV radio show, the line from the great Gershwin
    song, "Embraceable You" was changed from  "don't be a naughty baby" to "don't
    be a naughty person."   What??  Why in heaven's name would they do that?  Is
    it no longer OK to call one's lover a naughty  baby and invite said baby to
    come to momma or poppa?   Does that imply that we are into the spanking
    fetish?   Heavenly days!

    Clif Martin

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 11:38:30 -0400
    From: Jer51473@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Andy Devines greatest role?

     I think saying that it was as Jingles Jones is very misleading. Devine was
    an established star, appearing in 140 movies and often as guess star on radio
    programs such as Jack Benny and Lum n Abner and many more, before the role of
    Jingles. He was a household name to that generation of the forties or just
    before the fifties. The Jingles role did expand his career to the next
    generation, but it was the character "Jingles" that was known to the kids of
    the fifties, not the actor Andy Devine. Im sure the role was financially
    rewarding because of the more modern times and tv was paying more money, but
    to call a thirty minute tv B serial a great role just seems to be misleading
    for a star like Andy. He would be almost as well remebered, especially by the
    forties generation, even without "Jingles". And i say again the generation of
    the fifties and sixties for the most part only remember him as Jingles, most
    couldnt tell you his real name.

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 12:19:03 -0400
    From: "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Tasteless Humor

    Derek Tague wrote of Hiroshima-related jokes:

>     I've often wondered how the great Fred Allen could have participated in
>     a type of banter so callous, so tasteless, and so [removed]

    Humor is like beauty and totally in the eye of the beholder. If not, the
    unemployment line of modern comedians would stretch from Broadway to the LA
    Improve.

    But while Derek correctly states that you can't apply today's standards, it
    must also be stated that one can not experience yesterday's angst and the
    anger felt toward Japan. Apply what you felt on September 11th and 12th of
    last year and multiply that by Bataan, by Guadacanal, by the Coral Sea, by
    Okinawa, etc. And since the government was already preparing the American
    people for the cost of an invasion of the Japanese mainland (estimated at 1
    to [removed] million US casualties and victory delayed to late '46 or early '47)
    we were both grateful and proud that American technology had brought a swift
    end to that horrible conflict. In this light, Allen's comments were neither
    callous, tasteless, or trivial.

    The juxtapostion that's cited in the movie "Atomic Cafe" was designed to
    find a paint the victors (America) as ugly and show a brutal nation (Japan)
    and it's regime that raped Nanking, bombed Pearl Harbor and invented death
    marches, "comfort slaves" and the first modern suicide bomber as somehow
    having nobility in defeat. And to further imply that it showed "how far
    removed the average American was from the nuclear [removed]" never walked
    down an American street and counted the Gold Star flags that hung in the
    windows.

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 13:18:20 -0400
    From: Steven Kelez <otrsteve@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Fu Manchu on MP3

    George brought up again the ugly spectre of MP3 and dealers in his
    recent post to the Digest.

>     If anyone has seen ted's episodes
>        circulating, Id appreciate being corrected and told where.

    I've been a dealer for over 20 years so my reply is going to be a bit
    skewed. Whether George realizes this or not, but his underlying attitude
    as expressed in his post for information where to get an MP3 of the new
    Fu Manchu series is the main part of the problem we older dealers are
    experiencing.  George wants a cheap or free set of these shows. George
    isn't alone, everyone wants cheap or free. George, if these shows aren't
    circulating, and you  really want these in MP3, then why don't you buy
    them from Ted? You can then convert the recordings to MP3  and give them
    away to the same segment of collectors who prefer this format.  Give
    something back to this hobby you love so much  instead of depending on
    the generosity and work of someone else. And if you really want to help
    the hobby, you can spend all your time trying to clean up these
    recordings that originated from heavily damaged discs. Oh, and don't
    forget the investment in restoration software. Hell, it's only money and
    time. Whether you know it or not, this attitude will eventually stem
    the tide of new material being released into general circulation and
    limit availability to only those elite collectors who can offer  trades
    to their peers.

    One more thought for you MP3 collectors to consider. Within a few years
    audio compression technology will acheive the same quality as
    contemporary CD Audio. CDR's will be replaced by a DVD format.
    Eventually you will want to replace your entire collection with a better
    sounding format on a much larger storage medium. But, who is going to do
    the work to properly make these new quality transfers, instead of just
    copying over the shoddy MP3 stuff in circulation now? Is it going to be
    you? Or will you all be waiting for the other guy to go through the time
    and expense?

    Steven Kelez
    RADIO SHOWCASE

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 13:18:30 -0400
    From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  CHICAGO TALENT DIRECTORY

    Yes, Phil, Leonard Dubkin started publishing the Chicago Talent Director
    in the '40s -- I'm looking for one from 1947, which included my picture
    and [removed]

          [removed]
          A DATE WITH SINATRA

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 14:11:47 -0400
    From: "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Fred Allen

    In # 283, dantrigg422@[removed] wrote:

>     I find it rather sad when people are having to make excuses for
>     Fred Allen's comment about a Ubangi's "Big Lips." If you folks
>     remember one of radios greatest shows "Amos n Andy was driven
>     off the air because of PC. Are we going to try to change the past
>     now?

    Elizabeth can let us know for sure, but I never thought that Amos 'n Andy
    left the air because of PC thuggery, or hyper-sensitivity.  I always
    understood that the A'n A radio show changed formats throughout the years,
    and eventually left the air, because of the usual economics of radio,
    ratings, and sponsors.

    Besides, I thought that the original post expressed surprise not over that
    anyone would make such a joke, but that Fred Allen in particular would make
    such a joke.  I understand that OTR is 50-70 years old, and that society's
    attitudes have changed, and that jokes and ethnic stereotyping has to be
    understood in the context of the times.  I'm just surprised that Allen's show
    used the joke.  To me, it just doesn't seem his style.

    I'm 28 years old, so it is impossible for me to deal with OTR on an emotional
    level with anything other than a modern perspective.  I know our history, and
    the context, so I can deal with OTR on other levels (technical, historical,
    etc) from non-modern perspectives, but on emotions I'm a product of my
    upbringing and times - just as everyone else on this list is.

    For me it is hard to separate 'acceptable in its context' from 'right.'
    Slavery has been acceptable in many countries at many times ([removed] 'in its
    context'), but I don't believe that it was ever right.  This is an extreme
    example, but I used it to make a point that it's silly to say we can't make
    ANY moral judgments about the past just because it isn't the present.

    What this means is there is some OTR that I can not enjoy.  Some race jokes
    and ethnic stereotyping in OTR is simply not funny (notice I said some, not
    all).  This doesn't make me a PC-nazi or a Godless-commie telling all of you
    what to think, it just means that I find it painful, ignorant, and I choose
    not to listen to those shows.

    You're free to make your own judgments
    -Chris Holm

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 14:57:13 -0400
    From: PURKASZ@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  ERROL FLYNN

    Phil:
        Got straight to my heart with that letter man.
        The singer is my dear friend of many years Amanda McBroom.
        The name of the tune is simply "Errol Flynn" and can be yours when you
    purchase her CD called "A Waiting Heart" produced in 1997 and available at
    store near you I'm sure.
        Amanda and I go back to the early 70's when I was an actor new to the
    game in Hollywood. We had mutual friends at "The Farm" a rustic setting in
    the hills of Burbank and one-time hunting lodge in the 20's and then hangout
    and playground for several of the great, near-great and even a few ingrates
    from the late 60's till it's untimely demise in early 80's.
        Harrison Ford, Richard Pryor, Mama Cass, Cyrus Faryar of the MFQ, several
    of the Firesign Theater and myself as well as a few other delightful folk
    still friends to this day.
        Even a wonderful guy named Jack Poet.
        Annie Thomas invented the fashion of the day there, called "Tie-dye"
    which I'm sure you recall.
        The great photographer Henry Diltz captured many of us in his legendary
    collection of great R&R folk exhibition now on display around the country.
        Anyway, when we first met, Amanda and I got to talking about the biz and
    I suddenly realized when she said her father was in the movies that I knew
    who he was.
        His name was David Bruce.
        He worked, among other studios, at Universal during the golden 40's and I
    remembered him from a great old horror flick called "The Mad Ghoul" as well
    as a few 'Wesrterns' and the Errol Flynn epic.
        She was thrilled and I was delighted.
        Some years went by, Amanda moved to a small town north of Los Angeles and
    continued to sing and play in local theaters. I pressed on in the biz being
    killed or being a doctor.
        Three years ago, as I was stopped over in Hollywood on my way to Honolulu
    from my home in New York, I learned from friends that Amanda would be
    performing at the world-famous Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.
        Magical night.
        We all gathered to hear her that night and I was hoping she'd sing that
    song.
        I had heard it first at the home of a mutual friend Lynn Taylor and Fred
    Williams and was just knocked out as you were.
        It just got to me is all I can say.
        I got to hear it live that night under the star-studded sky over
    Hollywood Blvd.
        During the break I took myself outside for a smoke and sat in a chair on
    Hollywood Blvd. that was part of an ice-cream stand or small juice bar right
    next door.
        As I was dwelling on that song, I looked down between my shoes and saw
    that I was sitting over one of the many stars that line that fabled street.
        It was Errol Flynn's!!!
        I went back in and relayed that to our table at which Amanda was sitting.
    A smile. A nod. A fabulous night.
        Now you can hear it again for yourself.
        I will forward your letter to her.
        Thanks for the memory.
        Enjoy the CD. Lemme know privately if you have trouble finding it. I have
    photos of that star if you want me to send one to you.
                         <A HREF="[removed],+Michael+C.">
    Michael C. Gwynne</A>

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 14:57:18 -0400
    From: PURKASZ@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RADIO DIGEST

    Harlan:
        Is there a picture of Paul McGrath in that book? I am so far unable to
    find any photos of this venerable host of Inner Sanctum.
        Can anyone help me? I can receive JPEGs if you can send them.
        Thanks "Jughead."
                     <A HREF="[removed],+Michael+C.">Michael
    C. Gwynne</A>

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 16:38:48 -0400
    From: "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Artists Directories

    Artists Directories

            Another directory was the American Federation of Television and
    Radio Artists  (AFTRA) Guide.  It seems to be a similar directory to those
    mentioned previously.  I would assume that they would be most commonly found
    in the Los Angeles and possibly, the New York City areas.

            In the 1954 AFTRA Guide, published by the Los Angeles Local, there
    were 4 entries per page in the Picture Guide section.  At a minimum, the
    entry usually included performer's name, professional affiliations, and
    contact information.  It could also include one or more small pictures;
    physical description and age; summary of radio, screen, stage, and video
    credits; specialties; audio and visual age range; and management
    information.

            On the copyright page it mentions that "The Guide is not a roster of
    the entire AFTRA membership."  I have been told by several actors that they
    had to pay a separate fee to be listed in the Guide.

            Here is the Table of Contents of the 1954 AFTRA Guide with page
    numbers.

    ARTISTS GUIDE (Name and Page Index)   iv - vii
    PICTURE GUIDE   1 - 132
      ACTORS   1
      ACTRESSES   49
      YOUNG LEADS
         Men   84
         Women   88
      CHILDREN
         Boys   94
         Girls   99
      ANNOUNCERS
        Men   104
        Women   117
      DANCERS
        Men   120
        Women   121
        Groups   121
      MODELS - women   122
      SINGERS
        Men   122
        Women   125
        Groups   126
      SOUND EFFECTS ARTISTS   128
      SPECIALTY ARTISTS
        Men   129
        Women   130
      VARIETY ACTS   132
    CLASSIFIED INDEX   133 - 156
      AUDIO GUIDE   134
      VISUAL GUIDE   152
    MEMORANDA    157

    The Classified Index contained information regarding the audio and visual
    talents of the performers.

    AUDIO GUIDE (Radio, Records, Transcriptions,
    Dubbing, Slide Film, Television, etc.)
    ACTORS
      Animal Imitations
      Baby Cries
      Character and Comedy
      Children Voices
      Dialects and Languages
      Old Men
      Old Women
      Trick Voices
      Romantic Lead
      Young Lead
    ANNOUNCERS
      Commentator
      Disc Jockey
      Master of Ceremonies
      Narrator
      Newscaster
      Special Events
      Sportscaster
    SINGERS
      Classical
      Commercials
      Musical Comedy
      Popular
      Trick Voices
      Western-Folk
      Languages
    SOUND ARTISTS

    VISUAL GUIDE (T,V., Screen, Stage, Night Club, Personal Appearances,
    Modeling etc.)
    Had a similar, but less detailed listing to the AUDIO GUIDE.

            Here are the listings from the AUDIO GUIDE for two contributors to
    the Old-Time Radio Digest.

    Harry Bartell - Character and Comedy, Brooklynese, Cockney, French, German,
    Irish, Italian, New England, Southern, Spanish, Western, Romantic Lead,
    Commentator, Narrator, and Newscaster.

    Ray Erlenborn - Animal Imitations, Character and Comedy, Child Voices,
    Cockney, French,  Negro, Western, Old Men, Master of Ceremonies, and
    Singer - Popular.

            One final note.  My copy is NOT for sale!

    Stewart

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 16:58:47 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Ubangi's, the bomb and Fibber on TV

      With the recent discussion of Fred Allen on the Ubangi comment, I
    would like to have a time machine and go about 60 years into the future
    and find out what we say and talk about in 2002 that is un-PC in their
    view.  I imagine a lot of words and phrases commonly used today would
    be, to some people, "unacceptable".
      As for the bomb, it must be remembered we had just gone though four
    long bloody years fighting "the Japs" with the possibly of invading
    Japan and the carnage that would bring on both sides and the bomb put an
    end to that. And I imagine anything that ended the war early would be
    worth it.  Again, looking at 1945 with 2002 eyes.
      David Martin asked about a FM&M tv show.  Yes, there was one,
    mercifully short lived show, from September 1959 to January 1960,
    starring Bon Sweeny and Cathy Lewis.  Jim Jordan, in a mid-70s
    interview, wanted nothing to do with the show and hated it.  He used the
    example of Fibber buying an elephant.  He said on the radio show Fibber
    would brag about buying the elephant, how great it would be to have one,
    etc but on the tv show Fibber would try to hide the elephant from Molly,
    pretending not to know anything about it.
      Joe

    --
    Visit my home page:
    [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2002 17:31:43 -0400
    From: "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Five Exciting New Radio Shows

    Hi Gang:

    Sometime in the mid '90's I was browsing through the record
    department of a Goodwill Store in Menasha, WI and came
    across the following recording which I purchased for only .39
    cents.
    The recording is a 33 1/3 RPM enclosed in a heavy red paper
    album cover. In the front of the album is the following in white
    letters Five Exciting New Radio Shows. I'm assuming this
    recording was sent out to potential sponsors as evidenced by
    the first line of copy on the inside cover which reads as follows:

    Give your product a seasonable lift with one of these all-season
    CBS Radio Shows.

    HORATIO HORNBLOWER - starring the distinguished Michael
    Redgrave as hero C. S. Forester's best sellers. Salt spray adventures
    and sparkling [removed] an audience already assembled by the
    dashing Hornblower of magazine, book and screen.
    (Mondays, 8:00 - 8:30 [removed] EDT)

    DECEMBER BRIDE - Spring Byington is "her usual delightful self"
    (says Variety) as a new kind of mother-in-law (her son-in-law dotes
    on her). Warm situation comedy with a new view of an old
    relationship--delight for every in-law in the land.
    (Sundays, 7:00 - 7:30 [removed] EDT)

    THE FRANK FONTAINE SHOW - A half-hour of rippling comedy
    with Frank Fontaine and his zany impersonations of Fred Frump and
    John L. C. [removed] baby-sitting dilemmas of the Fontaine
    family (latest count: a hilarious eight).
    (Sundays, 8:00 - 8:30 p. m. EDT)

    GUNSMOKE - There's a [removed] Marshal, assorted villians, the setting
    is the West - but there's a priceless missing-ingredient:
    It's a Western without corn. Adult writing, believable [removed]
    effect--to win a new audience for the sagas of the prairies.
    (Saturdays, 7:30 - 8:00 p. m. EDT)

    THE STEVE ALLEN SHOW - A program with  a human format -
    first name, Steve. It's a changing and always surprising blend of
    artesian [removed] Allen [removed] Bobby Sherwood [removed]
    and bright banter with unexpected guests. A smash hit on the Coast,
    this show has top national prospects. It's all [removed]'s [removed]
    a half-hour of fun.
    (Monday through Friday, 9:30 - 10:00 p. m. EDT)

    Refresh your customers and your sales with one of these big opportunity
    shows - all on  THE CBS RADIO NETWORK

    A date doesn't appear anywhere on the album cover or the recording.
    The number XTV17773-1C is scratched on one side of the recording and
    XTV17772-1D on the other.
    I checked various sources for the premier dates on these shows and found
    they all originated in 1952 (50 years ago) contrary to what some authors
    have indicated in their books. In Vincent Terrace's book Radio's Golden
    Years he has Gunsmoke being first broadcast in 1954. In Frank Buxton &
    Bill Owen's book The Big Broadcast, Gunsmoke first appeared on CBS
    in 1955. So who's right. As for me, I'm staying with 1952. As the old
    saying goes, you can't believe all you read.

    By the way, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, and local thrift stores are
    excellent places to uncover items of this nature. I recently visited the
    local thrift store here in Fredericktown, Ohio and found almost 30
    transcriptions of Country Music Time that were sent to radio stations
    for air time in the late 1960's. These were 15 minute radio shows
    presented by the United States Air Force and other military branches as
    recruiting vehicles. I got them all for less than 2 dollars.

    Good hunting and listening

    Don Dean N8IOJ - Fredericktown, Ohio

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #284
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