Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #408
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 12/26/2004 8:43 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 408
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      This week in radio history 26 Decemb  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Norman Corwin age                     [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
      Amos n' Andy DVDs                     [ Paula Keiser <pkeiser@[removed]; ]
      re: whistler movies                   [ John Olsen <jrolsen@[removed]; ]
      Jonathan Thomas and his Christmas on  [ Kermyt Anderson <kermyta@[removed]; ]
      Comment on Douglas Fairbanks          [ "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@sbcglob ]
      OLDEST OTR STARS                      [ Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@earthlin ]
      Re: the worst OTR                     [ Stark Maynard <starkmaynard2000@yah ]
      Re: THE WHISTLER movies               [ Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@earthlin ]
      12-27 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Re: A&A's Popularity                  [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      RE: You'll Find Out                   [ Steve Salaba <philmfan@[removed] ]
      why radio (and tv) are so powerful    [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
      A&A Christmas: "Doll her own color."  [ Rich Zahradnik <rich@doverinternet. ]
      Hartz Mountain Canaries               [ Richard Fisher <w9fjl@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 12:21:18 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  This week in radio history 26 December to 1
     January

     From Those Were The Days --

    12/26

    1953 - Big Sister was heard for the last time on CBS. The show had been
    on the air for 17 years. Big Sister was the ongoing story of Sue Evans
    Miller and her relationship with her big sister, Ruth Evans. Actresses
    who played big sister Ruth over the years: Alice Frost, Nancy Marshall,
    Marjorie Anderson, Mercedes McCambridge. Little Sister Sue was played by
    Haila Stoddard, Dorothy McGuire, Peggy Conklin and Fran Carlon.

    1954 - One of radio's most popular programs, The Shadow, lurked around
    the airwaves for the last time. Vigilante crime-fighter Lamont Cranston
    battled greed and corruption since 1930. "Who knows what evil lurks in
    the hearts of men? The Shadow [removed]"

    12/27

    1932 - Radio City Music Hall, in New York City, opened. It was the
    largest indoor theatre in the world. The gala grand opening show was a
    six-hour extravaganza that lost half a million dollars within three
    weeks. The theatre has since been renovated to recapture its original
    decorative charm. An Art Deco cathedral of entertainment, it seats more
    than 6,200 people and is still a must-see for those visiting New York.
    During the holiday season, audiences continue to get a kick out  of
    seeing the world-famous Rockettes perform in precision on Radio City
    Music Hall?s nearly 10,000-square-foot stage.

    1939 - The Glenn Miller Show, also known as Music that Satisfies,
    started on CBS. The 15-minute, twice-a-week show was sponsored by
    Chesterfield cigarettes and was heard for nearly three years.

    1940 - Singer Al Jolson and actress Ruby Keeler were divorced after 12
    years of marriage. They had separated a year earlier; but Jolson talked
    Keeler into co-starring with him in the Broadway show, Hold on to Your
    Hats. She left the show before the opening and then left the marriage.

    1968 - The Breakfast Club signed off for the last time on ABC, after  35
    years on the air.

    12/28

    1941 - The Helen Hayes Theater, on CBS, was called the first casualty of
    World War II. Lipton Tea dropped sponsorship of the program as it
    prepared for shortages in tea imports from India.

    12/29

    1945 - The mystery voice of Mr. Hush was heard for the first time on
    Truth or Consequences, hosted by Ralph Edwards. The feature was intended
    as a spoof of giveaway shows. However, the idea was taken seriously and
    lasted five weeks before fighter Jack Dempsey was identified as Mr. Hush
    -- for a prize of $13,500.

    12/30

    1936 - The famous feud between Jack Benny and Fred Allen was ignited.
    After a 10-year-old performer finished a violin solo on The Fred Allen
    Show, Mr. Allen said, "A certain alleged violinist should hide his head
    in shame for his poor fiddle playing." It didn't take long for Mr. Benny
    to respond. The humorous feud lasted for for years on both comedian's shows.

    1942 - Mr. and Mrs. North debuted on NBC. Joseph Curtin played Jerry
    North and Alice Frost played Pam. A typical Mr. and Mrs. North episode
    would find Pam leading Jerry on what seemed to be a wild-goose chase as
    they tracked down criminals. Pam always ended up being right and leading
    police to the criminals. The theme song for the show was The Way You
    Look Tonight. Sponsors included Woodbury soap, Jergens lotion and Halo
    shampoo.

    12/30

    1940 - As a result of a dispute between the radio networks and ASCAP
    (the American Society of Composers and Publishers), the radio industry
    was prevented from playing any ASCAP-licensed music. The ban lasted for
    ten months. An ASCAP competitor, BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) made
    giant strides, expanding to include 36,000 copyrights. Many radio
    stations had to resort to playing public domain songs, such as marches
    and operas, to keep their stations on the air. Even kids songs were
    played over and over again until the ban was lifted. One of the most
    popular songs to be played was Happy Birthday to You; which was
    performed in many different languages just to get past the ban. The
    original song is now, in fact, a copyrighted piece of music, though it
    wasn't at the time.

    1947 - Roy Rogers, 'the King of the Cowboys', and Dale Evans were
    hitched in marriage. They rode off into that sunset together for over
    fifty years.

    1951 - The Wild Bill Hickok show came to an end this day. Guy Madison
    (Wild Bill) and Andy Devine (sidekick, Jingles) starred on the Mutual
    network show (as well as in the syndicated TV version).

    1/1

    1923 - The very first radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was beamed in Los
    Angeles over KHJ.

    1925 - Lucrezia Bori and John McCormack of the famous Metropolitan Opera
    in New York City made their singing debuts on radio this day. The
    broadcast over WEAF encouraged others to sing on radio.

    1927 - The very first coast-to-coast network radio broadcast of the Rose
    Bowl was made. Graham McNamee provided the play-by-play on NBC.

    1930 - The Cuckoo Hour, was heard for the first time on the NBC Blue
    network.

    Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 16:18:05 -0500
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Norman Corwin age

    Hi Everybody,

    reading in the last two digest about who were some of the oldest OTR stars.
    Norman Corwin turn 94 this year on May 3, and he is still going strong.  He
    still teaches at USC.  He is not the oldest member in his family.  His
    brother retired from the post offices a couple of years ago and he is over
    100.  Norman Dad live to 110 years old.  Next year will be the 60 years of
    On A Note of Triune.  It would be fun to have Norman direct re-creation at
    an OTR convention.  Take care,

    Walden Hughes

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 16:18:34 -0500
    From: Paula Keiser <pkeiser@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Amos n' Andy DVDs

    Chad Palmer wrote,

>     Most of the sets are earmarked as "budget" or "platinum" edition and seem
>     to be different versions of each [removed] these run around $40 and have 16
>     discs packaged in a small disc "wallet" type hard case made by unikeep.

    I can comment on this one -- it's the one I have: buy a better set.  It
    gives old meaning to the words, "Black and White," as there are very few
    incidences of grey.  In video terms, the blacks were compressed, the
    whites were clipped, and everything else fell between 40 and 60 IEE units.

    This is a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

    Paula

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 16:14:50 -0500
    From: John Olsen <jrolsen@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  re: whistler movies

    Ruk77@[removed] wrote:

     > Can you or anyone else supply the names of any of the whistler movies
     > or any of the Inner Sanctum movies

    "Whistler" series
    The Whistler  1944
    The Mark of The Whistler  1944
    The Power of The Whistler  1945
    Voice of the Whistler  1945
    Mysterious Intruder  1946
    The Secret of the Whistler  1946
    The Thirteenth Hour  1947
    The Return of the Whistler  1948

    "Inner Sanctum" series
    Calling Dr. Death  1943
    Weird Woman  1944
    Dead Man's Eyes  1944
    The Frozen Ghost  1944
    Strange Confession  1945
    Pillow of Death  1945

    John

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 16:19:08 -0500
    From: Kermyt Anderson <kermyta@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jonathan Thomas and his Christmas on the Moon

    I really enjoyed listening this year to the 26-part serial "Jonathan
    Thomas and his Christmas on the Moon". I put out a call for information
    about a month ago, but got only one reply. I'm still curious who
    produced, wrote and starred in it. The only voice I'm pretty confident
    about is Santa Claus, who I think was played by Ed Max. All the others
    are a mystery to me. I love the Cinnamon Bear, but I'm surprised
    Jonathon Thomas gets so little attention, since it has much the same
    appeal.

    I've never seen an episode list for this series, so I jotted down the
    following brief descriptive titles for the episodes. If you decide to
    listen to the series next year, you might find these useful.

    11/29/38 Pt. 1 Santa Claus is kidnapped by the Squeebubblians
    11/30/38 Pt. 2 JT promises to find Santa Claus
    12/01/38 Pt. 3 JT meets Gorgonzola the Horse
    12/02/38 Pt. 4 In the Valley of the Three Dwarfs
    12/03/38 Pt. 5 The Merry-go-round River
    12/04/38 Pt. 6 The Fairy Queen
    12/05/38 Pt. 7 Dragon with the 13 Tails
    12/06/38 Pt. 8 Whiskery Bill the Squirrel
    12/07/38 Pt. 9 JT has fallen under the Witch's spell
    12/08/38 Pt. 10 JT in the Witch's Dream Cave
    12/09/38 Pt. 11 Whiskery Bill meets the Walrus
    12/10/38 Pt. 12 Getting rubies at the rainbow bridge
    12/11/38 Pt. 13 Crossing the frozen river
    12/12/38 Pt. 14 JT wakes up from the Witch's spell
    12/13/38 Pt. 15 O'Gigraf the Lion
    12/14/38 Pt. 16 Saving The Elf King
    12/15/38 Pt. 17 The Wall of Doors
    12/16/38 Pt. 18 In the Kingdom of Alice
    12/17/38 Pt. 19 Queen Alice's Ball
    12/18/38 Pt. 20 King Squeebubbly and Santa Claus
    12/19/38 Pt. 21 JT grows large and small
    12/20/38 Pt. 22 Kermit the Hermit
    12/21/38 Pt. 23 The Dragon with 13 Tails (again)
    12/22/38 Pt. 24 Captured by the Squeebubblians
    12/23/38 Pt. 25 Rescuing Santa Claus
    12/24/38 Pt. 26 Going home

    Kermyt

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:54:16 -0500
    From: "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Comment on Douglas Fairbanks

    Hi! I've been a bit behind reading the daily postings, so, due to Christmas,
    I'm way behind responding to this.

    There was a listing on December 12th about the death of actor Douglas
    Fairbanks in 1939.  Next to his name it said, "commentator, KHJ-Los Angeles
    1921."

    First of all, KHJ didn't go on the air until April 13, 1922.  But as far as
    I've been able to determine, Douglas Fairbanks was not a commentator for KHJ
    radio.  However, he and his then-wife Mary Pickford were guests on KHJ's
    programs and they were interviewed a few times in the 1920s, at the
    invitation of KHJ announcer and program director John S. Daggett.  But I
    don't believe he was ever a commentator for the radio station, at least not
    on a regular basis.

    If I'm wrong, I would love to find out when Mr. Douglas did such work over
    the KHJ airwaves and documentation that shows this was the case.

    Jim Hilliker
    Monterey, CA

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:54:32 -0500
    From: Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OLDEST OTR STARS

    on 12/25/04 10:56 AM, [removed]@[removed] at
    [removed]@[removed] wrote:

>     Has any OTR person made it to 100?  Come
>     close?  I wonder! I have no idea who might be potential
>     candidates but would be interested in seeing
>     who might be on a list!

    ***Well, for starters, both George Burns and Bob Hope made it to their 100th
    birthdays.  Burns died about six weeks after reaching the century mark,
    while Hope died two months after his centennial. --Anthony Tollin***

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:55:32 -0500
    From: Stark Maynard <starkmaynard2000@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: the worst OTR
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

>     Someone said in a recent post (regarding worst OTR) , "In two, or is it
>     three words? AMOS 'N' ANDY". I never was too familiar with the Amos 'n
>     Andy show, but I'm just curious. Did I hear somewhere that during some
>     period when Amos 'n Andy were on air, that the whole country was
>     listening to them and that during the 15 minutes (7 to 7:15PM) when they
>     were on,there were more cars stolen because everyone but the car thieves
>     were glued to their radios?!

    I've also read that one could walk down the street on a summer evening and
    not miss any of the show as it can pouring though the open windows of houses.
    Also that in the early 1930s many radios were  purchased for the express
    purpose of listening to Amos and Andy. One thing that is fact is that the
    Amos and Andy program was so popular that movie theaters would broadcast the
    show over their sound system so as not to lose their audience. This practice
    was advertised on the theater marquees and in newspaper ads which can still
    be seen.

    Stark

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:56:03 -0500
    From: Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: THE WHISTLER movies

    on 12/26/04 11:30 AM, Ruk77@[removed] asks:

>     Can you or anyone else supply the
>     names of any of the whistler movies or any of the Inner Sanctum movies for
>     that matter as well.

    ***OTR-buff Leonard Maltin has a small section on THE WHISTLER movies in his
    annual MOVIE & VIDEO GUIDE.  He lists:

    THE WHISTLER (1944)
    MARK OF THE WHISTLER (1944)
    POWER OF THE WHISTLER (1945)
    VOICE OF THE WHISTLER (1945)
    MYSTERIOUS INTRUDER (1946)
    SECRET OF THE WHISTLER (1946)
    THE 13th HOUR (1947)
    THE RETURN OF THE WHISTLER (1948)

    Bill Forman supplied the voice of The Whistler in the films, while Richard
    Dix played the dramatic lead in all except the final film.  Forman also
    reprised his radio role in a 1955 syndicated television series.
    --Anthony Tollin

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:56:10 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  12-27 births/deaths

    December 27th births

    12-27-1879 - Sidney Greenstreet - Sandwich, England - d. 1-19-1954
    actor: Nero Wolfe "Advs. of Nero Wolfe"; "Hollywood Star Preview"
    12-27-1893 - Ann Pennington - Camden, NJ - d. 11-4-1971
    actress: "Good News of 1938"
    12-27-1901 - Marlene Dietrich - Berlin, Germany - d. 5-6-1992
    actress: Mlle. Madou, "Cafe Istanbul"
    12-27-1906 - Oscar Levant - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 8-14-1972
    panelist, pianist: "Information Please"; "Kraft Music Hall"
    12-27-1916 - Cathy Lewis - Spokane, WA - d. 11-20-1968
    actress: Jane Stacy "My Friend Irma"; Kathryn Milford "Great Gildersleeve"

    December 27th deaths

    07-22-1908 - Amy Vanderbilt - Staten Island, NY - d. 12-27-1974
    etiquette expert: "Jack Benny Program"
    08-04-1908 - Wally Maher - Ohio - d. 12-27-1951
    actor: Dan Murray "One Man's Family"; Archie Goodwin "Advs. of Nero Wolfe"
    11-22-1899 - Hoagy Carmichael - Bloomington, IN - d. 12-27-1981
    singer, composer: "Hoagy Carmichael Show"; "King's Men"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:56:50 -0500
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: A&A's Popularity

    On 12/26/04 12:27 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:

>     Did I hear somewhere that during some
>     period when Amos 'n Andy were on air, that the whole country was listening
>     to them and that during the 15 minutes (7 to 7:15PM) when they were on,
>     there were more cars stolen because everyone but the car thieves were glued
>     to their radios?!    Perhaps it was because there was not much in the way of
>     competition at that particular perid??!!!

    The peak of A&A's popularity occured in 1930-31, when they attracted an
    audience estimated at between 30 and 40 million people a night, six
    nights a week -- nearly a third of the entire population of the United
    States at that time. There are hundreds of anecdotes from this period
    about water use declining, car thefts increasing, and suchlike things,
    but these stories have been repeated and embellished so extensively in
    the decades since that I've found it impossible to trace these stories to
    their source for documentation.

    But what can be documented with certainty is that the original A&A serial
    was the radio program that almost singlehandedly laid the creative and
    commercial groundwork for the OTR era. Correll and Gosden, thru their
    success, turned dramatized radio from a stage-influenced,
    stage-actor-dominated medium into an entirely new art form. They were the
    first radio performers to fully understand that radio's lack of a visual
    element was an advantage rather than a liability, and they were the first
    radio performers to build the entire structure of their program around
    that advantage. It's true that they had little substantive competition
    during their early years -- but that's because they were building the
    road everyone else would follow.

    Elizabeth

    "The Original Amos 'n' Andy" -- Coming in Spring 2005 from McFarland & Co.
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:58:54 -0500
    From: Steve Salaba <philmfan@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RE: You'll Find Out

    I recall seeing this film back when I had cable. Wasn't there some kind of
    added footage promoting "Sonovox"? This was the special effect that was
    used on the film to make a sound effect such as "wind" appear to have a
    human voice, and it seems to be similar to the "talking guitar" of Peter
    Frampton from a couple of decades ago. And didn't someone named Aldo Ray
    have a talking instrument of some kind?

    I also remember one of my favorite gags in the film. If I recall correctly,
    Kay and Ish are making their way thought a supposedly haunted house when
    Kay is nearly beheaded by a creepy mannequin-like figure holding a sword,
    and Kay mutters "Benny Goodman fan, eh?"

    I'm sure others will correct my faulty memory. Its been decades since I've
    seen it.
    --
    Steve Salaba

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 21:59:30 -0500
    From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  why radio (and tv) are so powerful

    John Mayer wrote about The Challenge of the Yukon:

>     These were not great literary works, but they left a far more indelible
>     impression on me than all of Jack London's work.

    I think I know why.  Radio--and now, TV--can be appreciated by a kid before
    he can read.  So radio (and its advertising) has something like a 5-year
    head start on the (heh heh) impressionable child's mind.   TV is even
    better.

    M Kinsler

    thoroughly addicted to TV as a child and now radio as a proto-geezer.

    512 E Mulberry St. Lancaster, Ohio USA 43130 740-687-6368
    [removed]~mkinsler1

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 22:00:29 -0500
    From: Rich Zahradnik <rich@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  A&A Christmas: "Doll her own color."

    On 12/23/04 1:58 PM, "[removed]@[removed]"
    <[removed]@[removed]; wrote:

>     I have both the TV and Radio versions of the classic A&A Christmas show.
>     The color of the doll was never mentioned specifically by Arbadella, Though
>     in the TV Version the Doll is of course shown as black.

    Thank you. The reason I ask is that folk singer David Massengill has a song
    "Number One America." It is a song about civil rights, really the history of
    the civil rights movement. And it begins with a little boy and his mom
    "watchin' Amos and Andy on TV" and "a little girl asks for a doll her own
    color please." The song ends with a "white family in the K-mart store, they
    were dirt poor, their mom and dad said one toy no more." "The youngest girl
    picked out a black-skinned doll." The narrator, presumably the little boy
    from the beginning, watches as the parents check the doll for cracks and
    then let their little girl buy the doll. So, I guess, the Amos n Andy scene
    at the beginning is a major taking of poetic license.

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

    Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 22:00:55 -0500
    From: Richard Fisher <w9fjl@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Hartz Mountain Canaries

    Just had to put in my two cents worth on the canaries.  I really enjoyed
    this program as a kid. Our canary would go nuts singing along with the
    birds on this program. We carried an AC/DC bedside radio into the dining
    room where our canaries cage was located and my mother and I sat down to
    hear the canaries and our bird sing its heart out.

    To me it was a great program and thanks to Ted Davenport of Radio
    Memories I now have a copy of a complete program. Mr. Davenport was kind
    enough to search out a person who had a transcription disc of the show
    and had it put on CD for me. I really appreciated this kindness as it
    brought back wonderful memories of my mother and I sitting in a sun
    filled dining room listening to this program and to our canary singing
    for all he was worth.

    Picking the worst show is really an exercise in futility as everyone's
    opinion is different and everyone is entitled to that opinion. For
    example I think Rocky Jordan was poorly scripted and acted and it would
    be up there on my least favorite shows list.

    Dick

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #408
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