------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2001 : Issue 253
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Dennis Day [ fran-nik@[removed] (S G) ]
Flooded With Cassettes [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
Blondie!!!! [ Jack A French <otrpiano@[removed]; ]
KMOX [ SartyK@[removed] ]
Re: Harry Hershield [ Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed]; ]
wartime vs. post-war security [ "J. Alec West" <Alec@[removed]; ]
Wartime security measures [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
Who's On the Air - 1932 [ Elmer Standish <elmer_standish@telu ]
It's time now for Mr. Keen [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
John Doolittle's book [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
no listeners, no sponsors,no program [ leonardfass@[removed] (Leonard Fass ]
Charlie McCarthy, Nelson Eddy and "T [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
Live, From the Vet [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
Cornell Woolrich [ luckycowboy@[removed] (Gregory Robe ]
Re: Harry Hershfield [ Udmacon@[removed] ]
Water-damaged Cassette Tapes [ Bob Noble <bobnoble@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 08:51:31 -0400
From: fran-nik@[removed] (S G)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dennis Day
Could you tell me if Dennis Day, of the Jack Benny Show, and Dennis Day,
the game-show host, were one and the same?
Also, any recommendation for a good overall book on OTR for a novice
like me?
Thanks.
Shelley Gordon
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 11:41:30 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Flooded With Cassettes
Tom van der Voort relates the flooding of his basement, and notes,
I found myself with roughly 500 water-soaked cassettes. <snip> They
don't jam and sound fine <snip> Will I be plagued by flaking, etc., as
the months pass?
In his circumstance, I'd take no chances: the first time I played any, it
would be to make duplicates. Possibly overkill, but better safe than
sorry.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 11:41:32 -0400
From: Jack A French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Blondie!!!!
Alan asks about Penny Singleton and her current [removed]
The most recent item about her in my archives is last year's notice from
the USO that Singleton, age 92, appeared in a special program in Seoul,
Korea held in June 2000. This event, to mark the 50th anniversary of the
USO, also had Terry Moore, Johnny Grant, and Piper Laurie on the stage. Bob
Hope, 97, was too ill to attend. It was reported that "Blondie" got the
biggest applause of all the show-biz personalities.
You could contact the USO for more [removed]
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 11:41:34 -0400
From: SartyK@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: KMOX
Just returned from a week in St. Louis. I ventured out in the oppressive
heat long enough to discover that I was staying next door to KMOX. Seeing
the sign evoked otr memories as I grew up in rural N. Mississippi listening
to KMOX at night. I'm aware of KMOX's contributions to sports broadcasting:
the Carays, the Bucks, Bob Costas (sp?), but did the station host any otr
programing? Also, would be interested in anyone sharing a brief history of
the station. How long has it been in its present location and where was it
located before?
George M. Kelly
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 11:58:11 -0400
From: Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Harry Hershield
Paul asked: Harry Hershfield Where Are You?
"I have been trying to foind out something about Meyer The Buyer ( a
Harry
Hershfield show)"
"Does any members of this list know if or where there is a Harry
Hershfield
collection?"
>From an internet search:
HARRY HERSHFIELD
Born: 13 Oct. 1885 - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Died: 15 Dec 1974 - New York, New York
Last residence: New York, New York 10019
Sources of information:
Major Public Libraries and or University Libraries should have:
Index to the New York Times
The New York Times on microfilm
Index to Manuscript Collections in the United States
Another source might be:
Museum of Television and Radio - New York and Los Angeles
<[removed];
Gerry Wright
ZoneZebra Productions
San Francisco
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 13:50:26 -0400
From: "J. Alec West" <Alec@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: wartime vs. post-war security
Robert Paine wrote:
In Arkansas Airwaves, Ray Poindexter wrote about the security measures taken
by some stations during World War 2. One would have put salt into the
water-cooled transmitter if the station was captured by an enemy army. WTIC,
Hartford, had I believe armed security at the studios the day after Pearl
Harbor, and WTHT limited access to the Master Control area some months prior
to the attack. WATR, Waterbury had a steel gate to the steps leading to
their third floor studio.
It's interesting you mention security issues during WWII. Just a brief aside
from that and I wonder if any radio commentator (having been aware of station
security measures take) spoke about this. Following the war, our film industry
depicted us as impliedly "invulnerable." In the film "The Day The Earth Stood
Still," the Professor Barnhardt character was working on top-secret celestial
mechanics equations. He had military security personnel assigned to him ...
but he did his security work in his home AND did his math on a blackboard -- in
a room with windows covering literally every part of the opposing wall. The
same overconfidence to security issues could be seen in the three Republic
rocketman serials ... a supposedly super-secret agency, operating out of a
windowed office, easily accessible to the public with no military guards
whatsoever.
Question is, was this post-war overconfidence on matters of security merely a
Hollywood portrayal or was it art mirroring real life ... and if the latter,
what did radio (in light of their WWII security measures) have to say about
this overconfidence?
Regards,
J. Alec
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 15:23:31 -0400
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Wartime security measures
Would some of the veterans comment on measures at other stations?
Well, in 1970 WTSO in Madison, Wisconsin felt threatened by student radicals
at the nearby University of Wisconsin. So they installed heavier doors with
real locks on the transmitter. The place had apparently never been really
locked heretofore: there was usually someone around, and the transmitter was
located far from known human habitation. The result was that a lot of
technicians succeeded in locking themselves out for a time. I think at
least one guy locked his car keys in the station when he went out to check
the readings at the tower bases. He had to hitch-hike to a telephone for
help.
M Kinsler
who worked there in 1971
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 15:23:33 -0400
From: Elmer Standish <elmer_standish@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Who's On the Air - 1932
I was searching the net for OTR information and ran across this site
which has lots of information about shows running in 1932. I hope it
fits the criteria for inclusion in the digest.
===> ELMER
- ---------------------------------------------------------------
[removed]
WHO'S WHO ON THE AIR - 1932
>From Ludwig Baumann, New York's finest radio retailer comes this
fascinating guide to radio programming in late 1931/early 1932. Ever
wondered what Kelvin Keech, Frank Knight, Hannah Williams or The Three
Bakers looked like? They're all here and plenty more - announcers,
performers and [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:05:08 -0400
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: It's time now for Mr. Keen
I experienced a serendipitous moment over the weekend. I'm not much of a
TV fan for lots of reasons but I do occasionally try to see an old
British series that is replayed constantly on one of our public education
channels: "Are You Being Served?" Even though I have witnessed most of
the episodes, I still find them refreshingly funny.
While watching one titled "The Clock" over the weekend, I was carried
back in time as a live instrumental ensemble was featured during a dinner
honoring one of the principals on a 65th birthday, held after hours on
the sales floor of London's mythical Grace Brothers Department Store. To
my amazement, the group offered a stirring rendition of "Someday I'll
Find You," the familiar piece that opened and closed Mr. Keen, Tracer of
Lost Persons on radio from 1937-55. Beyond my own tapes of that show,
and my memories from hearing it faithfully when the show aired weekly (at
times, daily), I can't recall a time I ever heard that music in any other
setting. What a delightful surprise!
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:05:05 -0400
From: otrbuff@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: John Doolittle's book
Doug Douglass brought to our attention the newly published paperback by
John Doolittle, "Don McNeill and His Breakfast Club," a volume I thought
would have received more attention on this forum than it has to date.
While I've not completely finished reading my copy I have been fascinated
by Doolittle's recollections of the show that I fondly recall lasted 35
years and literally gave millions their daily start for so long. His
facts seem accurate and well they should for Tom McNeill, Don's oldest
son, assured me last summer that he had been working with Doolittle in
verifications.
In reading it I learned that when NBC opened new studios on the top two
floors of Chicago's Merchandise Mart in 1931 (two years before McNeill's
show debuted), some 50 programs were transferred from New York to
Chicago, bringing to 120 the number of series originating from the
Midwest. That's a little known item that we don't hear much about--we
generally think of live productions moving in the opposite direction.
I discovered that, by 1950, Swift & Co., then purchasing the second and
third quarter hours of The Breakfast Club, had annual billings of $[removed]
million, the biggest single-show budget in radio, according to the
industry bible Advertising Age.
I also found an answer to the question, "Why was the audience laughing so
hard?," just as the show went on the air each day. It reminded me of the
stunts pulled by Ralph Edwards in split-second timing before Truth or
Consequences took to the airwaves. On The Breakfast Club, seconds before
air time, the warm-up announcer would introduce McNeill as "the man you
probably came to see" and as McNeill greeted the audience, sidekick comic
Sam Cowling would shout, "Take off your shoes and loosen your girdles"
before being pushed away by McNeill. That slight shove would propel
Cowling onto the lap of an unsuspecting lady in the front row (of an
audience in excess of 500 people). The studio fans' laughter would be
picked up just as the program began--an enticement for the home audience
to stay tuned to the merriment.
Lots of anecdotes here. One morning McNeill noted he was glad Aunt Fanny
(comedienne Fran Allison) was back after having had a minor operation.
He wondered aloud if "they found out what you had." Her reply: "Well,
yes, within a dollar or two."
The book is not only well researched but lively and, in places, a
rib-tickler. Anyone who loved this show will enjoy it immensely. The
accompanying CD, including live excerpts from shows across the years, is
lengthy and worth the price of the book itself (which I believe is
$[removed], but I found mine on the web for a great deal less).
Released just this year, the 217-page volume was published by the
University of Notre Dame Press. A good read, worthy of being on any
serious collector's shelves.
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:05:04 -0400
From: leonardfass@[removed] (Leonard Fass)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: no listeners, no sponsors,no programs,
that is a lousy slogan, no matter how you build the triangle. what about
if you build a schedule, they will come?
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:06:09 -0400
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Charlie McCarthy, Nelson Eddy and "The War of
the Worlds"
In a message dated 8/5/01 8:11:41 AM, Stephen A. Kallis writes:
I was given to understand that some folk were
listening to the Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy show one fateful night,
and when a female vocalist came on, listeners tuned to other stations to
see what else was going on. According to the story, they came in late to
The War of the Worlds, and that was one factor that created whatever
measure of panic ensued.
***Well, I personally wouldn't refer to Nelson Eddy as a "female vocalist."
THE CHASE AND SANBORN HOUR that aired October 30, 1938 opposite Orson's "War
of the Worlds" broadcast does survive in the SPERDVAC archives and is
included in Radio Spirits' THE 60 GREATEST OLD-TIME RADIO SHOWS OF THE 20th
CENTURY SELECTED BY WALTER CRONKITE collection, available from RSI, at major
bookstores or for less than half price at Sam's Club or Costco. (I just saw
it for $[removed] at Sam's Club earlier today; that's well under 50 cents a
show.) And it also includes a historical booklet by "Yours Truly, Anthony
Tollin" and some JOHNNY DOLLAR shows too (and the wonderful 06/30/48 15th
Anniversary "Origin of the Lone Ranger" show that I hadn't seen in
circulation before this collection).
The CRONKITE collection provides an excellent opportunity for people to
listen to the two shows side-by-side and experience personally where the "War
of the Worlds" storyline was when Nelson Eddy came on to sing, etc. Nelson
Eddy leads off the musical portions of the show with "The Song of the
Vagabonds" and "The Canadian Logging Song." Dorothy Lamour later sings "Two
Sleepy People" and Judy, Zeke and Annie Canova sing "Hounds on my Track," but
it's Nelson's first musical numbers that got people switching stations to
hear the early news interruptions and simulations; the latter musical numbers
aired during the more conventional portions of the storyline that were
unlikely to be mistaken for reality.
Regarding the "War of the Worlds" broadcast, I think Alexander Woolcott said
it best in a telegram to Orson: "This only goes to prove, my beamish boy,
that the intelligent people were all listening to the dummy, and all the
dummies were listening to you."
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:06:07 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Live, From the Vet
Although the era of OTR radio premiums is long gone, there are those who
collect them, ranging from the popular Captain Midnight, Jack Armstrong,
Tom Mix, and Lone Ranger items through the obscure premiums like the City
Underground Jigsaw Puzzle from the Dick Daring, A Boy of Today OTR show,
or The Secret Three badge. The question is which might be the rarest
premium of all?
Some things can't really qualify as premiums: contest prizes don't count,
such as the Piper Cub once offered by the Jack Armstrong show. Also,
items such as Skelly Oil's Captain Midnight bicycle tires, which were a
tire name, couldn't count, either.
Some candidates are better than others. Paper products, especially
prevalent during World War II, are very scarce because of the very
fragility of paper. Captain Midnight Magic Blackout Lite-Ups, a Radio
Orphan Annie Whirl-O-Matic decoder, or a Chick Carter Inner Circle stamp
might be extremely rare.
But I suspect the rarest of all radio premiums was the 1937 Live Baby
Turtle premium. In those days, it was legal to ship live animals by
mail, and the show offered live baby turtles with a TM-Bar decal on its
shell. (The newspaper ad of the premiums had Jane notice some little
turtle babies, and say, "Baby turtles are supposed to be good luck.")
Now that was 64 years ago, and the vast probability is that there are no
survivors by this time. But turtles are notoriously long-lived, and if
someone who received one treated it exceptionally well ... Who knows?
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:06:04 -0400
From: luckycowboy@[removed] (Gregory Robert Jackson, Jr.)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Cornell Woolrich
I have heard a lot of great Suspense radio shows based on stories by
Cornell Woolrich. The new motion picture "Original Sin," starring
Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie, is based on Cornell Woolrich's
novel "Waltz Into Darkness." I know it was also the basis for the 1969
movie "Mississippi Mermaid" starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine
Deneuve.
I would like to know if it was ever produced as a radio show?
Gregory R. Jackson, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 2001 22:15:20 -0400
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Harry Hershfield
Mr. Hershfield lived until he died in the Parc Vendome Apartments on West
57th (I think) Street, New York City. He was well into his eighties and was a
longtime member of the Lambs, and I think he died in the late 1970s.
I'll try and do more research.
Bill Knowlton, "BLUEGRASS RAMBLE," WCNY-FM: Syracuse, Utica, Watertown NY
(since Jan. 1973). Sundays, 9 pm est: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2001 09:07:27 -0400
From: Bob Noble <bobnoble@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Water-damaged Cassette Tapes
Tom van der Voort wrote:
Last week our basement was hit with a flash flood ... 500 water-soaked
cassettes.
After being wiped off and dried in a small room with a dehumidifier,
they seem none the worse for the dunking.
Has anyone else ever encountered this problem? Will I be plagued by
flaking, etc., as the months pass?
Tom, your biggest problems may be yet to come. One can actually play a
"wet" tape, as it doesn't affect the magnetic images on the oxide
(though I wouldn't advise it, not knowing what kind of affect it might
have on your recorder's heads).
As those laps of tape, one on top of the other in the "supply" reel are
very close, no amount of drying and dehumidifying will get that moisture
out. It's made even worse if the tapes remain encapsulated in their
cassette housings.
Are these the types of cassettes that can come apart with the five
little screws? If so, take the top half off each one, and just open it
up like two sides of a sandwich and let it air out. If you have a
solarium or other very warm room, this would help, and if you can run a
dehumidifier there, that will help as well.
But even with all of this, your problem may come much later in the form
of MOLD. I've seen mold on 1/4" and 1/2" reels of tape that were merely
stored in a damp environment, not even subjected to a flood.
So a thorough drying is really necessary. This is going to take some
time. Open 'em up and let the moisture evaporate in a really, really,
dry environment for a week or two.
Aside from going through the hassle of copying all the tapes onto new
tapes, this is about as good as you can do.
--Bob Noble, Hill & Valley Recording Studio
(bobnoble@[removed])
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2001 Issue #253
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