Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #34
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 1/24/2004 10:15 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 34
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Articles Mentioning Jack Benny        [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
      thirteenth floor                      [ ditmars@[removed] ]
      Re: Ann Miller                        [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
      Re: Cincy Convention                  [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Billy May, age 87                     [ "RBB" <oldradio@[removed]; ]
      Subject CD burning Roxio 5            [ "Mike B" <mikar01@[removed]; ]
      Capt. Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan)          [ "Mike B" <mikar01@[removed]; ]
      Jean Shepherd scripted?               [ ABCDiehl@[removed] ]
      Bill Murtough and the Lindbergh baby  [ leemunsick <leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Jack Benny 20th Anniversary           [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
      1-25 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Ann Miller OTR appearances            [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Jerry [removed]'t no K-Mart, thankfully!  [ Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed] ]
      Warming Up                            [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Poets & poetry on OTR?                [ "Jim Erskine, Homeway Press" <homew ]

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

    Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 23:22:08 -0500
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Articles Mentioning Jack Benny

    Here are a couple more articles that mention Jack Benny.  Can anyone figure
    out what this Pennysaver TV is?  Looks like a group that is trying to bring
    back a lot of radio-related properties to broadcast tv.

    Sean  Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    THEN & Now Ann-Margret
    The Ledger
    ... That led to appearances on "The Jack Benny Show" and a film contract
    that began in 1961 with "Pocketful of Miracles," the last film directed
    by Frank Capra in ...
    <[removed]
    /1021>

    ADVISORS LENDING GROUP Picks PennySaver TV T For Classic Comedy ...
    Emediawire (press release)
    ... George Burns & Gracie Allen, The Jack Benny Program, Red Skelton Show,
    Groucho in You Bet Your Life, shows that haven't been seen in decades
    on broadcast ...
    <[removed];

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 11:04:54 -0500
    From: ditmars@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  thirteenth floor

    Does anyone know of a children's radio drama heard several times 1955/56 with
    thirteenth floor in the title?  Story is two kids (brother & sister) get
    separated from their parents in a dept store, stray onto an elevator & end up
    on the 13th floor where very strange things went on (which I can't remember).
    Happy ending of course
    Tony Ditmars ditmars@[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 11:05:33 -0500
    From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Ann Miller
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    In a message dated 1/23/04 10:28:05 PM Central Standard Time,
    [removed]@[removed] writes:

>     My fondest memory of Ann Miller ...from the TV-ad for the Heinz Company's
>     "Great American Soup" she did for  adman & OTR vet Stan Freberg. in the
>     early
>     1970s. This ad has often been cited as having had been the most expensive
>     TV-commercial up to that point  as it featured Ann in a Busby Berkeley-type
>     choreographed production number with costumes,  art deco sets, chorus
>     [removed]

    Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but didn't I hear that Freberg
    persuaded Busby Berkeley *himself* to come out of retirement to choreograph
    this
    ad?  Seems like I remember hearing Freberg tell a very funny story about only
    20
    girls being hired to dance behind Miller, while Berkeley was expecting 100.
    When told he didn't have 100 girls, the old man reportedly said "Aaaah, don't
    worry, I can make 40 girls seem like 100!"

    Dixon

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 11:07:01 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Cincy Convention

      David Phaneuf posts, re: Convention in Cincinnati

>     I'm hoping to bring my son, aged 13, providing
>     everything works out schedule-wise. He's wanting to
>     meet "Archie" and "Jughead" and "Rosemary" if they
>     will be there this year.  Also hoping to bring a
>     friend along too.

    Hmmmm! Is this friend you're bringing along male or female?

    David, you can tell your son that. as of this writing, "Archie", "Jughead" &
    "Betty" will be there, but that he shouldn't be too disappointed that we
    don't look like the Comic Book characters. Prepare him for the fact that we
    are three "OLD" looking geezers who think they can still play "Teenagers".

>     Will be my first convention in several years, and
>     frankly, I've kind of been missing it.

    Well, David, we'll try and make up for all those missing years.

>     And, Hal, I'm really hoping you'll be there, as I'd
>     love to have the chance to meet you in person finally.

    As you know by reading the above, yes, I will be there. (The good Lord
    willin'.) And I will look forward to meeting you and your son, (and the good
    looking female "friend" you're bringing. :)

    Incidentally, Bob Burchett has asked Hastings and me to do our "Bob & Ray"
    sketches at Cincinnati this year, after he heard how much people the People
    at the SPERDVAC convention enjoyed us playing many of the silly characters
    that "Bob and Ray" were famous for. We sure had fun doing them. At one
    point, Hastings broke me up. He was so funny, tears were streaming down my
    face, I was laughing so hard.

    See you there David. And from the looks of things, (postings to the digest)
    we will have more youngsters in attendance than usual. That will be "cool",
    as the kids say. Regards

    Hal (Harlan)Stone
    Jughead

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 11:07:18 -0500
    From: "RBB" <oldradio@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Billy May, age 87

    We've lost another legend in the music business, Billy May, at age 87.  At
    age 23, he did Charlie Barnet's classic arrangement of "Cherokee" in 1939 as
    a trumpeter with the band, it became one of the biggest hits in the
    swing-era, and the inspiration for bebop saxaphonist, Charlie Parker's
    "Ko-Ko" based on the chord changes in "Cherokee."  He also played trumpet
    and arranged for Glenn Miller before he formed his wartime, Army orchestra
    in the 1940's.

    That was just the beginning for Billy May.
    Later, his trademark "blusey glissando" or "slurping saxaphones"
    arrangements became a much sought-after, "new sound" for Frank Sinatra's
    series of "travelling themed", #1 albums.  Crosby then also recorded two
    "travelling" albums. May shifted to a "brass choir" sound and won Grammy
    awards with that.

    May was on early radio with a number of singers including Bing Crosby. He
    was also the Musical Director for Stan Freberg's radio comedy series in the
    late-1950's.   He then worked in television and movie sound tracks, and was
    a ghost-writer-arranger-composer.

    He wrote children's "story and song records" producing over 60 albums for
    the Capitol label.  His talent for prolific music writing is in his
    statement:  "I write faster than anyone, better - and better than anyone,
    faster!"

    So long, Billy - thanks for all the great music!

    Russ Butler  oldradio@[removed]

    (Source [removed])

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 11:07:32 -0500
    From: "Mike B" <mikar01@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Subject CD burning Roxio 5

    I personally upgraded to Roxio 6 for CD's, but I still prefer Nero 5.  Nero
    takes a little bit longer, but don't have any "error" messages.  Its just a
    "workhorse".  [removed]

    Mike Barron
    Rockford, IL

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 11:07:55 -0500
    From: "Mike B" <mikar01@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Capt. Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan)

    What the radio did for many, including our parents (as you can tell I'm only
    56), Bob Keeshan did for my generation.  I even missed school if something
    special was to come on (school started halfway through the program hour in
    CST).
    CBS has a complete tribute with 3 video clips.
    Make sure you click on all the sidebars.
    [removed]

    Mike Barron
    Rockford, IL

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 12:03:04 -0500
    From: ABCDiehl@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jean Shepherd scripted?

    A follow-up to Lee Munsick's OTR posting about Jean Shepherd's shows on WOR.
    While it's Lee's belief that everything Shep said was (as far as he could
    see) scripted,
    my friend Gil Gross (former ABC and CBS correspondent who also worked at WOR)
    says NOT SO. "Shep," says Gross "often made an OUTLINE of a story he was
    going to tell,
    but only so he could get to the end of it on the air in the time allotted,
    but many nights he just free associated and , in fact, even fans would say,
    especially in the last years, he did that all TOO often."   As for the lack
    of WOR
    shows in the station's library, one of
    Jean's producer's in those days told a friend of mine that there would have
    been no reason for WOR to keep them because they didn't own them or have the
    rights to them. Jean was an independent contractor, who took all his stuff
    with
    him when he left.
    Bill Diehl
    ABC News Radio
    New York

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 13:33:07 -0500
    From: leemunsick <leemunsick@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Bill Murtough and the Lindbergh baby?

    Bill Murtough reminisced about working years ago with Bob Dryden.  Also
    while in radio, he said, he was the engineer on "Casey, Crime
    Photographer".  He referred to H. Norman Schwarzkaupf on "Gangbusters", who
    had the rank of Colonel in the New Jersey State Police.

    Col. Schwarzkaupf was the Commandant of the New Jersey State Police, and a
    key figure in the investigation leading up to the Lindbergh baby kidnaping
    trial in Flemington, New Jersey.  He was indeed the father of General
    "Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkaupf  of fame in the first Iraq War.

    The kidnaping trial gave the Hunterdon County Seat a disgustingly carnival
    atmosphere for days, reminiscent of the infamous Scopes Trial.  It rocketed
    radio reporting years ahead.  New York station WOR sent a crew to cover the
    trial.  Much of the time, nothing was happening, so they had to fill in
    long spaces of time, yet be ready to switch back to the courtroom on a
    moment's notice.

    Enter the studio engineer in New York, suddenly thrust into those empty
    spaces.  He chatted in his affable baritone, played records, added other
    information, yet constantly had his ear to the feed from Flemington, to
    throw the switch for the trial coverage.

    Who was this novice air personality who thus attracted the attention of the
    station executives, as well as the listeners up and down the east coast?

    His name was John B. Gambling.  He took over the WOR morning program when
    exercise guru Bernarr MacFadden didn't show up for his program.  Gambling's
    program was initially called "Gambling's Musical Clock", but eventually it
    became known to millions of listeners over several generations of listeners
    and John Gamblings, as "Rambling With Gambling".   He continued MacFadden's
    calisthenics routines, but added a live orchestra.  As a kid, I can
    remember listening to that orchestra decades later.  I always thought it
    was the most "canned" sounding live orchestra I had ever heard!  Still do.

    John B's son John A. eventually appeared on the programs, and then got his
    own evening show on WOR called "Music From Studio X", which was a giant
    hit.  He then often appeared with his dad in the morning, and began
    substituting for John B. when the father needed time
    off.  Eventually,  they reversed roles; John A. took over the show and John
    B. would visit occasionally.  In time, John A. brought along his son John
    R., who hosted the program until WOR dropped it some years ago.  He moved
    to competitor WABC, where I believe he is still heard, but only on Saturday
    mornings.

    Now, Bill Murtough, see what you've gone and done!

    Bestus, Lee Munsick

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 15:18:52 -0500
    From: JackBenny@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jack Benny 20th Anniversary
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    Joe Postove asked:

>     I am listening for the first time to the CBS Radio Network Special
>     celebrating Jack's 20th year in radio. Does anyone know the original airdate

    November 9, 1951.

    --Laura Leff
    President, IJBFC
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 15:51:33 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1-25 births/deaths

    January 25th births

    01-25-1874 - Somerset Maughan - Paris, France - d. 12-16-1965
    writer: " Somerset Maughan Theatre"
    01-25-1906 - Mildred Dunnock - Baltimore, MD - d. 7-5-1991
    actress: "Theatre Guild on the Air"
    01-25-1910 - Portland Hoffa - Portland, OR - d. 12-25-1990
    comedienne: (Wife of Fred Allen) "Fred Allen Show"
    01-25-1916 - Les Crutchfield - d. 10-6-1966
    writer: "Escape"; "Fort Laramie"; "Gunsmoke"

    January 25th deaths

    10-15-1921 - Robert Rockwell - Chicago, IL - d. 1-25-2003
    actor: Philip Boynton "Our Miss Brooks"
    12-03-1902 - Bill Slater - Parkersburg, WV - d. 1-25-1965
    emcee: ""Uncle Jim's Question Bee"; "Twenty Questions"; "Dunninger Show"
    12-24-1922 - Ava Gardner - Grabtown, NC - d. 1-25-1990
    actress: "So Proudly We Hail"; "Prudential Family Hour of Stars"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 18:02:37 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Ann Miller OTR appearances

>     The passing of movie and stage dancer Ann Miller saddened me. I can't
>     think of any of her radio credentials--but I'm sure Ron Sayles can dig up a
>     couple.

    I am sure that she appeared on several, but this is what I came up with.

    Forecast
    Hollywood Hotel
    Mail Call
    Command Performance
    [removed] Journal

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 18:03:53 -0500
    From: Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jerry [removed]'t no K-Mart, thankfully!

    I'm still almost a week behind on reading the Digest,
    but I had to put my 2 cents worth in on the Jerry
    Haendiges thread.

    It's obvious that there are a number of folks who can
    rate their experiences with Jerry with a "thumbs
    down". My personal experiences with purchasing from
    Jerry a few years back were, on the whole, quite
    positive. One of my e-mails got lost, but a friendly
    phone call got my order back on track.

    I suspect that those who are unhappy with Jerry are
    under the impression that he has a big organization
    with departments for dubbing, billing, shipping,
    customer service, etc. and he makes hundreds of
    thousands of dollars (as someone stated) in the OTR
    business. But when I called about my order, it was
    Jerry himself who returned the call. The high quality
    of his web page gives one the impression that you're
    dealing with a big organization, like K-Mart. In fact,
    from what I can tell, he's just another collector,
    like us. But think of it, his collection is over
    60,000 shows. They are all on tape (no mp3's to help
    with the storage problems). They are organized,
    catalogued, inventoried, and listed on the web. Talk
    about a logistical nightmare! I get overwhelmed
    keeping half that number of mp3 files in order on my
    computer.

    Personally, I'm extremely grateful that Jerry has gone
    to the effort to make so many programs available to
    collectors like myself. When I was trying to put
    together a complete set of all existing Inner Sanctum
    Mysteries, I got fills from Jerry that I couldn't find
    anyplace else. A K-Mart(or Radio-Spirits-at-Costco)
    type store will give you a "Best of" set and a
    customer service department to back it up, but Jerry
    will be able to offer you that last few episodes of
    your favorite star's obscure series. (If you've only
    got 20 episodes of Archie Andrews, you can get 6 more
    from Jerry and not miss a single second of Hal Stone's
    genius.)

    As for the logs on his web site, I too have learned to
    take them with a grain of salt. I found some of them
    to be excellent ([removed] "Suspense") and others to be
    suspect ([removed] "Fibber McGee and Molly"). While Jerry's
    logs may not be up to "historian" standards, I've
    found them to be extremely useful by my "collector"
    standards.

    I know that Jerry H. subscribes to this list, and as
    of a week ago, he had not posted a response to the
    criticism. If he has since made a statement, please
    forgive me for being behind on my digest reading, but
    I think that his
    "pay-after-you-get-the-order-and-only-if-you're-satisfied"
    policy is a pretty good way to make up for the lack of
    a customer service department.

    I am not affiliated with Jerry H. in any way, but I
    did want to submit a few words in his defense and to
    say, on behalf of all of us satisfied customers and
    collectors out there, thank you Jerry, for all of the
    many ways you've contributed to the hobby. I, for one,
    have benefitted greatly from your efforts.

    -FIBBERMAC-

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

    Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2004 20:18:13 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Warming Up

    With the excessively cold weather hitting much of the Northern
    Hemisphere, I started thinking about the wintertime in my youth.  When
    one wanted to listen to the radio, after it was turned on, there was a
    delay before one started hearing the program or commercial.  The
    technical reason for this was that the cathodes in the tubes had to be
    heated to work, and the process was commonly called "warming up."

    Once a set was going, the glow of the tube filaments generally was a
    cheery radiance spilling out of the back of the radio.  Particularly when
    listening to shows in my own room with a small tabletop radio (that
    utilized what my father referred to as "peanut tubes" Because of their
    relatively diminutive size), that glow was part of the OTR experience.

    I've recently seen ads for replica radios, most table-model cathedral
    style, and often with semiconcealed cassette or CD drives.  There innards
    are solid-state, but I've never seen anyone turning them on.  I wonder
    whether any of them have a built-in "warmup" lag.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 00:08:11 -0500
    From: "Jim Erskine, Homeway Press" <homeway@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Poets & poetry  on OTR?

    Hi all,

    I'm working on a "poetry" related project for some homeschoolers.

    Anyone know of any programs that are biographies of famous [removed] or
    dramatize a famous poem?

    So far, I have "Little Boy Blue", which was an episode of Family Theater
    that told the story behind Eugene Field's [removed]

    And also an episode of "Worlds Greatest Short Stories" which did a reading
    of Poe's "The Raven"...

    Anyone know of any others?

    Thanks for any leads you can give,

    kylistener

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #34
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