Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #417
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 11/19/2003 8:20 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 417
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      "let's talk about the Atom"           [ Katherine Baer <KBaer@[removed]; ]
      15 minute Nick Carter serial of 1944  [ "Tim Hughes" <rekokut@[removed]; ]
      11-20 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Burns & Allen in color                [ Steve Salaba <philmfan@[removed] ]
      "The Day They Gave Babies Away"       [ "Jerry Haendiges" <Jerry@[removed] ]
      Art                                   [ Conrad Binyon <conradab@[removed] ]
      Jim Harmon                            [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Hermit's Cave                         [ "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@ezlin ]
      Norman Corwin                         [ badaxley@[removed] ]
      re: Two Christmas Shows               [ Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed] ]
      Arbitration radio show?               [ Lisa Kohn <lskohn@[removed]; ]
      Norman Corwin Book                    [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
      Random Follow-Up Thoughts             [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
      Re: SPERDVAC                          [ OTRGURU@[removed] ]
      Peter Salem                           [ "Richard Carpenter" <sinatra@raging ]
      Perry Como/Danny Thomas               [ lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 14:34:35 -0500
    From: Katherine Baer <KBaer@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  "let's talk about the Atom"

    NPR needs help once again.  Does anyone have copies of this radio show that
    aired in the 1960's?

    This is the info I have about it.

    [removed]

    Any help is greatly appreciated.  Thanks,

    Katherine

    Katherine Baer
    Broadcast Librarian
    National Public Radio
    202-513-2064
    kbaer@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 14:35:01 -0500
    From: "Tim Hughes" <rekokut@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  15 minute Nick Carter serial of 1944

    Hi all!

    Speaking of lost shows, as the Peter Salem thread reminded me, does anyone
    on this list have any of the Nick Carter 1944 serials?  They exist, but no
    one seems to have them.  The Goldin collection did have them, but it's now
    in Meidiabay's hands.

    Thanks.

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:27:59 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  11-20 births/deaths

    November 20th births

    11-20-1890 - Robert Armstrong - Saginaw, MI - d. 4-20-1973
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    11-20-1891 - Reginald Denny - Richmond, Surrey, England - d. 6-16-1967
    actor: "Cavalcade of America"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Texaco Star Theatre"
    11-20-1900 - Chester Gould - Pawnee,  Oklahoma Territory - d. 5-11-1985
    comic strip artist: "Dick Tracy"
    11-20-1907 - Fran Allison - La Porte City, IA - d. 6-13-1989
    actress, singer: Aunt Fanny, "Breakfast Club"; "National Barn Dance"; "Uncle
    Ezra"
    11-20-1908 - Alistair Cooke - Manchester, England
    host: "Transatlantic Quiz"; "Letter to America"; "Stage and Screen"
    11-20-1916 - Judy Canova - Stark, FL - d. 8-5-1983
    comedienne: "Paul Whiteman"s Musical; Varieties"; "Judy Canova Show"
    11-20-1919 - Evelyn Keyes - Port Arthur, TX (R:  Atlanta, GA)
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    11-20-1920 - Gene Tierney - Brooklyn, NY - d. 12-6-1991
    actress: "Great Scenes from Great Plays"; "[removed] Steel Hour"
    11-20-1921 - Phyllis Thaxter - Portland, ME
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"

    November 20th deaths

    08-03-1905 - Gaylord Carter - Wiesbaden, Germany - d. 11-20-2000
    organist: "Amos 'n" Andy"; "Breakfast in Hollywood"
    12-18-1913 - Lynn Bari - Roanoke,  VA - d. 11-20-1989
    actress: "Dan Carson"
    12-27-1916 - Cathy Lewis - Spokane, WA - d. 11-20-1968
    actress: Jane Stacy "My Friend Irma"; Kathryn Milford "Great Gildersleeve"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 15:53:17 -0500
    From: Steve Salaba <philmfan@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Burns & Allen in color

    All this recent talk of kinescopes and the CBS vaults bids me to ask:

    There was a very short clip on the CBS 75th Anniversary show of George &
    Gracie's TV show in color, I wonder how many of these shows exist in the
    CBS vaults (or elsewhere) and what are the chances of seeing more of them?
    Probably slim to nine, [removed]
    --
    Steve Salaba

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:44:53 -0500
    From: "Jerry Haendiges" <Jerry@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  "The Day They Gave Babies Away"

    Hi there,

>     I'd like to find a show I had a badly recorded copy of years ago.
>     Do anybody have any info about it.  I figure a bad copy came

    >from somewhere, could be another bad copy, but then I will know.

>     It is a show, I believe was called, "The day they gave babies away".
>     The tape I have lists it as a Christmas show of the CBS radio workshop,
>     but no logs

    	The play "The Day They Gave Babies Away" was aired on the CAVALCADE OF
    AMERICA series twice, 12-15-47 and 12-25-51.  It was also aired on the
    COLUMBIA WORKSHOP series 12-21-46.  We have all three programs available on
    CD or cassette and they are all in excellent sound quality.

    	If you wish to find out more information on the series, you may go to
    my
    Website, The Vintage Radio Place at <[removed]>.  Go down to the "Main
    Table of Contents" and click on "Vintage Radio Logs."  Then just click on
    "Columbia Workshop," "Cavalcade of America," or any of the other over 500
    logs listed there to view, download or print out the log(s).  All programs
    with catalog or location numbers are available for purchase there also on
    CD, Cassette and other formats.

    	You may also find this series listed in my on-line CD / cassette
    catalog
    which is located at <[removed]> OTRSite On-Line Catalog.  To
    use this catalog, your browser must be Frames compliant and you should be
    running at a resolution setting of 800x600 or higher for best viewing
    (although lower resolution settings may be used).

        I hope this helps.  If you have any other questions, please feel free to
    contact me.

                Jerry Haendiges <jerry@[removed];

      [removed]  The Vintage Radio Place
      Largest source of OTR Logs, Articles and programs on the Net

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:45:47 -0500
    From: Conrad Binyon <conradab@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Art

    The below link is what I previously submitted to the
    digest some months ago re Art's earlier career in
    radio as indicated by his telephone exvhange directory
    submission.

    [removed]

    Loved reading the great Info, provided by Hal Stone re his association with the
    gentleman.

    Conrad Binyon

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:46:26 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jim Harmon
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Dave Phaneuf, speaking of Jim Harmon's Great Radio Heroes, notes,

>     I picked up at a used book store an interesting book by Jim Harmon
>     entitled "The Great Radio Heroes", Doubleday Books, 1967. The name Jim
>     Harmon sounds quite familiar to me. Is he a contributor to this digest?
>     Does anyone know anything about him? By the way, Jim, in case you're
>     reading [removed] GREAT BOOK! I love it!

    I picked up that book when it was first published.  Jim Harmon is a
    fairly prolific author, who wrote a number of science-fiction stories
    years ago.  The volume was one of the first OTR books I ever read, and
    his Jim Harmon's Nostalgia Catalogue, published at about the same time,
    revealed to me that there were dealers in radio premiums, and from there,
    I was able to start rebuilding my collection of premiums.

    The Great Radio Heroes was republished as a trade paperback by McFarland.
     The first version was reconstructed primarily through his memory of the
    programs.  Nostalgically, it's great.  But I wouldn't use it as a
    reference work.  The McFarland edition has made a lot of corrections,
    though there are still some weaknesses.  But for looking through the eyes
    of someone growing up at the time, it's revealing and good reading.

    If you can get your hands on a Nostalgia Catalog, that's one to check
    out.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 19:09:22 -0500
    From: "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Hermit's Cave

    Michael Ogden's posting in Digest #416 on The Hermit's Cave
    took me back a few :-) years to 1978. I used to listen WJR out
    of Detroit quite a lot while I was working. They had a great station
    and broadcast lots of variety shows and had not gone to the news
    and music format we hear so much of today. The announcer had
    mentioned that they had an upcoming interview with the man who
    played the Hermit. As I was about to get off work, I phoned my
    wife to get the recorder set up to record this.

    I have shared this recording with some of my fellow collectors and it
    has probably made the rounds to many other collectors since then.
    The recording lasts around 12 to 13 minutes. It was recorded from
    radio July 6, 1978 on WJR, Detroit. The interview was with Toby
    Grimmer who was celebrating his 95 year old birthday party at the
    nursing home where he was staying. He was the original voice of the
    hermit on The Hermit's Cave (at least to me he was the best). His
    voice is the one we always hear opening the show. Toby said he was
    born March 5, 1881, served in the Spanish American War, was in
    vaudeville. wrote songs and he sings one of his numbers for the audience.
    He explained how he was picked to do the voice of the hermit. The
    reporter asked he could still give the famous laugh, which he did. And he
    still sounded good even at 95.

    I used to listen The Hermit's Cave in the '40's and it is still my
    favorite of that type of program. Too bad more of those shows don't
    survive. At least I'm thankful I got him on tape as I'm sure Toby
    wasn't around much longer after that birthday party.

    Don Dean N8IOJ

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 19:09:48 -0500
    From: badaxley@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Norman Corwin

    For those interested in the biography of Norman Corwin, it is found in the
    book, On A Note of Triumph by [removed] Bannerman.
    Bob Axley

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 19:10:57 -0500
    From: Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  re: Two Christmas Shows

    Deric quiered

>     I'd like to find a better tape or mp3 of a show I
>     believe was called, "The day they gave babies away" and the other side
>     of the tape was "All is bright"

    The Day They Gave Babies Away [Dale Eunson (author)] was broadcast on
    Columbia Workshop December 21, 1946
    A Christmas story about six orphans many years ago in New England.
    The script was subsequently used on "The Cavalcade Of America" on
    December 25, 1951.

    All is Bright (The story of "Silent Night" with Joseph Julian and
    Rudolph Weiss was broadcast December 23, 1956 on CBS Radio Workshop.

    I don't have either show in my colleciton, but maybe someone on the list
    can supply a source for these two shows.

    Gerry Wright
    ZoneZebra Productions
    San Francisco

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 19:44:32 -0500
    From: Lisa Kohn <lskohn@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Arbitration radio show?

    I have been told that there was a radio program based
    on the arbitration cases of arbitrator Samuel Zack
    that aired in the '30s.  Other info suggests that it
    was later (40s) and aired on WMAC in NY and WWDC in
    Washington, DC.

    Does anyone know anything more about this show?  I
    don't know whether it was a series or a single
    program, what was its title, etc.  I assume it was in
    English, but who [removed]

    Any info would be greatly appreciated!!  Boy did they
    put strange things on the radio back then <g>

    Lisa

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 20:58:56 -0500
    From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
    To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Norman Corwin Book

    Jim Widner is indeed fortunate to have found a copy of "Norman Corwin
    and Radio  The Golden Years".  This is a really outstanding book about a
    great man.  I bought mine when it was fairly new and have been thinking
    about reading it again, but didn't really want to search for it.  But
    with all the talk about it lately I went looking and surprise! It was
    right where it should have been.
    There are some 120 radio show/episodes listed in this book.  I don't
    know if that is complete or not but judging by the quality of the book,
    I would say that it's close

    George Aust

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:06:50 -0500
    From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Random Follow-Up Thoughts

    Greetings!

    ALLAN SHERMAN

       I truly hope "Mr. Birthday" Ron Sayles makes mention that tomorrow (11/20)
    will mark the 30th anniversary of the passing of my all-time comedic idol,
    game-show producer and master song satirist Allan Sherman. He died ten dies
    shy of his  49th birthday on November 20, 1973 of a combination of
    complications from alcoholism, obesity, and a lifetime of respiratory
    ailments. Over this past week-end, the show-biz world also lost the great
    Broadway star Dorothy Loudon, best known for originating the role of "Miss
    Hannigan" in "Annie,"  who was the female lead in the ill-fated Broadway
    musical "The Fig Leaves Are Falling," co-written by Allan Sherman and Albert
    Hague.   Does anybody out there happen to know if Mr. Sherman ever had any
    connections to OTR? Also, if anybody has any rarities pertaining to him or
    any radio interviews, please contact me off-list.

    IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

          Charlie's gonna hate me for this one. All right, most movie historians
    recognise 1939 as having been the greatest single year in the history of
    cinema for having produced "Gone with the Wind," "Ninotchka," "Stagecoach,"
    The Wizard of Oz," "Wuthering Heights," "Gunga Din," and many others. I have
    a scholarly book called "Television's Greatest Year: 1954" (author escapes
    me). Recently, a music critic in my hometown newspaper "The (Newark, NJ)
    Star-Ledger" declared 1966 as the greatest year in rock'n'roll history being
    that the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Motown, the British
    Invasion, the folk-rock movement, Stax/Volt soul were all at a zenith.

          So, ether-ites: what is the single greatest year when it comes to
    American old-time radio? Cite some examples, would ya? Thanks!

    JOHN P. SAUNDERS

         The AP obit for comic-strip "Mary Worth" scribe John P. Saunders said
    that he succeeded his father Allen saunders after a 33-year career as a radio
    and TV announcer and newsman. Can anybody out there elaborate on his credits?

    STREAMLINED SHAKESPEARE

       I'm still listening to the Radio Spirits boxed set of 40 Eddie cantor OTR
    shows. One of the shows featured a closing production number called
    "Streamlined Mother Goose," which updated  many nursery rhyme favourites in
    swing style. I make mention of this because that week's guest was John
    Barrymore, of radio's "Streamlined Shakespeare." Coincidence?

    EDDIE CARROLL/ TOM HATTEN

         I'd like to thank Laura Leff for answering my questions about Messrs'
    Carroll and Hatten by confirming that Jack Benny impressionist Eddie Caroll
    was, indeed, the same Eddie Carroll who had the recurring role of Allan
    Melvin's (BTW, a  one-time winner on "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts")
    wise-cracking corporal/sidekick on TV's "Gomer Pyle--USMC."
    Surprise-surprise-surprise!

    THE MIGHT QUINN (QUINN, THE ESKIMO)

         Let's not get Inuit.

    ARKANSAS RIVER

          The "Merriam-Webter's Geographical Dictionary" states that when
    referring to the Arkansas River, that ar-KAN-zes is usual in Kansas and
    frewuent in Colorado, AR-ken-saw is usual elsewhere.

    LAND OF THE LOST/ART CARNEY

          Kudos for Max Schmid's tribute to both Penny Singleton and Art Carney
    this past Sunday night (11/16) on NYC's WBAI-FM. Max posted  about how the
    magic fish Red Lantern was voiced alternately by Art Carney and others.
    Paramount/Famous Studios commissioned a handful of "Land of the Lost"/Red
    Lantern cartoons in the late 1940s where Red Lantern was voiced [removed]
    Beck.

    NIAGARA FALLS

          True, Abbott and Costello changed the name of this old burlesque
    routine in "Lost in the Harem," and The Three Stooges also reverted to
    "Niagara Falls" in one of their shorts (title, someone?), but IMHO, the
    consummate version of this routine was performed by Lou Costello and Sidney
    Fields in an episode of the A&C TV programme. Lou found himself in jail and
    Sid Fields as a hobo sets the routine up. Speaking of Abbott and [removed]

    RESIDENCE HALL

         My old alma mater [if one can call attending it for only one year such]
    Montclair State University [it was merely a "College" when I attended]
    recently named one of its new student resident halls "The Abbott and Costello
    Residence Hall."  It's common knowledge that Lou was born & grew up in
    Paterson, NJ, being that he often worked references to it into the A&C films;
    however, not many people  know that Bud was born in Asbury Park. I truly hope
    the residence hall has at least three floors so as to accomodate the
    inevitable"who's on first/?what's on second?/I-don't-know is on third?"
    jokes and references.

    BBC/OTR DOCUMENTARIES

        Kermyt Anderson stated the fact that the best documentaries about US
    radio seem to be emanating from the UK as of late. I was not aware of this
    [removed] isn't this always the case when it comes to appreciation of
    American popular culture? The best documentaries I've ever seen about
    American silent films were made by Britons. I have also found that the
    biggest fans of early rock-'n'-roll are British. Some of the biggest American
    Civil War buffs happen to be British.

    SELLING THE HONEYMOONERS TODAY

         I was just as saddened by the pasing of Art Carney. It was a joy to see
    "Trixie Norton" herself at the FOTR convention last month playing opposite
    Pat Hosley in "My Friend Irma." When Jackie Gleason trotted out the "lost"
    Honeymooners episodes, I remember him being interviewed and saying, to
    effect, that if he went into a network executive's office today ([removed], circa
    1985) and pitched a show idea about a loud-mouthed boorish bus-driver, his
    long-suffering wife, and his upstairs neighbours: a dim-witted sewer worker
    married to a retired burlesque dancer, that he wouldn't be taken seriously.
    Let's all be grateful that experimental early television allowed such an
    "outlandish" idea to develop and flourish.

    PENNY SINGLETON

         I first heard about Miss Singleton's passing here on the Digest. When I
    mentioned it to my non-OTR-initiated co-workers, I was greeted with a
    collective "huh?" I went on to talk about both the  "Blondie" movies and
    radio shows. Nobody here was familiar with them. When I mentioned "Jane
    Jetson," the floodgates of recognition were opened. It reminded me of the
    time Talking Book narratrix (and "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre" veteran) Barbara
    Caruso and I were recording a bio of Jane Austen. According to this book,
    Miss Austen went through long stretches of many years of writer's block. A
    modern-day authority suggested that she probably suffered from clinical
    depression, which more than likely contributed to her lack of output.  Unable
    to grasp the the ramifications of undiagnosed depression in 18th century
    England, Jane Austen's family members essentially told her to "snap out of
    it." This prompted me to write in the margin "Jane, stop this 'crazy' thing!"

    ON A NOTE OF PERSONAL TRIUMPH

          I do realise that my pal Mike Henry was being facetious when he stated
    that if it weren't for his addiction to the lately lamented KNX Drama Hour,
    that he would have spent his college years getting drunk. Don't go there,
    Michael. Next week (11/25) will mark my 17th year of sobriety. I am very
    grateful that I can enjoy this wonderful OTR hobby and all my friends whom I
    correspond with and see at conventions with a clear mind.

    Yous always in the ether!

    Derek Tague

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:07:40 -0500
    From: OTRGURU@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: SPERDVAC

    We had a great time at the SPERDVAC convention earlier this month.  Met lots
    of old and new friends and, I'm pleased to say, sold many, many copies of my
    new book, "Speaking of Radio"  (details at my website:
    [removed])

    A highlight of the event was the Sunday morning brunch which  featured Hal
    Stone and Bob Hastings as Bob and Ray.  My wife Ellen and I are still laughing!

    A personal word of thanks to Bob Steinmetz and Bobb Lines for the citation
    award in recognition of my "many years of unselfish dedication to keeping
    alive
    the memory of the Golden Age of radio and of the people who made it so
    entertaining and wonderful."   It's been my pleasure these past 33 years!  I
    am proud
    to have been so honored by SPERDVAC.

    Chuck Schaden
    Host of "Those Were The Days" since 1970
    Saturday, 1-5 pm (Central time) Streaming audio at [removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:46:25 -0500
    From: "Richard  Carpenter" <sinatra@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Peter Salem

       The Peter Salem show had vanished from my memory until a recent posting
    brought it back. I grew up in Salem, Mass., so as a lad I got a kick out of
    the idea of a radio show with the same name as the city I lived in. Strange
    that I had forgotten, but that's the wonderful thing about the Old Time
    Radio Digest -- it stirs memories.

    [removed] This e-mail is being written on the Linux operating system, which I
    installed as a double boot with Windows 98. I'd like to say that Linux, an
    open-source system known for its stability is an all-around Windows beater,
    but alas it's not. Linux has a way to go before it will ever catch on in
    the home computer market.

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

    Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 21:48:02 -0500
    From: lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Perry Como/Danny Thomas

    I was wondering if there are any shows avaible from either the Perry Como
    radio show
    or the Danny Thomas show?  I haven't run acrossed any.

    Many Thanks!!!   Lynn Wagar

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #417
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