------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 120
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Today in radio history [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Cincinnati convention [ "Bob Burchett" <haradio@[removed] ]
gunsmoke [ "charlie snyder" <cigarcharlie@hotm ]
Race and Radio [ Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
Re: Social Comment [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Re: Lucille Fletcher/"Suspense" [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Re: MP3 players for cars [ Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed]; ]
Lucille Fletcher [ "Scott Eberbach" <saeberbach@earthl ]
Re Race and Radio - made me think of [ "JETurk" <jeturk@[removed]; ]
March 19th Birthdays [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Mercedes McCambridge [ dltnkt@[removed] (Dennis/Nancy Town ]
Writer's Guild on Boasberg/Benny [ "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@ho ]
RE: mp3 car stereos [ "Mike Antonucci" <[removed]@co ]
#OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig [ lois@[removed] ]
Cincy Convention [ ilamfan@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 09:42:43 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history
>From Those Were The Days --
1940 - Light of the World was first heard on NBC. The soap opera was
unique in that it featured the Bible as the center of the story line.
Joe
--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 09:42:50 -0500
From: "Bob Burchett" <haradio@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Cincinnati convention
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Have two dealers tables available. First come
first served for this year only. The dealer who
can't come this year will have his tables back
next year. Having the convention a week early
this year was the cause for his not making it.
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Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 11:18:38 -0500
From: "charlie snyder" <cigarcharlie@[removed];
To: "old_time_radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: gunsmoke
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just finished 2 early episodes of gunsmoke. the marshals name on both shows
was mark dillon. can someone explain this and when the change was made to matt
dillon
thank you
charlie
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Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 11:43:33 -0500
From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Race and Radio
The demeanor and language of the black men was submissive and used to
express the difference in social standing and power. . . . .Aside from
Amos and Andy which obviously used racial touchstones of stereotypes, how
common were such social commentary a part of radio shows?
In discussing how American radio portrayed various groups such as the
[removed] Armed Forces, our allies, and our enemies, my book, WORDS AT WAR
(Scarecrow Press, Dec. 2002), about American radio during World War II,
also shows how [removed] radio depicted African-Americans during the war era.
To some extent the radio plays of the World War II era tried to present a
positive image of blacks. But network shows particularly, did not tackle
segregation head-on. The series NEW WORLD A COMING, which was broadcast
from station WMCA and which I discuss in WORDS AT WAR, was a big
exception to this, however. It featured a healthy, assertive image of
blacks.
Howard Blue
For information on how to order WORDS AT WAR at a $5 savings below
publisher's cost, see [removed] To read the book's entire first
chapter, see [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 12:00:26 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Social Comment
On 3/18/03 10:26 AM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:
Aside from Amos and Andy which obviously used racial touchstones of
stereotypes, how common were such social commentary a part of radio shows?
I see A&A similar to the All in the Family show later on, as being a mirror
by which people of all perspectives could see what they wanted to make of
the notions the script presented; a mirror in which everyone could see
themselves.
"The Goldbergs" occasionally used its Jewish characters to make broader
comments on world affairs during the 1930s, but in general it was
necessary for this type of social consciousness to wait until the WW2
era, when it became a necessary element of propaganda in promoting
support for the war effort. (Howard Blue's book is a good place to start
in exploring this area.)
As for A&A itself, there was a *lot* of substantial social commentary
just below the surface during the serial era, especially during the
1930-35 period. The little section of Harlem which served as the
program's setting became a microcosm of Depression America -- with each
of the major characters symbolizing a different element of the
population: Amos as the common-sense Everyman, determined to survive with
integrity intact no matter what; Andy as the irresponsible speculator -
the type of person widely blamed for causing the Depression in the first
place; the Kingfish as the cynical opportunist, looking to take advantage
of the situation for his own profit, Lightning representing the
desperate, barely-hanging-on urban poor; Brother Crawford as the
struggling white-collar family man, never knowing how long his job will
last; Henry Van Porter as a self-deluded Babbitt figure, clinging to his
belief that Prosperity Is Just Around The Corner, even though deep down
he knows it isn't; Frederick Montgomery Gwindell as the reformer,
convinced that the only way to turn things around is thru sweeping
changes in the way business is done.
The stories acted out by this cast often became intricate little morality
plays, in which, as you suggest, every listener could see both themselves
as they *wanted* to be, and themselves as they really were. Blackface had
long been used as a mask behind which performers could freely comment on
social conditions, going all the way back to the 1840s. But Correll and
Gosden went a significant step further -- and in doing so, turned that
generic mask into the faces of actual people.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 12:01:30 -0500
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Lucille Fletcher/"Suspense"
What is your favorite Lucille Fletcher play:
"Sorry, Wrong Number"
"The Hitchhiker"
"Fugue in C Minor"
"Diary of Sophronia Winters"
I know she wrote more and I could increase the list if I were at home with my
notes and collection. "Nightman" is one spinetingler that comes to mind.
Of the four, mine will always be "The Hitchhiker." You feel safe in your car
when you are on the road, and realizing it's already too late is just
horrifying.
As for "Sorry Wrong Number," it's interesting to note that some have insisted
in those days, it was nearly impossible to accidentally pick up a phone and
overhear a phone conversation like that, the way the phone lines were routed,
etc. Maybe in the country where they had party lines but in New York City? I
could be wrong. A similar issue arose in the early 1960s over two real-life
college football coaches allegedly fixing a game. However, and ironically,
it may likely be more possible now, in the era of three-way and conference
calling, cellphones, etc.
Finally, "The Diary of Saphronia Winters"...that scene with the "hymn to axe
murder by," wow does that give you the bejeebies or what?
Dixon
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 12:24:51 -0500
From: Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: MP3 players for cars
My car had just a CD player; I wanted to play cassettes and MP3s. I
couldn't find a radio that would do both. So I went with my second
choice:
I ended up buying a radio made by Aiwa, for $[removed] at Circuit City. And
I bought it last week, when they were offering free installation.
This radio has an input jack on the front. I bought a connecting cord at
Radio Shack for $[removed] This cord plugs into the faceplate of the radio,
and into the earphone jack of my Walkman MP3 player or my cassette
player. So now I can listen to regular CDs (they go into the radio),
MP3s, and cassettes (through the adapter jack). And anything else that
has a headphone jack--like one of those tiny MP3 players that you "load"
programs into through your computer.
Granted this is a bit tedious because I have a cord looping from the car
radio to the Walkman or cassette player, but my car has a pull-out drawer
right below the radio, and I can stick my Walkman/cassette in that drawer
and it is out of the way. Plus the cigarette lighter is right there too,
so I can run the Walkman/cassette off the car power and save its
batteries.
And I think my cost was substantially less than if I had bought a radio
that played MP3s directly.
---Dan
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 13:57:30 -0500
From: "Scott Eberbach" <saeberbach@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Lucille Fletcher
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My vote goes, like Tom's, to "The Hitchhiker" too. I still get a chill and
the hair rises on the back of my neck when the house keeper tells why his
mother is in the hospital. "...since the death of her son Ronald on the
Brooklynn Bridge six days [removed]" I happened to read a short story version of
this story in Junior High School and then a number of years later in Senior
High School. I ordered this story out of a Radio Yesteryear catalog a number
of years later while serving in the [removed] Navy and realized, after listening to
it, that is was the same story I read a number of years earlier!
I like "Fugue In C-Minor" as well and rate that as my second [removed]"The
Diary of Sophronia Winters" comes in third and "Sorry, Wrong Number" comes in
last.
Scott
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 13:57:42 -0500
From: "JETurk" <jeturk@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re Race and Radio - made me think of Jack
webb
In # 119, ddunfee@[removed], mentioned an Episode of Tales of the Texas
Rangers, and Amos and Andy as touching on racial themes, and wondered about
others.
In 1946 ABC West Coast studios presented ONE OUT OF SEVEN, a weekly, 15
minute show. Jack Webb narrated and played all roles. Since this show took
an uncompromising stand on prejudice, Webb was called on to act in a variety
of regional and racial dialects. The show acted out a single story
representing to be chosen from the prior weeks news events. While not
directly from the wire services they weren't afraid to use actual quotes to
develop their story, which exposed hatred. Checkout "Senator Bilbo" to see
how Webb used the Senator's own words to expose his bigotry.
I've heard the following episodes, and wish there were more!
One Out Of Seven 46-02-06 Senator Bilbo
One Out Of Seven 46-02-27 Brotherhood Week
One Out Of Seven 46-03-13 Third World War
One Out Of Seven 46-03-20 Anti-Negro South
We think of Jack Webb as Joe Friday in Dragnet, but he was much more, as
this series shows.
Jake Turk
jeturk@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 15:23:53 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: March 19th Birthdays
If you were born on March 19th, you share your birthday with:
1889 - George L. "Doc" Rockwell - Providence, Rhode Island
1909 - Louis Hayward - Johannesburg, South Africa
1912 - Russ Case - Hamburg, Iowa
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 18:25:49 -0500
From: dltnkt@[removed] (Dennis/Nancy Townsend)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Mercedes McCambridge
I noticed that Mercedes was on the birthday list the other day. A fine
radio actress. If anyone would be interested in her autobiography I have
one I will send you for the cost of postage and a mailer.
Dennis
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 21:01:53 -0500
From: "steven kostelecky" <skostelecky@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Writer's Guild on Boasberg/Benny
I can't remember if anyone has brought this up, but I found this article on
the Writer's Guild of America site. It centers around writers getting (and
not getting) credit and posits some interesting ideas about the invention of
the sitcom and stand-up comedy forms. Of course, being an advocate for
writers, one may want to disagree with their conclusions (or not) but there
is a lot of good information on Boasbergs work with Phil Baker, Benny and
the Marx Bros.
Here's the link:
[removed]
Nussbaum
in the biggest whiteout of the season in Western New Mexico
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 21:50:12 -0500
From: "Mike Antonucci" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: RE: mp3 car stereos
For Christmas I bought myself a Kenwood DPX-MP4030 MP3 player which also
plays cassettes. So far I have found it to be an excellent unit which plays
all Cds and MP3s I have thrown at it. It is not a cheap unit ($[removed]) but I
found it on line for about $[removed] If you still want the ability to play
cassettes it's a great way to go. It does everything you mentioned. The one
big problem is that your car must be able to accept a double DIN receiver
(meaning that it
is 4" high rather than 2") so it may not work in your car . Good luck, Mike
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 04:52:03 -0500
From: lois@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!
A weekly [removed]
For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
Network, the channel name is #OldRadio. We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
over six years, same time, same channel!
Our numerous "regulars" include one of the busiest "golden years" actors in
Hollywood; a sound man from the same era who worked many of the top
Hollywood shows; a New York actor famed for his roles in "Let's Pretend" and
"Archie Andrews;" owners of some of the best OTR sites on the Web;
maintainer of the best-known OTR Digest (we all know who he is)..........
and Me
Lois Culver
KWLK Longview Washington (Mutual) 1941-1944)
KFI Los Angeles (NBC) 1944 - 1950
and widow of actor Howard Culver
(For more info, contact lois@[removed])
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 09:56:38 -0500
From: ilamfan@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed] (OTR Bulletin Board)
Subject: Cincy Convention
Hey everybody! I was just calling the Best Western to book my room for
the Cincy OTR Convention, and they are BOOKED SOLID. I thought that this
would
be enough time to get a room, but evidently not. I don't really travel that
much, so maybe 3 weeks in advance is simply not enough time, I dunno.
Could anyone who has been to the other hotels in that immediate area
email
me? I'm not familiar with Cincinnati area, most of the online descriptions
mean nothing to me (4 miles from airport! etc), I'm just looking for a
reasonably-priced pleasant room CLOSE to the OTR Convention.
Was it the Comfort Inn for last year's convention?
Please email me with any suggestions - I've got to get in gear and book a
room SOON, so I don't miss the Convention! Thanks in advance,
Stephen Jansen (ilamfan@[removed])
--
Old Time Radio never dies - it
just changes formats!
[ADMINISTRIVIA: You might want to copy the list on your [removed]
may be others who also are looking for rooms for the con. --cfs3]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #120
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