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

[removed] Digest				Volume 96 : Issue 371

Table Of Contents: 

	 Jonathan & Darlene and more
	 Jean Shepherd and scripts
	 Blind detective
	 Senator Leghorn -Reply
	 Re: Sherlock Holmes At Fordham
	 Steinbrunner & Collins
	 Tape Squeal
	 Jonathan & Darlene, continued . . .
	 Trading OTR electronically-are we ready?
	 Re: TAPE SQUEAL
	 OTR Books
	 Re: tape squeal from [removed] Digest V96 #370
	 Re: Whiz kids
	 History of Sustaining Programs
	 Everything Old Is New Again

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 10:21:01 -0400
From: JRayb71827@[removed]
To: otr@[removed]
Subject: Jonathan & Darlene and more
Message-ID: <961004102100_201930302@[removed]>

In reference to the cover of a Jonathan and Darlene Edwards (Paul Weston & Jo
Stafford) album, yes, there was something different about the cover.
 However, it wasn't two LEFT hands playing the piano.  It was two upside-down
RIGHT hands.  I have a copy in front of me at this very moment.
   Also, on the "Whiz Kids" discussion, both sides are right, with the
calendar being the only difference.  The Philadelphia Phillies were, indeed,
once termed "Whiz Kids."  But, so was the University of Illinois basketball
team with Andy Phillips, et al and the Illini group came first.  Both teams
were "Whizzes" though, no question.  Not OTR certainly, but a part of the
times.
   About Tom Heathwood's chat on OTR net and web sites, the comment elicited
excellent response.  I, for one, am especially pleased because it provides me
with extra material to use on a panel concerning the subject that will be
coming up at the SPERDVAC convention in November.
   Incidentally, one newcomer to the Digest asked what SPERDVAC is.  That
stands for Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety And Comedy.
 Based in California, it's the largest such club in the country with a hefty
bank account (for more and more acquisitions), plus a massive collection of
OTR shows, scripts, etc.  Their '96 gathering will be November 8, 9 & 10 at
the airport Crowne Plaze Holiday Inn in L. A. and there'll be scads of OTR
stars on hand

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

Date: 4 Oct 1996 10:36:37 -0400
From: "Belanger Walter" <Belanger_Walter@[removed]>
To: "OTR" <otr@[removed]>
Subject: Jean Shepherd and scripts
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>

  I remember  Jean Shepherd being interviewed years ago. It wasn't too long
after he stopped doing his daily evening program. He told the story of when he
visited England and did a series of he shows over there. The complaint that
the BBC had was that he had no script and they wanted to approve before hand
what was to be aired. He finally persuaded the powers that be that he was a
responsible professional and they reluctantly let him have his way.
  He also mentioned that generating new material and staying fresh made his
daily program very difficult after a while. It became a lot of work. He
particularly resented the fact that many New York comics were taping his
program every night and using it as a source for their own routines. Many
times he'd hear his stuff being used in the local clubs.
  I don't think he always used a script.
     -- Walt
  

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

Date: Fri, 04 Oct 1996 09:23:33 -0600
From: Chet Cox <CHCOX@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Blind detective
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

There was an episode of _Suspense_ aired on _When Radio Was_ a
few nights ago, starring Brian Donelvy (sp?) of _Dangerous
Assignment_, in which he played a blind police detective.  Two
seeing-eye dogs:  one for polite company, one a real killer.  Story made
an issue of his near-super hearing (shades of Matt Murdock!) which
gave him the All-Important Clue.  It sounded very much like it was a pilot
for a proposed series, and I'm sorry it didn't become one.  (MUCH more
interesting than _Dangerous Assignment_, IMHO.)  Possibly, producers
didn't think writers could keep coming up with situations which
accentuated the detective's blindness without a) sounding
condescending or insulting or b) stretching credibility (I believe an
episode of TV's "Longstreet" had THAT blind detective involved in the
obligatory car chase, but that may be my Rottenberry memory faulting
again.)  Though I recorded it, I seem to have not gotten the title.  Anyone
else hear this?  I'd like to recommend it to -- well, any mystery buff who
enjoys it when the writer "plays fair" by giving the audience all the clues
without making it too obvious.

*jeep!
~~~~Chet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote of the day:  "Experience is what enables you to recognize a
mistake
when you make it again."

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

Date: Fri, 04 Oct 1996 09:31:53 -0600
From: Chet Cox <CHCOX@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Senator Leghorn -Reply
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

Good ol' Bruce Rosenberg mentions that Mel Blanc said Foghorn
Leghorn's voice wasn't based on Kenny Delmar's Senator Claghorn
(from the Fred Allen Show).  Bruce also mentions that Mel's version is
slightly suspicious (Mind you, I have no beef against Mel Blanc, am a fan,
and all that.)....and I have to agree.  Not only is Foghorn Leghorn a VERY
detailed copy of the Senator (name, speech patterns, voice, and
probably body shape), but I remember Fritz Freleng and (I think) Bob
Clampett mentioning in occasional interviews that Foghorn was based on
the Senator.  It's not like the Looney Tunes crew was above swiping
from radio or movies, y'know.  (Anyone remember the Abbott & Costello
mouse team?)

*jeep!
~~~~Chet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quote of the day:  "Experience is what enables you to recognize a
mistake
when you make it again."

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 11:44:17 -0400
From: OTRDSIEGEL@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Sherlock Holmes At Fordham
Message-ID: <961004114416_201975694@[removed]>

  For the Bigkids inquirer, the four (4) episodes of SH:that Fordham U. did,
that are in my collection are: 1) Priory School Affair  2) Second Stain  3)
Bruce Partington Plans  4) Hound Of The Baskervilles. The sound quality is
nothing to write home about, but the shows are there.

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 12:10:58 -0400
From: Bigkids@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Steinbrunner & Collins
Message-ID: <961004121057_325002020@[removed]>

Once again, thanks to Anthony Tollin for information. And the
Steinbrunner/Collins association fills another niche in my memory.

In the late 1950's I worked in an office building on Fourth Avenue in New
York, just above 23rd Street. Charlie Collins managed a bookshop on 23rd
Street, just around the corner from Fourth Avenue . . .

I don't remember whether it was Collins who first introduced me to
Steinbrunner, or the other way around, but we were all part of the same gang
for a while. Steinbrunner's job evolved into managing the film library at
WOR-TV (now WWOR), and he used to borrow all sort of wonderful films from WOR
and from other stations and commercial rental outfits where he had contacts.

We used to assemble on Sunday afternoons and evenings for wonderful
screenings that Chris set up for us, along with his friend Dave Foley (now
deceased). The gang included Sidney Porcelain, Don Westlake, Lin Carter, and
about a dozen others. Great fun!

Anyway, it's nice to learn that Chris and Charlie wrote a Shadow script.
 Does anyone, perchance, know the episode? Better yet, have a copy? I'd
really love to hear this one.

And -- a real long shot -- does anyone know whatever became of Charlie
Collins?

PERSONAL NOTE: I'm *really* off to the airport in a matter of minutes, so
please hold answers addressed to me until October 15 or after.

Many, many thanks to all!

Dick Lupoff

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 12:18:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: radbond <radbond@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Tape Squeal
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

When I read in past issues that the solution to tape squeal was to heat the 
tape in an oven and make a transfer to a new tape ASAP I was astonished. My 
solution may be a lot simpler. 

When my tapes began squealing many years ago I decided to investigate the
source of the noise and found that the squeal was coming from the plastic
erase head. Once this head was moved out of the way of the tape path, tape
squeal disappeared. The tapes I listen to are 15-25 years old and include
Ampex, Radio Shack, Capitol, Shamrock, Memorex and Irish. 

Of course, this means that you can't record over anything anymore. New tapes
have to be used or tapes must be bulk erased before being used again. 

   

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 12:40:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Henry A. Campbell-Ickes" <hacickes@[removed]>
To: OTR mailer <otr@[removed]>
Subject: Jonathan & Darlene, continued . . .
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Dear Gang -

As this thread isn't *truly* OTR-related, maybe we should let it die out.

BUT BEFORE WE DO!  Yes, "Jonathan's" hands are both left, but did you 
check out who the artist was?  It was Jack Davis, who did a WHOLE buch of 
strange things for Mad Magazine!  Raise your hands now - who's surprised?

Hank C-I

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

Date: Fri, 04 Oct 1996 12:50:50 -0400
From: Charles Mazza <flash@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Trading OTR electronically-are we ready?
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if it's worthwhile looking into trading shows over the
internet. I was thinking of transfering some shows to my hard drive (in .wav
format) and then encoding to RealAudio [removed] (RA files are much smaller than
.wav files). After a library is built on my removable cassette hard drive,
it would be a snap to email shows to fellow collector's in trade. Has anyone
done this? Is it worth looking into? Any input would be appreciated.

Regards

Charles Mazza

Chemist - Pulp and Paper
Minerals Technologies Inc.

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 13:40:42 4
From: "edcarr" <edcarr@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: TAPE SQUEAL
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

i'll answer it this time,as i know quite
well what it does.
i've had almost 300 reels of ampex 291
and strand select 620,this is all ampex
tape also 20/20 consumer or 031 it's
black backcoated tape and it dries out.
i know i found out the hard way,i lost
the complete run from disc of the sealed
book,those 300 reels were all disc copies.
untill a few years ago when i was told to bake
[removed]'s what i do and it works.
i take each reel about 3 at a time, put them
in pie pans and put them in the oven,i set
the oven at bake,then turn the thermostat to
120 or just about warm and go about my chores
i come back anywhere from 2 to 5 hours take
them out and record to new tape,non backcoated
i will not use any type of backcoated tape again.
i will not use the water treatment people say
works,sorry but i worry about my heads,but please
do not go above 120 it will melt your reel,i
needed to use wire cutters to cut through the plastic.
i do not use glass pie pans,oh! my oven is electric
so for gas i would think you need a small adjustment.
they say ampex changed the tape formula,but i will
not take the chance,yet the funny part about this
is in some parts of the country people have no
problem with this,spervac did they are on the west
coast,i'am on the easst coast.
one type of tape i could not fix this way was a
silver coated tape,i have no idea what brand.
so i believe that should do it,i gave no techie
talk because i couln't explain it that way.
it works and that's what counts.
                                    edcarr@[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 13:29:24 -0400
From: ChezKoa@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR Books
Message-ID: <961004132923_202034359@[removed]>

Hey everyone, Doug here,  I have been following with interest the requests
for different topic in story lines and also OTR web sites and thought I would
put another topic up for discussions, books.  What books should a collector
have as  basic reference material, also, any which give behind the scene
materiel.  To start the list, "Tune in Yesterday" by John Dunning;  "The Big
Broadcast" by Frank Buston and Bill Owens for reference (your right, I took
the easy ones) to the shows themselves and Fred Allen's two books "Much Ado
About Me" and Treadmill to Oblivion and "This was Radio" by Joseph Julian for
background material.  I am not sure how hard the above are to find, I got
mine at garage sales and used book stores.  Since there are many who are just
starting to build collections, if you know the approx price or price range
(if out of print) you might include it in your posting as guide.  Happy
listening.

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 20:01:05 +0100 (BST)
From: hbj@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: tape squeal from [removed] Digest V96 #370
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>

This is the only thing I have found that works.
I have had tapes that are so gunged up that in my tr-3000 a 3-motor
realistic deck made I think by Teak, the rewind would be haulted
completely.
I'd have to reroute the tape away from the guides to make it play at
all.
I used a form of center pin lubricant available to piano tuners.
there's now a company that may be making the formula that the old
Tuners' Supply company made. At least, that's what they tell me.
I'd suggest obtaining a quantity of this stuff, rigging a cotton swab to
your machine so that it drip feeds on to the tape. the problem will go
away.
The stuff is pretty powerful, contains campfa. It reacts to plastic, but
seems to have not bothered my deck. Goes for the plastic on the reels,
though. But, it will make the tape playable.
You play it, and record from that play back, then throw away the tape,
and clean up afterwards.
Here's the info from the tuning company.

Also, we do have a minimum purchase of $[removed] on all =
orders (not including shipping).  The center pin lubricant is $[removed] per =
quart.  Are there any other items that you are in need of at this time =

Sincerely yours,

Dennis Arden
International Piano Supply

their correct number is:
818 366 3761
Give Dennis a call, he'll probably be able to heolp you out.
Regards

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 16:07:52 -0400
From: Neubacher@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Whiz kids
Message-ID: <961004160750_202131845@[removed]>

Whiz kids was also the nickname of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team in
either 1949 or 1950.

Bill Neubacher
NEUBACHER@[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 16:24:52 -0400 (EDT)
From: Andrea Helen Selch <ahs@[removed]>
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: History of Sustaining Programs
Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Well I've been lurking here on OTR, just waiting for someone to bring up the 
topic, as I am aslo very interested in the hist. of sustaining programs, 
and am right now trying to formulate my sense of it. (So correct me if I'm 
wrong anyone--)
	The best thing to read for a clear history is Erik Barnouw's The 
Golden Web. But also biographies of Paley (CBS) and the NBC "Little Books 
on Broadcasting" (very hard to find). This is what I've gleaned from them:
	In the beginning of radio (early '20s) sustaining programs were so 
named becasue they were to "sustain interest in the radio" on the part of 
potential radio-buyers. They were produced/funded by broadcasters. When 
radio went commercial and the networks began (mid '20s), sustaining programs 
filled in unsold time. As "the people" and gov't officials became concerned 
that radio was overly commercial and trashy (and there were monopoly issues as 
well), it became incumbent upon the networks (first NBC and then CBS) to 
prove that they were operating "in the public interest, convenience, and 
necessity." They proved this by using their unsponsored (sustaining) 
progrms to deliver more highbrow forms and educational programs--classical 
music, opera, literary drama, and the Columbia School of the Air and NBC 
University of the Air, etc. Since it was a liberal commonplace that the 
opposite of commercial trash was educational-hibrow. 
	But since the FRC hadn't been specific about *how much* highbrow 
and educational stuff fulfilled the public interest, the networks also 
used the sustaining programs to build audiences for new shows so that 
eventually they might go commercial, that is, be sold to a sponsor ([removed], 
Mercury theatre--> Campbell's playhouse). There were also cases where 
the network would "withold from sale" a time slot or program ([removed], The 
Columbia Workshop which ran opposite NBC's #1 show Jacky Benny), 
ostensibly b/c no sponsor would want to buy a show that would have to 
compete against Benny. {I have my own personal theory on this, though.} 
 	There was also the issue of different arrangements btwn network 
and affiliate. NBC's original arrangement was that affiliates could accept 
(with $) any commercial program NBC had a deal with, and could buy (for 
$) any NBC sustaining program. CBS (started in 1928) had a different 
plan: affiliates were required to b'cast any CBS commercial program (for 
which they got $), and could have any CBS sustaining program for free. 
Since this was so much more agreeable to advertisers (since the airtime 
was then guaranteed), CBS got a lot of business. In order to keep up, NBC 
changed its contract, I believe in about 1930. (I don't know about Mutual 
B'casting). {Credit for this goes to Barnouw, The Golden Web}
	
--Andrea Selch, Duke University
  ahs@[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 4 Oct 1996 17:17:36 -0400
From: AIC4Radio@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Everything Old Is New Again
Message-ID: <961004171735_118596606@[removed]>

In a message dated 96-10-04 09:55:26 EDT, you write:

>It's my belief that years after radio officially "died", TV
>(along with former radio executives) was still picking out ideas from
>radio's past.  I think it still continues to this day.
>

In that same thought, has anyone noticed a new movie starring Michael Douglas
and Val Kilmer -- "The Shadow and the Darkness" (I think that's the name) --
bears a striking resemblance to one of Arch Oboler's "Lights Out" episode
"African Story." 

As they say, "Great [removed]"

Sue Hamilton
AIC4Radio@[removed]
[removed]

PS. Dick - Minnesota won't be "frigid" for at least another 2 weeks! ;-)




--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V96 Issue #371
*******************************************

