Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #491
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 12/17/2002 2:32 PM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2002 : Issue 491
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Marconi anniversary                   [ SDavies@[removed] ]
  Great Gildersleeve episode            [ "laurie112554" <laurie112554@[removed] ]
  RCA 5-Disc Exchanger                  [ FiremanRet@[removed] ]
  Re: City Hospital                     [ Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed]; ]
  Captain Midnight's Departure          [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
  BBC 7                                 [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
  Re: MP3s not fitting on disc          [ Wboenig@[removed] ]
  Re: MP3s not fitting on disc          [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
  Censorship and sensitivity over time  [ "Nik Kierniesky" <kierniesky@superp ]
  Slim Pickens                          [ "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@ezlin ]
  BBC 7 Link                            [ John <glowingdial1@[removed]; ]
  Non Cricket questions                 [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
  HAL's BOOK                            [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
  THE SHADOW                            [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
  Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  Time zones                            [ "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@delphiau ]
  ALERT: Margot Stevenson on TNT        [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
  Frank Lovejoy/Less space on mp3 CDs   [ "Phil Watson" <philwats@[removed] ]

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

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 19:28:27 -0500
From: SDavies@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Marconi anniversary

>From CBC's artsCanada webpages:

[removed]

<<<
Marconi centennial celebrated in [removed]
     Last Updated 2002-12-16
     Holly Conners, The Arts Report

GLACE BAY, [removed] - People living in Glace Bay, [removed], celebrated an important
anniversary in radio over the weekend and honoured the man who made it
possible.

Sunday marked the hundredth anniversary of the first trans-Atlantic
wireless message, an event that put Guglielmo Marconi's Table Head radio
station on the map.

One hundred years ago, a London Times correspondent in Table Head beat out
a simple greeting in Morse code. The message travelled through the air,
across the Atlantic Ocean, and was received in Poldhu, in southwestern
England. Marconi Museum volunteer Bill Appleton tapped out the same signal
during Sunday's recreation of the event. His father, grandfather and uncle
all worked for Marconi. He says they taught him "that nothing is
impossible" and to follow your goals.

Howard McKinnon, a member of the Glace Bay Historical Society, says the
first trans-Atlantic wireless message was only one of Marconi's
contributions to the area.

"The first radio parts manufacturer in North America was here in Glace Bay.
It employed 40 men and was here for seven years," said McKinnon.

Leandro D'Addario, honorary consul for the Italian government attended the
ceremony, and read a letter from Marconi's daughter, Princess Elettra
Marconi.


Copyright CBC, 2002

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

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 19:29:40 -0500
From: "laurie112554" <laurie112554@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Great Gildersleeve episode
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I am looking for the Great gildersleeve episode on when Marjorie is getting
married and she is up in the attic and talking about her parents. Can anyone
help me locate this show.

Laurie

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Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 19:28:22 -0500
From: FiremanRet@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  RCA 5-Disc Exchanger
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Richard Carpenter wrires ....

I bought myself a Christmas present: a 5-disc CD and
MP3 changer, RCA model RP8078, for just under $100 at Best Buy.

My wife and I purchased the same for Christmas. (The little boy in this 58
year old body could NOT wait 'till Christmas!) We are quite satisfied! I
hav'nt learned all the features, such as playlists, searching for a show
using a keyword, etc. But playing CDs with many OTR shows is very enjoyable.
Also frees up my PC! The CD I am currently reviewing has 103 shows, and so
far all have played fine. The cd's contents are listed by file one at a time,
as are the indivdual shows. (Instead of all at once like my PC) But this is
no big drawback to me, as I keep lists of all my OTR CDs on file.
   This unit comes with a full-function remote AND a one year parts and labor
warranty. I say it's alot of machine for less than $100!  I am compeled to
say I am not a dealer, or connected to RCA in any way.
                                   I hope this does'nt make Mr. Carpenter's
waitng for Christmas seem longer :>)
                     Merry Christmas. May God bless you all.  OOPS! ... Is
that phrase allowed any more?   Gary Shehan

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

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 19:29:34 -0500
From: Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: City Hospital

Sean Dougherty wrote:

On many episodes of Gunsmoke, you hear promos for another drama that
followed, "City Hospital." Does anyone know anything about that
series?  I've never seen it for sale at conventions or played on "best
of old time radio" type programs.  At the time, the network seemed to
think it deserved the same audience that Gunsmoke did.

In the 1954-59 timeframe, CBS Radio *RERAN* episodes of Gunsmoke on
Saturday "middays". There were also "new" episodes (sometimes reruns too)
of Gunsmoke in the evenings (or LATE afternoons), either on a Saturday or
Sunday or in the mid-1950's maybe on a week-night.

The "noon-time" or early afternoon RERUNS of Gunsmoke on the CBS Radio
Network (sponsored by Chrysler Corporation for, what else, DODGE autos,
Dodge Motor Division of Chrysler with the FORWARD LOOK of 195x brings
you Dodge City, Gunsmoke! :), was followed by the early afternoon airings
of the drama "City Hospital".

Did any of the episodes survive?

I would HOPE so, but these "mid-day" or "weekend daytime" dramas don't
seem to have been all that popular when it comes to OTR reruns as the
prime-time programs have. I don't have the details of the run of City
Hospital [removed] many references don't have it listed at all. I *THINK*
it may have premiered on ABC Radio in the 1940's or early 1950's. I don't
know offhand. But by the mid-1950's until around 1958 or 1959, "City
Hospital" aired on CBS RAD))|((O at about 1:00 pm or 1:30pm (Eastern) on
Saturday afternoons.

I GUESS it was something like TV's "Ben Casey" or "Medical Center", with
a regular cast of various doctors, nurses, administrators, etc. at some
(fictitious) major city downtown hospital, and different dramas about
inter-relations between doctors/nurses/other staff/admin and the patients.

There were many dramas which aired during the *DAYTIME* on Saturdays, or
at various times on Sunday *AFTERNOONS* on network radio, throughout the
basic run of network radio drama (and of course, there were soaps,
daytime dramas too but those are serials), in the 1930s/40s, into the
1950's and early 1960's. Network radio entertainment back then wasn't
"just" prime-time / night-time.

Other Saturday morning/afternoon dramas included (at one time or another)
"Romance", "Escape", "Stars over Hollywood", etc. And even when aired on a
Saturday *MORNING*, they WERE intended for an adult/family audience, not
just intended as "kid" shows (such as "Let's Pretend").

Mark J. Cuccia

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

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 19:30:11 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Captain Midnight's Departure

Joe Mackey quotes from Those Were the Days, anent 15 December,

1949 - After a decade on radio, Captain Midnight was heard for the
final time.

Well ... yes, but ..

Captain Midnight first aired in the Fall of 1938 and ran as a 15-minute
serial through the Spring of 1949.  There was continuity between the
Skelly Oil years (1938-1940) and Ovaltine (1940-Spring, 1949).  With the
exception of one year, Captain Midnight was played during this period by
Ed Prentiss.  In the Fall of 1949, the show shifted to half-hour format,
and was written solely for children.  This was significantly different
from the 15-minute version, which had a sizable adult percentage of its
audience.  In the half-hour version, the title character was played by
Paul Barnes.

The half-hour, complete-adventure stories aired twice a week.  The
popularity of the revised show is indicated by the fact that it ran from
20 September to 15 December of 1949 and then left the air forever.

Because of some lack of continuity, the simpler stories, the lack of a
new Code-O-Graph, and the change of actors, I don't consider these
half-hour programs Canonical stories.  The "real" Captain Midnight was in
the 15-minute serials.  The last broadcast of these I understand to have
been 17 June 1949.

Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:55:28 -0500
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  BBC 7

John Matthews wanted to calculate time listings for the BBC 7 shows:

John, my wife is a very devoted fan of their web/audio feeds including BBC
7. We too are in the Eastern time zone and never go wrong by subtracting 5
hours from their listed times. This works for us even with daylight savings
time.

BBC 7 is excellent, isn't it!  They are really doing some great things with
Internet radio.

Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:55:39 -0500
From: Wboenig@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: MP3s not fitting on disc
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Andrew Steinberg asks:

I purchased some discs with MP3s on them. When I copy
the discs to my hard drive and them copy them back to
a generic 700 MB, 80 minute CD-R, there are five or
more MP3s left over per disc that will not fit on my
blank disc. What is going on here? Is it the brand of
CD-R or the size or what?


I don't claim great expertise in this area, but is it possible that your CD
burning software was written before 80 minute CDs were available, and
therefore it is limiting you to a 74-minute burn, despite the capacity of the
CD?

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:55:57 -0500
From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: MP3s not fitting on disc

At 05:16 PM 12/16/02 -0500, you wrote:
MP3s not fitting on disc

I haven't followed all the information on this, but there are ways of
getting more data onto a disc by creating non-standard CDs. I also believe
that I read that some company is selling CDs that have more than 700 megs
of storage space.

You mght try placing the disc you purchased in your computer and go to MY
COMPUTER (assuming that you are running a PC) and select the drive that
represents your CD drive. Then right click on the drive and select
PROPERTIES. This will tell you the size of the CD.

If it reads more than 700 megs, it means that it is either a higher
capicity disc, or some one burned it using a configuration higher than 700
megs.

Fred
For the best in Old Time Radio Shows [removed]

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:56:28 -0500
From: "Nik Kierniesky" <kierniesky@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Censorship and sensitivity over time

Harry Bartell's enjoyable comments on writers and censorship reminds me of
the interesting "shift" from censorship to social sensitivity in broadcast
media over time.  Censors who were troubled by "pregnant" and "damn" in the
1940s were not troubled by comments like the one made by Fibber McGee in his
1941 Christmas show, when he says of Gildersleeve, "He's so full of tea, his
eyes are beginning to slant!" I am sure that this line would have been
spoken even without Pearl Harbor. Imagine that type of comment made today in
mainstream broadcast situation comedy. (Insert a Muslim-trait joke here.) It
would only be tolerated if said by an Archie Bunker-type character, and even
then, it would be controversial. During the OTR era, I am sure that some
people were offended by this type of insensitivity, but they would not call
the station, and the WASPy censors really didn't care.

-Nik Kierniesky
-Gettysburg

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:56:53 -0500
From: "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Slim Pickens

In Digest #489 Michael Leannah wrote:

In listening to The Cinnamon Bear each year, I wonder about the character
of
Slim Pickins the cowboy and whether the actor who went by the same name
some
time later was aware of this character. I imagine the term "slim pickins'
meant then what it means today, a state of little variety. I also suppose
that many cowboys used the name. Does anyone know why the actor used this
name?

Many movie cowboys were called Slim and I really don't know how or why
Slim Pickens chose this name. Slim was born Louis Bert Lindley, Jr. on June
29,
1919 in Kingsburg, California. He died of a brain tumor in Modesto,
California
December 8, 1983. He was a sidekick to Rex Allen in about a dozen movies, as
well as Allan "Rocky" Lane and others. He's probably better remembered for
his
role in Blazing Saddles and as well as the Air Force pilot who "rides the
bomb"
down in Dr. Strangelove.

Don Dean N8IOJ

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:57:31 -0500
From: John <glowingdial1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  BBC 7 Link

Hi folks, my thanks to those of you who answered my question on time zone
calculations between here and England.  I eventually found out for myself
that I simply need to subtract 5 hours from the times listed on the BBC 7
site, at least for the Eastern US time zone.  Ken Piletic was one of those
who helped me and he asked me for the link to the newly launched BBC 7
Digital Radio station.  The only place I know of to get it here in the
states is on the net at the following link:
[removed]
They are playing a lot of great British radio with classic shows like
Steptoe and Son, The Navy Lark, Yes Minister, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue,
I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, The Goon Show, As Time Goes By, Sherlock
Holmes (Merrison/Williams), Dad's Army, Hancock's Half Hour, Round The
Horne, One Foot In The Grave ..... and that's just a start.  They say
they'll also be playing some Dr. Who and Blake's Seven.
The station is well worth a look see and a must for British radio fans.  The
feed sounds terrific and can be heard with Real Player or Windows Media
Player.
Enjoy and I'll see you on the radio!
John Matthews
The Glowing Dial Page
[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:57:55 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Non Cricket questions

In issue #489 my cricket mate David Rogers asked a non cricket question/s.
Free until march? [removed], I have to work :)

[removed] that is the same as Otter, yes.  Would be pleased to compare my RTH
with yours :)  (I reworded that in case Hal had his glasses on and had a go
at me)

2. There was an Australian version of Charlie Chan and I have a couple of
eps :)

3. There are more technical people than I to discuss bitrates, personally I
wouldn't take a low bitrate up to 128/44, but I would probably take it up to
64/44, if I was desperate enough.  It is much easier to buy a decent player
that will handle the low bitrates like the rio volts.

4. You have my email address and I have yours.  If the English Cricket team
can win a game against Australia this summer I will send you the necessary
software to ajust bitrates, free of charge :)

Ian Grieve

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:58:25 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  HAL's BOOK

I know I should have posted this earlier but I have been busy.  As you all
know I kid Hal a [removed], I kid Hal a lot, about his book.  But it is
tough now that the book is out and I have read it, there is nothing to kid
him about.  Except maybe about the Older Woman, but then that happens to us
all.  Hal my wife is 16 months older than me, does that count?  Even if it
doesn't, I get to keep reminding her :)

Back to Hal's book.  I expected to read about Hal's life and otr etc, but
what really surprised me was the amount of the book dedicated to the people
he worked with.  I learnt about people that I would never have had to
opportunity to read about if Hal hadn't been so generous.  I have to
recommend that if you haven't ordered your copy yet, race out and do so now.
(this is not a paid [removed] cheapskate)

Hal did say that if he sold 1,000 copies he would do a second book.  By my
calculations that means 991 left to sell so I may have a bit more time to
kid Hal about that one.

Seriously though, I enjoyed the book, but then I knew I would, I like his
style.

Ian Grieve

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:27:55 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  THE SHADOW

Could anybody Please give me some information about this record?  I know the
eps are in general circulation.

I am assuming that it is a re enactment :)  This is the description supplied
to me.

"Near mint Metro records cat. no. 2356 163, titled The Official Adventures
of The Shadow.  Starring the cast of the radio show in The Computer
Calculates, But The Shadow Knows. and The Air Freight Fracas.

Interesting sleeve notes about the show and the series of actors who played
The Shadow, eg Orson Welles in 1937. This record has Bret Morrison as The
Shadow.  The First Appearance on records The official adventures of The
Shadow
starring members of the original great radio show. On the label at the
bottom there's a circled letter p or c (copyright
symbol? ) followed by 1975."

Ian Grieve

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:28:54 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Today in radio history

>From Those Were The Days --

1936 - Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen kidded around with his pal, Charlie
McCarthy, for the first time on radio. The two debuted on The Rudy
Vallee Show on NBC. Soon, Bergen became one of radio's hottest
properties, and was called Vallee's greatest talent discovery.

  Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:29:21 -0500
From: "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Time zones

In #489, John Matthews asked

Does anyone know for sure how to calculate between their
listed show times and time zones here in the USA??  I am
in the Eastern time zone here in the US and it appears
to me that London, England would be 5 hours later than
me.  Anyone help me on this quandry??

London will be either 4 or 5 hours ahead of the [removed] East coast depending on
whether or not it is daylight savings time.  I have trouble keeping track
myself, but an easy way to figure out the time in Londong is to go to
[removed], a handy little website which lists times all over the
world.

I don't know if London has Daylight savings time itself, but when it isn't
London is the same as coordinated universal time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT), Zulu, whatever you want to call it.  There are several shortwave
frequencies which broadcast UTC (5000, 10000, etc.).

Hope that's slightly helpful
-Chris Holm

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 13:17:16 -0500
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  ALERT: Margot Stevenson on TNT

Turner Classic Movies is airing CALLING PHILO VANCE this Wednesday morning at
10am EST, 9 am CST.  The 1940 film stars James Stephenson and Margot
Stevenson, the actress who co-starred with Orson Welles in the 1938 Goodrich
SHADOW summer season and has attended more than a dozen FOTR conventions,
--Anthony Tollin

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

Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 15:54:15 -0500
From: "Phil Watson" <philwats@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Frank Lovejoy/Less space on mp3 CDs

Norm Schickedanz asked what year Frank Lovejoy was born?  His grave marker
shows 1912

[removed];GRid=645&PIgrid=645&PIcrid=8035&PIpi=164160&

and Andrew Steinberg mentioned a problem with 700mb CDRs not holding the
promised 700mb. I noticed that if I format the disk using Roxio Direct-CD,
and then "drag & drop" files using Windows Explorer, it only holds about
670mb. Maybe that's a possibility. Any other ideas ?

Regards from England
Phil

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #491
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