------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2005 : Issue 265
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Article on OTR's "comeback" [ Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@yahoo. ]
Re: classical OTR themes [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
Shucks, m'[removed] [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
Sinatra and Stordahl [ Michael Berger <makiju@[removed]; ]
Throw him a bone of contention [ "Ivan G. Shreve, Jr." <iscreve@comc ]
Captains Courageous [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@j ]
9-1 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Day Meets Ray/Cryptoquote [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
recording to computer [ knight555@[removed] ]
Burp heard round the world [ Andrew Steinberg <otrdig1@[removed] ]
Classical themes [ Jay Ranellucci <otrfan3@[removed]; ]
FOTR Convention [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 00:05:17 -0400
From: Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Article on OTR's "comeback"
I've been contacted by a freelance writer who's doing a piece for the
Chicago Tribune on OTR's resurgence. He submitted a bunch of
questions and it occurred to me that some on this list might like to
take a crack at one or two. Any really good responses I will
gleefully take full credit for.
But seriously, folks, I'll of course give anyone who feels like
responding credit. Here are the questions.
Alan
1 When experts say that old-time radio is back what
exactly do they mean?
2 Is there, indeed, a new interest or is it just that
it's newly available and access has become so easy? Or maybe it's a
little bit of both?
3 Is there a specific age group that's picking up on
this trend? Is it more than a hobby here and there?
4 Are these groups showing up on college campuses (not
just yours, [removed] ; ) )? Or is there some other indication of a
broader age group?
5 Who's going to chat rooms and downloading shows onto
their iPods? (Clearly, I'm interested in demographics here, so
anything you can offer is terrific)
6 What's so cool about this radio stuff? (I know it's
way cool, but readers might not . . . Yet)
7 Any 20s or 30-something's into this? I know some kids
are getting into it.
8 If I (a reader) never listened before but am
intrigued, where would I begin? What's a good place to start?
9 Can there be some good comparisons made to modern
movies/cable tv/books on demand-whatever-that help people appreciate
these pioneers of old time radio?
10 Are people listening on their own or do they get into
groups? (One source said no; it's really a solitary experience; too
distracting to listen with others . . . )
11 Do you think that this so-called come-back is in
response to a general ennui with the current state of our media
choices (at least for some)--horrible reality shows, raunchy tv, etc.
(except of course for Law & Order which I would watch in my sleep)
--
_______________
Alan/Linda Bell
Grand Rapids, MI
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 00:38:52 -0400
From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: classical OTR themes
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In a message dated 8/30/05 8:11:47 PM Central Daylight Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
Does anyone
know of more classical music used as themes for those programs we all love?
"Tonight We Love" for "The Mercury Theatre on the Air," and "Night on Bald
Mountain" for, I believe, "Escape," are two that come to mind.
Dixon
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Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 02:00:36 -0400
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Shucks, m'[removed]
Many thanks to Derek Tague for his kind words about "39 Forever". They are
greatly appreciated. I'm happy to say that I've been spending some of these
recent chair-bound hours working on the next volume. No ETA as yet, but
suffice it to say that it's in progress.
And you can still get your own copy of 39 Forever Volume 1 via our Web site,
_[removed]_ ([removed]) . I just sent a bunch of
them out last week, along with the latest issue of "The Jack Benny Times"
which
finally includes the complete transcript of my 1984 interview with Frank
Nelson. I've been saving that one for far too long, and I'm happy that it's
all
now seen print.
Thanks again, Derek!
--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 07:44:28 -0400
From: Michael Berger <makiju@[removed];
To: otr <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sinatra and Stordahl
The reference to an apparently acrimonious final album
date involving Frank Sinatra and conductor-composer
Axel Stordahl is reported very differently in the
seminal book, Sinatra! by Will Friewald, who quotes
guitarist Al Viola as saying that Sinatra wouldn't
have done the date had not Stordahl been the
conductor.
Friewald also writes also that Stordahl's wife lobbied
for the date as her husband had cancer and hoped to
make this his final album as well. Despite the
acrimony between Sinatra and Capitol, several songs
from that album are regarded as classics.
A bit off the OTR point, but as the Friewald book is
regarded as the most accurate written about Sinatra, I
offer this as clarification.
Michael Berger
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 07:45:09 -0400
From: "Ivan G. Shreve, Jr." <iscreve@[removed];
To: "Old-Time Radio Digest (Plain Text Only)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Throw him a bone of contention
Craig writes:
At least, in his autobio, Mel Blanc claimed that his voice was developed
without reference to Kenny Delmar's. In support of that, unlike voice
artists like Paul Frees and Daws Butler, Blanc rarely used imitation as a
[removed];<
I've read Mel's autobio and while I want to believe him, I've heard too many
instances in cartoons where he relied on celebrity impersonations. Off the
top of my head, I'm thinking of his Lou Costello riffs in "A Tale of Two
Kitties" (1942), "A Tale of Two Mice" (1945) and "The Mouse-Merized Cat"
(1946), his channeling of Edgar Bergen (as Mortimer Snerd) in Bugs Bunny
cartoons like "Tortoise Beats Hare" (1941) and "Tortoise Wins By a Hare"
(1943) and his Colonna impersonation in "Greetings Bait" (1943). He also
does a Durante impression in "A Gruesome Twosome" (1945) and a Peter Lorre
scientist in "Hair Raising Hare" (1946).
In Blanc's defense, most of his vocal characterizations were his own
invention--but I've always suspected that his memory might have been a
little foggy (as in Leghorn) when it came to discussion about Warner
Brother's popular cartoon rooster.
Ivan
--
Classic movies, television and old-time radio at Thrilling Days of
Yesteryear! [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 07:45:54 -0400
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Captains Courageous
Bob Scherago, discussing OTR shows with Classical themes, lists
"Captain Midnight" - Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman"
Umm .. Captain Midnight had no theme music at all until the 1949
broadcasts. That music was played on an organ, and it didn't sound
Wagnerian. The show with "The Flying Dutchman" was Captain Video,
broadcast over the Dumont network.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 07:49:05 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 9-1 births/deaths
September 1st births
09-01-1875 - Edgar Rice Burroughs - Chicago, IL - d. 3-19-1950
author: Creator of Tarzan
09-01-1877 - Frank Tours - London, England - d. 2-2-1963
orchestra leader: "Will Rogers"; "The Vince Program"
09-01-1886 - Regina Wallace - Trenton, NJ - d. 2-13-1978
actress: Alice Aldrich "Aldrich Family"
09-01-1886 - Sam Taub - d. 7-10-1979
boxing writer and broadcaster
09-01-1887 - William Daly - Cincinnati, OH - d. 12-4-1936
condctor: "Raleigh Review"; "Voice of Firestone"
09-01-1893 - Betty Blythe - Los Angeles, CA - d. 4-7-1972
actress: "The Whistler"; "This Is Your FBI"; "Let George Do It"
09-01-1899 - Richard Arlen - Charlottesville, VA - d. 5-28-1976
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
09-01-1900 - Don Wilson - Lincoln, NE - d. 4-25-1982
announcer: "Jack Benny Program"; "Good News of 1941"
09-01-1902 - John J. Anthony - New York City, NY - d. 7-16-1970
moderator: "Good Will Hour"; "John J. Anthony Hour"
09-01-1904 - Johnny Mack Brown - Dothan, AL - d. 11-14-1974
actor: "Straight Arrow"
09-01-1922 - Yvonne De Carlo - Vancouver, Canada
actress: " Screen Guild Theatre"; "MGM Musical Comedy Theatre"
09-01-1925 - Art Pepper - Gardena, CA - d. 6-15-1982
jazz artist: "Jazz Alive"
09-01-1928 - George Maharis - Astoria, NY
actor: "Zero Hour"
09-01-1935 - Seiji Ozawa - Shenyang, China
conductor: Boston Symphony Orchestra
September 1st deaths
01-27-1912 - Benay Venuta - San Francisco, CA - d. 9-1-1995
singer: "Benay Venuta's Program"; "Shell Chateau"; "Abbott and Costello Show"
03-28-1892 - Philip Loeb - Philadelphia, PA - d. 9-1-1955
actor: Jake Goldberg "The Goldbergs"
07-18-1916 - Irene Winston - New York City, NY - d. 9-1-1964
actress: Myra Gordon "Valiant Lady"; Rosemary Hemingway "Woman In White"
08-17-1904 - Ann Harding - Fort Sam Houston, TX - d. 9-1-1981
actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Cavalcade of America"; "Hallmark Playhouse"
08-24-1875 - Frank Craven - Boston, MA - d. 9-1-1945
actor: "Arthur Hopkins Presents"; "Cavalcade of America"
09-05-1897 - Doris Kenyon - Syracuse, NY - d. 9-1-1979
actress: Ann "Crossroads"
09-05-1897 - Morris Carnovsky - St. Louis, MO - d. 9-1-1992
actor: Adam Bassett "Prairie Folks"; Mr. Kriss "Into the Light"
09-18-1873 - Charles K. Field - Montpelier, VT - d. 9-1-1948
host: (Cherrio) "Cherrio"; "Arco Birthday Party"
10-31-1896 - Ethel Waters - Chester, PA - d. 9-1-1977
blues singer: "American Revue"; "Command Performance"; "Jubilee"
11-02-1901 - James Dunn - New York City, NY - d. 9-1-1967
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
12-13-1897 - Drew Pearson - Evanston, IL - d. 9-1-1969
investigative reporter: "Listen America"; "Drew Pearson Comments"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 09:02:27 -0400
From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Day Meets Ray/Cryptoquote
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It's I agaiin.
Slightly off-topic, but since it involves OTR [removed]
With Phil Chavin's recent Johnnie Ray story, I kind of remember once seeing
a "Jack Benny Program" from a time in the early 1950s when Mr. Ray was
all the rage. In it, Dennis Day took on Johnnie Ray's histrionically
overwrought song stylings to hilarious extremes with Ray's hit song "Cry"
(also brilliantly parodied on record by Stan Freberg as "Try"). I remember it
being one of the funniest things I ever saw Dennis perform. Are there any
Kubelsky-ans in the ether who can flesh out the details?
Once again, today's (09/01) edition of the syndicated newspaper puzzle
"Cryptoquotes" pays homage to an OTR mainstay. So all fans of this puzzle
feature should skip the rest of this posting, lest I ruin the surprise by
revealing today's solution. Here it comes:
"I hate television. I hate it as much as I hate peanuts, but I can't stop
eating
peanuts." --- Orson Welles.
Shovelling off,
Derek Tague
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Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 11:12:49 -0400
From: knight555@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: recording to computer
hi there. first, thanks for everyone who gave me tips on recording
from cassette to computer to make cds.
I wanted to tell them (and anyone else interested) about a product
that apparently came out in July that does exactly that type of
recording. You can record from your stereo to your computer and
digitally save LP's, tapes and other music. According to the box,
the features include saving to your hard drive as wav, edit, convert
toMP3s or turn into cds.
The box comes with a USB digital interface (plug it in), Shielded
studio audio cable that is 30 feet long (super for me since my
computer is on the opposite end of the room from my R2R and
turntable/cassete. and software to run the thing.
I havent installed it yet, (just made the investment) but it got rave
reviews wherever i read up on it.
If you're interested it's by a company called "xitel" and it's called
"INport". If you put that into a search engine, you'll get it.
They had it at amazon via office max (if i remember right) and at
Best Buy. To save shipping , I bought it at Best Buy. It's [removed]
which isn't cheap, but considering i didn't have to go buy cable and
put the jacks on it and hope they wouldn't loosen, since i had more
than a 6ft reach to cover, it was worth it to me. Also, the software
is supposed to be rather easy (some people complained but the
majority felt it was handleable) which is important to me.
OK, just wanted to pass it on in case anyone wanted to take a
look. It may not be for everyone but you never [removed] (there is a
note on it that it must be connected to an amplifier line out not
directly from a record player or turntable output, but i understand
from the reviews on amazon that if you don't have an amplifier, there
is a way to compensate for this).
MJ
[removed] (there are cheaper ways to transfer if you are more computer
literate than i am. i bought this primarily for ease of use and the cable usb)
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 16:33:15 -0400
From: Andrew Steinberg <otrdig1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Burp heard round the world
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Does anyone know if this is true?
May 9th, 1935 - Melvin Purvis (the FBI man who killed John Dillinger) was
doing an ad for Fleischmann's Yeast when he unexpectantly belched on live
radio. It was dubbed "The Burp Heard Round the World.
Visit [removed] for OTR program title and date corrections
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Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 19:24:53 -0400
From: Jay Ranellucci <otrfan3@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Classical themes
I believe theme for "Quiet Please" was taken from
Dvoraks Symphony in D-Minor. Also wasn't Claire de
Lune used for the soap oper Mary Marlin?
Jay
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 23:58:13 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: FOTR Convention
Hal Stone commented:
If you are a true fan of OTR, but have yet to experience the full array of
OTR activities offered by FOTR in the New York/New Jersey area, this would
be the year to do it. It will probably be the last time so many OTR veterans
will be assembled.
I agree whole heartedly with Hal. I have friends who always mean to attend
every year but never get the chance to. This year most of them have decided
to attend FOTR this October for their first time. It'll be the best ever,
probably the largest crowd, (30th Anniversary says a lot), and it's like
going to Disney World for any OTR fan. Panels, recreations, dinners,
dealers, and of course many people who just like you, enjoy chatting about
OTR.
The web-site is [removed]
Check it out, book your hotel room and if you have any problems or questions
about getting to the convention, contact Jay Hickerson by e-mail and he'll
help guide you in. jayhick@[removed]
See you at FOTR!
Martin
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #265
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