------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2007 : Issue 189
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Amos 'n' Andy introduction [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
Heaston, the announcer = name change [ "Stephen Davies" <SDavies@[removed] ]
Kirby Your Enthusiasm [ Bhob Stewart <bhob2@[removed]; ]
A&A on PBS [ "Sammy Jones" <sjones69@[removed] ]
More on Bill Conrad [ "RyanO" <rosentowski@[removed]; ]
6-28 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Herman Brix- Bruce Bennett [ <verotas@[removed]; ]
Bits and [removed] [ jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns) ]
History "Detectives" and A'A [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Movie stars on radio [ <[removed]@[removed]; ]
Private Eyelashes in Kenosha [ jack and cathy french <otrpiano@ver ]
Anatomy of a Controversy [ "Barbara Harmon" <jimharmonotr@char ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:15:11 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Amos 'n' Andy introduction
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In a message dated 6/27/2007 12:18:40 [removed] Eastern Daylight Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:
A number of years ago there was a documentary of
sorts of the two that was hosted by black comedian
Godfrey ????
You must mean Godfrey Cambridge. Sadly no longer with us.
M
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Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:14:03 -0400
From: "Stephen Davies" <SDavies@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Heaston, the announcer = name change?
Folks,
at the end of each "Let George do it" during 1949, the announcer identifies
himself as John Heaston. Is this the same announcer who was "last, but not
least'n, with Bud Heaston" on the Burns & Allen show during 1940-41? (Spam
re-bop, boom bam!)
If it is the same person, let's count that as an example of altering one's
name. I wonder if there were any other radio personalities who changed
their name.
Stephen D
Calgary
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:22:40 -0400
From: Bhob Stewart <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Kirby Your Enthusiasm
Godfrey Cambridge died in 1976 (not 1972), so it's doubtful he could
have narrated a 1986 documentary -- a notion that seems somewhat like
the premise of an EC Comics horror story.
The actual host/narrator of AMOS 'N' ANDY: ANATOMY OF A CONTROVERSY
(1986) was George Kirby (1923-1995). Others who appeared in that
documentary were Rich Correll, Jesse Jackson, Marla Gibbs and Redd
Foxx. Jim Harmon was credited as a researcher.
Bhob @ [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:22:44 -0400
From: "Sammy Jones" <sjones69@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: A&A on PBS
Karl Tiedemann wrote:
Clearly, that time has not yet arrived-- at least not on the powerful
platform that is PBS. It seems that your netrwork is content to perpetuate
the sort of historical distortions that Elizabeth McLeod addresses-- as long
as those distortions serve a particular sociopolitical [removed]
Hear, hear! But please DO support your PBS and NPR stations; we need all
the help we can get!
Seriously, your letter to the producers is well thought out and represents
my (and I'm sure others') thoughts and feelings better than I could have
expressed them. Are you interested in having more people add their names to
your letter? If so, sign me [removed]
Sammy Jones
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:23:22 -0400
From: "RyanO" <rosentowski@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: More on Bill Conrad
Mr. Gwynne, that story about Bill Conrad and his tie in the gravy was pure
gold. Thanks so much for telling it.
I often wish there was some kind of biography on the man. Internet sources
yield little and even John Dunning doesn't have a lot to say about him.
If we're talking about favorite voices on the radio, he's mine, hands down.
Conrad's portrayal of Matt Dillon goes undisputed as being superior to James
Arness in my book. Yet, I will say that his best work came early, within the
first three years of the program (1952 through 1955.) He brought the perfect
blend of brooding intensity to the role, eased occasionally by comic relief
with Chester and Doc and humanized by Kitty.
He did seem to lose something around the time that Gunsmoke went to
television. No doubt he was angered by the fact that he got snubbed.
If you want to hear Bill Conrad really extend himself and show his full
range, listen to an episode of Suspense called, "Study of a Murderer." Bill
Conrad plays a blue-collar guy who begins to become obsessed with murders in
the news. In the final, chilling scene, he loses it and goes after his
pregnant wife. It's not the typical stock psycho character we usually get on
Suspense, however. Conrad plays the man as a more fully-realized man who is
suffering from some kind of mental breakdown.
If Conrad ever did any comical roles on radio, I'd love to know about them.
RyanO
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:23:30 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 6-28 births/deaths
June 28th births
06-28-1895 - Kelvin Keech - Punachou, Hawaii Territory - d. 5-xx-1977
announcer: "Popeye the Sailor"; "Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing"
06-28-1902 - Richard Rodgers - Long Island, NY - d. 12-30-1979
composer: "ASCAP On Parade"; "Jumbo Fire Chief Program"; "Chase and
Sanborn Hour"
06-28-1904 - Hector Chevigny - d. 4-20-1965
writer: "Portia Faces Life"; "The Second Mrs. Burton"
06-28-1906 - Ann Leaf - Omaha, NE - d. 4-3-1995
organist: (Little Organ Annie) "Ann Leaf at the Organ"; "Lorenzo Jones"
06-28-1908 - Alan Bunce - Westfield, NJ - d. 4-27-1965
actor: Albert Arbuckle "Ethel and Albert"; Jerry Malone "Young Dr.
Malone"
06-28-1908 - John W. Harrington - NYC - d. 9-xx-1974
announcer: "Just Plain Bill"
06-28-1913 - Harry Cool - d. 6-xx-1979
vocalist, bandleader: "Fibber McGee and Molly"s
06-28-1914 - Dan Seymour - NYC - d. 8-xx-1982
actor, narrator: Danny "Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories"; "War of the
Worlds"
06-28-1914 - Lester Flatt - Overton County, TN - d. 5-10-1979
bluegrass guitarist: (Flatt and Scruggs) "Martha White Biscuit Time";
"Grand Ole Opry"
06-28-1914 - Ruth Russell - Providence, RI
actor: Nancy Donovan "Just Plain Bill"; Kathy "Our Gal Sunday"
06-28-1914 - Zina Provendie - d. 5-15-2005
actor: Sylvia Bruno Wick "The Goldbergs"
06-28-1926 - Mel Brooks - NYC
comedian: "Jean Shepherd Show"
June 28th deaths
04-06-1903 - Mickey Cochrane - Bridgewater, MA - d. 6-28-1962
sportscaster: (Member Baseball Hall of Fame) "Mickey Cochrane"
04-21-1898 - King Calder - Maryland - d. 6-28-1964
actor: James Anderson "Second Mrs. Burton"; Will Stevenson "Barry
Cameron"
04-29-1935 - Lennie Weinrib - NYC - d. 6-28-2006
actor: "Suspense"
05-08-1905 - Red Nichols - Ogden, UT - d. 6-28-1965
music: (Red Nichols and His Five Pennies) "Bob Hope Show"; "Ipana
Troubadors"
05-09-1930 - Joan Sims - Laindon, Essex, England - d. 6-28-2001
actor: "Round the Horne"; "Stop Messing About"
07-03-1903 - John Lake - Leesburg, VA - d. 6-28-1960
actor: "Gene Autry's Melody Ranch"; "Twelve Players"
08-19-1913 - Harry F. Mills - Picqua, OH - d. 6-28-1982
singer: (The Mills Brothers) "Mills Brothers Quartette"
10-05-1932 - Arthur Maimane - South Africa - d. 6-28-2005
author: "The Opportunity"; "Where the Sun Shines"
10-23-1923 - Frank Sutton - Clarksville, TN - d. 6-28-1974
actor: "Couple Next Door"
11-25-1900 - Helen Gahagan Douglas - Boonton, NJ - d. 6-28-1980
actor: (Wife of Melvin Douglas) "Hollywood Fights Back"; "A Report to
the Nation"
11-28-1895 - Jose Iturbi - Valencia, Spain - d. 6-28-1980
pianist, conductor: "Telephone hour"; "Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra"
12-25-1924 - Rod Serling - Syracuse, NY - d. 6-28-1975
writer, host: "Zero Hour"
xx-xx-1891 - Joe Schenck - Brooklyn, NY - d. 6-28-1930
singer, comedian,m dancer: (Gus Van and Joe Schenck) "The Eveready Hour}
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:24:09 -0400
From: <verotas@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Herman Brix- Bruce Bennett
This goes along with the discussion of movie actors who played on radio - if
he did.
I always thought that Olympianshot-putter, former football star, and film
actor Herman Brix (real name) who later used the name Bruce Bennett to get
away from the Tarzan image, was the best film Tarzan by far. He was well
over six feet tall, and struggled to get into films because he was too tall
for supporting roles, and considered too athletic looking for starring parts.
I was surprised to learn just today that he passed away in March, at the age
of 100! Like many elderly people, he broke his hip and succumbed to the
after-effects. Probably passed away from the resulting inactivity,and forced
bed confinement.
Think of that - 100! At one point while he was known as Tarzan and a number
of other muscular, hero types, Brix told an interviewer that if he could
keep his muscles and shoulder big and the waist small, he could go on
playing Tarzan to age 50. He was in a lot of films including "Mildred
Pierce", and a total of over 140 films and TV appearances.
So my question remains - did he ever appear on radio?
Bestus, LeeMunsick
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:01:49 -0400
From: jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Bits and [removed]
I'm a little confused--
If we're talking about the great Godfrey Cambridge, he didn't die until
a few years past 1972.
(Cambridge is a too often forgotten GREAT comedian, from the '60s, who
also was pretty terrif in such movies as COTTON COMES TO HARLEM, THE
WATERMELON [removed] In his own, very special way, he was one of the
racial pioneers, in this country--one of the first black comics, or
actors, to achieve mainstream success.)
He died not long after playing Idi Amin, which made the dictator,
creepily, proclaim there was a curse on anyone who portrayed him on
screen.
The first I heard to make this now prevalent comment on the AMOS AND
ANDY TV show, was "Uncle Floyd" Vivino, during a taping of one of his TV
shows, in the early '80s:
"Everyone now says AMOS AND ANDY was racist. But all I remember from
when I was a kid was seeing black judges, black lawyers, black
[removed]"
Jim Burns
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 07:50:45 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: History "Detectives" and A'A
Bill Knowlton wrote --
My take? The "detective" did very little homework preparing for this
feature resulting in the usual take on "Amos & Andy." In short, VERY
very PC.
You expected otherwise from PBS???
Joe
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:51:25 -0400
From: <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Movie stars on radio
Seems like everybody forgot William Boyd who played Hopalong Cassidy in 60+
movies and did a great job as Hoppy on the radio. Boyd had an excellent
radio voice.
John Dehner was very good as well and he did quite a few movies and TV shows
before, during and after radio.
Roger Keel
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:52:11 -0400
From: jack and cathy french <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Private Eyelashes in Kenosha
I'm almost finished packing my bags for my trip to Kenosha, WI for my
speech at the Public Museum there honoring radio's lady detectives.
This "Private Eyelashes" event, free to the public, starts at 1 PM on
Saturday, June 30th. Highlighted will be two feminine sleuths in
live stage performances, Candy Matson and Rebecca Diamond. OTR fans
from southeastern WI and northern Illinois will not want to miss this!
Will have a few autographed copies of my book (he said, as his
publisher twisted his arm) available after the program concludes.
More info at <[removed];
In a related development, Radio Again of Little Falls, NJ has just
released a new 8 CD set entitled "Couples in Crime" featuring 16 half
hour programs: the Norths, the Abbotts, Results, Inc. and Let George
Do It. The firm contracted with me to write the illustrated booklet
on this specialized genre which accompanies the set. As a bonus,
they've also included three rare 15 minute shows from "Two on a Clue"
and "It's Murder," both series I cover in detail in my book. CD set
details at <[removed]>
NOT THE USUAL DISCLAIMER: In addition to making obscenely enormous
royalties on every one of my books sold, I was also paid in [removed]
dollars for writing the booklet in the "Couples in Crime" CD set.
This obviously makes me a less than an unbiased purveyor of said
merchandise.
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
<[removed]>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:52:36 -0400
From: "Barbara Harmon" <jimharmonotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Anatomy of a Controversy
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I worked on the TV documentary, "Anatomy of a Controversy", produced by my
younger friend, Bob Greenberg. You can catch my name in the credits as an
advisor if you look fast.
Bob Greenberg was a wonderful, talented friend - my best friend
at a point in my life. He loved the Amos 'n' Andy TV show, being too young
to have heard the radio show live or at least to have had it make much of an
impression on him. He was also interested in many other aspects of Black
culture, and had many Black friends, including George Kirby. He and I
discussed what would go into the show at great length and some of my ideas
made it to the final production.
I wrote a whole chapter about the radio and later TV version in
my book, The Great Radio Comedians, to be issued in a revised edition very
shortly by BearManor. Years ago, I interviewed Freeman Gosden ("Amos", of
course) and he told he quite a lot about how the show developed, and how he
and his partner, Charles Correll, were always trying to make it more
acceptable to "colored" people.
There was always resistance from broadcasting executive and advertisers.
Gosden's most telling comment: "If we had made the show any more favorable
to Blacks, they would not have let us put it on the air."
The series, on both radio and TV, presented Blacks in positions
they had never before been presented as. There were Black policemen,
judges, doctors, not just porters, servants, and chicken thieves. Of
course, there were characters with dubious ethics like the Kingfish, and
others not too bright like Andy. But hey, it was a COMEDY show. You
don't do a comedy show with all saints, although the later Amos came close
to being one, speaking good English, working hard, supporting a fine family.
Some modern Blacks can just not understand the Amos 'n' Andy
show - there was one recently on PBS - but I feel it was a good influence
and a funny, beloved series. - JIM HARMON (using Barbara's domain)
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