Subject: [removed] Digest V2005 #341
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 11/5/2005 10:20 AM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2005 : Issue 341
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      scripts from US Office of War Inform  [ "HOWARD BLUE" <khovard@[removed]; ]
      Chesterfield Cigarettes               [ Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@earthlin ]
      Camels for the T zone                 [ "Don Belden" <[removed]@[removed]; ]
      Smokin'!                              [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@j ]
      ":The Past Is History"                [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@j ]
      Terrestrial Radio/"The Eternal Light  [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
      On a note of personal triumph!        [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
      FOTR 2005 etc                         [ alo <alo@[removed]; ]
      11-5 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 17:02:46 -0500
    From: "HOWARD BLUE" <khovard@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  scripts from US Office of War Information

    I'm still going through my files as I prep for a move to a new apartment.
    Some things I'm giving away and some I'm selling. For the cost of postage
    and the original photocopying, I'm unloading a bunch of scripts from the war
    related radio play series: Uncle Sam. Anybody interested?

    Howard Blue
    Khovard@[removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 18:02:46 -0500
    From: Lee Munsick <damyankeeinva@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Chesterfield Cigarettes

    In the heyday of OTR, there were three groups of sponsors which financed an
    enormous portion of radio programming, especially network shows.  They were
    soaps and cleaning products (as in "Soap Operas", so-called for that reason),
    tobacco companies (mainly for cigarette brands), and cereal companies (as
    mostly in children's programming).

    Most folk over 55 can rattle off jingles and sales pitches for such as
    Jell-O, Wheaties, and the cigarettes: Chesterfield, Lucky Strike (with their
    auctioneer's unfathomable chants), and Camels (some wag suggested this was
    the only cigarette that had a picture of its factory on its package).  In the
    sports field, cigarettes were heavy, but joined by a fourth group, breweries.
    Most every team had its closely-identified puff and brew.

    Lucky Strikes sponsored "Your Hit Parade" for years.  I recall seeing it
    televised while seated in Studio 8H, the monstrous arena that RCA's David
    Sarnoff had built for Arturo Toscanini so the maestro would return from his
    hiatus from CBS in Italy, to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra, created just
    for Sr. Toscanini.

    I was amazed by two things.  First, that in the late 1940s this studio
    employed not only very large screen monitors around the edges of the
    audience, but overhead a huge screen showed projection TV!  Second, watching
    the band led by Raymond Scott (husband of vocalist Dorothy Collins and
    brother, if I recall correctly, of bandleader Mark Warnow, also an OTR
    veteran).  All the performers were nicely dressed, and many quite colorful
    for the entertainment of the studio audience, who actually couldn't see much
    of the people involved on the other side of an army of cameramen and
    technicians, other than by watching said monitor and projection screens.

    I got a kick out of the huge photographic blow-up of an opened Lucky Strike
    pack, two or three cigarettes tastefully peeking up from the package at
    different heights.  This portrayal of cigarettes at least 12 to 15 feet tall
    was the backdrop behind the orchestra, so whenever a camera showed the band,
    it "just happened" to show the sponsor's product.  Somehow this "happened" to
    occur somewhat frequently during the course of the musical count-down each
    week.

    But a shocker for the studio audience was that while everything else in the
    studio was in attractive color, that giant photo of the colorful Lucky
    Strikes cigarette pack was in glorious black and white!  Because so was the
    outgoing transmission.  Clearly, poor little American Tobacco Company could
    not afford the cost of a color reproduction.

    Chesterfields were heard (and later seen) as sponsors just about every night
    of the week.  Their retinue of performers included at one time or another
    Perry Como, Jo Stafford, Bing Crosby, the "Chesterfield Supper Club", the
    "Dragnet" programs, numerous others, and an affable chap named Arthur
    Godfrey.  Chesterfields were considered within the tobacco industry to be
    "inexpensive cigarettes", meaning they were not a "premium brand".

    Just as he did with Lipton Tea, Mr. Godfrey took a respectable size sponsor
    and turned them into giants.  And now that he is no longer with us, what has
    become of Lipton?  You remember, those folk who had the chicken walk through
    the powdered soup mix?  Lipton is now much more than a tea-and-soup supplier.
    It's now a gigantic multi-national food conglomerate.

    And Chesterfields?  They were made by Liggett & Myers, which traced its
    company history back to before the Civil war.  Chesterfield was their biggest
    seller, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Mr. Godfrey, who personally
    came up with the urging of his listeners to "Buy 'em by the carton".  Some
    years back, I was honored to chair a panel on Mr. Godfrey at FOTR.  My
    introduction of most of its members is included in the new FOTR 30th
    Anniversary DVD, which I heartily recommend, if only for that reason.
    Actually, the rest is quite interesting too!

    That panel included an L&M vice-president who oversaw the Chesterfield
    account and therefore Mr. Godfrey's activities on its behalf.  He is one of
    the chaps you see me introduce.  He told us at the time that their market
    surveys ("the life's blood of tobacco companies"), showed that Mr. Godfrey's
    efforts sold more Chesterfield cigarettes than the substantial efforts of ALL
    their other famous stars combined!

    Around this time in the 1950s, Liggett & Myers took advantage of substantial
    public identification with their company nickname "L&M" by bringing out a new
    brand of cigs bearing just that name, "L&M" cigarettes.  They did very well.

    And where are they now?  Still heavily feeding the coffers of L&M (and in the
    process, of our federal government through heavy cigarette taxes)?  Not a
    chance.  What is now called the Liggett Group and/or Liggett Vector Brands
    SOLD Chesterfield and their own namesake L&M to one of their heaviest
    competitors some years back.  They're still made, but try to go out and find
    them!

    So we see the strange situation where L&M (which means Liggett & Myers)
    cigarettes are still made, but not by L&M.  Instead, they happily sail along
    marketing the enormously recognizable brands of Liggett Select, Quest, Eve,
    Jade, Pyramid, USA, and private brands like Tourney, marketed by Speedway
    Super American.  Liggett or Myers, we hardly recognize ye!

    The tobacco industry has changed so much that it's hard to even track down
    which company is owned by whom or owns what.  For instant, [removed] Reynolds
    (Camels and others) is the owner of Nabisco, another big name in brand
    advertising - in fact, the first brand name nationally advertised (for
    National Biscuit Company).

    With tobacco and beer advertising legislated off the airwaves, is it any
    wonder that stations and networks have to run often 1/3 or more of their
    program time filled not with the subject program matter, but with commercials
    (not to mention the annoying, LOUD self-promotion)?  OTR, we miss you!  Just
    think of the pleasant opening and closing plugs on "The Jack Benny Program"
    and the catchy, delightful mid-show bit with The Sportsmen!

    But then, we have so much great OTR that we can listen to. Thanks to folk
    like Jay Hickerson and his confreres across the country, not to mention 78s,
    ETs, reel-to-reel, cassette, LPs, 45s, CDs, DVDs, MP3s, and what the heck is
    a podcast?  How fortunate can we get?

    Happy listening!  Lee Munsick

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 20:36:23 -0500
    From: "Don Belden" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Camels for the T zone

    I have a large add from 4/24/55 "Akron Beacon Journal" that starts with a
    large headline stating "More Doctors Smoke Camels" and then a subheading
    stating"Your T-zone will tell you how mild and flavorful camels are, pack
    after pack."

    Then in several places the add states "T for Taste-T for Throat.

    Don in Denver

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 20:36:49 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Smokin'!

    Kenneth Clarke, speaking of cigarettes and OTR notes,

>     Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe there were some variety
>     shows ("The Camel Caravan" and Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge),
>     quiz programs ("The Bob Hawk Show"), and even comedy shows which were
>     sponsored by cigarette companies.

    Well!   Arguably the one of the most popular comedy/variety shows, the
    Jack Benny program, was sponsored by Lucky Strikes.  Laura???

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 20:38:11 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr" <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  ":The Past Is History"

    Christopher Werner, speaking of sensitizing youngsters to nuances of the
    past, writes,

>     6 teenagers rode in a van I rented with a built in DVD player en route
>     to a camping trip. I wanted to play the 'Sky Captain and the World of
>     Tomorrow" movie to them, but not before they understood *why* it was
>     made. To do so, I started with the 1948 Max Fleischer Superman animated
>     feature, specifically the "Mechanical Monsters" episode (for the Art Deco
>     style and the robot idea), then I played the first episode of
>     'Captain Marvel' so they would understand where 'Shazam' came from. I
>     also had the first episode of Flash Gordon, so the raygun was familiar
>     too.  Equipped with these 'prolog' features, the actual film was linked
>     to the past it was modeled upon.

    It's been my suspicion that the "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow"
    title character was based on the partial names of two OTR heroes, SKY
    King and CAPTAIN Midnight.  However, the hero of the movie had little in
    common with either radio hero, other than he could fly airplanes.  There
    have been claims that the film hero was based closely on Captain
    Midnight, which, of course, is laughable.  But to younger audience
    members, they may buy the idea.  I had to e-mail a vendor of my book and
    suggest a correction to his listing of my book; the vendor made the
    erroneous Captain Midnight - Sky Captain connection.

    I suspect nearly all the elements of "the past" could have been
    replicated from sheer OTR programs.  The raygun from "War of the Worlds"
    and "Buck Rogers."  The 1947 Buck Rogers also had robots, particularly
    the old Number One, who became part of Buck and Wilma's in-group.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 20:39:54 -0500
    From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Terrestrial Radio/"The Eternal Light"
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    I agree wholeheartedly  with my pal Bobb Lynes that FOTR and other conventions
    should strive to invite as many OTR personages as we can while they're still
    with us . However, the TV-centric guests do bring in younger fans who might
    not otherwise gravitate to the medium of radio.  We in the hobby always try to
    connect a TV personality to radio.  Most FOTR conventioneers would generally
    think of Stiller & Meara's TV work, but these undisputed hits at this year's
    FOTR also did some great radio in the 1970s including Blue Nun Wine
    commercials, CBSRMTs, & syndicated comedy inserts.

    The OTR era and its time-frame is a topic up for grabs. But if it weren't for
    post-OTR-era "retro"  shows like "Theatre Five," "CBSRMT," "Sears Theatre,"
    "General Mills's Children's Theatre," "Cape Cod Mysteries," the Carl Amari
    "Twilight Zone," &   "Advs. in Odyssey,"  where are we going to find future
    guests?  The satellite radio industry has already come up with a term for
    traditional wireless radio, & that's "terrestrial radio." The initials "FOTR"
    can easily be adapted to stand for "Friends of Terrestrial Radio" if the need
    ever arises. Let's hope that day is not far in coming.

    Speaking of 1970s radio, I'm intrigued by the discussion of the new book about
    the long-running programme "The Eternal Light." It's not something I'd run out
    & buy right away. However, I would like to know if the name of my good friend
    Suzanne Toren appears wherein. I often call Suzanne "the First Lady of Talking
    Books," & she did tell me at some point  she did a handful of "Eternal Lights"
    in the late 1970s. Upon first hearing this, I told her "then you're OTR" and
    would qualify to be a guest at FOTR conventions and banquets. I've been trying
    to prevail upon Ms. Toren to join us, feeling that her popularity as a Talking
    Book narratrix would make her a fan favourite at such an event--particularly
    among our blind and visually impaired conventioneers already familiar with her
    work. One day.

    I'd like to thank Bobb Lynes, Ken Stockinger, and everybody else who mentioned
    me in their Digest posts about FOTR. Only 11-1/2 more months till the next
    one!

    Patiently waiting in the ether!

    Derek Tague

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2005 22:11:18 -0500
    From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  On a note of personal triumph!
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    Everybody's favourite Dragnet historian Michael Hayde concluded his posting
    about smoking on "Dragnet" with this unfortunate necrology:

>     Barton (Ben Romero) Yarborough: Sudden, massive heart attack, age 51

    Ben (Frank Smith) Alexander: Sudden, massive heart attack, age 58
    Jack (Joe Friday) Webb: Sudden, massive heart attack, age 62
    George Fenneman: Succumbed to emphysema, age 77.

>     Michael (12 smoke-free years and counting)

    Congratulations, Mr. Dragnet! I guess I can't call you "DRAG-gie" anymore. In
    the same vein, this month will mark 19 years of sobriety for me. As the one
    who did most of the transcribing for last month's "Halls of Ivy" adaptation at
    FOTR,  I was offered a chance by director Gary Yoggy to appear in said episode
    as the pitchman for Schlitz Beer.  Although most folks know I'm no actor, it
    would've been an honour to have appeared alongside Simon Jones, Corinne Orr,
    Fred Foy, Hal Stone, Will Hutchins, and Rosemary Rice.  However, I didn't
    think it'd be appropriate for an "openly recovering" alcoholic to be appearing
    in a beer [removed] if it was 55 years old and was presented solely
    for nostalgic reasons.  Enter "Mr. Quicksilver," Craig Wichman (fast becoming
    an FOTR fan favourite) , who did an exemplary job!

    One day at a time in the ether,

    Derek Tague, Friend of Bill W.

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Nov 2005 08:51:30 -0500
    From: alo <alo@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  FOTR 2005 etc

    While I was on the road post-FOTR, Ron Sayles posted a list of his favorite
    OTR books & shortly after posted a follow-up in which he wrote in part:

>     Also as others have pointed out, it is very subjective. I will never
>     list an "Amos 'n' Andy" book no matter how well written ...

    Happily many folks at FOTR and in the OTR world in general seem to feel
    otherwise & have bought (& hopefully even read <g>) Elizabeth McLeod's
    wonderful "The Original Amos'n'Andy." It's a book that deftly combines
    scholarship with readability (no small feat) and is a "good read" even for
    a non-OTR person. I am admittedly biased, since I was involved with the
    book before there *was* a book, but judging by the very warm reception
    Elizabeth's presentation received in Newark last month, and the many
    positive comments about the book on this list, I don't think I'm alone in
    my opinion.

    Elizabeth herself was a big hit at FOTR just walking around the hallways
    and sitting in the dining room, with lots of folks stopping by to meet her
    & say hi. (And a suspiciously high number seemed to enjoy mentioning a
    certain post she wrote April 1st, 2003 ... <cough>)

    As a first-time attendee to FOTR, I really didn't know what to expect, but
    I had a great time. The re-enactments were both well-done and *tremendous
    fun.* As a long-time Lockridge reader & big-time Superman fan, I was
    absolutely delighted with Mr & Mrs North & Superman, in particular, but
    they were all terrific. :-) And thanks to Dave, Susan, Shirley, Barbara,
    Bobb, Patrick, Jay, Arlene, Hal, Dorothy, Sean, Ken & others I'm probably
    forgetting (sorry!), for making the weekend a terrific one for me
    personally. (Bobb in particular has what I consider to be the most *unique*
    -- if not *the best* -- copy of Elizabeth's book in existence ... ;-)

    I also had a chance to talk a bit with Noell Neill & Ruth Last & they were
    just great: friendly & gracious ladies.

    Here is a very quickly put together flash slideshow of FOTR 2005, for
    anyone interested:

    [removed]

    Enjoy. :-)

    I'd also like to mention that I've put together a dvd of Elizabeth's FOTR
    presentation. Initially it was supposed to be just a video of the event
    shot for her family but the project grew a bit in scope (mild
    understatement <g>). The way it has turned out, it actually serves as a
    nice companion piece to the book & a couple of people have suggested making
    copies available to folks on the digest, though I would like to stress that
    it's *not* meant to compete in any way with what Fred Berney offers with
    his FOTR coverage. With Elizabeth's help & permission, however, I have
    included a couple "extras" that hopefully people will find interesting. If
    anyone *is* interested, please email me offlist.

    cheers,
    Amanda
    PS: Thanks very much to Laura Leff for giving me such a glowing mention in
    her recent post to the digest. For a minute there, I wondered who she was
    talking about ... ;-)

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Nov 2005 08:52:12 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  11-5 births/deaths

    November 5th births

    11-05-1878 - Henry M. Nealy - Philadelphia, PA - d. 5-1-1963
    emcee: (The Old Stager) "Philco Theatre of Memories"; "Fitch Bandwagon"
    11-05-1879 - Will Hays - Sullivan, IN - d. 3-7-1954
    puritanical censor: "Republican National Convention 1948";"A Tribute to FDR"
    11-05-1885 - William Durant - North Adams, MA - d. 11-7-1981
    historian: "America's Town Meeting of the Air"
    11-05-1887 - Ralph Moody - St. Louis, MO - d. 9-16-1971
    actor: "Gunsmoke"; "Roy Rogers Show"; "Wild Bill Hickok"
    11-05-1891 - Vinton Freedley - Philadelphia, PA - d. 6-5-1969
    host: "Theatre USA"
    11-05-1893 - Jean Sothern - d. 4-14-1964
    actress: Edie Gray "Pepper Young's Family"; Connie Rickard "Red Davis"
    11-05-1893 - Theodore von Eltz - New Haven, CT - d. 10-6-1964
    actor: Inspector Fernak "The Saint"
    11-05-1895 - Charles MacArthur - Scranton, PA - d. 4-21-1956
    playwright: "Jumbo Fire Chief Program"; "Chase and Sanborn Hour"
    11-05-1897 - Jan Garber - Norristown, PA - d. 10-5-1977
    bandleader: "Jan Garber Supper Club"
    11-05-1905 - Annunzio Paolo Mantovani - Venice, Italy - d. 3-29-1980
    orchestra leader: "Music In the Air"; "Of These We Sing"
    11-05-1905 - Joel McCrea - South Pasadena, CA - d. 10-20-1990
    actor: Jace Pearson "Tales of the Texas Rangers"
    11-05-1905 - John Whedon - d. 11-21-1991
    writer: "The Great Gildersleeve"
    11-05-1911 - Roy Rogers - Cincinnati, OH - d. 7-6-1998
    singer, actor: (King of the Cowboys) "Roy Rogers Show"; "Saturday Nite
    Round-Up"
    11-05-1913 - Vivien Leigh - Darjeeling, India - d. 7-7-1967
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    11-05-1919 - Hy Zaret - Cortland, NY
    writer: "Sing It Again"
    11-05-1919 - Myron Floren - Webster, SD - d. 7-23-2005
    accordianist: "Lawrence Welk and His Champagne Music"
    11-05-1933 - Donald Madden - New York, NY - d. 1-22-1983
    actor: "Let's Pretend"

    November 5th deaths

    01-17-1880 - Mack Sennett - Richmond, Quebec, Canada - d. 11-5-1960
    king of silent comedy: "Hear It Now"; "Biography In Sound"
    01-27-1908 - "Hot Lips" Page - Dallas, TX - d. 11-5-1954
    jazz trumpeter: "Milt Herth Trio"; "Floor Show"; "Eddie Condon's Jazz Concert"
    04-09-1903 - Ward Bond - Denver, CO - d. 11-5-1960
    actor: "Screen Director's Playhouse"
    06-19-1902 - Guy Lombardo - London, Ontario, Canada - d. 11-5-1977
    bandleader: (The Sweetest Music This Side of Heaven) "Lombardoland USA"
    07-03-1878 - George M. Cohan - Providence, RI - d. 11-5-1942
    composer: "Collier Hour"; "Ed Sullivan Show"; "Free Company"
    08-05-1887 - Reginald Owen - Wheathampton, England - d. 11-5-1972
    actor, writer: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    08-30-1908 - Fred MacMurray - Kankakee, IL (Raised: Beaver Dam, WI) - d.
    11-5-1991
    actor: George Harvey "Bright Star"; "Lux Radio Theatre
    08-31-1906 - Ruth Weston - Boston, MA - d. 11-5-1955
    actress: Maude Kellogg "Life Can Be Beautiful"
    09-28-1901 - William S. Paley - Chicago, IL - d. 11-5-1990
    Founder and president of CBS
    09-28-1909 - Al Capp - New Haven, CT - d. 11-5-1979
    cartoonist: Creator of "Li'l Abner"
    10-01-1904 - Vladimir Horowitz - Kiev, Ukraine, Russia - d. 11-5-1989
    piano virtuoso: "GuestStar"; "Pictures At An Exhibition"
    10-13-1909 - Art Tatum - Toledo, OH - d. 11-5-1956
    pianist: David Rose Orchestra
    11-03-1902 - Ted Pearson - Arlington, NE - d. 11-5-1961
    announcer: "Advs. of the Thin Man"; "Cavalcade of America"; "Good News of 1938"
    12-15-1916 - Buddy Cole - Irving, IL - d. 11-5-1964
    musician: (Buddy Cole Trio) "Ginny Simms Show"; "Hollywood Showcase"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #341
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