Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #20
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 1/20/2002 3:03 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 20
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Lincoln Highway Radio Show            [ passage@[removed] ]
      Bob & Ray                             [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
      Arthur Godfrey/FDR                    [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]
      Phil Harris CD                        [ Clifengr3@[removed] ]
      Today in OTR History                  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Phil Harris CD                        [ jackbenny39@[removed] ]
      MP3 files and USENET                  [ "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed]; ]
      Re: Archie X-Rated?                   [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Godfrey (&c.)                         [ Wich2@[removed] ]
      RE: Vintage Microphones               [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
      Godfrey's horse - and hate            [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Arthur Godfrey                        [ otrbuff@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:07:26 -0500
    From: passage@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Lincoln Highway Radio Show

    Hi All,

    I received the following query from Carol Ruth <bluhyws@[removed];:
    - ---------
    I was looking at your log page while in search of whether there was
    such a thing as a Lincoln Highway Radio Show or whether any show
    had a Lincoln Highway theme song?
    - ---------
    Any ideas?

    Frank

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:07:38 -0500
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Bob & Ray

    Only one group of stations still airs The Bob & Ray public radio show.
    The X-star network, headed by WVXU, [removed], in Cincinnati.  [removed]  I
    think you can listen online.  Bob & Ray airs Mondays at 11:30am.

    rodney.

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:10:43 -0500
    From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Arthur Godfrey/FDR

    Lee Munsnick's inquiry about the Arthur Godfrey
    description of the FDR funeral cortege set me to
    thinking, which is always a dangerous [removed]

    HOW do we know the clip of this event is any more
    authentic than anything else on the "I Can Hear It
    Now" album?

    Not to cast aspersions on Mr. Godfrey (though I'll
    happily cast a few on that faker Mr. Fred Friendly),
    but Godfrey would have been right there at CBS New
    York with the rest of the "[removed]" conspirators.

    I am traveling and do not have ready access to the
    [removed] Anybody's who's curious might take a
    listen and see how suspicious this clip sounds in
    light of what we all now know about some of the rest
    of the "actualities" on the album.

    Chris

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:12:05 -0500
    From: Clifengr3@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Phil Harris CD

>     Anyone out there know of a CD of Phil Harris songs that are availabe?
>     I've been listening to lots of Harris-Faye shows lately, and I really
>     enjoy his songs.

    I have one entitled "That's What I LIke About Phil Harris" It has 24 tunes by
    Ol'' Curley, including That's What I Like About the South, Ding Dang Daddy
    from Dumas, The Thing, The Preacher and the Bear, Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy
    and more, more, more.
    It was a gift, so I don't know where you can get it, but the internet is a
    wonderful thing and I bet with some diligent searching you can find it for
    sale. It's by BMG Music identified as MMC1-0826. Happy listening.

    Jim Yellen

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:12:24 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Today in OTR History

      From a long time subscriber --

    January 19, 1950 - The Better Half, a popular radio quiz show that ran almost
    a whole decade over the Mutual network, came to a close, airing it's final
    broadcast.

      Joe

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

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:12:40 -0500
    From: jackbenny39@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Phil Harris CD

    There's a CD called "That's What I Like About Phil Harris" that has 24 of
    his songs on it, including "That's What I Like About the South."  I think
    it was put out by RCA in 1988.  I found a copy at a flea market, but I
    don't know whether it's still available in stores anymore.
      I hope this helps!  Have a terrific day!
                                    -Karen

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:15:08 -0500
    From: "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: MP3 files and USENET

    "daveclea" <daveclea@[removed]; wrote:

>     At the suggestion of our ListMaster I located the Newsgroup
>     "[removed]" and found a number of apparent MP3

    files

>     which display as "corrupted" text.  I cannot find a way to access these
>     files with my "Real Audio" MP3 player.

    As a high school technology teacher I will have to say that the most
    commonly asked question I get these days has to do with accessing
    information in USENET.  The word is out that USENET, one of the oldest parts
    of the Internet, has many advantages over the Napster-type of file sharing,
    but most net users are not aware of its existence and, once they find it,
    have difficulty figuring out what all those strange characters found in the
    posting mean.

    However, there is a web site that I've started directing my students to that
    does a great job of explaining how to access the binary data in USENET.  For
    our OTR group that data is many old time radio shows in the MP3 format.  The
    site is:

    [removed]

    It is fairly non-geeky and covers everything you might want to know from
    getting access to playing the files found there.  It is written for both
    Macintosh and Windows users and is organized in an easy-to-navigate 6-step
    process.

    A word of caution:  While USENET has some great discussion groups,
    especially for us techno-geeks, the binary groups, where you find pictures,
    audio files, and video, are also heavily littered with pornography.

    Vince

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:11:45 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Re: Archie X-Rated?

    Ian Grieve" posted

>     "The content of every activity involving the group will be subject to the
>     approval of Archie Entertainment, in order to preserve the wholesome
>     tradition of the beloved fictional Riverdale High School teenagers first
>     introduced in the 1940s."

>     Hmm, Wholesome, guess that scrubs Hal's book of tales about his growing up
>     with adoring female fans.  Better release the book at another time, we don't
>     want to miss the gossip.

    Hey there, you awesome Aussie. Not to worry. If necessary, I'll prepare two
    versions of the book. One, nothing but "wholesome" fare, and boring as hell.
    The other, laced will all sorts of sexually explicit material. :)

    But to tell the truth, I found the press release most interesting. (my wife
    printed out the full content for me). The Founder of Archie Comic
    Publications, John Goldwater had a good friend and partner, Mr. Silberkleit.
    I can vaguely recall them bringing their kids in to see the show on
    occasion. It turns out that the old relationship remains intact with a new
    generation. ACP Chairman is now Michael Silberkleit, ACP President is
    Richard Goldwater.

    I really must contact them. Maybe I'll get ACP to publish the "wholesome"
    version.

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    Jughead

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:15:37 -0500
    From: Wich2@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Godfrey (&c.)

    Folks-
    I always find it interesting when people have difficulty separating a
    performer's public persona from his true character - "I love his
    acting/singing - how could he NOT be lovable!?"
    As a perfomer myself, I can tell you that in many cases, these personas are
    not one and the same (of course, as in ALL fields, the mature souls have the
    most
    unity between the [removed])
    So, it is not at all strange in human nature to find Jolson gifted/miserable,
    Cohen charming/wife beating, Godfrey warm/despised, etc.
    Especially among those with great fame, the problem seems to be that found by
    Harry Truman in Gen. MacArthur:
    "He'd forgotten that there was a difference between himself and God Almighty"
    -Craig Wichman

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:18:32 -0500
    From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: RE: Vintage Microphones

    Les Rayburn <les@[removed]; writes:

>     I'm interested in getting a classic microphone of the type used on the air
>     in the golden days for use with my amateur (ham) radio transceiver.
>     Something like one of the old RCA 74B's or something of that ilk.

    I hope you're in the chips, Les, because good condition microphones from
    the "golden days of radio" go for between $600 and $2000 these days. Check
    out eBay sometime and you'll see what I mean - there's an RCA 44A on sale
    now, with a current bid price of $[removed]

    A friend of mine bought a 44B awhile back which was hollowed out - he only
    wanted it for display - and it *still* cost him just under $[removed]

>     I'll likely replace the capsule with a modern one, so it's not critical that
>     it be working.

    If you can find one that's still working, don't mess with it. The fidelity
    of a good condition ribbon mic is really quite remarkable. This is why
    folks like Larry King & David Letterman still use them - and also because
    they look really cool, of course!

    Harlan

    Harlan Zinck
    First Generation Radio Archives
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:23:13 -0500
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Godfrey's horse - and hate

    Let me answer the questions posted here about Mr. Godfrey's Horse
    (incidentally, the name of a song written by Red Skelton), and "the
    millions of people who hate Arthur Godfrey".

    The famous horse which Arthur Godfrey usually rode in his equestrian shows
    was named Catoctin Gold, but generally referred to by nearly everyone as
    "Goldie".  Actually, there were two horses which looked very much alike,
    called by insiders "Goldie 1 and Goldie 2" although they did have separate
    names.  When doing a show, Mr. Godfrey brought both, just in case anything
    were to happen to Goldie.  But usually Goldie was the star.

    Catoctin, by the way, refers to the Catoctin Mountains in northwestern
    Virginia, near Leesburg.  Godfrey amassed a large estate there over a
    matter of years.  The Catoctins were part of the Blue Ridge Mountains,
    which in turn are part of the Appalachians.

    For many years while his morning CBS radio show was popular (for a time it
    was simulcast on CBS-TV), pilot Godfrey would leave New York City after his
    Thursday program, drive to Teterboro Airport in northern New Jersey, and
    fly his airplane to what he jokingly called "Leesburg International Cow
    Pasture" in Virginia.  That description was not far from the truth.

    Ultimately he gave the property to the town of Leesburg, which made a huge
    profit selling it for what are now shops, apartments, a mall, etc.  The
    arrangement was that the town would use those profits to acquire another
    property out of town, which lent itself much more readily to heavier flight
    activities.  That airport is now Leesburg Municipal on all the charts, but
    is formally named "Arthur Godfrey Field", a fine asset to Leesburg and
    surrounding Loudoun County.

    Mr. Godfrey would do his part of the Friday morning program from a small
    studio just off the kitchen of his "Beacon Hill" home, and then enjoy the
    rest of the weekend with family and friends.  The rest of the cast and
    orchestra would be in the studio in New York.  He'd fly back to Teterboro
    on Sunday, to be ready for the next week's activities.  Talking about all
    this made Teterboro famous.

    On these and other sessions broadcast from Virginia, the orchestra in New
    York would not play the usual theme song, Carmen Lombardo's "Seems Like Old
    Times", which this exposure made into a classic.  Instead, it would play
    (In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia on) "The Trail of the Lonesome
    Pine".  He recorded this for Columbia Records, adding some of his own
    lyrics.  The song came from a motion picture which in turn was taken from a
    play taken, from a popular book about real life and characters in rural
    southwestern Virginia.  The play is still performed annually near Big Stone
    Gap, Virginia, the area where the action took place on which all this was
    based.

    As to how Mr. Godfrey is so hated.  For years magazines and newspapers
    would vie with each other to see who could run more adulation stories about
    Arthur Godfrey.  Putting his picture on one's cover or page one would
    guarantee heavy sales.  Many publications would increase their press run
    and tell their advertisers that it would be to their advantage to be in
    that issue (sometimes at increased rates).

    I recall thinking in the early 1950s that this deification of Arthur
    Godfrey was very unfair, putting him up on a pedestal when he was certainly
    very much a real human being with faults and foibles.  In their cover
    article about Mr. Godfrey, Time Magazine made that comment, saying it
    seemed but a matter of time before the second syllable of Mr. Godfrey's
    name totally disappeared.  Years later, the tide turned quite
    literally.  The media left behind any picture of fairness, moving in the
    exact opposite direction to vilify Arthur Godfrey, often with recurring
    stories which were absolutely untrue but became public "fact".

    The "firing" of Julius Larosa instituted a feeding frenzy of anti-Godfrey
    vituperation.  I put "firing" in quotes because it was nothing of the
    sort.  I think any fair person would realize this, listening to the program
    segment on which "it" took place.  It actually was a lengthy lauding of
    Julie's warmth, abilities and personality, followed by a very positive
    send-off from Mr. Godfrey.

    This release of Julie from the Godfrey programs was done by Mr. Godfrey
    against his better judgment, and at the repeated urging of Larosa
    himself.  He wanted to move on to bigger opportunities, Reno and Las Vegas
    bookings, his own TV show, etc.  Mr. Godfrey warned Larosa that he wasn't
    ready, and if he left before maturing his stage personality, he would
    indeed have all kinds of offers, but his meteoric initial career would
    quickly burn out, a flash in the pan, to die after the novelty wore
    off.  This is exactly what happened.

    Another example of the lies told about Mr. Godfrey is "his reputation" as
    an anti-Semite.  Like most rumors, this charge was engendered by several
    events and happenings, but the resulting charge is simply untrue.  Quite
    the opposite.  Think about [removed] could any rampant anti-Semite become a
    star in the entertainment world--especially broadcasting--owned, controlled
    and ruled by Jewish people?

    Mr. Godfrey was surrounded by Jewish people.  Many on his shows were
    Jewish.  I have spoken with many of them about this.  All of them roundly
    affirm that there was absolutely no truth to his so-called
    "anti-Semitism".  Most said he was quite the opposite.  His friend Bernard
    Baruch, a Jew, advised Mr. Godfrey to fight back against the
    charges.  Unfortunately, Mr. Godfrey chose not to.  It's a shame; had he
    done so, he could have been helpful in overcoming much anti-Jewish hatred
    in this country.

    It could have been as beneficial as was his revelation that he had
    Cancer.  This  greatly helped open doors to public acceptance of discussion
    about the previously unmentionable "Big C", which to that point was put in
    the same category as venereal disease.  I can recall in my own radio career
    in those days, that one simply did not use the word "sex" on the radio,
    even when one only meant "gender".

    Godfrey's free discussion of his cancer was front-page, headline news
    across the country.  This made it acceptable to talk about the previously
    unspoken disease.  This undoubtedly led many people to seek help from
    physicians, to avail them of the benefits of treatment possible for persons
    who get early diagnosis of the many forms of cancer.  Who knows how many
    lives this saved, as was pointed out at the time by numerous physicians and
    others in the fight against cancer.  His cancer was ironic;  Mr. Godfrey
    for years was thoroughly identified with smoking, first with cigars and
    then synonymously with Chesterfield cigarettes, which he made into a major
    brand.

    Arthur Godfrey was a board member of the Damon Runyon Memorial Cancer Fund,
    founded by Walter Winchell in memory of their friend, author Damon Runyon
    ("Guys and Dolls"), who died of cancer.  When Winchell retired as President
    of the Runyon Fund, Mr. Godfrey succeeded him.  He also became a director
    of the Strang Cancer Prevention Institute and Clinic, which continues in
    association with a major cancer hospital and medical school in New York
    City.

    Arthur Godfrey was not a bigoted person.  Quite the contrary; he hated
    bigotry and fought against it.  He defended black performers, often taking
    on various power structures in the process, such as the DAR, which refused
    to let him bring his mixed-race quartet The Mariners to perform in a Red
    Cross benefit in their Constitution Hall in Washington.  His on-the-air
    Bronx Cheer practically wrecked the DAR.

    The Godfrey shows had many blacks on them over many years.  Many of those
    performers have told me that they were most grateful for the performing
    opportunity, as well as the fact that Godfrey referred to people by their
    names, never as "black American musician", "Afro-American singer" or the
    like.  He never indicated their race.

    One popular performer who frequently substituted for Godfrey when he went
    away or was in the hospital, was known in the business to be homosexual,
    but not to the public.  This was during a time when this information would
    have been the kiss of death.  Mr. Godfrey knew this and helped immensely in
    the performer's career, which undoubtedly would have achieved far less fame
    and fortune without that support.

    My proposed book will go into all these things.  To those who've heard me
    say this for years, I can only say that it has become a bigger project than
    I ever realized,.  It's been delayed by many factors, most recently by my
    move from New Jersey to Virginia (not far from those same Blue Ridge
    Mountains) and huge delays in the construction of a building to hold all
    our "stuff".  But I'm working on it!

    My point here is that to a very large part, the fickle public--always eager
    to tear down idols--instantly and gleefully went along with the bedevilment
    of Arthur Godfrey.  It certainly cut his popularity ratings, although he
    continued as a star for two more decades.  To his greatest sorrow, it
    reduced his effectiveness in supporting the many important causes he
    espoused.  These included cancer research, blood donations, conservation, a
    volunteer military, and many other truly patriotic stands.

    Perhaps this will explain why I admire Mr. Godfrey for many things he did,
    while at the same time I cannot excuse his behavior toward women, which was
    deplorable.  I'm hopeful that the revelation of the truth will help
    overcome the continuing unfair and untrue public perception of one of the
    giants of American communication and entertainment.  Thanks for giving me
    the opportunity to go into this.

    Lee Munsick

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

    Date: Sat, 19 Jan 2002 15:24:31 -0500
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Arthur Godfrey

    "Hated" is too strong a term as applied by one poster to this forum in
    classifying the public's assessment of Arthur Godfrey's fall from grace.
    Actually, as he began a foolhardy, little understood or appreciated
    dismantling of his vast empire, the public turned from adulation to
    agitation.  When he persisted in his bent to self-destruct, the largest
    percentage of those 80 million idol worshipers tuning him in regularly
    found other things to do with their time, and he quickly lost more and
    more favor with fans who had only a short time earlier adored him.  It
    was a tragic development in what had been a simply awe-inspiring career.

    The poster noted that no one he personally knew stopped admiring him.
    I'm unsure where he was but if the headlines in the newspapers and trade
    journals and commentary on various other programs was to be believed,
    Godfrey was turned off by the vast majority as the 1950s progressed.
    Documentation of his downward spiral is included in my book as evidence.
    You'll also discover it in Arthur J. Singer's well written biography of
    the man.

    I clearly recall going into a science classroom in public school the day
    after Julius LaRosa was publicly fired on the air by Godfrey, clearly the
    first of several outbursts by the old redhead that led to his fall from
    the high perch he occupied.  My teacher was an outspoken woman of many
    topics and she was so angry by what Godfrey had done that she vented her
    emotions to the class in what I recall was something like a 10-minute
    tirade.  She gave each of her students opportunity to respond and I think
    science was canceled that day and most of the hour was consumed by an
    ethics lesson.  I don't know that our experience was typical and doubt
    that it was.  But I have never forgotten how it was impressed upon that
    group of adolescents.

    Godfrey was a great man.  He plowed new fields and made enormous strides,
    especially in his demonstrated marketing genius.  His impact on
    broadcasting was immediate and lasting.  I'm grateful for the hundreds of
    hours of unparalleled entertainment he provided in my home and I can't
    recall making many trips by automobile that Arthur Godfrey didn't go
    along for the ride.  Too bad so much of it became tarnished at the
    pinnacle of success.

    Jim Cox

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #20
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