------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2006 : Issue 221
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
"Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Nig [ "Scherago" <rscherago@[removed]; ]
crisco [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
Fred Collins [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
THE WHISTLER on TCM [ Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@earthlin ]
any ILAM news? [ "Edmund Zebrowski" <starlightexp@ho ]
Re: Pinky, Orson and the Brain [ Mike Thompson <mthomp86@[removed]; ]
8-15 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
July deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
Mike Douglas and Jack Benny [ "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@sbcglob ]
Re: Mike Douglas [ "Paul Adomites" <padomites@ccyberne ]
Re: Mike D [ "Paul Adomites" <padomites@ccyberne ]
Jack Benny recordings [ Ken Greenwald <radio@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 11:57:15 -0400
From: "Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: "Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Night Stand
with the Big Bands"
The latest "Golden Age of Radio" programs with Dick Bertel
and Ed Corcoran, and "A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"
with Arnold Dean can be heard at [removed].
Each week we feature three complete shows in MP3 format
for your listening pleasure or for downloading; two "Golden
Age of Radios" and one "One Night Stand." We present new
shows every week or so. The current three programs will be
available on line at least until the morning of August 23, 2006.
Program 68 - November, 1975 - Humphrey Davis
Humphrey Davis recalls his start on WTIC and his subsequent
career as a network character actor in New York. Among his
roles were the father of the detective in "Nick Carter," and Sgt.
Ernest Heath, the title character's police force adversary on
"Philo Vance." We'll also hear an excerpt from the Mutual
show, "The Wizard of the Black Castle."
His many television appearences included the part of Dr.
Arnold Featherstone on "The Edge of Night," and Captain
Brad Farley in "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet." Other appearances
include "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "The Phil Silvers Show,"
"The Honeymooners," "The United States Steel Hour," "The
Man Behind the Badge," "Hallmark Hall of Fame," and "The
Big Story." Mr. Davis's many movie credits include playing
Alvy's (Woody Allen's) psychiatrist in "Annie Hall."
Program 69 - December, 1975 - Jean Burnett
Jean Burnett was a child actress on many major network radio
shows, including "Coast to Coast on a Bus", "The Rudy Vallee
Show" and "The Telephone Hour."
"A One Night Stand with the Big Bands" with Arnold Dean
November, 1973 - Gene Krupa Memorial Broadcast
This program was broadcast shortly after Gene Krupa's death on
October 16, 1973.
Krupa was born in Chicago, Illinois. He began playing
professionally in the mid 1920s with bands in Wisconsin.
He made his first recordings in 1927, with a band under the
leadership of banjoist Eddie Condon and "fixer" (and
sometime singer, who did not appear on the records),
Red McKenzie: these sides are now recognised as the
first, and definitive, examples of white "Chicago Style"
jazz. The numbers recorded at that session were: 'China
Boy', 'Sugar', 'Nobody's Sweetheart' and 'Liza'.
Many consider Krupa to be the most influential drummer
of the 20th century, particularly with regard to the
development of the drum kit. Krupa's main influence
began in the 1930s with his collaboration with the
Slingerland drum company, but he had already made
history in 1927 as the first kit drummer ever to record
using a bass drum pedal. His drum method was published
in 1938 and immediately became the standard text.
(From Wikipedia)
In the 1970's WTIC decided that there was a market in
the evening for long-form shows that could be packaged
and sold to sponsors. Two of those shows were "The
Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Night Stand with the
Big Bands."
Dick Bertel had interviewed radio collector-historian
Ed Corcoran several times on his radio and TV shows,
and thought a regular monthly show featuring interviews
with actors, writers, producers, engineers and musicians
from radio's early days might be interesting. "The Golden
Age of Radio" was first broadcast in April, 1970; Ed was
Dick's co-host. It lasted seven years. "The Golden Age
of Radio" can also be heard Saturday nights on Walden
Hughes's program on Radio Yesteryear.
Arnold Dean began his love affair with the big band
era in his pre-teen years and his decision to study
the clarinet was inspired by the style of Artie Shaw.
When he joined WTIC in 1965 he hosted a daily program
of big band music. In 1971, encouraged by the success
of his daily program and "The Golden Age of Radio"
series, he began monthly shows featuring interviews
with the band leaders, sidemen, agents, jazz reporters,
etc. who made major contributions to one of the great
eras of music history.
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:32:28 -0400
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: crisco
1911 - Procter & Gamble Company of Cincinnati, OH introduced Crisco
hydrogenated shortening. (Where would all those shows have been with
Crisco as a sponsor? And remember, its digestable! -ed)
I remember the digestibilty claim from the from television ads. And it
occured to me then, and it occurs to me now: what sort of shortening did
anyone sell that was _not_ digestible?
M Kinsler
Lancaster, OH
where the local Kroger doesn't advertise stuff as being 'digestible,'
because most foods are, by definition. Maybe not bran flakes, though.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 14:32:55 -0400
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Fred Collins
Announcer Fred Collins died on August 6 at about 82 years of age. I don't
think that has surfaced on this forum.
He launched his broadcasting career over WASK in Lafayette, Ind.
He went on to introduce all of the following network radio series: Best
Plays, The Big Guy, The Chase, Crime and Peter Chambers, Dimension X, Dr.
Sixgun, My Son Jeep, City Playhouse, Spend a Million, Top Secret, Wanted and
X-Minus One. For the latter feature he was not only there during the golden
age (1955-58) but returned to the microphone when it was reprised via
transcription from 1973-75. In that period he urged listeners to encourage
their local outlets to carry it. The experiment went no where, however; NBC
programmed it intermittently monthly on Saturdays and Sundays at random
hours, hardly an audience-building approach, and the trial for winning back
appreciative fans died on March 22, 1975 as it was withdrawn.
After radio, Collins introduced viewers to The Paul Winchell Show, Pay Cards
and Lucky Partners. Apparently he was still active in show business for he
maintained an agent quite recently although I've not located any further
broadcast credits.
He was not the Frederick L. Collins who wrote the infamous copyrighted book
"The FBI in Peace & War," the inspiration for the fictional crime series,
incidentally.
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:05:30 -0400
From: Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: THE WHISTLER on TCM
Turner Classic Movies is airing THE WHISTLER Tuesday night as part of a very
unusual Richard Dix film festival. The film was scripted by the creator of
THE WHISTLER radio series and directed by William Castle. LIFE WITH LUIGI's
J. Carrol Naish co-stars as the hit man. Highly recommended.
--Anthony Tollin
9:15 PM (Eastern timezone) The Whistler (1944)
A grieving widower hires an assassin to kill him only to have his late wife
turn up alive. Cast: Richard Dix, J. Carroll Naish, Gloria Stuart. Dir:
William Castle. BW-59 mins, TV-PG
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 15:50:41 -0400
From: "Edmund Zebrowski" <starlightexp@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: any ILAM news?
A while back it was mentioned that they were working on putting the scripts
to I Love A Mystery into books. Anyone heard any news on this?
Shade and Sweet water
Edmund
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 18:51:57 -0400
From: Mike Thompson <mthomp86@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Pinky, Orson and the Brain
I don't remember said re-creation in _Pinky and the
Brain_, but that incident served as Maurice
LaMarche's
inspiriation for the voice of the Brain.
Here's a link to it. I believe it's actually from an
episode of Animaniacs (which Pinky spun off of). For
the record, I saw it long before I read of Welles'
blow-up, but I still found this incredibly hilarious.
Brain's lines were hilarious, and his dialogue with
Pinky was great:
[removed]
Mike
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:05:32 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 8-15 births/deaths
August 15th births
08-15-1879 - Ethel Barrymore - Philadelphia, PA - d. 6-18-1959
actor: Hattie Thompson "Miss Hattie"
08-15-1885 - Edna Ferber - Kalamazoo, MI - d. 4-16-1968
author: "Cavalcade of America"; "Cables from Lisbon"; "Campbell
Playhouse"
08-15-1888 - Albert Spalding - Chicago, IL - d. 5-26-1952
violinist: "Forecast"; "Pause That Refreshes . . . On the Air"
08-15-1897 - Aben Kandel - d. 1-28-1993
screenwriter: "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-15-1897 - Charles Tobias - NYC - d. 7-7-1970
songwriter: (Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree) :Music for Millions";
"Great Moments to Music"
08-15-1898 - Monroe Upton - d. 8-6-1990
announcer, writer, comedian: KFRC San Francisco
08-15-1901 - Ned Washington - Scranton, PA - d. 12-20-1976
songwriter: "Dick Aurandt Show"
08-15-1901 - Sam Perrin - d. 1-8-1998
writer: "Jack Benny Program"; "Phil Baker Show"; "Tommy Riggs and
Betty Lou"
08-15-1903 - Jerry Cady - d. 11-7-1948
writer: "Major Hoople"
08-15-1907 - Margaret Brayton - d. 5-29-1992
actor: "Burns and Allen"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-15-1909 - Hugo Winterhalter - d. 9-17-1973
pop-music conductor, arranger: "Johnny Desmond Program"; "Musical
Showcase"
08-15-1910 - Johnny Roventini - Brooklyn, NY - d. 11-30-1998
commercial announcer: (Call for Phil-lip Mor-ress) "Ferde Grofe
Show"; "Johnny Presents"
08-15-1910 - Signe Hasso - Stockholm, Sweden - d. 6-7-2002
actor: "Charlie McCarthy Show"; "Hollywood Star Time"; "Lux Radio
Theatre"
08-15-1912 - Wendy Hiller - Bramhall, Cheshire, England - d. 5-14-2003
actor: Queen Vic "Original Dramatic Work"
08-15-1916 - Van Patrick - d. 9-29-1974
detroit lions play-by-play: "Jean Shepard Show"
08-15-1919 - Huntz Hall - NYC - d. 1-30-1999
comedian: (The Dead End Kids) "Texaco Star Playhouse"
08-15-1923 - Baby Rose Marie - Lower East Side, NYC
singer: (Radio's first genuine child star) "Baby Rose Marie"
08-15-1925 - Oscar Peterson - Montreal, Canada
jazz pianist: "Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum"
August 15th deaths
03-26-1907 - Clarence Stroud - Kaufman, TX - d. 8-15-1973
actor: "Edgar Bergen/Chaarlie McCarthy Show"
04-04-1906 - John Cameron Swayze - Wichita, KS - d. 8-15-1995
host. panelist: "Monitor"; "Who Said That?"
05-03-1920 - Nina Bara - Buenos Aires, Argentina - d. 8-15-1990
actor: Tonga "Space Patrol"
05-26-1887 - Paul Lukas - Budapest, Austria-Hungary - d. 8-15-1971
actor: Albert Einstein "Quick and the Dead"
06-01-1909 - Ray Heatherton - Jersey City, NJ - d. 8-15-1997
singer, host: "Old Gold Hour"; "Musical Cruise with Spearmint Crew"
07-18-1906 - Clifford Odets - Philadelphia, PA - d. 8-15-1963
playwright: "Fleischmann's Yeast Hour"; "Cresta Blanca Hollywood
Players"
07-24-1911 - Raymond Edward Johnson - Kenosha, WI - d. 8-15-2001
actor: Raymond your host "Inner Sanctum Mysteries"; Don Winslow "Don
Winslow of the Navy"
07-28-1903 - Duane Thompson - Red Oaks, IA - d. 8-15-1970
actor: Telephone Operator "Hollywood Hotel"
09-21-1907 - Jack Mather - d. 8-15-1966
actor: Cisco Kid "Cisco Kid"
10-23-1904 - Ford Bond - Louisville, KY - d. 8-15-1962
announcer: "Cities Service Concert"; "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round";
Highways in Melody"
11-04-1879 - Will Rogers, Sr. - Oolagah, Oklahoma Territory - d.
8-15-1935
humorist: (America's Greatest Humorist) "Gulf Headliners"
11-28-1916 - Richard Tregaskis - Elizabeth, NJ - d. 8-15-1973
author, war correspondent: (Guadalcanal Diary) "Lux Radio Theatre"
xx-xx-xxxx - Herman Bundesen - d. 8-15-1960
health official: "Adventures in Health"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:05:41 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: July deaths
01-15-1915 - Rod MacLeish - Bryn Mawr, PA - d. 7-1-2006
writer: "Six By Corwin"
10-04-1917 - Jan Murray - The Bronx, NY - d. 7-2-2006
emcee: "Songs for Sale"; "Meet Your Match"
11-16-1913 - Jack "Smilin' Jack" Smith - Bainbridge Island, WA - d.
7-3-2006
singer: "Breezing Along"; "Prudential Family Hour"; "Jack Smith Show"
xx-xx-xxxx - Amzie Strickland - d. 7-5-2006
actor: "The Fat Man"; "The Shadow"; "Brownstone Theatre"
03-17-1922 - Irene Buri-Nelson - d. 7-7-2006
host: WLIP Kenosha, Wisconsin "Around Town"
04-03-1924 - Peter Hawkins - London, England - d. 7-8-2006
actor: Frankie Mouse "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"
10-07-1917 - June Allyson - The Bronx, NY - d. 7-8-2006
actor: "Hallmark Playhouse"; "NBC Star Playhouse"; "Harold Lloyd
Comedy Theatre"
02-03-1915 - Bill Miller - Brooklyn, NY - d. 7-11-2006
piano, conductor: "Frank Sinatra"; "Jim Hawthorne Show"
07-23-1916 - Kurt Kreuger - Michenberg, Germany - d. 7-12-2006
actor: "New National Guard Show"; "Bud's Bandwagon"
02-05-1919 - Red Buttons - NYC - d. 7-13-2006
actor: "Guest Star"; "Friar's Club Roast"
07-27-1928 - Barbara Eiler - Los Angeles, CA - d. 7-16-2006
actor: Babs Riley "Life of Riley"; Millie Anderson "Day in the Life
of Dennis Day"
03-09-1918 - Mickey Spillane - Brooklyn NY - d. 7-17-2006
writer: "That Hammer Guy" based on his novels
09-18-1920 - Jack Warden - Newark, NJ - d. 7-19-2006
actor: "Stagestruck"
04-28-1917 - Robert Cornthwaite - St. Helens, OR - d. 7-20-2006
actor: worked in radio in Southern California
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 22:06:18 -0400
From: "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mike Douglas and Jack Benny
It's been nice to read the memories and tributes to singer and longtime TV
talk show host Mike Douglas. Keeping the subject OTR-related, I recall that
on some of his anniversary shows, Mike would show various taped or filmed
highlights of his TV shows over the years. One of those nice moments he
showed every year was when Mike Douglas stood outside his TV studio in
Philadelphia with a camera and sound crew, telling the audience that he was
awaiting the arrival of a "big star" to appear on his show that day (or
week?). This was on a busy city street corner, lots of traffic and people
on the sidewalk, curious as to who this celebrity would be. Mike went on to
say that the star's limousine should be there any minute.
Just then, we see a Philadelphia city bus pull up to the bus stop on the
corner and Douglas trying tell the driver he had to move, because it was
ruining his shot of the limo that was supposed to be there shortly.
Finally, as a group of passengers exits the bus, we see none other than Jack
Benny get off the bus to greet Mike! Mr. Douglas acted completely
surprised that his guest did not show up in a limo! A very nice sight gag
and joke that fans of Jack's radio and TV shows can appreciate. Benny
trying to save money, taking the bus to the Mike Douglas show.
Jim Hilliker
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 01:39:46 -0400
From: "Paul Adomites" <padomites@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Mike Douglas
For some reason, I remember TV Guide talking about when Mike Douglas moved
from local Philly TV to national, and they said that as a singer he was just
okay, but as a personality his honesty and warmth were exceptional. How
true.
Paul Adomites
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 01:39:53 -0400
From: "Paul Adomites" <padomites@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Mike D
And don't forget "The Men in My Little Girl's Life."
Paul
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 01:42:08 -0400
From: Ken Greenwald <radio@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Jack Benny recordings
Laura Leff emailed this message to the Digest concerning the Jack
Benny shows:
they were done by
Radio Recorders (starting in the fall of 1936) from a line from KFI
or the CBS affiliate. Three copies were made: one for Jack, one for the
sponsor, and one for a particular member of the cast or crew who had made a
significant contribution to that week's show. They were not recorded off
the air.
I would have to disagree in part with that statement. Irving Fein
kept all of Benny's shows on electrical transcriptions (ETs) and
later gave them to the UCLA Radio Archives for safe keeping. Those
Benny broadcast were NOT line checks, but air checks. Each of the
recordings has an ELECTROVOX label on them, and all of them were
recorded off an AM tuner. I had the honor of dubbing a vast number of
them directly from the discs and the sound quality varies from
excellent sound to fair -- and the fair ones were fair because of
adjacent station noise, static and even whistling due to oscillation
in the tuner.
Granted that the networks did, indeed, make discs of his shows - and,
granted the sponsor got one copy of each show. But if Ms Leff is
correct about Benny receiving a line check of his broadcasts, how is
it that the early shows in Bennys personal collection (kept for him
by his agent, Irving Fein) are all air checks?
I know that when Benny switched to CBS in 1948 all his shows were,
indeed, line checks. All of those shows (up to the time the network
switched to recording on tape) are in the Archives of The Pacific
Pioneer Broadcasters.
If there is another answer to this that I am not aware of please be
so kind, Laura, and inform me and the readers of the OTR Digest what
it might be.
Thanks --- Ken Greenwald
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #221
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