Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #3
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 1/2/2003 8:45 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 3
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Goerge Burns                          [ Mark Reesor <mrees@[removed]; ]
      New BBC 7 station                     [ "OTR Man" <otr_man@[removed]; ]
      SEARS RADIO THEATRE                   [ William Brooks <webiii@[removed]; ]
      Re: Young talent                      [ "Ivan G. Shreve, Jr." <iscreve@comc ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Tony Wons's Scrapbook                 [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
      list of stations that play OTR        [ CHET <voxpop@[removed]; ]
      Hop Harrigan, Taking Off              [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Network death                         [ "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@worldnet. ]
      2003 Anniversaries                    [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
      Paul McGrath                          [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Long running OTR shows                [ Jim Kitchen <jkitchen@[removed]; ]
      Re:Barrymore's Christmas Carol        [ Greg Przywara <gmprzywara@students. ]
      Burns and Willson                     [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      RS 20 Hour Whistler Set               [ lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed]; ]
      A moving/new year sale!               [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
      Dumb Sidekicks                        [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Re: "young" talent                    [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 08:35:47 -0500
    From: Mark Reesor <mrees@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Goerge Burns

    The recent discussion about George Burns reminded me of the one and only
    time I saw him. I happened to be in Las Vegas when he made what turned
    out to be his last show at Caesar's Palace. Tickets were sold out but I
    did go to an arrival ceremony Caesar's held the day of the show. George
    charmed the crowd; as he was speaking, I noticed security guards moving
    to cordon off the main entrance. I slipped in the last open door, just
    in time to see George leave the stage and get into a wheelchair. He was
    wheeled right past me and I followed directly behind, so close I could
    have touched him. I'll never forget watching people look up and do
    double takes as they saw him approaching. Some looked incredulous,
    others smiled and called out greetings - it was like being part of a
    royal parade! And speaking of brushes with fame, I'm most of the way
    through Hal's book - let me rephrase that, I'll be finished Hal's book
    by 3 am or so this morning (I just received it today)! It's absolutely
    fascinating. Hal makes you feel like you're living it with him. It's so
    interesting to meet, through him, all those otr people I've heard and
    admired but alas, will never get a chance to meet. His memories of
    Lillian Gish, for example (she called him "my baby Harlan!") Great book
    Hal - but I have to tell you - after seeing a picture of the way you
    looked when in 'Life With Father,' I can't blame those little old ladies
    for wondering whether you were a boy or girl!

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 08:42:15 -0500
    From: "OTR Man" <otr_man@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  New BBC 7 station

    I was fortunate to find this list today (a happy start to the new year),
    while searching for information about the new BBC7.

    The listmaster said please say hello to the list, so thought I'd pass on
    some tips about the new station. It uses a Real Audio stream, and RA can be
    tricky to handle. So for those who may be [removed]

    To record BBC7 -

    1. Install Real Player 8:
    [removed],121902home
    pop_1

    (Real Player 7, and earlier versions, do not work - or not fully - with
    BBC7)

    2. Install StreamBox VCR:
    [removed]

    (This program requires Windows 95/98/ME, though it might work with other
    versions of Windows)

    3. Set StreamBox VCR to Bandwidth 28K Modem:
    View > Settings > Connection > 28k Modem

    4. Copy and paste the following link into the StreamBox VCR "New Item" box:
    [removed]*/ev7/live24/bbc7/[removed]

    (This is the address of the BBC7 data stream)

    5. Also in the New Item box, set "Protocol" to the option "RTSP", then click
    "OK" to start recording (requires approx 7 MB of disk space for a 30 minute
    recording).

    6. The BBC 7 broadcast schedule for the next 7 days is at:
    [removed]

    This method records the actual Real Audio file itself, without any
    conversion (so avoids the distortions that conversion can cause). It can be
    used to capture any Real Audio file, whether a live stream as here, or a
    file that can be downloaded on demand.

    For non-commercial uses only!

    Ed

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 08:42:39 -0500
    From: William Brooks <webiii@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  SEARS RADIO THEATRE

    I have been searching the web for sometime now, looking for a show
    that has particular personal interst to me. It is from THE SEARS
    RADIO THEATRE---ADVENTURE hosted ny Richard Widmark and produced by
    Elliott Lewis. It was titled "CATACLYSM AT CORBON RIVER" and was
    schediled to air as show #95 on 6-15-77. Another show was aired that
    date, and I haven" found any other air date for it. Does anyone out
    there have any info regarding the fate of this episode? And if the
    OTR GODS are smiling on me maybe someone might have a copy, either
    broadcast or studio copy, that I can trade for or directly purchase.

    I look forward to hearing from anyone that may be able to help me.

    Thanks,
    Bill

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 08:43:10 -0500
    From: "Ivan G. Shreve, Jr." <iscreve@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Young talent

    The always wise Elizabeth McLeod opined:

>     As sacreligious as it might sound, I'll stand right up and declare that
>     amidst all the drek on television these days there are some real gems
>     that stand with the best that OTR ever produced -- well written, well
>     acted, and well-conceived. For just one example, take a good look at the
>     depth of the characterizations, the subtlety of the humor, and the
>     quality of the voice acting on "King of the Hill" -- had Mike Judge lived
>     in the OTR era, I think he would have been a major figure as both a
>     writer and performer.

    I don't think this is sacreligious at all.  Arlen, the fictional town
    featured on "King of the Hill," is essentially a modern-day version of
    popular OTR towns like Summerfield.  The characters on the show--exaggerated
    though they may be--share the warm, funny idiosyncrasies of many of the
    folks from Pine Ridge.  And the show's overall tone and writing--its
    wonderful depiction of life's mundane pleasures--could come straight out of
    the pages of "Vic and Sade."

    Ivan G. Shreve, Jr.

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 08:43:16 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

>     >From Those Were The Days --

    1921 - The first religious broadcast on radio was heard, as Dr. [removed] Van
    Etten of Calvary Episcopal Church preached on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh,
    Pennsylvania.

    1959 - CBS dropped the curtain on four soap operas. Our Gal Sunday, This
    is Nora Drake, Backstage Wife and Road of Life all hit the road for
    good.

      Joe

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

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 08:43:35 -0500
    From: Derek Tague  <derek@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Tony Wons's Scrapbook

    Hi Gang!

       Happy New Year!
       Recently, someone here on the list requested info leading to a copy of
    "Tony's Scrapbook." This past Monday (12/30/2002), I saw a copy  of either the
    1932-33 or the 1933-34 (I can't remember which) edition selling for $[removed] at
    the Montclair Book Center in downtown Montclair, NJ. It was right next to a
    $[removed] copy of "Out of the Air" by Mary Margaret McBride. The store is located
    on Glen  Ridge Avenue in the center of Montclair.  Please  note, I'm not
    positive if this store accepts mail-order. Anybody desiring to chase down
    these books  should tell whomever on the phone that the books are located on
    the right-hand extreme of the bottom shelf of the Radio/Televison/Media
    [removed] to a bunch of books about Howard Stern. Also on the same
    bookcase was a hardcover copy of "Stories I Like to Tell" by Arthur Godfrey
    (the dust jacket is torn).  Happy hunting!

    Yours in the 2003 ether,

    Derek Tague

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 10:22:28 -0500
    From: CHET <voxpop@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  list of stations that play OTR

       this may be way impossible to do but does anyone know of a list of radio
    stations that play old time radio shows ON THE INTERNET?
    thanx, chet norris

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 10:44:14 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Hop Harrigan, Taking Off

    Don Frey, speaking of OTR related items, asks,

>     Stephen Kallis was commenting on Hop Harrigan. My son gave me for
>     Christmas a lobby card of Chapter 5 of a Hop Harrigan serial titled "Hop
>     Harrigan" and the episode is "Betrayed By a Madman" <snip>  I was
>     wondering if the serial is available. <snip> Anyhow, does anyone know if
>     one can purchase the Hop Harrigan serial anywhere?

    The Hop Harrigan serial exists on VHS.  I have a copy in my library.

    I'd recalled that VCI once carried it ( [removed]
    ) -- but a check indicates it's not currently available.  Possibly a call
    to their order line might scare up a copy [(800) 331-4077].  VCI
    currently stocks the Captain Midnight serial (also a Columbia Studios
    product, and not a close match to the OTR show), Jack Armstrong, The
    Return of Chandu (of Chandu, the Magician), and, to stretch a point,
    several Cisco Kid tapes.

    I also tried Sinister Cinema ( [removed] ) but it
    isn't listed there, either.

    However, the VHS tapes pop up from time to time on eBay.

    A word of caution: the Columbia Studios serials in particular have only a
    glancing resemblance to their OTR counterparts.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 11:24:13 -0500
    From: "Brian Johnson" <CHYRONOP@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Network death

    A few days ago Mark Kinsler wrote,

>     And now network television has clearly
>     run its course, having survived a good deal longer than OTR.  While I don't
>     have a good prediction as to what will supplant network [removed]

    To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of this "death" is greatly
    exaggerated.

    According to the latest research by the Television Advertising Bureau, the
    over-the-air networks beat the  ad supported cable nets by a combined [removed]
    (Total Households) rating to [removed] (through December 15, 2002). You may think
    that's close until you realize that there are currently some 55 national
    ad-supported cable networks slicing up that audience and only 7 broadcast
    nets. (And calling the WB and UPN "networks" is stretching [removed]) That's a
    lot of fractionalization. And the real trouble with TV production is that
    expenses are high no matter how many people are watching.

    A few more numbers:
    *The highest rated broadcast network is CBS with a rating of [removed]

    *The highest rated cable network is ESPN with a rating of [removed]

    *And while pay cable (especially HBO) can give the networks a run for their
    money in the quality of  programming ("The Soprano's," "Band of Brothers,"
    et. al.) those networks are still in fewer than one-third of US households.

    All the new technology around the corner (broadband internet,
    video-on-demand, etc.) will only fractionalize the audience even further. As
    of now, only the four major broadcast nets can deliver the audience for
    high-profile expensive programming.

    Brian Johnson
    (whose 20 years in television production make him
    unemployable in any really useful capacity)

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 11:45:19 -0500
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  2003 Anniversaries

    Bill Jaker's post about 2003 anniversaries was exceedingly timely and
    comprehensive.  I appreciate the research he put into it.  He
    acknowledged specific events in radio's life that occurred in most of the
    decades between 1893-1943.  I'd like to add to it, focusing on 1953, a
    year in which radio was still a viable alternative in most American
    households.

    We can celebrate radio of five decades ago for a number of programs and
    stars that continued to appear every week (and some, every day) as if
    very little was changing.  At the same time, networks were becoming
    innovative, introducing, for instance, in 1953 another adult western, The
    Six-Shooter starring Jimmy Stewart as plainsman Britt Ponset on NBC and
    another new adult police drama on CBS, Twenty-First Precinct, with
    Everett Sloane, James Gregory and Les Damon at varying times as captain
    Frank Kennelly.  Meanwhile, MBS gave us The Crime Files of Flamond
    featuring Arthur Wyatt for the first time.  And on April 13, 1953 WCBS
    originated Music Till Dawn, hosted by disk jockey Bob Hall, a soothing
    6-hour overnight marathon of recorded melodies which spread to other
    CBS-owned outlets in Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and other cities, and
    continued almost 17 years.  On Nov. 30, 1953 The Voice of Firestone
    marked its 25th milestone, a thrilling weekly live performance of
    classical music that was destined to continue for yet another decade by
    way of video.

    It was October 19, 1953 that entertainer Arthur Godfrey began his slow
    descent from the pinnacle of public adulation to significantly diminished
    esteem with the stunning on-air firing of singer Julius LaRosa, the first
    in a long line of highly publicized dismissals over the next few years.
    The #1 tune on the hit parade in 1953 was Percy Faith's "The Song from
    Moulin Rouge," an instrumental recording.

    And a number of our longrunning favorites bowed out of radio that year,
    among them, with their years of inception in parentheses:
    The Aldrich Family (1939)
    Archie Andrews (1943)
    The Bob Hawk Show, aka Thanks to the Yanks (1942)
    The Cavalcade of America (1935)
    Club Fifteen (1947)
    Give and Take (1945)
    Grand Slam, aka Irene Beasley Sings (1943)
    The Hallmark Hall of Fame, aka Hallmark Playhouse (1948)
    The Horace Heidt Show, aka The American Way, et al (1932)
    The Judy Canova Show (1943)
    Meet Corliss Archer (1943)
    The Quiz Kids (1940)
    The Red Skelton Show (1939)
    Smilin' Ed's Buster Brown Gang (1944)
    Tarzan (1932)
    This Is Your FBI (1945)
    Victor Lindlahr (1937)
    Your Hit Parade (1935)

    This material is excerpted from "Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Last Years of
    Network Radio" (McFarland, 2002, 800-253-2187).  While not everything
    that happened in 1953 is highlighted here, we can probably agree that it
    was a significant epoch, this first year of the final decade of radio's
    golden age.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:00:38 -0500
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Paul McGrath

    A few weeks ago someone on this digest asked me if I had any Paul McGrath
    material, and I finally found it.  If they can contact me with their mailing
    address, I'll mail the old newspaper articles and clippings and such to
    them.
    Martin Grams, Jr.

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:00:46 -0500
    From: Jim Kitchen <jkitchen@[removed];
    To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Long running OTR shows

    It is my understanding that One Man's Family holds the record for the
    longest continuous running drama on radio, beginning in 1932 and ending
    in 1959.

    Jim Kitchen

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:02:11 -0500
    From: Greg Przywara <gmprzywara@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re:Barrymore's Christmas Carol

    There is a website that has this one at [removed]
    but since they got some of those recently rediscovered Campbell Playhouse
    shows like "The Patriot" that server has been busier than a grocery store
    on Christmas Eve (I know what I'm talking about, I'm a checker.) It takes
    like 12 hours or so to download a one-hour show!

    Tapes of this broadcast are easy to obtain-you might want to check if your
    local library can get it for you.
    If you want a real one of a kind broadcast of A Christmas Carol, I have the
    1938 version with ORSON WELLES playing Scrooge. Welles filled in for
    Barrymore that year because Barrymore was too sick to play Scrooge in the
    MGM movie or do any radio except a guest announcer gig on Good News in
    which he introduced Reginald Owen reprising a role that by all rights he
    should have had! (The closest thing we have to Barrymore doing Scrooge in
    the movies is [removed]!) Orson Welles who was in his early twenties at the
    time and less than two months removed from the WOTW controversy is more or
    less credible as a character at least fifty years his senior (think
    Marley's Ghost meets Citizen Kane)
    But what is the most special thing about the broadcast is that SCRIPT! The
    program starts out with Welles reading the Christmas Story from the
    Bible(which is alone worth the price of admission) and then launches into
    the most complete OTR adaptation of the Dickens classic. You get just about
    every ghostly occurrence and vision mentioned in the book and all in under
    an hour!
    if anyone wants either the Good News broadcast or the 1938 Christmas Carol
    I still have them on my hard drive and will be more than happy to e-mail
    copies to Digest subscribers!

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:02:37 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Burns and Willson

    John Mayer wrote --

>     one of the scientists remarking that the drug could conceivably permit
>     George to live to be 100

      I always find it interesting (and funny) when on their show someone
    mentions George being 100 or living to be 100, with a line akin to "you
    mean he isn't already?" and thinking, little did they know he _would_
    live to be 100.

    Irene Heinstein wrote --

>     As for Meredith Willson.    Immediately prior to "The Big Show" which Steve
>     Lewis mentioned he was associated with "Maxwell House Coffee Time".

      I always like the commercial's when he was the orchestra leader on
    Burns and Allen.  When a strand of music would be played, with Bill
    Goodwin going on about how this and that coffee is blended to make
    Maxwell House and more music is added (melody, etc) to bring the musical
    piece to its fullest.  I enjoy trying to guess the song before its all
    put together and actually played.  I usually lose though.  :)
      Joe

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

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:02:49 -0500
    From: lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RS  20 Hour Whistler Set

    I would like to hear from anyone who purchased Radio
    Spirits Ledends of Radio-The Whistler-20 hour set.
    Please contact me off line at philcolynn@[removed].

    Thank You!!
    Lynn

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:04:01 -0500
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  A moving/new year sale!

    Okay, so I can't seem to find my mailing list of people that I've sent
    catalogs [removed] hope this blatently commercial advertisement is
    acceptable to everyone here.  I know many of my customers frequent this
    list.

    My job is relocating, so I'm forced to move.  As you know, moving is
    expensive, so in order to hopefully raise some extra income, I'm offering
    free shipping on all orders of five videos or more.  That means you save
    at least $7 on your order, which is the cost of one video.  Consider it
    as getting one video free, if you like.

    Feel free to contact me if you'd like to get a catalog.  The free
    shipping offer is good during the entire month of January.

    Have a great New Year!

    Rodney Bowcock
    Past Tense Productions "Classic movies and TV for $7"

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:03:08 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Dumb Sidekicks

    In OTR, there were two kind of sidekicks.  One was rather ordinary, with
    average -- or even above average -- intelligence.  The other was, well,
    to put it in gentle terms, rather thick between the ears.

    Sidekicks, in all cases, were important to many OTR shows by having
    someone to talk to.  Since there had to be some means of describing the
    action.  Unless the hero did a lot of talking to himself, or the show was
    narrated in some way, talking to a sidekick was the easiest way to convey
    information.

    Sometimes, someone of average-to-above intelligence was still in the
    shadows of a hero, if that hero bordered on genius.  Thus, the perfectly
    capable Dr. Watson was an *effective* dumb sidekick when contrasted to
    the brilliant Sherlock Holmes.  But those were rare cases.

    The usual dumb sidekick was somebody the hero or heroine had to explain
    things to, sometimes over and over again.  Tank Tinker, the mechanic in
    Hop Harrigan, was one such.  If Hop had determined something, he'd
    mention some of it to Tank, who would often respond with, "I don't get
    it, Hop."  This would lead to a detailed explanation that would help
    bring the young listener up to date.  Another, in some ways better,
    sidekick was Michael Axford.  Unlike Tinker, Axford seldom complained
    that he didn't get whatever was going on, but just dashed off on the
    basis of his own ideas.  However, Axford's actions often contrasted with
    the activities embarked upon by Britt Reid.

    But the best of the lot, IMHO, was Mike Clancy, the "associate" of Mr.
    [Westrel] Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons.  He was an effective narrator,
    "Mr. Keen, sir, that handyman out there is choppin' wood.  With a great
    big axe."  He was somebody Mr. Keen could explain things, to: "Those
    little drawings are doodles, Mike.  Some people sketch doodles like these
    while they were doing other things, like speaking on the telephone.
    Since the pad is next to the telephone, someone was probably talking to
    somebody on the telephone when these doodles were made."

    Dumb sidekicks were somewhat better, because the level of description was
    more detail.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2003 22:03:34 -0500
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: "young" talent

> >     I know it sounds sacreligious, but if Freeman Gosden,
> >     Chas. Correll, Jack Benny, Orson Welles, and perhaps even Harry Bartell

    were

> >     starting their careers in 2003, there'd be no shortage of body

    piercings and

> >     odd tattoos in the crowd.

    Would that be such a bad thing?  After all, today we remember those
    people primarily for their talent, not their outward appearance.  Popular
    actors and actresses were known for their "cutting edge" looks and
    behavior in the golden days of radio too, just like today.  It's all
    relative if you ask me.

    Rodney Bowcock (who's showing his age)
    Past Tense Productions "Classic movies and TV for $7"

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #3
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