Subject: [removed] Digest V01 #66
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 2/27/2001 9:10 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                          The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                             Volume 01 : Issue 66
                       A Part of the [removed]!
                               ISSN: 1533-9289

                               Today's Topics:

     I Want To Come Back                  ["Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@nfoli]
     Re: Sorry Wrong Number               [OTRChris@[removed]                   ]
     The Wines of Radio                   ["Paul M. Thompson" <beachcomber@com]
     Bill Farrell                         ["Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];]
     Breakfast [removed]                    ["Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed]]
     Blue Velvet Band                     [Robert Kirk <kirk@[removed]]
     state-of-the-art radios              ["Lee, Steve (DEOC)" <slee@[removed].]
     1" land from Quaker Oats             ["Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];  ]

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    Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 22:43:03 -0500
    From: "Donald & Kathleen Dean" <dxk@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  I Want To Come Back

    I haven't contributed anything to the Digest recently but have enjoyed
    reading the comments of those that have. I'm especially amazed at the
    average of those who contribute. I guess I'm in the old geezer category
    as I'll be 67 in October and have been collecting since around 1961.
    I doubt seriously if I'll live long enough to listen to all the programs I
    have
    but I'm sure gonna' try. All my collection is on reel to reel and I listened
    recently to my tape #832. This tape had a lot of audition programs on it
    and one track that was particularly interesting had 3 audition programs
    of a show called I Want To Come Back. These programs were done
    around August 1941 (according to my cue sheet) in the San Quentin
    Prison in California. It was kind of a public relation type of show in that
    it dealt with the general public giving the convicts a break (job, etc.)
    once they served their time. The San Quention warden was on and some
    actual convicts who were about to be discharged told a little about them
    selves. The first audition was done 8-1-41 and was sponsored by Lever
    Brothers the maker of Lifebuoy soap. They would always present the
    con who was on the program a check for $25. There was a different
    auditon done around the same time by the same sponsor. The 3rd audition
    was sponsored by Philip Morris (I haven't heard this one yet). Another
    interesting thing was the end of the program signed off [removed] is the
    Consolidated Broadcasting System. I believe there was some mention of
    this recently on the Digest. I wonder if that program ever made it.
    Another auditon on this reel was Johnny Dollar 12-7-48 with Dick Powell
    in the leading role. I'm glad he stayed with movies.
    Don Dean   N8IOJ

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    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 00:43:43 -0500
    From: OTRChris@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Sorry Wrong Number

    In a message dated 2/26/01 7:31:52 PM Pacific Standard Time,
    [removed]@[removed] writes:

>     There has been some discussion here about some one messing up their lines
>     on
>      an early "Sorry, Wrong Number" broadcast.  The only thing not mentioned--
>      just exactly what was the error?  What happened?

>      Just curious.

>      Also, someone suggested that the later broadcasts of this show--50's and
>      60's--might have been replays of early shows.  According to Ms. Moorehead's
>      papers they were all live shows.  Nothing pre-recorded.

>      Ted

    It was actually a minor error. An actor playing the killer read his line too
    early.
    The victim had called the police just as the killer entered. So after the
    "job " was done you hear the policeman  on the other end of the phone
    answering the ringing line. It is then that the actor was supposed to say
    --"Sorry wrong number" .
    Of course the actor was too quick and said  "sorry wrong number "  before the
    policeman even answered the ringing line.

    In regard to the later broadcasts of Sorry Wrong Number ...they were all
    original productions .  I just was not sure if they were live. I have seen
    quite a few scripts of CBS radio productions of the mid to late 50s and many
    were pre-recorded earlier in the week before air -time. I was not sure if
    SUSPENSE was a pre-recorded prodcution by that time or still live.

    -Chris

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

    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 00:43:41 -0500
    From: "Paul M. Thompson" <beachcomber@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The Wines of Radio

    An earlier question about the fate of Roma wine resulted in a variety
    of recent comments. Here are a few more about those wines from
    California we used to hear so much about on the radio.

    Roma had quite a history dating back to the late 1880's as did Petri,
    Italian Swiss Colony and Cresta Blanca. Originating in Lodi, Roma
    moved to Fresno after Prohibiton where they thrived and were later
    bought out by Schenley Distillers in the 1940's. Although it was neither
    a special or memorable wine, I recall Roma as being a decent wine
    at a time when non vintage generics such as burgundy, sherry, port,
    sauterne and muscatel were standard fare for the many lower priced
    labels of the 1940's and 50's. In fact, it was said to have been the best
    selling brand in the [removed] by the 1950's. Roma's sponsorship of Suspense,
    beginning in 1943, helped elevate that program to a new level of
    excellence with their infusion of talent and production monies which
    helped Suspense's popularity and probably contributed to it's longevity.
    For that reason alone, I'll always have a warm spot in my heart for the
    name Roma Wine.

    Petri is probably best remembered for their sponsorship of the Sherlock
    Holmes series for three or four years and then The Casebook of Gregory
    Hood which succeeded Holmes. Petri was located in Escalon near Modesto
    and they also did very well, acquiring several wineries in the 1940's
    including the Italian Swiss Colony line. In later years the Petri holdings
    were bought by Heublein and Petri seemed to fade away while Italian
    Swiss Colony could be found on the shelves well into the seventies.
    It may still exist, but I haven't seen it for years.

    Cresta Blanca, located in the Livermore valley, was of higher quality
    than the others and also eventually became part of the Schenley
    family. This was obvious in 1947 when, in addition to the Roma
    commercials, we would also hear credits for Schenley's and spots
    for Cresta Blanca during a Suspense episode. In the early 1970's both
    Roma and Cresta Blanca were gobbled up by Guild Wines but remained
    in production at least through that decade.  A New York company named
    Canandaiqua bought out Guild in the mid 1990's. I've recently read that
    both the Roma and Cresta Blanca brand names survive and are owned
    by Canandaiqua but have no idea whether or not they market any wines
    under these labels.  If they do and you find any, why not take the advice
    of
    Truman Bradley and try a glass the next time you listen to an episode of
    Suspense?  Wouldn't be the same wine but what the hell, that's what
    imaginations are for.

    Paul Thompson

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

    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 09:10:25 -0500
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Bill Farrell

    On Tuesday night at 10-40 PM Eastern time on Yesterday USA radio network I
    will have Bob Hope male singer Bill Farrell on the Bill Bragg show.  Bill
    was Bob Hope singer during the 1948, and 1949 season.  Doris day was the
    female singer during the 1948 through 1950 seasons.  The web site URL is
    [removed]  Take care, Walden.

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

    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 11:36:07 -0500
    From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Breakfast [removed]

    Richard and John have both asked about recordings of the Breakfast Club.
    Just checked my latest catalog and find two of them.  One from 12/8/8/41 and
    the other from 1957.  Seems like I also have a dub from an LP in the manner
    of "best of the Breakfast Club" or something.  There surely are others out
    there.  Happy to trade these.  My full catalog is on the Geocities site and
    Ray Plumlee's Otr-trader site.

    Ted Kneebone / 1528 S. Grant St. / Aberdeen, SD 57401 / 605-226-3344
    tkneebone1@[removed] | OTR:  [removed]
    [removed]  |
    [removed] || Kids of the New Century:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 11:36:09 -0500
    From: Robert Kirk <kirk@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Blue Velvet Band

    Larry Dunham wrote:

> >     14) What CBS music series is named for the conductor's secretary's blouse?

> >       A: "Blue Velvet Music" which was so named because Mark Warnow's secretary
> >      wore a velvet blouse which caught the conductor's fancy.

>     Could this have been the inspiration for the song ''Blue Velvet'' written by
>     Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris, and made famous by Bobby Vinton in 1963 (but
>     originally recorded by Tony Bennett in 1951)?

    Could the original inspiration have been the ancient weeper, "Girl in the
    Blue Velvet Band" about a naive fellow victimized by a lady of shady repute
    and a blue velvet band?

    Bob Kirk

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

    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 13:05:51 -0500
    From: "Lee, Steve (DEOC)" <slee@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  state-of-the-art radios

    Owens Pomeroy wrote:

>         You would think today, with all these state-of-the-art radios, they
>     would build short wave bands in them  as a standard feature, wouldn't you?
>     Maybe then we could hear some good radio dramas, comedy and variety that is
>     still being heard in England & Australia and English language stations in
>     Germany, France, Austria, and Japan either over AFRS or Commercial
>     stations.

    I had mentioned before that I have an excellent 1939 Philco floor model
    console radio with a "magic eye" and a plethora of bass/treble combinations.
    No modern radio, including the Bose Wave radio, compares with its rich,
    mello, vibrant tones. DXing for OTR programs in the evening is a joy.  The
    Philco also has a general short wave band that is better than my Grundig
    Satellite 500.

    I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but there is nothing like
    listening to fine radio programming (especially OTR) on a good radio.

    Steve Lee

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    Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 19:18:20 -0500
    From: "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1" land from Quaker Oats

    What radio show sponsored by Quaker Oats offered an inch of land in the
    Klondike to its radio listeners, 1955?

    I have a letter from an advertising agency, saying that the President of the
    Klondike Big Inch Land Co -- "before making these land tracts available to
    the millions of boys and girls desirous of becomeing actual property
    [removed]", they were "sending charter memberships to newspaper columnists
    and radio and television personalities."  Enclosed is a Deed of Land.  This
    letter was to my late husband Howard Culver at Mutual Broadcasting
    [removed] he was not doing any show for Quaker Oats, and I am curious
    about this.  [removed]  Anyone want to buy the Brooklyn Bridge?

    Lois Culver

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #66
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