------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 01 : Issue 65
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
'TRAFFIC SIGNALS' FOR MICROPHONES ["Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
Dead End & Smoking ["Richard Pratz" <[removed]@home]
SHORT-WAVE BROADCASTS IN THE '30'S ["Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
Drene Show/The Bickersons [JHaendiges@[removed] ]
Re:Orson Welles & Howard Koch & race [Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
more about tubes ["Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed]]
RE: Remember [Bill Harris <billhar@[removed]; ]
Re: Blue Velvet [LDunham509@[removed] ]
Magic "eye" and Crumbling Insulation [KENPILETIC@[removed] ]
Thanks - and a minor change ["General Manager" <genmanager@radio]
Warm(up) and Fuzzy ... ["Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@]
Sorry, Wrong what? ["Welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
Breakfast Club [John Cunningham <jaybird@[removed]; ]
RE: Early Remote Broadcast [Bill Harris <billhar@[removed]; ]
Mr. Chameleon, Is The radio shows lo [Trinapreston3@[removed] ]
Sorry, Wrong Number answers ["Bob Watson" <crw912@[removed]; ]
One Man's Family, 1956 ["Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed]]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:13:17 -0500
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: 'TRAFFIC SIGNALS' FOR MICROPHONES
Rudy Valee is best remembered as "The Vagabond Lover" in the early
days of Radio - but in Jan.,1938 he was responsible for a unique system to
allow the performer to know if he was too close or too far away from the
mikes. It seems the engineers were constantly hand signaling performers to
move back or move in to mike range.
He suggested to the NBC network, that three colored lights be mounted
in the studios with red when the performer is too far away, green if too
close, and white if just right. In the meantime, while waiting to develop
Valee's idea NBC built a fence around the mike at "just the right distance".
(Source: RADIO CRAFT MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1938)
- 30 -
Owens Pomeroy
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:13:22 -0500
From: "Richard Pratz" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "OTR (Plain Text Only)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Dead End & Smoking
Myself & my fellow Pageboys at CBS (WBBM) Chicago in the 50's all had
visions of breaking into radio when we grew up. So one weekend morning when
I knew one of the studio's wasn't being used, I was admitted to CBS because
I had a pass. We went to one of the smaller studios and took pictures of
each other in various announcer poses, just for a lark. In looking back at
those pictures 47-years later, I notice two things that perhaps
technician/engineering types might be able to comment on. - - At the end of
the studio that had the door, & the large pane of glass separating the
studio and the control [removed] fairly large section of the floor was
painted black. On that section, in big white letters were the words "DEAD
END". This was also the area where spare mikes were visible in a cabinet &
cables were coiled & stored on wall hooks. I always assumed the studio
mikes were so directional that if an announcer/actor stepped into that "DEAD
END" area, their throat-clearings etc. would not be picked up by the mikes
in the other portions of the studio. Is this true, and if [removed]
what was that area? We Pages used to joke it was where actors stood when
they knew their career was about up!
My second question concerns all the ashtrays I noticed scattered around in
those studio pictures. I know for a fact smoking was allowed during
broadcasts (at least at WBBM) and the ashtrays back up that fact. But
technicians told me in later years when it was my turn to be behind the
mike, that smoking was forbidden because smoke tended to damage the
equipment. If so, how come this wasn't the case in the 40's and 50's. Or was
it, and smoking was allowed anyway?
Rich
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:13:20 -0500
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: SHORT-WAVE BROADCASTS IN THE '30'S
I do not know if this subject has been posted before I ji=oined the
list or not. If ot has, I apologize, but maybe I will mention something
that was not covered the first time.
Short-wave programs had a tremendous growth in the thirties, due mainly
to the great technical advances which, at small expense, gave the listener a
wide variety of the leading program features from all nations.
Fans could tune in to Christopher Stone - a very popular BBC
personality of the day, from London as easily as Graham McNamee from New
York. Many broadcast magazines of the day, carried the short-wave programs
in addition to the US ones. So when photographs of Gertrude Lawrence
(England) and the Viennese Waltz Girls (Austria) popped out to greet fans on
the magazine pages, they kept in mind although they were broadcasting many
miles away it was just a fraction of an inch of dial that brought them into
our living room.
The American Broadcasters at NBC & CBS realizing the popularity of these
short-wave personalities, reached out across the "big pond" and brought them
to America. Jack Hylton and his Orchestra was brought over by CBS which
gave him the Sunday night at 9 est, and NBC lassoed Ray Noble and popular
vocalist Al Bowley, and was heard every Wednesday night at 9 pm est.
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.
- 30 -
Owens Pomeroy
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:13:24 -0500
From: JHaendiges@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Drene Show/The Bickersons
Diane asks;
Does anyone have a log of Don Ameche's Drene Show?
Yes, it's listed under "The Bickersons" in my "Vintage Logs" section.
If you wish to find out more information on the series, you may go to my
Website, The Vintage Radio Place at <[removed];. Go down to the "Main
Table of Contents" and click on "Vintage Radio Logs." Then just click on
"The Bickersons," or any of the other over 500 logs listed there to view,
download or print out the log(s). All programs with catalog or location
numbers are available for purchase there also on CD, Cassette and other
formats.
You may also find this series listed in my on-line CD / cassette catalog
which is located at <[removed]; <A
HREF="[removed]">OTRSite On-Line Catalog</A>. To use this
catalog, your browser must be Frames compliant and you should be running at a
resolution setting of 800x600 or higher for best viewing (although lower
resolution settings may be used).
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please feel free to
contact me.
Merry Christmas :-),
Jerry Haendiges <jhaendiges@[removed];
[removed] <A HREF="[removed]">The Vintage Radio Place</A>
Largest source of OTR Logs, Articles and programs on the Net
Available on CD, Cassette, Reel to Reel, DAT, VHS
Over 100 programs in streaming RealAudio
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:13:26 -0500
From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re:Orson Welles & Howard Koch & race riots
In 1943, during World War II there were race riots in Detroit, [removed]
etc. At some point Orson Welles took the initiative to encourage CBS to
broadcast some programs to deal with the issues underlying the riots. One
result was a 1943 (?) radio drama by Howard Koch entitled "Snowball," the
story of a black man framed for murders in a race riot.
Does anyone have a copy of this show and/or any further information about
it?
Thanks,
Howard
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:13:29 -0500
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: more about tubes
>Ah ... this brings up a problem I hadn't thought of: what's the level of
authenticity on a "restoration"?
This is always good for an argument amongst restorers of anything--cars,
radios, player pianos, jukeboxes come to mind. "Keep it original!" they
shout. But you cannot, and nobody'd use those old wax capacitors again
anyway. There's a certain amount of disguising that goes on: a group of
small electrolytic capacitors will fit inside the can that contained the
huge old decayed unit, and often a rectifier tube is left to glow in its
socket but is functionally replaced by a silicon rectifier elsewhere in the
set.
There are a couple of tubes that nobody can get nohow. One is a sort of
all-in-one unit that was used in old portable radios. Some of the radio
engineering folks in the radio restoration newsgroup were speculating as to
how we might get a couple of IC's and a tiny power supply into a fairly
authentic-looking unit that would plug into the old socket.
> >they required a minimum of a 200 watt power supply,
>Not hardly, the average tube type table set will draw less that 100
>watts, more like 50-75 watts. A large console set
>might draw a 100+ watts.
You're correct. I meant 200 volts, not 200 watts. This was an interesting
problem when you had to run a car radio off of a six-volt battery. The old
mechanical DC-DC converters used in tube-type car radios were always an
adventure.
>All capacitors should be replaced and as you say any resistors that are
>out of specs (I find I have to replace very few resistors
>As far as coils there is no need to replace any coils unless they have
>opened up or been damaged. You will be hard pressed to
>find new replacement coils for vintage radios except those you can
>scavenge from another set. I could count on one hand and
>have fingers left over the times I had to find a replacement coil in >the
many sets I have restored.
Coils are generally not a problem unless they've gotten moldy, which might
happen
when a radio is stored in an old barn for fifty years or so. New coils can,
oddly enough, be wound by hand with considerable success, but you're
correct: they're the most trouble-free components you'll ordinarily find on
these old radios. Probably the most difficult problem is the location of
cosmetic items like knobs and dial glasses. I'm glad to note that Antique
Electronics Supply has reproductions of many of these available.
>Many of these old sets played for years without any trouble, and once
>repaired will do the same again. I have sets that
>I have been playing on a daily basis for years without any failures.
This is the difference between a business and a hobby. I had an
electronics-repair business, so I had to guarantee everything I did. And
there's always a risk with tube-type radios, especially those that used
power transformers. These might work for a while and then the transformer,
which was impossible to find a replacement for, would fail. Same thing
happened with tube-type tape recorders, which I wouldn't recommend to
_anyone_.
>Just a note about tubes and their reliability. Most
>assume that if an old radio isn't playing it probably 'needs a tube'. I
>seldom find that a bad tube the reason a vintage
>set does not play. I have sets with tubes manufactured over 60 years >ago
and still work fine.
>Tubes are very reliable, but I will admit, solid state technology is >even
more reliable.
Tubes, being vacuum packed so to speak, do not age on the shelf. The
cardboard box that the tube was packed in will rot right off, but the tube
will be just fine. Matter of fact, the oldest tubes were better than later
ones: toward the end of the tube era, quality control was horrible.
Compared to much other technology, tubes were quite reliable, though they
seemed to get less so as performance standards were increased and component
stress got higher. Early transistor devices were not much fun to repair,
either. You could have listened to at least a few years of original OTR on
a transistor radio: they were being marketed as early as 1956.
>I participate in this group on a regular basis and in defense of the
>members the group, as as a whole the active posters to that group are >
good bunch of vintage
>radio collectors and nothing shady about them. They are just interested
>in pursuing their hobby and sharing information of restoring these
>vintage pieces of radio history. >
I have looked in on the group from time to time, but admittedly not during
the last year or two. When I last checked, I was not pleased: the vast
majority of posts were from antique dealers. Earlier, the group was much as
you have described, and I was an active participant as well. I'm glad that
the heavy promoters have been discouraged.
Mark Kinsler
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 00:49:27 -0500
From: Bill Harris <billhar@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: RE: Remember
Stephen Kallis, Jr. dropped an oar in the water and said:
Which tempts me to throw an oar in here. Anyone who is specialist in an
area can be bothered by an anomaly. Sometimes it's a tiny detail;
sometimes it's so bad that the resulting story is flatly impossible.
Good point, and an example - in the movie "Frequency" a son finds the old
Heathkit
ham radio transceiver his deceased father had in the 1960's. Upon firing it
up he
finds he can talk to his father in the past. Well, being a long time ham radio
operator myself and having used Heathkit equipment , I naturally was a little
irked
that the 'transceiver' was not a transceiver but a receiver [removed] way it
could
transmit. Did the other patrons of the movie seem concerned about this goof?
Not at
all, I was probably the only member of the audience that knew, so far as
everyone
else was concerned it was an authentic looking piece of ham gear and filled the
bill. I do get the same irkesomeness (new word) when I see a prop in a movie
such
as an old radio that is out of the time period for the setting.
Bill Harris
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 09:12:40 -0500
From: LDunham509@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Blue Velvet
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)?
Larry Dunham
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 09:12:42 -0500
From: KENPILETIC@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Magic "eye" and Crumbling Insulation
Hi Gang - Sunday Night / Monday Morning February 25/26 Midnight
I'm way behind on my e-mail, because of a computer "upgrade".
Reading the Digest for the past several days I see a thread about
the "Green Eye" used in tuning older radios. I'd like to make a few
comments.
COMMENT 1 OF 2 -- THE MAGIC EYE
The "Eye" is actually a type 6E5 vacuum tube. The Green display is
on the end of the tube opposite the socket. The tube is mounted
horizontally so that you look at the "top" of the tube through a hole
in the radio dial.
Technically here's how the magic eye works:
(per 1950 RCA Receiving Tube Manual)
"The 6E5 is a glass type Electron-Ray Tube, used to indicate
visually by means of a flourescent target the effects of a
change in a controlling voltage."
This tube is essentialy a duo triode. The conrol triode is a simple
amplifier with the plate direct coupled to the grid of the indicator triode.
The plate of the indicator triode is the "target plate" and is coated with
a flourescent substance (glows green when activated with 200 volts).
The "shadow angle" changes from 0 degrees to 90 degrees by
applying a voltage of [removed] (0 degrees) to 0 volts (90 degrees) to the
control grid. Voltages between [removed] and zero will change the angle.
This control voltage comes from the AVC circuit. The stronger the
signal the smaller the angle.
This simple indicator allows the user to tune the radio to the precise
frequency of the station being received (tune for smallest angle).
COMMENT 2 OF 2 -- "STIFF" WIRES
Just a word of caution when working with old [removed]
Many console radios have a number of wires running between
the radio chassis and the loud speaker. There are also wires
running between the radio chassis and the "antenna" which is
usually some kind of loop attached to the wooden cabinet.
These wires were insulated with cloth and/or rubber. Over the
years, cotton cloth deteriorates and rubber becomes brittle.
If you disturb these wires, the insulation can actually fall off.
This results in bare (uninsulated) wires that can touch each
other (short circuit).
Be aware that even if the wires don't touch each other, they
sometimes carry voltages that can harm a human if touched
while the radio is turned on.
If you discover an old radio that has not been used for years,
don't move the wires in back unnecessarily. They could fall apart.
These wires will probably work okay if you don't touch them.
Happy Taping -- Ken Piletic (W9ZMR) - Streamwood Illinois
kenpiletic@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 09:12:44 -0500
From: "General Manager" <genmanager@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Thanks - and a minor change
Many thanks to Elizabeth who, in the last Digest, wrote:
"To get an excellent overview of the variety of companies in the
transcription business, check out the First Generation Radio Archives
website at [removed], and select the ET Labels link."
Since the Archives makes it a policy to electronically scan the labels of
all the original electrical transcriptions and pressings we work with, we do
indeed have quite a selection of labels which can be viewed on-line.
However, the procedure for viewing them has recently been revised. Label
scans are now linked directly to the Archive record of each individual
program and may be accessed directly through our on-line database. You can
get there by going [removed]
[removed]
...then scrolling down to about the center of the page to the words:
First Generation Archives
Sorted by Archive number
This is a hyperlink to our almost-complete database -- "almost" because we
add additional titles almost every day. In the database, you will find
information on the shows in our collection - titles, broadcast dates, etc. -
as well as a blue SCAN hyperlink wherever a label scan is available for
viewing. (Those of you with slower computers - like me, for instance - may
experience a lengthy delay when downloading the data. Be sure to read the
main page before accessing it, as there we offer suggestions for speeding
the process to save you time and potential computer freezes.)
There are literally thousands of labels that can be viewed this way - most
personally scanned by Vicki Brown, our tireless and delightful Queen of the
Scanner. When you look at them, think of her -- and thank whatever God you
worship that *you* didn't have to perform this important but dull and
utterly endless job! ;-)
At the Archives website, you'll also find general information on the various
types of ETs through the years. Give it a look when you get the chance.
Harlan Zinck
First Generation Radio Archives
[removed]
PS: If you enjoy reading about radio, you'll enjoy reading the Radio
Archives News - the monthly newsletter of the First Generation Radio
Archives. A subscription is available free of charge to anyone who requests
it with no cost or obligation whatsoever. Simply send your name, address,
and e-mail address to me at genmanager@[removed] and I'll make sure
you get the latest issue right away.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 09:38:21 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Warm(up) and Fuzzy ...
Mark Kinsler, speaking of the delay from turning on an Old Radio and when
it starts playing, notes,
Tube sets generally didn't take as long as 30 seconds to warm up. <<
It often seemed that long. However, 15 seconds is long enough.
. Many tubes were designed to be "fast warm-up" types, and the warm-up
period was considerably decreased when rectifier tubes were replaced by
solid-state selenium or silicon [removed];<
Some of the sets we owned, though, took a bit to warm up. With regards
to selenium rectifiers, one failed on an early TV set we had, and the
stench produced was remarkable. My mother said it smelled like dead
mice. (I never asked.)
Michael DeMeo observes,
There is nothing, not even the BOSE wave radio IMHO, that compares with
the sound of a tube radio, especially a large floor model console<<
Well, listening is subjective. However, there are complementary problems
with old and contemporary radios. Most of the older console sets
employed much larger speakers than modern sets. The usual was a 12-inch
speaker, or at worst, possibly a 10-incher. Also, most older sets'
bodies were made of wood. The audiophile in me gets amused when some
current sets have 6-inch "woofers" (in quotes because from my perspective
they'd be squawkers). Howwever, as a rule, neither older nor modern sets
generally took or take advantage of acoustic design (there are
exceptions, but rare). From the standpoint of sound, the older consoles
sound better than a tabletop solid-state radio -- but also better than an
all-American 5 radio in a plastic case, too. A lot of it is related to
the speaker, but a wooden cabinet helps, too.
Any speaker can have its range in the bass region extended by proper
acoustic design, though generally, it makes little sense on speakers
below 8 inches. In the waning days of OTR, the idea of High Fidelity (as
opposed to "HiFi") as reaching consumers, and those who worked with it
came up with some really rich sound, even on the AM band. (One of the
best AM tuners was basically a crystal set.) But the best of such things
were component units with the speakers remote from the amplifier and
turntable, in large part because of tube microphonics. From a sound
standpoint, a good component system will still provide really good sound
for OTR recordings -- and using solid-state amplification, not tubes.
As I've observed previously, growing up in the OTR era, I heard shows on
all kinds of radios, from the living-room consoles to the little plastic
Silvertone radio in my room. Each had its own audio quality, but I
enjoyed the shows, no matter where I heard them.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 10:38:53 -0500
From: "Welsa" <welsa@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sorry, Wrong what?
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
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 11:26:15 -0500
From: John Cunningham <jaybird@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Breakfast Club
Like Richard Pratz, I would also like to hear some of the old Breakfast
Club broadcasts again.
BTW, I thought the show originated from the Allerton Hotel in Chicago.
When I was working for WHAS here in Louisville in the early 1960s, one
of our producers (we still had live musical programs in those days) went
on to become a producer for the Breakfast Club. His name was Chuck
Stephan and, I think, he was the producer until the show went off the
air in 1968. Mary Ann Luckett, also from Louisville, was a vocalist on
the program. Would love to know the whereabouts of Chuck and Mary Ann,
if any OTR person out there has any info.
John Cunningham
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 11:26:13 -0500
From: Bill Harris <billhar@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: RE: Early Remote Broadcast
Owens Pomeroy posted:
WFBR was also the first station in the nation to do two Network
on-the-spot remotes. They have photos from their archives labeled: "FIRST
NETWORK REMOTE BROADCAST IN THE [removed]: HARDING IGNAURATION, JANUARY 6THE.",
1922
Did I miss something? Someone correct me if I am wrong but I always understood
that the Harding-Cox election was November 2, 1920 (KDKA's first broadcast),
and
Hardings' inaugural was held Friday March 4, 1921.
Bill Harris
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 18:25:51 -0500
From: Trinapreston3@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Mr. Chameleon, Is The radio shows lost?
I like Mr. Chameleon radio show, but the problem is I can't find a huge
collection
of his shows available for retail sale. I own two programs of his show
titled " The
Perfect Murder Case" 12/29/48 and " The Million Dollar Smile". I surfed the
web and
found a log of the show from Jerry Haediges Vintage Radio Logs, but he had
none
for sell in his collection. I tried to look in other old-time radio catalogs
and haven't
had any luck in finding Mr. Chameleon. From Jerry Haediges log I see the
show was
on the air from 1948-1953, why isn't any shows but a few out there? Was the
show
a popular one? Did CBS destroy the copies or reels that they owned, when the
invention of television came alone? What happened?
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 18:25:53 -0500
From: "Bob Watson" <crw912@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sorry, Wrong Number answers
My thanks to Chris for his answer on the mystery of the west coast version
of Sorry, Wrong Number. I listened again to the version on the internet
today and realized it wouldn't have been very difficult to have edited the
flub out and presented it as a seemingly error free show.
Thanks again,
Bob
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2001 22:03:22 -0500
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: One Man's Family, 1956
I have absolutely no idea why I thought of this whilst driving between
schools today, but wasn't there an episode of One Man's Family in which a
young female refugee from the 1956 Hungarian revolution came to America and
was befriended by someone? I recall a sequence where their car gets pulled
over by the police for a traffic violation, and Magda or whatever her name
was is frightened, the police in Hungary at the time being a lot less
friendly than those in the US.
I kind of miss the Cold War.
M Kinsler
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #65
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