Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #73
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 2/28/2004 3:09 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 73
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Harry Bartell                         [ "Phil Watson" <possum@[removed] ]
      pat o'malley                          [ "Robert Angus" <rangus02@[removed]; ]
      re: Car Radios -- a divergence        [ David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@yahoo. ]
      Hard thing to do                      [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      sensitivity of AM car radios          [ "Greg Willy" <gregw@[removed] ]
      A Tribute to Harry Bartell: A Friend  [ David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@yahoo. ]
      Recycling car radios                  [ danhughes@[removed] ]
      RIP Harry Bartell                     [ art-funk@[removed] ]
      Harry Bartell: An Apppreciation       [ "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@worldn ]
      Re: Car Radios for Home Use           [ Elmer Standish <elmer_standish@telu ]
      Re: car radios                        [ "Candy Jens" <candyj@[removed]; ]
      2-29 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 08:10:04 -0500
    From: "Phil Watson" <possum@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Harry Bartell

    I'm sure that every member of the digest will wish to send their condolences
    to Mr. Bartell's family, and hope that Charlie will pass these messages on
    to his family; we share their loss.

    Three years ago I thanked Mr. Bartell on the digest for introducing me to
    American OTR via his introductions to the old Sherlock Holmes series I
    rented on cassette from our public library here in England. I was delighted
    that he took the time to write to me thanking me. I understand it was
    typical of him.

    I will miss his warm reminiscences and wish that he could have written a
    book of his career. If any one deserved a biography, he did.

    Phil Watson
    England

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: While not exactly a book, his articles in the series
    "Struts and Frets" are available at:

    [removed]

    --cfs3]

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 09:56:32 -0500
    From: "Robert Angus" <rangus02@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  pat o'malley
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    A regular on the Alec Templeton show of 1940 was "The Lancashire Lad," Pat
    O'Malley, who usually did one of his comic monologues.  I'm in hopes that
    somebody on the list may have some of those shows and be willing to trade
    copies for other OTR material or music hall recordings of that vintage.

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 09:57:15 -0500
    From: David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  re: Car Radios -- a divergence

    In Issue 70, Alec Cumming stated:

>     "Imagine, in 1935, a man in his seventies being
>     driven around by his gadget-loving grandson, listening
>     to the wireless in a horseless carriage!"

    Put me in mind of a trip through Amish Country in east
    central Ohio afew years ago now.  Had just rounded a
    curve on Rt. 62, and had to pass a typical Amish-style
    horse-drawn buggy.  Not too unusual, as we had already
    had to pass several as we drove along.  But this one
    was definitely different, for inside were two young
    teenage boys watching a portable, battery-operated TV!

    I reckon they had to get out of the house in order to
    enjoy the world's pleasures!

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 10:03:11 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Hard thing to do

    11-29-1913 - Harry Bartell - New Orleans, LA - d. 2-26-2004
    actor: Archie Goodwin "Advs. of Nero Wolfe"; "Adv of Sherlock Holmes";
    "Gunsmoke"

    One of the hardest things that I have had to do since making up my birth/death
    list was updating Harry's entry with a death date. As I did so I did it with
    heavy heart and a tear in my eye. Although I did not know Harry personally, I
    did know him through e-mail. He was not only a most talented radio actor, he
    was also a kind and gracious gentleman. I will miss him as I am sure everyone
    on this list will miss him. Thanks to the miracle of recording we will always
    have Harry's vast output of work.

    May you rest in peace Harry and when you get that great radio station in the
    sky say hello to all of your friends who preceded you there, Parley, Bill,
    Georgia, Howard and the myriad of others you worked with through your long and
    illustrious career.

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 10:07:04 -0500
    From: "Greg Willy" <gregw@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  sensitivity of AM car radios

    I read Mark Kinsler's post about using a car radio in the home with
    interest.  This brings up an important question for me.  Why is a car radio
    able to pick up distant AM stations better than boom boxes or home
    reciever's?  Is it the quality of the radio or that the car is able to use
    the whole chassis as an antennae?  If it is indeed the quality then
    somewhere there should be a home radio with that same level of quality I
    would guess.  There is a small town radio station, KMIL AM 1330 in Cameron
    TX, the plays my favorite show every day, Lum and Abner at 12:45 pm.  I am
    80 miles away and can not get it on any boom box (including outdoors using
    batteries) or home receiver but can get it pretty clearly on ANY car radio
    with the engine off.  It is very inconvenient.  To get Lum and Abner back
    into the house do I need a car radio in the house or to research better home
    radio or build some elaborate antennae system for my reciever?  Thanks to
    anyone who knows the answer to this long held question.

    Greg

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 10:40:11 -0500
    From: David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  A Tribute to Harry Bartell:  A Friend I've
     Never Met

    Issue #71 came as a great shock.  How saddening it was
    to learn of the passing of Harry Bartell.

    Sometimes in life there come across our paths, a
    person who leaves an indelible impression on us.  Even
    though we may not, in actuality, have known the
    person, yet we do know him.  For he has been present,
    if not in person, at least through voice, in many
    ways.

    Harry Bartell is such a person to me.  I've never met
    him in real life.  But he's become a part of my life.
    His is one of several voices I've come to love and
    appreciate, and listen for whenever I play an Old
    Radio program.  And often I'm surprised at how
    far-reaching his involvement in Old Radio was, how
    many programs for which he provided some
    characterization.

    I first met and came to like Harry while listening to
    the Rathbone-Bruce "Sherlock Holmes" series.  As the
    warm, witty announcer, promoting Petri Wines, Harry
    weekly met his "good friend Dr. Watson", who would
    then regale us with some charming and fascinating
    account of our beloved Mr. Holmes.  I always had to
    smile at the way Harry would find some inoccuous
    lead-in to Petri Wines, illiciting a hearty chuckle
    from Dr. Watson, as he invited Watson to join him in a
    drink of Sherry or [removed] for as we all know that
    "Petri Takes Time to Bring You Good Wine."

    I found him again in "Gunsmoke" a regular castplayer
    of various parts, but always that recognizable quality
    to his voice, though he would often add highlights or
    accents to vary its impression on the listener.  But
    being of the second-generation of old radio listeners,
    not the first, and having the luxury of listening to
    back-to-back recordings of old radio programs, one
    could easily distinguish Harry's voice from all the
    others. (I imagine, listening to the series only once
    each week as in the old days, it would have been
    harder to pick up on the uniquenesses of Harry's
    voice.)

    I remember the first time Harry Bartell posted on this
    digest.  My! What a flurry of excitement that
    generated!  It seemed everyone was scrambling to
    determine if this was THE Harry Bartell of old radio
    fame.  I recall whipping off an email to him asking
    him if he was that very same Mr. Bartell I had enjoyed
    listening to as announcer of Sherlock Holmes, and his
    reply assuring me he was that very same Mr. Bartell.
    He emailed me a few times in response to some post I
    had made in the Digest to enlighten me on some matter.
     I wish now I had kept those emails -- what a
    wonderful historical record they would have made to my
    personal collection of memorabilia.

    Please don't get me wrong.  My correspondence with
    Harry Bartell does not qualify me to be able to claim
    any kind of real personal friendship or relationship
    with him. Charlie Summers tribute of Harry is one I
    would love to be able to make for myself, but the
    truth is, I've known him only through his voice and
    through this digest.  But I have come to have a great
    admiration for the man. His contributions to the
    Digest were always enlightening and well-informed, and
    greatly appreciated by all.

    I will also say, it was a great shock when, a while
    back, his birthday greetings were posted and his age
    revealed.  Knowing him only through his voice of
    yesterday, which I often hear today, he had become in
    my mind eternally that age he was when he was making
    the Sherlock Holmes programs.  His recent birthday
    reminded me that life does not remain stagnant, but
    does indeed move on.  I knew then, that we would
    probably not have Harry with us forever, but I like
    most of us had no idea it would be this soon.  But in
    a sense, we do have him with us forever, as we do all
    the wonderful radio personalities of old.  They live
    on through their recorded broadcasts and in our
    memories of them.

    I thank God that someone had the foresight to make
    recordings and to preserve them.  For through them not
    only does Old Radio live [removed] but so will Harry
    Bartell.

    We will all miss you, Harry.  Thank you for all you
    have given to us over the years.

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 11:13:42 -0500
    From: danhughes@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Recycling car radios

    Mark asks about using old car radios in the [removed]
    One of the radio magazines of the 60's (Elementary Electronics, I
    believe) had a great article about this.  What the guy did was buy old
    car AM radios (this was when everyone was dumping their AM radios and
    replacing them with AM/FM) for next to nothing, then building them right
    into big speakers.  He'd buy a set of medium-to-large inexpensive stereo
    speakers, cut a hole into the speaker and mount the radio in the hole.
    One set of speakers gave him two radios, and he was able to cut the wood
    panel that held the speaker without hurting the speaker (the speaker
    itself was round; the wood mounting panel rectangular so there was room
    to mount the radio without having to move the speaker itself). He also
    mounted a 12v converter in the box so he had a complete radio, no
    out-of-box wiring necessary.  They looked really great, too.

    ---Dan

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 12:38:36 -0500
    From: art-funk@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  RIP Harry Bartell

    At this time, like OTR fans everywhere, I'm overcome with a profound sense
    of sadness at the passing of our beloved Harry.  Thanks be to God that we
    have our memories of him and our recordings of his wonderful
    characterizations

    My deepest condolences to his family and to all who loved him.

    Art Funk

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 13:53:48 -0500
    From: "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Harry Bartell:  An Apppreciation

        I did not know Harry for a long time; but I treasure his friendship.
    Harry was a fine actor, a true gentleman, and a wonderful human being.  We
    are extremely lucky in that so many of his performances have been preserved.

        I cannot bring myself to write an obituary for Harry Bartell, but I can
    celebrate his life and career by sharing some of my knowledge of this
    remarkable gentleman with the subscribers of the Digest.

    THE VOICE:
        There was a voice on the radio, a voice that I noticed on an episode of
    YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR many years ago.  Then I then began to notice that
    voice in many episodes of that series and many other radio series.  The
    actor behind the voice played good guys, bad guys and everything in between.
    Sometimes he played the lead, other times a supporting role.  The actor also
    did lots of dialects and accents.  No matter what role he was playing there
    was always a common quality in his performances; his characters were always
    believable.  Finally, I connected a name with that voice:  Harry Bartell.
    He seems to be everywhere during the Golden Age of Radio.

        When I joined the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound, I received the flyer
    for their annual Convention, the REPS Showcase.  There, listed among the
    guests, was Harry Bartell.  I immediately decided to go to Seattle for the
    REPS Showcase.  Not only did I meet Harry and get a chance to see him
    perform, I got the opportunity to interview him.  At that Showcase Harry
    took time out from his busy schedule to introduce me to many of the guest
    performers.

        I would see Harry whenever he was at the Showcase and have corresponded
    with him many times.  Occasionally, I would identify a new radio series on
    which he had performed and he would he pass on the information to his
    daughter, Judie.   A couple of years ago, Lois Culver and I had a wonderful
    lunch with Harry in Ashland, OR.  I enjoyed being the fly-on-the-wall while
    these two friends of over 50 years talked about their lives and times.

    RADIO WORK:
        Harry's radio credentials are impressive to say the least.  He has more
    than 10,000 appearances on radio, including 182 series.  But Harry describes
    his, first real running part as 12 years with DEAR ABBY on CBS, long after
    "radio had died a horrible death."

        During the early 1930's Harry got his start in radio in Houston and
    appeared in local radio show condensations of motion pictures.  His pay for
    these condensations:  two 25 cent movie tickets.

         In 1937, Harry moved to the West Coast working as a DJ, doing
    commercials, and performing at the Pasadena Playhouse.  In his first role on
    network radio, in RAFFLES, Harry was cast as a Hindu.  He had never played a
    Hindu, but managed to do it.  It was the first of many dialect and accent
    roles he did, including many Spanish roles on ROMANCE OF THE RANCHO,
    DRAGNET, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL, and YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR.

        Pick a drama or light comedy series and there's a good chance that Harry
    was on it.  All of the following series and over a hundred more had
    appearances by Harry Bartell:  A DATE WITH JUDY, ADVENTURES BY MORSE, ALAN
    YOUNG SHOW, AMOS AND ANDY, BROADWAY IS MY BEAT, CAVALCADE OF AMERICA, CBS
    RADIO WORKSHOP, COLUMBIA PRESENTS CORWIN, CRIME CLASSICS, DEFENSE ATTORNEY,
    DR. CHRISTIAN, EDDIE CANTOR SHOW, FRONTIER GENTLEMAN, GREEN LAMA, I LOVE A
    MYSTERY, LET GEORGE DO IT, LUX RADIO THEATER, MY FAVORITE HUSBAND,
    NIGHTBEAT, ON STAGE, RED RYDER, THE SAINT, SUSPENSE, TALES OF THE TEXAS
    RANGERS, and THIS IS YOUR FBI.

        His acting abilities made Harry a favorite with many of the best
    directors in Hollywood including Jack Webb (DRAGNET, PETE KELLY'S BLUES,
    JOHNNY MODERO - PIER 23), Norman Macdonnell (ROMANCE, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF
    PHILIP MARLOWE, ESCAPE, HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL), and Jack Johnstone (YOURS
    TRULY JOHNNY DOLLAR, THE MAN CALLED X, THE SIX SHOOTER, HOLLYWOOD STAR
    PLAYHOUSE).  He was a member of both Macdonnell's and Webb's stock
    companies.  Harry appeared in both the first and last episodes of GUNSMOKE
    and 180 more. Although Harry played villains on Gunsmoke, he was never cast
    by Jack Webb as a Bad Guy on DRAGNET.  There were advantages to having a
    regular ensemble of actors on a series.  Harry told me, "One of the major
    benefits was that you had great trust in the other actor. You knew if for
    some reason if you got off-track or you made a mistake, they were going to
    cover for you. And you would cover for them. As a result, there was an
    ensemble feeling that was very different than if you had a different cast on
    the show every day."

        With thousands of supporting appearances on radio, Harry also had many
    starring and featured roles. Along with John Anderson, Harry co-starred in
    HORIZONS WEST, a very fine radio documentary drama series on the Lewis and
    Clark Expedition that was produced for Armed Forces Radio in the early
    1960's.  Harry played Cpt. Meriwether Lewis, Anderson played Cpt. William
    Clark. He also had starring or features roles in ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE as
    Archie Goodwin, FORT LARAMIE as Lt. Siberts, THE CHARLOTTE GREENWOOD SHOW as
    Tommy Brooks, and ROGERS OF THE GAZETTE as Officer Ed Miller.

        One of Harry's favorite series was ESCAPE; 56 appearances on that
    series.  Harry originated the role of Auguste in the ESCAPE classic - Three
    Skeleton Key.   He also had leading roles in several other episodes
    including An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, A Shipment of Mute Fate, and an
    episode written by actor John Dehner - The Man With The Steel Teeth.  In the
    1998 interview Harry shared his feelings with me about ESCAPE,  "The scripts
    were wonderful, many of them were based on Classics that stood the test of
    time. They offered me, as an actor, parts that I never would have gotten on
    any other program. They were exciting, fun to do and very rewarding from a
    performance standpoint."

    AN ACTOR PLAYING AN ANNOUNCER:
        In addition to acting, Harry also worked as an announcer. "I announced
    SILVER THEATRE, SHERLOCK HOLMES, and THE CASEBOOK OF GREGORY HOOD.  I never
    considered myself an announcer; I sort of played an announcer as an actor."

        Harry told me how he literally walked into the announcer's role on
    SHERLOCK HOLMES.  "That was the reason I got that job, a fluke. They had a
    huge audition and every name announcer in town was over at CBS.  I walked
    into the foyer and I couldn't understand what was going on.  I asked the
    secretary.  She said, 'Edna Best was conducting an audition for the
    announcer for SHERLOCK HOLMES.'  I said, 'May I go in and say hello?'  I had
    worked with her as an actor. I said, 'Hi, Edna' and started to leave. She
    said, 'Aren't you going to read?  As long as you're here, pick up the script
    and read.'  That's how I got the job."

    A CAREER THAT CONTINUED INTO THE NEW MILLENNIUM:
        Coming to the REPS Showcase not only gave Harry the opportunity to
    perform in recreations, but also in the contemporary dramas of Jim French.
    Just last year Harry guest starred in The Further Adventures of Sherlock
    Holmes episode, The Adventure Of The Great American.

    TELEVISION WORK:
        According to Harry's show logs, he performed on at least 77 television
    series.  These included performances on series such as BRANDED, DRAGNET,
    DRAGNET 1967, GET SMART, GUNSMOKE, I LOVE LUCY, LARAMIE, PERRY MASON, PETER
    GUNN, POLICE WOMAN, THE REBEL, RICHARD DIAMOND PRIVATE DETECTIVE, THE
    TWILIGHT ZONE, THE UNTOUCHABLES, THE VEIL, THE WALTER WINCHELL FILE, and THE
    WILD, WILD WEST.

    OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
        Harry co-wrote two GUNSMOKE scripts with fellow actor and close friend,
    Vic Perrin:  Chester's Inheritance and Father And Son.

        During times when acting roles were scarce Harry worked as a
    professional photographer.  OTR fans have also benefited from his
    photographic endeavors.  He took photographs during show rehearsals and many
    of these photos have appeared in Old-Time Radio books.

    RADIO AS AN ENTERTAINMENT MEDIUM
        Harry is justly proud of his work as a radio actor.  He told John
    Dunning that, "Radio was a dream medium, every day or twice a day was like a
    first night.  There was always a freshness, a challenge.  Radio offered an
    actor or actress opportunities to play roles they couldn't obtain anywhere
    else."

        To me Harry really isn't gone, he has just moved on to another stage. He
    has been reunited with his fellow performers and his lovely wife Bev.  Harry
    lives on in my mind and in those many fine performances that have been
    preserved for us to enjoy.

        Tonight I will listen to one Harry's favorite performances:  the
    previously mentioned ESCAPE episode:  An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge.
    And, I will drink a toast to Harry Bartell.

    Rest In Peace My Friend,

    Stewart Wright

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 14:17:31 -0500
    From: Elmer Standish <elmer_standish@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Car Radios for Home Use

    Hi Mark:

    As an old time (and I do mean Old)
    radio/electronics tech I have some experience in
    using car radios as home receivers.

    First, I agree that you should get one with analogue
    tuning. The reason is that the digital sets, in
    general, will tune to the exact frequency of the
    station and won't allow you to mis-tune by a tiny
    fraction. Being able to alter the tuned in
    frequency by a tiny bit can often eliminate
    interference of various sorts.

    Second, if you are good at woodworking you can
    build a very attractive cabinet in which the radio
    will fit beautifully, usually with the speaker and
    power supply below.

    Third, a word of warning when working with newer
    radios: Be very careful about speaker connections,
    particularly if the radio is Stereo. Many of the
    more modern sets DO NOT ground one side of the
    speaker as was the standard in older models. An
    inadvertent ground connection can destroy the
    radio's output stages.

    I wish you luck with your project. I don't have
    one running now but in past years have had
    excellent results.

    Since you are (were?) a radio tech, the above
    material is likely "old hat" for you but it may
    be helpful to anyone else planning such a project.

    GOOD LUCK from ===> ELMER

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 14:22:01 -0500
    From: "Candy Jens" <candyj@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: car radios

     In the early 60s, when my car died, the radio was still going strong, and
    could pull
    in stations from afar, better than any household radio I had.  So I salvaged
    it, built a transformer (Radio Shack? Lafayette?) and set the thing up in
    the kitchen with an antenna and speaker.  It had the advantage of "preset"
    pushbuttons, too.  It was ugly, but served the purpose for a long time!

    As for static, there were "ground straps" that one mounted to the back
    bumper so they just grazed the road surface.  Also, something to put on the
    spark plug wires, and I even remember (vaguely) something that one put into
    the hubcaps to cut down on interference!

    An early fifties Mercedes came with a 7-band radio (tube-type) - Blaupunkt,
    I believe, with multiple speakers.

    In general, I think older sets had better sound quality than new ones . . .
    or is it my ears/ <g>

    Candy

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

    Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 15:45:26 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  2-29 births/deaths

    February 29th births

    02-29-1896 - William A. Wellman - Brookline, MA - d. 12-9-1975
    film director: "Screen Director's Playhouse"
    02-29-1904 - Jimmy Dorsey - Shenandoah, - d. 6-12-1957
    bandleader: "Kraft Music Hall"; "Your Happy Birthday"

    February 29th deaths

    02-02-1909 - Frank Albertson - Fergus Falls, MN - d. 2-29-1964
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #73
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