Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #267
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 8/14/2004 4:18 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2004 : Issue 267
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Sixties                               [ "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed]; ]
  Mayberry & Maltin Addenda             [ "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed]; ]
  Re: sound level                       [ Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed]; ]
  Re: Two and Only                      [ StevenL751@[removed] ]
  Which show is this?                   [ <sweetedit@[removed]; ]
  Re: Fred Korb                         [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
  Titles of radio shows                 [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
  "Dick Tracy", et al.                  [ "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@juno. ]
  Question about " Look Who's Laughing  [ David <martindb@[removed]; ]
  8-14 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  Death of Fred Korb                    [ tomkle@[removed] ]
  Hunter Hancock                        [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
  Paul Frees correction                 [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
  Elizabeth Heisch                      [ Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed] ]
  New Old Time Radio Collections        [ Twizoner@[removed] ]
  Tribute to Alice Faye                 [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
  Radio Scripts                         [ "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@worldn ]
  Whos Left??                           [ lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed]; ]

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 08:30:12 -0400
From: "Doug Leary" <doug@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Sixties

Thanks to the several people who replied to my question about the
storytelling show on KMPX, the home of "underground radio" in the 60s. My
brother in law was actually the one trying to remember these shows. The
storyteller turned out to be Ken Nordine. The info provided here led to a
fun evening for us, reading up on Nordine on the Internet and downloading
some of his recordings from one of the DC++ hubs. They brought back fond
memories to my brother in law and me.

Regarding the analysis of the JFK assassination Dictaphone belt analysis ...
I'm rooting for Woody Allen's "Second Lone Gunman" theory, that it was
Oswald and some other guy he didn't know, who happened to pick the same day
to shoot JFK. Stranger things have happened!
;-)

Doug Leary
Seattle

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 08:31:56 -0400
From: "Derek Tague" <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Mayberry & Maltin Addenda
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Hi gang:

   I left out  a couple of items from my last posting:

Lorenzo Jones" himself played the title roles in the "Andy Griffith" episode
"Mr. McBeevee," in which Opie befriends a telephone line repairman in the
woods and has a hard time convincing Andy, Barney, & Aunt Bee that he's real.

KARL SWENSON! I neglected to identify who played both "Lorenzo Jones" AND "Mr.
McBeevee."

However, it's worth noting that some of the OTR actors mentioned as
being Mayberry passersby also dropped in on its spin-off show, "Gomer
Pyle---USMC."

Also, there's an episode where Gomer is recruited to assist in serving
breakfast to a visiting  North Carolina Congressman, who turns out taking a
likng to PFC. Pyle when he learnrs Gomer is a constituent. The congressman was
played by Parley Baer and the officer who hires Gomer to serve the coffee was
played by Donald Buka.

I was quite disappointed to see that OTR films "Gildersleeve's Ghost" &
"It's A Joke, Son!" (w/ Kenny Delmar as Senator Claghorne) have been dropped
from the listings .

Add to the scrap pile the first "Inner Sanctum" film in addition to two Kay
Kyser vehicles, "Playmates," and "That's Right, You're
Wrong!" In the interest of not being one-sided, I'm happy to report that the
first eponymous "THe Great Gildersleeve" film still reatians a place in
"Maltin 2005" as do "Look Who's Laughing," the "Boston Blackie" series, and
the film "version" of "Duffy's Tavern"--I guess one couldn't leave out one of
Bing Crosby's films.

Yours in the ether,

Derek Tague

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 08:44:33 -0400
From: Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: sound level

Back in the 1950's, many if not most AM radio stations would use devices to
keep the volume at a constant level. Gates made a unit called a Stay-Level.
Basically it was a compressor that would keep the volume from going over a
certain level and if the volume was low, would bring the volume up to match
the highest volume. If you ever recorded a station that used one, you would
see that the VU meter on your recorder hardly moved at all.

You would just bring it up to the level you wanted and everything was the
same. This does had the advantage of eliminating the problem of having
different levels when you are in the car. It completely gets rid of dynamic
range. If you have some shows on tape or CD that have great dynamic range
but don't want to deal with it on the road, you could re-record these
program onto another tape using a tape recorder that has a compressor. Just
find the lowest volume of the show. Turn up the volume control on the
recorder so that this low level is at a peak level. Make sure the
compressor is turned on. Then the louder sounds will be brought down and
the lower sound will be as high as the highest sound.

Fred
[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:22:15 -0400
From: StevenL751@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Two and Only

In a message dated 8/13/2004 12:18:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
[removed]@[removed] writes:

Wasn't the title, "The Two And Only" also the name of a Bob and >Ray show on
Broadway (1960's?) and there's an LP of their performance as well?

That is [removed]  The complete title was "Bob and Ray -- The Two and Only",
and it ran for 158 performances on Broadway between September 1970 and
February 1971.

Jay Johnson was terrific on "Soap" with this little
wooden, sarcastic friend. Wonder where his "tour" will take him,
any information, anyone?

I have to second Sean's recommendation.  I saw Jay Johnson's show last week
and it's hilarious, very highly recommended. (And yes, little "Bob" from SOAP
does make an appearance.) I'm not sure whether he's going to be touring or if
the show will be reopening somewhere else in New York City.  I know they're
still getting mostly full houses and the only reason the show is closing is
that the theatre already had a prior booking for another play coming in.

Steve Lewis

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:22:31 -0400
From: <sweetedit@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Which show is this?

A few years ago I heard a program and am trying to identify what show it was
from and a title if it has one. Here's the basic plot: A couple goes up to
the top of a tall building (Empire State Building, I think, but might not
be). When they come down to street level, everyone else has vanished,
apparently leaving them as the last people on earth. Ringing any bells for
anyone?

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:23:30 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Fred Korb

Ken Piletic just posted

I'm sorry to report that Fred Korb, secretary of the ORCATS (Oldtime Radio
Collectors and Traders Society), passed away yesterday, August 11, 2004.
(SNIP)

Fred attended the FOTR and Cincinnati Conventions for many years, and the
REPS Convention in 2002.

It was at the REPS Convention in 2002 that I got to spend some time chatting
with Fred. I was impressed that he took a train ride cross country from
Chicago to attend the Seattle Convention.

On Sunday, after the brunch at Christopher Conrad's photographic studio,
pictures were taken of the OTR cast members and individual OTR fans. I
selected the picture of Fred (seated in the foreground next to an vintage
radio, with OTR performers gathered behind him), for inclusion in my book.
(see page 311)

For me, Fred embodied the spirit of all the fans of OTR that I have met over
the years. Dedicated, intensely interested, and appreciative of us OTR
actors for our willingness to participate in these annual Conventions.

Just as the OTR fans lament the passing of their OTR performer icons, I'm
here to tell you, us OTR performers miss the passing of dedicated fans like
Fred Korb.

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 13:21:50 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Titles of radio shows

In answer to Jer51473@[removed]'s question:

I know all the dramatic shows had specific titles, but did the comedy shows?
Does each episode have an official title or are
the titles "made up" by whoever is advertising their wares? I do not
remember most of these episodes having titles.

Many comedy shows did NOT have titles on the scripts.  The format of adding
a title or no title to a radio script varied from radio program to radio
program.
For GANG BUSTERS, for example, there were usually two script titles.  One
for the front cover of the script and one in the text of the script itself
where the guest narrator would remark "Tonight's story is one we call 'The
Case of the Lame Hobo'."
For GUNSMOKE, for example, there was a script title for each episode, on the
top of each cover, but the title was NOT given during the broadcast so fans
who didn't have an official title and date with their recording would make
one up for themselves (which is why early collector catalogs from the 1970s
and early 1980s feature wrong-titled episodes without dates).
For RICHARD DIAMOND, for example (since the matter of a bound book of
scripts was brought up on the Digest), there were no titles, but each script
was dated.
Other radio shows like LIFE WITH LUIGI never had a script title, just an
episode number.

Some shows even have their odd balls.
CAVALCADE OF AMERICA, for example, did not feature a particular broadcast
with Loretta Young but collectors still list it in their logs as a "lost"
recording.  The drama is not "lost" because it was NEVER broadcast over the
air.  But for some odd reason, DuPont, the sponsor, insisted on numbering
that broadcast so the week after kept in sequence.  For SUSPENSE, the
December 1948 broadcast of John Collier's "Back For Christmas" was never
titled.  Paul Frees, the announcer, describes the drama as a "holiday story"
but for all intent, that drama was never given an actual "official" title.
This is why people continue to list this broadcast in their logs as "Holiday
Story", "Back for Christmas" and "Untitled."

In any sense, it is difficult to assign an exact episode number and title
for radio programs without access to production material or the actual
scripts.  Far too many people have gone to the trouble over the last two
decades to make up whatever descriptive title they could instead of turning
to a vast archive and consult script collections.  Thankfully, people like
Jim Cox and Stewart Wright have gone to great lengths to verify titles and
dates through definitive sources like script collections.
Had anyone done so with the HAVE GUN - WILL TRAVEL series, as an example,
mistakes and wrong titles wouldn't have been popping all over the place
during the last two decades.

THE HAVE GUN-WILL TRAVEL COMPANION features a highly detailed log of radio
broadcasts not just with the broadcast dates, but with the dates of when
each episode was recorded.  The titles came directly from the scripts so the
log in that book is extremely accurate.  However, since HAVE GUN never gave
titles during the broadcasts, collectors made up their own titles and to
this date, there are still sources on the web (Heandiges is one) where the
fictitious titles are still being available to collectors.  Case in point
where a one-stop source has become available to the public yet some people
still prefer to avoid other people's research and simply list whatever comes
their way.

For best results, when consulting a log or episode guide, verify where the
source was for the information, or make sure it's from a researcher who has
a reputation for being exact with their information.  This will help in the
long run.
Martin Grams, Jr.

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 14:25:48 -0400
From: "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  "Dick Tracy", et al.

     I might ask much the same question about the
villians in "Dick Tracy" series.  Were any of the
villians like Pruneface, Flattop, Mumbles, etcetera
ever included in the radio series or not.  I bought
a set of "Dick Tracy" recently and none of them were
on any of the episodes.  Nor were any of the regular
'helpers' shown on the animated series such as Moonmaid.
     The only stock characters I remember were Dick
Tracy Jr., and Tess Truehart.
     Could this be due to the fact that the impact of
most of these characters was mostly visual? Hmmm?
Of course it could be said that the opposite was true
in the case of "Ellery Queen".  That radio series
almost always had a character named Nicky Porter to
assist Ellery with his cases.  The TV version with Jim
Hutton or the movie with Peter Lawford did not.  Did
radio people get to select which characters to use and
which to not use?

An OTR Fan,

Kenneth Clarke

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:37:15 -0400
From: David <martindb@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Question about " Look Who's Laughing" with
 Edgar Bergen and Jim and Marian Jordan?

I watched this movie and was wondering about the relationship of Edgar
Bergen and the Jordans as they made 2 movies together.  I can see
either in a film, but this is a unusual pairing.  Was there a specific
reason that these two  popular ORS personalities were paired in these
movies?

Thanks

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:42:48 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  8-14 births/deaths

August 14th births

08-14-1867 - John Galsworthy - Kingston Hill, Surrey, England - d. 1-31-1933
author: "Columbia Workshop"; "Great Plays"; "Theatre Guil On the Air"
08-14-1889 - Robert Woolsey - Oakland, CA - d. 10-31-1938
actor: "Hollywood Hotel"
08-14-1893 - Carl Benton Reid - Lansing, MI - d. 3-16-1973
actor: Roger Allen "Big Sister"
08-14-1903 - Millard Mitchell - Havana, Cuba - d. 10-13-1953
actor: Casey "Mighty Casey"
08-14-1909 - Ed Herlihy - Dorchester, MA - d. 1-30-1999
announcer: "Advs. of the Thin Man"; "Just Plain Bill"; "Vic and Sade"
08-14-1914 - Alyce King - Payson, UT - d. 8-21-1996
singer: (The King Sisters) "Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers"; "Al Pearce and
His Gang"
08-14-1914 - Bill Downs - Kansas City, MO - d. 5-3-1978
newscaster: CBS Moscow 1942
08-14-1917 - Marty Glickman - NYC - d. 1-3-2001
sprorts broadcaster: "Saturday Night Bandwagon"; "Play Ball"; "Box Score
Review"
08-14-1920 - Nehemiah Persoff - Jerusalem, Palestine
actor: "Hollywood Radio Theatre
08-14-1926 - Alice Ghostly - Eve, MO
actress: "Theatre Five"

August 14th deaths

01-07-1930 - Douglas Kiker - Griffin, KS - d. 8-14-1991
nbc newsman: "Meet the Press"
02-15-1899 - Gale Sondergaard - Litchfield, MN - d. 8-14-1985
actress: "Columbia Presents Corwin"
06-25-1895 - Donald Gallagher - Quincy, IL - d. 8-14-1961
actor: P. Wallace Caarver "Houseboat Hannah"; Humble Dickinson "Joan and
Kermit"
07-07-1917 - Doris Dudley - NYC - d. 8-14-1985
actress: Peggy Meek "Meet Mr. Meek"
08-24-1900 - Ralph Kirbery - Patterson, NJ - d. 8-14-1993
singer: (The Dream Singer) "Mohawk Treasure Chest"; "Musical Moments Revue"
12-21-1913 - Louise King - Salt Lake City, UT - d. 8-14-1997
singer (The King Sisters) "Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers"; "Al Pearce and
His Gang"
12-27-1906 - Oscar Levant - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 8-14-1972
panelist, pianist: "Information Please"; "Kraft Music Hall"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:42:55 -0400
From: tomkle@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Death of Fred Korb
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I was tremendously saddened to hear of the death of Fred Korb in the last
issue of the Digest. Fred was truly one of the nicest people I have ever met
in the OTR trading world. We only met in person 4 or 5 times, yearly at FOTR
in Newark, but we communicated via telephone and email regularly and we
traded many times over the years. He also religiously recorded Chuck Shaden's
Saturday afternoon show in Chicago for me for more than 5 years and he asked
for very little in return for that undertaking. You always hear on this list
about how nice people in the OTR community are and Fred really proved it. He
was just a great guy and I'm sure that I join others here in saying that he
will really be missed.
Tom

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:43:25 -0400
From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Hunter Hancock

I was surprised that no one posted on the death of radio disc jockey
Hunter Hancock. He died August 4th at the age of 88. He was the first DJ
to play rhythm and blues (then called race records) in the western [removed]
Old [removed] was on the air in Los Angeles from 1943 to 1968. He was on the
air with several programs and on different stations during his peak
years, but was best known as the voice of radio station KGFJ AM. He was
also featured on the record album series"Cruisin' 1959". He was to the
west coast what Alan Freed was to the east coast, only he started
several years earlier than Alan.
        Hunter's impact was huge and I remember that in high school (
1952-55) that more and more of the kids were listening to Hunter. I
personally never cared for that kind of music but nevertheless I think
that his passing should be noted as part of the history of OTR.

George Aust

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:43:59 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Paul Frees correction

Scott commented:

I hate to disagree with Martin, but I believe that Cedric Hardwicke does the
narration for THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Paul Frees has a role in the film as a
radio reporter covering the news with a tape recorder. Taped for future
[removed]"if any."

My fault, I should have been more descriptive.  Paul Frees was the OPENING
narrator for WAR OF THE WORLDS.
Martin

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:44:20 -0400
From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Elizabeth Heisch

The co-writer of THE CINNAMON BEAR,  Elizabeth Hiestand Heisch, passed away
last year. A brief obituary was published in the Digest earlier this week.

Elizabeth and her husband, Glanville, wrote this wonderful children's
serial in just six weeks in 1937. Elizabeth was quite an accomplished
writer.  For example, she sold a script to SUSPENSE for $250, which was
actually performed  twice.  Entitled "A Thing of Beauty,"  [borrowing a
line from John Keats] the play was first presented on December 28, 1944.
June Duprez replaced an ailing Ida Lupino in the title role.  When the play
was repeated on May 29, 1947, Angela Lansbury assumed the title role -- her
only appearance on SUSPENSE ( thank you Martin Grams for dates and details
of these broadcasts).

Elizabeth wrote the words to the lullaby of  "The Singing Tree," a
beautiful Cinnamon Bear song.  In November, I am going to print lyrics to
many of  "The Cinnamon Bear" songs and make them available to CB listeners
on the Digest--- free of charge.  I'll make an announcement and all you
need  to do is send me your postal address if you are interested.

This way you and your children can sing along during the appropriate
episode.  "The Cinnamon Bear" is truly an enchanting children's story, with
great suspense and colorful characters.  Both Elizabeth and Glan Heisch
left a tremendous legacy to all of us.

Dennis Crow

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 18:04:31 -0400
From: Twizoner@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  New Old Time Radio Collections

I've just looked at the latest issue of the Collector's Choice Music catalog
and noticed that they are carring a number of OTR collection sets that I
haven't seen before.  There are 20 hour sets of Fibber McGee & Molly, Amos N'
Andy,
Detective Shows and a Collectors set.  There are also 4 hour sets.  The
artwork design of these collections are different that those featured in the
current Radio Spirits catalog.  Does anyone know who is producing them?

Mike

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 18:04:47 -0400
From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Tribute to Alice Faye

National Review republished this tribute to Alice Faye timed to her passing
in 1998 today.  I can't believe it was really that long ago.

Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]

[removed]

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 18:07:38 -0400
From: "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Radio Scripts

        Frank Passage found a very useful site which has at least hundreds
of OTR radio scripts on line.  This site contains millions of documents from
the various tobacco industry and their are many radio script can be found
among them.  It is
[removed]

        Try the following search for the scripts for "The Jack Benny
Program" From January, 1950 through May 1955.  Lucky Strikes (American
Tobacco) was Benny's sponsor at that time. Apparently they were originally
in bound volumes.  There are about 12,000 pages of Jack Benny scripts
available for viewing

Select the American Tobacco database from the drop down list of databases
and insert the following words into search box

jack benny continuity radio

Signing off for now,

Stewart

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

Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 21:20:40 -0400
From: lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Whos Left??
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As time speeds by all of us and we lose more and more of the greats from otr,  I often
wonder whos left?  I'd to to hear about any otr greats who are still with us.  Maybe we could get a little discussion going on this subject? Thanks in advance to everyone who
contributes! 
 
Lynn Wagar

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End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #267
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