Subject: [removed] Digest V2011 #126
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 8/7/2011 4:18 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-to: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2011 : Issue 126
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Conventions                           [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
      Who has listened to OTR               [ LMooreRN@[removed] ]
      8-6 births/deaths                     [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Re: Conventions                       [ Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed]; ]
      RHAC                                  [ Ryan Ellett <oldradiotimes@[removed] ]
      This week in radio history 7-13 Augu  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:17:55 -0400
    From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Conventions

    Bryan Wright said,
    (SNIPPED)

>      it can be a tough sell to ask a young person to put all that aside and
>     learn enough about the entertainment scene of the 1940s to be able to
>     understand and appreciate the gags and references on the Fred Allen or Jack
>     Benny shows, for example.

    True. However, there's no reason why a modern-day audio adventure with a
    character like Jack Benny's on-air persona couldn't work today. As I said in
    my newspaper article about timeless radio shows (contact me off list for a
    PDF copy), "there will always be vain people or skinflints."

    I also consider "The Jack Benny" show to be more "evergreen" overall than
    "The Fred Allen Show" because Fred tended to have more topical references,
    especially in his walk down Allen's Alley. Of course there are topical
    references in "The Jack Benny Show" (as there are to one degree or another in
    any radio or TV series), but by and large the comedy centered around his
    foibles (the vanity, being a skinflint, etc.). Those aren't limited to the
    OTR era.

    Bryan said, "As entertainment today has become grittier and
    more "reality-based," I think it may also be hard for younger
    listeners to accept programs like "The Shadow," for instance."

    To some degree that depends on the episode. As to the _character_ of the
    Shadow, I think he could easily be updated to modern times, if a really good
    writer were at the helm of a present-day "Shadow" audio series.

    Bryan said, "I'm sorry to say that looking at a Captain Midnight decoder ring
    in the display case of a dealer in a hotel meeting room just doesn't provide
    the same critical interactive element that draws younger folks in."

    True. But modern-day versions of adventure series like "Captain Midnight" and
    "Jack Armstrong" might be as appealing to kids today as the originals were to
    kids decades ago. I recently listened to Jack Armstrong's 1940-1941
    adventures in the Philippines and the "Captain Midnight" storyline called
    "The Perada Treasure." Both were exciting adventures on their own merits, and
    both also tied in then cutting edge technology (walkie-talkies in Jack
    Armstrong's case) and/or the latest "fad" (the 1930s interest in airplanes
    and flying in Captain Midnight's case).

    I'll bet kids today would go for a modern-day audio adventure in the same
    vein as "Jack Armstrong" and "Captain Midnight" (which both had young
    protagonists (though they were more along the lines of sidekicks in "Captain
    Midnight"), especially if the latest technology were used in some exciting
    way.

    And kids today would probably be as interested in whatever premium might be
    offered by these hypothetical modern-day adventures as Captain Midnight's
    fans were in the decoder wheel.

    Bryan said, "Imagine the Shadow being interrupted by a cell phone every three
    minutes -- yech!)"

    Anyone who carries a cell phone around with him while engaged in clandestine
    work like the Shadow's _deserves_ to get interrupted every three minutes.
    Cars have glove compartments for a reason.

    Bryan said, "Add in a few more shows where casting is open to attendees,
    inviting participants to audition and experience what goes into crafting a
    show. The year I went to Cincinnati, they did one show this way and it
    was fun to watch, and I'm sure fun to act in."

    _Every_ Cincinnati re-creation is open to attendees auditioning. Even when
    Don Ramlow has his All Ears Theatre people come in to do a re-creation, there
    are still character parts open to the average attendee who wants to
    participate.

    Maybe more _lead_ parts should be available to the average attendee. A Lone
    Ranger fan would likely enjoy playing a part in a "Lone Ranger" recreation,
    but imagine his thrill if he actually got to play the part of the masked man.
    I've never acted in a re-creation (and don't plan to ever do so), but if I
    could have auditioned for the role of the Ranger opposite Fred Foy as
    narrator, I'd have jumped at the chance.

    I wrote an original "Johnny Dollar" script which was performed at the 2003
    Cincinnati convention. The female lead, named for my cousin, Kelley, was
    played by my friend Karen. But I suspect that was only because Rosemary Rice
    wasn't able to make it that year (Hal Stone played Johnny Dollar). Obviously
    the guests should play lead roles in some of the shows, but maybe a co-lead
    should be open to an attendee.

    Bryan said, "If possible, move the conventions around a bit if there are only
    to remain a few of them. I realize this is an organizational nightmare and
    may not be feasible, but having the convention in the same place every year
    can make it hard for those without the financial resources (or time) to
    travel half-way across the country."

    One down side to that is that it doesn't guarantee more attendees at a
    particular convention. If the Cincinnati convention were to re-name itself
    the Midwest Convention and be in a different city each year, you'd have
    people who'd always attend; but you'd also have people who'd only go every
    few years when it was relatively nearby. I'd rather see more small
    "family-reunion" type conventions like Cincinnati being offered around the
    country. That wouldn't necessarily mean more people attending a particular
    convention, but might mean more people attending conventions overall, and if
    the conventions include a focus on how audio adventures can and could be
    relevant to the present day, might lead to an increase in interest in this
    hobby.

    Rick

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

    Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:18:00 -0400
    From: LMooreRN@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Who has listened to OTR

    My granddaughter at age 10 has listened to ALL the known Archie  Andrews
    and loved them.  Favorite episode?  The one with the lost  baby.

    Am introducing her to Dimension X as she is interested in SciFi.

    Suggestion?  Find programs that fit the kids interests at  that time and
    have them listen.  Ya nevah know!

    Larry Moore

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

    Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:18:05 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  8-6 births/deaths

    August 6th births

    08-06-1881 - Leo Carrillo - Los Angeles, CA - d. 9-10-1961
    actor: Pedro "Grapevine Rancho"; "Four Frightened People"; "Good News
    of 1939"
    08-06-1881 - Louella Parsons - Freeport, IL - d. 12-9-1972
    commentator: "Hollywood Hotel"; "Louella Parsons"
    08-06-1888 - Arthur Fields - Philadelphia, PA - d. 3-29-1953
    singer: "Old Man of the Mountains"; "Pipe Smoking Time"
    08-06-1892 - Victor Rodman - Arkansas - d. 6-29-1965
    actor: Jerry Payne "Those We Love"
    08-06-1894 - Jack Kirkwood - Scotland - d. 8-2-1964
    actor: Jack Williams "Saunders of the Circle X"; Uncle Jim "Hawthorne
    House"
    08-06-1895 - Phil Boutelje - Phildelphia, PA - d. 7-29-1979
    arranger: Paul Whiteman Orchestra
    08-06-1900 - Tony Parenti - New Orleans, LA - d. 4-17-1972
    jazz clarinetist: "WNYC, NY Jazz Festival"
    08-06-1903 - Henry Burbig - d. 12-14-1980
    dialect comedian: "Burbig's Syncopated History"; "Vitaphone Hour"
    08-06-1909 - Mike Barry - d. 1-10-1992
    sportscaster: WKO Louisville, Kentucky
    08-06-1911 - Dwight Butcher - Oakdale, TN - d. 11-11-1978
    singer: (Cedar Ridge Boys) WBAP Fort Worth, Texas
    08-06-1911 - Lucille Ball - Celoron, NY - d. 4-26-1989
    comedian: Liz Cooper "My Favorite Husband"; Lucy Ricardo "I Love Lucy"
    08-06-1912 - Marina Koshetz - Moscow, Russia - d. 12-9-2000
    singer: "Kraft Music Hall"
    08-06-1914 - Dorothy Ashmore - d. 7-3-1989
    women's programming: WCAT Orange, Massachusetts
    08-06-1914 - Enright "Hi" Busse - Minnesota - d. 7-13-1997
    singer: (Riders of the Purple Sage) "Roy Rogers Show"; "Andrew Sisters"
    08-06-1915 - Jim Ameche - Kenosha, WI - d. 2-4-1983
    actor: Jack Armstrong "Jack Armstrong"; Jim West "Silver Eagle"
    08-06-1915 - Pamela Blake - Oakland, CA - d. 10-6-2009
    actor: "Sears Radio Theatre"
    08-06-1916 - Phil Leeds - NYC - d. 8-16-1998
    comic actor: "Jane Pickens Show"; "Slapsie Maxie Show"
    08-06-1917 - Edward Jewesbury - London, England - d. 1-30-2002
    actor: "Lady in a Fog"
    08-06-1917 - Robert Mitchum - Bridgeport, CT - d. 7-1-1997
    actor: "Family Theatre"; "So Proudly We Hail"
    08-06-1921 - Buddy Collette - Los Angeles, CA
    composer: "Uprising: Buddy Collette: Jazz Legend and Civil Rights
    Activist"
    08-06-1921 - Ella Raines - Snoqualmie, WA - d. 5-30-1988
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Red Cross Show"
    08-06-1922 - Jackie Kelk - Brooklyn, NY - d. 9-5-2002
    actor: Jimmy Olsen "Advs. of Superman"; Homer Brown "Aldrich Family"
    08-06-1922 - Old Joe Clark - Johnson City, TN - d. 2-20-1998
    banjo playing humorist: "Renfro Valley Barn Dance"
    08-06-1923 - William B. Williams - Babylon, NY - d. 8-3-1986
    disc jockey: Leading New York DJ for more than 40 years at WNEW
    08-06-1925 - Barbara Bates - Denver, CO - d. 3-18-1969
    writer: "Just Plain Bill"; "Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons"
    08-06-1932 - Jerry Girard - Chicago, IL - d. 3-25-2007
    disk jockey, record librarian, news writer, sportscaster
    08-06-1933 - Beverly Wills - California - d. 10-24-1963
    actor: (Daughter of Joan Davis) Fluffy Adams "Junior Miss"

    August 6th deaths

    01-16-1914 - Don Ettlinger - Detroit, MI - d. 8-6-2000
    writer: "Railroad Hour"; "Our Miss Brooks"; "Doctor Fights"
    01-24-1916 - Jack Brickhouse - Peoria, IL - d. 8-6-1998
    sportscaster: Chicago
    02-10-1914 - Larry Adler - Baltimore, MD - d. 8-6-2001
    harmonica player: "Forecast"
    02-16-1921 - Frances Rickett - Covington, KY - d. 8-6-2008
    writer: "Family Theatre"; "Al Goodman's Musical Album"
    02-19-1893 - Cedric Hardwicke - Stourbridge, England - d. 8-6-1964
    actor: Sherlock Holmes "BBC Home Theatre"; Winston Churchill "These
    Four Men"
    02-21-1929 - James Beck - Islington, North London, England - d. 8-6-1973
    actor: Private Joe Walker "Dad's Army"
    03-17-1930 - Grover C. Mitchell - Whatley, AL - d. 8-6-2003
    trombonist: "Count Basie and His Orchestra"; "Bring Back the Bands"
    03-25-1914 - Robert Rounseville - Attleboro, MA - d. 8-6-1974
    singer: "The Voice of Firestone"
    04-08-1930 - Dorothy Tutin - London, England - d. 8-6-2001
    actor: "Before the Party"
    04-12-1931 - Betty Clooney - Maysville, KY - d. 8-6-1976
    singer: (The Clooney Sisters) "Moon River"
    04-17-1903 - Gregor Piatigorsky - Yekaterinoslav, Russia - d. 8-6-1976
    cellist: "Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra"; "The Pause that
    Refreshes  . .  On the Air"
    04-17-1923 - Harry Reasoner - Dakota City, IA - d. 8-6-1991
    reporter: CBS News Washington
    05-17-1902 - Fausto Cleva - Trieste, Italy - d. 8-6-1971
    conductor: "NBC Symphony Orchestra"; "Metropolitan Opera Auditions"
    05-21-1906 - Marie Joan Callahan - Chicago, IL - d. 8-6-1984
    assistant director, director, producer and creator
    08-15-1898 - Monroe Upton - d. 8-6-1990
    announcer, writer, comedian: KFRC San Francisco
    08-29-1898 - Preston Sturges - Chicago, IL - d. 8-6-1959
    film producer, writer, director: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    09-15-1906 - Kathryn Murray - Jersey City, NJ - d. 8-6-1999
    hostess: "Advs. of Ellery Queen"
    10-01-1909 - Everett Sloane - NYC - d. 8-6-1965
    actor: Frank Kennelly, "21st Precinct"; Alfred Drake "This Is Nora
    Drake"
    10-08-1910 - Roswell B. Rogers - d. 8-6-1998
    writer: "Texaco Star Theatre"; "Old Gold Show"; "Lum and Abner"
    12-03-1904 - Roberto Marinho - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - d. 8-6-2003
    Owner of Brazil's Organizaces Globo radio
    12-22-1916 - David P. Kogan - d. 8-6-2009
    co-writer, producer, director: "Mysterious Traveler"

    Ron

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

    Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:18:14 -0400
    From: Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Conventions

    Bryan,

    Speaking as a baby boomer who first got interested in OTR when I was
    a kid in the '50s, before anyone called it OTR or "nostalgia," I
    think:

    1. You are a very odd duck, and are to be commended for your outlook.
    2. You have a lot of good ideas to bring younger people into the
    hobby, and those organizing conventions should pay heed.

    Jordan R. Young,
    "The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio & TV's Golden Age"

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

    Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:19:27 -0400
    From: Ryan Ellett <oldradiotimes@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RHAC

    I've been trying to get in touch for several weeks with members of the
    Colorado Radio Club with no luck. If anyone can help me make contact off list
    it would be much appreciated.
    Ryan

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: I realize I usually don't allow personal postings in the
    Digest, but I'd hate to think an entire OTR _club_ has vanished off of the
    face of the earth, so I'm allowing this one.  --cfs3]

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

    Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2011 15:19:32 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  This week in radio history 7-13 August

     From Those Were The Days

    8/7

    1949   Martin Kane, Private Eye was first heard on Mutual. William
    Gargan starred on the Sunday afternoon program.

    8/9

    1942   CBS debuted Our Secret Weapon. The program featured Rex Stout,
    who countered lies being broadcast by the Axis powers through shortwave
    radio.

    8/11

    1909    The international distress call, SOS, which replaced CQD (All
    stations distress!), was first used by an American ship "The Arapahoe"
    (out of Cape Hatteras, NC) on this day.

    8/12

    1937   Comedian Red Skelton got his first taste of network radio as he
    appeared on the Rudy Vallee Show on NBC.

    8/13

    1912   St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia, PA was granted the first
    experimental radio license by the [removed] Department of Commerce.

    Joe

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2011 Issue #126
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