Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #303
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 8/4/2002 12:44 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 303
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Today in radio history 8/4            [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Les Paul                              [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
      You won't hear any classical music o  [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
      pitch control cd player               [ "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed]; ]
      Falling Asleep to the Radio           [ "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@hotm ]
      Re: cassetts                          [ Shenbarger@[removed] ]
      Re: Kenny Gardner obit                [ Merlin Haas <mvhaas@[removed]; ]
      Re: 1951 Playoff Calls                [ Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@yahoo. ]
      Re: sleeping to OTR                   [ Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@yahoo. ]
      OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK SCHEDULE      [ HERITAGE4@[removed] ]
      OTR As A Sleep Aid?                   [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Re: Bob Hope programs                 [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Talking piano, tuba, etc              [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
      Talking Piano                         [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
      Attention Writers of OTR books        [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:35:38 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history 8/4

      From Those Were The Days --

    1921 - The first tennis match on radio was broadcast on KDKA in
    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was a natural since KDKA was the first
    commercial radio station in the United States. Within eight months the
    powers that be figured out that sports on radio would bring in big sales
    revenues. And so, the Davis Cup match between Great Britain and
    Australia was aired on the radio; but much to the wonderment of KDKA's
    listeners. Tennis anyone? On radio? It rates right up there with radio
    wrestling or, maybe, [removed]

    1927 - Radio station 2XAG, later named WGY, the General Electric station
    in Schenectady, NY, began experimental operations from a 100,000-watt
    transmitter. Later, the FCC regulated the power of AM radio stations to
    not exceed 50,000 watts on 'clear channels' (where few, if any, stations
    would cause interference with each other).

    1940 - Crime Doctor introduced a new kind of radio hero to audiences.
    The CBS program presented Dr. Benjamin Ordway, the show's main
    character, who was a victim of amnesia. He once was a criminal, but got
    hit on the head, and suddenly began to work as a crime fighter. Nice
    twist.

      Joe

    --
    Visit my home page:
    [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:36:20 -0400
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Les Paul

    I enjoyed Lee Munsick (why do I always want to change his last name to
    Music?) and his running commentary on Les Paul, one of my favorite
    musicians of the early 50s.  One of my limited possessions in those days
    was a 45rpm phonograph.  I do believe I must have acquired every Les
    Paul-Mary Ford recording made (still have them, though the phono is long
    gone).  "Little Rock Getaway" was among my favorites.

    Lee may have hosted Les at FOTR about three years ago when he made an
    appearance there.  Many of us hung onto everything he said.  Some time
    later that day I encountered Les  Paul in a hallway where six or eight
    believers had him cornered.  I wasn't aware that he even saw me as I
    stealthily pulled out a little notepad and held it by my side, hoping to
    catch him for an autograph when he finished with the group.  But he was
    more observant than I realized.  He quickly extended his hand, reaching
    for the pad, never interrupting his conversation to the crowd while doing
    so.  As he talked, he took a pen and signed my pad and handed it back to
    me.  I realized he had had a lifetime of signing autographs and could
    handle it unobtrusively, never missing a beat.  I was impressed with how
    he did so without infringing on anybody's time while giving everybody
    what they wanted.  To me it was the mark of the true professional he is.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:37:09 -0400
    From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  You won't hear any classical music on Muzak

    Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; said, much to my consternation:

>     ...that IMHO, MUZAK made a better sleep aid than any OTR program ever could.
>     ...I also admit to referring to Chopin in this description as [removed] as a
>     generic reference to any classical music. Although I'm certain there are
>     some who may enjoy this particular genre of music, I am not one of them and
>     I'm certain there are many others who agree with me on this point.

    Well, Ken, as Neil Crowley would probably say, "De gustibus non est
    disputandum." But I don't think you'll hear much classical music coming over
    Muzak speakers; much of it is far too rousing. And I defy you to sleep all
    the way through "Ride of the Valkyries," "Der Todentanz," _The Firebird
    Suite_, _Bolero_ or even _The Surprise Symphony_.

    I have to question the reference to classical music as a genre. "Genre" is
    defined by Merriam-Webster Online as *"*a category of artistic, musical, or
    literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content."
    What is commonly called classical music represents a plethora of styles,
    eras, arrangements, cultures, traditions, interpretations, inspirations and
    motivations and includes music from the middle ages up to the twenty-first
    century. Are you absolutely certain, in all that variety (far more than
    within any genre, or even than among popular genres; hip-hop and swing have
    more in common than the most diverse forms of "classical music") there's
    absolutely NOTHING to appeal to you?

    Do you not care, for example, for the themes to _The Lone Ranger_, _The Green
    Hornet_, _Challenge of the Yukon_, _The Shadow_, _I Love a Mystery_,
    _Escape_, or _The Lux Radio Theatre_? It seems half the OTR shows we love
    would have HAD no music had it not been for classical.

    Sadly, yes, there are far too many who agree with you on this point. Our
    public schools have abandoned the teaching of art and music as not having any
    practical applications to justify the expense (a point on which I disagree);
    probably literature will be discarded next, leaving only instruction in
    grammar. Even NPR is gradually abandoning classical music in favor of car
    talk (the popularity of which baffles me; doesn't help with my particular
    automotive problems and not nearly as funny as its hosts seem to think it
    is). Though it is possible to relate to classical music on an emotional
    level, without any instruction in music appreciation (as I came to it myself
    as a child), my appreciation is vastly increased by reading the liner notes
    of classical records and by the single music course I eventually took in
    college. Hearing classical music without some awareness of musical principles
    is sort of like watching _Hamlet_ as children; our enjoyment is pretty much
    limited to the sword fights.

    So why do I, a product of the underfunded schools of the rural South, having
    grown up without any musical instruction to speak of, have such a great
    affection for classical music? Must have been all that great classical music
    in the public domain that added so much excitement to my favorite radio
    shows. To this very day I can't hear "Overture to Donna Diana" without
    longing to hitch up the dogs and roam the windswept, snow-covered reaches of
    the Great Northwest.

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:37:29 -0400
    From: "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  pitch control cd player

    hi
    could someone, anyone help me find a cheap cd player with pitch control
    optical digital out and of course rca outputs, i would consider used lightly
    looking for new, around $125, i bought one 2 yrs ago from j & r for
    a hundred, of course when you realize you will need 2 that model or any
    other model is not to be had for that price.
    the model i have is a teac. i will/would conside any other brand
    ed, and thanks

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:37:49 -0400
    From: "George Tirebiter" <tirebiter2@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Falling Asleep to the Radio

    Hello All,

    Some years ago on the spring weekend when Daylight Savings Time begins just
    before going to sleep I had turned on the radio of my clock radio and was
    waiting for a top of the hour time check in order to set the clock radio
    ahead correctly to reflect DST.  I fell asleep.  I woke up precisely at 2AM
    to hear the announcer saying :"It is now 2AM, time to set your clock to
    Daylight Savings Time."  I did so, and then went back to sleep.

    George

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:38:29 -0400
    From: Shenbarger@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: cassetts

    Ed Olko tells us, "Have recently been converting to mp3 and find I have this
    huge collection of programs on cassette that I would like to get rid of."

    Just this week my mother returned a CD I made with my computer of some OTR
    shows. Hers are strictly audio, but no matter. The silver coating chipped
    off. There is no apparent abuse, no indication of an impact, no chemical
    loaded fingerprints. Mom is careful with her stuff.

    Commercial CD's are quite durable compared to the CD-R disks. The CD-R disks
    use various dyes which may be damaged by sunlight or prolonged bright room
    light. The dye is under the mirror coating on the top of the disk and the
    mirror coating is covered with lacquer. The quality of lacquers varies, just
    one more variable. Apparently the metallic coatings bond weakly to the soft
    dye layer. The disk integrity relies on an overlapping edge of metallic
    coating off the dye layer and onto the poylcarbonate substrate (thick clear
    plastic part) where the bond is strong. But the data area is still vulnerable
    to getting whacked.

    My point is, forget what you read about the 100 year life span of the CD-Rs
    we burn. They are easily hurt and then they don't work. Unless you keep two
    copies of your MP3's around, you might want to consider keeping the tapes.

    Don Shenbarger

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:38:45 -0400
    From: Merlin Haas <mvhaas@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Kenny Gardner obit

     From the New York Times News Service: (edited)
          Kenny Gardner, the light-voiced, cheerfully smooth tenor who for
    almost 30 years was the featured crooner with Guy Lombardo and His
    Royal Canadians, died July 26, in Manhasset, N. Y.  He was 89.
         Among the songs in which Mr. Gardner took center stage was the
    1950 hit "Enjoy Yourself, It's Later Than You Think."
        He won a scholarship to go west [from Iowa] to college, but
    instead ended up singing for radio shows in Los Angeles.
         He joined the Lombardo band--and the family--through Elaine
    Lombardo, who in 1940 heard him on the radio. She insisted that her
    brother listen. "Guy heard half the song and said, 'He's for me.' "
    she recalled.
         Mr. Garnder  retired from the band in 1978, soon after Guy Lombardo died.

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:39:02 -0400
    From: Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: 1951 Playoff Calls

    Elizabeth McLeod writes:

>     All that survives of the Russ Hodges/WMCA broadcast is the last half of
>     the ninth inning, followed by the Giants' clubhouse celebration.

    Hmm, I find that very curious. When I was in high school in the SF
    Bay area in the late '50s , early '60s,  one of the stations kept
    airing a promo saying, "the Giants win the pennant" with the day and
    time of the broadcast. (KSFO? KABL? I don't remember for sure.) This
    was a year in which the Giants were having a run at the pennant, but
    I don't think it was '61, the year they did win it.

    Anyway, when I tuned in the day promoted, they played the entire
    Dodgers-Giants game from 1951, concluding with Russ Hodges' hysteria.
    Incidentally, Hodges was still the Giants' announcer at that time,
    too. I didn't listen to the whole thing, but now I wonder. Maybe they
    played the McLendon broadcast until the last of the ninth? Does
    anyone from the Bay Area remember this broadcast?

    Alan

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 00:39:17 -0400
    From: Alan/Linda Bell <alanlinda43@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: sleeping to OTR

    I'm interested to find so many others admitting to using OTR as they
    drift off at night. I have a system that seems a bit more complicated
    than most. I have a RioVolt in the "office" plugged into a small FM
    transmitter. I set it to play about 4 or 5 comedy shows (Benny,
    Allen, whatever) and repeat them throughout the night. At my bedstand
    is an Aiwa TX 591 Walkman-type radio/cassette player. My wife needs
    silence to go to sleep, so I, too, use an earphone. The nice thing
    about the Aiwa, is that the radio has a sleep function. I usually set
    it for about a half hour and I'm normally asleep before it shuts off.

    If I wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back
    to sleep, which happens every once in a while, I just turn it back on
    again in half hour increments until I'm out. Sometimes I hear
    something I'd heard earlier in the evening, but I usually don't mind.

    Alan

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:12:56 -0400
    From: HERITAGE4@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK SCHEDULE

    Here's our upcoming shows for this week - through Saturday at:
    [removed]         24/7  hie end streaming   32kbps.

    SAME TIME, SAME STAION with Jerry Haendiges
    1. THE JACK CARSON SHOW  3/5/47     Guest:  Howard Duff
    2. THE SCREEN GUILD THEATER   4/22/46   "Perfect Specimen"  stars:
        Betty Grable, Dame May Whitty and Jack Carson.
    3. FRONT AND CENTER   7/13/47  Hostess: Dorothy Lamour with
        Guests:  Jack Carson and Dick Powell.
    4. SUSPENSE    11/7/46   "Easy Money"  with Jack Carson,  Cathy Lewis,
        Paul Frees and Elliott Lewis.

    HERITAGE RADIO THEATRE with Tom Heathwood
    1. X MINUS ONE   NBC   10/10/57   "Death Wish"
    2. LASSIE   ABC   1947    "Jumpy"
    3. I LOVE ADVENTURE   NBC  Summer, 1948  "What Big Teeth You Have
        Grandma"
    4. COLGATE SPORTS NEWSREEL with Bill Stern     NBC  3/18/49
        Pgm. #490 with Guest: Susan Hayward.

    Enjoy ---  Tom & Jerry

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:13:30 -0400
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR As A Sleep Aid?

    With all the discussion of drifting off to sleep listening to OTR, I
    recall that as a child of 9 years of age, I used OTR the other way.  I
    managed to get a crystal-set arrangement somewhat surreptitiously to my
    bed, and after bedtime, I used to listen to Inner Sanctum Mysteries and
    like shows while I was supposed to be sleeping.

    Now it it had been Lights Out or Quiet, Please, I might have _stayed_
    awake for another hour or [removed]

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:15:26 -0400
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Bob Hope programs

    On 8/4/02 12:56 AM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:

>     I was wondering why of all of the big NBC comedies that were ratings
>     powerhouses, the Bob Hope Show is the program with by far the fewest episodes
>     currently available. Were most of the recordings of the programs just trashed
>     one day en masse?

    Most of the Hope programs, at least from 1937 forward, do exist -- and
    many of them in duplicate copies. The Hope family donated an enormous
    collection of recordings to the Library of Congress a few years ago, and
    the LOC already had a substantial number of Hope recordings from the
    spring of 1942 forward.

    Few of these have found their way into circulation because Hope
    Enterprises has kept a very tight leash on the recordings so as to
    prevent them from being bootlegged. Most of the Hope recordings that have
    circulated up till now have been from AFRS discs or other recordings that
    were not in the possession of the Hope organization.

    In May of this year, MediaBay (Radio Spirits) obtained exclusive
    worldwide distribution rights to over 700 Hope programs thru a contract
    with Hope Enterprises. I imagine we'll soon be seeing boxed "Best of
    Hope" sets, as well as hearing edited episodes airing on "When Radio Was"
    before long.

    Once that happens it'll be interesting to see how well Hope's radio work
    has aged. Unlike his movie work, which depended largely on his
    "fast-talking coward" characterization for laughs, he tended on radio to
    simply be a mouthpiece for rapid-fire jokes. While he was probably the
    single biggest influence on the aggressive tone of mid-forties radio
    comedy, he was also the comedian who was most dependent on topical
    material -- *much* more so than Fred Allen -- and it will be interesting
    to see if his programs succeed today as anything more than historical
    artifacts.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:16:23 -0400
    From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
    To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Talking piano, tuba, etc

    The device that enabled any musical  instrument, or any other inanimate
    object, like a train or a bubbling brook, to talk, was called the
    Sonovox. It was invented by Gilbert Wright in the late 30s. It consisted
    of two transducers with magnet and voice-coil assembly instead of
    standard speakers. One would place these on either side of one's throat
    and merely mouth (not speak) the words. The two units would vibrate the
    larynx with whatever sound was being played through them. Many OTR
    sounds were produced this way, including the well-known Bromo-Seltzer
    commercial. It was also used for the voice of the train in Disney's
    "Dumbo." From the 1950s on, it was used more in movies and on TV, then
    on radio.

    You can still see this device today by viewing a video copy of "You'll
    Find Out", a wacky musical comedy movie by RKO, released in 1940. The
    film features Kay Kaiser and his orchestra with vocalists Harry Babbit
    and Ginny Simms, along with movie horror-villains, Peter Lorre, Bella
    Lugosi, and Boris Karloff. The devise is used in two or three scenes,
    including Babbit singing into it, and Lugosi utilizing it in another
    scene.

    Musician and OTR researcher Gary Schneider of Alameda, CA has been
    collecting data on this device and its inventor and recently wrote an
    article on this topic for RADIO RECALL.  He would welcome any additional
    input from those who know more about the inventor. You can e-mail him at
    GarySchmaltzy@[removed].

    Jack French
    Editor: RADIO RECALL

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:16:38 -0400
    From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Talking Piano

    Actually there were two taking piano records that I'm aware of. In addition
    to Rusty in Orchestraville, there was Sparky's Magic Piano. The other
    Sparky record was Sparky's Talking Train.

    The Sparky here is not to be confused with Big Jon and Sparkie. Although,
    the records may have been played on the No School Today show.

    Fred
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 11:23:22 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Attention Writers of OTR books

    If anyone has ever written a book or books about Old Time Radio and
    self-published, please contact me asap.

    OTR PUBLISHING is expanding and would like to go to print with a catalog in
    late September, listing the largest one-stop source for OTR books ever.  (I
    know OTR Publishing couldn't list EVERY book, obviously, but they can be
    close!)  To the best of my knowledge, there isn't presently a real one-stop
    source for all OTR books published, nor a publishing company specializing in
    just OTR books, so now is the time.

    If you've ever written a book on OTR and self-published (that means you went
    and paid out of your own pocket to have the book printed), please contact me
    asap with the name of your book and your mailing address.  If you wrote a
    book and it got published by a publishing house, still contact me as we'll
    try to get your book's title and such put on the list.  If you know of any
    OTR authors who are not on this list, please call them asap!

    Thanks!
    Martin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #303
    *********************************************

    Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
      including republication in any form.

    If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
       [removed]

    For Help: [removed]@[removed]

    To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]

    To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
      or see [removed]

    For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
      in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]

    To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]

    To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]