Subject: [removed] Digest V2010 #192
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 11/6/2010 2:19 PM
To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-to:
[removed]@[removed]

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2010 : Issue 192
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Re: Fourth Wall Talk.                 [ "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed]; ]
  Rochester                             [ Campbell Connell <rcconnell@[removed] ]
  Radio Through the Decades             [ Steve Darnall <fvpress@[removed] ]
  Shameless Promotion for Vic and Sade  [ "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed]; ]
  Re: Fourth Wall Talk                  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  11-4 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  Tippy Stringer Huntley Conrad         [ "bob@[removed]" <bstepno@mindsprin ]
  RE: Orson Welles and "The Shadow"     [ Michael Ogden <michaelo67@[removed] ]
  Jack Benny Radio Credits              [ Fass Martin <watchstop@frontiernet. ]
  Names--PS                             [ Fass Martin <watchstop@frontiernet. ]
  The Devil's Mask query                [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
  Benny credits by "real name"          [ "Laura Leff" <president@[removed] ]
  1938 War of Worlds report in UK       [ Michael Berger <[removed]@yaho ]

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:00:43 -0400
From: "Glenn P.," <C128User@[removed];
To: "[The Old-Time Radio Mailing List]" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Fourth Wall Talk.

On Tue., 02-Nov-2010 at 12:01:46 EDT (-0400 GMT), RentingNow@[removed] wrote:

 > Would we consider Shakespeare someone who broke down the fourth wall?  I
 > would also suggest that the phenomenon goes all the way back to Greek times
 > - but then, one might say that there wasn't any wall in the amphitheater
 > from which to break forth.

No. You miss the point entirely -- the Fourth Wall was then, and has always
been, the (in a sense) actual, yet imaginary, "wall" of the on-stage room
being depicted. Even way back in the days of the Greek ampitheatre, they must
have had SOME plays with some scenes set in indoor rooms! Those rooms of
necessity had to have invisible "walls" through which the audience was
viewing the action, walls which were held to be solid to the actors, but
nonexistent for the audience.

Because of the "solidity" of these "walls" to the actors, the audience was
held to be invisible to the actors -- they were concealed from their sight
and hearing. Transgressing this convention was every bit as much "breaking
the Fourth Wall" back then as it would be today -- it's just that, with
invisible walls surrounding the *entire stage*, the concept was slightly
broader Back Then than it is today.     :)

[ADMINISTRIVIA: We're getting a bit far afield - back to OTR, shall we?
--cfs3]

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:00:52 -0400
From: Campbell Connell <rcconnell@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Rochester

Since the more knowledgable people did not chime in, I believe that for the
first few years Rochester was on the show, he wasn't credited at all.  He was
just another character like those Mel Blanc played and those always had
ficticious names.  As he became one of the show's top draws, they started
crediting him, but I guess to avoid clashing with the show's illusion that
everything that happened on it was real, they credited him with the name used
on the show.

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:02:23 -0400
From: Steve Darnall <fvpress@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Radio Through the Decades

Many of you probably know that this last Tuesday November 2 was the 90th
anniversary of the "debut" of Pittsburgh station KDKA, which began by
broadcasting election returns (which meant that for some Americans, radio
started with bad news). Anyway, in honor of this 90th anniversary, "Those
Were the Days" is devoting our upcoming show to "Radio Through the Decades,"
with en episode of the Empire Builders from 1930, Fibber McGee and Molly from
1940, The Big Show from 1950, and Suspense from 1960. Those of you in Chicago
are invited to tune in from 1 to 5 pm CST this Saturday; around the world,
you can hear us live at [removed] (and we'll archive the show for a week
at [removed]).

That same night, the celebration continues with the live induction broadcast
for the National Radio Hall of Fame. This year's inductees include country
music legend Ralph Emery, sonic icon Sam Phillips, and "Music and the Spoken
Word." Information about the live broadcast can be heard at [removed].

Thanks for listening.

 ***** WARNING! UNHANDLED BAD CHARACTER!!!!!

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:02:29 -0400
From: "Jan Bach" <janbach@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Shameless Promotion for Vic and Sade piece

Hello, again --

Many of you know that I am a professional musician and composer. Thought you
might like to know that for a recent commission I combined the dialogue from
an old Vic and Sade radio program "Vic Fakes the Cornet" (March 27, 1940)
with several band pieces he mentions, played here by a brass quintet. If you
are in the Chicago area, consider attending the Gaudete Brass Quintet
concert this coming Saturday, November 6 at 7 pm at the Merit School of
Music on 38 South Peoria Avenue, where "Vic and Sade's Band Concert" will
receive its world premiere.

Don't miss it if you can!

Jan Bach
[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:02:37 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Fourth Wall Talk

    Larry Moore wrote --

   > ... the first  Burns and Allen episode.  You
will see general confusion on how to handle  the fourth wall situation.
  In that episode there was literally a fourth  wall that George stepped
over.  It was a sort of fake brick thing. Talk about  awkward?

   While I seldom watch t-------n, which I consider a passing fancy (and
have had my mine on only twice since July, for a total of four hours) I
have seen that first show and what I recall was Bill Godwin's middle
Carnation commercial.  As on radio after presenting the attributes of
Carnation he would walk away from the mike.  On the tv show he starts
walking off and is called back by George, that he has to leave by the
door, not walking though a wall.  Sheepishly, Godwin walks back across
the stage and out the front door.  :)
   Ah, the joys of live early tv.
   Joe

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:02:42 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  11-4 births/deaths

November 4th births

11-04-1879 - Will Rogers, Sr. - Oolagah,  Oklahoma Territory - d.
8-15-1935
humorist: (America's Greatest Humorist) "Gulf Headliners"
11-04-1892 - Philip Featherstone - Illinois - d. 3-19-1969
mandolin: "Golden Melody Boys"
11-04-1893 - Howard Hoffman - Ohio - d. 6-27-1969
actor: Chandu "Chandu the Magician"
11-04-1896 - Harry Woods - North Chelmsford, MA - d. 1-13-1970
compser: "Great Moments to Music"
11-04-1896 - Ian Wolfe - Canton, IL - d. 1-23-1992
actor: "Suspense"; "Cavalcade of America"; "Escape"
11-04-1900 - Arthur Schwartz - Brooklyn, NY - d. 9-3-1984
composer: "The Gibson Family"
11-04-1901 - Helene Dumas - Brooklyn, NY - d. 12-23-1986
actor: "Jane Arden"; "Eno Crime Club"; "Short Short Story"
11-04-1902 - Frank Jenks - Des Moines, IA - d. 5-13-1962
actor: "The Navy Comes Through"
11-04-1904 - Sam Hayes - Cooksville, IL - d. 7-28-1958
news commentator: "Newstime with Sam Hayes"; "Sperry Breakfast News"
11-04-1906 - Bob Considine - Washington D. C. - d. 9-25-1975
announcer: "Fred Waring Show"; "Sports Broadcasts"
11-04-1906 - Sterling North - Edgerton, WI - d. 12-21-1974
writer, host, critic: "Of Men and Books"
11-04-1908 - Colin Simpson - Petersham, Australia - d. xx-xx-1983
writer: "Six from Borneo"
11-04-1910 - Abby Lewis - Mesilla Park, NM - d. 11-27-1997
actor: Telephone Operator "House in the Country"
11-04-1911 - Dixie Lee Crosby - Harriman, TN - d. 11-1-1952
actor: (Wife of Bing) "Shell Chateau"; "Bing Crosby Show"
11-04-1911 - Jack Rose - Warsaw, Russian Empire - d. 10-21-1995
writer: "The Bob Hope Show"
11-04-1911 - Josephine Huston - d. 10-19-1967
vocalist: "Take a Note"
11-04-1912 - Humphrey Davis - Meriden, CT - d. 5-23-1987
actor: Al Douglas "Life Can Be Beautiful"; Sheriff Jackson "Tennessee
Jed"
11-04-1914 - Court Benson - Vancouver, Canada - d. 2-5-1995
announcer, narrator: "Tennessee Jed"; "Backstage Wife"
11-04-1916 - Walter Cronkite - St. Joseph, MO - d. 7-17-2009
newscaster: "Soldiers of the Press"; "A Tribute [removed]"
11-04-1917 - Jean King - Dallas, TX - d. 8-19-1993
disk jockey: Lonesome Gal "Lonesome Gal"
11-04-1918 - Art Carney - Mount Vernon, NY - d. 11-9-2003
actor: Billy Oldham "Joe and Ethel Turp"; General Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Living 1948"
11-04-1918 - Cameron Mitchell - Dallastown, PA - d. 7-6-1994
actor: "Crime Does Not Pay"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
11-04-1918 - Jay Jackson - Stockdale, OH - d. 8-16-2005
host, announcer: "Broadway Talks Back"; "Radio Reader"s Digest"
11-04-1919 - Martin Balsam - NYC - d. 2-13-1996
actor: "Cloak and Dagger"
11-04-1919 - Shirley Mitchell - Toledo, OH
actor: Alice Darling "Fibber McGee and Molly"; Leila Ransom "Great
Gildersleeve"
11-04-1927 - Bobby Breen - Toronto, Canada
singer, actor: "The Eddie Cantor Show"
11-04-1930 - Kate Reid - London, England - d. 3-27-1993
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
11-04-1931 - Clinton Ford - Salford, Lancashire, England - d. 10-21-2009
singer: "Saturday Club"

November 4th deaths

01-26-1945 - Marti Caine - Sheffield, Yorkshire, England - d. 11-4-1995
comedian: "The Marti Caine Show"
02-14-1904 - Bruce Barrington - d. 11-4-1990
newscaster: WEBQ Harrisburg, Illinois
03-29-1867 - Cy Young - Gilmore, OH - d. 11-4-1955
baseball pitching great: "Feature Project: This Game of Baseball"
04-04-1908 - Ernestine Gilbreth Carey - NYC - d. 11-4-2006
writer: (Cheaper By the Dozen) "Lux Radio Theatre"
05-13-1912 - Phil Alampi - d. 11-4-1992
farm newscaster: ABC, WJZ New York, New York
07-20-1902 - Jimmie Tansey - Omaha, NE - d. 11-4-1950
actor: Danny O'Neill "The O'Neills"; Clement Arnaud "Hilltop House"
08-02-1890 - Leila Roosevelt - d. 11-4-1973
explorer: (cousin of FDR) "So You Want to Be"
08-05-1916 - Elizabeth Bemis - d. 11-4-2004
newscaster: WLW Cincinnati, Ohio
09-22-1913 - Chuck Acree - St. Louis, MO - d. 11-4-1991
emcee: "Hint Club"; We, the Wives"; Ladies Be Seated"
10-21-1915 - Frances Mercer - New Rochelle, NY - d. 11-4-2000
actor: "Nothing Serious"
11-10-1899 - George Storer - Champaign, IL - d. 11-4-1975
Broadcast Executive
11-23-1908 - Nelson Bond - Scranton, PA - d. 11-4-2006
writer: "Hot Copy"; "Suspense"; "Dr. Christian"
12-02-1913 - Jerry Sohl - Los Angeles, CA - d. 11-4-2002
author: "X Minus One"
12-27-1893 - Ann Pennington - Camden, NJ - d. 11-4-1971
actor: "Good News of 1938"
xx-xx-1913 - Joy Hathaway - British Columbia, Canada - d. 11-4-1954
actor: Amanda Dyke Leighton "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill"

Ron

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:03:00 -0400
From: "bob@[removed]" <bstepno@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Tippy Stringer Huntley Conrad

(Sorry for the delay I accidentally sent this with the wrong mail-server 
and it was rejected.)

Date: Nov 2, 2010 12:52 PM

I did see a mention of Tippy Stringer Huntley Conrad and don't know
whether anyone passed on her Washington Post obit:

[removed]

Given the day I'm sending this, I have to mention she was also "Miss
Get Out the Vote" in 1956

Bob
[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:05:27 -0400
From: Michael Ogden <michaelo67@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  RE: Orson Welles and "The Shadow"
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

Martin made the assertion that Orson Welles was hoping to make a movie version
of THE SHADOW in the fall of 1947:

Years after his departure from radio's The Shadow, in the fall of 1947, hard
up for money, struggling with a nasty divorce from wife Rita Hayworth and
fine-tuning his recent project, MACBETH, Orson Welles toyed with the idea
of producing and directing a motion picture in England based on The Shadow.
Screenwriter Charles Lederer completed a script. After failing to convince
at least two American producers to fund the project and unable to sign any
contracts with Street & Smith, Welles chose to film OTHELLO and spent no
further time working on bringing The Shadow to the big screen.

My research has led me to a different conclusion, namely that "The Shadow"
that Orson was proposing to film was not the pulp-and-radio character but
rather the Ben Hecht short story, "The Shadow," that he had appeared in on
SUSPENSE in 1944, under the title "The Marvelous Barastro." This makes a lot
more sense, in the terms of a project that Welles in 1947 would actually have
been interested in doing--a dual-role tour-de-force in hopefully what would
have been a kind of follow-up to Hecht's own film version the year before of
his story, "Spectre of the Rose."

Mike Ogden

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

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:05:43 -0400
From: Fass Martin <watchstop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Jack Benny Radio Credits

On this matter of referring to one person on the show as "Rochester,"
I wonder if anybody can answer this question.  What if the man
himself, taking into account his ability to obtain work on other
programs, in the movies and so on, WANTED to be named in the credits
as "Rochester?"

In other words, maybe that name was worth money, while "Eddie
Anderson" was merely the name of some fellow nobody could really place.

--Martin Fass

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:13:06 -0400
From: Fass Martin <watchstop@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Names--PS

There are so many instances where performers had trouble getting
others to speak their names as they, themselves, preferred.  Two
examples.

When he had his own fine radio program on a Los Angeles radio station
in about 1960, it was clear that "Johnny Green" was "John" to his
family and friends, and "John" is what he called himself.  In only a
few rare credits was he identified that way.

Louis Armstrong.  He wanted to be known as Louis, pronouncing the "s"
distinctly.  His friends knew this, and spoke his name accordingly.
Meanwhile, many who pretended to be one of his intimates would, time
and again, called him "Satchmo" or "Louie."

--Martin Fass

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:13:43 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  The Devil's Mask query

I just listened to "The Devil's Mask" on THE WITCH'S TALE, concerning a man
in the jungle land of British Africa, frustrated at the natives who continue
beat their savage drums, and sets out to shoot one of them in between the
eyes. He spends his remaining days in the jungle tormented by the Devil's
Mask, which he cannot get rid of. Even on board the luxury liner back home to
England, and at home as the sound of the drums keep torturing him. He goes
slowly crazy as the weeks pass, unable to get rid of the Devil's mask that
keep reappearing and finally the wooden mask is thrown into the fire -- a gun
shot sounds, and he is shot dead between the eyes. Seems a cartridge was
inside the mask and the fire caused the bullet to burst.

What's bothering me is the fact that I've heard or read this story already. I
have a very good memory for things like this but for the life of me, I cannot
remember where. This same story, the exact story, was done on another radio
program. I keep thinking I read a script (so it might have been to a radio
broadcast that does not exist) but it might have been featured on an existing
recording. Does this story ring a bell to anyone and if so, where was it
broadcast other than THE WITCH'S TALE?

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:15:52 -0400
From: "Laura Leff" <president@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Benny credits by "real name"

Dixon Hayes wrote:

I know that's not much of an explanation, but I'm unaware  (Laura Leff,
call
me out of I'm wrong!) of say, Frank Nelson, Bea Benederet or  Mel Blanc
ever being credited on the show by their real or character  names.

There were isolated cases when Jack would bring out a supporting player and
introduce them by their "real" names.  This happened mostly with Mel Blanc,
and more on television than radio.  And how could you introduce Frank Nelson
by his character's name?  The "Yeeeeesssss" man?  Of course, supporting cast
was never credited at the top of the show.  And there are at least a couple
end-of-season shows where Jack brings out a lot of people and introduces
them by name.

I'm basically in line with what a lot of people have said on this question.
Don Wilson is the only one where his birth name = his character name.
(Don't forget that Phil Harris was actually Wonga Phillip Harris.)  For most
of the others, their "legal name" = their "character name".  Eddie Anderson
is even buried as Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and never really tried to move
away from the character, as opposed to someone like Butterfly McQueen trying
(very unsuccessfully) to move away from "Prissy".  One has to wonder if
Anderson saw her lack of success in breaking the typecast (remember that
McQueen worked on the Benny show and left it because she was "tired of
playing Prissy"), figured he knew what side his bread was buttered on, and
stayed with a good thing.  Plus, Anderson's personal priorities were much
more centered around his boats, race horses, cars, etc., than trying to make
himself into a bigger star.  Like Jack not needing the punch line because
people would remember that "The Jack Benny Program" was [removed] long as
"Rochester" is getting the exposure and that's no one other than him, why
bother trying to reinforce the full name?

--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]

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

Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2010 16:17:54 -0400
From: Michael Berger <[removed]@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  1938 War of Worlds report in UK

The Guardian today reprinted its story from the 1 November 1938 edition
titled: Radio play upsets Americans / Michael Berger

Here's the text:

NEW YORK, OCTOBER 31

A wireless dramatisation of Mr H. G. Wells's fantasy "The War of the Worlds"
- a work that was written at the end of last century - caused a wave of panic
in the United States during and after its broadcast last night at eight
o'clock. Listeners throughout the country believed that it was an account of
an actual invasion of the earth by warriors from Mars. The play, presented by
Mr. Orson Welles, a successful theatrical producer and actor, gave a vivid
account of the Martian invasion just as the wireless would if Mr. Wells's
dream came true.

The programme began with music by a New York City hotel dance band, which was
interrupted suddenly by a Columbia news announcer who reported that violent
flashes on Mars had been observed by Princeton University astronomers. The
music was resumed, but was soon interrupted again for a report that a meteor
had struck New Jersey. Then there was an account of how the meteor opened and
Martian warriors emerged and began killing local citizens with mysterious
death-rays. Martians were also observed moving towards New York.

Many people tuning in to the middle of the broadcast jumped to the conclusion
that there was a real invasion. Thousands of telephone calls poured into the
wireless station and police headquarters. Residents of New Jersey covered
their faces with wet cloths as a protection against poisonous gases and fled
their homes carrying their most valuable possessions.

Reports of a gas attack spread so quickly in New Jersey because of the
broadcast that doctors and nurses offered their services and hospitals
treated many people for "shock".

A man burst into a cinema at Orange, New Jersey, shouting warnings. The
entire audience leapt to its feet and the cinema emptied within a few
minutes. In some cases people told the police and newspapers that they had
seen the "invasion".

In parts of Atlanta, Georgia, the inhabitants thought the end of the world
had arrived. A man ran into an Indianapolis church screaming "New York is
destroyed. It's the end of the world. We might as well go home to die. I've
just heard it on the radio."

The wireless audience was fooled to a considerable extent in spite of
repeated announcements during the broadcast that the drama was purely
fictional. The Federal Communications Commission has begun an inquiry with a
view to preventing the repetition of such a terrifying event. A senator from
Iowa said that he has prepared a bill for the next session of Congress with
the same purpose.

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2010 Issue #192
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