Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #165
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 5/14/2004 10:18 AM
To: <[removed]@[removed];

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2004 : Issue 165
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Wendy Warren, from beginning to end   [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
  Check and double check                [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
  A Re-creation Invite from Craig W.    [ Wich2@[removed] ]
  Mae West                              [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
  Crazy Quilt                           [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
  5-14 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  Closet Inventory                      [ <welsa@[removed]; ]
  Re: Eastern War Time                  [ David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@yahoo. ]
  Lamont Johnson as convention guest    [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
  Mae West Scandal                      [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
  CBS Harlem Serenade?                  [ danhughes@[removed] ]

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:16:00 -0400
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Wendy Warren, from beginning to end

A. Joseph Ross stated:

When I heard Wendy Warren sometime around 1954 or 1955, Wendy Warren
delivered the newscast herself, for a few minutes, at the end of the
show.  After returning from a commercial, the announcer said, "And now,
Wendy Warren and the News!"  And Wendy Warren (or the actress who played
the part) read the news.

I believe this is not the first time Joe has made a similar statement.

For the life of me, I can't figure this one out.  We were listening to Wendy
Warren virtually every day all summer long during that period while my
mother prepared lunch and served it and never recall anybody other than
Douglas Edwards delivering the news headlines immediately followed by about
a one-minute "news report from the women's world" given by Wendy (actress
Florence Freeman) starting at straight up 12 o'clock.  If Edwards was
removed and the "news" followed the drama, I simply never heard it.  And
what would be the point?

CBS wanted to capitalize on the vast audience of news-oriented listeners
(including millions of males) who tuned in at noon for the news featuring a
respected and well recognized journalist.  Legions of those stayed on for
the brief narrative.  Why take Edwards away and deliver the news at 12:12 or
12:13?  I need some more convincing before accepting such a really radical
notion.

Does anyone else remember it that way?  None of the
researchers/documentarians I have depended upon, at least to my
recollection, claim that the drama preceded the newscast.  Could it, for
whatever the reason, have been "tried" as an experiment for a brief time and
dropped?  (Still would wonder why.)  If so, I'd venture that it didn't
happen during summertime when a number of us on this forum were listening
every day.

If I'm wrong, I beg a thousand pardons.  I'd really like to know if anybody
else remembers the story being aired before the news at any time.

Jim Cox

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:16:17 -0400
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Check and double check

At COSI, the giant science and industry museum in Columbus, Ohio, there is
an exhibit that depicts the history of the Cracker Jack Company, including a
definitive collection of the prizes since 1912.  It also includes a
collection of candy and popcorn boxes made by Cracker Jack and its
competitors since the 19th century.  I thought of Elizabeth when I found,
amongst the Happykrax and Razzle Dazzle, a box of Check and Double Check
popcorn candy.

It was very old, with small pictures of two black men, one of whom wore a
cap emblazoned "TAXI."  There was no reference to Amos and Andy anywhere on
the package. I suppose that the "Energy Candy Co." (what a splendid name!)
scooted around copyright considerations yet still capitalized on the Amos
'n' Andy craze.  The rest of the box was decorated with a checkered pattern,
the alternate squares of which contained either a check mark or two check
marks.

Long live the Energy Candy Co.

M Kinsler

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:21:29 -0400
From: Wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  A Re-creation Invite from Craig W.
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

The Episcopal Actors' Guild remembers "The Golden Age of Radio"
as SHERLOCK HOLMES meets FIBBER MCGEE!

"THE HINDOO IN THE WICKER BASKET"
(1932 - by Edith Meiser)
The Great Detective and Good Doctor of Baker St. solve a murder
committed in full view of a Music Hall audience!
Directed by Craig "Sherlock" Wichman
(Whose Quicksilver Radio Theater is in its 9th year)

"THE GREAT WATER SCARE"
The Blustering Braggart and Long-Suffering wife of Wistful Vista deal with
a crisis in the town's water supply!
Directed by Arthur "Fibber" Anderson
(Who started in Radio at the age of 12)

WITH AN ALL-STAR / ALL- GUILD COMPANY!
Quicksilver's JOSEPH FRANCHINI and BERNADETTE FIORELLA
Friends of Old Time  Radio's CORRINE ORR and WILLIAM NADEL
also THOMAS BARBOUR  SCOTT GLASCOCK  PETER VON BERG MART HULSWIT

Guild Hall
One East 29th St., NYC
Thursday, May 20th at 7 PM

Limited Seating: Reservations a must! - Please call 212-685-2342

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

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:33:08 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Mae West

Kenneth Clarke commented:

I'm not defending her choice to perform the role
by any means, nor am I defending what the sponsors chose
to do as a result.  This is all of the facts I have on the
matter.  As far as I know, however, she never appeared on
any radio program after the ruling was made.

She was back on radio by the mid-1950s.  She appeared in dozens of radio
programs consenting to interviews, and excerpts from her radio appearances
fo the 1930s were featured on such 1954-1957 programs like BIOGRAPHY IN
SOUND.

An article about the Mae West "Adam and Eve" incident featuring Edgar
Bergen's own words on the matter, and Arch Oboler (of the LIGHTS OUT fame)
who wrote the skit and had to go to court to testify about the incident.
[removed]

Martin Grams, Jr.

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:34:04 -0400
From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Crazy Quilt

Steven Kostelecky" <skostelecky@[removed]; wrote:
I have to say I am very much impressed by Mr. Mayer's artwork on the
Cinnamon Bear and also Ms. Webster's quilting. ...There has to be a
feeling of period for the visualization to work, for one, and Mr. Mayer and
Ms. Webster's vision captures the feeling of a period children's
book admirably.

Thanks very much, Steven, and also Dennis Crow who wrote me offlist.
It's funny how elusive images you thought were clearly etched in your
brain can be when you try to make them visible to the eye as well as
the mind's eye. No one interpretation seems quite adequate. It's sort
of like the computer programs that try to make multidimensional
objects visible in only the two dimensions on your computer screen.
Thus I conclude that the audio world has more dimensions than the
visual one. But it was important to me that I come as close as
possible to the impressions of my childhood.

Ms. Webster had only fond memories of the Cinnamon Bear and had no
idea that the show still existed in any form, nor that there were
legions - no, Brigades - of folks still listening and still playing
the shows for new generations of wide-eyed children (and, yes, The
Cinnamon Bear CAN compete with computer animation, plasma tv's and
Nintendo games; I've seen it with my own eyes). I sent her some mp3's
and she was delighted by them (come to think of it, maybe THAT was
when she saw the artwork). We'd not seen each other much since she
and her husband moved to North Carolina, and I didn't realize how
involved she'd become with quilting. I'd been thinking for some time
I'd like to have a crazy quilt (inspired by the Crazy Quilt Dragon,
of course) into which would be worked the shape of a star and,
perhaps, the silhouette of a Teddy Bear and a Dragon. Obviously
Barbara had her own ideas, and she suggested the quilt should
incorporate a color version of my drawing; I'd no idea that was even
possible.

I'd like to see her do well with it, and not only because she has
insisted that I receive a portion of the proceeds, despite my weak
protests. Don't worry; at the price she's asking and considering the
time required to make each one, neither of us is going to grow
wealthy enough to lose our creative edge.

However, I fear I may have left a misimpression in my previous post:
though there is only one copy of the quilt at this time (and Dennis
Crow has dibs on that one), it is not exactly a one-of-a-kind item.
That is, Ms. Webster hopes to make more of them if anyone wants them,
though, considering the pace of her handwork, there are never likely
to be many. She is numbering them (I hadn't known that earlier) like
art prints, but this is sure to be a very limited edition, indeed (I
used to work in the advertising department of a department store that
had a whole "Limited Edition" section, mostly wildlife; most of these
pieces were regular offset press printings, indistinguishable from
the art in a good calendar, that were "limited" only in the sense
that even the numbers of the atoms in the universe are finite). She
also will make available kits with pre-dyed squares, also numbered,
for those whose fingers are still nimble enough, and eyes still sharp
enough, to sew the quilt themselves; no price yet on those.

For those who missed the previous post, here are the URL's one more time:
The Quilt: [removed]
Art close-ups: [removed]
That latter address is at my own website, which I've never published
- nor finished - because I misspelled the word "Animation" on one of
my buttons and I've never found time to correct it. So my website has
bloomed unseen. Until now.

As to my success in capturing a sense of period, I suspect I have an
affinity for bygone eras as I am a bit of a period piece myself.

--

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 13:46:54 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  5-14 births/deaths

May 14th births

05-14-1890 - Carlton Brickert - Martinsville, IN - d. 12-23-1943
actor: David Post "Story of Mary Marlin"; Howard Thurston "Thurston the
Magician"
05-14-1910 - Paul Sutton - Albuquerque, NM - d. 1-31-1970
actor: Sergeant William Preston "Challenge of the Yukon"
05-14-1925 - Patrice Munsel - Spokane, WA
singer: "Prudential Family Hour"; "Voice of Firestone"

May 14th deaths

01-13-1919 - Robert Stack - Los Angeles, CA - d. 5-14-2003
actor: "Family Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
08-05-1920 - Selma Diamond - London, Ontario, Canada - d. 5-14-1985
writer: "Big Show"
08-06-1886 - Billie Burke - Washington, [removed] - d. 5-14-1970
comedienne: "Billie Burke Show"; Mrs. Featherstone "Gay Mrs. Featherstone"
08-15-1912 - Wendy Hiller - Bramhall, Cheshire, England - d. 5-14-2003
actress: Queen Vic "Original Dramatic Work"
10-15-1896 - Joe Sanders - Thayer, KS - d. 5-14-1965
bandleader: (The Ole Left Hander) "Nighthawks Frolic"
10-17-1918 - Rita Hayworth - Brooklyn, NY - d. 5-14-1987
actress: "Orson Welles Theatre"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Bob Elson on Board
the Century"
12-12-1915 - Frank Sinatra - Hoboken, NJ - d. 5-14-1998
singer, actor: (The Voice), "Your Hit Parade"; "Frank Sinatra Show"; Rocky
Fortune "Rocky Fortune"
12-30-1912 - Hugh Griffith - Marianglas, Anglesey, North Wales - d. 5-14-1980
actor: "Under Milk Wood"
--
Ron Sayles
For a complete list:
[removed]

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 14:53:46 -0400
From: <welsa@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Closet Inventory

A few years ago I thought I saw a website that not only showed a picture of
how Fibber's closet was done, but also included an inventory listing what
all objects were used.  A current net search turns up nothing.

Does anyone know where I can find that inventory?

Thanks.

Ted

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 16:06:34 -0400
From: David Phaneuf <david_phaneuf@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Eastern War Time

Joseph Ross wrote:

As I heard it from my parents, War Time involved
turning the clocks forward in the winter as well as
the summer.  I'm not clear on this part, but they may
have  turned the clocks yet another hour ahead during
the summer.

My late mother-in-law, a native of Wales, and World
War II war bride, told us that during the war in
England they observed "double daylight savings time"
.... moving the clock forward two hours instead of
one.  Purpose being:  so that nearly all commerce and
activity could be conducted during daylight hours
without aid of electric lights.  When night came, it
was hit the sack, and leave lights off to avoid
creating a target for night bombing.

-- D W Phaneuf

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

Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 20:18:43 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Lamont Johnson as convention guest

Has Lamont Johnson, who played Tarzan on the Mutual
Don Lee network (later rebroadcast on CBS) starting in
1951, been a guest at an OTR convention? If not, has
anyone responsible for putting together a convention
considered approaching him about that idea. He's still
active today, as a well-regarded director, and I
understand his radio roles included a stint as Archie
Goodwin on "Nero Wolfe" and various character parts.

I've been listening to the "Tarzan" series, which is
really quite good, even if Tarzan seems to have an
excellent vocabulary for someone raised by apes until
he was 20 (in the books).

At any rate, has he ever been or been considered as a
guest at an OTR con? If he were interested in
participating,  I think he'd make an interesting
guest, just for the range of his work.

Rick

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

Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 00:08:57 -0400
From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Mae West Scandal

Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 20:03:24 -0400
From: kclarke5@[removed]

       Several people have asked questions about this "Adam and Eve"
skit and the scandal which followed.  Some of these questions are: Why
didn't Don Ameche face similar consequences?  After all, he was part of
the skit as much as she was.  Weren't the sponsors aware of Mae West's
reputation BEFORE she was signed to do the skit?  If so, they should've
expected what eventually happened.  Her reputation as "Diamond Lil" in
the movies and other saucy, movie roles such as "She Done Him Wrong"
was already well known to the public. The fact that she chose to
project her successful movie persona into the role she had in the radio
skit should've been nothing unusual. 

Mae West was hired for that part, and the part was written for her usual persona.  It wasn't 
surprising to anyone connected with the show that she did exactly what she was hired for.  
Trouble was, the public reaction required a scapegoat, and she was the scapegoat.

The amazing thing about it all is that, listening to the show now, it's really hard to see what 
the fuss was about.  She speaks in much the same way as she speaks in the movies, but 
the dialog isn't raunchy at all.  Essentially, she's bored in the Garden of Eden and wants 
some excitement.  Adam is happy with the way things are and doesn't want to change 
anything.  The serpent clues Eve in about eating the apple, and Eve gives Adam applesauce 
to eat.  Then the fireworks start.

Actually, the only thing I can think of that makes it at all prurient is something that is never 
mentioned, but that everyone familiar with the Bible story knows:  that Adam and Eve are 
naked through the entire story. At the end, when Adam says, with awe in his voice, "Eve, it's 
like I'm seeing you for the first time," he is seeing her naked.  

Whatever it was, the clamor started, NBC was in trouble with Congress and the FCC, etc.  
Much like the flap over Janet Jackson's breast, but probably a bit worse.  So they needed a 
scapegoat, and Mae West was the one.

-- A. Joseph Ross, [removed] [removed] 15 Court Square, Suite 210 lawyer@[removed] Boston, MA 02108-2503 [removed] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 00:57:24 -0400 From: danhughes@[removed] To: [removed]@[removed] Subject: CBS Harlem Serenade? X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain Need help in figuring out a vintage autograph page. Signers and their notations: Nicodemus ????ma Turner, Tap Dancer Aida Ward, Singer (Harlem Serenade CBS) Leroy Maxey, Drums Eddie Barefield, Sax I can find no references to a CBS program called Harlem Serenade--perhaps a local NYC show on the CBS affiliate? Or are my source books not detailed enough? Does anyone recognize this "group"? I assume they worked together, since they are all on the same page and written with the same pen. Thanks for any [removed] ---Dan *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear *** *** as the sender intended. *** -------------------------------- End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #165 ********************************************* 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]