------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 57
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Lum and Abner question [ Lanny Gilbert <morsefan1@[removed]; ]
Personal thank you [ andy ryan <anbryan2000@[removed]; ]
Fred Allen/Jack Benny [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Earl Grasser was the Lone Ranger. [ AandG4jc@[removed] ]
Re: OTR Books [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
Mormon Tabernacle Choir [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
Glenn Miller's Disappearance and Ock [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
Clyde Beatty [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
The Whistler [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
Who played the Lone Ranger? [ "Jim Mellor" <liloelf@[removed]; ]
Silent Cal - not so silent [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
Jim Cox's new book [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
Listing MP3s from CDs [ "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed]; ]
Morman Choir [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
The Clock [ "Robert Everest" <erest@bellatlanti ]
Lady In The Dark [ FKELLY <fkelly@[removed]; ]
new book on OTR drama [ khovard@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:04:56 -0500
From: Lanny Gilbert <morsefan1@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lum and Abner question
I've been listening to L 'n' A a lot lately, and I
just finished listening to a series of shows that had
Squire Skimp and Abner visiting Fort Smith for a War
Chest meeting. While there, they visited a department
store and had to hitch-hike home. These episodes are
from 10/19/1944-10/30/1944.
There were several voices that were very familiar to
me during that run. I'm almost positive that Frank
Nelson was the floorwalker in the dept. store and that
Mary Livingstone was a saleslady.
Also, the couple that picked up Abner and Squire
sounded an awful lot like the Bickersons.
Can anyone shed any light on this?
Lanny G. (who'd live in Pine Ridge in a heartbeat if
they had DSL)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:05:55 -0500
From: andy ryan <anbryan2000@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Personal thank you
I want to send a public thank you to list member Ron
Sayles, (I lost your email address), for his
generosity in sending me, free of charge, a copy of
the 1943 Academy Awards show.
I really enjoyed listening to it.
It's nice to run across someone as pleasant and,
especially, as courteous as Ron.
Ron, anything, anytime.
Need your car washed?
andy ryan
[removed] A little trivia: I just learned, while listening
to a Fibber and Molly episode, what the "P." stands
for in Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve. Funny. Anyone
else know?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:06:35 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Fred Allen/Jack Benny
During one of the many exchanges between Fred Allen and Jack Benny, Fred hit
Jack with a zinger and Jack came back with the line to the effect, "if I had
my writers here you wouldn't say that". My question is, was that an ad lib or
was it written in the script? Does anyone know, Elizabeth maybe?
--
Ron Sayles
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:07:28 -0500
From: AandG4jc@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Earl Grasser was the Lone Ranger.
Earl Grasser was the voice of the Lone Ranger in the earlier years of the
1930s. He played the role until sometime in 1941, when he was killed in an
automobile crash. It was very traumatic in those days because a lot of the
newspaper carried the headline that the Lone Ranger died (as they did when
George Reeves [Superman) died)
Brace Beemer, who was the narrator during the Grasser period, took over
the role and made it his. To explain the different voices between the two
actors, Fran Striker scripted that the Lone Ranger was badly wounded in a gun
fight and that his vocal cords were hit by a bullet (pretty violent for the
kiddy series). It took several episodes for the Lone Ranger to heal and so
Tonto had to take the lead role for a while. This series of programs have
become known over the years as "The Transition Series."
If you noticed that in the Grasser series Tonto had a different horse
than to what we all know as Scot. The horse's name was called Feather. Does
any one know when Tonto changed horses?
Also, did you all know that famed Hollywood director, George Stevens
(Miracle on 32nd Street, The Greatest Story Ever Told) was also the voice of
the Lone Ranger.(pre-Grasser period) Those programs were broadcast live so
none of it was ever preserved, unfortunately.
Allen
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:07:43 -0500
From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: OTR Books
If anyone knows where I can get some books on OTR
(in good condition and for a good price), please contact
me off list at kclarke5@[removed]. Some examples of
titles I'm looking for are "Verse By The Side Of The Road",
"Treadmill To Oblivion" by Fred Allen, "Heavenly Days",
and any book about game shows on OTR.
If you should have suggestions for other titles, I'd be interested
in hearing about them, too. I have to say up front that I don't
have the Internet.
Thanks ahead of time,
Kenneth Clarke
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:08:01 -0500
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mormon Tabernacle Choir
I would like to be able to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but last time I
checked their website, it appeared that they were only broadcasting to a few
stations in the west. They were talking about using satellite to distribute
the program.
Ted Kneebone
1528 S. Grant St., Aberdeen, SD 57401 / 605-226-3344
OTR: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:08:44 -0500
From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Glenn Miller's Disappearance and Ockham's
Razor
Approved: ctrn4eeWlc
Robert Kirk <isobar@[removed]; wrote:
John Mayer says that here is a bit more to the story of Glenn Miller's
plane being hit by jettisoned bombs than idle conjecture, but it still
doesn't sound right to me. for example:
The bombs detonated just above the surface of the water.
How? That implies that the bombs had a proximity fuse or timer fuse.
Now we truly do move into the realm of speculation. All the
difficulties with this explanation of Miller's disappearance that you
outline were surely considered by the British Ministry of Defense
before they concluded, "In retrospect, we now lean towards this being
the most likely solution to the mystery."
First we must assume their were no errors in the AP article, not
really a safe assumption from what I know about the business of news
and reporting. But, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, let
us accept the article as accurate. Is it really so illogical as Mr.
Kirk suggests?
I have never dropped a bomb in my life, but I can speculate with the
best of them. Since I know nothing about the mission to Siegen (I
assume that was the name of the target town), but it is conceivable
that there was something unique about this target that would have
made an air burst more effective than a ground burst (in addition to
proximity fuses did they not have, at that time, an altitude fuse?).
Maybe there was a mistake in the way the bombs were fused. Or maybe
Shaw, who was not a bombardier, misinterpreted what he saw. Looking
at the fractal surface of the ocean from a distance, with no point of
reference, makes depth perception difficult. Perhaps the bombs
detonated as they struck the water and only appeared to Shaw to be
exploding the instant before.
By the time the bombs burst, the airplane is well ahead of the impact
point. Maybe the tail gunner could see them land, but not the [removed]
That's assuming the navigator never left his post. With the mission
aborted perhaps Shaw wandered back to watch the bombs fall, to break
the monotony of the flight.
[...]"As each bomb burst, I could see the blast wave from it radiating
outwards.
But you only see those shock waves from an explosion in the water ...
Surely if the bombs exploded right at, or even just above the surface
of the water, shock waves would be visible.
He saw a plane go into the water and didn't report it at the time? Aviators
go to great lengths to rescue their downed [removed]
But these were not his comrades, merely faceless occupants of a small
plane. The article only states, "The downed plane was not reported,"
without explanation. Why would airmen hesitate to acknowledge they
had blown a civilian aircraft out of the sky, when, possibly, had
they proceeded more cautiously, the tragedy might have been avoided?
And if they did report it, why would their superiors hesitate to
reveal to the public that the RAF had just slain one of their
strongest ally's most beloved public figures? Again, one can only
speculate. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that
outraging the American people might have been seen by British
authorities as not being in the nation's interest in the midst of a
fight for their survival, particularly in those days when death by
Friendly Fire was not as recognized and accepted by the home front as
it is today.
Not proof positive, but neither is it simply an unsubstantiated theory.
Rather, simply an unsubstantiated story, brought up years later.
Which leaves us to wonder why Mr. Shaw would want to lie about the
matter, especially since the incident did not particularly redound to
his credit. Was he simply seeking fame and whatever fortune he could
derive? Was he embittered and attempting to embarrass England? Were
his faculties beginning to fail, and he unable to distinguish memory
from imagination? Or was he not lying at all and recounting a painful
memory to make a clean breast before he died?
In the light of Shaw's statements, I don't believe it is correct to
refer to this theory as unsubstantiated. Perhaps "not fully
substantiated" would be more accurate. At the end of the day,
contemplating the mystery of Miller's disappearance, it seems to me
that the balance now tips to the jettisoned ordnance side of Ockham's
razor.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:09:40 -0500
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Clyde Beatty
Elizabeth Minney writes:
"I am interested in the Clyde Beatty show because John Dunning's
Encyclopedia says that Vic Perrin played the lead in it. However, I
think I remember hearing this show a long time ago, and Clyde Beatty
actually played himself. Does anyone have any recollections of this
show?"
When I worked on the show Beatty was played by Vic Perrin.
Harry Bartell
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:09:55 -0500
From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Whistler
I've been listening to the Whistler quite a bit lately, and have watched
a couple of the 1940's Columbia movies, which come highly recommended.
Since the Whistler was a west coast only program, was it known on the
East coast? If not, was there much of a market for these movies in the
Eastern US? Or, another possibility, did Columbia only release them in
the Western part of this country?
PS---I can't wait to read the new book about the decline of network
radio! Should be a very interesting read about a time period in
broadcasting history which fascinates me very much.
rodney.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:10:13 -0500
From: "Jim Mellor" <liloelf@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Who played the Lone Ranger?
Probably more than you wanted to know:
George Seaton was the first Lone Ranger, 30 Jan. 1933-Apr. 1933 followed by
Jack Deeds, played only two episodes in Apr. 1933. Earle Graser was the
third from 16 Apr. 1933-Apr. 1941 then Brace Beemer, the more famous of the
radio Rangers, mostly due to his playing it longer than anyone else, Apr.
1941-3 Sep. 1954, Beemer had been narrator on the show back in 1933. Others
were: Lee Powell, 1938, Robert Livingston, 1939, Clayton Moore, television
series 1949-50, 54-58, John Hart, television series 1951-52. Klinton
Spillsbury, "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" feature 1981. Tonto was played
by John Todd, 30 Jan. 1933-3 [removed], Chief Thunder-Cloud, 1938-1939 & Jay
Silverheels, television series 1949-1957, feature in 1956 & 1958.
Jim the Liloelf
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:10:39 -0500
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Silent Cal - not so silent
Joe Mackey reported:
1924 - Calvin Coolidge, known by many as the 'Silent Cal', made the first
presidential political speech on radio. The speech originated from New
York City and was broadcast on five radio stations. Some five million
people tuned in to hear the President speak.
But as I recall a recording of that speech is not known to exist. Wasn't
the earliest of his recordings that exist his Inaugural address in March,
1925 recorded by Western Electric? And as I recall even that is not
complete nor was intended for broadcast.
Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:11:04 -0500
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Jim Cox's new book
Jim Cox writes about his upcoming book:
McFarland & Co. is taking prepublication orders now ($35) for "Say
Goodnight, Gracie" or it will notify you by mail when the book is available.
But will it be available at any of the conventions along with the author!!
Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:11:20 -0500
From: "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Listing MP3s from CDs
Just catching up on a week's worth of postings and saw the question about
retrieving a list of filenames from a CD full of MP3s. I do this very thing
regularly as I acquire OTR shows and add them to my database. The programs
that others mentioned will probably do the job but I wanted to mention a
method that does not require additional software.
This is for Windows users only, that is, any variety of Windows up to, but
not including XP (which I haven't used.)
There is a DOS command that can be executed that will read any directory
(folder) and convert the list into a text file.
First, open the CD that you want the listing from so you can see the list in
a window. Then, click on the Start button in the lower left corner of the
desktop, and then click on Run. Type "command" into the text box and then
click OK. An MS-DOS Prompt window will open. In that window type:
dir /b > [removed]
That's it. You have just created a text file, in the root directory of your
hard drive, named "[removed]" that contains the filenames from the CD. To get
to the file, open My Computer, double-click on the (C:) icon and then scroll
down to that filename. Double-click on the filename and it will open in
Notepad.
You can also get a listing with subdirectories by typing:
dir /b /s > [removed]
If you want more info about this command, I wrote an article about this of
an educational technology newsletter that I publish. It's in the PDF format
and the direct link is here:
[removed]
BTW, I did use OTR as the example in the article.
Vince
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:11:29 -0500
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Morman Choir
A few comments about Lee Munsick's posting regarding the Morman Choir.
That was the title of the program, THE MORMAN CHOIR. However Richard
Evans signed off with "The spoken word by Richard Evans" instead of "your
announcer is". In my time all programs were "live". As to the air time, I
think that it was 9:00 am CNYT (current New York Time). This rings a bell
as when I returned to New York I regularly did the New York portion of
Church of the Air. This was two religious programs back to back. One was
from one of the affiliates. The other was from the New York studios. The
broadcast consisted of a small choir from a local church. Probably about
ten voices. I took delight in using an equalizer and echo chamber to get
a cathedral sound. At first producer George Crothers was amused, but
later made me stop doing it as we were followed by the Mormans and he
didn't think that it was ethical.
The transcontinental portion of the network between Los Angeles and
Chicago was reversible, controlled by the engineers in Master Control at
WBBM and KNX. However, for the Tabernacle broadcast the [removed]; T.
engineer at the Salt Lake test board split the TC so that it was facing
both East and West from there. A situation that made those of us in the
master control rooms at each end a bit nervous. A lightning strike along
the way could sure have messed things up. However, it never happened.
I do not recall how the broadcast was routed when I was assigned to it
from San Bernardino. Possibly directly to the "San Berdoo" [removed];T. Test
board there.
A question for those of you who still hear the program, is my friend
Spence Kinard still the announcer? He was quite young when he replaced
Richard Evans upon Evan's death.
Bill Murtough
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:36:56 -0500
From: "Robert Everest" <erest@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Clock
Just listened to one of these intitled "Bad Dream". I hadn't been to keen
on this series but this one was great. It stared Elliot Lewis and Jeanette
Nolan, and they were in their best form. They play a married couple from
Eastern Europe and the accents are perfectly held for the whole program.
William Spier directed and it was written by Lucille Fletcher; so you can't
get much better than that. Bill Conrad is the announcer and I think he
makes a slight flub which is rare. I hadn't heard of this one before, so it
was a pleasant surprise.
Rob
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 10:10:37 -0500
From: FKELLY <fkelly@[removed];
To: OTR List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Lady In The Dark
In 1962 I was living in France and listening to (even then) OTR on AFN
Orleans--Yours Truly Johnny Dollar and the Life of Riley.
I also seem to remember hearing a "fully staged" version of the Broadway
musical Lady In The Dark, starring Gertrude Lawrence (I think). What
radio show would that have been? Is it available now?
Frank Kelly
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 12:48:09 -0500
From: khovard@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: new book on OTR drama
Please reply to this message before February 16 or after Feb. 25. Any
replies sent between Feb. 16-25 will be lost
My book, WORDS AT WAR: WORLD WAR II ERA RADIO DRAMA & THE POSTWAR
BROADCASTING INDUSTRY BLACKLIST is complete and I expect it to be
published before the year's end. It is based on interviews with Norman
Corwin, Arthur Miller, Art Carney, Pete Seeger, Arthur Laurents, &
dozens of others associated with radio's Golden Age. .See the description
below.
The publisher plans to market the book for $40-45.
I AM NEGOTIATING WITH THE PUBLISHER TO MAKE A PRE-PUBLICATION BULK
PURCHASE TO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THE PRICE TO $30-35 AND PERHAPS LOWER.
IF YOU WISH TO MAKE AN ADVANCE ORDER REQUEST, PLEASE REPLY TO THIS
MESSAGE WITH YOUR EMAIL and HOME ADDRESSES & THE NUMBER OF COPIES YOU
WILL WANT. No payment is needed at this point.
Words at War tells how 17 radio dramatists and their actors fought a
war
of words against fascism abroad and injustice at home. Beginning in the
late 1930s, the commercial networks, private agencies and the government
cooperated with radio dramatists to produce radio plays to alert
Americans to the Nazi threat. They also used radio to stimulate morale.
They showed how Americans could support the fight against fascism even if
it meant just having a ìvictory garden.î
Before Pearl Harbor, radio drama dealt with the war in allegorical
fashion. Afterwards, however, radio took off its gloves and struck out
against the enemy, particularly Germany. In addition, it promoted
appreciation of how our allies, our armed forces, women and blacks were
trying to achieve victory. Words at War also describe how on the home
front, factory workers and others too, were doing their part. The book
discusses commercial drama series (such as The Man Behind the Gun),
network sustained shows such as those of Norman Corwin, and government
produced programs such as the Uncle Sam series. It also discusses public
reaction to these broadcasts.
Simultaneously as they worked directly on the war effort, many radio
writers and actors advanced a progressive agenda to fight the enemy
within: racism, poverty and other social ills. Many of them shared a
common view concerning the reforms that America needed to experience to
achieve true democracy and social justice. But Americans, particularly
those on the far right, were not prepared to accept their agenda. Thus
even before Pearl Harbor some of the writers and actors were red baited.
Moreover, when the war ended, many of them paid for their idealism by
suffering blacklisting. The red baiters often singled out writers, actors
and plays that targeted racism, for example, as evidence of communist
inclinations. Among the most well known victims of this phenomenon, were
Norman Corwin, Archibald MacLeish, Burgess Meredith, Fredric March,
Langston Hughes and Orson Welles.
Words at War is based on the authorís interviews with Norman Corwin,
Arthur Miller, Pete Seeger, Arthur Laurents, Art Carney and dozens of
others associated with radio during its Golden Age. The author also used
FBI files and materials from archives around the country including the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the National Archives and a
dozen university special collections libraries. The book weaves materials
from these varied sources to tell how the nation used a unique broadcast
genre in a time of national crisis. Readers in the era of the WTC
terrorism crisis will be particularly interested to read about
censorship, scapegoating, the governmentís role in disseminating
propaganda and other issues which have once again come to public
attention.
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #57
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