Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #49
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 2/2/2003 9:03 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 49
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Revisionism?                          [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Mortician O'Dell                      [ "welsa" <welsa@[removed]; ]
      Was World War II Good?                [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Re: Fun with Diction                  [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      25 minute shows                       [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
      Re: Lum 'N' Abner                     [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
      MP3 Players                           [ "Bob & Lois Reynolds" <boblo1@allte ]
      Duffy's Tavern                        [ "Steve Atlas" <slavacotr@[removed] ]
      Father Coughlin                       [ Tedshumaker@[removed] ]
      who was the [removed]             [ Ruk77@[removed] ]
      Twenty-five minute programs           [ Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed]; ]
      Jack Webb, as an editorial dramatist  [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
      Re: Jack Webb - Comedian              [ Rob Chatlin <rchatlin@[removed] ]
      Copying from CD-R to cassette         [ Smzmurphy@[removed] ]
      Duffy's Tavern                        [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
      Howard Blue on YesterdayUSA Tonight   [ "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed]; ]
      OTR tapes                             [ David Lowell <davlor1@[removed]; ]
      Today in radio history 2/1            [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK SCHEDULE for  [ HERITAGE4@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 10:26:27 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Revisionism?

    Jim Widner, discussing John Henley's comments on the upcoming Dragnet,
    observes,

>     There always seems to be two camps in productions such as these: those
>     who feel every element of the original must be preserved - one must act
>     as Joe Friday - and remain true to the "just the facts" style.  The other
>     group uses a basic starting point of the original but goes off on its own
>     creating (hopefully) an entertaining production in its own right.

    But often the new production uses its predecessor(s) to attract those
    with the fondness of the original to check out the new version.

>     As much as I enjoy the radio Dragnet for its characters and even the
>     Jack Webb TV Dragnet for its somewhat unorthodox characterizations, but
>     that didn't stop me from enjoying the Dan Ackroyd Dragnet spoof.

    But the Dan Ackroyd spoof had the film's Joe Friday a nephew (or some
    such) of the original Joe Friday rather than becoming the original.  I
    think what bothers some people's sensibilities is to use the old identity
    as a prop to introduce what's essentially a wildly divergent character.
    In the newer Shaft film, the new Shaft was a relative of the original; a
    similar approach could have been taken with the forthcoming Dragnet.

    The promos for the TV show state, "The badge is back!"  Well, the "badge"
    might be, but from what I've seen, not the character.  The ads make it
    clear that the producers are trying to play on the memory of the
    original.

    Why couldn't the new Joe Friday be the grandson of the original, whose
    father was the product of a failed marriage?  That would explain the
    difference in attitudes neatly.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 10:26:43 -0500
    From: "welsa" <welsa@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mortician O'Dell

    Hmm--reading the recent digest regarding the character of "Digger" O'Dell
    raised a couple of points.  First, I was never aware that this was a black
    character.  Does anyone have confirmation of this?

    Second, this character was on The Life of Riley, not Fibber McGee and Molly.

    Finally, I don't think he ever said, "It is I, Digger O'Dell, etc."  He
    always referred to himself by his proper name of Digby O'Dell.  It was Riley
    who called him Digger.

    I always thought of this character as sort of an alter ego or voice of
    conscience type to counteract Riley.  He always seemed to show up when Riley
    was in the deepest trouble.

    Ted

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 10:31:37 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Was World War II Good?

    Did the devastation of World War II achieve anything of lasting value. Of
    course the quick answer is no, of course it didn’t.

    However, consider this theory. Because of World War II the development of
    television was held up while we were making the world safe for democracy. Had
    television been allowed to develop at a normal pace, we would have lost
    several years of radio programming. In my humble opinion the apex of radio
    programming was the 1940s and after. Without World War II all that would never
    have occurred. I shudder to think, maybe we would never have had a Gunsmoke or
    a Johnny Dollar. I feel that the Jack Benny Program was at its best in the
    1940s. One could go on, but you get my drift.

    You can always find something good of something bad, tenuous as it may be.
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 12:44:09 -0500
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Fun with Diction

    Mike Biel wrote:

>     n 1929 there was a
>     phonograph record issued on the Spoken Word label with Vida Ravenscroft
>     Sutton reading an essay on this subject by Hamlan Garland.  Ms. Sutton
>     speaks in a high-faluten pseudo-English accent sounding like Margaret
>     Dumont in the Marx Bros. movies.  Apparently it is THIS accent that she and
>     Mr. Garland wished to influence all of us to use.

    Although Margaret Dumont's grande-dame approach was perhaps exaggerated
    for comic effect, there were a lot of other performers out of this era
    who were deadly serious about it. A good way to get a grounding in what
    this phony-upper-class dialect sounded like is to sit down and watch a
    random selection of about half-a-dozen movies made during 1928-29, the
    mid-point of the transition to talkies. Hollywood was infested during
    these years by the "elocutionists" and "diction specialists," and if you
    listen to the speeches delivered in many films of this era, you'll hear a
    bogus, overprecise sort of speech which some snide commentator of the era
    referred to as "Kansas City British." It was the sort of dialect where a
    word like "cruel" would be trilled out as "crrrrue-ell," and accompanied
    by the appropriate florid gestures. Alongside this sort of cheesy
    overwrought emoting, the naturalistic approach of the more progressive
    radio performers of the day must have seemed revolutionary.

>     The medal was awarded "not for what the announcer said, but how
>     he said it."  It was specifically designed so that announcers like Graham
>     McNamee would NOT win it.  The first winner was David Ross, and the second
>     winner, who was heard on the other side of the record, was Alwyn Bach.

    David Ross was actually a pretty good choice for this award -- while he
    had some exaggerated mannerisms, for the most part he stayed away from
    the fakey-British style, and came across as more soft and elegant than
    stuffy and pompous. (If voices were articles of clothing, Ross's voice
    would be an angora [removed]) You'd never guess from listening to him
    that he was born and raised in the Bronx.

    Even the organization which handed out the diction prize, however, began
    to recognize the changing times. The last year the award was given, 1933,
    it went to Jimmy Wallington -- who had a much more relaxed, natural style
    than any of the previous winners. (I've always been kind of miffed that
    they overlooked Howard Claney. And Basil Ruysdael. And Ford Bond.)

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 12:44:27 -0500
    From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  25 minute shows

>     Each show's running time is about 23 minutes with one commercial.  What
>     happened to the remaining 7 minutes of airtime?  Did
>     commercials back then
>     fill up so much airtime?

    A lot of shows ran that long (25 minutes) in the 1950s and early '60s.
    Likely it was because radio networks like CBS and ABC were running five
    minute news updates on the hour and half hour.  I believe there's at least
    one "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" that has a CBS News on the Hour update still
    in it, and I know for a fact an ABC brief appears in the last "Don McNeill's
    Breakfast Club" from 1968.

    Dixon

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 12:45:03 -0500
    From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Lum 'N' Abner

>     Lum (Chester Lauck) comments to Abner (Norris Goff) that Abner's father
>     will never get anywhere in business because he doesn't hang out with the
>     right people.  He argues that Father Peabody just hangs out with his old
>     cronies, "most of 'em are retards anyway."

    I have heard that show, and I always understood that word to be a form of
    "retired."  It certainly would've fit the context of the scene more easily.
    There were, indeed, some genuinely un-PC moments on "Lum 'N' Abner" but I
    don't think this was one of them.

    Dixon

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 12:45:29 -0500
    From: "Bob & Lois Reynolds" <boblo1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  MP3 Players

    As a new subscriber to OTR, this subject may have been brought up before.  I
    had searched high and low for a MP3 player just like my bedside
    radio/cassette player, where I could listen at bedtime,etc.  Everything I
    found was portable or RCA had a very expensive set at over 100 bucks.  I
    found what I was seeking at Radio Shack-  Memorex #3123 for $[removed]  It
    works swell, scroll titles, backlight off switch and rthe fidelity is as
    good as I have heard.  I really hate to say it but I do believe MP3 is the
    future, if not all ready here.  When I can buy 404 one hour Lux Radio Theatr
    programs on 8 [removed] for $[removed], it has to be there.  The wife loves it- does
    not takee up any space.  Best Wishes  Bob Reynolds boblo1@[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 13:00:38 -0500
    From: "Steve Atlas" <slavacotr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Duffy's Tavern

    Hi,

    In response to the member who asked about Duffy's Tavern and Digger O'Dell,
    they are from 2 different programs.

    Digger O'Dell is actually a character on The Life of Riley.

    Both programs are great!!

    Steve Atlas
    slavacotr@[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 14:12:27 -0500
    From: Tedshumaker@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Father Coughlin

    There is a book out about him. I believe it's called Radio [removed] have a
    copy but have not read it yet. It's on my long list of things to do.

    Ted

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 16:13:01 -0500
    From: Ruk77@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  who was the [removed]
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    that had the show in which a 'ghost' would appear on the program? Are there
    any of those shows around????

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

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 16:13:29 -0500
    From: Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Twenty-five minute programs

    [removed]@[removed] wrote:

>     I'm in the middle of the HGWT run and am puzzled over the length of the
>     show. Each show's running time is about 23 minutes with one commercial.
>     What happened to the remaining 7 minutes of airtime?  Did commercials
>     back then fill up so much airtime?  I don't remember the same problem
>     occurring when I listed to the Gunsmoke series.

    ONLY ONE commercial? That's pretty good for us listeners, but not for CBS
    in that they would have preferred MORE sponsored time!

    HGWT (with any commercials included) was only 23 to 24 mins in length.
    Gunsmoke was 23/24/25 mins during some of its run, and 28/29/30 mins at
    other times.

    The remaining five mins on these 23-to-25 min programs was for five
    minutes of CBS News or some form of news/sports/info "feature" program
    from CBS Radio.

    HGWT ran from [removed] to [removed] The "basic" CBS Radio afternoon
    two-hour drama block at that time was:

    5:00-5:05 CBS News (from New York)
    5:05-5:29 Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (from Hollywood)
    5:30-5:54 Suspense (from Hollywood until [removed], from NY with [removed])
    5:55-5:59 News Analysis (from New York or [removed])
    6:00-6:05 CBS News (from New York)
    6:05-6:29 Have Gun Will Travel (from New York)
    6:30-6:59 Gunsmoke (from Hollywood) - was :29 mins at this time

    With [removed], Suspense was cancelled temporarily, HGWT ceased completely.
    Gunsmoke continued thru June 1961, and was repleced in late June 1961
    with the return of Suspense. Johnny Dollar and Suspense had their last
    original CBS Radio broadcasts on Sunday 30-Sept-1962:

    6:00-6:10 CBS News - now TEN full minutes, New York
    6:10-6:34 Johnny Dollar (now originated from New York)
    6:35-6:59 Gunsmoke (Hollywood, now 24 mins) until 18-June-1961;
           starting 25-June-1961 Suspense from NY replaced Gunsmoke

    Starting around the late 1940's and continuing throught the 1960's and
    such, there were numerous radio programs which were only 23-to-25 mins
    long on ALL four networks, to accomodate any 5-min news/sports/info
    program. This also happened at times with (daytime) network TV. There were
    several NBC-TV Game Shows (Eye Guess, original Match Game, etc) which were
    only 25 (actually 24) mins long, because of five min's of NBC Midday News
    or NBC Afternoon News, starting at :24 or :54, running from :24 to :29 or
    from :54 to :59. Similarly, some daytime soaps on CBS-TV were only 25
    (actually 24) mins long at times (Love of Life, Clear Horizon, etc)
    because of 5-mins of CBS Midday News or CBS Afternoon News, also running
    at towards the end of the half hour.

    In the late 1970's, the TV networks instead began one min "NBC News
    Update" or "CBS Newsbreak" segments several times throughout the broadcast
    day.

    On the radio side in the 1970's, CBS Radio Mystery Theater in its full
    network feed (with all commercials, PSA, promos, etc. from the network)
    was only 52-min long, fed from :07 to :59. CBS News ran on the hour,
    :00-:06. [removed] Radio Adventure Theater (1977) and Sears Radio
    Theater (1979) on CBS were only 50-min feeds, running from :08 to :58.

    ABC Radio had several 25 (actually 24) min public affairs type programs
    fed on Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings in the 1970's, running from
    :05:30 to :29:30, and :35:30 to :59:30, such as "Issues and Answers",
    "Voices in the Headlines", "Perspective", "Howard Cosell's Speaking of
    Everything" interviews, and so forth. The remaining five min segments,
    :00 to :05 was ABC/Information News-on-the-Hour, :30 to :35 was
    ABC/Entertainment Worldwide News. Prior to satellite distribution in the
    1980's, ABC/Contemporary and ABC/FM didn't feed any five-min newscasts on
    Sun morning/evening, because of the 24-min Public Affairs/Religious
    programs on the network.

    In 1964/65, ABC Radio briefly tried something called "Theater Five", a
    25-min (24?) dramatic anthology, five nights a week. Again, it wasn't a
    complete half-hour, the remaing five min's for news or other
    info/sports/etc type programming.

    When Larry King actually aired on Mutual in the 1970's/80's, he started at
    :05 or :06, after five-min's of news, that segment running until :29 or
    :30. And even the flip-side of the hour had a two-min news update from
    :30 to :32, and then the next segment of Larry King would return.

    NBC Radio had many 25-min type programs for the first half hour (after
    regular hourly newscasts began), but usually the second-half-hour was a
    full 30 (or 29) minutes for the program.

    The 25 min (or 24 or 23 min) program was quite common on network radio in
    the "later" years due to the hourly newscasts, and as mentioned was also
    occasionally used on TV because of the 5-min newscasts.

    Mark J. Cuccia
    mcuccia@[removed]
    New Orleans LA

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 16:14:10 -0500
    From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Jack Webb, as an editorial [removed]

    Since someone has re-introduced Jack Webb to our Digest, I want to comment
    on what I consider an outstanding program he did for ABC during February and
    March 1946.  It was called "One out of seven" and was a fifteen minute
    dramatized news and opinion event.  Hickerson says there were seven shows
    broadcast; I have four of them.  They are a delight to listen to!  Webb was
    able to distill into fifteen minutes a newsworthy person or event.  You
    should hear him zing Senator Bilbo!

    Ted Kneebone/1528 S. Grant [removed], SD 57401/605-226-3344
    OTR: [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 17:33:53 -0500
    From: Rob Chatlin <rchatlin@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Jack Webb - Comedian

    He may not have played it on "Dragnet,"
    but when Webb did the Copper Clapper spoof on Johnny Carson,
    it was one of the funniest things I've ever heard,
    and it was extremely well done.  Webb definitely had the timing skills
    necessary for comedy, and he certainly held his own along side Carson.

    rob

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

    Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 07:18:11 -0500
    From: Smzmurphy@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Copying from CD-R to cassette
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Some months ago, I found -- I think on Jack French's site -- a wonderfully
    concise explanation of how to dub Windows Media Player shows off of a disk
    and onto cassette. I seem to recall the explanation involving something
    called a "patch cord." Of course, now that I need the explanation, I can't
    find it. Can anyone direct me to that site or give me a very beginning-stage
    explanation of how to accomplish this?

           Any help is greatly appreciated. If this is too technical for the
    Digest, please feel free to contact me directly.

    Best,

    Mike Murphy

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

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

    Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 07:18:31 -0500
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Duffy's Tavern

    Gregory Walters asked about Duffy's Tavern,

>     Does anyone remember a show called "Duffys' Tavern"? It started out
>     with a  guy answering the phone saying "Duffys'[removed] Duffy aint'
>     here".

    Actually, the greeting was, "Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat,
    Archie, the Manager speaking, Duffy ain't here."  The caller was usually
    Duffy.

    A Joseph Ross, notes,

> >     I assume there was once a full-blown radio show of Duffy's Tavern, but

    I don't remember it.  <<

    Indeed there was.  We started listening it right after World War II and
    through its radio run end in 1949.  There was indeed a follow-on TV
    program, though it wasn't nearly as good (I picked up a videotape of one
    program this year).

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 07:18:46 -0500
    From: "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Howard Blue on YesterdayUSA Tonight

    Howard Blue, author of "Words At War" will be interviewed live on
    YesterdayUSA by Walden Hughes and Michael Biel at 10:30 PM Eastern Time
    Sunday night, Feb 2.  Go to [removed]  and click on the
    old radio on the upper right side of the home page where it says Listen
    OnLine.  If you have any questions, you can call in live during the program.

    Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 07:18:54 -0500
    From: David Lowell <davlor1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OTR tapes

    I was able to find both the Bob Hope and Shadow casettes at our local
    Costco.
    David lowell

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

    Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 07:19:00 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history 2/1

>     >From Those Were the Days --

    1946 - The Mutual Broadcasting System presented Twenty Questions for the
    first time on radio. Bill Slater was the master of ceremonies.

    Birthday's:

    1890 - Charles Correll, creator with Freeman Gosden of: Amos 'n' Andy,
    died Sep 26, 1972

    1906 - Gale Gordon (Charles Aldrich), many shows, died June 30, 1995

      Joe

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

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

    Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 07:19:08 -0500
    From: HERITAGE4@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK SCHEDULE for Week
     starting: 02/02/03

    Hi All - Here's the listings for the programs available at the OTRN for the
    week starting Sunday, February 2nd.  New shows every week start
    Sundays at:    [removed]

    SAME TIME, SAME STATION with Jerry Haendiges
    1. THE TEXACO STAR THEATER     3/10/46  The James Melton Show
    "La Boheme"  Guestar: Ed Wynn.
    2. THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS     Episode 5 - 3/20/60
    "World Narrowing"
    3. THE TEXACO STAR THEATER     3/5/41   The Fred Allen Show
    Guest:   Franklin P. Adams (from Information Please)

    HERITAGE RADIO THEATRE with Tom Heathwood
    1. CONVERSATION - Tom chats with Hal (Harlan) Stone about
    his life in theater/radio - his role as "Jughead"  on Archie Andrews,
    and his new book "Aw,  Relax [removed]!!"
    2. THE ADVENTURES of ARCHIE ANDREWS  -  NBC  7/13/49
    "Mr. Andrews Has A Sunburn"  starring Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone,
    and Arthur Q. Bryan.

    Enjoy --       Tom & Jerry

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #49
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