------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 01 : Issue 54
A Part of the [removed]!
Today's Topics:
Doorway to Life, CBS, 1947/48 [Hans Pols <pols@[removed]; ]
DR. WATSON & PETRI WINE ["Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
BASHING THE A&A SHOW ["Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed]; ]
Continuous Programming ["David Phaneuf" <dphaneuf@[removed]]
Did Durward Kirby Ever MC Quiz Kids? [GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@]
You Betcha! ["Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@]
Muscatel ["David L. Easter" <david-easter@hom]
Re: Yowsah! [Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed]]
Big Noise from Winnetka [JJJ445@[removed] ]
Yowza Inquiry ["Robert Fells" <rfells@[removed]; ]
Rathbone on the Berle Show ["Robert Fells" <rfells@[removed]; ]
Yowza [Udmacon@[removed] ]
Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah ! ["Richard Pratz" <[removed]@home]
Save the KDKA garage project ["jacques boudreault" <jackb67@hotma]
Missing 5 part YTJD ["Jim Lewis" <jimlew2@[removed];]
YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA ["Lee, Steve (DEOC)" <slee@[removed].]
Wines ["Bill in GA" <wmewilson@[removed]]
The "Good Old Days" ["Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@]
Wine advertising ["Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed]]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 23:12:16 -0500
From: Hans Pols <pols@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Doorway to Life, CBS, 1947/48
Dear old-time radio fans,
I have some question about the radio series Doorway to Life, which was
aired in 1947-1948. The show consisted of dramatizations of the everyday
problems of everyday people (with an emphasis on problems in child rearing
and how to deal with children) and school counselors, social workers, and
psychologists play a role in many episodes. The show was directed by
William N. Robson, who by that time had directed many great shows, and
aired by CBS. My questions are: why did Robson get involved with this show?
Did he have any personal interest in psychological issues, and, if so, why?
The credits of the show state that the screenplays (written by Virginia
Mullen, who had earlier written for The Baby Institute for the Blue
Network in 1947/48. They also state that a team of psychiatrists,
psychologists, social workers, and educators approved all scripts. Any idea
who was on this panel, and whether it actually existed? Finally, is there
any information on how listeners appreciated this show? Some of the
episodes are quite wonderful, I found.
Hans Pols
pols@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:05:33 -0500
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: DR. WATSON & PETRI WINE
Someone posted in the last digest that they can't remember wine being
incorporated in the story line. Untrue. On the Sherlock Holmes series,
before Dr. Watson relates the story for that evening, he asks the announcer
to have a seat and enjoy a glass of Petri wine. You hear the wine being
poured and the toast,then the announcer ask DW what the story is for that
evening. Later, when they were sponsored by Roma, they continued the
tradition.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:05:49 -0500
From: "Owens Pomeroy" <opomeroy@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: BASHING THE A&A SHOW
Why is it every time the A&A show is mention on this digest, we cringe
like it was the plague? This is an insult to Gosden & Correll and their
families. These two men had the highest rated show in broadcasting for ten
years or more running. What is odd about the program is the two men, Gosden
& Correll were respected in the Black community of the time. How many shows
during that era was able to stop a movie running and was played in the movie
theatres when it came on the air? (zip)!
This show , i believe would be accepted today, more so than it would,
say in the sixties or seventies. (although there were A&A shows playing on
stations in Baltimore area at that period of time with no "feedback" ay all.
Has anyone ever watched the popular Black shows that are on TV today?
Most of them poke fun at themselves and remind me (just a smidgen) of Amos &
Andy. Don't forget, there were no Black performers on radio until Gosden &
Correll hired them for their show. Although the roles were stereotypes, they
were working at their trade. To show you how popular they still are, when
ever we get a black member in our club, the two most requested shows they
want to hear is A&A and Beulah.
One final comment. The new movie just released by Spike Lee,
"Bamboozled" broke all records for a film af that type. But I guess we will
still be hesitant to consider A&A as part od the Old Time Radio Mystique,
simply because it is not "politically correct" to even have them in your
collection or a OTR club library.
- 30 -
Owens Pomeroy
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Um, I don't remember anyone "cringing" from the subject, nor
do I remember anyone "bashing" the [removed] Elizabeth is certainly a
stronger advocate of the program than even Gosden or Correll could be. But
that said, we just had this rather one-sided discussion a few weeks ago
(check the last few issues of Volume 00 and the first few of Volume 01), and
I think it's a tad early to re-hash this all over again. --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:05:29 -0500
From: "David Phaneuf" <dphaneuf@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Continuous Programming
We also know that there are the complete broadcast day
from 1939 and a lot of continuous stuff from D-Day. Are there
any other segments of continuous coverage like this floating
around? I really enjoyed the atmosphere added by the local
flavor of this segment. Anyone know of a source for similar
stuff?
About 1993 my wife got me for Christmas a copy of "America Before TV" by
Great Tapes -- the entire broadcast day from 9/21/1939 of WJSV in
Washington DC. While listening to Arthur Godfrey's SUNDIAL, Godfrey listed
some birthdays in the area, mentioning a person whose last name was
familiar. (I've left the name out for privacy reasons) As a pastor in
Springfield, Ohio, I had in my church some members whose daughter's married
name was the same as the person mentioned on SUNDIAL -- and she was living
in Washington, DC. Sure that it was just a coincidence, yet unable to
contain my curiosity, I called my church members and asked them the name of
their daughter's father-in-law and if his birthday just happened to be
September 21st. It turned out to be the same person. The man and his wife
were just newly married in 1939 and living in DC and to surprise her husband
on his birthday had called Godfrey's SUNDIAL to have it announced. As a
result, his family ended up buying a copy of "America Before TV" to give to
him on his 1994 birthday!
This was truly a neat experience. "Gosh, all hemlock! It was swell!" And
I'm wondering if anyone else has ever encountered knowing someone mentioned
on an old radio program?
Dave
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:21:37 -0500
From: GEORGE WAGNER <gwagneroldtimeradio@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Did Durward Kirby Ever MC Quiz Kids?
A friend tells me that she appeared on THE QUIZ
KIDS for two weeks when she was seven years old. She
is a year younger than I am, so this would have been
1949 or 1950.
However, she insists that the emcee was Durwood
Kirby. This makes no sense to me, so I appeal to the
OTR gods here on Mt. Olympus.
Thanks!
GWAGNEROLDTIMERADIO@[removed] (George Wagner)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:21:39 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: You Betcha!
Joe Davis asks.
My question is this: Was the saying yowza, yowza, yowza from the A&A
shows? I am not sure if this is the correct spelling so feel free to
correct me.
In the event the saying ws not from the A&A shows, do you know where it
did originate? Possibly the Jack Benny show or another comedy of the
same [removed];<
It was used on Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour, if memory serves.
"Yowza" is a corruption of "yes sir," as used in the nonmilitary sense.
I doubt that "Yowza" originated on radio.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:21:41 -0500
From: "David L. Easter" <david-easter@[removed];
To: "Old-Time Radio Digest (E-mail)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Muscatel
Muscatel was generally popular with "winos" more because of its sugar
content than price.
********
1. A rich sweet wine made from muscat grapes. 2. A muscat grape or raisin.
********
muscatel wine muhs-kuh-TEHL A rich, sweet dessert wine created from the
MUSCAT GRAPE </encyc/terms/[removed];. It's made from both the black and
white varieties, so its color can range from golden to amber to pale
amber-red. Muscatel's flavor typifies the characteristically musty flavor of
the muscat grape.
********
David L. Easter
Email: David-Easter@[removed]
Web Page: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:26:30 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Yowsah!
Joe Davis wonders,
My question is this: Was the saying yowza, yowza, yowza from the A&A shows?
I am not sure if this is the correct spelling so feel free to correct me.
"Yowsah!" was a catch-phrase used for many years by orchestra leader Ben
Bernie, the self-styled Old Maestro, whose program was a very popular
feature in the 1930s. Bernie served as a glib master-of-ceremonies for
his broadcasts, speaking in an odd self-created dialect that drew from
many regional sources.
"Yowsah" is a variant pronounciation of the 19th Century Black English
"Yessah," for "yes, sir," and this may be why you're connecting it with
A&A -- as "yessah," it was often used by Lightning, whose Alabama drawl
often made it sound more like "yowsah" than "yessah." The "Yowsah"
variation, spelled in that manner, never appears in any A&A script, nor
does any A&A character ever use any variation of the word in the
self-consciously "proto-hip" manner that Bernie used. "Hipster"
characters almost never appeared in A&A, and when they did, they were
usually depicted with a sort of breezy fast-talking "city" dialect that
came very close to Standard English. (The villianous Earl Dixon character
in the surviving 1929 episodes is an example of this.)
"Yowsah" *did* turn up fairly often (as "yowza!") in the 1920s comic
strip "Harold Teen," which prided itself on being a compendium of
up-to-the-minute teenage slang, so it's evident that the word was widely
current among the shiek 'n' sheba crowd well before Ben Bernie brought it
to radio, used as a general-purpose interjection or expression of
approval.
It has gone on to become a kind of latter-day cliche, often used by
people who think they're impersonating generic 1930s
bandleader/entertainer types -- but Ben Bernie was the only performer to
become closely identified with the word.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 09:37:53 -0500
From: JJJ445@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Big Noise from Winnetka
Philip Chavin asked about the use of "Big Noise from Winnetka" in an OTR
commercial during the late 40s and early 50s. I do remember it used in a
cigarette commercial around that time with Bob Haggart doing the whistling
part. Can't remember if it was Camels or Chesterfields. It wouldn't be
surprising if it got picked up by more than one sponsor over the years. We
can look at many songs like :Sing, Sing, Sing" and see how they have
tremendous longevity for various purveyors of product over the decades. "Chip
Ahoy!" being just the most recent incarnation for that evergreen.
I'm sure Joe Davis will get a few responses on "Yowsa, Yowsa, Yowsa." Two
people come to mind: Ted Lewis and the old mousetrap, Ben Bernie, who both
used a form of that expression rather liberally. Where it originated, now
that's a tougher question I'll leave to our resident experts.
John Jensen
Federal Way, WA
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:05:25 -0500
From: "Robert Fells" <rfells@[removed];
To: "old time radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Yowza Inquiry
Joe Davis asked if Amos N Andy originated the Yowza catch phrase. I'll
defer to Elizabeth's expertise on A & A, but I believe the expression was a
favorite of bandleader Ben Bernie. The phrase enjoyed a mini revival around
1970 when Gig Young played a 1930s big bandleader in the film, They Shoot
Horses Don't They?, and re-introduced the jaunty expression to a whole new
generation.
Bob Fells
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:47:06 -0500
From: "Robert Fells" <rfells@[removed];
To: "old time radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Rathbone on the Berle Show
Randy Cox inquired about an appearance by Basil Rathbone on the Milton Berle
TV show around 1953. Don't have an answer but Randy may want to check
Rathbone's autobiography, In and Out of Character, that was recently
reissued in paperback. I read the book several years ago and found the
author to be a rather moody personality.
Originally published in 1962, Rathbone recalls his many appearances on OTR
and later on television. He is especially proud of his guest spots on Fred
Allen's radio show and considered Allen one of the few true humorists in the
business. A 1948 FA appearance has Mr. Rathbone enjoying himself as an all
too obvious murder suspect in a One Long Pan skit, no doubt a welcome break
from his eternal Sherlock Holmes character that he had discontinued playing
by that time.
On a more mundane level, Mr. Rathbone said that he made a point of appearing
on the Tonight Show a couple of times a year to maintain his active AFTRA
status for its health insurance benefits. Elementary, my dear Watson.
Bob Fells
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:47:08 -0500
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Yowza
I believe "Yawza!" was a term used by Ben Bernie.
Now here's another one: Who used to end his act with "I'm headin' back to the
wagon folks; these shoes are killin' me!"
BILL KNOWLTON: "BLUEGRASS RAMBLE," WCNY-FM: Syracuse, Utica, Watertown NY
(since 1973) Sundays, 9 pm est: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 10:59:09 -0500
From: "Richard Pratz" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "OTR (Plain Text Only)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah !
Joe Davis asks for the derivation of (correct spelling) "Yowsah, Yowsah,
Yowsah". That's an easy one that I'm sure many others besides myself will
answer. That catchphrase is attributed to "The Old Maestro" bandleader, Ben
Bernie. "Ben Bernie Orchestra" 1931-40, "Musical Mock Trial" 1940 and "Ben
Bernie Musical Quiz" [removed] name just a few. Throughout his career,
Bernie was one of radio's most popular personalities. His orchestra was
chosen to play on the very first NBC Network Broadcast Nov. 15, 1926.
Trademarks of his broadcasts, that always included Bernie's corny gags & his
droll kidding with his [removed] the fat cigars he
[removed] sentimental signature song "It's A Lonesome Old
Town"....his signoff, "Au Revoir, Pleasant Dreams".....and his "Yowsah,
Yowsaw, Yowsah" he used often as he fronted his "bandstand lads". Bernard
Ancelowitz (1891-1943) began his long and illustrious career on radio in
1923. Programs, besides those listed above in which he starred, include
"The Pabst Blue Ribbon Malt Program" and "The Ben Bernie Show".
Unfortunately, he died at the height of his radio career. Dunning has three
columns devoted to Bernie's career.
Yowsah - Rich
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 12:07:38 -0500
From: "jacques boudreault" <jackb67@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Save the KDKA garage project
On CBC's radio one (FM) program "Has It Happens" of Feb. 14 (6:30 [removed]) I
heard an interesting item on a project to save the garage that housed one of
the first (if not the first) commercial radio station in the word. This may
not be news to many but I found the item interesting. You can also read
more on this project at
[removed]
The digest is a joy to read. It's good to know that there are so many out
there that have the same genuine interest in OTR and give so much energy to
keep it alive.
Regards,
Jacques Boudreault
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 13:09:32 -0500
From: "Jim Lewis" <jimlew2@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Missing 5 part YTJD
Im sure its been asked and answered before but as near as I can determine
there are five different Johnny Dollar serials with 1 part missing in
[removed] I checked as closely I know how to,can anybody confirm this for
[removed] a shame if those episodes are lost [removed] does anybody have a
link to info on Bob [removed] web search yields very [removed] I can find
out is that he did another show called"Let George do it" from 46 to 1954(a
so-so show IMO).I would find a bio on him to be very [removed]
anyone
[removed] Legs Matter #5
[removed] Alabi Matter #2
[removed] Matter #3
[removed] Hearts Matter #4
[removed] City Matter #2
YTJD
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 18:42:05 -0500
From: "Lee, Steve (DEOC)" <slee@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA
Someone recently asked about the meaning of the phrase YOWZA, YOWZA, YOWZA.
There are four suggested spellings: YOWZAH, YOWZER, YOWZA, & YOWSA. The
word is usually spoken in a series of three. It means, roughly, Yes sir,
Yes sir, Yes sir, or Certainly, certainly, certainly. It became popular in
the 1930's. Band leader Ben Bernie started using it. I don't know if he
coined it, or was just responsible for making it a popular phrase at that
time. The phrase enjoyed a brief resurgence in the early 1990's. Actor Gig
Young used it in the 1969 movie "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"
Steve Lee
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 18:42:07 -0500
From: "Bill in GA" <wmewilson@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Wines
While we're mentioning the vino, let's not forget to mention Petri wines,
the long-time sponsors of "The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." I wonder
how much of that stuff Harry Bartell actually drank???
Bill W.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 20:33:54 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The "Good Old Days"
Upon reflection, with a significant number of the readership being born
after the days of OTR, there's one aspect about the OTR experience that
might be lost. I'm speaking of the simple act of turning on a radio.
Radios back in those days were essentially all tube radios [the main
exception being crystal sets, which deserve mention of their own]. Each
of the tubes had elements -- cathodes -- that had to be hot to work. For
various technical reasons, these were heated by independent elements
called filaments. Each filament heated to a cheery orangish glow, and
turning on a set lit up its interior. When a radio was first turned on,
there would be a waiting period of up to something like 30 seconds after
clicking the switch, which was usually coupled with the volume control,
before the radio began to play. If the person was trying to tune in to a
show that had started, that warmup wait could seem exceptionally long.
It was worse if the radio wasn't tuned to the station that the program
played on. The bulk of the radios back then had tuning knobs connected
to a dial indicator not dissimilar to the minute hand on a clock.
twisting the knob completely around would move the large hand over only a
small fraction of the dial markings; the pointer was coupled by a cord so
that tuning could be "finer." (A few AM/Shortwave and really old AM
consoles would even have vernier tuning -- a separate "fine tuning" knob
and associated dial.) Younger listeners didn't start dialing toward the
desired station until the radio was already playing -- so another delay
before he or she could start listening to the desired program.
Radios were all shapes and sizes. Most families had a "main" radio, if
they had more than one. That one was usually in the living room, and
usually a console. There were also tabletop radios, ranging from some
fairly elaborate (or specialized) models to smallish things in Bakelite
cases. This last type usually had a tiny speaker for the times -- a
four-incher was the norm. "Portable" radios of those days were huge by
current standards -- kinda like today's medium-sized boomboxes. This was
because, in addition to the tubes it required, also needed a set of
either two or three types of battery. Unlike today's boomboxes, the
"portable" radio was fairly heavy, and it had fairly directional
antennae, so, save to show that it could be done, they were almost never
played while the user was walking with one. Oddly, when on batteries
(many were AC and portable), they typically warmed up faster than when
using house current.
Depending upon the type of radio, listening was an art. As a rule,
particularly for the big consoles, kids would situate themselves close to
the speaker, as if that somehow involved them more in the story. If a
youngster had a radio of her or his own, usually, they just listened,
without proximity. Possibly the better sound of the console speaker had
something to do with it.
Once the show started, of course, at least a lot of the listeners'
attention was transported to whatever drama, comedy, or variety show was
on. But getting there was part of the fun!
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 22:17:40 -0500
From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Wine advertising
Roma, Manischewitz, Mogen David, and Italian Swiss Colony had their work cut
out for them in the 1950's. They hoped to make inexpensive wine the drink
of the middle class, but circumstances were against them. With the
exception of ethnic groups like the Italians, the United States came out of
Prohibition in 1933 as a hard-liquor nation, and things weren't vastly
different twenty years later. Wine was perceived as the drink of snooty
Europeans or winos: working people drank beer and executives drank martinis.
It wasn't until the Baby Boom generation achieved drinking age that wine
recovered the status it enjoyed before 1920.
M Kinsler
to whom it all seems the same.
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #54
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