Subject: [removed] Digest V2008 #243
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 10/15/2008 9:35 PM
To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-to:
[removed]@[removed]

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


                            The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                              Volume 2008 : Issue 243
                         A Part of the [removed]!
                             [removed]
                                 ISSN: 1533-9289


                                 Today's Topics:

  Re: The Shadow of Commissioner Westo  [ Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@earthlin ]
  Re: Magic Radio                       [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
  Re: commercials and cigarette advert  [ rand@[removed] ]
  Gil Stratton                          [ Larry Gassman <lgsinger@[removed] ]
  10-15 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  September 2008 deaths                 [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
  Cecil and Sally                       [ <georgewagner@[removed]; ]
  Radio Museums                         [ "Bill McMahon" <mcmbnatsltburg@comc ]
  Re: Radio museums                     [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
  Seventh & Union                       [ Bill Knowlton <udmacon1@[removed] ]
  That even the G-Men cannot reach      [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
  Fred Allen's Town Hall Tonight        [ RICFAS@[removed] ]
  [removed]                           [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:10:20 -0400
From: Anthony Tollin <sanctumotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: The Shadow of Commissioner Weston

on 10/14/08 5:18 PM, [removed]@[removed] at
[removed]@[removed] wrote:

In some of the episodes, however, Weston has a relationship with the Shadow
and Margo
that borders on animosity.  He seems to resent the Shadow and Margo
assisting with his
cases, instead of being grateful for their undercover assistance and even
has some of his officers follow him in an attempt to discover who the Shadow
actually is (he never succeeds) during a weak moment.

Kenneth: You need to remember that THE SHADOW radio series didn't have the
continuity of writers and editors that THE SHADOW MAGAZINE did. Walter
Gibson wrote the vast majority of the pulp stories, and John Nanovic edited
THE SHADOW MAGAZINE for 13 years.

In comparison, the radio series' story editors, directors and writers
frequently changed ... often each season. Edith Meiser served as story
editor during the first two seasons of the Mutual series, during which time
the producer/directors included Clark Andrews, Martin Gabel, Bourne
Ruthrauff and Bill Tuttle. During the 1940s, SHADOW producer/directors
included Tuttle, Nathan Tufts, John Loveton, Knowles Entrikin, Bob Steel,
John Cole and Harry Ingram. (The latter didn't want anything melodramatic or
pulpy in THE SHADOW--even in sound effects--and pretty much wanted to turn
the series into MR. & MRS. NORTH.)

Some early seasons were mostly scripted by individual writers like Jerry
Devine. Other seasons by a trio of scriptwriters (Sidney Slon, Peter Barry
and Alonzo Deen Cole) while other seasons were mostly by a wide assortment
of freelancers (Alfred Bester, Max Ehrlich, Stedman Coles, Jerry McGill,
etc.).

Characterization shifted along with the changes in writer/directors. Also,
casting certainly had an effect as well. When Kenny Delmar took over as
Weston (succeeding Dwight Weist), the commissioner began to be played for
blustery comic relief, because Kenny was so gifted as a comedian. Weston
became somewhat more caustic (and less comical) when Ted deCorsia took over
a few seasons later.

BTW, speaking of THE SHADOW, my ongoing series of monthly double-novel
reprints has recently featured many extras of interest to radio fans. THE
SHADOW #22 features a lost radio script, "Terror Island," from Orson Welles'
first season in the role, plus a biography and 1940 PIC MAGAZINE pictorial
on Margot Stevenson. And upcoming SHADOW #23 features a foreword by Margot
Stevenson plus "Revenge on The Shadow," a "lost" script from her 1938 summer
season with Welles. If anyone is interested in purchasing either of these
books, please contact me offlist.
--Anthony Tollin
  [removed]

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:10:51 -0400
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: Magic Radio

This has already been mentioned, but there still seems to be some
confusion about that program involving Jim Jordan where he is tuning a
radio and coming up with old radio shows.

That was from a special program that was put together by Chuck Schaden
of the Chicago area "Those Were the Days" old time radio program. It
starred Jim Jordan with Chuck Schaden sitting in "Fibber's house" on
Wistful Vista as they tuned his "super-heterodyne" radio. The announcer
for the show was Larry Thor and it was written by Phil Leslie. I have in
front of me an 8 CD set of that program that I bought a few years back
from The Audio File, which I believe was or is owned by Schaden at the time.

It carries this blurb:
"The program was originally broadcast on selected stations from
coast-to-coast during the Spring and Summer of 1974. Sponsored by
Chrysler Airtemp Air Conditioners."

Jim Widner

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:12:00 -0400
From: rand@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Re: commercials and cigarette advertising

Joe wonders how they did AFRS versions of some shows, sans commercials,
when the ads were integrated into the programs.  He also asks about
vintage cigarette commercials on radio today.

If you listen carefully to Jack Benny's shows, the integrated commercial
can usually be eliminated fairly easily.  I think the writers were aware
of AFRS use of the shows and accounted for this.  Typically, the Sportsmen
drop by, do their bit with Don and Jack and then leave.

I don't think they recorded special versions of the shows for AFRS, but,
in the 50's, there are Jack Benny Shows were Don or some of the minor
characters (like the telephone operators) will do a special commercial for
things like Army traning schools that would show up near the end of the
AFRS versions of the shows.

Of course, with most AFRS series, they'd record special opening and
closings to eliminate mentions of sponsors, sometimes with the same
announcer used on the network version of the program and sometimes with
staff AFRS announcers.  You can hear Howard Duff doing the intros on some
early AFRS Suspense shows, for example.

As to why you don't hear vintage ads in reruns of shows today - I'm
guessing it's a combination of things.  They need to make space for new
commercials in the programs, but they probably don't want to run vintage
ads for cigarette brands that are still in production.

Randy

____________
Randy A. Riddle
Mebane, NC

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:12:34 -0400
From: Larry Gassman <lgsinger@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Gil Stratton

I read of Gil's passing in the LA Radio bulletin from Saturday. I
first met him at the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters Luncheons,  and
over the many years I chaired the SPERDVAC Radio Conventions.
Gill was always such a classy man and a delight to be around.
He always made time for John and for me when we would call or e-mail.
We had him on our radio shows several times and he was always terrific.
We will both miss him greatly.
He was a true gentleman.
Larry Gassman
Fullerton California.

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:13:53 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  10-15 births/deaths

October 15th births

10-15-1879 - Jane Darwell - Palmyra, MO - d. 8-13-1967
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
10-15-1879 - Sara Allgood - Dublin, Ireland - d. 9-13-1950
actor: "Radio Guild"; "Family Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
10-15-1881 - P. G. Wodehouse - Guildford, Surrey, England - d. 2-14-1975
author: (Jeeves and Wooster) "Forecast"; "Stagestruck"
10-15-1893 - Ina Claire - Washington, [removed] - d. 2-22-1985
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
10-15-1896 - Joe Sanders - Thayer, KS - d. 5-14-1965
bandleader: (The Ole Left Hander) "Nighthawks Frolic"
10-15-1898 - Ransom Sherman - Appleton, WI - d. 11-26-1985
actor: Uncle Dennis "Fibber McGee and Molly"; Hap Hazard "Hap Hazard"
10-15-1900 - Fritz Feld - Berlin, Germany - d. 11-18-1993
actor: "NBC Uinversity Theatre"; "Nightbeat"; "Advs. of the Saint"
10-15-1900 - Mervyn LeRoy - San Francisco,CA - d. 9-13-1987
film director: Intermission Guest "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Songs By
Sinatra"
10-15-1908 - Gus Hatula - d. 10-9-1997
audio engineer for WXYZ
10-15-1908 - Herman Chittison - Flemingsburg, KY - d. 3-8-1967
jazz pianist: "Casey, Crime Photographer"; "The Gloom Dodgers"
10-15-1908 - John Kenneth Galbraith - Iona Station, Canada - d.
4-28-2006
economist: "University of Chicago Round Table"; "Meet the Press"
10-15-1908 - Robert Trout - Wake Country, NC - d. 11-14-2000
commentator: "Headlines & Bylines"; "Robert Trout with the News Til Now"
10-15-1909 - Johnny Messner - NYC - d. 1-xx-1986
bandleader: "Spotlight Bands"; "Fitch Bandwagon"
10-15-1912 - Vivian Fridell - Milwaukee, WI
actor: Mary Noble "Mary Noble, Backstage Wife"; "Road of Life"
10-15-1912 - "Zed" Tennis - Missouri - d. 8-xx-1972
fiddle: "Plantation Boys"
10-15-1915 - Nellie Lutcher - Lake Charles, LA - d. 6-8-2007
jazz singer: "Jubilee"; "Spotlight Revue"; "Command Performance"
10-15-1917 - Jan Miner - Boston, MA - d. 2-15-2004
actor: Ann Williams "Casey, Crime Photographer"; "Lora Lawton "Lora
Lawton"
10-15-1917 - Merrill Ash - d. 11-9-1999
newscaster: KOMO Seattle, Washington
10-15-1918 - Bob Sherry - Chattanooga, TN - d. 2-17-2003
announcer: "Archie Andrews"; "Author Meets the Critics"
10-15-1918 - Bobby Gimby - Cabri, Saskatchewan, Canada - d. 6-20-1998
musician, songwriter: "Happy Gang"
10-15-1918 - Harold Gast - d. 12-28-2003
writer: "Front Page Farrell"; "Real Stories from Real Life"
10-15-1918 - Robert Lee - Elyria, OH - d. 7-8-1994
writer: "Columbia Presents Corwin"
10-15-1921 - Allan Drake - Massachusetts - d. 3-8-1986
actor: "The Ethel Merman Show"
10-15-1921 - Geri Fontane - New Milford, NJ - d. 9-13-1993
singer: (The Fontane Sisters) "Chesterfield Supper Club"
10-15-1921 - Robert Rockwell - Chicago, IL - d. 1-25-2003
actor: Philip Boynton "Our Miss Brooks"
10-15-1922 - Paul Kasander - Detroit, MI - d. 10-17-2002
actor: "Challenge of the Yukon"; "Lone Ranger"; "Green Hornet"
10-15-1926 - Jean Peters - Canton, OH - d. 10-13-2000
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
10-15-1929 - Art James - d. 3-28-2004
announcer: Armed Forces Radio

October 15th deaths

01-20-1920 - Derek Bond - Glascow, Scotland - d. 10-15-2006
actor: "A Christmas Carol"
03-08-1912 - David Friedkin - d. 10-15-1976
writer: "Bold Venture"; "Broadway Is My Beat"; "The Front Page"
03-23-1917 - Josef Locke - Londonderry, Northern Ireland - d. 10-15-1999
actor: "Variety Fanfare"
05-07-1900 - Ralph Truman - London, England - d. 10-15-1977
actor: John H Watson "BBC Home Theatre"
05-21-1923 - Rick Jason - NYC - d. 10-15-2000
actor: "Sears Radio Theatre"
06-09-1891 - Cole Porter - Peru, IN - d. 10-15-1964
composer: Theme for "My Friend Irma"
06-17-1916 - Terry Gilkyson - Mont Clare, PA - d. 10-15-1999
singer, songwriter: "Solitary Singer"; "America Sings"; "Here's to
Veterans"
07-06-1924 - Bobby Mauch - Peoria, IL - d. 10-15-2007
actor: "Coast-to-Coast on a Bus"; "Let's Pretend"; "Robinson Crusoe,
Jr."
07-09-1917 - Ted Steele - Hartford, CT - d. 10-15-1985
bandleader: "Ted Steele's Studio Club"; "Chesterfield Supper Club"
09-12-1918 - Ethel Beard - d. 10-15-2003
actor: "Experimental Playhouse of the Air"
09-25-1905 - Carl Hoff - Oxnard, CA - d. 10-15-1965
bandleader: "Al Pearce and His Gang"; "Your Hit Parade"
10-09-1916 - Jack Boyle - Illinois - d. 10-15-1965
actor: Andy Gump "The Gumps"
10-13-1918 - Cornel Wilde - NYC - d. 10-15-1989
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
10-16-1904 - Raymond Meurer - d. 10-15-1974
Part owner of WXYZ
11-11-1899 - Pat O'Brien - Milwaukee, WI - d. 10-15-1983
actor: Dan Carson "Dan Carson"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Family Theatre"
11-23-1911 - Edward Breuder - Hoboken, NJ - d. 10-15-1989
director of CBS radio network music division
12-18-1919 - Ralph Levy - Phildelphia, PA - d. 10-15-2001
director: "Burns and Allen"

Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:13:59 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  September 2008 deaths

02-26-1920 - Michael Pate - Sydney, Australia - d. 9-1-2008
actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
07-16-1930 - Joey Giardello - Brooklyn, NY - d. 9-4-2008
middleweight boxer; "Tops In Sports"; "Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts"
07-14-1914 - George F. Putnam - Breckenridge, MN - d. 9-12-2008
newscaster, announcer: "George Putnam and the News"; "The Army Hour"
01-20-1922 - Connie Haines - Savannah, GA - d. 9-22-2008
singer: "Abbott and Costello Show"; "Rhapsody in Rhythm"
04-22-1918 - Mickey Vernon - Marcus Hook, PA - d. 9-24-2008
major league baseball player' " Play Ball"

Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:14:13 -0400
From: <georgewagner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Cecil and Sally

     Just the other day I added two new programs to my 1920s radio
collection, episodes of "Cecil and Sally," supposedly dating from 1929. (The
segments are "Fishing from a Row Boat" and "Out of Gas.")

     I confess that I'd never heard of this series before, even though it
appears to have continued at least into the early 1930s.

     Can anybody tell me anything more about it?

     Sincerely,

     George Wagner
     georgewagner@[removed]

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:15:15 -0400
From: "Bill McMahon" <mcmbnatsltburg@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Radio Museums
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I read with interest Jim Cox's 13 October 2008 OTR Digest posting, subject
as above.  To answer Jim's question - yes, there are other similar radio
museums around the country.  The one I'm associated with is the Radio &
Television Museum in Bowie, Maryland, which is located in the Washington, DC
metropolitan area.  Information follows:

Mission:  The Radio & Television Museum, governed by the Radio History
Society, seeks to educate the public about the history and impact of radio
and television technology and broadcasting, through the Society's effort to
collect, preserve, and interpret radio and television artifacts,
programming, and publications, starting with the dawn of radio.

Things to Do:  1) Take a tour and see the evolution of radio & television;
2) Review a fabulous collection of vintage receivers and related
memorabilia; 3) Listen to radio broadcasts on early radio receivers; and 4)
Watch early television shows on vintage sets.

Things to See: 1) 90 lb. "portable" radio; 2) Reado "radio" that prints out
the newspaper; 3) Philco "Mystery" remote control; 4) Radio that takes
pictures; and 5) TV set showcased at the 1939 World's Fair.

The Radio & Television Museum features a wide spectrum of radio and
television artifacts and memorabilia to include a vast array of radio
receivers, a working Collins transmitter (an Art Deco classic), early
televisions, microphones, broadcast items, tubes, radio premiums,
interactive displays, and an unparalleled library of technical literature.
We also have a large selection of radio programs (>30,000) and TV shows to
enjoy.  Located 12 minutes from the Washington, DC Beltway, the museum is
within a 30-45 minute drive from other outstanding Washington, DC area
old-time radio research sites to include: 1) The Library of American
Broadcasting; 2) The Library of Congress; 3) The National Archives; and 4)
George Washington University (where we display radio and television exhibits
on a continual basis).  Of course the Smithsonian Institution is also here.
Serious OTR enthusiasts could spend a week in the area and just scratch the
surface of the available OTR resources.  Timing your visit to include the
second Friday of the month would allow visitors to attend the monthly
meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio Club (MWOTRC).

The Radio & Television Museum website can be found at:
[removed].  Our website is a work in progress.  We have a couple
of interesting virtual exhibits to post, and plan on adding audio,
photographs, recollections from radio listeners in the Washington, DC area,
and a host of other features.  We would certainly entertain the inclusion of
radio and television memorabilia, premiums, and other related materials from
OTR Radio Digesters in the future.  We will have an exhibit at this year's
Friends of Old-time Radio Convention in Newark, NJ and welcome everyone to
our booth.

Bill McMahon
Board of Directors
Radio History Society

 [removed] [removed]

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:15:40 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Re: Radio museums

   Jim Cox asked --

   > are there lots of similar museums in existence?

   There's one right here in Huntington, WV.
   [removed]~postr/MRT/
   Sadly, like most people in NYC who have never been to any tourist
sites there, I have never been to the museum.  Gotta do that one [removed]
   Joe

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:16:35 -0400
From: Bill Knowlton <udmacon1@[removed];
To: "radio, oldtime" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  Seventh & Union
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Just wanted to mention that on Sunday night, Oct 5th, I had to call into my
"Bluegrass Ramble" fundraiser from Nashville. I had a group of friends doing
this semiannual Begathon at the studios since I was in Music City for the
annual convention of the International Bluegrass Music Association
In one of three cellphone calls to WCNY I decided to cross from my hotel to
the Northwest corner of 7th Avenue and Union Street, the home of WSM in the
now razed National Life building from 1925 to 1966. And right across the
street is the War Memorial Auditorium, home of the Opry in the late 30s until
it moved to the Ryman in [removed] broadcast a short description of WSM's many
country music broadcasts from the old Studio C at 7th & Union ("Friday Night
Frolic," "WSM Saturday Night," Roy Acuff's Royal Crown Cola shows, etc.) and
the
morning broadcasts of Lester & Earl from the WSM [removed] to mention the
"Sunday Down South" feeds to NBC, Francis Craig & His Orchestra, Dina Shore
and Snooky [removed] figure that this was the first radio broadcast from 7th
& Union since 1966 and I was honored to do [removed] to get an historic marker
for this sacred site!

BILL KNOWLTON

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:28:58 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  That even the G-Men cannot reach

I was under the impression, based on what I've read in Dunning's _Tune in
Yesterday_ and _On the Air_, that the phrase "he hunts the biggest of all
game, public enemies that even the G-Men cannot reach." appeared in openings
of _The Green Hornet_ in 1939 only (and that it stopped because J. Edgar
Hoover protested, but that's another matter). However, I've heard the phrase
in episodes dated years later, including "Last Words Mean Sabotage", dated
9/19/42. Both Jerry Haendiges' log and the old-time radio researchers group
confirm that date, so does that mean that the "G-Men" line was used, off an
on, from 1939 to (at least) 1942; that the above logs are incorrect about
some broadcast dates; or that, for some reason, that the "G-Men" line was
inserted when the programs were released commercially, presumably to replace
the missing or damaged actual line?

If the "G-Men" line did continue to at least 1942, it seems curious that both
it and the line "...public enemies who try to destroy our America" would be
used at various times. You'd think they'd have stuck with either one or the
other (or only used the G-Men one for stories involving the FBI and the "try
to destroy our America" one for stories involving sabotage. However neither
seems to have been the case).

Rick

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:37:19 -0400
From: RICFAS@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject:  Fred Allen's Town Hall Tonight
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Again, requesting if anyone has a copy of the May 12, 1937 show?   Please
advise.  Thank you,

Ric Ross

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

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:37:26 -0400
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject:  [removed]

Someone recently posted a note regarding home recording equipment citing
Recordio.  When I was in high school, the choir and band director appointed
me to operate the record cutter.  The school owned a Recordio.  The website
he sent us to showed a number of models of the Recordio.  The school owned a
2-piece outfit.  It had a radio and would cut at both 78 and 33 1/3 rpm,
standard goove.  I have saved some of my discs, most of them were from NYPSO
and NBC symphony broadcasts.  The sound quality is quite poor, but it was a
thrill to be recording Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini!

We later got a Webster-Chicago wire recorder.  Used it to record one live
concert but partway through the wire broke.  I never did get the wire tied
back together again.  Then came tape and a whole new era for Sisseton High
School!

Ted Kneebone. 1528 S. Grant St., Aberdeen, SD 57401

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #243
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