Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #400
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 12/19/2004 4:19 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 400
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Sgt Preston Records of 1952           [ Paulurbahn@[removed] ]
      March of Time 1947                    [ "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@earthli ]
      Private Eyelashes goes audio          [ benohmart@[removed] ]
      "War of the Worlds Mystery"           [ "Michael Ogden" <michaelo67@hotmail ]
      Claude Rains OTR Movie                [ Alan Johns <ajohns@[removed]; ]
      Christmas OTR                         [ "Leslie Feagan" <lfeagan@actorsfcu. ]
      12-19 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      OTR riddles                           [ "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@hotmail. ]
      The Unsuspected                       [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      Fibber McGee's Closet                 [ Al Girard <24agirard24@[removed] ]
      This week in radio history 19-25 Dec  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Claude Rains OTR Movie                [ "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback ]
      OTR Related Movies                    [ "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback ]
      Claude Rains Radio Movie              [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
      Walter "Wamp" Carlson                 [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:01:29 -0500
    From: Paulurbahn@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Sgt Preston Records of 1952

    Back in 1952 DECCA Records issued a series of 4 Sgt Preston Of The Yukon
    Records in both 45 rpm and 78 rpm. To this day I do not think these have been
    reissued in any form. The stories were 8 minute adaptions using the original
    radio
    cast.  I have the original disk for the first in the series, with it's
    picture sleeve, "The Case That Made Preston A Sergeant." The others in the
    series
    were: The Case Of The Orghan Dog or How Sgt Preston Found King; The Case of
    The
    Indian Rebellion; and the forth disk was supposed to have the Theme from Sgt
    Preston Of The Yukon. I have no idea if there was anything on the back side of
    disk 4. It was advertised as  a "bonus disk" if you ordered all three Sgt
    Preston records by mail for a total cost of $[removed]  You could get each of the
    adventures for 35 cents each and a blue star from a Quaker cereal package.
    Does anyone on the list have the original disks for the second and third
    disks? I have purchased dubs from various on line dealers but the quality is
    very
    poor.

    Thanks and Happy Holidays!
    Paul Urbahns

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:01:58 -0500
    From: "joe@[removed]" <sergei01@[removed];
    To: "OTR List" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  March of Time 1947

    Mike Biel wrote:

>     It is from a "March of Time" theatrical newsfilm titled "Radio Broadcasting
>     Today" from around 1947

    Is this film available on DVD or tape somewhere? I'd like to see it, even if
    most of it is not real radio broadcasting as it actually happened.

    Joe Salerno

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:02:42 -0500
    From: benohmart@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Private Eyelashes goes audio

    I'm VERY excited to announce BearManor Media's first audio book. It couldn't
    happen
    to a nicer title. This week the Library of Congress chose the
    non-fiction book, "Private Eyelashes: Radio's Lady Detectives" to be
    recorded as a Talking Book under their National Library Service (NLS)
    for the Blind and Physically Disabled. Copies of every book published
    in the [removed] are obtained by the Library of Congress, through the
    requirements of its Copyright Office, but less than one percent of them
    are converted into a Talking Book. They are usually chosen on the basis
    of best-sellers, authoritative bibliographies, and/or favorable reviews
    in national publications.

    A prominent Washington, DC actress, Nicola Daval, was selected by the
    NLS to record the book and began her audio sessions this week. It is
    estimated this Talking Book will be available through NLS in the spring
      of 2005.

    The Talking Book program was first established by Congress in 1931 to
    serve blind adults in the [removed] It has since been expanded to include
    both adults and children with physical handicaps, [removed] ALS and multiple
    sclerosis, which would prevent them from holding a book or turning
    pages. With a doctor's certification, any [removed] citizen can avail
    themselves of this program, which includes Talking Books (and
    magazines)as well as a special machine, all of which are free, as is
    the postage to and from the Library. Talking Books are recorded on
    special cassettes, each one of which contains six hours of material.
    This special format makes bootleg copies impossible, a necessary
    caution since [removed] copyright law permits NLS the free use of all
    copyrighted material.

    For further information on this NLS program, go to their web site at
    [removed]

    Ben Ohmart

    Old radio. Old movies. New books.
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:03:00 -0500
    From: "Michael Ogden" <michaelo67@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  "War of the Worlds Mystery"

    Mike Kerrigan mentioned Philip Shreffler's novel THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
    MYSTERY as a good read with an OTR background. Just from the capsule
    description, though, it sounds like Shreffler should have researched the
    original broadcast a little bit more thoroughly. There were NO women in the
    WOTW cast.

    Mike Ogden

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:03:48 -0500
    From: Alan Johns <ajohns@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Claude Rains OTR Movie

    You may be thinking of "The Falcon's Alibi" with Tom Conway from 1946.  The
    disc jockey who uses a pre-recorded show as an alibi is played by Elisha
    Cook, Jr.  This movie was on TCM several months back.  Also notable, the
    producers do a little cross-promotion towards the end when Frances Langford
    is heard singing from a radio, "Dreaming Out Loud," the theme-song from her
    movie, "Bamboo Blonde," which the internet movie database also shows as
    released in 1946.  Lum and Abner fans will recall that Frances sang
    "Dreaming Out Loud" in one of their movies, although it could possibly be a
    different arrangement.

    --
    Hear How Great Old Time Radio Can Sound! First Generation Radio Archives
    Preserving Radio's Past for the Future [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:02:53 -0500
    From: "Leslie Feagan" <lfeagan@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Christmas OTR
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Every year it's not Christmas until I've listened to the TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES
    sometimes titled the Walking Man (because of an on-air contest) or Christmas
    Seals (the first consequence). You know the one I mean, where a small town in
    Tennessee welcomes, via radio, a beloved veteran. It is the greatest use of
    the medium I've ever enjoyed. Hope those of you who keep lauding the Cinnamon
    Bear and other lovely shows give it a listen. Happy Holidays.

    Love,
    Leslie Feagan

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

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:03:58 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  12-19 births/deaths

    December 19th births

    12-19-1882 - Bronislaw Huberman - Czestochowa, Poland - d. 6-17-1947
    violinist: "A Tribute to . . . ."
    12-19-1888 - Fritz Reiner - Budapest, Hungary - d. 11-15-1963
    conductor: "Curtis Institute Musicale"; "Ford Sunday Evening Hour"
    12-19-1894 - Ford Frick - Wawaka, IN - d. 4-8-1978
    baseball comissioner: "Baseball: An Action History"; "Play Ball"; "Tribute to
    Babe Ruth"
    12-19-1902 - Sir Ralph Richardson - Cheltenham, England - d. 10-10-1983
    actor: Doctor John H. Watson, "Advs. of Sherlock Holmes"
    12-19-1907 - Ray Noble - Brighton, England - d. 4-3-1978
    bandleader: "Coty Program"; "Burns and Allen"; "Chase & Sanborn Hour"
    12-19-1911 - Clark Dennis - Roscommon, MI
    singer: "Breakfast Club"; "Fibber McGee and Molly"; "Chesterfield Presents"
    12-19-1924 - Rex Barney - Omaha, NE - d. 8-11-1997
    baseball color man: "Game of the Day"
    12-19-1933 - Cicely Tyson - NYC
    host: "Sears Radio Theatre"; Thursday, Love and Hate Night

    December 19th deaths

    01-12-1912 - Sara Berner - Albany, NY - d. 12-19-1969
    actress: Mable Flapsaddle "Jack Benny Program"; Ingrid Mataratzo "Jimmy
    Durante Show"
    02-24-1895 - May Singhi Breen - NYC - d. 12-19-1970
    singer: (The Ukulele Lady) "Sweethearts of the Air"
    04-16-1913 - Les Tremayne - London, England - d. 12-19-2003
    actor: Nick Charles "Advs. of the Thin Man"; Michael Waring "The Falcon"
    06-01-1901 - John Van Druten - London, England - d. 12-19-1957
    writer: "Radio Guild"; "Chase and Sanborn Hour"; "Theatre Guild On the Air"
    06-23-1910 - Milt Hinton - Vicksburg, MS - d. 12-19-2000
    jazz bassist: "Town Hall Concert"; "Monsanto Night: Benny Goodman"
    06-27-1912 - Audrey Christie - Chicago, IL - d. 12-19-1989
    actress: Assistant to Peter Standish "Peter Standish, Medical Examiner"
    07-31-1902 - Robert E. Griffin - Hutchinson, KS - d. 12-19-1960
    actor: Wilbur Ramage "Story of Holly Sloan"; Michael West "Bright Horizon"
    09-25-1875 - Clyde Fillmore - McConnelsville, OH - d. 12-19-1946
    actor: Sam Aldrich "The Aldrich Family"
    10-02-1900 - Barton Yarborough - Goldthwaite, TX - d. 12-19-1951
    actor: Ben Romero "Dragnet"; Doc Long "I Love A Mystery/Adventure"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:04:07 -0500
    From: "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR riddles

    Hey Stephen,

    You did a LOT better than I did on Melanie's riddles! Congratulations.

    Barbara

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:04:23 -0500
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The Unsuspected

    Thanks to Jim Yellen for identifying the OTR film, The Unsuspected.

    I saw and enjoyed this film on Turner Classic Movies a couple of years ago
    but couldn't recall its name.

    It will most likely be aired again, probably as part of some film noir
    series.

    There's an interesting archive article about the film on the TCM website if
    anyone is interested.

    [removed],,74654,[removed]

    -Irene

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:04:53 -0500
    From: Al Girard <24agirard24@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Fibber McGee's Closet

    The famous sound effect is described in detail
    with
    photos on pages 265 - 268 of Radio Sound Effects
    (Robert L. Mott) ISBN 0-89950-747-6 Published by
    McFarland & Co.

    Essentially, the sound effects artist Monty Fraser
    used a set of five wooden stairs as the base for
    his
    audio gag. He then placed wooden boxes in place,
    on edge,
    one per step. From the photos the boxes appear to
    be about
    12 X 14 X 3 inches. Then he carefully placed all
    sorts of
    odds and ends ranging from a tambourine to bowling
    pins and buckets
    on top of the boxes.

    At the point in the script where an avalanche of
    junk is called for
    (Fibber opens the closet door) the whole array is
    pushed one
    onto another, creating a cacaphony of noise, but
    the master
    sound effects artist had one little sound to cap
    it off.
    He would pick up a little handbell and the crash
    ended with
    the tinkle of a little bell.

    It was truly a classic gag.

    -Al Girard
    [removed]
    The Unofficial Fibber McGee and Molly Home Page

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 16:05:06 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  This week in radio history 19-25 December

     From Those Were The Days --

    12/19

    1932 -- the British Broadcasting Corporation began transmitting overseas
    with its Empire Service to Australia.  (From The Today in History, NY Times)

    12/20

     From Those Were The Days --

    1920 - WEAF, in New York City, aired the first broadcast of a prize
    fight from ringside. The fight was broadcast from Madison Square Garden
    where Joe Lynch defeated Peter Herman to retain the bantamweight title.
    Bantamweights top the scales at 118 pounds. Just think, either of those
    boxers could have been mistaken for the microphone stand.

    1922 - WEAF once again proved to be the pillar of radio promotion. This
    time they broadcast radio's first double wedding ceremony. 4,000
    spectators watched as the two couples exchanged vows at Grand Central
    Palace. The broadcast was made in conjunction with the American Radio
    Exposition. The couples each got $100; a hefty sum in 1922.

    12/23

    In 1928, the National Broadcasting Company set up a permanent,
    coast-to-coast network.  (From Today in history, the NY Times)

    12/24 --

    1906 - Professor Reginald A. Fessenden sent his first radio broadcast
    from Brant Rock, MA. The program included a little verse, some violin
    and a speech.

    1928 - The first broadcast of The Voice of Firestone was heard. The
    program aired each Monday evening at 8. The Voice of Firestone became a
    hallmark in radio broadcasting. It kept its same night, time (in 1931
    the start time changed to 8:30) and sponsor for its entire run.
    Beginning on September 5, 1949, the program of classical and
    semiclassical music was also seen on television.

    1944 - The Andrews Sisters starred in the debut of The Andrews Sisters'
    Eight-to-the-Bar Ranch on ABC. Patty, Maxene and LaVerne ran a fictional
    dude ranch. George 'Gabby' Hayes was a regular guest along with Vic
    Schoen's orchestra. The ranch stayed in operation until 1946.

    12/25

    1931 - Lawrence Tibbett was the featured vocalist as radio came to the
    Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. The first opera was Hansel
    und Gretel, heard on the NBC network of stations. In between acts of the
    opera, moderator Olin Downes would conduct an opera quiz, asking
    celebrity guests opera-related questions. The program's host and
    announcer was Milton Cross. He worked out of the Met's Box 44.

    1934 - The Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, was read by
    Lionel Barrymore on The Campbell Playhouse on CBS. The reading of the
    tale became an annual radio event for years to come.

    1937 - Arturo Toscanini conducted the first broadcast of Symphony of the
    Air over NBC.

    1942 - The longest, sponsored program in the history of broadcasting was
    heard on NBC Blue network. The daylong Victory Parade's Christmas Party
    of Spotlight Bands was heard over 142 radio stations. The marathon
    broadcast was sponsored by Coca-Cola.

       Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 23:35:32 -0500
    From: "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Claude Rains OTR Movie

    Someone was kind enough to send me a link offlist.  The movie was called
    "The Unsuspected".  Claude Rains played famous radio performer with a crime
    show (from the description it sounds like he narrated the stories.  That is
    no real case, just him) who committs murder.  The ratings by IMDB users are
    very high.  I'd love to see it again.  It probably shows up on Turner
    Classics, which I don't have unfortunately.

      - Philip

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

    Date: Sat, 18 Dec 2004 23:35:55 -0500
    From: "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR Related Movies

>     If you can find it "The War of The Worlds Mystery" by Philip A. Shreffler
>     (Wessex Press, 1998) is an enjoyable read

    That brings to mind "The Night that Panicked America", an excellent TV movie
    from the seventies about the WOTW broadcast, told from point of view of both
    the performers and the audience.  This is a great little movie.  Last time I
    saw it was on Halloween on the Sci-Fi channel about five years ago, along
    with a nifty little documentary they put together.  Don't know if they still
    show it or not.

    According to the documentary a South American radio station translated the
    script into Spanish and did the same thing Orson Welles did several years
    after the original broadcast.   People were so outraged that a mob descended
    on the station and burned down, with several people dying in the fire.

    Don't know if it's true or not, but if it is, Orson Welle's must count his
    blessings that he got off so easy.  Easy?  Did I say easy?  Actually the
    show made him a star.

      - Philip

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

    Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2004 01:46:32 -0500
    From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Claude Rains Radio Movie

    Philip Railsback asked:

>     I have in my mind a movie I saw on the late show when I was kid.  It
>     starred Claude Rains.  He played a radio performer or DJ who uses
>     his radio job as an alibi for murder.

    "James Yellen" <clifengr3@[removed]; supplied:

>     ...the movie is from 1947 and is called THE UNSUSPECTED.

    I caught the last part of this movie several months ago on Turner
    Classic Movies. It will probably show up again there, so you might
    check their web page.

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

    Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2004 11:08:22 -0500
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Walter "Wamp" Carlson

    This article from the New Brittain Herald profiles the later Walter "Wamp"
    Carlson, in the article credited for inventing the singing commercial.

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    [removed];BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=10110&rfi=6

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #400
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