------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 106
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
William Shirer [ "Jim Widner" <widnerj@[removed]; ]
transcription prices/music disc coll [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]
transcription prices/music disc coll [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]
JUBILEE [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
Ovaltine [ "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@ ]
The Walking Man [ "Russ Butler" <oldradio@[removed] ]
Buddy Clark's Looks [ Bob Fells <rfells@[removed]; ]
Ovaltineys [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
Re: Gays & Buddy Clark [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
Re: Orphan Annie's Ovaltine [ Michael Shoshani <shoshani@[removed] ]
March 7th Birthday [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Chuck McCann [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
Talk shows in the 50s [ FKELLY <fkelly@[removed]; ]
Transcription Disk Prices. [ gad4@[removed] ]
Ovaltine [ "Andrew Emmerson" <midshires@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 10:47:37 -0500
From: "Jim Widner" <widnerj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: William Shirer
Great comments, Michael. By the way, Shirer was bi-lingual which is
part of what he was doing when he reported on the German headlines in
the paper - translating them for the American audiences.
I do agree that his presentation was not the best, but listen to many
of the radio reporters of the time - you hear mis-pronounced, then
repeated correctly - words, you hear coughing and clearing of throat in
the middle of speaking, etc.
I think it is fair to say that broadcast news reporting was still in
its infancy at that time and many of the men hired did come from a
print background. Murrow was probably extraordinary in speaking because
he had an extensive background as a speaker, plus a perfect voice for
radio.
I am glad you mentioned Sigrid Schultz of whom many people are not
aware. Though she did not stay in the industry, she was still a good
journalist.
By the way, if anyone wants to hear Sigrid Schultz, you can hear her
from one of my news pages: [removed]
Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 11:46:21 -0500
From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: transcription prices/music disc collectors
On music collectors, Elizabeth M [removed]
This is a whole different school of collecting than
mainstream OTR -- these collectors would walk right
by an entire stack of Green Hornet discs without
blinking to get to a single broadcast by Duke
Ellington or Jimmie Lunceford or Don Redman.
This REALLY hit [removed] to what happened to me
last weekend:
A nice fellow whom I'd never met, having heard about
my OTR hobby, called me up and said he had a big stack
of old electrical transcription discs from a pair of
local Louisville radio stations--and he didn't want
them! I told my new best friend I'd be right over.
Sure enough, he had a stash of about 20 discs, dating
from the mid-30s to the mid-50s, that he'd gotten from
his uncle who'd worked at both radio stations. Not
all of them are labelled, but the ones that are look
like some really neat stuff, and true to his word, he
GAVE them to me. (And they're in somewhat rougher
shape than anything I've dealt with--anybody with
expertise on messing with these, or who might like to
dub them, please contact me off-list; I'm a little out
of my depth).
So I asked him why he didn't want them, and he
explained he only likes the old musical discs, and
took me into his basement: an entire room full of old
78s, record sets, and some more transcription discs.
"You got any more radio stuff?" I [removed] he showed
me a whole shelf of AFRS jazz recordings--I saw one
"One Night Stand" disc, and a couple more labelled
"Count Basie and His Orchestra", among the collection.
Then, he said something to the effect of "most of
this over here is stuff I don't care about"--and
pulled out a disc that said "Buck Rogers in the 25th
Century, #18"! "I got a bunch of these," he
pronounced, utterly unimpressed. My mouth fell
open--believing (correctly, it turned out) only the
first few 'Buck' episodes are kicking around
elsewhere.
Only interested in handing over what he'd brought me
there for, he put the other stuff away and sent me on
my way--completely oblivious to the stash he's sitting
on. Goodness knows what else is in that basement!
haha So Elizabeth is right---how funny that here are
two very similar, yet very different, hobbies, and
apparently never the 'twain shall meet. How much more
stuff is sitting out there, somewhere, gathering dust
in somebody's basement??
chris
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 11:47:23 -0500
From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: transcription prices/music disc collectors
On music collectors, Elizabeth M [removed]
This is a whole different school of collecting than
mainstream OTR -- these collectors would walk right
by an entire stack of Green Hornet discs without
blinking to get to a single broadcast by Duke
Ellington or Jimmie Lunceford or Don Redman.
This REALLY hit [removed] to what happened to me
last weekend:
A nice fellow whom I'd never met, having heard about
my OTR hobby, called me up and said he had a big stack
of old electrical transcription discs from a pair of
local Louisville radio stations--and he didn't want
them! I told my new best friend I'd be right over.
Sure enough, he had a stash of about 20 discs, dating
from the mid-30s to the mid-50s, that he'd gotten from
his uncle who'd worked at both radio stations. Not
all of them are labelled, but the ones that are look
like some really neat stuff, and true to his word, he
GAVE them to me. (And they're in somewhat rougher
shape than anything I've dealt with--anybody with
expertise on messing with these, or who might like to
dub them, please contact me off-list; I'm a little out
of my depth).
So I asked him why he didn't want them, and he
explained he only likes the old musical discs, and
took me into his basement: an entire room full of old
78s, record sets, and some more transcription discs.
"You got any more radio stuff?" I [removed] he showed
me a whole shelf of AFRS jazz recordings--I saw one
"One Night Stand" disc, and a couple more labelled
"Count Basie and His Orchestra", among the collection.
Then, he said something to the effect of "most of
this over here is stuff I don't care about"--and
pulled out a disc that said "Buck Rogers in the 25th
Century, #18"! "I got a bunch of these," he
pronounced, utterly unimpressed. My mouth fell
open--believing (correctly, it turned out) only the
first few 'Buck' episodes are kicking around
elsewhere.
Only interested in handing over what he'd brought me
there for, he put the other stuff away and sent me on
my way--completely oblivious to the stash he's sitting
on. Goodness knows what else is in that basement!
haha So Elizabeth is right---how funny that here are
two very similar, yet very different, hobbies, and
apparently never the 'twain shall meet. How much more
stuff is sitting out there, somewhere, gathering dust
in somebody's basement??
chris
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 11:47:40 -0500
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: JUBILEE
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Harlan's informative letter about transcription discs and the AFRS
program Jubilee have just triggered a fond memory.
I once had a disc of that show and it featured the saxophone genius of
both Charlie Parker and Willie Smith. The host was a guy named Bubbles I
think and the tunes were magnificent with a great version of "Sophisticated
Lady" for one and a 'duel' between the two masters.
Does anyone have a mp3 of this I can d'load? I have cable modem so it
shouldn't be a problem at my end.
With heartfelt appreciation I am very glad to be back after a two month
absence whilst being trapped literally on a tropical island, namely Moloka'i
in the Hawaiian chain.
Back in NY now and it is snowing again and oh, how I would love to hear
that show again.
<A HREF="[removed],+Michael+C.">Michael C.
Gwynne</A>
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 12:27:55 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ovaltine
Will Nicoll asks,
Does anybody know why
they named it "Ovaltine?"
The first half of the word comes from the Latin for "eggs." Oddly, the
[removed] form of "Classic Ovaltine" is egg free.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 12:28:14 -0500
From: "Russ Butler" <oldradio@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Walking Man
<<Joe Mackey posted the 1948 Truth or Consequences [removed];
And a certain Jack Benny from Waukegan, Illinois ("Walk-kee-gan") was
identity of The "Walking Man" in the contest.
Now to my question, has anyone the T&C Walking Man shows with the clues to
trade? Also, Miss Hush shows on T&C? .....and any "Name That Tune" musical
quiz programs? Reply offline is welcomed. Thanks.
Russ Butler oldradio@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 12:28:57 -0500
From: Bob Fells <rfells@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Buddy Clark's Looks
George Aust wondered if his posting here may get him into trouble
because he said that had singer Buddy Clark lived, he probably would not
have made it in TV or movies due to his lack of good looks. Well, funny
thing, a few months ago I saw a short film on Turner Classic Movies (one
of their "One Reel Wonders") where Mr. Clark and bandleader Ray Noble
were interviewed. The film dated from around 1948 and discussed their
recent hit records.
I thought the film was interesting (and I wished I had taped it) for a
couple of reasons. For one thing, [removed] dropped his "silly
Englishman" character that he assumed on the Bergen & McCarthy show and
came across as a serious and intelligent man. Likewise with Buddy
Clark, but he went further saying that he had not always taken his
career seriously and was trying to learn from past mistakes - or words
to that effect. I didn't know what he was referring to but I was
impressed with his humility.
The film concluded with Mr. Clark singing to a young lady in fully
staged production number that was filmed outdoors on a beautifully sunny
day. I got the impression that some producer was perhaps trying him out
to test audience reaction. And so help me, I couldn't help thinking
that Mr. Clark sang well and looked to be in good shape physically but
he really was not very photogenic. So, George Aust, I can't honestly
say that your comments were unfair because I thought the same thing
myself. I still wish I had taped it!
Bob Fells
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 13:39:39 -0500
From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ovaltineys
Ovaltine began in Switzerland where it was first marketed in the 19th
Century as OVOMALTINE, a name which combined the suffix "ine" with
"malt" and the Latin "ab ovo" (from the egg). In the UK, there were
problems registering that name, so it was shortened to Ovaltine.
Radio Luxembourg, in 1935, launched the Ovaltiney Club, a children's
secret society with five million members and its own badges, codes,
comics and song -- "We Are the Ovaltineys." Does anyone have the lyrics?
Bhob @ VINTAGE NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS @ [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 17:28:07 -0500
From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Gays & Buddy Clark
George Aust writes:
There have always been effeminate men especially in comedy but they are
not neccesarily homosexual.
Excellent point, George. The "nance" character - basically, an effeminate
male stereotype played for laughs - has been a part of entertainment for
decades and is really no different than the various ethnic characters
portrayed in a similar context. Granted, in today's society, it would be
considered passe (and insulting) to present one-dimentional characters like
cheap Scotchmen, drunken Irishmen, lecherous Italians, dumb Swedes,
effeminate "pansies" and the like. But, in the hey-day of vaudeville,
revue, and radio, these were all commonly accepted comic characters.
(I have to say, though, that whenever I watch some of the low-end sitcoms
produced today with an African-American focus, it seems to me that an awful
lot of them portray images that border on the stereotypical. There must be
a great many African-American viewers out there who feel the same way, but
then no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.)
In reference to Frank Nelson's floorwalker being a "nance" character, I
don't think he came across that way in the post-war Benny shows. However,
he did do an early version of the character in a wartime "Command
Performance" Christmas show with both Benny and Fred Allen (1943, I think)
in which his role - a sales clerk in a department store - definitely and
positively falls into this category. It's a far-from-subtle performance of
a far-from-subtle script; had Benny's writers stuck to this cliche' rather
than developing his floorwalker into the hilariously insulting character it
was to become, it never would have lasted or have been so well remembered
today.
As to George's comments on Buddy Clark:
However whether he would have gone on to bigger things had he lived is a
matter of speculation, because if you ever saw a picture of him taken in
the late 40's you'd have to wonder if he could ever have survived
television as a "romantic" type [removed]
George also wrote:
Oh Oh! why do I have the feeling that I've just gotten myself into trouble
here?
Not at all, George. I was thinking the same thing.
I've always liked Clark's voice - he had a pleasant, smooth delivery and an
easy-going way about him - but I can't see that he would have ever been any
real competition to Crosby, or even Como for that matter. He was, like many
vocalists of the period, a talented, experienced, and reliable
singer-for-hire who happened to have had some big hit records. Most of his
post-war recordings for Columbia were pleasant and big sellers in their
time, but not overly distinguished long-term. He did some nice duets sides
with Doris Day ("Love Somebody" was cute) and Dinah Shore ("Baby, It's Cold
Outside") and he does a nice job with "A Dreamer's Holiday" (a personal
favorite of mine) but none of his records were going to propel him into
long-lasting superstar status anytime soon.
I suspect that, had he lived, he probably would have continued on radio -
perhaps continuing with the "Carnation Contented Hour" or even going the
way of Jack Smith with a five-a-week fifteen-minute early evening
show - and continued to make successful records, but likely we would think
no more (or less) of him than all of the other male and female vocalists
that were big in the late 40's/early 50's and faded away as rock 'n' roll
took over later on.
At the time of his death, Clark's hairline was also starting to receed. The
entertainment world has nothing against baldness - Crosby and Astaire wore
toupe's for years - but it probably would have had some impact on his
effectiveness on TV over time.
BTW, Columbia did come out with an LP of his better sides around 1980 -
"The Best of Buddy Clark," if memory serves - and, if you can find a copy,
its a nice review of his work. Also, in response to Larry Jordan's earlier
post, I suspect that the tape Larry acquired is indeed vocal selections
from Clark's post-war "Carnation" series with Percy Faith. The AFRS
regularly recorded this show throughout its long run and, given that disks
are fairly easy to come by, the cuts probably come from these edited
versions of the shows. The Archives doesn't have any of these shows in our
collection at present (apologies to Alan Chapman), but I know that some of
the various OTR dealers do have them in their catalogs.
Harlan
Harlan Zinck
First Generation Radio Archives
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 17:28:21 -0500
From: Michael Shoshani <shoshani@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Orphan Annie's Ovaltine
Will Nicoll wrote"
Does anybody know why they named it "Ovaltine?"
Depends on who "they" are. :)
Swiss nutritionist George Wander established a factory in Bern,
Switzerland for producing tonics based on barley malt extract. In
1904, his son Albert began marketing a preparation of malt, milk,
eggs, and cocoa which he branded "Ovo-Maltine". The hyphen was soon
dropped, but the name was based on two principal ingredients, eggs
(ovo) and malt.
When Wander began importing Ovomaltine into England in 1909, they
attempted to register the name as a trademark, but the registry clerk
misspelled the name as Ovaltine. Rather than re-register, they just
kept that name in England. As the British plant began exporting to
the rest of the English-speaking world, the Ovaltine name followed the
product. The name was kept even in those countries that got their own
factories, such as the United States and Canada.
Michael Shoshani
Chicago IL
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 18:47:58 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: March 7th Birthday
If you born on March 7th, you share your birthday with:
1934 - Willard Scott - Alexandria, Virginia
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 19:03:55 -0500
From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Chuck McCann
Greetings and Salutations!
Does anybody out there know off-hand if comic actor Chuck McCann ever
performed on radio? I know him as a 1960s NYC-area kiddie-show host. Altho'
I always found him to be a visual comedian, one would think he'd be a natural
for radio--especially when he used to act out the newspaper comic strips
dressed up as Little Orphan Annie or Dick Tracy. Mr. McCann definitely has a
flair for nostalgia, particularly when he played an old-movie buff in the film
"The Projectionist," or when he was part of the ensemble cast of the
TV-variety show "Happy Days" [not to be confused with the sitcom with Fonzie],
an early 1970s network effort that celebrated 1930s nostalgia. He continues
to be known for his impeccable impersonation of Oliver Hardy.
[removed]:
DT
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 19:46:35 -0500
From: FKELLY <fkelly@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Talk shows in the 50s
Someone wondered if the technology existed to put telephone calls on the
air in the 30s, 40s and 50s. I worked at a small local station (WPWA,
Chester PA) starting in 1953. We had the technology at that time. It
was not particularly advanced, so I'm sure it existed much before then.
What nobody had thought of as entertainment was the current concept of
airing the half-baked opinions of anyone with the price of a phone call.
On another (but related) subject, I worked at an NBC affiliate (WDEL,
Wilmington DE) in the late 50s. I remember we had Western Union clocks
that corrected to the exact time once an hour via a signal over a wire
from Western Union. As I remember, the correction pulse came at exactly
straight up on the hour, so that a clock indicating, say, 7:59:48 would
jump to 8:00:00 (the second hand would jump to straight up). My
question is, using these clocks, how did we join the network without
either leaving dead air or worse, clipping the first few seconds of the
program? I must have handled this problem, but I can't remember how.
Anybody remember how this was done?
--
Frank Kelly
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2003 22:59:13 -0500
From: gad4@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Transcription Disk Prices.
While Im not an expert in transcription disks, this seems to coincide with
the general feeling me and my friends have been finding on ebay. This is
that the common items are extremely hard to sell and rare "one of a kind"
items and items that have undocumented values have been going higher.
Many dealers have been saying thanks to ebay, the economy, or whatever that
the prices we have gotten in the past arent happening. This is not just true
with old time radio, but in collectibles across the board. Items that went
for [removed] can unfortunately be found for under [removed] Items that went for
[removed] can now be found more often thanks to the internet thereby making the
prices about half. I usually talk to dealer friends of mine who say "I got
[removed] for this collectible toy" and I respond by saying about 10 years ago I
was getting double that.
What I find interesting is that in this tough economy while tapes of shows
are going slower, and the premiums connected arent selling as they used to,
these rarer items are increasing in price. Its showing to me that the
interest for truly rare otr has not disappeared and in fact is increasing in
a tough enconomy. It also shows to me that people are willing to pay for otr
that is new and unique.
This is unique because in general Ive noticed an increase in demand on newer
collectibles and a dropping of demand in the 30s to 50s era. I personally
think a lot of this new demand might be due to the new internet otr
following but the answer I cannot say definately.
While Id love to see prices reasonable again and I wish the common items
would sell again, Im glad that there is an increased interest in these
classic shows which I hope new generations will contine to enjoy. While
being a t-disk jockey is out of my price range, I hope this renewed interest
and the fact that people are willing to pay for new shows, encourages more
new shows to go into circulation.
Sincerely,
George
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 09:26:20 -0500
From: "Andrew Emmerson" <midshires@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Ovaltine
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X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Will Nicoll asks, "Does anybody know why they named it "Ovaltine?"
Well, I do for a start. The original name was Ovomaltine and this name is
still used in some countries (Germany for one).
Ovo (from the root of the Latin word for egg)
Malt (English for malt)
Ine (common ending of trade names, as in Brilliantine)
[removed] a drink made from eggs and malt.
Andy Emmerson.
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End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #106
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