Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #154
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 5/4/2004 10:18 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 154
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Lone Ranger Radio Days                [ "Phil Stallings" <redryder@midwest. ]
      Mayor of Doodyville                   [ Matthew561@[removed] ]
      Jack's Maxwell                        [ seandd@[removed] ]
      Hindenburg corrections                [ "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed]; ]
      Radio Doody                           [ "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed]; ]
      Millicent Upington?                   [ kclarke5@[removed] ]
      Lucy's Radio Ratings                  [ chris chandler <chrischandler84@yah ]
      Gossip columnists on OTR              [ kclarke5@[removed] ]
      Herbert Hoover sound                  [ Katherine Baer <KBaer@[removed]; ]
      5-4 births/deaths                     [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Jack's Maxwell                        [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
      Lucy was indeed a radio star          [ Jer51473@[removed] ]
      Howdy Doody                           [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Bob Hastings record                   [ Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:50:19 -0400
    From: "Phil Stallings" <redryder@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Lone Ranger Radio Days

    Just a note to remind ya'll of Lone Ranger Radio Days coming up
    May 15th.  Mt. Carmel, IL (the birthplace of Brace Beemer) is
    hosting the event.  Fred Foy will be in attendance and will again
    appear as The Lone Ranger as we do a live broadcast of "Burly
    Scott's Sacrifice" in the evening.  Other guests will be Barbara
    Beemer Daniel, Brace's daughter.  Her husband Sinclair will be
    there and give an interview at the chuck wagon lunch at noon
    along with Joe Southern (The Silver Bullet newsletter), Terry
    Salmonson and Lee Felbinger.  You can read all about it on the
    website .. A Tribute to Brace Beemer .. [removed]
    Phil Stallings - redryder@[removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:50:52 -0400
    From: Matthew561@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Mayor of Doodyville
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    In a message dated 5/3/2004 11:17:11 AM Central Standard Time,
    [removed]@[removed] writes:

>     I don't remember Dilly actually being mayor

    Mr Fluster was the [removed]'t he?

    Matthew

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:51:05 -0400
    From: seandd@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jack's Maxwell

    There is an antinque car museum in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia that has a
    Maxwell on display that notes that "it would be familiar to any fans of the
    Jack Benny program."  I believe it was a 1922 but I'm sure Laura and our
    other scholars will confirm that the actual model year of the car was not
    consistent throughout the series.

    I remember it being a 1912, myself.

    Sean Dougherty
    Clifton, NJ

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:52:00 -0400
    From: "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Hindenburg corrections

>     From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
>     5/6 1937 - A student of history, a broadcaster or anyone interested
>     in news coverage, will remember this day and the words of NBC's
>     Herbert Morrison. "Oh, the humanity!" Morrison's emotion-filled historic
>     broadcast of the explosion of the dirigible, Hindenburg at Lakehurst,
>     NJ, became the first recorded coast-to-coast broadcast as it was
>     carried on both the NBC Red and NBC Blue networks from New York City.

    Good, but not quite correct.  The broadcasts of the recording originated in
    Chicago, not New York City, and naturally occurred on May 7, the day AFTER
    the accident.  Morrison was not an employee of NBC, he was an employee of
    WLS Chicago, owned by the Prairie Farmer and affiliated with NBC Blue.
    This became an important distinction because he could not convince NBC to
    put him on the air the night of the accident because they didn't know him
    from Adam.  It is also why he took  the recordings back to his home base in
    Chicago rather than bringing them to NBC in New York.

    It was not "the first recorded coast-to-coast broadcast" for several
    reasons.  First of all, only a segment of the recording was played on the
    two broadcasts.  The recorded segment was introduced live by Morrison and
    Bob Brown.  Thus only a portion of the broadcasts were recorded.  (I knew
    Bob late in his life but he never mentioned to me that he had done that
    broadcast--oh the questions I could have asked!)

    Secondly, the two NBC networks heard this recorded segment at two separate
    times.  Red minus WEAF plus WJZ got it at 11:38-11:45 AM Eastern, and Blue
    minus WJZ plus WEAF got it at 4:30-4:45 PM Eastern.  I have a recording of
    that latter broadcast.  Bill Jaker reports that Morrison remembers a third
    and maybe a fourth broadcast that day, and it is possible that there was an
    additional West Coast and/or Hawaii repeat that would not have gone thru
    New York City headquarters and therefore would not appear on the official
    NBC NYC logs which I have photocopied.  Because the two feeds we know of
    were not regularly scheduled programs, we do not have the usual typed list
    of stations that aired them, so we can only assume that they may have been
    coast-to-coast.  It may not have been simultaneous.

    Thirdly, because Mutual did not have a prohibition against the use of
    recordings, they may have had aired some coast-to-coast recorded
    broadcasts.

    Fourth, all that can be claimed is that this was the first time NBC
    KNOWINGLY broke the rule against playing recordings (other than incidental
    sound effects).  Ironically, several times later that month they
    unknowingly aired recordings during "Empire's Homage" at the end of the
    Coronation of King George VI, and several of Lowell Thomas' programs from
    Europe.  They were furious when they found out about Thomas' programs, but
    I have never found any evidence that either they nor CBS ever found out
    about the coronation ceremony recordings.  These we know were aired
    simultaneously coast-to-coast.

    Finally, we can't forget that there had been recorded syndicated broadcasts
    since 1928.  Some of them were heard on more stations than NBC and CBS
    combined.  They may not have been simultaneous broadcasts, but there are a
    couple that were designed to be nearly simultaneous--including the Amos 'n'
    Andy series because each episode had a specific air date.  While
    syndication might not have the glamour of network, it was an important part
    of radio and deserves mention.

    Michael Biel   mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:52:22 -0400
    From: "MICHAEL BIEL" <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Radio Doody

>     From: "Jerry Haendiges" <Jerry@[removed];
>     Here's this week's lineup:
>     SAME TIME, SAME STATION with Jerry Haendiges

>     HOWDY-DOODY TIME (segment)
>     8-9-42 NBC's adaptation of their TV tapes for Saturday morning
>     kid's radio     Features Buffalo Bob Smith

    Undoubtedly a typo, probably 1952 not 42.  It should also be noted that the
    radio series was NOT a reworking of the soundtracks of the TV show, it was
    a separate production done specifically for radio.  Frankly, except for not
    being able to gaze longingly at Judy Tyler, I liked the radio series better
    than the TV show.

    Michael Biel   mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:52:35 -0400
    From: kclarke5@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Millicent Upington?

           I don't remember ever hearing anything
    on "Fibber McGee and Molly" regarding a character
    named Millicent Upington.  I believe the character's
    name was Abigail Upington. I have a tape with this
    character on it.  Hopefully, this will help with
    your search.

    Another OTR fan,

    Kenneth Clarke

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 13:53:25 -0400
    From: chris chandler <chrischandler84@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lucy's Radio Ratings

    Gregg Oppenheimer [removed]

>     according to my father, the popularity of My Favorite
>     Husband grew and grew, and it did indeed become a
>     hit ->though by no means on anything like the scale
>     of "I Love Lucy."

    "Husband" was a middling radio success, but never a
    solid hit on the scale of "My Friend Irma" or "Life
    With Luigi", the two major CBS standouts of the
    late-40s sitcom boom.  "Irma" benefitted from a
    Monday-night "Lux Radio Theatre" lead-in; "Luigi"
    seems to have caught fire, quite unexpectedly, on its
    own.

    "Husband" was moved all over the broadcast schedule,
    often airing in fringe time periods--and/or on
    Saturday evenings, which were dominated by NBC's Judy
    Canova, Dennis Day, and country music features.  A
    move to early Sunday evenings in 1950, which could
    have been a major break, didn't last very long.

    It's interesting to ponder the logic of which CBS
    stars were moved full-time to TV and when, often at
    the behest or cajoling of CBS exec Harry Ackerman.
    George Burns and Gracie Allen, for example, made the
    jump quite early, in 1950--and quit radio altogether.
    The move came after a disappointing 1949-1950 radio
    season.  It's not difficult to see the
    cause-and-effect.

    The same scenario might have played out in the case of
    "My Favorite Husband".  "Our Miss Brooks" and "My
    Friend Irma" didn't jump to video until 1952, and both
    continued simultaneous radio production.  "Husband",
    however, segued to video in 1951, and left
    radio--where it quite frankly may not have had much
    future.  I'd be grateful for any insight Gregg might
    have on this transition period.

    All that said, it's very easy to see whey the CBS
    brass would have been high enough on the show to keep
    it alive in some form.  The Oppenheimer-inspired
    changes in the show--morphing Cugat to Cooper,
    livening Lucy up a bit, etc--had improved the
    proceedings very considerably, even though the scripts
    still occasionally tended toward overwrought
    second-act farce.  And Lucy grew tremendously as a
    sitcom performer within a very short time, by 1950
    she's easily holding her own with Frank Nelson, Gale
    Gordon and the rest.  No small trick.  :)

    [removed]  Hey nobody has mentioned Lucy's first major
    radio gig, in the recent thread on her radiography.
    She was a regular on the 1938 CBS Wonder Bread variety
    show, co-starring with Jack Haley, essentially (and
    ironically) playing the role that Eve Arden played in
    the Haley broadcasts a few years later.  It's fun to
    listen to her in some of these very early comedic
    efforts.

    chris

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 14:00:20 -0400
    From: kclarke5@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Gossip columnists on OTR

           Someone asked me once if Lucy's co-star
    Richard Denning ever acted on TV.  The only
    part which comes immediately to mind is that
    of the Governor on "Hawaii Five-O".  From the
    photos I've seen of him during his OTR days,
    he still looked pretty good!

           I know Hedda Hopper had an OTR show
    called both "The Hedda Hopper Show" and/or
    "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood".  She did interviews
    with various celebrities and reported the latest
    gossip from Hollywood. I've also heard that her
    feud with Louella Parsons was almost as famous
    (infamous?) as the one between Jack Benny and Fred
    Allen.

           My questions are: What caused the feud between
    these two gossip columnists, if indeed it ever existed?
    Did Louella Parsons have a radio show as well? Who
    was its sponsor?  Which columnist enjoyed a greater
    popularity?  I believe she had a cameo appearance on
    one of the "I Love Lucy" episodes where their characters
    went to California.  I've heard that Hedda was well
    known for her obsession with hats.  Is this true or
    just some myth?

    Another OTR fan,

    Kenneth Clarke

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 14:22:09 -0400
    From: Katherine Baer <KBaer@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Herbert Hoover sound

    I am trying to track down a radio broadcast of Herbert Hoover on Nov 11,
    1931.  He was dedicating the DC WWI Memorial and John Phillip Sousa came out
    of retirement to conduct the Marine Corps band.  Supposedly it aired on NBC
    or CBS or both.

    If anyone has this audio or any leads it would be greatly appreciated.
    Apparently the memorial has been sadly neglected and one of reporters is
    doing a piece on it.  Thanks again.

    Katherine

    Katherine Baer
    Broadcast Librarian
    National Public Radio
    202-513-2064
    kbaer@[removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 15:38:47 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  5-4 births/deaths

    May 4th births

    05-04-1886 - Earl Lee - KS - d. 6-2-1955
    actor: Fred Thompson "One Man's Family"
    05-04-1903 - Luther Adler - NYC - d. 12-8-1984
    actor: Peter Gentle "Mystery Without Murder"; "Greatest Story Ever Told
    (1938-39)"
    05-04-1909 - Ed Max - GA - d. 10-17-1980
    actor: Mr. Gallagher "Voyage of the Scarlet Queen"; Executioner Blotto
    "Cinnamon Bear"
    05-04-1909 - Howard Da Silva - Cleveland, OH - d. 2-16-1986
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Forecast"; "Suspense"
    05-04-1924 - Gene Klaven - Baltimore, MD - d. 4-8-2004
    new york morning personalty: "Klaven and Finch"; "Klaven in the Morning"
    05-04-1927 - Terry Scott - Watford, England - d. 7-26-1994
    actor: "Junior Choice"; "Great Scott, It's Maynard"; "Hugh and I"
    05-04-1929 - Audrey Hepburn - Brussels, Belguim - d. 1-20-1993
    actress: "[removed] Story"; "Stagestruck"

    May 4th deaths

    02-05-1893 - Carlton Coon - Rochester, MN - d. 5-4-1932
    bandleader: (Coon-Sanders Nighthawks) "Florsheim Frolic"
    06-10-1898 - Norman Brokenshire - Murcheson, Ontario, Canada - d. 5-4-1965
    announcer: "Music That Satisfies"; "Theatre Guild on the Air"
    10-23-1931 - Diana Dors - Swindon, Wiltshire, England - d. 5-4-1984
    actress: "Earplay"
    11-23-1915 - John Dehner - Staten Island, NY - d. 5-4-1992
    actor: Paladin "Have Gun, Will Travel"; [removed] Kendall "Frontier Gentleman";
    "Gunsmoke"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    For a complete list:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 17:47:13 -0400
    From: JackBenny@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jack's Maxwell

    Dan Hughes writes:

>     In about 1990, when we made our first pilgrimage to Waukegan, a motel
>     employee told us that he owned one of Jack's Maxwells and was slowly but
>     surely refurbishing it for future display.  He was going to show us some
>     photos but he didn't have them with him and we told him were just there
>     for one day so could not return the next day to see them.
>     Maybe he was putting us on, but at the time it seemed quite plausible.
>     He was very excited that we were Benny fans, and he said that many
>     Waukeganites were unaware of the comedian.

    The owner of Waukegan's Bertrand's Bowling Alley used to own a Maxwell that
    purported to be the Jack Benny Maxwell, and I've spent a good bit of time over
    the years trying to track its effluvium.  Here's the gist.

    There are a few Maxwells around the country that aspire to the title of "Jack
    Benny's Maxwell".  It seems that when Jack was to make local appearances,
    management would sometimes call ahead to make contact with a local Maxwell
    owner.
     Then at some appropriate time, Jack could be transported from place to place
    in "his" Maxwell, often driven by the car's local owner.  In Phoenix, I think
    the Maxwell picked Jack up at the airport.  In Waukegan, Jack rode in it
    during one of the local parades honoring him.  A local Benny fan was good
    enough
    to send me some large reproductions of articles and photos from the Waukegan
    News-Sun about the car.  Eventually, Mr. Bertrand's sons sold the auto to a
    private collection in Wisconsin.

    I'm not aware of any other Waukegan Maxwells, but I'll ask.  That motel
    employee wouldn't have been at the former Travelodge, would he?  I was put up
    there
    when I was one of the featured guests at the 1987 Benny celebration, and he
    gave me a tour of the then-closed Genesee Theatre.  He purported to own the
    theatre, but I've since discredited that claim and no one seems to know who he
    was or how he got me into the theatre.

    --Laura Leff
    President, IJBFC
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 20:39:16 -0400
    From: Jer51473@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lucy was indeed a radio star
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    But the term can be used very loosely. It gets down to ones own opinion as to
    what a star is. Imo, she was certainly not a major star, in fact if it wasnt
    for her tv success her name would have been forgotten by most people by now.
    She was really no more of a star than her radio husband, richard denning. In
    fact denning starred in mr and mrs north in addition to "Husband" and did as
    well or  better in movies than ball did. But she did have her own show
    ,although
    her image  didnt approach that of  the big stars of radio like benny, burns
    and allen, skelton, hope, crosby, f. allen, magee and molly [removed] As far as
    ladies of radio she took a back seat to girls like judy  canova, eve arden,
    joan
    davis, ann sothern, alice faye and many more. I was just watching steve allens
    "the golden days of radio", which was filmed in the seventies. Dozens and
    dozens of radio stars were mentioned, but lucy was not. This , of course is
    in no
    way an official notice as to who was a star and who was not, but it was
    interesting. Btw, i took exception to some of the names they did use, but an
    opinion
    is like a head, everyone has one.

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      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 00:49:25 -0400
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Howdy Doody

>     Date: Sun, 2 May 2004 18:12:42 -0400
>     From: Grams46@[removed]

>     was dilly the mayor of radio doodyville or tv doodyville?

    TV Doodyville for sure.  I don't really know that much about radio Doodyville.

>     Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 03:14:36 -0400
>     From: "Jerry Haendiges" <Jerry@[removed];

>     HOWDY-DOODY TIME (segment)
>     8-9-42    NBC's adaptation of their TV tapes for Saturday morning kid's
>     radio Features Buffalo Bob Smith

    This date cannot be correct.  Bob Smith was still in Buffalo in 1942.  He came to New York
    in 1946 and started the Howdy Doody TV show in December 1947.  The date should
    probably be 8-9-52.

    --
    A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@[removed]
    Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         [removed]

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

    Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 11:48:18 -0400
    From: Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Bob Hastings record

    Somebody on the list may be interested in this:  I found a guy who has
    the COVER of the Bob Hastings children's album for sale for three bucks
    postpaid.  No record, just the cover.  I assume it has a picture of Bob
    but I've never seen it.  Might be nice to have Bob sign it next time you
    see him.  For details contact Joe at nixit@[removed].

    ---Dan, who this winter bought an autographed photo of Bob Hastings, only
    to have it lost in the [removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #154
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