Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #344
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 10/25/2004 4:20 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 344
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Retitled shows                        [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Racial stereotypes                    [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      10-25 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Orestes Caldwell                      [ Osborneam@[removed] ]
      Christmas Sing with Bing              [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
      AFRS                                  [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
      OT, transistor radios                 [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
      More on Jack Benny and race           [ James Meadows <walthamus@[removed]; ]
      Wallace Beery                         [ "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback ]
      Alfred E. Newman                      [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Bob Dylan                             [ "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback ]
      "Renfrew of the Mounted"              [ "david rogers" <david_rogers@hotmai ]
      Re: Are We Certain They Were Black?   [ "David Kindred" <david@[removed] ]
      Sky King                              [ Bob Slate <moxnix1961@[removed]; ]
      10-26 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 18:11:02 +0000
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Retitled shows

     > I know the AFRS retitled programs to avoid mentioning the sponsors. ...
     > What did they do for things like Lux Radio Theater or Campbell
     > Playhouse, where the sponsor's name was so tightly integrated into the
     > title?

    It does sond generic, but I remember that's what the local newspaper did in
    the television
    listings back in the early 50s.  "Schlitz Television Theater" was listed as
    "Television
    Theater," "Alcoa Playhouse" would be something like "TV Playhouse," etc.

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

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

    Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 18:11:10 +0000
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Racial stereotypes

     > That's the view that gets expressed most frequently. Yet how true is it
     > really? Would jokes about a Benny character having a fondness for liquor,
     > women and gambling =really= only make sense if the character were known to
     > be (fill in your own preferred term for Eddie Anderson's "race" here)?

    For that matter, Jack's persona as a cheapskate was never connected to the
    fact that he
    was Jewish, even though this was a character trait widely attributed to
    Jews.  In fact, it's
    rather amazing that, although it was no secret that Jack was Jewish, he
    managed to get
    away with the cheap jokes without them ever being connected with his
    Jewishness.

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

    Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 18:11:18 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  10-25 births/deaths

    October 25th births

    10-25-1882 - Richard Gordon - Bridgeport, CT - d. 12-1967
    actor: Sherlock Holmes, "Advs. of Sherlock Holmes"; Jim Barrett, "Valiant Lady"
    10-25-1888 - Richard E. Byrd - Winchester, VA - d. 3-11-1957
    explorer: "Admiral Byrd Broadcasts"
    10-25-1891 - Father Charles Coughlin - Hamilton, Canada - d. 10-27-1979
    commentator, preacher: (The Radio Priest)
    10-25-1901 - Daniel Landt - Scranton, PA - d. 2-24-1961
    singer: Landt Trio, "Doc Pearson's Drug Store"; "Bob Hawk Show"
    10-25-1901 - Walter T. Butterworth - Wallingford, PA - d. 3-10-1962
    emcee: "Molle Merry Minstrels"; "Vox Pox"; "Take a Card"
    10-25-1902 - Eddie Lang - Philadelphia, PA - d. 3-26-1933
    jazz guitarest: "Music That Satisfies"
    10-25-1908 - Polly Ann Young - Denver, CO - d. 1-21-1997
    actress: (Sister of Loretta) "Lux Radio Theatre"
    10-25-1909 - True Boardman - Seattle, WA - d. 8-4-2003
    writer, narrator: "Silver Theatre"; "Favorite Story"
    10-25-1912 - Minnie Pearl - Centerville, TN - d. 3-4-1996
    comedienne: (Queen of Country Comedy) "Grand Ole Opry"
    10-25-1914 - John Reed King - Atlantic City, NJ - d. 7-8-1979
    announcer, actor:"Columbia Workshop"; Schuyler 'Sky' King " "Sky King"
    10-25-1924 - Billy Barty - Millsboro, PA - d. 12-23-2000
    comedian: "Spike Jones Band"
    10-25-1927 - Barbara Cook - Atlanta, GA
    actress: Julie Boyd "Great Merlini"
    10-25-1928 - Marion Ross - Albert Lea, MN
    actress: Lux Radio Theatre

    October 25th deaths

    01-07-1903 - Betty Hanna - d. 10-25-1976
    actress: Deborah Matthews "Ma Perkins"; Luella Hayworth "Step Mother"
    02-12-1919 - Forrest Tucker - Plainfield, IN - d. 10-25-1986
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    03-05-1882 - Eustace Wyatt - Bath, Somerset, England - d. 10-25-1944
    actor: Lord Percy "Our Gal Sunday"
    05-12-1902 - Philip Wylie - Beverly, MA - d. 10-25-1971
    writer: "This Is War"; "Sportsman's Club"; "Tomorrow"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    05-27-1911 - Vincent Price - St. Louis, MO - d. 10-25-1993
    actor: Simon Templar "The Saint"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    06-19-1908 - Mildred Natwick - Baltimore, MD - d. 10-25-1994
    actress: "Starring Boris Karloff"; "Best Plays"; "Campbell Playhouse"
    06-21-1912 - Mary McCarthy - Seattle, WA - d. 10-25-1989
    novelist: "Guest Star Time"
    09-14-1907 - Cecil Brown - New Brighton, PA - d. 10-25-1987
    newscaster: "CBS European News"; "Sizing Up the News"
    10-31-1928 - Cleo Moore - Baton Rouge, LA - d. 10-25-1973
    actress: "Bud's Bandwagon"
    11-14-1901 - Morton Downey - Wallingford, CT  - d. 10-25-1985
    singer: (The Irish Thrush), "Morton Downey Show"; "Songs by Morton Downey"
    12-29-1920 - Viveca Lindfors - Uppsala, Sweden - d. 10-25-1995
    actress: "[removed] Steel Hour"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 18:11:24 +0000
    From: Osborneam@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Orestes Caldwell

    I just found out that a fellow balloonist is the
    grandson of Orestes Caldwell.  He's looking for shows
    he was in because his wife if still alive and my
    friend would like to give them to her.  I find that
    both Radio Magic and Magic Waves is listed in my
    Hickerson, but no dealer's initials are listed with
    them, nor if any shows are extant.  If anyone knows
    where he can find them, please let me know.  I'll attach
    his email as an explanation as to who this man was.
    Arlene Osborne
    - -------------here's his message to me----------
    My grandfather, Orestes H. Caldwell, was the first engineer on what is now
    the FCC (I have the presidential paper in my basement), He established the
    radio stations in the East  (ie WBZ was originally in Worcester, and was
    the first 50,000 watt radio station). He established W for stations east of
    the Mississippi and K for those west.  He had a radio program called Radio
    Magic in 1933+- that talked about what the radio could do.  He was friends
    of Edison, Sarnoff etc.  So when someone says Old Timers Radio,  my ears
    perk up.  I have a lot of his old stuff.

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:53:46 +0000
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Christmas Sing with Bing

    Hi Everybody,

    I am starting to plan my shows during the Christmas time.  I am trying to
    track down all of the shows Christmas Sing with Bing from 1955 through 1963.
    Does any one have good ideas how I can find these shows.  Take care,

    Walden Hughes o

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:53:55 +0000
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  AFRS

    Hi Everybody,

    when I have done research work for both Kitty Kallen and the Sinatra family
    in tracking down there radio appearances, the Library of Congress explain to
    me that all of there AFRS show are not yet catalog.  They believe they have
    over 1 million shows from the FRS network.  Does anyone know if the 1947 and
    1949 Command Performances Christmas show do exist or did they do one?  I am
    also trying to find the complete 1953 ABC radio network broadcast of Handel
    Massiah narrated by Ronald Colmand is around?  Take care,

    Walden Hughes

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:54:01 +0000
    From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OT, transistor radios

    I don't know if I have mentioned this here, but my brother Karl went on
    the Art Linkletter show, (sorry, no aircheck), and won a transistor
    radio, and I was wild to have one.  I bugged my parents about it so much
    that they ended up washing my mouth with Pine sall, which didn't help,
    but cause me problems because of the blisters etc.  I have always loved
    transistor radios, and there is still a thrill when I buy a new one.
    When I was at the blind school (CSB in California), in the three years I
    was there I cannot count how many I had.  We used to "tune" them,
    fiddling with what we called the "IF cans" trying to get a better signal.
      Of course, we would break them in the end.  If you dropped one, if it
    didn't break, sometimes the results would be interesting, the radio
    didn't work very well but then you would get AFRTS in the morning until
    about eight o'clock.  I actually just bought me a new radio, sony, radio,
    AM and FM, TV, 2-13 and weather, which is no fun anymore now that they
    all have the same feed on them, although in southern california you can
    still get two feeds.  Even the Pine Sall did not stop me from loving
    transistors and other radios, and of course as a blind person I was
    thrilled to find out about OTR, even though I didn't hear any till later.
      The closest thing I ever heard was Dear Abby and Norton Mockridge, who
    recently died and whose book I read because I liked his commentaries.
    The book was called Mockridge, you're slipping.  I am sorry this was kind
    of off topic, but it gave me a chance to talk about the two things I have
    always loved, transistor radios or any radios and OTR.  Kurt

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:54:06 +0000
    From: James Meadows <walthamus@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  More on Jack Benny and race

       For my two cents on this discussion, I don't think
    it's  quite fair to discuss how the Rochester
    character was depicted on the Jack Benny as an
    isolated case. Racism is a national phemonenon in
    America, and white Americans in the 1930s, 40s and 50s
    would have a hard time thinking about black people
    without that filter. With the filter in place, black
    people were limited to certain stations in life.
    Rochester could embody racial stereotypes like
    gambling and drinking. Or he could be smarter than his
    boss. I think we heard both depictions, because they
    were both considered funny. But as a black man,
    Rochester could only be subservient. He could not be
    Jack Benny's boss. He could not compete for Mary
    Livingston's affections (the fictional Mary, of
    course, not Mrs. Jack Benny of real life). He was a
    servant, and his knowing observations about Benny's
    character were the observations of a servant, who must
    study his master as part of his job. He could be
    depicted with great affection, but he could never step
    out of that role. Maybe Benny, or Eddie Anderson, or
    some of the writers thought about making an open break
    from the stereotype. But even if they did, they would
    have run up against all the pressures faced by
    mainstream entertainment.

        I remember a sign of changing times when, as a
    child, I watched one of the TV specials Jack Benny
    made after his weekly show had gone off the air in the
    60s. As I remember it, a scene early in the show shows
    Rochester driving Benny home in a Rolls-Royce. There
    was the usual comic banter for a few minutes. Then,
    they arrived at Benny's home, and Benny got out.
    Rochester didn't. That was the punchline. The audience
    had been lulled into thinking Rochester was acting as
    Benny's chauffeur. But actually, Rochester, or Eddie
    Anderson, was just giving Benny a lift. As with Benny
    and the other characters, the lines between fiction
    character and actual people had become blurred.
    Rochester/Anderson switched from servant to successful
    Hollywood entertainer, who could afford a Rolls-Royce
    as easily as Dennis Day and Phil Harris. It was a
    neat, understated gag, the only one I remember from
    that TV show I watched more than 30 years ago. It
    worked because audience expectations had changed to
    allow it to work. It would have been nearly impossible
    to do a gag like it on Benny's radio show.

        Jim Meadows

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:54:16 +0000
    From: "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Wallace Beery

     > 1935 - A talented twelve-year-old sang on Wallace Beery's NBC show.

    Wallace Beery had a show? What was it like? Sounds interesting. Any in
    existence today?

      - Philip

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:54:22 +0000
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Alfred E. Newman

     > Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 11:32:14 +0000
     > From: JackBenny@[removed]

     > There's a  line in there about working, and Rochester says something
     > like, "What, me working?"  (No, I don't know if there was an intended
     > connection to Alfred E. Newman.)

    If this was in 1952, it probably wasn't.  I don't know when MAD first
    introduced Alfred E.
    Newman or the "What, me worry?" slogan, but a few years back, they
    reprinted their first 23
    issues, which were in comic book format, and I have them.  The last is
    dated May 1955, and
    Alfred is nowhere to be found.  The March 1955 cover, however, consists of
    a highly detailed
    spoof of the multi-product ad pages in comic books of the day.  In a very
    small ad for rubber
    face masks, a tiny Alfred face appears among faces of Hitler, Stalin,
    Marilyn Monroe, and
    Jerry Lewis.  I think this may have been Alfred's first appearance.

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

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:55:05 +0000
    From: "Philip Railsback" <philiprailsback@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Bob Dylan

     > I saw the unknown Bob Dylan at Hootenanny night at Gerde's Folk City in
    Greenwich Village
     > and a few weeks later when he had his first gig there, at the very
    beginning, in February
     > of 1961. Boy do I feel old.

    Wow, that's impressive. Did he make an impression? I used to have a friend
    that saw him at one of the folk clubs very early on. She thought he was
    dirty and couldn't sing. From my impresions of the era, a lot of people
    thought that about him. But the professionals, his fellow folk singers,
    knew he was something special right from the begininng.

     > I was sorry to miss his show in Berkeley last week.

    The show I saw was a day or two after his Berkely show. He plays very loud
    rock these days (and has for years) and his voice is ragged to say the
    least. If they'd been offering door prizes for anyone who could understand
    what he was singing, I would have gone home empty handed. But he still
    packs 'em in at colleges. Can't think of too many from 1961 that do that,
    though I guess there are few -- Stones, Ex-Beatles, etc. Just to bring this
    around to OTR, if possible, you are quite right that Dylan was a fan of
    Ozzie and Harriet's youngest. In recent years he has often included a Ricky
    Nelson song in his show.

      - Philip

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 09:55:12 +0000
    From: "david rogers" <david_rogers@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  "Renfrew of the Mounted"

     > The radio series "Renfrew of the Mounted" while based upon Erskine's novel
     > of the RCMP hero, had no scripts or narration by the author. Erskine made a
     > bundle on not only his books, but the movie and radio rights to Renfrew.

    I was just looking through last weeks postings and I saw the above message
    and I thought why does that all look familiar to me?  Then I remembered
    that I had jsut visited this page:

    [removed];collectionid=renfrew_of_the_royal_mounted

    I had just downloaded the file and converted it to a VCD.

    I hope that this is interest to others.

    Love as always, David Rogers

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:46:54 +0000
    From: "David Kindred" <david@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Are We Certain They Were Black?

    Thought I would add here that I just purchased a few Jack Benny TV episodes
    and watched them with my sons (they loved them--especially Rochester). But,
    here's the funny thing, we radio show listeners all knew that Rochester was
    black, based upon story elements, and some dialog, but my nine-year-old son
    was absolutely _dumbfounded_ to discover that Rochester wasn't a white guy.
    His surprise was delightful to experience.

    --David Kindred ("Tooth [removed]" to my buddy Hal)

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 14:47:05 +0000
    From: Bob Slate <moxnix1961@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Sky King
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    I thought I would add a correction to one of Mr. Mackey's favorite radio
    shows, "Sky King", which happens to be one of my favorites,too, on his
    radio shows debut [removed] of all, the first actor to play Sky King in
    1946 was Roy Engle, not Jack Lester. Jack Lester replaced Roy Engle, then
    Earl Nightingale replaced Jack Lester, and I also read, for a short time
    until it went off the air in the early 1950's, by John Reed [removed] was
    at least two actors who played Clipper. The first was Johnny Coons,who
    later in the late 1950's, had a kids show on television, Saturday mornings,
    emanating from [removed] left in the mid-1940's, along with Roy Engel and
    the actress who first played Penny ,who at this moment I can't [removed]
    Bivens played Clipper most of the rest of the [removed] show was sponsored in
    our area by Peter Pan Peanut Butter, not Mars candy [removed] "60
    Minutes" Mike "Myron" Wallace announcing the show and doing the Peter Pan
    Peanut Butter commercials?Read Jim
      Harmon's books like "The Great Radio Heroes, "and John Dunnings 2 books
    on the [removed]'m just trying to help refresh everybody's minds on the
    subject, not to be a [removed] I have been of some help.  Bob Slate

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

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

    Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 15:08:16 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  10-26 births/deaths

    October 26th births

    10-26-1876 - [removed] Warner - London, England - d. 12-21-1958
    actor: "Hollywood Hotel"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    10-26-1911 - Mahalia Jackson - New Orleans, LA - d. 1-27-1972
    gospel singer: (The Angel of Peace) "Mahalia Jackson Show"
    10-26-1913 - Charlie Barnet - NYC - d. 9-4-1991
    jazz saxophonist: "Nothing Serious"; "Kate Smith Hour"; "Jubilee"
    10-26-1914 - Jackie Coogan - Los Angeles, CA - d. 3-1-1984
    actor: Ernest Botch "Forever Ernest"

    October 26th deaths

    02-23-1909 - Anthony Ross - NYC - d. 10-26-1955
    actor: Danny Clover "Broadway Is My Beat"; Broadway Columnist "Mr. Broadway"
    03-08-1902 - Louise Beavers - Cincinnati, OH - d. 10-26-1962
    actress: Beulah "Beulah"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
    04-24-1910 - Albert Zugsmith - Atlantic City, NJ - d. 10-26-1993
    film producer/director: "Bud's Bandwagon"
    06-10-1895 - Hattie McDaniel - Wichita, KS - d. 10-26-1952
    actress: Beulah "Beulah"; Mammy "Maxwell House Showboat"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    [removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #344
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