Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #347
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 9/22/2003 5:30 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 347
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Heritage Radio Theatre Schedule for   [ HERITAGE4@[removed] ]
      Re: Inner Sanctum (Not) episode       [ Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed] ]
      Phil Harris in the Movies             [ Peter Kinder <pdkinder@[removed]; ]
      My week for radio stars in other med  [ welsa@[removed] ]
      SUPERMAN                              [ oldpdb@[removed] (Paul Barringer) ]
      innersanctum that isn't!              [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
      Ellery Queen                          [ "Dave Mills" <otrdave@[removed] ]
      Just Plain Bill                       [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
      Ellery Queen                          [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      The High and the Mighty               [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Old radio capacitors                  [ "BH" <radioguy@[removed]; ]
      Help solve the mystery of "The Cinna  [ robert <gudguyus@[removed]; ]
      FOTR bargain                          [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Investigating an Inner Sanctum Fraud  [ Jeff Weaver <jweaver@[removed]; ]
      Re: Souse of z border                 [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Unidentified subject!                 [  ]
      Re: Howard Blue                       [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
      9-23 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      More info on CBS's 75th (76th? 74th?  [ Alec Cumming <arack@[removed]; ]
      Opening to Superman                   [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
      Art Bell                              [ art-funk@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 15:12:36 -0400
    From: HERITAGE4@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Heritage Radio Theatre Schedule for week of
     9/21

    Here's our lineup for this week on The Olde Tyme Radio Network
    [removed]

    Heritage Radio Theatre with Tom Heathwood
    1. INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES   NBC  First Show - 1/7/41
    "The Amazing Death of Mrs. Putnam"
    Host, a young sounding Raymond Edward Johnson - Hear him tell about how
    Carter's Little Liver Pills can help with depression.
    2. THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM   CBS   3/16/52 - "Return Visit

>     >From The IRS."

    3. COLGATE SPORTS NEWSREEL  with BILL STERN - NBC 9/22/44
    with guest -  the Amazing "Dunninger, The Master Mentalist."

    Enjoy -

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 16:53:02 -0400
    From: Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Inner Sanctum (Not) episode

    Doug querried,

>     Does this story sound familiar to anyone? I'm positive that the
>     hitch-hiker is played by Gregory Peck. The fellow who picks him up sounds
>     like Ed Begley. They play liscense-plate poker on the road.

    The episode is from Suspense and was broadcast Sept. 16, 1948 as
    "Hitchhike Poker"

    Gerry Wright
    ZoneZebra Productions
    San Francisco

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 16:53:18 -0400
    From: Peter Kinder <pdkinder@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Phil Harris in the Movies

    	Stephen Kallis reminded me of a wonderful movie from my childhood,
    "Goodbye, My Lady".  I have no recollection of Phil Harris in this movie --
    not surprising, since I last saw it at age 10 or 11 45 years ago!  But I
    sure remember loving the movie on the big screen at the Old Trail Theater.
    Is it available on DVD?

    	Harris had a small role in "The Wheeler Dealers" in which James
    Garner played his "Maverick" / "Support Your Local Sheriff" - type role.
    It's still a hoot 40 years on.  My sons and I watched it a month ago.  Lee
    Remick popped their eyes out.  In any case, it looked as if all involved had
    a wonderful time making the movie.  In addition to Harris, there are a
    number of OTR figures in the movie, including Jim Backus.

    Peter Kinder

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 18:05:52 -0400
    From: welsa@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  My week for radio stars in other mediums

    Earlier this week I reported seeing Phil Harris in a movie.  Last night I
    was watching a couple episodes of PETER GUNN, Blake Edwards jazzy TV series
    from the late 50's, early 60's.  In an episode from 2/23/59, I kept watching
    one of the characters and thinking his face was familiar.   Sure enough,
    when the end credits rolled there was the name William (we know him as
    Billy) Idelson.  Interestingly, his list of TV guest appearances on IMDB
    does NOT include this one.  However, I did note that on 2/17/59 he appeared
    in a DRAGNET episode.  Two TV appearances about a week apart.

    Ted

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 18:43:04 -0400
    From: oldpdb@[removed] (Paul Barringer)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  SUPERMAN

      Following up on Anthony Tollin's post on Superman:

      The radio program was also responsible for much of the history and
    mythology of the character.

      The radio program introduced the character of Jimmy Olsen before he
    appeared in the comic book, the same is true for the characters of
    Inspector Henderson and Daily Planet Editor Perry White.

      Also, kryptonite was used on the radio program years before it was to
    appear in the comic books.

      The cartoons mentioned by Anthony also used voices from the radio
    cast.

      The Superman movie serials were adapted from the radio program and not
    from the comic book.

      Superman teamed up with Batman and Robin long before they appeared in
    World's Finest comic book, published by [removed] comics.

      Also in one radio episode when Superman was working with Batman, Clark
    Kent told Bruce wayne he signed his name (Clark Kent) right handed and
    signed Superman's name left handed, so as to disguise his dual identity.
    Later Batman and Robin, in their comic books started using this same
    procedure.

      So as you see, the radio program had a lot to do with the character in
    establishing many many of the comic book tales.

    Paul

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 19:28:55 -0400
    From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  innersanctum that isn't!

    One of the incarnations was called hitchike poker.  Whether this one is
    or not I can't remember.  Surely (I know, don't call me Shirley),
    somebody with a better memory or a log will furnish you with the air
    dates.  However, it definitely is a Suspense show.  Kurt

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 20:43:13 -0400
    From: "Dave Mills" <otrdave@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Ellery Queen

    The Ellery Queen series was supposed to end with "The Finishing Stroke" in
    1958. Some novels after this were taken from Dannay short stories adapted,
    such as the above mentioned, or simply wrote by others with the Ellery Queen
    title. The difference in quality is [removed] fact, after reading a few of
    the "imposters" I decided they are not worth it. The early books of course
    are [removed] am sad that I have read them all because there is no
    more fun ahead for [removed] Then we have Barnaby Ross of course and the four
    excellent Drury Lane novels written by the cousins. If any OTR folks out
    there enjoy Mystery and Detection with solid witting then I strongly suggest
    trying Ellery Queen [removed]"The Egyptian Cross Mystery" might be a good
    place to start. Dave Mills

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:25:41 -0400
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Just Plain Bill

    Joe Mackey gives us  insightful walks down memory lane.  His facts about
    Just Plain Bill were incredibly on the money, save one.  "Bill" didn't land
    on the air on September 19, 1935 as stated, giving him but 20 years to pull
    the locals out of trouble.  The early hairstylist of Hartville turned up
    instead on September 19, 1932, becoming the Hummerts' (and radio's) first
    true serial with "staying power."  In fact, that success--and two more
    washboard weepers to follow in 1933 (The Romance of Helen Trent and Ma
    Perkins)--established a pattern that the intrepid pair of aural creatives
    would repeat successfully again and again.  Their whole empire, I maintain
    in "Frank and Anne Hummert's Radio Factory," actually rested with those
    three, and the beginnings of it were vested in Just Plain Bill.  "Bill,"
    incidentally, lasted to September 30, 1955, when NBC had "a better idea" and
    canceled it and several other daytimers to clear the way for its Weekday
    magazine.  Ten months later, never admitting its colossal mistake, the
    network quietly replaced Weekday with soap operas, since few were listening.
    But the longstanding tradition with America's housewives had been
    broken--they had TV soap operas then, and the legacy of Hartville and many
    other mythical hamlets was abandoned.  The chimes chain would never regain
    its regal splendor during weekdays.  Too late somebody relaized that Just
    Plain Bill's contribution was more than minor.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:28:55 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Ellery Queen

    Sorry about the late posting - just got electric an hour ago - first time
    I've seen the light in three days.
    Some woman named Isabel came through, tore up the property and took away the
    power.
    Anyway . . . now that I can read my e-mails . . .

    Kermyt Anderson asked:

>     How did they manage to have Ellery Queen as a guest,
>     since "Ellery Queen" was the pseudonym of two cousins,
>     Fred Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, who wrote mystery
>     novels? I read someplace that one of the cousins would
>     do masked appearances as Ellery Queen in public,
>     before their identities as the authors of the EQ books
>     had been revealed. By 1944, however, I presume
>     everybody knew that there was no such person as Ellery
>     Queen. So who was pretending to be him?

    Actually it was the character of Ellery Queen, not the creators who made the
    guest appearance.  Sydney Smith took over the role of Ellery in August or
    September of 1943 and less than a year later, the producer of the radio
    program THE ADVENTURES OF ELLERY QUEEN decided to contract Smith to go and
    make a number of appearances on other radio programs to promote the series -
    mainly for publicity reasons.  As a publicity gimmick NBC was keeping the
    identity of the actor who played Ellery a secret, and in newspaper stories
    dealing with the series he was usually photographed with his back to the
    camera.  More interesting was one photo that appeared in an early magazine
    article (RADIO MIRROR if I recall) that actually featured Hugh Marlowe
    (radio's first Ellery Queen)!  But shortly after that, NBC pretty much kept
    the identity of the actor a secret.

    During the summer of 1944, the character of Ellery Queen made a guest
    appearance on THE TEXACO STAR THEATER starring Fred Allen.  As Kermyt
    mentioned, another apperance was THE COLGATE SPORTS NEWSREEL starring Bill
    Stern, broadcast September 1, 1944.  Ellery was even a guest detective on
    the radio quiz program QUICK AS A FLASH for at least two broadcasts, January
    21, 1945 and October 21, 1945.

    The character of Ellery Queen was a pseudonym of two cousins, Fred Dannay
    and Manfred B. Lee.  Shortly after their novels became a big hit, they did
    make a number of book signings, but during their early years only one of
    them would show up at the signing, keeping his face under a black mask to
    keep the readers involved in the mystery of what Ellery Queen looked like.
    But their mystery could not be contained for long.  Columbia Pictures was
    the first to catch in on the commercial property and by the mid-1930s, they
    released two movies (one with Donald Cook in the role) and by that time,
    many people (not all of them) realized that the Ellery Queen character was
    not a real life person.

    Incidentally, by the time the ELLERY QUEEN program went off in 1948, at
    least six different actors had played the lead.  As for whether the entire
    listening audience knew that there was no such person as Ellery Queen, it's
    doubtful.  My younger sister once thought that Ellery Queen was a woman
    until I explained it to her.  And many people still insist that Alfred
    Hitchcock wrote and directed all of the episodes of the television series
    ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESNETS when the truth is, he never wrote a word, and only
    directed eighteen during the ten years.  (People still think Alfred
    Hitchcock wrote all the forewards for his magazine and books when in fact he
    never did.)  The ELLERY QUEEN MYSTERY MAGAZINE is still published today and
    for a few decades, there was always an introduction written by Ellery Queen
    for each issue - always penned secretly by the editor in chief of the
    magazine and signing an Ellery Queen signature at the bottom of each
    introduction.

    Source for info above: THE SOUND OF DETECTION: ELLERY QUEEN'S ADVENTURES IN
    RADIO by Francis M. Nevins and Martin Grams, Jr.

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:29:55 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  The High and the Mighty

    Ted commented:

>     Last night I was watching the 1954 movie, "The High and the Mighty."  Phil
>     Harris is in the cast.  A rather minor role but a major billing in the
>     opening credits.  I really was not impressed with his work in this film.
>     Does anyone know if by 1954 was he in need of this kind of bit movie work?
>     Was he still on radio at all then?  Or, was he trying to take his career in
>     a new direction?  Maybe it would have been different if he had been in a
>     comedy.

    Ted, was this a video you were watching or a TV station?  To the best of my
    knowledge, THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY is one of the only John Wayne movies that
    has been for the last few decades, tied up in legal battles.  Two different
    entities (one being the John Wayne estate) claim to own the rights to the
    movie.  It has been shown on TV on occasion but on VERY RARE occasions.  No
    TV station would dare play the film without securing some permission from
    someone and if that was so, I'd be curious to know what station so I can
    drop an e-mail and see who they paid licensing for - I'd be curious to know
    if the legal battle has been settled.  It's not a bad movie really, Ted, but
    you apparently got a chance to see one of the truly rare John Wayne movies
    ever filmed - it's not easy to come by.
    Martin

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 22:29:22 -0400
    From: "BH" <radioguy@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Old radio capacitors

    Don Shenbarger commented:

>     I don't believe it is necessary to replace ceramic or mica
>     capacitors.

    Don is correct, the mica capacitors seldom fail,  In all the
    radios I have restored I may have had occasion to replace three or
    four mica capacitors. I should have been more specific, usually
    when a radio restorer referers to "all the capacitors", the
    reference is to all the electrolytic and paper capacitors. Thanks
    for pointing that out Don.

    Bill H.

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

    Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2003 23:04:01 -0400
    From: robert <gudguyus@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Help solve the mystery of "The Cinnamon Bear"

    In the children's fantasy "The Cinnamon Bear", all the
    cast members are named except one,-the actor who
    played "Jimmy Barton".

    Does anyone know the true identity of this person?

    I'll bet that one of you knows who played opposite
    Barbara Jean Wong -as "Judy Barton", as her brother
    "Jimmy Barton".

    John Dunning's "On The Air" lists the actor as "unknown".

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:55:43 -0400
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  FOTR bargain

    Anyone going to FOTR who may be struggling over costs might be interested in
    a current promotion Sheraton is conducting, 3 nights for the price of 2.
    The Sheraton at 128 Frontage Rd., Newark, telephone 973-690-5500, less than
    a half-mile from the Holiday Inn headquarters hotel, offers Starwood
    Preferred Guests with a MasterCard luxurious rooms for $158 for 3 nights
    when checking in Thursday, Friday or Saturday.  You can join Starwood if you
    aren't a member.  The rate for 3 nights at Holiday Inn is $270 unless you
    find a discount.  Hope this helps somebody who might be waffling over the
    money issue.  Book online at [removed]

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:55:52 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

     From Those Were The Days --

    1943 - Singer Kate Smith finished her War Bond radio appeal. For 13
    continuous hours Smith had stayed on the air, collecting a whopping $39
    million dollars in bond pledges.

    1957 - The CBS Radio Workshop was silenced after 18 months of what the
    critics said was "ingenious radio programming."

    Joe

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

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:56:02 -0400
    From: Jeff Weaver <jweaver@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Investigating an Inner Sanctum Fraud

    I believe that the show is Suspense and it is on the collection of
    Hollywood Stars on Suspense by Radio Spirits. Jeff

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:56:35 -0400
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Souse of z border

     Ms. Brittain   brittain@[removed] [removed]

>     Now for my question (finally!) Are there episodes in any of your collections
>     where the on air personalities went south of the border?
>     Comedic pieces would be [removed](Snip)

    Stop right there. For a Latin beat, I recommend obtaining a copy of Al
    Jolson singing "The Spaniard that Blighted my Life". (I seem to think it was
    set to a Bolero tempo, but I could be wrong. In any event, you could cobble
    a Latin dance number around it.

    In addition, I recently played Pancho at an OTR recreation of "The Cisco
    Kid" a few months back (REPS in Seattle).There is a scene in it where Pancho
    is dancing with a Senorita, and stepping on her toes. You might use that to
    seque into a Latin Dance number.

    Sounds like a interesting project you are working on. I love ballroom
    dancing. Particularly. the "Tango". They don't call me "Twinkle Toes" for
    nothing. :)

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    Jughead

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

    Subject: Unidentified subject!

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:57:28 -0400
    From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Howard Blue

    A slight correction to my last post. I was reminded that the correct
    location of our epicurean delight was Le
    Marchee de B'Oston.

    Fred
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:57:36 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  9-23 births/deaths

    September 23rd births

    09-23-1889 - Don Bestor - Longford, SD - d. 1-13-1970
    bandleader: "Nestle Program"; "Jack Benny Program"
    09-23-1897 - Walter Pidgeon - East St. John, New Brunswick, Canada - d.
    9-25-1984
    actor: "Hollywood Calling"; "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    09-23-1920 - Mickey Rooney - Brooklyn, NY
    actor: Andy Hardy "Hardy Family"; Ralph J. 'Shorty" Bell "Shorty Bell"

    September 23rd deaths

    02-16-1914 - Jimmy Wakely - Mineola, AR - d. 9-23-1982
    country singer: "All-Star Western Theatre"; "Hollywood Barn Dance"
    04-05-1917 - Robert Bloch - Chicago, IL - d. 9-23-1994
    writer: "Stay Tuned for Terror"
    04-19-1900 - George O"Brien - San Francisco, CA - d. 9-23-1985
    actor: "Anchors Aweigh"
    09-12-1894 - Billy Gilbert - Louisville, KY - d. 9-23-1971
    actor: "NYA Varieties"; "Rudy Vallee Rehearsal"
    10-19-1930 - Wally Flaherty - The Bronx, NY - d. 9-23-1998
    host: "Open Line"
    12-28-1905 - Cliff Arquette - Toledo, OH - d. 9-23-1974
    comedian, actor: Thaddeus Cornfelder, "Myrt and Marge"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn and Mr. District Attorney

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 11:16:54 -0400
    From: Alec Cumming <arack@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  More info on CBS's 75th (76th? 74th? 55th?)

>     >From [removed]:

    "CBS, which just celebrated its 50th birthday on-air in 1998, will throw
    another anniversary bash this November. 'CBS at 75: A Primetime Celebration'
    airs live Sunday, Nov. 2, from New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. Three-hour
    special will include the usual round of black-tie celebs and packages
    recounting the company's history from radio to TV.

    "'CBS at 75' will be handled by Cates-Doty Prods., with Gil Cates on board
    as exec producer. Louis J. Horvitz, the Emmy-winning director behind the
    Academy Awards, will direct the special.

    "But just as ABC recently played it loose with the timeline for its 50th
    anniversary special, CBS is technically celebrating its 76th birthday this
    year.

    "The Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting Co. (as the radio network was then
    called) actually launched on Sept. 18, 1927, as a merger between nascent
    network United Independent Broadcasters and the Columbia Phonograph Co.,
    according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications.

    "CBS instead is recognizing January 1929 as its start date, when William
    Paley bought the company and renamed it the Columbia Broadcasting System."

    (Wait. According to their own definition, won't CBS be 74 on November 2nd?
    Then again, wasn't their 50th birthday just 5 years ago? Discuss.)

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 13:15:11 -0400
    From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Opening to Superman

              I may be showing my age a bit, but I remember the
    opening to "Superman" being slightly different.  (Of course,
    I may be remembering the classic  TV version.)  The one
    I remember went something like this:

              "Faster than a speeding bullet.  More powerful than a
    locomotive.  Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
    [removed] in the [removed]'s a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!
    Yes, it's Superman, strange visitor from another planet
    with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men."

              When I think of  "Superman", I remember the closing
    lines (which might have been used on radio or not)  which
    said Superman 'fought a neverending struggle for truth, justice,
    and the American way!'  (Was this just on TV?)

    Kenneth Clarke

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

    Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 13:16:47 -0400
    From: art-funk@[removed]
    To: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Art Bell

    Kurt Yount wrote:

>     As of tonight, Saturday, twilight zone has been canceled on KFI.  There
>     will be a new Art Bell show from 10 [removed] to 5 [removed]  Thought everybody
>     would like to know.

    Before I sought treatment for my sleep disorder I used to listen to Art Bell
    as I lay awake at night.  I must say that much of the program content on Art
    Bell could well be the basis for episodes of Twilight Zone.

    Regards to all,
    Art Funk

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #347
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