Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #404
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 11/8/2003 9:04 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 404
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      B-detective movies ?                  [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
      re: Bill Stern                        [ "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed]; ]
      Abbott & Costello movies              [ <fc90030@[removed]; ]
      CBS Radio Mystery Theater found       [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Squeaky Tapes                         [ Harry R Hurley <hurley80@[removed]; ]
      11-7 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      re: What's the Deal with Bill Stern,  [ Paula Keiser <pkeiser@[removed]; ]
      Nit-Pickin' on Today in Radio Histor  [ Paula Keiser <pkeiser@[removed]; ]
      BILL STERN                            [ Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed]; ]
      Re: Listening In Style                [ "GARY SMULLEN" <tsegs@[removed]; ]
      11-9 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Lum and Abner- "Wonderful World"      [ Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed] ]
      The English Psycho Murders            [ Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed] ]
      Bob Burns Bazooka                     [ Richard Fisher <w9fjl@[removed]; ]
      Harmonica Solo                        [ "Mike Kerezman" <philipmarlowe@cfai ]
      A perfectly valid investment of tax   [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 19:35:02 -0500
    From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
    To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  B-detective movies ?

    At 06:19 PM 11/5/2003 -0500, rodney wrote:

>     I'm looking for a book that details the history of various B-detective
>     movie
>     series from the 30's and 40's, like Charlie Chan, The Falcon, The
>     Saint etc.
>     Is there such a thing?

    First of all, I don't think there were any B-Detectives, but there were
    B-Movies about detectives.

    Secondly, there are many books on this subject. Two come to mind first:

    "Saturday Afternoon at the Bijou"
    by David Zinman
    Arlington House (1973) 511 pgs.
    This book covers Charlie Chan, The Saint, The Thin Man, Crime Doctor,
    Mr. Moto, etc.

    "The Detective in Film"
    by William K. Everson
    Citadel Press (1972) 246 pgs.
    This one covers many more PI's including The Falcon, Nick Carter, Philo
    Vance, Nancy Drew, etc.

    I'm sure there must be newer books in print that cover this genre.

    Jack French
    Editor: RADIO RECALL
    [removed]

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

    Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 21:09:06 -0500
    From: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: "oldradio" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  re: Bill Stern

    Sean Doughery asked about the Bill Stern broadcasts and I think I can
    provide a little information.

    Stern's weekly shows featured "dramatized" stories related to sports and
    famous people.
    He delivered the stories in a very dramatic way, and often concluded a tale
    with the line "and that person [removed]"

    John Crosby, then a radio critic for the New York Herald Tribune, did at
    least two columns on Stern's show. They are included in a book which
    collected Crosby's columns.
    He noted the fictional angle to the Stern stories, so that wasn't exactly a
    secret back then.
    He said the famous "and that person [removed]" tagline to stories was often
    left blank until the last moment -- and then the name of some famous person
    currently in the news was filled in for an exciting punchline.

    I listened to some of the shows a couple of months ago and noted there is a
    qualifying line near the start of the show, admitting the stories may be
    based on legend or hearsay.

    I loved the shows as a kid, and even enjoy them now when I know the stories
    were often just total whoppers from very imaginative writers.
    Dave J., Vancouver USA

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 00:24:54 -0500
    From: <fc90030@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Abbott & Costello movies

    With all the comments about Abbott & Costello movies for MGM I
    haven't seen a word about, "Rio Rita," which was certainly an MGM
    production or, "The Time Of Their Lives." which was a huge class A
    success.  Let's face it Bud & Lou made their best films  earlier rather
    than later in their careers.  That's not uncommon with comedy stars,
    [removed] Bob Hope, Martin & Lewis, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, etc.
    Exploring, "why," that phenominon exists might make a good topic
    for some of the students of our OTR fan professors.

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 03:28:57 -0500
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  CBS Radio Mystery Theater found

    Rob Hindman asked:

>     I am looking for an episode of the CBSRMT myself. The plot concerns a
>     handwriting expert named Al Aimsley who is going to testify at a forgery
>     trial. He somehow switches places with an American Indian named running
>     beaver. Mason
>     Adams is featured in the story: Running Beaver, don't you know me? It's me
>     your bloodbrother Eagle Wing!"
>     I would appreciate any her with a title you could give me.

    Thanks to Rob's good memory that Mason Adams was in the cast, I was able to
    find this one within a couple minutes.

    EPISODE #64  "A LONG TIME TO DIE"
    Broadcast March 9, 1974.  Rebroadcast May 28, 1974.
    Cast: Mandel Kramer (Alfred Ainsley); Grace Matthews (Joan Ainsley); Arnold
    Moss (Adams); Nat Polen (Dr. Stitzer); and Mason Adams (Jerry).
    Written for the CBS RADIO MYSTERY THEATER by Sam Dann.
    Plot: Foes of an indicted congressman are sure that handwriting expert
    Alfred Ainsley has been bought off when, as he is about to provid etestimony
    that will convict the congressman, he suddenly becomes ill.  Not even his
    doctor knows what happened to Ainsley, who mumbles something about living
    500 years ago - as an American Indian.

    Source: McFarland's 2000 publication, "The CBS Radio Mystery Theater: An
    Episode Guide and Handbook, 1974-1982"

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 08:59:53 -0500
    From: Harry R Hurley <hurley80@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Squeaky Tapes

    Many Thanks to all.  Baking tapes to remove squeaks works.  I am now able
    to listen and enjoy my former squeaky reel tapes.

    Thanks to the many digesters who took the time and trouble to help.

    Harry

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 09:00:03 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  11-7 births/deaths

    November 7th births

    11-07-1868 - Royal Copeland - Dexter, MI - d. 6-17-1928
    commentator: "Health Talk"; "Fleischmann Hour"
    11-07-1883 - Solomon Lightfoot Michaux - Newport News, VA - d. 10-20-1968
    preacher: "Elder Michaux"s Happiness Church Service"
    11-07-1890 - Phil Spitalny - Odessa, Russia - d. 10-11-1970
    conductor: "Nestles Chocolateers"; "Blue Coal Revue"; "Hour of Charm"
    11-07-1895 - Jerry Belcher - Austin, TX - d. 6-1962
    interviewer: "Vox Pop"; "Our Neighbors"
    11-07-1903 - Dean Jagger - Lima, OH - d. 2-5-1991
    actor: "Crisis in War Town"; "Columbia Workshop"; "Cavalcade of America"
    11-07-1918 - Billy Graham - Charlotte, NC
    preacher: "Hour of Decision"
    11-07-1926 - Joan Sutherland - Sydney, Australia
    soprano: "Metropolitan Opera"

    November 7th deaths

    02-19-1902 - Eddie Peabody - Reading, MA - d. 11-7-70
    banjoist: (The Banjo King) "National Barn Dance"
    09-16-1927 - Jack Kelly - Astoria, NY - d. 11-7-1992
    actor: "Suspense"
    10-11-1884 - Eleanor Roosevelt - NYC - d. 11-7-1962
    commentator: "Eleanor Roosevelt Chats/It"s a Woman"s World/Talks by Eleanor
    Roosevelt"
    10-16-1900 - Lloyd Corrigan - San Francisco, CA - d. 11-7-1969
    actor: Judge Hunter "One Man"s Family"
    12-11-1886 - Victor McLaglen - Tunbridge Wells, England - d. 11-7-1959
    actor: Captain Flagg "Captain Flagg & Sergeant Quirt"; Mountie Eric Lewis
    "Red Trails"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 09:01:27 -0500
    From: Paula Keiser <pkeiser@[removed];
    To: OTR List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  re: What's the Deal with Bill Stern, Anyway?

    Back in the 60's I read a biography of Bill Stern.  Yes, it's true that he
    made up things to say on the air.  The example I remember from the book,
    though not as blatant as the ones you mentioned, was that in calling a live
    football game, he was never able to remember the players' names by their
    numbers.  When a player got the ball, he would pick a player, at random,
    from the roster and name that player as in posession.  Then he'd look up
    the number, find the right name, and would call a lateral pass to HIM.  The
    anecdote contained a statement something like, "Bill Stern's broadcasts had
    more lateral passes in them than were ever made in the history of
    football."

    The book also revealed that Stern had a severe drug problem resulting from
    treatment of an old injury, which may also have contributed to the "bull."

    Why was this allowed to continue without outrage from the listeners?  We
    have to remember that during this time we had only radio and the newspapers
    to keep us informed about anything contemporary.  Nobody could run to the
    internet and do a Google search on Mussolini or Hitler.  I think that was
    also the golden age of, "I heard it on the radio [read it in the
    newspaper], so it must be true."

    Paula Keiser

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 09:02:52 -0500
    From: Paula Keiser <pkeiser@[removed];
    To: OTR List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Nit-Pickin' on Today in Radio History

>     the kindly, elderly Dr. Christian who practiced on the air until 1954.
>     Laureen Tuttle, Kathleen Fitz, Helen Kleeb and Rosemary De Camp played

    Joe, a small nit:  The actress' name was Lureen Tuttle (no "a".

    Paula Keiser

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 09:35:42 -0500
    From: Sandy Singer <sinatradj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  BILL STERN

    There are so many Bill Stern stories, they could fill an encyclopedia.
    Let's just say, he was gifted in [removed]

    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 10:31:28 -0500
    From: "GARY SMULLEN" <tsegs@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Listening In Style

    To the reader who is interested in listening to his MP3's and CD's on a
    catehdral-style repro, I have an idea. I have several models, and all have a
    cassette slot. I use a Sony CD/MP3 player with an auto adapter, which slips
    into the cassette slot. Works like a charm.

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 14:21:18 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  11-9 births/deaths

    November 9th births

    11-09-1886 - Ed Wynn - Philadelphia, PA,  - d. 6-19-1966
    comedian: (The Perfect Fool) Fire Chief "Ed Wynn Show"; King Bubbles "Happy
    Island"
    11-09-1889 - Claude Rains - London, England - d. 5-20-1967
    actor: "Streamlined Shakespeare"; "This Is War!"; "Presenting Claude Rains"
    11-09-1895 - George D. Hay - Attica, IN - d. 5-9-1968
    host: (The Solemn Old Judge) "Barn Dance"; "Grand Ole Opry"
    11-09-1909 - Kay Thompson - St. Louis, MO - d. 7-2-1998
    singer: "Fred Waring Show"; "Your Hit Parade"; "Tune-Up Time"
    11-09-1913 - Hedy Lamarr - Vienna, Austria - d. 1-19-2000
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    11-09-1922 - Dorothy Dandridge - Cleveland, OH - d. 9-8-1965
    actress, writer: "Beulah Show"

    November 9th deaths

    01-01-1889 - Charles Bickford - Cambridge, MA - d. 11-9-1967
    actor: "Radio Hall of Fame"
    02-11-1920 - Billy Halop - NYC - d. 11-9-76
    actor: Bobby Benson "Bobby Benson Adventures"; Dick Kent "Home, Sweet Home"
    04-26-1890 - Edgar Kennedy - Monterey, CA - d. 11-9-48
    actor: "Screen Guild Theatre"; "Radio Reader"s Digest"
    07-29-1887 - Sigmund Romberg - Nagykanizsa, Austria-Hungary - d. 11-9-1951
    composer, conductor: "An Evening with Romberg"; "Swift Hour"
    10-27-1914 - Dylan Thomas - Uplands, Swansea, Wales - d. 11-9-1953
    writer: "Life of the Modern Poet"; "Modern Muse"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 14:21:41 -0500
    From: Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lum and Abner- "Wonderful World"

    I listen to OTR on my daily commute to work to make
    the drive more enjoyable. A little while ago, I
    started listening to Lum 'n Abner. Arbitrarily, I
    started listening to the 15 minute serial episodes
    that were from the spring of 1942. Quite frequently,
    characters will say "Wonderful World!" to each other
    instead of "hello" or "goodbye". I was wondering if
    there was a list member out there who could either
    explain the significance of the catch-phrase
    "Wonderful World" to me, or at least direct me to the
    episode dates that I could listen to which would
    provide the explaination.
    Since these episodes occur shortly after Pearl Harbour
    and America's entry into WWII, I'm curious to learn
    the genesis of such an upbeat greeting being used.

    -FIBBERMAC-

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 15:03:58 -0500
    From: Doug Berryhill <fibbermac@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  The English Psycho Murders

    Catching up on old digests, I saw where Andrew
    Steinberg wrote:

>     2. In a totally unrelated matter, does anyone know
>     the real title of the Suspense episode that some have
>     labeled The English Psycho Murders?

    I have an unhappy answer for you Andrew. There is no
    Suspense episode called "The English Psycho Murders".
    But there is an mp3 file floating around by that name
    which has a Suspense intro tacked onto a mediocre
    story called "The English Psycho Murders". I never was
    able to determine where the story (the body of the
    show) came from, but quite frankly, I didn't look very
    hard, since the show bored me to tears. If you listen
    to it, you'll hear an abrupt transition from the intro
    to the story, as well as a distinct difference in the
    sound quality of those two segments.

    I chose to delete the file, rather than perpetuate the
    fraud. Hope you will do the same.

    -FIBBERMAC-

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 17:11:41 -0500
    From: Richard Fisher <w9fjl@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Bob Burns Bazooka

    A few days ago there was some discussion of the Bob Burns shows and his
    bazooka.

    In case anyone is curious as to what it looks like go to
    [removed]

    I had one of these as a child so this is an original from the 1940's.

    Incidentally, Ted Davenport at Radio Memories has several of the Bob
    Burns shows from 1942 and 1943.

    The usual disclaimer on both the auction and Mr. Davenport.

    Dick,

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 17:11:55 -0500
    From: "Mike Kerezman" <philipmarlowe@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Harmonica Solo

    I just re-listened to "Harmonca Solo" from the CBS RADIO WORKSHOP.  I first
    listened to years ago when my Dad taped it off John Dunning's Radio show in
    Denver, Colorado in late 1970s. I always been impressed with this
    particular"War Drama". I have often compared it to modern war dramas. I just
    watched the movie WINDTALKERS the other night which stars Nicholas Cage as a
    [removed] Marine assigned to a Navaho Indian Code-Talker in the Pacific Theater of
    WWII. Its somewhat reminiscent of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Its just my opinion,
    but I always found HARMONICA SOLO to be a gritty, realistic, and somewhat
    fatalistic war drama. I also found in Harmonica Solo through clever writing
    used equally "strong language" without resorting to profanity constantly the
    way Modern War movies seem to be mired in. I've never found many War Dramas
    on radio to macth Harmonica Solo's power and also be above purely propaganda
    purposes. Are there other radio drama's like this that I am perhaps
    overlooking?

    Mike Kerezman
    Macomb, Oklahoma.

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

    Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 23:00:08 -0500
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  A perfectly valid investment of tax dollars

    This guy is just a grump if he can't find a worse use of government spending
    than this.

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    [removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #404
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