------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2004 : Issue 135
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
News Then and News Now [ Christopher Werner <werner1@globalc ]
BOLD VENTURE [ Gsgreger@[removed] ]
Weekends with Walden Hughes [ BryanH362@[removed] ]
Re: Banana Oil [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
Re: 4-19 births/deaths [ "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@ea ]
Product ownership [ <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
Re:Pearl Harbor [ Don Shenbarger <donslistmail@sbcglo ]
World News Today [ Christopher Werner <werner1@globalc ]
1941 Jack Benny and the news [ "Michael Hingson" <MHingson@guidedo ]
Need Your Help [ "hugobet" <hugobet@[removed]; ]
Halls of Ivy and banana oil [ Lilah60@[removed] ]
Glenn Miller Day broadcast [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
Google's web [removed] [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
- ----------------------------------------------------------
ADMINISTRIVIA: Everything's fine, folks; I forgot to turn off
the "dead man's switch" I set up in case anything happened on
the way to Cincy, is all. When I turned on the list, [removed]
screwed up and did tings a little wrong, hence two small
digests Thrs. night instead of one big one.
But the server is fine, and so am I. Ok, as fine as I ever
am, anyway.
Notes on the convention with photos at [removed]
--cfs3
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Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 15:57:38 +0000
From: Christopher Werner <werner1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: News Then and News Now
At the risk of opening Pandora's box, I dutifully succumbed to Charlie's
marketing and checked out his [removed] and read of sad and
interesting tales. One of them was commentary about the recent removal of
Bob Edwards as anchor for NPR's Morning Edition. I received the daily
Digest and read Bill Murtough's account of December 7, 1941 newscast
reactions vs post WWII and well, here goes.
Warm and fuzzy feeling. The comforting sound of a trusted voice. A Robert
Trout, Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings, Bob Edwards, Red Barber, Earnie
Harwell, Bob Allison, Bill Stern, Arthur Godfrey, or perhaps you can think
of others in your own broadcast area. Folks who it is a pleasure to listen
to. The Jim Hanson organization once had a series of programs (9) called
the Storyteller (available on DVD) where one sat for 30 minutes and became
spellbound by the tale, and by the voice of the Storyteller.
In many ways the 'art' of storytelling is key to our perception of good vs
bad radio (or any other media). But what makes a good storyteller?
Is it just voice pitch and inflection? Is it enunciation? Is it good
scripts/copy? Or is our enjoyment or belief tempered more by the trust we
give the speaker through familiarity? Why are we more comfortable with the
same voice at the same time everyday rather than the multitude of bits of
'news' stories we could receive every moment from other sources?
Bill related how on the evening of a great disaster folks were concerned,
but they continued with their daily lives. Yesterday I read where someone
commented that the networks didn't want to disrupt daytime programming to
broadcast only news until CBS did and NBS felt that they were being
'trounced' by their competition.
Why does every organization think they have to be like every other one when
it comes to news. If there is a disaster I can go to CNN or Fox and get the
breaking news. Do I listen to it all day??? Never. News doesn't change that
quick. Events happen, facts follow. Between the two either everyone
speculates -or- one moves on to another story.
When 9/11 occurred I didn't watch the TV *all day long* assuming by
watching the moment of impact just one more time it would change things! I
received the news and then awaited new information. I wasn't there in 1944
when news became more important than regular programming in some broadcast
executives mind. What in the world did they talk about between facts??? Did
they also speculate for hours and repeat the same bulletin over and over as
they do now?
NPR provides slightly longer coverage than most networks to a given story.
But I can count how many times an interviewer has asked a really good
question and just as the interviewee is about to give a thoughtful and
detailed answer they are cut off because some director thinks the program
must move along to the next topic. Talk of the Nation used to be 1 hour
about 1 subject, now it is 15 minutes per subject, often. I miss the slow
news days of NPR in the 70s when a 20 minute piece on endangered freshwater
shrimp in puddles in Arizona was a story.
Ok, so I ramble. The point is, what makes good news reporting? How often
should a story be reported (how often should a 'bulletin' interrupt?)? Is
comfort and familiarity with an anchor (or with Huntley-Brinkley, a team)
more important than a higher volume of news stories per minute in a
broadcast? What examples from the OTR era would still be valid in today's
climate?
So many questions-
Chris.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 15:57:57 +0000
From: Gsgreger@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: BOLD VENTURE
Having been a lifelong Bogart & Bacall fan, it's no wonder that I always
enjoy their Ziv syndicated series, "Bold Venture." Although there is some
confusion in the OTR literature, it is generally accepted that the series
of 78 shows aired from March of 1951 to September 1952 (yes, in some areas
it may have started slightly earlier or later than the spring of
1951). It's a real joy to listen to the scripts of the ever-prolific
Morton Fine and David Friedkin ("Crime Classics", "Broadway's My Beat") and
hear how they captured the on-screen personalities of Bogie and
Bacall. Just view the classic film "To Have and Have Not" sometime and
you'll see what I mean.
Incidentally, one of the best on-line logs for Bold Venture was compiled by
Dick Judge and can be found at
[removed]. Judge points out the many
difficulties in compiling a log when exact titles and exact dates are
unknown. He offers many alternate titles for each show which proved very
helpful to me.
As I've stated in this Digest before, I'm always trying-my-darndest to
identify the other actors in the radio shows that I listen to, especially
those (like BV) that fail to announce the actors names at the show's
end. Dunning describes the show in detail, so I won't do that here. At the
hotel Shannon's Place in Havana, where many of the shows begin, the
calypso-singing King Moses was played by Jester Hairston (famous for
various A & A roles). Besides Bogie's Slate Shannon and Bacall's Gayle
"Sailor" DuVal, the only other recurring character is Havana Police
Inspector LaSalle. I haven't seen him identified anywhere, but I'm sure
the actor is Nestor Paiva. Paiva is probably best remembered as Captain
Lucas of the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" films. In radio, Paiva also
appeared on Sam Spade, I Was a Communist for the FBI, The Green Lama, The
Cisco Kid, and Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, among others.
There appears to be only 31 examples of the Bold Venture series in
circulation. I have heard nearly all of the 31 and have identified many,
but not all of the supporting actors. If any other Digesters are BV fans
or have compiled their own list of actors in the series and would like to
"trade some names," please contact me. Just for the record, other actors
in the series include Bill Conrad, Howard McNear, Sheldon Leonard, Betty
Lou Gerson, Barton Yarborough, Lillian Buyeff, Jay Novello, Herbert
Rawlinson, Tony Barrett, Lou Krugman, Anne Whitfield, Bob Bruce, John
Stephenson, Peter Leeds, Ken Christy, Rye Billsbury, and many
more. Finally, my notes state that the announcer was George Barkley, but I
don't know where I learned that. In this Digest, maybe?
Gordon GregersenLa Grande, Oregon ("Nestled in the Blue Mountains of
northeastern Oregon")
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 15:58:15 +0000
From: BryanH362@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Weekends with Walden Hughes
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Where : Yesterdayusa
live streaming at [removed]
When : Fri , Sat , Sun 10:30 EDT / 7:30 PDT
Featured :
Friday 4-16-04
This is the date when 69 years a go that Fibber McGee and Molly started
thus we will celebrate with an interview from the Frank Bresee archive with
Jim
Jordan.
Saturday 4-17-04
Part three of Martin Block interview with Doris Day, and part three of the
four part Doris Day special
Sunday 4-18-04
A. Dr. Mike Biels will talk about 1920s radio announcer styles and sound
recordings will be heard too.
B. Laura Leff with the Jack Benny show of 4-11-37
C. Replay interview -Smokey Montgomery
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------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 15:59:47 +0000
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Banana Oil
On 4/15/04 11:47 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:
> He describes driving around in a
>purple Stutz Bearcat, and wearing a yellow slicker with witty sayings all
>over it like "banana oil". The banana oil line gets a big laugh from the
>audience, but I don't get the joke. Can someone help a young whippersnapper
>out?
"Banana Oil" was early-1920s slang meaning "rubbish, nonsense, or
claptrap," and was one of many catchphrases popularized by New York
Journal cartoonist Milt Gross. The idea of painting snappy slogans on
raincoats (and also on the sides of cars) was a very popular college fad
of the twenties, and "Banana Oil" would likely have been one of the
phrases most often seen.
By the postwar era, such activities were seen by comedy writers as a
sure-fire way of reminding listeners in their forties of how ridiculous
they were in their youth and you'll find a lot of "roaring twenties"
references getting embarrased laughs. It's the same idea as directing
disco/leisure suit/feathered-hair comments toward those of us who came of
age in the 70s.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:00:15 +0000
From: "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: 4-19 births/deaths
An update for Ron Sayles, who wrote:
>April 19th births
>
>04-19-1926 - Don Adams - NYC
>comedian: "Kraft Music Hall"; "A Salute to Humble Howard"
According to a friend of mine, who also happens to be Don's son-in-law, Mr.
Adams was born on April 13, 1923. This is also the date given at [removed]
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:00:38 +0000
From: <otrbuff@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Product ownership
B. Ray wrote:
> I hadn't realized that the Lifebuoy brand had been sold, nor that Lava was
> no longer owned by Lever Bros.
> I had been using Pepsodent for over 40 years, both when it was
> (I think) a P&G brand, and later, after the brand was sold to
> Chesborough-Ponds (the Vaseline folk), which is now a division of Unilever.
Coming from a marketing background, I've been particularly interested in
various commodities advertised on radio and who manufactured them. I've
made a point of delineating this information in my books, some may recall.
Lava was never a Lever Brothers product; it was always owned by P&G which
sold it to a small firm. It's readily available on grocers' shelves across
the country in the "unfamiliar" green bar B. Ray described. Lifebuoy was
sold by Lever decades ago and is available through several sources mentioned
on this forum. If my memory is correct there was a Pepsodent Company (by
that name) near Chicago that manufactured Pepsodent and may still do so
today (though it could now be owned by a corporate giant). I know it was
never a P&G property. I'm uncertain about Cheesebrough-Ponds' involvement
there. P&G is selling off its lesser money-makers but you can purchase
Oxydol and some other former product leaders from, for instance, most Kroger
stores today. Pepsodent has never been absent from supermarket, drug and
discount store shelves anywhere to my knowledge. I'm pleased to know Rinso
(Lever [removed]) is still available on the west coast and maybe
elsewhere. It's a revered name from the childhoods and youth of many on
this list. Oh, if we could only find Duz (P&G) and Super Suds
(Colgate-Palmolive) again!
Jim Cox
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:00:52 +0000
From: Don Shenbarger <donslistmail@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re:Pearl Harbor
On 4/15/2004, William L Murtough wrote: > I have noticed that there was
some questions about radio news coverage of > the Pearl Harbor attack.
Broadcasting of news was not the big deal that > it became during World War
II. Good story Bill. It would be interesting to me to learn more about
early location broadcasting. We should consider that details of the
situation at Pearl Harbor had strategic value. This was the eve of the war
that spawned such poster-famous sayings as "Loose Lips Sink Ships". Don
Shenbarger
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:01:07 +0000
From: Christopher Werner <werner1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: World News Today
Does anyone know the date of the first broadcast of World News Today? It
ran on CBS. Jay Hickerson lists it as starting in 1940 but was not more
specific than that. I just returned from the local library where I looked
through microfilm of a local paper (local branch didn't carry NYTimes or
Detroit News back that far) and was unable to locate it on random sampling
of issues from 1/2/1940 through 9/12/1941. I know it was on the air in 1942
because I have some recordings of it. The local paper stopped listing
Sunday radio programming in 1943 so I was unable to check further. It does
run on Sunday.
I found Walter Winchell, H. V. Kaltenborn, News from Europe, World Today
(only 15 minutes long) but not "World News Today" per se. I need to know
the first broadcast so my logs and tape numbers are correct.
Thanks.
Chris.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:01:21 +0000
From: "Michael Hingson" <MHingson@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 1941 Jack Benny and the news
Jim Widner says:
> Due to the increased competitive nature of
> news coverage and especially the shrinking demarcation between what is
> entertainment and what is news - news organizations today are looking
> for ways to constantly catch the eye (and ear) of the viewer/listener.
Very true. However, news is also more accessible today. In our world
the reporter can go "where the news is happening" almost at a moment's
notice. We have grown to expect on the spot reporting and the audience,
(shall I say), demands the actual sights and sounds of news.
On 9-11 I didn't get to experience the reporting of the news. I was
spending my morning climbing down from the 78th floor of Tower One of
the World Trade Center, and then running from the falling buildings,
always accompanied by my guide dog, "Roselle".
That night when I finally made it home I learned how much detail the
news had already given to a hungry world wide audience. You all knew
lots more than we who were there.
The media has, in part, catered to an audience which wants to know first
hand what is happening. On 9-11 some networks went too far by showing
jumpers from the upper tower floors. Common sense finally prevailed.
The fact that those shots even aired for a brief time shows that the
prevailing view of the press was that people would want to see them.
The real question is, are we as the audience sending wrong messages to
the media about what we want to see and hear or is the media attempting
to shape our priorities and values? I suspect both the media and the
audience can share in the responsibility of making today's news as much
or more entertainment than real news. For my part, I still prefer the
broadcasts of the 1940s, even though the news evolution to today's
standards was predictable given the advances in technology.
Michael Hingson
http: [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2004 23:43:19 +0000
From: "hugobet" <hugobet@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Need Your Help
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X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I have been collecting dates of birth and death of celebrities for the past
twenty years. The list now numbers over 5,000, many of which are old-time
radio performers. Two have escaped me and I'm asking for HELP.
One is Paul Hughes, well-known villain regular on The Lone Ranger. The other
is Paul Brenner. Mr Brenner was a very popular disc jockey on radio station
WAAT, Newark, NJ. His show was called, Requestfully Yours. We listened
regularly in the 1940's. I'd truly appreciate any help. Thanks.
If anyone enjoys a similar hobby, I'd be happy to swap info. Thanks again.
Sy Palo
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2004 00:58:33 +0000
From: Lilah60@[removed]
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Halls of Ivy and banana oil
After a quick Google, I believe I can say that the phrase 'banana oil' was a
flapper age expression that meant 'nonsense' if you were a lady, or
'bull----t' if you were not.
See [removed] re 'Throughly Modern Millie'
*Julie Andrews is at her peak of adorability in this enjoyable (and
surprisingly sarcastic) spoof of the 1920s. It has every trick: occasional
silent-movie
intertitles, flapper lingo ("Oh, banana oil") . . .*
Here is a site devoted to jazz age slang:
[removed]~[removed]
Claire Connelly
Below the Beltway
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2004 10:00:00 +0000
From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Glenn Miller Day broadcast
I'm looking for the four hour Glenn Miller Day broadcast over WNEW from
June 5, 1945. I know that this is available on MP3 but I don't know where.
Part of this broadcast went over NBC and possibly other networks also.
Martin Block was the MC and it was a star-studded affair.
There was a two LP set on Metronome records some years ago that I have, but
this was a very edited down version . I am looking for the entire show.
Can anyone give me some leads on this?
George Aust
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2004 10:00:21 +0000
From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Google's web [removed]
Just copied this link from the 78-L:
[removed]
If you want to track some term, name, etc. on the internet, Google will send
you an email alert and you can go and check it out. That could be of
considerable interest to us OTR collectors and traders. Jeffrey Lichtman
posted the notice. Thanks, Jeffrey!
Go register!
Ted Kneebone/1528 S. Grant [removed], SD 57401/605-226-3344
OTR: [removed]
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #135
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