------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2004 : Issue 251
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK [ "Jerry Haendiges" <Jerry@[removed] ]
Jackson Beck Remembered [ seandd@[removed] ]
Sam Edwards birth [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
7-30 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Elspeth?? And a Command Performance [ "Bob Watson" <crw934@[removed]; ]
Re: Sam Edwards [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
Re: Character actors [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
My Moment with Jackson Beck [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
Jackson Beck [ "Jim Harmon" <jimharmonotr@charter. ]
Re: Does the first Dragnet show surv [ "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@ea ]
Re: Gun For Dinosaur [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
Jackson Beck [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
New series of BBC OTR documentaries [ "Phil Watson" <possum@[removed] ]
Introductions, Tom Barnett [ "Barnett, Tom L" <[removed]@acs ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 10:57:59 -0400
From: "Jerry Haendiges" <Jerry@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OLDE TYME RADIO NETWORK
Hi friends,
Here is this week's line-up for the week of 7-25-04 on my Olde Tyme
Radio
[removed] Featuring Tom Heathwood's "Heritage Radio Theatre," Big John
Matthews and Steve Urbaniak's "The Glowing Dial" and my own "Same Time, Same
Station" broadcasts, being broadcast on demand 24/7 in high quality
streaming RealAudio at [removed]
Past archived broadcasts are also available there.
We look forward to having you join us!
Jerry
Here's this week's lineup:
SAME TIME, SAME STATION with Jerry Haendiges
RAMONA AND HER MIGHTY MINIATURE MINSTRELS
Episode 1 1-21-45
MUTUAL SUSTAINED Sundays 10:15 - 10:30pm
STARS: Ramona
WITH: Jeri, Eddie and Joan
ANNOUNCER/JOKE TELLER: Don Frederick
THE YOUNG IN HEART
Audition Show 12-4-47 "Treasure Island"
Stars: Marvin Miller, Jerry Farber, Harry Lang, Ken Christie, Paul Mc Vey
CBS SUSTAINED
HOST: Alan Reed
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/ADAPTOR: Ralph Rose
CRIMINAL AT LARGE
Audition Show 9-11-47 "Murder In Stone
Announcer/Narrator: Ken Carpenter
"Find the Criminal and Win a Thousand Dollars."
PHILCO RADIO TIME
Episode 19 2-19-47 (recorded 2-4-47) UNEDITED and UNCUT version
Stars: Bing Crosby
Guests: Judy Garland, William Frawley and Director Leo McCarey
=======================================
HERITAGE RADIO THEATRE with Tom Heathwood
SPECIAL GUEST
Martin Grams, Jr. joins Tom to talk about his new book, GANG BUSTERS
GANGBUSTERS
ABC 4-22-45 "The Case of the Red Dress"
GUEST STAR
[removed] Treasury Dept. 9-14-52 "The Judge"
Stars Hollywood favorite, Gene Lockhart
======================================
THE GLOWING DIAL with Big John Matthews and Steve Urbaniak
The Adventures of the Falcon - "The Case of the Careless Client"
originally aired October 15, 1950 on NBC
Starring: Les Damon, Ed Herlihy announcing.
Sponsor: Kraft Foods Company
The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective - "The Hot Hundred Grand Caper"
originally aired September 19, 1948 on CBS
Starring: Howard Duff, Lurene Tuttle, John McIntyre, June Havoc, Joseph
Kearns,
Wally Maher, Dick Joy announcing.
Sponsor: Wild Root Creme Oil Hair Tonic
Nick Carter, Master Detective - "The Make-Believe Murder"
originally aired July 22, 1945 on MUTUAL
Starring: Lon Clark, Charlotte Manson, Ed Latimer, Ken Powell announcing.
Sponsor: Lin-X Home Brighteners
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe - "The Black Halo"
originally aired January 15, 1949 on CBS
Starring: Gerald Mohr, Joan Banks, Jeff Corey, Paul Frees, Peter Leeds, Jack
Kruschen,
Lois Corbet, Roy Rowan announcing.
Sustained
Richard Diamond, Private Detective - "The Betty Moran Case"
originally aired May 29, 1949 on NBC
Starring: Dick Powell, Virginia Gregg, Ed Begley, Wilms Herbert, Jack
Petruzzi, Herbert Butterfield,
Tol Avery, Eddie King announcing.
Writer: Blake Edwards
Sustained
====================================
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or requests for upcoming
shows.
Jerry Haendiges CET <Jerry@[removed]; 562-696-4387
[removed] The Vintage Radio Place
Largest source of OTR Logs, Articles and programs on the Net
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:00:47 -0400
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Jackson Beck Remembered
Obituaries for Jackson Beck hit the papers today - so far I've found the
Associated Press (via New York Newsday) and of course David Hinckley in The
Daily News, who quotes our own Anthony Tollin thanks to an interview arranged
by yours truly.
Interestingly, both writers seem to have made a mistake I feel because I made
it myself in a Friends of Old Time Radio press release a few years back. I
don't believe Jackson actually said "Look up in the [removed]" in the Superman
introduction, that would have been an actor in the crowd, where the announcer
picked up at "faster than a locomotive." But I could be wrong again.
Seeing Jackson perform live at FOTR was a great thrill. At 85 or so he
played the Cisco kid and the 30-something Gotham radio players actress I was
sitting next to pratically swooned he had so much charisma even then. Never
mind hearing the Superman intro done [removed]
I know the New York Times, LA Times and Variety were all working on something
- although Variety's is likely to be subscriber only and the NY Times appears
to have used AP copy (haven't seen the print edition yet).
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
[removed],0,[removed]
ory?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
[removed]
[ADMINISTRIVIA: A purely personal note: my favorite live Jackson Beck
performance was announcing, "TOM [removed] CADET!!!" He had to do the
opening twice due to a technical glitch, but that voice didn't need the
microphone to fill the space. I'll miss you and your omnipresent cigarette,
Jack. --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:00:56 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Sam Edwards birth
Does anyone out there know the birth place and date of Sam Edwards, if so
please contact me off-line. I would be very appreciative, thank you.
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:01:52 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 7-30 births/deaths
July 30th births
07-30-1912 - Charles Irving - d. 2-1981
actor: Tex Mason "Bobby Benson's Advs."; Jerry Malone "Young Dr. Malone"
07-30-1912 - Edward L. Bliss - Fizhou, China - d. 11-25-2002
cbs news correspondent: (One of Morrow's Boys) CBS News Twentieth Century
Roundup"
07-30-1914 - John Meston - Pueblo, CO - d. 3-1979
writer: "Gunsmoke"; "Escape"; "Fort Larmie"
07-30-1928 - Christine McGuire - Middletown, OH
singer: (The McGuire Sisters) "Arthur Godfrey Time"
July 30th deaths
02-08-1908 - Myron McCormick - Albany, IN - d. 7-30-1962
actor: Christopher Wells "Advs. of Christopher Wells"; Walter Manning "Portia
Faces Life"
03-17-1916 - Karl Weber - Columbus Junction, IA - d. 7-30-1990
actor: Ray Matson "Dr. Six Gun"; Phil Stanley "When a Girl Marries"
05-10-1914 - Charles McGraw - NYC - d. 7-30-1980
actor: Ken Thurston "Man Called X", "Dragnet"; "Suspense"
08-22-1897 - Eddie Dunstedter - Edwardsville, IL - d. 7-30-1974
organist, conductor: "Gold Medal Fast Freight"; "Lineup"; "It Happened in
Hollywood"
09-13-1905 - Claudette Colbert - Paris, France - d. 7-30-1996
actress: "Cresta Blanca Hollywood Players"; "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Millions
for Defense"
09-29-1915 - Brenda Marshall - Island of Negros, Philippines - d. 7-30-1992
actress: Nancy Smith "Smiths of Hollywood"
11-27-1917 - Buffalo Bob Smith - Buffalo, NY - d. 7-30-1998
actor: Howdy Doody "Howdy Doody"
12-06-1887 - Lynn Fontanne - Waterford, Essex, England (Lived in Genesse
Depot, WI) - d. 7-30-1983
actress: "Theatre Guild on the Air"; "Biography In Sound"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:17:39 -0400
From: "Bob Watson" <crw934@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Elspeth?? And a Command Performance inquiry
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Just got my copy of Radio Spirits lastest Suspense collection and was
surprised to find that in the included booklet that Agnes Moorehead is
credited with playing Mrs Elspeth Stevenson. I never knew that the radio
character used a first name. But, "Elbert and Elspeth Stevenson" does have a
nice ring to it.
And, if one had a shortwave radio back in the forties, what was the chance
that they could hear Command Performance, or any AFRS show on their shortwave
band. I understand that AFRS beamed there signal overseas, but did that mean
that their shows could never be heard stateside unless specifically broadcast
to us here??
Bob
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:18:15 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Sam Edwards
I never worked with Sam in the real world. He was West Coast, I toiled back
East. However, I had the great pleasure of eventually meeting and working
with Sam over the past 10/12 years thanks to all the OTR Clubs and
Conventions. He was a real gentleman, in the truest sense of the word. Not
to mention he was the Brother-in-Law of my dear friend and co-worker, Jane
Webb, so we also had that in common.
Sam had a very fascinating career. I am not familiar with his total body of
work, but the one role that stands out in my mind, (for some strange
reason), was a part he played when I was small child. When he told me he was
the voice of "Thumper" in "Bambi", (Thumper being one of my all time
favorite characters) Sam Edwards became a legend to me.
He will be missed. My love and condolences to Bev, Jack and Jane.
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 11:18:32 -0400
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Character actors
Chris asked
> I've often heard the term "character actor" used to describe particular
OTR actors (as well as actors in other mediums). However, I don't quite
understand this term. What exactly is a character actor?
For some reason (I don't quite understand either, Chris), Actors/Actresses
were divided into two categories. "Leading men and women", and their
counterparts, Character actors. An example. Although Wallace Beery played
the lead role in a few films (Mostly "B" movies as I recall), he was a
"Character" actor. Marjorie Main is another example. Character actors
usually had faces with lots of Character. :) The leads were usually very
handsome/beautiful. But a good Character actor could very well be one of
the stars. Eli Wallach as an example. Definitely Carl Malden and Ernie
Borgnine.
Spencer Tracy fell smack dab in the middle. He was ruggedly good looking, so
could play leads, but played some grimy characters as well. Not so Clark
Gable, Cary Grant or Errol Flynn.
As far as OTR is concerned, Character actors could play a wide range or
roles. The NY Cabbie, the punch drunk fighter, the oriental, the mad
scientist, the salty Sea Captain. etc. Character actors were considered
versatile. Another term in use was "Supporting" actor. They played major
important roles, but not given Star credits. That's why the Academy Awards
have the important category for "Best Supporting actor".
It's true that everyone playing a part on an OTR program is also playing a
"Character" in the script. It's just that the term "Character Actor" became
associated with those who could play people who were not what you would
consider the "average" man on the street. Their voices had a different
quality, so you could tell them apart from the "silver tongued hero".
Another prime example (If I may be permitted) was the role of "Jughead" on
Archie Andrews. He was a Character in the truest sense of the word, and I
played him with a "Squeaky" character voice. I had to be careful so that I
did not become "Typecast" as a Character voice, and could still be called to
play "Normal" voiced roles.
Does that explanation help?
Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 12:33:57 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: My Moment with Jackson Beck
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
A few years ago I was at an audition for some TV commercial voice-over
here in New York and was waiting in an elegant suite at 41st and Sixth Avenue.
It was July, the pavement burned and the city was begging for mercy. I
was glad to find an air-conditioned waiting room.
One other gent was reading the paper and waiting his turn.
I signed in and began fanning myself with the copy.
After a time the door opened and a very 'elderly,' wiry, squat gentleman
lurched in, obviously off the street and in the wrong office.
He looked a little dazed from the heat and wincing in the subdued light,
he froze at the door.
This poor gent was lost.
I was about to get up to assist him when he took a deep breath and moved
towards me, rather unsteadily but smiling.
He was headed towards a chair. I assumed he might just want to rest on
this hot summer day before going back on his way.
He appeared to be in his late eighties, maybe older.
I was amazed he was even out on a day like this.
The guy reading the paper lowered it and watched him get closer.
The old dude looked at him, smiled and then he spoke.
"Hiya Bob. What's up?"
The tones rang every bell in my voice memory vault!!!
It was him.
Jackson Beck!
I almost fell off the chair.
That voice coming out of that body was so jarring that I couldn't stop
staring.
I stood, introduced myself and bathed in those same velvet-power tones as
he repeated my name back to me and said how glad he was to meet me.
He signed in, sat, sighed and perused the copy just like the rest of us.
Waiting his turn to be chosen by those who would choose.
A moment in crystal.
Michael C. Gwynne
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 12:42:28 -0400
From: "Jim Harmon" <jimharmonotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Jackson Beck
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
Hello -- I just received word from Superman radio series fan, Donald Glut,
that Jackson Beck has died at age 92. No further details at this time. Beck
was the long time narrator for the Man of Steel series, as well as playing
Philo Vance, the Cisco Kid, and many other roles. I met him once at an FOTR
convention in Newark and he was certainly a friendly and articulate man. I
heard him announce a re-creation of
"TOM CORBETT -- SPACE CADET" at a rehearsal and as he spoke those words in
that voice I seemed to see a vast banner with that name spread across the
whole huge convention room.
I'm waiting for Anthony Tollin to answer that writer's inquiry about the
origin of The Shadow in intricate detail. But in the meantime I will say that
the various differences in the origin are pretty slight for a popular culture
character. They are not entirely inconsistent with each other. One might
think one storyteller just left out some details the other put in.
The pulp magazine version, not revealed until sometime after the early
issues, says World War One pilot, Kent Allard, went to the Orient, studied
with Monks and learned the powers of The Shadow, returned to New York where
with permission he assumed the identity of world-traveler, Lamont Cranston,
while Cranston was off world-traveling. He fought crime as The Shadow,
wearing a black outfit and cloak and darted about the darkness, clinging to
the shadows, and being
VIRTUALLY invisible. The radio series gave him the hypnotic power to be
LITERALLY invisible. In interviews, the novel writer, Walter Gibson
(pen-name Maxwell Grant) declared that The Shadow could become literally
invisible by hypnotic powers, but in many situations, like running gun battles
he did not have the time and relied only on his abilities to hide in the
shadows.
Once ridiculed as pulp trash, Gibson, unlike so many
creators of great concepts, lived to see The Shadow recognized as one of the
great mystery characters of all time, to take his place beside Sherlock
Holmes, Fu Manchu, Ellery Queen and others.
The movie added the story that the man who would become The Shadow had
gone bad, becoming a prince of an evil empire. Again, perhaps that element
was left out of the story of what happened when Kent Allard went to the
Orient.
I know Tollin will do it better, but here is my account of it.
-- Jim Harmon
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 13:00:09 -0400
From: "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Does the first Dragnet show survive?
Matthew Bullis asked the question. If it does - and that's a big "if"
because not even the Library of Congress has a copy - it has not yet made it
into circulation, AFAIK.
I sure wish that someday, some enterprising OTR fan in Southern California
would head over to UCLA, photocopy the script, and bring it to SPERDVAC for a
re-creation. Especially since two of its original players, Herb Ellis and
Peggy Webber, are still with us.
For those who are interested, here's a link to UCLA's Jack Webb script
collection:
[removed]:/13030/tf8779p26b
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 13:00:17 -0400
From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Gun For Dinosaur
At 10:01 AM 7/29/2004, you wrote:
am looking for a description of the X-Minus One radio program:
A Gun for a Dinosaur, by L Sprague De Camp broadcast March 7, 1956
Here is a very brief, but spoiler, description included in my book "Science
Fiction on Radio"
"Through a time travel machine, hunters are able to return to the age of
dinosaurs to hunt big game. One hunter recklessly makes mistakes which can
cause the past to change because the future is altered. Luckily, that does
not happen, but the hunter seeks revenge by trying to travel ahead of the
operators of the hunt. His idea is to be on site and kill the operators but
instead he is caught in a time warp and is killed."
Feel free to edit it if you decide to use it.
Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 13:21:51 -0400
From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Jackson Beck
Folks;
I posted a photo, and a few thoughts about Jack, on the blog at
[removed]
Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 14:34:26 -0400
From: "Phil Watson" <possum@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: New series of BBC OTR documentaries
As many list members know, the BBC here in England regularly produce
documentaries about OTR.
Starting next Tuesday 3rd August at [removed] UK time, BBC Radio 4 are
airing a four-part series called "We Interrupt This Programme". In the
first episode "Mark Thomas profiles the first of four American comedy
acts who used the conventions of radio for their own subversive ends.
Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding were the original practitioners of the spoof
radio show, who influenced at least two generations of comedians,
whether they realised it or not".
I don't know at this stage who the other three episodes feature, but as
soon as I find out, I'll post the information. I would hazard a guess
that one would be Stan Freberg, he was pretty subversive, wasn't he?
Listen live via the internet on [removed] at some unearthly
time in the early hours in the US, and each show will be available for a
week after broadcast using the BBC's "Listen Again" feature on that
website.
Regards from England
Phil
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 16:39:52 -0400
From: "Barnett, Tom L" <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Introductions, Tom Barnett
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
I try to do this on the list every year or so. I think the time is ripe for
another round of introductions to everyone
My name is Tom Barnett. I reside in Bloomfield Hills, MI. I was first turned
on to OTR in 1983 when a local metro-Detroit AM station (WXYT) was playing
an hour of OTR every night at 11PM. The infection began with a broadcast of
Jack Benny from 1953 where the cast goes on a Steak Ride in the Desert, and
I have never looked back.
My collecting was on cassettes and has recently focused into MP3s (largely
due to the fact that I am not archiving this for the future, just listening
for enjoyment)
My biggest OTR thrill came in 1986 when I able to see Dennis Day on a
personal appearance tour locally and was able to have dinner and spend a few
hours with Dennis after his show. Priceless!
I first joined the OTR Digest in 1996 when it was the OTR Roundtable and was
associated with a gentlemen named Bill Pfieffer(sp). That was in 1996 and I
have enjoyed every issue. I have met some great friends and some of nicest
people I have ever met. This is a great forum and one that I enjoy
immensely.
BTW Is Bob Burnham still lurking out there?
Regards,
Tom Barnett, PMP
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #251
*********************************************
Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
including republication in any form.
If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
[removed]
For Help: [removed]@[removed]
To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]
To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
or see [removed]
For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]
To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]
To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]