------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 287
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Re: A&A-TV and the NAACP [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
mp3s and collectors [ "Jim Widner" <widnerj@[removed]; ]
Public figures [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
ELIZABETH & THE RED SOX [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
DON'T BE CRUEL [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
Re: FM&M on TV [ Roo61@[removed] (Randy Watts) ]
BOB BAILEY NEWS [ PURKASZ@[removed] ]
[removed]'s, misinformation, and pe [ gad4@[removed] ]
Personalities And The Press [ "JLF" <infom@[removed]; ]
Pet names [ "Ron Vickery" <RVICKERY@anchorwall. ]
info on John Brown? [ bloodbleeds@[removed] ]
DVD Player Test [ Jim Kitchen <jkitchen@[removed]; ]
Sarah Fussel [ "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@hotmail. ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 12:12:02 -0400
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: A&A-TV and the NAACP
On 7/25/02 9:57 AM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:
I don't know about the Amos 'N' Andy radio being forced off the air for
clashing with the "Political Correctness" of the time, but I sure as fire
know the television version bit the dust because of it. The NAACP got into
the forefray and raised cain until CBS pulled it off the air.
The Association's protest began immediately following the airing of the
premiere episode of A&A-TV on 6/28/51 -- CBS and Schenley Distillers
(parent company of sponsor Blatz Beer) had coincidentally scheduled the
first telecast for the opening week of the annual NAACP Convention in
Atlanta, and many delegates viewed the program while attending the
convention. The issue arose at a time when the Association was taking a
hard look at black images on television -- and a decision had apparently
already been made to condemn both A&A-TV and the TV version of "Beulah"
even before the conventioners met as a sort of preemptive strike against
the idea of comedic images of black characters becoming the dominant
image in the new medium.
There was, however, a lot of internal dissension over the protest within
the NAACP itself. While Roy Wilkins, who had praised the radio series in
the 1930s, now supported the protest against the TV version, he privately
questioned the Association's motives -- pointing out the inconsistency of
the Association's sudden shift in position after essentially ignoring the
radio program for twenty years, and suggesting that a lot of
rank-and-file members of the Association were bound to start asking the
same questions. Some NAACP branch leaders questioned whether TV image
issues should even be all that much of a priority, given the other more
pressing civil-rights matters then on the political table. A number of
black newspapers also took this position -- and in one of the greatest
ironies of the A&A story, the new series received one of its most
emphatic endorsements from the Pittsburgh Courier, the same paper which
had attacked the radio series twenty years earlier.
Amidst all this, CBS and Schenley began talking with NAACP officials
about what could be done to make the program more acceptable -- by this
time Freeman Gosden had withdrawn from any creative participation in the
series after a series of escalating disputes with director Charles Barton
and producer James Fonda over Barton's taste for crude
Abbott-and-Costello slapstick and the poor quality of some of the
scripts. A few changes were made, notably the decision to emphasize the
fact that the character of Calhoun wasn't actually a lawyer (he became a
"Personal Consultant"), and the character of Lightning would be dropped
at the end of the first season. But the talks bogged down when it became
evident that the protest wasn't having the national impact the
Association had hoped for: a survey in New York found seventy per cent of
black TV viewers disagreed with the protest. By the end of 1951 CBS
wasn't even returning the Association's calls -- and by early 1952, the
protest essentially fizzled out.
Schenley renewed A&A-TV for a second season -- but decided to alternate
it with a dramatic anthology series, the "Four Star Playhouse," in a bid
to attract a more upscale audience. At the end of the season, Schenley
decided to put all its money into the dramatic series, and dropped
A&A-TV. The trade press characterized this as simply a change in
advertising strategy -- with no mention of any connection to the 1951
protest. CBS then proceeded to film an additional thirteen episodes for
first-run syndication in 1953-54, to be bundled with the 65 episodes that
had already run on the network, and offer the package for local
stripping. This was the package that would be distributed by CBS Films
for the next thirteen years.
While there were rumblings of criticism over the continued distribution
of the TV series thru the late fifties -- as early as 1956, "Variety"
condemned the TV reruns as "outdated and embarassing" -- they remained an
extremely popular rerun feature in practically every TV market well into
the early sixties. In 1964, WBBM-TV in Chicago decided to give the shows
another airing -- and this sparked a series of local protests which
became quite vigorous, given the general racial unrest of that year.
WBBM-TV eventually gave up -- and ironically the A&A-TV package was
immediately purchased by WCIU-TV, a Chicago UHF station which targeted
much of its programming to black viewers, and which enthusiastically
promoted the show as "An American Classic."
The Chicago incident was the first protest since 1951 to really catch
CBS's attention, however, and two years later it withdrew the series from
syndication. Whether this decision was entirely due to protests is very
much open to debate, however -- in 1966, A&A-TV was the oldest series on
the CBS Films list, and with only 78 episodes in the package it can be
argued that it would have probably been withdrawn within the next couple
of years even without protests, simply because it had worn itself out.
What *is* undeniable is that CBS's reluctance to license any use of the
A&A-TV episodes since 1966 is related to fear of controversy -- even
though most of the episodes are widely available from pirate
distributors. However, there are definite hints that CBS is rethinking
this policy -- last year, the network quietly licensed ten episodes to be
shown at an African-American film festival in New York, and earlier this
year, A&A-TV clips were shown in documentaries on TV-Land (owned by
Viacom, CBS's parent company) and on CBS itself. There have also been
feelers put out about a licensed video release thru Columbia House -- and
with all of this rumbling of activity, I think there's a very good chance
we'll see a licensed reissue of the TV series in some form, whether cable
reruns or DVDs, within the next five years.
All that said, I'm frankly not a big fan of A&A-TV -- it and the later
half-hour radio shows seem to me to be an unfortunate cheapening of the
deep characterizations Correll and Gosden had established in the 1930s
serial, and it pains me to see Andy, for example, being played as little
more than an amiable boob when he was once a fully-rounded, many-layered
person you could really care about. But I do think the TV series should
be legally available in some form to those who want to view it and decide
for themselves what they think about it.
Elizabeth
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 14:49:41 -0400
From: "Jim Widner" <widnerj@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: mp3s and collectors
Ian Grieve comments:
"Were the Reel to Reel collectors so biased against the cassette
collectors in earlier years?"
Ian, I can't speak for all, but as a collector in all formats, I have
never run into any bias among the collectors, just those (in the early
days) who might have said "I only collect/trade on [removed]" etc.
I think you mis-understand the issue and the nature of Steve's
response. Whether he meant be biased against mp3 collectors or not, my
take was the same I have been commenting on (some might say harping)
before: The cost of placing into circulation newly discovered programs
such as the Fu Manchu need to somehow be offset (unless someone is
either rich and doesn't care or exhibits strong philanthropic
tendencies). This means re-cooping costs in ways such as the collective
subscription that was offered for all who wanted the Fu Manchu
by "buying into" the process of getting the disks.
Once they were restored the agreed upon format was standard
uncompressed audio CDs. If there had been enough interest in also
providing mp3 versions, perhaps there might have been a conversion into
that format. The standard uncompressed audio met the standards of all
who bought in.
The issue that Steve made of George's comment and subsequently yours in
an earlier post implied if they ever come up "for free" you'd want to
get in on them. Steve asked the question, which went unanswered: "Why
not simply buy them from Radio Memories?" Then if you want to convert
them to mp3, that would be your choice. This way RM continues to
recoup any cost incurred.
If someone converted them and offered to sell them to you, would you
buy them? Especially, if they were first generation from the discs?
Some might, but many would rather wait until they can get that same
quality for free - and the Internet makes it all so easy to do so.
The last time I think I was midunderstood. I am not opposed to mp3
(though personally I will not collect on it - just use it to listen).
My concern is for the diminished incentive for someone to find and make
available such discoveries as the Fu Manchu if they know their time and
effort and ability to sell to recoup their cost will be impaired.
Jim Widner
jwidner@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 14:51:05 -0400
From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Public figures
Bryan Powell wrote
As an entertainer, Mr. Bailey was a public figure, which in the [removed]
generally gives the media the legal right to be far more inquisitive and
intrusive about his private life than if he were not a public figure.
I quarrel with the definition. I think I am correct in saying that I was in
radio longer and did more shows than Bob Bailey but I am [removed] repeat
[removed] a public figure. My work is public and is open to any kind of
scrutiny. My private life is no one else's concern unless I choose to
reveal it.
If Bob Bailey in his lifetime was so famous, why was there no interest in
him then except by personal friends?
Bob's reputation, his "fame" status, is after the fact. His reputation has
grown and been magnified by the people on this digest and others like them.
By the time Johnny Dollar went off the air no one was interested in Bob
Bailey. They were caught up in the likes of Milton Berle.
If Mr. Powell's description of "public figure" is correct, every one of the
thousands of faces which have appeared on TV commercials is prone to
investigations. Bob Bailey"s voice could hardly be defined in the same
category.
Harry Bartell
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 15:09:00 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: ELIZABETH & THE RED SOX
How can it be?
Is it possible that Elizabeth McLeod, the heretofore widely celebrated
voice on OTR interests and most insightful historian of one of the greatest
magic tricks of the 20th Century that was radio, is it possible she is also a
baseball fan?
Marry me!
I will enact every radio show script you'd like, after a few glasses of
wine of course.
All the characters!
I can cook too.
A very moving and insightful tribute to a lost voice in the great game.
Tell us about yourself you wise and sage woman.
<A HREF="[removed],+Michael+C.">
Michael C. Gwynne</A>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 15:29:35 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: DON'T BE CRUEL
Harlan:
Duly intrigued, I shall await the book with some keening delight.
Perhaps, when you get a moment and find your hands on a photo of Paul,
you might send it to me as I have NO idea what the man looked like other that
my spotting him in "Advise and Consent" just by the sound of his voice.
Did you ever read my Paul McGrath encounter story that I wrote in these
pages some time ago?
And, oh ya, you can call me C if Ya wanna but somehow my first name must
have dropped off your screen.
See below.
<A HREF="[removed],+Michael+C.">Michael
C. Gwynne</A>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 15:29:50 -0400
From: Roo61@[removed] (Randy Watts)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: FM&M on TV
My memory tells me that the "Fibber" TV show
aired afternoons. Was it ever run in prime
time?
In its original run, the television version of FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY
aired over NBC on Tuesday nights from 8:30 to 9:00 [removed], eastern time.
It premiered on September 15, 1959 and was last seen on January 19,
1960. Cast members were Bob Sweeney as Fibber, Cathy Lewis as Molly,
Addison Richards as Doc Gamble, Harold Peary as Mayor LaTrivia, Barbara
Beaird as Teeny, Elisabeth Fraser as Hazel Norris, Paul Smith as Roy
Norris, and Jack Kirkwood as Fred Nitney. (Information from "The
Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows," by Tim Brooks and
Earle Marsh.)
FIBBER McGEE AND MOLLY was still in syndication as late as the 1980s.
Maybe the afternoon showings you remember were reruns.
Randy
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 15:30:11 -0400
From: PURKASZ@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: BOB BAILEY NEWS
I am indebted to Bryan Powell for expressing himself so clearly on a
subject that I was momentarily stumped on.
When I read the original response from Mr. Albert regarding my curiosity
in the final years of Bob Bailey's life I felt mildly scolded and even chided
for being interested.
Mr. Powell makes it clear that there are distinctions.
Oddly enough, I've been in show business for more that 35 years on radio
TV and the movies and I felt that Mr. Albert was being very protective of
those of us in that sometimes merciless light of curiosity that wash over
those of us unfortunate enough to be in a negative light and a 'public
figure' as well.
Guess I appreciate both views now.
<A HREF="[removed],+Michael+C.">
Michael C. Gwynne</A>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 16:32:18 -0400
From: gad4@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: [removed]'s, misinformation, and personal
attacks.
In response to steve's [removed]
Dear Steve,
The purpose of my letter was not to ask for fu manchu's but to set the
record straight regarding the fact that they did not immediately go into mp3
release. Also, I am attempting to bear witness that an mp3 collector was
being courteous to Ted - even though Ted has graciously put no such
conditions on anyone.
The statement in question that states, "If anyone has seen ted's episodes
circulating, Id appreciate being corrected and told where" is just what it
claims. The phrase was because I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt
and admitting I could be mistaken which doesnt appear to be the case. Many
have used this example as reason why new material should be not released
thinking that they went immediately into mp3 and hurt the sales. For the
sake of all, (tape collectors, cd collectors and others), I wanted to show
that mp3s have not had an impact on this new material being released and
that we can all work together and new material can continue to come out.
These are merely facts that all of us can benefit by.
While it's nice to know that many in the hobby are still supportive of Ted
and the dealers. Unfortunately, the misinformation that I was trying to
correct may in turn, be the cause of them circulating. I don't want to get
too much into personal information, but in one of the circles that I attend,
someone was asking for them. A friend of mine stated that he hadn't offered
them before out of support to Ted. But because so much time has passed, and
BECAUSE HE READ HERE REPEATEDLY THAT THEY WERE CIRCULATING IMMEDIATELY IN
MP3, he promised to help these friends. He did this thinking they were
already circulating for a long period of time and no harm would come. How
this will play out, I dont know. This person wasn't meaning to hurt Ted but
support him. But because of this misinformation which I was trying to
correct, those who stated the misinformation may very well have led to their
release. In an attempt to defend their view, their fears and misinformation
basically turned out to be a self fulfilling prophesy. Something I hope
never happens again.
Fortunately, Ted's a smart business man. In a previous letter, Ted stated
that he knew they would go immediately into circuluation regardless of mp3s,
so he set up a system where he could get his money back right away. Also, a
lot of time has passed giving him exclusivity of it and its now another
piece listed on his web page. Any rush for them, is now over, so its kind
of a moot point now anyway. But I'm very thankful we as collectors can work
together like that to support those who release new material. Please keep in
mind though, that if this situation had occured closer to the time of
release, the misinformation could have been harmful to Ted's sales. I'm
very thankful that it hadn't. If the misinformation hadn't occured at all,
they wouldnt have been promised and probably been out of circulation as mp3s
a little bit longer. Although you may not know it, the situation which I was
unfortunately attacked on, was not against Ted, but supporting him.
Steve, I am supportive of Ted, and the rest of the dealers, including you,
and I really dont believe I deserved the false statements and character
attacks you have given me. Steve, I would never do that to anyone. I have
done a lot for this hobby. If I had done something to hurt you, I would have
understood. Have I done anything to you steve? Have I hurt anyone you know?
Do you even know me? Then why treat me like that. It's one thing to disagree
with someone on a point, but is it right to spread false information about
someone like that and try to hurt a person's character? Anyone who has
needed help in the otr hobby, Ive tried to be there [removed] even you if you
needed it. Let's all work together and work as friends ok? There's no
reason to fight. When we don't, it makes all of us look bad.
In the future, I hope all of us make sure if we say something, that we make
sure it's the truth and said in a spirit of love toward all. Regardless,
there will always be bad apples in every form of collecting. But in the
future, instead of making our focus the misinformation, let's make our focus
cooperation. In the future, hopefully any misinformation will be geared more
toward thinking good of others rather than bad. Someone once said that if
you believe good things about someone, they're more likely to live up to it.
Let's all believe the good in each other and encourage that to come out
instead of looking for bad that may not be there and then have them believe
it and perhaps things turn out like [removed] I like the good world better,
and I believe that most of us are pretty nice people and can at least make
that happen here.
Sincerely,
George
PS. Shawn: Someone has sent me a listing of the ebay cd. It basically has
two sets of the 40. I can send you the listing if you want.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:07:21 -0400
From: "JLF" <infom@[removed];
To: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Personalities And The Press
I find it interesting that, in general (yes I know that's dangerous),
personalities love the press on their way "up" and hate the press on thier
way "down". On the way up it's "I don't care what you say about me as long
as you spell my name right! A lot of this is created by agents for the
personality.
On the other hand the press has little interest in a past star unless there
is a sordid story to help sell "newspapers" (or a good lead to tongiht's
newscast). And the public is pretty fickle too - every notice how the
general public drops their favorite resturant for a new one?
Thanks Bob Bailey for the great performances on our favorite entertainment
medium, radio. We hardly knew you!
JLF
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:22:27 -0400
From: "Ron Vickery" <RVICKERY@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest (E-mail)" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Pet names
While catching up on the digest, I finally followed the advice of Joe
Mackey and checked out his web site at
[removed]~[removed], where I
discovered he has a cat named Molly McGee and another named Blanch
Bickerson DuBois. I was about to e-mail him directly, but thought this
would make an interesting thread. I also have an otr-named pet. My AKC
registered German Shorthair Pointer is officially named "Molly McGee,
Queen-O-Airwaves" (we usually just call her Molly). Does anyone else
out their have a pet named for a character or show from this wonderful
hobby?
Ron
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:22:39 -0400
From: bloodbleeds@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: info on John Brown?
Anyone have bio info on Digger O'Dell - aka John Brown - from Life of Riley?
Or can you
point me in the direction of what books or articles to get that would help?
Thanks.
Ben
The Bickersons Scripts book!
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 17:26:54 -0400
From: Jim Kitchen <jkitchen@[removed];
To: Old Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: DVD Player Test
Last night, I tested a new Magnavox DVD Player by listening to a MP3
version of "The Silver Blue Matter" a 5 Part Yours Truly Johnny Dollar,
originally broadcast the week of May 7-11, 1956. It was a strange
feeling to hear Bob Bailey coming out of the TV set!
Jim Kitchen
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 18:35:15 -0400
From: "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Sarah Fussel
On Digest #275 Ben Ohmart wrote:
...Sarah [removed] anyone have a bio on her, or credits?
I haven't seen a response to this. I, too, have been wondering about her and
her background. I know she was a smaller than average person
and played many of the little boys I heard on various soap operas when I was
home sick from school. I'd love to know more about her.
Barbara
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #287
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