Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #263
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 7/5/2003 12:08 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 263
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Tyler McVey [removed]                    [ "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@worldn ]
      Re: AM                                [ SeptSev@[removed] ]
      KNX AM, Los Angeles                   [ "William Schell" <bschell@[removed] ]
      Tyler McVey                           [ lawrence albert <albertlarry@yahoo. ]
      Tyler McVey                           [ William Brooks <webiii@[removed]; ]
      July 5th births and deaths            [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Louis Armstrong birthday              [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Re: THE SHADOW - "Murder by the Dead  [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
      Todays AM Programing                  [ dantrigg422@[removed] ]
      another death                         [ "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@hotmail. ]
      Undecoded Conversation                [ Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed] ]
      one man's family                      [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
      Kate Smith                            [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
      The Shadow [removed]                   [ "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed] ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Volunteer sought for OTR Research in  [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
      THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY              [ "mike kerezman" <philipmarlowe@cfai ]
      Is there anyplace to get gift certif  [ "Steve Atlas" <slavacotr@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:07:03 -0400
    From: "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Tyler McVey [removed]

        Tyler McVey, a fine actor with impressive radio credits, has left the
    stage.  He died this morning.  Tyler was a former president of the Los
    Angeles Local of the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) and a
    member of AFRA's original board of directors.  He was 91 years old.

        During the recent Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound Showcase (REPS),
    Tyler talked to the Showcase audience via long distance and told us that he
    was doing well in his battle with leukemia and planned to attend next year's
    Showcase.

        Tyler was a regular at REPS, appearing at 9 Showcases.  He was a
    recipient of the REPS Radio Achievement Award, which is given for "a body of
    work by an actor, director, producer, or other individual whose work has
    contributed to the perpetuation and furtherance of radio theater past or
    present."  Among his many enjoyable performances at Showcases was one at
    Showcase 10 as Peavy in Last Tango In Cucamonga.  Those who have attended
    past Showcases had the opportunity to observe and enjoy Tyler's acting
    talents, his great storytelling ability, and his wry wit.

        When you take a look at Tyler's career, one thing jumps out immediately:
    the variety of shows he did.  This versatile actor did lots of comedies,
    dramas, mysteries, and westerns.

        Tyler McVey broke into radio in the 1930's. His first part in radio was
    on Jerry of the Circus.  He had continuing roles on Glamour Manor as Tyler -
    the desk clerk, One Man's Family as Elwood Giddings, and was featured on
    Gene Autry's Melody Ranch.  In addition to acting, he was the announcer on
    The Smiths of Hollywood and Daisy Discovers America.

        From 1939 through 1955 Tyler appeared on Lux Radio Theatre at least 53
    times and in many of those productions he did two characters.  On a few of
    the those appearances, he acted as a commercial spokesman for Lux products.

        Equally adept at performing in comedies or dramas, Tyler's impressive
    radio series credits include a superb variety of series:  The Adventures of
    Ellery Queen, The Adventures of Harry Nile, The Alan Young Show, Burns and
    Allen, Cavalcade of America, The Cisco Kid, Dr. Christian, Dragnet, Family
    Theatre, The [removed] In Peace and War, Fibber McGee & Molly, The Great
    Gildersleeve, The Hermit's Cave, The Great Gildersleeve, Heartbeat Theater,
    Imagination Theatre, Jack Benny Show, Let George Do It, The Life of Riley,
    On Stage, Red Ryder, Red Skelton Show, Roy Rogers, Sears Radio Theater,
    Suspense, This Is The Story, The Whistler, Wild Bill Hickok, and Yours
    Truly, Johnny Dollar.  One of Tyler's favorite shows was an episode of a CBS
    sustaining series called The City.

        "Live radio was the greatest way in the world to make a living" Tyler
    remarked to a REPS audience.  "There were probably 150 actors in Hollywood
    that
    worked quite steadily on the many shows that emanated from there."

        Television?  Tyler appeared in many television series.  Here is just a
    sampling of the shows in which he appeared:  Alfred Hitchcock Presents, All
    in the Family, Bat Masterson, Bonanza, Broken Arrow, Climax!, Daniel Boone,
    Death Valley Days, December Bride, Dragnet, Eight Is Enough, Fibber McGee
    and Molly, Highway to Heaven, I Love Lucy, Ironside, Lassie, Lux Video
    Theater, Maverick, Mayberry RFD, Men into Space!, My Friend Irma, Perry
    Mason, Playhouse 90, Rawhide, The Rebel, The Red Skelton Show, Riverboat,
    Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Wagon Train, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Wild,
    Wild West, and You Are There.    He was in the cast of the television
    Gunsmoke pilot and quite a few regular episodes.   In one Gunsmoke episode
    he was a sheriff leading a posse to meet Matt, except he wound up at the
    back of the posse.  The cast and crew broke up and the director instructed
    the posse to please allow the sheriff to arrive first.

        Tyler has extensive major feature motion picture credits like Hello,
    Dolly!, Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, Seven Days in May, That Touch of
    Mink, The Gallant Hours, The Caine Mutiny, All the Brothers Were Valiant,

>     >From Here to Eternity, O. Henry's Full House, and The Day the Earth Stood

    Still.

        Tyler's career started on the stage.  Two of his favorites plays were
    "Plaza Suite" with Gale Storm and "What Did We Do Wrong?" with his wife
    Esther Geddes.

       I feel privileged that I had the opportunity to meet Tyler McVey and
    watch him perform.  Rest in peace Tyler.

    Signing off for now,

    Stewart Wright

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:07:43 -0400
    From: SeptSev@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: AM
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Tired of what's on AM radio?   Then start your own AM radio station!   You
    can, you know--although your broadcasting range will be limited.   I'm not
    talking about illegal, pirate radio either.   I'm talking about unlicensed,
    legal
    am broadcasting under Part 15 of the FCC regs.   Part 15 limits the size of
    the
    antenna and ground, as well as the power of the transmitter.   But several
    manufacturers make Part 15 transmitters that are FCC approved and I've heard
    stories of a range of between 1/4 mile and 2 to 3 miles, depending upon where
    you
    place your antenna and other factors.   This makes Part 15 stations perfect
    for neighborhoods (I'm working on a station for my neighborhood.) Many part 15
    stations broadcast OTR, and although I can't comment on the legality of that,
    as a practical matter, you probably could too.

    So, carpe deium, OTR lovers.   For a few hundred bucks, you can be in the
    radio business!<g>

    Thom

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:07:36 -0400
    From: "William Schell" <bschell@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  KNX AM, Los Angeles

    In 1963 I was fortunate to be able to tour the old KNX AM ( CBS) radio
    transmitter building at 190th Street and Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance,
    California.
    The building was built in 1938 and the grounds landscaped similar to a park.
    They gave tours of the facility for awhile but they were discontinued at the
    beginning of WW II.
    In 1961, a small concrete block building was constructed at the base of the
    500 foot triangular tower and more compact and efficient radio equipment was
    installed.  Like the old transmitter, the new one was 50,000 watts.  The old
    transmitter was then disassembled and sold to a station in Mexico.
    I can remember standing in a huge pit that once housed the transmitter. The
    newer unit took up about 1/4 of the space.
    The building was approximately 5,000 square feet and housed the transmitter,
    offfices, repair and storage rooms, and emergency generator and lounge.
    There was a broadcast booth in the building but no live audience shows were
    broadcast from there. For awhile, a midnight till dawn disc jocky show was
    broadcast from the booth.
    A two-man staff was on duty 24 hours a day to control the transmitter.
    At the time of my tour, the building had fallen into disrepair and victim of
    vandalism . Although there was a move to save the historic structure, it was
    later demolished.
    I haven't been by the 190th and Hawthorne site in years and wonder if the
    smaller transmitter and antenna are still there.
    Bill Schell
    Magalia, Ca

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:07:50 -0400
    From: lawrence albert <albertlarry@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Tyler McVey

     I've tried several ways to open this posting but the
    best way is the direct. Earlier this morning old time
    radio actor Tyler McVey passed away. For those of you
    unfamiliar with his work, Tyler appeared as Elmer
    Giddings on One Man's Family as well as over sixty
    appearances on The Lux radio Theatre. His body of work
    is of course far more extensive and includes
    television and film. The IMDB will cover all of that.
    I'll leave the history to those who are good at it.
        Tyler was a frequent quest at the REPS showcases
    over the years and was always at the top of his game
    on those occasions. He was a man of good humor and a
    ready quip. I found him knowledgeable on many subjects
    and always willing to share his knowledge with anyone
    who showed a genuine interest. Tyler played many parts
    in the recreations done at the showcases and was eager
    to try something different. I directed him in a
    Gildersleeve episode where he played the role of
    Peavey the druggist. He gave a dead on impersonation
    of Richard Le Grand.
         Thanks to Jim French I was able to work
    professionally with Tyler on two episodes of
    Imagination Theatre and I found that he brought no
    less a high level of professionalism to recreations
    then he did to a paying gig. Tyler was one of the
    legion of actors that never win awards or get in the
    fan magazines but who without their talents and
    dedication the the job most projects would die
    aborning. He was a man of conviction as evidenced by
    his work with AFRA (later AFTRA) the actor's union.
      I hope there will be other more eloquent postings
    regarding this man. Though he isn't immediately
    connected with one particular OTR series his work is
    worthy of notice. I sure the OTR community wishes it's
    sympathy for her lose to Tyler's widow Esther and to
    say thank you Tyler for all the hours of enjoyment you
    gave us both on the air and in person.
               Larry Albert

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:09:00 -0400
    From: William Brooks <webiii@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Tyler McVey

    Tyler McVey passed away this early morning. It's difficult to write
    this because Tyler was special. Sure he was a talented actor, but
    more than that he was a just a great man to be around. Luckily, last
    weekend, at the REPS convention we were able to have a phone hook-up
    with him and the audience got to hear from him, and his beautiful
    wife Esther. I will miss this special man and feel blessed to have
    known him.

    Bill

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 15:14:46 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  July 5th births and deaths

    July 5th births:

    07-05-1934 - Katherine Helmond - Galveston, TX
    actress: [removed] Theatre Works "Night Mother"
    07-05-1936 - Shirley Knight - Goessel, KS
    Sang with the Horace Heidt Orchestra on Wichita Radio at the age of 8

    July 5th deaths:

    01-01-1919 - Carole Landis - Fairchild, WI - d. 7-5-1948
    actress: "Warner Brothers Academy Award"; "Command Performance"
    01-25-1906 - Mildred Dunnock - Baltimore, MD - d. 7-5-1991
    actress: "Theatre of the Air"
    03-15-1916 - Harry James - Albany, GA - d. 7-5-1983
    bandleader: "Spotlight Bands"; "Call for Music"
    05-26-1911 - Ben Alexander - Goldfield, NV - d. 7-5-1969
    actor: Frank Smith "Dragnet"; Bashful Ben "Great Gildersleeve"
    08-30-1918 - Ted Williams, San Diego, CA - d. 7-5-2002
    baseball superstar: Several interview shows
    10-03-1898 - Leo McCarey - Los Angeles, CA - d. 7-5-1969
    judge: "This Is My Story"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn and Jay Jostyn

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 16:23:09 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Louis Armstrong birthday

    The source that I had for the birthday of Louis Armstrong said July 4, 1900,
    however, I found two sources that lists his birth as August 4, 1901. I have
    made the correction. Sorry for the misinformation.
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn and Jay Jostyn

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 16:36:45 -0400
    From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: THE SHADOW - "Murder by the Dead"

    In a message dated 7/4/03 10:04:02 AM, loviglio writes:

>     I came across an episode of the Shadow (Murder By the Dead 10-17-1937) from
>     the first season which sounds different from anything I've ever heard before.
>     The actors are all different than the usual cast from that year--or any other
>     year--
>     and there appears to be an irreverent studio audience!  During the John
>     Barkeley
>     talks for Blue Coal the audience is howling with laughter at the typical ad
>     patter. And when the announcer assures us that any similarities between the
>     story and real life are coincidental, the audience breaks up all over again.

    ***The recording in question is the first OTR recreation I ever directed,
    twenty years ago at the 1983 FRIENDS OF OLD-TIME RADIO Convention.  It featured a
    number of SHADOW radio veterans including announcer Ken Roberts, Dwight Weist
    (as Cranston), Margot Stevenson (as Margot), Sidney Slon (as Cardona),
    Jackson Beck (filling in as Weston), Gertrude Warner, Arnold Moss (tripling as the
    coroner, judge and prison guard).  SHADOW-organist Rosa Rio was on hand to
    perform the musical cues on a Hammond B-3, while Karl Weber (DR. SIXGUN and the
    voice of Firestone Tires) voiced John Barclay, while Parley Baer portrayed the
    murderer Peter Swift.  (I remember Parley telling me that he was a fan of the
    series and had always wished he could have been on THE SHADOW.)  Also, Dick
    Osgood (who was a semi-regular on the 1930-31 DETECTIVE STORY and LOVE STORY
    shows hosted by The Shadow) was heard as Margot Lane's father, Ross Lane.  Kenny
    Delmar was originally scheduled to reprise his original role as Weston, but had
    a heart incident the day before the convention.  And Dwight Weist, Ken
    Roberts and I all tried unsuccessfully to get Bill Johnstone for the recreation.

    Most of the actors in the cast were in the original SHADOW broadcasts, so if
    they sound different it's because they were doing it a half century later.
    --ANTHONY TOLLIN (in the shadows)***

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 16:35:48 -0400
    From: dantrigg422@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Todays AM Programing
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    To follow up on Bob Watson and Herb Harrison's discussion of AM Programing I
    would think that an owner, operator is interested in profit more than anything
    else.
    The product he puts over the "ether" is what he hopes his listeners want to
    hear.

    Talk Shows as we know them today originated in late 80s early 90s. Houston AM
    before that time was "Gardening" shows in morning, "News" at noon, "Finance"
    in afternoon,then "Sports". This was local talent,and most listeners were
    looking for something else. The evening and late night were usually Ball
    Games,
    and KTRH had Larry King. {Wish he had stayed on late night radio}. Rush
    Limbaugh
    showed up on KPRC and the rest is history as they say. This started a new
    look for local talent at most of the bigger stations, as I'm sure it did in
    most
    cities.
    Stations put the Talk Shows on the air because they attract advertisers. When
    "Talk Shows" are no longer profitable something else will take their place.
    Sincerely,
    Dan Trigg

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2003 16:49:56 -0400
    From: "B. J. Watkins" <kinseyfan@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  another death

    It is with a great deal of sadness that I report Tyler McVey passed away
    this morning at 1:26 am. I'm glad he was able to take part in the recent
    REPS convention by telephone. He was a dear man and will be missed by his
    family and friends and the OTR community. I am grateful that I was able to
    spend some time with him and Esther in May. His mind was as sharp as ever
    but his body was failing him. He put up the good fight. Rest in peace, our
    dear friend.

    Barbara

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:56:01 -0400
    From: Dennis W Crow <DCrow3@[removed];
    To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Undecoded Conversation

    In the conversation Derek "It's Me Again, Gang" Tague had with Christopher
    Werner in Thursday's Digest, I don't understand the "chocolate war"  thrust
    of the repartee,  the reason Mr. Tague was humorously pulling Werner's
    chain, and what all of this had to do with old-time radio.  Since both
    conversants are usually on point, perhaps they could enlighten us?  What am
    I missing?

    Dennis Crow

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:56:08 -0400
    From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  one man's family

    How many one man's family exist, and how many are on MP3?  Kurt

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:56:21 -0400
    From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Kate Smith

    There was a story told by Robert Bloch that a bunch of his stories from
    the Kate Smith show were lost in a plane crash and therefore there were
    no copies of them.  Can anybody verify that and were they ever found?
    Kurt

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:56:35 -0400
    From: "Jim Nixon" <ranger6000@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The Shadow [removed]

    I, for one, can't wait to read Anthony Tollin's reply to Jason Loviglio's
    question about the laughter during the 1937 broadcast of "The Shadow".  Good
    question!

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:56:45 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

       From Those Were The Days --

    1943 - The Adventures of Nero Wolfe debuted on the NBC Blue network.
    Nero Wolfe was "the detective genius who rates the knife and fork the
    greatest tools ever invented by man." The 'gargantuan gourmet' continued
    on the air until 1951.

    1948 - My Favorite Husband, with Lucille Ball, became the gifted
    redhead's first regular radio program on CBS. Lee Bowman, and later,
    Richard Denning, co-starred with Lucy as "two people who live together
    and like it."

    1951 - The Silver Eagle debuted on ABC as a entry into radio's
    action-adventure lineup. Jim Ameche starred as Jim West.

    Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage: [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:57:18 -0400
    From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
    To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Volunteer sought for OTR Research in LA area

    I'm looking for an OTR researcher in the Los Angeles area to volunteer
    to review  for me a few scripts  of "Candy Matson" and "Sandra Martin",
    in connection with my forthcoming book on radio's lady detectives.
    Thousand Oaks Library (Special Collections) has many of the "Sandra
    Martin" scripts and nearly the entire run of "Candy Matson."

    This is not a major research project; I would like two or three "Candy"
    scripts read and summarized, including the "origin story", which
    appeared half way through the run. For the "Sandra" scripts, which were
    only 15 minutes long, I'd like someone to take a peek at four or five
    unrelated eps. and summarize them.  NOTE: Thousand Oaks will not permit
    any radio scripts to be xeroxed; they are paranoid about copyright
    restrictions, even on material which is long out of such protection.

    If interested in helping, please contact me off line, and let the
    negotiations [removed]

    Jack French
    Fairfax, VA
    Editor: Radio Recall

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 11:57:55 -0400
    From: "mike kerezman" <philipmarlowe@[removed];
    To: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY

    Someone asked about the availability of "The Man Who was Thursday" from the
    Mercuty Theater in MP3. Try the following website
    [removed]  which includes both the Real Audio and Mp3
    versions of this show.

    Mike Kerezman, Jr

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2003 13:53:09 -0400
    From: "Steve Atlas" <slavacotr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Is there anyplace to get gift certificates
     to purchase OTR shows

    Hi Everyone,

    A few weeks ago, I loaned some friends several of my OTR sets (Yours Truly
    Johnny Dollar, Family Theatre, Mysterious Theatre) for them to enjoy while
    they drove from Baltimore (MD) to Chicago to attend their daughter's college
    graduation.

    When they came back, they said they really enjoyed them.

    Their anniversary is on July 8, and I thought that buying them a gift
    certificate (along with an OTR catalog) would be an ideal gift--something
    they wouldn't normally do for themselves.

    Unfortunately, Radio Spirits (where I normally purchase most of my OTR) said
    they no longer sell gift certificates, so it looks as if I am stuck.

    Do any of you know any OTR suppliers who do sell gift certificates (and
    could also rush a catalog) that I could give my friends (and maybe other
    people in the future)--and could send them out quickly if I used a credit
    card to pay by phone or over the Internet?  (Perhaps, they could also send
    an e-mail to my friend, telling them about the gift and to watch for it.)
    Can I or my friends also see their catalog online, or use the gift
    certificate to order online?

    Please reply privately to me (although you can also reply to the entire
    list) at slavacotr@[removed]

    Thanks.

    Steve Atlas

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #263
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