Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #144
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 4/5/2003 5:27 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 144
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      April "No Fooling"                    [ Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed]; ]
      Mamby Pamby Randy                     [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Great Gildersleeve                    [ "laurie112554" <laurie112554@[removed] ]
      APRIL FOOLS                           [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
      Re: taking back my congrats on Eliza  [ Dixonhayes@[removed] ]
      Elizabeth's [removed]                  [ "Penne Yingling" <bp_ying@[removed] ]
      April Fool                            [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Bill Bragg live at REPS over YUSA Ap  [ "Paul Feavel" <otrarchive@[removed] ]
      The Find of the Century               [ Tim Cronin <tc1001@[removed]; ]
      Liz's find. Could it still be out th  [ gad4@[removed] ]
      Belated April 4th Birth Dates         [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Morton Wishengrad & Ranald MacDougal  [ Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
      April 6th Birth Dates                 [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      M*A*S*H; great finds and dumpsters    [ Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 20:00:39 -0500
    From: Harlan Zinck <buster@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  April "No Fooling"

    OK, I admit it: I was just as taken in by Elizabeth's "April Fool" posting
    as anyone else - and, hey, I was mentioned in it right along with the
    Archives!

    It's not surprising that I took it seriously, really. Elizabeth is always
    coming up with something rare and unusual and, if anyone truly deserved to
    find and rescue the treasure trove of material she described on April 1, it
    would be our esteemed Ms. McLeod. Believe me, no one cares more about radio
    scholarship, history, or the preservation of radio recordings -- and no one
    devotes more unpaid time to it, either.

    Consider, for instance, all of the previously unknown shows that Elizabeth
    has helped us find and/or transfer over the past three years:

    * over two dozen early Fred Allen shows, including "The Linit Bath Club
    Revue," "The Salad Bowl Review" and "The Hour of Smiles" - all from
    uncoated aluminum disks

    * two "Union Oil Merrymakers" shows from 1932 & 1933, also from aluminum

    * four Ruth Etting/Johnny Green/Ted Husing "Oldsmobile" shows from 1934

    * the 1935 Eleanor Moniak broadcast - the earliest known example of a
    Theremin ensemble

    * a large collection of disks from "The Fleischmann Hour" starring Rudy
    Vallee and dating from 1932-34

    * the 1932 broadcast of "His Master's Voice Of The Air," a syndicated show
    presented by RCA Victor

    * crumbling glass disks from 1941, 1943, and 1944 containing Mutual
    coverage of Roosevelt's Pearl Harbor address to congress, the Casablanca
    conference and one of the few Tom Breneman "Breakfast in Hollywood" shows
    known to exist

    * a 1944 address By King George VI, also on a glass disk

    * fresh transfers of well over a dozen 1/4" shellac recordings of "Chandu
    the Magician" from 1933

    * various episodes of "The Tony Martin Show;" Arch Oboler and Ronald
    Colman's "Everything For The Boys;" "The Gulf Screen Guild Show," "The
    Kraft Music Hall," "The Lux Radio Theater," and other recordings from the
    Bob Burns estate

    Currently, on our behalf, she continues her work to create new digital
    transfers of a long run of original disks from three Bob & Ray series from
    WHDH-Boston ("Matinee with Bob and Ray," "Read the Funnies," and "Breakfast
    with Bob & Ray") not to mention all of the work she has done transferring
    some truly lousy condition recordings from WSB-Atlanta documenting both the
    "Three Governors" controversy of 1946-47 and other aspects of Georgia state
    politics from the same period. Add into the mix the work she has done for
    others researching the broadcasts of Father Coughlin, transferring and
    documenting a lengthy run of "The Goldbergs," and helping to edit the
    "official" history of NBC on the occasion of their 75th anniversary and you
    have a fairly well-rounded picture of Elizabeth's contribution to radio
    preservation and scholarship.

    Many people devote considerable lip service to kvetching about the lack of
    preservation or documentation of radio programs, but Elizabeth devotes a
    considerable amount of her time to real preservation and real documentation
    - mostly without any pay or compensation.

    And that's no April fool.

    So, Elizabeth, if you want to loosen up and pull the wool over my eyes next
    April 1st, go to it. In my opinion, you've earned it.

    Harlan

    Harlan Zinck
    First Generation Radio Archives
    [removed]

    PS: Say, Elizabeth, how's the transfer of all those Bulova time checks
    coming along, hmmm?

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 21:23:54 -0500
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mamby Pamby Randy

    Randy Story had a very clever posting in progress when he discussed how
    "broken hearted" (Sob,Sob) he was about Elizabeth's classic April Fools
    Prank

    But then he goofed.

>     I am pretty gullible where Elizabeth's postings are concerned anyway since
>     she's sort of my hero(CUE: violins start).

    Randy, [removed]'t they teach you kids ANYTHING anymore. Or is the word
    "Hero" now sanitized and gender-ized. When I went to school, Females were
    "Heroines".

>      You [removed]*sniff*(HOLDS BACK
>     TEARS)...a guy needs an [removed] ...[removed]*sniff*...one would never
>     suspect someone of her standing [removed](FORCES HIMSELF TO SAY IT)...fall prey
>     to the sinful level of a Hal Stone type of prank! (CUE: Violins up full to
>     sting; HE ERUPTS INTO SHAMEFUL SOBBING)

    How dare you malign Elizabeth by associating that fair lady with the likes
    of me? Have you no shame.

>     Yes. I know I have too much time on my hands. We are on Spring Break this
>     week. Bravo, Elizabeth. This FORMER prankster doffs his chapeau to you for
>     brilliance.

    Ah Ha! He speaks French. Now we know what's not to like about this guy!. :)

>     (Randy,WHO IS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO CINCY NEXT WEEKEND! I WILL BE AT THE
>     HOTEL BY NEXT THURSDAY [removed] LOOK ME UP FOR THIS LEGENDARY THURSDAY
>     GATHERING THAT I KEEP HEARING ABOUT, OKAY?)

    Randy, didn't you hear. That Thursday nights party has been cancelled.
    (snicker)

    (I will make sure the Convention Sergeant at arms, or the Motels concierge,
    (ha!) do not divulge where we will be partying. We have no room for cry
    babies!) :)

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    Queen Elizabeths "Champion" and knight Errant!

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 22:26:31 -0500
    From: "laurie112554" <laurie112554@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Great Gildersleeve
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    I have just finished reading the book The Great Gildersleeve by Charles Stumpf
    and Ben Ohmart. And I highly recommend this book.
    On March 21, 1957 this was the last Gildersleeve show, and I love to obtain a
    copy of this one for my collection.
    Also is Shirley Mitchell (Leila Ransom) still with us, if so I would like very
    much to write to her.

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

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 23:15:15 -0500
    From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  APRIL FOOLS

    As I posted straight after reading Elizabeth's 'find', it was an obvious
    April Fool's Joke (yes I read it very late April 2) and worth a good laugh
    and wish 'if only'.  I just can't believe the number of people who have
    turned on her as a result.  Elizabeth has written thousands of posts that
    have been to the benefit of us all.  Ok, I suspect those most upset probably
    passed the info on and ended up being seen to be fooled, but the Digest
    isn't just facts and figures, personalities also play a part.

    I guess one thing it shows us all, we all BELIEVE that there are caches out
    there waiting to be discovered.  But there should be no hard feelings
    because someone with imagination and good understanding of the subject
    showed great skill.  It sure doesn't stop me from looking and I will not
    mind at all if Elizabeth finds them before me because everybody who read
    that posting knew that those shows were not going to be hoarded.  I guess
    that added to the disappointment of some.

    Ian Grieve

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 23:16:12 -0500
    From: Dixonhayes@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: taking back my congrats on Elizabeth's
     find

    Perhaps I might have admired this joke a little more if I hadn't contacted
    several people to tell them about this "find," only to be in the humiliating
    position of having to go back and re-explain that I was duped.  Perhaps a
    quicker "April Fools!" cry would've blunted that.  And I was deeply
    disappointed that even the list managers actually offered congratulations.
    That's like the National Enquirer proclaiming "Yeah, we lied our butts off in
    that last story but wasn't it a really cool story?"

    Since so many people insist there were such glaring clues that any bonehead
    should've picked up on, let me explain why I believed it so easily.  First of
    all, I got my message on April 2 and figured April Fools Day began *and*
    ended on April 1.  This is a new one for me.  Plus, it was April 3rd before
    Elizabeth finally got around to setting the record straight (or that's when I
    got that one).  To add insult to injury, my own "congratulations on the find"
    response appeared in the *next* digest.

    Secondly, I am a television fan too, and have been pleasantly shocked to see
    series that were once thought to be lost, suddenly turn up.  I have a website
    devoted to the "classic" Peter Marshall era of TV's "Hollywood Squares",
    which for years, the tapes were thought to have been destroyed.  Then 3,000
    of those shows suddenly turned up in a warehouse.  "The Texaco Star Theatre
    Starring Milton Berle" and the locally produced "Bear Bryant Show" (the
    sports highlight show starring the legendary University of Alabama football
    coach)  were also lost, then found.  And I'm not quite so educated on this
    business of transcriptions, and Elizabeth seemed to be a credible source.  So
    to me it was believable this could happen.

    Next time someone announces a find of this magnitude, I am going to ask that
    person to swear on the Bible, invite lightning to strike, etc. and *still*
    insist on hearing an actual copy before I will believe that person isn't
    "pulling an Elizabeth" (my new term for this).  Really, I feel like a fool
    and for no good reason.   I might forgive you in time, Elizabeth, but it will
    be a LONG time.

    Dixon

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

    Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 23:16:28 -0500
    From: "Penne Yingling" <bp_ying@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Elizabeth's [removed]

    I, for one,  do not care what Elizabeth has written as a joke.  If it
    weren't for Elizabeth's invaluable writings to this digest, we all would be
    considerably less knowledgeable in the world of OTR.  I really can't stand
    nit-picky stuff - it only tends to get in the way of one's day.  I know, it
    may be nit-picky to me and, not necessarily so to another, but that's the
    view from this side.  Let's all be kind to one another.  As Molly says,
    "Tain't funny, McGee!"

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:48:52 -0500
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  April Fool

    Just to put Elizabeth's prank in perspective, several years ago, a couple of DJs on a Boston-
    area radio station were fired for their prank.  What they did was announce the sudden death
    of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.  Apparently a couple of Menino family members heard the
    news and were quite upset by it.  And they continued their prank even after calls from Mayor
    Menino's office denying the story and asking them to stop.

    Now THAT'S a really nasty and irresponsible prank!

    --
    A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@[removed]
    Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:49:17 -0500
    From: "Paul Feavel" <otrarchive@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Bill Bragg live at REPS over YUSA April 5th

    Bill Bragg will be featured at the April 5th REPS meeting in Seattle,
    portions of which will be carried live on YUSA.  The live broadcast is set
    to begin at 2:15 Pacific / 5:15 Eastern.  Part of the program will be thrown
    open for live call-in questions through the YUSA California phone line at
    714-545-2071.  That number will also be offered during the broadcast.

    With 20 years' history programming OTR in innovative ways, Bill Bragg's YUSA
    was one of the first internet radio stations and became one of the most
    popular destinations on the world wide web for radio listeners.

    YUSA may be heard over the internet at [removed] and is also
    available via satellite, many cable TV operators and low-power FM
    broadcasters.

    We hope you'll join us for this interesting program.

    If you're unable to join us in person, this is a rare opportunity to tune-in
    and listen live to a REPS monthly program and toss in a question of your
    own.  For more information, visit [removed]

    Our next monthly program will be the 'Bing!Centennial' on May 3 celebrating
    the 100th anniversary of the birth of Bing Crosby a local son and treasured
    American entertainment legend.  Host John Jensen will explore Bing's career
    with audio selected from an archive of many hundred transcriptions and video
    clips from rare early films.  For more about the Bing!Centennial, visit our
    website.

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:50:09 -0500
    From: Tim Cronin <tc1001@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The Find of the Century

    I'm catching up to this one late, and did so by reading the Digests of
    the last few days in reverse order (a catch-up habit of mine while
    deleating e-mails), but it was a doozy!
    Kudos, Elizabeth, for one of the great written April Fools jokes of all
    time, and certainly the best since Sports Illustrated's Sidd Finch story
    by George Plimpton (and for remembering that howler, as well). I fell
    for that one totally.
    And I wonder, having read the slings and arrows of the outraged and the
    congrats of others before reading the original announcement, if I'd have
    been hooked this time as well. Those were some grand shows in the
    "find." Someone with recording equipment might have recorded them if
    they could have.
    I think I'd have caught on in the next-to-last paragraph. Karl Pearson
    helping out? If my War of the Worlds memory is correct, the dear man was
    at the observatory in Chicago which detected the Martians heading our
    way. Amazing how he's still around after all these years, no?
    If not for that, even a 1/1/04 release date wouldn't have bothered me.
    Nor the size of the collection, for that matter. When you've got several
    thousand videotapes in the living room, and you know people who have
    even more than you, no archive's size surprises.
    And for everyone still ticked off, geez, folks, it's good that you've
    got nothing else to worry about these days. Cheers!

    Tim Cronin
    Worth, IL (close to the observatory)

    PS-Elizabeth, what will you do for an encore?

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:50:15 -0500
    From: gad4@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Liz's find. Could it still be out there?

    Wheather we like/dislike the joke, Ive been thinking about what Elizabeth
    said that this person did exist and did record "segments" back then.
    (although no where near the quantity in the joke.).

    Has anyone done any research to find the heirs of this person and contact
    them? I think  any information regarding any previous attempts to research
    this would be enlightening.

    Perhaps Elizabeth (or anyone else) could add some light to this.

    Sincerely,
    George

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:53:32 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Belated April 4th Birth Dates

    It seems as though something happened the birth date list of April 4th. They
    were sent, but maybe (get this Derek) they were lost in the ether. Anyway, you
    know the bit, if you were born on April 4th, you share your birthday with:

    04-04-1875 - Samuel S. Hinds - Brooklyn, NY
    04-04-1889 - Dorothy Gordon - Odessa, Russia - d. 5-11-1970
    04-04-1894 - Ed East - NYC - d. 1-18-1952
    04-04-1895 - Arthur Murray - NYC  d. 3-3-1991
    04-04-1898 - Lee Tracy - Atlanta, GA
    04-04-1902 - Bernice Berwin - Bay Area, CA - d. 5-22-2002
    04-04-1904 - John Brown - Hull, England - d. 5-16-1957
    04-04-1906 - Bea Benaderet - NYC (R:  San Francisco, CA) - d. 10-13-1968
    04-04-1906 - John Cameron Swayze - Wichita, KS - d. 8-15-1995
    04-04-1911 - Mitch Miller - Rochester, NY
    04-04-1913 - Frances Langford - Lakeland, FL
    04-04-1925 - Elizabeth Wilson - Grand Rapids, MI
    04-04-1926 - Cloris Leachman - Des Moines, IA
    04-04-1932 - Anthony Perkins - NYC

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:53:48 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

     From Those Were The Days --

    4/4

    1938 - After seven years of singing on the radio, Kate Smith began a new
    noontime talk show.

    4/6

    1931 - Little Orphan Annie, the comic strip character developed by
    Harold Gray, came to life on the NBC Blue network.

    1942 - We Love and Learn premiered on CBS. The serial featured Frank
    Lovejoy as Bill. The program would continue until 1951.

    1945 - This is Your FBI debuted on ABC. Frank Lovejoy from We Love and
    Learn had little problem finding work, as he served as narrator for This
    is Your FBI for the next eight years.

      Joe

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:53:54 -0500
    From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Morton Wishengrad & Ranald MacDougal: Where
     are their papers?

    This is another in an occasional series of short pieces about the
    locations of the papers of  various OTR writers and actors:

    Morton Wishengrad's papers are located in the Jewish Theological Seminary
    in New York City. Wishengrad wrote some shows for the Cavalcade of
    America and other commercial series.  But he is best known for his work
    on a long run series called The Eternal Light . For good reason, in his
    time Wishengrad was known as one of the very best quality radio writers.
    Unfortunately he died rather young.

    Ranald MacDougal's papers are located in the Academy of Motion Picture
    Arts and Sciences library in Los Angeles. MacDougal wrote a number of
    shows for Norman CORWIN. Then, in about 1943 or '44, he moved to
    Hollywood to write for the film industry. MacDougal's widow is the
    talented actress and comedienne, Nanette Fabray

    Howard Blue
    Khovard@[removed]
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:57:11 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  April 6th Birth Dates

    You know the drill, if you were born on the 6th of April you share your
    birthday with:

    04-06-1884 - Walter Huston - Toronto, Canada - d. 4-7-1950
    04-06-1892 - Lowell Thomas - Woodington, OH - d. 8-29-1981
    04-06-1914 - George Reeves - Ashlank, KY - d. 6-16-1959
    04-06-1924 - Mimi Benzel - Bridgeport, CT - d. 12-23-1970
    04-06-1929 - Andre Previn - Berlin, Germany
    04-06-1937 - Merle Haggard - Bakersfield, CA

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Make your day, listen to an Olde Tyme Radio Program

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

    Date: Sat, 5 Apr 2003 16:58:08 -0500
    From: Jordan Young <jyoung@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  M*A*S*H; great finds and dumpsters

>     Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 09:50:19 -0500
>     From: "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@[removed];

>     Next, someone commented that the humor in MASH is largely visual and would
>     never make it in a sound medium.  I am a totally blind person and MASH is
>     one of my absolute favorite programs.

    Forgive me if it's already been mentioned in this discussion and I
    missed it--if I may be allowed to quote from my own book, THE LAUGH
    CRAFTERS--Larry Gelbart (who started his stellar writing career in
    radio at 16) said of his M*A*S*H episodes, "Turn off the picture and
    they would make pretty good radio shows."

>     Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 09:51:00 -0500
>     From: "Andrew Godfrey" <niteowl049@[removed];

>       I often wonder how many dumpsters were filled up with old OTR shows by
>     station directors who wanted to make space for new formats.

    Movie studios routinely did this in the "good old days" of course,
    trashing "worthless" things like original animation cels before they
    became highly prized collectibles.

    When Spike Jones died, most of his stuff (excluding radio and TV
    shows)--scrapbooks, photos, personal papers, memorabilia etc--ended
    up in the dumpsters at St. Vincent de Paul thrift store in Los
    Angeles. By pure chance a couple of guys who happened to be rapid
    Spike Jones fans stumbled on it and rescued much of it.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #144
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