Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #203
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 5/17/2003 10:02 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 203
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      1944 Democratic Rally Program         [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      Various Comments                      [ "Albert" <alkb2ng@[removed]; ]
      Armed Forces Day birthdays            [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Larry Albert's question about SUNBEA  [ "Gary Dixon" <argy@[removed]; ]
      June Carter Cash                      [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      Transcription machines                [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
      Re: Sunbeam Bread                     [ "Penne Yingling" <bp_ying@[removed] ]
      Sunbeam                               [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
      Democratic Political Program          [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      the green hornet                      [ michael chatterton <chat51@comcast. ]
      Brace Beemer                          [ "Phil Stallings" <redryder@midwest. ]
      Re: ABC Radio's Theater Five          [ Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed]; ]
      Arthur Godfrey and Julius LaRosa      [ leemunsick@[removed] ]
      Scripts and uploading                 [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Andy Rooney and Arthur Godfrey        [ leemunsick@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:11:50 -0400
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1944 Democratic Rally Program

    Derek Tague asked:

>     Would Prof. Biel or Prof. Yoggy or Col. Tollin tell us the story about
>     Jimmy Durante's  slot  being filled by some badly played organ music  at the
>     conclusion of the rally, which  sounded so bad, it prompted potential voters
>     to turn off their radios & not listen to the following  [removed] broadcast? I
>     would try to recount it myself, but  think such a monumental  re-telling
>     requires the services of an OTR historian in the McLeodian mold
>     [Elizabeth?].

    I'm none of the above but I am familiar with a similar story and I wonder if
    it might have morphed into the Durante/organ music story.   There is a
    documented story which you can find in most material about the 1944 campaign
    which states that when FDR learned that the Dewey campaign had bought air
    time immediately after one of his fireside chats he spoke for only 14 of his
    allotted 15 minutes, thereby creating a minute of dead air which caused a
    great number of listeners to tune out.

    -Irene

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:12:45 -0400
    From: "Albert" <alkb2ng@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Various Comments

    It is my recollection that both Godfrey prime time shows (Talent Scouts and
    Godfrey and His Friends) were off by the mid-50's.  I believe Talent Scouts
    outlived friends by two or three years, but both were off by 1956 or
    perhaps even earlier, as I recall.  Early in the decade (probably about
    1953) Friends on CBS was opposite Kate Smith's prime time program on NBC.
    Of course, Kate Smith also had an hour program every weekday afternoon at
    4:00 [removed] eastern on NBC.  Does anyone recall Arthur's sister Cathy
    Godfrey's radio program on Saturday afternoons in the early 50's?

    I remember hearing the story about the "automatic screwing machine", but it
    was attributed to an incident on a daytime show like Queen for a Day, as I
    recall.

    Finally, I saw some Sunbeam Bread at my local supermarket in Penn Yan, NY
    just this morning.
     In our area it is distributed by the Stroemann bakery.  It may be that the
    "Sunbeam formula" is licensed to various regional bakeries.

    (As an aside, I am also one who avoids white bread like the plague - but
    with one exception:  Around 1948, I had the pleasure of tasting some
    incredibly delicious hard rolls about five or six inches in diameter with
    deep crevasses in the crust.  They came to me still warm after a five hour
    trip from a bakery in Woodbridge, NJ.  I was eight years old in 1948 and
    have been searching for a source of these rolls ever since without
    success!)

    Regards to all,
    Albert J. Kopec

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:13:31 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Armed Forces Day birthdays

    If you were born on the 17th of May, you share your birthday with:

    05-17-1890 - Philip James - Jersey City, NJ - d. 11-1-1975
    conductor, composer: "Bamberger Little Symphony"; "Wellsprings of Music"
    05-17-1911 - Maureen O’Sullivan - Boyle, Ireland - d. 6-23-1998
    actress: "Dreft Star Playhouse"; "Family Theatre"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:13:48 -0400
    From: "Gary Dixon" <argy@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Larry Albert's question about SUNBEAM BREAD
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Hi!

    Just a follow up to Larry Albert's question regarding SUNBEAM BREAD.

    It was also available in the northeast.

    Back in the late 50s or early [removed] remember seeing a television ad about
    SUNBEAM BREAD.  It showed a little girl (or little boy) tearing a slice of
    bread evenly in half.  The reason SUNBEAM BREAD tore so perfectly---as opposed
    to similar white bread slices made by other companies---was (according to the
    ad copy): "SUNBEAM BREAD IS WHIPPED IN SMALLER BATCHES!"

    I always thought the bread tasted better, but that might have been the effect
    of 'subliminal advertising!'

    Gary Dixon

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    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:12:09 -0400
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  June Carter Cash

    Thank you, Joe Cline for mentioning June Carter Cash's death.
    It was a shock to hear of it especially since the focus has been on Johnny
    Cash and his debilitating illness. She, in fact the whole Carter family,
    and her husband are favorites of mine.  The Carter family legacy will always
    be an important part of country and folk music.

    'Will the circle be unbroken?'

    -Irene

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:14:34 -0400
    From: Ga6string@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Transcription machines

    Michael Biel writes:

>     If you went to an office supply store
>     you could have found one that uses ordinary cassettes.

    This is true, but keep in mind that they cost around $200 at such places as
    Office Depot.

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:15:26 -0400
    From: "Penne Yingling" <bp_ying@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re:  Sunbeam Bread

>     Was Sunbeam  more widespread than just Indiana?

    We had Sunbeam bread here in PA.  When you're a kid, you assume that the
    whole world has the same things you have.  You don't realize until you're
    much older (unless you're one of those lucky kids who get to travel a lot)
    that all things are not everywhere.  Like what we used to call "Pop" somehow
    in time got changed to be called "Soda",  while my cousin who lives in New
    York state said she doesn't ever remember it being called anything else
    other than "Soda".  Soda's to me (as a kid) were made of ice cream and milk
    with some flavoring.  Then, there were "steamers" here in PA, which were
    called "sloppy joe's" right next door in WV, and I believe "barbecue's" in
    some other places.  Just a thought - nothing to do with radio, but this list
    is where I saw the subject.  Thanks for listening from another white bread
    lover.

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:15:18 -0400
    From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
    To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Sunbeam

    Laura asked if Sunbeam bread was sold everywhere.  No, here in Los
    Angeles we had Barbara Ann bread which was marketed in the same manner
    featuring a little golden haired girl in their billboard ads very much
    like Sunbeam, which was sold in San Diego.  I always thought that there
    must have been a connection between the two brands.
    Other white breads that were sold here were Webber's, Langendorf, and
    Wonder. None of them very good, but the kids loved that white bread.  Of
    course I still eat white bread if you count sourdough. San Francisco has
    always had the best sourdough although we now have some here that rivals
    [removed]'s best.

    George Aust

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:17:38 -0400
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Democratic Political Program

    Chris Chandler wrote:

>     I remember reading years ago this broadcast caused such a stir a couple
>     of networks--the very next day--changed their rules so it could 'never
>     happen again'.

    As you wondered in  your message, on what grounds could they do that.    I
    believe that the  broadcast was a paid political broadcast which I
    understand was aired on both CBS and NBC.    Am I wrong about that?   CBS
    earlier in 1944 had refused a political broadcast by a Senator whose name I
    can't recall,  but who was seeking the Republican nomination, and his
    broadcast contained very strong attacks against FDR.  CBS was forced to air
    the broadcast, and informed they could not censor political context during a
    campaign.

    I think Chris puts too much importance on that rally broadcast,  since FDR's
    reelection was never in doubt in 1944.

    <<.it turned out the next day to be a remarkably close [removed];>

    In light of the 2000 election 'close' takes on a different perspective.   In
    the 1944  popular vote Dewey got 22 million and FDR [removed] million which is an
    8 percentage point difference, 54% for FDR, 46%  for Dewey.   Compared to
    FDR's other 3 victories this was indeed his closest election  in the popular
    vote, but never really close in the electoral college projections.

    Of course, we all know too well now that the popular vote is meaningless.
    It's all in the electoral college and in that respect Dewey was soundly
    defeated.    FDR received 432 electoral votes and Dewey 99.   Dewey won 12
    states, all rural.

    The content of that rally was also not unique.   The Dewey campaign produced
    its own jarring moments.    Dewey accused FDR of causing the deaths of many
    servicemen by not having the country adequately prepared for war.     One of
    the biggest themes was to suggest a connection between FDR and communism, or
    at least communists.    The CIO was alleged by the GOP to be dominated by
    Communists,  and since the CIO Pac 'dominated' FDR, therefore one could
    conclude that the  Communists dominated FDR's campaign.   The GOP also
    'suggested' that if FDR was re-elected the country would be ripe for a
    communist takeover.  Everything old is new again.

    Then there was the notorious poster issued by the GOP during the 1944
    campaign.   It was issued in NY and depicted a sinister FDR with his arm
    around Harry Truman, who was covered by a white sheet KKK robe.  In the
    background a group of hooded Klansmen are lynching someone.    The legend
    under the cartoon read "Vote for Dewey, Kill the Klan."   This controversial
    poster, a misguided attempt to woo back black voters  who left the GOP for
    FDR and the  New Deal, was soon withdrawn.

    The military voting issue to which  Chris referred, was a very  interesting
    one but too lengthy to discuss here.  However, it was a valid issue, more so
    then it is now,   especially since it related to fighting men in wartime,
    and only a very small number of those fighting men in 1944 were able to cast
    absentee ballots in the 1944 election.

    And, lastly on a lighter note:   A Republican member of Congress spread an
    unfounded rumor that  FDR on a visit to Alaska found that his Scotch
    Terrier, Fala had accidentally been left behind and that FDR had sent a
    destroyer back to get him, at an enormous cost to taxpayers.     Roosevelt's
    response in his first (and only) major campaign speech in September 1944
    was:

    "The Republican leaders have not been content to make personal attacks on
    me-or my wife-or my sons-they now include my little dog, Fala.  Well, of
    course I don't resent attacks and my family doesn't resent attacks, but Fala
    does resent them."  Speaking of Fala's reaction to this charge FDR said:
    "his Scotch soul was furious. He has not been the same dog since."

    -Irene

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:17:53 -0400
    From: michael chatterton <chat51@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  the green hornet

        i enjoy reading these interesting tid bits of info about old time
    radio and have a question:
        how many people knew the green hornets identity??
      and wasnt kato japanese then changed becuse of the war??

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:18:03 -0400
    From: "Phil Stallings" <redryder@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Brace Beemer
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    BlankI just noticed that I did not enclude the state when I talked about Brace
    Beemer's birthplace.  Mount Carmel, Illinois - Wabash County - down in the
    SOUTHERN part of the state.  Sorry 'bout that ya'll.

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
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    ------------------------------

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:18:37 -0400
    From: Mark J Cuccia <mcuccia@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: ABC Radio's Theater Five

    Kurt Yount wrote:

>     In the 60s I used to listen to Theater Five on KGO I think between 6:00
>     and 8:30 pm (yes, five), and then Claud the Magnificent (maybe Jim
>     Dunbar, but not sure), from 8:30 to 10:30 pm every Saturday night.

    BTW, KGO has been an ABC Owned/Operated station out of San Francisco
    (it was RCA/NBC owned during the NBC-Blue days prior to ABC being created
    "out of" RCA/NBC, some *SIXTY* years ago, *SIXTY* - not fifty! :)

    I wonder if this block of five episodes of Theater Five on Saturday
    evenings was KGO's only airing, or if it was a *repeat* of the previous
    week's daily airings of Theater Five?

>     Does anybody know how many Theater Five shows there were and how many
>     exist in collections?

    According to Jerry Haendiges' Vintage Radio Logs for Theater Five
    ([removed]) and also Frank Passage's radio
    logs for Theater Five ([removed]), there were
    260 episodes produced and originally aired between August 1964 and
    July 1965.

    The series was fed down the ABC Radio Network five nights a week,
    according to one of the logs referenced above, there is mention that it
    got its name because it aired at 5:00pm in New York City (presumably on
    WABC-770). I don't think that's the reason it got its name [removed]
    I don't even think that it was necessarily fed down ABC Radio at 5pm, but
    probably later in the evening (of course, WABC in New York, being the ABC
    O&O 'key' station, they could get their own use of the tape reels which
    would be fed down the network later on).

    I tend to think that "Theater Five" got its name because it was on *FIVE*
    nights a week.

    The program with commercial slots (possibly five minutes worth) ran about
    25-minutes long. Most collectors, or at least whenever I hear it repeated
    on a local station or via Y-USA, seem to have it commercial "free", at
    about 20-mins. (In the late 1950s and early 1960s, most of CBS Radio's
    Sunday afternoon/evening dramas were 25-min feeds, and also *frequently*
    included five minutes worth of commercials/PSAs/promos, but not always had
    that many minutes of "non-programming material").

    On the actual network feed ...

    if ABC fed "Theater Five" from :30 to :54, then :54 to :59 would be the
    five minutes worth of "ABC News at :55" (remember this is pre-1968,
    so there was still *ONE* ABC Radio 'package', none of this "American
    Information", "American Entertainment", "American Contemporary", etc);
    Most of the hourly pre-1968 ABC Radio five minute newscasts were at :55
    minutes, five minutes *before* the top-of-the-hour, different from what
    CBS, NBC, Mutual were doing by having most of *their* newscasts at the
    exact top-of-the-hour. Actually, I tend to think that the news ran from
    :54 to :59, giving the local affiliates a one-minute local station break
    if there were a longer network program at exactly :00. Back then
    (pre-1968), ABC would promote their "News at :55" as "the latest news,
    five minutes *SOONER*" !

    if ABC fed "Theater Five" from :00 to :24, then :24 to :29 would be a
    five minute ABC News/Informational commentary or maybe a weeknight evening
    update from ABC Sports.

    I assume that there might have been a number of affiliate stations which
    would tape it off the network and play it back at a time they wanted to
    locally air it (especially if live local team sporting events would be in
    progress when ABC was feeding Theater Five down the network line). I don't
    know if ABC really did much in the way of "syndicating" tape reels to
    affiliates -- WABC New York airing it as early as 5pm (Eastern) seems to
    be something "unique" to New York; also I seem to think that the
    production was done *IN* New York, similar to NBC's "X-Minus-One", CBS'
    1961/62 episodes of "Johnny Dollar" and [removed] episodes of
    "Suspense", and the 1970s era CBS Radio Mystery Theater and 1977 CBS Radio
    General Mills Radio Adventure [removed] *ALL* of them were *NEW YORK*
    productions, and *ALL* of them have that "family" of New York based radio
    voices!

    ABC Radio's Fred Foy (of fame during the ABC years of "The Lone Ranger")
    was the announcer for "Theater Five".

    The first broadcast was on Monday 03 August 1964;
    the final broadcast (#260) was on Friday 30 July 1965, one year later.

    (I wonder if there will be any mention of "Theater Five" this coming
    Monday evening on ABC-TV's so-called "Fiftieth" anniversary special???
    Somehow, I doubt it!)

    Mark J. Cuccia
    mcuccia@[removed]
    New Orleans LA USA

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:19:40 -0400
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Arthur Godfrey and Julius LaRosa

    Bill Diehl discussed Julius LaRosa's recollection of the day he was "fired"
    on the air.

    I think either Mr. Diehl or my friend Julius LaRosa have mis-stated one
    point.  The comment was that people watching on TV did not see the
    "firing".  This is not quite true.

    Mr. Godfrey devoted a great portion of the last portion of that day's
    program to effusively lauding Julius LaRosa, his work, and his
    contributions to the Godfrey programs.  He then had Julie sing his song,
    and then thanked him and said, "That was Julie's 'Swan Song'", and went on
    to explain that he was leaving the programs, would go on to have his own
    show, and generally be a success, and wished him well.  Mr. Godfrey was
    trying to give Mr. LaRosa the best buildup he could in responding to Mr.
    LaRosa's constant requests that he be released from the Godfrey shows at
    his request, to go on to bigger and better things.  Most people with whom I
    have spoken who have listened to that segment in recent times have agreed
    that it certainly did not sound like a firing to them.

    The point about the difference between the TV and radio versions is
    reminiscent of the reactions by critics and citizens to the Nixon-Kennedy
    debates.  Mr. Nixon looked terrible, and Mr. Kennedy in fine fettle.  Those
    who listened to the debates on radio thought Mr. Nixon won, while those who
    watched on television saw it the other way around.  There is a similarity
    in the LaRosa situation.

    By the time of that program, it had become fairly common that a brief
    commercial film would be shown on television on behalf of that day's
    sponsor or the alternating sponsor for the next day, while on radio, the
    live comments would continue, usually with a closing commercial plug by
    announcer Tony Marvin.

    Mr. Godfrey ran late on that day, as was often his wont.  He was still
    speaking when the commercial film cut in on television.  Thus it's possible
    that viewers were unable to catch the final comments and the "swan song'
    remarks, while radio listeners could hear them, if they had a mind to.

    Hope this helps clear up that reference.
    Lee Munsick

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:20:06 -0400
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Scripts and uploading

    Stephen Jansen states:

>     Wouldn't it be a neat idea to have an online storage place for scripts
>     that we could all add to, and use when necessary?

    There is one Steve - it is located at:

    [removed]

    I've contributed one or two and anyone else can too.

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 11:21:05 -0400
    From: leemunsick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Andy Rooney and Arthur Godfrey

    Andy Rooney was indeed one of Arthur Godfrey's writers during Mr. Godfrey's
    heyday in the 1950s.

    He remains a Godfrey loyalist, one of the few media people who have
    defended Mr. Godfrey's reputation over the years.

    The Godfrey evening TV shows originated in the theater from which the
    Letterman Show originates now.  In the 1950s both the Ed Sullivan Sunday
    night program and Mr. Godfrey's Wednesday variety programs came from that
    theater.  Andy Rooney has said that he firmly believes that it should be
    called the Arthur Godfrey Theater.

    Mr. Rooney has been most helpful to me in my researches for a book about
    Arthur Godfrey.  He has pointed me to a number of the other writers and
    behind-the-scenes people at the Godfrey programs.   A number of them shared
    remarkable and delightful memories and anecdotes about those years.

    He was helpful in directing me to "Mug" Richardson, Mr. Godfrey's
    "right-hand gal" in his early years in Washington and New York.  Sadly, by
    the time I was able to track down Miss Richardson, she had passed away.  I
    spent time with a friend of "Mug" who then lived in her apartment, and who
    most kindly presented me with a magnificent photo portrait of Lieut.
    Commander Arthur M. Godfrey.  It's likely his  first in his new Navy
    uniform, after he was given a Navy Reserve Commission at the express
    direction of the Commander-in-Chief, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
    himself an old Navy man.

    On that same trip, I also met with another close friend  of Mug's, her
    sister-in-law, who kindly gave me a wealth of material and photographs
    about Miss Richardson and Mr. Godfrey.

    I am deeply indebted to Andy Rooney.

    Lee Munsick

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #203
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