------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 403
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
What's the Deal with Bill Stern, Any [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
Listening in Style WORKAROUND [ "Mike Kerezman" <philipmarlowe@cfai ]
Today in radio history [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Re: Listening In Style [ Steve Salaba <philmfan@[removed] ]
Re: Correction on Frank Readick [ SanctumOTR@[removed] ]
Re: Larry King-Andy Rooney-Arthur Go [ "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed]; ]
More Abbott & Costello [ "Ivan G. Shreve, Jr." <iscreve@comc ]
Andy Rooney [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
11-8 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2003 19:55:00 -0500
From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: What's the Deal with Bill Stern, Anyway?
I was just listening to a Bill Stern broadcast with guest Jack Benny that I
ordered from the International Jack Benny Fan Club.
I've heard a few of Stern's shows and I have to ask: why didn't anyone
listening object to the fact that he broadcast complete [removed] every week?
In the fifteen minute show I listened to tonight he said that Hitler's first
Nazi activity was organizing a boxing team, that the pen used to sign the
armistice with Japan belonged to a football coach who had been killed in
battle, that Mussolini was slain by the son a former political rival who Il
Duce had executed several years before, and that the "formula" for the
atomic bomb was smuggled out of Nazi Germany by a soccer scorekeeper. I
also remember another episode in which Frank Sinatra was the guest. Sinatra
just sat there and listened as Bill Stern explained that Sinatra originally
wanted to be a sportscaster but settled for being a singer after advice from
a famous sportscaster of the day (it may have been Red Barber, I can't
remember exactly).
I know the standards for broadcast journalism were still evolving at that
time - but holy heck wouldn't anyone of that time have had an even easier
time spotting those whoppers than I did 60+ years later?
Why the lack of public outcry - or at least ridicule?
Can anyone shed any light on this?
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 01:40:53 -0500
From: "Mike Kerezman" <philipmarlowe@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Listening in Style WORKAROUND
A possible alternative or workaround to listen to your mp3 OTR shows on your
old radio is a gaget called GIZMO. This "Black Box" which sells for around
$60-80 will hook into your computer or any mono audio sourcer and
essentially becomes a low power am transmitter. You can then go to any radio
in your house and "pick-up" the broadcast on the am frequency GIZMO is set
to. I have not tried this but have heard of it quite recently. One can
easily imagine GIZMO hooked to your computer streaming YESTERDAY USA over
the internet and then picking it up on your old radio in the next room. I
hope to try it sometime when I can afford it.
[removed]
Mike Kerezman
Macomb, Oklahoma
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 08:10:59 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in radio history
From Those Were The Days --
11/7
1932 - CBS presented the first broadcast of Buck Rogers in the 25th
Century. Matt Crowley, Curtis Arnall, Carl Frank and John Larkin played
Buck in the serial over the years (1932-1947).
1937 - Dr. Christian debuted on CBS. Jean Hersholt played the part of
the kindly, elderly Dr. Christian who practiced on the air until 1954.
Laureen Tuttle, Kathleen Fitz, Helen Kleeb and Rosemary De Camp played
his nurse, Judy. The Dr. Christian theme song was Rainbow on the River.
Sponsors of the show included Vaseline (petroleum jelly, hair tonic and
lip ice).
1938 - The first broadcast of This Day is Ours was heard on CBS. Eleanor
McDonald, played by Joan Banks and later by Templeton Fox, had all kinds
of problems. Her child was kidnapped, she lost her memory, helped a
friend find a killer, etc. The soap opera ran for two years.
11/9
1948 - This is Your Life debuted on NBC. Ralph Edwards hosted the radio
show for two years before it moved to television.
Joe
--
Visit my homepage: [removed]~[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 09:35:30 -0500
From: Steve Salaba <philmfan@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Listening In Style
At 6:57 PM -0500 11/6/03, you asked:
"I am looking for a 1930-1940 reproduction "Cathedral" style radio with
a CD player instead of the cassette tape deck. The CD player must be a
newer model which plays MP3 format. I collect Old Time Radio programs in
MP3 format and would like a "proper radio" to play these old programs
in. Thank You.
It may be possible, depending on how the CD player is installed and what
kind it is, to remove it and replace it with one that does play MP3s. I'm
going to be hanging around with my techie friends the weekend and I will
ask.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:29:49 -0500
From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Correction on Frank Readick
In a message dated 11/6/03 5:59:48 PM, Kermyt Anderson writes:
11-06-1896 - Frank Readick - Seattle, WA - d. 1965
actor: Knobby Walsh "Joe Palooka"; Lamont Cranston
"The Shadow"
I believe this is incorrect--Frank Readick played The Shadow, in the days
when The Shadow was the host of a mystery anthology program. At that time,
The Shadow didn't have a secret identity, and thus Readick never played
Lamont Cranston. (I'm sure Anthony Tollin could fill in a lot more on
this--I'm paraphrasing from memory from his Shadow booklets.)
***Kermit is correct. Frank Readick portrayed The Shadow in the days when
the character was featured as a sinister announcer/narrator (1930-35) before
the
series was revamped to feature the master crimefighter of Walter Gibson's
pulp novels. And while Readick also heard in the title roles on SMILIN' JACK
and
THE ADVENTURES OF MR. MEEK, he also enacted the most often-heard role in the
history of dramatic radio ... delivering the memorable performance as field
reporter Carl Phillips in Orson Welles' WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast. BTW,
Readick can be viewed in Orson's 1943 film JOURNEY INTO FEAR, which also
features
radio veterans Joseph Cotten, Agnes Moorehead, Everett Sloane, Stefan Schabel,
Hans Conried, Edgar Barrier and Welles himself. The father of Bob Readick
(LET'S PRETEND and YOURS TRULY, JOHNNY DOLLAR), Frank Readick died forgotten
in
December 1955, not 1965. --ANTHONY TOLLIN***
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 11:30:07 -0500
From: "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Larry King-Andy Rooney-Arthur Godfrey
Lee Munsick wrote:
Unfortunately, where I now live in rural Virginia, I was unable to
watch--or tape--either the Larry King program of the CBS 75th
Anniversary stuff. If there are readers who did so and could produce
VHS or DVD copies, I would be most appreciative, and happy to reimburse
the cost of taping and mailing to me.
I'm sorry I can't help you out with tapes or DVDs, but you can read a
transcript of Larry King's interview with Andy Rooney at CNN's website.
Click on
[removed]
... and scroll down about halfway, where the Rooney interview begins. He
only spoke about Arthur Godfrey for a minute or two just before a commercial
break.
Michael
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:03:43 -0500
From: "Ivan G. Shreve, Jr." <iscreve@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: More Abbott & Costello
Martin Grams, Jr. (whose latest OTR book, The I Love a Mystery Companion, is
an endlessly fascinating page-turner) submitted these questions in writing:
I would be curious to know if they plan to release all of the A&C films
owned by Universal Studios.
I don't want to speculate before all the votes are counted, but it seems to
me that that is Universal's game plan. The studio is also releasing on the
same date a single collection containing four of the "Ma and Pa Kettle"
films. It should be pointed out that of the eight films being released in
the 2-DVD set, two of them have made individual debuts on DVD--"Buck
Privates" and "In the Navy." These two, plus "Buck Privates Come Home" and
"Abbott & Costello in the Foreign Legion" were leased to Image Entertainment
by Universal, along with other goodies like the Paramount Marx Brothers
films, "Road to Utopia," "Road to Morocco" and three Mae West comedies.
The story that I heard was that Universal put the kibosh on any more Image
releases after Image discounted the prices of these discs in such a fashion
that you would think they had lost their lease and were selling to the bare
walls (no reasonable offer refused). Universal was none too pleased, and I
guess they decided to switch to another avenue.
Oddly enough, there are a few owned by MGM (Dance with Me Henry, The Noose
Hangs High, etc.) one through Warner Bros. (A&C Meet Captain Kidd)
I think the 1952 "Jack and the Beanstalk" release was also handled by Warner
Brothers, although it has since slipped into the public domain, along with
Bud & Lou's "Africa Screams" (1949). Both of these films are available from
a myriad of companies, but the Roan Group release is the best-looking that
I've seen. The only other two A&C features on DVD are, of course, "Abbott &
Costello Meet Frankenstein" and "Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy."
but what has puzzled me is the remainder of the titles, IT AINT' HAY based
on a Damon Runyon story and released in 1942. Reason being, Universal has
never released the film due to some discrepency about the ownership. Far as
I understand, the Runyon estate claims they own the rights but Universal
claims they do so the film has never been "commercially" released.
That's the same thing I heard with regard to "It Ain't Hay." I haven't seen
that film since I caught it in a rare showing on the old Comedy Channel
network--where I also managed to catch the 1941 Bob Hope romp "Nothing But
the Truth."
Ivan
We've moved! OTR Ramblings and Musings at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear:
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:58:39 -0500
From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Andy Rooney
Jim Widner was correct. Andy was a writer for Godfrey, not a producer. I
knew him. As I recall, he worked on the daily morning Godrfey show which
preceded the weekly talent program by many years. However he could have
worked on both programs. By the way, Jack Carney, Artie's older brother,
was the producer of the talent show.
Bill Murtough
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 19:34:37 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 11-8 births/deaths
November 8th births
11-08-1899 - Edmund "Tiny" Ruffner - Crawfordsville, IN - d. 2-23-1983
announcer: "Show Boat"; "Captain Diamond"s Adventure"; "Better Half"
11-08-1909 - Scotty Wiseman - Ingalls, NC - d. 1-31-1981
singer: (Lulu Belle and Scotty) "National Barn Dance"; "Boone County Jamboree"
11-08-1913 - Robert Strauss - NYC - d. 2-20-1975
actor: Doc Prouty "Advs. of Ellery Queen"; Pa Wiggs "Mrs. Wiggs of the
Cabbage Patch"
11-08-1914 - Norman Lloyd - Jersey City, NJ
actor: "Columbia Presents Corwin"; "Words at War"
11-08-1916 - June Havoc - Seattle, WA
actress: "Advs. of Sam Spade"; "Theatre Guild on the Air"
11-08-1921 - Jerome Hines - Hollywood, CA
singer: "Standard Hour"; "Voice of Firestone"
November 8th deaths
02-26-1891 - Josef Bonime - Vilna, Poland - d. 11-8-1959
conductor: "Death Valley Days"; "Echoes of New York"
03-20-1914 - Wendell Corey - Dracut, MA - d. 11-8-1968
actor: Detective Dan McGarry "McGarry and His Mouse"
04-21-1907 - Beatrice Kay - The Bronx, NY - d. 11-8-1986
singer: "Gaslight Gayeties"; "Beatrice Kay Show"
07-03-1913 - Dorothy Kilgallen - Chicago, IL - d. 11-8-1965
commentator: "Voice of Broadway"; "Breakfast with Dorothy and Dick"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #403
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