Subject: [removed] Digest V2007 #278
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 9/28/2007 10:18 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-to: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2007 : Issue 278
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      9-28 births/deaths                    [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
      Re: Radio Guide                       [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      News: Radio Spirits acquired          [ Tony Baechler <tony@[removed]; ]
      RE: What to do with old VHS tapes?    [ herby2@[removed] ]
      Fear on four                          [ "Marcus Antonsson" <[removed] ]
      Dunning's encyclopedia                [ "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed]; ]
      Straight Arrow                        [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      RE: Early use of sitcom               [ "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed] ]
      Betty Rhodes                          [ Jandpgardner@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 22:05:51 -0400
    From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  9-28 births/deaths

    September 28th births

    09-28-1881 - Pedro de Cordoba - NYC - d. 9-16-1950
    actor: John Marshall "Those We Love"; Jose Alvarado "Romance of the
    Ranchos"
    09-28-1887 - Tom Terriss - London, England - d. 2-8-1964
    actor/narrater: "Letters from Abroad"; "Vagabond Adverturer"
    09-28-1892 - Elmer Rice - NYC - d. 5-8-1967
    writer: "The Free Company"
    09-28-1901 - Ed Sullivan - NYC - d. 10-13-1974
    host: "Ed Sullivan Show"
    09-28-1901 - William S. Paley - Chicago, IL - d. 11-5-1990
    Founder and president of CBS
    09-28-1903 - Boake Carter - Baku, Russia - d. 11-16-1944
    news commentator: "Night newscast for CBS"
    09-28-1905 - Max Schmelling - Klein Luckow, Brandenburg, Germany - d.
    2-2-2005
    nazi propagnadist: Radio Berlin
    09-28-1906 - Jack Meakin - Salt Lake City, UT - d. 12-30-1982
    music: "Abbott and Cosetello Show"; "Great Gildersleeve"; "Honest
    Harold"
    09-28-1909 - Al Capp - New Haven, CT - d. 11-5-1979
    cartoonist: Creator of "Li'l Abner"; "Monitor"
    09-28-1913 - Alice Marble - Beckworth, CA - d. 12-13-1990
    tennis player: "Information Please"
    09-28-1914 - Lou Derman - d. 2-15-1976
    writer: "Life with Luigi"
    09-28-1916 - Peter Finch - London, England - d. 1-14-1977
    actor: Australian Radio
    09-28-1917 - Vernile Morgan - Oak Park, IL - d. 8-17-2006
    actor: "Curtain Time"
    09-28-1919 - Doris Singleton - NYC
    actor: Jean Gillespie "Alan Young Show"; Miss Duffy "Duffy's Tavern"
    09-28-1919 - Fred Robbins - Baltimore, MD - d. 7-23-1992
    disc jockey: New York
    09-28-1919 - Tom Harmon - Rensselar, IN - d. 3-17-1990
    sportscaster: "Here Comes Harmon"; "Jimmy Durante Show"
    09-28-1925 - Arnold Stang - Chelsea, MA
    actor: Joey Brewster "That Brewster Boy"; Seymour Fingerhood "Goldbergs"
    09-28-1950 - John Sayles - Schenectady, NY
    writer: "Writers and Company"

    September 28th deaths

    02-05-1898 - Sidney Fields - d. 9-28-1975
    comic, comedy writer: "Abbott and Costello Show"; "It's Time to Smile"
    02-24-1885 - Bert Lytell - NYC - d. 9-28-1954
    actor: Jimmy Valentine "Alias Jimmy Valentine"; Jeb Stuart "Roses and
    Drums"
    03-07-1886 - Ray Largay - Wisconsin - d. 9-28-1974
    actor: Mr. Farnum "Ma Perkins"; Frederick Nelson "Young Widder Brown"
    04-02-1840 - Emile Zola - Paris, France - d. 9-28-1902
    author: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
    05-10-1930 - Scott Muni - Wichita, KS - d. 9-28-2004
    disc jockey: "Scott Muni's World of Rock"; "Ticket to Ride"
    06-06-1905 - John Gart - Russia - d. 9-28-1989
    orchestra leader, organ: "Lawyer Tucker"; "Cloak and Dagger"; "Big Town"
    06-26-1894 - William Wirges - Buffalo, NY - d. 9-28-1971
    conductor: "Club Valspar"; "Arabesque"; "Gold Dust Twins"
    07-24-1901 - Mabel Albertson - Lynn, MA - d. 9-28-1982
    actor: (Sister of Jack Albertson) "The Phil Baker Show"
    08-01-1812 - Herman Melville - NYC - d. 9-28-1891
    author: "Columbia Workshop"; "Favorite Story"; "World's Greatest Novels"
    09-01-1915 - George Balzer - Erie, PA - d. 9-28-2006
    writer: "The Jack Benny Program"
    09-03-1901 - Mantan Moreland - Monroe, LA - d. 9-28-1973
    actor: "Rudy Vallee Presents the Drene Show"
    09-07-1909 - Elia Kazan - Constantinople, Turkey - d. 9-28-2003
    film director, actor: "Free Company"; "Philip Morris Playhouse"
    11-23-1888 - Harpo Marx - NYC - d. 9-28-1964
    comedian: (First Marx Brother to speak on radio) Occasional guest spots
    12-31-1905 - Jule Styne - London, England - d. 9-28-1994
    songwriter: "I Don't Wan to Walk Without You"; "I've Heard That Song
    Before"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:37:38 -0400
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Radio Guide

    On 9/27/07 6:18 PM [removed]@[removed] said:

>     What years was the guide published?  I see it had become Movie-Radio Guide by
>     the 1940's.  The wartime paper shortages seemed to have forced them into a
>     monthly schedule sometime during WW2.

    Radio Guide  began in Chicago and New York in November 1931, as a venture
    of Moe Annenberg, a former hood and strong-arm man for the Hearst
    newspaper distribution interests in Chicago (his duties usually involved
    blackjack-and-brass-knuckle confrontations with distributors of rival
    publications), who went legit in the twenties as publisher of the Daily
    Racing Form. For about its first year it was presented in a tabloid
    newspaper format, with most of its editorial content coming from press
    releases -- although New York Journal radio critic Mike Porter and music
    critic Carleton Smith were regular contributors from very early on.

    Beginning in 1933, Radio Guide began to feature two-color "art covers"
    and was presented in a saddle-stitched large-magazine format. There was
    also a new emphasis on original editorial content, and Chicago
    Herald-Examiner radio editor Evans Plummer became a regular contributor
    with his "Plums and Prunes" column.

    Full color art covers were featured beginning in the spring of 1935, and
    continued until the magazine switched to black-and-white photo covers in
    early 1938. Many of these covers were elegant portraits of
    stars-of-the-moment painted by Charles Rubino, and these issues are
    perhaps the most collectible of the run. This period also marked the peak
    of Radio Guide's editorial quality -- it published substantial criticism
    and serious journalism about radio, such as its 1935 expose revealing
    that elements of "Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour" were rigged.

    Radio Guide changed both its title and focus in 1940, as a direct result
    of Moe Annenberg being sent to prison for tax evasion in 1940 -- the
    magazine was taken over by his son Walter (later publisher of "TV Guide")
    and the change to a combination radio-movie format was an attempt to pump
    up the cash flow by merging "Radio Guide" with "Screen Guide," another
    troubled Annenberg publication of the era. The transition to "Movie Radio
    Guide" was unfortunately accompanied by a sharp drop in editorial quality
    -- the publication became much more of a shallow celebrity-oriented
    fanrag, rather like what's happened to TV Guide over the last twenty
    years.

    "Movie Radio Guide" ceased publication at the end of 1943, as a casualty
    of the wartime paper shortage. The magazine had tried several strategies
    for reducing page count during 1942-43, and switched to a monthly format
    in early 1943, which continued until the publication went out of business
    at the end of the year.

    Coverless copies of the Guide are an excellent value if you're interested
    more in the content of the magazine than in the pretty pictures on the
    cover. I've come across them in bulk at flea markets for a couple of
    dollars per copy. Complete issues with covers, especially from the
    Rubino-art-cover period, will rarely sell for less than $8-$10 per copy,
    and popular cover subjects will usually sell for far more. There seems to
    be little interest in collecting by regional edition, so rarer editions
    don't usually demand premium prices.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:49:38 -0400
    From: Tony Baechler <tony@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  News: Radio Spirits acquired

    Hello all,

    This is probably old news, but for those who haven't read it, here is
    an article about Radio Spirits.  They've apparently been acquired by
    a former CEO.  I'm not familiar with this person so background on him
    would be appreciated.

    [removed],[removed]

    This article was courtesy of Google News.
    ----------
    Tony Baechler
    Baechler Productions

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

    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:50:04 -0400
    From: herby2@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RE: What to do with old VHS tapes?
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     >I have hundreds of VHS tapes of OTR-related material which I've
     >started copying onto DVDs. My question is: what should I do with the
     >tapes? I'm reluctant to just throw them away. - John Collins

    John, others here have suggested good ways to dispose of your old OTR
    tapes. If nothing else is convenient, I suggest that you just give
    them to a charity , like Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc., that would
    recycle them for sale in its second-hand stores.
    If the tapes are well-marked with their OTR-related contents, they'd
    probably attract potential buyers like me. If nothing else, the
    charities could sell them as "re-recordable" VHS tapes for up to a
    buck apiece.
    Better that than just throwing them away.
    By the way - as for usable life of the [removed] As a guy who works 2
    PM-10:30 PM most days, I'm not home to watch prime time TV shows, so
    I tape them for later viewing. I reuse dozens of VHS tapes over and
    over, some of which are 12 years old.

    Hope this helps,
    Herb Harrison

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    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:50:25 -0400
    From: "Marcus Antonsson" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Fear on four
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    Hi all,
    I'm search ingfor this bbc-series on audio or mp3-cds. high quality and
    sterio please. If any one wants to sell or trade with me, please contact me
    on or off list.

    Best to you all:

    Marcus Antonsson
    Sweden

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    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 11:50:45 -0400
    From: "Bob C" <rmc44@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Dunning's encyclopedia

    Annual reminder, it seems like ... Oxford University Press USA
    [removed];[removed]
    has John Dunning's Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio on sale again
    ... 19 bucks instead of $65. Look under Film, Media & Performing
    Arts.

    Seems like the weakest part of John's book is its spine, so if
    yours has become a two-volume edition like mine, this would be a
    good time to replace it.

    I have no monetary connection with John or Oxford University
    Press.

    Bob Cockrum

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

    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:00:40 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Straight Arrow

    The recent issue of SCOOP reviewed the STRAIGHT ARROW book published by Bear
    Manor Media and mentioned OTR in reference:

    Reprinting review:
    Many great radio programs have been preserved through the mediums of
    television, movies, and books. Joining the ranks is Straight Arrow: The
    Definitive Radio Log and Resource Guide for that Legendary Indian Figure on
    the Trail of Justice, written by William Harper and published by BearManor
    Media.

    Straight Arrow was a popular radio program beginning in February of 1949. It
    followed the story of Steve Adams, a Comanche rancher who became the hero,
    Straight Arrow, when innocent people were in danger or no-good bad guys were
    up to trouble. With his palomino, Fury, he would preserve law and order, as
    Harper puts it, "on the trail of justice."

    Great promoting boosted the radio show, not only to the top of children's
    programming; it became the first children's show to be included in the top
    10 of all radio programs. Straight Arrow branched out into toys and other
    merchandise items, comic books, and a daily comic strip. Among promoters,
    Nabisco utilized the show's popularity to sell its shredded wheat to
    children.

    Harper and his family have researched Straight Arrow and Nabisco Shredded
    Wheat for a hardworking twenty years. With their extensive knowledge they
    have published Pow-Wow, a newsletter for fans about Straight Arrow. With his
    extensive knowledge, Harper has served fans well and educated the
    uninformed, continuing to solidify Straight Arrow's place in pop culture.

    Personal Comment:
    It's nice to know that after sending half a dozen e-mails over the past
    year, trying to get them to cover such topics as the SUPERMAN radio series,
    DICK TRACY on radio, THE GREEN HORNET, STRAIGHT ARROW, POPEYE on radio, etc.
    etc. they are finally doing something to let comic book fans know that
    old-time radio shows with such characters exist.
    Martin

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

    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:36:17 -0400
    From: "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  RE: Early use of sitcom

    I remember the late forties' and early fifties' radio and/or TV schedules in
    newspapers and the early TV Guide. The first mention of the shows we commonly
    call 'sitcoms' were labeled "Domestic Comedy." I can't remember when the word
    'Domestic' was replaced by 'Situation,' but I do recall that in radio, at
    least, only the term 'Domestic' was used until near the very end.

    Thanx,
    [removed]

    * Kiss a malamute today *

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

    Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:23:34 -0400
    From: Jandpgardner@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Betty Rhodes
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    Kermyt asked about Betty Rhodes (also known as 'Betty Jane Rhodes' and  'Jane
    Rhodes') being referred to as 'the first lady of television' on a  broadcast
    in February 1945. In fact, she was given that description several  years
    earlier as she is, I understand, introduced in a similar way on  'Meet David
    Rose'
    in March 1940. On an envelope postmarked 'Mar. 20,  1940, Los Angeles', of
    which I have a copy, there is a franking with her  likeness that states 'Betty
    Jane Rhodes First Lady of Television'. As to why she  was given that nickname,
    there is an article in the August 1946 issue of 'Radio  Mirror' (that has her
    photo on the cover) in which it is stated 'she is known in  the entertainment
    world as the "First Lady of Television", due to the fact that  California's
    only television station has glutted (sic) her with roles'. I know  nothing of
    her
    television career but she was the star of several radio  shows including the
    'Betty Jane Rhodes Show' in [removed] Does anyone  know where a copy of any of
    those can be obtained?

    I'm looking forward to coming over from England to FOTR  again next [removed]
    John

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    End of [removed] Digest V2007 Issue #278
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