Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #209
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 6/21/2004 4:18 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 209
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Another "radio star" in politics      [ Bill Jaker <bilj@[removed]; ]
      The Lane Girls                        [ skallisjr@[removed] ]
      Lois Lane and her mother              [ "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed] ]
      Re: Major Bowes                       [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
      Looking for Patty Andrews             [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
      Mary McGoon's Grover                  [ "Dan T Gillespie" <GillespieDT@mail ]
      6-22 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Mystery commercial                    [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
      Sky Captain and the World of Tomorro  [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      no more                               [ edcarr@[removed] ]
      Information Please post-1944          [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Old Time Radio mystery movies         [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]

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

    Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 18:59:55 -0400
    From: Bill Jaker <bilj@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Another "radio star" in politics

    If we're looking for stars of old-time radio who went into politics,
    then I note from Ron Sayles daily list of arrivals and departures:

>     11-07-1868 - Royal Copeland - Dexter, MI - d. 6-17-1928
>     commentator: "Health Talk"; "Fleischmann Hour"

       Royal S. Copeland, [removed] was the New York City Health Commissioner and
    a regular on the radio in the 1920's speaking about various health
    issues (although the city-owned station WNYC censored him when he tried
    to discuss "social diseases").
       He also served as mayor of Ann Arbor, Mich. from 1901-03 and later
    as United States Senator from the State of New York from 1923 till his
    death in 1938 (not '28).

                          --Bill Jaker

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

    Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 19:00:20 -0400
    From: skallisjr@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  The Lane Girls

    Zbob asks,

>     I was just wondering if there was any relation between  Lois  Lane  and
>     Margo  Lane

    Jim Harmon speculated that since they both are in love with men who wear
    capes, they may be sisters.

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 19:01:38 -0400
    From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lois Lane and her mother

>     I was just wondering if there was any relation between  Lois  Lane  and
>     Margo  Lane  ????

    Oh, probably.  But the point is that they both have names that are easily
    recognizable, which I suppose is a basic requirement for names of radio
    characters.  I never could figure out, though, why some character names
    aren't written exactly as they're pronounced.  Why should Barber be spelled
    Barbour, or Dan Reed spelled Dan Reid?  (I think there was a radio comedy
    routine on this theme: a guy insists that he be addressed as Mr. Haylee, not
    Mr. Hayley)

    The few times I've tried writing fiction I've had a miserable time coming up
    with plausible character names, and it must be tougher for movies and radio.
      You need names that are different from each other, easily to pronounce
    distinctly and, depending on the circumstances, ethnically neutral.  Maybe
    the best example is Sgt Joe Friday.  Mine is lousy: Mark Kinsler, or
    Markinsler, for which I won't forgive my parents.  But Matt Dillon, Chester
    Good, Fibber McGee have easily recognizable breaks between first and last
    names and are easily identifiable as American names.  Not a Marco Ouroula in
    the bunch.

    M Kinsler

    I was gonna try using Richard, my middle name, as a first name, but Rich
    Kinsler is almost as bad, and Rick gets me back to where I was.

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

    Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 21:36:48 -0400
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Major Bowes

    On 6/19/04 6:18 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:

>     Deric asked if there were any recordings of the Original Amateur Hour
>     [removed] My
>     point is that recordings of these show must exist somewhere.

    The entire network run of Bowes' program, give or take a few broadcasts,
    is intact at the Library Of Congress. Rights are still tightly controlled
    by Bowes' estate, and it's extremely unlikely that there'll ever be any
    en-masse release of the programs. People who were actually *on* the
    shows, or their descendents, have had good luck, though, in securing
    permission from the estate to have copies made of specific broadcasts.

    A footonote to the Bowes' discussion -- while his program was billed as
    The Original Amateur Hour due to its pre-network WHN run, it still wasn't
    the first amateur program on the networks: it was preceded by the
    Feenamint National Amateur Night and Fred Allen's Town Hall Amateurs,
    both of which were being heard on the network air about two months before
    Bowes brought his program to NBC.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 21:36:57 -0400
    From: JackBenny@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Looking for Patty Andrews
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Hello all,

    I have someone who is looking to contact Patty Andrews.  I'll vouch  for the
    good character of the interested party.  If anyone can help, please  contact
    me offline at _jackbenny@[removed]_ (mailto:jackbenny@[removed]) .  Thanks in
    advance  for your help.

    --Laura  Leff
    President, IJBFC
    [removed]

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

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 01:21:31 -0400
    From: "Dan T Gillespie" <GillespieDT@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mary McGoon's Grover

    Michael Berger recently asked about the sign-off on Bob & Ray's 1953 NBC
    show, in which Mary McGoon is heard bidding goodbye to someone named Grover.
    The ending on those shows usually went -

    Ray:  This is Ray Goulding reminding you to write if you get work ...
    Bob:  ... and Bob Elliott reminding you to hang by your thumbs.
    Mary McGoon (Ray):  Oh you silly, silly boys! Goodbye, Grover!

    A few months ago I posed Michael's question "Who is Grover?" to television
    comedy writer David Pollock, a long-time B&R fan who knows more about their
    history than most of us do.  David told me that Grover was Mary's old
    romantic interest from her hometown of Putney, Vermont.  Mary related to Bob
    and Ray how, when she left Putney for New York City on the bus, she watched
    through the rear window as Grover waved goodbye to her, standing in front of
    a Clabber Girl Baking Powder billboard.  Although Grover never appeared on
    the show, he did venture to Manhattan one week to see Mary; however, the two
    evidently didn't got to spend much time together because Grover got lost in
    the subway system.  David also told me that near the end of the NBC run, in
    March of 1953, listeners were invited to send in for a photograph of Mary
    and Grover - which would certainly be an interesting collectable today!
    References to Grover were never heard after Bob & Ray returned to network
    radio (Mutual) in 1955.

    Michael Berger also remarked that listening to some of Bob & Ray's much
    later NPR shows reminded him of how hilarious their "Garish Summit" soap
    opera was.  Part of the credit for that hilarity goes to Tom Koch, who
    created and wrote all of those Garish Summit episodes, as well as many other
    B&R sketches post-1955.  You can read about that in my just-published
    booklet, "Bob and Ray. And Tom." (57 pages, BearManor Media, 2004), which
    can be ordered for the laughably low price of $[removed] + shipping over the
    internet at [removed].  And thank you Michael, for the
    opportunity!

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 08:44:19 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  6-22 births/deaths

    June 22nd births

    06-22-1901 - Jack Whiting - Philadelphia, PA - d. 2-15-1961
    singer: "MGM Radio Club"
    06-22-1902 - Phil Duey - Macy, IN - d. 4-7-1982
    singer: "Lucky Strike Dance Orchestra"; "Leo Reisman Orchestra"; "Happy Bakers"
    06-22-1906 - Billy Wilder - Sucha, Austria-Hungary - d. 3-27-2003
    screenwriter, film director: "Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre"; "Lux Radio
    Theatre"
    06-22-1907 - Mike Todd - Minneapolis, MN - d. 3-22-1958
    film producer: "Closing the New York World's Fair"
    06-22-1920 - Paul Frees - Chicago, IL - d. 11-1-1986
    actor: Jethro Dumont/Green Lama "Green Lama"; Robert Aladdin "Mr. Aladdin"
    06-22-1932 - Prunella Scales - Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England
    actress: Sybil Fawlty "Fawlty Towers"
    06-22-1949 - Meryl Streep - Summit, NJ
    actress. "Earplay"

    June 22nd deaths

    01-14-1909 - Joseph Losey - La Crosse, WI - d. 6-22-1984
    director: "Words at War"
    01-26-1899 - Wyllis Cooper - Pekin, IL - d. 6-22-1955
    producer, writer, director: "Lights Out"; "Quiet Please"
    05-10-1899 - Fred Astaire - Omaha, NE - d. 6-22-1987
    dancer, actor: "Fred Astaire Show"
    05-10-1902 - David O. Selznick - Pittsburgh, PA - d. 6-22-1965
    film producer: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Bud's Bandwagon"
    05-21-1917 - Dennis Day - The Bronx, NY - d. 6-22-1988
    singer, comedian: "Jack Benny Program"; "Day in the Life of Dennis Day"
    06-07-1896 - Hope Summer - Mattoon, IL - d. 6-22-1979
    actress: Clara "Girl Alone"
    06-10-1922 - Judy Garland - Grand Rapids, MN - d. 6-22-1969
    singer, actress: Romantic Interest "The Hardy Family"; "Good News of 1938"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    For a complete list:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:08:04 -0400
    From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Mystery commercial

        A commercial that I heard repeatedly on the radio some time in the
    period 1944--1951 has been haunting me for years.  It was probably a spot
    commercial heard between programs.

        Actually I can only remember the music in the commercial (-- possibly
    playing in its background): it was either an excerpt of the recording of
    "Big Noise From Winnetka" or an imitation of its sound (whistling-thru-teeth
    and drumsticks vamping on the strings of a double bass -- a number created
    in about 1938 by [removed] and [removed] of the Bob Crosby band).

        I don't remember what product was being advertised -- seems it might
    have been Mazola corn oil.
    Would any of you remember that commercial -- or know anything about it?
    Or:  Did any of you hear any radio commercial from that time period that
    used "Big Noise From Winnetka"?   Thanks.

        -- Phil C.

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 12:18:10 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

    John Olsen reminded me of the up-coming black and white movie SKY CAPTAIN
    AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.  This was supposed to be released in late June
    but I recently heard that it has been pushed ahead to fall.  Does anyone
    know exactly when this is supposed to come out?
    (If this question has been answered already, my apologies, I've been away.)

    SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, incidentally, was filmed in black and
    white and is supposed to be a reproduction of the old cliffhanger serials
    that were featured in movie theaters years ago. The producer was unsure a
    few months ago whether they were going to have the title card inserts
    between each death-defying twenty-minutes or just let it run as one lengthy
    movie, but it will be interesting to [removed]
    MG

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 15:31:04 -0400
    From: edcarr@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  no more

    hi
    after careful consideration (meaning my cassettes
    aren't selling well) i have decided to sell all in relation
    to cassettes, including decks, both single 3 headed
    decks and double well and also blanks and used
    cassettes, i am going to concentrate on cds only
    so if you are  serious in obtaining the above,  email me
    for list and prices
    ed

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 15:58:04 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Information Please post-1944

    David asked:

>     Can one purchase IP recordings from Post 1944?  I have seen and heard
>     the 1938 - early 1940s, but I know that the program lasted into the
>     1950s and I have not seen any programs from, 1944 for sale.

    Under contract with the sponsors, Dan Golenpaul, the creator of INFORMATION
    PLEASE, arranged for a copy of every INFORMATION PLEASE broadcast to be
    recorded for posterity.  Golenpaul literally saved every recording and owned
    a copy of each broadcast at one time or another.  The purpose was also for
    coast-to-coast reasons.  From 1938 to early 1945, the series was broadcast
    on the East Coast.  Because the show was unscripted and spontaneous, and
    because they could not repeat the same questions for the West Coast
    broadcast, they were recorded and the recording of the East Coast broadcast
    was played back for the West Coast (which is why you won't find two
    different versions of any particular broadcast date).  When the oil company
    began sponsorship in February of 1945, the arrangement to have the series
    transcribed was not enforced.  This is why collectors and fans can find tons
    of INFORMATION PLEASE broadcasts, about 200+ episodes broadcast from 1938 to
    February 1945, but only three broadcasts from March 1945 to 1952 known to
    exist in recorded form.  Incidentally, the last two seasons were recorded
    and transcribed and later played back for the East and West Coast, so there
    is hope that at least the final two years' worth of episodes will surface
    one day.
    Martin Grams, Jr.

    Shameless plug:
    INFORMATION PLEASE book gives more details.  Available at
    [removed].

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

    Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 15:59:02 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Old Time Radio mystery movies

    Laura Leff mentioned:

>     Pardon me if someone else has already mentioned this, but old radio
>     enthusiasts may be interested in seeing the current film "The Saddest Music
>     in the World".  It's set in Winnipeg in the 1930s, and has some major
>     references to old radio.  It's sort of like Ingmar Bergman meets Busby
>     Berkeley, so be prepared for a non-standard movie.

    Actually, there are many movies that were radio-based and presently
    available on DVD.  A few that come to [removed]
    The Phantom of Crestwood (1932) is available from Fred Berney at
    [removed] and sparks an unusual opening in that it builds to the
    announcer's opening of a thrilling radio mystery before the opening credits
    begin rolling.  Saw part of this film this past weekend at the Memphis Film
    Festival.

    Two obscure mysteries are The Woman Condemned (1933) which featured the
    murder of a radio crooner.  The Phantom Broadcast (1933) was an unusual
    movie in that it was part mystery, and part tragedy with the murder of a
    radio crooner, and how his hunchbacked assistant went about the radio
    station to set out and solve the mystery (which actually gets solved half
    way through the film!).  Both of these are available at
    [removed]

    These three are dozens and dozens of the not-commonly-circulated films using
    radio broadcasts as the basis of their plots, worth their price of
    admission.
    Martin Grams, Jr.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #209
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