Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #286
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 7/25/2002 10:12 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 286
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Fu Manchu on MP3                      [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Fred Allen & Atomic joke              [ Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed] ]
      Truth or Consequences                 [ otrbuff@[removed] ]
      Re: Mr. District Attorney             [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Re: Paul McGrath                      [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      Re: AFTRA guide                       [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
      [removed]                          [ Graham Newton <gn@audio-restoration ]
      Re: Bob Bailey                        [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
      Re: XM Radio                          [ Ga6string@[removed] ]
      Availability Of Shows (was: Fu Manch  [ "[removed]" <swells@[removed]; ]
      Re:Autographs                         [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:45:40 -0400
    From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Fu Manchu on MP3

    Steven Kelez in issue 284 aired some deep feeling:

>     George brought up again the ugly spectre of MP3 and dealers in his
>     recent post to the Digest.

    Were the Reel to Reel collectors so biased against the cassette collectors
    in earlier years?  I have heard it was so, but has nothing been learnt.

>     Whether George realizes this or not, but his underlying attitude
>     as expressed in his post for information where to get an MP3 of the new
>     Fu Manchu series is the main part of the problem we older dealers are
>     experiencing.  George wants a cheap or free set of these shows. George
>     isn't alone, everyone wants cheap or free

    George (or Gad as I know him) can stand up for himself , but as the person
    who started the debate previously that George was referring to here, I just
    have to say something (I tried not to, honest).  Steven, George was
    referring to a release of Fu Manchu that Ted made, which was given as an
    example that someone had converted them to mp3 and made them freely
    available, thus robbing Ted of an opportunity to recover his expenses.
    Those shows have not shown up in mp3 trading groups, so it appears that the
    fears may have been groundless, and I am in part glad, as the mp3 format
    should not be blamed for an individual breaking trust with someone like Ted,
    who deserves to recover his costs etc.

    Whilst George (Gad) and I rarely agree on anything, you have chosen the
    wrong person Steven to make those comments about.  Gad is like myself in
    that we do buy Transcriptions, LPs, Cassettes, radio memorabilia etc, we do
    put our money into the hobby and preservation.  Also, he encodes more shows
    than most people.

    Maybe he would have bought the Fu Manchu's if he had been offered them, but
    when only a handfull knows about such sales the opportunities simply aren't
    there.  Now if they were Australian shows I would have lined up to buy them
    as would others I know (eh Jamie :))

    Just because we also collect in mp3 doesn't automatically make us
    freeloaders.  Whilst there is an attitiude like yours against ALL mp3 otr
    collectors  or mp3, then the hobby will be split in a way that simply
    shouldn't happen.

>     One more thought for you MP3 collectors to consider. Within a few years
>     audio compression technology will acheive the same quality as
>     contemporary CD Audio. CDR's will be replaced by a DVD format.
>     Eventually you will want to replace your entire collection with a better
>     sounding format on a much larger storage medium. But, who is going to do
>     the work to properly make these new quality transfers, instead of just
>     copying over the shoddy MP3 stuff in circulation now? Is it going to be
>     you? Or will you all be waiting for the other guy to go through the time
>     and expense?

    Speaking for myself, I record from the original (Transcription or cassette
    from Transcription) into Cool edit Pro.  I then burn that file to CD
    untouched and unaltered.  That becomes my 'Archive' copy.  From there to
    date I do very little to the file as I do not have the experience, though I
    listen when someone like Shawn gives me advice.  I treat mp3 as a listening
    medium not an archive medium, so I simply convert the file to mp3 with
    minimal filtering.  Hey mp3 is free, its not supposed to be gold plated.

    So bring on DVD, easy to convert any digital file to whatever format is
    flavour of the month.  The hard part is getting the shows into digital in
    the first place.  Yes there is a lot of shoddy mp3 in circulation, who
    cares? Its free, if people want better, then they can buy it as I do.

    Mp3 is not a replacement format, it is a method of listening.

    The replacement to Reel 2 Reel and Cassettes  is Digital.  How many people
    are so paranoid about mp3 that they are going to leave it too late to get
    their collections off decaying media and onto digital?  I just hope they
    ignore the mp3 arguement and concentrate on protecting the shows.

    Mp3 enticed me into this hobby, and there are plenty of people selling otr
    Books, Transcriptions, LPs, Turntables, Memorabilia, etc that are glad it
    happened, though my wife would prefer I spent my money elsewhere.  I am not
    the only one in that position, Steven, Dealers should use mp3 not fear or
    loath it.  I am sure you would be surprised at how the percentage of mp3
    people on this Digest vs traditional collectors is growing, because mp3 has
    raised awareness in OTR.  You want to call them all freeloaders, instead of
    helping to convert them to be 'real' collectors, then you're a brave man.  I
    still do not understand the hostility and as most of the mail I receive is
    in favour of mp3, I guess I will remain ignorant.

    Ian Grieve (OTR Collector, mp3 listener :))

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:45:48 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

      From Those Were The Days --

    1925 - Station 2XAG in Schenectady, NY became the first radio station in
    the [removed] to broadcast with a 50,000-watt transmitter. The station, soon
    known as WGY, could broadcast with 50,000 watts, since it was owned by
    the General Electric Company -- a company that knew lots about watts.
    Today, WGY still broadcasts with its original call letters and is still
    using 50,000 watts of power.

      Joe

    --
    Visit my home page:
    [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:46:40 -0400
    From: Herb Harrison <herbop@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Fred Allen & Atomic joke

    Elizabeth wrote, in part:

>     (And before we start congratulating ourselves on how we're above such
>     things now, I might point out that the first World Trade Center jokes
>     showed up on Usenet on September 12th.)

    Elizabeth also pointed out that Americans, sixty years ago, had no idea
    what a powerful weapon the atomic bomb was. I work in an office with six
    people on my shift. Post-9/11, two coworkers said we should use nuclear
    weapons in Pakistan and/or Afghanistan in order to "wipe out the
    terrorists, once and for all". One person is about 30 years old; the other
    is over 50, a [removed] Army veteran.
    Maybe age & experience & knowledge of history are not barriers to ignorance
    after all?

    Herb Harrison

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:48:09 -0400
    From: otrbuff@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Truth or Consequences

    I finally realized a boyhood dream the other day that I had harbored for
    52 years, ever since the good folk of Hot Springs, New Mexico voted to
    change the name of their little burg to Truth or Consequences, effective
    March 31, 1950.  I spent a few hours there this week and was rewarded
    with several connections that link the town with Ralph Edwards' famous
    show.  The greeters at the Visitor's Center are cordial and eager to
    share their memories.  They stuff your hands with literature (they even
    gave me a current telephone book) as they tell stories of times past
    while a lifesize photo of Edwards and his late wife Barbara peers down
    from the wall.  Nearby is Ralph Edwards Drive and park and the Geronimo
    Museum containing the Ralph Edwards Room which holds much show-related
    memorabilia.  There's a large marker on the main drag that dutifully
    refers to "Ralph Edwards' radio program" as the genesis of the town's
    name.  (The name change was a publicity stunt honoring the program's 10th
    anniversary but it was a permanent moniker change.)

    It brought me back to Saturday night, April 1, 1950 (April Fool's Day)
    when Ralph and an NBC entourage made their first nationwide appearance
    from the T or C High School in their namesake city.  I can recall the
    zany antics of the series like it was yesterday, and finally got to see
    the venue from which some of those shows emanated.  Until only a few
    years ago Ralph returned to T or C annually during a spring festival,
    accompanied by Hollywood stars and, as the greeters put it, "riding his
    horse in the parade and waving his hat."  That would have been something
    to see!

    Ralph is reportedly not in the best of health but an assistant who has
    worked for him since 1947 told me a couple of years ago (as I was
    preparing "The Great Radio Audience Participation Shows") that he "still
    comes into the office two or three days a week to read his mail and check
    on things."  He also remains active in Pacific Radio Pioneers (an
    industry group), so I'm informed.  This man who had millions of followers
    in the 1940s and 1950s is apparently as kindhearted as his many crusades
    for charitable causes suggested.  I'm glad I had a little time to bask in
    the nostalgia on those hallowed premises.  I would recommend a side
    excursion there for any OTR enthusiasts visiting the region.  The
    greeters seem to gush:  "Hello there, we've been waiting for you. . . ."
    (For me, it was "time to play Truth or Consequences.")

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:48:23 -0400
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Mr. District Attorney

    Joe Mackey posted;

>     1943 - Foreign Assignment, was first heard on Mutual radio. The title
>     role of Brian Berry was played by Jan Jostyn, who also starred in
>     another popular radio drama, Mr. District Attorney.

    Hi Joe. Perhaps that was a typo when you named the performer who played Mr.
    District Attorney. His first name was Jay (not Jan). Don't mean to be a
    policeman around here. Just wanted to set the record straight.

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    "Jughead"

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:48:59 -0400
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Paul McGrath

    C. Gwynne asked

>     Harlan:
>     Is there a picture of Paul McGrath in that book?

    Which book? The Radio Registry talent guide, or the one I'm writing?

>     I am so far unable to find any photos of this venerable host of Inner Sanctum.

    Actually, C.,  not one of Paul in the "Registry brochure". But definitely
    one in my book.  And one of his charming actress wife, (professional name)
    Lula Mae Hubbard. (And one of Ray Johnson who also played the host on "Inner
    Sanctum"). In addition to working with Paul on radio, I spent almost a year
    with him traveling around the Country touring in the play "Tomorrow the
    World". Paul had the lead role that Ralph Belamy played in the Broadway
    cast.

    Now I'm torn. Should I be a nice guy and take the time to dig thru my files
    to send you a JPEG, or should I be crafty, mercenary, and an astute
    businessman and suggest you buy a copy of the book? Sigh. Decisions,
    decisions.

    My advice. Wait for the book. It contains lots of pictures. Mucho eye candy.

    Then too, I have in my possession one of the slick souvenir programs from
    that play, with many photographs of Paul McGrath.

    Am I being cruel?

    Regards

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    "Jughead"

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 09:49:46 -0400
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: AFTRA  guide

    My buddy Stewart Wright posts;

>     Another directory was the American Federation of Television and
>     Radio Artists  (AFTRA) Guide.

>     The Classified Index contained information regarding the audio and visual
>     talents of the performers.

    He goes on to detail the contents. I saw his copy. Stewart then closes with
    the line

>     One final note.  My copy is NOT for sale!

    He! He! I'm not surprised. Stewart found himself in a bidding war for the
    book during the Silent Auction during the recent REPS Convention in Seattle.
    The Auction proceeds were used to help defray some of the Convention
    overhead, and travel costs of the Celebrities that were invited to attend. I
    won't divulge what it ended up costing Stewart. Let's just say that my
    airfare is covered if I ever get invited back there again. :)

    Maybe someday, when Stewart is old and gray, and needs to supplement his
    retirement income, he might sell it and move to Hawaii on the proceeds. :)

    And, he was kind enough to scan a few pictures for me that I needed for my
    book. The "Biggie" find for me was of a guy that played "Archie" for just
    two weeks before Bob Hastings (who?) joined the cast.

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    "Jughead"

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 10:35:52 -0400
    From: Graham Newton <gn@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  [removed]

    Have any of you ever seen anything like this?

    Write to the lady directly if you have anything to offer.

    * ***********************************************************

    Pam Warren
    [removed] Hubbard's Public Relations office Los Angles
    pamwarren2002@[removed] wrote:

    I am currently working on a somewhat difficult research project. The project
    is this. Some time in the early 50s L. Ron Hubbard recorded approx. 65
    fifteen-minute talks for radio on the subject of his then just released book
    Dianetics. I am trying to track down any copies of these wherever they
    may be.

    * ***********************************************************

    ... Graham Newton

    --
    Audio Restoration by Graham Newton, [removed]
    World class professional services applied to phonograph and tape
    recordings for consumers and re-releases, featuring CEDAR processes.

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 11:25:44 -0400
    From: Ga6string@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Bob Bailey

    Larry Albert writes:

>     The missing time in Bob Bailey's life is indeed quite a mystery, and as
>     Michael Gwynne said "we are eager to know (about it)". The question is, do
>     we
>     have the right to know?

    <SNIP>

>     Are we eager to know more? Of course. Do
>     we have a right to that missing time? Absolutely not.

    Perhaps it's worthwhile to distinguish what the public has a "RIGHT to know,"
    versus the moral issue of what is tasteful and appropriate for the media to
    reveal. As an entertainer, Mr. Bailey was a public figure, which in the [removed]
    generally gives the media the legal right to be far more inquisitive and
    intrusive about his private life than if he were not a public figure. This,
    of course, is an issue that frustrates and angers many public figures today,
    as the media have become increasingly sensational, hyperbolic and
    disrespectful. (I should add, by the way, that I have a Master's degree in
    communication and work as a freelance journalist.)

    On the other hand, a tasteful discussion of the rise and fall of any public
    figure can be meaningful and purposeful, enabling "fans" and others to
    understand what risks and sacrifices are involved in life as an entertainer,
    an artist, etc., not to mention shining some light on the manner in which
    "real life" intervenes in the careers of famous people, just as it does with
    the rest of us. The problem is that the media are often not tasteful, and the
    presentation of such a story is often not meaningful. But that doesn't mean
    it's not possible.

    Sincerely,
    Bryan Powell

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 11:29:01 -0400
    From: Ga6string@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: XM Radio

    Regarding OTR on [removed] where are some good resources to get info on XM? I
    know virtually nothing about it, but the idea of 24/7 OTR is appealing!
    Bryan Powell

    [ADMINISTRIVIA: The obvious place to start is XM Satellite Radio's website,
    at  [removed]  --cfs3]

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 12:07:48 -0400
    From: "[removed]" <swells@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Availability Of Shows (was: Fu Manchu/mp3
     scenerio)

        Ian worte: 'It is good news for Ted as it could
    have had no impact on his distribution which is what I expected.'
     You would be in error, they were and are indeed available in a variety of
    formats, mp3 included. If memory serves, those shows were being 'auctioned'
    off on the 'well known site' just days after the round robin started. I
    trust that 'Gad' and yourself do not actually believe that the only OTR
    available in either on the FTP sites or the binaries? Well, maybe I should
    take that back, I did read a note on [removed] where some actually
    believe that if a shows isn't in mp3, it must be uncirculated.

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

    Date: Thu, 25 Jul 2002 12:08:32 -0400
    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re:Autographs

    Ian the Awesome Aussie posted;

>     In issue 283, Hal Stone (future author?) gave precise instructions for
>     gaining an autograph.  I appeciated the information as I for one would love
>     to have an autograph from Hal, though I will ask for it privately :)

    Yes, but keep the endearing terms to a minimum. Sometimes you get too mushy
    and my wife is starting to ask questions. :)

>     I never considered the costs associated and I guess it is worse for someone
>     like Hal who is in some ways a 'captive' on the Digest.  Other famous people
>     are generally only asked in the street and sign any old thing that the askee
>     has handy.  But Hal in the modern age would get his requests by e-mail and
>     probably cluey to not sending his signature digitally, he has to provide the
>     article to be signed.

    Huh? "Cluey". Does that Aussie expression translate into "Stupid"?

    I have heard that in this modern computer world, digitally produced
    "Signatures" are now acceptable on legal documents. But I'm more "cluey than
    you give me credit for. I sign my pictures with disappearing ink, so the
    participant has to reorder another one after a few years.

>     So Hal I will send you a photo of me for you to sign, with a stamped self
>     addressed envelope, just as soon as I can think of the 'specific dedication
>     ' I would enjoy reading.

    I say again. Huh!!! What on earth do I want a picture of you for? But
    [removed] your weird. A grown man who wants a picture of me has to be. (Or
    possibly genderly confused?)

    Apparently, you are the one who is lacking in "Cluey". Don't you know that
    the U. S. of A. will not let me mail something out of this Country if I put
    Australian postage on it. (Unless you possible have a black market contact
    down there who deals in US Postage, and you will put that on your self
    enclosed envelope, it just ain't gonna work).

>     No need to thank me and no need for you to think
>     up the 'specific dedication'

    You could bet that if I did, the dedication would be a doozy. (That's
    American slang for "Out of this World" and not for public consumption).

    But I have an even better idea. Why not just send me a plane ticket to
    Australia and I'd be happy to personally deliver one. I'd even throw in an
    autographed picture of Bob Hastings. The airfare would probably only cost a
    bit more than our recently increased postal rates.

    But just in case you are the slightest bit serious, (be still my heart),
    I'll check with our local postmistress (I love that term), and let you know
    what the darn thing would cost to send from here to there. What is the zone,
    zip, or Roo pouch that you use?

    G'day mate. ( In this country, the word mate is used to describe ones spouse
    or significant other). I really do worry about you Outbackers.

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    Jughead

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #286
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