Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #57
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 2/14/2002 11:38 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 57
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Lum and Abner question                [ Lanny Gilbert <morsefan1@[removed]; ]
      Personal thank you                    [ andy ryan <anbryan2000@[removed]; ]
      Fred Allen/Jack Benny                 [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Earl Grasser was the Lone Ranger.     [ AandG4jc@[removed] ]
      Re: OTR Books                         [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
      Mormon Tabernacle Choir               [ "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed] ]
      Glenn Miller's Disappearance and Ock  [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
      Clyde Beatty                          [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
      The Whistler                          [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
      Who played the Lone Ranger?           [ "Jim Mellor" <liloelf@[removed]; ]
      Silent Cal - not so silent            [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Jim Cox's new book                    [ Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed]; ]
      Listing MP3s from CDs                 [ "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed]; ]
      Morman Choir                          [ William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed]; ]
      The Clock                             [ "Robert Everest" <erest@bellatlanti ]
      Lady In The Dark                      [ FKELLY <fkelly@[removed]; ]
      new book on OTR drama                 [ khovard@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:04:56 -0500
    From: Lanny Gilbert <morsefan1@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Lum and Abner question

    I've been listening to L 'n' A a lot lately, and I
    just finished listening to a series of shows that had
    Squire Skimp and Abner visiting Fort Smith for a War
    Chest meeting. While there, they visited a department
    store and had to hitch-hike home. These episodes are
    from 10/19/1944-10/30/1944.

    There were several voices that were very familiar to
    me during that run. I'm almost positive that Frank
    Nelson was the floorwalker in the dept. store and that
    Mary Livingstone was a saleslady.

    Also, the couple that picked up Abner and Squire
    sounded an awful lot like the Bickersons.

    Can anyone shed any light on this?

    Lanny G. (who'd live in Pine Ridge in a heartbeat if
    they had DSL)

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:05:55 -0500
    From: andy ryan <anbryan2000@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Personal thank you

    I want to send a public thank you to list member  Ron
    Sayles, (I lost your email address), for his
    generosity in sending me, free of charge, a copy of
    the 1943 Academy Awards show.
    I really enjoyed listening to it.
    It's nice to run across someone as pleasant and,
    especially, as courteous as Ron.
    Ron, anything, anytime.
    Need your car washed?

    andy ryan

    [removed]  A little trivia: I just learned, while listening
    to a Fibber and Molly episode, what the "P." stands
    for in Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.  Funny.  Anyone
    else know?

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:06:35 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Fred Allen/Jack Benny

    During one of the many exchanges between Fred Allen and Jack Benny, Fred hit
    Jack with a zinger and Jack came back with the line to the effect, "if I had
    my writers here you wouldn't say that". My question is, was that an ad lib or
    was it written in the script? Does anyone know, Elizabeth maybe?
    --
    Ron Sayles

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:07:28 -0500
    From: AandG4jc@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Earl Grasser was the Lone Ranger.

    Earl Grasser was the voice of the Lone Ranger in the earlier years of the
    1930s. He played the role until sometime in 1941, when he was killed in an
    automobile crash. It was very traumatic in those days because a lot of the
    newspaper carried the headline that the Lone Ranger died (as they did when
    George Reeves [Superman) died)
        Brace Beemer, who was the narrator during the Grasser period, took over
    the role and made it his. To explain the different voices between the two
    actors, Fran Striker scripted that the Lone Ranger was badly wounded in a gun
    fight and that his vocal cords were hit by a bullet (pretty violent for the
    kiddy series). It took several episodes for the Lone Ranger to heal and so
    Tonto had to take the lead role for a while. This series of programs have
    become known over the years as "The Transition Series."
        If you noticed that in the Grasser series Tonto had a different horse
    than to what we all know as Scot. The horse's name was called Feather. Does
    any one know when Tonto changed horses?
        Also, did you all know that famed Hollywood director, George Stevens
    (Miracle on 32nd Street, The Greatest Story Ever Told) was also the voice of
    the Lone Ranger.(pre-Grasser period) Those programs were broadcast live so
    none of it was ever preserved, unfortunately.
    Allen

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:07:43 -0500
    From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Re: OTR Books

    If anyone knows where I can get some books on OTR
    (in good condition and for a good price), please contact
    me off list at kclarke5@[removed].  Some examples of
    titles I'm looking for are "Verse By The Side Of The Road",
    "Treadmill To Oblivion" by Fred Allen, "Heavenly Days",
    and any book about game shows on OTR.

    If you should have suggestions for other titles, I'd be interested
    in hearing about them, too.  I have to say up front that I don't
    have the Internet.

    Thanks ahead of time,

    Kenneth Clarke

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:08:01 -0500
    From: "Ted Kneebone" <tkneebone1@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Mormon Tabernacle Choir

    I would like to be able to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but last time I
    checked their website, it appeared that they were only broadcasting to a few
    stations in the west.  They were talking about using satellite to distribute
    the program.

    Ted Kneebone
    1528 S. Grant St., Aberdeen, SD 57401 / 605-226-3344
    OTR:  [removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:08:44 -0500
    From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Glenn Miller's Disappearance and Ockham's

    Razor
    Approved: ctrn4eeWlc

    Robert Kirk <isobar@[removed]; wrote:

>     John Mayer says that here is a bit more to the story of Glenn Miller's
>     plane being hit by jettisoned bombs than idle conjecture, but it still
>     doesn't sound right to me. for example:
>     The bombs detonated just above the surface of the water.
>     How? That implies that the bombs had a proximity fuse or timer fuse.

    Now we truly do move into the realm of speculation. All the
    difficulties with this explanation of Miller's disappearance that you
    outline were surely considered by the British Ministry of Defense
    before they concluded, "In retrospect, we now lean towards this being
    the most likely solution to the  mystery."

    First  we must assume their were no errors in the AP article, not
    really a safe assumption from what I know about the business of news
    and reporting. But, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, let
    us accept the article as accurate. Is it really so illogical as Mr.
    Kirk suggests?

    I have never dropped a bomb in my life, but I can speculate with the
    best of them. Since I know nothing about the mission to Siegen (I
    assume that was the name of the target town), but it is conceivable
    that there was something unique about this target that would have
    made an air burst more effective than a ground burst (in addition to
    proximity fuses did they not have, at that time, an altitude fuse?).
    Maybe there was a mistake in the way the bombs were fused. Or maybe
    Shaw, who was not a bombardier, misinterpreted what he saw. Looking
    at the fractal surface of the ocean from a distance, with no point of
    reference, makes depth perception difficult. Perhaps the bombs
    detonated as they struck the water and only appeared to Shaw to be
    exploding the instant before.

>     By the time the bombs burst, the airplane is well ahead of the impact
>     point. Maybe the tail gunner could see them land, but not the [removed]

    That's assuming the navigator never left his post. With the mission
    aborted perhaps Shaw wandered back to watch the bombs fall, to break
    the monotony of the flight.

>     [...]"As each bomb burst, I could see the blast wave from it radiating
>     outwards.
>     But you only see those shock waves from an explosion in the water ...

    Surely if the bombs exploded right at, or even just above the surface
    of the water, shock waves would be visible.

>     He saw a plane go into the water and didn't report it at the time? Aviators
>     go to great lengths to rescue their downed [removed]

    But these were not his comrades, merely faceless occupants of a small
    plane. The article only states, "The downed plane was not reported,"
    without explanation. Why would airmen hesitate to acknowledge they
    had blown a civilian aircraft out of the sky, when, possibly, had
    they proceeded more cautiously, the tragedy might have been avoided?
    And if they did report it, why would their superiors hesitate to
    reveal to the public that the RAF had just slain one of their
    strongest ally's most beloved public figures? Again, one can only
    speculate. It is certainly within the realm of possibility that
    outraging the American people might have been seen by British
    authorities as not being in the nation's interest in the midst of a
    fight for their survival, particularly in those days when death by
    Friendly Fire was not as recognized and accepted by the home front as
    it is today.

>     Not proof positive, but neither is it simply an unsubstantiated theory.
>     Rather, simply an unsubstantiated story, brought up years later.

    Which leaves us to wonder why Mr. Shaw would want to lie about the
    matter, especially since the incident did not particularly redound to
    his credit. Was he simply seeking fame and whatever fortune he could
    derive? Was he embittered and attempting to embarrass England? Were
    his faculties beginning to fail, and he unable to distinguish memory
    from imagination? Or was he not lying at all and recounting a painful
    memory to make a clean breast before he died?

    In the light of Shaw's statements, I don't believe it is correct to
    refer to this theory as unsubstantiated. Perhaps "not fully
    substantiated" would be more accurate. At the end of the day,
    contemplating the mystery of Miller's disappearance, it seems to me
    that the balance now tips to the jettisoned ordnance side of Ockham's
    razor.

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:09:40 -0500
    From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Clyde Beatty

    Elizabeth Minney writes:
    "I am interested in the Clyde Beatty show because John Dunning's
    Encyclopedia says that Vic Perrin played the lead in it.  However, I
    think I remember hearing this show a long time ago, and Clyde Beatty
    actually played himself.  Does anyone have any recollections of this
    show?"

    When I worked on the show Beatty was played by Vic Perrin.

    Harry Bartell

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:09:55 -0500
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: The Whistler

    I've been listening to the Whistler quite a bit lately, and have watched
    a couple of the 1940's Columbia movies, which come highly recommended.

    Since the Whistler was a west coast only program, was it known on the
    East coast?  If not, was there much of a market for these movies in the
    Eastern US?  Or, another possibility, did Columbia only release them in
    the Western part of this country?

    PS---I can't wait to read the new book about the decline of network
    radio!  Should be a very interesting read about a time period in
    broadcasting history which fascinates me very much.

    rodney.

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:10:13 -0500
    From: "Jim Mellor" <liloelf@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Who played the Lone Ranger?

    Probably more than you wanted to know:

    George Seaton was the first Lone Ranger, 30 Jan. 1933-Apr. 1933 followed by
    Jack Deeds, played only two episodes in Apr. 1933. Earle Graser was the
    third from 16 Apr. 1933-Apr. 1941 then Brace Beemer, the more famous of the
    radio Rangers, mostly due to his playing it longer than anyone else, Apr.
    1941-3 Sep. 1954, Beemer had been narrator on the show back in 1933. Others
    were: Lee Powell, 1938, Robert Livingston, 1939, Clayton Moore, television
    series 1949-50, 54-58, John Hart, television series 1951-52. Klinton
    Spillsbury, "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" feature 1981. Tonto was played
    by John Todd, 30 Jan. 1933-3 [removed], Chief Thunder-Cloud, 1938-1939 & Jay
    Silverheels, television series 1949-1957, feature in 1956 & 1958.

    Jim the Liloelf

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:10:39 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Silent Cal - not so silent

    Joe Mackey reported:

>     1924 - Calvin Coolidge, known by many as the 'Silent Cal', made the first
>     presidential political speech on radio. The speech originated from New
>     York City and was broadcast on five radio stations. Some five million
>     people tuned in to hear the President speak.

    But as I recall a recording of that speech is not known to exist. Wasn't
    the earliest of his recordings that exist his Inaugural address in March,
    1925 recorded by Western Electric? And as I recall even that is not
    complete nor was intended for broadcast.

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:11:04 -0500
    From: Jim Widner <jwidner@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Jim Cox's new book

    Jim Cox writes about his upcoming book:

>     McFarland & Co. is taking prepublication orders now ($35) for "Say
>     Goodnight, Gracie" or it will notify you by mail when the book is available.

    But will it be available at any of the conventions along with the author!!

    Jim Widner
    jwidner@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:11:20 -0500
    From: "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Listing MP3s from CDs

    Just catching up on a week's worth of postings and saw the question about
    retrieving a list of filenames from a CD full of MP3s.  I do this very thing
    regularly as I acquire OTR shows and add them to my database.  The programs
    that others mentioned will probably do the job but I wanted to mention a
    method that does not require additional software.

    This is for Windows users only, that is, any variety of Windows up to, but
    not including XP (which I haven't used.)

    There is a DOS command that can be executed that will read any directory
    (folder) and convert the list into a text file.

    First, open the CD that you want the listing from so you can see the list in
    a window.  Then, click on the Start button in the lower left corner of the
    desktop, and then click on Run.  Type "command" into the text box and then
    click OK.  An MS-DOS Prompt window will open.  In that window type:

    dir /b > [removed]

    That's it.  You have just created a text file, in the root directory of your
    hard drive, named "[removed]" that contains the filenames from the CD.  To get
    to the file, open My Computer, double-click on the (C:) icon and then scroll
    down to that filename.  Double-click on the filename and it will open in
    Notepad.

    You can also get a listing with subdirectories by typing:

    dir /b /s > [removed]

    If you want more info about this command, I wrote an article about this of
    an educational technology newsletter that I publish.  It's in the PDF format
    and the direct link is here:

    [removed]

    BTW, I did use OTR as the example in the article.

    Vince

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:11:29 -0500
    From: William L Murtough <k2mfi@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: Morman Choir

    A few comments about Lee Munsick's posting regarding the Morman Choir.
    That was the title of the program, THE MORMAN CHOIR. However Richard
    Evans signed off with "The spoken word by Richard Evans" instead of "your
    announcer is". In my time all programs were "live". As to the air time, I
    think that it was 9:00 am CNYT (current New York Time). This rings a bell
    as when I returned to New York I regularly did the New York portion of
    Church of the Air. This was two religious programs back to back. One was
    from one of the affiliates. The other was from the New York studios. The
    broadcast consisted of a small choir from a local church. Probably about
    ten voices. I took delight in using an equalizer and echo chamber to get
    a cathedral sound. At first producer George Crothers was amused, but
    later made me stop doing it as we were followed by the Mormans and he
    didn't think that it was ethical.

    The transcontinental portion of the network between Los Angeles and
    Chicago was reversible, controlled by the engineers in Master Control at
    WBBM and KNX. However, for the Tabernacle broadcast the [removed]; T.
    engineer at the Salt Lake test board split the TC so that it was facing
    both East and West from there. A situation that made those of us in the
    master control rooms at each end a bit nervous. A lightning strike along
    the way could sure have messed things up. However, it never happened.

    I do not recall how the broadcast was routed when I was assigned to it
    from San Bernardino. Possibly directly to the "San Berdoo" [removed];T. Test
    board there.

    A question for those of you who still hear the program, is my friend
    Spence Kinard still the announcer? He was quite young when he replaced
    Richard Evans  upon Evan's death.

    Bill Murtough

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

    Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 23:36:56 -0500
    From: "Robert Everest" <erest@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: The Clock

    Just listened to one of these intitled "Bad Dream".  I hadn't been to keen
    on this series but this one was great.  It stared Elliot Lewis and Jeanette
    Nolan, and they were in their best form.  They play a married couple from
    Eastern Europe and the accents are perfectly held for the whole program.
    William Spier directed and it was written by Lucille Fletcher; so you can't
    get much better than that.  Bill Conrad is the announcer and I think he
    makes a slight flub which is rare.  I hadn't heard of this one before, so it
    was a pleasant surprise.

            Rob

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

    Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 10:10:37 -0500
    From: FKELLY <fkelly@[removed];
    To: OTR List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject: Lady In The Dark

    In 1962 I was living in France and listening to (even then) OTR on AFN
    Orleans--Yours Truly Johnny Dollar and the Life of Riley.
    I also seem to remember hearing a "fully staged" version of the Broadway
    musical Lady In The Dark, starring Gertrude Lawrence (I think).  What
    radio show would that have been?  Is it available now?
    Frank Kelly

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

    Date: Thu, 14 Feb 2002 12:48:09 -0500
    From: khovard@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject: new book on OTR drama

    Please reply to this message before February 16 or after Feb. 25. Any
    replies sent between Feb. 16-25 will be lost

    	My book, WORDS AT WAR: WORLD WAR II ERA RADIO DRAMA & THE POSTWAR
    BROADCASTING INDUSTRY BLACKLIST is complete and I expect it to be
    published before the year's end. It is based on interviews with Norman
    Corwin, Arthur Miller, Art Carney, Pete Seeger, Arthur Laurents,  &
    dozens of others associated with radio's Golden Age. .See the description
    below.

    	The publisher plans to market the book for $40-45.

    	I AM NEGOTIATING WITH THE PUBLISHER TO MAKE A PRE-PUBLICATION BULK
    PURCHASE TO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THE PRICE TO $30-35 AND PERHAPS LOWER.

    	IF YOU WISH TO MAKE AN ADVANCE ORDER REQUEST, PLEASE REPLY TO THIS
    MESSAGE WITH YOUR EMAIL and HOME ADDRESSES & THE NUMBER OF COPIES YOU
    WILL WANT. No payment is needed at this point.

    	Words at War tells how 17 radio dramatists and their actors fought a
    war
    of words against fascism abroad and injustice at home. Beginning in the
    late 1930s, the commercial networks, private agencies and the government
    cooperated with radio dramatists to produce radio plays to alert
    Americans to the Nazi threat. They also used radio to stimulate morale.
    They showed how Americans could support the fight against fascism even if
    it meant just having a ìvictory garden.î

        Before Pearl Harbor, radio drama dealt with the war in allegorical
    fashion. Afterwards, however, radio took off its gloves and struck out
    against the enemy, particularly Germany. In addition, it promoted
    appreciation of how our allies, our armed forces, women and blacks were
    trying to achieve victory. Words at War also describe how on the home
    front, factory workers and others too, were doing their part. The book
    discusses commercial drama series (such as The Man Behind the Gun),
    network sustained shows such as those of Norman Corwin, and government
    produced programs such as the Uncle Sam series. It also discusses public
    reaction to these broadcasts.

        Simultaneously as they worked directly on the war effort, many radio
    writers and actors advanced a progressive agenda to fight the enemy
    within: racism, poverty and other social ills. Many of them shared a
    common view concerning the reforms that America needed to experience to
    achieve true democracy and social justice. But Americans, particularly
    those on the far right, were not prepared to accept their agenda. Thus
    even before Pearl Harbor some of the writers and actors were red baited.
    Moreover, when the war ended, many of them paid for their idealism by
    suffering blacklisting. The red baiters often singled out writers, actors
    and plays that targeted racism, for example, as evidence of communist
    inclinations. Among the most well known victims of this phenomenon, were
    Norman Corwin, Archibald MacLeish, Burgess Meredith, Fredric March,
    Langston Hughes and Orson Welles.

        Words at War is based on the authorís interviews with Norman Corwin,
    Arthur Miller, Pete Seeger, Arthur Laurents, Art Carney and dozens of
    others associated with radio during its Golden Age. The author also used
    FBI files and materials from archives around the country including the
    Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the National Archives and a
    dozen university special collections libraries. The book weaves materials
    from these varied sources to tell how the nation used a unique broadcast
    genre in a time of national crisis. Readers in the era of the WTC
    terrorism crisis will be particularly interested to read about
    censorship, scapegoating, the governmentís  role in disseminating
    propaganda and  other issues which have once again come to public
    attention.

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #57
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