Subject: [removed] Digest V2005 #326
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 10/24/2005 9:19 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2005 : Issue 326
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      FOTR assessment                       [ "Jim Cox" <otrbuff@[removed]; ]
      Friends of Old Time Radio Coverage    [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
      10-24 births/deaths                   [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Shoptalk                              [ Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed]; ]
      Thanksgiving Day Parades on the Radi  [ Trinapreston3@[removed] ]
      Re: mystery in the air                [ "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed] ]
      Re: Those Were The Days               [ "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed] ]
      Science Fiction / Gordon Payton       [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Wall Street Journal                   [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Mystery in the Air                    [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Re: Asst. Directors.                  [ Hal Stone <otrjug@[removed]; ]
      The [removed] Archive - Address Ch  [ Roger Lorette <roger@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:37:26 +0000
    From: "Jim Cox" <otrbuff@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  FOTR assessment

    Having just returned from the Friends of Old Time Radio convention, I'm once
    again in awe over how many good memories can be packed into a few fleeting
    hours.  We created new memories there while we re-lived some significant
    moments from our pasts.

    While I enjoyed and profited by the various panels and individually-led
    sessions, a highlight for me was the re-creation of The Lone Ranger, an
    award-winning contemporary play titled "The Lone Ranger's Mother Comes to
    Visit."  It was unlike anything we had ever witnessed as it took familiar
    characters and placed them in a comedic setting that had the patrons
    rollicking in the aisles.  Mom, whom Tonto (Hal Stone) kept referring to as
    "Mrs. Kemosaby," lectured her son about the need to "find a permanent job"
    and observed:  "I bet you've never had a date in your life!"  She urged him
    to marry a girl and live "a normal life."  Meanwhile, he kept muttering
    about needing to go into town and buy some more silver bullets for he was
    "all out."  You had to have been there to properly appreciate it but it was
    little short of a riot.  Fred Foy's inimitable introduction and narration
    somehow made it all seem believable.

    Other parts of the program were equally riveting.  A Mr. and Mrs. North
    re-creation with Barbara Britton's daughter playing Pam was exceedingly well
    done.  I realized Barbara is primarily from the TV series and while Ms.
    Britton was terrific in the part, running through my head was the unasked
    question:  Did Alice Frost have any daughters possibly?  May never know the
    answer and it isn't important.

    This is a good time to honor Jay Hickerson once more.  While there has been
    that nebulous "committee" standing behind him and doing much of the leg
    work, the guiding inspiration for all of their efforts has been Jay for
    three decades plus, as a 30th anniversary panel underscored.  He's such a
    gracious, humble man who obviously has a passion for OTR and the ability to
    make good things happen, without standing in the spotlight.  I'm thankful he
    has been there and he assured the faithful on more than one occasion that --
    even though he is moving to Florida before the next convention -- "I'm not
    retiring."  That is good news.

    The fellowship is splendid as it is at all the other OTR conventions and
    people were there from many states, not limited to the Northeast.  It seemed
    to this observer that there may have been fewer vintage personalities on
    hand this time but that's to be expected as actors and announcers age and
    drop off the scene.  But the enthusiasm and energy among the rank and file
    attendees has not abated in the least.  Hopefully these occasions will
    continue at L. A., Cincinnati, Seattle, Newark and other cities for many
    years into the future.  Anyone who has never attended at least one of these
    should make a conscious effort to go.  I can almost promise you there'll be
    no regrets.

    Jim Cox

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:39:50 +0000
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Friends of Old Time Radio Coverage

    I'm just back from the 30th Annual Friends of Old  Time Radio Convention,
    which is one the best we've had in years!

    I missed a lot more of the presentations than I wanted to because the press
    coverage was so heavy, but that's the price of success.

     From what I saw, the highlights were the following:

    Donald Buka and Jeff David stole Friday night with their performances in
    The Shadow, while Simon Jones and Corrine Orr did a marvelous job as the
    leads in "Halls of Ivy" on Saturday.

    Elizabeth McLeod was just as informative and polished a public speaker and
    presenter as she is a writer -- and I know some of us must have doubted
    that just because we couldn't believe it was possible.

    First time guest Simon Jones had the audience in hysterics with his
    one-on-one "interview" on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's birth, death,
    rebirth and relaunch.

    Old-time comedians Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara crashed the Joe Franklin
    panel on Saturday to the delight of the crowd.

    Elaine Hyman was wonderful as the Lone Ranger's bossy mother in a Thursday
    night Lone Ranger parody.  Randy Larson's "Those Were the Days Players" did
    a great job with the Damon Runyon Theater that night as well.  Tom Corbett
    Space Cadet appeared in uniform - a 55-year-old costume that still fit star
    Frankie Thomas.

    The Gotham Radio Players continue to set the standard for amateur
    recreation groups, brining in Mr. Jones to guest-star as [removed] Kendall in
    "Frontier Gentleman."

    Noell Niel was seen around sporting a Christopher Reeve Foundation
    "Superman" dog tag on Thursday ([removed]) for those fashion
    followers who want to support research into cures for parlaysis.

    Will Hutchins looked he might not survive the excitement of announcing the
    Kellog's Pep commercials in two Superman recreations - but he stole the
    show in both.

    Finally, the challenging rhymed Norman Corwin comedy-drama "The Plot to
    Overthrow Christmas" was excellent with each of the cast demonstrating
    their ability to not only read but interpret poetic verse and make it work
    as theater.  The golden voice of George Ansbro was particularly noticeable
    there.

    Press coverage was much heavier this year than in years past and I'm still
    compiling all of the the results.  We had television coverage on PBS-13 in
    Manhattan on Friday night - I'll try to get a link to that made if I can.
    It was a nice segment with Fred Foy, Arthur Anderson, Noell Niel, Jay
    Hickerson and several fan interviews about what makes the convention special.

    We also had a second feature article on today's Star-Ledger with coverage
    from Saturday - including a photo of Gotham's rehearsal of "Frontier
    Gentelman."

    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- apparently aware that Pittsburgh resident
    Bryan Wright was in Newark guest-performing with the Gotham Players --
    mentioned the convention on its website.

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    [removed];coll=1
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:40:18 +0000
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  10-24 births/deaths

    October 24th births

    10-24-1879 - Benjamin Albert "[removed]" Rolfe - Brasher Falls, NY - d. 4-23-1956
    conductor: "Lucky Strike Dance Orchestra"; "Believe It or Not"
    10-24-1894 - Ted "Kid" Lewis - London, England - d. 8-25-1971
    bandleader: "Live Band Remotes"
    10-24-1904 - Moss Hart - The Bronx, NY - d. 12-20-1961
    panelist: "Who Said That?"
    10-24-1904 - Radie Harris - New York, NY - d. 2-22-2001
    gossip columnist: CBS Radio Network
    10-24-1911 - Sonny Terry - Greensboro, NC - d. 3-11-1986
    blues singer, harmonica player: "Hootenanny"; "Roomful of Music"
    10-24-1916 - Ray Singer - New York, NY - d. 11-16-1992
    writer: "Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show"; "Rudy Vallee Show"; "Charlotte
    Greenwood Show"
    10-24-1925 - Terri Keane - New York, NY
    actress: Hope Evans "Big Sister"; Terry Burton "Second Mrs. Burton"
    10-24-1930 - J. P. "Big Bopper" Richardson - Sabine Pass, TX - d. 2-3-1959
    Early Rock and Roll disc jockey
    10-24-1936 - David Nelson - New York, NY
    actor: "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"

    October 24th deaths

    01-31-1919 - Jackie Robinson - Cairo, GA - d. 10-24-1972
    sportscaster: (Baseball Hall of Fame) "Jackie Robinson Show"
    02-27-1888 - Lotte Lehmann - Perleberg, Prussia, Germany - d. 10-24-1976
    soprano: "Command Performance"; "Concert Hall"; "Here's to Veterans"
    04-03-1921 - Leonard Sues - El Paso, TX - d. 10-24-1971
    music: "The Eddie Cantor Show"
    04-30-1870 - Franz Lehar - Romorn, Austria-Hungary - d. 10-24-1948
    operetta composer: "Railroad Hour"; "Showtime"
    08-06-1933 - Beverly Wills - California - d. 10-24-1963
    actress: (Daughter of Joan Davis) Fluffy Adams "Junior Miss"
    08-19-1921 - Gene Roddenberry - El Paso, TX - d. 10-24-1991
    writer: "Have Gun, Will Travel"
    09-07-1927 - Don Messick - Buffalo, NY - d. 10-24-1997
    actor: "Let George Do It"; "Horizons West"; "NBC University Theatre"
    10-28-1897 - Edith Head - San Bernardino, CA - d. 10-24-1981
    costume designer: Intermission Guest "Lux Radio Theatre"
    11-02-1899 - Walter Woolf King - San Francisco, CA - d. 10-24-1984
    emcee, host, actor: :Beatrice Lillie Show"; "Flying Red Horse Tavern"
    xx-xx-1865 - Hal Brown - d. 10-24-1942
    harmonica: "Just Plain Bill"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:41:09 +0000
    From: Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Shoptalk

    Jim Burns asks,

     > Dan, is there a website address for SHOPTALK?

    Here's the site where you can subscribe (free) to Shoptalk, the TV News
    daily (actually it comes out a few times per week) emailed newsletter:
    [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:41:27 +0000
    From: Trinapreston3@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Thanksgiving Day Parades on the Radio!
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Has any of the readers out there recall hearing annual Thanksgiving Day
    parades on the radio in the 1930s and 1940s?  I was surfing the web and I came
    across a web site titled [removed] explaining the history of the Annual
    Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and it mentioned the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
    airing on the radio.  Can anyone recall this memory?

       Trina,

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

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:41:50 +0000
    From: "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: mystery in the air

      Camels continued to ship cigarettes out to veteran hospitals at least
    through the end of the run of "The Bob Hawk Show" sometime in the early
    fifties, and possibly long after that.

    Thanx,

      B. Ray

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 11:42:06 +0000
    From: "Druian, Raymond B SPL" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Those Were The Days

     > 10/28

     > 1922 - WEAF in New York broadcast the first collegiate football game heard
    coast to coast. Princeton played the
     > University of Chicago at Stagg Field in the Windy City. The broadcast was
    carried on phone lines to New York
     > City, where the radio transmission began. (Princeton 21, Chicago 18.)

    All this may be true, but remember, 21 years later, it was at Chicago's (home
    of the 2005 American League Champion Chicago White Sox) Stagg Field, and not
    Princeton, where the world's first sustained nuclear reaction took place, not
    Princeton.

    Thanx,

      B. Ray

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:12:20 +0000
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Science Fiction / Gordon Payton

    Jason Thompson asked:

     > If there are knowledgeable science fiction radio drama collectors out
     > there who would be willing to answer a few questions about the genre,
     > specifically regarding X Minus One, Dimension X, 2000 Plus and
     > especially regarding BBC productions, which I am having a hard time
     > finding information about, I'd love to have an opportunity to email a
     > few questions.

    Although there are many experts of Sci-Fi on OTR that are available, two
    you might not want to avoid are Jim Widner (who posts frequently on the
    digest) and among all - Gordon Payton.  Gordon (Gordo I refer to) has the
    largest collection of sci-fi audio recordings ever and spent years seeking
    out the most obscure stuff - if there is an uncirculated German version of
    Lord of the Rings or 324 Canadian productions of War of the Worlds, Gordon
    would be the man who would know it all - and have it.  Sadly, he's been out
    of business for a few years and I've been hoping he would get back into the
    hobby.  With enough feedback now it might work.  Anyway, Gordo can be
    contacted at:
    118 E. Palmer Ave.
    Collingswood, NJ 08108
    His phone number, if you want it, e-mail me.

    Martin

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:12:44 +0000
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Wall Street Journal

    Sean commented that FOTR made it to the front pages of the Wall Street
    Journal, but you have to subscribe to the service to read it on-line.
    Anyone who would prefer a hardcopy I can make a copy, no charge.  Just
    e-mail your mailing address and i'll drop a copy in the mail.  I have my
    own copy machine so it only takes a minute to do.  It's a great article and
    wonderful job of Sean and the staff of FOTR for getting the convention such
    exposure.
    Martin

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:13:12 +0000
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mystery in the Air

    Kurt commented:

     > I was listening to When Radio Was, Mystery in the Air, from 1947 they
     > said.  Freeberg said it started in 1945 and that Peter Lorre was on the
     > show in 1947.  From the commercials I didn't think the eight shows we
     > have were from 1947, since they were giving cigarettes to hospitals and
     > sounded like they were closer to the end of the war than a couple years
     > later.  If this is true, why haven't we heard about the other shows, and
     > what were they?  Thanks.  Kurt

    There was actually two runs of MYSTERY IN THE AIR broadcast on radio.  The
    first series began in 1945 and the second series (the one with Peter Lorre)
    was in 1947.  Only eight of the 13 episodes of the Lorre series is known to
    exist and that's what you listened to.  None of the episodes from 1945, to
    my knowledge, exist in recorded form.  The Peter Lorre episodes were
    broadcast in 1947.  Camel cigarettes publicized their "donations" and
    "charities" way into the 1950s as it was good public relations and
    publicity, even when the war was over.
    Martin

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:13:43 +0000
    From: Hal Stone <otrjug@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Asst. Directors.

    SIGH! I thought I made my point about never, (NEVER) in my 15 year span as a
    working (active) performer in OTR, did I see an Asst. Director sit next to
    the director and make timing notations during the rehearsal or broadcast.
    Someone recently posted;

     > "I have no idea what shows Hal Stone did but he is certainly wrong about the
     > asst. director (or associate director, the two terms are synonymous) timing
     > radio shows.

    Well, first things first. Maybe I should establish my OTR creditentials.
    Then my fellow digesters can decide if I'm "wrong" or not.

    "Let's Pretend",
    "Vick's Family of Five",
    "Death Valley Days",
    "Dr. Christian",
    "Road of Life",
    "Right to Happiness"
    "My True Story"
    "Henry Aldrich"
    "Theatre Guild of the Air"
    "Maxie Rosenbloom Show"
    "Henry Morgan Show"
    "Ethel Merman Show"
    "Ave Marie Hour"
      Etc. Etc. Etc and quite a few others. (Some were running parts, some were
    one shots,. (I can't remember them all)

    Not to mention the approx. 10 years Playing "Jughead" (weekly) on "Archie
    Andrews".

    And during that period, I worked for numerous directors, at CBS, NBC and
    MUTUAL. BUT ALL SHOWS I WORKED ON ORIGINATED IN NEW YORK. Some of those
    directors [removed] Fickett, Ed King, Frank Papp, Jock McGregor,
    Charles Urquhart, Garnet Garrison, Anton (Tony) Leader, Ken McGregor.
    [removed] were [removed] my memory is getting dim. But not so dim as to
    remember how they worked their shows.

    The poster went on to [removed]

     > I worked as associate director on Straight Arrow and one of my
     > primary duties was to time the show. There would often be a second person,
     > usually the script girl (script secretary) who would also time the program
     > during rehearsals and on the air, that way there would always be two stop
     > watches working on everything, thereby preventing mistakes. In my memory,
     > the director never timed the show, he had too many other things to do. I can
     > testify that the same type of thing occurred on radio's Gunsmoke and any
     > other radio show I worked those many years ago. On Gunsmoke, the asst.
     > director would time the show (in that case, Frank Paris) and Norm
     > Macdonnell's "Girl Friday" Ann Gaffney, would also time it. I never saw Norm
     > time anything on the program."

    But If you will [removed] did say, and I quote from my original posting on
    the [removed]

     > Maybe the phony balonies on the west coast used them? Because that's the way
     > things were done in films?

    I stand by that comment. But I apologize for the "Phony Baloney" snide
    remark. That stems from my (post OTR) 25 year TV directorial career, and my
    experiences with the "Hollywood" types that I often had to work with
    whenever I had to shoot (videotape) on the west coast. Which was fairly
    often.

    I can not, nor do I wish to impugn, the quality of much of the OTR
    programming that originated from the West Coast. Nor the many talented OTR
    creative people involved. Nor the OTR production techniques that they
    employed.

    BUT THE WEST COAST FOLKS DID DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY IN MANY AREAS. AND IT WAS
    OBVUIUSLY INFLUENCED BY "HOLLWOOD" FILM MAKING.

    Case in [removed] girls? That's SOP on films.

    How about [removed] New York radio actors rarely, if ever, used a "Talent
    Agent" that they had to pay a commission to.

    It was my understanding , (and I could be "Wrong" again), that a performer
    could hardly go to the bathroom in Hollywood with having an "Agent". (At
    least that was the joke circulating among New York Actors).

    So it doesn't surprise me to learn that [removed] were used in West Coast radio.
    But I don't stand corrected about my statement of never having seen [removed]'s
    used by New York based radio directors.

    But I'm a little surprised by the sentence in the posting that I quoted
    above. To whit!

     > In my memory,the director never timed the show, he had too many other things
    to do.

    Speaking as a [removed] was certainly true of TV production. But in
    OTR, other than "throwing" cues for actors to begin speaking, for sound
    effects, or music [removed] It was a relatively simply matter for the
    director to follow the dialogue, (with any and all cues highlighted on his
    script) and still keep track (occasionally) with his timing notations during
    the performance, so he could "speed up" or "Stretch" as needed. In OTR, in
    my humble opinion, and in my fairly extensive New York OTR experience, an
    Assistant Director was a luxury that I never saw utilized.

    But then [removed] more people involved, the more the network could charge
    the Ad agency, who passed it on to the [removed] Adding a 15% surcharge to
    the airtime rate as well as the "production costs"   :)

    One final note. In Doc Beils rebuttal to my posting, he quoted the New York
    director Garnet Garrison, and his comments on the subject. But I was
    confused, because I got the impression that Garnet was talking about the
    need for AD's that developed primarily in the early days of [removed] knew Garnet
    Garrison very well. As a matter of fact, there is a picture of Garnet in my
    book "Aw Relax, [removed]" . It shows Charlie Mullen (the original
    "Archie" and me in the foreground, at the mic, and behind us, a full view of
    the control room window. The programs writer is at the far left, Garnet at
    the far right, (looking at his script and stop watch)...Both are seated on
    high stools and no one else is visible. However, there was one other person
    (seated on a lower chair, hidden from view) and hidden by the audio console.
    That was our engineer. If the show had been sponsored at the [removed]
    would have been a representative from the Ad Agency also seated there. If
    "Clients" attended the broadcast, they would have their own special
    "Client's booth", where they could observe the performance, with the sound
    piped into it.

    Garnet Garrison later became the head of the Department of Broadcasting at
    the  University Of Michigan, and after I became a TV director, I would
    sometimes be asked by Garnet to be a Guest Lecturer for his TV Production
    classes.

    I say [removed] left an out. I said that although I never saw an AD in New
    York radio, that maybe Ad's were used on the west coast. And I was right
    again! :)

    Hal(Harlan)Stone
    Jughead

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

    Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 23:13:57 +0000
    From: Roger Lorette <roger@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The [removed] Archive - Address Change

    As of yesterday (Sunday) many bookmarks for the [removed] online archive
    may not be working anymore.  This is caused by my Internet provider
    changing my IP address.

    Since this now appears to be the policy of my provider, to change all
    addresses every few months, I've now set up a "Doorway" page whose address
    will not change in the future.  As long as all bookmarks are set to this
    "Doorway" page future archive address changes will only cause very minimal
    disruptions.

    For archive users who cannot connect at this [removed] type the
    domain address into your browser's address bar and then re-save a bookmark
    for that [removed]

    [removed]

    Sorry for any problems.

    A quick note for those not familliar with the RealOTR [removed] are
    now more than 13,000 shows ONLINE and On-Demand for your listening pleasure
    (This comment from one member:  "...and the links all WORK!").  I'm hoping
    to grow the content to 15,000 shows by year's end.  There is a one-time $1
    account validation fee but you're always free to logon with the Guest
    account to browse the extensive contents.

    Roger Lorette

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2005 Issue #326
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