Subject: [removed] Digest V2008 #187
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 8/1/2008 10:18 AM

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

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2008 : Issue 187
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      7-30 births/deaths                    [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
      the shadow                            [ Grams46@[removed] ]
      Dashiell Hammett                      [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      Announcers                            [ etorch@[removed] ]
      Empire State Building Crash - Radio   [ herbop@[removed] ]
      Fibber, Eddie Cantor & Alan Reed      [ Ben Ohmart <benohmart@[removed]; ]
      Empire State Building crash news arc  [ "Bill Scherer" <bspro@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:45:51 -0400
    From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  7-30 births/deaths

    July 30th births

    07-30-1880 - Robert R. McCormick - Chicago, IL - d. 4-1-1955
    newspaper publisher, commentator: "The Chicago Theatre of the Air"
    07-30-1890 - Casey Stengel - Kansas City, MO - d. 9-30-1975
    hall of fame baseball manager: "DiMaggio Farewell"; "Witness!"; "Tops
    in Sports"
    07-30-1909 - Gordon Hughes - d. 4-19-1999
    director: "Lights Out"; "The Guiding Light"
    07-30-1911 - Richard Louis Ables - d. 8-1-1997
    composer, musician: Woody Herman Orchestra; Charlie Barnet Orchestra
    07-30-1912 - Charles Irving - Minneapolis, MN - d. 2-15-1981
    actor: Tex Mason "Bobby Benson's Advs."; Jerry Malone "Young Dr. Malone"
    07-30-1912 - Edward L. Bliss - Fizhou, China - d. 11-25-2002
    cbs news correspondent: (One of Morrow's Boys) CBS News Twentieth
    Century Roundup"
    07-30-1914 - John Meston - Pueblo, CO - d. 3-24-1979
    writer: "Gunsmoke"; "Escape"; "Fort Larmie"
    07-30-1916 - Dick Wilson - Preston, Lancashire, England - d. 11-19-2007
    actor: "Family Theatre" Mr. Whipple in Charmin commercials
    07-30-1922 - Meredith Davies - Birkenhead, England - d. 3-9-2005
    conductor: "City of Birmingham Choir"
    07-30-1928 - Christine McGuire - Middletown, OH
    singer: (The McGuire Sisters) "Arthur Godfrey Time"
    07-30-1928 - Joe Nuxhall - Hamilton, OH - d. 11-15-2007
    baseball annoucer for the Cincinnati Reds
    07-30-1958 - Robert Leppzer - Cambridge, MA
    producer: "Wounded Knee: Roots of Earth"

    July 30th deaths

    01-02-1931 - Renee Roy - Buffalo, NY - d. 7-30-2005
    actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
    01-05-1923 - Sam Phillips - Florence, AL - d. 7-30-2003
    owner sun records: "Lost and Found Sound"
    01-26-1905 - Margaret Cousins - Munday, TX - d. 7-30-1996
    writer: "Holmes Radio Magazine"
    02-08-1908 - Myron McCormick - Albany, IN - d. 7-30-1962
    actor: Christopher Wells "Advs. of Christopher Wells"
    03-17-1916 - Karl Weber - Columbus Junction, IA - d. 7-30-1990
    actor: Ray Matson "Dr. Six Gun"; Phil Stanley "When a Girl Marries"
    04-04-1907 - Bob Venables - Woodstock, IL - d. 7-30-1985
    announcer: "The Whistler"
    05-10-1914 - Charles McGraw - NYC - d. 7-30-1980
    actor: Ken Thurston "Man Called X", "Dragnet"; "Suspense"
    06-07-1897 - George Szell - Budapest, Austria-Hungary - d. 7-30-1970
    orchestra leader: "NBC Symphony Orchestra"; "New York Philharmonic"
    07-10-1914 - Joe Shuster - Toronto, Ontario, Canada - d. 7-30-1992
    co-creator (with Jerry Siegel): "Advs. of Superman"
    08-22-1897 - Eddie Dunstedter - Edwardsville, IL - d. 7-30-1974
    organist, conductor: "Gold Medal Fast Freight"; "Lineup"; "It
    Happened in Hollywood"
    09-08-1896 - Howard Dietz - NYC - d. 7-30-1983
    song lyricist: "The Gibson Family"
    09-13-1903 - Claudette Colbert - Paris, France - d. 7-30-1996
    actor: "Cresta Blanca Hollywood Players"; "Lux Radio Theatre";
    "Millions for Defense"
    09-29-1915 - Brenda Marshall - Island of Negros, Philippines - d.
    7-30-1992
    actor: Nancy Smith "Smiths of Hollywood"
    10-10-1913 - Janis Carter - Cleveland, OH - d. 7-30-1994
    scriptwriter: "Gangbusters"
    11-23-1900 - Julian Atkins - Oklahoma - d. 7-30-1984
    guitar: "The Radio Cowboys"
    11-27-1917 - Buffalo Bob Smith - Buffalo, NY - d. 7-30-1998
    actor: Howdy Doody "Howdy Doody"
    12-06-1887 - Lynn Fontanne - Waterford, England - d. 7-30-1983
    actor: "Theatre Guild On the Air"; "Biography In Sound"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:46:04 -0400
    From: Grams46@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  the shadow

    has anyone read a short story entitled "the man  who collected 'the shadow'"
    by [removed] drexel?    i found it in the  book 100 dastardly little detective
    stories.

    peace from kathy
    support  our troops; end the war in iraq
    john 3:16

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:47:48 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Dashiell Hammett

    Bill Harker wrote:

>     From "Dashiell Hammett's Lost Stories," "Hammett allowed the producers
>     tofeature his name in the show's credits and publicity. For that he
>     receiveda
>     healthy weekly payment. Many people assumed he wrote ar at least editedthe
>     scripts, but the only writing Hammett did for the show was signing his name
>     on
>     the paychecks."

    This is absolutely correct. The Dashiells were an old Maryland family, the
    name being an Americanization of the French "De Chiel"; it is pronounced
    "daSHEEL", not "dash'l." This means that the radio program announcer was
    pronouncing it wrong on the radio!

     From page 34 of THE RADIO ADVENTURES OF SAM SPADE, Hammett boasted that he
    never head any of the radio programs that were based on his own fictional
    detectives, including THE FAT MAN and THE THIN MAN. Newspapers and magazine
    articles reported this with zeal, and a variety of reasons why Hammett
    insisted on avoiding the programs to which his name was attached. It seems
    unlikely that this is true. Honestly, if someone did a radio program adapted
    from characters I created, I'd want to hear how they came out. He also had a
    financial interest in the series, since he collected a royalty check so
    voicing an opinion would have been necessary. Many of his short stories (even
    non-Spade stories) were adapted for the program. One of my personal favories
    is "The Gutting of Couffignal" (October 4, 1946) where Sam is hired to watch
    over the presents at a Russian wedding, and gets involved in lots of
    bullet-ridden action when a Russian General leads a military-style operation
    to rob the cream of California society, who gathered together on an isolated
    island for a wedding. Very little mystery, but the action sticks with
    extended sequences. Towards the end of the drama, the Princess is revealed to
    be the mastermind and realizing Spade is wounded, laughs as she leaves,
    telling Spade that she'll get away with the crime because he wouldn't dare
    shoot a woman in the back - American detectives have honest virtues. As she
    attempts to exit, he shoots her in the back.

    In 1952, after the series was off the air permanently, script writer E. Jack
    Neuman was invited to a party. Among the guests was Dashiell Hammett. The two
    struck up conversation. When asked about the series, hammett told Neuman that
    he felt Spier was full of (Sugar Honey Ice Tea) and didn't think much of the
    way Duff played the role. This suggested he did listen to a few of the
    broadcasts.

    Duff also received checks for the use of the Sam Spade character for the
    SUSPENSE episode "The Kandy Tooth Caper." What I have never uncovered was
    whether or not Hammett received any royalty checks for CHARLIE WILD, PRIVATE
    DETECTIVE. Howard Duff played Sam Spade in a "passing of the torch" for the
    premiere broadcast and the character of Effie moved to New York to help
    Charlie in his cases. Since Effie was a character in THE MALTESE FALCON, I
    "assume" Hammett was being paid for the use of the character. Anyone know if
    this was the case?

    Martin Grams Jr.

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:47:59 -0400
    From: etorch@[removed]
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Announcers

    I have always wondered who paid the star announcers? Did they work for the
    networks, the sponsors, the stars or some combination of the above?
    Evan Torch, MD
    Atlanta

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:48:20 -0400
    From: herbop@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Empire State Building Crash - Radio Promo

    I listened to the NPR story on KPCC, one of my favorite stations. It
    was a good story, but I kept remembering the promo that they
    broadcast at least three times in the days before they ran the show -
    something like "the true story of the day when a B 52 plane crashed
    into the Empire State Building!"
    <GRRR>

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:48:32 -0400
    From: Ben Ohmart <benohmart@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Fibber, Eddie Cantor & Alan Reed

    Hello, all. I just wanted to say to all who have ordered the new Fibber McGee
    & Molly log/history book by Clair Schulz: we are expecting them in Monday,
    and they'll start shipping out the very next day.
    [removed]

    Also, my book on Alan Reed is Almost ready, and indeed the cover is done:
    [removed]

    I love this cover! The book is mostly an unpublished, unfinished
    autobiography from Alan, including some things I bet you never knew about
    him. It's also got a cracking credit list, a reprint of Chuck Schaden's
    marvelous interview with Alan, and misc. writings from Alan, including a
    little correspondence between Alan and Fred Allen. It's a good book, if I say
    so myself!

    Oh yes, not many people know about this book yet. But in a few weeks we'll be
    putting out Janet Cantor Gari's very well-written book on her mother (and
    father, Eddie Cantor). No cover yet, but you can go here for more info:
    [removed]

    And there are more books coming too!

    Thanks for your support, and thanks for reading books!

    Ben Ohmart

    Old radio. Old movies. New books.
    [removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:48:44 -0400
    From: "Bill Scherer" <bspro@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Empire State Building crash news archives

    Wow! just listened to the NPR story. Is there a place to grab all the
    original broadcast archival material they used in the story? I'd love to
    hear it.
    Thanks.
    Also Thanks to Jim Widner for posting the link.
    Bill

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #187
    *********************************************

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