------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 01 : Issue 68
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
REPS Showcase Update ["Stewart Wright" <stewwright@worldn]
Old-Style Radio ["Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@]
Land in the Yukon ["J. Randolph Cox" <cox@[removed]]
Square inch of land [danhughes@[removed] ]
Bob & Ray Project--the Sequel [Sheryl Smith <sheryllsmith@earthlin]
First Piano Quartet [Tyrone Settlemier <settlet@[removed];]
Si-sy routine [JackBenny@[removed] ]
Re: [removed] Radio [Cnorth6311@[removed] ]
Big Inch Land Company ["Edward Loyer" <Edward_Loyer@umich.]
Video sources? [Ga6string@[removed] ]
"Jumping the Shark" [Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed]]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 23:01:44 -0500
From: "Stewart Wright" <stewwright@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: REPS Showcase Update
Here is the latest information on the upcoming OTR Convention in
Seattle - The Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound Showcase IX. Yes, Seattle is
still there, it wasn't destroyed by today's earthquake.
Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound Showcase IX
June 29 - 30, 2001
Seattle Center
Seattle, WA
Contact: Mike Sprague
9936 NE 197th Street
Bothell, WA 98041
(425) 488-9518
HRRMIKES@[removed]
[removed]
The theme of this year's Showcase is "Radio Mirror." Showcase IX
will use the classic magazine from radio days as the theme and background.
Re-created shows will be drawn from its pages. Brief highlights from the
magazine will be read by OTR stars from time to time. Copies will be given
as door prizes.
REPS always has a great Company of OTR stars and this year is no
exception. First-time guests are:
True Boardman - OTR writer, director, actor;
Elliott Reid - Mercury Theater, Sam Spade;
Dick Van Patten- Let's Pretend, Young Widder Brown; and
Terry McManus a Jimmy Stewart impersonator.
Returning guests are
Douglas Young - Cisco Kid, The Whistler;
Alan Young - The Alan Young Show, Mr. Ed;
Rhoda Williams - Father Knows Best, Lux Radio Theater;
Anne Whitfield Phillips - Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show, One Man's Family;
Janet Waldo - Ozzie & Harriet, The Jetsons;
Ginny Tyler - voices on radio, TV, and movies;
Gil Stratton Jr. - Life With Luigi, My Little Margie;
Norma Jean Nilsson - Jack Carson Show, Father Knows Best;
Tyler McVey - Fibber McGee, Glamour Manor;
Jo Anna March - The Second Mrs. Burton;
Paul Herlinger - Imagination Theater, Adventures in Odyssey;
Art Gilmore - Red Skelton, Dr. Christian;
Esther Geddes - The Magic Garden", music;
Jim French - The Adventures of Harry Nile, Imagination Theater;
Ray Erlenborn - Blondie, Silver Theater;
Herb Ellis - Dragnet, Adventures of Nero Wolfe;
Sam Edwards - Meet Corliss Archer, Six Shooter;
Tommy Cook - Red Ryder, Lights Out;
Frank Buxton - author, actor, director;
Dick Beals - The Lone Ranger, Green Hornet;
Harry Bartell - Sherlock Holmes, Gunsmoke; and
Arthur Anderson - Let's Pretend, Mercury Theater of the Air.
Almost all of this year's re-creations will feature several
performers who actually worked on the shows "back then." Scheduled
re-creations include:
Young Widder Brown,
Silver Theater episode - Child, Save My Fireman (which will be
directed by True Boardman who wrote the script),
Frontier Gentleman episode - Belljoy's Prisoner,
Let's Pretend episode - Cinderella,
Vic & Sade, and
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar episode- The Midnight Sun Midnight.
REPS has been given exclusive permission to re-create the extremely
popular, current family radio show, "Adventures in
Odyssey." It will star Alan Young and Janet Waldo, re-creating their roles
from "Odyssey", and Paul Herlinger, the running main character, "Whit."
There will also be several other presentations including:
a game show parody by sound effects man extraordinaire Ray Erlenborn,
an inside look at the internationally-syndicated "Imagination Theater"
with writer/producer/director Jim French,
several panels,
a silent auction including items donated by some of our Old-Time
Radio guests,
Saturday night Dinner with the Stars, and
a dealers' room.
This week we've committed to having Michael Hayde at Showcase IX to
debut his book - My Name's Friday: The Unauthorized but True Story of
Dragnet and the Films of Jack Webb. 6 of our guests were interviewed and
mentioned in the book
Hope to see you there. You really should treat yourself and attend
REPS Showcase IX! You'll enjoy it.
Signing off for now,
Stewart Wright
REPS Showcase committee
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 23:10:59 -0500
From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Old-Style Radio
Roby McHone notes,
About 4 years ago I was in Sam's Club and saw several copies of Old
Type Radios. They were AM/FM/cassette, made of solid wood, instead of
pressed sawdust-beautiful copies. <snip> The one I kept has a small
brass plaque on the front that says THOMAS collectors edition. It works
fine and looks great.
And when you turn them on, do they have a warmup period? It's kinda a
pity that those were restricted to Sam's Clubs. The cathedral
table-model "replicas" I've sen were not too realistic. I wonder whether
such items still are sold.
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 23:34:35 -0500
From: "J. Randolph Cox" <cox@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Land in the Yukon
I remember this offer of land in the Yukon ... not only did you get a dee to
your 1 square inch, but (if memory serves) a pouch with a few grains of dirt
in it. Since the parcels were numbered I considered ordering enough of them
so I could actualy get a square foot and have enough space to stand on!
Randy Cox
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2001 23:34:33 -0500
From: danhughes@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Square inch of land
Rodney Bowcock wonders
if any kids had aspirations of building up a couple acres of
land in the [removed]
In fact, they did. A group of maybe 4 or 5 kids who had each acquired
one square inch of land from the Sgt. Preston offer wrote a letter to
President Eisenhower, threatening him with death if he would not declare
their land a state. The FBI got involved in this; the kids were severely
reprimanded and probably still have a file with the FBI.
Wish I could remember the name of the book this story is in; it was one
of those kids books from a series; each book had a title that started
with "All About" or something similar; this one was "All About the FBI."
Probably in your local [removed]
---Dan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 00:28:38 -0500
From: Sheryl Smith <sheryllsmith@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Bob & Ray Project--the Sequel
I'd like to thank those of you who have already helped on my Bob & Ray
project-it's grand of you to be so nice to an amateur in your midst.
I've been listening a lot to the WHDH shows, and have been wondering if
anyone involved in those are still around, and would know anything, or
have anything. I've recorded all the names I can make out in my
database, and have looked them up on the one "where are they now" radio
site I've been able to find, so far without success-though people in
broadcasting sometimes change their names quite casually, so I might be
missing somebody for sure. I'm doing the same for the CBS shows, though
that situation is more complicated: many people who get production
credits there may also appear in skits and be played by Bob, or Ray.
They sometimes did the same with WHDH people, but in those cases the
people also appeared on mike as themselves. With CBS, I haven't a clue
as to who's real and who isn't: with Bob & Ray the jokes could be quite
elaborate, and sometimes I'm sure, quite private. I also plan to record
names from the WOR and NPR shows, though I believe those names are of
real people.
OTR needs to be working on its oral histories now, of course: the human
lifespan being what it is, the people who are still around now won't be
around forever, so their reminiscences need to be captured while there's
still time. I'm finding a few interviews on a few sites, but coverage
is very spotty. I've been hoping to find some organization that has
asked Bob Elliott himself for reminiscences of radio, but haven't found
this as yet-and hope I do find it soon.
Thanks for letting me impose on you again, when you've already been so
generous with your time. If any of you has any leads, please get in
touch.
Sheryl Smith
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 00:28:40 -0500
From: Tyrone Settlemier <settlet@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: First Piano Quartet
Someone asked me about a radio program built around the First Piano Quartet,
ca 1950. I have one of their records, but this is the first I've heard of
this program. Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks!
Tyrone Settlemier
settlet@[removed]
settlet@[removed]
[removed]~settlet/[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 08:23:08 -0500
From: JackBenny@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Si-sy routine
The question was recently posed about the Si-Sy routine. It was done a few
other times with variations, once with the French "oui" substituted for "si".
It was also done on "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" show, where the sister Sue
has a chance to talk as well.
I believe (working from memory) that the occasion where Mel Blanc says,
"Yessir!" at the end is from the 20th Anniversary Special. There is a scene
in a terminal where many of the classic Benny cast appear, and the Si-Sy
routine is done there. It was excerpted in the "Love Letter to Jack Benny"
program. I think Jack's total breakup reaction was exaggerated, but Jack
often had a difficult time keeping it together with Mel's great deadpan.
--Laura Leff
President, IJBFC
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 08:23:05 -0500
From: Cnorth6311@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: [removed] Radio
1941 - 1st US commercial FM radio station (W47NV) goes on the air,
Nashville, Tenn. W47NV operated with 20,000 watts on a
frequency of 44,700 kilocycles. FM stations don't do that
anymore. They operate in a different segment of the radio
spectrum (88-108 MHz) and at power outputs not exceeding
100,000 watts, except in rare instances
Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 08:40:25 -0500
From: "Edward Loyer" <Edward_Loyer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Big Inch Land Company
I am indeed one of the many owners of one of those square inch plots in the
Yukon and still have the deed and accompanying map showing where Sgt. Preston
and King had many of their adventures. At one time (when I was about 10) I
considered purchasing the adjacent real estate and building a retirement
cabin,
I have since abandon that thought. The deed and the map do have some value
as a
collectable but not enough to build that retirement cabin. On King! On you
Huskies! The dream still flickers a little. Ed Loyer
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 08:40:23 -0500
From: Ga6string@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Video sources?
Does anyone have any suggestions for where I might purchase videos of old
B-movies and serials?
Thx,
Bryan Powell
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2001 13:48:59 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: "Jumping the Shark"
One of the most fascinating sites on the web for those of us who don't
object to the word "television" is [removed] -- a site which
discusses the intriguing concept of "jumping the shark." This is a term
used by the site's creators to describe the specific moment in a given TV
series where it becomes all too obvious that the show has passed its
creative prime (the term comes from a notorious episode of "Happy Days"
in which Fonzie demonstrated his super-powers by jumping over an oncoming
shark while water-skiing).
After spending way too much time reviewing this site, it occurs to me
that the "jumping the shark" principle can apply equally well to OTR --
many long running programs reached a point where they clearly were
running more on momentum than on creative energy. Here follow my own
opinions on when selected OTR programs "jumped the shark"....
Jack Benny -- My first impulse is to suggest that the shark's fin first
broke the water with the beginning of the Lucky Strike series -- I much
prefer the surrealistic humor of the General Foods-era programs, and find
the Luckies era way too dependent on repetitive running gags. But even
die-hard Lucky Strike fans will have to admit that the shark was jumped
when Phil Harris left the show. Bob Crosby just wasn't the same.
Fred Allen -- the shark was jumped when "Town Hall Tonight" became "The
Fred Allen Show" in the fall of 1939. Allen himself acknowledged this in
"Treadmill to Oblivion," noting that with the change his cast became just
another group of people gathered around a microphone. The shark returned
for a second leap in 1942, when the hour-long shows were cut to 30
minutes.
Suspense -- the shark was jumped when Auto-Lite sponsorship ended in
1954. The 1955-62 shows never reached the standard of those of the
previous era, although some aren't bad.
Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show -- the jump occured the moment the "Frankie
Remley" character's name changed to "Elliot Lewis."
Lum and Abner -- the shark was jumped with the "trip to Mars" storyline
in the fall of 1942, which crossed the fine line between whimsical and
silly. L&A was never quite the same after this.
Vic and Sade -- a "false jump" occured when Billy Idelson went into the
service and Rush was temporarily written out, to be replaced by the
shrill Russell Miller and the supremely annoying Chuck and Dottie
Brainfeeble. But the series recovered, and didn't jump the shark for real
until the ill-fated half-hour format was adopted in 1946.
Lux Radio Theatre -- as much as I disagree with C. B. DeMille's stand on
the AFRA issue, the shark was jumped for this series when he left.
William Keighley never quite filled his jodhpurs.
Amos 'n' Andy -- The leap occured the moment Shorty the Barber appeared
-- the first character in the series that could never have fit into the
program during the serial era, and the beginning of the trend away from
the complex supporting cast that Correll and Gosden had developed on
their own.
Fibber McGee and Molly -- It's difficult to pinpoint the precise moment
the leap occured, but it happened during the 1946-49 era - a time marked
by the temporary departure of the Mayor LaTrivia character in favor of
Foggy Williams the weatherman, and by the even-more-significant departure
of series creator/writer Don Quinn.
The Great Gildersleeve -- It's tempting to suggest that the shark was
jumped when Harold Peary left, but for me it happened a little earlier,
when Bronco Thompson was introduced as Marjorie's fiancee.
Duffy's Tavern -- when the show moved to Puerto Rico so Ed Gardner could
save money on taxes, the shark was waiting.
Dragnet -- After Ben Romero died, it moved into shark-infested waters.
You get the idea -- anyone else care to suggest the moment where their
favorite shows "jumped the shark?"
Elizabeth
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #68
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