Subject: [removed] Digest V2004 #2
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 1/3/2004 2:39 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2004 : Issue 2
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Re: Duel                              [ Mark Justice <markjustice@[removed] ]
      In Hoc Agricula Conk                  [ Max Schmid <mschmid@[removed]; ]
      DUEL in Playboy                       [ "James Yellen" <clifengr3@[removed] ]
      Just a bit more on Giddins            [ JackBenny@[removed] ]
      Horlick's Malted Milk                 [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]
      Calling All Cars Theme                [ "Nancy Hudson" <hudson@[removed]; ]
      Re: Duel                              [ <jlsalley@[removed]; ]
      dragnet                               [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
      martian chronicles                    [ "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed]; ]
      "Happy Birthday" song                 [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      NPR Piece on Burns and Allen          [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
      Today in radio history                [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Radio premium question                [ "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed] ]
      Ovaltine                              [ "Bob & Lois Reynolds" <boblo1@allte ]
      1-4 births/deaths                     [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 17:48:23 -0500
    From: Mark Justice <markjustice@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Duel

    I believe the "Duel" short story was written by Richard Matheson. And I , too,
    recall seeing the hands and arms of the truck driver in the movie. I don't
    thnik it
    was supposed to be a haunted truck, just a psycho driver.

    Best,
    Mark

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

    Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 19:26:33 -0500
    From: Max Schmid <mschmid@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  In Hoc Agricula Conk

    At 05:23 PM 1/2/04, kathy wrote:

>     Subject:  Jean Shepherd and Paul Rhymer

>     i suppose this is otr common knowledge but it is worth repeating:
>     jean shepherd lifted some of the late great paul rhymer's ideas and used them
>     in his own writings.

    Yes, Shepherd adopted much from Vic & Sade, from the name of the big boss
    "Bullard" to the "Latin junk" expressions he frequently used.  I'm pretty
    sure that his story regarding the washrag madness was another homage to
    Rhymer.  This appears in the PBS movie "The Great American Fourth of July",
    in which Mom sends out all the washrags as part of a chain letter, and ends
    up getting hundreds back.

    Shep did many tributes and quizzes about Vic & Sade over the years. There's
    even one on his earliest known aircheck from January 23, 1953 from KYW,
    Philly (thanks, Liz!). The show was obviously a great influence.

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

    Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 19:27:31 -0500
    From: "James Yellen" <clifengr3@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  DUEL in Playboy

    Kurt Yount wrote recently about "Duel":

>     It seems to me, and God knows my memory cannot be especially trusted,
>     that there was also a short story in Playboy from which Duel was taken.

    The story DUEL is by Richard Matheson and appeared in the April 1971 issue
    of Playboy. The movie was director Steven Spielberg's first.

    Jim Yellen

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

    Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 22:08:31 -0500
    From: JackBenny@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Just a bit more on Giddins
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    Larry Lewis wrote:

>     In a recent post one of our members took Gary Giddins to task for the
>     accuracy of a comment he made in the NY Times regarding Jack Benny, The
>     comment may very well have been warranted, but it did not stop there.  It
>     went on to question the accuracy of Mr. Giddins research, which I think is
>     unwarranted.

    Just want to clarify my original comments.  My knowledge of Giddins' writing
    goes as far as the recent quote in the NY Times (which I have since researched
    and found to be a strictly off-mike comment, not the big on-air laugh that
    Giddins purported), plus an article that he wrote on Jack Benny in October
    1985
    and republished in a book in 1992.  The 1985 article is heavy with errors
    about Jack's life and career, which was both frustrating and disappointing.  I
    can't criticize his writing beyond this, because I haven't read any more of it.

    --Laura Leff
    President, IJBFC
    [removed]

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    Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 22:08:57 -0500
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Horlick's Malted Milk
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    Greg mentioned that the original Horlicks can be found in oriental markets.
    Here in the SF Bay Area it can be found in at least one 'international' deli.
    Listening to Lum 'n Abner got me interested in tracking it down because I
    always loved it as a child.   We used it at my Dad's restaurant as well for
    malts.  I tried Carnation but it wasn't as good.  Finally I found it at
    Vermont Country Store online and ordered it.   Shortly thereafter I was at a
    nice deli not far from my home and found it there as well.   The trick is to
    always mix it with a small amount of water or milk before adding all the
    liquid.   I haven't been able to find the tablets though which I considered
    'candy'.
    -Irene

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    Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 23:26:31 -0500
    From: "Nancy Hudson" <hudson@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Calling All Cars Theme

    Jim Plummer wrote:

>     I recently saw the Tyrone Power "Jessie James" and noticed that the
>     theme music is the same as used on "Calling All Cars". I'm surprised
>     that Fox would use a radio theme in one of their 'a' features. Does
>     anyone know the story behind this?

    Well, I don't know the story behind this, but I can tell you the music
    was not written specifically for "Calling All Cars."  As a matter of
    fact, it wasn't written for radio at all.

    Originally, it was the title number composed by Hugo Riesenfeld for the
    silent movie "Old Ironsides," released in 1926 starring George Bancroft
    and Johnny Walker.

    Silent movie music is very interesting, considering the care and
    complexity with which it was composed to coincide with the action on the
    screen. In big cities such as New York, many silent movie theatres had a
    large orchestra play opening, bridges and stabs, and closing themes on
    opening nights and at other performances.  After opening nights, the
    music was usually re-scored down for theatrical and other organs, and
    re-scoring continued down to the upright piano used in most American
    small towns.

    Even "The Perfect Song" wasn't originally Amos 'N' Andy's.  It was the
    love motif for Lillian Gish and "The Little Colonel," Henry B. Walthall,
    in [removed] Griffith's immortal "Birth of a Nation."

    No doubt selection of musical numbers such as "The Perfect Song" and
    "Old Ironsides" for radio use had roots in their existing familiarity to
    radio listeners.

    I don't have a large collection of silent movie music, but I do have a
    couple of albums played on theatre Wurlitzers by Gaylord Carter and Ann
    Leaf--two radio pros.

    Anybody else know of any OTR radio themes with origins in silent movie
    music?

    Russ Hudson

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 01:14:41 -0500
    From: <jlsalley@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Duel

    RE:

>     IIRC, we do see the driver's booted feet at one point and possibly a hairy
>     arm out the cab window. We just never saw the truck driver's face, and
>     never heard him speak.

    At one point the driver of the truck uses his arm and a hand signal to wave
    Dennis Weaver around, indicating it was safe to pass.  As Weaver discovered,
    it wasn't.

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 01:14:58 -0500
    From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  dragnet

    I think that sometimes they specifically used the TV dialog on the radio
    shows, the one about the Christmas Jesus is a good case in point.  I am
    pretty sure that was never a specific radio script, just TV.  That would
    explain why they sound like TV shows.  Kurt

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 01:15:16 -0500
    From: "Kurt E. Yount" <blsmass@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  martian chronicles

    If you are tired of this posting, leave it out.  Martian Chronicles was
    written by Ray Bradbury, who I hope is very much alive.  Isaac Asimov,
    Foundation, Nightfall, Pebble in the sky.  Also Caves of Steel, although
    I think that was British.  Kurt

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 01:16:46 -0500
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  "Happy Birthday" song

>     Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2004 19:53:25 -0500
>     From: LSMFTnolonger@[removed]

>     [removed]

>     you can read why, under current law, the copyright protection of "Happy
>     Birthday to You" will remain intact until at least the year 2030.

    This is as thorough an explanation as I've ever seen.  And it clarifies the issue of the early
    copyright history.  The work was always copyrighted, but the the copyright wasn't initially
    enforced.  Then the family of the writers sued and had their rights confirmed.

    As this article explains, public performance (even without profit motive) is a technical
    violation of the copyright, although it is not usually prosecuted.  Thus a technical violation of
    the copyright occurred on election day in November 1982, when he won back the
    governorship of Massachusetts.  At Dukakis campaign headquarters at the Park Plaza Hotel
    in Boston, after the victory speech, since it was Michael's birthday, his father in law, Harry
    Ellis Dickson of the Boston Symphony, conducted all of us in singing him happy birthday.

    --
    A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@[removed]
    Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 11:17:56 -0500
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  NPR Piece on Burns and Allen

    This interview with Rupert Holmes and Frank Gorshin from WBUR Boston has
    several clips from the "Burns and Allen Show" as they discuss "Say Goodnight
    Gracie."

    I'm not sure how long it will be up but as of Saturday Morning (January 3)
    it was working.

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    [removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 11:18:07 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otrd <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Today in radio history

     From Those Were The Days --

    1/3

    1938 - The first broadcast of Woman in White was presented on NBC Red.
    The program remained on radio for 10 years and was one of the first to
    feature real, honest-to-goodness doctors and nurses in leading roles.

    1/4

    1928 - NBC debuted one of radio's first variety shows. The Dodge Victory
    Hour starred Will Rogers, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra and singer Al
    Jolson. The cost to produce this one show was $67,600.

    1932 - NBC Red presented The Carnation Contented Hour. The show
    continued on network radio for 19 years as a showcase for top singers
    and musicians. Why The Carnation Contented Hour? Because Carnation
    evaporated milk comes only from contented cows, of course.

    1935 - Bob Hope was first heard on network radio as part of The Intimate
    Revue with Jane Froman, James Melton and the Al Goodman Orchestra.

    Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage:  [removed]~[removed]

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 13:23:38 -0500
    From: "Philip Chavin" <philchav@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Radio premium question

        Re the Digest's discussion of OTR (and related) premiums:

       Tomart's/Tumbusch's radio premium price guide, mentioned by Stephen, is a
    wonderful reference source.  Of course a book of that type is bound to have
    numerous factual errors and typos and
    Tomart's certainly does have them (and some omissions).

        A useful reference book that can supplement Tomart's is Hake's Price
    Guide to Character Toys. The second edition (1998) (-- I haven't seen the
    3rd or 4th editions --) shows, under "Popeye", a sort of Wimpy doll --
    actually its picture is captioned "cast iron figurine", from "[removed]; store
    item".

        Both books missed the following radio premium offered in about April
    1942 on the Libby's 1941-42 version of Terry and the Pirates:  Big Stoop
    Rainbow Code-Writer, a multi-colored pencil with a picture of the character
    'Big Stoop' on it plus a "mysterious cord trick".  (That cord trick
    shouldn't be confused with a Tennessee Jed string ("lariat") puzzle
    premium.)

       OK, my question:  Can any of you refer me to an *illustration* of that
    Big Stoop 'rainbow' pencil premium??

       -- Phil C.

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

    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 15:02:59 -0500
    From: "Bob & Lois Reynolds" <boblo1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Ovaltine
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    I noticed that Vermont Country Store has the "original European recipe
    Ovaltine with less sugar and more malt.   They also have the Horlicks Malted
    Food Drink
    I will never forget in 1942 a friend of mine down the street & I ordered our
    decoders the same day.  He got his before I received mine and I refused to
    listen to apt. Midnight for about 2 weeks, when I did receive mine.  He used
    to kid me each day about knowing the secret  decoded messages.  Come to
    think about it I might still be upset if it happened to me today.   Bob
    Reynolds

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    Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2004 16:21:45 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1-4 births/deaths

    Today in history:
    1896 - Utah is admitted to the Union as the forty-fifth state.

    January 4th births

    01-04-1905 - Sterling Holloway - Cedartown, GA - d. 11-22-1992
    actor: "Railroad Hour"; "[removed] Steel Hour"; "Suspense"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    01-04-1914 - Jane Wyman - St. Joseph, MO
    actress: "Dreft Star Playhouse"
    01-04-1919 - Al "Jazzbo" Collins - NYC - d. 9-30-1997
    disc jockey: "Collins on a Cloud"; "Happy Al"
    01-04-1930 - Barbara Rush - Denver, CO
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"

    January 4th deaths

    03-10-1888 - Barry Fitzgerald - Dublin, Ireland - d. 1-4-1961
    actor: Bernard Fitz "His Honor, the Barber"
    03-14-1912 - Les Brown - Reinerton, PA - d. 1-4-2001
    bandleader: (Les Brown and the Band of Renown) "Bob Hope Show"; "Fitch
    Bandwagon"
    07-25-1899 - Ralph Dumke - South Bend, IN - d. 1-4-1964
    actor: Willie Tompkins "We, the Abbotts"; Pat Plenty "Quality Twins"
    09-13-1908 - Mae Questal - The Bronx, NY - d. 1-4-1998
    actress: Betty Boop "Betty Boop Fables"; Olive Oyl "Popeye the Sailor"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #2
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