Subject: [removed] Digest V2009 #14
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 1/18/2009 7:56 AM

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

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2009 : Issue 14
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      "Smoke (?), smoke (?), smoke (?) - t  [ Wich2@[removed] ]
      Re: Smoking, writing, and acting      [ rand@[removed] ]
      Sen-sen                               [ Frank McGurn <[removed]@sbcglobal. ]
      Vintage DVD's                         [ JayHick@[removed] ]
      OTR in the News                       [ seandd@[removed] ]
      Sen sens                              [ Bob Slate <moxnix1961@[removed]; ]
      Re: Sen-Sen                           [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
      1-17 births/deaths                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Re: Cleaning ETs                      [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
      This week in radio history 18-24 Jan  [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      Jack Benny appreciation coming        [ zbob@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:31:22 -0500
    From: Wich2@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  "Smoke (?), smoke (?), smoke (?) - that
     cigarette!" *PAUSE*

    Larry Moore:

    As the son of a guy who lost his bladder to Cancer Sticks, I sympathize  with
    your crusade against [removed] And I'm sure it is true, that sometimes
    writers & actors were compelled to light up by [removed]

    But it's also true that many people, for much the last 200 years,  smoked
    tobacco. So, in the interest of realism, it is only right that actors
    portraying
    those people do the same. (I'm not a smoker, and I've done it; for  instance,
    playing Sherlock Holmes.) Not always lazy writing - pragmatic  writing.

    George Wagner:

    I'm just guessing here, but maybe the "Chicago Pause" was no more
    complicated than that - a pause in the dialogue. I do know that coming up as
    an  actor
    here in NYC, I often heard the old saw, "No Dead Air!" as the cardinal  rule
    of
    audio acting.

    Best,
    -Craig W.

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:33:47 -0500
    From: rand@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Smoking, writing, and acting

    Larry, in an thread on smoking in otr, notes:

>     The quality of writing is in inverse proportion to the number of
>     cigarettes smoked.

    Smoking was just a fact of life during the otr era and a historical part
    of how radio was commercialized.

    Can we really forget how many millions of Lucky Strikes were sent to our
    hard-fighting troops overseas when we listen to "Your Hit Parade"?  That I
    should smoke Luckys to be my level best?  That Chesterfields are milder
    with no unpleasant aftertaste?  Or that more doctors smoke Camels than any
    other cigarette?

    Cigarette companies certainly were responsible for much of the advertising
    in 50s prime time radio dramas, snatching up ads on radio when other
    advertisers were flocking to television.  We probably wouldn't have
    "Gunsmoke" or "Have Gun, Will Travel" without cigarette cash.  (And those
    shows remind me that I should "Be Sociable, Drink Pepsi", btw.)

    The ritual of lighting and smoking a cigarette is something inherently
    visual and, during otr's golden age, skillful Hollywood directors would
    use smoking to establish characters and mood.  Who can forget the
    intricate, sexually charged sharing of cigarettes between Humphrey Bogart
    and Lauren Bacall in "The Big Sleep" or Rick's moody, smoke-filled cafe as
    he sat, drinking alone, waiting for Ilsa to come back into his life in
    "Casablanca"?

    Before we really knew the health effects, smoking was just a part of daily
    life, something that some adults did to unwind or be sociable like having
    a glass of beer or wine.  Cigarette companies regularly sponsored shows
    where the stars were never really seen or heard smoking in character (like
    Jack Benny).  Of course, way back then, manufacturers didn't understand
    addiction and the health effects.  They just knew that if someone started
    smoking, they stayed pretty loyal to the habit, sort of like people who
    enjoyed a little opium or cocaine on occasion at the turn of the century.

    Smoking's used very effectively today in some modern films or television
    shows.  If you watch "Madmen", you'd probably start coughing from all the
    smoke filled rooms in that one.  But, it's a commentary on the times when
    the show was set, where advertisers are worried about the government
    breathing down their neck about the safety of smoking as advertisers
    simply tell them, "The government has handed you a gift.  You can say
    anything you want to about your product.  It's toasted!"

    "It's toasted!  Hmm," the tobacco exec says, "I like it!"

    Dragnet's the most obvious example in otr where smoking is integrated in
    the scripts on occaision.  It makes sense in Jack Webb's "realist" dramas
    where detectives light up as part of being sociable or offer someone a
    smoke as a way to gain trust and I can accept it as part of the show.
    It's not uncommon to hear a good cigar mentioned or smoked or smoking used
    for comedy (Fibber McGee trying to stop smoking cigars in a late 40s
    episode; Bob Hope mentioning "Mexican cigarettes" in a passing joke in a
    late 1930s show in his series).

    The actual process of smoking doesn't lend itself to the audio medium very
    well - just the flick of a lighter and some heavy breathing - and that's
    probably why we don't hear noir detectives lighting up with the same
    frequency that they do in similar movies from the period.  Compare
    something like the movie "Maltese Falcon" where Bogie seems to have a
    cigarette growing out of his finger in most scenes with the radio
    adaptation where no cigs are in sight.  In the movies, smoking plays a
    part in the visual development of the characters and the world they exist
    in.

    Drinking's a different matter.  One could get quite tipsy listening to
    detective shows where someone's offering someone else a drink or heading
    off to a bar to pick up some clues.

    It's all reflects the larger culture and social fabric of the time and
    these references in otr or classic movies really make it that much more
    interesting, for me at least, as much as gentlemen always wearing a hat or
    depending on operators to make long distance calls for you.  It was a
    different time and place - a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't
    necessarily want to live there.

    A quick bit of trivia.  A few years ago, there was a dvd release of the
    Beatles appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show".  This was big news for
    collectors, since the dvd presented the entire shows, including
    commercials - not just the Beatles performances - so you could see the
    context.

    A couple of reviewers pointed out that the first program was slightly
    edited in a way that's not noticeable to most viewers.  In addition to the
    ads for Pillsbury cake mixes and headache remedies, there was originally a
    cigarette commercial.  The commercial touted that the cigarette smoked
    cooler because it featured an asbestos filter.

    The producers of the dvd, probably fearing the wrath of cigarette company
    lawyers and health experts, replaced the dreaded asbestos cigarette
    commercial with a different, non-tobacco ad from the period.

    The original, complete with the ad for death on an asbestos stick, is
    available for viewing in the Museum of Broadcasting.

    As for me, I'll take my otr, old movies, and classic tv shows, if you'll
    pardon the expression, unfiltered.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to grab a pack of Sen-Sen.  It's getting
    smokey in here.

    Randy

    ____________
    Randy A. Riddle
    Mebane, NC

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:34:10 -0500
    From: Frank McGurn <[removed]@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Sen-sen

    I use buy Sen-sen as a kid in the late 30's and in the 1940's because I
    liked the taste. It was packaged in a small envelope about the  size of
    a tea bag , and cost a  nickel.

    I don't think Sen-sen  was ever off the market it was just to many other
    breath fresheners came on the market. A few months ago one of my sons
    offer me some Sen-sen. I didn't ask where he got or how much it cost,
    but the taste hasn't changed.

    I suggest that if any one really cares, do a Google search. You will
    pages of info on Sen-sen.

    Frank McGurn

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:44:11 -0500
    From: JayHick@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Vintage DVD's
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    For DVD's of vintage movies, mostly never released, check Kit Parker's web
    site: [removed].  Philips H. Lord Feature films available on DVD for
    the first time.    "Forgotten Noir Volume 3," contains Mr. District
    Attorney
    (1947), David Harding, Counterspy and 8 crime dramas.   Counterspy Meets
    Scotland Yard and Mr. District Attorney (1941,) first time shown since 1946,
    and 8
    additional crime dramas make up "Forgotten Noir Volume 4."   All are
    transferred from the original 35mm negatives.    Questions or to order from
    VCI
    Entertainment 800-331-4077 [removed], or through [removed].   I
    received
    both from Kit many thanks to Phillipa Lord.   Jay

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    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:44:54 -0500
    From: seandd@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR in the News

    Here's yet another Harry Shearer interview that talks about his early role on
    The Jack Benny Program, as well as insights about Vaughn Meader, who has come
    up in the digest before.

    [removed]

    This salute to a college football broadcasting legend also includes a
    nostalgic look at listening to OTR during the golden age:

    [removed]

    And, for any British Columbians we have on the list (Ivan - are you out
    there?), there is a nostalgic review of classic comedians coming up on
    Vancouver Island -

    [removed]
    [removed]

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:45:21 -0500
    From: Bob Slate <moxnix1961@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Sen sens
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    I have a metal dispenser of Sen Sens from the World War II era, that I bought
    over 30 years ago,that still taste strong and [removed] bottom slides open
    dropping one Sen Sen at a [removed] know they have a sort of sweet bitter
    licoricey [removed] were made for any kind of bad breath, not just
    [removed] ingredients were made out of many different exotic ingredients
    from France etc; One of the ingredients was Altar Of Roses from [removed]
    like the smell of them and the taste at [removed], if they are sealed up, the
    taste will still be just as strong as ever, over 60 years later.    Bob Slate

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:46:01 -0500
    From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re:  Sen-Sen

    George Wagner claimed: "The line "the tell-tale scent of Sen-Sen" is heard in
    every production
    of THE MUSIC MAN."  Not true.  That would be like saying that I'm gonna use
    this here dead fish to cover up the tell-tale scent of air freshener.  The
    line is "and bragging all about how he's gonna cover up the tell-tale scent
    WITH Sen-Sen."   That's quite different, ain't it?

    Michael Biel   mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:46:15 -0500
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  1-17 births/deaths

    January 17th births

    01-17-1874 - Edna Wallace Hopper - San Francisco, CA - d. 12-14-1959
    Gave beauty tips on the networks 1930-1932
    01-17-1875 - Minetta Ellen - Cleveland, OH - d. 7-2-1965
    actor: Francis 'Fanny' Barbour "One Man's Family"
    01-17-1880 - Mack Sennett - Richmond, Quebec, Canada - d. 11-5-1960
    king of silent comedy: "Hear It Now"; "Biography In Sound"
    01-17-1884 - Noah Beery, Sr. - Kansas City, MO - d. 4-1-1946
    actor: "Campbell Playhouse"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    01-17-1891 - Marjorie Gateson - Brooklyn, NY - d. 4-17-1977
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    01-17-1899 - Nevil Shute - Ealing, England - d. 1-12-1960
    novelist: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    01-17-1903 - Warren Hull - Gasport, NY - d. 9-14-1974
    actor: Jack Hamilton "Gibson Family"
    01-17-1904 - Grant Withers - Pueblo, CO - d. 3-27-1959
    actor: "Calling All Cars"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
    01-17-1904 - Knox Manning - Worcester, MA - d. 8-26-1980
    announcer: "Advs. of Sherlock Holmes"; "Headlines on Parade"
    01-17-1904 - Patsy Ruth Miller - d. 7-16-1995
    silent film star: "Arthur Godfrey and His Talent Scouts"
    01-17-1905 - Peggy Gilbert - Sioux City, IA - d. 2-12-2007
    saxophonist: "The Early Girls and the Three Chirps"
    01-17-1908 - Marjorie Anderson - Spokane, WA - d. 12-2-1945
    actor: Margo Lane "The Shadow"
    01-17-1910 - Tex Fletcher - Harrison, NY - d. 3-14-1987
    actor: Tex Mason "Songs of the B-Bar-B"
    01-17-1914 - Ann Loring - NYC - d. 7-10-2005
    actor: "Casey, Crime Photographer"; "X Minus One"
    01-17-1914 - Howard Marion-Crawford - England - d. 11-24-1969
    actor: Sherlock Holmes "BBC Home Theatre"
    01-17-1914 - Irving Brecher - NYC - d. 11-17-2008
    writer, producer: "Community Sing"; "The Life of Riley"
    01-17-1915 - Hugh Brundage - Montana - d. 3-31-1972
    announcer: "Academy Award Theatre"; "Aunt Mary"
    01-17-1916 - Ray Forrest - Germany - d. 3-11-1999
    staff announcer for NBC
    01-17-1917 - Sam Locke - Peabody, MA - d. 9-18-1998
    scriptwriter: "Grand Central Station"; "Inner Sanctum Mysteries"
    01-17-1919 - Dallas Townsend - NYC - d. 6-1-1995
    newscaster: "CBS World News Roundup"; "World Tonight"
    01-17-1921 - Herb Ellis - Cleveland, OH
    actor: Archie Goodwin "Advs. of Nero Wolfe"
    01-17-1922 - Betty White - Oak Park, IL
    hostess: "Betty White on Animals"
    01-17-1926 - Moira Shearer - Dunfermine, Scotland - d. 1-31-2006
    worked briefly as a radio announcer in the 1980s
    01-17-1927 - Eartha Kitt - North, SC - d. 12-25-2008
    singer: "Here's to Veterans"
    01-17-1930 - Dick Contino - Fresno, CA
    accordionist: "Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights"
    01-17-1931 - James Earl Jones - Arkabutla, MS
    actor: "We Hold These Truths"
    01-17-1941 - Clive Elvyn Rice (Clyde Campbell) - Haslemere, Surrey,
    England
    actor: Bobby Benson "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders"
    01-17-1956 - Steve Harvey - Welch, WV
    comdian: "Steve Harvey Morning Show"

    January 17th deaths

    02-18-1905 - Queenie Leonard - London, England - d. 1-17-2002
    actor: "NBC University Theatre"
    02-18-1922 - Allan Melvin - Kansas City, MO - d. 1-17-2008
    actor: "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts"; "Arthur Godfrey Time"
    03-06-1916 - Rochelle Hudson - Oklahoma City, OK - d. 1-17-1972
    actor: "Hollywood Hotel"
    03-22-1907 - Bernice Claire - Oakland, CA - d. 1-17-2003
    vocalist: "Waltz Time"
    03-25-1910 - Jack Carlton - Philadelphia, PA - d. 1-17-1991
    staff singer, actor, announcer: WCAU Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    08-17-1913 - Guy Della-Cioppa - Philadelphia, PA - d. 1-17-2000
    director: "An American in Russia"; "The Columbia Workshop"
    09-20-1912 - John W. Loveton - d. 1-17-1997
    director: "The Shadow"; "Mr. and Mrs. North"; "Court of Missing Heirs"
    09-22-1915 - Vincent Donehue - Whitehall, NY - d. 1-17-1966
    actor: Neil Davison "Home of the Brave"
    09-24-1904 - Jan August - NYC - d. 1-17-1976
    pianist, bandleader: "Quarter hour broadcast on Mutual during 1947-48
    09-26-1919 - Barbara Britton - Long Beach, CA - d. 1-17-1980
    actor: Pamela North "Mr. and Mrs. North"; "Screen Guild Theatre"
    10-20-1925 - Art Buchwald - Mount Vernon, NY - d. 1-17-2007
    humorist: "Monitor"
    10-22-1908 - Frances Drake - NYC - d. 1-17-2000
    actor: "Stars of Tomorrow"
    11-27-1910 - Ray  Herbeck - Los Angeles, CA - d. 1-17-1989
    bandleader: "Ray Herbeck and His Orchestra"
    11-30-1920 - Virginia Mayo - St. Louis, MO - d. 1-17-2005
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    12-02-1916 - Charlie Ventura - Philadelphia, PA - d. 1-17-1992
    tenor sazophonist: "Spotlight Bands"; "Gene Krupa and His Orchestra"
    12-15-1896 - Betty Smith - NYC - d. 1-17-1972
    author: "Studio One"; "Hallmark Playhouse"
    12-18-1916 - Bill McCord - Colville, WA - d. 1-17-2004
    announcer: "The Circle Arrow Show"; "Easy Money"
    12-22-1908 - Elsa Buchanan - London, England - d. 1-17-2004
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre

    Ron
    [removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:47:54 -0500
    From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Cleaning ETs

    In a posting in digest #6, Randy A. Riddle has confused which type of discs
    the warnings about not using alcohol based cleaners was about.  It is the
    breakable shellac 78s that must not be cleaned with any alcohol, not lacquers
    (which he and others mistakenly call acetates.  They are cellulose nitrate,
    not cellulose acetate.)  Shellac 78s must not be played wet, and must be
    completely dried quickly after cleaning.  As for wet cleaning lacquers, the
    major caution is making sure that there are no surface cracks or defects that
    might let liquid get under the coating.  Alcohol used in vinyl LP cleaners,
    and probably, as Bryan Wright mentioned in his posting, ammonia in original
    blue Windex, will not eat away at the lacquer, but will damage shellac.  In
    addition to an excellent all-purpose cleaner made by The Disc Doctor, a
    solution with Kodak Lens Cleaner has also been recommended by the Univ of
    Georgia.

    Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:48:06 -0500
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  This week in radio history 18-24 January

     From Those Were The Days

    1/18

    1929   New York Daily Mirror columnist Walter Winchell made his debut on
    radio, broadcasting a blend of political commentary and celebrity gossip
    to "Mr. and Mrs. [removed]" His quick jabbing, penetrating manner
    became his trademark. And so did wearing his fedora hat.

    1937   CBS introduced listeners to Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories for
    the first time. A complete story was told in five, 15 minute episodes
    which aired Monday thru Friday each week. Aunt Jenny was played by Edith
    Spencer and later, by Agnes Young. The show continued on radio until
    1956 and was sponsored over the years by Spry shortening and Lux soap.
    Aunt Jenny's whistling canary, for those of you ready to inquire, was
    played by animal imitator, Henry Boyd.

    1/20

    1954   The National Negro Network was formed on this date. Some 40 radio
    stations were charter members of the network.

    1/21

    1927   The first opera to be broadcast over a national radio network was
    presented in Chicago, IL. Listeners heard selections from Faust.

    1946   The Fat Man debuted on ABC. J. Scott Smart, who played the portly
    detective, weighed in at 270 pounds in real life.

    1/22

    1956   Raymond Burr starred as Captain Lee Quince in the Fort Laramie
    debut on CBS. The program was said to be in "the Gunsmoke tradition."

    1/23

    1937   In an article published in Literary Digest, Edgar Bergen
    mentioned that he made his dummy pal, Charlie McCarthy, the beneficiary
    of a $10,000 trust fund ($142,[removed] in 2007 dollars) to keep him in
    serviceable condition and repair.

    1/24

    1930   Ben Bernie (Benjamin Anzelwitz) began a weekly remote broadcast
    from the lovely Roosevelt Hotel in NYC.

    1942   Abie's Irish Rose was first heard on NBC this day replacing
    Knickerbocker Playhouse. The program was based on the smash play from
    Broadway that ran for nearly 2,000 performances. Sydney Smith played the
    part of Abie. Rosemary Murphy was played by Betty Winkler.

    Joe

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

    Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:48:14 -0500
    From: zbob@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Jack Benny appreciation coming
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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    One of our local PBS stations (KQED) will be broadcasting a Jack Benny
    appreciation by Tom Smothers,
    on 2 Feb at 9 [removed] one hour show has various clips, photos, home movies, and
    talk show footage, according to the program [removed]  Channel 9 in the SF
    area.

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    End of [removed] Digest V2009 Issue #14
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