------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2004 : Issue 272
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
The Lottery [ "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed]; ]
Camera Obscura [ "jazmaan@[removed]" <dmf273@ya ]
"The Fred Allen Show" at the 2004 SP [ Gregg Oppenheimer <gopp@[removed]; ]
The Lottery [ "Alan R. Betz" <arbetz@[removed]; ]
#OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig [ charlie@[removed] ]
Retrieving audio without touching cy [ "Phil Watson" <possum@[removed] ]
Re: Women [ Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed]; ]
Dick Van Patten [ seandd@[removed] ]
volume variation solution? [ "Alain Altounian" <[removed]@[removed] ]
Mayor LaGuardia Reading The Funnies [ "Scott Eberbach" <saeberbach@earthl ]
Peter Lorre Slovak connection [ damyankeeinva <damyankeeinva@earthl ]
8-19 births/deaths [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Ted Kneebone on NTR [ Shaun Hayes <babyletsplayhouse@yaho ]
Re: Virginia Grey [ TristanH77@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:28:31 -0400
From: "Vince Long" <vlongbsh@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The Lottery
Stephen A. Kallis, Jr. wrote:
There was an OTV dramatization of The Lottery; I recall seeing it in San
Antonio, TX, in early 1952, on kinescope (no direct network connections
in those days). For its day, it was pretty effective: the "rocks" thrown
were actually sponges.
A few years ago I was going through a list of media that our school district
has a found a VHS copy of "The Lottery." It's been 10 years or more since I
saw it but remember that it was in color and, if I'm not mistaken, Irene
Tedrow, who was in the NBC Short Story version, was in this as well. If
someone needs to know more about it I can look into it once school starts
next week.
Vince
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 00:03:19 -0400
From: "jazmaan@[removed]" <dmf273@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Camera Obscura
I live and work in Santa Monica, CA. Imagine my delight when I was driving along in my car
listening to "Quiet Please" on my Ipod, when, for the first time, I heard the October 13, 1947
episode "Camera Obscura."
Typical of Quiet Please, the episode educates as it frightens. The subject is Santa Monica's
Camera Obscura, which was built in 1899 and is still a free tourist attraction today. As the
narrator says - you should visit it someday, you'll get a kick out of it "even if you don't see
what I saw!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 00:13:18 -0400
From: Gregg Oppenheimer <gopp@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: "The Fred Allen Show" at the 2004 SPERDVAC
CONVENTION
Hi, all.
I've just finalized the cast for the re-creation of "The Fred Allen
Show" I'm directing
at the SPERDVAC Convention's Saturday evening banquet on November 13,
and I'm so thrilled about it that I wanted to share it with all of you.
Fred Allen will be played by HAROLD GOULD.
Portland Hoffa will be played by JANET WALDO.
Senator Claghorn will be played by HERB ELLIS.
Mrs. Nussbaum will be played by CHARLOTTE RAE.
Titus Moody will be played by ALAN YOUNG.
Ajax Cassidy will be played by ROBERT EASTON,
who actually appeared as a guest on the Fred Allen Show,
when he was one of the Quiz Kids.
Our announcer will be JOHN HARLAN.
This is really going to be a treat.
I hope to see many of you there!
For more information, go to
[removed]
- Gregg Oppenheimer
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 00:24:06 -0400
From: "Alan R. Betz" <arbetz@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: The Lottery
The Lottery was performed on NBC Short Story
on 03/14/51.
A very similar story, "Congratulations, Mr. Mayor," was done on
Theater Five.
Regards, Alan.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 02:12:00 -0400
From: charlie@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Night!
A weekly [removed]
For the best in OTR Chat, join IRC (Internet Relay Chat), StarLink-IRC
Network, the channel name is #OldRadio. We meet Thursdays at 8 PM Eastern
and go on, and on! The oldest OTR Chat Channel, it has been in existence
over six years, same time, same channel! Started by Lois Culver, widow
of actor Howard Culver, this is the place to be on Thursday night for
real-time OTR talk!
Our "regulars" include OTR actors, soundmen, collectors, listeners, and
others interested in enjoying OTR from points all over the world. Discussions
range from favorite shows to almost anything else under the sun (sometimes
it's hard for us to stay on-topic)...but even if it isn't always focused,
it's always a good time!
For more info, contact charlie@[removed]. We hope to see you there, this
week and every week!
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:26:32 -0400
From: "Phil Watson" <possum@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Retrieving audio without touching cylinder/disc
I happened to be surfing through my satellite channels yesterday here in
England and when I got to the BBC World Service an American scientist
was talking about this subject. He played a couple of extracts of
recordings he had made using this method. One was from a cylinder,
identified as being made at Edison House, Cumberland Avenue, London on
August 2nd, 1890, of a trumpeter who survived the Charge Of The Light
Brigade, with speech. The sound is better than some OTR in my
collection. Another cylinder snippet was from Edison 1555, "Where The
Moonbeams Gleam" by Campbell & Gilette, which was more like a 20's 78.
I recorded what I could of the programme, but it was near the end. I
made an mp3 of the extract that last just over 3 minutes, and is 757kb
in size, so I'll be happy to email it to anyone who wants to hear it.
I once heard a jazz tune from a 1920s 78 played on record decks from
different eras, by Robert Parker. He first played it on a 1920s
phonograph, then 1930s, then a 1950s hi-fi, then a modern hi-fi with
some enhancing gizmo, and finally through his own computerised set-up,
and it was amazing that the 1920s recording equipment caught Louis
Armstrong taking a deep breath before starting to play. The early
equipment couldn't reproduce it, but Parker's digital restoration
brought that breath to life. It seems that 1920's recording equipment
was better than the available disc players!
Sorry for the off-OTR topic, but I managed to mention OTR!
Phil
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:27:07 -0400
From: Fred Berney <fsberney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Women
Somewhere I have read that women have more acute hearing them men. For
whatever reason, they can hear higher frequencies.
Fred
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:29:27 -0400
From: seandd@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dick Van Patten
Pending 2004 FOTR guest Dick Van Patten gets his own televisoin special on TV
Land tonight.
It gets a good review from The Daily News (follows).
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
TV Tonight
SPECIALS
10:00 (TV LAND) "Living in TV Land." Despite its narrow focus, this "Day in
the Life" visit with Dick Van Patten is one of TV Land's best original
productions yet. It shows him betting at the racetrack with buddies Jack
Klugman and Tim Conway; hanging at home with wife Pat Van Pattem and family;
playing tennis with Alan Thicke, and playing poker at a TV
Land-celebrity-filled table. One suggestion for later outings: Include a very
brief sampling of the subject's TV output. Why not show a clip from "Eight is
Enough," and one from his first series, "Mama"?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:29:43 -0400
From: "Alain Altounian" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "Old. Time. Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: volume variation solution?
Hope this isn't too obvious (i have very little tech knowledge);
When the spoken word sections seem relatively low (and raising the volume
knob makes other sounds too loud);
Some home and car stereos have "mode" settings (aside from the overall
volume) that can be activated depending on the recording being listened to.
For example, the CD/cassette boombox i use for otr has the choice of "rock,"
"pop," jazz" or "vocal" modes.
A car i had about 5 years ago came with this same feature on its regular
stereo.
...unfortunately, the rest of the car was usually in "need-repair" mode 8-)
Alain.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:29:58 -0400
From: "Scott Eberbach" <saeberbach@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Mayor LaGuardia Reading The Funnies
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Hi Gang!
A number of years ago I taped a movie (The Thing) off AMC. Prior to the movie
they ran a number of newsreels and one included Mayor LaGuardia reading the
funnies over the radio during the New York newspaper strike. Do any of these
broadcasts exist? If so where can I purchase them? [removed]
Scott
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 11:41:27 -0400
From: damyankeeinva <damyankeeinva@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Peter Lorre Slovak connection
I've been brought to task for referring to Peter Lorre as a Slovak.
According to several biographies, he came from the area to which people now
refer as Slovakia. I didn't want to go into the convoluted history of
various countries created after World War I, and figured that we have enough
young readers who only would know of the present geographic nomenclatures,
which are confusing to this old fuddy-duddy. Not only would it be vastly
off-topic to discuss the European map changes over the past hundred years, it
could tie up this Digest for months! I'm sure that Charlie Summers would
like not to have that happen!
As for pianist Nyiregyhazi, I don't feel that he was as obscure as
implications made here. Certainly he was more known among piano music
aficionados than just as a madman banging on Bela Lugosi's keyboard,
startling 'though a mental picture that creates! Nyiregyhazi had several
careers, first as a child prodigy, then a couple of comebacks up into the
1970s. By the way, I think it rather unfair to include the fine actor Paul
Lukas (born in Budapest) in a list of crazies.
At one time I had the honor and great pleasure to own several reproducing
pianos, and still include in my library a number of fine LP recordings
produced from similar instruments. These are generally grand pianos, 'though
not always. They're fitted with a sophisticated automatic piano playing
mechanism which uses perforations in a lengthy paper roll, operating a system
utilizing pressure and vacuum. The name came about because they reproduce
not only the notes as on a "regular" 88-note role, but also subtle gradations
in attack and crescendo. The result is that if you own and play a recording
of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" performed by the composer, in effect you
have George Gershwin playing your piano. By the way, like all
perforated-data devices such as card-operated looms and IBM punch card
readers, these are digital devices. You can change the speed of the
performance without changing the pitch of the notes played, unlike phonograph
recordings. I for one prefer "Rhapsody in Blue" performed at the slower pace
often played on the radio by Gershwin's friend Oscar Levant. So I slow down
Gershwin's playing on my Duo-Art. Levant would have loved it!
There were a number of such systems. The three major ones were developed by
the American Piano Company (Ampico) and Aeolian (Duo-Art) giant piano makers
in the [removed], and the Welte system originating in Germany. Ampico systems
were in fine pianos including Knabe and Mason & Hamlin, the Duo-Art
outstandingly in Steinways, and the Welte-Mignon system in their own pianos
and others, both in Europe and the United States.
During their heyday in the early 20th century, and in early radio
broadcasting probably up to World War II, reproducers were in use by a number
of radio stations and programs. All a studio aide had to do was put in the
appropriate roll, and turn on the piano. Some rolls play for fairly long
times, with libraries available of classical works, popular songs, medleys,
etc. The same mechanisms were also made for pipe organs. Many of them
appear and were used in the organs aired by major radio stations.
If one were to look at historical pictures of radio studios, check out the
larger grand pianos. If they have double legs all around, chances are that
they were reproducing pianos. The reinforced legs were included to
accommodate the added weight of motors, pumps, pneumatic stacks, and bellows.
These were installed up inside the piano case, beneath the sounding boards.
By coincidence, I know where there is a 1921 Walnut case 6'1" Steinway
Duo-Art grand for sale at the present time.
Many fine composers performed their own works and those of others on the
valued reproducing rolls. These are the earliest such recordings -- often
the only recordings -- of their virtuosity. They go back to Liszt and
Paderewski, but also later giants including Friml, Gershwin and Prokofiev.
One 20th century composer (I think John Cage) created music specifically for
player rolls. Just as 18th century composers including Mozart composed works
to be played on the wonder of that age, the Glass Harmonica or Harmonium, or
more simply, musical glasses. Benjamin Franklin produced a treadle-operated
sort-of automatic version (still being made today - though not by him).
My point in all this is that Ervin Nyiregyhazi (sometimes shown as Erwin) was
one of the outstanding artists who recorded for such early reproducing rolls,
when he was recognized widely as a child prodigy. I have seen some rolls
with his autograph.
Nyiregyhazi was born in Budapest on January 19-1903. He died in Los Angeles
on April 8-1987, and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale,
California.
A few decades back, one Los Angeles station aired an ongoing series of
reproducing piano concerts, put on by the producer of one series of LPs which
I enjoy. I recall listening to them or others like them in the 1950s on
Washington's "Good Music Station" WGMS. I think I read recently that these
recordings are now available on CDs. What goes around comes around!
No, I am not Deems Taylor reborn, but do hope this has proven of interest.
Now, start digging around for tapes of programs with reproducing pianos
and/or organs. Have fun!
Lee Munsick
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 15:48:33 -0400
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio List <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 8-19 births/deaths
August 19th births
08-19-1889 - Don "Uncle Don" Carney - St. Joseph, MO - d. 1-14-1954
host: "Uncle Don"; "Friendship Village"; "Dog Chats"
08-19-1902 - Colleen Moore - Port Huron, MI - d. 1-25-1988
actress: "Whatever Became of . . . ."
08-19-1902 - Ogden Nash - Rye, NY - d. 5-19-1971
poet: "Three Ring Time"; "Kaleidoscope"
08-19-1903 - Claude Dauphin - Corbeil, France - d. 11-17-1978
actor: "As Easy as [removed]"
08-19-1903 - Muriel Kirkland - Yonkers, NY - d. 9-26-1971
actor: Mary Marlin "Story of Mary Marlin"; Mary Todd "Honest Abe"
08-19-1913 - Harry F. Mills - Picqua, OH - d. 6-28-1982
singer: (The Mills Brothers) "Mills Brothers Quartette"
08-19-1915 - Ring Lardner, Jr. - Chicago, IL - d. 10-31-2000
screenwriter: "Lux Radio Theatre"
08-19-1916 - Marie Wilson - Anaheim, CA - d. 11-23-1972
actress: Irma Peterson "My Friend Irma"
08-19-1933 - Debra Paget - Denver, CO
actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"; "Family Theatre"
August 19th deaths
01-28-1900 - Mahlon Merrick - Farmington, IA - d. 8-1969
music: "Jack Benny Program"; "Skippy Hollywood Theatre"
05-21-1915 - Cathleen Cordell - Brooklyn, NY - d. 8-19-1997
actress: Marion Burton Sullivan "Second Mrs. Burton"; Monica Brewster
"Valiant Lady"
06-15-1894 - Robert Russell Bennett - Kansas City, MO - d. 8-19-1981
compser: "Symphony in D for the Dodgers"; "Project Twenty"
06-20-1890 - Effie Palmer - Albany, NY - d. 8-19-1942
actress: Jean Evans "Lonely Woman"; Dodie Black "Scattergood Baines"
09-05-1895 - Craig Earl - Great Barrington, MA - d. 8-1985
quizmaster: "Professor Quiz"
10-02-1890 - Groucho Marx - NYC - d. 8-19-1977
comedian: "Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel"; "Blue Ribbon Town"; "You Bet Your
Life"
--
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 18:33:37 -0400
From: Shaun Hayes <babyletsplayhouse@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Ted Kneebone on NTR
Had my radio set to WBUR last night and heard
Ted Kneebone in a story on bus transportation
in Aberdeen on American Public Media's
Marketplace.
It will probably disappear from the
Home Page pretty soon but
you can find the August 17 program
at this URL:
[removed]
You could probably search by date but I
found the program using "greyhound"
for a search term.
The story comes on at about the
22:00 minute point in the
program.
Shaun Hayes
[ADMINISTRIVIA: A direct RealAudio link to the show:
[removed];amb;start=00:00:22[removed];amb;end=00:00:29[removed]
--cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2004 23:30:45 -0400
From: TristanH77@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Virginia Grey
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This is the first time that I have written the list, but I have enjoyed for
months. I am a young fellow, but I noticed that no one mentioned the passing
of Virginia Grey. Wasn't she a big time radio performer?
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--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2004 Issue #272
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