Subject: [removed] Digest V01 #207
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 6/27/2001 4:03 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                          The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                             Volume 01 : Issue 207
                       A Part of the [removed]!
                               ISSN: 1533-9289

                               Today's Topics:

     RSI contest open to all              [Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];       ]
     Great American Broadcast             ["Gene Dench" <genedotr@[removed];]
     horror find . com                    [steve oxford <steveoxford_99@yahoo.]
     Get em up who?                       [Al Girard <agirard@[removed]]
     Hal Stone's comments about Jolie + s ["Art Shifrin" <goldens2@[removed]]
     Re: Accessing LOC Material           [Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed]]
     Straight Arrow Comics                ["Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];  ]
     Premiums and The Masked Rider of the ["Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@]
     Re: dick judge                       [andy ryan <anbryan2000@[removed];  ]
     Pow-Wow                              ["Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];  ]
     Re: Tonto's horse                    [SanctumOTR@[removed]                 ]
     Re: Jolson Remembered                [Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];       ]
     "BEETHOVEN'S TENTH" MOVIE INTO RADIO ["jstokes" <jstokes@[removed];    ]
     Re: GUNSMOKE, Miss Kitty and Prostit [SanctumOTR@[removed]                 ]
     Benny/Allen                          ["John Sloan" <jdsloan@[removed]; ]

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 13:40:13 -0400
    From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RSI contest open to all

    Readers will remember that recently the question arose as to whether the
    contest announced in the new RSI catalog was a sweepstakes or lottery.
    Just in case Carl Amari does not send his own message to the digest,
    I'll mention that he just sent me an email which says "No Purchase
    Necessary was left off in error and we are correcting it in the next
    flyer we send everyone on our mailing list."  That should solve all of
    the questions, and I am glad to be able to bring you this info.

    Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 13:40:11 -0400
    From: "Gene Dench" <genedotr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Great American Broadcast

    To anyone interested in obtaining a copy of Leonard Maltins "Great American
    Broadcast" at a very reasonable price, $[removed] plus $[removed] postage and
    handling. Check out Edward R. Hamilton, Bookseller, Falls Village, CT 06031.
    Website is [removed] All books sold by this company are new. I
    have purchased many books over the years from this company and have never
    been disappointed.                        Gene Dench

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 14:48:54 -0400
    From: steve oxford <steveoxford_99@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  horror find . com

    I found a great web-site for horror fans. There are
    links to a couple old-time radio sites.
    [removed]
    This is certainly a one-stop source for web-sites
    devoted to horror.
    Steve

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 15:31:31 -0400
    From: Al Girard <agirard@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Get em up who?

    When  Lone Ranger from 1938 was discussed, I just had to
    mention that last night I was listening to a few of those early
    episodes.
    It's quite obvious that the art of sound effects still wasn't perfected
    at that time, as the "gunshots" sounded as if they were done by someone
    hitting
    a box with a hammer.
     --
    [removed] -Visit my Unofficial Fibber McGee and Molly home Page
    [removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 15:46:31 -0400
    From: "Art Shifrin" <goldens2@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Hal Stone's comments about Jolie + some Rudy
     Valee tidbits

    Hi Hal,

    I suspect that most of the 78's that you purchased after his comback were
    not rereleases, but the then newly recorded Deccas.  To my knowledge, Decca
    was not re-releasing the 1920's Brunswick masters to which it had rights at
    that time.  By that time sonically and musically, Jolie's earlier recordings
    were so old fashioned that as popular entertainment (as compared to calssic
    jazz), they just wouldn't sell.   His Columbias made prior to all of the
    Brunswicks were even worse.  Columbia did reissue his 1932 Brunswick sides
    cut with Guy Lombardo of April Showers and Rock A Bye Your [removed] is
    not a contradiction.  There's a certain date (in late '31) at which
    Brunswick masters cut up to then were acquired by Decca, & masters done
    thereafter by Columbia / CBS.

    One of the most fascinating Jolie item's I've heard was a personal recording
    pressed on a 10" Brunswick in whch he was begging Ruby Keeler to take him
    back after one of their nasty split ups.  The rumor (I call it that because
    I don't know of proof) is that he hit her in a number of such incidents.  In
    this case, she was essentially taking refuge in a hospital to be shielded
    from him.   He recorded the disk, had the manufacturing parts destroyed, &
    had the disk delivered to her at the hospital.  That disk was acquired circa
    1980 by Bob Altshuler, then a Vice President of CBS Records  and a prominent
    dealer of extraordinary pre-LP disks.  He sold it to a collector who
    stipulated that Bob permit no copies to be made, but he did play it for me
    at his home in Huntington, (Long Island) New York.

    Another especially nice Jolson item, (bona fide radio material)  is that
    tour de force appearance he made on The Barry Gray WOR-NY Show.   It's
    frustrating that WOR, which at that time made state of the lacquers didn't
    record the program.  It was recorded on 12" 78 acetates by one of the WOR
    staff engineers' wives at their home off the air.  Those disks were
    subsequently dubbed and released in a limited edition of vinyl pressings by
    Decca.  So, they suffer from:

    1.  being incmplete
    2.  being off the air rather than line recordings
    3.  being disk to disk dubs.

    Still, Jolie was in top form that night, thriving on Gray's adulation and
    the incredible success of the Jolson Story, then playing at Radio City Music
    Hall.  The disks I transferred were close to like new, loaned by a friend of
    my Dad you knew Henny Youngman ('take my disks, [removed]').  It think that
    it was Henny who brought Jolie to Gray's show.  I know that he had lacquers
    and pressings.  The lacquers were by then terribly frosted, so I chose to
    work from the pressings.

    Another neat Jolie clip that I have was transferred from one of Rudy
    Vallee's uncoated aluminums (( knew him & had access to his disks circa
    1970).  It's from part of a Fleischmann Hour that apparently, was completely
    dedicated to Warners musicals.  As I recal, it's from December '33 and was
    broadcast from Hollywood.  With Radio City not yet having been built there,
    NBC was broadcasting from the RKO sound stages.  RKO was corporately
    affiliated to NBC through RCA at that time.  In it, Rudy introduces Jolie
    who in turn introduces Ruby Keeler.  The disk ends as Ruby starts to sing.
    Considering her singing, that's not a tragedy.    Rudy's disks were then
    being cut by Edwin Strong, whose studio was in Jackson Heights, (Queens,
    NYC).  The recordings were not made off of the air, but via telephone line.
    It's one of the disks that was not played abusively, so it sounds rather
    good.

    About the abuse of Rudy's disks:  he explained to me that the regular
    routine (as hotel and other band dates allowed) was for he and his entourage
    to take the train to Vermont after the show to let off steam (as polite way
    to state it).  He said that they'd get very drunk, & play the hell out of
    those disks whose contents they especially liked.  Rudy never did have a
    particularly good relationship with the ad agency and or sponsor's staff, so
    he instructed Strong to edit the disks as they were being recorded.
    Therefore, with only one exception (the incredible show of 12-13-34 with
    William S, Hart, Beatrice Lillie, Buck & Bubbles, Henry Fonda & Cole Porter)
    his Fleischmann and Royal Gelatin Hours were incomplete.  Except for
    12/13/34 (not recorded by Strong, and complete, done on 4 16" uncoated sides
    of 2 disks) all of his material (up to and iincluding the Sealtest shows)
    were done on 12' disks.  He started having the shows recorded by Strong
    during June, 1932.  The first format was 12" unoated.  By early 34 they were
    33 1/3 uncoated.  By '35 they were lacquer coated (rather poor quality, with
    lumpy surfaces). The Sealtest shows were done by Electro-Vox on 12" at 33
    1/3.  Electro Vox line recordings made at that time were blatantly interior
    to state of the art disks cut ([removed]) by NBC and Radio Recorders at that
    time.

    Hmmm, I wonder if Fleischmann's margarine, Colgate Toothpaste and or
    Lifebuoy soap have any value in  is treating and cleaning worn and dirty
    ET'[removed]

    Best,
    Shiffy

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 15:46:29 -0400
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Accessing LOC Material

    On 6/27/01 2:02 PM [removed]@[removed] wrote:

>     How on earth do we get our hands on them ?  Or are they locked away in a
>     vault somewhere, never to be release ????

    LOC material may be listened to at no charge at the Library's Recorded
    Sound Reference Center by "qualified researchers" working on a project
    intended for public distribution -- from a full length book to an article
    for your local OTR newsletter. You cannot, however, make copies of the
    material due to the contractural and copyright restrictions which the
    Library is required by law to observe. (While the LOC preserves and
    houses the material, it doesn't *own* it.)

    It is possible, though, to obtain copies of the material from the LOC by
    going thru a process which is neither fast nor inexpensive. But if you
    have the patience and are willing to spend the money for material you
    can't get any other way, here is what you do:

    1. Locate the specific item in the LOC's SONIC database, accessible from
    the Recorded Sound Reference Center Homepage,
    [removed]

    2. Make note of the LOC Call Number and description of the item you need.

    3. Phone, fax, or email the Recorded Sound Reference Center with the
    items you are requesting -- contact information is available on site. The
    Reference Librarian who handles these things is Brian Cornell.

    4. The Library staff will determine what legal permissions will be
    required in order to copy the items you want, and will contact you with
    the names and addresses of the people who must be approached in order to
    get these clearances. If the item is from the NBC Collection, you will
    need to clear rights with their Intellectual Property Department in New
    York. Additional clearances may be required if the program is under a
    separate copyright.

    5. You must write to the people specified and ask permission to have a
    copy made. It's a good idea to specify why you need the copy -- and don't
    just say "because Joe Blow is my favorite radio comedian." If you don't
    have a professional-sounding reason, make one up.

    6. Wait to hear back from the Legal Entities. If you've written to NBC
    Intellectual Property, you will get a letter back from them in about four
    weeks. Two copies of a legal contract will be enclosed, specifying what
    you may and may not do with the recording. Sign both copies, and send one
    of them back to NBC.

    7. NBC will advise the LOC that it has granted permission, and in about
    three weeks you will get back a requisition form from the Library's
    Phonoduplication Lab. You'll need to check it over, sign where specified,
    and send one copy back to them with your check for the lab fee -- which
    starts at $86 per hour, not including the cost of tape stock. Then, fax
    the other copy of the form, and a photocopy of your check to the lab, and
    they'll begin processing your duplication request. (Yes, the fee is
    outrageous -- but there are worse places to spend your money than with
    the entity which has done more for the physical preservation of
    broadcasting history than any other organization in the United [removed])

    8. In about four weeks, FedEx will deliver your tape. Needless to say,
    you may *not* make any commercial use of the recording in whole or in
    part -- and you had to sign a contract to that effect in order to get
    access to it. Commercial permissions are a whole separate case.

    Like I said, this is not for everyone -- but if you're working on a
    serious project, it can be a valuable resource for getting access to
    material that simply isn't available anywhere else and which is unlikely
    ever to be released on the commercial market.

    Elizabeth

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 15:46:27 -0400
    From: "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Straight Arrow Comics

    Bill Harper, (hello, friend Bill!) the expert on "Straight Arrow" says:
     Even in the late 50's and early 60's Straight Arrow comic stories were
    being
    published, but not as Straight Arrow of radio fame or NABISCO's Straight
    Arrow.

    Bill, my copy of "Straight Arrow" Comic Book #14 says, in a banner across
    the top, "The ORIGINAL Indian Hero of Radio Fame!"  (I dont know the date of
    this one, but you probably do.)

    Lois Culver
    KWLK Radio (Mutual) Longview, WA 1941-44
    KFI Radio (NBC) Los Angeles CA 1945-47, 50-53
    Widow of Howard Culver, actor

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 15:55:43 -0400
    From: "Stephen A Kallis, Jr." <skallisjr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Premiums and The Masked Rider of the Plains

    Tony Baechler, speaking of The Lone Ranger, asks,

> >     .. what were the various premiums offered and when?

    The Lone Ranger had a lot of premiums.  They started being distributed in
    1933 and were still going strong by 1950.  Besides the national coverage
    started in 1941 by General Mills, there was regional coverage of the
    synduication, sponsored by others, such as Merita Bread.  Many of the
    secondary sponsors' premiums were things like masks and pictures.

    Notable premiums:

    1941 -- Glo-In-Dark Safety Belt, Silver Bullet with Silver ore sample,
    and Texas Cattleman's Belt.
    1942 -- Armed services Secret Compartment Ring, Billfold, Blackout Kit.
    1946 -- Album of Victory Battles of 1942-1945
    1947 --  Atom Bomb Ring, Six Shooter Ring, Silver Bullet with Compass and
    Secret Compartment
    1948 --  Frontier Town, Flashlight Ring, Pedometer
    1949 --  Miovie Film Ring, Secret Com,partment Deputy Badge

    Stephen A. Kallis, Jr.

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 16:46:33 -0400
    From: andy ryan <anbryan2000@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: dick judge

    is dick judge still in business?  i just came across
    his catalogs among my radio shows and wondered.

    this doesn't need to go on the list if you know and
    will answer me privately.

    andy ryan

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 16:46:30 -0400
    From: "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Pow-Wow

    John Mayer writes "The point was that Nabisco had intimidated the publisher
    of the newsletter (Mrs. Culver, if I remember correctly) into altering the
    title _Straight Arrow Pow-Wow_ to simply _Pow-Wow_"

    Nope, Mr. [removed] Pow-Wow was a creation of The Harpers in SC.  Bill
    Harper and family published this delightful newsletter without any help from
    me - except my good wishes!

    Lois Culver
    KWLK Radio (Mutual) Longview, WA 1941-44
    KFI Radio (NBC) Los Angeles CA 1945-47, 50-53
    Widow of Howard Culver, actor

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 17:23:03 -0400
    From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Tonto's horse

    In a message dated 6/27/01 1:01:15 PM, Al asks:

>     My questions are when did Scout become Tonto's horse and was White Feller
>     the
>     first horse Tonto [removed]

    Actually, Tonto rode behind The Lone Ranger on the great horse Silver during
    the early episodes of the radio series (which was pretty ridiculous
    considering that ythe sound effects artists played the horses and it wasn't
    like Trendle would have to rent another horse and animal trainer).  Tonto
    evenually got his own horse White Feller, which he rode until later in 1938
    when the producers of the 1938 LONE RANGER movie serial informed Trendle and
    Striker that they didn't want to use two white horses on screen, correctly
    believing that a second white stallion would distract from Silver.  Striker
    apparently agreed and wrote a radio storyline where White Feller was injured
    and was left behind with friends of the Ranger's and Tonto's to be nursed
    back to health (never to be heard from again).  Tonto rode off on a new
    horse, a paint named Scout.
    Hi Yo Silver Away, ANTHONY TOLLIN

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 17:30:22 -0400
    From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Jolson Remembered

    From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];

>     I had the honor of meeting this legendary Performer back when he
>     was doing his Radio Show for NBC.  It was after his career
>     resurgence, brought about by the release of the "Jolson Story"
>     film. Prior to that, I wasn't all that familiar with his earlier
>     career, but because of the movie, became enamoured of his vocal
>     style, and actually bought many of his records that had been
>     re-released.    Hal(Harlan)Stone

    We all certainly envy Hal for his experience of seeing a Jolson
    performance close up.  The wording in his posting brings to mind a
    rather interesting facet about Jolson's late 40s comeback--with only one
    small exception, NONE of his earlier recordings was reissued during that
    time!  I bet that all of the Jolson records Hal bought were Deccas which
    were all recorded between 1945 and 1950.  Jolson's voice had noticably
    deepened since the heyday of his recording career, but in light of the
    fact that Victor, Columbia, and Decca/Brunswick were re-issuing early
    Bing Crosby records during that same time, it seems surprising that they
    did not take advantage of Jolson's newly re-established career and
    syphon off some sales.  I know for a fact that the metal masters for
    many of Jolson's early recordings still exist even today, so it could
    have easily been done.

    Jolson's 1911-1913 acoustical recordings for Victor and 1913-1923 for
    Columbia would have sounded quaint even then, but the they would have
    included early versions of his new Decca big sellers such as "The
    Spaniard Who Blighted My Life" on Victor, and "Swannee," "Avalon," "You
    Made Me Love You," "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo'Bye)," "Rock-a-Bye Your
    Baby With A Dixie Melody," and "April Showers" on Columbia.  The
    remainder of his recordings were on Brunswick, and the masters of those
    from 1923 to 1930 were actually owned by his new record company, Decca.
    He might have been able to discourage Decca from re-issuing the old
    Brunswicks, but that wouldn't have affected Victor or Columbia.  Victor
    was owned by RCA which owned the network of his Kraft program, NBC.
    Columbia was owned by the rival CBS--wouldn't they have liked to have
    cashed in on Jolson's new success?

    Well, they did.  The only recording session Jolson ever had after 1930
    was on December 20, 1932, and although it was also for Brunswick,
    Columbia happened to own the Brunswick masters from that era.  (It is
    too confusing a situation to explain why.) But Columbia did reissue the
    five masters Jolson recorded that day, but four of them were put on a
    subsidary label.  Two of them are famous because he was accompianed by
    Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians: "April Showers" and "Rock-a-Bye
    Your Baby With A Dixie Melody" reissued on Harmony 1005 and 1004
    respectively.  The flip sides were respectively "Hallelujah! I'm a Bum"
    and "You Are Too Beautiful" from the movie of the former's name.  Only
    one Jolson master was issued on Columbia, but it was a Hebrew song "The
    Cantor" and would have limited appeal, especially since it was coupled
    with an instrumtal.

    But with those exceptions, nobody tagged along on the coat-tails of
    Jolson's new career.  His other early records were never reissued until
    long after his death.

    Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 17:23:56 -0400
    From: "jstokes" <jstokes@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  "BEETHOVEN'S TENTH" MOVIE INTO RADIO PLAY

        My "Beethoven's Tenth" movie recently produced, which is about finding a
    lost symphony of Beethoven by a pair of Holmes & Watson type musical
    sleuths,  will be edited to a radio show format, and released as on a
    cassette.   Not at all hard to do, since this old radio guy (me) started out
    writing radio spots and long form A/V scripts.
        "Beethoven's Tenth," which ran recently on local cable here in
    Minneapolis, was well-received.   So now, since I'm part of this vast OTR
    Digest, I will be offering the show in audio form.   Again, not hard to do.
    I'll pull in my cast for additional dialogue to cover the montage scenes.
        I'll be working on this task in July.
        Will let you know when it is ready.
    - -------------------------------------------------------------
        Now for a little tongue-in-cheek humor.   As Mr. District Attorney would
    say, "I will prosecute to the full limit of the law, all lawbreakers to make
    tape copies of my radio show."  Heh
        It will come out under the "NaturaLite Studios" banner.

    Jim Stokes
    NaturaLite Pictures
    jstokes@[removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 17:27:36 -0400
    From: SanctumOTR@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: GUNSMOKE, Miss Kitty and Prostitution

    In a message dated 6/27/01 1:01:15 PM, Kenneth L Clarke writes:

>     I'm just going to put my two cents worth in on the issue of
>     whether Miss Kitty Russel was a prostitute or not.  Truth be
>     told, that was my first impression when I was young.  The
>     more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion
>     that she must've been just a hostess/owner of the Long Branch
>     saloon.

    ***GUNSMOKE's producer was quite clear on Kitty's occupation.  "Kitty is just
    someone Matt has to visit every once in a while," Norman Macdonnell told TIME
    in 1953.  "We never say it, but Kitty is a prostitute, pure and simple."***

>     [removed] of the old west were not accepted by the citizens of the
>     town as equals.  They were often shunned by the other women in
>     town and were the topic of idle gossips.  This was true even if they
>     were not actually prostitutes.   Miss Kitty (at least on the TV series) was
>     respected as a businesswoman and accepted everywhere she went,
>     by everyone in  town without question.  I recall her speaking with women
>     who looked like they ran the local sewing circle as well as the men she
>     entertained at the saloon.

    ***Yeah, but that was the TV series which was a whole lot more sanitized than
    the radio original.  And regardless, Kitty may eventually have been just the
    madam and not a "working girl" herself.  Regardless, after working with Sam
    Noonan at the Texas Trail, Kitty went into partnership with the bartender
    when they bought the Long Branch.  And as co-owner, she'd have had every
    reason to push drinks and serve as a general hostess.  And despite the
    portrayal of local townswomen on the TV series, Dodge City at the time was
    not a civilized, cultured locale.  It was a desolate, violent cowtown.***

>     I have no doubt that prostitution took place during this time.  It may
>     have taken place at saloons like the Long Branch.  Are we so narrow minded
>     to not accept her character as anything but a prostitute?  Opportunities
>     for women during this time were quite limited.  They either worked in a
>     shop/general store as a clerk, waitresses in a restaurant, stayed home
>     and took care of the family, or worked in a saloon serving drinks.

    ***It was not at all uncommon for a madam to be allied with the local sheriff
    or marshal, both professionally and personally.  (Wild Bill Hickok and
    Calamity Jane are probably the most famous example.)  The local sheriff or
    marshal often received a cut of a bordello's revenues in exchange for
    protection.  And the alliance was useful in other ways as well; a madam could
    provide much-needed information on newcomers to the local law enforcement
    official.  Hey, I just saw Ann Margaret in THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN
    TEXAS last week.  The musical is based on an actual event from recent Texas
    history: the closing of the Chicken Ranch bordello about twenty years ago.
    And then as before, the local sheriff was an ally who was less concerned with
    "morality" than with keeping the peace (and the sheriff in question noted
    that he had more trouble with the local skating rink and the VFW than he did
    with the house of prostitution).

    BTW, there were GUNSMOKE radio episodes that featured people who looked down
    on Kitty.  However, Matt didn't, nor did Chester or Doc.

    Identifying Kitty as a prostitute/madam is not being narrow minded.  It is
    recognizing that Dodge City was not just a prairie town but was recognized as
    "the Gomorrah of the West."  Dodge was really the last outpost before a lot
    of nothingness, and was a cow-town that depended on the money generated by
    the cattle industry and the rowdy cowboys employed by same.  And at that
    time, single women just didn't head out West unless they were someone's wife,
    fiancee or daughter . . . or a woman who saw a way to profit from being in a
    town like Dodge.  A single woman wouldn't have traveled to the West and to
    Dodge City in particular just to get a job as a waitress or a general store
    cashier.

    BTW, the closest GUNSMOKE ever got to dealing openly with prostitution is at
    the conclusion of "The Cabin" (12/27/52).  Don't let the date fool you; this
    is no Christmas show.  This is from GUNSMOKE's first season as an unsponsored
    sustainer, and it's unlikely a sponsor would've approved the script.  At the
    conclusion of the show, the young woman asks Matt if he has a woman back in
    Dodge (after being repeatedly abused by the outlaws who murdered her father).
     Matt explains that his job's too "chancy" to consider a family, and asks her
    what she'll do now (since she can't survive alone out on the prairie).  She
    matter-of-factly says that she'll bring the remaining three horses to Hay
    City, sell them and buy herself some pretty clothes . . . and then support
    herself and survive the only way she can (adding that it won't be any worse
    than what she's endured during the past weeks).  Matt makes no attempt to
    dissuade her, probably because he realizes it's really the only option that
    is available to her.

    "The Cabin" is a powerful example of why the radio version of GUNSMOKE was
    superior to the TV version.  It doesn't judge and it doesn't sanitize.  It
    presents a violent, often unpretty time with a realism seldom seen in the
    popular media.  I don't look down on the young woman in the story at all; she
    is making a tough decision but is determined to survive . . . and without
    asking for help or depending upon anyone but herself.***

    --TEXAS TONY TOLLIN (writing from the Texas Hill Country)

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

    Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 17:42:27 -0400
    From: "John Sloan" <jdsloan@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Benny/Allen

    Might as well add my 2 cents worth.  I was always a Benny fan but was never
    impressed with Allen (cept Gracie).  We laughed at Benny and his habits and
    traits and the fact that he seemed always to be a couple steps behind the
    rest of the cast which made him the butt of most of the jokes.  But it
    seemed that Allen wanted us to laugh at something else, not at Allen.  Don't
    know if that makes sense but he seemed to take himself to serious.  I
    haven't heard Benny and Allen together since the 40's when I was a kid and I
    might feel different when I hear them again.

    John Sloan

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #207
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