Subject: [removed] Digest V2006 #291
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 10/25/2006 10:18 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2006 : Issue 291
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Two cents about Fred                  [ Russ Butler <songbook2@[removed]; ]
      Shows that aren't common anymore/que  [ Chargous@[removed] ]
      Re: Likes and Dislikes                [ "Bill Harris" <nbcblue@[removed]; ]
      #OldRadio IRC Chat this Thursday Nig  [ charlie@[removed] ]
      Allen - Funny vs. Not Funny           [ Penne <bandpy@[removed]; ]
      RE:Fred Allen                         [ bob davis <bob_d60@[removed]; ]
      Comedians                             [ "RadioAZ@[removed]" <radioAZ@bas ]
      Re: OTR Comedy vs Drama               [ Philip Chavin <pchavin@[removed]; ]
      OTR Preferences                       [ "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@juno. ]
      re: Fred Allen and XM                 [ Anthony Akins <asakins@[removed]; ]
      X Minus What?                         [ "Karen Lerner" <[removed]@[removed] ]
      Who's on first?                       [ Tom Greenli <tom_greenli@[removed]; ]
      Norman Corwin Interview Re-broadcast  [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
      War of the Worlds - The Simpsons ver  [ "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 00:18:26 -0400
    From: Russ Butler <songbook2@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Two cents about Fred

    Fred Allen (John Florence Sullivan from Cambridge, MA) was primarily a
    vaudevillian and he brought the comedy stage to radio as many comics
    did.  Listening to his weekly trip down "Allen's Alley,"  knocking on
    each door revealing a familiar character on the program, was pure
    vaudeville. He let the cast get the punch lines and laughter. The sight
    gags were in the imagination of the listener, and the topical humor was
    his take on the newspaper headlines of the week.

    I was always amused by Fred's writing (he started typing the next week's
    show and sketches as soon as he was off the air) - the flat out, funny
    stuff was Jack Benny's forte with his cast of characters, especially Mel
    Blanc.

    His humor was perhaps an acquired taste for most.  He was highly
    literate, and very often came across as absurd.  He battled censorship
    with the NBC =suits= but his top rated broadcasts kept him on the
    schedule. Fred's writing was funny and clever, you had to listen to get
    the humor or read his books and letters.

    Fred Allen was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988 - that was
    32 years after he died on the night of St-Patrick's Day.

    =Russ Butler    songbook2@[removed]
    (Also a Bostonian like Fred!)

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 01:40:34 -0400
    From: Chargous@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Shows that aren't common anymore/question
     about baseball and big bands

    There are some series that were fairly common 10 years ago, but are almost
    impossible to find a decent lo-gen copy of anymore;

    Charlie Chan and the Landini Mystery
    Moon Over Africa
    Blackstone, The Magic Detective
    Phyl Coe Mysteries

    Charlie Chan & Phyl Coe are the only ones I'm really trying to find.  Mp3
    is easy enough to find, but finding a quality, lo-gen copy is pretty
    hard.  Hopefully this won't be a trend for other series as well, becoming
    scarce as time goes on.

    When "When Radio Was" was better, in the Art Fleming era when they used to
    play obscure and different shows, these series were played, where I hard
    them for the first time.

    There's also the equally annoying category of fairly easy to find, but
    impossible to find in good sound (Mystery is My Hobby, It's A Crime Mr.
    Collins, most of Danger With Grainger, That Hammer Guy, etc. etc.  They all
    are in 42nd generation sound.

    Charlie Chan wasn't a great transfer (old turntables should be seen and not
    heard) so the sound's not going to be sparkling, but it would still be nice
    to find it in lo-gen.

    While I'm at it, who would be the best source on big band remotes and old
    time baseball broadcasts?  Both are rather ovelooked in most collections,
    so it's tough to find either in quality sound in any large numbers.

    Travis

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 01:40:55 -0400
    From: "Bill Harris" <nbcblue@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: Likes and Dislikes

    Elizabeth McLeod  wrote:

>     As to the question of A&A, well, I wrote a book about them

    And as Fred Allen would say, "I can't understand why anyone would want to go
    to all the trouble to write a [removed] can go buy one for a couple of
    bucks."

    Bill H.

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:12:01 -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 nine 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, 25 Oct 2006 09:57:34 -0400
    From: Penne <bandpy@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Allen - Funny vs. Not Funny

    Speak about funny vs not funny!  I just couldn't let this slip by.  When I
    read Chris Holm's note
    on Allen, this part broke me up( I'm still laughing.) quote:  "it makes me
    want to hit myself in the face with
    a brick." unquote.    I may be the only one who found this at all to be
    funny, but it just shows how one may react
    to what they consider funny, versus another of the opposite opinion.  For
    example, one may cringe at the thought
    of hitting onself with such a "weapon" (if hitting oneself at all), while
    another (me) pictures it as impossible, therefore "funny".  By the way, if
    anyone is tallying, put me on the "funny" list for Fred.  (sometimes, I laugh
    out
    loud in a theater - all by myself)  Just silly me!

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:31:21 -0400
    From: bob davis <bob_d60@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  RE:Fred Allen

    There's a couple of Fred Allen appearances that stand
    out to me. The "Brooklyn Pinafore" with Leo Durocher
    makes me laugh because my first exposure to baseball
    as a boy was Durocher's  '69 Cubs. Durocher's singing
    and Allen's "Iam an Umpire" routine are great. Later,
    Allen did a 1950's interview about the state of comedy
    and what he said then was right on. As he put it, the
    pressure on comedy was greater than ever with the
    demands put on it by   television. And, he said that
    television comedy was basically slapstick - something
    which hasn't changed much since then. My personal
    favorite comedy is Groucho Marx in You Bet Your Life.
    His quick, unrehearsed jokes with real people beats
    anything else I've heard.

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:16:58 -0400
    From: "RadioAZ@[removed]" <radioAZ@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Comedians

    In the discussion about Fred Allen and topical humor, consider this:

    Thirty years from now, who will be lining up to buy retrospective DVDs of
    monologues by Jay Leno, David Letterman, [removed]  Certainly not people born
    today.  But 30-somethings who watch those guys regularly now will be that
    audience.

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 13:17:20 -0400
    From: Philip Chavin <pchavin@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: OTR Comedy vs Drama

    In Digest #288 Sam Bliss offered an opinion and I'd
    like to respond here.  He feels that OTR
    dramas/adventures are much more entertaining (to him,
    anway) than the comedies, in large part because
    they've held up better. I have respect for his view -
    it's probably a majority view.

    But I'm entertained tremendously by recordings of
    "dated" OTR comedies (Bob Hope, for example). To me,
    hearing such comedy now is a wonderful experience. As
    for not holding up: When I listen to OTR comedy I
    don't listen to it as I would to modern day comedy; I
    listen to it with historical perspective.  I imagine
    how the "dated" broadcast sounded to the studio and
    national audience just at that point in time and I get
    in the historical mood - I'm listening to Bob Hope's
    topical jokes as though I'm listening to him on the
    radio in 1946 (or whenever); a kind of time-travel.
    That's very entertaining to me.

    -- Phil C.

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:22:32 -0400
    From: "kclarke5@[removed]" <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  OTR Preferences
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

           I agree, preferences for OTR are subjective and shouldn't be opened
    to a vote.  They are, after all, just individual opinions which are different
    across the board.  There are no right or wrong answers to which OTR programs
    were the best or worst.  If feedback is what we're looking for then we should
    ask to be contacted by those interested offline.

           Back on topic:  Does anyone have any information on "Quiz Kids"?
    Anything would be appreciated (broadcast dates, casts, sponsors, etc.).  One
    of the things which drew my interest in the program was the type questions
    asked.  The way they were worded made you wonder whether there could ever be
    any answer to them at all.  Yet, once an answer was provided it made sense
    and
    caused you to wonder what the next question would be.  Sometimes, the younger
    kids on the  panel could surprise you by answering the questions the older
    ones could not.  In some ways, it was like a younger version of "Information
    Please".  BTW, was there ever a television version of this program?  Just
    wondering.

           Also, I've heard of an OTR program called "Professor Quiz", but have
    yet
    to be able to locate any information on it or find any available eps of it.

    Another OTR Fan,

    Kenneth Clarke

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 16:22:15 -0400
    From: Anthony Akins <asakins@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  re: Fred Allen and XM

    In Volume 2006 : Issue 290 William Harker wrote: "Does XM (or
    Radio Spirits from which XM appears to obtain a lot of its
    programming) carry Fred Allen?"

    Yep, XM does carry the Fred Allen show. My guess is about one
    week a month XM will play the Fred Allen show. I'm pretty sure
    it was on last week, which suggests, if I'm right about the
    frequency, it will be two-three more weeks before another
    episode is played.

    Anthony Akins

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 16:44:03 -0400
    From: "Karen Lerner" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: "OTR Digest (E-mail)" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  X Minus What?

    First, many thanks to Howard Blue for making my Orson Welles/Freedom of
    Speech mystery episode quest a short one!  ([removed] those of you who have
    met me, no short jokes here please!)  :)

    [removed] I have been sent in search of a specific X minus one story about a
    "microbial" invasion force that is about to take over the world, but at the
    last moment it is discovered that they are in the body of a condemned
    prisoner who is about to be electrocuted.

    Does this ring any bells for anyone?  I have a customer who would be so
    thrilled if I could give him a title and/or broadcast date.

    Karen Lerner
    Radio Spirits

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:06:39 -0400
    From: Tom Greenli <tom_greenli@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Who's on first?

    Who's on first?

    If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their
    famous sketch, "Who's on First?" might have turned out
    something like this:

    *COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT*

    ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

    COSTELLO: Thanks. I'm setting up an office in my den
    and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

    ABBOTT: Mac?

    COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

    ABBOTT: Your computer?

    COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

    ABBOTT: Mac?

    COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

    ABBOTT: What about Windows?

    COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

    ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

    COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at
    the windows?

    ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

    COSTELLO: Never mind the windows I need a computer and
    software.

    ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

    COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can
    use to write proposals track expenses and run my
    business. What do you have?

    ABBOTT: Office.

    COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend
    anything?

    ABBOTT: I just did.

    COSTELLO: You just did what?

    ABBOTT: Recommend something.

    COSTELLO: You recommended something?

    ABBOTT: Yes.

    COSTELLO: For my office?

    ABBOTT: Yes.

    COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

    ABBOTT: Office.

    COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

    ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

    COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK,
    let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want
    to type a proposal. What do I need?

    ABBOT T: Word.

    COSTELLO: What word?

    ABBOTT: Word in Office.

    COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

    ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

    COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

    ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue "W".

    COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue "w" if you
    don't start with some straight answers. What about
    financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track
    my money with?

    ABBOTT: Money.

    COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

    ABBOTT: Money.

    COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

    ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

    COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

    ABBOTT: Money.

    COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

    ABBOTT: Yes No extra charge.

    COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer?
    How much?

    ABBOTT: One copy.

    COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

    ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a lic ense to copy Money.

    COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

    ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

    (A few days later)

    ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

    COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

    ABBOTT: Click on
    "START"...............................

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:23:48 -0400
    From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Norman Corwin Interview Re-broadcast

    Folks;

       If you missed the hour-long interview with Norman Corwin aired on XM
    Satellite Radio's "The Bob Edwards Show" in July of 2005, you'll get another
    chance this Monday on XMPR, Channel 133 - 8:00 am and 9:00 am in the east,
    7:00 am and 5:00 pm in the west. If you aren't a subscriber to XM Satellite
    Radio, you can get a free three-day pass for XM Online at
    [removed] and hear the show online all day on Monday.

             Charlie

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

    Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 19:23:59 -0400
    From: "Irene Heinstein" <IreneTH@[removed];
    To: "OTR" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  War of the Worlds - The Simpsons version

    FYI:  For their annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode, broadcast around
    Halloween every year,  this year the Simpsons "are doing a segment titled
    "The Day the Earth Was Stupid," ...a takeoff on Orson Welles' infamous 1938
    radio broadcast, "The War of The Worlds."

    Infamous? I disagree with that characterization:

    Mirriam-Webster online dictionary:  Infamous:

    1 : having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil <an infamous
    traitor>
    2 : causing or bringing infamy : DISGRACEFUL <an infamous crime>
    3 : convicted of an offense bringing infamy.

    Webster's Dictionary:  Infamous
         1. Of very bad report; having a reputation of the worst kind; held in
    abhorrence; guilty of something that exposes to infamy; base; notoriously
    vile; detestable; as, an infamous traitor; an infamous perjurer.
          False errant knight, infamous, and forsworn.
          - Spenser.
         2. Causing or producing infamy; deserving detestation; scandalous to
    the last degree; as, an infamous act; infamous vices; infamous corruption.
         3. (Law) Branded with infamy by conviction of a crime; as, at common
    law, an infamous person can not be a witness.
         4. Having a bad name as being the place where an odious crime was
    committed, or as being associated with something detestable; hence, unlucky;
    perilous; dangerous.
          Infamous hills, and sandy perilous wilds.
          - Milton.

    Full article on ABC website:

    [removed];page=1

    Irene

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #291
    *********************************************

    Copyright [removed] Communications, York, PA; All Rights Reserved,
      including republication in any form.

    If you enjoy this list, please consider financially supporting it:
       [removed]

    For Help: [removed]@[removed]

    To Unsubscribe: [removed]@[removed]

    To Subscribe: [removed]@[removed]
      or see [removed]

    For Help with the Archive Server, send the command ARCHIVE HELP
      in the SUBJECT of a message to [removed]@[removed]

    To contact the listmaster, mail to listmaster@[removed]

    To Send Mail to the list, simply send to [removed]@[removed]