Subject: [removed] Digest V2006 #163
From: [removed]@[removed]
Date: 6/13/2006 4:18 PM

To: [removed]@[removed]

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2006 : Issue 163
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                 [removed]
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Re: Bob [removed] Bob [removed] Man  [ Joseph Webb <drjoewebb@[removed]; ]
      Announcers: From Radio To TV          [ "Stuart Lubin" <StuartLubin@[removed] ]
      Re: Announcers: From radio to TV      [ "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@ea ]
      From Clyde Beatty to Frank Buck       [ Briantaves1879@[removed] ]
      V-E Day                               [ "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@sbcgloba ]
      Gang Busters and Gene Autry           [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
      6-13 births/deaths                    [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
      Arnold Stang                          [ "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@attorneyross. ]
      Superman TV announcer: Bill Kennedy   [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
      Superman TV show announcer            [ "Gordon Robson" <g-robson@[removed] ]
      Lanny Ross                            [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
      "...bend steel in his own [removed]"   [ Wich2@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:19:11 -0400
    From: Joseph Webb <drjoewebb@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Bob [removed] Bob [removed] Mandel Kramer

    [removed] IMDB is a marvelous data base which I have used for [removed] and I
    never think of looking there for radio actors unless I knew they were active
    in the movies.

    The last I knew, no one could find out what happened to him for quite a
    while, but some Sperdvac members did locate him in a nursing home as he had
    suffered a stroke, and they did give him one of their awards in the home. He
    died not long after if I am remembering correctly.

    That still leaves the question about how Readick was chosen as the first NY
    Johnny Dollar, and how the role ended up with Mandel Kramer. I've been
    listening to the Kramer run of late, and they are quite good. Luckily, Jack
    Johnstone was still writing for the program and knew the formula despite the
    lower production values. But the differences between the Readick and Kramer
    rendition seem quite stark. I wonder if Johnstone had anything to do with the
    selection or the change.

    JWW

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:23:34 -0400
    From: "Stuart Lubin" <StuartLubin@[removed];
    To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Announcers: From Radio To TV

    Very interesting question that William Shishko raises, and I am sure that
    there will be several responses after mine. Just off the top of my head
    comes the picture of Richard Stark who announced soap operas on TV as well
    as "What's My Line?" Another daytime serial announcer was Don Hancock, whom
    I remember seeing on TV.  Ken Roberts' voice was heard, but please correct
    me if he actually was seen.
    Milton Berle viewers finally got to see what Stella Dallas announcer, Frank
    Gallup looked like, and what a shock!!!  Hugh James took Voice of Firestone
    directly to TV, and there seemed little difference between radio and TV,
    except for the picture.  This is just for starters!

    Stuart

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 19:24:09 -0400
    From: "Michael J. Hayde" <michaelhayde@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Announcers:  From radio to TV

    Bill Shishko mentioned watching the first season of the 1950's SUPERMAN TV
    series, and asked:

>     I am wondering who the announcer for that was, [removed] the name behind the
>     "Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, etc. "  He
>     is not the announcer for the radio version

    The announcer is Willard "Bill" Kennedy.  I'm unable to locate any radio
    credits - the most complete bio I can find says he was a Warner Bros.
    contract player during the 1940's (as were nearly all of the SUPERMAN
    regulars), and that he later hosted a movie show on local TV in Detroit.  He
    can be seen in the first season SUPERMAN episode "Crime Wave" as a radio
    newscaster.  A little trivia: the day Kennedy recorded that narration,
    Charlie Chaplin was in the studio (to work on his score for "Limelight").
    When Kennedy stepped out of the room, Chaplin said, "Young man, you have the
    most powerful voice I've ever heard."

    Michael

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:14:23 -0400
    From: Briantaves1879@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  From Clyde Beatty to Frank Buck
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

>     However, Clyde Beatty himself did do radio, and specifically
>     radio drama.

    Speaking of Clyde Beatty--is there a list, or documentation, of Frank Buck's
    radio series and appearances?  I have, I believe, 3 from OTR catalogs.
    Thanks,  Brian Taves   Briantaves1879@[removed]

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

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:14:32 -0400
    From: "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@[removed];
    To: "The Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  V-E Day

    I was very aware, as a teenager, of wartime restrictions during WWII. The
    cities were blacked out. all the building were dark and no weather
    forecasts -. The reason was air raids If any body wanted to bomb us, like
    they did during the Blitz in England they would have to find us. Remember
    the weather forecasters didn't have the equipment then like we have now. Why
    tell the world that there were no clouds over NY City or Chicago, in cast
    they were planning a bombing raid.  May 1945 , V-E day the German threat was
    over. The German's were out of the [removed] GOOD GUYS WON.

    We celebrated a lot, but not as much as we did On V-J day. It was wild. I'll
    never forget it. It went on all day and [removed]

    Frank McGurn

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:15:39 -0400
    From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Gang Busters and Gene Autry

    Frank McGurn wrote:

>     In my collection of OTR I have a lot of GANGBUSTERS and GENE AUTRY'S MELODY
>     RANCH episodes, and very few have dates I assume they were AFRS
>     rebroadcasts. I have searched the internet and have not found any logs for
>     these programs. I hope that one of the very knowledgeable reads of the
>     DIGEST may know of the existence of a log that I missed.

    Regarding Gene Autry, there is to date, no complete broadcast log or episode
    guide available for the Gene Autry radio shows.  Gene Autry Entertainment,
    who has a web-site devoted to Autry's works (I believe it's
    [removed]) has been spending the past few years documenting
    everything Autry did and I believe allof his film-related career such as his
    movies and TV shows are finished.  Packy, a fella I know who has been
    working with Gene Autry Entertainment, told me they are now working on his
    discography and will eventually get to his radio broadcasts as time permits
    but it's a lot of work.

    Regarding Gang Busters, there is a log.  The 700 page book entitled
    GANG BUSTERS: The Crime Fighters of American Broadcasting features a lengthy
    episode guide which includes episode numbers, titles, airdates, plot
    descriptions (which of course, is extremely valuable when placing a date on
    an existing recording that doesn't even have a title) and trivia and more.
    There is no episode guide available on the web that I am aware of (at least,
    none that includes plot descriptions).  A few friends and I put the book
    together and I do have to thank Bill Abbott especially who helped with
    Phillip H. Lord's personal papers and script collection.  The log has been
    instrumental, from the feedback I received, helping others accurately title
    and date the recordings in their collection.

    As for the AFRS mention, many of the existing GANG BUSTERS episodes exist
    not because of the AFRS, but because of Charles Michelson, who preserved the
    recordings and syndicated them for radio stations throughout the 1960s, 70s
    and 80s.  The reason, incidentally, why many of the GANG BUSTERS episodes
    are difficult to correctly date and title is because MOST of the radio
    scripts actually had two titles on them.  Info about the GANG BUSTERS book
    can be found at [removed] and [removed]

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:16:14 -0400
    From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  6-13 births/deaths

    June 13th births

    06-13-1873 - Jean Adair - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - d. 5-11-1953
    actor: "Radio Guild"; "Theatre Guild On the Air"
    06-13-1874 - Major Edward Bowes - San Francisco, CA - d. 6-13-1946
    emcee: "Capitol Family"; "Original Amateur Hour"
    06-13-1887 - Edward 'Senator' Ford - Brooklyn, NY - d. 1-27-1970
    panelist: "Can You Top This"
    06-13-1890 - Elmer Davis - Aurora, IN - d. 5-18-1958
    newscaster: "Elmer Davis and the News"
    06-13-1892 - Basil Rathbone - Johannesburg, South Africa - d. 7-21-1967
    actor: Sherlock Holmes "Sherlock Holmes"; Inspector Burke "Scotland
    Yard's Inspector Burke"
    06-13-1894 - Mark Van Doren - Hope, IL - d. 12-10-1972
    pulitzer prize winning poet: "NBC University Theatre"; "Invitation to
    Learning"
    06-13-1894 - Tay Garnett - Los Angeles, CA - d. 10-4-1977
    film director: "Three Sheets to the Wind"; "Screen Director's Playhouse"
    06-13-1900 - Ian Hunter - Kenilworth, South Africa - d. 9-24-1975
    actor: "Hollywood Hotel"; "[removed] Steel Hour"
    06-13-1903 - Jack Fulton - Philipsburg, PA - d. 11-13-1993
    singer: "Ben Bernie, The Old Maestro"; "The Kraft Music Hall"
    06-13-1905 - Doc Cheatham - Nashville, TN - d. 6-2-1997
    jazz trumpeter: "Benny Goodman and His Sextet/Orchestra"; "Benny
    Goodman Quintet"
    06-13-1908 - Carl Eastman - d. 1-16-1970
    actor: "Mrs. Miniver"; "Renfrew of the Mounted"
    06-13-1909 - Anna Sosenko - NYC - d. 6-9-2000
    friend and agent to Hildegard
    06-13-1911 - Maurice Copeland - Rector, AR - d. 10-3-1985
    actor: Augustus Pendelton "Ma Perkins"; "Curtain Time"; "Hall of
    Fantasy"
    06-13-1912 - Sam Taylor - Chicago, IL - d. 5-26-2000
    writer: "Tales ofWillie Piper"
    06-13-1913 - Bob Bailey - Toeldo, OH - d. 8-13-1983
    actor: Johnny Dollar "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar"; George Valentine
    "Let George Do It"
    06-13-1913 - Ralph Edwards - Merino, CO - d. 11-16-2005
    host, announcer: "Truth or Consequences"; "This Is Your Life";
    "Original Amateur Hour"
    06-13-1916 - Mary Wickes - St. Louis, MO - d. 10-22-1995
    actor: Louise "Meet Corliss Archer"; Irma Barker "Lorenzo Jones"
    06-13-1917 - Elizabeth Reller - d. 9-29-1996
    actor: Connie Barclay "Doc Barclay's Daughters"
    06-13-1917 - Si Zentner - NYC - d. 2-6-2000
    bandleader, trombonist: "Si Zentner and His Orchestra"; "Guard Session"
    06-13-1920 - Ben Johnson - Pawnee, OK - d. 4-8-1996
    actor: "Francis Burke for Attorney General"
    06-13-1924 - Lee Millar - Oakland, CA - d. 9-21-1980
    actor: Bob Regent "Chandu the Magician"; "On Stage"; "NBC Presents:
    Short Story"

    June 13th deaths

    05-26-1893 - Eugene Goosens - London, England - d. 6-13-1962
    conductor: New York Philharmonic
    05-30-1909 - Benny Goodman - Chicago, IL - d. 6-13-1986
    bandleader: (King of Swing) "Camel Caravan"; "Victor Borge Show"
    06-13-1874 - Major Edward Bowes - San Francisco, CA - d. 6-13-1946
    emcee: "Capitol Family"; "Original Amateur Hour"
    07-20-1919 - [removed] Stevens - Los Angeles, CA - d. 6-13-1994
    actor: Lois Graves "Junior Miss"
    07-26-1896 - Charles Butterworth - South Bend, IN - d. 6-13-1946
    comedian: "Fred Astaire Show"
    07-28-1912 - George Cisar - Illinois - d. 6-13-1979
    actor: Tim "Tena and Tim"
    10-10-1913 - Johnny Downs - Brooklyn, NY - d. 6-13-1994
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    11-08-1931 - Darla Hood - Leedey, OK - d. 6-13-1979
    actor: "Jack Benny Program"; "Bud's Bandwagon"
    11-20-1907 - Fran Allison - La Porte City, IA - d. 6-13-1989
    actor, singer: Aunt Fanny, "Breakfast Club"; "National Barn Dance";
    "Uncle Ezra"
    11-22-1924 - Geraldine Page - Kirksville, MO - d. 6-13-1987
    actor: "Arch Oboler's Plays"

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Home state of Raymond Paige
    Wausau, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 22:23:54 -0400
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <joe@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Arnold Stang

>     Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 09:24:32 -0400
>     From: "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];

>     As one of American radio's busiest and best-known character
>     actors during the 1930s and '40s, Stang almost single-handedly
>     invented the modern comic persona now popularly called a
>     "nerd," years before that term was coined.

    1930s and '40s?  He was all over the TV screen in the 1950s and
    beyond!  He was a regular on the Milton Berle Show as Francis the
    stagehand,on Chunky chocolate commercials, and many other places.

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

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

    Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 09:58:27 -0400
    From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Superman TV announcer: Bill Kennedy

    William Shishko asked who was the announcer of the
    George Reeves Supreman TV series.

     The answer is Bill Kennedy, who for many years hosted
    "Bill Kennedy at the movies" on channel 50 in Detroit.
    He died in 1997.

    Here's some info about him:

    [removed]:-yPg_JGZCr0[removed]+%22Bill+Kennedy+at+the+movies%22+%2B+%2250%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2

    [removed]

    Rick

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

    Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 09:58:48 -0400
    From: "Gordon Robson" <g-robson@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Superman TV show announcer

    According to IMDB, and "Superman on Television, Tenth Anniversary Edition",
    the announcer on the Superman TV series was Bill Kennedy.  He appeared in
    the "Crime Wave" episode as a radio announcer.  He also played a race track
    announcer in "Joey", the first episode of the 1955 season.  He later hosted
    matinee movies on channel 50 in Detroit, Michigan.

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

    Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 09:59:10 -0400
    From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Lanny Ross

    Digesters,

    I got this email, can anyone help?

    Hello,
    I ran across your blog as I was searching for any information on
    Lannie Ross.  My grandmother will be 90 years old in a few weeks, and
    she said Lannie was her favorite entertainer as she was growing up.

    I am having trouble finding anything about him, let alone any
    recordings that I could give to her as a gift.  Any suggestions?

    thank you for your time,
    Linda Strange
    Rye, Colorado

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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

    Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 11:14:41 -0400
    From: Wich2@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  "...bend steel in his own [removed]"

    From: William Shishko <wshishko@[removed];
    Subject:   Announcers:  From radio to TV

>     We are watching the first year ...  I am wondering who the
>     announcer for that was

    One announcer on the show was Bill Kennedy; I believe there was another, as
    well?
    (Paging Tony?)

>     He is not the announcer for the radio version

    Kennedy has a totally servicable voice - but he's no Jack Beck!
    (I wonder if he was considered, ala Fred Foy, to do both?)

    Best,
    -Craig

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #163
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