Subject: [removed] Digest V2001 #393
From: "Vince Long" <longv@[removed];
Date: 12/11/2001 8:04 AM
To: <vlongbsh@[removed];

Return-Path: <[removed]@[removed];
Received: from [removed] ([removed]) by [removed] with
ESMTP (Eudora Internet Mail Server [removed]) for <longv@[removed];; 
Tue, 11 Dec 2001 07:39:23 -0700
Received: (from slist@localhost)
	by [removed] ([removed]) id JAA00389;
	Tue, 11 Dec 2001 09:14:17 -0500
X-Envelope-From: [removed]@[removed]
X-Envelope-To: longv@[removed]
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 09:14:17 -0500
From: OldRadio Mailing Lists <[removed]@[removed];
Message-Id: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: [removed] Digest V2001 #393
X-Loop: [removed]@[removed]
X-Mailing-List: <[removed]@[removed]; archive/volume2001/393
X-Distributed-By: [removed]
X-Precedence: list
List-Help: <[removed]@[removed];
List-Unsubscribe:
<[removed]@[removed];
List-Subscribe: <[removed]@[removed];
List-Post: <[removed]@[removed];
MIME-Version: [removed]
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
To: [removed]@[removed]
Reply-To: [removed]@[removed]

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


                           The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                             Volume 2001 : Issue 393
                        A Part of the [removed]!
                                ISSN: 1533-9289


                                Today's Topics:

 Re: Mutual's "illegal" pearl harbor   [ Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed]; ]
 'Twas The Night Before Christmas      [ Al Girard <agirard@[removed] ]
 SUSPENSE WITH HOWARD CULVER           [ "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed]; ]
 Today in Radio History 12/10          [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
 Richard Crenna                        [ Alan Chapman <[removed]@verizon. ]
 Spence is too kind.                   [ hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; ]
 Fibber McGee & Molly show 12/20/49    [ sojax@[removed] (Roger S. Smith) ]
 Maybeland Map                         [ "Donald B. Strong" <donsplace@earth ]
 home discs                            [ "Joe Salerno" <sergei01@[removed] ]
 Re: Roses and Drums                   [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
 Re: Cavalcade of Sports               [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
 Fibber McGee & Molly 12/20/1949       [ sojax@[removed] (Roger S. Smith) ]
 CBC irony                             [ John Henley <jhenley@[removed] ]
 planet man                            [ "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed]; ]
 Re: Cavalcade of Sports Announcers    [ Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed]; ]
 RECORDINGS ON CARDBOARD               [ "Ian Grieve" <ian@[removed] ]
 Re: old discs                         [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
 Jack and Rochester, Sitting In A Tre  [ "Chris Chandler" <chrisc@[removed]; ]
 From "Barndance" to "Opry"            [ Udmacon@[removed] ]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 01:07:59 -0500
From: Michael Biel <mbiel@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Mutual's "illegal" pearl harbor broadcast

Much thanks to Eric Cooper for his mention yesterday of my C-SPAN
broadcast ten years ago of the debate from the House of Representatives
following FDR's Declaration of War address.  I've been crafting my
letter to NPR to tell them that Cronkite erred when he specifically
stated that NBC and CBS switched back to their studios after the speech
and that only Mutual did the debate.  CBS also did, and the name of
their reporter in the House that day was Park Simmons.  Who he???  He
was not listed as an accredited Capitol correspondent, and I think that
this was the reason he continued the broadcast that day.  He didn't know
any better.  He also let it go on without constant interruptions for
commentary unlike Mutual's Fulton Lewis Jr. who chatted a lot.  When I
did the C-SPAN broadcast I edited together the House floor proceedings
>from both networks' broadcasts, using the recording which was from a
closer microphone with no commentary--so most of it was from CBS.  So my
recording of the debate is more complete than the one Cronkite used.

I should mention that it was not an "illegal" broadcast.  It was just
against the rules of the House of Representatives.  Although there had
been a few broadcasts in the 30s of the opening ceremonies of new
congresses, other than that only Joint Sessions of the House and Senate
could be broadcast when there was an important speech.  The Joint
Session ended when the Senators left the chamber, and that is when the
broadcast should have ended.  When the recess was declared and then when
the House was brought back in order, both commentators were distracted
with other things to describe, so they just kept right on going.  My
feeling is that Fulton Lewis Jr. knew what he was doing.  Both he and
Simmons were told at about the same time to stop the broadcasts and
Simmons complied.  It took a second message to stop Lewis.

Like Cronkite I discussed Jeannette Rankin's efforts to be recognized
and also played the same segments of Fulton Lewis Jr's commentary about
her efforts.  Unlike Cronkite I discussed the fact that although this
vote against entry into WW II made her unpopular, I not only mentioned
that she had ALSO cast a vote against entry into WW I, but also
mentioned that there is a statue in her honor in the Capitol building.
Like Cronkite I discussed Fulton Lewis Jr's flaunting of the rules
against broadcasting the debate, but unlike Cronkite I also discussed
the role that CBS played in also broadcasting the debate.  Unfortunately
a last minute decision on the part of CBS to charge C-SPAN SEVEN HUNDRED
DOLLARS A MINUTE for using the voices of any of their correspondents
forced us to remove the voices of their reporters.  Otherwise I would
have been able to play not only the segments when Lewis discussed being
forced to stop the broadcast, I would have also aired Park Simmons'
reactions over at CBS.

NPR's web site discusses Cronkite's report as an exclusive.  Well, maybe
it is this year, but I scooped him by TEN YEARS, and my report was more
complete and more accurate.  I don't know how they missed the CBS part
of the story.  CBS has always had their recording of this broadcast in
their archive.  Part of the CBS broadcast of the debate was included on
an LP that was sold at the Pearl Harbor Memorial for many, many years.
And on Monday Dec 9, 1991 I walked over to both the Library of Congress
and the National Archives and gave them tapes of both broadcasts.

The NPR web site mentions that the segment was produced by John
McDonough.  John is an old friend of mine, and is the one who did all of
the NPR reports with Bob Trout.  The web site mentions that John found
the Mutual recording behind some shelves at WGN.  And yes, about 30
years ago John brought the discs over to my archive studio at
Northwestern where we dubbed them off before he slipped them back behind
the WGN shelves.  But this was not my only source for the Mutual
broadcast because I had also found a set of Wilcox-Gay Recordio discs of
a home recording of most of the Mutual debate at a garage sale in
Evanston.  Other than the Hawaiian LP, my source for the CBS broadcast
were the discs that WCAU gave to Temple University in 1967.  So I had
two sources for each network, although one for each would be
incomplete.  Much to my amazement, neither the Library of Congress nor
the National Archives had either.  And for some reason the Museum of
Television and Radio has never thought it important enough to ask CBS
for their recording.  I doubt that anybody at either the Museum or CBS
knows that this debate broadcast exists over at CBS!

EVEN WALTER CRONKITE DOESN'T KNOW THAT CBS HAS THE RECORDING.  HE
DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THAT CBS BROADCAST THE DEBATE.  (although I have a
feeling that he will know about this by the time you read this, and BOY
will he be pissed off!)  My C-SPAN broadcast didn't go unnoticed.  It
was rebroadcast 4 or 5 times that weekend, and since my part was three
hours in length it sometimes seemed like I was on all weekend.  Over the
years I've had many people mention that they saw the broadcast.  It even
was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal!!  Makes you wonder how they all
could have missed knowing any of this.

When I got the WCAU recordings I heard that somebody there mentioned
that all CBS stations had been asked by the network to destroy any
recordings they had of the debate but that WCAU refused.  So when John
came up with the WGN discs from BEHIND SOME SHELVES in the library, that
really set off flares in my mind.  Edward R. Murrow was in Washington
that day--why was Park Simmons (who he???) used to report this important
broadcast?  And why didn't Murrow and Friendly use any of the debate in
"I Can Hear It Now" when I KNOW that the recording has always been there
at CBS News.  I've seen it.  Was it really being suppressed?  The debate
broadcast was reported about in the newspapers at the time.  It's
amazing how forgotten a story this is.  It was almost completely unknown
when I did the C-SPAN broadcast ten years ago--and it got forgotten
again in the past ten years!

Michael Biel  mbiel@[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 09:24:47 -0500
From: Al Girard <agirard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: 'Twas The Night Before Christmas

I now have the episode of December 22, 1942
posted on the website.  This was the first time
that Teeny and the King's Men performed the
song that became so popular.

Al Girard

Unofficial Fibber McGee and Molly home Page
[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 09:25:02 -0500
From: "Lois Culver" <lois@[removed];
To: "OTR Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: SUSPENSE WITH HOWARD CULVER

A late answer to Michael Gwynne -
Re: Suspense show "The Search" - I was told that it was in two [removed]
first part was run, then the second half was preempted by something else.  I
have no indication that it was ever run.  I have the first part of the show,
and I, too, would love to have the second half if it is available anywhere.

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: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 09:25:17 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Today in Radio History  12/10

From Those Were The Days --

1927 - For the first time, famed radio announcer George Hay introduced
the WSM Barn Dance as The Grand Ole Opry. The show's title may have
changed but it remained the home of country music.

 Joe

--
Visit my home page:
[removed]~[removed]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 11:12:56 -0500
From: Alan Chapman <[removed]@[removed];
To: Old-Time Radio Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Richard Crenna

...Crenna did a brilliant TV show in the mid-60s in which he > played a
California state [removed]

Most recently, Crenna appeared in a recurring role on "Judging Amy" as
a wealthy suitor of Judge Amy's mother, Maxine. Don't know whether
that character will return or not, but I'm sure you can catch him in
reruns (which will likely start soon -- it seems that reruns begin
after only 4 or 5 new episodes these days).

Alan Chapman

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 11:55:22 -0500
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Spence is too kind.

Spence acknowledged my recent posting by saying:

I can believe the part about your performing for the studio audience, because
I remember well the wild laughter coming so often from the kids in the
audience.  (Yes.  I'll have to admit it.  I also listened to your show.)

Opps! That admission sounded almost apologetic. :)

So you, Hal, can take pride in knowing that you entertained young
people who would someday grow up to be the leaders of this nation.  Like
members of Congress.  Wait a minute.  Strike that.  You shouldn't have to
shoulder *that* responsibility.  Make it our police and fire fighters.

Thanks for making that distinction, Spence. But there are a few in
Government today that I wouldn't mind knowing I had once entertained. :)

And as far as the "hero's" of today that you [removed] My hunch is that
none of them are still active, but enjoying retirement along with me.

Hal(Harlan)Stone
Jughead

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 12:51:54 -0500
From: sojax@[removed] (Roger S. Smith)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Fibber McGee & Molly show 12/20/49

In answer to Bryan Wright's post in issue #392. I have the show in my
reel to reel collection. I  listened to it and mine ends the same. Teeny
sings with the group and after the singing the announcer says "stay
tuned for Big Town coming up next on NBC" bing, bing, bong then an WMAQ
announcer "WMAQ and WMAQ fm NBC in Chicago".  My copy sure sounds like
it is the complete broadcast as there is a very slight turntable rumble
and the rumble is not interrupted.  If someone would have cut the ending
it would be audible. I have one more copy on a very early reel  in my
collection that I will also check but if you do not hear from me that
will indicate that it is the same. So long for now, Roger.

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 13:21:56 -0500
From: "Donald B. Strong" <donsplace@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Maybeland Map

I rarely post to the digest, but in this case I just have to send a
public very big THANK YOU to Mr. Crow.

Recently, he offered to send a copy of a map of Maybeland to anyone who
requested one. Not only did he send a copy to me lightning fast, but he
has been a joy to correspond with and very, very, gracious.

It never ceases to amaze me that list subscribers are so kind, giving,
forgiving, and just plain great folks, and Mr. Crow is a shining example
to us all.

Again, Thank You!

-- [removed] (donsplace@[removed])
"Prevent truth decay - study the Bible daily."

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 15:40:14 -0500
From: "Joe Salerno" <sergei01@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: home discs

Mr Wells:
I actually have a couple of these old discs.

Do you know what they are of?

Joe Salerno

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 15:40:38 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Roses and Drums

On 12/10/01 9:21 AM OldRadio Mailing Lists wrote:

Hello again from someone who hasn't written often but always enjoys learning
>from all the folks in this group. Does anyone know of a show which was on in
the early thirties called "Roses and Drums" which was, I believe, a
fictional Civil War story. My mother enjoyed it as a girl and I told her if
any shows were available someone in this group would know.

"Roses and Drums" was during most of its run a sort of Civil War
melodrama, with dramatized historical scenes mixed in with a serialized
romance story about a young nurse torn between two lovers -- one a Yankee
and the other a Rebel. The program was sponsored by the United Central
Life Insurance Company, which during the Civil War Centennial craze of
the early sixties, issued a promotional LP of "Music from Roses and
Drums." I've been told that they might also have issued an LP containing
an actual episode from the program, but I've never actually seen this
record, and am skeptical as to whether or not it actually exists. All the
"Roses and Drums" scripts are at Duke University, as part of the J.
Walter Thompson archive, but no recordings are in that collection.

The late actress Florence Williams, who was a friend of mine late in
life, had her first featured radio role on "Roses and Drums" beginning in
early 1935. She played a young Quaker girl -- and found it ridiculous
that she was required to appear at the microphone in full costume. For
the benefit of the studio audience, the entire cast broadcast while
wearing appropriate Civil War regalia, including complete military
uniforms for the men and hoop-skirt gowns for most of the women, which
were constantly bumping into the microphone [removed]

Elizabeth

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 15:40:56 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Cavalcade of Sports

Chris Chandler wrote:

A sportcaster named Brian (or Bryan) Field  He is apparently the prime CBS
sports announcer at the time this material picks up in 1935--he calls all
the Kentucky Derby races, etc.  His presence carries over to the beginning
of Gillette sponsorship of the races in [removed] after what's obviously a
disastrous call of that May's Derby, he vanishes, replaced by Clem
[removed] to turn up again in the late 1950s, in sort of an elder
stateman role.

This name rings a bell with me, but try as I might under every variant
spelling I can think of I can't find a listing for him anywhere in the
1939 Variety Radio Directory -- which is quite unusual for anyone with
even a regional reputation. I'll take a look at the "Broadcasting"
magazine microfilms when I get a chance and see if he shows up anywhere
there.

Also, does anybody know anything about the actual "Gillette Cavalcade of
Sports"?  I'm familiar with Ted Husing, Clem McCarthy, [removed] looking for
the correct names of a couple of the [removed] sounds like "George
Walsh"...

George Walsh is listed as the sports/news/special events director of
station WHAS in Louisville, and also has credits for "actor, NBC-CBS,"
although no program titles are listed. I believe this is the same George
Walsh who climbed the ladder at CBS to end up the announcer for
"Gunsmoke" and other programs in the 1950s.

another is "Fred Capanella"...there's also one that sounds like
"Matt O'Lowry"...

No listings for these two under any variant spellings.

and finally a "Bill Korom", who was the Gillette Announcer
and apparently a longtime sportswriter, but who left broadcasting to become
President of Churchill Downs!

Bill Corum (correct spelling) was a sports columnist for various New York
papers at various times, most notably the Journal-American, and was a
fixture on sports broadcasts thruout the thirties and forties, and on
into the early fifties. He is most often identified by his role as a
pre-game commentator during World Series broadcasts dating back to the
early 1930s -- he would give "the inside dope" on the teams and players
before turning the broadcast over to the play-by-play announcer. He would
then return at the end of the game to analyze the key plays. He filled a
similar role on Gillette's broadcasts of college football bowl games and
major boxing matches. Corum's connection to the Kentucky Derby goes back
at least to 1925 -- and it was he who came up with the idea of calling
the race "The Run For The Roses."

Elizabeth

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 15:41:21 -0500
From: sojax@[removed] (Roger S. Smith)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Fibber McGee & Molly 12/20/1949

My second reply to Bryan Wright's question on the Fibber McGee & Molly
Christmas show. I listened to the other reel that I have and BOY what a
difference. On this reel at the end of the song there is a start of
applause then a very sharp cutoff and bing, bing, bong and that's it, no
more. This has me going, however as I said in my first post it sounded
legit as the turntable rumble was not interrupted. I have the show on a
third reel but it is missing. Sooooo Bryan you really have started
something (heh heh). You are about to drive me nuts. So long for now,
Roger.

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 17:49:31 -0500
From: John Henley <jhenley@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: CBC irony

Only a little while after I follow the nifty link to
the Canadian [removed] website, and listen to the archived
(and delightful) interview with Paul Frees, than the
following comes across the AP wire:

TORONTO (AP) - Television and radio technicians for the Canadian
Broadcasting Corp. walked off the job in a dispute over wages,
forcing Canada's public broadcaster to cancel local news broadcasts
and air [removed]
Slawko Klymkiw, executive director of programming, said local news programs
would be replaced by BBC feeds for the duration of the strike, except in
Montreal where there is a different union.

If I may say so, it seems to me that a cosmic sense of humor was
in play today.

John Henley

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 18:12:36 -0500
From: "Ed Carr" <edcarr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: planet man

hi
since i owned the discs at 1 time there are 78 eps
with 1 and 4 missing, the person i bought them from
had the same, and the person i sold them to has never
found 1 and 4, and good chance these will be put on
cd in the near future.
it is a hokey story line, but so were alot of the 50s shows
ed

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 19:11:11 -0500
From: Gerry Wright <gdwright@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Cavalcade of Sports Announcers

Chris Chandler asked >

Looking specifically for correct names, spellings, or any info on:

A sportscaster named Brian (or Bryan) Field

GT, pg. 142 [ca. 1936] -- "The CBS crew for the Kentucky Derby consisted
of Bryan Field, turf expert for the New York Times who described the
race, Bob Trout, and Westbrook Van Voorhis."

am looking for the correct names of a couple of the [removed]
sounds like

"George Walsh"
GT, pg. 162 [ca. 1938] -- "Good old 'Scattergood Baines' first showed up
on the air that year. George Walsh and Roger Krupp would announce."

"Bill Korom"

BB, pg. 224 [Sports and Sportscasters] -- "Bill Corum, who appeared at
countless World Series and prizefight broadcasts to make succinct
comments on the action in his gravel-voice."

See <[removed]; for Corum's
involvement with Churchill Downs.

Nothing found on these two "Fred Capanella" and "Matt O'Lowry"

Sources:

[BB] The Big Broadcast. By Frank Buxton and Bill Owen. The Viking Press,
1972.

[GT] Golden Throats & Silver Tongues: The Radio Announcers. By Ray
Poindexter. River Road Press, 1978.

A possible source of additional information may be the American
Sportscasters Association (ASA), their contact information can be found
at:

<[removed];

Gerry Wright
ZoneZebra Productions
San Francisco

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 19:35:18 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <ian@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: RECORDINGS ON CARDBOARD

There has been discussion on records pressed into cardboard etc.  There have
been examples of the records discussed but I have a confession to make.

The only time I have seen an example of a cardboard record was a record of
sounds supposedly involved in the shooting of JFK.  It was distributed by
none other than Playboy in the middle of one of their magazines.  I don't
remember it being the centrefold.  This was many years ago when I was very
young and only read Playboy for the pictures.  I recall playing the record
on my record player, but cannot remember the details.  I may even have kept
the record.  So the practice of cardboard records must have continued in
some form into the late sixties early seventies (not sure when the record
was released) can't even remember the year let alone the month, hmmm Miss
July rings a bell.

Ian Grieve

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 21:10:08 -0500
From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: old discs

At 09:21 AM 12/10/01 -0500, you wrote:
Does anyone know if there was a time limit on using the blank disks before
they became too old and would not record? Dad had some blanks and I tried to
record on them to no avail.

If my memory serves me right, I seem to recall putting oil on my discs if
they started to age, before cutting them. Just a small amount of something
like 3 in 1. It would keep the stylus from scraping the  disc.

Fred
For the best in Old Time Radio Shows [removed]

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

Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 21:17:24 -0500
From: "Chris Chandler" <chrisc@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Jack and Rochester, Sitting In A Tree?  :)

Elizabeth whispers a naughty [removed]

Jack Benny and Eddie Anderson -- There have been some
mind-bendingly bizarre interpretations of this relationship by
our friends the cultural-studies academics (read Joseph
Boskin sometime and you'll never think of those "Wake up,
Boss" bedroom scenes in the same way [removed])

I find it interesting that some of these latter-day cultural revisionists
blast Benny's treatment of Anderson and Rochester as blatantly racist--then
turn right around and suggest Benny was actually liberal enough to create
American broadcasting's first same-sex couple!  It can't be both!

It's also interesting that whenever anybody mentions this subject on the
Digest, it is abandoned faster than an airline reservation to Afghanistan.
Nobody dares touch it!  Why not?

Elizabeth's referring to the school of interpretation (enunciated or
repeated by authors Boskin, Margaret McFadden, Michelle Hilmes, and perhaps
others) that Jack and Rochester were a happy, if decidedly kinky, homosexual
couple.

Certainly the signs are all there, if you set out to find them:     Jack's
'character' is a man at LEAST in his '40s, who has never been married.  He
occasionally dates women, but never seems overly interested in doing so.
(In fact, he invariably winds up spending New Year's Eve home alone with
Rochester!  [removed])   He's wildly over-concerned about his appearance, to
the point of fussiness.  He idolizes Barbara Stanwyck.

And once the series hit television in the early 1950s, viewers were treated
to the sight of Jack in a giant cradle being rocked to sleep by
Rochester--with both men in their pajamas!  Now that's just plain WEIRD.
And heaven knows what would have happened if authors Boskin and McFadden had
dug a little deeper and discovered that some of "Jack's" closest friends
were a bunch of 12-year old boys called The Beavers!  :-)

In other words, it seems crystal clear, right?  And heaven knows 'Jack
Benny' may not have been the only radio closet case.  Cliff Barbour
practically screams it:  perpetually estranged from his dad; a little
toooooo close to his mother; unable (sometimes thru death, but not always)
to sustain relationships with women; some unknown mental anguish tearing at
him-- literally to the point where he can't function in society.  I'm also
thinking of the extant run of "Big Sister" soap episodes in which hubby John
Wayne runs off to New York to "find himself".  It seems not too much of a
stretch to interpret the scripts as implying that he's at least bisexual.

And there's the problem:  it *IS*, in fact, too much of a stretch.

That's the major trouble with these latter-day critiques and revisionist
interpretations; these critics are assigning subtexts and attitudes the
original authors never intended in a million years.  And you can't view
these 50-year old characters and their actions through the prism of modern
society.  It's doubtful to the point of near-certainty the "Big Sister"
writers didn't intend to make their male lead radio's first gay soap hero!
The sponsor, the network, the audience would never have gone for it.  And of
COURSE Morse, Harlan Ware, and other 'One Man's Family' staffers never
intended troubled Cliffie Barbour to come out of the closet, for the same
set of reasons, and perhaps others.

As for Jack and Rochester, there's ample evidence the Benny writers never
even DREAMT they were sending a 'secret message'.  Milt Josefsberg's 1970s
reminsence THE JACK BENNY PROGRAM includes a long passage debunking rumors
that Jack HIMSELF was gay (that WALK seems to have been the leading piece of
supposed evidence), but he completely glosses over the Jack-Rochester
'controversy'.  It apparently never occured to him to address it.  Worse,
his description of the Benny staff's "token faggot" (his quote) leaves
little doubt he and the other writers were far too insensitive and ignorant
of gay culture to have secretly spent 20 years telegraphing a homoerotic
fantasy.

In short, while it would have been wonderful for a teenager struggling with
his sexuality to be able to turn on the radio and hear even ONE character he
could identify with, the truth is that there WAS no such character.  Radio's
big postwar drive for 'tolerance' extended only to race and religion, not
sexual orientation.  It took another 30 years for that dam to begin
bursting.  And THAT's why today, 'cultural studies' types like Boskin and
Hilmes end up pulling this stuff out of thin air--because in the reality of
old-time radio, the material they seek is just NOT there.

Chris

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

Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 09:04:36 -0500
From: Udmacon@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: From "Barndance" to "Opry"

On Dec. 11, 1927, George D. Hay changed the name of the "WSM Barndance" to
the "Grand Ole Opry."

Bill Knowlton, "BLUEGRASS RAMBLE," WCNY-FM: Syracuse ([removed]), Utica ([removed]),
Watertown NY ([removed]) since Jan. 1973. Sundays, 9 pm est: [removed]

--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2001 Issue #393
*********************************************

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]

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]