From:	SMTP%"[removed]@[removed]" 29-NOV-1995 16:57[removed]:	otr@[removed]:	Subj:	[removed] Digest V95 #422 	********************************************************                      ------   # NOTE #   -------SEE INFO SECTION AT END OF THIS DIGEST FOR UNSUBSCRIBE AND OTHER INFORMATION. 		====  INFO SECTION UPDATED 8/19/95  ====	********************************************************	    [removed]   Volume 95 : Issue 422Articles in this issue of [removed]:	 Murder At Midnight corrections	 RE: R. Paine seeks Christmas show source 	 TOPIC COP ALERT: Benny / Grammar topic	 Grammer Vs. Benny: Unfair to Compare	 Allied Radio Catalogs	 Random [removed]	 New Comedies vs. Old	 Re: dick whittinghill	 Re: cassette storage by "album"	 WSM in Nashville	 Radio Transmitters of the l920's	 THE CHASE log	 Supply & Demand / A Note of Triumph	 Ed Gardner and modern comics----------------------------------------------------------------------Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 03:22:14 -0500 (EST)From: mschmid@[removed]: airwaves <[removed]@[removed]>cc: passage@[removed]: Murder At Midnight correctionsMessage-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>	According to Dunning, pps 425 (Molle Mystery Theatre) & 426 (MAM),the author referred to is Joseph Ruscoll, not Rustcall. Also, the directorwas Anton M. *Leader*, formerly from SUSPENSE.	Max "The Stickler" Schmid------------------------------Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 03:42:19 -0500 (EST)From: mschmid@[removed]: airwaves <[removed]@[removed]>cc: vulm45a@[removed]: RE: R. Paine seeks Christmas show source Message-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>	Many of the shows you seek are available from VINTAGE BROADCASTS(Andy Blatt). 42 Bowling Green, Staten Island, NY 10314.   1-800-418-1445	*STANDARD DISCLAIMER* No he doesn't pay me to tell you this, andyou can get these shows from many dealers; but he does have a special Christmas show listing that is quite extensive on a separate seasonal flyer.   Max "Bah, Humbug" Schmid------------------------------Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 02:50:30 -0600From: Lou Genco <lgenco@[removed]>To: otr@[removed]: TOPIC COP ALERT: Benny / Grammar topicMessage-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>The OTR Digest is an "open" forum for discussion of things related tonostalgic radio programs.  Articles are not pre-screened by either BillPfeiffer or myself; readers/contributors are expected to self-moderate theirposts.  The  Benny / Grammar "discussion" is well into the "argument" [removed] refrain from any further nonproductive posts on the topic, and carryany further posts to private [removed] [removed] page on "Old Time Radio":                   [removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 07:40:52 -0600 (CST)From: Bruce Toews <bruce@[removed]>To: otr@[removed]: Grammer Vs. Benny: Unfair to CompareMessage-ID: <[removed]@[removed]>Well, I have to add my two cents' worth to the discussion of whether or not Kelsey Grammer is better than Jack Benny. I will start by saying I can't honestly say I've watched Grammer, so I don't know. But I've heard Jack Benny's first radio program in 1932, when he was 38, and have to say that I didn't like it. This from perhaps the most loyal Jack Benny fan ever. He didn't shine until fifteen or so years after getting into radio. He was always good at what he did, I'm sure, but I think the person suggesting we give Grammer a few years to catch up with Benny's career was absolutely right. Besides which, I don't like the idea of comparing two people. Will Jack Benny ever be beat? No. But I will say the same thing about Red Green, for example: he'll never be beat. If someone was trying to make themselves out to be a modern Jack Benny, that would be something worth comparing. Maybe Grammer is. The program airs tonight here in Winnipeg, so I'll know then. But I for one am going to reserve judgment, most likely indefinitely, as I don't believe there is a judgment to be [removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 95 14:58:14 0500From: "Phyllis M. LaVietes" <[removed]@[removed]>To: otr@[removed]: Allied Radio CatalogsMessage-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>I used to browse through the Allied Radio catalogs in the late '50s and wonder if there are still any around for [removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 95 15:19:46 UTFrom: "William Mize" <WilliamM_msp@[removed]>To: "'OTR@[removed]'" <OTR@[removed]>Subject: Random [removed]: <[removed]@[removed]>Greets.   Re: CASSETTE STORAGE   When I joined the list (the first time) I emailed to Lou Genco a DOS based, shareware program that allowed folks to type and print their own cassette liners.  It was my understanding that this was being stored at the FTP site and maybe now on the WWW page.   LOU: Feel free to drop me a line and I'll be glad to email it to you again.   Re: DEALER ADDRESS   I've lost the address for one of my favorite OTR dealers, Mr. Ken Mills.  If anyone out there has his address, I'd be ever so grateful if you could either email it or post it to the group.   Re: OTR ON SHORTWAVE   Does anyone know of any OTR that's played on shortwave radio?  Perhaps other shortwavers are on line and would appreciate the info.   Re: CHRISTMAS SHOWS   I know that folks have their own favorite shows.  What's yours?  I'm always looking for recommendations for listening during the holiday [removed], ho, ho, to any and all.   - Bill------------------------------Date: Wed, 29 Nov 95 08:26:23 PSTFrom: "Bates, Robert" <rbates@[removed]>To: otr@[removed]: New Comedies vs. OldMessage-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>While I agree that Kelsey Grammer may not be in Jack Benny's league, I think it's nice that network time is being given over to an old-time star. You can't even see Jack Benny reruns anywhere anymore, so it's nice to know people haven't forgotten [removed] too, however, dread the inevitable parade of comedian testimonials. Boring testimonials and intrusive narration marred past tribute specials on Andy Kaufman and Abbott and Costello. As for the question of new comedies versus old: I would say that comedies are more REALISTIC today, while something like the Jack Benny show takes place in a total fantasyland. However,  radio as a medium is more dialogue intensive, and therefore there was a more of an emphasis on clever writing and witty repartee. TV needs more "visual business," so there's less emphasis on dialogue. Interestingly, Mike Farrell of MASH, in a recent interview, credited the "old radio guys" as writers they used as writers for the show's success. "They really had a flair for how people talked," he said. I think another problem with today's comedies is that they are often written by  graduates of Harvard Lampoon and the like. While they can be clever, they often have limited experience of the so-called "real world." The old radio comedy writers often came from poor  backgrounds (the Lower East Side) which gave them more of a perspective on the world.   It's interesting that when the old guys started creating their own shows, they often used blue-collar characters, such as All in the Family. (Norman Lear, AITF's creator, worked for the Martin and Lewis show.) By contrast, every sitcom today seems to be about yuppies who live in [removed] all that, I think the Simpsons, Seinfeld and TV Nation are great shows, and can stand up to anything the "Golden Age" had to [removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 11:57:28 -0500From: Joelsiegel@[removed]: [removed]@[removed]: Re: dick whittinghillMessage-ID: <951129115728_119865905@[removed]>did you whittinghill this morning?and do you remember the world's first stereo commercial? stan freberg did itfor butternut coffee. whittinghill on kmpc on the left side and bob crane onknx on the right. i can still sing the jingle, though i honestly can'tremember what kind of coffee i drank this morning. or if i drank coffee thismorning. or if it's [removed] what about whitinghill's story records? a shaggy dog story leading up toa punch-line on a record. the one i [removed] a ship, a visitor indeep distress till the admiral says (CUT to Dinah Washington singing: You goto my head.).why do i remember that when i honestly can't remember if [removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 14:57:03 -0500From: Jblackie@[removed]: [removed]@[removed]: Re: cassette storage by "album"Message-ID: <951129145702_61248499@[removed]>In a message dated 95-11-29 03:22:28 EST,  Ron B. Hare  writes:> I finally>settled on those vinyl cassette albums with the plastic depressions for>unboxed cassettes. These albums fit on a bookshelf and look nice with>laser-printed spine inserts telling what's inside. In my database, the>cassettes are identified by the album number and position in the album (A ->H).>The albums take up little extra storage volume, and have transparent cover>sleeves for j-cards or other information about the cassettes inside. Another>advantage is that they are compatible with bookshelves (they fully use the>depth of the shelf, unlike some bulk storage methods). For some reason, the>8-cassette albums seem to be the least costly per cassette.>This method is not cheap. I paid $[removed] each for 8-cassette albums (that's30*>per cassette). You need to buy a whole case (40 albums) to get that kind of>price, but I think that most of us can imagine a collection of 320cassettes.>I think it's worth it. It's worked out very well for me. Ron-I agree that this is the way to go, but can't find the blasted things.  I'vetried Radio Shack/electronic type places, Bookstores and Office Supplystores.  Nix.  Please,  where can I get these things?  I also need a hugemass of them!Any help appreciated,Jim Blackie------------------------------Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 13:34:49 -0700From: Jim Clark <jclark@[removed]>To: [removed]@[removed]: WSM in NashvilleMessage-id: <[removed]@[removed]>It seems like I saw a message posted here recently fromsomeone who works at WSM in Nashville.  Would you pleasepost your e-mail address?  I have a question pertainingto something I picked up at an antique store that bearsthe WSM logo.  [removed] Clarke-mail: jclark@[removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 16:01:40 -0400 (EDT)From: pcraver@[removed]: otr@[removed]: Radio Transmitters of the l920'sMessage-id: <01HY7Z3BKUP68WWWNN@[removed]>Dear OTR:I am a new subscriber. I am a musician/writer/actor. I am currently involvedin a musical comedy that I co-wrote entitled RADIO GALS. It concerns a groupof women musicians (Hazel Hunt and the Hazelnuts) in the mid 20's inArkansas who are given a radio transmitter and license and beginbroadcasting out of their parlor. They are investigated by a representativeof the Department of Commerce for "Channel wandering". The inspector becomesexasperated and one of the women becomes enamored of the inspector, pursuinghim(as he retreats). But eventually the ladies win him over and he (a closetaccordionist and vocalist) joins their band just as they are invited to bepart of a trans America NBC broadcast.  The show has had several regionalproductions in Arkansas, North Carolina and California, and also has beenrecorded on Varese Sarabande Records. We will be performing the show at theCoconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, in December and then will attempt toproduce it Off Broadway, in early [removed] did alot of random research for RADIO GALS. I am not a technical personbut I wanted to try to have a grasp of what went on in the burgeoning daysof radio, the "mom and pop" stations,  before the Federal Radio Commissionwas formed.  I gleaned alot from a book called ARKANSAS AIRWAVES by RayPoindexter, and various other sources, which I located at the Lincoln CenterLibrary for the Performing Arts in NYC. I am trying to find information about radio transmitters in the l920s. Ineed to know if companies, such as Westinghouse, Western Electric, GeneralElectric, etc., manufactured transmitters, or transmitter components, and ifso what the full brand names and models were called. Also  I would like toknow if the term "heterodyne" or "Super Heterodyne" could be applied toradio transmitters or the period, as well as receivers. It seems to me, frommy reading, that in the early twenties people generally customized their owntransmitters, but I would like to find out if manufacturing companies madetransmitters or a significant part of transmitter components, too. Thanks,Mike Craveremail pcraver@[removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 16:06:07 -0500 (EST)From: passage@[removed] (Frank Passage)To: otr@[removed]: THE CHASE logMessage-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>                               T H E   C H A S E                               -----   ---------                                   1952? - 1953       First Show: ??-??-??                             Last Show: 06-28-53      Number Shows: ??                             Audition Show: none known       Show Description:      THE CHASE was an NBC anthology series that had stories of mystery,      adventure, drama, fantasy, crime, horror and science fiction.  None of     the plots had much to do with the series title and signature chase      scene.      Fred Weihe, the director of X MINUS ONE, was the director.  It had many     of the same actors and production qualities as X MINUS ONE.  The      announcer was Fred Collins.         List Comments:      Ron B. Hare <[removed]@[removed]> supplied information that the      Description is based on (thanks, Ron).      The main items missing in this list are first show date and number of     shows in the series.  Two sources had last show comments.      As you can see from the "Src Key" field, there aren't a lot of vendors     that carry this series.  Information is somewhat sparse.  Almost all     catalogs agreed on titles.  Differing titles are listed after their     common date.  Four titles without dates are listed at the end of the     list.       List:          Date      Num  Title                                 Src Key         --------  ---  ------------------------------------  ---------         04-27-52       The Big Cat                            2         05-25-52       They Thought He Was Dead              12         06-01-52       Sunken Gold                           1         06-08-52       Strictly For The Horses               1         06-15-52       Spy                                   1         07-16-52       The Unbelievable Story                1                        Agents In Havana                       23         10-05-52       Flight From Istanbul                  1         10-12-52       The Cat's Meow                        12         10-19-52       Manhunt                               123         10-26-52       Iron Curtain Express                  123         11-02-52       Long Distance                         123         11-09-52       Career Girl                           123         11-16-52       My Love Is A Ghost                    123         11-23-52       Blackout                              123         11-30-52       The Most Dangerous Game               1 3                        The Most Dangerous Gang                2         12-07-52       Dangerous Journey                     1 3                        The Ambassador                         2         12-14-52       The Murder                            123         12-28-52       No Contact                            123          01-04-53       Fortune Hunter                        123         01-11-53       Professor Calvin And The Voice        123         01-18-53       Killer At Large                       1234         01-25-53       The Creeper                           1234         02-01-53       Little Woman Who Wasn't There         1234         02-08-53       Worth More Than Life Itself           1234         02-15-53       The Million Dollar Chase              1234         02-22-53       Jailbreak                             1234         03-01-53       Frame For A Murder                    1234         03-08-53       Special Delivery                      1234         03-15-53       The Lady Is A Corpse                  123         03-22-53       Woman For Man                         1 34         03-29-53       Murder Row                            1 3         04-05-53       Bank Robbery, Kidnapping              1 3                        The Kidnapping                         2                        Woman Held Hostage By Bank Robber        4         04-19-53       Kingdom Lost                          1 3                        Dethroned King                           4         04-26-53       Leading Man Search                    1                         Operation "Chase"                      2                        Leading Man Talent Search               3         05-03-53       Circumstantial Evidence               1 3         05-17-53       The Holdup                            123         05-24-53       Tiger Lily                            1234         05-31-53       The Evil Puppet                       123         06-14-53       The Playboy                           1 3         06-21-53       The Monster                           1 3         06-28-53       Harry, The Talking Horse              1 3                        (last show)                         The Golden Budah                       23                        Assassination Plot                      3                        Money Up In Smoke                        4                        Greed                                    4       Steve Kelez (Radio Showcase) catalog also lists NBC EXPERIMENT IN      DRAMA: Experiment 2 - Long Distance, 12/22/63. He comments that      "This is probably a rebroadcast of an episode of The Chase."       Information Sources:      The information above was obtained from the following OTR vendor     and club catalogs.  Contact them directly for more information.          Key  Source         ---  ----------------------------------------------------------          1   Edward J. Carr, 216 Shaner Street, Boyertown, PA 19512.          2   Steve Kelez, Radio Showcase, [removed] Box 4357, Santa Rosa, CA               95402          3   Great American Radio, PO Box 504 Genesee, MI 48437          4   North American Radio Archives (NARA), 134 Vincewood Dr.,               Nicolasville, KY 40356.       Although I have had favorable dealings with some of the above, to be     fair to all, this is not an endorsement of them. I receive nothing by      mentioning them.       Last Update: 11-28-95       Although I retain copyright, this log may be freely copied provided      that the text is unchanged.  Please share it with fellow OTR lovers.      I would greatly appreciate any error corrections or additional     information. Please send them to: Frank Passage, 109 Elmwood Road,      Verona, NJ 07044 or via e-mail to passage@[removed] ------------------------------Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 17:23:31 -0500From: Kubelski@[removed]: [removed]@[removed]: Supply & Demand / A Note of TriumphMessage-ID: <951129172330_120184642@[removed]>My father, a 56-year old pre-Boomer, offered an interesting perspective onthe whole Grammer/Benny controversy that has been raging for a few [removed] said that the reason that entertainment seemed so much better in his earlyyears (remember that he was listening to adult radio in the 50s, after theheyday of many of OTR's best) is that there were so few outlets for programs. Three networks at most(most of the time it was two) to filter the entirecontributive body of vaudeville and the [removed], anyone with a walk-on roll on Saturday Night Live one week ends upwith a network deal for one of the 6+ broadcast or 600+ cable networks alltrying offer original [removed] had to be better to be on the air, so there were fewer bad [removed] present this argument not because I agree with it, but because I think it'sinteresting.  My refuation would be that, even given those circumstances, allother things being equal the BEST current programs would be as good as theLIMITED AMOUNT of programming you had in the 40s.  Would my father rate histop, say, twenty favorite current televisoin programs against the entireoutput of the Red and Blue networks for 1940?  I doubt it.  In fact the onlyshows he likes are the ones that haven't moved much past the radio model ofcomplexity (he likes "Murder She Wrote," "Cheers," and maybe a few otherprograms.  He absolutely refuses to watch a program in which the average ageof the cast members is under 30.)  How anyone can watch "Murder She Wrote"every week and not want to watch "Homicide" is beyond [removed] don't want to sound like I'm badmouthing the present in favor of the past(in fact, it was to refute that attitude that got me involved in this disputein the first place), but there is a such thing as an objective standard (Irefer the list to "For the New Intellectual" by Ayn Rand for details), and byany objective standard, 1945 will beat 1995 for overall quality of comedywriting without [removed] the same token, I wouldn't want to put up simplistic shows like "The FatMan," (which I love, don't get me wrong, great great show, I have allsurviving episodes) up against the superior "Rockford Files" on tv [removed] Topic:  On a Note of TriumphI recently received a catelogue in the mail wanting to sell the original "Ona Note of Triumph" by Norman Corwin and the subsequent sequal (1995) for atotal of about $36.  Before I plunked my money down, I thought I'd inqure asto its availability among [removed] anyone has either program and wants to trade, please [removed],Sean Doughertykubelski@[removed]: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 17:35:03 -0400 (EDT)From: WMACKEY@[removed]: otr <otr@[removed]>Subject: Ed Gardner and modern comicsMessage-id: <[removed]@[removed]>I don't remember the exact plot line, but late in Ed Gardners career he starred in a Alfred Hitchcock Presents show as a gambler down on this [removed] never seen Gardner before the show was interesting.  As someone mentioned earlier, like Fred Allen he didn't have the "looks" for tv.  As a comedian whom I can't recall now (Fred Allen) said, "I have a face made for radio".As for modern comics performing in front of drunks, this is nothing new.  I have read of many later famous people playing small time vaudeville houses were if the audience didn't like the act, drunks were the least of their problems.  Rotten fruits and vegatables being thrown on the stage,and the like were more [removed] often like to think back to the past as the "golden age" of whatever: music, comedy, education, you name [removed] am sure people in the early 20th C thought performers 50 years before were better than the current crop, just as people today think performers from 50 years ago are better.  Are they better or worse?  I don't think so.  I believe each generation has its own "standards".   Would I prefer to watch/listen to a performer from 50 years ago over today?  You bet.  Just as I'm sure 50 years from now someone will think Kelsy Grammer is "genius".  Whether he (or others today) are or are not will be judged by [removed] Mackey------------------------------        ****  END OF ARTICLE SECTION - INFORMATION BOILERPLATE FOLLOWS ****1) Contacting the list [removed]) Unsubscribing from this list3) Receive a DIGEST READING TIPS file4) AIRWAVES web page5) Shareware Notice 6) Redistribution of [removed])  The [removed] maintainer can be reached at EDITOR@[removed]) To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send email [removed]@[removed] and place the word UNSUBSCRIBEalone on the Subject: line of your request.  The body ofrequest mail is ignored by the server.  If you are unable tounsubscribe using this method, and you are SURE you are doingeverything right, then (and only then) contact the administrator(wdp@[removed]) for assistance.  Please send along the headers ofany problem mail for diagnostics.  	* PLEASE Never send unsub messages to the list! *3) If reading email digests like this one is difficult or timeconsuming,  write for a file called *The Fine Art Of Reading andReplying To Email Digests*  It contains tips on scanning digests andmaking replies easier and more concise.  To recieve this file, sendemail to digest-tips@[removed] and use the subject line of *DigestTips*.  4) AIRWAVES  maintains a very busy web page containing many media-related links and files. Our URL is:  [removed]~rrb/5) [removed] is brought to you as shareware.  Net connectivity and other expenses are paid out of personal funds of thelist maintainer.  If this list is of value to you, please support itby sending in whatever amount you can afford, to help defray [removed] amount is [removed] a year (less than [removed] a month), but anyamount (more or less) is fine. This is a free-will donation and nobodywill be removed from the list because they cannot, or choose not to,[removed] mailing address is PO Box 8746 Springfield Mo 65801. Make anychecks out to William Pfeiffer. 6) If you are redistributing [removed] in any form, you mustcontact the list owner for permission.  Generally permission is given,free of charge, for non-commercial electronic [removed] distribution rights are available under very [removed] End of [removed] Digest V95 Issue #422================== RFC 822 Headers ==================Received: (from rrb@localhost) by [removed] ([removed]) id WAA09898 for victrola; Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:58:27 GMTDate: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 22:58:27 GMTMessage-Id: <[removed]@[removed]>From: [removed]@[removed]: [removed] Digest V95 #422X-Loop: otr@[removed]: listTo: otr@[removed]: [removed]@[removed]