------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2002 : Issue 469
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Walter Lord [ Bhob <bhob2@[removed]; ]
Culture? [ "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed]. ]
re: OTR Books for Christmas [ bloodbleeds@[removed] ]
Bud Collyer [ Clifengr3@[removed] ]
Bud Collyer [ "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed] ]
Any way you slice it, it's [removed] [ wich2@[removed] ]
Radio remotes [ EdHowell@[removed] ]
Stone and Blue [ "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed] ]
Blacklist [ "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed] ]
Asking Santa for OTR books [ Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@erols ]
Blue's controversial attack on black [ John Mayer <mayer@[removed]; ]
Yes! Yes! Yes! [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
Gotham Radio Players live this Sunda [ StevenL751@[removed] ]
ftp sites [ "camrys" <camrys@[removed]; ]
Re: Behind the Blacklist [ Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 15:50:42 -0500
From: Bhob <bhob2@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Walter Lord
Re the question about Walter Lord:
The lyrics to "The Third Man Theme" are by the same Walter Lord who wrote A
NIGHT
TO REMEMBER, as indicated by this quote from Lord to Edward Kamuda, president
of
the Titanic Historical Society: "I'll bet you are one of the rare Americans
who
read my verses to 'The Third Man Theme'."
Walter Lord died seven months ago, but obits failed to mention his lyrics. Here
they are:
When a zither starts to play
You'll remember yesterday
In its haunting strain
Vienna lives again
Free and bright and gay
In your mind a sudden gleam
Of a half forgotten dream
Seems to glimmer when you hear The Third Man Theme
Once again there comes to mind
Someone that you left behind
Love that somehow didn't last
In that happy city of the past
Does she still recall the dream
That rapture so supreme
When first she heard the haunting Third Man Theme?
Carnivals and carousels and ferris wheels and parasols
The Danube nights, the dancing lights again will shine
The zither's sweet refrain
Keeps swirling in your brain
Like new May wine
Strauss waltzes, candle-glow
And the laughter of long ago
Fill the magic chords and make it seem like today
You never knew that you could be
Enchanted by a melody
The years will never drive it out
You don't know why
It's something you can't live without
You hear it in the twilight hush
And in the morning traffic rush
A song that's always new
In your heart a part of you
Oh, shines so brightly when you hear The Third Man Theme
-- Walter Lord
Worth a mention for those who might want to see this: Peter Jackson, the
director
of the current LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, made a fact-based film, HEAVENLY
CREATURES (1994), about a New Zealand murder of the early 1950s. Probing the
intense fantasy lives of two teenage girls in 1952, the film has unusual
fantasy
sequences featuring Mario Lanza (Stephen Reilly) and Orson Welles' Harry Lime
(Jean Guerin).
Bhob @ FUSEBOX NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS @ [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 17:00:45 -0500
From: "Ian Grieve" <austotr@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Culture?
In Digest 467 David took a swipe at Australian Culture and that was fair
enough, though I pointed out to him privately he should have mentioned that
Australia is so lousy at soccer we're not even good enough to be starters in
the World Cup :)
Cricket commentary has been a mainstay of Australian radio since its
inception. The commentary would be written in the [removed] and then telegraphed
to Australia where the commentator would then broadcast as though it was
live. A Pencil hiting the desk was the ball being hit by the bat.
It is a boring game to watch, but listening while you do something else is
ok and it is probably the main National Sport broadcast in the Summer. At
the moment the game is losing popularity due to it being so onesided,
Australia has won the last 8 major tests and there is no indication this
will ever change particularly when win or lose the Brits get to keep the
trophy and so their team has no incentive to win.
Ian Grieve
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 17:02:13 -0500
From: bloodbleeds@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: re: OTR Books for Christmas
I was thinking of asking for Radio Crime Fighters by Jim Cox and Radio Stars
by Thomas A. Delong from Santa. I was wondering if Digest members thought
they would be good choices for me to make. Thanks.
I'll put in a pitch for a book I - and 19 other writers - worked Very hard to produce: It's
That Time Again! The New Stories of Old-Time Radio. It contains new fiction based on
otr shows and characters, from Our Miss Brooks to Tom Mix, and everything in between.
Only $15 from [removed] or BearManor Media, P O Box 750, Boalsburg, PA
16827, which is pretty good considering there are some Fine writers involved (list
members Jack French and Martim Grams, Jr. for example).
There. It had to be said.
Ben
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 17:02:02 -0500
From: Clifengr3@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Bud Collyer
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Though I never had the good fortune of meeting Bud Collyer, (I am a
bit young to have reasonably done so)
I have had the good fortune to see him on repeats of his "Beat the Clock"
and "To Tell The Truth" shows overnight on Game Show Network. I have to
agree he seems very much the professional. Very friendly and kind to
Panelists and Contestants. You get the sense that he is the same off air as
[removed] genuinely nice man.
I had the pleasure of meeting Bud Collyer back in the 1950s in Saratoga
Springs, [removed]
On a Saturday evening I was dining with my parents and my aunt and uncle at a
restaurant when Bud walked [removed] was with his daughter, a student at Skidmore
College. It was Father's Weekend and there was a group of students and
fathers having dinner there. My aunt recognized him immediately and called to
him. Without hesitation he came right over signed autographs and passed a few
pleasant words.
I remember others saying that they had seen him at the rest stop on the New
York Thurway where he would stop on his way up to Saratoga to visit his
daughter and he was always equally nice.
Jim Yellen
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Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 17:37:46 -0500
From: "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed];
To: "otr message" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Bud Collyer
I appreciated Howard Blue's remarks and look forward to his book. A funny
story about Collyer which many of you may have heard: seems he could be
quite self [removed]'s doing Superman, finishes his last scene, leaves
the studio, and turns out the lights as he goes out the [removed] the
rest of the cast on the air and in the dark.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 17:51:25 -0500
From: wich2@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Any way you slice it, it's [removed]
From: hal stone <dualxtwo@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Baloney
In retrospect and hindsight, is there any doubt that Communism (and
Communists) were a dangerous subversive force in the world. Lest we forget
the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin wall, and mass weapon support of China
during
the Korean war. (Where the hell did all the Mig's come from?) Or how about
the Rosenberg's here at home. Or Alger Hiss, et al. Then leave us not
forget
the Cuban Missile Crisis. A Totalitarian Communist Nation was our declared
enemy. Much like the radical Muslim extremists are today.
(By way of intro, I consider myself a true moderate; at heart, a
Truman/Kennedy-type- though I just played "FDR" opposite Mr. Stone).
It's funny, Hal; as we live through the first act of WWIII, I have been
thinking similar thoughts.
If anyone has any doubts, read the prize-winning scholarship of the late Eric
Briendel, or ex-major Party insider Prof. Ronald Radosh: Radical Islam apes
the defining characteristics held by the twin scourges of the last century,
Fascism and Communism; a blind belief in their own superiority, and (almost
funny, considering that supposed "superiority") a cold-blooded use of deceit,
extortion, and terror to further their ends.
And the fact that one Sen. McCarthy lived in alcoholic haze, and was just as
handy as his enemies with The Big Lie, does nothing to change those
historical facts. (Anyone care to ask the opinion of Alexander Soljenitsin,
or his Gulag mates?).
Best,
Craig Wichman
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 18:11:15 -0500
From: EdHowell@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Radio remotes
I never had a hand in recording famous groups so don't know what equipment
was used. But for our small town radio remotes we used a simple home-brew
mixer and any microphone we could find that would work. A remote broadcast
was called a Nemo. I don't know why. Have also watched St Elmo's Fire many
times and worked at a powerful AM station once and during some broadcasts,
usually music, the weeds around the antenna would detect the signal and one
could hear the music if he walked through them. I think the most exciting
(and frightening) experiences were being at a mountain top FM site during a
heavy lightning storm when the transmitter caught fire and the time I rode
out a hurricane inside a small transmitter building. The building jumped up
and down on its pillars and if it had not been for the weight of a very heavy
friend who was visiiting when the hurricane struck I think the whole shebang
would have blown away. Working radio was so much more interesting than
working TV even though many celebrities came to TV stations on fund raising
drives.
But in TV one did not have time to work CW on the Broadcast Operators' Ham
Network as one did at a radio transmitter. Those were the days!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 18:33:29 -0500
From: "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed];
To: "otr message" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Stone and Blue
Re: Harlan Stone's remarks to Howard [removed]"Oh, relax Jug, relax."
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 18:33:38 -0500
From: "Don Frey" <alanladdsr@[removed];
To: "otr message" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Blacklist
Responding to Mr. Widner"s book suggestion on the [removed] add
Joseph Julians'This Was Radio which goes into those years with first hand
observations.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 18:34:15 -0500
From: Jack & Cathy French <otrpiano@[removed];
To: OTRBB <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Asking Santa for OTR books
John Orinjok writes:
I was thinking of asking for Radio Crime Fighters by Jim Cox and Radio
Stars by Thomas A. Delong from Santa. I was wondering if Digest members
thought they would be good choices for me to make.
Both books should be in every OTR fan's "Letter to Santa" as they are
superbly researched and written in encyclopedia form. DeLong's book was
published in 1996 and provides a mini-bio of nearly 1,000 OTR
performers, many with pictures. Cox's book delivers exactly what it
promises: all pertinent data on every radio series starring a hero who
fought crime. Both books have a prominent place on my library shelf and
I consult them regularly with confidence.
In similar OTR vein, I'd recommend a new book, edited by Ben Ohmart,
titled "It's That Time Again: New Stories of Old Time Radio". This
excellent compilation contains 20 original short stories, based upon OTR
stars or series. Most of the authors are regular contributors to this
Digest. Among these stories are: Pat Novak, Johnny Dollar, Tom Mix,
Frontier Gentleman, Green Lama, Lum & Abner, and Captain Midnight.
Details at [removed]
Jack French
Editor: RADIO RECALL
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 18:58:58 -0500
From: John Mayer <mayer@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Blue's controversial attack on blacklisting
Hal Stone <dualxtwo@[removed]; said:
Well, a whole bunch of stuff - he, himself, characterized his
comments as a tirade - against Howard Blue's revelations about Bud
Collyer's complicity with the McCarthy-inspired blacklist. Among his
more petty criticisms was one regarding Blue's use of the word
"avuncular." Hal said, "Auuncular" means like an Uncle," implying
Howard had used the word incorrectly (why do I have the impression
Hal just looked that up?). But it also means, according to WordNet,
"like an uncle in kindness or indulgence." Thus, Howard's usage was
entirely appropriate.
I'm always surprised that blacklisting and McCarthyism, despite its
well-known trampling of our rights and freedoms, still has defenders.
I, for one, am glad that Howard has not minced words in revealing in
his book, _Words at War_, which figures in the media abused their
power and betrayed their colleagues, whether to advance their own
careers or in mindless zealotry. One of the great freedoms of this
country is supposed to be Freedom of Speech, even of unpopular ideas.
One's political philosophy should never be cause for government
action, unless coupled with violence or actual treason, or with
specifically calling for the violent overthrow of our government. I
recall that Hal also defended Archie "creator" John Goldwater's
censorship crusade which pretty much destroyed comics as an artform
in this country.
Hal's comparison of the dark days of McCarthyism with our current
climate are well taken, however. If we shrug off increasing
infringements on our freedoms - after all, most of us never use them
anyhow - we might find history repeating itself. And, knowing that
that those who don't study history ARE condemned to repeat it, I plan
to order Mr. Blue's book as soon as I'm able. Well, Mr. Kallis's,
too, for that matter. I don't know how the HUAC felt about the Secret
Squadron, but I'll bet they regarded it with suspicion.
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Let's all be a little careful and avoid getting into a
discussion about current events [removed] are plenty of other places on
the Net to discuss the modern political situation. We should stick to
politely discussing the historical. --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 19:00:25 -0500
From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Yes! Yes! Yes!
John Orinjok asks:
Would "Radio Crime Fighters" by Jim Cox and" Radio Stars" by Tom DeLong be
worthy Christmas presents for him to ask > Santa to bring. I
emphatically anwser, YES! YES! YES!. I have them both and the are an
invaluable part of my Old Time Radio > book collection. While you are at it,
ask Santa for Hal Stone's book, it is a great read. Some facts may be fuzzy,
but don't forget, these are recollections of an Old Man!
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Make your day just a little better, listen to Olde Tyme Radio!
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 18:59:27 -0500
From: StevenL751@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Gotham Radio Players live this Sunday
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The Gotham Radio Players
present
THE GREAT GUNNS
Live! This Sunday, December 8th
7:00pm (Eastern)
WBAI, [removed] FM in NYC
[removed]
We present the First Family of the Theatre - The Great Gunns: Christopher,
Veronica, Buster, and Pop. They always play hit shows. They ARE the
Theatre. They turn out acting by the yard and it's all good. They're also
(shall we say) just a little bit crazy.
Join us on Sunday as the Gotham Radio Players introduce you to THE GREAT
GUNNS. This delightful comedy about an over-the-top theatrical family
originally starred Bret Morrison and Barbara Luddy, and was a summer
replacement series in 1941. Unfortunately no recordings of the series have
survived. We are pleased to present for you, live on the air, a recreation
of the audition episode. Tune in and hear us this Sunday, December 8th, at
7:00pm (eastern) on WBAI, [removed] FM in New York City, or over the web
everywhere else at [removed].
The Gotham Radio Players were formed in 1991 by a group of enthusiasts for
the heyday of radio drama. Our mission is to bring new productions of classic
radio programs of the 30's, 40's, and 50's to the airwaves of the new
millennium, as well as showcase original scripts written by the emerging
audio dramatists of today. Now under the leadership of producer Max Schmid
and director Steven Lewis, the Gotham Radio Players are featured regularly in
live performances on
WBAI-FM, at the annual "Friends of Old-Time Radio" Convention, and at other
personal appearances in the New York City metropolitan area.
Steve Lewis
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 19:00:36 -0500
From: "camrys" <camrys@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: ftp sites
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where can I find ftp sites to download shows?
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 19:09:08 -0500
From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Re: Behind the Blacklist
A few thoughts on this subject before the Cold War gets too [removed]
In any discussion of the blacklist era it's very easy to get caught up in
debating personalities and ideologies -- and that's when the facts get
lost in the shuffle.
I own an original 1950 copy of "Red Channels," the paperback book which
*was* the initial form of the broadcasting blacklist. Most of the
personalities listed in "Red Channels" in 1950 were *not* Communists, nor
did Counterattack Inc, the promoter of the book, accuse them of *being*
Communists. Despite the imagery of the Clutching Red Hand on the cover of
the book, the major target of the Counterattack campaign was less
hard-core Communism than One Worldish liberalism. (If Wendell Willkie had
been alive in 1950, there's no doubt in my mind that he would have been
labeled a Fellow Traveler.)
Under these circumstances, public support for civil rights for
African-Americans, aggressive support for organized labor, opposition to
literary censorship, or association with any number of left-oriented arts
groups would be enough to get one listed. One may not care for modern
dance or the acting theories of Stella Adler, but they hardly render one
an enemy of the state. Many of the accusations in "Red Channels" go
beyond ludicrous:
*One of the charges leveled against newsman Robert St. John was that his
book on Yugoslavia was favorably reviewed by the magazine "Soviet Russia
Today."
*One of the charges against NBC staff announcer Ben Grauer is that he
announced a fashion show sponsored by the "Independent Committee of the
Arts, Sciences, and Professions," an organization condemned by
Counterattack as "a Communist front" because a California legislative
committee claimed it to be such.
*One of the charges against stripper Gypsy Rose Lee claimed she spoke in
1941 at a meeting of the Hollywood Anti-Nazi League.
*One of the charges against author-playwright Arthur Miller was that one
of his books was a monthly selection of the Book Find Club, cited as a
Communist front in 1948 by a California legislative committee.
*One of the charges against actress Fredi Washington was that in 1949 she
attended a dance sponsored by the Women's Auxiliary of the National
Maritime Union.
And on and on it goes.
It's also important to note that much of the information in "Red
Channels" was more than five years old -- and this meant any performer to
have spoken in favor of aid to the Soviet Union during World War 2 was
fair game. "Red Channels" is, in fact, filled with citations of
performers whose major offenses against the American Way were appearances
at public events to raise funds for Russian war aid during 1942 and 1943.
And finally, a great deal of the information gathered by Counterattack
was taken from hearsay, not from firsthand sources. The reported presence
of an individual at a lecture or a mention of their name in a story in
the "Daily Worker" was often the only substantiation for a citation. Few
if any attempts were made to verify these identifications or citations --
and in many cases, the primary authority cited by "Red Channels" in
identifying a particular organization as Communist-influenced was
Counterattack itself. In other words, you're a com-symp because we say
so. "Red Channels" cannot by any reasonable standard be considered the
product of responsible investigation, repsonsible journalism, or
responsible research.
None of this addresses the basic question of whether one's political or
social beliefs should prevent them from working in show business, or the
moral virtues or failings of the various individuals involved. There'll
be plenty of that in the days ahead, I'm sure. But if one is going to
discuss the blacklist itself, one must first acknowledge the shaky and
factually-irresponsible foundation on which it was constructed.
Elizabeth
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #469
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