------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2008 : Issue 183
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
East coast, West Coast and Best of B [ "Bob Watson" <crw934@[removed]; ]
Charles Van Doren [ George Tirebiter <tirebiter2@hotmai ]
7-26 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
The NY Suspense Run and Other Musing [ "RyanO" <ryano218@[removed]; ]
OTR in the News [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]
This week in radio history 27 July t [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
Australia's "The Fat Man" [ Frank McGurn <[removed]@sbcglobal. ]
Pabsette [ Frank McGurn <[removed]@sbcglobal. ]
Clubs [ Chargous@[removed] ]
Larry Haines [ "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed] ]
Re: More lighthouses in OTR [ rand@[removed] ]
Re: The NY Suspense Run [ Randy Watts <rew1014@[removed]; ]
7-27 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
my OTR [removed] [ afanofoldradio@[removed] ]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:55:35 -0400
From: "Bob Watson" <crw934@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: East coast, West Coast and Best of Benny
Apparently, at least on Sundays, west coast stations held the practice of
broadcasting the east coast program schedule at the same time that it was
being broadcast to the east coast. Therefore, shows like Jack Benny could
be heard twice in the same day.
Recently, I finally purchased a South Atlantic edition of Movie-Radio Guide
and noticed that some stations repeated Blondie at 10:30 pm, which I am
assuming is the west coast broadcast since most stations in the edtion are
listed as broadcasting Blondie at 7:30 pm. I am just now starting to
examine the listings closely and haven't finished reading them yet, but I
was wondering how widespread the practice was of stations broadcasting shows
not meant for their time zone. I figure it was fairly common on the west
coast, but how often did east coast listeners have the opportunity, save for
the practice of dx'ing, to listen to west coast shows?
Also, is there a website that lists how long the Jack Benny show lasted in
reruns (Best of Benny) after the close of his first run series and what
shows were reran?
Thanks,
Bob
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:59:56 -0400
From: George Tirebiter <tirebiter2@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Charles Van Doren
Sorry to go off topic, but we have discussed the 1950s quiz show scandals
before.
Browsing in a newstand this afternoon I noted that the July 28 issue of THE
NEW YORKER has Charles Van Doren's account of the fixing of 21. I haven't had
time to read the piece yet, but it looks interesting. I believe VanD has
cooperated with researchers on this topic before, but I don't think he has
given his own version before (except, perhaps for some brief interviews at
the time). While some of THE NEW YORKER's content is available on its
website, this piece is available only in the hard copy magazine.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:00:01 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 7-26 births/deaths
July 26th births
07-26-1856 - George Bernard Shaw - Dublin, Ireland - d. 11-2-1950
playwright: "Wisconsin College of the Air"; "George Bernard Shaw Speech"
07-26-1883 - Walter Blaufuss - Milwaukee, WI - d. 8-23-1945
composer, conductor, pianist: "Breakfast Club"; "Viennese Ensemble"
07-26-1894 - Aldous Huxley - Godalming, Surrey, England - d. 11-22-1963
writer: "CBS Radio Workshop"
07-26-1896 - Charles Butterworth - South Bend, IN - d. 6-13-1946
comedian: "Fred Astaire Show"
07-26-1897 - Paul Gallico - NYC - d. 7-15-1976
writer: "Author's Playhouse"; "Keep 'Em Rolling"; "Radio City Playhouse"
07-26-1899 - Danton Walker - Marietta, GA - d. 8-8-1960
broadway columnist: "Forty-Five Minutes on Broadway"; "Twin Views of
the News"
07-26-1901 - Serge Koussevitzky - Vyshni Volocheck, Russia - d. 6-4-1978
symphony conductor: "Boston Symphony Orchestra"
07-26-1902 - Gracie Allen - San Francisco, CA - d. 8-27-1964
comedienne: "The Adventures of Gracie"; "The George Burns and Gracie
Allen Show"
07-26-1903 - Donald Voorhees - Allentown, PA - d. 1-10-1989
conductor: "Show Boat"; "Cavalcade of America"; "Telephone Hour"
07-26-1906 - Galen Drake - Kokomo, IN - d. 6-30-1989
commentator: "Galen Drake"
07-26-1908 - Professor Hale Sparks - d. 11-13-1997
director of broadcast University of California: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie
McCarthy"
07-26-1909 - Vivian Vance - Cherryvale, KS - d. 8-17-1979
actor: Ethel Mertz "I Love Lucy"
07-26-1911 - Mary Mason - Pasadena, CA - d. 10-13-1980
actor: Mary Aldrich "The Aldrich Family"; Maudie Mason "Maudie"s Diary"
07-26-1912 - Buddy Clark - Dorchester, MA - d. 10-1-1949
singer: "Your Hit Parade"; "New Carnation Contented Hour"
07-26-1912 - Monty Margetts - Vancouver, Canada - d. 2-27-1997
announcer: "This Woman's Secret"
07-26-1914 - Erskine Hawkins - Birmingham, AL - d. 11-11-1992
bandleader: "Apollo Concerts"; "Big Band Themes on the Air"
07-26-1914 - Ralph Blane - Broken Arrow, OK - d. 11-13-1995
singer: "Johnny Green and His Orchestra"
07-26-1915 - Fred S. Fox - St. Louis, MO - d. 10-23-2005
writer: "Freddie the Fox"
07-26-1918 - Stacy Harris - Big Timber, Quebec, Canada - d. 3-13-1973
actor: Jim Taylor "This is Your [removed]"; Carter Trent "Pepper Young's
Family"
07-26-1919 - Virginia Gilmore - El Monte, CA - d. 3-28-1986
actor: "The Ford Theatre"
07-26-1921 - Jean Sheperd - South Chicago, IL - d. 10-16-1999
host: "The Jean Sheperd Show"
07-26-1921 - John de Lancie, Sr. - Berkeley, CA - d. 5-17-2002
principle oboist: "Phildelphia Symphony Orchestra"
07-26-1922 - Blake Edwards - Tulsa, OK
writer: "Lineup"; "Richard Diamond, Private Detective"
07-26-1924 - Ann Howard Bailey - Memphis, TN - d. 11-23-2006
writer: "Suspense"
07-26-1935 - Walter Winchell, Jr. - NYC - d. 12-25-1967
radio news writer
07-26-1945 - Helen Mirren - London, England
actor: "NPR: Morning Edition"
July 26th deaths
01-04-1918 - Buddy Baker - Springfield, MO - d. 7-26-2002
musical director: Bob Hope, Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny
01-21-1921 - Manya Starr - NYC - d. 7-26-2000
writer: Allegedly fired by Hummert asking about God, "Who's will play
him?"
02-14-1915 - Oliver B. Greene - Greenville, SC - d. 7-26-1976
baptist evangelist: "The Gospel Hour"
03-07-1917 - Hubert Bisping - d. 7-26-1992
newscaster: KUTA Salt Lake City, Utah
03-18-1860 - William Jennings Bryan - Salem, IL - d. 7-26-1925
lawyer: Scopes Monkey trial
03-18-1889 - Gene Byrnes - NYC - d. 7-26-1974
comic strip cartoonist: "Reg'lar Fellers" based on his comic strip
03-19-1900 - Frank Chapman - d. 7-26-1966
singer: "The Voice of Firestone"
03-20-1913 - Kenny Gardner - Lakeview, IA - d. 7-26-2002
singer: "Guy Lombardo Show"; "Lombardoland [removed]"; "Your Hit Parade"
05-04-1927 - Terry Scott - Watford, England - d. 7-26-1994
actor: "Junior Choice"; "Great Scott, It's Maynard"; "Hugh and I"
05-07-1919 - Eva Peron - Los Toldos, Argentina - d. 7-26-1952
actor, hostess: "Radio Argentina"; "Radio Belgrano"
07-24-1911 - Jane Hoffman - Seattle, WA - d. 7-26-2004
actor: "The Author's Studio"
08-31-1898 - Jack Ward - Philadelphia, PA - d. 7-26-1973
organist: "Gangbusters"; "Magnificent Montague"
09-07-1919 - Louise Bennett - Kingston, Jamaica - d. 7-26-2006
poet, folklorist: commented on social matters as Aunty Roachy
09-09-1887 - Raymond Walburn - Plymouth, IN - d. 7-26-1969
actor: "That's My Pop"
09-29-1913 - Gerald Strachan Pawle - Bishops Stortford, England - d.
7-26-1991
author of several radio plays
10-27-1911 - Charles R. Callender - Phrae, Thailand - d. 7-26-1987
sang and played piano on radio
11-15-1891 - Averell Harriman - NYC - d. 7-26-1986
[removed] ambassador to the soviet union: "Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy
Show"
11-18-1901 - Dr. George Gallup - Jefferson, IA - d. 7-26-1984
statistician: "Living 1948"
11-25-1922 - Patricia Foy - London, England - d. 7-26-2006
vocalist: "Shep Fields Orchestra"
12-03-1897 - Reed Brown, Jr. - Texas - d. 7-26-1962
actor: Capt. Gordon Wright "Roses and Drums"
12-18-1918 - Danny Simon - The Bronx, NY - d. 7-26-2005
writer: (Brother of Neil) "The Milton Berle Show"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:00:11 -0400
From: "RyanO" <ryano218@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: The NY Suspense Run and Other Musings
Hi all. Joe Webb asked about the change-over in location for Suspense from
Hollywood to NYC. Ironic that this question comes up, since I have been
listening to the interviews of radio personnel from the Golden Age of Radio
programs from the mid-1970's. I just heard a program today featuring an
interview with William N. Robeson, who produced and directed Suspense in its
final dying days from Hollywood.
Robeson was only a little subtle in his lampooning of the Suspense run once
it transitioned to the east coast. He made some disparaging remark about the
lack of quality of the show. This is a biased, yet understandable point of
view. While the chemistry of the actors from New York was a bit better, the
story quality did suffer overall once Robeson gave up control. The canned
music and sound effects can't really be blamed on anyone but the networks,
who had blasted away the budget of radio drama as a whole. Robeson did
comment that the decision to switch coasts came down to $80; the cost
differential in a sound effects technician. This may be true from Robeson's
perspective and there may have been more to the story, but knowing how
business cost analysis works, it wouldn't surprise me a bit.
Robeson also got in a not-too-subtle dig at Himan Brown, and I completely
agree with him in his assessment. If you listen to any radio production of
Robeson vs. Brown, Robeson's superiority shines through. Robeson's
meticulous attention to detail and timing is impeccable and far outmatches
Brown's.
Robeson seemed to me to be a very honest man, blunt in his criticisms, but
also generous with his praise when called for. He was very quick to point
out that Suspense was at its "hay day" during the time of William Spier;
another guest of the Golden Age of Radio. Robeson also heaped many
compliments upon the actors and claimed that he had no use for
"brown-nosing." I do wish there were more episodes of the series, The Man
Behind the Gun, as it sounds like a really neat program and many fans and
professionals of the medium, including the late Larry Haines, point this
series out as one of the best in all of radio drama.
As for Himan Brown, the man did not impress me any more in front of the mike
than he did behind it. He took it upon himself to thumb his nose at shows
like The Shadow, The Green Hornet and The Lone Ranger, dubbing them as,
"just radio." Hey [removed] anyone ever told you that a bad episode of The
Green Hornet was better than a good episode of Inner Sanctum? I wonder if
anyone ever broke it to Mr. Brown that the quality of the best of his shows
(including the resurrected CBS Radio Mystery Theater that he was so anxious
to advertise on GAR), were buried by the likes of Suspense, Dragnet,
Gunsmoke, The Whistler and scores of other older programs. It was clear that
Himan had many other ambitions for revived radio drama, but history seems to
judge that none of them got off the ground. I credit him for bringing back
the theater of the mind for a time, but what a shame that the likes of
Robeson, Spier and even Elliott Lewis didn't do as well as he in that
regard.
RyanO
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:00:39 -0400
From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR in the News
This review of a new Ozzie & Harriet TV Show collection notes that it
includes radio episodes as well.
[removed]
A depressing look at what the radio Hall of Fame has come to is here:
[removed]
Sean Dougherty
SeanDD@[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:00:47 -0400
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: This week in radio history 27 July to 2 August
From Those Were The Days --
7/30
1937 - The American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) was organized. It
was part of the American Federation of Labor. The union was for all
radio performers except musicians. The union later became The American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to include TV folk,
as well.
1942 - Stage Door Canteen was first heard on CBS. The show was broadcast
from New York City and 500 servicemen were entertained each week by
celebrities who freely donated their time for the war effort.
7/31
1933 -- listeners turned up the radio on this day to hear the announcer
introduce "Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy!" The show was one of
the longest-running adventure programs on radio, continuing until 1951.
Joe (another slow week in radio history)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:01:13 -0400
From: Frank McGurn <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Australia's "The Fat Man"
I have acquired quite a few episodes of "The Fat Man" ,the Australian
version, and have been hoping that someone would find episode dates and
at lest the actor's name who was Brad Runyon. Question: were the
scripts original or
were they Dashal Dashiel Hammett's ?
I Googled and found a lot of info. but not what I wanted
Frank McGurn
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:01:25 -0400
From: Frank McGurn <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Pabsette
Bob Watson asked:
Also, where can I find information about Pabsette? This was discussed a few
years ago in the digest, but I can't seem to reference anything about the
product and I can't remember much about what was said here about it.
Pabsette was a Kraft Cheese Spread that was around in 1930's and/or
early 40' from memory it was very good and packaged in round card borad
box about 3" or 4 " in diameter and maybe 1 1/2" thick . It was good on
crackers.
Frank McGurn
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:01:32 -0400
From: Chargous@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Clubs
At some point I'd like to try the Metro Club. I don't like cassettes, but
they have a copy of Charlie Chan and the Landini Mystery. Currently, I'm a
member of SPERDVAC and I recently joined RHAC. I'm very particular about
quality, and so far I've been happy with both (I get stuff from the open
reel library). Some libraries in SPERVDAC are faster than others,, and
some libraries are basically de facto unavailable, but I've had very
stellar service from the ones run by the SPERDVAC president. I got my
first order from RHAC about a week ago. They had some obscure shows that I
wanted that Sperdvac didn't have. Some of the reels are squealer reels,
but if you know how to bake them, that's not too much of a problem.
Since the Bob Steinmetz reel libraries are basically the only ones that are
open, I've been ordering reels in that number, as well as the Archive
reels. (Btw, the archive reels are all squealer reels, but they bake out
ok). The only problem is that some are missing. The quality is excellent,
though, and I couldn't ask for better service from Bob, who went above and
beyond the call of duty in all my orders. At some point, I hope that reels
500-1500 will come back online. There's a lot of stuff I want in that library.
There's other great clubs out there, I'm just kind of maxed out right
now. I can only juggle so many reels a month.
Travis
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:01:51 -0400
From: "Bob Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Larry Haines
I note with sadness that another radio great, Larry Haines, has died.
You can hear an interview by former WTIC personality Dick Bertel and radio
historian Ed Corcoran, plus excerpts from some of Mr. Haines' radio work at
[removed] - it was recorded in 1974. From the main page, click
on "The Golden Age of Radio," and go to Program #47.
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:02:04 -0400
From: rand@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: More lighthouses in OTR
I'll be posting a rather obscure lighthouse-related drama to my otr blog,
probably later in the Fall. From the series "Front Page Drama", the
episode "The Devil's Crib", from Feb 15, 1936, concerns a lighthouse
keeper, his son, his girlfriend, a rivalry ... and the supernatural!
Randy
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:02:24 -0400
From: Randy Watts <rew1014@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: The NY Suspense Run
I'm not enough of an historian to know how many of the scripts and
plots were recycled for the NY run, but I suspect some of Robert Arthur's
scripts were from his Mysterious Traveler archives.
Some INNER SANCTUM scripts turned up on SUSPENSE during its New York run,
too. For example, "Yuletide Miracle," from December 1961 had aired on SANCTUM
as "The Enchanted Ghost" in 1948 and '49.
Randy
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:02:29 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 7-27 births/deaths
July 27th births
07-27-1877 - Florence Gill - London, England - d. 2-19-1965
actor: "Uncle Walter's Doghouse"
07-27-1881 - Jack Roseleigh - Tennessee - d. 1-5-1940
actor: Sam Davis "Pepper Young's Family"; Dr. Winslow "Road of Life"
07-27-1889 - Ada Arlitt - d. 9-13-1976
host: "Mother's Discussion Group"
07-27-1890 - J. Walter Leopold - NYC - d. 12-28-1956
pianist, composer: KFI Los Angeles, California
07-27-1890 - Judith Lowry - Fort Sill, Oklahoma Territory - d.
11-29-1976
actor: Emma 'Stevie' Stevens "Valiant Lady"; Emmy Fergusson "Welcome
Valley"
07-27-1901 - Henrietta Drake-Brockman - Perth, Australia - d. 3-8-1968
writer: "The Quick and the Dead"
07-27-1905 - Leo Durocher - West Springfield, MA - d. 10-7-1991
baseball legend: "baseball announcer"; "Double Play with Durocher and
Day"
07-27-1912 - Irve Tunick - NYC - d. 9-5-1987
writer: "The Cavalcade of America"; "You Are There"
07-27-1913 - Liam Redmond - Limerick, Ireland - d. 10-31-1989
actor: "Great Plays"
07-27-1914 - Ira Avery - Albany, NY - d. 8-14-1984
director: "We Came This Way"; "Eternal Light"
07-27-1916 - Keenan Wynn - NYC - d. 10-14-1986
actor: Moe 'Shrevie' Shrevnitz "The Shadow"; Gregory Smith "Amazing
Mr. Smith"
07-27-1918 - Veola Vonn - NYC - d. 10-28-1995
actor: Dimples Wilson "Blondie"; Princess Nadji "Chandu the Magician"
07-27-1919 - David Swift - Minneapolis, MN - d. 12-31-2001
writer: "Opie Cates Show"
07-27-1920 - Henry "Homer" Haynes - d. 8-7-1971
comedian: (Homer and Jethro) "Town and Country Time"
07-27-1920 - Michael Evans - Sittingbourne, England - d. 9-4-2007
actor: "Theatre Guild On the Air"
07-27-1922 - Norman Lear - New Haven, CT
writer: "The Martin and Lewis Show"
07-27-1928 - Barbara Eiler - Los Angeles, CA - d. 7-16-2006
actor: Babs Riley "Life of Riley"; Millie Anderson "Day in the Life
of Dennis Day"
July 27th deaths
03-25-1903 - Binnie Barnes - London, England - d. 7-27-1998
panelist: "Leave It to the Girls"; "Breakfast with Binnie and Mike"
04-18-1907 - Miklos Rozsa - Budapest, Hungary - d. 7-27-1995
composer: "Lux Radio Theatre"
05-15-1909 - James Mason - Huddersfield, England - d. 7-27-1984
actor: "James and Pamela Mason Show"; "Studio One"
05-23-1912 - Betty Astell - London, England - d. 7-27-2005
panelist: "Does the Team Think"
05-29-1903 - Bob Hope - Eltham, England - d. 7-27-2003
actor, comedian: Taxpayer "Quick and the Dead"; "Bob Hope Show"
05-29-1918 - Isabel Dean - Aldridge, England - d. 7-27-1997
actor: "The Long Shadow"; "No Name"; "Paul Temple and the Spencer
Affair"
06-28-1914 - Dan Seymour - NYC - d. 7-27-1982
actor, narrator: Danny "Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories"; "War of the
Worlds"
08-01-1923 - Carol Teitel - Brooklyn, NY - d. 7-27-1986
actor: "CBS Radio Mystery Theatre"
08-31-1900 - Larry Elliott - Washington, [removed] - d. 7-27-1957
announcer: "Texaco Star Theatre"; "American Melody Hour"; "Barry
Cameron"
10-10-1915 - Harry 'Sweets' Edison - Columbus, OH - d. 7-27-1999
jazz trumpeter: "Jubilee"; "One Night Stand"
10-22-1880 - Vida R. Sutton - Oakland, CA - d. 7-27-1956
speech consultant: "The Magic of Speech"
11-01-1923 - Anne DeMarco - d. 7-27-2004
singer: (The DeMarco Sisters) "The Fred Allen Show"; "Texaco Star
Theatre"
12-10-1925 - Amaryllis Flemming - Chelsea, England - d. 7-27-1999
cellist: (Half sister to Ian Fleming) "Children's Hour"
xx-xx-xxxx - Frances Woodbury - d. 7-27-1956
actor: Stella Field "When a Girl Marries"; Mrs. Arnold "Myrt and Marge"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:02:37 -0400
From: afanofoldradio@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: my OTR [removed]
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain
for those who love OTR I have a free club In Springfield illinois that you
can join-"The Reel Old-Time Great (ev'rybody luvs' 'em!!!) Radio Shows
Club"-again it is free and opened to the pubic-all I ask is for your to
e-mail or fax or call me with your street address (so I can send some
welcoming stuff)-all information is kept under strict privacy (not even my VP
sees the addresses) so please join!!! my e-mail address is as follows:
afanofoldradio@[removed] or call or fax 217-744-TWIN (8946)
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
?? ed kienzler?? springfield illinois
*** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
*** as the sender intended. ***
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2008 Issue #183
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