Subject: [removed] Digest V2002 #493
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 12/19/2002 8:42 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

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

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2002 : Issue 493
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Re: Young People                      [ "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed]; ]
      BBC 7                                 [ "Sandra Skuse" <sskuse@[removed]; ]
      Re: Young Members                     [ Rob Chatlin <rchatlin@[removed] ]
      Re: Bartell and Bailey (again)        [ "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-self ]
      Questions                             [ Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed] ]
      Young Members                         [ Jenriet659@[removed] ]
      "Young Members"??                     [ Roger Lorette <roger@[removed]; ]
      getting in to the hobby               [ "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed]; ]
      The Return of The Curmudgeon          [ Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed] ]
      Re: developing an affinity for OTR    [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
      YTJD formulaic?                       [ "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@neb. ]
      Happy Holidays                        [ "Russ Butler" <oldradio@[removed] ]
      Lone Ranger / Shadow questions        [ otrdigest@[removed] ]

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

    Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 19:46:52 -0500
    From: "Michael Hayde" <mmeajv@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Young People

>     >From Ron Sayles:
>     My question is to those young people who did not grow up with radio as us
>     "old-timers" did. How did you first get interested, what happened to make
>     you love, or at least like Old Time Radio?

    Well, I know there are younger "young people" than myself, but since OTR
    "officially" died on my 3rd birthday, I guess I qualify to answer.

    My mother talked about radio a lot, of course.  Then, for her birthday one
    year, I bought her the 2-disc Longines Symphonette record album narrated by
    Jack Benny and Frank Knight.  Of course, I listened too, and got a lot of
    laughs out of the Allen's Alley routine (anybody have the broadcast date for
    that "favorite cure for a cold" bit?), and enjoyed the news clippings and
    commercials, etc.  (Who wouldn't, especially with what was passing for
    entertainment on TV in the early 70's?)

    Of course, hearing all those catch-phrases in Warner Bros. cartoons created
    a desire to learn about their origin.

    When I moved to [removed] after college, to begin a career, it wasn't long before
    I stumbled across the KNX Drama Hour, and "Dragnet."  Finally getting to
    hear something I'd been told about when watching the latter day reruns on
    TV, was a big thrill.  Finally, when researching my book on the show, I went
    to the MWOTRC for assistance and the people there were so delightful - and
    the material so interesting - that I couldn't resist joining.

    Michael

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

    Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 21:04:45 -0500
    From: "Sandra Skuse" <sskuse@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  BBC 7

    On 17 December 2002, David Rogers wrote:

>     For those looking for BBC7 you may want to try this link
>     which works on my computer:

>     [removed]*/ev7/live24/bbc7/[removed]

    Well, unfortunately that link doesn't work on mine.
    However, here's a link that should work for everyone:

    [removed]

    Sandra Skuse

    Jimmy Clitheroe: The Kid Himself
    [removed]

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

    Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 21:05:02 -0500
    From: Rob Chatlin <rchatlin@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Young Members

    I'm not sure what you consider "young"
    but I'm 34, and the golden age of radio was long since passed when I
    was born.

    My first taste was from records my Dad had of The Lone Ranger and Green
    Hornet -
    we we Detroiters, and they were both native sons -
    and from there, I found cassettes and records at the library of
    Superman, Abbot and Costello,
    as well as some Lux shows of classic movies I liked.

    Once I moved to Los Angeles, the whole OTR world opened when I found
    the Drama hour on every night, and learned that so much more existed.
    Dimension X and X-1, The Six Shooter, Tales of the Texas Rangers,
    Gunsmoke,
    Suspense, Escape, Have Gun Will Travel, Jack Benny, Burns&Allen, Phil
    Harris,
    Phil Marlowe, Night Beat and more were introduced to me an hour at a
    time.

    Finally the internet explosion and mp3 downloads gave me all I can
    handle and more,
    including, finallly, unlimited access to the wonderful world of Jean
    Shepherd and a different
    kind of radio.

    rob

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

    Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 21:59:35 -0500
    From: "Rodney w bowcock jr." <rodney-selfhelpbikeco@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Bartell and Bailey (again)

> >     For Harry Bartell represents a fantastic link to
> >     our great CBS past, as well as other avenues. Perhaps one day, Harry

    might

> >     take time to write a paragraph or two about his time with Mr. Bailey.

    That

> >     would be a wonderful treat.

    I too don't know why Mr Bartell is reluctant to speak of Bob Bailey.
    Bailey is one of my favorite OTR actors, and the star of what is easily
    one of my top 3 favorite shows.  However, I don't have to understand, and
    I don't think any of us need to.  I wasn't there, and I certainly don't
    know much about Mr. Bailey.  If Harry is uncomfortable with telling us
    about Bob Bailey as a person, then so be it.  I don't understand it, but
    I respect it.

    Rodney Bowcock
    Past Tense Productions
    "Classic movies and TV for $7"

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

    Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 22:51:37 -0500
    From: Harry Bartell <bartell@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Questions

    Mike Ray has written:

>     However, I still remain puzzled by Harry's difficulty in speaking about or
>     even mentioning the name Bob Bailey as you see from his most recent
>     [removed]"I can't very well knock Johnny Dollar. I did the show well over
>     50 times and that many checks have a tendency to cast a rosy glow over the
>     scripts. But, in the cold hard perspective of 50 years later, the show was
>     formulaic, carried by the personality of the leading character.".

    Please let me get something straight. The reference to Johnny Dollar was to
    the writing of the scripts by Jack Johnstone and credited the star, Bob
    Bailey with the show's success. My reluctance to discuss Bob on the Digest
    has applied only to his personal life which I think should remain private.
    Bob was my friend, he was very helpful to me in writing, I worked with him a
    great deal on Johnny Dollar and Let George Do It among others, and most
    importantly I liked him as a human being. I have made reference in the past
    to the fact that his life had many tragic elements and I see little value in
    publicizing them.

    On a different note, I am flattered no end by Mike's nominating me to
    Kennedy Center Honors. I couldn't possibly accept though because at this
    point I don't have a [removed] The wonderful people in this group have
    elevated me to a status that isn't really true-- in large part I think,
    because I am still here. While I appreciate all of your kind comments more
    than I can say, I still have to consider the real picture: an actor
    struggling to survive.

    And I think this is as good a time as any to wish each of you a wonderful
    Holiday Season.

    Harry Bartell

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 00:13:29 -0500
    From: Jenriet659@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Young Members

    Lurker here!

>     My question is to those young people who did not grow up with radio as us
>     "old-timers" did. How did you first get interested, what happened to make you
>     love, or at least like Old Time Radio?

    I discovered Old Time Radio in 1976.  My high school ran a special 3 day
    program called "Focus on the Arts" and we kids enjoyed 3 days of no classes.
    We loved it!!  We were required to sign up for various programs and I signed
    up to listen to a very young Chuck Schaden relate his love for Old Time
    Radio.  He played clips of shows and of course told some great stories.  I
    started to listen to his radio show and soon I was hooked.  I still have
    every Nostalgia Digest that he has published since the fall of 1976.

    I collected and listened to shows actively for the next 10 years but soon my
    interest started to wane.  It was unfortunate that I never discovered the
    wonderful network of traders and vendors that existed 15-20 years ago.

    The internet and mp3 players brought OTR back to life as I discovered this
    list and many of the wonderful authors and vendors that provide such history
    and entertainment to us all.  I really enjoy reading this E Mail each and
    every night.  I wish you all a very happy holiday season!

    John Enrietto
    jenriet659@[removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 00:42:59 -0500
    From: Roger Lorette <roger@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  "Young Members"??

    Ron Sayles [removed]

>     My question is to those young people who did not grow up with radio
>     as us "old-timers" did. How did you first get interested, what
>     happened to make you love, or at least like Old Time Radio?

    I think "youngER" members might have been a better [removed] I'm not trying
    to split hairs here.  Like many others who are mostly "lurkers" I'm jumping
    in here as I see this as a chance to contribute in some small way.

    So, in answer to Ron's [removed] guess at 50 I'm a youngER OTR fan since
    being born in 1952 Old Time Radio was long gone by the time I discovered
    radio in ANY form.  Actually, when I started listening to radio it was mainly
    to hear the latest Beatle's song.  The nearest I got to Old Time Radio as a
    child was to watch the Jack Benny Show, The Burns & Allen Show and The Red
    Skelton Show on TV.  I loved every one of these shows in their TV form and at
    the time was oblivious to the fact that they used to run on radio.  Likewise
    for the TV versions of Gunsmoke, Dragnet, Have Gun Will Travel and Our Miss
    Brooks among many others.  For me it was TV.  I also enjoyed radio very much
    in my teens but listened for the Top 40 tunes like most others my age.  I
    liked it so much in fact that I got a job as a radio "disk jockey" in 1973
    and enjoyed working in the trade until 1989.

    I can thank the Internet for my discovery of Old Time Radio Shows.  By 1998 I
    was an "old hand" at using the Internet and was already into collecting music
    in MP3 form.  I had a collection of many hundreds of songs encompassing
    nearly every tune that I liked while growing up.  This was long before anyone
    had ever even "thought" of the word NAPSTER! Anyway, after collecting all
    that music I was getting a little bored with just accumulating until I came
    across one web site that had a couple of the old Burns & Allen radio shows in
    MP3 form.  Well, let me tell you I couldn't get that download started fast
    enough because by this point in my life and through my years in radio I
    certainly knew about the radio shows from that era but I had never heard any
    except for maybe the odd short clip from the Shadow or the Inner Sanctum from
    a TV documentary or some such thing when they mentioned radio from the Golden
    Age.  I enjoyed these first shows more than I can say here and without making
    any kind of conscious effort I suddenly stopped accumulating music MP3s and
    started scanning any source I could for OTR material.  The last time I
    actually counted the shows I have was about 2 years ago and the collection
    numbered about 8,000 shows.  I suspect the collection has about doubled since
    then as I still "accumulate" daily as much as I [removed] know I'll never get
    to listen to them all even after I retire.

    I do try as best I can to share what I have and to spread the joy.  To this
    end I created the web site [removed] where currently there are more
    than 5,000 shows online in Real Audio format for anyone to enjoy at anytime
    of the night or day.  Hal, you're invited to drop by and listen to a few of
    your Archie shows.  I believe you mentioned in the digest a long while back
    that you didn't actually have any of your [removed] I suspect that is not
    the case now.  The site always has been and always will be 100% free to all
    OTR fans.

    And that's my 2 cents for now.

    Roger Lorette
    Toronto, Canada (not very [removed] erotic either)

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 10:33:02 -0500
    From: "Walden Hughes" <hughes1@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  getting in to the hobby

    Hi Everybody, Ron ask the list how did we youngsters got in to the hobby.  I
    am 36 years old and after losing my sight around 9 years old the radio
    became part of my life especially talk radio.  One Friday night around 1976
    Ray Bream a legend in LA late night talk radio took the night off, and Bill
    Balance had Frank Bresee as a guest.  The first highlight they played was
    Jack Armstrong where Jack and Billy are caught in a snow slide on a
    mountain. Around 1 AM Bret Morsesen came in the studio and talk about the
    Shadow.  I had a hard time getting to sleep that night.  Thus later that day
    my dad took me to a record store and bought me two 8 track tapes one being
    the Shadow, and the other being Superman.  I also help that my parents
    remember radio. My dad born in 1931, and my mom in 1939.  Thus around 1977 I
    started to listen to Bobb Lynes on KPFK.  Bobb had two shows then one at 11
    PM on Tuesday, and the other on Wednesday at 2 PM on Wednesday.  I heard
    both shows a grate deal.  Allot of time I would hear Bobb show on Wednesday
    riding home on my school bus with my transistor.  I was able to learn more
    about the history of radio when I red Dunning book in the late 1970s.  This
    help me to develop a strong interested of the history, radio, movie
    personalities, politics of the 1930s, and 1940s.  I join SPERDVAC in 1979.
    I been bless to go to 19 of the radio conventions.  I have met many of the
    people who entertained America during the 1940s.  In 1985 I was going
    through  the process of applying to different colleges.  Stanford ask people
    to write an essay base upon the question who did you want to spend the day
    with and why.  I decided to write my essay on Carlton E. Morse.  I later got
    the chance that year to have a long lunch with Carlton and heard many
    stories.  In 1990 Ray Bream had Kitty Kallen as a guest on the radio.  I
    called in to ask her about working on the 'Danny Kaye radio show, and told
    her she was my second favorite singer behind Doris Day.  Both she and her
    husband Budd Granoff realize I had radio shows that Kitty appeared on, and
    they wanted my telephone off the air.  That was the beginning of me
    having a special friendship with both of them, and help explain why Kitty is
    my second mom.  Kitty best friend is Nancy Sinatra the mom of all of Frank
    kids and that led me to put together the radio collection for the sinatra
    family.  Now 26 years later I am now Frank Bresee producer on Friday now on
    Yesterday USA.  The guy who keep me up most the night 26 years ago.  I feel
    very bless to have this hobby, to to me some wonderful people, and wonderful
    optuneties  in life.  Merry Christmas to all,

    Walden Hughes

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 10:37:56 -0500
    From: Charlie Summers <charlie@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  The Return of The Curmudgeon

    Folks;

       The Curmudgeon has come out of his semi-retirement to comment on the
    National Public Radio co-production of, "I'd Rather Eat Pants," written by
    Peter Ackerman and airing on NPR's Morning Edition this week.

       Since Modern Audio Drama (MAD) isn't really on-tpic for this list, I am
    not running the column in these pages, and instead point you to the website
    at:

    [removed]

       Please feel free to send any comments you might have privately to The
    [removed] be sure to let me know if you think the review is too subtle.

             Charlie

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 10:38:37 -0500
    From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: developing an affinity for OTR

    Ron Sayles asked how people who didn't grow up with
    old-time radio became interested in the medium. In my
    case, it began in 1978 at the University of Notre Dame
    bookstore. I was down there with my family on vacation
    and bought a tape of the Green Hornet episode "The
    Boathouse Mystery." I don't remember if I knew at the
    time that the Green Hornet had been broadcast locally
    from Detroit, so that may or may not have been a
    factor. However, the date given for the episode (which
    I have since learned is wrong; the correct date is
    1945) was 1938-- the year my Dad was born. So I bought
    it, it part at least, to get a sense of what 1938 was
    like.

    Within a year or two, my uncle had directed my
    attention to a Canadian radio station that aired OTR
    shows on Sunday nights from 8 [removed] to 10 [removed] (or
    maybe 7 to 9). These often included the Green Hornet
    and the Shadow, two of my early favorites.

    Eventually, I began buying the Radio Reruns tapes as I
    found them. I don't remember if that began after my
    initial Green Hornet purchase or after I began
    listening to the radio broadcasts. But, whatever the
    case, I've been buying and listening to OTR ever
    since.

    Now, why I like OTR is a bit harder to put into words.
    I suppose it's the imaginativeness of the medium. Your
    mind supplies the character and scene descriptions, so
    each listener has a different interpretation of, say,
    what Britt Reid looks like, the layout of the Daily
    Sentinel office and what sort of mask the Hornet wore.
    And each interpretation is valid.

    On a related note, someone mentioned recently about
    audiotaping movies. I actually did that a couple of
    times with TV shows when I was a kid (not that I had
    any other options; there were no VCRs back then. At
    least not for the average person). My intent was to
    create a quasi radio program out of a favorite TV
    show. It sort of worked. Being familiar with the
    episode I could picture the scenes in my mind as I
    listened to the tape, but it wasn't quite the same as
    a program intended for radio in the first place. So
    that experiment didn't last long.

    I suppose I also like OTR because of a certain
    affinity I seem to have with certain aspects of a
    bygone era (though my interest in OTR may have spawned
    that affinity for all I know). I mean, while I own two
    computers and a Smith Corona PWP word processor, and
    just recently purchased an Alpha Smart lap top word
    processor; I also own 10 manual typewriters (with two
    more on the way) a stereo with phonograph player (33,
    45 AND 78 RPMs), and a candlestick-style phone.

    I also have many videotapes and DVDs, but I think I
    have even more OTR episodes. If not, I'd say it's a
    close tie. I like television, but there are times when
    I prefer simply listening to OTR and letting my mind
    fill in the blanks.

    I could probably say more, but it's late and I'm
    tired.

    Be seeing you.

    Rick.

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 10:39:53 -0500
    From: "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@[removed];
    To: "old time radio" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  YTJD formulaic?

    Hello Harry:
    I have often wondered why so many people address you in the third person, as
    if you aren't reading the same digests as the rest of us.  Let me add to the
    others who thank you for your column.  I find it very informative.  But let
    me respectfully disagree with your assertion that Johnny Dollar was
    formulaic.  I am admittedly biased in favor of Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar
    and the five-part shows are my favorite in the otr genre.  I will admit that
    the rest of the half-hour series in it's entirety was nothing more than
    standard private detective radio fiction.  I include the Bailey half-hour
    programs in these, since most of them were written by Jack Johnstone.
    However, I found that the five-part shows explored elements that other
    detective shows never touched.  John Daweson (aka E. Jack Newman) and Les
    Crutchfield wrote the majority of the five-part serials and added much depth
    to the characters and story.  You can certainly find your share of vanilla
    murder mysteries in the serial run such stories as "The Crystal Lake
    Matter," "The Phantom Chase Matter," and "The Picture Postcard Matter."
    That's all right with me since I love a good vanilla murder mystery.
    However, more often than not, the mysteries were spiced up with the flare of
    Jack Johnstone's comical wit and the strained human conflict that John
    Daweson brought to his stories.  In "The Broderick Matter," not one body
    ever falls.  Johnny spends his time tracking a girl across the country to
    pay off an insurance claim from an old newspaper vender.  The climax is very
    touching and showed that good ol' Johnny had a sensitive side.
    Incidentally, you were in that story Mr. Bartell, in part 1.  In "The Forbes
    Matter," Johnny discovers a young office clerk embezzling funds from his
    company to finance his crush on a Broadway actress.  These stories were
    exceptions to the rule of suspense, but they were a refreshing touch.  It
    was often the case that the listener could tell who the guilty party was
    five minutes after the story began, but the interest comes in as we watch
    Johnny put the puzzle together to prove his case.  "The Chi-Bono Matter", by
    Les Crutchfield,  is the perfect illustration of this, as we watch Johnny
    fail in his attempt to build a case against his suspect until a
    glow-in-the-dark necktie clinches it for him.
    Ultimately, good drama, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and
    everyone has their own preferences.  I'm glad we have a forum such as this
    where we can come together and discuss these things for an appreciative
    audience.  Keep up the good work and I'll continue to enjoy your offerings.
    Sincerely,
    RyanO

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 10:39:02 -0500
    From: "Russ Butler" <oldradio@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Happy Holidays

    Best wishes to the list for the holiday season. We all have something to be
    particularly thankful for this time of year.  I'm blessed to be home for
    Christmas recuperating from a successful liver surgery - no cancer.  Now I
    can listen to all of those OTR tapes I've received from list members, and,
    you know, I may get to like this relaxing-while-healing lifestyle.  Happy
    New Year and thanks to Charlie and everyone who keep this OTR Digest alive
    and [removed]
     = Russ Butler  oldradio@[removed]

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

    Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 10:40:08 -0500
    From: otrdigest@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Lone Ranger / Shadow questions

    1. There is an episode of The Lone Ranger that is
    credited as 431110 (1686) Haunted Ranch. It is indeed
    about a haunted ranch. The official log gives episode
    1686 from 43-11-10 as Human Contraband. It also does
    not list an episode matching Haunted Ranch. What
    episode number is Haunted Ranch?

    2. The Shadow "The Man Who Dreamed Too Much" 11-19-44
    is credited in logs as a re-creation. Does anyone know
    who re-created it and when?

    Andrew Steinberg

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2002 Issue #493
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