------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2006 : Issue 289
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Re: Fred allen [ Cnorth6311@[removed] ]
Orson Welles' WW II radio play [ <vzeo0hfk@[removed]; ]
Out of Print [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
Old-Time Radio's THE RAILROAD HOUR [ "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@hotm ]
Frad Allen Funny ? [ "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@sbcgloba ]
Fred Allen's [removed] [ jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns) ]
10-24 births/deaths [ Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed] ]
OTR comedy [ "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed] ]
Writers on Sam Spade Show [ William Harker <wharker@[removed] ]
How Do You Like Your Eggs? [ "Stuart Lubin" <StuartLubin@[removed] ]
Fred && Amos & Andy [ "Bill Scherer" <bspro@[removed]; ]
Golden Age of Radio and One night St [ "Scherago" <rscherago@[removed]; ]
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 23:06:14 -0400
From: Cnorth6311@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Fred allen
I will say one thing for Ron. Whether he does it intentionally, or not, he
certainly can stir up the passions in people. I personally love Amos "N"
Andy,
particularly the Rinso years. I also respect Ron's aversion to the show. To
me, that's what makes the world go round. Is it tomato, or tomahto?
Charlie
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:01:34 -0400
From: <vzeo0hfk@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Orson Welles' WW II radio play
Karen Lerner asked about an OTR "episode" that was broadcast during World War
II about a small town in which a fascist group were holding a meeting and the
town folk wanted to storm the meeting and run them out of town.
The episode is a radio play written and directed by Orson Welles for a 1941
series called The Free Company. The play's title is "His Honor the Mayor." [I
discuss the series, by the way, in my book, Words At War (Scarecrow Press,
2002).]
The notion that freedom of speech should not be available to people with
unpopular ideas was not uncommon during the war period, and Welles was trying
to say that the constitution was not a five or six day affair only available
to people with "the right set of ideas."
Howard Blue
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:03:00 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Out of Print
Ken Greenwald made a comment about a laserdisc being purchased for a large
sum of money. It was a large sum of money, even for a cliffhanger serial.
At the Williamsburg Film Festival I have seen laserdiscs sell for $[removed] to
$[removed] depending on the title and whether or not that was used or new. It's
a lot like purchasing a VHS video from an internet mail order company for
$[removed] (taped off TV) when you can buy the DVD release "remastered" for
$[removed] at Best Buy. It's buyer beware.
A friend of mine attended a pulp and paper magazine convention back in July
and a vendor was selling six or seven small British publications of THE
SHADOW from the 1930s for a price of $[removed] total. My friend ended up
paying the price and later that evening, used the hotel computer to find out
their value. There were a few on eBay for $[removed] and $[removed] a piece and when
he found an on-line market price guide of sorts listing the actual dates and
titles for the small publications, (I think they were called THRILLER), he
found that the value was about $[removed] in NG condition and $[removed] in mint
condition. He realized he got ripped off because the vendor who sold them
to him knew what he was selling. Had they sold for $100, he wouldn't have
cared too much and shrugged it off but at $[removed] for items that were worth
no more than one fifth in mint (and these were not mint), he wasn't happy.
This came from an established vendor who had been in the business for years
so he knew the value and going price for his separately-priced items. My
friend will probably not be attending that convention (which is a shame
cause he actually spent over $4,000 with vendors in multiple years) or at
the very least, not with that vendor again.
The moral is beware of what you pay for at prices that seem valued. Even
material objects that are out of print for 70+ years being sold in the
venues you would expect they would go for top dollar, are not always what
they seem.
Martin
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:04:00 -0400
From: "Martin Grams, Jr." <mmargrajr@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Old-Time Radio's THE RAILROAD HOUR
There were fliers on the freebee table at FOTR this past weekend that
described up-and-coming books about Old-Time Radio. Among them was a flier
about THE RAILROAD HOUR from Bear Manor Media ([removed]).
Listed below are some fun facts about the program (hoping this might
generate worthwhile discussions on the Digest) and satisfy two people who
asked me at FOTR why it was called "Hour" when the program ran 45 minutes
and 30 minutes instead of a full hour.
FUN FACTS ABOUT THE RAILROAD HOUR
So why is the program called the Railroad "Hour" when it was on the air only
thirty minutes? In radio, the term "hour" was indicative of the time of the
beginning of the broadcast, rather than the number of minutes the program
was on the air.
The Railroad Hour did not broadcast any operas, contrary to popular belief,
and reference guides. The producers of the series presented operettas and
musicals, leaving the operas for other programs, namely The Metropolitan
Opera broadcasts. So what is the difference between opera and operetta?
An opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to
music, and which the dialogue is sung, rather than spoken. An operetta was
a musical performance where the conversations are "talked" and the
expressive moments are set in song.
The Railroad Hour was broadcast from the studios of the National
Broadcasting Company in Hollywood, California. The program was heard
regularly over 170 stations of the NBC network from 1948-1954. According to
an annual report issued by the Association of American Railroads that it was
estimated that the program was heard by more than four million family
groups.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:09:20 -0400
From: "Frank McGurn" <[removed]@[removed];
To: "The Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Frad Allen Funny ?
I would say that the vote is in and Fred Allen was ,and is, funny. I don't
know Ronald Sayles, he dose a great job on his birth/death lists every day.
Now I wonder did Mr. Sayles make his statement on Fred Allen, not being
funny, to stimulate a topic to discuss. If that was his motive he sure woke
up a lot of OTR Fred Allen lovers.
My Favorite poem is "Run to the Roundhouse Mother, He Can't Corner You
There" Falstaff Openshaw. How many OTR readers know what a Roundhouse is?
[ADMINISTRIVIA: Preferences aren't up for "votes;" while Allen makes me fall
down in laughter, that doesn't make him [removed] only makes him funny _to
[removed] Suggesting that something so subjective as a preference can be
determined by a vote makes no sense. So there's no "right" answer to the
question of whether Allen is funny - or more accurately, _every_ answer is
"right."
The fun part is finding out about other people's thoughts, not trying to come
up with some arbitrary "is or is not." So if you haven't already, give us
your two-cents on whether Allen makes you laugh, or yawn. --cfs3]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:09:53 -0400
From: jameshburns@[removed] (Jim Burns)
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Fred Allen's [removed]
I have to disagree with the digester who doesn't enjoy Fred [removed]
When I first listened to a batch of episodes, about sixteen years ago,
Allen made me laugh--
And I was struck by the elegance of the seeming simplicity of his
program's format.
All of this is subjective, of course!
But one should never lose track of the enormous influence Fred Allen had
on other entertainers. Johnny Carson marked Allen as having almost as
big an effect on his humor, and style, as Jack Benny. And when you
consider all the comics and TV personalities who fell under Carson's
spell, there's a direct line of influence, from Allen, to today's
[removed]
Dick Cavett has also mentioned, many times, how much he loved Fred
Allen--Noticeable, I believe, if you catch any of the late '60s/early
'70s ABC-TV Cavett shows now on DVD, or being run on Turner Classic
[removed]
And, I say, I say, boy, I haven't even mentioned Foghorn Leghorn, or
any of the myriad of merchandising tie-ins, over the last few [removed]
;-)
Jim Burns
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:10:01 -0400
From: Ronald Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
To: Olde Tyme Radio Digest Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: 10-24 births/deaths
October 24th births
10-24-1879 - Benjamin Albert "[removed]" Rolfe - Brasher Falls, NY - d.
4-23-1956
conductor: "Lucky Strike Dance Orchestra"; "Believe It or Not"
10-24-1891 - Nila Mack - Arkansas City, KS - d. 1-20-1953
director: "Helen and Mary"; "Let's Pretend"
10-24-1894 - Ted "Kid" Lewis - London, England - d. 8-25-1971
bandleader: "Live Band Remotes"
10-24-1903 - Melvin Purvis - Timmonsville, SC - d. 2-29-1960
fbi agent: Lent his name to "Post Cereal's Junior G-Man Corps"
10-24-1904 - Moss Hart - The Bronx, NY - d. 12-20-1961
panelist: "Who Said That?"
10-24-1904 - Radie Harris - NYC - d. 2-22-2001
gossip columnist: CBS Radio Network
10-24-1911 - Sonny Terry - Greensboro, NC - d. 3-11-1986
blues singer, harmonica player: "Hootenanny"; "Roomful of Music"
10-24-1916 - Ray Singer - NYC - d. 11-16-1992
writer: "Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show"; "Rudy Vallee Show"; "Charlotte
Greenwood Show"
10-24-1925 - Teri Keane - NYC
actor: Hope Evans "Big Sister"; Terry Burton "Second Mrs. Burton"
10-24-1930 - J. P. "Big Bopper" Richardson - Sabine Pass, TX - d.
2-3-1959
Early Rock and Roll disc jockey
10-24-1936 - David Nelson - NYC
actor: "Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet"
October 24h deaths
01-31-1919 - Jackie Robinson - Cairo, GA - d. 10-24-1972
sportscaster: (Baseball Hall of Fame) "Jackie Robinson Show"
02-27-1888 - Lotte Lehmann - Perleberg, Prussia, Germany - d. 10-24-1976
soprano: "Command Performance"; "Concert Hall"; "Here's to Veterans"
03-28-1888 - Jim Harkins - d. 10-24-1970
emcee: "Song Writing Machine Series"
04-03-1921 - Leonard Sues - El Paso, TX - d. 10-24-1971
music: "The Eddie Cantor Show"
04-30-1870 - Franz Lehar - Romorn, Austria-Hungary - d. 10-24-1948
operetta composer: "Railroad Hour"; "Showtime"
08-06-1933 - Beverly Wills - California - d. 10-24-1963
actor: (Daughter of Joan Davis) Fluffy Adams "Junior Miss"
08-19-1921 - Gene Roddenberry - El Paso, TX - d. 10-24-1991
writer: "Have Gun, Will Travel"
09-07-1927 - Don Messick - Buffalo, NY - d. 10-24-1997
actor: "Let George Do It"; "Horizons West"; "NBC University Theatre"
10-28-1897 - Edith Head - San Bernardino, CA - d. 10-24-1981
costume designer: Intermission Guest "Lux Radio Theatre"
11-02-1899 - Walter Woolf King - San Francisco, CA - d. 10-24-1984
emcee, host, actor: :Beatrice Lillie Show"; "Flying Red Horse Tavern"
xx-xx-1865 - Hal Brown - d. 10-24-1942
harmonica: "Just Plain Bill"
Ron Sayles
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:10:59 -0400
From: "Holm, Chris " <[removed]@[removed];
To: <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: OTR comedy
It seems to me, based mainly on casual observation, that it is much
easier for members on this list to agree on what makes good drama than
what makes good comedy.
The elements of good drama (and here I'm including genre shows like
detective, western, and scifi) seem to be more universal: characters
with depth, taut story telling, natural dialog. Even if you don't like
a specific genre like westerns, there's little disagreement that shows
like Gunsmoke and Fort Laramie were very good shows. Drama seems to be
very universal. All around the world, a good story is a good story
regardless of language, culture, or translation.
Comedy, on the other hand, seems to hit us in a very different way. It
seems to be much more dependent on culture, heritage, and personal
nature. If we don't find a comedy show funny, it is much harder for us
to gauge if it is good anyway. I personally love shows like Vic and
Sade, Fibber McGee and Molly, and especially Lum and Abner. In these
shows, the plot is typically secondary and is just a frame work for a
few characters to riff on the meaning of words, conflicts,
misunderstanding, and distractions. For me, this is great comedy.
On the other hand, I despise sitcom type shows like My Friend Irma,
Henry Aldrich, Father Knows Best, etc. The sitcom formula of the main
character forgetting to do something/screwing something up and then
spending the whole show trying to conceal it/get away with it is just so
soul-crushingly unfunny, it makes me want to hit myself in the face with
a brick. But some people must find this formula funny, since TV and
radio have been using it for 70-odd years.
Now some sitcom-ish shows like Life of Riley and Great Gildersleeve
redeem themselves in my eyes by having such great characters. There's
very little that Digger O'Dell or Peavey can't make up for, but these
shows are the exception, not the rule.
Therefore, it is very hard for me to accurately judge sitcom shows.
They're not funny to me, and regardless of how good they are on any
objective measure, they just sound stale and flat.
And I think this is why we're discussing Fred Allen know. To some
people, he's just not funny. Others find him great. And because comedy
seems to affect us in very different ways than drama, and seems to be
less universal than drama, it is much harder for us to agree on
something being "good" or "bad" radio.
Just a thought,
-chris holm
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 09:17:25 -0400
From: William Harker <wharker@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Writers on Sam Spade Show
First, let me give a public thank you to all of you who communicated
with me off-list concerning my previous questions regarding William
Spier and other matters concerning the Sam Spade radio show.
As in many things in life, there is good news and bad news to
report. First, I have found the entire trial court record at the
National Archives in Laguna Niguel, California. I have to inspect
the record in its entirety but evidently Warner Brothers submitted
approximately 200 whole Sam Spade scripts as evidence in support of
their allegation of copyright infringement. I know some on the list
are script collectors; I know some scripts are harder to find than
others depending on several factors. What I do not know is whether
the Sam Spade scripts at Laguna Niguel are entire scripts or merely
selected portions demonstrating alleged copyright violation. Since
what I am doing has nothing really to do with the scripts themselves,
I doubt if I will be examining them that closely.
Second, as several of you noted to me off-list, the William Spier
papers are held at the Wisconsin Historical Society in
Madison. Unfortunately, I am not getting much of a response from
those folks so I have taken up another individual's suggestion and
communicated with someone in Madison who might be able to help
me. This reminds me of another recent Dashiell Hammett "problem" I
had. Hammett wrote a review of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake for the
dummy issue of PM (the leftist New York daily started by Ralph
Ingersoll). The dummy issue was never made public, so the review is
kind of tough to find. The 42nd Street Branch of the New York Public
Library refused to be of assistance to either me or my interlibrary
loan librarian. I, finally, tracked down the author of a book about
PM, initially finding his [removed] dissertation advisor, and he was able
to supply me a copy.
Third, I still don't have a clue as to who owned Regis Radio Corp. I
know Regis was the production company using CBS' facilities and
obviously the CBS airwaves, but I have not found a single name
connected to the company. As Spier was the producer, I'm hoping
something in his papers will shed light on this.
Fourth, I have learned that Alfred A. Knopf kindly left his
collection of papers (its quite large) with the Ransom Center at the
University of Texas at Austin. Knopf was the other plaintiff besides
Warner Brothers. This is convenient as there is both a Dashiell
Hammett Collection (via Lillian Hellman) and Erle Stanley Gardner
Collection there. I see a major trip to Austin in my future.
Fifth, I now ask another question of the list: does anyone have any
information regarding the three writers of the show who were also
defendants. William Robert Tallman, Giles B. Doud, Joe
Eisinger. Specifically, if they left papers to a university or
society, or the whereabouts of any desendants, or perhaps someone on
the list knows of any remarks these gentlemen made about the
case. Right now, the only comment I've found is a "throwaway" remark
Hammett made upon arriving in Los Angeles for the trial, "the action
is just one of those technical things."
Again, many thanks. Gosh, I love this list.
Bill Harker
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 10:19:05 -0400
From: "Stuart Lubin" <StuartLubin@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio Digest" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: How Do You Like Your Eggs?
Entering the fray about whether Fred Allen was funny or not, no one can
prove it either way, although the lines of reasoning are interesting. As
long as writers explain why they feel one way or the other, that's what
makes life interesting.
I cannot prove to you why sunny side up is better than scrambled, but that's
why restaurants have menus. (I know, "sunny side up" vs. "scrambled" is not
on the menu.) Charlie, please forgive this diversion.
Stuart
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 11:11:55 -0400
From: "Bill Scherer" <bspro@[removed];
To: ""old-time radio digest">" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Fred && Amos & Andy
Well I have always loved Fred and Amos and Andy. I started collecting when I
was a teen in the early 70's. My first shows were The Benny show, Amos and
Andy and of course Fred's Alley era shows. I always thought they were funny.
I always got the joke for some reason even though I didn't get *all* the
topical
stuff. There was always enough to make me ask questions, think, and laugh.
I never understood the bad press that Amos and Andy got either.
Just my nickel's worth.
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:10:04 -0400
From: "Scherago" <rscherago@[removed];
To: "Old Time Radio" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Golden Age of Radio and One night Stand with
the Big Bands
The latest "Golden Age of Radio" programs with Dick Bertel
and Ed Corcoran, and "A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"
with Arnold Dean can be heard at [removed].
Each week we feature three complete shows in MP3 format
for your listening pleasure or for downloading; two "Golden
Age of Radios" and one "One Night Stand." We present new
shows every week or so. The current three programs will be
available on line at least until the morning of 10/31/2006.
Program 5 - August, 1970 -Jan Miner
>From the 1940's to the 1980's, Ms. Miner was never far from
productions on and off Broadway or on out-of-town stages,
from New Haven and Stratford, Conn., to St. Louis. She was
on many radio programs, including the popular "Boston Blackie"
series as Richard Kollmar's leading lady in the late 1940's, and
was a well-known soap opera star as the heroine of "Hilltop
House." But later in her career she starred in a real television
soap opera in Palmolive Liquid commercials.
Program 6 - September, 1970 - John Gibson
John Gibson was a network radio actor who portrayed
Ethelbert on radio adaptation of the pulp fiction series
"Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer." Originally,
Flashgun wasn't a cameraman. But during the first decade
of his serialization, author George Harmon Coxe toned
down the character's roughness and reinvented him as a
hunch-following photographer with a knack for capturing
crime scenes.
On this installment of "The Golden Age of Radio" we'll
hear Mr. Gibson performing in excerpts from "The
Magnificent Montague," "Nick Carter," "Milton Berle,"
and "The Columbia Workshop."
"A One Night Stand with the Big Bands" With Arnold Dean
Program 5 - Stan Kenton - August, 1971
Stan Kenton was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, and
bandleader known for his innovations in jazz music. He
was born in Wichita, Kansas, but raised in California. He
learned piano as a child and toured with various bands in
his teens. In 1941 he formed his own band and reached the
height of his popularity by 1953. Many of his band
arrangements (he used anywhere from 19 to 23 musicians
at a time) were written by Kenton himself, as well as other
composers.
In the 1970's WTIC decided that there was a market in
the evening for long-form shows that could be packaged
and sold to sponsors. Two of those shows were "The
Golden Age of Radio" and "A One Night Stand with the
Big Bands."
Dick Bertel had interviewed radio collector-historian
Ed Corcoran several times on his radio and TV shows,
and thought a regular monthly show featuring interviews
with actors, writers, producers, engineers and musicians
from radio's early days might be interesting. "The Golden
Age of Radio" was first broadcast in April, 1970; Ed was
Dick's co-host. It lasted seven years. "The Golden Age
of Radio" can also be heard Saturday nights on Walden
Hughes's program on Radio Yesteryear.
Arnold Dean began his love affair with the big band
era in his pre-teen years and his decision to study
the clarinet was inspired by the style of Artie Shaw.
When he joined WTIC in 1965 he hosted a daily program
of big band music. In 1971, encouraged by the success
of his daily program and "The Golden Age of Radio"
series, he began monthly shows featuring interviews
with the band leaders, sidemen, agents, jazz reporters,
etc. who made major contributions to one of the great
eras of music history.
Bob Scherago
Webmaster
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2006 Issue #289
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