No.141 Summer ZOU $J.75
A visit with Jack Benny 0ldDmeRadio "»act.R,~ 'DIGESJ' S.,S:_.., ~ ~ Old Time Radio No. 141 Summer 2013 "'FledAllen i s tnaklnz cr.acks <1bo111 ~b ar,g on lht Dt ~nis Day Sho'fl TheOld TimeRad io Digest1s pnnted r11,,i lf Y is 50 l ltt>n tt/lh mvy_ BOOKS AN D PAPER publishedand distributedby trery timt he openshis mr:1uu RMS& Associates SOmobo(fyma ils • letter. 1ulle1 ii, Den,,;~ :showtoniRb t- Allt.11 We have one of the largesc scledi ons in the USA of out of print Editedby Bob Burchett lt'On't be on it! books and paper items on all aspects of radio broadcast in~. Publishedqu,nlerly four I1111esa year ------·---- ·------· ·------One year subscription 1s$ 15 per year - Hooks: A large asso11ment of books on tlw history ofbroacka~ting. Single copies$3.75 each radio writing, stars' biographies. radio sho\, "· and radio play~. Past issues are available. Make checks t;;/.. ~,s payableto Old TimeRadio Digest. - Also hooks on broadcasting tcchniqul.'.s. social impact l1f radio etc ..
Business and editorial office RMS&A ssoc,ales, 10280 GunpowderRd ~ phcmcra: Material on specific radio stations. radio scripts, Florence.Kentucky 41 042 advertising literature, radio premiums. NAB anmwl reports, etc. 859.2820333 -·------·------bob [email protected] 6:30 P .M. ORDER OUR CATALOG Advertisingrates as of January 1, 2013 ( Jur last cmC1lop,(/1 2.'i) 11·11s issued in .lufi- .'O I IJ ,md incl11dt•~ o\'l't ./Ofl ,1,•111< Full pagead $20 size 4 5/8 x 7 i11c/11d111y, n 111,e vart,'I)' o.f 1/em , 11 ,, hav1- 11e1·,•r 1een h<'/<,rep/m, cl 1111111/w, of Half pageact $10 size 4 5/8 x 3 0/djal'orite.1 that ll'l'/' C llfl/ i11cl11dedIll (/ /{/"' "'' colalug Mo.\/ / (('Ill .\ Ill lhi' Hall page ad $10 size2x7 ('(l/(l/og are still (Jvtlllahlt:. To r ('C(' /\ '(' (I CO/ I)', .,·,·ncl /IS 0 111! dollar rs/) lit C'/1.\h0, .lfC1111ps ,md m kft1r lhl' Nadio llrorulcastin~ Catr,/o,:. We.1/iall send you ( Ii All ads shouldbe in a PDF or jpeg Ille Catah,~ 1115, (21 u C<'rft/h-ate good /or S4. 1//
The Old Time Radio Digest is printed BOOKS AND PAPER ______,.._____ .,.______.,. ____.,..___ ... _ _.. published and distributed by RMS& Associates We have one of the largest selections in the USA of out of print Edited by Bob Burchett books imd paper items on all aspects of radio broadcasting. -~- Published quarterly four limes a year ------·-----·------·------·-...------One year ~ubscriplion is $15 per year Hooks: A large assortment of books o n thf history of broad(:asting, Single copies$3.75 each radio wTiting, stars' biographies. radio shows. and radio plays. Past issues are available. Makechecks µ;;t"~,s- .. payable lo Old Time RadioDigest. A lso books on broadcasting techniques. social impact of radio etc ·------·------Business and edilorial office Ephemera: Material on specific radio statio ns. radio scripts, RMS& Associalcs,10280 Gu npowderRd advc11ising literature, radio pr~miums. NA B an111Jal reports. etc. rlorence. Kentucky 41042 .-•s,,c 859.282 0333 ______..., --· ·------bob [email protected] "lo1,1f# 6: 3 0 P . M. 0 RDE R OUR CATA LOG Our last ca1alor, {ll2.'i) wm i.1s11ed in ./11~1· _){) I IJ ,md includes m·er 300 11,,111.• Advertisingra tes as of January 1, 2013 i11cl11ding n nice variety n( items w<' have 1ww'r ,1ecn be/or<' plus <11111111/,a of Full page ad $20 size 4 5/8 x 7 oldfal'Oriles that ll'ere not included i11 0 111· la.,r rntalog Mos/ ilC'ms 111 thi' Half page ad $10 size 4 5/8 x 3 ::::f;;,£J ./I I I eY<. ,,o a 1/tJ = Half pagead $10 si,c2x7 cotalog are still m•ailahle. To rcceiw~ 11 CO/I)', si'/1d 11~ om: dollar (SI) 111 rnslt or "Jack UennYon the \) pn111:.l) c1-y .\tamps and ask for tlw Radio Rroadrasting Cato/01;. IVe ,~lwll send yo11 (Ii rn Show . .. nrnrn111.l h ,1\'s \\1e Catah,g IJ15, (2) a cert{/h·111ego od.for $4 .. ,/f on ,my cotalog purchase and fJJ All ads should be a PDF or jpeg file. 1 We can prepareyour ads from typewritten tirst \ime a \1a111 Cijllf 11rot11,l1l a copv (f our nc.xt cataloi when issued, copy or yourdesig n or we can design an along i\S own cr,\',f,. We do not list the items in our catalog on the Internet. ad for you Pleasewr ite or call for details. lonig\11B enny won't _.,. be on . . tllnt's ------Non-commercialclass ifieds WHY NOT VIS/TOUR .SJ/OP? First 20 wordsfree, then 10 per word • on~ eood 1c::ison Bequuert Oltl flo(Jkl is !orated in the southwc~tern corner or NI I in his10ric Commerialclassified ads Im \\1111\'\~ io . . .'' $5 for the first 20 words plus 20 per Fitzwilliam just a sho11di'ive from Route 9 1. from A pnl to No,•cmbcr we arc wordth ereafter open Tliursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 noon to S p.m. on weekends. Closing dales for ads We: have a large general stock plus cxtcnsivc collcction5 in Radio Broa 2 Come and visit Jaeli ~ by Polly Townsend RadioMirror Magazine ~ " . t:l Underone roof: a housefor everybody, much release of radio-active poison mat and for everybodya house of his own. ter as did the atom bomb over Bikini. This is Mary Livingstone's recipe for a Mary Bennyk new this whenshe harmoniousfamily life, and it worksl ike a plannedhe r house, and she plannedcare talisman-evenin Hollywoodwhere (de fully for lebensraumfor three as disparate spite the well-paidefforts of half the psy humanbeings as ever found \ chiatric brains in the country) more shelter under a single rooftop." \ marriagesexp lode in the headlinesthan go First of all, of course, the house had to \ on year in year out in a sort of a miracu 'Work for Jack Benny More of the sweat lous serenity. and toil which produces the Benny radio Of course, if you're living in Quonset show every -week goes on at the Benny hut with your bride and her mother and home than in Jack's office or at NBC stu planningto put Junior in the dresser dios- so Jack's lebensraumhad to provide drawer,a description of the Jack Bennys' for workingspace , shut off from the noise Jack and Mary in there living room serene and well-roofedexistence will only and confusions of the rest of the house hasten your trip to the divorce court, or to hold. As for Jack's recreation if there is sort of. exhaustionJoan's life promotesis Bennys' spaciousGeorgian home in Washingtonto have the heads of the work to be done, he doesn't get any. His not like her father's; it makesfor good, Beverly Hills is laid out in three suites- so housingexpediters . rest, ditto- if the script is in trouble Jack sounds leep, nine until seven, with no in different in characterand equipmentthat But even in such dire straits as that Bennycan get along with catnaps, terruptions.Her needs; a place for holler they could be three separateapar tments, you will be thinking and planning for your spendingmore of the small hours awake ing-alternating with sleep- preferablyfar in three never conflictingworlds. dream homeof 'the not too distant future and at work than pounding the pillow. His away from her father's retreat and suit "Never?"As Gilbert and Sullivan put it, and a look-in at. a housing system which hobbies- well, unless you count golf and ably soundproofed,i.e., a room of her own. "Well, hardly ever.' is different-andwh ich works-maycome in gin rummy and seeing his friends (which Mary'sown habit patterns seemdis Even with Mary'smeticulous planning , handy. he gets around to during the radio tinctly normal - humdrum,even-after a HardWorking Jock and Hard Pla~ng Joan sometimesmanage a head-oncollision. As any good architect or builder will tell seasononly when Mary· insists that he glance at the rest of the family, but on closer inspectionthey, too, make for a bit At these moments,Rule No. One of you, you must start planning your house leave the woe to the writers for a spell), his of planning. Fromlong yearsin the theater, family policy invoked: 'Daddy, if he is by thinking hard about the way you live, hobbies are more work. Jack's housing Mary has appropriatedthe customof working,is always right." about what sort of people your house needs,then , are simple: quiet, privacy, the going to bed very late. Thisdoes not mean Recently, Jack's producersand writing must provide for, and what sort of work right to turn on the lights in the middle of that she must be up and doing until dawn. staff were workingat the house with the and play and rest and hobbiesmak e up the night-a room of his own. The up-staying is just as pleasanti f boss. They were up, against a knotty their lives. Thenthere is Joan, the Bennys'daugher you're proppedup in bed with plenty of script-cuttingproblem. Down the hall with For work is not just work- nor rest just twelve years old, healthy, active and gre pillows' and a cigarette and some new her door ajar, Joanniewas practicing her rest; ete., etc. And people-a nd if you're garious. Her work - the teachersat El books. But it meanscompromising on the piano lesson. She plays very well, but living in a Quonsethut you have found Rodeo School pile on the home work, to other end of the night. Mary's maid knows anyone's practicing has a tendencyto be this out-are not just people. Every individ hear Joannie tell it-so there must be a that Mrs. Benny will want her breakfast come monotonous.And besides, the ual has a way of living all his own, and if ii place to study. Her hobbies are horseback tray before noon only if she has a vital counting- one-two-three-four- was dis is blocked and thwarted too long by the riding, swimming, playing the phonograph businessappointment. So Mary, too, tinctly audible, and distracting, in the external conditionsof t1isl ife, he will ex and the piano with the more friends needs a room of her own. script session. plode with as much noise and almost as around the merrier. Her rest black outl The As a result the secondfloor of the Jack sent ProducerBob Allen to Jeannie's 4 5 A place wherea man can work or relax as he sees fit- Jack's room suite with a message. face my friends!" one whole wall of perfumebottles, a Mary Benny'spersonal rooms, in "Yourdaddy ," he said, "wants you to The joke was blue-penciled. private bath, and a huge playroom, this noticeablecontrad iction, are never clut practicedownstairs ." Jack's big room is a sort of bed-sitting room farthest away from the family. tered, and they certainly are the prettiest Joannies ighed, Junior Miss Aggrieved. room with a desk' almost as big as the The playroomis the heart of the place. rooms of all. The bedroom, in soft blue, "I thoughthe would,' she said. Un-said bed, with shelves for scripts and ref II has the phonographand recordcol rose and white is Victorianin feeling was Career Woman'sage -old complaint. erence books,and big, bright working lection, the spinet piano, Joan's collec without being stiff. The fireplaceof black "And my work, I suppose, has no impor lights, comfortable chairs, man-sized tion of dolls and toy horses, her books, marble is for real fires- friendly and invit tance aroundhere." tables at the bedsidewith sharpened the photographso f her friends, the ing. The chintz draperiesand upholstery But she went. pencils and paper, booksand the inevi clutter which goes with being young , and are in a cheerful floral pattern, which is Mary Benny often sits in with the table box of sleep-promoters. The colors alert and busy. Joan'sgoverness, Julia repeatedin the wall paper on two ends of writers and Jack on the radio conferences. are masculineand unbedroomy-brown Vallance, who has shared her life for five the room. So, as a matter of fact, does Joan. and beige. The suite includesa dress years, is the sort of calm, imperturbable What's more, Joan isn't afraid to criti ing room, done in brown leather, a womanwho likes children and doesn't cize her Daddy'sj okes-·-and her Daddy porch overlookingthe garden, and mind messesand who can provideeffi rt@~,;(t\0--:'.· ~: ~!~ ...,t .;~,olJ,. __'i.-t'1,. _.,. isn't too proud, sometimes,t o accept her Jack's bath-wherehe may leave the ciently for a little girl's health and safety ;:-l~·,. .., ,,, J· ... criticism. top off the toothpastetube if he feels without imposing too rigid a set of rules. """'•·,r•• ,,, ' '*( •r ,..,_,.~'"-'""-'> ~-4-.,..~ . ' Oncerecently , ·however, when Joan like it. As Joan would put ii, "She doesn't go .. I objected to a particular boffola on the aroundsaying no and shushing you all . ~- 1',i1~ Joan, who is the smallest member of , ,-..'si groundsthat it was "corny" her father the family, rates the biggest suite the time.' ~. _.· overruled her. 'Keep it in," he ordered. "It becauseher activities are so varied she Joan prefers to think of Miss Vallance may be corny but it's funny." needs plenty of room to blow off steam. as her "secretary."Not many of her Whenyou stay up late reading and get up "THAT'Swhat you think," Joan- not Her "apartment"has a big bedroom schoolmatesat public school can afford equally late in the morning, as Mary does. easily abashed- argued. "But you should - with two beds, one for her frequent the luxury of a "governess"and Joan your bedroomshould be comfortableand be in my shoes. On Mondays,I have to overnight guests- a dressingroom with thinksthe whole custom a little snobbish. beautiful, Mary'sis both. 6 7 their home. Mary Benny wouldbe the first, however, to concedethat a formal living room can be just as lovely without real antiques, without Chinesejade lamp RADIO~'S GR EATEST bases, and real collectors'items among SHOW the objets d'art. She has gone to a great SHO~ deal of trouble, as a matterof fact, to de tract from the museumaura of such fabu lous pieces by doing her upholstered pieces with her first thought for comfort, and by a subtle use of color-palegreen , rose, and ivory, and a real fire's happiest companion,brass . It is in this room that the Bennys welcomeguests at their more elaborate parties. The drawingroom's complement i n characterand style is the formal dining Upstairs,everything's private, but in the big, comfortable playroom the Bennys room, a beautifulroom done in grey and can be a family. gold, with a long table which comfortably will seat twenty.with massive silver pieces from old England and a crystal chandelier. The blue-tuftedoversized bed is pure himself. And that makes for an adjusted, These two rooms, along with a panelled feminineheaven , where a substitution happy family. library with dark blue oriental rugs and a of fat pillows for flat ones makes it The rest of the house is plannedjust Dutch tile fireplace are amongthe show easily as inviting for staying awakea s as systematicallyfo r living happily spots of Hollywood. for droppingoff to sleep. Mary has, in Hear all these stars together-and don't think for a momentjust A pair of rooms all three Bennyslike addition, her private mirroredd ressing JACK BENNY becausethe upstairs levels are designed much better, and live in much more, are room where vast cedarlinedclosets as they are that the Bennyslive in com RED SKELTON the big, ramblingplayroom which faces on DON AMECHE house what HowardGreer has called plete isolation with no traffic from one the garden and a sunny yellow, and pale JIMMY DURANTE the smartest wardrobein favorite bath "apartment"t o another. It is here that grey breakfast room in which green vines GARRY MOORE oils and perfumes. Mary's impeccablebutler , Oscar, has his in silver urnsbring the gardenindoors . LAURITZMELCHIOR With such a plan, it is plain to see, innings. Oscar is the perfect butler, Eng VERA VAGUE there need never be any conflict of lish, proper, and-and this is unusual PETERLIND HAYES THE CHARIOTEERS personalities- any reason for any of the always affable. Oscar is always smiling. BURLIVES members of the household to be uncom (He doesn't know, fortunately, that Jack's LINAOMAY fortable for the sake of any of the others. writers with typical lack of reverencefor AND MANY OTHERS A reconnaissanceflight over the Benny the Way ThingsAre Done refer to him al SPONSORED BY home at any eleven A.M.- which caught ways as "Smiley.") And here, too, the ELGIN WATCH CO . Jack hard at work on a script, Joan prac roomshave as many moodsas there are ticing for her piano lesson, and Mary occasionswh ich thP 8c'.rnys enjoy as a blissfully asleep- would prove incontro l; CBS~ family. COAST TO COAST vertibly that planning makesperfect. Plan The drawingroom is quite formal, its ning makes freedom, too, complete furnishingshandsome , someof them rare KGLO freedomfor every memberof the family to and priceless since the Bennyshave not 3:00 P.M. do what he likes. when he likes-to be had to consider a strict budget in planning 1111 8 9 by Ezra Stone& spokenby a voice that will echo down WeldonMelick throughcentu ries to come."I had planned ~?Hapt to stare long and hard," Dick said, "to Whoeats drink in the sceneso it would last. But "I'll show you around.This' is the guide's somehowmy sensesjammed and every ~7~~~ day off." toothpaste, From the Opry Houseto the White thing went blurred and vague, like a snap The rest of the boys hadn't been told House in a little over a year! Soldier shot out of focus. My lips moved,but my that PresidentRooseve lt was going to theatricalshad come a long way since voice' was trappedin my throat. forhis ~irtkday greet each one in person.When a rumor "entertainment" was providedat Upton by "Then it was over. 1 had met my Com sizzleddown the long humanfuse that selectees summarilyca lled to-the small mander-in-Chief; and 1 suddenlyhad a the Presidenth imself was waiting at the tonight?(:fltf??) stage and orderedto be funny. We actors deep convictionof secu-rity and trust and head of the line, they forgot the venerated had weatheredridicule and discourage yes, a surgeof unembarrassedpatr iot halls and tiptoe voices. SergeantDick ment and even had our loyalty chal ism. I cameout of my trance, shookhands Bernierestored orde r with the veiled lenged.There had been times when the with Mrs. Roosevelt, said good evening, threat, "The next guy who sounds off has obstacles seemedtoo great, when the and even managedto smile a little, and to meet the Vice-Presidentins tead." temptation was strong to abandonour she was smiling a lot. As an aide identifiedeach soldier,t he floundering crusadefor soldier self-enter "I watchedsome of the others corning Presidentshook hands, calling him by tainmentand seek a place in military units off the assemblyline to see whetherthat name.Atired in dinner clothes, he sat in a of establishedand unquestionedvalue. 'hand operation' did the same thing to huge, high-backedarmchair. The mas True, the Tita tour had temporarilyside them as it had to me. Broadwaysophisti sivenessof his head and the breadthand trackedus on a missionof home-front cates .that most of themwere , accus thicknessof his shoulderswould have morale. But it might also prove a golden tomed to meetingall sorts of celebrities, dwarfeda chair of ordinarysize. Mrs. opportunityto break down the strong they were plainly stirred by the honor the Roosevelt stood beside him, smiling and rational prejudicein civilian minds against Presidentwas according us. Each one greetingeach boy as he left the President. using soldiers for soldier morale.And we cameaway with a numbexpression , as if He seemedrather glad to see me, and all sensedthat we were passinga most he wouldn'tbe able to tell you his name.' no wonder- I was the last man in the line. important milestone in this directionas I don't supposethe boys weregracing He scrutinized my face again and then re the entire companyof about three hun the White Housequite the way someof markedto Mrs. Roosevelt"" He doesn't Tunein,! dred twenty-five assembledi n front of the their fond mothers undoubtedlydreamed look a bit differenton-stage!" Then I knew NationalTheatre at 11 :30 Friday night, over their cradlestha t they would.But the it had been my artificial complexion that followingthe show,and marchedthrough dreamswere propheticinsofar as those ''TIIEAWBICH FAMILY" had startled him at our meetingoutside the streets of the capital to the White boys have been called upon to have a the theatre. What looks like flesh and with,EZRASTOHE Housegates. Beingreceived in body at part in shapingthe destinyo f their country a blood behindfo otlights looks like tomato and that of the world. the White Houseconstituted the highest aspic in the glaring sun. It was undoubt Our crowd more than filled the state ing any morein the way of refreshments, recognitionfor the work we believed in. edly the first time the Presidenthad ever ining room. Tableswith vases of red as ii was after midnight. And those sand Polite but vigilant plain-clothesmen seen a soldier in full combatattire and d wiches looked gh good about hen. In FBl'ed us at the door of the East Wing, grease paint at close range.He probably roses and plates stackedhigh with sand mi ty t collectedour special invitations, and had thought1 had suddenlydeveloped a wicheshad also been arrangedin the a few moments,however, t o our surprise us form ina long line. Beingin these hal high fever. three reception rooms knownas the Oval, and delight, waitersstarted servingan lowed halls gave me a fanciful feeling of Dick Burdick,writing for our yearbook, the Red, and the Greenrooms. honest-to-goodnessmeal. We foresook timelessness.I don't think I'd havebeen describedthe feeling everyboy had, 1 HankHe nry, noting the fare, accused the sandwiches, althoughI noticedsome much surprisedif AbrahamLincoln had think, when he felt the grip of the Presi Meisterand Merrill of havingcatered for pocket had suspicious bulges. steppedout of a picture frame and said, dent's hand and heard his own name the occasion.Actua lly we weren'texpect- The supperwasn't elaborate,j ust 10 11 wholesomeand homey, like the whole af remarkablecombination of stately bearing the coverin the shapeof a sailboat, which awaitingthe most opportunemoment. Our fair. Creamo f tomatosoup chicken salad, and vibrant spirit. Her personal charm is we were told he had designedh imself, uniformties used to be black, I believe as a tomatostuffed with creamcheese and all the more striking becausethe camera vanishedin the samemanner. I guess the a symbol of mourningfor the soldier dead ch ves, cake, brick ice cream,and coffee. i fails so utterly to catch ii. boys all wantedsome tangible evidence, in all previoiuswa rs. But for somereason Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hopkins and Robert As she came into our room we rose to when they got back to their hotels, that sun-tancravats had supplanted them in Sherwoodsa t down with us. The only ou feet but she motionedus down say r , , the whole eveninghadn't been a mirage. the gravybackfie ld, althoughour black womanin our bunch, of coursewas ing, "Don't get up every time I come into I confessmy part in the sackingof the ones had never been called in. Strict or "Corporal" Reilly, our belovedward robe the room, boys. Youknow my reputation White Housewas as eager and thorough ders were issued governing the minutest mistress. as a traveler!" as anyone's.I had even plannedto leave details of our dress for the White House Joe Lawrence, our little trombonist She spoke briefly about the functiono f my hat in the checkroom,if necessary,to visit, neglectingto . mention only our sun who has such, short reach that he has to the state dining room, told us how certain be able to retain my green cardboardhat tan ties. So the black tie which Corporal manipulatethe slide with his foot in the of the White House rooms wereclosed for check bearingthe Presidential seal and JamesMaccoll lovinglyexhumed and farthestposit ion, went up to Mrs. the duration,r eferred to the President White Houseimpr int. By sleight-of-hand, flauntedat formationin front of the theatre Rooseveltas we were going in to supper several times in a domestic,unassum ing however, I managedto walk out with both. on this state occasion stood out like a and asked if he could be excused.He way as "my husband," and commented Merek leptomaniadidn't affordsufficient sore thumbon a nose. Reprimandedfor wouldn't have dared to put such a request on their favorite picture of PresidentLin nourishmentfor JimmyMacColl's venture the brazenirr egularity, he pleadedwith lo his CommandingOff icer, But, relying coln, one showinghim in repose. some spirit. He had chosenthis auspi poker-facedinnocence, "But , sir, I thought on a gracious woman's sympathy to un She said she was sorry some of the cious event for his perfect crime. He must this was to be a formalaffair." derstandhis predicament,he explained boys were unableto attend becauseof ill have been plotting it for several months, that he had made, heavyda te with a cer ness or duty and that she would write to tain younglady and didn't want to stand them individually, asking themt o come her up. Mrs. Roosevelt gave him her when they could. I told her in particular amusedassurance that he wasn't a pris about SpenceCase, Sr., who had been oner in the White House.One of the our clerk, the first person besidesmyself blessingsof living in a democrac is that to be assigned to This Is The Army He Who,-t~t4'1 when the President asks you over to his had been stricken after our arrival in place you needn't feel obligedto stay for Washington and taken to the WalterReed supper and waste your wholeevening. Hospital.I learnedlater that Mrs. Roo (J.JiJO/lk-MOffll Harry Hopkinsentertained those of us sevelt sent him a big bouquetof chrysan seatednear him with stories of former themumsw ith a personalnote. White Housetenants. He related,among His son, also in our show, told me that her """!INJ~lowJ? other things, how PresidentCool idge thoughtfulnessgave his father one of his used to check fire departmenteffic iency last pleasures. Hear by turningin false alarms and then hiding One of the boys askedif we might in the busheson the White Housel awn to have our invitationsback , and Mrs. Roo time the engines' arrival with a stopwatch. sevelt fractured White House conventions "lHEALDRICH FAMILY" And that TeddyR oosevelt used to let his in order to have them returned.Someone kids ride their ponies up and down in the else wanted to take a rose for a souvenir, While Housee levator, which still bears and she told us to help ourselves.Fo r our TONIGHT! their hoof marks. gang the plural of "a rose" is twenty-four While we were eating, Mrs. Roosevelt dozen roses, and they disappearedas if visited all the rooms and talked to each they had been a mirage. Booksof 6:00 CST s;t~oNWIBA group for a few moments.She has a most matches with the President'sinitials on 12 13 with various actressesin films prior to Man programsas variously, The Thin The ThinMan amplydemonstrated the Man, MysteryPlayhouse, Frontl ine The Further Adventures of the appealof both Powell's droll responsesto atre and GlobeTheatre programsfor both his usuallystrong-wi lled and opinionated our American fighting forces overseasand the United Nations fighting forces. Most of female partners, his natural talent as a the informationwe'd normallyfind in the gentlemandetective /comedian, and the openingor closing credits of the record already provenappeal of the Powell/Loy ings of Thin Man programsare absentin chemistryon screen. most of the AFRSproduced tr anscrip DashiellHammett wro te someof the tions. We were thereforeforced to rely al screenplaysfor the six Thin Man films, most entirely on contemporaneous J, ~""""" but the real scenaristsfo r the series were newspaperarticles, spot ads and Radio Dashiell Hammett's Comedy Thriller the remarkable marriedteam of Albert programli stings to prepare our research Hackettand FrancesGoodrict, . close for this article. by Dee Neyhartfrom the Digital Deli 2012© friends and 'protectors'to one degreeor WorldWar II played something of a anotherDashiell Hammett i n real life. role in the evolutionof this programover 1 the years. Its initial male lead, Les Damon u..L' 1nm detectivenove l of the samename , and Hackettand Goodrich created a revolu departedfrom the role for the two years basedupon a married couple that was re POWELL OW RNA tionary style of dialoguebetween Nick portedlymode led on DashiellHammett's and Nora Charles for their day. The style . --:-·· LOY own relationship with playwrightLillian was often mimickedafter the Thin Man Hellman.The ThinMan was Hammett's films becamerunaway favorites with each ;;;;;;:;;, 1 fifth--and final novel--following TheMaltese new installment.Bu t no one seemedto 1 !'RE/11/ERE ~:,: ··. . \··. .t. · OIi~ f/' THI.I'll Falconand The GlassKey The 'thin man' quite capturet hat samecombination of '., 11t:·...... 1'()N/6Hr- ·, M .... referred to in the title is in fact the murder HacketUGoodrichdialogue and ./ • ·"'* ., .JI¼ ...... 0 l .. •, ~! I V ,\t! victim, Clyde Wynant, in the magazinese Powell/Loydelivery and chemistry. A Jt_?IRAT9 ,,.,,-A f ,.-;;. ~,..- .. t" ' rial, novel and film, who only appeared-and NBC premieresT he Thin Man as a disappeared--in the initial film. Summerreplacement - fut1 h ot Advonturos ot tho One of M-G-M'slower budgetfilms of NBCthought the 'Thin Man' concept 1• •"'.,• .... ·,.., 'I the era, ii was reportedlyshot in fourteen appealingenough to try it out over Radio ) days, yet earned over $2 million--thebest for the Summerof 1941, the same period !/" ' ' - earningsrecord o f the total of six 'Thin Man' during which The Shadowof the Thin 1H\NMAN Man (1941) was released. StarringLes nn,h loll HofT\mOlft Co'M.ffY lhJH\Or films from M-G-M.The remaining five films Damonand ClaudiaMorgan , the Summer were: .. run of 1941 was also producedand di • After the Thin Man (1936), a Best rected by Himan Brownand overseenby A WOWIN THE MOVIES 1! ' Picture nominee its creator, DashiellHammett. The music 1934'sThe Thin Man, starring Myrna NOWON T HEAIR • Another Thin Man (1939) was provided by Fred Fradkin, an NBC "tH~ t'wlt 10,- e d•bo uJt d e le Loy and WilliamPowell • • ,1 f>t,;1 • Shadowof the Thin Man (194 1) staff composer. whe ~croctteg Wtf (Aol_ forg•U1 1tg th lo m-u.- p ) • The Thin Man Goes Home( 1944) We should point out early in our de Background • The Song of the Thin Man (1947) scription of this fine, long-runningseries '"Ml, oMI Mn . Ttrt.J111Mofll .. d• Uo"-t f W Oiol" wllh DashiellHammett's The Thin Man was All six of the 'Thin Man' films starred that preciousfew examples of the run ROMANCE·COMEDY• EXCITE MENT A W••k tf ¼ how, pre1en1allo1, by Woodbv ry first publishedas a magazineser ial in WilliamPowell and MyrnaLoy. The survive in circulation.The handfulof ex amplesof the programsover the years 1933. Knopf publishedi i as a novel in Loy/Powell collaborationhad already come from the variousAFRS e lectrical 1934. The film version of The Thin Man proved a powerfulone on screenfo r the film PremiereSpot Ad for TheAdventures of transcriptionsthat have survived. The was taken from Dashiell Hammett's1934 couple.Indeed, Powell's onscreen coup ing The Thin Man, July 2, 1941 l AFRStranscribed at least fifty of the Thin 14 15 while he performedserv ice overseas in mysterydrama format. But that required the BurmaTheatre of Operations.In his them to park it in the only available post absence,Les Tremayneand David curfew time-slot--10.30 p.m. on Wednes Gothardassumed the role of Nick day nights. Of course, rather than Charles.Claudia Morgan both inaugu salvagingthe format, the impromptu re rated the role of Nora Charlesand contin vampingvirtually assuredan exponential ued in the role for all nine seasonsof the drop in its already dwindling audience. variousThin Manprograms. In addition } So it was that the Thin Man franchise you will note a characteristicWorld War II winnoweddown to a mere hint of its former themein many of the titles for Seasons ) popularity,having been handeddown the One and Twoof The Adventuresof the Networkl ine from NBC,to CBS, back to Thin Man. NBC, back to CBS,down to MBS and fi Thoseof us who remain fans of both nally down to ABC. Button, button, who's the Thin Man films and the Radiopro got the button ... or shouldtha t be hot gramsover the years are obviouslystruck potato. By the Summer1950 seasoni t by the contrastsin chemistrybetween wasn't even being promotedin Radio list Nick and Nora Charles on Screenand ings any longer.ABC was never muchof a Nick and Nora Charles over the Air. But believerin newspaperspot ads to promote the suspensionof disbelief comesquite Les Damonis radio's versionof Nick their Radio programming. quckly when listening to the Radioexam Charlesin ''TheAdventres of the Thin Man But it doesn't end there ... The Thin Man franchisewasn't com ples. The snappypatter, while not rising (Fromthe Dec.1942Movie Radio Guide) to the level of that betweenDetective pletely dead. Les Damonand Claudia Sam Spadeand Effie Perrine, nor to the Between1945 and 1948, CBS, NBC, Morganteamed up four years later in The level of either the on-screenTh in Man or and MBSfiddled the Thin Man format into Adventuresof TheAbbotts, a format very SamSpade personae, is still well paced obscurity.First with a series of guest star similar to the later years of The Thin Man. andthe dialogueis consistentlyentertaining. exchanges,wh ich saw guest stars appear Fast forward sevenyears more and The Throughits five seasonsof the World on the Thin Manprograms followed by Thin Man appearedon TV as an MGM Tel War II years, TheAdventures of the Thin Nick and Nora Charlesappearing on the evision productionstarring Peter Lawford Man remaineda universallywell received guest star's own Radio program.Pro as Nick and Phyllis Kirk as Nora. The pro and widelyantic ipated series. It didnl' hurt motedwith great fanfare, Boris Karloff, gram ran for seventy-twomore episodes that the three remainingThin Man films Hildegarde,Shirley Booth , and Victor before it folded. Of course that wasn't the were issued throughoutthis period, ei Moorewere amongthe various reciprocal end of marriedsleuths over Radio, on Tele ther. The public's thirst for moreof Nick invitees. Secondly, changingthe 1948 for vision, or in Film. We had Mr. and Mrs. ~ and Nora Charlesand their irrepressible mat to emphasizeNora's desire to see North and their twenty-yearfranchise over pup Asta seemedsatisfied for the most Nick succeedin life as a businessman- various media.CBS tried--andfailed--to -ww~sle«1hin~ part with the Radio rendition, until the and thus morelike a conventionalsitua bring their own DeductionsDeluxe flavor of next film releaseof the 'high-Octane'ver tion comedy,also fell flat. The format the Thin Man to productionin the Summer sion of The Thin Man. Indeedthere changewas an attemptto skirt the new of 1941 as one of their CBSForecast pre withNick. aru.1 Nora io seemsto be a direct correlation between NationalAssociation of Broadcasterspro ) view offerings. 1965'sGet Smart, though raaio'smerriest mystery the popularityof the Radio programsand grammingcode which assigneda 9:30 ostensiblymore a parodyof The Man from the continuingre lease of new Thin Man p.m. EST curfewon mysterydramas, in } UNCLE., was very much in the mold of films over the period. By the time The an effort to keepprime time broadcasts the Thin Man vis a vis the relationshipbe 5:00 P. M.KSL Songof the ThinMan (1947) had arrived free of criminal violence. Halfwayi nto The tweenAgent Smartand Agent 99. Then Hildegardeguest stars in the Thin Man and departed, interest in the Radio ver NewAdventures of the ThinMan NBC re Television'sMcMillan and Wife (1971- sion of the Thin Man wanedwith Holly alized that the revisedformat wasn't work 1977)and Hart to Hart received favorable episodeof 45-09-23. She returns wood's waningi nterest in extendingthe ing, so they scrappedthe watereddown responsesfor five seasonseach in the late the favor a month later on her own na Film franchise. Thin Man and returnedto the detective 1970sand early 1980s. Thereafter,fol- tional HidegardeShow. 16 17 lowed RemingtonSteele (1982-1987) then Moonlighting(1985-1989) . And then Two Produets Make of course we have the varioussimilarly 'marriedby proxy' detectivecoup les to People Smile by DannyGoodwi n this very day. Witness Monk,In Plain Sight, and The Closeras current Televi "lpana for the smile of beauty" gram. Although THE/PANA TROUBA sion examples. "Sal Hepatica for the smile of health.' DOURSprogram was bumpedout, the In whateverthe guise, couples detec - Tiny Ruffner lpana Troubadoursname was identified tives, by whateverformula gets themto with the new program's orchestra. In the inevitabledenouement , have been Radio'sgo lden age has seena num stead of selecting one of the two products Americanfavor ites for almosteighty years to sponso he program both lpana and and seem to find their way back into main ber of programs sponsoredby the Bristol r t , streampopularity every decadeor so. The Myersduo of lpana ToothPaste and Sal Sal Hepaticawere its co-sponsors. With Thin Man, with every passingyear seem Hepatica. Since lpana provided its users all the changescompleted , THEHOUR ingly distancingitse lf even further from the with a healthy mouth and Sal Hepatica OF SMILESwas readyfo r the airwaves. original DashiellHammett formu la has providedits users with proper nature call Unfortunately, the programwas on the air neverthelessembedded itself in the fabric ing functions, smiling was the themew ith for only 4 months. The reasonfor its de- of Americanpop culture at variousj unc these two products. On the radio, the lis tures over the past eighty yea ot ex rs. N teners knew lpana as "The SmileOf actly the hard-boiledformu lae of The Fat Beauty"and Sal Hepatica as "The Smile Man or Sam Spadeor SecretAgent X-9, Of Health." Let's take a look at how the but still pure Dashiell Hammettno matter how watereddown. two products begantheir co-sponsoring And as a personal schadenfreude relationship. pleasure, the more succeedingi terations It all beganin 1934on NBC's Red Net of the original Thin Man formula deterio work. Bristol-Myershad sponsorshipof rate, the better and better the original the network's 9PM to 10PM time slot on William Powell/MyrnaLoy Films seemto Wednesdayevenings. The original idea ' '-1/:· improvelike a fine wine or scotch--each was to have two separatehalf hour pro ' J ~- year getting a bit mellower,each passing grams. The first programwas the long year increasingtheir worth. running /PANATROUBADOURS , a musi 'L; cal programfeatur ing the top bandsof the 7 /4 era. It was followed by the SAL HEPAT '~\ - .'.-~ J ICA REVUE,a comedy/varietyprogram starring Fred Allen. Unfortunately,there was a small prob lem with this setup. There was a distinc tive ratings unbalance. The lpana program TONIGHT didn't register a numberin the Co-Opera ,~ tive Analysisof Broadcasting(C.A.B.) Ratings, while Allen's programachieved a p _ 6:00 1\1.KTSA respectful 18.5. Something hadto be done. VictorMoore guest stars in the Thin Man SinceAllen 's programwas the more Les Tremaynewas one of severalthat episodeof 45-11-04.He returnsthe favor popular of the two, Bristol-Myersgave him played Nick Charles. fwo weeks later on his own show the full hour for his comedy/variety pro- 18 19 mise wasn't due to bad ratings, but to as TIME TO SMILE,with those smiling ~~~ Allen's discontentw ith its current format. products, lpana and Sal Hepatica as the Of Milres &Men He wanted to give the programthe feeling co-sponsors. UnlikeAllen 's program, of Small Town, U.SA Allen got his wish to Cantor's new showai red for 30 minutes Privately, the "Thin Man" cast is much ..?.:: ----- ~ ,,,,,,. full hour. MR. devotedto than euthing. He make the changeshe wanted---to acer ~~- - - insteado f a DISTRICT more art sl ro tain extent. Bristol-Myersalso had some ATTORNEY followed after Cantor at 9:30. LES TREMAYNEdoes sculptures, hero changesfor the program! Bristol-Myersalso sponsored the dra ine CLAUDIA MORGANwo rks with water The new programwas renamedTOWN matic program,except Vital is was the colors, and frequent-villainL UIS VAN HALLTONIGHT. In tribute to the two sponsor instead of the smiling duo. ROOTEN is a whiz at both woodcutsand sponsors,the programopened with the (lpana and/or Sal Hepaticaco -sponsored architectural drawings. lpana Troubadoursplaying ThereAre the program in later years with Vitalis)...... Smiles. With a connectionto the previous Bristol-Myers' gamble paid off. Cantor Echoes-from-the-Past Dept.: Remember format, announcerT iny Ruffner introduced re-establishedhimself as one of radio's the court battles, a dozenyears ago, the programas "An Hour Of Smilesin biggeststars , and MR. DISTRICT AT when RUDYVALLEE and WILL Town Hall Tonight, folks." After the spon TORNEYbecame a popular mainstay on OSBORNEwere fighting it out as to sors were announced, the lpana Trouba NBC's Wednesdaynigh t line-up for a which one was the first to croon through dours shifted gears and playeda rousing SAL HEPATICA decade. As for the smiling duo, lpana a megaphone?We ll, just recently,they 've rendition of There'sA Hot TimeIn The Old and Sal Hepatica either sponsored or co both been working for the samecomedy TownTonight. sponsoredot her popularradio programs. "team- and liking' it !- RUDY as the With their two smiling products, Bristol screen villain in M-G-M's "ABBOTTand At first. Allen wouldn't have the whole and NBC to host the TEXACOSTAR Myers had a lot to "smile" about during COSTELLOin Hollywood," WILL as or hour for his comedy/variety. Bristol-Myers THEATERon the ColumbiaNetwor k. radio's goldenage. chestraconduc or for UD's and LOU wanted the last half hour of the program to Ironically,the Texacoprogram was on the t B 's NBC program. feature an amateurtale nt contest with air Wednesdayeven ing at 9PM--opposite Allen as the M.C. After a coupleof years, the Bristol-Myerstime slot! With their for ...... Souvenir-hunting by swoon-fansr eally the talent contest was droppedand Allen mer star now their rival, Bristol-Myershad eached new high (or low whentwo once again had the full hour for the com their work cut out for them. The company r a teen-agedJersey you gsters brokeinto edy/variety format. Throughit all, lpana decidedt o take a huge gambleby bring n the Hasbrouck Heights home of FRANK and Sal Hepatica continuedto co-sponsor ing Eddie Cantorback to radio. NATRA and carted the fan ma the program. Oneof the topradio stars of the SI - off il which had been accumulatingwh ile the TOWNHALL TONIGHT s tayed on the 1930's,Can tor madesome controversial croonerand his family were out in air until 1939,when the sponsor wanted commentsat the 1939 New York World's Hollywood! the "TownHall" themed ropped---against Fair. Despite the popularity of the pro Allen's wishes. The program was re gram he starred on at the time (Colum ...... namedTHE FREDALLEN SHOW,but the bia's CAMELCARAVAN'), the sponsor, Wanted:Me tal sewingthimbles-size II or It or man who makes musicby style of comedywas basically the same as Camel Cigarettes, abruptlycancelled the - f before--- excludingt he "TownHal l" theme. program---and just like that, Cantorwas strumminga washboard, has worn out his This format becamefamous fo r the im out of a job. Sincehe was considered a own pre-warsupply. Please send spares to HEZZIE of the HOOSERH OT SHOTS, promptuant ics of "Mr. Ramshaw"t he controversial figure, no sponsorwanted r eagle, who flew around loose in the studio Cantor's servicesfor abouta year after "National Barn Dance," 2204Tribune Tower, Chicago11, Ill. during the last half hour of a broadcast. he made his infamousspeech. Let's not forget. lpana andSal Hepatica With some persuading, Bristol-Myers ti ...... were still the program'sco-sponsors. took a chance to have Cantor as their TUNE IN SEPTEMBER.1 945 In 1940,Alle n left both Bristol-Myers new star. The new programwas known 20 21 According to several radio polls, the' The Incredible Major Maior these days showss igns of being Major Boweshas harnessedour national appetite for acting winded.Hooper ratings, compiledby C. E. Hooper, Inc., show that in the past two It's a bit puzzling, on first meeting sevenci ties, honorarypolice chief of yearsBowes ' percentageof total listeners MajorEdward Bowes , to decidewhe ther fifty-one cities, honoraryeditor of thirty has droppedfrom 40.1 to 31.0. In the you are looking at a churchmanor the newspapers. In NewJersey he was hon same period his averagenat ional rating head of a prosperousmoney-lending orary president of the Homing Pigeons' dropped from 17.5 to 13.9. agency. His manneris faintly pious; his Club. Ohio elected him a memberof the Oncet here werefourteen o f the highly eyes are as cold as a polar bear's paws. MondayAfternoon A rchery Society.The publicizedMajor Bowesunits whichtrav Still, it's his nose that really gets you. It AncientOrder of Beekeepers, of Mary elled throughthe countrywinning scrolls is a great, engulfing over-riding thing land, took him in and made him one of and keys to cities, playing vaudeville and whichmakes Durante's look like a wemple. their own. In New York State he was hon moving picture theatres.Now there are The man behind ii is about66. He has orary secondbaseman of the Albany three, The amateursthemselves are the hair which is thin and vaguelyorange in BaseballC lub. He owneda stable of Major'ssharpest crit ics. It is clear that not color, he is faultlesslydresed, t:racious . racing horses:He had three yachts,eight all of themcould becomestars , and noth suave. Perhapst he prime quality in the automobiles,f our chefs. His salary was ing so embitters the ambitiousas failure. successof Major Bowesi s the fact that around S430,000a year. or roughly Professionalshave also been usedin abouta quartero f a million dollars greater he approachedradio with stability of big His father. a weigheron the docks, died these units and the amateursdo not than that of radio sponsor,Wa ter business- he was alreadya bit and suc his l P. when Boweswas a youngster, and the alwaysstand up well by comparison.This Chryser, the automobilemanufac urer. cessfulbusiness man in the theatrical l t boy had to leave schooland find a job. As is anothersource of resentment. In Yogaphi losophythe life-giving ele world when radio came along-at a time a school-boyit happenedt hat he was an II is undoubtedlyt rue that of the thou mentis called prana. It is no exaggera when manyo f the large figures in radio uncommonly good penmanand he turned sandsof youngsters whohave appeared tion say that amateu have been had no such stability. to rs this skill into money, writing fancily on Bowes'programs, less than half a Amateurhours were not new when the Major Bowes'prana. Tens of thousands trimmedgreet ing cards in the windowof dozen have won any real successi n of amateurshave appearedon his pro Major blossomedinto a front-page radio a San Franciscostore. Later on he be show business. gram, most of them for just about four man with his amateur hour. It was an old came a real-estate agent and madegood WatchingBowes as he works with the minutes.And withoutany noticablethe theatrical stunt, but the Major had the at it. Still later he becameone of a group amateursT hursday nights. you are aware atrical talent of his own he has made foresight-or hindsight-to realize that which put up the Capitol Theatre, in New of no excessive warmth betweenh im and them payoff. His voice just escapes here was a programpotent iality already York.From i ts stage, in 1922,was broad the talent, no cameraderie, certainly no being commonplace.He has pleasant, tried in the theater.It remainedfor Bowes a cast the first radio programoffered in a careless rapture. Youa re awareof an im smoothpersonality. H undredsof small to adaptit to the microphonein such a big theatre. personalbusiness man being impersonal clergymenhave the same.All things con way that it immediately captivatedthe The late SamuelF. Rothafel(Roxy) at his business.He just misses being sidered Bowes'success is curiousand imaginationof every theatricallyambitious , a presidedover these broadcastsfrom the aloof. On the other hand there is probably remarkablephenomenon which can be youngsteror oldster in the country-and Capitol Theatreuntil 1925, and when he no place for anythingmo re than that. He explainedi n part at least by something in made it one of the most widely heardpro left Bowestook over. He began his ama is at least impartially impersonal.Th ere is the Americanpeople , the desire, perhaps grams in radio. teur hour in 1934 as a sideline. It became his mediumsmile for the amateur as he equallycu rious, to see and hear aspiring For years back Major Boweswas an so popularthat at one time about 300 approachest he microphone,his well youngstersmake their first taut effort for Americanhabi t, something like the Sun amateursa week were broke and done smile when the youngsterhas done recognition. day afternoonnap. Millions of peoplelis strandedin NewYori< City. In the earlydays, his bit. The rare smile, accordingto radio Major Edward Bowesis a San Fran tened to him. His titles were many and accordingto the Bowesoffice, 2,000 legend, is for the photograph of Bowes cisco bo was born aroundthe year diverse.He was honorary mayor of sixty y. He applicationsto appear were received and the amateur that goes out to the 1876 into a relativelypoor family. sevenci ties, honoraryfi re chief of fifty- every day. hometownnewspaper. 22 23 In New York, in radio's inner circles, it edy/variety versionof the programt hat the INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES so is pretty generallythought tha t amateur Old 1lme Radio was heard over CBS Friday nights at popular in the States between1941- 1952. hours- not necessarily Bowes'but all am Series Rewiews 10.00.Georg ia Gibbs was the featured THE CREAKING DOOR,sponsored by ateur hours- are on the way out. The war by Bill Kiddle vocalist and a youthfulGarry Moorewas State Express 35 Filter Cigarettes, was naturally makesall such speculation just featuredas the co-star and straightman aired aired on Saturdayn ights at 9:00. An that speculation. The ficklenessof public CONTRABAND for Durante. Mr. Durante with his raspy unnamed, no nonscensehost , in the best taste, in Bowes' case anyway,i s dis "Smuggling"is defined as the shipmentof voice, New York accent, and mapropisms, ' Raymond"tradi tion, welcomedhis listen countedbecause of his reputationand goodssecretly and illegally from one gained lasting fame for his comedicredic ers to spine-tingling mysteryyarns Radio following,and the fact that he has been a countryt o another by individualsor groups tions and novelty songs. Memorieshas a fine collectionof these radio personality for close to twentyyea rs, without paymentof duty or in violation of COMMANDPERFORMA NCE mysterythrillers for your consideration. a recordperfo rmance. the law." This ancientcr ime still perplexes Radiop rogramsprov ided many useful CREEPSBY NIGHT law enforcementofficers aroundthe servicesduring WorldWar II. COMMAND An interesting collectionof mysterypre world. CONTRABAND,a syndicated pro PERFORMANCE, producedby the Armed sentations came to the airwavesas part gram written by Ronald Engelby, from the Forces Radio Service,developed pro of an anthologytitled CREEPSBY NIGHT. 1950's, recreated for a listeningaud ience gramsdevoted to America's servicemen Over the course of four months, between some very interesting cases"on file in and womenwho servedour nation in sta February15 and June 20, 1944, this half federal agenciesin Washington." tions aroundt he globe. Thesewarr iors hour dramawas heard over ABC (Blue) COMEDY CAPERS lookedforward to a break from the rigors networkon Tuesdayevenings at 10:30. Comedicperformances , like hoiliday gifts, of military life and an opportunityto re-es The program was first hostedby Boris often come in a variety of colorful wrap tablish contactswi th the HomeFront. Karloff, a venerable mastero f mystery. ings. Over the decades, variety shows Over a spanof sevenyears , between However; when he left the show in May, a have producedt heir own mixtureof music 1942 and 1949,over 400 programswere mysterious "Dr. X" from New York took & comedy.In the mid-1930's (between broadcast.Serv ice men would request over the reigns, and the programfolded and everyThursdaynight 1934 and 1936) BroadcastersProg ram their favorite the following month. The regular NYC Syndicateand BruceEe lls and Associ recordingartist , or star of stage, screenor cast includedJackson Beck , Ed Begley, ates, broughtto the airwavesCOMEDY radio to perform. In turn, these top enter Everett Sloane& Abby Lewis. CAPERS(a ka KOMEDIEKAPERS) , a tainers woulddona te their time and talent CRIMEAND PETER CHA MBERS quarter hour of interestingentertainment to help "build the moraleof the troops." By 1954, radio's privatedetectives were that used clever dialecticians and imper The programfeatured : Bob Hope, Bette on the wane, and severalfamous names sonatorsin both musical and comedy Davis, Betty Grable,the AndrewSisters, had been forced into involuntary retire ...... skits. The show, hostedby TomPost , fea Bing Crosby, Diniah Shore, Humphrey ment by the inroadsof television. Against AMATEURHOUR tured Frank Gill Jr., Bill Demling, Jean Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra & this dismal marketsituation , NBC slotted Cowan, Joe Bishop, The RoverBoys (tr io) others. Radio Memorieshas a fine a new crime drma, CRIME & PETER STATIONWF BL-8P.M., E.S.T and Ted and BuddyK ing. collectionof some of the most interesting CHAMBERSin to a saggingTuesday COLUMBIA COAST TO COAH HUWOllK COMEDY CARAVAN broadcastsfound in this series. night lineup at 9:30. The program, tran Everythingi s subject to changein this "old THE CREAKING DOOR scribedi n New York, featured Dane SPONSORED BY world", and for two decades,T HE CAMEL Top-flight dramatic entertainment was Clark in the title role as a glib-talking PLYMOUTH-DODGE CARAVANwas a music/variety program available on radio to the English-speaking would-betough guy . The storyline, based with manyformats, t imeslots,and many population of SouthAfr ica during the upon Henry Kane's novels, had a then DESOTO-CHRYSLERdi verse acts. For twenty months, between 1970's, almost a decade after its demise popular 25-minute time frame on radio. DEALERS 10/08/43and 5/30/45,comedians Jimmy in the USA.One of the most interesting CRIMECASES OF WARDENL AWES Duranteand Garry Moorepresided over myster/horror programswas THECREAK Sing Sing Prison in New York was one of TUNE IN Vol.1 No.1 March, 1943 COMEDYCA RAVAN, a modifiedcom- ING DOOR,a SouthA frican equivalent to the toughestmaxium security institutions 24 25 DANGEROUSLYYOURS DARKVE NTURE in the US, and Lewis E. Laweswas one list for most of the showsfrom a pool of Martin Gabel, "the voice of adventure" Dark impulsesfrom the minds of men and of he best knowncorrections officers . Chicagoradio professionals. was the host and narratorof DANGER womenlead them into the unknown. CRIMECASES OF WARDENLAWES DAN DARE, PILOT OF THE FUTURE OUSLY YOURS , an anthology of "mati DARKVE NTURE was a well-craftedmys was a quarter-hourcrime drama that Comicst rip heroeshave beenpopular nee theatre" styled dramasdirected at a tery drama,crea ted by Larry Marcus. The dramatizedcases from the files of War with a multi-generational audienceon femaleaudience on Sundayaf ternoons programwas heard over ABC on various den Lawes. Manyof these stories came radio from both sides of the Atlantic for at 2:00 over CBS. The half-hour show, days, at different hours, for one year, be from "TwentyT housandYears in Sing manydecades . DAN DAREfirst found sponsoredby Vicks, which featured Vic tween 2/19/46 and 2/10/47 Goodsolid Sing" a book and radio show knownto fame in Britain after the EagleComic was tor Jory and GertrudeWarner , had only a radio stars includingCarl Harburg,Lou listeners since the 1930's.CRIME launchedi n 1950. Over the years, the three monthsummer-fall run from July 2 Merrill, Betty Moran and DwightHauser CASES,sponsored by Clipper Craft strip, created and drawn by FrankHam il to October1 4, 1944. were amongthe cast credits. Radio Clothesfor Men,lasted 11 months, & was ton and others, has attemptedto portray DARK FANTASY Memorieshas four episodesavailble in heard over the Mutual network from a spaceage super hero who is "peculiarly During the 1930'sand 1940'sradio their cata/oq 10/26/46 to 9/23/47 British." According to DaveBritton , a "Dan drama maturedand becamea powerful CROUPIER Dare" specialist, the heroic championof vessel for worksof suspenseand terror. In the big gambling casinos, a croupier is justice "embodiedeveryth ing that was Fromall corners of the county new pro "an attendantwho collects and pays British." In a four-partscience fiction serial grams, featuringev il, murder, and the debts at a gambling table." For a few short drama, broadcastin stereo over the paranormal, appeared and thrived. Radio NATIONAl months in 1949, betweenSep tember21 BBC'sRadio 4 on a weekly basis from 19 station WKYi n OklahomaCity first broad and November16 , radio's CROUPIER April to 10 May, 1990. In 1991 a new-look cast DARKF ANTASY, an interestiingan BARNDANCE would spin a tale about peoplecaught in DAN DARE,and a new cast of villians thologyo f new and original supernatural a web, or a man fighting againstthe odds were presentedi n a 26-part BBC televi tales from the pen of Scott Bishopon of fate. In the end this supernaturalatten sion series. 11114/41.For the first two months the dant collectedand paid out "debts of life." DANGEROUSASS IGNMENT programwas aired locally. Then, on Milton Geiger wroteand directedthis Brian Donlevy, "a virle Hollywoodman of 1/02/42,NBC picked up the popularshow short-lived dramaaired overABC on action" was cast in manyfilm roles in and broadcastit on Friday nights until Wednesdaynights at 9:30. A solid cast of which he fought for preservationof 6119/42.Twenty-eight of the 31 episodes Hollywoodactors, including VincentPrice , democracyand "the AmericanWay ." After have survivedand RadioMemories has Dan O'Herlihy, HowardCulver and Paul WorldWa r 2. Mr.Donlevy was a natural 26 of them in its collection. Freeswere heard i n supportingroles . Music choice to play the part of 'Steve Mitchell", DARE DEVILSOF HOLLYWOOD was providedby Rex Kouryat the organ. an internationaltroub le-shooterfor an un Matt Gilman, lone Reed and Slim Gilbert ___ CURTAINTIME namedtop secret federal agencyin a se DJ.ffe were not exactly billboards tars or house Original plays, mostlylight-weight, " boy ries titled, DANGEROUSASSIGNMENT hold namesin the 1930's, but they were meetsgir l romances", The programwas heard over NBC at amongthe top stunt men and womenin Digl~al were commonfaire to manydrama tic an various times, on differentdays, between the motion picture industry.DARE thologies heard on radio in the 1940's. 7/09/49 and 7/08/53. In the 1953-1954 DEVILS OF HOLLYWOODwas a quar CURTAINTIME, sponsored by the Mars season,the syndicated programmoved to Deli ter-hour,syndicated produc tion broadcast CandyCo., used a "little theatre"format CBSand Lloyd Burrell was cast in the in 1938, in which these "brave souls"de On.tine (similar to the one used on the FIRST leading role. Each week our hero was scribedthe most trying experienceson NIGHTERprogram). On Saturday called into "the Commissioner'soffice" and ir "Where the GoldenAge of Radio the filmlots. In the short series. Ms Reed, eveningsover NBC at 7:30 Patrick Allen given a top secret assignmentin some far Meets the Digital Age" describes her daring exploits with a run was presentin an "on the aisle" setting to corner of the globe. RadioMemories has awaybuckboard, a fight on the backsof six present this weeksdrama. Harry Elders a fine collectionof these excitingdramas . horses, and jumpingoff a speedingtr ain. www.digitaldeliftp.com and NannetteSargent headed the cast 26 27 C05728 06/07/50Assignment: Deadly C09201 School PicnicThe Cross RADIOMEMORIES total collection is now available Bacteria CountryRace ®. throughAUDIO CLASSICS ARCHIVE Makechecks 06/21/5 0 Assignment:Lefty C15437 02/21/52The DebateTeam payableto Audio ClassicsPO Box 347Howell, Ml & Sam 11/23/52Last Turkey For 48844-0347 (517) 545-7577Telephone I Fax C05729 07/26/50 Assignment:Five Thanksgiving $3.50 per tape $5.00 shipping Gardenias THE CREAKINGDOOR 08/02/50Assignment: Vienna C18631 The GhostAt Ridgeway's Mystery The Imposter JACK BENNY'SMEMORIES OF RADIO C05719 07/23/49Assignment: Niger ian C05730 08/09/50Assignment: Death C18632 The Inn Spectre C17074 Tape1 of3 C-90 Safari Drums A room For The Night C17075 Tape2 of 3 C-90 08/06/49Assignment: Millionaire 08/16150Assi gnment:Hired Killer C18633 HappierDead C17076 Tape3 of 3 C-90 Murders C08877 08/23/50Assignment: Bombay MysteryOf The Mausoleum THEJACK BENNY/ FRED ALLEN FEUD C05720 08/13/49Assignment: Al ien Gun Runners C18634 Three Wishes C1749204/11/48 Murder AtThe Racket Smuggling 08/30/50 Assignment:Guided MidnightExpress Club,Part 1 (BennyShow) 08/20/49Assignment: File #307 Missile C16776 Bring BackHer Bones 04/11/48 w/BasilRathbone C05721 02/06/50Assignment: (NO TITLE) C08878 09/06/50Assignment: Mine Face To Face (AllenShow) 02/13/50Assignment: Captain Disaster 6774 See Ghosts C1749304/18/48 Murder At The Racket Rock C1 I 09/27/50 Assignment: SouthAmerica The Dummy Club, Part2 (BennyShow) C05722 02/20/50Assignment: The Greek C08879 09/29/50Assignment: Forged C16775 Three Sisters 04/18/48w/James Far ley Connection Papers The HauntedHangman (AllenShow) 03/06/50Assignment: Wire Spool 10/06/50Assignment: To kyo C17477 Eyewitness C1749404/25/48 Charlie's Aunt C05723 03/20/50Assignment: lnterna C08880 11/25/50Assignmenl:The A Day OfTruce (BennyShow) tional Blackmail Foot ball Play C17478 VictoryOver Death 04/25/48w/Leo Durocher 03/27/50Assignment: The 12/02/50 Assignment:Empty Village Of Daleside (AllenShow) Sheik's Secret Matchbook C18372 The WishTo Kill C17495 05/02/48w/Frank Sinatra C16023 00/00/00Assignment: Road To THE ALDRICHFAMI LY MadameMoonlight 05/02/48w/Henry Morgan Mandalay C09193 10/07/48 Mary's Surprise FREDALLEN (AllenShow) 04/06150Assignment: Mine 10/14/48 The Great Weiner C19980 01101/36#65 AmateurShow C1749605/09/48 Oscar Is Returned Disaster Roast C14011 01122/36#68 MumboOr Who (BennyShow) C05724 04110150Ass ignment:Pirate Loot C09194 10/21/48 The Babysitter Stole he Elephant? 05/09/48w/Don McNeil 04/17/50 Assignment:UFO's In T 10/28/48 Sticky Situation (AllenShow) Ecuador C19971 01129/36#69 AmateurShow C09195 11/04/48The New Hat #70 Show DARKVENTURE C05725 04/24/50Assignment : The Nazi & C19972 02/05/36 Amateur 11/11/48Toy Repair C10216 07/31/45Pursuit The Physicist C19973 02/19/36#72 Talkative Tom C09196 11/18/48Grab Bag Sale C19981 03/11/36#75 AmateurShow 11/19/46 The Only Inhabitant 05103150Assignment: Sabotage In Paris 04/07/49Blind Date C14443 12/06/46The Boarder C08875 05/10/50Assignment: C14012 10107/36Who Killed Rappaport? C09197 04114/49Shortstop 00/00/00Turnabout (NO TITLE) C13792 03/10/37TOWN HALL TONIGHT 04/21/49 First Date AmateurShow w/ om Dunne C10217 01/14/47The Expert 05/17/50 Assignment:The T & C09198 04128/49First Impressions 07/22/47Elizabeth Is Frightened Lost City Charles Chancer 05/05/49H omer's Anniversary DANGEROUSASSIGNMENT C08876 05/24/50Ass ignment:Burmese C14013 06122/38Telephone Weddings C09199 05/13/49 SpringFever C05718 07/09/49Assignment: Relief Witness C1 4118 02/22/39#95 SubwayPosters Ice Fishing For Fruitcake Supplies 05131150 Assignment:Little C13896 10/25/39Billy Rose C09200 Model AirplaneRace 07/16/49 Assignment:Sunken WhitP.Pill C17092 10/11/39Bert Lahr C14120 Mother'sDay Dinner Ships 11/08/39 # 6 Donut King 28 29 C14310 12/27/39#13 Dr. Allen Clinic C13854 10/18/36Interruptions INNER SANCTUM RENTALLIBRARY C13671 01/03/40#14 Romance 10/25/36Leslie Howard C11042 02/11/41# 6 MysteryOf The 'The GoldenAge of Radio"may be over, C13207 01/31/40w/ Joe Louis C13855 11/01/36Bobby Wants a Raise HowlingDog but they are not forgottenand are collect TOWN HALLTONIGHT 11/08/36 Football(Missing) 08/03/41#31 The Tell-TaleHeart able. Youcan join our rental library, C10703 03/10/37Ama teur Show C13856 04/25/38Rudy Valle Subs C11043 08/10/41#32 The DeathShip receive a catalog and can again hear C10704 03/17/37S t Patrick'sDay For Eddie 12/07/41#49 Island Of Death those favoriteforgotten programs from C10705 05/18/38 The HouseT hat 06/03/42Veronica Lake C11044 12/21/41 #51 The Man From the past. If you are youngerand never Jack Built C15757 04/01/42John CharlesThomas Yesterday heard the fascinating radio broadcast C10706 03/22/39Murder At Madison 12/23/42 Ida Lupino 12/28/41 #52 DeathHas Claws world of drama,comedy, wes terns, and Square C13857 11/25/42Jack Benny C11045 01/18/42 #55 Dead Reckoning sciencefiction , you can now discoverand C16945 04/05/39George J essel 05/03/44Ma ry Astor 05/03/42#70 Study For Murder collect these programs. We offer the best C10707 06/21/39Crisis On the FINAL BROADCASTS C11046 06/14/42 #76 Terrible Vengeance soundingprograms on cassettesthat you Showboat C07609 BEST SELLER1 1/25/60 (1952Australian Vers ion) can listen to at homeor on the go. Listen C10708 10/04/39The Search For YOUNG DR. MALONE 03/07/43 #114The Black on your Walkmanor your automobile's Dr Livingston Last Show Sea Gull cassettedeck and let talk radio be a thing C13898 03/27/40Who Killed Mack LUM & ABNERLast Show C11047 08/01/43# 135 The Horla of the past. Drive time will be more Borden HE SECONDMRS. BURTON 04/15/44#172 The Skull That enjoyable EDDIECA NTOR 11/25/60 Walked QUALITY/ COST C10808 01/28/34#58 Collegeof C07610 THE LONE RANGER C11048 04/22/44# 173 The Melody All cassetteprograms i n this catalog are Matrimony 05/27/55Wagon Train Of Death of superior sound. We will offer complete 02/04/34#59 Half of Everything HAVEGUN , WILL TRAVEL 05/13/44#176 The Silent Hands listing of each series in future editionsof C10809 02/11/34#60 Astologer/Boss 11/27 /60 Inheritance DENNISDAY our rental catalog,i ncludingprograms Visits C07611 THE COUPLENEXT DOOR C00524 00/00/46 The MasqueradeBa ll that may contain somesound problems 02/25/34#62 The Bellboy 11/25/60 11/14/46 The Radio Script for those advancecollec tors that would C10810 03/04/34#63 Florida Night THE RIGHTTO HAPPINESS C00525 12/25/46 The Christmas Show like to include all programsavailable , pro club/Pirate 11/25/60 02/12/47 Irresistible To Women gramswith soundproblems will be clearly 03/11/34 #64 Three Hats NEWS C14844 01/01/47 GuestSpeaker markedwith an astensk. For now, how WHISPERINGSTREETS (Politicians) 01/22/47 MistakenFor Missing ever, you can receivea completelisting of C10811 03/18/34#65 BackFrom Florida 11/25/60 Heir your favorite series by writing to RADIO In a Bathing Suit MA PERKINS 11/25/60 C00526 02/26/47 Unemployed MEMORIES and requestsuch listings. HOUROF SMILES(Fred Allen) 03/25/34#66 DressedIn News 03/05/47 The Mistaken Bank For the cassetteslisted in this catalog, C18922 03/2 /34 udgeAllen's Cour papers(Miss ing) 1 J t Robber you will find nothingbut the most (Excerpt) C10812 04/01/34#67 April Fools C00527 03/19/47 Ann favorablesound , and here is the best 03/28/34 JudgeAllen's Court 04/08/34#68 GeorgiaPrice 03/26/47 The New House information, price. Eachcasse tte rentsf or (Excerpt) C10813 04/01/42John CharlesThoma s C00528 04/09/47 The Drugstore just $1.00 each plus sth. Write today for 12/23/42I da Lupino C18663 04/04/34Bedlam Studio Investment more detailed informationto RADIO C13852 09/20/36First Show For (Excerpt) 04/16/47 The Marriage MEMORIES. Visit our web site TexacoTown 04/11/34Bedlam Detect ive Counselor 09/27/36Radio Station Agency(Excerp t) C00529 04/23/47 True Story Magazine www.radiomemories.com Broadcast C18923 04/18/34Bedlam New s 08/27/47 The DramaCrit ic C1385 3 10/04/36Advert ising (Excerpt) C00530 09/03/47 DennisRuns For 10/11/36The Missing Radio 04/25/34Bedlam Department Store Mayor Show (Excerpt) 09/24/47 Billy Big RailroadBoss 30 31