Editor's note: Jim Maclise passed away OldDmeRadio this year. Jim wrote 26 Private Eyes for Public Ears articles for the Digest. 'DIGESJ' Always looked forward to reading Jim's Old Time Radio No.131 Fall 2010 articles. He enjoyedthe detective shows, and it showedin his writing. He was The Old lime Radio Digesti s printed, Books and Paper publishedand distributed by going to write one final article summer RMS& Associates izing all the detectiveshows , but never Edited by Bob Burchett got around to writing it. His wife said his We have one of the largest selections in the USA of out of print writing was very importantto him. He books and paper items on all aspects of radio broadcasting. Publishedquarter ly, four times a year had written two unpublishednove ls. One-yearsubscrip tion is $15 per year Single copies $3.75 each Never met Jim, but felt I knew him. Will Books: A large assortment of books on the history of broadcasting, Past issues are available.Make checks miss is his articles. radio writing, stars' biographies, radio shows, and radio plays. payablet o Old Time Radio Digest. Also books on broadcasting techniques, social impact of radio etc .. Business and editorial office LUXRADIO THEATRE ------RMS& Associates, 10280Gunpowder Rd Florence, Kentucky41042 Ephemera: Material on specific radio stations, radio scripts, (888) 477-9112 fax (859) 282-1999 TONIGHT advertising literature, radio premiums, NAB annual reports, etc. [email protected] Barbara ,,_ ------..... ------Advertising rates as of January1 , 2010 ORDER OUR CATALOG Full pagead $20 size 4 5/8 x 7 STANWYCK Our last catalog (B24) was issued in June 2009 and includes over 300 items Half page ad $10 size 4 5/8 x 3 including a nice variety of items we have never seen before plus a number of Half page ad $10 size2x7 Brian oldfavorites that were not included in our last catalog. If you wish to receive All ads shouldbe in a PDF or jpeg file. a copy, send us one dollar ($1.) in cash or stamps and ask for the Radi() We can prepareyour ads from typewritten AHERNE Broadcasti11g Catalog. We.shall send you(}) Catalog B24, (2) a certificate copy or your design or we can design an good for $4. off on any catalog purchase and (3) a copy of our next catalog ad for you Pleasewrite or call for details. IDALUPINO IN when issued (early this coming summerj.. We do not list the items In our catalog on the Internet. Non-commercialclassifieds First 20 wordsfree , then 10 per word "WUTHERING ---" --· Commerialclassified ads WllY NOT VISIT OUR SHOP ? $5 for the first 20 words plus 20 per Beq11aerlOld Books is located in the southwestern comer of NH in historic word thereafter HEIGHTS" Fitzwilliam just a short drive from Route 91. From April to November we are Closingdated for ads DIRECTED BY Fall issue closes June 1 open Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 12 noon to 5 p.rn. on weekends. Winter issue closes September1 Cecil B. deMille We have a large general stock plus extensive collections in Radio Broadcasting, Spring issue closes December1 LOUIS SILVERS, Technical Radio and Electronics. If you wish information on travel or Summeri ssue closes March 1 Mu1ICl!II Director accommodations, give us a call or visit our web site: www.beqbooks.com. On All ads display and classified must be paid 8 P. M. our site you can take a tour of our shop or find out all about Fitzwilliam NH. for in advanceMake checks payable to Cincinnati Timi! Old Time Radio Digest 10280Gunpowder Bequaert Old Books, P.O. Box 775 Road Florence, Ky 41042 WKRC Fitzwilliam NB 03447 ISSN: 1083-8376 Monday, Sept. 18, 1939 ( 603)-585-3448
2 3 over a nationalnetwork. Morse'sadventure programs. Building even more elaborately on this • As it turns out, AdventuresBy Morse extraordinarily'invented' series of broad took almost three years to find a broad casts, numerousscurrilous collectors , cast outlet--bysyndicated transcr iption, dealersand otr 'authors' cite both 'east airing in a very limited numberof mar coast' and 'west coast' sets of Adventures kets during 1946. It never fully aired By Morsethat supposedlyaired through during either 1944 or 1945. out 1944 and 1945--butnever did either- • The vast majority of broadcastsof on either coast. Nor, as must be quite Adventuresby Morsedidn't occur until obvious, could there ever be a 'designat the very end of The Golden Age of ed set'--of any kind--in any case. Radio years--in 1953 and 1954. And • In the first place, Carlton E. Morse him again, over an extremelylimited number This article is from The Digital Deli Dee Neyhart / 2010© self ownedevery single copy of the of outlets. physicalAdventu res By Morse tran Adventuresby Morse is the greatest single transcription label from a single- scriptions. 8£GINHIHG TON IGHT 1944 Radio adventureseries that never as sold--transcriptiondisc. • In the secondp lace, since this was a aired in either 1944 or 1945. Or at least, • Nor can the otr community producea transcribed,syndicated program there so say the old time radio community--or single 1944 or 1945 newpaperlisting was no order--oneither coast. Period. ct 9 P. M. 'otr'--that inventeditself in the mid-1970s entry for even one single continguous The affiliates that subscribedto for the express purposeof commercializ 1944 or 1945 broadcastr un. AdventuresBy Morsea ired them in any ing and exploitingVintage or GoldenAge • Nor can the otr communityproduce a three-orten-episode arc order they Adventures Radio.T he otr communityhas longclaimed single 1944 or 1945 promotionalbroad chose to. that AdventuresBy Morsewas one of the cast article about either the program, • And finally, since CarltonE. Morsehim three, legendaryRadio Adventure series' Carlton Morse'sinvolvement with the self would never have sanctionedsuch by Morse pennedby CarltonE. Morse. program, nor any of the program's stars' absurdconcepts as an 'east coast set' • CARLTON E, MORSE There are a multitudeof problemswith involvement with the program or a 'west coast set', then there simply Presents :his newest o lr thrlll the aboveotr-perpetuated hypotheses: This rather awkwards ituation begs sever wasn't such a set. Period. Q.E.D.Any CAPTAIN FR.IDAY • Noneof Carlton E. Morse's adventure al additional observations. otr vendorwho tells you there is, is a drama programswere particularly leg The first observationthat leaps to mind charlatan. In the endary--byany critical measure. is the legendarynature o f the travestythat's So, on sum, even thoughthis 'legendary ._,,,,. "CITY of the DEA.D'' • Only two of Morse'sadventure dramas been foisted onto the otr communityfor radio program' was neither legendary,nor Bro1,19ht yo1,1r olr• ever actually aired when created--! Love over 32 years regarding this 'legendary broadcastRadio , nor a programper se, w-ciy Heh Sundgy A Mystery and I Love Adventure. radio program.'We say this with some it's clear that it was something.Just what ••• .nht!J o-t !> by'- GRAM ITE justifiableconviction since: • CarltonMorse , while justifiably recog that 'something' was, remains to be dis i FUllMITURE CO. nized as one of the 20th Century'smost • the programwas certainly never covered. '1,, prolific serial drama writers, was not a legendary Now we come to the facts of the mat particularlyg ifted, let alone imaginative, • it was neither aired nor fully broadcast ters at hand: adventureor suspensewr iter. over Radio in 1944 or 1945 • Carlton E. Morsefamously reta ined all • The otr community, while claimingair • there's some question as to whetheris rights to his intellectualproperty, going as dates for Adventuresby Morsecan cite was even intended as anythingmore far as 'renting' the iranscriptionsof his not one single air time or station for a than an elaborate bargaining chip in adventureseria ls to subscribingstations. Premierebroadcast of Adventuresby single 1944--or 1945--runof the series. Carlton Morse's long-running efforts to This, by way of explanationfor why we Morseover KALL, Salt Lake City on • Nor can the otr communityproduce a keep one of his adventureserials airing find no circulating transcriptiondiscs of January20 1946
4 5 Indeed, to this day, all rights to • The Girl On ShipwreckIsland in three the role of Skip Turner at one lime or AdventuresBy Morseare retainedby episodes another.Both actors were alumni of Morse's ••A ..1__ MorseLCo,Incorporated , the Morse • Dead Men Prowl in ten episodes 27-year,14 .7 million spoken-wordrun of Aaventures Family's California-registeredTrust. While • You'll Be DeadIn A Weekin three One Man'sFamily. they have occasionallyissued a license to episodes The modularconcept by which the By Morse'' someof CarltonMorse's holdings, the vast • The Land of The Living Dead in ten series was packagedwas also of note. majorityof his work remainsi n the exclu episodes With story arcs alternatingbetween three sive possessionof the Family'strust. • It's DismalTo Die in three episodes and ten epsiodeseach , it was designedto A Apparentlythe MorseFamily has been If the titles seemsomewhat childish or appeal to virtually any affiliate station's NewM}'Stet)' Tht ill~ counseledthat a resurgent marketfor unimaginative,it's not your imagination.In seasonalprogramming cycles. It could be Carlton E. Morse's adventureserials will most cases, the sub-titlesfor most episodes sold as a 13-week, 26-week, or 52-week yet presentitself one day in the future. were also somewhatsilly or obtuse. We in - series, as well as blocksof individual CJOCLethhridge While we respectthe Morse family's don't wish to put too fine a point on it, but episodes.In addition, each episodewent .EVERYSl..JNOAV aspirationsfor their progenitor's body of CarltonE . Morsewas not a particularly to great pains to exposit all necessary 6:00,..i,=31}P:I . work, we have our doubts that such a situ noteworthyadventure writer. His strong suit continuityfrom the precedingepisodes , so ation will presentitself after all this time. was his extraordinary ability to keep an as to allow any listener a full enjoymentof While we can envisionno resurgenceof exceptionally large cast of diverse charac each individual or subsequentepisode Pt-~ interest in Morse's adventurewriting in all ters sufficientlyupdated , while maintaining even if they missedone or more install St. loula furniture but the most distant future, this is by no the continuityfor each individualcharacter i ments. meansa reflectionon CarltonMorse's zationover a span of weeks, months, or If you get the impressionthat this was Store amazingoutput of serial dramaover his years of that character'sdevelopment. a very well thoughtout conceptand l.im~ ~n'OW fut: tbeBrst extraordinarycareer. But for all intents and Whilecertainly an exceptional talent in design for a programmedadventure prod thrilliq~e purposes, that boat has sailed. itself, simply beingable to juggle ten, twen uct you'vehit the nail squareon the head. Now that we'vedispensed with most of ty. or even fifty characterswith equal devel Indeedthat seemsprecisely what this The announcementof the premiereairing the otr hokumassociated with this other opmentand continuity, does not a spell was: a cleverly designedproduct. I t might ofAdventures By Morse over CJOCin wise fine adventureserial, we can move binding adventuremake . have been executedeven better had it CanadaDec 17 1949 on to specifics: This is not to say that AdventuresBy been thoughtthrough from more than a The full fifty-two installmentarc of eight Morsewas either uniformly poor, uniformly packagingstandpoint. Subscr ibers inter twenty-sevenyears. The questionremains: adventuresfirst aired over a fully newspa mediocre, or even occasionallybri lliant--or ested in building characteror actor loyalty Whatmade this relativelyshort , modular per-provenancedaffi liate in 1946, over any combination of the three, for that mat over more than a 26-weekarc were out of productionso unattractivethat Morse Salt Lake City's KALL. The basic frame ter. It's just that--in our experience, anyway luck. In the role of CaptainBart Friday, couldn'tretain the samecast for fifty-two work of AdventuresBy Morsewas a series -canned, pre-recorded, syndicatedadven Elliott Lewis committedto only the first relatively short, contiguousepisodes? of eight macro-adventures, broken down ture programmingwould generallybe thirteeni nstallments, David Ellis to the Even moredifficult to understandis into three or ten episodeseach . This was expectedto be of a muchh igher quality next twenty-three installmentsand Russell the dearth of informationthat the Morse a syndicated, transcribedproduction , so than in that found in this series. It certainly Thorsonto the final sixteen installments. Family Trust has releasedin regard to we have no real idea of either the intended wasn't for lack of talent, in any case. As a brilliantlyconceived packaging con AdventuresBy Morse.Other than the order or recordedorder for any of the eight Versatilewriter, director, producerand actor, cept, the planningseems to have broken announcer,a few of the lead characters adventures.The ir titles and episode Elliott Lewis, lends his voice to the lead down a bit in the retaining-the-main-star and the directorand writer, we knowa lmost countsfollow: character, Captain Bart Friday. Bart Friday portionof the productionplanning. nothingabout the productionside of • The City of The Dead in ten episodes was also portrayedby David Ellis and This in itself begs even more ques AdventuresBy Morse. • A Coffin for The Lady in three episodes RussellThorson over the 52-weekrun. tions. In virtually all other programming As best as we can reconstructwhat • The King Cobra Strikes Back in ten Equallysol id characteractors Jack Edwards that CarltonE . Morseundertook , his casts was actuallygoing on with AdventuresBy episodes and an occasionalBarton Yarborough take wouldremain with him for as long as Morse,we can surmisethe following:
6 7 • Contraryto the stated, intended concept, in every way. In this respect, the Morse this series seemsmore an accumulation Family Trust's decisionto retain total con of programmingthat Morse simply trol over AdventuresBy Morsehas Radio in 1945 pieced togetherover the years. ensuredthe highestposs ible quality of the by Donna L.Halper BroadcastH istorian/EmersonCollege • Having recognizedthe modularnature of 1st-generationsource transcriptions.On syndicatedprogramming, it was intuitive the downside, one loses the local color As 1945 began,World War II was Reader'sDigest , Look (movie star Rita ly natural to assemblethis series in seg and flavor of local sponsors'spot adver still raging on, but at least there was some Hayworthmade the cover in early March), mentsover as many as three to five tisementsor announcements.But as hopeful news -- in mid January,Ame rican Coronet,and SaturdayEven ing Post. years . exemplarsof the original recordings, the forces liberated the Philippines.As the Moviefans loved Photoplay(there was an Giventhe somewhatqu xotic flow the • i of circulating set leavesl ittle more to be year progressed,there would be other interestingarticle about Judy Garlandin locations and continuityover the 52 desired. news that was not so hopeful, shocking the April issue); Radio Mirror had added installments,it would seem that they For dyed-in-the-woolCarlton Morse news of concentrationcamps in Europe, the word 'television"to its title, but it was were individually conceivedover a period adventurefans, this set of AdventuresBy and sad news about the deathof still mostly about radio stars and celebrity of far more than the stated year of pro Morse remainsthe single, most complete PresidentRoosevelt. But on a day to day gossip. There was Downbeatfor fans of ducton planningand transcription i . renditionof one of Morse'sadventure seri basis, what was probablyon your mind jazz and big band music: you could • The mannerby which Morseobtained al conceptsboth fully intact, and as well was wonderinghow the boys overseas always find interestingstories about the his lead artists for the series raises even transcribedas anythingin Carlton Morse's were doing -- it seemedthat just about performers.In January, the tragic disap more questionsabout the series' failure entire body of representativework . All everyonehad somefamily memberfight pearanceof Glenn Miller's plane on a to retain its lead performers. told, an excellenttreat for any Carlton ing the Nazis. (There were even some flight from England to Paris was still front There'sl ittle dispute that this relatively Morseadventure fanatic. • womenin the military,a lthough not in page news, as his fans hoped for the short series--for Carlton E. Morse, any combatroles -- the WACSand the best; but on a more cheerfulno te, the way--raises as manyquestions as it WAVEShad becomemuch more accept great Duke Ellington gave a very impres answers.But then that's what continues to !!!!!!IIEAR. ed, and many young womensigned up to sive concert, includingseveral new songs, keep Golden Age Radio researchas fasci TM help their country. The 12 March issue of and the critics were eagerly awaiting nating and fulfilling as it is; the more ques Timemagazine featured some new recordingsfrom him. Downbeat tions one answers, the more one often HAUNTING I T] M E a cover story about also offered lots of photographsof talent raises. • HOUR some of these women, ed performers-- and a weekly cover At the least, in this instance,the . - photo of a popularstar, such as Frances at. 8:30 p .n-a.. especiallyCaptain answersare worth pursuing. For all its followed b:y Mildred McAfeeof the Langfordor Peggy Mann. Anothermust shortcomingsand inconsistencies, . U.S. Naval Reserves.) read for music fans was Song Hits, which AdventuresBy Morse remainssomething R provided the lyrics to all the songs you • ADVENTURES ---• - Americanswere still of a tactical--if not strategic--bridge dealing with the effects of rationing-- you loved, and also had plenty of pictures of betweenthe longer networkruns of I Love by MORSE couldn't even buy a new car, since most the peoplewho performedthem . African at'9 Sh m . A Mystery,Car lton Morse'slongest run companieshad shut down their assembly Americans had an importantnew feature ning adventuredrama series. To the • SUNDAYS lines during the war. Even the magazines magazine, as Chicago-basedpublisher extent that it gave Morse more ammuni Ov e r were affected, since paper was also limit John H. Johnsonput out Ebony;and the tion for the next round of network negotia ed, and magazineswere being asked by membersof the Armed Forceswere prob tions for I Love A Mystery,it' s unlikely that the War ProductionBoard to conserve.A ably reading Stars and Stripes. Adventures by Morse providedMorse fJ{EWl, few magazineswent from weekliesto much leveragein the end. monthlies,and some ceasedpublication , With so many men fighting overseas, On the plus side of the ledger, the but there was still plenty to read.Among womenstill made up a large part of the Adventuresby Morseover KALLSalt source transcriptionsfor the circulating the most popuar were Time and work-force, and you could find them in Lake City on August 4 1946 l series of recordings are absolutelysuperb Newsweek, but you also enjoyed Life, many non-traditionalj obs: in media,for
8 9 example,there were quite a few all-female dents, Ernie Pyle, lost his life in August 1945, you were reading about someof its "Candy", and radio stations, since most of the male when he was hit by Japanesegunfire as best playersin a 4 June feature article in PerryComo announcershad been drafted. he coveredthe fighting in the South Life Magazine. (Speakingof baseball, few had several Interestingly,despite stereotypesabout Pacific; he was one of fifteen journalists peoplerealized that behind the scenes,a hits -- for what the femalegender was incapableof killed that year. Anotherpopular journalist major social changewas about to occur: Perry, his first learning,a numberof womenwho had was cartoonistBill Mauldin, whosedepic Brooklyn DodgersGenera l Manager #1 song been ham radio operatorswere quickly tions of the typical"dogface soldiers" Joe BranchRickey was workingon a way to came in trained to be radio engineers, and they and Willie, won him a Pulitzerprize ; Life end segregationin his sport, and in Augustwith "Till the End of Time". But kept the stations on the air throughoutthe Magazinedid an article about him in early August, he met with a youngAfrican nothingcheered peop le up more than war. A few womeneven became war cor February. Americanathlete namedJackie Robinson, comedy, and SpikeJones was on the respondents,reporting from the scene of who was playing in the NegroLeagues at charts in 1945 with "Chloe" (whocould someof the fiercest battles and keeping IWiu.1eANo~zoo3j that time. By late October,Rickey h ad forget that immortall ine, "Whereare you, pecple informedabout how the troops ,,, NAA, St"E'11iE6£~A!i'f: 'fRlfNISNOWBUrNOTRfA!LY signedRobinson to a contract, and soon PN1llEFRfHCll IS CO'/.VNS UPTo m ,BEtlEVf: JTOR NOT you old bat"?) and a great parodyof were doing. The BostonGlobe hired AN'1Hi after, baseballhistory wouldbe made.) ~ f,11DPI.EEAS'1! British journalist Iris Carpenter, who trav I ~ But baseball wasn't "Cocktails for Two". v.f(L NOW" elled with the 3rd ArmoredDivision and the only diversion;of Youcontinued to dependon radio; as wrote compellingstories about what she course, there was it got you throughthe Depression, so it saw. And you may have read May Craig's music, and 1945 was a helped you throughthe war. In April 1945, commentary-- she wrote for the Gannett .... good year for it. If you a new show went on the air on Mutual; newspapers-- or EleanorPacka rd's war liked that up-and-com "Queenfor a Day" was a big hit with the reports-- she was a correspondentfor ing singer Frank female audience, and a few years later, it United Press.The best knownof the Sinatra,you heard him in late Januaryon becamea popularTV show. Also new in femaleradio commentators,Dorothy the Edgar Bergenand CharlieMcCarthy 1945 were several detectiveshows , Thompson, only did an occasional broad As the war draggedon , you tried to Showon NBC (sponsoredby Chase& "Philo Vance", starring Jose Ferrer,and cast by this time, but she still wrote arti find ways to keep your mind occupied, Sanborncoffee); he also had a numberof "Hercule Poirot", basedon the well-known cles for various magazines. Several while waiting for newsfrom your soldier or hits, including"Saturday Night is the AgathaChristie .murder mysteries ; and womenpr int reporterst ried to get on the sailor. It was a good time to be a sports LoneliestNight of the Week", and "Dream" the crime drama "This is Your FBI" also air doing news, but they encountered con fan -- despite the fact that manyplayers -- and if that song soundedfamil iar, it had siderableoppos ition from the men at the were now fightingoverseas , there was still first been the closing themefor Johnny made its debut.And New Yorkrad io fans networks--amongth e men opposedto a pennantrace, and it was an excitingone Merce~sradio showon NBC.Among the got an unexpectedbonus : in July, when womendo ing broadcastnews was the in 1945. Star playersli ke Mel Ott of the other big hits, the AndrewsSisters did there was a newspaperstrike , Mayor legendary EdwardR. Murrow. (If you want NewYork Giants made the cover of Time very well with "Rum and Coca Cola"; Fiorello LaGuardiawent on the air and to read more about the changingroles of magazinei n early July, and in late bandleaderLes Brownhad two number read the comic strips so people wouldn't womenin media, my recently published September, fan favorite Hank Greenberg one songs,' Sentimental Journey" and have to miss their favorite. Later, in book, Invisible Stars : A SocialHistory of hit a dramatichome run -- on the final day "My DreamsAre GettingBetter All the October1 945, an importantnews show Time", and Stan Kentonhad a huge hit Womenin American Broadcastinggoes of the season-- to win the pennantfor the began: "Meet the Press", which would into much greater detail.) As for popular with "Tampico' . Also popular in early to Detroit Tigers. But as I said earlier, eventually go on to a long and successful broadcastj ournalists, in additionto womenwere workingin somenon -tradi mid 1945were JohnnyMercer with "Ac career on TV Throughoutthe year, the Murrowand his colleaguesEri c Sevareid tional occupations, and baseballwas no Cent-Tchu-Atethe Positive", and Ella establishedprograms such as "Fibber and Bob Trout, pioneernewsman H.V. exception.I n 1945,the The All-American Fitzgerald teamedup with the Ink Spots to McGeeand Molly" and the "Bob Hope Kaltenborn(who had first done radio news Girls ProfessionalBaseball League contin do "I'm Beginningto See the Light". Jo in 1921) was still on the air. In print, one ued to developa loyal following.It was Stafford, who also sang with the Pied Show"continued to get good ratings. You of the most respectedwar correspon- foundedi n 1943 by Phil Wrigley, and in Pipers,had her first big hit in May, with could still hear many radio stars who had
10 11 been around for a long time, such as Americanvalue. As if to reinforce that President of the United States. Ironically, foundedin Harlemin 1940: in 1945, New Eddie Cantor (assistedby Bert Gordon point, Frank Sinatra made a short film two of the other protagonistsin the war York's WNEWbegan airing someof the and announcerHa rr Von Zell) and Jac called "The HouseI Live In", in which he y k drama also died in April -- Italy's Benito productionsof this critically acclaimed spoke out and sang about the need for all Benny-- in 1945, you were enjoying the Mussolini was executedand Germany's group, the American NegroTheater ; Americans to accept each other's race, talented Mel Blanc doing several charac Adolph Hitler committed suicide. After amongt he performerswhose careers religion, and ethnicity. Today, that seems ter voices, but of course there were still that, Germanyfina lly surrendered on 8 started there were SidneyPoitier and rather obvious, but in 1945, it needed to Mary Livingstoneand the much loved May; it would take until 15 August for the Harry Belafonte. be said, in a countrythat was still racially Rochester. Arthur Godfreyfinally got his Japaneseto surrender, after two devastat Also overlookedwhen the war ended segregated, where a Jewish Miss America own network series, "Arthur Godfrey ing atomic bombsdestroyed the cities of was what would happento the many was sometimes treated rudely, and where Time" on CBS beginning in April. And the Hiroshimaand Nagasaki.The formal sur womenwho had workedin every industry, Japanese-Americanswe re still in intern Armed Forces Radio Service was making render ceremonyoccurred on September includingb roadcasting.Be fore the war, ment camps. Sinatra made his statement sure the Gls overseasgo t their share of 2; the war was finally over. America was companiesrequ ired them to sign agree eloquently,and the film won a special excellent entertainment:"Command caught up in a massivecelebration •· the ments which stated that once the men Academy Award. Performance"featured such stars as Bing troopscou ld finally come home and life came back, the womenwould simply Crosby,Dinah Shore, Judy Garland, and could return to some semblanceof normal resign from their jobs. In our modern JimmyDurante , all of whomdona ted their again. world, it is doubtful that such a transition time to help the war effort. And on 14 Overlooked would have occurredwithout protestsand June, what had once been the NBC Blue in the initial lawsuits, but in late 1945, most women Networkoff icially becameknown as ABC euphoria was acceptedit and left without much of a under its new owner,Edward J. Noble the fact that fight. Magazine ads that had shown a (who had boughti t in 1943 and operated it black soldiers, confident "Rosie the Riveter' were about There we many news stories as the "Blue Network" till now). re big in who had fought to be replacedby a smilinghousewife , the first few monthsof 1945 •· in addition A milestonewas and Bennyoften engagedin repartee, and extolling the joys of having the perfect to the liberation of the concentration reached at the Miss Rochester could give as good as he got- home. In radio, the changemust have camps starting in January, there was the Americapagean t, when but Rochester still fit most of the stereo been very noticeable -- where stations Yalta Conference in early February Bess Myerson became types. In 1945, you seldomif ever heard a had relied on womenr eporters,w riters, the first Jewish winner; (attendedby PresidentRoosevelt, along black announcer on the network, although and announcersduring the war, now near tish unfortunately, during with Bri Prime Minister Winston in a small but growing numberof cities, ly all of those womenwe re replacedby her reign, she experi Churchilland SovietP remierJ osephStal in). there were local sta men. To be fair, the womenof the 40s enceda number of anti Later in February, the Marines were lions with black were probably willing to let the man have Semitic incidents. This was especially victorious at lwo Jima, commemoratedby announcers. And in their jobs back -- the idea of a "career ironic given that 1945 was the year the an award-winning photographof them one new CBS show, woman"was not commonin that era, and world learnt about the death camps and raising the American flag. And then, on 12 "Beulah", the black society's expectation was that women the murderof millions of Jews, as the April, President Rooseveltd ied of a cere maid was not black should be homemakers or do volunteer, Allies liberated the camps and news bral hemorrhage. He was only 63, and his at all, and not even charitablewo rk. Some surveys showed reporters, EdwardR. Murrow among death touchedm illions. Radio stations a woman-- the role that a large numberof womenwished them, gave on the scene accounts. dropped all commercials for several days, was played by a white man, Marlin Hurt. they could have continuedwork ing, even Americans were shockedat the brutality peoplewept in the streets as the funeral As for black dramatic actors, they seldom part-time, but alreadythe marriagerate of the Nazis, and commentators remarked cortege passed,and suddenly Vice found any challengingroles . One wel was skyrocketing,as returningsoldiers upon how tolerance is an essential President Harry S. Trumanf ound himself come exception was a theatercompany married their sweethearts. and the nation-
12 13
I I ! I al conversationturned to having a home tising, in 1945 you heard a lot of radio ads wartimeban on opening new television buy a gallon of milk for about 62 cents and raising a family. from Procter & GambleCo ., which accord stationsor manufacturingequipment. Bu t and a loaf of bread was 9 cents. A new But while 1945 showedsigns of poten ing to Broadcastingmagazine , spent there were still only nine TV stations on car, however, was around$ 1,000, tial social change, that was not on most around $11 million for commercial time. the air, and about 7,000 people had TV although some luxury cars, like the people's minds What had affectednea rly sets. WNBT in New York was one of the Cadillac, could cost as muchas $2500. everyone's life had been rationing. On 15 earliest, and it did numerousdemonstra Meanwhile, efforts were made to get September,much of it finally came to an tions with departments tore retailers, in Congresst o pass an Equal Pay for end -- first, rationing of gasoline and fuel the hopes that more peoplewou ld pur Equal Work bill, but to no avail. (It oil ended, and so did those 35 m.p.h. chase televisions.H owever,TV had a way would not pass till 1963.)And now it speed limits; then on 30 October,came to go before the averageperson wou ld be can be told: the populargraffitt i that ser the end of shoe rationing.As each item familiar with it -- in fact, George Gallup vicemen(and many other people)wrote gradually was restored(and many people was conductinga poll to find out how everywhere, "Kilroy was Here" was couldn't wait to buy a new car after all this You probablywe re not that much many people had ever heard of TV or had named for an inspectorof rivets at the time without one), a new optimism pervad awareof some of the new technology,but ever seen a demonstration. Fore River Shipyardin QuincyMA -- and ed the culture. Not only was the war over, 1945 was the year the first electronic Movieswere still yes, there really was a (James) Kilroy. but so were the many little inconvenienc computer was built (it was completedin what most people es. There were new toys to invent, new November). ENIAC(E lectronic Numerical preferredin 1945, gamesto play, and of course there were IntegratorAnalyzer and Computer)was a and the biggest box movies to see. In November1945, the huge machinewith 17,468vacuum tubes, office hit was prob first Slinky was demonstrated;it had been 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 1,500 ably "The Bells of created by RichardJames, a Philadelphia relays, and 6,000 manualswi tches. St. Mary's", starring Bing Crosby and engineer, and his wife Betty had come up Computer terminology was developing Ingrid Bergman; it made $21.3 million. II f1PY with the name. Other new inventionsin too: a Navy engineer,G race Murray Other popular moviesincluded "S tate r-'\.JA~ 1945 included one from New Hampshire's Hopper,was working in the computer lab Fair" (which includedt he hit song "It Might Earl S. Tupper, who created food storage oratory at Harvard when she found that as Well Be Spring"), and "Anchors The year ended with the Irving containers which came to be knownas the reasonone machinewasn 't working Aweigh' -- the first movie Frank Sinatra Berlin classic 'White Christmas" at #1 "Tupperware".And althoughyou couldn't was that a moth had flown into a relay; did in color. "The Lost Weekend"won an on the charts; sung by Bing Crosby, it buy one yet, a Raytheoneng ineer named this gave birth to the term "computerbug" , AcademyAward for Best Picture, and Ray would sell millions world-wide. The Percy Spenceri nventedwhat becamethe a term commonly used to explain any Milland was namedBes t Actor for his real many Sinatra fans were happy that, just microwaveoven. Ballpoint pens were big glitch in a computer's programming. And istic portrayal of alcoholism in that movie. like the year had begun with their hero sellers in 1945, as the new and improved while some people say the story is a leg Joan Crawford won BestActress for her making a guest appearanceon radio, modelsd idn't tear the paper and con end, the Navy has a display that com role in "Mildred Pierce'. As for books, the year concluded the same way, as tained plenty of ink; also catching on was memorateAdm iral Hopper's many 1945 was the year George Orwell wrote Frank sang his hit "NancyWith the somethingwe today call "frozen foods" - achievements, and ii containsher log "Animal Farm". And in theater, you may Laughing Face"on the Ginny Simms back then, the best-knownb rand, book from August 1945, with the moth have seen TennesseeWilliams' outstand show. The United States agreed to join Birdseye, called the product"fros ted taped to a page and a note explaining ing drama, "The Glass Menagerie on the United Nations, the annual Army foods" and popular singer Dinah Shore where it had been found. And as for other Broadway. Navy football game ended with Army appeared in magazineadvertisements technologicaladvances , we movedmuch If you were workingat the averagejob victorious (PresidentT ruman attended, doing testimonials about how convenient closer to havingTV available to everyone in 1945, the minimumwage was now and accordingto Time, he rooted for these items were. And speaking of adver- when in October, the FCC lifted the boostedto 40 cents an hour.You cou ld Army); and those who celebrated
14 15 Christmasha d a difficult time finding any 000000000000000000000 0 0 holly (not becauseof rationing -- but 0 0 //1.A~J~,. "JM,,,,.J,.._by Ezra Stone & becauseof bad weatheri n those states ~,rl,lf,IV/f'ltl WeldonMelick where most of ii was grown). Meanwhile, "DOUBLEOR Brother Rats for the patronagof local sol the kids all wantedto go see that Disney i0 i0 ~13 movie "Pinocchio" -- it was in technicolor 0 I've slept in some curious places in my diers. At a dime a head he offered taxi 0 and featured the hit song "WhenYou Wish 0 time. As a child I en joyed hibernatingon servicet o the showsin near-byWatertown 0 Upona Star". And as Americagreeted the NOTHING"!a cosy, warm mantel ledge. At boys' and mad a stake enablingh im to lose even 0 0 new year, the Baby Boomwas about to 0 l l «rring 0 ) campsmy whimsicalcompanions liked to more lavishly thai he was accustomedlo at Cl 0 the next poker game start, and it wouldchange society in ways 0 TODDRUSSELL 0 transplantco ts during the night, and we . 0 in a radio to 0 ) That freezing resurrectionmorning in few people could predict. • ulute 0 never knew which of us would wake up in the middle of a stream, on top of the pump Pine Carm Chapel was somethinglo h 7 behold. After a scant four hours' sanctuary, :t ronsisl en ll.'I .1: i etwdwtCOLBEM' ~ house, or in the graveyardac ross the road. I've spent the night on a park benchand our heavenly rest was broken by the I've sought Pullmancomfo rt in the over bangingof a rifle on our beds and the sen ~tFIRST ~I~~1Mll Hae ~,fUR RAY ! :): On Air :l: head baggagerack of a Greyhoundbus . try's raucous"All out, you hams and eggs!" h the ❖ All this was excellent preparationfor the There's an unforgettable pattern of :i: WITH THE NEWS :l ~ ~ i !nielGGandJ~ili fe of a barnstormingpriva te, who must pageantryin the spectacle of a group of :,: H ere in Cincinnati :r,, 0 0 A Uni'll4rttd-l11UrnAlin1141 Pictur~ C men trying to shake the shackles of :;: radio 1 is ten er s have :t 0 lake his shut-eyewhere and as he finds ii. .;. ·:· o From th• Be,t-Sellin,r Bottk 0 Morpheuson a wintry morningbefo re come to expect WCPO 0 . 0 Many of the posts we visited were :t to be FIRST on th e air :1: 0 \, b,- BETTY MacDONALD 0 populated to capacity,and there simply daylight, without benefit of central healing. :l: WITH THE NEWS. :~ 0 A goodly proportiona re beyondredemp :1: This is as it should be , :~ 0 wasn't room to barrackour troupe in' :i: because whether cover- :i: Ed&-TONIGHT 0 Biltmorestyle. At Pine Camp, where we tion. Gabrielh imself will never be able to :\: ing a s tate p r i m a r y :~ 0 + campaign or a world :,· lli{ 9:30 P.M. 0 gave four performancesi n two days, we rouse them. A few spring vigorously from ::: war WC P O brings to :f: laid our weary heads in the most uncon beneaththe covers and regret ii almost e -:• 000000 WOR oo: :t th problem the experi- ventionaspot ll- chapel. Al that, instantaneously. But the vast majority tus :l: ence of a pioneer NEWS :]: l of a a it -:• STATION. :,· possiblywasn't the first time some of the sle and turn, writhe and cry, grumbleand :i: And only on WCPO { boys had slept in church. groan. Someonein this categoryi nvariably -!• in Cincinnati do you ·,· :j: hear n e w s c a s ts com- j: We had loaded the trucks after the last kept our convoy waiting and reaped the ~: piled from the world- •;• performance, for an early start the next rewardreserved for that and one other ::: wide d i s p a t c h e s of ::: morning getting bed afte one o'clock offense--holding up a performance. The ~ th e + , to r . In deferencet o our sanctifiedsurround offender had to ride the next jump in the !: UN.ITED PRESS ~~ ~ ~ ings and exhaustion, the usual all-night cold, dark, solitary confinementof the .i. Newscasts, on the hour! -:• poker sessionwas suspended.Matty , one scenery truck. ) Then there are those who meet the RAISGIANT f R06S of the truck drivers, benefitedmost by this ap omission,being regularly the heaviest morn with methodicalsequence of table tliTCPO~rlU:t · SU.RT A.THOME! ) BOOK 1::,-hi'... u..-- •1n.tiH 1K)ttd ,o ~ in. .-;, loser. He had also profited in more posi aux. They start flat on their backs, eyes YLJ ,,..ml wHh l hi:- ,~ _...,. WI •: • UY ~ • .t • Y lt• • ~11· 00\C'r n uu • J~ NEWS--- ~~ lo •I.,. wa 1tm:i,: ..,,.. 6 w.,...,. ,_,... tive way from our extended two-day wide open and staring vacantly at ,i;t,ort1u:i.: UI "'""''" · """"'· t\ ' h a t other-. •lr• a11,- 1101111:. fnt9~ -.11;. 1200 ON YOUR DIAi :\: ,,.. th ceiling. This followed by the up on t ••«•tc•N F•ooc,111•••.,.ac:o engagement.Having noth ing else to do, e is - h + 0.01 i•a -D. "'•• o ..~ •• u . •!••~·l•❖ •!-o+•!--❖.t.-..,.,....,._.!...,.,...•l+..t&"'❖ •!••!--"'?❖.,..,.❖-!----!•• he went into direc competitionw ith his one-elbowpos ition, with the fingers of the
16 17 other hand massaging the head. From machines were depleted The juke box people's sleep. A fugitive boxing ring in there it's both elbows on the knees,one bleated sardonically, "He's I-A in the the center of the floor held a dozenof our eye open, the other shut, silently contem Army.". beds, and these "upper berths" were plating this predicament.Nex t, one fbot I'll never forget the look of bewilderment quickly seized by those membersof the out and into a shoe, the other foot out and on the caught up with us and apologized troupe who thoughtthe ropes afforded into a shoe, then back under the covers, for not havingbeen on handto welcomeus . some subtle brand of privacy. shoesand all, for an extra five minutes in The CommandingOfficer , he informed The gym smelledl ike a stale basketball the first position. us, had decided we were to give our show game-for-gottenbu t not gone-andthe win Personally I'm an under-cover man on twice that night in order that everyone on dows were nailed shut. I noticed that Stan glacial mornings. I start wakingup the the post might see it. This bit of news had Salomonom itted his usual deep-breathing night before. That is, I make a lot of about as happy a receptionas though he exercises.Gary Merrill couldn't sleep and preparationsf or the ordeal in advanc?.. had announcedt he fall of Port Moresby. in a jealous frenzy mountedt he flying rings Using the barracksbag as an end table, I When you're numb and void, there's small and swungback and forth over our brood, neatly stack all articles of clothing on it, solace in a compliment that introduces gently kicking in the teeth anyonewho within arm's reach of the cot, in the order three extra hours of hard work betweena had the temerity to slumberi n his pres I'll need it-shirt on top, cuffs unbuttoned. 6:15 breakfastand an already long. ence. We were too tired to murder him. Under-cover dresserswho are allergic to postponeddinner. But the well-meaning He got his just deserts, though. In the neatnesscan simply heap the clotheson necktiein bed One must be careful not to Colonel had given the order, and nothing mcrning, naked as a plucked chicken, he the fioor alongsidethe head of the bed. give the casual observer the impression could be done about it-not even a sand shinnied up a climbing rope for a compre that he has slept fully clothed, thus malign On rising-ratheron awakening, wich. So we split the convoy, hall of us hensivev iew of the mezzanine. A bevy of ng the whole brotherhood under-cover becausethe trick is not to rise until fully i of taking our personalbelongings to the office girls workingquietly at deskson the clothed-youloosen the blanket'smooring dressers. quarters assignedus, the other half pro balcony got an even more comprehensive at the foot of the bed and pull the slack We omitted morningablutions at Pine ceeding immediatelyto the theatre to view. I don't know whether their screams over the head to form a miniature, hermet Camp, there being nofacilities in the have the scenery in place for the six were screamsof surprise, admiration, ically sealed tent. At this point one hand chapel for washing anything but sins, and o'clock curtain of the first show. amusement,or horror, but their combined drove away in the frostbitten blackness steals out beneaththe covers and grabs Our quarters consisted of thirty-three effect was to unnervethe unclad Tarzan. hirty-threecharac in searchof break the shirt. It goes on easily enoughi n a t ters a cots mushroomingludic rously in the post' He dropped from the skies like manna horizontal position, providedyou don't fast. gymnasiumunder a profusion of athletic from Heaven, with a shriek as thoughhe Half an hour down the road a light try to negotiate both sleeves at once and rigging and a mezzazine, and huddled so were being torn limb from limb. All over a shone in a small diner, and a thundering get yourself into a strait-jacket impasse. close togethertha t the floor seemed little rope burn that wouldn't even show, herd starving he spiansoverpowered Trouser techniqueconsis ts of knowing the of T solidly upholstered.This resemblance to a under normal circumstances. front from the ear and pushing he entire the sing attendant,dead-tired from r t le his paddedce ll becameeven more pro That was one night when a nightmare garmentwell to the bottomof the bed un all-night shift. All restaurantr ules such as nouncedd uring the night, when a proces didn't necessarilymean you were asleep. der the blankets before attemptingto get "Pay When Served"and "No Substitutions" sion of skin-clothed forms plodded The theatre arrangementswere even more into it. were temporarily disconnected. In twenty steadily back and forth over sundry disconcerting than the sleeping accommo The follower of this sport is allowedto minutesevery booth, every table, an midriffs in search of their own sleeping dations.There was no curtain. There were sleep in underwearand socks, but retain every inch he counte was litte ed high of t r r accommodationsor concernedw ith the no lights. There was no room. But there ing any other item of haberdasheryis con with dirty cups, saucers, bottles, glasses, ingressor egress of a drink of water. I'm were doors. What the eight-foots tage sideredcheating. The most deplorable silverware,crump led napkins, and empty pretty broadminded about somnambulists, lacked in other refinements, it made up in breachof under-covereth ics is tying the pie tins. Cigarette,c igar, and chewinggum but I don't think they ought to walk in other a honeycomb of cubbyholes. You had to
18 19 elbow your way through the crowded and was about.to speak when the trombonist sceneryon the stage, and you were lucky uncorkedt he lowest, vilest note his instru if you made an exit from this labyrinth ment was capableof-a blast that shouldn't withoutfind ing yourself in a closet. We felt happeni n der Fuehrer'sface. From then on as if we were giving the play in the run the productionresembled Hellzapopp in' way betweentwo suites of telephone more than BrotherRat. booths. Ralph Nelson looked like Happy Our production was designedto be Hooligan.A heavy bank of spotlightshe very flexible, so for this stand we left over had been setting up in Pine Camp two days half the sceneryon the truck. But there beforehad toppled over and knockedh im wasn't even room on the stage for the out cold. The lumpon his head had had to essential pieces. We had to pile them in be shavedso stitches could be taken. front of the stage and strew them up and Painted with mercurochrome, it bore a strik down the aisles. Thenas the script called ing resemblanoeto an Easter egg in a robin's for a davenporto r something, the luckless nest. He made his entrance more ludicrous individuals who had grabbed" choice" by substituting a badminton racket for the aisle seats were pressedi nto service as baseball bat which his lines called for, and furniture movers. Our performancehad blithely serveda sponge-rubberba ll into the more the air of an auctionsale . little audience that wasn't there. Others By dint of assortedmirac les we were came on the stage with wet towels, which ready with the imaginary curtain at 6:00 they tossedonto the more unpopularmem o'clock. At 6:1 5 there were a few amazed bers of the orchestra. soldiers lounging in the rear of the There had long been a grudge-feud auditorium, still wondering what the hell betweent he cast and the musicians. The had intruded on their privacy. The orches actors resentedthe easy time the music tra was briskly blowing sour notes out of makers had-nocostume changes, no its system in preparationfor harmony. The messing with make-up-just playing a few post Special Servicesofficer was pacing minutesof overtureand a few moreminutes nervouslyou tside, wonderingwhe re his during intermissionswhile they themselves audience was. Backstagea hungry cast had to slave over the hot footlights through was agreeing with Sherman. three energeticacts. The orchestra, on the At 6 :30 it was apparentthat if we were other hand, felt they had the harder lot- lo give two shows and get some dinner condemnedas they were to the slow and sleep before the long trip back to New torture of sitting through our performance Yorknext day, we had better get on with night after night. it. So the stage managers ignaled the They had little ways of ventingthe ir dis orchestra,and we began to play to an pleasure. Since one of them had draped empty house. his drink over the foot- lights one night After a ghastlys ilence at the end of the and therebyacci dentally discoveredt he The girls had an even more comprehensive view overture the first character came on-stage effect of ice wateron a hot light bulb, our
20 21
l j I I love scenes had regularlybeen explosive to a man to stay through the secondper shows. They had never before been ments at other posts-the "special privilege' ly punctuated. And Pinkie Mitchell, who formanceand find out what it was about. rationedon laughterand neededthe tonic of workingharder under greater disadvan naturally walks as if he were trying to But they were again doomedt o frustra of it more than ever when away from tages than any of us had ever done before. mimic Chaplin, grew to dread the tion. They had to give up their seats to home, uncertain of the future. Those who had ducked their share of the drummer'smock ing accompaniment to his officers who had chosen to linger over The grumbling increasedominously as I work were openly held up to scorn. Others entrancesand exits. Throughoutthe tour dinner and attend the second show. securedpermission from the Commanding guilty of snide stage tricks-stepping on we were always getting hit on the head The applausehad no sooner died of Officer to have our reconnaissance and another'slines , stranglinghis laughs, with spitballs and could never discover malnutritionafter the first show than we staff cars whisk the whole group off to upstaging-werechallenged to alley duels. who was doing ii. Obviously it couldn't be were at one another'sthroa ts backstage. Oswegofor food and drink. By three in the morningno one had a shred anyonein the audience, since it occurred Mutiny was in the air. When we had As our thirty-threedisgus ted, glaring of dramatic reputationl eft to stand on, but at every stand.And the musicians seemed scarcely had time to finish a cigarette, we performerspushed together all the tables in food had eased the tenseness, and fatigue to be mindingtheir instruments.I even were ordered to proceedwith the second the grillroom of the PackardHo tel, the had blurred the more violent emotions. stationed actors in both wings to spot the performance. This lime we followed the managerlooked on suspiciously,wondering After quenchingthe brewing storm with sniper. But the missiles kept comingas script, but a troupeof zombiescou ld have just what type of brawl was being visited brew, we even got to singing. tormentinglyas before. We never would given a more animatedinterpretation of upon him. "This is a gripe session," I Our efforts at Fort Ontariowere proba have solved the mystery if I hadn't over the lines. As an all-time low in dramatic announced." No knives or fists allowed, but bly not so uselessas we imaginedin the heard Herby Pine one day in a restaurant futility, our weary and furious cast drag no vocabularyholds barred. To give every distorted perspectiveof that unbelievable braggingabout how he could disconnect ging itself througha hilarious farce proba one an equal chance, we'll start on my right night. Even our grousinghad a constructive his tromboneslide and use it reversibly bly took the cake. The audiencemight and take one at a time." aftermath. To give it a semblanceof dignity, for a peashooterwhile still facing the have been carvedof stone. Acrimonyand accusationsgushed forth. we had taken notes on all complaints,and audience. It was past midnightwhen the theoreti Some of the fellows were fed up with the there were actually a lot of good sugges Our tired show disintegratedlike an cal curtain rang down on our double-head whole thing and wantedto call it quits. Our tions amongthem . These were later made Alka-Seltzertab let on the tiny stage at ed catastrophe.At one O'clock the last cheering-upeffo rts weren't appreciated. the basis of a manual of touring routine, Fort Ontario,accompan ied by the con coil of stage cable and the last flat of The civilian press was poking fun at the published by the ServiceCommand stant opening of doors in the rear of the sceneryhad been hustledon to their idea of soldiers trying to entertain them Headquartersas a guide for the simultane auditorium and a steady streamo f shuf trucks. The future of the CampU pton selves and forget there was a war on. Even ous touring of five all-soldier shows. We fling feet. We seemedto be acquiringa n Opry House Playerswas never darker some of the fellows in our own camp had been the voluntary guinea pigs for this audienceas we lost our play. By this time than at that moment.Since our pretent resented our special-privilegeleaves of later successful venture.We discovered our performancebore even less resemb ious offering and the tour itself were absencewhile we were filling engage- what not to dol lance to the original than a movie version. undertakenon a voluntarybasis in addi When the house lights went up at the final tion to our regular military training and 'curtain," we could see the place was two Special Services duties, the fellows could GEORGE ABBOTT'S thirds occupied by bewilderedmen who scrap the whole idea by mutual consent. I had been ordered to leave the solution of saw my dreams of lighting a spark that Miss Alice Faye's cinematicdifficul ties in would spread to other posts in the Service the capable hands of Don Amecheand Commandfad ing away.And it grieved me transfer their attentionsimmediately to the becauseI knew that whateverour sacri ~UF berserkantics of the CampUpton Opry fice might be in terms of lost sleep and £VES.i Oreb., $2.26J Bal,, $1.'l'O, U ,13, 11711. MATS.: Ore b., $1.701 Bale,, $1.13, ~le, Inc. t•x. House Players.The sample they saw was added labor, 300 SEATS EVERY EVE. AT 57c•$1,13 so unintelligiblet hey had decidedalmost it was worth it to the boys who saw our I
22 23 she made many trips overseasto the create DONWINSLOW , an action comic And on a visit to Fort Ontario six months announcingof Charles Stark. Europeantheatre and in 1943-1944had strip to help promoteUS Navy enlistments. later I was told that our one-nightstand DID JUSTICETRIUMPH ? her show sponsoredby BirdeyeFoods In a short time the exciting adventureta les had touchedoff a sizable recreationpro Critics of America's system of jurist pru over NBC on Thursdaynights. Over the of a Navy commanderbattling spies and gram there. The theatre, which on our visit dence often decry the victory of the legal next decade Ms. Shorecont inued her saboteursgained great popularity. DON technicalityin manycrimina l court cases. had been so unfamiliarto the post person career over NBC or CBS for some of the WINSLOWOF THE NAVYcame to During the first seven monthsof 1947 the nel that no one could find it in time for the biggest sponsorson radio in the choice station WMAQin Chicago on 3/29/37 and Mutualnetwork presented an interesting first performance, was now the most popu time slots. remained an importantexample of children's anthologyof crime cases drawn from fic lar building on the grounds. The stage had DOC SAVAGEADVENTURES afternoonserial offeringsunt il 1/01/43. In tional accountsfound in "True Justice been enlarged"to twice its depth and had Author KennethRobeson o riginated one of 1942 the program, heard over the Blue net Stories", a Sundaysupplement to the pulp fiction's most fantasticaction heroes work and sponsoredby Post Toasties, a full complementof curtains, drops, and NEWYORK SUNDAY NEWS , a major DOC SAVAGE-thebronze giant who feaured RaymoondEdward Johnson & lighting equipment.Where movies had East Coast tabloid. In these tales, written dedicatedhis life and great talent to those JohnG ibson been the only entertainmentbefore, there by EugeneHurley and producedand people who faced great dangerfrom which DOUGLASOF THE WORLD now flourishedregu lar weekly plays, an ice directed by Joch MacGregor, the "bad they could not escape. Several of these Newspaperjournalists , membersof the the rink, dance bands, and a newspaper. And guys' get the punishmentthat they deserve. old tales, that once appearedi n Street and so-called "Fourth Estate·, were popular a companyof local camp talent had DIMENSIONX Smith Publications, were re-createdby characterson radio dramasi n the 1940's raised $38,000by giving a benefit in the Prior to 1950 there were few half-hour sci- Roger Ritner and VarietyArts for NPR in and early 1950's. DOUGLASOF THE ence fiction radio dramaswhich catered to SyracuseUniversity Stadium for Army the 1980's. One of the stories, "Fear Cay", WORLD, a latter day addition to this genre, an adult listening audience. Most. like EmergencyR~lief! :1€ was developed and broadcastin a seven was broadcastover AFRSin 1953-1954. FLASHGORDON and BUCKROGERS , part serial drama, 9/30 to 11/ 11/85 . Thi s his as seriesabout "Brad Douglas"(p ayed were 15-minutechildren 's serials aired in T a l modernadventure series blendsthe tradi by Jack Moyles)a foreign correspondentfor the late afternoonweekday time slots. On OldDIiie Radio tions of I LOVEA MYSTERYand JUNGLE the NY World (a fictitious daily publication). April 8, 1950 DIMENSIONX , one of the SeriesReviews JIM into one adult action series. The script writers for this interesting, yet earliest and finest sci-fi programscame to byBill Kid dle DOCTORFIGHTS little-known, series focusedupon real NBCon Sundaynights . The series, direct Stories denoting the heroic accomplish events in the early 1950'sand placedour ed by Bob Warrenand Fred Collins, DEEMSTAYLOR AT NAPOLEON'S mentsof many men were all part of the hero the midst of the nternationalact on. featuredsome of the best dramaticta lent in i i RETREAT heritage of World War II. DOCTOR DR. FINLEY'SCASEBOOK in radio, including:Joe deSantis and Men with a rich musical heritage often FIGHTSauthored by Arthur Miller, and In the eyes of many critical observers, the JosephJulian. Unfortunately, the program "show up in some unusual places." Deems sponsoredby SchenleyLabs , were medicalprofession in the 21st century may was on the air for only one year, leaving Taylor, musiccritic, operaticcomposer , and well-writtenstories of doctors in wartime. have lost "someof its concern for the the airwaveson 9/29/51. Radio Memories promoterof classical music was not what The program, which had Dee Engelbach humancond ition." The criticism can't be laid has preservedall 50 broadcasts. one would call a 'natural choice' of the US as producer/director, was blessedwith an DINAHSHORE SHOW at the feet of "Dr Finley", a generalpracti Marine Corp to host a syndicatedmusical all-star cast that featured RaymondMassey , tioner medicine,and the oft times unlikely Manyfema le vocalistsrose to prominence of programpromoting t heir recruitmenteffor ts JacksonBeck, Cary Grant and Robert hero FINLEY'SCASEBOOK Th during the big band era of the 1940's. The of DR . is during the Cold Warera . The music on the Montgomery. The half-hour anthology was DINAHSHORE SHOW , a fine musical tale of two Scottishdoctors , created by A.J. programwas providedby bandleader Phil aired over CBS on Tuesdaynights at 9:30 Cronin, and popularizedby Brian variety offering, had a somewhatbroken Napoleon and His MemphisFive, a jazz for two separateseasons , betweenJune Majorbankson BBC-TVcame to radio history, that stretchedfrom 8/06/39to , band quintet, broadcastinglive from a and Augusti n 1944 and June and listeners in the 1970's with Andrew 7/01/55. In the early days Ms. Shore was Miaminight spot known as Napoleon's Septemberi n 1945. Cruikshankas "Dr. Finley" and Bill Simpson heard over the Blue Networkfirst with the Retreat. Ward Byron was the produc DON WINSLOWOF THE NAVY as "Dr. Cameron." The series has many Paul Lavalle and then Irving Miller er/directorof the show which featured fine In 1934, FrankV. Martinekand LeonBeroth Orchestras. During World War II Dinah characterizationsthat made medical dra commentaryby Mr Taylor and the combinded their writing and artistic skills to was a popularfavorite with the troops as mas like DR CHRISTIANand DR KIL-
24 25 DAREso popular with American audi over Mutual on Tuesdaynights. conviction, and the results of that trial, and NBC, and was heard on various nights ences in previous decades. Radio Memorieshas a fine collectionof sentenceof the court, were alwaysgiven and at different times. The programwas Radio MemoriesBBC Series has a num these well-craftedradio dramas. to the public to show, in a low-keymanner, last heard 1/18/52 . berof excellent episodesfor your listening DR. PAUL that "crime does not pay." This style of Radio Memorieshas a fine collectionof pleasure. Over the centuriesmembers of the med drama was greetedas a great success, episodesfrom 1943 to 1952 DR JEKYLL& MR HYDE ical profession have faced many formida and the program remained on the air for DOWNOUR WAY More ten than class suffers in of not, a ic ble challenges. DR PAUL, a quater-hour amost 8 years until 2/16/57. Radio Shirley Thomasand WaterWhite Jr. com transitionfrom mediumto another. Robert serial drama about a dedicatedsmall town Memorieshas an outstandingcollection of bined their writing and production talents Lewis Stevenson'sfantastic tale of DR. doctor with an ambitious, scheming wife these dramas, regardedby many to be one to put DOWNOUR WAY, an interesting JEKYLLand MR. HYDEi s an acceptionto who wants him to leave and set up prac of the truly great crime drama ever pro musical variety show, on the air as a that rule. Back in the 1930's George tice in New York City. The challeges, duced on radio. Commodoresyndication . The program Edwards first syndicatedthe tale into a 52- which were small and often very personal, DR WEST'SC ELEBRITYNIGHT focusedupo n the fictional life and times of episode serial in Australia. In more recent were found in serial stories that stressed Late night musicalvariety showswere very "!:Ii Jenkins," a small town grocer, who times BBC Radio 4 has broadcastthe service to humanity.Russel l Thorsonwas popular with listening audiencesback in met with his friends to talk and sing old STRANGECASE OF DR. JYKELL& MR. heard as "Dr. Paul" and PeggyWebber as the 1930's. DR WEST'SCELEBRITY tunes. Someof the 'local customers' HYDE. This contemporyeffort is not only a his wife. The strong cast includedJanet NIGHT, sponsoredby a leading toothpaste shared their latest problem or accomplish "fine thriller" but a study of good and evil in Logan, Vic Perrin, Sam Edwardsand manufacturer, broadcastove r NBC on ment and made tune selectionsi n this the personal traumaof a man torn between Williard Waterman. This short-livedser ial Saturdayn ights at 10:30, was a good quarter-hourshow . two natures. "Dr. Jekyll" is a good man, drama was heard over NBC on a daily example of the genre. In 1936, each but he is convinced that both good and basis for two years, between9 /03/51 & half-hour program featureda different evil reside in everybody. When he does his 8/28/53. guest, usually a comedianor singer. experimentson his theory, the results are DR. SIXGUN Continuity was provided by vocialist terrifying, especiallywhen his new drug Karl Weber, a good solid journeyman Ethel Shula and her husband George releases his own worst self. As the despi characterac tor, was cast in the role of Olsen and His Orchestra. The broadcastof cable "Mr. Hyde" the good doctor becomes "Dr. Ray Matson'-- better known to friend 2/29/36 featured Kate Smith as she sang a a monesterand prowls the city of London and foe alike as DR. SIXGUN. This mild new song, "God BlessAmer ica." in search of deadly crimes to commit.In manneredWes tern drama, written by DUFFY'S TAVERN the end, to end this reign of terror, "Dr ErnestK inoy and GeorgeLefterts was Many of the great radio programshad very Jekyll" must destroyhis own evil creation. heard over NBC on either Thursday or classic openingsthat set them apart from ___ A. Radio Memorieshas the original Sundaynights in an 8:00 or 8:30 time slot the other shows on the air. Each hilarious Australiansynd icated verson. for only a DRAGNETI n the summer of episodeo f DUFFY'ST AVERNbegan ,oc,•· ~t--.•~I DR KILDARE . 1949, NBC aired DRAGNET,a new kind with"Duffy'sTavern ,. . Archie the Manager Medical dramashave been popularon of police drama, one that would provide speaking... Duffy ain't here." Ed "Archie" ig ' both daytime and eveningtelev ision time .: ?I~• the listener with a close-up view of a Gardner, a jack-of-all-trades individual, was slots for many years. In the early 1950's, police force in action. Jack Webb, in his cast in the role of a managerof a Brooklyn between2/01 /50 and 1/01/52, two famous role of "Sgt Joe Friday,"went to great establishment.Ed was regarded by his De1t Hollywoodactors Lew Aryes and Lionel , lengths to maintain realism. "Sgt Friday" peers to be one of the best in a talented Barrymore ecreaed DR KILDAREfor ,,-.:nilne r t and his partner alwaysfollowed proper school of comedians. The program,first v _- ~----·-' -• radio. They had originally starred in the police procedure. Cases were developed heard as an audition/test on the CBS "Wherethe GoldenAge of Radio roles they made famousfor MGM, a series clue by clue. Suspectswere identifiedonly series FORECAST on 7/29/40, soon Meetsthe DigitalAge " of medical dramasset at' Blair General after careful questioningand checking. becamea regular on the CBS lineup of Hospta in NYC The ies, based upon i l" . stor At the end of a given case the evidence shows for the next three seasons. Over the the works Max Brand. we oadcast www.digitaldeliftp.com of re br was almost always strong enoughto get a next decade, the popular show switched to
26 27 RADIOMEMORIES total collectionis now available DR SIXGUN 01386 05/10/50#15 The Girlfriend throughAUDIO CLASSICS ARCHIVE @. Makechecks 18864 09/02/54# 1 Indian Chiefs Son 05/17/50#16 Nurse Parker Resigns payableto Audio Classics®. PO Box 347Howell, Ml C-90 Poisoned 01387 05/24/50#17 Diet 48844-0347(517) 545-7577Telephone/ Fax 11/28/54 #14 Stage Holdup- 05/31/50#18 The $5,000 Theft Several Shot 01388 06/01/50#19 Familial Oeriodic $2.50pertape $5.00 shipping 11/21/54#13 Ringo, Gunfighter Paralysis 14458 09/16/54# 3 The Bell & The Baby 06/08/50 #20 Lead Poisoning ADVENTURESBY MORSE DUFFY'S TAVERN 09/30/54 # 5 Col. Crown Is A 06707 06/15/50 #21 Glaucoma 05173 PromotionD isc For ADVENTURES 00470 07/29/40(FORECAST #6) (CBS) Mad Man 06/22/50#22 Priscilla's BrokenArm BY MORSE(15) The Audition Show 18883 10/07/54 # 6 Fred Garth Jailed 01389 06/29/50#23 Gillespie's Engaged PromotionDisc For ADVEN 10/19/43w/Peter Lorre C-90 For Murder 07/06/50 #24 The HuntingTrip TURESBY MORSE(10) (NBC-BLUE) 10/14/54 # 7 Horse's Mane Is DR JEKYLL& MR HYDE(Austra lian) THE CITY OF THE DEAD# 1 10445 07/ 25/43Fran~ Buck MurderClue 15067 # 1 Henry's Childhood 05174 # 2 I've Dug Up SomethingGhastly 08/28/43 Ida Lupino 12/12/54 #16 Willie Has A # 2 Markham's Story # 3 The Body That WalkedOff 00471 12/07/43 w/Bing Crosby Land Deed # 3 Finished With College 05175 # 4 Old ClawfootAgain (NBC-BLUE) 14459 10/21/54 # 8 The ImmigrantSettler # 4 Jump Into Water # 5 The Skeleton Walks In 12/14/43 w/DinahShore (AFRS) 12/19/54#17 A Pony For 15068 # 5 In a Hut 05176 # 6 The Ghoul In The Grave 00472 01/04/44w/Fred Allen (1st Minute Christmas # 6 Henry RescuesHattie # 7 CaptainFriday Vanishes Of Ginny SimmsShow Heard 18865 10/24/54# 9 Kill To Stop # 7 Curious Friends 05177 # 8 The KidnappingOf Clawfoot Due To RecordingM istake By C-90 Family Line # 8 Deadly Experiment # 9 Trail Of The Phantom The Engineer.) 12/05/54#15 TroubleWith First 15069 # 9 Palm Reading ChurchBell 12/25/45 Is ThereA Santa Claus Male Teacher #10 At the Dance 05178 #10 WhereThe Pearls Are Hidden 16948 02/22/44Phil Baker 09/09/54# 2 Bartender& Project #11 Margaret'sFather Says No A COFFINFOR THE LADY # 1 04/11/44Carole Landis Investment #12 Henry's Seizure 05179 # 2 The ConversationIn The 10446 01/25/44Deems Taylor 18866 10/31/54#10 No Guns Law 15070 #13 Henry's MotherDies Casket 03/07/44Colone l Stoopnagle C-90 09/23/54# 4 ChooseBetween #14 Hettie RescuedAgain # 3 The DeepestGrave In 10447 03/14/44Gertrude Lawrence YornKippur & Dueling #15 ShelteredIn the Lab The World 04/18/44 Charles Laughton 11/07/54 #11 Old Man's #16 Hettie Meets Hyde 05180 THECOBRA KING STRIKES 10448 05/02/44Dennis Day AtonementFor Cowardice 15071 #17 GroansFrom the Lab BACK#1 09/15/44Rudy Vallee DR KILDARE #18 Hyde Strikes a Child # 2 SomethingAbout The 18528 05/09/44#129 AdolpheMenjou 01380 02/01/50 # 1 Pre-frontalLobotomy #19 Henry Makes a Will HoodedSnake 1945AFRS Archie's Nephew 02/08/50# 2 The AmputatedLeg #20 In Coravina, Austria 05181 # 3 The Mad King Of Angkor (Muddy,VG-) 01381 02/15/50# 3 Appendicitis - Barclay 15072 #21 Gretal Is Frightened # 4 The TempleOf The Gorillas 10449 09/22/44Gene Tierney 02/22/50# 4 The Dying Wife #22 Henry's Father Dies 05182 # 5 The Living ImageOf 10/10/44Robert Benchly 01382 03/01/50# 5 Hypochondria #23 Lost In Mountains Cambodia 10450 04/27/45John Garfield 03/08/50# 6 The DopeAddict #24 A MeetingIn Paris # 6 TerrorsOf HollowMountain 06/08/45J inx Falkenberg 01383 03/15/50# 7 Appendicitis - Caroline 15073 #25 John WantsMarriage 05183 # 7 The Face Of A Beast 10451 11/16/45 Archie Hires Madame 03/22/50 # 8 The New Cancer #26 Hyde lnterupts # 8 It Was Not Cannibalism Zooma Treatment #27 Hyde Kills Margaret'sFather 05184 # 9 The Fangs & TeethOf 01/25/46Archie 's Old Pal Stops By 01384 04/12/50#11 A llergy #28 Hettie CommitsSuicide The Enemy 10452 02/01/46Peggy Lee 04/19/50# 12 Hearing Problem 15074 #29 Henry CannotMarry Margaret #10 The AmazingEnd Of An 04/26/46Esther Williams 01385 04/26/50 #13 AmnesiaAnd #30 Doctor'sConsultat ion Expedition C0047305/10 /46 The TalkingDog {AFRS) Paralysis #31 VowTo Cure Tess 05/28/47The ComingOut Party 05/03/50 #14 The AbandonedBaby #32 Hugh Wants To Help
28 29 06113 11/05/46 First Song: Red River 14182 12/12/51 Alexis Smith (speed FIBBERMcGEE & MOLLY 10082 11/21/45# 8 Ethel Merman Valley change, VG) 10632 01/31/39#190 Major McGee 11/28/45# 9 Abbott & Costello 11/06/46First Song: Blue Skies 12/19/51Lindsay Crosby 02/07/39#191 WindowShade 10083 12/05/45 #10 Xavier Cugat 06114 11/07/46First Song: JeannieWith 14183 12/26/51 Bob Hope, DorothyLamour Problems 12/12/45#11 GeorgeJessel The Light Brown Hair 02/13/52Humphrey Bogart, 01329 02/07/39# 191 Faulty Window 10084 12/19/45#12 Ray Noble 11/08/46First Song: Old LaurenBacall Shade 01/09/46#15 Al Pierce McDonald Had A Farm 02/14/39# 192 Out Of Coal 10085 01/23/46#17 Eddie Duchin 06115 11/13/46First Song: Didn't My RENTAL LIBRARY (Snowed In) 01/30/46#18 HoagyCarmichael Lord Deliver Daniel 'The GoldenAge of Radio" may be over, 01330 02/21/39# 193 McGeeAfter 0086 02/20/46#21 Charioteers 1 12/09/46First Song: Five but they are not forgottenand are collect DinnerSpeech 02/27/46#22 GeneAustin Minutes More able. Youcan join our rental library, 02/28/39# 194 MouseI n BOB HOPE receive a catalogand can again hear 06116 12/18/46 First Song: ComingBack The House 18116 09/27/38First PepsodentShow those favorite forgottenprograms from the Like A Song 01331 03/07/39# 195 The Sandwich 10/04/38 w/Olivia DeHavilland past. If you are youngerand never heard 01/03/47First Song: Devil And the fascinatingradio broadcastwor ld of Parlor 18117 11/01/38w/Martha Raye The Deep Blue Sea drama, comedy,westerns. and science 03/14/39# 196 LosingUppington's 11/08/38w/Chico Marx EsquireAwards - Billie Holliday fiction, you can now discoverand collect Diamond 19724 11/22/38 # 9 Closing ThemeOnly 06117 01/13/47First Song: these programs. We offer the best sound 01332 03/21/39 # 197 Fibber Going Bald 05/06/41#33 FrancesLangford 01/21/47First Song: Great ing programson cassettesthat you can 03/28/39# 198 Inherits Yacht 03/19/46 Governo Ohio listen to at home or on the go. Listen on #27 r Of Day Medley 01333 04/04/39# 199 AntiqueFurniture 17841 12/20/38 w/PennySingleton, your Walkman or your automobile'scas 06118 03/26/47F irst Song: Good News - 04/11/39# 200 McGeeThe Arthur Lake sette deck and let talk radio be a thing of Chariots Coming the past. Drive time will be more Mailman 03/07/39w/Judy Garland 06/12/50First Song: La Via Rose enjoyable 01334 04/18/39# 201 Molly Wants 18118 04/11/39w/Jack ie Coogan, 17926 09/12/47First Song: All Of Me QUALITY/COST A Budget Betty Grable 09/15/47 First Song: I Think All cassette programs in this catalog 04/25/39# 202 McGeeGets 03/11/41 w/DizzyDean You'reWonderfu l are of superior sound. We will offer Glasses 17842 01/28/41 w/Basil Rathbone complete listing of each series in BING CROSBYSHOW 01335 05/16/39# 205 Zither Lessons 04/15/41w/Hedda Hopper future editions of our rental catalog, 17106 09/28/49Abe Burrows Peggy Lee 05/23/39# 206 Stork-Parrott 18119 04/01/41w/Kate Smith , including programs that may contain Mix-Up 11/09/43w/Jane Wyman 10/05/49Judy Garland some sound problems for those 17107 10/12/49Peggy Lee 01336 05/30/39# 207 EscapedConvicts 17843 06/03/41w/Humphrey Bogart advance collectors that would like to 10/13/42 w/Bette Davis 10/1949 Frank Fay, Peggy Lee include all programs available, pro 06/06/39# 208 McGeeThe / 17844 01/05/43 w/Rita Hayworth 17108 10/26/49Lum & Abner grams with sound problems will be Wrestler an as For 02/09/43w/Dorothy Lamour , 11/02/49Bob Hope clearly marked with tensk. 01337 06/13/39# 209 Newspaper now, however, you can receive a Paulette Goddard,Veronica Lake Advice Column 14442 04/19/50 LindseyCrosby complete listing of your favorite 19725 06/15/43#39 Johnny Mercer 06/20/39 210 Fibber'sToothache 04/26/50Beatr ice Lilly series by writing to RADIO MEMO # (No Opening,Noisy) ANDREWSSISTERS 10840 10/11/50Bob Hope, Judy Garland RIES and request such listings. For 11/20/45 #10 Joe E. Brown 10/18/50Bob Hope, Judy Garland the cassettes listed in this catalog, 14856 03/04/45#10 Frank Sinatra (VG-) (No Opening) 21041 01/03/51#49 Fred Astaire you will find nothing but the most 03/11/45#11 Marjorie Main (VG-) 17845 09/28/43w/Orson Welles 01/10/51#50 Bob Crosby, favorable sound, and here is the best 10079 09/02/45#26 Penn's Polka 12/28/43w/Cary Grant information, price. Each cassette 10/17/45# 3 SophieTucker ARTHURGODFREY TIME Bob Hope rents for just $1.00 each plus s/h. 10080 10/14/45# 4 Navy Day 06111 10/18/46First Song: Foggy Dew 21042 01/17/51 #51 Louis Armstrong, Write today for more detailed infor 10/31/45# 5 Jane Cowell 10/23/46First Song: Flagalapa ToniArden (SpeedChanges) mation to RADIO MEMORIES. 01/24/51#52 Jimmy Stewart, 10081 11/07/45 # 6 MortonDowney 06112 10/24/46 First Song:Them , Them. 11/14/45 # 7 The Mills Brothers Them ToniArden Visit our web site 10/31/46 First Song:Ain't www.radiomemories.com Misbehavin'
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