!B Vresb February 2008
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The Old Time Radio Club Established 1975 !b VreSB February 2008 8th St. Theatre, Chicago Membership Information Club Officers Club Membership: $1 8.00 per year from January 1 President to December 31. Members receive a tape l~brarylisl- Jerry Collins (716) 683-6199 ing, reference l~brary listing and the monthly 56 Christen Ct. newsletter. Memberships are as follows. If you jo~n Lancaster, NY 14086 January-March, $1 8.00: April-June, $1 4; July- collinsif(avahoo.cor~ September, $1 0: October-Decem ber. $7. All renewals should be sent in as soon as possible lo Vice President & Canadian Branch avoid missing newsletter issues. Please be sure to Richard Simpson (905) 892-4608 notify us if you have a change of address. The Old 960 Road R.R. 3 Time Radio Club meets on the first Monday of the 76 Fenwick, Ontario month at 7:30 PM during the months of September through June at St. Aloyslus School Hall, Cleveland Canada, LOS 1CO Drive and Century Road, Cheektowaga, NY. There IS I~Pmeeting during the month of July, and an Treasurer informal meeting is held in the month of August. Dominic Parisi (716) 884-2004 38 Ardmore PI. Anyone interested In the Golden Age of Radio is Buffalo, NY 14213 welcome. The Old Time Radio Ciub is affiliated with the Old Time Rad~oNetwork Membership Renewals, Change of Address Peter Bellanca (71 6) 773-2485 --Club Maw Address 1620 Ferry Road Grand Island, NY 14072 Old Time Radlo Club [email protected] 56 Christen Ct. Lancaster, NY 14086 Membership Inquires and OTR E-Mail Address [email protected] Network Related Items w Richard 0 lday (71 6) 684-1604 171 Parwood Trail All Submissions are subject to approval Depew, NY 14043-1071 prior to actual publ~cat:on. [email protected] Deadline for The Illustrated Press is the Technical Manager I st of each month prior to publication. Bob MCDIVI~~(716) 681-8073 109 Poinciana Pkwy. The Press is the newsletter of the Old Cheektowaga, NY 14225 Time Radio Ckb, headquartered in Western New [email protected] York State, It is published monthly except for the months of July and August. Contents except where Cassette, CD and Reference Librarian noted are copyright O 2008 by the OTRC. Frank Bork (71 6) 601 -7234 10 Dover Ct. Send all articles, letters, exchange newsletters, Lancaster, NY 14086 etc. to: The Illustrated Press [email protected] c/o Ken Krug, Editor (716) 684-5290 73 Banner Avenue Rates: Lancaster, NY 1 4086-1 930 Audio cassettes and CDs are $1.95 each and are E-Mall address: [email protected] recorded on a club sumlied cassette or CD which is retained by the member. Rates ~ncludepostage Web Page Address: and handling and are payable in U.S,funds. mernbers.localnet.com/ " robmcd The Illustrated press musical "Honeymoon Lane." While on Broadway Kate found her new role to be more of a bflooa than a singer. Although she performed in many gmd musicals she was unhappy with the direction in which her Gareer was Kate heading. Many performers, including Bert Lahr, would chide her about her weight and appearance. She was more or less being cast for her size rather than her voice, Smith Things changed for the better when Columbia Recards VF Ted Collins, longtime partner and manager, put her & on the radio In 1931. She had one of the most popular 'God Bless shows on the air and began recording hit after hit. In 1938 Irving Berlin was mked to write a patriotic song. America" kRer not corning up with anything he recall4 an old sang he wrote back in 1918 while atationed on Long Island. That song was rejected and he threw it in hie by trunk. Me later dug it out and gave it to Kate Smith to TOM CHERRE sing. Shortly aRer the war started in Europe she pre- miered "God Bless America" on her radio show and the Like many of us, I watched the recent Ice Bowl game and phones never stopped ringing. During World War I1 waa very pleased with the way Runan vansang Kate Smith was credited with selling over 600 million 'W Bless America." He is a fine sinar- and did the dollars worth of war bonds, She also recorded over 2000 song proud, but I'm sure none of you will disagree that songs, 19 of them being million aellere. At that time Kate Smith and only Kate can captivate an audience Crwby was the number one male vocalist. Kate won the with that strong Bense of emotion and patriotism. Back choice for best female vocalist. in the 1970s her populari'ty soard to new heights with nnother generation when she perform4 at The Officials at the Spectrum noted that when the National Spectrum for the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Anthem was played there was movement, noise and a lot finals. She was like a god luck charm, the Flyers having of disrespect. When Kate sang "God Bless Arneria" won a lot more games when she sang in person or when eveqwne was quiet and respectful. To make a case in her recording was played, Aa Kate would say "It ain't point I did DJ music for a number of years back then. At begun till the fat lady sings." many wddings, dances and parties I often closed with "God Bless America" and many, many times people My earliest recollection of Kate Smith goes back to the would form a circle hold hands and join in the singing. early 1950s when she had her afternoon W show. I And thia was way before 9-11. I still get a cM1 every tine would usually catch her closing theme song "When The I hear a recording of Kate Smith singing that song. Moon Comes Over The Mountain." I would kid my mom Ining Berlin said chat this wan his favorite song and it using the high falsetto and make wise cracks about would give Kate Smith immortality. He was so right. Kate's huge size. I realize Z was wrong and never appre- They skill play it at ciated her for what she was, but then again I was a little the 7th inning squirt. Now I believe she was a truly remarkable person. stretch at Yankee Stadium.ThaC'6 She was born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith in Washington something good to DC in 1907. As a young girl she sang in church choirs be said for Mr. and fbr community events. When she was only eight Stein~brenner. We years old she was presented with a medal by General were tdyblessed to Pmfiing for entertaining the troops ~tationedin the have her bestow her Capital area. By the time she was fifteen Kate won just immense talents on about every amateur singing contest there was in the us. Kate Smith who dty. Her only dream was to be a Broadway singer. Her never marrid, did parents were agaiM her in her bid to be a singer and of diabetes in 1986 at &r hi& school she enrolled into Nursing College. the age of 79 in However, she was offered a week's engagement on the Raleigh, North same billing with Eddie Dowling so she quit school and Carolina. God Blese never looked back again. This Id to the part of "Wny America and God Little" in Atlantic City and then on to the Broadway Bless Kate Smith. Illustrated &ess 3 The following radio shows pr~mieredin 1948: Zhe &W 1948 in %aim 1. The Phil Harris Alice Faye Show for Rexall 2. Life with Luigi By JERRY COLLINS 3. Our Miss. Brooks 4. Straight Arrow 5. .Jeff Regan The Top events of I948 included: 6. Th? Hallmark Hall of Fame I. Baseball's great,est hero Bahc Ruth died from cancer. teams and 2. The Berlin Blockade led to the Berlin Airlift. The following individuals won cham- pionships in 1948: 3. The Marshall Plan begins its aid program to Western Europe. I. The Clev~lsndIndians defeated the Boston Bravcs World 4. In one of the greatest upsets in Att~ericanpolitical in six garnes to win The S~ries. Stwe Van scorrd only touchdown the history Harry Truman defrated Thomas Dewey. 2. Buren the as 5. CBS introducecl the 33-113long playing vinyl Philadelphia Ea~lesdefeated the Chicagr, Cardinals 7-0 record. in a bllnding snowstorm Tor The NFL title. 3. St. Louis Uliiveraity won the NIT title with a 66-52 6. Mohandas Gandhi wa~fatally shot by a Hindu fanatic. victorv over NYU before 18,491 fans at the Garden. 7. Congress created the House Cot~itnittee on Un- Ed Macauley led the winners with 23 points. American Activities as another "Red Scare" begins. 4. Kentucky defeated Baylor 58-42 to win the NCAA gnmc was fans, Swn they began their it~t'nmousinvestigation of the title. The played before 16,174 the "Hollywood Ten." second smallest crowd of the season at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats were led by Alex 8. Margaret Sanger, a leader in thr US birth control movement, helps in the establishment of th~ Grr17.a with 14 points and Ralph Beard with 12 International Plann~dParenthood Committc~. poi~lts 5. It was a hitt~r'syear in baseball. Although Joe 9. Orville Wright and DW Grifith, two great inrlova- DiMaggo hit 39 homeruns alotlg with 155 tors and pioneers, both die in 1948. RBI's and Ted Williams batted ,369with a slugfing per- 10. Edwin H. Land introduced an instant camera, the .355 Polaroid Land Camera.