July 31, 2009
A few months ago, I posted an episode of one of my favorite old time radio comedy series, “The Goon Show”. In this post, I offer up the other remaining episode I have of the program on an original transcription.
For those that are new to the show, it’s surreal humor that might remind you of Monty Python. In fact, the Goons - Harry Secombe, Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers - had a remarkably popular program on the BBC that ran throughout the 1950s and were influential on a whole generation of later comedians.
Program 19 in the series is “The Lost Colony”, also known as “The Sale of Manhattan”, originally broadcast on the BBC on November 29, 1955 and recorded on November 27. It was the 11th episode in the 6th “Goon Show” series. A Goons fan site has a script of the show online with some footnotes on some of the references if you have trouble understanding some of the fast-paced dialogue going on.
What you’ll hear is the syndicated version of the show. The BBC edited the programs slightly because of time sensitive content or other issues before they were distributed in other markets. They’re in the process of a major project to restore the original uncut versions of the programs from the master tapes, so if you like the show, I’d encourage you to buy the cd sets the BBC is offering of the program through Amazon UK.
This program was transferred from an original shellac BBC Transcription Service disc, matrix numbers 16PH86823 and 16PH86824. Apologies for the very brief “squeal” from “up cue” damage on the first part of the disc.
The “Quiz Kids” was a popular NBC radio series that ran from 1940 to 1953 and featured a panelist of children with high IQs answering questions sent in by listeners . What you might not realize is that there was more than one “Quiz Kids” series on radio.
NBC ran promotions where local stations staged their own “Quiz Kids” programs, with winners on the local editions winning a chance to compete on the network series. In this post, the first program in the series “WRAK Quiz Kids”, originally broadcast October 12, 1948. The station was located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and the show is sponsored by the Lundey Paint Store.
The program was transferred from an original vinyl transcription, possibly pressed as a demonstration disc for sponsors or for local stations as an example to follow in their own “Quiz Kids” promotions. Matrix numbers are matrix 8980A1 and 8981A1. I’ve based the date on some internal references in the show.
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drama — randsesotericotr @ 4:36 pm
Here’s another one of those little quarter hour public service shows, featuring music or short comedy or drama sketches. In this case, “Stars on Parade”, produced for the US Army and US Air Force Recruiting.
Program 592, released the week of December 16, 1951, includes guest Gloria DeHaven starring in a short suspense drama, “Crime On Her Hands”. The show was transferred from an original vinyl transcription of the program. Special thanks to listener Michael Utz for donating the disc for the collection.
For a fan of Eddy Duchin in Argentina who enjoyed the previous entries, here’s another episode in the series, originally syndicated in the late 1940s to promote the Naval Reserve.
In program 3 of the series, we hear “I Want to Be Happy”, “Here I’ll Stay” and a medley of “Love Walked In/Someone to Watch Over Me”. Guest Kay Armand sings “This Can’t Be Love”.
The show was transferred from an original Allied Recording vinyl transcription, matrix number FS-ABC-ND-128-1 D-33686
Once again, we join actor Paul Dubov for the late 1940s syndicated action packed detective drama, “The Adventures of Frank Race”, as we work our way through the run of the series.
Program 39 is “The Adventure of the Night Crawlers”, where Race is called in to help settle an unusual business dispute. This episode is a comedy, a bit of a depature from the usual serious international intrigue, dames and fisticuffs we’re used to in the series.
The show was transferred from an original Bruce Eells and Associates vinyl transcription set, matrix numbers UR-157217 A-6 and UR-157218 A-6.
July 24, 2009
The old crooner ambles his way in to the blog again this week as we hear the “Bing Crosby Show” broadcast of March 5, 1953. It’s one of a set of KCBS/KCBS-FM airchecks I came across a couple of months ago on Radio Recorders lacquers.
The first tune on the show is “Bye Bye Blues” and guests Jimmy Boyd and Joe Venuti show up for the proceedings. Announcer Ken Carpenter and Bing engage in the usual banter, mentioning UFOs, and Venuti gives us a spirited version of “I Got Rhythm” later in the program. You might not remember Jimmy Boyd too well today, but he was pretty famous in the early 50s with his hit record “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”. Boyd doesn’t do that number here, but gives us a taste of the country-western music he would pursue in his later career.
Being an aircheck, the show has an interesting “extra”. The start of the show is delayed for a special CBS news bulletin on the death of Stalin, noting that the President is sending his condolences to the Soviet Union. (I guess the condolences weren’t too warm since we were in a Cold War at the time.) Also, since Bing’s show was transmitted from tape, you get to hear some dropouts and other anomalies with the master recording as it was originally heard on the network, no doubt causing Ampex execs all manner of distress.
The mp3 was transferred directly from an original KCBS/KCBS-FM aircheck recorded on a Radio Recorders lacquer.
“The Story Princess” was a series created by Alene Dalton for a local Salt Lake City radio station in the early 1950s. She left for New York in 1953 and the program appears to have been picked up by the ABC network. It’s shown as being carried on WABC in this program log. In digging around the web, I’ve run into some merchandising associated with the show, including one or more books with a “Story Princess” theme and toys associated with the program.
In this entry, program 2 in the “Story Princess” series as broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio and Television Network. In this previously lost program, the Story Princess performs “Snow White” and we also hear a Little Orley story where he gets himself a cricket. The show is dated July 25, 1958 in the matrix of the disc and was probably carried on ABC.
I warn you - this may be a previously undocumented old time radio series and that can be exciting, but the program itself is quite dreadful. Everything about is canned, prerecorded, and prepackaged, even down to the chatter of the kids. Perhaps earlier efforts by the Story Princess broadcast during radio’s better days had a little more life about them.
Any one else heard another episode of this show or seen anything else about the series?
The program was transferred from an original AFRTS vinyl microgroove transcription.
Update, 7/25/09 - See Jim B’s remarks in the comments section. He found an article from the Long Beach Independent dated October 4, 1958 where the show premiered on KABC. He also notes the last show on the station was March 5, 1960 and has some other information on Alene Dalton.
“Lest We Forget” is a new series I’ll be posting on the blog periodically. It actually consists of serveral series syndicated by the Institute for Democratic Education in New York in the late 40s and early 50s to combat prejudice. Each series in the “Lest We Forget” umbrella has it’s own title and center around particular themes.
“Lest We Forget - The American Dream” consists of stories about Americans pursuing education, business or other fields and how they sometimes can be the victims of prejudice. Series B, Program 1 is “Face to Face” and stars Helen Hayes in a story about a school teacher who must decide what to do when her kids at the school pick up disparaging remarks made by one of the parents.
The show starts out with a wonderful bit of period business - one of the kids at school brought mercury from a broken thermometer for “show and tell”. Of course, back then, the hazards of mercury weren’t really known and it wasn’t unusual for kids to handle mercury in science class. I still recall our teacher bringing mercury to class in the mid 1970s. Today, of course, this would result in a lock-down of the school and the arrival of a team from the EPA in hazmat suits.
The show was transferred from an original vinyl Orthacoustic transcription pressed by NBC/RCA, matrix number ND7-MM-5988.
We’ve offered a few episodes of the long running public service series “Guest Star” from the Treasury Department. This one’s interesting since it’s a dramatic sketch, rather than the usual music programs one finds in this series.
Program 107 in the series, intended for broadcast the week of April 10, 1949, features guest Alan Hale in a drama called “The Squirrel Cage”. The plot doesn’t concerns small furry animals that gather nuts, but rather the “cage” or secure area that Hale’s character works in where bank customers can access their safe deposit boxes. The show features Win Elliot and Harry Sosnik and the Savings Bond Orchestra.
The show was transferred from an original Allied Record vinyl transcription. Many thanks to listener Michael Utz for his generous donation of the disc to my collection.
Here’s the only other episode I have of “Phyl Coe Radio Mysteries”, a program syndicated by Philco Radio and Television Corp circa 1936 to about 250 radio stations. The series is notable for including the first female detective on radio and for it’s unusual format - the solution to the mystery isn’t revealed and you were supposed to head down to your local Philco dealer to get a book to write down clues and your solution to enter a contest for prizes.
Program 8 in the series is “The Case of the Stolen Sables”. This one’s particularly fun since it works in some talk about a witness listening to their wonderful Philco radio as part of the plot. You can listen to the episode, try to guess the mystery, then click for one listener’s possible solution.
Special thanks go to David Kiner for this week’s mp3 transfer. I traded for a couple of transcriptions with him and he generously threw in a digital transfer of the discs, complete with CEDAR processing. Kiner sells high quality discs of old time radio material and you can find his cds at his ebay store.
The show was transferred from a World Broadcasting System, Inc vinyl transcription, matrix number BB14924C2.
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