rand's esoteric otr

Music You Like - Fred Robbins Record Shop - WD7-MM-4197

Continuing from our previous post, here's another example of the program featuring that hep dj Fred Robbins spinning platters for the US Marine Corp.

This show, matrix WD7-MM-4197, includes songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme and others.  The series dates from circa 1948.

Music You Like - Fred Robbins Record Shop - WD7-MM-4196

I have several discs of the show "Music You Like", a public service program for the US Marines.  It's an early disc jockey program where various hosts would spin popular records of the day; they're curious as examples of the type of format that would, in a few years, dominate radio and push drama and comedy on the air to the sidelines.

"Fred Robbins Record Shop", is one of the more fun programs in the series.  You can hear some vintage "jive" talk from the dj that was "hep" in the late 40s.  Other examples of the series, with dj's like Woody Herman or Al Jarvis, are a little more traditional with the patter between the platters. In this episode, matrix WD7-MM-4196, Robbins give a spin to "Boogie Blues" by Anita O'Day, "Can't Help Loving That Man" by Margaret Whiting and more.

The Marine Story - Program #4

Another show in our series of Marine Corps adventures starring William Bendix from 1947-48.  This episode looks at Francis De Bellevue, a hero of the Battle of New Orleans.  Doesn't Bendix sound like a New Orleans native in this one?

The original disc has a warp that affects the sound for the first couple of minutes.  An Orthacoustic disc produced by NBC's Radio Recording Division and pressed by RCA, matrix HD7-MM-11941  There's a pencil notation on the label that is was played on WMIN on 2-1-48.

The Marine Story - Program #3

Another dramatic series designed for Marine Corps recruitment, this one produced in 1947-48, and using a different storytelling style than the earlier "Leatherneck Legends" in previous blog posts. "The Marine Story" presented stories from the Corp's history like "Leatherneck Legends" in the blog last week, but focused on individual tales of heroism and Marine know-how.  The series featured William Bendix as star.

Program #3 tells the story of Captain James Willing and how he assembled a ragtag ship and crew during the Continental era.  This is an Orthacoustic disc produced by NBC's Radio Recording Division and pressed by RCA, matrix HD7-MM-11942.  Pencil notation on the label notes it was played on WMIN on 1-25-48. Oddly, the RadioGOLDindex lists this series with a different cast and stories, but dating to the same time period.  I'm not sure if there's some mix-up with the title of the series of if this show was done as a parallel to another with the same title.  (This one promotes the Marine Corps Reserve, so the other may have been aimed at recruiting for the Marine Corps itself.) Apologies for the "thumps" during the first few minutes of the show - the disc is warped.

Leatherneck Legends - Pgm #2 - The Man Was at Samar

Another episode of "Leatherneck Legends", a program for Marine Corps recruiting. "The Man Was at Samar" relates the story of a brutal Marine expedition in the Philippines. The host of the show is Tiny Ruffner. A local announcer would have read a commercial script for the Marines at the end of the show. An Orthacoustic transcription produced by NBC's Radio Recording Division and pressed by RCA, matrix WD7-MM-4204.

This is the other side of the disc in the previous post, so, my apologies again for the "thuds" in the first couple of minutes of the show due to damage to the disc.

Leatherneck Legends - Pgm #1 - The King's Error

"Leatherneck Legends" was a dramatic public service program intended to boost recruitment for the Marine Corps by enacting famous stories from the Corps's history. In this episode, "The King's Mistake", a self-declared "King" on an island finds out the meaning of "American citizen" when he robs and kills a merchant ship trader. The recruiting announcement for the Marines would have been added by a local announcer; the host of the show is Tiny Ruffner. An Orthacoustic transcription produced by NBC's Radio Recording Division and pressed by RCA, matrix WD7-MM-4203.

This pressing would appear to date from the late 1940s, judging by the matrix number, but it may be a re-release of the show. The RadioGOLDINdex lists this series as being pre-war and I'd tend to agree, based on the dramatic style and sound quality. My apologies for the "thuds" in the first couple of minutes of the program - the disc had some heat damage and is slightly warped.