rand's esoteric otr

Invitation to the Fair

I was crestfallen when I got this transcription disc in the mail.  The seller had packed it as if it were modern lp record and, of course, the package got bent in shipping and broke in two.  She was kind of enough to refund my money, but I was disappointed that this little piece of 1939-40 World’s Fair History is toast now.

I used the broken disc as an opportunity to work on my skills with these types of damaged records.  So, I pieced it back together and transferred it with a stylus I was ready to retire, riding the tracking force as I played it.  I managed to get a pretty decent sounding transfer, piecing together sections on the computer.  It’s pretty listenable with only one skip.

So, here’s “Invitation to the Fair”, a special 15 minute syndicated promotion program designed to get some more foot traffic to the Fair for the 1940 season.  We hear an audio tour of highlights of the Fair and a message from the Chairman of the Board, Harney Gibson, along with music from the World’s Fair Glee Club, made up of staff from the event.

I think this already exists out there, but here’s my copy.  It was transferred from an original 16” one-sided transcription pressed by RCA, matrix number MS 047385.

Golden lists one other 1939-40 World’s Fair promotion program for “The American Jubilee”.  He lists it as program 4.  Has anyone seen any other syndicated discs like this?  I would love to find any that are still around.

Raymond Scott - October 3, 1944

We come to the end of our short run of Raymond Scott’s regular fifteen minute program heard on CBS with more arrangements that sound suspiciously like they were modeled after the Glenn Miller band. 

Dorothy Collins is the featured vocalist and the first number is “Just Close Your Eyes”.  The program was originally heard on October 3, 1944 and the version we’ll hear was distributed to the Armed Forces Radio Network as program 147 in the series.

The program was digitized from an original 16” vinyl Armed Forces Radio transcription.  The date is from the disc matrix.

Again we express our thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!

 

Andre Kostelanez - August 20, 1944

We’re counting down the last few weeks of this season of blog postings - we have only four weeks left in our posts for this round of posts.  Next week, a true rarity - an obscure Western kids adventure show with a female star and the start of an absolutely pristine short run of some World War II propaganda programs written by Norman Corwin.

Kicking off the blog this week, some light music from Andre Kostelanez’s popular Sunday afternoon program on CBS.

In this post, we hear the broadcast of August 20, 1944, as it was heard on the Armed Forces Radio Network as program 75 in the series.  Eleanor Steber and David Ross are heard on the broadcast.  This week’s show has songs selected by listeners.  The numbers include “Dancing in the Dark” and “Smilin’ Through”.

Our show was transferred from an original 16” vinyl Armed Forces Radio transcription.  The date is from the disc matrix.

Many thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!

Shower of Stars - March 8, 1945

Finally this week on the blog, a popular but less remembered musical variety show.  “Major Bowes’s Shower of Stars” was heard on CBS in a series that featured a more traditional format, unlike his famous “Amateur Hour” and its talent competition.

In this post, the broadcast of March 8, 1945, as it was rebroadcast on the Armed Forces Radio Service as a replacement for episode 88 of “The Family Hour”.  I think this may be a lost episode of the series.

Major Bowes isn’t heard in this particular episode - he was ill for a few months and unable to appear.  The first song is "Baía" from the Walt Disney film “The Three Cabelleros” performed by Morton Gould and His Orchestra.  We also hear this week's featured performer, previous “Amateur Hour” winner Tommy Dix, perform the song he made famous, “Buckle Down Winsocki”, along with “Through the Years” and “The Lord’s Prayer”.  (You can find out more about Dix’s life and work at a website devoted to his work.)

The show was transferred from an original 16” Armed Forces Radio Service vinyl transcription.  The date is from the disc matrix.

And deepest thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!

Light Up and Listen Club - Pgm 328

Now the last program I have in the Canadian musical series, “Light Up and Listen”, sponsored by Sweet Caporal cigarettes.

Program 328 in the series features selections by the Jesters.  The first song is “Sierra Sue”.  Organist John Gart speeds through an upbeat number called “Swamp Fire”.

Our program was transferred from an original RCA Orthacoustic vinyl transcription, matrix number MS 01234.

Alec Morison, Your Magic Minstrel - Audition

Following up on a post from last week, here’s another attempt by vocalist Alec Morison at an audition program.

Alec keeps it simple in this audition, accompanying himself on guitar.  The first song is “Guadalajara”.

I’ve done quite a bit of Googling and still can’t come up with anything on our featured performer.  Perhaps he was one of many nightclub acts that tried to break into radio and was just never able to get there.  The show was put together by Advertising Business Associates - I found them in the 1949 edition of the “Broadcasting Yearbook” with an address of 6912 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

Our show was transferred from an original one-sided lacquer from Universal Recorders in Hollywood.

Your Navy Show - Pgm 2

Now some more swinging big band sounds from “Your Navy Show” featuring Ray Anthony and His Orchestra with announcer Don Wilson.

Ray Anthony starts off the show with “Dancing on the Ceiling”.  The program also features vocals from Tommy Mercer and Marcy Miller.

The show was digitized direct from an original 16” vinyl Navy Reserve transcription.

Manhattan Nocturne - Audition

You can’t get much more obscure than this.  It’s a fifteen minute audition program for a series called “Your Manhattan Nocturne” featuring vocalist Alec Morrison and harpist Robert Maxwell.  Morrison starts off the show with “Maybe You’ll Be There”.  Maxwell does a jazzy rendition of “Sweet Sue” after the fake commercial break.  The theme is “Autumn in New York”.

I can’t really find anything on Alec Morrison, but Robert Maxwell was much better known as a composer of “Ebb Tide”, “Shangri-La”, and the tune “Solfeggio”, famously used by Ernie Kovacs.

Our show was transferred from an original one-sided Presto 16” lacquer produced by William R. Morison, 7121 Hillside Avenue, Hollywood.

Your Navy Show - Pgm 1

Here’s a syndicated public service show that I think is new to the blog.  “Your Navy Show” featuring Ray Anthony and His Orchestra with announcer Don Wilson on a break from the “Jack Benny Show”.

There’s some nice hi-fi sound on the show as Ray Anthony kicks off the proceedings with “I Get a Kick Out of You”.  The program also features vocals from Tommy Mercer and the Skyliners.

The show was digitized direct from an original 16” vinyl Navy Reserve transcription.

Jack Smith Show - June 27, 1949

Now, let’s take a listen to a seldom heard vocalist, “Smilin’ Jack Smith, originally heard June 27, 1949 on the CBS radio network.  In this post we have “The Jack Smith Show” as it was distributed to Armed Forces Radio Service stations as program 384 in the series.

The show starts out with Jack singing “Let’s All Sing Like the Birdies Sing”.  Also heard on the program are Martha Tilton and Frank De Vol and His Orchestra.

The program was digitized direct from an original 16” vinyl Armed Forces Radio Service transcription; the date is from the disc matrix.

And deepest thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!