Episodes
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
As Told by Jim Tully - Clark Gable
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Finally, following up from our previous posts, Jim Tully tells us about the personal side of Clark Gable and his early career.
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
As Told by Jim Tully - Spencer Tracy
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Following up on our previous post, Tully tells us about the early career of Spencer Tracy and how he got started in Hollywood and his friend Pat O’Brien.
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
As Told by Jim Tully - Jack Dempsey
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Last week, we heard a fifteen minute show adapted from Jim Tully’s popular book on his years “riding the rails” and learned about Tully’s later work in Hollywood as a columnist.
This week, a set of three five minute shows from the same time period by Tully. In these, we hear from Tully himself, telling stories about his friends in Hollywood.
The first show on the disc has Tully telling us about prizefighter Jack Dempsey, “one of the finest fellows I’ve ever known” and talks about the personal side of the night of the Tunny fight.
I haven’t found anything else about this program; it may just be an audition disc for a series that never went into syndication. Based on the internal references, I’m guessing it dates from around 1937.
Our show, along with the next two episodes, were transferred direct from a shellac 16” Hollywood Recorders transcription, matrix number HR 1006.
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Light Up and Listen - Pgm 317
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Up next on the blog, we go north of the US border to check what’s on Canadian radio. “Light Up and Listen” was a musical variety show, sponsored by Sweet Caporal cigarettes, a brand popular in Canada at the time.
Program 317 of the series features Ted Steele and the Novatones with baritone Bill Johnson. The first song is “Get the Moon Out of Your Eyes”. You might notice the music has an unusual sound - Steele became famous for his work playing the Novachord, an instrument that debuted at the 1939 World’s Fair and is considered the world’s first polyphonic synthesizer.
Our program was transferred from an original RCA Orthacoustic vinyl transcription, matrix number MS 01219. Perhaps someone more familiar with Canadian old time radio and transcriptions pressed in Canada would have a better idea of a year for the show.
We’ll have a few more programs from the series in coming weeks.
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Guest Star - Pgm 77
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Here’s another episode of the long-running public service program, “Guest Star”. Usually, the show features musical guests, but here’s one with a short dramatic sketch.
Program 77, originally heard the week of September 12, 1948, stars Boris Karloff in “The Baby Sitter”, a piece about a stranger that breaks into a house to find food and finds a little boy. Before the drama, Harry Sosnik and the orchestra perform “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”. The announcer is Roger Forster.
The show was transferred from an original 16” vinyl Treasury Department transcription, matrix number FS-ABC-SB-80 D-28615.
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
The Chesterfield Supper Club - March 5, 1945
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Here’s another wartime musical program - “The Chesterfield Supper Club”, originally heard on NBC on March 5, 1945. This is the Armed Forces Radio Service version of the program where it was number 43 in the series.
Perry starts off the show with the new song, “I Should Care”. We also hear “Taking a Chance on Love”, “Gonna Build a Fence Around Texas”, and other songs. Perry Como is joined by the Satisfiers, Ted Steele and His Orchestra and there’s a routine by comedian Gary Mann. This appears to be a previously lost episode of the series.
The show was transferred direct from an original vinyl Armed Forces Radio Service transcription.
Again, our thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Waltz Time - March 30, 1945
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
Saturday Nov 10, 2018
And now, another episode of “Waltz time”, the popular program of light music created by Frank and Anne Hummert.
Program 78 in the series as it was heard on Armed Forces Radio was originally broadcast on March 30, 1945 on NBC. The commercials for Philips Milk of Magnesia are omitted here. The first song on the show is “I Walked In”, sung by Frank Munn. Evelyn MacGregor, Abe Lyman and His Orchestra, and the Amsterdam Chorus. This appears to be a previously uncirculated episode of the series.
Our program was transferred to digital from an original vinyl Armed Forces Radio transcription disc; the date is from the disc matrix.
My thanks to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the blog!
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Beggars of Life - Kangaroo Court - Pgm 1
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
A highlight of the blog this week is an usual, previously lost audition for a syndicated program.
Jim Tully was an author and columnist who came to fame for “riding the rails” in the 1910s, turning his experiences into a popular book, “Beggars of Life” in the mid-1920s. The book was turned into a silent film of the same name with Louis Brooks. The movie was recently restored and released on blu-ray.
Tully was one of the first journalists to cover the film industry. As a free-lancer, unaccountable to the studios, he gained a reputation as “the most hated man in Hollywood” for his frank and open writing about Hollywood stars.
“Beggars of Life” was a series of dramatized incidents from his popular book. In this book, we hear “Kangaroo Court”, which is about a kind of initiation ceremony done by prisoners thrown in jail for vagrancy when someone new would arrive. Tully introduces the drama.
I haven’t been able to find any documentation on a broadcast run of this series, but would guess it dates from the mid to late 1930s.
Our program was transferred to digital direct from an original single-sided 16” shellac transcription pressed by Hollywood Recorders, matrix number HR-1007.
Next week, we’ll hear a series of five minute syndicated shows that Tully produced where he narrates stories about famous people he’s known.
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Raymond Scott - Pgm 140
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Now a bit of a rarity on the blog. Despite the interest in the career of band leader Raymond Scott in recent years, one aspect of his career hasn’t really circulated among OTR collectors, a fifteen minute weekly show he did during the War years for CBS. In this post an Armed Forces Radio Service version of one of those programs.
Originally heard the afternoon of August 3, 1944 on CBS, the first song on the show is “Amore”. We also hear vocalist Dorothy Collins with “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “It’s a Crying Shame”, and a new Scott tune “The Moccasin Glide”. The show appears to be uncirculated among OTR collectors.
What really strikes me about hearing Raymond Scott’s orchestra in this period is how much some of the arrangements sound like they would have been done for Glenn Miller. The arrangements and orchestra are quite good, but not necessarily distinctive in the same way that Scott’s quartet recordings or other works might be.
This program was dubbed direct to digital from an original Armed Forces Radio 16” vinyl transcription; the date is from the matrix. A tip of the hat to blog listener William Harris for his donation of the disc to the collection!
Our show was transferred direct from a vinyl 16” Armed Forces Radio transcription. The date of the show is from the matrix. I’ll be posting a few more of these in coming weeks.
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Guest Star - Pgm 64
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
Sunday Nov 04, 2018
More comedy on the blog now as the Treasury Department presents “Guest Star”.
Program 64 in the series, syndicated for broadcast the week of June 13, 1946, features Eddie Cantor in a routine about running for President. The show features announcer Harry Von Zell, the Sportsmen Quartet, and Cookie Fairchild and His Orchestra.
The program was transferred direct from an original 16” Treasury Department vinyl transcription.