Old time radio -- name dropper

No I wouldn't wish to go back to those days of old time radio broadcasts because you just can't pick and pluck out a bit of time in history without getting the whole deal.  I don't want to give up my cell phone or big screen TV and you wouldn't either.  But it is fun to reminisce and live those good ole days in your mind, isn't it?

Now the name dropping. Advanced Radio broadcasting class at Indiana State about the mid 50's or so. Our class was responsible for a daily radio show which was broadcast live on WBOW in Terre Haute.  It was a young kids show designed for after school listening.  Our class wrote all the scripts and performed the voices and did all the sound effects.  We were the whole show.  The characters included the Story Princess who set the stage for the adventures of all the animals in the woods.  There was Judge Owl who was the voice of reason and the main character. Then we created characters as we needed them for the story. Sammy Squirrel, Chippy Chipmonk, Rudy Rabbit and numerous others as long as the name was alliterate (same letter for each name). Then there was Sniffy Skunk who was the obligatory minority and often left out of the group for obvious reasons -- they thought he smelled bad but he really didn't.  Sniffy was often the hero and probably represented either an African american or Mexican american or who knows what else. The others were used according to their characteristics.  It made for some interesting ideas and scripts.

The class was small and very close and amiable. We set about each day to write a new script and rehearse and then wait for the station to, "Take you now to the Indiana State campus for the Story Princess"  And we were live -- no screw ups to retake -- no sir -- it was live radio.  

I frequently got the job of Judge Owl because of my deeper voice which I deepened even more for the part.  Jerry Baker (of Pacers sports and Indy 500 fame) shared that with me.  But probably our most famous celebrity was often the Story Princes.  She was a young lady named Marvella Bayh -- recently married to a lawyer in Terre Haute called Birch Bayh.  During these classes Marvella kept us up to date about Birch --- announcing his upcoming run for the U S Senate.  She also surprised us all one day when she announced she and Birch were going to have a baby -- we all suspected as much when she began to gain a little weight in the wrong place.  She said if it was a boy (we didn't know back then until it was born) It would be called by Birch's middle name -- Evans -- Which later became Evan). His name was actually Birch Evans Bayh the 3rd.  Yes I sat in a radio class years ago next to unborn Evan Bayh -- Governor and Senator from the Hoosier state.

But the point of this blog is not the name dropping -- it is the triggering of the imagination of those little kids who waited each day for their own little make-believe world of animals with which they could identify through their imagination.  It made them think!  Each one had his or her idea of what was going on in this make believe world with no pictures to spoil their thoughts.  We adults had long had the same experience especially on Sunday afternoon with The Thin Man and Fibber McGee and Molly.  Or "Who knows what lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows"...  Boy that bring back some memories.  Let us not forget Lum 'n Abner and their neighborhood "Jot 'em down" store.  

And after school we ran home so we could listen to Superman, Captain Midnight, Tom Mix and lots of other 15 minute kids radio shows, which pitched breakfast cereals other kid stuff at us while we dreamed about solving crimes and the wild west. We could be right there --  just by listening -- we didn't need a picture, did we? And don't forget the special message that could only be known with the code-breaker ring that could only be gotten with a box top from Ralston cereal and a quarter.  I'll bet one of those rings would be worth a fortune to a collector now-a- days.

Mom listened to the radio while she worked -- Ma Perkins, Stella Dallas, Dr. Malone, Mary Nobel in Backstage Wife and scores more all afternoon, every day.  Our mother's imaginations were going full blast and they could work while they listened -- no pictures to get in the way.  They made up their own pictures in their minds.

Yes we have forgotten how a kid's imagination is so important. And ours were sparked every day by listening to that old radio. I wonder how many famous authors or screen writers or musicians got their childhood imaginations tickled from listening to radio dramas?  Have we lost something really valuable?  What can I say???  Let's hear it for old time radio.....

From the heart of Olaf Hart .....

Music??

It is a lazy and sometimes rainy day here in Florida on this Labor Day Monday.  It nudged me into turning off the news and turning on my often times neglected DTV music channels.  I picked a "Jazz Vocal" channel and was immediately lulled into a melancholy state of mind.  And that prompted me to write another blog and share my experience.

Man oh man the music I am hearing is so great!  And there isn't much any more like it these days.  Let me hasten to say -- my grandson, Ben Harris, is a hip hop singer and I respect his talents.  He can grab a mike and spit out impromptu rhymes and rhythms like the professional he is.  I don't know how he does it.  But that musical genre has little or no melody and always includes the obligatory heavy bass that seems to rattle and vibrate the windows of the cars I pass sometimes -- sending that boom boom out to the world so as to try and convince everyone that this is the only music they should be exposed to. Rather like an itinerant preacher on the corner talking to no one in particular trying to convert the entire populace.  Apparently the louder the music the better it is. Go figure!

But I digress. (as I often do) Today I am pleased to have listened to some REAL "oldies".  I mean back a bunch of years -- through the 30's 40's and 50's -- maybe even further back -- sung by the likes of such greats as Peggy Lee, Ella, Sinatra, Billy Eckstine, Bobby Darren, June Christy, Sara Vaughn and -- anybody remember Chet Baker? (Trumpet and singer) -- well if you are older 'n 70 -- you could add a bunch more.  What a treat -- I need to change channels more often.

First we hear a nice musical intro -- then a great performance -- with lyrics that we all remember and can understand and love and a rhythm we can snap our fingers to.  Sinatra sitting in a bar at quarter to 3 in the morning having "One for his baby and one more for the road.  These foolish things,  Old Black Magic" -- Peggy Lee lamenting  "Is that all there is?"  Bobby Darren warning us not to trust ole Mack the Knife. And such great talents as Nat King Cole, Billy Holiday, Ray Charles --  I could go on and on but that would fill a book.  There were so many.  What happened to those great talents and songwriters -- the likes of  -- Kern -- Cole Porter and the Gershwin brothers -- just to name a few -- I know they died -- but is there no one to take their place?  Maybe no one could take their place.

Of course I would not ever wish to  rid us of rock n roll (which -- by the way -- was a code phrase for having sex -- LOL we fooled the white preachers didn't we?)  and I certainly would not wish to deprive each generation of their special music.  But I would love to have -- just once-- some of those huge speakers in my car and when I pulled up beside a car with the windows down and the rear window vibrating so hard it might burst -- and roll down my windows and blast away my music with  -- lets see -- maybe Ella  and her skat-singing jazz version of  "How high the Moon" and I would blast  the offending boom box laden car with -- dooby dooby doo --as only Ella could sing it, just as loud as the other car -- and see what kind of reaction I might get before I gave the offender a one finger salute and got the hell out of there. Well -- I can dream can't I?

I guess I am really acting like a white haired old man in his 80's  reminiscing about the past.  Well I AM a white haired old man in his 80's and I loved this afternoon -- reminiscing about the past and listening to MY music, patting my foot, singing along, and enjoying the hell out of it. It makes me feel great.  I should do this again soon.

From the heart of Olaf Hart.........