QUESTION 1: Were you exposed to old radio programs and did you enjoy the medium? From the Shadow to Abbott and Costello to The Cinnamon Bear - what have you heard and what did you think?
QUESTION 2: We talk about influencing our children (nieces and nephews, etc) with our passion and hobbies, but who influenced you and to what degree? Were your parents or relatives impactful to your lifelong obsessions? How?
Those are the questions for the day. Thanks for playing along!
21 comments:
But though I didn't partake of Reader's Digest during the '70s my father did buy some great books via mail-order from Reader's Digest. One of them was called "Strange Stories, Amazing Facts" which was full of stuff about UFOs, haunted houses, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster and a zillion other fascinating things. One of the stories concerned a survivor of The Titanic who claimed that the ship had split in half before sinking (he even made some diagrams which the book reproduced) but nobody else had mentioned this fact so he was ignored - in 1985 (about ten years after I'd read the story) the wreck of the Titanic was discovered in two halves...that passenger had been correct all along.
Re: Question #1-- Thinking back, there wasn't really any major outlet or format or source for re-runs of programs from radio's Golden Age during the 60's and 70's. It never existed for us as something we had any access to at all, but was rather a quaint, distant, "old-timey" entertainment experience that every once in awhile would come out with special episodes on vinyl. Orson Welles' WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast was a staple at school as special Halloween entertainment, f'rinstance. But it hardly ever rose above the level (to us) of being a kind of boring old format that couldn't POSSIBLY be as good as TV. There was a slight diversion toward it in the mid-70's when the 8-track tape format tried to mine the nostalgia craze of the time, and released a LOT of old radio show collections on those big clunky 8-tack cassettes-- but the failure there is obvious. Although I did pick a few up on a long family car trip back then just out of boredom and curiosity-- and that was where I was introduced to Fred Allen, Fibber McGee & Molly, and Suspense (or maybe it was Lights Out. . .?)
It wasn't until moving to Washington in the fall of '84 that this cute girl in our dorm (who's now my lovely HBWife, coincidentally enough) introduced me to The Big Broadcast on WAMU on Sunday nights-- a three to four hour block every week of Golden Age radio programming, which is still a beloved cornerstone for WAMU's listeners. And, as television got worse, that program became a more attractive alternative. And THEN, several years ago my sister got me an XM receiver and subscription for Christmas. . . and lo, they had/have an ENTIRE CHANNEL of Radio Classics (hosted by Greg Bell)-- which has been one of the few things that's kept me subscribing all of these years as my other favorite channels were trimmed away. At this point, I'm right at the edge of being an annoying Classic Radio geek-- but for the purposes of this discussion, I'm bound to emphasize that it's an interest that had almost no roots in my childhood.
HB
Re: Question #2-- Nah, my parents/relatives ultimately had very little influence on my interests or passions or even tastes, really. If anything, there could be an element of the power of negative example in play there. What's gratifying to me as a parent is that I can very much see (almost ridiculously so, in fact) that the case has been almost entirely the opposite with me and my own kids. Comic books less so (although HBLad does still have a peripheral deep appreciation of them), but in their broader pursuits and interests and even aspects of their tastes, it's wonderful to see that they've not found it necessary to erase the ol' parental fingerprints from choices they make and things they enjoy and love.
HB
I never really listened to radio serials, though I knew what they were from a young age from older cartoons and TV shows. In middle school, a friend and I created on a cassette tape, doing all the sound effects as we recorded it live, etc. . . it was about superheroes of course. The characters were Lunatic the Moon Man and "The Ghost." We only ever did one episode though. It was 1984. If the internet and podcasts had been around though, we might have gone viral. ;)
As for influences, I have mentioned my older sister, Lissette, many times here, in terms of her influence on my comics reading/collecting, stating me on Archies, bringing me around Brooklyn to troll yard sales for comics when I got into superheroes. She also bought me my first computer (Commodore 64), but my uncle Angel was a huge influence in other aspects. He got me and my siblings box set version of Tolkien's LotR in 1977 (I still have them, and was the only one of my siblings to read them). He got me a copy of the DUNGEON! boardgame, which became my gateway to playing D&D to this day. He introduced me to movies like The Shining and other Kubrick work. He took me to museums and exposed me to music I would never have considered listening to at that time in my life like The Talking Heads (one of my all-time favorite bands) and Roxy Music. When I was a awarded a scholarship to go away to school at 14, he was the one to convince my mom to let me go, and thus helped to put me on the path to getting my PhD. He worked for Eastern airlines for years, and when they went on strike he brought met to the union hall and the picket line so I could learn the importance of labor rights.
He and I don't see eye to eye on much anymore. He's become something of a crotchety old man, when I always thought of him as the cool young uncle (he is only 15 years older than I am). I moved too far to the left on politics for his taste. He remains to mired in what I think are working class misconceptions - but I still appreciate everything he did for me.
I sometimes enjoy listening to classical radio programs (as well as old TV shows or movie serials or newsreels), because they're fascinating documents of their time. I also appreciate the craft that went into making them, esp. the sound effects and background music for the old radio shows.
As for question no. 2, I was pretty much on my own in developing my tastes for comics, as well as other geek-like stuff. However, I have my older brother to thank for nudging me in the direction of comics, as he bought two comic books on a family vacation when I was about 6 years old, got bored with them quickly and tossed them over to me. I became fascinated immediately and that fascination never really faded. My older sister read part of the Hobbit to me when I was a little kid, which got me interested in the rest of Tolkien's oeuvre, which then led me to seek out similar stuff, and since fantasy books used to be in the same part of bookstores as SF, I got interested in that as well - although comics, and my love of Star Trek and Star Wars also led me to SF. (Later, my older sister also occasionally bought issues of Omni, which I would peruse when she left them behind after weekend visits from college.) My parents were a different story: my mom was puzzled by my comics obsession, but never actively discouraged it because she appreciated the fact that I was reading. My dad, on the other hand, had no understanding for my hobby, and was often quite vocal in expressing his displeasure.
By the way, Osvaldo, your early efforts at creating a superhero radio drama reminded me of something my brother and I did, when I was only about 7 years old: we created a half hour programming for a fake radio station (call letters KRAP) with commercials and everything which we tried to convince our sister was real.
HB I somewhat share your experience with radio classics and the XD channel. I stumbled across it on business trips and really enjoy some of the odd mystery and suspense tales. Also I find some of the comedy to be much more "modern" than I expected - not meaning it is vulgar but that it actually seems timely and has many funny but true observations that must be universal. It strangely brought me closer in understanding my parent's generation. I also really like the old commercials.
Growing up, I definitely listened to War of the Worlds, but it was my younger brother who first got some cassette tapes of radio classics, The Shadow, "Who's on First?," The Green Hornet, Fibber McGee, etc. I really liked those. There was a Saturday afternoon airing (I cannot remember the station) that replayed some as well. My mother gathered all the kids together between Thanksgiving and Christmas to listen to "The Cinnamon Bear" the story of a Christmas ornament stolen by a dragon and chased down by two kids and a Teddy Bear. It is definitely a time capsule and suffers from the stereotypes and racism of the era (much like Golden Age comics) but I've always wondered why it was never adapted to television. I really enjoy some of the odd serials and family comedies from the radio days. If you have satellite radio, I do recommend you try it out - you might get hooked like HB and me.
Regarding influences - my cousin definitely had a long lasting and deep influence on my comic collecting. As I've said before, he gave me my first taste of the whole genre with gifts of boxes and bags full of Superheroes, Archies, war comics, suspense comics, Sad Sack, etc. He passed away at a young age and that greatly impacted me. My parents never discouraged comics. My mom would read them sometimes to make sure they are "suitable" and I can remember her chuckling at some and specifically saying she enjoyed the tongue in cheek aspects of Spider-Man's character. My dad only got mad about it once that I recall - I was reading comics in the back seat when I was supposed to be enjoying the scenery of our western road trip to Yellowstone. He was also pretty happy that we liked listening to old radio shows; he liked those too.
Colin Jones- You had that "Strange Stories" reader's digest book? So did I. Loved it. My parents subscribed to the digest and would order me books occasionally. Forgot all about that book...
As for today's questions- the only radio shows I ever heard were episodes of CBS Radio Mystery Theater. They were designed as a throwback to those vintage radio dramas. They were fun to listen to, in the dark alone, late at night.
Second question- my parents, and my Grandmother, we're quite influential in prompting my interest in music. My Dad played piano, and his mother taught piano. There really weren't any family members who promoted the comics hobby; at first they rather frowned upon them. But everyone soon turned around and encouraged those four color wonders. My parents, in particular, really stepped up and looked for books I'd like.
As for earlier generations, all my grandparents were gone by the time I was 10, so their advice and influence was sadly missed.
I've heard a few rebroadcasts of radio shows over the years. Growing up, I read about Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast and then I also knew that the Shadow originated there, too. I later found out a lot more about old programs by reading, but it wasn't until the late 80"s/early 90's that I really got to hear any of them, thanks to finding a country store that had a rack of old radio shows on cassette. They had a few of the adventure series that I finally got to hear and enjoy (The Shadow, Gunsmoke, etc...) but one of my favorites was a comedy series called The Bickersons. I'm pretty sure Don Ameche was the male lead.
As far as influences go, I think my parents influenced me on comic book collecting by picking me up the occasional issue when they went to a store. I think it was to encourage me to read, but I think it snowballed beyond their expectations. :). My uncle influenced me on music because he gave us a ton of albums and 45s when he moved to other artists. Although I do have different tastes now, he and my parents always listened to music around me when I was growing up.
Good call with The Bickersons, Graham-- geeze, the misery that those two inflict on each other. When described, it sounds like the most miserable, sad show that could ever have been aired, but it was consistently hilarious and well-done. A credit to the tight-rope walking abilities of both writers and cast.
There are also many, MANY show archives available for listening online, which I've gotten rather addicted to-- rather than having the radio or TV on these days while working at home. SUSPENSE has nearly all of its several-hundred episodes available on a single site-- and that show is consistently engaging. (In fact-- radio trivia tidbit-- The Golden Age of Radio officially ended in September of 1962 when the final episodes of SUSPENSE and JOHNNY DOLLAR were broadcast-- the very last story-format programs.)
HB-- strangely hooked on the previous generation's entertainment. . .
I love Johnny Dollar...the most adventurous insurance investigator in the world. Funny how insurance doesn't have the same mystique today.
Oh, I've got to come out from my lurker status for this one! Radio shows are a very big deal for me! My folks got a reel-to-reel tape player, circa 1972, and several of the reels we had featured Old-Time Radio shows, most importantly Jack Benny shows. We would listen to these when we would vacation up in Maine, as there was no television in the house. I was hooked! By the late 70s, I could find the occasional radio station re-broadcasting vintage programs. In college, I started collecting LPs of old radio programs, and continued to prowl used record shops for them up until the internet age took hold. My future wife and I got into the habit of listening to them at night in bed as a way to unwind. About 15 years ago, she found on the internet someone who had put every available Jack Benny show onto MP3 discs, and got that for me as a present! Some years later she got me a little internet radio, which has become our nighttime listening sleep aid. Especially the stations and shows form England. Colin, I've never found Tony Hancock funny, but will always listen to the shows of Kenneth Horne! As well as the Goons, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again. I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, The Unbelievable Truth, etc.
My daughter has caught this fascination from me and cannot fall asleep unless she is listening to The Jack Benny Show. She used to listen to them on an old I-phone, onto which I had loaded the aforementioned discs, but now she uses her internet pad device and any number of websites which have these programs. To add to what HB was saying, archived shows of the Superman radio shows are well worth seeking out for comics fans!
I think I was always interested in comics. I recall that seeing that Bugs Bunny was in a comic strip in our local newspaper was a big impetus to learn how to read! I was also always keen on superheroes. The only direct influence form my parent in this regard was a gift of Jules Feiffer's The Great Comic Book Heroes. I started collecting comics soon after receiving it.
Thanks for joining in the conversation Terrence. You mention Superman which was great. Comic fans may also enjoy the radio show Archie Andrews from the mid-1940s, Gasoline Alley which followed the themes of the strip, and even the Blue Beetle (which was very short lived but fun).
Love old radio shows, though I don't much listen to them today. I have cassettes galore somewhere. The Shadow of course, but there's some great science fiction out there. It works very very well on radio.
As for influences on comic book reading, I came to it myself. But I want to shout out to my parents for support. I grew up on a farm far from the nearest newsstand and getting the latest comics was sometimes quite hard. My Mom, bless her, would take my list (compiled using those handy Bullpen Bulletin page checklists) and went to pick up my books. They didn't understand it, but they never forbid it. They thought I'd outgrow it, and my Mom is still waiting.
Rip Off
I'll tell ya, Terrance, those Superman serials do pull you in-- but they can wear you down if you binge on them. Sometimes it seems like everything Saturday morning cartoons learned about kid-targeted saturation advertising got its start on that program-! (Well, and on Wild Bill Hickock, Hopalong Cassidy, and a couple of others-- heh)
And, oh boy, they could be de-compress the story-telling pace better than a dozen Brian Michael Bendises--heh (a half-episode could get consumed with a bad-guy pulling a gun and keeping a bead on Lois and/or Jimmy). But even then that was the tried & true soap opera format-- simply the nature of the beast.
I've always thought that Bud Collyer's performance voicing Kent/Superman was just remarkable, though. They are very distinctly different voices, and you believe each one to be his "real" voice when he's using it-- and then he does this terrific modulation as he's, well, changing clothes-- and you completely buy right into the reality of the new voice.
(Hmm- we've really wandered right down a highly specialized field of interest here, haven't we-?)
HB
I love OTR! Starting age 12, in 1973, I would take my dad's 1956 Bell and Howell reel to reel tape recorder and wedge the microphone btwen the facia and speaker of my grandmother's 1936 RCA chest high, art deco radio! I would record WGN AM 720 every Sunday night their OTR broadcast!
if you really dig OTR, there is a broadcast from 1-4 pm every Saturday on WDCB radio which also streams. Chicago time. Highly recommend!
If you dig OTR there is a very large radio swap/show in early August in Chicago land. Highly recommend though mostly older folks... like us. Focus is on the radios though there are usually displays tying into WW2 or the old radio shows.
What really got me into radio was my college years. It was 547 miles, roughly, from my home town to where I went to college. Many of those miles were spent listening to the radio. A few of the AM stations would carry the old radio shows. On the Sunday drive back, there was the Dr Demento Show on KMOX, a trivia show out of Philadelphia (?), and usually the post game radio shows for Dallas and Denver. Not sure if I was getting a station out of Philadelphia or the show originated there and was carried by a station closer to me. Once, ONCE, when I hit the Caprock, I was able to pick up The Week In Review out of Anchorage Alaska.
Side bit of trivia, the road I travelled took me through Cross Plains, birth place of Robert E Howard.
As I mentioned before, many of the GIs would let me read their comics when I went with Dad on base, Fort Hood. There wasn't anyone older than I that was into comics so I was pretty much on my own. My mother encouraged me to find different ways to earn money; collecting cans, doing chores around the neighborhood and later mowing lawns. Since it was my money, I was pretty much free to spend it how I wished. When I started drawing the panels, she did find an art class for me to take. That was cool...
(Money talks
But it don't sing and dance
And it don't walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me, I'd much rather be
Forever in blue jeans
Honey's sweet
But it ain't nothin' next to baby's treat
And if you pardon me
I'd like to say
We'll do okay
Forever in blue jeans
Maybe tonight
Maybe tonight, by the fire
All alone you and I
Nothing around
But the sound of my heart
And your sighs
Money talks
But it can't sing and dance
And it can't walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me, I'd much rather be
Forever in blue jeans, babe
And honey's sweet
But it ain't nothin' next to baby's treat
And if you pardon me I'd like to say
We'll do okay
Forever in blue jeans
Maybe tonight
Maybe tonight, by the fire
All alone you and I
Nothing around
But the sound of my heart
And your sighs
Money talks
But it can't sing and dance
And it can't walk
And long as I can have you
Here with me
I'd much rather be
Forever in blue jeans
And if you pardon me
I'd like to say
We'll do okay
Forever in blue jeans, babe
And long as I can have you
Here with me I'd much rather be
Forever in blue jeans, babe).
PS: Breaking news from San Diego's Comic Con: Mile High Comics will not have a booth this year. Several factors went into the decision but needless to say, the 44 year run is over...
Redartz, we both owned 'Strange Stories, Amazing Facts' and we both owned Stephen Jay Gould's 'Wonderful Life'. Great minds think alike !
Hi All,
WDCB (College of DuPage Radio) is a bit west of Chicago and broadcasts on 90.9 FM. If you go to its www site, wdcb.org, it is primarily presented as a jazz radio station. If you like that, it is superb for jazz.
They stream all their broadcasts (hopefully outside the USA too).
ON Saturdays, if you want nostalgia, it generally plays 30- 50s jazz/ boogie in the AM until OTR starts at 1 PM to 5 PM. Then it shifts to what one might call "older folks" music of the 60s. (Easy listening, ballroom, show tunes, etc.)
Anyhow, they are close to their 5000th show, like 40 years worth of OTR. (Back in the day they used to do OTR Satruday and Sunday. Then just Saturday.)
Hope others enjoy it!
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