Who’s What and What’s Where
The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters
Newsletter
edited by Sue Clark Chadwick
April 2003
Vice
President CHUCK “Swingin’
Years” CECIL emceed the March 21
luncheon, substituting for our cruising President, GIL STRATTON. Norm Crosby, The Master of Malaprop,
was the guest of honor. Crosby, a veteran of four decades of show business, is
one of the most prolific comedians in the business. He has hosted television
shows, had his own series, headlined the nation’s top resorts and casino rooms,
is legendary on the banquet circuit and heads the list for hosting benefits.
Entertainment Chair JEANNE DeVIVIER BROWN read congratulatory letters from Mrs. GENE AUTRY, Phyllis Diller
and Joe Mantegna, who were unable to attend. During
lunch, clips from many of Norm’s shows and night club acts were shown, leaving
the audience laughing before the tribute started. Making up the illustrious and
talented dais singing the praises of Crosby were: Irwin M. Schaeffer, longtime
president of the Friars Club; actor, comedian Joe Viterelli;
Jayne Meadows, TV, film and stage actress; the incomparable Sid Caesar; four
former PPB Honorees, DICK MARTIN,
actor, comedian, writer; NANETTE FABRAY,
award-winning actress-singer; Connie Stevens, actress-singer; MONTY HALL of “Let’s Make a Deal” fame;
Max Alexander, motion picture, TV and stage comedian; our in-house humorist,
writer, producer, director HAL KANTER and
SHECKY GREENE, nightclub performer
and film comedian. To give the credits of all of these talented people would
take the entire Newsletter. The laughter and applause was so rampant it was
sometimes difficult to hear the speakers. But each speaker spoke with real admiration
for Crosby. Crosby’s response was as sincere as it was funny. If you missed it,
we’re sorry, as space and words cannot possibly describe this luncheon of
laughter.
ART GILMORE, Chairman of the Board and Founding President, had
so many interesting words about the Diamond Circle Honoree,
that we quote ART. “Here’s a
man who once read a book on radio announcing. He had a go at that for seven
years while attending college—he
announced, wrote, directed—he couldn’t
make up his mind! Maybe he missed a chapter of the book, or it was too
confusing. At any rate, he went to college—studied
electrical engineering at Virginia Tech. More education followed at
Northwestern University—then to College
of William and Mary for his degree. The United States Air Corps made him a
first lieutenant to direct training films. Two years later he became a civilian
again, and CBS thought, great!—so they
hired him as a stage manager and sundry operations at TV City. Now, watch this
man go! Assistant Director of Design and Production
Operations. Director, Special Projects; General
Manager of TV City. Then, as, a VP of Operations (CBS,
of course). Are you out there guessing? VP (again) of
West Coast Operations and Engineering, CBS, Inc. Finally, EXECUTIVE VEE
PEE of the whole she-bang at CBS TV City and Studio City. Currently—2002—an
Emmy and Lifetime Achievement Award, National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences.
Are we happy to have him as the
newest member of the Diamond Circle Fraternity of PPB—Mr. CHARLES “Cappy” CAPPLEMAN!”
RAY BRIEM and LINA
ROMAY, Nostalgia Night Co-Chairs’ guest, March 6, was radio and TV
personality Wink Martindale. Wink, whose name is synonymous with “host,” has
guided nineteen television game shows. Only the late Bill Cullen hosted more
shows than Wink. Martindale told his captive audience about his many years in
broadcasting, which encompass more than the hit game shows for which he is best
known. Before TV, there was radio. Before game shows there was a Gold Record,
and, along with “host,” there have been numerous producer credits as well. Born
in Jackson, Tennessee, Wink says he thinks he was born with a desire to be a
radio announcer. “I always had that great desire to sit behind a microphone. My
first mike was two paper cups attached by a kite string.” At seventeen, Wink
was hired by a local radio station. He was expected to do everything, read
commercials, the news, play-by-play high school football games and play records.
And, if the floor needed sweeping, he did that, too. He hosted a popular
morning show while attaining a bachelor of science
degree from Memphis State University. The leap to Los Angeles followed where he
hosted both radio and TV shows on KHJ. After years as a DeeJay
hosting music programs, he made the leap to game shows. Then
came years of producing, hosting and winning many awards. Since 1966,
Wink has hosted a daily syndicated radio show, “Music of Your Life,” heard on
almost 200 stations. Wink talked about all of these shows with stories of the
people he has known and worked with. He has just published his autobiography, Winking at Life.
On April 3,
PPB Historian JANET WALDO took us
into the life of “Corlis Archer” along with her many
other radio and TV characters. The ever bubbly JANET reminisced, with great love, about her early childhood with
her parents and siblings on a ranch in Washington state.
JANET was discovered and brought to
Hollywood by Bing Crosby, and was given a contract at Paramount Pictures. From then on, it was really exciting for a
very young girl from Washington. The breaks kept coming, and soon she was cast
as Corlis Archer, a role that lasted for many years
on radio and on TV. JANET played clips from her many radio shows, and video clips from
her many TV appearances, including the famous one from “I Love Lucy,” with
Richard Crenna, and two from “The Ozzie and Harriett
Show,” one as a teenager and one as an adult. JANET talked about roles on “Favorite Stories” written by Robert E.
Lee and Jerome Lawrence.whose
credits include Inherit the Wind, Auntie Mame and so many others. JANET also talked about her courtship and marriage to Robert E.
Lee. Daughter Lucy, who has a Ph. D., was present, but son Jonathan Lee was
absent, as he was recovering from surgery. JANET
left an enthusiastic audience hungry for more, and, if you missed it, you were
the loser. Space is too limited for all
the details, but JANET has done
voice-overs, animation, theatre, television, radio—77 shows in all, and thirteen guest appearances in top shows. Great career and great lady.
The May 1
guest will be former MGM star and legendary actress Ann Rutherford. She’ll
probably have wonderful stories of the days when MGM was the most glamorous
studio in the world. Don’t miss it. That’s Thursday, May 1, at our Clubroom on
the lower level of Washington Mutual at Sunset and Vine. Doors open at 7:00
p.m. and close promptly at 7:30 p.m.
GREAT NEWS—The PPB website went up on the
Internet, March 27, according to past president JOHN HARLAN, Chairman of the Website Committee. The site is
intended to attract new members, facilitate E-mail communication with friends
in broadcasting, provide information about PPB news and upcoming events and
inform researchers of radio and television history about our archives and our
affiliation with the Thousand Oaks Library and the American Radio Archives.
Please visit
the website and give your E-mail address to the membership department using the
“contact us” page on the site. (Your E-mail address will never be given out to
the public. If anyone wants to contact you, he or she can click on the small
envelope next to your name, and the site will E-mail you, and you can decide
whether you want to answer.) Also, please check the membership list for the accuracy
of information posted about you. You can E-mail membership if you would like to
change the information.
Thanks to JOHN HARLAN and our strong committee, BARBARA FULLER, TONY DiMILO, PIERCE GRANT, MARGOT EWING, MARTY HALPERIN, GIL STRATTON
and JIMMY WELDON, who attended
many meetings and E-mailed back and forth. And special thanks to Bianca Pino and Bob Bowker, who worked
many hours with us. Their company is called iNet Web
Solutions. Our web address is www.hmpwebsite.org.
A note from CHER McQUEEN saying
she loved the new website, and to tell us about her new companies, The Keilani, for interior design, and Ladysmythe
Handcrafts, for crochet and other craftworks.
JEANNE DeVIVIER and LUCKY BROWN recovered enough from recent illness and injury to
take their grandson, Miles, on a three-day Carnival Cruise. Not much rest, said
JEANNE, as the ship carries 2400. but at least, they
got away.
TRAVEL was the excuse for several of our members missing
the March luncheon—WINIFRED TREIMER was cruising the coast of New Zealand on that
date. WINNIE was on the Crystal Symphony sailing around
Australia and New Zealand on an exotic voyage of kiwis and kangaroos for 27
days. WINNIE moved to Kingsley Manor
in January, so doesn't have to worry about her house while she's gone. LOUISE ARTHUR was in Rome, Italy with
her daughter, Donna, who was walking 26 miles in seven hours for the American
Diabetes Research fund raiser. This is an international marathon, and LOUISE says thousands were expected. LOUISE spent time at the museums during
the week they were in Rome. LOUISE's
sister, Helen Arthur Leatherwood, a former dancer who now lives in Camarillo,
won $60,000 on The Big Spin, which aired March 8, on Channel 9. FRANKIE THOMAS sent a postcard (of
himself being kissed by a brunette this time) from Williamsburg where he was
attending Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Festival. "Our May Nostalgia
Night guest, Ann Rutherford, was there,” FRANKIE
said, adding that “it’s amazing that my old show still attracts fans.”
Good news for
radio fans—ED ROTHHAAR writes that his weekly radio show, “I Remember Radio,”
which had been cancelled by KVCR-FM in December, 2000, after 22 years on the
air, returned to the air Saturday, April 5, 2:00 to 2:30 p.m., KVCR-FM (91.9). ED’s companion
show, “I Remember TV,” which airs Sundays, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. and repeats on
Wednesdays, 11:00 p.m. to midnight, has continued uninterrupted on KVCR-TV, and
is now in its sixteenth year. Nice picture of ED in the KVCR Partners
magazine.
NORMAN CORWIN and a group of his fellow World War II
writers, their works and some of their actors are highlighted in a new book on
radio by Howard Blue titled Words at War,
published by Scarecrow Press.
And speaking
of radio, the month of February was a busy one for BOBB LYNES and “30 Minutes to Curtain,” with two old-time radio
re-creations performed live on stage at the Presbyterian Church in Santa Paula.
They did a “Date with Judy,” starring Barbara (Sunday) Watkins, and “December
Bride,” starring Judith Anton. Now in its 30th year, “30 Minutes” played to a
sold-out Pasadena Library audience with a re-creation of “Sorry, Wrong Number.”
BOBB also gave a brief talk about
radio detectives during the Golden Era.
Members DAVE MEYER and BARRET H. WETHERBY called to say the
phone number for Bill Stevens, courtesy of MARTY
HALPERIN, was incorrect, as they had been trying to reach Stevens with
information about KHJ. WETHERBY
worked at KHJ on Melrose in the early '50s, and was Head Stage Manager for many
years. He was also involved in the move to 1313 Vine Street, and back to the
old digs. MEYER didn't say what news
he had for Stevens. The correct phone number for Stevens is (626) 798-5329.
Save the Date—Chairman of the Board and Founding
President ART GILMORE will be feted
Sunday, June 1 at the Cherished Friends Brunch given by RFB-D-LA. ART has been reading for the blind for
over thirty years! ART will receive the Spirit of
Education Award. The release from RFB-D-LA recounted a few of ART’s
accomplishments as a narrator, announcer and actor, including credits for “The
Red Skelton Show,” “Amos and Andy,” “Truth or Consequences,” “Dragnet,”
“Captain Didion” and others; and recording of childrens records, including The Little Engine That Could. The release said that the event would
be at a private Downtown club—so private
that they wouldn’t reveal the name. Tickets are $100 a person, and reservations
can be made by calling Mareen Cox at (323) 664-5525.
Congratulations, ART.
MARY DORR recently returned from a book promotion tour to
Chile and Argentina for her latest book, It
Could Happen, with brief sightseeing in Patagonia and the Straits of
Magellan. MARY says Spanish has been
one of the main languages in which the books of MARY DORR and her late husband, Gordon Gordon,
have been printed. As promised, DORR
sent winners of the Excellence in Media (Angel Awards).
For
television—Special: “Ronald Reagan: A
Legacy Remembered”; Comedy: “Everybody Loves Raymond”; Adventure: “National
Geographic Explorer”; Family Series: “Providence”; Drama: “Touched by an
Angel”; Crime Series “Law and Order” tied with “The District.”
ELAYNE BLYTHE, Founder/President of the Film Advisory Board, Inc.
sent along a copy of their monthly newsletter with interesting articles about
current movies.
PPB Board
member CHUCK PANAMA and wife, Gerry,
celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary, March 7, quietly with a few friends.
“Forty-nine is no big deal,” PANAMA
quipped, “we’ll let her rip on the 50th with our three kids, seven grandkids
and a host of friends.”
MILT LARSON is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Magic
Castle. Among the first members were RALPH
EDWARDS, Chairman of the Board Emeritus, for whom MILT worked on “Truth or Consequences,” SUE CHADWICK and the late Dresser Dalhstead.
U.K. member SHEILA
TRACY in town to receive the Golden Bandstand Award at the Big Band Academy
Reunion. While here, she visited many friends, including BEA WAIN and MARTY and Betty HALPERIN
before flying to San Francisco to board a cruise ship to give a series of Big
Band lectures while sailing to Barbados. Grace and ART GILMORE to Seattle in late June for
the meetings of the Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound. ALICE BACKES has been invited again
this year, and accepted along with RAY
ERLENBORN. RAY, who has moved to
the Motion Picture Home, donated all of his sound effects to the
President GIL STRATTON was a traveling man
Tuesday, April 1. He and wife, Dee, were returning from a cruise and flew from
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Membership Chairman MARGOT EWING reports:
New Members
DAVID H.
KORNBLUM
WILL LEWIS
HAL SLOANE
We will remember with admiration
EDWIN
HAAKER
JOE MAGGIO
BILL
CARRUTHERS
Please send your news and that of your PPB friends to:
SUE CLARK
CHADWICK
Fax (323) 851-2401
Or use the “contact us” page on this web site and send
the items directly to Sue.
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