§PER5VAC Vol. III, No. 10

umLa ma F3Fm ?5i‘?»’f5Socloty to Preserve and Encourage

Redo Drama, Variety and Comedy

OBOLER TOVISITArch Oboler, creative genius respon-

sible for some of radio's most memorablemoments, is scheduled to appear at theOctober SPERDVAC meeting.

In addition to the classic "LightsOut" series, which ran on both CBS andNBC, Mr. Oboler wrote and directed"Arch Oboler's Plays" for NBC; "Every-man's Theater" for NBC; “To the Presi-dent" for the Blue Network; and "FreeWorld Theater" for the Blue Network.

He created "This Precious Freedom,"a radio play starring Raymond Massey,which was cited as the best commercialdramatic play for 1941--and his drama-tic broadcast, "Johnny Quinn," starringOlivia de Havilland, received a nationalaward as the best dramatic broadcast of1942.

Mr. Oboler is a book author severaltimes over. He wrote the first book ofradio plays by one author, FourteenRadio Plays by Arch Oboler; the OEolerOmnibus in 1943; and House on Fire in1969.

The October 8 meeting will be at12:00 Noon at the First ChristianChurch, 18050 Vanowen (corner of Van-owen and Lindley), Reseda.

BOARD VACANCYThe next SPERDVAC Board Meeting will

be held October 6 at 7:30 PM, FirstChristian Church in Reseda. This is avery important meeting; a vacancy onthe Board of Directors will be filled.

Any member wishing to run for theposition, please come to the meetingand place your name in nomination. Themain requirements are a strong desireto help SPERDVAC become a more vitaland functioning society. And youshould be able to attend the BoardMeetings. They are held the firstThursday of the month.

Hope to see you at the meeting.

"I could have listened to him foranother hour, said one member afterlast month's SPERDVAC meeting. The"him" was comedy-variety writer Car-roll Carroll, who took a responsivegathering of members and guests onan "I Was There" tour back to thedays when radio was king.

Mr. Carroll, addressing himselfmainly to his employment as a wri-ter for the J. Walter Thompson ad-vertising agency—-when agenciespackaged radio programs--recalledepisodes of his career and his asso-ciation with some of the glamournames of the 1930s and 1940s. Hisfavorite program: The Kraft MusicHall with Bing Crosby and Bob Burns.The biggest bomb: The Circle,1939's forerunner of today's TVtalk shows; it boasted the biggestnames in show business and cost itssponsor a fortune during its shortlife on the air.

After a brief recounting of hisstart and rise as a JWT writer, Mr.Carroll fielded questions from thefloor. He displayed a remarkablewell of radio trivia and, in thoserare instances when a name or datewas elusive, he referred to his com-puter, Mrs. Carroll, and the answerquickly forthcame. At the meeting'sconclusion, President Joe Crawfordpresented our guest with a framedcertificate officially welcoming himas an honorary member of SPERDVAC.

Our sincere thanks‘to Mr. and MrsCarroll for making the afternoon ofSeptember 10 so entertaining andmemorable.

DECEMBER DINNER

Activities Chairman Steve Jelfhas announced that the AnnualSPERDVAC Dinner Meeting will beheld on Saturday, December l7 atthe Mission Hills Inn, 10639 Se-pulveda Blvd., Mission Hills.The dinner will begin at 8 p.m.

Further details will be givenat the October 8 general meetingand in the November newsletter.

October, 1977Page 2

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LET'S so AROUND THE NATION...AROUND THE ¥22£JZ!_§E£S2EL Edger Bergen’ CharlieRADIO DIAL__AND ELSEWHERE: McCarthy, and Mortimer Snerd have made new

commercials for Bob's Big Boy restaurants.Watch for them—-they're better than mostof the regular programs on TV.

Switzerland: Swiss Radio has made its apol-ogies for an August 3rd satirical broadcastthat featured phony news bulletins about anEast-West War. Performed in the style ofThe Mercury Theatre's 1938 production of"The War of the Worlds," the program prompt-ed a rash of phone calls. It aired afterthe regular evening newscast. The phonybulletins were interspersed throughout"Radio Cabaret," a 50-minute popular music "q9e Crawfordand talk show.

i‘ii.Z’§‘22$‘§.§;§‘:Z.’2‘*§§;..i§.Zf”;.£fii§ 5 P ERDVAC WeA 1i~ Eon the air, take pen in hand and write a ..letter or send a card to your local CBSradio station, the CB5 Radio Network, or The second annual SPERDVAC Ma azine willto Himan Brown. With the loss of General be Published in N°Vember- All members! PaidMills as its main sponsor, the future of up as of October 31, 1977, will receive a freeAdventure Theater is in doubt after January ¢°PY-1978. Unfortunately, if that show goes, If You would like extra eepiee, write toits departure may weaken the Position of Joe Crawford, 3146 East Orangethorpe Avenue,CBS Mystery Theater. Send in your cards #B, Anaheim CA 92806, and send a check forand letters now; let your feelings be known $2.25 made out to SPERDVAC. Extra copiesand support drama on redio_ write, will also be available to the meetingsDirector, Audience Services, CBS Radio, starting in De¢ember- If You Weuld like t05l west 52nd St_' New york, N_y_ lQQl9-_ purchase 5 or more and will pick them up ator--Mr. Himan Brown at the same address-- the meetings: the Priee is $1-50 ee¢h-“or Mr. Harfield Weedin, 6121 Sunset Blvd., We have a limited supply of ieeue #1 left-Los Angeles, Calif. 90028. Do it today. If You would like to purehaee a eepy beforeNew York City: End of an era. NBC has dis- the suPP1Y runs Out: send $2-25 to the abevecontinued its radio and TV studio guided address-tours in Rockefeller Center. The tours be-gan in 1933, but the network says there hasbeen a decrease in attendance as productionincreasingly shifts from NYC to the WestCoast. I remember taking the tour in 1957.It was very interesting, especially since alot of radio and television programmingoriginated from Rockefeller Center during Zeke Manners, O.T.R. personality, hasthoseldays. NBC will continue to provide contacted us with a request for copies oftours of its facilities in Burbank. his old shows: "Ozark Mountain Boys"; “TheBaltimore: MerYland= G0lden RBdi0 Buffs Beverly Hillbillies"; and "The Zeke Man-of MD, Inc., will hold its 6th Annual ners Show."Golden Mike Awards Banquet on October 29. If you have a copy of any of these shows,The national award winner will be Chester please contact Joe or Sue Crawford, andLauck (Lum of "Lum & Abner"). For more in- copies of the programs will be dubbed forformation, write: 3127 Wallford Dr., Apt. D, Mr. Manners.Baltimore, MD 21222.

I would apgreciate receiving any informationyou may have for this column. Drop me aline at 3146 East Orangethorpe Ave., Apt. B,Anaheim, California 92806--or call me at(714) 524-6888.Till next time...happy listening....

October, 1977 Page 3

QUE STIONNAIRE RESULTS:

GUEST SPEAKERS CHOICEThis is Part 2 of a report on the SPERDVAC

questionnaire results. Part 1 appeared inthe August Bulletin. The questionnaire wascirculated earlier this summer with the aimof providing members the opportunity to ex-press their comments on Old Time Radio andtheir feelings regarding the functioning ofSPERDVAC. There were 39 respondents.

Question 9. asked, "What kind of programswould you like to have at meetings?" Mostmembers listed guest speakers. The tabula-tion: guest speakers--21, seminars--12,films--10, radio programs—-9, live radioshows--2, and one member likes quizzes.Suggested speakers included Ralph Story,Edgar Bergen, Jim Jordan, Bill Baldwin, FrankBresee, Les Tremayne, and speakers from localradio stations.

Question 10. was, "What type of specialevents would you like to have?" Answers:tours--13, dinners——9, conventions--7,national organizations——7, picnics--5, andseminars--2.

No. 11.: "Do you have any ideas for themagazine or newsletter?" The response tothis question was very interesting. Sevenmembers would like to have interviews withand/or columns by radio personalities. Thesecond most frequently mentioned suggestionwas for a log of current radio programs.

SOCIETY TO PRESERVE AND ENCOURAGE RADIO DRAMA,

SPERDVACP.O. Box 1587Hollywood, Calif. 90028

May we have a volunteer or volunteers toundertake this research and pass along theinformation to newsletter editor JohnMitchell. (All articles, logs, interviews,photos, cartoons, etc., are gratefully re-ceived and handled with tender, loving care.Contribute if you can. --Ed.)

Five members would like to see lists ofradio logs. Jack Raidy, Historical CommitteeChairman, announced in the September news-letter the availability of several logs.

Three people would like to see articlesand logs from old radio magazines. Threemembers suggested a "How-to" or "QuestionCorner" on tape recording.

Other suggestions were: news from otherO.T.R. clubs, where to obtain radio pro-grams, book reviews, a pictorial section onactivities of past year, more membershipparticipation, a column devoted to discussionof new disc unearthings, swap board, andacknowledgment of new purchases or donatedprograms.

Action on many of the above has alreadystarted. Several members indicated theythought a good job was being done. To getyour idea into the newsletter John Mitchellneeds your help. (Amen. --Ed.)

Question No. 12. was, "Which of(continued on Page 5)

the seven

VARIETY AND COMEDY

Enclosed is my check or money orderfor $15.00 to cover my membership inSPERDVAC for one year.

new membership renewal

Name Address _

City, State & Zip

Do you wish to be included in the next membership roster which will be made available tothe embers? yes no

(Fill in all or as many blanks below as you desire)Telephone No.: Home Business _I have reel to reel cassette 8-track equipment.

Do you have a catalog of your programs?____

Interests in Shows: _--_--.-_--_-—_--____----.-_-.--__.-_-.--_.-_-._.__------

Page 4 H October, 1977

$\,L SPERDVACIi .

C)4‘K‘P:4 >;<>:<»=~I551‘P>e 44\VI

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESHas your life flattened out? Nothing

exciting or meaningful to do? B—complex nolonger goosing your juices? Too many eve-nings plopped in your favorite chair staringat the boob tube or the same old walls? Areyou a victim of tushy-spread?

Stand up and cheer up! You are lucky!You are a SPERDVACKIAN! And here's a goldenopportunity to break away from your dead-buttsyndrome. Three key volunteer positions arecurrently open. It's your chance to breakaway from those dull, wasted hours, to feelbetter, and to become involved in the opera-tion of your club. A

Pat McGee is looking for someone to takeover the position of club Treasurer. Patwill remain a member of the Board and willcontinue to carry on with her other import-ant club chores. The basic duties of theTreasurer are: 1) receive and deposit allfunds in the bank; 2) pay SPERDVAC bills bycheck; 3) file necessary financial reportsand keep financial condition of club.Please give Pat a call at (213) 882-1361 orwrite her at 8538 Casaba Ave., Canoga Park,CA 91304.

SPERDVAC is looking for a volunteer tochair the Membership Comittee. The jobmainly consists of spreading the word aboutour club, mailing information packets toboys and girls who wish to apply for member-ship, and passing new members‘ names on toclub officers. And there's a need for vol-unteers to assist the Membership Chairman.(Of course, all of us should be helping outby introducing SPERDVAC to prospective mem-bers and giving the names of those interestedto the Chairman). For further details, con-tact Joe Crawford (see the World of O.T.R.for Joe's address and phone number).

Finally, SPERDVAC needs a Cassette Libra-rian and volunteers to assist him/her. Du-ties basically consist of filling orders for

' Ecgrd f°"Memos

M£MbERs'

programs on cassettes and, when not occupiedwith orders, dubbing other reel—to-reeltapes on cassettes. If you have a wee bitof free time each week, you can be of inval-uable assistance in strengthening our Lend-ing Library. Bob Arthur is our reel-to-reellibrarian, and Jo Arthur is handling the RedSkelton tapes. For information regardingequipment et al, please contact Joe Crawford.

There's no intention of making this soundlike a World War II Bond Drive. but let'sface it: we are a nonprofit society with alow annual membership fee. If we are tosurvive and flourish, all of us must helpout in whatever way we can.

REEL-TO-REEL CHAIRMAN:The big news this month is that my wife,

Jo Arthur, has taken over delivery of theRed Skelton tapes. As soon as the prepaidsubscribers have all had access to each ofthe 21 reels, Jo will turn them over to themain library where they will be incorporatedinto the catalog and made available to thegeneral membership. If any of you now haveSkelton tapes, please dub them and returnthem to Jo.

Notes from the main library are brief:*Tapes may be mailed at the basic li-

brary rate (about 25 cents).*Checks or scrip may be sent directly to

the library.*New catalog pages are on their way to

be printed, thanks to the typing efforts ofJulio Bontempi and my wife (two pages arehere, Bob...Ed.).

*Donated reels are still being accepted.*Direct any inquiries about main li-

brary tapes or Red Skelton tapes toSPERDVAC, P.O. Box 273, Calabasas, CA 91302.

So long for now....--Bob Arthur

, v

October, 1977 Page 5

questionnaire(continued from Page 3)

SPERDVAC goals would you like the club to emphasize?" All goalsreceived many votes. Receiving the most was B., "provide a col-lection of programs that members may listen to or duplicate fortheir own enjoyment"--33.

Twenty-five votes went to A., "promote and encourage drama,variety, and comedy programs-—old and new--on radio today."

Goal G., "search out and honor the people who made this era,often called the Golden Age of Radio, possible; to see that thisform of art is never forgotten"...tallied 24 votes.

The other four goals received votes ranging from a high of20 to a low of 13. It's obvious that all who responded to the

We’re stillgrowing like aweed . . .Canyoutefluswhy?9 ls it our professional priming and

editing?questionnaire wish to see all seven goals achieved. . t"°m,$htm,me,wumhhe

Question 13.: "Do you have any other suggestions, comments, country?° ls it our features like-or ideas for SPERDVAC that will make it a vital, functioning so- -

ciety?" The replies to this question were variedThe main suggestions were: more membership participation,

improve lending library service, answer letters or requests forinformation, and eliminate scrip. Also, to have a library of

. From Out of the Past Comes . .Radio In ReviewRadio RootsYe Olde Equipment ShoppeRadio Answer ManRadio Crossword ‘

books and magazines, put together a history of the century -through newscasts, send literature on SPERDVAC to retirementhomes and villages. Many of these suggestions have already beenacted on, and others will be soon.

Questions 14. and 15. dealt with attending meetings.Twenty-seven members who responded to the survey said they attendregularly or occasionally.

Question 16. elicited the reasons for not attending or foroccasional attendance. The main reasons were distance and havingto work on Saturdays.

The replies to Question 17. reveal clearly that the member-ship comes from all areas of employment or professions. Four mem-bers are teachers, 4 are self-employed, 3 are students, and thereare 2 each of librarians, accountants, and engineers.

Other occupations listed were: commercial artist, attorney,insurance broker, funeral director, editor, dispatcher, housewife,recording engineer, precision grinder, computer maintenance, bi-lingual tester, retired, research meteorologist, manager, micro-graphics engineer, precision engineer (damn!--already typed that one), lithographer, appli-ance service representative, and film editor.

The oldest member who returned the surveyis 59, the youngest 17. The average age is39%. Only three women answered the question-naire. The ratio is 36 to 3 in favor of men.This is similar to other O.T.R. clubs. Iwonder why so few women are into O.T.R.? Iam fortunate that my wife enjoys this hobbyas much as I do.

Many thanks to everyone who took the timeto participate in our survey. Club officers,board members, committee chairmen will alltake note of the results. I hope everyonefound the questionnaire and results inter-esting.

—-Joe Crawford

9 ls it our news of clubsand old-time radio happenings?

Whatever it is . . .wemust be doingsomething right!lf you're not already a subscriber, sendfor free sample issue mentioning whereyou saw this ad.

Write:National Radio TraderPost Office Box 1147Mount Vernon, Washington 98273

Then . . .Please tell us what we're doing that's

making us grow like a weed!

Door PrizesA reminder that Susan'Crawford has been

given the unenviable task of acquiring doorprizes for our annual dinner (see box onfront page). Editor has not had a reporton how she's faring thus far, but unlesswe come through for her one of us is liableto walk out of there with a gift-wrappedJoe, his switch on and volume up.

Sue requests that we bring our contribu-tions to either the October or Novembermeetings. Any questions, please give hera call or drop her a note. (See World ofO.T.R. for her current phone number andaddress.)

Page 6 October, 1977

\\\14¢ ?\iiiiii

I'm well again, thank you....Good news from Steve Jelf. Thanks to

Frank Bresee, we're going to have a Saturdaymatinee at the November general meeting.Title of the 1937 flick is "Wake Up andLive," and it stars Alice Faye, Jack Haley,Ben Bernie, and Walter Winchell. Stevetells me it features the famous Bernie-Winchell radio feud of that era. How couldanyone fuss with a grown man who kept cooing"Nighty—night" and "Sweet dreams"...?I thought "CBS at 50" was a bit newsy,

but then it was produced by the network'snewsboys. Enjoyed their capsule of the .first 25 years of news coverage betterthan the recent past. They did their bestwith entertainment, drama, sports, andmusic, but simply not enough time to covera half century. A good history lesson,

S P E R D V A CPost Office Box 1587Hollywood, Calif. 90028

though. That Cronkite is a rock, isn't he?I'd take His Word over E.F. Hutton‘s anyold day....

Took a gentle tap from Marvin Millerfor mentioning Coors beer last month. Itwas off the top of my head, as all thesewords are, and not intended as a plug.Ironically, I haven't touched that brandfor over two years; gives me headaches(psycho, I suppose). Mr. M. informs methe company in Boulder is the most militantanti-union brewery in the country; havesubjected their employees to indignities,and are being boycotted by AFTRA, SAG andEquity; in fact, all members of all AFL-CIO unions and guilds....

Much appreciation to Georgia Raidy andSue Crawford for finding a place that hadan open date in December for our annualdinner. I understand the girls really putin the hours....If anyone cares, I'm residing with four

females at 20601 Londelius St., CanogaPark, CA 91306. Phone 882-7885.Till next time I'm forced to....

--John Mitchell

NON—PROFlT ORG. .

U.S. POSIIGEPAID

Los Angelo: Calif0 PERMITND. 33208

DATED MATTER