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RADIO ARCHIVES NEWS
The Monthly Newsletter of the First Generation Radio Archives
"Preserving Radio's Past for the Future"
May 2008
In this issue:
Special "Plan Ahead" Sale
A New Premier Collection: The Cocoanut Grove
Ambassadors, Volume 2
Free With Every Order This Month
In the Spotlight: "Rocky Jordan" and "Dr. Christian"
A Brand New Radio Legends CD Set: "The Whistler, Volume 1"
Letters...We Get Letters...
Vacation time will soon be upon us -- and what better way to prepare for that
upcoming road trip than by taking advantage of a special sale this month at
Radio Archives? Not only are we offering, by popular demand, a brand new SECOND
volume of rare and impressive sounding early 1930s broadcasts of "The Cocoanut
Grove Ambassadors,” featuring the orchestras of Jimmie Grier, Phil Harris, and
Ted Fio Rito, you'll also find a new Radio Legends collection containing twenty
strange tales of "The Whistler." Also in the spotlight this month is radio tough
guy Jack Moyles starring in "Rocky Jordan" and Hollywood character actor Jean
Hersholt as the beloved "Dr. Christian." Best of all, you'll get a FREE CD with
every order you submit -- and the chance to receive your choice of any Radio
Legends collection FREE with a low minimum purchase. There's music, suspense,
action, intrigue, human drama...indeed, something for everyone this month
at Radio Archives!
* * * * * * *
Special "Plan Ahead" Sale
Can you believe that it's May already? For those of you who are already thinking
about that upcoming getaway to Disneyland or that road trip to visit friends and
relatives, we know that you're definitely looking to make your travel plans now.
Of course, thanks to high gas prices, we also know that many of you will be
spending vacation time this year around the old homestead, getting to all of
those projects that have been piling up all winter and most of the spring.
Either way, Radio Archives knows that you'll want to have plenty of fun and
family friendly old time radio entertainment on hand. After all, what better way
to spend some work, travel, or leisure time than by taking a comfortable seat in
your own personal "Theater of the Mind"?
That's why, during the month of May, we're offering you a special "Plan Ahead"
sale on some of the best entertainment that Radio Archives has to offer. What do
we mean when we say "Plan Ahead"? It's simple: during the month of May, you can
make plans for your casual "down time" this summer by stocking up on some
delightful radio entertainment -- with a bonus! This month, when you purchase
just $99.00 worth of our CD collections, you'll get a Radio Legends CD
set of your choice -- absolutely free! That's right; spend just $99.00 on
our regularly priced CD sets and you can request any one of the over thirty CD
sets available in our Radio Legends line, available for easy browsing here.
If you're a regular shopper with Radio Archives, this is your chance to get some
of the sets you've been planning to buy anyway -- but you can now get them
absolutely free. And, with US domestic postage still being just $6.00 no matter
how many sets you order, you won't even need to pay additional shipping and
handling. You can choose from a wide range of great sounding radio classics -
everything from "Dragnet" to "Suspense" to "Father Knows Best" to "The Great
Gildersleeve" - the perfect accompaniment to summertime road trips, to play and
enjoy while painting or remodeling, or just to pass the time on those daily
commutes to and from work. (Hey, you don't have to wait until summer to
play them, you know!)
And you needn't limit yourself to just one free Radio Legends set either.
Spend $198.00 and you can choose two Radio Legends sets...spend $297.00 and
you can get three sets. Literally, the more you buy, the more you get! What
better way to spend that tax refund or economic incentive check than to reward
yourself with some great old time radio goodies to play and share with your
family?
So browse this newsletter, as well as the catalog pages for our other Premier
Collections and Radio Legends CD sets, make your selections, and then let us
know which of the free Radio Legends sets you'd like included with your order.
(You can add a comment to your PayPal payment, drop us an e-mail, or enclose a
note when you mail in your check.) Heck, if you do nothing more than buy our two
"Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors" sets and that new 10-CD set of "The Whistler,"
you've already earned a free CD set!
While away those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer with top flight entertainment
from Radio Archives, offering the best in radio and, of course,
"Preserving
Radio's Past for the Future."
* * * * * * *
A New Premier Collection
* * * * * * *
Free with Every Order This Month
In its heyday, radio offered literally something for everyone - including
action, suspense, intrigue, comedy, and human drama. Two of the most impressive
series aired during the 1930s and 1940s
may not have had much in common, but one thing was certain: with their
high-level production values and captivating storylines, they definitely were
easy to get "hooked on".
"Rocky Jordan," a distinctively different-sounding detective offering heard over
CBS Radio's Pacific network from 1945 to 1950, could be described as a mixture
of "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon." "Jordan" debuted on January 8, 1945 as
a five-day-a-week quarter-hour serial entitled "A Man Called Jordan." The
titular hero, portrayed by radio veteran Jack Moyles, owned and operated an
Istanbul dive dubbed the Café Tambourine and, though described by OTR historian
John Dunning as "a hero in the 'I Love a Mystery' mold," was actually a shrewd
businessman motivated more by the financial bottom line than cheap sentiment.
Still, he had a knack for getting frequently involved in mystery and murder and
often depended on a colorful cast of sidekicks - his "man Friday" Ali (Paul
Frees), girlfriend Toni Sherwood (Dorothy Lovett), and trusted pal Duke O'Brien
(Jay Novello) - to assist him in his amateur investigations. "A Man Called
Jordan" switched to a weekly half-hour format beginning July 2, 1945, and
entertained West Coast audiences for approximately two years.
Apparently, Mr. Jordan took a year off to relocate the Café Tambourine to Cairo
when the program returned to CBS on October 31, 1948. Apart from the new
location, it was business as usual for 'the Rock' as he fought escaped killers,
desert raiders, ex-Nazis and black marketers on a weekly basis. It was with this
show's incarnation that the comparisons to "Casablanca" were particularly apt;
Jordan would often have to depend on his police force ally Captain Sam Sabaaya
(also played by Novello) for assistance. Though the two men clearly respected
one another, they often found themselves sizing each other up in the same
skeptical fashion as Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Captain Louis Renault
(Claude Rains) did in the Oscar-winning film classic.
"Rocky Jordan" might have been dismissed as just another run-of-the-mill
detective series, but its exotic locale, tight scripting, and swift,
self-assured direction by Cliff Howell set it apart from the infinite number of
shows broadcast at that time. The series' writers, Larry Roman and Gomer Cool,
often found inspiration from both a copy of the U.S. Army's Pocket Guide to
Egypt and real-life anecdotes culled from newspapers. Topping off the
proceedings was the original Oriental-sounding music contributed by Richard
Aurandt, support from the crème de la crème of actors from "Radio Row" (Peter
Leeds, Ben Wright, Parley Baer, etc.) and the always-dependable Larry Thor
("Broadway's My Beat") who handled the program's announcing chores. "Rocky
Jordan" was heard as a Sunday night staple on CBS' West Coast network for the
next two years, sponsored by Del Monte Foods, and part of an evening line-up
that also included "The Adventures of Sam Spade" and "The Whistler."
Though certainly not similar to the suspenseful adventures of "Rocky Jordan,"
another CBS series that captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of
listeners over the course of almost two decades was "Dr. Christian," starring
Hollywood character actor Jean Hersholt in the title role. A too-often-forgotten
family dramatic series, "Dr. Christian" was as much a quiet anthology of
small-town life as a straight medical drama, bringing the people of the small
town of River's End to life thru the eyes of the kindly Dr. Paul Christian. As
portrayed by Jean Hersholt, Dr. Christian can perhaps best be described as a
male Molly Goldberg with a medical degree; a gentle and well-meaning meddler who
always manages to lead you in the right direction...whether you want to be led
there or not.
The series was loosely based on the life of a real man -- or, rather, on the
media-manufactured image of the life of a real man. Dr. Allen Roy Dafoe was a
small-town Canadian obstetrician who gained worldwide fame when he attended the
birth of Elzire and Oliva Dionne's identical quintuplet daughters -- and was
quick to capitalize on his fame. In 1936, Dafoe's story became "The Country
Doctor," a successful film for 20th Century Fox, and Jean Hersholt, a Danish
character actor of moderate success, was cast in the title role. The following
year, Hersholt brought the same characterization to radio as "Dr. Christian."
The series involved Christian and his nurse Judy Price in a wide range of
situations in the lives of Rivers' End residents -- family crises, ill-starred
romances, social or ethical dilemmas. The programs were given a polished
production by the CBS Hollywood team and became closely associated with its
longtime sponsor: the Cheseborough Manufacturing Company, makers of Vaseline.
While the ethics of the real Dr. Dafoe in exploiting his connection to the
quintuplets have been seriously challenged, Jean Hersholt himself went on to
earn a lifelong reputation for kindness and generosity -- capped by his founding
of the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which to this day provides a wide variety of
medical and insurance services for the elderly of the entertainment industry. In
his honor, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents the annual
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
To modern-day ears, both "Rocky Jordan" and "Dr. Christian:" hold up extremely
well; "Jordan" for its tight scripts and intriguing plotlines and "Christian"
for its still-powerful ability to draw us in and make us care about the
small-town citizens portrayed on the programs. To date, Radio Archives has
released two 10-CD Premier Collections of "Rocky Jordan," all taken directly
from CBS/KNX transcription recordings, and one volume of "Dr. Christian,"
offering the first twelve shows of the series, dating from 1937 and 1938.
If you've never heard either of these series before - and especially if you're
looking for the kind of radio drama that can both attract your attention and
keep it - we've got a real treat for you: with every order you submit during the
month of May 2008, we'll include a FREE CD containing two half-hour broadcasts
from one of these series, chosen at random from our three Premier Collections.
Once heard, we think you'll agree that these are two of the best and most
impressive radio series ever produced.
But wait -- there's more!
* * * * * * *
In the Spotlight:
"Rocky Jordan" and "Dr. Christian"
 We know that you'll be both impressed and entertained by these two series, so
this month we're turning the spotlight on our "Rocky Jordan" and "Dr. Christian"
Premier Collections. All of these beautifully packaged and great sounding CD
sets features full-length broadcasts, just as originally aired on CBS, and
complete with original commercials.
* * * * * * *
A Brand New Radio Legends CD Set
 Radio
Legends collections offer some of the most memorable and best-loved radio shows
of all time, packaged in affordable 10-CD sets. And as with all of our compact
disc collections, Radio Legends sets come to you in durable plastic cases that
will both store and protect your recordings for years to come. This month, we're
pleased to offer yet another new Radio Legends collection, priced at just
$19.95:
Radio Legends collections from Radio Archives offer great radio shows at
great prices -- and make delightful gifts, too! Browse the full line of these
affordably priced 10-CD sets on our Radio Legends page at
http://www.radioarchives.org/RadioLegends.htm
* * * * * * *
Letters...We Get Letters...
Each month we receive many wonderful letters and e-mails from enthusiastic fans
of old time radio. We'd like to share some their comments with you:
Joan Symonds writes:
I'm so glad that I found your website. "The Cinnamon Bear" was a favorite of
mine as a kid in the late 40's. I remember making sure that the radio was tuned
to the right station, so that I could find out what happened next every day
until Christmas Eve. It's a wonderful Christmas memory. I never dreamed that I
could actually own and listen to that program again and the book is wonderful. I
plan on sharing both with my grandchildren. I also appreciated the great service
-- which turned out to be next day! I know that we will gradually add many of
the programs to our CD library, as our children like the old radio programs
also.
William Haddeland writes:
Thanks for the good service - and for preserving these shows!
Mike Moritz writes:
I can't tell you guys how much I enjoy your services. Not a newsletter goes
by that I don't order at least one CD set. Please keep up your wonderful work
and your dedicated fans will continue to buy your great CDs.
Peter writes:
It's a worthy cause you're involved in and I appreciate your race against time.
If you'd like to see your comments printed here, send an e-mail to
membership@radioarchives.org
* * * * * * *
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size.
Click for
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would like into a document, then add up your total purchase. Print out your order, complete with your name, e-mail,
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Radio Archives
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Spokane, WA 99212-3258
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Generation Radio Archives. All Rights Reserved. The contents of this website may
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