LIGHTS OUT radio horror/dramas broadcast locally 1934 - 1935 and was originally based on WENR in Chicago, national broadcasts from 1935-1947 on NBC, CBS, and ABC.
"Lights Out" began life as a radio show hosted and written by Arch Obler. This creative story teller and playwright could easily be called Rod Serling's Rod Serling with his often outlandish, ironic, and downright terrifying radio plays which scared millions of radio listeners and theater goers in the 1930's and 1940's. And in 2005, you will be scared as effectively as those listeners of old.
Arch Obler wrote most of the plays heard on the "Lights Out" radio program and also served as the host and announcer. While other radio shows dealt with murder and mystery, Arch dealt with such simple topics as turning people inside out (along with sound effects) and the last moments of a couple before a train kills them both.
Obler had a superior knack for scaring, no terrifying, people, and doing it well. He was the Stephen King of his day. But, the deathblow to the "Lights Out" program came when it was judged so terrifying that it was moved to the time slot of half past midnight and left there. Eventually, when TV came along in the '50s, "Lights Out" found a new home there for a few seasons before fading out of the public spotlight and disappearing forever. It's interesting that there are no Web sites, photographs, or memorabilia for the "Lights Out" program.
But do I remember the program well -- by not being able to listen to it! At age eight or nine, I was forbidden to go into the living room while my brothers, David and Moody, were listening to "Lights Out" or "Suspense" on our old 1938 Philco floor console. Apparently, my parents told them they could listen but they would have to keep me out of "ear shot." But being brothers, they would try to scare me with whatever they had heard on Lights Out. Of course, my mother tried to protect me, but I still had nightmares because I was the "dreamer" of the family -- and have never stopped.
The program was sponsored by Ionized Yeast, usually opened with bells tolling and the announcer, in cadence, saying, "It-is-later-than-you-think." Then he would characterize "Lights Out" as dealing with the supernatural and the supernormal warning you to turn off the radio if you couldn't handle terror and the macabre.
AND NOW! LIGHTS... OUT! EVERYBODY!
We have posted the "Lights Out" program for Christmas 1937 so this example is not the macabre, horror, terror normally presented that made this such a scary weekly program. This incredibly written program is one that would not appear on radio or television today. It's mysterious and so very interesting as the setting is France at the end of WW1.
As always we encourage you to start the program by clicking the link below, then, after you have set the volume, back up to Ramglins and then go about your computer business whether it's working in quicken, doing Email or word processing as you are entertained by the past. Playing Old Time Radio programs is definitely positive recycling and definitely the stewardship of words. You will do either of two things: REMEMBER PAST DAYS or
LEARN ABOUT THOSE PAST DAYS AND WHAT YOUR GRANDPARENTS WERE ENTERTAINED AND EDUCATED BY. Enjoy!
Willis Cooper, creator and writer, sold out to Arch Obler
Listing showing WMAQ Chicago airing "Lights Out." Note the late time and how many "live" music shows
Arch Obler did many other dramatic projects until the 1970's but is most known for "Lights Out"
Norm's Daily Ramblins
DID YOU EVER SEE A "RAGMAN" WHEN YOU WERE GROWIN' UP?
Peel the foil off of gum and cigarrette wrappers; then add it to your ball by hammering it gently.
Are you one of those old special people who had the joy of hearing the call of the Ragman as he came up your street or alley asking for clothing and castaway household items? I'm so glad that I lived when and where I did as a young boy.
Seems like he would come down Cedar Street from Jacobus Park because he had been driving his horse west on Wells street alongside the streetcar tracks. He had to have worked this route at least once a month as long as it wasn't winter or raining.
What a great "cry" he had. I could hear him three blocks away but I never could understand everything he was saying. Looking back, I can classify "our Ragman" as a ragtime Gregorian Chanter. The major theme of his call was RAGGGGGGGGS!!!! ......take all your old RAGGGGGGGS!!!! holding that long note like an Italian Basso Profundo. Then after he identified who he was and what he wanted, he would go into a litany that informed our mothers (Yes, they were at home and fathers were at work) what other items he would be glad to take off their hands - "Newspapers, magazines, wire, wood, old furniture, bottles, any junk in your house."
Our Ragman had an old, four-wheeled wagon with deep sides making it possible to store a huge amount of "recycled products." It was a weathered green color and had no name, phone number, web address, license or registration number, so the customer was always at his mercy as to when this special person would be "coming through" The neighborhood with the huge brown horse that pulled his wagon.
I never saw the Ragman stop to eat but he always had a feedbag probably full of oats, hanging on the front of the wagon and a container of water for his horse -- and I guess for himself.
I was actually afraid of the Ragman because of parental warnings. He might capture us and put us in Hansel and Gretel's oven. In spite of that fear, I couldn't keep from getting close enough to him to clearly see his knarled, deeply wrinkled, weathered face and smell his horse. As I think back, it never occurred to me that the contents of the wagon probably had a distinct odor as well -- mothballed cloth, old paper, mildewed boxes from neighbor's basements, old wood and miscellaneous discards.
The Ragman seemed so old to me. But when a mother "Youuu Hooo"ed from an open window or door, the wagon would stop immediately. Ragman would get down from his high perch as quickly as his body would allow. He always took a small but heavy piece of metal that looked like an anchor up to his horse and tied a part of the harness to it so his engine would not walk away while he was in the house getting someone's discards to recycle. I remember a couple of times he would put the feedbag on the horse as long as he was stopped.
The Ragman was one of several species that made up the genus "Peddler". A "Peddler" was a street vendor who usually bought or received items free or sold new or used items house to house. But this term extended to those who marketed their fresh fruits, knife sharpening skills, or a suitcase of brushes, paring knives and dish cloths for the kitchen -- to name a few. We had them all. My favorite was the man who went door to door with a large sharpening stone wheel in a wooden framed bench. He carried the apparatus on his back. But more about that some other time.
My OLD friend from Milwaukee, gifted writer Harvey Nowland, is so old he too experienced this wonderful time in our culture. Harve's memory is so excellent that he was able to place this special "remembrance" in a beautiful poem he titled, "Silver Ball." See if this doesn't bring back a memory or give you a glimpse and flavor of what you missed. He sure did bless my heart. You might even catch a waft or two of some of the smells.
SILVER BALL
Down the alley the Ragman came
Each Saturday it was the same
Papers and rags. I'll take 'em all
Wind your foil in a silver ball.
There's nothing broke he wouldn't take
To think he could repair and make
A toaster heats the bread again
And sell it back without disdain
His wagon rolled on iron-rimmed wheels
Coming along with piercing squeals
A horse with ribs that showed the part
He played in Ragman's junk-filled art
He'd call the horse's name, there Shem
And Shem'd wait at the gate and then
Here he'd come with some new treasure
Housewife's junk was Ragman's pleasure
I wondered at the end of day
Where Ragman lived and Shem did stay?
But never wandered down the street
To find the magic of that treat
Throughout the week some would extol
Selling their milk, bread, ice and coal
Tried their best with price to haggle
None were like our raggle-taggle
Did his work with no rigmarole
Never would he have to cajole
Everyone won no one he'd cheat
All received a handshake receipt
When Saturday came round again
He'd call with voice of no restrain
Papers and rags I'll take 'em all
Wind your foil in a silver ball.
Written by HARVEY NOWLAND
(Our dear long-time friend and
demented regular contribution to Ramblins
and, of course copyrighted 2000)
"BEAT THE BAND IF YOU CAN" ~ TED WEEMS AND HIS ORCHESTRA!
They were on Decca, Mercury, Brunswick labels
The Weem's Men in the 1930's - Click for larger photo
The Weem's group in the 1930's - Click for larger image.
The "Man" Ted Weems
The Ted Weem's Band in the 1920's
Perry Como joined the band in 1930's after a stint with Paul Whiteman
Beat the Band - If You Can was a musical quiz on the radio, broadcasts from January 1940 to February 1941 and June 1943 to September 1944 on NBC.
Beat the Band enjoyed two short but popular runs on radio -just aired from Chicago and followed in the style of the infamous at the onset and during the Second World War. Originally it was audience giveaway program, Horace Heidt's Pot o' Gold, but on a much smaller, home-style scale. A young Gary Moore (of 1950's TV quiz-show fame, "I've Got A Secret") was the show's original host -- and the band to beat was none other than Ted Weems and his 14 piece Jazz Orchestra!
The Ted Weems Band, with whistler Elmo Tanner and new voice Perry Como was already an American icon and had been since the 1920's.
The premise of this new radio quiz show worked by listeners sending in questions that were to be asked of the band. "Sure they were." If a listener's question was used on the air the one submitting it would received $10.00. if the question was good enough to stump the band the prize increased to at least $20.00 -- which is $235.00 in today's economy. In addition to that award a case of delicious Kix Cereal to that lucky soul!
Questions usually came in the form of corny riddles such as: "What popular song-title best describes what Cinderella might have said if she awoke one morning and found her foot had grown too large for her glass slipper?" The inevitable answer "Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? Not exactly ground breaking material, but it was the show's entire package of lighthearted antics, lively music, and audience participation that created its resounding appeal. The fact that Perry Como, Elmo Tanner, Gary Moore and the Ted Weems band were involved didn't hurt a bit.
Musicians who missed questions had to "feed the kitty" by tossing half dollars onto a big bass drum, a sound that came over the airwaves like marbles crashing over a tin roof. The band-member or singer that scored the most points received the bonus prize of "the kitty."
Memorable band-members included Elmo Tanner the whistling troubadour," Country Washburn, and comedic sax man, Red Ingle. Vocalists on the show included the shy soprano Marvel Maxwell, Parker Gibbs, and the soon-to-be famous Perry Como.
During the show's second run at the height of WWII, Gary Moore was replaced by the charming feminine voice of the "Incomparable Hildegarde", Hildegarde Loretta Sel from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Music was provided by the Harry Sosnik Band and audience prizes were increased to $25 and $50 -plus a carton of Raleigh Cigarettes, the program's new sponsor.
In a show of support for the troops, band-members now threw packs of cigarettes onto the bass drum, which were then sent to servicemen on the war-front. The show's lighthearted mood and antics were preserved, if not amplified, as Hildegarde, the show's hostess, readily joined in the gags and shouted out to the boys in the band. Her catch-phrase, "Give me a little traveling music, Harry," was later usurped by Great One, Jackie Gleason, for his television show.
In its brief life, the radio program served as a touch of good cheer for a weary and determined Nation at war.
THERE ARE THREE NICE AUDIO PIECES BELOW YOU WILL WANT TO LISTEN TO, INCLUDING THE ACTUAL TED WEEMS RADIO SHOW WITH GARY MOORE, PERRY COMO AND THE WHISTLER ELMO TANNER. AFTER YOU CLICK AN AUDION LINK YOU CAN CALL UP YOUR EMAIL OR FINANCIAL PROGRAM AND DO YOUR WORK WHILE YOU LISTEN. IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN ON THE INTERNET TO SURF ELSEWHERE PULL-UP A SECOND INTERNET WINDOW SO YOU DON'T STOP THIS ONE.
- Written by Chris Plunkett (Now U.S. Hydrologist for Flaming Gorge, Unita Wilderness and the Vernal Basin - Vernal, Utah
(Harvey Nowland, writer and longtime family friend, is no stranger to the Norm's Ramblins Page. His contributions, reflecting his broad talents, have ranged from Poetry to Reminiscences -and even spoofed complaint-letters to the editor. We know you'll enjoy this memory vignette.
Fords "ran" in our family, so to speak. Dad even owned two Ford Mustangs after he retired. My father always drove Fords, that is, until they moved from Rhinellander in northern Wisconsin to Florida. Then he bought a dinky little Opel, his last car.
My first two cars were a 1935 Ford convertible coupe, and a 1940 Ford two door sedan. As I said, Fords ran in our family; that is, until I went into the Army. While in Germany I was temporarily converted to a different stable and breed.
The first Ford I remember was the one my Dad bought the year I was born, a 1932 Ford coupe, with rumble seat. It was in the Ford owner's favorite color at that time, black; and it had wire-spoke wheels that were painted red. Whether the wheels were painted by Ford or by Dad I cannot say.
As I think about it, could it be possible that my father's 1932 Ford coupe was the "Little Deuce Coupe" that the Beach Boys made famous with their California singing during the Sixties?
I have two distinct memories of that car. The first is rather pleasant, and is a memory of sitting on the dirt floor of our garage washing those beautiful red wheels.
I was about four or five at the time. The wheels were probably cleaner before I started, but I thought it was great that Dad would let me help him clean the car. My wife now wishes that same desire for car cleanliness would strike me, at least occasionally.
The other distinct memory of the 1932 Ford has to do with that wonderful invention, the rumble seat. Old car buffs that have restored models such as that 1932 Ford must take great pride in their vehicles as they drive the local homecoming queen down the main street. Seated on the upper edge of the back of the rumble seat, they wave their smiling way down the parade route.
However, not since my childhood, have I seen the rumble seat used as my father said it was intended; he claimed the rumble seat was for transporting children”specifically my older sister -- no matter what the weather. If you have ever lived in Wisconsin, you know the only two seasons officially observed there are winter, and the Fourth of July.
Weekly we traveled from the north side of Milwaukee to Bay View on the south side. The reason? My uncle, aunt, and cousins lived there and we made the trek for our weekly reunion. I have fond memories of those visits, especially the part where we were inside a warm house, eating and playing together. But, the trip to the warm house was a killer.
There was no such thing as too cold, as far as Dad was concerned. He was one of those hardy men who delivered milk every day of the year. After all, the cows had to be milked every day, and children needed to drink their milk every day.
He felt that his children were as capable of getting about in the bitter Wisconsin winter as he was. It never seemed to occur to him that his first work-related transportation, his horse drawn wagon, was covered. Later, his truck was covered too, and the truck even had a heater.
I never saw a rumble seat with a heater.
What my sister and I got was two woolen paper mill blankets. These blankets were very scratchy and provided adequate warmth when used indoors on a bed. Dad seemed to think there was not significant enough difference between rumble seats and beds to warrant argument over the warmth element.
Fortunately, for me, I had a kind sister, nine years older than me. She always made sure that I was bundled up with her in the rumble seat, with as much of us covered as was possible.
I suppose that Dad never drove over 25 miles per hour. However, when you consider what we know today about wind-chill factors, and take into account that Dad considered ten degrees below zero balmy weather in Wisconsin, you can guess that the ten mile trip from one end of Milwaukee to the other was no pleasure outing.
I have often wondered if the tendency for my ears, hands, feet and other body parts, to begin to feel first, very hot, and then completely numb after being in the relatively mild southeastern winters, has anything to do with those sub-zero trips through Milwaukee in the rumble seat of Dad's 1932 Ford.
I'm sure that Dad would certainly say, "NO!"
Rumble seats may bring memories of picnic outings with the warm summer breeze gently mussing one's hair to some; but those folks never lived in Wisconsin, and, they never knew my Dad.
But, hey, I'm not complaining. In fact, I sort of wish Dad's last car had not been that dinky Opel, but could have been like that 1932 black Ford coupe with the rumble seat and red spoke wheels. "Little Deuce Coupe," you know what I mean. -Harvey Nowland (Interested in Harvey's great newsletter? Send me a note using the Contact link and I see that Harvey contacts you.)
MORE "JEAN SHEPHERD AT HIS BEST" ON WOR-AM NEW YORK CITY
Shepherd telling a story "on air."
Shepherd in his later years.
The Cleveland, OH house used in the movie
Click for a great photo of Jean's studio (click photo to enlarge)
Jean Shepherd in his prime
We know exactly what happened, don't we?
NEW SHEPHERD RADIO PROGRAM POSTED!
WE HAVE POSTED JEAN SHEPHERD'S FAMOUS "CHRISTMAS STORY" AND THE RED RYDER BB GUN THAT BECAME A CLASSIC MOVIE THAT HAS TAKEN IT'S PLACE ALONGSIDE FRANK CAPRA'S "IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!
TWO OTHER SHEPHERD WOR PROGRAMS FROM DECEMBER 30, AND 31, 1965 ARE ALSO POSTED ~ PR0GRAMS FROM 46 YEARS AGO! THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF SHEPHERD'S PROGRAM ON WOR-AM AS
We have also left previously posted program intact so you could access them as well. We suggest that when you call-up the audio and have it running, you go back to your word processing or Quicken and work while you listen... or read the biography of Jean Shepherd
"Fixing Dad's Car" September 11, 1970
"Let;s Spill the Beans Night" June 16, 1957
"Winter Apples" December 31, 1967 -np
Jean Shepherd author, humorist, late-night radio personality, broadcast 1948 to 1955 on various stations in Cincinnati and Philidephia and from 1955 to 1977 on clear channel WOR-AM in New York City.
Jean Shepherd is perhaps best remembered by today's audiences for his contribution to the now classic Christmas movie canon as it's author, producer, and narrator -- the 1983 film A Christmas Story with Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB Gun..
Others may know him as a gifted humorist/satirist for his many columns, essays, and short stories that appeared over the years in issues of Mad, The Village Voice, Car and Driver, National Lampoon, Grump, The Realist, TV-Guide, Playboy, and Field and Stream.
Many of Shepherd's essays and short stories -inspired by his experiences growing up in the depression-era industrialized Midwest -- Hammond, Indiana -- have been compiled into four books, which have recently come back into print. Their titles (in order of my own preference) are: Wanda Hickeys Night of Golden Memories, A Fistful of Fig Newtons, In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash and A Ferrari In the Bedroom.
However for countless others, who were fortunate to have grown up on the east coast from the 1950's through the 1970's, Jean Shepherd will forever be remembered as the first grand voice of late-night radio.
Broadcast nightly from 1955 to 1977 on the clear-channel WOR in New York City, Shepherd played a unique roll in radio as the pioneer, bridging the gap between old-time radio theater and the syndicated talk-programs of the modern era.
Jean Shepherd was born in 1921 in the town of Hammond, Indiana -a southeastern, industrial suburb of Greater Chicago. He was raised in a house on Cleveland Street, attended Harding Elementary, and had two friends named Flick and Schartz all names and figures that would later appear in his fictionalized tales of Ralph Parker from Hohman, Indiana.
After graduating from Hammond High in 1939, Shepherd served in the signal corps during WWII, an experience from which several of his later stories would also be drawn. After the war he attended the University of Indiana in Bloomington, then in 1948 found gainful employment as a disc jockey in Cincinnati. On the air, rather than playing records, he would often break into a story or some other prolonged monologue for the listeners (which would often land him in trouble with station managers.) For several years Shepherd worked on various stations in Cincinnati and Philadelphia, before moving to New York in 1955 to begin his late night radio programs for WOR.
Initially, his program was on the air five nights a week from 1:00 to 4:30am -- a la "Coast to Coast that does it now. He then was moved early evening and produced a nightly 45-minute programs earlier in the evening. He soon attracted a legion of faithful listeners who referred to themselves as Shepherd's Night-People. The programs were highly varied in content -though usually ran along themes based on the season or perhaps some recent trip or occurrence in Shepherd's life.
Sometimes there were quite serious moments in the program, when Jean might read poetry to listeners, while at other time he might break into song while playing a kazoo or nose whistle.
Jean Shepherd passed away on October 16, 1999, leaving behind the rich legacy of his stories and his massive influence on modern radio. A fan and former Night-Person Jim Clavin, upon recalling the countless nights he spent as a child in the secret company of Shepherd's voice, would write in tribute...
His wit and Humor which has entertained so many of us for so many years will play forever, on those little transistor radios hidden beneath all our pillows.
The audio we have posted are 45 to 60 minute programs, When you begin the audio we suggest you "Back Page" to read Norm's Ramblins or go to your other work -- Emailing, word processing, finances or surfing and shopping -- on your computer as you listen to Jean Shepherd fabulous stories, satire, humor and nostalgia. Listen to his musical theme song carefully. Isn't that the music they used in the movie when Ralph, Randy and their friends were being chased through the alley by yellow-eyed bully Scut Farkus and his Toady? -Chris Plunkett
AUDIO DEMOS FOR Ebay SHOPPERS OF CLASSIC GREEK 78 RPM RECORD
Below are the one-minute audio demos of the classic Greek 78 rpm records currently being offered on Ebay. Each audio bite is the first one-minute of every record. The recordings are raw audio - no equalization, no sweetening - and recorded over very basic, non-high-tech equipment.
The purpose of providing these 30-50 second sound bites is educational and to allow the person interested in the classic, vintage 78 rpm recording to just the quality of the audio for themselves.
The photos on Ebay allow the prospective owner to grade the physical quality of the record and label.
