OTR  shows... 
which ones are the good, the bad & the ugly
(or just because it was on radio doesn't mean it's worth saving)

by Bob Burnham

BOB'S SIDEBAR:

When I first stopped publishing Listening Guide Newsletter a couple
years ago, I said I would be making regular appearances in Old Time
Radio Digest and other p ublications.  I am pleased to finally get a
regular series of articles out and re-emerging in The Hobby.  Thanks
to everyone for hanging in there, supporting me along the way and
throwing in an encouraging word.  A voice in the hobby is use less if
it doesn't have an outlet.  Thanks also go to old friends like Bob
Burchett at the Digest, Jay Hickerson of Hello Again and Robert
Newman who does the club publication I can't remember the name of!

ONWARD!

Years ago when I published the second edition of the Listening Guide
to Classic Radio I attempted to provide some sort of analysis of
basically just which shows are good to listen to.  I used a panel of
collectors to help.   The end result didn't exactly make the points I
wanted to make, and I would have done it differ ently if I were to do
it again but what it all boiled down to was yes, there were LOTS of
great shows broadcast, but for every one GREAT show, there were
probably 20 mediocre shows and maybe 50 really BAD shows.

As I have written in the past, it's all a very subjective thing.  I've
spent my entire adult life listening to, collecting and writing about
old-time radio Q bu t I wasn't paying much attention to them when they
were on Q or I hadn't arrived on the planet yet!  The only nostalgia
value a show may have for me is yeah, I remember trading for that
show back in 1977... I wonder whatever happened to the COLLECTOR I GOT
IT FROM!

My childhood memories were television-oriented - not radio - although
I do remember at an early age being intrigued by radio.  I remember
getting my hands on an old 1950's tube set with no cabinet I had
salvaged from the trash. I actually restored it, put it back into
use, and build a cabinet and speaker system for it. That was before I
even knew the programs existed.

So when someone tells me how GREAT they think a show like THE LONE
RANGER is, part of the reason they THINK it's great may be because
they remember it.  I do consider the show to be a classic in its own
right, but from a writing/plot standpoint, pretty mediocre, and I
don't like listening to the Ranger, myself (especially when there's
so many other shows out there I like).  Actually, that's being polite,
as far as my personal assessment of that particular show.  But that
doesn't mean someone else wouldn't like 'em.

There's another category of programs I put into a category of being SO
BAD, they 're GOOD (in a campy sense).   Two examples of these kind of
shows are that horrible serial, THE PLANET MAN.  Another good one
(in a bad sense) is THE ROY ROGERS SHOW.  When the whole plot of one
show surrounds and is named Dale Bakes a Cake, you know that one
really has to be action-packed excitement.  SPEED GIBSON also falls
into the category of trashola.  Actually, most of the kids serials
fall into this bad category to some extent.

There is another category of shows that maybe we could call worthless.
They have little or no entertainment or nostalgic value to most
people.  Notice I said most.   One example would be a show called
GUEST STAR.  Another would be PINTO PETE.   There also were hundreds
of regional, local or syndicated shows produced in the 1950's that
were basically done to fill air time, or as public service fillers.
This was also the beginning of the disk jockey playing pre-recorded
music.  Unless the host is someone famous, or there is other
significance to the broadcast, I would say the show is probably best
bulk erased and forgotten.

There are of course, collectors who are more or less AUDIO PACK-RATS
and will save EVERYTHING.  My opinion has been if it's not enjoyable
for you or someone else to listen to, why save it?
 
I used to be an AUDIO-PACK-RAT myself, but now if someone offered me a
full broadcast run of JOE SMITH SHOW from 1958 (a ficticious show and
person!), which happened to be a 15 minute syndicated DJ show, I would
decline.

There are some collectors who would say EVERYTHING needs to be
preserved.  Hogwash!  For one thing, there's enough collectors out
there that SOMEONE will likely hang on to a set of those tapes.  And
if there isn't, and nobody wants to listen to them and they are of no
historical significance, why SHOULD they be preserved?  Who cares
whether JOE SMITH THE DJ is saved?  While we're talking about DJs ,
there are literally thousands of modern DJs out there today who are
equally as interesting than a worthless 1950's show.  For that matter,
there are collectors who trade tapes of modern DJs and modern
airchecks.  There are also collectors who collect radio station
jingles for that matter.  There are companies that sell collections of
the worlds greatest DJ audition tapes.

Frankly, a lot of this material is of greater interest that some lame
time-filler show from the 1950's like PINTO PETE,  GUEST STAR or an
equally trashy-series, JERRY OF THE CIRCUS.

Now maybe if I was 20-30 years older, and I remembered any of these
shows, I might have a different opinion.  But speaking from the
perspective of someone who is in an age bracket that the majority of
the citizens of the U.S. citizens are in, I don't think I'm too far
out of line.  Also, non-collector type people are far more critical
of a show that a collector is who collects everything! I don't fall
into either category myself, but I am in a good position to learn
about the likes and dislikes of other people, as far as OTR is
concerned.

In a future article, an update on the use of the computer to help
enhance OTR is in order.  More and more collectors are using computers
with modems to communicate, send each other lists, or participate in
lively discussions. Making a single local phone call on a computer
can now connect you to InterNet and UseNet, a national network of
thousands of computer users, and archives of everything INCLUDING old
time radio shows!  The larger services such as CompuServe, America
Online or GEnie also have UseNet access.   Also in the computer
department, a certain OTR dealer also has a catalog on computer disk
that not only lists thousands of shows, but plays back excerpts of
the shows through the computer speaker... now you can hear a digital
copy of the show and check the sound yourself BEFORE ordering!  More
on this new technology next time!

Meanwhile, if you have questions or suggestions for future articles,
you can contact me through this publication or at P.O. Box 2645,
Livonia MI 48151... fax (3 13) 721-6070. InterNet Mail address
Platecap@gatecom.com.