Category: Radio

On The Beat In New Hampshire

Tom Moroney - Simply Put on Bloomberg RadioTom Moroney is host of a show on Bloomberg Radio called Simply Put. Prior to that he was a newspaper columnist. Kudos to Tom for succeeding in the two businesses I tried, but gave up! By chance Tom lives not far from here, and we cross paths every so often. My sister Jean and I went to high school with Tom. We were all in the drama club, along with a remarkable woman named Noreen Barnes, a dear friend who is now a college professor in Virginia. Here’s a picture of Tom and Noreen in a high school play together. I don’t want to say how long ago this was!

Noreen Barnes and Tom Moroney

Tom Moroney is up in New Hampshire right now, covering the Presidential primary. The surprise news at the moment is that Hillary Clinton is holding a lead over Barack Obama. Here’s a brief clip of Tom on the radio tonight.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JAN/Moroney.mp3]

Being PETicular

Petula ClarkMy sister Jean has reminded me that it’s been a while since I’ve posted something about dear Petula Clark. Indeed! First, I would like to send you over to View Images to see a fabulous collection of over sixty Pet photos, some very early, and some very recent.

What a long and varied career Pet has had. She is so deserving of the title of Dame in the UK, but we’re still 100 shy of the 1000 mark for signatures on the PETition. I guess I’m not really entitled to say “we’re” because I can’t vote, not being a citizen or resident of the UK. There are only a couple more months to vote, folks! So please do it now. While you’re doing that you can listen to an audio interview with Pet, conducted for the U.S. Army in December, 1966, by disk jockey Harry Harrison, while he was with WMCA in New York. In ’68 Harrison jumped over to WABC to replace the departing Herb Oscar Anderson.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JAN/PetArmy.mp3]

As a child, Petula sang for the British troops on BBC radio during World War II. She was famous for singing “Mighty Lak A Rose.” Later, as a young woman she sang it again. I’m not sure exactly when this recording was made.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JAN/MightyLakARose.mp3]

And finally, I’ve a confession to make. I never wanted any of the Beatles to hold my hand. That’s why I’m glad Pet recorded her own version of “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/JAN/PetHoldHand.mp3]

Welles and Barrymore In “A Christmas Carol”

Lionel Barrymore

From Christmas Eve 1939, here is Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre of the Air, performing “A Christmas Carol,” by you-know-who, featuring Lionel Barrymore as Ebenezer Scrooge. Everything clicked that evening, and if you’ve never heard this outstanding hour-long radio adaptation, I highly recommend it.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/DEC07/ChristmasCarol.mp3]

New Tube Radio

A recording of the song ‘Layla’ is on the audio player. It was taken from an FM tube radio.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/NOV07/nanoradio-layla.mp3]
Courtesy Zettl Research Group,
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California at Berkeley

Bad reception? An old LP played with a broken needle? No! Quite the opposite. It’s from the most advanced, state-of-the-art FM radio ever devised. It’s not a tube radio, but a nano-tube radio! Edwin Armstrong would be pleased.

Alfred Hitchcock’s First Anthology Show

Happy Halloween! I first became aware of master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock from a parody of him on The Flintstones. I knew they were making fun of somebody, but I didn’t know who.

Alvin BrickrockAlfred Hitchcock

In this droll dual takeoff of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and the Hitchcock feature film Rear Window, Fred is unnerved by his new neighbor Alvin Brickrock, a short, squat Britisher who can be heard arguing with his harridan of a wife. Then, one night, the arguing stops suddenly–and not long afterward, Mrs. Brickrock disappears. These and several other ominous incidents lead Fred and Barney to conclude that Alvin Brickrock is actually the notorious wife slayer Albert Bonehart. The satire is played to the hilt, concluding with Mr. Brickrock bidding the audience a fond “Good ev-e-ning.” ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hitchcock was a unique personality, being equal parts artist, craftsman, impresario, and businessman. In 1940, long before his anthology TV show of suspenseful stories began in 1955, Hitchcock directed a radio adaptation of his British film ‘The Lodger,’ which is available for your listening pleasure on the audio player.

[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/OCT07/TheLodger.mp3]

Showcased on a program called ‘Forecast,’ Hitchcock was helping audition what would later become the premier radio anthology series of suspenseful stories. It was called, aptly, ‘Suspense’, and it ran for 20 years, ending in 1962 as one of the very last radio drama programs.

GE RCA Superadio III

When I was a boy I loved my Aiwa TP-32A reel tape recorder, but the single most satisfying piece of electronic equipment I’ve ever owned is a GE Superadio III. I bought it for $40 in November, 1994, and today it gets regular use sitting in the window next to my computer.

HD Radio and Wi-Fi Radio are coming along, and there’s satellite radio of course, but plain, old AM/FM radio remains convenient and reliable. And the Superadio III, having analog tuning, is about as plain as it gets. What sets it apart is its exceptionally good, albeit mono, sound quality.

Recently, the company that makes the Superadio III, Thomson of France, changed the brand name from GE to RCA. Or maybe it’s being made by another outfit. Whatever. The product seems to be pretty much the same as it’s been for nearly 15 years. It remains the absolute cheapest self-contained hi-fi audio system that I know of.