[Swlfest] Radio Theater

["Steve Coletti" <scoletti@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Since I'm suffering from a cold, I haven't got time to make up handouts by
Friday.  I just want to be germ free by then so I'm staying home until I
have to leave, both with my sweat suit on and hot beverages I'm spilling on
my lap. If I don't get over this cold, I'll set it up and run the DVD player
by remote control from the hallway.

Here is the outline of what I plan to present, PROVIDED we have the video
projector.  Otherwise you'll be asked to take the TV from your room down and
we'll connect it up to the DVD player in the Forum room.  (JUST KIDDING
Hotel Staff)
- - - - - - - -
If we want to find out the nuts and bolts of how some new gadget works we
can look it up on the World Wide Web.  Back before there was the net, or
cable TV, or literally tens-of-thousands of Radio and TV stations on the
air, one of the best ways of reaching the public was with motion picture
film.  These movies were sometimes shown in theaters as shorts, but most
were of the industrial design.  Not only were they for the use of the sales
force to get clients interested in the company's products but also some were
circulated to civic groups to be shown at organizational meetings and
schools.  During WW-II there were also propaganda, morale boosting, and
training films shown to our servicemen and women and in some cases where the
material was not classified, to the public as well.  All the films being
shown are in Public Domain and were downloaded from the Prelinger Archive.

For our first Radio Theater I've decided to present mostly films on
broadcasting.  They are made in a much lighter and less bland format.  Here
is the synopsis of these films.

1 - On The Air (1937-Jam Handy) - What goes on in a radio studio for a
musical broadcast.  You'll see hand signals and what they mean, vintage,
almost homebrew, broadcasting equipment and in 1937 state of the art
graphics what a radio signal (AM) looks like.  A trip down memory lane to
those first books we read as kids that taught us about radio. (9:55)
Rubinoff & his Violin. (David Rubinoff, 1897-1986)

2 - Back Of The Mike (1938-Jam Handy) - A film that explores the theater of
the mind of the listener while showing the actors and sound effects people
in working the studio to create the program. (9:15)

3 - Behind Your Radio (1947-RKO) - The brief story of NBC and what went on
to bring you their programming during the period that marked the end of the
Golden Age of radio and the raw beginnings of television.  Narrated by Ben
Grauer (1908-1977). (24:00)

4 - The Independent Station (1951-US Army) - The goings on at WMCA in New
York, just before radio as they new it died.  Includes some stock footage
from the above NBC film in the opening set up comparison.  Read a brief
biography of station owner Nathan Straus, Jr. (1889-1961) at my blog,
http://bigstevecole.blogspot.com. (18:00).

--- For those skipping or delaying dinner or not wanting the still warm beer
in the hospitality room we have the 2 most boring films as a bonus.  We will
skip one of them if the discussion period runs long

Bonus #1 - Radio At War (1944-Gantz) - RCA & US Army propaganda/morale
booster film that follows 2 brothers who happen to be hams into their radio
jobs in the service during WW-II. (22:00) (film is chopped up pretty bad)

Bonus #2 - Voice Of Victory (1944-Jam Handy/RCA) - Propaganda/morale booster
film that shows how the Hallicrafters' HT-4 ham base station was converted
into the SCR-299 mobile Army radio rig.  2nd half of film was not available
as a high quality mp4 file. (approx. 27 min.).

--- Television!  A writer?s fantasy where facts are made up.

Bonus #3 - Superman, Episode #1-8 "The Mind Machine" (1952-Warner Home Video
DVD) - Gangsters kidnap a scientist and his machine that can influence a
persons thinking.  The frequencies and technology are totally inaccurate,
but it was the blanket perception of the new electronic era by the public in
the early 50's.  George Reeves (1914-1959), Phyllis Coats.  (24 minutes)

Bonus #4 - That '70s Show, Episode #3-15 "Radio Daze"
(2001-Fox/Carsey-Werner DVD) -  Donna gets a job at a radio station and
Eric's insecurities show up in his fantasy of how he thought rock radio was
just a scant 30 years ago.  Amazingly most of the vintage broadcast
equipment is from the period or earlier, although the RE-20 mikes might not
have been in that exact shade of gray back then.  Edited to 15 minutes, my
comments are on crawls superimposed over the show.  Topher Grace, Laura
Prepon, Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp.  Guests: Howard Hessman, Danny
Bonaduce, Alice Cooper, Curtis Armstrong

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