MICHAELSPAPPY

2012-02-17T10:56:00.001-08:00

I just heard what had to have been Doc Gamble's voice on an old Roy Rogers radio program.

2012-02-16T11:04:00.001-08:00

No Fingers Noonan - a character on Archie's Tavern. Also known as The Unsuccessful Butcher.

2012-02-10T12:16:00.001-08:00

It has been a good year for Grandpa (my dad) in basketball. We took him to college games at Fayetteville, Little Rock and Clarksville. Not bad for an 87 1/2 year old.

2012-02-10T07:03:00.001-08:00

Whence the expression, "I should have stood in bed"? Stood? You should have been standing on your bed?

2012-02-10T05:30:00.003-08:00

This week is the 200th anniversary of the last and largest of the New Madrid earthquakes, which just happened to have been on the same day that Charles Dickens was born.

2012-02-08T12:30:00.001-08:00

I have found a couple of episodes of the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes series in which Watson's wife has a speaking part.

2012-02-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

I just completed my tenth CD case of old radio shows. Two of them are larger, but the rest are 96-CD cases. I estimate that we have somewhere around 2400 old radio programs on CD at our house.

2012-02-07T05:10:00.001-08:00

I just have an inherent distaste for voting against a man. If I cannot vote for his opponent, then usually I just do not vote. I realize that there may be exceptions to that rule, but it is my general rule.

2012-02-07T05:06:00.001-08:00

One of the most difficult things about growing older is that the fundamental assumptions of life that were sturdy cornerstones for your planning seem to be disappearing. Things you assumed always would be true are no longer true.

2012-02-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

Alan Young was the star of the Mr. Ed television program (the one with the talking horse). He also had a radio program. He was much better on TV than on the radio. He tended to be very silly and goofy (a la Red Skelton). There were some good moments, but overall the program was weak. Jim Backus played a very rich acquaintance on the program.

2012-02-02T12:37:00.001-08:00

Two "made for radio" actors were Bob Bailey ( Let George Do It, Johnny Dollar) and William Conrad (Gunsmoke). Neither were handsome, leading man types, but both had great radio voices.

2012-02-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

On the way to work today I was listening to a Jack Benny program on the radio. Jack had a doctor's appointment, and in the lobby to see the psychiatrist was a man who thought he was a rabbit. Jack spoke to him, and he responded, "Nyaaa, what's up, Doc?" It was, of course, the voice of Bugs Bunny. Mel Blanc was a regular on the Benny program.

2012-01-31T11:21:00.000-08:00

Whenever a business enterprise feels like it is in free fall, that is a sure sign that management is not managing.

2012-01-26T07:33:00.001-08:00

Doctors and insurance companies need to remember that people do have an option: we can choose just to be sick.

2012-01-20T05:43:00.001-08:00

The major parties are idiots to have their nomination process like they do. Why would they want three or four states basically to choose their nominees?

2012-01-18T06:06:00.001-08:00

In your spare time, someone calculate how much of the last 14 years I have NOT had a daughter or daughter-in-law expecting a child.

2012-01-18T04:51:00.000-08:00

Ah, the things you can learn from old radio shows. For example, until I listened to Fred Allen, I never knew there was such a person as Thorndyke McKeester.

2012-01-13T12:31:00.000-08:00

Radio shows always emphasized that their star was a "hard-boiled" detective. Who might have been some examples of the non-hard-boiled sort? Well, maybe Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, definitely Philo Vance and Nero Wolfe.

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Congress needs to pass a law making "Reply To All" buttons illegal. It would increase the efficiency of this nation tremendously.

2012-01-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

I am enjoying a new discovery among old radio detecive shows. The Private Files of Rex Saunders, starring Rex Harrison. Somewhat similar to Bulldog Drummond. Interestingly, you can hear snips of musical themes used on Tales of the Texas Rangers and Johnny Dollar.

2012-01-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Corpus delicti (plural: corpora delicti) (Latin: "body of crime") is a term from Western jurisprudence referring to the principle that a crime must have been proven to have occurred before a person can be convicted of committing that crime. For example, a person cannot be tried for larceny unless it can be proven that property has been stolen. Likewise, in order for a person to be tried for arson it must be proven that a criminal act resulted in the burning of a property. Black's Law Dictionary (6th ed.) defines "corpus delicti" as: "the fact of a crime having been actually committed".

2012-01-05T05:11:00.000-08:00

There are benefits to conservative driving apart from the safety factor. I hardly ever have to have my brakes replaced, because when you back off from the cars ahead of you and drive cautiously, you are not having to apply your brakes nearly as often. You might be surprised how much longer they will last.

2012-01-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

We are accustomed to seeing Tom Conway as the suave detective The Falcon. However, he switches over to Sherlock Holmes opposite Nigel Bruce when Rathbone left the radio series, and did a very creditable job. No one could replace Basil, but Conway was not a disappointment by any means.

2012-01-03T10:19:00.001-08:00

I got to enjoy watching The Sands of Iwo Jima with Jason last night. He had never seen it.

2011-12-29T06:28:00.001-08:00

The Isle of Man is a self-governing dependency of the British Crown. Its legislative body is the bi-cameral Tynwald, reported to have been founded in AD 979, and arguably the oldest continuous parliament in the world.

2011-12-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

I have been taking pretty pills for years. See how well they work?

2011-12-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

Lucille Ball was a funny actress, but the types of women she portrayed would be anything but funny, were they in real life.

2011-12-27T05:13:00.001-08:00

NEVER post anything on the computer that indicates you are not at home. Just a "Welcome" sign to intruders.

2011-12-21T04:47:00.000-08:00

Discipline has a tendency to become no discipline if it is not administered consistently. Show leniency to one, and very soon we must show leniency to all or be accused of partiality. Children are very adept at using parental inconsistency against us.

2011-12-20T12:02:00.001-08:00

I would not call myself an authority on old radio shows because there are several types of them in which I have no interest. But I have listened to a lot of them between our own collection and what I hear on Sirrius radio. A great hobby, really.

2011-12-15T17:33:00.001-08:00

My wife and I were visiting tonight about how both our grandmothers were dedicated watchers of The Lawrence Welk Show, and allowed no interruptions during it.

2011-12-15T12:29:00.000-08:00

One of the all-time great Hollywood compliments:

Jimmy Stewart in "You Can't Take It With You," 1938:
"You're so beautiful, it makes me want to gag."

2011-12-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

My favorite all-time character actor has to be Barry Fitzgerald. He was just so much fun to watch - and to listen to.

2011-12-09T05:06:00.000-08:00

What three cities were constantly being announced by the PA in the train station on the Jack Benny show?

2011-12-08T12:27:00.000-08:00

What an American institution went by the wayside with the demise of the brass cuspidor!

2011-12-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

There is divine wisdom in the commandment, "Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth." There is so much that can happen physically and mentally as we grow older that make it difficult or even impossible to do the things that we wanted to do and planned to do. Because of the demands of younger adulthood, some of those things are not possible at an earlier age; but much can be done, and ought to be done, because there may not be the opportunity later on.

2011-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

An underrated radio show was Rocky Jordan. He owned the Cafe Tambourine in Cairo - probably a take-off from the movie Casablanca. He was not a detective, but he was always solving mysteries anyway. Well done show, and worth listening to.

2011-11-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

Nigel Bruce's portrayal of of Dr. Watson on the Sherlock Holmes movies did not fit the original stories: the famous side-kick was less of a bumbler than Bruce's character. However, the actor did such a superb job of making the role his own that it is his personna that likely will be burned into Sherlock fans' memories. Just a wonderful job of acting.

2011-11-17T13:50:00.001-08:00

Richard Diamond just got knocked out by a gun but in The Eddie Burke Case. Is anyone surprised?

2011-11-10T05:07:00.000-08:00

We preachers are prone to "quote at" texts - that is, to paraphrase them, or just to get close to the text. I wonder if we are as satisfied to "get close to" the doctrines contained in them.

2011-11-10T05:04:00.000-08:00

There was a school sign on the way to work this morning with the Word of the Week: Courage - "the ability to do that which frightens you." That is true some of the time, but sometimes that would be merely a definition of foolishness, if we are wise enough to be frightened by that which is frightful.

2011-11-10T05:02:00.002-08:00

I definitely think that governmental regulations get out of hand oftentimes and needlessly stifle the economy and hinder legitimate business enterprises. However, I also know that businessmen, if not restricted, would be utterly self-serving and would do whatever promoted their own interests, no matter how many other people it hurt. Yes, some regulations are necessary.

2011-11-10T05:02:00.001-08:00

One of the books in Jack Benny's library: "Gertrude Eichelberger, Girl Plumber".

2011-11-08T05:12:00.000-08:00

Where did these radio Private Eyes work?

Sam Space
Phillip Marlowe
Barry Craig
Michael Shayne

2011-11-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

Did you know that it is a settled fact of law that there is a difference in significance between a paper clip and a staple? One is recognized as indicating a temporary situation and the other permanence.

2011-11-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

The freedom of any country boils down to the police and the military. They must do their jobs, but they must be strictly controlled so that they do ONLY their jobs.

2011-10-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

Fried okra, done right, is just as good as it gets.

2011-10-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

One of the best of the many fine Philip Marlowe radio show episodes was "Anniversary Gift." For some reason, William Conrad played Marlowe in this particular instance. It concerns a man who is trying to conceal the fact that his dying wife had killed a man who was blackmailing them.

2011-10-18T14:17:00.001-07:00

The Life of Riley was a long-running radio show in the 1940’s. It was good and well worth listening to, although in my opinion it was not one of the funniest of the radio comedies. However, one character on the show was a hoot! Digby “Digger” O’Dell, “The Friendly Undertaker,” was a friend of Riley. He had the best lines in the show and pulled them off in great style.

2011-10-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I just finished listening to an episode of Richard Diamond (with actor Dick Powell) broadcast 4 Oct 1950. At the first of the show he starts to announce a special guest and then decides not to. His client is a mystery woman, “Mrs. X,” who wants to locate her husband. At the end of the show, she says that she is expecting and that her husband was so moved by it that he was temporarily mentally affected.

Allyson was actually Powell’s wife, and their son, Richard, Jr., was born in December of 1950.

2011-10-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

I am listening to a Johnny Dollar episode called “The Stope of Death,” about a silver mine in Nevada. As he is preparing to make the trip, you can hear the theme music from “The Six Shooter” playing. I thought that was interesting.

2011-10-13T05:02:00.000-07:00

There are some classic examples of voices on radio that were destroyed by chain smoking. Ken Christy (Chief Gates on Gildersleeve) and William Gargan (Barry Craig). In fact, Gargan's career came to an end in 1958 when he developed throat cancer, and doctors were forced to remove his larynx. Speaking through an artificial voice box, Gargan became an activist and spokesman for the American Cancer Society, often warning about the dangers of smoking.

2011-10-11T14:15:00.001-07:00

One of the funniest Richard Diamond radio show episodes is the one entitled "Blue Serge Suit." Jim Backus is a guest star as the sarcastic owner of a men's clothing store.

2011-10-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

We ended up not being too high on Johnny Staccato. Some of the episodes were enjoyable and interesting, but too many of them were trying to make some kind of social statement. Eduardo Ciannelli as Waldo stole the show.

2011-10-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

I just listened to an episode of Richard Diamond, “William Carter Loses His Memory,” in which Dick Powell refers at the close to Mountain View, Arkansas, which was the place of his birth.

2011-10-04T09:59:00.001-07:00

Pam and I watched a Johnny Staccato episode last week in which Alexander Scourby was a guest star who played the role of a charlatan preacher. That is ironic, given his famous recordings reading the Scriptures.

2011-09-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

This process of moving the presidential primaries earlier and earlier has got to stop! Just do us all a favor and pass a law that all of the primaries have to be on the same day.

2011-09-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

How many of you (besides my wife) have seen a Dick Powell movie from his song-and-dance era AND from his hard-boiled era?

2011-09-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

We bought a new TV series from the late 1950s: Johnny Staccato, starring John Cassavetes and Eduardo Cianelli. It looks like it was patterned after Peter Gunn. Interesting.

2011-09-27T04:59:00.000-07:00

Richard Strauss stands alone atop the list of composers for the horn. True, on the elegant side of the lecture, Mozart was a wonderful writer. However, in those heroic passages that make hornists drool, it was Strauss. Ein Heldenleben, Don Juan, Der Rosenkavalier, Till Eugenspiegel: those are the passages that horn players stand in line to get to play.

2011-09-27T04:57:00.001-07:00

Republicans look at the forest; Democrats look at the trees. Both have glaring gaps in their vision. Republicans recognize that the free market creates the most gross wealth, and that a rising boat lifts the most people. The problem is that that rising boat does not lift ALL people, and those that are not lifted are the ones the Democrats worry about. However, in their worrying about the individuals, they minimize the positive effects of the economy as a whole. Two parties with blind spots.

2011-09-14T12:49:00.004-07:00

It may have seemed to you today that I was unintelligent; but hopefully it will ease your mind to know that that is not the case. I am just plain stupid.

2011-09-14T12:49:00.001-07:00

"Brazen effrontery" is such a good phrase that it is worth manipulating conversations just to work it in.

2011-09-14T05:30:00.001-07:00

The memories for addresses of the characters on the Philip Marlowe detective program were amazing. They seemingly knew all the street numbers of all their acquaintances without having to look them up. Very convenient if you have to get your story crammed into 30 minutes.

2011-09-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

I recommend one particular episode of the Fred Allen program entitled "King for a Day," with Jack Benny as the guest star. Jack wins the prizes, one of which is to have his pants pressed, which they evidently proceed to do right there on stage. The audience is cracking up.

2011-09-07T12:05:00.000-07:00

William Conrad (Matt Dillon) and Parley Baer (Chester) were a great team on the old Gunsmoke radio program. They played off each other very well. Good chemistry on the air.

2011-09-01T12:33:00.001-07:00

I wonder how many old radio shows I do have on CD. Maybe thousands? Great hobby.

2011-09-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

1938-1953. I recommend this period for movies. By 1938 the industry had their quality going well enough to be enjoyable. Past 1953 things began to be more gradually more explicit.

2011-09-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

Two things I wish they would outlaw: blue headlights on cars and yellow shoes on football fields. Both look too much like law (rule) enforcement colors.

2011-08-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

There are a number of recurring characters in the Johnny Dollar series, especially when Bob Bailey was the actor and the series ran for 30 minutes. One of these was Alvin Peabody Cartwright, an eccentric old gentleman. He was portrayed by Howard McNear, famous as Floyd the Barber on the Andy Griffith TV show.

2011-08-30T05:25:00.000-07:00

It is interesting hearing people use "aren't" incorrectly in attempt to be correct by avoiding "ain't." Such as, "I am supposed to be here, aren't I?"

"I am supposed to be here, are I not?" That obviously is not correct. If they had used "ain't," they would have been gramatically correct: "I am supposed to be here, am I not?"

"Ain't" is informal, but it is not always incorrect. It is a contraction of "am not," and in places where "am not" is correct, "ain't" is also correct.

2011-08-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

What a profound quote from Presidential candidate Ron Paul:

“And so, our government continues to spend trillions of dollars in overseas foreign wars while we face unsustainable debt, a looming dollar crisis, and our Constitution seems to lose any meaning. These actions will sink our country if we do not reverse course.”

2011-08-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

William Powell is fast becoming one of my favorite actors. He was superb in understated comedies like the Thin Man series, but could also do serious roles. Really enjoyable to watch.

2011-08-25T04:45:00.002-07:00

I do not understand how that, with satellites that can see in our back yards and all the other technological advantages governments have, we can have lost Moammar Gadhafi.

2011-08-25T04:45:00.001-07:00

"Yore" is a word. It rhymes with "bore." "Your" does not rhyme with "bore."

2011-08-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered about those "removed" cousins? Here is a handy chart showing the "degrees of consanguinity." Important for legal reasons, I understand.

http://www.ci.sat.tx.us/atty/ethics/ConsanguinityChart.htm

2011-08-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

1980 still champ.
1980 still holds the record for the worst summer in my memory. This year was well on the way to challenging it, but the recent break in the heat and the rain took it out of the running. True, it never got to 114 in 1980, but it just went on and on, well into September.

2011-08-17T07:56:00.001-07:00

How many sponsors of radio shows can you name off the tops of your heads?

2011-08-16T05:29:00.001-07:00

In my humble opinion, the #1 spot in radio shows is no contest. It has to be Fibber and Molly.

2011-08-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

Most people are not aware that William Shakespeare had an older brother, Shlomo, who was also a playwrite, but who never achieved the success of his younger sibling.

One of Shlomo's better efforts was his play "MacSnerd." In one scene from this play, Lady MacSnerd, the queen of Scotland, is confronting the castle mutt after he had committed an indiscretion on the floor of the great hall. In her indignation, she pointed forcefully toward the front door and shouted, "Out, out, dadgummed Spot." Somehow, the scene just did not come off very well, and the play, like all his others, was not a success.

2011-08-12T05:28:00.000-07:00

Question: What is the significance of the number 137596?

2011-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

People often forget that the U. S. judicial system does not deal in guilt or innocence. It deals only with proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, or the lack of that proof.

2011-08-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hostesses, please remember that old men very often are far-sighted and cannot read fine print up close, but it is downright inconvenient to wear glasses in the shower. Thus, when you go into the shower stall and there is no bar of soap, only bottles containing unknown liquids, it is hard to know if you are about to apply shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or some other substance. On the other hand, a plain, old-fashioned bar of soap is hard to mistake.

2011-07-27T08:11:00.001-07:00

Why is the wife of the Governor not called the Governess?

2011-07-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

Who said this:

"Hello, Joe? Al. Got a problem!"

2011-07-25T05:48:00.001-07:00

Hollywood attempts at Southern accents stick out like sore thumbs.

2011-07-19T05:12:00.003-07:00

A good description of me - from Fibber and Molly: "He has less taste than a night club salad."

2011-07-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MAJOR PARTIES ON HEALTH CARE:

Democrats' approach: A man comes into the emergency room with a hangnail. The doctor prescribes half a million dollars of tests to determine the cause and puts the patient on three kinds of expensive medicines. Finally extensive surgery is done to repair the subcutaneous structure of the finger. Democrats say that the government should pay for all of this since he should have the same access to health care as any other person.

Republicans' approach: A man lies at the door of the emergency room in a pool of blood from a life-threatening wound. The Republican steps carefully past him and says, "Lie there and die. See if I care. It isn't my fault that you aren't rich enough to afford health care."

2011-07-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Standard procedure when I was in grade school was to fold up all papers that were returned to me after they were graded, stick them in my hip pocket, and take them home to Mama.

2011-07-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

It is significant that our American judicial system only pronounces a man "not guilty" if he is not convicted of a crime. There is no positive statement of his righteousness, only a negative statement regarding his guilt. But in the court of heaven the verdict must be "righteous" if we are to see God's face in peace.

2011-07-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

On the Halls of Ivy radio show, Benita Colman (Mrs. Ronald Colman) was to him as Costello was to Abbott - but in a very intellectual manner. It was a very well-written and entertaining program, but you had to have just a little acquaintance with academic topics to appreciate it.

2011-06-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

Both major political parties are WRONG and grossly negligent in the current deficit reduction squabble. In the first place, we should not be talking about deficit reduction, but DEBT reduction, which means we would have to run substantial surpluses for a long time.

Democrats don't care about the deficit; they only care about having enough to spend on their programs. Republicans don't care about the deficit; they only care about keeping taxes low for business.

The truth is that we are going to have to maximize revenue and minimize costs for a LONG time to pay the debts that we have incurred. And we are morally obligated to pay our debts - but no one seems to be in the least concerned that we do.

2011-06-27T05:42:00.001-07:00

It is interesting to listen to the speech of someone who lives with a person who is hard of hearing. Generally at a high volume.

2011-06-22T05:55:00.001-07:00

Generally speaking, to learn about famous people is to learn about sleeze in one form or another. There are exceptions, but not enough to notice.

2011-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Toyota. We Americans tend to pronounce it TOY-OTA, but I am guessing that with the Japanese it is TO-YO-TA.

2011-06-17T04:58:00.000-07:00

Two of the all-time funniest Jack Benny episodes were the one where he goes to eat at the Macombo (sp?) with the Ronald Colmans, and when he is sick and the veterinarian comes to see him. In both cases Frank Nelson is the "opponent," and their exchanges were hilarious.

2011-06-17T04:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know who did the band arrangements for the later Sinatra songs, but they were outstanding. Good examples are "New York, New York," and "I've Got You Under My Skin." Frank's voice had taken on a deeper, rougher tone, and it fitted the gutsy, belting arrangments just right.

2011-06-08T16:16:00.000-07:00

Interesting Gunsmoke comparison from a message board:

"It is a very tough call between Dragnet and Gunsmoke, but I guess the incredible sound effects and the high quality writing, along with the talented cast of regular and guest supporting actors give Gunsmoke a decided edge in my own humble opinion. William Conrad had such a wonderful voice for radio and he also was a better actor in every respect than James Arness. Conrad's only drawbacks to playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke were his height and especially weight. Many people probably don't even know that he was a fighter pilot in World War II. He made the role of Matt Dillon his own on radio and I don't think Arness could ever have held a candle to him. I have watched the t.v. series many times for years before ever hearing the radio version and I definitely think the radio version is far superior in every respect."

2011-06-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Parley Baer (Chester on the radio Gunsmoke and the mayor on Andy Griffith) was evidently a regular on the Tales of the Texas Rangers radio show playing the sheriff. Since the scene changed each week, he was a different sheriff each week, but he and Joel McCrea (Ranger Jase Pearson) were a standard team on the show.

2011-05-26T05:17:00.001-07:00

Betty Lou Gerson, who was the voice of Cruella DeVille, was a very active radio actress, usually playing a glamorous female opposite a detective.