See also: news from 2006-7;  news from 2005; news from 2004; news from 2003-2002

AUGUST MEETING:  The Metropolitan Washington Old Time Radio Club welcomes actor and author Arthur Anderson and his wife Alice to its Friday evening August 13, 2010 meeting. Mr. Anderson’s 72-year career has taken him from Orson Welles’ critically acclaimed 1937 Mercury Theatre Broadway production of “Julius Caesar” to important roles on Radio, Television, and the Stage.  Read more...

The program will begin at 7:30 p.m., is free, and is open to the public. It will take place in the downstairs Parish Hall of Trinity Episcopal Church located at 2217 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA 22204. The Church is at the corner of Columbia Pike and South Wayne Street.

Please tell your friends about this very rare visit by one of the few remaining working Mercury Theatre actors and OTR Great! We look forward to seeing you!

JUNE LUNCHEON:  The Metropolitan Washington Old Time Radio Club June Luncheon will be held Saturday June 12th 2010 from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. All those interested in Old Time Radio are invited!  It will be held at Neighbors Restaurant (same place as our December 2009 luncheon), 262 Cedar Lane, SE, Vienna VA 22180, (703) 698-8010.

The Restaurant is located in the shopping plaza, corner of Cedar Lane and Park. St., Vienna, VA, across from Thoreau Middle School. Cedar Lane is a main street, running from Lee Hwy (Rte. 29) to Gallows Rd., south to north. A very nice buffet has been arranged which will cost $20 per person. Buffet Entrees will include Beef, Chicken, Fish, and Pasta along with Salad and rolls and butter. Non-alcoholic beverages (soda, coffee or tea) are included in the price. The price includes tax but not tip.

The deadline for making a reservation is June 10th. Please make your reservation with your name, phone number, and number of persons attending by contacting our Club President Edgar Russell by e-mail at erussell@mwotrc.com or by phone at (202) 333-8456.

Special features will include a Radio Quiz conducted by member Maury Cagle. If you want to participate in the Radio Quiz gift exchange please bring a radio-related item that is unwrapped.

RADIO ONCE MORE is a new addition to our Links page.  MWOTRC member Neal Ellis and co-host Ken Stockinger appear live at 9 pm Eastern time on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday evenings, offering documentaries, informative discussions and deeper insight into old-time radio. Recent topics have included Charlie Chaplin, shortwave broadcasts of the 1940s, and a history of outhouses!  Here's what will be coming in future shows: Wednesday January 20, MWOTRC's Jack French will talk about syndicated radio programs.  Monday January 25, Rod Serling's radio work and his TV series, The Twilight Zone, will be discussed.  Friday January 27, guest Terry Salomonson will be talking about The Green Hornet.  Tune in on the web at 9 PM on Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun at www.RadioOnceMore.com.

OUR DECEMBER MEETING was one of two annual luncheon meetings.  (See our meeting schedule for details.)  In December, we met at Neighbor's Restaurant, had a gift exchange, and continued to celebrate the Club's 25th anniversary.  (Click for more photos!)

MWOTRC and friends meet at Neighbor's restaurant.

Derek Tague, with Jack (Santa) French.

AT OUR JUNE MEETING we celebrated our 25th anniversary with a cake provided by Club president Edgar Farr Russell.  Happy birthday to us!

 

RIC NELSON is holding one of the transcription discs he recently donated to the MWOTRC collection.  We're always on the lookout for your contributions, so please contact us if you have old-time radio recordings that need a good home.

Click to read more...

ED WALKER ELECTED TO NATIONAL RADIO HALL OF FAME  in the category of Local or Regional - Pioneer.  Ed Walker is a long-time MWOTRC member and supporter.  His Play It Again, Ed program on WMAL garnered one of the largest audiences in Washington radio history.  Ed currently hosts the Big Broadcast on WAMU-FM featuring classic programs from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.  Previously, Ed teamed with Willard Scott as The Joy Boys on WRC and WWDC.  Read more at these sites: wamu.org and radiohof.org.

AT OUR JULY MEETING:  Virginia Vass, an actress from radio's golden age spoke about her acting days of old time radio. She started on radio with her family in 1932.  Click here for more...

JUNE MEETING AND LUNCHEON: The Metropolitan Washington Old Time Radio Club celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a luncheon on Saturday June 13, 2009.  We have luncheons twice a year, in June and December.  Other monthly meetings are held at Trinity Episcopal Church in Arlington - click here for more information and the schedule. Everyone who attended this special meeting received a free DVD with a video scrapbook from the Club's archives and member contributions.  If you could not attend, please contact Fred Berney to see if copies are still available.

MID-ATLANTIC NOSTALGIA CONVENTION:  The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention will be held August 27-29 at the Clarion Hotel in Aberdeen MD, with old-time radio and TV stars, vendors, auctions, and more.  For details visit www.midatlanticnostalgiaconvention.com.

UPDATE ON OUR LIBRARIES:  MWOTRC has two libraries from which all our members can rent items for a modest sum. The print library currently boasts an inventory of over 220 books, magazines, and periodicals. To obtain a current catalog listing all our print materials, contact Mark or Marsha Bush (address in the print edition of Radio Recall).

The club’s cassette and CD library has grown immensely in the past five years. We currently hold near five thousand cassettes and two hundred CDs. Our holdings contain a nice cross section of well known programming such as Jack Benny and The Great Gildersleeve to more obscure recordings like Ann of the Airlanes and The Blue Beetle. All are available for monthly rental at the meetings or via mail order.  As of last month we have just published a new comprehensive catalog for our members.  Please contact the coordinating librarian, Rebecca Jones via email or postal mail at the club’s address: P.O. Box 2533, Fairfax, VA 22031 for a copy. Please specify whether you would like digital copy on CD-ROM or a paper copy.

DURING OUR APRIL MEETING Mark and Marsha Bush demonstrated sound effects and their role in contributing to the impact of radio programs. It was also Mark's 65th birthday, so we celebrated with the membership.

OUR NOVEMBER MEETING featured Maury Cagle who orchestrated a script-reading from the radio series Quiet Please. It was be a full production with readers stepping up to the microphones, music, and in-studio sound effects, all captured through the miracle of sound recording.  The script was called “100,000 Diameters,” and it aired on June 7, 1948, just about midway in the series’ two-year run.  (Photos of the cast and some of the sound effects equipment are below, courtesy of Bill Reader.)

BE SURE TO VISIT OUR LINKS PAGE from time to time.  You'll find interesting web sites like this one, Old Time Radio Themes - a great resource for the music themes of those old favorite shows.

See also: news from 2006-7; news from 2005; news from 2004; news from 2003-2002