Special Guests booked for Showcase

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APRIL 2017 SHOWCASE: LASSIE COMES HOME WITH JON PROVOST (TIMMY)

Lassie is best known as a very popular and long running TV series which aired from 1954-1973.  Most are not aware that Lassie was also a radio show airing between 1947-1950, years before the award winning television show.  Sponsored by the Red Heart dog food and treat companies, the radio series was quite unlike the Television version as well.  The radio version was more of an anthology and each week, Lassie as the star, would “portray” a completely different dog in one heroic adventure or another. Some critics really enjoy the series claiming that each adventure offers a dog gone good time with such dramatic plots as:

  • “Jumpy” the heroic dog can save a baby from a big one-eyed cat and helping lock the vicious animal in “the jug”,
  • “Tramp” despite being afraid of the water from being thrown in the river as a pup, he saves a boy from overflowing river
  • Brave, injured and starving “Laddy” fights off a bear for food then after long travels, returns safely to his mistress’ home.

The fictional character of Lassie was actually created by English American author Eric Knight in Lassie Come-Home, first published as a short story in The Saturday Evening Post in 1938 and later as a full-length novel in 1940. Set in the Depression-era England, the novel depicts the lengthy journey a rough collie makes to be reunited with her young Yorkshire master after his family is forced to sell her for money. In 1943, the novel was adapted into a feature film, Lassie Come Home, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) that starred Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. The movie was a hit and enjoyed favorable critical response.  MGM followed this with several additional films, including a sequel entitled Son of Lassie (1945), starring Peter Lawford and June Lockhart, and Courage of Lassie with Elizabeth Taylor.   To capitalize on the popularity of the motion pictures the radio series was created.  Each program ran for about 15 minutes.  For the last few weeks the REPS SHOWCASE team have been looking over some of the original radio scripts which were produced for the National Broadcasting Company with the task of finding one which could be dramatized Saturday April 22nd at the REPS SHOWCASE.   Once the script was selected, who was to star with Lassie in her return to radio? Enter Jon Provost! Jon portrayed Timmy on the Lassie TV series for seven season ( 1957-1964) and will appear in the SHOWCASE reenactment of the Lassie radio show.  This should be a real treat!

Provost was born in Los Angeles. At the age of four, Provost was cast in the film The Country Girl (1954), starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. He then appeared in Back from Eternity (1956) with Anita Ekberg and Escapade in Japan (1957), with Teresa Wright, Cameron Mitchell, and an unknown and uncredited Clint Eastwood.

In 1957, Provost won the role of Timmy Martin in the CBS television series Lassie.

   

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LEAVE IT TO LITTLE BEAVER

 

 

Leave it to Little Beaver

At first glance some readers may be led to believe that this article has some connection to the Leave it to Beaver TV series starring Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow.   Understandably since Tony Dow ( who played Wally from the aforementioned TV series)  is a featured guest at this year’s SHOWCASE. However, the Little Beaver in this article is a young Navajo boy who shared adventures with western hero Red Ryder and who was played on radio, at one time or another , by three of our special guests.  Red Ryder began as a comic strip in 1938 but Republic Pictures bought the movie rights soon after.  It was not long and there were Red Ryder comic books, a radio series and movie serials.  Tommy Cook portrayed Little Beaver in the 12 chapter movie serial The Adventures of Red Ryder released in June of 1940.   Tommy would follow the series to radio in the same role when Red Ryder appeared on the Blue Network in 1942 and later on Mutual.  It’s status as a national program was short lived.  From the fall of 1942 until the series ended in 1951, the program was heard only on the West Coast stations of the Mutual Don Lee Network (generally Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm Pacific Time).  Tommy recalls taking several connecting buses across town to get from home to the studio.  Although his parents were generally there to pick him up after the broadcast to drive him home.  Franklin Breesee, who has made prior appearances at REPS SHOWCASE, was also cast in the part of Little Beaver, from 1942-1946, as an alternate to Tommy and also to Henry Blair when Henry assumed the role from 1944-1947.   Tommy Cook and Frank Bresee have maintained a long friendship from their days on Red Ryder and continuing to the present day.  Frank Bresee has spent many years of his adult life documenting those bygone days of radio and hosted the long running radio show Those Golden Days of Radio.  “Speaking of radio”, Tommy says  “Those were some great days.  I don’t want to forget them.”
In 1947 young actor Johnny McGovern took over as Little Beaver and held the role until 1950.  “I succeeded Johnny as Little Beaver on Red Ryder” recalls Anne Whitfield. “His voice changed!  . . .  so they cast me because my voice was not going to change.”  Anne doesn’t remember how long she played the part but she doesn’t think it was for very long.  ” They probably figured that the show was not going to last very long when they realized they had a kind of effeminate sounding Little Beaver” she muses.    Sammy Ogg is credited as taking on the role until the series ended in 1951.
Tommy Cook,  Johnny McGovern and Anne Whitfield . . . they all played Little Beaver . . . and will be appearing April 15-16-17 at the REPS SHOWCASE.

 

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GREGG OPPENHEIMER — SON OF LEGENDARY I LOVE LUCY CREATOR – BRINGS CLASSIC RADIO DETECTIVES BACK TO THE MICROPHONE

Gregg Oppenheimer

Gregg Oppenheimer describes himself as a grown-up child of Hollywood being the son of the late I love Lucy creator-producer-head writer Jess Oppenheimer.   After his father’s death in 1988, Gregg spent several years doing research to complete his father’s unfinished memoirs. In the process he became one of the world’s foremost authorities on I Love Lucy, renewing old friendships with many of the individuals who contributed to the show in front of and behind the cameras.  The resulting book, published by Syracuse University Press, is Laughs, Luck…and Lucy: How I Came to Create the Most Popular Sitcom of All Time, which went through seven printings in hardcover before its release in paperback.    From 2000 to 2006 Gregg worked with CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment as producer of the I Love Lucy DVDs, a project for which he received the 2004 and 2005 TV DVD Awards in the “Best 1950s Series” category. In 2007 he executive-produced I Love Lucy: The Complete Series, an all-inclusive 34-disc set comprising the entire saga of the Ricardos and the Mertzes, from the long-lost Pilot to The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours. 

 

Since 2007 Gregg’s contributions to the REPS SHOWCASE have been monumental.   He has been a stalwart supporter of the cause, producing,  directing, and writing numerous old time radio show re-creations, including The Maltese Falcon, The Fred Allen Show, The Jack Benny Program, and Pinocchio.   The productions he has produced at REPS SHOWCASE have been a wonderful mix of drama and comedy (which often includes live music),  proving that Gregg has indeed inherited his father’s creative talent.

 

This year Gregg turns his craft towards radio crime solving as he brings back to the microphone,  cases from the files of two legendary radio detectives –  Sherlock Holmes and Richard Diamond.   Gregg is tasked with unraveling the mystery in a manner that is both enjoyable to the audience and keeps them in suspense.  The Sherlock Holmes radio stories were often action packed and filled with atmosphere and featured great music and sound effects.  In this production, Holmes is tasked with solving the case of a purported “suicide” which Holmes suspects to be murder.  Witness the case unfold Saturday Afternoon,  April 16th.

 

Richard Diamond will be a featured attraction on Friday evening April 15th.   Dick Powell was the star of the Richard Diamond radio series.  Diamond was a light -hearted detective who often ended each episode singing to his girl friend.  The program began on NBC on April 24, 1949 as part of NBC’s great parade of new shows, created by Blake Edwards.   Edwards began in the 1940s as an actor, but soon turned to writing screenplays and radio scripts before turning to producing and directing in film and television.  His best-known films include Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Days of Wine and Roses, 10 and the hugely successful Pink Panther film series with British comedian Peter Sellers.  The Richard Diamond radio series aired until 1953 and would be resurrected for television in 1957 starring David Janssen.   The case that Gregg has selected to “showcase”  involves a beautiful young woman who believes that someone is trying to kill her and hires Richard Diamond to protect her.
Gregg will be bringing Sherlock Holmes and Richard Diamond to the REPS Radio Sound stage with a full cast of outstanding actors many of whom appeared in the some of the best remembered radio shows of yesteryear.
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David Pollock Author of ‘Bob & Ray: Keener Than Most Persons’ Gives Homage to Legendary Team

       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the recent passing of Bob Elliott ,who was one half of the comedy duo of Bob and Ray, it seemed fitting to pay tribute to the legendary comedy team.  For almost 45 years, until the death of Elliott’s comedy partner Ray Goulding in 1990, Bob and Ray entertained millions of radio listeners and television viewers.  Spoofs of other radio programs and man in the street interviews were staple  as were commercial parodies.   The pair were first heard on Boston radio station WHDH in 1946 and continued on the air for over four decades on NBC, CBS , and Mutual networks. Their last program was heard on National Public Radio in 1987.   Author David Pollock, who has had a life long appreciation for the comedy pair, tells the story of Bob and Ray in his 2013 biography,  Bob & Ray: Keener Than Most Persons which is described by  Doug McIntyre of the Los Angeles Daily News as “a must-read for fans of B&R or anyone interested in radio when it was still a creative force.”   This is a welcome biography that chronicles  their career with extensive detail.  Along the way , Pollock shares the history of the two men and provides insight into their personal lives and documents the origins of the team’s best known comedy bits which were key to the teams success and longevity.
The author himself has his own comedy credentials. David Pollock has written for the Carol Burnett Show , All In the Family, M*A*S*H*, Cheers, and Frasier, and even nightclub material for the legendary Jack Benny.  There is certainly no one better to document and  lead a tribute to  the Peabody Award winning comedy team.
David  Pollock author of Bob & Ray: Keener Than Most Persons will be featured Saturday morning at 11:00 am.  However,  you can find him at the REPS SHOWCASE all weekend long. He will have copies of his book so please make a point to come and see us.

 

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Michael James Kacey Tells the Story of Radio Through Dynamic Film

    

When Michael James Kacey began working on his film project, originally titled How Radio Changed America, it was originally conceived as a “love letter” to the Golden Age of Radio.  This feature film documentary has grown both in scope and depth and now expertly explores the historic and cultural impact radio played in American life, examining its unprecedented power to influence the nation. From radio to television to the Internet, HEARING VOICES: How Radio Changed America & America Changed Radio will shine the light on the past in hopes of safeguarding the future. Interviews are still being conducted for this film but already include such network radio veterans as Art Linkletter, Norman Corwin, Tommy Cook, John Astin, Dick Van Patten, Bob Hastings, and Peggy Webber.  Additional interviews include Larry King, Wink Martindale, Washington Post senior editor Marc Fisher,  Norman Lloyd, Marsha Hunt and Ivy Bethune. This film will prove to be the definitive history of American radio.  From the time when Michael was a young boy he has had a special love for radio. It all started when he turned on his radio in the mid 1970s and came upon The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.  For many years now, Michael’s enthusiasm for radio has never waned.  He still gushes about radio and as an adult film maker he set out to capture the history of the medium through the voices of the artists who were a part of that history.   This feature documentary, scheduled for release next year,  is still in production.  However, on Friday morning April 15th, Michael James Kacey will share  highlights from this remarkable film with behind the scenes stories and anecdotes as part of a special preview.   The promotional trailer for the film provides a glimpse of a sensational production that will not only delight anyone who has an appreciation for the history of  radio but should also prove interesting and entertaining to the public at large.

 

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John Wilder – Radio Actor and Award Winning Writer – To Make First REPS Appearance

 

 

JW 1John Wilder Portrait

Here’s terrific news for your morning.  Tacoma born John Wilder who has written and/or produced nearly 400 hours of prime time television drama on network and cable and also received the Writer’s Guild Award for Best Long Form Teleplay and Best Episodic Drama and Emmy nominations for Best Dramatic Series,  will be joining us for the REPS SHOWCASE.  This will be John’s first appearance at the REPS SHOWCASE and an actor with more radio credits to his name would be hard to find.    As a child actor and then known  as Johnny McGovern, John was one of the busiest child actors in the radio business.   Here’s a list of some of his work:
The Jack Benny Show as Joey, The Great Gildersleeve as Craig Bullard, The Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy Show as Schuyler Van Snoot,  The Abbott and Costello Kid Show as the youngest emcee in radio,  The Jimmy Durante Show, Red Ryder as Little Beaver,  Date With Judy as Randolph, and Jump Jump of Holiday House), as well as leading and featured roles on other major network broadcasts, including 21 appearances on Lux Radio Theatre, and multiple appearances on Academy Award Playhouse, Stars Over Hollywood, The Hallmark Hall of Fame, Hollywood Star Playhouse, Hollywood Star Theatre, The Ford Theatre, The Screen Guild Theatre, Screen Director’s Playhouse, Family Theatre, Favorite Story, The Bakers Theatre of Stars, On Stage, Stars In The Air, The NBC University Theatre, Rexall Theatre, Command Performance, Broadway Is My Beat, Cavalcade of America, California Caravan, The CBS Radio Workshop, Hollywood Story, The Bob Hope Show, The Red Skelton Show, The Dennis Day Show, Gunsmoke, Dragnet, Our Miss Brooks, Doorway To Life, My Favorite Husband (Lucille Ball), The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Amos and Andy, The Halls of Ivy, NBC Presents, Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch, The Roy Rogers Show, Hopalong Cassidy, The Cisco Kid, My Friend Irma, The Clyde Beatty Show, The Phil Harris/Alice Faye Show, Dr. Christian, The Stories of Dr. Kildare, The Harold Peary Show, Rogers of The Gazette, Suspense, Fibber McGee and Molly. 
Whew! and we didn’t even list them all.   Recently, John and Larry Gassman had a chance to sit down with John Wilder and talk about his days in radio.

 

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Gloria McMillan, Stuffy Singer and Beverly Washburn confirmed for Showcase.

Gloria McMIllan Portrait Stuffy Singer Portrait Beverly Washburn Portrait

This morning I was thrilled to receive confirmation that Gloria McMillan, Stuffy Singer and Beverly Washburn have confirmed their attendance at this years’s REPS SHOWCASE. Three nicer people you could not meet.   I first met Gloria McMillan in 2009 when I attended my first REPS SHOWCASE.   Gloria was directing the radio version of the Wizard of Oz for which I was asked to do the barking for Toto and also to provide a couple of munchkin voices.  How they knew I specialized in animal sounds and young children’s voices is anyone’s guess but there I was  in this amazing production and very thrilled to be a part of it.  Gloria from the get go was extremely delightful and gracious and I enjoyed working with her immensely.  Gloria McMillan  is best remembered for her long running role of Harriet Conklin on Our Miss Brooks but she has an endless  number of radio appearances.  I am really looking forward to seeing Gloria, Stuffy and Beverly.     Stuffy started out as a young child actor in radio before moving on to television.  Later he became a world class athlete before becoming  a  successful financial advisor based in Southern California (the profession he has held for the last 30 years).   Forget any preconceived ideas that you may have had  about financial advisors being introverted and well, er “stuffy” (no pun intended) because  Stuffy Singer is not . . . . he’s a whole lot of fun.  From the time he arrives in Seattle on Thursday evening until Showcase ends on Sunday afternoon,  we have shared  many laughs together and  entertained a good story or two.  I imagine Stuffy to have been somewhat of a prankster when he was young.  Stuffy Singer gave up acting many, many  years ago but in the 40s and 50s  he had a very long list of radio and early TV credits.   His most notable appearances included Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve,  Suspense  and many other shows.   Now Beverly , she is  just one of the sweetest , nicest and caring people I know and she still continues to do some acting today and boy is she a great actress.  At the 2015 Showcase she brought down the house with her intense and emotional performance of a wife who has just moments to save her husband from the electric chair after he was wrongly convicted.  The performance received a standing ovation which should not surprise anyone considering that Beverly has years of professional experience starting  in radio and motion pictures and then on to over 500 TV appearances.

 

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The Green Hornet to be Featured at REPS SHOWCASE

The Green Hornet BY Martin Grams Paul Carnegie Portrait

An exciting  dramatization of a Green Hornet broadcast  that you’ve  probably never heard and  a visit from the man who played Kato in the radio series.
That man is Paul Carnegie.  The Southeastern High School grad was hired to work in the WXYZ sound-effects department, considered one of the best in the business. That was “pretty heady stuff” for the teenager, who got paid $1 an hour and was responsible for sound effects on many well known shows including the legendary Lone Ranger.   “Whenever some character was socked on the jaw, I’d smack the palm of my hand with this little pad of rubber,” he says. “It hurt like hell.” Galloping hoofbeats were created by pounding small toilet plungers into a box of dirt.  A companion show of The Lone Ranger was The Green Hornet.   The Hornet series began on radio station WXYZ on January 31st , 1936 and was supplied to the Mutual Broadcasting System beginning April 12th, 1938 and later to the Blue network and its successor the ABC Radio Network.   Towards the end of the series run, Paul Carnegie  began playing the part of Kato (assistant to the Green Hornet).   Mr. Carnegie will join us this April at the REPS SHOWCASE to lead the way in bringing  The Green Hornet back  to the radio microphone.   Courtesy of Radio Historian, Martin Grams, who has provided the original radio script for this exciting Green Hornet adventure of  which there is no known recording, so unless you happened to have heard the original broadcast back in 1938,  chances are this exciting adventure will be completely new to you.
The Green Hornet Returns!

 

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We Salute Screen Legend Terry Moore

Terry Moore Portrait

Here’s news that I am delighted to share.   At the 2016 REPS SHOWCASE,  REPS will be honoring screen legend Terry Moore.  We are planning a very special salute for this very classy and celebrated star on Sunday April 17th.   We plan  to feature thoughts and memories from friends, family and notable Hollywood personalities who worked with Terry in pictures and on radio.  Her notable radio work includes the Smiths of Hollywood, Mayor of the Town and she was also heard on Bob Hope, Family Theater and the Lux Radio Theater before making her way into pictures.

 

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Tony Dow of Leave it to Beaver fame Appearing at REPS SHOWCASE in April

I learned this news just this afternoon.  Tony Dow who is best known for his role in the television sitcom Leave it to Beaver (1957 -1963) will be heading to Seattle this April to appear at the REPS SHOWCASE.   Tony is a long time friend of Beverly Washburn who will also be making the trip.  While Tony’s work in radio was very limited,  during his years in early television,  he worked along side many  young actors, directors and writers, who had spent many years working in the big time network radio shows.  Tony has a great appreciation for the Golden Days of Radio and is looking forward to making the trip to Seattle to help pay tribute to the classic shows of yesterday. Would Leave it to Beaver have made a good radio show?  We may have an opportunity to find out as plans are afoot to dramatize one of Tony’s favorite Leave it to Beaver episodes as a radio show.  You’ll have to be at SHOWCASE 2016 to see it.  Hope you can make it.

 

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