Cecil and Sally

Some of you remember Doug Hopkinson, an active member during the early years of this group. He is still busy in the hobby, just not with OTRR. One of his pet series the last 12 years or so has been Cecil and Sally. He practically single-handedly brought this program back into circulation among hobbyists. He has the opportunity to purchase more than 600 discs of the series at a total price of $5,000. This is out of his budget so he has created a Kickstarter to attempt to fund it. It’s a bit pricey but please take a look. Doug’s recording skills are superior and he’s been working with transcriptions for years. Cecil and Sally has become one of my favorite series! The link to his Kickstarter.

Martin Grams’ Lone Ranger

I don’t recall if this was posted earlier, but Martin Grams’ newest book is expected to release mid-June. It is The Lone Ranger: The Early Years, 1933 – 1937. If you’re a Lone Ranger fan, it’s a no-brainer. Initially I was disappointed when it was announced because I wanted a history of the entire show and this only covers the first years. However, Martin noted in a Facebook message that there are an additional three volumes planned (years out). If you order before it comes in from the printer he is not charging shipping. Cost is $34.95 for a 800-page volume (the majority I expect to be a detailed episode guide that is famous for). If you’re interested, order here.

The March-April 2021 issue of the Old Radio Times is now available!


Welcome to issue #113 of the Old Radio Times. It can be downloaded here. Regular contributor Larry Maupin grabs the lead spot with a piece on 1975’s Radio Playhouse. Joe Adams continues relating his time producing audio drama, Denise Noe reviews the Suspense episode “Fugue in C Minor” and Martin Grams talks about the Shadow‘s Margot Lane. Also, get the latest on the internet station Stay Tuned America and some updated purchasing group information. Enjoy!

Your editor,
Ryan Ellett

New Amos ‘n’ Andy Shows

Shared by Martin Grams on our Facebook page:

BREAKING NEWS!Three consecutive, long-lost Amos ‘n’ Andy serial programs can now be heard for the first time in 92 years!These programs are the rarest of the rare: the first series ever to be distributed to radio stations by electrical transcription. The discs were pressed in very small quantities, and were either destroyed after one playing, or returned to Gosden and Correll (after which they were likely destroyed). Some single copies, thankfully, escaped that fate.Every once in a great while, we have the opportunity to get a few more of these historically and culturally important shows into the hands and ears of collectors.Here’s what has been discovered: Amos ‘n’ Andy program #309 – for broadcast, March 21, 1929Amos ‘n’ Andy program #310 – for broadcast, March 22, 1929Amos ‘n’ Andy program #311 – for broadcast, March 23, 1929These programs were broadcast five months before Amos ‘n’ Andy began their long run on NBC.But these rare discs did not come cheap. Together, they cost just about $1,000 at a recent auction. To help cover that cost, interested collectors can pledge $20 for high quality .wav files of these shows. And you’ll get much more than these three programs.What else will be included for your $20 pledge:- Ten PDF copies of Amos ‘n’ Andy scripts covering the shows around the new discoveries. These scripts have recently been scanned from microfilm copies held by the Library of Congress. – Two previously uncirculated copies of CECIL AND SALLY, another very early show that was syndicated on discs. They’ll come to you in high resolution .wav file copies.- One “lost” episode of MR. CHAMELEON not available anywhere else.A note on the sound quality of the Amos ‘n’ Andy programs: don’t expect high fidelity. These discs, while in very good shape, are a bit noisy. In fact, every AnA “chainless chain” disc pressed by Marsh and offered before, is similarly noisy. It’s probably one of the reasons why Gosden and Correll switched to Brunswick to record and press their episodes, before finally moving to live broadcasts over NBC. Sammy Jones will use the finest playback equipment at his disposal to get the sound out of the grooves, but the audio files won’t be subjected to excessive noise reduction. And finally, a disclaimer: as mentioned above, the cost to acquire these three programs wasn’t cheap. It broke down to more than $300 per show, paid by one collector. If a similar amount can’t be raised to offset much of that amount, all pledged money will be returned, and these discs will sit on the shelf for another time. We need to sell 50 of these to help defer the costs. (If we do reach the goal, we will also toss an extra CD of “lost” radio shows on top of what we described above.)To reserve your .wav files of three lost 1929 broadcasts of Amos ‘n’ Andy, send $20 via PayPal to m.grams@hotmail.com. Please use the friends and family option, so there are no extra fees. If we meet the fundraising goal, people who pledge will receive a link to download the audio files and PDF scripts.