Watch the Belgian Parade with some Lucky Lager!

I have another batch of interesting and widely varying tapes today!

I've periodically shared slide show narration tapes, and today I have one that is actually a bit of a mystery. Because first, I'm not sure this is a narration for a slide show or for an 8 mm home movie presentation. And second, because the subject matter seems to change without announcing itself partway through the material.

The first section of the narration is clearly for a parade featuring Belgian-Americans (and possibly the King of Belgium - see below), but then at some point we've clearly moved on into a tour of one of the many world's fairs which occurred in the mid-20th Century - I'm guessing the one in New York in the 1960's, but maybe the clues on this reel will steer a listener in another direction.

Narrating a slide show makes much more sense to me - my experience with film is that it is awfully hard to line up such a narration with the film and have it work every time, with a pre-prepared recording. Yes, I've actually done this, back when I was 14, with some of my family's home movies. But some of the announcing certainly sounds like it's related more to moving images than slides. Hear for yourself!

Download: Slide Show or Film Narration for a Parade and World's Fair Visit
Play:

And here, as an little added attraction, is a fragment of recording which was contained on the very next box I opened from this collection. This is the end of a radio interview, with a connection so poor as to possibly be a short wave broadcast, interviewing someone who was at a Belgian Reception, mentioning the presence of the King of Belgium, and wishing that more Belgian-Americans had been present.

Whether this reception is connected to the parade documented on the other tape is unknown. That this reception was in Detroit complicates that idea, since the parade seems to have transitioned into an event that I believe to have been in Detroit.

I do love my listeners/readers, though: you've come through many times with solutions, based on things I missed, or didn't have time to research.

Download: Brief Fragment of Conversation about Belgian Reception
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~~

I'm not a drinking man, but I still usually recognize the name of a beer when I hear it. But Lucky Lager was a mystery to me. It seems to have been far more common in the western states, and I have never lived outside of Illinois, so maybe that's why. But it seems to have been massively popular, wherever it was enjoyed, in the 1950's and early 1960's, at least.

And it was in the early 1960's - late 1962, for use in 1963 - that Lucky Lager sent out the following promotional tape to its dealers, and who knows who else. I find this tape highly entertaining, except for the sections where they literally repeat portions of it again, most notably the upcoming new radio ad promotion featuring future game show stooge Jaye P. Morgan, complete with her introductory comments, twice.

Despite that bit of repetitive weirdness, this is a fun tape. One more thing: there is a moment where they were apparently going to insert some other sort of recording or presentation, and there is a moment of silence
instead. The brand was apparently flying pretty high at this time, but not so much by the end of the decade.

Have a listen!

Download: Lucky Lager - 1963 "Lucky Days" Sales Promotion
Play:

Finally, here's this week's "very short reel", chosen at random from a few large stacks. This is a late 1990's radio ad - two promos for use on one specific day, due to the content being related to that night's TV broadcast, on the local Toledo Fox-owned station, promoting both the news, and that evening's rerun of the never-less-than-aggressively-and-painfully-unfunny Home Improvement. 

Download: Two Fox News and Home Improvement Combo Ads

Play:

The 1962 Eurovision Song Contest, Jonathan Winters Uncensored and More

Hi, everyone,

It's time to update the ol' Scotch Tape Box History Series. I believe I can hear you whooping and hollering from here!

I have to say up front that I do not know exactly where this design fits in. Each of the last four boxes that I've shared seem to date from somewhere in the period 1958-1965 or so, which is mostly a period that my family bought precious few new tapes, as we only replaced our faded Concertone with a newer model in the fall of 1963. And even then, my father seems to have favored a brand called "Knight" (which also went through some interesting box design changes).

So I'm certain that the last four (including this one) come from that era, but really can't put a better date on them. However, today's offering is a definite change of pace. All of the previous designs prominently featured some representation of the reel of tape held within, and/or played up the quality of the tape or some special feature (extra length, weather balanced, etc.), this one contains none of that. It has a type number (141, indicating a 1200 foot reel), and some space age era illustrations. We're also told it's part of the "Tartan Series, whatever that was. But that's it. As with the previous boxes, the Scotch pattern has been relegated to a half-inch on the right edge of the box.

I suspect this box was in production longer than the last few that I shared, as it turns up more often, particularly more frequently than the last two.

Things get a lot less interesting, design-wise, from here on out.

~~~

The big offering for today is a remarkable piece of tape recorded live, off the air, in England, in 1962. It features virtually the entirety of the 1962 "Eurovision Song Contest". If you are unfamiliar with this amazing and unique event, you should really read up on  it, but if you don't want to, I'll tell you that it is a contest between some of the nations of Europe, held every year, to determine the best song of that year.

That it doesn't succeed in this is self-evident - for many years, a very specific few types of songs were offered up, intended to appeal to the generic middle-of-the-road European judge. Monty Python famously ridiculed this tendency around 1970.

The only worldwide hit to have come out of the contest, as far as I know, is the magnificent "Waterloo" by Abba, which may well have broken the mold, and perhaps brought more variety to future contest, but I really don't know.

The recording heard here features an announcer who seems more suited to a golf tournament, breaking in with hushed explanations and comments via what sounds like a walkie-talkie, at opportune moments.

Aside from a moment to turn over the tape, the whole thing seems to be here - all the performances, the intermission music while the countries are deciding on their favorites, the voting, and the second performance of the winning song. For me, I only liked a couple of the songs, neither of which got many votes at all.

I've probably made this sound awful. It isn't - it's weirdly wonderful, and certainly a moment in time that has long-since passed. Just think, less than six months after this contest, The Beatles recorded their first Parlophone Records 45. I have to think that, at least by the 1964 Eurovision contest, the difference between the songs performed at this contest, and what actual Europeans (and the rest of the world) were listening to, must have been as wide as the ocean.

Download: Various Artists - The 1962 Eurovision Song Contest
Play:

~~

Next up, something really remarkable. At least, that's the case if it's as rare as I think it might be.

This is a short tape of Jonathan Winters, at some undated point in his career, but I would guess the 1960's, performing without the restrictions of the day, for either stand-up (which he actually did very little of) or of album releases.

Over the course of these 13 or so minutes, you'll hear Winters - who has an audience of only a few people - engage in a series of mostly very short vignettes, punctuated here and there by words that would have been bleeped, at the time. The scenes include a bit about having diarrhea, a bit of gay comedy (the one thing not unheard of in his released comedy), some lighthearted material about a rape, some fun about teenage masturbation, and in the last (and by far the longest) bit, a parody of a hip black guy, which features the use of several racial and ethnic slurs.

Again, maybe this is commonly known of and circulated. But I've only found one reference to it, on an acetate (and indeed, it seems likely that this is a recording of an acetate), so I'm guessing it's fairly rare.

Download: Jonathan Winters - Unreleased, Off-Color Material
Play:

~~

The next tape, featuring Larry Blair talking about "The CIA" came in this box:

I am almost certain that this tape was recorded as accompaniment to a slide show, perhaps for use in High School or College classes. The factual reporting, with very little opinion on either side of any issue, and the open-ended nature of the ending suggests that it was meant to be followed by conversation, a written assignment, or both.

On the other hand, I doubt that this tape was the item that went with the slide show. I suspect it's far more likely that Larry Blair used this tape as a demo reel to promote his own talents as a reporter or voice-over/commercial pitchman.

Download: Larry Blair - The CIA
Play:

~~

And assuming that I'm correct about Larry Blair's tape, it's something of a coincidence that the "very short reel" I pulled out at random for today post is ALSO a demo reel, in this case for Harry Chase, an actor known primarily for his voice work, and who has credits on IMDB as recently as 2012. Here is his demo reel.


Download: Harry Chase - Voice Talent Demo Tape
Play:

Summer Varieties, Lichens and Mosses, and More!

Hello, everyone,

I hope you are all coping well with whatever level of madness is currently the status quo where you are. I have a few things to distract you from more difficult matters today.

First up, here's a neat bit of local television, of a sort that hasn't existed for a long, long time. It's a half-hour program that aired on WGAL-TV, in Lancaster, PA, in the summer of 1955. This is the final edition of "Summer Varieties", presumably near or at the end of that summer. The show featured local talent on organ, playing several solos, and also accompanying another local talent, a 15 year old female vocalist, one some other songs.

The tape was being recorded with an open microphone by someone, most likely in her home, and you can hear her curse at one point during a soft moment of the show. And I suspect I'm not alone in wishing the person taping this show had tuned in the next week for the return of show this program seems to have been replacing over the summer. "Stump Your Neighbor".

Download: Summer Varieties - WGAL-TV, Summer, 1955
Play:

~~

Next, here's a peculiar little item, which is short enough that I could have included it in my very short tapes series. But I find this one more interesting than many of those tapes, and actually filed it away after making an MP3 of it. It's labeled "Opening and Closing Music for Lichens and Mosses", so if you have any Lichens or Mosses outside your home, or in a frequently visited garden, perhaps you can play this music for them as you arrive and depart.


Download: Opening and Closing Music for Lichens and Mosses
Play: +

Here are the front and back of the tape box:

~~

For those of you who adore recordings of anonymous amateur bands sounding very amateurish while rehearsing medleys, do I have the tape for you!!!! Here 'tis!:

Download: Unknown High School Band - Rehearsing a Medley
Play:

~~

And finally, the moment you've been waiting for - this week's entry in the "Very Short Reels" series. In this case, it's a pair of nice ads for Dodge Pick-Up Trucks, sounding very much like they're from 1971, which they are.

Download: Two 1971 Dodge Truck Ads
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A Rare Nat "King" Cole Recording, The March of Dimes, and More!

Hello,

I hope everyone out there is well and stays well. I have something remarkable today, but first, a few things about recent comments. I appreciate everyone who stops by, and love hearing whatever anyone has to say. Unfortunately, if the person commenting doesn't link to an e-mail address, I am unable to answer personally.

In light of that, I wanted to answer the person who asked if I had any earlier Jack Eigen recordings, from the late 1940's and early 1950's. The answer is that I don't - I only have them from the 1968-early 70's. I've only had one request to share more of this collection, but if anyone else wants to hear it, I'm open to sharing it - I have a ton of it.

On a completely separate note, writer Tony suggests that the mysterious writing on the most recent Scotch tape box, "Weather Balanced" might well have to do with the tape performing equally well, with no discernible differences, in wildly various weather situations, particularly with regard to differences in humidity. That's as good an idea as any.

~~

Today, I'm featuring a recording I believe to be exceptionally rare, given its historic value and the fact that I can find almost no posting of it online, save for several postings of a single song from the end of the broadcast.

It's from the legendary Nat "King" Cole TV show, which ran for two seasons before NBC gave up trying to find a copy that would regularly sponsor a show hosted by a Black man. The show ran barely over a year. What I have here is virtually the entire episode of August 6, 1957, when Cole welcomed Harry Belafonte. IMDB indicates this was a 15 minute episode, although elsewhere on the page for the show, and on Wikipedia, it says the show expanded to 30 minutes that summer. And indeed, this is a 30 minute episode.

(Not that you asked (and I'm sure you don't care...), but I'm not a fan, at all, of Nat "King" Cole, whose mannered over-enunciated style of singing I find insufferable. On the other hand, Harry Belafonte has made some records I love, including the "Calypso" album, which is certainly among my dozen favorite albums ever. But more often he could be just as precious as Cole, and that's the side of him featured, for the most part, here, with the exception of the calypso number at the end (and which is the segment that's readily available). The first time I heard "Scarlet Ribbons", for example, was one time too many.)

However, I do recognize the importance and rarity of this reel, and that there are far more people who don't share my taste than that do. And I'm happy to share this with whatever part of the world is reading and listening.

Download: The Nat King Cole Show, August 6, 1957, With Harry Belafonte
Play:

~~

Now please understand, I'm certainly not saying that Cole couldn't sing - he obviously had great talent, even if it's not to my taste. As a contrast, here's someone who absolutely could not sing - who clearly had no ability to hear or sing on pitch - and seems to have been blissfully unaware of it, as he happily sings - over and over and over again for God knows what reason - with a very family one-time # 1 hit record:

Download: Unknown - Singing Along to "Runaround Sue"
Play:

~~

Now let's transition into something more entertaining and certainly more meaningful: I recently came across this reel of Public Service Announcements, all strung together on one reel, despite being for three different organizations, ones with no direct link between them, as far as I know. During these 23 minutes, you'll hear from more than a dozen celebrities, some whose names live on even today, at least among some of us, and others who are largely forgotten today, promoting The March of Dimes, then Care Packages, then Cerebral Palsy (unlike the first two, all of the PSAs for latter feature the same celebrity, singer Ken Carson).

Download: A Collection of PSA's for The March of Dimes, Care Packages and Cerebral Palsy
Play:

~~
And finally, let's keep going with our "Very Short Tapes" project. As luck would have it, the tape I pulled out at random (after compiling everything else in this post, also features PSA's, in this case, four PSA's from late in 1980 from the American Heart Association. And here's that tape:

Download: The American Heart Association, Four PSA's, November and December, 1980
Play:

Two Great Commercials and Two Home Recordings

Happy Leap Year Day,

It's been quite a while since I updated the Scotch Tape Box series, mostly because I've barely had time recently to complete posts at all. But today's the day. Last time I updated the series, I acknowledged having accidentally skipped over two designs, and offered up one of those, promising one more to come.

I actually suspect that this one, while coming after the iconic and stark black and gray box they used in for much of the 1950's, actually came before the clock motif one that I shared last time, but there's no way I can be even remotely certain.

Regardless, this one is an absolute favorite, one which they didn't use for very long at all, judging from the frequency with which these boxes turn up (rarely). There's a hell of a lot going on here. The scotch design on the outside edge is still there, and there is a vestige of the grey image of a reel, but if you didn't know what it was, you wouldn't necessarily figure it out.

As to the rest of the box, it's so busy that I'm not surprised they dispensed with it quickly. It says "PE backing", directly over part of the writing on the grey box, and the entire left side of the box is given over to drawings of various kinds of weather, with the phrase "Weather Balanced" in the center. This phrase is also on the edges of the box. I have no idea what that has to do with anything - maybe someone can enlighten me. And like the previous tape box shared, this one again trumpets the fact that the reel has 50% more tape on it than a seven inch reel could previously hold.

I'm guessing they decided this was too complicated to be worthwhile, but I love it.

~~

Another project, one I have been keeping up with, is the "Very Short Reels" project, which is linked with that phrase at the bottom of this page. This time around, instead of again tacking the short reel onto the end of my post, I'm going to lead off with it, because this is one of my favorite tapes ever. I found it in 1992, most likely at the ALS Mammoth Music Mart, which I've written about multiple times, so won't describe it again. 

The five inch box had a cover I would have found irresistible, then and now: 

Are you kidding me? Some local ad agency's own tape of an ad produced for some company's Cherry Sauce? And recorded two days after I was born? That's for me. 

In most cases when I find something this cool, the actual contents turn out to be something of a disappointment. But not this time. I love old-timey radio advertisements, as my multiple posts of the Star Ads should make clear. And this one is as good as all but the very best of the Star Ads. 

It's heard in two versions, a version with the chorus vocals (including a section of individual vocals), but with no voice over, and the version with the spoken voice over. Oddly, perhaps, I prefer the version without the voice over, by far. There is just so much going on in that basic track, The section from 0:10 to 0:18 is masterfully arranged and played. I almost feel like it's spoiled when someone talks over it. I also love the xylophone player getting his part right as the take is announced at the beginning of the backing track version. Finally, I think it's entirely possible that one of these singers later moved over to the Star Ads agency. If you have a listen to some of those ads, particularly the ones featuring the guy I call "the voice" of Star Ads. He's heard here in the first and last ads, and I think he's in this ad, solo, at the 0:48 spot. 

One of my favorite things that I've ever found on a reel - The Comstock Cherry Sauce ad by The Gordon Best Company. 

Download: The Gordon Best Company - Comstock Cherry Sauce, Basic Track

Play:  

Download: The Gordon Best Company - Comstock Cherry Sauce, With Voice Over

Play:  

Always remember: Lighten each dish with extra delish. 

~~

Well, that's a tape I've been enjoying for over 25 years. Here's one I just discovered this week. It was in the middle of a off-the-air recording of Victor Borge's TV show circa late 1958 or 1959. That was enjoyable enough, but basically captured his act, which I adore (I would rank Borge among the top three or four comedians of the century), but which I am extremely familiar with/ 

However, the show contained several lengthy ads for Pontiac, including, delightfully, one of almost two minutes featuring Bob and Ray, and which I don't believe has ever been anthologized or captured on youtube, etc. So here is that ad, for your dining and dancing pleasure: 

Download: Bob and Ray for Pontiac, Circa 1959

Play:

~~

Next up is a short bit of recording which I found in the middle of someone's recordings of some mid-1950's pop music. Usually that type of tape is wholly uninteresting, containing material that either never needs to be heard again (ahem, Mantovani), or which is readily available on youtube, or things that qualify for both of those descriptions. 

And yet, here was an absolutely lovely little 7 1/2 minute blast of a happy family (or perhaps family and friends), singing together fairly joyously at times. There are several children present and someone playing a guitar. After a brief rendition of the children's song, "Five Little Ducks", we move on to the recent hits of the day. 

Based on the songs sung, I'm guessing this tape to be from 1957, probably early 1957, based on the familiarity everyone present has with several hits from late in 1956. That this is right in the heart of what is perhaps my single favorite 18 months ever for popular music surely adds to my enjoyment, but I hope those who listen to it will find it at least pleasant and sweet. 

The songs that follow are: Marianne, Wringle Wrangle, and one I don't recognize, all featuring guitar and enthusiastic singing from the children present, then Horace the Horse (a children's song) and The Green Door, both sung a capella, and with a lot of comments from the children. The raucous nature of these recordings then gives way to a very sweet and harmonious version of "Blueberry Hill". During this song, though, one of the children decides it's time to stop recording and becomes increasingly loud about his or her displeasure, and the recording is ended. 

Download: Family Sing Along Circa 1957

Play:

~~

And finally, a tape I find fairly tedious, but which is unique enough and certainly rare enough to make it worth sharing. This tape contains what appear to be a few friends, repeatedly rehearsing and practicing songs - mostly just two of them - over and over again in different settings and styles, with both organ and piano backing. I have done a lyric search, and I don't believe these are songs which ever became popular - they may not have even ever been published - so this may have been the work of an amateur songwriter with some hope, via these demos, of having a hit song, or simply friends performing material they'd written. Who knows? At the end there are performances of the standard "Laura" and of a song called "Don't Take Your Love From Me" (and there is a glitch in the latter performance), but for the first 36 minutes or so of this 41 minute segment, it's just the same couple of songs, again and again and again. 

Download: Unknown - Rehearsing a Few Songs Over and Over

Play:

February 9th Potpourri: Joe Gerossi, His Friends, and More!

I see by the calendar that it's February 9th. This marks the 56th anniversary of the Beatles' first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show - can you believe it?

And as I have no particular theme for today's posts, I'll label it a potpourri.

But first - as some of you know, I also write a blog which is largely about the wholly American side-show to the music industry known as song-poems. And I am happy to announce that I have been invited to be part of yet another podcast, this one focusing on 25 of my own personal favorite song-poem and song-poem related records. This has been in the works for over six months, and the podcaster, Brian Kramp, and I finally did the interview late in January. The podcast can be heard here and here, and if you want to see the list of songs, it can be found here (the list is in reverse order, from 25 up, with a section near the top of a handful of song-poem related discs (which are not actually song poems). It's all explained in the show.

But let's get back to the reel to reel thang:

My prime offering for the day is something of a potpourri all on its own. And while I found it strangely entertaining, I can certainly understand if others tire of it quickly, or even gradually. It's a home recording (well, at least parts of it seem to have been recorded in a barber shop, actually), featuring a handful of people speaking, complicated at times by both a.) repeated decisions to erase existing recordings, often mid-sentence, and b.) even more so a poorly functioning reel to reel machine.

The dominant speaker for much of the tape is a barber named Joe Gerossi, who seems to have fashioned himself as something of a dry wit, and you can decide for yourself how accurate that is. After a bit of speaking, we get to hear some homey (and homely) music for the next eight minutes or so, although a short discussion of how long a soldier has to be stay in the army pops up near the end.

After a moment with a small child, Mr. Gerossi interviews a client of his barbershop, then we enter a lengthy section where he attempt to interact with a Myna Bird, with virtually no success. The disorienting thing here - and which makes it sort of fascinating to me - is that he is recording over a previous attempt to do the same sort of recording, and it would appear that his machine wasn't working well, because the old recording is bleeding through, sort of like a fun-house mirror version of what we're listening to. It also helps that every now and then the speed of the recording falters. There is also, regrettably, some harmonica playing here and there. A very odd segment.

Then, at about the 24 minute mark, another voice takes over, not identified, doing some extremely ineffective sounding fast-speak hypnotism. And again, this is rendered fairly disorienting because Joe and his monologues about the Myna are three-quarters erased but still audible behind much of this five minute portion.

Someone sings "Chantilly Lace" (perhaps dating this tape to 1958?) and then Mr. Gerossi returns, getting a couple of responses from the Myna Bird, but not much. All too soon (or perhaps far too late) the tape ends just beyond the 32 minute mark.

Download: Joe Gerossi and Friends - Various Recordings
Play: 

~~~

Switching gears so severely as to be essentially in a completely different type of vehicle, here's a short hunk of tape containing multiple attempts at getting some opening and closing music JUST right, for a show called "Stars in Action", which multiple sources tell me aired on CBS during the 1958-59 TV season. It was, oddly, a program of repeats of a CBS show from earlier in the decade, shown under this new title, and part of CBS' fall lineup for 1958. I wonder if that's been done before or since.

These largely sound interchangeable to me - in fact, these sound canned, rather than live - but clearly they had something specific in mind. My favorite moment is the little moment of confusion and slight laughter at about 3:03.

Download: CBS Film Services - "Stars in Action", Main and End Titles
Play: 

~~~~

Next up, more Beautiful Music. Last month's posting of some vintage elevator music programming got a few responses, and by chance, I happened across another tape of the same sort of thing a few days after posting that segment. In this case, it's from a then-hugely popular station, WCLR here in Chicago, which sometimes called itself "W-Clear". This reel - both sides of a 1200 foot tape are heard - seems to be from the very earliest days of January, 1972, based on a few of the references to college football and the business stories of 1971, among other things. The most interesting parts of this for me are the breaks for commercials and business (and other) news. There is a brief break at the change of tape sides, and at least one other spot where the person recording this material turned the machine off and back on again, missing a short bit of the broadcast.

Download: WCLR, Chicago - Beautiful Music Circa January, 1972, Side One
Play: 


Download: WCLR, Chicago - Beautiful Music Circa January, 1972, Side Two
Play: 

~~

And finally, it's time to enjoy another of my myriad "Very Short Reels". Here's a 1998 ad for Ed Schmidt's Used Car Superstore, in Perryburg, Ohio, an ad titled "Regional Used Car Selloff". This aired on station WBUZ, which was a station in nearby (and tiny) Delta, Ohio at the time.

Download: Ed Schmidt - Regional Used Car Selloff
Play:

Four Disparate Radio Tapes

Today, as indicated above, I have three recordings made of - and one made for - radio broadcasts. But first, a few bits of business:

First up: It was earlier last year that I discovered that a podcast had used one of my most ridiculous songs - titled "A Sailing Milk Moustache" - as the introductory music for their year-end show. I reached out to the person behind the podcast, and, after quite a bit of conversation, ended up doing a lengthy interview with him for one of his episodes, all about my history, in terms of my collecting and, particularly, my humorous songs. I was then invited to be a part of this year's New Year's Eve/New Year's Day special.

Interestingly, the show's general theme is (this is from their website):  "A podcast and Website dedicated to understanding the world in which we live from a Christian worldview perspective", although nothing remotely in that area came up in the two shows I was part of.

My interview can be found here, and the New Year show - which I am only part of sporadically, can be heard here.

~~

And second, I am indebted to Tony, who recently posted with regard to my recent 1949/1951 home recording post, that, having discerned a reference to Time for Beany, it was clear that this family resided in the Los Angeles area, as that puppet show was a local phenomenon at the time. Thanks!

As a side note, I would encourage everyone reading to find some early Time for Beany, the episodes with Stan Freberg and Daws Butler basically (I believe) improvising the show. There are episodes available in various formats, including youtube, It's among the funniest stuff I've ever seen.

~~

So, on with the countdown!

The most interesting of today's four offerings is probably this mish-mash of recordings off of Chicago radio. It lasts just over 37 minutes, and as far as I can tell, it's all from the AM band, with the exception of a few brief moments of home conversation, made over the earlier radio recordings. The dominant station here is broadcasting an appearance by Governor George Wallace, one of his first appearances after his assassination attempt, at the time of the Democratic Convention, which places this recording definitively in July of 1972. Whoever was recording this day flips back to this news coverage multiple times, and it makes up a good portion of the recording. Bernard Shaw, later to become very well known on CNN, is among the reporters heard. Other stations are heard only momentarily, such as the one playing an Eagles record, and still others are heard for too long for my taste, particularly a bit of religious blather which is fairly far outside my own ideas about faith.

All in all, a neat little time capsule.

Download: Chicago AM Radio, July 1972
Play:
~~

Moving back in time 14 years, here is an 1958 episode of a 15 minute show, produced by the Archdiocese of Chicago, and titled "The Catholic View". This show dates to a point in time when a local Cardinal, Samuel Stritch by name, received a deep honor from the Pope and the Vatican, and departed Chicago with great fanfare, to fulfill his new role, only to encounter unexpected tragedy along the way. I have found at least three tapes (perhaps all from the same collection) recorded at different points in this saga, and this one does not complete the story. If I can find one or both of the others, I will share it next time. The whole thing sounds like something out of a medical drama or even The Twilight Zone, so sudden and severe and unlikely are the highs and lows this man experienced. If you want to get "the rest of the story" a bit faster, you can read a very brief explanation of it at the end of his Wikipedia page, and after that, you can wonder what he might have thought about his niece, Elaine Stritch. 

Download: The Catholic View, May 1958 - Pray for Cardinal Stritch
Play:  

~~

Next up, I'll offer a bit of explanation. Quite some time ago, I offered up an ad that I found in the midst of a tape of a "Beautiful Music" station, and mentioned that this is where it came from. Someone asked me to post that full segment, commenting that there is very little record of what "Beautiful Music" stations sounded like. Well, I couldn't find that tape - I may well have sold it. I often bundle together tapes which don't have anything interesting (to me) on them and sell them on eBay. But I've found a segment of another station, WBNS in Columbus, Ohio, complete with drab music and equally drab sponsors.

This segment is about 64 minutes long. I believe it's possible that the last 18 minutes are NOT from a radio broadcast, but rather, are all tracks from the same album. There is a sound (at 45:50) which might be a recorder being switched off or back on at that point, and the next song fades in. The final few tracks sound like they could all be from the same album. But I'm certainly not sure.

If anyone wants to hear more of this sort of material, I can post it as I come across it.

Download: WBNS, Columbus, Ohio - Beautiful Music Programming
Play:

~~

Finally, as part of the ongoing "Very Short Reels" feature, here's the next one I pulled out of the stack. It's a simple, 30 second ad for a Disney film that I don't remember ever even knowing existed, "Atlantis: The Lost Empire". That's odd, actually, because in 2001, my girls were 10 and 8 that summer, and likely at least on the fringe of the audience for this film. Or maybe I was just that dedicated to not having to hear "Come Sail Away".

Download: Walt Disney's "Atlantis" - Radio Ad
Play:

It's worth noting that this commercial has to date to the very last point in time that ads were still being provided to radio stations on reel to reel tape. I'm amazed that this was still a thing in 2001.