THOUGHTS OF AN OLD TIME RADIO COLLECTOR By Henry R. Hinkel

WINTER 1998, Vol. XXVI, No. 1
GOING TO NEWARK CONVENTION

Once again I attended the Friends Of Old Time Radio Convention held this past October. This year I thought I would drive on Wednesday instead of leaving at 5:00 a.m. on Thursday as I had in the past. Wednesday morning was bright and sunny, a nice contrast to the usual 5:00 a.m. blackness of previous years, and the Fall colors of the trees were beautiful. For some reason the trees were about two weeks late this year in changing colors. In past years it always seemed to rain on Thursday morning somewhere along the way to add to the darkness on the trip down to New Jersey. This year, with the bright sunshine it would be a pleasant trip. When I got into the Kingston, New York area, I noticed this one huge dark cloud in the center of the nice sunny sky. "It can't possibly rain from that one cloud" I thought, and then drove through about two miles of light showers.... 16 years and I hit some rain every year. Some things never change.

The toll booths on the New York State Thruway just before exiting into New Jersey were being worked on, so traffic in both directions got a "free pass" and didn't have to pay a toll. That was a pleasant surprise. Now only three or four toll booths on the Garden State Parkway and on to the Convention. If you had read a previous article I wrote on getting to the Convention from the Parkway, you may recall that I stated that in 15 years I never traveled the same way twice.... except once, and that was by mistake so it really didn't count. The rule that I learned was to exit at #140 and follow the signs for Newark Airport. No problem. The Parkway at this point travels through a heavy populated area and of course traffic is getting a little heavier because of this. I don't think there ever is a time when traffic is light in New Jersey. So there I was, in heavy traffic, at a crucial time, cars to the left of me, cars to the right of me, and onward I charged to Exit 140, when suddenly there was the sign for Newark Airport. I gently eased over for the ramp when I realized this was not Exit 140. I looked at my mirror and behind me was the 600 New Jersey drivers. Too late to turn back so onward I went to the toll booth. I just couldn't turn around and go back through the toll booth, I had to go down the ramp to a big divided highway that lead to who knows where. Well, there I was in uncharted waters again, sailing through a mysterious and unknown world. I finally got to an off ramp and started to circle back. This took me through what I think was downtown Maplewood and other points along the way. Finally, after about 10 miles, there was the sign for the Parkway and I managed to get back on track again. I paid my toll to get back on, went about a mile, paid another toll and there was Exit 140. From here it should be smooth sailing. This made it year #16 that I traveled a different way to get to the Convention. Some things never seem to change.

I arrived at the convention site without any further delays and the first person I saw was Jay Hickerson. Jay, as usual, was busy scurrying here and there taking care of last minute details to make sure the Convention comes off smoothly without too many hitches. I registered for my room, took my things upstairs and sat down to relax for a while. Little did I realize that others would not have it so easy. It seems that the hotel is under new management and I guess management has a different idea on how to treat it's customers. Many of the OTR attendees found that when they tried to register they were told that the hotel was overbooked and that the attendees would have to stay at another nearby hotel they owned, even though these people had confirmation numbers for their rooms. Needless to say this caused all kinds of problems and bad feelings among the people who came in. I believe everyone who was rejected had to spend at least one night at the other hotel. Max Schmid had dinner at my table on Thursday night and his name tag read "Hello, my name is Howard Johnson".

Wednesday night was the wine and cheese get together for those who arrived early. There were probably 30 to 40 people in attendance during the night as they floated in and out and gathered to renew some friendships. I am not a wine person so I grabbed a beer and sat at a table to the back of the room. Shortly a couple came over and politely asked if they could join me at the table. They were Mr. and Mrs. Gardner from England attending their first OTR Convention. They didn't know anyone of course and didn't know what to expect. I told them just to make themselves comfortable and they will find everyone very friendly at the Convention. One thing Mr. Gardner did ask was that I point out any celebrities so he could place a face with a voice. Jeanette Nolan then sat at our table and he was fascinated by her conversation. I believe Mr. Gardner found his first Convention very satisfying and not exactly what he had expected.

The nice thing about the Convention is seeing, talking and renewing old friendships with the people you see each year. Sometimes the conversations are only short.... not enough time.... and sometimes they are longer when there is enough time. It was nice to see and talk once again to Jay, Max, Dave Siegal, Bill Nadel, John Rayburn, Bill Murtaugh, Charles Laughlin, Allan Chapman, Ed Carr, Charlie Wheeler, Barry Hill, Jack French and many others. Outside of the difficulties with the hotel, I believe a memorable and enjoyable time was had by all who attended. Some things never seem to change.

Just some thoughts of a collector.

SPRING 1998, Vol. XXVI, No. 2
1997 CONVENTION REPORT by Henry R. Hinkel

This is a report of the 1997 Friends Of Old Time Radio Convention held on October 23rd, 24th and 25th in Newark, New Jersey. The Convention started on Wednesday night with a wine and cheese get together for those who arrived early on October 22nd. About 30-40 people attended the informal affair and casually sat around, talked, renewed friendships and experiences. On Thursday, October 23rd the dealers room was open from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The first workshop started with Bill Murtough, a former CBS radio engineer, sharing stories and answered questions concerning his career. Dave Siegal and Frank Bequaert gave a talk on radio books and magazines. Terry Solomonson covered three decades of collecting followed by Gary Yoggy talking about favorite holiday radio shows. The after dinner presentations were an original re-creation of "A Kiss From A Little Old Lady" by Edgar Russell III and a "One Man's Family" reunion.

On Friday morning, guest Frank "Junior" Coghlan conducted a talk on his career. Jack French followed with a discussion on Asians on Radio and Jim Widner, Roy Hill and Barry Hill hosted a panel on Science Fiction. Anthony Tollin started the afternoon with a panel on Superman followed by a panel discussion on CBC Radio and a salute to Walter Gibson. An author's panel was next featuring Bill Owen and Frank Buxton, Leonard Maltin, Tom DeLong, Frank Coghlan, and Anthony Tollin. The afternoon closed with the Dave Warren Players doing a presentation of Duffy's Tavern.

After the Friday evening dinner John Rayburn gave a presentation on sound effects with the help of Bob and Ray (Mott and Erlenborn) and a "special" appearance by Barney Beck. Who would have expected a "special" appearance by Barney Beck? The whole presentation was quite clever and made one wonder if the whole thing was rehearsed or "just happened". With everyone now in a "lighter" mood, the evening closed with re-creations of Zero Hour from X-Minus One and a story from Fort Laramie.

On Saturday morning, The Atlantic Radio Theater Company did "In The Hour Of The Wolf". The Boogie Woogie Girls performed next with a salute to the Andrews Sisters. Mitchell Weisberg did a discussion on Radio to TV Transitions followed by the Gotham Radio Players presentation of "The Adventures Of The Lady In White". The afternoon session started with a "Salute To The Big Bands" featuring a panel with Betty Johnson, Kitty Kallen, and Dolly Dawn. Next was a panel on the 60th Anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster and the Herb Morrison Broadcast. Raymond Edward Johnson was next with a reading of "The End Of The Age". The afternoon then closed with a re-creation of "Meet Corliss Archer".

After dinner, awards were handed out and a presentation of "I Remember Mama" was given. The evening then closed with a re-creation of "The Cisco Kid".

A good time was had by all in attendance and you couldn't ask for a day with more activities. There were 400 people in attendance for Saturday nights dinner, more than at any of the previous conventions. Many familiar faces were not there this year, but attendance was still up indicating that more people are becoming aware of this annual event. Outside of the problem with "over booking" at the hotel, the convention itself was another successful event. This year the hotel was under new management and had done some remodeling. On the downside, the hotel had removed all the chairs and couches from the lobby area, making it difficult to hang around and talk to friends or celebrities. This removed the "friendly feeling" and left the lobby feeling "cold and impersonal". Maybe next year the management will return the seating to the lobby and give it a more friendly feeling again. We shall see what next year will bring.

A tip of the hat to Jay Hickerson and all the committee for making the 1997 Friends Of Old Time Radio Convention a wonderful success.

Just some thoughts of a collector.

Send questions and comments about the NARA NEWS Magazine to:    Hank Hinkel, Old Timer

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