two Honeymooners radio programs from 1954 OTR

$

250

The Honeymooners (yes, Gleason, Carney, Meadows & Randolph!) on radio?  The idea was apparently at least considered by CBS in 1954.  Here are two complete programs that I presume were intended as audition (test) versions for CBS station managers, other executives and or sponsors.  I’ve combed  through radio schedules in some newspaper morgues and have found no reference to them.  So I presume that they were never broadcast.  They were all recorded by Audio-Video of 730 Fifth Avenue in NYC.  They’re 16” diameter aluminum base acetates recorded lateral cut @ 33.33. None of the surfaces have any audible or visual evidence of playback via older pickups & excessive tracking force.

 All of the five surfaces have various degrees of ‘frosting’, which can be cleaned up. All I’ve done is to apply an old Cecil Watts ‘Parastat’ brush before transferring the excerpts that I’ve provided.  These MP3s are 48Khz VBR.  They’re tracked with a 3 mil conical stylus in two channel, and mixed to mono, nulling out the vertical vector. The preamplification is linear, with RIAA eq. applied afterwards. No active or passive filtering or noise suppression has been applied. 

 One is dated May 18.  It’s three single sided disks.  The plot: Ralph thinks that he’s been fired & insists  (over Alice objections of course) that he send a scathing letter to his presumably former boss.  I recall that this was done in the ‘Electronicam’ format.  The possibility of editing an audio tape master being edited notwithstanding, this is evidently NOT the audio feed of a video performance, given the announcement in the opening of the show.   In this sample I’ve butt edited the opening & closing of the show, which runs 35:07, thus explaining the need for three sides.

 The other is dated December 8. It runs 29:12.  It’s one two sided disk.  The plot: Alice borrows an old cookbook from Trixie.  It contains love letters written by Ed to Trixie years before.  They have only general salutations.  So when Ralph happens to see them he of course assumes that Alice is being unfaithful to him.  In contrast to the version of May 18, I think that this is edited audio of a TV performance.  Note the presence of the ‘Gleason Girls’ opening and introduction of Jack Lescoulie in the second sample in which I’ve also butt edited the opening and closing.

 Mailing / shipping costs are based upon USPS  Priority. If you prefer that I use UPS or FedEx, then do not remit until you have informed me of your preference and I have acknowledged any change in costs back to you.

These disks are being offered as-is, with no returns accepted.  They’re in old slightly brittle paper sleeves.  They will be packed amongst multiple sheets of cardboard that will properly protect them.  Based upon an uninsured priority mailing that I did earlier this week (of one 16” disk in a package about 1” thick…NYC to Oregon….cost $17.45) I’m assuming that via UPS Ground, this could cost $30.00    Insurance is mandatory.   Shipping fee over payments refunded via PayPal. Payment only via PayPal.   

UNLESS YOU WANT THE SHIPMENT TO BE MADE VIA OTHER THAN USPS PRIORITY (SUCH AS FEDEX OR UPS) DO NOT REMIT UNTIL YOU HAVE INFORMED ME OF THE SERVICE THAT YOU WANT.

eBay has an unrealistic an absurd rule about calculating shipping costs of disk .records.  It is evidently based on the sophomoric assumption that they’re all alike, such as conventional LPs and 45s.  My recent experience shipping a pair of these packed in a manner that I consider to be adequately protected demonstrates that the ebay calculationsare idiotic.  Therefore I will not comply with the eBay shipping costs.  I will use the media class offered by the USPS if you stipulate that I do so.  I DO NOT MARK UP SHIPPING COSTS!

 Check my other offering of unusual old audio disks.