Although I have heard some "experts" say that Uncle Dennis' voice never was heard on the Fibber and Molly program, we have examples that show that he was, at least a few times. I just heard the actor who played Uncle Dennis in a guest role on Let George Do It.

I helped dig my grandfather's grave

When my maternal grandfather died in my sophomore year in high school, one wise thing that my father did was to insist that we boys take a hand in the digging of his grave - by hand. Also, we "sat up" with the body, which was kept in the home overnight.

Distinctive voices on radio

There were some actors on radio who were constantly busy because they had distinctive voices and appeared not only in regular series, but also in a large number of guest rolls.

John Dehner (Paladin on Have Gun Will Travel)
William Conrad (Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke)
Parley Baer (Chester on Gunsmoke)
Howard McNear (Doc on Gunsmoke)
Larry Dobkin (taxi driver Louie on The Saint)
Gerald Mohr (Phillip Marlowe)
Ken Christy (Chief Gates on Gildersleeve)
Herb Butterfield (The Commissioner on Dangerous Assignment)
Barton Yarborough (Hawk Larabee)

Dictators

Whether they are Communist Party leaders or drug cartel leaders, dicatators follow a common form. They have to have a group of completely-loyal hit men who will enforce their power.

My non-religious reading these days has pretty well settled down to Louis Lamour and P. G. Wodehouse.

Grandpa still mowing his yard

Grandpa (my dad) has officially hired Adam's boys to mow his yard this summer. He will turn 88 in July and decided it was time for him to give it up.

Please, be organized

I wish that people who do things in a slap-dash, haphazard, disorganized manner would stop to think how much of an imposition their methods create for others.

First Love

In the Lux Radio version of "First Love," Shirley Temple took the lead role that Deanna Durbin had played in the movie.

Can any of you even approximately imitate Sydney Greenstreet's laugh?

Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy

Even though he won an Oscar nomination once, I never have considered Brian Donlevy a particularly good actor. Still, he is one of my favorite radio actors. I really like the Dangerous Assignment series, and he appeared in a lot of other radio shows.

His full name was Waldo Brian Donlevy. He was born in County Armagh, Ireland. He enlisted in the army at the age of 14 by lying about his age, and was in the force sent by General Pershing to pursue the famous Mexican bandit, Pancho Villa.

I am content to be a nobody. It has been my observation that nobodies are generally much happier than somebodies.

Eric Blore in "Fancy Pants"

One of the great brief comedy character roles is Eric Blore as Lord Wimbley in Fancy Pants with Hope and Lucille Ball. (He is the mush-mouthed peer that you cannot understand.)

Just as a rule of thumb, if you want to compare dollar values from the 1950's to today, multiply by a factor of ten.

Jerry Colonna was the zany comedian with the huge mustache who appeared with Bob Hope in the Road To movies and was a fixture in his military shows. He met his wife on a blind date, married her, and it lasted for 56 years until his death.

The way we keep getting involved in foreign conflicts, maybe we need to change the name of the Defense Dept. back to the War Department.

Why Richard Rogue was a bachelor

Richard Rogue of the Rogue's Gallery old radio show.

"I remained a bachelor - a member of that select group of men who have not made the same mistake once." (Not a statement of my philosophy, just a well-turned phrase.)

You know how that radio detectives had to be knocked out once a program - at least? Well, when Rogue was unconscious, he would go to a cloud where his alter ego Eugor lived (Rogue spelled backward). Eugor would always tease him about his mistakes.