A Matter of Gratitude

Many thanks to veteran broadcaster Dick Bertel for taking the time to sit down for an interview. In addition to his first-hand account of the waning days of radio in the 50s and 60s, Dick had great stories about his long career in radio including his encounter with the legendary Vincent Price (who guest-starred as himself in an episode of a Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar).

The Next Interview Matter

I just printed out my list of questions for Tuesday's interview with veteran broadcaster Dick Bertel. As one of the hosts of Golden Age of Radio in the 1970s, Bertel was instrumental in giving many of radio's finest actors, writers and producers a showcase to tell their own stories about the period. The shows are available online and are an invaluable resource for fans of radio drama.

Expense Account Item Number One

In some ways, I've tried to approach this documentary the way the show's title character would approach a case. In general, this meant far less punching, shooting of a different sort and a budget lower than some of Johnny's expense accounts. One bit of detective work I'm very happy with was a 1970s radio interview with Mandel Kramer - recorded for a radio station in Hartford of all places - in which he gives a concise summary of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Using this as the first "expense account item" might seem a bit obvious, but obvious isn't necessarily the enemy of right and proper. You be the judge.

The By Any Other Name Matter

Before Johnny Dollar, there was Lloyd London. Even if Dick Powell had continued in the title role beyond the first audition show, I'm not sure that "Yours Truly, Lloyd London" would have gained the same purchase in radio fans' hearts.

The Motive Matter

Yesterday my son asked me what spurred me to start this project. The effort to come up with a relatively concise answer reminded me that my motivation has definitely shifted over the past couple years. Initially, it was almost a lark, a project to prove to myself that I hadn't forgotten everything I learned in film school, using a topic I loved as a means to an end. As I pursued both interviews and research,  though, one thing did strike me. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is that the circumstances that led to it being such a smart, character-driven show - particularly during Bob Bailey's tenure - are the same ones that ensured its ultimate end.

During the decade-long shift from television to radio, the sponsors who dictated the content of the network airwaves as much as - if not more so than - network executives were paying much more attention to the new medium. This intersection of the sponsors' benign neglect and an overall more sophisticated listening audience created a window of relative creative freedom for radio. Through  this opening came such talented writers and producers as Jack Johnstone, Ernest Kinoy and Norman Macdonnell (to name just a few), for which I am hugely grateful. As much as I love The Shadow and I Love a Mystery, shows like X-Minus One, Frontier Gentleman and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar are the ones that have stuck with me the most.

Working in the television business at a time where another new technology in the form of online delivery is changing both form and content, it's not hard to see similar patterns playing out. The principle of "least objectionable programming" has long dominated mass media, especially in the United States, and many smart people in the TV industry insist that this dominance is now over. However, it's worth remembering that even the smartest people in the business are lucky to be right more often than they're wrong. It's tempting to believe that quality will win out, and in the long run it often does. At any given moment, though, this is far from certain.

The Second Thoughts Matter

With all the work that went into the introductory piece posted the other day, it's hard to believe that I now don't want to start the movie that way. On the plus side, it's still a nice trailer.

The Game of Inches Matter

They say that football is a game of inches. The same can be said of editing a movie. This introduction isn't much longer than the previous version but nonetheless manages to include significantly more material than its predecessor.