Expense Account Final Page

Today marks 70 years since "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar" made its debut on CBS Radio. Coming as it does after a successful screening for the Metropolitan Washington Old-Time Radio Club's members and some edits (improvements, one hopes) sparked by watching it with an audience, that seems like a good time to submit this expense report's final page. The plan is to submit to film festivals and perhaps present it to other interested groups. In he meantime, please enjoy this excerpt from the finished product.

From Dick Powell's 1948 audition show to Mandel Kramer's final episode in 1962, a collection of talented actors, writers and directors created one of old-time radio's most enduring dramas. This documentary is a tribute not just to the program and its era but also the medium of radio drama itself. That said, the real tribute is the many fans - new and old alike - who continue to listen and enjoy it.

The End of An Era Anniversary Matter

Today marks 55 years since the final episodes of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense marked the very end of the "Golden Age" of radio. In observance of this bittersweet anniversary, the following segment from the documentary discusses the waning days of that era.

The Rough Cut Matter

Tweaking continues, mostly minor details like on-screen text, though, I'm considering rearranging the order of segments a bit. The challenge remains having a wealth of great material from interviewees such as the late Ed Walker that's interesting in its own right but doesn't necessarily fit the overall story. There's probably a separate documentary about radio drama in general to be made.

The Expense Account Matter Matter (Revisited)

After a bit of re-editing, the segment discussing the expense account device works a bit better. You check it out on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/therealjohnnydollarmatter/. It's almost ready to submit to the first festival.

The Evolving Art Form (Revisited)

I've revised the segment I posted in late-December to incorporate some subsequent interviews and tighten things up slightly. Though I suspect there's more tweaking to be done, it remains satisfying.

The Music Man Matter?

One of the best moments from my interview with the late Ed Walker was this piece discussing Bob Bailey and the way certain actors fit a role perfectly. The title of this post will make more sense once you watch it.

The 15-minute Matter

A few choice words about the impact of the 15-minute episode format on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The next step will be to compile the completed segments to see what I have - or don't have, as the case may be.

The Evolving Art Form Matter

Trying to convey the evolution in radio drama that took place while Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was on the air is a tricky proposition. I'm not sure this segment is quite there yet, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

The Bailey Matter

With the possible exception of Jack Johnstone, Bob Bailey is the single most important figure in this history of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, so it;s not surprising that the longest segment yet is the one about him. This is quite rough, to be sure, but still tells an interesting story.

R.I.P. Ed Walker

When I heard that Ed Walker had been diagnosed with cancer and was stepping down from hosting The Big Broadcast, I sent him an email to wish him well. What I hadn't realized is that he was almost certainly hospitalized at the time and very likely didn't get the note. I suspect quite a few other people would have liked to wish him well before his passing yesterday. It's both fitting and sad that he died just a few hours after the airing of his final show, recorded from the hospital. I'm sure people who knew him better will have much more eloquent summations of Ed and his legacy than I could offer, but it occurs to me that during his life he made an awful lot of people happy and that's no small thing.  That final show is currently available to stream via the Big Broadcast's page on WAMU's site, and it seems fitting that the best tribute to Ed Walker ultimately comes from the man himself.

The Ed Walker Matter

Veteran broadcaster and host of WAMU-FM's long-running old-time radio showcase The Big Broadcast was the second interview I shot for this project. I'll always be grateful to Walker not just for the time he gave me in 2013 but also the many years he hosted The Big Broadcast. Earlier this week, it was announced that Walker would be stepping down as the host of The Big Broadcast to focus on some health concerns. Needless to say, I wish him and his family all the best. During the interview, Walker also talked about his life and career in broadcasting. In this clip, he discusses the waning days of radio's golden age.

The Many Voices Matter

If you ever have trouble remembering the names of all the actors who played Johnny Dollar, this will help you. I still need to add some cutaway images, but overall not too shabby.

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.

The Introductory Matter

As I alluded to in my post from a few days ago, I've been working in earnest on editing. With that in mind, I'm happy to offer this (still slightly rough) introductory sequence.

The "What About Bob?" Matter

Last Friday would have been Bob Bailey's 101st birthday. In honor of that, here's a rough version of a segment about him.

The Second Best Matter

When a role is played by multiple actors, there's typically spirited debate among fans about who did it best. Whether the debate is about Sean Connery vs. Roger Moore (or, perhaps, Daniel Craig) or Tom Baker vs. David Tennant (personally, I prefer Christopher Eccleston), the only consensus is that each actor's partisans are confident that the others' are wrong. Johnny Dollar is different, because there is virtually no dissent that Bob Bailey played him best. Where things get interesting is the conversation about who was second best. As you can see from the clip below, three different interviewees each offered different opinions on the matter.

Putting It Together (Step One)

There are still some interviews to be shot and lots of research to be done, but that's no reason not to start putting pieces together to get a sense of what the final shape of this effort will be. I enjoyed putting this together, rough though it is, and hope you will as well.

The 12 Month Matter

It's been about a year since I started researching and interviewing for this project. Though the production hasn't progressed as fast as I'd like ("life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" as a famous songwriter once opined), I'm still pleased with what's been done so far. This includes my interview with broadcasting legend Ed Walker, who remains the host of WAMU-FM's weekly old-time radio showcase The Big Broadcast (Sunday nights at 7:00 and available to listen online). Here are Ed's thoughts on some of the elements that made Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar a success.

The Casting as Destiny Matter

A few weeks back I had the honor of interviewing broadcasting legend (and Radio Hall of Fame inductee) Ed Walker. walker is the current host of WAMU's weekly old-time radio showcase The Big Broadcast and by extension the man who introduced me (and many others) to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. Among the many topics discussed was, of course, Bob Bailey. Mr. Walker had some interesting observations about the man who's the consensus pick among fans as the best of the many actors to portray Johnny Dollar. Check back soon for more excerpts from the ongoing interviews for The "Whatever Became of Johnny Dollar?" Matter.

The Big Broadcaster

Radio Hall of Fame inductee Ed Walker has been working as a broadcaster in the Washington DC area for six decades. For the last couple of those decades, that work has included hosting WAMU's weekly old-time radio showcase The Big Broadcast. Since that was where I first heard Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, I was very grateful that Mr. Walker agreed to sit down for an interview about the show and the golden age of radio that ended when Johnny filed his last expense report. I encourage anyone who loves old-time radio to seek out his weekly show which is accessible just about anywhere via the internet.