Here Comes The Bride
PM Magazine, October 22, 1941
Last night a radio script writer names Nate Heiken married a New York girl named Amber Dana, in the apartment of a lawyer friend. Shortly before the ceremony began, Heiken, who is one of Fred Allen’s writers, realized something was missing–a piano or organ to play the Wedding March.
Since you can’t go around buying or borrowing an organ just like that, even in this big town of ours, Heiken did the next best thing. He called WNEW and asked if they could play at exactly 9:05, the Wedding March. WNEW not only could but did. So at 9:05 the bride and groom marched out of the foyer into the living room and up to Magistrate, Raphel Koening who married them with just the proper musical background.
_________
That wedding story is just one example of how nice things happened in 1940 to people who listened to WNEW. The station ID below doesn’t date back that far, but it’s premise does.
Nice Things Happen to People (:34)
_________________
WNEW music ID – Larry Green
WNEW melody–Russ Kassoff piano solo (:13)
_____________
The Ballad Of The Long Island Railroad Gene Klavan
Ballad Of The Long Island Railroad – Gene Klavan (1:11)
Gene Klavan’s “Ballad Of The Long Island Railroad was first published here in 2013.
Klavan and Finch promo (:13)
_____________
Gambler’s Guitar – Jim Lowe
GAMBLER’S GUITAR , JIM LOWE — In May, 1953, Mercury Records released Jim Lowe’s recording of a rockabilly song he had written, Gambler’s Guitar. Later that same month, Mercury released a cover version of the song by Rusty Draper. Although Jim’s recording did well, Draper had a higher country music profile and Mercury heavily promoted his version, which hit the Top Ten on most charts. More cover recordings hit the market including Merle Haggard, Chet Atkins, Tennessee Ernie Ford and Cab Galloway. We’re partial to the version by the fellow who started it all.
Jim Lowe — Gambler’s Guitar (2:32)
____________
Bernice Judis
Bernice Judis, Martin Block, William B. Williams, Glenn Miller (2:39)
The audio clip above is from the radio documentary, “The Home Front” which was heard on WNEW in February, 1983. The voice actuality of Bernice Judis included in the clip, was part of the Westinghouse LP, “The First 50 Years of Radio.”
_______________
I love Rudy Ruderman
From ANDY FISHER
Re: These Melodies Linger On — A marvelous collection, Ed.
I didn’t make it to the 30th anniversary party in 1963; I opted to spend a summer as a full-scale reporter for a daily paper in Albany, but Lee Hanna was generous enough to give me my copy-boy job back when I returned to Columbia for my junior year in September.
I did go to the “31st anniversary” party the station staged at the Garden the following year. It was much more regimented than the 30th anniversary party, which had lasted well into the night, but it was full of stars. Sinatra wasn’t there, though. “Variety” authorized the publication of a special edition that served as the program for the event.
It was quite a night.