Exploring My Reel-to-Reel Catacombs, Volume III: PSA's and a Nudist Interview (MP3's)

This week, I went digging in the basement, and came up with a set of tapes with little in common between them except that they all are related to radio.

First up is a set of nine PSA’s, ranging from one minute down to ten seconds, promoting The American Kidney Fund, and specifically, organ donation. Following this are six PSA’s - 30 seconds and one minute - promoting an easier way to fill out your customs form during a trip to another country. They signed up nothing but the big names: Dionne Warwick, actor Joseph Campanella and American Society of Travel Agents President Joseph R. Stone!

Nine American Kidney Fund PSA’s (MP3)
Kidney Fund Tape Box (JPG)
Six U.S. Customs Service PSA’s (MP3)
Customs Service Tape Box Front (JPG)
Customs Service Tape Box Back (JPG)

Next, a bit of a mystery. This is a very brief set of sound effects, contained on a full reel of tape on a ten inch reel. This reel is full of splices, perhaps 15-20 of them through the 3000 plus feet of tape. Yet all but the first two minutes or so is blank. It doesn’t appear to have been bulked, it’s just blank, yet edited up to here. What you’ll hear here are those first 135 seconds. The tape is labeled “CBS Radio Promo Effects Reel - FINAL”, and comes from a batch of tapes which date from the early to mid 1950’s.

CBS Radio Promo Effects Reel (MP3)

Finally, here’s a real curiosity, from many angles. Many years ago, I found a big bunch of tapes, all of which turned out to contain many recordings by and of a man named Harvey Schmitt, who was the creator and first owner/operator of the Ponderosa Family Nudist Resort, in Indiana. There are a few radio interviews, a recording of a nudist “break-the-ice” play which was performed at the resort, and various home and other recordings.

These final four files, below, comprise a complete interview that Harvey and his wife, Irene did, at a large Chicago radio station, on October 26th, 1966, on a program called “Virginia Gale’s Portfolio” (although I’ve learned that the hostess was a character invented by the station, and that she was portrayed by at least a couple of women, neither of which was named Virginia Gale).

This 55 minute program is fascinating to me (and hopefully, some of you) not only for the content of the interview, which is a lot of fun to hear, but also because they contain the surrounding ads, the playing of a perfectly dreadful MOR record, and the presence of the legendary (in Chicago, anyway) Clif Mercer, who announced at a few different radio and TV stations in what must have been a 30 to 40 year career, despite having a very noticeable lisp. Recordings of Clif Mercer are treasured by at least a small band of collectors that I know of, and brief as his part here is, this is among the lengthiest such recording that I’ve heard of him.

The Ponderosa Sun Club Family Nudist Resort is still in operation, run by a granddaughter of the Schmitt’s, as can be seen in this write up, and their own home page.

Harvey and Irene Schmitt Interview - Intro, Ad and First Segment (MP3)
Harvey and Irene Schmitt Interview - Ads and Second Segment (MP3)
Harvey and Irene Schmitt Interview - Ads, News and Third Segment (MP3)
Harvey and Irene Schmitt Interview - Ads and Final Segment (MP3)
Harvey Schmitt Tape Box (JPG)

Bob

Comments

[Tedd]

Bob, a couple of the PSAs are interesting. The nudist stuff is great

[Tedd]

Oh and let me be the first to write: RIP Ronnie James Dio

[chamblee54]

I enjoyed the "nudism" tape, despite a NeoLuddite experience.

[Yowp]

Bob, I can't help but wonder if the CBS sfx are for the McBoing Boing cartoon show, considering the reference at the beginning. Bobe Cannon and Tee Hee of UPA worked together on the show.