I'm a part 15 radio enthusiast and have a blog about it which probably no one reads, but then again I've never really told anyone it exist!.. What's more, I'm not particularly very active with it, only a couple post a month.
But, I did just made a rather extensive post about Quiet Please in my blog, and would appreciate anyone taking a look at that particular post, and... tell me if the information is correctly presented.
By my count, there are actually 105 episodes. A lot of QP logs, including Paul's episode list on this site, include "Retreat at Dunkerque" as a separate episode. But as is mentioned elsewhere in the blog post, that episode "was actually the regular local New York City rebroadcast on WOR of that week's Mutual episode" -- i.e., "A Ribbon of Lincoln Green." Astro1 and I had a brief exchange about this years ago here in the forum:
The Library of American Broadcasting at the University of Maryland, where the scripts are held, has a list with 105 scripts and no mention of "Retreat at Dunkerque."
2. "The two [Chappell and Cooper] had previously became friends while working together during The Campbell Playhouse radio productions almost ten years prior."
You know, I see this claim made occasionally, but I don't think I've ever seen a source to confirm it. It's true they both worked on the Campbell Playhouse, but do we know for certain that that's where they became friends?
3. "What is equally inexplicable is it doesn't appear that OTR collectors and enthusiast have made any attempts either at improving the audio of the Quiet Please episodes"
There have been efforts in the past. There's discussion about it in this old forum thread, for example:
4. "Radio Spirits now posses most, if not all of the original source tapes in the world of Quiet Please"
Actually, Chappell's discs are now with the Paley Center for Media. Tapes were made of the discs before they ended up at Paley, but, according to one of the old time radio collectors involved, the discs weren't cleaned prior to the taping. Hence, the poor audio on many of the circulating episodes. Here's a verbatim excerpt of a 2009 post in the OTR Digest from Don Aston of a collectors' group called the West Coast Syndicate: _____________
... We formed in 1972 and were instrumental in putting much of the OTR available today into circulation.
I found the Quiet Please episodes at the University of Florida. A work Study student dubbed the discs. The University would not allow any outside people to touch them. The Work Study Student did not clean or even bother to wipe off the discs,. He just put them on a turntable and dropped the needle. That is the reason so much noise is on many of the early surving episodes.
Mrs. Chappell was going to let us, Randy [Eidemiller] and Me, copy the discs, but negotiations dragged on and on. Then the discs would up in the OTR Museum [now the Paley Center for Media] in New York City. They do not cooperate with anyone as far as I know. ... _____________
5. I believe the Eidemiller-Lembesis log is available (for a dollar!) from Jay Hickerson. It's listed on this page, under "Broadcast logs available from Jay Hickerson":
1. "By my count, there are actually 105 episodes..." (Ribbon of Lincoln Green." = "Retreat at Dunkerque")
Yes! I should have caught that, I'll correct it in my blog. I had actually addressed that exact subject under notes concerning lost episodes.
2."I see this claim made occasionally, but I don't think I've ever seen a source to confirm it.... "The two [Chappell and Cooper] had previously became friends while working together during The Campbell Playhouse..
I based that entirely on what's stated at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiet,_Please which says: "Cooper was a writer for the Campbell Playhouse, and Chappell was the announcer. They became friends, though Chappell had little (if any) acting experience, Cooper imagined him as the star of a new radio program."
3. "There have been efforts in the past. There's discussion about it in this old forum thread, for example..."
On the matter of OTR enthusiast making attempts to improve the audio quality.. My point is that the mp3s of the program are readily available for listening from multiple sources on the internet.. and for the most part, they all seem to be the identical 32kps files (with few exceptions). And of all the websites who host them, none have that I've noticed (and I've checked!) made any effort to clean at least only the most predominate and easy to get to loud POPS! and CLICKS!.. I find this surprising.
By the way, at first glance, I'm pondering if the youtube "videos" of the Quiet Please (otr) might have better audio.. I downloaded a couple tonight via a free youtube to mp3 extractor and noted that they are 128kps files (as is the Fourble Board mp3 you just provided in another post).. However I haven't yet really sampled or examined the extracted mp3 yet, for all I know they may had originally been the same 32kps files.
4. "Actually, Chappell's discs are now with the Paley Center for Media...." "Radio Spirits now posses most, if not all of the original source tapes in the world of Quiet Please"
Yes, I was left a little unclear and confused on this matter. Several claims that David Goldin acquired the entire collection from the Chappell estate in the 1970s and later sold everything to Radio Spirts in the late 90s.. But there is also claims that Chappells widow had donated everything directly to the 'Museum of Television and Radio' - now called the 'Paley Center'.
So I'm unclear on this (not that I'm clear on anything). So I reasoned out that the disc must have gone to the museum, but the tapes went to David Goldwin..
By the way, while on the subject of the disc at Paley.. Has no one yet made any attempt to get a recording of #52 and #53 which is claimed to be there??
Again, thanks for the response. I've come to realize this is not a particularly active forum, and was beginning to feel foolish posting to an empty room! - Though Paul and another member did reply in a couple of my post... Still, it is rather quiet (Maybe naming this site Quiet Please has a double meaning?!
Ahhh.. I stand corrected. You were right.. I see that the member by the name Drunken Mozart had expressed the same sentiments back in 2002 concerning audio quality, and indeed went to work on several episodes right here..
Funny thing the way I came across that post.. I saw an old post under the "off-topic" section where Paul mentioned he had lost all post from the previous forum server.. So I set out to see if I could find them.. I did not find them, but did pull up what this forum looked like in back in 2002..
I don't think the files on this site include any of Drunken Mozart's cleanups. Honestly, although I remember his efforts, unfortunately I can't remember the results at all. I have the vaguest notion of listening to at least one file he cleaned up, but not sure. I don't think he completed many files though.
I'd be open to posting cleaned up versions on the site when provided, but probably just as an alternate download, since every lossy mp3 cleanup destroys more of the original data and makes a future cleanup harder to do. Of course, anything from a better original source could replace the current ones.
When it comes to audio quality, I personally lack motivation because the scratchiness doesn't really bother me. In some episodes it even helps set the mood (for other series it'd probably bother me, but with Quiet Please it kind of fits).
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Comments on My blog post about Quiet Please
reMember
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Location: Tybee Island GA
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I'm a part 15 radio enthusiast and have a blog about it which probably no one reads, but then again I've never really told anyone it exist!..
What's more, I'm not particularly very active with it, only a couple post a month.
But, I did just made a rather extensive post about Quiet Please in my blog, and would appreciate anyone taking a look at that particular post, and... tell me if the information is correctly presented.
Criticisms or praises welcome
part15lab.blogspot.com/2014...d-whats-fourble-board.html
Senior Member
Usergroup: Member
Joined: Mar 14, 2003
Total Topics: 74
Total Comments: 265
Nice blog post. Here are some thoughts:
1.
"total of 106 episodes"
By my count, there are actually 105 episodes. A lot of QP logs, including Paul's episode list on this site, include "Retreat at Dunkerque" as a separate episode. But as is mentioned elsewhere in the blog post, that episode "was actually the regular local New York City rebroadcast on WOR of that week's Mutual episode" -- i.e., "A Ribbon of Lincoln Green." Astro1 and I had a brief exchange about this years ago here in the forum:
www.quietplease.org/forum/g...e-posting-scripts-122.html
The Library of American Broadcasting at the University of Maryland, where the scripts are held, has a list with 105 scripts and no mention of "Retreat at Dunkerque."
2.
"The two [Chappell and Cooper] had previously became friends while working together during The Campbell Playhouse radio productions almost ten years prior."
You know, I see this claim made occasionally, but I don't think I've ever seen a source to confirm it. It's true they both worked on the Campbell Playhouse, but do we know for certain that that's where they became friends?
3.
"What is equally inexplicable is it doesn't appear that OTR collectors and enthusiast have made any attempts either at improving the audio of the Quiet Please episodes"
There have been efforts in the past. There's discussion about it in this old forum thread, for example:
www.quietplease.org/forum/g...-the-forble-board-209.html
4.
"Radio Spirits now posses most, if not all of the original source tapes in the world of Quiet Please"
Actually, Chappell's discs are now with the Paley Center for Media. Tapes were made of the discs before they ended up at Paley, but, according to one of the old time radio collectors involved, the discs weren't cleaned prior to the taping. Hence, the poor audio on many of the circulating episodes. Here's a verbatim excerpt of a 2009 post in the OTR Digest from Don Aston of a collectors' group called the West Coast Syndicate:
_____________
... We formed in 1972 and were instrumental in putting much of the OTR available today into circulation.
I found the Quiet Please episodes at the University of Florida. A work Study student dubbed the discs. The University would not allow any outside people to touch them. The Work Study Student did not clean or even bother to wipe off the discs,. He just put them on a turntable and dropped the needle. That is the reason so much noise is on many of the early surving episodes.
Mrs. Chappell was going to let us, Randy [Eidemiller] and Me, copy the discs, but negotiations dragged on and on. Then the discs would up in the OTR Museum [now the Paley Center for Media] in New York City. They do not cooperate with anyone as far as I know. ...
_____________
5.
I believe the Eidemiller-Lembesis log is available (for a dollar!) from Jay Hickerson. It's listed on this page, under "Broadcast logs available from Jay Hickerson":
http://www.audio-classics.com/jayhickerson.html
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Location: Tybee Island GA
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Thanks for the reply MS.
1. "By my count, there are actually 105 episodes..."
(Ribbon of Lincoln Green." = "Retreat at Dunkerque")
Yes! I should have caught that, I'll correct it in my blog.
I had actually addressed that exact subject under notes concerning lost episodes.
2. "I see this claim made occasionally, but I don't think I've ever seen a source to confirm it.... "The two [Chappell and Cooper] had previously became friends while working together during The Campbell Playhouse..
I based that entirely on what's stated at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiet,_Please which says: "Cooper was a writer for the Campbell Playhouse, and Chappell was the announcer. They became friends, though Chappell had little (if any) acting experience, Cooper imagined him as the star of a new radio program."
3. "There have been efforts in the past. There's discussion about it in this old forum thread, for example..."
On the matter of OTR enthusiast making attempts to improve the audio quality.. My point is that the mp3s of the program are readily available for listening from multiple sources on the internet.. and for the most part, they all seem to be the identical 32kps files (with few exceptions). And of all the websites who host them, none have that I've noticed (and I've checked!) made any effort to clean at least only the most predominate and easy to get to loud POPS! and CLICKS!.. I find this surprising.
By the way, at first glance, I'm pondering if the youtube "videos" of the Quiet Please (otr) might have better audio.. I downloaded a couple tonight via a free youtube to mp3 extractor and noted that they are 128kps files (as is the Fourble Board mp3 you just provided in another post).. However I haven't yet really sampled or examined the extracted mp3 yet, for all I know they may had originally been the same 32kps files.
4. "Actually, Chappell's discs are now with the Paley Center for Media...."
"Radio Spirits now posses most, if not all of the original source tapes in the world of Quiet Please"
Yes, I was left a little unclear and confused on this matter. Several claims that David Goldin acquired the entire collection from the Chappell estate in the 1970s and later sold everything to Radio Spirts in the late 90s.. But there is also claims that Chappells widow had donated everything directly to the 'Museum of Television and Radio' - now called the 'Paley Center'.
So I'm unclear on this (not that I'm clear on anything). So I reasoned out that the disc must have gone to the museum, but the tapes went to David Goldwin..
By the way, while on the subject of the disc at Paley.. Has no one yet made any attempt to get a recording of #52 and #53 which is claimed to be there??
Again, thanks for the response. I've come to realize this is not a particularly active forum, and was beginning to feel foolish posting to an empty room! - Though Paul and another member did reply in a couple of my post... Still, it is rather quiet (Maybe naming this site Quiet Please has a double meaning?!
reMember
Usergroup: Member
Joined: May 21, 2014
Location: Tybee Island GA
Total Topics: 45
Total Comments: 112
Ahhh.. I stand corrected. You were right.. I see that the member by the name Drunken Mozart had expressed the same sentiments back in 2002 concerning audio quality, and indeed went to work on several episodes right here..
Funny thing the way I came across that post..
I saw an old post under the "off-topic" section where Paul mentioned he had lost all post from the previous forum server.. So I set out to see if I could find them.. I did not find them, but did pull up what this forum looked like in back in 2002..
And that's the round about way I found it:
web.archive.org/web/200311....org/forum/read.php?TID=22
Edit:
Have a question though.. are the list of files he cleaned then, the same files which are provided here now..?
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Location: Northern California
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I don't think the files on this site include any of Drunken Mozart's cleanups. Honestly, although I remember his efforts, unfortunately I can't remember the results at all. I have the vaguest notion of listening to at least one file he cleaned up, but not sure. I don't think he completed many files though.
I'd be open to posting cleaned up versions on the site when provided, but probably just as an alternate download, since every lossy mp3 cleanup destroys more of the original data and makes a future cleanup harder to do. Of course, anything from a better original source could replace the current ones.
When it comes to audio quality, I personally lack motivation because the scratchiness doesn't really bother me. In some episodes it even helps set the mood (for other series it'd probably bother me, but with Quiet Please it kind of fits).