The Kermit Schaefer “Pardon My Blooper” series, based on his similar books. It wasn’t obvious to me back then, but is now, that the vast majority of the “bloopers” are recreations. Library music, stock sound effects, the same voices, and pretty shoddy production values. And a lot of those recreations were of radio or TV continuity where airchecks would never have been recorded.

Dick Clark did a much better blooper album in the 80’s—his bloopers were genuine. Of course, being Dick Clark, he had access to troves of likely material. People answered his phone calls… And by the 80’s, people were more able and likely to save the good stuff…

ak

There was a series of "blooper" albums in the 70's in which some bloopers seem to be fakes, not real old recordings. The "I'll use a knife! BLAM BLAM!" blooper was on one of them, so a person could have heard a fake or "re-produced" blooper... without it ever actually happening to begin with!

THIS IS A PORTION OF MY COBALT CLUB POST TODAY where I post an upgraded or newly found (or re-discovered) version of the series. Join Cobalt Club -- the best place to work on series and research for many of us OTRR folk -- register at https://cobaltclubannex.forumotion.com  -- it's free

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I recently stumbled on this news clip that relates two incidents where sound effects did not work on Suspense according to Bill Spier...


This was one of those "evergreen" press releases that CBS would send out. It was published in newspapers around the country, surprisingly, with every word intact. The earliest it was published in a paper was April 3, 1947, and the latest I saw in some papers in June 1947.

The second incident in the clip is about Three Faces at Midnight from 1947-02-24 and it turns out it can be documented! The Cobalt Dialogue Difference Detection Squad (C3DS, aka lasombra and chasedad) were on it. Chasedad reported this back, and I have edited:

It occurred in the east coast version when the gun misfires at 16:44 when Wally Maher shoots Hans Conried, the gun "click" without firing is not audible but Conried plays for time and draws out his begging and pleading and starts to trail off a bit just before the gun finally fires;
in the west coast broadcast at 16:50 the gun fires on cue and Conried's pleading builds to a crescendo as the shot is fired

I listened to the programs and clipped the audio of the scene even further. This is the link to the file that has the clip of the scenes from East followed by West
https://icedrive.net/0/75A9Fx7gLe
If you click on the link you can download the little file or play it within Icedrive by clicking "open" and then the "play" arrow. It's about 10 seconds, of which 3-5 seconds is from the east broadcast of Conried buying time for one of the guns to finally do what it was supposed to.

Conried was such a pro. This is where his deep and broad stage experience really comes through to adapt to situations in performances as they happen without flailing about and in a very convincing way.

Back when I had a real job and I had hair and such, and it seemed that corporate life was my professional destiny, the company's ad manager told me he had pursued an acting career years earlier. One of his pleasures was a summer in a traveling play with Conried. Stupid stuff would happen on stage and the players would have to turn away from the audience to hide their laughter, but not Conried. Conried would get a knowing glint in his eye but he would hold his expression and not lose the moment... and then they'd all crack up about it when they got off stage. He said that summer was one of the most incredible times he had as a struggling actor... before he decided to become a struggling ad manager instead. Some might say that ad manager job was his best acting performance ever. Did I just say that? But I digress...

It is really amazing that we can find this news item and then actually verify it, almost 75 years later!

As far as the other story goes, with the missed gunshot and the line "I'll use a knife" is the kind often told by a party or a convention guest. It could be one of those "showbiz stories" that everyone tells each other decades later. But we have something to listen for in the pre-April 1947 shows now, don't we?! Lasombra remembers hearing it at a SPERDVAC meeting decades ago but does not remember where or when... yet...
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Hi Rick.

You're welcome Brian.  I hope to get your receipt today!

Hi Brian,

Hi John,

Hi Brian,

Hi Larry,

Ian, there are two 'Scott's in this thread, me and Scott who hosts the dieselpunkindustries site. Not the same fellow. I'm not sure if there's any confusion about this; just thought I'd make it clear, just in case.

Hello to all fellow members.  Last week about 12 members of this group joined REPS in order to receive 11 Fibber McGee and Molly shows, 9 old-time radio soap opera episodes, or both.  By now they all have everything they wanted as well as all the other benefits associated with their membership.
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Larry Maupin

I've removed Afloat from the SA menu, but I'm using that one as the AUS version since I believe that one has the better sound quality and correct speed.