LizzieMaine on TV

[Wire9Vintage]

We'll be watching. My 4th-grader is especially excited. She thinks Lizzie's just brilliant... as do I! No gaming for my kid...if she could have a constant feed of old radio and TV (and books and clothes, etc.), she'd be one happy young lady! Lizzie, I suspect you have been and will be quoted at her school many times. I pity her poor history teachers; they won't know what hit them!

 

[RetroToday]

...I explain the background of the program, describe how the critics received it, and play a recording of a typical episode.

Hi Lizzie,

Judging by the orange star label record I briefly saw in the History Detectives episode preview video, I'm certain that the record being played is a Victor Home Recording. The earlier version of Victor Home Records had a white label.

I own a number of these records, some of them have been recorded on by owners of home recording units, but some are unused. Bought them to go along with my Victor RE-57, a radio-phono that can play and create these records.

Just wondering, how you were able to play this Home Recording record on a more modern-looking turntable? The special steel needles used for creating/playback of Victor Home Recording records are quite wide - I didn't think it would be easily possible to adapt a newer record player to play this.

Strange... are there coins taped to the stylus head?

Thanks,

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've done a lot of work with Victor Home Recordings -- basically anything from a 5 mil to an 8 mil custom stylus is needed to get decent reproduction from these. Expert Stylus in England makes these to order for Stanton 500 cartridges and some of the US dealers in professional 78rpm turntables can supply the 8 mil size from stock, since it's also used for some types of Pathe vertical discs.

That isn't my work room in the show, by the way -- it was borrowed for the occasion from Seth Winner, who is one of the top transfer techs in the business. I was quite annoyed that the HD people wouldn't let him be on camera too.

I also have an RE-57, but there's no practical way to use it for getting preservation transfers.

 

[RetroToday]

I've done a lot of work with Victor Home Recordings -- basically anything from a 5 mil to an 8 mil custom stylus is needed to get decent reproduction from these. Expert Stylus in England makes these to order for Stanton 500 cartridges and some of the US dealers in professional 78rpm turntables can supply the 8 mil size from stock, since it's also used for some types of Pathe vertical discs.

That isn't my work room in the show, by the way -- it was borrowed for the occasion from Seth Winner, who is one of the top transfer techs in the business. I was quite annoyed that the HD people wouldn't let him be on camera too.

I also have an RE-57, but there's no practical way to use it for getting preservation transfers.

Thanks for the helpful information Lizzie.

Very cool that you also have an RE-57.
I would like to eventually buy proper equipment to transfer these old recordings to digital files. Cost may factor into how "professsional" I go.

Too bad about this show not mentioning Seth Winner for his efforts, hope they at least remembered to include him in the end credits.

I'll be looking forward to seeing you on this new episode of History Detectives, I saw the Amos & Andy episode a while ago.
I'm going to watch the new episode tonight through WNED at 9pm, *channel 61 or 161 on Rogers Cable in Canada.

 

[vitanola]

I've done a lot of work with Victor Home Recordings -- basically anything from a 5 mil to an 8 mil custom stylus is needed to get decent reproduction from these. Expert Stylus in England makes these to order for Stanton 500 cartridges and some of the US dealers in professional 78rpm turntables can supply the 8 mil size from stock, since it's also used for some types of Pathe vertical discs.

That isn't my work room in the show, by the way -- it was borrowed for the occasion from Seth Winner, who is one of the top transfer techs in the business. I was quite annoyed that the HD people wouldn't let him be on camera too.

I also have an RE-57, but there's no practical way to use it for getting preservation transfers.

It is a pretty simple matter to bring a line-level output from the pickup matching transformer on the RE-57, but it is not necessarily a worthwhile endevor, for hum pick-up can be troublesome.

I have an old Gates transcription TT fitted with three tone arms, a WE 9a transcription arm with a jeweled point (for playing vertical NBC transcriptions, and ordinary vinylite lateral transcriptions) an Audak magnetic pickup, and an Astatic crystal pickup. I find that the Astatic arm fitted with a Victor home recording stylus does a really fine job of transcribing the home recording discs which are in good condition, whilst the heavier Audak magnetic does a good job on discs of poor quality. For acetates, of course I use a different turntable, and either a GE RPX with a special Expert Pickups stylus, or a Sure M44 with a 3.2 truncated.

 

[RetroToday]

I just watched the show, you were great Lizzie. :eusa_clap

They did mention the "Winner Center" in the narration.

 

[Fletch]

If anyone cares to see original scripts from the "Special Agent 5" dramatizations on the Lucky Strike Hour, there are some online here. They date from November and December, 1932. Included is plenty of Lucky plug as well as transitions back and forth from Chicago and L.A. for segments from Hal Kemp's and Phil Harris' bands.

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

I just watched the show, you were great Lizzie. :eusa_clap

They did mention the "Winner Center" in the narration.

I agree but I missed the beginning introduction because of noise interference from family did they get your name right this time?

 

[FountainPenGirl]

I just happened to turn on the TV tonight to see what was on. My husband and I had just driven the '54 Packard into town to get a sunday at the Diary Queen and had just gotten home.We were settling in for the night and the first channel I hit was the History Detectives. I recognized the usual gal from HD but then someone else was on and I thought to myself "that looks like Lizzie". Then I remembered some mention a while ago about her being on. I haven't stopped in at the lounge now for a few weeks so it was just a chance that I happened to catch it. I was glad that I did.
Lizzie you did a great job. You looked real put together and quite at ease with the whole thing. I don't know if I could look as cool on camera. I thought what a contrast between a put together Golden Era gal and the HD reporter with a hairdo that looks like she just got out of bed.
Who knows, maybe they'll call you again.

 

[skyvue]

Nice job, Lizzie -- you were great!

 

[Mocheman]

I watched it as well and you were terrific, though I wasn't surprised.

 

[Hercule]

I was flipping channels last night and lo and behold there you were! Great job!!!!!

H

 

[BoPeep]

I thought what a contrast between a put together Golden Era gal and the HD reporter with a hairdo that looks like she just got out of bed.

Exactly my thought! lol You looked very nice, Lizzie. My husband said, "Wow, she looks the part!" He has an appreciation for "the look" that us girls strive for.

 

[dhermann1]

Yay Lizzie!

You're now an official PBS talking head! It was an interesting piece, too. Very illuminating about good old J. Edgar Hoover, and his motives and methods.

 

[Feraud]

I thoroughly enjoyed the segment. It is common today to see a politican Twitting or showing up on a talk show to garner potential votes but Hoover recognized the value of the medium. What a bold move!

As usual Lizze was informative and eloquent. I hope the show utilizes her expertise more often.

 

[LocktownDog]

Well done! They couldn't have chosen a better expert. :eusa_clap

 

[Babydoll]

*sigh* It didn't show on our local PBS station last night. Last night's was the episode with the Korean War letter - from a month ago! Sheesh. Have to wait very impatiently until later in the week for the Special Agent Five episode to run. But, I told The Mister all about you, Lizzie, and he wants to watch it with me!

 

[Flivver]

Lizzie...I thoroughly enjoyed your appearance on History Detectives last night. Your command of the subject of broadcasting history is simply amazing!

I hope the producers realize what a treasure they've found in you and choose to use your expertise in many future episodes.

 

[Foofoogal]

I hope the show utilizes her expertise more often.

I concur. About time. I missed the show but do watch it quite often. Possibly I can find it in a rerun or someplace else. [huh]

Yeah Lizzie. :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[jodbirch]

I saw it the other night too! My girlfriend thought I had lost my mind when I blurted out, "She's from the Fedora Lounge!!" Great job on a great story!