Noir Dame Blog » 1940s

Remembering the gorgeous ’40s heyday of the Balinese Room (and hoping for a comeback)

The Noir Dame — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:15:17 +0000

One of the sadder architectural and historic losses during 2008′s Hurricane Ike, was the destruction of the Balinese Room, one of Galveston Island’s more colorful landmarks. Amidst all the bustle of Seawall Boulevard, its bright lights and exotica-styled front always stood out. At the time of its destruction, the Balinese hosted rock shows (I always hoped some day they’d get in some retro acts … can’t have been the only one). But it was better known for the classiest entertainers and gambling: in its heyday the Duke, the Chairman of the Board, Alice Faye, Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy all tread the boards of the Balinese.

The Houston Chronicle has an update on the future of the Balinese Room, though any future incarnation might have to be built inland.

Just as tantalizing a treat are these excerpts from the late Marvin Zindler’s audio broadcasts, “The Roving Mike”, explaining the naughty goings on at the Balinese Room in the late 1940s, and how it was finally shut down by authorities.

If you’re not from Houston, you may not know Marvin Zindler – who made “Slime in the Ice Machine” a local catch phrase – other than through Dom Deluise’s off-the-mark caricature in “Greatest Little Whorehouse in Texas”. He was a great reporter who was big on consumer rights: catch up on his inimitable work.

Holiday radio picks to catch live, and on the web – OTR, new drama, swing and more!

The Noir Dame — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:55:50 +0000

So, once you’re done listening to our holiday rarity playlists on Youtube, what else can you dig that’s retro-fied for Christmas? Here’s a list of some of the great original and classic audio dramas, and retro swing and jazz shows, plus a wonderful classic ’60s pop documentary, airing on local stations. All stations stream off the web; all times local.

Northern California’s Northstate Public Radio will be playing “Hep to the Holidays”, groovy classic jazz, on Christmas Night.

Washington DC’s WAMU plays the “Retro Cocktail Hour Christmas Party” (lots of Christmas lounge!) at 2 pm Christmas Eve, and “The Big Broadcast: Christmas Eve” (OTR fun) starting at 8 pm also on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, listen to the Colonial Radio Christmas Special at 1 pm, followed by The Colonial Radio’s “A Christmas Carol” and Quicksilver Radio’s “The Blue Carbuncle” – a Sherlock Holmes Christmas tale – airing at 2 and 3 pm respectively, and then “Christmas Day Recollections” – more classic radio drama – at 8 pm. They also air “A Car Talk Christmas”. Not retro – unless you count the guys themselves – but still worth catching!

Indiana’s NIPR is playing Quicksilver’s “A Christmas Carol” at 6 pm Christmas Eve.

Kentucky’s WFPL is playing “A Christmas Gift for You,” the documentary story of the penultimate Christmas rock album of the ’60s, at noon on Christmas Day. Features a lot of insight into the 1963 winter creation – known as one of the best Christmas albums of all time – made with Darlene Love, Bob B. Soxx, the Ronettes and Crystals.

North Carolina’s WCQS airs “A 40s Radio Christmas” at 2 pm, “Hep to the Holidays” at 10 pm on Christmas Eve, and a “Retro Cocktail Hour Christmas” on 9 pm, Christmas Night.

Northern Michigan’s Public 90 is airing “The Retro Cocktail Hour Christmas” on Sunday the 27th, at 3 pm.

Oklahoma’s KGOU is airing “Hep to the Holidays” when the clock strikes midnight, Christmas Eve (12 AM). Christmas morning at 8:30, a “Car Talk Christmas Carol” will be airing; at 10 am catch the “Retro Cocktail Hour Christmas Hour”.

Virginia’s WHRV is airing “A Christmas Carol” at 12 noon on Christmas Day, followed by “One Silent Night,” Walter Cronkite’s narration of the Christmas armistice. At 3 pm, it airs “A Christmas Gift for You”.

Wyoming Public Radio airs “The Retro Cocktail Hour Christmas Party” at 12 noon on Christmas Eve.

Want to hear something right now? Check out SOMAFM’s streaming Christmas Lounge -mp3 feed here, pls (Windows Media) here. Don’t forget to donate!

Enjoy these little known Christmas tunes from the past

The Noir Dame — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:24:39 +0000

Christmas music. Some people hate it, most of us love it, but we get tired of hearing the same fifteen songs being recorded and rerecorded by different artists and overplayed on the radio. So I went on a hunt. Thanks to the generosity of folks who have placed rare gems on the web, I’ve collected a stack of fun videos that are not the same fifteen songs about Christmas, New Year’s, and enjoying the winter holidays… not the ones typically played in the US (the UK and Ireland seem to rotate more of their music, so some of the tracks may be more familiar to anyone reading in those countries!) They’ve been assembled into playlists, so you can crank up the volume on your computer speakers, or play it on your phone. All in all, it’s well over two hours of music. Consider it just one of our presents back to you!

There are fifteen interesting tracks from the 1940s you may not know as well here, bookended by the Andrews Sisters, who sing both “Christmas Island” and the “Merry Christmas Polka”.

And here’s a list of lesser-known 1950s Christmas and other holiday tunes, such as Stan Freberg’s “Green Christmas,” Gracie Fields’ “Little Donkey,” Joni James’ “Nina Non,” Cathy and Elliot Lewis (of OTR / radio drama fame) wishing us “Happy Holidays”, and Louis Armstrong’s “Cool Yule”.

The tracks spanning the 1960s, and into 1970 proper, are a wide range of musical styles, and show a little of what was going on in the world then. Some tracks include The Marcels’ “Merry Twistmas,” Paul and Paula’s “Holiday Hootenanny”, Bing Crosby’s fun “Christmas Dinner Country Style”, Buck Owens’ “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy,” and yes, the Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy’s Christmas”. This last was a sequel to “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron,” and reflects the real-life Christmas armistice of World War I.

Then this grouping, of the 1970s and 1980s, which contains as just a smattering, Jethro Tull’s “Ring Out Solstice Bells,” David Essex’s “A Winter’s Tale”, Da Yooper’s “Rusty Chevrolet,” Jona Lewie’s “Stop the Cavalry”, Boney M’s “Zion’s Daughter”, Chris de Burgh’s “A Spaceman Came Travelling,” Merle Haggard’s “Santa Claus and Popcorn,” Sting’s “Gabriel’s Message,” “What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas”, and “Santa Claus Must Be Polish” by Bobby Vee. It also has one cheat: it ends with “Christmas Wrapping,” by the Waitresses. While it’s been covered by the Spice Girls and by the Donnas, it’s still an offbeat classic, and while it hits heavy rotation in some markets, others don’t play it so often. This is an interesting article that goes into the “how” of “Christmas Wrapping” – hosted on the songwriter’s website.