Hello All!!!! Helen and I invite you to join us “Labor Day” weekend for our “Radio Once More 24 Hour Labor Day Woo-Hoo Palooza”.
During our 24 Hour “Woo-Hoo Palooza”, we’ll have…..Old Time Radio, Music, Guests, Comedy Sketches, Facebook Posts, Conversation, Your Emails, and Your Phone Calls!!!!
The fun begins Sunday evening, September 1st, 9PM (eastern), and we’ll be on until Monday, Labor Day evening 9PM (eastern), for our……”Radio Once More 24 Hour Labor Day Woo-Hoo Palooza”.
Hello All !!!!! Helen and I are again proud to host a special presentation of “An Afternoon of Old Time Radio” at Mount Holly’s newest coffee shop, “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, at 14 White Street in Mill Race Village, located in beautiful, downtown Mount Holly, New Jersey. If any of you wonderful folks happen to be in the vicinity of Mount Holly, New Jersey on Sunday, August 18th (2:00PM to 4:30PM), we cordially invite you to stop by and enjoy a tasty beverage as we present “Sunday Summer Sci-Fi”. We will be presenting three classic ‘Old Time Radio’ shows from the “Golden Age of Radio” with a ‘Science Fiction’ theme.
Stay for 1, 2, or all 3 shows!!!! As a special bonus, we are also planning to broadcast the presentation live on www.RadioOnceMore.com August 21st at 9PM. This gives you two chances to catch our “Sci-Fi” presentation live, once at “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, and once on “Radio Once More”. We have some great shows and fun lined up for this special Sunday afternoon event. We will be continuing our “Sci-Fi” tradition by offering complimentary “Moon Pies” to go with your “Breaking Grounds” beverages. Also, rumor has it that there will be a few Give-a-Ways!!!!
Stop by and try something a little different and experience how we were entertained back in the 1930′s, 40′s, and 50′s before television. All you need are your ears and your imagination!!!! Arrive early if you plan on attending, it’s a cozy coffee shop with limited seating.
Helen and I sincerely hope to see you Sunday afternoon at “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe” on August 18th at 2:00PM and on “Radio Once More” Wednesday evening August 21st at 9PM!!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!!!
On July 24th, Helen and I welcomed back to “Woo-Hoo Wednesday” on “Radio Once More”, author and official historian/biographer of Rankin/Bass productions, Rick Goldschmidt. I had another nice conversation with Rick and we discussed a few of the classic Rankin/Bass productions, a couple of his book projects, and Rick’s appearance on MeTV‘s television series, “Collector’s Call”.
Rick explained how much he enjoys traveling around the country and meeting Rankin/Bass fans at various shows and conventions such as MANC, Chiller, and Dragon Con.
Rick’s latest book project “The Making of Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town and The Daydreamer”
We also discussed Rick’s upcoming book project “Frosty the Snowman 50th Anniversary Scrapbook” about the 1969 CBS traditional cell animated special “Frosty the Snowman” starring Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon. Rick explained that Frosty is the longest running television special that ran on the same network. Frosty has been running annually on CBS since 1969.
Rick’s upcoming book project “Frosty the Snowman 50th Anniversary Scrapbook”
For years, Rick has been campaigning to have these classic Rankin/Bass productions restored and released as the creators intended them to be seen, complete and unedited. Rick has had mixed success with this endeavor, he realizes that it is a very tough task when dealing with large corporate entities that have economical priorities rather than focusing on the quality and completeness of these releases. We played an excellent example of this featuring 2 clips from “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town“.
We then moved our conversation to Rick’s amazing nostalgia memorabilia collection and his appearance with Lisa Whelchel on MeTV‘s “Collector’s Call“. On the episode of “Collector’s Call” featuring Rick, Lisa was escorted around Rick’s museum home with numerous relics and treasures of pop culture displayed throughout the house. Rick and I discussed a few of these items including his “Captain Action” collection, Martin & Lewis 3D Photos, and Rick’s bound “TV Guide” collection.
Rick Goldschmidt on MeTV’s “Collector’s Call”
Rick’s episode of “Collector’s Call” can be seen here:
Hello All!!!!! Helen and I are proud to host another installment of “An Evening of Old Time Radio” at Mount Holly’s newest coffee shop, “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, at 14 White Street in Mill Race Village, located in beautiful, downtown Mount Holly, New Jersey. If any of you wonderful folks happen to be in the vicinity of Mount Holly, New Jersey on Friday, June 7th (6:30PM to 9PM), we cordially invite you to stop by and enjoy a tasty beverage as we present “The Men in Blue”. We will be presenting three classic shows from the “Golden Age of Radio” with a Police theme.
Stay for 1, 2, or all 3 shows!!!! As a special bonus, we are also planning to broadcast the presentation live on www.RadioOnceMore.com June 12th at 9PM. This gives you two chances to catch our “The Men in Blue” presentation live, once at “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, and once on “Radio Once More”. We have some great shows and fun lined up for this special Friday evening event. Also, rumor has it that there will be a few Give-a-Ways!!!!
Stop by and try something a little different and experience how we were entertained back in the 1930′s, 40′s, and 50′s before television. All you need are your ears and your imagination!!!! Arrive early if you plan on attending, it’s a cozy coffee shop with limited seating.
In March, I tried an experiment during one of our “Woo-Hoo Extra” Live Shows on “Radio Once More”. I’ve already posted about Helen and I being guests on the “Walden and Patricia Show” on the internet radio station “YesterdayUSA” in January. Well, with the flexibility of the “Woo-Hoo Extra” shows, I got to thinking that perhaps we can attempt a simulcast with Walden while he was broadcasting on “YesterdayUSA”. The “Big Boss” Neal Ellis loved the idea and worked very diligently with me to have our board wired correctly to make this monumental broadcast work. Walden was also very excited about the idea and worked a few tests with me to make sure we were connected to the conferencing application “Zoom” correctly. So far, all was still good for a simulcast between the two stations. Regarding “popping on” for a “Woo-Hoo Extra” on Radio Once More, I attempt to cause the least amount of disruption as possible. So when “popping on”, I attempt to join in at the beginning of a three hour block, that way I am not cutting in while a radio show is in progress. Also, for the simulcast, I did not want to disrupt a Live Show with Walden while he was on with Patricia, or John & Larry Gassman, etc. The best way to accomplish this was to wait after midnight eastern time before going on with Walden. The next block on “Radio Once More” began at 3AM, so our “Woo-Hoo Extra” simulcast would begin at 3AM eastern time, midnight pacific time for Walden. Now I am patiently waiting upstairs in our office/studio for 3AM, and to throw a curve ball to this broadcast, at 2AM, for some unknown reason, I lost total internet!!! Now if you are ever planning to do an internet radio show, the number 1 ingredient is……internet!!!!!! Well, the internet did return, but left again at 2:20AM. Now I am quite nervous, however, it returned for good and a smooth connection was made shortly after 3AM and the first simulcast went well.
The mission of this first simulcast was to make the connection and do a quick 1 hour test show. Well, Walden and I chatted, and chatted, and next thing I realized, it was 3:57AM….time to say Good-Bye!!!! Well, we were still going strong and I asked Walden if he could stay on a bit longer, and Walden assured me that he was fine so we proceeded. When I spoke with the Big Boss Neal Ellis earlier in the day, he wished me well and told me if I needed more time, to feel free and use it. Boy did I!!!! We continued chatting another half hour, another hour, and then next thing you know, it was 5:57AM, definitely time to say Good Bye!!!!! I signed off and said Good Bye, and headed downstairs. I was greeted by the wonderful Helen who was already showered and dressed for work. She even shared with me that when she heard Walden on our internet radio in the kitchen, she initially thought that I forgot to switch the station back to automation…until she heard me belly laughing with Walden. She then realized that we were still simulcasting.
Walden and I discussed our simulcast and came up with a plan to make this a regular segment on our shows. We agreed that we’ll have a simulcast every other month, thereby adding a bit of extra joint fun to both of our stations. Below is the complete first simulcast from March 8th, 2019.
We scheduled our next simulcast for mid-May, and Walden arranged for John & Larry Gassman to be part of this broadcast as well. Also, this enabled us to go on at 12AM instead of 3AM, much more workable for me. When we started the second simulcast, John & Larry were full of fun and enthusiasm about the broadcast. This one ended up being a three hour online party!!!! We all had a blast and I know I was laughing and smiling during the entire three hour broadcast. John and Larry shared many great stories about the many “Old Time Radio” legends that they met and had discussions with. This included a wonderful story of going to the residence of Mel Blanc and having a discussion with him. They also mentioned many others that they knew and chatted with including William Conrad, June Foray, Vic Perrin, and Frank Nelson among others. These stories are definitely priceless.
John and Larry Gassman from the 2017 SPERDVAC convention in Las Vegas
We also added in some “Trivia” fun by playing a bit of “Name That Tune” with various themes from Radio, Television, Movies, and Cartoons. Walden was also prepared with clips on his end so we all had fun guessing the themes, and they triggered conversation among the four of us and with some of our listeners that called us during the simulcast. We even received a few requests for cartoon themes which we gladly played.
The three hours went quickly, and we had another fun-filled simulcast. Below is the complete simulcast from May 17th, 2019.
These simulcasts have been tremendously fun for me, and I would like to thank Walden along with John and Larry Gassman for sharing their time with us and creating a unique and fun radio venture with our YestersdayUSA and Radio Once More simulcasts. Thanks so much and I look forward to our next one in July!!!!!!!!
Hello All!!!!! Helen and I are proud to host another installment of “An Evening of Old Time Radio” at Mount Holly’s newest coffee shop, “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, at 14 White Street in Mill Race Village, located in beautiful, downtown Mount Holly, New Jersey. If any of you wonderful folks happen to be in the vicinity of Mount Holly, New Jersey on Friday, April 12th (6:30PM to 9PM), we cordially invite you to stop by and enjoy a tasty beverage as we present “Is There a Dr. in the House?”. We will be presenting three doctor themed classic radio shows from the “Golden Age of Radio”.
Stay for 1, 2, or all 3 shows!!!! As a special bonus, we are also planning to broadcast the presentation live on www.RadioOnceMore.com April 17th at 9PM. This gives you two chances to catch our “Is There a Dr. in the House?” presentation live, once at “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, and once on “Radio Once More”. We have some great shows and fun lined up for this special Friday evening event. Also, rumor has it that there will be a few Give-a-Ways!!!!
Stop by and try something a little different and experience how we were entertained back in the 1930′s, 40′s, and 50′s before television. All you need are your ears and your imagination!!!! Arrive early if you plan on attending, it’s a cozy coffee shop with limited seating.
The first show was a fantastic comedic romp entitled “A Comedy of Tenors“. Frank Ferrante starred in a dual role and directed this hilarious madcap comedy. Lots of physical comedy, sight gags, and clever dialogue as well. I was laughing non-stop and the entire cast was tremendous and Frank was exceptional in both roles and directing this great show. Helen and I loved the show immensely!!!!
And on his day off, Monday, Frank again played the role that he is known for and has played for the past 35 years, the one….the only….Groucho Marx!!!! Frank Ferrante again presented his amazing one-man-show “An Evening with Groucho” to a sold out crowd at the “Walnut Street Theater”. During this delightful one-man-show, Frank tells the story of Groucho and the Marx Brothers from their beginnings and to the end when Groucho was elderly and still made public appearances. Frank, (as Groucho) sings and dances to many of the famous songs featured in various Marx Brothers films and in Groucho fashion interacts with the audience and even the staff of the “Walnut Street Theater”. This is a show that has been all over the planet, so whenever Frank is in your neck of the woods, I highly recommend you seeing this show and experience comedy as we did numerous decades ago.
After the show, Frank usually makes himself available for autographs, and photos and to say hello to the fans. Helen and I have seen this show approximately seven times and we never get tired of it. Franks always takes the time to thank everyone for supporting the show and for coming out to see him. All I can say is the pleasure is all ours Frank!!!! Thank you for keeping the memory alive of the Marx Brothers and probably the quickest wit of all time….The one and only…..Groucho Marx.
An autographed photo of Frank Ferrante as Groucho Marx
I was again so moved by this wonderful show, when we got home, I decided to present another installment of “Woo-Hoo Extra” on “Radio Once More” and pay tribute to Groucho Marx. During the show we mentioned Frank’s one man show and we played a few of the wonderful numbers that Groucho sings in some of the famous Marx Brothers films. We also played an abbreviated version of an episode of the famous quiz show that Groucho hosts, “You Bet Your Life”. And as an added bonus, we played the audio of the Mystery Guest segment of an episode of “What’s My Line?” featuring Groucho as the mystery guest. This segment is arguably one of the funniest mystery guest segments ever. It is incredibly hysterical and is just as funny with the audio only. Below is the entire “Woo-Hoo Extra” show as it aired on February 27th:
Thanks for stopping by the “Holmsey Blog” and being part of this Groucho Marx tribute……….’and tell them Groucho sent you’!!!!!!!
Helen and Johnny wearing our Groucho Marx T-Shirts
Since I am now officially retired after 30 years of service with the New Jersey Division of Taxation, (my official last day of work was December 28th 2018 and I have a few photos “Last Day Photos” posted on our Flickr page) I have the luxury of not keeping regular hours and sleeping in and staying up late and pursuing hobbies and all that fun stuff. In December I proposed to my boss Neal Ellis at “Radio Once More” the idea of me occasionally “popping on” for an impromptu Live Show for a quick hour. This is in addition to our regular 3 hour Live Show every other Wednesday evening from 9PM-12AM (eastern) known as “Woo-Hoo Wednesday”.
During the 1 hour impromptu Live Show, we would not have our regular segments, and open up the “Holmsey Listener Line” (609) 845-3570 for anyone that would like to chat or simply say “Hello”!!!! Ordinarily, I would not have a planned theme, just some “Old Time Radio” programs and music ready to go to accompany the conversation. Although, if the opportunity presents itself, I can use the hour for a specific theme or topic, as we did recently when we focused on Groucho Marx and played some Groucho songs and clips along with an episode of “You Bet Your Life”.
Additionally, this gives me the opportunity to have additional guests on Live, either by Skype, Zoom, or they can join me in the studio and chat Live and chat with our listeners on our “Holmsey Listener Line”. The Big Boss Loved the idea of this impromptu Live Show and we decided to call it…..”Woo-Hoo Extra”!!!!!! We’ve already done a few and it’s worked out very well. I can pop on at any time, day or night for a quick hour. Keep an eye on the “Radio Once More” Facebook Page, I’ll make a post before we “pop on” for another installment of “Woo-Hoo Extra” on “Radio Once More”!!!!!
I’m looking forward to chatting with you on “Radio Once More” during a future installment of….”Woo-Hoo Extra”!!!!!!!!!
Hello All!!!!! Helen and I are proud to host another installment of “An Evening of Old Time Radio” at Mount Holly’s newest coffee shop, “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, at 14 White Street in Mill Race Village, located in beautiful, downtown Mount Holly, New Jersey. If any of you wonderful folks happen to be in the vicinity of Mount Holly, New Jersey on Friday, February 15th (6:30PM to 9PM), we cordially invite you to stop by and enjoy a tasty beverage as we present a “Benny All-Niter”. We will be presenting three episodes from ‘The Jack Benny Program’, one each from the 1930’s, 1940’s, and the 1950’s.
Stay for 1, 2, or all 3 shows!!!! As a special bonus, we are also planning to broadcast the presentation live on www.RadioOnceMore.com Wednesday, February 20th at 9PM. This gives you two chances to catch our “Benny All-Niter” presentation live, once at “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe”, and once on “Radio Once More”. We have some great Jack Benny shows and fun lined up for this special Friday evening event. Also, rumor has it that there will be a few Give-a-Ways!!!!
Stop by and try something a little different and experience how we were entertained back in the 1930′s, 40′s, and 50′s before television. All you need are your ears and your imagination!!!! Arrive early if you plan on attending, it’s a cozy coffee shop with limited seating.
Helen and I sincerely hope to see you Friday evening at “Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe” on February 15th at 6:30PM and on “Radio Once More” on Wednesday evening February 20th at 9PM!!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!
Last month, Helen and I had the honor and privilege to be guests on the “Walden and Patricia Show” on the internet radio station “Yesterday USA”. “Yesterday USA” carries Old Time Radio and other nostalgia related programming so they invited us on to discuss our “An Evening of Old Time Radio” presentations in downtown Mount Holly at Breaking Grounds Coffee & Cafe and our “Woo-Hoo Wednesdays” on the internet radio station “Radio Once More”.
Our dear friend Walden hosting his Old Time Radio/Nostalgia Radio Show on “Yesterday USA”
It was a delightful conversation with Walden and Patricia and Larry Gassman joined in with the discussion as well to add to the fun. Yesterday USA uses the conference application Zoom on their Live Shows and they create a “Zoom Room”. The Zoom application has great sound quality and allowed Helen and I to speak together and also allowed us to goof around with Walden, Patricia, and Larry and play some of our usual sound effects that the “Woo-Hoo Wednesday” listeners are accustomed to listening to on “Radio Once More”.
We plan to reciprocate and invite Walden and Patricia later in the year to “Woo-Hoo Wednesday” and discuss their “Yesterday USA” radio show and discuss the upcoming SPERDVAC (The Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy) convention in November. Larry Gassman currently serves as President, Larry’s twin brother John Gassman serves as Vice President, and Walden also serves as a board member of SPERDVAC. This years SPERDVAC convention is at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Costa Mesa, California and begins Thursday evening November 7th, and ends Sunday Morning November 11th. Helen and I attended the SPERDVAC convention in 2017 while we were vacationing in Las Vegas. That is when I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Walden. Helen and I are planning on attending the SPERDVAC convention in November and we look forward to seeing Walden, along with Larry and John Gassman and many other Old Time Radio friends.
John and Larry Gassman at the 2017 SPERDVAC Convention
Below is the entire discussion Helen and I had with Walden, Patricia, and Larry Gassman on “Yesterday USA”.
Again, Helen and I wish to thank Walden, Patricia, and Larry for inviting us to chat with them on “Yesterday USA” and we’ll see you in November at SPERDVAC.
Posted by JHolmsey 
The Holmsey Blog 