[78-L] Frank Luther items on my want-list for decades

[Guyotsmith at aol.com]

I often smile and shake my head in amused  disbelief to note the 78s which 
have remained on my want-list for 30 or 40  years, never turning up and never 
coming to my attention as the decades roll  onward. Frank Luther, a friend of my 
grandmother's who worked with her on NBC  during the Depression years, has 
always been a great favorite of mine. Because  he recorded so prolifically from 
the late '20s through the '70s, it would be  nearly impossible, I think, to 
ever hold a fully complete collection of his  recorded work. There are, however, 
a few recordings in particular which I  have unsuccessfully sought for a very 
long time, and which really should  not be any more elusive than other titles 
issued by this artist on the same  labels - and yet I have never found a 
trace of them, despite decades of  searching. These Frank Luther items are as 
follows:
 
Decca 1103 (5052)
Decca 5189
Conqueror 8237
(Canadian) Melotone (etc.) 91728
 
A few records by Frank's wife, Zora Layman, have  been equally elusive:
 
Decca 244
Decca 12022  (as by "Doreen  O'Dare")
Decca 12044  (as by "Doreen  O'Dare")
 
Seeking these items is more challenging today  than it might have been some 
years ago. Living near New York City, I well recall  making the rounds of shops 
in the 1950s and '60s which dealt in 78s - and there  were many - and I 
recall, too, the mimeographed publications aimed at hillbilly  78 devotees and the 
many auction lists which came to our mailboxes in those  days. Today, of 
course, we enjoy the convenience of on-line auction services,  but not one of the 
above items from my want-list has ever turned up on such  an auction. 
 
Compounding the dilemma is the fact that I am  not in contact with a single 
Frank Luther or Zora Layman enthusiast who might be  persuaded to run a copy of 
these recordings for me. With no dealers to whom one  may submit want lists, 
and with no publications in which one may post them, the  prospect of locating 
this material would appear a bit bleak at present. 
 
It is evident that these items are scarce  because they were not big sellers 
(although Decca 1103 and 5189 were listed in  the Decca catalogue for several 
years), but it is also true that certain items  are elusive because the 
pursuer simply hasn't had the good fortune to come upon  them. Copies are extant, 
but locating them may be more difficult than it  would have been in the days 
when shops and publications specializing in 78s  existed. 
 
Needless to say, any suggestions or leads would  be very much appreciated. It 
is my wish that all readers of these words may come  upon mint copies of 
items long on your own "want-lists" in the near future. 
 
Regards,
 
Jonathan
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