[78-L] Winnie-the-Who?

Michael Biel mbiel at mbiel.com
Mon May 11 11:13:26 PDT 2009



>>> Darrell Lehman wrote:
>>>> Anybody know if Winston Churchill was recorded on disc? I know Edward 
>>>> R. Murrow had a set that might have included him but I can't finds mine 
>>>> so..... Anybody aware of anything else?

SHELVES full of 'em.  HMV published a whole separate catalogue listing
their Royal and political speeches.  In the U.S. Columbia issued a set
with his Dec 1941 speech to Congress.  As the war ended WOR Feature
issued two 10-inch 78s with picture covers, one for the recently
departed FDR, and the other for Churchill with narrated excerpts of
speeches.  They are easy to find (without the covers).  


>>> This goes back to that old discussion about whether Churchill recorded 
>>> any of his speeches or were they ghosted by actor Norman Shelley, who 
>>> also played the other Winnie (the Pooh!).    Julian Vein

> Taylor Bowie wrote:
>> So all those HMVs are actually an actor?   Taylor


NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Norman Shelley himself never claimed to have done more than ONE
Churchill speech just one time!!!!!!!!!!!  I have a recording of a
broadcast interview with Shelley where he debunks the theory that he did
it many times.  As some of the articles the Canadian dl referenced
state, it is doubtful that Shelley's recording of the beaches speech was
ever broadcast. 

Much of the confusion relates to Decca having Churchill re-record his
speeches around 1948.  So the recordings on HMV are contemporary with
the original date, and Decca/London's are later re-dos.  Many came out
on 78s in Britain with special picture labels.  Decca/London did a big
LP box set but all I have been able to find is the one-disc sampler on
London.  HMV did 10 separate LP volumes, the first one being a 2-disc
set that was also issued in the U.S. on Capitol and thus was not
imported with Odeon paste-overs like the other ones were.  
 
Edward R. Murrow, in addition to including a montage of Churchill in the
first I Can Hear It Now (issued on all three speeds) did a full LP of
Churchill originally labelled as Vol IV of I Can Hear It Now.  In
neither of these, nor the WOR disc, nor any other early documentary do
we hear the Beaches speech.  

Mike Biel   mbiel at mbiel.com   




From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>

More on Winnie vs Norman. Interesting comments..amazing to see online
banter 
from people who can actually construct a sentence in English.
http://www.theperfectworld.us/thread.php?id=504&postNum=108

David Lennick wrote:
> Beats me..now this is coming under debunkment (if there isn't such a word, I 
> shall coin it).
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Shelley
> http://www.fpp.co.uk/bookchapters/WSC/Observer291000.html
> http://cool-palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/mailing-lists/amia-l/2006/04/msg00148.html
> http://www.courts.fsnet.co.uk/wscatlantic.htm
> 
> Take your pick.
> 
> dl
> 






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