[78-L] God Bless America 1st broadcast

[David Lennick]

Here's the exact e-mail I received from Michael Feinstein at that time:

On 4/15/2011 1:20 AM, Michael Feinstein wrote:
 > 
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400204219130&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT 

 > 
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400204219130&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT> 

 >
 >
 > Dave-
 > I'm not on any 78 chat lists, but you might want to alert folks that this is
 > not the only existing copy of Kate's first performance of God Bless America.
 > There is a copy in the New York Public Library and I got a CD of it from them
 > that is identical to what this guy is offering. At one time he had posted a
 > sound file of the first minute of the disc and it is the same performance. In
 > spite of being emailed and told that his is not a unique copy he has not
 > changed his listing. So you might want to alert anyone who might be tempted to
 > shell out big bucks for what they perceive as being a unique item but, in fact,
 > is not.
 >
 > Michael

As for the Sandy Shnook lp, I have that on open reel somewhere.

dl

On 8/31/2011 1:28 AM, Michael Biel wrote:
> Still trying to track down info about the recording of the first Kate
> Smith broadcast of God Bless America.  A listener to the broadcast I did
> on YesterdayUSA just emailed tonight that the choral director Ted
> Straeter had contracted with a studio to record only the music and that
> his estate were selling off thediscs a few years ago on ebay and that he
> did get a couple but God Bless America was very expensive.  He said that
> the Kate Smith Commemorative Society and an actor he could remember had
> gone in on it together.  He says that the Society played it once at a
> convention but never issued it.
>
> Lennick dd a posting about the disc showing up again on ebay in April at
> $7000 but although it is still there right now at $4750, it seems to
> have finally been sold.  AND it turns out it is a Harry Smith recording
> made for Ted Straeter, and is marked on the label as the original.
> According to Michael R. Pitts' Kate Smith Bio-Bibliography, this
> recording was on both Sunbeam P-510 and Sandy Crook SH-2085.  True to
> form, the SH has the contents of the Sunbeam except for the fact that
> the Sunbeam is a 2-LP set and the SH has only half of it.  I just got
> the Sunbeam today and the recording is NOT the broadcast.  It is from
> the film "This Is the Army". I've seen photos of the cover of the SH and
> it headlines the broadcast recording as being on it.  IF the Sandy Hook
> actually has the correct broadcast recording -- the one with the altered
> lyrics -- then it is NOT totally Sandy CROOK.  Does anybody have it?????
>
> Here is Lennick's original posting including the URL so you can see the
> photos.  Can dl tell us about Michael Feinstein's comment?  Where was
> it?  I do not see the real broadcast recording listed in the NYPL online
> catalogs, nor the LPs.
>
> Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com
>
> On 4/16/2011 11:03 PM, David Lennick wrote:
>> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400204219130&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
>>
>>
>> I'm not sure if this is the same disc we've seen previously, but Michael
>> Feinstein has pointed out that it's definitely not the only existing copy of
>> Kate's first performance of God Bless America. A copy is in the New York Public
>> Library and the audio is identical to the sample this seller previously posted.
>> (Was this also once cited as being a glass lacquer? It would definitely not be
>> an original in that case since glass discs weren't in use in the US in 1938.)
>>
>> Buy it now for $7000..yeah, right.
>>
>> dl
>