PEABODY'S PONY EXPRESS:(continued)
November 04, 2001
Subject: Walter Tetley
Brian:
Congatulations on your website! I have always been a fan of Walter Tetley's, and I loved learning more about him! I don't think however, that your statement that he was a "hooligan" on the Phil Harris Alice Faye show - he was MADE that way! Phil and his pal Frankie Rhemly were always trying out things and experiments on poor Julius, and he was just fighting back.
At various times they:
sank him in a boattrapped him in a chimney then lit a fire
sealed him up in a Murphy Bed
electrocuted him
attempted to suffocate him
dropped heavy barbells on him
stuffed him in a mailbox
gave him bad advice on love,
and worse things
Poor Julius! All he ever wanted to do was deliver the groceries and make love to Alice!
Anyway, he DID steal the show on many occasions, and I just loved it!
I have an mp3-cd of many Phill Harris Alice Faye shows which I will gladly pass along to you free, if you will just send me your address.
Greg Steinmayer
So what was his relationship to Phil and Alice Faye, since they were adults and he was a kid? Especially since he wanted to make love to Alice Faye, as you say?.......I'm taking a wild guess that they were not his parents!!
That'd be so neat if you could send me some of those Phil Harris and Alice Faye episodes. If I could listen to a large enough cross-section, of the show, we could edit our feature, Walter's Radio Career, and expound on more than just the Great Gildersleeve.
Brian
October 31, 2001
Subject: Keith Scott
Hi Brian
Just to let you know we have published stage one of the Keith Scott website at http://www.keithscott.com
Regards
Chris McCallum
Break Point Design
Hello, Chris:
Do you work for Keith Scott, or are you just a fan of his? Thanks for sending me this. Very appropriate for our web page since Keith Scott did do voices for the Rocky & Bullwinkle and George of the Jungle movies, that came out in the late 90s and early 00's.
Unfortunately my server, MSN, is redoing some things, and it looks like until I have a chance to pour through all their instructions and install a new program, I won't be able to listen to those voices of Keith, on the site (I am guessing that that is why I am having a problem, and cannot download any of them).
Once we get a chance to post this on the Peabody's Pony Express feature, however, at least some of our readers will be able to enjoy it.
Sincerely,
Brian
Hi Brian
Keith and I have been friends for 20 years. I have designed and produced his web site. The audio files are available in both QuickTime and RealAudio formats you will need either of these players to hear the audio. Download Quicktime at http://www.apple.com/quicktime and real audio at http://www.real.com If you are having any problems with it please let me know.
regards
Chris McCallum
October 29, 2001
Subject: WALTER TETLEY
THIS AFTERNOON I DECIDED TO SEARCH THE WEB AND SEE IF THERE WAS ANY INFORMATION ON TWO RADIO PERSONALITIES I HAVE COME TO ENJOY OVER THE PAST 6-MONTHS. THE FIRST WAS ELLIOTT LEWIS AND THE SECOND WAS WALTER TETLEY. THESE TWO RADIO ACTORS HAVE HAD ME LAUGHING OUT LOUD EVERY EVENING WHEN I ENTERTAIN MY SELF BY PLAYING AUDIO TAPE RECORDINGS OF THE PHIL HARRIS SHOW. NOW, THANKS TO YOUR INFORMATION ON AN OTHER RADIO SHOW, THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE I WILL HAVE TO OBTAIN SOME COPIES OF THAT SHOW.
FYI
C.A. MORRELL
Thanks! I worked hard on that article. That was hours and hours of listening time, that I went through, before I could write the article. Since writing that I continued listening to those episodes until I finished all 180 of them. So that was roughly 90 hours, over the course of several months, that I heard all those shows. It was so very interesting hearing them, 55-60 years later, on my computer!
Brian
October 22, 2001
Subject: re tetley web site
the sound clips were a trip for me down memory lane....Daws Butler and the rest took me back to the days of my own youth and the black and white era of television.
I have one question or request only for your consideraton...would you consider doing a piece on Dick Tufeld the voice actor who provided the voice for the Lost in Space robot(s) in both the classic Lost in Space TV show for the three years it ran 65 thru 68 and again for the Lost in Space feature film in 1998...he is still alive but has cancer sadly of his throat his voice will be silenced all to soon
Dave Berry
Well, I wouldn't mind doing that, but our Mission Statement pretty much sizes up our web page as a forum for voice artists from Jay Ward cartoons only (or least voice artists that have at least some link with Jay Ward).
If you want to write something up, however, and have it appear in our Peabody's Pony Express (and I realize that that feature is not quite as visible as the rest of our forum), I'll be happy to publish that. You would probably be a much better person, than I, to write something up. I never met or communicated with Dick Tufeld.
If you want to do that, we'll put a little introduction before your piece, which would explain why we are including it on The Walter Tetley Web Page. You could make it as long as one of our standard articles, if you like.
Brian
October 11, 2001
Subject: fractured flickers
brian-
reruns of fractured flickers were on tv in los angeles, late at nite on channel 9, in 1969 or 1970 (before vcrs). i was 9 and my little sister was 4, and we went nuts. i only saw the show 3 or 4 times, but i never forgot the clever wit of the show, and how hard we laughed. if you or anyone else knows of where to buy fractured flickers videos, please contact yoloy@msn.com.
thanks,
loy spears
Thanks! I enjoy getting emails about the Fractured Flickers, since that is one of Jay Ward's more off-beat, less popular shows. I don't know where to buy the F.F.'s, but take a gander at my August 6th email, in the Peabody's Pony Express, where I offer some advice on getting in touch with someone who might know.
Brian
October 10, 2001
Subject: Walter Tetley
Hey Brian,
I emailed you once a while back and just came across your site again. Your work on Walter Tetley is invaluable. No other web source exists that I know of in this detail. I did see a book last year in a Barnes and Nobles in New Orleans that had a one page section on Watler. I do not remember the book's title (I think it was about television or cartoons--maybe Jay Ward cartoons), but it told of his operation he had while a teenager or young adult that actually helped him grow a few more inches. Does any of that ring a bell?
You wrote:
'I would like to find a picture of him, as he looked then, in the early to mid 70s. Most of the pictures, that I have seen of him, are from 30 years earlier. Though many of those later photos, were probably not particularly flattering (due that difficult phase of his life, and the fact that he was fast approaching the identity of a senior citizen), I would really enjoy seeing a different side of him.'
'Amen' to that. I had been looking for just such a thing five years before I discovered your wonderful site. (Back then it was difficult just to find a picture of him at any age!). He fascinates me for all the reasons you so eloquently wrote about. (That kid's voice coming from a man) When I saw him in a bell hop cameo for a Gildersleeve movie, I was struck by his maturity really. I expected to see another Dickie Beals or Phillip Morris guy. But he looked more like a somewhat youthful-looking teenager. Not nearly as tiny (or elfish) as I had imagined.
Thanks.
Dave
Hattiesburg, MS
Hi David. The name of that book that you were talking about, which devotes a page to Walter Tetley is Keith Scott's The Moose That Roared. I allude to it, quite a lot, in some of our articles. Keith Scott is no relation to Bill Scott, at Jay Ward. Keith Scott is from Australia.
I don't know if you saw it, but, we actually added two new features, about Walter Tetley; not just Twilight of an Identity, but also Walter's Radio Career. It wouldn't surprise me if you missed it, because we listed Walter's Radio Career separate from the Tribute and Twilight entries on the left margin.
I haven't seen any of those Gildersleeve movies, but I did see W.T. in a bit part role in an Abbott and Costello movie called "Who Done it?". They don't even credit him for that in the movie (he has quite a few lines, actually), but his filmography does credit him. He plays a bellhop or elevator operator in that movie.
I just have not gotten around to doing that. I would have to do some digging to find him, of course (that never stopped me before, anyway!).
The reason why I decided not to put Walter's Radio Career, side by side with the other Tetley features, in the margin was very simple. We want to attract people who are interested in all the Jay Ward voice actors; not just Walter Tetley. If we had three in a row, on the left margin, someone visiting our site might glance at that quickly, and think: 'All this web site is about is W.T.; it doesn't really focus that much on the other people.' A person in a hurry might not bother to arrow down and read the other entries.
So I decided to use Walter's Radio Career as a "bookend feature" in the margin's index. I list that feature after the very last feature about Jay Ward's voice actors. So the index starts with Walter and ends with him; why I call it a "bookend feature" in the index.
Brian
October 04, 2001
Subject: RE: Re: Paul Frees
Dear Brian,
Hey, man! I just wanted to let you know that you weren't forgotten and that I'm still working on a Paul Frees article. I know have the following stills for the piece: a portrait photo of PF, two shots of PF with Frank Sinatra in SUDDENLY, and a shot with PF in it from THE THING... And that's just the beginning! Here's to the beginning of "Freesology!"
Regards-
JUSTIN H.
August 26, 2001
Subject: W.T.
Brian,
Thanks for sending me his birth name.
(I told Todd that Walter's death certificate gave both his stage name and his birth name on the "name line". I added that I was not sure which name his resting place would be found under, at Oakwood Memorial Park----or if it could be found under both names. Walter Tetley's birth name was Walter Tetzloff. His middle name----for both his stage name and his birth name------was Campbell. Campbell was the maiden name of his mother, who was born in Scotland. His father was American, for the record.).
I encourage you to get him listed at Findagrave. I'm very limited with what I can do with Webtv. I can't snatch photos for instance unless they are jpg's. Nor can I cut & paste various bits and pieces together into any coherency. If I were creating a page for him at Findagrave, I would have to pinch most of the info from your site anyway.
The advantage to Findagrave is that it's the largest "online memorial" with so many listings all in one place for grave-hopping. If you get it started, someone else with a piece of the Tetley puzzle just browsing the T's one day will come upon it and add to the page. You get an onscreen credit (and link) for it too.
There are many listings there without grave, urn, or niche photos. But the info and publicity or personal photos are there. I've seen many that just state "Cremated. Ashes given to family." or "Location of body unknown." "Ashes scattered at sea." I did see one once that had a photo of small cardboard boxes on a storage room shelf. Boris Karloff, I believe, requested that his ashes be used in the rose garden at the cemetery. There's just a little plaque in the rose garden for him. Bessie Smith, due to poverty, was buried in an unmarked grave. Janis Joplin (one of Bessie's fans) bought her a headstone.
There are possibilities. I really think it would be great to get him listed at Findagrave. Perhaps someone with fond memories of "Sherman" and some deep pockets will come along and donate a niche or plaque for him.
As we boomers are getting older, we are taking care of unfinished business like this.
Please consider it.
Thanks.
Todd
Hi Todd:
I'll give your suggestion some thought. Though I have not written it off, at the time being I am more inclined to not get involved. But I have really just started to think about it, however..........
You will probably laugh, when I tell you this..........but I have mentally run the gambit of the full range of emotions and reactions, on both ends of the spectrum, to your idea.
On the one hand, it would be a neat challenge, and I think that Greg and I have risen to the occasion, for all kinds of challenges on this web page. It would be kind of neat to branch out and do, yet another thing, related to what we are trying to do here.
On the other hand, I do have some serious worries and concerns about problems and headaches, that might befall us, if we were to get involved with this venture. I don't really want to elaborate on those specifics right here in this email.
I will at least run this by Greg. He is not my attorney, of course, but he is very wise, and I turn to him in times when I cannot make my own decision about how to proceed.
Thanks for placing your confidence in us; it is very flattering that you would turn to us, on something that you feel strongly about.
Brian