There were stars during the golden age of radio and one of the biggest and brightest was John Dehner.  He was also one of the few that broke into the first age of television. On this edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories – The Blog, we look at the life and times of one of the best, John Dehner.

Dehner was born in Staten Island, New York. His father was a painter, so during his younger years he lived in some pretty incredible places like: Oslo, Copenhagen, London, and Paris. Dehner initially went into art after studying at the Grand Central School of Art in New York City, New York. One of his many jobs was as an animator at Walt Disney Studios.

If you were ask Dehner about how he got his start in show business he would probably begin by talking of his extensive radio career. His early radio jobs included being a news editor and a disc jockey. As a radio actor he appeared as a lead or supporting player in such series as, The Whistler, Gunsmoke, Suspense and many others. He starred as Paladin in the radio version of Have Gun – Will Travel and in Frontier Gentleman, another western series.

He made his film debut in the 1940s, and has appeared in dozens of films. A tall and distinguished looking man with a rich voice and somewhat flamboyant demeanor, Dehner often was cast as an outlaw leader, crooked banker or saloon owner in westerns and adventure films, although he was occasionally cast against type in comedies, and played a crusading newspaper reporter in the TV series The Roaring 20’s. Dehner had over 250 television and film credits to his name. His earliest being in 1941 to the motion picture classic The Right Stuff in 1983. He finished his work with the award winning mini-series, War and Remembrance in 1989.

Whether he was working as an artist, actor or professional pianist John Dehner was one of a kind. He died of emphysema in 1992 at the age of 76 in Santa Barbara, California.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week a UFO crashes in a family’s backyard, we tell the true story of a camping trip gone very wrong and we also have another five minute mystery. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

December 01 – The Horror Express #13
December 08 – Gigantopithecus – (RAS #268)
December 15 – Special Guest – Julie Hawkins – (RAS #269)
December 22 – (RAS #270)
December 29 – Christmas Break 2016
January 05 – (RAS #271)

We throw the Ron’s Amazing Spotlight on actress Olivia de Havilland. She was born July 1, 1916 and her career spanned from 1935 to 1988. Here is the amazing part, she is one of the last surviving stars at age one-hundred, from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Olivia appeared in forty-nine feature films. She is best known for her early screen performance in one of my favorite films of all time, The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938. She was also in a tiny little film in 1939 called Gone with the Wind. That film only won twelve academy awards including best actress in a supporting role – Olivia de Havilland. Oh, in case you were wondering, best actress in a leading role was won by Vivien Leigh star of Gone with the Wind.

Olivia  was born in Tokyo to English parents. She and her younger sister, actress Joan Fontaine, moved to California in 1919. They were raised by their mother Lillian, a former stage actress who taught them dramatic art, music, and elocution. De Havilland made her acting debut Reinhardt’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1935. She began her career playing demure innocent women opposite popular leading men, including Errol Flynn, with whom she made nine films. They became one of Hollywood’s most popular romantic on-screen pairings.  

After romantic relationships with Howard Hughes, James Stewart, and John Huston, Olivia married author Marcus Goodrich, with whom she had a son, Benjamin. In 1953, she moved to Paris and married Pierre Galante with whom she had a daughter, Gisèle. Olivia and Joan Fontaine are the only sisters to have won Academy Awards in a lead acting category. A lifelong rivalry between the two resulted in an estrangement that lasted over three decades. Joan died in 2013 and won her Academy Award for best actress for her role in Suspicion in 1941.

This Week’s Podcast:

On this week’s podcast we present Olivia de Havilland in one the golden age of radio’s best plays, The Scarlet Pimpernel. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

August 11, 2016 – Jim Harold’s Trip to Cypress Canyon (RAS255)
August 18, 2016 – 1,000 Years! (RAS256)
September 01, 2016 – Jubilation U.S.A.! (RAS257)
September 08, 2016 – Sincerely, Iris Interview (RAS258)
September 15, 2016 – Three Different Stories (RAS259)
September 22, 2016 – The Scarlet Pimpernel (RAS260)
September 29, 2016 – (RAS261)
October 01, 2016 – Beginning of the month of Spooky (RAS262)

On this edition of Ron’s Amazing Stories – The Blog we throw the spotlight on Todd Murray founder of Sincerely Iris.

A few weeks ago I did a special tribute to Mark Twain. While doing the research for that show I ran across a song about the man called 1,000 Years by Sincerely, Iris. I contacted them and got permission to play the song as part of the tribute to Mr. Twain.  Since then I have had the good fortune to interview the group and will play that chat on this week’s podcast.  

Sincerely, Iris consists of singer/songwriter Todd Murray. He has a sound that can be summed up best as “road trip music.” It’s a style that’s always changing, and always moving along. Whether it be gypsy-esque or like Kerouac’s beat up old truck, shaking down the road at midnight, it is at once comforting, and somewhat unknown. Sincerely, Iris draws upon influences from Jeff Buckley all the way to Billie Holiday. He is sponsored by Breedlove Guitars.

Todd recently completed his new album, “Trouble.” This is his 5th album under the name Sincerely, Iris. Iconic stories of Mark Twain floating on a riverboat or Bonnie and Clyde running from law enforcement weave their way into the writings of Todd Murray’s newest EP, “Trouble.” Murray has always referred to his songs as road trip music, and his latest highly anticipated album is no exception – a sort of vintage Americana. His last experimental blues album “License Plate Sessions,” which was recorded almost entirely with his homemade 4-string slide guitar, marked a new direction for Sincerely, Iris, but that style seems to have seeped into the music permanently on “Trouble.”   From the cold winds of Chicago and the risk of going out on your own to the vastness of the Rocky Mountains, this album takes a look at the bumpy road that is The American Dream.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the the podcast this week we sit down with Todd Murray the founder of group Sincerely, Iris. We will hear examples of Todd’s work and maybe even a surprise or two. So tune in this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

August 11, 2016 – Jim Harold’s Trip to Cypress Canyon (RAS255)
August 18, 2016 – 1,000 Years! (RAS256)
September 1, 2016 – Jubilation U.S.A.! (RAS257)
September 8, 2016 – Todd Murray Interview (RAS258)
September 15, 2016 – Suspense Classic (RAS259)
September 22, 2016 – (RAS260)
September 29, 2016 – (RAS261)

On the blog this week we throw the spotlight on Captain Anton Glenn Miller. If you don’t know the name, he was a bandleader during America’s swing era. Glenn was one of the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943 and lead one of the best big bands of all time. Miller’s recordings include: In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade, Pennsylvania 6-5000, Chattanooga Choo Choo and many others. While he was traveling to entertain U.S. troops in France during World War II his aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel. Neither he nor his plane were ever found.

Glenn Miller – Early Years

Miller was born in Clarinda, Iowa in 1904. In 1915 his family moved to Grant City, Missouri. Around this time he bought his first trombone and played in the town orchestra. During his senior year in high school he became very interested in a new style of music called “Dance Band Music”. He was so taken with it that he formed his own band with some classmates.

Glenn Miller – Learns his Craft

In 1923 Miller entered the University of Colorado, but spent most of his time away from school. He would attend auditions and play all the gigs he could get. Glenn dropped out of school to concentrate on making a career as a professional musician. Later he studied with Joseph Schillinger and composed what became his signature theme, Moonlight Serenade. In 1926, Miller toured with several groups eventually landing a good spot with Ben Pollack’s jazz band in Los Angeles.

Glenn realized that, rather than being a trombonist, his future lay in arranging or writing music. He worked on several significant Dorsey Brothers sessions including: The Spell of The Blues, Let’s Do It and My Kinda Love. All of these featured Bing Crosby singing the lead vocals. Wanting to be on his own he compiled several musical arrangements and formed his own band in 1937. They disbanded after failing to distinguish themselves. Discouraged, Miller returned to New York. He realized that he needed to develop his own sound. By using a unique combination of saxophone and clarinet he found that sound and the Glenn Miller Orchestra was born. In December of 1939 Miller’s band was featured three times a week in a quarter-hour broadcast for CBS.  Miller and his bandmates had done the nearly impossible.

Glenn Miller – Today

The Glenn Miller Orchestra is alive and well today. Their latest album is called, Live and in Stereo. It was recorded at The Simmons Center in Duncan, Oklahoma on October 28, 2014. It is available for purchase at this link.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the podcast this week we pay tribute to one of the greatest bandleaders of our time, Glenn Miller. As you might guess that means that the podcast will be quite melodic, but not to worry there will be a few stories as well. You can listen this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

June 30,2016 – John Wayne Week (RAS251)
July 07,2016 – RAS Reply – Wayne Smalls
July 14,2016 – The Horror Express #11
July 21,2016 – Glenn Miller Week (RAS252)
July 28,2016 – (RAS253)

On the blog this week we throw the spotlight on Debra Yates.  She is the author of the new book called, Woman of Many Names. She was raised in Mansfield Ohio and currently lives in St. Petersburg, Fl. One day a cousin called her and told her about a historical marker in Tennessee. This led Debra on an adventure of a life time, the discovery of her family history.

The novel chronicles the life of Yates’ seventh-great-grandmother, Nancy Ward. This amazing Cherokee woman played a role in the Revolutionary War, had ties to Daniel Boone and traded letters with George Washington. The even more amazing part is that she is not in the history books, but her stories remain! She has been memorialized in Benton, Tennessee, by a federal historical marker. She was known to her people as Nanyehi, where she foretold one of the greatest American tragedies, the Trail of Tears. Nancy stands as a role model akin to that of Joan of Arc.

The late Elia Kazan, one of the most honored and influential directors of our time said that his biggest regret was that he didn’t make a movie about Nancy Ward.

Debra Yates book Woman of Many Names is not yet available, but has gone to the publisher. It should be available by the end of 2016.

This Week’s Podcast:

On the show this week we talk to Debra Yates and have a special episode of Gunsmoke. You can listen to this podcast this Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from iTunes, stream it on TuneIn Radio or listen on your radio Friday night at 8pm Eastern time. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

The Calendar:

April 14, 2016 – Sam Spade Week (RAS241)
April 21, 2016 – Interview with Pam Ferderbar (RAS242)
April 28, 2016 – Sciatica with Doctor Troy (RAS243)
May 05, 2016 – The Night Beat (RAS244)
May 12, 2016 – RAS Replay of Episode #200.
May 19, 2016 – Debra Yates – Woman Of Many Names (RAS245)
May 26, 2016 – (RAS246)