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Railroad Hour

by: Old Time Radio Researchers Group

Publication date: 2017-10-25

Usage: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International

THE RAILROAD HOUR
Background of The Railroad Hour

The series was sponsored by the Association of American Railroads. It featured highly condensed versions of popular musicals and operettas from old favorites, like Victor Herbert's Naughty Marietta, to more contemporary hits such as Rodgers and Hammerstein's State Fair. Since the show was produced for NBC's "Night of Music", it should come as no surprise that the plotline sometimes came second to the music. One reviewer noted that "The complicated and multi-layered plot of Showboat, for instance, becomes nothing more than the misbegotten romance of a riverboat gambler and a romantic young lady" (RadioArchive.com).

Gordon MacRae always sang the romantic lead accompanied by his leading lady du jour. Among his most popular co-stars were "MGM and Warner Brothers vocalist Lucille Norman, Metropolitan Opera stars Dorothy Kirsten and Nadine Conner, Dorothy Warenskjold of the San Francisco Opera Company, and guest artists like Jane Powell, Jeanette MacDonald, and Kenny Baker" (RadioArchive.com) The vocals were augmented by the Norman Luboff choir, and the music was led by renowned conductor/arranger Carmen Dragon. The libretti were edited by the highly experienced team of Jean Holloway, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee.
OTRR Release Information:

Series Name: The Railroad Hour
Release Status: OTRR Certified Accurate
Release Date: August 27, 2016
Release Version: Version 1
Number of CDs: 6
From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. See "Notes" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

Notes

OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHERS GROUP

This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers (OTRR) Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website (www.otrr.org), Old Time Radio Researchers Facebook Group, and Old Time Radio Researchers Group.

It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.

If you are interested in preserving Old Time Radio (OTR), you may wish to join the Old Time Radio Researchers Group at Facebook and Groups.io.

Relax, listen, and enjoy!

OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Maintained Set -- This set contains all known episodes in the best available audio condition with the most accurate dates and titles known to be in general circulation and based on current research at the time of release. Replaces OTRR Certified Accurate and OTRR Certified Complete.

OTRR Non-Maintained Set -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Maintenance process.

Pre-2019 OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Certified Accurate -- A series that was "Certified Accurate" indicated that all the episodes were properly identified and labeled based on current information but that the series did not contain all known extant episodes.

OTRR Certified Complete -- A series that was "Certified Complete" achieved the highest level of certification available under the OTRR Certified Standards. This certification level implied that all the files in the series were "Certified Accurate" and also indicated that the series was as complete as possible and included all circulating episodes.

OTRR Non-Certified -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Certification process.

Also, beginning in 2019, the version numbers of our OTRR releases changed format -- instead of v1.0 or v2.1, we are now using a version number that reflects the year and month the set was released. The format used is a two-digit year followed by a two-digit month. For example, "v1906" indicates a set that was released in June 2019, or "v1910" indicates a set released in October 2019.

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