KGO Dreadful Mysteries

[DavidKaye]

For anybody who was around at the time late on Saturday nights when KGO aired its Dreadful Mysteries, these audio files may bring back lots of memories. For those who weren't, these shows may actually send a chill down your spine, especially if you listen to Orson Welles narrate these stories in a dark room.

Most of the Dreadful Mysteries shows were actually the BBC's Black Museum series, which ran in England in 1951 and in the U.S. in 1952. Archive.org has a bunch of the shows for your listening pleasure:
http://www.archive.org/details/theblackmuseum

They hold up quite well, most especially Welles' narrative.

 

[mred]

Was this in the 60's?

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Was this in the 60's?

Bob Trebor hosted "Dreadful Mysteries" on KGO around 1967. We have a couple of recordings of the program -- perhaps two hours worth -- from Mike Schweizer's collection, but they aren't really much more than full, uninterrupted dramas, such as "The Black Museum" or "The Third Man," with a brief snip of Trebor on the outro.

 

[radio dx]

Is it true that Trebor was his radio name and that Trebor was Robert spelled backwards
I heard that somewhere.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Is it true that Trebor was his radio name and that Trebor was Robert spelled backwards
I heard that somewhere.

True. Oddly enough, Bob was also his first name, and he spelled that backwards, too.

I learned that from KGO's famous Nnor Snewo.

 

[DavidKaye]

Is it true that Trebor was his radio name and that Trebor was Robert spelled backwards
I heard that somewhere.

I forget his actual last name. He said it on KGO on the day he retired. It was something Latin like Garcia or something, but I forget. He came into broadcasting at a time when "ethnic" names were taboo. A lot of Jews used Anglo names, and maybe even Geraldo Rivera became Jerry Rivers (maybe).

 

[weav]

I forget his actual last name. He said it on KGO on the day he retired. It was something Latin like Garcia or something, but I forget. He came into broadcasting at a time when "ethnic" names were taboo. A lot of Jews used Anglo names, and maybe even Geraldo Rivera became Jerry Rivers (maybe).

I remember hearing Michael Jackson on KABC say GR's real name was Jerry Rivers and he had a mogen David (6pt star) tattooed on his hand.
But hey, this is all showbiz...

 

[LKellerIII]

Is it true that Trebor was his radio name and that Trebor was Robert spelled backwards
I heard that somewhere.

I forget his actual last name. He said it on KGO on the day he retired. It was something Latin like Garcia or something, but I forget. He came into broadcasting at a time when "ethnic" names were taboo. A lot of Jews used Anglo names, and maybe even Geraldo Rivera became Jerry Rivers (maybe).

Ramon Estevez = Martin Sheen.

Latino actors coming of age in the 50s knew they would be not get much work, or would be typecast in "ethnic" roles if they kept their birth names.

It was true in radio too, I guess. Anybody who lived in Los Angeles in the 50 through the 70s will remember radio and TV reporter Ruth Ashton - Ruth Ashton-Taylor after her marriage. She gets credit for being the first woman reporter, and one of the first Latinos on LA radio. She was born Ruth Montoya - Ashton was her mother's maiden name.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Rita Hayworth = Margarita Carmen Cansino. Those of us old enough to remember Rita Hayworth are smiling knowingly.

So ... what was Bob Trebor's real name? :

 

[mred]

Tony Curtis, Ronn Owens, changed their names, and of course obama is actually osama and a member of the communist party and the bidabergers and Hamas and not really a us citizen (heard it on talk radio- must be right)

 

[DavidKaye]

Tony Curtis, Ronn Owens, changed their names [....]

The classic is Michael Douglas, an actor who couldn't use his real name because it already belonged to Kirk Douglas' son. So, he changed his name to Michael Keaton after Dianne Keaton. And then there's James Stewart, who also couldn't use his real name. He changed his to Stewart Granger.

But back to radio. At one point it seemed that nearly every DJ and announcer in the Bay Area used air names. What is Jim Dunbar's original name again? I don't think we ever did get that settled.

And then there were Don Sherwood (and his son Greg Sherwood, the pledge host of KQED), and well, Tony Tremayne (a name I always liked), Russ Syracuse, and then Bobby Ocean, who isn't even Ray Farrell (his alter-nom), either!

 

[BossRadioDJ]

And then there were Don Sherwood (and his son Greg Sherwood, the pledge host of KQED), and well, Tony Tremayne (a name I always liked), Russ Syracuse, and then Bobby Ocean, who isn't even Ray Farrell (his alter-nom), either!

Don Sherwood = Daniel Sherwood Cohelan

Greg Sherwood = Gregory Sherwood Cohelan

Tony Tremayne = Mel Fritze

Russ Syracuse = Russell Siragusa

Bobby Ocean = Johnny Scott...

 

[BossRadioDJ]

At KYA in the 1960s, among others there were:

Bob Mitchell = Michael Guerra

Tom Donahue = Thomas Coman

Larry Brownell = Larry Buller

Johnny Holliday = John Holliday Bobbitt

 

[LKellerIII]

At KYA in the 1960s, among others there were:

Bob Mitchell = Michael Guerra

Tom Donahue = Thomas Coman

Larry Brownell = Larry Buller

Johnny Holliday = John Holliday Bobbitt

And Bobby Mitchell became Bobby Tripp at KHJ. If I remember, there was already a Johnny Mitchell at KHJ. For the same reason, I remember that Shadoe Stevens became "The Shadow" at KRLA - Jay Stevens was already at the station. And Jay Stevens has also worked as Steve Jay. By the mid 60s, DJ names were often at the whim of Program Directors, who wanted something that was common and easy to pronounce - not ethnic - and catchy.

This wasn't so true of early Top 40 DJs - at least in LA - who usually went by their given name even when it wasn't so pretty. I remember Joe Yoakam, Harvey Miller (later Humble Harve), Ted Quillan, and Sam Riddle, among others.

The successful voice-over guy known as Mark Elliot (Disney movie trailers, etc.) had that name forced on him by Bill Drake when he came to KFRC, and it's stayed with him over a long career. He wasn't happy about it, but in the early 70s, when you were offered a job on a Drake station by the man himself, you didn't argue.

 

[DavidKaye]

Bobby Ocean = Johnny Scott...

Uh, nope, it's not Johnny Scott. I'm sure you know his actual name, though; you're very resourceful. (I'm not in the habit of revealing real names of air people in the interests of helping them maintain some kind of privacy). Privacy is important to celebs, which is probably why Howard Stern still wears a longhaired wig. He doesn't look at all like Howard Stern walking down the street in short hair.

 

[LKellerIII]

Bobby Ocean = Johnny Scott...

Uh, nope, it's not Johnny Scott. I'm sure you know his actual name, though; you're very resourceful. (I'm not in the habit of revealing real names of air people in the interests of helping them maintain some kind of privacy). Privacy is important to celebs, which is probably why Howard Stern still wears a longhaired wig. He doesn't look at all like Howard Stern walking down the street in short hair.

The artist known as Bobby Ocean also worked as Johnny Scott at Bill Drake's farm-team station, KYNO in Fresno, and also apparently as "Radio Ray Farrell" on KKIS in Pittsburg at the beginning of his career.

Not to get "genealogical" about it, but musician and voice-over artist Dave Fennoy was soul DJ Billy Ocean in the 80s (KSOL). About the time singer Billy Ocean had a hit with Caribbean Queen, said DJ became Billy David Ocean.

http://voice123.com/davefennoy

 

[LKellerIII]

It just remembered...the part of Bobby Ocean is played by Ballantine Jones.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

Bobby Ocean = Johnny Scott...

Uh, nope, it's not Johnny Scott.

Aw, come on! Are you sure?

Okay, how about another guess. Could it be Skye Rocker?

 

[DavidKaye]

Okay, how about another guess. Could it be Skye Rocker?

I was actually shocked to find out that the earnest DJ Bobby Ocean wasn't really "Ray Farrell" at all. When someone lends his heart to radio you'd expect that they'd start off with their real name and then slip into an air name a little later. But this wasn't the case with Radio Ray.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

When someone lends his heart to radio...

Radio Ray Farrell Heartlender?