Special Convention Guests who have given definite or tentative acceptance of our invitations:

West Coast, Midwest and Southern Guests

Molly Bee - Singer (Tennessee Ernie Ford, Rex Allen)
Frank Bresee - Major Hoople, Red Ryder
Eddie Carroll - One Man "Jack Benny" Show
Bill Dana - Comedian ("Jose Jimenez"), Television ("Bill Dana Show"), Writer ("Tonight Show with Steve Allen," "Steve Allen Show")
Barbara Fuller - One Man's Family
Bob Hastings - Archie Andrews, X- 1
Chuck McCann - Comedian, actor
Gloria McMillan - Our Miss Brooks
Shirley Mitchell - The Great Gildersleeve
Mitch Murray - Songwriter, author, humorous speechwriter
Stuffy Singer - Jack Benny, Hal Peary show
Gil Stratton, Jr. - Life with Luigi, My Little Margie

New East Coast Guests

Lucie Arnaz - TV, Movie and Broadway actress
W Watts (Buck) Biggers - novelist, producer, composer
Marilyn Michaels - Woman of 1000 faces and voices
Allen Swift - comic/character actor; mimic; host
David Whitehouse - Vic and Sade

Returnees

Arthur Anderson - Let's Pretend, Mercury Theater
Don Buka - Let's Pretend
Cliff Carpenter - County Seat, Terry and the Pirates
Jeff David - Theater 5; (TV) Robot on Buck Rogers
Shirley Eggleston - Crime Letter from Dan Dodge
Peter Fernandez - Suspense
Joe Franklin - Joe Franklin Show in New York
Michael Gwynne - Drummer, DJ, actor (Movie) Payday, many others
Pat Hosley - A Brighter Day
Will Hutchins - (TV) Blondie; Sugarfoot
Elaine Hyman - The Lone Ranger
Teri Keane - Adventure Parade, Big Sister
Ruth Last - Let's Pretend, Quiet Please
George Lefferts - Writer (X - 1)
Peg Lynch - Ethel and Albert
Corinne Orr - Theater Five; (TV) Voices for Speed Racer; Trixie and Spritle
Bill Owen - (Announcer for ABC)
Bobby Ramsen - Comedian
Rosemary Rice - Archie Andrews; Let's Pretend
Jean Rouverol - One Man's Family
Nan Warren - Let's Pretend, Eddie Cantor

SCHEDULE - 2007

The following events are tentatively scheduled. Time will be announced at convention. Any are subject to change.

Wednesday Evening

Dealers tables and possibly sound equipment set up at night.
Complimentary Wine and cheese from 6 pm to 10 pm.

Thursday

The sound equipment and the stage will be set up. Dealers Rooms will open at 9 am

10:00 - 11:00 - Radio Idol (R Larson, D Zwengler) winner is cast in The re-creation by the Chicago group
11:15 - 12:00 - One on One with Chuck McCann (DT)
12:15 -1:15 - One on One with Bill Dana (B Gari)
   1:30 - 2:30 - Author's Panel (Martin Grams, Mel Simons, David and Susan Siegel so far)
2:45 - 3:45 - Funny Ladies of OTR; Molly Bee, Shirley Mitchell, Gloria McMillan (Derek Tague)
4:00 - 5:00 - Frank Bresee Presents an hour of radio nostalgia
5:30 - 8:00 - Cocktails and Dinner; raffle
8:00 - 8:45 - Those Were the Days Radio Players (Magnificent Montague); Cast includes Dave Zwengler. Wayne Puchkors, Karen Lockwood, Mary Tafoya, Randy Larson, Art DiVittis, Lindsay Curcio, Wayne Bulthuis, Bernie Allen, Penny Reynolds
9:00 - 9:45 - Peter Fernandez directs an episode of Suspense he wrote "The Impostors" cast includes: A Anderson, C Carpenter, J David, P Fernandez, M Gwynne, B Hastings, S Mitchell, C Orr, J Rouverol, C Wichman
10:00 - 10:45 - Original Script (Who Killed the Silver Syclone) (Arthur Anderson); Cast includes Bill Owen, Leslie Shreve, Will Hutchins, Pat Hosley, Corinne Orr, Bob Hastings

Friday Morning and Afternoon

Dealers Rooms: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

8:45 - 9:30 - Movies Depicting Radio (F Berney)
19:45 - 10:30 - Writing and Publishing OTR books (S and D Siegel)
10:45 - 11:30 - Sportscasters (K Stockinger)
11:45 - 12:30 - FDR - Wartime and Radio (GY)
12:45 - 1:45 - Panel - children in radio and television; #3 (G Downes) (so far possibly Buck Biggers, Allen Swift, Nan Warren; Corinne Orr; Gil Stratton; Stuffy Singers; Bob Hastings; Gil Stratton, Jr.)
2:00 - 3:00 - Vic and Sade retrospective (M Adler, B Schwarz)
3:15 - 4:30 - Fifth annual "Funny Friday" comedy Panel (D Tague, M L Wallace);with Mitch Murray; Chuck McCann; Michael Gwynne; Lucie Arnaz; Freddie Roman; Gil Stratton, Jr., Bill Dana, others
4:45 - 5:30 - Dave Warren Players present My Friend Irma

Friday Evening

5:30 - 7:45 - Cocktails and Dinner, raffle
8:00 - 8:30 - (Re-creation) Gregg Oppenheimer Directs Harry Lime "Too Many Crooks;" Cast includes: J David, D Buka, L Arnaz, M Gwynne, C Orr, G McMillan, Ron Cocking
8:50 - 9:20 - Arthur Anderson directs 2000+ episode of The Brooklyn Brain; Cast includes Bill Owen, Arthur Anderson, Elaine Hyman, Ruth Last, Cliff Carpenter, Craig Wichman, Bobby Ramsen
9:40 - 10:10 - Frank Bresee directs "A Date with Judy" Cast includes T Keane, G McMillan, B Fuller, G Stratton, S Singer

Saturday Morning and Afternoon

Dealers Rooms: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

9:00 - 9:45 - Radio Bloopers and Out takes (G Op)
10:00 - 10:45 - Commercials and Jingles with A Anderson and Ed Clute
11:00 - 11:45 - X-1 Panel; with George Lefferts
12:00 - 12:45 - Gotham Radio Players presents a lost episode of "Light's Out" called "Reunion;" cast includes Paul Becton, Fran Taeromina, Bill Zarro, Melissa Kalt, Jim Mundy, Ted Ferber, Fred Urfer, James Jockle, Lucien Dodge. Ron Weitz, Paul Curtis, Ann Marie Hendrickson
1:00 - 1:45 - Jack French presents Copy Cats
2:00 - 3:00 - Joe Franklin Panel (#3) Marilyn Michaels; Bill Dana, Liz Larsen
3:15 - 4:30 - Singers, musicians and Big Bands, 11th annual (Stu Weiss, Brian Gari ) with possible guests; Mitch Murray; Molly Bee; possibly Marilyn Michaels Buck Biggers
4:30 - 5:15 - Re-creation: X-1 (Junkyard) Dir by A Tollin involving G Lefferts ; cast includes , B Hastings, P Fernandez, D Buka, Cliff Carpenter, Jeff David

Saturday Evening

5:30 - 8:00 - Cocktails and Dinner, raffle, awards
8:30 - 9:00 - (Re-creation) Screen Directors Playhouse "Stagecoach" with Chuck McCann (dir. by G Yoggy); Cast includes C McCann, J Rouverol, R Rice, W Hutchins, B Hastings, J David, M Gwynne, C Carpenter, C Wichman, B Owen
9:15 - 9:45 - Peg Lynch and Arthur Anderson (Ethel and Albert); also Rosemary Rice and Bob Hastings (The Bickersons) if time
10:00 - 10:30 - (Re-creation) Anthony Tollin directs Jack Benny with Eddie Carroll and all star cast including C McCann, Shirley Mitchell, Bill Dana, Will Hutchins, Stuffy Singer, Bobby Ramsen, Will Jordon, Joe Franklin, Paul Becton

Sunday Morning

7:00 - 9:30 - Breakfast in the restaurant
9:30 - 11:00 - Informal Panel in the Dresden Room

Getting There

By Air: Fly to Newark Airport Free shuttle bus from Newark Airport.

By Bus: Bus service from Manhattan's Port Authority to Newark Airport: then take shuttle bus.

By Car: From NJ Turnpike, take Exit 14; take second right marked Frontage Road after toll booth. DO NOT TAKE FIRST RIGHT which is Rt. 1 & 9. Take second right directly under bridge marked Frontage Road. You must take one of the right - hand tolls and stay on the right.

From Garden State Parkway south of airport, take Exit 140 to Route 22E to Routes 1 & 9 North, local. Follow the sign marked Frontage Road. Follow to hotel.

From Garden State Partway North of airport: take Exit 142 to I-78 to Exit 58B (Frontage Road)

From Newark Airport, exit airport and follow route 1 & 9 North to Frontage Road.

By Train: Check your local train schedule

Cost

Reserve your spot as soon as possible. Prepaid tickets are held at the door. Take advantage of our package specials described below.

Thursday, October 18; Daytime only (9 am - 5 pm); $20 if paid in advance; $25.00 at the door

Thursday, October 18; Daytime and evening including buffet dinner (9 am - closing) 49.00.

Friday, October 19: Daytime only (9 am - 5:30 pm) $20.00 if paid in advance; $25.00 at the door.

Friday, October 19: Daytime and evening including buffet dinner (9 a.m. - closing) $61.00. Discount of $5.00 for those over 62 and under 16.

Saturday, October 20: Daytime only (9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) $20.00 if paid in advance; $25.00 at the door.

Saturday, October 20: Daytime and evening including buffet dinner (9 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.) $67.00. Discount of $5.00 for those over 62 and under 16.

Sunday, October 21: Morning including buffet breakfast and panel, 7:00 to 11:00 am: $20

Complimentary coffee and muffins early Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings; complimentary hors d'oeuvres Friday and Saturday evenings. Hors d'oeuvres for dinner guests only.

Dealer's Tables are $70 for first table; $65 for others by same dealer Details on special sheet.

Hotel

Hotel: Rooms are $99.99 plus parking ($15 a day), no matter how many in a room, no matter how many nights. All rooms should be reserved on the web site: ALL ROOMS MUST BE RESERVED USING THE 800 number ( 1-800 Holiday; 1-800 465-4329); Reservation should be placed by September 25th. Rooms are limited.

The 800 number and the internet will give the wrong rate for the convention.  Even so book the room.  I have been assured by Isabel, head of reservations, that the rooms will be $99.99 when you get there.  Just mention FOTR upon arrival.

There are other options described below.

Ads

Ads may be placed in our program book. See below.

Registration

Advance dinner reservations must be made. Reservations are limited (Friday 300; Saturday 400). Make checks out to FOTR or Jay Hickerson; send to Jay Hickerson to address below.

Updated and Further Information

Registration

All meal reservations MUST be paid in advance. If you are coming for the day only, avoid the hassle of paying at the registration desk and save money. Preregistration for the day only is $20 if mailed in advance and $25 if paid at the door for each day. Remember, if you register at the door, you have to fill out a registration card. If you can't attend the dinner but wish to stay for the activities afterwards, the cost is $20 for each night.

The cocktail hour is for dinner guests only. If you come for the day only, but wish to stay for the cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres, add $10 to the cost.

PACKAGE PRICES: If you come for all 4 meals (Thursday through Sunday, cost is $182 ($172 for seniors). If you come for Thursday through Saturday, cost is $162 ($152 for seniors). If you come for Friday through Sunday, cost is $138 ($128 for seniors). Make reservations, pay early and avoid lines at the registration table. Tickets are not sent when you register. They are held at the door. If you want confirmation that money has been received, please send a SASE or e-mail address. It would be easier to send me your e-mail address anyway. I can send you updated information easier.

Rooms

Rooms must be reserved through the Holiday Inn-North 800 number (1-800 Holiday; 1-800 465-4329) OR the web site. Cost of the rooms is $99.99 a day plus daily parking fee of $15, regardless of the number of days or number of people in the room. A deposit might be required (by credit card). If you must cancel, you must do it by 6 pm of the day you are arriving. Rooms should be reserved by September 25th. If you reserve them after that, you will be taking a chance on availability. If you do not get that rate or better with the 800 number, call the Holiday Inn directly at 973-589-1000 and ask for Louise's office. (If you get a price higher than $99.99, get the room and the price will be adjusted upon arrival) Cost for daytime guests is $1.00 a car UNLESS at least one person in the group buys food in the restaurant or bar; then there is no charge.

The 800 number and the internet will give the wrong rate for the convention.  Even so book the room.  I have been assured by Isabel, head of reservations, that the rooms will be $99.99 when you get there.  Just mention FOTR upon arrival.

If you wish to stay at the Howard Johnson, which is also renovated and a half mile from the Holiday Inn, cost per night might be less. There is shuttle service. Call the Howard Johnson at 973-344-1500.

If you wish to stay next door at the Sheraton, call 1-800-325-3535.

Also try the internet. Don't mention FOTR at first. Don't forget to try the Sheraton. Try to share rooms with someone. Mention AARP and/or AAA if appropriate. There may still be a parking fee if done this way.

Seating

Sit where you wish on Thursday and Sunday. On Friday and Saturday, tables will be numbered and will be assigned in advance. Tables sit 10 people. If you wish to reserve a full or partial table, please let me know in advance with whom you would like to sit. Make sure the people with whom you wish to sit are coming. A few people gave me a long list of people to choose from. I can't do this. All those who register at the door or who have no preference will sit where there is room. Table reservations must be made in advance. We expect a larger attendance than usual.

Ads

Ads may be placed in our program book (8 1/2 by 11). This is our 30th year and we will again have an expanded program book with guest biographies and articles. Cost for ads are:

Full Page - 8 1/2 by 11 $100
Half Page - 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 or 4 by 11 $60

Quarter Page - 4 by 5 $40

Two full Pages - $160

Dealers at our convention may take a 35% discount on the ad. Help support our 32nd annual convention. Deadline for ads is October 1st.

Wednesday

To all Wednesday overnight guests and committee; Come and join us for complimentary wine, beer and cheese in the Dresden Room from about 6 pm to about 10 pm. There also will be soft drinks and vegetable & cheese platters. Please let me know if you plan to attend.

Thursday

Remember, the dealers are open from 9 am. I will be at the Holiday Inn Wednesday afternoon.

Food

If you have to eat at a particular time or need special food, please let me know in advance.

Dealers

Cost for dealers will be $70 for the first table and $65 for any others. All details on a special sheet. Daytime registration fees for dealers will be eliminated. Dealers can arrive as early as 7 am Thursday morning to set up. Some dealers will be able to set up late Wednesday night. I will let you know as I get closer to the date.

No Smoking

This is a smoke free convention. The Hotel is under new management and is completely renovated. There is NO SMOKING ANYWHERE in the convention area, the lobby or the rest rooms.

September Update

General Information

All information about Seating, Ads, Registration, Rooms is above. Please pre-register. Those coming for the day will save $5 a day by pre-registering. Also, if you are coming for the day only, you will not have to stand in line and fill out a registration card if you pre-register. Don't forget the package prices. Remember: Those people paying for the day must pay an extra $10 if they want to stay for the cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres.  The cocktail hour is for dinner guests only. If you wish to stay for the re-creations at night and you do not stay for dinner, the cost is $20.

Raffle

There will be a raffle on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. If you would like to donate prizes, please let me know. We depend on the money received from the raffle and the sale of books, records, tapes, t-shirts and pins at the FOTR table to help pay for the many guests we have at our convention. We also will have tote bags for sale. We will have a special 30th anniversary DVD and VHS for sale. This was made by the Berneys and has excerpts of previous conventions. This was first on sale at our 30th convention.

Books

Books on sale at the convention as of now follow. If authors are tentatively coming, they are marked by an asterisk (*):  Some authors will have their own tables; Baseball Over the Air by Tony Silver $25; Ethel Waters by Stephen Bourne $20; Gene Autry by Don Cusic $38; Historical Dictionary of British Radio by Sean Street $65; Jimmy Durante by David Bakish $25; Lum and Abner by Randall Hall $34; On the Short Waves by J Berg $25; Orson Welles Remembered by Peter Tonquette $25; *Radio and the Jews by David and Susan Siegel $23; *Radio Scripts in Print by Susan and Dave Siegel $15; Radio Speakers by Jim Cox $40; *Resource Guide to the Golden Age of Radio by Susan and Dave Siegel $43; World of Ham Radio, The by Richard Bartlett $40; The Great Radio Sitcoms by Jim Cox $40
All will be sold at reduced prices as noted.
Also many of Ben Ohmart' books will be for sale at his table run by Martin Grams; Others, such as Martin Grams, will also be selling their own books. Let me know by e-mail what books you want so I can have enough.

My Third Revised Ultimate History (Second Supplement) will be for sale. There will be much new information in it. 

Hotel

Don't forget to reserve your rooms quickly. They may very soon be all sold out. Use the internet (Travelocity, HolidayInn.com or others; many list a room for $90) or call 1-800-465-4329. There will probably be a $15 parking fee per night. Also try the Howard Johnson at 973-344-1500. If you are having trouble getting a room for $99.99 or less, reserve it anyway. It will be the correct price when you arrive.