DICK BEALS R.I.P.

We received a phone call this afternoon informing us that Dick Beals, WXYZ radio actor who portrayed Dan Reid in The Lone Ranger and who was possibly best known as the voice of Speedy Alka-Seltzer, passed away peacefully this afternoon, Tuesday, May 29th at the Vista Gardens Home in Vista, California where he was a resident. There are no further details available at this time. Dick was a frequent guest at OTR conventions around the country, and was even at one-time a president of REPS. We did speak with Dick last week and told him how much we loved him, how much we missed him and that we were all thinking of him. We are so happy we had the opportunity to speak with him one last time.


We are happy to direct you to an audio we posted last year to promote the REPS Showcase. Here Dick Beals introduces an episode of Gunsmoke from 1953. Dick was the guest star on Gunsmoke in this episode titled "Yorky". We hope you enjoy the show. Listen


Thoughts and Memories

What a great loss to us all.
Bob Acosta

I have many wonderful memories of Dick Beals. I was thrilled with excitement from his portrayls in such programs as The Lone Ranger, The Six Shooter, and many more. As wonderful as these memories were, the greatest memories of Dick were of his participation in REPS. He took over the reigns of the organization during a difficult time in REPS's history. He was always kind; but also firm when it became necessary. He always had a kind word for REPS members. His dedication was amazing: Like his monthly trips from Southern California to Seattle to officiate at REPS meetings. When the REPS keel righted itself, he stepped down. His memory will live forever, not only in the memories of REPS members, but also in the hearts of all who love old time radio. Dick was thoughtful, energetic and he had great imagination. His participation in old time radio and life will always be remembered. Thank you, Dick, for all you have done and meant to old time radio and humanity. All I can say is that my whole mind and body will be at half mast until further notice.
Love,
Al Gil

My deepest sympathy over the loss of dear Dick Beals. I feel my life was richer for having known him. He stood tall amongst all of us. He was a true talent and the world has lost a dear and truly talented man. Rest in peace dear Dick. You will never be forgotten.
with love,
Beverly Washburn

His love of REPS kept us going in lean times. There is no doubt that he was our biggest supporter.
Terry Mahony

So sad to hear this. He was such a nice man.
Arlene Osborne

Just last week I finished reading, for the second time, "Think Big" about Dick's amazing career. He surely was a good guy and great actor.
John Warmington

Dick Beals was one of the most talented and versatile radio greats I have ever had the pleasure to work with. May he R.I.P. I am in shock and deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend and all-time great radio personality.
Tommy Cook

Eddie and I always felt Dick was a marvelous talent. The world has lost another icon.
Carolyn Carroll

I found Dick to be a marvelous person to talk to. I bought his book, 'Think Big.' The inspiration it gave me to keep writing helped me to become a professional writer. He's forever in my memories.
Wayne Greenough

One of the most underrated actors in old-time radio, Beals was flawless in his portrayal of the male youth. Seems like he was especially prominent in the CBS Westerns of the 1950's, always seeming playing the part of a youth who had lost his father at a young age. He was great in every episode I heard him on and I was just thinking shortly before his death how I had neglected to write about him and his enormous talent. Small in stature, Beals made a huge impact on fans of radio. He was a giant in his field.
Jimbo Mason

As I have suggested in the past, I still think our best tribute would be to re-name the REPS club after Mr. Beals - The Dick Beals Radio Enthusiasts of Puget Sound club. I will also have a soft spot in my heart for him as he was as passionate for the Michigan State Spartans as I am for the Washington State Cougars. I have been to all but two Showcases and have worn a WSU sweatshirt/golf shirt to each and he always talked to me about my school and his. What fun and what a terrific talent that all of us have lost. We will all miss him!
Ken Bertrand

So sorry to read this. He was gracious, always friendly, and a pro in kids voices. I'm thankful to you for the privilege of meeting Dick through the REPS conventions.
Jim Jansen

He had an interesting career based mainly on his size and the voices he was able to create. One thinks of Sarah Fussell, the rather large woman who could do babies perfectly on the air. Dick however was more versatile. We all know (at least in REPS) about Speedy Alka Seltzer; but until recently I did not realize that he was in the first Gunsmoke episode as the young Billy the Kid. I remember in the late 1990s when a couple of guys in the Jim French bunch found Ray Erlenborn puttering with his sound effects all alone and we decided to do a Lone Ranger episode. Dick came in and took over as director: it was a real gas.
Stan Claussen

Thank you for passing on this sad information. We enjoyed Dick both in person and on the radio.
Brad & Karyl

He helped us when we needed his help and we will always owe him for that and his leadership.
Michael Comstock

We were honored to have met him when we visited the REPS convention a few years ago. We hope that other information will be forthcoming.
R.J. and Carolyn in Cincinnati

We are sorely distressed. We loved Dick and enjoyed working with him and seeing him up at REPS. He's entertaining Heaven now and and is the great new talent there. We shall miss his charming self... as you all do, too. But he'll be waiting for us to recreate radio scripts with him for the angels.
Jan& Barbara Merlin

so sad...he was a sweet man. glad I had the pleasure of meeting him.
judi

I will always remember Dick's kindness and professionalism. When doing a recreation of a Classic Old-Time Radio show he would push you past your limits and make you achieve more that you thought possible. I remember on several occasions him flying up here on his own nickel to Direct the REPS Readers in some production. A great man.
David Persson.

I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER DICK standing on his stool under the mike at WXYZ back in 1948-1950, He was so good that all of us smiled with pleasure when we were on a show with him. I can hear him now. “Golly Masked Man, you and Tonto sure rode in here fast to save grandpa and me from those crooks. We sure do thank you.”
And the time when Brace Beamer (the Ranger) fell over Dick’s stool and kicked it into the sound room.. Dick told me he thought that would be the end of his acting career at WIXIE- . But Dick’s special actor friend Bill Saunders told Chuck Livingstone (the director) that it wasn’t Dick’s fault...and all was forgiven. ON THE basis of our earnings on the Ranger, both of us bought 1950 Chevvys and Dick showed me how the dealer had built-up the pedals so his feet could reach them. With Dick’s death, I think Elaine Hyman and I are the sole survivors of those great shows.
Dave Parker Always a Good Guy.

Dear Enthusiasts,
How thoughtful of you to inform all of us about dear Dick Beals. I am so sad to hear the news. Dick was a dear friend, and I have worked with him many times and admire him greatly. No one could do a little boy' s voice as well as he, even a little boy. However, he was amazingly versatile. The last time I saw him was at a Radio Enthusiasts Convention. He never failed to show up, and his contribution was always remarkable. He was a huge contributor to our profession and his affection for the art of acting was always apparent.
We will all miss him.
My deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
Warmly,
Janet Waldo

I was very fortunate to know, and to work with Dick Beals over the years. we met in Buena Park at the SPERDVAC meeting of 04/16/88 where he spoke to our audience. My memories of that time were of how articulate he was. He was one of the best story tellers I have ever heard, and his attention to detail was incredible. Dick not only performed and appeared at every showcase but was a part of most of the SPERDVAC conventions over the years as well. If he wasn't acting, he was on a panel talking about his career and about the many people he worked with. Often he would just call to say hello. We had him on our radio show in 1992 and he was marvelous. I am looking forward to being with you all again at REPS. John and I went to the first 7. I will miss not seeing Dick Beals among us this year. He was always a positive, gentle man and I will miss him.
Larry Gassman

Dick was truly a very special man. He thought "big" and he acted the same way. however, Dick always would come out of the crowd to say hello to our blind radio fans in attendance at REPS Conventions. Dick was also one of us and we never had to waste time educating him about the abilities of blind persons. This was a given with him as his disability was a given with us. We talked oldtime radio and about his book "Think Big," which we put onto Bookshare, an organization which puts such books into Braille for the blind. Dick will indeed be missed but great memories of him will live forever.
Bob and Ruth Ann Acosta

it is sad to lose Dick he will be missed, first time I met Dick was at the show case he could put you at ease and just talk as if we were old friends.
LD SPEELMAN

We well remember Dick Beal’s. We had lunch with him at the top of Seattle’s Space needle on one occasion in Seattle’s Space needle. we remember his bring brought a foot stole for his feet. We remberer him fondly.
Barbara & David Davies

My memories of Dick Beals are that he was one of the most positive and inspirational people I've ever met, in addition to being a fond childhood remembrance of the voice of Speedy Alka Seltzer. He will be missed.
Pam Peterson

KNLDJ Radio Memorial Day Special

A special Memorial Day weekend starts at midnight tonight (May 27th) with over 18 hours of WW2 programs and will rotate 24/7 through midnight the 29th of May on KNLDJ Internet Radio. Be sure and join us. It's FREE and historical. We have compiled actual historical archival audio of the events from 1938 when Hitler tried to conquer the world through D-Day 1944, the announcement of death of President Roosevelt, the end of the war and the home front. You'll hear music of the era, dramas with Hollywood's best, and "on the spot" reporting from all over the world. If you were there, we will be sending you many memories. If you weren't born then, take a listen and learn what the world went through. Join us anytime. Remember that times mentioned are USA and Pacific Daylight Time. Nancy Moyer will be playing "Music of the War Years", a half hour dee jay show. We'd love to hear from you and where you are listening and any comment or question you may want to share. The Memorial Day program starts with the professionally produced (by OTR) with the year 1938 when we were at peace but much of the world was in turmoil and at war. A segment produced 50 years ago tells of the folks, (that's all of our families) and what they were doing during the years 1938-1945. We use archival audio from the war zones, the first announcement of the Empire of Japan attacking Pearl Harbor and the Philippians. You'll hear President Roosevelt's famous speech and declaration war against Japan. There is a 14 minute segment recorded by a US Marine while he was in a fox hole with shells bursting around him, and it's all real and not Hollywood. Speaking of Hollywood, the great entertainers by the thousands pitched in to provide entertainment free to G.I.'s worldwide with the USO and both the Hollywood and Stage Door Canteens (California and in New York) where the most famous stars danced with the military personnel of our country and our allies, served coffee and food and entertainment 24/7 all without pay as a gift to our military and, of course, all FREE. If you remember the WW2 era or if you are too young, you can get a real feel of the war years and how it affected all of us and perhaps your ancestors. Please give us a try. Enter KNLDJ in either Google or Yahoo and click on the link. By the way, thanks to our granddaughter-in-law Lynn Camp for producing and updating our KNLDJ web site. The special starts at midnight PDT and rotates 24/7 from 27 May through the 29th. We will return to regular programming of mysteries, comedies, historical dramas, detective shows, westerns, music shows and Christian shows but will repeat the special for D-Day on June 5th through the 7th. And remember we have confirmed listeners in 24 countries. Thanks, Donn J. and Nancy L. Moyer, and announcer staff Donn T. Moyer with 28 years in radio/television. Carl Lambert. Carl has just received an award for his 40 years of broadcasting local sports and worked as our sports director at Channel 10 for 8 years. Also our P.C. "Guru" (engineer) Dave Clute and our friend and assistant Chris St. Pierre. And our guest announcer Charles Hargan (of Germantown, Wisconsin).

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Wanna Be In a Live Radio Production?

Each year at Showcase we produce live radio productions for the enjoyment of the audience. The star of most of the productions will usually be one of our special guests. What you may not know is that many of the supporting roles are cast from among the talented people who have registered for Showcase. We still have not cast a majority of the parts. Register today and let us know that you are interested in performing in one of the shows. If you have any questions, we'll get back to you as soon as possible. You may be cast as one of the beloved characters from one of radio famous comedies, dramas or mysteries. It's all part of the fun of Showcase!

email: repsclub@aol.com

Review: Our Miss Brooks by Jimbo.

Our Miss Brooks is usually a fun show. I enjoy very much the characters of Mr. Conklin (played so well by Gale Gordon as the slow-burn school prinicpal) and Richard Crenna as student Walter Denton, who is, I think, very typical of a teen in the 1950's rather than the 1940's. Eve Arden holds down the spot as the show's anchor and star as she plays English teacher Connie Brooks. I don't dislike her but neither do I like her. I don't feel one way or another about her - and I am actually kind of ambivalent about the entire show, sans the Conklin part. There are some annoying things about the show, mainly goofy Mrs. Davis, Miss Brooks' landlady (who seems to have the early stages of dementia) and her even more annoying cat, Minerva -- and the feline's lusty meow gets on my minervas. All the other characters are fine, none of them really stand out. Phillip Boynton, the science teacher, is always the frightened prey of Miss Brooks and the show's sound effects man must have had a field day coming up with all of the animal sounds when Boynton was on there. The frog sound, for instance, is just ridiculously too loud and annoying for my tastes. The show was geared to the 1940's teen so why should I be complaining? I'm not really, as "Our Miss Brooks" is a show I listen to regularly and enjoy somewhat. It's not my favorite but it's not bad either. The sound quality, by in large, is pretty good, so no complaints there either.

This review was first published at Jimbo's OTRR Buffet a website dedicated to old time radio news, reviews and stuff you can use.


(REPS Friendly Rebuttal: We always enjoyed this show immensely. it's one of our favorites. We don't get to hear it that frequently and perhaps that's the key. Some shows may be great in moderation. It's a formula show and maybe the formula grows stale when listening in bulk. All we can say is . . . when we get a chance to go back and hear a show on occasion, it's like times with old friends with lots of laughs.)