Newly-found Bill Idelson interview, but...

Bill Idelson, animator

Here's our pal, Bill Idelson in the video below, from some kind of "behind the scenes" show (it seems) for "Gateway to the Mind".

A newspaper article says he animated this show. Hey, it really does say that.

Enjoy Idelson in ''Cousin Willie''

• Cousin Willie 53-06-17 (x) Marry Off Cousin Willie.mp3
• Cousin Willie 53-06-24 (x) No-Nose Nick.mp3
• Cousin Willie 53-07-01 (x) Gloria La Plunge.mp3
• Cousin Willie 53-07-15 (x) Willie's Birthday.mp3
• Cousin Willie 53-07-29 (x) Honest Joe.mp3

Bill Idelson on My Three Sons

Will show up a few seconds after video starts... (April, 1961)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ1VAo4eeyI

He also shows up right before the 15:00 mark...

A young Bill (he's actually 40 years old here) shows up in a lot of the second half of the episode!

Awesome interview with Bill idelson found online

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-11-24/features/0611240006_1_bill-idelson-sade-vic

Idelson was a member of 'That Brewster Boy' cast in 1942

Despite not showing up in either the John Dunning Book, "On the Air" or in the RadioGoldin Index, it appears as though Bill Idelson was added to the regular cast (at least temporarily) of That Brewster Boy sometime after February 21, 1942, according to Billboard Magazine.

Article insinuates Idelson was Rush in '46 but not '45

The mystery of Bill Idelson as Rush in the 1945 and 1946 years seems to have cleared up a bit with this article:

http://books.google.com/books?id=9hkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT4&dq=Bill+idelson&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7GBbUffuMIHY9QSLtoHADA&ved=0CFoQ6AEwCThG

The last paragraph says Idelson (who WAS IN HOLLYWOOD) will TAKE OVER his old role - meaning someone else has been playing his role.  And as was noted just a few days ago, that was Johnny Coons.

It now seems safe to say that Idelson played Rush in the 1946 season.

Bill Idelson was a regular on 'One Man's Family!'

This is absolutely true - Bill Idelson was a regular on One Man's Family, but not on the radio version, only on the television version in 1949.

He played the part of  Cliff Barbour.

(reference)

Now on video: re-creation of "Rush Brings Home a Dog"

We have been fortunate to have this episode re-creation on audio; now experience it on video, plus a very short interview with Bill Idelson:

Not pristine - but new to me (watermarked photos)

Paul Rhymer

1950 Press Photo Billy Idelson Jane Webb Eddie Firestone The Truitis

Cousin Willie

Here's something I'll bet you didn't know: "Billy" Idelson was the star of his own radio show.  In 1953, Cousin Willie was a Summer replacement show.

Idelson played Cousin Willie.  He was a relative visiting California from Milwaukee and he never had the inclination to leave.

There are a few episodes available at OTRR.

Dash

1963

Long Distance Call

This has always been (even before my Vic and Sade days) one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes: Long Distance Call.  It was written by Charles Beaumont and Billy Idelson and aired in 1961.

Uh, Billy Idelson (it says)

Now come on, is this really Bill Idelson?

Did P&G actually give transcriptions to WWII scrap drive?

Bill Idelson, who was pretty upset at P&G for destroying the transcription disks of Vic and Sade material, seems to avoid something that was brought up on a show I heard (where he was not a guest.) A talk show claimed the transcription disks from P&G were made of metal (which transcription disks sometimes were) and were not "destroyed" so much as given up in a World War II scrap drive - oddly enough, Idelson starred in a Vic and Sade show about the scrap drive during the war. How's that for irony. Idelson did say in an interview that a full week's worth of disks were saved of the show. Here's guessing this was from 1944, when we have all the Mis' Keller-Harry Feedburn about to get married episodes. And Rush is not even on the series then. Wonk, wonk, wonk.