Category: Uncategorized

Remembering Bill Campbell: Dean of Philadelphia Sportscasters

There was no finer Philadelphia sportscaster in terms of excitement, competence, and longevity than Bill Campbell.

In honor of MOVIEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS fortieth anniversary, we proudly present “Remembering Bill Campbell” a newly enhanced transcription of Bill’s “question and answer” session with a group of his fans, recorded originally in 1983.

You are invited to watch Bill’s candid and insightful review of the sports scene of long ago and the highs and lows of his great career on the Philadelphia airwaves. 

Philadelphia’s Manhole Cover Kings

Old manhole covers dot our Philadelphia city streets. Taking time to study them poses obvious safety risks, but if you take care and are curious enough to do so, these weathered iron discs reveal much about our city’s proud industrial past. Join with Moviehouse Productions to learn about Simon Scullin and J. Alfred Clark, Philadelphia’s undisputed manhole cover kings.

Jim’s Story: Growing up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Moviehouse Productions usual subject matter is “gritty “stories of growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This time, we throw our viewers a “change-up”, as we tell a story of coming of age in a rural area.

Our setting is Reinholds, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Our storyteller is Jim Nolt, who spent his formative years in this beautiful farming community, mid 1940’s through the late 1960’s. Jim speaks of the hard work and joys of farm life, but also his attraction to the big city 65 miles southeast; the City of Brotherly Love.

Jim Nolt is a long time friend Moviehouse Productions’ Rick Spector. Jim and Rick share an interest in the Golden Age of Television, especially the “Adventures of Superman” program and its star George Reeves.

A bonus track follows Jim’s story. Jim tells us about his “The Adventures Continue”, his special effort to preserve memories of the 1950’s Superman show and George Reeves. Read more about “The Adventures Continue” at http://www.jimnolt.com

Joel’s Feltonville Story

Rediscovered in the MOVIEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS archives is Joel Meyerowitz’s Feltonville Story, recorded on January 19, 2003. Feltonville is a neighborhood in upper North Philadelphia, centered around Front Street and the Roosevelt Boulevard. Joel lived in Feltonville between 1945 through part of the 1970’s at 358 E. Wyoming Avenue. This audio transcription is Joel’s vivid retelling of many facets of everyday life in Feltonville and his other Philadelphia adventures. This story of a great Philadelphia neighborhood will fortunately now never be lost to history.

The Linton’s Story

With all the high praise about old Horn and Hardart’s lately, Moviehouse Productions draws well deserved attention to Linton’s Restaurants, H and H’s chief competitor. Founder Isaiah Linton was a strict temperance man who enticed workmen out of saloons with inexpensive lunches finished off with Linton’s famous coffee. At its peak, twenty three Linton’s served 55,000 meals per day. Linton’s was famous for its button board system which shuttled waitress orders to and from the kitchen via conveyor belt.

Mom’s Special Day

Moviehouse Productions Rick Spector shares several perspectives on “Mother’s Day”. Included are a look across cultures, a classic Mother’s Day poem and the bittersweet story of Mothers Day founder Anna Jarvis, who was a Philadelphian. The tribute concludes with memories of Rick’s mom, while growing up in Philly’s Oxford Circle neighborhood in the 1950’s.

Philadelphia Radio: The Early Days

Moviehouse Productions proudly presents “Philadelphia Radio: The Early Days.” This documentary recounts the fascinating story of Philly’s development as a important force in radio from the 1920’s through the early 1960’s.

“Excitement” was the key word as Philly pioneered department store radio stations and big band remotes, boosted “talk radio” into the national consciousness, brought women in the broadcasting mainstream and established the FM signal as the clear choice for superior commercial radio sound.

Moviehouse Productions applauds the outstanding ongoing contributions of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. We appreciated the opportunity to interview several of their key members during the 1990’s to learn how each made radio history. The interviewees stories have been presented by Moviehouse Productions via lecture to numerous community groups throughout the years. In 2022, we are pleased to bring this work to video.

Our interviewees were:

Jack Steck- producer and director from the dawn of radio age through the birth of television
Taylor Grant- outstanding and outspoken sportscaster, newscaster, and commentator
Ed Harvey- established WCAU as the national leader in talk radio.
Marge Wieting- pioneering woman “disc jockey”
Jerry Lee- the “Father” of modern FM radio

“Philadelphia Radio: The Early Days” is beamed to you by “WNBP (Nostalgic Broadcasting in Philadelphia). “WNBP” is Moviehouse Productions’ station which transmits from the Sears Tower in Northeast Philadelphia. The Sears Tower was demolished in 1994, but some claim its broadcast signals are still perceptible on the Roosevelt Boulevard.

From the Graveyard of Lost Television: “Aunt Bea”Wronged!

Francis Bavier starred as “Aunt Bea” in the iconic 1960’s “Andy Griffith Show”. Bavier had several lesser known roles in 1950’s television shows, including three appearances on Jack Webb’s “Dragnet”. Due to a serious titling error in Dragnet’s 1953’s “The Big False Make”, Bavier was forever denied credit for this impressive small screen characterization.

Three Slices of Philly Pie

Elizabeth Coane Goodfellow invented the lemon pudding pie, the forerunner of the lemon meringue pie. MOVIEHOUSE PRODUCTIONS presents a tribute to Mrs. Goodfellow with its fanciful “Three Slices of Philly Pie”. “Slices” of old Philadelphia neighborhood life are presented in the Northeast’s Wissinoming section, in North Philly’s Brewerytown and in West Philadelphia.