310119 - Nan o' the Northwest

Recording status:  Recorded, circulating

 

Researching and writing about the history of an early radio series such as Empire Builders naturally has its challenges. I consistently try to provide documented facts, and to underscore any details that might be rooted in even a hint of speculation. So take this as a caveat emptor warning: clearly I am vulnerable to a certain number of mistakes myself. Although I am dedicated to getting things right, some details may be in error. If you ever know, or even suspect, that I have missed the mark, please, say something. Let me know. I would much rather admit to a mistake – and fix it – than perpetuate the slightest amount of misinformation.

So…. First of all, I regret my earlier reporting of this broadcast as “Thriller Films, Inc.” I really don’t know quite how I originally came to that conclusion. Another Empire Builders broadcast, aired on February 24, 1930, was indeed titled “Thriller Films, Inc.” That story was written by the prodigious radio writer W.O. Cooper. Reference to “Thriller Films” is clearly made in that story line. However, for the broadcast of January 19, 1931, there is no such tie to “Thriller Films.” Moreover, in reviewing all the references I have available to me at this time, I am at a loss to find any indication that this program had the same name as the one aired in 1930.

On the other hand, a review of the Great Northern Railway’s advertising expenses for January, 1931, shows that an author listed as “J. Hungerford” was paid for a story called “Nan o’ the Northwest.” A key character in this story is named Nan. I have not yet located any other reference to this Hungerford person in connection with Empire Builders, but the most likely candidate is James Edward Hungerford (1883-1964). He was a silent movie screenplay writer, and dozens of his tales were published in western-themed pulp magazines of the teens and twenties. Another intriguing fact is that many of those stories had titles like “The Call o’ the West,” “Canyon o’ the Colorado,” and “Heart o’ the West.” So - "Nan o' the Northwest?" By "J. Hungerford?" My coincidence meter is red-lining.

Another prodigious writer of the day by the name of Hungerford was Edward Hungerford, who primarily (and coincidently) wrote about railroads – but I believe his work was predominantly non-fiction. So often were these two men confused with one another that in 1917 James Edward took out an advertisement in a trade publication called “The Editor” and tried to establish a clear delineation between the two.

 

 

This night’s broadcast told the tale of a young woman named Nan who was frustrated in her efforts to break into a career in Hollywood. But we’ll get back to that in a minute.

The more significant feature of this broadcast was the unveiling of a special tour of Glacier National Park, to be hosted by none other than the Old Timer himself, actor Harvey Hays. Here’s how the broadcast began:

 

ANNOUNCER:          Tonight’s “Empire Builders” takes you out to Glacier National Park. Say, Old Timer, I’ve got an idea.

PIONEER:                  Yah, Ted…

ANNOUNCER:          Well, I was just thinking, you know all about Glacier National Park, don’t you?

PIONEER:                  [CHUCKLES]  Well now, that’s a pretty big playground, but I do know considerable about it.

ANNOUNCER:          I wish you could take a few of us out there next summer for a vacation in the park.

PIONEER:                  [CHUCKLES]  Say, Ted, I never thought of it. But that would be a-right interesting, though. Take you all through the park, you know, off the beaten trails. You know, places where most people don’t go, or see. Say, that’s a great idea. I wonder how many of ya’d like to go.

Announcer Ted Pearson pointed out the radio series was scheduled to conclude June 22nd. He floated the idea that the Old Timer and a group of friends could be out in the park over the 4^th of July. Then Pearson punched through the fourth wall and rolled out an invitation to the radio listeners to come along, too (which seems to have been the whole point from the start, of course). The Old Timer piped in and conveyed the invitation directly to the listening audience.

PIONEER:                  Say, I wonder how many of you people who are listening to Empire Builders would like to . . . Say, excuse me – we’re holdin’ up the show. I’ll have a better chance to talk to you all later. In the meantime, I’ll be thinkin’ of all the places we’ll go to.

Pretty clever. Ted Pearson and Harvey Hays loaded a big juicy carrot at the end of a long stick and dangled it out in front of all the radios from coast to coast. Then, as people were getting interested in that carrot, it was pulled back with a promise that it would reappear at the end of the broadcast. And so it did.

 

The opening scene of the radio play appears to have been the railroad depot at Glacier Park Station (what we today call East Glacier). Sound effects provided the arrival of the Great Northern’s Empire Builder. The Old Timer was at the platform to greet a young lady named Belle Montayne, the daughter of an old friend of his. After a brief bit of chit-chat about Belle’s father, and the splendid service Belle enjoyed aboard the Empire Builder, Belle began to make observations about the beautiful scenery.

This is where it’s interesting to compare the continuity that I’ve located with the existing recording of what actually went out over the air. Clearly, the continuity eventually benefited from the editorial eye of someone who had actually spent a little time in and around Glacier Park. Let’s start with the material as it appeared in the draft continuity that I’ve located. The Old Timer – who you will recall was fixing to line up a big tour of Glacier Park in July, because as Ted Pearson pointed out “you know all about Glacier National Park, don’t you?” – proceeded to spew out a torrent of misinformation. It’s remarkable that the dialog that followed was so riddled with inaccuracies. Here’s how it played out between Belle and the Old Timer.

[from the continuity]:

(Train effects - - train departs)

BELLE:           Oh, I had a perfectly delightful trip up here, Old Timer! The service was wonderful, and everybody was kind to me! . . . .  Heavens, what gorgeous country hereabouts! I’m in love with it already!

OLD TIMER:  It sure is, Miss! Jest look at that view o’ the main range o’ the Rockies off thar, an’ - - -

BELLE:           What’s that huge peak, off there to the North . . . . is . . . . . is that “Chief Mountain”?

OLD TIMER:  Yep, that’s it. It runs up 9,065 feet  . . an’ there’s ol’ Yellow Mountain off there to th’ South, with Sherburne Lake an’ th’ North Fork o’ the Swiftcurrent River, lyin’ at its foot. Then there’s ol’ Single Shot an’ Divide Mountain over there . . . an’ Rising Wolf towerin’ up fr’m Two Medicine Lake off yonder! . . . Ain’t a thing in the world in th’ way o’ scenery you can’t find here . . . it’s a movin’-picture in itself! Belle.

Now, the continuity does not specifically state the Old Timer and Belle were standing on the depot platform of Glacier Park Station, but it makes no sense at all that they were anyplace else. Glacier Park Station, and Glacier Park Lodge located there, are not actually within the boundary of Glacier National Park – they’re on the eastern outskirts of it. And although one can easily see some foothills of the Rockies from the grounds of the depot and hotel at Glacier Park Station, one cannot see all of the geographic features that Belle and the Old Timer were discussing – not from there. Over the years, the graphic arts fellows at the Great Northern Railway’s advertising department were more than willing to play fast and loose with the facts. Many tourist brochures put out by the railroad included images that suggested travelers could view parts of Glacier Park that were simply impossible to see from the given vantage point.

 

There never has been a view anything like the illustration above that can be seen from a railroad passenger car travelling along the southern border of Glacier National Park. Looks pretty cool, but it's pure puffery.
 Author's collection

 

It’s almost as if the person writing this draft of the continuity used a handful of those puffery-laden tourist brochures to sketch out the dialog about the park scenery. Ooops. But as I mentioned, this faux pas did not make it past final edit. Someone evidently stepped in and cleaned things up. Here’s the corresponding dialog between Belle and the Old Timer, as transcribed off the audio recording of the broadcast:

[from the audio]:

(Train effects - - train departs)

OLD TIMER:  Well – there’s the Empire Builder leavin’ – and what a train!

BELLE:           Oh, it’s a wonderful train, and everybody was so kind to me! I had a perfectly delightful trip up here, Old Timer! . . . .  Heavens, what gorgeous country! I’m in love with it already!

OLD TIMER:  It sure is, Miss! But say – this is just the outskirts, here. Wait’ll we get into the thick of it.

BELLE:           That’s just what I’m going to do, too.           Take a guide, and some horses, and plunge right into it.

OLD TIMER:  Say, just look at that view of the main range of the Rockies way out there.

BELLE:           Oh, I just adore them – wild, and formidable. Oh, and look how the sun glistens on them!

OLD TIMER:  Yah, beautiful, ain’t it?

BELLE:           Hmmmm-mmmm.

OLD TIMER:  You know, that’s how the Indians happened to give them that picturesque name. They call them the “Shining Mountains.”

BELLE:           Oooh, how lovely, and appropriate.

OLD TIMER:  And that’s Divine [sic] Mountain, over there. [Hays says “Divine”, but should be “Divide”]

BELLE:           Uh-hmmm.

OLD TIMER:  And there’s old Bison, out there. And Mt. Henry, and Squaw Mountain, Grizzly, Summit.

BELLE:           I see them …

OLD TIMER:  Yes, and there’s the tip of Rising Wolf, towering up from the Two Medicine Lake way off yonder.

BELLE:           Oh, yes …

OLD TIMER:  You know, there ain’t a thing in the world in the way of scenery that you can’t find here. It’s sorta a movin’ picture all by itself.

The moving picture reference was Belle’s segue to mention she was up from Los Angeles to film a movie in Glacier Park. That got the Old Timer talking about the time movie star Bill Remington was in the park shooting a movie. Belle naturally prodded the Old Timer to tell her all about it. As it was, she knew Bill Remington well, and so was doubly eager to hear the story.

A car pulled up (most likely one of Glacier Park’s ubiquitous “Reds”), and Belle and the Old Timer piled in for a drive up to Many Glacier Hotel. Belle passed the time listening to the Old Timer’s tale of Bill Remington’s romantic adventure in the park.

“Big Bill” Remington was in the park to shoot a film called “The Sheriff.” [As a side-note, J. Edward Hungerford published a story called “The Sheriff” in a 1921 issue of Western Story Magazine – just sayin’…] Filming was nearing an end, and Big Bill was eager to get away from the Annex Motion-Picture Company crew and see some of the park for himself, before he had to return to California. He saddled up a horse he called “Pegasus” and went for a ride. As Bill and the horse were taking in the marvelous scenery, a bullet whizzed past Bill’s head, close enough that it ripped his hat off. The notes in the continuity are amusing – it’s hard to imagine how they helped inform the audio performance:

(Big Bill jerks up in saddle amazed, as bullet knocks off his hat)

Bill verbally commented about the bullet zinging through the crown of his Stetson and sending it over by the edge of the hill. As he hurried over to rescue the hat before the wind blew it over the edge, another gunshot was heard nearby – and another. Bill’s first reaction was that someone on the film crew was playing a pretty rough joke on him. The crew included at least one or two real cowboys who were expert with firearms.

Instead of a colleague from the film company, it was “Pap” Peters who approached from behind.  Old Peters barked at Remington to drop his guns. He then called his daughter Nan over and told her to blindfold Remington with a handkerchief. They probably ought to have gagged him too, except of course that the ensuing dialog helped move the story along. Remington kept protesting his treatment, and demanded to know who these people were and what they wanted with him. Pap Peters repeatedly told Big Bill to hush up, that he’d find out soon enough. Peters peppered this with continued threats to do him in. This was getting serious. Ed and Lafe Peters, sons of Pap, arrived to help with Remington. There was more threatening talk of Big Bill’s demise, and Nan finally found a chance to whisper to Remington “They’re going to KILL you, Mister!”

What at first had Remington thinking was some kind of prank had most clearly become a life or death proposition, and Big Bill realized he was in dire straits. As the gang prepared to lock Remington into a tool shed, Big Bill kept pressing to find out what in tarnation was going on. Pap Peters finally began to explain things.

BIG BILL:          Say what’s the idea here? I don’t know who you fellers are, but ----

PAP PETERS:   You know well enough, what it is, yuh dern sneak! Yo’re th’ young jackanapes they sent up here, in ol’ Jeff Oglesby’s place, to round-up th’ Peters gang – meanin’ US!

BIG BILL:          (AMAZED)  Jeff Oglesby’s place? To round-up the Peters gang? You’ve got the best of me, sir! I haven’t the remotest idea WHAT you’re talking about!

PAP PETERS:   (Scornfully)  Haven’t, eh? Well, I’m the boss o’ the Peters gang, an’ it’s ME that’s goin’ to take care of ol’ Jeff Oglesby’s successor!

BIG BILL:          (Dazedly)  I don’t get you at all! WHO, if you don’t mind, is ol’ Jeff Oglesby?

PAP PETERS:   He AIN’T! … He WAS! Yuh kain’t bluff me, young feller! Yuh know as well as I do that ol’ Jeff Oglesby’s DEAD, an’ ----

BIG BILL:          Never heard of him in my life! Say, WHO do you think you’re talking to? You’ve got me mixed-up with somebody else!

PAP PETERS:   (Sneeringly)  BOSH! I reckon yuh never heard o’ ME, either! Next, yuh’ll be denyin’ yo’re the new SHERIFF o’ this here county!

It didn’t help Remington’s situation that he was still in costume for his motion picture as the Sheriff, packing guns and wearing a star. Still, he tried to explain himself, but Pap wasn’t having any of it.

BIG BILL:          I don’t know what it’s all about – but you’ve made a mistake, Mr. Peters. I’m not a REAL sheriff – just a ‘make-believe’ one. Remington’s my name – William Remington, of the Annex Motion Picture Company of Los Angeles. I’m an ACTOR. Our company has been making a Western picture, down in the valley, and you’ve probably heard of –

PAP PETERS:   Shet up! Yuh kain’t fool ME! Yo’re the young smart-aleck o’ a sheriff that was sent up here to git me an’ th’ boys. Ol’ Jeff Oglesby tried it, an’ he’s DEAD! Now yo’re tryin’ it, an’ . . . . . . Come on, boys, we’ll take care o’ this jasper, later! . . . . An’ don’t try to git away, Mister Sheriff! . . . . Ain’t a chance o’ gittin’ out o’ this toolshed, but if yuh DO – well, yuh done had a sample o’ my SHOOTIN’ ability! . . . Come on, Nan! An’ boys! (FOOT STEPS)

The Peters gang locked Remington away in the shed and left him to cool his heels awhile. After some appropriate transition music, the sound of someone fumbling with the lock alerted Remington that Nan was back, with food. She told Big Bill her father and brothers didn’t believe that he was an actor, but she admitted to thinking he at least looked like one. Then she admitted to having seen a movie company working down in the valley below, and Remington tried to get her to realize that he was one of the actors she had seen, but she was slow to convince herself that it was actually him that she had seen. In the meantime, she had some pretty harsh criticism for the horse-riding skills of an actress in the film. Nan suggested the actress’s actions when chased by a steer looked more like she was dodging a streetcar. This led to Nan’s defending her knowledge of streetcars and city life. She explained that she had spent time in Los Angeles before her mother died, and attended acting school for a time. Remington expressed plenty of sympathy as Nan described her disappointment when she was repeatedly rejected for acting parts.

Just then, Lafe Peters returned, and he quickly became agitated over Nan’s attention to Remington. He called Nan an impudent hussy and roughly began to toss her out of the shed. This got Big Bill riled up, and the fight was on!

Ed Peters charged into the fray, but the two brothers were no match for Big Bill, the strapping and indignant actor. As the three men bashed each other around and turned the tool shed into a shambles, Nan dashed out to fetch Pap.

Big Bill dropped the two brothers like a couple of sacks of potatoes, but Pap Peters suddenly appeared at Remington’s back with a gun on him. Lafe came to and pleaded with his father to plug Remington right then and there. Pap declined, saying he had a better plan. He told his two sons to truss up Big Bill with some rope. Nan wasn’t going to let them kill Big Bill. She got the drop on Pap and the boys. She pulled a gun on them and told them “hands up!” – or she would shoot … to kill!

Then Nan told Big Bill to take the men’s guns and tie them up. When Pap began growling at Nan for the underhanded double-cross, Nan filled in some gaps about her relationship to the men in the Peters gang.

PAP PETERS:   (Groveling…whining)  Aw, have a heart, Nan! You – you wouldn’t hand me an’ the boys a deal like this! You – you’ll pay fer this, you huzzy, if ---

NAN:                 Shut up! Mr. Remington, that old fossil there – “Pap”, as you’ve heard me call him – is my stepfather. The other two are his sons, my stepbrothers. The three of them … (dramatically) ….. have compelled me to live here with them, since my mother’s death, by threats, bullying and brutality! They – they – they’re thieves, outlaws, murderers!

PAP PETERS:   It’s a lie! A lie! They never kin prove it!

NAN:                 Oh, yes they can! I saw you do it … saw you kill Sheriff Jeff Oglesby, and if – if they ask me –

BIG BILL:          You’ll have to leave here, of course, now, Miss Nan. You can’t stay on here, after all this – you wouldn’t be safe, and –

NAN:                 Oh, Mr. Remington, I’d be happy – oh, so happy to get away! Just anywhere would – would seem like Heaven compared to this!  (SOBS A BIT)

 

Gosh, Bill – can you think of something, anything, to suggest??

 

BIG BILL:          (Gently)  Would – would you accept a position with me, Miss Nan?

NAN:                 With YOU?  (Amazedly)  You – you mean to – to act in the movies?

BIG BILL:          Yes. You have talent all right, and (laughs) plenty of temperament. You can ride a horse, shoot straight, you certainly are fearless, and, Lord! girl, you sure are beautiful, and I’d be might proud if you’d accept the position, Miss Nan.

NAN:                 (Overjoyed)  I – I – Oh, Mr. Remington, do you MEAN it? Do you really MEAN it?

BIG BILL:          I sure do! I mean it with all my heart!

NAN:                 Then my DREAMS have come true! And someday –

BIG BILL:          You’ll go to the top of the ladder! You’ll win out BIG! … (Pause) … And as for you three skinks, I’m going to send the real sheriff up here to get you! I’m going to lock you in here, but if you should escape, I’ve got forty dead-shot cowboys in my company, and they’ll turn Glacier Park inside-out to get you! … Come on, Miss Nan! … (They exit) … (Grumblings from prisoners)

As Nan and Big Bill rode off into the sunset (or the harsh midday sun, or whatever), the Peters gang started celebrating. Yup – celebrating. It was all a ruse, every bit of it. They all knew exactly who Remington was, and there never was any intention to do him harm. It was all about trying to help Nan get a break in Hollywood. And, it worked.

The radio story drew to a conclusion with some suggestive comments about a budding romance between Big Bill Remington and his new leading lady, and then some conversation between the Old Timer and Belle Montayne to wrap things up. Belle declared she was going to make a movie out of Nan and Bill’s story, and then without warning them, invite them both to the premiere. The Old Timer thought this sounded like fun, and asked to be included, saying “You know, I think I ought to have a chance at the finish, seein’ I helped Nan and Pap an’ her brothers plan th’ whole thing …” Oh, you scamp, Old Timer!

My copy of the continuity comes to a close at this point, with the final instruction for “TRANSITION MUSIC UP AND FADE FOR FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT.”

Announcer Ted Pearson and Harvey Hays, the Old Timer, got back to talking about plans for an honest-to-goodness special tour of Glacier Park, to be hosted by Harvey Hays and to take place in July.

ANNOUNCER:          And now, I’m going to ask Old Timer to tell us more about his plan for a Glacier National Park vacation. We’re all excited about it! Where’s Old Timer? Where is he Miss Husting?

LUCILLE H:               [LAUGHS] He’s sitting over there, writing things down on the back of  an envelope. Old Timer!

PIONEER:                  Oh, oh, say, excuse me, I was so busy figuring places for us to visit that I kinda got lost. Uh, you want me to tell the folks now about our Glacier Park vacation, Ted?

ANNOUNCER:          Say, Old Timer – we’re just bursting to hear about it! And I know our friends of the radio audience feel the same way as I do. Go on …

PIONEER:                  [CHUCKLES] Well, I’m kinda excited myself now. Now I figured, we’d arrive at the Glacier Park Hotel on the Empire Builder at 12:15 noon the first day and have lunch there. Then that afternoon we’ll start right out seein’ the park – take an automobile ride over to Two Medicine Lake where we’ll see the Two Medicine Chalets, you know, the ones that was reserved for President Hoover last year, before he had to give up his vacation. Then we’ll take a launch ride on the lake, and hike up to see Trick Falls, and Twin Falls. Then we’ll come back to the Glacier Park Hotel, have dinner, then we’ll all go over to Mike’s Place – say, that’s a real 

1950s postcard view of Mike's Place
in the town of Glacier Park Station.

old-time Montana dance hall. We’ll dance, and then have a lunch along towards midnight. And then, back to the hotel. The next morning, we’ll go up to Many Glacier Hotel, on Swiftcurrent Lake – now that’s right in the heart of the park. Fifty-five miles of automobile riding …

BERNARDINE F:       Aren’t we going to get any horseback riding, Old Timer?

PIONEER:                  [CHUCKLES] We sure are, Bernardine! Why, there’ll be horseback trips to Grinnell Lake, to Josephine Lake, to Crossley Lake dude ranch, to Goat Herd camp, to Sperry Chalets, and, oh, a dozen other places.

BERNARDINE F:       Oh, good!

PIONEER:                  Then there’ll be automobile trips, hiking trips, and big campfires at night, wa-a-ay up in the mountains, dancin’ – why, everything you young folks could ask for. Say, there’s one thing – I’m afraid we’re goin’ to have to limit this party – about forty is all we can take. And they’ll all have to be active, healthy people, too. Because we’re goin’ places, and seeing things.

ANNOUNCER:          How are our radio friends going to make reservations for this vacation of yours, Old Timer?

PIONEER:                  Well, Ted, I think they’d better just write to me, care of the Great Northern Railway, here in Chicago. Yup, that’s the way. Now if you want to go along, folks, drop a line to me, The Old Timer, care of Great Northern Railway, Chicago, Illinois. That’ll reach me. And say – I’ll try to show ya the finest ten-day vacation you ever had in all your life!

ANNOUNCER:          The Old Timer’s vacation will start close to July first. You can get all information about reservations, a detailed itinerary, costs, and everything, by writing to The Old Timer, care of the Great Northern Railway, Chicago, Illinois, one-one-three south Clark Street.

DON BERNARD:       Time’s up, Ted.

ANNOUCNER:          All right, Mr. Bernard. Tonight’s playlet again featured Harvey Hays as the Old Timer, Lucille Husting played Nan, Don Ameche was Bill Remington, Bernardine Flynn was Belle Montayne.

 

I’ll have much more to write concerning the Old Timer’s Tour of Glacier Park, but I’ll generally roll out details as they appeared in the weekly broadcasts, and then much more information (and photos) later on – probably after the final broadcast of the series in June.

 

Until next time, keep those dials tuned to Empire Builders!