Proctor Record

[Brad]

In addition to the phonographs I won this weekend, I also scored a couple of boxes of records and cylinders. I haven't really looked at any of these items yet, but there was one album with about 12 of (what appear to be) aluminum records. They are labled "Proctor Air Record" and are a set of broadcast recordings from 1936 for WABC. I googled all I could think of and all I found was a Patent filing from the company dated 1942.

Has anyone seen this label of records before? I would assume that playing them with a steel needle would be a no-no.

Where these stamped or cut live or from a recording?

Anything unique or valuable here?

[gramophoneshane]

Fibre needles or a jewel tipped light weight pick-up only on aluminium records.

[estott]

I'd guess that the AIR typed next to the printed RECORD means this was recorded off the air- I guess someone wanted a recording of that performance of the Siegfried Idyl.

BTW- if it's the same person Betty Warsawer Margolis died in May,
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A96F9C8B63

[hillndalefan]

One would have to do some checking, but that might be from the final concert by the New York Philharmonic under Toscanini during his tenure there. He retired after that season, I believe, and then David Sarnoff sent a delegation to the Maestro's home in Italy to get him back to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra, whose first concert was in the fall of 1937. It has been a while since I last checked into the chronology, but I believe the above is true. Bob Ault

[Brad]

I'd guess that the AIR typed next to the printed RECORD means this was recorded off the air- I guess someone wanted a recording of that performance of the Siegfried Idyl.

That makes sense, Eric, I didn't make the connection that the label indicates that is was recorded "for" Betty.

BTW- if it's the same person Betty Warsawer Margolis died in May,
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.h ... A96F9C8B63

Ya, I had found that obit as the only Google finding before I posted. She was 93 when she died in 2009 making her about 20 in 1936. Why would a 20 year old, just after the depression, order a custom 12 record recording? A gift perhaps or maybe she was part of the performance? Read on:

One would have to do some checking, but that might be from the final concert by the New York Philharmonic under Toscanini during his tenure there. He retired after that season, I believe, and then David Sarnoff sent a delegation to the Maestro's home in Italy to get him back to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra, whose first concert was in the fall of 1937. It has been a while since I last checked into the chronology, but I believe the above is true. Bob Ault

Bob, I listened to the beginning of the first record and the announcer said exactly that, it was an over the air recording of his final concert in NY. Great call!

Now, the final mystery is who was Betty Warsawer and why did she want that recording??? Inquiring minds want to know

[estott]

Now, the final mystery is who was Betty Warsawer and why did she want that recording??? Inquiring minds want to know

According to some Googling her brother Harold N. Warsawer was still alive as of June and lives in or near Teaneck, NJ. He's probably responsible for the stuff being sold.

[Brad]

Now, the final mystery is who was Betty Warsawer and why did she want that recording??? Inquiring minds want to know

Mystery solved! Well maybe.

I was looking through the box of records that these recordings came from and I found a couple of home recordings on flexible plastic/paper records (Not unlike Hit of the week).

I put one on the old turntable and the record started with with a man saying "On this day, June 2, 1941 Mrs. Margolis will play....." Then there was a piano solo followed by applause. The flip side had a bunch of talking and laughing, but I did not try to listen. The other record started with the same man saying "Now Betty will play...."

So it appears that the Betty Warsawer is the same name as in the obituary and the same as listed on the label of the above over the air recording.

So was she playing on the recording? Does anyone have a muscians roster of the the NY Philharmic from 1936? I wonder if she was phenom at age 20?