The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hi All- This morning at a yardsale I picked up a few records that are speeches by FDR in the mid 1930's. I'm not very knowledgeable about "later" records, but they appear to be for broadcast on radio station WEAF in New York. 33 ⅓ rpm. Most are 17" diameter, a couple are 16". Two are marked "Fireside Chat", others relate to State of Union Address. Two are unmarked. One label states "Bonus Speech." Record label is "Radio and Film Methods Corpoation" Also marked "ARS Personal File".
I've attached a picture of one of them which is FDR's State of the Union Address from Jan 3rd, 1936. Can anyone provide info on what I found? Anyone know what ARS refers to??

Thanks!

Brad Abell

ARS= Advertiser's Recording Service- this company was the distribution arm for radio shows and jingles to network radio. There doesn't seem to be any info out there regarding RFMC, although I have seen this label before. These appear to be personal transcriptions of radio addresses made for FDR himself, possibly for the presidential library. Of course, the contents were likely moved to more modern media long ago, and the unwieldy transcriptions discarded. This would be my best scientific wild ass guess. VERY nice find. Congrats!!

OR- these could be the old original ARS file copies which seems more likely now that I am thinking more about it.

Thanks George--- You provided some great info.

I have found a little more info-- and an interesting part of my find.

The Record and Films Methods Corporation was owned by a man named A. Ralph Steinberg. He worked on a patent for a recording process developed by Frank L. Dyer. At some point Dyer provided Steinberg with some capital and Steinberg gave him a promissory note-- then the company went belly up, and Dyer did too. --- so descendants of Dyer sued. Here are the many pages of the multiple law suits. (for some reason the link goes to the middle of the papers-- If interested scroll back to the beginning)

https://books.google.com/books?id=ExGc2 ... rk&f=false

And a capture of one paragraph that mentions RCA and Decca royalties. on page 49A - an affidavit by A. Ralph Steinberg. I wonder what his "special machine" was....
Then-- One of the Roosevelt records I found this morning has a personal handwritten note:
It says: "This is pressing #2 to a great and loyal worker, Frank Caroll"
Signed by A. Ralph Steinberg-- and is dated 5/23/35, just a few weeks after the record (a Roosevelt Fireside Chat) was recorded--4/28/35
I enjoy doing a little research-- I haven't read through the entire document yet. If anyone can add to the information it would be much appreciated.
What is pretty neat is that they are limited pressings of Roosevelt's speeches and fireside Chats. i found some that have been digitized on the FDR Library site-- I suspect there are very few copies of actual record pressing remaining.

Thanks-
Brad Abell

I've re-read what George posted-- It makes sense that these may have been given to the FDR Library or to the White House at the time. The "Client" is listed as "President Roosevelt" and at the top it says "ARS- PERSONAL FILE"

Interesting- I'm all ears for any other info anyone can provide.

Brad Abell

I know I'm perseverating on these records, but I've got time and find it fascinating.

A. Ralph Steinberg was a "Radio Aide" and an Advisor to FDR.. He also served as Commissioner of the US Mint and a secretary of Tammany Hall.

So this small time record production company owner was sort of a big-wig in politics. Since he was apparently quite close to Roosevelt, I think it lends more credence to supposition that the records I found were made for the White House archives.

Here's an obit in three pics (I couldn't capture as a whole-- sorry) I'll shut up now

Brad Abell

Brad, check out the name of the sister in the last line of the obit.

Yes- I saw that! Did she marry the brother of Frank? And... since this is D.C., was there any quid pro quo !! ?? These records were found within 20 miles of D.C.

Brad Abell

The more info you turn up- the more interesting this becomes.
The connection between Steinberg and the Roosevelt Admin. is certainly eye opening. Since FDR's addresses were carried on all the major networks, you'd think these would show up on NBC or CBS affiliated discs- but no, they are on this po- dunk label. Recording and producing these giant discs was not an inexpensive proposition, but the evidence on the handwritten label suggests that these are not even acetates, but PRESSINGS. The set up costs to do this must have been simply enormous.

Wonder, too, if the Roosevelt Admin. might have been the ONLY client. This also makes me wonder if this was some sort of a WPA financed project. WPA did lots of things related to education, historical preservation, and the arts. Add to that the fact that 101 Park Ave. was a very prestigious address, even then... This was no fledgling operation. Someone put SERIOUS money out to do this.
Hmmmm.

I suspect that the "Frank L. Dyer" was the onetime President of Edison's National Phonograph Company, then Thomas A. Edison Inc., and the author of a biography on Thomas A. Edison.

The patent under discussion was probably this one:
Funyy how interconnected history can be!

George P.

phonogfp wrote: Sat Jun 04, 2022 7:08 pm I suspect that the "Frank L. Dyer" was the onetime President of Edison's National Phonograph Company, then Thomas A. Edison Inc., and the author of a biography on Thomas A. Edison.

The patent under discussion was probably this one:

Dyer1726546(1).doc

Funyy how interconnected history can be!

George P.

Wow! That's intriguing. VERY intriguing. So, Dyer likely had a good solid background in audio engineering. The plot thickens! In your research, have you ever run across patents for whatever this "Dyer Process" is?

Hell of it is- I can hardly imagine TAE being, had he lived, any sort of fan of the New Deal.