Walter Tetley: For Corn's Sake [Paperback]

Ben Ohmart (Author), Charles Stumpf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2003

WALTER TETLEY (1915-1975) was the quintessential kid voice of radio. His distinguished voice career began in the early 1930s and lasted until radio s final years in the 1950s. He was also a very private person who never gave interviews, instead choosing to immerse himself in charity and voice work throughout most of his life. For the FIRST time in print finally a complete biography on one of radio s most beloved character actors. Including many RARE PHOTOS and THOUSANDS OF CREDITS, most of which have never been seen or discussed in any article or book. That is because this biography has been written with the aid of Walter s personal scrapbooks! From The Great Gildersleeve to Rocky and Bullwinkle's Peabody and Sherman and beyond. Includes a detailed account of Walter s 1930s public appearances.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...the rare photos capturing Tetley in candid, vaudeville, radio and movie situations are indeed a treasure, and the layout is stylish. So little has been written, and when a book does come along and attempts to tell the whole story, while also giving us a fine appreciation of his work, well, I'm happy. Includes an incredible list of credits, most taken from Tetley's personal notebook, covering radio, film and TV work. --Classic Images/Laura Wagner

From the earliest days of his career, to his final days when Hollywood cast him by the wayside due to his appearance-altering medical condition, For Corn s Sake covers as many of this talent man s triumphs and tragedies as possible. Tetley was, for all accounts, a kind man who preferred to spend his time and money working with handicapped kids instead of giving interviews. It is a true shame that a kind and generous soul was to die alone, possibly living in a small trailer near the beach. Attempts were made to contact the executive of his estate, but again another dead end was reached. One can t imagine the frustration that one would experience when they take on a project such as this one. That we are able to read as much about Tetley s life as this book provides is a real accomplishment and fills a major gap in the history of old-time radio. Ben Ohmart and Charles Stumpf are to be praised for the hard work and effort that they put into compiling this book. It is an ultimately sad story to be sure, but it is also a story to be treasured. --Radiogram/Rodney Bowcock, Jr.

About the Author

From the authors of The Great Gildersleeve, Ben Ohmart (author of the first books on Paul Frees, Daws Butler and Don Ameche) and Charles Stumpf (author of old time radio books, including the classic Heavenly Days: The Story of Fibber McGee and Molly).

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Bearmanor Media (November 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593930003
• ISBN-13: 978-1593930004
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,809,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I run BearManor Media, a small publishing company with over 400 titles in print! Biographies of radio, TV, film and stage stars - so have a look!

bearmanormedia.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not enough Great Gildersleeve Information, August 18, 2011

By 

Corbett C. Harrison "Corbett" (Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Walter Tetley: For Corn's Sake (Paperback)

I ordered this book, thinking I would learn more about my favorite Gildersleeve character: Leroy. There was almost NO information about my favorite radio show. It was pretty much just a Gildersleeve mention, not even a minor focus in this book. If you're looking for any history about Gildersleeve or any other radio show this fine character actor appeared on, this is not the book. Thanks for writing it, but it has no interesting focus other than lists of what radio shows mister Tetley appeared on. save yourself the 20+ dollars this book charges. Not worth it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sadly it is rather thin by necessity, June 20, 2011

By 

inland sailor "inlandsailor" (Wooster, OH USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Walter Tetley: For Corn's Sake (Paperback)

Walter Tetley is one of the reasons I listen to old time radio. His wise-cracking smart-aleck comments are clever and add color to the comedy. Fascinating to find that Walter was not the smart aleck teenager that one would guess.
Aided by clever script writers, Walter could pull the rug out from under bigger stars than himself ( in the script).He was fortunate that the writing was crisp, tight, and well choreographed. It must have brought a bit of humor to some really difficult times in our country when we were in the grips of a world war.
This book sheds a little light (perhaps because Walter shunned publicity as much as he did it is pretty sparse)on this unusual character who seemed to make the best of a health issue that kept him working but must have added other problems to his life.
A fascinating glimpse into radio of the forties.
My guess is that 1 person out of 100 would recognize the name Walter Tetley and that would go into negative numbers with anyone under the age of 30.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Horay for Leroy, September 17, 2010

By 

Farhad Farshimi (Ottawa, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Walter Tetley: For Corn's Sake (Paperback)

I'm a huge OTR fan and especially like the comedy show The Great Gildersleeve. My favorite character is Leroy played by very talented Walter Tetley. I'm amazed by his quick wit and timely delivery. I always wanted to find out more about him and his condition. He always looked and sounded like a young kid despite his age.
The book offers some insight to his personality but still falls somehow short to explain why Walter Tetley never grew up. However this is still a good book with lots of details. OTR fans will truly appreciate this book.