Film and audio archivist Dennis Nyback will present a program at noon Jan. 13 in the Madison Room of the Oregon Historical Society, revolving around the careers of three Oregonians who, in different ways, achieved a place in American popular culture in the 1920s and 1930s.
The three: the sultry-voiced singer and songwriter Lee Morse, of Lee Morse and the Bluegrass Boys and "I've Got Five Dollars"; George Olsen, nationally-known big band leader whose theme song was "Beyond the Blue Horizon"; and the many-voiced, often-heard-but-never-seen Mel Blanc (from Porky the Pig to the train conductor on the Jack Benny show), who began his career as a musician with the KGW radio "Hoot Owls" in Portland. The program of course includes period film and audio renditions.
Bring a sack lunch; the program is free. The program also will be given, at 1 p.m. Jan. 14 in the US Bank Room of the Multnomah County Central Library. It is part of the "Discovering Oregon Originals" series, presented by the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission at the Oregon Historical Society and Multnomah County Library.