Old Time Radio Shows

The Great Gildersleeve's Halloween Party

2026-10-19T16:45:00.000-05:00

Who could be better at celebrating a holiday which is all about fun than Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, the Great Man Himself? During the program's long run (1941-1957) we got to hear Gildy's “dirty laugh” at quite a few Halloween gatherings. One of our favorites was from 1943.

The character of Throckmorton Gildersleeve first appeared on Fibber McGee and Molly October 3, 1939, as a collector who hires McGee to get “Killer” Canova's autograph. Harold Peary had been with Fibber McGee and Molly for many seasons, but the character of Gildy was such a good fit that he became a regular foil for Fibber. It was a pretty even match as to who would get the better of whom, but we were usually treated at least once with the catchphrase “You're a haaaard man McGee!”

Fibber McGee and Molly

When Kraft Foods began looking for a project to promote Parkay Margarine in 1941, a program centered around Peary's Gildersleeve was ready to go. Moving from Wistful Vista to Summerfield to take custody of his orphaned niece and nephew, Gildy found himself closer to “the real world”. The role of a lovable bachelor with kids suited Peary just fine.

Part of the show's magic was balancing the exasperation of watching young people grow up with Gildy's own romantic ambitions. As the program opens we hear Birdie in the kitchen, preparing for Marjorie's Night Before Halloween Party. Gildy is shooed, first from the kitchen and then from the house, but not before encountering Marjorie's boogie-woogie piano playing beau. He also has the chance to describe a gag to LeRoy that involves tying two water filled pails together with a trip line. Just don't do anything like that, Gildy warns the boy, and if you do only fill the buckets half way; it won't work if they are full!

Banished from the house for the young people's party, the Great Man naturally arrives at the Widow Ranson's house. (During the previous season, they were nearly married, but Leila left Gildy at the alter so that his broken heart could be mended by the school principal, Eve Goodwin.) Gildy and Leila wind up at Peavy's Drug store for a soda. Leila has the idea that they should have their own Halloween Party. After all, Halloween is tomorrow night.

Whom to invite? The Peavy's can make it, so what about Judge Hooker? He'll need a date, so Peavy suggests Principal Goodwin. The Judge and two of Gildy's Women at the same party, what could possibly go wrong?

Hear more classic Halloween broadcasts from "Halloween Comedies, Variety, and Specials Collection"

Murder By Experts: How to Become an Expert in Murder

2026-10-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

How does one become an expert on murder? According to the creators of Murder By Experts, expertise in murder is demonstrated by writing about murder in a highly entertaining fashion. No university has a recognized degree program in murder, and consulting someone with "experience in the field" is too ghastly to contemplate.

The subject itself seems too ghastly to consider, but murder mysteries make for highly entertaining fair and they are the centerpiece of the majority of the crime dramas which filled the air during the Golden Age of Radio. The average listener might drive a few miles over the speed limit on occasion or could neglect to tell Uncle Sam the whole truth on their tax returns, but by and large, they are law-abiding people who would go out of their way to help their fellow man. The psychological makeup of someone who is actually capable of murder is fascinating to behold. Remember the old joke about going to a party dressed as a homicidal maniac? They look just like you and me.

Using their own standard, Robert Arthur and Dave Kogan each qualified as experts in murder. Kogan grew up with Radio entering the Golden Age and entered Columbia University to study radio production. At a scriptwriting class in 1940, he met Robert Arthur Jr, who had a mixed bag of experiences any author would be happy to draw upon. He was born in Corregidor, Philippines, the son of a US Army lieutenant. After a life of moving from base to base around the country he won an appointment to West Point but decided against a military career and entered William and Mary College in Virginia in 1926, later transferring to the University of Michigan (Robert Arthur Sr was working there as a Professor of Military Science) where he earned a BA then an MA in English. After settling in Greenwich Village, New York City, he began writing for pulp magazines and had stories published in Wonder Stories, Detective Fiction Weekly, The Illustrated Detective Magazine, Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine, Detective Tales, Thrilling Detective, Double Detective, The Phantom Detective, Unknown Worlds, Black Mask, and several other magazines.

Arthur married a radio soap opera actress in 1938, but they split before he joined the scriptwriting class at Columbia in 1940. Kogan and Arthur's friendship developed into a formidable scriptwriting team. They would work together in an intense session to hammer out a story, then Kogan would take over as director and producer. They went to work together at WOR, the flagship station of the Mutual Network, creating scripts for the short-lived Dark Destiny in 1942. With one success under their belt, the duo was allowed to put together another series, The Mysterious Traveler, which first aired in December 1943. In addition to spellbinding tales of fantasy, science fiction, and the supernatural to go along with crime drama, The Traveler featured the Traveler himself as a horror host.

The series spawned comic books and, eventually, its own pulp magazine. With a proven money-maker on their hands, Mutual gave Kogan and Arthur the greenlight for another series, Murder By Experts, which would begin airing in 1949. Experts would be just as thrilling as The Traveler, but the format took some interesting creative turns. One of the most important was that rather than original plots the show used stories selected by the weekly guest "Expert", the stories still had to be adapted to a radio format. The "horror host" was replaced by a host expert, prolific mystery writer John Dickson Carr during the first season.

Carr was no stranger to radio. Not only had several of his stories been adapted by various anthology series, but he wrote several original scripts for Suspense. Each week Carr's "guest expert" would select a favorite murder story, usually the work of yet a third author. After the first season, Carr left the series, presumably to concentrate on furthering his writing career. He was replaced by Brett Halliday, creator of the Michael Shayne detective series. Halliday was the pseudonym of Davis Dresser, who had been influential in founding the Mystery Writers of America. Kogan and Arthur were awarded an "Edgar" award by the Mystery Writers in 1950 for "best radio program of a mystery nature" in 1950 for Murder By Experts (The Mysterious Traveler would be so honored in 1953).

The team of Kogan and Arthur decided to give back to the radio writing profession by becoming supporters of the Radio Writers Guild. At the time, however, any collective bargaining effort was destined to be painted as a Communist front by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Although they were not listed in Red Channels, HUAC attention was enough to gain notice from Mutual's sponsors who put pressure on the network to cancel both Experts and Traveler.

Where to Buy Old Time Radio Shows

2026-09-10T21:00:00.000-05:00

Old Time Radio shows are more than simply historical audio artifacts. They are a high entertainment value. The stories and humor are timeless. Although they come from a supposedly “more innocent time”, the plots and stories you will hear in radio drama and situation comedies are still being used on TV sitcoms and dramas today.

One of the terrific things about getting into Old Time Radio, or OTR, is that it is a form of entertainment that can be enjoyed just about anywhere without interfering with what is going on in your world. Listening to a 50 year old or earlier radio program is not as current or high tech as enjoying the latest viral video. However, it is difficult to really enjoy a video while you are cleaning the house, fixing a meal, walking the dog or taking the kids to the park. You can even enjoy your OTR programs while driving. The half-hour or 15 minute format of these old programs make them an easy fit into a commute, shopping trip or a road trip. With a portable MP3 player, you can even enjoy your OTR while standing in line at the supermarket.

What sort of programming can you find when you get into OTR? Almost any type of program that you can see on television was first tried on the radio, so the variety is nearly endless. Many OTR enthusiasts keep a collection of comedy, mystery and dramas on hand.

William Bendix of Life of Riley

A great way to get some extra smiles into your day is listening to Radio Comedies. The Situation Comedy follows basically the same formula we all know from TV. It is a miniature drama driven by characters that listeners come to know and love who find themselves in a new ridiculous situation in each episode. Great Radio Sitcoms include Life of Riley, Blondie, My Favorite Husband starring Lucille Ball, and The Great Gildersleeve.

Another comedy format, which was wildly popular during the Golden Age, was the Hosted Variety Program. These programs were originally built around some of Vaudeville's best performers. Along with the host was an orchestra, usually a singer, and a cast of supporting players. Some of their routines may have been old fashioned, but they knew how to work an audience, both in person and on the air. Two of the best were Bob Hope and Jack Benny. Bob had a gift of connecting with his audience, which made him popular with the servicemen he loved and respected. Jack created a character who was nothing like himself in real life, but with all his supposed negative qualities, audiences loved him because he allowed himself to be the butt of the jokes.

Mysteries and crime dramas are fun listening because they ask the listener to solve a puzzle, and that puzzle is often murder! Crime shows are often divided into hard and soft boiled. Soft boiled detectives are usually more cerebral, looking for the clues to find out Whodunit. The hard boiled sort are more action packed with no-nonsense heroes who always get their man, and usually the pretty girl, as well!

Radio drama takes on many forms, from the daily “cry in your dishwater” world of the Soap Operas to retelling of historical events to horror and science fiction stories to Hollywood Movie plots adapted to the radio. Some of the great anthology programs like Suspense, Escape, General Electric Theater and NBC University dramatized great works of fiction for the radio audience. Cavalcade of America profiled real people and events with remarkably high production values. Shows like Lux Radio Theater, Academy Award Theater and Hollywood Star Time allowed folks who could not get to the movie house on a regular basis a way to enjoy Hollywood productions before the days of DVD or even VHS tapes!

Let's Pretend

2026-08-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

It was simple concept, but it made for a revolutionary format in children's radio. If the stories were for children, kids should be reading them. That was the concept for Nila Mack's Let's Pretend, and the show aired for two decades.

Let's Pretend started radio life as The Adventures of Helen and Mary in 1934 when it was transformed by Nila Mack into the show that would last for two decades until 1954. Mack believed that, if the stories were for children, then children should tell the story.

Nila Mack used a core of regular children's actor's including Sybil Trent, Arthur Anderson, Jack Grimes, Miriam Wolfe, Gwen Davies and Michael O'Day. Anderson went on to write a book about his time on the show called Let's Pretend and the Golden Age of Radio. Mack died in 1953 and the show lasted one more year under the direction of Jean Hight.

The Peabody award-winning show was broadcast with an audience full of children beginning with Uncle Bill Adams' salutation, "Hello Pretenders!" followed by the response "Hello, Uncle Bill!". After some back and forth with the kids, the show would launch into an adaptation of a classic children's stories and fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina and many, many more.

For other great Children's show see also: Howdy Doody Time, Minnesota School of the Air, Cinnamon Bear, Wormwood Forest, and Children's Collection.

Singin Sam "Barbasol Man"

2026-08-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

When we study the personalities of Old Time Radio, every once in a while we encounter the story of what appears to be a very happy man. One such person was Harry Frankel, better known as Singin' Sam.

Harry was born in Ohio in 1888 to a men's clothing merchant who soon took the family to Danville, Kentucky. The family business would take them to Richmond, Indiana when Harry was nine, but by this time the "Old Kentucky Home" had a hold on the lad. For the rest of his life, Harry was a Son of the South. In 1908, Harry joined Al G. Fields' Minstrels and began his vaudeville apprenticeship.

In 1930, an offer from the Great States Lawnmower Company allowed Harry to leave the hectic life of vaudeville, and he settled in Cincinnati, to sing over WLW as Singin' Sam, The Lawnmower Man. Exposure on WLW led to an opportunity to move to New York to become Singin' Sam, the Barbasol Man. Life in New York was not happy for the confirmed Son of the South, and he left after three years, but first he met and courted Helene “Smiles” Davis. Harry and Smiles settled in Richmond, and soon Harry was again singing for Barbasol on national broadcasts originating in Cincinnati. In 1937, Harry became a “Jet-Set entertainer in the pre-jet era, flying to New York twice a month to record a series of shows for Coca Cola, Refreshment Time With Singing Sam. The transcribed shows were distributed nationally while Harry got to spend his off time at home with his wife, Smiles.

Sadly, this happy man was cut down by a heart attack at the age of sixty. Much too young for someone who made his living happily singing “old songs”. For finding lasting success on his own terms, we have to tip our hat to Singin' Sam.

Man of a Thousand Voices when One was Enough: William Conrad

2026-07-08T10:25:00.000-05:00

The movie hero generally fits a specific physical type. Not necessarily handsome in the classic sense, he has a manly, rugged appearance, tall, with a V-shaped torso, tapering from wide, solid shoulders to a narrow waistline. In classic films, he may not have the chiseled "six-pack abs" which are the trademark of modern leading men, but there is an undeniable masculine toughness about him. Fortunately, Hollywood has nearly as many of this type running around as it does pretty girls.

On the radio, the equivalent of broad shoulders and a narrow waist is a commanding basso profundo voice. Several actors were blessed with such a commanding voice, but few were able to use it to the degree William Conrad did, especially when we consider how far Conrad was physically from the leading man type.

William Conrad was born in Lexington, Kentucky, 1920, where his parents owned and operated a movie theater. Little Bill was babysat by the flickering light of the projector and growing up with the scent of popcorn in his nostrils there is little wonder that he dreamed of becoming one of the screen heroes who were a part of his daily life. It seemed that he might have his chance during high school when the family left Kentucky for Los Angeles. The youngster soon discovered that, as mentioned above, there were dozens if not hundreds of leading men types in town, all looking for their big break n the studio system.

One place that surprisingly few of them were looking was in local radio. In 1934, Detroit businessman George A "Dick" Richards paid $125,000 for a controlling interest in Los Angeles station KMPC, making it the third jewel in his "Good Will Broadcasting Company", along with WGAR Cleveland and WJR in his native Detroit. Partially to raise capital but mostly as a marketing move, Richards sold minority shares in KMPC to Bing Crosby , Freeman Gosden and Charles Corell ( Amos 'n' Andy ), Paul Whiteman , and Harold Lloyd , and began advertising KMPC as "the Station of the Stars". All-American tackle Bob Reynolds was retiring from the Detroit Lions (Richards owned the team) in 1938 and joined KMPC's marketing department and soon became general manager.

Cast of Hermit's Cave

Bill Conrad joined KMPC as part of the acting company for The Hermit's Cave . The horror anthology was a rather direct rip-off of Mutual's The Witch's Tale , but it had been successful on WGAR and WJR, so Richards and Reynolds were happy to bring it to the L.A. market. Conrad's deep voice and willingness to experiment with microphone technique made him a welcome addition to the company. Other work at KMPC followed and soon he was producing The Hermit's Cave .

When the War started, Conrad had earned enough of a showbiz background that he might have found a "behind the lines" job but he chose to join the Army Air Corps and train as a fighter pilot. Soon after he won his commission, however, he was diagnosed as suffering from night blindness and was transferred to AFRS as a producer-director. When he mustered out as a Captain, he was in a very good position to continue his radio career. He joined the acting company of The Man Called X and The Whistler along with numerous "Radio Row" gigs.

One of Conrad's most recognizable parts was intoning the introduction to the CBS adventure anthology Escape : "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape !" In fact, the announcing duties for Escape were shared with Paul Frees , one week one of the deep, rich voices would announce while the other acted in the episode, and the next week they would trade places. In addition to a classic part, Escape also gave Conrad a chance to work with director/producer Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston.

When CBS boss Bill Paley asked for 'a Philip Marlowe set in the Old West', MacDonnell and Meston came up with Gunsmoke . It was Meston who first advocated for the Escape announcer to breathe life into US Marshal Matt Dillon. Marshal Dillon would be a heroic yet tragic figure. He was determined to uphold the law in a generally lawless territory but saw first hand that the rule of law was not always a civilizing influence at the very edge of civilization. He was prepared to give his own life to preserve justice and it affected him deeply to see examples where even the force of law failed to bring justice to those who deserved it most. Dillon was no matinee hero who would win in every given situation, he enjoyed a beer at the end of a hard day and sometimes he needed something stronger to deal with his job. Miss Kitty was euphemistically described as someone the marshal "has to visit every once in a while".

Although it aired when the Golden Age of Radio beginning to lose ground to TV, Gunsmoke was easily one of the greatest dramas commercial radio ever produced, thanks in no small part to the character created by William Conrad . However, adapting the program to television was inevitable, and while he was a great actor there was no way Conrad would be able to carry off the physical appearance the network expected for Matt Dillon at 5'7" and tipping the scales more than 250 pounds, he was hardy the tall, broad-shouldered and narrow waist type envisioned as a leading man. The fact that his leading man could not play the part on TV may have been one of Norman MacDonnell's biggest objections to "confining" Gunsmoke to the small screen, but the fact that James Arness was able to play the role for twenty seasons shows that his judgment may have been off.

Conrad seems more accepting of the fact that he would not be acting on TV's Gunsmoke . He contributed scripts and directed episodes of the TV series and narrated a two-part story during the 1973 season. He managed to land a few roles which took advantage of his girth, including starring in Cannon (1971-1976), Nero Wolfe (1981), and Jake and the Fat Man (1987-1992). His voice work continued on television, including commercials and narrating the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons. In 1981, he starred as the famous Masked Man in the animated reboot The New Adventures of the Lone Ranger .

William Conrad suffered a fatal heart attack on February 11, 1994, in Los Angeles. He was posthumously inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997.

How Rochester Helped Win The War

2026-07-03T16:56:00.000-05:00

Eddie Anderson was incredibly well suited for his role as second banana. This is reflected in the long term success of the Jack Benny Program, and the fact that Eddie was one of the best paid second bananas in Hollywood Radio. Although there were a few listeners who objected to someone of Eddie's race achieving so much success, few could argue the fact that Eddie's success, even beyond his Rochester character, was well earned. And well enjoyed.

Eddie was born into show business. His mother was a tightrope performer and his father performed in minstrel shows. His brother Cornelius was a song and dance man, a path Eddie probably would have followed if he had not ruptured his vocal cords as a boy. He could and did still dance, and he developed a terrific sense of comic timing to go with his gravel voice.

Rochester became one of the most recognizable and well loved characters on radio, and Eddie Anderson enjoyed the fruits of his success. He bought a large home for his family and became a leader in the Los Angeles area African American Community. When America became involved in WWII, Anderson was desperate to contribute whatever he could to the War Effort. He was unable to serve directly like some younger Hollywood and Radio stars. Whenever asked, he made himself available to entertain the troops, often along with the rest of Jack Benny's company. He invested his own money in War Bonds and worked tirelessly on Bond Drives, as well.

Early in the War, an opportunity came to Anderson which was of strategic and material import in winning the conflict. Aviation was always a dangerous business, especially military aviation. Nonetheless, it was of vital importance to America's military effort. Eddie took flying lessons himself, and his was one of the voices that helped to establish the training program for the Tuskegee Airmen.

That would not be the end of Eddie's involvement in aviation safety. Eddie had become friends with Howard “Skippy” Smith, a Daredevil and one of the rare African Americans, at the time, to hold a pilot's certificate. Death defying skydiving performances were a prominent part of Skippy's act, and over the years, he had learned “everything there is to know about parachutes”. With the expansion of military aviation, that knowledge took on strategic value.

Skippy approached Eddie with the idea of opening a parachute factory, and Anderson saw the potential in the enterprise. The newly formed business was located in San Diego, the hub of West Coast Aviation (the original building is still standing at 627 8th Ave, just a few blocks away from Petco Park.) Pacific started as a subcontractor for Standard Parachutes, but soon won government contracts of its own.

Skippy Smith oversaw the operations of the factory, but the used a mostly female, racially balanced, workforce. Most of the white and African American girls came to California to work in the aviation industry. From a start with twenty “White and colored girls” the workforce soon swelled to more than 200, approximately 1/3 white, 1/3 black, and 1/3 Mexican. Most of the girls received seamstress training under New Deal training programs.

It would be hard to determine just how many aviators and paratroops floated to safety under a canopy of Pacific Parachute Company silk. When the War ended, demand for their product evaporated, and the company closed its doors. During its existence, it was profitable for everyone involved, perhaps mostly for those airmen who had to put the parachutes to use.

Eddie Anderson's leadership in the African American community dwindled somewhat as younger voices came into their own. Eddie continued to enjoy the trappings of a successful Southern California businessman and media figure. He was an enthusiastic, if less than successful, with a stable of racing horses. He also owned and sailed a yacht from Long Beach Harbor.

One of his most notable engineering feats was the “Rochester Special”, a custom built sports car created in 1950. Perhaps as an extension of the aviation industry, Southern California was a hotbed for hotrod and race car design in the early fifties. The Rochester Special was one of the first cars to use a twin-tube frame. Powered by a 331 c.i. Cadillac engine, the car was in many ways a street-legal, two passenger Indy Car.

The car took two years to build, and campaigned successfully in SCCA events. Anderson enjoyed the car and drove it hard. So hard, that after 10 years, it was in need of a complete restoration. Work began in 1960, but with typical Rochester van Jones forgetfulness, Anderson defaulted on the bill. A mechanic's lien was placed against the car, and it was traded for a Model A pick-up. The current owner of the car began a ground-up, no expense spared restoration in 2002.

Calvin Coolidge, the first US President to do a radio address 2-22-1924

2026-06-12T14:01:33.081-05:00

Today in 1924, Calvin Cooldige became the first president to do a radio address. Although his 1924 address doesn't appear to be in existence, please enjoy a short 1928 excerpt of Coolidge bestowing a medal on Charles Lindberg.

Coolidge went on to help create the Federal Radio Commission a few days later. It later became known as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar and the Greatness of Radio Entertainment

2026-06-11T11:33:57.768-05:00

Bob Bailey, Radio Voice of Johnny Dollar

If there was any one show which proved just how great Golden Age Radio could be, it was Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. The stories about "the man with the action-packed expense account" became historically important because of a scheduling fluke which made Johnny Dollar the second-to-last broadcast of the Golden Age on September 30, 1962 (followed by the last broadcast of Suspense).

Although it is ultimately a matter of opinion, it is safe to say that Johnny Dollar was not "the best" show of the era or even the best detective show. In a genre which had become increasingly predictable and formulaic, the fabulous freelance insurance investigator brought a refreshing, almost cheery take on the sometimes seedy and noir-ish world of the Private Eye. During the period when Network Radio was losing popularity and sponsor support, Johnny Dollar explored new and different ways to deliver stories to the audience.

Bob Bailey and Virginia Gregg

In February 1949 when Johnny Dollar first hit the airwaves, the writing was already on the wall (for those who could see it) that television was going to be the wave of the future and therefore where all the sponsor's money would wind up. TV sets were far from common in American living rooms, but the price of the technology was coming down the networks were working furiously to create content for the new medium. Where radio had taken from vaudeville, TV was very happy to adapt established radio shows to the small screen. This was especially true for CBS. Bill Paley's infamous "talent raids" of the mid- to late-1940s were designed to not only raise the status of "Tiffany Network" programming but also to build a solid and reliable talent base which could be adapted to television. This resulted in some of the most important programming of TV's Golden Age, such as The Jack Benny Program, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, I Love Lucy (adapted from My Favorite Husband), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, December Bride, The Guiding Light, Portia Faces Life, Our Miss Brooks, Valiant Lady, and Gunsmoke.

One of the things that Johnny Dollar did which television at the time could not do was take its audience on a globe-trotting adventure with each episode. Although working for insurance companies may not sound exciting, from episode to episode, Dollar could find himself in the middle of the Arizona desert, chasing clues along New York's Fifth Avenue, wading through a Louisiana swamp, hobnobbing with the Swells in Boston, running down a dark alley in Singapore, or at a country manor in the Catskills. TV budgets simply could not keep up. While many private eyes might solve their problems with the bark of a .38 and then drown their sorrows in a glass of rye, Johnny Dollar typically brought down the bad guy of the week by using his wits and finding the clue that everyone else missed. Although there may not have been a pretty secretary fawning over him back at the office, entertaining a local lovely was a common line item on Dollar's expense accounts.

Part of the reason that Johnny Dollar lasted for more than a decade was that more than one actor played the role. This tactic has been necessary in other long-lasting franchises, it has been pointed out that more actors portrayed Johnny Dollar over a dozen years than have James Bond over fifty. The first to play the insurance investigator was Dick Powell in an audition program called Yours Truly, Lloyd London. The network and potential sponsors liked what they heard but felt that a name like Lloyd London was too forgettable. Powell had other, seemingly more interesting projects so the renamed role went to Charles Russell. He was replaced by tough-guy actors Edmund O'Brien and John Lund, but the show was allowed to lapse after the 1954 summer season.

Interest was high enough that CBS brought the show back in the fall of 1955 with Bob Bailey filling out the famous expense reports. The program was sustained (aired without regular sponsorship) which may have been the signal to allow some experimentation with the format. When Bailey took over, the show went from a weekly half-hour episodic format to a five-nights-per-week quarter hour. With new adventures taking the whole week to complete, the five-episode arcs had more than double the storytelling time and allowed for more plot and character development. The show was popular enough to draw the best talent from L.A.'s Radio Row and attract voices from Hollywood's deep reserve of character actors.

After thirteen months, the show was retooled back to a half hour format. Bob Bailey stayed with the role until 1960, when CBS made the decision to bring all radio drama production to New York. Former child actor Bob Readick took over for Bailey, who was replaced in the 1962 season by Mandel Kramer, who read the expense account for the fateful September 30, 1962, episode, "The Tip-Off Matter".

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar may not have been the best show on the air, but it was, nonetheless, a very good and entertaining program. What set it apart from other shows in its genre was a gimmick, but there was much more to the show than that gimmick. It was good writing and good acting which made Johnny Dollar great entertainment, and the fact that it remained such good entertainment for more than a dozen years (longer if you count OTR recordings) is proof of what a great entertainment value radio was.

War Bonds and Old Time Radio: Paying For WWII

2026-06-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

World War II was a time that opened up technological advances in machines, weaponry and other equipment. The manpower involved in Europe and the Pacific Theater was incredible in terms of time and money. Ships, tanks, places, guns, uniforms, radios, training, food, and a vast array of other economic expenditures required the money to pay for everything. taxes xcould not be relied upon because a good portion of the country was gone fighting and taxes were being used for domestic issues. So where did the green come from to pay Uncle Sam for maintaining the war necessities? War Bonds. These paper goods put out by the government was an investment into the “now” of the 1940’s with the dividends to become payable later on down the road.

Newsreels were a mainstay in getting the word out to Mr and Mrs. America to buy bonds, but not the only means. Old Time Radio played a huge part in reaching people from sea to shining sea (makes me want to break out in song) about the importance in supporting America’s fighting forces in bringing down Hitler and the Rising Sun.

Radio Programs were greatly involved in showcasing ways to get the message out for purchasing war bonds. Shows like “These Are Our Men”, which told the stories of some of America’s great leaders and military minds that were strategizing how to win the great war.

Along with Hollywood stars and singers as special guests, the show educated, entertained and illuminated the audience about the men that made a difference in the war and to engender a greater patriotism by buying the bonds that would pay for the battles.

Franklin D Roosevelt and Frank Sinatra (12-2-1944)

In this program from “These Are Our Men”, the President’s life was the storyline. From his days as a boy to his time in college, Roosevelt’s life played out with humor, tragedy and dedication to public service. Franklyn was one that always stood up for the “underdog” and married his sixth cousin, directly related to former President Teddy Roosevelt. The program goes on to illustrate how Roosevelt could take a simple phrase and make it a memorable quotation. He would use his eloquence to share how America was involved in a war that would draw Americans together and would see victory. William Adams characterized Roosevelt with amazing clarity and truth made the President come alive to all that listened. Frank sinatra came out and shared about his work history and then to encourage everyone to go out buy war bonds. By using personal appeal to the heartstrings of Americans in reminding everyone how the bonds would have a great impact in young lives serving the country.

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz and Jack Benny (2-3-1945)

“These Are Our Men” was sponsored by a watch company, but its purpose was to sell war bonds. Jack Benny shared of his time to get Americans to get out and buy the war bonds. These bonds were important in keeping the supply lines to our American troops open with the best in equipment and other needs.The focus on Chester Nimitz began with Tokyo Rose heckling the troops and naval forces in the Pacific. The host used this look at the traitorous words of Japan’s leading propagandist to “educate” her on one of America’s most infamous naval commanders. Chester Nimitz came from lowly means in Texas and was a lad that was proud of his beginnings and his family home. When a stranger came to the hotel his family owned and tried to disparage the overnight facility, Chester stood up to him and began to defend with pride where he resided. His grandpa intervened and cheered him on for standing up for his convictions. As a boy, Nimitz wanted to join the navy and command. This continued on to portray Nimitz with his naval legacy. The story behind Chester Nimitz added to the regimen of pushing the need for Americans to buy war bonds.

Besides “These Are Our Men”, other patriotic radio programs were broadcast with their own message, but with the same end result...to get Americans to aid in the war by buying war bonds.

Programs like “Treasury Salute” and “Time Out” were weekly stops for millions of Americans needing a boost in their morale and patriotic fervor. The cry was for purchasing and holding on the bonds. This eventually paid off as American victories were realized in Europe and against Japan. Troops would be coming home and families reunited. All of this came about by the resilience of that generation and the generous response of so many to contribute by buying war bonds.

The Pacific War in Old Time Radio

2026-05-08T09:00:00.027-05:00

When most people think about the Second World War, their minds will probably go to films like Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Longest Day (1962), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Inglourious Basterds(2009), or Schindler's List (1993). These were all great films which show a similar message, that the Good Guys would wipe up the floor with the Nazi goons.

What they do not convey is that there was just as much importance, just as much bloody fighting, and just as much drama happening on the other side of the world. For many Americans, the War started on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese snuck up on us at Pearl Harbor, and then we proceeded to kick Hitler's butt.

Roosevelt and Churchill had agreed on a "Europe First" strategy from the get-go. The Allies would share the fight with the Japanese after things were settled on the continent, but for now, the Pacific Theater would be a "holding action".

Unfortunately, the Empire of Japan was not interested in waiting for a "holding action". This meant that the US had to fight across two oceans; and across the biggest ocean, they would be fighting mostly on their own.

A serious student of history might point out that the War did not begin with Pearl Harbor but had been going on since Hitler invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. This is also short-sighted. The Japanese had been at War with China since the Marco Polo Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937.

This meant, among other things, that when the Americans joined the fighting, the Imperial Japanese military had experience and the inertia of victory. The December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor was only part of a greater plan. The Philippines, Guam, and Wake Island, and the British territories of Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong were also attacked on that day, with victory going to the Japanese.

In the weeks following December 7, the Japanese had several victories, including the sinking of British capital ships, the take-over of Hong Kong, and the conquest of British Burma, Malaya, and Singapore. The Japanese Air Forces also began a psychologically devasting, although militarily insignificant bombing of Darwin, Australia.

The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) handed the Allied fleet a disastrous defeat in late February at the Battle of the Java Sea. The tide of War began to turn with another militarily insignificant air raid; the Doolittle Raid in April 1942, launching B-25 bombers from the deck of an American carrier did little real damage but gave the Allies an important morale boost.

Admiral Yamamoto, who had planned the Pearl Harbor attack, came up with a plan to destroy the American Fleet at Midway Atoll. However, before the IJN General Staff would sign off on the plan, Yamamoto was compelled to allocate a carrier division to support an attack on Port Moresby, New Guinea, and include a simultaneous attack on the Aleutian Islands as part of the Midway operation.

The US learned of the Port Moresby attack through signals intelligence and assigned two U.S. Navy carrier task forces and a joint Australian-American cruiser force under the command of Admiral Frank Fletcher to oppose the IJN invasion. This became the Battle of the Coral Sea in early May 1942, the first naval action in which the opposing fleets neither sighted nor fired upon one another.

In terms of ships sunk and damage done, Coral Sea was a tactical victory for the IJN, albeit a small one. On the other hand, the carriers that the IJN assigned to the operation were too heavily damaged to participate in the upcoming Midway attack.

Yamamoto was convinced that the element of surprise would lead to victory at Midway and bring the Allies to negotiate for peace. The surprise element was lost when US Navy code breakers discovered the planned attack in May. On June 3, 1942, aircraft from Midway spotted the IJN Fleet.

The Battle of Midway took place on May 4 and involved a series of heroic aviators making attacks on the enemy, often finding their targets by accident in the confusion of combat. Although the US Navy lost a destroyer, around 150 aircraft, and an aircraft carrier, the IJN losses included four fleet carriers sunk, one heavy cruiser sunk and another damaged, two destroyers damaged, and almost 250 aircraft lost.

The one bright spot of the Midway campaign for the Empire of Japan was the successful occupation of Kiska and Attu Islands in the Aleutians. Just six months after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the IJN was nearly broken as a fighting force. The US had to face a highly experienced and aggressive Japanese Army in the upcoming "Island Hopping" campaign.

Coast Watchers reported that the Japanese were building an airfield on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomons. 16,000 US Marines landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi Island on August 7, 1942. A quick response by IJN Admiral Gunichi Mikawa led to a victory at the Battle of Savo Island, sinking four Allied cruisers but failing to engage the transports carrying troops to Guadalcanal.

Six months of heavy and bloody fighting were required before Guadalcanal could be considered secure. The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was costly to both sides, including the loss of American carriers to submarines and a nighttime battle where battleships exchanged fire.

Operation Cartwheel advanced the Allied Forces along the northeast coast of New Guinea and through the Solomons until they had to face the Japanese base at Rabaul. Finally, the feared base became isolated and ineffective, and the Island Hopping continued toward the Japanese Home Islands.

Conditions on the Home Islands continued to worsen, thanks in no small part to the actions of Allied submarines. The war against Japan's Merchant Shipping was a decisive factor in the collapse of the Japanese economy. US Navy subs were responsible for 56% of Japanese Merchant Marine losses, despite representing less than 2% of the US Fleet.

The Island Hopping Campaign moved ever closer to the Home Islands, and the closer the Allies came, the stiffer the resistance they faced. Air raids on Japanese cities by USAAF B-29s gained increasing importance, and the Island Hopping campaign had put the B-29 bases within range, but the island of Iwo Jima was needed as an emergency landing field.

The Imperial Japanese High Command also saw the value of the Island and began fortifying its defenses. Although it was generally acknowledged that the defenders could not hold Iwo Jima if they could make its capture costly enough, then the advance might be slowed and perhaps lead to a peace initiative.

30,000 Marines landed on the southeast coast of Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. The summit of Mt Suribachi was captured on February 23, and the Island was fully secured on March 26. The action cost nearly 6,000 Marines their lives.

The last step before invading the Home Islands was the capture of the Ryukyu Islands, the largest of which was Okinawa. Seen by many as a sort of dress rehearsal for the invasion of the Home Islands, the Battle for Okinawa would prove to be the longest and bloodiest of the Pacific War.

Between 75,000 and 100,000 Japanese troops, augmented by thousands of determined civilians, were assigned to defend the Island. Four US Army divisions and three Marine divisions, totaling 183,000 troops would make up the Invasion Force. After seven days of heavy bombardment, the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War landed to little opposition.

The Naval portion of the operation faced heavy opposition in the form of kamikaze attacks. Low on fuel, the battleship Yamato was ordered to beach herself and support the defense with her 18.1-inch guns. Before Yamato reached Okinawa, she was spotted by a US Sub and sunk by American aircraft.

The ground forces moved inland and finally met serious resistance in the southern portion of the island where the entrenched Japanese defenders skillfully made use of the terrain to extract maximum casualties. Organized resistance was broken by June 21, but the island was not secured until July 2.

The Battle of Okinawa took place from April 1 until June 22, 1945. During this time, the Germans surrendered on May 8, and the American G.I.s in Europe worried that they would be transferred to the Pacific for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands. The stiff resistance at Okinawa showed the Allied Command that the Home Islands would be costly to invade.

This must have been an important consideration for the new President of the United States, Harry Truman when he was briefed on the Manhattan Project and the untested but theoretically devastating weapons that the Project had produced.

Modern politics is largely based on the unthinkable notion of using atomic weapons. In 1945, with the costly ground invasion of Japan to look forward to, the unthinkable was worth consideration. The Potsdam Declaration called for unconditional surrender by Japan, the alternative being "prompt and utter destruction".

On August 6, 1945, a USAAF B-29 Superfortress named "Enola Gay" dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima. A second atomic attack on the city of Nagasaki occurred on August 9. President Truman threatened "a rain of ruin from the air" if Japan would not capitulate (although there would not be any more atom bombs produced for weeks or perhaps months).

At noon Japan Standard Time on August 15, 1945, NHK Radio broadcast a recording of Emperor Hirohito accepting the terms of surrender. The formal Instrument of Surrender was signed on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63). As Supreme General Douglas MacArthur began the Occupation of Japan, which would last until April 1952.

The above has been a brief and rather incomplete summary of the Wat in the Pacific. Although the Pacific War lasted longer than the War in Europe, the European War is much better recorded and remembered. The seeds of the Cold War conflict between the US and the Soviet Union were laid in the Atomic Conflagration that ended the War. The post-war Asian Economic juggernaut also helped to define the era.

Old Time Radio is more than an artifact of History, in many cases, OTR is History. The collection of Pacific War Broadcasts will take listeners back to a time of confusion, fear, sacrifice, relief, and ultimate Victory. We have an advantage over the voices in the Collection in that we know how it will all turn out. However, hearing the voices can transport us back to their time, and teach us lessons not only of the past but ones that will guide us into an uncertain future.

Rare Soap Operas in Old Time Radio

2026-04-15T09:00:00.011-05:00

There is a lot more going on than long plotlines capturing the imagination of lonely housewives, the Soaps raised important social issues as well.

At the beginning of Commercial Radio, daytime broadcasting was treated like a commercial wasteland with no money to be made. After all, Radio was family entertainment and during the day Dad was at work and the kids were in school. Put the effort into winning the prime-time when the whole family was home to listen to the big stars, just play some music and public service programming during the day.

However, it was not very long before someone realized that housewives were at home during the day and they depended upon their radios to keep them company. Not only were housewives a dependable audience, but it also turns out that they did most of the shopping for the family. The first industry to come to grips with this economic reality was the manufacturers of household cleaning and beauty supplies, so the entertainment form that their marketers came up with was the Soap Opera.

Soap Operas were (and are) notoriously heavy on the melodrama. This helped lead to some unfortunate stereotypes about Soap Opera listeners. There is a popular image of a housewife ignoring the kids and her other household duties, tuning everything out so she could pay attention to her "stories". At best, she might be crying while up to her elbows in dish-suds, but the minute her show went off the air she would be on the phone or gossiping over the backyard fence with other Soap Opera junkies, discussing the events in the show.

The serial nature of the Soaps could be addicting, which is exactly the reason their creators choose the format. The discussions which the housewives were having may have appeared to be gossip, but the fact is that Soap Opera storylines brought up some important issues, issues which went beyond simple entertainment. What was it like to make ends meet during tough times? (Something very relatable to Depression-Era listeners.) What was it like for a woman entering the job market? How does a woman keep her family safe and secure in uncertain modern times? These were issues raised at the backyard fence discussions which may not have come up if not for the Soaps.

Aunt Jenny's Real-Life Stories, May 6, 1946, CBS. Eric confronts Joad about the lies that have been told to Matilda, and Dr. Allen relieves some of Matilda's worries. Plus, Aunt Jenny tells us the secret to Spry Oatmeal Muffins.
American Family Robinson, 1934, World Broadcasting System syndication for the National Association of Manufacturers. Presented as a mid-Thirties "slice-of-life" in Centerville. Father Luke is the editor of the Centerville Herald, mother Myra has an active social life, and kids Betty and Bob have the typical teenaged adventures. What makes the Family Robinson unique is that they are decidedly against President Roosevelt's "New Deal", following the N.A.M.'s contention that the policies are anti-business.
Hilltop House, July 20, 1953, CBS, sponsored by Miles Laboratories. A rare surviving episode from a classic tear-jerker. First broadcast in 1937, the show would go through a spin-off and two reboots before succumbing to pressure from daytime TV. The stories revolve around the trials of Bess Johnson, a worker at the Hilltop House Orphanage who must balance caring for her charges, greedy officials, and her own need for romantic love. Keep a hankie near the kitchen sink, or you'll be crying into a sink of dirty dishes!
Life Can Be Beautiful, 1938 to 1954, NBC. For more than a decade and a half, housewives tuned into "Elsie Bebee" to follow the adventures of Chichi, at first a girl-on-the-run who depends upon the kindness of strangers who grows up to become a loving wife and pillar of the community, just not all at once or at the same time. Despite its melodramatic tone, the show was more philosophical than others in the genre.
Lora Lawton, NBC January 16, 1946. The continuing story of the conflict between love and riches. An influential woman has invited Peter to a party where his estranged Lora will be taking pictures. What will happen when husband and wife meet?
Mama Bloom's Brood, 1934, Broadcasters Program Syndicate, Bruce Eells Syndication. Playing on the success of the ethnic humor displayed on Ruth Berg's The Goldbergs. The Blooms maintain the stereotypes but are much more light-hearted as the family embarks on a series-long car trip to Hollywood.
Portia Faces Life, June 7, 1944, NBC, sponsored by Post Cereals. Running from 1940 to 1954, this is the story of widowed attorney Portia Blake who fights that corruption in the small town of Parkersburg which killed her husband. The episode included deals with Nazis and includes news reports of the D-Day invasion.
Rosemary, June 26, 1946, NBC, sponsored by Ivory Snow Flakes. Rosemary was a secretary who supported her mother and younger sister and eventually married journalist Bill Roberts. Bill was a hero in the War but came home with amnesia. In this episode, he recaptures part of his memories, of his first wife, Audrey, but he still cannot remember Rosemary.
The Story of Mary Marlin, 1934 to 1952, NBC, CBS, Blue Network, ABC, various sponsors including Kleenex, Proctor and Gamble, Tenderleaf Teas, and others. Mary was an Iowa housewife whose attorney husband cheated on her. She forgave him and he ran for the US Senate. After moving to Washington (and giving birth to little Davey) their lives are filled with intrigue, impropriety, glamor, scandal, scheming women, treacherous men, and a few bouts of amnesia.
The Woman in White: June 7, 1944, CBS, sponsored by Betty Crocker Vegetable Soup. Based on one of the first soap operas created by Irna Phillips, who went on to create The Guiding Light and As the World Turns. It was the first soap opera to focus on the inner workings of a major hospital and the loves and trials of pretty young nurses.
Your Family and Mine, September 21, 1939, CBS, sponsored by Sealtest. Woody was in an airplane crash in Paris and is confined to the hospital where Judy is devoted to treating him, even though he does not remember her. Meanwhile, Steve is determined to win Judy away, if he can.

Rare Soap Operas

Jack Benny v Fred Allen Feud "Battle of the Century" 3-14-1937

2026-03-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Billed as the "Battle of the Century", comedians Jack Benny and Fred Allen began long running faux feud. This is the opening of the on-air brawl, the broadcast of the Jack Benny program from March 14, 1937:

On the Red Network (KFI, Los Angeles) and sponsored by Jell-O, this program originates from The Grand Ballroom of The Hotel Pierre, New York City. "Bing" Shlepperman (Sam Hearn) offers to substitute for Kenny Baker, who's back in California and Mary sings! Jack sings the Jell-O commercial, but is interrupted by guest Fred Allen. Jack and Fred start an argument and wind up reminiscing about their days in Vaudeville and then sing a duet.

Fort Laramie: Adult Western and Military Drama

2026-02-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Fort Laramie

Radio dramas of the forties saw the rise of the Hard-Boiled detective. These independent heroes appealed to the returning WWII veteran who might have been craving a return to the excitement he had experienced while serving in the military. The fifties were the time of the Adult Western, perhaps better labeled as "Cowboys and Injuns for Thinking People". The mature-person's Westerns did not replace crime thrillers, but they did provide a choice of entertainment with a little less murder.

Thoughtful Westerns reached a high point with the gritty reality of Gunsmoke in 1952. Created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston, the genesis of Gunsmoke was a desire expressed by CBS boss William Paley for a "Philip Marlowe in the Old West". U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon was every bit as hard-boiled as the most noir-ish Private Eye, just with dust and horses instead of urban grime, and many critics consider Gunsmoke to have been a high-point in Radio as a story-telling art form. Unfortunately, the mid-Fifties also saw the rise of network dedication to growing Television as the preferred medium. Macdonnell stated to anyone who would listen that Gunsmoke was "perfect for radio" and that confining it to the small screen was a mistake.

Cast of Gunsmoke

The network proceeded to put Gunsmoke on TV, and as one of the longest-running scripted live-action dramas on TV (1955-1975), it is hard to say that the move was a mistake on CBS's part. Macdonnell and Meston were allowed to keep the radio version on the air until 1961, but to have their greatest creation "taken" for TV remained a sore spot. Perhaps as proof of their concept, while TV Gunsmoke was halfway through its first season, Meston and Macdonnell brought a new mature-person's Western to Radio, the military drama Fort Laramie.

The drama took place on a remote military post, deep in Indian country, and certainly had the potential to attain the high standards set by Gunsmoke if it had lasted more than a single season. Fort Laramie would also be a victim of television, but not in the way Gunsmoke had been. The stories were built around Captain of Cavalry Lee Quince, played by Raymond Burr. Quince's military experience had left him nearly as hard-boiled as Matt Dillon. Burr had a solid background in Hard-boiled radio, having appeared in most or all of Jack Webb's projects, including Pat Novak for Hire Johnny Madero Pier 23, Jeff Regan Investigator, Dragnet, and Pete Kelley's Blues. He had also been a contract player for RKO, appearing with James Stewart in Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954).

While Marshal Dillon had been the ultimate authority in Dodge City, Captain Quince was part of a chain of command of his own troop of cavalrymen but answerable to post commander Major Ned Daggart, played by Jack Moyles. Quince's "Chester '' was the green but enthusiastic Lt Seiberts and the troop's senior enlisted man was Sgt Gorse played by Vic Perrin. In modern military parlance, Quince was a "mustang officer" who rose to the officer corps from the enlisted ranks. Mustangs rarely rise to "flag" rank (which reinforces the notion that an officer's commission is a "gentlemanly" calling), they tend to have greater respect from the men serving under them as someone who has "been there, done that''. Quince chafes at the social responsibilities of the officer class (often to the frustration of Major Daggart's pretty niece Terrie Lawson).

Military culture in 1956 was at an interesting stage. As the Cold War deepened, most of the senior enlisted, well known as the strong backbone of any military organization, would have the memories of combat during the World War, or at least in Korea. The senior officer corps would have been small unit commanders during those same conflicts. With the memories of hard-fought victories still fresh, these soldiers in the mid-1950s would have found themselves training the latest crop of draftees (estimates state that for every man drafted, three or four 'volunteered' to avoid being drafted). There was a greater emphasis being placed on building reserve forces (which, until the 1980's, where generally less well trained than the active component and often equipped with inferior or obsolete materiel). Manpower itself was seen as less vital as Eisenhower's "New Look" military forces began to emphasize airpower and the nuclear option as means to prosecute warfighting. Just months before Fort Laramie went on the air, however, American boots were on the ground in what had been French Indo-China, now commonly referred to as Vietnam.

Captain Quince was junior enough that he rode, ate, fought, and bedded down with his men and got to know them as individuals. His were also "the boots on the ground" when it came to dealing with civilians, settlers, and tribesmen, and although Quince would never disobey orders, he was often closer to the reality of a situation than policymakers back East, or even the command structure safely ensconced in the Fort.

Fort Laramie had many lessons to teach about leadership as well as the importance of service and the conscience of the military mind, lessons whose value would have increased as the Nation staggered through the Cold War and into the morass of Vietnam. However, the program was canceled after its first season, not because of any lack of quality or poor reception from the public. Macdonnell and Meston had created a follow-up worthy of Gunsmoke, and that says something.

William Conrad of Gunsmoke

Like Gunsmoke star William Conrad, Burr was rather rotund to be Star material on TV, but he auditioned for the part of prosecutor Hamilton Berger on CBS-TV's upcoming adaptation of Perry Mason. When creator Erle Stanley Gardner saw the test, he pointed at the screen and emphatically stated, "That's Perry Mason." After dropping 60 pounds on a crash diet, Burr played the wily defense attorney for the next nine seasons and appeared in 26 Perry Mason TV movies. Lest we think that Burr turned his back on radio, it should be noted that 180 Radio Row players were employed in guest roles during just the first season of Perry Mason.

There is a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6656 Hollywood Blvd to honor Contributions to Television by Raymond Burr.

Ventriloquism on the Radio

2026-01-15T09:00:00.006-06:00

Think ventriloquism needs visuals? Not in the golden age of radio!

While you couldn't see Edgar Bergen and his quick-witted dummy Charlie McCarthy, you certainly heard them. Their Sunday night show became a national sensation, proving that a master of voices could create a world of hilarious interactions just through sound. Bergen's secret? Giving Charlie such a distinct voice and personality that listeners completely bought into the illusion. The humor wasn't just in the clever lines; it was in the absurdity of a man seemingly bickering with a block of wood - an absurdity your imagination made even funnier! Besides Edgar Bergen, lesser known radio ventriloquists include:

Peter Brough, a British ventriloquist with a hugely popular 1940s and 50s radio show. His radio success prompted a move to TV in 1956, which killed his career when his fans realized you could see his lips moving. A later critic wrote "Ventriloquism on the radio - I could have done that."

The voice of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, Paul Winchell was one of the original inventors of an artificial heart, an automobile that runs on battery power, a method for breeding tilapia, and many other inventions that are still around today. He held patents including:

Artificial Heart: US Patent # 3097366, issued July 16, 1963.
Disposable Razor: US Patent # 3533605, issued October 13, 1970.
Flameless Electric Heater: US Patent # 3651392, issued March 21, 1972.
Battery-Operated Toothbrush: US Patent # 3832912, issued September 3, 1974.
Battery-Operated Lubrication System: US Patent # 4160448, issued July 10, 1979.
Rotary Hydraulic Motor: US Patent # 4402336, issued September 6, 1983.

It's important to remember that radio was an auditory medium, so the skill of the ventriloquist lay entirely in their vocal characterizations and comedic timing, rather than the visual illusion. This allowed some, like Edgar Bergen, to achieve immense popularity even without the audience seeing their "act."

These unseen stars proved that with enough vocal talent, even a purely visual art form could captivate millions on the airwaves, leaving us to imagine the magic.

Sundays Down South and the Growth of WSM Nashville

2025-12-15T09:00:00.002-06:00

Best known for The Grand Ole Opry, WSM Nashville also created Sundays Down South, a delightful combination of Southern gentility and Protestant religiosity.

There is a tendency to think of network radio as being a "Big City" thing. The Red and Blue Networks were centered around WEAF New York and WJZ Newark (which would soon transfer facilities to New York City). A good deal of programming, especially Soap Operas, were originating from WBBM, WGN, WLS, and other Chicago stations, and Los Angeles with all its film studio talent was always important. As important as these urban markets were, the majority of the American population still lived in rural areas.

The capital of Tennessee, Nashville, was an important trading port on the Cumberland River, a tributary of the Ohio, and was a hotspot of the growing Jazz movement as well as a hotbed of post-Civil War Confederate Pride. It was also the home of the National Life and Accident Insurance Company, whose company motto was "We Shield Millions". The company founder's son, Edwin Craig, had dutifully attended college, graduated, and joined the company in 1922, and worked his way up to Vice President. However, Edwin was more fascinated by the potential of radio technology than actuarial tables. He convinced the board to back his plan to create a broadcasting station to serve the public as well as spread the Company's message. The call letters WSM for "We Shield Millions" was selected and a gala first broadcast was held from the studios atop the National Life Building at Seventh and Union Streets. Local politicians, businessmen, and celebrities made speeches on the air, there were two orchestras playing remotely, and "Judge" George D. Hay, a popular announcer from WLS Chicago who helped to popularize The National Barn Dance.

Despite Hay's claims, he did not create The National Barn Dance, he was simply an announcer for the program which Edgar Bill created. It was simply a story he told to impress the executives at WSM. However much the truth was stretched, it was effective enough that just a couple of weeks later, Hay was leading WSM Barn Dance. Although the Chicago station broadcast to a larger audience at first. The Nashville station, nestled in the Smoky Mountains, had a deeper and more authentic talent pool to draw on. WSM was an early Red Network affiliate, playing network content during the day and primetime hours and broadcasting country music and local shows at other times. On December 10, 1927, "Judge" Hay and the studio audience were impatiently waiting for NBC's Music Appreciation Hour to close so they could begin some "red-hot fiddle playin'". Hay informed the audience that after an hour of grand old opera music, they were ready for some "Grand Ole Opry". The name stuck, especially after National Barn Dance was picked up by the Blue Network in 1933.

There was a good deal more to the Nashville sound than the raucous sounds of the Opry. With more that 700 churches in town, Nashville was also "the buckle on the Bible Belt". NBC had a long-standing policy against broadcasting prerecorded content, so if a hole appeared in the schedule, the New York studios would, sometimes, contact one of the affiliates to create a filler. One Friday afternoon in 1940, WSM staffer Jack Stapp received a call from the network asking for a half-hour program for Sunday afternoon. Although barely two days is a short time to put together a program, Stapp was able to draw upon the local Gospel talent pool, many of whom were preparing for Sunday Services anyway. He called the result Sunday Down South, a combination of Gospel Music and a few Bible verses, and the Network thought it was great, calling for the program to continue. The program also benefited from a post-Gone with the Wind boost in Southern pride. It bounced around the Sunday timeslots until finding a home at five in the afternoon. This is about the time Sunday dinner was going on the table in many homes.

Country and Gospel music were not the only impacts on the Red Network from Nashville. When WSM's 832-foot-tall broadcast tower was built in 1932, it was the tallest in North America. It would subsequently be reduced to 806 feet, but for a time during WWII the tower was designated as an emergency broadcasting tower to the US Navy Submarine fleet in case of an interruption in ship-to-shore transmissions. WSM's established Clear Channel status meant that it was heard through most of North America after dark. National Barn Dance made the shift from the Blue Network ABC Radio but went off the air in 1968. The Grand Ole Opry continues to be a Country Music institution, and the Saturday Afternoon multi-hour broadcasts are carried on WSM, Satellite Radio, and Cable TV outlets. Sundays Down South has been recreated by WSM on-air personality Danny Boyles using classic and contemporary Gospel recordings.

Edgar and Charlie's Long Road to Overnight Success

2025-11-15T09:00:00.019-06:00

When we hear about a so-called overnight success, it is easy to assume that it happens to an act which came out of nowhere. On the evening of December 17, 1936, Edgar Bergen was a relative nobody, standing in the NBC Studios in New York City, waiting for his introduction to appear on Rudy Vallee's The Royal Gelatin Hour. In just a few weeks, he will become one of the biggest things on radio, in fact in all of show business, but right now he is just another vaudevillian who is appearing on an otherwise routine episode of the popular variety show.

On the lineup for that night's show includes Cornelia Otis Skinner giving a monolog about Christmas, Douglas Montgomery and Shirley Booth present a sketch entitled "Three Diamond Bid", and Rudy interviews successful party-planner Elsa Maxwell. Edgar and Charlie McCarthy are not the evening's only firsts, musician "Sleepy" Hall will introduce the world to the wonders of the electric banjo. It is somehow refreshing to note that Edgar and Charlie are better remembered than the electric guitar. Rudy will introduce them after the mid-show break, actually a fairly important spot on the show, which indicates Vallee's confidence in the act.

Rudy first saw Edgar perform at a party given by Miss Maxwell. Elsa had seen the act at the swanky Rainbow Room and thought he would be perfect for the party. The Swedish boy from Chicago had come a long way to get to the Rainbow Room. Edgar John Bergren, born February 16, 1903, was the youngest son of immigrants Nilla and Johan Berggren. When he was four, the family moved to Sweden for a short time, where he picked up the language. They returned to Chicago when he was eleven, and Edgar picked up a pamphlet called The Wizard's Manual which included basic ventriloquism lessons. After Edgar's father died when he was sixteen, he took up various jobs to help the family, including as apprentice accountant, shoveling coal, pumping a player piano, and running the projector in a silent movie house. He met and impressed ventriloquist Harry Lester who spent three months giving Edgar lessons in ventriloquism.

When he was ready to strike out on his own, Edgar paid a local wood carver $36 to carve a head in the likeness of an Irish newspaper boy he knew named Charlie McCarthy. Edgar built the body himself, using a broomstick for a spine, rubber bands to control the mouth, and dressed his new companion in a ragged sweater and a cloth cap. As Edgar began getting bookings in vaudeville, he dropped one of the R's from Bergren to make the name easier for theater announcers to say. Charlie was a smart-mouthed street urchin, and the act was pretty conventional, but Edgar had a genius for adapting to his surroundings.

Bergen and McCarthy made the rounds of vaudeville for nearly 15 years before landing the engagement at the Rainbow Room. They had been on the Chautauqua circuit and even appeared in a few one-reel comedies from the Vitaphone studios, but the Rainbow Room was a definite step up. Located at the top of the RCA building, the Rainbow was the art-deco elegance that most people only saw in the movies brought to life. It was no place for a street urchin in a flea-bitten sweater and cloth cap, no matter how insolent he could be. Bergen gave Charlie a new outfit, a striking tuxedo with silk top hat, then completed the ensemble with a monocle like that worn by Esky, the cartoon mascot of Esquire magazine.

Along with his swanky duds, Charlie had some sophisticated and rather adult material. Bergen was no run of the mill voice thrower, his co star engaged and entranced his audience with a unique personality. He was still a little boy, but not the sort of rascal who would steal from your cookie jar. Charlie was more the sort who would steal from your liquor cabinet and pinch your daughter's behind!

When Elsa Maxwell saw Edgar and Charlie at the Rainbow Room, she knew that she had found just the entertainer she needed for a party she was hosting. The guest of honor was English playwright Noel Coward, the first ambassador "cool Britannia", who would definitely appreciate Charlie's insouciance. Whether or not Coward laughed at Charlie's antics is not recorded, but another guest at the party was more than taken with Edgar and Charlie's act, taken enough to put them on Rudy Vallee's top-rated show.

Vallee was not overly enthused about ventriloquists. After all, he was a singer and band leader, showbiz royalty! Ventriloquists were novelty acts. Everyone, including Vallee, knew that there was no place on radio for a ventriloquist. Just a few months before, on the August 16, 1936, edition of The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, Rudy's guest was ventriloquist Frank Gabby. Rudy played the part of Gabby's dummy after explaining "ventriloquism hardly makes good radio."

That was probably on Vallee's mind on December 17, when he introduced Edgar. He did mention that the success of the act depended more upon the material than the "believe it or not nature of his delivery." Although both voices in the routine were "owned and operated by just one man", to the radio audience they were two distinct personalities, and Charlie's was a personality they couldn't get enough of.

Near the end of the routine, Edgar berates Charlie for his drinking, "I should think that four of five scotch and soda's should make you very drunk!" "Yeah, well, it helps, it helps" Charlie innocently replies. "Don't you know, young man, that alcohol is nothing but slow poison" Edgar scolds. Charlie quips, "Well, I'm in no hurry!"

Overnight success usually takes a lot longer than we imagine. Edgar and Charlie were the hit of the December 17, 1936, program, and they were so popular that Vallee wanted to sign them for the rest of the season, 13 more shows. Unfortunately, Bergen only had three weeks' worth of material prepared. The sponsor made it worth his trouble to develop more material by offering him the chance to headline their new program, The Chase and Sanborn Hour. The Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show played every week in some form on NBC until the end of 1948. In October 1949, they were back on the air with CBS until 1956, when it was canceled in part because of competition from television.

In 1971, Bergen appeared as Grandpa Walton in the TV movie The Homecoming: A Christmas Story. The story takes place over Christmas Eve, 1933. At one point in the story, the family gathers around the radio as Grandpa tunes in The Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show, which would not premier for four more years! The movie became the pilot for The Waltons, but the part of Grandpa was played by Will Geer.

Edgar Bergen, along with Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, Gale Storm, Dinah Shore and Bing Crosby, is among the thirty-three people who have been honored with three Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bergen's Stars are at 6425 Hollywood Blvd for Television, 6766 Hollywood Blvd for Motion Pictures, and 6801 Hollywood Blvd for Radio.

Final Days of Old Time Radio and "New Time Radio"

2025-10-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Radio Drama "died" on Sept 30, 1962, with the closing broadcasts of Suspense! and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. When CBS canceled these two series, the Golden Age of Radio ended, a victim of the increasing influence of Television.

To quote Fibber McGee and Molly's Old Timer, “That ain't the way I heared it...”

The rise of television expediated the demise radio drama as a commercial endeavor in the United States, but radio drama (or "Audio Theater") is simply too effective as a storytelling medium to die away altogether. There are still markets that regard Radio Drama highly, even when it competes with Television. Radio Drama, Soap Operas, and Comedy Programing remain a staple of British radio. In parts of the world that were slower to get television, such as South Africa and the Australian Outback, Radio Drama held on as a readily accessible form of electronic entertainment, although often subsidized.

In the US, radio drama held on in a few outlets, with various degrees of success. One of the most notable came from CBS, the last network of Radio's Golden Age. Nearly a dozen years after the closing broadcasts of Suspense and YTJD, CBS Radio Mystery Theater came on the air. CBSRMT was the brainchild of veteran radio producer Himan Brown. The hour long program broadcast five nights a week from 1974 to 1982, presenting mystery and horror stories, as well as a few science fiction, historical dramas, and Western stories. Brown received some criticism for targeting the audience who was brought up during Radio's Golden Age (especially with dialog that turned a tin ear to the slang of the 70's). CBSRMT did turn on a new generation of listeners to the possibilities of Radio Drama.

Chicago's Pacific Garden Mission began broadcasting Unshackled! in 1950, and the Christian program is the longest running drama series on radio. The uplifting stories are still transcribed in much the same way they were during the Golden Age of Radio, the radio plays are performed and recorded before a studio audience, with the music and sound effects performed at the time of recording.

Not surprisingly, National Public Radio has held the torch for Radio Drama in various formats over the years. Earplay was an anthology series which presented radio drama as an art form. The series began broadcasting in 1972, and presented a combination of original and adapted works. Among the series' technical triumphs was the 1974 radio play by Edward Albee, Listening, which was written specifically for stereo broadcast; each character came from a different speaker, creating the illusion that they were in the same room as the listener.

NPR Playhouse succeeded Earplay as NPR's primary outlet for radio drama. The series' greatest triumph was the 13 episode, 6 ½ hour adaptation of the original Star Wars movie. Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion first broadcast in July, 1974 (final broadcast in 2016). APHC is a variety program in the tradition of the Rudy Vallee Show and includes, along with music and monologs, several dramatic sketches.

Podcasts on the Internet, and growing interest in Radio Drama on Satellite Radio are the future of Audio Drama. The SciFi Network's website carried Seeing Ear Theater from 1997 until 2001, widely thought to be better quality programming than that presented on the cable television network. In 2003 Satellite Radio presented Not From Space, billed as the first “Internet based production”. Rather than a traditional studio recording, the actors sent their parts through email. Not From Space was both “old and new”, the story presented as a series of news reports in a manner that goes back to Orson Welles 1938 broadcast of The War Of The Worlds.

A number of popular television series which faced the ax because of high production costs have found new life as Radio Dramas. British radio has used this tactic a number of times and increases profits by owning the rights to both the TV and Radio productions. In some cases, actors whose looks have changed since their TV days still sound like the original characters they played. Darker Productions has revived a number of television fan favorites.

As final proof that “all that was old is new again”, Blue Note Productions has announced that a revival of Suspense!, using original scripts with new actors.

The Golden Age of Radio drama is still alive and well. Visit today and find original broadcasts on audio CD, Mp3 CDs, and instant downloads packed with fun show collections, and entertaining information about the world of Old Time Radio.

Paula Winslowe in Old Time Radio

2025-09-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

The radio waves of the Golden Age were filled with starlets who dreamed of making it big on the silver screen but turned to radio acting as a way to pay the bills until they got their big break. Paula Winslowe, one of the most successful, however, hardly fits the definition of starlet.

A starlet is usually a young lady with dreams of making it big in the Hollywood Star system. The hard truth is that for every movie princess, there were hundreds, if not thousands of beautiful girls who wanted their shot. Paula would have been perfectly content to remain in the North Dakota prairie town where she was born, eventually raising a family and supporting the ambitions of her childhood sweetheart. Her sweetheart, John Sutherland, had ambitions far from the prairies, however.

Entranced with the flickering images he saw in the local movie palace, John dreamed of one day sitting in the directors chair and creating pictures of his own. Soon after they were married, the couple migrated to Hollywood. When they arrived they discovered two things. First was that there were even fewer chances for an ambitious young director to find a break than there were for pretty starlets. The other was that Hollywood was undergoing a foundational change as the movies were learning to talk.

Although now the movies could talk, not all starlets could. In the late 1920's there was a demand for voice doubles who could speak for the pretty girls on the screen who had less than dulcet tone, and Mrs. John Sutherland with her perfect diction and Midwestern work ethic found steady work. One of her most notable voice dubbing assignments came after Miss Jean Harlow passed away while filming Saratoga(1939). The film was 90% complete, but there was still a call to reshoot the picture with another actress. Fans wouldn't stand for it, so the remaining sequences were shot with Harlow's long time body double, Mary Dees.

Unfortunately, Miss Dees looked like Jean but didn't sound like her, so Paula was called in to dub the voice. In time fans would begin to begin to feel cheated if they found out that their favorite stars were speaking with someone else's voice, but when voice dubbing work began to fade another industry arose which called for talented speaking voices, namely radio.

Even though early commercial radio carried some of the glamor of the movies, it was primarily a business. Working under her maiden name (and largely uncredited, at that), Paula built a reputation working with directors and producers as a reliable actress in the dramatized commercials which paid the bills in radio. While everyone was concerned with the dramatic action of the show, Paula would take her small script, make her pitch for anything from soap to soup to floor cleaner. Soon, directors realized how hard working and dependable she was and began to put her in front of the microphone more often.

Paula found herself across the microphone from many of the screen's legends while working on Lux Radio Theater. Husband John had found work at Disney as an animator, and Paula got the call to play Bambi's mother in the 1942 film. She also voiced the frightened pheasant and John Sutherland voiced the adult Bambi at the end of the picture.

Soon afterwards, producer Milton “Gummo” Marx began developing a radio vehicle for his brother Groucho. The sponsor, however, just could not see Groucho as the head of a blue collar family. William Bendix fit the role beautifully, and The Life of Riley was born with Paula Winslowe as Riley's ever patient wife, Peg. That long suffering Peg was smarter than her ambitious if out-of-touch husband was part of the shows lasting charm, but Paula never played Peg as a nag or a shrew, let alone a “Dumb Dora”. When Riley made the transition to the large and small screens, Peg was passed on to other actresses. Paula began to find work in the new medium of television while John Sutherland became an award winning producer of educational films.

A Clown Laughs and Cries: Red Skelton

2025-08-15T09:00:00.012-05:00

The Clown is one of the most traditional and enduring elements of show business. There are several vital characteristics which add up to define just what a clown is. One of the most important is that under the makeup, the clown is very often laughing on the outside while crying on the inside.

America's favorite clown, Red Skelton typifies laughing and crying at the same time. Few performers have given as much to bring happiness to their audience, especially while living through their own personal tragedies.

Joe Skelton had performed as a clown with the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus, but settled down to life as a grocer, and sired four sons with his wife Ida Mae. Joe was taken from his family two months before his youngest son, Richard Bernard Skelton, was born in 1913 (the same year, the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus lost 8 elephants, 8 performing horses and 21 lions and tigers when the Wabash River flooded).

Richard soon became Red Skelton. With no father, Red went to work early to help the family. One of the few opportunities presented to such a youth was selling newspapers. Red quickly developed the pestering patter that he would keep up until a potential customer bought a paper. One customer was so impressed with Red's patter and moxie that he bought the lad's entire stack of papers. The buyer then gave a ticket for the show in which he was performing to the lad.

The performer was comedian Ed Wynn. When Red was invited backstage, he fell in love with show business. The boy left school at the age of 14 to perform in local venues, showboats, and eventually went on the road in Vaudeville. Ida Mae, working two jobs to support her boys, never said that Red had run away from home, rather “his destiny had caught up with him at an early age”.

A seasoned and perhaps cocky performer not quite 18 years old, Red asked one of the ushers at the Pantages Theater in Kansas City what she thought of his act. The usherette was less than impressed with his material. Red then asked if she could write better. She said she could, and she did. Edna Mae Stillwell was 16 when she married Red two months before his 18th birthday in 1931.

It was to be a great professional collaboration and friendship, but evidently not a good marriage. Red and Edna divorced in 1943, leaving the courtroom arm in arm. She continued to advise and manage his career for many years. The divorce ended Red's marriage deferment, and he was drafted in 1944.

The Army used his talents as part of the entertainment corps, but the demands of 10-12 performances a day were too much for the high-strung Skelton. Red met his second wife, Georgia Davis while on furlough in the hospital. After a nervous breakdown, Red was released from his Army duties in 1945. Red and Georgia had two children, Richard Jr. and Valentina Marie.

In 1957, when Red was enjoying terrific success in show business, Richard Jr. was diagnosed with leukemia. Red's reaction was to take the family on an extended trip so the boy could see as much of the world as possible. When the family reached London, the press accused Skelton of staging the trip as a promotional stunt. While reading the unfavorable press, Richard Jr. learned the fatal nature of his condition.

The devastated family returned to the US, and the boy passed away ten days before his tenth birthday. The day he was buried, Red was scheduled to appear on television. Although the network could have used recorded material, Red asked to be kept completely off the air that night, and guest performers took his place.

Red first appeared on radio in 1937. He and Edna had developed a routine which mocked the way different people dunked their doughnuts in their morning coffee. The routine had Red eating nine doughnuts in each performance, and the pounds packed on when he was doing five performances a day, but it was funny enough to attract the attention of Rudy Vallee for the Talent Show segment of The Royal Gelatin Hour. Fan response was strong enough to bring Red back twice, and he took over the hosting duties of Avalon Time in fall of 1938.

Red signed with MGM in 1939 (at the insistence of star Mickey Rooney, a big fan of the doughnut dunkers routine). Movie success led to his own radio program, The Raleigh Cigarette Program, in fall of 1941. The show enjoyed good ratings, and gave Red the opportunity to introduce some of his most loved characters, including Klem Kadiddlehopper and The Mean Widdle Kid.

When Red was drafted the show's band leader and his vocalist wife, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, had a chance to begin their own show. After his Army service, the sponsor and show were waiting for Red. He brought his Army buddy David Rose on the air with him as his new band leader.

NBC censored Red on April 22, 1947, when he began talking about the censorship of Fred Allen the week before. Bob Hope received the same treatment, and in the resulting protest, the NBC censors folded.

Red gained a new sponsor in 1948, Tide Detergent, and then swapped networks the next year as part of the CBS talent raids. After the CBS contract had expired in 1953, Red continued to make syndicated shows with ZIV for three more years.

Red Skelton said “I just want to be known as a clown, because to me that's the height of my profession. It means you can do everything-sing, dance, and above all, make people laugh.” Two Stars on

Candy Matson Old Time Radio Show

2025-07-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Candy Matson was no GIRL detective...she was all woman. Candy Matson was a response to all the hard-boiled detectives on the radio like Jeff Regan, Rocky Fortune, Pat Novak, and all those other detectives who were beaten up on a regular basis.

Candy, played by Natalie Parks, was hard-boiled in her own way. She never compromised her femininity but she did know how to use a gun and didn't hesitate to use when it was necessary. She didn't take any guff from the guys--the good guys or the bad guys. With a snappy comeback, she could take anybody's head off. Candy was fearless, never hesitating to go wherever she needed to solve a case from the lowest dive to the classiest night club. Candy worked hard to get her goon.

Men orbited around her like she was the sun. Her best friend and partner in detection was Rembrandt Watson, a flamboyant photographer. All private detectives need a police detective foil and, in Candy's case, that Lt. Ray Mallard. It didn't hurt that Mallard was easy on the eyes (plus she and the good detective dated).

Candy Matson aired on NBC from 1949 until 1951 and was a regional success. Natalie Park Masters starred as Candy and her husband, Monty wrote the show.

Head over to Old Time Radio to check out more Candy Matson plus those other intrepid old-time radio detectives like Richard Diamond, Sam Spade, Nero Wolfe, Nick Carter, Master Detective, Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator and many more detectives!

ABOUT CANDY

The first thing you hear is phone ring followed by a distinctly feminine voice answering "Hello. YUkon 28209. Yes, this is Candy Matson." That phone call is the beginning of an adventure that starts at Candy's apartment on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco and can go anywhere, meeting any kind of people.

Candy was the opposite of what many people expected from a woman in the late 1940s and early 1950s. She was a woman with a career and it wasn't a traditional secretarial career--she chose to fight crime as a private detective...a gumshoe...a shamus. Unlike Jeff Regan, there was no $10-a-day plus expenses. Ever practical, Candy, who was a former model, charged her clients enough to keep her in the Telegraph Hill apartment, driving a very nice car, and in lovely clothes. And she wasn't shy about telling her clients exactly that.

Women detectives weren't very common on the radio. You might hear a woman police detective on a show like Dragnet but they were less than common as the star of a radio show. According to Old Time Radio Dame Detectives web page, there were over 120 detective shows featuring men but only find eight shows featuring a woman.

As a model and a pretty woman she was probably accustomed to people underestimating her so she used it to her advantage, often turning the tables on friends and prey alike. Flirting was another tool she used to her advantage, using it unabashedly on anyone she needed to get what she wanted.

Candy was aware of her sexuality and didn't even try to hide it. You can't say that she celebrated it but she definitely didn't shy away from it. She treated her sensuality like just another tool in her bag of tricks. Can you call Candy a femme fatale? Possibly. But when you think of a femme fatale in the detective genre, they seem to be aloof, cold users. Candy is not at all aloof. When she interacts with people, Candy is engaged whether she is bantering with her friends, flirting with the detective, or badgering a witness for information.

Candy's boyfriend was police detective Lt. Ray Mallard. In spite of the crush, Candy didn't feel the need to defer to Mallard. Quite the opposite. It almost seems like she was in competition with Mallard, often solving the case first. Being a confident woman, Candy didn't feel the need to boost Mallard's ego by hiding her light under a box.

Candy Matson was an extension of the woman who emerged during World War II radio . The strong woman who stepped out of the kitchen or the secretarial pool to do what needed to be done. It was hard for many women to go back to that life when the war was over. Candy represented that independent woman.

ASSOCIATES

Candy worked with her best friend and sidekick, Rembrandt Watson. Rembrandt accompanied Candy on many of her adventures though he was pretty useless in a fight. He did, however, provide a lot of comic relief.

In the audition episode, titled "The Donna Durham Case", Rembrandt was written as a failed, drunken fashion photographer. When the show was picked up for broadcast, he was rewritten to still be a photographer but he was no longer a drunk. He also gained expert knowledge on many esoteric subjects.

There is much speculation that Rembrandt was gay because he exhibited many stereotypical gay behaviors. He was portrayed as an effeminate, opera-loving man who didn't mind Candy paying his way. Many believe that Rembrandt Watson was a nod to the San Francisco gay community as thanks for being loyal listeners.

Lt. Ray Mallard was Candy's police detective boyfriend. They often found themselves working on the same cases, with Candy solving the case before Mallard. Mallard constantly underestimated Candy, like many people she encountered. The final episode ends insipidly with Mallard asking Candy to marry him and she never has to work again. It was probably because he didn't have to compete with her any longer.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The creator behind Candy Matson was Monty Masters (previously Monty Mohn). Originally, he wrote the show as a starring vehicle for himself but his mother-in-law convinced him to rewrite the show for a woman. The perfect Candy Matson lived in the same house with him--his wife, Natalie Park Masters.

Monty and Natalie were fixtures in the San Francisco area. They were actors in the area for over 15 years before Candy Matson. Monty took great care to pay homage to the city by including local landmarks in and around San Francisco. In return, Candy Matson was the most popular show on the West Coast.

During the run of the show, 1949 to 1951, Monty wrote or supervised the writing on all 93 episodes. Unfortunately, there are only 14 audio episodes that anyone can find though 81 scripts are archived. The show, however, never gained the national success the Masters desired. It aired on NBC and never had a consistent sponsor. If a show didn't have a regular sponsor, NBC tended to move it from time slot to time slot. As a result, Candy Matson was considered more of a regional success.

Of all the female detective shows, Candy is considered the best. Not because the show was the best of bad choices but because Candy the character was an engaging, sassy, take no prisoners type of woman. A woman who did just fine in a man's world.

Enjoy every known existing episode of Candy Matson (all 14 recordings) from Old Time Radio!

Comic Strips in Old Time Radio

2025-07-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

At first thought, it would seem like comic strips and radio should not work together, but they turned out to be a terrific fit. The younger set was the target audience for most of the comic strip shows. The serial nature of comic strip stories kept the kids coming back every afternoon to hear whether or not their heroes escaped trouble. While they were finding out the fate of Little Orphan Annie, Red Ryder, Dick Tracy, or Terry and the Pirates, they would happily sit through commercials for breakfast cereal, candy, even gasoline for Dad's car!

When we got back from our break, we saw that the Cat had left us a message on the white board: "What about Mary Worth?" The younger staffers were curious about how the Cat could write on the board when he doesn't have thumbs, but the question itself was worth consideration.

Of course, Mary Worth is not the only popular comic to be snubbed by Radio; we have often wondered why Batman never got his own radio series. The Caped Crusader appeared in several episodes of Mutual's The Adventures of Superman. Batman and Robin sometimes took over entire story arcs. Often this was a device to allow Man of Steel star, Bud Collyer, to take a well deserved vacation. A rare recording of a Batman audition tape has surfaced. Fans who are hoping to hear an OTR version of The Dark Knight, or even the television "camp" version of Batman will be sorely disappointed; the story is closer to an Edwardian murder mystery with no Batmobile, Batcave, or even capes!

Mary Worth has been in the comic pages for seven decades, maintaining its popularity in the Internet age as it did when Radio was king. Some authorities claim that Mary Worth was an outgrowth of an earlier strip, Apple Mary. The two strips have little to do with each other except that one started about the time the other closed, and they both featured busybody matriarchs named Mary. Apple Mary was a Depression era story of a woman forced to sell apples from a pushcart in order to support her sick grandson. Mary Worth's Family (the strip's original title) was, and is, closely related to the radio soap operas of the time.

Mary Worth herself only appears occasionally in the strip. A former teacher and widow of a Wall Street Tycoon, she dispenses matronly advice and commentary to the acquaintances who pass in and out of her world. The format allowed Mary Worth to explore such issues as teen pregnancy, infidelity, drug and alcohol abuse, and prejudice. Several writer/artist teams have handled Mary through the years. In the forties, the strip was drawn by Ken Ernst, who also brought us Don Winslow of the Navy.

While other strips have successfully branched into other media, Mary Worth has remained comfortably ensconced in the newspapers.

More about Comics and Funny Pages in Old Time Radio ...

Births and Birthdays in Old Time Radio

2025-06-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Everybody has a birthday, and everyone's birthday is a special day.

Diversity is a wonderful thing. The things that make each person and culture unique and different are special, important, and worth celebrating. By celebrating diversity, we acknowledge that no single group is any better or worse than another, that everyone is special in their own way.

As important as diversity is, it should be just as important to celebrate the things we all have in common. Things like Birthdays! Your Birthday is the anniversary of your birth, which leads to the distinction between birthdays and birthdates: hopefully, you will be able to celebrate many, many birthdays, but everyone just gets one birthdate. Recording birthdates is a relatively recent innovation. When Ancient China developed bureaucracy, one of the important records that were kept was the registration of births, even among the peasants.

In medieval Europe, birth records in the form of baptismal records became the purview of the Church. In time, the keeping of birth records became a duty of the State, which then was empowered to issue Birth Certificates. A birth certificate is considered a basic proof of citizenship and will be necessary for future documentation such as driver's licenses, voter registration in some places, and passports.

Birthday celebrations are not just for the celebrant himself. A baby's journey from the womb to the world is fraught with peril for both mother and child. Although every mother and every birth are different, there is generally a good deal of pain involved in childbirth. To describe the pain to men, childbirth has been compared to grasping your lower lip and pulling it over the back of your head. As unlikely as it seems, generations of women and their babies have survived the ordeal.

A birthday is a day for celebration, but who the celebration is for changes over the years. When a baby reaches her first and second birthdays, they are really too young to appreciate that they are the one's being celebrated, the party is an excuse for the young parents to tell their friends, "Look what we did!" From the time a kid's third or fourth birthday rolls around, they begin to realize that the party is for them, with all the presents, balloons, and cake. Usually, during the mid- to late-Twenties, birthdays take on less importance to the person having one, but more important for the other people in their life to show how special they are.

The tradition of the Birthday Cake may have begun in ancient Rome when special occasions among the elites were marked with yeast-leavened flour cakes sweetened with honey and nuts. The tradition of a cake for every child developed in 15th century Germany when bakers began making cakes for "kinderfest", or the celebration of a child's birthday. The gaudy cakes with icing flourishes and multiple layers were developed in the 17th century, and as literacy spread, so did the tradition of writing the celebrant's name on the cake. Here are a few of our favorite birthday episodes in old time radio:

Blondie, April 1, 1940, "Blondie and the April Fools Birthday". Dagwood's real birthday is February 29, so he only gets to celebrate during Leap Year. A solution is to celebrate on April Fools' Day, which should not ruin Dagwood's celebration. However, Mr. Dithers takes advantage of the Holiday to do some real celebrating.
The Pepsodent Show Starring Bob Hope, January 30, 1945. Bob and his guest, Edward G. Robinson Third Air force at Drew Field, Tampa, Florida. Hope and Robinson do a tough guy routine that turns into a pitch for the March of Dimes. At the show's close, Bob calls for a Birthday Cheer for FDR.
Fibber McGee and Molly, May 20, 1941. It's Molly's birthday and the Master of 79 Wistful Vista is determined to bake a cake for his lovely bride. Why won't the folded egg whites hold a crease? The biggest problem (as though there would be any problems with Fibber in the kitchen) is that the candles are in the hall closet.
The Lucky Strike Program Starring Jack Benny, February 15, 1948. The Beverly Hills Beavers vote to spend their treasury funds on a surprise 39th birthday party for Mr. Benny. Mary is also planning a party, too. So is Phil, so is Dennis, and so is Don! From a radio history perspective, this is the first time the Beavers appear on the program. It is also the first time he turns 39 (he was 42 in 1936, "in the neighborhood of 35" in '37, turned 37 several times, so 39 can't be that much of a stretch.)
Lux Radio Theatre, May 26, 1946, "Music for Millions". Adapted from the 1944 MGM Musical, Margaret O'Brien, Jimmy Durante, and Jose Iturbi. Little "Mike" is sent to live with her pregnant older sister, Barbara who plays with a group of women in a symphony that is scheduled to play a tour of Army Camp Shows. Before the tour, a telegram arrives that Barbara's husband was killed in the Pacific, but the girls agree to hide the news until the baby is born. Just before the blessed event, a letter arrives which will ensure there is not a dry eye in the house.
The March of Time, May 15, 1936. Dr. Rudolph Holmes of Chicago discusses his introduction of the use of Scopolamine (twilight sleep) for laboring mothers. Although the doctor admits that it seemed like a good idea twenty years ago, he has reconsidered the drug's use. Other voices are heard advocating drug-free laboring, although it should be noted that the physicians heard are all male and will never personally experience childbirth.

Birthdays in Old Time Radio

Everyone. and just about everything has a birthday, and nearly every day is the important anniversary of something or someone important in your life. These fun birthday celebrations of famous celebrities, historical figures, and even Gracie Allen's grandpa.

Procrastination and Being Late Collection in Old Time Radio

2025-05-15T09:00:00.017-05:00

We wanted to write this blog post for a long time, but we kept putting it off.

Procrastination is often the reason we are late to get things one, but sometimes we are late for reasons which are beyond our control. Simply being late has led to some interesting situations in the plot of the episode, but keep in mind that many of the broadcasts during the Golden Age of Radio were broadcast live, so being late was a real possibility which happened on many occasions. Fred Allen, who was in seemingly constant warfare with the network and his sponsors anyway, was notorious for allowing his show to run over its allotted time slot. This happens on live programs because of the actor's timing or because the studio audience laughs longer than the writer and director expected. Sometimes the actors and director can pick up the pace, or the program might be allowed to run a few seconds over, but in Fred's case, given his reputation with the network, when it was time to ring the NBC Chimes, he would be cut off.

Fred Allen was not the only comic whose show ran long. His supposed nemesis, Jack Benny, had the problem on several occasions while working for Lucky Strikes. In Jack's defense, the LSMFT auctioneers and spokesmen packed a lot of advertising into the episodes with less skill than General Foods used during the Jell-O days. Other factors could lead to lateness, like the time guest Bob Hope was late even though Jack was broadcasting from Bob's Palm Springs stomping grounds.

Liz is always late on My Favorite Husband and George tries to get her to budget her time, anyone who would try that with actress Lucille Ball is braver than most. The troops on Fort Laramie have trouble when the Army paymaster is four months late on his rounds. A lost dog causes the Ivy's to be late for an important dinner on The Halls of Ivy.

Procrastination turns out to be a big problem for teenagers in Old Time Radio. Both Henry Aldrich and Archie Andrews find it far too easy to put off their homework. Even when it is time for a date, Archie finds that with Jughead's help, the earlier he tries to be, the more behind he gets.

Radio City Playhouse

2025-04-15T09:00:00.003-05:00

Although a short-lived anthology, The Radio City Playhouse stories and production were a match for anything from the Tiffany Network

The competition between the NBC and CBS Radio Networks was one of the great rivalries of corporate America, on par with Ford vs Chevy, Pizza Hut vs Domino's, Marvel vs DC Comics, McDonald's vs Burger King, or Coke vs Pepsi. It is a story of innovation, imitation, strong personalities, and more than a few lucky breaks for each side. It is difficult to determine which network came out on top as the competition evolved into the broadcast TV market, but we can state that the overall winner was the audience.

One huge programming victory that the "Tiffany Network" enjoyed was in Anthology Programs. Although NBC's University Programs put out some great dramas, they could not match the artistic or commercial triumphs of CBS's Columbia Workshop, Escape, or Suspense. However, as TV was beginning to cut into Radio's dominance the National Broadcasting Company managed to field an anthology to match the quality of CBS's best, The Radio City Playhouse directed by newcomer Harry W. Junkin debuted on July 3, 1948.

Canadian-born Junkin started as an actor before serving in the RCAF during the Second World War. After his discharge, he went to work in advertising in Montreal before moving on to New York. While producing commercials he decided to try his hand at writing scripts. Most of the dialog he created was for his commercials, but by the end of the decade, Junkin began submitting dramas.

On Radio City Playhouse, Junkin worked as director and narrator, as well as writing nearly half of the scripts. Rather than exclusively seeking out scripts from big-name writers, Playhouse would consider all submissions as long as they were "good drama" stories. From the stories he authored himself, Junkin was qualified to make this judgment on his own, although the show was overseen by NBC Script Manager Richard McDonagh.

By the time Radio City Playhouse began, most of the broadcasting industry had migrated to the West Coast, although Playhouse would broadcast live from the Radio City Studios in New York. This allowed for both established radio actors and newcomers to be hired for the show, which aired in a late Saturday night timeslot.

After Playhouse went off the air at the beginning of 1950, Junkin wrote for Mr. Moto, Mr. District Attorney, and Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons before transitioning to television. Although the anthology would be short-lived, the stories and production of Radio City Playhouse matched or exceeded anything presented by CBS.