Old Time Radio Shows

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 ...

  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 flickerin...

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 fami...

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).

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. ...

  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 su...