Old Time Radio Shows

Lurene Tuttle worked on so many shows that she was called "the most heard woman in America", and she also helped to organize the union which allowed radio actors to make a living wage. The American labor movement rose in the closing decades of the nineteenth century and gained traction in the first two of the twentieth. Although collective bargaining and the other tools of the movement would lead to the high standard of living workers expect and deserve today, the Socialist elements of these tactics gave rise to the First Red Scare in the aftermath of the Great War and the Russian Revolution. The first Scare made 'Communist' an obscenity in the American vernacular, leading almost inevitably to McCarthyism and the Hollywood Blacklist. The specter of Communism overshadows what the labor movement truly was – not workers trying to overthrow the industries and bosses they were working for but demanding workplace dignity, safety, and a living wage in exchange for the wor...

Serial stories were always a great way to attract the kids to sit still in front of the radio on a regular basis. A 'cliff-hanger' ending to each episode, compelling characters, and a fun story were enough to bring the kids back every afternoon for shows like Jerry of the Circus , and Magic Island . The syndicated serials followed a pretty standard formula; there would be plenty of long musical interludes over which a local broadcaster could place advertising into the fifteen minute episodes. Of course, in the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas there is a the added anticipation of waiting for Santa Claus and the magic of the holiday! The earliest and most loved of the Christmas serials is The Cinnamon Bear , first broadcast in 1937. The program was produced in Hollywood for TransCo, with a high-powered radio cast featuring Barbara Jean Wong , Gale Gordon , and Joseph Kearns. Local sponsors in several markets made The Cinnamon Bear a Christmas tradition, especially...