Old Time Radio Shows

Enjoy this 1941 broadcast of It's Time to Smile with a rare appearance by Sidney Toler (best known for his role as Charlie Chan ) If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

There is plenty in OTR to keep "serious" listeners busy. By serious, we mean grown ups! The simple fact is that sponsors wanted to put their message (and their money) where it would be heard by the people who had cash to spend. Through the years, this made for some interesting programming decisions. The radio noir and hard boiled detective shows of the post-War era were meant to appeal to the adventurous vets coming back to a humdrum home life. The radio soaps were designed to tug at the heartstrings of the stay-at-home housewife who did most of the shopping for the household. Comedy variety programs were for the whole family. Programming for kids was often an after thought, sustained programs without sponsors, since kids don't buy anything because they don't have any money. However, cereal makers realized that even though the kids were not the ones buying breakfast cereal, they did have a big influence on what Mom picked off the store shelves. Kids may or ma...

Radio detective dramas ofte n ne eded a "hook" in order to stand out in the crowded postwar marketplace. Shows of all types used some sort of gimmick to attract listeners. The real trick was to hold enough listeners to get the program renewed for the next season. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar held listeners until the end of the golden age of radio era. Few detective radio programs had as many gimmicks as Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar . Being smart-mouthed, independent, and tough had appeal for an audience filled with veterans adjusting to work-a-day civilian life, and tough, smart-mouthed, independent detectives filled the airwaves. A popularly gimmick was the method a detective would find his cases. In Box 13 , Dan Holiday, played by Alan Ladd , had a decidedly generalized Want Ad that brought him interesting clients. Frank Sinatra as Rocky Fortune found cases when he went out on temporary employment. There would be no lack of jobs for Johnny Dollar a...

Ah, the melodious voice of a Dennis Day , or Doris for that matter, in the breaking hours of the day. This is what met many American folks as they sat down for their pancakes, eggs and coffee on the radio in the 1940’s and 1950 ’s. The major broadcasters out of Hollywood, Chicago and New York presented such a varied repertoire of soothing crooning and spiritual hymns, that listeners were becoming enthralled with their favorites. The breakfast genre of old time radio did more than fill a segment of the day faithful followers...it was a necessity to crack the blues and the doldrums. Whether it was Tex McCrary or Tex Ritter , country music played a major part of early morning radio. The sounds of the Grand Ole Opry did more to educate the masses on what fiddles and Gee’tars could do to stomp out the blues of Americans as they began the race to their 9-5 work day. Of the many forms of melody and verse that greeted millions of people, none had the ability to conquer a day like coun...

"Nobody is expected to do what it is impossible for them to do..." 64 Years Ago today in Radio History:   In this December 3, 1950 broadcast of The Eternal Light , "Thou Shalt Teach Them Diligently" is the 1872 story of teacher, Julia Richman who was 17 years old when she began.  She taught autistic "retarded" children in a way that better suited to them. She went to be appointed as the youngest principal in New York City for 19 years.  She was later appointed the first woman superintendent. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element Julia taught that "children and adults need to respect themselves and each other" when the mother of a fellow student shames autistic Amy.  Despite obstacles, Julia taught alternative methods of instruction for arithmetic by sewing with autistic students. "The world rests on the breath of  the children in the school yard..." Sponsored by th...

Old time radio had a few distinct purposes. One of those was to allow the listener an opportunity “Walter Mitty” their routine life. Just as Mitty daydreamed his days away, so programs like Escape gave the radio audience a chance to become part of the drama. Take for example the episode “Shipment of Mute” the listener became part of the cruise as the narrator shared about his time in South America and seeking to get back to New York. The voice of Jack Webb as Chris Warner shared the adventure of capturing the BushMaster snake... the deadliest snake in Venezuela. He was planning on removing the specimen he captured to take back to the museum in NYC. Now was this going to be a simple cruise travelling back to the states, or a travel of terror? (I don’t want to give it away.) This type of programming was the trademark for  Escape   s the audience member would crane their ear closer...to hear the screams, gunfire, sound effects creating the storm to start their active ...

Young and old people enjoy Old Time Radio alike. People who grew up during the Radio Age are naturally fans of OTR. It isn't a surprise when kids from the Age of Television discover Radio, and the fact that it is often a superior storytelling medium. When we hear about folks who grew up in the age of the Internet professing their enthusiasm for old radio shows, we choose to just put on a smug and satisfied smile. A lot of young fans find they laugh at themselves for actually liking radio drama, but they are fascinated by how effective the speaking voice can be in conveying a story. As long tie OTR fans know, rarely do we see how effective this is as in the scariest Horror and Thriller radio programs . 5) “The Yellow Wall Paper”  starring Agnes Moorehead on Suspense , 1948.  Orson Welles called Moorehead one of his favorite actresses to work with.  4)“The Walking Dead” from Creeps By Night , 1944.  Rise of Zombie Apocalypse in popular culture for this o...