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The very best Swing Bands at peak of their skill and Creativity playing live for our entertainment.  Innovative use of instruments and musical arrangement that extend the boundaries of musical theory. Structured arrangements that made room for improvisation. The very best musicians in America playing the best they ever played.  Featuring: Paul Whiteman Louis Armstrong Tommy Dorsey Artie Shaw Duke...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. December 3 – December 10, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Smoking is good for the Nerves! It is so near Christmas!! Robert Armbruster plays a good milking tempo!!! Charlie McCarthy, Detective!!! And More!! Featuring: Cecil B. DeMille Cary Grant Car...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. December 3 – December 10, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Murder on the Gridiron! Buttering Jack up for Christmas Presents!! Broadcast from Bergen's Hospital Bedside!!! And More!!   Featuring: Jack Benny Don Wilson Mary Livingston Phil Harris Denni...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   November 26 – December 3, 1939   A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.   In today's SoundScape: Thanksgiving is more than Just Turkeys! Someday We'll Be Very Proud of Our Son! McCarthy and Doogan Christmas Shoppers! A Reunion of the Old Blarney!   And More!!   Featuring: Rudy Val...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. November 19 – November 26, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: In today's SoundScape: Mary's Thanksgiving Poem Jack's Turkey is an Ostrich! The Deacon chisels for a living!! Remember Abe Lincoln this Thanksgiving!!! And More!!   Featuring: Jack Benny D...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. November 12 – November 19, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.   In today's SoundScape:   Churchill Summarizes the First Ten Weeks of War. Mexican Jumping Beans from Your Skelly Man! Falling in Love in 30 Minutes!! Should We Ignore Racial Differences???   And More!! Featurin...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   November 9 – November 12, 1939   A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Duffy Knows all the Angles! Jack Benny sees the Dentist!! Jean Arthur meets Mortimer Snerd!!! And More!! Featuring: Ed Gardner Edward Arnold Connee Boswell Don Wilson Jack Benny Phil Har...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   November 5 – November 8, 1939   A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Jack and Phil are incompatible! Casting the Boys as The Women! Three Banana Splits and Now I'm a Bride! Doughnuts! Jack and Jill! And More!!   Featuring: Orson Welles Mary Astor Jack Benn...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. October 29 – November 5, 1939 Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Jack Benny's Costume Party! Fibber and Molly Visit the Auto Show! Where is the Perata Treasure? Mortimer Snerd gets his...

Happy New Year from Old Time Radio of the 1930s! Featuring: Jack Benny Mary Livingston Don Wilson Georgie Jessel Norma Talmadge Edward Arnold Dennis Day Phil Harris Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and More!!

Holiday Spirit from 1937, 1938, and 1939 as served up by Old Time Radio!   Christmas Time is here again. A time when us older folks reconnect with the child we once were. Moments from past Christmases relived, smiles and tears remembered. Longing and gratitude and the laughter of those we've lost. At least that's what happens to me. Every Christmas that passes magnifies the memories of Christmases...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   October 23 – October 29, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Gildersleeve throws a Halloween Party! The Question of the Week! The Great Frederick Knocks Off Important Dough! Carol Lombard Married Some Chump! And More!! Featuring: Captain Midnight Fib...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 15 through October 22, 1939. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Fibber McGee and Giidersleeve Argue! Henry Aldritch combs his hair! Arthur Miller's first Radio Show! America's Town Meeting of the Air expla...

Happy Thanksgiving!! The concept of Thanksgiving is as ancient as ancient can be. Harvest festivals dedicated to the god or gods currently in fashion as thanks for abundance and the survival it would provide. But like so many things, Americans have made thanksgiving their very own with traditions and customs created and nurtured here in the good old USA. FEATURING: Lionel Barrymore Edward Arnold F...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 8 through October 15, 1939. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: What the Jack Benny cast did on Summer Vacation! Dennis Day Joins the Jello Cast! Orson Welles takes us to Tangiers! Bert Lahr visits Fred All...

Old Time Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 1 through October 8, 1939. Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's SoundScape: Charlie McCarthy's in Need of Cash! Mozart has been dead for many years! Edgar Bergen Firefighter! Constance Bennett has a Bridge Part...

At Halloween the thin boundary between living and dead dissolves so that ghosts, goblins, and the sins we thought long buried come back to feast on our fright filled souls. Day of the dead, all souls day, two thousand years ago the Pagen Celts called it Samhin, we call it Halloween.   The time when ghosts, ghouls, and costumed children all wander the streets looking for their favorite tasty treats...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   September 21 – September 28, 1939   History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.   In today's SoundScape: Tap Dancing on the Radio! Charlie McCarthy back to School! Funny stories from David Niven Women can be Boss and make the Men Like It!   And More!!   Featuring: Major Bowes The Teddy Powell Orches...

Early American entertainment included the circus, the minstrel show, vaudeville, broadway revues, all popular forms of the variety show. And it was talent from those stage shows that created radio.   But radio wasn't the same as the stage.   Radio was different manifesting new possibilities for entertainment.   An opportunity to entertain with new formats.   The situation comedy was one such forma...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   September 10 – September 21, 1939   History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.   In today's SoundScape: Fibber and Molly Celebrate their Anniversary! George G. Nathan Talks Eugene O'Neil! Smoking Hot Swing Tunes! And More!!   Featuring: Orson Welles Cary Grant Fibber McGee and Molly Don Ameche   Ed...

The first generation of radio talent, performers, directors, and writers came from the worlds of vaudeville, minstrel shows and Broadway revues. All forms of variety theater, so it isn't any wonder that the variety show quickly emerged as a common Radio format.   Here are the three Old Time Radio shows from the 1930's I feel best exemplify the variety format, and the reasons why.   I expect you, d...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   August 27 – September 5, 1939   History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.   In today's SoundScape: Picking up Girls with Alan Mowbray! The Most Fateful Broadcast in History! On the Boat with Edgar and Charlie! Nutrition with Vera Vague! The Invasion of Poland! And More!! Featuring: Dorothy Lamour...

Sometimes an actor playing a character becomes so popular with their audience that it becomes more than a character, it becomes a persona that the actor inhabits. Such was the case with Vera Vague, a creation of actor/writer Babara Jo Allen. Vera Vague was a constant presence on Old Time Radio, man-hungry, misinformed, and most amusing. Guest Starring: Edgar Bergen Charlie McCarthy Don Ameche And...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.   History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.   In today's SoundScape :   Donald Dixon Tries to Tell a Joke! Charlie McCarthy Interior Decorator! Charlie McCarthy Astronomer! Charlie McCarthy Coin Collector! Charlie McCarthy Boy Scout! Charlie McCarthy Talent Agent! And More!!   Featuring:   Don Amech...

Fred Allen and the people you didn't expect to meet 1939.   Fred Allen was famously a control freak on his radio shows. Although he used a staff of writers, it was just to generate ideas and jokes that would be incorporated into the final script that Fred always wrote personally. Each minute of those shows were a reflection of Fred, including his frequent on air conversations from many folks from...