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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...

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: Meet a Real English Butler! Edgar Bergen Gets Airsick! The Pie Eyed Piper of Hamlin! And More!! Featuring: Cecil B Demille Charlie McCarthy Dorothy Lamour Don Ameche Edgar Bergen Andrea Leeds Donald Dixon Vera Vague Ida Lupino And...

Old Time Radio was dog eat dog, CBS and NBC scooped up the all the best stations and biggest talent, leaving all the little local stations in the dust Not all the independent stations wanted to let NBC and CBS run away with their audiences In 1934 WGN and 3 other independents, WOR in New York, WLW in Cincinnatti, and WXYZ in Detroit entered into a program sharing agreement. They called themselves...

Old Time Radio highlights originally broadcast live June 29 to July 9, 1939. Chronologically curated clips of live broadcasts from popular shows of the day. History told by the people living it, as reported by radio. In Today's SoundScape: The Making of Wizard of Oz Meadow Mouse Grabs 40 Winks! Charlie and Edgar visit the Grand Canyon! Featuring: Judy Garland Harold Arlen Robert Young Bert Lahr Ra...

Voices from 1939 talking with one of the Greatest Voices on Old Time Radio In 1939 Orson Welles was only 24 years old but a veteran of Radio. He'd been a regular on The March of Time and was enjoying a very successful run playing The Shadow. These excerpts are from the Campbell Playhouse in 1939, previously named Mercury Theater of the Air. These interviews were a regular feature of the Campbell P...

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: The Town Hall News! A Newsreel Camera Man! Fred Allen Bad Mouths Jack Benny! Life Begins at 40! And More Featuring: Cecil B DeMille Dr. Ronald W. McCorkle Fibber McGee and Molly Harry Van Steeden Fred Allen Portland Hoffa The Merry...

In public, Eddie Cantor was known as a charming clown with a side of song. In private, Eddie Cantor was a concerned citizen who dedicated much of his personal time and wealth to Jewish charities and causes. The more he saw the rising hatred directed at the Jewish people, the more he felt the need to ease their burden. Radio Priest Father Charles Coughlin preached we should give the Germans benefit...

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: Royalty are just regular folks! Jack Benny with the Hollywood Gossip! The Patent Office is Your Friend! Frank Morgan talks Wizard of Oz and World Fairs! A Big Dose of Great Swing Music! And More Featuring: Cecil B Demille Fibber McGe...

Edgar Bergen was also Charlie McCarthy but Charlie McCarthy was one of a kind. The cutest little obnoxious guy on the radio.   A big personality in a tiny package. Charlie McCarthy took radio by storm and Edgar Bergen rode his coattails to fame and fortune. Actually Bergen rode his own coat tails, but it was so easy to forget they were the same person. Charlie seemed to have a life of his own.   G...

1939 SoundScape part 10, Radio highlights originally broadcast live May 22 through June 4, 1939   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:   Youth committing crimes! American Freedom! The Death of John Brown! Jack Benny: Ladies Man! Interviews with Civil War Veterans! Airmail...

17 year old Wynn Murray already had two Broadway hits on her resume when she joined The Fred Allen show as the resident Female Vocalist in 1939. Fred Allen's decision to bring a famous female vocalist onto his show in 1939 was a recognition that female singers were now in vogue. Singers like Connie Boswell on the Good News Program, and Charlie McCarthy's Dorothy LaMour were part of their show's ra...

SoundScape part 9, Radio highlights originally broadcast live May 4 through May 21, 1939 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: Mother's Day 1939 with Jack Benny! Where are the real high class professional crooks in America today? As a Lover, rumor has it,   Jack Benny is a...

Charlie McCarthy is really Edgar Bergen. Or the other way around. It was a ventriloquist act.   On the radio. Go figure. But you can't argue with success and the Charlie McCarthy show was more than a success, it was a cultural phenomenon. The Kids loved Charlie McCarthy, so did the parents and Grandparents. The biggest Movie stars didn't have time to do radio. Except for the Charlie McCarthy show....

Radio highlights originally broadcast live April 6 through April 30, 1939   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: A Tribute to Man's Best Friend, my Dog Pearl Buck Talks China with Anna Mae Wong and Orson Welles Jack Benny's 7 th Anniversary on Radio! And more!!! FEATURI...

Close harmony groups were popular in the 1920's, 30's,40's and   50's. The Merry Macs were among the most successful and were certainly the longest lived of all the Old Time Radio harmony groups. Close Harmony singing evolved from the Barbershop Quartets of the 1880s and 1890s, but with a jazz age sensibility. Closer harmonic chords and experimentation with tempo and rhythm are some differences be...

Radio highlights originally broadcast live March 22 through April 5, 1939   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: Nothing about the war in this one, things were quiet there and we were more than happy to pretend the bombs and blood wasn't real. We will soon find out di...