Audio Antiques

It seems the United States always been a divided nation in many respects. Since its founding, proponents of the right and left have battled for influence and control. It was no different during the Great Depression of the 1930s, as the struggle played out on the new medium of radio. Father Charles Coughlin was a Catholic priest who's radio shows reached millions. He promoted right wing conspir...

We're going to the theater! Live radio theater was very popular during the medium's golden age. There were many theater-like shows on the networks. We're going to hear 3 installments of the Screen Guild Theater, which ran from 1939 to 1952 and featured movie stars, primarily in original dramas and sometimes comedies, or in adaptations of movies. All three are from 1939, the first featu...

Ken Robinson interviews art gallery director Ernestine Brown, about collecting and investing in contemporary artworks. There also advice on creating your own art gallery and furthering a career as an artist, with a special focus on people of color.  (1982) More at http://krobcollection.com

America's Town Meeting of the Air was a public affairs discussion program which began on NBC radio's Blue Network in 1935 and ran for 21 years. It was one of radio's first talk shows, and NBC did not expect it to become a success, but it did, and eventually picked up a sponsor. Each week moderator George Denny Jr presided over an examination of a controversial issue with a large audien...

Ken interviews author Whitley Strieber, and explores the subjects of miscarriage, and dating.  Details at http://krobcollection.com

William Warfield was a famous opera singer, born in the U.S state of Arkansas in 1920. Known for his rich baritone voice and commanding stage presence, the African-American rose to prominence in the mid-20th century, captivating audiences worldwide, and gracing the stages of prestigious opera houses and concert halls. Warfield served in the Army during World War Two, working in military intelligen...

She's one of the most celebrated entertainers in American history. Lucille Désirée Ball was an actress, comedian, model, studio executive, and producer. However, she's best known as the star of the wildly popular, classic TV show I Love Lucy. Before her long career on television began, Lucy had a successful radio career during the medium's golden age, in addition to occasional roles on...

Ken Robinson interviews members of the Forest City Dental Society about the challenges facing black doctors of oral medicine. (1982) More at KRobCollection.com

Arthur Lee Simpkins was an African-American singer with a unique talent. He was born in South Carolina in 1907, where he became known as the "Black Caruso" in reference to the legendary opera singer Enrico Caruso. In 1936, Simpkins recorded a hit version of "Sing, Sing, Sing" with Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra. That record jump started Simpkins career, allowing him to pe...

Walker Smith Jr. was one the greatest boxers of all time. You know him as Sugar Ray Robinson, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He started fighting in 1940, using the name of Robinson because he was underage. From 1943 to 1951 Robinson went on a 91-fight winning streak, the third-longest in professional boxing history. Robinson also became the first boxer to win...

Ken Robinson interviews Cuyahoga Community College instructor Lee Henn, who reveals how you can become more successful by being more assertive. (1982) More at KrobCollection.com

Richard Wright was an African American author who lived from 1908 to 1960. He is best known for his novels, which often dealt with the struggles of black Americans in the early 20th century. Wright grew up in poverty in Mississippi and faced racism and discrimination throughout his life. Despite these challenges, he became a prolific writer. His works include Native Son and Black Boy, are consider...

In this edition, history comes alive with Richard Nixon being interviewed by British journalist David Frost. This was a major news event, with Nixon emerging from seclusion after spending more than two years away from public life, when he became the first U.S. president to resign from office, due to the Watergate scandal. Nixon granted Frost an exclusive series of interviews, with the premiere epi...

Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Berger, Child Sense, Sibling Rivalry.  For details visit http://krobcollection.com

This podcast examines the education and care of black children in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Segregation was the law in most public U.S. schools during this period. White and black students usually went to separate, but supposedly equal quality classrooms, but most often white students had access to better resources and qualified teachers. In contrast, African-American students were freque...

The Great Gildersleeve was a radio situation comedy broadcast from 1941 to 1957. The series was built around the character of Throckmorton Gildersleeve, small town water commissioner and his family. One of the co-stars was Lillian Randolph, an African-American actress and singer. Randolph appeared in hundreds of radio shows, getting her start on WTAM in Cleveland, Ohio. She appeared in many films,...

Ken Robinson hosts a show about getting minorities involved in the banking and financial industries. (WJMO-AM Cleveland, 1982) More at http://krobcollection.com

On this edition we take a look at African-American professional boxer Jersey Joe Walcott, who is regarded among the best heavyweights in the world during the 1940s and 1950s, winning the title at the age of 37. Walcott was born in 1914, and was only 15 years old when his father died. He quit school and worked in a soup factory to support his mother and 11 younger brothers and sisters, and then beg...

Soap Operas were very popular during radio's classic era. Experts say the radio networks made more money from daytime serials than any other broadcast genre, because so many women were homemakers, and enjoyed being entertained while doing boring, tedious, housework. The first soap opera appeared on radio in 1930 and was an instant success. Very quickly, midday programing was filled with mostly...

Timmie Rogers was an African-American comedian, singer-songwriter, bandleader and actor. Rogers was one of the first Black comedians allowed to directly address a white audience. Before Rogers, African-American comics had to either work in pairs or groups, only conversing with each other, and they had to play a character. Because of this, Rogers was known as the Jackie Robinson of comedy. Rogers w...

The focus of this edition is the career of Lena Horne, the African-American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Her career spanned over 70 years, appearing on film, television, and theater. Born in 1917, Horne became a popular night club singer at the age of 16. She made her first movie appearance in 1935, which lead to many radio performances. Lena Horne is the winner of 4 Grammy...

Ken explores Medical Hypnosis, Cardio Diets, and Perfect Parenting.  For details visit http://krobcollection.com

Radio's classic era was definitely tainted by Jim Crow laws, racial discrimination and bias. That's why this podcast is dedicated to unearthing the rare instances when African-Americans were allowed to share their talents with the world. Black performers were seldom hosts, or guest stars on the commercial networks. African-American shows were very scarce, but there were a few. One was the...

We have two episodes from the Silver Theater, a dramatic anthology series broadcast on CBS Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1937 to 1947. Each week, Silver Theater featured a different movie star in a different drama or comedy. From the year 1938 we're going to hear Broken Prelude parts one and two. They star Bette Davis, who's acting career spanned 50 years on Broadway...

Ken Robinson interviews African-Americans involved in the tech industry, and their concerns about a developing digital divide during the early days of the computer boom. More at KrobCollection.com