beforetv's podcast

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...

Cecil B. DeMille was a legend, a trailblazer, and a person of ambition and talent. In this episode, DeMille talks with others like him, movers and shakers who have risen to the top of their chosen fields. Greatness, talking with greatness on the Lux Radio Theater. DeMille's guests include: Father Flanagan H.V. Kaltenborn Grand Duchess Marie The Daughter of William Jennings Bryant General Hugh Samu...

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. In today's soundscape: Mary's Springtime Poem! Ed Sullivan wants to know! Is Jack Benny the real Jack Benny?! And more! This episode features: Orson Welles Laurence Olivier Noah Beery Cecil B DeMille Clark Gable Claudette Colbert Eddie "Rochester" Anderson J...

  In 1939 Dorothy LaMour was the leading lady on a show that was neck and neck with Jack Benny for number 1 in the ratings. Not bad for a lower class girl who dropped out of school at 14 to support her family. Now, at only 25 years old, her ambition and talent had paid off handsomely. Also Featuring Don Ameche and Rudy Vallee. Charlie and Edgar also make an appearance. Popular songs and Novelty Tu...

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today's soundscape: Baby Snooks and Daddy visit the 1939 New York's World Fair! An Irish Ghost Story entitled "Faith is Not always a Lady"!! A Gentle Reminder to Always Remember to Lux your Stockings!! This episode features: The Family Doctor Cecil B DeMille Jimmy Cagney Fibber McGee The Merry Macs Jimmy Stewart Robert Youn...

  These Interviews were a regular feature of The Lux Radio Theater, a show that presented radio versions of current Hollywood films.  At act break host Cecil B. Demille and an expert guest would comment on the radio play so far. Sometimes the guest would be from the rich, famous and powerful classes, we'll hear those in part 2. This episode presents the common working men who did the jobs that wee...

I had thought Dorothy Lamour to be just another pretty face who had a technically good voice but was somewhat interchangeable with the other bright, young, pretty songstresses of old time variety radio in that Dorothy's songs were good enough but stylistically the same you heard on other popular shows. Then I discovered this musical treasure trove and was forced to completely re-think my opinion....

1939 was a year where everything changed. An uneasy peace became all out war.   Society and culture and government were questioned as never before. The evil inside the human race made itself known that year, as ferocious as in the past but applied with an improved efficiency. Radio was there to witness it.   And I got to Live 1939 second hand through these radio voices from the past. In my OTR col...

Charlie McCarthy   was created by Edgar Bergen based on a wise cracking newsboy named Charlie from the neighborhood.   High Schooler Edgar Bergen sketched the design for Charlie. More than a little obsessed,   Bergen decided to bring his Charlie to life. Bergen built Charlie's movable body but paid woodworker Theodore Mack $35 to carve Charlie's head. Edgar named his completed dummy Charlie McCart...

1939 was the year the country woke up to the horrific scale of the death to come on land, sea, and in the air   Seems obvious now, but at the time lots of people thought the first great war   had been so terrible it could never happen again. I wish they had been right.   The Soundscapes for 1939 series is the story of optimism to pessimism, of hope to resignation, compromise to confrontation throu...