Audio Antiques

From the Mutual Broadcasting System this is one of the lesser known entertainment shows from radio's golden age. Scout About Town. This 1947 episode features an African-American trio called the 3 Flames. Singer Lily Ann Carole, and Comedian Morey Amsterdam before he made it big in television. The host is Barry Gray.  More at http://krobcollection.com

Dick Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) was an American comedian, civil rights activist, and author whose pioneering stand-up routines broke through racial barriers in the 1960s, making him a prominent voice in both entertainment and social justice. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Gregory rose to national fame after his breakthrough performance at Chicago’s Playboy Club, where his sharp, sa...

You're going to experience what it was like to hear history unfold on December 7th, 1941 when Japan attacked the United States. This is radio coverage of that fateful Sunday, as well as that Monday when Congress declared a state of war.  More at http://krobcollection.com

From the classic radio drama Destination Freedom, you're going to learn the story of The Knock-Kneed Man. Crispus Attucks, was a stevedore of African and Native American descent, and is widely regarded as the first person killed in the Boston Massacre, and thus the first American killed in the American Revolution.  More at http://krobcollection.com

Life with Luigi is an radio situation comedy series which began in the 1940s. The action centered on Luigi Basco and his experiences as a newly arrived Italian immigrant in Chicago, and his interactions with other refugees from different countries. In this episode Luigi writes a play to celebrate America, and decides to cast an African-American, which was rarely done at the time.  More at http://k...

Our focus is on the great Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. Robinson broke the color barrier when he started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947. We'll hear his story as told by legendary sports reporter Bill Stern. Then two episodes from Jackie Robinson's own radio show, and his radio biography from a 1948 episode of Destination Freedo...

A lesser known adult western series from 1958, Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone. Sam Buffington stars as Luke Slaughter, a Civil War cavalryman who turned to cattle ranching in post war Arizona territory.  More at http://krobcollection.com

From it's early days in the 1920's news was an important part of radio. The first newscasts were little more than announcers reading press releases and police reports. In the 1930s and 40s, network newscasts evolved into audio versions of newspaper columns. During the World War Two and into the 1950s there was the arrival of the radio news anchor, who presented reporters on the scene, with comment...

The radio broadcast of Joe Louis battling Max Baer at Yankee Stadium on September 24th, 1935. It was Louis' 10th fight that year, after defeating 9 other opponents. Joe Louis reigned as boxing's World Heavyweight Champion from 1937 to 1949. The Brown bomber won 26 world heavyweight title fights, the most in history.  More at http://krobcollection.com

On this edition we spotlight Jack Paar. The author, comedian, and actor is best known as one of the most successful hosts of NBC's Tonight Show. The Canton Ohio native began his career working in radio, despite growing up with a stutter. Paar was a humorous DJ at radio stations in Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo, and was then given his own network radio show on NBC in 1947. After getting into a di...

Before Martin Luther King Jr, there was Paul Robeson, who became an international activist for human rights and racial justice just as radio was beginning to become popular. Robeson used his fame as a star football player, and a popular singer and actor to fight for equality, not only in the United States but around the world. You will hear Paul Robeson perform on the Magic Key radio show on NBC i...

The Beulah Show, a situation comedy about a happy house maid, who was always hoping her boyfriend would propose. It was one of the few top starring roles for an African-American during network radio's golden age. Academy award winner Hattie McDaniel got the job in 1947, at what was then a whopping salary of $1,000 a week. In 1952 she became ill and Lillian Randolph took the position. She was later...

The Negro - Fascism and Democracy, from the radio show "New World A Coming". A World War Two examination of which political system African-Americans should side with. The program aired in 1944.   Details at http://krobcollection.com

This is a feature length presentation of the Adventures of Superman serial on the Mutual Radio Network in 1946. It's called Superman Fights the Clan of the Fiery Cross. After World War Two, the Klu Klux Klan became very popular in the United States. To fight the terrorist group, the producers of Superman had the Man of Steel take on a mythical but similar clan. The series was so successful, it nea...

From 1942, The Negro & Democracy is an episode from the classic radio series Freedom's People. The show was created by NBC to highlight the struggles and triumphs of African-Americans throughout the history of the United States.  More at http://krobcollection.com

In this podcast series we've focused on wars, music, movies, sporting events, and the Depression, but this time we examine Slavery in America. Occasionally the subject would be presented on radio during the golden age. We start with the 1957 CBS radio Workshop dramatization of Denmark Vesey, the early 19th century free Black leader in Charleston, South Carolina, who was accused and convicted of pl...

One of the most popular shows during radio's classic era was not a drama, comedy, or musical variety show, it was an educational program called The World Is Yours. The weekly 30 minute show began in 1936 and ran until 1942. It was one of the first public radio projects, and was produced by the Smithsonian Institution. The World is Yours was funded by the Works Progress Administration, and used act...

During World War Two there were several efforts to stem the tide of rising racial violence, as African-Americans became more vocal about bias and discrimination at home while Black soldiers were fighting against fascism overseas. The federal government was concerned that white attacks against African-Americans would affect morale, and provide propaganda for Germany, Japan, and Italy. So they worke...

All-Star Tribute to Canada Lee, as aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1941. Canada Lee pioneered acting roles for African Americans, starring on radio, stage and screen. He's best known for the films Native Son, and Lifeboat. Lee was also a champion of civil rights in the 1930s and 1940s, and was the first African-American producer on Broadway. Honoring Canada Lee in this presentation are...

Rare audio of a 1939 contest between the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Senators. The Major League Baseball teams battle in the last game of the season.  For more info visit http://krobcollection.com

This is a tribute to one of America's greatest inventors. From 1939 we have an episode from the radio reality show, Strange As It Seems. The installment highlights Dr. George Washington Carver, an amazing agricultural scientist who promoted alternative crops to cotton, and methods to prevent soil depletion, that saved the southern United States from economic ruin. He will explain it in his own wor...

From the 1930s, the very popular Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour. With the Harlem Roustabouts Jazz Group, Blues singer Martha Booker, and other amazing performers, with a salute to Mansfield, Ohio.  More at http://krobcollection.com

From 1932, it's the very first Jack Benny radio show, which led to the popular comedian having a career spanning 4 decades, on not only radio, but film and television. Also included are episodes from 1946 and 1954. The show also launched the career of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, who became the wealthiest African-American of the era.  More at http://krobcollection.com

This podcast features the radio show Pete Kelly's Blues, it was a tribute to age of dixieland jazz in the 1920s. It starred Jack Webb who would go on to become a big star on the crime drama Dragnet. However, "Blues" also featured blues singer Meredith Howard, one of the very few African-Americans to star in a non-stereotypical role during during the golden age of radio. Howard also h...

The radio show Destination Freedom tells the story of Satchel Paige, one of the greatest baseball pitchers of all time. Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige played in Negro League Baseball and Major League Baseball. He Joined the Cleveland Indians in 1948 at the age of 42, signing a $40,000 contract for the three months remaining in the season, becoming the first black pitcher in the American League, and...