Audio Antiques

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...

Get ready for Jubilee, a radio program that featured African American musicians and singers. This 1942 episode is hosted by actor, singer and musician Dooley Wilson who is best remembered for his performance in the classic film Casablanca. Wilson's guests are legendary singer and actress Lena Horne, the Golden Gate Quartet, and boxing great Joe Louis who was in in the Armed forces at the time.  ht...

From 1945, an installment from the classic radio show New World A Coming. This episode is called the Negro Reporter, staring Canada Lee. It's an examination of early African-American journalism.  More in at http://krobcollection.com

During radio's classic era race, and ethnicity were rarely talked about or featured on the air, but there were a few exceptions. One was The Eternal Light. An NBC Radio show that began in 1944, and ran for 45 years. It was produced in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary, and featured dramas, and commentary from the perspective of Judaism. The Eternal Light won numerous awards, and som...

Before there was Sidney Poitier and Harry Bellafonte, there was Canada Lee...who along with Paul Robeson was among the very few black actors to scratch out a dignified living in Hollywood movies during the 1930s and 40s. Lee was born in New York City on March 3rd, 1907.  He studied music as a child, but at age 19 Lee became a professional boxer. Even though he was rich and successful, Lee quit box...

The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the first integrated all-women's band in the United States. The Sweethearts were formed at Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi in 1938, to help raise funds for the facility which served poor, orphaned, and African American children. By 1941, the band was so successful they hit the road, playing swing and jazz across the nation including New Yo...

The life and times of John Fitzgerald Kennedy have been the subject of many history books. The public got to see him up close and personal after Senator Kennedy announced his campaign for president in 1960. The Democrat appeared on Meet The Press, which aired on NBC radio and television. We have two of his appearances, the first on January 3rd, 1960, and on October 16th, 1960 just a few weeks befo...

Ghetto is a word that dates back to 1516. It's an Italian word that was used describe part of a city where Jewish people were restricted to live. Since the 20th century ghetto is used in the United States to describe impoverished African-Americans are segregated away from the general population. You're going to hear about the history of the American ghetto from the classic radio show, New World A...

In April 1947, modern day baseball changed forever. That's when Jackie Robinson played his first major league game as a Brooklyn Dodger. After that day, there were a string of African-American firsts in baseball.  Four months later, Dan Bankhead of the Dodgers became the first black pitcher to play in a major league game. In 1948, Roy Campanella became the first black catcher. Larry Doby of th...

The Golden Gate Quartet is an African-American vocal group, that was founded in 1934 by four students at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia. Willie Johnson, William Langford, Henry Owens, and Orlandus Wilson started singing gospel and folks songs in churches and then at radio stations.  In 1937 the foursome signed their first recording  contract. They performed at Carnegie Hall,...

They were the first presidential debates since 1960. President Gerald Ford, and Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter were in a close race for the White House, and squared off in series of three debates just weeks before the 1976 election. It was the first presidential debate in 16 years, and was only the 3rd U.S. Presidential debate held between the final two contenders. You'll hear coverage of the secon...

It's one of only a few classic radio shows by African-Americas. Destination Freedom was a weekly radio program produced by NBC radio station WMAQ in Chicago from 1948 to 1950. It presented biographical histories of prominent African-Americans as written by the program's producer Richard Durham. You are going to hear a 1950 episode about the creation of the National Urban League, the nonpartisan hi...

The Golden Age of radio began just after World War One. Recordings of broadcasts from that era are extremely rare, and so were appearances by celebrities. However, President Calvin Coolidge made a speech on NBC in 1928, reminiscing about the end of his administration. In this podcast you will hear other sounds from the dawn of radio's classic era. We'll begin with one of the first soap operas. The...

During radio's classic age, few women had starring roles on dramatic programs outside of soap operas. One such woman was Mercedes McCambridge, who Orson Welles called the world's greatest living radio actress. She starred in the early 1950s crime show Defense Attorney, also known at The Defense Rests. McCambridge was so convincing that she receiving an honorary membership in the Los Angeles Women'...