Audio Antiques

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

Hattie McDaniel was an American actress, singer, and comedian. She was born in 1893 in Wichita, Kansas...and was the youngest of 13 children. Her father Henry had fought in the Civil War. Her mother was a gospel singer, both had been slaves. After graduating from high school McDaniel started working as a songwriter and performer. In the 1920s she began performing on the radio, and embarked on a re...

We're going to learn about Adam Clayton Powell Jr. He was the first African-American to be elected to Congress from New York, as well as the first from any state in the Northeastern U.S. Powell represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971. He served as a national spokesman on civil rights and social issues. Powell also urged the U.S....

Elvis Ghost, Cheating Spouses, Pregnancy & Exercise. More at http://krobcollection.com

Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor, and musician, who was Born in Brooklyn New York in 1916 under difficult circumstances. His only sibling died at age 14, his father abandoned the family, and Gleason dropped out of school to earn money. Then his mother died leaving him broke and homeless. Gleason spent the next decade trying to break into show business as a night club comedian. He eve...

History comes alive with coverage of D-Day from CBS Radio, which marked the beginning of the end of Nazi Germany during World War Two. The Normandy landing was the largest seaborne invasion of all time, with nearly 5,000 landing and assault craft, 289 escort vessels, and 277 minesweepers participating. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on D-Day with 875,000 men eventually disembark...

Ken Robinson in a classic interview with Northeast Ohio urban radio station executive Harry Boomer. More at KrobCollection.com

Nellie Lutcher was a popular African-American jazz and R&B singer, pianist and songwriter, who is largely forgotten today. Born in Louisiana in 1912, she began playing piano at a young age and eventually formed her own band, The Nellie Lutcher Trio. She gained popularity in the 1940s with hits such as "Hurry On Down" and "Fine Brown Frame." Lutcher's unique style blende...

In this podcast we focus on difficulties African-Americans faced in housing and employment during the time of Jim Crow racism, in both the south and the north, as presented on the program New World A' Comin'. First, with the 1945 episode entitled Hot Spots USA, which follows a family trying to escape discrimination for a better life. Then a 1944 episode called Executive Order 8802, which w...

Comedy Writers, Office Help, Baking For Guns. More at http://krobcollection.com

Ken Robinson interviews Black inventor and Ohio auto dealer Onie Temple in this historic broadcast. More at KrobCollection.com

Boxing was very popular on radio during the medium's golden age. Floyd Patterson and Tommy Hurricane Jackson battled for the heavyweight crown at the Polo Grounds in New York in 1957. Patterson was the world heavyweight champion twice between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title, and was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after l...

The topics are Female Inferiority, Stranger Danger, and Memories.  More at http://krobcollection.com

Hollywood stars were no strangers to radio during the classic era. Many made guest appearances on a variety of programs, and some even had programs of their own. Like Humphrey Bogart.  The iconic actor and Academy Award Winner performed radio adaptations of some of his best-known films, such as Casablanca and The African Queen, and recorded a radio series entitled Bold Venture with his equally tal...