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On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while visiting Dallas, Texas. Those who were alive on that day, will always remember where they were when they first heard the terrible news. On this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we look back to that tragic day fifty years ago. How the media broke the story to a shocked nation, how Americans reacted to the news, and how Pre...

On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the Air, broadcast a dramatization of H. G. Wells' novel "The War of the Worlds". This broadcast caused widespread panic in the United States as listeners believed that we were truly being invaded by Martians. On this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we look back to that evening 75 years ago, and discuss the many contributing facto...

On this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, Top 40 Radio historian David Leonard concludes his four-show visit this with us. Dave talks to us about radio station owners, innovators, and trailblazers that were found behind the scenes in Top 40 Radio back in the 50s and 60s. These individuals, although not as well known as the radio personalities heard on their stations, were the ones that made t...

Our visit with Top 40 Radio historian Dave Leonard continues here on Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site. On this episode, Dave talks to us about personalities not generally associated with radio. Among the names that are recalled are Art Linkletter, Regis Philbin, and Morton Downey Jr. These individuals and many others had their start in San Diego Radio and eventually moved on to television and continued...

Dave Leonard continues his visit with Smitty and Mike. Dave is author of "Aircheck, the Story of Top 40 Radio in San Diego". On this episode, Dave talks about buildings in the San Diego area that were once radio stations. In the early days, radio stations were located in hotel buildings, office buildings, and later in specialized buildings to house stations. As time went on, stations found homes i...

Mike and Smitty welcome back their good friend David Leonard to the Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site microphones. Dave is author of "Aircheck, the Story of Top 40 radio in San Diego". This is the authoritative book covering the golden Top 40 era in San Diego. In addition, Dave Leonard is an expert in the field of Top 40 radio history particularly in the Southern California region. Dave joins us for the...

On this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we remember Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, and Erector Sets. These simple toys were lots of fun and taught kids how to build and create all sorts of different things. The cognizant skills that were developed by these toys was valuable, all from a simpler time with no batteries, or electronics such as are found today. We also look back at the 40th anniversa...

This episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site features a look back at Technicolor. Everyone recalls the great films of the 30s through 50s that were shot in vivid Technicolor. This story begins back in the late teens, and we look back at how the Technicolor company came into being as well as the developments that led to the unique and beautiful color movies we remember so well. We look back at some o...

It's the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond film release here in the U.S. and on this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we look back to some of our favorite movies in this legendary series. We remember some of the actors who portrayed James Bond, as well as some of the beautiful women and cool gadgets that were seen in the movies. Lots of good things we recall from this series of well-r...

Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site continues its Summer 2013 series of shows. First off we remember some well known celebrities who have passed away in recent months. Among those we pay tribute to are Jonathan Winters, Esther Williams, and Slim Whitman, plus other well-known individuals. Next Mike and Smitty recall vacation travels of the past. A popular way to travel was to tow a trailer behind the famil...

Smitty and Mike continue their summertime shows here on Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, and the Galaxy Guys talk about barbecuing back in the day. The barbecues back in the day were very simple, way different from the fancy grills available now. We also remember the fun of sitting outside in summertime and enjoying a nice meal while trying to stay cool on those hot summer evenings. The second half of...

It's summertime 2013 here at Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site and on this episode Smitty and Mike look back to many years ago and remember the different ways we stayed cool on those blistering hot days. From evaporative coolers, to the community swimming pool to buying ice cream from the ice cream man, to running through the sprinklers, most people didn't have air conditioning and so relied on some of t...

Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site welcomes to its microphones Ken Kramer, a long-time San Diego radio and television personality. Ken visits with Smitty and Mike and talks to us about his long and interesting career in radio and TV. Ken has done a variety of programs over the years and is best known for his "About San Diego" series on both radio and TV. On his program, Ken searches out little known and h...

We remember some recent personalities in the world of entertainment that we have lost, on this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site. Among them, Ray Manzarek, of Doors fame; Annette Funicello Van Cliburn, Roger Ebert, and Jean Stapleton to name a few. We remember them all on this episode. In addition, we remember the 60th Anniversary of "The Ford 50th Anniversary Show". The live, two-hour celebra...

We talk about vinyl, records, LPs, and 45s on this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site. Mike and Smitty look back at phonograph records, and how they have hung on even with the advent of CDs. LPs have never gone away, and it looks like they are here to stay with a resurgence in popularity. Many older records are now very collectible, and sought after. Also we talk about new vinyl records being m...

Mike and Smitty look back at the recent passing of Hollywood Custom Car Designer Dean Jeffries. Among the many cars he designed was the Monkeemobile that was seen on the 60s TV show "The Monkees". Dean Jeffries was also a stuntman who worked in many film and TV productions. We remember his many contributions to the film and television world. We also look back at some of the many custom cars that w...

Here on Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, Mike and Smitty welcome their friend Andrew Baldwin, who is 26 years old and has been a fan of Big Band and Swing music for many years. Andrew shares with us how he got interested in this kind of music, and how he came to appreciate Big Band music by way of the classic vocalists of the past such as Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. In addition, he tells us and...

Remember when the family radio or TV console was housed in a beautiful, ornate piece of furniture? On this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we look back at these consoles as a major furniture piece in mid 20th century homes. Often times, these items defined the status of the family who owned them, as well as offering distinctive choices for people who wanted to house their electronics in ele...

Smitty and Mike welcome back their good friend "Shotgun Tom" Kelly on this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site. Shotgun Tom will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later this month. Mike and Smitty chat it up with Shotgun about what it takes for an artist to receive a Star, how the process works, and Shotgun's reflections on this singular honor as he joins the ranks of other celeb...

This episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site features a story on Great Movie Star Screen Couples of the past. We all have our favorite screen couples from the golden age of cinema, and we look back at some of them. Who are your favorites? Maybe Bogie and Bacall, William Powell and Myrna Loy, or perhaps Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. Whoever your favorites are, we'll remember them here, and also look b...

Welcome to Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site! On this episode, we look back at the Etch-A-Sketch, the popular toy of the 1960s and 70s. Long before personal gaming devices which involved electronics became common place, the Etch-A-Sketch, powered by your imagination, would provide just as many hours of fun and entertainment as any modern device. Next we look at touch-tone telephones. Do you remember the...

This episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site finds the Galaxy Good Guys on a road trip to the transmitter facility of radio station KOGO in San Diego. This facility is historic, being built in 1948 toward the end of the Golden Age of Radio, but nevertheless still carrying much historic and quality programming during the past 65 years. The original RCA transmitter is being dismantled and removed from...

It's another hour-long episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, and on this show, we remember the life and career of Jackie Gleason, legendary television and film celebrity. We look back at his early years, his rise in show business, his entry into motion pictures, and his highly successful career in television. We also remember some of his best remembered characters such as Ralph Kramden from the c...

We remember the 35th anniversary of Star Wars on this edition of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, the blockbuster film that had lines of people waiting hours to see it and brought to us such catch-phrases as "May the Force be with You". George guides us through a review of the cultural significance of this motion picture, as well as recalling many famous scenes and anecdotes from it. Next we remember b...

On this episode of Galaxy Moonbeam Night Site, we mark the 100th anniversary of the Tarzan series of books, authored by Edgar Rice Burroughs. For many baby-boomers, Tarzan was a part of our growing up, whether following his adventures on films, comics, or television. George looks back at the history of the Tarzan franchise and gives us an overview of the many volumes published by Burroughs, as wel...