The Good Old Days of Radio Show

All this month we are celebrating actor Vincent Price, featuring in particular his work on radio. As usual, we have done our best to select programs that show Price's range and versatility as a performer, so you will be hearing everything from horror to comedy to drama. Price's style often felt very classical, leading many to believe he was British. So for our debut, we are featuring Mr. Price pla...

This is a broadcast we've been avoiding on this podcast, since it's been overdone by just about every old time radio program in history. But there is still so much interest in this historic broadcast, especially among younger listeners, we caved. So here is the famous panic broadcast in which real people really believed that real Martians had landed in Grover's Mill, New Jersey, and were marching...

This is the last Halloween-themed comedy show for now. Our Miss Brooks was a late-40s through 1950s classic sitcom that leaned heavily into character comedy. It was led by Eve Arden, who carried her persona of the wise-cracking character she developed in the movies, over to a high school English teacher, who was perpetually broke, ever pining for the reclusive biology teacher Phillip Boynton, a cr...

Well, our Carlton E. Morse series is wrapped up, and we are still one week away from our official Halloween show, so instead of starting something new, we are going to anticipate the dark and stormy night with this creepy little number from Wyllis Cooper. As usual, Quiet Please takes a little bit of figuring out ("are we listening to a comedy or a spoof?"). But this is one of John's favorites, so...

J. Carrol Naish was one of the great dialect performers from vintage film and radio. For a brief period he became known for a well-written radio show from Si Howard, about a number of immigrants struggling to acclimate to American culture. As you might imagine, this gave the writers plenty of fodder to mock modern pop culture. This Halloween show came late in the show's run, when it was beginning...

OK, we're here. Somehow we've survived our 10 week excursion through creepy, ghoulish happenings, disappearances, buried pearls, wandering phantoms, and lots and lots of weird noises. In this finale of "City of the Dead," Morse lays out in meticulous detail all of the explanations behind what was seen and heard in his cemetery. We will leave it to you, dear listener, as they did back in 1944, to u...

Our "Creepy Comedies" series continues all through the month of October with "America's Favorite Young Couple" Ozzie and Harriet. This is their 1948 Halloween themed episode, a nostalgic look back at "trick or treat" from the past, with a nod to the future. Ozzie is determined to have a spooky time at Halloween by visiting a neighborhood haunted house, leaving us with the popular question: "what d...

We continue with the Carlton E. Morse classic today, The City of the Dead, in Episode 9 titled "The Trail of the Phantom Churchbell." As tensions rise, Captain Friday has mysteriously vanished, leaving Phyllis, Jimmy, and their companions in a harrowing situation. With black pearls, mysterious kidnappings, and a haunting church bell, the group tries to piece together the sinister events that have...

In this second installment of our October comedy-horror series, we're bringing you a classic Abbott and Costello episode from January 13, 1944. Though not technically a Halloween show, this one features the legendary Peter Lorre. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello deliver their signature slapstick humor and rapid-fire wordplay, a great "flee when flu flies" tongue twister routine, and a spooky visit to P...

We're so close to the end of The City of the Dead, we can smell it. Literally. It's episode 8 of Adventures by Morse, with more weird twists and turns in the old creaky cemetery. "The Kidnapping of Clawfoot" begins with a series of strange occurrences: Captain Friday goes missing, a ghoul is caught digging in Ernie Morton's grave, and tensions rise when Jimmy Parker accuses the mayor of murder. Do...

In this special October series, we are going to be presenting comedy programs with a spooky twist. We start by featuring the Jack Benny Program from October 31st, 1948—just before the iconic show moved to CBS during the network talent raids. This is one of Jack's best Halloween themed shows, as he goes trick-or-treating with the "Beavers." Join us for nostalgic comedy and Halloween fun! Visit our...

Step back into the atmospheric world of bony creeps and cobwebs as we continue our trek through City of the Dead, episode 7. In this production from 1944, Captain Friday and Jimmy Parker continue to explore the ancient cemetery for answers. And yep, Captain Friday disappears! Carlton E. Morse's adventure serial is coming to a head! Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to ou...

Welcome back to The Good Old Days of Radio Show! This week, we're diving into a classic comedy episode featuring Henry Morgan and his sidekick Arnold Stang, broadcast on May 7th, 1947. In this episode Morgan skewers the absurdities of 1940s vacation planning with his own fictitious travel agency, pitching 'Lovely Camp Schmo.' Also a spoof on the world of dentistry. Because some realities of life n...

Join us for episode six of our trek through Carlton E. Morse's classic radio series, The City of the Dead (1944). In this episode, titled "The Ghoul in the Grave," Captain Friday and his companions uncover more about the elusive black pearls and the unsettling skeleton that seems to have a mind of its own. It's 1940s pulp adventure/mystery/horror at its ghoulish best. Visit our website: https://go...

In this episode of The Good Old Days of Radio Show, host John Tefteller takes you back to November 4, 1945, with a twist on a classic pairing. Featuring an episode of Request Performance, the American version of Command Performance, you'll hear Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce—famous for their portrayals of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson—swap roles in a delightful reimagining of their iconic charact...

In this episode, we're back into the creepy world of Carlton E. Morse, one of the great writers of Mystery Radio. We feature Adventures by Morse from 1944, a 10-part cliffhanger series titled The City of the Dead. The story follows Captain Friday as he uncovers chilling mysteries in an old cemetery where the dead may not rest in peace. High adventure and blood, and thunder await! Visit our website...

In this episode of "The Good Old Days of Radio Show," host John Tefteller takes a break from our usual programming to delve into the oft overlooked world of old-time radio preservation. John shares his personal journey as a collector, starting in 1972, and the challenges he faces in saving these historical treasures. With a growing collection that includes thousands of rare recordings, John discus...

In this thrilling episode of The Good Old Days of Radio Show, we continue our journey through Carlton E. Morse's gripping horror series, Adventures by Morse. Join us for Episode 4 of The City of the Dead, titled "Old Claw Foot," where we once again encounter phantom figure, and three bodies in a secret cellar. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for n...

Today grab your cup of Joe, we're feet first into a classic period of the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, originally broadcast on January 3, 1946. This episode deals with the post-war housing shortage as George and Gracie decide to repurpose their den to help a returning serviceman. Their neighbor, Meredith Willson (famed writer of "The Music Man") played a pivotal role during this period of t...

Today we dive into another chilling installment of our special action-packed radio serial from 1944, featuring the suspenseful third episode of "Adventures by Morse: The City of the Dead," titled "The Body That Walked Off." Captain Friday and his crew face a chilling discovery as a grave is reopened, and a dead man’s body mysteriously vanishes. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Su...

This week, we shine the spotlight on the legendary W.C. Fields, a comedic genius whose biting wit and unique persona left an indelible mark on the entertainment world. In this episode, we explore one of WC Fields' final performances from October 1945, featuring his famous "Temperance Lecture."  Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions...

We bring you chapter two in Carlton E. Morse's "City of the Dead" radio serial. This week's chapter, "I've Dug Up Something Ghastly" continues the atmospheric mystery tale as the mayor is shot in an old church, leading to the involvement of Captain Friday (played by Elliot Lewis), the mayor's son and a private investigator.  Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Faceb...

It's been awhile since we've brought Red Skelton to the show. Skelton's humor is energetic and fun to listen to, revolving around his wild and eccentric characters. This episode is all about "People Celebrating," featuring sketches with Clem Kadiddlehopper and "The Mean Widdle Mean Kid." Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and t...

Ghosts cry, a phantom bell tolls, and a claw-footed monster roams around at night in "The City of the Dead." Today we begin a 10-Part Carlton E. Morse mystery/thriller from his brief syndicated series "Adventures By Morse." This is "I Love A Mystery" on steroids. A dark, foggy mystery set in a graveyard, with Morse at his imaginative best. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscri...

It's episode number 12 of a series. And now we are counting down to the last few episodes in this late radio comedy, "The Stan Freberg Show." In this episode, we get an interview with a test-pilot while on a high-speed rocket sled, how to fix a kitchen faucet, and a live version of Freberg's popular Capitol Record parody of "Sh-Boom." Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to...