When Radio Ruled

The very best Swing Bands at peak of their skill and Creativity playing live for our entertainment. Innovative use of instruments and musical arrangement that extend the boundaries of musical theory. Structured arrangements that made room for improvisation. The very best musicians in America playing the best they ever played. Featuring: Paul Whiteman Louis Armstrong … Continue reading When R...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. December 3 – December 10, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Smoking is good for the Nerves! It is so near Christmas!! Robert Armbruster plays a good milking tempo!!! … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #160 – SoundScape 1939 part 30 Decem...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. December 3 – December 10, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Murder on the Gridiron! Buttering Jack up for Christmas Presents!! Broadcast from Bergen’s Hospital Bedside!!! And More!! Featuring: … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #159 – So...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. November 26 – December 3, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Thanksgiving is more than Just Turkeys! Someday We’ll Be Very Proud of Our Son! McCarthy and Doogan Christmas … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #158 – SoundScape 1939 part&#160...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. November 19 – November 26, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio In today’s SoundScape: Mary’s Thanksgiving Poem Jack’s Turkey is an Ostrich! The Deacon chisels for a living!! Remember Abe Lincoln this … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #157 – SoundScape 1939 part...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. November 12 – November 19, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Churchill Summarizes the First Ten Weeks of War. Mexican Jumping Beans from Your Skelly Man! Falling in Love … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #156 – SoundScape 1939 part&#160...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day!! November 9 – November 12, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Duffy Knows all the Angles! Jack Benny sees the Dentist!! Jean Arthur meets Mortimer Snerd!!! And More!! Featuring: … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #155 – SoundScape 1939 pa...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. November 5 – November 8, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Jack and Phil are incompatible! Casting the Boys as The Women! Three Banana Splits and Now I’m a … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #154 – SoundScape 1939 part 24 November 5-8&#1...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. October 29 – November 5, 1939 Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Jack Benny’s Costume Party! Fibber and … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #153 – SoundScape 1939 part 23: Oc...

Happy New Year from Old Time Radio of the 1930s! Featuring: The History of New Year’s Day Jack Benny Mary Livingston Don Wilson Georgie Jessel Norma Talmadge Edward Arnold Dennis Day Phil Harris Eddie “Rochester” Anderson Click Here For Old Time Radio New Year Eve!!

Holiday Spirit from 1937, 1938, and 1939as served up by Old Time Radio! Christmas Time is here again. A time when us older folks reconnect with the child we once were. Moments from past Christmases relived, smiles and tears remembered. Longing and gratitude and the laughter of those we’ve lost. At least that’s what happens … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #151 – A 1930s Christm...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. October 23 – October 29, 1939 A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Gildersleeve throws a Halloween Party! The Question of the Week! The Great Frederick Knocks Off Important Dough! Carol … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #150 – SoundScape 1939 p...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 15 through October 22, 1939. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Fibber McGee and Giidersleeve Argue! Henry Aldritch combs his hair! Arthur Miller’s first … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #149 &#82...

Happy Thanksgiving!! The concept of Thanksgiving is as ancient as ancient can be. Harvest festivals dedicated to the god or gods currently in fashion as thanks for abundance and the survival it would provide. But like so many things, Americans have made thanksgiving their very own with traditions and customs created and nurtured here in … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #148 – OTR Th...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 8 through October 15, 1939. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: What the Jack Benny cast did on Summer Vacation! Dennis Day Joins the … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #147 – SoundScape 1939 p...

Old Time Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 1 through October 8, 1939. Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Charlie McCarthy’s in Need of Cash! Mozart has been dead for … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #146 – SoundScape 1939 pa...

At Halloween the thin boundary between living and dead dissolves so that ghosts, goblins, and the sins we thought long buried come back to feast on our fright filled souls. Day of the dead, all souls day, two thousand years ago the Pagen Celts called it Samhin, we call it Halloween.  The time when ghosts, … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #145 – Halloween 2025

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. September 21 –September 28, 1939 History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Tap Dancing on the Radio! Charlie McCarthy back to School! Funny stories from David Niven Women can be Boss and make the … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #144 – SoundScape 1939 part 18 Se...

Early American entertainment included the circus, the minstrel show, vaudeville, broadway revues, all popular forms of the variety show. And it was talent from those stage shows that created radio. But radio wasn’t the same as the stage. Radio was different manifesting new possibilities for entertainment. An opportunity to entertain with new formats. The situation … Continue reading When Rad...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. September 10 – September 21, 1939 History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Fibber and Molly Celebrate their Anniversary! George G. Nathan Talks Eugene O’Neil! Smoking Hot Swing Tunes! And More!! Featuring: Orson Welles … Continue reading When Radio Ruled 142-SoundScape...

The first generation of radio talent, performers, directors, and writers came from the worlds of vaudeville, minstrel shows and Broadway revues. All forms of variety theater, so it isn’t any wonder that the variety show quickly emerged as a common Radio format. Here are the three Old Time Radio shows from the 1930’s I feel … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #141 – 3 Best Variety Shows...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. August 27 – September 5, 1939 History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Picking up Girls with Alan Mowbray! The Most Fateful Broadcast in History! On the Boat with Edgar and Charlie! Nutrition with … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #140 – SoundScape 1939 part&#16...

Sometimes an actor playing a character becomes so popular with their audience that it becomes more than a character, it becomes a persona that the actor inhabits. Such was the case with Vera Vague, a creation of actor/writer Babara Jo Allen. Vera Vague was a constant presence on Old Time Radio, man-hungry, misinformed, and most … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #139 – Vera Vague&#160...

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s SoundScape: Donald Dixon Tries to Tell a Joke! Charlie McCarthy Interior Decorator! Charlie McCarthy Astronomer! Charlie McCarthy Coin Collector! Charlie McCarthy Boy Scout! Charlie McCarthy Talent Agent! And … Continue reading When Radio Ru...

Fred Allen and the people you didn’t expect to meet 1939. Fred Allen was famously a control freak on his radio shows. Although he used a staff of writers, it was just to generate ideas and jokes that would be incorporated into the final script that Fred always wrote personally. Each minute of those shows … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #137 – Fred Allen’s People You Didn&#821...