When Radio Ruled

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: Meet a Real English Butler! Edgar Bergen Gets Airsick! The Pie Eyed Piper of Hamlin! And More!! Featuring: Cecil B Demille Charlie McCarthy Dorothy Lamour Don Ameche … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #136-SoundScape 1939 part&#...

Old Time Radio was dog eat dog, CBS and NBC scooped up the all the best stations and biggest talent, leaving all the little local stations in the dust. Not all the independent stations wanted to let NBC and CBS run away with their audiences In 1934 WGN and 3 other independents, WOR in New … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #135 – Origins of the Mutual Network 1934-39

Old Time Radio highlights originally broadcast live June 29 to July 9, 1939. Chronologically curated clips of live broadcasts from popular shows of the day. History told by the people living it, as reported by radio. In Today’s SoundScape: The Making of Wizard of Oz Meadow Mouse Grabs 40 Winks! Charlie and Edgar visit the … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #134-SoundScape 1939 part 13

Voices from 1939 talking with one of the Greatest Voices on Old Time Radio In 1939 Orson Welles was only 24 years old but a veteran of Radio. He’d been a regular on The March of Time and was enjoying a very successful run playing the Shadow. These excerpts are from the Campbell Playhouse in … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #133 -Orson Welles and Guests 1939

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: The Town Hall News! A Newsreel Camera Man! Fred Allen Bad Mouths Jack Benny! Life Begins at 40! And More Featuring: Cecil B DeMille Dr. Ronald W. … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #132 – SoundScape 1939 part 12

In public, Eddie Cantor was known as a charming clown with a side of song. In private, Eddie Cantor was a concerned citizen who dedicated much of his personal time and wealth to Jewish charities and causes. The more he saw the rising hatred directed at the Jewish people, the more he felt the need … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #131 – Eddie Cantor vs Father Coughlin 1939

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: Royalty are just regular folks! Jack Benny with the Hollywood Gossip! The Patent Office is Your Friend! Frank Morgan talks Wizard of Oz and World Fairs! A … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #130-SoundScape 1939 part 11

Edgar Bergen was also Charlie McCarthy but Charlie McCarthy was one of a kind. The cutest little obnoxious guy on the radio.  A big personality in a tiny package. Charlie McCarthy took radio by storm and Edgar Bergen rode his coattails to fame and fortune. Actually Bergen rode his own coat tails, but it was … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #129 – Charlie McCarthy and Guests 193...

1939 SoundScape part 10, Radio highlights originally broadcast live May 22 through June 4, 1939 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: Youth committing crimes! American Freedom! The Death of John Brown! Jack Benny: Ladies … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #128 &#821...

17 year old Wynn Murray already had two Broadway hits on her resume when she joined The Fred Allen show as the resident Female Vocalist in 1939. Fred Allen’s decision to bring a famous female vocalist onto his show in 1939 was a recognition that female singers were now in vogue. Singers like Connie Boswell … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #127 – Wynn Murray Sings 1939

SoundScape part 9, Radio highlights originally broadcast live May 4 through May 21, 1939 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: Mother’s Day 1939 with Jack Benny! Where are the real high class professional … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #126 – SoundScape 19...

Charlie McCarthy is really Edgar Bergen. Or the other way around. It was a ventriloquist act. On the radio. Go figure. But you can’t argue with success and the Charlie McCarthy show was more than a success, it was a cultural phenomenon. The Kids loved Charlie McCarthy, so did the parents and Grandparents. The biggest … Continue reading When Radio Ruled episode 125 – Charlie McCarthy an...

Radio highlights originally broadcast live April 6 through April 30, 1939 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: A Tribute to Man’s Best Friend, my Dog Pearl Buck Talks China with Anna Mae Wong … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #124 – SoundScape 1939 part 8, A...

Close harmony groups were popular in the 1920’s, 30’s,40’s and  50’s. The Merry Macs were among the most successful and were certainly the longest lived of all the Old Time Radio harmony groups. Close Harmony singing evolved from the Barbershop Quartets of the 1880s and 1890s, but with a jazz age sensibility. Closer harmonic chords … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #123 – The Me...

Radio highlights originally broadcast live March 22 through April 5, 1939 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: Nothing about the war in this one, things were quiet there and we were more than … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #122 – SoundScape 1939 part 7, M...

Cecil B. DeMille was a legend, a trailblazer, and a person of ambition and talent. In this episode, DeMille talks with others like him, movers and shakers who have risen to the top of their chosen fields. Greatness, talking with greatness on the Lux Radio Theater. DeMille’s guests include: Father Flanagan H.V. Kaltenborn Grand Duchess … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #121 – Cecil B...

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. In today’s soundscape: Mary’s Springtime Poem! Ed Sullivan wants to know! Is Jack Benny the real Jack Benny?! And more!!! This episode features: Orson Welles Laurence Olivier Noah Beery Cecil … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #120 – SoundScape...

 In 1939 Dorothy Lamour was the leading lady on a show that was neck and neck with Jack Benny for number 1 in the ratings. Not bad for a lower class girl who dropped out of school at 14 to support her family. Now, at only 25 years old, her ambition and talent had paid … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #119 – Dottie Lamour Girl Next Door 1939

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio. In today’s soundscape: Baby Snooks and Daddy visit the 1939 New York’s World Fair! An Irish Ghost Story entitled “Faith is Not always a Lady”!! A Gentle Reminder to Always Remember to Lux your Stockings!! This episode features: The Family Doctor Cecil … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #118 – SoundScape 1939 part...

These Interviews were a regular feature of The Lux Radio Theater, a show that presented radio versions of current Hollywood films. At act break host Cecil B. Demille and an expert guest would comment on the radio play so far. Sometimes the guest would be from the rich, famous and powerful classes, we’ll hear those … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #117 – Cecil B. DeMille interviews 1...

History through the eyes of people as they live it, reported by radio. Voices from the past alive again because you’re listening now. In today’s soundscape, you can hear the dark cloud of war gather. Earlier in the year, as evidenced by When Radio Ruled Soundscapes 1939 parts 1, 2, and 3, Old Time Radio … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #116-SoundScape 1939 part 4

I had thought Dorothy Lamour to be just another pretty face who had a technically good voice but was somewhat interchangeable with the other bright, young, pretty songstresses of old time variety radio in that Dorothy’s songs were good enough but stylistically the same you heard on other popular shows. Then I discovered this musical … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #115 – Dorothy La...

1939 was a year where everything changed. An uneasy peace became all out war.  Society and culture and government were questioned as never before. The evil inside the human race made itself known that year, as ferocious as in the past but applied with an improved efficiency. Radio was there to witness it. And I … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #114 – SoundScape 1939 part 3 (Jan...

Charlie McCarthy  was created by Edgar Bergen based on a wise cracking newsboy named Charlie from the neighborhood.  High Schooler Edgar Bergen sketched the design for Charlie. More than a little obsessed,  Bergen decided to bring his Charlie to life. Bergen built Charlie’s movable body but paid woodworker Theodore Mack $35 to carve Charlie’s head. … Continue reading When Radio Rul...

1939 was the year the country woke up to the horrific scale of the death to come on land, sea, and in the Air Seems obvious now, but at the time lots of people thought the first great war  had been so terrible it could never happen again. I wish they had been right. The … Continue reading When Radio Ruled #112 – SoundScape 1939 part 2