Golden Age of Radio

Sunday, January 7, 1940           THE MILWAUKEE OURNAL –SCREEN and RADIO       11                  Radio Gagsters Won’t Laugh By Jack Sher MILTIE BERLINDER, aged 7, stood in front of the mirror in the Berlinger’s Bronx apartment making faces. He knitted his eyebrows furiously. He seriously studied his image in the mirror. He knitted his eyebrows furiously. He decided it was pretty good. Papa Berlinger put down his paper, pointed a long finger at Miltie and addressed Mama Berlinger. “Lookit our boy.” He wagged his head disapprovingly. “All day he’s gonna stand there and make monkeyshines in the mirror?” Mama Berlinger wagged a finger back at papa. “So if Miltie wants to make faces, it hurts you? Leave him alone. Something will come of this.” “From such foolishness comes nothing,” Papa Berlinger replied and went back...

DOWN WITH COMMON SENSE VOTE FOR “GRACIE ALLEN” The Pittsburgh Press – Jul 17, 1944 Gracie Allen Reporting – Dewey’s Eye on President’s Chair, But Look What Roosevelt Has on It By GRACIE ALLEN Written for North American Newspaper Alliance, CHICAGO, July 17—Well, here I am back in Chicago to report another political convention. This time, the Democrats are going to meet and try to figure out how to keep Mr. Dewey out of the White House. The Democrats I’ve seen so far don’t seem to look very worried. I guess they figure that if Dewey has his eye on that presidential chair . . . look what Roosevelt has on it. I Gracie Allen asked some one if the  Roosevelt  'sowned the White House and they said “No.” Too bad—think of the rent they could have saved. And by the way, this time my husband. George Burns, is with me. I was afraid George might object to my working as a newspaper reporter. The average husband doesn’t like his wife to work. ...

Here's a fascinating story from Fate Magazine written by Arch Oboler , one of the golden age of radio's premier radio authors and directors. Born in Chicago, Illinois on December 7, 1907 to parents Leon and Clara Oboler, Arch Oboler was a director, producer, and a prolific writer. He had his very first script sold when he was still in highschool. He started to become famous after being hired by NBC in 1936 as the writer for its extremely popular horror radio series called Lights Out, whose original writer Wyllis Cooper left the show. Oboler was considered by many as the father of radio drama. Apart from his work in the radio, he also worked as a writer for many films, theater, and television series. He also wrote a couple of books. Most of you here would probably remember Bill Crosby’s routine about one of Oboler’s radio plays entitled The Chicken Heart. Another of his popular works include the Bwana Devil, which was the world’s first full-length film in 3D. Oboler m...

In "Radiogram" Magazine, there is a brief article listing the Old Time Radio celebrities who should be in the government after this coming election: PRESIDENT: Edward Arnold, who starred as every president from George Washington to Calvin Coolidge on the show " Mr. President ." VICE-PRESIDENT: Senator Beauregard Claghorn . SECRETARY OF STATE: Truman Bradley, prolific announcer, once touted for the position by Gracie Allen when she ran for President . SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Red Albright, a.k.a. Captain Midnight ! SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Osgood Conklin  ( Gale Gordon ). SECRETARY OF LABOR: Chester A. Riley . SECRETARY OF COMMERCE: Col. Lemuel Q. Stoopnagle . SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY: Jack Benny . SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: David Harding . SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Henry Barbour . SECRETARY OF THE NAVY: Captain Silver . SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE: Jimmie Allen . SECRETARY OF THE ARMY: Major George Fielding Eliot. SECRETARY OF T...