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Showing posts from May, 2013

Memorial Day Old Time Radio Broadcast: "Private Throgg" from Columbia Workshop, May 29, 1939

Between the American Revolution and the current conflict in Iraq, more than 26 million men and women have served America in wartime. Nearly 900,000 of those who served never returned home. Memorial Day is a day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving their nation. Memorial Day traces its origins to the days following the Civil War, when many people from the North and South decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. Decoration Day, as it was then known, was first observed officially on May 30, 1868 after Commander John A. Logan announced "the 30th of May is designated as a day of memorial to those who died in defence of our country. Let no ravages of time testify to the present or to coming generations that we as a people have forgotten the cost of a free and undivided republic".     In 1882 Decoration Day was changed to Memorial Day and in 1971, President Nixon declared it a national holiday.  To commemorate Memor

PINT SIZE-BUT POWERFUL . . .Johnny Roventini "Call for Philip Morris..."

PINT SIZE-BUT POWERFUL . . . Unique is the word for Johnny. Johnny is a radio’s only vocal trademark. Johnny is the only holder of a life-time contract in the history of radio. Johnny is only 47 inches high and weighs only 59 pounds. Johnny is the only name he goes by—and to millions of Americans. That’s right—Johnny is the lad who three times a week gives his famous call over two of our major networks. For a little man, Johnny isn’t doing badly. His job pays him $20,000 a year, plus a good deal of fame. The audition which netted him all this was just as unique as his career. Johnny was a bellhop in a New York hotel. Eleven years ago, a certain Milton Biow—advertising man and genius of a sort-passed through the hotel and got an idea. He had Johnny page a non-existent Mr.  Philip Morris . Of course, Johnny paged Mr. Morris without results, but when he reported his failure to Mr. Biow—he found it turned into phenomenal success. He got the contract for the cigarette