Golden Age of Radio

St. Petersburg Times – Jul 15, 1945 ‘ Plantation Party ’ Opened Doors to Radio Success A few year ago, a series called “ PlantationParty ” ended a four-year run over NBC , out of Chicago. Throughout its run, the show enjoyed a good rating . . . and subsequent developments have proved that there was a good reason for it. Two of the latest proofs are offered by Curt Massey and Marlin Hurt, both of whom are starring in new shows of their own. Curt Massey, with Carol Bruce and Harry Sosnik’s orchestra, has the spotlight on the new “Sunday on the N-K Ranch” series. Massey, following a few guest appearances on the Andrews Sisters show, was so widely hailed as the next male singing, sensation, that he was signed as headliner on the replacement series while famous Andrews threesome entertains overseas. On “ Plantation Party ,” Curt sang, played trumpet and violin, with his sister, Louise Massey, and her Westerners. Hurt, multiple-voiced comic who is Beulah , the colored maid,...

LIFE WITH LUIGI : Mr. Basco, Citizen This is a great day for Luigi—no longer an immigrant, but a working partner in these United States! “Dear Mama Mia: Tomorrow is gonna be one of the most important days of my life—I’m going to take the test for my first citizenship papers. Already I look more American . Is hard to explain exactly how I feel, Mama.” Cy Howard is the creator of Luigi, the Little Immigrant, and is also the producer and director of the Life With Luigi show. Life With Luigi is the story of the everyday experiences of Luigi Basco, an Italian immigrant who has come to—and loves— America , land of equal opportunity for all who are willing, as he is, to work for it. Luigi is a new kind of comedy-program character. You laugh with him, not at him, as you listen to his struggles to learn the new language, the customs so different from those of his native country. Cy Howard, responsible for MyFriend Irma , is “father” of Luigi, too. J. Carrol Nais...

Those crazy Scandinavians! Those of us who were born after the Golden Age of Radio can still appreciate the sentiment from Garrison Keillor telling us about the bachelor farmers in his native Minnesota. Those crazy Scandinavians! Our latest arcane contribution from Scandinavia to the world of radio enjoyment is not anything very new, but it is fun, and a lot easier to appreciate than lutefisk. We recently came across a reference to Radio Kaka, or Radio Cake, on the Swedish Wikipedia page (please don't ask what we were looking at Swedish Wikipedia for...) Radio cake is not only a simple to make and tasty treat, but it has a delightful story, as well. Radio cake was a staple of Swedish cookbooks for decades. Several bloggers have commented on seeing the recipe in their grandmother's cookbook collection. There are two popular stories of how the confection got its catchy name. The more staid version was that the treat of biscuits covered in chocolate could be enjoyed whil...