Golden Age of Radio

A LOVELY VOICE JESSICA DRAGONETTE . . . deliberately forsook a stage career, that promised to be as bright as any, to seek her fortune in radio. And before that, she cast aside being a nun to take fling at the stage. The lovely Jessica was born in Calcutta, India. While very young, she was placed in Georgian Court convent at Lakewood, New Jersey, Where she was its phases. When “The Miracle” was to be performed and the directors looked about for an angelic voice, they picked her. From then on, her voice has belonged to the public. She’s now the star of the Cities Service Band Program over NBC.

Oboler Sacrifices Vacation in Face of ‘Der Tag’ By SI STEINHAUSER Arch Oboler , radio dramatist, who has been authoring and producing a “Plays For America” radio series , had intended taking a vacation but threats from Nazis have changed his plans. “I’ll go on until I’m exhausted,” is his reply to notes which inform him “You’re on the List but in red for Der Tag.”

The Modesto Bee – Jun 21, 1977 A Man Of Many Voices Alan Reed , who died the other day at age 69, was one of those actors whose ability to change voices and dialects was so essential to the golden age of radio. At one time he was appearing on 35 shows a week. As one character or another, he was part of the lives of those who are now middle-aged or older. Within this distinguished one-man cast of characters, our particular favorite was Falstaff Openshaw, the ham actor whom comedian Fred Allen encountered on his Sunday strolls down “Allen’s Alley.” The acidic Allen, bemused after coping with Sen. Claghorn (Thass a joke, son!), Titus Moody (Howdy, Bub) and Mrs. Nussbaum (you was expecting maybe Eleanor Rosenfeld?), was never able toget away before Falstaff, in that plump, stagey voice proclaimed: “I have wrrit-ten a po-em.” Then, despite  Fred Allen 's protests he would read it. Worse doggerel you’ve never heard. That’s the way it went, week after week...

To celebrate Jack Benny 's 39th Birthday again today, here is Carrol P Craig Sr's winning entry from the 1945 "I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because..."  contest: "I Can't Stand Jack Benny Because... He fills the air with boasts and brags,  And obsolete obnoxious gags.  The way he plays his violin  is music's most obnoxious sin.  His cowardice alone, indeed,  is matched by his obnoxious greed.  And all the things that he portrays  Show up my own obnoxious ways.  " Happy Birthday  Jack Benny ! Click here to hear Jack Benny at Old Radio Cat

The Milwaukee Journal – Aug 9, 1942      Meet Famous Dr. I. Q ., a Visitor Here MILWAUKEEANS who go to see the radio quiz show   “Dr. I.Q.” Monday at the Wisconsin theater will find him a changed man from the last time he visited this city. In fact, he’s a different man. He’s Jimmie McClain, who took over the job almost two years ago from Lew Valentine when Lew was let out for reasons never clarified. McClain will hold forth on the Wisconsin stage over WTMJ-NBC for six successive Mondays. His broadcast is only a one day stint—the other six days of the week and all-film schedule prevails. Those days, perhaps, McClain may spend in Evanston, Ill., where he lives with Mrs. McClain and their young daughter. Born in Louisville, Ky., on July 12, 1912, McClain attended Southern Methodist university in Dallas, tex., where he majored in public speaking and English. As a freshman student at the famous Texas school McClain achieved the distinction of winnin...

What does it mean on old time radio shows when you hear the show is "Transcribed"? During the Golden Age of Radio , "transcribed" programs were recorded and sent to stations or networks on a disc running at 16 rps. The discs are larger than 33 1/3s. "Transcribed" means it was recorded on a disc. "Recorded" was a term that was known, of course, but not used very much in Radio's Golden Age. During the era, it was also considered very important to distinguish which shows went out live and which were recorded (transcribed), so if a show was transcribed it was announced as such.  "Transcribed" was a colloquialism of the era. One reason they came up with it was because there was still enough skittishness about recording that "pre-recorded" sounded a little obscene inside the industry. CBS and NBC were live through the '30s and '40s. Yet line transcriptions were made for either the sponsor or its ad agency. ...

Life, love and Radio are full of mysteries. One of the biggest is how could a sweetheart like Doris Day wind up married to a schmuck like Martin Melcher? Melcher got his start as an agent and road manager for The Andrews Sisters, and was married for a short time to Patty Andrews. Less than a year after the couple divorced , Melcher was married to Doris Day , and they formed their own production company in 1952. All but one of the movies Melcher produced were starring vehicles for Doris, and the pictures were admittedly some of her best work. Melcher passed away in 1968, probably from a ruptured appendix or complications from an enlarged heart. He refused medical treatment. Melcher's death left Doris Day with some disturbing revelations. Despite her success in films, Melcher had squandered her money through a series of bad investments and left her deeply in debt. He also committed her to a TV Sitcom that she knew nothing about! Although she had little enthusiasm for televis...