Golden Age of Radio

September 29, 1940. A huge day in radio game show history . The radio quiz program “Double or Nothing” debuted.  On it, contestants would answer quiz questions, then be asked if they want to go for “Double Or Nothing” all the way up to a top cash prize of $64.  Fifteen years later, the top prize of $64 would become the starting prize on a game show that was basically the same as “Double or Nothing”, but was called “The $64,000 Question”. It would turn out to be one of the blackest eyes of the quiz show scandals of the late 50s

KENNETH ROBERTS . . . a real New Yorker – born there and always lived there. He’s two inches over six feet, weighs 175 pounds and has black curly hair and brown eyes. Through only 23 years old, he’s married (love will find a way). Frequently poses before wooden mikes, just for atmosphere. Columbia has him. You hear him announcing lots of dance bands.

The Miami – May, 1974 Actress Agnes Moorehead , 67 RADIO AND SCREEN star Agnes Moorehead was nominated for an Oscar five times. In the 1950s she starred in the CBS radio program “Suspense.” Associated Press ROCHESTER, Minn,_ Agnes Moorehead ,, an outstanding and highly versatile character actress of stage and screen for half a century, died yesterday at the age of 67. Cause of her death was not revealed. The red-haired Miss Moorehead made her movie debut with Orson Welles in “Citizen Kane,” in 1941 . She won the New York Film Critics award for best actress of the year in 1942 for “The Magnificent Ambersons.” Miss Moorehead five times was nominated for an Oscar—in “The Magnificent Ambersons,” “Mrs. Parkington .” “Johnny Blinda.” “All That Heaven Allows,” and “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” One of Miss Moorehead’s most memorable roles was that of a woman past 100 years of age in “The Lost Moment,” in 1947 . The actress had been a patient at the Mayo Clinic her...

HOLLYWOOD. GARRY MOORE is a calm, pleasant, normal acting young man who does the weirdest things. He plays golf in his bare feet because “it’s more comfortable that way.” He has surrounded himself with several hundred dollars’ worth of tropical fish because they’re “fascinating, dreamlike, and soothing.” He also owns two parakeets and two lovebirds which he can’t bear to cage and which are liable to make dive bombing attacks on visitors from the curtain rod. Garry also earns a handsome living—more than $100,000 a year—by working just an hour and a half once a week, on Sunday evening. He’s the new emcee of the quiz show “Take It or Leave It.” Garry confesses, “I feel a little guilty, having such an easy life, and may take on a daily show too.” He’s known as “The Haircut” because he wears his unruly dark thatch in a brushlike stubble—it’s either that or plaster it down with goo. I found Garry in the green walled study of his Brentwood home, where he lives with his wife a...

DAVID ROSS . . . tried his hand as newsboy, reporter, actor and teacher before he took up radio . Writes poetry . Born in New York in 1895. Struggled against poverty; worked his way through college. He’s 5 feet 5 inches tall. DAVID ROSS ANNOUNCER AND POETRY – LOVER IT should take a casr-iron set of vocal chords to withstand the strain of the different assignments and excitements in an announcer’s life. Yet the silver-bell tones of David Ross sound as mellifluous as ever, after more than fifteen years spent on the air. His mellow voice is still heard caressing the air waves as announcer for such shows as the Andre Kostelanetz program on CBS every Sunday afternoon at 4:30 E.W.T. The long-lasting melody in David’s voice may seem from the fact that he has a poet’s soul. It was his habit of carrying around a collection of poetry that got him his start in radio . The very first program he’d ever seen was the one on which he made his debut. Instead of watching t...

Say Hello To- ANN THOMAS—a sweet-faced young miss of 23 who is radio’s expert in tough-gal roles. You hear her tonight as the thick-witted maid, Lily, in Meet Mr. Meek over CBS —and other days when you tune in a particularly tough feminine voice, the chances are that’s Ann too. She’s a veteran of same 35 productions on Broadway , and long since lost count of all her microphone characterizations. Her big-guest thrill recently came when Minerva Pious, Fred Allen ’s dependable comedy actress, had to go to Hollywood for two weeks and Ann was chosen to handle her roles on the Allen program. She’s blonde, New York born, and single.

The Pittsburgh Press- Jul 19, 1942 Inner Sanctum Host Isn’t a Bad Guy If You Look at Him Out of Character He’s been a caddy, a soda jerk, a bus boy, an insurance salesman, a bank teller and a tennis pro. His favorite composer is Sibelius, he is a profound a thinker as a college professor but he usually dresses in casual tweeds and sport jackets. His friends sum him up simply as “a heck of a swell guy.” That’s Raymond Edward Johnson, much-heard NBC actor. Currently Ray is heard in “The Story of Bess Johnson” as Clyde. Bess’ outspoken but sincere’ friend. That’s pretty close to real life, too. The real Bess Johnson (no relation) gave Ray his first radio job some years back. He also is “The Host” on the Blue Network’s “ Inner Sanctum ” and his fan mail brings carloads of oil cans for the famous squeaking door that opens the program *         *        * The first radio job Ray landed was in “T...