Golden Age of Radio

SAY HELLO TO . . . VIRGINIA SALE – who is Martha, the cook, on tonight’s serial, Those We Love, on NBC -Red at 8:30. She’s the youngest sister of the late Chic Sale, comedian, and is herself one of Hollywood ’s busiest character actresses. On stage she has appeared in her own one-woman show of sketches she wrote. The characters she plays are usually elderly, but Virginia is young, slender, and pretty. She was born in Urbana, Illinois, is Mrs. Sam Wren in private life, and has a son and a daughter, twins, who were born on Washington’s Birthday, 1936. Besides acting, she does solo dancing and has a lovely soprano voice

Sunday, March 18, 1945                                 THE MILKAUKEE JOURNAL –SCREEN and RADIO Berle Boy Really Lets Himself Go When He Gets All Wound Up With His Dizzy Jobs, Sandwiches Bring Relaxation; Their Effect Is Only Temporary By Irving Spiegel THE BERLE roared into his abode. It was a serene apartment in upper 5 th av.—of pastoral oils, soft lights, draperies of subdued color and row on row of books giving off a philosophical aura. Mrs. Milton Berle —the beauteous Joyee Matthews—greeted him. His galoshes spattered a mixture of snow and mud on light colored rugs. Mrs. Berle winced and the draperies rustled. The Berle puffed on a cigar of billiard stick length. He bellowed for a sand-vate telephone number known only by 4,000,000 friends and acquaintances and a legion of upper Bron...

Jack Stanton Jack Stanton, the male half of the Songs for Sale dance team of Stanton and Luster, started dancing on doctor’s orders and hasn’t stopped since. As a child Jack developed pneumonia and the doctor advised his parents to send him to dancing school to build up his frail body. Jack spent most of his childhood in Maplewood, New Jersey, a few doors from the home of his future partner, Betty Luster. Although they even worked on the same show in school. Jack was unaware of her existence. Jack made his way to Broadway from the chorus line after having done a great deal of choreography. It was while playing in “DuBarry was Lady” that Jack started dating the pretty girl who was playing at the next-door theatre. The girl was Betty Luster; but it was not for many years after that that their partnership really started.  They are TV partners only, however, for Jack is married to Marion Richards, a lovely, former model. 

The Milwaukee Journal-Nov 16, 1947 A Stroll Down Allen’s Alley                  By ROBERT FLEMING MEET THE CHARATERS WHO TICKLE  YOUR FUNNYBONE ON SUNDAY NIGHTS EACH Sunday night, in millions of American homes, a nasal voice suggests, “Now let’s be off to Allen’s Alley .” And during 15 seconds of music, bridge games are halted, children are hushed, papers are laid aside, and people all over the nation chuckle in anticipation. Fred Allen is off to another gay adventure in neighborliness. “Allen’s Alley” users about five minutes of each Fred Allen show. Since his program currently tops the listener surveys and has been near top for season after season, it’s almost unnecessary for him to say he’s about to visit Senator Claghorn, Titus Moody, Mrs. Nussbaum and Ajax Cassidy. Regular listeners know the four. But before the conversational Mr. Allen comes into the “alley” again, let’s visit the place, look around, ...

It didn’t last as long on radio as it did on TV, but then again it was one of the longest running sitcoms in TV history. Today in 1944, “ The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ” debuted on radio.

St. Joseph News-Press – Nov 2, 1947 -Associated Press JACK BENNY ’S RADIO GANG . . . Jack Benny , one of radio’s top performers has just signed a three-year contract, after 15 consecutive years before the microphone. During that time Jack and his program co-workers, Mary Livingston (his wife, Sadye Marks) , Dennis Day , PhilHarris and Rochester have become households words. In above sketch, AP News-feature Artist Milt Morris pictures the radio comedian and his aids looking over a script. They are (left to right), back row, Don Wilson, Rochester and DennisDay . Front row (left to right), Mary Livingston, Phil Harris and Jack Benny . Jack Benny at Times Becomes Fed Up With Roles He Has Created By RALPH DIGHTON HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 1 (AP)— Jack Benny as not bald. Jack Benny is not stingy. Jack Benny does not make Dennis Day mow his lawn. That is, Jack is not completely bald, he is not as stingy as he pretends on his radio program, and he doesn’t e...

The soap opera “ Portia Faces Life ” debuted on the NBC Red Radio Network today in 1940. An old friend said for the first two years he listened to the show, he was convinced that Portia’s last name was Face.