Golden Age of Radio

The Milwaukee journal – Jan 25, 1945 Swell Sound Effect Anent the celebration today of The Milwaukee Journal’s first 20 years in radio (a story about the growth of broadcasting is on the Editorial Page), Gordon Thomas the “Top o’ the Morning” emcee ran into a funny one Thursday. Thomas was relating that about 20 years ago battery radio sets were just beginning to be superseded by the kind that plug-in types were sometimes infested with gremlins, Thomas recalled, to such a degree that the plugging in was likely to be followed by a more or less violent explosion and sometimes a fire, Facetiously Thomas said: “The explosion sounded like this,” and then, had Jimmy Robertson, his operator, play parts of a routine sound effect record, full of whams, bangs and fiery cracklings, that can serve in all cases where “explosion” is called for the script. A few minutes later came a phone call from a woman listener, who told Thomas quite seriously: “That was a wonderful drama...

Herald-Journal – Feb 14, 1949 Ecuador Mob Kills 6 After Radio Fright QUITO, Ecuador, (AP),—An enraged mob that hurl gasoline and flaming balls of paper took bloody vengeance for a panic caused by an Orson Welles -type radio dramatization of an “Invasion FromMars.” The mob attacked and burned the building of the newspaper El Comercio, which housed the radio station, and killed at least 6 persons and injured 15 others. Army troops were called out. They used tanks and tear gas to restore order. THE MOB wrecked the newspaper building, its equipment and the radio station. Damage was estimated at more than $350,000. Indictments were drawn against Leonardo Paez, director of art at the station, known as Radio Quito, and Eduardo Alcaras, a Chilean who is the station’s dramatic director. Heads of the station said the 2 men prepared and directed the dramatication without their knowledge. Police detained 10 suspects and arrests of several more were ordered. The po...

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.