Old Radio

February 28: Happy Birthday to the lovely Louise Erickson was born on this day in 1928. Ms Erickson appeared in the radio comedy,  The Great Gildersleeve, as niece Marjorie Forrester .  Enjoy a free streaming episode of the series from Old Time Radio's extensive Great Gildersleeve Collection .

February 26: Happy Birthday, Dane Clark Dane Clark 's career proves that if a law degree doesn't get you anywhere, and if you can't find work as a construction worker, boxer, or model, try acting! Not long after Clark ditched modeling for acting, he found himself working with the likes of Bette Davis , Cary Grant , and Humphrey Bogart --in fact, Bogey gave Clark his stage name. In the mid-50's, Clark landed the starring role of Peter Chambers on the program Crime & Peter Chambers . This series was based on crime novels by Henry Kane. The protagonist in these pulps, Peter Chambers, was in the mold of the swinging playboy whose sidekick was Miss Amanda Foxworth. Clark died on September 11, 1998.

How do you describe a program that placed the listener in the actors skin? What could possibly pass beyond the adventure being portrayed...as a deeper message? That answer has to come in the form of listening to the program at hand. each storyline was always different on Escape . The results maybe the similar, but never identical. Escape brought the message intent home through a different form each week. The message might be a moral conundrum or a realization of our humanity. The stories that Escape chose to air were either popular or new, but never dull. " Escape ! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure!" was the calling card of this weekly episodic. It performed beautifully the mission of driving out the patterns of routine and created a world of intrigue and adventure. Escape capitalized on the dream of every man, woman and child to go to the far off reaches of this globe or to taste the excitement of breaching the envelope...

February 18, 1949: Radio drama Yours Truly Johnny Dollar  was presented for the first time on CBS. The program featured Charles Russell playing the role of an insurance investigator who was also a strong detective. In its 12-year run, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar   was able to produce 811 episodes. The story always started with Johnny receiving a call from the insurance executive and being told to investigate some unusual claim. The character of Johnny Dollar was portrayed by seven actors in the show's whole run. “The Tip of Matter”, the last episode of the show, along with another CBS radio program,  Suspense , are often cited by historians as the last broadcasts of the Golden Age of Radio .

February 14, 1894: Forever 39 years old, happy birthday to Jack Benny, born on this day in 1894 !

February 12, 1924:  President Calvin Coolidge who is known as the 'Silent Cal', for the first time make his political speech on the radio. The president radio speech was from New York and broadcast on five radio station. Millions people was heard the speech. Although known as a quiet and even reclusive person, but he was the most friendly president with medium. He used radio, the newest medium at that time, to spread his mind, idea, regulation etc to the people of US. He was available for press, he made 529 press conference and regular meeting with reporters along his career as US President.

February 8: Happy Birthday to author, Jules Vernes! Many of this author's futuristic novels were adapted into old time radio shows  including his famed 20,000 Leagues Under the sea novel .

65 Years Ago Today: February 26, 1950, Night Beat made its radio debut.  You can stream a free episode of the series (starring Frank Lovejoy ) by visting NightBeat Old Time Radio !