Old Radio

On this day in 1900, Agnes Moorehead was born.

On this day in 1902, J. Scott Smart (of The Fat Man fame) was born.

Here's a useful step by step tutorial from a blind old time radio listener on how to load MP3 old time radio shows onto an iPad: I have a number of old time radio show series on my ipad mini 4.  I like voice dream reader because it will remember where I left off in each series I listen to. If not in a ZIP archive format. You should compress the directory holding the mp3's files into a ZIP file. Connect the iOS device to your computer with a USB cable. Open the iTunes application and select the iOS device button at the right of the main window.  Select the "Apps" radio button on the main screen. At the bottom of the Apps screen is a section titled "File Sharing" with a column list of apps. One of those will be Voice Dream Reader app select it. Press the "Add…" button located in the bottom right of the screen. This will give you a dialog to select the ZIP file from step one. The zip will then be added to the app. Go to Voice Dream Reade...

On this day in 1891, Fanny Brice was born.

Sept 2 1941, the radio program "The Great Gildersleeve," a spinoff from "Fibber McGee and Molly" starring Harold Peary , debuted on NBC.

On this day in 1916, Larry Thor was born.

Join us in celebrating the nativity of one of Old Time Radio's most beloved and recognizable character actors, Mr. Eddie Anderson . The actor so many of us love as Jack Benny 's sidekick Rochester was born on September 18, 1905. In a less enlightened time,  we might say that Eddie Anderson did very well for one of his races. It might even be said that Eddie would never have gone as far if not for his association with Jack Benny . To a certain extend both of these sentiments were true, but when we look at Eddie Anderson's achievements it becomes pretty obvious that Eddie would have found the opportunities and resources to do great things no matter what. Eddie was born into a show business family in Oakland. “Big Ed” Anderson was a minstrel performer and his wife Ella Mae was a tight rope performer until a fall put an end to her career. As a boy Eddie sold newspapers on the street corner. The newspaper boys believed that whoever would yell the loudest would get the mo...

On this day in 1920, Ray Bradbury was born.

On this day in 1907, Alan Reed (aka Teddy Bergman) was born.

On this day in 1916, Marie Wilson was born.

On this day in 1916, Marie Wilson was born.

On this day in 1899, Alfred Hitchcock was born.

On this day in 1911, Lucille Ball was born.

On this day in 1914, Parley Baer was born.

On this day in 1905, Alice Frost was born.

On this day in 1930, The Shadow debuts on Detective Story Hour.

June 29, 1947: Radio game show   Strike It Rich went on air for the first time, and it quickly became one of the most loved programs on CBS. The show was first presented by Todd Russell, followed by Warren Hull. Strike It Rich was a radio game show that featured less-fortunate people as the contestants. The show's format involved requiring the contestants to answer very easy questions in exchange for a money prize. When the question was answered incorrectly, the so-called "Heart Line" was opened, allowing one viewer on the phone to make donations for the contestant's family. However, the show's 11-year run was showered with controversy. Some people thought that the less-fortunate contestants were being exploited by the sponsors. They also pointed out that out of 5,000 people who send their stories every week, only a small percentage of them were given the chance to appear on the show. Viewers argued that they were picked based on who had the most intere...

On this day in 1910, Bill Goodwin was born.

On this day in 1895, Gracie Allen was born.

On this day in 1908, Harold Peary was born.

On this day in 1911, Raymond Edward Johnson was born.

On this day in 1912, Jackson Beck was born.

  July 22, 1936: On this day a famous debate between Jack Benny and Fred Allen began. Mr. Allen commented on the performance of a 10 year old violinist who performed on his show. He said older violinists should be shamed by this young violinist because his violin play was better than his elders. Mr. Benny then replied to what Mr. Allen said. That debate continued and lasted until Mr. Allen's death. This debate was unknown after the second show for the west coast, since this conversation was not recorded and the argument was unscripted. Jack Benny and Fred Allen Feud was actually a show featuring two people who were friends in real life. The idea to have the show started in the program The Lint Bath Club Revue wherein Benny, a very witty comedian, teased Fred Allen to hide in shame because 10-year old Stewart Canin was a very good violinist, implying that Allen was not. Needless to say, the bantering was loved by the audience. Thus, the feud was continued and ...