Old Radio

March 28: Happy Birthday, Frank Lovejoy We can't know if Frank Lovejoy was voted "Most Likely To Be The Blue Beetle " by his high school class, but it seems possible. The steely-eyed, square-jawed actor exuded intensity and a detective's predatory determination. If we were alive, he'd be celebrating his one hundred and first birthday. Lovejoy's voice was one of the most recognized in the business, for Blue Beetle and several other shows.  Blue Beetle  hit the airwaves in May of 1940. Lovejoy gave voice to the title character, a superhero (whose alter-ego's name was Dan Garrett) with the strength of ten men. He carried a beetle pendant and left it around town to alert evil-doers he was on to them. Lovejoy held down this gig only for a Summer, and then future episodes went uncredited as to the voice. Frank Lovejoy is also well-known for his parts in Box 13 , Nightbeat , Dragnet , and This Is Your FBI . When they needed a stern cop or investiga...

March 28: Happy Birthday, Frank Lovejoy ! Today is Frank Lovejoy's 101st birthday! A film and television star, he was also well known for his on air roles in the old time radio series Night Beat , Blue Beetle , and This is Your FBI .

January 17: Happy Birthday, Betty White Recently made re-famous by a facebook campaign which 125,000 urged Saturday Night Live to have her as a host, Betty White is now on television ads and a ninety-one-year-old pop culture phenom. Many think of her as Rose Nylund in the popular 1980's television sitcom Golden Girls. However, this Emmy-winning actress and former model also lent her charm to oldtime radio. Casual fans may not remember, but Ms. White appeared on two known episodes of This Is Your FBI and three of Empire Builders . The Empire Builder was a show chronicling adventures on a train by that name that traveled the nation. One of White's appearances was on Dec. 22, 1930, when she played a ten-year-old crippled orphan girl, Ann, who meets a wealthy bachelor. She appeared on the "Big Buildup" episode of This Is Your FBI on Aug. 15, 1947, and on "Larcenous Bride" on Aug. 12, 1949. One wonders if she herself remembers these long-ago g...