Old Radio

October 8, 1935: The band leader  Ozzie Nelson and the singer Harriet Hilliard were married on this day. Their wedding became a significant moment in radio history. Nine years later, they made history again. Ozzie started his entertainment career as a band leader. He formed and led the Ozzie Nelson Band, with some initial limited success. Ozzie and Harriet Hilliard had two children from their marriage. David (1936–2011), became an actor and director. Eric ("Ricky") (1940–1985), became an actor and singer. In the 1940's, Nelson needed to spend more time with his family, especially his growing sons. He started a new career with Harriet on  Red Skelton 's radio show. Later he developed and produced his own radio series that starred his son.

October 7, 1940: The soap opera Portia Faces Life aired for the first time on the NBC Red network. It revolved around the lives of Portia Blake Manning, a lawyer, a widow, and her son. The program was a huge success and obtained several sponsors, including Maxwell House coffee, Post Toasties, Grape Nuts Wheat Meal, Grape Nuts Flakes and Jell-O desserts. The NBC Red Network was the more exclusive of the two radio channels of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC thought it necessary to divest itself from its Blue Program (which would become the United states Broadcasting Company), the Red Network ran ongoing NBC Radio channels. The NBC radio networks were the first two professional radio channels in the U.S.A (the CBS Radio networks having been founded two years after). The NBC radio networks are no longer dominant under their exclusive configuration, having been gradually included into the greater business of Westwood One.

61 years ago today:  October 5, 1952, Inner Sanctum aired its' radio  finale radio broadcast, and closed its' creaking door!

Speaking to a young boy who's closed in his house with a disability, Arthur Hopkins talks about his childhood and waxes philosophical in an attempt to help the boy.  This is the style and content of Arthur Hopkins' autobiography, To a Lonely Boy, and it shows us how thoughtful and introspective the director and producer was. Hopkins, born on this day in 1878, is known for his producer roles in such works as "Anna Christie," "What Price Glory," and "Magnificent Yankee." Recordings of radio programs of his plays are rare but available, so learn more about this interesting figure.

October 3, 1946: Dennis Day , a popular tenor featured on " The Jack Benny Show ", started his own show- " A Day in the Life of Dennis Day " on NBC. He played a similar role, one of the naive young bachelor, that he had played on the Benny show.  The show aired for five years. Otherwise known by his full name Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, Dennis Day was an American singer of Irish descent. He was also a radio, TV, and movie personality. On October 1939, Day made his first radio appearance on " The Jack Benny Radio Show ," replacing Kenny Baker, another great tenor. While working on this show, he also started his own show, " A Day in the Life of Dennis Day , "  which aired from 1946 to 1951. Day's having two programs at the same time became a popular subject for jokes on Benny's show. NBC later tried to make a TV adaptation of Day's show, but without success.

One of the several radio personages born on this day is Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson, one of Edward R. Murrow 's "boys."  A female to be sure, Mary often worked under the name Marvin.  Whatever gender issues may have been in play, this strategy also kept her distinct from her cousin, Mary Breckinridge, noted for starting the Frontier Nursing Service. Breckinridge filed some fifty reports for Murrow's team on CBS .  Many of her reports were from Germany. In 1940, this assignment abruptly came to an end and Mary went back to photojournalism, also becoming a philanthropist.

  "Calling Dick Tracy! Calling Dick Tracy! Come in Dick Tracy!"  September 30, 1935: On this day The Adventure of Dick Tracy , adapted from a comic strip created by Chester Gould, was broadcast for the first time on the Mutual Radio Network. The show's duration was 15 minutes and could be heard from Monday through Friday at 5:45. The program was sponsored by Quaker Puffed Wheat and Quaker Puffed Rice. The wrist-radio wearing, straight-shooting detective made his debut in comic strips today in 1931. He leapt to radio in 1934, played by Bob Burlen, Barry Thompson, Ned Wever , and Matt Crowley. The program originated on NBC, moved to CBS briefly in 1935, then to Mutual, and finally to ABC in 1943, where he remained until 1948. The show was a 15 minute program. The broadcast was directed by Mitchell Grayson, Charles Powers, and Bob White. Starring in the show were Walter Kinsella as Pat Patton, Helen Lewis as Tess Trueheart and Andy Donnelly and Jackie Kelk as Juni...