To close out the scary Halloween fest, we wrap up with a story about robots. Well, one robot who has a brain with artificial intelligence, and a lot to learn. When he falls under a bad influence, he is led astray, just like a real human child might be.

While much of the country was being terrified out of their wits, many others were tuned into the show we are featuring in today's podcast. It aired at the same time as the Mercury Theater, but on NBC. Sure it only lasted a half hour, and folks could tune into the last half hour of War of the Worlds. By then the real terror was over, and any late comers might not have recieved the full impact of that Orson Wells production. I know I played this show a year ago, but I couldn't resist giving it one more go around. Especially since it originally aired against the War of the Worlds.

Enjoy a moment of comedy relief as we bring our month of Halloween Scary Old Time Radio to a close. I may sneak in one more though, then it's back to the comedy routine.

PS: I did one last spot check. I should have enough space on the server to squeeze in shows until next weekend. It'll be tight, but I can make it. Barely. Next weekend, old shows must go though.
--kh

The show is a long one, so without too many frills, we get right into that classic moment from radio's past, the War of the Worlds. The premise is that a normal night of broadcast is interupted by news reports of a strange object that has fallen from the sky. When the object, and it's occupants begin killing all the curious onlookers, the terrifying and unstoppable events of a Martian invasion strike fear into every heart.

PS: My server space seems to have filled up faster than usual. I'll be cleaning older files from the server this weekend, rather than next weekend when I had planned on doing that task.
Also, in the coming months, I may cut back further and only leave 5 months of episodes out there. As always, I have CD's available with all the shows on them. All you have to do is request one,
by emailing me, and asking for a CD.
Then, we can make arrangements to send it to you.

The date on this one is not exactly known. Most likely from the first or second season. When both Irma and Jane see a ghost, they get so terrified that they lose sleep for a week. Both are on the virge of losing their jobs, so they confront their landlady about the problem. In the end, Irma sets a trap and the truth comes out. The jokes may seem old now, they were probably old ones back then too, but it's a fun situation, so enjoy.

What if you could live forever? What if you could have anything you needed, and not want for anything? What if it involved having to be married to a witch? Life with a witch has its ups and downs as you will find out in today's episode. Enjoy a spooky, but lighthearted tale of Halloween.

There isn't many shows like Lights Out, at least not since the old Twilight Zone programs. Lights Out was a show that specialized in telling spooky, creepy stories. Whether it involved invasions from space, ghosts, or other supernatural critters, Lights Out was one that was sure to make your skin crawl.

Today's episode briefly recounts the terrible deeds of a couple of gangsters who had a successful criminal career in spite of themselves. The cops had never been able to touch them, they always seemed to get the loot, even when their plans went awry. Now they meet their silent partner, and it's time to settle accounts.

Connie Brooks has other plans, and is about to turn down Walter Denton when he approaches her about hosting the class Halloween party at her place. She quickly comes around when she finds out Mr. Boynton will be attending. Mr. Conklin is under doctor's orders to relax to avoid a nervous breakdown. Somehow, you know he won't be successful at it.

You can't go wrong with scary old time radio when you listen to the classic tale of vampires. Brahm Stoker's Dracula, as performed by the Mercury Theater. This show runs just about an hour, so it's a little longer than our normal podcasts.

PS: Thanks to all our listeners. Keep telling your friends about us. You can vote for us on PodcastAlley.com. Just go to
podcastalley.com and search for "retro radio". You should see us, 'The Retro Radio Show', in the first few listings. Click our link,

Better yet,
Click here to visit the page directly.
use the button near the top of our page to vote. Comments are optional, but appreciated.

As the Retro Radio Show frequently travels back through time, to rediscover great radio programs, we have never had a major malfunction. That isn't the case in our feature today. Time travelling adventurers find them selves stranded when the technology that they relied on fails them. Will it all work out for them? Maybe.

Escape was a long running anthology program. Each week featured a thrilling adventure, designed to whisk the listener away from the dullness of life. Often the protagonist would fall prey to the adventure and end up paying the ultimate price. But not always. Enjoy a fantasy where you take part in all the action, but are safe from the fate of the players in the drama.

PS: older shows have been taken down from the server. My allowed space was getting really tight. If anyone is interested in the older shows, just
contact me for details.

Thanks for listening.

Riley's son has been dared to spend a night in a haunted house. He convinces Riley to go with him. The son gets scared and flees, Riley gets scared, but trapped in the house. Of course it turns out to not be what they think, and Riley comes out of it looking braver for his efforts.

PS: It will soon be that time again. Time to clean the older files off the server. Also it's almost time to start our run of scary old time radio shows for Halloween.
Send me email requests.
Especially if you have a favorite show, or even just make a comment or suggestion.

The first season that the Phil Harris, Alice Fay show was on the air, it was sponsered by Fitch Shampoo, and part of the Fitch Bandwagon lineup. After it's huge success, Rexall picked up the show where it would stay for years to come.

Phil Harris was more than Jack Benny's usually drunk, semi-literate lady killer of a bandleader. In real life, he was quite the family man, married to movie actress Alice Faye. Phil was a tallented and successful musician.

Both he and his wife, Alice Fay, were getting over failed marriages when they tied the knot in 1941. It would be a union that would endure until Phil's passing over 50 years later. Their daughters were born in 1942 and 1944. Early on, Alice made at least one guest appearance on the Jack Benny program, and his daughters, in the form of an adult actress making baby noises.

When Pil began his own radio program, his daughters were to be featured, this time being played by child actresses. His fictional guitarist, Frank Remley, first developed on the Jack Benny program would follow him as well. Added to his radio family were Julius the grocery boy, played by Walter Tetley, Julius had a crush on Alice, and was the nemesis of both Phil and Remley, getting picked on as well as getting his revenge. A fictional brother of Alice's made frequent appearances to try to keep Phil on the up and up.

This episode features Clem Kadiddlehopper, who celebrates his girlfriend's 21st birthday. Then junior, the mean little kid, is just celebrating life, and getting into all the trouble he can. Hey, What else do you expect from him?

Andy and Kingfish have a way of doing nothing, as they go into one business after another. Not to mention get themselves into plenty of hot water. The business of opportunity today is a Lecture Bureau. Andy gets cornered into memorizing a speech to deliver. It goes very well., Too well, in fact. But I don't want to spoil the fun, download the show and enjoy it for yourself.

The bills are piling up and Fibber learns that his finance company is trying to contact him about his car. Getting paranoid and suspicious over his neighbor's visits, he grows increasingly worried, and tries to hide out. Even Fibber can't goof things up all the time though, and he gets some good news in the end.

We now have some theme music, let me know whether you all like it or not. Enjoy the show, and thanks for listening.

The episode is a little short so we also have a sketch by WC Fields to round out this ancient show from Jack Benny. Jack is running late to the studio, but once he gets there he leaves again to visit Frank Parker's parents. WC Fields is Dilwick and runs a drugstore, and life is full of one laugh after another.

Probably the best SciFi show of radio's golden period, X Minus One had it's moments where a little humore was called for. Hey, you can't be about all doom and invasions all the time. Science nerds need a chance to laugh a little bit too. OK, maybe not your laugh a minute type of comedy, but definitely a light hearted SciFi story.

In the future, Mars has become commercialized into a vacation resort. Complete with fireworks, casinos and the like. And dinners? They only cost a thousand dollars per plate! That's a lot of 1956 dollars.

There's always a lesson to be learned from the Anderson's. Jim, the great logical thinker gets himself into a jam when his positive words of encouragement come back to haunt him when he has to actually apply them for himself. Join radios favorite, funny, and sometimes a little annoying family in the adventure of the day.

PS: Today is the day that older files are cleaned off the server. By the time you read this they will be gone.

The classic tale of pirates and adventure, written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Brought to life by Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater. Enjoy this little one hour side trip from the usual routine of comedy.

PS: This weekend is when we will be doing some house cleaning and remove files from the server. Everything older than March must go.

Milton Berle got his start in vaudeville, as did many of the radio comedians. He appeared in films as early as 1942 and by the end of the decade had his own radio program. He had a fast paced delivery, was adept at ad lib, was often the butt of his jokes, and pushed the bounds of comedy to do the unexpected.

His shows followed a theme, where the jokes and sketches would follow the same topic. Today's show is a salute to gambling.

Miss Brooks has her eye on a special gift to treat herself on her birthday. Trouble is, all her friends want to do something nice for and decide to buy it for her. To make sure their plans won't be ruined, they manage to borrow money from her, to the point of sapping her entire paycheck. Miss Brooks can be a stubborn and determined woman and the big question is who will have their way?

A classic comedy team with their best known routine. Though the episode first aired in 1942, this one is likely one that was later aired in 1947. Regardless, the comedy is timeless and a show you won't want to pass up.

PS: Hey, it has been a week and no takers on my free CD's. My offer still stands.
Just email me to ask about it. To make sure neither I or my spam filter accidentally ignores your message, please include , "Retro Radio CD" in your subject line.

PS2: For a regular dose of clean, family friendly jokes visit:
The Robot Comic.
Updated every other day or so.

Miss Brooks and Mr. Boynton plan a trip to the lake for some make up time after a jealous moment in their relationship. Suddenly ominous feelings hover over the trip when everybody notices eerie similarities between the circumstances and a popular romance tragedy novel. Surely Mr. Boynton doesn't have any ideas, other than a nice peaceful get away... or does he?

In the early shows Spike Jones was actually just the musical and comedy talent while Francis Lankford did most of the hosting. In those early years, during the war, the show was sponsered by Chase and Sandborne. After the war, Francis Lankford would leave, and the sponser changed to Coca Cola. Spike Jones took over as the host and was joined by the Park Avenue Hillbilly, Dorothey Shea.

Spike Jones and his band of City Slickers were accomplished musicians and, could play a song just fine to back up Francis Lankford, Dorothy Shea, or any other musical guest that might be on the program. What set Spike apart was what he could do to a song.

He incorporated just about anything that could make a sound. He substituted horns for contraptions made from plumbing fixtures, horns from anything from a bicycle to a car horn. Kazoos, washboards, banjoes, a variety of cow bells all tuned to musical notes. Anything that could make a noise and could be used for best comic affect in a song.

PS: Last week I posted some notes on WC Fields. I need to make a minor correction. I stated that his performance of Poppy first appeared on Broadway around 1912. it was actually in the early 1920's. Around 1912 was when he began performing with the Ziegfeld follies, and his debut with spoken comedy as opposed to doing a pantomime and juggling act.

PS2: I recently burned three CD's that I was planning to donate to the Peoria Area Blind People's Center for an auction. I forgot to take them. Oopsie. If anyone is interested in them, I am willing to give them away. On one disk is my Jack Benny collection of all the known shows between 1932 to 1935, and those between 1939 to 1940. The older shows are not the best of quality, but for Jack Benny fans, nice to listen to. The second disk has a collection of Amos and Andy from the first known broadcasts in the late 1920's to the end of 1944. Also Gunsmoke from the 1949 audition show through around January 1953. The third disk has Father Knows Best, not complete, but all the shows I have from the 1948 audition through 1954 plus some that are undated. The complete Jack Paar shows when he was the Summer replacement for Jack Benny in 1947. Finally some Dragnet shows from the first shows in June 1949 through around February 1950.

So, how can you get them? Let me know that you are out there.
Just send me an email
and ask me for one or more of them. To make sure I don't accidentally delete your email as spam, please put: "Retro Radio CD" in your subject line. When you write to me, I can give you a more detailed list of what is on the disks if you like. Right now I only have three, so they are being offered on a first come first served basis. If response is too overwhelming, I might make similar offers in the future. Maybe putting together a catalog of my collection, and ask for at least enough of a contribution to defray the expense of the material and shipping costs.

PS3: Hey, just a little self promotion. If you are looking for a source of good clean humor, check out the
Robot Comic Blog.
Clean jokes all the time, updated every other day, more or less. Because it's a blog, you can subscribe to the RSS feed so you won't have to miss any.

Rolling the time machine way back to an early Jack Benny show. The audio quality is less than good, but it is still worth a listen to get a glimpse at Jack and Mary at some of their early best. Don Wilson has joined the crew, but the musical talent, which unfortunately gets clipped, is by Don Besser's Orchestra and Frank Black as the tenor. For the Summer shows in 1934, the sponser was General Tire. The Kentucky Derby was being run about this time, so we have a Kentucky theme today, including horses and hillbillies.

I was going to include a link or two for a few samples of early Jack Benny shows so you could compare the quality, and see why I won't post many of them. However, the server that hosts them seems to be temporarily down. Try this link instead.

See the entire Jack Benny Collection on archive.org by clicking this link.

Just keep in mind that many early ones need some gain adjustment at the least, as well as some noise filtering. Even then they can be rough.

Around 1912, WC Fields was in a Broadway production of 'Poppy.' After his success in films, he reprised his role in The film. As Lux Radio Theater often did, they revised the film script for a one hour radio format.

If any film captures WC Fields, this one does. His career started out moving to crime. Then he discovered juggling and went on the vaudeville circuit. After becoming world famous, because his act involved no dialog, he became part of the Ziegfeld Follies where he worked with Ed Winn, Fanny Brice and others. Ed Winn takes credit for writing the first spoken words on stage for Bill Fields, or Whitey, as he was known by his friends.

As mentioned, he did Poppy on Broadway, then in 1925 went to Hollywood to break into pictures. Eventually, in the mid 1930's he would slowly move into radio. He worked a great deal on the Bergen and McCarthy show.

WC Fields was, and still is one of those characters that remain recognized as an icon today. Long after their passing people recognize Groucho Marx's bushy eyebrows, May West's embodiment as a sex symbol, and then there's WC Fields. He was the original humbug. A charming con man, heavy drinker and hater of kids, dogs, and women. Unless, of course, they were the right kind of women. Even if young folks today don't know his name, they would recognize his image of the soft spoken, nasal voice. The manner of speech that uses a lot of words to say what a few would do much easier. The con man attitude of 'Never give a sucker and even break." The appearance of the large, red nose, the high silk hat. ,

William 'Whitey' Claude Dukenfield really liked kids more than his character let on,but hated dogs. He only hated kids, or really anybody, when he was being upstaged by them.

The recording for today's podcast, was recorded right from 78rpm records, converted to digital format. For this podcast I compressed it down to 32bit audio.

To read more on WC Fields, you can find 'W.C. Fields: A Biography' by James Curtis - 2004 - Biography & Autobiography - 593 pages.

One of the all time great comedy teams in films was Crosby, Hope and Lamour. They made several films together, all "on the Road..." to somewhere. They all got together on Bing's show and did a little radio play based on how they met and made it to the big screen. It's all fiction and all in fun.

The audio quality of this show is almost excellent. There is just a little wierdness in certain parts, like audience applause, and some hiss when people are talking. It is mostly not noticeable.

PS: Last week I mentioned that I would be taking files off the server. Oops, I meant this weekend. I always try to do that on the last weekend of a month.

Hey. here's another plug for you all. If you are in the mood for some clean humor check out the Robot Comic Blog

I was just checking my show archives and discovered that in over a year of podcasts, I haven't did any of My Favorite Husband. So here's a classic comedienne, in a show that would soon transition to television with her real life husband and a few different wacky characters in the form of the I Love Lucy show.

PS: Just a reminder, I usually remove shows older than six months old from the server. I'll be doing some house cleaning this weekend.
--kh

In the early days of radio, many genres of programming were on the air. Comedy, Thrillers, Drama, Westerns, Game shows, Kid shows, even mysteries and crime shows. Radio detectives came from the pages of books, like Sherlock Holmes or Ellery Queen. Some came off the big screen, likeBoston Blackie or Sam Spade.

Some were loosely based on real criminal cases, but were always dramatized with the hero getting the sexy girl and solving the case only with the aid of snappy dialog, and fighting it out with guns and fists.

Finally, in 1949, a new concept was pitched and became the model for all police programs to follow. It was the story of your police force in action. Yes, I'm talking aboutDragnet.

Not only did it draw from real crimes, but it tried to show the very unglamorous side of real police work. The drudgery, and gritty side of life. Jack Web was the lead character and driving force in consulting with the real Los Angeles police department.

In this episode, one of the very first to hit the air, there is no sponser yet. The theme music would be different in later programs, but the show itself is timeless all through the run of Dragnet, both on radio and later on television.

Let's roll back the clock to January 1946 and visit with one of the all time great comedians, Red Skelton. You'll get a feel from his opening jokes about the California weather, and life recovering from the war. You'll hear about a give away contest where Chevrolet gave away a car a day for a little while. Sorry, the date of this program marks the end of the contest. Call GM, maybe they'll do it again sometime. Yeah, we can all dream.

The sponser was Raleigh cigarettes, and I just want to throw in my disclaimer that neither I nor the robots endorse smoking. Commercials are left in for entertainment purposes only.

With that said, sit back and enjoy some fun with Willie Lumplump, Clem Kadiddlehopper, and Junior the mean little kid.

After 20 years of marriage, and a drooping romance, the Kingfish decides to pulla prank on his wife, Sapphire. He fakes a letter from the minister who married them to say that they aren't really married. It backfires and he finds out that Sapphire isn't willing to keep him.

With the help of Amos, Andy and all the friends, they try to give romantic advice and repair the relationship. Will they succeed? I don't want to say, but it is a funny adventure.

Sorry about the audio quality. It is far from ideal, but still good to listen to.

The best years for Fibber McGee and Molly came in the 1940's. Still, those early shows are rare. Not many exist, and are often poor in quality or incomplete. Here's a treat in that the audio quality is excellent.

It is a show from their first year. You can see that at this early time, much more evolving of characters would come. In fact, at this point in the big story, Fibber and Molly are travelling vaudeville performers and don't yet have a house to call home. That would come in a few more months. I think Fibber is more talkative and extravagant with the truth in these early shows than he would be in later ones. Molly's character isn't as smooth and domestic as she appears later. Though the show had some growing up to do, it was the second biggest thing to come out of Chicago at the time. Right behind the long lasting Amos and Andy program.

Well, it took nearly a year, but Jack had his chance to turn the tables, and indulge in his own kissing scene,. So fast forward the clock from February 1938 to January 8, 1939. This is the first episode of Screen Guilde Theater.

The show featured top Hollywood stars. They performed for free and donated the salary that they would have got to a retirement home for aging stars. The first few shows had a variety format, but later would feature the stars reproducing scenes from their latest films. Later still, it would become a lot like the Lux Radio Theater, which would reformat screenplays of hit films to work on radio, and in a one hour format.

Soon it will be Independence Day. The day when America declared its independence from Great Brittan.
So today we have a double feature from a radio program called, the story behind the song.

In particular, the stories of our national anthem, the star spangled banner.
Also our first national song. yankee Doodle.

The star spangled banner came about when an attempt at a prisoner exchange led to Frances Scot Key being witness to the Battle of Fort Mac Henry. His inspired poem was set to the tune of an English drinking song and steadily grew in popularity. By the end of the 1800's, the Navy had adopted it as the song to play where a national anthem is required. By 1933, the president had long before made the same claim, and congress voted to register the lyrics in as the official anthem. However, The tune remains undesignated to this day.

Nobody knows exactly the origins of the tune or lyrics of Yankee Doodle. There must have been other similar patriotic songs in those days, but this one is one that was used as a victory song and has endured through the decades. The radio program presents a drama of events, featuring such people as George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry.
but it doesn't tell much about the song itself.

However, listen to the show and the robots will give you more details on the story behind Yankee Doodle.

Racketeers are rampant in the shopping disctrict on Second Avenue. Guess who has just come from Second Avenue with a new fur coat? That's right, it's My Friend Irma. She spent her entire part of her vacation money that she and Jane had planned. The coat is so ugly and worthless that even Irma's disreputable boyfriend Al is surprised at her lack of judgement.

Jane and Al take Irma to the Better Business Bureau for action. Before Irma can take the coat back, she loses her coat. With the help of her friends, Irma gets bailed out once again. But not without
a lot of laughs first.

Red Skelton was one of the top comedians of his day. His radio career was briefly interupted when he served in the Army during World War2. The show today is from his first season back on the air.

It was the first New Year celebration after the war ended, Rationing was over. the housing shortage was in full swing as troops came home and were released from the service. Things were looking hopeful and Red Skelton is on the air with his characters like Deadeye, the cowboy, and Junior the Mean Little Kid.

Enjoy some classic comedy mixed with music of the day. The show was sponsored by Raleigh cigarettes, which the commercials are left in for nostalgic and entertainment purposes only. Neither Keith or the robots endorse smoking.

Some of the back story of Our Miss Brooks, everyones favorite Auburn haired English teacher.

Mrs. Davis is Connie Brooks somewhat scatter brained landlady. Mrs. Davis went to school with Osgood Conklin, who is just being promoted to principle at Madison High. First impressions are lasting ones, and he is about to be introduced to the cast of characters in a big way as misunderstandings abound.

Walter Denton is a 16 year old student who frequently drives Miss Brooks to school when her car breaks down. He also bounces from girl to girl and seeks her advice.

Connie's big desire, besides Mr. Boynton, is to be head of the English department. She just manages to stay enough on Mr. Conklin's bad side to always fall short of her goal.

In this audition show, the only actors to continue on the series are Eve Arden, as Miss Brooks. Jeff Chandler, as Mr Boynton. And Richard Crenna, as Walter Denton. Miss Davis and Osgood Conklin were played by different actors for the audition. There are a couple other characters in this episode that are dropped, and of course, others are added.

By the time the series started, just three months after this program, Miss Brooks has lived with Mrs Davis for a year and now has six years on the job. Mr Conklin has been principle for an undetermined span of time, and has 20 years experience as an educator. His daughter, Harriet, has been introduced, but it is unclear if she and Walter are girlfriend and boyfriend yet.

Mr. Conklin is still a pompous principle, Mr. Boynton is still clueless and shy. Misunderstandings and jumping to conclusions are rampant and make for some great comedy situations.

Father Knows Best was a show that tried to put a humorous spin on everyday family life. In this episode about an apparent stray dog. Father, Jim Anderson, is continuously frustrated over a dog that only his daughter could love. Despite the damage the dog does, he starts to grow on the family. Though the real owner is found, the reason for the dog's daily appearances aren't discovered until the end of the program.

The show in general has a reputation for being a cookie cutter, white bread kind of show. A little out of touch with reality. However, take a closer look at the characters and you'll see traits that are constant to parents and kids through the ages.

• A little girl who is something of a Tomboy and wants to grow up to be a lady wrestler, asks too many questions, is a bane to her older siblings, and rocks the boat of adult logic. She was portrayed in the first seasons by an adult actress, then later a child actress played the part.
  
• A teenage boy who seems to always be frumpy, interupting, complaining, he is caught between doing weird childish things and adult things.
  
• A teanage girl who lives life in emotional extremes, caught up in social life and fashion, and quickly becoming a woman that her father can't understand.
  
• A father who is a success at work, does his best to provide for his family, expects to have his home be a place of relaxation and enjoyment, and apply logic to solving any problem.
  
• A mother who is more practical and lets her husband have a try at his logical solutions, often bailing him out, but sometimes not.
  

Despite the squeaky clean language and expressions like, "holy cow, gee whiz, swell" and others, little sisters can still be annoying, teanagers can stil be frumpy and fly into extremes. Parents can still hold differing ideals and act before all the facts are in. That's why shows like Father Knows Best are still fun to listen to. Even after fifty years, they are still relevant on some level in our daily lives. Situations change, but people are still people.

During World War 2, Command Performance was produced especially with the troops in mind. It gave a few minutes of entertainment for those stationed overseas, and served as a reminder that back home, the people were still thinking of them. When the war ended, Command Performance continued for just a little while longer, but was also ended.

The announcer claims that this is the first comic strip operetta. It probably is. Regardless, it is a fun spoof of a popular comic strip. Filled with plenty of popular tunes, with the words changed to suit the story. It features many stars of radio, film and music. Command Performance usually had a format of being a variety show, but this use of a variety of performers to tell one story is a great way to go.

The show credits Judy Garland as being part of the cast. A couple songs that she made popular are used with rearranged lyrics, but I didn't catch her distinctive voice either in the songs or dialog of the show. Maybe my brain was sleeping or something. If one of you listeners can figure it out, email me and point her out for me.

The show is a little long and runs just under an hour. so put your imagination into gear and get ready for a fun, jitterbugging time with some of your favorite poplar entertainers of 60 years ago.

A small compilation program. Radio stars often were guests on other radio shows. Here are 2 shows that I combined and condensed together. On February 13, 1938, Robert Taylor did a guest spot on Jack Benny's show. He gave Jack some advice on his dramatic acting. That same week, on Thursday, February 17, Jack was able to return the favor and offered Robert Taylor some advice on changes to his show.

The Jack Benny show, of course, was all about comedy, music, and Jack's one act plays and spoofs. Jack always put on a front of being upset over not winning an academy award.

The Good News program had its first season in the Fall of 1937, so it was very new at this time. It ran for a full hour and contained not only music and comedy, but dramatic sketches. The regulars on the Good News program were Meredeth Willson, Fannie Brice, and Frank Morgan. Over time the host would change.

Because of it's length, I had to cut a few segments out. I kept in most of the Jack Benny segments, so the main parts that are missing are the Baby Snooks segment, a couple songs and the dramatic segment. The drama and Baby Snooks were good ones, maybe in the future I'll do a compilation of various shorts and play them.

Better yet,
email me
and I can post a link for the entire episode, or record it on a blank tape for you. If you send me a blank tape in a self addressed, stamped mailer, it won't cost you anything else than purchasing those materials. As long as I'm not swamped with requests, I could send you the tape for just the cost of postage.
Just email me so we can exchange mailing addresses and arrange payment if necessary.

After a small glitch, we present an episode from the Eddie Cantor series. It is his birthday and Eddie, his cast, and all his guests have lots of jokes and good wishes for him. I don't have the info on when Eddie was born. He was around the same age as Jack Benny. He got started in vaudeville at an early age. He was known for his comedy and singing, as well as his big bulgy eyes. Because of his appearance, he was sometimes called, 'Old Banjo Eyes.'

The show is sponsered by Texaco Firechief. I know Ed Winn was the host for Texaco just a few years before this episode aired. Today's show is from the first season with Eddie Cantor as Texaco's host. I'm not sure if someone else was host between Ed Winn and Eddie Cantor.

PS: Our special short program that got slapped in today's podcast is from a very short lived series that ran sometime around 1975. The independant producer made LP's with about thirty short tracks of less than 3 minutes per episode, distributed them to radio stations around the country and left it to the stations when to air them. It is obviously meant as a spoof of classic old time radio shows. Namely those of the super hero, cliff hanger and crime show varieties. So, what is the show? Listen to today's podcast and find out.

Here's one of those great, classic movies that was done as a radio play. This one features 3 hot singers, Dinah Shore, Phil Harris, and Bing Crosby.They all get the chance to sing some jazz and swing tunes from the early 1900's. Not to mention a great mix of comedy and acting in there as well.

So sit back and enjoy this 1 hour trip to those good oldays of radio.

PS: Just a reminder. Shows older than six months (that's last November) will be removed from the server. Probably on Monday. Hurry and gettem while they are there.

As the new guardian of Leroy and Marjorie, Gildersleeves goes over household expenses and tries to make improvements. Leroy decides to get a paper route to help buy the things he wants. Nobody is very thrilled with his new, early hour to get up in the morning. Even terrible weather can't dampen Leroy's spirits. Gildersleves helps, Leroy, but somehow manages to cause trouble and be left holding the bag.

For it's time, a show about a single parent was a new concept for the entertainment industry. To make things more realistic and acceptable, the back story went somethinglike this: Throckmorton P Gildersleeves sister and her husband died an untimely death and left their two children wwell cared for, but orphans. Gildersleeves responds by leaving his friends Fibber McGee and Molly, and moving to Summerfield. In the interim, Judge Hooker has acted as executor of the estate and family holdings in a local drug store.

Due to Gildersleeves impetuous character and some initial misunderstandings and bad first impressions, the Judge is doubtful of Gildersleeves. The Judge thinks he may be an opportunists and not care well for the children. Nothing can be further from the truth. Gildersleeves does try his best. He is just inexperienced at family and social life. The characters make the comedy. Leroy is a typical 12 year old with all the energy and mischeiviousnessof a young boy. Marjorie is a teenager who is mostly level headed, but not without relying on her womanly charms to confuse her Uncle Mort. Bertie, the colored housekeeper. She never seems to have much of a life outsides the household chores, but she does put her foot down when she needs to. Judge Hooker, the nemesis of Gildersleeves and rival for love interests and a variety of prank pulling.

Other towns folks include Leroy's best friend Piggy Banks, a couple of boyfriends for Marjorie over the course of the series, Peavey the storekeeper, and sevveral others as situations

The lone Ranger. Most definitely a radio classic. Here's a special stepping away from the usual comedy routine and I think it will be worth the change of pace. So put on your white hat, get your mask and ride along with Tonto and the Lone Ranger in this adventure of the old west.

It is a case of smuggling contraband whiskey and murder. Does the sheriff nab the right man? Will the smugglers have theri way? Good thing the Lone Ranger is on hand to straighten things out.

Here's an all time great, Groucho Marx. It's not about the game. It's not about the money or the prizes. It's all about the totally adlibbed conversation between Groucho and real live people. Who will have the shot at the grand prize? Will anybody say the secret word for the bonus prize?

The first contestants are a female announcer at the Los Angeles Airport and a Weatherman. Followed by two housewives. Finally an unmarried couple who would consider marriage for the right person.

Check it out and enjoy the laughs as Groucho meets the contestants.

The story thus far. Lum and Abner had been split over Abner's business practices. He started taking animals on trade for groceries. A circus came to town and Dick Huddleston and Lum both agreed that it would be a risk to extend them credit. However, Abner made his own deal and held title to the circus if they couldn't pay for their supplies. The circus defaulted and now Abner owns it. The situation convinces Lum to help out and now they are back together. To be able to feed the circus animals, Abner gets the idea to charge bales of hay and bushels of feed for admission.

How's it working out? Well, of course Squire Skimpe gets involved and brings his own ideas for the new venture. For all the fun and the misadventures of Lum and Abner, listen and find out. Here are three more episodes. As before, I took the liberty to snip some of the original commercials and theme music. These episodes are from 1935, March . 14, 15 and 18.

The Lum and Abner shows aired in 15 minute segments, 5 days per week and had both opening and closing theme music as well as opening and closing commercials for Horlick's Malted Milk products. A product invented in the early 1880's, and the company is still around today. Their products are no longer for sale directly to the public, but rather to other businesses who use them in producing their own food products. Mr. Horlick would pass away in 1936. The Lum and Abner show continued to be sponsered by them but was later picked up by Postum, another healthy food product and alternative to coffee, but without caffeine. Postum would sponser other great radio shows such as the Father Knows Best program in the 1950's. Postum can be found on grocery store shelves today. As with any old time radio commercial, the Retro Radio podcast as well as Keith himself does not necessarily endorse them. Ads are left in for entertainment and nostalgic purposes only.

PS. A few weeks ago I announced that a CD of the entire first year of podcasting would be made availible. I'm still working on that CD. I was becoming concerned that just one disk might not hold it all. Turns out that it will. I may have to cut the offer down in the future and only put six months at a time on disk. The price will be the same because it is designed to cover the cost of the disk and not so much for the content.

I have been trying to find an alternate way to keep the shows entirely free and available for download. Basically a better way to archive them so even the older episodes can stay online. If I can get those details worked out the CD's can still be availabe for those who want one. When the disks are ready, watch for either a PayPal button or a link to an ordering page.

Jane tries to set Irma straight on money handling matters. Irma gets put in charge of paying the rent, but somehow she is easily led astray by her boyfriend Al.

It is amazing how simple minded Irma can be at times. Though she is polite, perky and well intended, Irma takes things very literally. She can manage to take the facts and scramble them for the best comic affect. Her trusting nature often gets her in trouble when she trusts in the wrong person.

If it wasn't for the fact that everybody likes Irma, and tolerates her mistakes, it might take more than Jane and a healthy dose of luck to rescue her from some of her adventures. Can she manage to survive her latest adventure and keep her good reputation? Listen and find out.

This episode is from very early in the series. Episode #2. Most of the characters are just the same as they appear through out the show's run. Jane, the level headed friend. Irma, the not so smart friend. Al, the unemployed and seedy boyfriend of Irma. In later shows, Jane's millionaire boss and boyfriend Richard seems to be replaced with a different boyfriend. The land lady, Mrs. O'Riley in this show is married, but in later shows she is single and sometimes on the prowl for one of the tenants, a gent with a foreign accent. Irma's boss makes occasional appearances in episodes, voiced by Alan Reed. The foreign sounding tenant who appears in later shows seems to change as the show goes on, always bickering with Mrs O'Riley, but sometimes more friendly toward her than others. .

Happy Mother's Day! Here's a prime example of what can happen when no mothers are in the family. Let's visit the Great Gildersleeves. From the first month of the first season, Gildersleeves and Leroy come home after a baseball game and are tempted by a freshly baked cake. One that Marjorie baked special for a party. Can Gilder sleeves save the day? Listen and find out.

Don't forget, you can email me requests and comments to:
mteye@hotmail.com.

I know nothing about this radio show. This is the only episode I have. All I can say is that it has some great music as well as some good clean fun. If you enjoy your music with a dose of jazz, blues and boogie woogie, then you'll like this one.

Between the songs host, Orson Bean, delivers some funny and witty monologs. The show is heavily sponsored by the Army National Guard. Ralph Bellamy lends a hand to the fun. And don't forget, Dagmar! I don't know who Dagmar is. Whether it is a character just for this show, or whether she was a comic of the time.

Have some fun and enjoy some excellent tunes.

A rare episode from the early days of Jack Benny. Rare because it is nearly all intact. No music has been cut,

commercials are there. Just a little scratchiness at the beginning, It clears up, but does come back in various

places.

Another important thing about the show is that it is the first show for General Tires, after the end of the run with

Chevrolet. It is Don Wilson's first show with Jack. We get to meet the new bandleader, Don Bester as well. The

transition of the show seems to put a bind on certain folks.

A new tenor will soon be on the program. For now Jack and Mary leave mid way through the program under the guise of

helping Frank Black with his new enterprise. Running a music store. Mary gets some good lines. Some good natured

joking as the new cast get introduced to each other.

A show from late in the run of the Phil Harris Alice Fay show. Phil has trouble from the security guard when getting in to his own show. Phil is feeling great, but Alice gets on him for spending too much money. Elliot Lewis convinces Phil to invest in a race horse. The deal isn't as good as it seems, but where would the comedy come from if it were?

As usual, Phil sings. Today's song is, You Got To Do A Good Days Work. Also as usual, Phil and Elliot pick on Julius and try to get him to jockey the horse. In the end Phil gets the honors of being in the saddle.

Lux Radio Theater ran one hour shows. This one aired at the time when Amelia Earhart was overdue on her fateful flight over the Pacific. She was apparently supposed to make an appearance on this episode and was hoped to be home soon to be on the show next week.

This episode features Walter Winchel, a real life newspaper man of the day. He was well known and popular. Despite a short education, he was flamboyant and colorful in his literary style. He does a pretty fair job at acting in this light hearted drama about the workings of a big city newspaper.

In this story, Walter Winchel is to leave and get married. Unfortunately, a breaking story keeps him tied to his job. He manages to juggle both his future wife and mother in law while getting the story and staying out of trouble. But the plot still thickens.

You know a story is good when it spawns either sequels, or remakes of the film. Just a few short years later another production was put together called His Girl Friday, which starred Fred MacMurry. It had a slightly different angle but was essentially the same story. Maybe I'll post that one sometime as a comparison. For now click the link and listen to Front Page, starring Walter Winchel as Hildie Johnson.

Tell a friend about the show, share old time radio with others, and thanks for listening.

An apology to my listeners, more flaky connection and upload problems. I hope it has worked itself out. Time will tell, but I'll try to stay on time with shows.

For a run of shows in 1939 Molly was missing from the show. This is one of those shows. Without Molly though, Fibber can tend to have some unchecked destructive behavior. Not to mention some strange cooking methods. He hears of an antique dealer who is coming to town and decides to enhance his own furniture by... well just listen and feel sorry for the missing Molly.

Besides being the orchestra leader, Billy Mills acts as straightman to Fibber. Don Novus sings, 'This Night.' The Four Notes sing a swinging little number, 'The Cuckoo in the Clock.' Lots of those corny old jokes and puns with the help of the Old Timer, Harlow Wilcox, Mrs. Uppington, Mert the phone operator, Harold Perry, and others.

An episode without Mary. She had taken a couple weeks off. Jack relies on the guys, Frank Parker and Frank Black to cut up with and play roles in his play about being a department store floor walker. The audio quality is less than ideal, but actually fairly clear. Pretty much all the commercials and musical numbers are cut. Not by me. That's why this episode is so short.

I added in a couple musical numbers on my own. Through the technology of digital splicing, we also have a special guest to help get things started. I think you'll like the results. Unless I get negative feedback, I think I'll work on more shows like this for the future. Well, maybe with a show with better overall audio.

The ever changing Jack Benny has been easing in certain changes. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what and when since many shows from this period just don't exist. Mary, though absent in today's show certainly adds color to the mix. She is still playing the dumb girlfriend, but getting sassier all the time. The two Franks, Black and Parker are setting the stage for some of the rivalries that will solidify in the next couple years as Kenny Baker, Phil Harris and Dennis Day come on the scene. The announcer in these first two years manages his share of getting in on the comedy, with blending commercials into the other interaction. The jovialness that Don Wilson will bring is soon to come.

Doing one act plays has been a mainstay for Jack, and will continue to be. He has done some World Galloper News bits in recent shows, but by this time, he starts phasing that segment out. Though he will continue to mention, and poke fun at contemporary events. he never brings back his news segments. He isn't quite defined as a miser, but makes himself the butt of a few stray jokes about being a little tight with cash. He also has been letting his fellow cast members get some of the laughs, even at his own expense.

Running gags are not too prominent yet. Themes might be more the definition. Having a good bit in one show, then continuing the theme into the next week. For example, a play with added parts to continue the story line. Or as will happen over the next couple shows after this one, a conflict between Jack and Frank Black that will be resolved by duels and challenges. I won't spill the beans yet, since I might just play those shows soon.

Sponsored by Camels. Commercials, as usual are left in only for entertainment purposes. Keith and the Retro Radio show do not necessarily endorse or encourage the use of products advertised in original old time radio shows. Enough disclaimers, here's what happens in today's program.

Costello tells Abbott about some of his relatives who performed in the circus. Also some of his own circus experience. Old jokes abound. The cutting up and comments expand to Ken Niles and his on air wife, played by Verna Felton.

Buddy Rich Orchestra plays Swing Low. It's an instrumental and hasn't got much to do with chariots, but nice and swingy.

Abbott and Costello make it to the circus management office where Sally Eiler is in charge. More old jokes, but the comic timeing makes it all good. Lou gets suckered into helping with one of the ball toss games. He doesn't quite fall for it, but ends up as the circus wrestling act.

Connie Haines sings Salt Water Cowboy. A goofy song, but highly popular for it's time. Connie's voice makes any song sound great.

Bud assures Lou that he won't have any trouble wrestling, since he will be the one to jump into the ring when the call goes out for a wrestling partner. Bad news, Alan Hale, a popular and huge 400 pound film actor is waiting to have a go at Lou. Ever notice how poor, chubby Lou gets into the ring in many of their radio shows and films? He did do some boxing at a younger age as well as some stunt man work. For being the butterball that his reputation presented, he was a bit more athletic than he let on.

Well, that's what's in the show. Don't worry, there's a lot of clowning around that you will have to hear to enjoy. So, please do.

best regards,
Keith H

PS: Please support the podcast by making a donation through the PayPal button, or visit my store, or one of the affiliates there when you are looking for a gift or audio book or whatever fills your need. A great bargain for you and a little support for me.

Getting this posted a little late. Technical difficulties and flaky web connections. It has been a while since we made a visit to Pine Ridge. Keith has snipped out some commercials and crammed in 3 episodes of Lum and Abner for today's show. Here's a little background. The series was an ongoing story and had overlapping storylines. In weeks prior to the episodes we will hear today, Lum and Abner have had a falling out and split their merchandise at the Jotem Down Store. Abner decides to barter and accept livestock for payment on goods. His business ideas are hurting both lum as well as Dick Huddleston, the town's other store owner. Listen to the show and see how things are working out. As this part of Lum and Abner's ordeal is coming to a close, Abner manages to get involved with a circus that rolls into town, but that is a story that will have to be continued in future podcasts.

Time Machine ready.
Setting the dials.
year. 1935.
date. March 8, 11 and 12.
Lum and Abner. Three Episodes from March 1935.

As 1935 kicked off, Lum and Abner have found themselves being conned out of their store by their nemesis, Squire Skimpe. They manage to raise the money to restock their inventory for the Jotem Down Store, but there are some conflicts over how to run the place. They decide to split all their merchandise and operate two stores under the one roof.

With all that said, in the featured episodes, Abner has been trading livestock for his products and causing problems for both Lum and Dick Huddleston. Things are about to come to a head when a circus comes to town and Abner gets involved with it. Abner, of course has just about stretched as far as he can, and eventually he and Lum partner up again. But what about the circus? That will have to wait for future podcasts, but I'll post the ongoing story. It gets pretty interesting.

Lum and Abner was a pair of good old boys from Arkansas. They ran a general store and seemed to be successful at it more by luck than skill. and despite their frequent tendancies to start other businesses or get rich quick schemes. They hit the airwaves in 1932, just four years after Amos and Andy hit the scene. Just like Amos and Andy these two voice actors and writers, wanted to do a similar act where they put on black face and presented their characters as African Americans. The studio chiefs, wisely, didn't want a copy cat program. The show was pitched again with the white actors performing as white characters and a hit radio program was born.

The shows had an ongoing story line that spanned over several episodes. Stories overlapped and some lasted longer than others. Through the years, some stories would repeat, but the characters might take on a different part in the retelling of the incident. For example, just before the shows in today's podcast, Lum and Abner were involved in operating a match making bureau. After noticing a lack of photos sent in by men, Lum decides to make copies of Abner's picture and send them out. Imagine the trouble and confusion that could cause. In a later season they decide to run their matrimonial bureau again. This time Abner gets the idea to send out photos of Lum and some of the other male characters in town. See what I mean?

I did something I don't like to do normally. Snipped off commercials and some opening and closing music. With presenting three shows in one, I felt it would play better that way. In its early years, Lum and Abner was sponsered by Horlick's Malted Milk, both in powers and tablets. The miracle food of the century. If you were weak and sickly, it made you strong and husky. If you were overweight, it helped you shed pounds. It was a healthy snack for kids, a quick pick me up for kids and adults. When the owner and founder of Horlick's passed away in 1936, the sponser would change to Postum, another healthy food product. The Horlick's company is still around, but they are a supplier of food products to other businesses, and not directly to the general consumer.

In our visit to Duffy's Tavern, we learn of a recent bar fight. Since the usual cast characters weren't there to be

witnesses, Archie takes liberties in his role in the ordeal. Though he makes an imression, he manages to get himself

into some trouble when a bully forces him to back up his talk.

Before there was Cheers, Duffy's Tavern ruled the radio airwaves. The basic premise was the same, in that they both

took place in a bar. Both bars were owned by a party who was never really seen or heard. Archie the bartender would

usually open the show with a phone conversation to Duffy, but a one sided conversation is all we get as far as Duffy

is concerned. The show has its variety of characters who are regulars in the bar, and the situations for comedy are

endless.

--kh

PS:

If you need more Old Time Radio, click this link.
You can browse hundreds of radio show collections. Many are BBC shows, some are the originals and some are new

productions.

The following are ready to download immediately, but they aren't free. Prices vary but here's a sample of what

you can have for your very own:

• 
  
  Adventures of Superman
  
  Dirk Maggs | $18.99 | 2 hours 30 minutes
  Not the original radio series, but a modern rendition of superman, done in the style of the old programs.

  
  From Superman's very first deed of daring to his battle of wits with evil business tycoon Lex Luthor, 'The

  Adventures of Superman' tells the story of the
  Man of Steel from the beginning.

• 
  
  The Twilight Zone.
  
  The Twilight Zone™ Radio Dramas will keep you glued to the edge of your seat, whether listening in your home or in

  your car... $12.95

• 
  
  Journey Into Space: Operation Luna - Complete Episodes 1 - 13
  
  Charles Chilton
  
  Contains all thirteen episodes of Journey into Space: Operation Luna for the first time, remastered and restored to

  their most complete versions...
  
  $32.99
  

In our visit to Duffy's Tavern, we learn of a recent bar fight. Since the usual cast characters weren't there to be

witnesses, Archie takes liberties in his role in the ordeal. Though he makes an imression, he manages to get himself

into some trouble when a bully forces him to back up his talk.

Before there was Cheers, Duffy's Tavern ruled the radio airwaves. The basic premise was the same, in that they both

took place in a bar. Both bars were owned by a party who was never really seen or heard. Archie the bartender would

usually open the show with a phone conversation to Duffy, but a one sided conversation is all we get as far as Duffy

is concerned. The show has its variety of characters who are regulars in the bar, and the situations for comedy are

endless.

--kh

PS:

If you need more Old Time Radio, click this link.
You can browse hundreds of radio show collections. Many are BBC shows, some are the originals and some are new

productions.

The following are ready to download immediately, but they aren't free. Prices vary but here's a sample of what

you can have for your very own:

• 
  
  Adventures of Superman
  
  Dirk Maggs | $18.99 | 2 hours 30 minutes
  Not the original radio series, but a modern rendition of superman, done in the style of the old programs.

  
  From Superman's very first deed of daring to his battle of wits with evil business tycoon Lex Luthor, 'The

  Adventures of Superman' tells the story of the
  Man of Steel from the beginning.

• 
  
  The Twilight Zone.
  
  The Twilight Zone™ Radio Dramas will keep you glued to the edge of your seat, whether listening in your home or in

  your car... $12.95

• 
  
  Journey Into Space: Operation Luna - Complete Episodes 1 - 13
  
  Charles Chilton
  
  Contains all thirteen episodes of Journey into Space: Operation Luna for the first time, remastered and restored to

  their most complete versions...
  
  $32.99
  

In today's episode, Riley gets held up by a gangster. Actually he stumbles on Burt Lancaster in full make up, doing
a picture about gangsters. Jumping to conclusions, he leaves his wallet and flees. The plot twists that follow can
only happen to Riley.

Riley was just an average Joe of the 1940's. During the war years he worked for a factory that produced military and
defense products. Even after the war he remained a blue collar worker, trying to provide for his family the best
that he could and raise his kids right. Basically, a person that most folks can relate to.

In many ways Riley reminds me of Homer Simpson, but much less disfunctional. Not the brightest person, often just a
little inept, but always loveable and well intended. He always comes out on top, inspite of himself.

Thanks for listening and stopping by the web page.
Keith H

By 1947, World War 2 was over. Soldiers returned home, got married to their sweethearts, and lived happily everafter. Or did they? The world of John and Blanche Bickerson was filled with marital reality. They were always fighting and bickering like... well... an old married couple. Danny Thomas added his own style of zany comedy as Amos, the brother of Blanche Bickerson. Of course, Blanche was played by Francis Lankford. John was played by Don Ameeche. Both were well known celebrities of film and radio.

The feature of these shows was the bickering interchange between John and Blanche, but there were often other antics onstage as well. The actors in their own personalities singing, or doing comedy bits. In this show, for example, Danny Thomas is supposed to be afraid of microphones and locks himself in a broom closet. He sings and is facilitated by Don and other of the shows crew. Francis Lankford also sings, before all the bickering fun begins.

The jokes are often old and cliche, but the fun is in the delivry of the performers. Each one getting in their punches as well as taking them. It's all good because the situations the Bickersons find themselves in is so crazy and outlandish, nobody really acts that way. Do they? You know that you and your spouse don't really sound like that. Right?

Hmm... I see your blank stare at me. Well, maybe a little bit.

Why do you keep giving me that look? Hey, get that tape recorder away from me.

Just listen to the show and enjoy.

Everybody starts somewhere. Jack Benny got his start in radio in 1932. Here are a few clips of his early humor,

mostly from early 1933. I wanted to give a quick over view of what he sounded like when he was still a newcomer.

Though he did use other writers, much of what he did back then was his own work.

These early episodes don't get much attention, not even on podcasts. Not that they aren't funny. They are definitely

topical and if you aren't familiar with what was happening in history at the time, the humor can go flying right

over your head. Also the audio quality makes them hard to hear. They tend to be very scratchy and the audio cuts out

or can get pretty mushy. I tried to pick a few clips that wer not so bad.

These early shows feature the Frank Black Orchestra and James Melton as Jack's tenor. They mostly stuck to

performing music, but Jack gave them lines occasionally. The shows announcer, also pretty much stuck to strictly

doing the comercials and giving Jack the barest of introductions. There wasn't a lot of poking fun at sponsors, as

would happen later. Jack wasn't big enough of a star to do that yet. Although he did go through about four sponsors

in his first four years or so. (Canada Dry, Chevrolet, General Tires and Jello).

In these early days, Jack wasn't yet known as a miser. There is a stray joke or two about him wearing a wig. In 1933

he really was 39. He tended to do the better jokes and give the others to his cast. He wasn't afraid to make himself

the butt of a joke though. In one early episode, he gave a large part of the show over to an impressionist who did a

bit where he impersonated a wide variety of celebrities of the era, while Jack gave only sparse comments. There

seemed to be more time given to the musical talent. Longer numbers for the band and the tenor was able to sing an

extra verse of his song. Mary, when she wasn't acting in a play or singing, was more dumb and less of a wisecracker.

From the beginning, Mary was wildly popular and though the show officially was known by the sponsor's name (the

Canada Dry Show or the Chevrolet Show) it often appeared in newspaper radio listings as the Jack Benny and Mary

Livingston Show.

The 1933 season lasted a little longer than later seasons would run. Usually the show would go off after the first

or second week of June. In 1933, the last show was on June 23. I may be mistaken, but this may be the only year it

stayed on so late. The significance of that date is that it is Mary's birthday. This is the only year she would have

a birthday show. In that episode, Jack claims that she is 21, but in reality she just turned 25.

In archive web sites, you will find several shows for the calendar year of 1933. However, a lot of them are repeats.

The show was broadcast from New york and was on at various times. Usually twice per week and at 10pm. That might

account for some of the repeat episodes. Some of them seem to be an identical recording to others on different

dates, with the same static, scratches, and weak areas in the audio. That might seem to imply that someone saved

their mp3 file with an incorrect title or date. Basically, these first few seasons surviving shows are rare, have

poor quality, but are interesting for their humor and historical significance.

I know my show today is a little different than I usually do. If you like the diversion, let me know. I may try a

few more in the future.

best regards from the Retro Radio podcaster and robot master,
Keith H.

PS: This is the weekend for house cleaning. All the shows from last September and older are being removed. Sorry,

but I gotta keep my storage allowance under control.
--kh

For a western hero, Matt Dillon was just an average guy. He was prone to make mistakes, as this episode points out a few of his character flaws. He fumbles, as he fails to notice what Miss Kitty is up to. He investigates a murder, but does he have the right guy? Life isn't always a cut and dry procedure, even in Dodge City.

The audition show for Gunsmoke was produced in June 1949. It never aired, but was used as a demo to gain support from studios, sponsers and in casting. It featured "Mark" Dillon and was well liked enough to get the green light. It took until the Fall of 1950 before the show went on the air.

The delay was partly due to the search for just the right leading man. William Conrad tells about it in a later interview. The show's producers gave auditions to just about every radio actor of the day. Nobody's voice seemed right for the part. He wasn't the first pick because he was doing so much work in so many areas of broadcasting. The studio heads likely considered him over exposed. He finally did give a reading of the part of Matt Dillon and everybody agreed it was for him.

Once again, let me remind podcast listeners that the original advertisements are left in for entertainment purposes, and do not reflect endorsement by myself or the Retro Radio Podcat.

Happy listening.
Keith H.

PS: Our normal comedy format will return soon. Also it will be house cleaning time soon. At the end of the month, shows older than 6 months will be removed. To get those older programs, a link will be available soon to order your own copy of the first season. Stay tuned and keep watching for it.

Groucho Marx was born in 1890 as Julius Henry Marx. Along with his brothers he became a big Vaudeville hit as a singing act. Chico on piano, Harpo on the harp and Groucho singing Soprano. Over time they added some comedy. The joking around got bigger results andthe brothers would tell jokes in ethnic accents.

The ethnic personas they developed stem from the small Jewish community where they grew up. Wedged inbetween a tough Italian neighborhood and a tough Irish neighborhood, Chico would talk with an Italian accent to blend in, and convince others that he wasn't really Jewish. Harpo would speak with an Irish accent and wear a red wig. At some point, Harpo became the silent comedian. When the brothers began making films in the 1920's, Harpo's wig was changed to blonde since it showed up better.

Groucho did his act with a German accent, but as World War 1 began heating up, anti German feelings were on the rise. He found himself being booed off the stage. He dropped the accent and became the slick wise cracking member of the bunch. In his early days, he glued on his bushy moustache. He never actually had a moustache until later in life. One story tells that he grew tired of ripping off the moustache night after night, so before one performance he just used grease paint. He looked at himself in the mirror, and seeing something missing, added the matching bushy eyebrows. A comic icon that lasts even until today was born.

By 1932 Leonard (Chico) Marx and Julius (Groucho) Marx tried a brief shot at radio. The program was Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel. I don't think any copies of it exist. It had big hopes to compete with the Texaco program that had EdWinn as its host. There were two major elements to its downfall. One was a lawyer with the same name as Groucho's character, (Schyster I think it was, but I may be wrong) and was going to sue the show. The name was changed and in an episode Groucho was asked about the sudden and mysterious name change, his response was that he just got divorced and now he went back to his maiden name. Divorce was a huge social no no at that time. I'm sure there were likely other complex matters that caused the show's demise as well.

Always pushing the edge on what was considered socially acceptable, Groucho made 26 films over his career and in 1947, You Bet Your Life was launched. It lasted several years on radio and went to television until 1962.

The show was less about the game as it was a chance for Groucho to adlib with common everyday people. Critics claimed it was all scripted. In reality the script extended to a handful of questions for Groucho to ask to get conversation going, and a few possible gags to toss in. Groucho never new what the contestants might answer back and his reactions were pure adlib.

With all that said, enjoy today's show, featuring Groucho and his contestants. Will anyone say the magic word? Listen and find out.

Here's a little mid week police adventure for you. Detectives Friday and Ramirez are on the trail of a burglar. Join in with the Dragnet as they collect the facts and figure out the clues to solve the case.

Jack Web, the lead character of Dragnet from it's conception, had been a radio detective in other programs. Although the snappy talking detectives on the radio made for interesting stories, he wanted to show a more realistic look at what really happens in criminal investigations.

Working with real police officers, in real police departments, he put together programs that represented a typical slice of life in a big city. The shows were not documentaries. Of course a certain amount of dramatization took place to be able to present the entire case in the 30 minute time slot. As much of the gritty realism was kept in so listeners could get an idea of the not so glamorous work that goes on in a police investigation.

The shows always ended up with an epilog telling what the punishment was for the criminal of the week. It was meant as much for closure, as it was for a warning to criminals of the real reward that waited for them.

The formula of dragnet worked. It lasted for a long running radio series and crossed over well for television. Attempts were made at films, but I think the nature of a single epic film just doesn't do justice to what the show was all about. The daily grind of unending crimes that goes on week after week. A film is better suited for showcasing a single dramatic crime, and to me at least, doesn't do as well in really depicting the drudgery of life in the trenches in the criminal justice system.

Enjoy the show, and don't forget to leave your comments. Tell me what you think of the shows, make requests, whatever is on your mind, I'd like to hear from you.

In 1939, for Jack's birthday he somehow recieved a pet polar bear. Now, just one month later, Carmichael is sick and Jack leaves the studio to go home to tend to his ailing pet.

Carmichael, as the polar bear was named was a mysterious birthday gift, thought to be a prank by Fred Allen, but it is never clear how or why he showed up. Rochester never did hit it off with the bear and though Jack came to dote on Carmichael, he was a constant thorn in Rochester's side. The bear was always pulling pranks such as beating up on Rochester and taking the Maxwell for a spin. In the show today, Rochester is reluctant to medicate Carmichael so Jack comes home to do it, and gets a first hand lesson on how cantankerous his pet can be. In the meantime, Jack, Mary and Kenny Baker have a little run in with the law while driving home. There are plenty more antics in the mix as well, so sit back, relax and enjoy.

regards,
Keith H.

The Shadow was one of the many super heroes that lived on the radio in the 1930's and 40's. In the show today a convict is released from prison and is bent on getting his revenge. No matter what the cost.

I never knew much about the Shadow for a long time. Occasionally, while growing up someone would make an ominous comment like, "only the Shadow knows..." or "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men..." I always figured these were some quotations from some classic piece of literature from centuries ago. In the 1980's a movie of the Shadow was made. I never saw it and still haven't. At some point I came to understand that the Shadow was an old time radio show.

It wasn't until within the past two years or so that I actually listened to the Shadow. Today's episode is one of the first I heard, in fact. Appointment With Death.

The episodes weren't meant to be realistic as much as adventurous. The Shadow was a superhero whose special power was invisibility. Actually his invisibility came from mystical arts that he learned while he was in the orient. He could perform a kind of mass hypnosis that convinced anybody around him that nobody was present. He also had a few other stray tricks that he learned in addition to his invisibility that would aid him in getting out of scrapes. The bad guy would only hear a disembodied voice. Like other superheros, he had a secret identity, Lamont Cranston. Only his sidekick and secretary knew his real identity.

A point or two in regards to being nonrealistic. The bad guy in today's story only spent five years in prison, probably for some infraction like theft, yet he has harbored such a grudge that he is willing to return to prison and face the death penalty if he is caught in his attempt to kill the Shadow. He does have a good idea in the plan he devised. Ruthless, but a good way to get the Shadow.

Once the bad guy is out, his first crime is against a gas station owner. The scene has the gas station man topping of a customer's tank with five gallons of gas. It only cost 95 cents. Wow, that's only 19 cents per gallon. My how times have changed since 1938.

Just a little trivia and tidbits. You may recognize the voice of the bad guy in today's episode, Alan Reed, aka Fred Flinstone. Through the run of the show, a few different people played the Shadow, including Orson Wells. Nobody else could reproduce that famous laugh the original actor put into those opening lines. The show's producers reused that sound bite for all the rest of the shows to come.

best regards and happy listening.
Keith H.

PS: At the end of April I should have
CD's ready for our first season. I'll post a link at that time for anyone who may be interested in ordering one. It will cost $10 and include shipping. Secure payments will be through PayPal. The plan is to burn off the shows as they appeared here on podomatic.com. Files will be in mp3 format. If it would be more preferable, I could include the shows without the robot hosts and music. Just let me know.
--kh

Police dramas took a big change in direction when Dragnet hit the airwaves in 1949. In 1950 the Tales of the Texas Rangers came on the scene to take advantage of this new popularity. It also based its stories on real cases, with names changed to protect the innocent. The lead character traveled with a horse trailer, just in case the pursuit of a bad guy took them to places where there were no roads.

One thing I appreciate about the gritty, realistic police dramas of the era of old time radio is that it shows that some things haven't changed much. The so called good old days were still filled with a disreputable criminal element. Murder, drugs, theft, not the glossed over mastermind criminals of such radio serials as Superman or the Green Hornet.

Not long ago I read a newspaper editorial where someone wrote in to complain about the sorry state of crime in the city. To include such things as gangs, drugs and the poor choices of clothing styles that our young people dress themselves in these days. You know, skimpy and revealing clothes, droopy drawers, under pants exposed, that kind of thing. Well, they may have a point with the clothes, but the crime scene wasn't really any better back then, as these old police dramas point out. If anything the law was more strict then, people routinely recieved the death penalty and the delivery of that justice was swift.

Enjoy today's show and our drift from our usual comedy routine,
Keith H.

Today's show is from the first season, of the Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show, while the show was still sponsered by Fitch Bandwagon. It is time to renew contracts and Phil is worried about being signed on again as Jack Benny's bandleader.

Alice Fay
Alice Jeanne Leppert was Born May 5, 1915. in New York City's, rough Hell's Kitchen. She Died May 9, 1998 of cancer, at age 83. She was to become one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the late 1930's and early 1940's. She started her career as a singer, and chorus girl, but later gravitated to film roles.

Alice Faye started her career as a singer and dancer. She appeared old for her age and in 1928, at the age of only 13 first auditioned as a chorus girl claiming to be 16 years old. She was fired after a year, and letting the truth about her age slip out. She was hired on with Rudy Vallee's band around 1930 and went with Vallee to Hollywood, when he was able to get a number for her in George White's Scandals in 1934 where she was only supposed to sing in the film. The lead actress quit and Alice took over as the star. She went on to star in Hollywood's popular and lucrative cookie-cutter musicals.

In 1937 Alice was married to Tony Martin. The marriage ended in divorce in 1940. Besides her acting, Alice introduced several songs that became pop standards, notably "You'll Never Know" in the film Hello Frisco, Hello in 1943. Her movie career ended in 1945 when Betty Grable replaced her as Hollywood's favorite musical-comedy actress. Alice felt she had given her best performance of her career, yet the producer hacked all her lines out of the 1945 film. Fallen Angels, she literally walked out of the studio and didn't return until her next film in 1962. Alice remained popular with the public and was in the ranks of pinup girls during the war years along with Betty Grable, Jean Harlow and the rest.

Though other actresses have become more well known as singers, such as Doris Day and Judy Garland, Alice introduced 23 hit songs in her films. Nearly twice as many as other singing actresses. Alice remained close to her replacement in films and never harbored any grudges against Betty Grable.

After stepping out of the limelight at the pinnacle of her career, she focused on family life. She had gotten married to singer/bandleader Phil Harris in 1941 and by the end of her movie career had 2 daughters. Her marriage would last until 1995 at the death of her husband. Alice had always said that her family always came before her professional life.

Of course she starred with Phil Harris in their radio show. Part of the Fitch Bandwagon from 1946 through 1948. After that time, it was picked up by Rexall and remained a hit until 1954. From the late 1950's through the 1980's Alice made television appearances as guest star on a wide variety of programs.

Faye was and still is one of the brightest musical stars to come out of Hollywood and even Irving Berlin felt that if he really wanted a song to take off, he would have Alice Faye plug it for him. The wit, the beauty, and the voice of Alice Faye will never be forgotten because she owned herself so completely and so honestly. There will never be another Alice Faye.

Happy listening,
Keith H.

My robots are at it again. They temporarily hijacked my computer long enough to put this show together. They worked hard at it. They think I don't know.

Just humor them.

It looks like we are in the old west today with Matt Dillon, Chester and the rest. The show gets clipped in the closing credits, but the episode is all there.

Westerns have been around since the days when cowboys and indians romed the plains and deserts. It took until 1949 though before a program was developed for adults rather than kids. Instead of centering on gunfights, horse chases and general swashbuckling,

Gunsmoke had its focus on relationships. The characters were meant to have flaws and be more realistic. Chester was just an average citezen, Kitty, as a saloonkeeper, was definitely not in nice society circles. Matt Dillon was a ranch hand who got tired of sitting in a saddle and took to upholding the law. Not what he would have picked as a career choice, but he normally had a solid sense of what was fair.

The human interaction might easily be rewritten for any time period, not just the old west. That is what makes Gunsmoke such an appealing show for adults. People face the same kind of relationship issues all through the ages, and those relationships will always be relevant. The writers and show producers did all they could to show a version of reality, even if the characters sometimes make bad decisions or display flaws.

Thanks for listening,
Keith H

PS: It's that time of month again. Shows from last August have cleaned out of the server to make space. If anyone is interested, a CD will soon be available containing all the shows from my first year in podcasting. Let me know whether you would prefer to have the shows exactly as I posted them. With robot hosts and all. Or just the Old Radio shows. With No extra comments. The cost of the CD will be $10 and include shipping in the continental United States.

When the CD is ready, I'll put a button, or at least a link to a page with a button to order it.
--kh

The most famous bit that Bud and Lou are known for is the Who's on First routine. Probably the next most famous is the one we'll hear today, U-Drive. Just like U-Haul, the moving company that lets you rent a truck to transport your goods, there once was a rental car company called U-Drive. Abbott and Costello get us started with this fun bit of confusion before getting on with their attempt at having Veronica Lake star in their upcoming film. They meet and have some fun as they practice some lines.

William (Bud) Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular teams in the history of comedy. Thanks to those same media venues and over exposure, it was also their downfall.

Bud was born in 1895 and Lou in 1906. They were both in Burlesque, Bud as a straightman for various acts including his wife. Lou first tried getting into movies, was a stuntman and did some boxing before getting into Burlesque. They first worked together in 1935 and were encouraged by all in their circle at the time to stick together and develop their act.

Their first radio appearance was in 1938 on the Kate Smith show where they became regulars. Their New Jersey accented voices sounded too much alike for their rapid fire comedy and was confusing to the radio audience as to which one was talking. Lou started using a higher pitched, more childish voice. It was good enough to get the duo into Broadway and in 1940 into Universal Studios.

They were support characters in their first film, but stole the show. In 1941 their first feature film was Buck Privates. In 1942, after being a summer replacement for the Fred Allen radio show, they got their own radio show that ran to the late 1940's.

Both Bud and Lou were married to gals they knew from their Burlesque days. Both had some health problems and were heavy gamblers. Lou faced tragedy in October 1943 when his infant son drowned in the family swimming pool. In 1945 there was a rift between the two over Bud hiring a maid that Lou had previously fired. It was resolved in 1947 when Bud volunteered to help with a charity for underpriveledged kids that Lou was involved with.

In the 1950's the comedy team began losing popularity. Their routines were all over the place and they were uncomfortable and unwilling to develop new material. Abbott and Costello pretty much retired. The IRS investigated them and charged them with back taxes, forcing them to sell their homes. In 1959, Lou died of a heart attack and Bud did a few things on television, later he died of cancer in 1974.

best regards,
Keith H.

PS: The information I presented today is summarized from a Wikkipedia article.

For official information about Abbott and Costello you can visit:
http://www.abbottandcostello.net

The site is the official web site and is operated by the families of Bud and Lou.

Finally Jack and the crew are all ready to get back to Hollywood and leave the slopes behind. But first he has to

deal with his absent-minded doctor and goofy nurse. Also despite a lack of birthday gifts from his faithful cast, he

does get a fairly impressive singing telegram.

If you remember, this ski trip is supposed to have taken place the week just before February's first show. The first

3 episodes take place in 3 consecutive days. Suddenly Jack is ready to leave on his birthday. His birthday being

February 14th. Hey, if he has been in Yosemite all that time, how did he manage to do those first 2 shows from

Hollywood? Don't think too hard, it's all just fiction. Just enjoy, it's all good.

Special note. If you need more than a comedy fix from old time radio, check out my friend Bob on the home page. Bob

is, Bob Camerdella, the host of
Boxcars711.
Boxcars711
is an old time radio podcast, posting several times per week and often 2 or more shows per day. Bob does all the OTR

genres, drama, police, western, kids, you name it and you'll find it there. Thanks Bob for being a friend to my

podcast.

best regards, and happy listening,
Keith H.

PS: We still have those MP3 players at the CTE-OnlineStore.com. A price range in your budget and a color to suit

your style.

C TEOnline-Store.com MP3 Department

A lingering Valentines Day special with Phil Harris and Alice Fay. A mysterious person has been sending flowers to Alice. She thinks Phil is doing it, but Remly and Phil set out to discover who the real secret admirer is.

Phil Harris, of course has been the band leader for Jack Benny since the beginning of the 1936 season. Before that time he was a well known band leader and had his own music show broadcast from the Coconut Grove. He played drums and guitar for a couple other bands in California after leaving Nashville Tennessee. He was actually born in Indiana as Wonga Philip Harris. Yes, Wonga.

When he was young, his parents moved the family to Nashville. Phil learned music and in his teens played the background music at the local silent movie house. As his skills increased, he moved out to California to pursue his music career. I'll need to check my resources to be sure, but around 1931 he was married to a young movie starlet. His on stage personality lent itself to his image as a ladies man and something of a drinker. He had the dark, curly hair and looks that drove women wild.

Again, I'll need to consult my resources, but in the mid-1930's he and his wife adopted a child. Only a year later the child died. Around this same time is when Jack Benny brought him onboard to his show. Around 1939 or 40, his marriage broke up but by 1941 he had met and married Alice Fay. Despite his public persona, he was a devoted family man and remained married to Alice until his deathover fifty years later. He had 2 daughters, born in 1942 and 1944 who were named Alice and Phillus. Hey, I wonder how he came to pick those names. (wink, wink)

On his radio show, 2 child actresses played the parts of his real life kids. Remley, Elliot Lewis, was a character that began on the Jack Benny program. Elliot Lewis was the do everything man in radio. He acted, he directed, he produced, you name it, he did it. He later worked in television as well.

The young 12 year old Julius the delivery boy was Walter Tetley, but he was actually much older. Care to guess? Walter Tetley was also Leroy on the Gildersleeves program that got it's start in 1940 and was 12 years old then. The earliest show I have heard Mr. Tetley on was a Fred Allen show from 1935, and guess what, he was 12 years old then as well. Holy cow! What is this guy a vampire or something? No. he had a medical condition that kept him from aging in a normal way. He wasn't very photogenic, so never had the kind of movie career that other radio stars did. He did manage to break into television as Mr. Peabody, the genius dog's pet boy Sherman in the Bullwinkle and Rocky cartoon series. Despite his ability that seemed to defy aging, he passed away at a fairly early age in the late 1960's or early 1970's. And no. he had nothing to do with the Tetley Tea company.

best regards and thanks for listening.
Keith H.

Need an MP3 Player? Click the following link:
CTE Online-Store.com MP3 Department

Sorry, not a lot of show notes today. In this episode, Part 3 of the Ski Trip, Jack finally gets to show his stuff on the slopes. Turns out he isn't as experienced as he has led everyone to believe. (Say it ain't so.) Everyone has a good time and good ol' Mary keeps Jack honest in following through on his promise of skiing.

I'm working on some background on a few other old time stars. Contributions from listeners are welcome. Also watch for a feedback survey to come soon.

Happy listening,
Keith H.

Need a Podcatcher? The CTE-OnlineStore has the MP3 and MP4 players you can afford. Click the following link and browse to the MP3 department.
CTE-OnlineStore.com
For a 10% discount at checkout, use the discount code: retro1

Sorry for the lapse in posting shows. Technology problems strike again. Grrr... Watch for a second show either today or tomorrow. --kh

Eve Arden was the star in Our Miss Brooks, a young, single High School English Teacher. Constantly in pursuit of that bashful, clueless Biology teacher, Mr. Boynton played by Jeff Chandler. Miss Connie Brooks is always getting involved in the lives of her students and causing high blood pressure for the principle of Madison High, Mr. Conklin.

The episodes built on each other. In the past couple weeks, Miss Brooks was left in charge of the school storeroom and was responsible for a minor fire, locking the principle in the storeroom and causing some other damage to school property. I mention this because you will hear about it in the show today. She also had to deal with a love crisis with Stretch Snodgrass, the star basketball player at the school.

I may be mistaken, I have been before, but I'm pretty sure that Jeff Chandler also plays the part of the French teacher. It seems that everybody knows about the crush that Miss Brooks has on Mr. Boynton except Mr. Bouynton. All he thinks about his teaching and his pet frog. With some interesting advice, from the French teacher, Miss Brooks has a plan to move her relationship along a little faster.

listen and enjoy.
Keith Heltsley

A note of historic interest, in just 3 days of the airing of this episode will be Jack's birthday. Let's just say that he would be 39 for the 6th time. Do the math. In the spirit of Valentines Day, we kick off with a special musical number from Glenn Miller.

Remember, this is supposed to be a retelling of the ski trip that happened the previous week. Don Wilson does a good job of filling everybody in, so I'll let him do it. The story picks up as the crew begins their second day of the trip. They actually make it to the park, but not without some new adventures and laughs. And just where is Dennis... Oh, you'll figure it out.

Some corrections and Extra Notes

In an earlier podcast, I left show notes about Jack Benny's early life. I was partly in error on a point or two. In particular I mentioned that Sadie Marx, Jack Benny's wife, was a sister to the Marx Brothers. She was related, but likely a cousin. I also uncovered various occupations that Jack's dad was supposed to have held from saloon keeper to merchant and habadasher. I would imagine that he held all of them at one time or other . I also may have mentioned that Jack Benny was born at home. I don't remember where I learned that bit of misinformation. It was certainly a common practice in earlier America. Jack's mother had a notion that being born in a city was prestigious somehow. When labor pains set in, she had her husband drive her from Waukegan to Chicago so Jack could enter the world there.

Here's a few more bonus trivia facts about Jack Benny's early life. His sister Florence was born 2 years after Jack. He was given a violin to learn to play at age 6. It was customary for youngsters of that age to learn an instrument, usually the piano or violin. Jack took to it quickly but he didn't seem to be much interested in any type of discipline. He even left school early. Not that he couldn't play the violin, he just wasn't interested in pursuing it. His family wanted him to enroll in a school that taught kids music, but he refused to go.

As a youth Jack tried his hand at the family business but was a failure at it. He wanted to get involved in vaudeville but early on his parents held him back. He had to turn down the chance to tour with the Marx Brothers. He did take part in a couple acts and had some success. I mentioned that his stage name that he used was Benny K, it was actually Benny K Benny. Another well known performer named Ben Birney thought it was too close to his name and had Jack change it.

From 1912 until he went into the Navy, Jack was in vaudeville. His mom died of cancer in 1917, when Jack was 23. Shortly after that time he joined the Navy.

I also mistakenly mentioned that he was in a unit that was assigned to a Special Services unit, a unit that supplies recreation and does performances for troops. Well, I'm not sure exactly what his unit was, just a regular Navy unit stationed at Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago, Illinois. In the off hours, To keep busy when times were slow, Jack and others would put on shows for each other in the unit. He was picked more or less at random to read some lines for a bit that kept growing. He would also play his violin for the sailors but found that he could get laughs from doing some wisecracking. That advice was said to be given to him by Pat O'Brian. They were both stationed at the same base at the same time, but later Pat O'Brian would claim that he never met Jack until years after their Navy days. That mystery sailor got Jack's comedy career started.

After Jack's stint in the Navy, he went back on the vaudeville circuit. The Ziegfeld Follies were all the rage back in those days. Jack didn't perform on the Follies, instead in New York there was the Vanities, considered to be even more racy than the Follies. According to an interview, Jack claimed to be making around $1500 per week performing in the Vanities. That was quite a lot of money for those days. When Jack left for radio his weekly income was down around the $300 range. A cut in pay, but in retrospect a much wiser career move. During this time touring in vaudeville, before his radio career, Jack made friends with most of the big names in entertainment. George Burns, Zeppo Marx and others. In a previous podcast note I told how Jack and Sadie Marx had met at a family Passover celebration. It was not love at first site. Sadie and a group of her friends went to Jack's show and heckled him. Later, while performing with his friend George Burns and his new girlfriend, Gracie, Jack ran into Sadie backstage. He barely noticed her, thinking she was just another fan hanging around the stagedoor. He had another girl he was interested in at the time, Mary Kelley. Somehow, Jack eventually discovered Sadie Marx working at the May Company. Jack would later claim that it was love at third sight. He would hang around her sales counter and in order to not cause problems, would by hosery from her so he could be around her more.

Jack and Sadie were married in January 1927. Depending on the source either the 14th or the 24th. Jack's stage act was continuously evolving. Possibly inspired by George and Gracie, he wanted to incorporate a dumb girlfriend into the act. He hired an actress for the part. While touring the west coast she became sick and Sadie had to fill in. The act, with Sadie got rave reviews. When the actress finally could rejoin the act, the shows weren't quite as good, so Sadie took over more often.

One of Jack's many friends was a young news columnist who also had a radio program, Ed Sullivan. Jack did a few things for Ed and later helped to get Jack on as the Canada Dry show host. Sadie Marx was also quickly brought on to reprise her role as Jack's dimwitted girlfriend. In some of the early radio shows she does sound a little spacy, but not in the vein of someone like Gracie Allen.

Sadie soon took on the stage name of Mary Livingston and provided the show with some of the singing talent and did well in performing the skits that were a mainstay of Jack's radio shows all through his radio career. Sadie found herself wildly popular with fans and signing her autographs as Mary Livingston. She would eventually have her name legally changed.

One last bit of trivia for the day. Jack's old girlfriend, Mary Kelley, would later turn up after a failed relationship and needing work. Jack put her to use doing a variety of voice acting jobs in his shows. She actually makes some appearances in the featured Jack Benny shows I'm doing this month. She plays the parts of the hotel clerk in episode 2, the lunch counter girl in the third episode ,and the nurse in the fourth episode.

That's all I wanted to set straight for now. If any listeners have any tidbits for me, use the comment feature or send me an email directly. I'll make note of any comments, corrections or updates on a future podcast.

Red Skelton, as many other comedians on radio, got started in vaudeville. He was host of the Avalon show just before

the war. During the war, he enlisted and served in a Motor Transport unit. This explains his lack of a radio

presence during this time. The Red Skelton Radio show started up just after his departure from the Army.

Red's shows folowed similar formats as other radio comedians. He had an announcer, a band, a lead singer, excellent

supporting voice actors and a combination of monologues, music and skits. Compared to other comedians he was able to

ad lib to some degree like Fred Allen. He relied on writers for his scripts like Jack Benny. One thing that set Red

Skelton apart was the characters he invented. Clem Kadiddlehopper, Dead Eye, Willie Lumplump and of course Junior

the mean little kid. Over the years he added a few more and used others less often.

In this episode we get to spend some time learning about fingerprints with Dead Eye as he pursues the bad guy, Bow-

legged Bull Roose. Near the end of the skit is a reference to Georgia governors. Apparently there was some recent

elections where the outcome for Georgia's governor was uncertin. Red Skelton had been making jokes during this time

about the confusing results in Georgia. Finally, on to a more modern scene with Junior the mean little kid, proving

that fingerprinting has more uses than identifying criminals.

thanks for listening,
Keith Heltsley

Bear Called Paddington

<script src="http://www.leisureaudiobooks.com/getlink.aspx?titleId=166&aId=116164&x=468x60"></script>

In January 1940, the gang had been out of town to do a special show to support the March of Dimes, a new charitable program that FDR had just created. Now, they are back in the studio, but after a week off to go skiing. The next few shows are a retelling of that ski trip.

Jack is very upbeat and imposes on the whole cast to go along. Don and Dennis are their usual upbeat selves. Nothing ever seems to get to them. Rochester dutifully goes along to take care of Jack and watch his back. Phil has a momentary falling out with Jack and becomes uninvited. Of course, he goes on his own, just to be a bur under Jack's saddle and to keep things mixed up. O Mary Livingston, O Mary Livingston... No, she doesn't tell any poems on this trip. We do get to see the claws come out. You know that expression that she looks beautiful when she's mad? Well Mary is hilarious when she's mad, and there is plenty for her to be mad about.

In this episode, the gang is just getting started on their trip. The adventure in the Maxwell is a cold one. The frozen cast end up at a roadside inn just outside Yosemite. There is more, and I'll do the remaining shows each weekend for the next few weeks. Stay tuned! Collect the whole set!

thanks for listening.
best regards,
Keith Heltsley
The Retro Radio Show.
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There is never a dull moment at 73 Wistful Vista. Fibber is always scheming on some new idea or project. This time he is out to clean up an old straw hat. Why? To do the patriotic thing and conserve the things that each citezen owns.

In 1942, industry wasn't what it is today and conserving, actually preserving might be the better word, was the governments way to rally the public to support the new war effort. The less demand that was placed on industry for civilian needs provided more resources that could be nvested in supporting the troops overseas. Even Teeny, the neighborhood kid delivers a propaganda speech to cheer on the effort.

Getting back to the main theme, Fibber might not be able to clean that hat, but of course, it all manages to work out as the parade of characters stop by for their weekly visit.

Hancock - The Blood Donor, The Radio Ham and two other TV episodes
Tony Hancock stars in four of his most famous BBC television episodes.
$13.99

Abbott and Costello was one of the best comedy teams of all times. They dominated during the war years of the 1940's

and on into the 1950's. They were in films, TV and radio. In todays show, another comedy great of the day, Judy

Canova guest stars. Lots of great jokes about love and marriage. There used to be a common tradition where it was OK

for girls to propose to a man only during leap year, 1944 was a leap year. The custom seems to have fallen by the

wayside in our modern times of womens lib and social freedoms.

The featured singer on the show is the popular Connie Haynes. This cute little Georgia Peach started singing at age

10 and by her late teens was a regular with Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby and several well known bands. At the time of

this episode she was 21 and still a rising star. Her career would extend on into the 1950's and beyond. She was as

clean and wholesome as her lines in the show implies. At the time of this podcast, she is living in Florida and

still putting on the occasional concert, performing those old swing tunes and gospel hymns.

Today's show is much larger than I usually like to do. Sorry, I'll keep it in line in the future.

In 1932, Jack was the MC but far from the show feature or its star. You will hear a very young Jack Benny, age 38, sounding just a little nervous. Though the cast had Sadie Marx on the billing, she doesn't appear in this show. only Jack, George Olson and George Olsons wife. In only a short time, Mary would be added to the line up. Don Wilson will follow in 1934, after the sponsors change from Canada Dry to Chevrolet and then to General Tires. As the 1934 season kicked off in the Fall, the show was picked up by the Jello company. Kenny Baker, the prototype of Dennis Day made his first appearance in 1935 and left at the end of the 1939 season. There were a variety of band leaders, but when Phil Harris signed on for the 1936 season it wouldn't be until 1952 before a new bandleader was needed.

In this first episode, Jack admits that he drives a bicycle built for two. Of course his Maxwell wasn't purchased for another few years. He makes mention of his "girlfriend" from Newark New Jersey. She never has a speaking part. In fact, there is an eerie silence at Jack's joking around. There doesn't seem to be a live audience in the studio. Jack wise cracks with George Olson in a style similar to the way he would interact with Don Wilson and Phil Harris in future seasons. For this new, dry comedian for Canada Dry, the musical acts seem to be the main attraction. Little could anyone tell that his career would be so long lasting, touched so many people or come to the pinnacle that it would reach.

A few items of history up to this point. Jack was born on Valentines Day 1894 as Benjamin Kubelski. His father was a taylor, he was born at home. In 1912, at age 18 he began his vaudeville career where he made friends with other performers of the day. Fred Allen, George Burns, Eddie Canter, the Marx Brothers and many more who would later go on to greater fame. Jack was billed in those days, as a concert violinist. For a time he was known as Benny K. While enlisted in the Navy during World War 1, he was assigned to a unit that was detailed with performing for the troops. It was during his Navy career that he was advised to focus on comedy and being an MC, rather than playing the violin. He also changed his name to Jack Benny.

In 1922, Jack was 28 and was invited by his friend Zeppo Marx to celebrate Passover that year with his family. Jack was introduced to Sadie Marx, age 14 and the younger sister of the Marx Brothers. She returned the favor by attending his act with a group of her friends and spent the whole time heckling him. Jack then went to California to visit his old friend George Burns and some cute little blonde that he started doing an act with, Gracie. Jack met and had a relationship with a girl named Mary. No, not Mary Livingston. Don't get ahead of me.

After a couple years Mary left Jack. At one of his shows, Sadie Marx had been reintroduced to him. They got together and in 1927 were married. So, there you have it. Despite his ever present mentions of girlfriends through out his entertainment career, and all those times trying to compete with Phil Harris in matching prowess in picking up girls, he really was married the whole time to Sadie Marx.

What did his wife Sadie think of it all? Well, she gave herself the stage name of Mary Livingston and had her own pretend search for a cute boyfriend. Yup, in case you didn't already guess, Jack and Mary were married to each other. Also, knowing that Mary Livingston was really Sadie Marx, it should be no surprise at her sarcastic comments towards jack. She had some of the best comedians training her as she grew up. If you pay close attention to the dialog between Jack and Mary, you can sometimes pick the undertone that she loved and respected him despite the biting remarks she made.

The remaining part of the podcast today is one of the last shows that Jack did. In 1969, Jack turned 75. He was given a televised birthday celebration that year. I remember watching at my grand parents house. I was in first grade at the time. In the sixties, Jack had pretty much stopped performing except for the occasional holiday special. On January 21, 1970 the Kraft Music Hall would put on a variety of special shows. One was of the Friars Club. Hosted by Johnny Carson. This day is Jack Benny's turn to sit in the hot seat. Though it was a televised program, this is just the audio track. To do the roasting, the guests are Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Milton Berle, Alan King, Ed Sullivan, and George Burns. Excellent comedy. For the day, a couple of the jokes lean toward sexual and homosexual topics. Unlike some of the recent bombs on Comedy Network where the guests go non-stop telling homosexual jokes about each other and roasting everybody except the person the roast is for. Sad.

The speeches given by Phil Harris and Dennis Day are close to the truth, in that Jack helped to bring out the personality traits of his coworkers to be as funny as possible. He used their comedic strengths to make the whole team funny, and by doing so made himself all the more funnier. Phil Harris already had been a well known band leader, he already was known as a person who drank and had the looks that the ladies fell for. Jack simply built on those attributes. Dennis Day, just like Kenny Baker before him, was a singer with a young and naive nature. Dennis was supposed to have been a teenager when starting with Jack. In reality he was about 24. You get the idea, I'm sure.

Jack passed away almost five years later, on December 26, 1974. He never was as stingy as he let on. He never wore a hair piece. He was friends with everybody, even his feud with Fred Allen was just to get laughs. His style of humor was good family entertainment. There probably will never be comedians or performers like Jack Benny ever again. He is definitely a hard act to follow.

Fibber McGee and Molly had been a well known and popular radio show by 1940. This is from their first season

after moving from Chicago to Los Angeles. Their early shows had a more rough sound to the characters. As time went

on the shows developed more polish. No pun intended for this series that was sponsered by Johnson Wax.

An endless stream of characters are always passing through the living room at 79 Wistful Vista. Mrs. Uppington, the

Old Timer, Teeny, Gildersleeves and in this episode even a guest appearance by Hollywood's own Presidential

candidate, Gracie Allen. Musical interludes are brought to you by the Billy Mills orchestra and the Kingsmen. Naturally, the famous closet is the feature as well. A running gag that has spanned into nearly all comedy programs from radio to television.

In this episode, it is the evening before Eddie Canter's 55th Birthday. He celebrates with Jack Benny and a few other friends. The show is hosted by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer. Commercials, as always, are left in for historic and entertainment purposes only.

Eddie Canter. Born 31 January 1882, was one of the huge names in the entertainment business in the first half of the 1900's. He was a singer and performer in Vaudeville, as well as in the Ziegfeld Follies and worked with all the big names of the day. Al Jolsen, WC Fields, Jimmy Durante, Will Rogers and more. He lost all his millions in the Wall Street crash but bounced back as a strong force in films, radio and as an author.

In the late 1930's he had trouble finding work since he openly opposed Adolf Hitler. Networks and sponsors wanted to remain uncommitted on such controversies that could swing either way. He regained popularity, of course, once the war was declared and in full swing. Later he faced similar rejection by the networks when he extended offers for black performers on his television show. The one time spot for Sammy Davis Jr, turned into a long multi show run as Eddie stood his ground on the issue.

Jack has been on a recent kick to increase his dramatic roles. He has been disappointed about being passed over for

an Oscar at the latest Academy Award presentations. Prior to this show, he has had Orson Wells on his show for some

one on one instruction. To further increase his acting range, Jack is going to tackle that Disney classic,

Pinocchio.

This play isn't the first Disney production that Jack has done. The year before, he did an encore show of Snow White

for Walt Disney, who was in his audience that night. It was an encore of the same play done the year before that, in

1938.

In the show, Dennis Day does a very well done rendition of 'When You Wish Upon a Star' from the movie. In the play there are a few other songs that were modified just a little. An interesting presentation of Pinocchio.

The Grand Old Opry is the longest running program ever. It has been broadcasting every week since 1926. For all its

longevity, I can't find all that many shows. I only have about 63, which is quite a few. In the big picture, over

the past80 years or so, 63 shows is just barely over a year of broadcasting. That means some 78+ years of weekly

shows are lost.

As you listen to the show, you can see how close the TV show Hee Haw is to this historic music show. The Opry is

heavier on music than Hee Haw, but they both deliver on down home fun and music. You will also hear a very young

Minnie Pearl and Grandpa Jones.

Thanks for listening.
best regards,
Keith Heltsley
http://cte-onlinestore.com
http://www.mteye-usa.com
mteye@hotmail.com

PS: Sign up for email notices when shows are posted. Especially if you don't have podcatching softwre. Use the links on the page or send me an email directly at:
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In the late 1930's The Mercury Theater hit the radio airwaves, hosted by Orson Wells. It was retitled the Campbell Playhouse and continued to produce some of the great dramas of the day. A recurring one was the timeless classic by Charles Dickens, "A Christmas Carol". Since it was a recurring episode, I'm not sure which recording today's show is from. Likely in the 1940's, but I wouldn't know how to pin it down closer than that. Regardless, it remains a mainstay even today, some 60 years after this production and some 160 years after it was first written.

Hey, did you know? You can make sure that you don't miss any shows. Tune in your podcatcher to our url. What no podcatcher? Join the mailing list and be notified when new shows are posted. Use the links on the web page to add yourself, or send me an email directly and I can ad you in if you have any trouble.
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Thanks for listening,
Keith Heltsley

Lum and Abner shows were only around 15 minutes, so I added in some extra Christmas Carols. This is a nice story

that parallels the biblical account of the Christmas story. See if you can catch the similarities. A young couple.

Going to be taxed. A baby on the way. No room at the Motel. Those are the obvious ones. Even the star in the east,

three wise men bearing gifts, (well if you consider Lum, Abner and Grandpap as wisemen). Of course, it is just a

parallel story. Merry Christmas. Oh yeah, a new computer host makes an appearance. What do you think about him? Send

me your comments here on the web page, or email me at:
mteye@hotmail.com

Support the Troops during this Holiday Season. In World War 2, the entertainment industry put together shows that were soley intended for the troops overseas. Command Performance was one of them. This show runs to just over an hour, but it was a special Christmas show that aired for both the troops and the people back home so they could be united, at least for this time together, despite the distance between them.

Appearances by: the Andrews Sisters, Red Skelton, Spike Jones, Bing Crosby, and others.

Need a new player to listen to your favorite podcasts and audio files?

Visit the Mall now. To search the Electronic department.

Thanks for listening,
Keith Heltsley

Lux Radio Theater is on the Air! This show needs little introduction. Miracle on 34th Street is one of those

classic movies that is still being shown today. This radio adaptation runs about an hour and is just a little bit

cut down due to that reason. . It is still a classic. Give it a listen and enjoy a couple old time Christmas Carols

too.

A final note, please stop at our sponsor's web site:
http://www.cte-onlinestore.com</a.
You can get some excellent prices from the online shopping mall, and there is still time before Christmas to have it

delivered. If you want immediate and free delivery, try an audio book. It is as fast as your download speed. Books

make great gifts for kids of all ages.

Thanks for listening and Merry Christmas!

George Burns and Gracie Allen became a comedy team in Vaudeville during the mid-1920's. They quickly became a

popular radio act and made several movies together. In fact, they were so popular that in 1940 Gracie ran for

president. Gracie steals the show in this episode as she tells of her recent campaign trip to Washington DC. If only

she were still alive today. I think that I'd rather have her in office than any of the upcoming selection of

candidates.

Don't forget to stop by our sponsor. Now available. Audio books. Featuring books for kids. They make great Christmas

gifts. No shipping costs, just download and play.
http://www.cte-onlinestore.com

As always, thanks for listening.

Best Regards,
Keith H.
mteye@hotmail.com
http://www.cte-onlinestore.com
Hottest Business Opportunities

Jim Jordan is Fibber McGee. In this episode, he has opened a hamburger stand. It seems mostly to deliver a flurry of quaint old jokes. There is the usual parade of characters. Mrs. Uppington, the Old Timer and a special appearance by Zazu Pits. Zazu Pits was a well known comic of her day, delivering her style of comedy in something of a deadpan voice.

Don't forget to stop by our sponsor. Now available. Audio books. Featuring books for kids. They make great Christmas gifts. No shipping costs, just download and play.
http://www.cte-onlinestore.com

As always, thanks for listening.

Best Regards,
Keith H.
mteye@hotmail.com
http://www.cte-onlinestore.com
Hottest Business Opportunities

The Lux Radio Theater was a program that ran popular movies as a 1 hour radio drama. Much the same way as movies might run on television, edited for inserting commercials and other censorship, of course.

Goodbye Mr. Chips is a nice story about a school teacher whose career spanned over 40 years at the turn of the last century. He is a fictional character, but we learn of his life, love and tragedies.

Don't forget to visit our sponsor at:
www.cte-onlinestore.com
It's a store. Buy something. When you do, you help support this podcast.

Thanks for listening.

This episode has lots of ribbing on Jack and his Thanksgiving Party last week. He confesses the turkey was really duck. Mary then recounts the story of his duck hunt.

In this episode, Kingfish gets kicked out of his house and wants to do something that will make his wife, Sapphire proud. World War 2 was still raging in both Europe and the Pacific. He tries to join the Army, but only manages to complicate the matter.

I'm running a little late this week with a podcast. Here's a little Thanksgiving fun with Jack Benny and the gang. That "new" singer, Dennis Day sings an old tune. Old jokes abound. Phil Harris gets teased about his womanizing and musical abilities. After Mary's poem, they all get ready for a Thanksgiving party atJack's place.

The My Friend Irma series was a fun show about a dimwitted blonde who always seems to get things wrong. With the
help of her friend Jane, and at times in spite of the help, there is a happy ending.

Just a reminder. If anybody has trouble downloading shows from before the beginning of last June, they have been
moved off the server.
Email me
and refer to the show and Episode name. The 6 digit date I post in the show title will also help me find it. I will
be glad to email it to you. I can also add you to my email list to let you know about new shows when they get posted, if you want.

This will wrap up the special run on scary old time radio. This weekend I'll be taking mp3 files off the server, so

if you want to download any shows that were posted before last June, go get them now. You can still email me a

request and I will gladly attach it in a return email. The show notes should remain out there, just tell me the show

, its title and the date the show aired. Preferrably the 6 digit date that I list on most show titles, or at least clue me in on when I posted it.

Thanks for listening, send comments to:
mteye@hotmail.com

or leave them right on the podomatic web site.

A mysterious dark woman has been making appearances. Where ever she shows up, people die. Is she a murderess? A mob informant? A news reporter is desperate to find her secret. Will he find it?

Notice. Soon I will be cleaning house here on Podomatic. Old episodes from the first 2 or 3 months will be deleted from the server. Email me for any show that doesn't seem to download anymore.
mteye@hotmail.com

This show is being posted on October 28, 2007. On this date back in 1938 was that famous episode of the Mercury

Theater. The War of the Worlds. I considered posting it but decided not to. I'm sure there are plenty of other

podcasters out there posting it. Kind of like every TV station airing Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer at Christmas

time.

So, instead we have a couple of adventurers who visit the jungles of the Amazon to study the wildlife and make their

fortunes. After their discovery, their troubles will soon be over. But who has discovered who?

A little comic relief provided by Jim and Marian Jordan, also known as Fibber McGee and Molly. This episode has an air date of 28 October 1935, which I'm sure it did. This is likely a reproduction in October of 1940. I say that because Billy Mills is the orchestra leader and he didn't join the show until the 1940-41 season when production was moved to California. Also the shows prior to the 1940 season had a rougher, unpolished nature to them. At least in my opinion.

A truly creepy story about rats. Featuring Vincent Price.