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2006-11-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

The Great Gildersleeve 411019 ep008 School Pranks
November 28, 2006 05:00PM
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Gracie and George Burns

2006-11-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

Gracie and George Burns

October 30, 2006 07:43PM

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six shooter

2006-11-21T16:51:00.001-08:00

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Old Time Radio Shows and TV Classics

six shooter trial to sunset 01311954

Father knows best income tax

2006-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

Father knows best income tax

February 11, 2006 07:30AM

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Father Knows Best, a family comedy of the 1950s, is perhaps more important for what it has come to represent than for what it actually was. In essence, the series was one of a slew of middle-class family sitcoms in which moms were moms, kids were kids, and fathers knew best. Today, many critics view it, at best, as high camp fun, and, at worst, as part of what critic David Marc once labeled the "Aryan melodramas" of the 1950s and 1960s.

Woody Woodpecker in Pantry Panic

2006-11-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Woody Woodpecker in Pantry Panic

February 09, 2006 08:54PM

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Weatherby Groundhog predicts a cold winter and advises all the birds to fly south. But Woody Woodpecker decides to stay, and nearly starves. Animation by Alex Lovy and Lester Kline, story by Ben Hardaway and L.E. Elliott, music by Darrell Calker. Production Company: Universal Studios & Walter Lantz Productions

the lone ranger 1956

2006-11-18T14:33:00.000-08:00

the lone ranger 1956

February 07, 2006 04:17AM

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The classic episodes of the famous Western television series THE LONE RANGERS are featured on this collection. In the first, "The Wooden Rifle," the Lone Ranger and his loyal companion Tonto must figure out the mysterious case of a child's rifle and a dead man in the heart of Nevada's cattle country. In "The Sheriff of Smoke Tree," a young cowpuncher must step in as the sheriff of the Smoke Tree mining camp, as it is too small to have a real leader.

Disorder in the Court (1936) THREE STOOGES

2006-11-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Disorder in the Court (1936) THREE STOOGES

February 05, 2006 07:08PM

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Plot Summary for Disorder in the Court (1936) The stooges are witnesses at a trial where their friend, a dancer at a nightclub where they are musicians, is accused of murder. The stooges manage to disrupt the proceedings but save the day when they discover the real murderer's identity.

Merry Melodies: Bugs Bunny cartoon (1942)

2006-11-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Merry Melodies: Bugs Bunny cartoon (1942)

February 04, 2006 07:56AM

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Bugs Bunny is wanted "dead or alive" by the Mounted Police, led by Elmer Fudd. Animation by Manuel Perez, story by Michael Maltese, supervising producer I. Freeleng. Produced in 1942. Director: Carl W. Stalling Producer: Leon Schlesinger Production Company: Warner Brothers & Vitaphone Corporation Audio/Visual: sound, color Keywords: bugs bunny; merrie melodies; elmer fudd

Tom & Jerry Rocketeers (1932)

2006-11-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

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Arguably the most consistently inventive of all the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Rocketeers doesn't let up for a second, from a telescope that wants to rebel and an octopus band next to fishing skeletons. Certainly not a children's cartoon, while it begins with the duo wanting to travel in space, it ends with them after far more libidinous pursuits. As the entire townsfolk jump in the sea in the hope of some mermaid... er, tail?... it must also be acknowledged the homo-erotic segment where T & J get so close they're literally singing with the same mouth. On the same lines, the Mae West caricature (a mandatory inclusion for cartoons of the period, it seems) also talks in a man's voice.

superman the dailies 1941

2006-11-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

In the endless reaches of the universe, there once existed a planet known as Krypton, a planet that burned like a green star in the distant heavens. There, civilization was far advanced and it brought forth a race of "supermen," whose mental and physical powers were developed to the absolute peak of human perfection...

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flash gordon Conquers the universe

2006-11-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

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Old Time Radio Shows and TV Classics

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe: Chapter 3 (1940)

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Gene Autry Shows -Robbed & Shot

2006-11-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

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Orvon Gene Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998) was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television. Discovered by film producer Nat Levine in 1934, he and Burnette made their film debut for Mascot Pictures Corp. in In Old Santa Fe as part of a singing cowboy quartet; he was then given the starring role by Levine in 1935 in the 12-part serial The Phantom Empire. Shortly thereafter, Mascot was absorbed by the formation of Republic Pictures Corp. and Autry went along to make a further 44 films up to 1940, all B westerns in which he played under his own name, rode his horse Champion, had Burnette as his regular sidekick and had many opportunities to sing in each film. He became the top Western star at the box-office by 1937, reaching his national peak of popularity from 1940 to 1942. He was the first of the singing cowboys, succeeded as the top star by Roy Rogers when Autry served as a flier with the Air Transport command during World War II. From 1940 to 1956, Autry also had a weekly radio show on CBS, Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. Another money-spinner was his Gene Autry Flying "A" Ranch Rodeo show which debuted in 1940. He briefly returned to Republic after the war, to finish out his contract, which had been suspended for the duration of his military service and which he had tried to have declared void after his discharge. Thereafter, he formed his own production company to make westerns under his own control, which were distributed by Columbia Pictures, beginning in 1947. He also starred and produced his own television show on CBS beginning in 1950. He retired from show business in 1964, having made almost a hundred films up to 1955 and over 600 records. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1969 and to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.

JFk Speech 1960

2006-11-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

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John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, John Kennedy, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. He served from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. His leadership during the ramming of his PT-109 during World War II led to being cited for bravery and heroism in the South Pacific. Kennedy represented Massachusetts during 1947–1960, as both a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. He was elected President in 1960 in one of the closest elections in American history. He is the only Roman Catholic to be elected President of the United States as of 2006. Major events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, early events of the Vietnam War, and the American Civil Rights Movement. John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Official investigations have repeatedly determined Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin, but critics allege that Oswald acted as part of a conspiracy or was not involved at all and was framed. Kennedy's assassination is considered to be a defining moment in U.S. history due to its traumatic impact on the nation as well as on the political history of the ensuing decades, his subsequent branding as an icon for a new generation of Americans and American aspirations, and for the mystery and conspiracy allegations which surround it.

The Great Gildersleeve 410921 ep004 Marjories Girl

2006-11-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

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The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957) was arguably the first spin-off program, as well as one of the first true situation comedies (as opposed to sketch programs) in broadcast history. Built around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio sit-com, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off, and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show's popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis ("You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catch phrase). But he also became a popular enough windbag that Kraft Foods — looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread — sponsored a new series with Peary's Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (the character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly) as the central, slightly softened, and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family. Premiering on NBC on August 31, 1941, The Great Gildersleeve moved the title character from the McGee's Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where Gildersleeve now oversaw his late sister's estate and took on the rearing of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy (Walter Tetley) Forester. In a striking forerunner to such later television hits as Bachelor Father and Family Affair, both of which are centered on well-to-do uncles taking in their deceased siblings' children, Gildersleeve was a bachelor raising two children while, at first, administering a girdle manufacturing company ("If you want a better corset, of course it's a Gildersleeve") and then for the bulk of the show's run, serving as Summerfield's water commissioner, between time with the ladies and nights with the boys. Indeed, The Great Gildersleeve may have been the first broadcast show to be centered on a single parent balancing child-rearing, work, and a social life, done with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve's now slightly understated pomposity The Great Gildersleeve

The Great Gildersleeve 1941-009-28 episode 5 Hiccups

2006-11-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

GG_1941-09-28_ep005_Hiccups

November 15, 2006 10:36AM

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The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957) was arguably the first spin-off program, as well as one of the first true situation comedies (as opposed to sketch programs) in broadcast history. Built around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio sit-com, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off, and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show's popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis ("You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catch phrase). But he also became a popular enough windbag that Kraft Foods — looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread — sponsored a new series with Peary's Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve (the character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly) as the central, slightly softened, and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family. Premiering on NBC on August 31, 1941, The Great Gildersleeve moved the title character from the McGee's Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where Gildersleeve now oversaw his late sister's estate and took on the rearing of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy (Walter Tetley) Forester. In a striking forerunner to such later television hits as Bachelor Father and Family Affair, both of which are centered on well-to-do uncles taking in their deceased siblings' children, Gildersleeve was a bachelor raising two children while, at first, administering a girdle manufacturing company ("If you want a better corset, of course it's a Gildersleeve") and then for the bulk of the show's run, serving as Summerfield's water commissioner, between time with the ladies and nights with the boys. Indeed, The Great Gildersleeve may have been the first broadcast show to be centered on a single parent balancing child-rearing, work, and a social life, done with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve's now slightly understated pomposity The Great Gildersleeve

1938-09-25 case of the alice Faulkner-sherlock holmes

2006-11-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

1938-09-25_CaseofAliceFaulkner - sherlock holmes

November 16, 2006 10:39AM

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Edith Meiser was responsible for Sherlock Holmes coming to radio, more than anyone else. She also wrote for the series for more than 12 years. The early scripts followed Sir Arthur Conan Doyles canon, with such short stories as The Speckled Band, A Scandal in Boheia, The Red- Headed League, The Copper Beaches, and The Bascombe Valley. No audiences were allowed during the early broadcasts. William Gillette plaed the lead for the first episode. We was known for his tours and his appearance on The Lux Radio Theater on November 18th, 1935. The series ratings peaked in 1933, with Richard Gordon playing Holmes. Basil Rathbone made 16 Sherlock Holmes films while doing the radio show for 7 years.

Check out this podcast episode! A Man Called X

2006-10-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

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Old Time Radio Shows and TV Classics

A Man Called X 1948-08-15 The Girl Who Couldt Remember

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2006-10-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

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Old Time Radio Shows and TV Classics

Jack Benny - Football with the Beavers

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2006-10-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Radio America

Old Time Radio Shows and TV Classics

King Kong -1938 Radio Version

Ellery Queen 44-01-20 The Scarecrow and the snowman

2006-09-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

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The Adventures of Ellery Queen: Famous for his mystery books, Ellery invites listeners to solve his radio mysteries. The show was heard on various networks between 1939 and 1948 (except for the 1941-1942 season, when it was off the air). Most of its sponsors still exist, except for Kolynos toothpaste.

Even on radio Marion Shockley (1911-1981) was the first actress to portray Nikki Porter , Ellery's secretary and low-key love interest. In the "Gum-Chewing Millionaire" she's a blonde professional typist who gets asked to work on Ellery's manuscripts. She then applies for the job of personal secretary.

On radio, The Adventures of Ellery Queen was heard on all three networks from 1939 to 1948. During the 1970s, syndicated radio fillers, Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries, began with an announcer saying, "This is Ellery Queen..." and would go on to describe a case in one minute. The radio station would then encourage callers to try to solve the mystery and win a sponsor's prize. Once they got a winner, the solution part of the spot would be played as confirmation.

Helene Hanff, best-known for her book 84 Charing Cross Road, was a scripter for the television series version of The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1950-52), which began on the DuMont Television Network but soon moved to ABC. Shortly after the series began, Lee Hart, who played Queen, died and was replaced in the lead role by Lee Bowman. The series returned to DuMont in 1954 with Hugh Marlowe in the title role. George Nader then played Queen in The Further Adventures of Ellery Queen (1958-59), but he was replaced with Lee Philips in the final episodes.

Peter Lawford starred in the television movie Ellery Queen: Don't Look Behind You (1971). The 1975 television movie Ellery Queen led into the 1975-76 television series starring Jim Hutton in the title role (with David Wayne as his widowed father). Each episode would end with Queen breaking the fourth wall to go over the facts of the case and invite the audience to solve the mystery on their own.

The cousins, under their collective pseudonym, were given the Grand Master Award for achievements in the field of the mystery story by the Mystery Writers of America in 1961.

Ellery Queen

Ozzie & Harriet 48-10-24 Halloween

2006-09-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

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HARRIET NELSON (Harriet Hilliard). Born Peggy Lou Snyder in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.A., 18 July 1914. Attended St. Agnes Academy. Married: Ozzie Nelson, 1935; children: David Ozzie and Eric Hilliard. Beauty queen hired as vocalist for Ozzie Nelson's Orchestra, 1932; recording artist for Brunswick, Vocalian, Victor and Blue Bird; as Harriet Hilliard, was a leading lady in film from 1936; various radio appearances on Red Skelton's radio program in the 1940s, co-starred with husband Ozzie in radio series The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, 1944; star of television version of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet 1952-66. Recipient: National Family Week Radio citation by the International Council on Chistian Family Life, 1947; Radio and TV Women of Southern California Genii Award, 1960; Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year; TV-Radio Mirror Reader's Poll Best Husband-Wife Team in TV, seven consecutive years. Died in Laguna Beach, California, 2 October 1994.

Superman - Clark Kent Reporter

2006-09-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

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Superman on Radio
Superman on Radio The Adventures of Superman

"Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!"

"Look! Up in the sky!"
"It's a bird!"
"It's a plane!"
"It's Superman!"

"Yes, it's Superman - strange visitor from another planet who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman - defender of law and order. champion of equal rights, valiant, courageous fighter against the forces of hate and prejudice, who disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way."

The above signature was heard in many variations over the airwaves, and has become as much a part of the public's perception of Superman as his blue, red and yellow costume. What most people don't know, is that this widely recognised opening did not originate from the 4-color pages of Superman comics, but rather on the long-running adventures serial that was one of the hallmarks of the Golden Age of Radio.

We all know that Superman first appeared in 1938 within the pages of Action Comics #1, but much of the mythology associated with Superman and many of the supporting cast of characters originated in his radio adventures. Daily Planet characters such as Perry White and Jimmy Olsen, along with Inspector Bill Henderson, were originally created for the radio series. Superman first discovered his greatest weakness, Kryptonite, in his radio adventures long before it appeared within the pages of the Superman comics. He also regularly teamed up with Batman and Robin on radio before the trio joined forces in the comic books. The radio series' influence also extended to the big screen. The Fleischer Superman movie-cartoons were nominated for Academy Awards, and featured voices from the cast of the radio series, while the screenplays of Columbia's 1948 and 1950 Superman movie serials were adapted from the radio program rather than from the stories within the comic books.

Up, Up and Away!

Superman first flew onto the radio airwaves on Monday, 12 February, 1940 as a transcribed series for Hecker's H-O Oats. DC's press agent Allen Ducovny and former pulp fiction author Robert Joffe Maxwell developed the new series. The two were quick to realise that Superman's popularity could be boosted by the vast radio audiences.

In 1939, Maxwell and Ducovny prepared several sample audition disks to sell the idea to prospective sponsors, co-writing the first version of Superman's famous opening signature: "Faster than an airplane, more powerful than a locomotive, impervious to bullets. 'Up in the sky - look!' 'It's a giant bird.' 'It's a plane.' 'It's SUPERMAN!' And now, Superman - A being no larger than an ordinary man but possessed of powers and abilities never before realised on Earth: able to leap into the air an eigth of a mile at a single bound, hurtle a 20-story building with ease, race a high-powered bullet to its target, lift tremendous weights and rend solid steel in his bare hands as though it were paper. Superman - a strange visitor from a distant planet: champion of the oppressed, physical marvel extraordinary who has sworn to devote his existence on Earth to helping those in need." "We had a lot of fun writing that opening," Ducovny once said. "It was a typical radio action piece that fully utilized sound effects."

The new show was purchased by Hecker's H-O Oats, who tried to buy time on the networks but were turned down. Nevertheless, Hecker's bought airtime on ten stations and distributed the prerecorded series on 16-inch "electrical transcription" disks. Superman achieved a Crossley rating of 5.6 ten weeks after its debut, the highest rating of any thrice-weekly juvenile program on the air. Frank Chase produced the early episodes of Superman, George Ludlum scripted, and a repertory of the finest actors in New York radio was assembled. Ned Wever (CBS's Bulldog Drummond) and Agnes Moorehead (The Shadow's "lovely Margot Lane") portrayed Jor-L and Lara, Superman's Kryptonian parents in the premier broadcast, with Jay Josten (Mr. District Attorney) as Rozan. Other early episodes featured the versatile Santos Ortega (Nero Wolfe) and future movie star Frank Lovejoy (radio's Blue Beetle). The success or failure of the series would largely rest upon the actor chosen to portray the dual leads. Bob Maxwell was afraid he might have to hire an actor to play both of Superman's personalities, unless he could obtain the services of a particular who initially wanted nothing to do with Superman.

Calling all Cars - Steele 34-01-17

2006-09-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

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Calling All Cars!" was one of radios first crime dramas. It is widely recognized as being the forerunner to Dragnet, although the emphasis was on solving thecrimes themselves and the methods employed by the Los Angeles Police Department to solve them, as opposed to thepeople who

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Mr Toad

2006-08-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

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he Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is an animated feature produced by Walt Disney Studios and released to theaters on October 5, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the eleventh animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. This film was the final of Disney's 1940s "package films" (feature films comprised of two or more short subjects instead of a single feature-length story). Beginning with the next animated feature release, Cinderella, his studio would return to the feature-length stories that low income and World War II had caused a drought of during the 1940s

Blondie - The Actor

2006-08-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

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Biography: Jeffrey Silver was the very last boy to play the part of Alexander Bumstead in the long-running and highly popular "Blondie" radio show. It's because of him, more than anyone else, that I included a "Blondie Radio Show" section to this website. He's a SPECIAL BLONDIE CONSULTANT and has contributed much in the way of information and pictures. He's also a very talented individual who, as a child actor, had a way of delivering dialogue that is beyond compare. Truly outstanding!

He made his professional radio debut in Cleveland on NBC in "The Ohio Story." He later arrived in Hollywood in August of 1948. At first, the Silvers family came to Hollywood only to summer in Long Beach. There was no thought of a Hollywood radio career for Jeff. It just all kind of fell into place. How?

Jeffrey's mother spent a day taking her mother to some of the local audience-participation programs. The thought then struck her that her son should try out for a Hollywood radio audition. His radio career flourished on the strength of his ability alone, with most of his roles resulting from word-of-mouth recommendations of actors and directors who sampled his past performances.

merry melody

2006-08-29T18:31:00.000-07:00

Merry Melodie

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Producer Leon Schlesinger had already produced one cartoon in the Looney Tunes series, and its success prompted him to try to sell a sister series to Warner Bros. His selling point was that the new cartoons would feature music from the soundtracks of Warner Bros. films and would thus serve as advertisements for Warner Bros. recordings. The studio agreed, and Schlesinger dubbed the series Merrie Melodies.

Walt Disney Productions had already scored with their Silly Symphonies. Since cartoon production usually began with a soundtrack, animating a piece of music made it easier to devise plot elements and even characters.
Merrie Melodies closing title from the early 1960s.
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Merrie Melodies closing title from the early 1960s.

The Merrie Melodies series was taken on by Rudy Ising, one of the two animators (the other being Hugh Harman) who had worked on the original Looney Tunes short. The first of these was Lady, Play Your Mandolin!, released in 1931. Ising attempted to introduce new characters in his Merrie Melodies films, such as Piggy, Foxy, and Goopy Geer, but Foxy was so derivative of Mickey Mouse that he was dropped, possibly at Disney's urging. The Merrie Melodies shorts became largely plotless musicals or romances without any recurring characters and continued in this vein even after Ising left the studio in 1933.

In 1934, Schlesinger produced his first color Merrie Melodies shorts, Honeymoon Hotel and Beauty and the Beast, which were produced in Cinecolor (Disney had exclusive rights to the richer Technicolor process). Their success convinced Schlesinger to produce all future Merrie Melodies shorts in color as well. Looney Tunes continued in black and white until 1943.

Contractually, Merrie Melodies cartoons were obligated to include at least one full chorus from a Warner Bros. song. Warner Bros. requested that these songs be performed by name bands whenever possible, but this lasted only through the first few shorts. The policy annoyed the animators of Merrie Melodies, since the songs often interrupted the cartoons' momentum and pacing.

In the late 1930s, the animators were released from this obligation, and the Merrie Melodies shorts came to resemble more closely the black-and-white Looney Tunes series. In 1943, Schlesinger began producing Looney Tunes in color as well, and the two series became virtually indistinguishable except by their theme music and opening titles. By this time the theme music for Looney Tunes was "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin and the theme music for Merrie Melodies was an adaptation of "Merrily We Roll Along" by Charles Tobias, Murray Mencher & Eddie Cantor.

Warner Bros.-owned songs continued to appear in some of the shorts, however, as shown by the frequent repetition of "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" and "Singing in the Bathtub," as well as the music of Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott, particularly "Powerhouse".

Perry Mason

2006-08-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

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Perry Mason on the Radio

Since his film experience with Hollywood turned out to be so embarrassing it may come as a surprise that Gardner agreed to put his hero on radio. Although his compadres advised him to aim for a nighttime, prime time slot for Mason, Gardner sold the radio rights to Procter & Gamble, the kingpins of soap, who decided to put the series on during the day. (It was these daytime radio programs, usually funded by detergent companies, that gave rise to the name "soap opera.") The Perry Mason radio series premiered on a few stations in October 1943 and in three months was playing five days a week on stations all across the country.

Gardner considered the show a kind of continuing advertisement for his books, in the same way that the Ellery Queen radio show promoted the popular detective books of the same name. But when he sat down and tried to write scripts for the episodes, he failed miserably. "As a soaper, I stunk," he said at the time. He admitted his strengths were in narrative writing and not scripting.

When the sponsors brought in another writer to punch up the Mason character, Gardner felt his control of the show (he had "veto rights") slipping away. He came to dislike the show's writing, the plots, the production, even the ads. And he must have been qualified to judge. He monitored the program every day, taking notes--not many of which were complimentary.

Dick Tracy the case of the negative positive

2006-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

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Dick Tracy had a long run on radio, from 1934 weekdays on NBC's New England stations to the ABC network in 1948. Bob Burlen was the first radio Tracy in 1934, and others heard in the role during the 1930s and 1940s were Barry Thompson, Ned Wever and Matt Crowley. The early shows all had 15-minute episodes.

On CBS, with Sterling Products as sponsor, the serial aired four times a week from February 4, 1935 to July 11, 1935, moving to Mutual from September 30, 1935 to March 24, 1937 with Bill McClintock doing the sound effects. NBC's weekday afternoon run from January 3, 1938 to April 28, 1939 had sound effects by Keene Crockett and was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which brought Dick Tracy into primetime (Saturdays at 7pm and, briefly, Mondays at 8pm) with 30-minute episodes from April 29, 1939 to September 30, 1939. The series returned to 15-minute episodes on the ABC Blue Network from March 15, 1943 to July 16, 1948, sponsored by Tootsie Rolls, which used the music theme of "Toot Toot, Tootsie" for its 30-minute Saturday ABC series from October 6, 1945 to June 1, 1946. Sound effects on ABC were supplied by Walt McDonough and Al Finelli.

Directors of the series included Mitchell Grayson, Charles Powers and Bob White. Cast members at various times included Walter Kinsella as Pat Patton, Helen Lewis as Tess Trueheart and Andy Donnelly and Jackie Kelk as Junior Tracy. Announcers were Ed Herlihy and Dan Seymour.

George Burns & Gracie Allen 40-30-27 till the cows come

2006-07-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

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">Gracie Allen (July 26, 19021 - August 27, 1964) was an American
comedian who became internationally famous as the zany partner of
husband George Burns. Burns himself phrased it perfectly, in a gag
that got laughs no matter how often he repeated it for the rest of
his life: "One day, the audience realised I had a terrific talent.
They were right. I did have a terrific talent. And I was married to
her for 38 years."

The Burns drollery and the Allen malaprops and definitional
contortions made for classically understated comic dialogue. It also
made for very few true imitations, because the team's style was
itself inimitable. Goodman Ace and his wife Jane, in their own radio
show, Easy Aces, approached it differently, with Jane Ace's classic
word mangling a distinct contrast to Allen's "logically illogical"
style. By the time Allen retired, she was half a national institution.

Amos and Andy

2006-07-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

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