All Posts - Blog - Times Past

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

Posted by Robert on October 7, 2012 at 9:00pm

“When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion,” this ABC special event was the highest rated special for the network in 1979. Let's pay tribute to the greatest Cowboys and their shows!

Hosted by Glenn Ford and set in a western saloon, it served as a reunion for many of the people who played in popular western series and films over the years, including cast members from "The Lone Ranger", "The High Chaparral", "The Virginian", "Lawman", "Gunsmoke" and many others.

The quality of the clip gets better as it goes along!

Private Files Of Rex Saunders

Posted by Robert on November 30, 2010 at 9:45pm

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The Private Files of Rex Saunders aired Wednesdays at 10:30 P.M. on NBC starring Britain's Rex Harrison in the role of a Manhattan amateur detective along with his sidekick Alec played by Leon Janney. The show was produced and directed by Hyman Brown along with the writing talent of Ed Adamson. RCA sponsor. All Shows Private Files Of Rex Saunders.zip Single Shows PFRS_51-05-02_01_Lady_With_Hate_In_Her_Heart.mp3 PFRS_51-05-09_02_A_Shocking_still_Life.mp3 PFRS_51-05-16_03_Done_to_Death.mp3 PFRS_51-05-23_04_Game_with_Death.mp3 PFRS_51-05-30_05_Shallow_Graves.mp3 PFRS_51-06-06_06_Plan_in_the_Killers_Mind.mp3 PFRS_51-06-13_07_Trip_to_the_Death_House.mp3 PFRS_51-06-20_08_Murder_in_Killers_Mind.mp3 PFRS_51-06-27_09_Namely_Murder.mp3 PFRS_51-07-04_10_Hidden_Thoughts_in_a_Feminine_..> PFRS_51-07-11_11_Murder_is_a_Silent_Companion.mp3 PFRS_51-07-18_12_Until_Death_Do_Us_Part.mp3 PFRS_51-07-25_13_Worth_more_than_its_Weight_in_..> PFRS_51-08-01_14_The_Human_Game_Last_Episode.mp3 .

Bob Dylan Biography

Posted by Robert on June 9, 2013 at 8:30pm

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Patti Smith hosts four hours of music and conversation about Bob Dylan. His friends, early influences and collaborators discuss their close relationships with Dylan and the stories behind his greatest songs and other memorable moments of his career. Journalists and biographers add critical insights and provide historical contexts. Exclusive comments from current singer-songwriters detail how Dylan's art influenced their own lives and careers. We also hear Bob Dylan, himself, in rarely heard interview clips. Each episode focuses on on a distinct period of his life, and they are sequenced in chronological order.

DYLAN - BLOWIN' IN THE WIND 1-4

DYLAN - LIKE A ROLLING STONE 2-4

DYLAN - SHELTER FROM THE STORM 3-4

DYLAN - OH MERCY 4-4

My Favorite Husband - Cartoon From 1949 Radio Show

Posted by Robert on August 9, 2011 at 4:00pm

My Favorite Husband began as a radio sitcom on CBS Radio, with Lucille Ball and Richard Denning as Liz and George Cooper (Cugat in a very few early episodes, until bandleader Xavier Cugat was said to be edgy about the radio couple sharing the name). The couple lived at 321 Bundy Drive in the fictitious city of Sheridan Falls, and were billed as "two people who live together and like it." The main sponsor was Jell-O, and an average of three "plugs" for Jell-O were made in each episode, including Lucille Ball's usual sign-on, "Jell-O, everybody!" It would start as:(1948 radio version).

The program initially portrayed the couple as being a well-to-do banker and his socially prominent wife, but three new writers — Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and Jess Oppenheimer — took over the writing, changed the couple's name to Cooper, and remade them into a middle-class couple, believing average listeners would find them more accessible.

Lucille Ball was asked to do a television version of the show (with Jell-O remaining as sponsor) and CBS insisted on Richard Denning continuing as her co-star, but Ball refused to do a husband-and-wife television show without real-life husband Desi Arnaz playing her on-screen husband. The network reluctantly agreed, reworking the concept into I Love Lucy after Ball and Arnaz took a show on the road to convince the network audiences would respond. But Jell-O dropped out of the show in favor of Philip Morris for television.

Carroll, Pugh, and Oppenheimer agreed to do the switch to I Love Lucy. They subsequently reworked a few My Favorite Husband episodes into I Love Lucy episodes, especially early in the TV show's run. For example, the 1948 radio episode entitled "Giveaway Program" inspired the I Love Lucy episode called "Redecorating," with some lines being exactly the same. Many of the actors who had done My Favorite Husband radio show also appeared on I Love Lucy, sometimes in episodes where they reprised their roles using a reworked Husband script.

Here is a cartoon made from an Old Time Radio episode of My Favorite Husband from Christmas 1949. Really very well done.

Go to radio page of My Favorite Husband

Official Adventures of The Shadow LP

Posted by Robert on July 5, 2023 at 9:45pm

In 1964, about a decade after The Shadow's final radio broadcast, this pair of all-new adventures were recorded with members of the original cast, including Bret Morrison as The Shadow and Grace Matthews as Margo Lane. While never broadcast, the new dramas ended up being released by Leo the Lion Records (a division of MGM Records) as an LP titled The Official Adventures of The Shadow. It was the first time the phantom avenger ever appeared on record. Produced and directed by Herb Gale, written by John Fleming, and featuring supporting turns from Santos Ortega, Mandel Kramer, Ken Roberts, Bob Dryden, Lawson Zerbe.

64-xx-xx The Computer Calculates But The Shadow Knows.mp3

64-xx-xx The Air Freight Fracas.mp3

The Doris Day Show

Posted by Robert on January 22, 2012 at 8:30am

Doris Day (born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff; April 3, 1924) is an American actress and singer. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945. After leaving the Les Brown & His Band of Renown to try a solo career, she started her long-lasting partnership with Columbia Records, which would remain her only recording label. The contract lasted from 1947 to 1967, and included more than 650 recordings, making Day one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. In 1948, after being persuaded by Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne and her agent at the time, Al Levy, she auditioned for Michael Curtiz, which led to the lead in Romance on the High Seas, her first film with close friend, Jack Carson.

With a legendary Hollywood "girl next door" image and capable of delivering comedy, romance as well as heavy drama, she appeared in 39 films, released 29 albums, spent 460 weeks in the Top 40 charts and eventually became one of America's most beloved entertainers. She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Pillow Talk, won three Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Legend Award from the Society of Singers, Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Career Achievement Award and, in 1989, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures.

The Doris Day Radio Show began on CBS airing first on Friday, March 28th 1952 featuring, many stars and friends that helped her during her rise to fame. The Doris Day Radio Show's first show had guest Danny Thomas, her co-star from I'll See You In My Dreams (1952). Other featured guest were Kirk Douglas,Cornel Wilde, Howard Keel, George Murphy, Frankie Laine, Gene Nelson, Mary Wickes, and Ronald Reagan.

The Doris Day Show TV series, an American sitcom, was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until September 1973. In addition to showcasing Doris Day, the show is remembered for its many abrupt format changes over the course of its five-year run. It is also remembered for Day's claim, in her autobiography Doris Day: Her Own Story (1975), that her husband Martin Melcher had signed her to do the TV series without her knowledge, a fact she only discovered when Melcher died of heart disease on April 20, 1968. The TV show premiered on September 28, 1968.

Doris Day Show, The 52-03-28 (12) First Song - Who, Who Who, Guest - Danny Thomas
Doris Day Show, The 52-04-11 (14) First Song - Just One Of Those Things, Guest - Ray Bolger, Frank Loesser
Doris Day Show, The 52-04-18 (15) First Song - Shanghai, Guest - Ray Bolger, Mary Wickes
Doris Day Show, The 52-04-25 (16) First Song - Oops, Guest - Gordon MacRae
Doris Day Show, The 52-05-02 (17) First Song - Nobody's Sweetheart, Guest - Donald O'Connor, Liberace
Doris Day Show, The 52-05-09 (18) First Song - It's A Lovely Day Today, Guest - Gordon MacRae, Mary Wickes
Doris Day Show, The 52-05-16 (19) First Song - 'S Wonderful, Guest - Harry James, Guy Mitchell
Doris Day Show, The 52-05-23 (20) First Song - On Moonlight Bay, Guest - Dennis Day, Ray Noble
Doris Day Show, The 52-11-25 (46) First Song - Just One Of Those Things (Kirk Douglas)
Doris Day Show, The 52-12-23 (50) First Song - Here Comes Santa Claus

Please meet: Jim Beshires (Savannah Morning News)

Posted by Robert on March 16, 2011 at 10:05pm

By Eric Curl

Southside resident Jim Beshires is not a big fan of today’s movies and television programs. The 67-year-old retiree prefers old radio programs produced during the medium’s “golden age” that spanned 1930 to 1960.

“There was no television for that era, or very little, so people listened to the radio,” Beshires said. “We called it the theater of the mind.”

That appreciation of the medium led him to form what is now the Old Time Radio Researchers Group in 2000.

Before the group’s formation, Beshires said a number of dealers were selling the same episodes under different names to maximize their profits.

The group aims to put a stop to the practice by accurately cataloging the programs and making them available to fans. There are now more than 1,500 members around the world and about 60,000 downloadable episodes available online for free.

“We’ve put some unscrupulous dealers out of the way,” Beshires said. (Read Entire Article)

Death Valley Days s05e07 The Last Letter (w Clint Eastwood)

Posted by Robert on April 22, 2012 at 8:00am

Death Valley Days was a series of stories, all based in fact, revolving around the legends of Death Valley, California where borax was mined. Mostly human interest stories about the life in Death Valley and the surrounding area in the late 1800's.

"The Last Letter" was written by Ruth Woodman & directed by Stuart E. McGowan, with William Pullen, Clint Eastwood, Forrest Stanley, George Pembroke, Russ Todd, Joseph Sargent, Gregg Barton, Robert Sherman. Host: Stanley Andrews. Original air date: 8 December 1956.

Download: Death Valley Days s05e07 The Last Letter (w Clint Eastwood).mp4

Destination Freedom

Posted by Robert on December 26, 2011 at 6:30pm

Richard Durham created Destination Freedom, a groundbreaking radio series that dramatized the struggle for civil rights in America. Destination Freedom aired on WMAQ, a Chicago radio station, on Sunday mornings from 1948 to 1950.

The premier of Destination Freedom on June 27, 1948 signaled a landmark in African American broadcasting history. Drawing on the talents of young intellectuals and entertainers including Oscar Brown Jr., Studs Terkel, Janice Kingslow, Wezlyn Tilden, Fred Pinkard and Vernon Jarrett, Durham developed scripts that captured the lives and struggles of everyday men and women as well as prominent African Americans. Unlike the typical radio fare of its time, Destination Freedom featured social dramas that eloquently appealed for racial justice. As Durham explained, “the real-life story of a single Negro in Alabama walking into a voting booth across a Ku Klux Klan line has more drama and world implications than all the stereotypes Hollywood or radio can turn out in a thousand years.” In striking contrast to the hackneyed images of blacks and as a remedy to the gross underrepresentation of blacks in radio production, Durham cast black actors in leading roles and told the stories of activists and leaders including Frederick Douglass, Toussaint L’Ouverture and Mary Church Terrell; writers and artists including Richard Wright, Katherine Dunham and Gwendolyn Brooks and cultural legends such as Stackalee and John Henry.

Hours of careful research at the George Cleveland Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library with Vivian Harsh’s assistance, close readings of autobiographies, monographs and speeches and skilled scriptwriting brought these historical and contemporary figures to life in poignant detail on Destination Freedom. Certain of the redemptive power of black history and education, Durham went beyond recounting the biographies of these figures and focused on the ways that they overcame racial injustice through resistance. Durham challenged network protocols to ensure that the series featured black women as equally important, history-making figures. The series lacked a sponsor for most of the time it aired on WMAQ, but by relying on his earlier connections, Durham persuaded the Chicago Defender to fund the first weeks of the broadcast and the Urban League sponsored several broadcasts in 1950. Despite Durham’s efforts to exercise authorial control over the series, WMAQ edited, controlled final script approval and rejected the more controversial stories of the lives of Nat Turner and Paul Robeson. Despite these conflicts, the station recognized the import and the success of the show when in 1949, it won a prestigious first-place award from the Institute for Education by Radio. On the anniversary of its first episode, Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson commended the program for its efforts in increasing racial tolerance and in educating the public on the contributions of African Americans. Despite these accolades, WMAQ canceled Destination Freedom in 1950, just as the rising tide of anti-Communist conservatism began to adversely affect radio and the arts.

Changed to Cold War ideas after 10-15-50 (known as the "Patriotic Format")

Destination Freedom.zip (all shows)

Singles:

The Mystery Project

Posted by Robert on October 25, 2017 at 9:27pm

ProxTube Unblocks US-Only YouTube Videos for International Users

Posted by Robert on May 11, 2012 at 7:55pm

ProxTube Unblocks US-Only YouTube Videos for International Users [YouTube]: 

Click here to read ProxTube Unblocks US-Only YouTube Videos for International Users

Chrome/Firefox: Non-US users know the pain of having services blocked from them pretty well, and YouTube is no exception. If you're tired of stumbling on videos you can't watch, ProxTube will fix the problem by unblocking all US-only videos for anyone to see. More »   

Four Star Playhouse

Posted by Robert on December 27, 2010 at 8:30pm

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Four Star Playhouse aired on radio from NBC on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM for 13 episodes. Premiere episode was on 1949-07-03 and the final episode was 1949-09-25. The series was primarily an anthology type drama. The shows starred Rosalind Russell, Fred MacMurray, Loretta Young and Robert Cummings.

The series was brought back as Four Star Playhouse as a television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine.

Dawn Wells Potato Peeling (Amazing!!)

Posted by Robert on May 20, 2011 at 9:44am

Dawn Wells, aka Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, demonstrates a unique way to peel an Idaho potato...without the use of a potato peeler!

CBS, David Mamet Developing 'Have Gun - Will Travel' Reboot

Posted by Robert on August 21, 2012 at 10:00pm

CBS, David Mamet Developing 'Have Gun - Will Travel' Reboot

The network has made a script deal for the CBS TV Studios-produced Western, which originally aired on CBS from 1957-63.

CBS is looking to reboot Have Gun - Will Travel with two-time Oscar-nominated writer David Mamet at the helm.

The network has made a script deal for the CBS TV Studios-produced Western, which originally aired on CBS from 1957-63. During its six-season run, the drama starring Richard Boone as Paladin not only delivered top-five ratings but also spawned a successful radio show.

If ultimately ordered to series, Have Gun could join Vegas, an upcoming Western starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis, on CBS' schedule. The genre generated heat last year at this time, with many of the broadcast network developing such projects as NBC's The Frontier and Fox's Wyatt Earp effort. More

Here's a look at the opening sequence for the original "Have Gun - Will Travel":

The NPR 100 Archive - Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th century

Posted by Robert on December 5, 2012 at 8:00pm

Throughout the year 2000, NPR presented the stories behind 100 of the most important American musical works of the 20th century. These special features cover music from a wide variety of genres -- classical, jazz, rock'n'roll, country, R&B, musical theatre and film scores. NPR 100 stories aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and NPR's weekend news magazine programs.

You can listen to and download most of the tracks which are still available on their web site.

The NPR 100 Archive

Here are a few random Examples:

The Sock-It-To-Me Truth Of 'Respect'

I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

The List Available in The Archive

ADAGIO FOR STRINGS, SAMUEL BARBER (1938)
AIN'T THAT A SHAME, words/music ANTOINE "FATS" DOMINO/DAVE BARTHOLOMEW; as performed by FATS DOMINO (1955)
ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND, words/music IRVING BERLIN (1911)
ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL, words/music JACK LAWRENCE/ARTHUR ALTMAN; as performed by FRANK SINATRA with HARRY JAMES & HIS ORCHESTRA (1939)
APPALACHIAN SPRING, AARON COPLAND (1944)
AS TIME GOES BY, words/music HERMAN HUPFELD (1931)
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN, words/music RAY WHITLEY/GENE AUTRY; as performed by GENE AUTRY (1939)
BLOWIN' IN THE WIND, words/music BOB DYLAN; as performed by BOB DYLAN (1962)
BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY, words/music BILL MONROE (1946); as performed by BILL MONROE AND HIS BLUE GRASS BOYS (1954)
BLUE SUEDE SHOES, CARL PERKINS; as performed by CARL PERKINS (1955)
BODY AND SOUL, words EDWARD HEYMAN/ROBERT SOUR/FRANK EYTON, music JOHNNY GREEN (1930); as performed by COLEMAN HAWKINS & HIS ORCHESTRA (1939)
BORN TO RUN (LP), BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (1975)
A CHORUS LINE (musical), words EDWARD KLEBAN/music MARVIN HAMLISCH (1975)
COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER, words/music LORETTA LYNN; as performed by LORETTA LYNN (1970)
CRAZY, words/music WILLIE NELSON; as performed by PATSY CLINE (1961)
DJANGO, JOHN LEWIS; as performed by THE MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1954)
DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME, words GUS KAHN/music WILBUR SCHWANDT and FABIAN ANDRE (1931)
DRUMMING, STEVE REICH (1971)
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (musical), words SHELDON HARNICK/music JERRY BOCK (1964)
FINE AND MELLOW, words/music BILLIE HOLIDAY (1940); as performed by BILLIE HOLIDAY with MAL WALDRON ALL-STARS on "The Sound of Jazz" (CBS-TV) (1957)
FIRE AND RAIN, words/music JAMES TAYLOR; as performed by JAMES TAYLOR (1970)
FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN, EARL SCRUGGS; as performed by LESTER FLATT and EARL SCRUGGS and the FOGGY MOUNTAIN BOYS (1949)
4:33, JOHN CAGE (1952)
GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY, words/music GEORGE M. COHAN (1904)
GONE WITH THE WIND (film score), MAX STEINER (1939)
GOOD VIBRATIONS, words MIKE LOVE/BRIAN WILSON, music BRIAN WILSON; as performed by THE BEACH BOYS (1966)
GRACELAND (LP), PAUL SIMON (1986)
GRAND CANYON SUITE, FERDE GROFE (1931)
GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, words/music OTIS BLACKWELL/JACK HAMMER; as performed by JERRY LEE LEWIS (1957)
THE GREAT PRETENDER, words/music BUCK RAM; as performed by THE PLATTERS (1955)
GUYS AND DOLLS (musical), words/music FRANK LOESSER (1950)
HELLHOUND ON MY TRAIL, words/music ROBERT JOHNSON; as performed by ROBERT JOHNSON (1937)
HELLO DOLLY, words/music JERRY HERMAN; as performed by LOUIS ARMSTRONG (1963)
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, words/music C.D. MARTIN/C.H. GABRIEL; as performed by MAHALIA JACKSON (1958)
HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN, words/music WILLIE DIXON; as performed by MUDDY WATERS (1954)
HOUND DOG/DON'T BE CRUEL, words/music JERRY LEIBER/MIKE STOLLER; OTIS BLACKWELL/ELVIS PRESLEY; as performed by ELVIS PRESLEY (1956)
I GOT RHYTHM, words IRA GERSHWIN/music GEORGE GERSHWIN (1930)
I WALK THE LINE, words/music JOHNNY CASH; as performed by JOHNNY CASH (1956)
I WANNA BE SEDATED, words/music RAMONES; as performed by RAMONES (1978)
I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY, words/music HANK WILLIAMS; as performed by HANK WILLIAMS (1949)
IN THE MOOD, words ANDY RAZAF/music JOE GARLAND (1938), as performed by GLENN MILLER & HIS ORCHESTRA (1939)
(GOODNIGHT) IRENE, words/music HUDDIE LEDBETTER (LEAD BELLY)/JOHN LOMAX (1936)
KIND OF BLUE (LP), MILES DAVIS (1959)
KING PORTER STOMP, JELLY ROLL MORTON (1923)
KO KO, CHARLIE PARKER; as performed by CHARLIE PARKER (1945)
LA BAMBA, words/music WILLIAM CLAUSON; as performed by RITCHIE VALENS (1958)
LET'S STAY TOGETHER, words/music AL GREEN/WILLIE MITCHELL/AL JACKSON; as performed by AL GREEN (1971)
LIGHT MY FIRE, words/music JOHN DENSMORE/ROBERT KRIEGER/RAYMOND MANZAREK/JIM MORRISON; as performed by THE DOORS (1967)
LIKE A ROLLING STONE, words/music BOB DYLAN; as performed by BOB DYLAN (1965)
A LOVE SUPREME (LP), JOHN COLTRANE (1964)
MACK THE KNIFE, words MARC BLITZSTEIN (after BERTOLT BRECHT)/music KURT WEILL (1928/1956)
MAYBELLENE, words/music CHUCK BERRY; as performed by CHUCK BERRY & HIS COMBO (1955)
MOOD INDIGO, words/music EDWARD KENNEDY "DUKE" ELLINGTON/ALBANY "BARNEY" BIGARD/IRVING MILLS ; as performed by DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (1930)
MY FAIR LADY (musical), words ALAN JAY LERNER/music FREDERICK LOEWE (1956)
MY FUNNY VALENTINE, words LORENZ HART/music RICHARD RODGERS (1937)
MY GIRL, words/music WILLIAM ROBINSON/RONALD WHITE; as performed by THE TEMPTATIONS (1964)
NIGHT AND DAY, words/music COLE PORTER (1932)
A NIGHT IN TUNISIA, JOHN BIRKS "DIZZY" GILLESPIE/FRANK PAPARELLI (1944); as recorded by DIZZY GILLESPIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA (1946)
OKLAHOMA! (musical), words OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN/music RICHARD RODGERS (1943)
ONCE IN A LIFETIME, words/music DAVID BYRNE/BRIAN ENO/TALKING HEADS; as performed by TALKING HEADS (1980)
ONE O'CLOCK JUMP, WILLIAM "COUNT" BASIE; as performed by THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA (1937)
OYE COMO VA, words/music TITO PUENTE (1963); as performed by SANTANA (1970)
PAPA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG, words/music JAMES BROWN; as performed by JAMES BROWN (1965)
PEGGY SUE, words/music JERRY ALLISON/BUDDY HOLLY/NORMAN PETTY; as recorded by BUDDY HOLLY (1957)
PORGY AND BESS (opera), words IRA GERSHWIN/DUBOSE HEYWARD/music GEORGE GERSHWIN (1935)
PSYCHO (film score), BERNARD HERRMANN (1960)
PURPLE HAZE, words/music JIMI HENDRIX; as performed by THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE (1967)
RAPPER'S DELIGHT, words/music BERNARD EDWARDS/NILE RODGERS; as performed by SUGARHILL GANG (1979)
RESPECT, words/music OTIS REDDING (1965); as performed by ARETHA FRANKLIN (1967)
RHAPSODY IN BLUE, GEORGE GERSHWIN (1924); orchestrated by FERDE GROFE (1924/1926/1942)
(WE'RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, words/music MAX FREEDMAN/JAMES MYERS a.k.a. JIMMY DE KNIGHT (1953); first recorded by BILL HALEY & HIS COMETS (1954)
'ROUND MIDNIGHT, words BERNARD HANIGHEN; music THELONIOUS MONK/COOTIE WILLIAMS (1944)
(GET YOUR KICKS ON) ROUTE 66, words/music BOBBY TROUP; as performed by THE KING COLE TRIO (1946)
THE ST. LOUIS BLUES, words/music W.C. HANDY (1914); as performed by BESSIE SMITH (1925)
SHOW BOAT (musical), words OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN/music JEROME KERN (1927)
SING, SING, SING, words/music LOUIS PRIMA (1936), as arranged by JIMMY MUNDY and performed by BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA at Carnegie Hall (1938)
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (film musical), words/music ARTHUR FREED/NACIO HERB BROWN (1952)
(SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY, words/music OTIS REDDING/STEVE CROPPER; as performed by OTIS REDDING (1967)
SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT, words KURT COBAIN/music NIRVANA; as performed by NIRVANA (1991)
STAND BY YOUR MAN, words/music TAMMY WYNETTE/BILLY SHERRILL; as performed by TAMMY WYNETTE (1968)
STAR DUST, words MITCHELL PARISH/music HOAGY CARMICHAEL (1927)
SYMPHONY OF PSALMS, IGOR STRAVINSKY (1930/1948)
TAKE FIVE, PAUL DESMOND; as performed by THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET (1959)
TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD, words/music THOMAS A. DORSEY (1932)
TAKE THE "A" TRAIN, BILLY STRAYHORN; as performed by DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA (1941)
TALKING BOOK (LP), STEVIE WONDER (1972)
TAPESTRY (LP), CAROLE KING (1971)
THEME FROM "SHAFT", words/music ISAAC HAYES; as performed by ISAAC HAYES (1971)
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, words/music WOODY GUTHRIE (1940)
TOM DOOLEY, Traditional; as arranged by DAVE GUARD and performed by KINGSTON TRIO (1958)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO (LP), THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (1967)
WARNER BROS. CARTOON MUSIC, CARL STALLING (1936 to 1958)
WE SHALL OVERCOME, words/music ZILPHIA HORTON, FRANK HAMILTON, GUY CARAWAN, PETE SEEGER (1960); believed to have originated from C. ALBERT TINDLEY'S Baptist hymn I'LL OVERCOME SOME DAY (1901)
WEST END BLUES, words CLARENCE WILLIAMS, music JOE OLIVER; as performed by LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE (1928)
WEST SIDE STORY (musical), words STEPHEN SONDHEIM/music LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1957)
WHAT'D I SAY, words/music RAY CHARLES; as performed by RAY CHARLES (1959)
WHAT'S GOING ON, words/music AL CLEVELAND, MARVIN GAYE, and RENALDO BENSON (1970); as performed by MARVIN GAYE (1971)
WHITE CHRISTMAS, words/music IRVING BERLIN (1942); as performed by BING CROSBY (1942)
WILDWOOD FLOWER, words/music MAUDE IRVING/J.P. WEBSTER; as arranged by A.P CARTER and performed by CARTER FAMILY (1928)
WIZARD OF OZ (film musical), words E.Y. "YIP" HARBURG/music HAROLD ARLEN (1939)

Have Gun-Will Travel

Posted by Robert on November 10, 2012 at 10:30pm

The Have Gun-Will Travel radio show broadcast 106 episodes on CBS between November 23, 1958, and November 22, 1960. It was one of the last radio dramas featuring continuing characters and the only significant American radio adaptation of a television series. John Dehner (a regular on the radio series version of Gunsmoke) played Paladin, and Ben Wright usually (but not always) played Hey Boy. Virginia Gregg played the role of Miss Wong, Hey Boy's girlfriend, before the television series began featuring the character of Hey Girl. Unlike the small-screen version, in this medium, there was usually a tag scene back at the Carlton at both the beginning and the end of the episode. Initially, the episodes were adaptations of the television program as broadcast earlier the same week, but eventually, original stories were produced, including a finale ("Goodbye, Paladin") in which Paladin left San Francisco, apparently forever, to claim an inheritance back East. The radio version of the show was written by producer/writer Roy Winsor.

The Enduring Popularity Of Sherlock Holmes (NPR)

Posted by Robert on January 8, 2012 at 7:30pm

Here is a recording from NPR's "All Things Considered" back in December, 2011 thought quite interesting.

It's been more than a century since Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print and captivated a generation of readers. Arthur Conan Doyle's methodical sleuth has been stirring imaginations ever since — even now, the Holmes canon continues to grow.

The House of Silk — published this fall — is the first new Sherlock Holmes mystery to be authorized by Conan Doyle's estate. Author Anthony Horowitz has been transfixed by the series since receiving the complete Sherlock Holmes for his 16th-birthday present. And it wasn't merely the man and his distinctive methods that so captivated Horowitz — it was the rich atmosphere of 19th century London. (Read More)

London Nightlife in the 1950's

Posted by Robert on March 14, 2012 at 6:00am

Here is a look back at the past from a little short film by Claude Goretta and Alain Tanner called "Nice Time".

Part 1

Part 2

War-Era Food Posters: Patriotism and Food

Posted by Cat Matta on December 9, 2012 at 5:30pm

As evidenced by the subjects of government posters, food was every bit as important to the war effort as troops, weaponry and factories. From the farm to the front, food production, distribution, preservation and conservation played a vital role in war times. Significantly, the language of the posters may even speak of food in terms normally reserved for weapons. "When Beans Were Bullets", An Exhibition of Posters by Cory Bernat". War-Era Food Posters from the Collection of the National Agricultural Library features a collection of government posters that highlight the subject of food. The subjects range from canning to Victory Gardens. Lovers of American wartime history might appreciate this exhibit as much as I did.

"An Exhibition of Posters by Cory Bernat": http://www.good-potato.com/beans_are_bullets/

Additional Resources:

WW2 Home Front(includes historical audio PSAs): http://www.signalalpha.com/WW2_Home_Front.html
American Food Posters from WWI and II: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2010/05/american-food-posters-from-world-war-i-and-ii/
WWII Poster Collection Northwestern University Library(Images are Public Domain; however, please site URL to reproduce images): http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/wwii-posters/

Yours ever in appreciation of history, Cat

Death Valley Days - The Oldest Law

Posted by Robert on April 22, 2012 at 7:30am

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Death Valley Days was an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series. The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo).

In "The Oldest Law", Jim Davis stars as a rancher called Colonel who single handed takes on a violent, corrupt town after his son is murdered.

Death Valley Days - The Oldest Law

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Destination Freedom.zip (all shows)

The network has made a script deal for the CBS TV Studios-produced Western, which originally aired on CBS from 1957-63.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.