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Radio Hall of Fame

Posted by Robert on December 31, 2011 at 2:14pm

The Radio Hall of Fame was a variety show that ran from 1943 to 1946, sponsored by Philco, featuring the very best in comedy, drama and music while starring some of the greatest performers of the 1940's, such as Fred Allen, Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, Jimmy Durante, Andrews Sisters, Burns and Allen just to name a few.

Radio Hall of Fame.zip (All Shows)

Singles

RHOF_43-12-12_002_Carmen_Jones.mp3
RHOF_43-12-26_004_New_Years_Message.mp3
RHOF_44-01-02_005_First_Song_Valencia.mp3
RHOF_44-01-09_006_Moonlight.mp3
RHOF_44-01-23_008_First_Song_Oh_What_A_Beautifu..>
RHOF_44-02-06_010_First_Song_Beso_Mucho.mp3
RHOF_44-02-13_011_Jane_Eyre.mp3
RHOF_44-03-05_014_First_Song_Take_It_Easy.mp3
RHOF_44-04-30_022_No_Uncommon_Clay.mp3
RHOF_44-05-07_023_Moral_Victory.mp3
RHOF_44-05-14_024_In_The_Fog.mp3
RHOF_44-05-21_025_Times_Square.mp3
RHOF_44-06-04_027_Take_It_Easy.mp3
RHOF_44-06-11_028_First_Song_Salt_Water_Cowboy.mp3
RHOF_44-06-18_029_First_Song_Louise.mp3
RHOF_44-06-25_030_Dont_Sweetheart_Me.mp3
RHOF_44-07-02_031_Stars_And_Stripes_Forever.mp3
RHOF_44-07-09_032_Lady_Of_Spain.mp3
RHOF_44-07-16_033_Make_Way_For_Tomorrow.mp3
RHOF_44-07-23_034_First_Song_I_Want_To_Be_Happy..>
RHOF_44-07-30_035_Suzy.mp3
RHOF_44-08-06_036_Is_You_Is.mp3
RHOF_44-08-13_037_Sweet_And_Lovely.mp3
RHOF_44-08-20_038_Take_It_Easy.mp3
RHOF_44-08-27_039_Come_Out_Come_Out_Wherever_Yo..>
RHOF_44-09-03_040_Blue_Room.mp3
RHOF_44-09-10_041_Lady_Be_Good.mp3
RHOF_44-09-17_042_Dance_With_The_Dolly.mp3
RHOF_44-09-24_043_All_Star_All_Request_Program.mp3
RHOF_44-10-01_044_Wilson.mp3
RHOF_44-11-05_049_The_Evil_War.mp3
RHOF_44-11-12_050_Condemned_In_Paris.mp3
RHOF_44-11-19_051_Brooklyn_Dodgers.mp3
RHOF_44-11-26_052_The_Two_Mrs_Carrolls.mp3
RHOF_44-12-03_053_A_Bell_For_Adano.mp3
RHOF_44-12-10_054_First_Anniversary_Show.mp3
RHOF_44-12-17_055_Judy_Garland.mp3
RHOF_44-12-24_056_The_Happy_Prince.mp3
RHOF_44-12-31_057_Showboat.mp3
RHOF_45-01-07_058_Now_And_Then.mp3
RHOF_45-01-14_059_Thank_Dixie_For_Me.mp3
RHOF_45-01-21_060_Breakfast_In_Hollywood.mp3
RHOF_45-01-28_061_Evelani.mp3
RHOF_45-02-04_062_Experiment_Perilous.mp3
RHOF_45-02-11_063_Victor_Herbert_Tribute.mp3
RHOF_45-02-18_064_First_Song_How_Deep_Is_The_Oc..>
RHOF_45-02-25_065_Earl_Carroll_Tribute.mp3
RHOF_45-03-04_066_The_Tell-Tale_Heart.mp3
RHOF_45-03-11_067_Believe_It_Or_Not.mp3
RHOF_45-03-18_068_Vic_And_Sade.mp3
RHOF_45-03-25_069_The_Strange_Case_Of_Robert_Ra..>
RHOF_45-04-08_071_The_Case_Of_The_Perfect_Frame..>
RHOF_45-04-15_072_Music_Loved_By_All_The_World.mp3
RHOF_45-04-22_073_Alter_Ego.mp3
RHOF_45-05-06_075_Paul_Whiteman_Salute.mp3
RHOF_45-05-13_076_Mothers_Day_Special.mp3
RHOF_45-05-20_077_Major_General_Maurice_Rose_Tr..>
RHOF_45-05-27_078_George_Gershwin_Salute.mp3
RHOF_45-07-22_086_Everytime.mp3
RHOF_45-07-29_087_Guest_Gloria_Agostini.mp3
RHOF_45-08-05_088_Landing_Craft_Musical.mp3
RHOF_45-08-12_089_The_Navajo_Trail.mp3
RHOF_45-08-19_090_Special_Day_Of_Prayer_And_Tha..>
RHOF_45-08-26_091_Georgia_Gibbs_Birthday_Party.mp3
RHOF_45-09-02_092_I_Want_To_Be_Happy.mp3
RHOF_45-09-16_094_School_Days.mp3
RHOF_45-09-23_095_One_Road_Mary.mp3
RHOF_45-11-04_101_Unveiling_The_New_Philco_Prod..>
RHOF_45-11-11_102_Honoring_Oscar_Levant.mp3
RHOF_45-11-18_103_Honoring_Gene_Kelly.mp3
RHOF_45-11-25_104_Honoring_The_Metropolitan_Ope..>
RHOF_45-12-02_105_Guest_Kate_Smith.mp3
RHOF_45-12-09_106_Guest_Eddie_Cantor.mp3
RHOF_45-12-16_107_Guest_Judy_Canova.mp3
RHOF_45-12-23_108_Christmas_Program.mp3
RHOF_45-12-30_109_Guest_Sophie_Tucker.mp3
RHOF_46-01-06_110_Guest_Ralph_Bellamy.mp3
RHOF_46-01-13_111_Guest_Don_McNeill.mp3
RHOF_46-01-20_112_Annual_Film_Critics_Award.mp3
RHOF_46-01-27_113_Guest_Red_Skelton.mp3
RHOF_46-02-03_114_Guest_Abbott_And_Costello.mp3
RHOF_46-02-10_115_Guest_Jerry_Colonna.mp3
RHOF_46-02-17_116_Guest_Jack_Haley.mp3
RHOF_46-02-24_117_Guest_Jimmy_Durante.mp3
RHOF_46-03-03_118_Guest_Bob_Crosby.mp3
RHOF_46-03-10_119_Guest_Hedda_Hopper.mp3
RHOF_46-03-17_120_Guest_Lionel_Barrymore.mp3
RHOF_46-03-24_121_Guest_Agnes_Moorehead.mp3
RHOF_46-03-31_122_Guest_Walter_Pidgeon.mp3
RHOF_46-04-07_123_Guest_Larry_Storch.mp3
RHOF_46-04-14_124_Guest_Roland_Young.mp3

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 Beatles: The Days In Their Life

Posted by Robert on December 25, 2011 at 7:39pm

Below is some tracts from a podcast I ran across, but to see the full post and more information about the complete 30 hour broadcast click here.

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 1

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 2

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 3

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 4

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 5

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 6

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 7

The Beatles: The Days In Their Life vol 8

Folk Ways - Piedmont Blues

Posted by Robert on December 23, 2011 at 9:30am

David Holt talks to three talented artists and experiences the whole spectrum of Piedmont Blues. Etta Baker, a well-known artist in the North Carolina mountains, plays old favorites like "Knoxville Rag" and "Careless Love." She also plays a traditional blues song, showing the difference between the type of beat most people associate with "blues" and the ragtime style of Piedmont Blues. She also plays some slide guitar with "John Henry." David also plays his guitar beside George Higgs, another artist who plays the blues in the style of Blind Boy Fuller, a blues artist of the 1930s. George also slides the blues on his harmonica, as David accompanies him. Finally, David introduces us to John Dee Holeman of Durham, North Carolina, who plays the modern style of blues that emanated from the war. Playing his electric guitar in the styles of both Blind Boy Fuller and Lightning Hopkins, John concludes Piedmont Blues with a beat that will get your toes tapping.

Download

The Carter Sisters Show

Posted by Robert on December 23, 2011 at 7:30am

The Carter Sisters, (better known as their later moniker, The Carter Family) were an American singing quartet consisting of Maybelle Carter and her daughters June Carter Cash, Helen Carter, and Anita Carter. Formed during World War II, the group recorded and performed into the 1980s.

In the 1920s through the early 1940s, Maybelle Carter was part of the historic country music trio The Carter Family with her cousin Sara Carter and Sara's husband A. P. Carter. Maybelle's contribution to the group was singing harmony to Sara's lead vocal as well as playing guitar. Maybelle was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra Carter and had three children: June, Helen, and Anita.

In March 1943, when the original Carter Family trio stopped recording together after their WBT-AM contract ended, Maybelle Carter formed "Maybelle Carter & the Carter Sisters" with her three daughters June, Helen and Anita. Maybelle's daughters had frequently appeared with The Carter Family on their radio broadcasts of the early 1940's. The girls were young when the new act began: June at age 14; Helen, 16; and Anita, the youngest, at age 10.

The group was said to have been a mix of traditional songs of the original Carter Family with pop, gospel, and vaudeville comedy. Each daughter made her own contribution to the band.

Helen: vocals, guitar, and accordion
Anita: vocals, guitar, and bass fiddle
June: vocals, autoharp and comedy (June struggled with pitch problems and soon began to focus more on her
comedic addition to the group than her singing.

The group (originally from Poor Valley, Virginia) made their first move to Richmond, Virginia in 1943. (They were reported as having kept their travel low key, with their father Ezra driving the group in a van to and from their destinations.) The new group first aired on radio station WRNL in Richmond on June 1, 1943. This broadcast would serve as their first commercially sponsored program and their first radio debut as "Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters." The girls' next big break was offered to them by "Sunshine Sue" of WRVA-AM. In September 1946 the group was asked to be a part of The Old Dominion Barn Dance on WRVA. The show had just begun and started small, however by the end of its first year was selling out its 1,400 seat theater twice a night, every Saturday. The group soon became a headliner for the show. Having spent five years in Richmond, the girls were yet again offered a job opportunity, this time in Knoxville, Tennessee.

In 1948, towards the end of their time in Richmond, the girls were offered the chance to work for WNOX-AM in Knoxville. They accepted and were then played on both the evening show, Tennessee Barn Dance; and the daily show, Mid-Day Merry-Go-Round.

Carter Sisters.zip (All Shows)

carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_01_first_song_-_cimmaron_audition.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_02_first_song_-_country_girl.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_05_first_song_-_no_vacancies.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_06_first_song_-_eight_more_miles_to_louisville.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_08_first_song_-_plain_old_country_girl.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_13_first_song_-_stay_a_little_longer.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_14_first_song_-_wish_i_had_a_nickel.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_15_first_song_-_sugar_hill.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_17_first_song_-_divorce_c.o.d..mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_18_first_song_-_an_old_fashioned_hoedown.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_19_first_song_-_skip_to_my_loo.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_20_first_song_-_oklahoma_city.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_21_first_song_-_cindy.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_22_first_song_-_sourwood_mountian.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_23_first_song_-_a_feudin_a_fussin_and_a_fightin.mp3

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carter_sisters_4x-xx-xx_24_first_song_-_the_beautiful_morning_glory.mp3

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Heartbeat Theater (1956 - 1985) --- The last live, regularly scheduled radio drama produced in Hollywood.

Posted by Robert on December 22, 2011 at 5:30am

Heartbeat+Theater+60-01-24+%28204%29+Count+of+Nine.jpg

Heartbeat Theater (1956 - 1985) was the last live, regularly scheduled radio drama produced in Hollywood. The first one was produced in December of 1955 and released in March, 1956. I think Preston Foster was in the first one. Raymond Burr did some, Greer Garson--everyone's done a 'Heartbeat' at one time or another. All sorts of famous people appeared on the show.

The Salvation Army saved "Heartbeat" in 1977 with its plan to update sound effects and dramatize social issues. After the 1977 transformation, Hills' new "Heartbeat Theater" wallowed in prostitution, incest and homosexuality with the regularity of a 1980s TV sitcom. At one point, Hills had to discourage an overenthusiastic would-be TV writer from submitting "Heartbeat" plays with a Kojak-like Salvation Army captain climaxing final acts by chasing down villains in a squad car.

The final show, featuring Daws Butler and hosted by "Days of Our Lives" soap-opera doctor MacDonald Carey, was taped Oct. 10, 1985 at Studio House in Hollywood, just after producers George Galbraith and Don Hills got word that the Salvation Army had written them out of their 1985 budget.

Hills, who cranked out 52 morality tales a year for the show, said the Salvation Army spent half its annual media budget on keeping the half-hour drama alive for the 500 U.S. radio stations on the "Heartbeat" distribution list.

Heartbeat Theater.zip (all shows)

Nostalgic Movies Gave Escape in Tumultuous Year

Posted by Robert on December 19, 2011 at 5:34pm

Here is an interesting clip from NBC News that caught my attention. Something members here at Times Past have known all along. What do you think?

"In a year of protest and unrest, filmmakers tried to give audiences an escape by looking to the past. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. (Nightly News) "

Night Watch (Maybe the first reality Cop Show)

Posted by Robert on December 19, 2011 at 6:00am

CBS brought NIGHT WATCH to the air for its short run on April 2, 1954 to Apr 21, 1955. NIGHT WATCH was the first show to bring live police drama to the air. Police Reporter Don Reed accompanied Officer Ron Perkins, bringing with him a tape recorder to capture the action. Don Reed actually carried a dry-cell powered reel to reel tape machine on his back and had a concealed microphone inside a flashlight casing. Reed went on to be one of the first traffic helicopter reporters, and Perkins eventually was elected Mayor of Culver City.

Very unique show that is often overlooked because of the short run. This is a true reality cop show from the past. What an overlooked gem.

Click here for All files in one zip

A Bluegrass and Old Time Music Radio Show

Posted by Robert on December 18, 2011 at 10:00am

Jack Lewis produced an Old Time Radio Music Show which apparently ended in 2007. But the show left us with 26 episodes that are both entertaining and educational. The shows feature old time music and history of the music, instruments, and styles of a time past. There is four episodes that will give you a history lesson about the Appalachian music. You do not want to miss these four shows.

Show #9 - October 27, 2005 -- Jack describes the history of old time mountain music and plays songs that correspond to this history. Main emphasis is on the work of Wayne Erbsen and his selected songs. Original songs by Ernest V. Stoneman and The Carter Family are included. Download now (9.1 Mb - 51.4 minutes).

Show #14 - May 13, 2006 -- Jack gives a second installment of the history of old-time and bluegrass music. (Listen to Show #9 for the first installment.) The Carter Family made a major contribution to old-time, bluegrass and country music from 1927 to 1943. They recorded over 300 songs, many of which became big hits and were played by many later bands including those that play today. Maybelle Carter forever changed the way the guitar is played and everyone who plays the guitar now uses her style of picking. You won't want to miss this show and be sure to view the accompanying websites listed in Jack's blog.................. Download now (9.8 Mb - 56 minutes).

Show #16 - June 10, 2006 -- Jack gives a third installment of the history of old-time and bluegrass music. (Listen to Episodes 9 and 14 for the first and second installments.) He discusses the major contributions the "Monroe Brothers" and "Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys" to the music style now called bluegrass. If you like bluegrass music, you will not want to miss this episode. Download now (6.7 Mb - 38 minutes).

Show #18 - July 9, 2006 -- The Itinerant Band is featured in this episode. This band plays music from the 18th century and uses instruments seldom heard or seen in a band. I bought their Jefferson and Liberty album while attending a reenactment of the 1757 battle between French and British forces at Fort Ticonderoga in upper state New York. This is another of my history of old time and bluegrass music episodes and I think you will like it. You can learn more about the band at www.itinerantband.com. You can learn more about Fort Ticonderoga at www.fort-ticonderoga.org. Download now (7.1 Mb - 40 minutes).

There is some Christmas episodes that are great for the Holiday season like Show #11 and Show #25.

You can download all 26 shows on Jack's Web Site,

Bluegrass Preservation Society Radio Show

Posted by Robert on December 18, 2011 at 8:22am

The Bluegrass Preservation Society, Inc Radio Show is an one hour of homegrown Appalachian Bluegrass Music, hosted by Ewell Ferguson and his Bluegrass Kitty Cat, Buster. Dedicated to the preservation of old time bluegrass music, these shows are ones you should enjoy.

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and is a sub-genre of country music. It has its own roots in Irish, Scottish, Welsh and English traditional music. Bluegrass was inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland (particularly the Scots-Irish immigrants in Appalachia), as well as jazz and blues. In bluegrass, as in jazz, each instrument takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment. This is in contrast to old-time music, in which all instruments play the melody together or one instrument carries the lead throughout while the others provide accompaniment. Traditional bluegrass is typically based around acoustic stringed instruments, such as mandolin, acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, and upright bass, with or without vocals.

The podcast is a very entertaining show and if you are interested in exploring this Appalachian old time radio music, you can subscribe free here.

Below is current podcast feed and the archives for you listening pleasure, or download shows for a nice addition to an old time radio collection.

TCF Nostalgia TV Christmas Page

Posted by Robert on December 13, 2011 at 6:30pm

If you have not visited the Christmas page from TCF Nostalgia TV, you are in for a treat for some great movies and shows for this Holiday season. Great selection from White Christmas to Home Alone. Go to this page here and click on Visit Our Christmas Page. If you enjoy the work done there, let them know by signing the guestbook.

Destination Freedom.zip (all shows)

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.

Note: this page contains paid content.