October 26, 1935: The Debut of Judy Garland on Wallace Beery's NBC Show

October 26, 1935: One this date, a talented twelve-year-old girl by the name of Judy Garland attracted audiences with her voice when she sang for the first time on Wallace Beery's NBC show. Judy would soon become headline news and a famous star. This was only four years before Ms. Garland (George Jessel gave her that name because he thought it would be better than her real name, Frances Gumm) would amaze movie lovers everywhere with her performance in The Wizard of Oz as Dorothy.

Frances Ethel Gumm, better known as Judy Garland was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 1922. Her parents were vaudevillians who settled in Grand Rapids to run a movie theater for other vaudeville acts.
George Jessel encouraged the group to choose a more appealing name after "Gumm" after it was met with laughter from the audience when they performed at the Oriental Theather.

By late 1934, the Gumm Sisters had changed their name to the Garland Sisters. Frances changed her name to "Judy" soon after. Her new name was inspired by a popular Hoagy Carmichael song. In August 1935, they broke up when Suzanne Garland flew to Reno, Nevada and married musician Lee Kahn, a member of the Jimmy Davis orchestra playing at Cal-Neva Lodge, Lake Tahoe.

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1946 Great Crepitation Fart Contest

Not for the faint of heart, here is the remarkable 1946 Crepitation (Fart) Contest (part of the 1946 News Broadcasts Collection ). You'll enjoy the fart-off between champion Englishman Lord Windsmear, and challenger, Australian Paul Boomer who had stowed aboard a cabbage freighter. The hilarious comedy recording was apparently created a spoof by two Canadian radio sportscasters in 1946, but this 15 minute recording definitely has some gems in it. Apparently they made several copies, but it was not for distribution. The recording was copied again and again on disc and reel to reel tape. It was distributed underground and played in dark rooms and back alleys around the world. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element This recording is available with many other delightful treats on Random Rarities #7 available on MP3 CD , Audio CD , and instant download .

April 27, 1932: The First Performance of Ed Wynn on Texaco Fire Chief Show

April 27, 1932: Ed Wynn , the Texaco fire chief, graced the airwaves for the first time on Texaco Star Theater. Wynn, who enjoyed popularity as a vaudeville performer, gave as a condition to his switch to radio, that a live audience react to his humor.His condition was granted by the network and so began Wynn's career as the first true superstar of radio. Ed Wynn was hosted a popular radio show on Tuesday nights for most of the 1930s. The radio show was heard in North America and sponsored by Texaco gasoline. On the show Wynn played as the " Texaco Fire Chief ". He was often seen wearing a fireman's helmet. For this show, Wynn would turned down the offer form The Wizard in MGM's adaptation of The Wizard of Oz , to play a role on that show.

January 27, 1948: Wire Recording introduced the 'Wireway'

January 27, 1948: The first magnetic tape recorder was introduced by Wire Recording Corporation of America. ‘Wire Way,’ as it was called, had an integrated oscillator and was sold for $149.50 at the time.

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