Skip to main content

December 2, 1932: Premiere of The Adventures of Charlie Chan on Radio

 
December 2, 1932: NBC Blue network premiered  The Adventures of Charlie Chan.

Charlie Chan was a fictional suspense story that was created by Earl Derr Biggers. The story was about a Chinese-American detective based in Honolulu known as detective Chang Apana. Biggers described the character of Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu. Chan worked  for the Honolulu police, and it was his passion to investigate mysteries and solve crimes wherever he was. 

As radio version, Charlie Chan was broadcast in four different series on four networks (Blue, NBC, ABC, MBS) between 1932 and 1948. Chan's character was played by several actors throughout the show's run.

Walter Connolly played Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, and Ed Begley, Sr. played in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan Santos Ortega, Leon Janney, and Rodney Jacobs also took on the role of Charlie Chan. The program's announcers were Number One Son and Dorian St. George.

Radio Life magazine described Begley's Chan as "a good radio match for Sidney Toler's beloved film enactment."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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.