January 31, 1936: The Birth of Green Hornet and Kato

January 31, 1936: WXYZ in Detroit, MI broadcast The Green Hornet with its famous theme song The Flight of The Bumble, for the first time on this day. This show was lasting for 16 years. The Green Hornet actually came from the same radio station of The Lone Ranger . The title character of The Green Hornet , Britt Ried, was supposed to be the nephew of The Lone Ranger, John Reid. These famous series were created by George Trendle and Fran Striker.

The Flight of the Bumble Bee was originally used as an orchestral interlude for the opera of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov entitled “the Tale of Tsar Saltan.” However, upon the usage of this song in the radio program ""THe Green Hornet"", The Flight of the Bumble Bee was associated more to Britt Reid compared to its original use and purpose.

The Green Hornet has already gone through different transformation. As a radio program, the series was broadcasted under different stations. In other media, different film serials has been shown, television serials has been aired, comic books and prose fictions, However, despite these various transformations, the produce always goes around the main core story of having The Green Hornet and his confidant Kato being able to fight crimes at night like a vigilante.

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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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