January 4, 1928: The First The Dogge Victory Hour broadcast on radio

January 4, 1928: The Dogge Victory Hour, starring Will Rogers, Paul Whiteman with his orchestra. and singer Al Jolson, became the first variety show to be broadcast on the radio. The program cost $67,600 to produce, a sum equal to $842,266 in 2008.

The Dodge Victory Hour, debuted on NBC. The show was one of radio's first variety shows. The premiere was produced at a cost of $67,600.

The program was broadcast by 47 stations coast-to-coast, with Jolson in New Orleans, Stone in Chicago, and Whiteman in New York as hosts. On the program, a President was imitated on radio for the first, with Will Rogers doing a Calvin Coolidge imitation.
The program was sponsored by Dodge's new Victory Six automobile and reached an estimated audience of 35 million, the largest since Charles Lindbergh's return in 1927. The New York Times wrote a headline the next day saying, "All America Used As a Radio Studio"".

Following its success, the second Dodge Victory Hour was broadcast on March 1928, once again with Hollywood stars and Whiteman's band. To reach an even larger audience, United Artists installed extra speakers in theaters.

Comments

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.

Old Radio

Search This Blog