Old Radio

Today marks the birth--in 1899--of Alfred Hitchcock .  One of the greatest American film directors of all time, Hitchcock also turned in some magnificent performances on oldtime radio .  Highly versatile, Alfred did radio work as a director, writer, and guest. In 1950, he appeared on Screen Directors' Playhouse , introducing the story, "Lifeboat," and interviewing the actors afterward.  In 1956, he co-starred with Doris Day on a Close To Your Heart edition entitled " Alfred Hitchcock Presents Doris Day ."  Also of note is an interview show on Philadelphia's WCAU radio's The Talk of Philadelphia (Mar. 26, '63), on which the director answered two women's question of what he looks for in a woman.

From being referenced in J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye to being pictured on a postage stamp, Alfred Lunt has pretty much lived the life. He and his wife Lynne Fontanne made up one of the biggest theatre couples in American history . If you tuned in to Theater Guild on the Air in the 1940s , you would've heard the Lunts spinning wonderful renditions of Elizabeth the Queen, The Guardsman, O Mistress Mine, and several other great dramatic works. The couple also strutted their stuff on a couple of episodes of The Cavalcade of America . All of this came some decades after Lunt had conquered the Broadway world with his acclaimed work in Elizabeth the Queen and The Magnificent Yankee. He snagged an Oscar nomination for his work in The Guardsman. The cherished actor was born on this day in 1892 in Milwaukee. We celebrate  Alfred Lunt 's birthday!

  August 9, 1936: For the first time, the radio show Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy was aired by NBC. The show appeared months after their debut on Rudy Vallee's program , aired by W.C Fields . In the show, one that transformed into one of radio's top hits, Mr. Bergen and Mr. McCharthy were helped by Don Ameche and Dorothy Lamour. Their show was a part of the comedy variety show The Chase and Sanborn Hour . The two were on-air from May 1937 to July 1956. Although the audience knew that Bergen provided Charlie's voice, they still perceived the latter as a real person. Bergen's skill as an entertainer made the debut show very successful. For the program, he also made other characters like Effie Klinker and Mortimer Snerd, although the main character was and always will be Charlie.

Today's birthday girl--born today in 1884--would've had no problem starting conversations at cocktail parties. She was not only Glinda the Good With in The Wizard of Oz , but also the wife of Florence Ziegfeld, Jr. of Ziegfeld Follies . Her party conversation partners may also have recognized her from her CBS radio program The Billie Burke Show. Whereas throughout the history of American comedy in any medium it's been commonplace for humor to center around the characters' vices and the trouble their machinations get them into, Burke's character on this sitcom was funny while being generous and caring. Episodes often centered around her helping someone but making delightful gaffes along the way. So here's to Billie Burke , the talented actress with the radiant voice.

Bios of Lucille Ball abound, and most people know at least a little bit about the famed comedienne. But on the occasion of her birthday, we get a chance to look at her contributions to oldtime radio . Her first big break was the chance to star in the radio program My Favorite Husband along with Richard Denning . The two played a Minneapolis couple, with Lucille's character Liz, being a goofball housewife. She signed each time with a cordial "Jell-O, everybody," to plug the sponsor, General Foods' Jell-O. The show would later make the jump to television. But what a lot of people may not realize is that she also made the rounds as a guest on just about any radio show you can name: The Kraft Music Hall , Screen Guild Theatre , Mail Call , The Campbell Playhouse , and The Gulf Screen Guild Theatre to name a few. Many things to many people, Lucille Ball was a giant of old time radio . Happy birthday, Lucille!

August 4, 1940: The CBS program ‘ Crime Doctor ’ presented Dr. Benjamin Ordway as a patient with amnesia. As the title character, Ordway portrayed both a criminal and a crime fighter. A smartly performed show,  Crime Doctor  was never missing interest or  drama . In this radio program, Ray Collins performs as Dr. Ben Ordway, a criminal with a dreadful situation of amnesia after a serious strike to his head. After developing a new lifestyle and new identification (and recuperating his memory with the help of a doctor), Dr. Benjamin Ordway becomes a participant of the parole panel. In early shows, twelve lucky jurors are chosen from the studio audience to determine the destiny of the criminal in each episode. The show later changed its format.

Before "Scooby Doo" or "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective," before PBS's "The Bloodhound Gang," came the original self-appointed crime-fighters, Mr. and Mrs. North . This dynamic duo, Jerry and Pam North of Greenwich Village, often ran around solving murders even though they weren't professional or trained detectives. While Joseph Curtin played Mr., Mrs. was, of course, today's birthday girl, Alice Frost . Early in Frost's career, she teamed with Walter O'Keefe in a comedy act, playing various characters. Before long, she was making appearances on some of the bigtime radio shows such as Lux Radio Theatre , Mercury Theatre , and The Campbell Playhouse . From there, it was the starring role in Big Sister and then her part in Mr. and Mrs. North . In addition, she played Martha Jackson on "Woman of Courage." We salute the memorable character acting of Alice Frost !