Old Radio

February 16: Happy Birthday, Edgar Bergen Where would Charlie McCarthy have been without Edgar Bergen ? Edgar Bergen was one of the biggest legends of radio along with his ventriloquist's dummy, Charlie McCarthy . They weren't the first performers who got their radio start as guests on Rudy Vallee 's show. For them it was Dec. 17, 1936. It quickly landed them their own show. Wait a minute. A ventriloquist on the radio ? You can't see the dummy! The utter improbability of the act makes their accomplishment even more stunning. For the duo became just about the biggest stars on the air and they had big stars on guests as their show. Incidentally, on the night of the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast of Orson Welles , which caused a panic over a supposed Martian invasion, Bergen and McCarthy were also on the air. If they'd had less listeners, the panic may have been much bigger. Happy birthday, Edgar!

February 15, 1932: George Burns' and Gracie Allen 's debut as regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show, CBS. George Burns' and Gracie Allen's first debut was In 1929 on the BBC. When they back in America, they failed at a 1930 NBC audition. After Gracie made her solo performance on Eddie Cantor 's radio show, they were heard together on Rudy Vallee's The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour . Later they became regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show on CBS. Burns and Allen took over Lombardo's CBS spot with The Adventures of Gracie beginning September 19, 1934 after Lombardo switched to NBC.

February 14: Happy Birthday, Jack Benny I guess we should say "Happy 39th!" Today we cordially commemorate the birthday of the man who had roughly 18 39ths, even if he'd actually be 118 today if he were still alive. The 39th birthday was a running--we could say annual--gag on " The Jello Program ," a.k.a. The Jack Benny Radio Program . Each year would be a birthday program, whether it entailed cast members Don Wilson, George Hicks, Ethel Shutta and Sadye Marks presenting their boss with gifts, or a sketch in which Jack was treated to three different surprise parties. It's hard to say how common it was to jokingly claim to be 39 at an age that made it clear one was sixty or so, but Benny elevated it to an art form through repetition. The third or fourth year, it probably got old, but by the seventh or eighth it was funny that he kept doing it, and then it was just a tradition. Why did he pretend to always be 39? "Wellll?" Because it w

  February 13, 1939: The Carters of Elm Street , NBC's radio soap opera , featured the new character of Ms. Carter, played by Virginia Payne. Virginia Payne, an American radio actress, was popular for her previous role as Ma Perkins . She was able to play the role throughout the show's 27-year run without missing a single episode (that's out of over 7,000 episodes the show broadcast). In addition to her well-known role, Payne also portrayed the character of Mrs. Kerry Carter on the radio program The Carters of Elm Street , which is often called one of the most realistic series ever made. It tells the story of a wife who struggles to achieve happiness for her and her family. The program also stars Vic Smith as Mr. Henry Carter.

February 12, 1924: The National Carbon Company, became the first sponsor for network program on radio that titled The Eveready Hour. The program was aired for the first time on radio station WEAF in New York City in 1923. The program was inspired by Edgar White Burrill reading Ida M. Tarbell's He Knew Lincoln that was aired on WJS that was heard by the National Carbon Company's chairman, George Furness. Furness the produced and supervised a show that explored American culture on radio broadcast. The show then known as The Eveready Hour. On 4th November 1924, when the elcetion night, The eveready hour aired from 18 radio stations, hosted by Will Rogers , Art Gillham, Carson Robison. That show entertained the audience between the election returns given by Graham McNamee . The Eveready Hour lasted until 1930 on NBC.

  February 11, 1940: The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street aired on NBC Blue Network for the first time. The famous musical variety program involved numerous eminent personalities like Zero Mostel and Dinah Shore and was presented by Milton Cross. "A Bostonian looks like he is smelling something. A New Yorker looks like he's found it……….." The program was a wonderful mix of jazz, satire, and blues. Though the show was meant to be a satirical take on operatic and symphonic broadcasts, listeners would be transported into the world of the unmistakably great swing music of blues and hot jazz. Milton Cross, the show's announcer, spiced it up with his humor and witty remarks. The appearance of Dinah Shore and Lena Horne on the show as featured vocalists helped them achieve their popularity.

February 10: Happy Birthday, Jimmy Durante Actor, personality, voice-over expert and owner of a famous "schnozzola," Jimmy Durante was born on this day in 1893. Jimmy's calling card was his raspy, urbane voice. He hosted the Durante-Moore Show with partner Garry Moore and went solo with The Jimmy Durante Show in 1947. "Dat's my boy dat said dat!" was a catchphrase on the first iteration of the program. Like many shows of the era, The Jimmy Durante Show featured comedy and music. Do you remember guest appearances by: Lucille Ball , Victor Moore, Bing Crosby , and Al Jolson ? After his radio career, Durante voiced the Narrator of the 1969 cartoon special "Frosty the Snowman." He died in Santa Monica on Jan. 29, 1980.