Old Radio

Today's birthday commemoration goes out to the renowned author Ray Bradbury . About sixty years before the "Green" movement, meant to stave off the destruction of the natural Earth, Bradbury set his stories in Green Town, an analogy for his hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. Green Town was green and inviting and nurturing, yet also the setting for fantastic events like an uncle growing wings and carnivals bringing characters with supernatural powers.  It's no surprise that Bradbury's weird tales in the science fiction genre were adapted for radio, by programs such as Dimension X , X Minus One and Suspense . But did you know that at the tender age of fourteen, the future author of Fahrenheit 451 got his first paying gig as a writer for the Burns and Allen Show? That's right, loyal listeners. Bradbury did something very unique and quirky in his literary career. Feeling the world needed a journal devoted just to his works, he published Futuria Fantasi

It's our pleasure to wish a happy birthday to trombonist Jack Teagarden. If you're a fan of classics like "Them There Eyes," "Lazy River," and "Jeepers Creepers," you're a fan of Jack Teagarden, who helped bring those tunes to life on the airwaves as a member of the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. The outfit's radio show was called The Old Gold/ Paul Whiteman Hour, its rival B.A. Rolfe and his Lucky Strike Orchestra. The barrel-chested Teagarden is recognized as one of the all-time greats in the world of jazz; he was a great trombonist and also served as a vocalist, with a distinctive style that would grow to be influential. His playing style was versatile, jazz at its heart but tending toward blues. Some of this may be due to his self-taught nature. Finally, let's not neglect to mention the songs Teagarden penned: "Shake Your Hips," "Swingin' On The Teagarden Gate," and, with Benny Goodman , "Texas Te

Who was President Clinton ? A far-left liberal? A proponent of socialized healthcare? An interesting boss for an intern? A great president for the economy? The man who helped inspire a generation of right-wing radio hosts?  Perhaps all of those and more. But we know he was an outstanding speaker, his voice rising and falling, passionate, sometimes angry, sometimes carrying a verbal smile. Like all presidents from FDR onward, Clinton appeared on the airwaves as a way of keeping us informed and/or getting his message out. His southern twang gave us many state of the union addresses, tried to calm us after the tragedy at Oklahoma City, discussed airstrikes in Iraq, and addressed the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He may have appeared on MTV during his successful first campaign, but he also used the radio , and for that, we wish him a happy birthday.

August 17: Happy Birthday, Mae West ! "To error is human, but it feels divine." - Mae West

Born (in 1879) into a world with no movies or television or radio, Ethel Barrymore still had something in her genetic code predisposing her to a career in the performing arts. Both of her parents were stage actors, and her brothers Lionel and John would choose that craft as well. Before her 1959 death , the theater star was able to make some high-quality appearances on radio. She managed to log time on quite a few of the big-name shows, including Screen Guild Theater , Suspense , Big Show , and Suspense . On the latter, she played a woman frightened by a psychotic handyman. One of the first generation of the Barrymore dynasty, Ethel Barrymore gets today's birthday wish!

  August 14, 1942: Garry Moore presented The Show Without a Name on NBC. It's aim was to tone down the morning show supremacy of Don McNeil's Breakfast Club on ABC and Arthur Godfrey on CBS. An award of $500 was offered to title the show, and the prize was won by someone giving the title  Everything Goes . In the hopes of averting the continued popularity of the morning show Breakfast Club on ABC and other shows elsewhere, CBS put up a challenge by airing its own show during the same time slot. The program, which at first was titled The Show Without a Name offered $500 to anyone who could give a nice name to the new show, hosted by Garry Moore . After picking the winner, the show was later renamed Everything Goes .

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 !