Old Radio

While one of the personages we salute today is an optimistic newsman, the other is Hank Williams , a crooner of songs of loneliness and despair, who died a tragic death. However, Williams was born on this day in 1923 in Mount Olive, Alabama. A mere fourteen years later, the young Williams (born Hiram but now going by Hank) was a host of a 15-minute radio program on Montgomery's radio station WSFA. Williams would go on to be the leading figure in country music, to this day recognized as the genre's patriarch and leading practitioner.  He recorded such classics as "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Why Don't You Love Me?"  and "Your Cheatin' Heart." Williams made many memorable performances on one of the nation's premier music showcases, "Grand Ole Oprey."  He also turned in white-hot musical performances on " Mother's Best Flour Show " and "Health and Happiness."  You left

September 9, 1946: Heart's Desire , a giveaway contest program on the Mutual Broadcasting System, was hosted by Ben Alexander. This radio quiz show program was transmitted nationwide over Mutual Broadcasting System for a half hour five days a week. Initially it was a supporting program of MBS. Later,  Phillip Morris & Company Limited began to sponsor half of the show. It was on the air for approximately two years.

  September 8, 1944: Ed Wynn made his come back to radio when he made his first appearance on NBC Blue network in Happy Island after 7 years. Ed started his own network called the Amalgamated Broadcasting System. Sadly, the station only survived for 5 weeks. This sent Ed into a deep depression and he stopped working.

Today marks the 1943 debut of the thrilling crime show Molle Mystery Theater (later to be known simply as Mystery Theatre).  Its debut episode splashed onto the airwaves with some fanfare. Fans and media members alike were drawn to its premise and promise of skimming just the cream of classic mystery stories from the greatest authors. Airing an adaptation of Poe 's Tell-Tale Heart marked an auspicious beginning. Molle Mystery Theatre would go on to adapt the works of Raymond Chandler, W.W. Jackos, Sax Rohmer, Wier Mitchell and others.

September 6, 1920: Radio Station WWJ in Detroit broadcast a prizefight  for the first time. In the fight, Jack Dempsey was beaten by his opponent Billy Miske by a KO in round 3 in Benton Harbor, MI On August 20, 1920, The Detroit News formally started the operation of a radio station with the call sign 8MK, a name assigned by the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation, On October 13, 1921 the station had a limited commercial license and changed the call letters to WBL. On March 3, 1922, the call letters were changed again to WWJ. The call letters are still used today. WWJ is now owned by CBS.

  September 5, 1938: Life can Be Beautiful that called the inspiring  message of faith drawn from life, was broadcast by the NBC Red network for the first time and lasted until 1954. Known to many as Elsie Beebe (derived from the show's initials), Life Can Be Beautiful is a daytime radio drama series which lasted for 16 years. It was one of the leading soap operas of the 1940s . The drama tells the story of a girl named Carol Conrad (played by Alice Reinhart from 1938-1946, and Teri Keane from 1946-1954), a runaway teenager who was given a home by a bookshop owner named David Solomon (Ralph Locke).

Sept 3: Happy Birthday,  Alan Ladd Alan Ladd  (born Alan Walbridge Ladd)  debut as a lead in a major motion picture was in 1942 in This Gun for Hire. This collection includes his radio version of This Gun for Hire from  Lux Radio Theater .  Alan Ladd with daughter, Alana Other films that he starred in include, The Great Gatsby, The Blue Dahlia, and The Glass Key. He continued to star in major roles such as the critically acclaimed Shane in the 1950s and until his death in 1964. Remembered both on screen and on the radio as a top-rate performer. This collection hopes to honor the work of Alan Ladd on radio . The second volumes contains the complete collection of  Box 13 , his most memorable role on radio as Dan Holiday. On the first volume there are also examples of some of his best work on the radio from shows such as  Burns and Allen ,  Command Performance ,  Jerry at Fair Oaks ,  Lux Radio Theater ,  Screen Director's Theater ,  Screen Guild Theater , and  Suspense .