Old Radio

Not quite St. Patty's Day and not the Ides of March, today is still special by way of marking the birth of comic groundbreaker Henny Youngman . There are many examples of people who adore Youngman's work. Take my wife...please. Youngman wrote that seminal one-liner, along with, "I miss my wife's cooking...as often as possible," and "I was so ugly, when I was born, the doctor slapped my mother." Youngman was born Henry Yungman in Liverpool, England, in 1906. He learned the violin, began playing it in a jazz combo in American nightclubs, and then got into comedy. He ground out the brutal nightclub circuit for the rest of his life, though for much of it was an established star. His fame as a comedian took him to old-time radio, with appearances on Radio Hall of Fame and Command Performance . We salute the King of the One-Liner, Henny Youngman.

March 14: Happy Birthday, Les Brown Les Brown and his Band Renown were the centerpieces of The Les Brown Show . This NBC series treated listeners to performances of such favorites as "Just a Gigolo," "Shine On Harvest Moon," and "Moonlight in Vermont." The show was one of several sponsored by the Navy Recruitment Office as a PR and morale-boosting endeavor. Along these lines, the inimitable Brown himself embarked on many USO tours. He also recorded (with band member Doris Day on lead vocals) "Sentimental Journey," which would become an anthem for soldiers coming home. If you're like me you'll spend this day commemorating Brown's verse by thinking up rhymes like " Les Brown and his Band Go to Town," and " Les Brown's Band Wears the Crown."

March 12, 1933: US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his first presidential address to the nation, eight days after his inaugural. This was the first among what were termed as Roosevelt's famous Fireside Chats . Newsman Robert Trout thought that Roosevelt sounded like he was just sitting with us in our living rooms beside a roaring fire, just telling it like it was; thus Trout came up with the term. During his campaign, Frederick D. Roosevelt known as a  friendly and intelligent personal. He used his charm smartly to get support.  But his speech after his inauguration seemed different: He delivered a deep religious speech. The speech discussed his hope for the new government and reminding Americans about nation's common difficulties concerning to material things. His famous quote was “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”.

March 7, 1944: Columbia Presents Corwin was presented by Norman Corwin on CBS radio. Norman Corwin was responsible for the creation of over 100 radio shows during Radio's Golden Age.

March 6: Happy Birthday, Virginia Gregg She had gun and she traveled, even if Virginia Gregg didn't have one of the lead roles in the radio drama Have Gun--Will Travel . She played Miss Wong, the girlfriend of Hey Boy (Ben Wright), a booksmart, somewhat sophisticated gal. Have Gun Will Travel  was a rare beast that began as a television series and then went to radio. Both versions were wildly successful, and some of the credit for the success of the radio show goes to the quality of the cast. Gregg was already a big name in radio before the show began airing. As was the case with many performers of the day, she made the rounds of many different series such as The Adventures of Adventures of Sam Spade , Lux Radio Theatre , Johnny Dollar , and Dragnet . Virginia Gregg was born on Mar. 6, 1916 in Harrisburg, Illinois, and died in Encino, CA on Sept. 15, 1986.

Today's birthday boy is Edgar Bergen ! Born Feb 16, 1903, Edgar Bergen had a successful career during the golden age of radio. With other characters including Charlie McCarthy , Mortimer Snerd, Effie Klinker and simply Bergen's hand with a handkerchief on it, Edgar Bergen entertained radio and vaudeville audiences with his quick wit and radio ventriloquism . Enjoy Bergie's banter with alter ego Charlie McCarthy : " Guest Star Nelson Eddy & Billie Burke "

February 15, 1943: My True Story debuted during the golden age of radio on ABC.  The program ran for seventeen years in collaboration with True Story magazine. "Truth is Stranger than the Fiction” is a phrase that has always been the subtitle of the magazine True Story Confession. The magazine was the source of the stories for a radio series program that ran for almost 20 years entitled   My True Story . The magazine was said to be one of the earliest in today’s genre of confession magazines. Though the radio series was a success, My True Story ’s TV version was only able to have one season.