Old Radio

A stirrer of the imagination, a soother of souls, a gentle and loyal companion, Bing Crosby is a crooner for all-time, a superstar of the twentieth century. Known for his songs "White Christmas," "Surrender Dear," and "Sweet Leilani," the baritone was called "the most admired man alive" by Yank magazine. From 1935-'43, Crosby appeared regularly on Kraft Music Hall . He also made many appearances on Command Performance and Philco Radio Time. These performances, in addition to showcasing his now-legendary vocal skills, allowed him to work with the biggest names of the day, including Peggy Lee , Boris Karloff , Al Jolson , Groucho Marx , and Fred Astaire . The story has it that his nickname Bing (he was born Harry) came from his infatuation with the comic strip Bingville Bugle.

Kate Smith was born on this day in 1907, and it's not every day we get to celebrate the birth of the First Lady of Radio. The Kate Smith Show  featured not only Smith's rich voice but comedy skits, musical performances, even drama. Guests included Gene Kelley , Al Jolson , Dorothy Lamour , and Ed Sullivan . What's more, Henny Youngman served as regulars, delivering their now legendary radio comedy . Some of you may remember a lesser-known program, Kate Smith Speaks, on which "The Songbird of the South" gave her opinions on current events issues. One thing you may not know about her was that it was she who introduced the public to Irving Berlin's rousing anthem "God Bless America" in 1938. Happy Birthday, first lady!

  April 30, 1945: Jack Bailey, host of the Mutual, delivered on this day the opening line, "How would you like to be queen for a day!" for the first time. The first Queen for a Day was Mrs. Evelyn Lane. A regular radio game show host , Bailey became famous for his Queen for a Day  line. The show was a big hit and was eventually transferred to television until 1964.

April 28: Happy Birthday, Joseph Dunninger ! That's "The Amazing Dunninger" to you! He was a mentalist--or mind reader--who did some of his best reading on the radio on his 1943-44 radio show, Dunninger, The Master Mentalist . He explained his abilities as being "60 percent mind reading, 10 percent psychology, 10 percent hypnosis, 15 percent self-hypnosis, and 5 percent magic, all of which adds up to 100 percent entertainment." Let's also note that Joseph Dunninger appeared on a show called The Ghost Hours in 1929, de-bunking rival mentalists. He was a confrontational fellow, challenging any mentalist to do through supernatural means what he, Dunninger did through natural means.  He also had a standing, hefty cash reward for anyone who could prove he used shills or conspirators in his acts. Dunninger also contributed the influential book The Encyclopedia of Magic . If he were alive today, you could think a happy birthday wish and he'd get it

April 27: Happy Birthday, Ned Wever A happy birthday goes out to talented voice actor Ned Wever , born on this day in 1899. One of the mainstays in the career of Wever was his regular appearances on The Adventures of Superman , which ran from 1940-1951. Ned Wever played Jor-L, Superman 's original father, as well as various bad guys. He also earned his paycheck for a few years on (remember this one?) the soap opera Betty and Bob . This was a serial about a businessman who fell in love with his secretary, the two of them embarking on a romance. Its episode titles didn't mind giving out spoilers: "Evelyn Purposely Encounters Bob," "Margaret Jameson Has Hit a Girl With a Car," and "Evelyn Decides Not to Marry Sam." One guesses these titles were not announced or published prior to the broadcast. Ned Wever  appeared on episodes of Big Sister , Cavalcade of America , Bulldog Drummond , X-Minus One , and Dick Tracy . It's important t

  April 25, 1938: The first show of Your Family and Mine  series aired today. Your Family and Mine was a radio drama series aired on radio from 1938-1940. It was created by Lilian Laugerty, who also created the successful daytime series Big Sister, which was aired for 16 years (1936-1952). Your Family and Mine features the story of the Wilbur family, and the unexpected changes that happened in the lives of its family members. It starred Lucille Ball , Robert Adams, Frank Lovejoy , William Adams, and Templeton Fox.

April 24, 1955: The radio science fiction show X Minus One made its first appearance on NBC. The show began as an adaptation of Dimension X ,  broadcast by NBC. It soon took on a life of its own.  X Minus One  got its name from the countdown at the beginning of each show: "X minus five, four, three..."