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September 8, 1935: Frank Sinatra and The Hoboken Four Performed on WOR

  September 8, 1935: Frank Sinatra , as lead singer of The Hoboken Four, performed on Major Bowes Amateur Hour on WOR. The band won the competition, held at Capitol Theatre in New York City. Before they were known as The Hoboken, the band played under the name The 3 Flashes. The name The Hoboken was provided by Frank Sinatra when the band was preparing to perform live at the Sands in 1935, an audition for the  Major Bowes Amateur Hour . Later, Mr Bowes changed the name to The Hoboken Four. After winning on the  Major Bowes Amateur Hour , they were invited back, but this time Major Bowes had to change the name to fool any contenders and the audience from thinking it was the same winning group competing against a fresh pack of amateurs. The group did that several times.

September 7: Happy Birthday, Peter Lawford

A member of the Rat Pack , a Kennedy in-law, and a good-looking British-born actor, Peter Lawford was born today in 1923. Lawford is well known for his roles in "The Picture of Dorian Gray," "Above Suspicion ," and "Son of Lassie ." Radio-wise, he graced the airwaves on shows such as The Frank Sinatra Show, Suspense , and Lux Radio Theater . Being a member of the Rat Pack , glamorous though it may be, is not without its hazards. The story goes that after Lawford had fallen out of Sinatra's favor, when he went to see the singer performing, Sinatra refused to go on until Lawford had left. We're happy to commemorate the birth and life of Peter Lawford , radio great!

September 4: Happy Birthday, Dick York

In addition to his role as Darrin on Bewitched, did Dick York do any radio work? That's like asking if Ben and Jerry developed a couple of ice cream flavors. Dick York was a prolific radio actor who started at the tender age of 15.  He appeared on  Grand Marquee , Meet the Meeks , The Cavalcade of America , My True Story, Tales of Tomorrow , and had a run as one of the stars of That Brewster Boy . On the latter, he was the third of three actors to portray the eponymous character, Joey Brewster .  Apparently the show's writers got entangled in the dragnet of the Cold War Communist hunt, and that was the end of the show.  However, Dick made pitchers and pitchers of lemonade out of those particular lemons, marrying Joan Alt, his character's sister on the show.  Maybe he was Darrin, but to fans of oldtime radio, he was much more.  Happy birthday, Dick!

James Cagney in a James M. Cain broadcast of Suspense: "Loves Lovely Counterfeit" from 1948

"Probably you haven't known any tough boys personally, but you've read about them and heard about them.  And high caliber actors like James Cagney have made them live for you on the screen ..." Written by James M. Cain and performed by James Cagney , enjoy this Suspense radio noir broadcast from Jan 17, 1948: