Old Radio

  January 27, 1956: The first transmission of ‘ Radio Workshop ’ starring Aldous Huxley took place on CBS. He spoke about his novel Brave New World in this show. Radio Workshop ' was an experimental show which eventually failed. Its aim was to overshadow television, which simply could not be accomplished.

  January 22, 1956: Raymond Burr played the role of Captain Lee Quince in ‘ Fort Laramie ’ which was first broadcast on CBS. The show revolved around “ Gunsmoke tradition". Laramie' portrayed life on the frontier of a young United States. Some of the radio western stories were good, some sad, but authenticity was key, which held listeners' attentions.

January 19: Happy Birthday,  Patricia Highsmith Stangers on a Train , The Talented Mr. Ripley and Edith's Diary are the novels of Patricia Highsmith , who was born on this day in 1921. Adaptations of her work crackled over the airwaves in the era of Classic Radio. In 1951, Lux Radio Theater presented an adaptation of  Stangers on a Train , starring Ruth Roman and Ray Milland . Highsmith walked a tightrope between literary and crime fiction. The themes of lesbianism in her work are part of what lend her work its literary tint. As one can see, her work was widely adapted, not just into old time radio shows but also movies .

  January 18, 1937: Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories was aired for the first time by CBS. The story was broadcast completely in a 15 minutes episode which aired five times a week, Monday through Friday. Edith Spencer played Aunt Jenny, but she was eventually replaced by Agnes Young. The show lasted until 1956 and was sponsored by Spry Shortening and Lux Soap. The animal imitator, Henry Boyd, played Aunt Jenny's whistling canary. Aunt Jenny's Real Life Stories was a radio soap opera that aired weekdays  from 1937 to 1956 on CBS. It featured Edith Spencer (and later, Agnes Young) as Aunt Jenny, who would narrate the story for the day's episode. After the story, she would offer the listeners her valuable advice. She would also introduce recipes that used the product of the show's sponsor.