Old Radio

Not always mentioned among big stars like Clark Gable and Cary Grant ; not always among celebrated artists such as Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, or Al Pacino, James Mason certainly earned the right to be called one of the great film actors of all time. Mason was nominated for three Oscars and and three Golden Globes, and his resume reads like a who's who of classic movies: Lolita , North By Northwest , and Julius Caesar .  Also not too shabby were A Star is Born and Bigger Than Life . While radio was passing the baton of dominant media on to movies (with television a newbie), the British Mason appeared on a few of the big American shows: Suspense , Maxwell House Coffee Time , Studio One , and The Fred Allen Show . We say a happy birthday to actor James Mason!

On this day in 1915, the one and only Orson Welles was born

Could Tyrone Power have been anything other than an actor? The branches of his family tree included Laurence Olivier and Tyrone Guthrie, who instituted the Stratford Festival, while his great-grandfather, Tyrone Power (1795-1841) was an actor, as was his father Tyrone Power, Sr. Thus, the man known for his parts in The Black Swan, The Mark of Zorro , and Blood and Sand couldn't have been better suited for a life on stage and in front of the camera. Today's birthday boy made many solid appearances on some of the biggest radio shows, such as Lux Radio Theatre , The Cavalcade of America , and The Gulf Screen Guild Theatre . On Jan. 7, 1940, he starred alongside Humphrey Bogart in an adaptation of Robert Sherwood's "The Petrified Forest." Power's radio travels also allowed him to work with Gale Gordon , Bob Hope , Bing Crosby , and Hans Conried . So take a moment and remember the times you heard Mr. Power on the radio, on this, the day of his 1914 birt

The Jack Benny Program made its radio debut on this day in 1932.

If it were 1918, Jack Paar would be born today. Paar, the host of radio's The Jack Paar Show before the television counterpart, is one of broadcasting's most vibrant personalities. Paar once said that his personality wasn't split but shredded. Perhaps this is what helped him in the format of the talk show, which he's widely-regarded to have pioneered. In 1947, his radio show debuted as a summer replacement for The Jack Benny Show . It ran Sundays at 7 and was sponsored by Lucky Strike. Episode titles such as "Interview With Beauty Contest Loser," "Singing Cowboy Parody," and "Spoofs on Fan Magazines And Disc Jockeys" go a long way in telling the story. As good as the radio show may have been, in didn't last long--Paar quickly made the jump to television . It was good while it lasted, and episodes are still available.

On this day in 1909, Eve Arden of Our Miss Brooks  fame was born!

Lionel Barrymore's 61st birthday celebrated at MGM with a few of his friends!  Norma Sheaerer on his right and Rosalind Russell on his left.   In back of him he has Mickey Rooney , Robert Montgomery ,     Clark Gable , Louis B. Mayer, William Powell and Robert Taylor.  Known to have been a reluctant performer in a family full of them, Lionel Barrymore is much loved for his annual performance as Ebenezer Scrooge on various old time radio programs . His biggest gig was in The Story of Doctor Kildare , in the role of Doctor Gillespie. Gillespie was the older doctor who graciously mentored Kildare. He was the mayor of the town Mayor of the Town, a 1940s radio series, and made many appearances on Lux Radio Theatre , Command Performance , and Kraft Music Hall . He would go on to shine as a screen actor in such movies as It's a Wonderful Life and A Free Soul , winning an Oscar for the latter. Ask your friends if they know who was born today in 1878. Tell 'em Li