January 15, 1906 William Bendix was born

On this day in 1906, William Bendix was born.

January 13, 1918 Steve Dunne was born

On this day in 1918, Steve Dunne was born.

January 10, 1883 Francis X. Bushman was born

On this day in 1883, Francis X. Bushman was born.

January 9, 1949 Screen Directors' Playhouse made its radio debut

On this day in 1949, Screen Directors' Playhouse made its radio debut.

January 8, 1926 George Burns & Gracie Allen were married

On this day in 1926, George Burns & Gracie Allen were married.

January 3, 1916 Happy Birthday Maxene Andrews

On this day in 1916, Maxene Andrews was born. Maxene was the middle sister (and soprano) of the musical mid-century act: The Andrews Sisters.

January 1, 1927: First Rose Bowl National Broadcast

January 1, 1927: Graham McNamee presented the play by play on NBC for the Rose Bowl, broadcast for the first time on this day by a coast-to-coast network radio.


NBC chose sports as their main program focus since they were the first network to broadcast the Rose Bowl across the country. Later on, several important sporting events were aired nationally by NBC, including the World Series, golf tournaments, and the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1932.

McNamee was a pioneering broadcaster in American radio history. He broadcast many sporting events, including national and international competitions. He was not a sports expert, but he had an incredible affinity for conveying to audiences what he saw in great detail and with great enthusiasm.  Graham McNamee later broadcast the radio program Behind the Mike.