On this day in 1904, Tom Conway was born.
Today in Old Radio History...
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September 10, 1935: The famous show Popeye The Sailor Man was aired for the first time on NBC on this day. The show was adapted from a comic strip written by Elzie Crisler Segar. The characters on the show were Popeye (main character), Olive Oyl, Brutus, Wimpy, and Sweepea. Many remember the unforgettable opening, "I'm Popeye the sailor man....toot..toot...!" Previously a famous cartoon strip, Popeye was adapted as a radio broadcast by over three different networks and by two sponsors from 1935 to 1938. Popeye aired as a thrice-weekly 15-minute radio program, Popeye the Sailor was played by Detmar Poppen, along with Olive Oyl (Olive Lamoy), Wimpy (Charles Lawrence), Bluto (Jackson Beck) and Swee'Pea (Mae Questel). The program was initially sponsored by Wheatena, a whole-wheat breakfast cereal, which would routinely replace the spinach references made throughout the show. Music was provided by Victor Irwin's Cartoonland Band. Announcer Kelvin Keech also
September 2, 1931: CBS aired a 15 minute premiere with Bing Crosby . In summer 1931, Bill Paley of CBS contacted Bing to perform for an unsponsored radio show to be broadcast on August 31, 1931, but the show was canceled because Bing got laryngitis. Bing continued his show at the famed Cocoanut Grove until May 1931. The CBS 15 minute premiere of the radio show, Introducing Bing Crosby , commenced at 11 p.m. on September 2, 1931, and continued daily (except Sundays) with Bing giving an extra broadcast at 8:45 p.m. each Tuesday. By September 22 of that year the daily broadcasts were switched to the earlier time of 7:00 p.m. to put Bing in direct competition with Amos n’ Andy . From station KHJ, CBS broadcast Bing's solo radio appearance on the Sunkist Musical Cocktails programme, accompanied by Raymond Paige and his Orchestra.