Old Radio

December 25: Happy Birthday,  Humphrey Bogart Humphrey Bogart , born December 25th, 1899, was an American actor dubbed the greatest male star in the history of American cinema by The American Film Institute. Bogart attended a prestigious academy in Andover, Massachusetts as a young man, but he was eventually expelled from the institution. With no other options, Humphrey joined the Navy. While serving, he was injured in the bombing of the USS Leviathan. The partial facial paralysis that resulted from the attack gave him the signature vocal and facial style that he became famous for. Many people identify Bogart as a film actor, but he actually made numerous radio appearances after moving to Hollywood . Both Lux Radio Theater and Screen Guild Players featured famous actors in their starring roles, and Bogart made numerous appearances on these programs. He also performed on Command Performance , a post World War II program that let Bogart chat with Lauren and Frank Sinatra . In addi

On this day in 1914, Dorothy Lamour was born.

On this day in 1906, William Spier "radio's outstanding producer/director of mystery and crime drama" was born.  On this day 110 years later in 2016, you can stream a free episode of one of his better known series: The Adventures of Sam Spade .

On this day in 1917, Ezra Stone a.k.a. Henry Aldrich was born.

On this day in 1926, Richard Crenna was born.

November 25: Happy Birthday Joe DiMaggio To be a ballplayer for the New York Yankees in the 30's, 40's, and 50's was to be a national sports icon, a celebrity of the highest order. A star among stars was Centerfielder Joe DiMaggio , who hosted a sports-themed radio show , The Joe DiMaggio Show, from Sept. 17, 1949 to Oct. 7, 1950. The show started on CBS, then jumped to NBC. It included the theme song "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio ." The Joe DiMaggio Show was a sort of sports-oriented variety show. It included a sports quiz for both kids and adults from the studio audience; a roundup of recent Major League action; and a dramatization of a sports story from a famous sports writer; and a segment in which DiMaggio answered fan mail. Sports writers who appeared included Lou Effrat, Jim Kahn, and Mel Allen. Mandel Kramer, Everett Sloane, Leon Janney, and Jackson Beck played roles in the re-enactments of stories, which included one on Pancho Segura, tennis cham

On this day in 1913, Howard Duff was born.

In the 1930's, thin, henna-headed John Dehner popped from show biz industry job to show biz industry job, jockeying discs and drawing cartoons for Disney.  He even played some piano.  One can see him dreaming of being in front of the camera, and it may have been the part of the villain he craved.  That's what he's known for, anyway. Dehner often played a crooked bank owner or a leader of a band of desperadoes in movies and TV Westerns.  He was booked to play various bad guys in the radio version of Gunsmoke . However, he wasn't always a villain or a one-time character.  He landed the role of playing Paladin on the radio version of Have Gun--Will Travel .  He co-starred with Ben Wright and Virginia Gregg . We love the pencil-thin mustache, John. Thanks for the memories!

On this day in 1944, Roy Rogers was born.

On this day in 1913, Judy Canova was born.

On this day in 1904, Dick Powell was born.

On this day in 1916, Norman Macdonnell was born.

On this day in 1916, Peg Lynch was born.