Old Radio

  On this day in 1906, William Bendix was born. Producer Irving Brecher chose him to star in the role of Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley .

On this day in 1918, Steve Dunne was born.

The Screen Directors' Playhouse premiered on this day in 1949. This anthology series broadcast adaptations of Hollywood movies.

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

January 7, 1926: This day is the wedding anniversary of the famous couple George Burns and Gracie Allen . They were married in Cleveland, Ohio by the Justice of the Peace. Burns and Allen were an American comedy duo. They performed together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio, and television. The couple had great success in entertaining their fans for over four decades. Burns and Allen  met when they performed together at the Hill Street Theater in Newark, New Jersey in 1922.

On this day in 1945, The Saint premiered on NBC (with Edgar Barrier in the starring role). Subsequent versions of the program starred Brian Aherne, Vincent Price , Barry Sullivan and Tom Conway as Simon Templar .

On this day in 1935, Bob Hope show premiered on radio. Hope was known for his topical one liners, his rapid fire delivery, and for entertaining the troops all over the world.

On this day in 1950, Hopalong Cassidy premiered on radio. William Boyd starred as the beloved Western hero on radio, in films, and on television.

January 1, 1930: The NBC Blue Network broadcast The Cuckoo Hour for the first time. The Cuckoo Hour , aka The KUKU Hour and The Raymond Knight Cuckoo Hour, was created by radio comedian Raymond Knight. In 1927, Knight performed in the Broadway musical revue The Manhatters . He continued to write for NBC in 1929, when Bertha Brainard, NBC programmer, asked him to devise "something cuckoo." Knight presented the zany Cuckoo Hour , performing as Professor Ambrose J. Weems, who ran a radio station where he would give his views on current events and chat with his sidekick, Mrs. Pennyfeather. The Cuckoo Hour also starred Carl Matthews.

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.