Drama

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Interview with Bobby Benson Radio Cowboy Ivan Cury

Ivan Cury wanted to be an actor from the word "go." He was born and raised on Manhattan's Upper West Side of parents who immigrated to America. "My dad came from Russia, my mother from either Poland or Austria, depending on which army occupied the land." At the age of 4, he tried to get a box office cashier to let him into a theater. Six more years went by before he had a chance to try out for a show, but during those years he studied music, dancing, acting -- anything he could to prepare ... (read more)

Four Radio Shows Hired Les Tremayne to Replace Don Ameche

Les Tremayne, star of The First Nighter radio show For the first six years of my radio career, I was very particular about keeping a daily record of every show I worked -- the date, time, name of show or episode, each character I played (and sometimes there were up to 10 in a single show!), and, later on, pertinent observations and specific comments pertaining to these or made by others, which I felt important enough to record. My career accelerated to such an extend (up to 45 shows a ... (read more)

The Life of Radio Soap Actress Tess Sheehan

Tess Sheehan performing on Wendy Warren and the News Tess Sheehan has become accustomed to it but when she first turned to radio, she was very much intrigued by the idea of acting in an air-conditioned studio every day. Sheehan, who plays Aunt Dorrie in CBS's Wendy Warren and the News and Nora in NBC's When a Girl Marries, has played to audiences in extremes of heat and cold, in freight sheds and tents, and under American, Canadian, and European skies. Dramatic training, at the time ... (read more)

The Earliest Radio Shows of the 1920s

The Goldbergs creator Gertrude Berg during its radio years By the middle 1920s, it became obvious that radio manufacturers could no longer support free radio time. Fortunately, advertisers were discovering that radio was one of the most effective means of advertising available. So, it didn't take long after that for radio to become big business. Its popularity continued to grow -- until the biggest programs were heard by more than 40 million people. And advertisers were paying up to ... (read more)

Escape With Us Now -- To the Bookstore

In the seven years that Escape was on the air, over 200 broadcasts were made. If, in retrospect, the years 1947 through 1954 were some of radio's best years, this body of Escape programs is one very good reason why. I think that one of Escape's strengths was in the careful selection of material on which writers based their scripts. Many of the shows, especially in the '40s, were adapted from outstanding works by American and British authors. Great stories, put into radio play form by ... (read more)

Richard Diamond, a Girl's Best Friend

Dick Powell and Evelyn Keyes in the movie Johnny O'Clock (1947) The Richard Diamonds now in circulation are a must for the detective show freaks in the OTR audience. Dick Powell, the flip lady-killer crooner, is perfect as the flip lady-killer crooner detective. With more humor than Howard Duff's Sam Spade, with more unbelievable scripts than I Love a Mystery, with more dazzling chicks than Mike Shayne, the Richard Diamond series must be rated No. 1. On most shows, Powell answers the ... (read more)

All-Time Favorite Radio Shows

Boris Karloff and Arch Oboler on Lights Out Radio's Best Private Eye Show: This was a tough one. There were some real dandies in this category and picking the best was pretty hard. Philip Marlowe was great, as was Michael Shayne. The Fat Man and Mr. and Mrs. North were also tops. Johnny Dollar and Nero Wolfe were tough to beat. After much sifting and sorting, I did manage to come up with one name ... Sam Spade. He was rough and tough, sardonic and sarcastic, a ladies man, and smart as a ... (read more)

Sandy Hook Records Catalog

The Bells of St. Mary's and Holiday Inn: Two complete radio musical dramas with Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Dinah Shore. Screen Guild broadcasts from 1947 and 1943, including the all-time favorite "White Christmas." (S.H. 2049) Louis Armstrong Live in Concert: Classic Louis, recorded at the Nice Jazz Festival, February 1940. With Jack Teagarden, Barney Bigard, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Arvell Shaw, Sid Catlett, Velma Middleton and the one and only Louis in his prime. (S.H. 2050) Ella ... (read more)