Old Time Radio

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Was Nathan B. Stubblefield the Father of Broadcasting?

Nathan B. Stubblefield demonstrates his invention in 1908 Patriotic Kentuckians have sent us a state magazine with an interesting account of the scarcely recognized work of Nathan B. Stubblefield, who, it is claimed, is the real father of broadcasting. Stubblefield died a lonely hermit in a desolate hut near Murray, Kentucky, two years ago. A memorial was recently dedicated to him there with the inscription, "the first man in history to transmit and receive the human voice without the ... (read more)

2020/06/07

Sheldon Keck the Art Detective

Matt Damon and Cate Blanchett in the movie Monuments Men (2014) Several hundred years ago, a French painter, who was unsuccessful in selling his own works, hit upon the idea of imitating one of the masters, forging his name, and disposing it as an original. Since then, countless copyists have produced works of art ostensibly by Gainesborough, Van Dyck, da Vinci, Titian, Corot, Rubens, and Rembrandt, to name a few of the greatest. Private collectors and museums, for years, fell prey to ... (read more)

2020/06/06

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)

2020/06/05

Rudy Vallee's NBC Questionnaire

Rudy Vallee and Fay Webb The document rests in the files of the press department of the National Broadcasting Company. It is a questionnaire, duplicates of which are submitted to all NBC stars of prominence. The questionnaire was answered by Vallee himself, painstakingly and neatly typed by his own musical fingers. The questions were answered in 1932, after the crooner's marriage. Name (professional): Rudy Vallee Nickname (in the studios): Rudy Addresses: Office 111 West 57th St., ... (read more)

2020/06/04

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)

2020/06/03

Wendell Niles and the War of the Worlds

Wendell Niles and Marilyn Monroe on NBC Radio in 1952 Wendell Niles was part of that elite period when radio announcers were indeed as well-known as the programs on which they worked. Involved with virtually every aspect of show business for over 65 years, he certainly has had a career to look back upon. Born in Montana on Dec. 29, 1904, Wendell Niles' first professional experience came in 1923 when he organized an orchestra. This proved to be quite a successful venture as Niles and His ... (read more)

2020/06/02

Why Science Fiction Didn't Last on Radio

Illustration from the Dimension X episode "Mars is Heaven" by Ray Bradbury They should have made the perfect pair. Think of the action, the drama, and the adventure of science fiction -- now add a dash of good sound effects, a dash of imagination, and away you go, off on the hottest radio series ever. And yet ... the marriage didn't last. It's too bad, too. The five United States SF series, which should have been the best shows in radio history, were weak and short-lived. They ranged ... (read more)

2020/06/01

The Five Radio Networks of NBC

In its early years NBC (the National Broadcasting Company) operated five different broadcast networks all labeled by color: Red, Blue, Orange, Gold, and White. OTR hobbyists are probably aware of the Red and Blue Networks but may not be familiar with the other colors. On Jan. 4, 1923, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) started "chain" (or network) broadcasting which was then defined as "simultaneous broadcasting of an identical program by two or more connected stations." ... (read more)

2020/05/31

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)

2020/05/30

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)

2020/05/29