This week, we hear the earliest surviving episode of Ed Wynn's Texaco Fire Chief, from July 26, 1932. Not only is it the earliest surviving Wynn show, but it's one of the earliest 10 surviving recordings of network radio. We take a look at the moving story of Wynn's short career in radio, and his legacy in American comedy. Then, it's another happy set from Kay Kyser's orchestra, and episode 21 of the Family Doctor.

Just in time for Halloween... We bring you... The Witch's Tale... from July 25, 1932. We meet Old Nancy the Witch for a tale of revenge, ghosts with severed heads, and pranks gone very wrong... It's "Rockabye Baby." Halloween... as it was heard in 1932. But before that, we feature the final circulated episode of Anne of the Airlanes, plus another cheerful quarter-hour with Kay Kyser's band.

Each week, Radio Journeys presents an hour of original radio as it was broadcast in the early 1930s, featuring serials broadcast in their entirety and in their original order. This week, four more serials: Redbook Dramas for July 21, 1932; Kay Kyser and "His Southern Gentlemen;" episode 20 of The Family Doctor; and episode 29 of Anne of the Airlanes. Plus... a "new" tune, on Radio Journeys.

Radio Journeys is the only OTR program anywhere that is dedicated entirely to the earliest days of radio--the 1920s and early 1930s. Each week, we reconstruct a full hour of programming from that time pieced together from surviving recordings, and in chronological order. We follow the early 30's serials in order and in their entirety. This week, the second of eight episodes of Kay Kyser and his orchestra from 1932 or 1934. And, another Redbook Magazine Drama, The Family Doctor, and Ann of the Airlanes. The early 30's just keep rollin' along, on Radio Journeys.

This week, we hear the first of seven shows by Kay Kyser and His Orchestra, originally broadcast in 1932 or 1934... Masterpieces of early radio swing. Plus, the latest installments of our 1932 serials: Redbook Dramas, Family Doctor, and Ann of the Airlanes.

Radio Journeys is the only OTR program dedicated to the earliest days of radio, with a weekly exploration of radio as it sounded in the 1920's and early 1930's. Each week, we play one full hour of surviving programming from that time, going back as far as possible, piecing together what little remains. This week, we continue through the syndicated serials of 1932: Redbook Dramas, no. 6, "The Goat of Private Hibbs;" the last episode of Si and Elmer, "The Lost Baby and Dog," which is also the last episode of the portion available to most collectors; plus, the next installments of The Family Doctor and Ann of the Airlanes. If you've ever wondered what radio sounded and felt like so long ago, this is your place... a journey to the earliest days of radio.

This week, a special focus on Si and Elmer. After the first 40 episodes, more recordings of this quirky '30s serial do survive, but they are elusive and harder to find. Host John Grimmett has found them all, and he assesses what survives of the series. Then, into this week's installments of the serials: Redbook Dramas, Si and Elmer, Family Doctor, and Anne of the Airlanes. More pieces to fit into the puzzle... on Radio Journeys.

We're happy to be back, and we're continuing right where we left off ... with Redbook Dramas, episode 4, "Pass to Peking," a historical radioplay based on a story by Vincent Sheehan. Then, the next installments of the three serials we've been following: Si and Elmer, Family Doctor, and Ann of the Airlanes. Plus... It's the 75th anniversary of a milestone in radio. Take a guess, then listen. Hint? You'll get "just one more chance..."

Episode 3 of Redbook Dramas, from June 9, 1932, is our main feature this week, with a dramatized short story written by Frederick Hazlitt Brennan, who later would go on to be a moderately successful screenwriter in the 1930's and '40's, then a pioneering t.v. scriptwriter in the 1950s. And, of course, the very next episodes of Si and Elmer, The Family Doctor, and Ann of the Airlanes.

This week, we start a two-month, nine-part presentation of Redbook Magazine Dramas, perhaps the first time these well-made radio short stories have been broadcast since the 1930s. Last month, we presented Episode 1, and this week we present Episode 2, dated June 2, 1932, featuring Virginia Harner's short story "He Knew Women." Plus, the latest episodes of Si and Elmer, The Family doctor, and Ann of the Airlanes, all syndicated serials originally broadcast in 1932. And... a look at what was on the air on Thursday, June 2, 1932, according to the radio page of the New York Times.

Yes, Radio Journeys is back after a brief vacation. We were delayed by technical issues at Libsyn, too. But here we are, and it's good to be back.

We're continuing through the serials of 1932--basically the only surviving relics from that year in radio. We hear Si and Elmer, episode 5 of "The Lost Baby and Dog" mystery; episode 12 of The Family Doctor; episode 21 of Ann of the Airlanes; and an episode of Chandu the Magician originally broadcast on WOR on May 31, 1932. And, a special treat: We take another look at what was on the radio, straight from the newspaper radio page of May 31, 1932. We discover that among the shows heard on that date was "The Happiness Boys," aka Billy Jones and Ernie Hare (photo at right).

Radio Journeys is back after a brief layover, and it's good to be back on track, with more of those great 1932 serials. As we continue to cycle through the serials--every single one known to exist, in chronological order--we hear Chandu, The Magician, from May 30, 1932. And the latest episodes of The Misadventures of Si and Elmer, The Family Doctor, and Anne of the Airlanes. This is radio as it once sounded... NOT for the "modern" at heart.

Our special feature this week is Redbook Magazine Radio Dramas, show #1, from May 26, 1932. Redbook Dramas were syndicated dramatizations of stories from the women's magazine, famous at the time for the quality of its fiction writing. Also: The usual serials continue, with Si and Elmer, the Family Doctor, and Anne of the Airlanes.

This week, the original horror--"The Witch's Tale," with an excellently preserved recording of the show originally broadcast on May 16, 1932. Plus, a look at how the show's creator, Alonzo Deen Cole, began his career and started a trend that still reverberates throughout media today.
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For Every Andy, There was a Lum... For Every Amos, an Abner

It was a common practice among producers and writers in radio: Take a proven character type and reproduce it in another form, keeping the original appeal and story structure as closely as possible.

Amos 'n' Andy was the serial that triggered a flood of duo-comedies in the 1930s. Some were more successful than others, ranging from the short-lived "Si and Elmer" to the long-running Lum and Abner, which comes closest among these to matching the ratings and fame of the original.

The parallels between "Amos 'n' Andy" and "Lum and Abner" are hard to miss: two friends who set up and run a local small business, but who also face connivers and personal trials along the way.

In both serials, there is a proud, boastful leader and a meek, trusting follower. The follower often appears surprisingly to have more philosophical insight than the leader, one of the deeper ironies of these shows. In the original, the proud leader was Andy; in "Lum and Abner," it was Lum. The followers were Amos and Abner.

Amos and Andy originated the format of the continuing story line, often attributed as the main cause of its success. "Lum and Abner," like all the other serials, borrowed that formula, as well.

Even in the creators, the parallels are astonishing: Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll wrote all the scripts for "Amos 'n' Andy," and they acted most of the roles on the radio. Likewise, Chester Lauck and Norris Goff created, wrote, and acted the characters of Lum and Abner. And they built their careers based entirely on these characters.

There was one crucial difference, however. Amos 'n' Andy was charged with controversy, despite the writers' conscious attempts to avoid it. "Lum and Abner" was not.

Gosden and Correll faced one barrier to full public acceptance: they were whites performing as blacks. This was not necessarily an obstacle to success, and in many ways it may have actually boosted their audience. But it was the source of all the charges of racism that have haunted the show even until today.

Lauck and Goff, by contrast, played exactly the people they really were: white, rural southerners from a poor, isolated mountain hamlet in Arkansas. Like their "blackface" counterparts, they did not have much opportunity for education or affluence. But they had heart and soul.

As a result, Lum and Abner remains a radio classic, as enjoyable as Amos 'n' Andy. It also has stereotypes and borders on the offensive at times, however lovable the characters may be.

And with Lum and Abner, you can actually enjoy the stereotyping... without all the guilt.

Radio Journeys presents all the 1935 episodes of "Lum and Abner," four times a week just like the original broadcasts. Check each daily schedule for the times.

Today's episode is scheduled as follows, U.S. Eastern time: 4:45 am 11:45 am 6:45 pm 1:45 am

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A Case of "The Last and Only..."

The Marx Brothers may have been a hit at the movies, but their success on the radio was, well, animal crackers.

Five-Star Theater debuted on NBC's Blue Network on Monday, November 28, 1932. The idea behind this "series of series" was novel: So that sponsors Colonial Oil Company and Standard Oil--soon to be known as Esso--could get maximum exposure, NBC gave the show a nightly timeslot--weeknights at 7:30, but with a different program each night. On Tuesday night, Josef Bonime's Orchestra was on the air. Wednesday night featured "The Esso Theater," one of the earliest big-budget drama shows. Thursday night was opera night, with the Aborn Opera Company, and Friday was mystery night with Charlie Chan.

But the highlight was to be "Beagle, Shyster, and Beagle," heard on Monday nights, and starring those royal buffoons of the boxoffice, Groucho and Chico Marx. Groucho played Waldorf T. Beagle, a somewhat shady attorney, while Chico was Emanuel Ravelli, his assistant, a role Chico carried to the big screen in the movie Animal Crackers.

With the Marx Brothers, producers were confident Five-star Theater would be the biggest hit on the radio, and Standard Oil/Esso would be the happiest sponsors. But a real-life turn of events even zanier than anything Groucho could cook up would spell the early end of this series.

After hearing the show's very first broadcast, a real-life attorney named "Beagle" threatened to sue everyone involved in the show, from NBC to Standard right down to Groucho, for using his name. On the program's 4th broadcast, December 19, 1932, listeners suddenly found themselves tuning into "Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel." Nothing had changed, except that Groucho's character was now known as Waldorf T. Flywheel. The writers needed to explain this sudden name-change, and they did it in classic Groucho style: Waldorf's secretary told a client on the phone that Flywheel was divorced from his wife--and he was now using his maiden name.

The name change stopped the real Beagle from barking, but the critics started growling instead. Variety, the entertainment newspaper, complained that the show was violating Hollywood's restrictive self-censorship code by highlighting adultery and divorce.

The show we hear today is the last broadcast--and the only known recording-- of "Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel," from Monday, May 22, 1933. Although it had attained a 12th-place rating among all prime-time entertainment shows, Esso was turned off by the negative publicity, and a 12th-place rating wasn't enough to compensate. Meanwhile, rival oil company Texaco was blazing to the top with "Texaco Fire Chief Program" starring Ed Wynn. Fire Chief reached third place in ratings, dousing Esso's hopes.

And so the entire FIVE STAR THEATER format came to a screeching halt. None of the other segments had gained nearly the ratings of Groucho and Chico. The two returned to the movies, leaving Esso to look for another box of animal crackers.

Five-Star Theater's "Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel" is scheduled today, U.S. Eastern Time: 4 am 11 am 6 pm 1 am

Note: This recording is exceedingly rare and old and suffers from audio problems throughout.

--This article is based largely on one written by Danny Goodwin and published at www.old-time.com/commercials/

This week's feature is the Majestic Theater of the Air, a show that had been a mainstay of the late '20s CBS lineup, only to become an obscure 15-minute syndicated serial in the early 1930s. And, of course, three more installments of the serials of '32: Si and Elmer, with a new mystery in "The Lost Baby and Dog;" Family Doctor, episode 8; and Ann of the Airlanes, episode 18.
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"Here they are"... Restored!

Yes, here they are, once again... Amos 'n' Andy. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll.

They were the most important writers in early radio, and their show was the most listened to on the radio until the mid-1930s. It is even today one of the most controversial.

On the one hand, the recordings of their shows are the trickiest for collectors, yet we are fortunate--or unfortunate, depending on your views of the show--to have so many from their earliest period.

In summer 2005 on the Radio Journeys podcast, we presented the complete recordings of Amos 'n' Andy's pre-network run of 1929, when it was syndicated, recorded and sent out to member stations in a "chainless chain."

These recordings were originally sent to member stations without any opening comments or introductions. Each episode was broadcast live only over WMAQ Chicago, and recorded earlier to be shipped on disc to stations. The WMAQ shows featured the mellifluous brogue of Bill Hay as the announcer, and Hay would later be heard nationwide after Amos 'n' Andy joined NBC. However, local stations had to find staff announcers to read the opening announcements, which were written on scripts accompanying each disc. There was no opening musical theme for Amos 'n' Andy in its pre-network run.

To present these shows in the most authentic manner possible last summer, we obtained copies of these opening scripts from broadcast historian and Amos 'n' Andy scholar Elizabeth McCleod. Podcast producer John Grimmett read the scripts, practicing the announcing style of the 1920s, and added some record noise from the Amos 'n' Andy recording to make each episode more complete.

Now, for May and June, we present these reconstructed episodes once again--the bodies of the shows as they were originally shipped to stations, but with added openings and closings, read straight from original scripts.

These episodes lead off each cycle, scheduled today as follows, U.S. Eastern Time: 3 am 10 am 5 pm 12 mid

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Today's Highlight, Wednesday, May 18:

Thursday is Americana Day...

Every Wednesday night during 1937 and '38, Americans heard a primetime lineup on CBS that included two of the now-great classics of 1930s radio: Cavalcade of America and Calling All Cars. The shows aired on CBS stations between 8 and 9 p.m., with Cavalcade aired nationwide and Calling All Cars on the West Coast. In 1939, Calling All Cars moved to Thursdays.

Both shows were ground-breakers in radio. Cavalcade was the first attempt to present a factually accurate representation of U.S. history in dramatization. Sponsored by Dupont, the chemical company, the show began in 1935 and won acclaim for its excellent writing and soundstage production.

Calling All Cars began in 1933 over CBS stations as one of the first--but not quite the first--police drama. It had much in common with the shorter, syndicated series "Police Headquarters," which aired in 1932, both in writing and plot. But Calling All Cars is considered by many today to be the first in a long line of police dramas, with features and elements seen even in t.v. police dramas today.

Both shows are presented on this stream in the order they were original broadcast on CBS, back to back, when possible. On Fridays, you can hear them exactly as they were originally broadcast, in their original Wednesday night pairing from 1937.

Cavalcade is scheduled today as follows, U.S. Eastern Time:
5 am 11 am 5 pm 11 pm
(NOTE: This recording has some audio problems during the first 5 minutes, but the rest of the recording is clean.)

Calling All Cars:
5:30 am 11:30 am 5:30 pm 11:30 pm

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Today's Highlight, Wednesday, May 17:

The little game show that could...

The network executives thought it would never have an audience, and even the panelists thought they'd be wasting their time, but on this date in 1938, Information, Please premiered.

Dan Golenpaul was the creator, a man with a reputation for stubbornness and tenacity. Golenpaul set out to raise the bar on quiz shows, turning them into shows that would educate and edify, not just entertain with empty content.

One of the most important innovations of this show was the element of listener participation, with listeners sending in questions to try to stump a panel of experts. the harder the questions, the more obscure the subject, the better. By stumping the experts, listeners could win.

And the grand prize? A full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Golenpaul selected Clifton Fadiman, a book editor and literary critic for New Yorker magazine, to be the host. Fadiman proved to be quite a draw, and rather than repelling the audience with its high-brow content, Fadiman was able to turn the show into something accessible by all. Such knowledge became fun, and more often than not, the questions and answers simply led to witty, highly entertaining conversation. It was relaxing, too.

On today's episode, the very first ever broadcast, Fadiman and Golenpaul did not yet have a listening audience to send in questions, so members of their families provided some of the questions, with Fadiman himself providing some as well. But by the very next episode, listener questions were streaming in, and a radio phenomenon was underway.

The premiere episode, from May 17, 1938, is scheduled today at:

4:30 am 9:30 am 2:30 pm 7:30 pm 12:30 am (All times U.S. Eastern)

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Today, we inaugurate our new Stream: "Daily OTR," with background on how the stream works, and what you can expect to hear there. Then, into four more episodes from the serials of 1932: Si and Elmer, "The Family Doctor," Omar (illustration at right), and "Ann of the Airlanes." More authentic than ever, and growing more so... That's Radio Journeys.

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This week, we celebrate the 50th episode, and first anniversary, of Radio Journeys with a special on Jack Benny... How and why he got into radio, featuring Benny's first "professional" appearance on the radio, from May 2, 1932. And, of course, two more episodes of the serials, "Si and Elmer" and "Family Doctor." It's the 50th episode of Radio Journeys, and that marks one full year of the Radio Nostalgia Network. Join us!

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Three programs this week from the same evening, Thursday, April 21, 1932: Omar the Wizard of Persia, Episode 10, Chandu the Magician, and Anson Weeks and His Orchestra--the last is the final surviving episode of Anson Weeks. Plus, Episode 17 of "A Dangerous Mystery Case" with those clumsy country sleuths, Si and Elmer.

We're back, with more episodes of those serials from 1932. First, Si and Elmer, part 16 of the "A Dangerous Mystery Case;" then, Episode 5 of "The Family Doctor." Next, two adventure serials from the same evening of programming, April 20, 1932: "Omar, Wizard of Persia," originally scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on that date, and "Chandu, The Magician," originally scheduled for 8 p.m. Piecing together our fragments from the radio... on Radio Journeys.

Our host is away for the Easter weekend, spending time with family and friends. We'll be back next weekend with more of the serials from 1932, including Chandu, Omar, and the Family Doctor. Until then, happy Easter, and have great week.

This week: Family Doctor, episode 4; Misadventures of Si and Elmer, episode 23; From April 13, 1932, Chandu, The Magician; and from April 14, the seventh episode (one of two known surviving) of Joe Palooka. Plus, some news on the research front, as we continue to discover new dates for these shows. Radio history... on Radio Journeys.

This week, we win OTR collector's Bingo! Three shows all dated Tuesday, April 12, 1932. Here's what was on the radio on that evening, according to actual newspaper radio pages: 6:00 p.m., The Family Doctor (This one's a guess); 6:30 p.m., Omar, Wizard of Persia; 6:45 p.m., Joe Palooka; 8:00 p.m., Chandu, The Magician. This presentation of Omar is especially noteworthy: It is the first time a collector has established a date for the Omar serials, as well as a precise time of day for broadcast. Historic radio, reconstructed from schedules of the day... on Radio Journeys.

This week, we continue with the next episodes of four serials from last week: Si and Elmer, Ann of The Airlanes, episode 2 of the Family Doctor, and the second surviving episode of Chandu The Magician, from March 23, 1932. Plus, a look at the newspaper radio page for that day.

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This week, we start two more serials from 1932: The very '30s feel-gooder "Family Doctor," and "Chandu the Magician." Chandu is one of the earliest serials of its kind--an adventure serial with a magical adventurer, a concept that would take many shapes in radio through the years. This episode is the earliest known to exist, from March 17, 1932. Plus, the next installments of Si and Elmer, and Ann of the Airlanes.

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This week, continuing through the serials of 1932, as we finish two of them--Abroad with the Lockharts and the Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors. Also, as usual, the next installment of Si and Elmer and Ann of the Airlanes. Late afternoon radio as it sounded in 1932, on Radio Journeys.

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Radio Journeys is taking a break from production this week. We'll be back next week with more of the same serials, including one more episode from the Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors, plus Si and Elmer, Ann of the Airlanes, and the final known episode of Abroad with the Lockharts.

This week, our cycle continues through 3 surviving radio serials of 1932, plus the very special document "Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors." Plus, we look at the history of the Cocoanut Grove and Ambassador Hotel Los Angeles.

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The musical highlight this week is the Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors, with Jimmy Grier and His Orchestra, in a Sunday afternoon syndicated show from 1932, and from the legendary Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles. Also: The next installments of Si and Elmer, Abroad with the Lockharts, and Ann of the Airlanes, all from 1932.

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Anson Weeks is back, in a performance from February 24, 1932. And so are Si and Elmer, The Lockharts, and Ann of the Airlanes. And, we take another peek at the newspaper radio page, from February 24, 1932.

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The serials of '32 just keep rolling.... More from Si and Elmer, The Lockharts, Ann of the Airlanes, and George Bruce's Air Stories. Plus, a look at some of the legend and lore behind George Bruce and Aces Magazine, and yet another peek into the newspaper radio pages.

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More of those great serials from 1932. Plus, a look at what was highlighted on the radio page of local newspapers, the first day of February 1932, with samples of the Boswell Sisters and the Mills Brothers (photo at right).

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It's more of those mysterious serials from 1932--the first year from which a truly large number of shows survive. We continue cycling through four syndicated serials: Ann of the Airlanes, Si and Elmer, Abroad with the Lockharts, and Air Stories of the World War. Late-afternoon radio as it sounded in 1932.

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Continuing this week with our cycle through the "mystery" serials of 1932: Ann of the Airlanes, Si and Elmer, and Abroad with the Lockharts. Plus, another delightful time with Anson Weeks and his Orchestra, in a broadcast from February 4, 1932.

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This week, we feature early radio's "mystery" serials--not "whodunnits", but syndicated shows that radio historians and collectors know almost nothing about. There's a set of these shows from 1932, and we begin cycling through three complete serials this week: "Abroad with the Lockharts," "Ann of the Airlanes," and "George Bruce's Air Stories of the World War." No dates, no times, no cast, and no production credits--true "mysteries" from the early days of radio. We'll take a look at what we do know about them, and listen to the earliest surviving episodes.

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We celebrate the new year by entering 1932, and we try something we've never done before: a "hypothetical" reconstruction of program schedules. Thanks to online newspaper archives, we can now see when and where surviving shows were originally broadcast, and present them in their original order. Our shows this week might have been scheduled like this during the first week of January 1932: 5:15 p.m., the next episode of Si and Elmer; 5:30 p.m., a gorgeous, mellow dance set from the Cocoanut Grove Ambassadors; 6:45 p.m., a new installment of Omar The Wizard of Persia; and 10:15 p.m., Anson Weeks and His Orchestra (photo, right). It's early radio presented more authentically than we have ever done before... a little comedy, a little adventure, and a whole lot of great music.

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For your Christmas, we start with a sonic Christmas card... an OTR stocking stuffer, if you will... a rare glimpse at how Christmas sounded on the radio in 1929. Then, a fully wrapped package under our tree: A production of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," one which we have dubbed the "mystery" Christmas Carol because so little is known about it. Was it made in 1931, or a little later? We'll find out. Plus a little history of this classic tale that has been told and re-told every single year since the dawn of broadcasting--"A Christmas Carol," on Radio Journeys.

"The Bingle" was one of the enduring icons of Christmas during the 20th Century, so this week we present, as a pre-Christmas special, a deeper look at Bing Crosby's earliest radio broadcasts, featuring some of the rarest excerpts from 1930 and '31 broadcasts. These include performances with the Rhythm Boys and exceedingly elusive excerpts of Bing as the "Cremo Singer" from WABC/KHJ in 1931. Information for this week's profile of Crosby comes from Malcolm MacFarlane and the "BING Magazine" website at members.aol.com/Macwilmslo/author.htm. Plus, the latest installments of Si and Elmer and Omar, Wizard of Persia.

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This week, we hear one of the earliest surviving broadcasts from network radio, and one of the earliest comedy/variety shows: Eddie Cantor on the Chase and Sanborn Hour from December 13, 1931. It's a document of history too, with Eddie announcing his candidacy for president and making all sorts of empty promises to end the Great Depression... just like any great politician should! Eddie's hat is in the ring, but his overcoat has been hocked! Great radio comedy from a bygone era... on Radio Journeys.

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This week, we spoil your ears with a pristine recording of Bing Crosby's first radio appearance, from 1931. Then Si and Elmer return for a new case of ineptitude. Last, another episode of the Witch's Tale, from December 7, 1931. Plus, a look at some reasons why so few recordings survive from radio of the 1930s.

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