Old-Time Radio (OTR) and the Golden Age of Radio refer to a period of radio programming lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television's replacement of radio as the dominant home entertainment medium in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo During this period, when radio was dominant and the airwaves were filled with a variety of radio formats and genres, people regularly tuned in to their favorite radio programs. In fact, according to a 1947 C. E. Hooper survey, 82 out of 100 Americans were found to be radio listeners. The C E Hooper Company was an American company which measured Radio and Television ratings during the "Golden Age" of radio The end of this period coincided with music radio becoming the dominant radio form and is often marked in the United States by the final CBS broadcasts of Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on September 30, 1962. Music radio is a radio format in which Music is the main broadcast content The United States of America —commonly referred to as the CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Suspense was a Radio drama series broadcast on CBS from 1942 through 1962 Yours Truly Johnny Dollar was a Radio drama about a "fabulous" freelance insurance investigator "with the action-packed expense account Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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Origins
Radio content in the Golden Age of Radio had its origins in audio theatre. This article is about audio performance for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. Audio theatre began in the 1880s and 1890s with audio recordings of musical acts and other vaudeville. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s These were sent to people by means of telephone and, later, through phonograph cylinders and discs. The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded Sound from the 1870s through the 1980s Visual elements, such as effects and sight gags, were adapted to have sound equivalents. In additions, visual objects and scenery were converted to have audio descriptions.
On Christmas Eve, 1906, Reginald Fessenden sent the first radio program broadcast, which was made up of some violin playing and passages from the bible. Christmas Eve, December 24, is the day before Christmas Day, the celebrated birthday of Jesus. Reginald Aubrey Fessenden ( October 6, 1866 &ndash July 22, 1932) born in East Bolton, Quebec, Canada, was At least one radio researcher has questioned whether this broadcast took place, because it was not mentioned in print until many years later. [1] Then, after the Titanic catastrophe in 1912, radio for communications went into vogue. Construction The Titanic was a White Star Line ocean liner built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland Radio was especially important during World War I, since it was vital for air and naval operations. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In fact, World War I sped the development of radio by transitioning radio communications from the morse code of the wireless telegraph to the vocal communication of the wireless telephone through advancements in vacuum tube technology and the introduction of the transceiver. This article is about the electronic device not an evacuated pipe used for experiments in Free-fall. A transceiver is a device that has both a Transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing
After the war, numerous radio stations were born and set the standard for later radio programs. The first radio news program was broadcast on August 31, 1920 on the station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne WWJ (Newsradio 950 is Detroit, Michigan 's only 24-hour All-news radio station This was followed in 1920 with the first commercial radio station in the United States, KDKA, being established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the KDKA (1020 AM) is a Radio station in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and is often said to be the oldest commercial radio station in the United States In 1922, the first regular entertainment programs were broadcast. A highlight of this time was the first Rose Bowl being broadcast on January 1, 1923 on the Los Angeles station KHJ. The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American College football Bowl game, usually played on January 1 ( New Year's Day) at the Rose New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera.
Types of programs
During the Golden Age of Radio, radio featured genres and formats popular in other forms of American entertainment—adventure, comedy, drama, horror, mystery, musical variety, romance, thrillers—along with classical music concerts, big band remotes, farm reports, news and commentary, panel discussions, quiz shows, sidewalk interviews, sports broadcasts, talent shows and weather forecasts. A big band remote (aka dance band remote) was a Remote broadcast, popular on radio during the 1930s and 1940s involving a coast-to-coast live transmission of a
In the late 1920s, the sponsored musical feature was the most popular program format. Commercial messages were regarded as intrusive, so these shows usually displayed the sponsor's name in the title, as evidenced by such programs as The A&P Gypsies, Acousticon Hour, Champion Spark Plug Hour, The Clicquot Club Eskimos, The Flit Soldiers, The Fox Fur Trappers, The Goodrich Zippers, The Ingram Shavers, The Ipana Troubadors, The Planters Pickers, The Silvertown Cord Orchestra (featuring the Silver Masked Tenor), The Sylvania Foresters and The Yeast Foamers. The A&P Gypsies was a musical series broadcast on radio beginning in 1924 Acousticon Hour was a "musicale" radio program aired during 1927 and 1928 on NBC. Champion Spark Plug Hour was a music radio program broadcast on New York's WJZ and WGY during the late 1920s and early 1930s The Clicquot Club Eskimos was a popular musical variety radio show first heard in 1923 featuring a banjo orchestra directed by Harry Reser. The Ipana Troubadors (aka The Ipana Troubadours) was a musical variety radio program which began in New York on WEAF in 1923 During the 1930s and 1940s, the leading orchestras were heard often through big band remotes, and NBC's Monitor continued such remotes well in the 1950s by broadcasting live music from New York City jazz clubs to rural America. For NBC 's 1983 television news magazine series see Monitor (TV.
Classical music programs on the air included The Voice of Firestone and The Bell Telephone Hour. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music The Voice of Firestone was a weekly broadcast of the best in classical music performed by America's most popular classical performers The Bell Telephone Hour, aka The Telephone Hour, was a long-run concert series which began April 29, 1940 on NBC radio The Metropolitan Opera was also featured in weekly broadcasts of complete operas, then sponsored by Texaco. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron" The broadcasts, now sponsored by the Toll Brothers, continue to this day on NPR and are one of the few examples of live classical music still broadcast on radio. Toll Brothers is a Horsham, Pennsylvania based luxury homes Builder. One of the most notable of all classical music radio programs of the Golden Age of Radio featured the celebrated Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra, which had been created especially for him. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Arturo Toscanini (ɑrˈturɔ ˌtɔskɑˈnini (March 25 1867 &ndash January The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a Radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo At that time, nearly all classical musicians and critics considered Toscanini the greatest living maestro. There were also popular songwriters featured on radio, such as George Gershwin, who in addition to appearing as a guest, also had his own program in 1934. George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer.
Top comedy talents surfed the airwaves for many years: Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Victor Borge, Fanny Brice, Billie Burke, Bob Burns, Judy Canova, Jimmy Durante, Phil Harris, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Jean Shepherd, Red Skelton and Ed Wynn. Fred Allen (born John Florence Sullivan May 31 1894 - March 17, 1956) was an American Comedian whose absurdist Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky February 14, 1894 - December 26, 1974) was an American Comedian, vaudevillian Victor Borge (pronounced "BOR-guh" January 3 1909 &ndash December 23 2000) was a Danish-American humorist entertainer and pianist Fanny Brice ( October 29 1891 – May 29 1951) was a popular and influential American Comedienne, Singer Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke ( August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an Oscar -nominated American Bob Burns ( August 2, 1890 – February 2, 1956) was an American radio and film comedian during the 1930s and 1940s Judy Canova ( November 20, 1913 &ndash August 5, 1983) was an American comedienne actress singer and radio personality Phil Harris (born Wonga Philip Harris) ( June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995) was an American Singer, Bob Hope, KBE KCSG ( May 29, 1903 &ndash July 27, 2003) was an American comedian and actor who appeared in Jean Parker Shepherd ( July 26, 1921 - October 16, 1999) was an American Raconteur, Radio and TV personality Richard Bernard “Red” Skelton ( July 18, 1913 &ndash September 17, 1997) was an American comedian who was best known as a top Ed Wynn ( November 9 1886 - June 19 1966) was a popular American Comedian and Actor noted for both his Perfect More laughter was generated on such shows as Abbott and Costello, Amos 'n' Andy, Burns and Allen, Easy Aces, Ethel and Albert, Fibber McGee and Molly, The Goldbergs, The Great Gildersleeve, The Halls of Ivy (which featured screen star Ronald Colman and his wife Benita Hume), Meet Corliss Archer, Meet Millie, and Our Miss Brooks. William (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose Amos 'n' Andy was a situation comedy based on Stereotypes of African-Americans and popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team Easy Aces, a long-running American serial radio Comedy (1930-1945 was trademarked by the low-keyed drollery Ethel and Albert (aka The Private Lives of Ethel and Albert) was a radio and television comedy series about a married couple Ethel and Albert Arbuckle living in Fibber McGee and Molly was a radio show that played a major role in determining the full form of what became classic old-time radio. The Goldbergs was a comedy-drama broadcast from 1929 to 1946 on American Radio and later seen as a television Situation comedy (1949-56 The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957 initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson was one of broadcast history's earliest Spin-off programs The Halls of Ivy was an NBC radio sitcom that ran from 1949-1952 Ronald Colman ( February 9 1891 &ndash May 19 1958) was an English Academy Award and Golden Globe -winning actor Benita Hume ( 14 October, 1906 &ndash 1 November, 1967) was an English film actress born in London. Meet Corliss Archer, a show from Radio 's Golden Age, ran from January 7, 1943 to September 30, 1956. Meet Millie, a situation comedy about a wisecracking Manhattan secretary from Brooklyn made a transition from radio to television in the early 1950s Our Miss Brooks, an American Situation comedy, starred Eve Arden as a sardonic High school English Teacher.
Radio comedy ran the gamut from the small town humor of Lum and Abner, Herb Shriner and Minnie Pearl to the dialect characterizations of Mel Blanc and the caustic sarcasm of Henry Morgan. Lum and Abner, an American Radio Comedy which aired as a network program from 1932 to 1954 became an American institution in its Herb Shriner (b May 29 1918, Toledo Ohio - d April 23 1970, Delray Beach Florida) was an American Humorist Minnie Pearl was the stage name of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon ( October 25, 1912 - March 4, 1996) Melvin "Mel" Jerome Blanc ( May 30, 1908 – July 10, 1989) was an American voice actor and Comedian Not to be confused with Harry Morgan, American actor of film and television who was billed as Henry Morgan in certain roles Gags galore were delivered weekly on Stop Me If You've Heard This One and Can You Top This?, [1] panel programs devoted to the art of telling jokes. Stop Me If You've Heard This One was a comedy radio series created by the actor-humorist Cal Tinney ( February 2, 1908 - December 2, 1993 Can You Top This? was a popular Radio panel show in which Comedians told Jokes. Quiz shows were lampooned on It Pays to Be Ignorant, and other memorable parodies were presented by such satirists as Spike Jones, Stoopnagle and Budd, Stan Freberg and Bob and Ray. It Pays to Be Ignorant was a radio comedy show which maintained its popularity during a nine-year run on three networks for such sponsors as Philip Morris, Chrysler Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones ( December 14, 1911 – May 1, 1965) was a popular musician and bandleader specializing in performing Stoopnagle and Budd were a popular radio comedy team of the 1930s generally regarded as radio's first satirists and sometimes cited as forerunners of the Bob and Ray style of Stanley Victor Freberg (b August 7, 1926, Los Angeles, California) is an American author recording artist Animation Bob Elliott (born 1923 and Ray Goulding (1922–1990 were an American comedy team whose career spanned five decades British comedy reached American shores in a major assault when NBC carried The Goon Show in the mid-1950s. The Goon Show was a British Radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960
Some shows originated as stage productions: Clifford Goldsmith's play What a Life was reworked into NBC's popular, long-run The Aldrich Family (1939-1953) with the familiar catchphrases "Henry! Henry Aldrich!", followed by Henry's answer, "Coming, Mother!". The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage Situation comedy (1939-1953 was also presented in films television and comic books A catch phrase (or catchphrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit, You Can't Take It with You (1936), became a weekly situation comedy heard on Mutual (1944) with Everett Sloane and later on NBC (1951) with Walter Brennan. Walter Brennan ( July 25 1894 – September 21 1974) was a three-time Academy Award winning American Actor.
Other shows were adapted from comic strips, such as Blondie, Dick Tracy, Gasoline Alley, The Gumps, Li'l Abner, Little Orphan Annie, Popeye the Sailor, Red Ryder, Reg'lar Fellers, Terry and the Pirates and Tillie the Toiler. Blondie is a popular Comic strip created by Murat Bernard "Chic" Young and syndicated by King Features Syndicate. Dick Tracy is a long-running Comic strip featuring a popular and familiar character in American Pop culture. Gasoline Alley is a long-running classic Comic strip, created by Frank King, that was first published on November 24, 1918. The Gumps, a popular comic strip about a middle-class family was created by Sidney Smith in 1917 launching a 42-year run in newspapers from February 12 Li'l Abner was a Satirical American Comic strip appearing in many newspapers in the United States and Canada, featuring a fictional Little Orphan Annie is a Full page (later half page or tab) American Comic strip, created by Harold Gray (1894-1968 Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional hero famous for appearing in comic strips and animated films as well as numerous TV shows Red Ryder a popular American fictional Cowboy from the 1940s was created by Stephen Slesinger and drawn by artist Fred Harman. Reg'lar Fellers was a long-run newspaper comic strip adapted into a feature film a radio series on NBC and an animated cartoon Terry and the Pirates was a radio serial adapted from the comic strip of the same name created in 1934 by Milton Caniff. Bob Montana's redheaded teen of comic strips and comic books was heard on radio's Archie Andrews from 1943 to 1953. This article is about the US Comic book character For other uses please see the disambiguation page. The Timid Soul was a 1941-1942 comedy based on cartoonist H. T. Webster's famed Casper Milquetoast character, and Robert L. Ripley's Believe It or Not! was adapted to several different radio formats during the 1930s and 1940s. Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so
When daytime serials began in the early 1930s (the first soap opera was introduced in 1930 on Chicago's WGN), they became known as soap operas because many were sponsored by soap products and detergents. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. The line-up of late afternoon adventure serials included Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders, The Cisco Kid, Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, Captain Midnight, and The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters. The Cisco Kid was a film radio television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O Jack Armstrong the All-American Boy was a Radio adventure series which maintained its popularity from 1933 to 1951 Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 &ndash October 12, 1940) was an American film Actor Badges, rings, decoding devices and other radio premiums offered on these adventure shows were often allied with a sponsor's product, requiring the young listeners to mail in a box top from a breakfast cereal or other proof of purchase. A radio premium is a gift or discount sent to a listener of a radio program who writes in to request the gift A proof of purchase (also called a brand seal) is typically some portion of the package of consumer goods and is defined by the product's manufacturer
Outstanding radio dramas were presented on such programs as 26 by Corwin, NBC Short Story, Arch Oboler's Plays, Quiet, Please, and CBS Radio Workshop. Norman Lewis Corwin (born May 3, 1910) is an American writer Screenwriter, producer essayist and teacher of journalism and writing Arch Oboler's Plays was a radio Anthology series written produced and directed by Arch Oboler. For the Tom and Jerry cartoon see Quiet Please! Quiet Please! was an Old-time radio Fantasy The CBS Radio Workshop was an experimental dramatic radio anthology series that aired on CBS from January 27 1956, until September 22 1957 Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre on the Air and Campbell Playhouse were considered by many critics to be the finest radio drama anthologies ever presented. George Orson Welles (May 6 1915 – October 10 1985 was an Academy Award -winning director, writer actor and producer for film stage radio and television Mercury Theatre was a Theatre company founded in New York City by Orson Welles and John Houseman. The Campbell Playhouse (1938-40 was a CBS Radio drama series directed by and starring Orson Welles. They usually starred Welles in the leading role, along with celebrity guest stars such as Margaret Sullavan or Helen Hayes, in adaptations from literature, Broadway, and/or films. Margaret Brooke Sullavan ( May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an Academy Helen Hayes ( October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was a two-time Academy Award -winning American Actress, whose They included such titles as Liliom, Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, Lost Horizon, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Liliom is a 1909 play by Ferenc Molnár. it was very famous in its own right during the early to mid-twentieth century but is best known today as the basis for the Oliver Twist (1838 is Charles Dickens' second Novel. The book was originally published in Bentley's Miscellany as a serial A Tale of Two Cities (1859 is the second Historical novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the Lost Horizon is a 1933 Novel by English writer James Hilton. It is best remembered as the origin of Shangri-La, a fictional utopian The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is a work of Detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons in June It was on Mercury Theatre that Welles presented his celebrated-but-infamous adaptation of H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, formatted to sound like a breaking news program. Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political Breaking news is a Current event that broadcasters feel warrants the interruption of scheduled programming in order to report its details
Lux Radio Theater and The Screen Guild Theater presented adaptations of Hollywood movies, performed before a live audience, usually with cast members from the original films. Lux Radio Theater, one of the genuine classic radio Anthology series (NBC Blue Network (1934-1935 CBS (1935-1954 NBC The Screen Guild Theater was a popular radio Anthology series during the Golden Age of Radio broadcast from 1939 until 1952 with leading Hollywood Suspense, Escape, The Mysterious Traveler and Inner Sanctum Mysteries were popular thriller anthology series. Suspense was a Radio drama series broadcast on CBS from 1942 through 1962 Escape was Radio 's leading Anthology series of high adventure airing on CBS from July 7 1947 to September 25 For the Weather Report album see Mysterious Traveller. The Mysterious Traveler was an anthology radio series a magazine and Inner Sanctum Mysteries was a popular Old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952. Leading writers who created original material for radio included Norman Corwin, Carlton E. Morse, David Goodis, Archibald MacLeish, Arthur Miller, Arch Oboler, Wyllis Cooper, Rod Serling and Irwin Shaw. Norman Lewis Corwin (born May 3, 1910) is an American writer Screenwriter, producer essayist and teacher of journalism and writing Carlton Errol Morse ( June 4, 1901 - May 24, 1993) was a Louisiana -born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio David Goodis ( March 2, 1917 – January 7, 1967) was an American Noir fiction writer Archibald MacLeish ( May 7, 1892 – April 20, 1982) was an American Poet, Writer and the Librarian Arthur Asher Miller (October 17 1915 &ndash February 10 2005 was an American Playwright and Essayist. Arch Oboler ( December 7, 1909 - March 19, 1987) was a scriptwriter novelist producer and director who was active in films radio and television Wyllis Oswald Cooper ( January 26, 1899 - June 22, 1955) was an American writer and producer Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling ( December 25, 1924 &ndash June 28, 1975) was an American Screenwriter, best known Irwin Shaw ( February 27 1913 &ndash May 16 1984) was an American playwright screenwriter and novelist who was also a highly regarded short
History of professional radio recordings in the United States
Radio stations
In the beginning of the Golden Age, American radio network programs were presented almost exclusively live, since the national networks prohibited the airing of recorded programs until the late 1940s. A radio network is a network system which distributes programming to multiple stations simultaneously or slightly delayed for the purpose of extending total As a result, prime-time shows would be performed twice for both coasts. However, some programs were recorded as they were broadcast during this period, typically for syndicated programs or for advertisers to have their own copy. In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through When the networks became more open to airing recorded programs in the 1950s and 1960s, recordings became more common.
Recordings of radio programs were typically made at a radio network's studios, since the expense and expertise of making a recording was usually more than a local station was capable of handling. A radio network is a network system which distributes programming to multiple stations simultaneously or slightly delayed for the purpose of extending total (Recordings required special equipment and trained technicians who had to monitor the recording while it was being made. ) However, there are some surviving recordings produced by affiliate stations. [2]
Armed Forces Radio Service
The Armed Forces Radio Services (AFRS) has its origins in the War Department's quest to improve troop morale. The United States Department of War, sometimes also called the War Office, was the department of the United States government 's executive branch This quest began with short-wave broadcasts of educational and information programs to troops in 1940. In 1941, the War Department began issuing "Buddy Kits" (B-Kits) to departing troops, which comprised radios, 78 RPM shellac records, and electrical transcription disks of radio shows. However, with the entrance of the United States into World War II, the War Department decided that it needed to improve the quality and quantity of its offerings.
This began with the broadcasting of its own original variety programs. Command Performance became the first of these, when it was produced for the first time on March 1, 1942. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On May 26, 1942, the Armed Forces Radio Services was formally established. Events 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Originally, its programming comprised network radio shows with the commercials removed. However, it soon began producing other original programming, such as Mail Call, G. I. Journal, Jubilee, and G. I. Jive. At its peak in 1945, the Service produced around twenty hours of original programming each week.
After the war, the AFRS continued providing programming to troops in Europe. In addition, it also provided programming for future wars that the United States was involved in. It survives today as a component of the American Forces Network. American Forces Network (or AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS for its entertainment
All of the shows aired by the AFRS during the Golden Age were recorded onto electrical transcription disks and shipped to stations, in order to be broadcast to troops overseas. People in the United States rarely ever heard programming from the AFRS,[3] although AFRS recordings of Golden Age network shows were occasionally broadcast on some domestic stations beginning in the 1950s.
History of home radio recordings in the United States
There was some home recording of radio in the 1930s and early 1940s. Home recording at that time could typically only be performed by home disk recorders, which were only capable of storing five minutes of a radio program per side on a seven-inch record. As a result of the short durations of these records and the expense of the recorders, home recording was uncommon during this period.
The lack of suitable home recording equipment was somewhat relieved in 1943 with the introduction of home tape recorders using Scotch 100 tape. However, the quality of recordings made from these devices was far below professional levels. In fact, home recording of radio programs did not become common until around 1950, when affordable reel-to-reel tape recorders were introduced to the market. [4]
Recording media
Electrical transcription disks
When radio stations first began recording programs, they recorded onto records called "electrical transcription disks" (ET). Originally, these disks varied in both size and composition; although, they were typically bare aluminum. However, by the mid-1930s, sixteen inch aluminum-based disks coated with cellulose nitrate lacquer and playing at a speed of 33 1/3 RPM became the standard. (These had been invented in 1932 by RCA Victor. ) These disks were recorded using the "hill and dale" process, in contrast to the side-to-side recording method used by commercial recording studios. Disks could store fifteen minutes of a show on each side, allowing a thirty minute program to be stored on one side of two separate disks. The disks would deteriorate rapidly on each playing, allowing only a few playbacks before being destroyed.
During World War II, aluminum became a necessary material for the war effort. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including This caused alternatives to aluminum to be used for electrical transcription disks, since aluminum was hard to come by. As a result, glass became the most common material used for disks between the years of 1942 and 1945. [5]
Magnetic wire recording
In the late 1940s, wire recording became a medium for recording radio programs, since it was less expensive to make recordings with and did not have the strict time limits of electrical transcription disks. Wire recording is a type of analogue Audio storage in which the recording is made onto thin steel or stainless steel Wire. In addition, the fidelity of these recordings was comparable to the 78s of the time.
Reel-to-reel tape recording
Magnetic wire recording was replaced by the introduction of the reel-to-reel audio tape in the early 1950s. Reel-to-reel, open reel tape recording is the form of magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording medium is held on a Reel, rather than being Tape had several advantages over earlier recording methods. It could achieve higher fidelity than both electrical transcription disks and magnetic wire. In addition, it could be edited easier using a process known as splicing. Bing Crosby became the first major proponent of this medium for radio and was the first to use it for his radio show, when he used it for a demonstration program in 1947. Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby ( May 3, 1903 &ndash October 14, 1977) was an Academy Award winning American Popular [4]
Availability of recordings
A relatively few surviving programs were recorded off the air (airchecks), usually at a recording studio, since home recording equipment was uncommon during the first couple decades of the Golden Age. In the Radio industry an aircheck is generally a demonstration recording often intended to show off the talent of an Announcer or radio programmer to a prospective A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties (sound Most of the Golden Age programs in circulation among collectors – whether on tape, CD or MP3 – originated with these ETs. MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression In addition, many Golden Age shows have survived only in edited AFRS versions, while others exist in both original and AFRS formats.
Legacy
In the United States, radio comedy and drama gets relatively little airplay apart from satellite and Internet radio, but it continues full strength on British and Irish stations, and to a lesser degree in Canada. Max Ferguson (born 1924 is a Canadian radio personality and satirist best known for his long-running programs Rawhide and The Max Ferguson Show on the Canadian The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Regular broadcasts of radio plays are also heard in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Vintage shows and new audio productions in America are accessible more on recordings and by satellite and web broadcasters rather than over conventional AM and FM radio. There are, however, several radio theatre series still in production, usually airing on Sunday nights in the United States. These include original series such as Imagination Theatre and a radio adaptation of The Twilight Zone, as well as rerun compilations such as the popular daily series When Radio Was and USA Radio Network's Golden Age of Radio Theatre. Imagination Theater is an American syndicated Radio drama program produced by Jim French Productions The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas is a nationally syndicated radio adaptation of the classic television series The Twilight Zone, launched in October 2002 When Radio Was is a syndicated radio program that re-airs Old-time radio programs The USA Radio Network is a syndicator of talk radio programming established in 1985 The USA Radio Network is a syndicator of talk radio programming established in 1985
One of the longest running radio programs celebrating this era is The Golden Days of Radio, which was hosted on the Armed Forces Radio Service (later Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) for more than 20 years and overall for more than 50 years by Frank Bresee, who also played "Little Beaver" on the Red Ryder program as a child actor. American Forces Network (or AFN) is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS for its entertainment Red Ryder a popular American fictional Cowboy from the 1940s was created by Stephen Slesinger and drawn by artist Fred Harman.
Today, radio performers of the past appear at conventions which feature recreations of classic shows, as well as music, memorabilia and historical panels. The largest of these events is the Friends of Old Time Radio Convention, held annually in Newark, New Jersey each October. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. Others include REPS in Seattle (June), SPERDVAC in California, the Cincinnati OTR & Nostalgia Convention (April) and the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention (September). The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention is held annually in Aberdeen Maryland.
Radio dramas from the golden age are sometimes recreated as live stage performances. One such group, led by director Daniel Smith, has been performing recreations of old-time radio dramas at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts since 2000. Fairfield University is a private co-educational undergraduate and master's level university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England (There is also a Regina A Quick Center for the Arts (St Bonaventure at St [6][7]
Museums
The Paley Center for Media's collection of more than 120,000 programs and commercials spans 88 years of radio-TV history, beginning with a 1918 speech by labor leader Samuel Gompers. The Paley Center for Media, formerly The Museum of Television & Radio ( MT&R) and The Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S Samuel Gompers (January 27 1850 - December 13 1924 was an American labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. The radio shows in this collection can be heard at the Paley Center in New York, and that same collection is duplicated at the Paley Center in Los Angeles.
See also
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Notes
- ^ "Fessenden: World's First Broadcaster?--A Radio History Buff Finds That Evidence for the Famous Brant Rock Broadcast Is Lacking" Radio World Online. Listed below are vintage radio programs associated with Radio's Golden Age. Listed below are actors and personalities heard on vintage radio programs plus writers and others associated with Radio's Golden Age. The radio programs listed below are all from the United States An antique radio is a Radio receiving set that is collectible because of its age and uniqueness This article is about audio performance for other uses see Radio (disambiguation. Chuck Schaden, born June 29, 1934, is a Chicago -area broadcaster and historian who has hosted the program "Those Were the Days" The American Museum of Radio and Electricity is an interactive Museum located in Bellingham Washington which offers educational experiences for audiences of all The Paley Center for Media, formerly The Museum of Television & Radio ( MT&R) and The Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S Music radio is a radio format in which Music is the main broadcast content Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. Radio comedy, or comedic Radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve Sitcom elements sketches, and many other forms of comedy found Radio drama is a form of audio storytelling broadcast on radio. Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. When Radio Was is a syndicated radio program that re-airs Old-time radio programs Radio Days is a 1987 film directed by Woody Allen. The film looks back on American family life during the Golden Age of Radio. Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; December 1 1935 is an American Film director, Writer, Actor, Comedian, and October 25, 2006
- ^ Fybush, Scott. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Frequently-Asked Question. The Archives@BostonRadio. org. Retrieved on 2007-05-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
- ^ Armed Forces Radio Services broadcasts. Bing Crosby Internet Museum. Retrieved on 2007-05-16. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
- ^ a b Bensman, Marvin R. . A History of Radio Program Collecting. Radio Archive of the University of Memphis. Retrieved on 2007-05-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.
- ^ Beaupre, Walter J. . Music Electrically Transcribed!. The Vintage Radio Place. Retrieved on 2007-11-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany)
- ^ Spiegel, Jan Ellen. "We Interrupt This Play for a News Bulletin on the War", The New York Times, 2007-09-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Retrieved on 2007-09-09. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian
- ^ Radio Dramas. Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts. (There is also a Regina A Quick Center for the Arts (St Bonaventure at St Fairfield University. Fairfield University is a private co-educational undergraduate and master's level university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England Retrieved on 2008-04-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland.
References
- Dunning, John (1998). On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-507678-8.
External links
- Elizabeth McLeod's Broadcasting History
- Old-Time radio links on dmoz
- Original Newspaper Radio Schedules from 1930-1960
- Old Time Radio Researchers Group
- Internet Archive's Old Time Radio Collection
- A full day's broadcast on September 21, 1939 on the Washington, D.C. CBS affiliate station WJSV
- The John R. Hickman Collection from American University Library
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