Episodes
Sunday Feb 14, 2010
Nonsense and Melody - Pgm 26
Sunday Feb 14, 2010
Sunday Feb 14, 2010
We haven't heard episodes of "Nonsense and Melody" in quite some time, so I'll start putting up the remaining episodes in my collection of this syndicated comedy variety show produced by Transco in 1935-36.
The show takes the form of a kind of world cruise and the troop has just left Switzerland. Featured comedians Gill and Doemling kick off the program, introducing a number by a crack banjo player giving us a jazzed up version of "Oh Susanna". Fifi sings a sexy little French number then Gill and Doemling doing a sketch where a drunk man visits a real estate agent. The Jack Tars close out the show with an unidentified song. The program was transferred from an original red vinyl Bruce Eells and Associates vinyl transcription that dates from a later reissue of the show in the 1940s.
Sunday Jan 10, 2010
Eddie Cantor - November 29, 1944
Sunday Jan 10, 2010
Sunday Jan 10, 2010
Here's a fun comedy variety show featuring show-biz veteran Eddie Cantor. Cantor, a big star of screen and records in the 20s, was on-hand for the birth of sound movies and starred in a series of early Technicolor musical comedies in the early 30s. He was still going strong on radio a decade later.
This episode of the "Eddie Cantor Show" was originally broadcast November 29, 1944 on NBC. The version heard here was a replacement for the "Charlie McCarthy Show" program 88 from the Armed Forces Radio Services. The show originates at the Navy's Sixth War Loan Exhibit in Chicago. In one of the sketches, Eddie delivers messages to folks in Chicago from people in Los Angeles, including delivering a birthday present for Jack Benny's father. The program features Bert Gordon, "The Mad Russian"; Joe Kelly; Leonard Sues; Nora Martin; Roy Shield and His Orchestra. At the end of the program, we hear an AFRS announcement for the Globe Theater radio play writing contest. The show was transferred direclty from an Armed Forces Radio Service vinyl transcription and is dated in the disc matrix. Special thanks to listener Michael Utz for his donation of this disc to the collection.
Sunday Jan 10, 2010
Hollywood's Open House - Pgm 50
Sunday Jan 10, 2010
Sunday Jan 10, 2010
I've got a few episodes of "Hollywood's Open House", a nicely produced syndicated variety show hosted by Jim Ameche, that I'll be putting up on the blog periodically.
Program 50 in the series is dated to November 18, 1948, according to a log at otrsite.com. Ray Bloch and the orchestra kick off the show with "Five Minutes More". Guest Bert Lahr does different segments in the show based around gags where he's going to night school. Vocals on some of the songs are by Diane Courtney and Danny O'Neil. Our show was transferred from original Kermit-Raymond Corporation syndication vinyl transcription pressed by Columbia, matrix numbers YTNY 6445 and YTNY 6446.Friday Jan 01, 2010
Garry Moore - Pgm 64
Friday Jan 01, 2010
Friday Jan 01, 2010
Last week we heard a Christmas edition of the "Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore Show". This week, we take a look at Garry Moore's career after his teaming with Durante.
CBS featured Garry in a daytime talk and variety show on the air each day for an hour. In this post, we hear an AFRS version of the program, edited down to a half hour and broadcast as program 64 in the AFRS series. According to the vinyl trail-off of the disc, this episode was compiled from two episodes of "The Garry Moore Show", originally broadcast 11/18 and 11/23/49 on CBS. The show includes members of the audience commenting on how much they enjoy the show and asking Garry how it can stay on the air without a sponsor. Announcer Howard Petrie does a little routine about he and his wife celebrating their "Insurance Anniversary". This mix of music, talk and comedy is a great showcase for Moore's laid back and genial personality that would be a fixture on CBS for almost twenty years. The show was transferred from an original AFRS vinyl transcription.Thursday Dec 24, 2009
Comedy Caravan - Pgm 19
Thursday Dec 24, 2009
Thursday Dec 24, 2009
For your holiday enjoyment, we now offer some Christmas comedy, courtesy of the "Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore Show". Broadcast as "Comedy Caravan" on Armed Forces Radio and marked as program 19 in the network's Christmas series, the show was probably originally broadcast on CBS on December 21, 1945. The main sketch has Durante and Moore operating a zoo and looking for a six-legged octopus. Moore also does his version of "White Christmas".
This appears to be a previously lost episode of the series and finding it was a treat for me since I've always enjoyed Durante and Moore's program. However, it can be hard to tell sometimes with AFRS shows of this period - it could have been assembled from other Durante-Moore shows just for the AFRS holiday programming schedule. The show was transferred from an original AFRS vinyl transcription; the date is from the transcription matrix. The original is the worse for wear and has gone through click reduction to make it more listenable.
Sunday Dec 20, 2009
Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 24
Sunday Dec 20, 2009
Sunday Dec 20, 2009
Let's return to "Your Movietown Radio Theatre", a seldom heard series syndicated by Frederick W. Ziv circa 1947-1948. Program 24 is, I think, a previously uncirculated episode, "The Sound of Her Voice", a charming, dark little comedy about a man who finds a genie in a bottle. Our star is Robert Hutton. Since the show was syndicated, you don't hear the opening, just a music bed, since a local announcer would have kicked off the program with a plug for a local sponsor. The show was transferred from an original vinyl Ziv transcription, matrix numbers UR 174915 AU1 and UR 174916 AU1. The disc set is very scratched, so I had to run it through some click reduction software. Sorry, but no label on this entry - the discs had water damage and the label is obscured.
Thursday Nov 26, 2009
Music Hall - Pgm 92
Thursday Nov 26, 2009
Thursday Nov 26, 2009
Now for a bit of music and comedy with "Music Hall" aka the "Kraft Music Hall".
In this post, program number 92 as broadcast on the Armed Forces Radio Service, originally heard on NBC on September 7, 1944. The host of the show is George Murphy, the first program in the series where he took over the hosting duties. The opening song is "By the Beautiful Sea" and we hear a sketch about football. Heard in the show are John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra, Ken Carpenter, Marilyn Maxwell, Sonny Tufts, and the Sons Of The Pioneers. The program was transferred from an original AFRS Navy Department vinyl transcription; the date is from the transcription matrix.
Thursday Oct 15, 2009
Fibber McGee and Molly - Pgm 85
Thursday Oct 15, 2009
Thursday Oct 15, 2009
Note: This program has been removed from my site, as of August 21, 2010. Recently, Radio Spirits has issued take-down notices to archive.org and other sites concerning claims they have on particular series and shows. These claims not only include exclusive license for particular series, but also claims on images, likenesses and recordings of particular personalities. Since Radio Spirits doesn't publicly provide a list of shows they license or estates they represent, I'm taking preventive action and removing some programs from my site, based on forum posts and archived news articles I've seen on their claims and the estates they say they represent. - rand Do you have a problem with your temper? Perhaps you can pick up a few tips from Fibber McGee in program 85 of the "Fibber McGee and Molly" series from the Armed Forces Radio Service, originally broadcast December 26, 1944 on NBC.
The show features Jim and Marian Jordan, Arthur Q. Bryan, Billy Mills and His Orchestra, Harlow Wilcox, the King's Men. Our transfer is directly from a vinyl AFRS Navy Department transcription. The program date is from the matrix and was verified by Goldin and a log of the series of otrsite.com. A very special thanks to listener Michael Utz for donating this disc to my collection.Thursday Oct 08, 2009
Mail Call - Pgm 93
Thursday Oct 08, 2009
Thursday Oct 08, 2009
Now let's turn back the clock to World War II with another entry in the Armed Forces Radio Network variety series, "Mail Call", that brought the top stars from movies and radio to perform for the troops.
This is a pretty amazing little half-hour program. Program 93 features hostess Paulette Goddard introducing W.C. Fields, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd with Edgar Bergen, Virginia O'Brien, Borrah Minnevitch and the Harmonica Rascals and the King Sisters. The announcer for the show is Don Wilson. The program is dedicated to armed forces personnel from the State of Kentucky, so there's something of a Kentucky Derby theme going on, at least in the program's opening and first number by the orchestra, "Kentucky". The King Sisters sing the War themed tune, "Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet" and the Harmonica Rascals do a wonderful arrangement of "Brazil". (I'm a fan of the Harmonicats, so this was a real treat.) The highlight of the show is the sketch with W.C. Fields and Edgar Bergen. They're in rare form, with Fields and Bergen tossing in adlibs as Fields gets lost in the script. The show was transferred from an original AFRS vinyl transcription. According to the log of the series at otrsite.com, it was recorded May 24, 1944. By the way - do you recognize the theme the orchestra plays after the intro of Paulette Goddard? It would turn up years later as a main theme used on "The Big Show". Was this some kind of stock cue in the music score library at NBC?
Thursday Oct 08, 2009
It Pays to Be Ignorant - Pgm 88
Thursday Oct 08, 2009
Thursday Oct 08, 2009
Broadcast from 1942 to 1951 on Mutual, then CBS, and finally, NBC, "It Pays to Be Ignorant" was a parody of quiz shows that featured panelists of experts - it's a natural followup to our posts in recent weeks of the "Quiz Kids" and "Twenty Questions". In this case, our "experts" are a group of regulars always ready for a quick one-liner or really bad pun.
In this post, program 88 in the series as broadcast on AFRS, originally heard on CBS on December 21, 1945. The first question during opening is "Why does the subway have to raise the fare?" and the first question during the main body of the show is "What is the color of the Little Red Schoolhouse?". The show features host Tom Howard, George Shelton, Lulu McConnell, Harry McNaughton, and announcer Ken Roberts. I think this particular episode might not be in common circulation among collectors. Frank, a listener to the blog who has had a long career in radio, remembered seeing "It Pays to Be Ignorant" and other shows live when he worked in the mailroom at Mutual. Now that was an employee perk! The show was transferred from original AFRS vinyl transcription. Date is from the transcription matrix.