Episodes
Friday Feb 22, 2019
Columbia Demonstration Record
Friday Feb 22, 2019
Friday Feb 22, 2019
Finally, here’s a fascinating rare little find - an early to mid-30s demonstration disc for stations, advertising inexpensive syndicated series they could obtain on Columbia Royal Blue transcriptions.
An unidentified announcer is heard introducing each selection and reminding the listener of the high quality of the programs and the transcriptions. On side one of the disc, we hear excerpts from “Pick & Pat Minstrels” and “Reminiscences of Victor Herbert”. On side two are excerpts from “Viennese Nights” and “Omar, the Wizard of Persia”.
Our mp3 was transferred from an original 12” Royal Blue laminated Columbia pressing, matrix numbers 230610 and 230611, running at 33 1/3 rpm and playing inside-out. This appears to be a previously lost little piece of radio memorabilia. Unfortunately, the brochure that accompanied the disc is long gone.
Anyone know if the particular episodes of the series heard in the demo survive in their complete form?
Saturday Oct 27, 2018
D-U-Z Does Everything promotional record
Saturday Oct 27, 2018
Saturday Oct 27, 2018
Once in a while, I feature some old time radio-related memorabilia on the blog. In this post, a promotional 78 from the makers of Duz featuring a three minute swinging arrangement of their “Duz Does Everything” jingle heard on many OTR programs.
I don’t know the origin of this disc. Perhaps it was given to dealers or maybe as part of some giveaway promotion to customers. But now, through the miracle of the Internet, you can find out the rest of the lyrics to the song. The vocal is by Audrey Marsh, backed with Miltion Rettenberger’s Orchestra. I couldn't find anything on the composer, Majorie Souders. Don’t forget to give royalties to BMI if you play it on the air.
By the way, according to Wikipedia, Proctor and Gamble sold Duz from the 1940s and discontinued the brand in 1980. Remember the free dishes that came with Duz?
Our mp3 was dubbed from an original single-sided ten inch 78 rpm shellac or vinylite disc.
Anyone else ever run into this?
Saturday Mar 05, 2011
Sunkist Musical Cocktail - March 15, 1931 (excerpt)
Saturday Mar 05, 2011
Saturday Mar 05, 2011
It wasn't until the mid-1930s that instantaneous lacquers took off as a way to preserve live radio shows. So recordings of radio's earliest years are quite rare. "Sunkist Musical Cocktail" was a musical variety program that featured Hollywood stars as guests. The sponsor, taking advantage of the Hollywood glamor, had some excerpts from the series recorded and released them as promotional items giving us a glimpse at this early radio effort.
In this mp3, we hear an excerpt from the broadcast of March 15, 1931, originally broadcast on CBS. Guest Ann Harding discusses her career with Louella Parsons, including references to a screen test arranged by Rudolph Valentino and Harding's stage work. According to Elizabeth Mcleod, the recording was originally made by Hollywood Film Laboratories. The disc includes an introduction with a brief sponsorship message for Sunkist recorded especially for this release of the recording. Our mp3 was transferred from an original 6" Flexo pink celluloid plastic 78 disc, matrix numbers 6-59 and 6-60. I've put a fade out/in between side changes since I'm not sure if the sides are a continuous segment of the program. It sounds a tad slow to me, but I double-checked the turntable speed with a strobe on this one; it may have been recorded slightly off speed. Flexo may have recorded and released other interview excerpts in this series that aren't circulating. I've seen references to recordings in existence of broadcasts of April 8, 1931 (Louella Parsons and Ruth Chatterton) and March 25, 1931 (Louella Parsons and Norma Shearer, matrix number 6-81/6-81). Flexo, by the way, tried to promote their unusual new plastic records for a variety of purposes. According to one online discography, they even released some 16" radio transcriptions pressed on green celluloid. Anyone ever see one or have a label photo?Thursday Oct 21, 2010
Monticello Party Line - 1936 Cookbook Premium
Thursday Oct 21, 2010
Thursday Oct 21, 2010
As you heard in our last post, you could, in 1938, send away to Dr. Caldwell to get a copy of a "Monticello Party Line" cookbook and a sample bottle of Syrup Pepsin. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate a copy of the cookbook given away in the 1938 season of "Monticello Party Line", but have located two others from 1936 and 1937. In this post, "Sara and Aggie's Party Line Cookbook", the Second Edition, offered as a premium on the show in 1936. In the booklet, you'll find recipes, household hints, pictures of the cast and the show and, of course, some good words about Syrup Pepsin. Of course, some staff at an advertising agency put the thing together, but they try to maintain the illusion that it was written by Sara and Aggie themselves. It was a much simpler time in advertising. The PDF is 7 MB and runs 17 pages. It also includes, at the end of the file, a letter from Sara and Aggie that was enclosed with the recipe book and Syrup Pepsin sample.
Saturday Jul 24, 2010
1937 RCA-NBC Listen magazine supplement
Saturday Jul 24, 2010
Saturday Jul 24, 2010
A special tip of the hat goes out this week to listener Christopher McPherson. He dug up the special supplement to "Life" magazine that RCA put together in September 1937 highlighting the NBC radio network. In the supplement, you can get a look "behind the scenes" at NBC and take a gander at some of the big NBC stars of the time. There's a great ad for an RCA radio on the back cover featuring W.C. Fields and Charlie McCarthy. If you'll recall, we heard a special 78 sent out by NBC to advertisers to promote the supplement a few weeks back on the blog. Just click the ebook link below to download the 2 mb pdf of the supplement.
Saturday Jul 03, 2010
Answers to the 1937 radio stars quiz
Saturday Jul 03, 2010
Saturday Jul 03, 2010
Last week, blog listener Christopher McPherson sent along a radio stars quiz where you could guess the identity of NBC's radio stars from 1937. It originally appeared in a special supplement to "Life" magazine called "Listen" that was sponsored by RCA. If you want to check up on your answers, here's a link to the original image that includes the names of the different stars. Thanks Christopher!
Friday Jun 25, 2010
1937 NBC Radio Stars Quiz
Friday Jun 25, 2010
Friday Jun 25, 2010
It's time for a pop quiz! No cheating by looking on Google! If you'll recall, a few weeks ago I posted a special NBC 78 rpm record promoting "Listen", a special RCA advertising supplement in "Life" magazine. Blog listener Christopher McPherson has dug up a copy of the supplement and sent me one part of it - a picture quiz where you can guess the identity of NBC's 1937 radio personalities. Just click the image for a larger version.
We'll offer up the answers next week and the full "Listen" supplement sometime in the future - in the mean time, put your guesses on the identity of these NBC radio stars in the comments below.
Friday Jun 25, 2010
NBC - The Good New Summertime
Friday Jun 25, 2010
Friday Jun 25, 2010
Since summer is upon us, it might be a good time to think about advertising on the radio? What? No one listens to radio in the summer?
Of course they do! At least that's the message from the National Broadcasting Company in this special 78 rpm disc sent out to ad agencies and potential advertisers. In "The Good New Summertime", we hear a little comedy sketch where intrepid employee Ernest Truex saves the day by getting his company to advertise on the radio during the summer months. Our mp3 was transferred from an original NBC 12" shellac 78 rpm disc pressed by RCA Victor, matrix number 07813-1. The other side of the disc is the commercial release, "Summertime", from Porgy and Bess, performed by Helen Jepson, matrix number 11881-A from album C 25-7, and includes the original Red Seal Victor "scroll" label for that side of the disc. Is it just me, or does Truex sound a little "light in the loafers"?Friday Jun 18, 2010
Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra
Friday Jun 18, 2010
Friday Jun 18, 2010
I suppose you've thought you've heard just about everything on the blog. Well, now you're going to hear a broadcasting bird. No, it's not the "Hartz Radio Canaries". In this post, a 78 rpm release from Australia, a children's record featuring the story of "Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra". This famous bird became an audio "call sign" for Australian broadcasters. Yes, there really was a Jacko and he was rather famous, even making a tour of the country.
Jacko was the subject of a children's book - you can read Jacko's story here and see sample pages scanned from the book. I managed to dig up a nice copy of the book for my collection and highly recommend it as a charming and delightful piece of early radio memorabilia. The disc was recorded August 29, 1933. Our mp3 was dubbed from an original copy of the Regal Zonophone/Columbia Graphophone 78 rpm 10" shellac record. The matrix numbers are G21805 (WT1272 and WT1273).Friday May 21, 2010
NBC - Introduction to Listen Magazine
Friday May 21, 2010
Friday May 21, 2010
Network radio was really exciting stuff back in its heyday and nobody was better than building up excitement and ballyhoo than NBC. From September 1937, we offer this special promotional 78 given away by the National Broadcasting Company to promote "Listen" magazine. It was the "magazine within a magazine" - actually, a fancy advertising supplement in "Life" that was sponsored by RCA.
The edition of "Listen" distributed with the September 20, 1937 issue of "Life" was devoted to a "behind the scenes" look at NBC. See how sound effects are made! See your favorite NBC stars! The disc includes an excerpt of the King George VI coronation broadcast and a nice copy of the NBC chimes at the end. Our mp3 was transferred from an original NBC 12" shellac 78 rpm disc pressed by RCA Victor, matrix number 013166-1. The other side of the disc is the commercial release "Lohengrin-Prelude to Act 3" (Wagner) performed by Arturo Toscanani and the Philharmonic Symphony of New York, matrix number 14007-A from album M 308-3, and includes the original Red Seal Victor "scroll" label for the side. I'm not sure who the "Bruce Robertson" is that's mentioned on the label - perhaps an ad agency executive or company president? They must have spent some time and money to customize the labels for this issue like this. This promo disc is similar to the promo 45 set issued by NBC to promote "Night Beat" to potential advertisers that I posted on the blog a couple of years back. I have another NBC promo disc like this I'll be putting up in a couple of weeks.