Episodes
Thursday Jun 15, 2017
American Radio Newsreel - Pgm 8
Thursday Jun 15, 2017
Thursday Jun 15, 2017
Now we kick off the final posts on the blog before we go on hiatus again.
Here’s our final episode of the obscure pre-War Ayers-Prescott syndicated news series, “American Radio Newsreel”. Program 8 in the series probably dates from January or February 1940 and appears to be previously lost.
The head of the French Bureau of Information gives his opinion on the war in Europe, the Russian-German pact, and the mistakes of 1918. A former Nazi propaganda official, Hitler’s press secretary, is interviewed about Hitler. Benny Friedman, coach at New York City College, gives tips to football hopefuls and gives his opinion on schools funding football players. Paul Robeson is interviewed about a new play about folk hero John Henry that is headed for Broadway. The “Woman’s Page” talks with twin women about returning from a sheik’s harem in Iraq.
Our program was transferred from an original sixteen inch Ayers-Prescott shellac transcription.
Saturday Jun 10, 2017
American Radio Newsreel - Pgm 7
Saturday Jun 10, 2017
Saturday Jun 10, 2017
We continue our look at the obscure pre-War syndicated series “American Radio Newsreel” with a previously lost episode.
Program 7 probably dates to January or February 1940. Delores Laurell recounts her harrowing escape from Poland as it fell to the Nazis. Jack Dempsy discusses fighters, past and present. Edith Rogers Dahl fights for her release of her husband from a Spanish prison. Then we go to Hollywood for short interviews with actors and actresses, including Claire Trevor, Adrian Aimes, Eddie Lowe, and Beverly Roberts. Finally, the editor of the Pathe News is interviewed about how he gets his war pictures.
Our program was transferred from an original sixteen inch Ayers-Prescott shellac transcription.
Friday Jun 02, 2017
American Radio Newsreel - Pgm 5
Friday Jun 02, 2017
Friday Jun 02, 2017
Now, let’s hear another episode of the unusual series, “American Radio Newsreel”. The program was recorded on location each week and quickly edited and pressed up for syndication to local stations by Ayer-Prescott.
Program 5 in the series is dated to December 1939 by Goldin. Stories include an interview with the captain and radio operator of a US vessel sailing for Norway to test neutrality law and another with the “only white rani in the world”, Viner Brooke. Then we hear Otis Skinner and Martha Raye. The announcers are James Cleminger and Alan Barnes.
The show was transferred from a sixteen inch one-sided shellac transcription. There is no matrix number.
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
American Radio Newsreel - Pgm 4
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
Sunday Apr 02, 2017
Rounding out the blog entries this week, the first episode I have in a short run a pioneering radio actuality series from 1939, “American Radio Newsreel”. The series, produced and syndicated by Ayers-Prescott Inc, Radio City, New York, is much like an audio newsreel, interviewing various prominent figures of the day “on the spot”.
According to John Dunning’s “On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio”, the program was heard on about 300 stations and he describes it as one of the earliest attempts at “cut and edit” syndication, blending the announcer, interview clips, and music into a show that had to be produced, pressed on records, and sent to subscribing stations on a fairly short turnaround.
Program 4 in the series appears to be a previously lost episode and, according to a log of the show at Goldin, likely dates to November or December 1939.
Wyeth Williams, editor of the “Greenwich Time”, talks about his predictions on the political situation in Europe and how he comes to his conclusions. He predicts that the end of the War will come with the overthrow of Hitler from within Germany and that the US will never enter the conflict because of the dependence on other nations for our industrial might. A creationist, Rev. Dr. Harry Rimmer of the Central Baptist Church, who placed an ad offering rewards to anyone who could prove scientific inaccuracies in the Bible is interviewed, along with William Floyd, editor of “The Arbitrator”, who is suing him to claim the award.
George Jessel is interviewed, telling stories about working on stage with Sophie Tucker. Jessel tells a “cleaned up” version of the old joke about Tucker saying she was “up to my neck in midgets” in one show. Football great Tuffy Leemans is interviewed by sports reporter Mike Blair about the differences between college and pro football and other topics. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., attending the Bowl of Rice dinner to benefit refugees from the war in China is interviewed. The announcer is Bill Harding.
Our mp3 was transferred from an original sixteen inch one-sided shellac transcription.