rand's esoteric otr

Doctors Then and Now - circa late 1940s

I've run into several shows over the past few months where only part of the program survives.  I've resisted posting them since they're incomplete, but I'll start putting up one now and then that's particularly unusual or rare. I think the name of this series is "Doctors Then and Now", judging by the show opening.  However, I haven't found any listings to confirm the title.  The program was carried on NBC, probably in the late 1940s, and was sponsored by the American Medical Association.  The series dramatizes "the story of 100 years of American medicine".  This particular program tells the story of a country doctor, Dr. Albert Wagoner, and how becomes a trusted member of the community. Unfortunately, only part one of the show survives on this unlabeled lacquer.  The other side of the disc contains part of an episode of "Candy Matson" with an NBC Reference Disc label. Goldin, by the way, lists a few episodes of a series called "Doctors Today" that may be related to this program. Update, 7/5/2009 - Sharp-eyed reader Jim B found a New York Times article noting the original date of this broadcast as February 22, 1947. See the comments for more information about the series.

The Passing Parade - Pgm 20

We kick things off this week with a visit with John Nesbitt and his circa late 40s MGM syndicated series of stories of the unusual with a twist of irony, "The Passing Parade".

In program 20, Nesbitt tells the story fo a woman who was in a coma for nine years and, after waking up, developed five distinct personalities.  Then, the story gets even more strange. The show was digitized from an original vinyl MGM Radio Attractions transcription, matrix number MGM JN 1620.

The Passing Parade, Pgm 18

This week, we finish up a two-part story of the unusual with program 18 in the series "The Passing Parade".

John Nesbitt tells us about the later years of the infamous Typhoid Mary, a woman who spread a deadly disease and wound up becoming ... a tourist attraction. The show was transferred from an original MGM Radio Attractions transcription, matrix number MGM JN 1618.

The Passing Parade, Pgm 17

Back by popular demand, here's another episode of John Nesbitt's tales of the ironic, "The Passing Parade", a program syndicated by MGM Radio Attractions in the late 40s or early 50s.

This week, we present Program 17 in the series, part one of the story of Typhoid Mary.  If you think Mary's story is remarkable, wait until you hear what happened to her later in life in part two, next week in the blog. The show was transferred from an original MGM Radio Attractions transcription, matrix number MGM JN 1617.

The Passing Parade - Pgm 9

Well, some folks reading the blog seemed to enjoy my posting of "The Passing Parade", a series syndicated by MGM Radio Attractions, so here's another program in John Nesbit'ts series of odd and unusual tales.  Episode 9 concerns the story of Franz Anton Mesmer, a man who was both a genius ... and a charlatan.

The mp3 was transferred from an original MGM Radio Attractions vinyl transcription, matrix number MGM JN 1609.

The Passing Parade - Pgm 10

John Nesbitt was well-known as the announcer for MGM's series of theatrical "docu-drama" shorts, "The Passing Parade", that offered up odd and mysterious stories, often with a twist of irony.  Nesbitt was heard from the late 40s to the early 50s on all three radio networks at one time or another with a program that remind of a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" cartoon or later television and radio commentaries by Paul Harvey.  I recently obtained a few discs of a syndicated version of Nesbitt's show, distributed by MGM's radio syndication arm, probably in the late 40s and early 50s.  (In the 1950s, MGM also re-edited Nesbitt's film shorts for distribution on television during the rise of movie studio involvement in tv show production.)

In program 10 of the series, Nesbitt tells the story of Elizabeth Woodcock, a woman who was caught in a sudden blizzard when she went out horseback riding and was buried alive for five days.  I thought it would be an appropriate show since many parts of the US are getting some snow this time of year. The program was transferred from an original vinyl MGM radio syndication disc, matrix number MGM JN 1610.  I'll offer up a few of these on occasion from the collection over the coming months.

Laura Lawton – Sept. 3, 1947

What does it mean to be married to one of the richest and most attractive men in the world? Well, we probably won’t be asking Melinda Gates about that, but we might get some insight from "Laura Lawton", a soap opera broadcast on NBC in the 1940s. The series looks at "the conflict between love and riches in a world everyone dreams of – but where so few dreams come true". Sounds like a reality tv show on MTV, doesn’t it? From September 3rd, 1947, we offer this episode, brought to you by Bab-O Cleanser, where Gail deals with her sister-in-law, who is putting a plan in motion that may mean Gail’s downfall. And, yes, all the scheming and high drama going on with these people does sound much like a modern day reality tv show. They should all be voted off the island. The show was transferred from an original Audiodisc acetate recorded from the NBC network line by an unknown local station, probably for time-shifting purposes during Daylight Savings Time or a similar purpose. (There's no label to post a picture of this time around.)

Man Against the Crippler, March of Dimes - 1953 Campaign

In this part of the world, summertime is upon us.  At one time, that meant one thing to many parents - polio. This post features "Man Against the Crippler", a half-hour program that dramatizes the story of polio research.  It was syndicated to local stations in the summer of 1953 by the March of Dimes as part of their fundraising efforts.  The show features Mercury Theater alumnus Everett Sloane narrating and Kenneth Banghart announcing.  The style of the show might remind you of "The March of Time".

The year after this program was broadcast, the first double-blind tests of the Salk polio vaccine would take place on a large scale around the country. The discs were pressed by RCA.  Matrix numbers are E3-KM-5532 and E3-KM-5533.