rand's esoteric otr

Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 113

Here's another entry in the ZIV syndicated anthology series, "Your Movietown Radio Theatre", dated by Goldin to 1948. Program 113 features John Howard in "Hold That Memory", a lighthearted story about a psychology professor running a little experiment.    The show was transferred from an original vinyl ZIV transcription set, matrix numbers UR 167878 AU5 and UR 167879 AU5. The disc was pretty scratched, so I've run it through some serious click reduction for presentation here.  The label was obscured by water damage, so I'll spare you the picture of the murky mess there.

Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 109

And now a fun little episode of the ZIV syndicated series, "Your Movietown Radio Theatre". Program 109 in the series is "The Luck of Adam", a story about an advertising man who makes a bet with a newspaper woman about how gullible people can be.  The show features Cesar Romero, Barbara Woodell, Herb Butterfield, and Daws Butler.  There's no opening announcement in the transcription - that would have been provided by your local announcer. The show was digitized from original an ZIV vinyl transcription set, matrix numbers UR 166275 AU1 and UR 166276 AU1.  Goldin dates the show to 1948. Sorry, but no label scan on this one - the disc was water damaged and the label is obscured.

Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 106

Here's another episode of the Frederick W. Ziv syndicated series "Your Movietown Radio Theatre" from the late 1940s.  The show featured notable actors from Hollywood in a wide range of half-hour comedies and dramas. Program 106 in the series is "Sunday Punch".  Ann Dvorak, Jeff Chandler and otr favorite Hans Conreid star in a story about a woman whose husband is a fighter.  The show is dated by Goldin to 1948. The show was transferred from original ZIV vinyl transcription set, matrix numbers UR 166247 AU5 and UR 166248 AU5.  There's no label photo on this one - it's obscured by some heavy water damage.

Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 24

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.

Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 19

Here's another lost/uncirculated episode in the Ziv syndicated drama series, "Your Movietown Radio Theatre", dated by Goldin to circa 1947-48. Program 19 is something of a mystery play, "Goodbye My Love" and stars Lurene Tuttle.  Her character tells the story of her husband, an up and coming novelist, who receives a strange telegram from another writer, inviting him to collaborate on a new book.  As usual, the opening announcements and commercials aren't included, since these would be read by your local announcer. The show was transferred from original ZIV vinyl transcription set, matrix numbers UR 174878 and UR 174879 AU1.  The disc suffered water damage, obscuring the label, so there's no photo and I've run the file through click reduction software to improve the sound of this rather scratched disc set. updated 10.29.2009 - corrected spelling of "Lurene Tuttle"

Your Movietown Radio Theatre - Pgm 13

I've posted a number of drama anthologies to the blog in recent weeks.  This type of show seemed to be ubiquitous in 1940s radio and this one isn't as well known as some of the others.  Lets listen to "Your Movietown Radio Theatre", syndicated by Ziv, and dating from around 1947, according to Goldin. Program 13 is "The London Legend" with Jane Wyatt, possibly a previously lost/uncirculated program in the series.  The story concerns a love triangle involving a real diva, actress Victoria London, her secretary, and a small-town newspaper man.  You'll notice there's no opening announcement to identify the show - just music.  Your local announcer would provide the opening, along with a commercial from one of your fine local merchants. You younger listeners prying your eyes away from the television to listen to some classic old time radio might recognize Jane Wyatt for her roles on "Father Knows Best" and as Spock's human mother on "Star Trek". The show was transferred from original ZIV vinyl transcription set, matrix numbers UR 174870 AU1 and UR 174871 AU1.  This one doesn't have a scan since there are no labels left on the discs - the set suffered water damage.  The discs were also pretty heavily scratched, so the file has been click-reduced before converting to mp3 format. I have several more shows from the series that I'll post on occasion.