Breaking Walls

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In Breaking Walls episode 139 we spotlight The Martin & Lewis show, and pay close attention to Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.

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Highlights:

• Capital Gains and Thanksgiving on NBC
• The Nightclub Act
• …

Well, that brings our look at The Martin & Lewis Show to a close. Incidentally, we’ll be staying with this energy next month. I mentioned earlier that Dean made films with The Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra was also a …

By the summer of 1953 network radio was allocating increasing time to local affiliates. Budgets were shifting to TV. The final episode of The Martin …

Marilyn Monroe broke through as an actress in 1950 with small, but acclaimed roles in All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle. She was then a mistress …

On Sunday November 5th, 1950 at 6PM, NBC launched a new ninety-minute star-studded program called The Big Show. Each episode cost over …

The U.S. spent the first ten months of 1949 in a recession. Competition for the advertising dollars was stiffer. There were now over …

Although their radio show got canceled, Martin and Lewis were concurrently guest-appearing in a My Friend Irma film. Irma was one of CBS’ top shows starring Marie Wilson. The movie debuted on August 16th, 1949.

Critics …

As part of NBC’s programming development, One-point-five Million dollars was allocated towards new shows. The network’s first major signing was Dean …

Jerry Lewis was born Jerome Joseph Levitch on March 16th, 1926 in Newark, New Jersey. His father was a Vaudevillian and his mother was a pianist for WOR.

By fifteen, Lewis had developed a "Record Act", miming lyrics to …

It’s 4PM eastern time on November 25th, 1948. Elgin Watches annual Thanksgiving Day special is on the air from NBC’s KFI in Hollywood. Don Ameche is …

In Breaking Walls episode 138 in honor of opening day, we’ll share stories, and sounds from Baseball history and the radio.

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Highlights:
• Dots and Dashes
• The Babe
• Mel Allen
• Dizzy
• The War
• Jackie
• The Death …

Well, that brings our episode of baseball stories to a close. But speaking of heroes and heroines.

Next time on Breaking Walls, it’s the 1950s and four people are taking the world by storm for different reasons. We’ll …

Radio ratings peaked in 1948 and the networks used excess profits to help launch TV. By 1950 NBC, CBS, and ABC were filling their entire primetime TV …

In 1954, it took a historic season to dethrone the Yankees who were five-time defending world champions. Although they won one-hundred three games, the Cleveland Indians won a then-American League record one-hundred …

1951 seemed like the season it would all finally come together in Brooklyn. The Dodgers were led by Catcher Roy Campanella, First baseman Gil Hodges, …

The man you just heard is acting legend Vincent Price. Price’s only continuous radio role was as star of The Saint where he played Simon Templar. …

In 1946, Babe Ruth, always a heavy smoker, began to experience severe pain over his left eye and difficulty swallowing.

Tests were bleak. Ruth had an …

Tuesday, April 15th, 1947. 12:30PM. It’s damp and overcast. We’re at Ebbets field in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York. The visiting Boston Braves are playing the Brooklyn Dodgers on opening day. We can smell …

As recounted by hall of famer Bob Feller, the summer of 1941 proved to be one of the greatest seasons in Baseball history. Ted Williams hit .401 for the Boston Red Sox — the last man ever to do so, while Joe Dimaggio …

Jerome Hanna "Dizzy" Dean was born on January 16th, 1910 in Lucas, Arkansas, only attending school into the second grade. He made his professional …

In 1939 the just-heard Mel Allen became the New York Yankees radio announcer. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama on February 14th, 1913. While attending the University of Alabama he became the public address announcer …

In forty-four seasons from 1921 to 1964, The New York Yankees won the World Series twenty times. The dynasty began with Babe Ruth’s sale from the Boston Red Sox after the 1919 season.

Ruth learned his craft in an …

If you’ve tuned into Breaking Walls episodes before, you know I rarely editorialize. I’m just the messenger bringing the news. The origins belong to men and women who gave radio their blood, sweat, and tears through …

In Breaking Walls episode 137 we celebrate the Irish by focusing on St. Patrick’s Day on the air.

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Highlights:
• Fred Allen — The End and the Beginning
• Beat the Band
• Burns and Allen at the NYC Parade
• Bill …

Well, that brings our look at St. Patrick’s Day to the close, but not to worry the green fields of the mind will remain in April.

Next time on Breaking Walls, in honor of Major League Baseball’s opening day, we take a …

Although Fred Allen’s death left an unfillable hole in mid-century comedy, it’s not as though there weren’t other humorists battling with networks …

By January of 1949 Fred Allen was worn out. He’d spent years battling with sponsors and with NBC. In December of 1948 his Sunday at 8:30 rating was a healthy 20 points, but after Edgar Bergen left NBC’s airwaves the …

Broadway Is My Beat first took to the air on CBS from New York on February 27th, 1949, starring Anthony Ross and directed by John Dietz.

After fifteen weeks, with Dragnet breaking new ground on NBC, CBS moved the show’s …

After Fred Allen passed away on St. Patrick's Day in 1956, the entire radio community mourned. That May 29th, in honor of what would have been his …

In 1944 Fred Allen had to quit the Texaco Star Theatre as a battle with high blood pressure forced him off the air. The next fall, in 1945, he returned to NBC Sundays at 8:30PM with The Fred Allen Show, sponsored by …

Jack Benny’s most famous Irish Tenor, Dennis Day was born on May 21st, 1916 in New York City and raised in the Throggs Neck section of The Bronx.

Day graduated from Cathedral Preparatory Seminary and attended Manhattan …

Bill Stern’s Colgate Newsreel first took to the air on December 5th, 1937 over NBC’s Blue network.

Born on July 1st, 1907, Stern began in vaudeville …

By the spring of 1941, George Burns and Gracie Allen had been married for fifteen years and on radio for nine. Their program had been officially titled The Burns And Allen Show in the fall of 1936, and they’d spent time …

Originally broadcast from Chicago, NBC’s Beat The Band began airing January 28th, 1940 at 6:30PM eastern time. It was sponsored by Kix Cereal.

…

In 1922 a twenty-eight-year-old Fred Allen, already a vaudeville veteran, was hired by J.J. Shubert for his broadway production of The Passing Show …

In early 1943 Orson Welles was in production alongside Joan Fontaine with 20th Century Fox for Jane Eyre.

Although Welles enjoyed acting for the screen, he preferred live radio. In March, when Jack Benny took ill with …

On February 24th, 1953 Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis played host on their radio show to Marilyn Monroe. All three of the entertainers were on the rise. Martin introduced the play she'd perform in as, "Tonight's play is …

On November 18th, 1969 Ozzie and Harriet Nelson were guests of Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. During the segment, Ozzie told a funny story about …

On November 24th, 1954 Fred Allen was a guest of Tex and Jinx's New York talk show for a discussion about his life and career. During the course of the interview, Allen recounted a demonstration he gave to a friend …

When NBC launched Monitor on June 12th, 1955, it was a true magazine of the air, running over NBC radio stations from Saturday mornings until Midnight Sunday in four hour blocks, completely taking over NBC’s airtime on …

In Breaking Walls episode 136 we spotlight John Dehner and Have Gun, Will Travel.

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Highlights:
• John Dehner’s radio career
• Norman MacDonnell and Palladin
• The Radio Dial on Sunday November 23rd 1958
• A Matter …

Well that brings our look at the radio version of Have Gun Will Travel to a close. So, what’s in store for March?

Next time on Breaking Walls, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and the luck of the Irish, we focus on radio …

By 1960, Have Gun and Gunsmoke were the last dramatic productions being recorded for CBS in Hollywood. Network radio drama was dying. The U.S. was …

Thirty-five of the first thirty-nine Have Gun Will Travel scripts were TV script adaptations. Beginning with episode forty, all new scripts were original for the radio version of the series.

The February 15th, 1959 show …

The February 9th, 1959 episode of Have Gun Will Travel was called “Killer’s Widow.” Among those featured was the just-heard Vic Perrin. Perrin worked closely with Norman MacDonnell on Gunsmoke and Fort Laramie.

On TV, …

On February 1st, 1959, Have Gun Will Travel broadcast an episode called “A Matter of Ethics.”

The program's opening was a four-note motif composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann. The show's closing song, "The Ballad …

Sunday, November 23rd, 1958 was a sunny, cold day in New York. Conway Twitty had the nation’s top song with “It’s Only Make Believe.” The inside …

By 1958, Norman Macdonnell was a radio veteran with thousands of broadcast hours under his belt. He’d been producing and directing Gunsmoke since 1952. Gunsmoke’s radio show was one of the first to offer a more-accurate …

John Dehner was born John Forkum on November 23rd, 1915 in Staten Island, New York. His father Leroy was an artist. His career allowed John to attend …

James Scully here. Hell Gate City is an award-winning comedy fiction podcast about Kirby Bevins, a neurotic radio jockey in a dystopian cyberpunk …

In June of 1983, Jack Carney broadcast a two-part audio documentary on the life and career of Jack Benny featuring interviews and recollections with …

In late 1972, Vincent Price sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here - …

In Breaking Walls episode 135 it’s February of 1958 and CBS has just launched a new western, Luke Slaughter, of Tombstone. It’s a forgotten sixteen episode gem. Five years earlier it might have been a hit.

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…

In 1961, William N. Robson joined The Voice of America. It’s the civilian overseas broadcast agency for the US government. During his fifteen years there, Robson wrote, directed and produced documentaries. He won four …

Despite the CBS sales team’s best efforts, national sponsorship for Luke Slaughter was non-existent. Only the May 4th episode managed to get sponsorship from O'brien Paints. All the components for an excellent series …

The front cover of the March 2nd, 1958 Sunday edition of The Los Angeles Times spoke of President Eisenhower’s recovery from a mild stroke. Two civilian airplanes crashed over Upland, killing four. Racehorse Round …

After Luke Slaughter signed off, Frontier Gentleman signed on with its fourth episode. It was called “Kendall’s Last Stand,” and was one of the most gripping shows in the run. John Dehner starred.

Five minutes of a Road …

When Luke Slaughter debuted on Sunday, February 23rd, 1958 over CBS, network radio had shifted focus. Car radios had become standard. That month, U.S. Radio Magazine reported fifty-five percent of all peak listening …

William Robson attracted talented people into Slaughter’s creative process. The going rate in 1958 for a radio script was four-hundred fifty dollars. …

In February of 1958, CBS’ Gunsmoke, considered by many to be the greatest western of all-time, was in its sixth radio year. The TV version was the medium’s most-watched show, with a rating of 39.6. Although the 1950s …

When Jack Benny passed away on December 26th, 1974 after a short battle with cancer at the age of 80, it was Jack's best friend George Burns who was …

This is the preamble from Andy Williams before his Radio Spirits selection of 60 greatest old-time radio Christmas shows. This collection is ©2000. …

In Breaking Walls episode 134 we spend our holidays with one of the most-beloved figures of the twentieth century: Jack Benny.

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Highlights:
• …

As the curtain closed on 1949, Jack Benny had his most lucrative year to date. CBS was now the number one network in the country, and both were poised for big things in the oncoming TV era. Benny’s January 1950 rating …

On Christmas Day 1949, The Czech government outlawed all people who’d fled the country during the 1948 Communist coup. While Cary Grant and Besty Drake were married in a private ceremony.

At 5PM eastern time, CBS put on …

On Tuesday December 20th, Clark Gable and Sylvia Ashley were married at a ranch in Solvang, California. It was the fourth marriage for both of them. …

At 7PM eastern time on December 18th, 1949 Jack Benny took to the air with what had become a programming staple: His Christmas shopping episode.

The U.S. spent the first ten months of 1949 in a recession. Competition for the advertising dollar was stiffer. There were now over …

By December Jack Benny’s rating was up to 25.4, tops on radio. On December 11th, 1949, Jack attempted to make arrangements for his Texas benefit appearance. Notre Dame football coach Frank Leahy was the guest star.

To take advantage of Capital Gains laws, Jack Benny had formed his holdings into a corporation and sold it to CBS for Two-point-two-six Million …

By the time Mel Allen broadcast Game four of the 1949 world series at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn on October 8th, the world was in turmoil. The Yankees …

On December 23rd, 1948, CBS Chairman William Paley and CEO Frank Stanton broadcast a special closed circuit press conference to their affiliates and staff. The move was to officially announce that Jack Benny was …

James Scully here, wanting to remind you that Burning Gotham 002: Bankruptcy is now available in the Burning Gotham feed. You can subscribe (for …

BURNING GOTHAM 001: MOVING DAY
May 1st, 1835 — It’s a cold and rainy Moving Day. Every renter in New York is out on the street looking for lodging. …

In Breaking Walls episode 133 we spend Thanksgiving 1949 with the cast of I Love a Mystery.

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Highlights:
• Thanksgiving Eve, 1949
• Carlton E. Morse—Budget Stretcher
• The First Two I Love a Mystery Runs
• Mutual …

Well, that brings our look at I Love A Mystery to a close, but there’s no mystery about what people thought of the subject of our next Breaking Walls …

Chuck Schaden interviewed Tony Randall on September 16th, 1970 at the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago. Eight days later Randall’s new series The Odd Couple debuted on ABC. Randall played Felix Unger. The show ran for five …

Although the serial went off the air in 1952, in May of 1954 a new audition record was produced for CBS in Hollywood. With Russell Thorson back in …

Initially running at 7:45PM, Mutual moved I Love a Mystery to 10:15 in 1950. Although geared for teenagers, it was obviously not standard juvenile programming. Many listeners remembered tuning in under blankets with the …

Tony Randall was born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg on February 16th, 1920 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Northwestern University for a year before going …

Carlotta Mercedes McCambridge was born to farming parents in Joliet, Illinois on March 16th, 1916. She graduated from Mundelein College. McCambridge …

Thursday, November 24th, 1949 was Thanksgiving Day. It was clear and crisp in New York as Macy’s put on its twenty-third annual parade. Floats included The Chef’s Turkey Dinner, the Snowman, and Santa’s Sleigh. Milton …

In the summer of 1949 NBC-TV approached Carlton Morse with the possibility of coming to New York to put One Man’s Family on TV. Because the entire …

I Love A Mystery first took to the air Weekdays at 3:15PM on NBC’s West-Coast network in January of 1939.

Michael Raffetto starred as Jack Packard, head of the A-1 Detective Agency, with Barton Yarborough as Texan Doc …

On the eve of Thanksgiving in 1949, Russian diplomat Andrey Vyshinsky told the UN General Assembly Russia fully supported Communist China’s in …

In Breaking Walls episode 132 we go back to the late 1940s and say Happy Halloween with Mutual Broadcasting.

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Highlights:

• The Seedy Underbelly of Coney Island on The Crime Club
• Take a Ride with The Mysterious …

We’re going to stop here, but we’re not even close to finishing with I Love A Mystery. Next time on Breaking Walls, while we spend Thanksgiving with …

James Scully here. You’re about to listen to the pilot episode of a reimagined Frontier Gentleman, which was originally created by Antony Ellis for …

Carlton E. Morse’ I Love A Mystery first took to the air Weekdays at 3:15PM on NBC’s West-Coast network in January of 1939.

Michael Raffetto starred as Jack Packard, head of the A-1 Detective Agency, with Barton …

Murder By Experts debuted over Mutual on June 13th, 1949. Written by David Kogan and Bob Arthur, it quickly gained the respect and approval from the radio world at large.

Mystery writers like John Dickson Carr and Brett …

On Tuesday November 2nd, 1948 The United States held its forty-first presidential election. If you’d tuned into the results early in the evening, …

At 5PM Mutual’s most famous program, The Shadow signed on. The show was in its eleventh season on the air in 1948. Andre Baruch handled emcee duties while Grace Matthews played Margo Lane.

Bret Morrison was Lamont …

At 4:30PM on Sunday October 31st, 1948, True Detective Mysteries signed on. The program had a rating of 10.7. It was Mutual’s number two show overall. Based on items from True Detective magazine, the series was …

By October 31st, 1948, The Mutual Broadcasting System’s flagship WOR in New York was approaching its twenty-seventh anniversary. It was argued that no station matched its signal coverage. WOR-Mutual was known for its …

The 1948 DNC convened in July with President Truman’s approval rating as low as 32%. Northern Democrats pushed for a strong civil rights platform, …

In 1934 Chicago was the center for radio production. Writer and director Wyllis Cooper created a program for NBC affiliate WENR that drastically altered the tone of horror. Cooper had been writing advertising copy in …

This November, experience New York City like you’ve never before. Will you make the right deal? Or fall to greed? But whatever you choose, just make sure you get out in time.

Coming This November to your favorite …

Mystery is My Hobby originally came to Don Lee’s west coast airwaves in April of 1945, before going full network over Mutual that October as Murder …

Written and directed by Robert Arthur and David Kogan, The Mysterious Traveler first aired over the Mutual Broadcasting System on December 5th, 1943.

Mostly sustained, the show was heard on virtually every night of the …

By October of 1947, nearly eleven million babies had been born in the U.S. since the end of World War II. Young parents were staying home with their children. Movie attendance bombed.

The 1947-48 season had the largest …

In Breaking Walls episode 132 we spotlight Orson Welles’ time as The Shadow in 1937-38.

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Highlights:

• Orson Welles’ on The March of Time and …

In the fall of 1938 as Orson Welles was launching The Mercury Theater of The Air, radio character actor Bill Johnstone became The Shadow. Johnstone …

In late June 1938, Orson Welles was approached by CBS. He was offered a one-hour, network sustained time slot on Mondays at 9PM.

William Paley’s concept: A Mercury Theater of the air for a nine-week trial run. Unlike …

The success of The Shadow was shared by Blue Coal. Billboard reported that twelve months after the premiere their sales were up nearly eleven …

Orson Welles opened in Julius Caesar on November 11th, 1937. He also made time to perform in guest appearances elsewhere on radio with Tallulah …

On Halloween 1937, Benito Mussolini removed Italy’s foreign minister to France due to strained relations between the two countries over Italy's …

The September 29th, 1937 issue of Variety said “that melodramatic and at times astonishing crime fighter, “The Shadow,” returns to the ether to probably find a rather sizable slice of listeners waiting for him. In this …

On the October 24th, 1937 episode of The Shadow called “The Temple Bells of Neban,” Lamont meets an Indian woman and drug smuggler named Sadi Bel-Adda. She knows The Shadow’s true identity. She’s the niece of the man …

In the fall of 1937, Orson Welles was busy readying for a Mercury Theater broadway production of Julius Caesar. The agency Ruthrauff and Ryan …

The voice at the top of this clip is that of former WOR chief engineer Jack Poppele. The station went online on February 22nd, 1922.

In 1934, WOR became one of the flagship stations of the Mutual Broadcasting System. …

By late spring in 1937, the Federal Theater Project was under intense scrutiny for staging what some felt were too many left-leaning labor plays. In …

In 1930 publisher Street and Smith decided to try radio with hopes of boosting pulp sales. Each week a drama would be adapted from an upcoming issue …

In the spring of 1935, nineteen year-old Orson Welles was living in New York, appearing on stage in Katharine Cornell’s stock company and workin on …

In Breaking Walls episode 130 we head to the summer of 1947 to get to the bottom of NBC’s Philip Marlowe caper.

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Highlights:

• Who was Raymond Chandler?

• Who is Philip Marlowe?

• Van Heflin, Movie Star

• Radio …

Well, that brings our episode on The Adventures of Philip Marlowe to a close. We’re not leaving the genre though, just going back ten years in time to 1937.

Next time on Breaking Walls we spotlight Orson Welles’ one …

Raymond Chandler wrote three more Philip Marlowe novels: The Little Sister in 1949, The Long Goodbye in 1953, and Playback in 1958. He became a dual citizen of the U.S. and Great Britain.

His wife, Cissy died in 1954. …

In September, Bob Hope reclaimed his Tuesday night time slot and NBC’s Philip Marlowe radio adventures were over.

1947 was a good year for Van …

The August 8th episode of Philip Marlowe was called “Robin and The Hood.” Jeff Chandler guest-starred playing a dual role.

Born Ira Grossel in …

On July 8th, 1947, NBC broadcast an adaptation of “The King In Yellow,” originally published in Dime Detective Magazine in March of 1938. It’s a …

The June 17th, 1947 edition of Billboard Magazine reviewed the first Marlowe episode. It was noted that similar shows were expected to pull a rating …

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe debuted on NBC with “Red Wind” on June 17th, 1947. The 1938 short story is set on one of those evenings when the hot, dry Santa Ana wind gusts through Los Angeles, turning the mood sour.

…

By the middle of 1947, nearly eleven million babies had been born in the U.S. since the end of World War II. Young parents were staying home with their children. Homes with radios jumped six percent, car radios …

On August 26th, 1975 Chuck Schaden sat down with radio legend Lurene Tuttle (seen in the image with Marilyn Monroe) for a conversation about her life …

Van Heflin was born on December 13th, 1908 in Walters, Oklahoma. The son of a dentist, he began his acting career on Broadway in the late 1920s. Between 1928 and 1936 he appeared in. Mr. Moneypenny, The Bride of …

On the July 5th, 1950 episode of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr, Donna Rollins has hired Marlowe by special delivery letter. …

Philip Marlowe, born in Santa Rosa, California, is six feet tall and weighs one-hundred ninety pounds. He has dark wavy hair. In Chandler’s first Marlowe novel, The Big Sleep, set in 1936, he’s thirty-three. Marlowe had …

La Jolla, California. 1947. We’re at 6005 Camino de la Costa at the home of Raymond Chandler. It’s been three years since the fifty-nine year-old …

In Breaking Walls episode 129 we honor the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Roswell incident by focusing on Radio and the mid-century flying saucer …

By 1955 radio’s days as America’s chief entertainment medium were over. However, while radio drama was dying out, UFO sightings were becoming more prevalent. Some were so outlandish they were hard to believe. Others …

Roy Rogers was born on November 5th, 1911 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He spent much of the early 1930s performing with groups like Uncle Tom Murray’s …

Ralph Story was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 19th, 1920. He served as a US Army Fighter Pilot during World War II and started a career in broadcasting after the war.

His big break came in 1948 when he was hired …

In October of 1952 You Bet Your Life was in the middle of its sixth season on the air and third over NBC. That month’s rating was 8.8, down significantly from its peak, but still good enough for fifth overall.

The …

In 1955 CBS was relaunching Yours Truly Johnny Dollar as a transcribed, fifteen minute evening strip serial, which was set to air weeknights at …

Like with Germany, Korea was divided into occupation zones after World War II. The Soviets helped establish communism in the North, while the US supported the South. By June of 1950 fighting along the border had been …

On Saturday July 9th, 1949, Dangerous Assignment debuted on NBC starring Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell. Each week Mitchell was sent to a different …

On April 7th, 1950, Edward R. Murrow broadcast the CBS Special “Report on Flying Saucers.” By then, Murrow was long-known for his journalistic …

On Sunday April 2nd, 1950 at 7:30PM eastern time, The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show took to the air over NBC. The Harris/Faye show peaked in December of 1948 with a rating of 26, but by this month it was down 8.5. …

On Tuesday nights at 9:30PM eastern time in the spring of 1950, Fibber McGee and Molly was NBC’s highest-rated show. They’d stuck with NBC while …

In the spring of 1950, network radio revenue was falling for the first time since 1933. There were now over twenty-six-hundred AM and FM stations …

Until March of 1950, most reported UFO observations were seen from a great distance. On March 16th, a physician and pilot — Dr. Craig Hunter of Berkeley Springs, West Virginia — saw one close up.

That same month, the …

The University of Chicago Roundtable grew out of arguments had by professors at the faculty club. In 1931 they were convinced their forum would make …

Early on the morning of February 25th, 1942 several aerial objects were spotted over Los Angeles. It triggered the firing of thousands of anti-aircraft rounds. This was ten weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and …

In Breaking Walls episode 128 we wrap up our six month look at 1954 by ending in June with network cancellations.

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Highlights:

• The State of Radio and The Union
• The End of Escape with John Dehner
• News with …

Airing out of KNBC in San Francisco was a ground-breaking lady detective anthology named Candy Matson.

Produced, written and directed by Monty Masters …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls EP92: Radio and Coney Island (1906 - 1960)

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Late in 1956, CBS was able to sell individual commercial breaks for Suspense at reduced prices. On November 4th, 1956, the show moved to …

Well, this brings our six-month look at 1954 to a close.

Jack Benny again had radio’s highest-rated show the following season in what would …

On August 14th, 1982, Parley Baer was a guest of SPERDVAC (https://www.sperdvac.com/) along with John Dehner, Virginia Gregg, Peggy Webber, Harry Bartell, and Vic Perrin.

Throughout the course of the interview, they …

Even with James Stewart leading the cast and Jack Johnstone directing, without a national sponsor cancellation was around the corner for The Six Shooter. Unlike with CBS, it was uncommon for NBC to sustain shows for …

On the June 7th, 1950 episode of The Halls of Ivy, it’s a lazy Saturday morning. The college staff members who live on faculty row are enjoying their …

At network radio’s height, no dramatic show was more popular than CBS’ Lux Radio Theatre. Between 1936 and 1954 it never finished lower than eighth …

On Sunday June 13th, 1954 at 6PM Eastern, The American Forum of the Air signed on Mutual with a discussion on the 1954 midterm elections. The featured Senators were Republican Homer Ferguson of Michigan and Democrat …

This is an excerpt from an episode of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in 1973 featuring Jack Benny. In this clip Jack talks about his love of the violin.

On June 6th, 1954 Jack Benny closed his broadcast for the end of the season. Jack was going to headline in Dallas. The show featured a semi-rare appearance from Mary Livingston.

Although radio audiences were rapidly …

By June of 1954, the thirty-six year-old Elliott Lewis was producer/director of four shows and the star of two. His peers affectionately dubbed him …

Originally broadcast as The Adventures of Helen and Mary, radio’s preeminent children’s show first took to the air on September 7th, 1929 over CBS. It became Let’s Pretend on March 24th, 1934.

Hosted by “Uncle” Bill …

This is the first confirmed bulletin to take to the airwaves on the morning of D Day, June 6th, 1944 at 3:30AM Eastern War Time.

NBC newsman Robert …

On June 4th, 1954 at 10PM, The Frank Edwards news program signed on from WOR in New York. During this month there were more than one-hundred-twenty major American cities with significant unemployment. The Secretary of …

As Escape and shows like it were canceled, there were fewer opportunities for radio’s west-coast actors on network sustained programs.

This episode, “An Ordinary Man” was written by Kathleen Hite and starred John Dehner …

By June 1954 network radio drama was facing huge sponsor disinterest. Shows canceled in the first half of the year included The Quiz Kids, Dr. …

On the May 30th, 1941 Memorial Day episode of Lum & Abner, the duo take a holiday from their duties at the Jot ‘Em Down Store. Lum has recently …

In May of 1955, radio’s highest rated show was still The Jack Benny Program. Just under three-million homes tuned in, and many more in their cars. On May 22nd after twenty-three seasons on the air, Jack Benny brought …

In Breaking Walls episode 127 we keep on with our look at 1954 by picking up in May during one of the most important months of the decade.

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Highlights:

• The Big Sound in Nashville
• Everett Sloane and The 21st …

At 3PM on Sunday, May 30th, 1954, Anthology signed on NBC. Directed by John Malcom Brennen, produced by Steve White, and announced by Harry …

On the February 13th, 1975 episode of The Tonight Show, Mel Brooks was the guest for an interview not long after the debut of Young Frankenstein.

…

On October 21st, 1993, Larry and John Gassman of SPERDVAC interviewed radio producer/director Himan Brown and actor Ralph Bell at Brown's home in New York city. During the course of the interview Himan was asked about …

On Friday May 28th, 1954 as beaches and public parks opened for Memorial Day weekend, families hopped in their cars, turned on the radio dial, and heard the continuing testimony of McCarthy’s Attorney Roy Cohn during …

Inheritance was a joint production of NBC and The American Legion at the height of The Red Scare. It first took to the air on April 4th, 1954.

The American Legion was at the forefront of The Red Channels pamphlet which …

On Sunday May 23rd, 1954 at 6PM Eastern, The American Forum of the Air signed on Mutual with a discussion on the Supreme Court Decision of Brown …

Bob Hope joined NBC’s red network in December of 1937. For the next ten years he starred on The Pepsodent Program, racking up the top-rated show five consecutive seasons between the fall of 1942 and the spring of 1947.

…

In August of 1982, SPERDVAC hosted a CBS character actor panel featuring Virginia Gregg, Peggy Webber, Parley Baer, Vic Perrin, Harry Bartell, and John Dehner. In this clip Mr. Dehner explains how he came to be a radio …

James Butler “Bill” Hickok was born on May 27th, 1837 in LaSalle County, Illinois. An excellent marksman from a young age, in 1855 he became a Kansas …

Carlton E. Morse’ I Love A Mystery first took to the air Weekdays at 3:15PM on NBC’s West-Coast network in January of 1939. Michael Raffetto starred as Jack Packard, head of the A-1 Detective Agency, with Barton …

On Friday, May 14th, 1954 President Eisenhower gave a news conference, immediately opening the floor to reporters for general questions.

The day prior The World Chess Championship was won by Mikhail Botvinnik in Moscow. …

Meet Mr. McNutley first took to CBS’ airwaves on September 17th, 1953. Ray Milland played Ray McNutley, English professor at Lynnhaven College. …

In October of 1976, Chuck Schaden sat down with famed actress Mercedes McCambridge to talk about her career (full interview available to stream for …

As the US began May of 1954, there was word that a new Soviet bomber had the ability to reach the United States. It was displayed for the public for the first time at the Moscow May Day Parade.

On May 7th, the Battle of …

On May 13th, 1988, Frank Sinatra was a guest of Larry King's for an incredible chat about the legend's life and career. During the course of the chat, the conversation turned to Frank's acting career. He had this to say …

Don Wilson remembers Jack's brilliance, and explains how Jack Benny differed from most "funny" comedians in this clip.

In Breaking Walls episode 126 we continue our mini-series in April of 1954.

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Highlights:
• Eisenhower talks fear
• Lum and Abner’s April Fools’ …

Next time on Breaking Walls, as the weather heats up in May of 1954, Brown vs. The Board of Education delivers a landmark decision. It decreed racial …

In April 1954, Phil Harris and Alice Faye were in the midst of their last season on the air. The husband-wife duo had been starring together on radio since 1946. Harris spent the better part of the last decade working …

In January 1953, Joseph McCarthy began his second term as U.S. Senator from Wisconsin as the Republican Party regained control of the Senate. …

As The Jack Benny Program moved into the spring of 1954, the comedian was still seen as a ratings boon. Through the years, Benny made little tweaks to his team without losing his audience.

Bob Crosby replaced Phil …

April 18th, 1954 was both the first day of Passover and Easter Sunday. In Los Angeles, the weather was warm and foggy. The front page of The LA Times predicted record crowds at Easter services.

The Major League baseball …

Willard Waterman had been portraying Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve since the fall of 1950 when Harold Peary left the program.

In the spring of 1954 …

In 1954, CBS Radio’s documentary unit presented a special feature series on a variety of hot-button topics. On April 11th, illegal Immigration from …

By April 1954, Himan Brown had been involved in radio for more than two decades. He’d directed, produced, or created shows like Inner Sanctum …

In April 1954 Bill Froug was supervisor for a new CBS series called Night Watch. The show attempted to take Dragnet’s realism to the next level. It …

In October 1944, in conjunction with the Jewish Theological Seminary, NBC began one of the longest-running religious programs in radio history. It …

As the United States entered April 1954 with the cold war at its height, Congress and The President authorized the founding of the U.S. Air Force …

The 1954 Academy Awards were held on March 25th. That same day, RCA announced the first color television set. It was a twelve-inch screen, priced at …

The April 2nd. 1955 episode of Gunsmoke was incredibly unique to the rest of the radio series. Matt Dillon has had enough death and destruction for his lifetime and quits as Marshall. Unfortunately, he's the only one …

In Breaking Walls episode 125 we continue our mini-series in March of 1954.

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Highlights:
• Edward R. Murrow Sees It Now
• Perry Mason Busts The Syndicate
• The 1954 DNC in Florida
• Cathy and Elliott Lewis Can’t …

As March drew to a close, Mutual Broadcasting’s Frank Hemingway took to the air on March 30th with the evening news from KHJ in Los Angeles.

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With the hydrogen bomb in development, Russia wanted to join NATO. …

The eighth-annual Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Broadway Theatre were held at the Plaza Hotel’s Grand Ballroom on March 28th, 1954. Broadcast on radio by NBC, it was emceed by Ben Grauer and Faye Emerson.

…

By March of 1954 Bing Crosby’d been in the public eye for more than two decades. He had numerous hit records, and won an Oscar for best actor in Going My Way in 1944.

On Radio, Bing helped usher in primetime …

In March of 1954, Escape was still airing on CBS. Although it was frequently dropped and moved around the network schedule, it was popular and cheap …

Often written by the just-heard E. Jack Neuman, the fourth actor to voice Johnny Dollar, John Lund, grabbed the role in November of 1952.
Lund had …

It Pays To Be Married was a daytime game show in which married couples told stories of obstacles they overcame to build a healthier relationship. …

You Bet Your Life, conceived by John Guedel and hosted by comedian Groucho Marx, debuted over ABC’s airwaves on October 27th, 1947.

Three couples were brought onstage to be interviewed and quizzed by Groucho. Each couple …

As radio audiences left for TV, Elliott Lewis continued to champion radio as a stronger dramatic medium. On Thursday January 1st, 1953, he and wife …

On March 6th, 1954, 1952’s Democrat Presidential nominee, Adlai Stevenson gave a dinner speech at the Florida DNC.

In 1952 Stevenson was a heavy underdog against Dwight Eisenhower. He carried only nine states, but did …

As the United States entered March 1954, U.S. officials announced a successful hydrogen bomb test, while four Puerto Rican nationalists opened fire …

In Breaking Walls episode 124 we pick up our 1954 mini series in February. We’ll focus on radio programming and national news from that month.

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Highlights:
• Radio Billings Are Down. Now What?
• Dragnet—Still …

Well, that brings February to a close, but for many of these topics, we’ve only just begun. Next time on Breaking Walls, it’s March of 1954, and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s four-year anti-communist tirade begins to come …

Airing on CBS since 1949, Edgar Bergen’s 1954 Sunday at 9:30PM eastern rating was 4.7, twelfth overall. His show was sponsored by Lanolin Plus. On …

Stars over Hollywood broke one of radio's strongest prejudices: That Saturday daytime was a programming wasteland.

When Paul Pierce, CBS production …

During 1952 and 1953, the U.S. experienced an outbreak of roughly ninety-five thousand polio cases, with a death count of over forty-six hundred. …

When Mr and Mrs North took to the air on Tuesday February 23rd at 8:30PM for CBS, it had radio’s sixth-highest overall rating. With a 6.1 it topped Dragnet, which aired in direct competition on NBC.

Jerry and Pam North …

Originating as a USO activity created by Canadian Don Reid for World War II soldiers, The College Quiz Bowl was developed into a radio show by Reid …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 116: The Launch of NBC’s Monitor (1955)
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With Monitor announced, a huge facility was being …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 115: The CBS Radio Workshop (1956 - 1957)
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William Froug was born on May 26th, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York. He was adopted, and grew up first in Little Rock, …

In February of 1954, Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy was touring the circuit, giving speeches entitled “Twenty Years of Treason.” He claimed that President Eisenhower didn’t want a whitewash government and the …

In February of 1954, Jack Benny was in the midst of his sixth year on CBS, and his twenty-second in radio.

Although his TV program was in the midst of its fourth season, his radio show was still airing in the familiar …

During the 1953-54 season, NBC Chicago’s WMAQ and the Speech Department at Northwestern University, jointly broadcast a series of radio essays entitled Americana. Each episode explored a facet of American life or …

The first voice you'll hear is that of Lee de Forest. The second is of Bill Froug. Producer/Director Bill Froug spent the early 1950s in charge of The Hallmark Hall of Fame. The show began in the 1940s as Radio Reader’s …

When ABC radio took out a Broadcasting Magazine ad in 1954 touting their year-over-year sales growth, they juxtaposed theirs against the decline of the other three networks’ in the same period. It painted a bleak …

On Friday, January 27th, the revived CBS Radio Workshop took to the air for the first time with an adaptation of Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World.”

The sound of artificial human life took three men and an engineer more …

Have you heard Madison On The Air?

Starring Chrisi Talyn Saje, in this scripted comedy podcast Modern Day Madison gets zapped into old-time radio …

Airing in his familiar Sundays at 7PM eastern time slot, in 1954 Benny had a radio rating of 8.2, second-highest on the air. For twenty years, Benny’s rating had never fallen out of the top ten, and twelve times he’d …

Hey everyone, James Scully from Breaking Walls here to give you the schedule of Breaking Walls episodes for the rest of 2022. I'll be putting out …

For those who wanted Breaking Walls episode 123 in the traditional format.
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In Breaking Walls episode 123 we open 2022 with a six-part mini-series on radio business and programming in 1954. We’ll begin with …

I hope you like pepperoni on your pizza. Reach me at James@TheWallBreakers.com

Special thanks to Brett Solimine for lending his voice talents. You can …

Next time on Breaking Walls, we move into February and discuss polio, falling ratings points, and radio profit margins.
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The reading …

Back in July of 1935, head of RCA David Sarnoff asked friend and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong to remove his experimental FM equipment from RCA’s …

Amanda Randolph was born on September 2nd, 1896 in Louisville, Kentucky. Her father was a methodist minister and her mother a teacher, but she would …

By the mid 1950s, smog was becoming a serious problem in American cities, especially Los Angeles. On January 15th, 1954 KNX broadcast a special called “The Troubled Air.”
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Residents of Los Angeles suffered from …

Although Jack Benny spent his TV time on September 13th, 1953 dreaming of being with Marilyn Monroe, on January 15th, 1954 she was officially taken off the market. That day she and retired baseball star Joe DiMaggio …

On March 8th, 1974 Rick Nelson was a guest of Johnny Carson's on the Tonight Show. During the interview the (then) thirty-three year-old Nelson …

Under the sponsorship of Heinz Foods, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet moved to ABC’s potent Friday night schedule on October 14th, 1949. Ozzie …

People are Funny debuted on April 10th, 1942 on NBC. It was created by gameshow maven John Guedel. He was a jack of all trades who’d spent time as a …

On December 15th, 1969 William Conrad sat down with interviewer Chris Lambesis for a conversation about his career in radio. During the course of the conversation, Conrad gave his feelings on former Gunsmoke co-star …

When Gunsmoke was sponsored for a single broadcast on November 21st 1952, by Chrysler Plymouth, the show drew a good rating against ABC’s This is Your FBI, and was heard by roughly 8 million people.

After eighteen months …

The United States entered 1954 in an uncertain position. Years of racial discrimination were coming to the forefront. In May, Brown vs. the Board of …

There will be a programming format change coming to Breaking Walls beginning on January 1st, 2022.

Going forward, I’ll be releasing each episode in parts. These parts will be available on Sundays, Tuesdays, and …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

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Between nine and ten o’clock on Wednesday nights during 1947-48, NBC aired two of the top-fifteen shows on the air. The first was …

In November of 1947, Roma Wines announced they were dropping their sponsorship of Suspense. Roma’s last episode was on November 20th, 1947.

As CBS began to sustain the show’s cost, they indicated they were no longer …

On Christmas night, 1948, The Judy Canova Show and its 16.6 rating signed on live coast-to-coast for NBC from Hollywood at 9:30PM eastern time. Then …

In June of 1980 famed radio announcer Don Wilson, who starred on Jack Benny's program for decades, sat down with Chuck Schaden for a conversation …

Although not part of any major network, WMCA in New York spent its Friday evenings at The Royal Roost—the heppest Jazz club in New York City.

Early on Christmas morning, 1948, from midnight to six AM, the station and the …

At 7PM eastern time on December 19th, 1948, Jack Benny signed on from NBC’s KFI in Los Angeles. By then his move to CBS was a done deal. The episode …

In late 1972, Vincent Price sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here - …

The Right to Happiness began as an experiment. Series creator Irna (ERNA) Phillips liked to cross-plot characters from one of her soaps into another. …

Normally after Suspense aired at 8:00 over CBS stations on Thursdays, The FBI in Peace and War followed at 8:30. Thursday December 6th 1945’s usually …

In 1975, long-time New York radio actor Staats Cotsworth sat down with Ed Corcoran at a radio convention to chat about his career. This interview was …

Casey debuted in July of 1943 as Flashgun Casey, and had undergone a series of name changes before finding success. Anchor Hocking signed on as …

In August of 1971, radio, television, and voice over actor Hans Conried sat for an interview with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC "Golden …

It's Christmas Eve, all is serene and quiet in Apartment 3b on My Friend Irma. Irma is reading and planning a surprise Christmas party for her friends. The surprise is on Irma though as one by one her guests have an …

On November 10th, 1970, comedy legend Milton Berle was a guest of Chuck Schaden's radio program (full interview here - …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 98: Christmas Week 1947 with Radio's Biggest Stars

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For the four major radio networks, 1947 was a year or record business:

ABC saw a 7.25% gross billings increase. …

On October 17th, 1984, Chuck Schaden sat down for a conversation with longtime friend Jim Jordan about his life and career (full interview here - …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 98: Christmas Week 1947 with Radio's Biggest Stars

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On Tuesday nights in December of 1947, NBC ran four of the top thirteen shows on the air with Amos n’ Andy, …

Eighty years ago when The University of Chicago Round Table took to the air over NBC's Red network at 2:30PM Eastern time, President Roosevelt had just announced the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

There were numerous cut-ins …

The morning NBC News broadcast with John Cameron Swayze from December 1st, 1947.

In December 1947, The UNs’ partitioning of Palestine into Arab and Jewish quarters touched off a series of riots on its only neutral site, …

This is Your FBI debuted over ABC in New York in April of 1945. It ran stories from official Federal case files and was sponsored by the Equitable Life Assurance Society. After it cracked radio’s top-twenty-five in …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 98: Christmas Week 1947 with Radio's Biggest Stars

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President Truman spent only two Christmas’ at the White House during his tenure. The first was in 1947. It …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 98: Christmas Week 1947 with Radio's Biggest Stars

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Sunday nights at 7PM was appointment radio from the mid 1930s through the end of the 1940s. Why? Because of one …

On April 16th, 1986 Jimmy Stewart was a guest of Larry King's for a wide ranging interview about his life and career. During the course of the interview Mr. Stewart spoke about his love for radio and acting on radio.

In Breaking Walls episode 122 we spend the holidays in the old west with Jimmy Stewart, director Jack Johnstone, and The Six Shooter.

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…

On Wednesday, December 3rd, 1947, Jean Sablon guest-starred on Duffy's Tavern. The hilarious episode features Eddie Green and stars Ed Gardner.

On Easter Sunday in 1982, Dennis Day was a guest of John Dunning's radio show for 71KNUS in Denver. The two spoke about Day's life and career, which naturally led to his association with Jack Benny. In this clip, Dennis …

On October 12th, 1947 from Montreal over Canada's CBC airwaves, famed British fashion designer Sir Edwin Hardy Amies, KCVO spoke with Ms. Rita Greer about that winter's changes to that season's ready-made women's styles.

There are few homecoming traditions bigger than a football game. Harvard and Yale have been playing an annual game since 1875. It’s so steeped in our …

This is movietone newsreel audio from the 1947 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Although the annual parade first began in 1924, it became world famous thanks to the 1947 release of Miracle on 34th Street, which used …

In August of 1982 SPERDVAC (www.sperdvac.com) hosted a CBS panel at the Thousand Oaks Library in California. The panel featured some of the best known radio character actors of the 1940s and 1950s.

When the panel was …

In August of 1970, prolific New York stage, radio, TV, and commercial actress Jan Miner sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC …

On the November 9th, 1947 edition of Walter WInchell's Jergen's Journal on ABC, the outspoken journalist commented on the famine in Europe, Anti-communist fears, the latest James C. Petrillo Musician's Union strike, and …

In Breaking Walls episode 121, we finish our Americana mini-series by coming home for November’s festivities. We’ll cheer for the home team, taste the best turkey dressing, and remember what’s most important with some …

On January 31st, 1975 Eve Arden was a guest of Chuck Schaden's backstage at the Drury Lane Theater in Evergreen Park, Illinois (full chat here - …

Radio actor John Gibson of Casey, Crime Photographer and Terry and the Pirates (seen here, far left, with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran) was a guest of …

On Wednesday October 15th, 1947 at 6:30PM over ABC's New York City flagship station WJZ (today WABC), New York Tonight signed on with emcee Allen Prescott.

Prescott was born in St. Louis in 1904. By the post-war years he …

This is a snipper from Breaking Walls Episode 119: Radio and The Diner (1937 - 1965)

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The American Broadcasting Company never overtook NBC …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 120: Radio and The Harvest (1936 - 1954)
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Jim Jordan was born on a farm near Peoria, …

In 1971 Jim Jordan, better known as Fibber McGee, sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's the Golden Age of Radio to talk about his …

In August of 1971, radio, television, and cartoon character actor Hans Conried sat for an interview with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC …

On the October 10th, 1948 episode of the Jack Benny Program Rochester reads Jack's diary recounting his summer trip to Europe, and the gang listens to the 1948 World Series featuring the Cleveland Indians and the Boston …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 120: Radio and The Harvest (1936 - 1954)
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Hal Peary spent the 1940s starring on radio and in films as Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve. Gildersleeve began as …

Jack Benny's historic 1945-46 season began on the Sunday evening after Daylight Savings Time's expiration in 1945. In story, Benny needs to get ready for his program, but is unsure of what the time is. Hilarity ensues.

…

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 112: Drama At NBC (1949 - 1950)
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The last series we’ll examine from the 1949-50 season made it’s NBC debut on Sunday June 11th, 1950 at 7:30PM. It had …

In November of 1972 Vincent Price appeared on WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran (full interview here - …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)

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In 1945 Bing Crosby decided that he wanted to pre-record his NBC Kraft Music Hall program. Although transcription had …

In 1965, CBS cameras followed Frank Sinatra around with unprecedented access to the performer's personal life. In this clip, seated at Jilly Rizzo's …

In Breaking Walls episode 120, we continue our Americana mini-series in autumn with a host of harvest-centered radio programing. We’ll warm by the fire and listen in on stories from some of the medium’s most prominent.

…

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)

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In the fall of 1948, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet moved to Sunday evenings at 6:30PM on NBC radio. Although …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)

___________

In 1934, with Chicago the center for radio production, NBC Writer and director Wyllis Cooper created a program for NBC's …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)

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Sherlock Holmes peaked on radio between 1939 and 1946 …

In October of 1984, Chuck Schaden sat down with actress Shirley Mitchell for a conversation about her life and career (full interview here - …

On the April 20th, 1958 episode of Frontier Gentleman, J.B. Kendall is in Deadwood, Dakota Territory where he meets Wild Bill Hickok. Kendall becomes fast friends with the ex-lawman. Hickok invited Kendall to join him, …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 95: Radio And The Classroom (1939 - 1965)

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As the end of Summer turns into …

On January 30th, 1958, Antony Ellis directed a pilot for Frontier Gentleman. Entitled "Remittance Man," this version would later make air with slight …

On September 11th, 1976 famed radio actor and announcer Marvin Miller was a guest of SPERDVAC (https://www.sperdvac.com/) for a long conversation about his career. In this clip, he talks about how he got into radio.

In Breaking Walls episode 119 we continue our Americana mini-series by bringing our appetites to the diner. We’ll hear stories from some of radio’s best and center ourselves around shows taking place in establishments.

…

Conductor Howard Barlow, who'd later go on to be known as "the voice of Firestone," was conducting in-studio for CBS during their first big broadcast in 1927.

In this clip, recorded for Westinghouse's 50th anniversary in …

Barbara Walters interviewed George Burns for 20/20 in 1979. During the course of the interview George spoke about marrying Gracie while performing on the vaudeville circuit.

In August of 1982 SPERDVAC (www.sperdvac.com) hosted a CBS panel at the Thousand Oaks Library in California. The panel featured some of the best known radio character actors of the 1940s and 1950s.

When the panel was …

Corey Ford was an American humorist, author, outdoorsman, screenwriter, and occasional member of the famed Algonquin Round Table in New York City. He penned several famous works, including the 1946 Cloak and Dagger. It …

In September of 1972, former NBC engineer and producer Aldo Gizalbert sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their Hartford, CT-based WTIC …

On August 6th, 1976 Chuck Schaden sat down with Norman Corwin for a conversation about the latter's life and career (full interview here). During the …

On August 14th, 1945 after the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan accepted the United States' terms of surrender, officially ending World War II.

That evening, Norman Corwin produced a special broadcast …

In the winter of 1945 there were many soldiers who were still injured and recovering in army hospitals across the world. To help pay back its war …

This clip, from early in the 1950s during Edward R. Murrow's This I Believe CBS Radio program takes aim at Senator Joseph McCarthy during the height …

At a SPERDVAC meeting on March 14th, 1992 which featured Jeanette Nolan, Mary Jane Croft, and Sam Edwards, radio legend Jeanette Nolan explained how …

On the August 4th, 1949 episode of CBS' Escape, "You are isolated on a remote plantation in the crawling Amazon Jungle and an immense army of …

In the early 1990s, Red Skelton was a guest of Canadian television host Dini Petty's talk show. They spoke about his life and career. In this clip, Red Skelton explains how comedian Ed Wynn got him started in show-biz …

Breaking Walls is the podcast on the history of American network radio broadcasting. It focuses on people, places, stories, and events from the …

In Breaking Walls episode 118 we hit the road with part one of an Americana mini-series. We’ll gas up with some of radio’s best and examine shows taking place at America’s filling stations.

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Highlights:
• Al …

On October 7th, 1971 Chuck Schaden interviewed famous host and emcee Ralph Edwards about his life and career (full interview here - …

In the July 23rd, 1956 episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar starring Bob Bailey, Dollar receives a telephone call from Ralph Kearns of Great Plains …

In the July 19th, 1952 episode of Gunsmoke, Doc Holiday comes to Dodge City. Holiday is a gunman, but on the right side of the law and a friend of …

Noted radio and tv actor and narrator Les Tremayne had a career that spanned eight decades. Here he spoke with Chuck Schaden (full interview here - …

On May 10th, 1986, SPERDVAC (https://www.sperdvac.com/) was host to a This is Your FBI Panel and show recreation which featured creator Jerry Devine and several actors, including Parley Baer, Peggy Webber, and Lou …

In August of 1982 SPERDVAC (http://www.sperdvac.com) hosted a CBS panel at the Thousand Oaks Library in California. The panel featured some of the best known radio character actors of the 1940s and 1950s. One of them, …

On August 9th, 1986, Lawrence Dobkin, Don Diamond, and Lilian Buyeff were guests of SPERDVAC (http://sperdvac.com/) for a conversation about their lives and acting careers.

During the chat, the conversation swung around …

On the July 12th, 1951 episode of Dragnet, Detective Sergeant Joe Friday is assigned to burglary detail. A gang of clever thieves has been at work …

In 2010 Walden Hughes of SPERDVAC and YesterdayUSA Radio interviewed longtime NBC Staff Writer Ernest Kinoy on his radio experiences. It wasn't long before the conversation got around to X-Minus-One, a program Kinoy …

By the summer of 1951, Martin and Lewis had become the biggest act in show business, with both blockbuster film roles and a touring act selling out …

On March 12th, 1983, SPERDVAC (https://www.sperdvac.com/) hosted a conversation with actors Herb Ellis and Herb Vigran. During the course of their chat, Herb Ellis spoke about his friendship and working relationship …

On the Independence Day, 1948 episode of CBS' high-adventure drama, Escape, "you are spurring a lathered horse through darkened streets, trapped by two hostile armies, with a kit of magic in your pocket, and the …

Actor Parley Baer was interviewed in the mid 1970s for a Gunsmoke radio documentary by WAMU's John Hickman. During one of their conversations Baer …

On the July 2nd, 1955 episode of Gunsmoke, Marshall Matt Dillon arrives back in Dodge to discover a new bank has opened in town. The owner is Drew …

On the June 30th, 1957 episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, George Reed from Floyd's of England (like Lloyd's of London) calls Johnny to investigate …

In late 1972, Vincent Price sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here - …

In Breaking Walls episode 117 we blast off with NBC in the fall of 1955 and spotlight its premiere science fiction series, X Minus One. We’ll listen …

On the debut episode of NBC's Monitor on June 12th, 1955, Dave Garroway sat down for an interview with Marilyn Monroe. He'd heard she was permanently moving to New York, but was surprised to hear where she really wanted …

In 1976 John Hickman of WAMU put together an outstanding five-part documentary on the history of Gunsmoke. One of the people interviewed was Gunsmoke director Norman Macdonnell. Macdonnell directed the series during its …

On the June 18th, 1955 episode of Gunsmoke, Lucy Middlecamp is a former dance hall girl who married Ethan Hunt, a soon-to-be preacher.

Chester never …

On the 1st anniversary of Dragnet's debut, Detective Sergeant Joe Friday is assigned to Robbery Detail. Women are being beaten and robbed. The victims have been unable to identify the criminals.

It’s Friday’s job to get …

On April 28th, 1971, Chuck Schaden interviewed radio legend and the original Great Gildersleeve, Hal Peary (full interview here - …

On December 13th, 1973 Chuck Schaden sat down with radio writer Phil Leslie (full Conversation here -…

On the June 9th, 1955 episode of Fibber McGee and Molly, after Fibber discovers the couple has an extra $22.50 ($225.50 today) in their checking …

Radio Actress Fran Carlon speaks about why radio actors and actresses needed to be on their toes for script cuts and news cutaways during World War II.

On March 12th, 1983 Herb Ellis and Herb Vigran were guests of SPERDVAC (http://www.sperdvac.com) for a conversation about their intersecting lives and careers in radio, film, and TV. During the course of the …

In 1971 Jim Jordan, better known as Fibber McGee, sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's the Golden Age of Radio to talk about his …

For Westinghouse's 50th Anniversary in 1970, longtime NBC radio announcer Ben Grauer spoke about being on his toes with news relays during World War II.

Born in New York in 1908, he was a child actor who became an NBC …

On Friday April 1st, 1955, NBC's President Sylvester "Pat" Weaver held a closed circuit press conference for NBC affiliates to announce a new weekend …

In 1982, radio actor Byron Kane was a guest of SPERDVAC (http://www.sperdvac.com) in California for a conversation about his life and career. During …

In 1975, long-time New York radio actor Staats Cotsworth sat down with Ed Corcoran at a radio convention to chat about his career. This interview was …

Enjoy this classic 1968 musical bumper from NBC's Monitor, and tune into Breaking Walls Episode 116: The Launch of NBC’s Monitor (1955) to learn more about this seminal radio programming service that ran for almost …

In Breaking Walls episode 116, it’s June of 1955 and network radio is in uncharted territory. TV’s encroachment has the entire industry looking for new ideas. We’ll focus on the launch of one of the most …

On November 24th, 1954 Fred Allen was a guest of Tex and Jinx's New York talk show for a discussion about his life and career. It was recorded on a grey, rainy Wednesday before Thanksgiving in Peacock Alley at The …

On May 25th, 1943 Agnes Moorehead guest-starred on The Columbia Broadcasting System's Suspense. The play was the very first broadcast of Lucille …

In January of 1976, famed radio director William N. Robson was a guest of Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran's on WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full …

Escape, CBS’s high-adventure anthology, debuted on July 7th, 1947.

During its erratic seven year run it was shifted and dropped frequently, almost …

On the May 17th, 1959 episode of Gunsmoke, Cora meadows and her young son Tad are visited by a dying man named Rourke, who is seeking refuge at their …

Detective Sergeant Joe Friday is assigned to Robbery detail. A United States mail truck is held up and robbed. Twenty-two sacks of registered mail …

Barbara Walters interviewed George Burns for 20/20 in 1979. During the course of the interview George spoke about how Gracie forever altered his life.

On the May 12th, 1949 episode of Burns and Allen, Burns is still convinced that he has no place in TV. He's been trying to conceal his anxiety from Gracie, but she can see that all is not well with her little man. Burns …

In 1982, John Dehner was an in-studio guest of Neil Ross' at KMPC for a conversation about his acting career. During the course of the chat, Dehner explained how be became an actor.

The May 11th, 1958 episode of Frontier Gentleman took J.B. Kendall to Chugwater, Wyoming Territory. There is a rail station for the Cheyenne and Black Hills stage line and because of a rain storm Kendall, ever the …

In September of 1975 Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran of WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio sat down with famed New York actor Joseph Julian for a …

Jean Shepherd was a guest of David Letterman on March 10th, 1982. In this clip he tells funny stories about growing up in Hammond, Indiana.

In August of 1971 Hans Conried was a guest of Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for the 17th episode of WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here …

On the May 2nd, 1953 episode of Broadway is My Beat, Danny Clover is about to go home for the day when he finds Lila Royce at the front desk, reporting her sister missing. Margaret's apartment has been torn apart, and …

In March of 1983 radio actors Herb Vigran and Herb Ellis were guests of SPERDVAC (http://www.sperdvac.com) to talk about their radio careers. During the course of the conversation, Herb Vigran shed some much needed …

For CBS's 50th Anniversary broadcast in 1977, CBS Chairman William S. Paley spoke about why he loved radio. Paley grew CBS from a ragtag group of near-bankrupt affiliates into one of the world's leading broadcast …

In Breaking Walls episode 115, we focus on one of the last experimental programs on the air, The CBS Radio Workshop, and the man at its Hollywood …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)
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On August 31st, 1941, Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve stepped off a train in the town of Summerfield, bringing with a now …

In September of 1974 east-coast radio actor Mandel Kramer sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (the full …

Shortly after CBS debuted Frontier Gentleman in February of 1958, a second new western show, Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, debuted on Sunday February 23rd, 1958 at 2PM eastern time.

Sam Buffington starred in the title …

On September 23rd, 1989, legendary radio and tv announcer and interviewer Mike Wallace was a guest of Chuck Schaden's (full interview here - …

In the April 20th, 1958 episode of Frontier Gentleman, starring John Dehner, J.B. Kendall meets Wild Bill Hickok and sits in on a card game that becomes part of American history.

For more information on Antony Ellis' …

On August 5th, 1976, Chuck Schaden was a guest at Arch Oboler's home for a conversation about the noted writer and director's career (full interview …

On the April 15th, 1951 episode of The Jack Benny program, Jack's in trouble with the IRS for spending $17 on entertainment. The trouble began the …

On August 9th, 1986, Lawrence Dobkin, Lillian Buyeff, and Don Diamond were guests of SPERDVAC for a conversation about their radio careers. During the course of the conversation, Dobkin (who started in New York before …

On the April 12th, 1953 episode of Dragnet, Detective Sergeant Joe Friday is assigned to Robbery Detail. Somewhere in the city a man has been making phony calls, endangering the lives officers. With a simple dime, this …

It's bargain day at the Bon Ton department store in Wistful Vista. Naturally Fibber McGee is caught in the crowds. He has to be saved by Molly. …

This is the May 14th, 1954 episode of Bob Hope's radio show featuring Grace Kelly in a rare radio appearance by the Hollywood star. Ms. Kelly was …

At the end of the Sunday, May 6th, 1956 episode of Fort Laramie entitled "Never the Twain," CBS broadcast a promotional spot for Yours Truly Johnny …

In 1976 John Hickman of WAMU put together an expansive five-part audio documentary on the history of the radio version of Gunsmoke, complete with cast and production crew interviews, show clips, and reflections.

During …

In 1976 Desi Arnaz appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show to promote his newly released autobiography, "A Book." In this clip, Desi jokes about his …

In 1963, during the height of Perry Mason's television fame, Raymond Burr sat down with Jack Webster for an interview about his career and the changes that playing Perry Mason brought into his life. During the course of …

In Breaking Walls episode 114, as America moves to the suburbs in the mid-1950s, we move with them and examine a radio western called Fort Laramie. Although it only aired for ten months, it’s one of the most critically …

At 4:30PM on March 20th, 1949 Robert Trout took to the air for NBC with five minutes of news, sponsored by Pillsbury.

As Spring of 1949 began five of radio’s top-ten programs aired on CBS, four on NBC, and one on ABC. …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 90: The Hollywood People Behind Radio’s Baby Boomer Boom (1945 - 1954)
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By 1951 director …

Jack Benny’s most famous Irish Tenor, Dennis Day was born on May 21st, 1916 and raised in the Throggs Neck section of The Bronx, New York City—The second of five children born to Irish immigrants Patrick & Mary …

In 1982 Vic Perrin was a guest of Neil Ross' for his KMPC radio show for a conversation about Vic's life and career. During the course of the conversation, Mr. Perrin recounted a funny story about a writer who was still …

In 1976 Orson Welles was a guest of Johnny Carson's on the Tonight Show for a segment on Orson's life and career (full segment here - …

On September 3rd, 1970 Chuck Schaden interviewed Jack Benny backstage at the Mill Run Playhouse in suburban Niles, Illinois (full interview here - …

In 1948 a syndicated Coca-Cola sponsored version of the soap opera Claudia, starring Katharine Bard and Paul Crabtree produced an episode for airing …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 91: The Hollywood Radio Western Renaissance (1954 - 1980).

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One of the only western series of note …

In 1967 musician and composer Rex Koury sat down for a documentary interview with John Hickman on Gunsmoke. During the course of the chat he explained how he came to be associated with the show, and how he composed the …

When the 1939 World’s Fair opened in Flushing Meadows, David Sarnoff was there to share the spotlight with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Fiorello LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City.

Sarnoff announced, via a single …

In 1970 Orson Welles was a guest of Dick Cavett's for a great interview about the artist's life and career. During the course of the show, Welles …

During Sunday March 9th, 1958's episode of Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, CBS dedicated the network-sustained show's mid-episode break spot to a promo for the upcoming episode of Frontier Gentleman.

The two shows ran back …

During the Korean War, NBC sent reporters to talk to the soldiers on the front lines during the conflict. This is some of what they said.

In Breaking Walls episode 113 it’s September of 1953 and Elliott Lewis is one of the busiest men in radio. He’s the producer/director of four shows …

At the close of the November 30th, 1947 episode of The Jack Benny Program, Jack Benny spoke eloquently about the problems teachers were facing in the post-War world. His plea mirrors many we might hear today.

In 1982, John Dehner was an in-studio guest of Neil Ross' at KMPC for a conversation about his acting career. During the course of the chat, Dehner shed some light on oncoming stereo audio in the late 1950s and early …

On August 14th, 1982, SPERDVAC (http://www.sperdvac.com/) hosted a conversation with some of radio's most famous character actors: Harry Bartell, Vic Perrin, John Dehner, Virginia Gregg, Parley Baer, and Peggy Webber.

…

On Easter Sunday in April of 1982, Dennis Day was a guest of John Dunning's on 71KNUS Newstalk radio program in Denver, CO. They spoke about Day's life and career—especially his quarter-century association with Jack …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 91: The Hollywood Radio Western Renaissance (1954 - 1980).

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After Have Gun, Will Travel went off the …

In 1955 when Gunsmoke debuted on television they turned to John Wayne for a one-minute promo spot to give the show credibility.

When Wayne heard that …

In Breaking Walls episode 112, we finish our five-part mini-series by examining NBC’s business and programming during the 1949-50 radio season in the wake of the CBS talent raids by examining the steps NBC took to …

In 1982, SPERDVAC hosted a panel discussion with some of CBS's well-known Hollywood radio character actors. During the discussion, Harry Bartell told …

On May 5th, 1982, actor Vic Perrin was a guest of Neil Ross' for his KMPC program. During the course of the interview, which touched on many subjects, the conversation turned to Barton Yarborough, who passed away …

Radio legend and Chief Engineer Jack Poppele (02.04.1898 - 10.07.1986) recalls his part in the launch of WOR on 2.22.1922 during an interview he gave in 1970.

WOR took to the air from Bamberger's department store in …

Impresario Samuel 'Roxy' Rothafel in rehearsal for his radio show to be broadcast from Radio City in New York City, 1932. In this clip, Roxy Rothafel stands at microphone onstage in front of orchestra talking to comic …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 94: Radio And The Drugstore/Malt Shop (1940 - 1955) For the full story, listen to Breaking Walls …

At 1PM on a rain-soaked Wednesday before Thanksgiving on November 24th, 1954, Fred Allen appeared on NBC's Tex and Jinx Show out of the flagship WRCA in New York. It was recorded near Peacock Alley at The …

During a 1980s Interview with John Dunning for 71KNUS in Denver, Dennis Day explained how he came to be hired by Jack Benny and the interview process.

This photos shows Dennis with Jack and Margaret Truman.

Dick Powell was born on November 14th, 1904 in Mountain View, Arkansas. He’d been an A-list crooner in the 1930s, starring in both musicals and comedies at Warner Brothers and Paramount. He was also the emcee of radio’s …

This is Jack Benny's first program for CBS after leaving NBC at the end of 1948. It aired, live, coast-to-coast at 7PM eastern time on January 2nd, …

On November 20, 1958 head of CBS William S. Paley received an award for his thirty years of work in the field of programming.

Paley had purchased a …

On August 9th, 1986, actor and director Lawrence Dobkin was part of a SPERDVAC ( www.sperdvac.com ) panel along with Don Diamond and Lilian Buyeff to discuss their lives and careers. During the course of the …

In Breaking Walls episode 111 we resume our mini-series in January of 1949. CBS is now the nation’s number one network, and NBC is left to come up with programming answers. We’ll focus on the shows they launched in the …

December 26th, 1948 was a seminal day in radio history. NBC had dominated Sunday’s prime time ratings for every season since the late 1920s. Now, in …

In the fall of 1948, CBS programmed radio’s "Outstanding Theater of Thrills," Suspense, opposite the Kraft Music Hall at 9PM on NBC, and took with it …

At 10AM eastern time on the morning of Wednesday, December 22nd, 1948, Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians signed on NBC with the most expensive daytime show on radio.

Waring’s enormous glee club gave his show a …

At 9:30PM on December 21st, 1948, Jim and Marion Jordan signed on NBC. The couple was in the midst of their tenth consecutive season with a top-three rated show. That month, their rating was 26.6.

That night, Jim Jordan …

On December 20th, 1948 at 7PM eastern time, The Chesterfield Supper Club took to the air on NBC, featuring a rotating cast of singers Perry Como, Jo Stafford, Peggy Lee, and Mary Ashford and the Satisfiers.

Como …

This is the last episode of Jeff Regan, Investigator starring Jack Webb. The following month, Webb intimated to Radio Life Magazine that his days …

The Greatest Story Ever Told came to the air on January 26th, 1947. It was ambitious, with a full orchestra and sixteen-person chorus. It dramatized …

On March 12th, 1983, SPERDVAC (http://sperdvac.com/) hosted a conversation with actors Herb Ellis and Herb Vigran. During the course of their chat, Herb Ellis spoke about his friendship and working relationship with …

In our remastered Breaking Walls Episode 75 we go back in time to the beginning of radio to tell the story of how this medium began. This episode was originally released on 2/1/2018.

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Highlights:
* Why the …

In February of 1973 Don Ameche sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC Golden Age of Radio program for a conversation about his life …

In this interview clip, Jack Benny speaks about why he got along so well with his writers and how he became an easy character to write for.

The Wednesday December 7th, 1955 Ernest Kinoy adaptation of Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall," as broadcast for Daniel Sutter's production of X Minus One on NBC from New York. It aired on the 14th anniversary of Pearl Harbor …

Brooklyn-born bandleader Vincent Lopez (12.30.1895 – 9.20.1975) talks about his first night on the air for WJZ on November 27, 1921. Lopez, who began leading his own band at age 17, was 25 at the time. Lopez worked …

In 1970 Westinghouse put together a retrospective on the history of radio broadcasting in honor of the 50th anniversary of KDKA broadcasting the 1920 election returns.

Years prior, Dr. Frank Conrad, who received numerous …

In May of 1974, radio, film, tv, and theater veteran Arnold Moss was a guest of Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran's on WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full …

In 1976 Orson Welles was a guest of Johnny Carson's on the Tonight Show for a segment on Orson's life and career (full segment here - …

In 1965 while Fran Sinatra was recording his album, "September of My Years," he allowed CBS to record the process, and gave Walter Cronkite an unprecedented interview on his life. During the course of the interview, …

In Breaking Walls episode 110 we continue our mini-series on the 1948-49 radio season by focusing on news and programming during Christmas week, 1948.

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Highlights:
• Jack Benny: Leaving for CBS
• A northeast …

Orson Welles and Agnes Moorehead star in the October 24th, 1937 episode of The Shadow, originally broadcast from WOR in New York over the Mutual …

In November of 1972, Vincent Price sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio to discuss his career (full interview …

On March 17th, 1984 radio actor Willard Waterman was a guest of Chuck Schaden's for an interview about his life and career (full chat here - …

John Reagan McCrary Jr. was born on October 13th, 1910 in Calvert, Texas. He graduated in 1932 from Yale and began working for The New York Daily …

The team of Jack Webb and writer Dick Breen were at their best in Pat Novak, For Hire. It was a cult, hard-boiled detective hit that existed almost …

In Breaking Walls episode 109 we continue our mini-series on the 1948-49 radio season by focusing on news and programming from Thanksgiving Day, 1948.

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Highlights:

• Tex and Jinx for WNBC with photographer …

On October 31st, 1948 at 4:35PM from WNBC in New York, Living 1948 took to the air with a drama called “Let’s Sit This One Out” focused on registered voters who don’t vote.

Living 1948 was conceived as a “radio mirror” …

The show starts with Dennis singing the hit from the score Pale Face entitled Buttons & Bows.

Well there’s nothing more thrilling to a red-blooded man on a crisp October morning than to be crouched beside a lovely …

The CBS Western Luke Slaughter of Tombstone came to radio at a time when both sponsorship and listenership were at an all-time low. The program lasted just sixteen episodes. It was nationally sustained by CBS, but local …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 108: Halloween 1948—Dewey Vs. Truman
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Halloween 1948 was windy in New York. While John Dewey headlined the New York Daily News, in Brooklyn, James Edward Heller …

On February 11th, 1929, the very first broadcast of The Edison Hour took to the airwaves over NBC's Blue Network from their WJZ New York City studios.

With Edison's company manufacturing radios, it was thought to be a …

At 8:30PM Pacific Time on October 31st, 1948, live from KNX Hollywood studios, Rocky Jordan re-debuted on CBS. It was a revival of A Man Named …

Famed radio announcer André Baruch served in the original invasion of North Africa during World War II and spent almost four years overseas before …

On December 13th, 1973, Chuck Schaden sat down with Bret Morrison for a chat about his life and career (full interview available here - …

John Bradley Gambling (4.9.1897 – 11.21. 1974)was the host from 1925 to 1959 of "Rambling with Gambling" on WOR. In an interview from 1970 he talks about how he was hired by WOR in 1925 and how his early-morning …

In August of 1971, radio and television character actor Hans Conried spoke with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's Golden Age of Radio (full …

In Breaking Walls episode 108 we go back to October 31st, 1948 and open a five-part mini series on that season’s business and programming.

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Highlights:

• You Are There
• Dewey V Truman
• Let’s Sit This One Out
• …

In 1979 Elliott Lewis teamed up with fellow radio veteran Fletcher Markle for a unique method towards reviving dramatic radio. The buying network …

On February 17th, 1975 Chuck Schaden interviewed well-known radio announcer Ken Carpenter about his life and career (full-interview here - …

The story begins at a police headquarters in an eastern metropolis. In a small shabbily furnished office Horace Striker, a patrol officer for the …

Lorenzo Jones was a successful departure for Frank and Anne Hummert—a comedy serial that enjoyed fine ratings from beginning to end with …

On September 16th, 1948 Gregory Peck guest-starred as Ridge Fowler in Suspense, radio's outstanding theatre of thrills. It's a story about a student on his way home from Berkley. He hitches a lift. A canary yellow …

On April 9th, 1960, Jean Shepherd told a great story about an old man and a batting cage for his WOR radio show. The batting cages Shepherd speaks of …

In January of 1986, KRLA broadcast a tribute to Ricky Nelson after his tragic death in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1985. One of the people spoken to was Jack Wagner, famous as the Malt Shop Man on The Adventures of …

In Breaking Walls episode 107, we go back to school with the Nelson family and find out why David and Ricky joined the program, and how it affected …

On Saturday, April 16th, 1960, Jean Shepherd took to the air over WOR airwaves in New York City. Jean was in his usual talkative mood. On that Saturday he'd reported to work only to find the lock had been changed in his …

In the fall of 1935 Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra was the featured band on The Baker's Broadcast, starring Robert Ripley of soon-to-be Ripley's "Believe it Or Not" fame. The program was produced and directed by Ed …

On August 14th, 1982 SPERDVAC (http://sperdvac.com/) was host to a panel of radio actors and actresses which included Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, …

On January 21st, 1974, Ozzie Nelson was a guest of James Day for a conversation about his life and career. Ozzie was doing media rounds for his self-titled autobiography. During the course of the chat, Ozzie talked …

This is a BBC recording of Royal Air Force Pilot and Group Captain Leonard Cheshire describing what he witnessed upon viewing the detonating of the second atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945.

On November 5th, 1947 Ozzie & Harriet Nelson were guests of Bing Crosby on his transcribed ABC Philco Radio Time program. Ozzie later recollected …

In August of 1971, radio, television, and cartoon character actor Hans Conried sat for an interview with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC …

On January 21st, 1974, Ozzie Nelson was a guest of James Day for a conversation about his life and career. Ozzie was doing media rounds for his self-titled autobiography. During the course of the chat, James Day asked …

On March 17th, 1984 radio actor Willard Waterman was a guest of Chuck Schaden's for an interview about his life and career (full chat here and it's a …

In the early 1980s, the legendary Eve Arden was a guest on John Dunning's 71KNUS Old Time Radio program from Denver, Co. During the course of the conversation, they spoke about Our Miss Brooks and Eve's original Mr. …

In Breaking Walls episode 106, we join Eve Arden at Madison High School and find out why we all love Our Miss Brooks.

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Highlights:
• Who is …

James Scully here, presenting a trailer for Christopher Affonco Bradley’s new podcast, Crime Is Up, a hybrid podcast featuring original crime fiction …

On September 7th, 1944, Olivia De Havilland starred in an episode of Suspense called "Voyage Through Darkness" as Judith Webster, who found herself embarked upon a journey in to darkness.

It is 1939 shortly before …

In January of 1976 famed radio director William N. Robson was a guest of Dick Bertel and Ed Corcorcan for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full …

This is the third episode of Jeff Regan, Investigator, starring Jack Webb. The series grew out of the groundswell of success that Webb had voicing Pat Novak, For Hire, and later Johnny Modero: Pier 23. It aired on CBS’ …

On April 9th, 1948 actress Shirley Booth recorded an audition for a new show to be entitled, Our Miss Brooks. Booth turned the part down, feeling that the script wasn't funny enough.

When the part was later offered to …

On April 28th, 1971, Chuck Schaden interviewed radio legend and the original Great Gildersleeve, Hal Peary (full interview here - …

This is audio recorded at Coney Island in the summer of 1932 of fairground rides, carnival barkers, and general fun-time ambience.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls EP92: Radio And Coney Island (1906 - 1960)

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On Friday, April 11th, 1947, CBS debuted a new situation comedy called My Friend Irma.

Marie Wilson starred as Irma Peterson, a …

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 90: The Hollywood People Behind Radio’s Baby Boomer Boom (1945 - 1954).

Jeff Chandler was born Ira …

Alan Reed, TV's Fred Flintstone, was also a prolific radio and film character actor. On February 17th, 1975, Mr. Reed sat down with Chuck Schaden for …

On the July 18th, 1948 episode of Sam Spade, entitled "The Missing Newshawk Caper," Lurene Tuttle returned to the series as secretary Effie Perine …

At 9PM on Independence Day in 1944 CBS presented an episode of Columbia Presents Corwin called "Home For The Fourth." Written and directed by Norman …

In 1977 for CBS' 50th anniversary, Frank Stanton, President of CBS, sat down with interviewers to talk about his life at the broadcasting network. It was here that he explained how CBS programming changed when CBS Head …

In Breaking Walls Episode 105 we pour shots and take dictation with The Adventures of Sam Spade.

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Highlights:
• Bill Spier’s Musical Beginnings Lead to Suspense
• Howard Duff: Unknown Actor
• How About Now For Sam …

On August 9th, 1986 Lawrence Dobkin, Lillian Buyeff, and Don Diamond were guests of SPERDVAC (http://sperdvac.com/) for a conversation about their long-running radio, tv, and film careers. During the course of the …

New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia had his own radio show on WNYC from 1941-1945 and on ABC for the first six months of 1946. In this clip from January of 1945, when LaGuardia was still Mayor, he rails on …

Here is the full episode as one track for those who requested! — In Breaking Walls Episode 104 we focus on Orson Welles’ radio career from Pearl …

In 1974, Mel Blanc sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran to talk about his career as a voice actor for their WTIC program, "The Golden Age of …

In November of 1973 Howard Duff was a guest of Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran's for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here - …

In Breaking Walls Episode 104 Part 5, we finish off our story on Orson Welles’ radio career in the 1940s.

PRODUCTION NOTE: This episode will be split into five parts and released on 6/1/2020 ; 6/5/2020 ; 6/10/2020 ; …

On September 12th, 1987 actors Shirley Mitchell and Jack Kruschen were in-studio guests of Jim Bohannon for a special broadcast of his radio show from Westwood One in Los Angeles, California. During the course of the …

This is My Best debuted over CBS airwaves on Tuesday September 5th, 1944.

Originally, it was a book of the book of the month club. Producer Homer …

It’s the Spring of 1835. We’re at the offices of The New York Sun, published by Benjamin Day and edited by George Wisner. When the Sun launched in …

In Breaking Walls Episode 104 Part 4, we pick up with Orson Welles as the calendar turns to 1945 and World War II comes to an end.

PRODUCTION NOTE: This episode will be split into five parts and released on 6/1/2020 ; …

This Halloween 1944 episode of the Chase and Sanborn program starring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy featured Orson Welles. It aired on October 29th, 1944 on NBC.

Welles was then heavily campaigning for President …

In Breaking Walls Episode 104 Part 3, we pick up with Orson Welles as he joins the Democratic campaign for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s reelection in 1944.

PRODUCTION NOTE: This episode will be split into five …

In the summer of 1946 Orson Welles was in New York appearing on broadway in Around the World in Eighty Days. While there, CBS gave him a thirteen-week summer series of past Mercury Theatre adaptations.

On June 21st, …

In Breaking Walls Episode 104 Part 2, we pick up with Orson Welles after he comes back to the United States from South America in late 1942.

PRODUCTION NOTE: This episode will be split into five parts and released on …

On the evening of December 7th, 1941, with the United States reeling from the attacks on Pearl Harbor and Manilla, Orson Welles took to the air on …

In 1976 Orson Welles was a guest of Johnny Carson's on The Tonight Show. In this clip the two share radio stories and Orson Welles talks about why he …

In Breaking Walls Episode 104 Part 1, we focus on Orson Welles’ radio career as he returns to Hollywood radio after production of Citizen Kane …

On Wednesday January 26th, 1944, CBS, Mobil Oil, and Orson Welles launched a variety program, with comedy, jazz, and a weekly guest star. It would …

In early 1950 as NBC launched Night Beat starring Frank Lovejoy as Chicago night beat reporter Randy Stone, they sent this recording of the episode "Zero" out to potential sponsors with a sales message taking the place …

May 1st, 1835.

It’s a cold and rainy Moving Day. Every renter in New York is out on the street looking for lodging. Most of the city’s …

The American Broadcasting Company was never able to overtake NBC or CBS in ratings or revenue during the Golden Age of Radio. But by 1964, the only …

In November of 1972, Vincent Price was a guest on WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio, with hosts Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran (Full interview here - …

For CBS's 50th anniversary celebration in 1977, CBS anchors Doug Edwards and Charles Osgood spoke about on-air flubs. Mr. Edwards told a great story …

On March 24th, 1940 Jack Benny was guest-star for a dramatic role on Orson Welles' Campbell Playhouse over CBS airwaves.

The story they chose was …

In this hilarious excerpt from the April 11th, 1943 episode of The Jack Benny Program, Jack has been sick with pneumonia the previous weeks and Orson Welles has been guest-host. Jack is feeling well enough to come back …

In the fall of 1953, thanks to From Here to Eternity, Frank Sinatra's star was again on the rise. He was, however, in need of a pay day. NBC radio presented two new opportunities for Frank.

On October 6th, 1953, at Radio …