The Good Old Days of Radio Show

Today we are bringing you Lucille Ball in the pilot series, if you will, to one of TV history’s most blockbuster series, I Love Lucy. My Favorite Husband starred Lucille Ball and her husband who was then played by actor Richard Denning. Denning was slated to make the transition to the I Love Lucy TV series, but Lucille pushed for her real-life husband Desi Arnaz to assume the role. The episode centers on Lucy’s frantic attempts to ...

We continue our series listening to comedians in serious roles. Specifically, this episode focuses on the obscure comedian Henry Morgan and his appearance in a 1947 "Suspense" radio drama called "Dream Song." Guest Dr. Joe Webb again joins us as we discuss Morgan's comedic background, his reputation as a subversive radio personality, and today’s story about a writer seemingly haunted by a neighbor. The conversation also touches upo...

This week we are going to be featuring the obscure radio comedians Henry Morgan in an episode of “Suspense” on Thursday. Today we have another episode of "The Henry Morgan Show" from June 11th, 1947, a comedy program showcasing Henry Morgan's satirical humor, sponsored by Eversharp razors. The episode includes Morgan's observations on New Yorkers' accents, moviegoing experiences, and absurd used car dealerships, alongside a parody ...

Today John Tefteller and our guest, Researcher Dr. Joe Webb, listen to a 1947 episode of Suspense featuring the comedian Eddie Bracken. Suspense often purposely put actors in roles that were in direct contrast with their type. This is a dramatic departure from Bracken’s comedic role that we presented on Tuesday. In this story he portrays Elwood, a serial killer, seemingly driven by a distorted perception of love and represented by ...

This week we’re paring two shows that feature the largely forgotten comedian Eddie Bracken. We’re starting here with the extremely obscure The Eddie Bracken Show. Bracken was much more successful as a support comedian, on shows like the Sealtest Variety Theater. This is a sitcom that is reminiscent of The Mel Blanc Show, centering on Eddie Bracken's character attempting to assist Connie to enter her picture in a beauty contest and ...

This week John Tefteller and guest Dr. Joe Webb discuss a 1947 episode of the radio show Suspense titled "Three Faces at Midnight," which starred William Bendix. The plot involves blackmail, politics, and gangsters, a territory familiar to Bendix who began as a thuggish character actor in the movies before The Life of Riley eclipsed his film career. They talk about the versatility of comedic actors in dramatic roles and an on-air s...

This week, as part of our epic 10-week quest that seeks to visit many comedians who appeared on the radio thriller series “Suspense,” and pare them with their radio programs, we’re stopping off at the popular sitcom, The Life of Riley, starring William Bendix as the well-meaning but often misguided Chester A. Riley. This is a Mother’s Day episode, and revolves around Riley's anxieties about his son Junior forgetting Mother's Day, l...

Today we welcome back to the show Suspense expert Dr. Joe Webb discussing an episode of the radio program Suspense titled "The Palmer Method." The episode stars Ed Gardner, primarily known for his comedic role in Duffy's Tavern, in a more dramatic part. Dr. Joe discusses background information on Suspense, noting this episode's unique characteristic of having significant variations between its East and West Coast broadcasts due to ...

Today we’re starting a 10-week series contrasting comedic and dramatic performances of well-known vintage comedians. Moving through these shows chronologically, we begin with an episode of "Duffy's Tavern" starring Ed Gardner, who will be showcased later in the week in his appearance on “Suspense.” This particular "Duffy's Tavern" episode from May 25th, 1949, includes guest star Ed Wynn doing his humorous, nonsensical opera comment...

We’ve been featuring a taste of the large body of radio work of actor Jimmy Stewart. Jimmy appeared on hundreds of radio shows across his career, and many radio adaptations of his films. He also had his own radio series for a short time in the 1950s, when he was doing mostly westerns. Today we’re closing out this tribute with “The Six Shooter.” The series was far less gritty than his Anthony Mann films, and focused on stories that ...

Today as part of our February tribute to actor Jimmy Stewart on radio, we’re presenting a funny episode of The Jack Benny Program. Stewart appeared several times on The Benny Show, both his radio and TV program. This is his first appearance on the show. Jack corners him at The Brown Derby restaurant in an attempt to get him to appear in one of his films.

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Today our month-long tribute to Jimmy Stewart on radio continues. "Cavalcade of America," at one time or other, had almost every major star in a title role during its near 20-year run. In this episode Jimmy Stewart taps into his easy, small American, home-town roots, playing a Montana cowboy who enlists in the Navy, but dreams of raising horses. Despite the Navy's lack of equine opportunities, he acquires a sickly colt and names hi...

Our month-long tribute to actor Jimmy Stewart on radio features a funny 1948 episode of Philco Radio Time, hosted by Bing Crosby. The Bing Crosby Show was primarily focused on popular songs sung by Crosby in the first half, and depending on Bing’s guest, the second half generally was devoted to comedy (written by Carol Carol). Stewart appeared many times on this program, and even hosted the show in the absence of Bing in an episode...

Today we are featuring Jimmy Stewart in an episode of Suspense that was only recently discovered in its entirety thanks to collector Randy Riddle. "The Rescue" stars James Stewart in a story about a man who witnesses a distressed woman threatening to jump from a hotel ledge. He becomes entangled in a dangerous plot involving a deceptive doctor and a potential murder. It’s a Stewart performance reminiscent of Stewart’s great Hitchco...

We are back to Jimmy Stewart appearances on popular comedy radio programs. Believe it or not, in 1947 Stewart was a guest on "It Pays to Be Ignorant," a show we have featured on this podcast on a somewhat regular basis. The show features host, Tom Howard, and a panel of “experts” (really vaudevillian baggy-pants comedians) who answer absurd questions in kind. Kate Smith pinch hits for Lulu McConnell on this one. Stewart sounds a li...

This week we continue with radio shows featuring the work of the legendary actor, Jimmy Stewart. The story recounts Pilot Tom Greer's transformation from an isolationist college student to a military enlistee after meeting a refugee. The play highlights themes of American identity, sacrifice, and the moral imperative to fight against tyranny during World War II, and shows a transformation in Oboler’s own work, from leaning isolatio...

We are kicking off the month of March featuring one of our favorite vintage Hollywood actors on radio, Jimmy Stewart. Stewart was prolific on radio, with numerous appearances on almost every major A-list program. We are beginning with Jimmy Stewart as guest on the popular comedy, "The Charlie McCarthy Show." The episode features Edgar Bergen, his ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy, and Ray Noble, Anita Gordon, and Mortimer Snerd....

We end this series of 10 More Great Adventure Stories with an extraordinary adventure about Danny Carlin (played by Paul Richards) and his obsessive quest to steal a large ruby called "The Heart of Kali" from a temple in India. His pursuit leads him to murder, but upon finally reaching the idol he falls into a trap. This was the finale episode of the series “Escape,” with a fitting epitaph by William Conrad as US Marshal Matt Dillo...

Today we are bringing you a new find; a “lost” episode of Duffy's Tavern from November 23, 1945. This is the Armed Forces Radio Service version. That means, because the Armed Forces did not allow advertising on their stations, the commercials were edited out and music filler put in to round the program out to a half-hour. Because of the difference in network and government practices, many missing radio shows only survive thanks to ...