As radio was moving into the forties, many programs were beginning
to show a professionalism not heard before. Comedies became more
sophisticated and more genuinely funny by moving away from a rehash of
vaudville routines. One such series which began on this day was The Aldrich Family. Henry Aldrich 
was
like many other teenage boys of the time with his worries about
relationships. If nothing else would be remembered about this series,
the opening will always be around as it has been used over and over
both in satire as well as commercials. As mother screams
"Hen-reee...Henry Aldrich" and the adolescent cracking voice of Ezra
Stone responds with "Coming, Mother!" the listeners knew they were in
for some good laughs. Stone was perfect in the role which was sponsored
by Jello over the Blue Network. Along with other memorable characters,
Homer Brown, Kathleen, Henry's girlfriend, and the rest of the Aldrich
Family, this situation comedy series was well-designed. Stone stayed in
the role, except for a stint in the military until it folded in 1953.
(The photo shows [left to right] Jackie Kelk, Ezra Stone, Katherine
Raht, House Jameson.
In early 1939 both NBC and CBS were preparing ideas for some of
radio's earliest comedy shows involving families in situations. The
concept later was called sitcom. NBC was creating The Aldrich Family starring Broadway actor Ezra Stone in the role. 
CBS, however, had purchased the rights to the very popular Chic Young comic strip, Blondie around which to create its family comedy.
With two popular films already on the big screen, they signed the film stars to play in the radio version - Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. The series had a long run ending in 1950 when dramatic radio was just beginning it's slide to obscurity. Singleton, however, left the role in 1949 and Lake stayed with it to the end. I don't think he could have ever starred in anything without people thinking of Dagwood Bumstead.
The series later became popularly remembered for a later opening where the announcer tells people "Ah-ah-ah-ah! Don't touch that dial! Listen to...Blonnnnnnnnnndie!" However, that wasn't the opening in the first few episodes of the series. The clip included here is from one of the earliest available of the Blondie radio series and is a dress rehearsal only about 16 minutes long. Some of the quality is not as good, but it gives you an idea of what the show first sounded like. This is from episode number six.
Never one to let his fans down, Jack Webb premiered a new radio series on this day. The series was named Pete Kelly's Blues and starred Mr. Webb as a red hot jazz coronet player with his own band in the 1920's. 
The
group played nightly at George Lupo's club as Pete told it each
episode: "...every night about ten...till the customers get that
frightening look at each other in the early light."
Pete Kelly's Blues
provided a vehicle for Webb to realize his love of jazz. Each episode
included usually two complete jazz numbers actually played by Webb's
friend Dick Cathcart with childhood friend Meredith Howard as blues
singer Maggie Jackson. The episodes were formulaic with Pete getting in
hot water with the mob or some individual and trying to get out of it
by the episode's end. Like his other series, this was all pure Jack
Webb with the cynical comments and ironic humor. The show only lasted
for 12 weeks ending at summer's end. However, it was revived in film
starring Webb.
By the early fifties, America was becoming alarmed about the rise in the crime rate. Radio drama, which had already begun its slide in popularity, took on a more service orientation by presenting series which focused on the problems that were foremost in the minds of Americans. The alarm at the crime rate was one of the reasons for a series like Confession. Homer Canfield and Warren Lewis produced the series which claimed to be making an "effort to stem the forward march of crime." The series used actual transcriptions from the California State Department of Corrections and used a format which appeared as if the director of the Corrections department was interviewing criminals about the crimes they committed. Paul Frees starred as Richard A. McGee, the director. The series appeared on this day from the studios of NBC. Staff announcer John Wald presented the opening and closing. The series was short-lived, lasting only the summer. America, it seemed, was too absorbed in its new wealth and growth as a super-power to be interested in those who had gone bad.
Though many detective shows were premiering during July, one police
show that premiered on this day had repercussions that would carry it
onto TV and set a precedent for many "cop" shows to come later. This
was Dragnet, a series that came from the mind of Jack Webb, a veteran radio actor. What made Dragnet different is that we got a sense of what being a real police detective was all about. 
Webb
with his dry Sergeant Friday, and his crew of actors played it close to
the belt . As a mystery series, we learned things as the detectives
did. We had no idea about the crime, except as it was investigated bit
by bit. Early on, Friday's partner was Ben Romero, played by another
veteran radio actor, Barton Yarborough (of Jack, Doc and Reggie fame).
After Yarborough died, the series went through several partners before
settling on Frank Smith, portrayed by Ben Alexander (see photo right).
Despite its dryness, this series had a powerful attraction. It was so
true to life that listeners were keen to follow the exploits of Friday
and his partner. It ran until 1956 on radio though it had already moved
to television by that time. Webb would always be known as Joe Friday,
but because of the success, that did not seem to phase him.
Despite
a decade of violence and war in the sixties, one thing that will stand
out as an achievement for America during this period was the landing of
men on the moon. Practically everyone was glued to a television set
when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out onto the surface of the
moon. However, what was not as well watched was the launching of the
the Apollo 11 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral. But radio was there and
CBS correspondent Reid Collins reports
on the launch. Four days later, the first men had landed on the moon.
This clip gives you a taste of radio's coverage of all of it as the
launch is described. You can hear the excitement of the success which
reflected how most Americans felt after the last few years of tragedy.
In the days when networks had large chunks of sustained time, that
is, time which was unsponsored, William Paley of the Columbia
Broadcasting System wanted to explore the network's use of that time.
For that he hired William B. Lewis as Program Chief. 
Lewis was a man who listened very carefully to others' ideas.
When he was approached by studio engineer, Irving Reis about a series to be called Columbia Workshop in which experimental drama could be tried, Lewis grabbed the idea quickly. Reis had been the engineer on shows such as Buck Rogers
and was interested in taking radio drama technically to new frontiers.
Premiering on this day, many experimental presentations were tried,
some heavy on the technical side, but gradually most presentations
tended toward the dramatic including Shakespere adaptations, one-man
presentations, poetry presentations and other genres. The series
attracted the literary elite. One standout was a script from a lawyer
turned poet, Archibald MacLeish, called "The Fall of the City." With
the darkening events occuring in Europe, the play, in poetic verse, was
about a mythical city full of people awaiting their conqueror with
eager anticipation. However, the conqueror turns out to be a horrible
subjugating figure who strips the people of their freedom. Given the
rise of Hitler and Nazism, the play was perfect for Reis' intentions of
the series. Among the cast were Burgess Meredith and Orson Welles (then
an unknown). This clip is from that broadcast. The series would provide
for an opportunity for some of the best and brightest in radio to
experiment. It was through this vehicle that Norman Corwin found his
voice. The series would continue in many iterations until 1947. Then in
1956 it was brought back as the CBS Radio Workshop by CBS VP Howard Barnes.
Norman Corwin, already well-known for his outstanding radio drama
over the Columbia Network was in England after this country had entered
the war nearly a year before. 
With
the help of William B. Lewis, CBS Program Chief, now head of one of the
Office of War Information's radio units, he convinced CBS that he
wanted to do a series of six broadcasts relating in various dramatic
forms his own experience as an "American in England."
This was a new form of drama broadcast from overseas via shortwave back
to the United States. CBS bravely took on the costs involved and with
Corwin writing and directing and Edward R. Murrow acting as producer, the series began to take shape. Corwin had met Murrow when one of his first CBS works, The Plot to Overthrow Christmas
was produced and aired. The new project involving the two was a perfect
match with Corwin's genius for drama, and Murrow's own sense of the
dramatic in news broadcasting. The first snag came with the director
not being able to get his first choice to play "Corwin in England."
Burgess Meredith, who was in uniform was unable to get out of his
military commitments. His second choice hit pay dirt. News chief Paul
White contacted Joseph Julian, who had appeared in previous Corwin
work. Julian flew to England and the first broadcast came together
being broadcast overseas back to America. Julian relates a story in his
autobiography, This Was Radio
"Finally went on the air. Everything clicked. Everybody Happy. Mutual congratulations...Phone Corwin to find out if there were reports from America. There were, indeed! ... [CBS Engineers] thought the simulated disconnection was real - that something had actually gone wrong. So they pulled their plugs...America never heard that broadcast."
But the series continued and the next one's were heard and the broadcasts received rave reviews.
In
May, 1945 Victory in Europe was achieved. However, Japan continued to
fight on alone. They wanted peace but with conditions. The Allies would
accept no conditions. But Japan was dominated by a militaristic group
who continued to try to negotiate. Fearing that many more lives would
be lost in a continuing struggle with the Japanese, Truman decided to
act. The world would never be the same again when this country dropped
an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima in order to force Japan to
surrender. In a race with Germany, this country was able to produce the
first atomic bomb at Los Alamos. In determining that the deaths of
Hiroshima would not outweigh the deaths that would result from
continued fighting with Imperial Japan, Truman decided to authorize the
drop. This soundbite
is his brief announcement of the event. The dropping of an atomic bomb
raised the stakes and the consciousness of this country. As other
countries also developed the bomb, a pall of total destruction
enveloped the world and mankind began to think in new terms as
technology became a dominant force.
Quiz shows were always a staple of radio since the first one, Professor Quiz, appeared in the mid-thirties. While the quiz show evolved out of such "man-on-the-street" programs as Vox Pop, the concept of answering questions for prizes probably came from Professor Quiz. By the late forties, the quiz show was an established genre that would reach its zenith on television. The goal by this time was to come up with a twist on the standard question and answer show. One that had an unusual format began on this day, was What Am I Offered? hosted by veteran announcer Bob Dixon. The twist was that the audience would participate in an auction of small items such as sheets, cans of food and candy usually to the tune of $2 to $5 dollars. Whoever won the bid would have to answer a question, which if guessed correctly would be given the prize without charge. If the winner failed to answer, the contestant would pay the high bid and the money would build and be given to the next high bidder who answers a question correctly in addition to the item for which they bid. The show was more of an audience participation show that did little to get the listener involved and originated from the WOR studios appearing over some Mutual stations. It did last a couple of seasons with time off in the summer.
Dan
Holiday was a writer of mystery novels who sought his adventure ideas
from the real world. He would run an ad in the papers that read
"Adventure wanted; will go anywhere; do anything - Box 13."
The series starred Alan Ladd whose production company, Mayfair, created
the series as a radio vehicle for him. It premiered on this day over
the Mutual Broadcasting System. The series featured as his sidekick, a
dizzy secretary named Suzy portrayed by Sylvia Picker. A stable of
veteran radio actors appeared regularly. The series was better than
many of the detective shows partly due to Ladd himself and the writing
of Russell Hughes.
For more on Radio Detectives, click here.
In 1939, the world was on the brink of war. As Adolph Hitler continued to grab territory - first Austria, then Czechoslovakia's Sudentenland - he now threatened to invade Poland. Under the guise that Polish troops were invading Germany and stirring up trouble at the border, Hitler claimed he must act. After the fiasco of the Munich Agreement, the United Kingdom and France would have no more of Hitler's empty promises. But still, the leaders were trying to avert war. Hitler had made demands of the western powers and after meeting on the demands, Neville Henderson was to fly to Berlin on the 28th with a reply to Hitler's demands. Here in this clip, which is cut short, we hear H.V. Kaltenborn speaking from London explaining the four points that Hitler is demanding and his opinion as to what might happen.
The Great Gildersleeve is probably one of radio's most popular comedy series and still very funny today. 
This was one of radio's successful characters and probably the first spinoff from another series, Fibber McGee & Molly.
The character was head of the Gildersleeve Girdle Works in Wistful
Vista and Fibber's next door neighbor. At the end of the summer run,
Gildersleeve left for business to Summerfield, but never returned.
Instead he popped up in Summerfield as the new Water Commissioner. The
fine cast made this series one of radio's success stories. With Harold
Peary as Gildy, Walter Tetley as the hilarious Leroy, Lurene Tuttle
originated the role as Marjorie. There are many other memorable
characters, too many to name. But this series, premiering on this day
on NBC continued until 1958. After Peary left, Willard Waterman, a
Peary sound-alike stepped into the role and made it his own.
For more on Radio Comedy, click here.
As September dawned in 1939, Adolph Hitler was continuing his quest toward European domination. 
With
Austria and the Sudetenland now under his control, he set his sites on
Poland, despite his "promise" to Chamberlain. Hitler was claiming that
the Polish government had been attacking Germans near the border, but
on hindsight it was just another one of his ruses to take territory. On
this day Germany issued an ultimatum
to Poland for the return of Danzig and the Danzig corridor or invasion
would begin. Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the move to invade
had already begun. This action would lead to the start of World War II.
This soundclip is from a BBC Regional Program outlining the "points" of
the German ultimatum. Though many in the United States felt this was a
European affair, radio would soon come of age with the start of this
incident and play a major role in turning this isolationist country
into a warring nation.
England
and France had signed a pact with Poland to act should Germany show
aggression toward them. But should Germany invade, would these two
powers come to Poland's defense? They failed to act when Hitler took
the Sudetenland, but time was running out for Chamberlain and Deladier.
On the first in 1939, Hitler made good on his ultimatum and invaded
Poland. England and France had no choice but to react to the invasion
by declaring war
on Germany. In this clip, a depressed Chamberlain regretfully announces
that his country is at war with Germany. World War II had begun.
rograms from the early thirties are rare today. Though there was some drama, many were musical programs reaching back to the roots of even earlier radio. Some were intended to educate, some provide strictly pleasure. One that seemed to bridge the gap and still create a sense of early radio satire was BugHouse Rhythms, which premiered this day. Not much is known about this series, but from this example, there was the requisite music, primarily geared to swing rhythms popular at the time. Yet the listener was educated on comparisons to rhythms in the classical world. This particular soundbite provides comparisons between Minnie the Moocher and Wagner's Valkyrie! The series originated over NBC Blue from the West Coast.
The history of the Fitch Bandwagon
is similar to some other shows that began in one format and eventually
migrated to a completely new format, possibly to stay popular with the
times. Such was this series. It began as a bandstand series with
popular music of the time and often on location. Each week would
feature the popular big bands of the time with a brief bio on the
bandleader. Beginning on this day as Fitch Is On the Air, the
series was slow to become popular garnering only a 9.0 Hooper rating
its first year. But by the second year it was up to 22.4. Featuring
bands such as Tommy Dorsey and Harry James, Duke Ellington and special
guests such as Eddie Cantor, Ivey Anderson and others, the show's
success was fixed.
By 1945, the series was joined with comedienne Cass Daley, who along
with "Dink" Trout were in comedy skits with the band music surrounding
them, the show was moving more into a musical variety period. This
eventually led to the arrival of Phil Harris and Alice Faye as the next
regulars in a situation comedy format. The "Bandwagon" by this time was
for all appearances, the future Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. The show
included here is from that period. The series ended when these two left
for a show with their own name.
The Forties were full of the macabre genre of radio series. Despite the darkness of the war years, listeners loved being scared to death! One of the better sinister programs to make the airwaves, Murder At Midnight, premiered on this day. The series was syndicated and produced out of the studios of KFI, Los Angeles. Many of radio's great actors appeared on the show. The storylines were of the horrible with severed body parts and open graves. Some of radio mysteries better scriptwriters provided episodes including Robert Newman (Inner Sanctum), Joseph Ruscoll (Molle' Mystery Theater), and Max Ehrlich (The Shadow, Suspense).
Based on the life of the real life cowboy from the turn of the century, The Tom Mix Ralston Straightshooters, began life on this day. 
One
of the best known of juvenile fiction, Tom Mix on radio was really a
Western-style detective show. The real person had indeed been a person
of adventure fighting with Teddy Roosevelt's Roughriders, as a state
lawman, and a Texas Ranger, finally as a rodeo star. The early shows
from radio reflected that lifestyle. But soon the character developed
into the western detective that the rest of the series run reflected.
The major characters included Sheriff Mike Shaw, Wash and Pecos
Williams along with the Old Wrangler who provided the comic relief.
Since the show was for juveniles, there was the requisite child
characters Jimmy and Jane. When the Mutual Network took over the series
a lot of the previous flavor changed. The Old Wrangler was out replaced
by Don Gordon as the announcer (you can hear him in early Captain Midnight
episodes), Curley Bradley who had played Pecos became Tom and added the
element of the singing cowboy. The series was extremely popular
especially with its premium give-aways from Ralston. The final episode
was broadcast on June 23, 1950.
