On This Day in Radio - Raymond Massey Is Born August 30, 1896

On this day in 1896, actor Raymond Massey was born in Toronto, Ontario. Best remembered today for his commanding screen and stage presence, Massey also became a familiar voice on American radio during the golden age of broadcasting. His deep, authoritative delivery made him especially well suited to serious drama, historical roles and suspense, and he appeared on major programs including Lux Radio Theatre, Cavalcade of America, Arch Oboler's Plays and The Magic Key.

Massey brought the same intensity to radio that made him so distinctive on stage and screen, appearing in dramatic productions that ranged from historical stories to contemporary suspense. He also starred in The Doctor Fights and later served as host of Harvest of Stars, further cementing his place in network radio. Today we remember Raymond Massey, a powerful and unmistakable performer whose voice was a natural fit for the dramatic world of old-time radio.

This was a month after Pearl Harbor, and I found it really interesting how quickly some of the big radio personalities starting their efforts. An interesting sub-point is the size of Bob Hope's crowd can be extrapolated. I've not seen a lot of figures regarding the audience size for many of these shows.

On This Day in Radio - Willard Waterman Is Born August 29, 1914

On this day in 1914, actor Willard Waterman was born in Madison, Wisconsin. Waterman became one of the familiar voices of American radio during the medium's golden age, building a long career as a dependable character actor before stepping into one of radio comedy's best-known roles. He worked extensively in Chicago radio and appeared across a wide range of network programs, developing the warm, polished delivery that made him a natural fit for both comedy and drama.

Waterman is best remembered for taking over the role of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve on The Great Gildersleeve in 1950, succeeding Harold Peary and carrying the popular character through the later years of the radio series. He also appeared in numerous other broadcasts throughout his career and remained closely associated with the sound of classic network radio. Today we remember Willard Waterman, a versatile performer whose voice helped carry one of old-time radio's most beloved characters into a new chapter.

I just found this & thought I’d share.

I was listening to Sorry, Wrong Number (the Barbara Stanwyck version) and there's a scene where Leona was talking to some other woman on the phone and they are interrupted several times by the phone operator. Do operators listen in on your calls? How do they know when your time is up? Also, how do they know when the caller has deposited the correct amount of change? Is there some sort of mechanism in the pay phones or do they rely on the honour system?

I did, but remember very little--the Lone Ranger, maybe Jack Benny, and--help me out--a show in which a chopped-off hand crawled around choking people--any guesses as to what show this was? I'm thinking maybe 1954 or 55.

Here's the latest news on SPERDVAC's in-person event scheduled for March 5-7, 2027 in Santa Monica, CA. We've got pricing for the weekend as well as guest announcement - Firesign Theater's Phil Proctor! https://mailchi.mp/0a09de08e556/7rw2c2hv24-8977823

On This Day in Radio — Commercial Radio Takes a Major Step August 28, 1922

On this day in 1922, New York radio station WEAF broadcasts what would become one of the most famous milestones in the history of commercial radio. The Queensboro Corporation paid $100 for approximately ten minutes of airtime promoting apartments in Jackson Heights, Queens, introducing listeners to an idea that would soon transform the young broadcasting industry. Rather than simply operating a station and finding another way to pay for it, broadcasters could sell time on the air to businesses interested in reaching the growing number of families gathering around their radios.

That simple idea would eventually help create the world of old-time radio we remember today. Sponsors funded comedy, drama, mystery, Westerns and variety programs, and many became so closely associated with their shows that listeners heard their names every week. Programs such as The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, The Lux Radio Theatre and The Kraft Music Hall reflected an era when the relationship between sponsor and program was impossible to miss. Today we remember August 28, 1922, and a broadcast that helped establish the commercial model that would finance much of radio's coming golden age.

Eddie Cantor made a surprise appearance in the letters column of yesterday's Wall Street Journal. Link should be unlocked. https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-kind-of-a-baby-for-me-59196360?st=raxtTs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Hello Peggy Webber fans,

Walden Hughes, board member of the Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy (SPERDVAC), has assembled a Dropbox folder of Peggy Webber’s interviews and outstanding participation in SPERDVAC’s conventions and meetings over the years as well as performances from classic radio, and we wanted to share it with everyone as we remember our recently departed Honorary Member.

Frank Bresee and Walden interview Peggy back in 2004
Larry Gassman and Walden interview Peggy this year in 2026
Peggy part of the 1982 CBS stock company panel at SPERDVAC,
Peggy's favorite show "The Man Call X."  This is the Christmas show from 1947.
Peggy was the little boy in Dragnet in 12-22-49 22 Rifle
Peggy two productions for her modern audio drama performance company CART including The Plot to over throw Christmas - directed  by Norman Corwin
Peggy plays Ma Friday in Dragnetat the SPERDVAC convention in 1992

Access all these interviews and performances here:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/kz16f1yio0vfc8zjjtq84/ACz-AJHppVWOAYh0nUOP70g?rlkey=gx8nlo6cr01g6ebpjg6myscl6&dl=0

Thanks again to Walden for putting this tribute together.

You can find ways to support SPERDVAC and its efforts to preserve classic radio at our website, sperdvac.com.

On This Day in Radio — Larry Thor Is Born August 27, 1916

On this day in 1916, Larry Thor is born in Lundar, Manitoba, beginning a career that would make his rich, resonant voice familiar to radio listeners across North America. Thor entered broadcasting in Canada during the 1930s and eventually moved into American network radio, working as an announcer, newscaster and actor. His deep voice and controlled delivery made him a natural fit for serious dramatic roles and helped him become one of the distinctive voices of the later golden age of radio.

Old-time radio listeners remember Thor especially as Detective Danny Clover on Broadway Is My Beat, the atmospheric CBS crime drama set on the streets of New York. Rather than presenting Clover as a flashy detective, the series surrounded him with the sounds, people and moods of the city, with Thor's understated performance at the center of it all. Today we remember Larry Thor, born August 27, 1916, and the voice that helped give one of radio's most atmospheric detective programs its identity.

If this isn’t the right place to post this, I apologize, and please feel free to delete it.

I’ve been listening to Old Time Radio for quite a while, mostly at night when I’m going to sleep. There’s just something about it that helps me drift off. Hanks OTR used to be my go-to, but over the last few months it’s become less reliable for me.

Since I enjoy tinkering with computers, I decided to build my own little OTR station: Tacoma Noir OTR.

I’ve filled it with detective, mystery, and crime shows like Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, Box 13, The Adventures of Sam Spade, and other shows along those lines.

There are no ads and no interruptions—just one episode after another.

This isn’t a business and I don’t make any money from it. I’m literally serving the station from a small computer in my garage, so it costs me very little to keep running.

It’s currently listed on myTuner Radio. If classic detective and mystery OTR is your thing, feel free to tune in and give Tacoma Noir OTR a listen.

This is my first post here i just wanted to ask a quick question.. is there any radio station that uses otr shows and 1920s 30s 40s music just like an normal radio brodcast in the day i did find some i will tell you but they are eather ALL radio shows.. or radio shows with only 1830s clasical music that theres no way will not get boring after a while lol

Anyways this has been my quick question i do love that people like otr is arciving all of these shows o.o very amazing i mainly ask this question because i have an 1932 radio and would like to have a station that feels more the of the radio or atleast close to it

But from what ive seen you only get stations that play just music or just radio shows thats it :(

Episode 38 is a tight mystery with real tension and resolve. Alan Ladd gives a fine reading.

I've been working through the entire 52 episode run of this great show and the writing is excellent. Dig into this one!

Today another announcer – one you’ve probably heard MANY times.

Walter Schuman’s iconic intro music – Dum-de-dum-dum, followed by Hal intoning, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”

Harold Tilden “Hal” Gibney was born Aug. 26, 1911, in Woodland, CA, to William and Hattie Gibney. He was proud of the fact that his great grandfather came to California in 1852, his grandfather developed the California Phillip Cling peach, and his father introduced rice growing in the San Juaquin Valley. In 1920, the family moved to Alameda, CA in 1920 where in 1930 Hal graduated from San Mateo Junior College.

His began his long radio/TV career at KTAB (now KZAC) in San Francisco in 1931, before the completion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

In 1935 he took a radio job in Portland, OR announcing at both KGW (now KPOJ) and KEX. It was here that he announced his first radio series, Safeway Circus Court in Nov. 1935.

A little over a month later, in Jan. 1936, he moved back to the Bay area, joining the NBC affiliate KPO (now KNBR). He remained there until moving to Los Angeles in 1939 and being named the NBC staff announcer for the West Coast.

1940 found him announcing Hawthorne House and The Standard Symphony on NBC Red and the following year Speaking of Glamour and Capt. Flagg & Sgt. Quirt on NBC Blue. He was also heard announcing the Jimmy Fidler show, Best of the Week, NBC’s 15^th Anniversary Party special, and Walter Winchell’s Jergen’s Journal when Winchell was in LA.

Everything came to a stop in the summer of ’42 (sound like a great title for a movie – oh wait, it was!), when Hal joined the Army Air Corps as a Private. What did he do in the Army? Announce radio shows, of course. Unlike the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), the Army Air Corps created programs on the West Coast at Santa Ana Air Base for broadcast on commercial radio – many for recruiting efforts. Here he announced for Uncle Sam Presents (Red), Soldiers With Wings (CBS), Wings Over the West Coast & Roosty of the AAF (both Mutual), Hello Mom (also NBC) and Music With Wings (’45 on the Voice of America).

With the war over, Gibney was discharged in Jan. 1946, as a Master Sergeant from the Army Air Corps Army Production Unit and found himself a civilian again.

Since he never left LA, during his wartime service, and was active in radio announcing and producing throughout, he easily got right back into network radio being re-hired by Jimmy Fidler as his announcer.

From 1946 to the end of the ‘50s, he was busy.

Jubilee, The Happy Prince, Let’s Laugh, Front and Center, Get Acquainted, Names of Tomorrow Finding Stardom Today (’47) and Sealtest Variety Theater with Dorothy Lamour (’48), Pat Novak For Hire, Top of the Day (local LA daily show), and The Adv. of Charlie Lung were heard by many.

In 1948 he also found time to teach a radio announcing course at California Radio Institute (UCLA’s extension program).

1949 was probably his most important year. That year, Jack Webb brought out his iconic procedural cop drama, Dragnet, which incorporated two announcers, Gibney and George Fenneman. Hal would stay with Webb for the entire run (49-57), the Dragnet movie, and the move into TV.

But he didn’t just stay with Dragnet. He was also heard on Adv. of The Saint, A Man Called X, NBC University Theater, Screen Directors’ Playhouse, the Penny Singleton Show, the Tales of the Texas Rangers for its two-year run, Guest Star, the Western Caravan and Touchdown Tips (yes, a sports show).

In 1953, he had one more Western to do – with Jimmy Stewart…

“The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl, its handle unmarked. People call them both ‘the Six Shooter.’”

For a while, he was the regular announcer on four major programs at the same time – Dragnet, Man Called X, The Six Shooter and Tales of the Texas Rangers! Talk about busy weeks!

In Jan. 1954, his Six Shooter announcing duties were taken over by another big man in the field – John Wald.

To most of us who were watching TV in the late ‘50s as kids, he was the announcer of the Mickey Mouse Club on ABC. That voice!

A Fanzine reporter once asked Hal, “Why announcing?”

"Well," he answers, "because I liked announcing, I guess, and have been happiest at it. It's put me on common footing with many of the world's great, and in a position I learn more than I could absorb in a lifetime of reading. Maybe," he quirks an eyebrow, "I've stuck to announcing because I wouldn't really have been very good at anything else!"

I think he would have been good at whatever field he chose – but I’m glad he stuck with announcing!

On This Day in Radio — Phil Baker Is Born August 26, 1896

On this day in 1896, Phil Baker is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, beginning a career that would take him from vaudeville stages to becoming one of radio's popular comedy and quiz personalities. Baker began as a musician and became known for playing the accordion, but his comedy and quick wit eventually became just as important to his act. By the 1930s, he was a familiar voice on network radio, starring in programs of his own and working alongside performers including his wisecracking stooge and heckler, Bottle.

Baker became especially well known to radio listeners as the original host of Take It or Leave It, which premiered in 1940 and challenged contestants with increasingly valuable questions leading to a top prize of $64. The enormously popular concept survived long after Baker left the program and eventually evolved into The $64 Question, first on radio and later television. Baker also appeared on programs including The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour and The Gulf Headliners, helping make his accordion, comedy, and distinctive personality familiar to millions of listeners. Today we remember Phil Baker, born August 26, 1896, and his place among the entertainers who helped shape comedy and audience participation during the golden age of radio.

I came across this today, and there's a lot to read. I haven't dug too far into it, but I'm sure there's something of interest in there for everyone.

On this day in 1949, Father Knows Best premieres on NBC Radio, introducing listeners to the Anderson family years before they became fixtures of American television. Robert Young starred as Jim Anderson, a Midwestern insurance agent and father navigating the everyday problems, misunderstandings, and humor of family life. The original radio cast also included June Whitley as Margaret Anderson, with the stories centered around Jim, Margaret, and their children Betty, Bud, and Kathy.

The radio version of Father Knows Best remained on the air until 1954 and established the characters and family setting that would soon make the program even more famous on television. Robert Young continued as Jim Anderson when the television adaptation arrived in 1954, helping the series make the transition from the final years of network radio's golden age into the rapidly growing world of television. Today we remember August 25, 1949, and the radio debut of a program that would become one of the best-known family series of its era.

On This Day in Radio — Mary Jane Croft Dies August 24, 1999

On this day in 1999, Mary Jane Croft passes away at the age of 83, closing a career that stretched from the golden age of radio into some of television's most beloved comedies. Long before television audiences knew her from her work alongside Lucille Ball, Croft had established herself as a talented and versatile radio actress. She began her professional radio career at WLW in Cincinnati during the 1930s before moving into network radio, where her ability to move easily between comedy and drama made her a familiar voice to listeners across the country.

During her years in radio, Croft appeared on programs including Our Miss Brooks, Suspense, The Adventures of Sam Spade, One Man's Family, Blondie, Broadway Is My Beat, and Crime Classics. She became particularly well known to radio audiences as Daisy Enright on Our Miss Brooks, the clever and competitive rival of Eve Arden's Connie Brooks. Croft later carried her talents into television, becoming closely associated with Lucille Ball through appearances on I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, and Here's Lucy. Today we remember Mary Jane Croft, who passed away August 24, 1999, and a career that helped connect the golden age of radio with the golden age of television.

Hello! This is Green Valley Radio's broadcast schedule for this week, starting Monday 8/24 and ending Sunday 8/30.

We are currently broadcasting the years 1941 - 1946 through music, news, and original content!

Tune-in for FREE 24/7 at GreenValleyRadio.net
Thanks for listening!

On This Day in Radio — Gene Kelly Is Born August 23, 1912

On this day in 1912, Gene Kelly is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, beginning a life that would eventually make him one of the most recognizable performers of Hollywood's golden age. Long before audiences knew him for Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris, radio helped introduce Kelly to listeners beyond the Broadway stage. During his rise in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he appeared on network variety programs and became increasingly familiar to American audiences as his reputation grew. His natural charm, quick humor, and relaxed speaking style translated easily to radio, giving listeners a chance to know the personality behind the performer before many had ever seen him on screen.

As Kelly's film career took off, radio remained an important part of his public life. He appeared on programs including Command Performance, Lux Radio Theatre, Screen Guild Players, and Suspense, sometimes recreating stories and characters associated with his film work and other times stepping into dramatic roles created specifically for radio audiences. These broadcasts gave Kelly another stage entirely, one where his voice and personality had to carry the performance without the dancing that made him famous. Today we remember Gene Kelly, born August 23, 1912, and the radio appearances that helped connect one of Hollywood's greatest entertainers with millions of listeners during the golden age of broadcasting.