Old Time Radio Blog

Fibber McGee and Molly was a long running situation comedy...in fact, they are often credited with creating the sitcom. The show also featured a singer and a cast of characters that both stand alone AND support the ensemble nature of the show.

Alan Ladd, probably best known for his title role in the move "Shane," played Dan Holiday in this wonderfully well produced radio series. The basic premise is that Dan was an author who needs story ideas so he puts an ad in the local paper saying he will go anywhere and do anything for adventure. "Box 13" refers to part of his address at the newspaper where people can connect with him.

The Great Gildersleeve, with his distinctive laugh, was a character originally created by Harold Peary while on the Fibber McGee and Molly show. On that show, the character had a pretty loose biography and was either married or not, depending on the needs of the writing staff. On his own spinoff, he's a bachelor tending to his recently orphaned niece and nephew. I have to say, this show is just plain fun.

Jack Benny made a living and became a comedy legend by making sure his castmates got the bigger laughs. I hope you'll agree that much of Jack's humor is timeless.

Fred Allen's show was not very typical of his time. He tended to avoid the standard variety format in favor of topical humor approached from several directions within the half-hour. Over the years, it became more or less a trademark that Allen would tell one of the scripted jokes and that would fall flat...only to have Fred ad lib some crack about how bad the joke was, getting a much bigger laugh in the process.

NBC ran the Rocky Fortune series for 25 episodes beginning in October 1953. This show was a "sustaining series," which means the network paid for all production costs so they could take care of Frank Sinatra's growing superstardom. Each episode features Frank as a detective in the style of the day...part hardboiled and part comic relief. I hope you enjoy.

Fibber McGee and Molly was a long running situation comedy...in fact, they are often credited with creating the sitcom. The show also featured a singer and a cast of characters that both stand alone AND support the ensemble nature of the show.

This is Episode 39 of what is often regarded as the best show from the Old Time Radio era. Gunsmoke set the standard in many ways including the quality of the scripts, exceptional acting, and production quality. For example, the sound technician recorded star William Conrad walking in cowboy boots on a wooden deck built exactly like an old Dodge City store front deck, just to have an authentic sound for any time he needed to have Matt Dillon walking on a wooden deck.

Our Miss Brooks was a series that aired first on radio and then both on TV and radio. Unlike many of the co-media series of the day, however, the Our Miss Brooks radio show was simply the audio from the TV series. In this episode, we find the usual cast of characters creating their typical mayhem, centered around Madison High School English teacher Constance Brooks, ever chasing after relatively clueless Biology teacher Mr. Boynton.

Science fiction shows in the 1950s seemed to be centered on the same basic themes: robots and Martians. In this episode of Dimension X (later brought back as X Minus One) we are treated to both an entertaining story and a critique of "advanced" human behavior.

The Great Gildersleeve, with his distinctive laugh, was a character originally created by Harold Peary while on the Fibber McGee and Molly show. On that show, the character had a pretty loose biography and was either married or not, depending on the needs of the writing staff. On his own spinoff, he's a bachelor tending to his recently orphaned niece and nephew. I have to say, this show is just plain fun.

NBC ran the Rocky Fortune series for 25 episodes beginning in October 1953. This show was a "sustaining series," which means the network paid for all production costs so they could take care of Frank Sinatra's growing superstardom. Each episode features Frank as a detective in the style of the day...part hardboiled and part comic relief. I hope you enjoy.

As most of us in America know, the beginning of the year marks the beginning of "tax season." One thing I love about this episode is the historical mention of Fibber's tax return not being due until March 15. Nowadays, our returns aren't due until April 15. There are plenty of other laughs in this episode, including the infamous hall closet clatter and bang.

This is Episode 38 of what is often regarded as the best show from the Old Time Radio era. Gunsmoke set the standard in many ways including the quality of the scripts, exceptional acting, and production quality. For example, the sound technician recorded star William Conrad walking in cowboy boots on a wooden deck built exactly like an old Dodge City store front deck, just to have an authentic sound for any time he needed to have Matt Dillon walking on a wooden deck.

X Minus One was one of the better science fiction anthology series that aired during the late 1950's. The series frequently featured stories by writers who eventually became legends in the genre and often covered popular themes such as robots, space travel and Martian invasions. In this story, it's possible you'll be offended by the 1950's way a man would strike a woman to snap her out of a hysteria. The rest is thought provoking if you consider the deeper meaning to the allegory...true of all good science fiction.

Our Miss Brooks was a series that aired first on radio and then both on TV and radio. Unlike many of the co-media series of the day, however, the Our Miss Brooks radio show was simply the audio from the TV series. In this episode, we find the usual cast of characters creating their typical mayhem, centered around Madison High School English teacher Constance Brooks, ever chasing after relatively clueless Biology teacher Mr. Boynton.

When Mel Blanc got his own radio show, he had already become world famous for being the voice of Bugs Bunny (among many others). While this series was funny on its own merits, you can't help but recognize that much of the writing was centered around giving Blanc a chance to show off his voice talents. There are several inside jokes in each episode, such as how the lodge president talks about dispatching his wife. Still and all, the show is quite enjoyable.

Fred Allen's show was not very typical of his time. He tended to avoid the standard variety format in favor of topical humor approached from several directions within the half-hour. Over the years, it became more or less a trademark that Allen would tell one of the scripted jokes and that would fall flat...only to have Fred ad lib some crack about how bad the joke was, getting a much bigger laugh in the process.

NBC ran the Rocky Fortune series for 25 episodes beginning in October 1953. This show was a "sustaining series," which means the network paid for all production costs so they could take care of Frank Sinatra's growing superstardom. Each episode features Frank as a detective in the style of the day...part hardboiled and part comic relief. I hope you enjoy.

As one of the original radio sitcoms, Fibber McGee and Molly holds a special place in radio history. This episode features the regular cast of characters paying their regular visits, all wrapped around Fibber not ordering more heating oil for the furnace.