The Good Old Days of Radio Show

This is a compelling story of a family that survived a cataclysmic event, when a passing meteorite pulls the earth out of Axis and away from the sun. It is a story that is at the same time claustrophobic, about a family clinging to life in "the nest," and vast, as they must go to fetch frozen air in the frozen wastes in order to keep breathing. It's from the pen of Fritz Leiber, writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

It's episode 11 of 15 for the Stan Freberg Show today, the last network comedy show. In this episode, the star sportscaster "Cliff Les Hutley" from the dressing room of Bearcat Panther Tigers, a trombone playing dog, and Bang Gunley, US Marshal. Inventive radio from a time when all eyes were glued to TV. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Another great science fiction story today from one of our favorite writers of the Golden Age and beyond, Ray Bradbury. This is may be his best time travel story, about a couple from the future, who travel back in time to escape the horrors of a world consumed by war. They are being pursued though, by an agent from the future who is attempting to send them back. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Broadcasting from San Francisco, Jack and the gang are back. This is one of the few episodes we've played so far in our journey through this series where Jack and the cast are on stage performing the show, a staple of Jack Benny from the early years, which was like a variety program of the earlier vaudeville format. Joining them is the Academy Award winning actress Jane Wyman. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

We begin a new series this week, with science fiction stories that are still as imaginative, mind-blowing, and entertaining as they were originally written. Our first stop is an author who is best-known for his i-Robot/Foundations series, Isaac Asimov. This is his riveting stand-alone short story all about cancer, and the "real" cause of cancer, that will have you scratching your head--and wondering if he is right. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Groucho Marx is back with George Fenneman in the hugely popular radio/TV show about men and women betting and guessing. But mostly about getting a chance to exchange quips with Groucho. We're once again in the early Desoto years with this episode, and John talks about how the TV and radio show differed, and the famous "duck." Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

After WWII, and before "The Great Escape," radio gave us "Four Went Home," a great little condensed story about some POWs who decide to break out of a Nazi prison camp. It was written by a name that keeps coming up synonymous with excellent tales of adventure and horror in later years, Antony Ellis. This is our tribute to Memorial Day, and the bravery and sacrifice of all of our Armed Forces from all times. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Bob Hope playing Superman? Yes, Command Performance ventures into its second comic hero spoof. This one stars Hope as Clark Kent (A.K.A. Superman), Paulette Goddard, and features the inspired casting of Bela Lugosi as the Man of Steel's nemesis, Dr. Bikini, and his minion, Professor Atoll, played by the comic character actor Sterling Holloway (perhaps best remembered as the voice of Disney's "Winnie-the-Pooh"). Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today Mickey Rooney stars as an expelled student who discovers the brutal murder of his stepmother and, assuming it was committed by his father, frames himself for the crime. However, he soon realizes his father is innocent, and he has taken the rap for the true perpetrator. This is the 10th and final tale by mystery writer Cornell Woolrich, and another incredible dramatization from the radio series "Suspense." Joining us one final time for this series is researcher Dr. Joe Webb. Joe Webb's Blog Post: https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2024/02/1949-04-28-lie.html Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 If you don't do Facebook, we’re also on Gab: https://gab.com/OldRadio Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Nightbeat was a noir-style suspenseful melodrama from the early 1950s, and a vehicle for the actor Frank Lovejoy. We featured Frank Lovejoy in last Thursday's episode, so we're showing you his showcase series, where he played a newspaper reporter searching the night for unusual human interest stories. This is the first episode of this series, which was created at a time when NBC was attempting to innovate to combat television and the recent CBS talent raids. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today's story is a grim departure from Cornell Woolrich's usual man-on-the-run suspenseful mystery, as we plunge into the gloomy world of New Orleans, voodoo, and jazz music. This is an extraordinary production of the Cornell Woolrich story, "Papa Benjamin," about a bandleader who steals an unholy rhythm, and gets a curse put upon him, which leads him to the edge of madness. Dr. Joe Webb is here with us again to discuss this story as our journey through the work of Cornell Woolrich nears its end. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 If you don't do Facebook, we’re also on Gab: https://gab.com/OldRadio Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Another East Coast vintage comedy program this week. Fred Allen was far, far more mainstream than the programs we featured for the preceding two weeks, and he is probably best known for his "Allen's Alley" segment. But like Henry Morgan and It Pays To Be Ignorant, many of these jokes tended toward topical and regional. Though this type of humor was considered bleeding-edge at the time, it unfortunately pushes Allen's shows more into the area of historically interesting. Enough of the jokes do still make sense to make this a fun, timeless show to listen to. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

It begins with a train wreck, and an unhappy woman who assumes the identity of a burn victim. But how long can she continue this charade? That's the premise of today's story by mystery writer Cornell Woolrich. Our very special guest researcher Dr. Joe Webb is with us again to discuss this episode of the radio series "Suspense" from 1946 which stars Susan Peters, whose own tragic backstory lends a dark undertone to this story. Joe Webb's Blog Post: https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/09/1946-12-12-they-call-me-patrice.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Peters An interesting post from Library of Congress about Susan Peters's TV show: https://blogs.loc.gov/now-see-hear/2023/02/discovering-tvs-miss-susan/ Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 If you don't do Facebook, we’re also on Gab: https://gab.com/OldRadio Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Like last week's Henry Morgan Show, we are again featuring zany East Coast comedians. This week, a "lost" episode of It Pays To Be Ignorant from February 16, 1945. This one is another onslaught, machine-gun round of rapid-fire Dad jokes, some of them hitting so fast, by the time you get it you are halfway through the next one. We are happy to be able to save and resuscitate this weird brand of long-forgotten comedy. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today on the podcast, a woman learns that her husband won a lottery. The only problem is, the ticket is in the pocket of his coat... buried with his body. So begins a story with a darkly comic bent from the pen of Cornell Woolrich, the king of the pulps all throughout the 1940s. Agnes Moorehead (best remembered for her intense performance on "Sorry Wrong Number") stars, and Dr. Joe Webb joins us for this divisive story from 1946. Joe Webb's Blog Post: https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/07/1946-04-04-post-mortem.html Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 If you don't do Facebook, we’re also on Gab: https://gab.com/OldRadio Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today, the second episode of the fully produced half-hour Henry Morgan Show. This episode is a non-stop barrage of wise-cracks, crazy voices, and weird musical interludes. Who cares if one bombed? It was on to the next so fast, it didn't matter. This is before Morgan got a sponsor for the show, so like the later Stan Freberg Show, he gets a chance to invent mock commercials for non-existing products that alone are worth the price of admission. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

What would you do if you knew your spouse was a wanted criminal? To make matters worse, she was a fire starter and you were an insurance investigator? That's the dilemma of the protagonist in this story by the popular mystery writer we are featuring all this month on the podcast, Cornell Woolrich. We are pleased to be joined once again by radio researcher Dr. Joe Webb to discuss today's story from 1949, which stars Fredric March. Joe Webb's Blog Post: https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/03/1943-12-09-night-reveals.html https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/07/1946-04-18-night-reveals.html Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 If you don't do Facebook, we’re also on Gab: https://gab.com/OldRadio Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we are venturing into the world of 1957 sci-fi. The story is called "The Coffin Cure," by physician turned science fiction writer Alan E. Nourse. A cure for the common cold has been found, but it's pushed out to the public a little too quickly, with unpleasant side effects (sounds like something ripped out of modern day headlines). The whole tone of this story is tongue-in-cheek satire, and the performances push this one even further over-the-top than the original Nourse story. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Actor Jack Webb was best known for his persuasive portrayal of police Sergeant Joe Friday. Today we get to hear Jack Webb as a criminal. The story is another in our 10-week tribute to the prolific pulp mystery writer and novelist Cornell Woolrich. Joining us once again to discuss this story is researcher Dr. Joe Webb (no relation to Jack Webb or Joe Friday). Joe Webb's Blog Post: https://suspenseproject.blogspot.com/2023/09/1947-03-13-you-take-ballistics.html Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 If you don't do Facebook, we’re also on Gab: https://gab.com/OldRadio Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

The following story is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. We bring you "Dragnet," the granddaddy of all true crime police procedurals. Jack Webb was the mastermind behind the series that showed the boys in blue in a heroic light after many years of media mockery. This is an early episode of the series, and the first to feature the famous Dragnet theme. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD