Times Past Old Time Radio

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Screen Guild Theater

The Screen Guild Theater was a popular radio anthology series during the Golden Age of Radio, broadcast from 1939 until 1952, with leading Hollywood actors performing in adaptations of popular motion pictures such as Going My Way and The Postman Always Rings Twice.

The show had a long run, lasting for 14 seasons and 527 episodes. It initially was heard on CBS from January 8, 1939 until June 28, 1948, continuing on NBC from October 7, 1948 until June 29, 1950. It was broadcast on ABC from September 7, 1950 to May 31, 1951 and returned to CBS on March 13, 1952. It aired under several different titles: The Gulf Screen Guild Show, The Gulf Screen Guild Theater, The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater and The Camel Screen Guild Theater.

George Murphy hosted the show in 1939. In 1940, Roger Pryor began hosting the show. The show began as a general variety show and later changed formats to include old time radio versions of popular films. It starred most of the big name Hollywood celebrities of the time.

Actors on the series included Ethel Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Eddie Cantor, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Bette Davis, Jimmy Durante, Nelson Eddy, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Johnny Mercer, Agnes Moorehead, Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore. Fees these actors would typically charge were donated to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, in order to support the creation and maintenance of the Motion Picture Country Home for retired actors.

The series came to an end on CBS June 29, 1952.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Old Radio Times for Mar-Apr 2011

Download pdf: http://www.otrr.org/plist/dl.php?id=24

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Dangerous Assignment

Brian Donlevy plays U.S. Government Agent Steve Mitchell who travels the globe investigating cases of espionage, sabotage and threats to National Security. The episodes are opened with “Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing though, trouble.”

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Broadcasting History Links

Elizabeth McLeod (born 1963) is a journalist and broadcast historian who lives and works on the coast of Maine.

McLeod has written numerous articles on radio pioneers and the history of early radio. Her articles have appeared in such publications as Nostalgia Digest, Journal of the Radio Historical Association of Colorado, and Radio Recall. She has contributed to (among others) Exploring Cultural History: Living Through the Great Depression and Encyclopedia of Radio. McLeod has also written liner notes for Radio Archives' Radio Legends: Matinee with Bob and Ray and other CD collections. McLeod made much of The Original Amos ’n’ Andy: Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll and the 1928–1943 Radio Serial available on the internet prior to its 2005 publication. A biography of radio's first major stars that examines their long-term impact on the medium, the book refutes frequent condemnations of the radio and television series. Between 1997 and 2006 she contributed over 800 scripts to the daily CBS Radio Network program "Sound*Bytes."

Monday, March 21, 2011

Hosiprog

Drama and features for free use by hospital radio stations, audio magazines for the blind and community radio stations.

"Dennis Rookard, the founder of Hosiprog, died on 2 March 2010, aged sixty-eight. A radio man through-and-through, he had worked as a journalist, presenter and producer for the BBC, LBC, Essex FM, the Forces Broadcasting Service and others. Hosiprog, the name under which he made and provided original drama for hospital radio throughout the world, was just one of his many, mostly unpaid, retirement activities.

Essex Audio Theatre and the Old Court Radio Theatre Company are continuing to produce and record original material for Hosiprog, with John Rhodes as recording engineer. For extremely practical reasons - plus the fact that we love TimesPast - we are moving the Hosiprog archive to this site. It will take some time, so please be patient.

Anyone is welcome to listen to the recordings, or to download them, and they may be broadcast freely by voluntary and community-run radio stations.

Enjoy!

Roger Johnson
("Magersfontein")"

Below is sample content from the Group, view all the postings here

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Snag-Documentaries

Holy Bible

BBC iPlayer

Clicker

Tunein Radio

Type in "Old Time Radio" in "Search" to pull up stations:

Crackle-Movies-TV

Friday, February 25, 2011

Orbiter X - (BBC) (1959)

This is taken from our Times Past SCIFI Group posted by member Riklaa

Into Orbit with the Space Pioneers
(Text Is Taken from Radio Times Edition Dated 25/09/59)
The new Light Programme serial beginning on Monday, 'Orbiter X', introduced here by B. D. CHAPMAN, the scriptwriter, tells the story of a bid to conquer space. With the arrival of the Russian moon probe in the lunar Sea of Serenity a fortnight ago, scientific fact and fiction have become curiously interwoven. The time cannot be far distant when man himself will be setting foot on the moon, but such an undertaking still poses major problems, not least of which is the question of fuel for the return trip.

At the present time, a rocket consumes the bulk of its fuel during its breakaway from the earth. To make the return trip possible, a refueling point or terminal will be required beyond the limits of the atmosphere. This dual purpose could be served by a space station which would also be equipped with facilities such as a space laboratory, workshops, an observatory and, of course, living accommodation for the crew. I believe that we shall see such a station taking shape within the course of the next ten years or so, and it is this possibility which has given me the background of the new serial.

'Orbiter X' is, in fact, the code name of an imaginary space station which is to orbit around the earth like a giant sputnik. It is based on designs which have been proposed by a number of eminent scientists and takes the familiar pattern of a giant wheel, the shape which has been particularly advocated by Dr. Wernher von Braun. Travelling in a polar orbit, it will rapidly cover the entire globe. Accommodation is provided inside the plastic, self-sealing rim of the wheel; synthetic gravity will be produced by a steady rotation around the central hub.

When I first suggested the idea of the series to the BBC, I was asked what age group of listeners I would have in mind when I started writing the scripts. I said that I felt the programme could interest listeners of all ages, so long as the technical details and the action were kept within the realms of possibility.

The story opens, therefore, in the not far distant future when the prefabricated components of the space station have been rocketed into orbit. They are about to be assembled by the space pioneers who must work in vacuum, a thousand miles above the surface of the earth. The work is being carried out by an imaginary organisation bearing the label Commonwealth Space Project, with headquarters at Woomera in Australia.

How will the spacemen react to their strange new environment? The producer, Charles Maxwell, is aiming at authenticity in his production of the serial, and in the first episode we shall accompany our leading characters as they experience zero gravity and its consequent weightlessness. When they step into space you will perhaps share their emotions and remember that they are pioneers whose quiet determination
must match the spirit of the great explorers of the past.

The members of the space crew are played by John Carson, Andrew Crawford and Barrie Gosney, and towards the end of their first rehearsal the effects of playing a rather breathless scene inside their studio 'space helmets' helped them to achieve a remarkable sense of realism. A highly efficient and enthusiastic team led by Harry Morriss is providing special sound effects. As many as forty different recorded effects spin from the hands of Harry's assistant, Ian Cook, during the course of the first episode - four of five effects sometimes being blended together to produce one particular sound. For myself, I am hoping that the serial will not be outdated by the News before it starts!

Info Taken from http://www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/radio/orbiterx.htm
Info on that page researched by Kim Stevens.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
According the the whirligig website Orbiter X was broadcast in 14
episodes. I have never seen a 14 episode version of this and only have 4
80-90 minute files.
File Type: MPEG 2 Layer III
Bit Rate: 40kbps
Frequency: 22050Hz
Channels: Mono

Orbiter X 1of4.mp3

Orbiter X 2of4.mp3

Orbiter X 3of4.mp3

Orbiter X 4of4.mp3

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Andrews Sisters

The Andrews Sisters were a prolific and hugely successful close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras, consisting of three actual sisters: LaVerne, Maxene and Patty – Laverne Sophia, contralto and redhead (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967); Maxene Angelyn, soprano and brunette (January 3, 1916 – October 21, 1995); and Patricia Marie "Patty" Andrews, mezzo-soprano, lead singer, and blonde (born February 16, 1918). Their harmonies and songs are still influential today, and have been covered by entertainers such as Bette Midler, the Puppini Sisters and Christina Aguilera. Throughout their long career, the sisters sold well over 75 million records (the last official count released by MCA Records in the mid-1970s). The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Their hit "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" can be considered an early example of rhythm and blues or jump blues.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Orbit One Zero (BBC)

ORBIT ONE ZERO was a science fiction radio drama, in six 30-minute parts, presented by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The plot involves the search for a source of gamma radiation in space and the discovery of a mysterious cylinder on a remote island. The cylinder quickly takes center stage but a connection to the radiation source becomes important to the final resolution of the story.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Friends And Neighbors (SA)

South African comedy show about Harry and Thelma Duff played by Jim Williams and Valarie Miller-Brown

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Rick Nelson

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor. He placed fifty-three songs on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1957 and 1973, including nineteen top-ten hits, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 21, 1987.

Nelson began his entertainment career in 1949 playing himself in the radio sitcom series, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and, in 1952, appeared in his first feature film, Here Come the Nelsons. In 1957, he recorded his first single, debuted as a singer on the television version of the sitcom, and recorded a number one album, Ricky. In 1958, Nelson recorded his first number one single, "Poor Little Fool", and, in 1959, received a Golden Globe Most Promising Male Newcomer nomination after starring in the western film, Rio Bravo. A few films followed, and, when the television series was canceled in 1966, Nelson made occasional appearances as a guest star on various television programs.

Nelson and Sharon Kristin Harmon were married on April 20, 1963, and divorced in December 1982. They had four children: Tracy Kristine, twin sons Gunnar Eric and Matthew Gray, and Sam Hilliard. On February 14, 1981, a son was born to Nelson and Georgeann Crewe. A blood test in 1985 confirmed Nelson was the child's father. Nelson was engaged to Helen Blair at the time of his death in an airplane crash on December 31, 1985.

Related
Ozzie and Harriet

Monday, February 14, 2011

Dad's Army (podcast)

Web Site

SCI-FI Radio (NPR)

Sci-Fi Radio from 1989 was an anthology of magazine short story adaptations, with a pretty good choice of the stories. A favorite of many was "Houston, Houston, Do You Read", by James Tiptree, Jr. The series consisted of 26 weekly half-hour shows produced by Kevin Singer. Acting is usually stiff, which distracts from the stories, but the production is very well done and listenable on radio. Aired on NPR playhouse and other stations. Following is a list of the plays included in the series and the author of the original story.

* I'm Scared, Jack Finney
* Dark Benediction, Walter M. Miller
* Light of Other Days, Bob Shaw
* Sales Pitch, Philip K. Dick
* Diary of the Rose, Ursula K. LeGuin
* Frost and Fire, Ray Bradbury
* The Cold Equations, Tom Godwin
* Sundance, Robert Silverberg
* Shape, Robert Sheckley
* The Twonky, Henry Kuttner
* Yanque Doodle, James Tiptree, Jr.

* Close Encounter with the Deity, Michael Bishop
* Wall of Darkness, Arthur C. Clarke
* Vintage Season, Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore
* The Grantha Sighting, Avram Davidson
* Call Me Joe, Poul Anderson
* Imposter, Philip K. Dick
* Field of Vision, Ursula K. LeGuin
* Houston, Houston, Do You Read?*, James Tiptree, Jr.
* Home Is The Hangman, Roger Zelazny
* The Ballad of Lost C'Mell, Cordwainer Smith

These were recorded off the radio and vary in quality.

Zip file is under miscellaneous. To play or download a single file just click on it, this opens up play page. Then click on any file to play and download link for selection is at bottom right of page.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Times Past Huffduffer Podcast

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 – March 5, 1963), born Virginia Patterson Hensley, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s. Since her death in 1963 at age 30 in a private airplane crash at the height of her career, she has been considered one of the most influential, successful, and acclaimed female vocalists of the 20th century.

Cline was best known for her rich tone and emotionally expressive bold contralto voice, which, along with her role as a mover and shaker in the country music industry, has been cited as an inspiration by many vocalists of various music genres. Her life and career have been the subject of numerous books, movies, documentaries, articles and stage plays.

Her hits included "Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces," "She's Got You," "Crazy," and "Sweet Dreams." Posthumously, millions of her albums have sold over the past 50 years. She has been given numerous awards, which have given her an iconic status with some fans similar to that of legends Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Ten years after her death, she became the first female solo artist inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

In 2002, Cline was voted by artists and members of the country music industry as number one on CMT's television special, The 40 Greatest Women of Country Music, and in 1999 she was voted number 11 on VH1's special The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll by members and artists of the rock industry. She was also ranked 46th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of all Time." According to her 1973 Country Music Hall of Fame plaque, "Her heritage of timeless recordings is testimony to her artistic capacity."

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