Old Time Radio Show of the Week

Fibber McGee and Molly

March 7th 1939

McGee opens a new hamburger joint

Golden Age of Radio - Christmas

Here are some selected Christmas episodes from the great radio classics, The Great Gildersleeve, Fibber McGee and Molly, Jack Benny, Duffy's Tavern, Red Skelton, Bing Crosby, Dragnet, Martin and Lewis, Bob Hope and we finish it off with a version of "A Christmas Carol" from CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

Enjoy the fun and please visit my friend Buck Benny at his OTR podcast 

Golden Age of Radio - Halloween #3

Today our Halloween show is from Summerfield and The Great Gildersleeve

Great Gildersleeve Halloween Party

Originally aired 10/29/1947

NBC Radio

Gunsmoke on the Radio, Thanks Buck Benny

Here is another great episode from the  Golden Age of Radio's great western Gunsmoke.

This is provided to us by the Jack Benny Podcast of Buck Benny, a great podcaster and OTR master.

Many thanks to Buck for the promo and mention of this blog and myself, I can't tell you how thrilled I am to hear Buck talk about this blog and how good he thinks it is.   I hope all who find this blog will enjoy all the things I have to share and will visit Buck's podcast via the link I will post below.  Go follow him and tell him "Jim" sent ya!


Jack Benny Pocast by Buck Benny  OTR at its best. 

Also enjoy Buck's post of, The Great Gildersleeve, Suspense, Fred Allen, Dennis Day, Fibber McGee and Molly, Red Skelton, Phil Harris and Alice Faye and of course his wonderful podcast for The Jack Benny Show.



Gunsmoke 
"Brothers"
aired September 6th 1952 
CBS radio

Dick Beals, OTR Star, R.I.P.

Today was the sad passing of another star of the Golden Age of Radio and television, Richard "Dick" Beals.

Not being the best at writing about these things I will leave it to the experts like Mark Evanier who posted this brief but good obituary on Mr. Beals

Mr. Beals was famous for portraying young boys on the radio and in cartoon due to his youthful voice and never going through puberty.  He and Walter Tetley were the most called upon voice actors when a young boy was needed but so was a professional actor with the perfect voice.  Mr. Beals most famously portrayed Speedy the Alza Seltzer mascot in the 50s and 60s.

Thanks to my friend and OTR podcast master Buck Benny we have both Walter Tetley as Leroy and Dick Beals guesting as little Ronnie on the Great Gildersleeve radio show from September 23rd 1953.


 Also, from Buck Benny's Podcast the first regularly schedule episode of Gunsmoke "Billy The Kid" which featured Dick Beals as a young William Bonny aka Billy the Kid,

 Cartoon Brew highlights Mr. Beals work in cartoons and commercials in the 50s and 60s

The Golden Age of Radio - The Great Gildersleeve

This episode of the Great Gildersleeve is focused on the nephew of Gildy, Leroy, who is portrayed by child impersonator and wonderful voice actor Walter Tetley.

Tetley was famous for his portrayals of young boys on radio including Julius Abruzzio on The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show.  He had those concurrent roles on 2 of the most popular shows on radio.  He joined the Harris/Faye Show in 1948 and by the time it had finished its run on radio in 1954 he was nearly 40 years old.

He became well known to another generation of children from his role as Sherman the boy of Mr. Peabody on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show segment "Mr. Peabody's Improbable History".

Golden Age of Radio - The Great Gildersleeve

Our journey into the world of Old Time Radio takes us to 1941 and the audition show for The Great Gildersleeve.   Played by Harold Peary on "Fibber McGee and Molly", this was one of the first spinoffs in radio and featured Throckmorton P Gildersleeve who was a kind but bombast sort who enjoyed a good laugh and a good argument.
The Buck Benny Podcast brings us this show to kick off his weekly podcast of The Great Gildersleeve.

Surrounded by a great cast this was a one of the funniest and best written comedies of its day.