famous radio personalities 1940s famous radio personalities 1940s

The Shadow, a crime drama, also had a loyal following. By 1944 it had been renamed the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). View More. Some stars and programs from the last years of American radios Golden Age successfully transferred to televisionfor instance, the comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen, the soap opera The Guiding Light, the situation comedy Father Knows Best, the police drama Dragnet, and the western Gunsmoke. The growth in radio provided a large audience for various voices in cultural and political criticism. The radio as a form of entertainment grew in popularity in the 1920s United States. Men were often out of work, stressed by their situation, and maybe even on the road for long periods looking for job opportunities. For example, during Bing Crosbys tenure as host of The Kraft Music Hall, the talent and staff were hired by the Kraft food companys advertising firm, the J. Walter Thompson agency. "Pride of the Marines," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring John Garfield; airdate June 15, 1946. Raised on Radio. Andy: Hol' dat bucket o' milk dere while I pour some water in it. His special comedic style allowed the joke to be at his expense, instead of at the expense of others. News programs and commentary provided direct challenges to long-held views, likewise many "entertainment" programs provided cultural criticism. The complex drama was both criticized for its racial insensitivity and lauded for showing a humanistic portrait of a particular subset of society (from Charles J. Correll and Freeman F. Gosden. History of American Journalism Many advertisers made themselves known by eventually adopting the practice of combining their name with the name of the star or the title of the program, as with Camel Caravan, sponsored by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, or A&P Gypsies, sponsored by the largest American grocery-store chain at the time. Besides escape, the radio also brought the news and President Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. Remembering the Chicago radio deejays of the sixties Famous Radio Personalities 1950's - MountainReggaeRadio.com Radio was born. Kaltenborn, Edward R. Murrow, William L. Shirer, and Eric Severeid. 6 World War II Propaganda Broadcasters - HISTORY Andy: Now, lissen yere, Amosdon't never try to tell me whut to do or whut not to do. Fireside Politics: Radio and Political Culture in the United States, 1920-1940, by Douglas B. Craig "Remembering the LadiesA Salute to the Women of Early Radio," by Donna L. Halper, "Popular Communications," January 1999. Haile Selassie (1892 - 1975) Emperor of Ethiopia 1930 - 1974. Many of the 1930s programs would set the standard for programming in all media for the rest of the century. HYLAND: My God, we've got it! Hattie McDaniel took over in Nov of 1947. Radio producers experimented with different ways to deliver the news. It was on the roof of the original Riechman-Crosby Building at Beale and Front Street. Top 20 Black Radio Jockeys Of All Time - NewsOne famous radio personalities 1940s religious interview questions and answers sharleen spiteri ashley heath . Many of the comic-strip-based programs that became popular radio shows during the Golden Age of Radio are still part of American culture at the start of the twenty-first century. A license would be issued only if the public interest, convenience or necessity was served. The price was a steep, but often worthwhile, investment for families that were foregoing most other forms of paid entertainment. Regional differences in the United States began to diminish as radio, hand-in-hand with mass production and mass consumerism, grew through the decade. Radio Days. In response to the election, the Spanish military formed a military government, exiled the leaders of the group, and attempted to isolate the various local groups that supported the Popular Front. New York: Free Press, 1996. The less expensive radio model made radios a household item. From Needletime to the Peel Sessions These American-born fascists included . In 1933 Edwin Howard Armstrong produced the first FM transmitter and receiver, although it was six years before an FM station would air. The National Association of Broadcasters created standards of performance and objectivity that spawned discussion and that evolved throughout the rest of the twentieth century. 10 Legendary Vintage Black Radio DJs - Radio Facts Radio itself was not brand new in the 1930s, but it is during this time that it became an integral part of the lives of Americans. A pioneer in radio, Kaltenborn was first on the air in 1921 and by the 1930s he was a regular newscaster reporting on the Spanish Civil War in 1936. By the start of the 1940s, most of the best-known radio shows came from Hollywood. Listen to the radio news, watch television news, and read a newspaper all on the same day. *I <3 Allens Alley* His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it was only part of his appeal; radio historian John Dunning (in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio) wrote that Allen was radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. A 1939 poll indicated almost one-fourth of the population usually listened to the chats while almost 40 percent sometimes listened, adding up to almost 65 percent of the population. A refinement of this was created by another company, C.E. Nachmann, Gerald. An episode of The Bob Hope Show, starring Bob Hope and featuring Les Brown and His Band of Renown; recorded at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, January 9, 1951. Decoder rings enabled listeners to decipher messages given in code language during episodes of the program. It's since gone on to experiment with other formats, added sports in the 1940s and adopted a personality driven, live-host music format in the '60s and '70s. 2. Murrow's broadcasts during the Battle of Britain were often accompanied by air raid sirens or bomb explosions. The "Adventures of Superman" went on to both television and film success. Radio became the central communication vehicle of the Depression especially including Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. By 1948, his program received higher ratings than Fred Allen or Jack Benny. British husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman (1891-1958) and Benita Hume (1906-1967) starred in both versions of the show. When war between Germany and the United Kingdom was declared, Murrow reported firsthand. October 1999. Adam Carolla. The success of this show established Hollywood as a major centre of radio production. The disc jockey became important in Chicago radio during the 1930s, well before the term "disc jockey" was coined in the 1940s. You is de one dat's got take de milk in to him. The FCC was created to regulate communication services and rates and license radio stations. Politicians and critics used the media to comment as well as to convince. . Early ads promoted an institutional image in a style later common to public radios underwriting announcements. Hilmes, Michele and Jason Loviglio. Later in the 1930s as Spain descended into civil war, radio became pivotal in rallying the forces opposing the military government. The immediacy of information had the added impact of making the entire world feel like one's neighborhood. 1. Radio in the 1930s established the framework for broadcasting for the rest of the twentieth century. Radio was the best buy for escape and information during hard times. Old genres of entertainment, such as vaudeville, which was a form of live entertainment consisting of various short acts including songs and comedy routines, were adapted for radio, and new genres were developed for the emerging media. They also complained that political conventions were organized for the benefit of radio, rather than to facilitate substantive political discussion. Programming was innovative and daring, with pioneers exploring new ways of making the medium of radio captivating. The addition of two more frequencies, 619 kHz in December 1921 and 750 kHz in August 1922, helped somewhat, but most larger cities had far more than three stations and thus continued to use shared-time arrangements. 1940s: TV and Radio | Encyclopedia.com 1940s radio show hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Programs became fixed in quarter-hour and half-hour blocks and featured a wide variety of formats. Bolino, August C. From Depression to War: American Society in Transition1939. Choosing just the top 10 radio presenters of all time was hard enough, so take the following with a pinch of salt. Music full, then down and out). My watch stopped I'll get it. Radio was a burgeoning and competitive field. Hillard, Robert L and Michael C. Keith. A master ad libber, Allen often tangled with his network's executives (and often barbed them on the air over the battles), while developing routines the style and substance of which influenced contemporaries and futures among comic talents, including Groucho Marx, Stan Freberg, Henry Morgan and Johnny Carson, but his fans also included President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and novelists William Faulkner, John Steinbeck and Herman Wouk (who began his career writing for Allen). Marjorie Finlay also had her own TV show, which had viewership in the USA and Europe. In 1949, he wins the National Leagues Most Valuable Player Award. Many of the production companies employed correspondents who wrote back with suggestions. In addition the rise of communism and fascism (dictatorships) in Europe was increasingly causing alarm in the United States. Soon the reports made clear that the entire world had been invaded by Martians who planned on taking over the planet. Indeed, as radio became more and more of a business, station owners banded together to seek stronger government licensing regulation. As radio developed, daytime shows such as soap operas and childrens programs generally ran 15 minutes. Andy: Let him git mad wid you. Roosevelt believed he needed to keep close contact with the American people given the severe hardships many were suffering through the Great Depression and ensuring as much support as possible for his New Deal programs. Mark Levin. One of Hollywood's greatest celebrities was columnist Louella Parsons. They believed that America should not get involved. In the November 1936 election President Roosevelt used the radio much more effectively than opponent Alf Landon, which partially contributed to Roosevelt's victory. New York: Routledge, 2001. The first, delivered on March 12, 1933, only eight days after Roosevelt took office, attracted more 17 million families. Advertisers also found a new medium for promoting their goods nationwide. Arthur Bernard Leaner was a professional radio DJ and record label owner that broke significant ground for Black music in Chicago between 1940 . Given the impacts of the Great Depression on the average citizen's entertainment budget, it seemed that everyone in America turned to radio for entertainment in the 1930s. Andy: Wait a minute, yere, son. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Hooper. National laws are needed to complete that program. The Adventures of Maisie (aka Maisie) was a radio comedy series starring Ann Sothern as underemployed entertainer Maisie Ravier, a spin-off of Sothern's successful 1939-1947 Maisie movie series. "Hold Back the Dawn," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring Olivia de Havilland; airdate July 31, 1946. The Depression listening public followed the exploits of "Babe" Ruth, Lou Gehrig ("The Iron Horse"), the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame football players, female track star Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, the boxer Joe Louis ("The Brown Bomber"), and others. Kennedy's good looks and calm demeanor won over many supporters following a live televised debate. Radio then morphed into radio formats . Tonight, sitting at my desk in the White House, I make my first radio report to the people in my second term of office. Theater emerged as a popular genre on radio. A band remote broadcast of Benny Goodman and his orchestra, with vocalist Martha Tilton, from the Madhattan Room of the Hotel Pennsylvania, New York City; airdate November 4, 1937. The development of networks and production centres. Radio emerged as an important method of disseminating news during the 1930s. Originally employed as a print journalist, McBride hosted an extremely popular daily radio program during the late 1930s, the 1940s, and the 1950s. "It probably was in 1970 or '71 when a radio station in Manistee started playing Rock and Roll," Kittleson says. CBS sent Murrow to London in the 1930s and it was from there that he began a series of memorable broadcasts. Boston: Little, Brown, 1969. View More. Radio comedies, however, were limited to minstrel-style shows performed by white artists. Popular soap operas received thousands of letters from women asking for help with real-life problems. The decade started off in 1921 with just 5 radio stations in the country but ended with 606 stations. (Tone) (The sob is audible now) When you hear the signal the time will be (Pause) twelve o'clock. "Death Crosses the River," an episode of the western series Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd; airdate April 14, 1951. Not everyone approved of the escapism of radio. In radios earliest days, Hollywood did not provide network programming, with rare exceptions. One master of the use of radio was Father Charles Edward Coughlin. Sports played a major role in the escapism from the Great Depression. The original radio show, co-starring Lucille Ball, was the initial basis for what evolved into the groundbreaking TV sitcom I Love Lucy. Orson Welles Actor | Citizen Kane His father, Richard Head Welles, was a well-to-do inventor, his mother, Beatrice (Ives) Welles, a beautiful concert pianist . Radio, with its thrillers and mysteries, classical theater and musical performances, and slapstick and silliness, provided a means of escaping the dreariness of life. Though only relatively wealthy Americans owned radios a decade earlier, in the 1930s radios became a common appliance owned by the majority of Americans Not only would Americans share in the hardship caused by the Depression and in the solutions offered by the New Deal, but also in fads which themselves provided further escape from the Depression. 22 Feb. 2023 . Radio was used to communicate political positions, and to show support of, and against, politicians. Amos: He tol' you to milk de cowhe didn't tell me to do it. Stars of the stage, including theater stars and musical groups, became the stars of radio, with performers such as Edgar Bergen, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Kate Smith, Guy Lombardo, Orson Welles, Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant, and Humphrey Bogart gracing the airwaves. We'll fill dat up wid water. (Tone. KSTP in St. Paul Minnesota covered a wedding in a hot air balloon for its listeners. Wellss science-fiction tale The War of the Worlds created panic when listeners failed to hear the disclaimer and believed Martians actually were invading Earth. Critics complained that the use of radio deterred thoughtful analysis of political issues. National stories including those of the Depression and progress of New Deal programs let people see the problems and success stories As radio came into its own, it discovered the major issues that would continue to challenge it into the future. They were a good investmentafter the initial expense, the family was able to enjoy drama, comedy, quiz shows, the news, and more for free in the comfort of their homes. HYLAND: An innocent boy is going to die in one minute. Paul Harvey: The End of the Story - TIME (Tone) (Her voice starts to break) When you hear the tone the time will be eleven fifty-nine and three-quarters. I am reminded of that evening in March, four years ago, when I made my first radio report to you. Detroits WXYZ became a major force in 1933 with popular shows such as The Lone Ranger. The amount of listening leisure time during the Depression and popularity of radios in this pre-television period provided a golden opportunity for many programs to capture America's imagination. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, The Marlin Hurt and Beulah Show, with Hurt still in the role. Millions of Americans listened to his weekly radio broadcast.