famous radio personalities 1940s

Many had more leisure time on their hands, but less money to spend. New York still had a bustling radio community, but the Chicago shows began moving to one coast or the other. 22 Feb. 2023 . New York: The Free Press, 1991. Ely, Melvin Patrick. Productions were often broadcast during "prime time" evening hours so families could enjoy the shows together. The change of one vote would have thrown all the affairs of this great Nation back into hopeless chaos. Clifton Fadiman was an editor, author and well-known radio and television personality. Radio entertainment played on the imagination of the listeners by creating visions of the action and characters portrayed. Radio was used to communicate political positions, and to show support of, and against, politicians. There were several great radio theater companies during the 1930s including Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre on the Air, the Lux Radio Theatre, Screen Guide Theatre, and Studio One, later known as the Ford Theater. official reviewing the program material and determining what might be morally or politically objectionable to the public. Prestige anthology shows brought together writers such as Archibald MacLeish and Norman Corwin with actors from the legitimate stage such as Helen Hayes and Orson Welles, and film-based anthology shows such as The Lux Radio Theatre and Academy Award Theater featured movie stars of the day reading live radio versions of their motion-picture roles. Discuss how radio changed America's response to the war in Europethe war that would eventually become World War II. These are some of the most famous black Radio DJs on the planet. The expansion of radio also played a key role in this change of national character. . Hysterical people hid in basements, and listeners called the police to volunteer in the fight against evil invaders. Bruccoli, Mathrew J. and Richard Layman. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Between 1941 and 1945, Americans tuned in to listen to breaking news from Europe, hearing about major battles and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii just moments after the actual events. The public found radio to be the most accessible form of entertainment and information available. By the early 1930s Coughlin's broadcasts shifted to economic and political commentary. Episode 2 of the children's science-fiction series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century; unknown airdate, 1932. Mark Levin. Coughlin was highly popular in the early 1930s with his radio program attracting an estimated 30 to 45 million listeners each week. With the plays and movies represented on the radio many engaged with U.S. developments in the arts through the Great Depression. Children would mail in a label and a modest amount of money for the ring. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Sound effects were created in the most innovative ways. Four yeas ago action did not come until the eleventh hour. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc., 1997, pp. In the 1930s specialists in radio sound effects emerged to provide that critical element of escapism for those many listeners hoping to escape from the daily problems of coping with the Depression. WKN New evidence has been sent to us by Alfred Cowles, Jr. that his father Alfred L. Cowles, Sr. started WKN, the first Memphis radio station in 1921. In 1983 a television movie, "Special Bulletin" used the broadcast format to tell the fictional story of a nuclear explosion in South Carolina, and, despite regular disclaimers, caused some concern and panic. Bandleader Ozzie Nelson, who later married his vocalist Harriet Hilliard, became a radio phenomenon in the 1930s and went on to become a television phenomenon in "Ozzie and Harriet.". See more ideas about old time radio, radio, golden age of radio. During the '50s the program was retooled into the Lux Video Theater for TV. Best, Gary Dean. Allin Slate: An early leader in Los Angeles sports radio from the 1940s through the 1960s. As censorship became stricter toward the end of the 1930s, the networks ruled that there could be no more jokes about nudity. 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 was an inexpensive way to keep up with news events of the Great Depression and farming news, and provided a ready means for escape from the economic hard times through sports broadcasts and entertainment programs. The original radio show, co-starring Lucille Ball, was the initial basis for what evolved into the groundbreaking TV sitcom I Love Lucy. Jean Colbert (?1995). FM (or frequency modulation) radio did not experience a similar reduction in sound . Like The Whistler, the program had an opening whistle theme with footsteps. Read; Edit; View history; More. One master of the use of radio was Father Charles Edward Coughlin. One study showed that more than 15 million Americans listened to Coughlin each month, and more than half of them approved of what he said. Body crumples) There; now he'll be quiet for a minute. Disc jockey Comic strips had long provided a shared form of entertainment in America. You ain't got no bizness shootin' de milk on de ground. We ought to tell him. Indeed, many objected to the commercialization of radio, among them Herbert Hoover, who said in 1924, I believe the quickest way to kill broadcasting would be to use it for direct advertising. Strong arguments were made opposing the invasion of peoples homes with commerce (although newspapers and magazines had done so for more than a century) on the grounds that it would lead to entertainment programs pitched to the mass audience, thereby limiting radios potential educational and social benefits. As more world leaders and their opposition realized that, they were able, increasingly, to take advantage of it to reach millions of prospective supporters for their programs and causes. Networks competed to hire famous conductors, orchestras, and soloists. As the Great Depression deepened in the United States and around the world in the early 1930s, reliance on radio increased. The series was heard on CBS Radio, NBC Radio, the Mutual Radio Network, and on Mutual flagship radio station WHN in NYC. Similarly crime dramas were also popular, with shows like "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Green Hornet.". Bergmeier, Horst J. Hitler's Airwaves: The Inside Story of Nazi Radio Broadcasting and Propaganda Swing. Russo, Alexander. . In 1936 she donned her soon-to-be-famous sarong for her debut at Paramount, The Jungle Princess (1936), and . Advertisers were creative in positioning products. Please be aware, presenters aren't ranked in order. Radio, In September of 1895, Guglielmo Marconi, a young Italian inventor, pioneered wireless telegraphy when he transmitted a message to his brother, who wa Grote Reber, Grote Reber Grote Reber Grote Reber (born 1911) was a radio engineer who became interested in radio astronomy as a hobby. Welles's Mercury Theatre on the Air. Radio played an important role in politics during the Depression. 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. Johnny Otis Collection (SC 106) Over 800 radio programs of black popular music (live and prerecorded), hosted by Johnny Otis, and featuring live interviews with blues and rhythm & blues artists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Regional differences in the United States began to diminish as radio, hand-in-hand with mass production and mass consumerism, grew through the decade. His last radio show was in 1955. Women were the key listeners during the daytime, so household products such as soap were eager advertisers for those time slots. Other forms of paid entertainment had become prohibitively expensive in the lean times, and so Americans turned to radio. The list was selected from more than 300 nominees plus write-ins and was announced at a reception in honor of . Marjorie Finlay was an American television personality and opera singer. Grote Reber Radio comedies, however, were limited to minstrel-style shows performed by white artists. For example candidates for public office must be treated equally and sponsors must be identified. Radio stations in nearby Morocco and the Canary Islands broadcasted in support of the rebels, and rebel resistance grew. Radio producers experimented with different ways to deliver the news. Arthur Bernard Leaner was a professional radio DJ and record label owner that broke significant ground for Black music in Chicago between 1940 . . As would become true with television in later decades, frequently used expressions from popular programs became part of the vernacular, and people arranged their personal schedules, as they later did with television, around their favourite programs. When war between Germany and the United Kingdom was declared, Murrow reported firsthand. Welles went on to a legendary career in film; in his film directing debut, the classic Citizen Kane, he used many of the techniquesand peoplehe knew from radio. Garner, Joe. Our story begins in the 1920s, when networks began to sponsor a few hours of weekly programming for Black audiences, including live musical and theatrical performances. Amos: : Wait a minuteyou can't do dat wid de stuff. Writer-producer-director Norman Corwin, one of radio's brightest talents, ruefully made the point that radio's most creative era was "the shortest golden age in history." During its brief heyday, however, dramatic radio thrived and was a vital part of . There was so much competition for listeners that children's shows offered premiums such as decoder rings and badges to lure their young audience. Advertisers also found a new medium for promoting their goods nationwide. During American radio's Golden Age, much of the programming heard by listeners was controlled by advertising agencies . Andy: On second thought, yere, we better not tell him nothin' 'bout losin' part o' de milk 'cause I don' want him jumpin' all over me. Radio of the 1930s provided a blueprint for the understanding and expectations of media for the rest of the century. Two types of music were banned when Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933: swing and jazz. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing for more than two decades, a majority of prime-time network programs were actually created by advertising agencies employed by sponsors. 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. Age: 70. His special comedic style allowed the joke to be at his expense, instead of at the expense of others. German Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels was reportedly very sensitive to the enormous impact that radio could have. Radio became so popular during the Depression that some psychologists grew concerned over the increasing amount of time and attention spent listening to radio. While classical music was important to the success of early radio, not everyone liked the side effects. Even in the 1990s and early twenty-first century presidents Bill Clinton (served 19932001) and George W. Bush (served 2001) used weekly radio broadcasts to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (served 19331945) immediately seized on the popularity of radio with his series of Fireside Chats that he conducted beginning in the second week of his presidency. Actors would appear on the show to plug their movies, and sometimes would appear in brief versions of their movies on "Hollywood Hotel." We were then in the midst of the great banking crisis. News programs and commentary provided direct challenges to long-held views, likewise many "entertainment" programs provided cultural criticism. The 1950s was a decade of change for radio. Those who answered were then asked to name the radio program to which they were currently listening, if any. Have von (H.V.) He was the radio quiz show host of 'Information Please!', chief editor at Simon & Schuster, and literary editor of The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s and 1940s, among other employments. Kaltenborn, and William Shirer broadcast reports of the bombing of London and the German occupation of continental Europe, the view of many Americans began to change. "Ruggles of Red Gap," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring Charles Laughton; airdate June 8, 1946. We've got it! That is some serious growth! Early Years, 1920s-1940s. In fact lower income families were most likely to listen to it on a daily basis. An episode of the variety series The Kraft Music Hall, starring Bing Crosby with special guest Phil Silvers; airdate December 16, 1943. OPERATOR: (Distant at first, as if coming though receiver on floor) When you hear the signal the time will be eleven fifty-nine and one quarter. Such creativity by non-whites and non-Protestants did not mesh well with the racist doctrines of the Nazis who preached the dominance of white society. The open discussions with the public had a major impact on Roosevelt's presidency, building a high level of trust. Millions of radio listeners believed the report of the invasion, which was actually an adaptation of H.G. In radios earliest days, Hollywood did not provide network programming, with rare exceptions. "Blondie," "Gasoline Alley," and "Li'l Abner" were closely followed by both children and adults. George Burns (18961996). As CBS News Vice President and Director of Public Affairs, Murrow remained uncomfortable as an executive and returned to reporting in 1951. In 1936, however, radio transmitters reached most of the population of Spain. View More. Comic strips were transformed into popular radio programs with the debut of shows based on "Little Orphan Annie," "Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century," "Flash Gordon," and "Dick Tracy." Many of the 1930s programs would set the standard for programming in all media for the rest of the century. Freeman Fisher Gosden and Charles James Correll created and starred in the popular radio show "Amos 'n' Andy." Amos: You know, YOU wuz de one he tol' to milk de COW. The success of this show established Hollywood as a major centre of radio production. Jokes could not be reused as they could in live stage acts. 1940s: TV and Radio. Many radio shows were broadcast all over the country, and served to create a community of shared experience for a diverse and widespread world. "Kitty Foyle," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring Ginger Rogers; airdate April 6, 1946. It was on the roof of the original Riechman-Crosby Building at Beale and Front Street. Colbert was one of radio's earliest and most prolific soap opera performers, appearing in "Stella Dallas," "Life Can be Beautiful," "Young Dr. Malone," "Portia Faces Life," and "Aunt Jenny," among others. talks in 1938, reportingcorrectlythat Munich was a "complete victory for Hitler." At first his program was primarily inspirational and welcomed by the Depression-weary public but became increasingly political. But when, almost two years later, it came before the Supreme Court its constitutionality was upheld only by a five-to-four vote. I know whut I'se doin'. 32. Onair performances of works by playwrights William Shakespeare and Henrik Ibsen, and author Leo Tolstoy were produced, as well as radio adaptations of some of Hollywood's best films. In the November 1936 election President Roosevelt used the radio much more effectively than opponent Alf Landon, which partially contributed to Roosevelt's victory. Music led the way onto radio, with the broadcasting of swing and big band music in the 1920s. Today's recovery proves how right that policy was. De man don' want no water in his milk.". Individual or local or state effort alone cannot protect us in 1937 any better than ten years ago. Music was performed live during the early days of radio, so studios were built large enough to accommodate full orchestras. Edward R. Murrow (19081965). ." Here They AreAmos 'n' Andy. Arch Oboler produced "Lights Out" on NBC, and "Air Raid" by Archibald MacLeish and "War of the Worlds" by writer and performer Orson Welles, which depicted the growing fear of war. Birthplace: Pikesville, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The FCC was created to regulate communication services and rates and license radio stations. Tonight, sitting at my desk in the White House, I make my first radio report to the people in my second term of office. The public found these programs a welcomed escape from worries of the Depression and the demand grew for more. "Watch on the Rhine," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring Paul Lukas; airdate August 7, 1946. Similarly Father Coughlin promoted anti-Semitic and pro-Hitler positions on the radio. Soap operas were another area of significant growth in radio programming during the Depression. The 1920s saw a steady growth in radio ownership and programming, and radios were becoming increasingly popular. Censorship involved a radio network Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Now the mass produced goods could be promoted through the mass media for mass consumption. Indeed, as radio became more and more of a business, station owners banded together to seek stronger government licensing regulation. Many Philadelphia DJs became celebrities, actively engaged and influential in . Encyclopedia.com. the insurgency was under control, but was soon countered by broadcasts calling for a general strike. Listeners waited impatiently for each new episode to discover what troubles would befall the mishap-prone twosome.

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