Breaking Walls

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

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On Wednesday nights at 10PM eastern time during the 1947-48 radio season, The Big Story took to the air live from New York on NBC. Ernest Chappell announced and some of New York’s most well-known character actors appeared.

The series grew out of a real crime case. Bernard J. Prockter, independent producer of radio shows, read a Newsweek account of how two Chicago Times reporters had worked for months on a 14-year-old murder case, writing more than 30 stories before uncovering evidence that led to a pardon for a man wrongly convicted. He wondered if a series built around reporters and their "big stories” would work on the air.

It did better than that.

The show premiered on April 2nd, 1947 and by the Autumn was topping Bing Crosby on ABC in their head-to-head ratings battle. In a season of inflated audiences, The Big Story played a tremendous role in Bing’s ratings nosedive. It won its time slot with a 16.1.

In Prockter’s eyes, crime thrillers were the stuff of radio drama. The show concentrated on long-closed murder cases or other violent crimes against society.

The reporter’s and his or her profession was lionized. The names of all characters were changed, except the name of the reporter and the newspaper. At the end of each drama, the real reporter was brought before the microphone and given a $500 reward in the name of the sponsor, Pall Mall Cigarettes.

Many reporters looked upon the award with amusement, their real-life characteristics were often changed to the point that, within the story, they barely recognized themselves.

On May 13th, 1990 radio and TV legend Gale Gordon joined Chuck Schaden on his WBBM News Radio 78 radio show for a conversation about Gale's life and career (Full interview here - http://www.speakingofradio.com/interviews/gordon-gale-actor/). During the interview, a caller asked Mr. Gordon if he did a lot of ad-libbing with Lucille Ball.

The Old Gold Comedy Theater was an NBC attempt to replicate the success of CBS’ Lux Radio Theatre. It debuted on October 29th, 1944. Silent film star and producer Harold Lloyd introduced condensations of movie comedies. This film happened to be his own.

NBC programmed the series Sunday nights at 10:30PM for east coast audiences. Although ratings peaked at 12.4 in December, by April the ratings shrunk to under 7.

It was cancelled after June 10th, 1945.

In the early 1990s, Red Skelton was a guest of Canadian television host Dini Petty's talk show. They spoke about his life and career. In this clip, Red Skelton explains how comedian Ed Wynn got him started in show-biz when he was just a kid.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

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Much like Tuesday nights in 1948, NBC also dominated Wednesday’s audience. CBS managed just a single show in the top-ten and NBC’s only competition came from the American Broadcasting Company.

At 8PM Eastern Time, live from Hollywood over NBC, The Dennis Day show took to the air.

Jack Benny’s famous Irish tenor had been given his own solo show in October of 1946. He was zany… easily confused, and exhibited many of the same characteristics as his character on the Benny show, even if in solo show storyline, the same name and voice was said to be a coincidence. The show’s rating would be a healthy 18.2 in January of 1948.

Opposite The Dennis Day show on ABC, Lionel Barrymore took to the air in Mayor of the Town.

With the New Year here, it was a good time for the characters to sit in reflection—that is, if the Mayor’s housekeeper, Marilly—voiced by Agnes Moorehead—could just manage to keep quiet. Along with Ms. Moorehead and Mr. Barrymore, Mayor of the Town featured Conrad Binyon, Priscilla Lyon and Gloria McMillion.

Despite a rating that peaked at 18.9 in February, Mayor of the Town left ABC’s airwaves at the end of the season. In late May, Noxima’s agency announced the sponsor was cancelling its sponsorship, effective June 30th, after four seasons.

It was revived on MBS on January 2nd, 1949 with Mutual Benefit Insurance as the sponsor, but managed no higher than a 5 point rating in any month for the remainder of the season.

Mayor of the Town departed the radio airwaves for good on July 3rd, 1949.

In 1976 Bob Hope and Desi Arnaz both appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show. Desi had just released his autobiography. In this clip, Bob Hope speaks about Desi working as his radio program musical director in 1946-47.

In December of 1973, Himan Brown was a guest of Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran's on their WTIC Hartford, CT-based "Golden Age of Radio" Program (full interview here - https://goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-45.html). During the course of the conversation, Dick Bertel asked Himan to estimate how many shows he'd been a part of.

On March 12th, 1994, SPERDVAC (http://sperdvac.com/) was host to a chat featuring celebrated radio and tv writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh Davis. The duo achieved their biggest success writing for My Favorite Husband and I Love Lucy.

During the course of the chat the duo spoke about what it was like being a staff writer at CBS' KNX Hollywood station in the 1940s.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

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On New Year's Day, 1948 As Hollywood’s Open House featuring Jim Ameche signed on NBC at 7:30PM eastern time, the four major networks had every reason to celebrate. In the past five years, total radio revenue had almost doubled. 97% of the nation’s AM stations were now linked to one of the big four.

NBC, ABC, and CBS would use the profits to launch full force into the Television era. On New Year’s Day in 1947 there were only 12,000 TV sets in the US.

By New Year’s Day 1951 there were ten million.

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At 8:30PM eastern time, live from Los Angeles, Burns and Allen signed on for Maxwell House. With it being the new year, George Burns and Jack Benny both resolved to be taken seriously as musicians.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

____________

On New Year's Day, 1948 As Hollywood’s Open House featuring Jim Ameche signed on NBC at 7:30PM eastern time, the four major networks had every reason to celebrate. In the past five years, total radio revenue had almost doubled. 97% of the nation’s AM stations were now linked to one of the big four.

NBC, ABC, and CBS would use the profits to launch full force into the Television era. On New Year’s Day in 1947 there were only 12,000 TV sets in the US.

By New Year’s Day 1951 there were ten million.

___________

At 8:30PM eastern time, live from Los Angeles, Burns and Allen signed on for Maxwell House. With it being the new year, George Burns and Jack Benny both resolved to be taken seriously as musicians.