In Breaking Walls Episode 98 we continue our trilogy on the most popular season in radio history with a look at Christmas Week 1947.

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Highlights:

• Ralph Edwards and Truth or Consequences—A Record Rated Show

• It’s Christmas Week and Jerusalem is in Shambles

• The Eternal Light and One Man’s Family

• Jack Benny Does Last Minute Christmas Shopping

• Fred Allen’s Highest Rated Season Becomes His Downfall When the Music Stops

• Walter Winchell gives ABC a Ratings Win

• Breakfast with Fred Waring

• CBS Dominates Monday Nights and Lux Radio Broadcasts Miracle on 34th Street

• Lora Lawton’s Husband is Missing

• Milton Berle’s Finally Cracks the Top-50

• NBC’s Tuesday Night Comedy Dominations

• The Lone Ranger Hangs ‘Em High

• Lionel Barrymore’s Christmas Tradition

• Christmas Eve with Bing and Gildersleeve

• Road to Rio Opens

• Merry Christmas 1947 with King George VI

• Don Ameche Hosts an Elgin Special

• The Right to Happiness—December’s Highest-Rated Soap Opera

• Gracie Allen is Sick, Al Jolson is Rich, and Casey is Lonely

• Father Patrick and Family Theatre

• A Crippling Blizzard and the Last Sustained Half-Hour Suspense

• Looking Ahead to the End of the Year

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The WallBreakers:

http://thewallbreakers.com

Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.

To support the show:

http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers

——————————

The reading material used in today’s episode was:

• On the Air — By John Dunning

• Network Radio Ratings, 1932-53 — by Jim Ramsburg

As well as articles from:

• Broadcasting Magazine: December 8th, and December 22nd, 1947

• LIFE Magazine: December 22nd, 1947 and January 5th, 1948

• Radio Daily From the entire month of December 1947

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On the interview front:

• Don Ameche, Mel Blanc, Himan Brown, Staats Cottsworth, John Gibson, Jim Jordan, Mandel Kramer, E.G. Marshall, Jan Miner, Vincent Price and Bill Spier were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. These interviews can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org.

• Chuck Schaden interviewed Milton Berle, Dennis Day, Ralph Edwards, Virginia Gregg, Jim Jordan, Mercedes McCambridge, Shirley Mitchell, Carlton E. Morse, Hal Peary, Lurene Tuttle, and Don Wilson. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

• Johnny Carson was with Orson Welles on The Tonight Show, and Fred Allen was with Tex and Jinx on November 24th, 1954.

• John Dunning was with Roberta Goodwin Bailey, and Westinghouse interviewed Fran Carlon.

• SPERDVAC with Vic Perrin, and Frank Brese was with Elliott Reid.

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Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

• Sleigh Ride - By Lloyd Glenn and His Orchestra

• White Christmas - By Booker T and the MGs

• Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day - By the Marlborough Cathedral Choir

• It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - By Andy Williams

• Jingle Bells - By J.P. Torres

• I Saw Three Ships - By The Norwich Cathedral Choir

• I’ll Be Home For Christmas and Baby It’s Cold Outside - By Jackie Gleason and Jack Marshall

• Christmas Is - by Lou Rawls

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Special thanks to our sponsors!

The Fireside Mystery Theater

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com/

Radio Drama Revival

https://www.radiodramarevival.com/

Hey It’s Jali Entertainment

https://www.heyitsjali.com/

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A special thank you to Ted Davenport and Jerry Haendiges: two radio show collectors who helped supply material for this episode. They’re who the large retailers go to.

Ted’s got a Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/otrteddavenport/

For Jerry, please visit http://otrsite.com/

I’d also like to thank Walden Hughes and John and Larry Gassman of SPERDVAC - http://sperdvac.com/

——————————

A Special Thank you to:

Tony Adams

Ryan Kramer

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Terry Wallace

——————————

WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

URL - thewallbreakers.com

On the evening of December 22nd, 1947, The Cavalcade of America presented their annual Dupont Christmas Chorus program over NBC.

On the evening of December 22nd, 1947, The Cavalcade of America presented their annual Dupont Christmas Chorus program over NBC.

In 2003 singer and musician Jo Stafford, who had 10 top-5 hits between 1944 and 1959, sat down with musician Michael Feinstein to talk about her career. During the conversation she touched on many subjects like her playing with the Pied Pipers, The Tommy Dorsey Band, and Mitch Miller's struggles as a music repertoire man—something echoed by many, including her former Pied Piper partner with Dorsey, Frank Sinatra.

Favorite Story was a nationally syndicated Ziv production, which grew from a local dramatic offering, developed and continued on KFI, Los Angeles.

The fare was classic literature, both the novel and short story, with adaptations of Vanity Fair, Pride and Prejudice, and The Three Musketeers.

In 1947 writers Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee approached frequent star Ronald Colman and asked him to host it. The format—that of having the “favorite stories” of prominent personalities—was continued. Production stopped in late 1949, after 118 episodes, but the shows were heard in various local markets for years.

When NBC launched Monitor on June 12th, 1955, it was a true magazine of the air, running over NBC radio stations from Saturday mornings until Midnight Sunday in four hour blocks, completely taking over NBC’s airtime on the weekends. The program offered actualities, remotes, comedy, and variety. Affiliates were free to pick up or put down the show in four hour increments.

In the early 1960s, CBS countered with their own version:

Dimensions. Burgess Meredith hosted a show called American Landscape. He brought the listener to various American cultural institutions, like this trip to The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia

This audio is hard to find and was digitized from an original transcription record.

In January of 1971, prolific radio writer and humorist Goodman Ace sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC Golden Age of Radio program (full interview here - https://goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-10.html). During the chat, Dick Bertel asked Mr. Ace how he got into radio.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 97: Thanksgiving 1947—The Most Popular Season in Radio History

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On Thanksgiving Night 1947, Live from KFI Hollywood At 7:30 PM pacific time, The Eddie Cantor show signed on NBC. In storyline Cantor has been kidnapped by Gerald Mohr, and Harry Von Zell has taken over the show. Sara Berner guests as Hildegarde.

The show aired at 10:30 PM in the east opposite a Thanksgiving Day documentary on CBS and a drama on ABC. While Cantor was still a successful showman, his rating fell out of the Top 50 for the first time in his long career.

In Breaking Walls Episode 97 we usher in the holiday season with the first of a three-part mini-series on the 1947-48 radio season. The 1947-48 season had the largest radio audience in history. Homes with radios jumped 6%, car radios 29%.

The major networks—NBC, CBS, ABC, and the Mutual Broadcasting System added 147 new affiliates. 97% of the nation’s AM stations were now linked to one of the big four. Network revenue topped $200 Million.

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Highlights:

Famine in Europe; Anti-Communism at Home—The World is Changing

Boomer Babes Fuel a Ratings Increase

The Annual Hollywood Santa Parade

Happy Thanksgiving 1947

Breakfast with the Couples

Prepping With the Soaps

The Answer Man Takes to the Air

The Annual Elgin Thanksgiving Special

Juvenile Adventure At Dusk

Settling Into Prime Time

George Burns: French Crooner

Casey Gets His Turkey

Home is Where the Heart Is

Eddie Cantor Has Been Kidnapped

Late Night and Looking Ahead

——————————

The WallBreakers:

http://thewallbreakers.com

Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.

To support the show:

http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers

——————————

The reading material used in today’s episode was:

Frank and Anne Hummert’s Radio Factory - By Jim Cox

On the Air - By John Dunning

Network Radio Ratings, 1932-53 — by Jim Ramsburg

As well as articles from:

Broadcasting Magazine: January 20th, 1947; October 27th, 1947; December 1st, 1947

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On the interview front:

Jackson Beck, Hans Conried, Staats Cotsworth, John Gibson, Tony Marvin, and Jan Miner were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. These interviews can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org.

Chuck Schaden interviewed Ken Carpenter and Les Tremayne. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

While SPERDVAC was with Betty Lou Gerson and Jack Johnstone. For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com.

And Barbara Walters interviewed George Burns for 20/20.

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Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

“Over the River and Through The Woods” — by the US Airforce Band

“Holiday On Skis” - by Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani

“Joy” - by George Winston

and

“Star of Bethlehem” - by John Williams

——————————

Special thanks to our sponsors!

The Fireside Mystery Theater

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com/

Twelve Chimes, It's Midnight

https://www.twelvechimesradio.com/

The Fireside Mystery Theater will be taping their next podcast on Sunday November 17th at the Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street in New York City.

The theme is: Holiday Haunts. Doors open at 4:30PM and yours truly will be a member of the cast. Come out and support great, new audio drama.

I’d also like to thank Walden Hughes and John and Larry Gassman of SPERDVAC. Listen to their shows on the Yesterday USA radio network.

By the way, SPERDVAC - The Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy will be having their next convention this coming November 7th through 10th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 3131 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa, CA.

For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com

——————————

A Special Thank you to:

Tony Adams

Ryan Kramer

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Terry Wallace

——————————

WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

URL - thewallbreakers.com

In Breaking Walls Episode 97 we usher in the holiday season with the first of a three-part mini-series on the 1947-48 radio season. The 1947-48 season had the largest radio audience in history. Homes with radios jumped 6%, car radios 29%.

The major networks—NBC, CBS, ABC, and the Mutual Broadcasting System added 147 new affiliates. 97% of the nation’s AM stations were now linked to one of the big four. Network revenue topped $200 Million.

——————————

Highlights:

Famine in Europe; Anti-Communism at Home—The World is Changing

Boomer Babes Fuel a Ratings Increase

The Annual Hollywood Santa Parade

Happy Thanksgiving 1947

Breakfast with the Couples

Prepping With the Soaps

The Answer Man Takes to the Air

The Annual Elgin Thanksgiving Special

Juvenile Adventure At Dusk

Settling Into Prime Time

George Burns: French Crooner

Casey Gets His Turkey

Home is Where the Heart Is

Eddie Cantor Has Been Kidnapped

Late Night and Looking Ahead

——————————

The WallBreakers:

http://thewallbreakers.com

Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.

To support the show:

http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers

——————————

The reading material used in today’s episode was:

Frank and Anne Hummert’s Radio Factory - By Jim Cox

On the Air - By John Dunning

Network Radio Ratings, 1932-53 — by Jim Ramsburg

As well as articles from:

Broadcasting Magazine: January 20th, 1947; October 27th, 1947; December 1st, 1947

——————————

On the interview front:

Jackson Beck, Hans Conried, Staats Cotsworth, John Gibson, Tony Marvin, and Jan Miner were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. These interviews can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org.

Chuck Schaden interviewed Ken Carpenter and Les Tremayne. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

While SPERDVAC was with Betty Lou Gerson and Jack Johnstone. For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com.

And Barbara Walters interviewed George Burns for 20/20.

——————————

Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

“Over the River and Through The Woods” — by the US Airforce Band

“Holiday On Skis” - by Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani

“Joy” - by George Winston

and

“Star of Bethlehem” - by John Williams

——————————

Special thanks to our sponsors!

The Fireside Mystery Theater

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com/

Twelve Chimes, It's Midnight

https://www.twelvechimesradio.com/

The Fireside Mystery Theater will be taping their next podcast on Sunday November 17th at the Slipper Room at 167 Orchard Street in New York City.

The theme is: Holiday Haunts. Doors open at 4:30PM and yours truly will be a member of the cast. Come out and support great, new audio drama.

I’d also like to thank Walden Hughes and John and Larry Gassman of SPERDVAC. Listen to their shows on the Yesterday USA radio network.

By the way, SPERDVAC - The Society To Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy will be having their next convention this coming November 7th through 10th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 3131 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa, CA.

For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com

——————————

A Special Thank you to:

Tony Adams

Ryan Kramer

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Terry Wallace

——————————

WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

URL - thewallbreakers.com