Breaking Walls

In Breaking Walls episode 99 we wrap up our trilogy on the most popular season in radio history with a look at the major network programming surrounding New Year’s 1948.

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Highlights:

• Scenes from the Post-Christmas Blizzard Aftermath

• Breakfast in Hollywood

• Checking in on Lora Lawton

• Lois Lane Has Been Framed

• Staats Cotsworth’s Other Gig, and Dennis Day’s Old One

• Ringing in the New Year with The Mayor and Duffy

• Mr. District Attorney and The Big Story

• Bing Crosby’s Feeling Festive

• Jimmy Durante is Sick

• Happy New Year, 1948

• Truman’s Lack of Popularity and a Severe Labor Strike Issue

• The First Rose Bowl Telecast in Los Angeles

• Mel Allen

• Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen

• Al Jolson and Casey

• Radio Reader’s Digest, Mr. President, and Family Theater

• CBS Takes on Eddie Cantor with The First Nighter

• Wrapping Up The Holiday Season 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:

• On the Air — By John Dunning

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

As well as articles from:

• Radio Daily — December 1947 and January 1948.

• Broadcasting Magazine — May 31st, 1948

——————————

On the interview front:

• Mel Allen, Jackson Beck, John Gibson, Jackie Kelk, Tony Marvin, Jan Miner, Rosa Rio, and William N. Robson 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 spoke to Barbara Luddy, Gloria McMillan, Olan Soule, Rudy Vallée, and Harry Von Zell. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

• William Paley gave a speech while receiving an award on November 20th, 1958.

• Arthur Godrey and Andy Rooney spoke for CBS’ 50th anniversary.

• George Burns and Jack Benny were interviewed for Great Radio Comedians.

• Bing Crosby was interviewed for Same Time, Same Station in 1972, while SPERDVAC was with Betty Lou Gerson in 1979 and Dennis Day was with John Dunning for 71KNUS on Easter Sunday, April 11th, 1982.

——————————

Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

• What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? - By Margaret Whiting

• Campana Sobre Campana - By J.P. Torres

• Auld Lang Syne - By The Manhattan Strings and by Guy Lombardo

• Someone to Watch Over Me - By Rosemary Squires & The Ken Thorne Orchestra

• I’ll Be Seeing You - By The Harry James Band

——————————

Special thanks to our sponsors!

Twelve Chimes, It’s Midnight

https://www.twelvechimesradio.com/

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

https://www.ghoulishdelights.com/series/themorls/

Hey It’s Jali Entertainment

https://www.heyitsjali.com/

——————————

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

In Breaking Walls episode 99 we wrap up our trilogy on the most popular season in radio history with a look at the major network programming surrounding New Year’s 1948.

——————————

Highlights:

• Scenes from the Post-Christmas Blizzard Aftermath

• Breakfast in Hollywood

• Checking in on Lora Lawton

• Lois Lane Has Been Framed

• Staats Cotsworth’s Other Gig, and Dennis Day’s Old One

• Ringing in the New Year with The Mayor and Duffy

• Mr. District Attorney and The Big Story

• Bing Crosby’s Feeling Festive

• Jimmy Durante is Sick

• Happy New Year, 1948

• Truman’s Lack of Popularity and a Severe Labor Strike Issue

• The First Rose Bowl Telecast in Los Angeles

• Mel Allen

• Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen

• Al Jolson and Casey

• Radio Reader’s Digest, Mr. President, and Family Theater

• CBS Takes on Eddie Cantor with The First Nighter

• Wrapping Up The Holiday Season 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:

• On the Air — By John Dunning

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

As well as articles from:

• Radio Daily — December 1947 and January 1948.

• Broadcasting Magazine — May 31st, 1948

——————————

On the interview front:

• Mel Allen, Jackson Beck, John Gibson, Jackie Kelk, Tony Marvin, Jan Miner, Rosa Rio, and William N. Robson 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 spoke to Barbara Luddy, Gloria McMillan, Olan Soule, Rudy Vallée, and Harry Von Zell. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

• William Paley gave a speech while receiving an award on November 20th, 1958.

• Arthur Godrey and Andy Rooney spoke for CBS’ 50th anniversary.

• George Burns and Jack Benny were interviewed for Great Radio Comedians.

• Bing Crosby was interviewed for Same Time, Same Station in 1972, while SPERDVAC was with Betty Lou Gerson in 1979 and Dennis Day was with John Dunning for 71KNUS on Easter Sunday, April 11th, 1982.

——————————

Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

• What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? - By Margaret Whiting

• Campana Sobre Campana - By J.P. Torres

• Auld Lang Syne - By The Manhattan Strings and by Guy Lombardo

• Someone to Watch Over Me - By Rosemary Squires & The Ken Thorne Orchestra

• I’ll Be Seeing You - By The Harry James Band

——————————

Special thanks to our sponsors!

Twelve Chimes, It’s Midnight

https://www.twelvechimesradio.com/

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

https://www.ghoulishdelights.com/series/themorls/

Hey It’s Jali Entertainment

https://www.heyitsjali.com/

——————————

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

The Right to Happiness began as an experiment. Series creator Irna (ERNA) Phillips liked to cross-plot characters from one of her soaps into another. The Right to Happiness began by following the troubled Rose Kransky from The Guiding Light. It became the story of Carolyn Allen, much-married heroine of Chicago radio.

Known as ‘Queen of the Soaps’, Irna Phillips’ creations included The Guiding Light and As The World Turns. In her writing, she focused on the psychological realism of her characters and introduced many of the soap opera motifs – such has cliff-hanger endings.

Ms. Phillips wrote the serial until 1942, when she sold it to Procter & Gamble. P&G moved it to New York, with a new lead: Claudia Morgan.

Ms. Morgan was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1911 to actors Ralph Morgan and Grace Arnold. Actor Frank Morgan was her uncle.

Airing at 3:45PM Eastern Time over NBC, In December of 1947, The Right To Happiness was the most-listened to daytime soap opera on radio, and the only one to post double-digit ratings nationally. Roughly nine million people spent their Christmas Day tuning in.

Casey debuted in July of 1943 as Flashgun Casey, and had undergone a series of name changes before finding success. Anchor Hocking signed on as sponsor in 1946 and by Christmas Day 1947, the show was in the midst of its highest-rated season.

This Christmas episode gave writer Alonzo Deen Cole an opportunity to give the program’s lead characters more depth. Jan Miner of Lora Lawton co-starred with Staats Cottsworth as Ms. Ann Williams.

In 1965, CBS cameras followed Frank Sinatra around with unprecedented access to the performer's personal life as Sinatra worked on arrangements for his LP September of My Years.

In this clip, Frank Sinatra explains to Walter Cronkite why he feels his supposed mob ties are unjustified.

In 1965, CBS cameras followed Frank Sinatra around with unprecedented access to the performer's personal life as Sinatra worked on arrangements for his LP September of My Years.

In this clip, Frank Sinatra explains to Walter Cronkite why he feels his supposed mob ties are unjustified.

It's Christmas Eve, all is serene and quiet in Apartment 3b on My Friend Irma. Irma is reading and planning a surprise Christmas party for her friends. The surprise is on Irma though as one by one her guests have an excuse not to come.

On September 12th, 1987 actors Shirley Mitchell, Jack Kruschen and radio announcer George Walsh were guests of Jim Bohannon for a special broadcast of his radio show from Westwood One in Los Angeles, California.

In this clip the trio jokes about receiving scale pay during the Golden Age of Radio.

On September 12th, 1987 actors Shirley Mitchell, Jack Kruschen and radio announcer George Walsh were guests of Jim Bohannon for a special broadcast of his radio show from Westwood One in Los Angeles, California.

In this clip the trio jokes about receiving scale pay during the Golden Age of Radio.

In late 1972, Vincent Price sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio (full interview here - https://www.goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-32.html).

During the course of their conversation, Price spoke about how he became a radio actor even though he wasn't part of any radio stock company. Price acted in numerous dramatic radio productions in both in the United States and Europe.