Breaking Walls

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

This is the open to the first episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet in which David and Ricky Nelson played themselves on air. During the previous four seasons child actors played the duo.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)

___________

On Friday April 10th, 1942 People Are Funny debuted over NBC airwaves, sponsored by Brown & Williamson Tobacco.

It was the brain-child of gameshow maven John Guedel. Guedel was a jack-of-all-trades. In addition to writing he’d spent time as a WPA ditch-digger, traveling salesman, and a collector of rejection slips for his own failed ideas.

With People Are Funny set to go on the air in April of 1942, Guedel brought both Linkletter and Baker in as co-MCs. Within a month Guedel negotiated a raise to $850 an episode.

When B&W was ready to renew for a full season Art Baker made it known he resented sharing duties with Linkletter and gave an ultimatum. Guedel preferred Linkletter, but Baker was the bigger name and the sponsor took his side.

The 1942-43 season was a ratings success. People Are Funny scored the first of its six consecutive seasons in Friday’s Top Ten and was NBC’s highest rated entertainment show of the night.

Behind the scenes Baker continually sniped at Guedel and complained to the sponsor.

But, John Guedel knew of a clause in Baker’s contract that allowed for a potential termination every thirteen weeks. After October 1st, 1943 he exercised it. Baker sued. Linkletter took over in the midst of Baker’s lawsuit. He’d never give the role up.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 96: Halloween On The Air (1943 - 1953)

___________

In the aftermath of Jack Benny’s move to CBS, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet lost half their audience. Ozzie Nelson and director Glenhall Taylor were searching for an answer.

On February 20th, 1949, they broadcast an episode called “Invitation to Dinner.” It marked a pivotal turning point: For the first time, David and Ricky Nelson played themselves. David was Eleven. Ricky, eight. The younger son’s charisma was undeniable from the beginning.

Have you been enjoying Breaking Walls? If so, give us a quick iTunes rating. The more people who do, the more people who will be able to discover Breaking Walls through the iTunes show algorithms.

In early 1982, longtime radio announcer Richard Joy was a guest of John Dunning's on 71KNUS for a chat about his life and career. Joy was the longtime announcer for The Adventures of Sam Spade, which was directed by Bill Spier and starred Howard Duff and Lurene Tuttle. Here, Joy talks about some of his experiences working on the series.

In Breaking Walls Episode 96, we laugh, scream, and cry while we join radio’s best as they celebrate Halloween on the air.

——————————

Highlights:

• The Birth of the Great Gildersleeve

• Sam Spade has a Halloween adventure

• Ernest Chappell says, “Don’t Tell Me About Halloween”

• Spike Jones and His City Slickers Celebrate

• Sherlock Holmes and the Laughing Lemur

• The Story Behind Bing Crosby’s Departure from NBC and move to ABC

• Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky

• Jack Benny goes Trick-Or-Treating

• John Guedel, Art Linkletter, and People Are Funny

• Looking Ahead to the Holiday Season

——————————

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

• Terror On The Air!, Horror Radio in America — By Richard J. Hand

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

As well as articles by:

• TUNE IN Magazine - September 1946

• Broadcasting Magazine - April 14th, July14th, and September 15th, 1947

——————————

On the interview front:

• Chuck Schaden interviewed Jack Benny, Ken Carpenter, John Guedel, Shirley Mitchell, Arch Oboler, Hal Peary, Lurene Tuttle, and Mike Wallace. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

• Howard Duff, June Havoc, 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.

• John Gassman of SPERDVAC was with Art Linkletter in 1991. For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com.

• Jack Kruschen and Shirley Mitchell were with Jim Bohannon on September 12th, 1987.

• Chuck Cecil interviewed Ozzie Nelson.

• Johnny Hayes, David Nelson, and Jack Wagner were interviewed by KRLA

• Johnny Carson interviewed Orson Welles, Ozzie, Harriet, and Ricky Nelson for The Tonight Show, while David Hartman interviewed David, Harriet, and Ricky for Good Morning America.

• Frank Bresee interviewed Bing Crosby, John Scott Trotter

• And Dick Joy was with John Dunning for 71KNUS.

——————————

Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

• A Wicked Thought - By John Zacharely

• Ghost Bus Tours - By George Fenton for High Spirits

and

• Travelin Man - By Ricky Nelson

——————————

Special thanks to our Sponsors:

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

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

The Fireside Mystery Theater

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com/

Quietly Yours

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quietly-yours/id1372389345

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 96, we laugh, scream, and cry while we join radio’s best as they celebrate Halloween on the air.

——————————

Highlights:

• The Birth of the Great Gildersleeve

• Sam Spade has a Halloween adventure

• Ernest Chappell says, “Don’t Tell Me About Halloween”

• Spike Jones and His City Slickers Celebrate

• Sherlock Holmes and the Laughing Lemur

• The Story Behind Bing Crosby’s Departure from NBC and move to ABC

• Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky

• Jack Benny goes Trick-Or-Treating

• John Guedel, Art Linkletter, and People Are Funny

• Looking Ahead to the Holiday Season

——————————

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

• Terror On The Air!, Horror Radio in America — By Richard J. Hand

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

As well as articles by:

• TUNE IN Magazine - September 1946

• Broadcasting Magazine - April 14th, July14th, and September 15th, 1947

——————————

On the interview front:

• Chuck Schaden interviewed Jack Benny, Ken Carpenter, John Guedel, Shirley Mitchell, Arch Oboler, Hal Peary, Lurene Tuttle, and Mike Wallace. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

• Howard Duff, June Havoc, 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.

• John Gassman of SPERDVAC was with Art Linkletter in 1991. For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com.

• Jack Kruschen and Shirley Mitchell were with Jim Bohannon on September 12th, 1987.

• Chuck Cecil interviewed Ozzie Nelson.

• Johnny Hayes, David Nelson, and Jack Wagner were interviewed by KRLA

• Johnny Carson interviewed Orson Welles, Ozzie, Harriet, and Ricky Nelson for The Tonight Show, while David Hartman interviewed David, Harriet, and Ricky for Good Morning America.

• Frank Bresee interviewed Bing Crosby, John Scott Trotter

• And Dick Joy was with John Dunning for 71KNUS.

——————————

Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:

• A Wicked Thought - By John Zacharely

• Ghost Bus Tours - By George Fenton for High Spirits

and

• Travelin Man - By Ricky Nelson

——————————

Special thanks to our Sponsors:

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

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

The Fireside Mystery Theater

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com/

Quietly Yours

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quietly-yours/id1372389345

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

On Saturday October 1st, 1948 Frank Sinatra was a guest on Spike Jones' Spotlight Review, over the CBS airwaves. Sinatra's natural ability to drift between comedic routine and singing performances was on display.