Breaking Walls

On July 25th, 1982 Eve Arden was a guest of John Dunning's for his 71KNUS Old-Time Radio program. During this hour-long interview which touched on numerous aspects of Ms. Arden's professional and personal life, she spoke about always wanting a hit on Broadway.

On Easter Sunday in 1982, Dennis Day was a guest of John Dunning's radio show for 71KNUS in Denver. The two spoke about Day's life and career, which naturally led to his association with Jack Benny. Here Day talks about the Jack Benny interview process which led to him being hired.

In 1946 Bing Crosby's noted orchestra leader John Scott Trotter went with Bing to ABC for Philco Radio Time. The series ran over ABC Radio from October 16th, 1946 to June 1st, 1949 and was noted because it was transcribed.

In this clip John Scott Trotter talks about some of the early transcription issues.

Columbia Presents Corwin was a two-season showcase which aired on CBS that combined previously broadcast Norman Corwin dramatizations, as well as several new and even more innovative productions. The first season aired March 7, 1944, running for twenty-four weeks, and twenty-one unique scripts.

Less than a month after D-Day on Independence Day in 1944 at 10PM, Columbia Presents Corwin broadcast a play entitled "Home For the Fourth." It was a contemporary family drama, reflecting upon the hope, fear, exhaustion, and generosity of Americans. 

In this play, two brothers named Eddie and Jim are away at war. Eddie—voiced by Dane Clark—gets a two-day pass for an Independence Day visit home to see his family and his girlfriend Rita, whom he's very much in love with and wants to marry.

When he gets home, Eddie, his parents, and his kid sister share dinner together as a family. Eddie’s father’s been waiting for an important telegram all day. This dinner conversation is incredibly timeless. It could have been taking place in any of our homes.

In Breaking Walls episode 93 we ride the rails with some of the most famous stars in radio history.

During radio’s golden age, there were three main production hubs: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. With so much daily content to produce, radio’s greatest minds developed programs and episodes centered around every recognizable theme, like the New York city subway.

While this episode will take place in or around New York’s public transportation system, we’ll focus just as much on the relationships forged by radio’s legends on both coasts.

Highlights:

• Mercedes McCambridge, Himan Brown, and Grand Central Station

• How Bill Spier influenced the careers of his wife June Havoc and his protégé Elliott Lewis

• From Suspense to Broadway is My Beat, Elliott Lewis shines

• Jack Benny stars on Suspense

• Cathy Lewis: Mrs Radio

• Mandel Kramer, Jan Miner, and Subway Soaps from New York

• Byron Kane and Subways Are For Sleeping

• William N. Robson, Shirley Mitchell, Virginia Gregg and Jack Kruschen on radio in the 1950s

• Bob and Ray head down into the Subway

• Himan Brown brings dramatic radio back to life in the 1970s

• Next Stop: The Soda Shop

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

• The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Handbook - by Gordon Payton & Martin Grams Jr.

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

• The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Radio - by Christopher H. Sterling

as well as articles from:

• Broadcasting Magazine - November 3rd, 1947

• And Billboard Magazine - May 1st, 1948

On the interview front:

• Himan Brown, June Havoc, Mandel Kramer, Elliott Lewis, E.G. Marshall, Jan Miner, William Spier and William N. Robson were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. These interview can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org.

• Ralph Bell, Himan Brown, Lawrence Dobkin, Betty Lou Gerson and Byron Kane, were with SPERDVAC. For more information, please go to S-P-E-R-D-V-A-C.com.

• Himan Brown, Virginia Gregg, Elliott Lewis, Mercedees McCambridge, Shirley Mitchell and Alan Reed were interviewed by Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats and many others from Chuck’s over thirty-nine year career and SpeakingofRadio.com.

• Ellott Lewis was with John Dunning on May 23rd, 1982.

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

• And Morton Fine was with Dan Haefele on August 9th, 1988.

Selected music featured in today’s episode was:

• It’s been a Long, Long Time - by Keely Smith

• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - by the Mallet Men

• The Big Heist and Salute to Charlie Christian - by Barney Kessel

• Atlantis and Roller Coaster - by Les Baxter

• I’ll Take Manhattan - by Blossom Dearie

• And Fly Me To the Moon - by Julie London

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/

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.

A Special Thank you to:

Ryan Kramer

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Terry Wallace

WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

URL - thewallbreakers.com

Online Store - jamesthewallbreaker.com/shop/

In Breaking Walls episode 93 we ride the rails with some of the most famous stars in radio history.

During radio’s golden age, there were three main production hubs: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. With so much daily content to produce, radio’s greatest minds developed programs and episodes centered around every recognizable theme, like the New York city subway.

While this episode will take place in or around New York’s public transportation system, we’ll focus just as much on the relationships forged by radio’s legends on both coasts.

Highlights:

• Mercedes McCambridge, Himan Brown, and Grand Central Station

• How Bill Spier influenced the careers of his wife June Havoc and his protégé Elliott Lewis

• From Suspense to Broadway is My Beat, Elliott Lewis shines

• Jack Benny stars on Suspense

• Cathy Lewis: Mrs Radio

• Mandel Kramer, Jan Miner, and Subway Soaps from New York

• Byron Kane and Subways Are For Sleeping

• William N. Robson, Shirley Mitchell, Virginia Gregg and Jack Kruschen on radio in the 1950s

• Bob and Ray head down into the Subway

• Himan Brown brings dramatic radio back to life in the 1970s

• Next Stop: The Soda Shop

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

• The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Handbook - by Gordon Payton & Martin Grams Jr.

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

• The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Radio - by Christopher H. Sterling

as well as articles from:

• Broadcasting Magazine - November 3rd, 1947

• And Billboard Magazine - May 1st, 1948

On the interview front:

• Himan Brown, June Havoc, Mandel Kramer, Elliott Lewis, E.G. Marshall, Jan Miner, William Spier and William N. Robson were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. These interview can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org.

• Ralph Bell, Himan Brown, Lawrence Dobkin, Betty Lou Gerson and Byron Kane, were with SPERDVAC. For more information, please go to S-P-E-R-D-V-A-C.com.

• Himan Brown, Virginia Gregg, Elliott Lewis, Mercedees McCambridge, Shirley Mitchell and Alan Reed were interviewed by Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats and many others from Chuck’s over thirty-nine year career and SpeakingofRadio.com.

• Ellott Lewis was with John Dunning on May 23rd, 1982.

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

• And Morton Fine was with Dan Haefele on August 9th, 1988.

Selected music featured in today’s episode was:

• It’s been a Long, Long Time - by Keely Smith

• Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - by the Mallet Men

• The Big Heist and Salute to Charlie Christian - by Barney Kessel

• Atlantis and Roller Coaster - by Les Baxter

• I’ll Take Manhattan - by Blossom Dearie

• And Fly Me To the Moon - by Julie London

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/

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.

A Special Thank you to:

Ryan Kramer

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Terry Wallace

WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

URL - thewallbreakers.com

Online Store - jamesthewallbreaker.com/shop/

In January of 1948, Suspense producer/director Bill Spier left the show. Roma Wines had cancelled their sponsorship in November. Suspense was in the midst of an ill-fated hour-long show experiment, hosted by Robert Montgomery. By January of 1948, Spier was engaged to June Havoc. They were married on January 25th, the day after Spier left Suspense.

When the couple finished honeymooning, Spier looked for his next project. He found it on the American Broadcasting Company. On March 4th, 1948, ABC's production of The Clock was moved to Hollywood and turned over to Bill Spier.

The first episode under Spier's direction was called, "Nicky." It was a story about a man on death row who has no plans on going to the great hereafter. Spier tabbed radio actors who'd go on to become household names in the guest-starring roles, like Elliott Lewis, Cathy Lewis, and William Conrad. All three are featured in this Spier-debut episode clip.

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. Walsh recalls the radio days in this clip.

In November of 1970, director Bill Spier and actress June Havoc sat down with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's The Golden Age of Radio to talk about their individual and conjoined careers.

At the time, Bill and June had been married for 23 years and it was a guest-starring role on Suspense that introduced June to Bill. During the course of the conversation, Bill explained why a-list actors wanted to appear in guest-starring roles on the show.

The full interview, along with clips from Suspense is here - https://goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-08.html

On October 21st, 1993, Larry and John Gassman of SPERDVAC interviewed radio producer/director Himan Brown and actor Ralph Bell at Brown's home in New York city. During the course of the interview Himan was asked about the Red Scare, which damaged his career in the 1950s.