Breaking Walls

On Easter Sunday in April of 1982, Dennis Day was a guest of John Dunning's on 71KNUS Newstalk radio program in Denver, CO. They spoke about Day's life and career—especially his quarter-century association with Jack Benny. During the course of the interview Day tells a funny story on how his character was written specifically to annoy Jack Benny.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 91: The Hollywood Radio Western Renaissance (1954 - 1980).

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After Have Gun, Will Travel went off the air in November of 1960 and production of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, and the revived Suspense had shifted to New York, Gunsmoke was the last prime time radio drama originating from Hollywood. The end was near.

On Saturday April 29th, 1961, the Gunsmoke crew gathered for the last time to record episodes for the series. They did not know the show was to be cancelled. The final episode aired on June 18th, 1961.

Although Gunsmoke’s TV version with its different crew aired into the mid 1970s, the most influential radio western of the last decade of the Golden Age was over.

There was now no network dramatic radio originating from Hollywood.

If there is a silver lining, its that because Gunsmoke came to radio in 1952 after transcription became wide-spread, many episodes exist today in good to master quality. A new listener can begin with the first episode, “Billy the Kid” and listen straight through.

The following year, on September 30th, 1962, CBS cancelled Johnny Dollar and Suspense. The network would have no dramatic shows in their programming block until 1974.

In 1955 when Gunsmoke debuted on television they turned to John Wayne for a one-minute promo spot to give the show credibility.

When Wayne heard that the television version of Gunsmoke wouldn't be using William Conrad—radio's Matt Dillon—in the lead. He suggested James Arness.

Arness was a friend and protégé of Wayne's, having co-starred with him in Big Jim McLain, Hondo, Island in the Sky, and The Sea Chase, and starred in Gun the Man Down for Wayne's company.

CBS asked Wayne to do a TV promo in order to give Arness the proverbial rub. Wayne was happy to oblige.

In August of 1982, SPERDVAC hosted a CBS character actor panel featuring Virginia Gregg, Peggy Webber, Parley Baer, Vic Perrin, Harry Bartell, and John Dehner. In this clip Mr. Dehner explains how he came to be a radio actor in the 1940s.

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 the power of dramatic radio for the listening audience.

In the late 1980s, famed radio director and writer (Superman, The Six Shooter, Johnny Dollar) Jack Johnstone was in California to be interviewed by SPERDVAC (https://www.sperdvac.com/). During the course of the interview, he explained how his radio directing methods were different from most other directors.

In Breaking Walls episode 112, we finish our five-part mini-series by examining NBC’s business and programming during the 1949-50 radio season in the wake of the CBS talent raids by examining the steps NBC took to regain their footing as the television era began.

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Highlights:

• Garroway

• Frank Sinatra’s Tailspin

• Monday Night of Music

• Ivy College and their Hallowed Halls

• Christopher London vs. Jack Benny

• Randy Stone Prowls Chicago’s Night

• Dimension X and Arnold Moss

• Cloak and Dagger

• Vincent Price and Simon Templar

• Looking Ahead to Elliott Lewis

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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

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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 the archives of:

Broadcasting Magazine

Radio Daily

and

Variety

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On the interview front:

• Ken Carpenter, Dave Garroway, Jim Jordan, Phil Leslie, Vincent Price, Lurene Tuttle, and Herb Vigran were with Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats at SpeakingOfRadio.com.

• Raymond Edward Johnson, Arnold Moss, Vincent Price, and Bill Robson were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. Hear these at Goldenage-WTIC.org.

• Lawrence Dobkin and Elliott Lewis were with SPERDVAC. For more information, go to SPERDVAC.com.

• Don Quinn was interviewed by Owen Cunningham in 1951,

• Frank Sinatra was with Walter Cronkite in 1965,

• Lurene Tuttle spoke with Same Time, Same Station in 1972.

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Selected music featured in today’s episode was:

• I Can Dream, Can't I — By The Andrews Sisters

• Salute to Charlie Christian — By Barney Kessel

• Holo Holo Haa — With Lani McIntyre

• It All Depends on You — By Frank Sinatra

• The Look of Love — By Billy May

• Moon Moods — By Les Baxter

• Spooky — By Dusty Springfield

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Special thanks to

The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

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

The Fireside Mystery Theatre

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com/

Terror on the Air

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUbviBTC1CamzamykVCqN0A

https://soundcloud.com/terrorontheair

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/terror-on-the-air/id1477581905

https://open.spotify.com/show/63o0AY4Zhv5hQsjGVbMbLk?si=YN_vUk3yTgqvOw73u59BtQ

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Subscribe to Burning Gotham—the new audio drama set in 1835 New York City. It’s available everywhere you get your podcasts and at BurningGotham.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/

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Thank you to:

Tony Adams

Steven Allmon

Orson Orsen Chandler

Briana Isaac

Thomas M. Joyce

Ryan Kramer

Gary Mollica

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

John Williams

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WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

In the early 1980s, radio actor/writer/producer/director Elliott Lewis was a guest of John Dunning's Old-Time Radio program for 71K Newstalk Radio in Denver, CO.

During the course of the conversation the two were talking about the need for ad execs to be less paranoid and to butt out of the creative process more often.

In 1982, SPERDVAC hosted a panel discussion with some of CBS's well-known Hollywood radio character actors. During the discussion, Harry Bartell told a quick funny story about Jeanette Nolan, who once starred as Lady MacBeth opposite Orson Welles, and who was known for her tremendous vocal range on radio.

On May 5th, 1982, actor Vic Perrin was a guest of Neil Ross' for his KMPC program. During the course of the interview, which touched on many subjects, the conversation turned to Barton Yarborough, who passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack in December of 1951 right as his own fame was cresting.