Breaking Walls

John Bradley Gambling (4.9.1897 – 11.21. 1974)was the host from 1925 to 1959 of "Rambling with Gambling" on WOR. In an interview from 1970 he talks about how he was hired by WOR in 1925 and how his early-morning exercise program began.

As David Hinkley from the NY Daily News tells it, there was no indication when John B. Gambling arrived at WOR's New York studio on this chilly winter morning that he would handle anything other than the engineering for the three-year-old radio station.

But fate sometimes gets bored with the way things are expected to be, and on this day some say late February 1925, some say March 8 the hour for the morning exercise show was approaching and the regular announcer, alas, had a serious case of laryngitis.

So John B. cleared his throat and filled the breach, calling cadence for the exercises that comprised the backbone of a typical morning radio program in the Roaring '20s.

WOR took to the air from Bamberger’s department store in Newark, NJ on February 22nd, 1922. The station cost $20,000 to start. It transmitted at 250 watts, and was the nation's sixth licensed radio station.

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, Shirley Mitchell and Jack Kruschen talk about the little known "actors in the hall." These were aspiring radio actors who'd hang out at the NBC and CBS studios looking for opportunities to get on the air. It's a small aspect of radio history that often gets overlooked.

On November 10th, 1970, comedy legend Milton Berle was a guest of Chuck Schaden's radio program (full interview here - http://www.speakingofradio.com/interviews/berle-milton-actor/)... Early in the conversation recorded in the Green Room at the Mill Run Theatre in suburban Chicago, Berle recalled his first showbiz gig.

In August of 1971, radio and television character actor Hans Conried spoke with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC's Golden Age of Radio (full conversation here - https://goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-17.html). In this clip he talks about the dangers of doing spec work as a young, hungry actor or actress.

In Breaking Walls episode 108 we go back to October 31st, 1948 and open a five-part mini series on that season’s business and programming.

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Highlights:

• You Are There

• Dewey V Truman

• Let’s Sit This One Out

• Halloween 1948 in New York over the Mutual Broadcasting System

• Ozzie and Harriet Visit a Haunted House

• Jack Benny Goes Trick-or-Treating for a New Network

• Phil Harris and Alice Faye

• Sam Spade, Rocky Jordan, and Connie Brooks

• Walter Winchell Spits Fire

• Cabin B-13

• A Tremendous Election Upset

• Looking Ahead to Thanksgiving 1948

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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:

• Sunday Nights at Seven — By Jack and Joan Benny

• On the Air — By John Dunning

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

• WOR Radio 1922-1982

As well as articles from the archives of

• The Los Angeles Times

• The New York Daily News

• The New York Times

• Radio Daily

• The Saturday Evening Post.

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On the interview front:

• Eve Arden, Jack Benny, Alice Faye, Phil Harris, Elliott Lewis, Bret Morrison, and Lurene Tuttle were with Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats at SpeakingOfRadio.com.

• Hans Conried, Howard Duff, and June Havoc were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. Hear these at Goldenage-WTIC.org.

• Dick Joy spoke with John Dunning for 71KNUS.

• Ben Grauer spoke with Westinghouse in 1970.

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Selected music featured in today’s episode was:

• Danse Macabre — by Camille Saint-Saëns (Camille San Sons)

• I’ll Take Manhattan — By Blossom Dearie

• Ghost Bus Tours — By George Fenton

• The Look of Love — By Nelson Riddle

• Verdi’s Macbeth Overture — Conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli

• Flag of Columbia — By Jacqueline Schwab

• Over The River and Through The Woods — By the U.S. Air Force Band

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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

Barry Nadler

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Chris Pilkington

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WallBreakers Links:

Patreon - patreon.com/thewallbreakers

Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

URL - thewallbreakers.com

In 1979 Elliott Lewis teamed up with fellow radio veteran Fletcher Markle for a unique method towards reviving dramatic radio. The buying network would air a new one-hour anthology each weeknight. Each day would have a different theme.

Ingrid Carlson—at that time, a Sears' TV commercials supervisor—persuaded Sears Vice President John Beebe to underwrite 130 episodes. Production cost $1.2 Million, over 4 million today.

CBS bought the show.

The Sears Radio Theater debuted on Monday, February 5th, 1979 with a western, entitled “Retribution.” It was hosted by Bonanza’s Lorne Greene. This promo opened the debut episode.

On February 17th, 1975 Chuck Schaden interviewed well-known radio announcer Ken Carpenter about his life and career (full-interview here - http://www.speakingofradio.com/interviews/carpenter-ken/). One of Mr. Carpenter's longest associations was with Bing Crosby. Ken was present for the controversy that Bing created by wanting to pre-record his musical programs in 1945.

The story begins at a police headquarters in an eastern metropolis. In a small shabbily furnished office Horace Striker, a patrol officer for the prison commission is seated at his desk, which is completely covered with gift packages from his friends and colleagues to celebrate 25 years in service. However, one of the gifts seem to be ticking and turns out to be a bomb.

Lorenzo Jones was a successful departure for Frank and Anne Hummert—a comedy serial that enjoyed fine ratings from beginning to end with comparatively few touches of misery. It was aptly described by its opening signature: “We all know couples like lovable, impractical Lorenzo Jones and his devoted wife. Belle. Lorenzo’s inventions have made him a character to the town, but not to Belle, who loves him. Their struggle for security is anybody’s story, but somehow, with Lorenzo, it has mote smiles than tears.”

For many years, the show opened with the cheery invitation, “And now let’s smile awhile with Lorenzo Jones and his wife, Belle.”

In late 1948, the show was airing weekdays on NBC radio at 5:30PM Eastern Time. Karl Swenson starred as Lorenzo with Betty Garde and later Lucille Wall as Belle.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 94: Radio And The Drugstore/Malt Shop (1940 - 1955)

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Jack Benny’s most famous Irish Tenor, Dennis Day was born on May 21st, 1916 in New York City, to Irish immigrants Patrick & Mary McNulty.

Day graduated from Cathedral Prep in New York City, and attended Manhattan College in the Bronx, where he sang in the glee club. Eventually he made his way to radio, making his debut on the Jack Benny Program on October 8th, 1939.

Day was a man of many talents, with both a supreme singing voice and impeccable comedic timing. During World War II, he enlisted in the Navy. By the time he was back on the air in March of 1946, NBC was ready to give him a chance at carrying his own show.

A Day in the Life of Dennis Day premiered on Thursday, October 3rd, 1946 at 7:30PM.