Breaking Walls

In the winter of 1951, Dick Powell was starring as Richard Diamond Private Detective Friday evenings at 8PM on ABC. The program was sponsored by Camels cigarettes.

Their ad campaign touted the lack of throat irritation from smoking unfiltered camels and that more doctors were smoking their brand than any others.

Long-time radio announcer Ben Grauer on the buttoned-up nature of radio in the 1930s.

This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 95: Radio And The Classroom (1939 - 1965)

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Radio’s Don Quinn rose to fame as Jim and Marion Jordan’s head writer. Throughout the 1940s as he wrote Fibber McGee and Molly, Quinn mulled over the idea of creating a college-centered comedy. Entitled, The Halls of Ivy, in June of 1949 an audition tape was produced with Gale Gordon and Edna Best in the title roles.

When both had to back out, Nat Wolff, who was Edna Best’s husband and Don Quinn’s agent thought of his friend Ronald Colman.

In the fall of 1935 Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra was the featured band on The Baker's Broadcast, starring Robert Ripley of soon-to-be Ripley's "Believe it Or Not" fame. The program was produced and directed by Ed Gardner, who'd go on to create Duffy's Tavern. Ozzie and Harriet were recently married when this broadcast aired over NBC's Blue Network on Sunday nights at 7:30PM from New York.

On August 14th, 1982 SPERDVAC (http://sperdvac.com/) was host to a panel of radio actors and actresses which included Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Virginia Gregg, Vic Perrin, and Peggy Webber. The old-acting stalwarts swapped fantastic radio stories, including this great one about a time in which a very pregnant Virginia Gregg had a wardrobe malfunction while live, on the air.

On January 21st, 1974, Ozzie Nelson was a guest of James Day for a conversation about his life and career. Ozzie was doing media rounds for his self-titled autobiography. During the course of the chat, Ozzie talked about getting a lot of, and answering letters for advice.

This is a BBC recording of Royal Air Force Pilot and Group Captain Leonard Cheshire describing what he witnessed upon viewing the detonating of the second atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki on August 9th, 1945.

Mr. Cheshire was so moved by his experience during World War II that after the War ended, he founded a hospice which grew into the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability. He became known for his work in conflict resolution. Although Mr. Cheshire passed away in 1992, his organization still exists.

On November 5th, 1947 Ozzie & Harriet Nelson were guests of Bing Crosby on his transcribed ABC Philco Radio Time program. Ozzie later recollected in his autobiography that Bing Crosby was the most casually confident performer he ever worked with.

In August of 1971, radio, television, and cartoon character actor Hans Conried sat for an interview with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for their WTIC "Golden Age of Radio" program (full interview here - https://goldenage-wtic.org/gaor-17.html).

During the interview Hans explained the differences between New York, Chicago, and Hollywood as radio drama recording hubs.

On January 21st, 1974, Ozzie Nelson was a guest of James Day for a conversation about his life and career. Ozzie was doing media rounds for his self-titled autobiography. During the course of the chat, James Day asked Ozzie why The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was so successful.