In Breaking Walls Episode 86, we spotlight what was on the air over the US’ major radio networks during December of 1945.

Highlights:

• The First Peacetime Holiday Season in Five Years Begins

• Radio’s Three Main Production Hubs

• Macabees

• Frank Nelson, Lurene Tuttle, and Mandel Kramer

• I Can’t Stand Jack Benny

• Soap Operas and Kid’s Shows

• NBC Dominates Sunday and Tuesday Nights

• Falling Mid-Week Ratings Open the Door for CBS

• Victory Bonds and Bing’s Strike

• Christmas Draws Closer

• Fibber, Molly, Red and Christmas Day

• Dinah Shore and Groucho return Christmas Gifts

• I Still Can’t Stand Jack Benny

• New Year’s Eve

• What Comes Next

The WallBreakers:

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The reading material used in today’s episode was:

• On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio - by John Dunning

• Christmas 1945: The Greatest Celebration in American History - by Matthew Litt

• Network Radio Ratings, 1932-1953 - by Jim Ramsburg

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

• And several articles from The New York Times, Broadcasting Magazine, and Radio Daily from 1945.

The Interviews

Chuck Schaden was with:

Mel Blanc

Himan Brown

Phil Harris

Danny Kaye

Barbara Luddy

Mercedes McCambridge

Shirley Mitchell

Frank Nelson

Olan Soule

Larry Stevens

Lureen Tuttle

and Don Wilson

All of Chuck’s Interviews can be found at SpeakingofRadio.com

Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran were with:

Jackson Beck

Edgar Bergen

Mel Blanc

Staats Cotsworth

Howard Duff

Jim Jordan

Mandel Kramer

and Jan Miner

All of their interviews for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio can be found at GoldenAge-WTIC.org

SPERDVAC was with

Harry Bartel

and Jack Johnstone

For more information please go to SPERDVAC.com

Jo Stafford was with Matthew Feinstein for Jo Stafford’s “Ballad of the Blues”

Fran Carlon was with Westinghouse for their 1970 50th Anniversary Production

And Bing Crosby was interviewed for Same Time, Same Station in 1972.

Special thanks to our Sponsors:

• Join The Party

https://www.multitude.productions

• Twelve Chimes, It’s Midnight

https://twelvechimesradio.blogspot.com

• The Fireside Mystery Theatre

https://www.firesidemysterytheatre.com

Selected music featured in today’s episode was

• Kay Starr’s The Man With The Bag

• Nancy Wilson’s What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?

• Bing Crosby’s White Christmas and I’ll Be Home For Christmas

The clip of CBS’ Cimarron Tavern came courtesy of Jerry Haendiges. Visit his site at OTRsite.com. I’ve been visiting since 2002. Thank you Jerry.

I’d also like to thank Walden Hughes and John and Larry Gassman. Listen to their shows on the Yesterday USA radio network.

A Special Thank you to:

Ron Baron

Ryan Kramer

Christian Neuhaus

Aimee Pavy

Rebecca Shield

WallBreakers Links:

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Social Media - @TheWallBreakers

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