Classic Radio Theater

Our Miss Brooks was a radio sitcom that aired from 1948 to 1957. It was adapted for both television and a movie of the same name. This episode aired on December 5, 1949.

For our annual celebration of April fools Day, we present “The Great Crepitation Contest of 1946,” the championship farting contest between Lord Windesmear and Paul Boomer. Although nobody is certain, this recording was most likely done in 1940 by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation sports announcer Sidney S. Brown and CBC producer Jules Lipton as an in-house joke. Someone at Columbia records pressed the recording onto a set of two 78 rpm records, including album art. The official release was nixed by CBS brass, but a few premium copies made it out to the public. Enjoy!

Terry And The Pirates was adapted for radio from a 1934 comic strip of the same name by Milton Caniff. The radio show ran from 1937 to 1948. It was later adapted for TV in 1953. Terry and his associates fought villains throughout the Orient.

The Great Gildersleeve was a radio sitcom that aired from 1941 to 1958. It was a spin off of the popular radio program Fibber McGee and Molly. This episode aired on November 20, 1949.

Fibber McGee & Molly, “Selling The House,” aired on May 4, 1948.

Fibber McGee & Molly was a very popular radio sitcom on NBC, running from 1935 to 1956. The stars of the show were played by husband and wife team Jim and Marian Jordan, who had started their radio careers in the 1920s.

 “Goin’ Fishin’” aired on May 11, 1948.

Hansel & Gretel is an old German fairy tale. The Brothers Grimm published a collection of fairy tales in 1812, including Hansel & Gretel, that they compiled from various sources, bringing the story to the masses.

Hansel and Gretel are brother and sister who have been abandoned in the woods by their lovely parents. They were taken in by a witch who intended to cook and eat them. So, one could say this is a both a lesson on wandering alone in the woods and also a cooking show. We won’t ruin the twist ending here, even thought it’s over 200 years old.

This version was produced by Tale Spinners for Children, who released stories for young audiences on vinyl records in the 1960s.

The popular musical “The Pajama Game” is a staple in school and community theater productions. The plot revolves around romance and labor issues in a pajama factory. The musical premiered in 1954 on Broadway and in 1955 on London’s West End. This version stars the original Broadway cast. John Raitt, father of musician Bonnie Raitt, was known for playing many lead roles on Broadway and in film. He plays the lead character Sid Sorokin. Babe Williams is played by Janis Paige, one of the last stars from The Golden Age of Hollywood. Vernon Hines is played by Eddie Foy, Jr., whose 60 plus year career spanned from vaudeville and theater to film and television.

Aired on May 11, 1954.