The Good Old Days of Radio Show

John has made veiled promises in the New Year that from time to time we will bring you something new and (hopefully) interesting direct from his vast collection of radio transcription discs. Today, we are starting with two episodes of a well-produced, virtually lost and forgotten 15-minute daily comedy series from 1945, The Jack Kirkwood Show. Kirkwood may be familiar to you from The Bob Hope Show, as Hope regularly featured this monotone comedian during the 1950s. Other than that, Jack Kirkwood has faded into obscurity, but these shows are definitely worth hearing today.

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Today’s adventure pick is from radio’s greatest adventure series, “Escape.” The story is about a man, Jason (played by Frank Lovejoy), who is hired by his uncle to assassinate Jake Finch in the South Seas. The problem: Jason is a hopelessly trapped alcoholic. John talks about Escape's significance, despite its budget constraints. And there’s a special surprise at the tail end of the show, with a marvelous exchange between Gracie Allen and Paul Frees.

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Today in keeping with a theme we began last week, we have for you a rare 1947 rehearsal for a Red Skelton radio show sponsored by Raleigh cigarettes. Apparently comedian Red Skelton often kept the comedy going for the studio audience for a while after his show went off the air. This rehearsal is about 15-minutes longer than the broadcast show and we get to hear improvisation and off-script conversations among the cast, a small peek behind the curtain into the production process of radio broadcasts of that era.

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“10 More Great Adventure Stories,” continues today, as we have selected some great adventure stories of daring that were dramatized from the Golden Age of Radio. Today a story from an author who is perhaps best known for his cat-and-mouse political thriller “Rogue Male,” Geoffrey Household. "A Rough Shoot," recounts the story of an Englishman who accidentally kills a man and hides the body, inadvertently drawing him into a complex web of international intrigue involving a former Nazi general, and a perilous journey to uncover a larger conspiracy.

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Join us today as we’re featuring an interview with Simon Singer, a child actor known as "Stuffy Singer" who played one of the Beverly Hills Beavers on the Jack Benny radio show. Stuffy discusses his early career in radio and television, including his experiences working with Benny and other well-remembered personalities. We also listen to a 1953 rehearsal recording of a Jack Benny show, where the Beavers perform a parody of the regular broadcast, and Stuffy provides commentary on it, offering insights into Benny's work style and the collaborative atmosphere of the show.

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For the first episode of the New Year, we are presenting number two in our “More Great Adventure Stories.” This is a classic tale of mistaken identity, kidnapped royalty, and forbidden romance. The Prisoner of Zenda is a tale of chivalry and high stakes chess match against mustache twirling villains. This is a full-hour adaptation of the film, which is quite faithful to the original story, as presented on The Lux Radio Theatre, and stars Ronald Colman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Bonita Hume.

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2025 is on the brink, and sometimes you just need to pause the crazy of modern day to get some perspective. We’re jumping back to a New Year’s back in 1949 to hear the popular sitcom Our Miss Brooks. These ‘50s-ish sitcoms were professionally executed, with excellent performances, solid writing and music, and a crowd pleasing formula. There’s not much to find fault in, other than either you love them or you don’t. This episode centers on Miss Brooks's New Year's Eve plans, which are repeatedly disrupted by financial constraints and babysitting, complicating her romantic prospects with Mr. Boynton.

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We’re beginning another tribute to today, with “10 More Great Adventure Stories.” These are stories of imagination and escapism, and thus are perfect for radio drama. Our first is a wild story that fits all of these criteria: "The Boiling Sea," about a cargo ship trapped in the crater of a newly forming volcano in the Pacific. It’s a story of survival, escape, and a great tale of cruel nature vs. man's ingenuity.

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This is the finale of our annual time-traveling expedition to Christmas Past. And we are closing it out with a huge radio extravaganza. The 1945 Christmas Day radio broadcast sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company. This two-hour show features numerous big-name celebrities, including Bob Hope, Jack Benny, and Red Skelton. The broadcast also has a real sense of relief, as America officially entered the post-war era. It includes a segment dedicated to veterans, highlighting their contributions and the importance of supporting their reintegration into civilian life, and reflected the joy of the post-war Christmas season.

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We are time traveling again, and it’s back to Christmas Eve of 1945 today, to listen to a lesser known A-tier radio program. "Names on the Land," features Frank Morgan as a train conductor on a fictional journey across America. The show uses the alphabet to highlight the origins of various town names, weaving together anecdotes and historical accounts, as a celebration of the land and humor of the American people. Sponsored by the DuPont Company, the program emphasizes the company's slogan, "Better things for better living through chemistry," while connecting the themes of homecoming and peace following World War II.

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