The Good Old Days of Radio Show

This week, John Tefteller and radio historian Dr. Joe Webb continue our journey through The Whistler with an early episode from June 1943. "Shadow of a Mind" comes from a time before the series settled into the style fans know today, making it an interesting glimpse at the show's experimental beginnings. The story follows a surgeon determined to save his dying daughter by attempting an extraordinary medical procedure involving her fiancé. What begins as a desperate act of love soon ventures into territory that feels more like Frankenstein than a traditional mystery, blending suspense with science fiction and horror. After the drama, John and Joe take a look at how The Whistler evolved over the years, discuss actor Howard McNear and the early cast, and explain how the series gradually shifted away from these supernatural-style stories to become one of radio's most well-known suspense programs.

There is a show notes website! Dr. Joe has created a site dedicated to this series! https://sites.google.com/view/whistlershownotes/home 

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We're headed to Camp Elliott in 1943 for a wartime broadcast of The Bob Burns Show, also known as The Arkansas Traveler. This episode has a little bit of everything: Bob Burns' down-home humor, a sketch about military training, and a real treat for Spike Jones fans performing the rarely heard "Zip Your Lip and Save a Ship," a song that was never commercially recorded. You'll also hear the kind of sponsor messages that instantly transport you back to the 1940s, complete with musical commercials for Lifebuoy Soap. As John Tefteller explains, this recording survived thanks to a thrift store discovery on original transcription discs. 

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This week, we're joined once again by radio historian Dr. Joe Webb for a new 10-week series, this time dedicated to the popular thriller series, The Whistler. We’re starting off with a rare episode that few listeners have ever heard. Originally broadcast in 1946 from Chicago's WBBM, "The Croupier's Wife" was recently rediscovered, making this a lost-and-found treasure. The story follows a quiet casino roulette dealer whose life takes a dangerous turn as he and his ambitious wife become entangled in a scheme driven by the promise of easy money. After the drama, John and Joe explore the fascinating history behind this regional production, discuss writer Stuart Novins, and share the remarkable and tragic story of actor Everett Clarke, whose life ended in shocking circumstances years after his radio career.

There is a show notes website! Dr. Joe has created a site dedicated to this series! https://sites.google.com/view/whistlershownotes/home

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Today we wrap up radio's most creative late comedies with the final broadcast of The Stan Freberg Show from 1957. By this point, Stan Freberg had already made a name for himself as a voice actor and hit recording artist, but his radio show proved he was also one of the sharpest satirists of his generation. This farewell episode plays like a greatest hits collection, bringing back some of his funniest musical parodies and sketches, taking aim at everything from television westerns to advertising and network censorship. It's a fitting sendoff for a show that was clever and in many ways ahead of its time. Unfortunately, even Freberg's brilliant writing couldn't stop the tide as television rapidly took over American entertainment.

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Today it’s a 1947 episode of Escape featuring a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic story, "The Country of the Blind." Starring the versatile Paul Frees, it's a social commentary dressed up as an eerie adventure story. It follows a mountain climber who stumbles into a hidden valley where everyone has been blind for generations. Certain that his ability to see will make him extraordinary, he quickly discovers that the people around him don't see it that way at all. In fact, they believe he's the one with the problem.

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It’s the first Tuesday of the month, and we are bringing you another “lost" program, the long-missing 1947 fall premiere of The Henry Morgan Show. Back from his summer break, Morgan wastes no time taking aim at everything in sight. Through a mix of topical jokes, satire, and absurd sketches, he pokes fun at the radio world of the time, including famous news commentators like Gabriel Heatter and H.V. Kaltenborn. You'll also hear Eversharp razor commercials worked into the comedy, something that would eventually leave Morgan sponsor-less.

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Happy 4th of July again. This year, we are featuring yet another Norman Corwin production. This is a World War II-era Independence Day drama from 1944: "Home for the Fourth," featuring a score by Bernard Herrmann. It’s about a young soldier named Eddie who comes home on leave to spend the Fourth of July with his family and friends. But as the holiday unfolds, unexpected news changes the mood and reminds everyone just how deeply the war touched ordinary lives. More than eighty years later, we get a glimpse through Corwin’s idealistic lens into the hopes and fears of families living through one of the most challenging periods in American history.

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We're taking a look at a weird piece of broadcasting history, a 1955 episode of The Edgar Bergen Show from the twilight years of network radio. If you're expecting classic Charlie McCarthy, you may be surprised. By 1955, radio entertainment was on life support, and many longtime stars were experimenting with new formats to stay on the air. In this version of the show, Edgar Bergen serves more as a host and disc jockey than a ventriloquist, introducing interviews, pre-recorded music, and feature segments instead of the comedy that made him famous. You'll hear a conversation with Admiral Felix Stump about military affairs in the Pacific, and even a discussion of Shakespeare. This broadcast offers a rare snapshot of a medium in transition, as radio legends adapted to a changing entertainment landscape and the television era began to take over.

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We're returning to early Inner Sanctum this week to bring you a 1944 episode starring the incomparable Peter Lorre. Lorre plays a comedian who becomes convinced that he committed murder. As the story unfolds, paranoia takes over, leading to the kind of outrageous plot twists that made Inner Sanctum a radio favorite. This version comes from the Armed Forces Radio Service and includes a special introduction and narration by Peter Lorre himself, a feature not heard on the original network broadcast. As an added bonus, the recording concludes with a brief teaser for still lost episode starring Boris Karloff.

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Tuesday is occasionally reserved for the bizarre, and we've got that for you today. The CBS Radio Workshop was an experimental program, often with programs that defied conventional tropes. Originally broadcast in April 1956, "The Record Collectors" is an over-the-top satire hosted by John Dehner. The program introduces two eccentric (and fictional) record collectors who are convinced that music peaked with 78 RPM records. As they spar with real-life musical guests including Margaret Whiting and Lynn Murray, they take aim at all the latest innovations of that day, including high fidelity sound, LP records, and just about everything else.

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