The K-Rob Collection

On this edition we take a look at African-American professional boxer Jersey Joe Walcott, who is regarded among the best heavyweights in the world during the 1940s and 1950s, winning the title at the age of 37. Walcott was born in 1914, and was only 15 years old when his father died. He quit school and worked in a soup factory to support his mother and 11 younger brothers and sisters, and then began training as a boxer. His first bout was in 1930. His last fight was in 1953, when he was knocked out by Rocky Marciano in the first round. After retiring from boxing, Walcott did some acting, playing small parts in a few movies and television shows. In 1956, Walcott performed the role of George the Trainer, in the Humphrey Bogart boxing drama The Harder They Fall.

Walcott also refereed several boxing matches, including the second fight between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. From 1971 to 1974, Walcott was the elected Sheriff of Camden County, New Jersey, the first African-American to hold the position. From 1975 to 1984, Walcott was the chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. You're going to hear Jersey Joe Walcott take on boxing legend Joe Louis in a 1948 rematch on ABC radio. It's one of the earliest bouts broadcast on closed circuit television.

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Soap Operas were very popular during radio's classic era. Experts say the radio networks made more money from daytime serials than any other broadcast genre, because so many women were homemakers, and enjoyed being entertained while doing boring, tedious, housework. The first soap opera appeared on radio in 1930 and was an instant success. Very quickly, midday programing was filled with mostly soaps, lasting about 15 minutes each, with occasional news breaks. You will hear several soaps broadcast on CBS Radio the morning of September 21st, 1939. They are Hilltop House, Stepmother, Brenda Curtis, Big Sister, and Aunt Jenny's True Life Stories.

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First Jeopardy host Art Fleming, Home Health Care, and Phil Donahue. 

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Timmie Rogers was an African-American comedian, singer-songwriter, bandleader and actor. Rogers was one of the first Black comedians allowed to directly address a white audience. Before Rogers, African-American comics had to either work in pairs or groups, only conversing with each other, and they had to play a character. Because of this, Rogers was known as the Jackie Robinson of comedy. Rogers was born in Detroit in 1915. At the age of eight, he was earning money by dancing on the street. At the age of 12, Rogers ran away from home and found a job as a dishwasher on a boat, where he learned to speak 9 languages including French and German. By 1932, Rogers was a professional dancer, and in the 1940s he began performing on radio. In 1949, Rogers starred in America's first black prime-time television show Uptown Jubilee on CBS. He was also a recurring guest star on The Jackie Gleason Show on CBS-TV for over 12 years, and would continue to work with Jackie for the next thirty years. In the late 1950s Rogers recorded for Cameo and Parkway Records. His hits included "Back to School Again" and "You'd Better Go Now". When performing, Rogers often played a 10-stringed guitar-like instrument called a Martin tiple, which he used on a 1975 episode of the Redd Foxx sitcom Sanford and Son. Rogers was inducted into the National Comedy Hall of Fame in 1993. You will hear Timmie Rogers perform on 3 editions of the Armed Forces Radio show Jubilee, the first two in 1945, and the third in 1947.

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The focus of this edition is the career of Lena Horne, the African-American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Her career spanned over 70 years, appearing on film, television, and theater. Born in 1917, Horne became a popular night club singer at the age of 16. She made her first movie appearance in 1935, which lead to many radio performances. Lena Horne is the winner of 4 Grammy awards, one Emmy award and many other accolades. We'll will hear the story of her life in a 1949 edition of Destination Freedom. Then Lena Horne performs in a starring role (Which was very rare during Jim Crow America) on the CBS Radio drama, Suspense in 1944. You will hear Lena sing with the legendary Benny Goodman band on the armed forces program Jubilee in 1946. Lastly, She appears on the radio show, Guest Star in 1947.

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Ken explores Medical Hypnosis, Cardio Diets, and Perfect Parenting. 

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Radio's classic era was definitely tainted by Jim Crow laws, racial discrimination and bias. That's why this podcast is dedicated to unearthing the rare instances when African-Americans were allowed to share their talents with the world. Black performers were seldom hosts, or guest stars on the commercial networks. African-American shows were very scarce, but there were a few. One was the Harlem Hospitality Club, and was aired by the Mutual Broadcasting System, and the Armed Forces Radio Service. The half-hour program highlighted rhythm and blues music before a live audience. It featured host Willie Bryant and guests such as Amanda Randolph, an African-American actress, singer and musician. Randolph would later become the first black performer on a regularly scheduled network television show, The Laytons on the DuMont TV Network. You're going to hear two episodes of the Harlem Hospitality Club, both from 1947. And as a special bonus, you'll hear Tales From Harlem, a 1938 show produced by New York radio Station WMCA.

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We have two episodes from the Silver Theater, a dramatic anthology series broadcast on CBS Radio and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1937 to 1947. Each week, Silver Theater featured a different movie star in a different drama or comedy. From the year 1938 we're going to hear Broken Prelude parts one and two. They star Bette Davis, who's acting career spanned 50 years on Broadway, in motion pictures and on television. She won two Academy Awards along with ten nominations. Davis was famous for playing manipulators and killers during an era when women preferred sympathetic characters. 

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Ken Robinson interviews African-Americans involved in the tech industry, and their concerns about a developing digital divide during the early days of the computer boom.

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Hattie McDaniel was an American actress, singer, and comedian. She was born in 1893 in Wichita, Kansas...and was the youngest of 13 children. Her father Henry had fought in the Civil War. Her mother was a gospel singer, both had been slaves. After graduating from high school McDaniel started working as a songwriter and performer. In the 1920s she began performing on the radio, and embarked on a recording career. In 1927 McDaniel had a hit with One Sorrowing Heart. In 1932 McDaniel made her first movie appearance as a maid, and unfortunately was labeled with that stereotype the rest of her life. Facing discrimination and limited opportunities. However, McDaniel remained a trailblazer and an inspiration to many. In 1939, Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American to win an Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress in the classic film Gone With the Wind. She appeared in 300 films during her career, including Johnny Come Lately, with James Cagney in 1943. McDaniel stopped acting in movies after 1949, but switched to television, and continued to perform on radio, becoming the first black actor to star in her own radio program, the comedy series Beulah in 1947 on CBS Radio. When the sitcom transitioned to ABC-TV in 1950, Ethel Waters had the starring role, but quit after the first year. McDaniel replaced Waters but became to ill to perform after filming just 6 episodes. You're going to hear Hattie McDaniel on the Eddie Cantor radio show with Humphrey Bogart in 1941. The on the all-black Blueberry Hill Program, a pilot recorded by CBS Radio in 1943. And performing as Beulah on the Bing Crosby radio program in 1949.

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