Radio Lovers - Old Time Radio Shows

[Guest Chaney]

We offer hundreds of vintage radio shows for you to listen to online in mp3 format, all for free. Before the days of video games, shopping malls, MTV, and the Internet, families used to sit in their living room each night to listen to radio shows such as Abbott and Costello, Superman, Groucho Marx, The Avenger, Gunsmoke, Sherlock Homes, and many others. When TV become popular in the 1950's, most of these shows went off the air, but they now live on at websites such as this one and on weekly nostalgia radio broadcasts worldwide.

[GA Russell]

I can recommend the mp3 CDs of Gary Mercer. He sells the entire run of a program for five bucks! The sound is OK on some, better on others. Here's his website:

http://www.old-time.com/sponsors/otr-in-mp3/index.html

When I was a boy, my dad's aunt would excuse herself from the room Sunday afternoons to listen to Have Gun Will Travel. I started listening to Gunsmoke and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar each Sunday when I was in fifth grade. As it turned out, that was the last year they were on. So I was born just in time to remember the end of the days of network radio in the US.

[johnlitweiler]

How I miss Randy's...

[johnlitweiler]

I mean the 1950s Randy's. It's where I heard first records of Little Walter, Bessie Smith, Joe Liggins, Ma-Nard Ferguson, etc. etc. etc.

[AfricaBrass]

Thanks for the links! One of my favorite things to do while growing up was to listen to the old time radio shows that the local station played at 9pm every night.

I used to use a streamripper program to make mp3s of shows that I'd listen to on the web.

[medjuck]

  GA Russell said:

I can recommend the mp3 CDs of Gary Mercer. He sells the entire run of a program for five bucks! The sound is OK on some, better on others. Here's his website:

http://www.old-time.com/sponsors/otr-in-mp3/index.html

When I was a boy, my dad's aunt would excuse herself from the room Sunday afternoons to listen to Have Gun Will Travel. I started listening to Gunsmoke and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar each Sunday when I was in fifth grade. As it turned out, that was the last year they were on. So I was born just in time to remember the end of the days of network radio in the US.

Was Have Gun a radio show before it was a tv show? I know Gunsmoke was but....

[Randy Twizzle]

"Have Gun Will Travel was an unusual series as it was one of the very few to originate on television before becoming a radio program. Many of the radio episodes were adaptations of television scripts."

http://www.thrillingdetective.com/paladin.html

[GA Russell]

To follow up on Randy's post, I believe that HGWT was the only radio show based on a popular TV show during radio's golden age.

My Little Margie debuted on both TV and radio the same week, with the TV show airing first.

Those are the only two shows I am aware of broadcast on TV first.

In more recent times there have been radio shows done of The Avengers and The Twilight Zone.

[Christiern]

I love shows like Fibber McGee and Molly, and, of course, the Fred Allen Show. There was, however one that really stood out in my mind as being different from all the rest: Lum and Abner. I think it was quite advanced for its day.

[ghost of miles]

  johnlitweiler said:

I mean the 1950s Randy's. It's where I heard first records of Little Walter, Bessie Smith, Joe Liggins, Ma-Nard Ferguson, etc. etc. etc.

"Randy's Record Shop?" Out of Tennessee?

[medjuck]

Anyone know where one might find the Bing Crosby show? Duke and Jimmy Blanton appeared one but to the best of my knowledge it's only availabe on tape. I'd like to find it on-line or on cd.

[Dave James]

I just had an XM Satellite system installed in my Explorer. They have a whole channel that's devoted to old time radio. I've always had a soft spot for Burns & Allen. Some of the writing and the way they set up Gracie's particular brand of looney toon WTF humor is really well done.

Up over and out.

Edited January 28, 2005 by Dave James

[Jazzmoose]

No Great Gildersleeve? Bah!

[johnlitweiler]

Yes, Randy's Record Mart of Gallatin, TN, owned by Randy Wood of Dot Records. In those days, though, Randy's was the generic name among Midwestern teenagers for radio station WLAC in Nashville. Other sponsors included Ernie's Record Mart of Nashville (Excello Records) and White Rose Petroleum Jelly, the petroleum jelly of a thousand and one uses. Sorry, folks, but we can only tell you about a thousand of them.

[ghost of miles]

  johnlitweiler said:

White Rose Petroleum Jelly, the petroleum jelly of a thousand and one uses. Sorry, folks, but we can only tell you about a thousand of them.

Was that really their slogan?

[johnlitweiler]

Kinda doubt that was their slogan, but the Randy's disc jockey, Gene Nobles, used to read that line about the petroleum jelly at 11:30 every night. Another favorite was the Ernie's Record Shop commercial that included "And when you order these great blues records, please specify if you want them on 78 or 45 rpm. Remember, folks, 45 rpm are the little records with the big hole in the middle." This was around 1957-58, very late for 78s.