What Was The Last Radio Program You Heard?

[ChiTownScion]

10 AM on Sunday means "The Old Fashioned Revival Hour," conducted by Rev. Charles E. Fuller. I came across a big stack of transcriptions of this widely-syndicated religious program of the Era some years ago and while I'm not a particular fan of the Reverend's brand of theology, his gospel-singing quartet does a very fine job with the olde-tyme hymns. This was a particular favorite program of my grandmother, who otherwise had little truck with Baptists.

He started out as a Presbyterian. That he ended up as a Baptist speaks volumes. Of course, Lizzie, as Reverend Maclean (Pat Skerritt) in A River Runs Through It taught, Methodists are, "Baptists....who can read."

 

[Harp]

Of course, Lizzie, as Reverend Maclean (Pat Skerritt) in A River Runs Through It taught, Methodists are, "Baptists....who can read."

...and the beloved disciple John was a dry fly fisherman.

 

[LizzieMaine]

My grandmother's beef with the Baptists was that she had known one who got pneumonia and died after being baptized in the Passagassawakeg River in April, at least two months before any intelligent person goes anywhere near the water. "Nobody," she insisted, "ever got pneumonia from a sprinkle."

Meanwhile, "The Eternal Light" is just wrapping up -- a weekly inspirational drama produced by the Jewish Theological Seminary. These were of a very high standard, and were, in fact, the very last dramatic series to be heard on the NBC radio network, airing until 1989.

Following station identification, next up is Msgr. Sheen and "The Catholic Hour."

It always bugged me as a kid that the Methodists never had a decent radio program. "The Upper Room" was very, very corny.

 

[Harp]

Following station identification, next up is Msgr. Sheen and "The Catholic Hour."

Ecumenical radio baseball? Bet Sheen played right field for the Woodstock Seminary Theologians. [angel]

 

[LizzieMaine]

He...has...this...VERY...studied...nay, MANNERED...cadence...of SPEECH. A .250 hitter in radio, tops. He wouldn't get up over .300 until television.

I always get a kick out of how announcer Jack Costello signs off, on this series only, as "John Patrick Costello."

 

[Harp]

He...has...this...VERY...studied...nay, MANNERED...cadence...of SPEECH. A .250 hitter in radio, tops. He wouldn't get up over .300 until television.

...this is Fulton Sheen? [angel]

A man I deeply admired in life and revere in memory. I need another cup of coffee.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think he needed the visual distraction of television -- the blackboard, props, etc -- to really loosen up on the air. On radio you always get the feeling he's getting ready to pounce on the microphone and wrestle it to the ground.

That said, he's far more listenable than Fr. Coughlin, who, distasteful politics aside, was the radio equivalent of a Big Ben alarm clock. "First he whispers THEN HE SHOUTS."

 

[Harp]

That said, he's far more listenable than Fr. Coughlin, who, distasteful politics aside, was the radio equivalent of a Big Ben alarm clock. "First he whispers THEN HE SHOUTS."

A Jesuit no doubt. :coffee:

 

[ChiTownScion]

A Jesuit no doubt. :coffee:

Archdiocesan priest out of Detroit, actually. That anti-Semitic crap would have gotten him drummed out of the Society.

 

[ChiTownScion]

It always bugged me as a kid that the Methodists never had a decent radio program. "The Upper Room" was very, very corny.

I remember (1970's) The Lutheran Hour and Oswald Hoffman. Always seemed like an amiable German uncle kind of a guy- the type with whom you could have a beer or two and solve 90% of the world's problems.

 

[ChiTownScion]

My grandmother's beef with the Baptists was that she had known one who got pneumonia and died after being baptized in the Passagassawakeg River in April, at least two months before any intelligent person goes anywhere near the water. "Nobody," she insisted, "ever got pneumonia from a sprinkle."

Meanwhile, "The Eternal Light" is just wrapping up -- a weekly inspirational drama produced by the Jewish Theological Seminary. These were of a very high standard, and were, in fact, the very last dramatic series to be heard on the NBC radio network, airing until 1989.

Following station identification, next up is Msgr. Sheen and "The Catholic Hour."

It always bugged me as a kid that the Methodists never had a decent radio program. "The Upper Room" was very, very corny.

And then there's the longest running radio drama of all time, "Unshackled!" from Chicago's Pacific Garden Mission. First went on the air in 1950, and still going strong.

It certainly has its corny moments, but if you're in the area on a Saturday evening, you can sit in the studio audience and watch the production. I went about 42 years ago, when a guy named Harry Saulnier was in charge of PGM. Pastor/ evangelist/ religionist types generally leave a bad taste in my mouth... but I genuinely liked Mr. Saulnier.

 

[LizzieMaine]

You can still hear "Unshackled" on shortwave from one or another of the time-brokered stations still broadcasting in that band. A lot of old radio actors worked in it right up to the ends of their lives, just because they loved radio acting and they were running out of places to do it.

Now on the air, Ray Pearl and his Orchestra broadcasting from the lavish Casino Gardens in Ocean Park, California. One of the more insistent of the West Coast bands of the prewar era, sounding in this broadcast like a cross between Guy Lombardo and Xavier Cugat, if such a thing can be imagined. Coming up at 4pm, Jean Hersholt from Hollywood in the weekly Sunday afternoon drama of "Doctor Christian."

 

[Harp]

Now on the air, Ray Pearl and his Orchestra broadcasting from the lavish Casino Gardens in Ocean Park, California. One of the more insistent of the West Coast bands of the prewar era, sounding in this broadcast like a cross between Guy Lombardo and Xavier Cugat, if such a thing can be imagined.

XC's rendition of Perfidia is a favorite. Cannot imagine a GL/XC cross.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Every day before the ballgame I listen to "Matinee With Bob and Ray," the original 1940's series that gave Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding their start. I transferred several dozen surviving broadcasts from the original WHDH transcription discs some years ago, and I never get tired of them -- they're spontaneous, subversive, and subtly hilarious. Ray Goulding has just opened today's programs with "It's ONE PM -- M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E -- Mickey Mouse Watch Time! For Her -- the Minnie! On sale now at fine jewelers everywhere." If you've listened to enough 30s-40s radio, you instantly recognize the source of the parody, and the flat-footed way he delivers it is nothing short of hysterical.

 

[minkowski1552]

Car Talk. Now in syndication.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Game Four of the 1941 World Series, with Red Barber and Bob Elson calling the action for Gillette over the Mutual network. The famous "Mickey Owen Game," which elderly folks in Brooklyn still grumble about, even though they know it was actually Hugh Casey's fault for throwing a spitter.

 

[Wally_Hood]

A couple Vic and Sades as we drove to San Diego to visit the USS Midway

 

[TimeWarpWife]

Game Four of the 1941 World Series, with Red Barber and Bob Elson calling the action for Gillette over the Mutual network. The famous "Mickey Owen Game," which elderly folks in Brooklyn still grumble about, even though they know it was actually Hugh Casey's fault for throwing a spitter.

Lizzie, I'm just curious as to how do you listen to these old baseball games? Is there a radio station that replays them or are they on tape or cd or something?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've been collecting recordings from various sources for many many years, and have about two hundred individual games from 1934 to 1979 set up in automated random rotation on my home-broadcasting setup. I've got a second-hand Mac running Itunes and a piece of software called Daypart with a full seven-day-a-week schedule, and that feeds into a small 100mw transmitter operating at 1230 kc. Baseball games are heard Monday thru Saturday at 1:30pm.

 

[TimeWarpWife]

As the young folks are apt to say, Lizzie, you got skills. I've gotten my iPhone so discombobulated at times that the people working at Apple are at a loss as to explain what I did. I couldn't even begin to figure out how to do something like have a set schedule to listen to the games as you've done. Simple person that I am, I still use cds and downloads to my phone.