My fanaticism for the Golden Age of Hollywood, Classic TV, and Silent Movies is legendary. I have, over the past few years, become just as infatuated with and devoted to Old Radio shows. I barely remember hearing radio shows as a child. I mostly remember an old Christmas radio show they aired each Christmas that was one of our most cherished traditions.
Before I Love Lucy, Audrey Hepburn, and Fred & Ginger shook the world, families gathered around their radios each night to be entertained. Just the thought of a family excitedly gathering around a radio brings a smile to my face! Sometimes I think “progress” isn’t much of a “progress” after all, but that’s another hill to climb on another day.
Wonderful radio programs, comedies, westerns, dramas, and soap operas delighted people of all ages for years. Then they disappeared forever… or so we thought. With the internet, podcasts, YouTube, and a WONDERFUL Sirius station devoted entirely to these engaging shows, old time radio is here with us today to give us just as much happiness and entertainment as ever.
You can, literally, access your favorite old radio show(s) as easily as you can watch a favorite old movie. And, boy, do I ever!
My personal favorite old radio shows are:
- Nero Wolfe/New Adventures of Nero Wolfe (Sydney Greenstreet)
- Candy Matson
- I Love Lucy (Lucille Ball)
- The Six Shooter (James Stewart)
- The Sharp Shooter
- Gunsmoke (William Conrad)
- The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
- Cisco Kid
- Fort Laramie (Raymond Burr)
- Hopalong Cassidy
- Have Gun Will Travel (John Dehner)
- Hercule Poirot
- The Lone Ranger
- Richard Diamond (Dick Powell)
- Abbott & Costello
- Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
- Dragnet
- Whistler
- The Saint (Vincent Price on some of these)
- Bob Hope
- Sherlock Holmes
- Casey Crime Photographer
- Laurel & Hardy
- Philip Marlowe
- Boston Blackie
Quite a list, huh? I told you I was a fanatic! The crazy thing is, there are still A LOT of radio shows I want to explore but haven’t had the chance yet…. okay, maybe I’ve had the chance, I just can’t pull myself away from my favorites. The truth always comes out, doesn’t it?
When I do check out the others that have caught my eye, I’m sure I’ll have to come back and add to this list.
Just as I collect books, photos, and memorabilia from Old Hollywood and Classic TV, I collect anything related to Old Radio. The Old-Time Radio Book is the newest addition to my cherished collections.
I found this wonderful book from a used book seller (Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit) on Amazon. When I order used books, I always use Amazon. There are also A LOT on eBay – I’m just an Amazon addict, truth be told. When you order used books on Amazon, be sure to select “Like New” or “Very Good” as the conditions you’re interested in.
I order a lot of my Old Hollywood (especially Old Radio) books “used” on Amazon and have never been disappointed.
I really love The Old-Time Radio Book – it’s even better than I expected. It’s in wonderful condition (even better than described online) and it has so much more inside than I expected.
Don’t you just love when you get more than you bargained for?!
I had no idea, for example, there’d be so many wonderful photos. The fact that some of my absolute favorites showed up on these pages made it even sweeter. Lucille Ball, Agnes Moorehead (check out the gorgeous picture of Agnes below!), Jane Wyman, Lana Turner, Susan Hayward, Ginger Rodgers… I gasped each time I found a new favorite on the pages – some of these pictures I’d never seen before.
Speaking of Agnes Moorehead for a moment, she was an absolutely phenomenal actress – on radio, in movies, and on tv (you may know her best as Endora). When you hear her on Old Radio, you will be blown away by her angelic voice. NOT AT ALL ENDORA-LIKE!
When I first heard her on an old radio show, I had no idea who the actress was. All I knew was that I could listen to her beautiful voice for hours. I couldn’t wait for the end of the program to hear the announcer say her name. When he said, “Agnes Moorehead,” my jaw dropped right into my strawberry sundae (another addiction). Beautiful face, beautiful voice, beautiful person.
No wonder I’m such a huge fan of her’s. She had it all and then some.
The big, beautiful photo of Susan Hayward (below) is another one I had never seen. In fact, there are a lot of pictures in this book I’m sure most people have never seen before. I’m not sure all of them have even been published before.
If you are a fan of Old Radio, this is a book you will love as much as I do. If you’re a fan of Old Hollywood, you will love seeing the pictures of the stars you are familiar with. In fact, if you’re an Old Hollywood fan, you may be lured into Old Radio when you see the names associated with the shows (many are listed in my list of favorites above).
Many of the greatest stars in Hollywood were the greatest stars on radio. Check them out – they will not let you down!
Books for Fans of Old Radio:
The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (one of the ones on my list to buy)
The Top 100 Classic Radio Shows
You can find many more on Amazon as well as eBay.
Websites for Fans of Old Radio:
