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The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2020 : Issue 74
A Part of the [removed]!
[removed]
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
This week in radio history 27 Decemb [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
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Date: Sat, 26 Dec 2020 08:27:06 -0500
From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
To: otr-digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: This week in radio history 27 December to 2 January
From Those Were The Days<<226>><<128>>"
12/27
1932 - Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City. It was the largest
indoor theatre in the world. The gala grand opening show was a six-hour
extravaganza that lost half a million dollars within three weeks. The
theatre has since been renovated to recapture its original decorative
charm. An Art Deco cathedral of entertainment, it seats more than 6,200
people and is still a must-see for those visiting New York. During the
holiday season, audiences continue to get a kick out of seeing the
world-famous Rockettes perform in precision on Radio City Music Hall<<226>><<128>><<153>>s
nearly 10,000-square-foot stage.
1939 - "The Glenn Miller Show", also known as "Music that Satisfies",
started on CBS. The 15-minute, twice-a-week show was sponsored by
Chesterfield cigarettes and was heard for nearly three years.
1940 - Singer Al Jolson and actress Ruby Keeler were divorced after 12
years of marriage. They had separated a year earlier; but Jolson talked
Keeler into co-starring with him in the Broadway show, "Hold on to Your
Hats". She left the show before the opening and then left the marriage.
12/28
1941 <<226>><<128>>" <<226>><<128>><<156>>The Helen Hayes Theater<<226>><<128>><<157>>, on CBS, was called the first casualty
of World War II. Lipton Tea dropped sponsorship of the program as it
prepared for shortages in tea imports from India.
12/29
1945 - The mystery voice of Mr. Hush was heard for the first time on the
radio show, "Truth or Consequences", hosted by Ralph Edwards. The
feature was intended as a spoof of giveaway shows. However, the idea was
taken seriously and lasted five weeks before fighter Jack Dempsey was
identified as Mr. Hush -- for a prize of $13,500 ($187,011 in 2017 dollars)
12/30
1936 - The famous feud between Jack Benny and Fred Allen was ignited.
After a 10-year-old performer finished a violin solo on "Town Hall
Tonight". Mr. Allen said, "A certain alleged violinist should hide his
head in shame for his poor fiddle playing." It didn't take long for Mr.
Benny to respond. The humorous feud lasted for years both comedian<<226>><<128>><<153>>s
shows.
1942 <<226>><<128>>" "Mr. and Mrs. North<<226>><<128>><<157>>" debuted on NBC. Joseph Curtin played Jerry
North and Alice Frost played Pam. A typical episode would find Pam
leading Jerry on what seemed to be a wild-goose chase as they tracked
down criminals. Pam always ended up being right and leading police to
the criminals. The theme song for the show was <<226>><<128>><<156>>The Way You Look
Tonight<<226>><<128>><<157>>. Sponsors included Woodbury soap, Jergens lotion and Halo
shampoo.
12/31
1929 - Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne". It
had been the band's theme song long before 1929. However, this night
was the start of a New Year's Eve tradition as Lombardo's famed
orchestra played at the Hotel Roosevelt Grill in New York City to usher
in the new year.
1940 - As a result of a dispute between the radio networks and ASCAP
(the American Society of Composers and Publishers), the radio industry
was prevented from playing any ASCAP-licensed music. The ban lasted for
ten months. An ASCAP competitor, BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) made
giant strides, expanding to include 36,000 copyrights. Many radio
stations had to resort to playing public domain songs, such as marches
and operas, to keep their stations on the air. Even kids songs were
played over and over again until the ban was lifted. One of the most
popular songs to be played was "Happy Birthday to You"; which was
performed in many different languages just to get past the ban.
1947 - Roy Rogers, the King of the Cowboys, and Dale Evans were hitched
in marriage. They rode off into the sunset together for over fifty years.
1/1
1923 The very first radio broadcast of the Rose Bowl was beamed in Los
Angeles over KHJ.
1925 Lucrezia Bori and John McCormack of the famous Metropolitan Opera
in New York City made their singing debuts on radio this day. The
broadcast over WEAF encouraged others to sing on radio.
1927 The very first coast to coast network radio broadcast of the Rose
Bowl was made. Graham McNamee provided the play by play on NBC.
1930 The Cuckoo Hour was heard for the first time on the NBC Blue network.
1/2
1921 The first religious broadcast on radio was heard, as Dr. [removed] Van
Etten of Calvary Episcopal Church preached on KDKA radio in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.
1959 CBS dropped the curtain on four soap operas. Our Gal Sunday, This
is Nora Drake, Backstage Wife and Road of Life all hit the road for good.
Joe
***** WARNING! UNHANDLED BAD CHARACTER!!!!!
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End of [removed] Digest V2020 Issue #74
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