Yank Swing Session 1944

 Bob Crosby did a lot of shows for us during WWII, usually as a DJ sometimes with his band.

"Yank Swing Session" was interesting.  Sometimes they played records.  Usually, they played unissued music from radio shows.  Here's a 1944 visit.

Yank Swing Session - 1944

More Old Time radio

Contest Theater 1955

 

Contest Theater was actually the NBC Radio Theater.   Dane Clark stars in "Destination Mars".  Pat O'Brien hosts with announcer Jimmy Wallington.

Contest Theater - Destination Mars

More Old Time Radio

Know Your Ally - Great Britain 1943

 

AFRS was always at it's best when it taught a message.  WWII American soldiers didn't know much about their allies.  In 1943 we learned about those exotic Brits...

Know Your Ally - Great Britain - 1943

More Old Time Radio

Jubilee 1943

 I certainly wish I had both parts of this.  In 1943, Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Red Allen and an All-Star cast were part of Jubilee.

Los Angeles 10/April/1943  Henry Allen Sextet

Henry ‘Red’ Allen(t), J.C. Higginbotham (tb), Don Stovall (as), Alfred Williams(p), Benny Moten (b), Alvin Burroughs (d), Billie Holiday (v)

NBC Studios in Hollywood, and dubbed March 22. The broadcast took place on April 9 or 10, as they were normally transmitted on a Friday night.

Jubilee - 1943   

More from Jubilee

National Guard Assembly 1947

 

Paul Whiteman with Hildegard

I was copying a bunch of AFRS ETS and saw "National Guard Assembly".  I thought it was another normal recruiting show.  In 1947 The Guard was doing a show on ABC with bandleader Paul Whiteman.  This would have been around the time that Roger Carroll was a staff announcer there, unfortunately not on this program..

National Guard Assembly 1947 

Golden Days Of Radio - War of the Worlds

 

Frank Bresee is back with another look at radio's golden days.  Today, the exciting conclusion of "War Of The Worlds".

Hear the Golden Days Of Radio every day at 8pm Central on www.mybestsounds.com

Golden Days Of Radio 1975

More Golden Days of Radio

 

GI Jive 1945

 

In 1943 Martha Wilkerson was the voice of the girl left behind as GI Jill on on the brand new Armed Forces Radio Service. 

GI Jive 1945

 More GI Jive here

This is the story 1947

 

A few years ago I picked up a lot of these and am finally getting to the transfers.  Network did a great job explaining issues.  This time a dramatization about how hunger led to Mussolini.  

This Is the Story

More This Is The Story

Harry Von Zell 1944

 

Harry Von Zell was one of giants of radio announcing.  In the 1920s he was the announcer for Paul Whiteman.  By 1930 a CBS staff announcer.  Harry Von Zell biography in Wikipedia

Today Harry jives up a storm in Sound Off!

Sound Off - 1944

More Old Time Radio

Golden Days of Radio 1984

 

A few years ago Frank's amazing record collection went on the market.  But these were the days, a 1951 Lux Radio Theatre production of Sunset Boulevard.

Golden Age Of Radio - Sunset Boulevard

More Golden Days Of Radio

One Night Stand 1962

 Well into the 1960s radio had remote broadcasts from the big bands.  AFRTS played these for the troops worldwide on One Night Stand.  A little piece of home.

Si Zentner had a very good band.  Unfortunately, the big bands were dying out.  But they'll always have a magic:

One Night Stand - Si Zentner 1962

More Old Time Radio

Command Performance 1942

 How do you come up with words for something like this?  In 1942 the US radio networks and all of the stars of radio and movies cooperated to make the biggest variety show ever, Command Performance.  The program continued well into 1951.  The wartime shows in particular were a big deal.

Here's how it all began:

Command Performance #1 - 1942

More Old Time Radio

This Is The Story 1948

 "This is the Story" was a repackaging of anthology shows, sometimes newly recorded with a positive, patriotic theme.

In 1948 Ida Lupino starred in Hallmark Playhouse. December 9, 1948. CBS net. "Woman With A Sword". How a woman helped Abe Lincoln to win the Civil War. Ida Lupino, Gerald Mohr, James Hilton (host), Frank Goss (announcer).  Wonderful story.  AFRS repackaged it as "This Is The Story"

This Is The Story - Woman With A Sword - 1948

More Old Time Radio

Happy New Year 1946

  

Happy 1946!  In 1945 the network assembled the top bands in the country to celebrate the win:

New Year's Dancing Party. December 31, 1945. AFRS origination. Happy New Year's from bands around the country. An assembled program. Harry James and His Orchestra, Count Basie and His Orchestra, Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, Woody Herman and His Orchestra, Henry King and His Orchestra, Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Les Brown and His Orchestra, Artie Shaw and His Orchestra, Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, Carmen Cavallaro and His Orchestra, Louis Prima and His Orchestra, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Guy Lombardo and His Orchestra, Don Wilson

AFRS New Year Dancing Party

More Old Time Radio

Happy Thanksgiving 1944

   

Surprisingly hard to find Thanksgiving shows.  From 1944 Lionel Barrymore (Mr. Potter on It's a Wonderful Life)  and an all-star cast share the holidays.

1944 AFRS Thanksgiving Show

My best to you and yours. 

More Old Time Radio

Mail Call 1943

 During WWII Hollywood made their biggest and brightest stars available to shine worldwide over AFRS in several variety shows.  Mail Call was one of these.

November 1943.  Here's Fanny Brice, Dennis Day, Lionel Barrymore, Harlow Wilcox and many more.

Mail Call - 1943

More Old Time Radio

Downbeat 1946

 .

By 1946 Gene Norman (remember GNP records?)was building quite the name as a jazz promoter.  He was also doing Downbeat for AFRTS

Downbeat - 1946

More Downbeat

Command Perfomance 1945

 

 Donna Dae sings, "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." Herb Shriner is introduced as "Sgt. Shriner." Orson Welles (m. c.), Donna Dae, Larry Stevens, Herb Shriner, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Theodora Lynch

Command Performance - 1945 Orson Welles

More Old Time Radio

Downbeat 1945

 

This is a great show.  DJ, promoter, record guy Gene Norman tells the history of early jazz in the 1920s.  Downbeat was always danceable, but this kicks.

Downbeat - 1945

More Downbeat

Adventure Theatre 1977

 

Well into the 1980s, we ran a lot of oldtime radio.  We had access to huge libraries, restrictions on the television product made it another way to present a good story.  When it was being presented as a 'story', it was done well.  When it was 'nostalgia', it was a harder sell.  By 1980 90% of the troops hadn't been there for network radio, making it quaint.  They didn't understand where the joke even was with Fibber McGee joking about 'ration points'.  But drama, mystery and some comedy could be very entertaining.

Here's a 1977 repackaging of a 1940s broadcast.

Adventure Theatre 1977

More Old Time Radio