Posts
It's young Les Paul with Martha Mears and music for the dinner hour on "At Ease"
Friday, April 24, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Leatherneck Legends - 1947
In 1947 the Marines teamed with NBC to tell their story in "Leatherneck Legends" "Landing At Waya". A doctor on a small island in the South Pacific needs a bottle of iodine. The Marine Corps investigates the murder of two traders and find themselves in a battle with three hundred savages. A recruiting message was read live near the end of the program. Tiny Ruffner (announcer)
Friday, April 17, 2015
Frank Bresee and the Golden Days of Radio
Frank Bresee was "Little Beaver" on the Red Ryder show in the 1940s. He started recording the Golden Days of Radio for AFRTS in 1967, he was there until the changeover in 1995. He's in the process of making them available again. More information about that project when it's available.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Music Views From Hollywood - 1955
In the 1950 and 60s the artists came out for "Music Views From Hollywood" on AFRTS Pianist Lou Busch sold a lot of records as Joe "Fingers" Carr, playing ragtime and 20s music. Take a listen.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Bob Kingsley - 1973
Bob Kingsley at SCN Panama 1972
Bob was a heck of a jock, he was Mr. American Country Countdown, but before that it was slamming rock on the AFRTS Bob Kingsley show.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Fibber McGee and Molly - 1945
This is a 1961 AFRTS rebroadcast of a 1945 show "Fibber the Magician". Fibber takes a challenge from Doc Gamble.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Dick Sinclair - 1959
Dick Sinclair was in that first group of AFRS talent. After WWII he made a huge name playing polka music in syndication on radio and TV. The show went well into the 1960s
Saturday, March 21, 2015
At Ease - 1944
"At Ease, with the music you'll always remember" a program of symphonic music.
Meredith Wilson was a member of Sousa's band, went to the NY Philharmonic under Toscanini and then took Hollywood. He composed the score for the "Great Dictator" and arranged the music for "The Little Foxes". During WWII he volunteered for the army and led the AFRS Orchestra. After the war, more huge success, including writing the "Music Man"
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Country Crossroads - 1982
Chapel, Fort Clayton Panama
Country Crossroads was my favorite of the Sunday morning block. Good conversation and music.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Lend a hand...
If you've saved some of this material, there's a good chance you haven't listened to it in a long time. There are a lot of us who would like to hear it again. I can be contacted at afrts@live.com
And now, the National Anthem of our host country and then the United States of America...
Have a great day!
Friday, March 13, 2015
Remember - 1946
AFRS has always known the power of a memory. "Remember" was a WWII era show of the things the troops remembered back home. Robert Young hosted a lot of these between films. He was one of the busiest actors in Hollywood but he hit his stride in the 60s and 70s with television.
This is a 1946 broadcast, spotlighting the music of 1942
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Voyage of the Scarlet Queen - 1947
Voyage of the Scarlet Queen was a Mutual show, starring Eliott Lewis. The nautical setting was a great fit for AFRTS. It was reissued several times. This is from a 1961 reissue.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Iceland - 1992 "SnowSnakes"
Just saw the blog. Great collection of old memories.
Here's one for you:
A short PSA we did warning our viewers about black ice. The video was written/directed and edited by PH1 Frank Pratt. Starring myself (JO2 J. Patrick Smith) and JO2 Gerard Johnson. I'm the one seated at the beginning of the video.
The video was shot at the NBS Keflavik Det 8 quonset hut (actually two quonset huts that were linked together). The interior shots are in the supply office. Exterior shots show the front entry to the building.
The external shots were taken after a fresh snowfall so that when I would "slip" there was plenty of fresh snow to break my fall.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Korea, to the club...
From an estate sale, this is coming in. The network in Korea had it's own club.
The 501 was for the troops, this is getting surprising complicated. The Studio Lounge may have been an earlier name for the 501, may have been a break room near the studio. And there may have been a 502 club for the higher ranks...
The sign appears to date from the late 60s...
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Melody Roundup - Sons of the Pioneers
Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers did a bunch of shows for the troops on Melody Roundup.
AFN SHAPE - 1991
I couldn't figure out who's on this. The station sounds great. Belgium just sounded like wonderful duty. I was attempting to reenlist for it in 1983 but Fort Civilian called...
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Music for the Middle Mind - 1961
In the early 1960s no one was really sure what to do with FM. There were a variety of small stations in the Los Angeles market that supplied programming to AFRTS. "Music For The Middle Mind" appears to have been originated at WFOX. "Music for the Middle Mind" was a potpourri of classical, folk and whatever sounded interesting. The program ran in the first half of the 1960s.
A Hugh Douglas was also the announcer for Have Gun Will Travel. Same Guy?
Sunday, March 1, 2015
AFRS - Bob Wills
AFRS Sangley vet Jim Gough (Mr. Texas) has been doing the Bob Wills radio show for quite some time. Several AFRS Bob Wills broadcasts are available. Jim and Bob, you need to listen. This was on another page, that pointed to a dead link, works now.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
One Night Stand - 1945 - Cab Calloway
For "One Night Stand" AFRTS would repackage music remotes from the states. It started during WWII and continued for about 20 years. Cab Calloway was a great talent. I had him on the show once when I was a boy DJ in Minneapolis. In 1973 him and Anita O'Day were in a packaged oldies show. Great music then, great music now.
AFRTS anniversary - Command Performance 1947
2017 will be the 75th anniversary of AFRTS. The 70th was largely ignored. What should we do about it? LaRita Shelby was saying that we could have the beginnings of a committee on this. There's enough lead time. Who has ideas?In 1947 the network was five years old, and the stars came out..
Monday, February 23, 2015
Radio Novels - 1967
The Radio Novel is sort of a mystery. No one knows when they were recorded or for whom.
AFRTS was airing hour long ones on 1965, by 1967 it was a half hour. They repackaged a lot of shows, but if that was the case there would be an occasional known performer. In 1967 it was part of the Voice of Home.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
AFRS Alaska - 40th anniversary
There's a lot of great video stories. Larry Rogers shared with us the 40th anniversary of the Alaska network.
Monday, February 16, 2015
Matt Willoughby AFKN - 1976
I joined the Army in 1973 with a guaranteed enlistment for DINFOS. I tried to join before to go to Vietnam but my brother was a helicopter pilot over there then and they wouldn't let me go because of the sole surviving son rule. So when I could join they weren't sending anyone to Vietnam anymore. I grew up in the Panama Canal Zone watching SCN and decided to go into broadcasting since I had some radio experience in Arizona when my parents retired. I met my wife Kim at DINFOS and we got married. I was first assigned to SCN but when the Army learned we were married it assigned us to Korea. She was assigned to the Public Affairs Office and I to AFKN. I did radio and television news until 1976. But I convinced Bob Zix to let me do a half hour album rock show with him and others that was recorded and aired late nights. We each DJed our own show. Bob liked my show but the brass didn't like the format and it was canceled. After processing out of the Army in 1976 I went on to jobs in television and radio in Arizona, Washington, D.C..and North Carolina. I am now retired and recently got a job working part time at a Cabelas store in Garner North Carolina. Kim became a teacher and is now retired as well.
It would be interesting if anyone remembers this patch some of us made up.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Random TP
The "Top Pops" series were the weeks hits, issues from 1962-75. It made a pretty incredible oldies library...
TP-43 RL7-4 1964
Shelby Flint-Little Dancing Doll
Jack Nitzshe-Lonely Surfer
Nancy Wilson-Tell Me The Truth
Billy Abbott-Groovy Baby
Kim Weston-Love Me All The Way
Gene McDaniels-It's A Lonely Town
Floyd Cramer-How High The Moon
Cliff Richard-Lucky Lips
Bill Purcell-Pride
Jackie DeShannon-Little Yellow Roses
Peter Paul and Mary-Blowin In The Wind
Bill Anderson 8 x 10
Burl Ives-This Is All I Ask
Claude King-Scarlet O'Hara
How many of THOSE are still being played on the radio?
TP-43 RL7-4 1964
Shelby Flint-Little Dancing Doll
Jack Nitzshe-Lonely Surfer
Nancy Wilson-Tell Me The Truth
Billy Abbott-Groovy Baby
Kim Weston-Love Me All The Way
Gene McDaniels-It's A Lonely Town
Floyd Cramer-How High The Moon
Cliff Richard-Lucky Lips
Bill Purcell-Pride
Jackie DeShannon-Little Yellow Roses
Peter Paul and Mary-Blowin In The Wind
Bill Anderson 8 x 10
Burl Ives-This Is All I Ask
Claude King-Scarlet O'Hara
How many of THOSE are still being played on the radio?
Pendleton Story - 1951
In 1951 there were a lot of radio actors and not a lot of work. AFRTS was creating historic, patriotic radio
"The Threat". The "XYZ" Affair threatens relations with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts threaten American freedoms. Lamont Johnson, Vic Perrin,
Lamont Johnson had a long, successful career from Let's Pretend to Tarzan, Dragnet, Escape and the Whistler. As a director he was a part of Peter Gunn, Twilight Zone and Name of The Game.
This recording is from a 1967 re-issue.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Jerry Thomas - Sounds of the 60s - 1967
It's another show of your mostly MOR favorites. We did keep the Colonels happy. I can't find anything about this one. It almost sounds like one of the shows that Capitol sent out...
Shirley Bassey is Jerry Thomas' special guest.
Shirley Bassey is Jerry Thomas' special guest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)