Shows
Breaking WallsBW - EP89: The Birth of The Adult Radio Western (1929 - 1945) [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 3/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.
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In Breaking Walls episode 89, we explore the birth of the dramatic radio western show, specifically targeted to adult audiences. This is the first of a three-part mini-series on adult western radio shows.
Highlights:
• Back to the Very Beginning
• What is a Western Show?
• The Birth of Western Dramatic Radio Shows
• Empire Builders
• Death Valley Days
• The Western show on local stations
• ...And in syndication
• Lux Presents Hollywood
• The Triumph and Tragedy of Buck Jones
• Americana and the Cavalcade of Ame...2025-06-222h 20
Breaking WallsBW - EP88: I Can't Stand Jack Benny—The Story Behind His 1945-46 Season [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 2/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.
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In Breaking Walls episode 88, we spotlight the 1945-46 season of The Jack Benny Program. This season introduced characters like telephone operators Gertrude and Mabel, press agent Steve Bradley, hot dog vendor Mr. Kitzel, and Ronald and Benita Colman. This season featured guest appearances from Ingrid Bergman, Isaac Stern, Van Johnson, Ray Milland, Peter Lorre, Louella Parsons, Fred Allen, Ed Sullivan and others. It also was the season in which Dennis Day returned from the Navy and...2025-06-153h 17
Breaking WallsBW - EP86: Home For the Holidays—December 1945 On the Air [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 12/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.
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In Breaking Walls episode 86, we spotlight what was on the air over the US’ major radio networks during December of 1945.
Highlights:
• The First Peacetime Holiday Season in Five Years Begins
• Radio’s Three Main Production Hubs
• Macabees
• Frank Nelson, Lurene Tuttle, and Mandel Kramer
• I Can’t Stand Jack Benny
• Soap Operas and Kid’s Shows
• NBC Dominates Sunday and Tuesday Nights
• Falling Mid-Week Ratings Open the Door for CBS
• Victory Bonds and Bing’s Strike
• Christmas Draws Closer
• Fibbe...2025-06-012h 58
Breaking WallsBW - EP85: From Hoboken to Eternity—Frank Sinatra's Radio Career (1935 - 1955) [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 11/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.
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In Breaking Walls episode 85, we spotlight the radio career of Frank Sinatra. We’ll find out how a brash, skinny kid from Hoboken, New Jersey became one of the most popular and influential music artists of the 20th century, selling more than 150 million records worldwide, winning an academy award for Best Supporting Actor, and using radio to launch it all.
Highlights:
• How Sinatra’s Difficult Birth Affected The Rest of His Life
• Growing Up In Hoboken
• Not Intere...2025-05-232h 51
Breaking WallsBW - EP82: Depression, War, And The Birth of ABC (1932 - 1946) [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 8/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.
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In Breaking Walls episode 82 we focus on the state of the radio broadcasting industry in the late 1930s and early 1940s, as Broadcasting booms while the world goes to War.
Highlights:
• Early days at NBC’s Radio City in New York
• How Press Associations caused NBC and CBS to launch a news service
• The Birth of the Mutual Broadcasting System and their Struggles
• NBC Red and NBC Blue
• The FCC and US Justice Department Get Involved with Radio
•...2025-04-291h 44
Breaking WallsBW - EP79: The Boy Wonder—Orson Welles' Early Career (1931 - 1941) [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 5/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.
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In Breaking Walls Episode 79, we present a detailed look at Orson Welles’ radio career through the end of 1941.
Highlights:
• Beginnings in Illinois and China — How they helped shape Orson
• The Todd Seminary School — His first exposure to theater and Radio
• Connections and Early Breaks — How his mentor Roger Hill, Thornton Wilder, Alexander Woollcott, and Katharine Cornell helped Orson get to Broadway
• Orson meets John Houseman and Archibald MacLeish, and first appears on the March of Time
• 1935-1937 — From the Mar...2025-03-302h 04
Breaking WallsBW - EP75: We Are Echoes—The Birth Of Radio (1887 - 1912) [Rewind]This episode was originally released on 2/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes beginning with this episode on the birth of radio.
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Highlights:
* Why the Blizzard of 1888 played such an important role in the need for wireless telegraphy
* Who Was Heinrich Hertz? What experiment made him the father of Hertzian Waves?
* What Oliver Lodge, Nikola Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell, and Amos DollBear have in common
* Guglielmo Marconi, father of radio?
* The benefits to wireless telegraphy
* David Sarnoff — His start between 1900 - 1906
* Why the press want to get involved
* Lee Deforest — Inventor, F...2025-03-051h 12
Breaking WallsBW - EP155—013: New York And The 1944 Radio World—Taking A Break From The TreadmillSupport Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers
Well, we’re back where we started, but we’re not the same. I mentioned at the beginning of this episode that when you run on the treadmill to oblivion, you don’t always go where you want, but you get in shape doing it.
When I began Breaking Walls ten years ago I envisioned it as a sit-down interview show. Over time it slowly morphed into on the scene reporting, and eventually a history of U.S. Network Radio Broadcasting. When I made this programming switch permanent in February of 2018 I didn...2024-09-2407 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP155—013: New York And The 1944 Radio World—Taking A Break From The TreadmillSupport Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers
Well, we’re back where we started, but we’re not the same. I mentioned at the beginning of this episode that when you run on the treadmill to oblivion, you don’t always go where you want, but you get in shape doing it.
When I began Breaking Walls ten years ago I envisioned it as a sit-down interview show. Over time it slowly morphed into on the scene reporting, and eventually a history of U.S. Network Radio Broadcasting. When I made this programming switch permanent in February of 2018 I didn...2024-09-2407 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP152—025: D-Day's 80th Anniversary—Closing Out The Day & Looking Ahead To Independence DayHere we are, back at Bill Pogue’s. It’s after 11PM. What do we know? Well, there are less people drinking here than last night, most would rather stay in and listen for updates. On the air over CBS right now is Joan Brooks. Me? I’m just trying to have that nightcap I started yesterday.
There are still news bulletins coming out of Europe. It’s almost dawn there. The men will be continuing their missions with D-Day: Plus 1
So far, we know that at least four-thousand Allied soldiers have been killed in the initial attack, but the German f...2024-06-1406 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP152—025: D-Day's 80th Anniversary—Closing Out The Day & Looking Ahead To Independence DayHere we are, back at Bill Pogue’s. It’s after 11PM. What do we know? Well, there are less people drinking here than last night, most would rather stay in and listen for updates. On the air over CBS right now is Joan Brooks. Me? I’m just trying to have that nightcap I started yesterday.
There are still news bulletins coming out of Europe. It’s almost dawn there. The men will be continuing their missions with D-Day: Plus 1
So far, we know that at least four-thousand Allied soldiers have been killed in the initial attack, but the German f...2024-06-1406 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP151: Jack Benny's Famous Slump (1944)In Breaking Walls episode 151 it’s the spring of 1944 and Jack Benny’s sponsor, General Foods, thinks he’s in a slump. Benny got mad and it changed the broadcasting landscape forever. Tonight, we’ll find out how and why.
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Highlights:
• Benny's Early Radio Career in the 1930s and Ratings Peak
• Early Problems with General Foods
• Dennis Day Leaves for World War II
• Jack Fires General Foods, Signs with American Tobacco
• Dick Haymes Replaces Dennis Day as Singer
• The Importance of Benny’s Supporting Cast
• Jack’s Split Personality
• Danny Kaye Guest Stars To Play Jack in A Movie
• The Last General Foods Sponsored Show
• Looking Ahead...2024-05-164h 32Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP151: Jack Benny's Famous Slump (1944)In Breaking Walls episode 151 it’s the spring of 1944 and Jack Benny’s sponsor, General Foods, thinks he’s in a slump. Benny got mad and it changed the broadcasting landscape forever. Tonight, we’ll find out how and why.
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Highlights:
• Benny's Early Radio Career in the 1930s and Ratings Peak
• Early Problems with General Foods
• Dennis Day Leaves for World War II
• Jack Fires General Foods, Signs with American Tobacco
• Dick Haymes Replaces Dennis Day as Singer
• The Importance of Benny’s Supporting Cast
• Jack’s Split Personality
• Danny Kaye Guest Stars To Play Jack in A Movie
• The Last General Foods Sponsored Show
• Looking Ahead...2024-05-164h 32
Breaking WallsBW - EP151—010: Jack Benny's Famous Slump—Looking Ahead to D-DayIn the fall of 1944 after Jack’s switch to Lucky Strike, General Foods did move a show opposite Jack. It wound up being The Kate Smith Show.
The company uprooted Smith’s Friday program, countering Benny with a One-Hundred-Seventy-Thousand-Dollar ad campaign. While they did temporarily put a dent into Benny’s rating, Kate Smith lost forty-percent of her audience, dropping to ninety-third place in the overall ratings.
The following season General Foods moved her back to Friday, but Kate Smith never again had another Top-fifty show.
Well, that brings our look at Jack Benny’s show in the spring of 1944 to a clo...2024-05-1205 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP151—010: Jack Benny's Famous Slump—Looking Ahead to D-DayIn the fall of 1944 after Jack’s switch to Lucky Strike, General Foods did move a show opposite Jack. It wound up being The Kate Smith Show.
The company uprooted Smith’s Friday program, countering Benny with a One-Hundred-Seventy-Thousand-Dollar ad campaign. While they did temporarily put a dent into Benny’s rating, Kate Smith lost forty-percent of her audience, dropping to ninety-third place in the overall ratings.
The following season General Foods moved her back to Friday, but Kate Smith never again had another Top-fifty show.
Well, that brings our look at Jack Benny’s show in the spring of 1944 to a clo...2024-05-1205 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP150: Easter Sunday 1944In Breaking Walls episode 150 we parachute into Easter Sunday, 1944 for a day of radio, recollections, and reconciliation.
It’s now less than two months before D-Day and U.S. citizens are awaiting word of a full-scale European invasion with held breath.
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Highlights:
• Cracks In The Nazi Foundation
• Invitation To Learning at 11:30AM
• Ceiling Unlimited with Joseph Cotton at 2PM
• The Life of Riley at 3PM
• Bulldog Drummond at 3:30PM
• The Shadow at 5:30PM
• The Catholic Hour & Radio Hall of Fame at 6PM
• The Great Gildersleeve at 6:30PM
• Jack Benny and The Mysterious Traveler at 7PM
• Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy at 8PM
• Fred Allen at 9:30PM
• Bob Crosby...2024-04-166h 30Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP150: Easter Sunday 1944In Breaking Walls episode 150 we parachute into Easter Sunday, 1944 for a day of radio, recollections, and reconciliation.
It’s now less than two months before D-Day and U.S. citizens are awaiting word of a full-scale European invasion with held breath.
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Highlights:
• Cracks In The Nazi Foundation
• Invitation To Learning at 11:30AM
• Ceiling Unlimited with Joseph Cotton at 2PM
• The Life of Riley at 3PM
• Bulldog Drummond at 3:30PM
• The Shadow at 5:30PM
• The Catholic Hour & Radio Hall of Fame at 6PM
• The Great Gildersleeve at 6:30PM
• Jack Benny and The Mysterious Traveler at 7PM
• Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy at 8PM
• Fred Allen at 9:30PM
• Bob Crosby...2024-04-166h 30
Breaking WallsBW - EP149: March 1944 With The Great GildersleeveIn Breaking Walls episode 149 we’ll spend March of 1944 with Hal Peary and The Great Gildersleeve.
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Highlights:
• The Men And Women On The Front Lines of War War II in March 1944
• Hal Peary and the Birth of Gildersleeve on Fibber McGee and Molly
• The First Ever Sitcom Spin Off and The Great Gildersleeve Premieres
• Registering To Vote
• Mid March 1944 News with NBC War Telescope
• Gildy Wants to Run For Mayor
• The Campaign Photo
• A Night In A Foxhole
• Looking Ahead to Easter Sunday 1944
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The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The read...2024-03-143h 18Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP149: March 1944 With The Great GildersleeveIn Breaking Walls episode 149 we’ll spend March of 1944 with Hal Peary and The Great Gildersleeve.
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Highlights:
• The Men And Women On The Front Lines of War War II in March 1944
• Hal Peary and the Birth of Gildersleeve on Fibber McGee and Molly
• The First Ever Sitcom Spin Off and The Great Gildersleeve Premieres
• Registering To Vote
• Mid March 1944 News with NBC War Telescope
• Gildy Wants to Run For Mayor
• The Campaign Photo
• A Night In A Foxhole
• Looking Ahead to Easter Sunday 1944
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The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The read...2024-03-143h 18
Breaking WallsBW - EP148: February 1944 With Bob HopeIn Breaking Walls episode 148 we spend February of 1944 with America’s top comedian, Bob Hope, as he whisks himself around the country, entertaining troops and broadcasting to the masses.
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Highlights:
• Leslie Townes Hope’s Rise to Stardom
• Broadway and Early Radio Shows
• The Big Broadcast of 1938
• The Pepsodent Program
• Early February 1944 World War II News
• NBC Dominates Tuesday Nights in 1944
• Bob with Guest Ginger Rogers
• The 4th War Bond Drive
• Command Performance with Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland
• Mid February World News Roundup
• Bob with Guest Bing Crosby
• Bob with Guest Carole Landis
• News as we Leave February
• Bob Gets Sick, Is Honored by The Academy
• Looking A...2024-02-185h 04Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP148: February 1944 With Bob HopeIn Breaking Walls episode 148 we spend February of 1944 with America’s top comedian, Bob Hope, as he whisks himself around the country, entertaining troops and broadcasting to the masses.
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Highlights:
• Leslie Townes Hope’s Rise to Stardom
• Broadway and Early Radio Shows
• The Big Broadcast of 1938
• The Pepsodent Program
• Early February 1944 World War II News
• NBC Dominates Tuesday Nights in 1944
• Bob with Guest Ginger Rogers
• The 4th War Bond Drive
• Command Performance with Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland
• Mid February World News Roundup
• Bob with Guest Bing Crosby
• Bob with Guest Carole Landis
• News as we Leave February
• Bob Gets Sick, Is Honored by The Academy
• Looking A...2024-02-185h 04
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP148—012: February 1944 With Bob Hope—Looking Ahead to The Great GildersleeveWell, that brings our look at Bob Hope’s career in February of 1944 to a close. We’ll be staying in 1944 the remainder of the year and next month we’ll spend March 1944 with a program considered to be the first spin-off in sitcom history.
Next time on Breaking Walls we spotlight Hal Peary and The Great Gildersleeve, which between February and March of 1944 pulled a rating of nineteen points, making it the most-listened to show airing at 6:30PM in radio history.
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• Bob Hope: The Road Well-Trav...2024-02-1705 minBreaking WallsBW - EP148—012: February 1944 With Bob Hope—Looking Ahead to The Great GildersleeveWell, that brings our look at Bob Hope’s career in February of 1944 to a close. We’ll be staying in 1944 the remainder of the year and next month we’ll spend March 1944 with a program considered to be the first spin-off in sitcom history.
Next time on Breaking Walls we spotlight Hal Peary and The Great Gildersleeve, which between February and March of 1944 pulled a rating of nineteen points, making it the most-listened to show airing at 6:30PM in radio history.
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• Bob Hope: The Road Well-Trav...2024-02-1705 min
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP147: The Launch Of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974)In Breaking Walls episode 147 we go into the studio with Himan Brown for the CBS radio drama relaunch in 1974.
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Highlights:
• First a January 1974 World News Roundup
• Himan Brown’s Big Idea to Relaunch Radio Drama on CBS in 1974
• Tuning Into January 8, 1974’s Episode of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater
• Mason Adams in I Warn You Three Times
• January 13, 1974 World News Roundup — Nixon Still On Hot Seat
• Producing The CBS Radio Mystery Theater With The New York Radio Crew
• Dead For a Dollar
• The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Beyond January 1974
• Looking Ahead to February by Looking Back to Bob Hope
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The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking W...2024-01-294h 16Breaking WallsBW - EP147: The Launch Of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1974)In Breaking Walls episode 147 we go into the studio with Himan Brown for the CBS radio drama relaunch in 1974.
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Highlights:
• First a January 1974 World News Roundup
• Himan Brown’s Big Idea to Relaunch Radio Drama on CBS in 1974
• Tuning Into January 8, 1974’s Episode of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater
• Mason Adams in I Warn You Three Times
• January 13, 1974 World News Roundup — Nixon Still On Hot Seat
• Producing The CBS Radio Mystery Theater With The New York Radio Crew
• Dead For a Dollar
• The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Beyond January 1974
• Looking Ahead to February by Looking Back to Bob Hope
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The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking W...2024-01-294h 16Breaking WallsBW - EP147—008: The Launch Of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater—Looking Ahead To 1944 With Bob HopeWell, that brings our look at the launch of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater to a close. We’ve spent the past five months making our way forward in time from 1957, to 1963, to 1973, and finally 1974.
But, next month on Breaking Walls we’ll head back to the middle of radio’s golden age and focus on one of the most successful comedians of all-time.
Next time on Breaking Walls, it’s February of 1944 and between entertaining troops, smashing box office numbers, and notoriously carousing, the man jokingly referred to by friend Bing Crosby as “ol trowel nose,” Bob Hope, is radio’s top...2024-01-1105 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP147—008: The Launch Of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater—Looking Ahead To 1944 With Bob HopeWell, that brings our look at the launch of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater to a close. We’ve spent the past five months making our way forward in time from 1957, to 1963, to 1973, and finally 1974.
But, next month on Breaking Walls we’ll head back to the middle of radio’s golden age and focus on one of the most successful comedians of all-time.
Next time on Breaking Walls, it’s February of 1944 and between entertaining troops, smashing box office numbers, and notoriously carousing, the man jokingly referred to by friend Bing Crosby as “ol trowel nose,” Bob Hope, is radio’s top...2024-01-1105 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP146: December 1973 With Rod Serling And The Zero HourIn Breaking Walls episode 146 we spotlight the Jay Kholos, Elliott Lewis, and Rod Serling series The Zero Hour in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of its debut on the Mutual Broadcasting System in December of 1973.
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Highlights:
• Radio Drama Coming Back in 1973
• Jay Kholos Conceives The Zero Hour — Rod Serling Will Host
• The Zero Hour Is On the Air
• WRVR and Selling Radio Shows In the 1970s
• Nixon On The Hot Seat
• AFTRA’s Moving Goal Posts — Kholos Must Sell The Zero Hour’s Rights
• Selling The Zero Hour to Mutual
• Elliott Lewis and Jay Kholos Leave The Zero Hour
• Mutual Cancels The Zero Hour and Rod Serling is Disap...2023-12-183h 55Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP146: December 1973 With Rod Serling And The Zero HourIn Breaking Walls episode 146 we spotlight the Jay Kholos, Elliott Lewis, and Rod Serling series The Zero Hour in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of its debut on the Mutual Broadcasting System in December of 1973.
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Highlights:
• Radio Drama Coming Back in 1973
• Jay Kholos Conceives The Zero Hour — Rod Serling Will Host
• The Zero Hour Is On the Air
• WRVR and Selling Radio Shows In the 1970s
• Nixon On The Hot Seat
• AFTRA’s Moving Goal Posts — Kholos Must Sell The Zero Hour’s Rights
• Selling The Zero Hour to Mutual
• Elliott Lewis and Jay Kholos Leave The Zero Hour
• Mutual Cancels The Zero Hour and Rod Serling is Disap...2023-12-183h 55
Breaking WallsBW - EP144: October 1957—Sputnik! And Dying Radio DramaIn Breaking Walls episode 144 we present part two of our mini-series on radio and the world in the fall of 1957.
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Highlights:
• The 1957 World Series
• Unit 99
• Sputnik, Bing Crosby, and Current Events
• The Eternal Light and The Glastonbury Cows
• Algeria Aflame
• Stan Freberg
• Bill Kemp, ABC, and More News
• School Integration Update
• Sorry, Wrong Number
• You Bet Your Life
• NATO, Syria, and Sputnik
• LIFE and The World with Carl Sandberg and Frank Lloyd Wright
• Looking Ahead to Jean Shepherd and JFK
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The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s ep...2023-10-273h 19Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP144: October 1957—Sputnik! And Dying Radio DramaIn Breaking Walls episode 144 we present part two of our mini-series on radio and the world in the fall of 1957.
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Highlights:
• The 1957 World Series
• Unit 99
• Sputnik, Bing Crosby, and Current Events
• The Eternal Light and The Glastonbury Cows
• Algeria Aflame
• Stan Freberg
• Bill Kemp, ABC, and More News
• School Integration Update
• Sorry, Wrong Number
• You Bet Your Life
• NATO, Syria, and Sputnik
• LIFE and The World with Carl Sandberg and Frank Lloyd Wright
• Looking Ahead to Jean Shepherd and JFK
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s ep...2023-10-273h 19
Breaking WallsBW - EP144—013: October 1957—Looking Ahead To November 1963 With Jean Shepherd And JFKNext time on Breaking Walls, in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of John Kennedy’s Assassination, we spotlight Jean Shepherd and his November 1963 broadcasts.
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Highlights:
• The 1957 World Series
• Unit 99
• Sputnik, Bing Crosby, and Current Events
• The Eternal Light and The Glastonbury Cows
• Algeria Aflame
• Stan Freberg
• Bill Kemp, ABC, and More News
• School Integration Update
• Sorry, Wrong Number
• You Bet Your Life
• NATO, Syria, and Sputnik
• LIFE and The World with Carl Sandberg and Frank Lloyd Wright
• Looking Ahead to Jean Shepherd and JFK
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading...2023-10-2605 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP144—013: October 1957—Looking Ahead To November 1963 With Jean Shepherd And JFKNext time on Breaking Walls, in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of John Kennedy’s Assassination, we spotlight Jean Shepherd and his November 1963 broadcasts.
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Highlights:
• The 1957 World Series
• Unit 99
• Sputnik, Bing Crosby, and Current Events
• The Eternal Light and The Glastonbury Cows
• Algeria Aflame
• Stan Freberg
• Bill Kemp, ABC, and More News
• School Integration Update
• Sorry, Wrong Number
• You Bet Your Life
• NATO, Syria, and Sputnik
• LIFE and The World with Carl Sandberg and Frank Lloyd Wright
• Looking Ahead to Jean Shepherd and JFK
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading...2023-10-2605 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP143: September 1957—Civil Rights And The Rocket AgeIn Breaking Walls episode 143 we begin a mini series on radio and the world in the fall of 1957.
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Highlights:
• LIFE and The World
• The Man from Tomorrow
• The American Forum of the Air
• Atomic Testing
• Pat Buttram and Just Entertainment on Labor Day
• Ray Bradbury and the End of X-Minus One
• Ms America
• The Hattie Cotton School Bombing
• Biography in Sound
• Howard Miller and Steve Allen
• The End of Family Theater
• The Grand Ole Opry
• Meet The Press and The Right of Self Determination
• CBS Still Doing Drama on Sundays
• Bing Crosby’s Road Show
• School Integration
• The Dodgers and Giants Leave New York
• Looking Ahead to October and Spu...2023-09-274h 43Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP143: September 1957—Civil Rights And The Rocket AgeIn Breaking Walls episode 143 we begin a mini series on radio and the world in the fall of 1957.
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Highlights:
• LIFE and The World
• The Man from Tomorrow
• The American Forum of the Air
• Atomic Testing
• Pat Buttram and Just Entertainment on Labor Day
• Ray Bradbury and the End of X-Minus One
• Ms America
• The Hattie Cotton School Bombing
• Biography in Sound
• Howard Miller and Steve Allen
• The End of Family Theater
• The Grand Ole Opry
• Meet The Press and The Right of Self Determination
• CBS Still Doing Drama on Sundays
• Bing Crosby’s Road Show
• School Integration
• The Dodgers and Giants Leave New York
• Looking Ahead to October and Spu...2023-09-274h 43
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP143—012: September 1957—Looking Ahead To October 1957Next time on Breaking Walls, we continue our 1957 mini series by picking up in October with Sputnik, Algeria, Queen Elizabeth’s royal tour, and dying radio drama.
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — By Jim Ramsburg
As well as articles from
• Broadcasting Magazine
• The Los Angeles Times
• The New York Times
• Radio Daily
• U.S. Radio Magazine
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On the interview front:
• Lilian Buyeff, Mary Jane Croft, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Bill Froug, Jack Johnstone, Jeanette Nolan, and Herb Vigran spo...2023-09-2504 minBreaking WallsBW - EP143—012: September 1957—Looking Ahead To October 1957Next time on Breaking Walls, we continue our 1957 mini series by picking up in October with Sputnik, Algeria, Queen Elizabeth’s royal tour, and dying radio drama.
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — By Jim Ramsburg
As well as articles from
• Broadcasting Magazine
• The Los Angeles Times
• The New York Times
• Radio Daily
• U.S. Radio Magazine
——————————
On the interview front:
• Lilian Buyeff, Mary Jane Croft, Sam Edwards, Herb Ellis, Bill Froug, Jack Johnstone, Jeanette Nolan, and Herb Vigran spo...2023-09-2504 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP142: William Gargan is Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator (1939 - 1955)In Breaking Walls episode 142 we feature one of Brooklyn’s native sons, Bill Gargan, who made more than sixty films, and good money on radio in the 1950s.
——————————
Highlights:
• Brooklyn’s Native Son
• Hollywood and An Oscar Nomination
• The War and Being a Radio Detective
• Martin Kane
• Launching Barrie Craig
• Radio Ratings in 1954
• Hollywood vs. New York
• Hay is For Homicide
• Ghosts Don’t Die in Bed
• Throat Cancer and Thereafter
• Looking Ahead to 1957
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Why Me? An Autobiography — By Will...2023-08-234h 20Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP142: William Gargan is Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator (1939 - 1955)In Breaking Walls episode 142 we feature one of Brooklyn’s native sons, Bill Gargan, who made more than sixty films, and good money on radio in the 1950s.
——————————
Highlights:
• Brooklyn’s Native Son
• Hollywood and An Oscar Nomination
• The War and Being a Radio Detective
• Martin Kane
• Launching Barrie Craig
• Radio Ratings in 1954
• Hollywood vs. New York
• Hay is For Homicide
• Ghosts Don’t Die in Bed
• Throat Cancer and Thereafter
• Looking Ahead to 1957
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Why Me? An Autobiography — By Will...2023-08-234h 20
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP141: Orson Welles In Europe (1948 - 1956)In Breaking Walls episode 141, we finish a three part series on the radio career of Orson Welles by picking up as he left The United States for Europe in the late 1940s.
For full appreciation, tune into episodes 79 and 104 before hearing this.
——————————
Highlights:
• Macbeth, HUAC and Leaving the U.S
• Harry Alan Towers, and Harry Lime
• Othello and The Black Museum
• Song of Myself and Theatre Royal
• Moriarity
• The BBC Sketchbook and Moby Dick
• Mr Lincoln and Mr Arkadin
• Returning to the U.S.
• Tomorrow and Yesterday
• Looking Ahead to Barrie Craig
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show...2023-07-243h 54Breaking WallsBW - EP141: Orson Welles In Europe (1948 - 1956)In Breaking Walls episode 141, we finish a three part series on the radio career of Orson Welles by picking up as he left The United States for Europe in the late 1940s.
For full appreciation, tune into episodes 79 and 104 before hearing this.
——————————
Highlights:
• Macbeth, HUAC and Leaving the U.S
• Harry Alan Towers, and Harry Lime
• Othello and The Black Museum
• Song of Myself and Theatre Royal
• Moriarity
• The BBC Sketchbook and Moby Dick
• Mr Lincoln and Mr Arkadin
• Returning to the U.S.
• Tomorrow and Yesterday
• Looking Ahead to Barrie Craig
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show...2023-07-243h 54
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP141—009: Orson Welles In Europe—Looking Ahead To Barrie CraigIt seems fitting that the way in which Orson Welles described Alexander Woollcott is the same way many who knew Welles would have described him.
That’s going to bring our look at Orson Welles’ radio career to a close. We’ve now covered Mr. Welles in long form three times — in episodes 79, 104, and now 141. We also covered his time as The Shadow in depth in episode 131.
Is this the last time we focus on Orson Welles? That remains to be seen, but next month on Breaking Walls we’ll move to NBC where we’ll focus on one of the more und...2023-07-2005 minBreaking WallsBW - EP141—009: Orson Welles In Europe—Looking Ahead To Barrie CraigIt seems fitting that the way in which Orson Welles described Alexander Woollcott is the same way many who knew Welles would have described him.
That’s going to bring our look at Orson Welles’ radio career to a close. We’ve now covered Mr. Welles in long form three times — in episodes 79, 104, and now 141. We also covered his time as The Shadow in depth in episode 131.
Is this the last time we focus on Orson Welles? That remains to be seen, but next month on Breaking Walls we’ll move to NBC where we’ll focus on one of the more und...2023-07-2005 min
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP140: Humphrey Bogart On The Air (1935 - 1952)In Breaking Walls episode 140, we examine the under-appreciated radio career of the one and only Humphrey Bogart.
——————————
Highlights:
• The Broadway Kid
• Lux Presents Hollywood
• High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon
• Bogie with Hope, Benny, and Vallée
• Casablanca
• Suspense, Lauren Bacall, and Command Performance
• Staying at Home for More Radio
• HUAC
• Fatherhood and Bold Venture
• The African Queen and The Academy Award
• The Final Years
• Looking Ahead to July and Orson Welles
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• Lauren Bacall By Myself — By Lauren Bacall
• Humphrey Bogart — By Alan G...2023-06-274h 54Breaking WallsBW - EP140: Humphrey Bogart On The Air (1935 - 1952)In Breaking Walls episode 140, we examine the under-appreciated radio career of the one and only Humphrey Bogart.
——————————
Highlights:
• The Broadway Kid
• Lux Presents Hollywood
• High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon
• Bogie with Hope, Benny, and Vallée
• Casablanca
• Suspense, Lauren Bacall, and Command Performance
• Staying at Home for More Radio
• HUAC
• Fatherhood and Bold Venture
• The African Queen and The Academy Award
• The Final Years
• Looking Ahead to July and Orson Welles
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• Lauren Bacall By Myself — By Lauren Bacall
• Humphrey Bogart — By Alan G...2023-06-274h 54
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP139: Martin And Lewis with Marilyn Monroe & Frank Sinatra (1949 - 1953)In Breaking Walls episode 139 we spotlight The Martin & Lewis show, and pay close attention to Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.
——————————
Highlights:
• Capital Gains and Thanksgiving on NBC
• The Nightclub Act
• Opportunity Flops
• The My Friend Irma Movie
• Dragnet
• The Show Relaunches — Frank Sinatra Guests
• Marilyn Monroe Makes a Rare Radio Appearance
• Splitting, Then Reuniting
• Looking ahead to Bogie
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• Dean & Me: A Love Story — By Jerry Lewis
• Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (Especially Himself): The Story of Dean Ma...2023-05-213h 17Breaking WallsBW - EP139: Martin And Lewis with Marilyn Monroe & Frank Sinatra (1949 - 1953)In Breaking Walls episode 139 we spotlight The Martin & Lewis show, and pay close attention to Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.
——————————
Highlights:
• Capital Gains and Thanksgiving on NBC
• The Nightclub Act
• Opportunity Flops
• The My Friend Irma Movie
• Dragnet
• The Show Relaunches — Frank Sinatra Guests
• Marilyn Monroe Makes a Rare Radio Appearance
• Splitting, Then Reuniting
• Looking ahead to Bogie
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• Dean & Me: A Love Story — By Jerry Lewis
• Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime (Especially Himself): The Story of Dean Ma...2023-05-213h 17Breaking WallsBW - EP139—009: Martin And Lewis With Monroe And Sinatra—Looking Ahead To BogieWell, that brings our look at The Martin & Lewis Show to a close. Incidentally, we’ll be staying with this energy next month. I mentioned earlier that Dean made films with The Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra was also a member. Some people called Frank the leader. Some others have incorrectly attributed him as the founder of this crew.
But, our focus in Breaking Walls episode 140 will spotlight the true creator of The Rat Pack. Next time on Breaking Walls, we focus on Bogie, and Bacall too, when we spotlight the unsung radio career of Humphrey Bogart.
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
•...2023-05-1807 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP139—009: Martin And Lewis With Monroe And Sinatra—Looking Ahead To BogieWell, that brings our look at The Martin & Lewis Show to a close. Incidentally, we’ll be staying with this energy next month. I mentioned earlier that Dean made films with The Rat Pack. Frank Sinatra was also a member. Some people called Frank the leader. Some others have incorrectly attributed him as the founder of this crew.
But, our focus in Breaking Walls episode 140 will spotlight the true creator of The Rat Pack. Next time on Breaking Walls, we focus on Bogie, and Bacall too, when we spotlight the unsung radio career of Humphrey Bogart.
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
•...2023-05-1807 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP138: Baseball Memories From Radio History (1921 - 1972)In Breaking Walls episode 138 in honor of opening day, we’ll share stories, and sounds from Baseball history and the radio.
——————————
Highlights:
• Dots and Dashes
• The Babe
• Mel Allen
• Dizzy
• The War
• Jackie
• The Death of Babe Ruth
• Baseball Radio Drama
• The Shot Heard Round The World
• Westward Ho!
• The TV Era and the Death of Jackie Robinson
• Looking Ahead To May with Frank, Dean, Jerry, and Marilyn
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• The Voice: Mel Allen’s Untold Story — By Curt Smith
• Those Great...2023-04-262h 35Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP138: Baseball Memories From Radio History (1921 - 1972)In Breaking Walls episode 138 in honor of opening day, we’ll share stories, and sounds from Baseball history and the radio.
——————————
Highlights:
• Dots and Dashes
• The Babe
• Mel Allen
• Dizzy
• The War
• Jackie
• The Death of Babe Ruth
• Baseball Radio Drama
• The Shot Heard Round The World
• Westward Ho!
• The TV Era and the Death of Jackie Robinson
• Looking Ahead To May with Frank, Dean, Jerry, and Marilyn
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• The Voice: Mel Allen’s Untold Story — By Curt Smith
• Those Great...2023-04-262h 35
Breaking WallsBW - EP137: St. Patrick's Day On The Air (1937 - 1967)In Breaking Walls episode 137 we celebrate the Irish by focusing on St. Patrick’s Day on the air.
——————————
Highlights:
• Fred Allen — The End and the Beginning
• Beat the Band
• Burns and Allen at the NYC Parade
• Bill Stern’s Sports Newsreel
• Dennis Day Returns from the Navy
• Fred Allen is King For a Day
• Elliott Lewis and Broadway Is My Beat
• The Death of Fred Allen
• Ending with Jean Shepherd
• Looking Ahead to Opening Day
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• Treadmill to Oblivion and Much Ado About Me — By Fred Allen...2023-03-233h 01Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP137: St. Patrick's Day On The Air (1937 - 1967)In Breaking Walls episode 137 we celebrate the Irish by focusing on St. Patrick’s Day on the air.
——————————
Highlights:
• Fred Allen — The End and the Beginning
• Beat the Band
• Burns and Allen at the NYC Parade
• Bill Stern’s Sports Newsreel
• Dennis Day Returns from the Navy
• Fred Allen is King For a Day
• Elliott Lewis and Broadway Is My Beat
• The Death of Fred Allen
• Ending with Jean Shepherd
• Looking Ahead to Opening Day
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material for today’s episode was:
• Treadmill to Oblivion and Much Ado About Me — By Fred Allen...2023-03-233h 01
Breaking WallsBW - EP136: Have Gun, Will Travel (1958 - 1962)In Breaking Walls episode 136 we spotlight John Dehner and Have Gun, Will Travel.
——————————
Highlights:
• John Dehner’s radio career
• Norman MacDonnell and Palladin
• The Radio Dial on Sunday November 23rd 1958
• A Matter of Ethics
• Killer’s Widow
• The Lady Doctor
• From Here To Boston
• Looking Ahead to March
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — By Jim Ramsburg
• Martin Grams’ article on the origin of Have Gun Will Travel.
——————————
On the interview front:
• Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Lawrence Dobkin...2023-02-183h 02Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP136: Have Gun, Will Travel (1958 - 1962)In Breaking Walls episode 136 we spotlight John Dehner and Have Gun, Will Travel.
——————————
Highlights:
• John Dehner’s radio career
• Norman MacDonnell and Palladin
• The Radio Dial on Sunday November 23rd 1958
• A Matter of Ethics
• Killer’s Widow
• The Lady Doctor
• From Here To Boston
• Looking Ahead to March
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — By Jim Ramsburg
• Martin Grams’ article on the origin of Have Gun Will Travel.
——————————
On the interview front:
• Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Lawrence Dobkin...2023-02-183h 02
Breaking WallsBW - EP134: Christmas With Jack Benny In A Changing World (1949)In Breaking Walls episode 134 we spend our holidays with one of the most-beloved figures of the twentieth century: Jack Benny.
——————————
Highlights:
• Picking Up with Benny Leaving NBC for CBS
• A World in Turmoil
• Benny Launches his Fall 1949 Season
• The Texas Benefit
• What About 1950?
• Jack Goes Christmas Shopping
• Christmas Week 1949 in World News
• Christmas Day with Jack and the Gang
• Bringing 1949 To a Close — Looking Ahead to January
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• Sunday Nights at Seven — By Jack and Joan Benny
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Rat...2022-12-222h 42Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP134: Christmas With Jack Benny In A Changing World (1949)In Breaking Walls episode 134 we spend our holidays with one of the most-beloved figures of the twentieth century: Jack Benny.
——————————
Highlights:
• Picking Up with Benny Leaving NBC for CBS
• A World in Turmoil
• Benny Launches his Fall 1949 Season
• The Texas Benefit
• What About 1950?
• Jack Goes Christmas Shopping
• Christmas Week 1949 in World News
• Christmas Day with Jack and the Gang
• Bringing 1949 To a Close — Looking Ahead to January
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• Sunday Nights at Seven — By Jack and Joan Benny
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Rat...2022-12-222h 42
Breaking WallsBW - EP133: Thanksgiving With I Love A Mystery (1949)In Breaking Walls episode 133 we spend Thanksgiving 1949 with the cast of I Love a Mystery.
——————————
Highlights:
• Thanksgiving Eve, 1949
• Carlton E. Morse—Budget Stretcher
• The First Two I Love a Mystery Runs
• Mutual Broadcasting in 1949—I Love a Mystery Relaunches
• Thanksgiving Day 1949—Thorson and Boles
• Mercedes McCambridge—Oscar Winner
• Tony Randall’s Early Career
• I Love a Mystery is Canceled
• Parley Baer and One Final Pilot
• Wrapping Things Up
• Looking Ahead to Christmas With Jack Benny
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
On the Air — By John Dunning
The I Love A Mystery Companion — B...2022-11-244h 07Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP133: Thanksgiving With I Love A Mystery (1949)In Breaking Walls episode 133 we spend Thanksgiving 1949 with the cast of I Love a Mystery.
——————————
Highlights:
• Thanksgiving Eve, 1949
• Carlton E. Morse—Budget Stretcher
• The First Two I Love a Mystery Runs
• Mutual Broadcasting in 1949—I Love a Mystery Relaunches
• Thanksgiving Day 1949—Thorson and Boles
• Mercedes McCambridge—Oscar Winner
• Tony Randall’s Early Career
• I Love a Mystery is Canceled
• Parley Baer and One Final Pilot
• Wrapping Things Up
• Looking Ahead to Christmas With Jack Benny
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
On the Air — By John Dunning
The I Love A Mystery Companion — B...2022-11-244h 07
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP132: Mutual Mystery Shows of the late 1940s (1947 - 1949)In Breaking Walls episode 132 we go back to the late 1940s and say Happy Halloween with Mutual Broadcasting.
——————————
Highlights:
• The Seedy Underbelly of Coney Island on The Crime Club
• Take a Ride with The Mysterious Traveler
• Mystery is My Hobby
• Quiet Please
• 1948 Halloween News with Arthur Bario
• The House of Mystery
• True Detective Mysteries
• Halloween 1948 with Holmes and The Shadow
• Truman Wins a Stunning Reelection
• Murder By Experts
• Finishing With I Love a Mystery
• Looking Ahead to Thanksgiving
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
American Radio Networks: A History...2022-10-292h 55Breaking WallsBW - EP132: Mutual Mystery Shows of the late 1940s (1947 - 1949)In Breaking Walls episode 132 we go back to the late 1940s and say Happy Halloween with Mutual Broadcasting.
——————————
Highlights:
• The Seedy Underbelly of Coney Island on The Crime Club
• Take a Ride with The Mysterious Traveler
• Mystery is My Hobby
• Quiet Please
• 1948 Halloween News with Arthur Bario
• The House of Mystery
• True Detective Mysteries
• Halloween 1948 with Holmes and The Shadow
• Truman Wins a Stunning Reelection
• Murder By Experts
• Finishing With I Love a Mystery
• Looking Ahead to Thanksgiving
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
American Radio Networks: A History...2022-10-292h 55
Breaking WallsBW - EP132—012: Mutual Mystery Shows Of The 1940s—Looking Ahead To ThanksgivingWe’re going to stop here, but we’re not even close to finishing with I Love A Mystery. Next time on Breaking Walls, while we spend Thanksgiving with Carlton E. Morse, Russell Thorson, Jim Boles, and Tony Randall, we utter a simple statement: Bury Your Dead, Arizona.
The reading material used in this episode was:
American Radio Networks: A History — By Jim Cox
On the Air — By John Dunning
Network Radio Ratings — By Jim Ramsburg
The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Radio — By Christopher Sterling
WOR: The First Sixty Years
As well as articles from the archives of
• The Los Angele...2022-10-2805 minBreaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP132—012: Mutual Mystery Shows Of The 1940s—Looking Ahead To ThanksgivingWe’re going to stop here, but we’re not even close to finishing with I Love A Mystery. Next time on Breaking Walls, while we spend Thanksgiving with Carlton E. Morse, Russell Thorson, Jim Boles, and Tony Randall, we utter a simple statement: Bury Your Dead, Arizona.
The reading material used in this episode was:
American Radio Networks: A History — By Jim Cox
On the Air — By John Dunning
Network Radio Ratings — By Jim Ramsburg
The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Radio — By Christopher Sterling
WOR: The First Sixty Years
As well as articles from the archives of
• The Los Angele...2022-10-2805 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP131: Orson Welles is The Shadow (1937 - 1938)In Breaking Walls episode 132 we spotlight Orson Welles’ time as The Shadow in 1937-38.
——————————
Highlights:
• Orson Welles’ on The March of Time and The Columbia Workshop
• The Shadow as Narrator
• Les Misérables
• WOR and Network Radio In The Fall of 1937
• The Shadow Launches With Orson Welles
• Jeanette Nolan and The Temple Bells of Neban
• Early Reviews
• Agnes Moorehead and The Three Ghosts
• The Circle of Death
• The Mercury Theater Leaves The Shadow
• Orson In The Fall of 1938
• Looking Ahead to Halloween with Mutual Broadcasting
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The r...2022-09-282h 54Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP131: Orson Welles is The Shadow (1937 - 1938)In Breaking Walls episode 132 we spotlight Orson Welles’ time as The Shadow in 1937-38.
——————————
Highlights:
• Orson Welles’ on The March of Time and The Columbia Workshop
• The Shadow as Narrator
• Les Misérables
• WOR and Network Radio In The Fall of 1937
• The Shadow Launches With Orson Welles
• Jeanette Nolan and The Temple Bells of Neban
• Early Reviews
• Agnes Moorehead and The Three Ghosts
• The Circle of Death
• The Mercury Theater Leaves The Shadow
• Orson In The Fall of 1938
• Looking Ahead to Halloween with Mutual Broadcasting
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The r...2022-09-282h 54
Breaking WallsBW - EP130: Philip Marlowe Comes to Radio (1947)In Breaking Walls episode 130 we head to the summer of 1947 to get to the bottom of NBC’s Philip Marlowe caper.
——————————
Highlights:
• Who was Raymond Chandler?
• Who is Philip Marlowe?
• Van Heflin, Movie Star
• Radio Ratings in the Spring of 1947
• Marlowe Launches with Red Wind
• Initial Reviews
• The King in Yellow
• The Celebrated Life and Tragic Death of Jeff Chandler
• Marlowe Leaves NBC, but CBS Picks It Up
• Marlowe After CBS
• Looking Ahead to Orson Welles and The Shadow
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s...2022-08-253h 08Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP130: Philip Marlowe Comes to Radio (1947)In Breaking Walls episode 130 we head to the summer of 1947 to get to the bottom of NBC’s Philip Marlowe caper.
——————————
Highlights:
• Who was Raymond Chandler?
• Who is Philip Marlowe?
• Van Heflin, Movie Star
• Radio Ratings in the Spring of 1947
• Marlowe Launches with Red Wind
• Initial Reviews
• The King in Yellow
• The Celebrated Life and Tragic Death of Jeff Chandler
• Marlowe Leaves NBC, but CBS Picks It Up
• Marlowe After CBS
• Looking Ahead to Orson Welles and The Shadow
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s...2022-08-253h 08
Breaking WallsBW - EP129: Radio, Roswell And The Flying Saucer Craze (1947 - 1955)In Breaking Walls episode 129 we honor the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Roswell incident by focusing on Radio and the mid-century flying saucer craze.
——————————
Highlights:
• World War II, Kenneth Arnold, Roswell, and “Project Saucer”
• The Chicago Roundtable Attempts to Answer What Life on Other Planets Would Look Like
• Sightings in The Spring of 1950 — Dimension X Launches
• The 1950 Radio Landscape with Red Skelton
• Fibber McGee Sees a UFO
• Harris And Remley’s UFO Hoax
• Edward R. Murrow’s Report on Flying Saucers
• Dangerous Assignment’s UFOs in Ecuador
• UFO Sightings during the Korean War
• You Bet Your Life’s UFO Enthusiast
• KNX, Ralph Story, And UFO Mania
• Roy Rogers Takes Us Home
•...2022-07-283h 22Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP129: Radio, Roswell And The Flying Saucer Craze (1947 - 1955)In Breaking Walls episode 129 we honor the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Roswell incident by focusing on Radio and the mid-century flying saucer craze.
——————————
Highlights:
• World War II, Kenneth Arnold, Roswell, and “Project Saucer”
• The Chicago Roundtable Attempts to Answer What Life on Other Planets Would Look Like
• Sightings in The Spring of 1950 — Dimension X Launches
• The 1950 Radio Landscape with Red Skelton
• Fibber McGee Sees a UFO
• Harris And Remley’s UFO Hoax
• Edward R. Murrow’s Report on Flying Saucers
• Dangerous Assignment’s UFOs in Ecuador
• UFO Sightings during the Korean War
• You Bet Your Life’s UFO Enthusiast
• KNX, Ralph Story, And UFO Mania
• Roy Rogers Takes Us Home
•...2022-07-283h 22
Breaking WallsBW - EP128: June 1954—The End as We Knew ItIn Breaking Walls episode 128 we wrap up our six month look at 1954 by ending in June with network cancellations.
——————————
Highlights:
• The State of Radio and The Union
• The End of Escape with John Dehner
• News with Frank Edwards on Mutual
• Let’s Pretend with Arnold Stang
• Autolite Drops Suspense
• Goodbye To Jack Benny (For Now)
• What’s At Stake in the Fall 1954 Midterm Elections
• CBS Cancels The Lux Radio Theatre
• The End of James Stewart’s The Six Shooter
• Looking Ahead to July and Roswell
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
Th...2022-06-273h 02
Breaking WallsBW - EP127: May 1954—A Portrait of The United StatesIn Breaking Walls episode 127 we keep on with our look at 1954 by picking up in May during one of the most important months of the decade.
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Highlights:
• The Big Sound in Nashville
• Everett Sloane and The 21st Precinct
• Ray Milland and Meet Mr McNutley
• An Eisenhower Presser and Other Current Events
• I Love a Mystery — Born Again
• Wild Bill Hickok
• Grace Kelly Guest Stars on Bob Hope’s Show
• Brown vs. The Board of Education
• Lewis and Clark on NBC’s Inheritance
• The Army/McCarthy Hearings Continue with Roy Cohn’s Testimony
• Bing Crosby on Anthology’s Memorial Day Show
• Looking Ahead to June and The End as We Knew It
——————...2022-05-263h 00
Breaking WallsBW - EP126: April 1954—Joseph McCarthy vs. The US ArmyIn Breaking Walls episode 126 we continue our mini-series in April of 1954.
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Highlights:
• Eisenhower talks fear
• Lum and Abner’s April Fools’ Joke
• The Eternal Light
• Nightwatch — A New CBS Real Police Show
• Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator
• Illegal Immigrant Fears
• Gildersleeve’s Dinner Party
• Easter Sunday and The End of The Whistler
• Jack Benny Holds a Seance
• The Army-McCarthy Hearings Begin
• Phil Harris and Alice Faye’s Red Cross Blood Drive
• Looking Ahead to May
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — by Jim Ramsbu...2022-04-262h 32
Breaking WallsBW - EP125: March 1954—A World In TurmoilIn Breaking Walls episode 125 we continue our mini-series in March of 1954.
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Highlights:
• Edward R. Murrow Sees It Now
• Perry Mason Busts The Syndicate
• The 1954 DNC in Florida
• Cathy and Elliott Lewis Can’t Fight City Hall
• Groucho Marx Bets His Life
• Phil Harris and Alice Faye: Happy Couple In Cancellation
• The End of the Expense Account For Johnny Dollar?
• Escape’s Violent Night
• Bing and Frank Swap Oscar Stories and Sing Songs
• The 1954 Tony Awards from NBC with Audrey Hepburn
• Looking Ahead to April with The Army/McCarthy Hearings
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWall...2022-03-242h 51
Breaking WallsBW - EP124: February 1954—Benny, McCarthy, and McCarthyIn Breaking Walls episode 124 we pick up our 1954 mini series in February. We’ll focus on radio programming and national news from that month.
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Highlights:
• Radio Billings Are Down. Now What?
• Dragnet—Still Going Strong
• Lee Deforest and The Hallmark Hall of Fame
• Americana
• Jack Benny Turns 39? 40? 60?
• Guest Star and The McCarthy News
• The College Quiz Bowl
• Mr and Mrs North
• Polio
• Stars Over Hollywood
• Ending with Bergen and McCarthy
• Looking Ahead to March with Edward R. Murrow
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Netwo...2022-02-242h 13
Breaking WallsBW - EP124—011: February 1954—Looking Ahead To MarchWell, that brings February to a close, but for many of these topics, we’ve only just begun. Next time on Breaking Walls, it’s March of 1954, and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s four-year anti-communist tirade begins to come to a head.
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The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — by Jim Ramsburg
As well as articles from
• Broadcasting Magazine
• LIFE Magazine
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On the interview front:
• Jack Benny, Frank Nelson, and Don Wilson spoke to Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats at SpeakingOfRadio.com.
• Jack Benny also spoke for Great Radio Comedians in 1972.
• Harry Bartell, Himan Brown, Lilian Buyeff...2022-02-2204 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP123: January 1954—Radio's Uncertain FutureFor those who wanted Breaking Walls episode 123 in the traditional format.
___________
In Breaking Walls episode 123 we open 2022 with a six-part mini-series on radio business and programming in 1954. We’ll begin with January, in a radio half-season that was for many, the end of the line.
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Highlights:
• Ringing in the New Year with Fibber McGee and Molly
• Gunsmoke’s Stage Holdup
• People Are Funny is Radio’s Top-Rated Show
• January 1954 with Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky
• Jack Benny’s Face is Familiar on Suspense
• Smog and Other Current Events
• Beulah
• The Death of Edward Howard Armstrong
• Looking Ahead to February 1954
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The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Wal...2022-01-192h 22
Breaking WallsBW - EP123—009: January 1954—Looking Ahead to FebruaryNext time on Breaking Walls, we move into February and discuss polio, falling ratings points, and radio profit margins.
___________
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• The General: David Sarnoff & The Rise of the Communications Industry - by Kenneth Bilby
• On the Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings — by Jim Ramsburg
As well as articles from:
• Broadcasting Magazine
• LIFE Magazine
• Time Magazine
___________
On the interview front:
• John Guedel, Phil Leslie, and Don Wilson spoke to Chuck Schaden. Hear their full chats at SpeakingOfRadio.com.
• Norman MacDonnell and George Walsh spoke to John Hickman, the longtime host of WAMU’s Recollections...2022-01-1704 min
Breaking WallsBW - EP122: December With The Six Shooter (1953 - 1954)In Breaking Walls episode 122 we spend the holidays in the old west with Jimmy Stewart, director Jack Johnstone, and The Six Shooter.
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Highlights:
• Jack Johnstone’s Early Radio Career
• The State of Network Radio in December of 1953
• James Stewart on the Hollywood Star Playhouse
• The Six Shooter Launches
• A Pressing Engagement
• The Radio Industry - More Than Kin
• Britt Ponsett’s Christmas Carol
• Britt Ponsett Rides Off Into the Sunset
• Looking Ahead of January 1954
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers
——————————
The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• On the Air - By John Dunning
• Radio Rides The Range: A...2021-11-272h 50
Breaking WallsBW - EP121: Radio and The Homecoming (1942 - 1972)In Breaking Walls episode 121, we finish our Americana mini-series by coming home for November’s festivities. We’ll cheer for the home team, taste the best turkey dressing, and remember what’s most important with some of radio’s best.
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Highlights:
• What Can We Be Thankful For?
• Thanksgiving with The Answer Man and Radio’s Origin
• Ken Carpenter and One Man’s Family
• The Columbia Workshop Relaunches
• Hearts in Harmony
• Damon Runyon’s Football Homecoming
• John Brown’s Communist Troubles
• Thanksgiving with Miss Brooks
• Bob Bailey and Let George Do It
• Thanksgiving with Ozzie and Harriet
• Checking in With Bob and Ray
• Have Gun Will Travel
• Ending with Jean Shepherd...2021-10-293h 12
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP120: Radio and The Harvest (1936 - 1954)In Breaking Walls episode 120, we continue our Americana mini-series in autumn with a host of harvest-centered radio programing. We’ll warm by the fire and listen in on stories from some of the medium’s most prominent.
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Highlights:
• Welcome to October, Welcome to Harvest Season
• Fibber and Molly Launches
• Feast from Cavalcade’s Harvest
• Mel and Dennis Get Their Own Shows
• Gale Gordon’s Green Acres
• How Mild Can Richard Diamond on ABC Be?
• From Peary to Waterman as Gildy Changes Leads
• Escape From the Death of Network Dramatic Radio
• Looking Ahead to the Homecoming
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To s...2021-09-263h 05Breaking WallsBW - EP120: Radio and The Harvest (1936 - 1954)In Breaking Walls episode 120, we continue our Americana mini-series in autumn with a host of harvest-centered radio programing. We’ll warm by the fire and listen in on stories from some of the medium’s most prominent.
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Highlights:
• Welcome to October, Welcome to Harvest Season
• Fibber and Molly Launches
• Feast from Cavalcade’s Harvest
• Mel and Dennis Get Their Own Shows
• Gale Gordon’s Green Acres
• How Mild Can Richard Diamond on ABC Be?
• From Peary to Waterman as Gildy Changes Leads
• Escape From the Death of Network Dramatic Radio
• Looking Ahead to the Homecoming
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To s...2021-09-263h 05
Breaking WallsBW - EP119: Radio and The Diner (1937 - 1965)In Breaking Walls episode 119 we continue our Americana mini-series by bringing our appetites to the diner. We’ll hear stories from some of radio’s best and center ourselves around shows taking place in establishments.
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Highlights:
• What Exactly is a Diner?
• Lux Presents Hollywood
• Suspense At the End of World War II
• The Diner After World War II
• Bill Conrad, Burt Lancaster, and The Killers
• ABC Takes Friday Nights With This Is Your FBI
• Frank Sinatra and His Rocky Fortune
• Going Back to Gunsmoke
• James Earl Jones and Theater Five
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
http://patreon.com...2021-08-283h 05
Breaking WallsBW - EP118: Radio and The Gas Station (1939 - 1982)In Breaking Walls episode 118 we hit the road with part one of an Americana mini-series. We’ll gas up with some of radio’s best and examine shows taking place at America’s filling stations.
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Highlights:
• Al Hodge and The Green Hornet
• Getting a Checkup at Doctor Christian’s
• Lux Presents: They Drive By Night with Lana Turner and Lucille Ball
• Orson Welles and The Hitchhiker
• ABC competes with NBC and CBS
• Dragnet leads to The Lineup
• Stacey Keach and The Last Tales of the Texas Rangers
• The Gas Crisis and the CBS Radio Mystery Theater
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts...2021-07-283h 42
Breaking WallsRalph Edwards On How He Got to CBSOn October 7th, 1971 Chuck Schaden interviewed famous host and emcee Ralph Edwards about his life and career (full interview here - http://www.speakingofradio.com/interviews/edwards-ralph/). During the course of the conversation Mr. Edwards explained how he found himself at CBS in New York very early in his career after giving radio up on the West Coast.2021-07-2601 min
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP107: Back to School with The Nelsons (1933 - 1954)In Breaking Walls episode 107, we go back to school with the Nelson family and find out why David and Ricky joined the program, and how it affected the entertainment industry forever.
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Highlights:
• Oswald George Nelson—Boy from New Jersey
• The Ukulele Craze and the Boy scout Jamboree
• Ozzie Starts a Band
• Splitting Time Between Football and Music
• Cleaning Up Around Town
• On the Banks of the Old Raritan
• Law School and WMCA
• Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra Gets on Radio
• Ozzie Meet Harriet
• Harriet Hilliard—One Heck of a Talent
• Harriet Joins the Band
• Joe Penner and Robert Ripley
• Getting Married—Harriet Becomes a Film Star
• Touring—Davi...2020-08-283h 08
Greg Van Beek's Nostalgia Radio Time PodcastNostalgia Radio Time for September 28, 2019Featuring Radio Hall of Fame member and legendary Chicago area broadcaster Chuck Schaden for the entire hour! Pick up a copy of Chuck's new book "Chuck Schaden's Radio Days: Adding Decades to the Golden Age of Radio" at SpeakingofRadio.com2019-09-2955 min
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP96: Halloween on the Air (1943 - 1953)In Breaking Walls Episode 96, we laugh, scream, and cry while we join radio’s best as they celebrate Halloween on the air.
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Highlights:
• The Birth of the Great Gildersleeve
• Sam Spade has a Halloween adventure
• Ernest Chappell says, “Don’t Tell Me About Halloween”
• Spike Jones and His City Slickers Celebrate
• Sherlock Holmes and the Laughing Lemur
• The Story Behind Bing Crosby’s Departure from NBC and move to ABC
• Ozzie, Harriet, David, and Ricky
• Jack Benny goes Trick-Or-Treating
• John Guedel, Art Linkletter, and People Are Funny
• Looking Ahead to the Holiday Season
——————————
The WallBreakers:
http://thewallbreakers.com
Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.
To support the show:
h...2019-09-293h 12
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP93: Radio And The New York City Subway (1941 - 1975)In Breaking Walls episode 93 we ride the rails with some of the most famous stars in radio history.
During radio’s golden age, there were three main production hubs: New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. With so much daily content to produce, radio’s greatest minds developed programs and episodes centered around every recognizable theme, like the New York city subway.
While this episode will take place in or around New York’s public transportation system, we’ll focus just as much on the relationships forged by radio’s legends on both coasts.
Highlights:
• Mercedes McCambridge, Himan Brown, and Grand Central Stat...2019-06-293h 05
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP90: The Hollywood People Behind Radio’s Baby Boomer Boom (1945 - 1954)In Breaking Walls episode 90 and on the second part of our western trilogy, dramatic radio goes from boom to bust in a nine year period after World War II, as a group of actors become radio legends, while the radio western grows up.
Highlights:
• William S. Paley’s Plan to Overtake NBC
• The West-Coast Hollywood Actors
• Robson, Yarborough, Lewis, and Hawk Larabee
• Escape Moves the Western Forward
• The Life and Death of Jeff Chandler
• CBS Becomes Number 1
• NBC Fires Back with New Western Shows
• Elliott Lewis, Suspense, On Stage, and Crime Classics
• The Birth of Gunsmoke
• Jack Johnstone, Jimmy Stewart, and The Six Shooter
•...2019-03-313h 54
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP89: The Birth of The Adult Radio Western (1929 - 1945)In Breaking Walls episode 89, we explore the birth of the dramatic radio western show, specifically targeted to adult audiences. This is the first of a three-part mini-series on adult western radio shows.
Highlights:
• Back to the Very Beginning
• What is a Western Show?
• The Birth of Western Dramatic Radio Shows
• Empire Builders
• Death Valley Days
• The Western show on local stations
• ...And in syndication
• Lux Presents Hollywood
• The Triumph and Tragedy of Buck Jones
• Americana and the Cavalcade of America
• Howard McNear and Romance of the Ranchos
• The First Western Soap Opera
• The War Ends and the Western show grows up
• What’s Next?
The Wall...2019-03-012h 20
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP88: I Can't Stand Jack Benny—The Story Behind His 1945-46 SeasonIn Breaking Walls episode 88, we spotlight the 1945-46 season of The Jack Benny Program. This season introduced characters like telephone operators Gertrude and Mabel, press agent Steve Bradley, hot dog vendor Mr. Kitzel, and Ronald and Benita Colman. This season featured guest appearances from Ingrid Bergman, Isaac Stern, Van Johnson, Ray Milland, Peter Lorre, Louella Parsons, Fred Allen, Ed Sullivan and others. It also was the season in which Dennis Day returned from the Navy and one of the most ingenious marketing campaigns in entertainment history took place: The “I Can’t Stand Jack Benny” Contest.
Highlights:
• Jack’s slipping ratings
•...2019-01-313h 17
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP86: Home For the Holidays—December 1945 On the AirIn Breaking Walls Episode 86, we spotlight what was on the air over the US’ major radio networks during December of 1945.
Highlights:
• The First Peacetime Holiday Season in Five Years Begins
• Radio’s Three Main Production Hubs
• Macabees
• Frank Nelson, Lurene Tuttle, and Mandel Kramer
• I Can’t Stand Jack Benny
• Soap Operas and Kid’s Shows
• NBC Dominates Sunday and Tuesday Nights
• Falling Mid-Week Ratings Open the Door for CBS
• Victory Bonds and Bing’s Strike
• Christmas Draws Closer
• Fibber, Molly, Red and Christmas Day
• Dinah Shore and Groucho return Christmas Gifts
• I Still Can’t Stand Jack Benny
• New Year’s Eve
• What Comes Next
The WallBre...2018-11-302h 58
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP85: From Hoboken to Eternity—Frank Sinatra's Radio Career (1935 - 1955)In Breaking Walls episode 85, we spotlight the radio career of Frank Sinatra. We’ll find out how a brash, skinny kid from Hoboken, New Jersey became one of the most popular and influential music artists of the 20th century, selling more than 150 million records worldwide, winning an academy award for Best Supporting Actor, and using radio to launch it all.
Highlights:
• How Sinatra’s Difficult Birth Affected The Rest of His Life
• Growing Up In Hoboken
• Not Interested in School, Interested in Singing
• WAAT, WNEW, WOR and the Rustic Cabin
• The Hoboken Four
• Early Hustling
• Harry James and Tommy Dorsey
• Sinatra’s Popularity...2018-11-012h 51
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP84: The Simple Art of Macabre—Mystery, Suspense, and Horror from Radio’s Best (1931 - 1982)In Breaking Walls Episode 84, it’s the Simple Art of Macabre, to your ears from the mouths of some of the best who ever produced radio’s stuff of nightmares.
Highlights:
• Why Do We Like To Be Scared?
• What pre-dated the radio horror program in the United States of America?
• The Witch’s Tale
• Cooper, Oboler, and Lights Out
• Orson Welles, Himan Brown, and Bill Spier
• Macabre Programming during World War II
• How Transcription Advanced the radio mystery program
• Escape, The Saint, and Vincent Price
• ABC and The Clock
• Quiet Please and Crime Classics
• The Decline of the American audio drama in the 1950s
• Attempts at horror revival...2018-09-302h 19
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP82: Depression, War, And The Birth of ABC (1932 - 1946)In Breaking Walls episode 82 we focus on the state of the radio broadcasting industry in the late 1930s and early 1940s, as Broadcasting booms while the world goes to War.
Highlights:
• Early days at NBC’s Radio City in New York
• How Press Associations caused NBC and CBS to launch a news service
• The Birth of the Mutual Broadcasting System and their Struggles
• NBC Red and NBC Blue
• The FCC and US Justice Department Get Involved with Radio
• The Murrow Boys and Encroaching War in Europe
• The War Comes Home
• NBC sells The Blue Network
• Norman Corwin and His World War II Work
• Bing Cr...2018-08-011h 44
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP79: The Boy Wonder—Orson Welles' Early Career (1931 - 1941)In Breaking Walls Episode 79, we present a detailed look at Orson Welles’ radio career through the end of 1941.
Highlights:
• Beginnings in Illinois and China — How they helped shape Orson
• The Todd Seminary School — His first exposure to theater and Radio
• Connections and Early Breaks — How his mentor Roger Hill, Thornton Wilder, Alexander Woollcott, and Katharine Cornell helped Orson get to Broadway
• Orson meets John Houseman and Archibald MacLeish, and first appears on the March of Time
• 1935-1937 — From the March of Time to the Columbia Workshop, and how Irvin Reis taught Orson how to create for radio
• How the US Government shaped the op...2018-05-012h 04
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP73: The 1970s Revival of Dramatic Radio and Why It Failed (1973 - 1982)In Breaking Walls Episode 73 we spotlight the 1970s CBS and Mutual Broadcasting dramatic radio revival and why it ultimately failed.
Highlights:
• Go Inside the November 1, 1973 Mutual Broadcasting closed circuit press conference from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City announcing Zero Hour
• How Jay M. Kholos came to create The Zero Hour
• How Elliot Lewis came to produce and direct the Zero Hour
• How Himan Brown got CBS to say yes to the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre
• Why Himan Brown wanted the Mystery Theatre on 7-nights per week
• Rod Serling’s feelings about radio
• How the AFRS furthered Howard Duff and Elliott Lewis’ lif...2018-01-151h 03
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP72: Johnny Dollar and The Death of Dramatic Radio (1948 - 1962)In Breaking Walls Episode 72 we tell some of the story of American dramatic radio’s last decade on the air through one of the last shows to air, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.
Highlights
• The cautionary tale of the Mutual Broadcasting System and why CBS, NBC, and ABC killed their own radio business
• The 3rd Floor of NBC and Colby's Restaurant
• Why Johnny Dollar was relaunched as a 15 minute, 5x per-week serial in 1955
• Jack Johnstone's unusual and effective directing methods
• The many voices of Johnny Dollar
• Why Bob Bailey was so popular as Johnny Dollar
• The many actors and actresses who doubled and trip...2018-01-011h 21
This Day in Jack BennyChuck Schaden Interview (Speaking of Radio)John Henderson talks with Chuck Schaden, from SpeakingOfRadio.com and who interviewed Jack Benny for "Those Were The Days", an Old Time Radio nostalgia broadcast started in 1970. 2017-08-2339 min
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio BroadcastingBW - EP52: Speaking of Radio With OTR Guru and Radio HOFer Chuck SchadenIn Breaking Walls Episode 52 we present a chat with Radio Hall of Fame member Chuck Schaden about his life and career. Chuck was on the air on Chicago radio between 1970-2009 The Radio Hall of Fame lists him as the man who’s done more to preserve and grow the Golden Age of Radio than anyone in America. His earliest radio memory was listening to The Shadow on the afternoon of Sunday, December 7, 1941 when the broadcast was interrupted with news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Highlights
• How Chuck got on the air in 1970
• His conversations through the years with Golden...2017-03-011h 12