Old-time radio, anyone?

[AnnieV]

I hope this is the right place for this, and that it's not a duplicate thread. :what:

My local public radio station runs three hours of old-time radio shows ('30s-'50s) every weekend evening. I've been tuning in since I was a kid, especially to the medical, crime, and detective shows. Besides being excellent hands-and-eyes-free entertainment for when I'm knitting, it's a neat little window into my parents' childhoods.

Does anyone else here listen to old-time radio shows? What are your favorites? I'm partial to the detectives (Nero Wolfe, Boston Blackie, Johnny Dollar, The Shadow, Sam Spade...), the yearly airing of A Christmas Carol with Lionel Barrymore, and anything with Orson Welles.

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

That sounds fun. We don't have anything like that. I was also fascinated by the Prairie Home Companion movie - So Cal just doesn't have much cool programming like that, which I know of anyway.

 

[bclaw]

Im not very familiar with old-time radio, but I'm a huge fan of good talk radio (to the point that my friends and family find it strange, haha). I'm always looking for something new, so I'm interested in seeing what people recommend.

 

[lowjax]

I have listened to some, but not much. I see you are from Wisconsin. What radio station is it on?

 

[AnnieV]

That sounds fun. We don't have anything like that. I was also fascinated by the Prairie Home Companion movie - So Cal just doesn't have much cool programming like that, which I know of anyway.

We're lucky up here, we really have some stellar public radio programming. I don't listen to PHC regularly, but it's a great (if very, very Midwestern) show.

lowjax: In south-central WI it's on the Ideas Network from 8-11pm on the weekends. They archive and stream the shows on their site, too.

 

[Nick Danger]

Yes, I've been a fan of old-time radio since I was a kid and I still love it. Johnny Dollar is a favorite, along with suspense dramas like The Whistler, comedies like Jack Benny and Fred Allen, and classics like the Damon Runyon Theatre. I used to stay up late on school nights to hear The CBS Radio Mystery Theater shows, and even my B&B handle is from a parody of an old time radio detective from the Firesign Theatre.

Here is an online source with thousands of old-time radio shows you can download for free: http://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio

Your friend in old-time radio,

Nick Danger, Third Eye

 

[Matt_Bloodletter]

Hey PHC is indeed in So Cal - http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/stations/list.php - and they have a podcast too. Love technology. Midwestern is fine. I like "folksy" if that's what you mean.

 

[JaxJim]

I enjoy listening to the old time radio channel on Sirius/XM radio whenever I'm driving any distance. The mysteries and crime dramas are my favorites, particularly Johnny Dollar, The Shadow, The Whistler along with others mentioned previously.

 

[hawgsquatch]

My local station carries "WHEN RADIO WAS" late at night . I enjoy some of the programs and it is fun to harken back to the old days when humor did not mean vulgarity.

 

[Andy]

The shows back then are far superior to modern day rubbish (IMO)

My favourite is Dragnet

 

[ArNav]

http://www.gmmy.com/GMMYRADIO.htm

 

[AnnieV]

Hey PHC is indeed in So Cal - http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/stations/list.php - and they have a podcast too. Love technology. Midwestern is fine. I like "folksy" if that's what you mean.

I'm fairly sure Keillor takes the show on the road, too. Maybe you'll be able to catch it live at some point!

It's good to know there are plenty of archive sites around, although there's something to be said for setting aside time every week to listen to an actual broadcast.

 

[xxvaleria]

I really miss the old TV show "Remember WENN." It was a comedy about an old '30s radio station and gave an (exaggerated) impression of the problems faced by live actors and the Foley man.

 

[oldbluelight]

Years ago when I was...well younger, of course, I worked for WBEJ AM in Elizabethton, TN. We aired the old "Lum and Abner" show every evening during my shift. The intro was a phone ring followed by, "Jot 'em Down store, Lum speaking." Yeah, I'd love to hear an episode now. By the way I can testify under oath that "WKRP in Cincinnati" was the first reality show on TV but everyone thought it was just a comedy.

 

[aihpcfl]

. . . Does anyone else here listen to old-time radio shows? What are your favorites? I'm partial to the detectives (Nero Wolfe, Boston Blackie, Johnny Dollar, The Shadow, Sam Spade...), the yearly airing of A Christmas Carol with Lionel Barrymore, and anything with Orson Welles.

I do. I like the detectives. The Edmond O'Brien and Bob Bailey Johnny Dollar are probably my favorites, but I also like the Sidney Greenstreet Nero Wolfe, and Jack Webb's Jeff Regan and Pat Novack.

Archive.org is a great source that I've used in the past. And I've subscribed to various podcasts. Now I'm listening to the podcasts from http://www.greatdetectives.net/detectives/ .

 

[Mick]

About as old time as I get is Firesign Theater (we're all bozos on this bus - honk-a honk-a)

 

[Toirtis]

I love old time radio....been listening for years, and love archives like RUSC.com, where I can DL hundreds. My faves are supernatural, thriller (Shadow, The Whistler), some detective (Dragnet, Johnny Dollar, Sherlock Holmes, etc), and a few Westerns (for some reason I like Gunsmoke, Paladin, and a couple of others).

 

[Mr5x5]

Love it most of it. I never could understand the appeal of "The Easy Aces" though and I have to be desperate to sit through Lum and Abner. In addition to archive.org check out yesterdayusa.com.