total.pardo

wikipedia defines old time radio as:

radio programming lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until television’s replacement of radio as the dominant home entertainment medium in the late 1950s and early 1960s. During this period, when radio was dominant and the airwaves were filled with a variety of radio formats and genres, people regularly tuned in to their favorite radio programs. In fact, according to a 1947 C. E. Hooper survey, 82 out of 100 Americans were found to be radio listeners. The end of this period coincided with music radio becoming the dominant radio form and is often marked in the United States by the final CBS broadcasts of Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on September 30, 1962.

taking a look at my itunes library, i discovered a high percentage of its content was in the genres of “OTR” (for old time radio) and SPOKEN.  while all the recordings can be considered as “old,” i classify them in those two categories to find them easier.   anything in the OTR genre involves dramatic serials, comedies, and adventures or mysteries.  spoken is everything else, old or modern – things like old time news broadcasts (which are easy to find and very interesting to obtain a flavor for the period – a quick search of the internet archive at http://www.archive.org/index.php will allow you access to download 1000’s of public domain recordings of old news broadcasts from all periods – especially WW2) or more modern podcasts like long delayed echoes or this american life.

my favorite program so far is “yours truly, johnny dollar.”

from: an article by Jim Widner

The opening is familiar among fans of Old Time Radio: “the man with the action-packed expense account…America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator.” And if we still weren’t sure, he always told us himself: “Yours truly, Johnny Dollar.”Opening on a Friday night, February 18, 1949 (The Paricoff Policy Matter), right at the start of television’s golden age, this radio show brought us a high-powered insurance investigator who worked chiefly for the Universal Adjustment Bureau, a clearinghouse for the many insurance companies. The series starred Charles Russell as Johnny Dollar, the smart and tough detective, whose trademark it was to toss silver dollars as tips to busboys and bellhops.

Appearing on CBS Radio, Johnny Dollar was heard each week flying off to a different town filled with danger and possibly murder as he tried to get to the bottom of insurance fraud. There were rarely any recurring characters except Dollar; despite sometimes romance and friends, the character was generally a loner.

In 1955, radio actor Bob Bailey, fresh from his long run as George Valentine in LET GEORGE DO IT, stepped into the role as the fourth Johnny Dollar (there was an audition show with Dick Powell in 1948 that is not counted). It was with Bailey that the series really blossomed. Changing to a 15-minute format five times a week, and under the sharp eye of the new producer/director, Jack Johnstone, the scripts got much deeper into characterization and plot. And Bailey’s depiction of Dollar had shades of a gritty street fighter, yet bright and sensitive.

Among many old time radio fans, Johnny Dollar is usually viewed as the division between original radio drama and the resurgence of nostalgia which began in the seventies.

a more recent interesting series involved “the fear you can hear” - cbs radio mystery theater.  this was a sustained revival of the old time genre which ran from 1974 through 1982.  it featured some 1399 original programs at 42 minutes in length and was sponsored by may different companies including Tru Value Hardware, Buick, Annheuser Busch, and Contac.  there are many sites which have downloads of these quality programs and some feature the news programs which preceded or followed the broadcasts.  those 5 minute CBS newscasts offer interesting insights into the time.

another top flight listening opportunity is jean shepherd’s seemingly meandering shows from his WOR days in the 60’s and 70’s.  jean’s programs were comfortable – like listening to spalding gray or garrison keillor – you get the feeling jean is talking to you alone.  jean still lurks in the darkness if you know where to find him – there is plenty out on the net - http://www.flicklives.com/Misc/who_is.htm jean was prolific in his art and skill in the telling of the story.  many listeners reminisce about listening in the dark with the old transistor radio under the pillow – feeling like it was a one way conversation with jean and themselves.

it seems this style of broadcast is almost dead in the USA – revived only by the enthusiasts who sustain interest in self made websites offering downloads of their favorite programs many times copied or digitized from some third hand source.  dramatic programming is alive and well in europe, mainly over the BBC from the UK.  a recent dramatization of the the douglas adams dirk gently’s holistic detective agency comes to mind as a quality program with professional acting and production that was a joy to listen to and share with friends.

itunes offers a complete gambit of podcasts reproducing the series and programs for all interests.  botar’s old time radio has a wide variety of shows available for download to your ipod or mp3 player.  shoutcast radio has a handful of 24/7 stations devoted to streaming audio of old time broadcasts.  some enthusiasts re-broadcast the programs over the air on low power AM transmitters so the audio can be heard over reconditioned old radios to increase the nostalgia effect.

in the end, its up to you to listen, learn, and figure out what you like.  i find this kind of audio a compelling alternative to audiobooks and sometimes even to music.

7/25/08 – Update:  this link -

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-il-microstation,0,6541125.story

is an example of an otr enthusiast using low power AM to rebroadcast programs with an automated station.

7/27/08 - Update: this link -

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/07/your-mid-summer.html

presents an interesting take on the mystery/suspense side of the otr genre - plus a nice shot at the men who listen to otr at the dismay puzzlement of the women in their lives.