The Good Old Days of Radio Show

On this first Thursday of October we are featuring a chilling installment from the classic series Mystery in the Air, starring the famous Peter Lorre. Originally broadcast on September 4, 1947 (and yes, sponsored by Camel Cigarettes), the story is titled The Mask of Medusa. The plot takes us into the world of a wax museum owner with a horrifying secret: the “figures” in his museum aren’t wax at all, but real people transformed into living statues by the ancient Mask of Medusa. One of these victims narrates the terror of being trapped, fully conscious but unable to move, while surrounded by forty-seven other frozen murderers. It’s Peter Lorre at his creepy best, in a story that mixes horror, mythology, and 1940s radio magic. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

On this episode, in addition to listening to a newly restored version of “Nothing Behind the Door” by Wyllis Cooper, John and Joel Tefteller dive into the fascinating (and often painstaking) world of audio restoration. They’re joined by Corey Harker, president of SPERDVAC (the Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety, and Comedy) to talk about the group’s history and its renewed push to keep classic radio alive. Corey and Joel get into the nuts and bolts of working with old transcription discs: how to clean up the sound without making it artificial, and just how much time and care goes into the process. To really show the difference, they play “before and after” examples from Quiet Please and Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel, a great reminder of why professional restoration matters. It’s all about making sure these historic recordings don’t just survive, but can actually be enjoyed by listeners today and generations to come. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

This episode wraps up our 10 More Monsters series with a once-lost recording of Escape. It’s a tense story set in the Louisiana bayou, where villagers suspect a stranger named Zeb of being a loup-garou ("werewolf") after livestock disappear and a baby dies. Host John Tefteller shares the story of how this rare episode turned up in a collection of reel-to-reel tapes from a late collector, and what it means for preserving old-time radio treasures. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

This time on The Good Old Days of Radio Show, we’re looking at another rare take on Daphne du Maurier’s The Birds. This is an hour-long version from 1953, a year earlier than the Escape version we presented last week. The story here follows John Waite (played in this version by Herbert Marshall), a writer living with his family on the Dover coast, as the birds go from being a minor annoyance to a terrifying, organized threat that forces the family to barricade themselves inside their home.  Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

On this episode we bring you “More Monsters” with an early radio adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic short story The Birds. Long before Alfred Hitchcock turned it into a famous film, the story was produced on the radio series Escape, starring British actor Ben Wright. John sets the stage with some background on the show and the tricky business of preserving old recordings. The story is a chilling tale of a family on the English coast facing wave after wave of birds that seem to be growing more aggressive and more organized than anyone could have imagined. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we’re featuring two skits with Fanny Brice as “Baby Snooks,” where Snooks drives “Daddy” (played brilliantly by radio veteran Hanley Stafford) up the wall with forged report cards and phony camp emergencies. In between, you’ll hear Red Skelton as “Junior the Mean Widdle Kid.” Unlike Fanny Brice, Skelton didn’t sound much like a kid, which was part of the uniqueness of the character. These rare recordings, taken from original master discs and dating back to 1942, showcase the early days of two unforgettable radio brats at their mischievous best. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

What if a monster could come to life just because enough people believed in it? That’s the unique premise behind today’s episode of The Mysterious Traveler, titled If You Believe, first aired on December 29, 1946. Our More Monsters host, John Tefteller, sets the scene for this strange tale of Professor Jonathan Davis, a solitary scientist working quietly to create artificial life. But when slick newspaper reporter Dan Duncan spins the story into headlines about a man building a monster, public imagination runs wild, and in a chilling twist, their belief actually turns Davis’s harmless protoplasmic experiment into a grotesque, living creature. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today’s show takes us to September 24, 1950, for an episode of The Jack Kirkwood Show, a fast-paced satirical comedy that aired on the Mutual Radio Network. Kirkwood is not very well remembered, but his crazy humor is in the vein of Stan Freberg or Henry Morgan. This episode is packed with sketches, musical numbers, and recurring bits like “Mad House Theater” and “Poet’s Nook,” all built around Kirkwood’s wordplay, sly observations, and quick back-and-forth with his cast, including Connie Haines, Wally Brown, and Lillian Leigh.  Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

This time monsters are lurking in the deep. This episode of Quiet, Please from 1948 is a haunting tale with a twist. It centers on a Greek doctor who calmly confesses to murdering people he swears are fish-like Atlanteans living among us in secret and plotting to wipe out the surface world. In his account, he describes traveling to the sunken city of Atlantis. We also take a look at the story’s eerie sea dwellers and other works in pop culture, from H.G. Wells’ Into the Abyss to Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

A visit with George and Gracie today. We go back to the spring of 1943 for a full episode of The Burns and Allen Show, the beloved comedy series. This time, Gracie has cooked up a plan to play a “One-Finger Concerto” with the Paul Whiteman Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, much to George’s horror. Along the way there’s a running gag about Gracie’s “friend,” who turns out to be none other than her pet duck, Herman, voiced by Clarence Nash (yes, the voice of Donald Duck himself). You’ll also hear those wonderfully period ads for Vims Vitamins and Swan Soap. Host John Tefteller rounds things out with historical notes on the episode, from Whiteman’s controversial “King of Jazz” title to the star power behind the mic. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today’s creature feature is Revolt of the Worms, written by Arch Oboler and first broadcast on October 13, 1942, as part of the Lights Out series. It’s the tale of a chemist (played by Lou Merrill, a regular on the series) whose attempt to grow giant roses goes horribly wrong, resulting in monstrously large worms. The version you’ll hear comes from Oboler’s later revival series The Devil and Mr. O, where he reused some of his best Lights Out scripts. In this episode of More Monsters, we dig into the story’s themes of scientific overreach and environmental fallout, and touch on Oboler’s famously tight grip on his copyrights. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we have The Judy Canova Show from October 19, 1945, brought to you by Colgate-Palmolive. Judy was one of radio’s great “hillbilly comedy” stars, backed by a top-notch cast that included Mel Blanc and Verna Felton, and writers like Fred Fox. In this episode, Judy sets her sights on Brentwood high society by entering her decidedly unconventional dog in a fancy dog show. Along the way there are musical numbers, lots of jokes, and those classic ads for Colgate Tooth Powder and Palmolive Soap. We wrap things up with a few thoughts on the show’s place in radio history and where some of its stars went from there. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today on “More Monsters” we’re tuning in to a 1947 episode of Mystery in the Air, starring the incomparable Peter Lorre, master of “the creep.” This week’s story is The Horla, adapted from Guy de Maupassant’s classic tale of a Frenchman slowly losing his grip on reality thanks to an invisible presence. Lorre had a reputation for his intense performances on this series. During one episode he supposedly threw his script. To calm you down, you’ll also hear a few vintage ads for Camel cigarettes and Prince Albert pipe tobacco. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we have The Abbott and Costello Show from February 15, 1945, from Armed Forces Radio, with special guest Rudy Vallee. This is a typical slapstick radio comedy, with lots of hysterical Abbott and Costello wordplay and wacky characters popping in and out (notably Mel Blanc as Vallee’s personal assistant and Sid Fields as Professor Melonhead). They make plenty of jokes about Vallee’s reputation as a supreme megalomaniac, and do a radio version of Jack and the Beanstalk, a bit of a foreshadowing of the Abbott and Costello film from 1952. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we’re going back to the classics. It’s an adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic story, The Time Machine. The episode, originally broadcast on CBS's "Escape" series in 1948, follows the protagonist, Fowler, and his inventor friend, Dudley, as they journey over 100,000 years into the future. They discover a world inhabited by two distinct human species: the gentle, childlike Eloi who live above ground, and the subterranean, cannibalistic Morlocks who prey on them. This may be the only version you ever hear that features two time travelers together, a sharp departure from Wells' original story. But it’s an adaptation that allows more dialogue, something they probably felt was needed for the dramatized version. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

It’s been a bit since we’ve featured "The Adventures of Sam Spade Detective" on the show, but it’s one of our favorite unconventional detective series from vintage radio, and we have a lot of these in sourced from original transcription discs once owned by the show's producer, William Spier. So we’re bringing you one originally broadcast on September 19, 1948, over CBS Radio. The program, a mystery and crime drama, was brought to air by Wildroot Cream Oil Hair Tonic. In this episode Sam Spade investigates Leonard Kilcourse's suspicious gambling losses, which ultimately reveal a deeper plot involving blackmail and a crooked gambling operation. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Continuing our “August Monster Madness" we have an unusual science fiction radio drama titled "Student Body" from the X Minus One series, originally broadcast in 1956. This is a highly unusual monster story, not concerned so much with scares as venturing into the territory of wondrous curiosity. The story is about a colonial expedition to a planet called Glade, where the scientific team encounters a unique and rapidly evolving indigenous species. To tell you any more than that would go into spoilers, which would be unforgivable with this story. Suffice it to say, it asks “what if,” and what would you do if faced with the strange and the unknown. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we are featuring comedy, with a rare chance to hear this episode of The Henry Morgan Show in better sound quality. This is a later episode from the series from March 28, 1950, originally broadcast on NBC and later rebroadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The show includes performances by Art Carney, Arnold Stang, and the Billy Williams Quartet. Again Morgan’s absurdist observations contrast societal norms and everyday occurrences, such as introductions, phone calls, and serving food, with their often-exaggerated radio portrayals. The host, Henry Morgan, known as the "bad boy of radio," frequently deviates from popular conventions of the period, one of the reasons we can appreciate this show's unpredictable and ahead-of-its-time comedic style so many years later. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

It’s our second in a series of summer “monster movies.” This episode of the horror anthology "Lights Out" is called "Superfeature," written by Arch Oboler. It describes a bizarre scenario where a movie monster steps off the screen into the audience, a concept Oboler uses to explore the frightening potential of the familiar becoming unfamiliar. This horror story bears a lot of resemblance to modern horror, where the plot is minimal, but you get the satisfaction of watching the usual despicable suspects get taken out one-by-one in typical grisly “Lights Out” style. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD

Today we are once again pulling transcription discs off the shelves, and we have another "lost" Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show AFRS disc from January 16th, 1944. The show includes the comedic banter between ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy Charlie McCarthy, a skit where Charlie blackmails his principal, and a performance by guest Carmen Miranda, who also participates in a comedic opera sketch. The episode concludes with additional musical numbers, which John notes were added to fill the time void created by the removal of original advertisements. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297 Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD