Advertise on podcast: The Good Old Days of Radio Show

Today on the podcast, we have two more rescued episodes of the classic Superman radio series, originally broadcast in December 1944. In the first, an Axis agent has Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen in trouble, with a private detective mixed up in the situation, too. Clark Kent has to act fast (one might say as fast as a certain speeding projectile) and fortunately, he has a red cape standing by, ready to swish into action. The second adventure finds Superman trying to clear Poco, a friendly jester accused of bank robbery and murder. These episodes are straight from the war years, and you’ll hear announcements asking young listeners to collect scrap, with appeals to help families facing shortages during the holiday season.  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 Thursday again, and we have the story of Major Theobel J. Upright. He’s a sideshow performer, whose size can be guessed by the title of the story. He falls in love with Jennifer, a fellow attraction known as “the fat lady.” Yes, this is already an unusual situation, but when another performer gives the Major a magical Egyptian scarab that grants three wishes, it seems like the answer to his romantic hopes. Unfortunately, the Major’s careless wording soon gets him into trouble, and like all such stories, one wish after another leads to mounting complications. This episode from the pen of Wyllis Cooper showcases the quirky humor and fantastical storytelling that often made Quiet, Please! so different from Cooper’s earlier horror effort, Lights Out! 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 the first Tuesday of the month again, and as we do, we are bringing you “lost” programs lately discovered. This time we have not one, but two disconnected episodes of the classic Superman radio series, originally broadcast on the Mutual Network in late 1944 and early 1945. These recordings were recently recovered from an abandoned house in New York and we’ve newly transferred them for you. You get to hear Superman facing a catastrophe involving the exploding planet Utopia, and the opening of a new mystery when an unconscious girl is discovered aboard a barge… again, broadcasts probably not heard anywhere since 1945. 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 Halloween episode, and we have an episode of Quiet, Please! today fitting for the occasion. It’s called: “Take Me Out to the Graveyard.” Ernest Chappell plays Julius, a taxi driver whose night takes a strange turn or two, as he begins picking up passengers bound for the cemetery. One by one, a mysterious man, a woman in black stockings, and a license inspector, seem to know exactly when they’re going to die. It's a story full of dark humor, and also a tale spooky enough for the Halloween season. 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 kind of a spooky week here, and we are going to keep with the creepy crawlies of the season with a fun offering today: a 1943 broadcast of Lux Radio Theatre with “A Night to Remember,” starring Robert Young and Ann Sothern. It's a comedy/murder mystery about a writer and his wife who move into a creepy Greenwich Village apartment, discover a dead body, and begin uncovering blackmail and suspicious dealings among their eccentric neighbors.  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 Thursday and time for another unusual episode of the supernatural series Quiet, Please!: “Kill Me Again,” written and directed by Wyllis Cooper. This one is about a man who sells his soul for a million dollars, only to be immediately murdered and sent to the afterworld. There’s just one problem: He arrives “innocent”, leaving the underworld’s director, Mr. Hellman, with no legal grounds to punish him. Instead, Hellman finds a rather unconventional solution, which you'll have to hear to find out. It's a darkly comic tale of murder and bureaucracy, and a twist on the popular ”mistake in the afterlife” trope.  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 comedy and variety with a 1945 episode of Request Performance, the CBS variety program sponsored by Campbell’s Soup. The series lasted only 29 episodes, about half of which appear to be unavailable. It was a very expensive show with a large list of top celebrities of the era, a fact that would soon lead it to early cancellation. This one has Frank Morgan, Rudy Vallée, Diana Lynn, and Jimmy Lydon, and produced by William N. Robson, of all people. There’s music, comedy, piano performances, dramatic readings, and even a short adaptation featuring characters from Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. 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 another eerie classic from Quiet Please: “Camera Obscura,” written and directed by Wyllis Cooper. This is a ghost story about a guilt-ridden murderer confessing to the killing of a man named Philip Vandervert years earlier. But his past comes back to haunt him after he visits a strange tourist attraction in Santa Monica. Inside the darkened building, a lens projects live images from outside onto a circular table, and before long, the murderer sees his victim.  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 listener sent us some rare, uncirculated discs of The Bob Hope Show. This is one originally broadcast on December 17, 1946. It’s a Christmas-season broadcast packed with music and comedy, featuring singer Jane Harvey, bandleader Desi Arnaz, and special guest Gene Kelly. Bob and the cast joke about Hollywood life, Christmas shopping, and the usual headaches of getting through the holidays, including a department-store sketch so familiar to American life in the mid to late ‘40s. 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

We’re back to Wyllis Cooper today and his dark fantasy series Quiet Please. This time we meet Walter McCoy, a mechanic who has spent four years secretly building a working time machine at a remote farmhouse. When Walter travels fifty years into the past, he finds himself in 1897, where a run-in with the local sheriff leads to an unexpected romance with a young woman. But when Walter is forced to make a hasty return to his own time, he leaves Carrie behind with a promise to come back. John also discusses the history of Quiet Please and the poor condition of the surviving transcription discs, making this another rare piece of vintage radio preserved by the seat of its pants. 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 the first Tuesday of the month, and in keeping with our goal to bring you a long “lost” radio show, we have another Adventures of Sam Spade, starring Howard Duff as the hard-boiled San Francisco private detective. The episode is “The Firebug Caper” from February 6, 1949 and finds Spade investigating a series of suspicious building fires that point to a large insurance fraud scheme. The theme gives the writers plenty of fuel for over-the-top incendiary puns.  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 October again, and John is back, bringing us an imaginative and tongue-in-cheek early episode of the classic supernatural radio series Quiet Please: “Bring Me to Life,” originally broadcast in 1947. It’s about a struggling writer who discovers that his typewriter can bring his characters to life. With this fun premise, and Cooper’s knack for quirky and realistic dialogue, “Bring Me to Life” is a perfect example of the fantastic, pre-Twilight Zone fare the series would become known for. 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

Well, this week John is hurrying back from the East Coast through massive storms, and was not able to be here in time to record a podcast. But stepping up to the plate, and for the very first time on the podcast I might add, we are welcoming Zach Eastman, Vice President of SPERDVAC, who has very kindly agreed to pinch hit today as our emergency fill-in host. Zach brings us a rare 1945 episode of Inner Sanctum Mystery, “Portrait of Death,” about a mysterious painting that seems to bring death to everyone who owns it. Zach talks about SPERDVAC’s preservation of these classic radio recordings, and gives us a stunning sneak peak at the amazing restoration work being done right now to provide the clearest sound possible for modern listeners. DISCLAIMER: We don't think any actual harm came to Zach during the making of this episode. That's about as thorough as this investigation is going to get. SPERDVAC (The Society for the Preservation & Encouragement of Radio Drama, Variety, & Comedy ) has been celebrating Classic Radio, preserving its history, & encouraging new audio art since 1974z Interested in learning more?  Visit sperdvac.com to learn how you can become a member & support their preservation efforts! Be sure to follow SPERDVAC on Social Media- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EbHdHfiw4/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sperdvac?stkn=bnk2bmNwcmx4NG9p&utm_source=qr Want to have some SPERDVAC fun in person? Then be sure to attend SPERDVAC LIVE! in 2027. visit https://sperdvac.com/live/ for more details!  And check out  Behind The Dial - A SPERDVAC Podcast • A podcast on Spotify for Creators or wherever else you get your podcasts Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-dial-a-sperdvac-podcast/id1872194743 YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxQklH1lANW1_VxYmYIjYC3CgUVPdxAsc&si=s7NQBA6Z8tNB1Fi5 You can follow Zach Eastman on his show YESTERYEAR BALLYHOO REVUE at ballyhoorevuepodcast.com  or on your favorite podcast apps Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yesteryear-ballyhoo-revue/id1540142449 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10s2uLtkb8qTNS202Kkiog?si=UaSwH3QtQ0KjfPIbVw9jFA&utm_source=copy-link YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ballyhoopodcast?si=QDEOTXwl93CGhgZX and you can follow him on social media  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ballyhoorevuepod?stkn=MXFhbDhveTZ3bHI5Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr Threads: https://www.threads.com/@ballyhoorevuepod?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 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 is the final episode in a mini-tribute to writer Robert Bloch. John Tefteller and historian Karl Schadow continue our look at the rare and largely forgotten radio horror series, Stay Tuned for Terror. The series produced 39 episodes, but only four recordings are known to have survived. In this episode, we hear the final two. The first follows a scientist who attempts to resurrect Adolf Hitler. The second takes us into werewolf territory, as a mysterious writer may not be quite what he seems. John and Karl also dig into the history of the series, including its connection to the classic Universal horror films, the performers and production team behind it, and the financial problems that ultimately brought the show to an end. 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

We're continuing where we left off, exploring the radio work of Robert Bloch. This time John Tefteller and researcher Karl Schadow dig into a nearly forgotten piece of radio history: Stay Tuned for Terror. Originally broadcast in 1945, this unusual horror series adapted Bloch's own pulp stories into fast-moving fifteen-minute stories of the supernatural. Only four of these broadcasts are have been found as of the time we're posting this podcast. In this episode, we hear two of them. One draws inspiration from the Lizzie Borden murders and takes a turn into demonic possession, while the other unleashes a malevolent genie from an ancient bottle. John and Karl also explore Bloch's early career, identify some of the performers, and discuss the show's eerie theme music. It's a rare glimpse at Robert Bloch before Psycho made him a household name. 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