The free-standing radios of the middle decades of the 20th century were invitingly rotund and proudly displayed—nothing like today’s skinny televisions hidden inside “entertainment centers.” Radios were the hub of the family’s after-dinner activities, and children and adults gorged themselves on western-adventure series like “The Lone Ranger,” police dramas such as “Calling All Cars,” and the varied offerings of “The Cavalcade of America.” Shows often aired two or three times a week, and many programs were broadcast for more than a decade, comprising hundreds of episodes.
This book includes more than 300 program logs (many appearing in print for the first time) drawn from newspapers, script files in broadcast museums, records from NBC, ABC and CBS, and the personal records of series directors. Each entry contains a short broadcast history that includes directors, writers, and actors, and the broadcast dates and airtimes. A comprehensive index rounds out the work.

Martin Grams, Jr., has written a number of books on the performing arts, including The CBS Radio Mystery Theater (1999) that he coauthored with Gordon Payton. He lives in Delta, Pennsylvania.

Martin Grams, Jr.
Format: softcover (6 x 9 in 2 vols.)
Pages: 584
Bibliographic Info: index
Copyright Date: 2008 [2000]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3871-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0826-6
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      ix

Volume One      1

The Programs      1

Volume Two      2

The Programs      289

Index      533

“a mother lode of information about old-time radio…awesome piece of research…recommended for libraries with comprehensive collections on media and radio history”—Library Journal; “extensive index…recommended”—Choice; “a worthy addition to the growing body of reference works about radio. Recommended”—Booklist; “comprehensive…[a] remarkable work”—ARBA; “will keep active fans…enthralled for hours”—Suite101.com/Western Collectables; “the ultimate source for general broadcast information”—North American Radio Archives; “will be of immense help to collectors of recorded old radio programs…invaluable”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly; “the material contained here is difficult, if not impossible to find in other modern sources”—Classic Images; “the definitive collection”—SPERDVAC Radiogram.