Hudson River Radio's own Big Jim Wheeler is thrilled to share his personal collection of classic radio shows from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s! Jim grew up on a farm in upstate New York, where TV shows were scarce, and where radio was king. It was a time where families would gather around the radio to hear the latest episode of their favorite shows.
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Hudson River Radio's own Big Jim Wheeler is thrilled to share his personal collection of classic radio shows from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s! Jim grew up on a farm in upstate New York, where TV shows were scarce, and where radio was king. It was a time where families would gather around the radio to hear the latest episode of their favorite shows.
Peter and the Wolf is a symphonic tale written by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. The story is a Russian folk tale with different animals and characters being represented by different musical instruments. This performance is narrated by Captain Kangaroo, a/k/a Bob Keeshan, who was a beloved children’s TV host from 1955 to 1984.
The musical Wildcat opened on Broadway in New York City in 1960 and starred Lucille Ball in her only starring Broadway role. She was 49 at the time and had wrapped up her hit TV show, I Love Lucy, three years prior. Lucy plays the lead role of Wildcat Jackson, who comes to Centavo City in search of striking oil and making it rich.
It’s time for our annual rebroadcast of Orson Welles’ “The War of the Worlds,” which aired on October 30, 1938. This legendary broadcast is one you don't want to miss! (Spoiler: It did not create the mass panic of legendary tales. Orson said it was fiction in the broadcast, and they took commercial breaks.)
Inner Sanctum, also known as Inner Sanctum Mystery, was a popular radio program that aired from 1941 to 1952. The stories had a good mix of horror and good humor. This is the show that established the creaking door as a scary sound effect. There were over 500 episodes broadcast, but only around 200 are known to still exist. “The Vengeful Corpse,” aired on September 12, 1949.
The Doctor prescribed Death aired on February 2, 1943. Boris Karloff plays psychiatrist Antonio Bacile, who believes that a suicidal person can, instead, be convinced to murder someone else.
*Extra Scary!* “House in Cypress Canyon,” starring Robert Taylor, from the radio series SUSPENSE. This episode is widely considered one of the most terrifying shows broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio. A couple moves into a new rental house, and finds blood running from beneath a closet door… This episode aired on December 5, 1946.
“Fugue in C Minor,” starring the legendary Vincent Price and Ida Lupino, from the radio series SUSPENSE. It’s a great story about a pipe organ that was built throughout an entire house, and the reason it plays on its own. This episode aired on June 1, 1944.
Go get your pumpkins and start carving! It's time for SCARY CLASSIC SHOWS! Lights Out was one of the earliest radio programs focusing on horror and the supernatural. It ran on several networks from 1934 to 1947 before making the transition to television. This episode, “Oxychloride X,” was broadcast on January 26, 1938.
Halloween is approaching, so we figure it's time for some SCARY CLASSIC SHOWS! Lights Out was one of the earliest radio programs focusing on horror and the supernatural. It ran on several networks from 1934 to 1947 before making the transition to television. This episode, “Rocket From Manhattan,” was broadcast on September 20, 1945, and is set in the distant future year of… 2000!
Fibber and Molly were actually Jim and Marian Jordan, a married couple and comedy legends. This episode aired on October 14, 1947, on the NBC Radio Network.
Orson Welles adapted this live February 3, 1939, performance from the 1925 novel “Arrowsmith,” by Sinclair Lewis. It was part of The Campbell’s Playhouse, a CBS Radio series sponsored by Campbell’s Soup.
This adaptation of the 1938 film “Algiers” was performed live on October 8, 1939, on The Campbell’s Playhouse, a CBS Radio series sponsored by Campbell’s Soup.
Orson Welles’s adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s play from 1933. This performance was performed live on September 17, 1939, on The Campbell’s Playhouse, a CBS Radio series sponsored by Campbell’s Soup.
Hudson River Radio's own Big Jim Wheeler is thrilled to share his personal collection of classic radio shows from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s! Jim grew up on a farm in upstate New York, where TV shows were scarce, and where radio was king. It was a time where families would gather around the radio to hear the latest episode of their favorite shows.
