Turn Your Lights Out -- October 26, 2024

Oakland Tribune, 02-February-1972

Halloween is coming.

When I was a kid, Gene Nelson on KSFO played old radio shows at 10 pm on weeknights. I would be in bed by ten so I could listen every night unless the Giants' game ran late. I had to keep the radio's volume turned down very low because my dad was a light sleeper. 

Nelson often played episodes of great horror shows. Arch Oboler's Lights Out was hard to come by, but it had many wonderful stories including "The Chicken Heart" and "The Dark." 

When I took public speaking in high school, I reenacted Bill Cosby's routine about "The Chicken Heart." 

On this night, Nelson also played an episode of The Inner Sanctum, which was not as much fun as Lights Out, but which had one of the best openings of any radio show.

My wife and I both miss Dinner Jazz on KJAZ.

John Madden, RIP -- December 28, 2021

listal.com

John Madden has died. I used to watch Raiders' games with my father when Madden was their coach. I remember that he seemed to retire early, but he went on to have a long career in broadcasting. I used to hear him call in once a week to Gene Nelson on KSFO and later to KCBS. While he was broadcasting, he travelled in a custom bus because he didn't like to fly. He did a lot for charity. 

William Conrad 100 -- September 27, 2020

 

listal.com

Actor William Conrad had a long career in radio, movies and television. I probably first heard of him when he narrated episodes of Rocky and Bullwinkle. Later when I listened to old radio shows on KSFO, I heard him in Gunsmoke, where he played the original Marshall Matt Dillon, and in anthology shows like Suspense and Escape. Later I saw him in films noir like The Killers. I don't think I watched any of his television shows, even though Cannon was set in San Francisco. I enjoyed the Mad Magazine satire, "Cannonball." 

Pulp -- The Shadow -- November 9, 2018

www.coverbrowser.com

When I was a kid, Gene Nelson on KSFO played old radio shows at night. He often played episodes of The Shadow. At some point, I found a copy of Jim Harmon's The Great Radio Heroes in the library and read that the Shadow was a very different character in the pulp magazines. That character sounded more interesting. The whole "clouds men's minds" didn't make a lot of sense, but wearing dark clothes and hiding in the shadows sounded cool. Later still, I got to read reprints and found that they were pretty cool.

Orson Welles 100 -- May 6, 2015

Broadcasting, July 15, 1937

Happy 100th birthday to Orson Welles, star of stage, movies, magic, wine commercials and radio.  I wrote a little bit about his movies on my other blog:
http://bigvriotsquad.blogspot.com/2015/05/orson-welles-100-may-6-2015.html

This story describes his first job writing and directing for the radio, an adaption of Les Miserables for Mutual.  The "New Drama Technique" was narration. 

Broadcasting, January 15, 1938

Welles played The Shadow in 1937 and 1938.  This article describes it expanding to the Pacific Coast Done Lee network, which was affiliated with Mutual.  It was on a sustaining (unsponsored) basis because sponsor Blue Coal didn't sell its products on the West Coast. 

Broadcasting, June 1, 1938

Welles produced many of his stage successes under the aegis of the Mercury Theater.  When he got a regular radio show on CBS, he called it The Mercury Theater of the Air. 

Broadcasting, August 15, 1938

By August, CBS was touting Wells as a major drama player/director/writer.  For a short time, the show was called First Person Singular. 

Broadcasting, September 15, 1938

Welles participated in a course at Columbia University with several other major radio stars. 

Broadcasting, September 15, 1938

CBS carried the show on into the fall and winter. 

Broadcasting, November 15, 1938

That fall, on 30-October-1938, Welles produced an adaption of The War of the Worlds by HG Wells.  The first half of the show was presented as a news broadcast.  Stories vary, but some people took it seriously.  I did not include the continuation of the article, but it is worth looking up. 

Broadcasting, November 15, 1938

In part because of The War of the Worlds, the show gained a sponsor and became Campbell's Playhouse. 

Broadcasting, November 15, 1938

The fake news broadcast raised some issues. 

Broadcasting, December 15, 1938

The FCC decided not to do anything about The War of the Worlds.

I received a cassette recorder when I was 11 or 12 and used it to record my own radio shows.  One of my first productions was an imitation of "The War of the Worlds," which I had heard on Gene Nelson's old radio show on KSFO.  My father patiently served as the announcer. 

Norman Corwin, RIP -- October 19, 2011

I was sad to learn that Norman Corwin, writer, director and producer of some of the best radio dramas, comedies and documentaries, had died at the age of 101.  I remember when Gene Nelson, who played old radio shows at night on KSFO, played "On a Note of Triumph," Corwin's tribute to victory in Europe.  I remember when Corwin and Walter Cronkite did a show in 2000 for NPR,  I was surprised to learn that Corwin was still alive.

From "On a Note of Triumph" (note the blank verse):
So they've given up!
They're finally done in, and the rat is dead in an alley back of the Wilhelmstrasse.
Take a bow, G.I.
Take a bow, little guy.
The superman of tomorrow lies at the feet
Of you common men of the afternoon.

 The image comes from the wonderful site LucyWho (http://www.lucywho.com/).

James Arness, RIP -- June 4, 2011

I was sorry to hear that James Arness had died. He was a World War II veteran, who was seriously injured during the invasion at Anzio. He played the monster in The Thing, but was famous for playing Marshal Matt Dillon in the television version of Gunsmoke.

I don't remember watching Gunsmoke when I was very young, but after I heard the radio version played on Gene Nelson's old time radio program on KSFO, I started watching it and enjoyed the last few seasons. I was impressed that the show had been on television since the 1950s.

The photograph shows Jim Arness with Amanda Blake, who played businesswoman Miss Kitty.

Carter B Smith, RIP -- January 28, 2011

I was sad to learn that Carter B Smith had died. I remember him on KNBR and KFRC. I was too young to remember him on KRE or KSFO with Don Sherwood, and I didn't listen to KABL. His radio career lasted more than 50 years.

Pulp #5 -- September 26, 2009

When I was a kid, Gene Nelson on KSFO played old radio shows at night. He often played episodes of The Shadow. At some point, I found a copy of Jim Harmon's The Great Radio Heroes in the library and read that the Shadow was a very different character in the pulp magazines. That character sounded more interesting. The whole "clouds men's minds" didn't make a lot of sense, but wearing dark clothes and hiding in the shadows sounded cool. Later still, I got to read reprints and found that they were pretty cool.

Here is the cover from the July, 1932 edition. The image is from a wonderful site called Cover Browser: http://www.coverbrowser.com/
Today we went to the Stanford Shopping Center. After mass we had dinner at Guerrero's.