Yours Truly Johnny Dollar

On February 18th in 1949, "Yours Truly Johnny Dollar" debuted on CBS radio, and would continue until the final days of regular network radio drama in 1962. The program initially starred Charles Russell as the insurance investigator with the action-packed expense account. Russell was succeded in the lead role by Edmund O'Brien, John Lund, and the man who carried the show for the longest period, Bob Bailey. The final two years starred Bob Readick, and Mandel Kramer. NOTE: Wikipedia states....Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a radio drama of "the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account — America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator." The show aired on CBS Radio from January 14, 1949 to September 30, 1962. There were 811 episodes in the 12-year run, and more than 720 still exist today.

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My True Story on ABC radio

On February 15th in 1943, "My True Story" was heard for the first time on ABC radio. The daily program was presented in cooperation with "True Story" magazine, and continued on radio for nearly 19 years.

February 13th in Radio history...

On this day in 1947, "Family Theater of the Air" was heard for the first time on Mutual radio. Jim Ameche and Loretta Young starred in the program's first episode, "Flight from Home". The series was directed at Roman Catholic families. MORE

On this day in 1949, after a successful West Coast-only run "Pat Novak For Hire," Jack Webb's first radio crime drama, went national on the ABC Radio Network. New Westminster's Raymond Burr played police inspector Hellman.

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Frontier Gentleman

On February 9th in 1958, the CBS Radio Network first aired "Frontier Gentleman" starring John Dehner. The classy western production came too late in the radio era to achieve the success it deserved. Frontier Gentleman ended on November 16, 1958, initially heard Sunday afternoons at 2:30pm through March when it moved to 7pm. The program opened with a trumpet theme by Jerry Goldsmith and this introduction: Herewith, an Englishman's account of life and death in the West. As a reporter for the London Times, he writes his colorful and unusual accounts. But as a man with a gun, he lives and becomes a part of the violent years in the new territories. Now, starring John Dehner, this is the story of J. B. Kendall, Frontier Gentleman...

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Quiz show: Twenty Questions

On February 2nd in 1946, the Mutual Broadcasting System presented "Twenty Questions" for the first time on radio. Sponsored by Ronson Lighters. Bill Slater was the master of ceremonies. In Canada it was a major Monday night hit via delayed broadcast on CKWX Vancouver. The show ran for 8 years on radio & 6 years on TV.

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The Green Hornet

On January 31st in 1936, "The Green Hornet" was introduced by its famous theme song, "The Flight of the Bumble Bee". The George W. Trendle radio production was first heard on WXYZ radio in Detroit, the same radio station where "The Lone Ranger" was performed. You may remember that the title character in "The Green Hornet" was really named Britt Reid. He was, in fact, supposed to be the great nephew of John Reid, the Lone Ranger. The Hornet stayed on the air for 16 years. Wikipedia: American radio and television masked vigilante created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell, in 1936. More. | SHOP The Green Hornet

From out of the west...The Lone Ranger

On January 30th in 1933, "The Lone Ranger" was heard for the first time on WXYZ Detroit. The famous radio western was not sponsored for most of the first year, until Silvercup Bread came aboard in November. It gradually built a network, and ran for 2,956 episodes before ending production in 1955. George Seaton (Stenius) was the first voice of the Lone Ranger. Jack Deeds and Earle Graser followed in the role. However, it was Brace Beemer [photo] who is best remembered as former Texas Ranger, John Reid. On radio he played the part of the black-masked Ranger, fighting for frontier justice, for thirteen consecutive years.

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Beat The Band NBC Radio

On January 28th in 1940, "Beat the Band" made its debut on NBC radio. The band was that of Ted Weems and his 14-piece orchestra, who were joined by Elmo "The Whistling Troubadour" Tanner, and Country Washington. One other star of the show was a barber from the Pittsburgh area, who would record many hits for RCA Victor from 1943 right into the 1970s. His name was Perry Como.

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The Guiding Light was the longest running radio-TV drama in history.

On January 25th in 1937, NBC radio presented the first broadcast of "The Guiding Light". The program became the longest-running story line in daytime drama. The show remained on radio until 1956. "The Guiding Light" began its long run on CBS-TV in 1952, and ended in 2009.

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I Love a Mystery

On January 16th in 1939, the shrill siren call of radio's "I Love a Mystery" was heard for the first time as the show debuted on NBC's West-Coast outlets. Creator
Carleton E. Morse already had an esta blished hit in a completely different genre, 'One Man's Family.'

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Amos 'n' Andy

On January 12th in 1926, "Sam 'n' Henry" debuted on Chicago's WGN radio. When they moved to WMAQ two years later the show was renamed "Amos 'n' Andy" and the voices of its creators, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll played to huge depression-era audiences via NBC radio. Although the players were white, the characters were supposed to be black. The popular radio show would attract over forty million fans during its radio tenure which ended in 1948. (Gosden and Correll returned to radio with the "Amos 'n' Andy Music Hall" on CBS radio [1954-1960]).

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I Love a Mystery

On January 6th in 1939, Carleton E. Morse of One Man's Family fame, introduced his second-best known radio creation, I Love a Mystery afternoons on NBC's West Coast network. It went national as a nightly strip that October and ran for five years. A 30 minute weekly series titled I Love Adventure aired for 13 summer weeks in 1948 on ABC. In 1949 ILAM was revived with a New York cast (including Tony Randall) and ran for 15 minutes nightly for the next 3 years on Mutual. Carlton Errol Morse (June 4, 1901 - May 24, 1993) was a Louisiana-born producer/journalist best known for his creation of the radio serial One Man's Family, which debuted in 1932 and ran until 1959 as one of the most popular as well as long-running radio soap operas of the time. He also was responsible for the radio serial I Love a Mystery. A radio legend, he experimented with television and published three novels. Morse is considered by many to be one of the best radio scriptwriters.
In 1901, Carlton was born in Jennings, Louisiana, to George and Ora Morse. In 1906, his family relocated to a fruit ranch at Talent, Oregon, and when Morse was 16, they moved to Sacramento, California. After graduating from high school in Sacramento, Morse went to the University of California from 1919 to 1922 but did not graduate. Instead, he dropped out and returned to Sacramento, beginning a career as a journalist with the Sacramento Union.

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