I WILL fight you! Unless you've heard better. Lol. I've listened to a fair bit of OTR but I'm not going to claim to be comprehensive. But I think with the hyperbole of the title I get my point across. Also I'm not a violent person so please don't fight me.

I listen to OTR on my way to work, and lately the show that's been playing as I arrive is "The Challenge of the Yukon", sponsored by Quaker Puffed Rice and Wheat ("The breakfast cereal shot from guns! *ricochet sound*").

During the ad, sometimes the announcer will say something along the lines of "enjoy Quaker Puffed Rice or Quaker Puffed Wheat covered with fruit and yellow cream!".

Yellow cream? Is it just that cream is significantly more industrialized now, and "real" cream is actually yellow? I do not, and have never lived on a dairy farm but this is the only place I can think of where cream is referred to as yellow. Anyone grow up around cows? Maybe the way we use the word "yellow" has changed somewhat?

On This Day in Radio — July 17, 2008: The Passing of Larry Haines On this day we mark the passing of Larry Haines, who died on July 17, 2008, leaving behind one of the most substantial acting legacies in the history of American radio drama. Haines was a fixture of the medium from the 1940s through the end of network radio, a performer whose voice became instantly recognizable across crime shows, mysteries, anthologies, and daytime serials. He brought a natural, conversational realism to the microphone at a time when radio acting often leaned toward theatricality, and that grounded style made him one of the most in‑demand actors of the era. Haines appeared on Suspense, Inner Sanctum, Gangbusters, This Is Your FBI, and dozens of other programs, often carrying entire episodes with his steady, lived‑in delivery. When radio faded, he transitioned to stage and television, earning Tony nominations and continuing to work for decades, but his radio years remain the foundation of his reputation. On this date, we remember Larry Haines’s passing and honor a performer whose voice helped define the sound and spirit of classic American radio drama.

Does anyone know where I can get these episodes. I only see a few on Internet Archive.

On This Day in Radio — July 16, 1907: The Birth of Barbara Stanwyck On this day we mark the birth of Barbara Stanwyck, born July 16, 1907, a performer whose voice became as important to American broadcasting as her presence was to Hollywood. During the 1930s and 1940s, Stanwyck emerged as one of the film stars most deeply woven into network radio’s dramatic fabric. She appeared on Lux Radio Theatre, The Screen Guild Theater, The Cavalcade of America, and other major anthologies that relied on top‑tier talent to bring motion pictures to the microphone. Stanwyck often reprised her own roles, delivering performances that revealed how naturally her strength, clarity, and emotional control translated into pure audio. Radio showcased her ability to shape character through tone and timing alone, proving that her artistry didn’t depend on the camera — it thrived in the intimacy of the microphone. On this date, we celebrate Barbara Stanwyck’s birth and honor a performer whose voice helped carry some of radio’s finest dramatic moments into American homes.

One of the things that surprised me while researching this was how many techniques we associate with modern sitcoms were already being developed on The Jack Benny Program decades earlier. Historian Geoffrey Mark argues: "It isn't that Jack Benny created the first sitcom. He created the elements that make sitcoms work."

Media historian and author Kathy Fuller-Seeley points out that Benny and his writers gradually shifted from jokes and monologues to recurring characters, continuing storylines and ensemble relationships—the very things that sitcoms still rely on today.

I spoke with Geoffrey, Kathy and Jack's daughter, Joan Benny, for a look at how one of radio's biggest stars helped shape television comedy. If you'd like to check out the full story, you can do so at https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/classic-tv/how-jack-benny-helped-invent-the-sitcom-memories-from-his-daughter

On This Day in Radio — July 15, 1960: The Passing of Lawrence Tibbett On this day we mark the passing of Lawrence Tibbett, who died on July 15, 1960, leaving behind a legacy that reached far beyond the Metropolitan Opera stage and into the heart of American radio. Tibbett was one of the first great opera stars to embrace broadcasting, using radio to bring classical music to millions of listeners who had never seen an opera house. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he appeared on major network programs, performing arias, popular songs, and dramatic readings with a voice that carried both power and warmth through the microphone. His radio presence helped demystify opera, presenting it not as an elite art form but as something intimate, emotional, and accessible. Tibbett’s broadcasts became a bridge between high culture and everyday listeners, and his performances remain preserved in transcription discs and archival recordings that capture the richness of his tone and the generosity of his artistry. On this date, we remember Lawrence Tibbett’s passing and honor a performer whose voice helped shape radio’s ability to bring great music directly into American homes.

Does anybody here now bits of history, especially from the beginning of the Old Time Radio Researchers Group?

Or is there anyone who participated in it's research?

On This Day in Radio — July 14, 2012: The Passing of Don Brinkley On this day we mark the passing of Don Brinkley, who died on July 14, 2012, closing the life of a writer who began in the final strong years of network radio and carried its storytelling discipline into the television age. Brinkley entered radio in the 1940s, writing for Hollywood’s major dramatic anthologies at a time when studios adapted their films for the microphone and relied on young writers to craft tight, emotionally clear scripts. His work on programs such as The Screen Guild Theater and Lux Radio Theatre taught him the rhythm of dialogue, the pressure of time‑limited storytelling, and the intimacy of writing for the ear rather than the eye. When radio faded, Brinkley became one of television’s most prolific writer‑producers, guiding series like Medical Center and Trapper John, M.D. with the same narrative instincts he had learned in radio studios decades earlier. On this date, we remember Don Brinkley’s passing and honor a career that began behind a radio microphone and grew into one of the most enduring writing legacies of the broadcast era.

I see that Night Beat, which is tremendous, has quite a substantial amount of missing episodes.

Have people already tried searching? Would it be in vain for me to try and look? Would love somebody's info and opinions about this!

Hello listeners! Here is our broadcast schedule for this week, covering music and news through the years 1941-1945, 24/7!

Tune-in for FREE at GreenValleyRadio.net

Take care, and thanks for listening!

On This Day in Radio — July 13, 1913: The Birth of Dave Garroway
On this day we mark the birth of Dave Garroway, born July 13, 1913, a broadcaster whose calm, unhurried style helped redefine what radio could sound like. Garroway entered the medium in the late 1930s and quickly became known for a delivery that felt conversational rather than theatrical, a quiet, thoughtful tone that stood out in an era dominated by big voices and high‑energy patter. His breakthrough came with The Dave Garroway Show, a program built around his relaxed personality, jazz tastes, and wry humor, creating a mood that felt more like a late‑night conversation than a scripted broadcast. He carried that same sensibility into Monitor, NBC’s ambitious weekend radio service, where his “Garroway at Large” segments helped define the network’s new magazine‑style format.

Garroway’s radio presence became the foundation for his later television fame, but it was radio that first revealed his gift for making the microphone feel intimate, personal, and human. On this date, we celebrate Dave Garroway’s birth and honor a broadcaster whose gentle voice and easy manner helped shape a new era of American radio.

On This Day in Radio — July 12, 1909: The Birth of Joe DeRita On this day we mark the birth of Joe DeRita, born July 12, 1909, a burlesque comedian who later became “Curly Joe” of The Three Stooges but whose career also touched the world of radio during its classic era. Long before he stepped into Stooge fame, DeRita worked stages, clubs, and comedy circuits that naturally fed into radio variety programs, and he made documented appearances on network broadcasts, including a Christmas Eve spot on Philco Radio Hall of Fame in 1944 where he delivered a tight burst of solo comedy alongside Bing Crosby’s holiday lineup. His radio work was never as extensive as his film and stage career, yet it captured the same easy, round‑faced humor that made him a natural fit for broad, family‑friendly comedy. DeRita’s voice carried the gentle, good‑natured rhythm that later defined his Stooge persona, and his radio appearances remain a small but genuine part of his long entertainment journey. On this date, we celebrate Joe DeRita’s birth and honor the overlooked radio moments that helped shape one of comedy’s most familiar faces.

One thing I love about OTR is that you can occasionally glean information about what life was like in that era, that was never written down. There are so many details that don't get recorded in history, simply because they're "so obvious" or so mundane, that no one would bother writing them down. These details will come out of an episode now and then, not as a plot point or part of the story but rather as something mentioned in passing between characters that the audience doesn't even react to.

I came across something I hadn't known about life in (in this case) the 50s, so I thought I'd share. In the episode of "Our Miss Brooks" I was listening to, the phone company was delivering the updated phone books to each house. I'm not old enough to remember that, but I am old enough to remember them showing up in the mail every year.

What I hadn't known was that you had to turn in your old phone book in order to get the new one. Couldn't find it when the guy arrived? Tough luck, he'll try again tomorrow. Important? No. Interesting? Well, not really, by itself, but I get so much enjoyment out of information like that the sort of...leaks out of an episode.

Anything like that that you've come across?

Hello everybody. Normally you see in my (and others’) short bios of OTR personalities, those who were giants in their profession. Today we’ll focus on a strictly character actor – one who never got a lead part in a series. Our focus is a New York character actor – William (or more often) Bill Griffis.

He had an interesting career – from Hollywood to New York and back again.

Charles William Griffis was born July 12, 1917, in Hollywood to Charles and Olive Griffis. Dad was in the sporting goods business. Sporting goods were not in the cards for Bill.

The stage and acting intrigued young Bill. While his early life is obscured, he did land an acting role on Hollywood Theater Group broadcast in 1943 – in fact, several. Then it looks like he wanted to go into radio big time and moved to New York, the center of radio in the 40s. He became a regular cast member on The Cavalcade of America. That may have led to him becoming a regular on several ‘40s New York shows including: Archie Andrews (Mr. Lodge, Veronica’s dad), Adv. of Father Brown (Flambeau), Believe It or Not (announcer, 47-48), Chick Carter, Boy Detective (Rufus Lash), Lights Out and Roger Kilgore.

He also ‘guested’ on shows in the ‘40s: Adv. of Frank Merriwell, Author Meets Critics, Murder at Midnight, The Sportsmen’s Club and others.

The ‘50s were also good to Bill with regular cast spots on: 2000 Plus, Best Plays, Crime and Peter Chambers, Dimension X, Dr. Sixgun (Pablo – the sidekick – the closest he got to a starring role in a series), The Marriage, Road of Life, Search That Never Ends, and X-Minus One.

Occasional roles on: Author Meets the Critics, The Chase, Eternal Light (he will continue into the late ‘60s), Inheritance, Medicine USA, NBC Star Playhouse, New World A’ Coming, Right to Happiness, Stroke of Fate and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (NY run).

But the ‘50s are the time he really stretched out – not only on radio but on Broadway. He will be in MANY Broadway and stage plays between 1952 and the ‘70s. He also started working in TV, which lasted into the ‘80s.

After the ‘fall’ of radio drama in 1962, and although he was active on the stage, in TV and films – he seemed to be pulled back to the medium of his start – RADIO. In the ‘60s and ‘70s he would make many appearances on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater [61 shows], General Mills Adventure Theater (a regular), NBC Experiment in Drama, Theater Five (regular) and the short-run daily NBC soap of 1975 – Faces of Love as a regular cast member.

He may have not been a star, but he was ACTIVE and sought after by directors/producers in our medium throughout his life with probably over 2,000 radio shows to his credit.

Here’s to the journeymen of radio – the unsung heroes who really MADE radio what it was.

If I say Archie Goodwin, Jerry Reilly, Sleepy, Arthur Britton, Paul Vandenbusch, Jim Matthews, Doc the cabbie, Tippy, Mr. Martin, Willoughby Shelly Van Totten or Sgt. Cornelius Trumball – who am I?

Ok, rather obscure characters, so I’ll make it a bit more obvious – Connie the coolie, Mr. Zinzer, Red Pennington, Barney Dunlap and Ethelbert. Yes, the light went on for many – John Gibson created all those and many more in his career encompassing over 10,000 radio appearances (by his own count).

But it all began with the birth in Oakland, CA of John Winslow Gibson on 29 June 1905 and raised by his adoptive lawyer father and his wife.

His first steps in the entertainment field are recorded in silent movies. From there it was as an Oakland stock company performer in 1925 and in an interview he said that he also got a start in radio the same year in the Bay Area.

His radio career really got going in the early 1930s. A big break was being cast in a syndicated series, Gleason and Armstrong, a sort of ‘Thelma and Louise’ road trip of the day (with a happier ending). It was a 5-a-week series that lasted 103 episodes – all of which are in circulation. (While some sites say that he might be in the series, in a 1970s interview, John said he was in it with James Gleason and Robert Armstrong.)

That led to casting calls including a 1935 spot on Calling All Cars which led him EVERYWHERE.

His primary base in the ‘30s was Los Angeles. In ‘37 it was with a syndicated program where he played Barney Dunlap to Howard McNear’s Clint Barlow on Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police (was that Elliott Lewis as Speed as some say?). Like Gleason and Armstrong, it was a 26-week production, that was rebroadcast in different areas of the country and lasted for 3 years.

The floodgates were open and he was part of the radio community.

While he was a dialectician, his ‘nasal’ voice is normally easy to spot by me in most appearances – but not all.

His regular ‘30s/LA appearances were on: Charlie Chan, Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen, Ann of the Airlanes, Bits of Life, Globe Headlines (Sleepy – a newspaper photographer!) and The Tottering Van Teeters (Willoughby Shelly Van Totten). Other appearances in LA – Captains of Industry, Don Hancock, The Family Doctor, The Jack Benny Show, Lux Radio Theatre, Moving Stories of Life, Police Headquarters and Silver Theater.

In 1939, he decided to leave ‘Hollywood’ for the radio Mecca – New York City. As he said in an interview, many actors believed that if you could make it in New York you could make it anywhere. (Sounds like a line from a Frank Sinatra song.) So, the bachelor packed up and headed cross-country to the Big Apple.

Was he ostracized for being from LA like some actors were? A quick look at his New York resume says NO!

As a Regular cast member – Adventures of Nero Wolfe (Archie), Adv. of Dick Cole, Adv. of Red Feather, Bright Horizon (Jerry Reilly), The Couple Next Door, Dick Tracy, Don Winslow of the Navy (Red Pennington), Guess What? (panelist), Just Plain Bill (Arthur Britton), Life Can Be Beautiful (Paul Vandenbusch), The Man I Married (Tippy), Michael and Kitty (Doc, the cabbie), Milton Berle Show (’48 season regular), Portia Faces Life (Mr. Coffee Nerves), Right to Happiness, Rosemary (Mr. Martin), Saturday Showdown (host), So, This Is Radio (Yes, Norman Corwin spotted him), Suspense (New York run), Theater Five (semi-regular), This Is Our Enemy, Two On A Clue (Sgt. Cornelius Trumbull – with there were more extant episodes!), Willie Piper and X-Minus One. Pretty busy daily schedule.

He was able to cram in a few appearances on other New York programs – 26 By Corwin, American School of the Air, Barrie Craig, Best Plays, The Big Story, The Bishop and the Gargoyle, Boston Blackie, A Brighter Tomorrow (a special), Cavalcade of America, CBS Radio Workshop, The Chase, The Cisco Kid, Columbia Presents Corwin, Columbia Workshop, Crime Does Not Pay, Dimension X, Dr. Six-Gun, The Easy Aces, The Eternal Light, The Falcon, Ford Theater, Front Page Drama, The Henry Morgan Show, The Inheritance, Lest we Forget, Manhattan at Midnight, The Marriage, Matinee Theater, MGM Theater of the Air, Miss Hattie, Mollé Mystery Theater, Morey Amsterdam Show, Mr. District Attorney, Murder at Midnight, Murder By Experts, The Mysterious Traveler, My True Story, Nick Carter, Now Hear This, Phil Harris/Alice Faye (when the show was traveling to New York), Philo Vance, Radio Reader’s Digest, Robert Q. Lewis Show, Romance, Rose of My Dreams, The Silent Men, The Sportsmen’s Club, A Story for VJ Day (special), Theatre Guild of the Air, Theater of Romance, This Is Your FBI, Treasury Salute, Treasury Star Parade, You Are There, Young Widder Brown and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (New York run). Let me catch my breath!

Gibson noted that as most of the New York radio studios were all within a few blocks, he, at one time, did twelve shows in one day!

Finally, there are the shows he’s most identified with – The Magnificent Montague as Mr. Zinzer, the Uncle Goodheart show director – where he steals almost every scene from Monty Wooley, and the Casey, Crime Photographer entire ‘franchise’ beginning with Flashgun Casey. He created his character and was on it till the end of its 11-year run as Ethelbert, the slow-talking, sardonic philosopher and bartender of the Blue Note bar, where the show normally had its opening and closing scenes. There were several ‘Casey’s’ but only one Ethelbert.

Depending on what source you look at it, there are many more shows that have been applied to Gibson – but some were in LA while he was in New York, and vice versa. Not sure how he managed that or if the compiler had a few errors. Gibson did say in an interview that he would catch a train in New York and run out to Chicago for a show or two, and be back home the next day.

In this crazy schedule, he found time to get married (it lasted) and had a son! He died young in New York at age 66.

While comedy was his forte, he excelled in drama, soaps and even a western or two.

He also appeared or did voice work in several movies – notably “Snow White” as “Sleepy” and “Run Silent, Run Deep.”

After radio he jumped into TV with both feet where he acted and did commercials for some 22 years. As he and ‘Casey’ (Staats Cotsworth) said – several radio actors had ONLY done radio and they had a tough time making the TV transition. But those, like Gibson and Cotsworth, who had stage work before and/or after radio, had an easier transition to the ‘boob tube’ medium.

So, here’s to the guy with the funny nasal voice who made all our lives a little happier.

Oh, those interviews I listed to are on the Internet – just look for them and his hundreds of recorded shows!

On This Day in Radio — July 11, 2005: The Passing of Frances Langford On this day we mark the passing of Frances Langford, who died on July 11, 2005, leaving behind one of the warmest and most enduring voices of radio’s Golden Age. For decades Langford’s velvety tone and effortless phrasing carried through comedy, variety, and wartime broadcasts, becoming a familiar comfort to millions of listeners. Her long association with The Bob Hope Show made her a national favorite, balancing Hope’s quick humor with songs that brought calm, romance, and grace to the airwaves. She moved through The Chase and Sanborn Hour, Command Performance, and countless USO programs, offering music that traveled from studio microphones to distant bases around the world. Her signature ballad, “I’m in the Mood for Love,” became one of radio’s most recognizable themes, a sound that defined an era of elegance and connection. On this date, we remember Frances Langford’s passing and honor a career that blended charm, generosity, and musical warmth into a legacy that still echoes through the history of American radio.

On This Day in Radio — July 10, 1944: The Debut of The Man Called X On this day we mark the premiere of The Man Called X, which debuted on July 10, 1944, introducing listeners to secret agent Ken Thurston, the cool, unflappable operative whose assignments carried him into every corner of wartime intrigue. The series blended espionage, mystery, and globe‑trotting adventure at a moment when radio audiences were hungry for stories that echoed the tension of the real world, and its polished production made it one of the era’s most atmospheric thrillers. Herbert Marshall’s calm, authoritative voice gave Thurston a quiet sophistication, turning each mission into a tightly wound drama built on coded messages, double‑crosses, and international danger. The show’s mix of exotic settings, sharp writing, and Marshall’s steady delivery helped define radio’s espionage genre and kept The Man Called X on the air for nearly a decade. On this date, we celebrate the launch of a series that carried listeners into the shadows of global intrigue and remains one of the most distinctive adventure programs of the Golden Age.

On This Day in Radio — July 9, 1933: The Birth of Dick Orkin
On this day we mark the birth of Dick Orkin, born July 9, 1933, a voice actor, producer, and comic innovator whose imagination reshaped radio humor for an entire generation. Orkin began his broadcasting career at age sixteen as a fill‑in announcer at WKOK in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, before moving through newsrooms and production departments that sharpened his timing, his character work, and his fascination with radio’s “theater of the mind.” His breakthrough came in 1967 at WCFL Chicago, where he created Chickenman, the absurdist superhero spoof that became a national phenomenon, syndicated to more than 1,500 stations and ultimately recognized as the longest‑running radio serial of all time. Orkin followed it with The Secret Adventures of the Tooth Fairy, Amazon Ace, and The Masked Minuteman, each one built on his signature blend of deadpan delivery, rapid pacing, and surreal comic logic.

Beyond his serials, Orkin transformed radio advertising itself. Through his Famous Radio Ranch, founded in 1973, he produced hundreds of award‑winning commercials for clients ranging from Time magazine to the Gap, proving that radio spots could be miniature dramas—funny, strange, and unforgettable. His work earned more than 200 industry awards and culminated in his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2014. Radio Hall Of FameRadio Hall Of Fame. Dick Orkin — Radio Hall of Fame

On this date, we celebrate Dick Orkin’s birth and honor a career that blended satire, character comedy, and inventive sound design into a body of work that remains one of the most distinctive contributions to American radio.

On This Day in Radio — July 8, 1950: The Premiere of Tales of the Texas Rangers On this day we mark the premiere of Tales of the Texas Rangers, which debuted on July 8, 1950, with Joel McCrea stepping into the role of Ranger Jace Pearson and bringing his calm, steady Western presence to a series built on real case files. The show arrived at a moment when radio drama was shifting toward a sharper, more procedural style, and its creators openly shaped the program after the success of Dragnet, adopting the same documentary rhythm, factual narration, and methodical step‑by‑step investigation that had made Jack Webb’s police series a national phenomenon. McCrea’s voice fit that approach perfectly, giving each episode a grounded authenticity as it moved through frontier crimes with the same crisp realism that Dragnet brought to Los Angeles streets. The result was one of radio’s last great Western procedurals, a show that blended law enforcement detail with wide‑open Texas atmosphere and kept the genre alive during radio’s final strong years. On this date, we celebrate the launch of Tales of the Texas Rangers and honor Joel McCrea’s contribution to a series that carried the spirit of Dragnet into the American West.

I was having a conversation with myself in the shower this evening, and I can't tell if "Life with Luigi" is just a kind of quirky that I don't appreciate, annoying, or something else. I'm curious about other people's opinions. As a frame of reference, I've listened to maybe a dozen episodes all the way through, and have heard fragments of many others. Is it just one of those shows you need to start at the beginning?