Cecil B DeMille

When Radio Ruled #153 – SoundScape 1939 part 23: October 29 – November 5, 1939

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Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

October 29 – November 5, 1939

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s SoundScape:

Jack Benny’s Costume Party!

Fibber and Molly Visit the Auto Show!

Where is the Perata Treasure?

Mortimer Snerd gets his big chance!

And More!!

Featuring:

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Jack Benny

Mary Livingstone

Dennis Day

Don Wilson

Phil Harris

Andy Devine

Cecil B DeMille

Loretta Young

Mariam Hopkins

Captain Midnight

Fibber McGee and Molly

The Green Hornet

Edward Arnold

Maxie Rosenblum

Connee Boswell

Nelson Eddy

Edgar Bergen

Mortimer Snerd

Charlie McCarthy

Dorothy Lamour

And More!

Click Here to Give 1939 part 23 a Listen

When Radio Ruled #149 – SoundScape 1939 part 21 October 15-22, 1939

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Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day. Radio highlights originally broadcast live October 15 through October 22, 1939.

A tapestry of History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s SoundScape:

Fibber McGee and Giidersleeve Argue!

Henry Aldritch combs his hair!

Arthur Miller’s first Radio Show!

America’s Town Meeting of the Air explains the European War!

The New Machinery of our Century!

Jack Benny finds a Gold Cigarette Case!

Boxer King Kole Eats Canvas!

And More!!

Featuring:

Orson Welles

Cecil B DeMille

Fibber McGee and Molly

Harlow Wilcox

Ezra Stone

Captain MidNight

Helen Hayes

Jack Benny

Don Wilson

Phil Harris

Mary Livingstone

Dennis Day

Kay Kaiser

Fred MacMurray

Joan Bondell

And More!

Click Hear to Visit 1939!!

When Radio Ruled #148 – OTR Thanksgiving 2025

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

The concept of Thanksgiving is as ancient as ancient can be. Harvest festivals dedicated to the god or gods currently in fashion as thanks for abundance and the survival it would provide.

But like so many things, Americans have made thanksgiving their very own with traditions and customs created and nurtured here in the good old USA.

FEATURING:

Lionel Barrymore

Edward Arnold

Fanny Brice

Hanley Stafford

Nelson Eddy

Cecil B. DeMille

Mickey Rooney

Don Wilson

Amos ‘n Ady

Wally Brown

Dinah Shore

Winston Churchill

And More

CLICK HERE FOR TURKEY TALK FROM THE 30s AND 40s

When Radio Ruled #136-SoundScape 1939 part 14

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Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s SoundScape:

Meet a Real English Butler!

Edgar Bergen Gets Airsick!

The Pie Eyed Piper of Hamlin!

And More!!

Featuring:

Cecil B Demille

Charlie McCarthy

Dorothy Lamour

Don Ameche

Edgar Bergen

Andrea Leeds

Donald Dixon

Vera Vague

Ida Lupino

And More!

Click Here for a Nice Hot Earful of 1939!!

When Radio Ruled #132 – SoundScape 1939 part 12

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Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s SoundScape:

The Town Hall News!

A Newsreel Camera Man!

Fred Allen Bad Mouths Jack Benny!

Life Begins at 40!

And More

Featuring:

Cecil B DeMille

Dr. Ronald W. McCorkle

Fibber McGee and Molly

Harry Van Steeden

Fred Allen

Portland Hoffa

The Merry Macs

Jack Benny

Don Wilson

Phil Harris

Mary Livingstone

Andy Devine

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Edgar Bergen

Charlie McCarthy

Don Ameche

Ginger Rogers

And More!

Click Here To Take a Trip to 1939!

When Radio Ruled #130-SoundScape 1939 part 11

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Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s SoundScape:

Royalty are just regular folks!

Jack Benny with the Hollywood Gossip!

The Patent Office is Your Friend!

Frank Morgan talks Wizard of Oz and World Fairs!

A Big Dose of Great Swing Music!

And More

Featuring:

Cecil B Demille

Fibber McGee and Molly

Jack Benny

Mary Livingstone

Don Wilson

Kenny Baker

Orson Welles

Zasu Pitts

The Green Hornet

Barney Rapp and His New Englanders featuring Ruby Wright

Baby Snooks and Daddy

Frank Morgan

Connie Boswell

Doris Day

Phil Harris

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Andy Devine

And More!

Click Here for a Radio Journey Down Memory Lane!

When Radio Ruled #126 – SoundScape 1939 part 9, May 4-21 1939

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SoundScape part 9, Radio highlights originally broadcast live May 4 through May 21, 1939

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s SoundScape:

Mother’s Day 1939 with Jack Benny!

Where are the real high class professional crooks in America today?

As a Lover, rumor has it,  Jack Benny is a regular Caveman!

Featuring:

Robert Young

Connie Boswell

Frank Morgan

Fannie Brice

Orson Welles

Jack Benny

Phil Harris

Mary Livingstone

Leslie Howard

Don Wilson

Cecil B DeMille

The Family Doctor

Fibber McGee and Molly

Ida Lupino

and

Kenny Baker

Click Here to Hear with Your Ear SoundScape 1939 part 9

When Radio Ruled #124 – SoundScape 1939 part 8, April 6-30 1939

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Radio highlights originally broadcast live April 6 through April 30, 1939

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s soundscape:

A Tribute to Man’s Best Friend, my Dog

Pearl Buck Talks China with Anna Mae Wong and Orson Welles

Jack Benny’s 7th Anniversary on Radio!

And more!!!

FEATURING:

Robert Young

Kitty Carlisle

Meredith Wilson

Lionel Barrymore

Don Wilson

Jack Benny

Phil Harris

Mary Livingstone

Cecil B DeMille

General Hugh Samuel Johnson

Errol Flynn

Fibber McGee and Molly

Orson Welles

Anna Mae Wong

Kenny Baker

Eddie Rochester Anderson

Gertrude Lawrence

and

Eddie Cantor

Click Here For A Heaping Earful of 1939!

When Radio Ruled #122 – SoundScape 1939 part 7, March 22 – April 5, 1939

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Radio highlights originally broadcast live March 22 through April 5, 1939

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s soundscape:

Nothing about the war in this one, things were quiet there and we were more than happy to pretend the bombs and blood wasn’t real. We will soon find out different.

The violent wedding of Andy Brown!

Georgie Jessell kills it with the comedy on the Fed Allen show!

And more!!!

This episode features:

Cecil B DeMille

Loretta Young

Spencer Tracy

Father Flanagan

Fibber McGee

Robert Young

Leo Carillo

Orson Welles

Jack Benny

Don Wilson

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Phil Harris Orchestra

Mary Livingstone

Mr. Distrct Attorney

Amos ‘n Andy

Fred Allen

Portland Hoffa

Peter Van Steeden

Harry Von Zell

And

Georgie Jessell

Click Here to Time Travel with Your Ears to 1939 !!

When Radio Ruled #121 – Cecil B DeMille Interviews part 2 The Movers and Shakers

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Cecil B. DeMille was a legend, a trailblazer, and a person of ambition and talent.

In this episode, DeMille talks with others like him, movers and shakers who have risen to the top of their chosen fields.

Greatness, talking with greatness on the Lux Radio Theater.

DeMille’s guests include:

Father Flanagan

H.V. Kaltenborn

Grand Duchess Marie

The Daughter of William Jennings Bryant

General Hugh Samuel Johnson

Captain of the Largest American Steam Ship

Barbara Stanwyck and George Arliss

The Playwright Zoe Akins

The Author James Hilton

Floyd Gibbons International Reporter

And More!!

Click Here to Hear DeMille and Voices from 1939

When Radio Ruled #120 – SoundScape 1939 part 6, March 17-26 1939

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History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

Curated clips of live broadcasts from popular radio shows of the day.

In today’s soundscape:

Mary’s Springtime Poem!

Ed Sullivan wants to know! Is Jack Benny the real Jack Benny?!

And more!!!

This episode features:

Orson Welles

Laurence Olivier

Noah Beery

Cecil B DeMille

Clark Gable

Claudette Colbert

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Jack Benny

Mary Livingstone

Phil Harris

Kenny Baker

Columbia Workshop

Fibber McGee

Zasu Pitts

Fred Allen

The Merry Macs

Don Wilson

Ed Sullivan

And More!!

Listen to SoundScape 1939 part 6

When Radio Ruled #118 – SoundScape 1939 part 5: February 27 – March 16, 1939

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History through the eyes of people as they lived it, reported by radio.

In today’s soundscape:

Baby Snooks and Daddy visit the 1939 New York’s World Fair!

An Irish Ghost Story entitled “Faith is Not always a Lady”!!

A Gentle Reminder to Always Remember to Lux your Stockings!!

This episode features:

The Family Doctor

Cecil B DeMille

Jimmy Cagney

Fibber McGee

The Merry Macs

Jimmy Stewart

Robert Young

The Phil Harris Orchestra

Columbia Workshop

Zasu Pitts

Lionel Barrymore

Orson Welles

Warden Laws of Sing-Sing

Jack Benny

Don Wilson

Kenny Baker

Barbara Stanwyck

Sara Roosevelt – the mother of the President

Frank Morgan

Fanny Brice

Hanley Stafford

Robert Montgomery

And

Connee Boswell

Click Here to Give 1939 part 5 a Listen!

When Radio Ruled #117 – Cecil B. DeMille interviews 1939 part 1 – the Common Man

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These Interviews were a regular feature of The Lux Radio Theater, a show that presented radio versions of current Hollywood films.

At act break host Cecil B. Demille and an expert guest would comment on the radio play so far.

Sometimes the guest would be from the rich, famous and powerful classes, we’ll hear those in part 2.

 This episode presents the common working men who did the jobs that week’s story was about. Some of these jobs no longer exist, but they were important in their time.

FEATURING, ALL THE WAY FROM 1939:

The Oldest Man in Hollywood

A Cross Country Bus Driver

An Associate Professor of Psychology

A Theatrical Stage Doorman

A Youth Crime Expert

A Doctor Detective

A Los Angeles County Sheriff

The Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office

The Author of “Life Begins at 40”

A Genuine English Butler

Listen to Cecil B DeMille and his Informative Friends

When Radio Ruled #116-SoundScape 1939 part 4

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History through the eyes of people as they live it, reported by radio.

Voices from the past alive again because you’re listening now.

In today’s soundscape, you can hear the dark cloud of war gather.

Earlier in the year, as evidenced by When Radio Ruled Soundscapes 1939 parts 1, 2, and 3, Old Time Radio was trying to ignore the European turmoil. In this episode they’ve stopped trying.

The Columbia Workshop in particular forshadows the horrors to come. You’ll see.

Thank God for Jack Benny. This episode has its dark moments. They make a good laugh more important than ever.

This episode features:

Bing Crosby

Jane Withers

The Columbia Workshop

Cecil B. DeMille

Fibber McGee

Orson Welles

Jack Benny

Don Wilson

Phil Harris

Mary Livingstone

The Family Doctor

Lionel Barrymore

Robert Young

Rosalind Russell

Meredith Wilson

Tony Martin

Fred Allen

Harry Von Zell

Portland Hoffa

Give a Listen to SoundScape 1939 part 4

When Radio Ruled #110 – SoundScape 1939 part 1

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For the Previous 2 episodes, The Year 1939 – Politics and the year 1939 – Culture and Technology, I listened to almost 1000 hours of OTR in chronological order. I got to hear 1939 unfold through broadcasts from the day and learn what the podcasts should be about.

As I go, I create a best of collection of clips I might possibly use in the podcast that isn’t written yet.

This results in a rather large number of clips, 36 hours for the year 1939, history from those living it.

1939 was the year the country woke up to the horrific scale of the war we all saw coming.

The Soundscapes for 1939 series will tell the story of optimism to pessimism, of hope to resignation, compromise to confrontation through a tapestry of OTR clips.

Here is part 1, Curated clips broadcast chronologically January 1 to January 12, 1939. The early, hopeful days in 1939.

Highlights include

Goodbye 1938 hello 1939

How to have happiness in marriage?

A Great Playlet “Rose by Any Other Name” starring Melvyn Douglas

Other Feature Performers include:

Don Wilson

Mary Livingston

Jack Benny

The Phil Harris Orchestra

Andy Devine

Cecil B DeMille

Errol Flynn

Joan Blondell

Mae Robeson

Robert Young

Meredith Wilson

Orson Welles

Kenny Baker

Henry Morgan

Fanny Brice

And more!

Click Here to Listen to SoundScape 1939 part 1

When Radio Ruled #106 – SoundScape 1938 part 32

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This Episode consists of a curated collection of Old Time Radio Clips originally broadcast live December 25 through December 29, 1938.

Starring:

Don Wilson

Mary Livingstone

Jack Benny

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Kenny Baker

Andy Devine

Phil Harris

Joan Bennett

Cecil B. DeMille

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Walt Disney

Robert Young

Bill Stern

Frank Morgan

Featured Songs Include:

Whistle While You Work –Snow White

The Digging Song – The Seven Dwarfs

In this episode:

Jack Benny throws a Christmas Party!

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

Walt Disney talks with Cecil B. DeMille!

Bill Stern talks about announcing Football Games!

And More!!

Click Here to Give episode #106 a Listen!

When Radio Ruled #98 – SoundScape 1938 part 24

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The Episode consists of a curated collection of Old Time Radio Clips originally broadcast live September 15 through October 10, 1938.

Starring:

Cast of Blair of the Mounties

Cast of Columbia Workshop

Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom

Frank Morgan

Fanny Brice

Cast of Family Doctor

Cecil B. DeMille

Ephraim Zimbalist

Neville Chamberlain

Phil Harris

Kenny Baker

Mary Livingstone

Don Wilson

Eddie “Rochester” Anderson

Jack Benny

Eleanor Powell

In this episode:

Jack Benny’s back on the Radio and Nazi Mind Games!

Neville Chamberlain says everything’s going to be alright!

Fanny Bruce and Slapsy Maxie Rosenbloom make with the funny!

And More!!

Click Here for Episode #98

When Radio Ruled Episode 55 – Soundscape 1937 part 22

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Mae West and Charlie McCarthy – Great scandals if 1937

This podcast is a montage of excerpts from old time radio shows performed live and broadcast November 29 to December 12, 1937.

Starring Cecil B Demille, Eddie Cantor, Jimmy Wallington, Rudy Vallee, Tommy Riggs and Betty Lou, Frank Case, Andy Devine, Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone, Kenny Baker, Don Wilson, Fibber McGee, Don Ameche, Charlie McCarthy, Edgar Bergen, Nelson Eddy, Mae West, Pinky Tomlin and more.

Click Here to Listen to Soundscape 1937 part 22

When Radio Ruled #52 – Soundscape 1937 part 19

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Clark Gable on the Radio!

This podcast is a montage of excerpts from old time radio shows performed live and broadcast October 11 to October 18, 1937.

Starring Fibber McGee & Molly, President Franklin Roosevelt, Eddie Cantor, Pinky Tomlin, Benny Goodman, Don Ameche, Charlie McCarthy, Edgar Bergen, Clark Gable, Dorothy LaMour, Nelson Eddy, The Stroud Twins, Cecil B. DeMille, Jimmy Starr, Madge Evans, Fred MacMurry, and more.

Featured Songs include Eddie Cantor “Laugh Your Way Through Life” and “Keep it Over There”, Benny Goodman “The Old Apple Tree”.

Click Here to Listen to When Radio Ruled #52

When Radio Ruled #51 – Soundscape 1937 part 18

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Ida Lupino on the Radio

This podcast is a montage of excerpts from old time radio shows performed live and broadcast September 5 to October 10, 1937.

Starring W.C. Fields, Charlie McCarthy, Don Ameche, Edgar Bergen, Fibber McGee and Molly, Al Jolson, George Jessell, Eddie Cantor, Bette Davis, Cecil B. DeMille, John LeRoy Johnston, Rudy Vallee, The Stroud Twins, Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead, Jack Benny, Mary Livingston, and more.

 

Featured Songs include Al Jolson “Tootsie”, Eddie Cantor “Now’s the time to fall in love” and “Love is on the Air Tonight”, The Connecticut Yankees with an unidentified female vocalist (possibly Annette Hanshaw) “Basin Street Blues”, Eddie Cantor and Pinky Tomlin “Sweet Varsity Sue”

Click Hear to Listen to Soundscape 1937 part 18