This is the final week in our mini-tribute to writer/director/producer Norman Corwin. Today we are bringing you a special broadcast, "God and Uranium," originally aired on August 19, 1945. This historical recording showcases the commemorative writings of Norman Corwin, presented by Orson Welles and Olivia de Havilland, reflecting on VE and VJ Days and the implications of the atomic bomb. The broadcast emphasizes the end of World War II, the sacrifices made, and the need for continued vigilance a...
Jul 15, 2025•35 min•Ep. 406
Today on our shorter-than-usual episode we have a rare rehearsal recording of "The Pursuit of Happiness," a radio program written by Norman Corwin and starring Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester from December 8, 1939, showcasing Laughton's performance and even capturing a moment where he realizes he is missing script pages, providing a unique glimpse into the unscripted reality of radio rehearsal. And John tells a story about the loss of countless 1930s radio transcriptions from the CBS networ...
Jul 10, 2025•26 min•Ep. 405
Continuing our short tribute to radio writer/director/producer Norman, we present an episode of "Columbia Presents Corwin," features Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester in a Corwin comedy about Charles E. Gumpert, a seemingly ordinary man who experiences sudden, dramatic personality shifts, believing himself to be various historical figures like Niccolo Paganini, Julius Caesar, Sigmund Freud, and even Samson. These transformations lead to bizarre and humorous situations, causing chaos for his w...
Jul 08, 2025•33 min•Ep. 404
Today it’s our annual Independence Day episode. This year, we are bringing you a rare chance to hear a rehearsal recording of Norman Corwin's famous "We Hold These Truths" program, originally aired on December 15, 1941, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This newly discovered audio was recorded two days prior to the live broadcast and features different actors in key roles, along with the notable absence of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's intended closing remarks. The program itself is ...
Jul 03, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 403
Today in our tribute to Norman Corwin, we’re bringing you his 1939 Columbia Workshop production, "Seems Radio is Here to Stay." The broadcast is a poetic exploration of the nature and reach of radio, celebrating its ability to connect people across vast distances and its multifaceted role in society, including news, entertainment, and the work of countless individuals behind the scenes. The program features narration and excerpts of a performance, including a scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet, and...
Jul 01, 2025•34 min•Ep. 402
Today we bring you a lovely radio show from the series "Columbia Presents Corwin," in Norman Corwin's work titled "Daybreak," which stars actor Ronald Coleman. This is the second performance from July 10, 1945, repeat of a highly regarded radio play written in the early 1940s, known for its poetic style. The central segment of the broadcast is the radio drama "Daybreak" itself, which chronicles the journey of dawn as it circles the globe, depicting various scenes and locations as daylight arrive...
Jun 26, 2025•35 min•Ep. 401
We continue to feature programs written, directed, and produced by Norman Corwin. Today’s episode shows not only the strong poetic touch of Corwin, but integrates it with music, as sung by folk great Burl Ives. It is the historical drama and folk cantata, "The Lonesome Train," which recounts the journey of Abraham Lincoln's funeral train after his assassination. Film buffs will recognize Raymond Massey (Abe Lincoln in Illinois) reprising his iconic role of Abraham Lincoln. Visit our website: htt...
Jun 24, 2025•32 min•Ep. 400
We continue our short series dedicated to writer/director/producer, Norman Corwin, with an episode of The Fred Allen Show that is not broadly in circulation, originally broadcast on May 14th, 1944, with Corwin as special guest. Allen does a satirical adaptation of the Jack and Jill nursery rhyme presented in Corwin's dramatic style. The second half of the discs were badly damaged, but worth presenting, as it is the only time we know of that Allen and Corwin ever appeared together. Visit our webs...
Jun 19, 2025•34 min•Ep. 399
This podcast is dedicated to showcasing the very best of vintage radio, and with that effort in mind, for the next few weeks we will be highlighting the work of writer/director/producer Norman Corwin. These days he's not exactly a household name, but once you hear his work from the '30s, '40s, and '50s, you will understand why he was so influential. We're kicking things off with a Corwin program from 1939 called "So This Is Radio," which offers an in-depth look at the various roles and processes...
Jun 17, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 398
This is week 11 of our series dedicated to comedians on the thriller series Suspense, and we decided to extend it one more week to present an episode that is not one of the better scripts but stars one of our favorite comedian-couples Phil Harris and Alice Faye. Joining us one last time in this series is Suspense Researcher Joe Webb. There were many other comedians who appeared on the series during its long history, and you can find them all, complete with fascinating research notes (as you hear...
Jun 12, 2025•49 min•Ep. 390
This is the final week on our series Comedians on Suspense. The stars are bandleader Phil Harris and his real-life wife, glamour movie star Alice Faye, appearing here in an episode of their sitcom from April 22, 1951. The storyline centers on a farcical attempt by Phil to write a serious drama, ultimately a parody of the series “Suspense.” Harris and Faye would appear as guest stars on “Suspense” two weeks later, which we will hear on Thursday. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ ...
Jun 10, 2025•31 min•Ep. 397
Today we are bringing you another unlikely comedian in a Suspense episode. This one comes late in the Suspense series, and it features the young comedian/writer/voice talent Stan Freberg in a dramatic role, a surprising departure from his usual work. Host John Tefteller and guest Dr. Joe Webb discuss Freberg's diverse talents and his unexpected appearance in this thriller, about a man who gets murdered with a telephone! Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook...
Jun 05, 2025•35 min•Ep. 389
We are listening to episode thirteen of the Stan Freberg Show today from 1957. If you listen to this podcast regularly, you will know Stan Freberg is one of John’s favorite comedians, and when we found out Freberg was a guest star on the thriller series, Suspense, we had to do it. In this episode of his comedy show, they do a horror movie parody about a teenage werewolf who transforms into an advertising executive, and a humorous, ultimately abandoned, panel discussion on the circus. The broadca...
Jun 03, 2025•31 min•Ep. 396
It’s Thursday again, and in this series that means we are focusing on the Suspense radio program episode "Murder in G Flat" which was the first of four Jack Benny appearances on the series. Researcher Dr. Joe Webb is with us again to dive into the background of this episode, highlighting Benny's unusual serious role as a piano tuner who finds stolen money, and tells us how Benny came to star in the show as well as the episode's ending, which was a humorous addition by producer Elliot Lewis fitti...
May 29, 2025•45 min•Ep. 388
We’re featuring this week probably the most popular comedian on this podcast, the great Jack Benny. Jack was a guest star on the thriller series “Suspense” on four separate occasions. On Thursday we will be listening to Jack Benny’s first appearance on Suspense, but today we are listening to a Benny show from 1952. In this one, they are roasting “Suspense.” Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://ww...
May 27, 2025•32 min•Ep. 395
On Tuesday we heard “America’s Favorite Young Married Couple,” Ozzie and Harriet in their popular radio sitcom, that would go on to even greater success on television. Today we hear them in one of their appearances on the thriller series “Suspense.” The episode tells a story about the couple unexpectedly buying a trunk at auction for a mere three dollars, only to discover that a mysterious man desperately wants the trunk back, leading to, well… suspense. Dr. Joe Webb is here to discuss this show...
May 22, 2025•37 min•Ep. 387
This week on Comedians on Suspense, we are featuring the comedy couple, Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard, in "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Ozzie expresses his preference for routine, particularly his breakfast of boiled eggs, while Harriet contemplates shaking things up, even considering a new haircut. This light sitcom came about in the late ‘40s, though Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard had been in show business since the early days of radio. Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofr...
May 20, 2025•32 min•Ep. 394
Today comedian Red Skelton is the unlikely star on the thriller series, Suspense, with an episode called "The Search for Isabel." It’s the unusual story of a lonely man who becomes obsessed with a woman he's never met through wrong number phone calls, culminating in a surprising crime revelation. Dr. Joe Webb is here again bringing his vast research on Suspense to introduce the episode, and we explore the behind-the-scenes context of the production, including network philosophies and publicity t...
May 15, 2025•43 min•Ep. 386
This week we are featuring comedian Red Skelton. Yes, Red Skelton was a guest star on the thriller series, Suspense. And it’s a great episode! You can hear that on our Thursday episode, but today we are leading the way with the "Raleigh Cigarette Program" from March 19, 1946, featuring comedian Red Skelton. This one is all about cars: Willie Lump Lump obtains a driver's license, and Junior (“The Mean Widdle Mean Kid”) joins the "junior police." Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/ ...
May 13, 2025•39 min•Ep. 393
It’s Fibber McGee and Molly week on the show. But this time rather than their well-known cozy comedy format, the beloved radio couple appears here in a dramatic episode of Suspense titled "Backseat Driver." Suspense had become known for recruiting comedians, and popular radio comedians in particular, offering them a chance to step out of their rigid stereotypes and do something different. Joining us once again for this series is Dr. Joe Webb, who provides background on the episode involving an a...
May 08, 2025•40 min•Ep. 385
Jim and Marian Jordan, better known as "Fibber McGee and Molly," are our featured comedy duo this week on the podcast. On Thursday they will appear in an episode from the thriller series, “Suspense.” Today, however, we’re going back a couple of days before that broadcast to hear them on their popular radio series. This episode is centered around Fibber McGee's excessive talking and habit of interrupting others. The program includes comedic interactions between the characters, such as McGee's mis...
May 06, 2025•33 min•Ep. 392
Today we present Lucille Ball as you may have never heard her before. Lucille Ball had quite a career play various femme fatales in the movies before becoming the legendary star of the television show “I Love Lucy.” However, here she plays a dark role as a con artist who targets men, and learns that one of her victims may have been a notorious serial killer, setting off a deadly game of cat and mouse. We’re welcoming back "Suspense" expert, Dr. Joe Webb, who provides historical context about the...
May 01, 2025•39 min•Ep. 384
Today we are bringing you Lucille Ball in the pilot series, if you will, to one of TV history’s most blockbuster series, I Love Lucy. My Favorite Husband starred Lucille Ball and her husband who was then played by actor Richard Denning. Denning was slated to make the transition to the I Love Lucy TV series, but Lucille pushed for her real-life husband Desi Arnaz to assume the role. The episode centers on Lucy’s frantic attempts to cash a $500 check she won on a radio game show called "Everybody ...
Apr 29, 2025•33 min•Ep. 391
We continue our series listening to comedians in serious roles. Specifically, this episode focuses on the obscure comedian Henry Morgan and his appearance in a 1947 "Suspense" radio drama called "Dream Song." Guest Dr. Joe Webb again joins us as we discuss Morgan's comedic background, his reputation as a subversive radio personality, and today’s story about a writer seemingly haunted by a neighbor. The conversation also touches upon the writers of the "Suspense" episode, and the recognition the ...
Apr 24, 2025•43 min•Ep. 383
This week we are going to be featuring the obscure radio comedians Henry Morgan in an episode of “Suspense” on Thursday. Today we have another episode of "The Henry Morgan Show" from June 11th, 1947, a comedy program showcasing Henry Morgan's satirical humor, sponsored by Eversharp razors. The episode includes Morgan's observations on New Yorkers' accents, moviegoing experiences, and absurd used car dealerships, alongside a parody of a quiz show sponsored by an acidic fruit company. Visit our we...
Apr 22, 2025•32 min•Ep. 379
Today John Tefteller and our guest, Researcher Dr. Joe Webb, listen to a 1947 episode of Suspense featuring the comedian Eddie Bracken. Suspense often purposely put actors in roles that were in direct contrast with their type. This is a dramatic departure from Bracken’s comedic role that we presented on Tuesday. In this story he portrays Elwood, a serial killer, seemingly driven by a distorted perception of love and represented by the objects he steals from his victims. Visit our website: https:...
Apr 17, 2025•36 min•Ep. 382
This week we’re paring two shows that feature the largely forgotten comedian Eddie Bracken. We’re starting here with the extremely obscure The Eddie Bracken Show. Bracken was much more successful as a support comedian, on shows like the Sealtest Variety Theater. This is a sitcom that is reminiscent of The Mel Blanc Show, centering on Eddie Bracken's character attempting to assist Connie to enter her picture in a beauty contest and helping her father's company against a lawsuit involving a claim ...
Apr 15, 2025•32 min•Ep. 378
This week John Tefteller and guest Dr. Joe Webb discuss a 1947 episode of the radio show Suspense titled "Three Faces at Midnight," which starred William Bendix. The plot involves blackmail, politics, and gangsters, a territory familiar to Bendix who began as a thuggish character actor in the movies before The Life of Riley eclipsed his film career. They talk about the versatility of comedic actors in dramatic roles and an on-air sound effect mishap in the East Coast broadcast featuring actor Ha...
Apr 10, 2025•41 min•Ep. 381
This week, as part of our epic 10-week quest that seeks to visit many comedians who appeared on the radio thriller series “Suspense,” and pare them with their radio programs, we’re stopping off at the popular sitcom, The Life of Riley, starring William Bendix as the well-meaning but often misguided Chester A. Riley. This is a Mother’s Day episode, and revolves around Riley's anxieties about his son Junior forgetting Mother's Day, leading to the show’s usual encounters with characters like Riley'...
Apr 08, 2025•32 min•Ep. 377
Today we welcome back to the show Suspense expert Dr. Joe Webb discussing an episode of the radio program Suspense titled "The Palmer Method." The episode stars Ed Gardner, primarily known for his comedic role in Duffy's Tavern, in a more dramatic part. Dr. Joe discusses background information on Suspense, noting this episode's unique characteristic of having significant variations between its East and West Coast broadcasts due to Gardner's improvisational style. They also explore Gardner's pers...
Apr 03, 2025•44 min•Ep. 380
