Classic Radio Theater

General Parcley Smith aired on July 2, 1955

Gunsmoke, the story of the violence that moved west with young America, and the story of a man that moved with it, U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad.The Army Trial first aired on June 25, 1955.

Lily Tomlin is a showbiz legend who started out doing stand-up comedy in the 1960s. She is best known today for costarring in the 1980 movie “9 to 5” with Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton, and more recently in the Netflix sitcom Grace and Frankie, also with Jane Fonda.“This Is A Recording” was released in 1971. It features Lily’s character, Ernestine, a telephone operator who treats customers terribly. Ernestine also made a memorable appearance on Saturday Night Live in 1976 on a fake telephone company commercial, stating, "We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.”

The Great Crepitation Contest of 1946For our annual celebration of April fools Day, we present “The Great Crepitation Contest of 1946,” the championship farting contest between Lord Windesmear and Paul Boomer. Although nobody is certain, this recording was most likely done in 1940 by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation sports announcer Sidney S. Brown and CBC producer Jules Lipton as an in-house joke. Someone at Columbia records pressed the recording onto a set of two 78 rpm records, including album art. The official release was nixed by CBS brass, but a few premium copies made it out to the public. Enjoy!

My Darling Clementine starring Peter FondaAnother presentation of The Lux Radio Theater, this adaptation aired on April 28, 1947.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre, starring Humphrey BogartBroadcast on April 18, 1949 by The Lux Radio Theater on the NBC Blue Network. Lux was a brand of soap owned by Unilever.

The Lone Ranger - Eric Hyde Loses Cattle to RustlersThe Lone Ranger radio show began its successful run at WXYZ Radio in Detroit, Michigan, in 1933 and would stay on the air until 1956. Although it was intended for a younger audience, at least half of listeners were adults. The show is well known for its use of The William Tell Overture as its theme.

Dragnet, “Big Confession,” aired on March 30, 1954.

Dragnet, “Big Mustache,” aired on March 23, 1954.

Dragnet, “Big Rod,” aired on March 3, 1954.Dragnet was created and produced by Jack Webb, who also starred as Sergeant Joe Friday. His goal was to create a show that was realistic, so he attended police academy classes and did ride-alongs with the Los Angeles Police Department as part of his research. The cases in the shows were based on actual cases handled by the LAPD. Dragnet was broadcast on NBC radio stations from 1949 to 1957. It overlapped with it’s TV version which ran from 1951 to 1959 in black and white, and was brought back to TV in color from 1967 to 1970.

Gunsmoke, “The Reed Survives,” aired on June 18, 1955.

Gunsmoke, “Trust,” aired on June 11, 1955.

Gunsmoke, “Cow Doctor,” aired on May 28, 1955. Gunsmoke, the story of the violence that moved west with young America, and the story of a man that moved with it, U.S. Marshall Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad.

The legendary W.C. Fields was born William Claude Dukenfield in Pennsylvania in 1880. He started his career as a juggler on the vaudeville circuit, then moved into comedy and acting. He is know for his distinctive speech patterns and for his character’s love of alcohol.Part 1: The Temperance LecturePart 2: The Day I Drank A Glass of WaterDoes his act still hold up?

Flip Wilson (1933-1998) was the first Black comedian to host a successful TV variety show, The Flip Wilson Show, which aired from 1970 to 1974. Flip was well known for playing the character of Geraldine in his act as well ask for numerous TV appearances from he 1960s through the 1980s. He continued to perform into the 1990s until he passed away from cancer in 1998.

Orson Welles’s “A Christmas Carol”Enjoy Orson Welles’s production of the beloved “A Christmas Carol,” which aired on Christmas Eve in 1939.

An Evening With Groucho Marx (Part 2 of 2)