Legendary radio collector John Tefteller presents the best of mystery, comedy, horror, and adventure stories, produced by the greatest writers, directors, composers, and stars.
Episodes
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Thursday Feb 06, 2025
Today's adventure is "Seven Hours to Freedom," another production from the 1950s adventure series Escape. This is a story of fishermen and escaped convicts who hijack their boat. The attention to detail is remarkable here, especially the sequence of fish flopping on the deck, and shows just how far producer Norman Macdonnell was pushing technical innovation in audio drama. That, and excellent performances, make this show a great listen today.
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Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Tuesday Feb 04, 2025
Today we are featuring a 1944 radio episode from, "It Pays To Be Ignorant," showcasing a vaudeville-style comedy act. The show consists of a series of absurd jokes and puns, interspersed with goofy musical interludes, and features a panel of intentionally inept contestants answering ridiculous questions. The episode is presented in its original, unrestored form, offering listeners a glimpse into a wild and zany past.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Thursday Jan 30, 2025
Today we continue 10 More Great Adventure Stories, and we are pulling back from adventure realism to a fanciful pulp adventure from 1949, "Seeds of Greed," from the Escape series. The story follows Kenneth Brown, a man who partners with a ruthless killer/fortune hunter to locate a sunken treasure.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Today we’re featuring a rare, unrestored recording of a 1945 radio show, "The FreshUp Show," starring Bert Wheeler of the comedy duo Wheeler & Woolsey. This is a mix between a 1940s sitcom and a standup vaudeville style comedy, with a loose plot revolving around Wheeler's attempts to avoid marrying his boss's daughter by getting himself arrested.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Thursday Jan 23, 2025
Thursday Jan 23, 2025
Today we’re featuring a 1938 Mercury Theatre on the Air adaptation of Commander Edward Ellsberg's “Hell on Ice.” The play, a dramatic retelling of the disastrous 1879-1881 Jeannette Arctic expedition, recounts the realistic experiences of the crew, including their entrapment in ice, dwindling supplies, and eventual fate. This is a great example of Orson Welles's early work as a director and features a cast of notable Mercury actors.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
John has made veiled promises in the New Year that from time to time we will bring you something new and (hopefully) interesting direct from his vast collection of radio transcription discs. Today, we are starting with two episodes of a well-produced, virtually lost and forgotten 15-minute daily comedy series from 1945, The Jack Kirkwood Show. Kirkwood may be familiar to you from The Bob Hope Show, as Hope regularly featured this monotone comedian during the 1950s. Other than that, Jack Kirkwood has faded into obscurity, but these shows are definitely worth hearing today.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Today’s adventure pick is from radio’s greatest adventure series, “Escape.” The story is about a man, Jason (played by Frank Lovejoy), who is hired by his uncle to assassinate Jake Finch in the South Seas. The problem: Jason is a hopelessly trapped alcoholic. John talks about Escape's significance, despite its budget constraints. And there’s a special surprise at the tail end of the show, with a marvelous exchange between Gracie Allen and Paul Frees.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Today in keeping with a theme we began last week, we have for you a rare 1947 rehearsal for a Red Skelton radio show sponsored by Raleigh cigarettes. Apparently comedian Red Skelton often kept the comedy going for the studio audience for a while after his show went off the air. This rehearsal is about 15-minutes longer than the broadcast show and we get to hear improvisation and off-script conversations among the cast, a small peek behind the curtain into the production process of radio broadcasts of that era.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Thursday Jan 09, 2025
Thursday Jan 09, 2025
“10 More Great Adventure Stories,” continues today, as we have selected some great adventure stories of daring that were dramatized from the Golden Age of Radio. Today a story from an author who is perhaps best known for his cat-and-mouse political thriller “Rogue Male,” Geoffrey Household. "A Rough Shoot," recounts the story of an Englishman who accidentally kills a man and hides the body, inadvertently drawing him into a complex web of international intrigue involving a former Nazi general, and a perilous journey to uncover a larger conspiracy.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
Tuesday Jan 07, 2025
Join us today as we’re featuring an interview with Simon Singer, a child actor known as "Stuffy Singer" who played one of the Beverly Hills Beavers on the Jack Benny radio show. Stuffy discusses his early career in radio and television, including his experiences working with Benny and other well-remembered personalities. We also listen to a 1953 rehearsal recording of a Jack Benny show, where the Beavers perform a parody of the regular broadcast, and Stuffy provides commentary on it, offering insights into Benny's work style and the collaborative atmosphere of the show.
Visit our website: https://goodolddaysofradio.com/
Subscribe to our Facebook Group for news, discussions, and the latest podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/881779245938297
Our theme music is "Why Am I So Romantic?" from Animal Crackers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KHJKAKS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MK8MVCY4DVBAM8ZK39WD