BBC Radio 4 Extra

The Golden Age of American Radio

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

23/09/2017

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Golden Age of American Radio

Toby Hadoke celebrates classic radio shows from the golden age of American radio.

Toby Hadoke celebrates classic radio shows from America's golden age of radio - with stars including Joan Crawford, Jack Benny and Vincent Price.

The decades between the end of the silent film era and the rise of TV, were golden years for the medium of radio in America. 

In this three-hour showcase, Toby Hadoke introduces classic shows from the 1930s, 40s and 50s featuring the radio work of established stars such as Joan Crawford, Jack Benny and Vincent Price, as well as some lesser known, but no less important shows from the time.

Featuring:  

Vincent Price in an episode of The Saint called The Horrible Hamburger from 1950

The Columbia Workshop presents Meridian 7-1212 by Irving Reis from 1939

An episode of The Jack Benny Program from 1950 in which Jack Give 50 cents to a Bum

Zero Hour by Ray Bradbury, dramatised for X Minus One in 1956

A 1946 polemic from Jack Webb for One Out of Seven - Senator Theodore Bilbo

Joan Crawford stars in The Ten Years on Suspense in 1949

(And listen out for the first radio appearances of two Hollywood legends in the days before they were famous).

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama

Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

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The Golden Age of American Radio

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