Back There

 This is intended to be a short little post. I'm thankful that most shows from Back There are incredibly easy to find. Influential shows like The Jack Benny Program, Life of Riley, Mister Peepers among others are easily found on Youtube or the Internet Archive. However, many shows are still under the iron fist of the original proprietor. I'm not entirely against this, but what I really want to know is, why the inconsistency? The first two seasons of The George Burns and Gracie Allen show were done lived to tape, and afterwards the show was filmed. The taped seasons are easily found, but the filmed seasons are protected. At first I thought it was the filming process which made the show protected, but the Jack Benny show was filmed in its final few seasons, yet those episodes are just as easily found as well. Giving this more thought, shows like I Love Lucy, Burns and Allen, Lassie, etc, were run by independent companies, just like most shows are today. shows like Jack Benny and ...

 Steve Allen is the most influential man you've never heard of. For over 50 years, he's been a mainstay of radio and television, delighting audiences and fuming sponsors and networks with his off-the-cuff, spur of the moment antics and increasingly inventive ideas for new shows an new laughs. He was a quick thinker on his feet, and he was truly a man who walked so many future entertainers could run. Purportedly, Steve wasn't a big fan of Elvis,  and believed him to be just a flash in the pan. I don't doubt this,  Steve wasn't a huge fan of new things. Stephen Allen was born in 1920, and joined into radio shortly after the second world war. After achieving success there, he moved on to the rising medium of television, where he truly gained fame through his many shows and appearances, most notably his first hosting of the Tonight Show, a new idea meant to be juxtaposed against the already existing Today Show. Though Steve Allen's Tonight Show didn't last as lo...

Will our next contestant enter and sign in, please? This post has been a while in the making. Panel shows was and remain to be one of my favorite facets of television, mainly because they were almost created specifically for it. Panel shows never gained much fame or notoriety through radio, but the idea of seeing these popular figures in your home without going to a theater was interesting, and novel. So, the panel show thrived, and though it's waned in America, the panel show genre goes strong surprisingly in the UK. With that, let's take a look at one of the founding fathers of this genre. The gang's all here, with frequent fourth panelist Joey Bishop What's My Line? Created in February 2nd 1950. On that day, the panelists consisted of  Richard Hoffman, Louis Untermyer, Dorothy Kilgallen and Harold Hoffman (No relation), hosted by John Charles Daly. Later on, the panelists would change to the mainstays of Kilgallen, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf, with the fourth pan...

 Jazz is possibly one of the longest surviving musical genres, rivaling the nursery rhyme. Jazz and its many variants have been around since vaudeville, and to this day still remain a hit. I'm here to talk about a few pioneers in this long-lasting genre, as well as many others. Introducing the band leader, who commanded orchestras and were as well known by themselves as they were as part of a group. They were conductors, songwriters, singers, musicians, they were jacks of all trades and excelled in their field. I liken them to the rockstar of their day, though the genre and the time period may be different, they were just as big. Here's just a sample of three of these stars. Cab Calloway seen here on stage in his trademark "Zoot Suit" Cab Calloway. Cabell Calloway is a man of many firsts. He was the first African American to have a nationally syndicated radio show, which he did alongside Bing Crosby, and his most famous song, "Minnie the Moocher," Was the fi...

 Here we are again, folks! After missing two posts, I wouldn't dare miss my favorite segment in this blog. The spotlight posts not only gives me the chance to write about my idols, it also lives me the remote chance to inform the general public of these people who walked the walk back there. This post is on Fred Allen, known to many as, "Who?" The other two comedians I've mentioned here have shows and specials and regular appearances on television that have kept them in the social limelight for longer. Fred, however, died a bit too early to really make a name for himself in television. Fred Allen was born in Cambridge Massachusetts in 1894. His career started off in vaudeville as a juggler with a penchant for one-liners and dry humor. He would join every entertainment branch of the era. From broadway, to movies, to short subjects, finally landing a spot in radio in 1932. 1932 appeared to be a magic year for radio, as George and Gracie, Jack Benny and Fred Allen all dr...

 I love The Twilight Zone. Many people who write get their inspiration from accomplished authors: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, etc. I, however, got inspiration from two people: Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling. Rod Serling was a connoisseur of the written word. From his unique manner of articulation, his way of speaking (Which he despised, but became part of his character), and especially his way of writing science fiction, Rod Serling was, and should continue to be, a legend. His most popular effort, The Twilight Zone was, at first glance, like many other horror/sci-fi anthology shows of the time. It was only after its first season that the show truly took off. The five seasons of the show has since spawned movies, references and parodies that are still easily recognizable today. But that's not what I'm here to talk about; I'm here to talk about the radio equivalent of shows like these, of which there are many, so here are the ones I know. CBS' A Tale of Suspense. Peo...