Radio Books

Was the brainchild of Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Harry Seacombe, and became the forefather of what we've come to know as modern "British Comedy." The ground-breaking antics of the Goons inspired the Monty Python gang, The Goodies, and down the line to Eddie Izzard and the current crowd. The Goon Show itself was sublimely ridiculous, with people dueling with spoons, seaside towns being terrorized by pie throwing maniacs, and ships disguised as trains (to make the train seaworthy it was done up to look like a boat and painted to appear as a tram...all rather confusing, really...) If you've never heard the shows, give them a try! Hear where it all began- in all its anarchic and surreal glory. It's rather unbelievable that this all began in the 50s, isn't it?

More Goon Show delirium! The episodes contained within are:
1. The String Robberies
2. The White Neddie Trade
3. The Spon Plague
4. The Mountain Eaters

It isn't about anything. Laugh. The sound is 1957 monophonic but still quite good and clear. There are websites with scripts available to help you figure out the more obscure words. It's all really very nice, you know!

Commercial radio was more than entertainment for kids growing up in the '50s, '60s & '70s. It was a lifeline to everything cool - a chance for kids living "in the sticks" to keep up to date on what was hot and what was not. Before Cousin Brucie, Wolfman Jack & John "Records" Landecker, there was Gordon McLendon. His claim to fame was re-creating sporting events, in many cases, making games more exciting than the real thing. McLendon was lucky and good. His was a simple formula long before broadcasters thought in such terms. He believed in the total package of music, personality and promotion (not necessarily in that order). Mr. Garay does an amazing job of retracing "The Old Scotsman's" impact on the industry good and bad (like the All Want-Ad format). McLendon was one of the most influential people in radio at a time when it was making the transition from true "broad"casting in to the early stages of what's known as "narrow"casting. Sadly, there are few books devoted to radio's pioneers. Garay's work, which comes across as a labor of love, is the standard for which all other broadcast history books should strive to attain.

It requires faith and a vision from God to effectively use gospel radio. The one speaking into a cold microphone never sees or hears about most of the results from his radio program. If a person must see responses as he serves the Lord, he probably will not last long in a radio ministry.

The history of gospel radio is rich with men of vision who overcame great obstacles because of their faith in God. To apprecoate present-day gospel broadcasting, we need to know the history of gospel radio. To know how effective gospel broadcasts can be, we need to know how God is using them to reach the world. This book will help you see both aspects. It will give you a greater appreciation for the gospel broadcasters of the past and for the potential of gospel radio in the future.

This book ably shows that everyone has not put his radio on the shelf, thus ending the day of radio. God is still accomplishing great things through gospel radio. He is using it to penetrate areas where other kinds of witness are not permitted. As one of the mass media, radio is having a vital part in fulfilling the Great Commission.

~Harold J. Berry, Literature Editor

Not just a collection of information like some other books. Writers apperently have GPRS network management experience. Some analysis and explanation found to be very helpful.

If you are a fan of oldtime radio you need this book in your collection. It is an update on Harmon's 1967 book of the same title and is indeed a far superior volume as I have both. From The Shadow to The Lone Ranger most of our old favorites are in there along with photos and inside details that will fascinate you. The price is a bit steep but well worth it. You will not be disappointed.

This set of tapes gives excellent background to the individual curious about OTR (Old Time Radio). It whets the whistle with clips from "The Witches Tale,""Suspense," "Lights Out," "Inner Sanctum," etc. If you're looking for just the shows, though, don't purchase this- you'll find the narrator, who gives bits of information on each show, a bit annoying.

I quite enjoy this product, in fact, it's peaked my interest, and I am currently doing a presentation on OTR for school.

Part of one of the all time great lines in radio programing. OK, it is from a Jack Benny show. Fortunately there are many of the radio shows from the 30's, 40's and 50's still available. This is a book that will show the folks in the show and make the shows that much more enjoyable. Fun fun fun...

Jim Cox is the dean of American radio historians, and this is one of his strongest books. It provides a wealth of information, in a highly readable style, about classic radio comedies such as "Our Miss Brooks," "Ozzie and Harriet," "Blondie," and many more. Included are some quasi-sitcoms like "The Jack Benny Program" as well. Whether you're looking for a trip down memory lane, or an opportunity to learn more about some of the most popular shows of their era, Cox's book comes highly recommended.

This is a very broad selection of 60 different old time radio shows on 30 CD's. Like another set from radio spirits ("All-Time Favorites" ISBN: 1570193754) these episodes are not generally the greatest from each show, but they do serve as a great introduction to the quality and variety of old radio shows. The following is a list of the shows includes in this set:

Adventures of Archie Andrews: New TV Set (7/13/49)
Aldrich Family: Henry is Jealous of a Jock (9/28/52)
Amos 'N' Andy Show: The Kingfish Takes in a Boarder (4/8/47)
Baby Snooks and Daddy: Snooks Isn't Allowed Out on Halloween (11/1/46)
Bickersons: with Don Ameche (1/12/47)
Bob Hope Show: Broadcast from Bob's Hometown (3/19/46)
Boston Blackie: The Willabrandt Diamonds (1/28/47)
Box 13: Much Too Lucky (11/28/48)
Broadway is My Beat: The Tom Keeler Murder Case (9/22/51)
Burns and Allen: Plot to Murder George (3/13/47)
Casey, Crime Photographer: The Blonde Lipstick (11/6/47)
Cisco Kid: The Black Kerchief (10/5/54)
Dangerous Assignment: Assignment in Portugal (3/25/53)
Dimension X: A Pebble in the Sky (6/17/51)
Dragnet: The Big Try (9/29/53)
Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show: with Hedy Lamarr (9/26/43)
Escape: The Fortune of Vargas (9/21/49)
FBI in Peace and War: The Crack-Up (9/14/50)
Fibber McGee and Molly: Fibber Goes to Night School (11/14/44)
First Nighter Program: Love is Stranger Than Fiction (2/12/48)
Fred Allen Show: with George Jessel (1/20/46)
Gang Busters: The Case of Nicky Small (8/16/52)
Great Gildersleeve: Engaged to Eve Goodwin (4/30/44)
Green Hornet: A Question of Time (3/2/46)
Gunsmoke: Man Hunter (5/27/56)
Hopalong Cassidy: A Jailer Named Satan (3/3/51)
I Was a Communist For the FBI: Treason Comes in Cans (12/17/52)
Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Man Who Couldn't Die (2/12/46)
Jack Benny Program: Jack Plays Carnegie Hall (1/17/43)
Jimmy Durante Show: Episode from 4/21/50 (4/21/50)
Life of Riley: The Lawnmower Company (12/8/50)
Lights Out: Sakhalin (8/10/43)
Lone Ranger: The Empty Stagecoach (12/29/50)
Man Called X: Venezuela Waterway Sabotage (2/26/52)
Mel Blanc Fix-it Shop: The Movie Actress (10/22/46)
Michael Shayne: The Case of the Model Murder (9/11/48)
Milton Berle Show: Salute to Navy Day (10/27/47)
Nero Wolfe: Case of the Careworn Cuff (10/27/50)
Nick Carter, Master Detective: Case of the Vanishing Weapon (9/18/49)
Nightbeat: The Football Player and the Syndicate (6/12/50)
Our Miss Brooks: Mr. Conklin's Drive Safely Campaign (5/28/50)
Ozzie and Harriet: Curiosity (11/21/48)
Pat Novak, For Hire: The Agnes Bolton Case (6/4/49)
Phil Harris, Alice Faye Show: The Chaperones (12/18/53)
Philco Radio Time: with Bing Crosby and Burl Ives (11/20/46)
Philip Marlowe: Night Tide (5/21/49)
Quiz Kids: episode from 10/3/48 (10/3/48)
Red Skelton Show: The Stray Dog (5/13/49)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective: Convict Louis Spence Escapes (3/5/50)
Saint: The Old Man's Car (9/14/49)
Sam Spade, Detective: Death Bed Caper (6/20/48)
Screen Director's Playhouse: The Ghost Breakers (4/3/49)
Sergeant Preson of the Yukon: The Ghost Riders (11/8/50)
Songs by Sinatra: episode from 9/19/45 (9/19/45)
Suspense: Fleshpeddler (8/4/57)
Tales of the Texas Rangers: Hanging by a Thread (11/26/50)
This is Your FBI: The Fugitive Pirate (3/14/47)
Whistler: A Matter of Odds (5/11/52)
X-Minus One: Sea Legs (5/1/56)
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar: The Big Scoop Matter (11/11/56)