Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Audio Antiques

It's one of only a few classic radio shows by African-Americas. Destination Freedom was a weekly radio program produced by NBC radio station WMAQ in Chicago from 1948 to 1950. It presented biographical histories of prominent African-Americans as written by the program's producer Richard Durham. You are going to hear a 1950 episode about the creation of the National Urban League, the nonpartisan historic civil rights organization that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Americans, and against racial discrimination in the United States. Plus a 1949 episode about the founder of the city of Chicago. Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was an African-American trader who established the settlement of Chicago in the 1780s. Get ready for living history, right after this break. 

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The Golden Age of radio began just after World War One. Recordings of broadcasts from that era are extremely rare, and so were appearances by celebrities. However, President Calvin Coolidge made a speech on NBC in 1928, reminiscing about the end of his administration. In this podcast you will hear other sounds from the dawn of radio's classic era. We'll begin with one of the first soap operas. The Cecil & Sally Show began in 1928 on KYA Radio in San Francisco, and in a few months went national on NBC. It starred just two characters Johnny Patrick and Helen Troy, with no sound effects or music. Then you'll hear a 1928 broadcast from WAAM Radio in Newark, New Jersey. It's quite different from what we listen to today, but keep in mind, broadcasting was less than a decade old, and the experts were still trying to figure things out. So settle back, close your eyes, and imagine you are listening to radio in the 1920's. 

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During radio's classic age, few women had starring roles on dramatic programs outside of soap operas. One such woman was Mercedes McCambridge, who Orson Welles called the world's greatest living radio actress. She starred in the early 1950s crime show Defense Attorney, also known at The Defense Rests. McCambridge was so convincing that she receiving an honorary membership in the Los Angeles Women's Bar Association. McCambridge began her career as a radio actor during the 1930s while also performing on Broadway. She went on to appear in movies and numerous TV shows, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her screen debut in All the King's Men in 1949. You will hear Defense Attorney from 1951, and The Defense Rests from 1952 with Mercedes McCambridge in the title character of Martha Ellis Bryant, a respected attorney who champions the underdog and the unjustly accused. Then Bill Swisher interviews McCambridge on the American Forces Radio Network in 1975.

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This podcast explores the life of African-American actor & comedian Butterfly McQueen. She was born in Tampa, Florida in 1911, and showed an aptitude for entertaining at an early age. McQueen had planned to be a nurse, but a teacher was so impressed by her unique voice, and photographic memory, that she suggested McQueen try acting.

McQueen will forever be remembered as the maid Prissy, in the classic 1939 movie Gone With The Wind. In the 1950s, McQueen became one of the stars on the popular TV situation comedy Beulah. However, Butterfly McQueen left Hollywood for good after appearing in 12 movies, and on numerous network radio shows. In a 1980's interview McQueen explained she was frustrated with being typecast as stereotypical maids and servants.

She kept busy by getting involved in the civil rights, animal rights, and free thought movements. Returning to school at the age of 64, she attained a degree in Political Science. McQueen continued to act on the stage, and in 1980 won an Emmy Award for her work on an ABC television special. You will hear Butterfly McQueen on the Jack Benny Show in 1943, the Dinah Shore Show in 1944, and the Jubilee Armed Forces Radio variety program in 1944.

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This podcast features the 1963 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It was held on July 9th at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Ohio USA. The contest was won by the National League, which defeated the American League 5-to-3. The Most Valuable Player of the game was Willie Mays, who hit a homer and scored two runs. This was the first baseball all-star game to be played at night, and featured 21 future hall of famers, including Mickey Mantle, Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, and Hank Aaron.

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Born in Joplin, Missouri in 1901, James Mercer Langston Hughes was an African-American poet, social activist, novelist, and playwright. Hughes took New York's literary scene by storm in the mid 20th century winning numerous awards, and honorary doctorates. He is best known as leader of the Harlem Renaissance, and was celebrated as the Shakespeare of Harlem. Langston Hughes also created short stories, operas, essays, and works for children. You're going to hear about the early life of Hughes in a 1948 presentation of the classic radio show Destination Freedom. Followed with a story created by Langston Hughes on the radio series New World A-Comin' in 1945. Then, Hughes himself talks about his life and his writings in a speech on the campus of UCLA in 1967.

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The Big Show was a variety program created by NBC Radio in hopes of keeping the medium competitive with television. In 1950, listeners were deserting radio and becoming TV viewers. NBC's answer was to produce a lavish, expensive, star studded program that would stop the exodus. The Big Show was 90 minutes long, featuring the greatest comedians, stage, screen and music talent of the day, hosted by actress Tallulah Bankhead. It premiered on November 5, 1950. But the Big Show could not turn the tide, the golden age of radio was rapidly ending. NBC cancelled the show after two seasons and a reported loss of $1 million, which was a lot of money in the 1950s. You're going to hear Big Show #5, broadcast on December 3rd, 1950, featuring comedians Fred Allen, Joan Davis, Phil Silvers, and President Harry Truman's daughter Margaret.

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Radio's classic era wasn't just about singing, joke telling, and dramatic acting. There were serious, intellectual, thought provoking programs on the air as well. One such program was the University of Chicago Roundtable on NBC Radio. We have two shows from 1949. In the first one, there's a discussion regarding the need for government civil rights programs. On the second program, there's an examination of whether human beings are inherently violent, and what might be done to curb violence and prevent war. Each week, the University of Chicago Roundtable brought together a host of panelists in the fields of journalism, science, philosophy, politics, literature, business, and others, in order to answer the big questions of the day.  

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Radio was very popular during the 1930s and 1940s, and the movie industry tried to take advantage of the medium to promote their films. During the era MGM, RKO, 20th Century Fox, Samuel Goldwyn, and Paramount all had preview shows on the air, urging the public to check out their coming attractions. One show was a little different. Warner Brothers Academy Theater presented their stable of rising stars in complete dramatic productions to showcase their young talent. Many of these shows were produced to promote Warner Bros. productions already in wide distribution. You're going to hear three episodes of Warner Brothers Academy Theater from 1938. The Crowd Roars, and That Certain Woman Parts One and Two. 

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We're going to hear two major forces that shaped the world of jazz. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson was a pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. Henderson was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most influential bandleaders in jazz history. He helped bridge the gap between the Dixieland and the swing eras, attracting new young talent to the genre. Fletcher Henderson and his band perform on the radio show Jubilee in 1945. "Dizzy" Gillespie was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. Gillespie became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz in the 1940s and 1950s, becoming one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time". You will hear him perform on the show, This Is Jazz in 1960. 

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In this podcast, we're going to the playhouse. Philip Morris Playhouse was a 30-minute dramatic anthology series, that usually involved crime, and was broadcast on CBS radio between 1939 and 1949. It was sponsored by the Philip Morris cigarette company, which reportedly spent $1 million dollars a year on this highly produced program. It had different stars performing each week without a regular cast. In 1953 it premiered as a live television show on CBS-TV but only lasted a few months. You will hear two episodes of Philip Morris Playhouse, The Apology, and Four Hours to Kill, both from 1949. 

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Our focus is on the medical community and its relationship with African-Americans before and after World War 2. We have two episodes from the classic radio program New World A Coming. From the year 1945: "Negros and Health", examining facts and misconceptions, followed by "The Story of Negro Nurses".  

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This show is about Dick Gregory, the comedian, civil rights activist, and author whose pioneering stand-up routines made him a prominent voice in both the fields of entertainment and social justice.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1932, Gregory rose to national fame after his breakthrough performance at Chicago’s Playboy Club, and in 1961 became the first African-American comedian allowed to sit for an interview on NBC's Tonight Show.

Gregory's sharp, satirical takes on race and society resonated with both Black and white audiences, which was a rarity at the time.

Dick Gregory used his celebrity to advocate for civil rights, and even ran for President in 1968, bringing attention to human rights, nutrition, and environmentalism during a turbulent period in American history.

Gregory joined protest marches, organized voter registration drives, and participated in hunger strikes. Over the decades, he influenced generations of comedians from Richard Pryor to Dave Chappelle.

You're going to hear Dick Gregory giving a speech at the City Club Forum in Cleveland, Ohio on the City Club's nationwide radio network in March 1983.

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Destination Freedom was a weekly radio program produced by NBC radio station WMAQ in Chicago from 1948 to 1950. It presented biographical histories of prominent African-Americans as written by the program's producer Richard Durham. You are going to hear episodes about three tireless advocates for civil rights, diversity and inclusion. The 1948 story of James Weldon Johnson, an attorney, diplomat, writer, and co-creator of the Negro National Anthem. The 1949 story of the legendary educator Booker T. Washington, president of the Tuskegee Institute. And the 1949 story of Mary Church Terrell, one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. Terrell was a talented journalist and charter member of the NAACP.

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Ever wonder what it takes to be a science fiction writer? You will find out as we present, the 1956 NBC radio program Biography in Sound. You will hear interviews with  prominent science fiction authors, including Isaac Asimov one of the greatest sci-fi writers of all time. But first, let's listen to some science fiction. Parts one and two of the Space Merchants from the CBS Radio Workshop in 1957. Then you will hear how writers put these kinds of stories together.

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The Ink Spots were an American vocal jazz group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. The Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame inductees paved the way for rhythm and blues and dew-wop. The Ink Spots began performing in the Indianapolis area around 1931, appearing on radio station WLW in Cincinnati. By 1934 they made it to the Apollo Theater in New York, and started touring in England. In 1936, the Ink Spots were the first African Americans to appear on television, when the medium was in the experimental stage of development. By 1938 they had their own nationwide radio show. In 1939 they recorded a ballad called, "If I Didn't Care", was a smash hit, selling over 19 million copies. Hoppy Jones, Deek Watson, Charlie Fuqua, and Bill Kenny went on to appear in movies, and made many guest appearances on variety shows during the golden age of TV, between 1948 and 1952. You will hear The Ink Spots 1938 radio show, plus an appearance on the Jack Benny radio program in 1948. 

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Mystery dramas were always a listener favorite during radio's classic era. You will hear four such theater productions in this podcast. Mollé Mystery Theater was a 30-minute anthology radio program that ran from 1943 to 1948. It was sponsored initially by Sterling Drugs, manufacturers of Mollé Brushless Shaving Cream. ABC Mystery Theater was a similar series on the air from 1951 to 1954 and made a brief transition to ABC-TV. We have Mystery Playhouse from 1945, and the CBC Radio Mystery Theater which was written, adapted, produced and broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1966 to 1968. 

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This podcast is about Huddie William Ledbetter. Better known by his stage name Lead Belly, was one of the most celebrated folk and blues singers of his time. His most popular songs "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", became American classics. Lead Belly was celebrated for his songwriting skills, strong vocals, and virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar. He's a Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Lead Belly was born in 1888, and faced many hardships as a young African-American growing up in the Jim Crow South, serving several prison sentences for murder, attempted homicide, and assault.  But Lead Belly spent his time behind bars, performing concerts for his fellow inmates and perfecting his craft. Once he got out for good, Lead Belly was given a radio show, and signed a contract with RCA Victor, one of the biggest record companies at the time. You will hear 3 episodes of the Leadbelly Show on New York Radio Station WNYC in 1940, one with special guest, legendary folk singer Woodie Guthrie. You'll also hear Lead Belly perform on the show, This Is Jazz in 1947, just 2 years before his death. 

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In this podcast, we pay tribute to the Mutual Broadcasting System. It was the fourth nationwide radio network to be established in the United States, after CBS, NBC, and the NBC Blue Network which later became ABC. Mutual was established in 1934 as a cooperative between WOR New York, WGN Chicago, WLW Cincinnati, and WXYZ in Detroit. The network was retired in 1999 after numerous ownership changes. During radio's golden age Mutual was was best known as the home of The Lone Ranger, Superman, and The Shadow, as well as Major League Baseball, the NFL, and college football. Because it didn't have a big budget like it's rivals, Mutual usually avoided airing expensive variety shows, and concentrated on crime, drama, game, music, news and talk programs. For example, you're going to hear, Nick Carter Master Detective from 1945. From 1946 the popular situation comedy Vic & Sade, plus Sherlock Homes starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. From 1947, the game show What Am I Offered, and the Barbara Welles Show with guest James Stewart. Finally, The Saint starring Vincent Price from 1949.

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In April 1947, modern day baseball changed forever. That's when Jackie Robinson played his first major league game as a Brooklyn Dodger. After that day, there were a string of African-American firsts in baseball.  Four months later, Dan Bankhead of the Dodgers became the first black pitcher to play in a major league game. In 1948, Roy Campanella became the first black catcher. Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians became the first Black player to hit a home run in a World Series. In 1949, there were three African-Americans playing in the World Series when just 3 years earlier Blacks were still excluded from Major League Baseball. All three were playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and pitcher Don Newcombe. Robinson and Campanella would become Hall of Famers, and Newcombe would win both the Cy Young and National League Most Valuable Player awards during the same season. You'll hear all three playing in Game 4 of the 1949 World Series against the Yankees.  Newcombe took the mound with only 2 days rest, from striking out 11 Yankees in Game One, but the Yankees won 1-to-nothing and would go on to take the series.  

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The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was the first integrated all-women's band in the United States. The Sweethearts were formed at Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi in 1938, to help raise funds for the facility which served poor, orphaned, and African American children. By 1941, the band was so successful they hit the road, playing swing and jazz across the nation including New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Europe. In addition to black women, members of the band included Latina, Asian, Caucasian, Indian and Puerto Rican females, making touring the Jim Crow South very difficult. During the 1940s the band featured some of the best female musicians of the era. They made radio and movie appearances, but despite their success, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm disbanded in 1949, as members left to start their families, as big bands started to decline in popularity. You will hear two radio appearances by the Sweethearts on the show Jubilee in 1944, and 1945. 

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Before there was Sidney Poitier and Harry Bellafonte, there was Canada Lee...who along with Paul Robeson was among the very few black actors to scratch out a dignified living in Hollywood movies during the 1930s and 40s. Lee was born in New York City on March 3rd, 1907.  He studied music as a child, but at age 19 Lee became a professional boxer. Even though he was rich and successful, Lee quit boxing 1933 after losing sight in his right eye. Lee then formed a dance band, took up acting, and began performing in live theater productions. Canada Lee made his film debut in Keep Punching, a 1939 movie about boxing. In 1944 he appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Lifeboat. In 1947, he appeared as Ben Chaplin in the boxing film noir, Body and Soul starring John Garfield. 

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The life and times of John Fitzgerald Kennedy have been the subject of many history books. The public got to see him up close and personal after Senator Kennedy announced his campaign for president in 1960. The Democrat appeared on Meet The Press, which aired on NBC radio and television. We have two of his appearances, the first on January 3rd, 1960, and on October 16th, 1960 just a few weeks before the general election, when he beat Republican rival Richard Nixon to win the White House. After taking office, President Kennedy appointed his brother Robert as U.S. Attorney General, who appeared on Meet the Press September 9th, 1961 to provide the administration's progress report. Both men would die from the bullets of assassins before the end of the decade. 

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The Golden Gate Quartet is an African-American vocal group, that was founded in 1934 by four students at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, Virginia. Willie Johnson, William Langford, Henry Owens, and Orlandus Wilson started singing gospel and folks songs in churches and then at radio stations.  In 1937 the foursome signed their first recording  contract. They performed at Carnegie Hall, and nite clubs in New York City causing their popularity to grow. In 1940 they had a nationally syndicated radio show. In 1941, the Golden Gate Quartet became the first black musical group to sing at Constitution Hall, and performed several times at the White House. The Quartet was inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. You're going to here 5 episodes from their national radio show which aired in 1940 and 1941. 

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They were the first presidential debates since 1960. President Gerald Ford, and Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter were in a close race for the White House, and squared off in series of three debates just weeks before the 1976 election. It was the first presidential debate in 16 years, and was only the 3rd U.S. Presidential debate held between the final two contenders. You'll hear coverage of the second Ford-Carter debate by the Mutual radio network. It was held on October 6, 1976 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The candidates will touch on some subjects that are relevant even today, and others that have been lost to history. 

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Ghetto is a word that dates back to 1516. It's an Italian word that was used describe part of a city where Jewish people were restricted to live. Since the 20th century ghetto is used in the United States to describe impoverished African-Americans are segregated away from the general population. You're going to hear about the history of the American ghetto from the classic radio show, New World A Comin'. There are two episodes from 1944 hosted by African-American stage and screen actor Canada Lee.    

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There were a lot of singers and comedians on the air during radio's classic era. Not only that, but you had singers who told jokes, and comedians who tried to sing. For example, there's Frank Sinatra, you'll hear the singing and acting superstar on his CBS radio show in 1945, getting sighs and laughs. Comedian Jimmy Durante started on radio in the early 1920s, and had a movie career, but he would sing and play piano on his NBC radio show, you'll hear an episode from 1948. Phil Harris was a popular musician, songwriter and comedian, who teamed up with his songstress wife Alice Faye to do a radio sitcom, the Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. We have a 1949 episode where Phil tries to break into television. 

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Jazz and radio broadcasting were born right around the same time, and stuck together well into the Rock-N-Roll age. The early days of radio will filled with lots of jazz. One of the most celebrated shows was This Is Jazz, hosted by music critic Rudi Blesh. He founded Circle Records in 1946 to record new music by aging early jazz stars. You're going to hear two 1947 episodes of This is Jazz, with guest star Blue Lu Barker, one of the biggest blues vocalists in the 1930s and 40s. Making an appearance on the show is jazz fan and pioneering actor Canada Lee. The second episode features the great Sidney Bechet, one of the first important soloists in jazz. Bechet started performing in 1911, but was not fully appreciated until the 1940s. 

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Horror and fantasy shows appeared on radio nearly from the very start. The first horror drama during radio's golden age was The Witch's Tale, which was aired from 1931 to 1938. It featured Old Nancy, the Witch of Salem, who introduced a different terror tale each week. You'll hear an episode from 1937. Another early horror program was Lights Out, which started in 1934 and eventually made it to television. We have an episode from 1939, as well as popular series Inner Sanctum and the Sealed Book both from 1945. Our horror fest ends with the show Quiet Please from 1947, a program that was unique because most episodes featured no more than two or three actors. 

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Marian Anderson was one of the most popular and talented operatic singers in the 20th century. The African-American contralto overcame childhood poverty to sing with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. In 1923 Anderson was the first black artist to record for RCA Victor. She became the first African-American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. In addition, Anderson worked as a delegate to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, and as a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.S. State Department. She participated in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and was awarded the first Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. Anderson also received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1977, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. You will hear Marion Anderson perform on the Magic Key of RCA radio show on NBC in 1936. Her legendary 1939 performance before an integrated audience of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. that racists tried to block. Then finally a 1959 interview with Jeanne Hamm on WWVA Radio.  

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It is often called the Forgotten Conflict. The Korean War was started by North Korea in 1950, assisted by Russia and China. They attacked South Korea backed by the United States and other allies. The fighting stopped 1953. Approximately 3 million people died in the Korean War, the majority were civilians. The United States suffered 54,248 deaths. We have a report on the war by the CBS Radio news program Hear It Now, from the week of December 29th, 1950. This was one of the first news programs to use tape-recorded audio to capture the sound of newsmakers and major events. Then from 1953, we have one of the few Korean War radio dramas from a show called Proudly We Hail about the mission to capture a Russian fighter jet. 

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Jack Webb was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the TV police series Dragnet. But Webb was also a crusader in the fight for civil rights. After serving in World War Two, Webb worked in radio, and in 1946 had his own comedy show on ABC. That same year he was host of a one-man program called, One Out of Seven on ABC's KGO Radio in San Francisco. Jack Webb would dramatized a news story from the previous week, performing in as many as seven voices. As you will hear, Webb used his voices to attack racial prejudice. 

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Golden age radio was filled with situation comedies, detective shows, and variety programs, but there were also a few legal dramas on the air. Fictional attorney Perry Mason based on the novels of Erle Stanley Gardner, and first appeared on CBS Radio in 1943 as a soap opera before becoming a popular TV show in 1957. We have a Perry Mason series from 1949. Mr District Attorney was a radio drama which aired from 1939 to 1952. The series focused on a crusading county prosecutor. You'll hear an episode from 1942. And finally, there was a unique NBC show in 1954 called Case Dismissed. It focused on how fragile liberty and justice can be, and the battle to preserve our legal rights. In it, we'll learn a lesson about the responsibility of eye witnesses.

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Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925. He was an African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist and a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. As spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for black empowerment. Malcolm was not an advocate of non-violence, especially when blacks were being physically abused, beaten, and killed by racists. He also felt it would be best for the races to remain segregated. But after a pilgrimage to Mecca, he renounced those views and broke ties with the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was assassinated in 1965, as he prepared to give a speech in a Manhattan ballroom. Two of the men convicted in the killing later cut all ties with the Nation of Islam. We have two interviews with Malcolm X On WMCA's Barry Gray Show in 1960, and on WNYC with Eleanor Fischer in 1961. 

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Comic strips first began appearing in newspapers during the late 1800s. In most of the 20th century there were at least 200 different comic strips and cartoon panels appearing in American newspapers every day. Many cartoon characters were adapted for radio, and a few remain popular. Blondie was created in 1930 by cartoonist Chic Young. In 1939 the Blondie Show appeared on radio and lasted until 1950. We'll hear an episode from 1940. Beetle Bailey and other characters were featured on the Comic Weekly Man Show. From 1947 to 1954 Lon Clark would read comics from the newspapers and perform all the male voices. We'll hear an episode from 1953. Archie Andrews was created by John Goldwater, Bob Montana, and Vic Bloom in 1941. Archie first appeared on radio in 1943. We have an episode from 1946, Archie was on radio through 1953. 

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Before there was National Public Radio, All Things Considered, and Morning Edition, there was NBC Monitor, a weekend-long radio program, broadcast live and nationwide. It was an attempt compete with television which was stealing radio's audience. Monitor featured a mix of news, sports, comedy, variety, music, celebrity interviews and features. Monitor first went on the air June 12th, 1955. You will hear a segment from June 26th, 1955. Monitor ended its run in January of 1975, as many radio stations were using local DJ's and personalities instead of national network programing. In 1971 the NPR flagship program All Things Considered went on the air, using elements of the Monitor format. 

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Just like jazz, country music was on radio from the very start. One of the earliest country music programs to be broadcast was the Grand Ole Opry, which also produced the first African-American country music star. DeFord Bailey was known as a harmonica wizard, and began appearing on radio in 1925. In 1927, Bailey had the first of a series of hit records, beginning with his trademark song, "Pan American Blues". Bailey was so popular, he became the first black artist to become a regular member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was a part of the cast until 1941, and was inducted Country Music Hall of Fame. You will hear DeFord Bailey perform on a 1940 Opry broadcast. You will also hear the second African-American to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Charlie Pride had 30 number one country hits during his long career, and he will play a few on the radio show "Here's to Veterans". You will hear Hootenanny, a 1947 show from CBS Radio featuring Country and folk superstars Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, plus African-American legends Brownie McGee, Sonny Terry, Sidney Bechet, and the Coleman Brothers. We also honor Linda Martell. The South Carolina native  was the first commercially successful black female country artist, and the first African-American woman to play the Grand Ole Opry in 1970, and went on to make 11 more appearances there. Linda Martell's first hit was Color Him Father, released in 1969. Our podcast will wrap up with Dude Martin's Radio Rancho from 1947. 

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The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1941 which was much of radio's golden age. After the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. The United States was hit by a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, and deflation. By 1933, America's poverty rate rose to over 60%. In Cleveland, Ohio the unemployment rate reached 50%, in Toledo, Ohio it topped out at 80%. To counter the doom and gloom, the radio industry filled the airwaves with happy, optimistic programs, but there were a few shows that attempted to reflect reality. You will hear 4 of them. "A matter of Life and Death" from the Columbia Workshop in 1937, "Kiss and Jail" from Redbook Dramas in 1932, "Behold the Man" from the Columbia Workshop in 1938, and "A Man's Castle" from Lux Radio Theater in 1939. 

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Ken interviews Tim Dimoff of SACs Security & Investigative Services, former ATF Agent Pat Beraducci,  and Winnie Boyland of the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking. 

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Without question, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most visible, and celebrated leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. The legendary African American Baptist minister was the son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr. Both men advanced the cause of civil rights for people of color in the United States, through nonviolence and civil disobedience. Inspired by Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of India's Mahatma Gandhi. In 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality. We are going to hear Dr Martin Luther King Jr. on a 1960 edition of Meet the Press from NBC Radio. And we will hear Pacifica Radio coverage of Dr King speaking to anti-war activists incarcerated at Santa Rita Prison in California, on January 14th, 1968, less than 3 months before his untimely death in Memphis Tennessee.  

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SEIU's Anthony Caldwell reveals how to get union representation at your workplace. The Ford Motor Company says there's a serious shortage of auto technicians. Mechanic and author Mary Jackson explains how to have your car repaired without being taken for a ride. 

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The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news organization based in the United States, founded in 1846. It is known for its commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting, serving as a reliable source of news for newspapers, television, radio, and online platforms worldwide. The AP operates with a cooperative model, meaning that it is owned and funded by its member newspapers and broadcasters, allowing it to gather and distribute news from around the globe efficiently. The AP's extensive network of journalists and correspondents ensures coverage of a wide array of topics. We'll hear the story of the Associated Press from the 1941 NBC series Behind the Mike. We will celebrate a century of AP coverage and episode of Break the News, from the NBC Show Cavalcade of America in 1948.

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Ken interviews Julia Shearson of the Council on American Islamic Relations about the month of Ramadan. Also, investment strategist Dr. Joseph Belmonte explains how to find growth stocks in both rising and falling markets. 

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In the United States, the 1930s and 1940s were marked by growing suspicion of communism and socialism, but under the fairness doctrine that opened the airwaves to differing points of view, American communist leaders were able to make their case against income inequality and express their support for civil rights and equal justice. Decades later Congress killed the fairness doctrine allowing the airwaves to be dominated by extreme right wing and conservative commentators. We're going to hear two speeches. An address by Ben Davis Jr of the New York Communist Party on NBC in 1937, followed by Earl Browder, Communist Party candidate for president on CBS in 1940. We'll close with the story of Russian socialist and writer, Alexander Herzen and his fight against tyranny from the 1945 NBC show, We Came This Way.

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Ken explores way to keep your household from going broke during times when cash is tight. His guests are author Carol Keeffe, psychotherapist Collette Dowling, Mark Hamrick senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com, and Shel Horowitz the king of frugal fun. 

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We're going to learn about two soldiers in the battle for civil rights and justice.

First...Ida B. Wells was an African American journalist, educator, and civil rights activist. Born into slavery in Mississippi, she became a fearless investigative journalist and co-owner of a newspaper, where she exposed the horrors of lynching in the late 19th century, making her a key figure in the civil rights, freedom of the press, and women's suffrage movements. Wells was also a founder of the NAACP.

William H. Hastie was a trailblazing African American attorney. Born in Tennessee, Hastie graduated from the Harvard Law School and became the first African American federal judge in 1937. He also served as the first Black governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Throughout his career, Hastie fought tirelessly against racial discrimination in the legal system, leaving a profound impact on both judiciary and civil rights law. Ida B. Wells and William H. Hastie, were both profiled on Destination Freedom in 1949.

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Tricia Harte of Digital Third Coast warns of major job losses in the years ahead due to automation. Dave Packer of ABC News reports on the declining coal industry, while Geoff Greenfield of of Third Sun Solar tells of the growing market for renewable energy. Fourteen year old Amber Bennett explains how she obtained a college degree while starting high school. 

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Reality shows have long been a staple on television, but they first began on radio. One of the earliest radio reality shows was Alan Funt's Candid Microphone which secretly recorded ordinary people in real life situations. Funt would later take the show to television where it became they highly popular Candid Camera. Another radio reality show was Wanted, which helped track down crime suspects, and featured interviews with actual crime victims and law enforcement officials. Long before the TV show America's Most Wanted. There was also Nightwatch, a radio show which rode along with patrol officers as they battled crime, decades before the popular TV show Cops. You will hear Candid Microphone from 1947, Wanted from 1950, and two Nightwatch programs from 1954. 

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Ken Robinson explores the decline of marriage in America, and it's partly due to COVID-!9. He also takes a look at the number of  men and women who cheat on their mates. Plus, there's an examination of Sam and Marilyn Sheppard, a famous marriage that resulted in a mysterious, gruesome murder.  Ken's guests are ABC News correspondent Mark Remillard, psychologist Dr Lana Staheli, women's humor and wellness speaker Jan King, and historian Eric Eakin. 

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He was Martin Luther King, Muhammed Ali, Harry Bellafonte, and Malcolm X rolled into one. Paul Robeson was an extraordinary American singer, actor, and civil rights activist. The son of a slave, Robeson was Born in Princeton, New Jersey, and excelled academically. He became a star athlete earning a scholarship to Rutgers University, and a law degree from Columbia University. Robeson became a global sensation, using his recordings, films, and live performances, to fight racism in America and around the world. However, the more popular Robeson became, the more the U.S. government tried to silence him, with harassment, surveillance, congressional investigations, and finally confiscating his passport so he couldn't travel. But in 1957, Robeson used new technology to appear at a rally and concert supporting union coal miners in the U.K., without leaving New York City. We'll learn how Paul Robeson did it, from the BBC World Service program "Witness History", followed by this amazing rally in its entirety.

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