New Book by Jim Cox

The incomparable Jim Cox made the following announcement in a recent OTR Digest:
"Just confirmed by McFarland & Co. that at long last "Music Radio: The Great Performers and Programs of the 1920s through Early 1960s" is being shipped right now. It's a beautiful book chock full of data on every type of musical production and major (and lesser) entertainers of that vintage era.

Featured series:

The Bell Telephone Hour
The Big Bands (highlighting 15 bands)
The Bing Crosby Show
The Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street
The Cities Service Band of America
The New York Philharmonic Orchestra
The Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Auditions of the Air
The NBC Symphony Orchestra
The Longines Symphonette
The Horace Heidt Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Major Bowes' Original Amateur Hour
Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge
Stop the Music!
The Disc Jockeys (about 15 major ones highlighted)
The Fred Waring Show
Grand Ole Opry
Gene Autry's Melody Ranch
The Roy Rogers Show
The Network House Bands (highlighting 18 groups)
The American Album of Familiar Music
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round
Waltz Time
American Melody Hour
The Kate Smith Show
The Railroad Hour
The Renfro Valley Gatherin'
Music and the Spoken Word from the Crossroads of the West
The Vocalists (highlighting 24 major soloists and small ensembles)
The Voice of Firestone
Your Hit Parade

Plus descriptions of numerous others (The Chicago Theater of the Air, The
Fitch Bandwagon, Name That Tune, The National Barn Dance, et al.) as they
relate directly to those already named.

Photos, Chapter Notes and extensive Bibliography included. The hardback
volume is $55 plus $4 s/h and may be ordered and shipped immediately
from www.mcfarlandpub.com , fax to 336-246-5018, or telephone M-F daytime
800-253-2187.

Hopefully this comprehensive volume will fill a void that has persisted far
too long in the annals of old time radio. Thank you all for your patience
in awaiting its arrival!

Jim Cox"

Every book Jim writes is a gem, and I'm sure this will be no different. His material is well-researched and his writing very engaging. He doesn't write dry history; he brings the Golden Age of radio to life. The coverprice for a hardback book like this is a bit steep but if you see it used or at the library, snatch it up; I guarantee it will be an entertaining and enlightening read.

Woody Guthrie

A poster on the OTR Digest recently listed the following radio appearances by Woody Guthrie:

The Pursuit Of Happiness. April 21, 1940. CBS net.
The Pursuit Of Happiness. May 5, 1940. CBS net, WABC,
Forecast. August 19, 1940. Program #10. CBS net.
"Back Where I Come from" The Cavalcade Of America. November 6, 1940. Red net.
"Wild Bill Hickok: The Last Of Two Gun Justice". The Cavalcade Of America. December 25, 1944. Red net.
"America For Christmas". Sponsored by: DuPont.
Hootenanny. March 10, 1947. CBS net.

I'm not sure how many of these programs are extant but it would be interesting to know whether Guthrie's appearances are strictly musical or if they include some straight acting.

New OTR blog

I happened across a reference on an OTR message board to this new blog. Written by "The Magnificent Montague" it focuses on classic radio, film, and television. It's good reading; certainly more thoughtful and analytical than my little corner of the Internet. The trick, of course, is coming up with thoughtful and analytical ideas day in and day out for weeks and months. I fail miserably at that.