Christmas on the Radio

[sdkluger]

Before TV was the family entertainment of choice there was radio. Each Christmas many radio programs, networks, and/or stations aired special Christmas programs. Unfortunately I wasn't around when these programs were broadcast, but I have the next best thing. I have copies of many Christmas broadcasts that I listen to every year. Some of my favorites (and my family's favorites) are:

The Cinnamon Bear - a 26-part serial chronicaling the journey of Jimmy and Judy as they along with the Paddy O'Cinnamon (the Cinnamon Bear), try to rescue their silver star that goes atop the Christmas tree.

Dragnet - Big Little Jesus - The baby Jesus has been stolen from the nativity scene in a local Catholic church and Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner try to find it.

Grand Central Station - Miracle for Christmas - A disgruntled ambulance driver decides to continue driving the sick to the hospital after he has a miraculous encouter with a new intern from Albany.

Cambell's Playhouse - A Christmas Carol - This has to be my all-time favorite. Lionel Barrymore plays Scrouge in this wonderful version of Dickens' story.

Command Performance - During WWII many of the stars of radio and early TV got together for a special Christmas broadcast for the troops. These broadcasts, hosted by Bob Hope, are very funny. They made it such a big production that it got bigger each year. I remember listening to several of them in a row expecting the third one to end after an hour and a half. It was closer to 2 and a half hours long.

I'm putting together a comprehensive set of Christmas programs that I have. It's already over 4 cds long, each cd contains about 60+ shows in mp3 format. Every so often I'll post more about a certain show. Maybe we'll have to get Jinglebelle to give this its own topic heading. What do you say, Jinglebelle? :)

Until next time,

Tim

[Jinglebelle]

Maybe we'll have to get Jinglebelle to give this its own topic heading. What do you say, Jinglebelle?

Until next time,

Tim

Hey Tim... sorry I just got by to see this post... I think it's great!! :D

I'm going to make this post a sticky for now so it will stay at the top of the forum... I'm getting ready to organize a little around here, after that I'll find a proper home for this GREAT thread!

[sdkluger]

Sorry it took me so long to post more old time radio Christmas shows. Life's been keeping me extremely busy lately. But that's in the past. Here's two more shows that were so well liked that they were rebroadcast several years in a row.

Amos and Andy: In the Amos and Andy Christmas show Andy takes Amos's daughter, Arbadella, window shopping. Arbadella sees a doll that she really likes. Andy doesn't have the money to get it for her so he takes a job as the store Santa so Arbadella could have her doll for Christmas. Andy's reactions to some of the kids's requests (one boy asked for a baby brother) are really funny. Later when it was time for Arbadella to go to bed she hears the song "The Lord's Prayer" but doesn't think it's a Christmas song. Amos takes each phrase of the song and shows his little one that "The Lord's Prayer" is one of the greatest Christmas songs.

Lum and Abner - Lum and Abner own and run the Jot 'Em Down store in Pine Ridge, Arkansas. One Christmas Eve they hear about a couple holed up in an abandoned barn because they didn't have any money after paying their taxes in the county seat. The town doctor let them know that he was called to go to the barn to deliver a baby. Lum and Abner, along with their friend Granpappy Spears, are walking to the barn carrying supplies that the little family may need. When they arrived they found that the little baby, a boy, had been born and that mother and baby are doing well. They decided to offer to help them out by letting Joseph, the husband, do some carpentry work (he's a carpenter by trade) in their store. In the story they compare themselves to the three wise men bringing gifts to the baby. It's not often that the characters in a story realize and verbalize that they are playing a part from the nativity story.

Until next time,

Tim

[ElfinErv]

Great post, I have several old time Christmas radio shows with Bing and they are great

[RadioJonD]

Plenty of Christmas OTR here! - http://tinyurl.com/44gwv9

[RadioJonD]

Here's around 150 OTR Christmas shows on a web site called Fab Radio - http://worldpeacepoll.com/fabradio/vintage-christmas-shows/

Click the purple speaker next to "Listen to Vintage Christmas Show" This brings up a stand alone player with all the shows loaded into it. You may pick and choose shows in this neat old radio looking player.

If you want to go straight to the player (it will be full screen and not stand alone) here's the link - http://www.organicparents.org/mp3s/a_christmasOTR.html

These are streams only. It looks as if something is wrong with the website as there is a large blank space as if the show titles should be there. Fear not though, for the player has all of the shows listed with it.

[RadioJonD]

Be sure to check the schedule at Merry Christmas in the next month or so. We are possibly adding OTR Shows in the mornings!

[ElfinErv]

I really love them Jack Benny shows




Plenty of Christmas OTR here! - http://tinyurl.com/44gwv9

[scooterbugs25]

I like old radio shows.. This will be neat!

[ElfinErv]

I'm listening to old radio versions of Christmas Carol

[sdkluger]

I've been going through a 6-CD set of old time radio Christmas shows. I also have a 4-CD set and a 2-cd set so I'm wanting to consolidate and enlarge. Once I finish listening to the 6-CD set I'll be looking at the others to see if they have better versions of the shows that are problems on the large set.

[Janabanana]

I see the Cinnamon Bear on that list :)

[ElfinErv]

Dragnet - Big Little Jesus is a real classic, excellent

[RadioJonD]

I really love them Jack Benny shows
The first OTR show out of the gate at MCR will be a Jack Benny Christmas show from 1938, I think. I just edited the twenty-seven minute show into segments and am looking for another show to play behind it now.

MCR director, JayIsh and I are still working out the start date and times for "OTR on MCR" at the moment. I'll post here when it kicks off!

[sdkluger]

The first OTR show out of the gate at MCR will be a Jack Benny Christmas show from 1938, I think. I just edited the twenty-seven minute show into segments and am looking for another show to play behind it now.

MCR director, JayIsh and I are still working out the start date and times for "OTR on MCR" at the moment. I'll post here when it kicks off!

How much Christmas OTR do you have? I can send you more if you wish. I have The Cinnamon Bear and should soon have Jonathan Thomas and His Christmas on the Moon. Both follow the same show format, each episode about 10 - 11 minutes long.

[RadioJonD]

How much Christmas OTR do you have? I can send you more if you wish. I have The Cinnamon Bear and should soon have Jonathan Thomas and His Christmas on the Moon. Both follow the same show format, each episode about 10 - 11 minutes long.Thanks for the offer, Tim! Right now I've got around one hundred shows.

I see the Cinnamon Bear fairly cheaply online, so I will probably purchase it and work it into the OTR lineup. When I start to run out of programs, I'll "holler" at you!

[ElfinErv]

excellent I can't wait :D


The first OTR show out of the gate at MCR will be a Jack Benny Christmas show from 1938, I think. I just edited the twenty-seven minute show into segments and am looking for another show to play behind it now.

MCR director, JayIsh and I are still working out the start date and times for "OTR on MCR" at the moment. I'll post here when it kicks off!

[santaclauses#1fan]

Sounds interisting.Most specials on tv these days are usually romantic and Im not a big fan of romace shows or movies.

[sdkluger]

Here's the synopsis of a show that aired on Christmas Day, 1942, one year after the U.S. entered WW2. The show was called Treasury Star Parade and the episode was called A Modern Scrooge. The U.S. Treasury Dept produced the show as a long commercial to sell war bonds. The episode starred Lionel Barrymore as Jeb Kreager. (I think that nearly all of the best Christmas Carol adeptations starred LB as Scrooge. For those who may not know who Lionel Barrymore is, he played Potter in It's A Wonderful Life.)

Jeb Kreager was a tight, stingy old man. His country, the USA, was at war and needed people to purchase war bonds so their soldiers would have the munitions and equipment needed to fight. Jeb refused to buy bonds. One night the ghost of Jeb's brother appeared to him accusing him of not taking care of his nephew, the brother's son, as Jeb promised. The ghost takes $18.75, the price of a war bond, that Jeb had laid out on his nightstand and flew off with it. Jeb chased the ghost not stopping to pull even a robe over his nightshirt. The first stop is Congress where all appropriations for war materials have stopped for lack of money. Jeb protests as his $18.75 is brought into Congress and appropriated. Then the ghost, followed by Jeb, is off to a munitions plant dark and silent until Jeb's $18.75 arrives. Bullets are made which are then taken to a battlefield, to a machinegun nest where only one survivor mans the gun, Jeb's nephew. The gun is empty. The enemy is charging with fixed bayonets. Jeb's nephew is crying out for more ammunition. The ghost turns to Jeb only now he has the $18.75 in his hands instead of the box of cartridges. What does Jeb want to do, keep the money or exchange it for the bullets that will save his nephew? Jeb takes the bullets and delivers them to his nephew just in time. The next day Jeb arrives at the post office with a package of warm clothes to send to his nephew. He also buys $500 worth of war bonds. Jeb now does all he can to help the war effort where previously he refused to help. Like Scrooge, Jeb was a changed man.

[ChasNole]

Here's the synopsis of a show that aired on Christmas Day, 1942, one year after the U.S. entered WW2. The show was called Treasury Star Parade and the episode was called A Modern Scrooge. The U.S. Treasury Dept produced the show as a long commercial to sell war bonds. The episode starred Lionel Barrymore as Jeb Kreager. (I think that nearly all of the best Christmas Carol adeptations starred LB as Scrooge. For those who may not know who Lionel Barrymore is, he played Potter in It's A Wonderful Life.)

Jeb Kreager was a tight, stingy old man. His country, the USA, was at war and needed people to purchase war bonds so their soldiers would have the munitions and equipment needed to fight. Jeb refused to buy bonds. One night the ghost of Jeb's brother appeared to him accusing him of not taking care of his nephew, the brother's son, as Jeb promised. The ghost takes $18.75, the price of a war bond, that Jeb had laid out on his nightstand and flew off with it. Jeb chased the ghost not stopping to pull even a robe over his nightshirt. The first stop is Congress where all appropriations for war materials have stopped for lack of money. Jeb protests as his $18.75 is brought into Congress and appropriated. Then the ghost, followed by Jeb, is off to a munitions plant dark and silent until Jeb's $18.75 arrives. Bullets are made which are then taken to a battlefield, to a machinegun nest where only one survivor mans the gun, Jeb's nephew. The gun is empty. The enemy is charging with fixed bayonets. Jeb's nephew is crying out for more ammunition. The ghost turns to Jeb only now he has the $18.75 in his hands instead of the box of cartridges. What does Jeb want to do, keep the money or exchange it for the bullets that will save his nephew? Jeb takes the bullets and delivers them to his nephew just in time. The next day Jeb arrives at the post office with a package of warm clothes to send to his nephew. He also buys $500 worth of war bonds. Jeb now does all he can to help the war effort where previously he refused to help. Like Scrooge, Jeb was a changed man.

That is awesome!:grinn:

[gottadance]

I love old-time radio shows and listen to them all the time when I'm running errands on the weekends.

[ElfinErv]

I listened to the radio version of It's A Wonderful Life on Live365 the other night, it was great

[ChristmasRose]

Radio 103.3 FM (K103) just started their Christmas format today...! If you're located in the Northwestern Oregon area and love all things Christmas, all the time via the radio airwaves -- it's all there...!