The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Being one who suffers from bouts of insomnia, I listen to the radio to keep my mind from winding up into a frenzy. I recently was gifted a Wifi radio which I enjoy listening to Old Time Radio programs. The stations that play OTR shows typically play from their playlist in random order. Some stations focus on a theme (Mystery, Detective shows, etc.) others from a broader list.

This morning I heard a show I had never heard before "Turn Back The Clock". It was from the late 50's with a husband and wife team who played a current version of a song, then discussed when it was originally released, and played the version on phonograph records from the teens and twenties.

I only caught the last 10 minutes of the show, but it was interesting just the same. I googled and did not find much beyond this http://afrtsarchive.blogspot.com/2010_0 ... chive.html

Anyone remember this show? (I was still about 6 years away from getting my first crystal radio kit from Heathkit and totally unaware that it would lead to a lifetime of listening in the dark )

It got me to thinking - Were there other radio shows over the past 80 years that focused on recordings from the acoustic era?

Hey Brad,

I've got some AFRS 16 inch transcriptions of that show as well as another they did called "Remember". They played some pretty rare stuff on them too and the transfers were excellent! "Remember" done during WWII for certain judging by the announcer's references to GIs and such. They're pretty neat. The only other thing I can think of that was remotely close to this type of show back in the glory days of OTR was a local show done on Syracuse NY's WSYR by Alan Milair (who was still living a a few years ago). He played 78s over the air and did so for years. I ended up with a big chunk of his collection about 5 years ago when he sold his house and moved into a condo. I've got a couple of his airchecks on reel to reel tapes, it was a neat show!

Sean

When I was a kid the CBC had a network show called Roll Back the Years presented by Ed Manning. It went on the air locally from Kitchener and then on the national network from 1950 to 1970. Ed Manning was really Ed Moogk who was the gentleman who eventually set up the recorded sound section at the National Library in Ottawa. His wonderful illustrated history of the Canadian recording industry was entitled...yes...Roll Back the Years.
I listened to this religiously as a child. I met him briefly in London when he was selling the records he didn't want to pack before moving to Ottawa. He had several other collectors pawing through stuff at the time, and since I was a shy young thing I didn't talk to him much at that time. His show used the Irving Berlin You Forgot to Remember as a theme.
One of his fans ...who became a friend...was none other than an aged Herbert Berliner!

About 15 years later the CBC had a much more upbeat and fun show called Play it Again,Bob, presented by Bob Pye, a collector and broadcaster out in British Columbia. The theme was the The Rhythm Rag ( Victor 19773) played by Paul Whiteman's Orch.
This show was really a model for this type of thing: less emphasis on bittersweet nostalgia ( like the Moogk show,) and more on witty and fun recordings from the pre 1935 era. The concept worked and it garnered quite a following, with ratings high enough that there were even colourful posters in the subway. But suddenly someone in management at the CBC decided that they didn't care to cultivate an audience for shellac and the show was suddenly cancelled . The CBC, might I say, does this sort of thing with depressing regularity :a quirky and delightfully eccentric programming concept is introduced. It suddenly catches in, garners a following...the ratings go up and invariably some middle aged white guy..or gal...in upper management out to prove that she/he REALLY has a finger on the popular pulse in Canada ( Hey,some of you guys may be old but not me ..) decides to prove how hip he/she is and cans it.
Okay, I'm ranting and will stop now.....
Jim

Brad wrote:Being one who suffers from bouts of insomnia, I listen to the radio to keep my mind from winding up into a frenzy. I recently was gifted a Wifi radio which I enjoy listening to Old Time Radio programs.
I only caught the last 10 minutes of the show, but it was interesting just the same. I googled and did not find much beyond this http://afrtsarchive.blogspot.com/2010_0 ... chive.html

Sorry to drift a bit off topic but isn't the wifi internet radio a treat? I got one about a year ago and it allows me to listen to programs like "Hot Jazz Saturday Night" on WAMU. It come on here 6 or 7 hours later, middle of the night, is a bit of a problem though...

What kind, model did you get?

Brad,

I too loved hearing early recordings on the radio back in the 60's or so. Actually we have the very person as a member who used to put on that show for KFUO in St. Louis which only this year was sold from being a wonderful classical station and turned into yet another high powered religious station to the chagrin of many.
He goes by Hillandale on our site an his first name is Bob. Perhaps he will chime in here as he as a vast knowledge of early recordings of all kinds and put on a wonderful show for many years. I wish we had some copies of those hour long programs. Perhaps he does? He no longer is in the St. Louis area but is in Missouri and accesses the group from time to time.

Larry

Valecnik wrote:
Sorry to drift a bit off topic but isn't the wifi internet radio a treat? I got one about a year ago and it allows me to listen to programs like "Hot Jazz Saturday Night" on WAMU. It come on here 6 or 7 hours later, middle of the night, is a bit of a problem though...

What kind, model did you get?

Hi Bruce,

I have the CC Wifi from C Crane http://www.ccrane.com/radios/wifi-radio ... radio.aspx. It looks spartan but is remarkably well built and stable (No uSoft Windows in that box). The audio from the built in speaker is quite good as well. It has been a lot of fun. The only problem is there is just too many thousands of stations to sample that I am only sampling a fraction of what is available.

Hey, this is my 500th post and it isn't about phonographs!