KFI & KECA - EARLE C. ANTHONY'S TWO L.A. BLOWTORCHES. (SEE NUMBER 4.)
A FIFTEEN MINUTE QUIZ
Here are 15 GOld Time Radio questions from broadcasting history - specifically the 21 years from 1932 to 1953. You should be able to ace them within 15 minites. Just to make it easier, (and faster), each of these puzzlers is a multiple choice. And to make it really easy, we've included the correct answers after the 15 questions. Then, to make it more fun, (and increase our page count), we added the GOld Time Radio posts where you can learn more about the subjects. It's really as simple as A, B, C - so let's begin:
1/ We all know The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet were related. What was their family name?
A. Striker
B. Reid
C. Trendle
2/ Who played the supporting roles of Baby Snooks’ frustrated Daddy in addition to the domineering Mr. Dithers on Blondie?
A. Gale Gordon
B. Bill Thompson
C. Hanley Stafford
3/ Big bands were popular during the World War II years. Who produced the biggest Network Radio ratings?
A. Kay Kyser
B. Glenn Miller
C. Benny Goodman.
4/ Which of these pioneer Los Angeles network stations was not owned by a car dealer?
A. KHJ.
B. KNX
C. KFI
5/ All kids’ heroes had sidekicks. Who was aviator Hop Harrigan’s mechanic and pal?
A. Tank Tinker.
B. Pat Patton.
C. Flip Corkin.
6/ Which company presented the first television commercial on the newly licensed WNBT(TV)/New York City in July, 1941?
A. Bulova Watch.
B. Procter & Gamble.
C. Sun Oil.
7/ Each of these future movie queens was a Network Radio vocalist. Who sang with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy for a season?
A. Doris Day.
B. Dale Evans.
C. Jane Russell.
8/ Three of the four original Mutual Network stations were WOR/Newark, WGN/Chicago and WLW/Cincinnati. The fourth was?
A. KMOX/St. Louis
B. WXYZ/Detroit
C. WTMJ/Milwaukee
9/ What show tied up Chicago traffic on April, 2, 1946, when thousands of fans attended its outdoor performance?
A. The Breakfast Club.
B. Bride & Groom.
C. Queen For A Day.
10/ Herb Morrison’s famous eyewitness recording of the May, 1937, Hindenburg disaster was originally intended as an equipment test for…
A. WBZ/Boston.
B. WJZ/New York City.
C. WLS/Chicago.
11/ The first popular orchestra to broadcast on radio was led by…
A. Wayne King.
B. Guy Lombardo.
C. Vincent Lopez.
12/ Mel Blanc first appeared with Jack Benny on March 3, 1939, as Benny’s…
A. Polar bear, Carmichael.
B. 1924 Maxwell automobile.
C. Violin teacher, Professor LeBlanc.
13/ What detective wasn’t a creation of Dashiell Hammett?
A. Sam Spade.
B. Richard Diamond.
C. Nick Charles.
14/ Take It Or Leave It was Sunday's most popular Network Radio quiz show. Which of these glib quizmasters was its first host?
A. Bob Hawk.
B. Garry Moore.
C. Phil Baker.
15/ Color television is first demonstrated at the Bell Laboratories in New York City on June 27 of what year?
A. 1929.
B. 1939.
C. 1949.
Okay, let's be honest - the multiple choice helped out once or twice, right? Even then a couple are difficult. Let us know how many you successfully answered without looking at them below. And if you'd like to contribute a few for future use, email them to us. Here now are the answers in purposly small print:
1/ B. Reid was the family name. Fran Striker was the creator of both series and George Trendle owned WXYZ where they originated. (See The Lone Ranger.)
2/ C. Hanley Stafford made both characters memorable. Gale Gordon and Bill Thompson were both famous for their roles on Fibber McGee & Molly. (See Baby Snooks and Fibber McGee Minus Molly.)
3/ A. Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge on NBC was the biggest of the big band broadcasts. Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade and Benny Goodman’s Swing School on CBS paled in comparision. (See Wednesday’s All Time Top Ten, In The Miller Mood and The King of Swing.)
4/ B. KNX was first licensed to The Electric Supply Lighting Company in 1922. Packard automobile dealer Earle C. Anthony established KFI in 1923 and Cadillac dealer Don Lee purchased KHJ in 1926. (See Alchemists of The Air.)
5/ A. Tank Tinker was Hop Harrigan’s sidekick. Pat Patton was Dick Tracy’s detective partner and Flip Corkin, (named for actual war hero Lt. Col. Phil Cochran), was Terry Lee’s pal in Terry & The Pirates. (See Serials, Cereals & Premiums.)
6/ A. “It’s one-thirty, B-U-L-O-V-A, Bulova Watch Time,” was the first televised commercial on WNBT, July 1, 1941. Both Procter & Gamble and Sun Oil sponsored programs later in the same day. (See The 1941-42 Season.)
7/ C. Future Queen of The Westerns, Dale Evans, sang on The Chase & Sanborn Hour in 1939-40. Doris Day was a vocalist on Bob Hope’s Pepsodent Show in 1945-46 and Jane Russell sang briefly with Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge in 1946-47. (See Sunday’s All Time Top Ten.)
8/ B. WXYZ was the fourth original Mutual affiliate. KMOX was CBS owned and WTMJ was an NBC station. (See The 1934-35 Season and The Gold In The Golden Age.)
9/ C. Police estimated that 200,000 fans blocked traffic for four hours to see Mutual’s Queen For A Day at the corner of Madison & State Streets. ABC’s Bride & Groom never left its chapel setting and its the long running Breakfast Club had many outside broadcasts, but none that uncontrollable. (See Mutual Led The Way.)
10/ C. Morrison and engineer Charles Nehlsen were dispatched by WLS to Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, to test the disc recording equipment. WJZ and WBZ both aired Morrison’s famous recording the following day when it was broadcast by NBC. (See May In The Golden Age to hear the clip and see the explosion.)
11/ C. Vincent Lopez first appeared on WJZ/Newark on November 27, 1921. Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians debuted on WTAM/Cleveland in 1924. Wayne King followed on Chicago’s KYW and WGN in 1927. (See Big Band Remotes, Guy Lombardo and The Waltz King.)
12/ A. Mel Blanc made his debut with Benny as polar bear, Carmichael. The sputtering Maxwell followed along with Polly The Parrot, the frustrated French violin teacher, the hapless train announcer, Sy The Little Mexican, and many other characterizations over the next decade. (See Mel Blanc.)
13/ B. Singing detective Richard Diamond was the creation of Blake Edwards for Dick Powell. Hammett introduced Sam Spade in his novel The Maltese Falcon and Nick Charles in The Thin Man. (See Dick Powell, Married Sleuths and The Curse of Dashiell Hammett.)
14/ A. Bob Hawk was Take It Or Leave It's first host from September, 1940, until December, 1941. Phil Baker took over until September, 1947and Garry Moore succeeded Baker until September, 1949. (See Sunday's All Time Top Ten.)
15/ A. 1929 was the birth year of color television. (That one fooled us, too.) (See June In The Golden Age.)
Copyright © 2019, Jim Ramsburg, Estero FL Email: tojimramsburg@gmail.com
Here are 15 GOld Time Radio questions from broadcasting history - specifically the 21 years from 1932 to 1953. You should be able to ace them within 15 minites. Just to make it easier, (and faster), each of these puzzlers is a multiple choice. And to make it really easy, we've included the correct answers after the 15 questions. Then, to make it more fun, (and increase our page count), we added the GOld Time Radio posts where you can learn more about the subjects. It's really as simple as A, B, C - so let's begin:
1/ We all know The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet were related. What was their family name?
A. Striker
B. Reid
C. Trendle
2/ Who played the supporting roles of Baby Snooks’ frustrated Daddy in addition to the domineering Mr. Dithers on Blondie?
A. Gale Gordon
B. Bill Thompson
C. Hanley Stafford
3/ Big bands were popular during the World War II years. Who produced the biggest Network Radio ratings?
A. Kay Kyser
B. Glenn Miller
C. Benny Goodman.
4/ Which of these pioneer Los Angeles network stations was not owned by a car dealer?
A. KHJ.
B. KNX
C. KFI
5/ All kids’ heroes had sidekicks. Who was aviator Hop Harrigan’s mechanic and pal?
A. Tank Tinker.
B. Pat Patton.
C. Flip Corkin.
6/ Which company presented the first television commercial on the newly licensed WNBT(TV)/New York City in July, 1941?
A. Bulova Watch.
B. Procter & Gamble.
C. Sun Oil.
7/ Each of these future movie queens was a Network Radio vocalist. Who sang with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy for a season?
A. Doris Day.
B. Dale Evans.
C. Jane Russell.
8/ Three of the four original Mutual Network stations were WOR/Newark, WGN/Chicago and WLW/Cincinnati. The fourth was?
A. KMOX/St. Louis
B. WXYZ/Detroit
C. WTMJ/Milwaukee
9/ What show tied up Chicago traffic on April, 2, 1946, when thousands of fans attended its outdoor performance?
A. The Breakfast Club.
B. Bride & Groom.
C. Queen For A Day.
10/ Herb Morrison’s famous eyewitness recording of the May, 1937, Hindenburg disaster was originally intended as an equipment test for…
A. WBZ/Boston.
B. WJZ/New York City.
C. WLS/Chicago.
11/ The first popular orchestra to broadcast on radio was led by…
A. Wayne King.
B. Guy Lombardo.
C. Vincent Lopez.
12/ Mel Blanc first appeared with Jack Benny on March 3, 1939, as Benny’s…
A. Polar bear, Carmichael.
B. 1924 Maxwell automobile.
C. Violin teacher, Professor LeBlanc.
13/ What detective wasn’t a creation of Dashiell Hammett?
A. Sam Spade.
B. Richard Diamond.
C. Nick Charles.
14/ Take It Or Leave It was Sunday's most popular Network Radio quiz show. Which of these glib quizmasters was its first host?
A. Bob Hawk.
B. Garry Moore.
C. Phil Baker.
15/ Color television is first demonstrated at the Bell Laboratories in New York City on June 27 of what year?
A. 1929.
B. 1939.
C. 1949.
Okay, let's be honest - the multiple choice helped out once or twice, right? Even then a couple are difficult. Let us know how many you successfully answered without looking at them below. And if you'd like to contribute a few for future use, email them to us. Here now are the answers in purposly small print:
1/ B. Reid was the family name. Fran Striker was the creator of both series and George Trendle owned WXYZ where they originated. (See The Lone Ranger.)
2/ C. Hanley Stafford made both characters memorable. Gale Gordon and Bill Thompson were both famous for their roles on Fibber McGee & Molly. (See Baby Snooks and Fibber McGee Minus Molly.)
3/ A. Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge on NBC was the biggest of the big band broadcasts. Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade and Benny Goodman’s Swing School on CBS paled in comparision. (See Wednesday’s All Time Top Ten, In The Miller Mood and The King of Swing.)
4/ B. KNX was first licensed to The Electric Supply Lighting Company in 1922. Packard automobile dealer Earle C. Anthony established KFI in 1923 and Cadillac dealer Don Lee purchased KHJ in 1926. (See Alchemists of The Air.)
5/ A. Tank Tinker was Hop Harrigan’s sidekick. Pat Patton was Dick Tracy’s detective partner and Flip Corkin, (named for actual war hero Lt. Col. Phil Cochran), was Terry Lee’s pal in Terry & The Pirates. (See Serials, Cereals & Premiums.)
6/ A. “It’s one-thirty, B-U-L-O-V-A, Bulova Watch Time,” was the first televised commercial on WNBT, July 1, 1941. Both Procter & Gamble and Sun Oil sponsored programs later in the same day. (See The 1941-42 Season.)
7/ C. Future Queen of The Westerns, Dale Evans, sang on The Chase & Sanborn Hour in 1939-40. Doris Day was a vocalist on Bob Hope’s Pepsodent Show in 1945-46 and Jane Russell sang briefly with Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge in 1946-47. (See Sunday’s All Time Top Ten.)
8/ B. WXYZ was the fourth original Mutual affiliate. KMOX was CBS owned and WTMJ was an NBC station. (See The 1934-35 Season and The Gold In The Golden Age.)
9/ C. Police estimated that 200,000 fans blocked traffic for four hours to see Mutual’s Queen For A Day at the corner of Madison & State Streets. ABC’s Bride & Groom never left its chapel setting and its the long running Breakfast Club had many outside broadcasts, but none that uncontrollable. (See Mutual Led The Way.)
10/ C. Morrison and engineer Charles Nehlsen were dispatched by WLS to Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, to test the disc recording equipment. WJZ and WBZ both aired Morrison’s famous recording the following day when it was broadcast by NBC. (See May In The Golden Age to hear the clip and see the explosion.)
11/ C. Vincent Lopez first appeared on WJZ/Newark on November 27, 1921. Guy Lombardo’s Royal Canadians debuted on WTAM/Cleveland in 1924. Wayne King followed on Chicago’s KYW and WGN in 1927. (See Big Band Remotes, Guy Lombardo and The Waltz King.)
12/ A. Mel Blanc made his debut with Benny as polar bear, Carmichael. The sputtering Maxwell followed along with Polly The Parrot, the frustrated French violin teacher, the hapless train announcer, Sy The Little Mexican, and many other characterizations over the next decade. (See Mel Blanc.)
13/ B. Singing detective Richard Diamond was the creation of Blake Edwards for Dick Powell. Hammett introduced Sam Spade in his novel The Maltese Falcon and Nick Charles in The Thin Man. (See Dick Powell, Married Sleuths and The Curse of Dashiell Hammett.)
14/ A. Bob Hawk was Take It Or Leave It's first host from September, 1940, until December, 1941. Phil Baker took over until September, 1947and Garry Moore succeeded Baker until September, 1949. (See Sunday's All Time Top Ten.)
15/ A. 1929 was the birth year of color television. (That one fooled us, too.) (See June In The Golden Age.)
Copyright © 2019, Jim Ramsburg, Estero FL Email: tojimramsburg@gmail.com
