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  • GOLD TIME RADIO
  • NEW YEARS EVE (Audio)
  • JANUARY IN THE GOLDEN AGE
  • THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (Audio)
  • DECEMBER IN THE GOLDEN AGE
  • BOSTON BLACKIE (Audio)
  • THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN - (Audio)
  • THE CAVALCADE OF AMERICA (Audio)
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  • ABOUT A SONG Audio & Video
  • ACTS OF CHARITY (Audio)
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  • THE ALDRICH FAMILY (Audio)
  • THE AMERICAN RADIO WARBLERS (Audio)
  • AMOS & ANDY: TWICE IS NICER
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  • "BY TRANSCRIPTION..." (Audio)
  • CAN YOU TOP THIS? (Audio)
  • CBS PACKAGES UNWRAPPED (Audio)
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  • THE FEUD - ROUND 1 (Audio)
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  • FIBBER McGEE MINUS MOLLY (Audio)
  • A FIFTEEN MINUTE QUIZ
  • A FIFTEEN MINUTE QUIZ, JR.
  • FIRST SEASON PHENOMS
  • FRANK MORGAN (Audio)
  • FRANK MUNN'S GOLDEN VOICE (Audio)
  • FRED ZIV - KING OF SYNDICATION (Audio)
  • FRIDAY'S ALL TIME TOP TEN
  • THE GOLD IN THE GOLDEN AGE
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  • GOODNIGHT, MR. DURANTE... (Audio)
  • THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE(S) (Audip)
  • GREAT GREETINGS
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  • GUNSMOKE (Audio0
  • GUS HAENSCHEN (Audio)
  • GUY LOMBARDO (Audio)
  • HADACOL
  • HOLLYWOOD CALLING (Audio)
  • HOOPER: NO EASY TARGET
  • HOPE FROM HOME (Audio)
  • THE HOUR OF CHARM (Audio)
  • HUMMERT'S MUSICAL MYSTERY
  • H.V. KALTENBORN (Audio)
  • I LOVE A MYSTERY (Audio)
  • I LOVE A SEQUEL (Audio)
  • IN THE MILLER MOOD (Audio)
  • INFORMATION PLEASE (Audio)
  • INNER SANCTUM (Audio)
  • IT PAYS TO BE IGNORANT (Audio)
  • JACK WEBB'S DRAGNET (Audio)
  • A JOHN GUEDEL PRODUCTION...
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  • MR DISTRICT ATTORNEY (Audio)
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  • MONDAY'S ALL TIME TOP TEN
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  • MONTY WOOLLEY (Audio)
  • MULTIPLE RUNS ALL TIME TOP TEN
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  • MY FRIEND IRMA (Audio)
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  • A NETWORK RADIO QUIZ
  • NICK CARTER (Audio)
  • ON A NOTE OF TRIUMPH - (Audio)
  • THE ONE, THE ONLY...GROUCHO! (Audio)
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  • PEOPLE ARE FUNNY (Audio)
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  • RADIO NETS' GROSSES
  • RADIO'S RULERS: CROSSLEY, HOOPER & NIELSEN
  • THE RAILROAD HOUR (Audio)
  • RANKINGS OVER RATINGS
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  • SATURDAY'S ALL TIME TOP TEN
  • SEPTEMBER IN THE GOLDEN AGE
  • SERIALS, CEREALS & PREMIUMS (Audio)
  • THE SHADOW NOS. (Audio)
  • SHERLOCK HOLMES (Audio)
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  • SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EARS
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  • STOP THE MUSIC! (Audio)
  • SUNDAY AT SEVEN (Audio)
  • SUNDAY'S ALL TIME T0P TEN
  • SUS...PENSE! (Audio)
  • TALLULAH'S BIG SHOW (Audio)
  • THREE ERAS OF THE GOLDEN AGE
  • THREE LETTER CALLS
  • THURSDAY'S ALL TIME TOP TEN
  • TOP 40 RADIO'S ROOTS (Audio)
  • TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES (Audio)
  • TUESDAY'S ALL TIME TOP TEN
  • TWENTY QUESTIONS (Audio)
  • THE TWO STOOGES (Audio)
  • UNFILTERED CIGARETTE CLAIMS
  • V-E DAY (Very Early)
  • VIC & SADE (Audio)
  • V-J DAY (Audio)
  • WALTER WINCHELL (Audio)
  • THE WALTZ KING (Audio)
  • WAR OF THE WORLDS (Audio)
  • WAS AMERICAN IDLE?
  • W.C. FIELDS (Audio)
  • WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS (Audio)
  • WEDNESDAY'S ALL TIME TOP TEN
  • THE WHISTLER (Audio)
  • WORDS AT WAR (Audio)
  • YOU ARE THERE (Audio)
  • YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE (Audio)
  • THE 1932-33 SEASON
  • THE 1933-34 SEASON
  • THE 1934-35 SEASON
  • THE 1935-36 SEASON
  • THE 1936-37 SEASON
  • THE 1937-38 SEASON
  • THE 1938-39 SEASON
  • THE 1939-40 SEASON
  • THE 1940-41 SEASON
  • THE 1941-42 SEASON
  • THE 1942-43 SEASON
  • THE 1943-44 SEASON
  • THE 1944-45 SEASON
  • THE 1945-46 SEASON
  • THE 1946-47 SEASON
  • THE 1947-48 SEASON
  • THE 1948-49 SEASON
  • THE 1949-50 SEASON
  • THE 1950-51 SEASON
  • THE 1951-52 SEASON
  • THE 1952-53 SEASON
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Variety's David Rubinoff, Comedy's Red Skelton and Drama's "Screen Guild Players" (Peggy Cummins & Ronald Colman) represent the program categories that were the most popular in each of the eras.
THREE ERAS OF THE GOLDEN AGE

Network Radio's Golden Age can be divided into three, seven year periods, each with its own distinctive characteristics. 

The Depression Years, (1932-33 to 1938-39), represent Network Radio’s emergence as a dominant media power.  The World War II Years, (1939-40 to 1945-46), were its peak in popularity and revenues. Network Radio’s abdication to television as the major electronic medium took place in the Postwar Years, (1946-47 to 1952-53). 
   
A point system based on the Annual Top 50 programs from Network Radio Ratings, 1932-1953, allows us to break out the Top 50 from each seven year period and learn what shows and types of programs listeners wanted to hear most during each of them, and to a degree, reflecting the mood of the country.  A review of each of the eras follows the the listings.

A total of 103 separate programs or personalities registered in one or more of the three Top 50 lists.  In many cases the personalities involved headlined different programs of similar formats so only their names are used.  


                                              The Depression Years             
                                           1932-33 to 1938-39
 
                 

                                                    1  Eddie Cantor                                                       
                                                    2  Jack Benny                                     
                                                    3  Rudy Vallee                             
                                                    4  Burns & Allen                                                      
                                                    5  Bing Crosby                                         
                                                    6t  Fred Allen                                                   
                                                    6t Al Jolson                                                          
                                                    8  Amos & Andy                                       
                                                    9  First Nighter                                            
                                                    10 Major Bowes' Amateur Hour                    
                                                    11 Maxwell House Showboat                
                                                    12 Phil Baker                                      
                                                    13 Lowell Thomas News                                   
                                                    14 Ben Bernie                                                        
                                                    15 Lux Radio Theater                          
                                                    16t  Hollywood Hotel                                            
                                                    16t  One Man’s Family                                    
                                                    18  Paul Whiteman                                               
                                                    19  Ed Wynn                                        
                                                    20  Guy Lombardo Orchestra                                
                                                    21  Your Hit Parade                                               
                                                    22  Walter Winchell's Jergens Journal                                  
                                                    23  Fanny Brice                                  
                                                    24  Robert Ripley                                       
                                                    25  Beauty Box Theater                           
                                                    26t Cities Service Concerts                               
                                                    26t Voice of Firestone                                          
                                                    28t Fred Waring                         
                                                    28t Sinclair Minstrels                                
                                                    30 Fibber McGee & Molly                                     
                                                    31t Gangbusters                                               
                                                    31t Joe Penner                               
                                                    33 The March of Time                        
                                                    34 Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy
                                                    35 Myrt & Marge                                        

                                                    36 Jack Pearl                                                 
                                                    37 Will Rogers' Gulf Headliners                                    
                                                    38 Frank Morgan                                               
                                                    39 Al Pearce’s Gang                                  
                                                    40 Kate Smith                                       
                                                    41t Big Town                                       
                                                    41t Eno Crime Club/Clues                              
                                                    43t Boake Carter News                          
                                                    43t Vick’s Open House           
                                                    45 Pick & Pat                                      
                                                    46 Seth Parker                                     
                                                    47 National Barn Dance           
                                                    48t Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge
                                                    48t Ken Murray                                      
                                                    50 Manhattan Merry Go Round            
              



The Depression Era: 1932-33 to 1938-39:  The Top 50 from early years of the Golden Age were dominated by a sub-category - the 24 Variety shows in which the singing or comic host introduced acts much as they did in the stage shows they headlined between movies in large theaters around the country.  Six of the era’s Top Seven shows were this kind of Network Radio’s adaptation of vaudeville and a throwback to happier times.
 
Nineteen of the Top 50 were Music oriented shows led by popular singers Rudy Vallee, Bing Crosby and Al Jolson in the Top Ten.  And, although classified as Talent Competition, Major Bowes’ Original Amateur Hour was another Top Ten entry that was dominated by musical acts.

Generational differences can be seen in the short-lived popularity of the Classical/Semi Classical and Standard/Traditional Music formats which faded in the late 1930’s as did the Minstrel offerings of Maxwell House Showboat, The Sinclair Minstrels and segments between Pick Malone & Pat Padgett’s blackface comedy routines on The Model Minstrels. 

Close behind Music were the 17 Comedy entries led by the Depression era’s most popular comedian, Eddie Cantor.  Only three of this genre were Situation Comedies - Amos & Andy, Fibber McGee & Molly and Jack Benny’s programs which evolved during the 1930’s from a Variety show to a character driven sitcom.  Benny proved to be ahead of his time.
   
Together, this 78% of the period’s Top 50 represent light-hearted escapism - a tonic America wanted at a time when unemployment was common and war became increasingly imminent in Europe and Asia.


                                               The World War II Years             
                                                    1939-40 to 1945-46
                      

                                                    1t  Bob Hope
                                                    1t  Fibber McGee & Molly
                                                    3  Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy
                                                    4  Jack Benny
                                                    5  Lux Radio Theater
                                                    6  Walter Winchell's Jergens Journal 
                                                    7  Bing Crosby
                                                    8  Kay Kyser’s College  of Musical Knowledge
                                                    9  The Aldrich Family
                                                    10 Fitch Bandwagon
                                                    11 Mr. District Attorney
                                                    12 Screen Guild Theater
                                                    13  Frank Morgan
                                                    14 Eddie Cantor
                                                    15 Fanny Brice Baby Snooks
                                                    16 Fred Allen
                                                    17 Burns & Allen
                                                    18 Red Skelton  
                                                    19 Take It Or Leave It  
                                                    20 Your Hit Parade 
                                                    21t Kate Smith
                                                    21t Lowell Thomas News 
                                                    21t Truth Or Consequences
                                                    24 One Man’s Family 
                                                    25 Abbott & Costello 
                                                    26 Rudy Vallee 
                                                    27 Big Town 
                                                    28 Major Bowes' Amateur Hour
                                                    29 Dr Christian 
                                                    30 Jack Haley
                                                    31 Bob Burns 
                                                    32 The Great Gildersleeve  
                                                    33t H.V. Kaltenborn News
                                                    33t Joan Davis  
                                                    35 We The People
                                                    36 Amos & Andy
                                                    37 Blondie  
                                                    38 Vox Pop
                                                    39 Mr & Mrs North
                                                    40 Can You Top This?
                                                    41 Information Please 
                                                    42 First Nighter  
                                                    43 Al Pearce’s Gang 
                                                    44 Adventures of The Thin Man
                                                    45 The March of Time
                                                    46 People Are Funny
                                                    47 Guy Lombardo Orchestra 
                                                    48 Dinah Shore 
                                                    49t Gay 90’s Revue
                                                    49t Judy Canova


The World War II Years:  1939-40 to 1945-46.  Twenty-six new programs/personalities entered the period’s Top 50 - a turnover rate of 52%.  Eight of the Top Ten were new to that list.  Although newcomer Bob Hope’s Comedy/Variety show led the pack, the overall number of Variety shows in the Top 50 shrunk from 24 to 13 as more specialized formats emerged.
   
Comedy took over as the most popular format of the period. America need some good laughs during the war and Network Radio was happy to provide them to both the home audience and the growing number of listeners tuned to Armed Forces Radio.  Twenty-three of the Top 50 entries fell under the Comedy umbrella, including Panel Shows Can You Top This and Information Please, and the growing  number of ten situation comedies led by Fibber McGee & Molly and The Aldrich Family.  Further down the list, Burns & Allen converted their variety format into a sitcom as Jack Benny did in the mid-1930’s. 
   
The Comedy total rises to 27 with the addition of Audience Participation Stunt shows Truth Or Consequences and People Are Funny, and Audience Participation Quizzes, Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge and Take It Or Leave It, which were all played for laughs.  And this tally doesn’t include the frequent comedy segments of the Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, Rudy Vallee and Dinah Shore Music/Variety shows. 
   
The biggest category loser of the seven year period was Music which shrunk from 19 to only eight of the Top 50. The emergence of contemporary music’s popularity with listeners was evidenced by the ranking of Fitch Bandwagon in the era’s Top 10, Your Hit Parade in 20th place and the liberal doses of 1940’s swing offered during Kay Kyser’s College of Musical Knowledge Audience Participation Quiz.  Shows headlined by singers Bing Crosby, Kate Smith, Rudy Vallee, Dinah Shore and bandleader Guy Lombardo made up for the loss of audience suffered by formats offering Classical/Semi Classical, Standard/Traditional and ethnic music that were popular during earlier days.  
   
The number of News programs increased significantly during World War II but they didn‘t make much of a dent in the Top 50.  Walter Winchell and Lowell Thomas were holdovers from the Depression Era and only H.V Kaltenborn was added to the list during the duration.  Although the nightly  newscasts of Bill Henry on CBS, Mutual’s Gabriel Heatter and John W. Vandercook’s NBC News of The World were heard by millions, they didn’t attract the audience necessary to rank among the period’s Top 50 programs.


                                           The Postwar/Early TV Years
                                                    1946-47 to 1952-53 
 

                                                    1  Lux Radio Theater
                                                    2  Jack Benny
                                                    3  Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy
                                                    4  Amos & Andy 
                                                    5  Fibber McGee & Molly
                                                    6  Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts
                                                    7  Walter Winchell's Journal
                                                    8  People Are Funny 
                                                    9  Bob Hope
                                                    10 My Friend Irma
                                                    11 Mr District Attorney 
                                                    12 Suspense
                                                    13 The Great Gildersleeve 
                                                    14 Red Skelton
                                                    15 Mr & Mrs North
                                                    16 Bob Hawk
                                                    17 Groucho Marx You Bet Your Life  
                                                    18 Bing Crosby 
                                                    19t The FBI In Peace & War
                                                    19t Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons
                                                    21 Big Town
                                                    22 The Big Story
                                                    23 Truth Or Consequences
                                                    24 Phil Harris & Alice Faye
                                                    25 Eve Arden
                                                    26t Gangbusters
                                                    26t Inner Sanctum
                                                    28 Dr Christian 
                                                    29 Judy Canova
                                                    30 Duffy’s Tavern
                                                    31 This Is Your FBI
                                                    32 Mystery Theater  
                                                    33 Fanny Brice Baby Snooks  
                                                    34 Fred Allen
                                                    35 Dennis Day
                                                    36t Burns & Allen
                                                    36t Your Hit Parade 
                                                    38 The Life of Riley 
                                                    39 Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch 
                                                    40 A Date With Judy
                                                    41 Mr Chameleon
                                                    42 Casey, Crime Photographer
                                                    43t The Fat Man 
                                                    43t Horace Heidt's Youth Opportunity Program
                                                    45 Dragnet
                                                    46 Father Knows Best 
                                                    47 Hallmark Playhouse
                                                    48 Screen Guild Players
                                                    49 Theater Guild On The Air
                                                    50 The Aldrich Family     


The Postwar/Early TV Years:  1946-47 - 1952-53.  Twenty-seven new programs found places in the Postwar era’s Top 50 - a 54% turnover from the previous seven year period.  But only four new entries invaded the Top Ten - including the veteran Amos & Andy which made a major comeback as a weekly half-hour sitcom after its nightly serial format suffered a downturn in popularity.
   
Radio drama boomed after World War II.  The number of Dramatic Anthologies and Dramatic series with Continuing Characters more than doubled from the previous era.  Twenty-one of the period’s Top 50 programs were dramas ranging from the star-studded Lux Radio Theater and prestigious Theater Guild On The Air to the formulaic Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons and Gangbusters. 

The number of Situation Comedies grew from ten to 16 and the number of Comedy shows remained strong at 20.  The Comedy total grows to 24 with the addition of Audience Participation shows People Are Funny, Truth Or Consequences, Groucho Marx’s You Bet Your Life and Bob Hawk's comedy quiz.  .  

Music was the biggest loser of popularity in the postwar years.  Only the musically dominated Talent Competitions presented by Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts and Horace Heidt’s Youth Opportunity Program plus Bing Crosby and Your Hit Parade managed Top 50 finishes.

Spot checking these three lists, only twelve entries made the Top 50 in all three eras: Amos & Andy, Big Town, Bing Crosby, Burns & Allen, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, Fanny Brice, Fibber McGee & Molly, Fred Allen, Jack Benny, Lux Radio Theater, Walter Winchell and Your Hit Parade. 
   
Another 23 made the Top 50 list twice: Al Pearce’s Gang, The Aldrich Family, Bob Hope, Dr. Christian, Eddie Cantor, First Nighter, Frank Morgan, Guy Lombardo, Judy Canova, Kate Smith, Kay Kyser's College of Musical Knowledge, Lowell Thomas, Major Bowes’ Original Amateur Hour, The March of Time, Mr. & Mrs. North, Mr. District Attorney, One Man’s Family, People Are Funny, Red Skelton, Rudy Vallee, Screen Guild Theater (Players), Take It Or Leave It and Truth Or Consequences.

And so it went - from Music to Comedy to Drama to broadcasting history - the three eras of Network Radio's Golden Age.


                            Copyright © 2015 Jim Ramsburg, Estero FL    Email: tojimramsburg@gmail.com


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