Category Archives: newspapers

Mickey Rooney’s newspaper days — on radio

Posted on April 7, 2014 by

Mickey Rooney, who died Sunday at 93, was most famous for playing scrappy, funny and musical young men in the 1930s and ’40s.His starring role in this spring 1948 radio drama didn’t have any “Hey kids, let’s put on a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, newspapers, reporters | Leave a comment

Classified ads become news

Posted on March 27, 2014 by

Page one news wasn’t the only part of the newspaper to make it into radio dramas. This story begins in the back pages — the classified ad section. That’s where Lenore Case, secretary to the editor of The Daily Sentinel, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, GreenHornet, newspapers | Leave a comment

A Christmas story – Superman versus the Nielsen racket

Posted on December 18, 2013 by

December 1946 — The bad guy in this Superman story isn’t threatening the world, but he could cost Clark Kent his job, and right before Christmas too! Yes, as the headline above suggests, the villain is a racketeer named Nielsen, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adventure, Clark Kent, comics, editors, Jimmy Olsen, journalism, newspaper crusades, newspapers, Perry White, reporting, Superman, World War II | Leave a comment

An honest newspaperwoman fights for a clean election

Posted on October 24, 2013 by

Juvenile listeners to the 1950s Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok radio series heard at least one or two episodes suggest that some Western heroes were journalists, not just gun-fighters. And, while the program’s introduction sings the praises of “a few … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950s, 19th century, adventure, newspaper crusades, newspapers, political corruption, westerns | Leave a comment

Newspaper in the radio family living room

Posted on September 5, 2013 by

In the 1940s, the newspaper habit was hard to break, as demonstrated in the “Seventeen Days” video of readers lining up to buy daily papers off the loading docks during a New York delivery strike, and New York’s mayor reading the comics … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, comedy, newspaper readers, newspapers, readers | 1 Comment

Newspaper audience hooked on comics

Posted on July 17, 2013 by

No journalist shows up to solve the 1944 “radio noir” mystery of “The Comic Strip Murders,” but the audio drama draws an over-the-top picture of dedicated newspaper readers, and the popularity of newspaper crime comics like “Dick Tracy” and “The … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, audiences, comics, newspapers, readers | Leave a comment

Jimmy Olsen, ‘absolutely fearless’ newspaperman

Posted on June 15, 2013 by

From its first scene, the 1949 Superman adventure  The Mystery of the Flying Monster demonstrates how radio reminded its audience of the culture of 20th century American newspapers. The story doesn’t start with the clack of typewriters, the clatter of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, newspapers, Perry White, Superman | Leave a comment