Hollywood on the Radio

Hunky movie action star of the 1950s, Jeff Chandler, got his start as an actor on radio. First, he played supporting roles on anthology series, working his way up to leads and co-starring parts in three series.

YTJD is arguably the best detective series on old-time radio. It featured seven lead actors over its 13-year run. Three of them made more of a mark as film stars: Dick Powell, Edmond O’Brien, and John Lund. But here’s how they sounded when they played “the man with the action-packed expense account.

You know Lucile Ball’s as TV’s “queen of comedy.” She also had a career in film, before and after her TV work. In the midst of all of it was radio, where she promoted her movie work, and began building a character that would eventually becomes Lucy Ricardo – or at least, it would show […]

Radio was an important part of many Hollywood careers, But formed the backbone of Frank Sinatra’s success, especially in the beginning. Long before Sinatra made a film, his voice could be heard on the radio, crooning love songs to bobbysoxers. He got hist start at 19, on the Major Bowse Amateur Hour, and soon became […]

Unlike most actors I’ve featured on HOTR, Richard Widmark did not turn to radio as a means of promoting his film career. He started on radio, working as supporting player, then lead in daytime serials and mystery programs, from the late 1930s to the mid-40s. His first radio appearance was in 1938’s Aunt Jenny’s Real […]

Marlene Dietrich appeared frequently on radio in the 1930s, mostly in Lux Radio Theater adaptations of her films. During the war years, she actively raised funds during bond drives and entertained the troops in person and via radio. She appeared in post-war years on variety shows, and in 1953, she briefly had her own series, A […]

Breakfast in Hollywood aired on the Blue Network from 1941 to 1948. The show originated daily from Tom Brenneman’s restaurant in Hollywood and featured Brenneman walking through the restaurant, chatting up the mostly female, and frequently tourist patrons. In 1946, Harold Schuster made film by the same name, using the show (and Brenneman) as a backdrop […]

MGM star, and serial Academy Award nominee (she won once) Greer Garson spent her radio career performing in adaptations of her own films for Lux Radio Theater. She was also active in on-air wartime fundraising, and performed on variety shows with Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy and Jimmy Durante. This episode of HOTR, which was […]

The words Rita Hayworth and radio star don’t seem to quite fit together. Celebrated primarily for her beauty and glamour, Rita Hayworth electrified the motion picture screen. But did she have the personality for a medium without pictures, or even the inclination to perform there? Apparently the answer was yes. Between 1942 and 1947, she […]

In the post-war years, Judy Garland appeared on many of the leading radio variety shows, including Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and The Big Show. She also contributed her time and talnet to charitable and political causes. In this episode, however, we hear one of Judy’s several dramatic performances. From December 1946, it’s an episode of Suspense called […]