A few months ago, while researching another old-time radio star, we came across the following display ad in February 8, 1941, edition of The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, CA: Prominently displayed among the celebrity names is James Stewart. A search quickly turned up several other ads and articles from that same day. The first is from…
Yearly Archives: 2016
Bing Crosby and His Hollywood Friends (Guys and Dolls)
This 2-CD set was issued in the U.K. in 1997 (AVC 626). The CDs feature a wide variety of Hollywood stars who appeared on the Bing Crosby radio show and sang with Bing. Stewart’s song, Mississippi Mud sung with Bing and Fran Warren, is from the broadcast of March 19, 1952. About two minutes of…
The Big Sound – Thought for the Day
As outlined in Jimmy Stewart on the Air, The Big Sound included a series of 12-inch, 33 1/3 RPM records which radio stations could use to help promote their programs and specialties. By using this service, a station would have access to top movie and TV actors and sports figures that they normally would not…
Block Party/First Call for the Block Party
Newspaper listings used both names for the program, sometimes in the same listing like this one from the August 14, 1947, edition of the Circleville Herald, Circleville, OH. The preview mentions that Stewart was currently starring on Broadway in Harvey. The show is not available, but it is possible that Jimmy was interviewed about that…
The Shootist – Radio Spots
John Wayne, the star of The Shootist, specifically asked that Jimmy Stewart, Lauren Bacall, Richard Boone and John Carradine be included in the cast. Stewart and Wayne had last worked together in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. As an inside joke, when Wayne’s The Shootist character, J.B. Brooks, arrives at the office of Dr…
The Greatest Show on Earth – Radio Spots for 1964 Re-Release
When Paramount Pictures decided to re-release The Greatest Show on Earth in 1964, new radio spots were also prepared. There were four spots and they were placed on a 10-inch, one-sided, 33 1/3 RPM disc to send to radio stations. No one associated with the film is heard on any of the spots. Despite the…
The Glenn Miller Story – Open-End Interview
The Glenn Miller Story, starring Stewart and June Allyson, went into general release in the U.S. on December 10, 1953. At the same time, Universal-International issued a special interview disc to help promote the film. The record was released in two different formats – a 12-inch, 33 1/3 RPM red vinyl disc and a 7-inch,…
John Conte Show
The John Conte Show was heard on ABC Radio on weekdays. In the newspaper listing it was usually just listed as “John Conte” or “John Conte Show,” with no other information given. However, this one small article was located in the August 1, 1954, edition of European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. On August…
Destry Rides Again – Soundtrack Music
No soundtrack for the film was issued, but several of the songs from the film were released at the time. Two of Miss Dietrich’s songs from the film were first featured on a 1940 Decca set, Presenting Marlene Dietrich (A-115). Issued in a book style jacket, the set included three 10-inch 33 1/3 RPM records…
Sounds of History from the National Archives
This is a special cassette issued by the General Services Administration National Archives and Records Service. Its main purposes appear to be to show the importance of audio recordings is understanding history and the types of materials available at the National Archives. The packaging of the cassette was rather simple: Although the cassette is recorded…
