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May 14, 1910 — Paul Sutton is born in Albuquerque, beginning the life of the actor whose voice became one of the most familiar sounds in radio’s golden era. Though he worked in film and later in television, it was radio that gave him his longest, steadiest stage. Sutton became nationally known as the voice of Sergeant Preston on Challenge of the Yukon, bringing authority, warmth, and frontier grit to a role that depended entirely on vocal presence. He also appeared across network dramas and adventure programs, the kind of dependable, resonant performer who could anchor a scene with nothing but tone and timing. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a radio craftsman whose voice helped define one of the medium’s most beloved adventure series.

May 13, 1911 — Robert Middleton is born in Cincinnati, the start of a career defined by one of the richest, most commanding voices of mid‑century American entertainment. Long before film and television cast him as heavies, judges, bosses, and men with dangerous authority, Middleton was already a force on radio. His deep baritone carried through programs like The FBI in Peace and War, The Shadow, and Inner Sanctum, where he became a go‑to presence for menace, mystery, and gravitas. Radio taught him how to fill a room with nothing but tone, pacing, and breath — the same qualities that later made him unforgettable on screen. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a voice that shaped the darker corners of the Golden Age of Radio.

May 12, 1907 — Leslie Charteris is born in Singapore, beginning the life of the writer whose creation, Simon Templar — The Saint — would become one of radio’s most elegant and enduring adventurers. Though Templar first lived on the page, it was radio that carried him into millions of homes, and Charteris took an unusually active hand in shaping those broadcasts. He guarded the character’s charm, danger, and sly moral code, making sure the Saint sounded exactly as he imagined. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a storyteller whose voice, through his creation, helped define the cool, confident swagger of mid‑century radio mystery.

May 11, 1911 — Phil Silvers is born in Brooklyn, New York, beginning the life of a performer whose quick wit and machine‑gun timing would become a signature sound across radio, stage, and screen. Before Sergeant Bilko made him a television legend, Silvers was already a familiar voice on radio, trading jokes and punchlines on The Rudy Vallée Show, The Kate Smith Hour, and Command Performance. His rapid‑fire delivery and sly charm made him a natural for the microphone, where every laugh depended on timing alone. Radio taught him how to make words dance — a skill that later powered his television success. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a comic craftsman whose voice helped shape the rhythm of American entertainment from the airwaves outward.

May 10, 1922 — The Hotel Statler announces that every guest room will now include its own radio headset, a forward‑looking move that made the chain one of the first in the country to wire an entire building for private listening. At a time when radio was still a new luxury and most Americans had never owned a set, Statler turned the medium into an everyday convenience, letting travelers hear news, music, and entertainment directly from their rooms. It was a quiet but influential milestone, showing how naturally radio could slip into daily life and helping push the medium from novelty to necessity. This date marks one of the earliest examples of radio becoming part of the modern American routine.

Going live tonight with Lux Radio Theater if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

Tonight’s lineup is a full night of classic old Hollywood on the air, with big-name stars, romance, drama, comedy, noir, and more. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/cFLFcjs5djE?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.

May 4, 1948 — Wayne & Shuster make their first appearance on Ed Sullivan’s variety program, the unassuming debut that begins the long road to their record sixty‑seven visits. What American audiences saw that night was a sharp, literate comedy team hitting television with perfect timing, but what they didn’t see was the foundation beneath it: years of radio. Before television ever claimed them, Frank Shuster and Johnny Wayne had shaped their style on CBC radio, where every sketch depended on voice, rhythm, and precision. That radio discipline gave their Sullivan routines their snap and their unmistakable musicality. Their first appearance on this date marks the start of a legendary television run, but it also stands as a reminder that the team who became fixtures of American TV comedy were, at heart, radio craftsmen whose voices had already carried them into homes long before the cameras arrived.

Going live tonight with The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

Tonight’s lineup is a full night of classic radio noir with hard cases, sharp dialogue, and Marlowe doing what he does best. There’s even a Gerald Mohr audio biography in the mix. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/9sK6g1NSlz8?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.

May 3, 1910 — Norman Corwin is born in Boston, the beginning of a life that would redefine what radio could sound like, feel like, and dare to attempt. By the early 1940s he had become the medium’s poet‑laureate, crafting broadcasts that blended journalism, drama, satire, and lyricism with a level of imagination no one else matched. His landmark works for CBS — including We Hold These Truths, On a Note of Triumph, and the Columbia Workshop and Columbia Presents Corwin series — proved that radio could be as ambitious and emotionally resonant as any stage or screen. Corwin’s writing carried a musicality and moral clarity that made his programs national events, and his wartime broadcasts reached tens of millions, offering both comfort and challenge during the country’s most uncertain hours. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a writer and producer whose artistry expanded the boundaries of radio storytelling and left a legacy that still defines the medium’s highest aspirations.

Going live tonight with Gunsmoke if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

Tonight’s lineup is 12 hours of Dodge City trouble, hard choices, frontier justice, and the kind of western drama that never really gets old. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/GiD_1aG_AEc?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.

May 2, 1902 — Brian Aherne is born in King’s Norton, England, beginning the life of an actor whose elegant voice and calm, patrician presence translated beautifully to radio. Though best known for his film and stage work, Aherne made memorable contributions to the airwaves, where his smooth delivery and thoughtful pacing gave weight to dramatic roles and literary adaptations. He appeared on programs such as Lux Radio Theatre and Suspense, bringing a quiet authority that fit perfectly with radio’s intimate style. Aherne’s voice carried a natural refinement that made even the simplest dialogue feel textured, and his radio appearances revealed a performer who understood how to shape character through tone alone. His birth on this date marks the arrival of an actor whose understated skill added depth and distinction to the golden age of radio drama.

Going live tonight with Richard Diamond and Johnny Dollar if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

Tonight’s lineup features Dick Powell and Bob Bailey, with two different detective styles running back to back all night. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/mntvqzxxGP4?feature=share

May 1, 1907 — Kate Smith is born in Greenville, Virginia, marking the arrival of the woman who would become radio’s most commanding voice and one of its most enduring symbols of American popular culture. Her rich contralto, steady presence, and instinct for sincerity made her a natural fit for the medium, and throughout the 1930s and 1940s she became a fixture of the airwaves through programs like Kate Smith Sings, The Kate Smith Hour, and her many variety and music series. Smith’s broadcasts introduced major talents, shaped the sound of network entertainment, and helped define the emotional tone of the era. Her 1938 debut of “God Bless America” became one of radio’s most iconic moments, and her wartime bond drives demonstrated the extraordinary influence a radio performer could wield. Her birth on this date marks the beginning of a career that helped set the template for the star‑driven, personality‑centered power of mid‑century American radio.

Going live tonight with CBS Radio Mystery Theater if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

Tonight’s lineup has mystery, dread, and dark turns all the way through. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/ISPV0PArAw0?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.

April 30, 1908 — Eve Arden is born in Mill Valley, California, beginning the life of one of radio’s sharpest comic voices and one of the medium’s most effortlessly sophisticated performers. Though she became a film and television favorite, radio revealed her timing, her dry wit, and her ability to land a line with a feather‑light touch. She was a standout on The Danny Kaye Show and The Jack Benny Program, but it was Our Miss Brooks that made her a radio icon, giving her the role of Connie Brooks, the wise, weary, quick‑quipping English teacher whose blend of intelligence and exasperation became one of the era’s defining comic creations. Arden’s voice carried warmth, irony, and a knowing sparkle that made her instantly recognizable, and her radio work set the tone for the character‑driven comedy that followed her into television. Her birth on this date marks the arrival of a performer whose wit and presence helped shape the sound of mid‑century American radio comedy.

Going live tonight with Richard Diamond, Private Detective starring Dick Powell if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

This one runs case after case all night with kidnappings, murders, and classic detective radio all the way through. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/knFmldoNwh8?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.

April 29, 1903 — Frank Parker is born in New York City, beginning the life of one of radio’s most familiar tenors and a steady presence across the medium’s biggest variety programs. Before television reshaped the landscape, Parker’s smooth, lyrical voice made him a natural fit for the airwaves, first gaining national attention on The Jack Benny Program, where his easy charm and light comedic touch helped define the show’s early sound. He later became a fixture on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Your Hit Parade, bringing a polished, Broadway‑trained vocal style to millions of listeners each week. Parker’s radio persona blended warmth, musicality, and a touch of self‑aware humor, making him one of the medium’s most reliable performers during its peak. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a singer whose voice became woven into the everyday soundtrack of American radio.

Going live tonight with a Twilight Zone Radio Dramas dark screen stream if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

This one is built for late-night listening with strange visitors, eerie turns, recurring nightmares, and stories that never stay where you think they will. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around later, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/5SH3pjSLfcA?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.

April 28, 1892 — Joseph Dunninger is born in New York City, beginning the life of the man who would become “The Amazing Dunninger,” one of radio’s first great mentalists and a pioneer of psychological illusion on the air. By the 1920s he was already a celebrated stage performer, but radio gave him a new arena, and he embraced it early, performing mentalism on the air as far back as 1929 and later headlining his own network program in 1943, where he stunned listeners by revealing thoughts, names, and private details with a calm, matter‑of‑fact confidence that made the impossible sound routine. His broadcasts blended showmanship with skepticism: a friend of Houdini and a fierce debunker of fraudulent mediums, he used radio not only to entertain but to expose the tricks behind spiritualist claims. His birth on this date marks the arrival of a performer whose voice, intellect, and theatrical precision helped shape the sound of early radio magic and mentalism.

Going live tonight with Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (Bob Bailey) if anyone wants a place to listen along and hang out in chat.

This one runs case after case all night, with Johnny following the expense account wherever it leads. Timestamps are in the description if you want to jump around, or you can just let it play straight through.

Link: https://youtube.com/live/4gZvIyPq6qI?feature=share

Streaming live every night at 6:30 PM Pacific.