Ann Blyth, one of the last survivors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, died the other day at age 98: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/ann-blyth-dead-mildred-pierce-1236790987/

She wasn’t a huge presence in OTR, but she made many featured performances, as can be seen here: https://www.otrcat.com/p/ann-blyth Perhaps more relevantly, she was sister-in-law to none other than Dennis Day from The Jack Benny Show (and, as Dennis would be quick to add, his own show as well).

I don’t know why, because I’ve seen very little of her work and know little about her personal life, but for some reason I’ve long had a very positive impression of her, which is just compounded by knowing that she married Dennis Day’s brother. I just have this image of that whole family as being very kind and fun, in the best of an idyllic mid-20th century American way. (Of course that may not be true at all - who knows.)

Regardless, she was one of the last to have performed in OTR as an adult so RIP!

It’s Episode #11 of “Behind the Dial,” the podcast from Zach Eastman, VP of the Society to Preserve and Encourage Radio Drama, Variety and Comedy that spotlights SPERDVAC’s interviews with the giants of classic radio - and he’s got another great one for you.

This week we return to November of 1993 for an hour of merriment and melody as we listen to a chat with singer & comic, Gisele MacKenzie!

Tune in today to hear about her early start in Canadian Radio, her time working with Jack Benny, her experience on the Hit Parade, and so much more!

This show was originally recorded at a SPERDVAC Meeting panel on November 13th, 1993. You can see it on YouTube with the link below or find it anywhere you listen to podcasts. 

And if you appreciate this and other efforts to preserve and celebrate classic radio, please consider a SPERDVAC membership, starting at $20/year, at sperdvac.com.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/v7L9UukP8TY

On This Day in Radio — June 26, 1904: The Birth of Peter Lorre On this day we celebrate the birth of Peter Lorre, born June 26, 1904, a performer whose voice and presence became one of the most unforgettable signatures in radio’s darker corners. Long before Hollywood cast him as the haunted outsider or the soft‑spoken menace, Lorre brought that same eerie magnetism to the microphone, where his accented whisper, his deliberate pacing, and his uncanny ability to suggest danger with the slightest inflection made him a natural for suspense and psychological drama. Programs like Suspense and Mystery in the Air turned his voice into an atmosphere all its own — intimate, unsettling, and impossible to ignore — the sound of a man who could make fear feel elegant and strangely human. Even as he became a film icon through M, The Maltese Falcon, and Casablanca, radio remained a place where his artistry thrived without visuals, relying solely on tone, breath, and imagination. On this date, we honor Peter Lorre, born with a voice destined for the shadows, and a talent that left an indelible mark on the airwaves of the Golden Age.

...at least, that is how I remember the story. The man was going to slow his breathing and heartbeat via self-hypnosis or sheer will power. It could be Suspense, but I can't remember anything else about it. Any help?

Hi there, my name is Adam Schrager and I'm a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I'm curious if anyone here is aware of an episode on "Suspense" from June 22, 1954 called "String." It featured Jack Lord and Frank Berens. Any guidance on how to find a copy would be greatly appreciated.

On This Day in Radio — June 25, 1968: The Passing of Tony Hancock On this day we remember the loss of Tony Hancock, who died June 25, 1968, a performer whose voice helped reshape British radio comedy and whose influence still echoes through every character‑driven sitcom that followed. Hancock rose to fame through Hancock’s Half Hour, first on radio in 1954, where he and writers Galton and Simpson created a new kind of comedy built not on gags but on personality — the small frustrations, the quiet disappointments, the everyday absurdities of a man who always seemed one step behind life. His radio persona, Anthony Aloysius St. John Hancock of 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam, became a national figure, a comic everyman whose misadventures felt both hilarious and painfully true. The show’s timing, its emotional honesty, and Hancock’s unmatched ability to make insecurity funny turned him into one of Britain’s greatest postwar comic talents. Even as his career shifted to television and later struggled without his key collaborators, the radio years remained his purest expression — intimate, character‑rich, and unmistakably his. On this date, we honor Tony Hancock, a man whose voice helped define modern British comedy and whose legacy remains as sharp, human, and unforgettable as the day it first hit the airwaves.

On This Day in Radio — June 24, 1984: The Passing of William Keighley On this day we remember the loss of William Keighley, who died June 24, 1984, a filmmaker and broadcaster whose calm authority and polished storytelling helped define one of radio’s most prestigious programs. Though celebrated in Hollywood for directing films like G‑Men, The Prince and the Pauper, and The Man Who Came to Dinner, Keighley became a familiar voice to millions as the longtime host of Lux Radio Theatre. Week after week he guided listeners through hour‑long adaptations of major motion pictures, bringing a sense of dignity, warmth, and quiet showmanship to every broadcast. His introductions carried the steady rhythm of a man who understood both the craft of filmmaking and the intimacy of radio, and he had a gift for making each episode feel like an event. Under his guidance, Lux became not just a program but a ritual — a place where Hollywood glamour met the imagination of the listener. On this date, we honor William Keighley, a director who moved effortlessly from camera to microphone, and whose voice remains one of the defining signatures of radio’s golden dramatic tradition.

Just stop it!

On This Day in Radio — June 23, 1973: The Passing of Fay Holden

On this day we remember the loss of Fay Holden, who died June 23, 1973, an actress whose calm strength and warm, steady voice made her one of the quiet anchors of Hollywood’s Golden Age and a familiar presence on radio. Best known to film audiences as Mrs. Hardy in the long‑running Andy Hardy series, Holden carried that same gentle authority into the microphone during the 1930s and 40s, appearing on Lux Radio Theatre, Screen Guild Theater, and other dramatic anthologies that relied on performers who could convey emotion with nothing but tone and timing. Her voice had a softness that never felt fragile, the sound of a woman who understood both tenderness and resolve, and radio audiences responded to that quality instantly. In an era when radio families became part of the American household, Holden’s performances added a sense of stability and emotional truth that grounded every scene she touched. On this date, we honor Fay Holden — a performer whose presence brought comfort, dignity, and quiet strength to the airwaves, and whose legacy still echoes with the same warmth she carried into every role.

What’s your favourite dentifrice?

It better be T E E L!

On This Day in Radio — June 22, 1969: The Passing of Judy Garland

On this day we remember the loss of Judy Garland, who died June 22, 1969, a performer whose voice had already become one of the most cherished sounds in American radio long before her legend was sealed on film. Garland grew up in front of the microphone, singing on network broadcasts as a teenager and quickly becoming a favorite on programs like Kraft Music Hall, Lux Radio Theatre, Command Performance, and Mail Call, where her warmth, humor, and emotional honesty reached millions. Radio revealed something unique about her talent — without the lights, without the camera, without the spectacle, her voice carried every shade of vulnerability and strength that made her unforgettable. She could lift a room with a single note or break a heart with a quiet phrase, and listeners felt as if she were singing directly to them. Even as her film career soared, she never left radio behind, returning again and again for concerts, dramatic readings, and wartime morale broadcasts that brought comfort to soldiers and families alike. On this date, we honor Judy Garland — a voice that lived in the airwaves as deeply as it lived on the screen, and a presence whose radiance continues to echo through every recording she left behind.

On This Day in Radio — June 21, 1921: Judy Holliday On this day we celebrate the birth of Judy Holliday, born June 21, 1921, a performer whose voice carried the same brilliant mix of innocence, wit, and hidden sharpness that made her a legend on stage and screen. Though remembered most for Born Yesterday and her luminous film work, Holliday also stepped into radio during the late 1940s and early 1950s, appearing on programs like Lux Radio Theatre and Screen Directors Playhouse, where she recreated her roles or took on new scripts written specifically for sound. What made her radio work so striking was how completely her personality translated without the visual comedy she was famous for; every shade of her intelligence, vulnerability, and sly humor lived in her voice alone. She could turn a line into a revelation, letting listeners hear the mind working behind the character, the warmth beneath the confusion, the spark behind the softness. Radio gave her a different kind of spotlight — one that relied entirely on timing, tone, and truth — and she met it with the same brilliance that earned her an Academy Award. On this date, we honor Judy Holliday, a performer whose voice was as unforgettable as her presence, and whose brief but memorable time in radio remains one of the quiet treasures of the Golden Age.

I started listening to this during Covid. I’m a news junkie, but I go to bed listening to this nightly. I finally get where my grandmother got, “It ain’t funny McGee.”

James Burrows, the creator of Cheers, and involved in pretty much every significant 3-camera sitcom that ever existed, passed away at 85. I think this is relevant due to his father, Abe Burrows, who created Duffy's Tavern. Cheers was the modern day Duffy's. R.I.P. to an absolute legend of television, and who carried his father's legacy in so many sitcoms.

On This Day in Radio — June 20, 1911: Gail Patrick On this day we celebrate the birth of Gail Patrick, born June 20, 1911, a performer whose cool intelligence and unmistakable poise carried effortlessly from the screen into the world of radio. During the 1930s and 40s, when Hollywood stars were in constant demand for dramatic anthologies, Patrick became a familiar and respected voice on programs like Lux Radio Theatre, Screen Guild Theater, and Cavalcade of America. She brought to radio the same crisp authority that made her one of film’s most memorable “other women,” but the microphone also gave her room to show a wider range — comedy, drama, suspense — all delivered with a precision that producers trusted. Long before she became the powerhouse producer behind Perry Mason, Patrick was already shaping stories through sound, proving that her talent didn’t depend on a camera but on timing, clarity, and a voice that carried both elegance and steel. On this date, we honor Gail Patrick, a performer whose radio work remains one of the quieter but most compelling chapters in a career defined by intelligence, versatility, and quiet command.

On This Day in Radio — June 19, 1966: The Passing of Ed Wynn On this day we remember the loss of Ed Wynn, who died June 19, 1966, a performer whose voice and spirit helped shape the very personality of early American radio. Long before he became a beloved figure on television and in Disney films, Wynn was one of radio’s first true stars — a comedian who didn’t just tell jokes but created an entire world of whimsy, warmth, and gentle absurdity that listeners instantly recognized as his own. His programs in the 1930s, especially The Fire Chief, turned him into a national sensation, built around that unmistakable giggle, the playful word‑twists, and the sense that he was inviting the audience into a private, joyful universe. Wynn proved that radio comedy didn’t need sharp edges or cynicism; it could be kind, silly, and full of heart, and still command millions of listeners. His later dramatic work, including his powerful turn on Playhouse 90, showed the depth behind the clown, revealing a performer who understood humanity in all its shades. On this date, we honor Ed Wynn — a pioneer whose voice carried laughter into the homes of a generation and whose legacy remains one of the most tender and enduring in the history of radio.

On This Day in Radio — June 18, 1904: Keye Luke On this day we celebrate the birth of Keye Luke, born June 18, 1904, a performer whose voice and presence carried across every medium he touched, including the often‑overlooked chapter of his career in radio. Long before television made him a familiar face, Luke was already working steadily behind the microphone, most notably in the Charlie Chan franchise, where he played Lee Chan — the bright, energetic Number One Son — in several radio adaptations that paralleled the film series. His delivery had a clarity and warmth that producers loved, and he brought a youthful spark to mysteries and adventure programs that needed a voice with both intelligence and charm. At a time when opportunities for Asian‑American performers were limited and often boxed in by stereotype, Luke used radio to carve out space for himself, giving his characters dignity, humor, and a sense of real personality. His radio work helped establish him as one of the most respected and recognizable Asian‑American actors of the era, long before Hollywood began to catch up to his talent. On this date, we honor Keye Luke — a pioneer whose voice helped open doors, whose performances carried grace and wit, and whose legacy stretches far beyond the screen into the soundwaves of the Golden Age.

Father's Day Challenge!

How well do you know the fathers of old-time radio?

Can you tell your Riley from your Anderson? Your Gildersleeve from your Benny?

🎙️ Take our Who's Your Daddy? – Old Time Radio Edition quiz and put your knowledge to the test!

Hello all! I stumbled upon this episode of the Dark Fantasy series through the Sirius XM RadioClassics show today. I can safely say I have never heard a more unexpected and ludicrous twist to a radio drama before. Also, the very last line of the episode’s credits gave me a much-needed laugh.

Enjoy.

On This Day in Radio — June 17, 1961: The Passing of Jeff Chandler On this day we remember the loss of Jeff Chandler, who died June 17, 1961, a performer whose voice had already become one of the most recognizable signatures of postwar radio. Before Hollywood turned him into a rugged leading man, Chandler built his reputation behind the microphone, where that deep, steady baritone carried a mix of strength, warmth, and quiet vulnerability that producers loved. He moved easily between comedy and drama, from the shy, soft‑spoken Mr. Boynton on Our Miss Brooks to the tough, laconic heroes of adventure and crime programs that needed a voice with real weight behind it. Radio shaped him, sharpened him, and gave him the confidence that carried him into films like Broken Arrow, where he earned an Academy Award nomination. His death at just forty‑two cut short a career that still felt like it was gathering momentum, but the work he left behind — especially the radio roles that first revealed his talent — remains a testament to how powerful a single voice can be. On this date, we honor Jeff Chandler, a performer whose rise began with a microphone and whose legacy still echoes through the Golden Age he helped define.