Debuting on June 24th, 1941, A Date With Judy was the teenage girl’s answer to Archie Andrews and The Aldrich Family. Billed as the adventures of the “lovable teenage girl who’s close to all our hearts,” it initially starred Ann Gillis in a summer replacement for Bob Hope. 

While filming at Paramount, Hope met Gillis and introduced her to his radio sponsors. They cast her in the adolescent comedy being prepared by writer Aleen Leslie.

Leslie had come up through the Hollywood ranks working for Columbia Pictures, and writing for Deanna Durbin, Mickey Rooney, and Henry Aldrich films.

Leslie wrote the lead with her friend Helen Mack in mind, but Mack was pregnant and declined. After the birth of her child. Mack came in as producer-director, the only woman to do so in a prime-time role at the time. In three summertime runs, two for Hope and one for Eddie Cantor, Judy was played by Gillis, Joan Lorring, and finally Louise Erickson. Erickson also played Marjorie on The Great Gildersleeve. In January of 1944, Judy was given a full-time run and Erickson held the role for the next six years.

In July of 1944 the show was pulling a rating of 9.1 on NBC. On Independence Day at 8:30PM, an overheard election mixup causes comedic embarrassment for Judy’s father.

BW - EP153—007: Independence Day 1944—A Date With Judy's Election Mixup

Support Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers

On the October 29th, 1944 episode of The Jack Benny Program, an Allen's Alley spoof rekindles Benny's love/hate relationship with Fred Allen. 

This episode had a rating of 19.8. Roughly sixteen million people tuned in.

BW - EP156—001: Halloween 1944—Jack Benny and Fred Allen Rekindle Their Feud

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Created by Irving Brecher, the best-known incarnation of The Life of Riley came to the air Sunday January 16th, 1944 at 3PM eastern time over The Blue Network. It starred William Bendix as Chester A. Riley and was sponsored by The American Meat Institute. 

Riley was easily exasperated, but difficult to defeat. The difficulty increased by degrees with the flimsiness of Riley’s cause. 

Bendix was born on January 14th, 1906 in Manhattan, New York. He came out of the New Jersey Federal Theater project, a latecomer to the profession, beginning at thirty when the grocery store he was running went out of business. His film career began in 1942. He was often the hooligan with the heart of gold. Riley was his most famous character.

It co-starred the previously heard Hans Conreid as Uncle Baxter with John Brown as both Riley’s friend Gillis and the undertaker, Digger O’Dell. Paula Winslowe was Riley’s long-suffering wife Peg. Sharon Douglas was Babs and Conrad Binyon played Junior.

The Life of Riley proved popular enough that in June of 1944 it was moved to Sundays at 10PM. When the series returned for the fall, its October 1944 rating was 4.7. On Sunday, October 29th, 1944 Junior was dared by his friends to visit the haunted Sherman house. He ropes Riley into going with him. Jeanette Nolan guest-stars on the show as Mrs. Sherman, who isn’t a ghost, but is in fact a widow who lost her husband in the War and became a shut-in afterwards.

Beginning in the fall of 1945 it moved to NBC where it was a mainstay for six seasons. It peaked in 1947-48 with a rating of 20.1, good for fourteenth overall that year. 

A TV version debuted in October of 1949, first with Jackie Gleason as Riley and later with William Bendix playing the familiar role for five years.

10/29/44, episode 42

BW - EP156—003: Halloween 1944—In a Haunted House with William Bendix on The Life of Riley

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By the fall of 1944, George Burns and Gracie Allen had been married for eighteen years and on radio for twelve. Their program had been officially titled The Burns And Allen Show in the fall of 1936, and they’d spent time at both NBC and CBS. 

With their ratings slipping in 1942, George Burns transformed their show from vaudeville-style banter into a situation comedy. It was the jolt the couple needed. 

In the fall of 1944 the couple was on for Lever Brothers and Swan Soap Tuesdays at 9PM eastern time from CBS. On Halloween night, Grace Allen had a make believe romance with actor Van Johnson.

NBC dominated Tuesday’s ratings in most timeslots, but running opposite of The Burns and Allen Show on NBC was The Molle Mystery Theater. Burns and Allen won their timeslot, but the show would still move to Monday evenings in January of 1945.

Burns & Allen Show

BW - EP156—007: Halloween 1944—Gracie Allen’s Make Believe Romance with Van Johnson

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On the Sunday, November 26th, 1944 episode of The Jack Benny Program, Jack and the gang discuss how they spent Thanksgiving. 

For more information on Jack Benny in 1944, including how and why he changed sponsors, please tune into Breaking Walls Episode 151 which covers Benny’s 1944 in great detail

BW - EP157—007: Thanksgiving 1944—How Jack Benny Spent Thanksgiving

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On the Sunday, December 17th, 1944 episode of The Jack Benny Program, Jack meets Frank Sinatra in a pharmacy. 

For more information on Jack Benny in 1944, including how and why he changed sponsors, please tune into Breaking Walls Episode 151 which covers Benny’s 1944 in great detail. 

For more information on the life and career of Frank Sinatra, please tune into Breaking Walls Episode 85.

BW - EP158—001: Christmas Weekend 1944—Frank Sinatra Guest Stars on The Jack Benny Show

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On the Sunday, December 24th, 1944 episode of The Jack Benny Program, it’s Christmas Eve and Jack Benny is trimming the Christmas tree with Mary Livingstone and Rochester’s help. The gang drops by to exchange gifts too.

For more information on Jack Benny in 1944, including how and why he changed sponsors, please tune into Breaking Walls Episode 151 which covers Benny’s 1944 in great detail.

BW - EP158—005: Christmas Weekend 1944—Jack Benny Trims The Christmas Tree

Support Breaking Walls at https://www.patreon.com/thewallbreakers

At 4PM eastern time on Christmas Day, CBS broadcast the third annual Elgin watches Christmas party for the men and women in the Armed Forces, guest-starring Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Ginny Simms, and many others. It was hosted by Don Ameche and the announcer was Ken Carpenter.

Don Ameche had been an integral part of The Chase and Sanborn Hour, earning a reputation from Edgar Bergen as one of the best comedic ad-libbers in the business. 

Elgin Watches was first incorporated in August 1864 as the National Watch Company. The founders eventually based their operations in the growing city of Elgin, Illinois and changed the company name. 

By the turn of the 20th century, it was one of the largest watch manufacturers in the world. 

During World War II all civilian manufacturing was halted and the company moved into the defense industry, manufacturing military watches, chronometers, fuzes for artillery shells, aircraft instruments, and cannon bearings.

Their agency of record J. Walter Thompson confined radio sponsorship to their annual Thanksgiving and Christmas specials, which began in 1942.

12/25/44, episode xx

BW - EP158—008: Christmas Weekend 1944—The Elgin Christmas Special

This episode was originally released on 7/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.

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In Breaking Walls episode 81, we spotlight the life and career of one of the twentieth century’s most famous comedians, Fred Allen. Amongst other comedians and entertainers, almost no one was beloved as much as him. His comedic feud with Jack Benny was legendary, as were his battles with network executives and sponsors. 


Highlights:

• John Sullivan is Born in Boston
• What growing up in Boston with his aunt was like
• How his job at the Boston Public library began his career in show business 
• Learning to Juggle and Early Amateur Performances
• Harry LaToy and how Johnny Sullivan became Fred St. James
• Freddie James: The World’s Worst Juggler
• Becoming Fred Allen and going on Broadway
• Allen’s Radio Birth—Bath Towels, Laxatives, and Mayonnaise
• Town Hall Tonight is Born
• Jack Benny—The Feud of the Century
• Mr. Ramshaw— an Eagle on the loose
• Changing networks
• Texaco and Problems with NBC
• King for a Day
• Bowing out gracefully
• Fred Allen: Memoirist 
• What’s my Line?
• Final Days


The reading material used in today’s episode was: 
• The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio by John Dunning
• Treadmill to Oblivion & Much Ado About Me … both by Fred Allen


Selected Music featured in today’s Episode was:
• Swingin’ on a Star by Bing Crosby 
• Over There recorded live by George M. Cohan
• Auld Lang Syne by Guy Lombardo

BW - EP81: The Fred Allen Show—His Life On The Air (1932 - 1956) [Rewind]

This episode was originally released on 9/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes.

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In Breaking Walls Episode 95, we go back to school with radio’s teacher’s pets, class clowns, and perhaps the most iconic “Miss” in radio history. 

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Highlights:
• How William Paley used The Columbia Workshop to launch shows and careers.
• Suspense Moves to Hollywood and Gets Sponsorship
• The Radio Rise of Eve Arden and the Launch of Our Miss Brooks
• The NBC University Theater dramatizes a Washington Irving Classic
• The New Mr. and Mrs. Ronald and Benita Colman Show
• Johnny Dollar Investigates a Suspicious Schoolhouse Fire
• Theater Five saves a Nursery
• All Hallow’s Eve

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Subscribe to Breaking Walls everywhere you get your podcasts.

To support the show:
http://patreon.com/TheWallBreakers

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The reading material used in today’s episode was:
• The Who Is Johnny Dollar Matter — by John C. Abbott
• On The Air — By John Dunning
• Network Radio Ratings, 1932-53 — by Jim Ramsburg

As well as articles from:
• Broadcasting Magazine -  April 27th, September 14th, and November 30th 1964, as well as January 4th, January 11th, and June 28th, 1965.
• Radio Daily - September 30th, 1949
• Sponsor Magazine -  September 2nd, 1952

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On the interview front:

• SPERDVAC was with Jack Johnstone, Al Lewis, Jeanette Nolan and Elliott Reid—For more information, please go to SPERDVAC.com.

• Chuck Schaden interviewed Eve Arden, Parley Baer, Ken Carpenter, Norman Corwin, Gale Gordon, Jack Haley, Agnes Moorehead, Russell Thorson, and Willard Waterman. Hear their full chats at SpeakingofRadio.com.

• Hans Conried, William N. Robson, and William Spier were with Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran for WTIC’s The Golden Age of Radio. These interviews can be heard at GoldenAge-WTIC.org. 

• Eve Arden, Roberta Goodwin Bailey, and E. Jack Neuman were with John Dunning for 71KNUS.

• Elliott Reid was with Frank Bresee and Walden Hughes on October 14th, 2002 and Don Quinn was interviewed by Owen Cunningham in 1951. 

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Selected Music featured in today’s episode was:
•I Wonder Why - by Dion and the Belmonts
• Pyramid of the Sun - by Les Baxter
• Moon - by George Winston
• The Look of Love - by Billy May and his Orchestra
• Young at Heart - by Frank Sinatra
• I’ll be Seeing You - by the Harry James Band
• Spooky - by Dusty Springfield

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BW - EP95: Radio And The Classroom (1939 - 1965) [Rewind]

Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting.

New tracks tagged #otr-comedy