Famous Guest Stars 2 CD Set, Old Time Radio Shows

Famous Guest Stars - 2 hours [Audio CDs] #4006

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Rediscover the greatest stars of
radio, sports, and the silver screen
in this two-hour collection from
radio's hey-day. This specially priced
set features such famous stars as
Abbott & Costello, Ronald Reagan,
Ronald Colman, and Lucille Ball.

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Description

Famous Guest Stars

One of the delights of old time radio was the regular appearance of guest stars on some of the leading shows of the day. This collection highlights appearances by such bright lights as Abbott & Costello, Ronald Colman, Lucille Ball, and Babe Ruth.

The N-K Musical Showroom, starring the Andrews Sisters

Former burlesque comics Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made their radio debut in 1938, replacing the Hollywood-bound Henny Youngman on "The Kate Smith Hour". The duo became a national sensation when they performed the classic burlesque sketch "Who's on First" on Smith's broadcast of March 24, 1938 and, in 1940, made their screen debut in Universal's "One Night in the Tropics". In later years, Bud and Lou rarely performed their famous baseball routine over the airwaves, limiting it to their final broadcast of the season and patriotic performances on the Armed Forces Radio Service's "Command Performance" series. However, Bud and Lou made an exception for their friends Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne Andrews and reprised their most-famous sketch in the premier broadcast of the Andrews Sisters' new ABC series.

Patty, Maxene and LaVerne Andrews began their vaudeville careers in their hometown on Minneapolis, Minnesota and first performed with Abbott and Costello in 1938 at Atlantic City's Steel Pier. The Andrews Sisters later costarred with the comedy duo in three films: "Buck Privates", "In the Navy", and "Hold that Ghost".

Guest stars Bud Abbott & Lou Costello perform "Who's on First?"
August 26, 1945

Stars Over Hollywood

Ronald Reagan, America's 40th President, began his professional life as an Iowa sportscaster, simulating play-by-plays from data received via telegraph for WOC and WHO. "At 22 I'd achieved my dream: I was a sports announcer," Ronald Reagan later recalled. "If I'd stopped there, I believe I would have been happy the rest of my life." While covering the Chicago Cubs spring training camp in California, Reagan was screen tested by Warner Brothers and moved to Hollywood in 1937 to pursue a movie career. Reagan made his motion picture debut playing a radio announcer in "Love is in the Air". The radio veteran delivered impressive screen performances in "King's Row", "Brother Rat", and "Knute Rockne, All American", but frequently returned to the radio microphone, recreating his screen roles on such prestigious programs as "The Screen Guild Players", "The Lux Radio Theatre", and "Stars Over Hollywood". A longtime union and political activist, Reagan served six terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild and two terms as governor of California before being elected to the United States presidency in 1980 and again in 1984.

Ronald Reagan guest stars in "I Give You Maggie"
July 11, 1953

Favorite Story

Ronald Colman appeared in dozens of silent films, but his career really took off with the advent of the sound era. He was well cast in costume epics like "A Tale of Two Cities", "The Prisoner of Zenda", and "If I Were King", and earned Oscar nominations for his performances in "Condemned" and "Random Harvest" and an Academy Award for "Best Actor" for "A Double Life". However, his greatest role may have been as diplomat Robert Conway in "Lost Horizon", a role he recreates in this broadcast of the syndicated radio series "Favorite Story". The embodiment of British charm and sophistication, Colman possessed a magnificent speaking voice which was perfectly suited for radio. After showcasing their comedic talents on "The Jack Benny Program", Colman and his actress-wife Benita Hume starred in "The Halls of Ivy" on both radio and television.

Ronald Colman guest stars in "Lost Horizon"
April 29, 1947

The Bill Stern Sports Newsreel

'Bambino' Babe Ruth began his major league career as a Boston Red Sox pitcher with back-to-back 20-win seasons, but achieved his greatest fame as a home-run hitting outfielder with the New York Yankees. 'The Sultan of Swat' was the first major leaguer to hit 60 home runs in a season, and batted 714 homers during his legendary career. Ruth portrayed himself opposite Gary Cooper in "Pride of the Yankees", the Lou Gehrig story, and made guest appearances over the airwaves on "The Lux Radio Theater", Bob Hope's Pepsodent show, "The Bill Stern Sports Newsreel" and on his own 1944 NBC series, "The Babe Ruth Show".

Radio listeners loved Lucille Ball for years before she became American's most beloved television comedienne. Lucille Ball began her Hollywood career as a Goldwyn Girl and later starred in noir thrillers like "The Dark Corner". However, Hollywood studio executives frequently ignored her comedic talents, which were superbly showcased on radio. Lucy made her radio debut in 1938 on Jack Haley's "Log Cabin Jamboree" and later became a regular on Phil Baker's "Gulf Headliner" series. "I could flip a comedy line, which a lot of actresses couldn't do," Lucy later explained. "In radio, I couldn't depend upon props or costumes or makeup; I had to rely on timing and tone of voice for comic effects and this was invaluable training." Ball's breakthrough role came in CBS Radio's "My Favorite Husband", a domestic situation comedy that eventually led to the legendary role of Lucy Ricardo on the television classic, "I Love Lucy".

Guest star Babe Ruth
March 22, 1946

Guest star Lucille Ball
May 24, 1946

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