This is a list of programs in the KWD library that were originally recorded and broadcast in the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. As I get the time, I will add and expand descriptions. In most cases, my recordings are in mp3 format. When I have an original transcription disc, I will notate it. The division into decades is somewhat arbitrary as many programs overlapped these easy dividing lines. Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar for example, was first broadcast in February 1949 and had its final show on September 30, 1962, the final broadcast of the golden age of radio drama. In most cases, I have listed programs in the decade in which they first went on the air. In some cases though ( Johnny Dollar, for examle), I have listed them under the decade in which the vast majority of their programs were aired. Also, If a program began in 1938 but the only surviving episodes are from the '40s, I list them under the latter decade.
My collection is nowhere near complete. I don't have every series that's out there and I don't always have every episode in the series I have. As I get new series, I will list them. I am constantly trying to upgrade the quality of my programs. In many cases, the quality of recordings are not really good enough to broadcast, usually because of low sampling rates used to convert them to the mp3 format. As I acquire better versions, I will put them in the rotation. The number of programs in my listings are the number in my collection, not necessarily the number produced or the number of surviving programs currently available. Where I have all currently available episodes, I have annotated the program as "complete."
In some cases, a player appears with a program listing (Thank you to the Internet Archive). You can listen to these programs using this player. You can also download them by following the link above. I will also list my other favorite download sites on the "links" page for programs that don't appear on the IA. (Many of these sites charge a reasonable fee to cover their costs.) Unfortunately, I just don't have the server space to make programs available for download on my own site.
Afloat with Henry Morgan
1932 - 52 episodes (complete), 15 minutes - An adventure series from the BBC starring Australian actor George Edwards. Lots of swashbuckling pirate stories from the Spanish Main.
The Air Adventures of Jimmy Allen
1933-1937 - 126 episodes, 15 minutes - A juvenile adventure series about a 16 year old pilot. The series was created and written by a pair of WWI flying aces, Bill Moore and Bob Burt. An independent production sponsored by Skelly Oil, the program became so popular that the fanclub newsletter reached a circulation of 600,000 at one point. Note: Several of the shows on the player below (including the first two) are not great recordings. You can skip over them by clicking on the double right arrow button.
Amos & Andy
1926-1960 - This was likely the most famous radio show of all time. Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll created two of the most enduring characters ever. The program has attracted a lot of criticism over the years for what some have perceived as racist themes. But in fact, a large portion of their listeners was black. At one point, their audience was estimated to include a third of all the residents of the United States. The player links to shows from 1943.
Anne of the Airlines
1930s - 24 episodes, 15 minutes - Juvenile adventure. Although Anne was not a pilot, this series clearly owed much to the fame of Amelia Earhardt.
The Black Flame of the Amazon
1938 - 15 minutes, 17 programs - Juvenile adventure. The adventures of Harold Noyce, World Famous Explorer and children Jean and Jimmy Brady, who are searching for their father who is being held captive by Indians. The story revolves around a search for lost treasure in Brazil.
Blondie
1939-1950 - 30 minutes, 42 episodes - Situation comedy. Based on the popular comic strip by Chic Young. The roles of Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead are played by Penny Singleton (until 1949) and Arthur Lake, who also starred in a series of Blondie movies during the same period.
The Blue Beetle
1940 - 30 minutes, 26 episodes - Superhero crime drama. The Blue Beetle was Dan Garrett, an ordinary young police officer who donned a mysterious costume that was "strong as steel but supple as silk" and assumed the identity of the Blue Beetle to fight crime and punish evildoers.
Bob Hope
Calling All Cars
Cavalcade of America
Chandu, The Magician
Cinnamon Bear
Columbia Workshop
The Cruise of the Poll Parrot
Down Our Way
Dr. Christian
Easy Aces
The Ed Wynn Show
Family Doctor
Frank Watanabe
Front Page Drama
Frontier Fighters 1930s - 39 Episodes (complete) - 15 minutes - Historical Drama. This is not Cowboys and Indians as the title might suggest. Each episode takes a historical person or event in the exploration of North America and presents the story in dramatic form. The stories include Lewis and Clark, The Donner Party, Brigham Young, Nevada and the Comstock Lode, Yellowstone Park, and many others.
The Green Valley Line
The Adventures of Howie Wing
In the Name of the Law
Information, Please
Jack Armstrong, The All-American Boy
Jack Benny
Jerry of the Circus
Jerry at Fair Oaks
The Adventures of Jungle Jim
Lights Out
Lux Radio Theater
The Magic Island
Mama Bloom's Brood
Mercury Theater on the Air
Nick Harris, Detective
Police Headquarters
Ports of Call
Secret Agent K-7
Si and Elmer
Speed Gibson
The Adventures of Tarzan
The Witch's Tale
The World Adventurers Club
Academy Award Theater
Adventures by Morse
The Aldritch Family
The All-Star Western Theater
Behind the Mike
Bing Crosby
Boston Blackie
Box 13
Broadway is My Beat
Burns and Allen
Captain Midnight
Casey, Crime Photographer
Challenge of the Yukon
Damon Runyon Theater
The Falcon
Family Theater
The Fat Man
Gang Busters
Let George Do It
The Life of Riley
Mayor of the Town
Mr. President
My Favorite Husband
The Mysterious Traveller
NBC University Theater
Our Miss Brooks
The Pacific Story
Philip Marlowe
Quiet, Please
Quiz Kids
The Adventures of Rocky Jordan
The Adventures of Sam Spade
The Sea Hound
The Adventures of Superman
Suspense
Terry and the Pirates
Vic and Sade
The Whistler
Words At War
The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen
The American Trail
Bold Venture
Dangerous Assignment
Gunsmoke
The Halls of Ivy
Nero Wolfe
The Six Shooter
X Minus One
You Bet Your Life
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
CBS
CBS Morning News
Elmer Davis and the News
World News Today
World New Tonight
Miscellaneous CBS News Programs
Mutual
Fulton Lewis
Mutual News
NBC
Blue News
Skelly News of the World
Other NBC News Programs
Foreign News Broadcasts
BBC News
Deutsche Welle
Voice of America
Other Foreign News Programs
Band Remotes
Father Coughlin
Movie Trailers for Radio
Radio Commercials
WJSV Complete Broadcast Day