Comedy

From the early 1930s onwards comedy was arguably the most popular category of radio programming on the air. Classics of this category include Fibber, Jack Benny, Amos and Andy, The Aldrich Family and Our Miss Brooks.

Detective

This is a catch-all category for anything to do with crime or detection. You’ll find everything from investigative journalists (did they call them that back then) such as Randy Stone in Nightbeat through to police procedurals like Dragnet.

Drama
At first broadcasters didn’t think serious drama would appeal to radio listeners, but when they realized there was demand for such content they excelled and put out a wide range of content, some of which was quite tremendous.

Historical
Whilst many OTR shows are historical by their nature, the shows that we have added within this category will have content of historical educational importance.

Juvenile
It's hard to imagine that there was a time when children would rush home from school to hear the latest episode of their favourite serial, but in the mid 40s there were at least thirty such programs broadcast regularly each week.

Quiz Show
Quiz shows became a popular format on radio during the 1930s. The amount of prize money offered varied hugely from the 68 cents per correct answer given to contestants on Don’t Forget through to $30,000 for the winner on Hollywood Calling.

Sci-Fi
Although often low budget many science-fiction shows were superbly written and produced. Famous writers include Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson and Theodore Sturgeon.

Soap Operas
Often a 15-minute serialized drama, which was aired daily and derives its category listing from the fact that a soap manufacturer would sponsor it.

Sports

These days we have TV coverage on everything from obscure amateur sports through to massive national and international events, but in many ways sports coverage was as big back then as it is now with people crowding around the radio to enjoy everything from baseball to boxing.

TV offers a visual insight that radio couldn't possibly compete with, but in many ways radio provided a magical connection to events that sparked the imagination, got the adrenalin pumping, and brought people together.

Today we take it for granted that we can watch an event as it is happening, but when radio was king it was almost beyond comprehension that you could listen in to an event that was happening hundreds, or even thousands of miles away.

Thriller
Radio between 1930 and 1960 was teeming with programs that were rich in drama, rich in adventure and rich in thrills. It was the ideal format for edge-of-the-seat entertainment.

Variety & Music

Music and variety played a pivotal role in radio. It could be a show in its own right with a leading superstar of the day such as Bing Crosby, or it could be an inexpensive filler using an unknown orchestras in a studio or via a remote from a local night spot.

What's amazing when listening to these shows today is that even after seventy years the charm, charisma and warmth still comes across so strongly.

Just close your eyes and it is as though you're back in the 30s or 40s and enjoying some of the great music of the era. I wonder if the music of today will have quite as much staying-power as the tunes you'll here in this magical section of RUSC.

Westerns
Cowboy shows for kids came as early as the 1930s, but westerns aimed at adults didn’t take off until the early 1950s. Big hits of the genre include Gunsmoke and Have Gun Will Travel, but I'm a huge Six Shooter fan just for James Stewarts wonderful voice.