Those Thrilling (And Funny) Days of Yesteryear

People are funny.  We progress from the written page to the Kindle, where we merely read the written page on a hand-held device where it takes us 10% longer, but it's 'neat'.  We've progressed from old-time radio to television and viewing films on the Internet, yet there are groups forming all the time to recreate the classic radio shows and people listen to old radio all the time. 

Why?



Gracie Allen and George Burns

 For one thing, it's darn good.  Jack Benny allowed us to laugh at him, not at his jokes.  George Burns and Gracie Allen got us thoroughly confused, due to Gracie's ramblings.  Bob Hope's monologues cracked people up, and they never knew where he was going to be broadcasting from.  Fred Allen was going to be sharp as a tack.  The Shadow would get the villains, and so would the Lone Ranger.  The door on 'Inner Sanctum' would frighten everyone as it squeaked every week.

Radio allowed the audience to use one's imaginations, something that today's entertainment hasn't done in a long, long time.  The sound effects people actually let us think Jack Benny went way down into the depths of the earth to get his money, using all sorts of alarms.  No matter how often we heard the gag, it was always funny, as there was always a twist.

Gracie Allen was supposedly a scatterbrain.  Yet everything she said made sense when you listened to it.  No one could ever counter what she said for that very reason.  And the American public actually thought she was stupid, buying into it.  When she would go shopping and ask to see a red blouse, she saleswoman would bring her a blue skirt.  Just like people supposed Benny was cheap in real life, and it would cost him five thousand dollars a year in overtipping to prove he wasn't.  (One waitress gave back a tip, saying, "Please Mr. Benny, leave me my illusions.")

Movie stars would appear on 'Lux Radio Theatre' and 'Academy Award Theatre', recreating the films of the day.  Sometimes they would re-create their own films, and other times they would perform other stars' movies.  It was interesting to hear a one hour version of 'The Wizard of Oz' or 'It's A Wonderful Life' and compare them to the film.

Sadly, those days are long gone.  The stars of old-time radio are no longer with us.  We have their shows, however, and can listen to a good portion of them, so they haven't died.  Their memories will linger on, and fondly.