The Untold Market of Antique Radios

One man's junk is another man's treasure. The adage is applied every day on eBay but did you know it also applies to fan gatherings of antique radios and radio restoration? Collectors of old-time radio programs enjoy listening to the recordings of the 1930s, 40s and 50s and while for years that niche crowd has attended conventions held in hotels across the country, there is another crowd (even larger in size) that goes to similar gatherings (usually held at fairgrounds, not hotels) where antique radios are put on display for trade and sale. Sort of like an outdoor flea market (held under pavilions) except the primary focus is not auto parts or fruits and vegetables... it is antique radios. 

Oddly, I saw no collectors of old-time radio programs. No one was selling old-time radio programs on audio cassette or CD. The theme of the event was not the programming but the  physical wooden boxes that was often referred to in the 1930s as "talking furniture." At the recent Kutztown Antiques Radio Meet held in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, I discovered a whole new aspect to collecting old-time radio that has been overlooked for many years. Photos of my recent trip (located less than two hours from home) are featured here.

Table after table with boxes and trays of bulbs, tubes, plastic covers and knobs, vintage radios from the 1930s through the 1950s in varied condition and with varied pricing. There was practically no one selling recordings of old-time radio programs (but there were a number of vendors liquidating 78s and 45s for mere pennies). To put it in perspective... these people were not concerned about the software, just the hardware.

Watching someone fix an antique radio was fascinating as it was explained step-by-step what was involved from sanding and re-staining the wood, finding the correct knobs to replace the broken ones, replacing glass tubes and other parts... and finally making certain the radio works properly.

Turns out pricing varies by make and model, demand and of course, the condition of the item. Prices varied and as one vendor told me, "half of the vendors have their prices inflated because they expect to be talked down when cash is involved." The most expensive are radios that have been restored to lavish beauty -- photos below are a few of my favorites. Pricing varied from $185 to $475, depending on how much it cost for parts and time involved. (I spent $80 for one radio that was not restored but was in great condition and still works.) Photos of the restored radios can be seen below.

A 1938 Philco 38-12  restored to elegant beauty. Asking price was $185.

1935 RCA Tombstone with an asking price of $465.

Stewart Warner from 1935 with an asking price of $475.

I would like to point out that when you buy a restored radio like the three pictured above, all of which made my mouth water like a kid in a candy store, they come with a warranty. The man responsible for this craft, Keith Park of Clifton Park, New York, backs his products. I am hoping to bump into him at another event one day so I can save up some extra cash and go home with a few of these.

Some knobs for certain radios go for premium pricing!
Protected under glass to prevent theft.

Plays Edison cylinders

Also available are technical journals and magazines.
I paid $15 for a stack of 40 at the show.

How many of your family relatives had one of these?

They say you can tell a lot about someone by the books on their bookshelf and the items they have on display in their home. If you love old-time radio, there should be no reason why you cannot find room in your home for at least two or three radios. The decision of what type of radio you want in your house depends on how it will blend in with the decor of your home, what room you plan to display your treasure, and your budget. Restored radios are the most impressive but they cost the most. But you only have to buy them once so my personal recommendation is to avoid the plastic colored ones from the 1950s and 1960s and stick with the wood ones from the 1930s and 1940s. And why buy an antique radio that works, looks good and be used solely for decoration for $150 to $250 when you can pay about the same price for a restored one?

Vintage televisions, fully functional, were also available!

The coffee cup was to demonstrate the size of the screen!

Philo Tabletop from 1959-1960.
This vendor hooked up a DVD player so an old
black and white movie could demonstrate the
product still worked perfectly.

Remember those replicas that would play an audio cassette or CD from the side of the radio? The ones that usually retailed $99.99 in mail order catalogs? Why not consider buying an original instead. I seem to come home with an antique radio about twice a year. One restored and one untouched. When I run out of shelf space in the house I may start upgrading by selling the untouched and replicas, and replace them for restored ones. 

As I discovered recently, there is practically one of these "Hamfest" events every month along the East Coast, three in the month of May alone. This weekend the largest of them, titled appropriately, Hamfest, is being held in Dayton, Ohio. Check Google and see if there happens to be one near you.

More photos below for your amusement.

One vendor made dollhouses out of the empty shells of old radios.

This person makes wall clocks out of used 78s. Clever.

Spare tubes and lights for restoration projects. 

Bette Davis and The Hollywood Canteen

The Hollywood Canteen book

The Hollywood Canteen was the jewel in the crown of World War II Hollywood. From 1942 to 1945, over three million servicemen came through its doors on their way to fight in the Pacific -- some never to return. There, in a converted barn in the heart of Hollywood, soldiers were fed, entertained by and danced with some of the biggest stars in the world. The Canteen was free to all servicemen or women, regardless of race, inviting them to jive to the music of Kay Kyser and Harry James, laugh at Bob Hope’s jokes, be handed sandwiches by Rita Hayworth, or dance with Hedy Lamarr. Knowing they were so appreciated, the soldiers were armed with the kinds of hope and encouragement that would help them win a war.

Lisa Mitchell and Bruce Torrence co-wrote a book about this tremendous morale booster, titled appropriately, The Hollywood Canteen: Where the Greatest Generation Danced with the Most Beautiful Girls in the World. When Bear Manor Media sent me a box of books, with the request of doing a book review, this one caught my eye and I quickly took it with me to the beach as recreational reading. I devoured every page in two days (a feat easily accomplished with any book this size when you have 14 hours each day to read and relax). Here, Mitchell and Torrence did not disappoint my expectations and they cover every aspect you could conceive about the Hollywood play land.

Bette Davis at the Canteen

Bette Davis and John Garfield co-created The Hollywood Canteen, inspired by Garfield’s visit to the Stage Door Canteen in New York City. Two-time Academy Award winner Bette Davis agreed to become the Canteen’s chairman after hearing of Garfield’s concept to be run solely by members of Hollywood’s show business community. Davis contacted the studio moguls, celebrities throughout the Sunshine State, and quickly established a fundraiser to raise the money needed to operate the Canteen.

The book documents all business meetings of order, the policies every volunteer had to adhere to (including the avoidance of meeting the soldiers off hours), and a major struggle with the Hollywood Victory Committee whose purpose was to provide a way for actors and actresses to contribute to the war effort through bond drives and various venues to boost the morale of the troops, waiving established union rules regarding usual compensations and procedures. Bette Davis was granted permission to call actors and actresses directly instead of having to put each request through the Committee. Months after the Canteen was established, Davis was summoned to a meeting of the Victory Committee where she was told that the Canteen could no longer call celebrities directly. She explained the minutes of the meeting that granted her permission and the necessary reason why last-minute phone calls were often necessary to fill a void in the Canteen, but the Committee lost the minutes of that meeting. With no other option than to shut the Canteen down, Davis boldly threatened to shut down the Canteen, advise the 42 guilds and unions who were part of the founding of the Canteen, and send a statement to the press if their minds were not made up “by tomorrow morning.” As only Bette Davis could, she turned and left the room. Everyone on the Committee knew that the mighty Bette Davis meant business. At six o’clock the next morning, Davis received a call telling her that the Committee, which had met all night, agreed to let the Canteen continue calling stars directly.

Cary Grant entertains the troops.

The day-to-day inner workings of The Hollywood Canteen is also documented. Fifty percent of the Canteen’s food and supplies were donated by 35 benevolent companies in Southern California. The rest was paid courtesy of fundraisers. Each month the soldiers consumed an estimated 4,000 loaves of bread, 400 pounds of butter, 1,500 pounds of coffee, 25,000 pints of milk, 30,000 gallons of punch… and the list goes on and on. Chef Milani, who gave cooking instructions to housewives on his weekly radio program, was in charge of the kitchen. But because of rationing, which the Office of Price Administrations (OPA) instituted after the start of the war, certain food products were in short supply. As meat was a rationed item and Chef Milani knew he had to have enough to serve the soldiers, he went to the OPA and begged for their help. When nothing came of his pleading, the energetic chef shot a telegram to President Roosevelt. “…The Hollywood Canteen will not be able to provide the necessary amount of meat for the servicemen unless we are able to secure an allotment exception permit immediately. Will you please help us secure this permit by directing this wire to the proper authorities with your O.K.? God bless you.” He signed it simply, “Chef Milani.” Almost immediately, the Hollywood Canteen had all the meat it needed.

Hollywood Canteen staff member ID Card

Every volunteer had to be fingerprinted (courtesy of the FBI) and a membership card issued to each volunteer. A photo of such a card is included in the book. The book also delves into the legal issues such as one woman who sued the Canteen because of a spinal injury during a jitterbug dance. When the Stage Door Canteen in New York City believed the Hollywood Canteen stole their idea, and believed it was unfair to lure Hollywood stars because of the location, their jealousy resulted in a minor potential lawsuit that was quickly resolved. Such behind-the-scenes stories are always fascinating to read.

The Andrews Sisters entertain the troops.

The race issue was shelved out the door when Bette Davis quickly took a stand against racial intolerance. When a few soldiers were going out the door because Negros were not segregated to their own tables, she took the mike and diplomatically explained the policy of the Hollywood Canteen. “The blacks got the same bullets as the whites did and therefore should have the same treatment,” Davis explained. Yet the Canteen was mindful of social relationships between Negroes and whites that had long been held through custom and habit. For the most part, blacks danced with blacks, whites danced with whites. If an incident occurred, the band was instructed to play “The Star-Spangled Banner.” This practice was done only twice in all the years the Canteen operated. It was agreed that everyone, white or black, enjoyed the entertainment of Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

What the celebrities did for the soldiers, including performances and autographs, is beyond description within a minor review such as this. But chapter after chapter there are stories of Marlene Dietrich kissing all the soldiers on V-J Day, Paulette Goddard dancing on the floor, Eddie Cantor dressing up as Santa Claus on Christmas… even the radio broadcasts are covered (including photos of Bob Hope and Orson Welles before the radio microphone). 

1944 movie poster from Warner Brothers

Some Hollywood celebrities suffered as a result of their volunteer work. Actress Gene Tierney showed up at the Canteen one night during the first month of a pregnancy. A few days later she discovered her face covered with red spots. The doctor diagnosed the problem as German measles. Little was known then about the connections between German measles in early pregnancy and the damage to an unborn child’s nervous system. Tierney’s daughter, Daria, was born deaf and suffered visual impairment. About a year after Daria’s birth, Tierney was at a tennis party when a young woman came up and introduced herself. She was in the women’s branch of the Marines, and had met Tierney, she said, at the Canteen. She inquired whether or not Tierney contracted German measles while working at the Canteen. It seems the woman had left her camp where there was an outbreak of German measles. “I broke quarantine to come to the Canteen to meet the stars. Everyone told me I shouldn’t, but I just had to go. And you were my favorite.” Tierney did not say anything of the tragedy that had occurred. But, she wrote, after that, she did not care if she “was ever again anyone’s favorite actress. I have long since stopped blaming the lady Marine for what happened to us. But Daria was, of course, a war baby, born in 1943... Daria was my war effort.”

1944 movie poster

The 1944 Warner Bros. movie, Hollywood Canteen, was also documented. A percentage of the profits of ticket sales was donated to the Canteen, plus a flat fee for the use of the name. Yet, as a result of a minor dispute with the Screen Actors Guild, production was shut down after three weeks. From Warners’ standpoint, prorating actors’ salaries to make such a star-studded picture (there were dozens and dozens of celebrities) seemed the only way to afford it. The Guild felt otherwise. The issue was eventually resolved six months later and the film went back before the cameras (some scenes re-shot as a result of revised casting). The chapter about the movie helps establish the difference between the fictional screen portrayal and the real version.  

The best part of the book comes from the photo collection of Bruce Torrence. Letters and Certificates of Appreciation from Bette Davis are reprinted. Construction of the Canteen, photos of soldiers lining up outside, celebrities having fun entertaining the troops, celebrities in the kitchen… so many photos they take up half the book. Kate Smith, Frank Sinatra, Paulette Goddard, Hedy Lamarr, Linda Darnell, Mickey Rooney, Danny Kaye, Irene Dunne, Olivia de Havilland, S.Z. Sakall, Sydney Greenstreet, Lana Turner, Rita Hayworth, Betty Grable, Deanna Durbin, Jane Wyman, Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Kay Kyser, Leopold Stokowski, Spencer Tracy, Ann Miller, Ronald Colman, Herbert Marshall, Basil Rathbone, Roddy McDowell, Jane Russell, Faye Emerson, Red Skelton, The Quiz Kids, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Tommy Dorsey, Merle Oberson, Dinah Shore, Claudette Colbert, Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, The Andrews Sisters, Rudy Vallee, Bob Hope… it is virtually a who’s who among Hollywood in candid photos (no publicity shots here). It’s fascinating to learn that Basil Rathbone’s wife was a volunteer for almost every day the Canteen was in operation. A Hall of Fame wall with Clark Gable’s picture in military uniform recognized his service overseas. Even Bob Hope’s monologue promoting the Hollywood Canteen, from his October 13, 1942, radio broadcast, just ten days before the Canteen opened, is reprinted.

Bob Hope and Bette Davis look over the Hall of Honor.

“…Here I am doing the first broadcast from the Hollywood Canteen. This really is a marvelous place. Any enlisted man can come here. Be entertained by the top Hollywood talent. Get free food served by Hollywood beauties. Dance with girls like Hedy Lamarr or Lana Turner. And then go back to camp and be used to heat the barracks.”

If you love old Hollywood movies, the history of WWII, or find the subject matter interesting, this is a book I highly recommend. You will not be disappointed. Thanks to authors Lisa Mitchell and Bruce Torrence, a missing gap in both the history of Hollywood and WWII has been filled. I only wish a lot more books were published like this.

Among the many celebrities who donated their services at the Hollywood Canteen were:

Bud Abbott & Lou Costello June Allyson Don Ameche Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson The Andrews Sisters Dana Andrews Eve Arden Louis Armstrong Jean Arthur Fred Astaire Mary Astor Lauren Bacall Lucille Ball Tallulah Bankhead Theda Bara Lynn Bari Diana Barrymore Ethel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore Count Basie Anne Baxter Louise Beavers Wallace Beery William Bendix Constance Bennett Joan Bennett Jack Benny Edgar Bergen Ingrid Bergman Milton Berle Mel Blanc Ann Blyth Humphrey Bogart Ray Bolger Beulah Bondi William Boyd Charles Boyer Clara Bow Walter Brennan Fanny Brice Joe E. Brown Les Brown George Burns & Gracie Allen Spring Byington James Cagney Cab Calloway Rod Cameron Eddie Cantor Judy Canova Kitty Carlisle Jack Carson Adriana Caselotti Charlie Chaplin Marguerite Chapman Cyd Charisse Charles Coburn Claudette Colbert Jerry Colonna Ronald Colman Perry Como Chester Conklin Gary Cooper Joseph Cotten Noël Coward James Craig Bing Crosby Joan Crawford George Cukor Xavier Cugat Cass Daley Dorothy Dandridge Linda Darnell Bette Davis Doris Day Yvonne De Carlo Gloria DeHaven

Delores Del Rio William Demarest Olivia De Havilland Cecil B. DeMille Marlene Dietrich Walt Disney Jimmy Dorsey Tommy Dorsey Irene Dunne Jimmy Durante Deanna Durbin Nelson Eddy Duke Ellington Faye Emerson Dale Evans Jinx Falkenburg Alice Faye Louise Fazenda Gracie Fields Barry Fitzgerald Errol Flynn Kay Francis Jane Frazee Joan Fontaine Susanna Foster Eva Gabor Ava Gardner Judy Garland Greer Garson Lillian Gish James Gleason Betty Grable Cary Grant Kathryn Grayson Sydney Greenstreet Paulette Goddard Samuel Goldwyn Benny Goodman Jack Haley Margaret Hamilton Phil Harris Moss Hart Helen Hayes Dick Haymes Susan Hayward Rita Hayworth Sonja Henie Paul Henreid Katharine Hepburn Darla Hood Bob Hope Hedda Hopper Lena Horne Edward Everett Horton Ruth Hussey Betty Hutton Harry James Gloria Jean Van Johnson Al Jolson Jennifer Jones Marcia Mae Jones Boris Karloff Danny Kaye Buster Keaton Ruby Keeler Evelyn Keyes Andrea King Gene Krupa Kay Kyser Alan Ladd Bert Lahr Elsa Lanchester Angela Lansbury Veronica Lake  Hedy Lamarr

Dorothy Lamour Carole Landis Frances Langford Angela Lansbury Charles Laughton Peter Lawford Gertrude Lawrence Peggy Lee Pinky Lee Mervyn LeRoy Vivien Leigh Joan Leslie Ted Lewis Beatrice Lillie Mary Livingston June Lockhart Anita Loos Peter Lorre Myrna Loy Keye Luke Bela Lugosi Ida Lupino Diana Lynn Marie McDonald Jeanette MacDonald Fred MacMurray Irene Manning The Marx Brothers Herbert Marshall Victor Mature Elsa Maxwell Louis B. Mayer Hattie McDaniel Roddy McDowall Frank McHugh Victor McLaglen Butterfly McQueen Lauritz Melchior] Adolphe Menjou Una Merkel Ray Milland Ann Miller Glenn Miller Carmen Miranda Robert Mitchum Maria Montez Jackie Moran Dennis Morgan Ken Murray The Nicholas Brothers Ramon Novarro Jack Oakie Margaret O’Brien Virginia O’Brien Donald O’Connor Maureen O’Hara Oona O’Neill Maureen O’Sullivan Merle Oberon Eugene Pallette Eleanor Parker Louella Parsons John Payne Gregory Peck Mary Pickford Walter Pidgeon Cole Porter Dick Powell Eleanor Powell Jane Powell William Powell

Anthony Quinn George Raft Claude Rains Basil Rathbone Martha Raye Donna Reed Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Edward G. Robinson Ginger Rogers Roy Rogers Cesar Romero Mickey Rooney Jane Russell Rosalind Russell Ann Rutherford Peggy Ryan S.Z. Sakall Olga San Juan Ann Savage Hazel Scott Lizabeth Scott Randolph Scott Toni Seven Norma Shearer Ann Sheridan Dinah Shore Sylvia Sidney Phil Silvers Ginny Simms Frank Sinatra Red Skelton Alexis Smith Kate Smith Ann Sothern Jo Stafford Barbara Stanwyck Craig Stevens Leopold Stokowski Lewis Stone Gloria Swanson Elizabeth Taylor Shirley Temple Danny Thomas Gene Tierney Lawrence Tibbett Martha Tilton Claire Trevor Sophie Tucker Lana Turner Spencer Tracy Gloria Vanderbilt Beryl Wallace Nancy Walker Ethel Waters John Wayne Clifton Webb Virginia Weidler Johnny Weissmuller Orson Welles Mae West Alice White Paul Whiteman Margaret Whiting Esther Williams Chill Wills Marie Wilson Jane Withers Teresa Wright Anna May Wong Jane Wyman Rudy Vallee Lupe Vélez Loretta Young Robert Young Darryl F. Zanuck Vera Zorina

Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

It was the summer of 2006. Fans keeping up with the Marvel storyline were introduced to Civil War, a story arc that lasted seven months and ended on a high note... not to mention the end of an era. After a horrific tragedy (an explosion killing the children of an elementary school) is televised, the U.S. Government initiates the Superhuman Registration Act, requiring anyone with extra-ordinary powers to register so they can be accountable for any destruction that remains after battle. This raised a moral question which continues in today's news (iPhones encryptions and personal privacy) and each side of the debate is justified supporting or opposing. Longtime Avengers teammates Captain America and Iron Man end up on opposite sides of the argument, ultimately leading to blood spilled on both sides. The fighting between many super heroes led to the middle of Times Square. At the climax of the battle, as Captain America was about to deliver a finishing blow to Iron Man, he was tackled by several emergency workers. Realizing the damage the war was doing to the city and its civilian population, Captain America surrendered. He would rather go to prison than see wanton destruction. Before his arraignment, Cap was shot multiple times through the heart on the steps of a Federal Courthouse and killed. 

It was when I reached the conclusion of this story arc in January of 2007 that I realized Marvel did not know how to close a chapter. Villains who were thought long-dead kept coming back in various forms (robots, computers, ghostly spirits). Peter Parker, during Civil War, chooses to unmask during a press conference. When Peter changes his mind about the Superhuman Registration Act, he moves his family from Stark Tower to a motel. An assassin hired by the Kingpin tries to kill Peter Parker, but hits Aunt May instead. Peter takes his dying Aunt to a hospital where she has lapses into a coma and is likely to die. However, Aunt May receives a radioactive blood transfusion from Peter, which he hoped would save her life due to his mutated healing factor. The demon Mephisto offers to restore Aunt May's health in exchange for erasing Peter's marriage from history, and Peter and Mary Jane agree. May lives, and Spider-Man's identity is once again a secret. Peter Parker and Mary Jane are not married, have no children and his life took a step backwards by three decades. And I was asking myself, "When will this ever end?" It was a soap opera that never closes with a final chapter. For the death of Captain America at the conclusion of the Civil War story arc, I decided that while the story may continue for decades to come... I was done. At Comic Cons I keep up with what is happening in the Marvel Universe. Bucky took over as the new Captain America, Red Skull came back (again), and recently Sam Wilson (The Falcon) became the new Captain America (red, white and blue wings instead of a shield) and Captain America returns as an aged, old man.

With all this in mind, you can understand why I say the Civil War was the last great story Marvel put out. When Captain America was shot dead on the steps in front of spectators and reporters, I consider that the end of an era. Mark Millar and artist Steve McNiven split the Marvel Universe in two as friend fought friend. Sure, The Avengers had their squabbles and issues but those were petty and momentary. And when innocent life was threatened the heroes shelved their differences for the greater good. And learning over a year ago that the subtitle for the third Captain America movie was "Civil War," I was excited. This was going to be epic. My expectations grew.

The question of how much liberty an American is willing to sacrifice in exchange for security and safety has become a hot topic since 9-11. Captain America went back to the issues of the 1940s, fighting for liberties he believed in and not against agents of Hydra. There are two sides of the fence regarding what to do with a topic still being fought today. And Marvel created the Civil War story arc, providing readers to choose sides themselves. It made for a great story. And it was that same story that makes up the meat and potatoes of the political thriller that premiered this weekend, Captain America: Civil War. Yes, there is another Hydra threat (not a spoiler, this is indicated in the opening shot of the movie) but this threat is secondary to the primary concern: fighting for principals and standing ground.

Don't worry, I will not provide any spoilers here. 

A superhero registration act (here called the Sokova Accords)? Check. 
Superheroes choosing sides and hand-to-hand combat? Check. 
Captain America choosing a side for principals and sticking to them? Check. 
Spider-Man? Check.

After watching Captain America: Civil War, I cannot stop for a moment and wonder if Disney executives felt creating a popcorn movie would be more profitable and receptive than an allegorical interpretation during an election year.

Accountability and the moral complexities of modern warfare were predominant in key scenes but the movie instead deals with exploring the characters and their motives. Almost every superhero dealt with some form of inner battle. Could innocent people have been saved had they made a different decision? Could someone good in heart, possessing uncontrollable powers, be a real threat to the outside world? And in the end almost all of the destruction, fist-fights and explosions could have been prevented had everyone stopped for a moment and sought forgiveness in their heart. And that is the underlined moral you are reminded of when this movie concludes.

Dialogue is sharp and top-notch. Special effects were at times cartoonish (Disney needs to spend more time adding realism in some of those special effects, especially the opening sequences). There were two nods to the Star Wars franchise, not just the usual one. And if you are expecting a hand-to-hand death match between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers... you will not be disappointed. The combat scenes are truly lots of fun -- fan boys and young children will want to debate who is stronger, Captain America or Spider-Man? Tom Holland as Spider-man steals all of his scenes and makes Robert Downey, Jr. look like a second-rate straight-man (proving how versatile the talented Downey is on camera). Marvel hopes the third time is the charm and Holland's take on Spider-Man is dead on. 

For parents concerned about violence, vulgarity and death... all I can say without giving away spoilers is to shelve your concerns aside. It is perfectly fine to take the youngsters to see this movie. Disney wants to differentiate the Marvel movies from D.C./Warner Brothers and this certainly plays like a Disney movie. They want parents to bring their children to the theaters. There are no elementary school students getting killed in this rendition.

There are two post-credits sequences to watch after the movie so you do need to stay all the way to the very end of the closing credits. The very end. 

GANG BUSTERS: Old-Time Radio's Crime Fighters

When Phillips H. Lord created Gang Busters in January of 1936, crime was so rampant that it was almost tolerated. Obedience to the laws and respect for law-enforcement agencies was at a low ebb. Criminals and their methods were highly publicized in glamorous episodes. 

Lord, as an amateur criminologist of note and a man who had delved into criminal behavior by inclination, was appalled. He had just finished his G-Men series which dramatized FBI cases and he knew how the criminals lived, what they were like and how they operated. Civic-minded citizens, law enforcement officers and police organizations were approached. They were enthusiastic in their approval and unstinted in their cooperation. They turned over their files and Lord made radio history with his exposes.

At first Lord appeared on the program and interviewed the guest police officials. Later, as his other radio programs demanded more attention, he turned the hosting chores over to West Point graduate Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who for twenty years was nationally prominent in police circles. When the Colonel was recalled to active duty, Lewis J. Valentine, former Commissioner of Police of the City of New York, took over. Before any case was presented to the radio audience, it was triple-checked. A Gang Busters representative gathered the material from law enforcement bureaus scattered all over the country. The Chief from each bureau had to approve every fact in the report before it was used. Then the script department started to work, with instructions to “make it dramatic, but be sure it’s accurate.”

Every Gang Busters broadcast featured nationwide clues, which consisted of last-minute reports of wanted persons, received from the police and FBI. One hundred requests weekly was the average number of police bulletins received by Gang Busters. They were boiled down to one or two clues, selected for importance, color and ease in remembering the descriptions. Gang Busters files show that among those criminals apprehended by such nationwide clues were Lawrence Devol, Hoffman and Penning, Edward (Wilhelm) Bentz, Howard Hayes and Charles Jones, Claude Beaver, and Percy Geary. In addition to those named, by May of 1942, more than 277 other criminals had been apprehended by Gang Busters clues.

Known as the “Number One Idea Man” in radio, Phillips H. Lord – who was once presented on the floor of Congress as the “source of more enjoyment than any person living today in the United States” – conceived the program at a time when crime was rampant. It was his purpose to give credit to outstanding police work throughout the country and, at the same time, to implement the enforcement of law with real public service features for radio listeners. Mirroring the drama of a lawless era and sounding the tocsin for a crusade against crime, Gang Busters started a completely new trend in radio shows. The depression years accentuated the American citizens’ awareness of social ills, people began demanding more realism in their entertainment, and Gang Busters filled the bill. 

Gang Busters dramatized the war of society against crime and how the program evoked praise not only from law-enforcement officials, but from parents who saw in much of the present-day writing, a tendency to depict the lawbreaker as a picturesque and colorful Robin Hood, deserving the admiration of every hero-worshipping adolescent. The raw case histories presented on Gang Busters without a painful warping or twisting to secure an obvious “moral,” pointed out an ancient truth: that society’s way is the best way and that he who flagrantly defies law and custom never wins and usually pays a stiff price for his boldness. Human nature being what it is, this is a law that requires (even today) constant reiteration. Gang Busters accomplished that in a singularly successful fashion, and thus achieved social importance.

In 1937, Charles Michelson got into the radio business when his father’s export company began receiving requests for the first RCA/Victor electrical transcriptions available on phonographic discs. As radio was eclipsed by television in the early 1950s, Michelson formed what was to become a 30-year relationship with newspaper magnate Sir Frank Packer’s TCN 9 Network in Sydney, Australia. Michelson was on hand to bring the world closer together in the early 1970s when satellite technology first became available. During the 1940s, Michelson started a company to syndicate The Shadow and many other radio programs to stations all across the country. He entered into agreements with the producers/owners of the series to distribute them, including Gang Busters.

From November 1935 to January 1936, Phillips H. Lord was in constant communication with Charles Michelson, then the Director of Publicity for the Democratic National Committee of the National Press Building in Washington, with a proposal for a radio series endorsed by the Democratic National Committee. The proposal never blossomed into a regular radio program. Twenty years later, Michelson contacted Lord regarding the ownership of the radio program, Gang Busters. After learning that the rights reverted to RKO Teleradio Pictures, Inc., Michelson struck a deal with RKO to distribute recordings of the Gang Busters radio program for syndication. 

At present, it is estimated that 93 radio broadcasts are known to exist in corded form, from the long-running Gang Busters radio program. At least 52 of them exist courtesy of Charles Michelson's syndications. His syndicated versions are altered, however, with original network commercials deleted, alternate titles assigned and organ music replaced with orchestral pieces courtesy of LP records. The earliest surviving episodes are May 26 and June 2, 1937. So in the nature of gift-giving this holiday season, I offer you this early Christmas gift. The script titles, broadcast dates and plots for the first 15 or so episodes of the radio program.

Small note: With special assistance to Bill Abbott and the folks at the Library of Congress, in 2003 and 2004 I was able to compile an episode guide in the same manner you see below. It was published by OTR Publishing in late 2004. Since then (not beforehand), all of the titles and airdates have been lifted from the book and posted on the internet without proper authorship. It seems a number of people felt the need to take that information and post it on their website. Normally, I would not have had an objection but they never stated the source of their information (the book) or that I compiled the info. As a result, they are mis-leading web browsers into thinking they did the log. Thankfully, a couple kind souls rectified the situation by making mention of the book as the source. Others have yet to do so, believing they are doing a service for OTR fans. But what kind of service are they providing when they are stealing material and taking credit? Anyway, enough of my soap box preaching. The book speaks for itself. Enjoy the episode guide below!

EPISODE #1 (Broadcast January 15, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF THE MILLEN BROTHERS”
STORY: Having robbed a sporting goods store, a theater and the Needham Trust Bank, the murdering Massachusetts Millen Brothers became legendary with a reputation for shooting anyone who defied them or stood in their way. The Public Safety Commissioner put his two best men on the case. They traced the criminals by placing an advertisement in newspapers, asking for information for the repair of a special type of car battery. The battery had been found in a burning car, which the criminals had set ablaze.

EPISODE #2 (Broadcast January 22, 1936)
“THE END OF ‘FATS’ MCCARTHY”
STORY: Detectives Mark and Biggs were assigned to investigate a case involving the shooting of three New York policemen outside a rooming house. A fingerprint found on a mirror led to the identification of Jean McCarthy, wife of the notorious gangster, Fats McCarthy. The detectives watched all movie houses, dives and saloons for four months searching for Fats. A close study of the criminals and their habits led to a small house at the end of a lonely road…where a gun battle took the life of Fats McCarthy, and apprehended his gang.

EPISODE #3 (Broadcast January 29, 1936)
“THE SACRAMENTO POST OFFICE ROBBERY”
NARRATOR: William N. Hallanan, Chief of Police of Sacramento, Calif.
STORY: Three thugs staged a daring hold-up of a United States mail truck on route to a local post office. The men overpowered the guards and escaped with $250,000 worth of valuables. Sacramento police followed every lead until it was discovered that the gangsters discarded license plates on their get-away car. This meant that the same gang committed two robberies in different cities. Detectives from Sacramento flew to Salt Lake City to continue their chase and during a violent struggle, subdued Barry Dwyer and his gang.

EPISODE #4 (Broadcast February 5, 1936)
“THE REPPIN MURDER CASE”
STORY: Vincent Regan, working his way through college by driving a taxicab, was found with a serious gunshot wound. He was rushed to the hospital where he died, shortly after giving a police inspector information about his strange passenger/assailant. Inspector Barnes was assigned to the case. Through laboratory tests and the enlisted help of two convicts, Barnes investigated a three-year-old case involving stolen revolvers, discovering that a criminal named Reppin had cleverly changed the last figure of the serial number on the murder weapon. This almost put the police completely off track in tracing the gun, had they not been able to detect the change by careful laboratory testing.

EPISODE #5 (Broadcast February 12, 1936)
“THE CASE OF CLYDE BARROW AND BONNIE PARKER” (PART ONE)
STORY: Clyde Barrow was an ex-convict out on parole. Bonnie Parker was an attractive girl who liked fine clothing, and had flaming yellow hair and a passion for smoking big black cigars. The couple agreed on certain principles – to shoot anyone who stood in their way, to operate within a very wide area and to keep moving fast. Within five weeks, they committed 18 crimes. They raced from one state to another, robbing and beating up citizens, breaking into banks. The pair eventually broke into a National Guard Armory stealing large quantities of guns and ammunition.

Trivia, etc. This episode (and the February 19 broadcast) actually has two titles. According to the script, the drama is also titled “The Bloody Barrow Gang.” This is not uncommon, by the early-mid forties, every episode of Gang Busters had two titles. One title featured on the cover of the script and another title delivered by the announcer.

EPISODE #6 (Broadcast February 19, 1936)
“THE CASE OF CLYDE BARROW AND BONNIE PARKER” (PART TWO)
STORY: Clyde Barrow’s brother, Buck, pardoned from a penitentiary, got married and the couple joined the Barrow-Parker gang. The governor appointed Captain Hamer to smash the gang. He was a six-feet-three Texas Ranger who had killed sixty-three bandits in the line of duty. Hamer set a roadside trap for the pair staging the scene as if there had been an auto accident. Hamer and his men waited in the brush along the road. When Bonnie and Clyde stopped their car to find out what was wrong, gunfire and machine guns roared. Bonnie and Clyde attempted to leave the scene but lost control of their car and it crashed. Hamer and his deputies found the criminals dead inside, riddled with bullets – their car loaded with ammunition.

EPISODE #7 (Broadcast February 26, 1936)
“THE CASE OF THE LOS ANGELES SEWER BANK ROBBERS”
STORY: About two o’clock one morning, a night watchman making his rounds heard a mysterious tapping and phoned the police. Inspector Moore and a detective gathered some complicated equipment and began investigating. It was soon discovered that bandits were tunneling through a sewer in order to break into the underground vaults of a bank. The detectives investigated a prior trolley car accident possibly linked to the crime and some plumbers’ candles, a flashlight and half-eaten sandwiches found at the scene of the digging. Without knowing the identities of the bandits, the detectives applied a clever ruse to make the true criminals reveal themselves.

Trivia, etc. This episode was previously titled “The Case of the Gray Anthony Gang.”

EPISODE #8 (Broadcast March 4, 1936)
“THE CASE OF MIDGET FERNEKES” (PART ONE)
STORY: After robbing one office, Midget Fernekes dashed into another, placing his guns under some newspapers and pretended to be a photographer.  No one in the room dared tell the police that he was the robber they sought. His ruse failed to trick the police. Midget was sentenced to prison where he attempted to break out by blowing a hole in the prison wall with a homemade explosive. After numerous other escape attempts, he finally succeeded and fled. Posing very successfully for several years as a small-town businessman, Midget’s cover was once again revealed, sending him back to prison.

EPISODE #9 (Broadcast March 11, 1936)
“THE CASE OF MIDGET FERNEKES” (PART TWO)
NARRATOR: Grace M. Poole, Dean of Women of Stoneleigh College.
STORY: Midget Fernekes proved to be too clever for police when the criminal escaped from prison by using an improvised disguise. He bleached his blue jeans white with lemon juice and wore a mustache he had grown unnoticed by faking an infected upper lip and keeping it bandaged. The prison guards unsuspectingly allowed him to walk out, believing he was a visitor at the prison. Midget’s habits of making pencil sketches in public library books eventually lead to his capture. Scheduled to go to the electric chair, Fernekes saved the state an electric bill by slipping something into his own coffee. Before the guard could open the cell door to stop him, he drank the coffee and fell dead.

EPISODE # 10 (Broadcast March 18, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF THE PHANTOM FLATS”
STORY: The day after Filkowski was released from prison he called together eight underworld characters at an appointed hour in a deserted cellar in the Flats, the slum section of Cleveland. He informed them they were going to start operating together with him as their leader. He soon became known as “The Phantom” because no one ever saw him enter or leave the scene of his crimes. Two old-time detectives assigned to the case enlisted the aid of a rookie to help apprehend the Phantom, who apparently carried an explosive device with him in the event of his capture. Tracking Filkowski to a New York hotel, the police quickly knocked him unconscious and handcuffed him, guarding against the explosive.

EPISODE #11 (Broadcast March 25, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF LEONARD SCARNICI” (PART ONE)
STORY: Leonard Scarnici, a racketeer from Springfield, came to New York to get into the Dutch Schultz Gang as a professional killer. Schultz ordered him to kill Wilson, Scarnici’s best friend in Springfield, as a test of his abilities. Wilson had complete faith in Scarnici and readily accompanied him to a place where Scarnici asked him to dig a hole six feet long and three feet wide. Then Scarnici shot his friend and buried him alive. New York police noticed that Scarnici and his accomplices had been conspicuously absent, and warned Boston police to be on the lookout for them. But it was too late. A prominent Boston businessman was kidnapped and tortured because he refused to sign a ransom note.

EPISODE #12 (Broadcast April 1, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF LEONARD SCARNICI” (PART TWO)
STORY: Detective Jimmie Stevens was in his office at Rensselaer, New York, completing his retirement papers when the bank alarm sounded. Stevens and a police officer reached the bank and exchanged gunfire with the Scarnici gang. Scarnici fatally wounded Stevens, who died soon after. After following many leads and holding numerous interviews, officers in a patrol car spotted one of Scarnici’s men driving toward New York. The police followed discreetly, but relayed by radio which way the car turned at intersections. The car stopped at a Bronx apartment. Three detectives broke down the apartment door and found Scarnici and his men inside cleaning their guns. They were caught off guard, pounced upon, and taken into custody. The most cold-blooded of killers, Scarnici, was electrocuted in Sing Sing for the murder of detective Stevens.

EPISODE #13 (Broadcast April 8, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF THE DAGO PERETTI GANG”
STORY: Dago Peretti was the leader of a gang responsible for a series of murders and robberies in the Chicago area. His real name and his residence were unknown, even to members of his gang. It took two small pieces of dirty cardboard and a bottle of toothache pills for the police to get the break they needed. With the delivery address attached to the bottle, law enforcement was able to learn the identity of Dago Peretti. Applying a trick forcing Dago out the kitchen door of his apartment, Dago was drilled “full of lead” by the guarding police.

EPISODE #14 (Broadcast April 15, 1936)
“HOMER VAN METER”
STORY: St. Paul was dubbed “the Poison Spot of Crime” because of the large number of criminals who lived and operated there. Citizens held a meeting calling for unified action against the underworld. The worst of these criminals were Homer Van Meter and Eddie Green. To draw them out, police placed phony newspaper advertisements for a specially-designed automobile having a high-speed gear designed to be able to outrun police cars. Van Meter and Green answered the ad and were apprehended.

Trivia, etc. This script was originally titled “The Capture of the Dillinger Gang” since Homer Van Meter and Eddie Green both worked with Dillinger and his moll. While Dillinger’s reputation had been blown up by the media, Van Meter and Green were the real triggermen so Phillips Lord decided it would attract a large radio audience to learn about the criminal actions of Van Meter and Green.

EPISODE #15 (Broadcast April 22, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF THE D’AUTREMONT BROTHERS” (PART ONE)
STORY: High in the rugged Siskeyou Mountains, 17 miles from Ashland, Oregon, the Southern Pacific Railroad was robbed by two men who jumped onto the coal tender and climbed forward to the engine cab. At gunpoint, they ordered the engineer to stop the train in the tunnel and jump off. Hugh D’Autremont, older brother of twins, Roy and Ray, joined them. Hugh and Ray robbed the mail car by lowing up part of the car with dynamite. They left three clues behind: the pistol dropped by Ray, the dynamite switch, and an empty knapsack.

EPISODE #16 (Broadcast April 29, 1936)
“THE CAPTURE OF THE D’AUTREMONT BROTHERS” (PART TWO)
STORY: When the police were certain the D’Autremont Brothers were responsible for the train robbery, they had the F.B.I. send 2.5 million circulars worldwide, particularly to barber shops, lumber camps, opticians and dental offices. Five years passed but the police continued their search. Their big break came and Hugh was arrested in the Philippines. Roy and Ray were arrested in Columbus, Ohio where police noticed that the brothers had duplicated scars on each other’s bodies in order to throw the police off the track in case they were picked up.