And since I am on the subject of Jackie Kelk, nutrition was such a worry in the middle war years that Kelk was made the lead in an audition show about the subject, although I've yet to find any evidence that a show materialized from it...
Often overlooked in the Versatility Department is Ben Alexander, whose beginnings were as an announcer, played Marjories' shy boyfriend, Ben on the Great Gildersleeve, then went on the radio's Dragnet before "graduating" radio to be on the television show. In between he played many other parts, all varied in charisma...
I have read several blips in newspapers where, during WWII, people actually wrote in to radio shows complaining of the shows "wasting rubber" by screeching tires on radio automobiles. Didn't the public know that those were only sound effects?
I've never had the opportunity to hear Bob Burns or his show (can't find any) but I know about "Bazooka" Bob and his backwoods ways. It seems in 1943 there was a shoe ration in effect and his "Uncle Fudd" wrote into Bob on his show and asked, "What are shoes?"The Office of War Information instructed radio to nevermore mention "war effort" and instead say "war" in 1943...
According to one newspaper account, The March 9, 1943 episode of Fibber McGee and Molly was the funniest to date and second-funniest bit the radio writer had ever heard. Too bad that episode is missing...
John Brown was actually the star of two shows. Obviously, one was the "Damon Runyon Theatre." The other was a show that's not listed in the On the Air Encyclopedia; it was called, "Busy Mister Bingles" and was on Mutual Broadcasting. The lone episode I heard wasn't that great, but anyway...
In the 1940's, most radio actors worked for double digits for a performance ($0-$99.) But once they got into a movie, then their fee went up to middle triple digits. If they were a bona fide movie star, their pay scale went to 4 figures....
