Corey's Years of Squirrels - 2019

So I have been very, very fortunate over the past year.  Maybe not everything was perfect - but from a squirrel perspective - it was a great year.  I thought it might be fun to pull together some of the highlights of my squirrel obsessed life in 2019.  It was a banner year - and I hope to do this every year for Squirrel Appreciation Day - January 21st.

Comedy Wildlife Awards



On Friday April 5th, 2019, I got my picture of the year.  There is a cavity nest in the Law Quad in a tree that has since been taken down.  I had seen this squirrel coming out of her cavity nest a few times, but I got the picture of the year one day around 10am when I got a great old yawn as she left the nest.  I loved this picture right from the time I first saw it.

I decided that it would be a perfect one to send to the Comedy Wildlife Awards.  I was thrilled when it was selected as a semi-finalist and then a finalist.  In November, it was announced that this picture was recognized as Highly Commended!

Michigan Today Podcast

When I was asked by Deborah Holdship if I wanted to do a podcast about my interest in squirrels - I believe I said something to the extent of "you had me at squirrels."  We did this late in the year and it came out just before the holidays.



Dude's got class....

When the Ross School of Business launched their Online MBA this year, the team they assembled to support the new endeavor were located in our suite.  Among the team they brought in was Toon Mertens, a tremendous videographer who would produce a number of videos for the online program.  They wanted to create a prototype of a 'pitch' video that faculty could use to attract attention for their classes from students.

I had just met Toon and he 'pitched' the idea to me upon returning from a February vacation.  I was hoping that he would find a better idea - but he persisted.  So off we went - co-writing this piece.  Furthermore, he asked me questions that were recorded to get more spontaneity.  This is a version that does not have the Block M - but it is just as much fun.  This was tremendous fun.

Albino Squirrels in Olney, Illinois

Barbie National Convention was in Kansas City this year and Pam and I decided to drive.  I learned about the albino squirrel population in Olney, Illinois from a great article in the Squirrel Week Series from John Kelly of the Washington Post.  When I discovered that it was kinda on the way from Michigan to Kansas City, a plan was hatched!



We spent one night in Olney.  On the first day, we visited with Belinda Henton, a certified wildlife rehabilitator and she invited me to look her up when we got into town.  Pam and I went out to visit.  She had a newborn albino (you can tell by the white in the nails) who needs to be bottle fed as it fell out of a nest.  Then there was Rocky Dale.  Rocky Dale seems to have suffered some brain damage as a result of a fall.  He can move around, but only turns left (so he picked up the name Dale to honor the NASCAR legend).  She let me hold Rocky Dale and he climbed all over me.  It was amazing and the most fun I have had in a good while.  She said that Rocky Dale is not like that with everyone - so that felt good.




The following day, I got this great picture of an albino squirrel by the Olney Library - because you can always find everything you need at the library!

The Squirrel Doctor Makes House Calls

I once spoke with a faculty member at Michigan who also is a fan of squirrels - and she mentioned about medication you can give squirrels who have mange.  So when I started noticing some squirrels with mange in the Law Quad, I reached out to the Friends of Wildlife Michigan.  They connected me with someone who has worked up some medicated pecans for me to feed the squirrel. Each dose is two pecans - to be given one week apart.



Here is "Patches O'Houlihan" on Monday July 1st 2019 in the Law Quad.  This was a couple of days after I gave her the first dose.  I named all the patients after characters in the 2004 movie "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story."




Here is Patches on August 7th, 2019.  Her fur had almost entirely grown back, with the exception of this area on her left leg that she was agitating.  Over the coming months, it would be harder and harder to tell which ones had mange - so that was wonderful news.

Project 365 Squirrel Pictures at the University of Michigan

Here are all my pictures of the day featuring squirrels from the University of Michigan during 2019!



Lefty!

I do not give all the squirrels names - but one is so famous, she has actually two names.  In December 2018, I first noticed a squirrel who was missing her front right paw.  She also had part of her right ear removed.  I have named her Lefty - though colleagues at the President's House and Tappan Hall call her Tripod.  She has been seen in Law Quad, behind Martha Cook, in front of the Clements Library and by the President's House.  All these locations are near South University.



I have seen a great deal of Lefty over the course of the year.  There isn't a day where she does not cheer me up.  She does great and does not suffer one bit by having three paws.


Dude is an Artist!

On December 1st, 2019, I participated in my first art show and showed a number of squirrel related items featuring my wonderful campus squirrels.  This wonderful event was very well attended and featured 20 artists (including me) at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor).  I also had my photos at Carrigan Cafe in Saline in September.  Seems I will be the regular September artist at the cafe for the next few years!



Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrels

We were in Baltimore for the Integrity Toys Convention.  Two hours to the south is Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  Was it worth driving nearly two hours each way from Baltimore to see these little ones - ABSOLUTELY!  Here are pictures of  Delmarva peninsula fox squirrels I saw on the trails near Wildlife Drive.  I was very excited to see these squirrels for the first time on the Marsh Edge Trail and the Woods Trail along Wildlife Drive.  They were tricky to photograph - as they were constantly moving and deep in the brush on the bottom of these wooded areas.  So I did each trail at least three times to make sure that I got to see as many as I did.  I ended up tossing nearly 2/3 of the pictures because they were not good.  The squirrels are fantastic and I am so glad that I made the trip.



This is my first visit to this wonderful refuge - and hopefully not the last.  Taken on Thursday October 10th, 2019.

Been an exciting year - from a squirrel perspective!  Here's hoping for another great year in 2020!

Some links if you are still with me:

• Corey's Squirrel Page (home page for many of my squirrel pictures)
• Corey's Squirrels page on facebook
• Corey's Squirrel Museum (of sorts - on flickr)
• My flickr photostream

Librarians on Old Time Radio: Luigi Takes a Librarian to the Fair on Life with Luigi (1951)

Here is my fourth entry in my Librarians on Old Time Radio series.  After two episodes featuring crimes and one featuring the old American West, I think it is only fitting that we feature one of the comedies.  Sometimes the comedies do not translate well to modern sensibilities and tastes, but they are part of the genre and definitely part of the culture at the time.  And since immigration is such a common story in the news these days, spending a half an hour with Luigi Basco might be in order.

Wrigley Building in Chicago - May 2014

From 1948 to 1953, CBS Radio featured a weekly half-hour situation comedy telling the story of a recent immigrant to the United States in the times after World War II.  The program is Life With Luigi, a comedy series staring J. Carrol Naish in the title role. It was the brain-child of Cy Howard and starred J. Carrol Naish plays the title character, Luigi Basco, who was spending his new life in Chicago.  Character actor Alan Reed (maybe best known as the voice of Fred Flinstone) plays Pasquale, Luigi's sponsor and best friend.  Each of the episodes starts off this the same opening - as announcer Bob Stevenson would say:

We invite you to enjoy life – Life with Luigi – a new comedy show created by Cy Howard and starring that celebrated actor, Mr. J. Carroll Nash with Alan Reed as Pasquale. 

A year ago, when Luigi Basco left Italy to start his new life in America, he promised his mother that he would write and tell her about his adventures. So now let’s read Luigi’s letter as he writes to Momma Basco in Italy. 

The episode we are featuring first aired on May 1st, 1951. Luigi starts off (as he does each week) with his letter to Momma Basco and was talking about a great picnic they went to back in the old country.  Then it goes to their citizenship class as it often does.  But all the students, immigrants from all over Europe, could not remember who wrote the Village Blacksmith (it was Longfellow).  What had the students all worked up?  They were all going to Riverview Park that coming Sunday, and everyone had two tickets. So who were they going to bring?  Would Luigi bring Rosa?  Nope, he needed a real date...but where?

He finds a date in a place he was not expecting - the library.  He had to go there after class to return a book that was overdue.  It did not take him longer to read, but he was lending the book to others.  He seemed to be running his own private library.  But talking with the librarian led to small talk - and the next thing you knew, Luigi had a date to the park.  Sure they took advantage of making all the librarian jokes you can think of - they do have a certain charm.  But when Pasquale finds out that he is not taking Rosa, he places a bet that he would not get a kiss that day.  And things do not end exactly as Luigi might have wanted, but they were good in the end.  The cast includes J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed, Mary Shipp, Joe Forte, Ken Peters, Hans Conried, Jody Gilbert and was written by Mac Benoff and Lou Derman.

While a comedy, I think they always respected the characters and what they did to come to the States.  There were a number of programs that had immigrants as major characters, but this is one of the best known.  Kinda interesting when you listen to the episodes today.  I hope you enjoy.

A Date with a Librarian (Life With Luigi - May 1st, 1951)

Here are some links to programs relating to Life With Luigi:

• Life With Luigi radio program episodes via the Internet Archive
• Life With Luigi radio program episodes via the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• Life With Luigi from the RadioGOLDINdex
• Life With Luigi on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Life With Luigi entry from the Wikipedia
• Life With Luigi scripts from Generic Radio Workshop

Librarians on Old Time Radio 

• Damaged Library Book from Suspense (1945)
• The Librarian from Frontier Gentleman (1958)
• Boston Blackie Solves the Stolen Rare Book (1946)
• Luigi Takes a Librarian to the Fair on Life with Luigi (1951)
• Corey's Librarian Entries

Old Time Radio Links and Older Blog Posts

• All my OTR blog posts
• Corey's African Americans on Old Time Radio Entries
• Corey's American History Entries
• Corey's Baseball Entries
• Corey's Christmas Entries
• Corey's Food Entries
• Corey's Librarian Entries
• Corey's Lighthouse Entries
• Corey's Your World Adventure Awaits Entries - I want to get this going again in 2019
• Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148)
• Old Time Radio Drama (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• Digital Deli Online
• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Site

Librarians on Old Time Radio: Boston Blackie Solves the Stolen Rare Book (1946)

Here is my third entry in my new series - Librarians on Old Time Radio.  I am going to feature programs that have librarians and related information professionals in key roles in the story.  These might be fairly straight forward - or only tangentially related to librarianship.  This episode features a a detective/crime series that I have always loved.  I am moving this to the front of this series because I heard this on XM recently when driving back from Pittsburgh - not Boston.

Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington 

Seattle, Washington (May 2018)

One of my favorite Old Time Radio series is Boston Blackie.  These crime stories always leave the police, especially Police Inspector Farraday, frustrated and befuddled.  But to the rescue is Boston Blackie - who always solves the crime and saves the day.  Each of episodes starts the same way - with this phrase that says everything you need to know about Boston Blackie:

"Enemy of those who make him an enemy,

 friend to those who have no friend."

Remember that phrase!  Boston Blackie moves effortlessly on both sides of the law, but is primarily interested in doing what is right.  If that means working with the police, then so be it!  The character was created by author Jack Boyle, Boston Blackie was a safecracker who served time in prison before turning his attention to making things right.  The most well known episodes were syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other networks after World War II.  Staring in the role as Boston Blackie was Richard Kollmar.  Mary Wesley (his constant companion) was played by Jan Miner.  Maurice Tarplin plays Police Inspector Farraday, who starts off most episodes with the belief that no matter what the crime was, Blackie was involved.  Tarplin is also know as the voice of the Mysterious Traveler and The Strange Dr. Weird.  

On September 3rd, 1946 - the ABC Radio Network broadcast an episode known as the "Stolen Rare Book." It starts out with Mary Wesley looking for a valuable first edition of a book at the local library.  She is heading to the rare book vault to see the work - when someone alerts everyone that the attendant there has collapsed.  So when Inspector Farraday shows up, so does Boston Blackie.  But in the hubub of the collapsing attendant - it seems that a rare book has been stolen.  Blackie and Mary Wesley discover that the person who noticed the collapsing attendant works for a rare book dealer Harold Benson - and might be responsible for the missing volume.  And while they were thinking that Benson might be involved - the story and the case changes when it is discovered that the rare book dealer was murdered.  So as you might imagine - there are all sorts of "keep quiet" librarian gags throughout the episode.  But once again, Boston Blackie saves the day and figures out the crime.

Stolen Rare Book on Boston Blackie (September 3, 1946)

Here are some links to programs relating to Old Time Radio and Boston Blackie:

• Boston Blackie episodes via the Internet Archive
• Boston Blackie on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Boston Blackie from Thrilling Detective site
• Boston Blackie (on The Digital Deli)
• Boston Blackie info (mostly on movies, TV and stories)
• Boston Blackie Novel Audio Book
• Boston Blackie 1919 Novel by James Boyle (via Munseys)
• Boston Blackie scripts from Generic Radio Workshop

Librarians on Old Time Radio 

• Damaged Library Book from Suspense (1945)
• The Librarian from Frontier Gentleman (1958)
• Boston Blackie Solves the Stolen Rare Book (1946)
• Corey's Librarian Entries

Old Time Radio Links and Older Blog Posts

• All my OTR blog posts
• Corey's African Americans on Old Time Radio Entries
• Corey's American History Entries
• Corey's Baseball Entries
• Corey's Christmas Entries
• Corey's Food Entries
• Corey's Librarian Entries
• Corey's Lighthouse Entries
• Corey's Your World Adventure Awaits Entries - I want to get this going again in 2019
• Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148)
• Old Time Radio Drama (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• Digital Deli Online
• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Site

Librarians on Old Time Radio: The Librarian from Frontier Gentleman (1958)

My Nancy Pearl Action Figure back in 2009 on my old office toy all.  
She is one heck of a librarian!

Here is my second entry in my new series - Librarians on Old Time Radio.  I am going to feature programs that have librarians and related information professionals in key roles in the story.  These might be fairly straight forward - or only tangentially related to librarianship.  Maybe there is a minor part of a librarian in the story.  Anyway, I should have a good number of episodes to feature over the upcoming months.  I hope to feature one entry a week - but this last week got past me - fingers crossed for catching up soon.  Hope you enjoy them.

In the late 1950s, there was one network that was producing great radio programming.  It was the same network that we featured last week with their landmark program, Suspense. While during the late 1950s, networks were focused on television, CBS produced a number of great programs for the medium of radio.  Some of these programs were relatively short lived, but thankfully, we still have them.  One of them was a vehicle for CBS Radio star John Dehner, who I featured a few years back on the centennial of his birth.  John Dehner was practically a regular guest star on Gunsmoke, appearing in over 200 episodes.  When you needed a bad villain, you called John.  When you needed a good villain, you called John.  Pretty much, you called John.  He would star in the radio program Have Gun, Will Travel (also on the CBS Network) and that would start only weeks after the show I am featuring today, Frontier Gentleman.  This was one of the adult western programs that CBS offered, but with an interesting twist.

From the Digital Deli entry (linked below), they described Frontier Gentleman thusly:

"The protagonist of the series is J.B. Kendall, a cashiered British Cavalry officer who spent most of his military career in the Punjab area of India. He takes a position with the London Times, on assignment to cover the developing frontier of the Montana and Wyoming Territories of America during the 1870s. His portfolio is to transmit first-person accounts of the roaring American frontier, offering insights into that tumultous time of exploration, colonization, warring Indian tribes, and the rampant anarchy still prevalent in most of the frontier towns of the era."

While there were only 41 episodes of this program, that ran from February to November, 1958, it is a fun way to see the American west through the eyes of an outsider.  John Dehner's J.B. Kendall uses the column that he would have written as a frame for his adventures, much like Johnny Dollar used the expense reports.  

On October 5th, 1958 (toward the end of its only season on the air), the episode broadcast was called "The Librarian".  In this episode, a widower by the name of Almira Danworthy from out east tries to scare off a settler who is trying to take over her land claim. She was a librarian out east and moved west with her husband. After being swindled by a shady land developer, they found themselves on this plot that they had to develop - or lose. But in working the land, her husband died of exhaustion. But in returning to their land, she discovered that someone else had taken over the property, a Confederate veteran.  So, its just another story of a librarian who has to share space with people who don't belong.  Alas, some things never change.  Joining John Dehner in the cast is Virginia Gregg as the librarian, Vic Perrin (billed as "Richard Perkins" - from the RadioGOLDINdex), Charles Seel, Eddie Firestone with Bud Sewell as the announcer.  The story was written by Tom Hanley and Antony Ellis was the producer and director.

The Librarian (Frontier Gentleman from October 5, 1958)

Here are some links to programs relating to Old Time Radio and Frontier Gentleman:

• Frontier Gentleman radio program episodes via the Internet Archive
• Frontier Gentleman radio program episodes via the Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• Frontier Gentleman on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Frontier Gentleman from the Digital Deli
• Frontier Gentleman episodes from the RadioGOLDINdex
• Frontier Gentleman scripts from Generic Radio Workshop

Librarians on Old Time Radio 

• Damaged Library Book from Suspense (1945)
• The Librarian from Frontier Gentleman (1958)
• Corey's Librarian Entries

Old Time Radio Links and Older Blog Posts

• All my OTR blog posts
• Corey's African Americans on Old Time Radio Entries
• Corey's American History Entries
• Corey's Baseball Entries
• Corey's Christmas Entries
• Corey's Food Entries
• Corey's Librarian Entries
• Corey's Lighthouse Entries
• Corey's Your World Adventure Awaits Entries - I want to get this going again in 2019
• Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148)
• Old Time Radio Drama (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• Digital Deli Online
• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Site

Librarians on Old Time Radio: Damaged Library Book from Suspense (1945)

Lots of Damaged Books Here

Kresge Library (Michigan) Collection Surplus - July 17, 2014

I have started up a number of series of blog posts on the Golden Age of Radio - or old time radio.  I have focused on Christmas, Thanksgiving, diet, baseball, African-Americans, world travel and lighthouses.  Today I am starting a new series that I have been planning for some time.  As a librarian (13+ years at the University of Michigan), I have long wanted to match my love of old time radio with my profession.  So today, I start up my new series - Librarians on Old Time Radio.  I am going to feature programs that have librarians and related information professionals in key roles in the story.  These might be fairly straight forward - or only tangentially related to librarianship.  Maybe there is a minor part of a librarian in the story.  Anyway, I should have a good number of episodes to feature over the upcoming months.  I hope to feature one entry a week.  Hope you enjoy them.

Among the very best shows that were broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio, the CBS Network's Suspense really stands out as one of the best of the best.  Radio's "outstanding theater of thrills" had a 20 year run on CBS - starting in 1942.  In fact, the last Suspense episode in 1962 marks the end of the Golden Age of Radio.  As you might imagine for a program that ran for 20 years, you have a great combination of excellent stories and fantastic production values.  If CBS was the best network on the radio, this was their star attraction.  Week in, and week out, they had one amazing program after another.  One of the reasons why I love listening to the early episodes is because I enjoy the sponsor, Roma Wines.  Their commercials are the best - Salute!  

So maybe I should have held this one back - but why not start with a bang!  On September 20th, 1945, Suspense featured the great actress Myrna Loy as Prudence Roberts, in their production of "Library Book." We open with Prudence Roberts at the circulation desk at a librarian answering a phone call to see if they carry or carried the Racing Form. We are then have a patron return a book the counter. Gone With The Wind was returned 2 days late (that would be 4 cents) when the patron mentioned that pages 931 and 932 were pulled from the book. So Prudence followed the rules and wanted to charge the patron who returned the book for the vandalized copy of this work. The last thing she wanted to do was to buy another best-seller. When a colleague interceded and suggested that if the patron vandalized the book, would she have brought it up? While many might have tossed the now damaged book aside, she discovered that words were marked up on page 933. While Gone With The Wind is a romance, this is becoming a mystery. (Though to the young boy who thought it was about airplanes, it was very disappointing). Prudence discovers that the missing page and the one afterwards are leading to a kidnapping plot.

Joining Myrna Loy in the cast were Cathy Lewis, Wally Maher, Conrad Binyon, & Joseph Kearns as the announcer. The story is based on the 1939 short story by Cornell Woolrich called "The Book That Squealed." It was adapted by William Spier, who also directed the episode. I hope you enjoy this episode, albeit filled with the stereotypical depictions of librarians, but the accurate telling of our love of rules!

Library Book (Suspense, September 20th, 1945)

Here are some links to programs relating to Old Time Radio and Suspense:

• Suspense radio program episodes via the Internet Archive
• Escape and Suspense (from a great tribute site)
• Suspense on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Suspense episodes from the RadioGOLDINdex
• Episode information from Escape and Suspense
• Suspense entry in the Wikipedia
• Plot summaries for Suspense (from Plot Spot)
• Suspense scripts from Generic Radio Workshop

Librarians on Old Time Radio 

• Damaged Library Book from Suspense (1945)
• Corey's Librarian Entries

Old Time Radio Links and Older Blog Posts

• All my OTR blog posts
• Corey's African Americans on Old Time Radio Entries
• Corey's American History Entries
• Corey's Baseball Entries
• Corey's Christmas Entries
• Corey's Food Entries
• Corey's Librarian Entries
• Corey's Lighthouse Entries
• Corey's Your World Adventure Awaits Entries - I want to get this going again in 2019
• Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148)
• Old Time Radio Drama (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• Digital Deli Online
• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Site

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 25: Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

Once again, as we have reached the 25th Day of my Old Time Radio blog celebrating Christmas, we are at my other favorite episodes - or series of episodes: The Elgin Watch Specials. These 2 hour shows are too long to be broadcast on Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148), but are simply the best part of the holidays for me, especially if you are cooking in the Christmas. Or you can see my previous OTR Christmas entries (or drop to the bottom of this message).  These have been fun to share and I hope that you have enjoyed them.  I am wishing you a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and a great new year.

Cosmo the cat enjoying the Christmas Tree - 2008

One of the really cool shows I stumbled onto a few years back were the Elgin Seasonal Specials for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the 1940s. These were also known as Elgin's "2 Hours of Stars."  The shows were sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company of Elgin, Illinois. Starting in 1942 for the soldiers overseas, the Elgin Holiday Specials were two hour programs that featured the brightest stars in radio and the movies. Heard on these programs is Bing Crosby, Mario Landa, Jimmy Durante, Bob Hope and were all hosted by Don Ameche. The Internet Archives has five total shows (see the link below). One of the real treats takes place one hour into the show from 1945. Jack Benny gave a twisted performance of Sorry Wrong Number, one of the most iconic episodes of Suspense. Also, given that the program runs 2 hours, these are not commonly played on current radio programs like XM 148.

I read that the specials had very different purposes.  The Thanksgiving shows were to get you to think about Elgin Watches and accessories for Christmas gifts.  The Christmas shows were to get you to think about Elgin Watches as you cashed in your gift certificates that you might have received for the holidays.  Variety reported in June 1949:

Shows last year cost Elgin an estimated $100,000 each, of which $26,000 went for network time and $60,000 for talent. First program to get the axe was the Christmas package, which was aimed at coaxing recipents of gift certificates into post-holiday buying of timepieces. Last year's January business, however, was reportedly so far from expectations that the watch company figured it has a white elephant on its hand. J. Walter Thomson agency made a fight to save the plum, with no luck.

As a great variety show that lasts two hours, it is a perfect thing to have on your radio (or computer) as you cook the Christmas meal.  It has been on the radio in my kitchen these last few years over the holidays.  Though we are not cooking for Christmas this year, it is a regular for me and will be my go-to Old Time Radio program for both Christmas and Thanksgiving.  I hope some day to write up something more in-depth on this program.

Here are links right to the Elgin's Christmas Shows:

Elgin's 3rd Annual Christmas Show (December 25, 1944)



Summary:  The show features and all star list of radio and movie actors including: Ginny Simms, Eddie Anderson, Jack Benny, Louis Silvers and His Orchestra, Manny Klein, The Swing Wing, The Charioteers, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Carmen Miranda, Joseph Szigeti, The Les Paul Trio, Barbara Jo Allen, Bob Hope, and Bing Crosby.  The great Don Ameche served as the master of ceremonies.  I think it is totally great to hear any early performance by Guitar great Les Paul and his Trio!  Bing Crosby also went off the Christmas script and sang "Don't Fence Me In."  The routine between Bob Hope and Bing Crosby was fantastic as well.

The shows have great Christmas music, and some pretty funny comedy bits.  I particularly enjoy the long skit between singer Ginny Simms, Jack Benny and Eddie Anderson about how they were rehearsing for this song on the Elgin special.  The performance also by guitar great Les Paul is fantastic.

In the Variety Radio Reviews of the program (which appear in the December 27, 1944 issue - page 28):

This third annual Elgin Watch Christmas Day star-studded show was a boff companion piece for the company-sponsored Thanksgiving program-and that's another way of saying that you'll probably have to wait a long time (until, perhaps, Elgin shoots the works on another ultra-package) to match the 120 minutes of entertainment that went out over the CBS network from 4 to 6 p.m.  And like the Thanksgiving show, this one not only went into the homes of the nation's Yuletide celebrants, but circuited the global warfronts.   

Here was a Xmas package that couldn't but help momentarily gladden the hearts of those GIs holding down the battle line forts.  As such it will stand as a tribute to Bob Hope-Bing Crosby-Jack Benny & Co. (and with due acknowledgement to the whole supporting cast); to the top scripting job sparked by Carroll Carroll and overall Tony Stanford production that combines a properly tempoed humor and hilarity with a complete awareness of the sensitivities involved in justifying a gay, laughing-at-home mood in contrast to the misery and tragedies that the boys overseas are encountering.  It was to a large measure, that sensitively-wrought portion that helped make the show memorable, particularly in the treatment it was given by Don Ameche, who emceed the show (there ought to be a Society of the Promotion of Ameche as Permanent Emcee for Such Occasions), and in the Crosby windup spiel.

 The show was well paced and marked by a proper integration of drama, comedy, music (both in the hot and longhaired idiom), all with dignity and, for the most part, in good taste, but essentially it was a show build for laughs - laughs to hypo GI spirits and those at home with a stake in the war via concern for sons, fathers, brothers, sweethearts.  It was comedy with a purpose, and in paying the freight, Elgin contributed its own generous portion of extending the season's greetings.

Not that the program was without its imperfections.  In keeping with that overall good-will-toward-men theme, those Elgin pitches could have been soft-pedalled; similarly the multiplicity of plugs to fie in the products of the guestars were overworked.  There was, too, a middle-portion boggin down in which Carmen Miranda, in particular, came off second best.  

But add up that wham Crosby-Hope latter portion routine with its spontaneity and warm, infections quality; that Jack Benny-Rochester-Ginny Simms fiddle accomp comedy stretch; the latter's sock renditions of "Hallelujah" and "Wish You Were Waiting for Me"; add, too, the Burns & Allen-Don Ameche laugh-packed skit, the Charioteers singing "Poor Little Jesus Boy," the Les Paul Trio doing "Danger - Men At Work," the hot routine of the Swing Wing (Mannie Klein) musical combo from the Santa Ana Army Air Base Band, the change in pace via Joseph Szigeti's flawless violinistics, and it's easy to understand why this Christmas package couldn't miss.

Elgin's 4th Annual Christmas Show (December 25, 1945)



Summary:  The show stars  Don Ameche as the masters of ceremonies and a all star cast including:  Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Ginny Simms, Red Skelton, Bob Crosby and The Bobcats, Barbara Jo Allen (as "Vera Vague"), Allan Jones, Artur Rubinstein, Ella Logan, Alan Reed, General Omar Bradley, The Charioteers, Larry Storch, and The Elgin Orchestra conducted by Louis Silvers.

Elgin's 7th Annual Christmas Show (December 25, 1948)



Summary: The show stars  Don Ameche as the masters of ceremonies and a all star cast including: Sandra Berkova. Lauritz Melchior, Al Jolson, Danny Thomas, Red Ingle, Jack Kirkwood, Jo Stafford, Edgar Bergen, Sandra Berkova (a 15 year-old violinist), Cass Daley, Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard, Robert Armbruster and His Orchestra, and Jane Morgan.

I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and enjoy these wonderful recordings!

Here are some links to programs relating to the Elgin Watch Specials:

• Elgin Watch Specials episodes via the Internet Archive
• Elgin Holiday Shows on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Elgin Watch entry in the Wikipedia
• Thanksgiving Elgin Specials on my blog
• Elgin Christmas Specials on RadioGOLDINdex
• Elgin Thanksgiving Specials on RadioGOLDINdex

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2018) & Other Links

• 2018 Day 25: Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company
• 2018 Day 24: Carmen Kringle and Johnny Dollar (1957)
• 2018 Day 23: Christmas with the Texas Rangers (Not Those Rangers)
• 2018 Day 22: Campus Snowmen on Halls of Ivy (1951)
• 2018 Day 21: Lionel Barrymore's Christmas Carol from the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1953)
• 2018 Day 20: Kraft Music Hall's Christmas Show with Bing Crosby (1944)
• 2018 Day 19: Christmas at Mission San Gabriel (Romance of the Ranchos - 1941)
• 2018 Day 18: A Christmas Carol with Ronald Colman on Favorite Story (1949)
• 2018 Day 17: Family Theater's Daddy for Christmas (1948)
• 2018 Day 16: Family Theater's Lullaby Of Christmas (1950)
• 2018 Day 15: Christmas with My Friend Irma (1950)
• 2018 Day 14: Christmas Bonus with Life of Riley (1948)
• 2018 Day 13: Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (1953)
• 2018 Day 12: Borrowing a Sleigh for Caroling with Lucille Ball and My Favorite Husband (1949)
• 2018 Day 11: Bread On The Waters from The Columbia Workshop (1938)
• 2018 Day 10: An Unwelcome Christmas Present with the Falcon (1950)
• 2018 Day 9: Richer By One Christmas from the program Romance (1955)
• 2018 Day 8: Gildy's Christmas Shopping on The Great Gildersleeve (1942)
• 2018 Day 7: A Radio Nutcracker from the Railroad Hour (1952)
• 2018 Day 6: Juggler of Notre Dame with Nelson Eddy and Ronald Colman (1940)
• 2018 Day 5: Gracie Works Retail on Maxwell House Coffee Time (1946)
• 2018 Day 4: Early Christmas Presents with Fibber McGee and Molly (1944)
• 2018 Day 3: Looking for the Christmas Show Scripts with Gracie Allen and George Burns (1940)
• 2018 Day 2: A Stable In Bethlehem...Pennsylvania (1944)
• 2018 Day 1: Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny & Gang (1947)
• All my entries covering OTR and Christmas
• Also visit 500 OTR Christmas Shows from the Internet Archive.
• Christmas Programs from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Christmas Scripts at Generic Radio Workshop 
• Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148)
• Old Time Radio Drama (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• All my OTR blog posts
• Corey's African Americans on Old Time Radio Entries
• Corey's American History Entries
• Corey's Baseball Entries
• Corey's Christmas Entries
• Corey's Food Entries
• Corey's Lighthouse Entries
• Corey's Your World Adventure Awaits Entries - I want to get this going again in 2019

Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2017) 

• 2017 Day 1:  Candy Matson's Christmas Episodes
• 2017 Day 2: New World A Coming's Christmas Episode
• 2017 Day 3: Kraft Music Hall with a Melancholy Santa (1947)
• 2017 Day 4: Kraft Music Hall with Bing Crosby (1942)
• 2017 Day 5: Mailing Packages with Fibber McGee and Molly (1940)
• 2017 Day 6: America for Christmas from Du Pont's Cavalcade (1944)
• 2017 Day 7: Nineteen Santa Clauses from The Saint (1950)
• 2017 Day 8: Choral Music for the Holidays from Du Pont's Cavalcade (1946)
• 2017 Day 9: The Night Before Christmas from Sherlock Holmes (1945)
• 2017 Day 10: The Plot To Murder Santa Claus with Frank Sinatra (1953)
• 2017 Day 11: Missing Christmas Money from Life With Luigi (1949)
• 2017 Day 12: Palm Beach Santa Claus on the Damon Runyon Theater (1949) 
• 2017 Day 13: The Shadow's Gift of Murder (1947)
• 2017 Day 14: Christmas Card Pictures with Lucille Ball's My Favorite Husband (1950)
• 2017 Day 15: Christmas Carol from Maxwell House's Good News (1938)
• 2017 Day 16: When Johnny Dollar Played Santa Claus (1949)
• 2017 Day 17: A Christmas Baby from Gunsmoke (1959)
• 2017 Day 18: The Bishop's Wife on Lux Radio Theater (1949)
• 2017 Day 19: Fibber McGee Paints the Tree White (1945)
• 2017 Day 20: Other Wise Man on Mutual's Family Theater (1949)
• 2017 Day 21: Burns and Allen Present Gracie's Christmas Carol (1936)
• 2017 Day 22: A Dog For Christmas - Dog Star from Suspense (1957)
• 2017 Day 23: The Whistler's Three Wise Guys from Damon Runyon (1950)
• 2017 Day 24: Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (1953)
• 2017 Day 25: Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2016) 

• 2016 Day 1: The Shadow's Christmas Carol
• 2016 Day 2: The Story of Christmas Seals from Cavalcade of America
• 2016 Day 3: Three Men from NBC's Radio City Playhouse
• 2016 Day 4: Johnny Dollar's Missing Mouse Matter (1956)
• 2016 Day 5: Berlin, 1945 from Quiet Please
• 2016 Day 6: Christmas Clothing Drive with Our Miss Brooks (1950)
• 2016 Day 7: Duffy's Tavern Christmas with Jeff Chandler (1948)
• 2016 Day 8: Miracle in Manhattan from the Columbia Workshop (1941)
• 2016 Day 9: Looking for a Christmas Tree with Fibber McGee & Molly
• 2016 Day 10: Christmas Shopping with Casey, Crime Photographer
• 2016 Day 11: A Radio Nutcracker
• 2016 Day 12: Double Entry from Suspense
• 2016 Day 13: More Shopping with Jack Benny (1944)
• 2016 Day 14: Bob Hope and Friends at Sawtelle Veterans Hospital (1946)
• 2016 Day 15: Christmas at Mission San Gabriel (Romance of the Ranchos)
• 2016 Day 16: Christmas on Broadway (kinda)
• 2016 Day 17: Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas
• 2016 Day 18: Lucille Ball Knits a Sweater from My Favorite Husband
• 2016 Day 19: Finding Santa (This is Your FBI)
• 2016 Day 20: Barton Drake Saves Christmas (Mystery Is My Hobby)
• 2016 Day 21: The Only Wise Man from Radio Reader's Digest
• 2016 Day 22: Richer By One Christmas with Virginia Gregg
• 2016 Day 23: Big Little Jesus from Dragnet
• 2016 Day 24: Letter To An Unborn Child from Ceiling Unlimited
• 2016 Day 25: Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2015) & Other Links

• 2015 Day 1 - Honest Harold's Christmas Party
• 2015 Day 2 - The Innocent Santa Claus (This is Your FBI)
• 2015 Day 3 - Christmas Story from The Mysterious Traveler
• 2015 Day 4 - All is Bright (the story of Silent Night)
• 2015 Day 5 - Beeker's Barn (a Christmas tale from Gunsmoke)
• 2015 Day 6 - Santa Claus of Bums' Boulevard (Casey Crime Photographer)
• 2015 Day 7 - Dr. Sixgun's A Pony for Christmas
• 2015 Day 8 - The Plot To Murder Santa Claus (with Frank Sinatra as Rocky Fortune)
• 2015 Day 9 - Department Store Woes with Johnny Dollar
• 2015 Day 10 - Department Store Contest with Connie Brooks
• 2015 Day 11 - Radio Nutcracker
• 2015 Day 12 - Frank Sinatra in Room for a Stranger (Radio Reader's Digest)
• 2015 Day 13 - A Child Visits the Magnificent Montague
• 2015 Day 14 - The Gift of the Magi (Radio Reader's Digest)
• 2015 Day 15 - A Child is Born (from Cavalcade of America)
• 2015 Day 16 - Dennis Day's The Boy Who Sang For The King
• 2015 Day 17 - Suspense's Back for Christmas (1943)
• 2015 Day 18 - Dancing Dan's Christmas (Damon Runyon Theater)
• 2015 Day 19 - Have Gun, Will Travel's Hanging Cross
• 2015 Day 20 - Dressing up as Santa on the Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show
• 2015 Day 21 - Great Gildersleeve and Leroy Alone for Christmas (1952)
• 2015 Day 22 - Fibber McGee and Molly's Phonograph (1940)
• 2015 Day 23 - The Messiah from Theater of Romance
• 2015 Day 24 - Big Little Jesus from Dragnet
• 2015 Day 25 - Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2014)

• Day 1 - Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure
• Day 2 - The Saint is No Santa Claus
• Day 3 - Stolen Rings at Christmas with Boston Blackie
• Day 4 - Dragnet's Christmas Episodes
• Day 5 - Nero Wolfe & the Slaughtered Santas
• Day 6 - The Plot To Murder Santa Claus (with Frank Sinatra as Rocky Fortune)
• Day 7 - Christmas at Mission San Gabriel with Romance of the Ranchos
• Day 8 - Arch Oboler's Christmas 1918
• Day 9 - The Story of Silent Night (Hallmark Playhouse)
• Day 10 - Juggler of Notre Dame (with Nelson Eddy)
• Day 11 - Candy Matson's Christmas Episodes
• Day 12 - Lionel Barrymore's Mayor of the Town
• Day 13 - More Radio Adaptations of a Christmas Carol
• Day 14 - Tales Of The Texas Rangers (not those Rangers)
• Day 15 - Christmas in Connecticut (with Ronald Reagan)
• Day 16 - Holidays with Connie - Our Miss Brooks 
• Day 17 - The Whistler's Christmas Episodes
• Day 18 - Detroit's WXYZ & The Lone Ranger
• Day 19 - Johnny Dollar and the Nick Shurn Matter
• Day 20 - Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny
• Day 21 - Gunsmoke's Christmas Story
• Day 22 - Bob Hope's Christmas Shows
• Day 23 - Christmas with Mel Blanc
• Day 24 - Bing Crosby's Christmas Shows
• Day 25 - Elgin Watch Christmas Specials
• Day 26 - Five Days Off For Christmas with Night Beat
• Day 27 - Let George Do It Christmas Episodes
• Day 28 - CBS Radio Workshop's All is Bright
• Day 29 - Hotpoint's The Man Who Came to Dinner (with Jack Benny)

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas - Day 24: Carmen Kringle and Johnny Dollar (1957)

Not a Burro -But in the desert.
 Harris's Antelope Squirrels - Desert Botanical Gardens (Phoenix, Arizona - July 2018)

It's Christmas Eve and I have been mixing it up between new programs featured on this series and some of my all time favorites.  I am going to mix it up in this very entry by going to one of my favorite series and a Christmas episode I had not featured before.  And while you make think I am being stubborn with my choices here - it will all make sense in a bit.  You might here this (and many others) on Sirius/XM, you can listen to Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148).  He does a great job of showcasing great holiday themed episodes, especially as we get close to Christmas.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar started out in 1949 as a basic 30 minute detective series.  Dick Powell did the audition show for Johnny Dollar, but he opted to do the great series Richard Diamond (with many scripts written by a young Blake Edwards).  With Dick Powell turning down the role, CBS went with Charles Russell who played Dollar for the first year.  Many people took the role, but most fans like the episodes voiced by Bob Bailey.  He took over the role at a time when the format changed from a once weekly 30 minute episode to daily 15 minute series.  Most were five day series and allowed the writers and producers to create more in-depth stories.  After this experiment lasted around a year, they went back to the 30 minute format, still with Bob Bailey.  He would star in the series until the moved the production to New York City in November 1960.

While Johnny Dollar is a basic detective program, the gimmick was that it revolved around his expense report.  Johnny Dollar provided the exposition around the expenses incurred during the case.  At first, I could not believe that they had a show featuring an insurance investigator with an expense report.  But it quickly became one of my favorite series.

I have featured Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar a few times before during this series:

• 2017 Day 16: When Johnny Dollar Played Santa Claus (1949)
• 2016 Day 4: Johnny Dollar's Missing Mouse Matter (1956)
• Day 19 - Johnny Dollar and the Nick Shurn Matter

On December 22, 1957, the episode featured on this series was the "Carmen Kringle Matter."  Poor Johnny Dollar is resting on vacation when he gets a call from Pat McCracken...never a good sign.  He was in Palm Springs and was fairly close to an easy job.  An old miner wanted to change the beneficiary of his policy from his nephew to Carmen.  Carmen was not a girlfriend, a wife or another significant other.  It was a burro...a mule...a trusty companion.  The town is on edge when the burro goes missing, especially so close to the holidays.  The prospector is named Chris Kringle and he every year, he and his beloved Carmen would deliver gifts to all the miners in the town.  But this year, that is all up in the air because Carmen is missing.  So off he goes to the Mojave Desert and to see the agent who is trying to make the change in the policy to match the old man's wishes.

The recording is OK, but the story is fairly unique.  The script was written by Robert Bainter - the pen name of Bob Bailey (the actor who played Johnny Dollar).  I believe this is his only writing credit in his many years of radio from the 1940s to the early 1960s.  Also included in this story is Howard McNear, Jean Tatum, Junius Matthews and was directed by Jack Johnstone.

Its a fun way to spend Christmas eve.  Best wishes for the holidays!

Carmen Kringle Matter (Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar) - December 22, 1957

Here are some links to programs relating to Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar:

• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar radio program episodes via the Internet Archive
• Other links on Internet Archive for Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar
• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar entry on the Wikipedia
• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on RadioGOLDINdex
• Bob Bailey - An Appreciation on the Centennial of his Birth (my blog)

25 More Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2018) & Other Links

• 2018 Day 24: Carmen Kringle and Johnny Dollar (1957)
• 2018 Day 23: Christmas with the Texas Rangers (Not Those Rangers)
• 2018 Day 22: Campus Snowmen on Halls of Ivy (1951)
• 2018 Day 21: Lionel Barrymore's Christmas Carol from the Hallmark Hall of Fame (1953)
• 2018 Day 20: Kraft Music Hall's Christmas Show with Bing Crosby (1944)
• 2018 Day 19: Christmas at Mission San Gabriel (Romance of the Ranchos - 1941)
• 2018 Day 18: A Christmas Carol with Ronald Colman on Favorite Story (1949)
• 2018 Day 17: Family Theater's Daddy for Christmas (1948)
• 2018 Day 16: Family Theater's Lullaby Of Christmas (1950)
• 2018 Day 15: Christmas with My Friend Irma (1950)
• 2018 Day 14: Christmas Bonus with Life of Riley (1948)
• 2018 Day 13: Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (1953)
• 2018 Day 12: Borrowing a Sleigh for Caroling with Lucille Ball and My Favorite Husband (1949)
• 2018 Day 11: Bread On The Waters from The Columbia Workshop (1938)
• 2018 Day 10: An Unwelcome Christmas Present with the Falcon (1950)
• 2018 Day 9: Richer By One Christmas from the program Romance (1955)
• 2018 Day 8: Gildy's Christmas Shopping on The Great Gildersleeve (1942)
• 2018 Day 7: A Radio Nutcracker from the Railroad Hour (1952)
• 2018 Day 6: Juggler of Notre Dame with Nelson Eddy and Ronald Colman (1940)
• 2018 Day 5: Gracie Works Retail on Maxwell House Coffee Time (1946)
• 2018 Day 4: Early Christmas Presents with Fibber McGee and Molly (1944)
• 2018 Day 3: Looking for the Christmas Show Scripts with Gracie Allen and George Burns (1940)
• 2018 Day 2: A Stable In Bethlehem...Pennsylvania (1944)
• 2018 Day 1: Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny & Gang (1947)
• All my entries covering OTR and Christmas
• Also visit 500 OTR Christmas Shows from the Internet Archive.
• Christmas Programs from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
• Christmas Scripts at Generic Radio Workshop 
• Greg Bell's Old time radio channel (#148)
• Old Time Radio Drama (Wisconsin Public Radio)
• Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
• All my OTR blog posts
• Corey's African Americans on Old Time Radio Entries
• Corey's American History Entries
• Corey's Baseball Entries
• Corey's Christmas Entries
• Corey's Food Entries
• Corey's Lighthouse Entries
• Corey's Your World Adventure Awaits Entries - I want to get this going again in 2019

Another 25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2017) 

• 2017 Day 1:  Candy Matson's Christmas Episodes
• 2017 Day 2: New World A Coming's Christmas Episode
• 2017 Day 3: Kraft Music Hall with a Melancholy Santa (1947)
• 2017 Day 4: Kraft Music Hall with Bing Crosby (1942)
• 2017 Day 5: Mailing Packages with Fibber McGee and Molly (1940)
• 2017 Day 6: America for Christmas from Du Pont's Cavalcade (1944)
• 2017 Day 7: Nineteen Santa Clauses from The Saint (1950)
• 2017 Day 8: Choral Music for the Holidays from Du Pont's Cavalcade (1946)
• 2017 Day 9: The Night Before Christmas from Sherlock Holmes (1945)
• 2017 Day 10: The Plot To Murder Santa Claus with Frank Sinatra (1953)
• 2017 Day 11: Missing Christmas Money from Life With Luigi (1949)
• 2017 Day 12: Palm Beach Santa Claus on the Damon Runyon Theater (1949) 
• 2017 Day 13: The Shadow's Gift of Murder (1947)
• 2017 Day 14: Christmas Card Pictures with Lucille Ball's My Favorite Husband (1950)
• 2017 Day 15: Christmas Carol from Maxwell House's Good News (1938)
• 2017 Day 16: When Johnny Dollar Played Santa Claus (1949)
• 2017 Day 17: A Christmas Baby from Gunsmoke (1959)
• 2017 Day 18: The Bishop's Wife on Lux Radio Theater (1949)
• 2017 Day 19: Fibber McGee Paints the Tree White (1945)
• 2017 Day 20: Other Wise Man on Mutual's Family Theater (1949)
• 2017 Day 21: Burns and Allen Present Gracie's Christmas Carol (1936)
• 2017 Day 22: A Dog For Christmas - Dog Star from Suspense (1957)
• 2017 Day 23: The Whistler's Three Wise Guys from Damon Runyon (1950)
• 2017 Day 24: Dragnet's Big Little Jesus (1953)
• 2017 Day 25: Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2016) 

• 2016 Day 1: The Shadow's Christmas Carol
• 2016 Day 2: The Story of Christmas Seals from Cavalcade of America
• 2016 Day 3: Three Men from NBC's Radio City Playhouse
• 2016 Day 4: Johnny Dollar's Missing Mouse Matter (1956)
• 2016 Day 5: Berlin, 1945 from Quiet Please
• 2016 Day 6: Christmas Clothing Drive with Our Miss Brooks (1950)
• 2016 Day 7: Duffy's Tavern Christmas with Jeff Chandler (1948)
• 2016 Day 8: Miracle in Manhattan from the Columbia Workshop (1941)
• 2016 Day 9: Looking for a Christmas Tree with Fibber McGee & Molly
• 2016 Day 10: Christmas Shopping with Casey, Crime Photographer
• 2016 Day 11: A Radio Nutcracker
• 2016 Day 12: Double Entry from Suspense
• 2016 Day 13: More Shopping with Jack Benny (1944)
• 2016 Day 14: Bob Hope and Friends at Sawtelle Veterans Hospital (1946)
• 2016 Day 15: Christmas at Mission San Gabriel (Romance of the Ranchos)
• 2016 Day 16: Christmas on Broadway (kinda)
• 2016 Day 17: Norman Corwin's The Plot to Overthrow Christmas
• 2016 Day 18: Lucille Ball Knits a Sweater from My Favorite Husband
• 2016 Day 19: Finding Santa (This is Your FBI)
• 2016 Day 20: Barton Drake Saves Christmas (Mystery Is My Hobby)
• 2016 Day 21: The Only Wise Man from Radio Reader's Digest
• 2016 Day 22: Richer By One Christmas with Virginia Gregg
• 2016 Day 23: Big Little Jesus from Dragnet
• 2016 Day 24: Letter To An Unborn Child from Ceiling Unlimited
• 2016 Day 25: Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2015) & Other Links

• 2015 Day 1 - Honest Harold's Christmas Party
• 2015 Day 2 - The Innocent Santa Claus (This is Your FBI)
• 2015 Day 3 - Christmas Story from The Mysterious Traveler
• 2015 Day 4 - All is Bright (the story of Silent Night)
• 2015 Day 5 - Beeker's Barn (a Christmas tale from Gunsmoke)
• 2015 Day 6 - Santa Claus of Bums' Boulevard (Casey Crime Photographer)
• 2015 Day 7 - Dr. Sixgun's A Pony for Christmas
• 2015 Day 8 - The Plot To Murder Santa Claus (with Frank Sinatra as Rocky Fortune)
• 2015 Day 9 - Department Store Woes with Johnny Dollar
• 2015 Day 10 - Department Store Contest with Connie Brooks
• 2015 Day 11 - Radio Nutcracker
• 2015 Day 12 - Frank Sinatra in Room for a Stranger (Radio Reader's Digest)
• 2015 Day 13 - A Child Visits the Magnificent Montague
• 2015 Day 14 - The Gift of the Magi (Radio Reader's Digest)
• 2015 Day 15 - A Child is Born (from Cavalcade of America)
• 2015 Day 16 - Dennis Day's The Boy Who Sang For The King
• 2015 Day 17 - Suspense's Back for Christmas (1943)
• 2015 Day 18 - Dancing Dan's Christmas (Damon Runyon Theater)
• 2015 Day 19 - Have Gun, Will Travel's Hanging Cross
• 2015 Day 20 - Dressing up as Santa on the Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show
• 2015 Day 21 - Great Gildersleeve and Leroy Alone for Christmas (1952)
• 2015 Day 22 - Fibber McGee and Molly's Phonograph (1940)
• 2015 Day 23 - The Messiah from Theater of Romance
• 2015 Day 24 - Big Little Jesus from Dragnet
• 2015 Day 25 - Christmas with Don Ameche and the Elgin Watch Company

25 Days of Old Time Radio Christmas (from 2014)

• Day 1 - Nick Carter's Christmas Adventure
• Day 2 - The Saint is No Santa Claus
• Day 3 - Stolen Rings at Christmas with Boston Blackie
• Day 4 - Dragnet's Christmas Episodes
• Day 5 - Nero Wolfe & the Slaughtered Santas
• Day 6 - The Plot To Murder Santa Claus (with Frank Sinatra as Rocky Fortune)
• Day 7 - Christmas at Mission San Gabriel with Romance of the Ranchos
• Day 8 - Arch Oboler's Christmas 1918
• Day 9 - The Story of Silent Night (Hallmark Playhouse)
• Day 10 - Juggler of Notre Dame (with Nelson Eddy)
• Day 11 - Candy Matson's Christmas Episodes
• Day 12 - Lionel Barrymore's Mayor of the Town
• Day 13 - More Radio Adaptations of a Christmas Carol
• Day 14 - Tales Of The Texas Rangers (not those Rangers)
• Day 15 - Christmas in Connecticut (with Ronald Reagan)
• Day 16 - Holidays with Connie - Our Miss Brooks 
• Day 17 - The Whistler's Christmas Episodes
• Day 18 - Detroit's WXYZ & The Lone Ranger
• Day 19 - Johnny Dollar and the Nick Shurn Matter
• Day 20 - Christmas Shopping with Jack Benny
• Day 21 - Gunsmoke's Christmas Story
• Day 22 - Bob Hope's Christmas Shows
• Day 23 - Christmas with Mel Blanc
• Day 24 - Bing Crosby's Christmas Shows
• Day 25 - Elgin Watch Christmas Specials
• Day 26 - Five Days Off For Christmas with Night Beat
• Day 27 - Let George Do It Christmas Episodes
• Day 28 - CBS Radio Workshop's All is Bright
• Day 29 - Hotpoint's The Man Who Came to Dinner (with Jack Benny)