For a small taste of this great DVD,
watch the preview below.
Back before TV became the most popular entertainment medium, radio
was king. This DVD, the first in a series on radio gives a great accounting
of the behind the scenes magic that brought all those wonderful Old Time
Radio Shows to life.
Enjoy almost 75 minutes of fascinating radio
history.
Independent Radio Station (1951)
This is a wonderfully entertaining film showing a New York radio station,
WMCA, owned by the Nathan Straus family. You'll get a good look at a radio
station and of radio in the era when most stations were locally owned and
operated.
This is an excellent film showing how small, independent radio stations
worked in the transition from the Golden Age of Radio of the 1930s and 1940s
into the more mechanized process that would arise starting in the 1960s. One
of the things which makes this film so great is that it provides information
on how the business of radio operates, emphasizing that it is a business and
requires advertisers.
As a bonus, the film also has some great footage of scenes in and around the
radio station and early 50s New York life.
Behind Your Radio Dial: The Story of NBC (1947)
A very interesting behind the scenes tour of NBC's radio and television
broadcasting facilities at Rockefeller Center, New York City. This film was
made at the end of radio's golden era. This RKO Pathe documentary
entertains and informs the viewer how the NBC radio network functioned.
There is also a glimpse of the new television network that would eventually
eclipse radio. With a brief look at Howdy Doody, and didn't we all love him
when we were kids.
I love old-time radio, so I found this very interesting. You get to see
radio stars such as Fred Allen, Fibber McGee and Molly performing, musical
performances by Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians and the NBC orchestra,
and the news being announced by H.P. Kaltenborn.
Kaltenborn’s section on radio news is particularly fun to watch. His
narration style is very bombastic. He also tells us that all news broadcasts
were permanently recorded for posterity on wax transcription discs. As an
aside, we'll be putting up many of the early newsreels in DVD format and
many more in the Old Time Radio section for those interested in history.
This is a fascinating historic look at an entertainment medium that doesn’t
exist in this format anymore and it's fun to watch as well.
Back of the Mike (1938)
This film gives you an insider's view of the 1930s radio studio showing the
production of dramatic sound effects. I thought this film was excellent. It
really shows how your imagination comes into play when listening to a radio
show.
As a reviewer said, "Outstanding narrative that pleased our radio crowd. The
radio lead actor is a ringer for "Prairie Home Companion" host Garrison
Keillor. The sound effects are fascinating and amusing to watch in action."
The film shows the production of a live radio western. Seeing how they
produced sound effects in the era before computer generated effects is a
real eye opener. We get to see such things as one individual doing both
voices in a conversation, an adult doing a very convincing impersonation of a
child's voice, guys playing cowboys impersonating the sound of conversing
while riding by playing "horse" while reading their lines, and all the
paraphernalia used to make sound effects. It's all quite interesting,
especially from a historical perspective.
On the Air (1937)
This film is a wonderful look back at how radio broadcasting works. The film
opens with an orchestra performing in the radio studio dressed in formal attire
as if the radio audience was watching. It then proceeds to an explanation of
the electronics complete with accompanying illustrations. While this sounds
boring in the telling, it is a fascinating look at the behind the scenes
workings of radio.
It's hard to imagine the effort that was needed back then to produce an
entertaining show. In fact, we've gotten our hands on some excellent musical
radio shows. Look for them in the near future in the Old Time Radio section.
In the mean time, sit back and enjoy the look at a radio station On The Air.
Largest Radio Transmitter Is Dedicated From The Universal-International
Newsreel (1950s)
This short clip shows the U.S. Navy opening a 1 megawatt transmitter in
Cascade Mountains of Washington, known as 'Radio Jim Creek. Jim Creek, is
located north of Darrington, WA in Snohomish County (north east of Seattle).
The Navy still owns the land that "Radio Jim Creek" stands on, but the radio
broadcast towers have been long decommissioned. Now, the area is run as a
recreation area for the many Naval families stationed at Whidbey Island NAS
and Everett.
This is a pretty standard period newsreel, as such it is full of shots of
dignitaries and officials, and some very nice highlights of the towers and
power lines themselves, which were really impressive for that time period.
And as a bonus,Communication: A Film
Lesson in General Science / Development of Communication (1927)
Venerable educational film showing technologies of communication, circa
1920s.
This early, silent educational film from the 20s shows us various forms of
communication technology and how they work. It starts with a simple electric
bell and goes on to cover the telegraph, the telephone, and radio. This is
actually quite well done and interesting. The visual images have a striking
vintage look and the explanations are clear and understandable.
This extremely unique film, made in 1927, may be one of the oldest
industrial/educational film you'll ever see. It was originally made with the
intent of educating people on the wonders of sound, the film is more then a
how to course, it's a great snapshot of how they made industrial films in
1927.
It's amazing how a silent film can portray more information then many
talkies I've been forced to sit through over the years.
Order Today, Only $9.97
For a small taste of this great DVD, watch the preview
below. This is reduced both in size and quality to make it easier to view on line. Enjoy!
To order off line, please use our Mail Order Form,
click here.
Production Notes
Source
Material:
Please note that the
DVDs/CDs whether video or audio are produced with the original film
footage or audio stock. We have deliberately left in all the slight
imperfections which adds to the nostalgia, charm and wonder of these
vintage DVDs and old time radio shows. All are compiled from public
domain sources.
Packaging:
Our DVDs are produced and
then packaged in full size DVD cases for easy storage with your other
DVDs. We do not use plastic
CD style or slim line cases.
Video
DVDs:
The DVDs are designed to
play on all home and computer DVD players, they are region free, NTSC
productions. We use only high quality DVD media to maximize
compatibility. The vast majority of DVD players work fine with our DVD
discs. Still, there are some that may experience problems, this
compatibility issue does exist for a small percentage of older DVD
players in use today.
Radio
Show CDs & DVDs:
The MP3 CDs and DVDs are
playable on any computer with a DVD/CD drive and an MP3 player such as
Window Media Player. The CDs will also play in CD players which accept
MP3 files. This includes both home and auto players. Also, we've found
that many DVD players will play MP3 files. The individual episode
files have been left accessible so that they can be transferred to
portable devices or CDs for your convenience.
How We
Ship:
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Priority Mail for a number of reasons. Our customers enjoy quick
delivery of their purchases; we have a means of tracking a package in
the rare case of a shipping problem; and most importantly, YOU have a
means of knowing that your purchase has been mailed and YOU can also
track it. All DVDs come in DVD cases, just like you get at the store.
We do not use plastic CD style or slim line cases.
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number of titles ordered. Please see our shipping page for full
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Guarantee: We
offer a full 30 day money back guarantee on all items purchased. If
for any reason you are not satisfied with the item, just return it in
as new condition for a full refund of the purchase price. (S&H is not
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