Adam Graham Presents the War: Recent Episodes
Adam Graham
Joining host Adam Graham on a podcast that explores World War II through Old Time Radio featuring news programs, comedy, drama, and music. The series begins with pre-War programs and takes listeners through the War to Victory and the post-war era.
We don’t often have “news” about this podcast as the events covered happened more than 70 years ago. However, this is a special update.
In 2014, we shared the story of Doris “Dorie” Miller, a heroic black Sailor who won the Navy Cross for his actions during Pearl Harbor. He was only a mess attendant aboard the USS West Virginia when the attack occurred. When the bomb hit, Miller carried several wounded crewmen to safety and then took over an anti-aircraft that had been left unmanned as a result of the attack and fired on the attacking Japanese planes The episode showed not only Miller’s heroism but how that heroism wasn’t honored during his life due to his race.
Last month, it was announced that the next Navy Aircraft Carrier will be named after Miller. A well-deserved and long overdue honor.
You can listen to the episode about Dorie Miller’s heroism here.
The Mayor and Marilee head to the first Memorial Day after the end of the War, while a war widow faces Memorial Day in her own way. From Mayor of the Town. Original Air Date: May 25, 1946 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of a baker in Europe who lost…and then found faith. Original Air Date: March 4, 1948 Click here to add to Itunes.
Pacific Story looks at the severe food shortages that gripped Japan after the war as a result of Japan’s disastrous war time policies. Original Air Date: October 28, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Pilots from the American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) return to the States with the goal of staring a freight airline but run into many obstacles. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: October 28, 1946 Click here to add to Itunes.
Mayor LaTrivia is returning from the Pacific and Fibber McGee is jockeying for a prominent position in the welcoming but finds himself off the committee. From Fibber McGee and Molly Original Air Date: October 2, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Stroke of Fate examines how history would have played out if France had opposed Germany’s invasion of the Rhineland. Original Air Date: November 22, 1953 Click here to add to Itunes.
An American citizen of German descent infiltrates a Nazi spy ring for the FBI in this Screen Guild Theatre adaptation of the Lloyd Nolan movie. Original Air Date: June 10, 1946 Click here to add to Itunes.
Command Performance’s end of the war special continues. Original Air Date: August 14, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Bing Crosby hosts an all-star extravaganza to celebrate the end of the war. Original Air Date: August 14, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Orson Welles stars in this play written by Norman Corwin for the day of victory. Original Air Date: August 14, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Reaction to Japanese surrender on August 14, 1945 and the signing of the formal surrender ending the war on September 2, 1945. Includes Harry Truman, General Douglas Macarthur, and coverage from Mutual and NBC News. Click here to add to Itunes.
William Laurence of the New York Times tells the story of the first atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima from The Quick and Dead. Original Air Date: July 13, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
Bob Hope begins his investigation into atomic energy with an interview with William Laurence of the New York Times talking about scientific advances that paved the way for the atomic age. Original Air Date: July 6, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
CBS World News Today from July 29, 1945 and a statement by President Truman. Bulletin on the bombing of Hirashima from August 6, 1945 and an account of the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. Click here to add to Itunes.
Adam answers listener questions and comments on disabled pilots, internment, and Congressional hearings during World War II. Click here to add to Itunes.
The episode of Your Hit Parade. Original Air Date: August 4, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The last survivor of a battle with the Japanese in New Guinea tries to stay alive. From New World A Coming. Original Air Date: May 27, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
From The Doctor Fights, the story of a Marine Doctor treating amputees including an Air Force pilot who wants to fly again. Original Air Date: June 19, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of love and duty between an army nurse and a Marine in the Pacific from Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: June 4, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore do their show for the Seventh War Loan from the Paramount Theater. Original Air Date: June 15, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Pacific Story takes a look at a history of Japan’s air power and speculation about what they might be holding in reserve against. Original Air Date July 22, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of Your Hit Parade. Original Air Date: July 7, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Dr. Christian’s secretary gets a call from a soldier looking for a date. Original Air Date: June 20, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
This episode of New World A Comin’ features interviews with six Black New Yorkers talking about their hopes for the future after World War II. Original Air Date: May 20, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Observance of the end of VE Day with Pat O’Brien, Charles Boyer, and more. Original Air Date: May 13, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
CBS Special by Norman Corwin looks back at VE Day: Who we defeated, what it costs, what we learned, and how another war can be avoided. Original Air Date: May 13, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
VE News reports from NBC News featuring HV Kaltenborn, President Truman, Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Original Air Date: May 7 and 8 ,1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Eddie Anderson, Arthur Treacher, and more appear in this episode of GI Journal from May 4, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
An all-star cast including Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, and Bob Hope perform a comic operate to at last have Dick Tracy marry Tess Truehart. Original Air Date: February 15, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Sherlock Holmes and Watson take a trip to Flanders on the eve of a great battle of World War I. Holmes finds treachery and espionage afoot. Original Air Date: May 14, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
This episode of Words at War is based on famed war correspondent Enrie Pyle’s last book. Original Air Date: April 24, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of a meek academic who organized guerilla warfare against the occupying Japanese among Filipino natives. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: April 30, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
An all music episode of the Radio Hall of Fame following the death of President Roosevelt featuring Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. Original Air Date: April 15, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Don Fisher reports from Warm Springs, Georgia where President Roosevelt died. Original Air Date: April 12, 1945 Edward R. Murrow reports what he saw on the liberation of Buchenwald. Original Air Date: April 15, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Guest Marjorie Main provides some educations to the rough and tumble crew on their ranch including Gabby Hayes. Original Air Date: March 11, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
A musical program hosted by Nelson Eddy and featuring the Andrews sisters and others. Original Air Date: March 14, 1946 Click here to add to Itunes.
Adolf Hilter tries a desperate gambit to escape the fall of the Third Reich aboard a sub only his victims won’t allow it. From the Horror anthology series, The Mysterious Traveler. Original Air Date: March 24, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The FBI searches for two escaped Nazi POWs from This is Your FBI. Original Air Date: April 27, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of a landing ship and a very colorful member of its crew. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: March 19, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Bob Hope’s best-selling book about his travels, visiting U.S. Troops overseas. Original Air Date: January 8, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of an American reporter who hid out with the Philippine underground rather than remain in Manilla. The soldiers who crossed the Adolf Hitler bridge. Original Air Dates: April 15 and 22, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of the Hollywood Barn Dance hosted by Cottonseed Clark with FoyWilling and the Riders of the Purple Sage. Original Air Date: April 28, 1945
The story of an Italian American introducing democracy to a small Italian village. Original Air Date: March 20, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of Air Force ground crews. Original Air Date: December 5, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of an American Red Cross volunteer in New Guinea. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: December 4, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Lou tries to join the Merchant Marines in this episode of The Abbott and Costello show. Original Air Date: January 25, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at a 1985 where Germany has rebuilt and enslaved the world. Original Air Date: February 13, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
A band remote from the 400 club featuring Duke Ellington. Original Air Date: April 21, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Eddie Green, Billy Eckstein, Coleman Hawkins, and more on Jubilee. Original Air Date: February 19, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
A soldier gets a two day pass on the Fourth of July and visits his family and sweetheart. From Columbia Workshop. Original Air Date: July 4, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A disabled veteran comforts a POW’s wife with a story of his old war buddy who was fascinated by the Liberty Bell. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: July 3, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An O.S.S. replaces a French Woman’s fiancé and plans to pose as her husband in an effort to catch Nazi agents. Complications ensue as he starts to fall in love with her. From Cloak and Dagger. Original Air Date: September 15, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
Lum and Abner try to go to Washington to share a synthetic rubber formula with the government and find themselves park bench sages. From Screen Guild Theatre. Original Air Date: March 12, 1945 Lum and Abner rehearse a play about the need for Merchant Marines. Original Air Date: October 5, 1944 Click here to add to […]
Two episodes of Soldiers of the Press. First, a look at the heroic work of nurses responding to a Nazi advance. Then the story of a grease monkey who was often in hot water-until he shows his courage under fire. Original Air Dates: February 18 and March , 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of the John Charles Thomas show for Westinghouse. Rebroadcast for Armed Forces Radio Services. Original Air Date: August 6, 1944
A war worker agrees to blow his plant for a big cash payoff but complications ensue. From The Whistler. Original Air Date: October 23, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of Medal of Honor recipient Corporal James Slayton. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: September 4, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Master Mariner Edwin L. Johnson tries to out-maneuver a German sub in Episode 2 of the series. Master Mariner Carl William Janeke returns to his damaged ship to continue to battle the Nazis in Episode 10. Original Air Dates: 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Bob Hope performs for Canadian servicemen at Camp Borden. Original Air Date: September 19, 1944
This special from the Hollywood Bowl honors the victims of the Holacaust. Original Air Date: July 4, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Your All Time Hit Parade with Tommy Dorsey and Frances Langford. Original Air Date: July 2, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
GI Jill brings American service personnel some of the best records ever recorded. Click here to add to Itunes.
Ken Thurston witnesses the poisoning of a friend in New York and flies to Italy to uncover the truth. From the Globe Theater. Original Air Date: August 29, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A platoon marches through the New Guinea jungle. Original Air Date June 19, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A cartoonist serving in the OSS goes behind enemy lines Original Air Date: July 9, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
George Burns goes to perform at the Kansas City War bond drive under the belief that he’s Kansas City’s favorite singer when it’s really guest Dinah Shore. Original Air Date: June 13, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
This episode of Four for the Fifth imagines Germany trying to seek a negotiated peace. Original Air Date: June 24, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of the Roy Rogers program with Pat Friday and guest Sarah Brenner. Original Air Date: January 23, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
An All Western Program featuring the Andrews Sisters, Roy Rogers, and more. Hosted by Bob Hope. From Command Performance. Original Air Date: June 24, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Boston Blackie helps out a woman who owns a ranch and cattle shipping company who is being coerced by black marketeers. Original Air Date: July 21, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A chaplain helps troops in the Pacific but encounters hostility from an embittered Sergeant. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: June 12, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An American OSS Agent parachutes into occupied France to help a disorganized Maquis but someone is betraying them. From Escape. Original Air Date: June 7, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Eddie Cantor show with guest Maurice Rocco Original Air Date: June 7, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Virgil Pickney’s report on covering D-day. Original Air Date: June 25, 1944 Robert Vermillion tells a story of two soldiers on the road to Rome. Original Air Date: July 2, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
D-day through the eyes of a female defense worker. Original Air Date: June 7,1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Ginny Simms show from D-day. Original Air Date: June 6, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
In this episode of the Passing Parade, John Nesbitt imagines how children will learn about and remember D-day in 100 years. Original Air Date: June 6 , 1944
News coverage from NBC News. Featuring comments from Kate Smith, King George VI, President Roosevelt, Bob Hope, and Red Skelton. Original Air Date: June 6, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of War Telescope from June 3, 1944. A Fireside Chat by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Original Air Date: June 5, 1944 Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses troops prior to Invasion Day. Original Air Date: June 5, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Two OSS agents going into occupied France become more weary when a Nazi POW is added to their team. Original Air Date: September 22, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
An all-star NBC program in support of the fourth war loan drive. Original Air Date: February 7, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at the role lend lease played in sustaining the War effort. From Words at War. Original Air Date: May 23, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Paul Whiteman hosts the Radio Hall of Fame with Evelyn Knight. Original Air Date: June 4, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Bob Hope hosts with Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra Original Air Date: June 3, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Charlie Chan’s daughter is kidnapped by bank robbers from Mystery Playhouse. Click here to add to Itunes.
An Army Major tries to help the people in the city of Adano. Original Air Date: March 28, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An ambulance driver in the Middle East has to stop an outbreak of smallpox from reeking havoc on British troops. Original Air Date: April 3, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
William Gargan appears on It’s Time to Smile. Original Air date: May 17, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at an elite unit called Merrill’s Raiders. Original Air Date: April 30, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Two episodes of the music show, To Your Good Health from the House of Squibb. Guests Regina Readick and Sylvia Marlowe Original Air Dates: April 5 and May 3, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A musical concert featuring Gus Arnheim. Original Air Date: April 25, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A blind scientist isn’t blackmailed by Nazi spies. Original Air Date: February 12, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
As Americans are learning about the horrors of the Bataan Death March, a Japanese painter tells the horrors the Japanese government inflicted on its own people. From Words at War. Original Air Date: February 15, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A 14 year old girl volunteers at a local hospital to help the war effort and follow the example of a guy she has a crush on. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: February 28, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Gildersleeve and family play host to a Colonel coming to speak to a war bond rally while Marjorie is beginning an interest in drama. Original Air Date: January 30, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at India’s involvement in the war from the Pacific Story. Original Air Date: February 27, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of the Bird’s Eye Open House with Dinah Shore with guest Donald O’Connor. Original Air Date: October 7, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra, and Ginny Simms sing and then put on an absurd melodrama. Original Air Date: March 11, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A big movie director gets drawn into investigating the death of a murder. From Suspense. Original Air Date: March 23, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the 1943 movie about the Marine campaign on Guadalcanal. Original Air Date: February 28, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A city editor (Dick Powell) decides to join the Merchant Marine to impress his girl. Original Air Date: January 31, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of Orson Welles’ radio almanac with guest Victor Moore. Original Air Date: March 1, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Letters from GIs are dramatized on Words at War. Original Air Date: December 7, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Glenn Miller and The Band Of The AAF Training Command appear in this all-serviceman program. Original Air Date: September 11, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The last two episodes of Moonlight Serenade prior to Glenn Miller going into the service. Original Air Dates: September 23 and 24, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A Marine retires to a pacifist colony in the Philippines, having never seen battle. Original Air Date: November 8, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A story of a Chinese family at the beginning of the War against Japan. From Words at War. Original Air Date: January 18, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A story of the aid provided by the Coast Guard in the invasion of Sicily. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: October 4, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Fibber McGee and Molly prepare the spare room for a war worker. Original Air Date: October 5, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A reporter encounters a pilot discouraged by not taking out any German fighters is offered a steak dinner by Walter Cronkite if he shoots some down. A UPI correspondent rides aboard an experiment British ship. Original Air Dates: May 9 and 23, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A performance by the acclaimed “all girl” orchestra focusing on Central America in support of the good neighbor policy. Original Air Date: April 16, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
A symphony concert featuring Frank Blank and the NBC orchestra. Original Air Date: August 29, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
An allied spy tries to discover how he was found out by a Gestapo agent. From Suspense Original Air Date: November 23, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of a French Man’s escape from a concentration camp. From Words at War. Original Air Date: September 23, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A C-54 crashes on an Island occupied by the Japanese. Original Air Date: May 27, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Fred Allen lets a stranger stay at his house and the stranger leaves $3. Jimmy Durante suggests Fred buy war stamps. Original Air Date: April 24, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
An enemy agent builds a chain of death based on loose talk from Americans about ship movements. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: June 7, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
First song is, “Paper Doll” from AFRS. Original Air Date: October 9, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
First song is, ” I Heard You Cried Last Night.” AFRS rebroadcast. Original Air Date: August 28, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A chief petty officer (Pat O’Brien) clashes with a newly enlisted former officer (George Murphy) whose career the Chief Petty Officer helped in from Lux Radio Theatre. Original Air Date: May 3, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of a Canadian pilot who fights to learn to fly and join the RAF. From Words at War. Original Air Date: August 21, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Nine men crash over Greenland and are stranded in the Arctic. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: August 2, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Summerfield is trying to sell enough war bonds to build a battleship, but Gildy doesn’t want to help due to a disagreement with the chairman. Original Air Date: September 12, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Eddie Cantor appeals for funds for Youth Aliyah, which helped to relocate Jewish children from Europe to Palestine. Original Air Date: January 9, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A young man’s journey from critic of isolationism to soldier and its relation to biblical references. Original Air Date: April 4, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Easter music from To Your Good Health from the House of Squibb. Original Air Date: April 7, 1944 The 10-2-4 Ranch begins its 500th episode with, “Easter Parade.” Original Air Date: March 28, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Pastor Martin Niemoller stands against Hitler. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: April 19, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at who exactly the men of the Navy’s Air’s Arm in World II were. From Battle Stations. Original Air Date: August 26, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Allied success in New Guinea is hampered by the Japanese getting unexplained new supplies. A Major from Texas thinks he knows how the Japanese are doing it: with mules. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: August 16, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Groucho goes to Milwaukee to celebrate Milwaukee’s 100th anniversary. Original Air Date: February 5, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
An American girl of German descent is taken and forced into the dark world of Hitler’s Germany. From Lux Radio Theatre Original Air Date: May 24, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of Paul Whiteman Presents, with Dinah Shore and guests Jimmy Durante and Roy Boggy. Original Air Date: August 15, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Ann Sheridan hosts Command Performance with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra and Gracie Allen. Original Air Date: April 24, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A man who sells gasoline to both sides encounters an American woman and Chinese children who are fleeing from the Japanese. Original Air Date: November 22, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A couple is recruited by the OSS to go to Tibet to meet with the Dalai Lama. They arrive to find that they have to compete with Nazis. Original Air Date: August 13, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
An O.S.S. Agents meets Rommel aboard a train and tries to protect his cover, but in the end gets in jail. Original Air Date: August 6, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
Fibber McGee is collecting money for the Red Cross and has to hope that he can find some way to cover the bad checks he writes in the process. From Fibber McGee and Molly. Original Air Date: March 23, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at how the Black Dragon Society reshaped Japan. From the Pacific Story. Original Air Date: November 28, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Two episodes of the Melody Roundup featuring Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneer. Click here to add to Itunes.
Two episodes of the 10-2-4 ranch featuring the Sons of the Pioneers and sponsored by Dr. Pepper Original Air Date: March 5, 1943 and March 8, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Britt Reid is looking for black marketeers and has to find the one obvious clue he’s missed. From the Green Hornet. Original Air Date: January 1, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
C.S. Forester’s tale of a British sea battle in the Mediterranean. From Words at War. Original Air Date: July 24, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of Navy chaplain on Guadalcanal. Original Air Date: July 12, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Babe Ruth is Bob Hope’s guest on a program. Original Air Date: March 3, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Norman Corwin examines how life has changed during the war in the Small English town of Cromer. Original Air Date: December 1, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Kraft Music Hall with Pat O’Brien. Original Air Date: March 12, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Bing Crosby hosts an all-star Command Performance with Hedy Lamarr, Kay Kaiser, Abbott and Costello and more. Original Air Date: August 30, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A man comes to the Mayor with a cane that holds the key to finding the head of a Nazi spy ring. This leads the mayor into a ring of intrigue, deception, and murder. Original Air Date: December 9, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at air evacuations by nurses on Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: June 28, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Starved reporters escape from Italian-occupied Yugoslavia from Words at War. Original Air Date: July 31, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
George comes to regret it when he suggests Gracie and the Beverly Hills Uplift Society help with the war. Original Air Date: October 20, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Two episodes of Soldiers of the Press. Leo Disher lands with the Marines and wins a purple heart Episode 5. In Episode 6, Tokyo UPI Bureau Chief Robert Bellaire writes about being a prisoner of the Japanese. Original Air Dates: December 7 and 14, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
An AFRS rebroadcast of the Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street. Ezio Penza guest stars. Original Air Date: February 20, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
GI Jill spins records for the boys on GI Jive with Bing Crosby, Bob Crosby, others. Click here to add to Itunes.
An army intelligence officer (Humphrey Bogart) goes through a fake court martial so that he can infiltrate the ranks of a spymaster for Japan (Sidney Greenstreet) Original Air Date: January 25, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A much derided tanker survives Pearl Harbor to provide desperately needed oil until the Japanese attack. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: May 10, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Basil Rathbone stars as the mind behind the legendary Spitfire planes. From Screen Guild Theater. Original Air Date: August 9, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Jack Benny does a 1.am. show in Cairo. Original Air Date: September 13, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A young soldier travels to the world to talk to his counterparts with other American allies. From This is War. Original Air Date: May 2, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Lux Radio Theatre of the Irving Berlin’s World War 2 classic musical. Original Air Date: February 22, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Mayor of the town helps a deaf man find the courage to continue his musical career. From Mayor of the Town. Original Air Date: December 2, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A pharmacist’s mate waits home for training and then once aboard a small submarine, he has to perform surgery. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air date: May 24, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
This episode of Battle Stations follows the developments in the Pacific in the fight against the U-boats. Original Air Date: August 12, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Great Gildersleeve wrestles with his conscience when he decides not to report his savings account interest income. Original Air Date: March 14, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Two stories of soldiers on the front lines from episodes of Soldiers of the Press. Henry Gorrell covers the bombing of Navareno Bay and Robert Miller lands with the Marines at Guadalcanal. Original Air Dates: November 9 and 16, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Monty Wooley interviews a Colonel from Guadalcanal and guest Monty Wooley appears. From the Colgate program. Original Air Date: January 19, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Marlene Dietrich and Al Jolson appear before the National Association of Broadcasters. Original Air Date: May 13, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
David Harding goes undercover to investigate Nazis coming over the Mexican border. From Counterspy. Original Air Date: June 22, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A wealthy matriarch struggles with the changes that the war brings to her life. From the Lux Radio Theatre. Original Air Date: December 7, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Fibber McGee is up in arms about being given an A-book which only entitles him to four gallons of gas. The rest of the cast expresses their contempt for his selfishness. Original Air Date: December 1, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Red Skelton does a program based on how people are handling new gas rationing restrictions. Original Air Date: December 8, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Office of War Information presents a program explaining gas rationing. Features Eddie Cantor, Jack Benny, Dinah Shore, and George Burns and Gracie Allen. Original Air Date: December 1, 1942 Lum ‘n Abner talk gas rationing after discussing their latest fiasco with Squire. Original Air Date: November 19, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Lum ‘n Abner host two episodes of the AFRS program Melody Roundup. Click here to add to Itunes.
Patriotic music at the National Barn Dance. Original Air Date: November 5, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Mayor stands besides Amy Lou, a local nurse, known as a tomboy who heads off to war as a nurse. From Mayor of the Town. Original Air Date: September 20, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A dramatic presentation of the early stages of the battle against Nazi U-boats. From Battle Stations. Original Air Date: August 5, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
This episode of Destination Freedom focuses on Wilbur Evans and the 332nd Fighter Group. Original Air Date: August 13, 1950 Click here to add to Itunes.
A vaudeville performer (Bob Hope) with a trained penguin gets mixed up with a female British agent who needs to deliver an encoded jewel to Los Angeles. Original Air Date: October 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Jimmy Stewart narrates this look at America’s air forces. Original Air Date: April 4, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A band remote from the Hotel Zanzibar that aired over WEAF featuring Ella Fitzgerald and the Ink Spots. Original Air Date: February 28, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Cab Calloway, Nat King Cole, and Burns and Allen appear on Jubilee. Original Air Date: February 14, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
From Big Town. Steve Wilson and Loreli are in Europe covering the war and are mis-directed from Vichy to Nazi occupied Paris to catch an old friend of Wilson’s who is aiding the underground. Original Air Date: May 14, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of Doris Miller, Ship’s mess attendant and Pearl Harbor hero. From Destination Freedom. Original Air Date: December 5, 1948 Click here to add to Itunes.
From Man Behind the Gun, a jockey has to learn to train dogs for war. Original Air Date: June 6, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Edward G. Robinson appears on Eddie Cantor’s It’s Time to Smile. Original Air Date: March 31, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The wife of a newly enlisted US Soldiers meets Hitler on a country road in New York State. From Plays for Americans. Original Air Date: June 21, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
An all-soldier show from Jubilee. Original Air Date: November 1, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Erskine Hawkins and Eddie “Rochester” Anderson appear. Original Air Date: October 25, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of one nurse’s struggle against prejudice to get into the Army Nurse Corps. Original Air Date: April 22, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Paratroopers go on a secret mission with one trooper who has issues with jumping out of planes. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: April 26, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Man Behind the Gun focuses on the work of a medic in the Italian theater. Original Air Date: May 16, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
In this episode of Fibber McGee and Molly, Fibber tries to find a substitute for the rationed sugar. Original Air Date: May 5, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at the Nazi book burning campaign and censorship and what it would mean to America if it happened here. Original Air Date: July 24, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Jubilee featuring the Delta Rythym Boys and Lucky Millander. Original Air Date: August 9, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Host: Louie Armstrong with Ernie Whitman. Original Air Date: May 24, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A singer (Lena Horne) is caught in a web of intrigue in Rio. From Suspense/ Original Air Date: November 9, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of Black American soldiers on the front during World War 2. Original Air Date: April 29, 1945 Click here to add to Itunes.
Skippy Smith fights against racial prejudice to open an integrated parachute plant in San Diego. Original Air Date: November 26, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
The Bob Hope Show sponsored by Pepsodent from Palm Springs with guest Rita Heyworth. Original Air Date: January 5, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A look at the thoughts of Black Americans on World War 2. Original Air Date: March 12, 1944 Click here to add to Itunes.
Second episode of Jubilee features Lena Horne, Sergeant Joe Louis, and the Golden State Quartet. Original Air Date: October 27, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
The first episode of Jubilee featuring Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Mantan Moreland, Duke Ellington, and Ethel Waters. Original Air Date: October 27, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
David Harding suspects a wealthy diplomat’s death by suicide involved a female spy. He recruits a confirmed Bachelor Colonel to help expose her. Original Air Date: June 8, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
The story of nurses serving in the Pacific as chronicled in the Oscar-nominated film with all-star case. Original Air Date: November 1, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A nurse falls in love in the midst of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: October 5, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
When Leroy runs away, Gildersleeve begins a frantic search for the missing boy. From the Great Gildersleeve. Original Air Date: February 1, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A joint production of all networks laying out the state of America in war from the series, This is War. Original Air Date: February 14, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Two separate rebroadcasts of the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands. Original Air Dates: March 29 and 30, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
The network broadcast of the Victory Parade of Spotlight Bands. Original Air Date: January 23, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A reporter uncovers a plot by foreign spies in England at a macabre wax museum from Suspense. Original Air Date: November 17, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
A night’s happenings on a submarine. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: January 11, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
A group of Marines fights the Japanese Navy against overwhelming odds. From the Lux Radio Theatre. Original Air Date: October 26, 1942/ Click here to add to Itunes.
Eddie Cantor records his program It’s Time to Smile for Marines in Long Beach. Original Air Date: May 27, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
Former US Ambassador to Japan Joseph Grew speaks on the war in the Pacific on Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: September 14, 1942 Click here to add to Itunes.
An episode of Your Hit Parade counting down the top 10 hits as broadcasts to America’s servicemen. Original Air Date: January 9, 1943 Click here to add to Itunes.
Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman star in this half hour Screen Guild Theatre adaptation of one of the most beloved films of all time Casablanca. Original Air Date: April 26, 1943
A man joins the ace pilots who protected the Chinese from Japanense attacks, with dollar signs in his eyes, but soon he finds something else to fight for. From the Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: January 25, 1943
A look at the ground observer corps. Featuring an appearance by Henry Fonda. Original Air Date: August 24, 1942
Fibber McGee and Molly undertake the arduous task of cleaning out the hall closet for a scrap drive. Original Air Date: April 7, 1942
Americans express their opinions to Adolf Hitler loud and clear in these letters to Adolf. Includes opinions of an American work, an American soldier, and a foreign born American. Original Air Dates: July 5, July 26, and August 2 1942
An episode of the Kate Smith Show with the cast of It Pays to be Ignorant guest starring. Original Air Date: February 19, 1943
Kate Smith hosts half an hour of music with John Charles Thomas and Cass Daley. Original Air Date: May 1, 1943
In this episode of Mayor of the Town, the Mayor takes in a traumatized war orphan and tries to create a secure new world for him. Original Air Date: October 7, 1942
The USS Boise takes out six Japanese Ships but suffers serious losses in the process. From Man Behind the Gun Original Air Date: March 28, 1943
Man Behind the Gun takes a look at the exploits of the USS Boise as they’re eager to engage the Japanese. Original Air Date: March 21, 1943
Henry and Homer go out and sell war bonds just as a snow storm hits. Original Air Date: April 1, 1943
A look at Japan’s behind the scene’s schemes prior to World War 2 from Pacific Story. Original Air Date: July 11, 1943
The National Barn stance originates from the Wisconsin State Fair. Features Pat Buttram. Original Air Date: August 22, 1942
A story of incredible courage as a man escapes a Nazi concentration camp to rejoin the fight. Original Air Date: March 6, 1944
A look at life and love in the midst of war in the RAF from Man Behind the Gun. Original Air Date: January 6, 1943
Riley invites a soldier to a New Years Eve Party but a miscommunication has him scrambling to provide food for an entire company. Original Air Date: December 31, 1944
After attempting to find Atlantis, Clark, Jimmy, Lois, and Perry find a derelict ship that has a crew that just disappeared. Original Air Dates: December 23,24, 28-31 1942 (pt. 3 missing)
Eddie Condon and a band of talented musicians improvise great jazz on live radio beginning with “Sweet Georgia Brown.” Original Air Date: May 20, 1944
Two episodes of GI JIVE, one hosted by Frank Nelson and another by Donna Reed. Songs by Bing Crosby, Lucky Millender, and others.
Three separate episodes from the office of War Information explaining why Americans can’t accept a Nazi victory: from unfair trade practices to human rights abuses and the Nazi’s anti-Christian agenda. Original Air Date: 1942
The story of men transporting planes to Great Britain in the early day of the US involvement in the war. From Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: September 21, 1942
A group of overseas soldiers gets a present from a variety troupe: America. Original Air Date: December 25, 1944
A speech by Winston Churchill from the White House on Christmas Eve 1941 Amos puts his daughter to bed on Christmas Eve in this class Amos ‘n Andy Christmas story. Original Air Date: December 24, 1941 Lum, Abner, and Grandpappy Spears come bearing gifts to a stable where a child has been born to a […]
Lionel Barrymore reprises his most famous old time radio roll as Ebenezer Scrooge in a A Christmas Carol. Original Air Date: December 23, 1943
Hop and Tank crash in the Austrian alps and encounter an order of monks who are unaware of the war. Original Air Date: December 25, 1944
Bing Crosby hosts the Christmas edition of the Kraft Music Hall. Original Air Date: December 21, 1944
A nativity play written by Stephen Vincent Benet. From the Cavalcade of America. Original Air Date: December 20, 1943
A group of American POWs try to keep their spirits up at Christmastime during the 1944 Battle of the Bulge but the Nazi decision to cancel Christmas Mass threatens to turn Christmas into a blood bath. Original Air Date: December 16, 1952
Bob Hope hosts an all-star cast of performers for America’s Armed Forces including Red Skelton, Jack Benny, Fred Allen, the City Slicker, and Ethel Waters. Simulcast to America’s civilians. Original Air Date: December 24, 1942
Riley has his boss’ s bratty son over for Christmas. Riley and family are determined to show him a good Christmas despite himself. Original Air Date: December 24, 1944
Gracie has a dream about Santa and she and her duck have to rescue Santa’s toys from a pirate with a Russian accent. Original Air Date: December 22, 1942
An ex-con is fired from his job at a department store where a string of burglaries totaling $10,000 have occurred and decides to return to a life of crime. From the Whistler. Original Air Date: December 25, 1944
A celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Bill of Right broadcast across all radio networks and featuring an all-star cast including Jimmy Stewart, Orson Welles, and Edward G. Robinson. Original Air Date: December 15, 1941
Eddie Cantor hosts the first episode of Command Performance including the Joe Louis-Buddy Baer fight. Dinah Shore, Danny Kaye, and Bert Gordon appear. Original Air Date: March 1, 1942
In the premier of Mayor of the Town, the son of the Mayor’s best friend asks the Mayor to get his father to support his enlistment in the Navy. Original Air Date: September 6, 1942
Daddy has become an air raid warden but wants to shield Baby Snooks. Original Air Date: December 18, 1941 Rush is helping organize a scrap drive on Vic and Sade. Original Air Date: April 6, 1942 While Grandpappy Spears tries to teach Abner to dance, Lum wants to send birthday cards to Pine Ridge servicement. […]
After Gildersleeve and family turn savings into defense bonds, they need some extra money for Christmas and all try to sell a statue of an iron deer. Original Air Date: December 14, 1941
On today’s program, we play the first post-Pearl Harbor episode of Fibber McGee and Molly that has Fibber offering everyone a great deal: 40%. Original Air Date: December 9, 1941
Today an episode of Plays for Americans. A woman is in love with a man who cares only about himself and joins the Navy to get into aviation to further his career and is assigned to Pearl Harbor. Original Air Date: February 1, 1942
News reports from December 7, 1941 on Pearl Harbor as well as President Roosevelt’s address to Congress. The March of Time from December 11, 1941 re-enacts the great events of Pearl Harbor and the days following. The program concludes with an episode of the Screen Guild Theatre, Between Americans from December 7, 1941.
Nero Wolfe creator Rex Stout takes to interview guests in furtherance of his goals to promote democracy before World War 2 in Speaking of Liberty. Today, we feature two episodes from 1941 featuring: Frank Gervozzi (11/13/41) and Dorothy Fisher (12/04/41)
In a Baby Snooks skit, Daddy urges Baby Snooks to buy defense stamps. Original Air Date: November 6, 1941 Plus stars including Noel Coward, Frank Lovejoy, and Robert Montgomery urge listeners to buy defense bonds. Original Air Date: October 21, 1941
In this episode of the Columbia Workshop, a man escapes from a concentration camp with revenge on his mind. From 26 by Corwin. Original Air Date: June 1, 1941
The Lux Radio Theater presents the adaptation of the classic story of Abbott and Costello joining the army. Original Air Date: October 13, 1941
Gildersleeve encourages everyone in town to invite a soldier to Thanksgiving, but finds there’s no solider for him to invite when Thanksgiving come due to the high volume of invites and has to find one to avoid social embarrassment. Original Air Date: November 22, 1941 Then, we have Thanksgiving music from the House of Squibb. […]
A reflection on Thanksgiving in the midst of war and suffering in 1941 from 26 by Corwin. Original Air Date: November 9, 1941
In this adaptation of the book of Esther for the Columbia Workshop, events parallel 1940s Europe. From the Columbia Workshop-26 by Corwin. Original Air Date: August 17, 1941
Will Dr. Deutch get away with Grayson’s submarine? Original Air Dates: May 16, 19, 21, and 23, 1941
Superman concludes the adventure of the Nitrate shipment only to face a new Nazi menace. Original Air Dates: May 7,9,12, and 14 1946
While travelling on a boat back to Metropolis, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, and their friend Pug Flanagan run into “foreign agents.” Original Air Dates: April 28 and 30 and May 2 and 5, 1941
In these three episodes, America looks Abroad examines the situation Inside Germany, Inside Britain, and looks at prospects for 1940. Original Air Dates: December 15th, 22nd, and 29th 1940 You can subscribe the War in itunes by clicking here or for all other feed readers click here.
In this episode we hear from President Roosevelt on America’s Neutrality. (September 1, 1939) and Prime Minister Churchill speaks during the battle of France (June 18, 1940) Then we listen to three episodes of the American Foreign policy news show, America Looks Abroad from January 28, June 16, and September 22, 1940 You can subscribe the […]
In a series of three short plays, Arch Oboler examines the interaction of man in war in the past, present, and future from April 15, 1939. Winston Churchill talks about the threat of Nazi Germany in a prophetic radio broadcast from November 16, 1934 You can subscribe the War in itunes by clicking here or for all […]
We take a look at two anti-war episodes of the Columbia Workshop. First, a group of dead soldiers refused to be buried in this adaptation of the play, “Buy the Dead.” (Original Air Date: May 28, 1938) Then, a Captain in World War I orders the executive of unarmed prisoners to save time in “Nine […]
Clark Gable stars in this radio version of the 1932 film version of the classic Hemingway novel. Original Air Date: April 5, 1937 You can subscribe the War in itunes by clicking here or for all other feed readers click here.
How one man destabilized Europe in pursuit of profits from the series Intrigue. Original Air Date: September 11, 1946 You can subscribe the War in itunes by clicking here or for all other feed readers click here.
A look at American reluctance at entering the war. Includes a speech by Herbert Hoover and clips from the Chase and Sanborn Hour from October 17, 1937 and the Good News program from November 10, 1938 as well as an episode of Secret Agent K-7 from 1940