January 31 Chuck interviews actress Eve Arden in a conversation recorded backstage at the Drury Lane Theatre in suburban Chicago.
January 31 TV appearance: Midnight WLS-TV Channel 7, Chicago. Host of this late-night talk show is weatherman John Coleman. The subject is “Radio” and guests are Bob Sirott (WLS); Chuck Schaden (WLTD); Sherman Kaplan (WBBM); and Clark Weber (WMAQ), each talking about their stations and their programs.
February 17-20 In an ambitious interview trip to Southern California, Chuck records conversations with actors Edgar Bergen, Jack Haley, Frank Nelson, Alan Reed, Barbara Luddy, Olan Soule, Janet Waldo, Sam Edwards, announcers Harry Von Zell and Ken Carpenter, writer Carroll Carroll, and producer John Guedel.
March 3 When Radio Was Radio, a series of five-minute old time radio clips premieres on WAIT, Chicago, Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
March 8 Chuck’s special on-the-air guest is John V. Leigh, his elementary school principal from James Giles School in Norridge.
March 9 TWTD and North West Federal sponsor the first of several Monopoly Tournaments.
March 24 In “quiet anticipation” of the sale of WLTD, Cummings Communications names Ernie Anastos as General Manager, replacing Bob Larson. Anastos makes sweeping changes to the station format and releases most broadcast personalities. Listeners react negatively, Anastos relents, and some of the on-air personalities (including Chuck) remain.
April 12 TWTD hosts an on-the-air Monopoly Tournament.
April 21 Cummings Communications sells WLTD to Frank Kovas, Jr. and names Ernie Anastos General Manager, who continues his “housecleaning” through a “summer of discontent” at the station, but all his changes are made.
April 26 Those Were The Days Fifth Anniversary broadcast, WLTD. Chuck celebrates with a program of sound clips from the show’s first five years on the air. Included are interview segments, a Ma Perkins re-creation, an early episode of The Hector Q. Peabody Show and the final episode of Fibber McGee and the Good Old Days of Radio. This turns out to be the last TWTD anniversary program on WLTD.
May 1 The 1975 World Book Year Book, the Annual Supplement to The World Book Encyclopedia, on the subject “Radio Rides Again” writes:
…But recently, some stations began playing tape recordings of such old shows as The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet. They were astonished by the enthusiastic audience response. Now, station WLTD in Evanston, Ill., for one, broadcasts more than 20 hours of old-time radio each week. The recordings come from the collection of station manager Chuck Schaden, who has accumulated more than12,000 old radio tapes. Schaden figures he can continue broadcasting until the middle of 1977 without repeating a show.
May 3 TWTD remote broadcast from the lobby of North West Federal Savings. On-air guests are broadcaster Art Hellyer, radio premium collector Joe Sarno and vintage radio collector Burt Katz.
May 31 TV appearance: Dave Baum Show WFLD-TV, Channel 32, Chicago. Host Dave Baum discusses the Golden Days of Radio with guest Chuck Schaden, who tells how he got started collecting the vintage programs and presents audio clips from old-time broadcasts.
June 1 Old–Time Radio and All That Jazz premieres, WWMM, Arlington Heights, Sundays, 7-9 p.m.
June 2 Hall Closet IV premieres, WXFM, Chicago, Monday-Friday, 3-5 p.m.
June 7 Magikist Rug Cleaners becomes long-time sponsor of TWTD.
June 21 Memory Club movie is “Big Broadcast of 1936” featuring Bing Crosby, Burns and Allen, Amos ‘n’ Andy.
July 5 Remote TWTD broadcast from the lobby of North West Federal, marking the savings and loan’s Fiftieth Anniversary.
July 26 Radio For Kids final broadcast, WLTD, after 120 programs.
July 26 Those Were The Days final broadcast on WLTD, after 251 programs.
July 31 Hall Closet III final morning broadcast on WLTD after 689 programs.
August 2 Those Were The Days takes a five-week hiatus before moving to station WNIB, Chicago.
GRAFFITI (August 8, 1975) Weatherman John Coleman’s TV talk show takes a look back at radio’s golden age with guest Chuck Schaden.
August 8 TV appearance: Graffiti WLS-TV Channel 7, Chicago. Weatherman John Coleman’s TV talk show takes a look back at radio’s golden age with guests Chuck Schaden, actors Vivian Smolen, Phil Bowman, Viola Berwick; premium collector Mike Campo; and radio director Yuri Rasovsky. Includes a re-creation of a Backstage Wife episode from 1937.
August 9 Memory Club movie is “This Way Please” (1937) starring Fibber McGee and Molly.
August 18-28 In another visit to Southern California, Chuck interviews writer/ director Carlton E. Morse (One Man’s Family and I Love a Mystery), and actors Howard Duff (Sam Spade), Jay Jostyn (Mr. District Attorney), Ezra Stone (Aldrich Family), Elliott Lewis, Lurene Tuttle, Karl Swenson and Joan Tompkins
August 23 Memory Club movie is “Artists and Models” (1937) starring Jack Benny, Judy Canova, Martha Raye.
August 28 Hall Closet IV final broadcast on WXFM after 65 programs in late afternoon spot.
September 1 Hall Closet V premiere broadcast on WXFM in new Monday thru Friday morning spot from 8-10 a.m.
September 1 Schaden opens his Nostalgia Broadcast Center at 5901 N. Cicero Avenue, Chicago. All Hall Closet and Those Were The Days programs now originate at this location.
September 6 Those Were The Days premieres on WNIB, Chicago, Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Thus begins a 25-year run on the classical music station owned by Bill and Sonia Florian’s Northern Illinois Broadcasting.
November 12 Chuck interviews singer Kate Smith at the North Shore Hilton Hotel in suburban Chicago.
November 15 Memory Club movie is “Duffy’s Tavern” (1945) starring Ed Gardner and an all-star cast of Paramount Pictures stars including Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Alan Ladd, Betty Hutton and Veronica Lake.
November 22 Memory Club movie is “Buck Benny Rides Again” (1940) starring Jack Benny, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Andy Devine.
