NEW YEARS DAYS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Originally broadcast on WNIB
Saturday, January 1, 2000

On our first Those Were The Days program of the 2000s, we tune in to a variety of sea­sonal broadcasts from a variety of New Year’s Days during the 20th Century.

RED SKELTON SHOW (January 1, 1946) New Year resolutions are featured in the “Skelton Scrapbook of Satire” as Red appears as Dead­eye and, later, as Junior the Mean Little Kid. Cast includes singer Anita Ellis, Verna Felton, Pat McGeehan, Wonderful Smith, announcer Rod O’Connor, David Forester and the orches­tra. Raleigh Cigarettes, NBC. (29 min)

RAILROAD HOUR (January 1, 1951) Gordon MacRae presents a review of highlights from Railroad Hour programs of 1950. Guest is Lucille Norman who joins Gordon, the Norman Luboff Choir and Carmen Dragon and the or­chestra to present selections from “Red Mill,” “Snow White,” “Pirates of Penzance,” “Bit­tersweet,” Sally,” and “Allegro.” Marvin Miller announces. Association of American Rail­roads, NBC. (30 min)

THE WHISTLER (January 1, 1950) “Evening Stroll.” On New Year’s Eve a college profes­sor considers his future at the university. Bill Foreman stars as The Whistler, with Donald Woods, Barbara Eiler, Mary Lansing, Gil Stratton Jr. Announcer is Marvin Miller. Sig­nal Oil Co., CBS West Coast. (28 min)

GREAT GILDERSLEEVE (January 1, 1947) Harold Peary stars as Throckmorton P. Gilder­sleeve who forgets to ask Eve Goodwin to the New Year’s Costume Ball. Kraft Foods, NBC. (31 min)

KRAFT MUSIC HALL (January 1, 1948) Al Jolson stars with guest actress Madeline Carroll and regulars Oscar Levant, Ken Car­penter, and Lou Bring and the orchestra. Al talks about his New Year’s Eve party, then he and Madeline do a British sketch. Jolie sings “Avalon,” “My Blue Heaven,” “Anniversary Song.” Kraft Foods, NBC. (30 min)

GUNSMOKE (January 1, 1956) “Puckett’s New Year” starring William Conrad as Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall; Parley Baer as Chester Proudfoot; Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell; Howard McNear as Doc Adams; with Ralph Moody as Puckett. At the end of the year, a prospector seeks to kill the man who left him to die in a snowstorm. Chesterfield Cigarettes, CBS. (22 min) Those Were The Days listen­ers have voted GUNSMOKE one of the 20 Best Old Time Radio Shows of the 20th Century.

JACK BENNY PROGRAM (January 1, 1950) Jack stars with Mary Livingstone, Eddie “Roch­ester” Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, Artie Auerback, Sportsmen, Don Wil­son. In a flashback to New Year’s Eve, Jack’s not going to Mary’s party because he has a date, but at Jack’s house before Mary’s party, he proposes a New Year’s toast to everyone in his cast. Lucky Strike Cigarettes, CBS. (27 min)