Category: Quiz Radio Television
Quiz 7 – Frank Nelson
One of the attributes that made The Jack Benny Program such a radio and TV tour de force was the wide range of its talented stock characters and “second bananas.” In addition to the principle cast-members, fans remember Mel Blanc and Artie Auerbach and the unique humor of actor Frank Nelson, among... Continue Reading »
Quiz 6 – Arthur Q Bryan
If you're a fan of classic radio or if you've watched those classic Warner Brothers cartoons, you'll certainly recognize the voice of Arthur Q. Bryan. Bryan was born (in 1899) and raised in New York City where he struggled to find steady work as an actor, so he moved to Hollywood in the early 1930s... Continue Reading »
Quiz 5 – Irene (and Tim) Ryan
Long before she achieved fame portraying “Granny” for nine seasons on television's Beverly Hillbillies, Irene Ryan enjoyed a solid career in film and on radio. Born in Texas in 1902, Irene Noblette grew up in San Francisco and performed in local theater there... Continue Reading »
Quiz 4 – Hans Conreid Jr.
Hans Conried, Jr. is our versatile “second banana” this week. Born in 1917 in Baltimore, Conried began his acting career on stage doing mostly classical roles. He did a little movie work in the 1930s before joining Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater Players in 1939. Hans was in... Continue Reading »
Quiz 3 – Agnes Moorehead
This week, our celebrity “second banana” is Agnes Moorehead....Agnes was born in 1900 in Massachusetts and she died in 1974 in Minnesota, however she's buried right up the road from Cincinnati in Dayton Memorial Park. She graduated from Muskingum College in Ohio with... Continue Reading »
Quiz 2 – Teddy Bergman
This week, our celebrity “second banana” is Teddy Bergman….born Herbert Theodore Bergman in New York City in 1907. Bergman was a master of dialects, at one time proclaiming he could speak in some 22-different voices. Because of this talent, he was a popular character actor on many... Continue Reading »
Quiz 1 – Elliott Lewis
This week, and for the next few weeks, we're playing a game on our Facebook “Media Heritage, Inc.” and “Big Broadcast” pages. If you'd like to play, “like” one or both of those Facebook pages and on Mondays, we'll post a photo of an old radio “second banana”…a secondary or... Continue Reading »
Bob and Ray: Keener Than Most Persons
Few radio personalities had as much success advancing, and making fun of, radio broadcasting in the 1950s than Bob and Ray. With an off-brand and completely unique style of humor, Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding inspired and influenced many—from Bob Newhart to Woody Allen. The story of Bob and Ray... Continue Reading »
Sound Effects Guy: Don’t Call It Foley
This weekend, MH's Mike Martini and Mark Magistrelli will be performing live sound effects on stage for a radio recreation of a script entitled The Canterville Ghost for a Cincinnati theater company. It's the sixth production for Martini producing the sounds of doors closing, footsteps, thunderclaps, horse clops, etc., for... Continue Reading »
Happy Birthday, Ma Perkins
Ma Perkins was “born” at Cincinnati's WLW radio station on this date, August 14, 1933…80 years ago! The daily soap opera was a huge success and ran for over 7000-episodes, ending as one of the final group of dramas cancelled by CBS on November 26, 1960 (often called “the day... Continue Reading »