Vintage radios have always been a passion of mine. I still have memories of working late into the night with my dad in his workshop and listening to class radio shows on his old Philco Radio. Mystery and crime shows like "The Shadow", "Dragnet", "The Saint", "Sherlock Holmes" and "Charlie Chan". We listened to classic western shows too like "The Lone Ranger", "Hopalong Cassidy", "Gunsmoke", "Gene Autry" and "Have gun will travel" among others. But I have to say even to this day, my favorite radio shows were the mysteries, horror and sci-fi stories. My all time favorite radio mystery shows were "Beyond Midnight", "Inner Sanctum", "Lights Out", "Suspense", "The Whistler" and so many more.
I have a son of my own now and it is hard to describe to him how things were different back in the day. Before the age of t.v. people gathered around the warm light of their radios much like moths to a flame and sat intently while listening to each and every word that came out of the announcer's microphone. The t.v. "screen" was your imagination and the sound effects, storyline, characters and plot were food that fed that imagination. The lights would be turned down low to build the mood. Perhaps a candle would be lit or a small, cozy fire would crackle in the background in unison with the crackling of the radio static.
I've opened this blog in hopes that others will share their memories of the "glory days" of radio before those who truly remember "how it was" are lost to us forever. There is no history comparied to first hand, true accounts of those who lived it. Please share your stories with us!
If you also have a love for vintage radios, I have opened up a store below where I sell reproductions of classic radios. Please have a look:
Vintage Radios