OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS episode 56, part 2:

We conclude this special, extended, two-part episode! Special guest John Tefteller is armed with more terrific stories about Groucho Marx and his zany brothers, plus we learn how John himself started working for Groucho at the tender age of 15! (Part 1 was last week, in case you missed it.)

SPECIAL NOTE: At the behest of Mr. T, we've removed a special announcement about the release of some "new" Marxian material, so you'll hear a 5-second gap at that point. Don't turn away, just wait 5 seconds and the show will continue!

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 56: In part one of this very special extended installment of the long-running OTR discussion series, co-hosts Pete, Patte (pat) and Paul welcome guest programmer John Tefteller, a fellow OTR podcaster and a life-long collector of radio transcription discs – not to mention somebody who worked for Groucho Marx as a young man! John is sharing an episode of 'You Bet Your Life', as well as many wonderful stories about the Marx Brothers, and old radio in general. JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR PART TWO!

If you like OTR Essentials and have a suggestion for a future series we should discuss, please write us at our NEW email address: [email protected]! If we take your suggestion, you'll be eligible for some cool Narada and Moonlight swag.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Ep 55.5 -- 10th Anniversary of Mickey Mouse

Co-hosts Pete, Paul and Patte divert from their usual format to bring you this diversion -- a standalone production from 1938 that honors Walt Disney on the 10th anniversary of the very first Mickey Mouse cartoon. Discovered by OTR aficionado John Tefteller in his vast collection of acetate (and other) recordings, he released it on Thanksgiving Day 2025 on his own podcast, The Good Old Days of Radio, thus letting listeners hear it for the first time (probably) since its first release 88 years ago. Mr. Tefteller has graciously allowed us to re-re-release it, since our listeners and his likely follow parallel lines, thus allowing more folks to enjoy it.

The three co-hosts are not judging it by their usual criteria (see previous episodes), merely bringing it to you for your entertainment.

If you like OTR Essentials and have a suggestion for a future series we should discuss, please write us at our NEW email address: [email protected]! If we take your suggestion, you'll be eligible for some cool Narada and Moonlight swag.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 55: The Great Gildersleeve (S5 Holiday Special)

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 55, and as we continue Season 5, we present Paul's pick, an installment of the NBC comedy series, The Great Gildersleeve, from 12/24/44. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we four bring you, as our fifty-fifth number (but 6th official episode of S5), this episode of The Great Gildersleeve, from Christmas Eve, 1944. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Pete's pick again, and he'll bring us, for our 1st number of 2026, special guest programmer (and fellow OTR podcaster) John Tefteller, who will be sharing an episode of You Bet Your Life, starring Groucho Marx. Join us then, won't you?

SIX-GUN SANTA CLAUS, A Jake Dimes Christmas Number

Western detective Jake Dimes returns for a third holiday adventure! At a family gathering in Celestial City, Jake and his sidekick Briar Buck tell the "one hundred percent true" tale of a youngster, living a hardscrabble existence in a small Arizona town, who gets a new lease on life through the kindness of a circus performer. Aside from the main story, two members of the family reveal some important news! Enjoy this new offering from the Narada Radio Company, and Happy Holidays to all of our listeners!

With the voice talents of:

Dana Gonsalves as JAKE DIMES

Victoria Fancki as CHRIS GREENSLATE DIMES

Austin Beach as BRIAR BUCK

Nancy Bueler as MOLLY SUTCLIFFE BUCK

Joe Stofko as FRED GREENSLATE

Glenn Hascall as SLIM SUTCLIFFE and

Debby Gonzales Ramirez as LUPE; with

Nick Wommack as TODD

Alan Clower as NEVADA

Andy Hartson-Bowyer as ACE GARLAND

Paul J. Patterson as COLONEL BRAGG

Mel Rose as FREDERICA "RICKY" DIMES

Additional voices by Pete Lutz

Cannonball Kelly as YOUR ANNOUNCER

*

Adapted, produced and directed by Pete Lutz, from a short story by Lee E. Wells.

The Jake Dimes Theme was composed by Pete Lutz, arranged and performed by Dr. Ross Bernhardt.

Music passages came from "The Winter's Passed" by Wayne Barlow; other music from the public domain with the exception of certain stings by Edward Champion.

THE BEETLE WHO WENT ON HIS TRAVELS by Hans Christian Andersen

Originally produced for Mutual Audio Network's Saturday Story Circle, I decided to share my narration of this enchanting story with my regular listeners, in case they missed it at Mutual a couple years ago. Enjoy!

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 54: I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 54, and as we continue Season 5, we present Patte's pick, an early episode of the groundbreaking BBC comedy series, I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, from April, 1964. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we four bring you, as our fifty-fourth number (but 5th official episode of S5), this episode of I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again, from 04/64. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Paul's pick again, and he'll bring us, for our 5th annual Christmas special, a holiday edition of The Great Gildersleeve. Join us then, won't you?

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 53: NBC Presents: Short Story

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 53, and as we continue Season 5, we present Pete's pick, or rather Special Guest Programmer Jack Ward's pick, an example of the NBC Radio Anthology series NBC Presents: Short Story. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we four bring you, as our fifty-third number (but 4th official episode of S5), this episode of NBC Presents: Short Story, from 3-15-51. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Patte's pick again, and she is still mulling things over -- but she does specify something from either the BBC or CBC. Join us then, won't you?

THE AMBITIOUS GUEST by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Read by Pete Lutz

Originally narrated for the Tales to Terrify podcast in 2017, I thought I'd share this reading of Hawthorne's 1835 short story with you for the Halloween timeframe. While it isn't necessarily horror, it does have some suspenseful elements and a strange twist, which are apropros to the season, no? Listen and enjoy.

OLD-TIME RADIO ESSENTIALS Episode 52: Hancock's Half-Hour

Old-Time Radio Essentials returns with episode 52, and as we continue Season 5, we present Paul's pick, an example of the BBC Radio comedy series Hancock's Half-Hour. Come for the old-time radio, stay for the scintillating (that's one way of putting it) discussion afterwards!

As you listen, perhaps you'll learn if we feel this entry meets the following criteria:

1. Is it truly representative of that series? (Can anyone point to it and say, "Yes, that is what [NAME OF SERIES] was all about.")

2. Is it an episode worthy of inclusion in any and every OTR aficionado's private collection?

So with this in mind, we three bring you, as our fifty-second number (but 3rd official episode of S5), this episode of Hancock's Half-Hour, from 1-11-56. We'll introduce the show, play it in its entirety, then discuss it at length. Thanks for joining us, and we hope you enjoy it!

Please show your support of the podcast by doing any of the following...

To comment on how we might improve OTR-E, or give suggestions for future discussions, please write to us at [email protected] . Put the word "Essentials" in the subject line.

Your feedback means a lot to us! A review at iTunes or at your usual podcatcher would be appreciated.

Next Time: It's Pete's pick again, and also our annual Halloween Special! Pete's making it extra-special by inviting friend of the show and Essential Listener Jack Ward (Grand Poobah of the Mutual Audio Network) to be our guest programmer. At the time of recording we didn't know what Jack was going to bring us, but we're sure it's something spooky. Join us then, won't you?

MUTUAL PRESENTS: RETRO-ROCKETS! Crisis on Titan

(Orig. rel. 9-4-24 on Mutual Audio Network) On one of the many moons of Saturn, a troop of Interplanetary Soldiers have been given scut-duty: digging in the dirt to find an element vital to the survival of Earth and other planets. They long to get back to the job they were trained for: fighting whatever enemy is before them. These hard-bitten grunts soon get more than they bargained for, when the enemy takes over the garrison they'd left just a few hours before! Crisis on Titan first appeared in Planet Stories magazine, and was adapted for this series by Pete Lutz from the short story by James R. Adams.

CAST:

Andy Hartson-Bowyer as SGT. HALLIHAN

Ebony Rose as CORPORAL RODRIGUEZ and

Carole Krohn as CAPTAIN STALEY

The voices of the SOLDIERS were by Julie Krohn and Pete Lutz

The sounds of the THE BARBER'S DELIGHTS and THE SQUEAKERS were by Julie Krohn