RADIO CHANGES

by

Dorothy Graham Gast

Radio was an important part of our lives growing up in the 40’s and 50’s. Each school day morning we waked and dressed by the programs on the radio. Each school day the Rev. J. A. Pate, preacher from West End Baptist Church, started us off. We knew by the time his daughters ended their closing song we needed to be dressed and at breakfast.

As we buttered our hot biscuits, Brother Simmons came on with music provided by Jack and Coolidge Ham. When they sang the theme song, Farther Along, We’ll Know All about It we believed they were singing “Father Alone Will know all about it” and were not quite sure what the It was.

After school and chores, we listened to the Lone Ranger and his faithful companion, Tonto, and “the thundering hoof-beats of the great horse, Silver”, anticipating the question ”Who was that masked man?” and knowing that once again the silver bullet would be left behind.

On Saturday night when most of our friends were listening to the Grand Old Opry from historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, we listened to The Hit Parade.

Our friends at school might talk about Inner Sanctum Mysteries, but we knew that as soon as we heard the creaking door we had to turn to another station less threatening..

Fibber McGee and Molly always had the closet door open and everything fall out as the audience laughed. Fannie Bryce delighted us with the antics of Baby Snooks

Life was simpler in the postwar days and the jokes were gentler, lacking the sharp retorts and risqué remarks of later years.