r/otr • u/MisterMisterYeeeesss • 3d ago

Radio Personalities Begin Supporting WW2 Troops

Radio Life magazine, 1/11/42

This was a month after Pearl Harbor, and I found it really interesting how quickly some of the big radio personalities starting their efforts. An interesting sub-point is the size of Bob Hope's crowd can be extrapolated. I've not seen a lot of figures regarding the audience size for many of these shows.

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u/Shotgun_Mosquito 3d ago

Kind of off-tangent but listening to The Great Guildersleeve of December 7, 1941, gives me chills

https://youtu.be/wLoshlRgRuU

https://www.reddit.com/r/otr/s/3aoltytys0

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u/MisterMisterYeeeesss 3d ago

Same with the Jack Benny episode of that day. Jack aired at 4:00pm, so by that point everyone knew what was going on (within the limits of what was known at that time). At one point they break in to ask anyone who wants to help to report to their local police station. It always sounded to me like Don Wilson was going out of his way to sound cheerful, to try to keep the appearance of normality.

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u/Scirocco-MRK1 2d ago

Johnson’s Wax really amped up the war effort with every 3rd or 4th show revolving around the war effort, from rationing, saving spots on transportation for service men, to women working in aircraft plants. Even after the war they promoted food and clothing drives for Europe.

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u/MisterMisterYeeeesss 2d ago

They also used the angle of "make what you have last", which I always thought was a good tack for them to take. Eventually, there were even entire shows (not related to Johnson's Wax) to promote war bond sales, like "Guest Star". One of my favorite mentions of Johnson's Wax was from a Jack Benny episode where Jack was saying there was no animosity between the networks. Jack says that NBC even used Johnson's Wax on their floors. Referencing the great talent theft from CBS (where Johnson's Wax show was airing) to NBC (where Jack Benny was at the time), Mary says "So many stars have come over here that they tracked [the wax] in on their heads." Jack retorts, "Their heads?! Their shoes! They must be acrobats!".

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u/MonkeyDavid 2d ago

The December 9, 1941 Fibber McGee and Molly sticks in my head:

As he did most weeks, Mayor LaTrivia stops by and mentions that he would like a globe for his office. Of course, Fibber tells him that he can get it at a discount because he “knows people.” Then, Molly asks, “You want a globe with Japan on it, Mr. Mayor?”

“Why, certainly.”

“Well, then you better get one quick,” answers Molly.

https://austingisriel.com/2021/03/09/forty-percent-off/

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u/MisterMisterYeeeesss 2d ago

Yeah, I just came across that the other day, actually: https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-BC/Archive-Radio-Life/40s/41/Radio-Life-1941-12-21.pdf On page 32, it's listed in a section where readers send in their favorite jokes from recent programs.

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u/WhatHaveYouGeorge 2d ago

Some folks like Dennis Day, even served

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u/MisterMisterYeeeesss 2d ago

I think Jimmy Stewart's service is the most interesting. At first, there was lots of publicity, he did lots of events, and so forth. Eventually, he request that he just be allowed to serve. On the other end of the war, some servicemembers launched successful careers. Soldier Jack Paar was seen by Jack Benny in the Pacific theater, entertaining the troops. Benny requested that Paar be his summer replacement, and that was the start of a very successful career.