# Old Time Radio Shows Available at Internet Archive: Any Favorites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** radio-podcast\ **Created:** [May 6, 2021, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529 "2021-05-06T15:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/1 "2021-05-06T15:04:08Z")
There are lots of old time radio shows available at Internet Archive (shows like the Lone Ranger, Sherlock Holmes, Adventures of Sam Spade, Adventures of Superman, Amos and Andy…) [https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio](https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio) Anyone have any favorites? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/2 "2021-05-06T15:23:48Z")
XM had (or maybe still has) a station that played all these old shows. I always like The Bickersons, The Whistler, X Minus One, The Shadow, Have Gun Will Travel, Dragnet and a ton more that aren’t coming to mind right now. For 3 or 4 years it was the only station my car ever had on. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/3 "2021-05-06T15:29:32Z")
I quite enjoyed listening to Fibber McGee and Molly from 1941 on. I’ve also listened to a bunch of episodes of The Great Gildersleeve, which is more of a typical sitcom (but still often pretty funny). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/4 "2021-05-06T15:37:32Z")
I like [Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar](https://archive.org/details/OTRR_YoursTrulyJohnnyDollar_Singles_Bob_Bailey_2). I can’t listen to too much of it because it gets tedious, but it’s a nice break once in a while. Wish I could have kept up on my expense reports like that. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/5 "2021-05-06T15:55:31Z")
Vincent Price as The Saint-Such a delight! ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/6 "2021-05-06T15:58:55Z")
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The _Shadow knows_ !” \*\* [Specially the ones with ~~Awesome~~ Orson Wells](https://archive.org/details/RkoOrsonWelles-TheShadow-RadioRecodings), and the Goodrich Safety SilverTown Tires ads. [Curiously, the tires are still being made.](https://www.summitracing.com/parts/COK-579028?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwp86EBhD7ARIsAFkgakhGW0vpkRxub8gA1KcZcRu5ZELwMLcBFLnq1RIzW_fPLJh6HTNlPrkaAnMTEALw_wcB) . . . \*\* On a recent TopTenz from that youtube guy that never sleeps, [Simon Whistler](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0woBco6Dgcxt0h8SwyyOmw/channels), in a list about things that never happened (Wells “War of the Worlds” really did not cause wide panic scares) had the YouTube auto caption turning Whistler’s accent way to say “Orson” into “Awesome”. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/7 "2021-05-06T16:12:27Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Goodrich Safety SilverTown Tires ads. [Curiously, the tires are still being made.](https://www.summitracing.com/parts/COK-579028?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwp86EBhD7ARIsAFkgakhGW0vpkRxub8gA1KcZcRu5ZELwMLcBFLnq1RIzW_fPLJh6HTNlPrkaAnMTEALw_wcB) I was excited to hear ads for a particular product on The Great Gildersleeve: Kraft Dinner Macaroni & Cheese! (Usually it was just Kraft Parkay margarine, though.) ---
**Author:** ![pmwgreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@pmwgreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmwgreen)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/8 "2021-05-06T16:41:21Z")
I prefer the crime stuff to the comedies. The crime shows have enough comedy in them as it is. I love the Howard Duff episodes of “Adventures of Sam Spade”. (Duff was blackballed by the McCarthyites and fired from the show. Still there is about a hundred episodes with him still available.) Alan Ladd is pretty good in “Box 13”. I also think “Man Called X” and “Richard Diamond, Private Detective” are pretty great. There are quite a few others with only a handful of episodes, even though they ran for years at the time. The “Thin Man” has only about a dozen episodes recorded, it’s such a loss. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/9 "2021-05-06T16:55:19Z")
Ton of great stuff on these two sites I use > **[Free Old Time Radio Shows from The Golden Age of Radio - OTR](https://www.oldradioworld.com/)** > > Features a large archive of the most popular old time radio mp3 downloads from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and more. > **[oldradioprograms.us](http://ww38.oldradioprograms.us/)** > > This domain may be for sale! My favorite two are The Shadow that ran across the 1930s-50s which I spoke about in another thread here not too long ago and Journey Into Space. The Shadow is about a “wealthy young man around town” named Lamont Cranston who has secret hypnotic powers that allow him to cloud men’s mind and solve crimes. The other program I have engrossed myself in listening was a 1950s BBC sci-fi drama which incidentally was the last BBC radio program to get more listeners than the primetime BBC TV show got viewers. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/10 "2021-05-06T16:59:16Z")
My husband’s a big fan of Johnny Dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/11 "2021-05-06T17:04:29Z")
Yeah, “The weed of crime bears bitter fruit.” _The Shadow_’s my favorite. I also fondly remember Vincent Price’s rendering of _Three Skeleton Key_. And _Dick Tracy’s Wedding_, starring just about everybody. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/12 "2021-05-06T17:10:41Z")
I haven’t run across many fans but it was incredibly popular on the radio in it’s time. Fans of old TV shows will recognize some voices like Parley Baer and Howard McNear from the Andy Griffith show, among other well known actors. Many of those actors developed distinctive voices for radio that continued to serve them well on television. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/13 "2021-05-06T17:12:16Z")
_Johnny Dollar_ is great. I can even enjoy a single episode without worrying about the plot. I also love the cost of his expenses. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/14 "2021-05-06T17:15:41Z")
I’m crazy about X Minus One. Great sci fi stuff ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/15 "2021-05-06T17:16:12Z")
Yeah, Johnny is great. I also like Richard Diamond, Fibber McGee, Life or Riley, and The Halls of Ivy. (and X Minus 1) ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/16 "2021-05-06T17:55:13Z")
My adult daughter and I too ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/17 "2021-05-06T18:14:29Z")
CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Takes me back to riding in the backseat of our ‘67 Galaxie 500, coming home from the cabin. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/18 "2021-05-06T18:23:48Z")
A second vote for _Fibber McGee and Molly_, and for _The Great Gildersleeve_. Add the radio show of _Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House_. Many of the radio shows on the Archive site are from the Old Time Radio Researchers (OTRR) group. Their site has a collection of Jean Shepherd (A Christmas Story) radio monologues at their website. [otrrlibrary.org](http://otrrlibrary.org) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/19 "2021-05-06T19:01:39Z")
I tend to like _Dragnet, Gunsmoke,_ and _The Whistler._ ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529/20 "2021-05-06T20:53:27Z")
“_The Lives of Harry Lime_ was a British radio series that was produced in London by Harry Alan Towers. Called _The Adventures of Harry Lime_ when first broadcast in Great Britain, the program featured Orson Welles as the title character, reprising his role from the 1949 cult movie, _The Third Man_ . The radio series was set before that classic film, and depicted Harry Lime’s many misadventures as a con-artist…” [Lives of Harry Lime - Single Episodes : Old Time Radio Researchers Group : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Harey_Lime_Singles) - Note that producer Harry Alan Towers had a long career in radio and (generally sleazy) movies, as well jumping bail on some very interesting vice charges in the early 1960s. Perhaps working on a show about a con man gave him some helpful hints when it came to being a fugitive movie producer. > **[Harry Alan Towers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Alan_Towers)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 feature films and continued to write and produce well into his eighties. Towers was married to the actress Maria Rohm, who appeared in many of his films. > The son of a theatrical agent, Towers was born in Wandsw... [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-time-radio-shows-available-at-internet-archive-any-favorites/941529.md?page=2)