This is a great time of year to indulge in some fun, family friendly, holiday audio. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I fell in love with audiobooks, because of my passion for The Theater of the Mind. Long before the first books-on-tape, there was a legion of fans of the golden age of radio who were copying and circulating spoken word performances from the medium’s heyday. The internet has made these wonderful recordings available to everyone, with an extensive collection of them FREE. If you enjoy audiobooks, then we encourage you to check out these holiday-themed productions. They will play on numerous devices, and some can even be downloaded to take on the road.
Please note that these productions are a product of their times. Some jokes are corny, a few remarks might be sexist, but I can tell you in the end the messages of goodwill toward man, and a celebration of family and friends are the central themes. It was a time of depression and world war, and everyone hoped that each season would be a better one.
The list below are some of my picks for those first-timers into the world of (OTR) Old Time Radio. The selection is found at: https://archive.org/details/500OTRChristmasShows and contains over 500 holiday-themed selections. Happy Holiday Listening!
Show # Show Title Year Type
8 An Old-Fashioned Christmas 1936 Comedy
14 A Christmas Carol 1938 Drama
21 Christmas Shopping 1939 Comedy
30 Mailing Christmas Packages 1940 Comedy
46 Fibber Cuts His Own Tree 1941 Comedy
102 Back For Christmas 1943 Suspense
185 The Night Before Christmas 1945 Detective
226 Christmas Present 1946 Adventure
239 Christmas Caroling at Home 1946 Comedy
245 Man Who Murdered Santa Claus 1946 Detective
321 Christmas Bonuses 1948 Comedy
332 Broken Christmas 1948 Comedy