Old Time Radio Shows

When I was a kid before there was television (yes, I'm old) there was radio. And, as kids, we loved to listen to the shows.

As a preschooler I was allowed to stay up an hour later than usual on Saturdays to listen to The Lone Ranger because my mother loved that program.

Later all the kids in our neighborhood listened to Big John and Sparky on Saturday mornings. That was followed by Space Patrol. After listening to that show we'd all go out, meet the other kids, and pretend to be flying to distant planets and having adventures in outer space.

And in the evenings we'd listen to the same programs our parents liked.

But just listening only requires a certain amount of attention.

Often while the radio was on we'd play on the floor, making things with my brother's Tinkertoys or Erector Set or building towns with blocks. Then I'd fill the houses with doll house furniture and my brother would drive his toy cars and trucks on the streets between them.

Somehow listening to radio programs seemed to stimulate our imaginations and creativity.

I worry about today's kids who are so addicted to video games and other technology. Are they becoming less creative as a result? Or will those devices stimulate their imaginations?

Radio

Way back in ancient times when I was a little kid there were no video games or computers and even television hadn't been invented yet. In those days everyone listened to the radio.

There were news broadcasts and sometimes music, but most of the programs, at least those my family listened to, involved stories.

On Saturday evenings my brother and I were allowed to stay up an hour past our regular bedtime to listen to The Lone Ranger. (By the way, the new movie with that title bears very little resemblance to the radio show.)

My mother loved to listen to San Francisco is Your Home ( called This is Your Home in the San Francisco Bay Area) about the history of that city.

As kids we loved Big John and Sparky which played on school days and Saturdays. Later on Saturday mornings all the kids in our neighborhood would listen to Space Patrol, then come out and gather to pretend we were blasting off to other planets.

Of course there were soap operas, broadcasts of sport events, and comedy shows and kids were allowed to hear those if our parents tuned in to them. Nothing that might be offensive or X rated (if ratings had existed then) was ever broadcast, although some of the old shows would be considered offensive now for racial and anti-feminist content.

While we listened to radio programs kids might be building things with blocks or Tinker Toys, playing with cars, trains, or dolls, coloring, or cutting out paper dolls. Women might be tidying up the room, ironing clothes, or perhaps sewing or knitting. Men would often be repairing or making something small or just lounging on the couch relaxing after a day at work. But we'd all be carried off together to whatever was happening on the radio.

If you're old enough to remember listening to radio shows, what were your favorites?