If you were going to request that a “coffee table book” be written on old-time radio, I can’t think of a more suitable author than my fellow Radio Spirits contributor and nostalgia expert Martin Grams, Jr. I’ve joked in the past that my pal Martin is “the Isaac Asimov of OTR books,” due to his prolific output of tomes on that subject. Honest to my grandma, every time I’m in communication with the guy he seems to be in the middle of writing yet another invaluable pop culture reference contribution. You’ll find many of his books—ranging on topics from radio’s Duffy’s Tavern to TV’s The Time Tunnel—for sale at his website…and this November 1, he’ll add another title to his overstuffed bookshelf with The Top 100 Classic Radio Shows, co-written with Radio Spirits founder Carl Amari.
The end papers for the book. To paraphrase A Date With Judy's Oogie Pringle, "they look sna-a-zzy!" |
The book is split into six sections: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
& Detective, Sci-Fi & Kids, Variety, and Western & Adventure. For each show, the reader is provided with a
cast list, airdates, and additional program background; many of the shows
discussed also feature a “Did You Know?” section which offers up tantalizing
trivia for those of us who eat that sort of thing up with a spoon. Included with Top 100 Classic Radio Shows
are three CDs with vintage old-time radio programming (not dissimilar to the
bonus disc that accompanied Leonard Maltin’s The Great American Broadcast) and a website where you can download
additional broadcasts (mentioned in “call-outs” in the sections of the shows
listed) for additional hours of listening enjoyment.
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