Premier Collections:
Christmas - On The Air!,
Volume 1
Liner notes written by Harlan Zinck

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If you grew up in the days when radio was in its heyday, you probably remember the wonderful sounds of radio around the holiday season. All of the best shows featured special holiday broadcasts that brought touching drama, hilarious comedy, and tuneful melodies to our homes in the weeks before "the big day."

Now you can relive those days once again - or experience them for the very first time - with Christmas - On The Air! This set of four compact discs contains four hours of the best of old time radio, all taken directly from original recordings and professionally restored for your enjoyment for this and many holiday seasons to come.

You'll find drama with "Suspense," "21st Precinct," and "Night Beat;" comedy and variety with "Fibber McGee and Molly" and "Command Performance," and a special one-hour sing-along with Bing Crosby. Many of these shows have not been heard since their original broadcast - and we're sure you'll enjoy the chance to hear them for the first time in decades.

Here is the complete content of "Christmas - On The Air, Volume 1":

21st Precinct: "The Giver"
A suspicious neighbor reports an old man is selling merchandise out of his apartment. Is he selling off stolen property -- or is there more to the story than meets the eye? Realistic police drama in the "Dragnet" tradition, featuring Everett Sloane, Ken Lynch, Harold Stone, and Santos Ortega.
December 22, 1954 - 30:00 - CBS/AFRTS

Suspense: "Back For Christmas"
Herbert Marshall stars as a henpecked British college professor who plots to kill his nagging wife and run away to America with a new love. His plan is perfect, foolproof, and simply cannot fail - or can it? A delightfully droll script, based on the story by John Collier and adapted for radio by director/producer William N. Robson, the program also stars Irene Tedrow, Ellen Morgan, Jack Moyles, Paula Winslowe, Ben Wright, and announcer George Walsh.
Sunday, December 23, 1956 - 30:00 - CBS/AFRTS

Fibber McGee & Molly: Fibber Makes His Own Christmas Cards
McGee is determined to save money this year by making his own greeting cards, but pretty much all he succeeds in making is a mess! Hilarious comedy with Marion and Jim Jordan as Fibber McGee and Molly, in a broadcast that also features Arthur Q. Bryan as Doc Gamble, "Old Timer" Bill Thompson, Gale Gordon as Mayor LaTrivia, The King's Men, Billy Mills and his Orchestra, and announcer Harlow Wilcox.
Tuesday, December 6, 1949 - 30:00 - NBC, sponsored by Johnson's Wax

Night Beat: A Christmas Story
Newspaper reporter Randy Stone covers the "night beat" for the Chicago Star. On Christmas Eve, he's surprised when his editor gives him a last-minute present: five days of vacation for the holidays. But what's a bachelor without family to do on Christmas when everyone else already has plans? Frank Lovejoy stars in a touching broadcast that also features William Conrad in multiple roles.
Wednesday, December 20, 1950 - 30:00 - NBC, sustaining

Command Performance: Special Christmas Program
A special one-hour broadcast from 1946 hosted by Bob Hope and broadcast exclusively to our military personnel and allies. Special guests on this all-star show include the Merry Macs, comedian Jerry Colonna, vocalists Dinah Shore and Ginny Simms, starlet Gloria De Haven, Jimmy Durante and Garry Moore, Marlene Dietrich singing "Lili Marlene," Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy reciting "The Night Before Christmas," the Homer Hall Chorus singing Christmas carols, recorded holiday greetings from President Truman, and a wild version of "Jingle Bells" played by the Slim Gaillard Trio.
Friday, December 25, 1946 - 60:00 - AFRS

A Christmas Sing With Bing
Bing Crosby, along with a full orchestra and chorus, stars in a special one-hour sing-along program from Christmas Eve 1957, as originally broadcast by CBS. This program, featuring recorded holiday greetings from throughout the world, was taken directly from original network master tapes.
Tuesday, December 24, 1957 - 60:00 - CBS, sponsored by the Insurance Companies of North America

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