Remembering 1952: A Year of Transformation on the Airwaves
Step back into a pivotal year when the glow of television began to rival the warmth of the radio dial. Remembering 1952 captures a moment when one in three American homes had a TV set, yet radio remained the heartbeat of the nation, chronicling a year of historic firsts, cultural milestones, and global tension. This comprehensive audio collection brings together 56 recordings spanning over 24 hours of entertainment and news, offering a vivid time capsule of a world on the cusp of change.
Collection Highlights
- Witness television history through radio's ears: Hear original broadcasts discussing the April 7 episode of I Love Lucy titled "The Marriage License," which became the first TV program watched in over 10 million homes. The collection also captures the launch of the Mr. Potato Head toy advertising campaign, the first commercial aimed directly at children.
- Experience a world in transition: News reports and special programs cover the first hydrogen bomb test during Operation Ivy, the maiden flight of the B-52 Stratofortress, the debut of the SS United States, and the first successful open-heart surgery using hypothermia. You'll also hear coverage of the Winter Olympics in Oslo and the Summer Games in Helsinki, which saw more world records broken than any Games until 2008.
- Hear the voices that shaped the era: The collection features appearances by comedy legends Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Red Skelton, along with dramatic performances from Escape, Suspense, Dragnet, and The Six Shooter. News segments include President Truman's press conferences, Edward R. Murrow's reports, and the campaign song "I Like Ike" from the 1952 presidential election.
- Catch rare and beloved programs: Discover episodes from The Cisco Kid, Our Miss Brooks, You Bet Your Life, and the radio version of Let's Pretend, alongside broadcasts from the Grand Ole Opry and the final year of The Green Hornet on radio.
Track Listing
Show all 112 tracks (24 hours, 27 min)
- aa520630 Kingfish Adopts A Great Dane From A Lodge Brother
- Action 80 520326 Project Swordfish-1st Atomic Sub
- Arthur Godfrey 520909 First Joke Is About A Clean Shirt
- Bergen McCarthy 521005 W 15th Radio Aniv. W R Clooney
- Bergen McCarthy 521100 Charlie Weds Marilyn Monroe
- Bing Crosby 520507 Bankhead
- Bing Crosby 520604 Judy Garland
- Bob Hope 520603 537 Jack Kirkwood Marilyn Maxwell
- Bob Hope 520610 538 Roy Rogers Dale Evans
- BV 520303 50 The Big KO
- C 4 Fbi 520611 E 08 American Kremlin
- Cisco Kid 521125 037 Murder At Cactus Vista
- Dragnet 520214 e140 Big Phone Call
- Escape 521102 155 Running Man
- Escape 521221 162 Man Who Liked Dickens
- FMM 520520 0699 At the Carnival
- GG 520130 430 Gildy Protects Hooker From Mona
- Grand Ole Opry 520322
- Green Hornet 521126 Gas House Ending
- Guest Star 520810 0281 Pledge
- Guns 521129 ep032 Kitty
- Harry Lime 520725 052 Greek Meets Greek
- Hollywood Star Playhouse 520907 29 The Tenth Planet
- I Confess 521017 Narcotics Case
- Inner Sanctum 521005 Death Pays Freight
- Jack Benny 520527 2337 Jack Plans Trip To London
- Lets Pretend 520816 The White Cat
- LR 521027 2311 The Cave
- Luigi 520226 168 Civil Defense Job
- Man Called X 520527 86 Operation Cabal
- Mystery Theater 520409 28 Tcot Wistful Widow
- NBC Short Story 520104 26 The Rocket
- News 520110 Truman Press Conference
- News 520404 NBC I Remember Kaltenborn
- News 520630 CBS Edward Murrow Truman Wage Price Control Bill
- News 520707 KGHL or KBMY 1952 Republican Convention
- News 520707 Republican Convention MacArthur Speech
- News 521223 NBC Cavalcade America 767 Christmas in America
- News 521224 NBC Bob Hope Frank Sinatra Christmas
- News 52xxxx AFRS Frankenstein Castle Hoax
- News 52xxxx Election Song I Like Ike Eisenhower
- Our Miss Brooks 520127 155 New School Bus (JC)
- Our Miss Brooks 520309 161 Minerva's Kittens (JC)
- Phil Harris 501224 160 Annual Christmas Show
- Proudly We Hail 520106 e170 A Matter Of Time
- Red Skelton Show 520123 347 To Park Or Not To Park
- Richard Diamond 520125 122 Al Brenner's Case
- Six Shooter 520413 Hollywood Star Playhouse
- Sp 521115 007 Queen Of Space
- Susp 520421 470 Diary Of Captain Scott
- Susp 521222 492 Arctic Rescue
- Tales Of Texas Rangers 520914 95 Drivein
- This Is Oshea 521001 Hong Kong
- Whistler 520629 526 Night Flight
- You Bet Your Life 520116 Spoon
- YTJD 520702 130 Amelia Harwell
- aa520630 Kingfish Adopts A Great Dane From A Lodge Brother
- Action 80 520326 Project Swordfish-1st Atomic Sub
- Arthur Godfrey 520909 First Joke Is About A Clean Shirt
- Bergen McCarthy 521005 W 15th Radio Aniv. W R Clooney
- Bergen McCarthy 521100 Charlie Weds Marilyn Monroe
- Bing Crosby 520507 Bankhead
- Bing Crosby 520604 Judy Garland
- Bob Hope 520603 537 Jack Kirkwood Marilyn Maxwell
- Bob Hope 520610 538 Roy Rogers Dale Evans
- BV 520303 50 The Big KO
- C 4 Fbi 520611 E 08 American Kremlin
- Cisco Kid 521125 037 Murder At Cactus Vista
- Dragnet 520214 e140 Big Phone Call
- Escape 521102 155 Running Man
- Escape 521221 162 Man Who Liked Dickens
- FMM 520520 0699 At the Carnival
- GG 520130 430 Gildy Protects Hooker From Mona
- Grand Ole Opry 520322
- Green Hornet 521126 Gas House Ending
- Guest Star 520810 0281 Pledge
- Guns 521129 ep032 Kitty
- Harry Lime 520725 052 Greek Meets Greek
- Hollywood Star Playhouse 520907 29 The Tenth Planet
- I Confess 521017 Narcotics Case
- Inner Sanctum 521005 Death Pays Freight
- Jack Benny 520527 2337 Jack Plans Trip To London
- Lets Pretend 520816 The White Cat
- LR 521027 2311 The Cave
- Luigi 520226 168 Civil Defense Job
- Man Called X 520527 86 Operation Cabal
- Mystery Theater 520409 28 Tcot Wistful Widow
- NBC Short Story 520104 26 The Rocket
- News 520110 Truman Press Conference
- News 520404 NBC I Remember Kaltenborn
- News 520630 CBS Edward Murrow Truman Wage Price Control Bill
- News 520707 KGHL or KBMY 1952 Republican Convention
- News 520707 Republican Convention MacArthur Speech
- News 521223 NBC Cavalcade America 767 Christmas in America
- News 521224 NBC Bob Hope Frank Sinatra Christmas
- News 52xxxx AFRS Frankenstein Castle Hoax
- News 52xxxx Election Song I Like Ike Eisenhower
- Our Miss Brooks 520127 155 New School Bus (JC)
- Our Miss Brooks 520309 161 Minerva's Kittens (JC)
- Phil Harris 501224 160 Annual Christmas Show
- Proudly We Hail 520106 e170 A Matter Of Time
- Red Skelton Show 520123 347 To Park Or Not To Park
- Richard Diamond 520125 122 Al Brenner's Case
- Six Shooter 520413 Hollywood Star Playhouse
- Sp 521115 007 Queen Of Space
- Susp 520421 470 Diary Of Captain Scott
- Susp 521222 492 Arctic Rescue
- Tales Of Texas Rangers 520914 95 Drivein
- This Is Oshea 521001 Hong Kong
- Whistler 520629 526 Night Flight
- You Bet Your Life 520116 Spoon
- YTJD 520702 130 Amelia Harwell
