Welcome to OTRCAT.com: Old Time Radio Catalog
Loading. Please wait...

Alaska Old Time Radio

The Forty-ninth State is "the Last Frontier" and is legendary for its wealth, ruggedness, extreme weather, and most of all for its vastness.

Alaska Old Time Radio

42 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 18 hours, 3280 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
19 Audio CDs


Choose your CD format
or order disks individually: Add to Cart
Add to wishlist
Play a sample episode from December 06, 1953:

"Stroke of Fate: Our Neighbors in Alaska"



... or click here to save the Mp3 file to your computer
Print

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

Alaska, the 49th StateThe two places in the United States which actually saw enemy action during the Second World War were not admitted to the Union until 1959. Of the last two states, the Fiftieth seems to have a stronger hold on our collective imagination than the Forty-ninth. Hawaii has sugary white beaches, pretty girls in bikinis, bronzed-gods riding surfboards, and palm trees. Alaska, well, doesn't.

It takes a hardy soul to leave the Lower Forty-eight and venture to Alaska, but with hard work, good planning, and more than a little luck, countless fortunes have been made in Alaska, but there is no getting around the fact that someone who makes their fortune in Alaska is more likely to vacation in Hawaii than the other way around.

Alaska is huge. More than twice the size of Texas, you could fit three Californias inside Alaska, twelve New York States, or simply the area of the 22 smallest states combined. If drawn to scale, a map of Alaska laid over a map of the contiguous States would stretch from coast to coast. However, if Manhattan had the same population density as Alaska there would only be 28 people on the island.

One of the most attractive elements of Alaska is that it is a place where the only thing standing between you and your fortune is mother nature. That far north, it is not surprising that Alaska holds the coldest spot in the country, but it's not all about snow and ice. Although Alaska's "farm-belt", the Matanuska Valley has a relatively short growing season of 100 days or less, the days are so long that vegetables grow incredibly fast and large, with hundred-pound pumpkins and forty pound cabbages being far from uncommon. It was not vegetables which brought adventurers to the Last Frontier, however.

Some of Alaska's First Peoples were thought to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge during the last ice age, although some tribes returned to Alaska after venturing further into North America. At its narrowest point, the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia is only 55 miles wide. Russian sailors are thought to have been storm-driven to Alaskan shores in the middle of the 1600s, and around 1741, Vitus Bering, a Danish captain in Peter the Great's navy led an expedition that returned to Moscow with incomparable sea otter and seal furs. Spain attempted to claim parts of Alaska as an extension of their colonies on the California coast in the later decades of the eighteenth century with little success. The Empire of Russia, fearing the loss of their North American colony to the British in an upcoming war, offered the whole thing to the United States Government for around $0.02 per acre, a land deal easily comparable to the Louisiana Purchase. The historical supposition program, Stroke of Fate, made a very good dramatization of the purchase, and then went on to speculate what it would be like if Russia became a neighbor to Canada and the United States in "Russian America".

The American public was less enthused about the deal, at least, until the discovery of gold in the Yukon River Valley around the turn of the Twentieth Century. Prospectors arrived from around the world, expecting to be able to find nuggets laying loose on the ground. What they found was that the prime spots had already been claimed, and many of them were forced to face the Alaskan winter with only the provisions they could carry. The romance of the Klondike Gold Rush days is captured in Challenge of the Yukon and The Screen Guild Theatre's presentation of "Belle of the Yukon".

While most who came seeking gold eventually left with only stories to show for their effort, a hardy few stayed, reveling in the freedom of the great wilderness, and seeking their fortune from the other resources there. Spawning salmon invaded local streams each year, and fisherman and canners moved in to take advantage of the bounty. Much of the Alaskan interior is only accessible by aircraft, and the exploits of Alaskan bush pilots is the stuff of legend. DuPont's Cavalcade of America dramatized the importance of bush pilots to the families living in "the Last Frontier" on the 1946 broadcast of "Alaskan Bush Pilot". During the Lend-Lease campaign before WWII, pilots would ferry American warplanes to Fairbanks and eventually to Nome where they would be turned over to Russian pilots who would then fly them west across Siberia to fight the Germans. The importance of aviation in Alaska is further showcased in some episodes of Hop Harrigan.

Dog Sled 1940sFor many decades, the only reliable overland connection between Alaska and the Lower 48 was via dogsled. Although discussion of a road across British Columbia had been discussed since the early Twenties, no definitive action was taken until after the attack on Pearl Harbor. With Japan threatening Canada's West coast, approval to begin construction on the ALCAN Highway was given and construction officially began on March 8, 1942. More than 10,000 men assigned to the Army Corp of Engineers, including three newly formed "Negro regiments", completed the route by November. Parts of the route became nearly impassable during the summer months as the permafrost melted, turning the Highway into a large mud hole. The route has only recently been completely paved. The construction was completed in time for the Japanese invasion of Kiska and Attu Islands. Considered "the forgotten battle", the islands were occupied mostly to distract attention from the Japanese attack on Midway. Although only a small part of a greater operation, fighting was especially bitter in the storm-swept islands.

The military importance of Alaska is demonstrated in part by the good will poured over the air to our troops in "the frozen North" from programs like Christmas Eve at the Front, Christmas Reunion, Cavalcade of America 's "Alaska Under Arms", and The New National Guard Show's "Alaskan Adventure". There were reports of suspicious characters being rounded up by the military in Alaska during the December 7, 1941, broadcast of The Great Gildersleeve.

Alaska's remoteness contributes to its appeal to sportsmen and vacationers. That is the part the Fibber was bragging about on the September 30, 1941, broadcast of Fibber McGee and Molly (the same episode where they said goodbye to Gildersleeve). That same remoteness makes the "Last Frontier" a difficult place to attract settlers, but Kingfish may have discovered a way on Amos 'n' Andy, if only he can get Amos to fall for his scheme. The long reach of America's leading investigative service even reaches into this remoteness, as it did during territorial days on This is Your FBI episode "Snow Screen".

Text on OTRCAT.com ©2001-2024 OTRCAT INC All Rights Reserved. Reproduction is prohibited.

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

  • Show Rating

    5
    5     0


    COMMENTS

    Just think if Russia had found the gold!

    John Verified Purchase

    Leave a comment

    You have reached the maximum number of votes for a unregistered user.

    Please login or create a new account to continue...

    You have reached the maximum number to down votes in this page.

  • MP3 CDs are delivered by mail. These archival quality MP3 CDs are playable in your computer and many MP3 player devices.



    42 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 18 hours, 3280 min
    42 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 18 hours, 3280 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 42 shows – total playtime 18 hours, 54 minutes
    2. Amos And Andy Show 470107 Homesteading In Alaska.mp3
    3. Amos And Andy Show 490109 Kingfishs Conscience.mp3
    4. Big Town 371019 Wilson Is Shot.mp3
    5. Bob And Ray 490812 X National Tennis Championships.mp3
    6. Cavalcade Of America 421116 Alaska Under Arms.mp3
    7. Cavalcade Of America 440214 Gi Valentine.mp3
    8. Cavalcade Of America 460318 Alaskan Bush Pilot.mp3
    9. Cavalcade Of America 480517 Queen Of Heartbreak Trail.mp3
    10. Challenge Of Yukon 500911 Gold Behind Waterfall.mp3
    11. Christmas Eve At Front 431224 Bob Hope.mp3
    12. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 1.mp3
    13. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 2.mp3
    14. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 3.mp3
    15. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 4.mp3
    16. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 5.mp3
    17. Dangerous Assignment 500424 017 Nazi And Physicist.mp3
    18. Eftb 440404 12 This Living Book.mp3
    19. FMM 410930 0294 Back From Vacation Gildy Says Goodbye.mp3
    20. Great Gildersleeve 411207 015 Cousin Octavia Visits.mp3
    21. Great Gildersleeve 471203 265 Fiscal Report Due.mp3
    22. Heres To Veterans 000000 1479 Joe Fingers Carr.mp3
    23. Hollywood Star Preview 480405 Turnabout.mp3
    24. Hop Harrigan 430607 0000 Hospital Attack.mp3
    25. Hop Harrigan 471128 1345 Mystery Of Wailing Witches 11.mp3
    26. Lindas First Love 490519 Linda Danny Leave Hospital Greylake.mp3
    27. New National Guard Show 01 Alaskan Adventure.mp3
    28. Pacific Story 430718 Alaska Americas New Frontier.mp3
    29. Ports Of Call 350000 Alaska.mp3
    30. Quaker Party 391001 Zasu Pitts.mp3
    31. Quiz Kids 500903 534 Labor Day Picnic Near Gambusia Affinus.mp3
    32. Screen Guild Theater 450212 232 Belle Of Yukon.mp3
    33. Stars Over Hollywood 520308 561 Driven Snow.mp3
    34. Strange Dr Weird 450123 Survival Of Fittest.mp3
    35. Stroke Of Fate 531206 Our Neighbor In Alaska.mp3
    36. This Is Your Fbi 521219 403 Snow Screen.mp3
    37. Treasury Salute 440612 John Charles Fremont.mp3
    38. Truth Or Consequences 19491022 Laughing Boy Guessed.mp3
    39. Whistler 470303 249 Blue Legend.mp3
    40. Whistler 471105 284 Big Prison.mp3
    41. Words At War 431019 19 Shortcut To Tokyo.mp3
    42. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 580525 Midnight Sun Matter.mp3
    43. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 600117 Evaporated Clue Matter.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    42 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 18 hours, 3280 min
    42 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    513 MB – total playtime 18 hours, 54 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 42 shows – 513 MB – total playtime 18 hours, 54 minutes
    2. Amos And Andy Show 470107 Homesteading In Alaska.mp3
    3. Amos And Andy Show 490109 Kingfishs Conscience.mp3
    4. Big Town 371019 Wilson Is Shot.mp3
    5. Bob And Ray 490812 X National Tennis Championships.mp3
    6. Cavalcade Of America 421116 Alaska Under Arms.mp3
    7. Cavalcade Of America 440214 Gi Valentine.mp3
    8. Cavalcade Of America 460318 Alaskan Bush Pilot.mp3
    9. Cavalcade Of America 480517 Queen Of Heartbreak Trail.mp3
    10. Challenge Of Yukon 500911 Gold Behind Waterfall.mp3
    11. Christmas Eve At Front 431224 Bob Hope.mp3
    12. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 1.mp3
    13. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 2.mp3
    14. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 3.mp3
    15. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 4.mp3
    16. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 5.mp3
    17. Dangerous Assignment 500424 017 Nazi And Physicist.mp3
    18. Eftb 440404 12 This Living Book.mp3
    19. FMM 410930 0294 Back From Vacation Gildy Says Goodbye.mp3
    20. Great Gildersleeve 411207 015 Cousin Octavia Visits.mp3
    21. Great Gildersleeve 471203 265 Fiscal Report Due.mp3
    22. Heres To Veterans 000000 1479 Joe Fingers Carr.mp3
    23. Hollywood Star Preview 480405 Turnabout.mp3
    24. Hop Harrigan 430607 0000 Hospital Attack.mp3
    25. Hop Harrigan 471128 1345 Mystery Of Wailing Witches 11.mp3
    26. Lindas First Love 490519 Linda Danny Leave Hospital Greylake.mp3
    27. New National Guard Show 01 Alaskan Adventure.mp3
    28. Pacific Story 430718 Alaska Americas New Frontier.mp3
    29. Ports Of Call 350000 Alaska.mp3
    30. Quaker Party 391001 Zasu Pitts.mp3
    31. Quiz Kids 500903 534 Labor Day Picnic Near Gambusia Affinus.mp3
    32. Screen Guild Theater 450212 232 Belle Of Yukon.mp3
    33. Stars Over Hollywood 520308 561 Driven Snow.mp3
    34. Strange Dr Weird 450123 Survival Of Fittest.mp3
    35. Stroke Of Fate 531206 Our Neighbor In Alaska.mp3
    36. This Is Your Fbi 521219 403 Snow Screen.mp3
    37. Treasury Salute 440612 John Charles Fremont.mp3
    38. Truth Or Consequences 19491022 Laughing Boy Guessed.mp3
    39. Whistler 470303 249 Blue Legend.mp3
    40. Whistler 471105 284 Big Prison.mp3
    41. Words At War 431019 19 Shortcut To Tokyo.mp3
    42. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 580525 Midnight Sun Matter.mp3
    43. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 600117 Evaporated Clue Matter.mp3
  • Standard Audio CDs are delivered by mail on archival quality media with up to 60 minutes on each CD and play in all CD players



    42 recordings on 19 Audio CDs. Total playtime 17 hours, 40 min
    42 recordings on 19 Audio CDs
    total playtime 17 hours, 40 min

    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A001

    1. New National Guard Show 01 Alaskan Adventure
    2. Truth Or Consequences 19491022 Laughing Boy Guessed
    3. Heres To Veterans 000000 1479 Joe Fingers Carr

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A002

    1. Ports Of Call 350000 Alaska
    2. Big Town 371019 Wilson Is Shot

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A003

    1. Quaker Party 391001 Zasu Pitts
    2. FMM 410930 0294 Back From Vacation Gildy Says Goodbye

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A004

    1. Great Gildersleeve 411207 015 Cousin Octavia Visits
    2. Cavalcade Of America 421116 Alaska Under Arms
    3. Hop Harrigan 430607 0000 Hospital Attack

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A005

    1. Pacific Story 430718 Alaska Americas New Frontier
    2. Words At War 431019 19 Shortcut To Tokyo

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A006

    1. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 1
    2. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 2

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A007

    1. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 3
    2. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 4

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A008

    1. Christmas Reunion 431225 Part 5
    2. Cavalcade Of America 440214 Gi Valentine

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A009

    1. Eftb 440404 12 This Living Book
    2. Treasury Salute 440612 John Charles Fremont
    3. Strange Dr Weird 450123 Survival Of Fittest

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A010

    1. Screen Guild Theater 450212 232 Belle Of Yukon
    2. Cavalcade Of America 460318 Alaskan Bush Pilot

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A011

    1. Amos And Andy Show 470107 Homesteading In Alaska
    2. Whistler 470303 249 Blue Legend

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A012

    1. Whistler 471105 284 Big Prison
    2. Hop Harrigan 471128 1345 Mystery Of Wailing Witches 11
    3. Great Gildersleeve 471203 265 Fiscal Report Due

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A013

    1. Hollywood Star Preview 480405 Turnabout
    2. Cavalcade Of America 480517 Queen Of Heartbreak Trail

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A014

    1. Amos And Andy Show 490109 Kingfishs Conscience
    2. Lindas First Love 490519 Linda Danny Leave Hospital Greylake

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A015

    1. Bob And Ray 490812 X National Tennis Championships
    2. Dangerous Assignment 500424 017 Nazi And Physicist

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A016

    1. Quiz Kids 500903 534 Labor Day Picnic Near Gambusia Affinus
    2. Challenge Of Yukon 500911 Gold Behind Waterfall

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A017

    1. Stars Over Hollywood 520308 561 Driven Snow
    2. This Is Your Fbi 521219 403 Snow Screen

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A018

    1. Stroke Of Fate 531206 Our Neighbor In Alaska
    2. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 580525 Midnight Sun Matter

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    Alaska Old Time Radio Disc A019

    1. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 600117 Evaporated Clue Matter

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

LISTENERS WHO ENJOYED THESE RECORDINGS ALSO COLLECTED