The C.P. MacGregor Show

One of the most notable aspects of Radio from the Golden Age was that it was done live. Live performances came with several obvious troubles, including the need to repeat broadcasts for different time zones, delays, or unfilled air because of unpredictable show running times, not to mention the inevitable "blooper". However, the major networks, especially the National Broadcasting Company, dictated that if a performance was to be worthwhile, it had to go on the air live.

A popularly cited reason for effectively banning prerecorded broadcasts is that the quality of recording technology was insufficient for broadcasting. This is not completely accurate, the technology to create "electrical transcriptions" began to be available in the 1920s. However, creating a "transcription disc" of sufficient quality for broadcast was a relatively expensive proposition.

The pressing of commercial discs for play on home record players had been done on an industrial scale for some time. While relatively inexpensive, the mass-pressings came with a lot of "noise" or unwanted extra sound on the recording. This would have been unacceptable for a radio broadcast where an electrical transcription was expected to be indistinguishable from a live broadcast. This was possible but also required an expensive player.

For a small, local broadcaster, using transcription discs rather than using live actors and musicians made economic sense. Fortunately, there were several syndication services to provide programming for the smaller markets, including Bruce Eells, ZIV Syndications, RCA Thesaurus, World Broadcasting, and C.P. MacGregor.

C.P. "Chip" MacGregor's background is a bit of a mystery, but he was a prolific producer of syndicated radio content. His popular programs included Cecil and Sally, The Skippy Hollywood Theatre, Proudly We Hail for the Army, Jonathon Thomas and His Christmas on the Moon, Heartbeat Theatre for the Salvation Army, and several others. MacGregor got his first exposure to the recording industry as the manager of the San Francisco office of Brunswick Records.

The quality and fidelity of Brunswick discs were above average compared to those from competitors Edison Records, Pathe, Columbia, and Victor. MacGregor took the lessons e learned from Brunswick and opened C.P. MacGregor Studios at 729 S. Western Ave in Hollywood. He became so prolific at producing electrical transcriptions that he was called "the DeMille of the discs".

One of MacGregor's early patrons was West coast radio giant Don Lee, and several surviving early MacGregor discs are emblazoned with Don Lee-Mutual Network's San Francisco affiliate's call letters, KFRC. In 1932, the MacGregor Studios relocated to San Francisco's Mission Street where they produced "Hollywood-Style dramas" which sold to stations across the country for $17.50 per episode.

The Mission Street studios apparently closed around 1937, and by 1945 MacGregor had reestablished the facilities at 729 S. Western in Hollywood. In addition to the company's commercially released transcriptions, MacGregor also provided recording services for the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). MacGregor helped to establish the standard of 16-inc discs for electrical transcriptions and made many air-check recordings for programs such as Lux Radio Theatre, The Shadow, and numerous others.

MacGregor aggressively promoted his dramas to broadcasters, including a "90 Days to Prove It Pays" campaign in radio trade organization publications. Not everything the C.P. MacGregor Company turned out to gold, however. There is no evidence that the series in this collection, The C.P. MacGregor Show was ever heard on the air. It was not for a lack of production quality.

Apparently recorded at the S. Western Avenue studios, many of the scripts would be reused on MacGregor's early 1950s mystery anthology series, Obsession for WBBM Chicago, albeit repackaged with an edgier, more ominous tone for the thriller audience. The MacGregor Show was generally uplifting and featured Hollywood Stars like Barry Sullivan, Robert Mitchum, Vera Ralston, Anne Jeffreys, Howard Duff, Virginia Grey, Elliot Lewis, and others. Whether these shows aired or not, they are genuine jewels of Old Time Radio drama.