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WWI The Great War Recordings

The Great War was just a memory by the time commercial radio had become an important medium, but the experience shaped America as well as many of the personalities involved in Old Time Radio.

WWI Great War Recordings

22 old time radio show recordings
(total playtime 8 hours, 2908 min)
available in the following formats:

1 MP3 CD
or
10 Audio CDs


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

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The Second World War is especially important to fans of Old Time Radio because the conflict lifted the then relatively young medium of commercial radio from simple entertainment to an important source of news and information and helped to unite the Nation in the effort to defeat the forces of tyranny.

WWI German Machine Gunner

Looking back, we can see that radio coverage of the War presaged the 24-hour-cable-news and Internet coverage of modern events, and it also demonstrates a glaring weakness of such saturation coverage. The media of immediacy does an incredible job of bringing the home audience into events as they are happening but sometimes lacks the ability to express the historical background information that raises the status of the report from simply what is happening but revealing why the situation is unfolding as it does.

The popular interpretation of WWII is that the conflict was about the free peoples of the world coming together to defeat the forces of fascism and tyranny, specifically the territorial ambitions of Adolf Hitler, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and the military regime in control of the Empire of Japan. This assertion is hard to argue; however, many scholars point out that more than a reaction to the rise of dictators, the Second World War should be seen as an extension of First World War.

As illustrated in The Pacific Story's episode "WWI in the Pacific", the Pacific campaign during WWII is as deeply rooted in the Great War as the European conflict. In fact, the conflict which would become WWII was being waged in Asia long before Nazi forces crossed into Poland. In Europe, the shifting alliances and political machinations that would come to a head with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria were decades in evolving, arguably stretching back as far as the Napoleonic Wars.

Jack Benny WWIThe technology which would lead to the Golden Age of Radio was under development during the Great War, but the War was the crucible which shaped many of the personalities who became important to Old Time Radio. A very young Jack Benny served in the US Navy during the Great War, and he comically shared his experiences with an audience of sailors at San Diego's Naval Training Center. Another vaudevillian who served in the Great War is Jim Jordan of Fibber McGee and Molly fame. Over the years, Fibber refers to his time in France, but why the War Department would be calling Wistful Vista about his service in December 1953 is a bit of a mystery.

A more accurate picture of Great War Service and American attitudes about the War comes from The Grantland Rice Story. Granny was 36-years-old when he was caught up in the wave of patriotism that swept the nation and encouraged so many to serve "over there", and when he was commissioned served in several roles before joining the staff of "Stars and Stripes".

The horrors of the War extended past the front lines, they came home with the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918, as illustrated in Katherine Anne Porter's story, "Pale Horse, Pale Rider", which was adapted for The NBC University Theatre. Another tragic Wartime Romance is seen in the film "Waterloo Bridge", adapted for The Gulf Screen Guild Theatre. As war clouds were gathering over Europe again in 1940, America needed the inspiration of heroes and found it in the story of the Lafayette Escadrille presented by The American Challenge.

The collection contains a few rare historic recordings including the only known WWI battlefield audio (of a gas bombardment), WWI music, and historic Armistice Day ceremonies.

WWI Tank

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

These classic recordings are available in the following formats:

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    COMMENTS

    Amazing recordings - hard to believe some of these still exist 100+ years later.

    Bruce Verified Purchase

    Excellent.

    Edward Verified Purchase

    Or as Fibber calls it, the big one.

    David Verified Purchase

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



    22 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00. Total playtime 8 hours, 2908 min
    22 recordings on 1 MP3 CD for just $5.00
    total playtime 8 hours, 2908 min
    Add MP3 CD Collection to Cart

    1. 22 shows – total playtime 8 hours, 48 minutes
    2. Academy Award Theater 460918 White Cliffs Of Dover.mp3
    3. Adv In Research 530901 552 Life In Her Hands.mp3
    4. American Challenge 400 Lafayette Escadrille.mp3
    5. Bill Stern Sports Newsreel 480109 432 Eddie Cantor.mp3
    6. Biography In Sound 580410 93 Eddie Rickenbacker.mp3
    7. Claudia 471111 032 Armistice Day.mp3
    8. Empire Builders 301111 Eb.armistice.day.mp3
    9. Fibber Mcgee And Molly 531211 0790 Mcgees Call Comes Through.mp3
    10. Grantland Rice Story 550000 Ep 13 War Clouds World War I.mp3
    11. Jack Benny Program 520330 802 My Naval Career.mp3
    12. Music 180000 Last Long Mile -World War I Song.mp3
    13. Nbc Univ Th 500129 073 Flowering Judas Pale Horse Pale Rider.mp3
    14. News 181000 Only Audio WW1 Battlefield Gas Shell Bombardment.mp3
    15. News 281111 10th Anniversary of WW1.mp3
    16. News 421111 Armistice Day Ceremony.mp3
    17. Pacific Story 430919 World War I In Pacific.mp3
    18. Ports Of Call 360000 Czechoslovakia.mp3
    19. Recollections At 30 561107 Veterans Day Wars From Past.mp3
    20. Screen Guild Theater 410112 Waterloo Bridge.mp3
    21. Sherlock Holmes 4346 Rathbone Bruce 450514 176 On Flanders.mp3
    22. Witchs Tale 410000 Firing Squad.mp3
    23. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 600821 Twisted Twin Matter.mp3
  • MP3 downloads are available instantly after purchase!



    22 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00. Total playtime 8 hours, 2908 min
    22 recordings on 1 MP3 Collection Download for just $5.00
    242 MB – total playtime 8 hours, 48 min
    Add Instant Download Collection to Cart

    1. 22 shows – 242 MB – total playtime 8 hours, 48 minutes
    2. Academy Award Theater 460918 White Cliffs Of Dover.mp3
    3. Adv In Research 530901 552 Life In Her Hands.mp3
    4. American Challenge 400 Lafayette Escadrille.mp3
    5. Bill Stern Sports Newsreel 480109 432 Eddie Cantor.mp3
    6. Biography In Sound 580410 93 Eddie Rickenbacker.mp3
    7. Claudia 471111 032 Armistice Day.mp3
    8. Empire Builders 301111 Eb.armistice.day.mp3
    9. Fibber Mcgee And Molly 531211 0790 Mcgees Call Comes Through.mp3
    10. Grantland Rice Story 550000 Ep 13 War Clouds World War I.mp3
    11. Jack Benny Program 520330 802 My Naval Career.mp3
    12. Music 180000 Last Long Mile -World War I Song.mp3
    13. Nbc Univ Th 500129 073 Flowering Judas Pale Horse Pale Rider.mp3
    14. News 181000 Only Audio WW1 Battlefield Gas Shell Bombardment.mp3
    15. News 281111 10th Anniversary of WW1.mp3
    16. News 421111 Armistice Day Ceremony.mp3
    17. Pacific Story 430919 World War I In Pacific.mp3
    18. Ports Of Call 360000 Czechoslovakia.mp3
    19. Recollections At 30 561107 Veterans Day Wars From Past.mp3
    20. Screen Guild Theater 410112 Waterloo Bridge.mp3
    21. Sherlock Holmes 4346 Rathbone Bruce 450514 176 On Flanders.mp3
    22. Witchs Tale 410000 Firing Squad.mp3
    23. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 600821 Twisted Twin 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



    22 recordings on 10 Audio CDs. Total playtime 8 hours, 48 min
    22 recordings on 10 Audio CDs
    total playtime 8 hours, 48 min

    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A001

    1. American Challenge 400 Lafayette Escadrille
    2. Music 180000 Last Long Mile -World War I Song
    3. News 181000 Only Audio WW1 Battlefield Gas Shell Bombardment
    4. News 281111 10th Anniversary of WW1
    5. Empire Builders 301111 Eb.armistice.day

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A002

    1. Ports Of Call 360000 Czechoslovakia
    2. Witchs Tale 410000 Firing Squad

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A003

    1. Screen Guild Theater 410112 Waterloo Bridge
    2. News 421111 Armistice Day Ceremony

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A004

    1. Pacific Story 430919 World War I In Pacific
    2. Sherlock Holmes 4346 Rathbone Bruce 450514 176 On Flanders

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A005

    1. Academy Award Theater 460918 White Cliffs Of Dover
    2. Claudia 471111 032 Armistice Day
    3. Bill Stern Sports Newsreel 480109 432 Eddie Cantor

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A006

    1. Nbc Univ Th 500129 073 Flowering Judas Pale Horse Pale Rider

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A007

    1. Jack Benny Program 520330 802 My Naval Career
    2. Adv In Research 530901 552 Life In Her Hands
    3. Fibber Mcgee And Molly 531211 0790 Mcgees Call Comes Through

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A008

    1. Grantland Rice Story 550000 Ep 13 War Clouds World War I
    2. Recollections At 30 561107 Veterans Day Wars From Past

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A009

    1. Biography In Sound 580410 93 Eddie Rickenbacker

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00
    WWI Great War Recordings Disc A010

    1. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar 600821 Twisted Twin Matter

    Add Audio CD to Cart - $5.00

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