Tips from a Fellow OTR Fan Issue 16: Christmas in Old Time Radio

By Steve Atlas

Hi. My name is Steve Atlas. Like most of you, I am a lover of Old Time Radio (OTR). My problem is there are so many OTR programs that even if I buy a collection, I am not sure which individual programs I would enjoy most. What collections are good choices if you can only pick a few? Do any of you have similar dilemmas?  

Then this newsletter is for you. Here, I recommend some of my favorite OTR collections, and a few of my favorite programs, as well as tips and suggestions from other OTR fans. I hope you too will share some of your favorites with other OTR listeners. 

Our last issue focused on Old Time Radio suggestions for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. I also featured Christmas Fantasy: a delightful half-hour program that includes myths, legends and music that the whole family can enjoy. Today, I will share with you a few ideas for other Christmas OTR programs. 

Christmas in Old Time Radio: A few ideas you may have overlooked 

Recently, my wife and I were taking a drive to see some friends. I put on Voices of Christmas Yesteryear and was transported into another world from over 100 years ago. There are some eloquent and beautiful performances of several Christmas carols we know and love (for example: Track 1 has the legendary Irish tenor John McCormack singing Adeste Fideles.) But there is so much more. The Edison Concert Band performs “Bells of Christmas” and “Christ is Come.” I could imagine hearing this at a band concert in the park—they bring back thoughts of “The Good Old Days”. 

“Voices of Christmas Yesteryear” includes beautiful and stirring performances of many well-known carols such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Hark the Herold Angels (track 20 has a solo performance, but track 21 featuring a chorus is my favorite), Oh Come All Faithful, Oh Tannenbaum, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Silent Night, Star of Bethlehem, Angels from the Realms of Glory, and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks. 

However, for me at least, it is the concert band performances, popular songs of the period, and other favorites such as selections from the Nutcracker Ballet (track 28), the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah (track 19), Hail Hail Day of Days (performed by the Edison Mixed quartet in 1913—track 18), the March of the Toys from Babes In Toyland (track 24) and On a Good Old Time Sleigh Ride (track 34) that make Voices of Christmas Yesteryear a special delight for the Christmas season.  

A special favorite of mine (and maybe yours too) is “The Night Before Christmas,” and this recording includes 2 readings of this famous poem. Track 26 features the British performer: Ernest Hare and it is a delight to hear him. My favorite, however, is the reading by Harry E. Humphrey (track 27) from 1914. Humphrey adds the expressions, moods, and other qualities that draw us into his world. If you can, play this for your children and grandchildren. 

Two other recordings you may have overlooked have been created by Jon, founder of OTRCAT: “Western Christmas” and “Whistler Christmas.”  

Three of my favorites from “Western Christmas” are “Beeker’s Barn (Gunsmoke: December 20, 1959)—in which the story of Mary, the baby Jesus and Joseph in the stable is updated to the American west, “Christmas Comes to Sandy,”  (Lone Ranger: December 24, 1948)—a delightful tale of how misunderstandings are cleared up to create a wonderful holiday feeling, and “Melody Ranch (November 15, 1952) in which Gene Autry and his buddies sing a lot of beautiful songs. 

In the December 20, 1953 episode of “The Six Shooter,” Jimmy Stewart brings us a western updated version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” 

Many of you may be familiar with ”The Whistler” with its macabre stories and strange endings—usually with a depressing or ironic twist. However, perhaps because of the Christmas Spirit,” the disc “Whistler Christmas” features several shows with uplifting and hopeful endings.  

My special favorite is “Christmas Bonus” (December 25, 1944 and repeated on December 21, 1952) in which a former convict is leading a good life with a lovely wife, when he is framed for a store robbery. This almost drives him back to a life of crime. Fortunately, a music box that he bought for his wife plays while he is hiding, and the detectives who find him ask him a few questions to help them discover the real criminal. A beautiful and stirring ending make this a program I look forward to hearing every Christmas—and sometimes at other times during the year.  

Two other memorable Whistler programs on this disc are “Decision” (December 24, 1947) in which a love story is intertwined with a murder—in which the hero and his woman friend are found to be innocent, and another of my favorites: “Delayed Christmas Present,” in which a waitress and entertainer who has fled from the United States because she thinks that she is in danger from a criminal who she saw committing a crime is found by a detective hired by her fiancé. Again, a gripping story that has a happy and hopeful ending. 

This Christmas season, it is not necessary to limit yourself to the well-known Christmas classics (A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, and It’s a Wonderful Life. Take time to sample the 3 recordings featured in this column. 

Before ending this column, I want to share with you the wonderful Christmas Sing With Bing collection that was recently offered as a free sampler to anyone who placed an order. My wife and I are enjoying the 1st show in this collection. The warmth of Bing, his guests and the many choirs that sing these carols made both of us feel as if Bing was leading a true Christmas sing-along. To us, Christmas Sing With Bing is a perfect ending to a Christmas celebration for anyone and a joy to share with loved ones or friends. If you can’t get the whole collection, take a few minutes to enjoy the free sampler show. 

You can also get a lot of other Christmas OTR ideas from Issue 4 of this column (December, 2021).  

Enjoy your Christmas. I look forward to our sharing more Old- Time-Radio listening tips in January. 

What are your favorite Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah programs? Do you have a few individual episodes that you would enjoy sharing with other OTR listeners? Do you have requests for other themes or programs you would like me to include in a future article? If you answered “yes” to either question, please leave a comment below.