Valentines Day Old Time Radio

Spoiler : "They" say that "You never forget your first love!" And, for 50 years (And a "coupla" months), boy-to-man-to-geezer, it has been my incredible "lot / luck" in life to have (Well...almost...) eeked out a "living"- never far from My "First Love"... RADIO! My FIRST ("Personal "...) Radio was ivory in color. About the size of a pack of cigarettes. It had ("faux") "gold" embossing on the front. It said, "Admiral" (the Brand name). And had "gold" numbers: "56 - 1600." The "audio output" from it consisted of one (1) "ear-bud," hardwired into a small hole in the top of it. NO Speaker(s). Just a wire... leading into a "secret somewhere" inside its case. And, only two (2) "dials." One was, "On / Volume." The other, was "Tuning." TOGETHER, they did what a bunch of us "Transistor 'Tweenies'(?!)" considered to be nothing short of "Magic"! Not only find and bring voices and music out of the "ether," but (Now...) made it possible for us to take "All That" WITH Us!!! At My house, the "book (comic or otherwise) and penlight" ruse quickly gave way to the "sneaky" (post-bedtime) delight of s-l-o-w-l-y moving that Tuning knob. Sometimes, we'd find a "favorite station" and stay with it. But probably not until we'd checked out all of the sounds (and signals) that were available to us. OR... When we got "busted" by Mom or Dad, who (Even as "dense" as we thought they were...) figured out how to reach under a pillow, and find either the radio or, locate that "tell-tale" wire. The one that connected a piece of plastic with a young kid's "personal piece of the (aural) universe." Today, "Thanks"(!?!) to the digital "blessing" (?!?) of "I.T.," our "listening choices" are (apparently) just about limitless. I "like"' a lot of "them." And "tolerate" most. But, "Geezer" or not, I "LOVE" a form of entertainment that is "as wide as your inagination." Somewhere, I read / heard a quote attributed to a "former radio writer." To me, it's on the "same 'frequency' as My heart: "Radio is a lot like television. But with better pictures!" I thought of that as I perused the broadcast-related artifacts the Smithsonian had on display over a decadxe ago. I found myself "drawn" to look at one of Edgar Bergen's "Charlie McCarthy" ventriloquist dummies. "Charlie" lcooked just as "dapper" (and, potentially, as impertinate) as I remembered him from "radio." From shows that had "aired" decades before (This...) "Kid" was ever born. The "Kid" who had his fifth Christmas the day before the "Mutual" Radio Network aired it's "last episode" (At least in its first "go-round") of "The Shadow" ("Murder By The Sea"). Recently, OTRCAT.COM sent me information that a (Credible, credentialled) survey had "determined" that anyone who could "spend" (Only...) 15 minutes a day thinking of "happy memories" would get a "boost" from that in their lives! Why am I so utterly NON-sxurprised by this "revelation?" To a point that approaches "smugness"? Because it always feels great to be "Validated" on a cherished belief in your life! Perhaps, even one that you've held for well over a half-century. c And, compared with some (Much??) of the absolutely dreadful "drek" that is being offered as "Entertainment" today... Let me just share "this" with You... An old ("Yes, I said 'old'!") friend, classmate, radio station co-worker (now, an Episcopalian Deacon, recovering from a terrible "stroke" almost three years ago) has receieved a rather large, bulky, heavily-padded manilla envelope. On the back of this envelope it says, "Do NOT Open This Envelope Until O8/24/17." And, as a "snarky afterthought" it says, "This Builds Character!" I'm quite positive that my friend has a quite, well-built character. And WILL wait until 08/24/17 (A Thursday) before he/OPENS the envelope (on his 67th birthday). He has always appreciated and respected the work of Director Alfred Hitchcock! I don't know just how many "A.H." DVD's and / or CD's he has. But on his birthday, this year, he's going to really LOVE his "present"! Not as much "from" Me as "through me." By means of OTRCAT.COM !' And I AM grateful to them. For their great collections, compilations, customer service and honest prices. I know of no other OTR "Source" that offers more 'Bang for the Buck' than the fine folks at OTRCAT.COM !!! P.S. Sign in front window of a local used-book store: "NEVER judge a BOOK by its MOVIE!" But... These OTR / RADIO Versions of some of "Hitch's" best-known works WILL give You CHILLS! And, since "Deacon Rick" lives in Florida, I'm sure he'll be able to handle "his" own case of "Chills"! - G.R.B.