Summer Replacement Old Time Radio Shows

During the Golden Age of Radio, there were no networks that aired recorded shows, so broadcasting reruns was not popular. Radio stars of high-rating, money-making broadcasts requested breaks every summer be included in their contracts. When the lead star goes out of town, it is only normal that the entire cast of the show stops working too.

Since the volume of expected listeners were not really that much, radio networks did not usually put as much effort as usually do for these summer replacement broadcasts. And most of the time, the sponsors would choose not to support the replacement, except probably when the program it replaced was quite successful, so that the stars of such program can “come home” once the summer season is over. One good example of such case would be The Johnson Wax Company, which was said to be very committed to the series Fibber McGee and Molly and its spot every Tuesday night. Some replacement series of the said show included Cousin Willie, Presenting Charles Boyer, The Meredith Wilson Musical Revue, The Passing Parade, Victor Borge, and Words at War. The stars of Fibber McGee, Jim and Marian Jordan, usually spend the summer with their children. Harlow Wilcox, the spokesman of Johnson Wax, was often the one assigned to handle the company’s promotions.

Although the networks themselves were not really keen on supporting summer replacement shows, the stars and produces often see the summer time slot as something which could lead to something bigger. A number of shows, such as A Date With Judy, Archie Andrews, Boston Blackie, Dangerous Assignment, December Bride, Escape, and The Aldrich Family, went on to become more than just a summer replacement, eventually becoming one of the longest series aired on radio.

See also:

Rare Summer Replacement
Shows Collection

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