Summary
The Fred Waring Show is an American old-time radio musical variety program. It was broadcast in a variety of time slots from February 8, 1933, until October 4, 1957, and was heard at different times on ABC, CBS, NBC, and the Blue Network.[1] The program was sometimes called Chesterfield Time or Pleasure Time.[2]
| Other names | Chesterfield Time Pleasure Time |
|---|---|
| Genre | Musical variety |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | ABC Blue Network CBS NBC |
| TV adaptations | The Fred Waring Show |
| Announcer | Paul Douglas |
| Produced by | Tom Bennett |
| Original release | February 8, 1933 – October 4, 1957 |
| Sponsored by | American Meat Company Bromo Quinine Chesterfield cigarettes Ford Motor Company General Electric Johnson's Wax Old Gold cigarettes |
Musician Fred Waring starred in the shows, which featured his orchestra and chorus.[2] An article in the trade publication Broadcasting described Waring's programs on radio (and later on television) as featuring "friendly banter with his crew, plus renditions of old-time favorite songs and ballads by the chorus and vocalists."[3]
The program's producers through the years included Tom Bennett.[4] Announcers included Paul Douglas[5] and Bill Bivens.[6]
Waring's programs were usually broadcast from the Shawnee Inn in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania, a facility that he acquired and renamed, transforming the venue into the center of his musical activities.[7]
Versions edit
Waring's broadcasts were heard on the schedule shown in the table below.
| Beginning Date | Ending Date | Network | Day | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 8, 1933 | January 31, 1934 | CBS | Wednesday | Old Gold cigarettes |
| February 4, 1934 | December 29, 1936 | CBS | various days | Ford Motor Company |
| January 17, 1936 | December 25, 1936 | Blue | Friday | Ford Motor Company |
| October 8, 1938 | March 4, 1939 | NBC | Saturday | Bromo Quinine |
| June 19, 1939 | June 9, 1944 | NBC | weekdays | Chesterfield cigarettes |
| September 7, 1944 | May 31, 1945 | Blue | Thursday | -------- |
| June 4, 1945 | July 8, 1949 | NBC | weekdays (daytime) | American Meat Company,
Florida Citrus Growers |
| June 18, 1946 | September 24, 1946 | NBC | Tuesday | Johnson's Wax |
| June 24, 1947 | September 30, 1947 | NBC | Tuesday | Johnson's Wax |
| June 7, 1948 | September 29, 1948 | NBC | Mondays and Wednesdays (daytime) | Johnson's Wax |
| October 6, 1947 | September 29, 1949 | NBC | Mondays (1947-1948)
Thursdays (1948-1949) |
General Electric |
| July 16, 1949 | July 22, 1950 | NBC | Saturday | Minnesota Canning Company |
| October 1, 1956 | March 15, 1957 | ABC | weekdays (daytime) | -------- |
| April 9, 1957 | October 4, 1957 | ABC | weekdays | -------- |
Source: On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio[1]
Transcriptions for Ford edit
In 1935, Ford Motor Company used transcriptions from Waring's CBS broadcasts to promote the new 1935 Ford V8 automobile. The World Broadcasting System produced three 15-minute transcriptions for distribution to 300 radio stations vial local Ford dealers.[8]
Those transcriptions were key in establishing a musical artist's legal rights with regard to recordings of performances. In 1939, A United States District court in North Carolina granted Waring an injunction against using a transcription without his authorization. Waring had sued Richard Austin Dunlea, who owned radio station WMFD in Wilmington, North Carolina, after the station broadcast an excerpt from a transcription despite the station's not being designated for use of the transcription. Judge Isaac M. Meekins' ruling said, in part: "Complainant has a property right in his performance. Complainant by mental labor creates something which is the subject of sale ... It is his work, his property ..."[9]
The ruling in North Carolina followed a similar decision in Pennsylvania, in which a state court said that radio station WDAS had to have Waring's permission to broadcast recordings that he had made.[9]
References edit
- ^ a b Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 269–271. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
- ^ a b Reinehr, Robert C.; Swartz, Jon D. (2010). The A to Z of Old Time Radio. Scarecrow Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 9781461672074.
- ^ "Fred Waring Show" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 29, 1957. p. 20. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Chase, Gilbert (1946). Music in Radio Broadcasting (PDF). New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. p. vii. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Rhoads, B. Eric (1996). A Pictorial History of Radio's First 75 Years (PDF). West Palm Beach, Florida: Streamline Publishing, Inc. p. 219. ISBN 1-886745-06-4. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ "Behind the Mike" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 18, 1943. p. 40. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Danilov, Victor J. (2013). Famous Americans: A Directory of Museums, Historic Sites, and Memorials. Scarecrow Press. p. 170. ISBN 9780810891869. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "300 Get Ford Discs" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 15, 1935. p. 35. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ a b "Court Recognizes Recorder's Rights" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 1, 1939. p. 49. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
External links edit
Logs edit
- Log of The Fred Waring Show from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
- Log of The Fred Waring Show from Old Time Radio Researchers Group
- Log of Fred Waring and The Pennsylvanians from radioGOLDINdex
- Log of Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians from radioGOLDINdex
- Log of The Fred Waring Show from radioGOLDINdex
Streaming edit
- Episodes of The Fred Waring Show from Dumb.com
- Episodes of The Fred Waring Show from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
- Episodes of The Fred Waring Show from Zoot Radio