Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!


I hope everyone out there is ready to get their grub on...cause if yer not, I call dibs on your stuffing!!!

Time to spend time with loved ones and be thankful for all things. As you sit back and relax this holiday morning watching the 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, cringing at the Pikachu and Hello Kitty balloons and closing you eyes and longing for Bullwinkle and Underdog instead, here's a little bonus oldtime radio treat for you to plug your earholes from the inane chatter of the announcers and clatter of marching bands as well.

This program was a special broadcast from Armed Forces Radio for Thanksgiving of 1944. Germany had surrendered to allied forces in WWII and the war in the Pacific was coming to a head and our fighting boys had been away from home for too many Thanksgivings. This was to be their last and some of radio's finest wanted to send a "We miss you" audio card.



The host for the show is the wonderful Lionel Barrymore...


...and he's joined by musical and comedy stars alike in what to me is warm and just plain feels like the holidays are here. I hope you enjoy.

Also appearing are Percy Faith...


...Dinah Shore...


...Harry Von Zell...


...the funny and too-often forgotten Wally Brown...


...for a touch of class, John Charles Thomas...


...the comic stylings of Fanny Brice and Handley Stafford in their roles as "Baby Snooks" and "Daddy" respectively...


...Frank Morgan...


...and even an original Thanksgiving song written by Irving Berlin. Hey, if he gave us "White Christmas" and "Easter Parade"...why not a Thanksgiving tune too.


Have a great long weekend and I'll talk to you soon.

4 comments:

  1. Enjoy your meal, Jeff!
    I'm sure you will anyway.

    PS: Lionel Barrymore... That man!

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  2. Thank you Gabriel, and while I know this is an America-centric holiday, I hope you have a great weekend yourself and feel free to look around you and feel thankful and join us!

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