Join Books.org — it's free

Radio Plays & Programs, American Drama
Great Radio Heroes by Jim Harmon — book cover

Great Radio Heroes

by Jim Harmon, Richard A. Lupoff (Foreword by), Frank Bresee
Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Log in to track your reading progress.

Overview

In 1967, Jim Harmon published the first edition of The Great Radio Heroes to great acclaim. Thirty-three years later comes an illustrated, corrected, revised and greatly expanded new edition...

Once there was a time—and it was not so long ago—when radio listening, especially to the dramas, was one of the most important events in many a young person's life. People developed a love affair with the radio, and though the old times are now gone forever, the love affair continues. The heroes and settings of radio drama spurred the imagination to supply its own and much better images than visual media provided. There were no padded shoulders on the Lone Ranger, Superman flew with no jiggly trick photography, and the Martians whom Orson Welles helped attack the Earth were more convincing than anything the movies can provide.

For those who have been under the thrall of radio's alluring call, your new host Jim Harmon provides reminiscences of the heyday of radio programming, with insights on such radio dramas as I Love a Mystery, Gangbusters, The Shadow, Inner Sanctum, Batman and Robin, Superman, Tom Mix, The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, Adventures by Morse and a couple of dozen more. Photographs, a bibliography, and an index are included to enhance the reader's journey into a past time when radio was the favorite pastime.

Author Biography: Writer and radio producer Jim Harmon of Burbank, California, wrote, produced, and appeared in a revival of "Tom Mix" in the early 1980s. He is also the author of Radio Mystery and Adventure and Its Appearances in Film, Television and Other Media (1992, $49.95).

Synopsis

In 1967, Jim Harmon published the first edition of The Great Radio Heroes to great acclaim. Thirty-three years later comes an illustrated, corrected, revised and greatly expanded new edition...

Once there was a time—and it was not so long ago—when radio listening, especially to the dramas, was one of the most important events in many a young person's life. People developed a love affair with the radio, and though the old times are now gone forever, the love affair continues. The heroes and settings of radio drama spurred the imagination to supply its own and much better images than visual media provided. There were no padded shoulders on the Lone Ranger, Superman flew with no jiggly trick photography, and the Martians whom Orson Welles helped attack the Earth were more convincing than anything the movies can provide.

For those who have been under the thrall of radio's alluring call, your new host Jim Harmon provides reminiscences of the heyday of radio programming, with insights on such radio dramas as I Love a Mystery, Gangbusters, The Shadow, Inner Sanctum, Batman and Robin, Superman, Tom Mix, The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, Adventures by Morse and a couple of dozen more. Photographs, a bibliography, and an index are included to enhance the reader's journey into a past time when radio was the favorite pastime.

Author Biography: Writer and radio producer Jim Harmon of Burbank, California, wrote, produced, and appeared in a revival of "Tom Mix" in the early 1980s. He is also the author of Radio Mystery and Adventure and Its Appearances in Film, Television and Other Media (1992, $49.95).

Minneapolis Star

I can recommend a most pleasurable evening or two...reading [this book].

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Arizona Republic

Beautiful—just beautiful—the way he calls the sounds of the voices back from the past.

Buffalo Courier Express

A magnificent job in covering early radio.

Minneapolis Star

I can recommend a most pleasurable evening or two...reading [this book].

Newsday

Harmon actually has a hot-seller... ‘Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.'

North American Radio Archives

This publication will present you with many fond memories as well as new information.

Shreveport Times

Harmon recalls premiums described in such golden prose that it made our mouths water for the secret decoder badge, the Tom Mix ring.

Library Journal

Radio producer Harmon here expands his 1967 original to include numerous photos of actors who starred in the radio shows of yesteryear and to update their profiles (what they are doing now, who died, etc.). Chapters cover the stars of cop shows, Westerns, comedies, adventures, and dramas. A good one-stop resource for information on the days when radio was the leading form of home entertainment. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

First published in 1967, this book reminisces about the golden age of radio. It recalls the plots, characters, audiences, studios, and artists associated with radio dramas, and weighs their significance to the genre. Specific programs like , , , , , , , , and are discussed in detail. This new edition features black and white photographs. Harmon is an author and radio producer. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Book Details

Published
February 1, 2001
Publisher
McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Pages
256
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780786408504

More by Jim Harmon

Similar books