On the Screen On the Air On My Mind

by Claire Schulz

Open this book and stroll down memory lane. Laugh at the antics of the Bowery Boys, Bud and Lou, Red Skelton, and Jerry Colonna. Sing along with Al Jolson, Betty Hutton, Danny Kaye, and Jimmy Durante. Creep down spooky corridors with Boris, Bela, Vincent, Peter, and two Lon Chaneys. Relive those early years of television with Lucy, Joan Davis, Ernie Kovacs, Eve Arden, and William Bendix. Hear Bob Hope tell his life story and peek at a script that was for his eyes only. Say the secret word with Groucho. Delight in the nonpareil personalities of Stan Freberg, Tallulah Bankhead, and Henry Morgan. Applaud the unheralded talents of Jack Carson, Gale Gordon, Arnold Stang, Frank Lovejoy, Gabby Hayes, J. Carrol Naish, Iris Adrian, and Sandra Gould who often stood in the shadows of the headliners. Watch the fragile psyches of Gene Tierney and Alan Ladd curtail their careers. Hunt clues with Basil Rathbone and Howard Duff. Listen to the best in movie music before sitting in the best seats in the house to review the Perry Mason films, a pair of neglected 1940s comedies, and a cavalcade of B pictures. Tune in to "Fibber McGee and Molly", "The Great Gildersleeve", "The Jack Benny Program", and a dozen other stops along the radio dial. Bring back those days of playing with Tom Mix premiums and of reading Big Little Books and Photoplay editions. Drive once more past those witty Burma-Shave signs. Be captivated all over again by the hypnotic enticements in the Johnson Smith catalogs. Enjoy whimsical stories focusing on Alfred Hitchcock, Miss Brooks, and Sam Spade. Then ponder speculative thoughts about movies, music, and mores in "Selected Short Subjects" before the lights go up on this magical history tour.

Illustrated with over 140 images from the author's personal collection of photographs, sheet music, magazines, premiums, posters, and other show business memorabilia, this nostalgic omnibus belongs on the bookshelves of everyone who fondly remembers the golden age of radio, TV, and motion pictures.

Clair Schulz, who has written numerous articles about films, radio programs, and collectibles, is the author of Fibber McGee and Molly, On the Air. 1935-1959.