Wisconsin Public Radio - Old Time Radio Drama

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Program Host

Norman Gilliland joined Wisconsin Public Radio in 1983. He's the host of weekday classical music programs and is co-producer of Midday Classics and University of the Air. He also hosts Old Time Radio Drama on Sunday evenings, and is the creator of GraceNotes, nationally broadcast vignettes drawn from the lives of classical music composers and performers. MORE

Program Rundowns \| Audio Archives

Orson Welles broadcasting Old Time Radio Drama brings the best of 1930s, 40s, and 50s entertainment to Wisconsin every Saturday and Sunday night from 8pm to 11pm (CST). Host Norman Gilliland explores some of the best comedy, drama, adventure, mystery, and science fiction of the 20th Century.

Live from the Cabot Theatre!

Join us on April 22 at the Cabot Theatre in Milwaukee for the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's performance of two live radio shows from the 1940s:

"The Lonely Road", in which a troubled husband is lead astray by femme fatale, "Jenny"... and soon devises a plan to kill his wife...

and "Rocket from Manhattan", an Arch Oboler original apocalyptic science-fiction play, originally produced just six weeks into the atomic age.

For tickets, click here (and be sure to tune in this Sunday, 4/15, as we'll be giving away a free pair of tickets to the show!)


See a close-up view

Can You Name That Sound?

WPR board operator and Old Time Radio contest sound effects artist Gabby Pedriani models the latest iteration of our limited edition t-shirt.

Tune in Sunday nights for your chance to guess the mystery sound and win your very own shirt!

Regular Programs

Photo of a Vintage Radio ad While there was a great variety of programs offered during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, some series were exceptional. While we do try to give a wide variety of programming, OTR does come back to many series again and again. Below are some of these series.

The Great Gildersleeve - a comedy about an old curmudgeon and his suburban adventures. More Episodes

Suspense - the name says it all. Every program was a thriller, and you could never tell which side would win. Another strength of the program was how it got the listeners so involved. By the end of the programs the listener is cheering the villain half the time. More Episodes

X Minus 1 - A science fiction program dealing with far-out topics. Involves extraterrestrials in a healthy number of plots, but also has plenty of possessed machinery and other wacky plot devices. More Episodes

Burns & Allen - comedy with attitude. Gracie and George tirelessly rip on each other and their cast in dialogue and skits. More Episodes

Nero Wolfe - This large man and his sidekick, Archie Goodwin, solve mysteries in order to finance Wolfe's obsession with orchids. More Information

Johnny Dollar - the man with the action-packed expense account. Dollar, an insurance claims investigator, goes on adventures, often serialized, to try to get to the bottom of his cases. Romance, murder, and fraud are par for the course. More Episodes

Ever wonder what the OTR theme music is? It's called 14th Street Blues from Leon Redbone's album Sugar released in 1990 and still available.

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