John J. Anthony (The Good Will Hour)


(4.5 stars; 2 reviews)

John J. Anthony was a marriage counselor who offered advice to couples over the air. He would real letters that started with “Mr. Anthony, I have a problem.” The program was officially titled "The Good Will Hour." In 1939, more than 700 stations carried the program. In 2020 US dollars, he was making about $3 million a year. The program went off the air in 1953. * * * These recordings are part of the Joe Hehn Memorial Collection. Mr. Hehn (1931-2020) was a pioneering collector of radio recordings when the hobby emerged in the 1960s. Digitizing his collection of reel tapes and discs is the effort of a wide range of North American volunteers, and includes assistance of some international collectors. The groups supporting this effort with their funds, time, technology and skills are the Old Time Radio Researchers and a small group of transcription disc preservationists who refer to themselves as the "The Knights of the Turning Table."

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.

Chapters

John J Anthony 450507 14:03

Reviews

A fascinating window into radio in the 1930s


(5 stars)

This is a fascinating recording, the early days of radio and advice and self-help. I'm grateful this was here. I'm working on a play called Mr. Happiness by David Mamet, and it seems to be modeled after this kind of show, if not this very show.