Jolly Bill and Jane

The Joe Hehn Memorial Collection

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Bill Steinke was a cartoonist and vaudevillian who started the kid's show Jolly Bill and Jane in 1928. It was on and off the air at various times, but lasted parts of multiple decades. He was known for his big, and obviously jolly, laugh. This particular episode is an aircheck of a 1947 broadcast as the show used a theme of travel by cable car (trolley) to a different place every day. Today, they are visiting Tuttletown. Throughout the broadcast, the names of kids who are listeners are named. It is presumed that they or their parents sent letters to the show so they could have the big thrill of hearing their names on the air. Steinke also had kids shows in early television and frequently toured with a stage show. * * * 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.