by Carl Reiner

I Remember Radio

After creating two volumes of films, Alive at Ninety-Five, Recalling Movies I Love and Approaching Ninety-Six, The Films I Love Viewing & Loved Doing that have for various reasons affected who he is today, Carl realized that he would be remiss if he didn’t also compile a book of all the radio programs that, along with these films, helped shape his life.

It all began in 1926 when Carl’s father, Irving Reiner, a prolific inventor, created a Crystal Set Radio so the family could listen to their favorite radio shows, including Burns and Allen, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and The Amos ‘N Andy Show.  In the 1930’s, the family gathered around the battery-operated tube radio that Carl’s father later built, to listen to FDR’s Fireside Chats, news of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and The Ted Mack Amateur Hour. The 1940’s brought mystery shows such as The Whistler and Inner Sanctum, along with shows like Ozzie & Harriet and Father Knows Best, which went on the become popular television shows. From the 1960’s to the present, although the role of radio and the place that it holds in people’s lives has changed it has continued to grow and change, with shows ranging from Studs Terkel, Bob & Ray and Casey Kasem’s American Top 40, to Howard Stern, Michael Moore, Larry King and WTF with Marc Maron.

In I Remember Radio, Carl covers all these radio shows we know and love, as well as ones we wish we could have heard.  But through his background material and anecdotes, the next best thing is sharing Carl’s memories of these beloved shows.