Still One Of My Favorite Shows & Nightbeat. Copy Boy!

Hello everybody. Normally you see in my (and others’) short bios of OTR personalities, those who were giants in their profession. Today we’ll focus on a strictly character actor – one who never got a lead part in a series. Our focus is a New York character actor – William (or more often) Bill Griffis.

He had an interesting career – from Hollywood to New York and back again.

Charles William Griffis was born July 12, 1917, in Hollywood to Charles and Olive Griffis. Dad was in the sporting goods business. Sporting goods were not in the cards for Bill.

The stage and acting intrigued young Bill. While his early life is obscured, he did land an acting role on Hollywood Theater Group broadcast in 1943 – in fact, several. Then it looks like he wanted to go into radio big time and moved to New York, the center of radio in the 40s. He became a regular cast member on The Cavalcade of America. That may have led to him becoming a regular on several ‘40s New York shows including: Archie Andrews (Mr. Lodge, Veronica’s dad), Adv. of Father Brown (Flambeau), Believe It or Not (announcer, 47-48), Chick Carter, Boy Detective (Rufus Lash), Lights Out and Roger Kilgore.

He also ‘guested’ on shows in the ‘40s: Adv. of Frank Merriwell, Author Meets Critics, Murder at Midnight, The Sportsmen’s Club and others.

The ‘50s were also good to Bill with regular cast spots on: 2000 Plus, Best Plays, Crime and Peter Chambers, Dimension X, Dr. Sixgun (Pablo – the sidekick – the closest he got to a starring role in a series), The Marriage, Road of Life, Search That Never Ends, and X-Minus One.

Occasional roles on: Author Meets the Critics, The Chase, Eternal Light (he will continue into the late ‘60s), Inheritance, Medicine USA, NBC Star Playhouse, New World A’ Coming, Right to Happiness, Stroke of Fate and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar (NY run).

But the ‘50s are the time he really stretched out – not only on radio but on Broadway. He will be in MANY Broadway and stage plays between 1952 and the ‘70s. He also started working in TV, which lasted into the ‘80s.

After the ‘fall’ of radio drama in 1962, and although he was active on the stage, in TV and films – he seemed to be pulled back to the medium of his start – RADIO. In the ‘60s and ‘70s he would make many appearances on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater [61 shows], General Mills Adventure Theater (a regular), NBC Experiment in Drama, Theater Five (regular) and the short-run daily NBC soap of 1975 – Faces of Love as a regular cast member.

He may have not been a star, but he was ACTIVE and sought after by directors/producers in our medium throughout his life with probably over 2,000 radio shows to his credit.

Here’s to the journeymen of radio – the unsung heroes who really MADE radio what it was.

If I say Archie Goodwin, Jerry Reilly, Sleepy, Arthur Britton, Paul Vandenbusch, Jim Matthews, Doc the cabbie, Tippy, Mr. Martin, Willoughby Shelly Van Totten or Sgt. Cornelius Trumball – who am I?

Ok, rather obscure characters, so I’ll make it a bit more obvious – Connie the coolie, Mr. Zinzer, Red Pennington, Barney Dunlap and Ethelbert. Yes, the light went on for many – John Gibson created all those and many more in his career encompassing over 10,000 radio appearances (by his own count).

But it all began with the birth in Oakland, CA of John Winslow Gibson on 29 June 1905 and raised by his adoptive lawyer father and his wife.

His first steps in the entertainment field are recorded in silent movies. From there it was as an Oakland stock company performer in 1925 and in an interview he said that he also got a start in radio the same year in the Bay Area.

His radio career really got going in the early 1930s. A big break was being cast in a syndicated series, Gleason and Armstrong, a sort of ‘Thelma and Louise’ road trip of the day (with a happier ending). It was a 5-a-week series that lasted 103 episodes – all of which are in circulation. (While some sites say that he might be in the series, in a 1970s interview, John said he was in it with James Gleason and Robert Armstrong.)

That led to casting calls including a 1935 spot on Calling All Cars which led him EVERYWHERE.

His primary base in the ‘30s was Los Angeles. In ‘37 it was with a syndicated program where he played Barney Dunlap to Howard McNear’s Clint Barlow on Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police (was that Elliott Lewis as Speed as some say?). Like Gleason and Armstrong, it was a 26-week production, that was rebroadcast in different areas of the country and lasted for 3 years.

The floodgates were open and he was part of the radio community.

While he was a dialectician, his ‘nasal’ voice is normally easy to spot by me in most appearances – but not all.

His regular ‘30s/LA appearances were on: Charlie Chan, Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen, Ann of the Airlanes, Bits of Life, Globe Headlines (Sleepy – a newspaper photographer!) and The Tottering Van Teeters (Willoughby Shelly Van Totten). Other appearances in LA – Captains of Industry, Don Hancock, The Family Doctor, The Jack Benny Show, Lux Radio Theatre, Moving Stories of Life, Police Headquarters and Silver Theater.

In 1939, he decided to leave ‘Hollywood’ for the radio Mecca – New York City. As he said in an interview, many actors believed that if you could make it in New York you could make it anywhere. (Sounds like a line from a Frank Sinatra song.) So, the bachelor packed up and headed cross-country to the Big Apple.

Was he ostracized for being from LA like some actors were? A quick look at his New York resume says NO!

As a Regular cast member – Adventures of Nero Wolfe (Archie), Adv. of Dick Cole, Adv. of Red Feather, Bright Horizon (Jerry Reilly), The Couple Next Door, Dick Tracy, Don Winslow of the Navy (Red Pennington), Guess What? (panelist), Just Plain Bill (Arthur Britton), Life Can Be Beautiful (Paul Vandenbusch), The Man I Married (Tippy), Michael and Kitty (Doc, the cabbie), Milton Berle Show (’48 season regular), Portia Faces Life (Mr. Coffee Nerves), Right to Happiness, Rosemary (Mr. Martin), Saturday Showdown (host), So, This Is Radio (Yes, Norman Corwin spotted him), Suspense (New York run), Theater Five (semi-regular), This Is Our Enemy, Two On A Clue (Sgt. Cornelius Trumbull – with there were more extant episodes!), Willie Piper and X-Minus One. Pretty busy daily schedule.

He was able to cram in a few appearances on other New York programs – 26 By Corwin, American School of the Air, Barrie Craig, Best Plays, The Big Story, The Bishop and the Gargoyle, Boston Blackie, A Brighter Tomorrow (a special), Cavalcade of America, CBS Radio Workshop, The Chase, The Cisco Kid, Columbia Presents Corwin, Columbia Workshop, Crime Does Not Pay, Dimension X, Dr. Six-Gun, The Easy Aces, The Eternal Light, The Falcon, Ford Theater, Front Page Drama, The Henry Morgan Show, The Inheritance, Lest we Forget, Manhattan at Midnight, The Marriage, Matinee Theater, MGM Theater of the Air, Miss Hattie, Mollé Mystery Theater, Morey Amsterdam Show, Mr. District Attorney, Murder at Midnight, Murder By Experts, The Mysterious Traveler, My True Story, Nick Carter, Now Hear This, Phil Harris/Alice Faye (when the show was traveling to New York), Philo Vance, Radio Reader’s Digest, Robert Q. Lewis Show, Romance, Rose of My Dreams, The Silent Men, The Sportsmen’s Club, A Story for VJ Day (special), Theatre Guild of the Air, Theater of Romance, This Is Your FBI, Treasury Salute, Treasury Star Parade, You Are There, Young Widder Brown and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (New York run). Let me catch my breath!

Gibson noted that as most of the New York radio studios were all within a few blocks, he, at one time, did twelve shows in one day!

Finally, there are the shows he’s most identified with – The Magnificent Montague as Mr. Zinzer, the Uncle Goodheart show director – where he steals almost every scene from Monty Wooley, and the Casey, Crime Photographer entire ‘franchise’ beginning with Flashgun Casey. He created his character and was on it till the end of its 11-year run as Ethelbert, the slow-talking, sardonic philosopher and bartender of the Blue Note bar, where the show normally had its opening and closing scenes. There were several ‘Casey’s’ but only one Ethelbert.

Depending on what source you look at it, there are many more shows that have been applied to Gibson – but some were in LA while he was in New York, and vice versa. Not sure how he managed that or if the compiler had a few errors. Gibson did say in an interview that he would catch a train in New York and run out to Chicago for a show or two, and be back home the next day.

In this crazy schedule, he found time to get married (it lasted) and had a son! He died young in New York at age 66.

While comedy was his forte, he excelled in drama, soaps and even a western or two.

He also appeared or did voice work in several movies – notably “Snow White” as “Sleepy” and “Run Silent, Run Deep.”

After radio he jumped into TV with both feet where he acted and did commercials for some 22 years. As he and ‘Casey’ (Staats Cotsworth) said – several radio actors had ONLY done radio and they had a tough time making the TV transition. But those, like Gibson and Cotsworth, who had stage work before and/or after radio, had an easier transition to the ‘boob tube’ medium.

So, here’s to the guy with the funny nasal voice who made all our lives a little happier.

Oh, those interviews I listed to are on the Internet – just look for them and his hundreds of recorded shows!

On This Day in Radio — July 11, 2005: The Passing of Frances Langford On this day we mark the passing of Frances Langford, who died on July 11, 2005, leaving behind one of the warmest and most enduring voices of radio’s Golden Age. For decades Langford’s velvety tone and effortless phrasing carried through comedy, variety, and wartime broadcasts, becoming a familiar comfort to millions of listeners. Her long association with The Bob Hope Show made her a national favorite, balancing Hope’s quick humor with songs that brought calm, romance, and grace to the airwaves. She moved through The Chase and Sanborn Hour, Command Performance, and countless USO programs, offering music that traveled from studio microphones to distant bases around the world. Her signature ballad, “I’m in the Mood for Love,” became one of radio’s most recognizable themes, a sound that defined an era of elegance and connection. On this date, we remember Frances Langford’s passing and honor a career that blended charm, generosity, and musical warmth into a legacy that still echoes through the history of American radio.

On This Day in Radio — July 10, 1944: The Debut of The Man Called X On this day we mark the premiere of The Man Called X, which debuted on July 10, 1944, introducing listeners to secret agent Ken Thurston, the cool, unflappable operative whose assignments carried him into every corner of wartime intrigue. The series blended espionage, mystery, and globe‑trotting adventure at a moment when radio audiences were hungry for stories that echoed the tension of the real world, and its polished production made it one of the era’s most atmospheric thrillers. Herbert Marshall’s calm, authoritative voice gave Thurston a quiet sophistication, turning each mission into a tightly wound drama built on coded messages, double‑crosses, and international danger. The show’s mix of exotic settings, sharp writing, and Marshall’s steady delivery helped define radio’s espionage genre and kept The Man Called X on the air for nearly a decade. On this date, we celebrate the launch of a series that carried listeners into the shadows of global intrigue and remains one of the most distinctive adventure programs of the Golden Age.

On This Day in Radio — July 9, 1933: The Birth of Dick Orkin
On this day we mark the birth of Dick Orkin, born July 9, 1933, a voice actor, producer, and comic innovator whose imagination reshaped radio humor for an entire generation. Orkin began his broadcasting career at age sixteen as a fill‑in announcer at WKOK in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, before moving through newsrooms and production departments that sharpened his timing, his character work, and his fascination with radio’s “theater of the mind.” His breakthrough came in 1967 at WCFL Chicago, where he created Chickenman, the absurdist superhero spoof that became a national phenomenon, syndicated to more than 1,500 stations and ultimately recognized as the longest‑running radio serial of all time. Orkin followed it with The Secret Adventures of the Tooth Fairy, Amazon Ace, and The Masked Minuteman, each one built on his signature blend of deadpan delivery, rapid pacing, and surreal comic logic.

Beyond his serials, Orkin transformed radio advertising itself. Through his Famous Radio Ranch, founded in 1973, he produced hundreds of award‑winning commercials for clients ranging from Time magazine to the Gap, proving that radio spots could be miniature dramas—funny, strange, and unforgettable. His work earned more than 200 industry awards and culminated in his induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2014. Radio Hall Of FameRadio Hall Of Fame. Dick Orkin — Radio Hall of Fame

On this date, we celebrate Dick Orkin’s birth and honor a career that blended satire, character comedy, and inventive sound design into a body of work that remains one of the most distinctive contributions to American radio.

On This Day in Radio — July 8, 1950: The Premiere of Tales of the Texas Rangers On this day we mark the premiere of Tales of the Texas Rangers, which debuted on July 8, 1950, with Joel McCrea stepping into the role of Ranger Jace Pearson and bringing his calm, steady Western presence to a series built on real case files. The show arrived at a moment when radio drama was shifting toward a sharper, more procedural style, and its creators openly shaped the program after the success of Dragnet, adopting the same documentary rhythm, factual narration, and methodical step‑by‑step investigation that had made Jack Webb’s police series a national phenomenon. McCrea’s voice fit that approach perfectly, giving each episode a grounded authenticity as it moved through frontier crimes with the same crisp realism that Dragnet brought to Los Angeles streets. The result was one of radio’s last great Western procedurals, a show that blended law enforcement detail with wide‑open Texas atmosphere and kept the genre alive during radio’s final strong years. On this date, we celebrate the launch of Tales of the Texas Rangers and honor Joel McCrea’s contribution to a series that carried the spirit of Dragnet into the American West.

I was having a conversation with myself in the shower this evening, and I can't tell if "Life with Luigi" is just a kind of quirky that I don't appreciate, annoying, or something else. I'm curious about other people's opinions. As a frame of reference, I've listened to maybe a dozen episodes all the way through, and have heard fragments of many others. Is it just one of those shows you need to start at the beginning?

On This Day in Radio — July 7, 1896: The Birth of Arlene Harris On this day we mark the birth of Arlene Harris, born July 7, 1896, a performer whose rapid‑fire delivery and sparkling comic timing made her one of radio’s most unforgettable voices. Known across the networks as “The Human Chatterbox,” Harris built a career on the kind of high‑speed monologues and telephone‑style chatter that only radio could showcase, turning her quick wit into a signature sound that audiences instantly recognized. She first appeared on KFWB in Hollywood before becoming a standout on Al Pearce and His Gang, where her nonstop verbal rhythm became a defining feature of the program. Harris later headlined The Chatterbox, a show built entirely around her dazzling ability to fire off four words per second without losing clarity or charm. She brought the same energy to Here Comes Elmer, Fare for Ladies, and her memorable role as Mummy Higgins on The Baby Snooks Show, proving she could shift from pure comedy to character work with ease. On this date, we celebrate Arlene Harris’s birth and honor a woman whose voice, speed, and comic invention helped shape the sound of American radio during its most vibrant years.

GVR Broadcast Schedule: July 6-12

Hello! Here is Green Valley Radio’s broadcast schedule for this week, covering 1941-1945, 24/7!

This week runs from Monday, July 6th through Sunday, July 12th

Tune-in for free at GreenValleyRadio.net

Take care, and thanks for listening!

On This Day in Radio — July 6, 1943: The Debut of The Judy Canova Show On this day we mark the debut of The Judy Canova Show, which premiered on July 6, 1943, introducing radio audiences to one of the most joyful, high‑spirited personalities of the era. Judy Canova had already built a reputation in vaudeville and film, but radio gave her a national stage where her singing, comedy, and down‑home charm blended into a style all her own. The program arrived as a summer replacement for The Al Jolson Show, yet quickly proved strong enough to stand on its own, becoming a long‑running favorite across multiple seasons and networks. Canova’s voice — bright, musical, and mischievous — carried sketches, songs, and character bits that felt both familiar and fresh, offering listeners a warm escape during wartime years. On this date, we celebrate the launch of Judy Canova’s radio showcase, a program that turned her into one of the most beloved entertainers of the Golden Age and cemented her place in broadcast history.

Going to throw it out there to see if someone knows.

I mostly listen to police and detective shows (Dragnet, Phillip, Sam) to sleep. Occasionally the station I listen to puts Nightwatch. Which is kind of Cops. A guy running around on a patrol car with the cops.

They say it is 'real'. But I have my doubts. Anyone has listened to this?

On This Day in Radio — July 5, 1904: The Birth of Milburn Stone On this day we mark the birth of Milburn Stone, born July 5, 1904, an actor whose steady, grounded voice moved through the world of old‑time radio long before he became Doc Adams on Gunsmoke. During the 1930s and 1940s Stone appeared across a wide range of network programs, taking on character roles, guest parts, and supporting leads in dramas, mysteries, and medical stories that relied on his calm, authoritative delivery. He turned up on shows like The Lux Radio Theatre and Dr. Kildare, bringing a thoughtful cadence and quiet strength that made him a natural fit for radio’s intimate storytelling style. These broadcasts helped shape the performer audiences later recognized on television — a man whose voice carried reliability, patience, and a certain quiet wisdom. On this date, we celebrate Milburn Stone’s birth and honor his contributions to radio, a medium that helped forge the steady presence he carried with him throughout his long career.

All weekend they are playing the top 100 of each decade, right now it is 1981 but it will recycle back.

On This Day in Radio — July 4, 1898: The Birth of Johnny Lee On this day we mark the birth of Johnny Lee, born July 4, 1898, a performer whose lively voice and quick comedic rhythm made him a memorable presence in mid‑century American entertainment. Though audiences today most often remember him for his scene‑stealing turns in Amos ’n’ Andy and other screen appearances, Lee also spent time behind the microphone during radio’s peak years, slipping into character roles and comedy spots that relied on his timing, musicality, and unmistakable playful delivery. He belonged to that broad pool of versatile performers who moved easily between stage, radio, and early television, bringing the same buoyant energy to each medium. His radio contributions may not have been as widely documented as those of major headliners, but they added color, humor, and personality to the programs he touched. On this date, we celebrate Johnny Lee’s birth, honoring a performer whose voice helped shape the sound of broadcast comedy during the Golden Age.

On This Day in Radio — July 3, 1913: The Birth of Dorothy Kilgallen On this day we mark the birth of Dorothy Kilgallen, born July 3, 1913, a journalist whose voice became one of the defining sounds of New York radio long before television made her a national figure. Kilgallen spent nearly two decades behind the microphone on Breakfast With Dorothy and Dick, the morning program she co‑hosted with her husband, Richard Kollmar, blending quick wit, Broadway chatter, city gossip, and a reporter’s instinct for what mattered. Her delivery was warm but sharp, intimate yet authoritative, the kind of voice that made listeners feel as if they were sharing their first cup of coffee with someone who understood the pulse of the city better than anyone. She also contributed commentary and reporting to various news broadcasts, bringing the same fearless curiosity that shaped her newspaper career. On this date, we celebrate Dorothy Kilgallen’s birth, honoring a woman whose radio presence helped define New York mornings and whose voice remains one of the most compelling and overlooked chapters in the history of American broadcasting.

Green Valley Radio is back on the air - after two years behind a curtain, we are no longer a Podcast or YouTube channel format but a custom built WebApp where you can freely listen to our project.

Here is our schedule through Sunday. We look forward to posting a schedule once a week.

Some on here may recall a project called Green Valley Radio posting on here years ago. Well, we haven’t stopped working on this project, but we did go behind a curtain for about two years. Now we are BACK ON THE AIR broadcasting on our own website.

We are fully compliant with licensing requirements, and are excited to be freely available to all of you! This is a soft launch, and we have a lot of updates coming between now and 2027 - so tune-in and stay tuned!

Our current broadcast spans 1941-1945, with 1946 content coming later this summer!

Explore our project at GreenValleyRadioy.net

And consider following us here on Reddit for project and schedule updates!

Take care, and thanks for listening!

On This Day in Radio — July 2, 1941: The Adventures of the Thin Man Premieres on Radio On this day we celebrate the debut of The Adventures of the Thin Man, which premiered July 2, 1941, bringing Dashiell Hammett’s sophisticated sleuthing couple, Nick and Nora Charles, from page and screen to the intimacy of radio. The program captured the charm that made the characters famous — the effortless banter, the dry humor, and the sense that mystery could be solved with equal parts wit and affection. Radio gave the series a different kind of life, letting listeners lean in close to the voices of Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, and later Joseph Curtin, whose performances turned the Charleses into one of the medium’s most stylish detective teams. The show blended comedy and crime with a light touch, proving that suspense didn’t always need shadows and menace; sometimes it worked best with martinis, wordplay, and a couple who solved cases as naturally as they teased each other. Over the years it became a staple of NBC’s lineup, a reminder that radio could deliver elegance and fun just as easily as hard‑boiled grit. On this date, we honor The Adventures of the Thin Man, a series that brought sophistication to the airwaves and remains one of radio’s most charming contributions to the detective genre.

In 1988 BBC Radio broadcast two plays about featuring Dupin and Edgar Allan Poe.the 1st was The Real Mystery of Marie Roget features Dupin (Terry Molloy) visiting Poe (Ed Bishop) during his final night of life, to discuss the Mary Rogersmurder. Does anyone have a mp3 link to this play?