Summer Themed Radio Shows

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." - Sam Keen

For most, the most golden times in our memories are those languid months of June, July, and August. For the farmer, every summer day brings his crops one day closer to harvest. Many gardeners report seeing visual growth in their plants over each passing sunny day. Eventually, everyone will seek some relief from the deep summer heat, but for children, summer vacation means a few precious weeks of freedom from the drudgery of school. Perhaps Dad will be able to get away from work for a few days and take the family down to the shore to splash in the cool sea, or up to the mountains to escape the lowland heat.

In the grand scheme of things, Autumn is the time of harvest and preparing for the long winter, in winter people's biggest concern is surviving the long cold, in Spring we clean out from being stuck inside and plant the crops for the next season, but Summer is all about living and enjoying life. It is the time of barbeques, sweet, ripe watermelons, bright red vine-ripened tomatoes, and more zucchini coming out of Mom's garden than any family could ever eat or give away.

Every summer during the Golden Age of Radio, the Stars of the big shows were happy to turn their studios over to the summer replacement program. Before they left, most of the big comedies had a goodbye program in June where the characters announced their summer plans. Usually, these late spring shows told how the characters would spend the summer, not necessarily the actor's actual plans. There was always a good bit of happy confusion at 79 Wistful Vista in June, one year Fibber managed to lock the suitcase key inside the suitcase, another he demonstrated his questionable handyman skills setting up the porch swing, and other years plans for an escape to Dugan's Lake were revealed, but usually the McGee's managed to introduce Meredith Wilson, Victor Borge, John Nesbitt, or whoever would be their summer replacement that year.

The Great Gildersleeve made plans to visit Half Moon Lake, and Fred Allen discussed his summer plans on Town Hall Tonight, Texaco Star Time, and Allen's Alley. Most summers, The Adventures of Superman didn't take a summer break, although sometimes Batman and Robin took over the story arc for a few weeks so that Bud Collyer could get away.

Getting out of town for the summer was a good idea because the hot weather sometimes attracted bad guys. Barrie Craig dealt with "Mid-Summer Lunacy" and "The Summertime Take" on Crime Does Not Pay proved that the slot machines at Swan Lake were not always a sure thing for the gangsters running them. Suspense gave us "The Devil in the Summer House", "Summer Storm", and Agnes Moorehead being driven insane by "The Yellow Wallpaper".

Being out of school meant that some of the kids could raise some pocket money with a summer job. The gang on Our Miss Brooks tried to get on with a hillbilly band, while Henry Aldrich and his pal Homer have to sell the twelve bushels of corn they were paid for their summer efforts. Fibber McGee manages his uncle's cattle ranch in the summer of 1950 and appearing in summer stock theater is in the plans for The Great Gildersleeve, Town Hall Tonight, and The Magnificent Montague.

With beating the heat, camping, gardening, and working summer jobs, it is surprising that anyone could find time for summer romance, but that is exactly what they found on Lights Out, Studio One, Romance, and even on Gunsmoke.

See also: article on summer replacement shows and Rare Summer Replacement Programs