{"id":269,"date":"2018-06-23T17:02:38","date_gmt":"2018-06-24T00:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/db745daf2d.nxcli.net\/smalltowns\/?p=269"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:32:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T22:32:45","slug":"radio-afternoons-with-box-tops-and-action-heroes-in-1950","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theimmers.com\/smalltowns\/radio-afternoons-with-box-tops-and-action-heroes-in-1950\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio afternoons with box tops and action heroes in 1950"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before TV, children’s fantasies played out on 50s radio afternoon programs. The themes mirrored the wild west films of the 30s and 40s. Advertising jingles promoted breakfast cereals via proof of purchase to order toys such as glow in the dark arrow heads. Collectables and memorabilia are still available. Here is one source<\/a> for a Straight Arrow cave ring. 50s childhood memories would not be complete without these radio programs. The characters and storylines connected with the childhood heroes established by the 30s and 40s film stars.<\/p>\n

50s radio afternoons highlighted the week<\/h2>\n

“Bobby Benson and the B bar B Riders”, initially aired in the 30s. The program was revived in the late 40s. The rapid growth in popularity resulted in the release of more programs. The Lone Ranger, Red Ryder, Straight Arrow, and other programs gained listeners.<\/p>\n

Radio was a fixture of home life during the time before TV. The radio was on in many households all day. Part of the time it was background noise like big band music that you did not necessarily pay close attention to. My mother, and millions of other housewives listened to “Queen for a Day” regularly.<\/p>\n

Cowboys, Shredded Wheat, and Straight Arrows, are on the menu<\/h2>\n
\"50s

50s radio afternoons cowboy childhood memories<\/p><\/div>\n

I listened to several programs in the late afternoon. I listened to Straight Arrow regularly for at least two years. Straight Arrow was an old west hero with a secret identity similar to the Lone Ranger. He was an Indian masquerading as a white rancher. The program initiated in Los Angeles in 1948 then went nation wide. The program was broadcast live and few episodes were taped.\u00a0 I am not aware of any reruns for radio programs. The scripts are hard to find. Cast members were not always documented and the identity of some characters remains unknown. Here is a link to the Straight Arrow<\/a> program history and a sample episode. Straight Arrow was broadcast 2 days per week. An advertising jingle, that played at the beginning of every episode, promoted Nabisco products. If you want to explore some more of 50s radio here is a link where you can buy mp3 audio<\/a> and get info on other programs.<\/p>\n

Bobby Benson was my favorite radio character<\/h2>\n

Among my friends in Roxana, Illinois, Bobby Benson and the B Bar B Ranch was the most popular of the children\u2019s radio programs and was on air the longest from 1949 to 1955.\u00a0 Some of the cast on the radio programs, like Don Knotts, went on to have TV careers. Here is a link to a history page for Bobby Benson<\/a>. I remember listening to the Green Hornet but not as regularly as the others. The radio programs were late afternoon so they filled afternoon time during the months when it was too cold to be outside playing ball or engaged in other childhood games. The history notes that I found on the internet describe the listener audience as teenagers and some adults. My experience in Roxana, Illinois in 1950 was that listeners were elementary school children. I never heard adults talk about these radio programs.<\/p>\n

The radio programs had frequent promotions that usually involved a box top from one of their advertiser\u2019s products. If you sent in a box top and some money you could get a toy like a glow in the dark arrow head. I won\u2019t go into any details for the story lines or characters in these programs. Follow the links for details. Some of these programs were recorded and the episodes are still available today. Listening to some of these episodes would be a good lesson in the American culture of the 1940s and 1950s.<\/p>\n

Radio fantasies, dude ranches, and reality TV<\/h2>\n

The extent and depth of wild west themes in American culture of the 40s and 50s is impossible to over estimate. One of the references I reviewed estimated the number of Dude Ranches in Tucson Arizona in 1950 at 100 plus. Tucson still had Dude Ranches, currently called Guest Ranches, as of 2017, but nowhere near 100. The current resorts frequently offer golf, high end accommodations and food as well as the simulated working ranch reality experience.<\/p>\n

The very popular Spin and Marty Disney TV series contained many elements of the Bobby Benson story lines. The protagonists were children that had partially assumed adult responsibilities. The 50s radio afternoons programs required a heavy dose of imagination to relate to the operation of the ranch, the interaction of the characters, and the challenges for Bobby Benson to assume the role of child owner of the ranch. A sparse script and some simple sound effects dimly lit the story so that a child’s imagination could paint the scenes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before TV, children’s fantasies played out on 50s radio afternoon programs. The themes mirrored the wild west films of the 30s and 40s. Advertising jingles promoted breakfast cereals via proof of purchase to order toys such as glow in the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[23,27],"class_list":["post-269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-history-connections","tag-childrens-habitats","tag-no-tv"],"yoast_head":"\nRadio afternoons with box tops and action heroes in 1950 - Small Town Culture in the 50s<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Before TV children's fantasies played on afternoon radio programs. Themes mirrored cowboy films of the 30s and 40s. 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