RUSC MAILING
Two Handpicked Shows +
a Playlist to Make Mother’s Day Shine.
Written by Ned Norris
Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 10, and I’ve queued up two contrasting listens on RUSC that show just how wide the old dial could swing—comfort for anxious times, and a chuckle when you need it most.
- From the pulpit mic (1939): Father Charles Coughlin’s Mother’s Day address, “The Mother’s Challenge to Warmongers.” It’s a sober, skillfully built appeal for peace, delivered in that formal, measured oratory you only get from 1930s radio. Coughlin was a prominent—and increasingly polarizing—voice by ’39, and this broadcast captures how the medium spoke directly to families worried about sons of draft age and memories of the Great War. It’s moving, thoughtful, and a telling snapshot of the era.
- A lighter companion (1937): The Jack Benny Program’s Mother’s Day show from the Jell-O years—Don Wilson at the sponsor mic, Mary Livingstone’s pitch-perfect zingers, Phil Harris’s breezy swagger, and Kenny Baker in fine voice. Gifts gone sideways, a little vanity pricked by Mary’s asides, and that unmistakable warmth under the wit. Still plays like a hug. [Listen: Jack Benny Mother’s Day 1937]
If you’d like to keep spinning, I’ve gathered a whole playlist of Mother’s Day shows— comedies, family dramas, and musical hours to set the mood.
I hope these selections add a touch of reflection and a few welcome laughs to your day. Enjoy—and do share your favorites with the RUSC community.
Happy listening,
RUSC Old Time Radio
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