Archival Dispatch: 31 Master Broadcasts Dated Across Treasury Song Parade, Sons of the Pioneers, Big Jon & Sparkie, and BBC Christmas Specials
Date:
Author: radio index
Reading: 5 min
Tags: Treasury Song Parade, Frank Sinatra, Georgia Gibbs, Sons of the Pioneers, Bob Nolan, Big Jon and Sparkie, BBC Christmas, Sue Perkins, Original Filenames
Batch 38 Forensic Discoveries
Batch 38 resolves 31 wartime music, western harmony, juvenile serial drama, and holiday anthology radio master recordings: 8 War Bond musical broadcasts from the Treasury Song Parade (featuring Frank Sinatra, Georgia Gibbs, Bea Wain, Morton Downey, and Ramona), 8 syndicated western harmony transcription recordings from the Sons of the Pioneers (1947–1950, featuring Bob Nolan and Ken Carson), 8 daily children's serial chapters from Jon Arthur's Big Jon and Sparkie (1950–1951), and 7 festive holiday radio specials from Christmas Broadcasts (featuring BBC Radio's Sue Perkins, The Harpoon, and classic Russian winter fairy tales).
1. Treasury Song Parade — 1942–1943 War Bond All-Star Discs
Produced by the US Treasury Department War Finance Division:
| Original Circulating Filename | Canonical Title | Verified Airdate | All-Star Vocalist |
|---|---|---|---|
Treasury_Sinatra_Kiss_Me_Again.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Frank Sinatra ('Kiss Me Again')" | 1943-05-18 | Frank Sinatra sings Victor Herbert with the Treasury Orchestra. |
Treasury_Parker_Just_As_Though.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Frank Parker ('Just as Though You Were Here')" | 1942-10-22 | Frank Parker's romantic wartime ballad broadcast. |
Treasury_Bea_Wain_Chicken_Neck.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Bea Wain ('I Get the Neck of the Chicken')" | 1942-12-08 | Hit parade songstress Bea Wain performs novelty swing number. |
Treasury_Bea_Wain_Buckle_Down.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Bea Wain ('Buckle Down, Buck Private')" | 1943-02-16 | Bea Wain sings the soldier marching anthem for the War Bond drive. |
Treasury_Ramona_Baby_Wont_You.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Ramona ('Baby Won't You Please Come Home')" | 1943-04-27 | Ramona and her grand piano sing jazz blues standard. |
Treasury_Virginia_OBrien_Cant_Give.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Virginia O'Brien ('I Can't Give You Anything But Love')" | 1943-07-20 | Deadpan film comedienne Virginia O'Brien's unique vocal styling. |
Treasury_Georgia_Gibbs_Happiness.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Georgia Gibbs ('Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe')" | 1943-08-03 | Georgia Gibbs sings Harold Arlen's soulful theatrical ballad. |
Treasury_Morton_Downey_Carolina.mp3 |
"Treasury Song Parade: Morton Downey ('Carolina Moon')" | 1943-03-09 | Irish-American tenor Morton Downey's million-selling signature song. |
2. Sons of the Pioneers — 1947–1950 Western Harmony Discs
Standard Radio & Teleways 16-inch transcription discs:
| Original Circulating Filename | Canonical Title | Verified Airdate | Western Vocal Harmony |
|---|---|---|---|
Pioneers_Smokey_Moon.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'Smokey Moon' (Featuring Ken Carson & Bob Nolan)" | 1948-03-24 | Bob Nolan leads the vocal trio with Ken Carson's tenor lead. |
Pioneers_Round_Up_In_Sky.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'Round-Up in the Sky'" | 1948-06-16 | Signature cowboy campfire spiritual harmony. |
Pioneers_Aint_Heard_Nothin.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'You Ain't Heard Nothin' Till You Hear Him Roar'" | 1949-01-19 | Novelty western swing track highlighting canyon sound effects. |
Pioneers_Echoes_From_Hills.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'Echoes from the Hills'" | 1947-09-17 | Classic acoustic guitar and fiddle arrangement. |
Pioneers_Cowboy_Camp_Meetin.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'Cowboy Camp Meetin''" | 1948-11-10 | High-energy western gospel revival harmony. |
Pioneers_Climbin_Golden_Stairs.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'Climbin' Up the Golden Stairs'" | 1949-04-20 | Traditional folk spiritual recorded for transcription syndication. |
Pioneers_West_In_My_Soul.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'The West Is in My Soul'" | 1950-08-09 | Poetic prairie ballad composed by Bob Nolan. |
Pioneers_Harvest_Moon.mp3 |
"Sons of the Pioneers: 'Shine On, Harvest Moon'" | 1949-09-14 | Barbershop-influenced western vocal harmonizing on the 1908 standard. |
3. Big Jon and Sparkie — 1950–1951 Children's Daily Serials
Created and voiced by Jon Arthur over the ABC Radio Network:
| Original Circulating Filename | Canonical Title | Verified Airdate | Cincinnati Childhood Adventure |
|---|---|---|---|
Big_Jon_Mayors_Wedding.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: An Interruption in the Mayor's Wedding" | 1951-06-12 | Mayor Plumpfront's society wedding gets thoroughly disrupted. |
Big_Jon_Pane_Window.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: The Pane in Mrs. Twohill's Window" | 1951-06-13 | Sparkie nervously awaits circus tickets from Cincinnati friends. |
Big_Jon_Mysterious_Man_Shack.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: A Mysterious Man in the Shack" | 1951-06-14 | Springtime investigation into the abandoned creek shack. |
Big_Jon_Detectives_Mistakes.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: Even Detectives Make Mistakes" | 1951-06-15 | Amateur sleuthing leads to hilarious neighborhood misunderstandings. |
Big_Jon_King_Kong_No_School.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: King Kong on Saturday's 'No School Today'" | 1951-06-16 | Two-hour Saturday morning extravaganza with stories and songs. |
Big_Jon_Over_Falls_Airplane.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: Over the Falls in an Airplane" | 1950-10-02 | Thrilling aerial rescue serial adventure. |
Big_Jon_Little_Dogs_Gone.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: Where Oh Where Have Our Little Dogs Gone" | 1951-06-19 | Neighborhood puppy search around the old windmill. |
Big_Jon_Detective_Agency.mp3 |
"Big Jon and Sparkie: Sparkie's Private Detective Agency" | 1951-06-20 | Sparkie opens up his very own backyard detective agency. |
4. Christmas Broadcasts — 1988–2008 BBC Festive Specials
Holiday specials broadcast over BBC Radio 4 and BBC Scotland:
| Original Circulating Filename | Canonical Title | Verified Airdate | BBC Holiday Special |
|---|---|---|---|
Christmas_Sue_Perkins.mp3 |
"Sue Perkins' Christmas Comedy Stocking (BBC Radio 4)" | 2008-12-25 | Sue Perkins hosts Christmas morning British comedy variety. |
Christmas_Fool_Of_World.mp3 |
"Old Peter's Russian Tales: Fool of the World (BBC Radio)" | 1988-12-26 | Arthur Ransome's Boxing Day Russian folklore dramatization. |
Christmas_Harpoon_Special.mp3 |
"The Harpoon: Series 1 Christmas Special (BBC Radio 4)" | 1991-12-24 | Julian Dutton and Peter Baynham period radio satire. |
Christmas_Nutcracker_Mouseykins.mp3 |
"The Nutcracker and the Mouse King: Mouseykins Revenge (BBC Radio 4)" | 2001-12-24 | E.T.A. Hoffmann festive fairytale serial adaptation. |
Christmas_Tallents_Ghost.mp3 |
"Red Room Ghost Stories for Christmas: Mr. Tallent's Ghost (BBC Scotland)" | 2004-12-24 | Mary Webb's traditional chilling Christmas Eve ghost story. |
Christmas_Prince_Ivan_Grey_Wolf.mp3 |
"Old Peter's Russian Tales: Prince Ivan and the Grey Wolf (BBC Radio)" | 1989-12-25 | Winter fairy tale with traditional folk instruments. |
Christmas_Highland_Spectre.mp3 |
"Ghost Stories at Christmas: The Highland Spectre (BBC Radio)" | 2005-12-24 | Scottish winter highlands ghost mystery. |