Following the First World War, the creation of early radio began, with KDKA of Pittsburgh receiving the first federal license to begin transmitting in late 1920. More stations followed, as did the formation of huge, countrywide networks. While news broadcasting was always a focus early on, it wasn’t long before entertainment programs began to dominate the schedules.
Thus, the next few decades through the 1950s became known as the “Golden Age of Radio,” a time when the vast majority of American families tuned. If you want to know more about the Old Time Radio and Early Poker Programming, let’s dive in!
Old Time Radio and Early Poker Programming : Westerns
The western was a popular genre of cinema, early television, and radio “theater,” thus we can expect to see a number of shows set in the Old West that use poker in their narratives. A reality that can be realized only in slot gacor.
The Lone Ranger radio program, which debuted in 1933 and ran for almost 3,000 episodes, helped establish the mask-wearing title character as one of the most renowned fictional heroes of the Old West, along with the following TV series and several films.
In a 1944 episode of The Lone Ranger titled “Gun Shy Gambler,” a character named Jeff Atkins is forced to defend himself against the brother of a man he killed years previously over a poker game.
Because the slaughter has permanently scared Atkins away from using a gun, he convinces his rival to battle him over cards rather than guns.
Old Time Radio and Early Poker Programming : Mysteries
Mysteries of all types, ranging from detective-based dramas to horror-filled frightfest, were also a fixture of old time radio, with poker games regularly featuring as part of their narratives.
An early version may be seen in a 1938 episode of the short-lived program Nick Harris Detective titled “Fatal Ace of Spades.” In this “real detective” episode, a murder investigation is solved by the discovery of a deck of cards missing the ace of spades, a revelation that leads detectives back to a deadly game of stud.
Meanwhile, in “The Case of the Poker Murders,” a 1946 episode of the similarly titled Nick Carter, Master Detective, an assassin known as the “Ace of Spades” leaves the playing card with each of his victims.
Suspense, which aired from 1942 until 1962, was an even scarier show. Gregory Peck portrays a hitchhiker who played “license plate poker” with a guy who offers him a ride in the 1948 episode “Hitchhike Poker.” Things stay lighthearted and harmless until the driver attempts to murder the hitchhiker.
Old Time Radio and Early Poker Programming : Comedies
It’s not strange to discover several successful radio comedies from the golden age of radio talking turns providing “poker episodes” in which the game is used to generate chuckles.
An episode of Duffy’s Tavern, a popular show that aired on multiple different networks from 1941 to 1951, is one of my favorite instances of an old radio comedy with a poker theme. The program, which was similar to an early version of the TV show Cheers, took place at a pub with a regular cast and appearances by various guest stars. The owner, Duffy, was never seen on the program, and the manager, Archie, portrayed by Ed Gardner, was always left in charge.
If you watch The Simpsons, you’ll notice that when Moe answers the phone with “Moe’s Tavern, where the elite congregate to drink,” the authors are referring to a phrase similar to the one Archie says when answering the phone at Duffy’s.
In a 1949 episode titled “Playing Poker with Charles Coburn,” the Academy Award-winning actor Coburn stops by and is sucked into a poker game. The plan is to rob him, but as you might expect, things don’t go as planned.
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