Tuesday, September 29, 2015

300929 - The Hill Trail




Advertisement from the Spokane Spokesman-Review, September 29, 1930

On Monday night, September 29, 1930, Empire Builders came on the air from NBC’s Studio D in Chicago, near the top of the 18-story Merchandise Mart (that’s not counting the building’s tower section, which rises to 25 stories). Regrettably, I have neither a recording of this broadcast nor a continuity. However, since this broadcast introduced a cast and crew that was almost totally retooled compared to the earlier New York production, I will use this occasion to introduce most of those new players.


As Empire Builders returned to the air for their final season on radio, the GN issued another (and possibly final) flyer advertising the programs and their content over about a 6-week span. I have not come across any later flyers for the radio programs, so this may be the last one they published. Here is the write-up for the September 29 broadcast:

(L-R): Harvey Hays is welcomed to Chicago
 by Don Bernard, Bernardine Flynn,
 and Don Ameche.
Dirt begins to fly on the Great Northern’s extension into California! Central Oregon is rejoicing! The first shovelful of dirt has been scooped and the Old Timer tells a story of central Oregon before the coming of the Iron Horse – a romance of the Old West in which cattle rustlers, courageous homesteaders, James J. Hill and the coming of the railway play a part. Klamath Falls and Bend, two fast growing little cities on the Great Northern’s new route to San Francisco, are locales for “The Hill Trail,” the name of this story. It was written especially for Empire Builders and is an entertaining combination of fact and fiction.



This same little flyer also provided some background about the practical advantages to relocating production of the series to Chicago:

Empire Builders this year will be broadcast from Chicago – from the largest and most modern broadcasting studios in the world, which, incidentally, are located in the world’s largest building, the Merchandise Mart. The facilities of this broadcasting plant, together with the closer supervision made possible through the moving of the programs to Chicago, will enable us, it is believed, to offer our radio friends an even better half hour of entertainment each week. Also it seems particularly fitting to originate a program such as Empire Builders at the threshold of the country with which these programs deal, and from the city which is the eastern terminus of the Great Northern’s luxurious transcontinental trains – the Empire Builder and the Oriental Limited.

With the relocation of the Empire Builders broadcasts to Chicago, wholesale changes took place among many of the various contributors to the production. Allow me to introduce some of them to you.





Bernard Schweitzer, a.k.a. Don Bernard - Program Director, Empire Builders. Author's collection.

Don Bernard, program director  (1902-1958)

NBC’s production manager in Chicago was Don Bernard. He was assigned to personally direct the Empire Builders productions for the new season. Born Bernard Schweitzer on August 19, 1902, in Delaware, Ohio, he entered Ohio Wesleyan in the fall of 1918, majoring in Music. Bernard sang and played violin, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1922. He also attended the Bush Conservatory of Music in Chicago, acting on his childhood ambition of becoming a professional singer. He became a tenor soloist and performed in theater and on radio station KYW, but was lured away from theater by the burgeoning world of broadcasting. One of his stage appearances led to his adapting the professional name of Don Bernard. He was in a Chicago production of “The Bad Man,” a story set near the border with Mexico. Schweitzer played one of the Mexican characters, but the play’s producer complained that his name didn’t fit the role, and started calling him “Don Bernard.” He liked it, and the name stuck.

Bernard started his radio career in earnest by filling a variety of roles at a small radio station in Ohio (WAIU in Columbus), but soon became associated with NBC. In fact, Don Bernard was recruited to join NBC by John Elwood in the earliest days of the new radio corporation, reporting to NBC in New York in the fall of 1926. Bernard was assigned in 1927 to oversee development of NBC’s new broadcasting studios at the Merchandise Mart.





Josef Koestner, Musical Director, Empire Builders. Author's collection.

Josef Koestner, musical director  (1901-1990)


Koestner became Musical Director of
the Union Pacific Railroad's radio
series "Your America" in January, 1944.
This was said to be the first weekly radio program
put on the air by a railroad since Great Northern's
Empire Builders.                     Author's collection.
It was in the Bavarian town of Willersdorf that Josef Koestner was born and raised, and was said to have begun his musical education at the age of four, continuing his studies with some of the finest masters of Europe. He coached at the Leipzig Opera House for two years, after which he came to America (in the early 20’s) to accompany a noted opera singer named Claire Dux. An article in the Great Northern Goat magazine (January, 1931) stated that Koestner had:
… a thorough knowledge of modern American dance music. He has served as conductor in many of the leading theaters of the country, where he was called upon to interpret all types of music and also has done some recording for sound pictures. He is also known as a concert pianist of unusual ability and as a composer of classical compositions.









Fred G. Ibbett, sound effects engineer (1893-1956)   -- sorry, I do not have a photo of Fred Ibbett at this time

With a radio career that began in his native England with the BBC, Ibbett went on to have a lengthy and successful career in radio in the United States. Although his tenure with Empire Builders was specifically in the arena of sound effects, his later work in radio branched out into opportunities to direct radio productions. One such production, with which Ibbett was associated not long after Empire Builders went off the air, was a very popular radio series called “Fu Manchu.” Ibbett served as director of this weekly series from the fall of 1932 to the spring of 1933. In the small world of radio performers of that day, the leading actor (playing the part of evil Dr. Fu Manchu) was John C. Daly, who also performed on Empire Builders in supporting roles. Joining Ibbett and Daly on Fu Manchu was Empire Builders veteran Bob White, who performed as Dr. James Petrie. White’s wife, Betty – also a featured performer on Empire Builders – is said to have had a few uncredited appearances on Fu Manchu.

 
Lucille Husting, ingĂ©nue of Empire Builders in the show's final season. 
Author's collection.

Lucille Husting, actress  (1898-1972)

Max and Anna Husting of Fargo, North Dakota, were married in 1896. They had an only child, Lucille, born in 1898. Lucille’s father Max (1868-1950) was in the newspaper business, and was the third son of Jean Pierre and Marie Juneau Husting. Lucille’s great-grandfather (her grandmother’s father) was Solomon Juneau, a French trader who is credited with founding the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Lucille became interested in acting while still just a school girl in Fargo. She progressed to acting opportunities in Minneapolis and by the mid-1920s was performing on Broadway in New York City. As I’ve written previously, Lucille Husting actually crossed paths in New York with both Virginia Gardiner and Harvey Hays. This probably had some influence in her relocation to Chicago and addition to the Empire Builders troupe of players. While still in New York, however, Husting appeared on the Collier’s Hour radio program. Husting and Bernardine Flynn alternately took on leading or supporting female roles on Empire Builders during the final ten months of its run.

 
Bernardine Flynn, featured actress on Empire Builders.

Bernardine Flynn, actress  (1904-1977)

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, and a native of the college town of Madison, Bernardine Flynn left her home state soon after graduating and was off to the proverbial “bright lights of Broadway.” This talented actress did indeed find initial success in New York, but with the Great Depression waging havoc on the economy, she found herself to be a mighty small fish in a very large pond. Acting opportunities were exceptionally hard to come by, with many veteran actors and actresses out of work. Someone suggested opportunities in radio, and so she went back west and tried her luck in Chicago. It was the summer of 1930, and the McJunkin Advertising Agency had put out an open call for auditions for the upcoming season of Empire Builders. Flynn was selected in favor of dozens of other talented prospects. The attractive young actress was also endowed with a pleasant singing voice, which certainly enhanced her versatility over the airwaves. After her run with Empire Builders, Bernardine Flynn found radio stardom in her role as Sade Gook on “Vic and Sade.” But one of her other, less-heralded legacies to the world of popular entertainment came in the form of a suggestion. It was at the urging of Bernardine Flynn that a friend and fellow actor from her days at the University of Wisconsin likewise left his acting struggles in New York behind, and followed her lead by coming back to Chicago to audition for Empire Builders. Her old college chum was Don Ameche.

 
Don Ameche, whose career took off when he gained notoriety
on the Great Northern Railway's Empire Builders radio series.
Author's collection.

Don Ameche, actor  (1908-1993)

Born Dominic Felix Amici in 1908, Ameche went to college in the mid-1920s to study law. He caught the acting bug, however, and poured his energies into developing his skills as a thespian. Much like his friend Bernardine Flynn, Ameche travelled to New York City, filled with grand hopes of breaking into the acting business. Also like Flynn, Ameche found initial success, performing in “Jerry For Short” and in vaudeville with Texas Guinan.  But times in the Big Apple were hard. Ameche scraped by for much of the time by appealing to an old professor in Madison, who obliged with occasional letters of encouragement, sometimes accompanied by a five dollar bill. There were times, Ameche later related, when he survived on a single can of beans a day. But Bernardine Flynn knew of Ameche’s struggles, and she encouraged him to come back to Chicago and try his hand at radio. He won out against a large pool of other hopefuls, and on September 29, 1930, Don Ameche’s voice went out over the air for the first time, on Empire Builders. His later career was arguably the most successful and longest-lasting of any of the Empire Builders alumni. His radio endeavors included a featured role on First Nighter. He also starred on Rin-Tin-Tin and the Chase and Sanborn Hour. In Hollywood, Ameche appeared on film beginning in 1935. One of his most impactful roles was that of Alexander Graham Bell. For decades after this film role, the word “ameche” was used as a synonym for telephone (as in “you’re wanted on the ameche”). He remained a Hollywood fixture throughout the 1940s and 1950s, although his stardom receded somewhat in the 1960s and 1970s. Then, at a time when many Hollywood veterans seem to disappear from the public’s collective consciousness, Ameche enjoyed a professional resurgence when he was cast in 1983 alongside fellow acting veteran Ralph Bellamy in Trading Places. Ameche was once again in demand, starring with several other aging Hollywood icons in Cocoon (for which he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor). Ameche succumbed to prostate cancer and passed away in 1993.

Bob White, in costume with Lucille Husting for a press photo.
Author's collection

Bob White, actor  (1903-1984) – dates not confirmed

Robert Grubb (“Bob”) White, Jr., was born in Pennsylvania. He was first exposed to acting in his school days. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, White joined a Chautauqua performing company (tent show circuit) in the early 1920s. He left the circuit and joined a stock company, then went on to perform in stage productions, including “Three Wise Fools,” “Companionate Marriage,” and “Journey’s End.”

White met his future bride, Betty Reynolds, while they were both performing in "Three Wise Fools." After knowing each other for only a month and a half, the two were married on stage one evening, between rehearsal and the main performance. Bob and Betty each took parts in various theatrical performances over the next six months, but reunited on the Redpath Chautauqua circuit in Chicago when they both appeared in "Shepherd of the Hills." White had off-and-on theatrical roles in Evanston. Betty went back to her hometown of Grinnell, Iowa, to give birth to their first son, Robert White, III. This was New Year's Eve, 1928. Bob White was performing in "Companionate Marriage" in Evanston, when he was announced from stage as a new father.

White continued to bounce around from one acting role to another, going back and forth between the Chicago area and Michigan. In the summer of 1930, Bob and Betty White landed jobs as cast members of Empire Builders - all the while continuing to perform in various other theatrical plays and radio performances. Their ties to Empire Builders were not exclusive.

After Empire Builders went off the air in June, 1931, Bob White continued working in radio for many years. He was Dr. Petrie on “Fu Manchu,” and he teamed up with Don Ameche on “Milligan and Mulligan.” He served as director on “The Adventures of Dick Tracy.”


Petite Betty Reynolds White, Empire Builders actress who specialized in children's voices.
Author's collection.

Betty White, actress  (1904-1988)

Born Elizabeth Myrtle Reynolds in Grinnell, Iowa, Betty was the third eldest of four sisters whose parents both died when their girls were young. Betty’s mother died in 1911, and her father passed away in 1918. After their father’s death, Betty’s oldest sister Odessa (nicknamed “Dessa”) looked after her younger siblings as the de facto head of household. With the kindly assistance of Dr. Evan Evans and his wife, who lived nearby, Dessa helped raise her sisters as best she and the girls could collectively manage. Betty Reynolds left home after high school, and attended Grinnell College. She became a school teacher for a couple of years. Ironically, Betty Reynolds went to Chicago largely to see a young Ralph Bellamy on stage. She had an enormous crush on Bellamy. It would have been interesting to know her reaction to seeing her old pal Don Ameche acting alongside Bellamy decades later in Trading Places.

Bob and Betty White counted Don Ameche and his wife Honore (“Nora”) among their closest friends. In fact, Betty White served as Matron of Honor when the Ameches were married on November 26, 1932.

A petite 4 feet, 11 inches tall, Betty White specialized in portraying the voices of children. There were times in commercial radio, even in those early years, when youngsters did appear on radio (some gaining significant notoriety). Even on Empire Builders, there was at least one occasion when a young boy took a significant role on air. But Betty White’s talents were utilized several times to portray a young girl or boy.

In the Empire Builders program of November 24, 1930, Betty White played the part of a little girl. When listeners wrote in to the Great Northern asking about the remarkable work of the young girl, the railroad responded by saying it was Betty White who was heard on the air, although “she has a daughter old enough to fill the part visually that she took vocally.” This comment is utter misinformation, pure puffery, or possibly an intriguing mystery.

Bob and Betty White had three sons, two of whom I’ve interviewed. The oldest of the three boys, Robert G. White, III, was born in 1928.  Their second son, Bradley Reynolds White, was born on March 30, 1931 – right in the midst of the last season of Empire Builders. The youngest brother, Evan, described his mother as a real dynamo, saying he was not in the least surprised that his energetic mother would have continued working while pregnant, and returned to work shortly after the birth of her son. Both Robert and Evan insist they never had a sister – at least not one they ever knew about.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------

So…. This odd reference to a heretofore unknown daughter of Bob and Betty White notwithstanding (who to the best of my ability to track down to this point, simply does not and never did exist), let’s get something straight here. Elizabeth Myrtle Reynolds, later known as Betty Reynolds White, was an actress on Empire Builders for multiple broadcasts between September, 1930, and June, 1931. The woman known to many Americans as Sue Ann Nivens on the Mary Tyler Moore Show; Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls; and Elka Ostrovsky on Hot in Cleveland – the woman named Betty Marion White, who was born January 17, 1922, near Chicago but moved with her parents to California when she was only 2 years old – THAT Betty White NEVER appeared on Empire Builders. Ever. That’s my story, and I stand by it. Unless of course someone comes along with documented proof to the contrary. I’m not holding my breath.

 
Obed "Dad" Pickard serenades Harvey Hays (the Old Timer) and his hound dog, January.
Author's collection.

Obed “Dad” Pickard, musician/singer  (1874-1954)

Obediah Pickard was the patriarch of an exceptionally talented family who made music together for their own entertainment and relaxation. Dad was a travelling salesman. One day in the mid-1920s, one of his daughters accidently killed his son Charlie. Dad was out on the road somewhere, so with no other means of contacting him, an urgent call went out for him on the radio to return home at once.  George Hay was the man who made the radio announcement to get Dad back home. Hay and Pickard became friends, and eventually Hay invited Dad and his musical family to appear on a radio program out of Nashville called the WSM Barn Dance. By 1928, this radio program was known as the Grand Ole Opry. The musical Pickard Family later travelled to Chicago to perform on National Barn Dance, on WLS. Known as the “one-man band,” Dad Pickard was performing with virtually every conceivable instrument – except the clarinet. He didn’t like the sound of it. He also earned a reputation for being talented on the Jews Harp and the harmonica. During the last Empire Builders show of Season 2, Pickard wowed the audience with his rendition of a locomotive – on the “mouth organ.” He performed “Little Red Caboose Behind the Train” during the Empire Builders special on June 10, 1929, during which the new Empire Builder train was introduced to the country.   In his lengthy tenure in the entertainment business, Dad Pickard also appeared on film. In 1940, he played “Rocky” in the western “Frontier Vengence” and then himself (along with the entire “Pickard Family” ensemble) in “Tickled Pinky.”

Marcus "Marc" Williams, the Cowboy Crooner.

Marc Williams, musician/singer  (1903-1974)

Born Marcus Dumont Williams, the “Cowboy Crooner” made his first appearance on radio with Empire Builders in March, 1931, on the Charlie Russell episode. Oddly, it seems an interest in the law was a common theme among eventual performers on Empire Builders. Not unlike Bob MacGimsey and Don Ameche, Marc Williams initially set out to study law - in his case, at the University of Texas. As a young man he also worked as a cowboy in his native Texas, before turning up on Dallas radio station KRLD in the late 1920s. Williams recorded a number of records from 1928 to 1930 for Brunswick and later Decca records. After several years of professional performances, Williams returned to his interest in the law. He attended Wayne State University in Detroit and then went into the law practice. Williams appeared on several Monday night broadcasts of Empire Builders, and accompanied Harvey Hays (the Old Timer) in escorting a special tour of Empire Builders enthusiasts through Glacier National Park in July, 1931.

 
Ted Pearson, NBC Announcer for Empire Builders.

Ted Pearson, announcer  (1902-1961)

Ted Pearson served as announcer for Empire Builders for the final 39 broadcasts of the series. He typically provided the opening and closing credits, which sometimes included some light banter with the Old Timer. After Empire Builders, Pearson appeared on The Adventures of the Thin Man and Cavalcade of America. Pearson later appeared in several Hollywood movies. In the 1930’s, he took roles in “Dick Tracy’s G-Men” (1939), “You’re Only Young Once” (1937), and “Test Pilot” (1938). Late in his career he played a Colonel in the sci-fi classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951).



 Until next time, keep those dials tuned to Empire Builders!



Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The third and final season of Empire Builders


Summer has transitioned to Fall, and much like the cast and crew of the Empire Builders radio production team, I’m coming off my summer hiatus and returning to an effort of weekly blogging on this topic. It was another busy and satisfying summer for me, which included an overdue study trip to the acme of all things Great Northern – St. Paul and the Minnesota Historical Society. MHS has the most extensive collection anywhere of business documentation of the Great Northern Railway. I spent the better part of a ten-day trip to the Twin Cities at MHS. I returned home with 4,500 digital copies (photos) of documents, the majority of which have some sort of connection to the Empire Builders story. Much of this material relates to aspects of the first two seasons of the radio program, and is therefore a bit late to the party with regard to the serial nature of my blog posts. On the other hand, I also located a good deal of new material pertaining to the third and final season, much of which will come in handy as I write about the series over the next several months.
NBC's original New York office building and broadcast studios at 711 5th Avenue. The first two seasons of Empire Builders were aired from this location.


As I’ve written about in earlier blog posts, the Empire Builders radio series was only on the air for three seasons: January to June, 1929; September, 1929, to June, 1930; and September, 1930, to June, 1931. This blog post kicks off the beginning of the end, with respect to memorializing all 103 of the Monday evening broadcasts on the occasion of each one’s 85th anniversary: the third and final season of Empire Builders. I’ll try to share insights about existing recordings of episodes, significant changes to the cast and crew, the location of the broadcasts, broadcast content, and what is known about the eventual demise of the series. I will also report on an Empire Builders promotional tour of Glacier National Park that occurred in July, 1931 – after the series had come to an end.

Most people who have any interest in this topic are keen to know which broadcasts were recorded, and more to the point, which ones are still available to be enjoyed today. The opening and dedication of the Great Northern Railway’s Cascade Tunnel was recorded, and is available from one or two sources on the internet. This was the one-hour broadcast of January 12, 1929. That broadcast ushered in the 103 regular Monday evening programs which comprised the Empire Builders radio series. Of those 103 Monday shows, only 9 are available on the internet. But it turns out the railroad had several more broadcasts recorded – all of them in the final season of the program.

By accessing accounting records of the Great Northern Railway, which are part of a massive collection of GN records at the Minnesota Historical Society, I’ve assembled the following list of dates on which the programs were arranged to be recorded (see below).

 



DATE of

broadcast

Title or [Topic]

Broadcast number

11/10/1930

Armistice Day Reunion

301110

11/24/1930

Bellingham or Broadway

301124

12/8/1930

The Marriage Tree

301208

12/15/1930

A Montana Christmas

301215

12/22/1930

Attar of Roses

301222

12/29/1930

New Year's Story

301229

1/5/1931

Prosperity Baby

310105

1/12/1931

A Long Distance Call

310112

1/19/1931

Nan o' the Northwest

310119

1/26/1931

La Mariposa

310126

2/2/1931

James J Hill - Background of Empire

310202

2/9/1931

Chief Black Hawk

310209

2/16/1931

Glacier Park Dance Hall

310216

2/23/1931

[James J. Hill]

310223

3/2/1931

Nine Spot

310302

3/9/1931

Indian Names

310309

3/16/1931

[Irish story]

310316

3/23/1931

Charles Russell

310323

3/30/1931

Mountain of Dreams (unconfirmed)

310330

4/6/1931

Shoes of Eloquence

310406

4/13/1931

Mushy of Hell's Gate Mine

310413

4/20/1931

Scenes of Montana Campfires

310420

4/27/1931

[Canadian Rebellion]

310427

5/4/1931

Legend of the Wild Rose

310504

5/11/1931

Missing

310511

5/18/1931

The Billion Dollar Baby

310518

5/25/1931

On Time Hank

310525

6/1/1931

The Belled Bridge

310601

6/8/1931

Room 20

310608

6/15/1931

The Silk Special

310615

6/22/1931

The Seal of the Great Spirit

310622

 
The dates listed in the table above represent the dates that the GN appears to have paid to have the live broadcast recorded. These were probably meant only as sound checks, a simple form of quality control. There was never any intention to rebroadcast these presentations, and the quality of the existing copies of these recordings makes it clear they would not have been suitable for such use.

Some of the broadcasts remain available to listen to, but to my knowledge they exist only on 3rd or 4th generation re-recordings. The McJunkin Advertising Agency in Chicago was paid to have the live broadcasts picked up over the air at the local NBC affiliate and record them on aluminum transcription discs. Most of those discs seem to have survived to a point in time when they were accessed by someone who then recorded them onto reel-to-reel tapes, and/or cassette tapes. Of those recordings, a number of them have been digitized, and a select few are accessible on the internet in MP3 or WAV format. Their quality is a mixed bag – some are quite good, others contain a lot of clicks, hissing, and volume drops. They are, however, among the earliest existing recordings of any American commercial radio serial, and as such, are true historical treasures.

The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, site of NBC's new broadcast studios beginning in 1930, and home to Empire Builders for its final season on the air.


The broadcast of September 29, 1930, was the first of the Empire Builders series to be broadcast out of the new NBC studios at Chicago’s massive Merchandise Mart, the largest building in the world when it opened for business that year. With the move from New York to Chicago, significant changes occurred in the cast and crew of Empire Builders. Two of the most crucial people in the life of the series remained: the GN’s Harold Sims, and the Old Timer (actor Harvey Hays). Some of the men with NBC and the McJunkin Advertising Agency were unchanged, including writers Edward Hale Bierstadt and W.O. Cooper. Many other names familiar to followers of Empire Builders parted ways with the show. These included: band leader Andy Sannella; actress Virginia Gardiner; sound effects engineer Harry Edison; announcer John S. Young, and harmony whistler Bob MacGimsey.

A number of radio performers new to Empire Builders shared top billing (or had recurring supporting roles) when the program resumed production in Chicago. The new band leader was Josef Koestner, a Bavarian by birth who made a name for himself conducting for operas, but in the U.S. found opportunities leading ensembles performing popular music for dances and theatrical productions (including motion pictures). The crew of sound effects technicians was led by Fred Ibbett, a Brit who had some radio experience with the BBC, but now found himself in the U.S. The new studio director was Don Bernard, and Ted Pearson took on the announcer role in place of John S. Young. Obed “Dad” Pickard appeared on the June 10, 1929, broadcast inaugurating the new Empire Builder train. During the third and final season of Empire Builders, Dad Pickard made several appearances on the broadcasts at the Chicago studio. Another musician who was featured heavily during the final season was Marc Williams, the “Cowboy Crooner.” Williams was also a featured host of the “Old Timer’s Tour” of Glacier National Park that was conducted in July, 1931, after the series had come to an end.
Publicity photo taken at the Chicago NBC studios. Seated: Director Don Bernard. Standing (L-R): Obed "Dad" Pickard, Harvey Hays (the "Old Timer"), Don Ameche, Bernardine Flynn, unknown man, unknown woman, Bob White, unknown man.


Several new radio actors also joined Empire Builders for the final season. I plan to provide additional insights into some of these folks in the coming weeks, but here is a brief list of them: Lucille Husting, Bernardine Flynn, Don Ameche, and the married couple of Bob and Betty White (no, not that Betty White…. more on her later).

Another feature unique to the third season of Empire Builders was the utilization of several radio stories submitted by winners of the GN’s continuity contests. I’ll do my best in future postings to document which stories those were and who wrote them.

Largely because the radio program was relocated to NBC’s new Chicago studios, the GN departed from their initial strategy and put a great deal of money and effort into promoting the series. This was a true “paradigm shift” for the railroad. Up to this point, the railroad incurred only minimal expense advertising the Empire Builders radio series. As I’ve stated in prior blog posts, the radio show was itself an advertising program of the railroad. They saw little point in advertising their advertising, to put it simply. But during this season of the program, the Great Northern Railway did record 31 of that season’s 39 broadcasts. I have digital copies of several. They also paid a company called “Theatrical Chicago” to produce a large number of publicity photos for them – many of which I have collected over the years. The result of all this is that I will have noticeably more material to work with for this final series of broadcasts, so my blog posts going down the home stretch promise to be a bit more engaging (I hope).