The Big Show
NBC
NBC · 1950–1952
Broadcasts
60
Cadence
Seasonal
Rated
PG
Since
1950
The run
- Network
- NBC
- Years active
- 1950–1952
- Surviving broadcasts
- 60
- Genre
- variety
In 1950, the advent of television was not only causing concern in the film industry but radio was beginning to feel the effect as well. In short, audiences were dwindling. To combat the problem, NBC spent lots of money to produce The Big Show , a 90 minute radio program which would feature famous guests performing skits, songs, and comedi
Restoration quality — measured from the surviving files
Source collection
Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Rights
Public domain — no renewed US copyright
Cataloguing
Air dates and notes from the Archive item record
The shape of the run
What survives, year by year
7 dated broadcasts across 3 years on the air, with 1 year where nothing is known to survive. Brightness is transfer quality; empty cells are months lost to time.
Episodes
Start here
Listen to the run in order
Restored broadcasts from 1950, in original transmission order.
- 1. Ep01 Fred Allen, Jimmy Durante · 5 Nov 1950
- 2. ep03 Eddie Cantor Mindy Carson · 19 Nov 1950
- 3. Ep06 Clifton Webb, Jimmy Durante · 10 Dec 1950
- 01
Ep01 Fred Allen, Jimmy Durante
5 Nov 1950 · 1h 28m
Originally broadcast on NBC, 5 November 1950. Restored from the Old Time Radio archives.
- 02
ep03 Eddie Cantor Mindy Carson
19 Nov 1950 · 1h 26m
Broadcast 19 November 1950. Public-domain transfer from the Old Time Radio Researchers certified set at the Internet Archive.
- 03
Ep06 Clifton Webb, Jimmy Durante
10 Dec 1950 · 1h 28m
Originally broadcast on NBC, 10 December 1950. Restored from the Old Time Radio archives.
- 04
ep08 Jimmy Durante Robert Merrill
24 Dec 1950 · 1h 27m
Broadcast 24 December 1950. Public-domain transfer from the Old Time Radio Researchers certified set at the Internet Archive.
- 05
Ep11 Louis Calhern, Jack Carter
14 Jan 1951 · 1h 25m
Originally broadcast on NBC, 14 January 1951. Restored from the Old Time Radio archives.
- 06
ep13 Ray Bolger Gary Cooper
28 Jan 1951 · 1h 26m
Broadcast 28 January 1951. Public-domain transfer from the Old Time Radio Researchers certified set at the Internet Archive.
- 07
Ep16 Fred Allen, Jack Carson
18 Feb 1951 · 1h 26m
Originally broadcast on NBC, 18 February 1951. Restored from the Old Time Radio archives.
- 08
ep18 Fred Allen Clive Brook
4 Mar 1951 · 1h 28m
Broadcast 4 March 1951. Public-domain transfer from the Old Time Radio Researchers certified set at the Internet Archive.
Also on NBC
NBC in 1950–1952
Other series the network carried while The Big Show was on the air.
Same seasons
variety on the air then
Series in the same genre whose runs overlapped this one.
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