Will Rogers

The Dodge Victory Hour, one of radio’s first variety shows, debuted on
NBC on Wednesday, January 4, 1928. The show starred Will Rogers
broadcasting from his home in Beverly Hills, Paul Whitman and his
orchestra from New York, Fred Stone in Chicago and Al Jolson who
was in New Orleans. It was a 47-station coast-to-coast program
sponsored by Dodge’s new Victory Six automobile. The show
reached an estimated audience of 35 million, the largest since
Charles Lindbergh’s return in 1927. The premiere was produced
at a cost of $67,600.

Paul Whitman

 
Al Jolson

Canadian actress Billie Mae Richards is the voice of Rudolph in the stop-
motion TV favorite.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas TV special that was produced in
stop motion animation by Rank/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network and was sponsored by General Electric and later moved to
CBS in 1972. It has been telecast every since, making it the longest running Christmas TV special, and one of only four 1960s Christmas specials still airing, the others being
A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman.

Christmas shoppers waiting for the electric streetcar in Detroit, 1949

Christmas shopping in downtown L.A. in 1940

1934 Gimbels Christmas ad 

Window shopping

The Legal drama Perry Mason had an original run from September 21, 1957 to
May 22, 1966. The title character was portrayed by Raymond Burr (above).The
show was, at one time, television’s most successful and longest-running lawyer
series.

Perry Mason has been airing syndicated repeats of the show since
1966 as part of it’s afternoon viewing schedule.