Claire Trevor and Edward G. Robinson

Big Town is a popular radio drama series that was broadcast until
1952. Edward Robinson played Steve Wilson, the managing editor 
for Illustrated Press until 1942 when Edward J.Pawley took over for
most of the remaining episodes. Claire Trevor portrayed Lorelei
Kilbourne, a society editor and Wilson’s  sidekick. She was replaced
by Ona Munson in 1940.

Big Town was rated No-one among all of the reporter-type drama
series on radio. It was also rated in the top 15 among all radio
programs broadcast and had a listening audience rated between
10 and 20 million people. The program was later adapted to both
film and television and a comic book published by DC Comics. 

  
                                                                                                Photos: Dean Simmons

Besides promoting shows and co-starring with celebrities, Buddy Simmons 
worked as a disc jockey for KVAN in Vancouver, WA and KRDR in Gresham, 
OR where he was the program director as well. It is widely believed that 
he was the first person to play country music on the radio in the Pacific 
Northwest. He also had TV shows on three different stations, “Northwest
Jamboree” on KPTV 12, “Hoedown” on KATU channel 2, and “The Buddy 
Simmons Show” seen on KGW channel 8. 

 
Buddy behind the KRDR microphone in Gresham, Or

Willie ‘Buddy’ Simmons (February 3rd, 1926 – August 21st, 2012)

 
                                                                                                           (OSU collection)

Barney Keep posing with a box of chains in the KEX booth around the 1960s

Barney began his broadcasting career at KEX radio in 1943. He remained in the
”Keep Time” morning-drive slot for 35 years, retiring in 1979. Barney was a true professional in every sense of the word!

Barney (Byron William Keep/Jan. 9, 1917 – Feb. 19, 2000) rings the
“goodie gong” for the last time during his retirement party at the
Civic Theater in February of 1979. 

Bob Swanson (May 20, 1942 – Sept. 11, 2001)

The smooth, personable voice of Bob Swanson came to Portland’s KEX (1190 AM)
radio in 1967. He was an important part of his midday listeners daily lives until he
retired in 1994. Shoppers at Fred Meyer and Thriftway stores also heard his “voice
in the ceiling” announcing in-store messages. He also made many local commercials
and was a member of barbershop quartets. Bob left us way too at the age of 59 from
complications related to leukemia. He is still greatly missed!

Bob Swanson (left) with KEX legend Barney Keep back in the “real” 
radio days!

The long-running anthropology series Lux Radio Theatre, was broadcast
on the NBC Blue Network (1934-35); NBC (1935-54) and CBS (1954-55). At
first the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before
it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed
live before studio audiences. It became the most popular dramatic series 
on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as
the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s.

The original host was the show’s fictional producer, Douglass
Garrick (portrayed by John J. Anthony shown above). Cecil B.
DeMille (below) took over as the host on June 1, 1936, until
January 22, 1945.

           
Cecil B. DeMille