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TuneInVintage Radio For Modern Listeners.
The Good Old Days of Radio Show is a podcast that presents the period of American radio commonly known as “The Golden Age”. During this time, audiences were thrilled by comedy, mystery, suspense, and horror, produced by the some of the greatest writers, directors, composers, and famous stars of the time.
In this show we present the best of these radio shows. Each show is carefully selected by record collector John Tefteller as an outstanding example of this classic art form.
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The Story Behind The Good Old Days of Radio Show.
In 1992, John Tefteller brought the first Good Old Days Of Radio Show to the airwaves on local Southern Oregon station, KOPE-FM. For three hours every Saturday and Sunday night, thousands of listeners of all ages tuned in to hear the show, earning it ‘the highest rated radio program’ in its time slot.
Latest Episode
Thursday August 13, 2026
Episode 517: The Whistler: The Broken Chain
This week, John Tefteller and radio historian Dr. Joe Webb continue our Whistler series with a 1946 sustaining broadcast titled “The Broken Chain.” The story follows Arnold Stanton, a man convinced the only way out of his unhappy marriage is murder. After carefully staging what appears to be a tragic accident, strange encounters and unsettling clues begin to make him question everything he thought he knew. John and Joe discuss the differences between the sponsored and sustaining versions of The Whistler, explore some of the production techniques that gave the series its distinctive sound, and talk about why these classic suspense stories remain so enjoyable nearly eighty years later.
Recent Episodes
Tuesday August 11, 2026
Episode 516: The Horn Blows At Midnight Part 1
This week, we’re starting something we have meant to do for awhile: The Horn Blows At Midnight radio broadcast on The Ford Theater (starring Jack Benny and Claude Rains). It is an entertaining program by itself, but what makes this so special is the incredible build up on The Jack Benny Program that went for weeks prior to the broadcast, and was one of Jack’s most hilariously written self-parodies. We’re starting with The Jack Benny Show right before the running gag kicked off, broadcast on January 30, 1949. This episode finds Jack settling into his new home at CBS following his much-publicized move from NBC, and includes another running gag that has announcer Don Wilson locked in Benny’s den.
Thursday August 6, 2026
Episode 515: The Whistler: Death Sees Double
This week, John Tefteller and radio historian Dr. Joe Webb continue our Whistler series with a terrific 1944 episode titled “Death Sees Double.” At the center of the story are identical twin sisters whose lives are torn apart by jealousy. One of them is determined to take over the other’s life, including the man she loves, but things don’t unfold quite the way she planned. John and Joe spotlight the incredible double performance of Lurene Tuttle, playing both sisters. They also talk about the talent of Golden Age radio performers, who often delivered complex, polished performances with very little rehearsal.
Tuesday August 4, 2026
Episode 514: Henry Morgan
This week we have something unusual; two rare Henry Morgan broadcasts from the early days of World War II, both preserved from original transcription discs and unheard by collectors for decades. The first program aired on Christmas Day 1941, just weeks after Pearl Harbor. The broadcast is cut short for an interesting live report from Honolulu, offering a firsthand glimpse into life in Hawaii as the nation adjusted after the events of Pearl Harbor. The second show, from January 1942, finds Henry Morgan settling into the sharp satire that would later make him famous. He takes aim at everything from jukeboxes to offbeat inventors with the irreverence that became his trademark.
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Meet Your Host
John Tefteller has been collecting vintage radio programs since 1971. He is one of the foremost collectors of records and original radio transcriptions in the world.
John grew up in Southern California, and for decades he scoured flea markers, thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and private collections for records. Over the past almost 50 years of hunting, John amassed one of the largest private archives of vintage records and radio recordings.