Google Podcasts
Podbean
Stitcher
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.
Subscribe and listen
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
Tuesday June 16, 2026
Episode 500: A 500th Episode Lookback!
It’s episode 500, and if you will forgive a self-aggrandizing episode, we think we’ve earned a show where we talk about The Good Old Days Of Radio Show for almost three hours. You may not want to hear this, but we’re going back beyond the podcast, to the show’s early beginnings on early ’90s local radio, and even get to hear what John Tefteller sounded like back then. Then in the second half of the podcast, we are joined by the President of SPERDVAC Corey Harker and old time radio legends John and Larry Gassman, for a lively round table conversation about radio preservation. If you want a deeper appreciation for the programs you hear on this show, and what goes into it, (we think) this is a great episode you should listen to!
Recent Episodes
Thursday June 11, 2026
Episode 499: The Hunter From Beyond
Today, we dig into a rare Inner Sanctum Mystery broadcast, with a very early 1941 episode starring Myron McCormick. According to most sources, only a fragment of this broadcast survived, but we have a transcription disc containing the entire story, making this a real treat for fans of early radio horror. The story takes us to a remote Arctic mountain shrouded in legend, where a group of climbers sets out to find a missing explorer. Local stories speak of a cursed peak and an ancient frost god, but as the expedition pushes higher into the ice and snow, secrets from an earlier expedition begin to surface, along with a man willing to do anything to keep the truth buried.
Tuesday June 9, 2026
Episode #498: The Jack Benny Show
This week, we’re spending some time with Jack Benny and the gang in a March 1947 episode of The Jack Benny Program, as Jack gets ready for a vaudeville tour that will take him to Chicago and New York. Jack’s sophisticated neighbor Ronald Colman is his guest on this show, and is forced to ride in his famously worn-out car. John shares a little background on the show’s writing team and the feud between Jack Benny and Fred Allen.
Thursday June 4, 2026
Episode 497: Inner Sanctum Mystery
This week, we’ve got a rare find: Inner Sanctum Mystery with the long-lost 1944 episode “The Dream,” with an appearance by Orson Welles, of all people, as star on the show, at a time where Welles had reached the peak of his celebrity status. Host John Tefteller shares the story behind the recording, made by engineer Rudy Van Gelder. The story follows Judge Robert Branscolm, a respected man troubled by a vivid, violent dream, one where he murders a stranger with a silver-handled cane. Disturbing enough… until he finds himself presiding over a case involving that exact crime. A true rediscovery, and a great moment for vintage radio fans and historians alike.
What Listeners Say
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.