PODCAST · history
Breaking Walls
by James Scully
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting.
Episodes
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BW - EP129: Radio, Roswell And The Flying Saucer Craze (1947 - 1955) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 7/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. In Breaking Walls episode 129 we honor the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Roswell incident by focusing on Radio and the mid-century flying…
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BW - EP128: June 1954—The End as We Knew It [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 6/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 128 we wrap up our six month look at 1954 by ending in June with network cancellations. ——————————...
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BW - EP127: May 1954—A Portrait of The United States [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 5/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 127 we keep on with our look at 1954 by picking up in May during one of the most important months of the...
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BW - EP126: April 1954—Joseph McCarthy vs. The US Army [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 4/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 126 we continue our mini-series in April of 1954. —————————— Highlights: • Eisenhower talks fear • Lum and...
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BW - EP125: March 1954—A World In Turmoil [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 3/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 125 we continue our mini-series in March of 1954. —————————— Highlights: • Edward R. Murrow Sees It Now •...
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BW - EP124: February 1954—Benny, McCarthy, and McCarthy [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 2/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 124 we pick up our 1954 mini series in February. We’ll focus on radio programming and national news from...
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Haunted Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Walking Tour — Saturday 6/6/2026 at 6:30PM
How do we define a ghost? What makes us gravitate towards spooky stories, and not just in October? What causes these supposed paranormal things to happen? Are they trapped spirits who are unable to move on? Inter-dimensional visitors? Energetic imprints from the past history of a house? Or is it...
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BW - EP123: January 1954—Radio's Uncertain Future [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 1/1/2022. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 123 we open 2022 with a six-part mini-series on radio business and programming in 1954. We’ll begin with...
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BW - EP122: December With The Six Shooter (1953 - 1954) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 12/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 122 we spend the holidays in the old west with Jimmy Stewart, director Jack Johnstone, and The Six…
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BW - EP121: Radio and The Homecoming (1942 - 1972) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 11/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 121, we finish our Americana mini-series by coming home for November’s festivities. We’ll cheer for the...
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BW - EP120: Radio and The Harvest (1936 - 1954) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 10/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 120, we continue our Americana mini-series in autumn with a host of harvest-centered radio programing....
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BW - EP119: Radio and The Diner (1937 - 1965) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 9/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 119 we continue our Americana mini-series by bringing our appetites to the diner. We’ll hear stories from...
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BW - EP118: Radio and The Gas Station (1939 - 1982) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 8/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 118 we hit the road with part one of an Americana mini-series. We’ll gas up with some of radio’s best and...
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BW - EP117: The Outer Limit with X-Minus-One (1955 - 1958) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 7/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 117 we blast off with NBC in the fall of 1955 and spotlight its premiere science fiction series, X Minus...
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BW - EP116: The Launch of NBC’s Monitor (1955) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 6/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 116, it’s June of 1955 and network radio is in uncharted territory. TV’s encroachment has the entire...
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BW - EP115: The CBS Radio Workshop (1956 - 1957) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 5/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 115, we focus on one of the last experimental programs on the air, The CBS Radio Workshop, and the man at...
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BW - EP114: Sunday Afternoons at Fort Laramie (1956) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 4/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 114, as America moves to the suburbs in the mid-1950s, we move with them and examine a radio western…
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BW - EP113: A Week With Elliott Lewis in 1953 [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 3/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 113 it’s September of 1953 and Elliott Lewis is one of the busiest men in radio. He’s the…
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BW - EP112: Drama At NBC (1949 - 1950) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 2/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 112, we finish our five-part mini-series by examining NBC’s business and programming during the 1949-50...
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BW - EP111: NBC Answers the CBS Talent Raids (1949) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 1/1/2021. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 111 we resume our mini-series in January of 1949. CBS is now the nation’s number one network, and NBC is...
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BW - EP110: Christmas Week 1948—The CBS Talent Raids [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 12/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 110 we continue our mini-series on the 1948-49 radio season by focusing on news and programming during...
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BW - EP109: Thanksgiving 1948—The Changing Radio Landscape [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 11/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 109 we continue our mini-series on the 1948-49 radio season by focusing on news and programming from...
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BW - EP108: Halloween 1948—Dewey Vs. Truman [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 10/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 108 we go back to October 31st, 1948 and open a five-part mini series on that season’s business and...
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BW - EP107: Back to School with The Nelsons (1933 - 1954) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 9/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 107, we go back to school with the Nelson family and find out why David and Ricky joined the program, and...
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BW - EP106: Summer Vacation with Our Miss Brooks (1948 - 1954) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 8/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 106, we join Eve Arden at Madison High School and find out why we all love Our Miss Brooks. ——————————...
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BW - EP105: Sam Spade Comes to Radio (1946 - 1951) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 7/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 105 we pour shots and take dictation with The Adventures of Sam Spade. —————————— Highlights: • Bill…
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BW - EP104: Orson Welles' Radio Career From Pearl Harbor to the End of Radio’s Peak (1941—1948) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 6/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 104 we focus on Orson Welles’ radio career from Pearl Harbor through the end of radio’s peak, and pick up...
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BW - EP103: A Weekend at the Malt Shop with Fibber McGee and Molly (1955) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 5/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 103 we visit the town of Wistful Vista to spend a weekend at Walt’s Malt Shop with Fibber McGee and Molly....
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BW - EP102: The Return of Johnny Dollar (1955) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 4/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 102, we travel back to the fall of 1955 for the re-launch of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. Although the...
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BW - EP101: Frontier Gentleman and The Saga of Belle Siddons (1958) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 3/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 101, we spotlight the career of John Dehner during 1958. In February of that year, Dehner was cast in the...
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BW - EP100: The Radio Career of Lucille Ball (1938 - 1952) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 2/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 100 we focus on the radio career of Lucille Ball, arguably the most famous comedienne of the twentieth...
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BW - EP99: New Year's 1948 On The Air [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 1/1/2020. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 99 we wrap up our trilogy on the most popular season in radio history with a look at the major network...
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BW - EP98: Christmas Week 1947 with Radio's Biggest Stars [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 12/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 98 we continue our trilogy on the most popular season in radio history with a look at Christmas Week…
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BW - EP97: Thanksgiving 1947—The Most Popular Season in Radio History [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 11/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 97 we usher in the holiday season with the first of a three-part mini-series on the 1947-48 radio season....
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BW - EP96: Halloween on the Air (1943 - 1953) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 10/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 96, we laugh, scream, and cry while we join radio’s best as they celebrate Halloween on the air.…
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Thursday 8.14.2025 — The Final Part of the Orson Welles Webinar Series: Welles In Europe (1948 - 1956)
Hey everyone, James Scully here, producer and host of Breaking Walls, the docu-podcast on the history of US Network Radio Broadcasting. I wanted to let you know about a new webinar I’m doing next Thursday August 14th at 7PM eastern time. It's the final part of a 3-part mini series on Orson…
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BW - EP95: Radio And The Classroom (1939 - 1965) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 9/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls Episode 95, we go back to school with radio’s teacher’s pets, class clowns, and perhaps the most iconic “Miss” in...
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BW - EP94: Radio And The Drugstore/Malt Shop (1940 - 1955) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 8/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 94 we visit the malt shops, drug stores, and soda counters in America’s heartland and spend time with...
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BW - EP93: Radio And The New York City Subway (1941 - 1975) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 7/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 93 we ride the rails with some of the most famous stars in radio history. During radio’s golden age, there...
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Thursday 7.17.2025 — A New Webinar: Orson Welles' Career, From Boy Wonder To Trouble Maker
Hey everyone, James Scully here, producer and host of Breaking Walls, the docu-podcast on the history of US Network Radio Broadcasting. I wanted to let you know about a new webinar I’m doing this Thursday July 17th, at 7PM on Orson Welles' early career of Orson Welles through the end of 1941. If...
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BW - EP92: Radio And Coney Island (1906 - 1960) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 6/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 92 we open the summer season with a trip to Coney Island, Brooklyn. The New York city summer locale was...
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BW - EP91: The Hollywood Radio Western Renaissance (1954 - 1980) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 5/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 91, we finish the adult western trilogy with a focus on the period after television decimated radio’s...
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BW - EP90: The Hollywood People Behind Radio’s Baby Boomer Boom (1945 - 1954) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 4/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 90 and on the second part of our western trilogy, dramatic radio goes from boom to bust in a nine year...
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Monday 6.30.2025 — A New Webinar: The CBS Talent Raids, Part 2 — The Early TV Era
Hey everyone, James Scully here, producer and host of Breaking Walls, the docu-podcast on the history of US Network Radio Broadcasting. I wanted to let you know about a new webinar I’m doing on Monday June 30th, 2025 at 7PM. It’s Part 2 of the CBS Talent Raids on the early Television era. This...
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BW - EP89: The Birth of The Adult Radio Western (1929 - 1945) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 3/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 89, we explore the birth of the dramatic radio western show, specifically targeted to adult audiences.…
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BW - EP88: I Can't Stand Jack Benny—The Story Behind His 1945-46 Season [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 2/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 88, we spotlight the 1945-46 season of The Jack Benny Program. This season introduced characters like...
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BW - EP87: New Year's Day On the Air (1946 - 1956) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 1/1/2019. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 87, we spotlight some New Year’s Day radio programming from the Golden Age of radio, specifically…
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Monday 6.16.2025 — A New Webinar: The CBS Talent Raids, Part 1 — The Post-War Radio Era
Hey everyone, James Scully here. I've got a new webinar on Monday June 16th at 7PM that I'm very excited about on the story behind the CBS Talent Raids of the late 1940s and how it altered the radio landscape just as the TV era began. Here's a link for tickets and more info and if you can't make…
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BW - EP86: Home For the Holidays—December 1945 On the Air [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 12/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 86, we spotlight what was on the air over the US’ major radio networks during December of 1945.…
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BW - EP85: From Hoboken to Eternity—Frank Sinatra's Radio Career (1935 - 1955) [Rewind]
This episode was originally released on 11/1/2018. While new episodes of Breaking Walls are on hiatus I'll be going back and posting the older episodes. ____________ In Breaking Walls episode 85, we spotlight the radio career of Frank Sinatra. We’ll find out how a brash, skinny kid from Hoboken,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting.
HOSTED BY
James Scully
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Breaking Walls have?
Breaking Walls currently has 500 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Breaking Walls about?
Breaking Walls: The Podcast on the History of American Network Radio Broadcasting.
How often does Breaking Walls release new episodes?
Breaking Walls publishes regularly with 500 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Breaking Walls?
You can listen to Breaking Walls on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Breaking Walls?
Breaking Walls is created and hosted by James Scully.
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