1954: The End of the Line for “The Railroad Hour”

June 21, 1954

NBC Radio presented the final broadcast of The Railroad Hour. This program, which had been on the air for 16 years, was sponsored by the American Association of Railroads (AAR). The program had a music-and-drama format, and Jeannette MacDonald (1903-1965) and Adolphe Menjou (1893-1963) were among the performers who graced those broadcasts. The Railroad Hour also featured the works of songwriting legends such as Irving Berlin (1888-1989), Noel Coward (1899-1973), and Cole Porter (1891-1964).

While the program’s episodes did not necessarily focus on railroads, the audience was never allowed to forget which mode of transportation served as the sponsor. Each episode opened with a locomotive whistle; a rendition of the popular folk song I’ve Been Working on the Railroad; and an invitation to board “our summer show train!” The narration further stated that the program was “brought to you by the American railroads. The same railroads that bring you most of the clothes you wear, the food you eat, the fuel you burn and all the other things you use in your daily life.”

The host for The Railroad Hour, which was originally aired on ABC radio until 1948, was singer and actor Gordon MacRae (1921-1986). He is best known today for his starring roles in the screen versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals Oklahoma! and Carousel. His daughter, Meredith MacRae (1944-2000), coincidentally enough, starred at one point in a railroad-oriented TV series called Petticoat Junction.

Image Credit: Public Domain

For more information on The Railroad Hour, please check out https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Railroad_Hour_Singles and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Railroad_Hour