The last blank spot on the map

Source details and larger version.

I think the easiest entry point, both in terms of how simple it is to access and the content itself, is the This Day in Jack Benny podcast. It comes out weekly and covers the Benny radio catalogue from the ‘30s-‘50s and every episode is a broadcast from that day or one close to it with a brief introduction on the context of the time the show was recorded and the specific references and jokes in the episode. I believe at this point the person behind it, John Henderson, has covered the entire available Benny catalogue or something close to it.

There is a website called Radio Echoes that has recordings of dozens of different radio programs from the ‘30s-‘50s and there’s a huge variance in the archive for each one. Some have 2-3 episodes preserved, some have hundreds. The Fred Allen show archive there, for example, has 231 episodes. They’ve got the Al Jolson Show, Benny Goodman Swing School, the Bob Hope Show, and so many others, British and American. You can search by the program, the year, or special collections, and it’s possible to listen on the site or download to your phone or computer.

I’m not sure what its status is nowadays, but Archive.org also has quite a bit of early radio content in the audio sections, and some neat videos from early radio stars who went on to have TV shows or guest on them in the video section. Like Jack Benny’s 20th Anniversary Special from 1970.

I posted this on bluesky and then couldn't rest until I made it real

All the other viziers and éminence grises and evil advisors will know who got their liege on the cover. The machinations to achieve it would be cunning and meticulous.