Old-Time Radio Reimagined
Vox Pop
89 episodes · 1939–1948 · CBS, ABC, NBC · Variety & Music
Parks Johnson and Jerry Belcher started Vox Pop in 1932 on KTRH in Houston by taking portable microphones into the street to ask people about the presidential race. It grew into a traveling show of interviews, quizzes and human interest that visited 41 states and six foreign countries before it ended in 1948, on NBC, CBS and ABC, with Johnson joined over the years by Wally Butterworth, Neil O'Malley and Warren Hull. Many of the broadcasts here come from wartime camps, bases and war plants.
Sources: Wikipedia: Vox Pop (radio); RadioGOLDINdex
Episodes
Tap a year to see its episodes, then a title to play it on Radio Days.
19393 episodes
- New York World's Fair, New York
From the RCA building lobby at the New York World's Fair: Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth ask visitors how many towns Pennsylvania has. The first guest puffs a Vox Pop pipe. - RCA Exhibit, Guest Arthur Webber
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth quiz the crowd at the RCA Exhibit, New York World's Fair. The opening question asks for a state capital starting with M. - Largest Telephone Building, New York
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth visit the phone company's giant New York building and ask how many calls Americans make each day. Wally talks with Pedro, the World's Fair voice machine.
19405 episodes
- Paramount Sound Stage of Seventeen, Hollywood, California
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth broadcast from a sound stage at Paramount in Hollywood, with Jackie Cooper. - McLean Operating Room, Roosevelt Hospital, New York
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth take the microphone into an operating room at New York City's Roosevelt Hospital. - Movie Set of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth visit a Hollywood film crew working in Charlottesville, Virginia, with Fred MacMurray, Sterling Hayden and Marie Wilson. - Buster Crabbe, New York World's Fair
At the World's Fair Aquacade, Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth talk with swimmers Buster Crabbe and Eleanor Holm and ask how deep anyone has gone under the sea. - Mystery Location: Burns Detective Agency Conclave
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth visit headquarters of the William J. Burns International Detective Agency and quiz its president, Raymond Burns.
194111 episodes
- Brooklyn Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals, Hotel Bossert, Brooklyn
- Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis
Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson take the show to the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis. - Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson visit Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. - USS Prairie State, New York
Aboard the U.S.S. Prairie State, home of the Naval Reserve midshipmen's school, Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson talk with future officers. - University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson visit the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. - Maxwell Field, Alabama
From a hangar at Maxwell Field near Montgomery, Alabama, Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson talk with Army flyers. A WABC note afterward says the station is going to 50,000 watts. - U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson visit midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. - Pheasant Hunt Capital, Winner, South Dakota
Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson join pheasant hunters in Winner, South Dakota. - New York Military Academy, Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York
Wally Butterworth and Parks Johnson visit cadets at the New York Military Academy in Cornwall-on-Hudson. - Notre Dame University, South Bend, Indiana
At Notre Dame, Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth talk with students and players from the unbeaten football team; coach Frank Leahy joins from Detroit, and the Glee Club sings the Victory March. - Air Raid Warden Defense Meeting, New York
Three weeks after Pearl Harbor, Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth talk with New York City air raid wardens and Red Cross volunteers.
194219 episodes
- U.S. Marines, Quantico, Virginia (1942)
From the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth salute the Marines who defended Wake Island. - Army Air Corps Cadets, Randolph Field, Texas
Parks Johnson visits flying cadets at Randolph Field, Texas, where one cadet wins a telephone call with Loretta Young. - Columbia Studios, Hollywood, California
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth visit Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, with Joan Bennett, Franchot Tone, Claire Trevor, Jane Withers and Jack Holt. - Vultee Aircraft Plant, Downey, California
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth talk with workers at the Vultee Aircraft plant in Downey, California. - Saints and Sinners Club, New York City
At an initiation of New York's Circus Saints and Sinners, Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth meet founder Darius Benham, Harold Hoffman, Fred Waring, Ole Olsen and Larry MacPhail, and are made members themselves. - Armored Forces School, Fort Knox, Kentucky
Parks Johnson and Wally Butterworth talk with tank corps soldiers at Fort Knox, Kentucky, including sharpshooter Joe Benner; Morris Harris of the Ink Spots sings with fellow soldiers. - Seaman's Church Institute, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with Merchant Marine sailors at the Seaman's Church Institute in New York City. - West Point Academy, West Point, New York
On Army Day, Parks Johnson talks with cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; the West Point Glee Club sings. - The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina (1942)
Parks Johnson and co-host Neil O'Malley visit The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. - Little Norway, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
In Toronto, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull, in his first show as co-host, talk with Norwegian Air Force pilots training in exile at Little Norway. - All-Star Baseball Interviews, Cleveland, Ohio
On the eve of an all-service baseball game in Cleveland, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with ballplayers now in uniform, including Bob Feller, Mickey Cochrane and Hank Gowdy, plus boxer Gene Tunney. - Naval Gun Crews, Brooklyn, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with the Navy gun crews posted on merchant ships, at their station in Brooklyn. - Keesler Field, Biloxi, Mississippi
At Keesler Field, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with aircraft mechanic students; former NBC Symphony violinist David Saxon plays, and one student is married during the broadcast. - Navy Yard, Mare Island, California
Warren Hull and Carole Landis, filling in for Parks Johnson, visit the Mare Island Navy Yard in California. - Bell Airacobra, Niagara Falls, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Bell Aircraft plant at Niagara Falls; the show opens with an airplane engine in place of its usual train. - Army Medical Corps, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania (Missing First 10 Minutes)
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Army Medical Corps at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. A planned pickup of Robert Trout from Europe never comes through. - Marine Corps Birthday, New River, North Carolina
On the Marines' 167th birthday, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the New River base; one new recruit, Bill Johnson, turns out to be Parks Johnson's own son. - Seaforth Highlanders, Vancouver, Canada
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Seaforth Highlanders regiment in Vancouver. - Pearl Harbor Day, Alameda, California
A year after Pearl Harbor, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with sailors at Alameda Naval Air Station; from KGMB Honolulu, Webley Edwards recalls broadcasting during the attack.
194318 episodes
- Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, Long Island, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. - Netherlands Fighter Pilots, Jackson, Mississippi
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Army air base at Jackson, Mississippi. - Admiral Farragut Academy, Pine Beach, New Jersey
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Admiral Farragut Academy at Pine Beach, New Jersey. - Royal Navy, Unknown Location (No Opening)
Aboard H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth at Norfolk, Virginia, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with British sailors. - Tank Destroyer Command, Camp Hood, Texas (First Half Only)
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Tank Destroyer Command at Camp Hood, Texas. Only the first fifteen minutes survive. - U.S. Marines, Quantico, Virginia (1943)
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Marines at Quantico, Virginia. - Alaskan Military Highway, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit Army engineers in Edmonton, Alberta, near where the Alaska Military Highway begins. - Pacific Huts, Seattle, Washington
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit a Seattle war plant building prefabricated Pacific Huts for Alaska and the Pacific, with company president Frank Hobbs. - Raising Money for Servicemen in Natick
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull join a bond drive in Natick, Massachusetts, where the town is saving money for every returning veteran; auctioneer Jim Hall takes part. - Naval Training Station, Sampson, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Naval Training Station at Sampson, New York. - RAF Transport Command, Dorval, Quebec
Warren Hull and Parks Johnson visit the Royal Air Force Transport Command at Dorval, Quebec. - Sailors of the Royal Navy, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull open the show's twelfth year at the Royal Canadian Navy base in Halifax, Nova Scotia. - Penn State
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with Penn State students on a campus turned to war work, and the school receives a live lion cub as its mascot. - Coast Guard Manhattan Beach Training Center, Brooklyn, New York
At the Manhattan Beach Coast Guard station, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull hear combat veterans describe the fighting; a recruit wins model Chili Williams as his pin-up girl. - USO Entertainers, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with performers just back from USO camp show tours, including Earl Wrightson and Will and Gladys Aherne. - Royal Norwegian Gunnery School, Travers Island, Pelham, New York
- Highlander Boys Foundation, Denver, Colorado
In Denver, Warren Hull and Parks Johnson talk with the Highlander Boys; one would-be ballplayer names brain surgery as his second choice. - Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit Lowry Field in Denver.
194421 episodes
- Northern Pump Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Northern Pump Company in Minneapolis, where 8,000 workers build big Navy guns. - Ben Moreell Navy Housing Reservation, Norfolk, Virginia
For Valentine's Day, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with Navy wives in Norfolk, Virginia. - Mosquito Fleet, Melville, Rhode Island (First Half Only)
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with PT boat crews at the Melville, Rhode Island training center; one prize is a cocker spaniel puppy. - Military Railway Service, Camp Claiborne, Alexandria, Louisiana
A visit to the Military Railway Service at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, starts with five minutes of piano fill when the line fails; Warren Hull later speaks from a 1902 locomotive cab. - University of Texas, Austin, Texas
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with students of the University of Texas's Latin American Institute in Austin. - Douglas Aircraft, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit a Douglas Aircraft plant in Oklahoma City. - Army Flight Nurses, Bowman Field, Louisville, Kentucky
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Army's school for flight nurses near Louisville, Kentucky. - Paper Salvage Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
At Philadelphia's Academy of Music, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with Container Corporation workers about turning scrap paper into war goods; a girl wins 50 pounds of scrapple. - U.S. Infantry Rangers, Camp Butner, Durham, North Carolina
For Infantry Day, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull salute the Army Rangers at Camp Butner, North Carolina. - Southside YMCA, St. Louis, Missouri
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Southside YMCA in St. Louis, with Joe Casino of the Y. - Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation Shipyard, Portland, Oregon
In Portland's Municipal Auditorium, Warren Hull and Jinx Falkenburg, standing in for vacationing Parks Johnson, talk with Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation workers. - Army Air Transport Command, Hamilton Field, California
- Army Amphibious Forces, Fort Ord, Monterey Bay, California
Warren Hull and Ann Rutherford, filling in for Parks Johnson, talk with officers and men of the Army's amphibious forces at Fort Ord, California. - Tuna Fishermen, San Diego, California
- Amertorp Torpedo Plant, Forest Park, Illinois
Parks Johnson and Don McNeill visit the American Can Company's torpedo plant in Forest Park, Illinois. - Naval Hospital, Great Lakes
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Naval Hospital at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois. - Army Signal Corps, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. - Army Combat Engineers at Fort Belvoir
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Army's combat engineer school at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. - Navy Chaplains at Camp Perry
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Navy's school for chaplains near Williamsburg, Virginia. - Boeing Airplane Plant, Wichita, Kansas
For the government's Women Power campaign, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit Boeing's B-29 plant in Wichita, Kansas, and talk with riveter Florence Dustine. - Army Transportation Corps, New York
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit an Army debarkation point in New York City.
194510 episodes
- The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina (1945)
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with cadets at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. - Hotels at War, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York
In a Hotels at War broadcast, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with the staff of New York's Hotel Pennsylvania. - Naval Air Station, Patuxent, Maryland
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. - Charleston, South Carolina, Point of Embarkation: USAHS Wisteria
In Charleston, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull go aboard the hospital ship Wisteria, just arrived carrying 578 wounded soldiers. - State Department, Hotel Statler, Washington, D.C.
At Washington's Hotel Statler, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull salute employees of the State Department. - Wakeman General Hospital, Columbus, Edinburg, Indiana
At Wakeman General Hospital in Indiana, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with members of the First Combat Infantry Band. - Red Cross Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
Parks Johnson and Warren Hull visit the Red Cross training school at American University in Washington. Only the first eight minutes survive. - Repatriated POWs, Lake Placid Club, New York
Ed Sullivan and Peter Donald fill in, talking with freed POWs at the Lake Placid Club; one marries his fiancee on the air, with Kate Smith and Ted Collins standing up for them. - Marine Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina
Ed Sullivan and Peter Donald, filling in for the regular hosts, visit the Marine air station at Cherry Point; a Marine hoping for the big leagues gets a call from Leo Durocher. - Armed Forces Radio Service Headquarters, Hollywood, California
At AFRS in Hollywood, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull meet Vern Carstensen, who built the first AFRS station in Europe, producer Peter Witt and Martha Wilkerson, G.I. Jill.
19471 episode
- Lighthouse Party, Montauk Point, Long Island, New York
On New Year's Eve, Warren Hull and Eddie Dunne throw a party at the Montauk Point Lighthouse for keeper Archie Jones, his family and the Coast Guard.
19481 episode
- Congressmen Richard M. Nixon and Glenn R. Davis, Chattanooga, Tennessee
At the Junior Chamber of Commerce banquet in Chattanooga honoring 1947's ten outstanding young men, Parks Johnson and Warren Hull talk with Richard Nixon, Glenn Davis, Glenn Seaborg and others.