The Musical Rag Bag, WSM Radio, May 1935 - c. 1936.
Host. Majorie Arnold
The Hook (what makes this show interesting): A college student with no prior experience in radio stars in a hit kids show from of America's greatest radio stations. All that may exist today is a well staged press photo.
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OCR (optical character recognition) the software that allows a computer to read text isn't perfect. It could not read the text in the charming photograph seen below of a young children's hostess for WSM Nashville radio. It was only by randomly perusing for children's programs in the "Radio Stars Junior" section of Radio Stars magazine that I found the image.
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| Page from Radio Stars, October 1935, with Majorie Arnold at the piano. |
Majorie Arnold, (b. 1914) was a daughter of Vanderbilt University's law school dean and a student of Northwestern University's School of Speech and the Chicago Conservatory. While a senior at Vanderbilt, she was a star on some of WSM programs, including "The Musical Rag Bag" where she sang songs, recited poems and told stories embellished with sound effects and music.
Billboard described the series as a rising "hit" on WSM's hands. From that May 1935 Billboard review and accounts in the Nashville Tennessean paper, the program was appealing to children and adults alike after just 2 weeks on the air. The photo of Arnold at the piano surrounded by dolls stuffed animals and a house with the name "Ruffles", makes one wonder if she had recurring characters who she told stories about, or assistance from other voice actors. This same image was used in the Tennessean.
Broadcasting a successful children's program from WSM was a big deal. Known as "The Aircastle of the South" WSM was and still is home to the "Grand Ole Opry". Its radio frequency range was powerful then and now so it is natural that the "Rag Bag" series was seen (or heard) in the same company as "Let's Pretend" and "The Singing Lady" in Radio Stars magazine. More research is needed, but one can also ask if this was the first children's program from WSM.
While at the station Marjorie Arnold met her husband Col. Edward M. Kirby (1906-1974) who was at the time an insurance sales executive and director for public relations at WSM. The Kirby's had a lasting legacy in radio. They relocated to Washington D.C. when Ed Kirby became director of public relations for the National Association of Broadcasters. It is assumed that "The Musical Rag Bag" ended prior to their move by the end of 1937.
Among his many, many accomplishments, Col. Kirby was a Peabody award winning producer of Command Performance, Hymns For The Home, GI Jive, and The Army Show. The Kirbys later returned to Nashville where they established station WMAK (currently WNQM) in 1948. WMAK stood for Majorie Arnold Kirby
Marjorie Arnold Kirby passed away in Nashville in 2006 at the age of 92. It is hoped that scripts, scrapbooks, or even a single transcription disc may still exist of "The Musical Rag Bag".
NOTES:
Untitled Section. page 10. (1935, May 26). Nashville Tennessean
"Station Notes" Billboard, May 25, 1935.
Obituary: Majorie A. Kirby, Crawford Funeral Home, 2006 - https://www.crawfordservices.com/obituary/57871
