David Parker

Dave's day job during 1948 to 1951 was as an educator at Wayne University. His "afternoon job" was as a radio actor at WXYZ on The Lone Ranger, The Green Hornet, and The Challenge of the Yukon. He got to work with Brace Beemer, Fred Foy, John Todd, Kasey Kasem, Harry Goldstein and, Dick Beals. He recalls that, "Just hand those guys a script and even their first cold reading was right on the bulls eye." Dave remembers that he always played "young, good guy" roles because director Chuck Livingstone told me I sounded "young and good." After working at WXYZ, Dave went on to earn a Ph.D to Northwestern. His 500-page, doctoral dissertation was on a topic he knew very well: The Lone Ranger. The dissertation was entitled "A Descriptive Analysis of The Lone Ranger as a Form of Popular Art." He worked in Chicago as a television director at WNBQ. While there he directed several network television shows The Eddy Arnold Show, American Inventory, Ding Dong School as well as many local shows. Later, at KPIX in, San Francisco he won several national awards, including the coveted Sylvania Award for documentary programs. Eventually he formed a film production company, which later transitioned into video production and later digital video production. Dave has created a video documentary on the Golden Days of Radio, called Remembering Radio. He captured some of the memories of the old-time performers, directors, announcers, and sound effect artists, who created those shows. ART is proud to be able to distribute it.

Dave tells us: I got to Northwestern University from Fresno State. At the time NU had a national reputation in Speech, Theatre, and Broadcasting and it was a large leap for a small town college guy. But I had the 'GI BILL' to pay for expenses and with the bravado of youth I boarded the Santa Fe Chief and chugged off to Chicago. After achieving my new Masters, I accepted an offer to teach at Wayne University in Detroit. I was there for three years teaching radio writing, production, directing, and acting. AND I WAS ON THE LONE RANGER, CHALLENGE OF THE YUKON, AND THE GREEN HORNET. Yeah!

It was at Wayne that I invited some of the professional actors to be in some of my college productions. It impressed my students mightily that I could put together some network quality shows. I loved it! Cue the announcer: "The Wayne University Broadcasting Guild presents "ENCORE PLAYHOUSE" - A second look at Radio's classic programs." Music - up to tag. We did a lot of great shows and with the conviction that I could make university teaching my life's work I dared to seek a Ph.D. (BACK AT NORTHWESTERN)

I'm not sure that I'm writing what I planned, BUT let me leap ahead past jobs at NBC TV in Chicago, KPIX in San Francisco, Stanford University, San Francisco State, and at least three film and video production companies owned by the Parkers who continued an abiding interest in old time radio no matter what we were doing. That interest brought me to start recording the memories of the old time radio personalities in 2004. And the result was Remembering Radio!