The Great Gildersleeve was a radio situation comedy broadcast from 1941 to 1957. The series was built around the character of Throckmorton Gildersleeve, small town water commissioner and his family. One of the co-stars was Lillian Randolph, an African-American actress and singer. Randolph appeared in hundreds of radio shows, getting her start on WTAM in Cleveland, Ohio. She appeared in many films, and television shows. Randolph's most notable movie appearances was in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Magic (1978), and The Onion Field (1979). Randolph was a prominent voice in nineteen Tom and Jerry cartoons. She performed on the Bill Cosby Show, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and Roots. You'll hear Lillian Randolph as Birdie the maid on NBC radio's the Great Gildersleeve in 1946, 1948, and 1950.

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Ken Robinson hosts a show about getting minorities involved in the banking and financial industries. (WJMO-AM Cleveland, 1982)

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On this edition we take a look at African-American professional boxer Jersey Joe Walcott, who is regarded among the best heavyweights in the world during the 1940s and 1950s, winning the title at the age of 37. Walcott was born in 1914, and was only 15 years old when his father died. He quit school and worked in a soup factory to support his mother and 11 younger brothers and sisters, and then began training as a boxer. His first bout was in 1930. His last fight was in 1953, when he was knocked out by Rocky Marciano in the first round. After retiring from boxing, Walcott did some acting, playing small parts in a few movies and television shows. In 1956, Walcott performed the role of George the Trainer, in the Humphrey Bogart boxing drama The Harder They Fall.

Walcott also refereed several boxing matches, including the second fight between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston. From 1971 to 1974, Walcott was the elected Sheriff of Camden County, New Jersey, the first African-American to hold the position. From 1975 to 1984, Walcott was the chairman of the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. You're going to hear Jersey Joe Walcott take on boxing legend Joe Louis in a 1948 rematch on ABC radio. It's one of the earliest bouts broadcast on closed circuit television.

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