''Howie Wing'' is an American

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...

juvenile aviation adventure serial. It was syndicated by the

World Broadcasting System World Broadcasting System, Inc., was an American recording service for the radio industry founded in 1929 by Percy L. Deutsch (1885–1968), with key investors and creative artists (Walter) Gustave Haenschen and Milton Diamond (both of whom had wor ...

and distributed initially to stations in Canada, beginning on January 31, 1938. The

Don Lee Network The Don Lee Network, sometimes called the Don Lee Broadcasting System was an American regional network of radio stations in the old-time radio era. Origin Don Lee made a fortune as the exclusive West Coast distributor of Cadillac automobiles. He ...

began carrying it in the western United States on February 12, 1938. The program was broadcast weekdays on CBS from October 3, 1938, until June 30, 1939.

Background

Bill Moore, who created and wrote ''Howie Wing'', was one of the creators of another old-time radio aviation program, ''

The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen ''The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen'' is an American radio adventure serial broadcast from 1933 until 1937. The 15-minute syndicated program was created by writers Robert M. Burtt and Wilfred G. Moore, both of whom were from Kansas City, Missou ...

''. Moore was a pilot with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

in World War I and a

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

pilot thereafter, both of which provided a background for his writing about aviation. An article in ''Radio Guide'' magazine described the program as "an authentic saga of aviation." Moore enhanced the show's authenticity by taking the cast and sound-effects people flying to help them appreciate the atmosphere needed for the program.

Story line

Howie Wing began as a flier with the Cadet Aviation Corps. Later, Captain Harvey, who owned an airline in South America, made Wing his co-pilot. The program's plots focused on Wing's battles against corruption, especially that involving Burton York, a saboteur who operated under the cover of being an insurance agent. In light of research that showed 70 percent of the program's audience was children, the scripts avoided situations that might have been confusing for children. ''Howie Wing'' was sponsored by

Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...

Characters and cast

In addition to Wing, the program featured Captain Harvey, a veteran flier of World War I. Donna Cavendish was a stewardess who became Wing's love interest. Zero Smith was a disagreeable fellow pilot, Typhoon Tootel was the mechanic, and Burton York was the villain. Characters in ''Howie Wing'' and the actors who portrayed them are shown in the table below. The transcribed version had a different cast, which included Billie Rose, Audrey McGrath,

Bill Bouchey Willis Ben Bouchey (May 24, 1907 – September 27, 1977) was an American character actor who appeared in almost 150 films and television shows. He was born in Vernon, Michigan, but raised by his mother and stepfather in Washington state. ...

, and

Hugh Studebaker Hugh Studebaker (May 31, 1900 – May 26, 1978) was an American actor, born in Ridgeville, Indiana, who starred in old-time radio programs. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Studebaker. Early years As a student, Studebaker was the male lea ...

. Moore wrote and produced that program.

Legacy

In 1939,

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passenge ...

named a flagship ''Howie Wing'', the first time in air transportation history that a plane had been named for a radio program. The trade publication ''

Broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

'' described the designation as "a tribute of the airline to the work of Kellogg Co. in making American youngsters air-minded."

References

External links

{{Portal, Radio

Logs

Log of episodes of ''Howie Wing'' from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs

Log of episodes of ''Howie Wing'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group

Log of episodes of ''Howie Wing'' from radioGOLDINdex

Streaming

1938 radio programme debuts 1939 radio programme endings 1930s American radio programs Don Lee Network programs CBS Radio programs Aviation radio series