[Milsurplus] Somewhat OT: Arthur Godfrey, Navy radio, and old time radio

[Hubert Miller]

I was whipping up a post for the 'Northwest Vintage Radio Society' of Portland, Oregon,
talking about some old - time radio program, and i happened to recall hearing the Arthur
Godfrey show just once in the 1950s, when i was a child. We lived without television until
i was 11 years old, even tho televison ownership was growing, but my parents never 
listened to any of the classic old time radio shows ever. Strictly a meat and vegetables 
healthy diet, i mean news and music. OH one exception: "The Road to Panmunjom", 
which appeared on AFRS radio in the mornings, and they left on.  ( I have never been able
to find the source or any more on that drama program about U.S. prisoners in North Korea. ) 


I knew Godfrey had been well known also as a radio ham. Just FMI i looked up his Wiki entry. 
>From there it was to Julius La Rosa, a singer on Godfrey's show who had come to Godfrey's 
attention while La Rosa was still employed as a Navy aviation radioman. Wiki explains: 

"Godfrey did not react well to receiving a formal notification that La Rosa had hired [ talent agent ] Rockwell. After consulting with CBS president Frank Stanton, Godfrey went before the TV cameras for Arthur Godfrey Time on the morning of October 19, 1953. After the televised portion of the program went off the air, the broadcast continued on the radio network. La Rosa sang "Manhattan" - and Godfrey fired him on the air, announcing that La Rosa had become "his own star" and "that was Julie's swan song with us." La Rosa did not return to the microphone."

Apparently Godfrey's paternalistic and dictatorial manner damaged his reputation with  the public and contributed a lot to loss of popularity and end of the television part of his broadcast. 
Not a great big deal, but i like to know more of the 'rest of the story'.
-Hue Miller