Powers Gouraud
1950

Here's two broadcasts made by The Ol' Night Owl, Powers Gouraud on WCAU Radio. His program was very popular and a mainstay at the station for decades.

Actor Paul Douglas before going into theater films was a staff announcer at WCAU Radio. Paul left to head for Hollywood in 1942. Eight years later, he returned to the WCAU microphones to chat with Powers Gouraud. The date is Monday evening, March 13, 1950. Douglas said that he had done the Gouraud broadcast at least a dozen times. Douglas added, "famous or not, Powers always pays me the same amount (as all others), NOTHING."

While this interview has been available on our website since 2007, we re-did the audio in April of 2013. We removed a few dozen pops and clicks, we took away almost of the distortion and altered the pitch of the recording. It seems that the original transfer was done from a reel-to-reel tape that was running off-speed. We were able to bring it back into sync. It now runs on time and at the correct pitch. It is for the first time also available in the Windows Media format.

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On Friday night, November 17, 1950, PG, Powers Gouraud spoke again with a frequent guest on his program, Sophie Tucker, the last of the red hot mamas.

From the official archives of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
Audio clips and photo originally donated by Broadcast Pioneers member Gerry Wilkinson
Used with the permission and authority of WPHT, which used to be WCAU Radio
© 2007 & 2013, Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia
All Rights Reserved

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com