Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

This unassuming book is one our most interesting new acquisitions. It is the guest register from WWJ Radio in the 1930s and’40s, and it is filled with the signatures of famous actors, entertainers, musicians, athletes, writers, and politicians who visited the studio for interviews and performances. Californian Buster Crabbe visited in the winter of 1932 as he was training for the summer Olympics that year in which he would win a gold medal in swimming. Little did listening audiences know that the following year Crabbe would break into Hollywood as an actor, playing Tarzan, Flash Gordon, Billy the Kid, and Buck Rogers in a long career. Other celebrities represented include Gene Autry, Jackie Cooper, Dorothy Gish, Sonja Henie, Cab Calloway, Fibber McGee and Molly, Johnny Weissmuller, Sinclair Lewis, and Boris Karloff. Although the legibility is not always perfect, see who you can pick out from these sample pages.

1939-1940

 

1933