LEGENDS OF RADIO Sports Classics

This collection of radio broadcasts from the 1940s and early 1950s is a disappointment, at least for sports fans. To begin with, many of the programs have only a tenuous relationship to sports, such as a Fibber McGee and Molly comedy routine about bowling. The ones that do promise a chance to hear from great athletes--including interviews with Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Jesse Owens--turn out to be just a couple of minutes of scripted fluff, punctuated by advertisements for shaving cream. The production quality is excellent, and the accompanying booklet adds helpful context, but the collection has little for sports aficionados and will appeal only to fans of wartime radio. D.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]