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These lists are incomplete!
And some of the information maybe inaccurate!
Most of these programs were broadcast live over 50 years ago. Some survived because they were transcribed for use on the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). Some were transcribed to be broadcast on the West coast (and then destroyed).
Many people have spent many years gathering this information. Sources include: John Ridgway, Charles Granata, Ric Ross, Bernhard Vogel, and Rick Apt. I've added my own research to this pile; then tried to distill it down into a manageable, easy-to-use format.
Only Sinatra's performances are indicated
Often, the guests on his shows (or stars on their own shows) performed their own songs. To keep the lists manageable, I've only included what Sinatra sang.
Some of the programs included comedy sketches - these are not usually listed.
For Sinatra as Guest Star, dramatic and non-signing roles are included
Rocky Fortune, Sinatra's detective show is not included here. See FAQ, Section B3 for details on that series.
I have included references to historically important events that took place on some programs (such as the show that aired on D-Day).
Title of program, followed by:
Network - sponsor
Orchestra conductor
Co-star and vocal group
Announcer
Opening & Closing Themes
Broadcast day (& time, EST)
For each scheduled broadcast date, guest stars and song titles are listed (where known). Many dates do not have any information. Hopefully, this information will be added at a later date.
95% of the programs listed actually aired!
We know when the shows started and ended, what day of the week they were broadcast on, and how long the shows ran.
Well, for most of them! Some of the early shows, like Broadway Bandbox, are a little vague as to the actual dates, as the show changed broadcast days during their run.
Some shows may have been preempted due to war news or other events.
The programs broadcast by the AFRS present significant challenges.
Some of the AFRS programs were transcribed from regular, network, commercially-sponsored shows. They had the commercials edited out, and sometimes whole sections replaced with parts from other shows! Some of the dates for the "As A Guest" section might be the AFRS date and not the original program date.
Some of the AFRS programs were actually recorded specifically by the AFRS for broadcast at a later date, or for overseas use only. This makes pinpointing the recording and/or broadcast date extrememly difficult.
For an interesting look at the history of these military programs, please visit Steven Lewis' Bing Crosby Internet Museum, Armed Forces Radio Services (AFRS) section. It (obviously) primarily lists Bing's material, but does give a more complete history of the whole process. Unfortunately, the links to the Dept of Defense pages appear to be broken.
No dress rehearsal material is included.
Most of Sinatra's shows went thru a dress rehearsal where they would try new things out. Some of these events were recorded for use by the military to be used in the V-Disc series. Since they were not broadcast, I have chosen not to include them in these listing.
Broadcasts with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey are not included.
I hope to be able to add this section at a later date.
This portion of Sinatra's career will never be completed.
For example - Sinatra sang many times on the great New York radio station WNEW during the late 1930s. Nobody (that I know of) kept a list of when and what he sang - this information is lost in time.
And some of the data for the individual series is lost forever - although we keep searching!
A big thanks to Ric Ross for his special help in verifying information and contributions!
