The For every old-time radio performer who successfully transitioned to television in the

1950s and 1960s, there are several who didn't break out in the new medium.

One of the saddest cases of this who didn't break out in the new medium.

One of the saddest cases of this is actor Wally Mayer,

an incredibly talented and versatile radio performer

who passed away too young and just as the age of television was about to begin.

Across several great programs and always in terrific performances,

he's one of the unsung legends of the Golden Age of Radio.

Wally Mayer was born August 4, 1908 in Cincinnati, Ohio,

and he was born into show business.

His father was a vaudeville performer and Mayor fell in love with the stage at a young

age. He began working with local stock companies while he was still in high school and he was

working in local radio by his early 20s.

Mayor made the move to Hollywood in the mid 1930s,

where he began working in small roles and films,

including the first of Warner Brothers Nick Carter B movies.

Mayor voiced the Tex Avery cartoon character Screwy Squirrel in several animated shorts between

1940 and 1944, but it was on radio where he really made his

mark with appearances on suspense, the Whistler, Burns and Allen, the Adventures of

Ozzy and Harriet, and many more. and at Halliday's legendary private detective. As played by Mayor, Shane wasn't a grim hard-boiled

character. He had a sense of humor and he was easy going in his approach to crime solving. For much of his run as Shane, Mayor's co-star was Kathy

Lewis, playing Michael's Secretary and Girl Friday, Phyllis Knight. Their playful interplay

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