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KBVS Radio at Oswald’s in DCA

Posted 2/8/25

You may remember hearing from the Disney Parks Blog back in summer 2012 about a special "skit" that would be audible from a radio high above the cash register at Oswald's, the shop located at the start of Buena Vista Street fashioned into an old gas station.

Over the years, I and others have worked to record the sounds floating down from high above. As it turns out, the radio loop is a whole 1 hour and 40 minutes, and is a real treat to hear.

The segments featured are as follows:

  • The Teddy Morton Show, playing music heard at college campuses across the nation!
  • Campus Humor Time with Will Simpson, Ham Chesterton, and Grace Whaley
  • Advertisements for the Hunt and Peckington Portable Typewriter; the Kitchen Care Corporation of America Vacuum Cleaner; Elias & Company; Los Feliz Five & Dime
  • The Adventures of Hank and Wally: The Treasure of Sparrow Lake
  • FF&P Classical Music Hour with Montgomery Morgan
  • KBVS News with Norman Sinclair
  • Scary Symphonies - The Flower Street Players with the Anthony Fremont Orchestra

D23 Panel

These videos are from the same panel on the radio show and window sounds (that I have not heard myself) on BVS. They feature the complete Scary Symphony skit performed live alongside a panel discussion with the performers!

D23 Expo: Broadcast from Buena Vista Street Panel Discussion - YouTube

Broadcast from Buena Vista Street - D23 Expo 2013 - YouTube

Musical track sources

These are my best guesses for the sources of the various musical tracks featured in the radio show.

---- Teddy Morton Show ----

https://www.discogs.com/release/13088167-Various-Charleston-The-Definitive-Albumhttps://www.discogs.com/release/11349142-Various-The-Charleston-Era-The-Definitive-Album-25-Vintage-Recordings-1925-1930 Charleston - Paul Whiteman Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue - Art Landey & His Orchestra If You Knew Susie - Eddie Cantor Ain't She Sweet - Gene Austin Don't Bring Lulu - Nathan Glantz & His Orchestra

Yes Sir! That's My Baby - Lee Morse [unsure of source]

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream - Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians [unsure of source]

Betty Co-Ed - Rudy Vallee - Hits Of 1930 (Happy Days Are Here Again!) https://www.discogs.com/release/10211265-Various-Hits-Of-1930-Happy-Days-Are-Here-Again

Ain't We Got Fun - Van & Schenk https://www.discogs.com/release/12172844-Various-Aint-We-Got-Fun-Music-From-The-Roaring-20s

Baby Face - Whispering Jack Smith, Arthur Johnston https://www.discogs.com/release/1647841-Whispering-Jack-Smith-Me-And-My-Shadow

---- FF&P Classical Music Hour ----

Sorcerer's Apprentice (Paul Dukas) - Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra - Fantasia OST (1940)

An American in Paris - Victor Symphony Orchestra / Nathaniel Shilkret / George Gershwin ---- Scary Symphonies ----

5 Military Marches, Op. 39, "Pomp and Circumstance": 1 in D Major - Symphony Orchestra - Elgar Conducts Elgar (1914 - 1925) **

The Skeleton Dance - Disney's 75 Years of Music and Memories (Disc 1; 1928 -1961)

I've also posted a compilation of these (with proper speed etc.) on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/iEikAJyQyOg?si=GLQYAMKpfokOsMwC

Fun facts

  • Montgomery Morgan, the introducer to the FF&P Classical Music Hour, attributes the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" track to its composer Paul Dukas. This version is performed by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra and is taken directly from the Fantasia soundtrack (1940).
  • Montgomery Morgan introduces the "live orchestral selection" as Rhapsody in Blue as played by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, featuring George Gershwin (its composer) on piano. He even speaks at length about it for about 2.5 minutes. Ironically, the piece that is actually played during the broadcast is An American in Paris. This selection is performed by the Victor Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nathaniel Shillkret with George Gershwin. Maybe an imagineer had a bit of a mixup with some tracks? Given that Morgan is supposedly interacting with Paul Whiteman during this live introduction, this feels like an awkward mixup, to say the least.
  • The selection of Pomp and Circumstance during the is actually performed by Edward Elgar and his Symphony. It is billed in the show as being performed by Anthony Fremont and his Orchestra, a subtle nod to the bygone Tower of Terror attraction.

Timestamps

These timestamps aren't for a specific recording (i.e. I'm not posting a recording at present) but this is the general run down of events throughout the radio show:

Start           Name
00:00:000000    (partial) [Teddy Morton Show] Ain't We Got Fun - Van & Schenk
00:00:44.215    [Teddy Morton Show] Teddy Morton - Intro to Campus Humor Time
00:01:07.485    [Teddy Morton Show] Campus Humor Time - Will Simpson, Ham Chesterton, Grace Whaley
00:02:07.904    [Teddy Morton Show] Teddy Morton
00:02:29.372    [Teddy Morton Show]  Betty Co-Ed - Rudy Vallée And His Connecticut Yankees
00:05:56.699    [Teddy Morton Show]  Teddy Morton
00:06:12.248    [Teddy Morton Show] I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream - Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians
00:08:39.254    [Teddy Morton Show] Teddy Morton
00:08:57.417    [Teddy Morton Show] Baby Face - Whispering Jack Smith, Arthur Johnston
00:12:01.236    [Teddy Morton Show] Teddy Morton
00:12:22.139    [Teddy Morton Show] Minnie's Yoo Hoo! - Walt Disney & Carl Stalling - Disney's 75 Years of Music and Memories (Disc 2; 1961-1972)
00:14:22.648    [Teddy Morton Show] Teddy Morton
00:14:52.795    [Teddy Morton Show] Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue - Art Landry & His Orchestra
00:18:25.409    [KBVS Announcer] Advertisement: Hunt and Peckington Portable Typewriter
00:20:35.076    [The Adventures of Hank and Wally] Introduction
00:21:09.922    [The Adventures of Hank and Wally] The Treasure of Sparrow Lake
00:28:40.227    [KBVS Announcer] Advertisement: Kitchen Care Corporation of America Appliances
00:31:20.951    [FF&P Classical Music Hour] Montgomery Morgan
00:32:33.530    [FF&P Classical Music Hour] Sorcerer's Apprentice (Paul Dukas) - Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra - Fantasia OST (1940)
00:41:50.845    [KBVS Announcer] Advertisement: Tru-Tone Radio Corporation
00:42:54.834    [FF&P Classical Music Hour] Montgomery Morgan - Intro to Rhapsody in Blue
00:45:22.609    [FF&P Classical Music Hour] An American in Paris
01:01:39.549    [FF&P Classical Music Hour] Farewell
01:02:24.816    [KBVS Announcer] Advertisement: Kitchen Care Corporation of America Vacuum Cleaner
01:03:40.522    [KBVS News] Norman Sinclair
01:07:49.724    [KBVS Announcer] Advertisement: Five and Dime
01:08:57.321    [KBVS Announcer] Transition to Scary Symphonies
01:09:12.501    [Scary Symphonies] The Flower Street Players with the Anthony Fremont Orchestra
01:09:33.524    [Scary Symphonies] 5 Military Marches, Op. 39, "Pomp and Circumstance": 1 in D Major - Symphony Orchestra - Elgar Conducts Elgar (1914 - 1925)
01:11:14.918    [Scary Symphonies] The Flower Street Players
01:11:48.217    [Scary Symphonies] 5 Military Marches, Op. 39, "Pomp and Circumstance": 1 in D Major - Symphony Orchestra - Elgar Conducts Elgar (1914 - 1925)
01:13:16.954    [Scary Symphonies] The Flower Street Players
01:21:34.562    [KBVS Announcer] Advertisement: Elias & Co
01:22:47.567    [KBVS Announcer] Introduction to the Teddy Morton Show
01:22:56.578    [Teddy Morton Show] Welcome
01:23:25.046    [Teddy Morton Show] Charleston - Paul Whiteman
01:26:08.917    [Teddy Morton Show] Transition
01:26:23.009    [Teddy Morton Show] If You Knew Susie - Eddie Cantor
01:29:12.742    [Teddy Morton Show] Transition
01:29:35.295    [Teddy Morton Show] Yes Sir! That's My Baby - Lee Morse
01:32:25.081    [Teddy Morton Show] Transition
01:32:34.356    [Teddy Morton Show] Ain't She Sweet - Gene Austin
01:35:09.778    [Teddy Morton Show] Transition
01:35:27.952    [Teddy Morton Show] Don't Bring Lulu - Nathan Glantz & His Orchestra
01:38:05.607    [Teddy Morton Show] Transition
01:38:25.628    [Teddy Morton Show] Ain't We Got Fun - Van & Schenk

I'm working on a transcript of the complete radio show, which I hope to post soon!