The first program in John Gilliland’s 24-program series on popular music and culture in the 1940s, produced following the success of his extensive Pop Chronicles series on the 1950s and 1960s. This program introduces the first half of the 1940s, with discussion of wartime culture, celebrity participation in the war effort, and the Golden Age of Radio.

Part B of the fourth cassette of a condensed version of John Gilliland’s 1940s Big Band Chronicles, originally produced in the early 1970s. This segment emphasizes the late 1940s, with musical excerpts and commentary from performers and other music industry figures. Excerpted selections include "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Ghost Riders in the Sky," the Spike Jones Orchestra's rendition of "My Old Flame," and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye."