This signed photograph has a bend and a few scratches but it is amazing that it survived. Here's some data: The “radio serials” of the 1930's were adventure soap operas for kids, and they were a mainstay of radio programming and a weekday afternoon ritual for millions of young listeners during the Great Depression and World War II. In September 1934, a program premiered in Seattle called “The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen.” The show was produced in Chicago and had premiered there a year earlier. Each week, five, 15-minute episodes were recorded to disc, and then shipped to local stations all around the country. The main character of the show was a 16-year old aviator named Jimmie Allen. He had a gal pal named Barbara, and a mentor named “Speed” Robertson. The “air adventures” revolved around flying airplanes, and getting tangled up in plot complications wherever there was a runway to be found.