Case Of The Lucky Shilling (Aired January 18, 1948)


Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of deductive reasoning (somewhat mistakenly so called — see inductive reasoning) and astute observation to solve difficult cases. He is arguably the most famous fictional detective ever created, and is one of the best known and most universally recognisable literary characters in any genre. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories that featured Holmes. All but four stories are narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson; two are narrated by Holmes himself, and two others are written in the third person. The first two stories, short novels, appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887 and Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890. The character grew tremendously in popularity with the beginning of the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine in 1891; further series of short stories and two serialised novels appeared almost right up to Conan Doyle's death in 1930. The stories cover a period from around 1878 up to 1903, with a final case in 1914.

THIS EPISODE:

January 18, 1948. Mutual network, WOR, New York aircheck. "The Case Of The Lucky Shilling". Sponsored by: Clipper Craft Clothes, Eastern Airlines (local). A cleverly written story about Holmes and Watson playing Whist against a card cheat, and Holmes winning with the help of his lucky shilling...and a swarm of flies. Based on an incident in, "The Empty House." John Stanley, Alfred Shirley, Cy Harrice (announcer), Arthur Conan Doyle (creator, Edith Meiser (writer), Basil Loughrane (producer, director), Hal Reid (sound effects), Don Williamson (engineer), Michael Fitzmaurice (local New York commercial spokesman), Barry Thompson, Albert Buhrman (music). 29:45.

Behind The Locked Doors (Aired November 6, 1951)


Written and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Kogan, the series began on the Mutual Broadcasting System, December 5, 1943, continuing in many different timeslots until September 16, 1952. Unlike many other shows of the era, The Mysterious Traveler was without a sponsor for its entire run. The lonely sound of a distant locomotive heralded the arrival of the malevolent narrator, portrayed by Maurice Tarplin, who introduced himself each week in the following manner. This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable -- if you can!

THIS EPISODE:

November 6, 1951. Mutual network. "Behind The Locked Door". Sustaining. A gripping story about a man lost in a pitch black cave with a strangely affectionate creature he cannot see! David Kogan (writer, producer, director), Maurice Tarplin, Robert A. Arthur (writer). 1/2 hour.

The Lady From Brazil (Aired October 19, 1949)


Jeff Regan, Investigator was one of the three detective shows Jack Webb did before Dragnet (see also Pat Novak For Hire and Johnny Modero: Pier 23). It debuted on CBS in July 1948. Webb played JEFF REGAN, a tough private eye working in a Los Angeles investigation firm run by Anthony J. Lyon. Regan introduced himself on each show "I get ten a day and expenses...they call me the Lyon's Eye." The show was fairly well-plotted, Webb's voice was great, and the supporting cast were skillful. Regan handled rough assignments from Lion, with whom he was not always on good terms. He was tough, tenacious, and had a dry sense of humor. The voice of his boss, Anthony Lion, was Wilms Herbert. The show ended in December 1948 but was resurrected in October 1949 with a new cast; Frank Graham played Regan (later Paul Dubrov was the lead) and Frank Nelson portrayed Lion. This version ran on CBS, sometimes as a West Coast regional, until August 1950. Both versions were 30 minutes, but the day and time slot changed several times. A total of 29 episodes from this series are in trading currency.

Neat Strip (Aired December 11, 1949)


The Damon Runyon Theater was a 52 show series that was syndicated across the USA beginning in early 1949. Damon Runyon was a gifted sports writer in New York City as well as being a great journalist and great short story writer. His stories were humorous ones, written in the "dem" and "dose" vernacular of the city's loveable and not so loveable characters of Broadway, the prize ring and the underworld. His most famous collection of short stories, Guys and Dolls, was on Broadway and later made into a movie. Many of his stories were filmed including Sorrowful Jones, A Pocketful of Miracles, Lady for a Day, Blue Plate Special, The Lemon Drop Kid (twice) and Little Miss Marker (four times). In addition to this The Damon Runyon Theater was syndicated for television in the mid 1950s.

THIS EPISODE:

December 11, 1949 - Program #50. Mayfair syndication. "Neat Strip". Commercials added locally. A burlesque queen falls for an ivy league type. John Brown, Damon Runyon (author), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Richard Sanville (director). 1/2 hour.

Ernie Lane Case (Aired April 18, 1953)


Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

THIS EPISODE:

April 18, 1953. CBS network. Sponsored by: *Sustaining. Myra Fuller is in love with Ernie Lane, but the cops tell her that Ernie is wanted for murder! Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Jack Kruschen, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin, Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Charlotte Lawrence, James McCallion, Bill Anders (announcer), Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Clayton Post. 30:46.

Wildcats (Aired February 27, 1981)


Nightfall is the title of a radio drama series produced and aired by CBC Radio ( Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ) from July 1980 to June 1983. While primarily a supernatural/horror series, Nightfall featured some episodes in other genres, such as science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama. One episode was even adapted from a folk song by Stan Rogers. Some of Nightfall's episodes were so terrifying that the CBC registered numerous complaints and some affiliate stations dropped it. Despite this, the series went on to become one of the most popular shows in CBC Radio history, running 100 episodes that featured a mix of original tales and adaptations of both classic and obscure short storie.

THIS EPISODE:

February 27, 1981. Program #31. CBC, Toronto origination, NPR network, WPBH-FM, Middlefield, CT. aircheck. "Wildcats". Sustaining. Two little old ladies and their little old hotel...arsenic and old lace? The WPBH-FM rebroadcast date is February 7, 1982. Earle Toppings (story editor), Christian Noack (author), Otto Lowy (adaptor), Jane Mellick, Ruth Springford, Neil Dainard, Sandy Webster, John Jessop (recording engineer), Bill Robinson (sound effects), Nancy McElvene (production assistant), Earle Toppings (story editor), Henry Ramer (host), Bill Howell (producer, director). 29:38.

Present Arms (Aired July 18, 1974)


Dad’s Army was a British sitcom about the Home Guard in the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The British Home Guard consisted of local volunteers otherwise ineligible for military service, usually owing to age, and as such the series starred several veterans of British film, television and stage, including Arthur Lowe (1915–82), John Le Mesurier (1912–83), Arnold Ridley (also a veteran playwright; 1896–1984) and John Laurie (1897–1980). Relative youngsters in the regular cast were Ian Lavender (b.1946), Clive Dunn (b.1920), who was made-up to play the elderly Jones, and James Beck (1929–1973), the latter dying suddenly part way through the programme’s long run despite being one of the youngest cast members. Popular at the time and still repeated, it was voted into fourth place in a 2004 BBC poll for Britain’s Best Sitcom. Previously, in a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes. drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, it was placed thirteenth.

Death Is A Doll (Aired March 13, 1949)


The premise of the program was that Dan Holiday was an author who wrote mystery novels. To get ideas for his novels he placed an advertisement in a newspaper saying "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything, Box 13." The ads always brought fun adventures of all kinds: from racketeer's victim to psychotic killer looking for fun. Most of the episodes were based on Dan Holiday replying to a letter he received at Box 13. He would generally solve a mystery in the process, and return to his office in time to enjoy a hearty laugh at the expense of Suzy, his amusingly stupid secretary. He would certainly not meet the strictest requirements for private eyes (not licensed, collected no fees from clients), but the definition should stretch to sneak him in under the rope. It was heard over the Mutual Broadcasting System as well as being syndicated. The series was produced by Mayfair Productions. Box 13, starring Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. Sylvia Picker played Suzy, Dan Holiday's secretary and Edmond MacDonald as Lt. Kling. Other stars in the series were Betty Lou Gerson, Lurene Tuttle, Alan Reed, Luis Van Rooten, John Beal and Frank Lovejoy. Music was by Rudy Schrager and the writer was Russell Hughes. Announcer/Director was Vern Carstensen. The series was produced by Richard Sanville with Alan Ladd as co-producer.

THIS EPISODE:

March 13, 1949. Program #30. Mayfair syndication. "Death Is A Doll". Commercials added locally. A man is slowly dying of what appears to be witchcraft. The date is approximate. Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor). 25 minutes.

The Rocket (Aired January 4, 1952)


NBC Presents Short Story (AKA: Short Story) - Stories were dramatizations of the works of Ray Bradbury. Each show features a brief introduction by Ray Bradbury, often relating how the story came to be. In this episode, "The Rocket", A poor man who runs a junkyard wants nothing more in life than to travel to Mars...which is just what he does! David DuVal, Don Diamond (producer, host, performer), Dorothy Brown, Ernest Kinoy (adaptor), Joel Nessler, John Wald (announcer), Margaret Brayton, Andrew C. Love (director), Kurt Martell, Ralph Moody, Ray Bradbury (author), Stan Waxman (narrator), William Welch (script editor), Margaret Cuthbert (supervisor of Public Affairs programming), Wade Arnold (executive producer). 29:30.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Have Gun Will Travel" - Stopover In Tombstone (Aired October 11, 1959)


One of the last radio shows and one of the few to go from TV to radio, HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL started its 106 show run on November 23, 1958. These Sunday afternoon shows were radio adaptations of the previous nights TV script with John Dehner replacing Richard Boone. Paladin, the lead character, played by John Dehner, was a man with a
short temper and a fast gun.

THIS EPISODE:

October 11, 1959. CBS network. "Stopover In Tombstone". Sponsored by: Fitch Shampoo, Ex-Lax, Watchmakers Of Switzerland (vacation contest). Paladin becomes a deputy assistant sheriff of Cochise County...a lawman of Tombstone. An accused murderer with a dying wife proves a tragic responsibility. The system cue is added live. John Dehner, Virginia Gregg, Sam Rolfe (creator), Herb Meadow (creator), Frank Paris (producer, director), Hugh Douglas (announcer), Ann Doud (writer), Bartlett Robinson, Betty Garde, Joe Cranston, Harry Bartell, Bill James (sound effects), Tom Hanley (sound effects). 25:15.

Minstrels Of The Mist (Aired August 4, 1944)


Author’s Playhouse - Famous stories by celebrated authors: among them, Elementals (Stephen Vincent Benet), The Piano (William Saroyan), and The Snow Goose (Paul Gallico).March 5, 1941 till June 4, 1945, NBC;  Blue Network until mid-October 1941, then the Red Network.  Many briefly held 30m timeslots, including Sundays at 11:30, 1941-42;  Wednesdays at 11:30, 1942-44;   Mondays at 11:30, 1944-45.  Sponsor was Philip Morris, 1942-43. Cast:  John Hodiak, Fern Persons, Arthur Kohl, Laurette Fillbrandt, Kathryn Card, Bob Jellison, Nelson Olmsted, Marvin Miller, Olan Soule, Les Tremayne, Clarence Hartzell, Curley Bradley, etc. Orchestra:  Rex Maupin, Roy Shield, J6seph Gallicchio. Creator:  Wynn Wright. Directors:  Norman Felton, Fred Weihe, Homer Heck.

THIS EPISODE:

August 4, 1944. NBC network. "Minstrels Of The Mist". Sustaining. A very well-done, if somewhat strange story of two flute players. Ben Lucien Berman (author). 1/2 hour.

Hard Work Never Killed Anyone (Aired June 22, 1951)


Based on Craig Rice’s (a female crime novelist who rivaled Agatha Christie in book sales) novels of crime drama, Frank Lovejoy (and later Gene Raymond and George Petrie) plays “fiction’s most famous criminal lawyer,” John J. Malone. Mr. Malone is our amazing hero, a Chicago lawyer whose bar is more famous than Cheers. His hobby is collecting clichés, and each weeks show is based off of one: cleanliness is next to Godliness, a strong offense is the best defense, seek and ye shall find, and so on. Stories are gripping, from tales of Chicago’s biggest operator who runs a nightclub and his right hand man, to a man looking for trouble in a hotel and finds it in room 419, to a story of a man who owns the most luscious gambling joint this side of Vegas. So brush up on your one liners, and grab your gun, because you’ll want to tune in for this exciting half hour of mystery!

THIS EPISODE:

June 22, 1951. NBC network. "Hard Work Never Killed Anyone". Sustaining. Danny Braden tries a little blackmail on a former wife and gets a bullet for his trouble. George Petrie, Larry Haines, Craig Rice (creator), Eugene Wang (writer), Richard Lewis (director), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Fred Collins (announcer). 29:43.

Man On The Roof (Aired April 4, 1950)


The first portrayal of Philip Marlowe on the radio was by Dick Powell, when he played Raymond Chandler's detective on the Lux Radio Theater on June 11, 1945. This was a radio adaptation of the 1944 movie, from RKO, in which Mr. Powell played the lead. Two years later, Van Heflin starred as Marlowe in a summer replacement series for the Bob Hope Show on NBC. This series ran for 13 shows. On September 26, 1948, Gerald Mohr became the third radio Marlowe, this time on CBS. It remained a CBS show through its last show in 1951.

THIS EPISODE:

April 4, 1950. CBS network. "The Man On The Roof". Sustaining. A young man is trapped on a roof as the cops close in. Marlowe tells this story of murder and robbery in flashback before trying to talk him down. Gerald Mohr, Virginia Gregg, Jack Edwards, Lillian Buyeff, Doris Singleton, Jack Kruschen, Lawrence Dobkin, Raymond Chandler (creator), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Robert Mitchell (writer), Gene Levitt (writer), Richard Aurandt (composer, conductor), Roy Rowan (announcer). 29:41.

The Man Who Murdered Time (Aired 01-01-39)


The Shadow - One of the most popular radio shows in history debuted in August 1930 when "The Shadow" went on the air. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The opening lines of the "Detective Story" program captivated listeners and are instantly recognizable even today. Originally the narrator of the series of macabre tales, the eerie voice known as The Shadow became so popular to listeners that "Detective Story" was soon renamed "The Shadow," and the narrator became the star of the old-time mystery radio series, which ran until 1954. A figure never seen, only heard, the Shadow was an invincible crime fighter. He possessed many gifts which enabled him to overcome any enemy. Besides his tremendous strength, he could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code, and become invisible with his famous ability to "cloud men's minds."

THIS EPISODE:

January 1, 1939. Program #22. Syndicated. "The Man Who Murdered Time". Sponsored by: B. F. Goodrich Tires. Popssibly a syndicated version of the network program of January 1, 1939. A mad scientist, about to die, invents a time machine with the ability to repeat December 31st eternally. William Johnstone, Agnes Moorehead. 29:34.

The High Price Of Treason (Aired June 25, 1951)


The Hollywood husband and wife team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall set sail for adventure in the Bold Venture radio series in early 1951. There were well over 400 stations that aired the program. Since thiswas syndicated * the starting date varied from station to station but Mar 26, 1951 was the official date of the first show. Humphrey Bogart portrayed Slate Shannon, owner of a rundown Havana hotel, Shannon's Place. The action took place on land as well aboard Slate's boat, The Bold Venture, thus the title of the series. Lauren Bacall was his ward Sailor Duval, a stubborn and flirtatious young woman whose late father had willed her to Slate for her protection. Together the duo found adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean.

The Bungler (Aired September 14, 1955)


The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewsis Collins' book, The FBI in Peace and War. The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Adamson and Collins. Airing on CBS from November 25, 1944 to September 28, 1958, it had a variety of sponsors (including Lava Soap, Wildroot Cream Oil, Lucky Strike, Nescafe and Wrigley's) over the years. Martin Blaine and Donald Briggs headed the cast. Theme music was "The Love for Three Oranges" (Prokofiev.

THIS EPISODE:

September 14, 1955. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Bungler". The bank embezzler and stickup man who couldn't seem to do anything right. Rosemary Rice, Robert Readick, Frederick L. Collins (creator). 25 minutes.

The Robbery At The Canada Western (06-06-38)


Blair of the Mounties is the story of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police -- a fictional series based on the work of the Northwest Mounted Police before the World War I. It was a fifteen minute weekly serial heard every Monday for 36 weeks beginning January 31st, 1938 and running through the 3rd of October of 1938. It may have been on the air as early as 1935, although there’s no actual proof of this. Little is known of the series other than it followed the exploits of Sgt. Blair of the Northwest Mounted Police. and probably was the inspiration for Trendell, Campbell and Muir's Challenge of the Yukon. The series was written by Colonel Rhys Davies, who also played the Colonel Blair in the series. Jack Abbot played the Constable. Jack French, one of OTR’s best researchers says this about the series: “Blair is not restricted to Canada, as other Mounties, as we find him, in a few cases, in Great Britain, solving cases. Overall the series is amateurishly written, with the actor playing Blair coming accros as a bit stuffy.”

Lady In The Lake (Aired February 9, 1948)


In October of 1934, "Lux Radio Theater" debuted in New York on NBC's Blue radio network. Presenting audio versions of popular Broadway plays, the show failed to garner an audience and soon ran out of material. After switching networks to CBS and moving to Hollywood, Lux found its true market. The show began featuring adaptations of popular films, performed by as many of the original stars as possible. With an endless supply of hit films scripts and an audience of more than 40 million, Lux enjoyed a prosperous run until the curtain fell in 1956.

THIS EPISODE:

February 9, 1948. CBS network. "The Lady In The Lake". Sponsored by: Lux, Pepsodent. A two-fisted detective yarn. Philip Marlowe tries to track down the murderer of a woman found at the bottom of a lake...and of a man shot to death in the shower. Tom Tully, William Keighley (host), John Milton Kennedy (announcer), Louis Silvers (music director), Gerald Mohr, William Johnstone, Frances Robinson, George Neise, Edward Marr, Robert Griffin, Janet Scott, Herb Butterfield, Marie Windsor, Steve Fisher (screenwriter), Raymond Chandler (creator), Fred MacKaye (director), Sanford Barnett (adaptor), Charlie Forsyth (sound effects), Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter. 59:44.

The Big Poison (Aired September 7, 1950)


Dragnet was a long-running radio and television police procedural drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Dragnet debuted inauspiciously. The first several months were bumpy, as Webb and company worked out the program’s format and eventually became comfortable with their characters (Friday was originally portrayed as more brash and forceful than his later usually relaxed demeanor). Gradually, Friday’s deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged, described by John Dunning as "a cop's cop, tough but not hard, conservative but caring." (Dunning, 210) Friday’s first partner was Sgt. Ben Romero, portrayed by Barton Yarborough, a longtime radio actor. When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio’s top-rated shows. While most radio shows used one or two sound effects experts, Dragnet needed five; a script clocking in at just under 30 minutes could require up to 300 separate effects. Accuracy was underlined: The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were imitated, and when a telephone rang at Friday’s desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters.

THIS EPISODE:

September 7, 1950. Program #65. NBC network. "The Big Poison". Sponsored by: Fatima. Mr. and Mrs. Apperson, an elderly couple, have disappeared. A bottle of cyanide points to a grim conclusion. Abbreviated closing theme. Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough. 29:54.

Three Swords (Aired April 16, 1977)


The series had it origins in the meeting of two minds: the ad agency for General Mills at the time, Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample was looking for a different means to reach a child audience besides television, which was decreasing commercial minutes and increasing costs; and Himan Brown, producer-director of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, who wanted to introduce new audiences to the dramatic form on radio. Tom Bosley was chosen as the host because of his television recognition from a kid’s oriented series, Happy Days. CBS chose to produce 52 original broadcasts followed by 52 repeat broadcasts. I believe they had hoped to maintain General Mills sponsorship during the complete 104 episodes, but General Mills dropped their sponsorship after the original broadcasts. The series continued for the next 52 repeats as the CBS Radio Adventure Theater.

THIS EPISODE:

April 16, 1977. Program #21. CBS network. "Three Swords":. Sponsored by: General Mills. The program was repeated on October 16, 1977. Tom Bosley (host), Elspeth Eric (adaptor from a traditional story), Kristoffer Tabori, Ian Martin, Himan Brown (producer, director.

Hijack Killer (1952)


Mr District Attorney was for many years the nation’s best-liked crime show. The thirty-minute drama was inspired by the real-life exploits of Thomas E Dewey, a racket-busting district attorney of the late 30s in New York. The show was directed and often written by Ed Byron, a former law student who devoted all of his time researching crime, which was the reason that the show was so topical.

THIS EPISODE:

1952. Program #1. Ziv syndication. "The Case Of The Hijack Killer". Commercials added locally. Audition show. Mr. D. A. tracks down eight stolen cars and a double murderer. The date is approximate. David Brian. 25 minutes.

Deadline At Dawn (Aired December 14, 1948)


Big Town is a radio show that aired from 1937 to 1952. Edward G. Robinson had the lead role of Steve Wilson from 1937 to 1942. Claire Trevor was Wilson's society editor sidekick Lorelei Kilbourne, with Ona Munson taking over that role in 1940. Edward J. Pawley portrayed Wilson from 1942 until 1952 when Walter Greaza was heard as Wilson in the final episodes in the radio series. When Big Town moved to television, the program was telecast live, but in 1952 the production switched to film after the move from New York City to Hollywood. The television series ran on CBS from 1950 through 1954, continuing on NBC from 1955 through 1956. Repeat episodes aired on the DuMont Network (under the title City Assignment) while Big Town was still showing first-run episodes on CBS. Reruns were also shown under the titles Heart of the City, Headline and Byline Steve Wilson.

THIS EPISODE:

December 14, 1948. NBC network. "Deadline At Dawn". Sponsored by: Lifebuoy Soap, Rinso. A protection mob is moving into the produce markets of Big Town. Steve Wilson pays a call on "Lard" Malone. Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon, Jerry McGill (writer, producer), Hugh James (announcer). 29:20.

A Date With Death (Aired June 4, 1949)


Gangbusters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935. After the title was changed to Gang Busters January 15, 1936, the show had a 21-year run through November 20, 1957. Beginning with a barrage of loud sound effects — guns firing and tires squealing — this intrusive introduction led to the popular catch phrase "came on like Gang Busters."The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used. The initial series was on NBC Radio from July 20 - October 12, 1935. It then aired on CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum. The final series was on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957. It was once narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police. The radio series was adapted for DC Comics, Big Little Books and a 1942 movie serial. The 1952 Gang Busters TV series was reedited into two feature films, Gang Busters (1954) and Guns Don't Argue (1957).

THIS EPISODE:

June 4, 1949. Program #583. CBS network origination, syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Case Of The Date With Death". Sponsored by: World Wide Handicrafts. WRVR rebroadcast date: March 12, 1973. . 1/2 hour.

The Three Frogs (Aired April 29, 1948)


On radio, The Adventures of Ellery Queen was heard on all three networks from 1939 to 1948. During the 1970s, syndicated radio fillers, Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries, began with an announcer saying, "This is Ellery Queen..." and contained a short one-minute case. The radio station encouraged callers to solve the mystery and win a sponsor's prize. Once a winner was found, the solution was broadcast as confirmation. Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse", Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other. Probably the biggest mystery... is how Ellery ever gets a book written. Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure", Tuska wrote, "but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations." In Ellery Queen, Master Detective, "the amorous relationship between Ellery and Nikki Porter was given a dignity, and therefore integrity", Tuska wrote, "that was lacking in the two previous entries in the series", made at Republic Pictures before Bellamy and Lindsay were signed by Columbia.

Gregory Hood Suspect (Aired September 30, 1946)


The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Gale Gordon in the title role, took over where Sherlock Holmes had left off. Sponsored by Petri wine, it used the same "weekly visit" format and the same team of Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green that had written The New Adventured of Sherlock Holmes. Gregory Hood was modelled after true-life San Francisco importer Richard Gump, and many of the stories revolve around a mystery surrounding some particular imported treasure. Hood's sidekick Sanderson "Sandy" Taylor was played by Bill Johnstone. The show aired from June, 1946 through August, 1950. There were an additional couple of shows aired in October 1951. Hood and Sanderson were played in later episodes by Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, respectively.

THIS EPISODE:

September 30, 1946. Mutual network. Sustaining. Ken Froelich is murdered in Washington D. C. The two suspects are Gregory Hood and a red-headed man. The red-head is then found murdered! This date is subject to correction. Bob Latting, Edmond MacDonald, Elliott Lewis, Gloria Blondell, Howard McNear, Jeff Chandler, Paul Frees, Richard Aurandt (music). 29:44.

The Human Bomb (Aired December 20, 1933


Calling All Cars was one of radio’s earliest cop shows, dramatizing true crime stories and introduced by officers from the Los Angeles and other police departments. The narrator of the program was speech professor Charles Frederick Lindsley, and the only other regular voice heard on the program week after week belonged to that of Sergeant Jesse Rosenquist of the L.A.P.D., whose name and voice were so unusually distinctive that he was retained for the show’s entire run. None of the actors on the show ever received on-air credit, but among the talent OTR fans can hear the likes of Elvia Allman, Jackson Beck, Charles Bickford, John Gibson, Richard LeGrand and Hanley Stafford, just to name a few.

THIS EPISODE:

December 20, 1933. Program #4. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee net) origination, syndicated. "The Human Bomb". Music fill for local commercial insert. A man in the police chief's office is threatening to blow up the Central Police Station. The system cue has been deleted. Gale Gordon (dispatcher, host, narrator). 29:15.

Profits Unlimited (Aired July 20, 1943)


Lights Out, featuring "tales of the supernatural and the supernormal", was created in Chicago by writer Wyllis Cooper in 1934, and the first series of shows (each 15 minutes long) ran on a local NBC station, WENR. By April 1934, the series was expanded to a half hour in length and moved to midnight Wednesdays. In January 1935, the show was discontinued in order to ease Cooper's workload (he was then writing scripts for the network's prestigious Immortal Dramas program), but was brought back by huge popular demand a few weeks later. After a successful tryout in New York City, the series was picked up by NBC in April 1935 and broadcast nationally, usually late at night and always on Wednesdays. Cooper stayed on the program until June 1936, when another Chicago writer, Arch Oboler, took over. By the time Cooper left, the series had inspired about 600 fan clubs. Cooper's run was characterized by grisly stories spiked with dark, tongue-in-cheek humor, a sort of radio Grand Guignol. A character might be buried or eaten or skinned alive, vaporized in a ladle of white-hot steel, absorbed by a giant slurping amoeba, have his arm torn off by a robot, tortured or decapitated -- always with the appropriate blood-curdling acting and sound effects.

THIS EPISODE:

July 20, 1943. Program #15. CBS network origination, syndicated rebroadcast. "Profits Unlimited". Commercials added locally. A fascinating story about an island filled with zombie-like workers and a strange inheritance. Syndicated program title: "The Devil and Mr. O." The story is also known as "Efficiency Island." Arch Oboler (writer, host), Mercedes McCambridge. 25 minutes.

2 Episodes From 1953 - "The Boy Next Door" (Aired January 15, 1953) and "Bud Likes Girls" (Aired January 29, 1953)


Father Knows Best, a family comedy of the 1950s, is perhaps more important for what it has come to represent than for what it actually was. In essence, the series was one of a slew of middle-class family sitcoms in which moms were moms, kids were kids, and fathers knew best. Today, many critics view it, at best, as high camp fun, and, at worst, as part of what critic David Marc once labeled the "Aryan melodramas" of the 1950s and 1960s. The brainchild of series star Robert Young, who played insurance salesman Jim Anderson, and producer Eugene B. Rodney, Father Knows Best first debuted as a radio sitcom in 1949.

Nine Prisoners (Aired February 20, 1939)


This was drama with a difference. Columbia Workshop was not everybody’s cup of tea and in terms of audience popularity it was always noted that it was never a strong contender for the title “Radios Top Rated Drama Series” and yet it was always considered to be the drama program that led the way in radio standards. Columbia was the first to experiment with what radio drama was all about, introducing new techniques never before used in over the airwaves drama and because it received little encouragement from established writers, actors, etc., it was only by breaking new ground with new ideas and new techniques from writers who were not versed in the old ways that it was going to survive. Unlike theater drama, which required scenery to stage the settings of a play, radio drama relied only on the imagination of the listener to interpret the scene. But without the right kind of writer the whole thing could fall flat on it’s face. It required a blend of words and music coupled with each listener’s imagination to make the whole thing work successfully.

THIS EPISODE:

February 20, 1939. CBS network. "Nine Prisoners". Sustaining. Nine American soldiers are ordered to kill twenty-two unarmed Nazi prisoners in cold blood. A very well-done story, produced almost cinematically, each man's thoughts telling the story. William March (author). 1/2 hour.

The Case Of The Unused Shoes (Aired May 2, 1945)


The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer. While investigating mysteries, Blackie invaribly encountered harebrained Police Inspector Farraday (Maurice Tarplin) and always solved the mystery to Farraday's amazement. Initially, friction surfaced in the relationship between Blackie and Farraday, but as the series continued, Farraday recognized Blackie's talents and requested assistance. Blackie dated Mary Wesley (Jan Miner), and for the first half of the series, his best pal Shorty was always on hand. The humorless Farraday was on the receiving end of Blackie's bad puns and word play. Kent Taylor starred in the half-hour TV series, The Adventures of Boston Blackie. Syndicated in 1951 and continuing in repeats over the following decade.

THIS EPISODE:

May 2, 1945. Program #4. Mutual network origination, Ziv syndication. Commercials added locally. A man is found murdered. Blackie discovers that the corpse's shoes have never been walked in. Blackie is of course accused of the crime! The date above is possibly the date of network broadcast as heard in New York. Richard Kollmar. 26:33.

Close Shave (Aired May 14, 1948)


Although Molle Mystery Theatre was initially sponsored by Molle Shaving Cream, other sponsors (such as Bayer Aspirin, Ironized Yeast, Phillips Milk of Magnesia) also sponsored the program. Sometimes, when it was not sponsored by Molle, the program was called "Mystery Theater". The show was first heard on NBC, on 9/7/43. Time slot was originally Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, but was later moved to Tuesday at 9:00 PM, and Friday at 10:00 PM. In 1948, the show moved to CBS (Tues, 8:00 PM), and in 1951, it moved to ABC, where it was called "Mark Sabre", and heard on Wednesdays at either 8:00 PM or 9:30 PM. The shows were tight and tension filled, with a fine orchestra score and solid production values. Classic tales from well-known authors, as well as modern unknowns were presented, and the endings were often twists or shockers.

THIS EPISODE:

May 14, 1948. NBC network. "Close Shave". Sponsored by: Molle, Double Danderine, Ironized Yeast. A girl's no-good boyfriend gets her to steal the company's payroll, but botches his attempt to kill her. Kay Stevens, Bernard Lenrow (host, as "Geoffrey Barnes"), Dan Seymour, George Putnam (announcer). 1/2 hour.

Diehard (Aired September 8, 1953)


Mr. and Mrs. North are fictional American amateur detectives. Created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, the couple were featured in a series of twenty-six Mr. and Mrs. North novels, a Broadway play, a motion picture, and several different radio and television series. Mr. and Mrs. North was a radio mystery series that aired on CBS from 1942 to 1954. Alice Frost and Joseph Curtin had the title roles when the series began in 1942. Publisher Jerry North and his wife Pam lived in Greenwich Village at 24 St. Anne's Flat. They were not professional detectives but simply an ordinary couple who stumbled across a murder or two every week for 12 years. The radio program eventually reached nearly 20 million listeners. The characters originated in 1930s vignettes written by Richard Lockridge for the New York Sun, and he brought them back for short stories in The New Yorker. These stories were collected in Mr. and Mrs. North (1936).

THIS EPISODE:

September 8, 1953. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "DieHard". Pam returns to her Alma Mater for a re-union with death! Richard Denning, Barbara Britton, Frances Lockridge (creator), Richard Lockridge (creator). 25:50.

Bear Trap (Aired April 21, 1957)


Gunsmoke - The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program. Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program.

THIS EPISODE:

April 21, 1957. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Bear Trap". Andy's in charge of the stable in Dodge, and is prone to brag a bit. When Hod Logan comes to town, it's possibly to shoot Andy. Hod has other ideas, however! The public service announcements have been deleted. William Conrad, Parley Baer, Ralph Moody, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Les Crutchfield (writer), George Walsh (announcer). 23:29.

Lost Angel (Aired December 18, 1946)


The list of films and actors on Academy Award Theater is very impressive. Bette Davis begins the series in Jezebel, with Ginger Rogers following in Kitty Foyle, and then Paul Muni in The Life of Louis Pasteur. The Informer had to have Victor Mclaglen, and the Maltese Falcon, Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet (this movie was his first major motion picutre role) plus Mary Astor for the hat trick. Suspicion starred Cary Grant with Ann Todd doing the Joan Fontaine role, Ronald Coleman in Lost Horizon, and Joan Fontaine and John Lund were in Portrait of Jenny. How Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio were done is something to hear! Some films are less well known, such as Guest in the House, with Kirk Douglas and Anita Louise, It Happened Tomorrow, with Eddie Bracken and Ann Blythe playing Dick Powell and Linda Darnell's roles, and Cheers for Miss Bishop with Olivia de Havilland. Each adaptation is finely produced and directed by Dee Engelbach, with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Frank Wilson wrote the movie adaptations.

THIS EPISODE:

December 18, 1946. CBS network. "Lost Angel". Sponsored by: Squibb. Last show of the series. The heart-warming story of a little girl raised by scientists who meets a hard-boiled reporter and discovers love. Margaret O'Brien. 1/2 hour.

Joey (Aired July 17, 1952)


The Chase is an exciting Old Time Radio series in which every episode contains, well, a chase. Tales, highly melodramatic and often improbable, of people on the run. The concept of "hunter and hunted" was built into the signatures. with the lone bugle of a fox hunt, the braying of dogs, the sounds of a man running, a gunshot, and the slowing footsteps and eventual fall of the victim. It may be an adventure story, a crime story, or even science fiction, but there will always be a suspense filled chase.

THIS EPISODE:

July 17, 1952. NBC network. "Joey". Sustaining. A boxing manager signs a young Mexican who looks like the next champ. After poisoning the fighter to win for a gambler, the manager is haunted by the fighter and his mother. The title may not be accurate. Amzie Strickland, Bryna Raeburn, Daniel Sutter (director, transcriber), Donald Buka, Fred Collins (announcer), Joe DeSantis, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Mandel Kramer. 29:16.

The Fort Ord Story (Aired October 9, 1950)


CANDY MATSON was the private eye star of Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8208, an NBC West Coast show which first aired in March 1949 and was created by Monty Masters. He cast his wife, Natalie Parks, in the title role of this sassy, sexy PI. Her understated love interest, Lt. Ray Mallard, was played by Henry Leff while her assistant and best pal, aptly named Rembrandt Watson, was the voice of Jack Thomas. Every show opened with a ringing telephone and our lady PI answering it with "Candy Matson, YU 2-8209" and then the organ swung into the theme song, "Candy". Each job took Candy from her apartment on Telegraph Hill into some actual location in San Francisco. The writers, overseen by Monty, worked plenty of real Bay Area locations into every plot.

THIS EPISODE:

YUkon 2-8209. October 9, 1950. NBC network, San Francisco origination. Sustaining. Candy is invited to an army dance at Fort Ord and solves a double murder in the process. Natalie Masters, Monte Masters (producer, director). 1/2 hour.

Bomb On The Denver Plane (Aired September 4, 1952)


Broadcast on NBC, Night Beat ran from 1949 to 1952 and starred Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star looking for human interest stories. He met an assortment of people, most of them with a problem, many of them scared, and sometimes he was able to help them, sometimes he wasn’t. It is generally regarded as a ‘quality’ show and it stands up extremely well. Frank Lovejoy (1914-1962) isn’t remembered today, but he was a powerful and believable actor with a strong delivery, and his portrayal of Randy Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect. The scripts were excellent, given that they had to pack in a lot in a short time, and there was a good supporting cast, orchestra, and sound effects. ‘The Slasher’, broadcast on 10 November 1950, the last show of season one, has a very loosely Ripper-derived plot in which Stone searches for an artist. Supporting actors included Parley Baer, William Conrad, Jeff Corey, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Frees, Jack Kruschen, Peter Leeds, Howard McNear, Lurene Tuttle and Martha Wentworth.

THIS EPISODE:

September 4, 1952. "Bomb On The Denver Plane" - NBC network. Sustaining. Randy Stone receives a tip that a bomb has been planted on a DC-4 airliner enroute to Denver. His warning saves all the passengers aboard the plane, the the man who planted the bomb must be found. Frank Lovejoy, Warren Lewis (writer, producer, director), Joan Banks, Paul Frees, Stan Waxman, Lou Rusoff (writer), Robert Armbruster (music), John Stevenson, Sandra Gould. 29:17.

The Alsop Family: How It Diminished and Grew Again (Aired August 24, 1953)


Crime Classics was a U. S. radio docudrama which aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was basically a historical true crime series, examining crimes, and especially murders, from the past. It grew out of Lewis's personal interest in famous murder cases, and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages, and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration.

THIS EPISODE:

August 24, 1953. CBS network. "The Alsop Family: How It Diminished and Grew Again". Sustaining. In the 1670s, a family of highwaymen is none-too-pleased with the bride of one of its members. Lou Merrill (host), Roy Rowan (announcer), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Ben Wright, Herb Butterfield, Ellen Morgan, Betty Harford, Richard Peel, Terry Kilburn, Raymond Lawrence, Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor). 29:51.

Dinner Of Death (Aired April 23, 1945)


Bulldog Drummond has come to wreak havoc on unsuspecting killers, counterfeiters, and underworld characters. The opening of the show starts with a the sounds of footsteps, foghorn, then two shots ring out, followed by three blows of a police officer's whistle. Bulldog, who's really name is Hugh (played by George Coulouris), was a methodical crime-solving sleuth who let nothing get in his way of his goal, which was to put a stop to crime! Bulldog believed in uncomplicated and decisive means of getting his way with the lords of the underworld. This usually led to their swift capture, and the easing of the city's burden brought about by these ruthless thugs.

The People In The Forest (Aired June 11, 1950)


"Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission for the United States, knowing in advance you may never return alive?" Cloak and Dagger first aired over the NBC network on May 7, 1950. It had a short run through the Summer on Sundays, changing to Fridays after its Summer run. The last show aired Oct. 22, 1950. This is the story of the WWII special governmental agency, the OSS, or Office of Strategic Services. Its mission was to develop and maintain spy networks throughout Europe and into Asia, while giving aid to underground partisan groups and developing espionage activities for Allied forces overseas.The show is based on the book of the same name by Lt. Col. Corey Ford and Major Alastair MacBain (who were associated with the OSS from its early days.) The dramas are not Hollywood-style, in that they sometimes end with plans foiled or leading characters dead.

THIS EPISODE:

June 11, 1950. NBC network. "The People In The Forest". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. Robert Scarpella parachutes into occupied France. The underground is being plagued by a traitor in their midst. The start of the program was delayed 45 seconds for golf scores. Corey Ford (originator), Alistair MacBain (originator), Alfred Hollander (associate producer), Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Larry Haines, Boris Aplon, Berry Kroeger, Jerry Jarrett, Lily Darvas, Raymond Edward Johnson, Joseph Buloff, Nancy Franklin, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Bob Warren (announcer). 27:35.

Guest Fred Astaire (Aired February 17, 1948)


From the age of twelve, Bob Hope worked at a wide variety of odd jobs at a local board walk. When not doing this he would busk, doing dance and comedy patter to make extra money. He entered many dancing and amateur talent contests, and won prizes for his impersonation of Charlie Chaplin. He also boxed briefly and unsuccessfully under the name Packy East, making it once as far as the semi-finals of the Ohio novice championship. Fallen silent film comedian Fatty Arbuckle saw one of his performances and in 1925 got him steady work with Hurley's Jolly Follies. A year later Hope had formed an act called the Dancemedians with George Burns (who would also live to see his own 100th birthday) and the Hilton Sisters, conjoined twins who had a tap dancing routine. Hope and his partner George Byrne had an act as a pair of Siamese twins as well, and both danced and sang while wearing blackface before friends advised Hope that he was funnier as himself.. After five years on the Vaudeville circuit, by his own account Hope was surprised and humbled when he and his partner Grace Louise Troxell failed a 1930 screen test for Pathé at Culver City, California. (Hope had been on the screen in small parts, 1927's The Sidewalks of New York and 1928's Smiles. Hope returned to New York City and subsequently appeared in several Broadway musicals including Roberta, Say When, the 1936 Ziegfeld Follies, and Red, Hot and Blue with Ethel Merman. His performances were generally well-received and critics noted his keen sense of comedic timing. He changed his name from "Leslie" to "Bob", reportedly because people in the US were calling him "Hopelessly", although in the 1920s he sometimes used the name "Lester Hope".

THIS EPISODE:

February 17, 1948. NBC network. Sponsored by: Pepsodent. The program originates from Canoga Park High School, Woodland Hills, California. Fred and Bob do a skit about their start in show business. Barbara Jo Allen, the real mayor of Woodland Hills, makes a fund appeal for the United Nations Crusade For Children. Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Jerry Colonna, Barbara Jo Allen, Trudy Erwin, Les Brown and His Orchestra, Dorothy Lovett, Wendell Niles (announcer), Jack Kirkwood, Norman Sullivan (writer), Fred Williams (writer), Larry Kline (writer), Paul Laven (writer), Ray Allen (writer), Fred Fox (writer), Roger Price (writer), Chet Castellaw (writer), Glenn Wheaton (writer), Harold Goodman (writer), Hendrix Voellaris, Al Capstaff (producer), Bob Stephenson (director). 29:41.

The Case Of The Unwritten Letter (Aired July 29, 1945)


Nick Carter, Master Detective - Nick Carter is the name of a popular fictional detective who first appeared in in a dime novel entitled "The Old Detective's Pupil" on September 18, 1886. In 1915, Nick Carter Weekly became Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the 1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on Mutual from 1943 to 1955. Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955. Chick Carter, Boy Detective was a serial adventure that aired weekday afternoons on Mutual. Chick Carter, the adopted son of Nick Carter, was played by Bill Lipton (1943-44) and Leon Janney (1944-45). The series aired from July 5, 1943 to July 6, 1945.

THIS EPISODE:

July 29, 1945. Mutual network. "The Unwritten Letter". Sponsored by: Lin-X waxes and cleaning products. A man who died with a blank letter in his hand, and a murder solved after an interview with the corpse. Lon Clark. 1/2 hour.

Russia (1936)


Ports Of Call - An obscure series from 1935 or 1936 in which each episode deals with a voyage to a different country where events of that country's history are dramatized. They each begin with the low moan of a tramp steamer's whistle and the announcement of the series title, followed by a musical interlude.*Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

1936. Transco syndication. "Russia". Music fill for local commercial insert. In 1605, Boris Gudenov learns that his murdered brother is being impersonated. The missing Dmitri conquers Moscow and Boris takes poison. Prince Shuski gets his revenge. The city of St. Petersburg is built at a cost of one hundred thousand lives. Tsar Nicholas II causes the massacre of 1905 and plants the seeds of revolution. The Tsar and his family are shot, Communists rule the country. The identity of the syndicator is subject to correction. . 28:43.

War Orphan (Aired October 7, 1942)


An NBC offering. Aired on Sundays from 7:00PM to 7:30PM, starring Lional Barrymore and Agnes Moorehead. The creator and writer was Jean Holloway, the announcer Harlow Wilcox, music by Gordon Jenkins and sponsored by Rinso detergent. The show was a perfect vehicle for Lionel Barrymore: rich with warmhearted humor, and good-natured grumbling, its "mayor" had a fierce bark but a mushy heart when confronted with the plight of an orphan or a stray dog. The mayor cared little about political advantage: he even found time, once a year, to turn the town of Springdale into a special theater, to give his traditional performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. THE CAST: Lionel Barrymore as the mayor of the town of Springdale. Agnes Moorehead as Marilly, his housekeeper. Conrad Binyon as the mayor's ward, Butch. Gloria McMillan as Sharlee Bronson, Butch's best girl. Priscilla Lyon as Holly-Ann, the mayor's granddaughter. Also: Will Wright, Sharon Douglas, Irvin Lee, Marjorie Davies, and other Hollywood actors. Producer: Murray Bolen; later Knowles Entrikin. Director: Jack Van Nostrand. Writers: Jean Holloway, Leonard St. Clair, Howard Blake, Erna Lazarus, etc.; Howard Breslin and Charles Tazewell wrote alternate weeks, ca. 1945. Orchestra:. Gordon Jenkins (ca. 1943); Bernard Katz (1945); Frank Worth. Sound Effects: David Light, Mary Ann Gideon.

THIS EPISODE:

October 7, 1942. CBS network. Sponsored by: Rinso. The first show of the series on CBS. The mayor is asked to take care of an eleven-year-old war orphan. A heartwarming, tearful script. The system cue has been deleted. Lionel Barrymore, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Bob Bailey, Jerry Hausner, Billy Roy, Agnes Moorehead, Jean Holloway (writer). 29:28.

Death Worshipper (1946)


The Murder at Midnight series was a thirty-minute broadcast featuring tales of the supernatural. The actors included Mercedes McCambridge and Lawson Zerbe and the show was narrated using the spooky, creepy voice of Raymond Morgan and always opened using the same gripping signature; “the witching hour, when night is darkest, our fears are the strongest, our strength at its lowest ebb… Midnight! … when graves gape open and death strikes!” FIRST BROADCAST: September 16th 1946 - LAST BROADCAST: September 8th 1947 - CAST: Elspeth Eric, Mercedes McCambridge, Berry Kroeger, Betty Caine, Carl Frank, Barry Hopkins, Lawson Zerbe, Charlotte Holland - NARRATORS: Raymond Morgan - MUSIC: Charles Paul - PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Lewis G Cowan, Anton M Leader -WRITERS: Robert Newman, Joseph Ruscoll, Max Ehrlich, William Morwood.

Come To The Bank (Aired October 31, 1964)


Arch Oboler's Plays was a radio drama series written, produced and directed by Arch Oboler. Minus a sponsor, it ran for one year, airing Saturday evenings on NBC from March 25, 1939 to March 23, 1940 and revived five years later on Mutual for a sustaining summer run from April 5, 1945 to October 11, 1945. Leading film actors were heard on this series, including Gloria Blondell, Eddie Cantor, James Cagney, Ronald Colman, Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Edmund Gwenn, Van Heflin, Katharine Hepburn, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Lorre, Frank Lovejoy, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Paul Muni, Alla Nazimova, Edmond O'Brien, Geraldine Page, Gale Sondergaard, Franchot Tone and George Zucco.

The Quarantine (Aired December 18, 1948)


The Adventures of Frank Merriwell first ran on NBC radio from March 26 to June 22, 1934 as a 15-minute serial airing three times a week at 5:30pm. Sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste, this program starred Donald Briggs in the title role. Harlow Wilcox was the announcer. After a 12-year gap, the series returned October 5, 1946 as a 30-minute NBC Saturday morning show, continuing until June 4, 1949. Lawson Zerbe starred as Merriwell, Jean Gillespie and Elaine Rostas as Inza Burrage, Harold Studer as Bart Hodge and Patricia Hosley as Elsie Belwood. The announcer was Harlow Wilcox, and the Paul Taubman Orchestra supplied the background music. There are at least three generations of Merriwells: Frank, his half-brother Dick, and Frank's son, Frank Jr. There is a marked difference between Frank and Dick. Frank usually handled challenges on his own. Dick has mysterious friends and skills that help him, especially an old Indian friend without whom the stories would not have been quite as interesting.

THIS EPISODE:

December 18, 1948. NBC network. "The Quarantine". Sustaining. A false alarm case of measles almost keeps the Frank and Bart from winning a basketball game for Yale. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 1/2 hour.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Lightning Jim" - The Outlaw's Son (1940)


J. David Goldin's The Golden Age of Radio published by Radio Yesteryear in 1998 indicates that 41 Lightning Jim broadcasts have been located. The program originated in the 1940s and was called The Adventures of Lightning Jim. At this time it was a West coast program. The program returned to the air in the 1950s. A total of 98 radio programs were produced.

THIS EPISODE:

Program #2. ZIV Syndication. "The Outlaw's Son". Commercials added locally. Jim tries to help a young orphan who is secretly trying to kill him. . 1/2 hour.

A Slight Case Of Perjury (Aired April 6, 1951)


Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective created by American author Rex Stout in the 1930s and featured in dozens of novels and novellas.In the stories, Wolfe is one of the most famous private detectives in the United States. He weighs about 285 pounds and is 5'11" tall. He raises orchids in a rooftop greenhouse in his New York City brownstone on West 35th Street, helped by his live-in gardener Theodore Horstmann. Wolfe drinks beer throughout the day. He employs a live-in chef, Fritz Brenner. He is multilingual and brilliant, though apparently self-educated, and reading is his third passion after food and orchids. He works in an office in his house and almost never leaves home, even to pursue the detective work that finances his expensive lifestyle. Instead, his leg work is done by another live-in employee, Archie Goodwin. While both Wolfe and Goodwin are licensed detectives, Goodwin is more of the classic fictional gumshoe, tough, wise-cracking, and skirt-chasing. He tells the stories in a breezy first-person narrative that is semi-hard-boiled in style.

THIS EPISODE:

April 6, 1951. NBC network. "A Slight Case Of Perjury". Sustaining. An attempt is made on the life of Tom Wilcox, just after Wilcox is acquitted of the murder of Keith Hanson. Part of the final promotional announcement and the system cue have been deleted. Sydney Greenstreet, Rex Stout (creator), Gladys Williams (writer), J. Donald Wilson (producer, director), Harry Bartell, William Johnstone, Don Stanley (announcer), Edwin Fadiman (producer), Mary Lansing, Jeanne Bates, Barney Phillips, Paul Marion, Ken Peters. 29:19.

Men Without Mouths (Aired April 16, 1974)


CBS Radio Mystery Theater - Created by Himan Brown (who had by then become a radio legend due to his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries and other shows dating back to the 1930s), and aired on affiliate stations across the CBS Radio network, the series began its long run on January 6, 1974. The final episode ran on December 31, 1982. A host of prominent actors from radio and screen performed on the series, including Agnes Moorehead, Joan Hackett, Mercedes McCambridge, Morey Amsterdam, Roy Thinnes, Keir Dullea, Fred Gwynne, Richard Crenna, Kim Hunter, Larry Haines, Morgan Fairchild, John Lithgow, and even a very young Sarah Jessica Parker. Actors were paid union scale at around $73.92 per show. Writers earned a flat rate of $350.00 per show. The production took place with assembly-line precision. Brown would meet with actors at 9:00 AM for the first reading of the script. He would then assign roles and recording would begin. By noon the recording of the actors was complete and Brown handed everyone their checks. Post-production would take place in the afternoon. In 1975, CBSRMT won the prestigious Peabody Award, and in 1990 it was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. In 1998, the still-active Brown attempted a brief revival of the series, rebroadcasting selected old episodes with his own introductions replacing Marshall's.

THIS EPISODE:

April 16, 1974. Program #75. CBS network. "Men Without Mouths". Sponsored by: Kellogg's, 7-Up, Budweiser. Dan Ocko, E. G. Marshall (host), Henry Slesar (writer), Ira Lewis, Joe Silver, Patricia Elliot. 52 minutes.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - Lefty Slaughter (1950)


Chad Remington, played by Jeff Chandler for the first 23 shows, was a two fisted lawyer in the town of Dos Rios. Chad's sidekick, Cherokee O'Bannon, played by Wade Crosby, who performed his role in a WC Fields dialect. Mr. Chandler remained in the lead role for the first 23 shows and was replaced by Reed Hadley who played Remington until the end of the series. FRONTIER TOWN was a syndicated Western that ran through the 1952-1953 season.

THIS EPISODE:

Program #5. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. Commercials added locally. Lefty Slaughter is trying to take over the town by killing the storekeeper and calling all debts. The date is approximate. Jeff Chandler, Wade Crosby, Bob Mitchell (organist), Ivan Ditmars (possible organist), Bill Forman (announcer), Paul Franklin (writer, director). 25 minutes.

The Embassy (Aired June 3, 1950)


Dimension X was first heard on NBC April 8, 1950, and ran until September 29, 1951. Strange that so little good science fiction came out of radio; they seem ideally compatible, both relying heavily on imagination. Some fine isolated science fiction stories were developed on the great anthology shows, Suspense and Escape. But until the premiere of Dimension X -- a full two decades after network radio was established -- there were no major science fiction series of broad appeal to adults. This show dramatized the work of such young writers as Ray Bradbury, Robert (Psycho) Bloch, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Kurt Vonnegut.

THIS EPISODE:

June 3, 1950. NBC network. "The Embassy". Sustaining. A strange man hires a private detective to find the Martian Embassy, which is hidden somewhere in New York. Joe DeSantis (?), Don Abbott (engineer), Albert Buhrman (music), Donald Wollheim (author), George Lefferts (adaptor), Joseph Julian, Berry Kroeger, Van Woodward (producer), Norman Rose (host), Edward King (director), Bob Warren (announcer), Dan Ocko, John McGovern, Elaine Rost, Bryna Raeburn, Joseph Boland. 1/2 hour.

Nothing Behind The Door (Aired June 6, 1947)


Considered by many to be the best horror / science fiction series ever on radio, Quiet Please came from the pen of Lights Out creator Willis Cooper. Every episode was written in first person and starred the incredibly versatile Ernest Chappell. The shows range from deeply personal human interest shows to some of the most original horror / science fiction stories ever written.

THIS EPISODE:

June 8, 1947. Mutual network. "Nothing Behind The Door". Sustaining. The first show of the series. What's in the strange house next to the Mount Wilson observatory? When the man says "nothing," he really means it! Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Ernest Chappell ("the man who spoke to you"), Martin Lawrence, James Van Dyke, Pat O'Malley, Gene Paratzo (composer, conductor). 29:36.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Six Shooter" - Trail To Sunset (Aired January 31, 1954)


The Six Shooter brought James Stewart to the NBC microphone on September 20, 1953, in a fine series of folksy Western adventures. Stewart was never better on the air than in this drama of Britt Ponset, frontier drifter created by Frank Burt. The epigraph set it up nicely: "The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged: his skin is sun dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl. People call them both The Six Shooter." Ponset was a wanderer, an easy-going gentleman and -- when he had to be -- a gunfighter. Stewart was right in character as the slow-talking maverick who usually blundered into other people's troubles and sometimes shot his way out. His experiences were broad, but The Six Shooter leaned more to comedy than other shows of its kind. Ponset took time out to play Hamlet with a crude road company. He ran for mayor and sheriff of the same town at the same time. He became involved in a delighful Western version of Cinderella, complete with grouchy stepmother, ugly sisters, and a shoe that didn't fit. And at Christmas he told a young runaway the story of A Christmas Carol, Substituting the original Dickens characters with Western heavies. Britt even had time to fall in love, but it was the age-old story of people from different worlds, and the romance was foredoomed despite their valiant efforts to save it. So we got a cowboy-into-the-sunset ending for this series, truly one of the bright spots of radio. Unfortunately, it came too late, and lasted only one season. It was a transcribed show, sustained by NBC and directed by Jack Johnstone. Basil Adlam provided the music and Frank Burt wrote the scripts. Hal Gibney announced. Information from John Dunning’s "Tune In Yesterday The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio".

THIS EPISODE:

January 31, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Britt shoots Ace Tressler when Ace tries to steal Britt's horse. Britt promises him that he'll get medical treatment for Ace and not let him get lynched. Jimmy Stewart, Basil Adlam (music), Jack Johnstone (director), Frank Burt (creator, writer), Howard McNear, Robert Griffin, Forrest Lewis, John Wald (announcer), Harry Bartell, Lamont Johnson. 29:27.

Phyllis Adrian Is Missing (Aired June 29, 1947)


Rogue's Gallery came to the Mutual network on September 27, 1945 with Dick Powell portraying Richard Rogue, a private detective who invariably ended up getting knocked out each week and spending his dream time in acerbic conversation with his subconscious self, Eugor. Rogue's Gallery was, in a sense, Dick Powell's rehearsal for Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Powell played private detective Richard Rogue, who trailed luscious blondes, protected witness, and did whatever else detectives do to make a living. It was a good series, though not destined to make much of a mark. Under the capable direction of Dee Englebach and accompanied by the music of Leith Stevens, Powell floated through his lines with the help of such competents as Lou Merrill, Gerald Mohr, Gloria Blondell, Tony Barrett, and Lurene Tuttle. Peter Leeds played Rogue's friend Eugor, an obscure play on names with Eugor spelling Rogue backwards. The gimmick in Rogue's Gallery was the presence of an alter ego, "Eugor," who arrived in the middle of the show to give Rogue enough information for his final deduction. Eugor was a state of mind, achieved when Rogue was knocked unconcious. During the summer of 1946, the show was billed as Bandwagon Mysteries, with a tip of the hat to the sponsor. In the summer of 1947, it was again revived on NBC Sundays for Fitch, with Barry Sullivan in the title role. In 1950 the character again turned up in a two-year sustainer on the ABC Wednesday-night schedule. Chester Morris played the lead. Chester Morris was the original Boston Blackie. (From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group)

THIS EPISODE:

June 29, 1947. NBC network, KFI, Los Angeles aircheck. Sponsored by: Fitch's Shampoo, Quinoil Hair Tonic, Fitch's Skin Pep After Shave. "Bullet" ball point pen premium (made from a genuine .30 caliber bullet). Richard Rogue is hired by Howard Adrian to find his missing wife Phyllis. Barry Sullivan, Peter Leeds, Gerald Mohr, Lurene Tuttle, Edwin Max, Charles Vanda (producer, director), Jim Doyle (announcer), Doug Hayes (writer). 29:35.

Too Many Husbands (Aired February 16, 1954)


"Rocky Fortune" about a wanderer that took odd jobs to support himself and never stayed in one place too long. He almost always seemed to meet beautiful women along with trouble. Sinatra was good and was proving to Hollywood that he could do serious work. When casting began for the movie "From Here To Eternity", Frank campaigned tirelessly for a part and because of that and a good word put in for him by Gardner, who he was now separated from, he won a part that would mark his return to Hollywood. Sadly for us, it also meant he didn't have time to do radio and "Rocky Fortune" was rather short lived, although it was popular. It only ran from 1953 - 1954, but" It was a very good year".

THIS EPISODE:

February 16, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Fine cops and robbers with Frank in a straight non-singing role. Well written and fine Sinatra. A case of Too Many Husbands after Rocky is hired by a beautiful woman to kill her husband...for $5000! Frank Sinatra, Betty Lou Gerson, Barney Phillips, Norm Sickle (writer), Andrew C. Love (director), John Stevenson, Maurice Hart. 24:44.

Episode-10 "Billy And Jane Are On-board A Ship" and Episode-11 "3D Dantro" 1950


Produced in about 1950 by Palladium Radio Productions, "The Planet Man" is the golly-gee-whillikers saga of Dantro, an intergalactic troubleshooter for an organization known as the League of Planets - "the law enforcement body for peace and justice in the celestial world." (Think of him as an outer-space version of Marshal Matt Dillon - "It's a chancy job, and it makes a [planet] man watchful...") With their center of operations situated on Planeria Rex, "the capital of the planets," the League sends their water-carrier Dantro out into the celestial world to maintain law and order "whenever danger threatens the universe." Dantro is assisted in his quest for law-and-order by the members of Earth's first rocket expedition: Dr. John Darrow, his daughter Pat, and engineer Slats, who are rescued by the Planet Man before their rocket comes perilously close to crashing into the moon. (The explanation for this is that Darrow and crew took on a pair of stowaways before blast-off, namely his nephew Billy and niece Jane - which makes a listener wonder why the heck they weren't in school.) These five individuals join forces with the Planet Man to defeat evildoers like Marston, the ruler of Mars who possesses an insatiable appetite for interplanetary domination. Background on "The Planet Man" is sketchy at best - even with the original disks close at hand.

TODAYS SHOW: Episode-10 "Billy And Jane Are On-board A Ship" and Episode-11 "3D Dantro"

Program #10. Palladium Radio Productions syndication. Commercials added locally. Not auditioned. Pat finds a hidden room filled with ancient Martian machines. A Martian scout ship taking off comes to the attention of Martson. Billy and Jane are on board. The interplanetary war is about to begin. Phil Tonken (announcer), Jon Gart (organ), Joseph Boland (on those programs featuring the robot). 11:21.

Program #11. Palladium Radio Productions syndication. Commercials added locally. Not auditioned. Billy and Jane are still heading away from Mars. An three-dimensional image of Dantro (a hologram) appears inside the ship, ready to help fight the Martians. Phil Tonken (announcer), Jon Gart (organ), Joseph Boland (on those programs featuring the robot). 11:26.

Kidnap (Aired November 11, 1954)


Nightwatch. Real police recordings, no actors are used. Car 54 and police reporter Donn Reed answer the first all, a Code 2 alert that a burglary is taking place. A woman is pushed in the bathroom by an alcoholic young man wearing a tie. He's captured in another house...wearing no clothes! A patrol through Culver City. Later, two witnesses to a homicide are interviewed. The suspect is captured and confesses on the air. Chief W. N. Hildebrand tells how the cases were resolved. Sterling Tracy (supervisor), Donn Reed (police reporter), W. N. Hildebrand. These are examples of this "real-time" action series.

THIS EPISODE:

November 11, 1954. CBS network. Sustaining. "Kidnap" - The first call is about a juvenile "blowing his top" on marijuana. A kidnap case follows. Donn Reed (police recorder), W. N. Hildebrand (Chief of Police), Sterling Tracy (producer, director), Jim Headlock (producer), Ron Perkins (technical advisor). 24:59.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone" - Heritage (Aired May 11, 1958)


CBS started the year 1958 off with the introduction on 01/29/58 of Frontier Gentleman. That series lasted 41 broadcasts. Near the end of the year, the network launched Have Gun, Will Travel on 11/23/58, which continued for 106 programs. In between, a very short series was offered and discontinued after only 16 broadcasts, Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone. Sam Buffington starred as Luke Slaughter, a Civil War cavalryman who turned to cattle ranching in post war Arizona territory near Fort Huachuca. William N. Robson,known from his work with such series as ESCAPE, SUSPENSE and THE CBS RADIO WORKSHOP, directed. Sam Buffington enacted the title role on Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, another of CBS's prestigious adult Westerns. The series was produced and directed by William N. Robson, one of radio's greatest dramatic directors and Robert Stanley producer was aired from February 23 through June 15, 1958. Buffington portrayed the hard-boiled cattleman with scripts overseen by Gunsmoke sound effects artist (and sometimes scriptwriter) Tom Hanley. Each program had an authoritative opening statement: "Slaughter's my name, Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business, it's a big business. I got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to take it away from me." Junius Matthews was heard as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita.

THIS EPISODE:

May 11, 1958. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Bringing renegade Apaches to town to be hanged, Luke and Wichita see a peaceful Mormon gun down a man in cold blood. Sam Buffington, Vic Perrin, Karl Swenson, William N. Robson (director), Wilbur Hatch (composer, conductor). 25 minutes.

It's All Relative (Aired February 23, 1948)


My Friend Irma, created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard, was a top-rated, long-run radio situation comedy, so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films and television, while Howard scored with another radio comedy hit, Life with Luigi. Dependable and level-headed Jane Stacy (Cathy Lewis) narrated the misadventures of her innocent and bewildered roommate, Irma Peterson (Marie Wilson), a dim-bulb stenographer. Wilson portrayed the character on radio, in two films and a TV series. The successful radio series with Marie Wilson ran on CBS Radio from April 11, 1947 to August 23, 1954. The TV version, seen on CBS from January 8, 1952 until June 25, 1954, was the first series telecast from the CBS Television City facility in Hollywood. The movie My Friend Irma (1949) starred Marie Wilson and Diana Lynn but is mainly remembered today for introducing Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to moviegoers, resulting in even more screen time for Martin and Lewis in the sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950).

Obscene Phone Calls (Aired October 22, 1952)


The Lineup is a realistic police drama that gives radio audiences a look behind the scenes at police headquarters. Bill Johnstone plays Lt. Ben Guthrie, a quiet, calm-as-a-cupcake cucumber. Joseph Kearns (and from 1951 to 1953, Matt Maher) plays Sgt. Matt Grebb, a hot-tempered hot plate who is easily bored. The director and script writer often rode with police on the job and sat in on the police lineups to get ideas for The Lineup. They also read dozens of newspapers daily and intermeshed real stories with those that they used in the show. With Dragnet a smash hit, realism in police dramas was popular at the time this show aired. Don’t be caught without this radio show in your collection!

THIS EPISODE:

October 22, 1952. CBS network. "The Cutie-Calling Culprit Case". Sustaining. model victims...obscene phone call. William Johnstone. Jack Moyles, William J. Radcliff (writer), Dan Cubberly (announcer), Eddie Dunstedter (music), Hy Averback, Howard McNear, Peter Leeds, Tony Barrett, Sidney Miller, John McIntire, Jeanette Nolan, Jaime del Valle (producer, director).

Riley Meets Clem Kadiddlehopper (Aired September 3, 1948)


The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, was a popular radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film and continued as a long-running television series during the 1950s. The show began as a proposed Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family, but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian. Then producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab company owner Tim McGuerin in the movie The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942). The Flotsam Family was reworked with Bendix cast as blundering Chester A. Riley, riveter at a California aircraft plant, and his frequent exclamation of indignation---"What a revoltin' development this is!"---became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker."Beginning October 4, 1949, the show was adapted for television for the DuMont Television Network, but Bendix's film contracts prevented him from appearing in the role. Instead, Jackie Gleason starred along with Rosemary DeCamp as wife Peg, Gloria Winters as daughter Barbara (Babs), Lanny Rees as son Chester Jr. (Junior), and Sid Tomack as Gillis, Riley's manipulative best buddy and next-door neighbor. John Brown returned as the morbid counseling undertaker Digby (Digger) O'Dell ("Well, I guess I'll be... shoveling off"; "Business is a little dead tonight"). Television's first Life of Riley won television's first Emmy (for "Best Film Made For and Shown on Television").

THIS EPISODE:

September 3, 1948. NBC network. Commercials deleted. Riley spoils Babs' romance by hiding in the closet, so he sets her up with a new boy...Clem Kadiddlehopper. William Bendix, Irving Brecher (producer), Ken Niles (announcer), Paula Winslowe, Barbara Eiler, Red Skelton, John Brown. 26:26.

Knock On Wood (Aired January 22, 1951)


Bob Bailey played George Valentine as a detective handy man, who got his jobs from responses to a newspaper ad. Part-time detective and writer Dan Holiday in Box 13 also used the premise. It pays to advertise! The shows follow the usual formats of crime caper shows, with toughs, mysterious rendezvous and people who aren't who they say they are. Network was Mutual. Sponsor was Standard Oil. STARS:Bob Bailey,Eddie Firestone jr, Francis Robinson, Joe Kearn: Producer, Owen Vinson WRITER: Polly Hopkins MUSIC: Eddie Dunstedter.

THIS EPISODE:

January 22, 1951. Mutual-Don Lee network. "Knock On Wood". Sponsored by: Standard Oil. Ken Peters substitutes for Bob Bailey (who was out sick) in the lead. A landlord asks George Valentine for help with a problem tenant. Murder soon takes out a lease. A second murder by electrocution takes place soon after! By the time the third murder takes place, even George is ready to knock on wood! Ken Peters, Virginia Gregg, Ken Christy, Howard McNear, John McIntire, Jeanette Nolan, Joseph Du Val, Fred Howard, Bud Hiestand (announcer), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, conductor), Don Clark (director), David Victor (writer), Jackson Gillis (writer). 29:38.

Violence Preferred (Aired September 10, 1952)


I Was a Communist for the FBI was an American espionage thriller radio series with 78 episodes syndicated by Ziv to more than 600 stations in 1952-54. Made without FBI cooperation, the series was adapted from the book by undercover agent Matt Cvetic, who was portrayed by Dana Andrews.The series was crafted to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is very jingoistic and ultra-patriotic. Communists are evil incarnate and the FBI can do no wrong. As a relic of the Joe McCarthy era, this show is a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare.

THIS EPISODE:

September 10, 1952. Program #21. ZIV Syndication. "Violence Preferred". Commercials added locally. When the Party orders all incriminating papers destroyed, Cvetic tries to get them to the FBI first. A hat-check girl provides unintentional help. The date is subject to correction. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer), Olan Soule, Parley Baer. 27:36.

Eddie Gray's Wedding (Aired March 7, 1951)


The Halls of Ivy was an NBC radio sitcom that ran from 1950-1952. It was created by Fibber McGee & Molly co-creator/writer Don Quinn before being adapted into a CBS television comedy (1954-55) produced by ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America. Quinn developed the show after he had decided to leave Fibber McGee & Molly. The audition program featured radio veteran Gale Gordon (then co-starring in Our Miss Brooks) and Edna Best in the roles that ultimately went to British husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman and Benita Hume. The Colmans had shown a flair for radio comedy in recurring roles on The Jack Benny Program in the late 1940s, and they landed the title roles in the new show. The Halls of Ivy featured Colman as William Todhunter Hall, the president of small, Midwestern Ivy College, and his wife, Victoria, a former British musical comedy star who sometimes felt the tug of her former profession, and followed their interactions with students, friends and college trustees. Others in the cast included Herbert Butterfield as testy Clarence Wellman, Willard Waterman (then starring as Harold Peary's successor as The Great Gildersleeve) as John Merriweather, and Elizabeth Patterson and Gloria Gordon as the Halls' maid.

Berkeley Square (Aired March 3, 1949)


THE HALLMARK PLAYHOUSE was heard over CBS stations Thursday evenings. This drama anthology of 30-minute shows was sponsored by, of course, Hallmark Greeting Cards. It was preceded by the RADIO READER'S DIGEST, which ran from September 13, 1942 thorugh June 3, 1948. Hallmark sponsored the RADIO READER'S DIGEST from January 13, 1946 to it's end. On Feb. 8, 1953, the series name and format was changed. It was now called THE HALLMARK HALL OF FAME and presented biographal sketches of famous persons, past and present. The new format was used until the end of the 1955 season. The exception to the new format was the broadcast each Christmas season of "A Christmas Carol". Like other dramatic series of this time, this one made use of major screen actors in the productions. James Hilton, author of "Random Harvest", "Lost Horizon" and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" plus others, served as host and Narrator. Dee Engelbach produced and directed the shows. Jean Holloway was the writer. Sound Effects were by Harry Essman and Gene Twombly. Musical conductor was Lyn Murray. The show's theme was "Dream of Olwne" by Charles Williams.

THIS EPISODE:

March 3, 1949. CBS network. "Berkeley Square". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. British time-travel story about a love that transcends the centuries. David Niven, Lurene Tuttle, Frances Robinson, James Hilton (host), Jean Holloway (adaptor), John Balderston (author). 1/2 hour.

Jewelry Store Robbery (December 12, 1939)


Fibber McGee and Molly premiered in 1935. The program struggled in the ratings until 1940, when it became a national sensation. Within three years, it was the top-rated program in America. Few radio shows were more beloved than Fibber McGee and Molly. The program’s lovable characters included Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, Mrs. Uppington, Wallace Wimple, Alice Darling, Gildersleeve, Beulah, Myrt, and the Old Timer. 79 Wistful Vista was one of America’s most famous addresses and Molly’s warning to Fibber not to open the hall closet door (and his subsequent decision to do it) created one of radio’s best remembered running gags that audiences expected each week. Jim Jordan (Fibber) was born on a farm on November 16, 1896, near Peoria, Illinois. Marian Driscoll (Molly), a coal miner’s daughter, was born in Peoria on November 15, 1898. After years of hardship and touring in obscurity on the small-time show biz circuit, they arrived in Chicago in 1924, where they eventually performed on thousands of shows and developed 145 different voices and characters. Broadcast to the nation from WMAQ/Chicago, the show entertained America until March 1956, and continued on NBC’s Monitor until 1959. Jim Jordan died on April 1, 1988. Marian Jordan died on April 7, 1961. Fibber McGee and Molly was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989. First Broadcast date April 16, 1935. Last Broadcast date September 6, 1959.

THIS EPISODE:

December 12, 1939. NBC network. Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. Fibber the detective recovers a missing necklace after a jewelry store robbery. Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan, Harlow Wilcox, Billy Mills and His Orchestra, Bill Thompson, Isabel Randolph, Jimmy Shields. 29:06.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Fighters" - Program 28 "The Hero Of Fort Kearney" and Program 29 "Oklahoma Land Rush" (1935)



FRONTIER FIGHTERS This is not your typical western drama -- it is a series that will transport you back in time to the days of the wild, unsettled west. Retrace the steps of heroes who, despite the odds, fought and conquered the West. Frontier Fighters was a syndicated series that ran sometime during the 1930s. Each show dealt with some bit of history about the early West and ran for approximately 15 minutes.

TODAY'S SHOW:

Program #28. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "The Hero Of Fort Kearney". Music fill for local commercial insert. Because of the bravery of John Phillips, a fort on the Bozeman Trail was saved from the Indians. Originally syndicated by Radio Transcription Company Of America (Transco. 14:49

Program #29. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "Oklahoma Land Rush". Music fill for local commercial insert. The Federal government ignores its promise to the Indians and opens the Indian Territory to settlers. Originally syndicated by Radio Transcription Of America (Transco). 14:43

Will You Make A Bet With Death (Aired November 10,1942)


Suspense was one of the premier programs of the Golden Age of Radio (aka old-time radio), and advertised itself as "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." It was heard in one form or another from 1942 through 1962. There were approximately 945 episodes broadcast during its long run, over 900 of which are extant in mostly high-quality recordings. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors and director/producers. There were a few rules which were followed for all but a handful of episodes: Protagonists were usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation. Evildoers must be punished in the end.

THIS EPISODE:

November 10, 1942. CBS network. "Will You Make A Bet With Death?". Sustaining. A great, suspenseful story about a man who matches his life against his evil stepfather for $25,000. Ted de Corsia, Michael Fitzmaurice, Nicholas Joy, Lesley Woods, John Dickson Carr (writer), William Spier (producer), Marx B. Loeb (director), Joseph Kearns (announcer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor). 1/2 hour.

Magic Town (Aired January 6, 1950)


Screen Director's Playhouse - From 01/09/49 to 09/28/51 this series was greatly enjoyed by the radio listening audience. It opened as NBC Theater and was also known as The Screen Director’s Guild and The Screen Director’s Assignment. But most people remember it simply as Screen Director’s Playhouse. Many of the Hollywood elite were heard recreating their screen roles over the radio. John Wayne in his rare radio appearances, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Lucille Ball, Claire Trevor, Tallulah Bankhead and many others were on the air week after week during these broadcasts. Many of Hollywood’s directors were also heard in the recreation of their movies. The President of the Screen Director’s Guild appeared on 02/13/49, and Violinist Isaac Stern supplied the music for the 04/19/51 broadcast.

THIS EPISODE:
January 6, 1950. NBC network. "Magic Town". Sponsored by: RCA. A pollster finds the perfectly average American city, and moves in to take advantage of it. Edward Marr, George Marshall, Hans Conried, Jerry Hausner, Jimmy Stewart, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Sam Hayes, Virginia Gregg. 1/2 hour.

Rip Smith's opinion-poll business is a failure...until he discovers that the small town of Grandview is statistically identical to the entire country. He and his assistants go there to run polls cheaply and easily, in total secrecy (it would be fatal to let the townsfolk get self-conscious). And of course, civic crusader Mary Peterman must be kept from changing things too much. But romantic involvement with Mary complicates life for Rip; then suddenly everything changes... Written by Rod Crawford {puffinus@u.washington.edu}

Adventure In Mormon Country (Aired October 23, 1949)


The Adventures of Frank Race, by Bruce Ells Productions, was first heard in May of 1949. The main character, Frank Race, was an attorney before World War II. As a result of his activities in the war, when it was over, he traded his law books for a career with the OSS. There, "Adventure" became his business. Tom Collins played the role of Frank Race initially, immediately following his stint as Chandu, The Magician. The lead role was taken over later by Paul Dubof.

THIS EPISODE:

November 1, 1949. Program #27. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Mormon Country". Commercials added locally. A wealthy playboy named Sonny Krueger has been kidnapped and held for $50,000 ransom. Paul Dubov, Tony Barrett, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (producer), Ivan Ditmars (organist), Michael Roy (announcer), Wilms Herbert, Bert Holland, William Johnstone, Michael Ann Barrett, Inga Yolis. 26:44.

The Cash Register (11-05-46) and Uncle Sam's Attic 11-12-46)



Adventures In Research - Public service production by the Westinghouse Research Labs. The series is very informative and entertaining. Series ran from the early 1940's -mid 1950's. HOST: Paul Shannon.

TODAY'S SHOW:

Program #198. November 5, 1946 - Westinghouse syndication. "The Cash Register". Sustaining. How the device was invented and marketed. 15 minutes.

Program #199. November 12, 1946 - Westinghouse syndication. "Uncle Sam's Attic". Sustaining. The story of the Smithsonian Institution. . 15 minutes.

The Museum (Aired February 23, 1955)


21ST PRECINCT was one of the realistic police drama series of the early- to mid-1950's that were aired in the wake of DRAGNET. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to-day operation of a single police precinct. Actual cases were used as the basis for stories. The Precinct Captain acted as the narrator for the series.The official title of the series according to the series scripts and the CBS series promotional materials was 21ST PRECINCT and not TWENTY-FIRST PRECINCT or TWENTY FIRST PRECINCT which appears in many Old-Time Radio books. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to-day operations of a single police precinct. Actual cases would be used as the basis for stories. It was mentioned in each episode's closing by the announcer that, "Twenty-firstPrecinct is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association an organization of more than 20,000 members of the Police Department, City of New York."

THIS EPISODE:

21st Precinct. February 23, 1955. CBS network. Sustaining. Joe Cready, a young burglar tries to tip off the cops about an upcoming homicide. Everett Sloane, Stanley Niss (writer, producer, director). 1/2 hour.

Little White Pill (Aired May 31, 1950)


This thirty-minute international spy adventure featured Steve Mitchell (Brian Donlevy), and investigator of crimes in exotic locations. 60 episodes. Herb Butterfield played the Commissioner and Betty Moran was the Commissioner's secretary. Other cast members were GeGe Pearson, Ken Peters, Betty Lou Gerson, Dan O’Herlihy. The director was Bill Cairn and the writer for the series was Robert Ryf. The opening was the same every week “Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing though, trouble.” He would be summoned to his boss’s office where he would be given his assignment; he would then fly halfway across the globe to save the day! The worldwide locations are dealt up with a feeling of local, and the characters that inhabit these far-away places with strange sounding names are solid and capably acted by veterans. Music is an almost harsh orchestra. Donlevy carries the plots with a world-weary and wary tone that makes sense, based on his occupation.

Second Hand Pistols (Aired May 22, 1950)


Crime Does Not Pay was an anthology radio crime drama series based on MGM's short film series. The films began in 1935 with Crime Does Not Pay: Buried Loot. For the most part, actors who appeared in B-films were featured, but occasionally, one of MGM's major stars would make an appearance. The radio series aired in New York on WMGM (October 10, 1949-October 10, 1951) and then moved to the Mutual network (January 7-December 22, 1952). Actors included Bela Lugosi, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, John Loder and Lionel Stander.

THIS EPISODE:

May 22, 1950. Program #33. MGM syndication. "The Second Hand Pistols". Commercials added locally. An impoverished couple pawn their last possession to buy two pistols in order to start a life of crime. A well written story. After the drama, Nancy Coleman says that it's Society's fault that the good parents in the story entered a life of crime. The date above is the date of the first broadcast on WMGM, New York, from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Nancy Coleman, John Gibson, Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Marx B. Loeb (producer, director), Ira Marion (writer), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor). 26:49.

Guest Rudy Vallee (Aired February 15, 1945)


The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical interludes (usually, by singers such as Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbrook, Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott & Costello's mishaps (and often fuming in character as Costello insulted his on-air wife routinely); he was succeeded by Michael Roy, with annoncing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. The show went through several orchestras during its radio life, including those of Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Jack Meaking, Will Osborne, Freddie Rich, Leith Stevens, and Peter van Steeden. The show's writers included Howard Harris, Hal Fimberg, Parke Levy, Don Prindle, Ed Cherokee, Len Stern, Martin Ragaway, Paul Conlan, and Ed Forman, as well as producer Martin Gosch. Sound effects were handled mostly by Floyd Caton. Abbott and Costello moved the show to ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) five years after they premiered on NBC. During their ABC period they also hosted a 30-minute children's radio program(The Abbott and Costello Children's Show), which aired Saturday mornings with vocalist Anna Mae Slaughter and announcer Johnny McGovern.

THIS EPISODE:

February 15, 1945. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. The cast does, Jack and The Beanstalk, with Rudy Valle monopolizing most of the lines. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Rudy Vallee, Freddie Rich and His Orchestra, Connie Haines (vocal), Artie Auerbach. 1/2 hour.

Salute To Horse Racing (Aired March 30, 1948)


In 1934-36, Berle was heard regularly on The Rudy Vallee Hour, and he got much publicity as a regular on The Gillette Original Community Sing, a Sunday night comedy-variety program broadcast on CBS from September 6, 1936 to August 29, 1937. In 1939, he was the host of Stop Me If You've Heard This One with panelists spontaneously finishing jokes sent in by listeners. Three Ring Time, a comedy-variety show sponsored by Ballantine Ale was followed by a 1943 program sponsored by Campbell's Soups. The audience participation show Let Yourself Go (1944-45) could best be described as slapstick radio with studio audience members acting out long suppressed urges (often directed at host Berle). Kiss and Make Up, on CBS in 1946, featured the problems of contestants decided by a jury from the studio audience with Berle as the Judge. He also made guest appearances on many comedy-variety radio programs during the 1930s and 1940s. Scripted by Hal Block and Martin Ragaway, The Milton Berle Show brought Berle together with Arnold Stang, later a familiar face as Berle's TV sidekick. Others in the cast were Pert Kelton, Mary Schipp, Jack Albertson, Arthur Q. Bryan, Ed Begley, vocalist Dick Forney and announcer Frank Gallop. The Ray Bloch Orchestra provided the music for the series.

THIS EPISODE:

March 30, 1948. NBC network. Sponsored by: Philip Morris. A salute to horse racing. Frank Gallop (announcer), Milton Berle, Ray Bloch and His Orchestra. 1/2 hour.

The Johnny Hill Case (Aired November 10, 1950)


Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

THIS EPISODE:

November 10, 1950. CBS network. Sustaining. Johnny Hill, "King of the Chicago Hoodlums," is found murdered in a cheap hotel. Nick Joiner, his bodyguard, is then found dead in the same hotel. Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Howard McNear, Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Jack Kruschen, GeGe Pearson, Dan Cubberly (announcer), Marlowe Dwyer, Adrian Marden, Lou Merrill. 29:41.

Death Strikes From The East (Aired June 5, 1940) 2 Parts - Complete


The Blue Beetle had a relatively short career on the radio, between May and September of 1940. Motion picture and radio actor Frank Lovejoy was the Blue Beetle for the first 13 episodes, while for the rest of the shows, the voice was provided by a different, uncredited actor. The Blue Beetle was a young police officer who saw the need for extra-ordinary crime fighting. He took the task on himself by secretly donning a superhero costume to create fear in the criminals who were to learn to fear the Blue Beetle's wrath. The 13-minute segments were usually only two-parters, so the stories were often more simple than other popular programs, such as the many-parted Superman radio show.

TODAY'S SHOW:

June 5, 1940. Program #13 and Program #14. Fox Features syndication. . Commercials added locally. Tong Wars are being waged in Chinatown. The Blue Beetle looks toward the Orient to battle "The Purple Dragon." Commissioner Warren's daughter has been kidnapped. The "Purple Dragon" hosts a Chinese drama, with a human sacrifice for an encore!. 28:37.

Murder At Dandy's Dream (Aired September 14, 1944)


Adventures of Leonidas Witherall was a radio mystery series broadcast on Mutual in the mid-1940s. Based on the novels of Phoebe Atwood Taylor (writing as Alice Tilton), the 30-minute dramas were produced by Roger Bower and starred Walter Hampden as Leonidas Witherall, a New England boys' school instructor in Dalton, Massachusetts, a fictional Boston suburb. Witherall, who resembled William Shakespeare, is an amateur detective and the accomplished author of the "popular Lieutenant Hazeltine stories." His housekeeper Mrs. Mollett was played by Ethel Remey (1895-1979) and Jack MacBryde appeared as Police Sgt. McCloud. The announcer was Carl Caruso. Milton Kane supplied the music. The series began June 4, 1944 and continued until May 6, 1945.

Ted Powell & His Orchestra (Aired October 9, 2009)


For a brief period in 1939, Teddy Powell led one of the top big bands in jazz. With an ensemble full of top musicians, Powell had a very successful six-week run at the Famous Door in New York. Powell bragged that he had done in a short time what it taken Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey years to accomplish. But once he took his band on the road, the lack of name recognition resulted in small crowds, money began to be lost and the more notable sidemen left for other lucrative jobs. The fantasy was quickly over! Teddy Powell began playing violin when he was eight, picked up the banjo when he was 14 and led his first band the following year. Powell worked locally with Lou Singer and Ray West (1927) before joining Abe Lyman's Orchestra where he remained until 1934. Powell worked with Lyman on the business side of the music business through 1938, organizing radio bands. In late 1938, Powell put together his own big band and after its initial success and difficulties on the road, the Teddy Powell Orchestra managed to survive as a second-level band for several years.

The Planet Zevius (Aired May 1, 1951)


Written and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Kogan, the series began on the Mutual Broadcasting System, December 5, 1943, continuing in many different timeslots until September 16, 1952. Unlike many other shows of the era, The Mysterious Traveler was without a sponsor for its entire run. The lonely sound of a distant locomotive heralded the arrival of the malevolent narrator, portrayed by Maurice Tarplin, who introduced himself each week in the following manner. This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable -- if you can! Cast members included Jackson Beck, Lon Clark, Roger DeKoven, Elspeth Eric, Wendell Holmes, Bill Johnstone, Joseph Julian, Jan Miner, Santos Ortega, Bryna Raeburn, Frank Readick, Ann Shepherd, Lawson Zerbe and Bill Zuckert. Sound effects were by Jack Amrhein, Jim Goode, Ron Harper, Walt McDonough and Al Schaffer. "Behind the Locked Door," a popular episode which took place in total darkness, was much requested and was repeated several times during the years. The story involves two archaeologists who discover an old wagon train abandoned over one hundred years ago in an old cave. After a landslide traps them in the darkness, they are attacked by apparently human assailants and conclude that the descendants of the wagon train are still living in the cave.

THIS EPISODE:

May 1, 1951. Mutual network. "The Planet Zevius". Sustaining. The ITX4, an experimental spaceship, lands on the Planet Zevius, paving the way for a flight by scientists. David Kogan (writer, producer, director), Maurice Tarplin, Robert A. Arthur (writer). 1/2 hour.

Saving The School Newspaper (December 4, 1955)


Our Miss Brooks, an American situation comedy, began as a radio hit in 1948 and migrated to television in 1952, becoming one of the earlier hits of the so-called Golden Age of Television, and making a star out of Eve Arden (1908-1990) as comely, wisecracking, but humane high school English teacher Connie Brooks. The show hooked around Connie's daily relationships with Madison High School students, colleagues, and pompous principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), not to mention favourite student Walter Denton (future television and Rambo co-star Richard Crenna, who fashioned a higher-pitched voice to play the role) and biology teacher Philip Boynton ( Jeff Chandler), the latter Connie's all-but-unrequited love interest, who saw science everywhere and little else anywhere.

THIS EPISODE:

December 4, 1955. CBS network. Sponsored by: Palmolive Soap, Lustre Creme Shampoo, palmolive Shaving Cream. Saving The School Newspaper. The school newspaper is in serious danger of failure. Mrs. Davis comes to the rescue, or does she? Eve Arden, Verne Smith (commercial spokesman), Gloria Gordon, Gerald Mohr, Gloria McMillan, Hal March, Gale Gordon, Jeff Chandler, Richard Crenna, Larry Berns (producer), Al Lewis (writer, director), Wilbur Hatch (music), Bob Lemond (announcer). 29:47.

The Widow Of Wasdale Head (Aired August 25, 1944)


Author’s Playhouse - Famous stories by celebrated authors: among them, Elementals (Stephen Vincent Benet), The Piano (William Saroyan), and The Snow Goose (Paul Gallico).March 5, 1941 till June 4, 1945, NBC;  Blue Network until mid-October 1941, then the Red Network.  Many briefly held 30m timeslots, including Sundays at 11:30, 1941-42;  Wednesdays at 11:30, 1942-44;   Mondays at 11:30, 1944-45.  Sponsor was Philip Morris, 1942-43. Cast:  John Hodiak, Fern Persons, Arthur Kohl, Laurette Fillbrandt, Kathryn Card, Bob Jellison, Nelson Olmsted, Marvin Miller, Olan Soule, Les Tremayne, Clarence Hartzell, Curley Bradley, etc. Orchestra:  Rex Maupin, Roy Shield, J6seph Gallicchio. Creator:  Wynn Wright. Directors:  Norman Felton, Fred Weihe, Homer Heck, etc.

THIS EPISODE:

August 25, 1944. NBC network. "The Widow Of Wasdale Head". Sustaining. A tale of Olde England, a ghost, and a very young and attractive widow. Arthur Wing Pinero (author). 1/2 hour.

Birthday Present (Aired October 12, 1952)


The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy (1939-1953), is remembered first and foremost for its unforgettable introduction: awkward teen Henry's mother calling, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" A top-ten ratings hit within two years of its birth (in 1941, the showm carried a 33.4 Crossley rating, landing it solidly alongside Jack Benny and Bob Hope), the show is considered a prototype for teen-oriented situation comedies to follow on radio and television and is a favourite if dated find for old-time radio collectors today. The Aldrich Family as a separate radio show was born as a summer replacement for Jack Benny in NBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored by General Foods's popular gelatin dessert Jell-O---which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldriches ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved to CBS, running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O,.before moving back to NBC from September 05, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

THIS EPISODE:

October 12, 1952. NBC network. Sustaining. Henry decides to go into business, starting with a flashlight and continuing with a beach umbrella and mayonnaise jars. Is Henry really cut out to be a businessman? The date is approximate. Clifford Goldsmith (writer), House Jameson, Bobby Ellis, Dick Dudley (announcer), Johnny Fiedler, Katharine Raht. 29:21.

Grafter's Fort & Black Pearl Galayla Bay (Aired October 23, 1947)


First heard on Mutual featuring Elliott Lewis, who as Leonard Maltin writes in "The Great American Broadcast, "…wore every hat imaginable-actor, producer, and director-also penned a good number of scripts for series he supervised, including Suspense." And Maltin says of this show, "On the terrific late-1940's high-adventure series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen he held down both jobs simultaneously as director and star." As Maltin continues, “Lewis had the ability to make you believe whatever he said. Cast as the skipper on the high-adventure series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen, he was completely convincing as seagoing ship's master Philip Carney-never corny or overblown." So let a master captain of drama chart a course to exotic ports of call and thrilling adventures. All you have to do is step aboard The Scarlet Queen.

THIS EPISODE:

October 23, 1947. Mutual network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Grafter's Fort and The Black Pearl Of Galayla Bay". What and where is the pearl? Clue: it's a woman, not a jewel! The system cue has been deleted. Elliott Lewis, Edwin Max, Rolfe Sedan, Jack Kruschen, Virginia Gregg, Gil Doud (writer), Robert Tallman (writer), James Burton (producer), Richard Aurandt (music), Charles Arlington (announcer). 29:23.

The Hatpin Case (Aired August 16, 1953)


Richard Diamond, Private Detective was a radio show starring Dick Powell which aired from 1949 to 1953, first on NBC, then ABC and finally on CBS. The title character was a rather light-hearted detective who often ended the episodes singing to his girlfriend, Helen. The television series was produced by Powell's company, Four Star Television, and that series ran for 3 years from 1957 to 1960. On TV, David Janssen played the hard boiled private eye and his secretary renamed “Sam”, was only ever shown on camera from the waist down, most assurardidly to display her beautiful legs. It was later leared that the legs belonged to Mary Tyler Moore. Original music by Frank DeVol and pete rugolo and later by richard shores. Good scripts, a solid cast and Powell’s exceptional talent made a good time 30 minute program that was quite popular during that Golden Age of Radio.

THIS EPISODE:

September 27, 1950. NBC network. "The Hatpin Case". Sponsored by: Rexall. Rick mounts up and rides out to solve a wild west homicide. Clay Baxter hires Diamond to find his brother's killer. The same script was re-used on this series on August 16, 1953. Dick Powell, Barton Yarborough, Blake Edwards (writer), Frank Worth (composer, conductor), Hal March, Arthur Q. Bryan, Wally Maher, Bill Forman (announcer), Jaime del Valle (transcriber), Virginia Gregg, Wilms Herbert. 29:33.

High Hat Murder Case (Aired March 29, 1949)


Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s. Vance, in the original books, is an intellectual so highly refined he seems he might be ghostwritten by P. G. Wodehouse. Take this quote from The Benson Murder Case, 1924, as Vance pontificates in his inimitable way: "That's your fundamental error, don't y' know. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actu'lly at work, is wholly incons'quential." Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. Jose Ferrer played him in 1945. From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. The organist for the show is really working those ivories, and fans of old time radio organ will especially enjoy this series.

THIS EPISODE:

Program #38. ZIV Syndication. "The High Hat Murder Case". Commercials added locally. A plain looking woman predicts that she'll soon be killed and asks Vance not to look for her murderer! Jackson Beck. 26:54.

Miscarriage Of Justice (Aired October 2, 1947)


The adventures of Casey, crack photographer for The Morning Express, were told in this series, which moved to television after a highly successful run on radio in the 1940’s. Casey hung out at the Blue Note Café, where the music was provided by the Tony Mottola Trio, and was friendly with Ethelbert, the bartender, to whom he recounted his various exploits. Richard Carlyle and John Gibson portrayed the roles when the series premiered in April, 1951, but by June they were replaced by Darren McGavin and Cliff Hall. Ann Williams, a reporter on The Morning Express, was Casey’s girlfriend. During the summer of 1951 he acquired a partner in cub reporter Jack Lipman, who wrote copy to go with Casey’s pictures. This live series was set in and broadcast from, New York City.

THIS EPISODE:

October 2, 1947. CBS network. "Miscarriage Of Justice". Sponsored by: Anchor Hocking Glass. A woman has been murdered twice? How can the killer be tried again after being freed the first time? Alonzo Deen Cole (writer), Archie Bleyer (music), Herman Chittison (piano), Jan Miner, Joe DeSantis, John Dietz (director), John Gibson, Santos Ortega, Staats Cotsworth, Tony Marvin (announcer), George Harmon Coxe (creator). 29:55.

Murder My Sweet (Aired June 8, 1946)


Hollywood Star Time CBS FRIGIDAIRE/GENERAL MOTORS Sundays 2:30 - 3:00pm HOST: Herbert Marshall, Larry Keating, Gary Brecker SINGER: Larry Stuart ANNOUNCER: Wendell Niles DIRECTOR: Robert L. Redd PRODUCER: Tom McAvity till 12-21-46 then Jack Johnstone MUSIC: Alfred Newman till 12-21-46 then Johnny Green.

THIS EPISODE:

June 8, 1946. CBS network. "Murder My Sweet". Sponsored by: Frigidaire. Dick Powell's famous first transition from crooner to tough detective. The program may be dated June 9, 1946. The first show of the season. Dick Powell, James Eagles, Lionel Newman (music conductor), Lurene Tuttle, Martha Wentworth, Mary Astor, Mike Mazurki, Milton Geiger (adaptor), Robert L. Redd (writer, producer), Wendell Niles (announcer). 29:50.

The Court-Martial Of Barry McCool (Aired November 7, 1952)


Broadcast 1952; Transcribed in England for the BBC; aired in U.S. on CBS, then again on ABC in 1954 and Mutual in 1957.  Starring Michael Redgrave as Horatio Hornblower. a captain in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic era. The radio series was based on twelve Horatio Hornblower novels written by C.S. Forester. These novels were, and still are, well liked due to their realistic tone and historical accuracy in telling the tales of Naval life in the late 1700s through the mid 1800s. C.S. Forester was well known for his novels about military and naval life, including such fine titles as The African Queen, The Gun, The Barbary Pirates, and The General.

Those Who Walk In Darkness (Aired August 24, 1951)


Have you ever wondered what it might be like inside the mind of a criminal? The stories of Mystery Playhouse (Dark Venture) try to imagine. In this thrilling drama series, you will be drawn in to the murky calculations behind sinister acts. How much money would make stealing worthwhile? If your business partner caught you stealing $50,000 from your company, would he turn you in to the authorities? Would you let yourself be blackmailed? Or, would you let yourself commit another, more serious crime? On the verge of breaking the law, or taking a life, all risks and dangers must be considered. Peter Lorre as host. Each episode was preceded by Lorre's show description.

The Mastermind Murder Case (Aired August 24, 1951)


Another radio detective from the pen of Frank and Ann Hummert was Inspector Thorne. The series was short-lived and also had two stars portraying the lead. The first was Karl Weber and the second was Staats Cotsworth. By the 1940's, Frank and Ann Hummert controlled four and a half hours of national weekday broadcast schedules. Their features reportedly spawned more that 5 million pieces of correspondence annually from steadfast fans. Simultaneously they brought in more than half of the national radio chain's advertising revenues generated during the daylight hours. The couple broadcast 18 quarter-hour serials five times weekly, a total of 90 original episodes for 52 weeks per year, with none of those ever repeated. Some shows were "Amanda of Honeymoon Hill", "Backstage Wife","Chaplin Jim USA", "David Harum", "Easy Aces", "Front Page Farrell", "John's Other Wife", "Just Plain Bill", "The Life of Mary Sothern","Lora Lawton", "Lorenzo Jones", "Ma Perkins", "Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch", "Our Gal Sunday", "The Romance of Helen Trent" and "Young Widder Brown".

THIS EPISODE:

August 24, 1951. NBC network. "The Mastermind Murder Case". Sustaining. The local bank has been robbed, the leading suspect is Bridgewater, a notorious British criminal. Frank Hummert (creator), Anne Hummert (creator), Karl Weber, Fred Collins (announcer), Carol Warner Gluck (writer), Edward Slattery (director), Edward Francis (writer). 1/2 hour.

The Secret Grey Man (1949)


Another Detective show that aired on AFRS, apparently under the name of Starlight Mystery Theater in the 1949 time frame. Mat Slade was similar in many ways to other more notable sleuths of this era, "rough & tumble", always in the right place but at the wrong time, a lady's man, educated and "All American". Certainly the show deserved more notoriety and popularity, the acting was supurb and the scripts well written, yet little more information is available and only a half a dozen shows seemed to have servived.

The Scarecrow & The Snowman (Aired January 20, 1944)


The Adventures Of Ellery Queen - Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse", Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other. Probably the biggest mystery... is how Ellery ever gets a book written. Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure", Tuska wrote, "but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations." In Ellery Queen, Master Detective, "the amorous relationship between Ellery and Nikki Porter was given a dignity, and therefore integrity", Tuska wrote, "that was lacking in the two previous entries in the series", made at Republic Pictures before Bellamy and Lindsay were signed by Columbia.

THIS EPISODE:

January 20, 1944. NBC network. "The Scarecrow and The Snowman". Sponsored by: Bromo Seltzer. A good mystery about a tough case that takes Ellery months to solve. A corpse is found frozen, on a farm filled with crazies. The script was previously used on "Ellery Queen" on January 7, 1940. Sydney Smith, Marian Shockley, Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, Charles Paul (organ), Ernest Chappell (announcer), Jeanne Cagney ("Guest Armchair Detective"), P. Cusack ("Guest Armchair Detective"), Frederic Dannay (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer). 1/2 hour.

The Case Of The Strange Bondfire (Aired June 8, 1952)


WHITEHALL 1 2, 1 2 Tweaked Jan. 12, 2006 This series was very similar to the Black Museum that was hosted by Orson Welles. Both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 drew their material from the files of Scotland Yard. The stories were true in every respect except that the names were changed to protect the innocent, as they say. The Whitehall 1212 series boasted that for the first time Scotland Yard opened its files and the producers promised to bring to the public authentic true stories of some of the most celebrated cases. Permission for these records came from Sir Harold Scott, Commissioner of the yard at that time. There is actually a Black Museum. This area is located on the lower ground floor of Scotland Yard and it does indeed contain articles that are closely associated with the solving of a crime. And "Whitehall 1212" was the actual emergency phone number for the yard at the time. The research for the shows was done by Percy Hoskins, chief crime reporter for the London Daily Express. For the benefit of American audiences, Wyllis Cooper of Quiet Please fame was hired as script writer. Interestingly enough both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 had all-British casts; both ran concurrently. Whereby Mutual Broadcasting System aired the Orson Welles version, NBC offered the Wyllis Cooper one. There were 44 episodes in the series and all but one are in circulation. None of the prorgrams were titled and as they appeared on the scene, were given names by those who collected them. For that reason there are variations of titles, some with incorrect spellings; an attempt has been made to correct this. Some of the shows had "case numbers" and when they were announced, are noted below.

THIS EPISODE:

June 8, 1952. NBC network. Sustaining. A broken and heat-fused lock from an automobile is an exhibit in the "Black Museum." A hatless man is seen running from a burning car, strangely close to Guy Fawkes' Day. Part of the final public service announcement and the system cue have been deleted. Percy Hoskins (research), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Lester Fletcher, Harvey Hayes, Jared Burke, Gordon Stern, Francois Grimar, Basil Langton, Patricia Courtley, Beulah Garrick, Victor Chapin. 29:05.

Two Episodes - "Barney Flies the Mystery Plane" (03-06-37) and "The Trio Is Ambushed on Guam" (03-13-37)


Speed Gibson Of The International Secret Police - The thrilling adventures of Speed Gibson follows the exploits of another flying “ace”. This popular character held the listeners attention with his tracking down of international crime operatives. Speed and his pals are on the trail of a super-gang and its dreaded leader "The Octopus." The enemy of society had his tentacles in crime everywhere, and without the International Secret Police, the world would be his oyster. The fifteen-minute episode is action-packed! Strangely, the boy who played Speed is not known, says the authoritative "On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio," Speed's pal is Barney Dunlap, acted by John Gibson. Barney's OK, but no match for the cunning of the Octopus and his gang. Barney's favorite reaction to a tight spot is "Suffering wangdoodles!" Speed Gibson was written by Virginia Cooke, who was smart enough to include Marcia Winfield, governess to little Jean Kingsley, for the girls to follow. All team up in these exciting adventures in the Far East as Speed and his Pals, with Marcia, set out to get the slippery Octopus!

TODAY'S SHOW: "Barney Flies the Mystery Plane" (03-06-37) and "The Trio Is Ambushed on Guam" (03-13-37)


March 6, 1937 - Program #10. Radio Attractions syndication. Music fill for local commercial insert. Barney is trapped in the Robot Plane of The Octopus, and is heading for certain doom. Hanley Stafford, John Gibson, Gale Gordon, Ed Gardner. 14 minutes.

March 13, 1937 - Program #11. Radio Attractions syndication. Music fill for local commercial insert. A mysterious gunman appears after a flat tire on Guam. Hanley Stafford, John Gibson, Gale Gordon, Ed Gardner. 14 minutes.

Tunnel Under The World (Aired March 14, 1956)


X MINUS ONE was an NBC science fiction series that was an extension, or revival, of NBC's earlier science fiction series, DIMENSION X. which ran from Apr. 8, 1950 through Sept. 29, 1951. Both are remembered for bringing really first rate science fiction to the air. The first X MINUS ONE shows used scripts from DIMENSION X, but soon created new shows from storied from the pages of Galaxy Magazine. A total of 125 programs were broadcast, some repeats or remakes, until the last show of Jan. 9, 1958. There was a one-program revival attempt in 1973, shown at the end of the log.

THIS EPISODE:

March 14, 1956. NBC network. "The Tunnel Under The World". Sustaining. The ultimate experiment in mind control. It's June 15th today...and tomorrow...and tomorrow. The script was used subsequently on September 4, 1956 and on "Future Tense" on May 8, 1974. The program was rebroadcast on "Monitor" during September, 1974. Frederick Pohl (author), Fred Collins (announcer), George Lefferts (adaptor), John Larkin (narrator), Daniel Sutter (director), Les Damon, Ginger Jones, Bob Hastings, Connie Lembcke, Stan Early, Kermit Murdock, William Welch (producer). 29:32.

The Battle Of Hastings (Aired February 13, 1949)


Imagine if CBS radio news existed when the Bastille was stormed in 1789, or if radio reporters were stationed in Ford Theater as Lincoln was assassinated, or again at the Battle of Gettysburg?  Indeed, such was the premise behind the CBS series, You Are There.  Audiences witnessed history through the present-tense accounts of newsmen allegedly witnessing historical events transpiring before their eyes. Don Hollenbeck and John Daley (known for his TV game show panelist appearances) played the lead anchors, while real-life newsman provided the remote commentaries as the dramas unfolded.  As show opened, an anchor would describe the present situation with "As it stands now…" and segue into commentaries, live remote feeds or analysis as the story unfurled.The show was well received, but perhaps was doomed to eventual failure in part due John Daly's emoting.  Bernard DeVoto in Harper Magazine lamented: "We have heard his (Daly) voice vibrate with the real emotion, and our memory of the real simply turns the imagined to ham."

THIS EPISODE:

February 13, 1949. CBS network. "The Battle Of Hastings". Sustaining. The events of October 14, 1066. William, the Duke of Normandy, conquers King Harold and becomes king of England. Guy Sorel, Staats Cotsworth, Don Hollenbeck, Robert Lewis Shayon (writer, producer, director), John Daly, Michael Sklar (writer), Ken Roberts, William Podmore, Oliver Cliff, John Merlin, Peter Hobbs, Alfred de La Fuente. 29:32.

Secret Word Clock (Aired October 27, 1960)


Groucho Marx matches wits with the American public in four episodes of this classic game show. Starting on the radio in 1947, You Bet Your Life made its television debut in 1950 and aired for 11 years with Groucho as host and emcee. Sponsored rather conspicuously by the Dodge DeSoto car manufacturers, the show featured two contestants working as a team to answer questions for cash prizes. Another mainstay of these question and answer segments was the paper mache duck that would descend from the ceiling with one hundred dollars in tow whenever a player uttered the "secret word." The quiz show aspect of "You Bet Your Life" was always secondary, to the clever back-and-forth between host and contestant, which found Groucho at his funniest. It's in these interview segments that "You Bet Your Life" truly makes its mark as one of early television's greatest programs. Directed by: Robert Dwan. It was one of many non-rigged quiz shows of the 1950's which suffered in the ratings due to the scandals surrounding "Twenty One", "The $64,000 Question" and "Dotto".

THIS EPISODE:

October 27, 1960. Syndicated, WNEW-TV, New York audio aircheck. Clock. Participating sponsors. The first contestant is Sheila Flynn. The thirteenth anniversary broadcast of the program. Syndicated rebroadcast date: June 4, 1975. Shelia Flynn, Groucho Marx, George Fenneman (announcer), Jack Meakin (music). 1/2 hour.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Tales Of The Texas Rangers" - Blood Harvest (Aired January 21, 1951)


Joel McCrea stars as Texas Ranger Jace Pearson in this thirty-minute western adventure series. The shows are all re-enactments of incidents from Texas Ranger history. The Texas lawman and his trusty steed, Charcoal, would track a criminal, often a killer, throughout the vast 260,000 square miles of Texas. With Joel McCrea lending star power, Tales of the Texas Rangers debuted over the NBC radio network on July 8, 1950. The thirty-minute show, sponsored by Wheaties, ran on Saturday nights at 9:30 for three months. In October, the show switched to Sunday evenings, eventually settling into the six o’clock time slot.

THIS EPISODE:

January 21, 1951. NBC network. "Blood Harvest". Sustaining. Two rustlers round up stolen alfalfa hay instead of cattle! Caught in the act, they kill the farmer. Joel McCrea, Herb Vigran, Tony Barrett, Lou Krugman, Tom Kelly, Wilms Herbert, Betty Moran, GeGe Pearson, Joel Murcott (writer), Stacy Keach (producer, director), Hal Gibney (announcer), M. T. Lone Wolf Gonzaullas (technical advisor). 29:32.

The Case Of The Natural Seven (Aired February 28, 1952)


This hard boiled detective drama began as an RKO Radio Pictures theatrical serial in the 1940s, went on radio in 1945, and then came to TV ten years later in this Syndicated series produced for distribution by NBC Films; Charles McGraw had been in many motion pictures before and after including "The Killers", "Spartacus" and "Cimarron"; in this series he played the title role of a man whose real name was supposedly Mike Waring, an American agent whose code name was "Falcon"; Later Charles McGraw starred in a short lived TV version of "Casablanca" (1955 - 1956) in the character of Rick; He also had a role on the detective drama "Staccato" (1959) Actor McGraw (whose birth name was Charles Butters) met an unfortunate death in real life when he fell through a shower glass door in 1980 at his home in Studio City, CA.

THIS EPISODE:

February 28, 1952. NBC network. "The Case Of The Natural Seven". Sustaining. "Sometimes, loaded dice can do more damage than a loaded gun." The system cue is added live. Les Damon, Drexel Drake (creator), Bernard L. Schubert (producer, transcriber), Eugene Wang (writer), Richard Lewis (director), Charles Webster, Fred Collins (announcer). 30:29.

Aunt Lilly Needs A Date (Aired August 11, 1942)


A Date with Judy was a comedy radio series aimed at a teenage audience which had a long run from 1941 to 1950. The show began as a summer replacement for Bob Hope's show, sponsored by Pepsodent and airing on NBC from June 24 to September 16, 1941, with 14-year-old Ann Gillis in the title role. Dellie Ellis portrayed Judy when the series returned the next summer (June 23d to September 15, 1942). Louise Erickson took over the role the following summer (June 30th to September 22, 1943) when the series, with Bristol Myers as its new sponsor, replaced The Eddie Cantor Show for the summer. Louise Erickson continued in the role of Judy over the next seven years as the series, sponsored by Tums, aired from January 18, 1944 to January 4, 1949. Ford Motors and Revere Cameras were the sponsors for the final season of the radio series on ABC from October 13, 1949 to May 25, 1950. Teenagers could relate to Judy and her problems with school, boyfriends and parental rules and adults enjoyed remembering their youth as seen through the eyes of a typical teenager. A delighful comedy that ended in 1950, A Date with Judy remains a favorite even today as we realize that teenagers will always face the same problems growing up as Judy and her friends did.A Date with Judy remains a favorite even today as we realize that teenagers will always face the same problems growing up as Judy and her friends did.

Mr Jefferson's Dream (1962)


Around 1962 or 1963 when "Horizons West" was recorded in studio "B" at Capitol Records in Hollywood. I was privileged to have been one of the engineers on that series of 13 episodes." SERIES DESCRIPTION: Thirteen chapter radio docu-drama of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Excellent scripts and acting. Produced for and broadcasted on Armed Forces Radio and Television Service. CREW: Directed by William Lally. Written by Karl A. and William Tunberg. Sound patterns by Gene Twombly. Announcer: Michael Rye (a.k.a. Rye Billsbury.)

THIS EPISODE:

Program #1. AFRTS origination. "Mr. Jefferson's Dream". President Jefferson asks Captain Merriweather Lewis to explore the lands beyond the Mississippi. Lewis enlists his old friend Billy Clark to be the co-leader of the expedition. Harry Bartell, John Anderson, Don Randolph, Bill Irwin, William Lally (director), Cliff Holland, Stanley Farrar, Ben Wright, Les Tremayne, Tyler McVey, Dal McKinnon, Carl A. Tundberg (writer), William Tundberg (writer), Gene Twombley (sound patterns), Rye Billsbury (announcer, billed as Michael Rye). 30:36.

Voice In The Night (Aired May 28, 1957)


Actor and scriptwriter Ernest Dudley was the creator of the hit BBC radio crime series Dr Morelle and also television’s The Armchair Detective. The Dr Morelle - “the man you love to hate!” - series was hugely popular during the forties and fifties and originally starred Dennis Arundell in the title role. In the fifties the role was given to Cecil Parker, who co-starred with Sheila Sim. That eminent criminologist, Dr. Morelle, has just solved another crime and incidentally administered a crushing rebuke to his pretty secretary Miss Frayle. This is his usual reaction to his somewhat scatterbrained amanuensis, but it does not seem to have put the smallest dent in her devotion to the psychiatrist whose infallibility is the despair of criminals and the delight of his friend Inspector Hood of Scotland Yard. Listeners of A Case for Dr. Morelle, a new series of 30 minute mysteries. Dr. Morelle has had some time to form these theories, having started his career as a sleuth in the early years of the war. "He was dreamed up in a coal cellar in Bristol, said his creator Ernest Dudley. It was 1940, and the coal cellar underneath my flat provided a comforting place during the Luftwaffe’s attacks on Bristol, where I was with the BBC Variety Department. I wrote the original series called Meet Dr. Morelle for Harry Pepper and Ronnie Waldman’s famous show, Monday Night at Eight.

The Dark Chamber (Aired December 11, 1945)


Inner Sanctum Mysteries was a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952. Created by Himan Brown, the anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense. The tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. A total of 526 episodes are known to have been produced. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreaaaaammmmssss!" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler) to EC Comics' Crypt-Keeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt. In interviews, EC publisher Bill Gaines stated that he based EC's three horror hosts not on Raymond but on Old Nancy, host of radio's earlier The Witch's Tale (1931-38). When Johnson left the series in 1945, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "your host" or "Mr. Host." Beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with its cheery commercial spokeswoman, Mary Bennett, whose pitches for Lipton contrasted sharply with the subject matter of the stories, and who would primly chide the host for his dark humor and creepy manner.

THIS EPISODE:

December 11, 1945. CBS network. "The Dark Chamber". Sponsored by: Lipton Tea, Lipton Soup. A laundryman and a woman have been kidnapped by a mad scientist. He plans to have them take part in an "experiment in fear." Mary Bennett (commercial spokesman), Robert Newman (writer), Ken Lynch, Himan Brown (director), Paul McGrath (host). 29:31.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Cisco Kid" - Bullets And Ballets (Aired February 24, 1953)


Western Drama mainly for the young ones or maybe just the young at heart. I say the young at heart, because The Cisco Kid and his likeable but simple partner Pancho were a couple of lovable rogues and because there was usually a lovely senorita around in every episode who fell madly in love with Sisco, there may well have been an element of lady listeners included in the audience rating figures. Here they were, these two Mexican bandits, travelling from sunset to sunset (because that's where they always road off to at the end of each episode) robbing the rich, but I wouldn't say giving it to the poor. At least they did it in a kind and humorous way. It was more a question of the victim being relieved of the heavy burden of his or her riches, rather than having some of their prized possessions taken away from them. Half the fun in the series was listening to Pancho try to explain in his simple Mexican way that the sheriff's posse was hard on their heels and to quote him, "Ceesco, eef they catch up with us, perhaps they weel keel us." At the beginning The Cisco Kid was played by Jackson Beck then later Jack Mather took over the role. Whilst Pancho was played first by Louis Sorin then by Harry Lang. Originally the Announcer was Michael Rye and the Director Jock McGregor and during the days of Jack Mather and Harry Lang the Producer was J. C. Lewis with the series being written by Larry Hays.

Design For Danger (Aired June 5, 1949)


Box 13 was a syndicated radio series about the escapades of mystery novelist Dan Holiday (Alan Ladd), a former newsman. Created by Mayfair Productions, the series premiered August 22, 1948, on New York's WOR and aired in syndication on the East Coast from August 22, 1948, to August 14. 1949. On the West Coast, Box 13 was heard from March 15, 1948 to March 7, 1949. To seek out new ideas for his fiction, Holiday ran a classified ad in the Star-Times newspaper. "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything -- Box 13." The stories followed Holiday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him by such people as a psycho killer and various victims.

THIS EPISODE:

June 5, 1949. Program #42. Mayfair syndication. "Design For Danger". Commercials added locally. Ex-convict Johnny Tide is returning to Watertown seeking revenge. Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Richard Sanville (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Frank Lovejoy, Edmond MacDonald, Gene Levitt (writer), Bob Mitchell (writer). 26:58.

Bubbles Greko (Aired June 29, 1954)


This program was born from a detective book series and inspired by author Henry Kane who became the director and producer for the radio show. The series only ran five months, 30 minutes each episode, from April 6, 1954 to September 7, 1954. Peter Chambers was played by Dane Clark who also appeared on the Suspense radio shows. Chambers acted the role of a playboy detective with an eye for solving crime and a taste for the women. Bill Zuckert, who went on to guest star in many 1970s shows including The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Partridge Family, plays Lt. Parker.

THIS EPISODE:

June 29, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer), Fred Collins (announcer), Roger De Koven, Bryna Raeburn, Fred Weihe (director), Dinah Shore (promtional announcement). 24:26.

There Was A Crooked Man (Aired May 23, 1939)


On January 31, 1936, the Green Hornet radio program aired on WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan. Al Hodge played the part of the Green Hornet from 1936 through January of 1943. The program was created by George W. Trendle, the same man associated with the creation of the Lone Ranger radio show. The premise of the Green Hornet was that of a modern day Lone Ranger. The main character was Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher of the Daily Sentinel by day and the Green Hornet by night. Britt Reid was the great-nephew of the Lone Ranger. Britt Reid's war against crime was an extension of his family history. The Green Hornet fought crime with his high-powered car, the Black Beauty. He also utilized a gun that fired knockout gas instead of bullets. His fists also came in handy on a regular basis. He was assisted by his Filipino valet, Kato. Kato would drive the Black Beauty, keep watch out for the police or the bad guys and sometimes lend a helping fist to the fighting. The Green Hornet pretended to be a villain while really battling the forces of crime in the big city. This would make for some interesting plot twists as the Green Hornet would be actively avoiding detection by the police while at the same time attempting to destroy criminal activity in the city.

THIS EPISODE:

May 23, 1939. Mutual network origination, Michelson syndication, WFAA, Dallas aircheck. "There Was A Crooked Man". Commercials deleted. The daughter of a crusading reformer is kidnapped to silence him. Al Hodge, Fran Striker (writer), George W. Trendle (creator). 1/2 hour.

The Celestial Omnibus (Aired August 18, 1957)


The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956 through September 22, 1957 and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop from the 1930s and 1940s. Creator William Froug launched the series with this powerhouse two-part adaptation of "Brave New World" and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. "We’ll never get a sponsor anyway," CBS vice president Howard Barnes explained to Time, "so we might as well try anything." The CBS Workshop regularly featured the works of the world’s greatest writers. including Ray Bradbury, Archibald MacLeish, William Saroyan, Lord Dunsany and Ambrose Bierce.

THIS EPISODE:

August 18, 1957. CBS network. "The Celestial Omnibus". Sustaining. A young boy's ride on the stagecoach to Heaven. Good radio. Peter Lazer, Lee Vines, Luis Van Rooten. 25 minutes.

The Man Who Sold His Soul (1950)


Let us journey “into the land that lies beyond midnight,” into a world of ghost hunters, men going mad, and DEATH DEATH DEATH! . A replacement series for SF 68, this South African horror anthology was far more successful than its predecessor, running from 1968 through 1969. Its success may have been due in part to producer Michael McCabe - who also produced SF 68 - honing his talents to a higher degree. Little else is known about it, including the number of shows produced. As far as I can discover, there were at least 43 episodes, all in half-hour format.

Kingfish Sells Andy A Trailer (Aired March 25, 1947)


Amos 'n' Andy was a situation comedy popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. The show began as one of the first radio comedy serials, written and voiced by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll and originating from station WMAQ in Chicago, Illinois. After the series was first broadcast in 1928, it grew in popularity and became a huge influence on the radio serials that followed. Amos 'n' Andy creators Gosden and Correll were white actors familiar with minstrel traditions. They met in Durham, North Carolina in 1920, and by the fall of 1925, they were performing nightly song-and-patter routines on the Chicago Tribune's station WGN. Since the Tribune syndicated Sidney Smith's popular comic strip The Gumps, which had successfully introduced the concept of daily continuity, WGN executive Ben McCanna thought the notion of a serialized drama could also work on radio. He suggested to Gosden and Correll that they adapt The Gumps to radio. They instead proposed a series about "a couple of colored characters" and borrowed certain elements of The Gumps. Their new series, Sam 'n' Henry, began January 12, 1926, fascinating radio listeners throughout the Midwest. That series became popular enough that in late 1927 Gosden and Correll requested that it be distributed to other stations on phonograph records in a "chainless chain" concept that would have been the first use of radio syndication as we know it today. When WGN rejected the idea, Gosden and Correll quit the show and the station that December. Contractually, their characters belonged to WGN, so when Gosden and Correll left WGN, they performed in personal appearances but could not use the character names from the radio show.

THIS EPISODE:

March 25, 1947. NBC network. Commercials deleted. The Kingfish sells Andy a broken down trailer in a scheme to move into his room. The program closing has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Lud Gluskin and His Orchestra, The Delta Rhythm Boys, James Basquette, Eddie Green, Ernestine Wade, Carlton KaDell (announcer). 24 minutes.

Death Of A Private Eye (Aired January 2, 1952)


Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer.William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRY CRAIG while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was "your man when you can't go to the cops. Confidentiality a speciality."Like Sam Spade, Craig narrated his stories, in addition to being the leading character in this 30 minute show. Nearly sixty episodes are in trading circulation today.

THIS EPISODE:

January 2, 1952. NBC network. "Death Of A Private Eye". Sustaining. Not auditioned. "(Barry) is hired to help a man pay a visit, but discovers instead that (the) visitor has a visitor first, death!" William Gargan, Himan Brown (director), Don Pardo (announcer), Louis Vittes (writer), Fran Carlon. 28:27.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Death Valley Days" - Sam Bass (Aired August 27, 1936)


Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology about true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. It was created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman and ran on radio until 1945. It ran from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series. It was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo). The 558 television stories, which had different actors, were introduced by a host. The longest-running was "The Old Ranger" from 1952-1965, played by Stanley Andrews when the series was produced by McGowan Productions, producer of the Sky King television series. Filmaster Productions Incorporated who produced the first several seasons of Gunsmoke for CBS Television took over production of the series in the mid 1960s. Death Valley Days is, judging from sheer number of episodes broadcast, by far the most successful syndicated television Western, the most successful television Western ever in the half-hour format, and arguably the most successful syndication of any genre in the history of the U.S. television market (Baywatch had a larger international market among U.S.-produced syndicated programs.

Gildy's First Day On The Job (Aired October 25, 1942)


The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957), initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, [1] was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. Built around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show's popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis. "You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catch phrase. The character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly, and on one episode his middle name was revealed as Philharmonic. Gildy admits as much at the end of "Gildersleeve's Diary" on the Fibber McGee and Molly series (10/22/40). He soon became so popular that Kraft Foods — looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread — sponsored a new series with Peary's Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve as the central, slightly softened, and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family.

THIS EPISIODE:

October 25, 1942. NBC network. Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Pabst-Ett. Gildersleeve's first day as water commissioner. Billy Mills (composer, conductor), Earle Ross, Frank Bingman (announcer), Harold Peary, John Whedon (writer), Ken Christy, Lillian Randolph, Lurene Tuttle, Richard LeGrand, Shirley Mitchell (?), Verna Felton, Walter Tetley. 29:30.

Missing Necklace (1956)


Danger With Granger arrived too late in the Golden Age of Radio to have any real impact on the listening public. Mutual aired this show, starting in 1956, on Monday nights at 8:30 pm. It was a half hour show that featured a private eye in New York City, STEVE GRANGER. His two primary companions were Cal Hendrix, a reporter who served as an all-purpose source of criminal info, and Jake Rankin, a police detective with whom he had a grudging rivalry. The writing on the show seemed to incorporate most of the standard cliche's of the P.I. world. Granger, who was both the star and the first-person narrator of the show (not an uncommon practice with radio gumshoes), never saw a woman, instead "he gave the doll the once-over." He didn't kick with his foot, he "lifted a size 10." Instead of paying cash, he "forked over numbered lettuce." The mysteries he solved were fairly reasonable, and while he was a tough guy who roughed up lesser mortals, he seemed to get knocked unconscious at least once in every program.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Lone Ranger" - Remember The Alamo (Aired December 22, 1941 )


The Lone Ranger was an American long-running early radio and television show created by George W. Trendle (with considerable input from station staff members), and developed by writer Fran Striker. The titular character is a masked Texas Ranger in the American Old West, who gallops about righting injustices, usually with the aid of a clever and laconic American Indian sidekick called Tonto, and his horse Silver. He would famously say "Hi-yo Silver, away!" to get the horse to gallop. On the radio and TV-series, the usual opening announcement was: “ A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty 'Hi-yo Silver!' The Lone Ranger! ”In later episodes the opening narration ended with the catch phrase "Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear.... The Lone Ranger Rides Again!" Episodes usually ended with one of the characters lamenting the fact that they never found out the hero's name ("Who was that masked man?"), only to be told, "Why, that was the Lone Ranger!" as he and Tonto ride away. The theme music was the "cavalry charge" finale of Gioacchino Rossini's William Tell Overture, now inseparably associated with the series, which also featured many other classical selections as incidental music including Wagner, Mendelssohn, Liszt, and Tchaikovsky. The theme was conducted by Daniel Perez Castaneda. Inspiration for the name may have come from The Lone Star Ranger, a novel by Zane Grey. Karl May's tales of Old Shatterhand and Chief Winnetou may have influenced the creation of the concept; they in turn were influenced by The Leatherstocking Tales of James Fenimore Cooper. The legends of Robin Hood and the popular character Zorro were also a likely inspiration.

THIS EPISODE:

December 22, 1941. Program #1391/607. Syndicated. "Tom Conlon"/"Remember The Alamo". Music fill for local commercial insert. Episode #31 of "The Legion Of The Black Arrow" series. Mary Ann Conlon's father owns the Rainbow mine. He's trusting a mining engineer named Rance Crawford against some very good advice. Defending the mine from The Black Arrow Gang, The Ranger urges his men to, "Remember The Alamo." The program was pre-empted December 24, 1941. Brace Beemer, John Todd, Frank Russell, Rube Weiss. 28:18.

The Lawyer And The Lady (Aired December 4, 1948)


Jeff Regan, Investigator was one of the three detective shows Jack Webb did before Dragnet (see also Pat Novak For Hire and Johnny Modero: Pier 23). It debuted on CBS in July 1948. Webb played JEFF REGAN, a tough private eye working in a Los Angeles investigation firm run by Anthony J. Lyon. Regan introduced himself on each show "I get ten a day and expenses...they call me the Lyon's Eye." The show was fairly well-plotted, Webb's voice was great, and the supporting cast were skillful. Regan handled rough assignments from Lion, with whom he was not always on good terms. He was tough, tenacious, and had a dry sense of humor. The voice of his boss, Anthony Lion, was Wilms Herbert. The show ended in December 1948 but was resurrected in October 1949 with a new cast; Frank Graham played Regan (later Paul Dubrov was the lead) and Frank Nelson portrayed Lion. This version ran on CBS, sometimes as a West Coast regional, until August 1950. Both versions were 30 minutes, but the day and time slot changed several times.

THIS EPISODE:

December 4, 1948. CBS Pacific network. "The Lawyer and The Lady". Sustaining. Lawyer Joseph Kramer hires Regan, then gets shot while in his own office. Mrs. Kramer is shot and killed too. Regan gets decked by Spec Jameson, a 280 pound fat man with brass knuckles. Jack Webb, Herb Butterfield, Lawrence Dobkin, Carol Matthews, Lou Krugman, Marvin Miller, Herb Vigran, Mary Lansing, Bob Stevenson (announcer), Milton Charles (organist), Jackson Gillis (writer), E. Jack Neuman (writer), Sterling Tracy (producer). 29:08.

Artists & Models Abroad (Aired June 12, 1938)


The Jack Benny Program is a classic comedy that is truly one of the best-loved programs from the Golden Age of Radio. It started life as The Canada Dry Program in 1932 on the Blue Network and finished off as The Lucky Strike Program on CBS in 1955. In between, it kept the audience in stitches and established Benny as one of America's all-time great comedians. The format of the show, and the personality of its star, so well honed in two decades on radio, made the transition to television almost intact. Jack's stinginess, vanity about his supposed age of 39, basement vault where he kept all his money, ancient Maxwell automobile, and feigned ineptness at playing the violin were all part of the act. Added to Jack's famous pregnant pause and exasperated "Well!" were a rather mincing walk, an affected hand to the cheek, and a painted look of disbelief when confronted by life's little tragedies.

THIS EPISODE:

The Jell-O Program Starring Jack Benny. June 20, 1937. Red network. Sponsored by: Jell-O, Jell-O Ice Cream Powder. Kenny sings, "Never In A Million Years." The show visits the set with Jack as he films, "Artists and Models." Rochester appears as Jack's valet for the first time. Andy Devine, Charles Winninger, Don Wilson, Jack Benny, Kenny Baker, Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris and His Orchestra, Robert Emmett Kean, Eddie Anderson, Harry Baldwin, Ed Beloin (writer, performer: doubles), Bill Morrow (writer, performer), Frank Nelson, Blanche Stewart, Charles Winninger. 29:35.

The Case Of Murder And The Missing Car (Aired May 11, 1950)


When Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons first debuted over the Blue Network on October 12, 1937, the show’s title accurately described Keen’s stock-in-trade; the “kindly old investigator” tracked down individuals who had mysteriously vanished, leaving behind their families, homes, jobs and other day-to-day activities. Keen (he never had a first name, unless it was “Peachy”) was assisted in these duties by an Irishman named Mike Clancy. Mike wasn’t much of a brainiac (the quote that comprises the title of this post was a semi-catchphrase that he seemed to use on the show every week) but he could use the necessary brawn when the situation called for it. Bennett Kilpack played kindly ol' Keen throughout most of the program’s run, as well as Philip Clarke and Arthur Hughes, while Jim Kelly took the role of Clancy. The series originally aired as a thrice-weekly fifteen-minute serial from 1937-43 (the show moved to CBS in 1942), providing more than ample time for Keen to solve even the most baffling of disappearances. Beginning November 11, 1943, the program changed its format to that of a half-hour weekly offering—and though the title and theme song remained, Keen branched out into investigating murders.

THIS EPISODE:

May 11, 1950. CBS network. "The Case Of Murder and The Missing Car". Sponsored by: Anacin, Kolynos, Heet, Kriptin, Bisodol, Hills Cold Tabs. A body is found in a car trunk...and a false clue is found in the glove compartment. Frank Hummert (originator, producer), Anne Hummert (originator, producer), Bennett Kilpack, Richard Leonard (director), Lawrence Klee (dialogue), Larry Elliott (announcer). 29:41.

The Kid With A Gun (Aired October 10, 1949)


CRIME DOES NOT PAY was a series based on short films of the same name produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was similar to Gangbusters, having a moralistic message about the law and lawbreaker. It was first heard over WMGM (NYC), hosted by Donald Buka. The last original show aired on Apr. 11, 1951. The series started on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM (on WMGM) and held that time/day spot until Oct. 30, 1950. The 56'th show marked a change to Wednesday night, again at 7:30. After show number 78 (Apr.11, 1951) the shows were repeated, starting with the first, "Kid With a Gun". The repeats followed the original order up until repeat of number 26, "Ingenious Woman" on Oct. 10, 1951. Repeats were not uncommon. Even before the last original show, older shows were repeated on alternate dates to the main series run. On Jan. 7, 1952, the series moved to Mutual but lasted just one year. Only repeats of the original series were aired and show ordering did not match the first run.

THIS EPISODE:

October 10, 1949. Program #1. MGM syndication. "The Kid With A Gun". Commercials added locally. John Powers, grown up in a slum, turns to a life of crime at an early age. The first show of the series. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of this program on WMGM, New York, from which this syndicated version may have been taken. . 1/2 hour.

All Promises Are Ficticious (Aired April 17, 1940)


Burns and Allen were an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen.Burns wrote most of the material, and played the straight man. Allen played a silly, addleheaded woman. Both attributed their success to the other, to the ends of their lives. Early on, the team had played the opposite roles until they noticed that the audience was laughing at Gracie's straight lines, so they made the change. Burns and Allen developed their popular routine over more than three decades of stage, radio, film, and television. Historians of popular culture have often stated that Allen was a brilliant comedian, whose entire career consisted of engaging in dialogues of "illogical logic" that left her verbal opponents dazed and confused, and her audiences in stitches. During a typical 23-minute episode of the Burns and Allen show, the vast majority of the dialogue and speaking parts were written for Allen, who was credited with having the genius to deliver her lengthy diatribes in a fashion that made it look as though she was making her arguments up on the spot. (One running gag on the TV show was the existence of a closet full of hats belonging to various visitors to the Burns household, where the guests would slip out the door unnoticed, leaving their hats behind, rather than face another round with Gracie.) A continuing joke on the show was that George would say, "Say good night, Gracie," and Gracie would say, "Good night Gracie!" Ralph Pape used the catchphrase for the title of his play, Say Goodnight, Gracie, produced by Steppenwolf in 1983, and the phrase lives on as a title of other books and stage productions.

THIS EPISODE:

April 17, 1940. CBS network. Sponsored by: Hinds Honey and Almond Cream. At the Omaha convention of Gracie's Suprise Party, the men will be expected to grow beards and dress as if it were 1870. Gracie rehearses the speech she will be making in Dallas. She sings, "When The Sweet Potato Piper Plays." George Burns, Gracie Allen, Frank Parker, Ray Noble and His Orchestra, Truman Bradley (announcer), Mary Kelley (as "Bubbles"). 29:35.

Trial By Fear (Aired March 25, 1953)


I Was a Communist for the FBI was an American espionage thriller radio series with 78 episodes syndicated by Ziv to more than 600 stations in 1952-54. Made without FBI cooperation, the series was adapted from the book by undercover agent Matt Cvetic, who was portrayed by Dana Andrews.The series was crafted to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is very jingoistic and ultra-patriotic. Communists are evil incarnate and the FBI can do no wrong. As a relic of the Joe McCarthy era, this show is a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare.

THIS EPISODE:

March 25, 1953. Program #49. ZIV Syndication. "Trial By Fear". Commercials added locally. Cvetic is present at a Party trial where a comrade is suspected or being an FBI plant. The date is subject to correction. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer). 27:14.

Bird Of Death (Aired March 31, 1945)


The shows are classic chills from the old school, with creepy organ, overwrought women and over the top men. Perhaps not the highest of melodrama, but obsessively workmanlike. After all, they might have known they were a skeleton staff toiling relentlessly without a ghost of a chance of fame. Thanks to transcription, these unknowns are still with us. John Dunning, succinctly states in "On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio," "There were no credits, so casts and production crews are unknown."

THIS EPISODE:

Program #22. NBC syndication origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Bird Of Death". A murder in the swamp works out as planned, but a crow has a tale to tell. 29:21.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" - Nebraska Jack (Aired August 3, 1958)


Frontier Gentleman was a radio Western series heard on CBS from February 2 to November 16, 1958. Written and directed by Antony Ellis, it followed the adventures of J.B. Kendall (John Dehner), a London Times reporter, as he roamed the Western United States, encountering various outlaws and well-known historical figures, such as Jesse James and Calamity Jane. Written and directed by Antony Ellis, it followed the adventures of journalist Kendall as he roamed the Western United States in search of stories for the Times. Along the way, he encountered various fictional drifters and outlaws in addition to well-known historical figures, such as Jesse James, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Music for the series was by Wilbur Hatch and Jerry Goldsmith, who also supplied the opening trumpet theme. The announcers were Dan Cubberly, Johnny Jacobs, Bud Sewell and John Wald. Supporting cast: Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Stacy Harris, Johnny Jacobs, Joseph Kearns, Jack Kruschen, Jack Moyles, Jeanette Nolan, Vic Perrin and Barney Phillips.

THIS EPISODE:

August 3, 1958. CBS network. "Nebraska Jack". Sustaining. Jack has five Indian wives, many children, and an understandable taste for whiskey. The public service announcements have been partially deleted. John Dehner, Joseph Kearns, Jack Moyles, Virginia Gregg, Antony Ellis (writer, producer, director), Bud Sewell (announcer). 24:16.

Ides Of March (Aired January 15, 1950)


NBC University Theater - was truly one well loved program. Beyond just its educational value, the combination of great stories... quality acting... and first class production made these shows wonderful entertainment. They are truly great radio AND a highly accessible way to introduce YOUR kids to great American Literature! Dramatic anthology Offered novels, with programs for college credit. Broadcast History : July 30th, 1948 - February 14th, 19