The Yellow Chip (Aired February 20, 1955)
Abbott Mysteries was a comedy-mystery radio program adapted from the novels of Frances Crane (1896-1981). Initially a summer replacement for Quick As a Flash, the series was heard on Mutual and NBC between the years 1945 and 1955. The Mutual series, sponsored by Helbros Watches, debuted June 10, 1945, airing Sundays at 6pm. Scripts were by Howard Merrill and Ed Adamson in the lighthearted tradition of Mr. and Mrs. North. Julie Stevens and Charles Webster starred as Jean and Pat Abbott, a San Francisco married couple who solved murder mysteries. In the supporting cast were Jean Ellyn, Sydney Slon and Luis Van Rooten. The Abbotts were portrayed by Claudia Morgan and Les Damon. The NBC series ran until June 12, 1955. THIS EPISODE: February 20, 1955. Program #3. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Yellow Chip". Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, Frances Crane (creator), Everett Sloane, Jan Miner, William Johnstone, Howard Merrill (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Ted Lloyd (producer), Harry Frazee (director, recordist), Wayne Howell (announcer), Dewey Bergman (composer conductor). 30:22. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent (Aired July 24, 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! John Dunning in his book,"On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio,"tells us why such a fine production lasted less than a year: "The House of Squibb, a drug firm, footed a stiff bill: up to $5,000 for the stars and $1,600 a week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for use of the title. The production had all the class of a Lux or Screen Guild show…But the tariff took its toll, and after 39 weeks the series was scrapped." THIS EPISODE: July 24, 1946. "Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent" was his second American film (and hired out by David O. Selznick to independent producer Walter Wanger), one that closely resembles his earlier British films: The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1937). It was touted as "The Thrill Spectacle of the Year!" 29:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

A Shortage Story With Jackie Cooper ((Aired May 6, 1974)
Syndicated by the Mutual Broadcasting System, the series debuted September 3, 1973. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Since Mutual affiliates could broadcast the programs at convenient timeslots on any suitable dates, the series did not begin in certain areas until late fall or early winter of 1973. In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series on July 26, 1974. Producer J.M. Kholos was a Los Angeles advertising man who acquired the rights to suspense novels, including Tony Hillerman's The Blessing Way, for radio adaptations. In some cases, the titles were changed. For example, the five-part "Desperate Witness" was an adaptation of The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing. To create a strong package, Kholos followed through by lining up top actors, including John Astin, Edgar Bergen, Joseph Campanella, Richard Crenna, John Dehner, Howard Duff, Patty Duke, Nina Foch, George Maharis, Susan Oliver, Brock Peters and Lurene Tuttle.

The Lucky Stiff (1947) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
Very few writers have managed to combine the hardboiled detective novel and comedy. Jonathan Latimer succeeded with Bill Crane and Craig Rice did it with John J. Malone, her ne'er-do-well bibulous attorney. Despite being billed as "Chicago's noisiest and most noted criminal lawyer," Malone acts more like a private eye than a member of the court. And a particularly hard-drinking private eye, at that. Despite a rep for courtroom pyrotechniques, he's far more likely to be found at Joe the Angel's City Hall Bar than in any court. Along with his boozing buddies, Jake and Helene Justus, an affable young couple, he drank his way through a whole slew of novels and short stories, not to mention later film, radio and television appearances. THIS EPISODE: 1947. NBC network. "The Lucky Stiff". Sustaining. Lucky at everything, or is he. George Petrie, Larry Haines, Craig Rice (creator), Eugene Wang (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Richard Lewis (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 29:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Sam Shovel Meets The Moonshiner (Aired March 3, 1949)
Abbott and Costello William (Bud) Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular teams in the history of comedy. Thanks to the endurance of their most popular and influential routine, "Who's on First?"---whose rapid-fire word play and comprehension confusion set the preponderant framework for most of their best-known routines---the team are also the only comedians known to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park, NJ, October 2, 1897 and died April 24, 1974 in Woodland Hills, California. Lou Costello was born in Paterson, NJ, March 6, 1906 and died March 3, 1959 in East Los Angeles, California. THIS EPISODE: March 3, 1949. ABC network. Music fill for local commercial insert. Another "Sam Shovel" case: "Sam Shovel Meets The Moonshiner." The system cue is added live. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Matty Malneck and His Orchestra, Veola Vonn, Hal Winters (vocal), Ed Forman (writer), Paul Conlan (writer), Pat Costello (writer), Martin Ragaway (writer), Leonard Stern (writer), Charles Vanda (producer), George Fenneman (announcer). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Tyler White Entry (Aired April 6, 1948)
The twist with Diary of Fate was the total absence of pretense. The program jumps right to the 'source' of Man's ultimate destiny--Fate itself--in the form of the Guardian of the Diary of Fate. It is within the Diary of Fate, that every soul's fate is painstakingly chronicled by book and page number--or so we're very persuasively given to understand. Fate itself--in this instance, at least--is the great character actor Herbert Lytton, providing the forboding vocal gravitas we might expect from such an all-powerful cosmic force. Produced from Hollywood, the entire production was voiced by primarily west coast actors. Famous Radio and Television promoter Larry Finley produced and syndicated the program to at least some 94 affiliate stations throughout the U.S., Canada and Jamaica. THIS EPISODE: April 6, 1948. Program #17. ABC network, KECA, Los Angeles origination, Finley syndication. "The Entry Of Tyler White". Commercials added locally. Book 93, page 861. The story of Tyler White who is about to be executed for a murder he did not commit...because of a stray dog and a forgotten cigarette lighter. The date is subject to correction. Herb Lytton (as "Fate" and co-producer), Ruth Perrott, Herbert Rawlinson, Tyler McVey, Hal Sawyer, Ray Erlenborn (sound effects), Bob Lowery, Ivan Ditmars (organist), Larry Finley (producer). 28:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Roger Nems (Aired March 3, 1954)
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: March 3, 1954. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Roger Nems: How He, Though Dead, Won The Game". A well written murder story set during the reign of Charles II. Excellent early 18th Century music arranged and played beautifully by Bernard Herrmann. Lou Merrill (host), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Bernard Herrmann (arranger, conductor), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Charles Addison (composer), Ben Wright, Alistair Duncan, Betty Harford, Ellen Morgan, Gary Montgomery, Bob Lemond (announcer), Richard Peel. 27:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Coney Island Nocturne (Aired July 10, 1947)
The Crime Club began life in 1928 with the publication of The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan, and ceased publication in 1991. In the intervening 63 years, The Crime Club published 2,492 titles. Stories from this imprint were first dramatized on The Eno Crime Club, a detective series broadcast on CBS from February 9, 1931 to December 21, 1932, sponsored by Eno Effervescent Salts. The Crime Club novels were not adapted for the later Eno Crime Clues, heard on the Blue Network from January 3, 1933 to June 30. 1936. The Crime Club returned on the Mutual Broadcasting System as a half-hour radio series with adaptations from the Doubleday imprint. Each installment was introduced by the series host, The Librarian, portrayed by Barry Thomson and Raymond Edward Johnson (who was better known as the host of Inner Sanctum Mysteries). The series began December 2, 1946 and continued until October 16, 1947. THIS EPISODE: July 10, 1947. Mutual network. "Coney Island Nocturne". Sustaining. A dumb cop has his pocket picked on the boardwalk. His wallet is found later on a corpse. Stedman Coles (writer), Walter Kinsella, Joan Alexander. 29:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Bomb On The Denver Plane (Aired September 4, 1952)
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. 28:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Awakening (Aired May 8, 1947)
Meaningful Stories from Years Past that Continue to Inspire Families Today. Families, then and now, face similar situations and struggles: communication, honesty, gambling, music, alcoholism, sports and many spiritual questions, such as life after death. How we address these struggles makes all the difference in strengthening our family bonds. These compelling half-hour dramas offer inspiring insights into how to build unity within your family. Join us on a visit with the stars of the past for an uplifting, humorous and meaningful look into family life. When actor Jimmy Stewart hosted that first episode of Family Theater in 1947, he told the radio audience that Family Theater was dedicated to the family “with the hope that families everywhere will always be together and that your home will be a happy one—with the conviction that prayer, simple prayer, will help keep it that way.” THIS EPISODE: May 8, 1947. Mutual network. "The Awakening". Sustaining. A married couple, each with his own job, pursue their own careers...to the detriment of their marriage. Drastic measures are called for. An interesting essay on the role of a woman in a marriage. Allan Jones (host), Meredith Willson (music), Susan Peters, Richard Quine, Mary Cox (writer), Max Terr (music), Mel Williamson (director), Henry Blair, Irene Tedrow, Lila Webb, Don Doolittle. 29:53. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.