The Informer (05-25-46)

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.

From Wikipedia - The Informer is a 1935 dramatic film, released by RKO. The plot concerns the underside of the Irish War of Independence, set in 1922. It stars Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Una O'Connor and J. M. Kerrigan. The screenplay was written by Dudley Nichols from 1925 the novel of the same title by Liam O'Flaherty. It was directed by John Ford. The novel had previously been adapted for a British film The Informer (1929). Along with Mutiny on the Bounty, The Informer was a big contender at the 8th Academy Awards, competing directly in all six categories they were nominated for (though Mutiny got eight nominations in total, given its three Best Actor nominations). The Informer won four Oscars: Best Director for Ford, Best Actor for McLaglen, Best Writing Screenplay for Nichols, and Best Score. In 2018, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

THIS EPISODE:

May 25, 1946. Program #343. "The Informer" - CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. A quality upgrade rebroadcast. AFRS program name: "Armed Forces Radio Theater." The program may be dated May 15, 1946. Victor McLaglen, Margo Graham, Wallace Ford, J. M. Kerrigan. 29:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Lou Goes To The Race Track (03-13-47)

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 announcing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. 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.)

THIS EPISODE:

March 13, 1947. "Lou Goes To The Race Track" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Camels, Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco. Costello has to get rid of $38,000 before the income tax is due, so the boys visit the race track. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Skinnay Ennis and His Orchestra, Marilyn Maxwell, John Brown, Michael Roy (announcer). 29:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

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Michael Steven Bublé OC OBC (IPA: /buːˈbleɪ/ boo-BLAY; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the United Kingdom. He found a worldwide audience with his 2005 album It's Time as well as his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible – which reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the US Billboard 200, the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and several European charts. Bublé's 2009 album Crazy Love debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 after three days of sales, and remained there for two weeks. It was also his fourth number one album on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart. His 2011 holiday album, Christmas, was in first place on the Billboard 200 for the final four weeks of 2011 and the first week of 2012, totalling five weeks atop the chart, it also made the top 5 in the United Kingdom. With this, Christmas became his third-consecutive number-one album on the chart. To Be Loved was released in April 2013. Bublé has sold over 40 million records worldwide,and won numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. Bublé is a dual citizen of Canada and Italy.

Going To A Frank Sinatra Movie (Aired March 20, 1945)

A Date with Judy was an American radio program during the 1940s. It was a teenage comedy that 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 23-September 15, 1942). Louise Erickson took over the role the following summer (June 30 - September 22, 1943) when the series, sponsored by Bristol Myers, replaced The Eddie Cantor Show. Louise Erickson continued as Judy for the next seven years, as the series, sponsored by Tums, aired from January 18, 1944 to January 4, 1949. As the popularity of the radio series peaked, Jane Powell starred as Judy in the MGM movie, A Date with Judy (1948). Co-starring with Powell were Elizabeth Taylor, Wallace Beery, Robert Stack, and Carmen Miranda. 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. A Date with Judy was also a comic book (based on the radio program) published by National Periodical Publications from October-November 1947 to October-November 1960.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1945. "Going To A Frank Sinatra Movie" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Tums. Guest Frank Sinatra sings, "Night and Day" and "I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do." Judy and Oogie go to a Sinatra movie. Afterwards, Judy dreams about Frankie. Richard Crenna sings, "Got A Date With Judy." The system cue has been deleted. Richard Crenna, Dix Davis, Frank Sinatra, Louise Erickson, John Brown, Aleen Leslie (creator, writer). 29:22. Episode Notes From Radio Gold Index.

D.O.A. (Aired June 21, 1951)

 

Screen Director's Playhouse is a popular radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcast adaptations of films, and original directors of the films were sometimes involved in the productions, although their participation was usually limited to introducing the radio adaptations, and a brief "curtain call" with the cast and host at the end of the program. The series later had a brief run on television, focusing on original teleplays and several adaptations of famous short stories (such as Robert Louis Stevenson's "Markheim").

THIS EPISODE:
 
June 21, 1951. NBC network. "D. O. A.". Commercials deleted. A man is given a slow acting poison. Listen for a Les Paul and Mary Ford record in the background of the first scene. Director Rudolph Mate is introduced, but is not heard on this recording. Director Frank MacDonald appears in his place. The phrase, "Take him for a ride" is used with a straight face. Edmond O'Brien, Peggy Castle, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Frank MacDonald, Jan Rarick (? piano), Howard Wiley (production supervisor), Bill Cairn (director). 1:02:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dead Man Control (Aired March 20, 1947)

Crime club was a Mutual Network murder and mystery series, a product of the Doubleday Crime Book Club imprints found weekly in bookstores everywhere. The telephone rings"Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the Librarian. Murder Rents A Room? Yes, we have that Crime Club story for you.Come right over. (The organist in the shadowed corner of the Crime Club library shivers the ivories) The doorbell tones sullenly"And you are here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf." (The organist hits the scary chord) "Let's look at it under the reading lamp." The Librarian, played by Raymond E. Johnson, begins reading the tale. Veteran Willis Cooper (Lights Out, Quiet Please) did some of the scripts from the Crime Club books.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1947. Mutual network. "Dead Men Control". Sustaining. A millionaire is killed while opening his wall safe. A large diamond is found missing, but is found again too soon. Helen Riley (writer), Ted Osborne, Alice Frost, Elspeth Eric. 31:14. Episode Notes Boxcars711.

In The Dark (Aired January 8, 1981)

The CBS Radio Mystery Theater (or CBSRMT) was an ambitious and sustained attempt to revive the great drama of old-time radio in the 1970s. 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. The show was broadcast nightly and ran for one hour, including commercials. Typically, a week consisted of three to four new episodes, with the remainder of the week filled out with reruns. There were a total of 1399 original episodes broadcast. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2969. The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took over. Each episode began with the ominous sound of a creaking door, slowly opening to invite listeners in for the evening's adventure. At the end of each show, the door would swing shut, with Marshall signing off, "Until next time, pleasant...dreams?


THIS EPISODE:


CBS Radio Mystery Theater -  IN THE DARK (01-08-81). In a totalitarian state, a woman's husband fails to return home. Her best friend has mysteriously "divorced" her husband, and her friends refuse to talk to her. Despite evidence, she cannot believe the secret police have kidnapped her husband. Teri Keane, Carol Teitel, Ray Owens, Ralph Bell. Episode Notes From Old Time Radio Digest.

The Silent Witness (Aired July 14, 1957)

Beginning with CBS' Columbia Workshop from 1936 to 1947, CBS set out to experiment with Radio--to push that invisible envelope of the speed of sound, the speed of light, and to capitalize on the human listeners' comparitively narrow band of audible sound. Not so much experiment in terms of hardware technology, as in Radio's earliest efforts in 'broad casting' radio transmissions, but in concept, engineering, scoring and production technique. The most well-known and widely acclaimed proponent of these techniques was Norman Corwin. Corwin was so critically and popularly successful in experimental broadcasts that CBS gave him virtual carte blanche to produce whatever projects he deemed of possible interest--at least until the HUAC years anyway. Corwin's well-deserved acclaim aside, the various other CBS experimental programming efforts over the years very much set the bar for other networks.

THIS EPISODE:
 
July 14, 1957. CBS network. "The Silent Witness". Sustaining. An excellent tour-de-force trial drama. Done with only one voice, that of the only performer on the show, Raymond Burr. All other roles on this courtroom drama are played by the listener's imagination. This was what radio was all about! Raymond Burr. 24:09. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

"The Shadow"

"The Shadow" - One of the most popular radio shows in history. The show went on the air in August of 1930. "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.

Agnes Moorehead, the first Margot LaneA 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." Along with his team of operatives, the Shadow battled adversaries with chilling names like The Black Master, Kings of Crime, The Five Chameleons, and, of course, The Red Menace.
The Shadow's exploits were also avidly followed by readers in The Shadow magazine, which began in 1931 following the huge success of the old-time mystery radio program. The magazine was published by Street & Smith, who had also sponsored the old-time mystery radio program. Over the course of 18 years, Street & Smith published 325 issues of The Shadow, each one containing a novel about the sinister crime fighter. These stories were written by Maxwell Grant, a fictional name created by the publishing company. Although several different people wrote under the pseudonym, Walter B. Gibson wrote most of the stories, 282 in all. Most of the novels published have been reprinted in paperback and The Shadow adventures remain popular today, with Shadow comic books, magazines, toys, games, cds and cassettes of old-time radio shows, and books bringing top dollar among collectors the world over.

 The Shadow. September 26, 1937. Mutual Network. "The Death House Rescue". Blue Coal. The first show of the series with "The Shadow" as a force against crime and not just a phantom announcer. Just before an innocent man is to be executed for murder, The Shadow uses mental telepathy to get the goods on the real killers. A good show with an intelligent plot. Orson Welles, Agnes Moorehead, William Johnstone, Jeanette Nolan, Ray Collins (triples), Paul Stewart, Elia Kazan, Everett Sloane (quadruples), Paul Huber (commercial spokesman), Frank Readick (opening and closing voice), Arthur Whiteside (announcer), Edward Hale Bierstadt (writer), Elsie Thompson (organist), Clark Andrews (producer), Martin Gabel (director), Edith Meiser (story editor), Walter B. Gibson (story consultant), J. R. Poppele (sound engineer), Thomas Coffin Cooke (commercial spokesman, as "John Barclay"), Walter Gibson (writer). 29:12. Episode Notes From "The Radio Gold Index".

The Big Drifter

Dragnet was an American radio series, enacting the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show took its name from the police term "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Dragnet is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in media history. The series gave audience members a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers.

Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals, and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media. The show's cultural impact is such that after seven decades, elements of Dragnet are familiar to those who have never seen or heard the program. The ominous, four-note introduction to the brass and tympani theme music (titled "Danger Ahead"), composed by Walter Schumann, is instantly recognizable. It is derived from Miklós Rózsa's score for the 1946 film version of The Killers.  Another Dragnet trademark is the show's opening narration: "Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent." This underwent minor revisions over time. The "only" and "ladies and gentlemen" were dropped at some point. Variations on this narration have been featured in subsequent crime dramas, and in parodies of the dramas (e.g. "Only the facts have been changed to protect the guilty").

The radio series was the first entry in a Dragnet media franchise encompassing film, television, books and comics.

THIS EPISODE:

February 23, 1950. Program #37. NBC network. "The Big Drifter". Fatima. "Gentleman Wallace," a born con-man, takes advantage of two used-car dealers, and many others. Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough. 29:33. Show Notes From The Rado Gold Index.