Peter Drake (Aired February 23, 1948)
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. Most local or regional broadcasts were either sustained offerings by an independent affiliate, or were sponsored by spot advertisers ranging over a wide variety of offerings or services. THIS EPISODE: February 23, 1948. Program #11. Finley syndication. "Peter Drake". Commercials added locally. Book 84, page 327. The wealthy treasurer of a company gives into his greedy wife, Marsha. The date is subject to correction. No cast credits given. Larry Finley (producer). 29:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Mystery Is My Hobby - Ticket To Murder (1945) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
Glen Langan stars as Barton Drake who presents each episode in the first person and to a live audience. It ran from 1945 through 1948. Suspense, mystery and drama seem to be an every day part of his life. Stolen treasure maps, murder at every turn and all entangled with the sounds of a loud organ meant to keep the listener on the edge of their chair. Fred Howard (writer), Dave Titus (director), Ray Wilson (writer), Len Salvo (composer, conductor), Ken Christy, John McIntire, Betty Lou Gerson, Bruce Buell (anouncer), Junius Matthews. Drake was writer who loves to solve crimes and mysteries, together with his sidekick Noah Danton, a police officer. Before each episode ended, Drake would cite his line "mystery is my hobby," hence the title of the show.

The Golden Fleece Finance Co. (Aired February 20, 1949)
Lum and Abner , The Adventures of two small town shop keepers in the Town of Pine Ridge Arkansas Lum and Abner were Broadcast from 1931 until 1954. Lauck and Goff had known each other since childhood and attended the University of Arkansas together (joining the Sigma Chi Fraternity together while there). They performed locally and established a blackface act which led to an audition at radio station KTHS in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Prior to the audition, the two men decided to change their act and portray two hillbillies, since there were already an overabundance of blackface acts at the time. After only a few shows in Hot Springs, they were picked up nationally by NBC, and Lum and Abner, sponsored by Quaker Oats, ran until 1932. THIS EPISODE: February 20, 1949. "The Golden Fleece Finance Co." - CBS network. Sponsored by: Frigidaire. The boys try to attend a convention in Leavenworth, Kansas, by borrowing $200 from a finance company. Chester Lauck, Norris Goff, Clarence Hartzell, Felix Mills and His Orchestra, Wendell Niles (announcer). 29:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Heroin Source X (Aired November 18, 1951)
NBC, 30 min. "This is Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.... In a moment, it will be my pleasure to introduce to you stories of the Silent Men, the special agents of federal law-enforcement who silently, and for little material reward, daily risk their lives to protect the lives of all of us. Their tradition is long and proud, yet to guard our welfare and our liberties, they must remain nameless..." Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. played the parts of "special agents. At each episode, Fairbanks checked in with his chief, played by either William Conrad or Herb Butterfield. THIS EPISODE: November 18, 1951. NBC network. "Heroin: Source X". Sustaining. A government agent named Larry Thomas is sent to Turkey to find the source of an insideous drug. Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Fred Collins (announcer), Bernard Lenrow, Dan Ocko, Warren Lewis (writer, producer), Walter McGraw (director), Leon Janney, Gregory Morton, Ilya Bracker. 29:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Red Evening Dress (Aired September 22, 1945)
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. THIS EPISODE: September 22, 1945. Program #400. ABC network. "The Case Of The Red Evening Dress". Sponsored by: Waterman Pens, Waterman Inks. The story of Juanita Hanson, who lead William Harlen Crain to ex-convicts named Crane (no relation) and Shakey O'Leary. The gang commits a series of crimes for Juanita, who wanted a red dress very much. Gangbusters Nationwide Clues: Three escaped convicts from Nevada State Prison: Leo Young (tattoo "Leo" on left forearm), Earl Rousseau (two scars on left side of face, scar back of neck), William Rousseau (brother of Earl, walks awkwardly). Don Gardiner (announcer), Phillips H. Lord (producer), Lewis J. Valentine. 29:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Fog Over Murder (Aired October 13, 1953)
Originally aired October 31, 1951 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 William Gargan as a Detective (and an actor) If William Gargan brought an air of authenticity to his roles as a private detective, there were some good very reasons. His father was a bookmaker, so Gargan learned a lot about the gambling world and met a lot of interesting characters from across the spectrum of society.

Three Weeks Vacation (Aired July 27, 1947)
Blondie was a radio situation comedy adapted from the long-run Blondie comic strip by Chic Young. The radio program had a long run on several networks from 1939 to 1950. After Penny Singleton was cast in the title role of the feature film Blondie (1938), co-starring with Arthur Lake as Dagwood, she and Lake repeated their roles December 20, 1938, on The Bob Hope Show. The appearance with Hope led to their own show, beginning July 3, 1939, on CBS as a summer replacement for The Eddie Cantor Show. However, Cantor did not return in the fall, so the sponsor, Camel Cigarettes chose to keep Blondie on the air Mondays at 7:30pm. Camel remained the sponsor through the early WWII years until June 26, 1944. THIS EPISODE: July 27, 1947. CBS network. "Three Weeks Vacation" aka: Blondie Plans A Vacation. Sponsored by: Super Suds, Lustre Creme Shampoo, Palmolive Soap. Everyone has a different idea of where to spend the family vacation this year. Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Hanley Stafford, Howard Petrie (announcer), John L. Green (writer), Norma Jean Nilsson, Chic Young (creator). 29:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Author Of Murder (Aired May 2, 1937)
The Hermit's cave Ghost stories ... weird stories ... of murder, too ... the Hermit knows them all. Horror stories with Mel Johnson and howling wolves (or dogs with indigestion?) in the background, obliterating some of the introduction. This syndicated show was one of the treats for the kiddies, cuddled up to their hollow-state radio sets to keep warm in Detroit, between 1940 and 1944. The show was also heard in Beverly Hills, CA in 1943-1944, a radio horror anthology series, syndicated by WJR Detroit in the mid-1930s, sponsored by Olga Coal after the first two years. As the wind howled, the ancient Hermit narrated his horror fantasies from his cave. The cackling character of the Hermit was played by John Kent, Charles Penman, Toby Grimmer, and Klock Ryder. William Conrad produced when the show moved to KMPC Los Angeles with Mel Johnson as the Hermit (1940-42), followed by John Dehner (1942-44). THIS EPISODE: May 2, 1937. Program #15. World syndication. "The Author Of Murder". Sponsored by: Olga Coal. A good ghost story about an author haunted by the spirit of a woman killed in one of his novels! Two of the commercials were possibly added locally. 26:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Ted & Cora (Aired August 11, 1947) aka: The Dream Home
The unique programming wrinkle that ABC was apparently attempting to promote with The Clock was a mix of the traditional crime drama and the supernatural dramas of the previous fifteen years. One or the other of the two genres had been traditionally popular formats throughout the Golden Age of Radio era. To its credit, ABC gave The Clock all the time it needed to create an audience. It kept the series in pretty much the same timeslot throughout its seventy-eight episode run, maintained reasonably high standards of talent--both in front of and behind, the mike--and simply waited to see what developed. NBC, by contrast was fairly brutal in its approach to new programming: if it didn't attract a sponsor by the magical thirteenth installment, NBC moved it all over the Radio dial on the slightest programming whim, in an effort to find either a home, an audience, or a sponsor for it. The Clock might well have found a larger audience had ABC had either the budget or resolve to promote it. Neither, as things turned out, ever materialized. THIS EPISODE: August 11, 1947 "Ted & Cora" - Grace Gibson/Michelson syndication, WRVR-FM, New York City aircheck. "Ted & Cora" aka: The Dream Home. Participating sponsors. A beautiful house is available at a bargain price during the housing shortage...but there's a catch! WRVR rebroadcast date: December 21, 1973. Lawrence Klee (writer), Harp McGuire (as "The Clock"), John Saul (director), Grace Gibson (producer). 1/2 hour.

The Grapes Wrath (Aired January 9, 1949)
The World's Great Novels was a radio series, directed by Homer Heck, which presented adaptations of classic novels. Broadcast on WMAQ, Chicago, and NBC from 1944 to 1948, it was initially heard Saturdays at 7pm during the first 1944-45 season and then moved to Fridays at 11:30pm. Music for the series was composed by Emil Soderstrom and conducted by Bernard Berquist. The Chicago-based programs were a production of The NBC University of the Air. Through agreements with the University of Louisville, the University of Tulsa and Washington State College, listeners could receive college credit through accredited, radio-assisted literature correspondence courses. THIS EPISODE: January 9, 1949. NBC network. "The Grapes Of Wrath". Sustaining. The classic drama of the Depression, the Okies and their search for the promised land in California Albert Harris (composer, conductor), Andrew C. Love (director), Clarke Gordon, Don Diamond (producer, host), Don Stanley (announcer), Earl Lee, Gwen Delano, Howard McNear, J. Donald Adams (intermission commentator), Jane Darwell, Jerry Farber, John Dehner, John Steinbeck (author), June Martell, Lawrence Dobkin, Lou Krugman, Parley Baer, Richard E. Davis (adaptor), Steven Chase, Theodore Von Eltz, Tom Charlesworth, Tony Barrett, Wally Maher. 59:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.