Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod originates from the ‘Heart Of Historic Germantown,” Philadelphia, Pa.

Bob Camardella began podcasting at Podomatic in October 2005 and at the Radio Nostalgia Network at Libsyn.com in January 2006. From 2006 through 2009, in addition to the top ranked Boxcars711 show at Podomatic and Libsyn, “Humphrey/Camardella Media Productions” commanded a top ten slot at Podshow (1.5 million downloads per month), a top 10 ranking at Libsyn (1.7 million downloads per month) and top rankings, which continue to date, in the Kids & Family section at I-Tunes. For the last several years, and to date (2013), his podcast here at Podomatic generates over 5 million downloads a year and continues to grow.

Prior to the onset of podcasting, he hosted WPNM Internet Radio, broadcasting a combination of talk, easy listening and early rock and from his hometown in Philadelphia, Pa.

Bob was writer and bass singer for a popular 60’s rock group with 6 releases on the Twist & Algonquin (EMI) labels. He’s a member of Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

In his early 20’s, Bob Attended Philadelphia Community College for Photography and the Antinelli School of Photography soon launching Robert Joseph Studios. specializing in portraits and weddings.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 9784: Father Knows Best- Watching The Dog (09-11-52) Nov 04, 2024

Father Knows Best- Watching The Dog

Episode 9783: Mr. Smith Goes To Washington Nov 02, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American lighthearted political satire film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United States senator who fights against government corruption, and was written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story "The Gentleman from Montana". It was loosely based on the life of Montana US Senator Burton Wheeler, who underwent a similar experience when he was investigating the Warren Harding administration.
The film was controversial in the US when it was first released, with attacks from many politicians claiming that it brought Washington into disrepute, but it was very successful at both the domestic and international box offices, and it made Stewart a major star.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Original Story. Considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, the film was selected by the Library of Congress as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1989, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
crucify the worshipful Smith so that their graft plan will go through, Paine tells Taylor he wants out, but Taylor reminds him that Paine is in power primarily through Taylor's influence. Paine then advises Smith to keep silent about the matter. The following day, when Smith speaks out about the bill at Senate, the machine in his state — through Paine — accuses Smith of trying to profit from his bill by producing fraudulent evidence that Smith already owns the land in question. Smith is too shocked and angry by Paine's betrayal to defend himself and runs away.
Saunders, who looked down on Smith at first, but has come to believe in him, talks him into launching a filibuster to postpone the appropriations bill and prove his innocence on the Senate floor just before the vote to expel him. In his last chance to prove his innocence, he talks non-stop for about 25 hours, reaffirming the American ideals of freedom and disclosing the dam scheme's true motives. Yet none of the senators are convinced.
The constituents try to rally around him, but the entrenched opposition is too powerful, and all attempts are crushed. Owing to the influence of Taylor's machine, newspapers and radio stations in Smith's home state, on Taylor's orders, refuse to report what Smith has to say and even distort the facts against the senator. The Boy Rangers' effort to spread the news in support of Smith results in vicious attacks on the children by Taylor's gangsters.
Although all hope seems lost, the senators begin to pay attention as Smith approaches utter exhaustion. Paine has one last card up his sleeve: he brings in bins of letters and telegrams from Smith's home state, purportedly from average people demanding his expulsion. Nearly broken by the news, Smith finds a small ray of hope in a friendly smile from the President of the Senate. Smith vows to press on until people believe him but immediately collapses in a faint. Overcome with the pangs of remorse, Paine leaves the Senate chamber and attempts to commit suicide by gunshot but is stopped by onlooking senators. He then bursts back into the Senate chamber, shouting a confession to the whole scheme; the reformed Paine further insists that he must be expelled from the Senate and affirms Smith's innocence to Clarissa's delight. The President of the Senate observes the ensuing chaos with amusement.

Episode 9782: Scrooge "A Christmas Carole" Nov 01, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers "Scrooge" A Christmas Carol 1984

A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. In the process, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as cards and Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several establishments for London's street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this is a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.
Published on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the novella favourably. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844; Dickens took legal action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens's small profits from the publication. He subsequently wrote four other Christmas stories.
In 1849 he began public readings of the story, which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages; the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera and other media.
A Christmas Carol captured the zeitgeist of the early Victorian revival of the Christmas holiday. Dickens acknowledged the influence of the modern Western observance of Christmas and later inspired several aspects of Christmas, including family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games and a festive generosity of spirit.

Episode 9781: Frankinstein (1930) Oct 29, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers "Frankinstein" (1931)

Frankenstein is a 1931 American gothic pre-Code science fiction horror film directed by James Whale, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., and adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling, which in turn was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The Webling play was adapted by John L. Balderston and the screenplay written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort, with uncredited contributions from Robert Florey and John Russell.
Frankenstein stars Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein in the novel), an obsessed scientist who digs up corpses with his assistant in order to assemble a living being from body parts. The resulting creature, often known as Frankenstein's monster, is portrayed by Boris Karloff. The makeup for the monster was provided by Jack Pierce. Alongside Clive and Karloff, the film's cast also includes Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye, and Edward Van Sloan.
Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, the film was a commercial success upon release, and was generally well received by both critics and audiences. It spawned a number of sequels and spin-offs, and has had a significant impact on popular culture: the imagery of a maniacal "mad" scientist with a hunchbacked assistant and the film's depiction of Frankenstein's monster have since become iconic. In 1991, the United States Library of Congress selected Frankenstein for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Episode 9780: Mr. District Attorney MOVIE Oct 28, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers Mr. District Attorney (1947) MOVIE
Mr. District Attorney is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Adolphe Menjou and Marguerite Chapman. The film was based on the long-running and popular radio series Mr. District Attorney created by Phillips Lord.
Plot

An assistant district attorney becomes involved with a woman who works for the group that he is investigating.
Cast
Dennis O'Keefe as Steve Bennett
Adolphe Menjou as Craig Warren
Marguerite Chapman as Marcia Manning
Michael O'Shea as Harrington
George Coulouris as James Randolph
Jeff Donnell as Miss Miller
Steven Geray as Berotti
Ralph Morgan as Ed Jamison
John Kellogg as Franzen

Episode 9779: MOVIE The Chase (1946) Oct 25, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers "The Chase" (1946) Full Movie

The Chase is a 1946 American film noir directed by Arthur Ripley. The screenplay by Philip Yordan is based on Cornell Woolrich's 1944 novel The Black Path of Fear. It stars Robert Cummings as Chuck Scott, a veteran who suffers from hallucinations. When he returns a lost wallet to violent mobster Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), Eddie offers to hire him as a chauffeur. Chuck becomes mixed up in a plot to help Eddie's wife Lorna (Michèle Morgan) run off to Havana to escape her cruel husband.
Chuck Scott is a World War II veteran who is now a penniless drifter in Miami tormented by bizarre dreams. After finding a wallet and returning it to Eddie Roman, a vicious gangster, he is hired by Roman to be his driver. Roman tests his new driver, whom he nicknames Scotty, by assuming control of his car from the back seat. Scotty does not know that Roman has an accelerator in the rear passenger compartment. This bizarre trick unnerves Scotty and Roman's right-hand man Gino.
Roman reveals himself as a tough gangster by killing any competition, and is harsh and controlling with his wife, Lorna. She goes for a ride every night, and one day she asks driver Scotty to take her to Havana, Cuba in exchange for $1,000. He consents and realizes that he is in love with her. When they reach Havana, they stop for a drink at a club, where Lorna is stabbed to death.
All the evidence points to Scotty as the killer, including the fact that he had, earlier that day, apparently purchased the knife used in the murder. He realizes that he is being framed. A photograph from the club that proves Scotty's innocence is destroyed by Gino, who has come to Cuba to exact revenge against Lorna and Scotty. Scotty escapes police custody but is supposedly gunned down by Gino when he returns to the curio store from which the knife was purchased. Scotty's face is never shown during this scene.

Production

The Black Path of Fear was published in 1944. The New York Times praised its "fiendishly ingenious plot and thrilling episodes."
Producer Seymour Nebenzal bought the rights to the story. In January 1946, he announced Phil Yordan, with whom he had made Whistle Stop, was writing the script.

Episode 9778: Hang_Em_High Oct 23, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers Clint Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" (1968)
Hang 'Em High is a 1968 American revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as a widow who helps him; Ed Begley as the leader of the gang that lynched Cooper; and Pat Hingle as the federal judge who hires him as a Deputy U.S. Marshal.
Hang 'Em High was the first production of The Malpaso Company, Eastwood's production company. It was processed in DeLuxe Color.
Hingle portrays a fictional judge who mirrors Judge Isaac C. Parker, labeled the "Hanging Judge" due to the large number of men he sentenced to be executed during his service in the late 1800s as District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.
The film also depicts the dangers of serving as a Deputy U.S. Marshal during that period, as many federal marshals were killed while serving under Parker. The fictional Fort Grant, base for operations for that district judge seat, is also a mirror of the factual Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Judge Parker's court was located.
In Oklahoma Territory in 1889, retired lawman Jed Cooper is surrounded by a posse of nine men: Captain Wilson, Reno, Miller, Jenkins, Stone, Maddow, Tommy, Loomis, and Charlie Blackfoot. They demand the receipt for the cattle Cooper is driving. The cattle seller is a robber who killed the rancher. Cooper explains that he knew nothing about the murder, but only Jenkins expresses doubts about his guilt. After Reno takes Cooper's horse and saddle and Miller takes his wallet, the men hang him from a tree and ride away.

Episode 9777: MOVIE Die Hard Oct 20, 2024

On Christmas Eve, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Detective John McClane arrives in Los Angeles, hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, at a party held by her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation. He is driven to Nakatomi Plaza by a limo driver, Argyle, who offers to wait for McClane in the garage. While McClane washes himself, the tower is seized by the German radical Hans Gruber and his heavily armed team, including Karl and Theo. Everyone in the tower is taken hostage except for McClane, who slips away, and Argyle, who remains oblivious to events.
Gruber is posing as a terrorist to steal the $640 million in untraceable bearer bonds in the building's vault. He kills executive Joseph Takagi after failing to extract the access code from him and tasks Theo with breaking into the vault. The terrorists are alerted to McClane's presence, and Karl's brother, Tony, is sent after him. McClane kills Tony and takes his weapon and radio, which he uses to contact the skeptical Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Sergeant Al Powell is sent to investigate. Meanwhile, McClane kills more terrorists and recovers their bag of C-4 and detonators. Realizing Powell is about to leave, having found nothing amiss, McClane drops a terrorist's corpse onto his car. After Powell calls for backup, a SWAT team attempts to storm the building but is counterattacked by the terrorists. McClane throws some C-4 down an elevator shaft, causing an explosion that kills some of the terrorists and ends the counterattack.
Holly's co-worker Harry Ellis attempts to negotiate on Gruber's behalf but is killed by Gruber when McClane refuses to surrender. While checking the explosives on the roof, Gruber encounters McClane and pretends to be an escaped hostage; McClane gives Gruber a gun. Gruber attempts to shoot McClane but finds the weapon is unloaded, and he is saved only by the intervention of other terrorists. McClane escapes but is injured by shattered glass and loses the detonators. Outside, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents take control. They order the power to be shut off, which, as Gruber had anticipated, disables the final vault lock so his team can collect the bonds.
The FBI agrees to Gruber's demand for a helicopter, intending to send helicopter gunships to eliminate the group. McClane realizes Gruber plans to blow the roof to kill the hostages and fake his team's deaths. Karl, enraged by Tony's death, attacks McClane and is seemingly killed. Gruber sees a news report by Richard Thornburg on McClane's children and deduces that he is Holly's husband. The hostages are taken to the roof while Gruber keeps Holly with him. McClane drives the hostages from the roof just before Gruber detonates it and destroys the approaching FBI helicopters. Meanwhile, Theo retrieves an escape vehicle from the parking garage but is knocked out by Argyle, who has been following events on the limo's CB radio.
A weary and battered McClane finds Holly with Gruber and his remaining henchman. McClane surrenders to Gruber and is about to be shot but grabs his concealed service pistol taped to his back and uses his last two bullets to wound Gruber and kill his accomplice. Gruber crashes through a window but grabs onto Holly's wristwatch and makes a last-ditch attempt to kill the pair. McClane unclasps the watch, and Gruber falls to his death. Outside, Karl ambushes McClane and Holly but is shot dead by Powell. Holly punches Thornburg when he attempts to interview McClane. Argyle crashes through the parking garage door in the limo and drives McClane and Holly away together.

Episode 9776: MOVIE Bob Camardella Remembers "Cold Sweap" (1970) Starring Charles Bronson Oct 17, 2024

Cold Sweat is a 1970 French-Italian international co-production starring Charles Bronson and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1959 novel Ride the Nightmare by Richard Matheson. It was filmed in and around Beaulieu-sur-Mer.
An American (Charles Bronson) living in France must face his past when his wife and daughter are kidnapped by former fellow convicts turned narco-dealers he once double-crossed.
The film was known for an extended car chase with an Opel Commodore GS/E I6 involving the Bronson character's attempt to get a doctor to a wounded drug dealer in exchange for his wife.

Episode 9775: Lady Gangster (1942) 188mb.mp4 Oct 15, 2024

Lady Gangster is a 1942 Warner Bros. B picture crime film directed by Robert Florey, credited as "Florian Roberts". It is based on the play Gangstress, or Women in Prison by Dorothy Mackaye, who in 1928, as #440960, served less than ten months of a one- to three-year sentence in San Quentin State Prison. Lady Gangster is a remake of the pre-Code film, Ladies They Talk About (1933). Jackie Gleason plays a supporting role.
Plot
Dorothy "Dot" Burton (Faye Emerson) is a member of a gang of v. Using her femininity and a cute dog provided her by her male cohorts, who dognapped him, she is able to enter a bank before opening time, leaving the door open and the bank guard holding her dog, thus enabling a successful robbery. When police interfere with the getaway, she faints and proclaims her innocence, but the police have strong doubts as "her" dog will not come to her and has a different name on his collar from what she calls him. After she confesses to her part in the robbery, she is sent to women's prison, where she makes an enemy of a fellow inmate who informs the governor that Burton knows where the bank's money is, thereby causing Burton to lose her parole. She is devastated by it but more trouble occurs as her old gang is going to kill her childhood sweetheart Ken Philips (Frank Wilcox), so she escapes by stealing the warden’s (Virginia Brissac) clothes and getting revenge on her rival inmate (Ruth Ford) before finally rescuing Ken.
Cast
Faye Emerson as Dorothy Drew Burton
Julie Bishop as Myrtle Reed
Frank Wilcox as Kenneth Phillips
Roland Drew as Carey Wells
Jackie Gleason as Wilson (as Jackie C. Gleason)
Ruth Ford as Lucy Fenton
Virginia Brissac as Mrs. Stoner
Dorothy Vaughan as Matron Jenkins
Dorothy Adams as Deaf Annie
William Hopper as John (as DeWitt Hopper)
Vera Lewis as Ma Silsby
Herbert Rawlinson as Lewis Sinton
Charles C. Wilson as Detective
Frank Mayo as Walker
Leah Baird as Matron
Jack Mower as Police Sergeant

Episode 9774: Bob Camardella Remembers Frankie Valli The Four Seasons STEREO Oct 15, 2024

Valli was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio on May 3, 1934 to an Italian family in the First Ward of Newark, New Jersey; he is the eldest of three sons. His father, Anthony Castelluccio, was a barber and display designer for Lionel model trains; his mother, Mary Rinaldi, was a homemaker and beer company employee. He was inspired to take up a singing career at age seven after his mother took him to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater in New York City. One of his early favorite singers was "Texas" Jean Valli, from whom he took his stage name. He worked as a barber until he could support himself with music.
Valli's birth year has been called into question. He never addressed the issue himself until a 2007 posting at the Official Frankie Valli Site, sponsored by his record label Universal Records. Much of his previous official publicity used 1937 as his birth year. Other sources gave his year of birth as 1934, such as the Bear Family Records release The Four Lovers (BCD 15424) and a 1965 mug shot, available through The Smoking Gun.
Music Career
Valli began his singing career in 1951 with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, Tommy DeVito, and Henry "Hank" Majewski), and was mentored in much of his early career by Nick Macioci, who later joined Valli in The Four Seasons, and by "Texas" Jean Valli, a female hillbilly singer, from whom he adopted the "Valli" surname. Geoff Herbert explains, "Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother. As a result, his first single was listed under 'Frankie Valley', and the name stuck—though he eventually changed it to the same spelling" that Texas Jean used. His desire to sing in public was initially granted when the group offered him a guest spot when they performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli and Tommy DeVito became part of the house band at The Strand in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Valli played bass and sang.

Episode 9773: Archie's Move To California Oct 14, 2024

All in the Family is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as Archie Bunker's Place, a continuation series, which picked up where All in the Family ended and ran for four seasons through April 4, 1983.
Based on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, All in the Family was produced by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. It starred Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers, and Rob Reiner. The show revolves around the life of a working-class man and his family. It broke ground by introducing challenging and complex issues into mainstream network television comedy: racism, antisemitism, infidelity, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, religion, miscarriages, abortion, breast cancer, the Vietnam War, menopause, and impotence. The series became arguably one of television's most influential comedic programs, as it injected the sitcom format with more dramatic moments and realistic, topical conflicts.
All in the Family has been ranked as one of the best American television series. The show became the most watched show in the United States during the summer reruns of the first season, and topped the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976, the first television series to have held the position for five consecutive years. The episode "Sammy's Visit" was ranked number 13 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ranked All in the Family as number four. Bravo also named the show's protagonist, Archie Bunker, TV's greatest character of all time. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked All in the Family the fourth-best written TV series. In 2023, Variety ranked All in the Family #16 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows.

Episode 9772: The Four Seasons - Greatest Hits185mb Oct 14, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers "Frankie Valli The Four Seasons" STEREO
Valli was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio on May 3, 1934 to an Italian family in the First Ward of Newark, New Jersey; he is the eldest of three sons. His father, Anthony Castelluccio, was a barber and display designer for Lionel model trains; his mother, Mary Rinaldi, was a homemaker and beer company employee. He was inspired to take up a singing career at age seven after his mother took him to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater in New York City. One of his early favorite singers was "Texas" Jean Valli, from whom he took his stage name. He worked as a barber until he could support himself with music.
Valli's birth year has been called into question. He never addressed the issue himself until a 2007 posting at the Official Frankie Valli Site, sponsored by his record label Universal Records. Much of his previous official publicity used 1937 as his birth year. Other sources gave his year of birth as 1934, such as the Bear Family Records release The Four Lovers (BCD 15424) and a 1965 mug shot, available through The Smoking Gun.
Valli began his singing career in 1951 with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, Tommy DeVito, and Henry "Hank" Majewski), and was mentored in much of his early career by Nick Macioci, who later joined Valli in The Four Seasons, and by "Texas" Jean Valli, a female hillbilly singer, from whom he adopted the "Valli" surname. Geoff Herbert explains, "Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother. As a result, his first single was listed under 'Frankie Valley', and the name stuck—though he eventually changed it to the same spelling" that Texas Jean used. His desire to sing in public was initially granted when the group offered him a guest spot when they performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli and Tommy DeVito became part of the house band at The Strand in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Valli played bass and sang.

Episode 9771: Shake Hands With The Devil 1959 Starring James Cagney Oct 13, 2024

Shake Hands with the Devil is a 1959 British-Irish film produced and directed by Michael Anderson and starring James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns and Michael Redgrave. The film was written by Marian Spitzer based on the 1933 novel of the same title by Rearden Conner, the son of a Royal Irish Constabulary policeman.
The film is set in 1921 Dublin, where the Irish Republican Army battles the Black and Tans, ex-British soldiers sent to suppress the rebels.

Episode 9770: The Spiral Staircase (1961) Oct 11, 2024

The Spiral Staircase is a 1946 American psychological horror film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, and Ethel Barrymore. Set over the course of one evening, the film follows a mute young woman in an early-20th century Vermont town who is stalked and terrorized in a rural mansion by a serial killer targeting women with disabilities. Gordon Oliver, Rhonda Fleming, and Elsa Lanchester appear in supporting roles. It was adapted for the screen by Mel Dinelli from the novel Some Must Watch (1933) by Ethel Lina White.
The project originated with producer David O. Selznick, who purchased the rights to White's novel, intending to cast Ingrid Bergman in the lead role. Selznick subsequently sold the rights to RKO Radio Pictures, who commenced production and cast McGuire in the lead. Filming took place at the RKO Radio Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles between August and October 1945.

The Spiral Staircase premiered in New York City on February 6, 1946 and went on to become a box-office success, earning nearly $3 million. It was met by favorable critical reviews, praised for its cinematography, atmosphere, and suspense. Barrymore earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. In the years since its release, film scholars have noted The Spiral Staircase for its stylistic mixture of horror and film noir elements, and cited it as a progenitor of the contemporary slasher film.

Episode 9769: Catwomen of the Moon was an Outer Limits Episode.mp4 Oct 09, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Remembers The Twilight Time "Cat Women From The Moon" (1953)
Cat-Women of the Moon is an independently made 1953 American black-and-white three-dimensional science-fiction film, produced by Jack Rabin and Al Zimbalist, directed by Arthur Hilton, that stars Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory, and Marie Windsor. The film was released by Astor Pictures.
The musical score was composed by Academy Award–winner Elmer Bernstein, whose name is misspelled as "Bernstien" in the opening credits.
Cat-Women of the Moon was remade in 1958 as Missile to the Moon.
Plot

Travelling in a spaceship equipped with wooden tables and chairs, a scientific expedition to the Moon encounters a race of cat-women, the last survivors of a two-million-year-old lunar civilization. Residing deep within a Moon cavern, the cat-women have managed to maintain not only the remnants of a breathable atmosphere and Earth-like gravity, but also a pair of gigantic Moon-spiders. The cat-women wear black unitards, have beehive hairstyles, and wear elaborate cosmetics. Realizing that their remaining atmosphere will soon be exhausted, the cat-women plan to steal the expedition's spaceship and return to Earth, where, in the words of the cat-women's leader, Alpha, "We will get their women under our power, and soon we will rule the whole world!"
Through the use of their telepathic abilities, the cat-women have been subliminally controlling Helen Salinger, the mission navigator and only female member of the Earth expedition. Once on the Moon, the cat-women take control of Helen's mind, after which she leads the entire crew (clad in spacesuits and equipped with matches, cigarettes, and a gun) to the cat-women's cavern. Although unable to directly control male minds, the cat-women are able to influence the male crew through Helen, using their own superior intellectual abilities and feminine wiles. As explained to Helen by the cat-woman Beta, "Show us their weak points. We'll take care of the rest."

Episode 9768: Gunsmoke 59-11-22 (398) Paid Killer-STEREO-2 Oct 07, 2024

Gunsmoke "Paid Killer" (11-22-59) STEREO
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.
The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that, among radio drama enthusiasts, "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." It ran unsponsored for its first few years, with CBS funding its production.
In 1955, the series was adapted for television and ran for 20 seasons. It ran for half-hour episodes from 1955 to 1961, and one-hour episodes from 1961 to 1975. A total of 635 episodes were aired over its 20 year run. At the end of its run in 1975, Los Angeles Times columnist Cecil Smith wrote: "Gunsmoke was the dramatization of the American epic legend of the west. Our own Iliad and Odyssey, created from standard elements of the dime novel and the pulp Western as romanticized by Buntline, Harte, and Twain. It was ever the stuff of legend."
Five made-for-TV movies were produced after its 20-year run. The show won 15 Primetime Emmy Awards as well as other accolades. It was frequently well received, holding a top-10 spot in the Nielsen ratings for several seasons.

Episode 9767: MOVIE: Bob Camardella Remembers "Johnny Come Lately 1943 HD Starring James Cagney" Oct 05, 2024

Johnny Come Lately is a 1943 drama film directed by William K. Howard starring James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main and Hattie McDaniel. It was the first film produced by Cagney's brother, William Cagney.
The title is derived from the idiom "Johnny Come Lately", which refers to a newcomer who seeks to change an established system.[3] The film centers on a drifter who comes to a new town and is faced with the question of choosing integrity or financial gain.

Plot

In 1906, Tom Richards, a drifter, arrives in the small town of Plattsville. He sits reading a book in the town square when newspaper proprietor Vinnie McLeod speaks to him and offers him help. She goes to meet wealthy mayor Dougherty, a corrupt man who also owns a rival newspaper.
Mrs. McLeod re-encounters Richards in the town courtroom where he is on trial for vagrancy. She offers him a job as a journalist to allow him to escape imprisonment. He starts to shake the place up, and asks to close the paper (the Shield and Banner) for 3 days to redesign and relaunch it, specifically launching an attack on Dougherty.
Meanwhile Dougherty's son is in love with Mrs. McLeod's niece. Dougherty offers Richards a job paying three times more but he declines due to his morals. Dougherty goes to extreme measures and sends two hired guns to shoot Mrs. McLeod. They hit her in the hand. Richards (who pre-empted the attack and has a gun) chases them off, shooting one.
Mrs. McLeod's niece starts to fall in love with Richards but decides it is young Dougherty she loves.
An eccentric rich woman, nicknamed "Gashouse Mary" (clearly modelled on Mae West) gives funds usually channeled through Dougherty to the orphanage to Richards instead. When she taunts Dougherty she ends up in prison on a bail of $1,500.
Dougherty starts to bend when the entire town parades by holding an effigy of him on a gibbet. Richards and Dougherty Jr. start brawling in the street and Richards is arrested and taken off in a horse-drawn black maria. The townsfolk storm the jail and release him.
In the end Dougherty senior meets with Mrs. McLeod and Richards and agrees to leave town for the sake of his son and her niece. All agree. He also gives back Mrs. McLeod the mortgage on her property. Richards too decides to move on.
Cast
James Cagney as Tom Richards
Grace George as Vinnie McLeod (as Miss Grace George)
Marjorie Main as Gashouse Mary
Marjorie Lord as Jane
Hattie McDaniel as Aida, Mrs McLeod's servant
Edward McNamara as W.M. Dougherty
William Henry as Pete Dougherty (as Bill Henry)
Robert Barrat as Bill Swain
George Cleveland as Willie Ferguson, a kindly drunkard working for McLeod
Margaret Hamilton as Myrtle Ferguson, McLeod's receptionist
Norman Willis as Dudley Hirsh
Lucien Littlefield as Blaker
Edwin Stanley as Winterbottom
Irving Bacon as Chief of Police
Tom Dugan as First Cop
Charles Irwin as Second Cop
John Sheehan as Third Cop
Clarence Muse as Butler
John Skins Miller as First Tramp (as John Miller)
Arthur Hunnicutt as Second Tramp
Victor Kilian as Tramp in Box Car
Wee Willie Davis as Bouncer (as Wee Willie Davis)
Joseph Crehan as Judge Flynn (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook as Saloon Patron (uncredited)

Episode 9766: "Mickey Mantle The Definitive Story" (MLB Baseball Sports Documentary) Oct 01, 2024

Bob Camardella Remembers Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York Yankees, primarily as a center fielder. Mantle is regarded by many as being one of the best players and sluggers of all time. He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player three times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.\
Born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, Mantle was raised by his father to become a baseball player and was trained early on to become a switch hitter. Despite a career plagued with injuries, beginning with his knee injury in the 1951 World Series, he became one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history, and was able to hit for both average and power. He is the only player to hit 150 home runs from both sides of the plate. Mantle hit 536 career home runs while batting .300 or more ten times; he is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bat and 17th in on-base percentage.
Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956, when he led the major leagues in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and runs batted in (RBI) (130). He was an All-Star for 16 seasons, playing in 16 of the 20 All-Star Games that he was selected for. He also had a solid .984 fielding percentage when playing center field, winning a Gold Glove in that position. He appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven championships, and holds World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123), and he has the highest World Series on-base and slugging percentages.
After retirement, Mantle worked as sports commentator for NBC for a few years and had a brief stint as first base and hitting coach for the Yankees in the 1970 season. Despite being one of the best paid athletes of his era, he was a poor businessman and suffered financial setbacks from business failures. His private life was plagued by tumult and tragedy. His marriage fell apart due to his alcoholism and infidelity, and three of his sons became alcoholics, two of them dying from it. Towards the end of his life, Mantle came to regret his hard lifestyle and the damage he had inflicted on his family. Before his final year, he was treated for alcoholism and became sober, afterwards warning others of the dangers of hard drinking. He died from liver cancer brought on by years of alcohol abuse in Dallas, Texas, aged 63.

Episode 9765: Duffy's Tavern - Whistlin Sam (Guest Is Chester Morris) 05-11-49-STEREO Sep 29, 2024

Whistlin Sam (Guest Is Chester Morris) Aired May 11, 1949

Duffy's Tavern is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks (CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast. The program often featured celebrity guest stars but always hooked them around the misadventures of Archie, the tavern's manager, portrayed by Ed Gardner. Archie was prone to involvement in get-rich-quick schemes and romantic missteps, and constantly communicated with malaprops and mixed metaphors. Gardner had performed the character of Archie, talking about Duffy's Tavern, as early as November 9, 1939, when he appeared on NBC's Good News of 1940. Owner Duffy was never heard nor seen, either on the radio program or in the 1945 film adaptation or the short-lived 1954 TV series. Archie constantly bantered with Duffy's man-crazy daughter, Miss Duffy, played by several actresses, beginning with Gardner's real-life first wife, Shirley Booth, followed by Florence Halop and, later, by actress Hazel Shermet, and especially with Clifton Finnegan (Charlie Cantor, later Sid Raymond), a likeable soul with several screws loose and a knack for falling for every other salesman's scam.

THIS EPISODE:
May 11, 1949. NBC network. Sponsored by: Vitalis, Mum. "Your bath washes away the past, Mum safeguards the future." Detective Archie is on the trail of "Whistling Sam," a robber of taverns! Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Alan Reed, Charlie Cantor, Sheldon Leonard, Chester Morris (guest). 31:30. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9764: Night of the Living Dead (1968) Sep 28, 2024

In this classic yet still creepy horror film, strangers hold up in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse and battle constant attacks from dead locals who have been brought back to life by mysterious radiation.
Note: This item contains a user-contributed srt subtitle file. To use this file you must download an srt compatible player and point it at the correct video and srt files (google for srt subtitles). We include this file for advanced users who may wish to use it, however the Archive does not support any player that displays subtitles stored external to the video they are intended to be used with, nor can we vouch for the quality or completeness of the subtitling effort. This Is A Bob Camardella Special

Episode 9763: Dragnet Ep190 "The Big Press" EP190 Sep 24, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays "Dragnet" "The Time I'm In It For Love" From (2007)
Podomatic Boxcars711 Bob_Camardella Duke Count Kids_and_Family Adventure Suspense Thriller Detective Comedy Mystery Sci-fi WPNM Gumshoe Westerns Game Quiz Homor Funny Old_Time_Radio OTR Soap_Opera Theater Movie Video Variety Music Rock_Roll Oldies_Still_Young Holiday Xmas Christmas Thanksgiving Holloween Drama Hollywood Love Radio Sicense_Fiction Crime Law Lawless 21st_Precinct NYPD New_York_City_Detectives JAD Juvenile_Aid_Division Philadelphia_Police_Department Mounted_Police Law Government Lurene_Tuttle Lawyer Gang_Control Family_Court Old_Time_Radio_Researchers_Group Radio_Gold_Index The_Digital_Deli Television TV Movie(s) Space Moon Planet Oldies 70's 60's 80's Morris_Bailey_Jr._(Cry_Baby_Cry_(author) Chips_Distributing_Company (Don_Wright_Promotion) Cameo_Parkway_Records_(Tom_Bell_(A&R) Artie_&_Harold_Singer_(Vocal_Teachers_Shubert_Theater) Danny_&_The_Juniors_(At_The_Hop_&_Sometimes) Hy_GeorgLit_(W.I.B.G) Gerald_Blavat_(W.D.A.S)_(W.C.A.M)The_Geator_With_The_Heater" Band_Stand_(Dick_Clark) Nine_More_Miles_ie_Young_(Oboleski)_&_The_Rockin_Bocs Jackie_Wilson_To_Be_Loved_(1958) Ed_Sullivan_TV_Show The_Lettermen Jim_Croce Appolic_Record_Company Barbra_Lewis_(Baby_I'm_Yours)_(1961) Hall_&_Oates The_O'Jays

Episode 9762: Dragnet - "The Big Press" Sep 23, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays "Dragnet" and "The Time I'm In It For Love" From (2007)

The victims have been unable to identify the criminals. Your job, get them. If you want a long cigarette, smoke the best of all long cigarettes. Smoke extra mild Fatima.
Yes, Fatima is the king size cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended to make it extra mild, to give Fatima a much different, much better flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette. That's why Fatima has more than doubled its smokers coast to coast. Enjoy extra mild Fatima yourself, best of all long cigarettes. It's wise to smoke extra mile Fatima.
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police filence, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force and action.
It was Monday, July first, was mild in Los Angeles. You're working the night Watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Walker, Captain a robbery.

Episode 9761: Gunsmoke_53-03-14_047_Cyclone-STEREO Sep 19, 2024

It was created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston
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. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Miss Kitty's occupation as a prostitute was made far more obvious on the radio version than on television. Many episodes ended on a down-note, and villains often got away with their crimes.

Episode 9760: "Sheila Randolph Is Sane" (1957) Sep 16, 2024

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." In his investigations Steve Granger cooperates with the police and the FBI and other authorities. 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.

Episode 9759: Case Of The Darkened Face (09-22-46)-STEREO Sep 14, 2024

The Case Of The Darkened Face (Aired September 22, 1946)

The series was written by Ralph Wilkinson and produced by Wally Ramsey .The show had a formula with the crime usually being committed in the first third of the program, the good doctor solving it in the second third, and then pedantically explaining the solution to someone (usually his "pretty, young" secretary, Rusty) in the conclusion. Dr. Daniel Danfield was an obnoxious unlicensed private investigator/criminal psychologist with an ego complex. Why Rusty would put up with this guy is beyond understanding. In this case, love is not only blind, but also deaf and dumb. But then, Rusty was no prize package either. In fact, the most complex person on the show is Dr. Dan Danfield's pretty young secretary, Miss Rusty Fairfax. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
THIS EPISODE:

September 22, 1946. Program #6. ABC network origination, Teleways Radio Productions syndication. "The Case Of The Darkened Face". Commercials added locally. An actress with a deformed face can be cured by a miraculous cream, but the formula for the cream has been stolen! Michael Dunn, Joanne Johnson. 24:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9758: Damon Runyon Theater- "Neat Strip" (12-11-49)-STEREO Sep 12, 2024

Neat Strip (Aired December 11, 1949)

He was born Alfred Damon Runyan in Manhattan, Kansas, and grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where Runyon Field and Runyon Lake are named after him. He was a third-generation newspaperman, and started in the trade under his father in Pueblo. He worked for various newspapers in the Rocky Mountain area; at one of those, the spelling of his last name was changed from "Runyan" to "Runyon", a change he let stand. After a notable failure in trying to organize a Colorado minor baseball league, Runyon moved to New York City in 1910. For the next ten years he covered the New York Giants and professional boxing for the New York American. In his first New York byline, the American editor dropped the "Alfred", and the name "Damon Runyon" appeared for the first time.
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). 28:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9757: Dad's Army - "A Brush With The Law" (03-25-75)-STEREO Sep 04, 2024

A Brush With The Law (Aired March 25, 1975)
INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Ed Townsend For Your Love (1958)

Dad's Army" was a long running British comedy series created and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The idea of a series came to Jimmy Perry when he realised that many people had forgotten about the contribution the Home Guard had made to the British Home Front during the years of the Second World War. Commencing in 1968, "Dad's Army" ran on BBC Television for 9 years with over eighty episodes spread within 10 series. The series is set in a small fictional seaside town called Walmington-on-Sea somewhere on the South Coast of England. "Dad's Army" is also remembered for its first class actors which starred amongst its credits, Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Arthur Wilson and Clive Dunn as Lance Corporal Jack Jones. In May 1940, Sir Anthony Eden makes his historic speech calling for men under and over the age of active service in the armed forces to form a local defence corps. In Walmington, the Local Bank manager George Mainwaring set's up the town's Local Defence Volunteers,with the assistance of his Bank Clerk, Arthur Wilson and the Local Butcher, Jack Jones. The LDV later become known as the Home Guard or affectionately (to the TV audience) "Dad's Army" as the platoon mainly consist of Old Soldiers.From week to week they would become entangled in many exploits while defending Walmington from a possible invasion and any interference from the Local Air Raid Warden.

Episode 9756: Crime Does Not Pay - "Gasoline Cocktail" (12-12-49)-STEREO Sep 02, 2024

Crime Does Not Pay - Gasoline Cocktail (12-12-49)
Gasoline Cocktail (Aired December 12, 1949)

With the possible exception of Ed Begley, Everett Sloane, Lionel Stander and Joan Lorring, none of the other featured actors in the series ever played a major role in Radio. We don't mention this to in any way detract from these fine performers' work in this program. We simply point out the novelty of this program in the annals of Golden Age Radio history. "In the Interest of Good Citizenship and Law Enforcement," MGM presented these seventy-eight programs as syndicated transcriptions. There had been a glut of such civic minded programs between the 1940s and 1950s, so it's difficult to imagine how MGM thought they might milk even more public interest out of yet another such program. But it turned out to be a very successful program for both MGM and WMGM. Crime Does Not Pay was well-received during its run.
THIS EPISODE:
December 12, 1949. Program #10. MGM syndication. "Gasoline Cocktail". Commercials added locally. A Transylvanian arsonist is extinguished. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of the program on WMGM, New York from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Marx B. Loeb (director), Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Bela Lugosi, Ira Marion (writer), Bob Williams (announcer). 28:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9755: Crime Club - "Death Is A Knockout" (06-12-47) STEREO Sep 01, 2024

Death Is A Knockout (Aired June 12, 1947)
The Crime Club was broadcast by Mutual and produced and directed by Roger Bower. The post war stories were by various different authors and adapted for radio by among others Stedman Coles and Wyllis Cooper (writer of Lights Out and Quiet Please). The narrator played by Barry Thomson is the supposed curator of the Crime Club library. He speaks to the listener as if they have just arrived or phoned and requested one of the Club's books. The telephone rings, “Hello I hope I haven’t kept you waiting. This is the librarian, Silent Witnesses; yes we have that Crime Club book for you, come right over.” The organ plays suspenseful music, the door opens and the librarian says, “Ah you’re here, good take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf…”He would take the book from the shelf and begin to tell the tale. The story would end with the Librarian informing you that there was a new Crime Club book available this week and every week in bookstores everywhere.
THIS EPISODE:
June 12, 1947. Mutual network. "Death Is A Knockout". Sustaining. A crime story with an unusual twist. The crook who tries to fix the prizefight is found murdered! Sydney Smith, Ted de Corsia, Bruce Smith, Stedman Coles (writer), Roger Bower (producer, director), Barbara Joyce, Arthur Vinton, Joan Tompkins. 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9754: Crime & Peter Chambers - The Hot Spot (08-31-54) Aug 31, 2024

The Hot Spot (Aired August 31, 1954)
Crime and Peter Chambers, stared Dane Clark as a hard-hitting private eye that worked well the with police department. His counter part at the NYPD was Lt Parker played by Bill Zuckert. The series was based on the character created by Henry Kane who wrote eight Peter Chambers novels before the series came to radio. Henry Kane wrote the scripts for the radio show adaptation which aired from 6 Apr – 7 Sep 1954 on NBC. The show was directed by Fred Weihe. There are a total of 21 episodes available from the series. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
THIS EPISODE:
August 31, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Johnny Silver, a well known band leader, has been murdered at "The Hot Spot," a swank nightclub. Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer), Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director), William Zuckert, Rita Lynn, Donald Buka. 25:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9753: "The Incredible Trial Of Laura D. Fair" (08-17-53)-STEREO Aug 29, 2024

The Incredible Trial Of Laura D. Fair (Aired August 17, 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 17, 1953. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Incredible Trial Of Laura D. Fair". The oft-times married Miss Laura uses her "4-shooter" on a ferry in San Francisco harbor...for interesting reasons. Lou Merrill (host), Mary Jane Croft, Herb Butterfield, William Johnstone, Paula Winslowe, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Florence Wolcott, Jean Wood, Joseph Granby, Hugh Douglas (announcer). 30:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9752: Crime & Peter Chambers - "The Hot Spot" (08-31-54)-STEREO. Aug 27, 2024

The Hot Spot (Aired August 31, 1954)
Crime and Peter Chambers, stared Dane Clark as a hard-hitting private eye that worked well the with police department. His counter part at the NYPD was Lt Parker played by Bill Zuckert. The series was based on the character created by Henry Kane who wrote eight Peter Chambers novels before the series came to radio. Henry Kane wrote the scripts for the radio show adaptation which aired from 6 Apr – 7 Sep 1954 on NBC. The show was directed by Fred Weihe. There are a total of 21 episodes available from the series. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
THIS EPISODE:
August 31, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Johnny Silver, a well known band leader, has been murdered at "The Hot Spot," a swank nightclub. Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer), Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director), William Zuckert, Rita Lynn, Donald Buka. 25:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9751: The Creaking Door - "The Haunted Hangman" (1950) STEREO Aug 25, 2024

The Haunted Hangman (1950) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

The Creaking Door was South African Radio's attempt to create a compelling program of highly suspenseful, dramatic thrillers with a supernatural bent for their sponsor, State Express Cigarettes. Some commentators insist it was conceived as a spin-off of the already successful Inner Sanctum episodes that had been syndicated for broadcast in Australia and South Africa during the 1950s. Given the format, one can see the inference, but in fact The Creaking Door stands on its own as a unique, well-produced, engaging supernatural thriller series on its own merit. When legendary producer and director, Himan Brown first presented Inner Sanctum as one of three requested sponsorship candidates to Carter Products, he presented Inner Sanctum as The Creaking Door. Carter didn't care for the name, so on the spur of the moment Hi Brown suggested Inner Sanctum as an alternative, and voila, Radio history was made. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Episode 9750: Columbia Workshop - A Story In Dogtown Commons (12-14-39)STERE0 Aug 22, 2024

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.
THIS EPISODE:
December 14, 1939. CBS network. "Story In Dogtown Common". Sustaining. The first radio drama by Julian Liss. A tale of the sea and witchcraft told in blank verse. Joseph Liss (author). 1/2 hour. Episode Notes From The Radio ++Gold Index.

Episode 9749: Filename: Cloak & Dagger - The Kachin Story (06-18-50)-2-STEREO Aug 18, 2024

The Kachin Story (Aired June 18, 1950)

Based on the book, Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain, the Radio rendition of these fascinating stories promised to keep any listener perched on the edge of their seat. Apart from describing the book upon which the new adventure series was based, the above is just about all the fanfare that was associated with the roll-out of NBC's only espionage program of the year. It was also one of the few solo productions that Wyllis Cooper undertook for NBC. It was also Cooper's first collaboration with British crime journalist Percy Hoskins, who would work with Cooper yet again on NBC's WHItehall-1212 a year hence. The combination of Hoskin's unfailingly accurate research and Cooper's lively, fast-paced writing and direction proved to be an excellent underpinning for an espionage adventure drama based on factual events.
THIS EPISODE:

June 18, 1950. NBC network. "The Kachin Story". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. An O. S. S. operative is shot down in Burmese head-hunting country. With the help of an irish priest and his Kuching friends, the American battles a wiley Japanese commander, M. I. T., class of '37! Jackson Beck, Raymond Edward Johnson, Inge Adams, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Sherman Marks (director), Karl Weber, William Quinn, Joseph Julian, Everett Sloane, Jerry Jarrett, Jack Gordon (writer), Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer), Bob Warren (announcer), Corey Ford (originator), Alistair MacBain (originator). 29:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index

Episode 9748: The Adventures Of Christopher London - "The Price Of Sugar" (02-26-50)-STEREO Aug 16, 2024

CHRISTOPHER LONDON was the name and the hero of this 1950 radio show that related the adventures and exploits of a private eye who will "go anywhere and do anything...for a price." Of an added interest is the fact that this guy is supposedly based on a character created by Erle Stanley Gardner. It's an excellent detective drama with Glen Ford in the lead role. Supporting cast compliment his talent. There is little else known about this NBC 1950 presentation.
Glenn Ford had not yet appeared in his own recurring dramatic Radio showcase. Christopher London gave millions of Glenn Ford fans an opportunity to hear him in a top-notch adventure anthology as Christopher London, a private investigator with an adventurous wanderlust reminiscent of Alan Ladd's Box Thirteen, Herbert Marshall's The Man Called X and Brian Donlevy's Dangerous Assignment--with a few elements of The Shadow and The Green Lama thrown in. The timing wasn't surprising, given Radio's mounting desperation to retain its listening audience in the face of the exponentially growing Television audience of the era. Many of the one-offs we cited above arrived over Radio at about the same time as Christopher London. Without exception, the big name Stage and Screen actor Radio vehicles of this era were superbly mounted, with Radio's finest supporting actors, directors, producers, engineers and music directors. Christopher London was no exception. William N. Robson directed, Lyn Murray and Van Cleve scored and conducted the musical accompaniment, and West Coast Radio luminaries Joan Banks, Ben Wright, Will Wright, Charlie Lung, Ted deCorsia, Virginia Gregg, Peter Leeds, Barton Yarborough, Alan Reed, Jeanette Nolan, and Stacy Harris appeared in supporting roles throughout the production.
THIS EPISODE:
February 26, 1950. NBC network. ""The Price Of Sugar". Sustaining. Christopher is hired to find out why a sugar company can undersell everyone and discovers a concentration camp in the Philippines. The date is subject to correction. The final public service announcement and system cue have been deleted. Glenn Ford, Erle Stanley Gardner (creator), William N. Robson (producer, director), Lyn Murray (composer, conductor), Mindred Lord (writer), Joan Banks, Virginia Gregg, Barton Yarborough, Ted de Corsia, Alan Reed, Ben Wright. 27:51. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Episode 9747: Chase - Harry Troll's Diamond (05-04-52) Aug 15, 2024

Harry Troll's Diamond (Aired May 4, 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:
May 4, 1952. NBC network. "Harry Troll's Diamond". Sustaining. An alcoholic named Harry Troll finds a diamond the size of a prune! He not only is unable to sell it, he can't even give it away! The title may not be accurate. Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Walter McGraw (director, transcriber), Fred Collins (announcer), Kermit Murdock, Bryna Raeburn, Court Benson, Santos Ortega, Roger De Koven, Dan Ocko, Clem Flower. 29:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9746: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Killer Mike Evans (05-13-56 Aug 14, 2024

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" -Killer Mike Evans (Aired May 13, 1956)

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television version ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and still remains the United States' longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes ("Law and Order" ended in 2010 with 476 episodes).
THIS EPISODE:

May 13, 1956. CBS network. "Killer Mike Evans". Sponsored by: ChesterfieMld, L & M. Evans, a tough "Mule Skinner" stands down when his girl friend is struck in her face and then ptotected by the marshall. Miss Kity takes mavis with her for protection. A man named Marcus Price, a gambler from Philadelphia, falls in love with Mavis and ignores the Mule Skinner's promise to return and "even the score". Surprise Ending. Show Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio.

Episode 9745: Dragnet - "The Big Mustache" (03-23-54) Aug 12, 2024

Dragnet - The Big Mustache (03-23-54)
The Big Mustache (Aired March 23, 1954)
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:

March 23, 1954. Program #240. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Big Mustache". A man with a false mustache suspected of robbing a supermarket. Jack Epis Webb, Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer). 30:51. ode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9744: Boston Blackie - The Jonathan Diamond (06-23-44)222-Repaired STEREO Aug 11, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Dionne Warwick & Then Spinners "Then Came You" (1974)

Boston Blackie REPAIRED- The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (06-23-44)
The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (Aired June 23, 1944)
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.
THIS EPISODE:

June 23, 1944. "The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap. 10:00 P. M. The first show of the series. Blackie is arrested in Chicago. He's accused of taking $10,000 from a woman's grandfather. It's all the woman's plan to help her recover, "The Jonathan Diamond." The same script was subsequently used on "Boston Blackie" on August 27, 1946. Chester Morris, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organist), Jan Miner. 29:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9743: Bold Venture - Slate Gets The Hook (10-08-51)-STEREO Aug 11, 2024

Boston Blackie - The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (06-23-44)

The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (Aired June 23, 1944)

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.
THIS EPISODE:
June 23, 1944. "The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap. 10:00 P. M. The first show of the series. Blackie is arrested in Chicago. He's accused of taking $10,000 from a woman's grandfather. It's all the woman's plan to help her recover, "The Jonathan Diamond." The same script was subsequently used on "Boston Blackie" on August 27, 1946. Chester Morris, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organist), Jan Miner. 29:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9742: Bold Venture - "Slate Gets The Hook" (10-08-51)-STEREO. Aug 05, 2024

Slate Gets The Hook (Aired October 8, 1951)

One can only imagine the number of Ad agencies, networks, sponsors, and syndicators that lined up month after month to pitch a Radio project to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. That's undoubtedly a story in itself. What the Bogarts finally settled on has become something of a cult favorite in the world of Golden Age Radio. And they settled on a gem--for both its day and for generations of Golden Age Radio fans to come. The concept of Bold Venture had to have piqued the Bogarts' interest from the first pitch. Having already bought their beloved Santana schooner from Dick Powell and June Allyson, they'd become one of America's leading seafaring families within just a couple of years. The seafaring wanderlust aspect of the concept of Bold Venture had to have been one of the project's most persuasive elements. Add to that their impending departure for the bowels of Africa to film Bogie's classic, The African Queen (1951) and Frederick Ziv's willingness to bend over backwards to get at least thirty episodes of Bold Venture taped before their departure . . . then mix in an amazing back-of-the-mike staff that included David Rose as composer and music director, Henry Hayward to direct, and both Morton Fine and David Friedkin to write the radioplays. And if that wasn't enough incentive to assure an amazing production, consider the supporting cast of some of Radio's finest voice talent. And last but by no means least, legendary choral director, songwriter and composer Jester Hairston in the almost cameo role of sidekick 'King' Moses. All in all, an amazing repertory company for the Bogarts' debut as leads in their own Radio program.
THIS EPISODE:
104834. Bold Venture. 1951. Program #29. ZIV Syndication. "Slate Gets The Hook". Commercials added locally. Wealthy Mr. Anderson has disappeared in Havana, with $2000 in his pocket. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lee Patrick, Ted de Corsia, Jester Hairston, Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9741: The Black Museum - "The Bathtub" (04-01-52) Aug 03, 2024

The Bathtub (Aired April 1, 1952)
Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. A number of famous people have visited the musuem including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows.
THIS EPISODE:
April 1, 1952. Program #25. Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Bathtub". Participating sponsors. Edward Jones is married...very married. He has wives all over the place. The date is approximate. Syndicated rebroadcast date: February 26, 1975. Harry Alan Towers (producer), Orson Welles (narrator), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Ira Marion (writer). 26:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9740: Big Town - "Pittsburgh Lil" (10-19-37)-222-STEREO Aug 01, 2024

Pittsburgh Lil (Aired October 19, 1937)
Hard-nosed editor, Wilson, as played by Robinson would get the story no matter what it takes. Though sometimes over the top, Robinson was excellent in his role. The stories were well written and directed by William N. Robson as well as McGill. The skill of this group shows in making the series very good radio. The show was a big promoter of the free press and the first amendment with its opening sequence: "Freedom of the press is a flaming sword! Use it justly...hold it high...guard it well!" The second series began immediately in the 1943 season when the production moved from Hollywood to New York. Robinson left (Trevor left two years earlier as her career starting taking off) and McGill reorganized the series placing Edward Pawley in the role of Wilson opposite Fran Carlon as Lorelei. Pawley's Wilson was more mellifluous compared to the rather nasty Robinson.
THIS EPISODE:
October 19, 1937. CBS network. "Pittsburgh Lil (10-19-37)" Sponsored by: Rinso. The first show of the series. Steve Wilson is portrayed as a throughly unpleasant scandal-monger who decides to reveal that Mrs. Radsmith, a noted socialite in Big Town, is really "Pittsburgh Lil" from Alaska. Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Hanley Stafford, Paula Winslowe, Bill Wright, Carlton KaDell (announcer). 28:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9739: Big Show - "Guests Jimmy Durante & Milton Berle" (04-29-51)-STEREO Jul 29, 2024

Big Show - "Guests Jimmy Durante & Milton Berle" (04-29-51)-STEREO
Aired April 29, 1951
April 29, 1951. NBC network. Sponsored by: Canon Towels, Chesterfield, Anacin, RCA. Ethel Merman opens the show with, "There's No Business Like Show Business." Frank Lovejoy appears in an "I Was A Communist For The FBI" drama and the real Matt Cvetic makes a brief anti-communist speech. Rosemary Clooney sings, "Taking a Chance On Love." Gordon MacRae recalls his days as an NBC page. Uncle Miltie does a great monologue about the good old days of radio, and other topics. The cast does a salute to Meredith Willson by singing a medley of his compositions. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dee Englebach (producer, director), Ed Herlihy (announcer), Ethel Merman, Frank Lovejoy, Frank Wilson (narrator), George Foster (writer), Goodman Ace, Gordon MacRae, Jimmy Durante, Matt Cvetic, Meredith Willson and His Orchestra, Milton Berle, Morton Green (writer), Rosemary Clooney, Selma Diamond (writer), Tallulah Bankhead. 89:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9738: Beyond Midnight "The Green Vase" (1968)-STEREO Jul 27, 2024

The Green Vase (1968) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa. It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings!

Episode 9737: Best Plays - "On Borrowed Time" (06-15-52) Jul 26, 2024

On Borrowed Time (Aired June 15, 1952)
Best Plays presents theatrical paramounts of excellence. It's hosted by the drama critic of New York’s Daily News, John Chapman. Dramatic and comedic performances outshine other theater radio shows, greatly performed by such greats as Boris Karloff and Alfred Drake. In This Episode, On Borrowed Time a 1939 film about the role death plays in life, and how we cannot live without it. It is adapted from Paul Osborn's 1938 Broadway play, which was a smash hit. The play, based on a novel by Lawrence Edward Watkin, has been revived twice on Broadway since its original run. Set in a more innocent time in small-town America, the film stars Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi and Cedric Hardwicke.
THIS EPISODE:
June 15, 1952. NBC network. "On Borrowed Time". Sustaining. A delightful story about an old man who gets the Devil up a tree...literally! Parker Fennelly, Mildred Natwick, David Anderson, Peter Capell, William Griffis, Agnes Young, Teri Keane, Luis Van Rooten, Karl Weber, John Chapman (host), Edward King (director), Fred Collins (announcer), Paul Osborn (author), George Lefferts (adaptor). 59:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9736: Beat The Clock (Band) - Broadcast Of August 23, 1949 Jul 25, 2024

Broadcast Of August 23, 1949
Contestants were chosen from the studio audience and were usually married couples, occasionally engaged, dating, or another familial relationship. Collyer would ask them general questions (usually including where they were from and how long they'd been married) and usually asked if they had children, their ages and genders. Sometimes the couple would bring some or all of their children with them on the show. Collyer would usually take some time out to talk to the children and ask them questions like what they wanted to be when they grew up, or if the kids were not at the show to have their parents wave to them at home. The husbands on the show usually wore a business suit. Collyer would often ask the husband to take off his coat for stunts to make it less cumbersome (there were a few hooks on the contestants' podium for this purpose, or Collyer would just hold the coat). Occasionally, if there was going to be a messy stunt, the husband would come out dressed in a plastic jumpsuit to keep his own clothes clean. Similarly, wives would sometimes play in their "street clothes", but sometimes the women would appear in a jumpsuit issued to them by the show due to the fact that their own clothing might be too cumbersome or perhaps fragile. The women's jumpsuits, unlike the men's, which were rather plain, were patterned to look like a pair of overalls with a collared blouse underneath. The women would also often be issued running shoes instead of their own high heels. One couple competed against the Clock to win a prize in stunts that could require one or both members of the couple. The first stunt was called the "$100 Clock". The stunt was described and the time limit was set on a giant onstage clock. The time limit was always a multiple of 5 seconds, usually at least 30 seconds. At one point Collyer said that a 55-second time limit was the maximum, but later on, stunts occasionally had 60-second limits.

Episode 9735: Barry Craig - "Scream For Murder" (07-19-53) Jul 23, 2024

Scream For Murder (Aired July, 1953)
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. As an actor, William Gargan had played Ellery Queen in three movies, before being cast as Kane. After he left Martin Kane, Gargan landed on his feet. He signed a million dollar, seven year contract with MCA for the radio show Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator on NBC.
THIS EPISODE:
July 19, 1953. NBC network. "Scream For Murder". "A squabbling couple can always bury their differences. The question is, which of them doesn't mind an underground shelter? Marriages may be made in heaven, but they sometimes end up in the city morgue. William Gargan; John Roberts (writer); Don Pardo (announcer); Fran Carlon; Himan Brown (director);. 29:35 Episode Noyes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9734: Avenger - "The Department Of Death" (09-14-45) Jul 22, 2024

The Department Of Death (Aired September 14, 1945)
The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared from 1939 to 1942 in The Avenger magazine, published by Street and Smith Publications. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine from 1942 to 1943, and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. Newly-written adventures were commissioned and published by Warner Brother's Paperback Library from 1973 to 1974. The Avenger was a pulp hero who combined elements of Doc Savage and The Shadow though he was never as popular as either of these characters. The authorship of the pulp series was credited by Street and Smith to Kenneth Robeson, the same byline that appeared on the Doc Savage stories. The "Kenneth Robeson" name was a house pseudonym used by a number of different Street & Smith writers. Most of the original Avenger stories were written by Paul Ernst.

THIS EPISODE:
September 14, 1945. Program #15. Michelson syndication. "The Department Of Death". Music fill for local commercial insert. The night watchman of a department store is found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Charles Michelson (producer), Walter Gibson (writer), Ruth Braun (writer), Gilbert Braun (writer), James Monks, Helen Adamson, Alyn Edwards (announcer), Doc Whipple (organist). 27:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9733: Amos & Andy - "Between Life & Death" (03-24-44)-STEREO Jul 21, 2024

Between Life & Death (Aired March 24, 1944)

With the listening audience increasing in the spring and summer of 1928, the show's success prompted the Pepsodent Company to bring it to the NBC Blue Network on August 19, 1929. Amos was naïve but honest, hard-working and (after his 1933 marriage to Ruby Taylor) a dedicated family man. Andy was more blustering, with overinflated self-confidence. Andy, being a dreamer, tended to let Amos do most of the work. Their lodge leader, the Kingfish, was always trying to lure the two into get-rich-quick schemes. Other characters included John Augustus "Brother" Crawford, an industrious but long-suffering family man; Henry Van Porter, a social-climbing real estate and insurance salesman; Frederick Montgomery Gwindell, a hard-charging newspaperman; William Lewis Taylor, the well-spoken, college-educated father of Amos's fiancee; and "Lightning", a slow-moving Stepin Fetchit-type character.
THIS EPISODE:
March 24, 1944. "Between Life & Death" - NBC network. Commercials deleted. The Kingfish hires Andy to arbitrate a settlement between himself and the driver of the car that hit him. Special Guest is Victor Moore. The system cue has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Tobe Reed (announcer), Ernestine Wade, James Basquette, Victor Moore, Harlow Wilcox (announcer). 26:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9732: Author's Playhouse - "Forever Walking Free" (04-23-45)-STEREO Jul 19, 2024

Forever Walking Free (Aired April 23, 1945)
Author's Playhouse was an anthology radio drama series, created by Wynn Wright, that aired on the NBC Blue Network from March 5, 1941 until October 1941. It then moved to the NBC Red Network where it was heard until June 4, 1945. Philip Morris was the sponsor in 1942-43. Premiering with "Elementals" by Stephen Vincent Benét, the series featured adaptations of stories by famous authors, such as “Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobbies” by Nelson Bond, "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, "The Piano" by William Saroyan and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. Cast members included Curley Bradley, John Hodiak, Marvin Miller, Nelson Olmsted, Fern Persons, Olan Soule and Les Tremayne. Orchestra conductors for the program were Joseph Gallicchio, Rex Maupin and Roy Shield. Directors included Norman Felton, Homer Heck and Fred Weihe.
THIS EPISODE:
April 23, 1945. NBC network, Chicago origination. "Forever Walking Free". Sustaining. A story of love in England during the war, with a supernatural ending. Arthur Seltzer, Bob Dearenforth, Cheer Brenson (?), Dorothy Quinnan (adaptor), Elwyn Owen (organist), Haskell Coffin, Herb Butterfield, McKinley Cantor (author), Norman Felton (producer), William Pigley. 29:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9731: Archie Andrews - "The Big Dance" (09-04-48) Jul 18, 2024

The Big Dance (Aired September 4, 1948)

Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, a long-run radio series, a syndicated comic strip and animation -- The Archie Show, a Saturday morning cartoon television series by Filmation, plus Archie's Weird Mysteries. Archie Andrews began on the Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC from 1945 until September 5 1953. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings as the title character during the NBC years.The sponsor was Swift Products. The Cast: Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Arthur Kohl, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice.
THIS EPISODE:
September 4, 1948. "The Big Dance" - NBC network. Sustaining. Archie is going to a dance and Dad is trying to take a bath, not at all as easy as it sounds. Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Ian Martin, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice. 29:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9730: Arch Oboler’s Plays -" Mr. Ten Percent (05-17-45)"-STEREO INTRO=Barbra Streisand The Way We Were (1973) Jul 17, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Barbra Streisand The Way We Were (1973)
Mr. Ten Percent (Aired May 17, 1945)
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.
THIS EPISODE:
May 17, 1945. Program #6. Mutual network. "Mr. Ten-Percent". Sustaining. A good story about a Hollywood agent who finally finds a movie star to manage...and how he contributed $1 million dollars to the war effort! Program #6 of a series of 26 broadcasts. Mary Jane Croft, Bob Bailey, Earle Ross, Harry Lang, Everett Allen, Arch Oboler (writer), Bruce Elliott, Roseanne Murray. Episode

Episode 9729: Amazing Mr Malone - "The Lucky Stiff" (1947)-STEREO Jul 16, 2024

The Lucky Stiff (1947) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
Very few writers have managed to combine the hard-boiled 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.

Episode 9728: AlkaSeltzerShow-Bob-Dialog-VOICE-222 Jul 16, 2024

On the Sunny Side of the Street (10-09-53) and Just to be With You (10-29-53)

Alka-Seltzer Time (aka The Alka-Seltzer Show) was a 15-minute radio series broadcast weekdays on both CBS and Mutual. Baritone Curt Massey starred with Martha Tilton when the program, sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, began in 1949 as Curt Massey Time (sometimes advertised as Curt Massey Time with Martha Tilton) with a title change to highlight the sponsor's product by 1952. The announcer was Fort Pearson. By 1953, the series was heard simultaneously on Mutual (at noon) and later that same day on CBS (at 5:45pm). Ads described the show as "informal song sessions" by vocalists Massey and Tilton, who was often billed as "the liltin' Martha Tilton." The two singers, both Texas-born, performed with Country Washburne and His Orchestra, featuring Charles LaVere on piano. Songs included such tunes as "Honey, I'm in Love with You," "A Gambler's Guitar," "Just to Be with You," "Moonlight When Shadows Fall," "When Love Goes Wrong," "Choo Choo Train," "I've Got Spurs that Jingle Jangle Jingle," "Put on a Bonnet," "Collegiate," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Papaya Mama" and "Istanbul, Not Constantinople." There were some theme shows, such as "Go West", music from "Old Phonograph Records" and "Salute to Hawaii." The series ended November 6, 1953. However, Massey and Tilton continued to appear together during the late 1950s on such shows as Guest Star and Stars for Defense. They also teamed to record an album, We Sing the Old Songs (1957). CD collections of Alka-Seltzer Time usually identify shows by the first performed song of each program. Today, Curt Massey is best remembered as the composer (with Paul Henning) and singer of thePetticoat Junction theme song.Episode_Notes_From_Boxcars711_Old_Time_Radio.

Episode 9727: Filename: All_In_Family-HospitalClip-1 Jul 15, 2024

Archie Bunker All In The Family TV Movie Video Flashback 1971M Mike Meets Archie CBS Rob Reiner Philip Mishkin (Writer) John Rich (Director) Carroll O'Connor Jean Stapleton Sally Struthers Comedy Funny Laugh 2013 Doctor's Visit Part_One & and Two Move To California

Episode 9726: Aldrich Family - "Parent's Day" (10-26-52) Jul 14, 2024

Parent's Day (Aired October 26, 1952)
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 26, 1952. "Parent's Day" - NBC network. Sustaining. It's Parent's Day at school. Confusion runs rampant...and then there's the spelling bee! Bobby Ellis, Jack Grimes, Clifford Goldsmith (writer), Dick Dudley (announcer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht. 29:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9725: The Alan Young Show - "Old Love Letter" (04-03-45)-STEREO Jul 12, 2024

Old Love Letters (Aired April 3, 1945)
Alan Young Show (born November 19, 1919) is an actor best known for his television role opposite a talking horse, Mister Ed. Born in North Shields,Tyne and Wear, England, with the given name Angus Young, he was raised in Edinburgh, Scotland and in Canada. He grew to love radio when bedbound as a child because of severe asthma and became a radio broadcaster on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1944, he made the leap to American radio with The Alan Young Show, NBC's summer replacement for Eddie Cantor. Following a move to ABC in the fall (1944-46), he returned to NBC (1946-49).
THIS EPISODE:
April 3, 1945. "Old Love Letters" - ABC Blue network. Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Mum. Carlotta Bullfinch, Alan's old sweetheart, wants Alan to be the best man at her wedding. Carlotta thinks Alan's going to be the groom! Possibly dated September 3, 1945. Alan Young, Kenny Delmar (announcer), The Tune Twisters, Peter Van Steeden and His Orchestra, Minerva Pious, Jean Gillespie. 30:02. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9724: Sam Spade - "The Crab Louis Caper" (03-02-51)-STEREO Jul 10, 2024

The Crab Louis Caper (Aired March 2, 1951)
The Adventures of Sam Spade was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951. The series starred Howard Duff (and later, Steve Dunne) as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as his secretary Effie, and took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character than the novel or movie. In 1947, scriptwriters Jason James and Bob Tallman received an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama from the Mystery Writers of America. Before the series, Sam Spade had been played in radio adaptations of The Maltese Falcon by both Edward G. Robinson (in a 1943 Lux Radio Theater production) and by Bogart himself (in a 1946 Academy Award Theater production), both on CBS.
THIS EPISODE:
March 2, 1951. NBC network. "The Crab Louis Caper". Sustaining. Sam is hired to find out how an Italian crab- fisher was killed. Was it an accident or murder? The story title is also known as, "View Of Fisherman's Wharf From The Water." Steve Dunne, Lurene Tuttle, William Spier (producer, editor, director), Lud Gluskin (composer), Robert Armbruster (conductor), Harold Swanton (writer), Dashiell Hammett (creator). 28:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9723: Case Dismissed - Criminal Liability (01-30-54) Jul 09, 2024

Case Dismissed - Criminal Liability Aired January 30, 1954
As a local presentation, WMAQ's production of Case Dismissed acquitted itself very well indeed. With few exceptions, the enacted legal issues were realistically depicted, thoroughly explored, and informatively resolved. The exposition for and resolution of these programs was never preachy, overly complicated, nor left unresolved. Each story had an arc that was resolved for that particular combination of legal issues and choices. The listener was never left hanging. Mindful of the fact that Case Dismissed was being heard in many other states besides Illinois, the program regularly reminded its listeners that the problems presented and legal remedies offered were based only on then current Illinois Law. But it's also clear that because they were mindful of a larger audience, the producers and writers very helpfully selected a broad range of legal topics that were general enough in nature to present useful choices and information to residents in virtually any state that might be listening in. All told, a fascinating, useful, and well mounted series of legal dramas that accomplished precisely what they set out to do for thirteen weeks. So effectively, in fact that the basic legal tenets put forth within most of these thirteen episodes remain almost universally applicable today.
THIS EPISODE:

January 30, 1954. NBC network, WMAQ, Chicago origination. Sustaining. The program is produced in co-operation with the Chicago Bar Association. A man listens to bad advice and ignores a summons, which winds up costing him $25,000! The moral: see a lawyer. A program about criminal liability. Fern Persons, Patricia Crain, Jack Lester, John Galvaro, Betty Ross (producer), Herbert Latow (director), Phillip Lord, Tom Evans (sound), Harry Elders. 29:12.

Episode 9722: Candy Matson - "The Devil In The Deep Freeze" (11-10-49) Jul 07, 2024

The Devil In The Deep Freeze (Aired November 10, 1949)
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. Candy was bright, tough, and fearless.

THIS EPISODE:
November 10, 1949. NBC network, San Francisco origination. "The Devil In The Deep Freeze". Sustaining. A restaurant owner asks Candy to get rid of a body in his meat refrigerator, and he's dressed like the devil! Guest Dorothy Warenskjold (famous opera singer) helps Candy to solve this operatic murder. The title is subject to correction. Dorothy Warenskjold, Dudley Manlove (announcer), Harry Bechtel, Henry Left, Jack Thomas, Jerry Walter, Monte Masters (writer, producer), Natalie Masters. 29:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9721: Can You Top This - Restaurantes (04-21-42)-STEREO Jul 06, 2024

Can You Top This was one of those programs that was tailor made for radio. Four people sat around telling jokes, each one trying to outdo the other. Can you imagine the same format on television? In the movies? Broadway? In magazines or newspapers? Only on radio could such a format survive and thrive. And thrive it did, for 14 years. In 1943 an estimated ten million people listened to the weekly program and Time magazine said "There is nothing quite like it on the U.S. air." Can You Top This was the brain child of Senator Edward Hastings Ford. The "Senator", like most of his jokes, was made up. The program itself was simply an outgrowth of a regular meeting at which Ford and the other participants would spend countless hours telling stories at New York's famous Lamb's Club. From the outset of the program in December of 1940, Ford owned the rights to the program and was a regular participant. The lynch pin for the program was actor Peter Donald who would begin each round of jokes by telling a joke submitted by a listener. Donald was born in Bristol, England into a theatrical family. By the time he was nine years old, he had traveled around the world twice. At the age of ten he began acting in radio. Later he played Ajax Cassidy on the Fred Allen Show, and dramatized the voices of Winston Churchill, Field Marshall Montgomery, King George VI and the Duke of Windsor on the March of Time.

Episode 9720: Caltex Theater - "Bad Day At Black Rock" (02-15-59) Jul 04, 2024

CALTEX RADIO THEATER - OLD TIME RADIO
Caltex Theater was an Australian show similar to the American Lux Radio Theater. It was sponsored by the Caltex Oil Company. Mostly the radio shows were adapted from top movies from the time period. The show aired from 1950 - 1959 with somewhere around 490 shows. Some episodes are thought to be specials and no dates are in the log. SHOWS LIST ****Caltex Theater - 55-12-11 290 Detectives Are Not Always Right ****Caltex Theater - 59-02-15 454 Bad Day At Black Rock ****Caltex Theater - 59-04-26 463 There Was A Crooked Man ****Caltex Theater - 59-09-06 482 Forbidden Planet ****Caltex Theater - xx-xx-xx x Scrooge The Miser ****Caltex Theater - xx-xx-xx x The Big Smoke Return To Tenderness ****Caltex Theater - xx-xx-xx x You Only Die Once

Episode 9719: Crime Incorporated (07-03-40 and 07-05-40) COMPLETE Jul 02, 2024

After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime fighting reputation as a weapon against them. For this purpose he also used a "Beetle Signal" flashlight. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
TODAY'S SHOW:
July 3, 1940. Program #27. Fox Features syndication. "Crime Incorporated" Part One. Commercials added locally. The Overlords Of Crime are planning to form a syndicate. The Blue Beetle infiltrates the gang and is hired by them to imitate...the Blue Beetle! 12:14.
July 5, 1940. Program #28. Fox Features syndication. "Crime Incorporated" Part Two. Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle is unmasked and shot, but it's only a flesh wound. The "Magic Ray" helps the Blue Beetle break up the gang. 12:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9718: Blondie - "Please Not C.O.D. (04-12-43)"-STEREO Jun 30, 2024

Please Not C.O.D. (Aired April 12, 1943)
The success of the comic strip led to the long-running Blondie film series (1938-1950) and the popular Blondie radio program (1939-1950). Chic Young drew Blondie until his death in 1973, when the control of the strip passed to his son Dean Young, who continues to write the strip. Young has collaborated with a number of artists on Blondie, including Jim Raymond, Mike Gersher, Stan Drake, Denis Lebrun and currently, John Marshall. Through these changes, Blondie has remained popular, appearing in more than 2000 newspapers in 47 countries and translated into 35 languages, as of 2010[update].
THIS EPISODE:

April 12, 1943. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Please Not C.O.D." AKA "Blondie Demands A Refund". AFRS program name: "Front Line Theatre." A C.O.D. package arrives for someone else. Blondie and Dagwood try to return a bridge table. The date is subject to correction. Chic Young (creator), Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Jerry Wald and His Orchestra (AFRS music fill), Hans Conried. 29:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9717: Calling All Cars - "Little Phil Alquin" (05-09-34) Jun 28, 2024

Little Phil Alquin (Aired May 9, 1934)
As shows of this nature do it dealt with tracking killers and robbers with a recap of the justice which was enforced. The writer and director was William N. Robson. Calling All Cars episodes were dramatized true crime stories that were not only introduced by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department but were true life crime stories of the LAPD. If you are thinking early version of Dragnet, yes, but not quite as polished. Dragnet was believed to have been inspired by Calling All Cars. 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:
May 9, 1934. Program #24. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network "Little Phil Alquin". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil. A police lieutenant has just been murdered by an unknown assailant. Frederick Lindsley is introduced as "Professor Lindsley." The system cue has been deleted. Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator). 29:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9716: INTRO: Bob Camardella Presents The Brownstone Theater “The Lion & The Mouse” (1905) Jun 25, 2024

The Brownstone Theater is an old-time radio dramatic anthology series in the United States. It was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System February 21, 1945 – September 23, 1945.
Brownstone Theater featured adaptations of stories and plays that were popular at the turn of the 20th century. The premiere offering, The Lion and the Mouse, was followed by productions such as The Man Without a Country, The Prisoner of Zenda, and Cyrano de Bergerac. A contemporary publication's radio listing described the material as "Revivals of some of the plays that thrilled Grandpa and Grandma."
Radio historian John Dunning wrote in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, "The format was faintly reminiscent of the famous First Nighter Program, with the listener led to his seat in the Brownstone Theater, and other trappings of curtains and greasepaint adding to the atmosphere."
The program was actually produced in the Longacre Theater in New York City's Times Square. The theater was leased by WOR from 1944 to 1953 and was used for productions on that station and on the Mutual network.
The host and narrator of Brownstone Theater was Clayton Hamilton, who had been a drama critic when some of the dramas were popular on Broadway.
Jackson Beck and Gertrude Warner were the original leading man and leading lady, respectively. Les Tremayne replaced Beck in July 1945. Others heard on the program included Inge Adams, Jan Miner, Elissa Landi, Jane Cowl, Edward Rose, Anthony Hope, Neil Hamilton, Walter Hampden, Michael Fitzmaurice and Shep Menken.
Sylvan Levin provided the music, and Jock MacGregor was the director. Writers for the adaptions included Peggy L. Mayer, Anzie Strickland, Florence North, Gladys Milliner, Jock MacGregor, Eleanor Abbey, and Keith Thompson.

Episode 9715: Broadway Is My Beat - "Charles Crandall Murder Case" (05-12-51) Jun 24, 2024

The Charles Crandall Murder Case (Aired May 12, 1951)

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." Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
May 12, 1951. "The Charles Crandall Murder Case" - CBS network. Sustaining. Charles Crandall is found murdered in an alley. He has no wallet, but he does have an expensive watch and a parking ticket! Charlie Crandall proves to be very much alive. Larry Thor, Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Charles Calvert, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Jack Kruschen, Lou Merrill, Jeanette Nolan, Joe Walters (announcer), Adam Williams, Peggy Webber, Joy Terry. 29:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9714: Boston Blackie - "Polly Morrison's Gun Collection" (07-28-44) Jun 23, 2024

Polly Morrison's Gun Collection (Aired July 28, 1944)
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.
THIS EPISODE:
July 28, 1944. "Polly Morrison's Gun Collection" - NBC network, WEAF, New York aircheck. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap, Bulova (local). Boston Blackie is accused of murdering the caretaker of the Devon estate. His blood-stained coat proves that he's guilty. Chester Morris, Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organ), Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Tony Barrett, Jan Miner. 29:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9713: Bold Venture - "Terminal Key" (09-03-51) Jun 21, 2024

The Terminal Key (Aired September 3, 1951)
Bold Venture was a classy production from start to finish. At an estimated cost of $36,000 per taping week [or about $12,000 per episode], it pretty much had to have been. Even subtracting the Bogarts' contribution of $5,000 per episode, that still left $7,000 per episode to fund the remaining production costs. That's about $420,000 a week in today's dollars. More than enough budget to ensure a top notch production. The cost to the sponsor-subscribers reportedly varied between $25 a week to as much as $250 a week, depending on the size and reach of the target market(s). That would have yielded anywhere from $975,000 to $9.75M over the course of three years of Bold Venture's sales. Even arbitrarily averaging the varying theoretical sales would have yielded on the order of at least $5M to Ziv and company over three years. Subtracting even $1M in production and marketing costs would have yielded at least a $4M profit. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.
THIS EPISODE:
September 3, 1951. Program #24. ZIV Syndication. "The Terminal Key". Commercials added locally. A dumbsounding jockey gives Slate the key to a locker at the bus station. Inside, there's a $100,000 in stolen money. Don't miss the finale...it's a shoot-out in a shooting gallery. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Tony Barrett, Jester Hairston, Nestor Paiva, Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9712: Bob Hope Pepsodent Show - Guest Fred Astaire (02-17-48) Jun 20, 2024

Special Guest Is Fred Astaire (Aired February 17, 1948)
Special Guest Is Fred Astaire (Aired February 17, 1948)
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. "Special Guest Is Fred Astaire" - 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). 27:11. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9711: Blue Beetle - "Underworld Goes Underground" (08-14-40) COMPLETE Jun 19, 2024

The Underworld Goes Underground (08-14-40)and (08-16-40) COMPLETE
The exploits of Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman who, by wearing bullet-proof blue chain mail, transformed himself into the mysterious Blue Beetle, a daring crusader for justice. The Blue Beetle was created by Charles Nicholas. The character made his first appearance in August of 1939 in the comic book Mystery Men #1, published by Fox Features Syndicate. The Blue Beetle radio serial aired from 05-15-40 to 09-13-40 as a CBS 30 minutes, syndicated series. Actor Frank Lovejoy provided the voice of the Blue Beetle for the first thirteen episodes. Later episodes were uncredited. After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle. In at least one radio adventure, he carries something called a "magic ray machine". The ray machine was a sort of super-scientific cutting device.
TODAY'S SHOW:
August 14, 1940. Program #39. Fox Features syndication. "The Underworld Goes Underground" Part one. Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle goes underground to find out why so many accidents are plaguing a tunnel project. . 12:05. Audio condition: Very good to excellent. Complete as above.
40370. The Blue Beetle. August 16, 1940. Program #40. Fox Features syndication. "The Underworld Goes Underground" Part two. Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle breaks out of a decompression chamber and breaks up the racket. . 12 minutes.
Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

Episode 9710: Blair Of The Mounties - "2 Episodes (01-31-38) and (02-07-38)" Jun 18, 2024

2 Episodes - "Fire Valley" (01-31-38) and "Murder In Long Cooley" (02-07-38)

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.”
TWO EPISODES:
Blair Of The Mounties. January 31, 1938. Program #1. Walter Biddick syndication. "Fire Valley". Corporal Lesley has been, "Stolen Away By Ghosts." . 12:37.
February 7, 1938. Program #2. Walter Biddick syndication. "Murder In Long Cooley". Belle La Tour is on the trail to Fort MacAllister...during a blizzard. . 12:00.

Episode 9709: The Black Museum - "The Champagne Glass" (09-30-52) Jun 17, 2024

The Champagne Glass (Aired September 30, 1952)
Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. A number of famous people have visited the musuem including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows.
THIS EPISODE:
September 30, 1952. Program #26. Towers Of London syndication. "The Champagne Glass". Commercials added locally. The date is approximate. Orson Welles (narrator), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Ira Marion (writer). 23:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9708: Big Town - "The Final Payment" (12-11-40) Jun 16, 2024

The Final Payment (Aired December 11, 1948)

The stories were well written and directed by William N. Robson as well as McGill. The skill of this group shows in making the series very good radio. The show was a big promoter of the free press and the first amendment with its opening sequence: "Freedom of the press is a flaming sword! Use it justly...hold it high...guard it well!" The second series began immediately in the 1943 season when the production moved from Hollywood to New York. Robinson left (Trevor left two years earlier as her career starting taking off) and McGill reorganized the series placing Edward Pawley in the role of Wilson opposite Fran Carlon as Lorelei. Pawley's Wilson was more mellifluous compared to the rather nasty Robinson. The series' success continued on radio until 1952 leaving only the television version (which began in 1950). (Thanks to Robert G. Corder, author of a new biography of Edward Pawley.)

THIS EPISODE:
December 11, 1948. NBC network. "The Final Payment". Sponsored by: Lifebuoy, Rinso. Steve Wilson and Lorelei bust an obituary sales racket. Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon. 29:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9707: Beyond Midnight - "Lancerford House" (01-24-69) Jun 15, 2024

Lancerford House (Aired January 24, 1969)

This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa. It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings! Show Notes From Radio Horror Hosts.
THIS EPISODE:

#13 "Lanceford House [aka The Green Vase]" Dennis Roidt January 24, 1969
A writer looking for solitude finds it in an old house. While there, he comes across a note advising him not to move a green vase that is located in the house. The author adheres to this instruction. However, the writer's visiting friend is made aware of the note, and he, unlike the writer, is a skeptic. Things go badly thereafter. Based on the Dennis Roidt story, 'The Green Vase' (1962). Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod. (AKA "Bob Camardella")

Episode 9706: Best Plays - "Ethan Frome" (09-13-53) Jun 14, 2024

Ethan Frome (Aired September 13, 1953)
Listeners get a taste of plays from the Broadway stage in this anthology series. The featured works were from authors as talented and varied as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Noel Coward and William Shakespeare. Stars such as Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith, and Maureen Stapleton played roles in such notable dramas as The Glass Menagerie, Of Mice and Men and Macbeth. Plenty of comedies, including a performance of Arsenic and Old Lace starring Boris Karloff, were on the bill as well. As if to guarantee the show’s quality, it's host was John Chapman, a theater critic in New York City “where the American stage begins”. Show Notes From The Radio spirits.com.
THIS EPISODE:
September 13, 1953. NBC network. "Ethan Frome". Sustaining. Ethan Frome is set in a fictional New England town named Starkfield, where an unnamed narrator tells the story of his encounter with Ethan Frome, a man with dreams and desires that end in an ironic turn of events. The narrator tells the story based on an account from observations at Frome's house when he had to stay there during a winter storm. John Chapman (host), Owen Davis (stage adaptor), Donald Davis (stage adaptor), Edith Wharton (author), Geraldine Page, Robert Cenedella (adaptor, transcriber), Luis Van Rooten, Arthur Maitland, Lawson Zerbe, Bill Lipton, Jane Webb, William Welch (supervisor), Edward King (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 59:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9705: Barry Craig Confidential Investigator - "Beware The Walking Dog" (05-03-53) Jun 11, 2024

Beware The Walking Dog (Aired May 3, 1953)
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:

CAT# 115266. Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. May 03, 1953. NBC network. "Beware The Walking Dog". Sustaining. When you're a confidential investigator, you've got more kinds of headaches than even the psychiatrists have counted. Take the one our client had, late this afternoon. Silhouettes through a frosted black door don't tell you much...except her's did. What it told me was not an investigator's business. William Gargan. 24:44.

Episode 9704: Barrel Of Fun - "Charlie' s College Reunion" (01-01-42) Jun 09, 2024

Charlie' s College Reunion (Aired January 1, 1942)
Barrel of Fun was a comedy musical that ran from 1941 to 1942 and stars Charlie Ruggles who is a comedian and quick wit who loves to make endless quips. Ruggles was so versatile, he could play infants to old men and he also had one of theose famous rubbery faces. Charlie Ruggles was a comic American actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972). From 1929, Ruggles appeared in talking pictures. His first was Gentleman of the Press in which he played a comic, alcoholic newspaper reporter.
THIS EPISODE:
January 1, 1942. Program #22. "Charlie's College Reunion" - Mutual network origination, syndicated. Music fill for local commercial insert. Charlie returns to his old alma mater for his twenty-fifth college reunion. The first tune is, "Until Tonight." Charles Ruggles, Benny Rubin, Verna Felton, Sara Berner, Jerry Hausner, Linda Ware, The Sportsmen, David Rose and His Orchestra, Art Gilmore (announcer). 29:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9703: The Mysterious Stranger (07-14-44)-222-STEREO Jun 08, 2024

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:

July 14, 1944. NBC network. "The Mysterious Stranger". Sustaining. A fantasy about a boy who gets out of a sick bed on and on the town with a strange, yet somehow familiar man. Zachary Gold (writer). 1/2 hour. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9702: Arthur Godfrey Show - "Talent Scouts" (05-15-50) Jun 07, 2024

Lipton Talent Scouts (Aired 05-15-50)
Godfrey's morning show was supplemented by a primetime variety show, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts broadcasting from the CBS Studio Building at 49 East 52nd Street where he had his main office. This show, a showcase for rising young performers, was a slight variation of CBS's successful Original Amateur Hour. Some of the performers had made public appearances in their home towns and were recommended to Godfrey by friends or colleagues. These "sponsors" would accompany the performers to the broadcast and introduce them to Godfrey on the air. Two acts from the same 1948 broadcast were Wally Cox and The Chordettes. Both were big hits that night, and both were signed to recording contracts. Godfrey took special interest in The Chordettes, who sang his kind of barbershop-quartet harmony, and he soon made them part of his broadcasting and recording "family."

Episode 9701: Archie Andrews - "JiveTalk" (05-18-46) Jun 06, 2024

"JiveTalk" (Aired May 18, 1946)

Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, a long-run radio series, a syndicated comic strip and animation -- The Archie Show, a Saturday morning cartoon television series by Filmation, plus Archie's Weird Mysteries. Archie Andrews began on the Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC from 1945 until September 5 1953. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings as the title character during the NBC years.The sponsor was Swift Products. The Cast: Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Arthur Kohl, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice.
THIS EPISODE:
May 18, 1946. "JiveTalk" - NBC network. Sustaining. Archie and Jughead are hep! Archie tries to get a date with jive talk. It works! Don't miss the young audience tittering when Betty (the sound effects man) gives Archie a kiss. Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Ian Martin, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice, Carl Jampel (writer), Felix McGuire (organist), Charles Urquhart (director), Tex Antoine (announcer). 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9700: Arch Oboler's Plays - "Johnny Got His Gun" (Starring Jimmy Cagney) 03-09-40 Jun 05, 2024

Johnny Got His Gun (Starring Jimmy Cagney) Aired March 9, 1940
The original canon of scripts encompassed some ninety-plus original stories. And, as dyed in the wool Lights Out! fans will surely point out, a good number of Lights Out! stories were reprised among the Arch Oboler's Plays canon over the years as well. By the second year of Lights Out!, America was under the spell of the diminutive giant of a playwright, Archibald 'Arch' Oboler and his spellbinding, highly personalized writing style. While clearly a genius in his own right, it's also clear that much of his writing style had been informed by Wyllis Cooper at the least. Cooper's own writing style almost routinely employed a highly personalized point of view, so as to further attenuate the listening experience of his radioplays to the greatest degree. Given young Arch Oboler's close association with Cooper with Lights Out!, it's difficult to divorce Wyllis Cooper's writing style from Oboler's in many respects.
THIS EPISODE:
March 9, 1940. Blue Network. "Johnny Got His Gun". Sustaining. A dramatization of the superb, shocking best-seller about the legless, armless, blind, deaf and dumb war veteran. An eloquent anti-war statement, Cagney was never better on the air. Dalton Trumbo (author), Arch Oboler (adaptor, producer, director), James Cagney, Gordon Jenkins (composer, conductor), Verna Felton. 29:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9699: The Comfy Collar Shirt Company (Aired June 9, 1944) Jun 04, 2024

The Comfy Collar Shirt Company (Aired June 9, 1944)
Amos Jones and Andy Brown worked on a farm near Atlanta, Georgia, and during the episodes of the first week, they made plans to find a better life in Chicago, despite warnings from a friend. With four ham and cheese sandwiches and $24, they bought train tickets and headed for Chicago where they lived in a State Street rooming house and experienced some rough times before launching their own business, the Fresh Air Taxi Company. With the listening audience increasing in the spring and summer of 1928, the show's success prompted the Pepsodent Company to bring it to the NBC Blue Network on August 19, 1929.
THIS EPISODE:
June 9, 1944. NBC network. Commercials deleted. The start of the program is delayed for D-Day bulletins (Communique #8) and invasion news (four and a half minutes). The case of Andy and "The Comfy Collar Shirt Company". The system cue has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Elinor Harriot. 26:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9699: The Amazing Mr Malone - "Mr. Morgan" (05-24-47) Jun 03, 2024

Mr. Morgan (Aired May 24, 1947)
Call it hard-boiled screwball comedy. 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. Seemingly inept and irresponsible, he nevertheless somehow (luck of the Irish?) managed to crack the case everytime. He can also count on the aid of Captain Daniel von Flannagan of the Homicide Squad.
THIS EPISODE:
REF# 80412. The Amazing Mr. Malone. February 26, 1950 (???). ABC network. "Appearances Can Be Deceiving". Sustaining. Gene Raymond, Henry Morgan, William P. Rousseau (director), Basil Adlam (music), Craig Rice (creator), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Dick Tufeld (announcer), Eugene Wang (writer). 29:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9698: Aldrich Family - "The Lost Watch" (12-07-52) Jun 02, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Judy Garland - "Danny Boy" (1955)
The Lost Watch (Aired December 7, 1952)
INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Judy Garland - "Danny Boy" (1955)

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:
December 7, 1952. "The Lost Watch" - NBC network. Sustaining. Henry has lost his watch. Bobby Ellis, Jack Grimes, Clifford Goldsmith (writer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Dick Dudley (announcer). 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9697: Alan Young - "Alan The Fullback" (11-13-45) Jun 01, 2024

Alan The Fullback (Aired November 13, 1945)
The Alan Young Show was a radio and television series presented in diverse formats over a nine-year period and starring Canadian-English actor Alan Young. It began on NBC radio as a summer replacement situation comedy in 1944, featuring vocalist Bea Wain. It moved to ABC with Jean Gillespie portraying Young's girlfriend Betty. The program was next broadcast by NBC for a 1946-47 run and was off in 1948. When it returned to NBC in 1949, Louise Erickson played Betty and Jim Backus was heard as snobbish playboy Hubert Updike III. In 1950 The Alan Young Show moved to television as a variety, sketch comedy show, taking an 11-month hiatus in 1952.
THIS EPISODE:
November 13, 1945. "Alan The Fullback" ABC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Alan finds himself playing football against the State Prison team, "The Rock Crushers." Alan Young, Peter Van Steeden and His Orchestra, Jim Backus, Jean Gillespie, Dickie Monahan, Bob Shepherd (announcer), Minerva Pious, Walter Tetley, Four Chicks and Chuck. 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9696: Sam Spade - "The Wheel Of Life Caper" (07-11-48) May 31, 2024

The Wheel Of Life Caper (Aired July 11, 1948)
The Adventures of Sam Spade was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951. The series starred Howard Duff (and later, Steve Dunne) as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as his secretary Effie, and took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character than the novel or movie. In 1947, scriptwriters Jason James and Bob Tallman received an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama from the Mystery Writers of America. Before the series, Sam Spade had been played in radio adaptations of The Maltese Falcon by both Edward G. Robinson (in a 1943 Lux Radio Theater production) and by Bogart himself (in a 1946 Academy Award Theater production), both on CBS.

THIS EPISODE:
July 11, 1948. CBS network. "The Wheel Of Life Caper". Sponsored by: Wildroot Cream-Oil. Sam meets a mystery woman with no memory and a corpse that's been killed by a buzz saw! Sandra Gould replaces Lurene Tuttle as Effie, Sam's secretary. Howard Duff, Dashiell Hammett (creator), William Spier (producer, director), Sandra Gould, Gil Doud (writer), Robert Tallman (writer), Lud Gluskin (music director), Dick Joy (announcer). 28:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9695: The Maharani Mix-Up (06-29-50) May 30, 2024

Maisie, the first in 1939, was from the book "Dark Dame" by the writer Wilson Collison,who did decades of scripting for the silver screen along with Broadway plays and magazine fiction. From the first, MGM wanted Ann Sothern to play Maisie. She began in Hollywood as an extra in 1927. "Maisie and I were just together - I just understood her," Sothern, born Harriette Arlene Lake, said after several of the films made her a star. Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball, like many performers in Hollywood, had not one but two careers - one in motion pictures and one on radio. MGM Studios had created the series of ten motion pictures based on a brash blonde with a heart "of spun gold." Sothern, due in great part to the Maisie films type-casting, would ultimately admit she was "a Hollywood princess, not a Hollywood queen." But in its time, the Maisie series in film and on radio made her known and loved the world over.

THIS EPISODE:
FILE#48446. The Adventures Of Maisie. May 24, 1951 (1950). Program #67. MGM syndication. Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Maisie gets a soap opera actress to help the son of a Maharajah marry the actress' American girlfriend. The program has also been identified as program #79. The date above is the date of first broadcast on WMGM, New York City. Ann Sothern, Robert Cole, Bud Hiestand (announcer), Harry Zimmerman (composer, conductor), Hy Averback (announcer), John L. Green (writer), Lurene Tuttle, Peter Leeds, Ted de Corsia. 27:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9694: "Murder At The State Fair" (09-24-44) May 29, 2024

Murder At The State Fair (09-24-44)
AKA Mrs Mullet Disappears (Aired July 30, 1944)

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, who in the novels is constantly offering her "candied opinion", was played by Ethel Remey (1895-1979) and Agnes Moorehead 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.
THIS EPISODE:
September 24, 1944. Mutual net. Sustaining. 9:00 P. M. Three different people threaten the life of a miserable old women. When she is found dead at the state fair, all are suspect. The program is next on the air on October 8, 1944 at 7:00 P. M. Walter Hampden, Ethel Remey, Alice Tilton (creator), Howard Merrill (writer), Roger Bower (director). 29:16. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Episode 9693: The Adventures Of Horatio Hornblower - "Reception With The Czar" (02-13-53) May 28, 2024

Reception With The Czar (Aired February 13, 1953)

Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester, and later the subject of films and television programs. The original Hornblower tales began with the appearance of a junior Royal Navy Captain on independent duty on a secret mission to Central America, though later stories would fill out his earlier years, starting with an unpromising beginning as a seasick midshipman. As the Napoleonic Wars progress, he gains promotion steadily as a result of his skill and daring, despite his initial poverty and lack of influential friends. Eventually, after surviving many adventures in a wide variety of locales, he rises to the pinnacle of his profession, promoted to Rear admiral of the Red Squadron, knighted as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and named the 1st Baron Hornblower. Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying, "I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know," and Winston Churchill stated, "I find Hornblower admirable."
THIS EPISODE:
February 13, 1953. "Reception With The Czar" - Program #30. Radio Luxembourg, Towers Of London syndication. Commercials added locally. A visit to the palace of the Czar, and an assassination attempt is foiled. Commodore Hornblower almost succumbs to the charms of a very friendly countess. The program closing has been deleted. Michael Redgrave, C. S. Forester (creator), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Harry Alan Towers (producer, director), Philo Higby (writer). 20:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9692: The Doubtful Alibi (Aired November 6, 1948) May 27, 2024

Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The character also appears in numerous radio serials and comic books based on the stories. The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury. A biographical entry on Patten noted dryly that Frank Merriwell "had little in common with his creator or his readers." Patten offered some background on his character: "The name was symbolic of the chief characteristics I desired my hero to have. Frank for frankness, merry for a happy disposition, well for health and abounding vitality." Merriwell's classmates observed, "He never drinks. That's how he keeps himself in such fine condition all the time. He will not smoke, either, and he takes his exercise regularly.
THIS EPISODE:
November 6, 1948. NBC network. "The Doubtful Alibi". Sustaining. Frank uses a horseless carriage to put out a fire and some fancy detective work to catch the culprit responsible for it. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 29:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9691: Adventures Of The Abbotts - "The Canary Yellow Sack" (03-20-55) May 26, 2024

Aired March 20, 1955 "The Canary Yellow Sack" (03-20-55)
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. Moving to 5:30pm in 1946, Les Tremayne and Alice Reinheart took over the roles until the end of the series on August 31, 1947. Seven years later, the characters returned October 3, 1954, on NBC in The Adventures of the Abbotts, broadcast on NBC Sunday evenings at 8:30pm. The Abbotts were portrayed by Claudia Morgan and Les Damon. The NBC series ran until June 12, 1955.
THIS EPISODE:
March 20, 1955. Program #7. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Canary-Yellow Sack". Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, Frances Crane (creator), Howard Merrill (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Ted Lloyd (producer), Dewey Bergman (composer, conductor), Mandel Kramer, Jean Darling, Everett Sloane, Lon Clark, Harry Frazee (director, recordist). 30:09. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9690: dventures In Research - 2 Episodes From 1946-222.mp3 (Filesize: 6.63 MB - Duration: 00:28:57 May 25, 2024

Adventures In Research - 2 Episodes - "Electronics In Communications" (07-02-46) and "The First American Patent" (08-20-46)
The series began about 1942 and were distributed, probably as a public service educational feature, for weekly programming. The early shows were discussions with Paul Shannon asking the questions, Dr. Phillips Thomas (research physicist for Westinghouse, specializing in electronics) answering the questions. The later programs were written by Dr. Thomas, but were dramatizations instead of the Q and A fomat. The programs themselves present a fascinating look at the state of scientific knowledge during the war and the immediate post-war years. Many of the topics are hopelessly outdated, a surprising number are still up to date and reflect the state of knowledge about the subject many years later. The purpose of instilling an interest in science in the general public is still as valid now as it was then. Even more important, the program themselves are good radio and interesting. Those listeners with little or no interest in science will still be captivated. The post-war programs feature an organist whose efforts range from mediocre to absolutely great! 28:57
EPISODE ONE:
30996. Adventures In Research. Program #5. Westinghouse syndication. "Electronics" Part 1. Sustaining. Dr. Thomas discusses his own field of electronics and how it affects our every-day lives. Paul Shannon, Phillips Thomas. 15 minutes.
EPISODE TWO:
31135. Adventures In Research. Program #187. Westinghouse syndication. "The First American Patent". Sustaining. The building of the first water-powered saw mill in America, the holder of patent number one. 15 minutes.

Episode 9689: Philip Marlowe - "The Busy Body" (06-18-49) May 24, 2024

The Busy Body (Aired June 18, 1949)
Dashiell Hammett introduced the new genre, and Sam Spade, in 1930 in his novel The Maltese Falcon. A few years later Raymond Chandler came along and perfected the type, with his detective, Philip Marlowe. Chandler introduced Marlowe in his first novel, The Big Sleep, and Philip Marlowe continued to solve crimes in six subsequent Chandler novels. Chandler had previously published a number of short stories featuring other detectives; however, Marlowe proved so popular that when the stories were later republished the author often switched the detectives to Philip Marlowe. Chandler's style was unique. His sparse style was full of wonderfully sharp similies and rich descriptive narration.
THIS EPISODE:
June 18, 1949. Program #38. CBS network. "The Busy Body". Sustaining. A corpse that keeps moving around and a nosey neighbor helps to solve a murder case. Gene Levitt (writer), Gerald Mohr, John Stevenson, Laurette Fillbrandt, Lois Corbett, Lynn Allen, Mel Dinelli (writer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Peter Leeds, Raymond Chandler (creator), Richard Aurandt (music), Robert Mitchell (writer), Roy Rowan (announcer). 29:43. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 OTR.

Episode 9688: Academy Award Theater - "Blood On The Sun" (10-16-46)-STEREO May 23, 2024

INTRO: BOB: The Drifters "Save The Last Dance For Me" (#1 Hit) Atlantic Records
Academy Award Theater (Starring John Garfield) - "Blood On The Sun" (10-16-46)
Blood On The Sun (Aired October 16, 1946)
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." 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!
THIS EPISODE:
October 16, 1946. CBS network. "Blood On The Sun". Sponsored by: Squibb. A crusading newspaper editor in pre-war Japan uncovers the "Tanaka Plan" of world conquest. John Garfield, Jeff Chandler. 29:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9687: ABC Mystery Time - "Four Time Loser" (1957) May 22, 2024

Four Time Loser (1957) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

ABC Mystery Time was hosted by Don Dowd and starred Sir Laurence Olivier. Great special effects will grab your attention, accented by creepy organ rips. Stories are offered such as death gathered round a card table at a local chapter of The Suicide Club, or a man who desperately tries to hire a 24 hour bodyguard all the while trying to make himself the victim of a murder, and other baffling peculiar tales of yore. Also known as Mystery Time and Mystery Time Classics, this one is sure to excite and mystify.
THIS EPISODE:
1957. ABC network. "Four-Time Loser". The program is also known as, "Mystery Time," "Mystery Time Classics" and "Masters Of Mystery." "A man with a guilty secret sometimes pays a heavy price to keep his past from being exposed." The date is approximate. Sidney Slon (writer), Don Dowd (host). 22:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9686: Abbott & Costello - "Trip To Palm Springs" (Guest Veronica Lake) May 21, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Remembers The Flaminghos
Trip To Palm Springs (Guest Veronica Lake) Aired December 2, 1943
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).

THIS EPISODE:

December 2, 1943. "Trip To Palm Springs" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Camels, Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco. The boys plan to visit guest Veronica Lake, but first have to stop by the "U-Drive" car rental agency. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Ken Niles (announcer), Freddie Rich and His Orchestra, Connie Haines (vocal), Cliff Nazarro, Veronica Lake. 33:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9685: A Date With Judy - "Oggie's Band" (04-09-46) May 20, 2024

Aired 04-09-1946

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 30â€“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.

Episode 9684: 2000 Plus - "The Giant Walks" (11-08-50) May 19, 2024

The Giant Walks (Aired November 8, 1950)
2000 AD is known as the first of the network science fiction shows, although it ran on Mutual just a month prior to the introduction of the landmark series, Dimension X. It was a half hour of science fiction wonder in an exciting package. The stories have a charm that is always present in science fiction of the future that is written in the past. "When The Worlds Met" takes place "at the giant space port in Washington, temporary capitol of the federated world government as in April 21, 2000 Plus 20 (2020) crowds throng as audio and televox networks cover a space ship carrying in its space hold the first load of uranium taken from the pits of Luna, satellite of Earth.

THIS EPISODE:
November 8, 1950. Mutual network. "The Giant Walks". Sustaining. A mad scientist plans a race of thirty-foot giants to take over the world, and is well on the way toward succeeding. The broadcast may be dated November 5, 1950. Julian Schneider (writer), Joseph Julian, Lon Clark. 27:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9683: 21st Precinct - "The Brother" (04-14-54) May 18, 2024

The Brother (Aired April 14, 1954)

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. Hard-boiled private detective series that often portrayed police as inept or incompetent were losing favor. NBC's Dragnet had proven that a realistic police show could attract and hold an audience. 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-first Precinct 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:
April 14, 1954. "The Brother" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. The music fill has been deleted. Everett Sloane, John Ives (producer), Stanley Niss (writer, director), Eileen Palmer, Bryna Raeburn, Wendell Holmes, Joe DeSantis, Martin Newman, Santos Ortega, Art Hannes (announcer). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9682: Twilight Zone - "The After Hours" (06-10-60) May 17, 2024

The After Hours (Aired June 10, 1960)
The Twilight Zone is a television anthology series created (and often written) by its narrator and host Rod Serling. Each episode (156 in the original series) is a self-contained fantasy, science fiction, or horror/terror story, often concluding with an eerie or unexpected twist. Although advertised as science fiction, the show rarely offered scientific explanations for its fantastic happenings and often, if not always, had a moral lesson that pertained to everyday life. The program followed in the tradition of earlier well written radio programs such as The Weird Circle and X Minus One. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to serious science fiction ideas through television and also through a wide variety of Twilight Zone literatur.

THIS EPISODE:
June 10, 1960 - Program #7. Falcon Picture Group commercial release/syndication. "The After Hours". Sponsored by: The Hollywood Celebrity Diet. "A young woman goes gift-shopping in a department store and is trapped on the ninth floor when the store closes...even though no such floor exists." Stacy Keach (host), Dennis Etchison (adaptor), Carl Amari (producer, director), Roger Wolski (producer, director), Kim Fields, Rod Serling (writer), Taylor Miller, Doug James (announcer, performer), Rich Comeneck, Turk Moller, Linda Righter, Guy Berril, Lynn Foley, Natalia Reed, Lauren Patton, Irene Olsen. 37:02. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9681: Gunsmoke-"Marryin Bertha 05-22-60"-STEREO May 11, 2024

"Marryin Bertha" 05-22-60-STEREO
Gunsmoke is an American western radio series, which was developed for radio by John Meston and Norman Macdonnell. The series ran for nine seasons and was broadcast by CBS. The first episode of the series originally aired in the United States on April 26, 1952 and the final first-run episode aired on June 11, 1961. During the series, a total of 480 original episodes were broadcast, including shows with re-used or adapted scripts. A television version of the series premiered in 1955. Gunsmoke is set in and around Dodge City, Kansas, in the post-Civil War era and centers around United States Marshall Matt Dillon (William Conrad) as he enforces law and order in the city. The series also focuses on Dillon's friendship with three other citizens of Dodge City: Doctor Charles "Doc" Adams (Howard McNear), the town's physician; Kitty Russell (Georgia Ellis), owner of the Long Branch Saloon; and Chester Wesley Proudfoot (Parley Baer), Dillon's deputy. Other roles were played by a group of supporting actors consisting of John Dehner, Sam Edwards, Harry Bartell, Vic Perrin, Lou Krugman, Lawrence Dobkin, Barney Phillips, Jack Kruschen, Ralph Moody, Ben Wright, James Nusser, Richard Crenna, Tom Tully, Joseph Kearns, Virginia Gregg, Jeanette Nolan, Virginia Christine, Helen Kleeb, Lillian Buyeff, Vivi Janiss, and Jeanne Bates. The entire nine-season run of Gunsmoke was produced by Norman Macdonnell.

Episode 9680: FBI In Peace & War - "The Traveling Man" (06-10-53)-STEREO May 10, 2024

The FBI In Peace & War - The Traveling Man (06-10-53)

The Traveling Man (Aired June 10, 1953)

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.
THIS EPISODE:
June 10, 1953. CBS network. "The Traveling Man". Sponsored by: Brylcreme, Lava Soap, Nescafe. A young man double-crosses the stolen car ring he's been working for and heads west with his new bride. Martin Blaine, Don Briggs, Frederick L. Collins (creator), Betty Mandeville (producer, director). 29:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9679: FBI In Peace & War - "The Traveling Man" (06-10-53) May 10, 2024

The FBI In Peace & War - "The Traveling Man" (06-10-53)
The Traveling Man (Aired June 10, 1953)

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.
THIS EPISODE:
June 10, 1953. CBS network. "The Traveling Man". Sponsored by: Brylcreme, Lava Soap, Nescafe. A young man double-crosses the stolen car ring he's been working for and heads west with his new bride. Martin Blaine, Don Briggs, Frederick L. Collins (creator), Betty Mandeville (producer, director). 29:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9678: Favorite Story - "Lodging For The Night" (10-29-46) May 09, 2024

Lodging For The Night (Aired October 29, 1946)

Under the editorial guidance of Author-Publisher George Palmer Putnam, and adapted for radio by its most distinguished writers and scripters, "Favorite Story" has succeeded in retaining the force and flavor of whole volumes in thirty tense and absorbing minutes. The stories are adapted and scripted by two of radio's top writers, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. "Favorite Story" also has the distinction of being one of the best orchestred radio shows—the musical background being supplied by a fifteen piece orchestra under the direction of Claude Sweeten, whose name has become a by-word in radio. "Favorite Story" musical background is one of Hollywood's favorite composers of dramatic music. Mr. Colman who will be heard regularly on "Favorite Story" is known to millions of movie goers for his magnificent leading roles in such movies as "Arrowsmith", "Tale of Two Cities", "Random Harvest" and the all-time fictional favorite story, "The Late George Apley". Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
October 29, 1946. Program #19. NBC Pacific network origination, Ziv syndication. "Lodging For The Night". Commercials added locally. Not auditioned. Ronald Colman (host, performer), Janet Waldo, William Conrad, Robert Louis Stevenson (author). 27:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9678: Favorite Story - "Lodging For The Night" (10-29-46) May 09, 2024

Favorite Story - Robert Louis Stevenson's Lodging For The Night (10-29-46)
Lodging For The Night (Aired October 29, 1946)

Under the editorial guidance of Author-Publisher George Palmer Putnam, and adapted for radio by its most distinguished writers and scripters, "Favorite Story" has succeeded in retaining the force and flavor of whole volumes in thirty tense and absorbing minutes. The stories are adapted and scripted by two of radio's top writers, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. "Favorite Story" also has the distinction of being one of the best orchestred radio shows—the musical background being supplied by a fifteen piece orchestra under the direction of Claude Sweeten, whose name has become a by-word in radio. "Favorite Story" musical background is one of Hollywood's favorite composers of dramatic music. Mr. Colman who will be heard regularly on "Favorite Story" is known to millions of movie goers for his magnificent leading roles in such movies as "Arrowsmith", "Tale of Two Cities", "Random Harvest" and the all-time fictional favorite story, "The Late George Apley". Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
October 29, 1946. Program #19. NBC Pacific network origination, Ziv syndication. "Lodging For The Night". Commercials added locally. Not auditioned. Ronald Colman (host, performer), Janet Waldo, William Conrad, Robert Louis Stevenson (author). 27:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9677: Father Knows Best- "Watching The Dog" (09-11-52) May 08, 2024

Old-Time Radio Researchers Group (ep137) 1952 Watching the Dog
Father Knows Best- Watching The Dog (09-11-52)
Father Knows Best (ep137) 1952 Watching the Dog
n early 1949 General Foods, represented by Young & Rubicam and Benton & Bowles, dropped its sponsorship of the Burns & Allen radio program which advertised its Maxwell House Coffee. Executives blamed the cancellation on the program’s weekly $17,500 price tag which they claimed had become too expensive for radio in a time of growing television power. Not ready to entirely abandon radio, General Foods (still through Benton & Bowles) committed $7,500 per week – less than half their budget for Burns & Allen – to a new domestic comedy, Father Knows Best.
The show was created by Ed James – who also scripted it initially – and developed by Rodney-Young Productions. Rodney-Young was a partnership formed years before between Eugene B. Rodney and Robert Young, the latter a Hollywood actor who would be cast as the series lead, the Anderson family patriarch Jim Anderson. Harold “Scrappy” Lambert, a former band vocalist who got into radio in the 1930s - packaged the entire deal.
Father Knows Best debuted on August 25, 1949 over NBC. In addition to Robert Young – a contract studio actor who earned over 100 film credits in 20 years on the big screen – Father Knows Best featured Jean Vander Pyl as mother Margaret Anderson for almost the entire run. Pyl’s biggest fame came later in television, most notably as the voice of Wilma Flintstone. The eldest child, Betty, was played by Rhoda Williams, the middle child, Bud, by Ted Donaldson, and the youngest, Kathy, primarily by Norma Jean Nilsson.

Episode 9677: Father Knows Best- "Watching The Dog" (09-11-52) May 08, 2024

The Old Time Radio Researchers Group
Father Knows Best (ep137) 1952 Watching the Dog
n early 1949 General Foods, represented by Young & Rubicam and Benton & Bowles, dropped its sponsorship of the Burns & Allen radio program which advertised its Maxwell House Coffee. Executives blamed the cancellation on the program’s weekly $17,500 price tag which they claimed had become too expensive for radio in a time of growing television power. Not ready to entirely abandon radio, General Foods (still through Benton & Bowles) committed $7,500 per week – less than half their budget for Burns & Allen – to a new domestic comedy, Father Knows Best.
The show was created by Ed James – who also scripted it initially – and developed by Rodney-Young Productions. Rodney-Young was a partnership formed years before between Eugene B. Rodney and Robert Young, the latter a Hollywood actor who would be cast as the series lead, the Anderson family patriarch Jim Anderson. Harold “Scrappy” Lambert, a former band vocalist who got into radio in the 1930s - packaged the entire deal.
Father Knows Best debuted on August 25, 1949 over NBC. In addition to Robert Young – a contract studio actor who earned over 100 film credits in 20 years on the big screen – Father Knows Best featured Jean Vander Pyl as mother Margaret Anderson for almost the entire run. Pyl’s biggest fame came later in television, most notably as the voice of Wilma Flintstone. The eldest child, Betty, was played by Rhoda Williams, the middle child, Bud, by Ted Donaldson, and the youngest, Kathy, primarily by Norma Jean Nilsson.

Episode 9676: Father Brown - "The Curse Of The Golden Cross" (10-26-86)-STEREO May 07, 2024

Father Brown - "The Curse Of The Golden Cross" (10-26-86)-STEREO
The Curse Of The Golden Cross (Aired October 26, 1986)

The first Father Brown story was published in 1910 in the Saturday Evening Post, years before Chesterton had even converted to Roman Catholicism. Forty-eight Father Brown stories were published before Chesterton’s death, and for many, the unassuming Catholic priest, who solved mysteries through close observation and intuition, remains the model clerical detective, unmatched by any subsequent efforts by other authors. Not that these authors haven’t tried. Their success depends on the same factors by which we judge any piece of fiction in general and mystery fiction in particular: is the writing evocative or flat and cliched? Are the characters three-dimensional, or are they just types who do little but lie flat on the page? Do the situations in the narrative arise organically and naturally, or are they obvious constructs? And what does the religious identity of the detective add to the story? Is it relevant to the tale, or is it merely a gimmick in a narrative that could it have just as well have been told with a gas station attendant searching for clues instead? Father Brown was a natural for radio and he has appeared in several series on both sides of the Atlantic, most notably The Father Brown Stories which were originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1984 and 1987. They starred Andrew Sachs as Father Brown and Olivier Pierre as Monsieur Flambeau.

Episode 9675: The Fat Man - "Order For Murder" (05-23-51) May 06, 2024

Order For Murder (Aired May 23, 1951)
The veteran character actor Ed Begley was featured as Sgt. O'Hara. Regulars on the program included Petty Garde, Paul Stewart, Linda Watkins, Mary Patton as Lila North, and Vicki Vola, also the female lead in "Mr. District Attorney." Amzie Strickland played the ingenue, Cathy Evans, and Nell Harrison played Runyon's mother during the early episodes. The cast also included Dan Ocko, Roily Bester (wife of Alfred Pester, the science fiction writer), and Robert Dryden. An eleven-piece orchestra was on hand to provide live music, and was directed by Bernard Green, who also wrote that memorably stirring theme. The sound effects were by Ed Blaney, who actually did drop a coin in a change slot each week for the sound of the drug store scale."
THIS EPISODE:
May 23, 1951. ABC network. "Order For Murder" Sustaining. An ex-major, hated by everyone, is shot in the woods of suburban Washington D. C. Whodunnit? Everyone has a motive! J. Scott Smart, Vicki Vola, Dashiell Hammett (creator). 23:58. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9674: Family Theater - "The Lonely Road" (05-15-47) May 05, 2024

Family Theater - Lonely Road (Starring Gregory Peck) Aired May 15, 1947
Each program was preceded by the familiar announcement: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”—a quote from Alfred, Lord Tennyson. And always worked in somewhere before the end of the show was the famous slogan that became Peyton’s signature: “The family that prays together stays together!” Father Peyton’s vision of the family is expressed in his book, The Ear of God: “The family was meant to be the cradle of religion,” he wrote. “Restore to the family its religious soul and you enrich the entire country, you strengthen civilization.” Many people, including Hollywood entertainers, were happy to support this vision. The lineup of stars that Peyton recruited for his radio show included Hollywood’s best: Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, Lucille Ball, Jane Wyatt, Henry Fonda, Jack Benny, Rosalind Russell, Shirley Temple, Margaret O’Brien, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Durante, Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, Vincent Price, Charlton Heston and Raymond Burr, to name a few.
THIS EPISODE:
May 15, 1947. Mutual network. "The Lonely Road". Sustaining. An honest politician is offered a substantial bribe and a potent threat to "sell out" or else. His decision is made easier by a visit from Abraham Lincoln himself! Max Terr (music), Rod O'Connor, Frederick J. Lipp (writer), Mel Williamson (director), Betty Arnold, Tony La Frano (announcer), John Ryder (producer, director), Nelson Eddy (host), Gregory Peck, Phillip Abbott, Byron Kane, Barney Phillips, Jean Layton, Lou Merrill. 29:39. Show Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9673: The Falcon - "The Case Of The Double Exposure" (10-29-50) May 04, 2024

The Case Of The Double Exposure (Aired October 29, 1950)
This hard boiled spy 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:
October 29, 1950. NBC network. "The Case Of The Double Exposure" . Sponsored by: Kraft. A hit man is paid $500 to rub out Jimmy Arcaro. A beautiful dame benefits, but loses $2 million when a dead man comes to life and promptly dies again. Les Damon, Ed Herlihy (announcer), Drexel Drake (creator). 28:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9672: Exploring Tomorrow - "The Liar" (02-26-58) STEREO May 02, 2024

"The Liar" Aired 02-26-58
Starting as a replacement show for Gangbusters and Counterspy, the series premiered December 11, 1957 and it ran until June 13, 1958. Quoting from Astounding Magazine, "Exploring Tomorrow is the first science fiction radio show of science-fictioneers, by science- fictioneers, and for science-fictioneers" The shows were narrated by the editor of Astounding Magazine, John W. Campbell, Jr., with scripts written by Gordon Dickson, Robert Silverberg and many other notable science fiction writers.
THIS EPISODE:
February 26, 1958. Mutual network. "The Liar". Commercials deleted. Meet Herbie, a telepathic robot who tells lies! Remember Asimov's laws of robotics! John Campbell Jr. (host), Isaac Asimov (author). 21:06.

Episode 9671: Escape - "Seven Hours To Freedom" (10-29-50) May 01, 2024

Seven Hours To Freedom (Aired October 29, 1950)

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed on as a sponsor for five months in 1950. Despite these problems, Escape enthralled many listeners during its seven-year run. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with the introduction, intoned by Paul Frees and William Conrad: “Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!” Of the more than 230 Escape episodes, most have survived in good condition. Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits, and the series featured more science fiction and supernatural tales than Suspense.
October 29, 1950. CBS network. "Seven Hours To Freedom". Sustaining. Escaped convicts take over a fishing boat and make a break to Mexico. The program was broadcast on the west coast on November 3, 1950. Barney Phillips, Bud Nelson (writer), Jack Kruschen, Jack Moyles, Lou Krugman, Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Roy Rowan (announcer), Stan Waxman. 29:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9670: The Epic Casebook Of Inspector Carr - "Gates To Death" (1969) Apr 30, 2024

Gates To Death (1969) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
The Epic Casebook Of Inspector Carr - The highly successful detective series, starring Hugh Rouse as Inspector Carr. Written & Produced by Michael Silver at the CRC Studios, Johannesburg. The series aired originally on Thursday evenings at 21H30, sponsored by the Epic Oil Company of S.A. In 1977 the sponsorship ended and the series was renamed "Inspector Carr Investigates" and moved to the earlier slot of 20H30. The first actor to play Inspector Carr was Don Davis, he was replaced in 1959 by Hugh Rouse. Don returned briefly in 1963 for 14 episodes. However Hugh Rouse made this series his own. A short lived television series was made by the SABC in the early 1980's with Michael McCabe, playing the famous Inspector. Sadly the transformation from radio to television was a total disaster. The series ended in June 1985 on Springbok Radio. A local Johannesburg radio station, Radio Today 1485am tried to revive the series in 1997, sadly copyright issues could not be cleared up & the idea was abandoned. The series is currently being rebroadcast on the Internet Radio Service of Springbok Radio & can be heard on Thursdays.

Episode 9669: Ellery Queen - "Nikki Porter Suspect" (03-05-47) Apr 29, 2024

Nikki Porter Suspect (Aired March 5, 1947)

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:
March 5, 1947. Grace Gibson syndication. "Nikki Porter Suspect". Commercials added locally. A bank robber with a broken nose has been shot and murdered on board a train. The evidence points to Nikki as the killer. An Australian production. The script was produced in the United States on March 5, 1947. Gypsy Rose Lee (guest armchair detective, she was on tour in Australia), Ken Crossen (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer), John Saul (director). 25:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9668: Duffy's Tavern - "Guests Jimmy Durante & Ann Sothern" (03-30-49) Apr 28, 2024

Guests Jimmy Durante & Ann Sothern (Aired March 30, 1949)
Duffy's Tavern, an American radio situation comedy (CBS, 1941-1942; NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944; NBC, 1944-1952), often featured top-name stage and film guest stars but always hooked those around the misadventures, get-rich-quick-scheming, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, played by the writer/actor who co-created the show, Ed Gardner. In the show's familiar opening, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," either solo on an old-sounding piano or by a larger orchestra, was interrupted by the ring of a telephone and Gardner's New Yorkese accent as he answered, "Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'. Duffy ain't here — oh, hello, Duffy." Duffy, the owner, was never heard (or seen, when a film based on the show was made in 1945 or when a bid to bring the show to television was tried in 1954).

THIS EPISODE:
March 30, 1949. NBC network origination, Nostalgia Broadcasting Corporation syndication. Commercials added locally. "Guests Jimmy Durante and Ann Sothern" star in Archie's play, "The Mystery Of The Laughing Piano," or "Who Tickled The Ivories?" Ed Gardner does not appear on the program! Eddie Green, Charlie Cantor, Jimmy Durante, Ann Sothern, Matty Malneck and His Orchestra. 29:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9667: Dragnet - "The Big Strip" (02-01-53) Apr 27, 2024

The Big Strip (Aired February 1, 1953)
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 was perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in American media history. The series gave millions of Americans a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of real life 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.

THIS EPISODE:
February 1, 1953. Program #189. NBC network. "The Big Strip". Sponsored by: Chesterfield. A gang of car strippers is running rampant. A sixteen-year-old boy is killed in a crash while resisting arrest. Network, sponsored version of cat. #16312. Jack Webb, Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer), Hal Gibney (announcer), Sarah Selby, Art Gilmore, John Robinson (writer), Walter Schumann (music). 29:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9666: Gunsmoke - "Fall Semester" (05-30-53) Apr 26, 2024

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Fall Semester (Aired May 30, 1953)
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. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts.

THIS EPISODE:
May 30, 1953. CBS network. "Fall Semester". Sustaining. Lee Dargan is being cheated by his foreman Jim Slater. His cattle are being stolen, but he doesn't know how! William Conrad, Parley Baer, Roy Rowan (announcer), Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Norman Macdonnell (director), John McIntire, Harry Bartell, John Dehner, John Meston (writer), Rex Koury (composer, conductor). 30:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9665: Hallmark Playhouse - "My Friend Flicka" (11-04-48) STEREO Apr 25, 2024

Aired November 4, 1948
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 Readers Digest, which ran from September 13, 1942 thorugh June 3, 1948. Hallmark sponsored the Radio Readers 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:
Hallmark Playhouse. November 4, 1948. CBS network. "My Friend Flicka". Sponsored by: Hallmark Cards. This classic story about a boy and his horse still stands strong. It's more an inspiring account of growing up and gaining self-assurance than it is a horse story. Wells is a surprising choice for narrating this book. His voice is urban and sophisticated, with no hint of soft edges that might be more suitable for a novel set in a simpler time in the American West. Fortunately, Wells deftly handles the life lessons discovered by 9-year-old Ken. Through Wells's voice we sense the vast gap between Ken's gentle mother and his demanding father, and what each parent brings to the son. Episode Notes From Boxcars711.

Episode 9664: The Hall Of Fantasy - "The Mark Of Shame" (05-01-47) Apr 24, 2024

The Mark Of Shame (Aired May 4, 1947)
When it comes to The Hall of Fantasy, there are some mysteries that persist to this day. Maybe that's appropriate, because it claimed to be "the series of radio dramas dedicated to the supernatural, the unusual, and the unknown." One mystery that remains unknown is who the announcer actually was. His lines were so over-the-top, maybe he wished to remain anonymous. But it's this same dead serious approach to monsters, horror, and the supernatural that makes this series so much fun to listen to in a modern context. Despite this campy dimension to the program, do not assume that the series wasn't scary. Many episodes were rather frightening. If the dark, desolate atmospheres didn't get at your nerves, the down-beat endings usually did.
THIS EPISODE:
May 4, 1947. CBS network, KALL, Salt Lake City origination. "The Mark Of Shame". Commercials deleted. A dying man's curse comes back to haunt a soldier after a fateful duel. The story is based on, "Evaline's Visitant" by Miss Braden. Miss Braden (author), Robert Olsen (adaptor), Richard Thorne (performer, producer, director), Beth Caulder, Archie Hugely, Ken Jensen, Mike Larogo, Earl Donaldson (music), Nefi Sorenson (engineer). 26:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9663: The Green Hornet - "Put It On Ice" (07-04-39) Apr 23, 2024

Put It On Ice (Aired July 4, 1939)
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. Many times the Green Hornet would lead the police to believe that the Green Hornet had been the mastermind of the case at hand.
THIS EPISODE:
July 4, 1939. Mutual network. "Put It On Ice". Music fill for local commercial insert. A meat packing plant is being sabotaged. The Hornet takes a bite out of a plot to control the company. This is a network version. Al Hodge, Fran Striker (writer), George W. Trendle (creator, producer), Charles D. Livingstone (director), Lee Allman, Raymond Toyo, Gilbert Shea, Fielden Farrington (announcer). 26:11. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9662: GM Radio Adventure Theater - "Youth" (07-10-77) Apr 22, 2024

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:
July 10, 1977. Program #46. CBS network, WBBM, Chicago aircheck. "Youth". Sponsored by: General Mills, Orca (movie, local). The program was repeated on January 7, 1978 as, "The CBS Radio Adventure Theatre." Tom Bosley (host), Joseph Conrad (author), James Agate Jr. (adaptor), Himan Brown (producer, director), Russell Horton, Arnold Moss, Robert Dryden, William Griffis. 48:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9661: "General Electric Theater" - State Fair (09-10-53) Apr 21, 2024

General Electric Theater - State Fair (Aired September 10, 1953)
General Electric Theater featured a mix of romance, comedy, adventure, tragedy, fantasy and variety music. Occupying the Sunday evening spot on CBS following the Toast of the Town/Ed Sullivan Show from 1 February 1953 to 27 May 1962, the General Electric Theater presented top Hollywood and Broadway stars in dramatic roles calculated to deliver company voice advertising to the largest possible audience. Despite a long technical and practical experience with television production, GE's previous attempts to establish a Sunday evening company program had fared poorly. In the fall of 1948 GE entered commercial television for the first time with the Dennis James Carnival, a variety show dropped after one performance. A quiz program entitled Riddle Me This substituted for twelve weeks and was also dropped. In April 1949 GE returned to Sunday evenings with the musical-variety Fred Waring Show Produced by the Young & Rubicam advertising agency under the sponsorship of GE's Appliance, Electronics and Lamp Divisions, the program occasionally included company voice messages. In November 1951 GE transferred television production to the Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn (BBDO) advertising agency, under whose direction the General Electric Theater debuted 1 February 1953 as an "all-company project" sponsored by GE's Department of Public Relations Services.
THIS EPISODE:

September 10, 1953. CBS network. "State Fair". Sponsored by: General Electric ("Ring The Bell" contest). Ann Blyth, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Wilbur Hatch (music), Jaime del Valle (transcriber), Philip Strong (author), Verna Felton, Tom Tully, Sam Edwards, Joseph Kearns, Dick Ryan, Lamont Johnson, Kathleen Hite (adaptor), Hett Manheim (editorial supervisor). 30:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9660: "The Case Of The Quincy Killers" (04-24-48) Apr 20, 2024

The Case Of The Quincy Killers (Aired April 24, 1948)
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 Gangbusters 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 Gangbusters."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. Show Notes From Boxcars711 OTR Pod

Episode 9659: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" - Big Sam For Governor (03-16-58) Apr 19, 2024

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" - Big Sam For Governor (Aired March 16, 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.
THIS EPISODE:

March 16, 1958. CBS network. "Big Sam For Governor". Sponsored by: Dodge. "Big Sam" is running for Governor and wants Kendall to write a nice story about him, and he won't take "no" for an answer! John Dehner, Jack Kruschen, Stacy Harris, Vic Perrin, Jean Carson, Harry Bartell, Charles Seel, John Wald (announcer), Antony Ellis (creator, writer, producer, director), Jerry Goldsmith (theme composer). 25:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9658: Fred Allen - "Fred The Boarder With Ozzie & Harriet" (06-15-47) Apr 18, 2024

Fred The Boarder - With Ozzie & Harriet (Aired June 15, 1947)
The show that became Town Hall Tonight was the longest-running hour-long comedy-based show in classic radio history. In 1940, Allen moved back to CBS with a new sponsor and show name, Texaco Star Theater (every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. EST on CBS, then Sundays at 9:00 p.m. in the fall of 1941). By 1942, he shortened the show to half an hour, at 9:30 p.m. EST – under network and sponsor edict, not his own. He also chafed under being forced to give up a Town Hall Tonight signature, using barely-known and amateur guests effectively, in favor of booking more recognizable guests, though he liked many of those.
THIS EPISODE:
June 15, 1947. " Fred The Boarder With Ozzie & Harriet" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Tenderleaf Tea, Chefford's Cheese. Allen's Alley question: "Do you think American cooking is the best in the world?" Fred rents a room at the home of Ozzie and Harriet. Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Al Goodman and His Orchestra, Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard, Kenny Delmar, Minerva Pious, Peter Donald, Parker Fennelly, The De Marco Sisters. 27:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9657: Ford Theater - "Wuthering Heights" (01-04-49) Apr 16, 2024

Sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, presented hour long dramas first on NBC for one only season. The series moved to CBS for its second and last season. There were 39 NBC and 39 CBS hour- long shows (not verified). The show initially received an unfavorable review from the New York Times for poor script adaptation but was still highly rated for the actors' performance and overall production. The show was supposed to feature only original scripts but had to forgo that plan due to lack of quality material. The first season on NBC used radio actors under the direction of George Zachary. Martin Gabel announced the first show but was soon replaced by Kenneth Banghart. The second season, on CBS, used Hollywood screen actors in the lead roles, supported by radio actors.
THIS EPISODE:
January 4, 1949. CBS network. "Wuthering Heights". Sponsored by: Ford. Romance on the moors once again. Montgomery Clift, Joan Lorring, Hester Sondergaard, Hedley Rennie, Fletcher Markle (host, director), Emily Bronte (author), Ben Hecht (adaptor), Charles MacArthur (adaptor), Patricia Weil, Gregory Morton, Miriam Wolfe, John Merlin, Nelson Case (announcer), Carl Emory, Rennie Rubin (script), Lana Domian (composer), Cy Feuer (conductor), Robert Dryden, Alan Devitt. 1:00:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9656: MOVIE The Flamingos Live On Stage (1959) - "I Only Have Eyes For You" VIDEO Apr 14, 2024

MOVIE The Flamingos Live On Stage (1959) - "I Only Have Eyes For You" VIDEO
This article is about the doo-wop group.

The Flamingos

The Flamingos in 1957. From left to right: Tommy Hunt, Paul Wilson, Jake Carey, Nate Nelson, Terry Johnson
Background information
Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres | Doo-WOP
Years active | 1953–present
Labels |Chance Parrot Checker London Decca
Members | The Flamingos Terry Buzzy Johnson Starling Newsome Stan Prinston Theresa Trigg - Musical Director
Past members | Ezekiel Carey (deceased) Jacob Carey (deceased) Johnny Carter (deceased) Tommy Hunt Earl Lewis (deceased) Sollie McElroy (deceased) Nate Nelson (deceased) Paul Wilson (deceased) Willie Johnson Jr. (deceased) Julien Vaught Eddie Williams Billy Clarke(deceased) Al Fontaine Doug McClure Sidney Hall Eddie Thomas Bill Hawks Carl Chambers Kent Peeler Troy Anthony Tony Drake Duke Johnson Warren Sherrill Sonny Ross Eddie Edgehill Jerry Abe

The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chagago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes For You" . They have since been hailed as one of the finest and most influential vocal groups in pop and doo wop music history. In 2001, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The band's cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You" was ranked number 158 on Rolling Stoner Magazines's list of the "500 Greatest Songs Of All Times.

Episode 9655: Flash_Gordon_07-13-35 "The_Antidote" and "It's Finally Over" Apr 14, 2024

Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip.
The first Flash Gordon comic strip (1934).
The Buck Rogers comic strip had been commercially very successful, spawning novelizations and children's toys, and King Features Syndicate decided to create its own science fiction comic strip to compete with it. At first, King Features tried to purchase the rights to the John Carter of Mars stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs. However, the syndicate was unable to reach an agreement with Burroughs. King Features then turned to Alex Raymond, one of their staff artists, to create the story.
One source for Flash Gordon was the Philip Wylie novel When Worlds Collide (1933). The themes of an approaching planet threatening the Earth, and an athletic hero, his girlfriend, and a scientist traveling to the new planet by rocket, were adapted by Raymond for the initial storyline. Raymond's first samples were dismissed for not containing enough action sequences. Raymond reworked the story and sent it back to the syndicate, which accepted it. Raymond was partnered with ghostwriter Don Moore, an experienced editor and writer. Raymond's first Flash Gordon story appeared in January 1934, alongside Jungle Jim. The Flash Gordon strip was well received by newspaper readers, becoming one of the most popular American comic strips of the 1930s.

Episode 9654: First Nighter Program - "Help Wanted Female" (01-08-48) Apr 12, 2024

Help Wanted Female (Aired January 8, 1948)
The First Nighter Program was a long-running radio anthology comedy-drama series broadcast from 1930 to 1953. The host was Mr. First Nighter (Charles P. Hughes, Macdonald Carey, Bret Morrison, Marvin Miller, Don Briggs and Rye Billsbury [later known as Michael Rye). The show's opening recreated the aural atmosphere of a Broadway opening. Before each week's drama began, Mr. First Nighter was first heard walking on Broadway, emerging from the noise of people and street traffic into the crowded lobby of "the Little Theater Off Times Square" and then taking his seat in the third row center, where he gave the whispered introduction: The house lights have dimmed, and the curtain is about to go up on tonight's production. Romantic comedies were the specialty of the series, and the principal roles were played by the teams of Don Ameche and June Meredith.

THIS EPISODE:
January 08, 1948. CBS network. "Help Wanted, Female". Campana cosmetics. Fraud for the starving children of Europe. Barbara Luddy, Olan Soule, William Conrad, Parley Baer, Floyd Miller (writer) 30:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9653: Fibber McGee & Molly - "Fibber Cuts Down Jesse James Tree" (01-17-50) Apr 08, 2024

Fibber Cuts Down Jesse James Tree (Aired January 17, 1950)
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.
THIS EPISODE:
January 17, 1950. NBC network. Sponsored by: Johnson's Wax. "Fibber Cuts Down Jesse James Tree" for a "free" supply of firewood. Arthur Q. Bryan, Bill Thompson, Billy Mills and His Orchestra, Cliff Arquette, Don Quinn (writer), Elvia Allman, Gale Gordon, Harlow Wilcox, Herb Vigran, Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan, Phil Leslie (writer), Richard LeGrand, The King's Men. 29:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9652: Fear On Four - "Mind Well The Tree" (02-28-88) Apr 08, 2024

Well The Tree (Aired February 28, 1988)
Fear On Four is the British Broadcasting Corporation's continuation of a
tradition of horror shows dating back to 1943. Back then, the BBC offered APPOINTMENT WITH FEAR, the title given to ten series of programs running from 1943 to 1955. These are the most famous BBC horror series in it's history. The stories were introduced by The Man in Black, played by Valentine Dyall. In 1949, The Man In Black was given his own series, called THE MAN IN BLACK, again featuring Valentine Dyall. Unfortunately, only four shows from APPOINTMENT WITH FEAR are known to have survived. None of THE MAN IN BLACK shows are known to exist. The Man in Black returned to radio again in 1988, this time played by Edward de Souza. Fear On Four, airing on BBC Radio Four, continued in the tradition of its predecessors. Four series were produced from 1988 through 1993 with a fifth series in 1997. In 1999, one new show and 2 repeats aired under the banner of "Fear on 4" on BBC Radio 4's LATE NIGHT ON 4 series.

Episode 9651: FBI In Peace & War - "Dumb Luck" (09-22-57) Apr 07, 2024

Dumb Luck (Aired September 22, 1957)

The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewis 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. It aired on CBS from November 25, 1944 to September 28, 1958, and was produced and directed by Max Marcin and Betty Mandeville. The show had a variety of sponsors over the years, including Lava Soap, Wildroot Cream-Oil, Lucky Strike, Nescafe and Wrigley's. In 1955 it was the eighth most popular show on radio, as noted in Time.

THIS EPISODE:
September 22, 1957. CBS network. "Dumb Luck". Commercials deleted. A dumb blonde tries to pull an inheritance swindle and winds up marrying the insurance man she's trying to gyp! Martin Blaine, Don Briggs, Jackson Beck (narrator), Charita Bauer, Arthur Winters, Louis Pelletier (writer), Betty Mandeville (producer, director), Warren Sweeney (announcer), Frederick L. Collins (creator). 19:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9650: Favorite Story - "The Time Machine" (05-28-49) Apr 06, 2024

Each episode of Favorite Story featured an adaptation of a story selected by a celebrity — purportedly his or her favorite story. The celebrities came from various fields: actors, directors, bandleaders, and athletes, to name but a few. Because they did not appear on the air, the Ziv Company saved any salary that their appearances would have incurred. Compensation came in the form of promoting whatever book, film, or other work the guest had coming up. Despite the show's premise, many of the stories presented may not have been the celebrities' actual favorites. Christine Becker wrote in her book, It’s the Pictures That Got Small: Hollywood Film Stars on 1950s Television, "Production documents indicate that celebrities were asked for their favorite stories, but they had to select from a predetermined list and were not always matched up with a story they selected."
Stories presented were adaptations of literary classics, including Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and Oliver Twist. Not only did prestigious titles add an air of quality, but they had the financial advantage of being in the public domain, so that nothing had to be paid for the rights to broadcast them. The half-hour time span was better suited to short stories than to novels, but Tim DeForest wrote in his book, Radio by the Book: Adaptations of Literature and Fiction on the Airwaves, "In many cases, Favorite Story managed the incredible feat of jamming a classic novel into half an hour and still giving us a rewarding experience."
As an anthology, Favorite Story had no regular characters; the only person who appeared in the same role from one episode to another was host Ronald Colman. His presence enhanced the program's appeal to listeners and to executives and sponsors at local stations — a factor essential to having stations broadcast the show. Frederick Ziv, owner of the company that syndicated the program, said that with Colman on board, "Stations were receptive, networks were receptive, sponsors were receptive, audiences were receptive." Becker found that, besides being the host and acting in some episodes, Colman "did indeed have measurable creative input into Favorite Story", such as suggesting how the script writers should adapt the stories for radio. Actors heard regularly in episodes included Jeff Corey, Edna Best, Lionel Stander, Vincent Price, John Beal, Howard Duff, William Conrad, and Janet Waldo. Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee produced, directed, and wrote for the program. Other writers were William Froug and E. Jack Neuman. Announcers were George Barclay and True Boardman. Music was by Claude Sweeten.
THIS EPISODE:
The Time Machine from Favorite Story aired on May 28, 1949 hosted by Ronald Coleman. The Time Machine was a book by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895 and later directly adapted into at least two theatrical films of the same name as well as at least one television and countless comic book adaptations. It also indirectly inspired many more works of fiction in all media. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index and Boxcars711.

Episode 9649: Father Knows Best - "The Missing Salesman" (05-03-51) Apr 05, 2024

The Missing Salesman (Aired May 3, 1951)
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.The series began August 25, 1949, on NBC Radio. Set in the Midwest, it starred Robert Young as General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. His wife Margaret was first portrayed by June Whitley and later by Jean Vander Pyl. The Anderson children were Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson) and Kathy (Norma Jean Nillson). Others in the cast were Eleanor Audley, Herb Vigran and Sam Edwards. Sponsored through most of its run by General Foods, the series was heard Thursday evenings on NBC until March 25, 1954. Show Notes From Boxcars711.

Episode 9648: The Father Brown Mysteries - "The Actor & The Alibi" (11-02-86) Apr 03, 2024

The Actor & The Alibi (Aired November 2, 1986)

When we consider the question of clerics and mysteries, the first figure most of us think of is G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown. The first Father Brown story was published in 1910 in the Saturday Evening Post, years before Chesterton had even converted to Roman Catholicism. Forty-eight Father Brown stories were published before Chesterton’s death, and for many, the unassuming Catholic priest, who solved mysteries through close observation and intuition, remains the model clerical detective, unmatched by any subsequent efforts by other authors. Not that these authors haven’t tried. Their success depends on the same factors by which we judge any piece of fiction in general and mystery fiction in particular. Father Brown was a natural for radio and he has appeared in several series on both sides of the Atlantic, most notably The Father Brown Stories which were originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1984 and 1987.

THIS EPISODE:
The Actor and the Alibi - Father Brown discovers that the cast of a famous stage comedy might include a killer, but how can that be when everyone has a perfect alibi? The Worst Crime in the World - Something is amiss at Musgrave Castle! Father Brown investigates. The Insoluble Problem - Father Brown's best friend is a master thief who's been assigned the task of catching another thief. But first the pair must solve a murder that couldn't possibly have happened. The Eye of Apollo - Flambeau, the thief-turned-detective, shares an office building with the high priest of a new religion. But is the death of one of his disciples murder or a fortunate accident?
M. J. Elliot is the author of numerous radio dramatizations, including the Vincent Price series and the Father Brown audio dramas. Episode Notes From The audiobookstore com

Episode 9647: Fat Man - "Murder Shows A Phantom Face" (04-07-55) Apr 02, 2024

Murder Shows A Phantom Face (Aired April 7, 1955)

"There he goes across the street into the drugstore, steps on the scale, height: 6 feet, weight: 290 pounds, fortune: Danger. Who isit? THE FAT MAN." Brad Runyon was the Fat Man, played by Jack Scott Smart. The series was created by Dashall Hammott and was first heard on the ABC network Jan. 21, 1946. J. Scott Smart fit the part of the Fat Man perfectly, weighing in at 270 pounds himself. When he spoke, there was no doubt that this was the voice of a big guy. Smart gave a witty, tongue-in-cheek performance and helped make THE FAT MAN one of the most popular detective programs on the air. Smart also appeared in The March Of Time (early 1930s), the Theater Guild On The Air, Blondie, The Fred Allen Show, and The Jack Benny Program. There was also an version made in Australia, syndicated on the Artansa lable, about 1954. There are at least 36 shows available from vendors. The Australian Fat Man was played possibly by Lloyd Berrell. Although not featuring J. Scott Smart, who really fit the part, the series is quite good.
THIS EPISODE:

April 7, 1955. Program #34. Grace Gibson syndication (Australia). "Murder Shows A Phantom Face". Commercials added locally. Lloyd Berrill, Grace Gibson (producer), Dashiell Hammett (creator). 26:10. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9646: Family Theater - "J. Smith and Wife" (02-27-47) Apr 01, 2024

Each program was preceded by the familiar announcement: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”—a quote from Alfred, Lord Tennyson. And always worked in somewhere before the end of the show was the famous slogan that became Peyton’s signature: “The family that prays together stays together!” Father Peyton’s vision of the family is expressed in his book, The Ear of God: “The family was meant to be the cradle of religion,” he wrote. “Restore to the family its religious soul and you enrich the entire country, you strengthen civilization.” Many people, including Hollywood entertainers, were happy to support this vision. The lineup of stars that Peyton recruited for his radio show included Hollywood’s best: Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, Lucille Ball, Jane Wyatt, Henry Fonda, Jack Benny, Rosalind Russell, Shirley Temple, Margaret O’Brien, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Durante, Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, Vincent Price, Charlton Heston and Raymond Burr, to name a few.

THIS EPISODE:

CAT#10591. Family Theatre. February 27, 1947. Mutual network. "J. Smith and Wife". Sustaining. 10:00 P.M. A beautiful story about a common, everyday couple who die and try to enter the Elysian Fields. The story was broadcast on The Columbia Workshop on March 26, 1938 (see cat. #4829). Dana Andrews (host), Meredith Willson and His Orchestra, Charles Tazewell (writer), Bing Crosby, Irene Dunne, Bob Longnecker (producer), Richard Sanville (director). 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gpld Index.

Episode 9645: Manhunt - "2 Episodes From 1946" *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Mar 31, 2024

2 Episodes From 1946 "Murdered Maestro" and "Stairway Slaying"
Having instilled a sense of foreboding in the listener, the script would launch into the dramatic exposition necessary to frame the ensuing plot. Each episode posed a crime puzzle of one kind or another--usually a murder under impossible conditions. Larry Haines portrays Andrew 'Drew' Stevens, a police lab forensic detective and Frances Robinson portrays his secretary--and love interest--Patricia 'Pat' O'Connor. Homicide Detective Sergeant Bill Morton is Stevens' local police contact. The format is tight by mystery standards of the era. The introductory exposition usually provides enough intrigue to involve the listener. Generally twelve minutes in length, the scripts necessarily contained enough exposition to explain or advance the plot. "Manhunt" was probably an unfortunate title for the series' premise. The series of plots didn't involve manhunts as much as crime puzzlers, such as the classic 'sealed room' murders so much the fashion in detective fiction. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Episode 9644: Man From Homicide - "The Winthrop Murder Case" (09-14-50) Mar 30, 2024

The Winthrop Murder Case (Aired September 14, 1950)

A 30-minute crime drama starring Dan Duryea as Lou Dana, a tough police lieutenant with a tendency to beat information out of suspects. Dana's catch phrase was, "I don't like killers." Bill Bouchey was Inspector Sherman and music was by Basic Adams. His sniveling, deliberately taunting demeanor and snarling flat, nasal tones set Dan Duryea apart from other slimeball villains of the 1940s and 1950s. From his very first picture--the highly acclaimed The Little Foxes (1941) in which he played the snotty, avaricious nephew Leo who would easily sell his own mother down the river for spare change--lean and mean Duryea had film audiences admitting his vile characters were guilty pleasures, particularly in film noir, melodramas and westerns. Born in White Plains, New York, on January 23, 1907, the son of a textile salesman, Dan expressed an early interest in acting and was a member of his hometown high school's drama club. Majoring in English at Cornell University and president of his university's drama society, he abruptly changed the course of his career after deciding that the advertising business was perhaps a more level-headed pursuit. The frantic pace in such a cutthroat field, however, triggered an unexpected, thankfully mild heart attack in his late 20s, and he gave it all up to return to his first love--acting.
THIS EPISODE
Log# 73215. The Man From Homicide. September 16, 1950. NBC Network. An audition recording, possibly broadcast. A dead man has been found in a ditch, killed by an ice pick. Then, Harold Winthrop is killed by a gun. The corpse wore silk socks. Lieutenant Dana is one tough cop! Good radio. Charles McGraw, Louis Vittes (writer), Robert Armbruster (composer, conductor), Jim Backus, Joan Banks, Lawrence Dobkin, Lamont Johnson, Tom Tully, Helen Mack (producer, director), Arthur Q. Bryan, Maggie Morley. 29:39 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9643: The Man Called X - "The Silver Scarab" (06-19-47) Mar 28, 2024

The Silver Scarab (Aired June 19, 1947)

The Man Called X started over Radio with the 1944 CBS Summer replacement run for Lux Radio Theatre, comprising a total of eight episodes. The only circulating exemplar from the first run is contained within the AFRS Globe Theatre canon of transcriptions. So, yet again, we are indebted to the incredible output of AFRS and AFRTS transcriptions over the years in preserving some of Radio's rarest exemplars from The Golden Age of Radio. But if one compares that circulating episode to the spot ad for the summer run in the sidebar, one sees the program promoted as a comedy-mystery. The 1944 CBS Summer season finale, Murder, Music and A Blonde Madonna, gives some credence to the way CBS promoted this first run. Starring Herbert Marshall as Ken Thurston, a private operative, with Han Conried as Egon Zellschmidt in this first incarnation of Ken Thurston's nemesis, and Mary Jane Croft appearing in the role of Ken's love interest, Nancy Bessington. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
June 19, 1947. CBS network. "The Silver Scarab". Sponsored by: Frigidaire. While in Cairo on the trail of pirate on the Red Sea, Ken Thurston is killed by three silver bullets. Herbert Marshall, Leon Belasco, J. Richard Kennedy (originator), Wendell Niles (announcer), Jack Johnstone (director), Sidney Marshall (writer), Johnny Green (composer, conductor). 26:11. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9642: Macabre - "The Midnight Horseman" (12-11-61) Mar 28, 2024

The Midnight Horseman (Aired December 11, 1961)
The series arose out of an improptu competition between The Far East Network and The Armed Forces Network-Germany. Both networks sent 15 ips audition tapes to the AFRTS Headquarters in Los Angeles and FEN Tokyo won the 'competition'. The AFRTS transcribed and distributed the Macabre series on October 4, 1961-- a month before FEN Tokyo recorded a ninth episode of Macabre for Christmas Day, titled Of Frankincense and Myrrh. FEN Launches Macabre on the lucky 13th of November 1961. Launched, appropriately enough on the 13th of November, 1961, the series ran for nine weeks, including a special Christmas Day broadcast, "Of Frankincense and Myrrh," and ending on January 8, 1962 with "Edge of Evil."
THIS EPISODE:

December 11, 1961. Program #5. AFRTS-FEN origination. "The Midnight Horseman". A good screamer. A painting of a black knight...with occult powers! The announcer mentions that it's Halloween, indicating a possible rebroadcast at a later date. Al Lepage (announcer). 26:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9641: The Lux RadioTheater - "Panic In The Streets" (03-05-51) Mar 27, 2024

Panic In The Streets (Aired March 5, 1951)
Broadcasting from New York, the series premiered at 2:30pm, October 14, 1934, on the NBC Blue Network with a production of Seventh Heaven starring Miriam Hopkins and John Boles in a full-hour adaptation of the 1922–24 Broadway production by Austin Strong. The host was the show's fictional producer, Douglass Garrick (portrayed by John Anthony). Doris Dagmar played another fictional character, Peggy Winthrop, who delivered the Lux commercials. Each show featured a scripted session with Garrick talking to the lead actors. Anthony appeared as Garrick from the premiere 1934 episode until June 30, 1935. Garrick was portrayed by Albert Hayes from July 29, 1935 to May 25, 1936, when the show moved to the West Coast.
THIS EPISODE:

March 5, 1951. "Panic In The Streets". After brawling over a card game in the wharf area of New Orleans, a man named Kochak, suffering visibly from a flu-like illness, is killed by gangster Blackie and his two flunkies, Kochak's cousin Poldi and a man named Fitch. They leave the body on the docks, and later when the dead man, who carries no identification, is brought to the morgue, the coroner grows suspicious about the bacteria present in his blood and calls his superior, Dr. Clinton Reed, (played by Richard Widmark) a uniformed doctor working for the U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Reed and a police captain (Paul Douglas) have only a day or two in which to prevent an epidemic. 51:57. Episode Notes From Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9640: Lives Of Harry Lime - "Mexican Hat Trick" (11-02-51) Mar 25, 2024

The Third Man (The Lives of Harry Lime) was a old-time radio adventure series that ran in 1951 and 1952. It was based on the 1949 film of the same name. Orson Welles stars as Harry Lime, a perpetually broke confidence man, smuggler, and general scoundrel. He will participate in virtually any criminal activity to make a fast buck, but uses his wits rather than a gun. He draws the line short of murder, blackmail, or drugs. Even so, Harry is an endearing character and listeners love to hear of his one-step-ahead-of-the-law misadventures as he hops around the globe looking for his next pigeon. The zither music of Anton Karas adds a wonderful Viennese ambience to each episode and really makes this show special.

THIS EPISODE:
November 2, 1951. Program #8. Lang-Worth syndication. "Mexican Hat Trick". Commercials added locally. Harry's on crossing the Atlantic on the Princess Ann, planning to swindle to Lady Barbara Follet. However, what about her lovely companion? Orson Welles, Anton Karas (zither), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Tig Roe (director). 27:34. Episode Notes From Boxcars711.

Episode 9639: "Restaurant Owner Kidnapped" (11-19-52) Mar 25, 2024

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:
July 22, 1952. CBS network. "The Restaurant Owner Kidnapped". Sustaining. Ed Drinkler is being held for $10,000 ransom. The show has a good shoot-'em-up conclusion. William Johnstone, Raymond Burr, Jaime del Valle (producer, transcriber), Eddie Dunstedter (music), Dan Cubberly (announcer), E. Jack Neuman (writer), Joseph Du Val, Hy Averback, Howard McNear, Peter Leeds, Virginia Gregg, Jeanne Bates. 29:04. Show Notes Ready To Post (2016)

Episode 9638: Lights Out - "The Ball" aka Paris Macabre (03-09-43) Mar 24, 2024

The Ball aka: Paris Macabre (Aired March 9, 1943)
Lights Out 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.
THIS EPISODE:
March 9, 1943. CBS network. "The Ball". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene Shoe White. A ghastly story about the headless, walking dead. The story is also known as, "Paris Macbre." This is a network, sponsored version. Arch Oboler (writer, host), Frank Martin (commercial spokesman), Bea Benaderet, Jane Morgan. 27:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9637: Defense Attorney - "Joshua Masters" (04-10-52) Mar 23, 2024

Joshua Masters (Aired April 10, 1952)
Mercedes McCambridge star as lawyer in Defense Attorney in defending the defenseless. She was born in Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Irish American Catholic parents Marie (née Mahaffry) and John Patrick McCambridge. She graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago before embarking on a career. She began her career as a radio actor during the 1940s while also performing on Broadway. Her radio work in this period included her portrayal of Rosemary Levy on Abie's Irish Rose and various characters on the radio series I Love A Mystery in both its West Coast and East Coast incarnations (most notably as "Charity Martin" in The Thing That Cries in the Night, "Nasha" and "Laura" in Bury Your Dead, Arizona, "Sunny Richards" in both The Million Dollar Curse and The Temple of Vampires and "Jack 'Jacqueline' Dempsey Ross" in The Battle of the Century). Show Notes From Ones Media.

THIS EPISODE:
April 10, 1952. "Joshua Masters" - ABC network. Sponsored by: Kix, Chlorets. Joshua Masters has three sons, one of whom wants to kill him. Martha Ellis Bryant recommends a private detective. However, it's not Joshua Masters, but one of his sons who is found dead! Joshua Masters is then found dead...a suicide! Betty Mills of Radio TV Mirror magazine names Mercedes McCambridge "favorite dramatic actress." Mercedes McCambridge, Howard Culver, Harry Bartell, Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Jack Spiers (writer), Dwight Hauser (director), Betty Mills, Tony Barrett, Dallas McKinnon (doubles), Orval Anderson (announcer). 29:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9636: Death Valley Days - "The Burro That Had No Name" (06-17-38) Mar 22, 2024

Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series. The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo). The 558 television episodes were introduced by a host. The longest-running was "The Old Ranger" from 1952 to 1965, played by Stanley Andrews when the series was produced by McGowan Productions, producer of the Sky King television series. Filmaster Productions Inc., who produced the first several seasons of Gunsmoke for CBS Television, took over production of the series in the mid-1960s. Following the departure of Andrews, Ronald Reagan became the host. When Reagan entered politics, the role went to Robert Taylor. Taylor became gravely ill in 1969 and was replaced by Dale Robertson. Production of new episodes ceased in 1970. Merle Haggard provided narration for some previously made episodes in 1975. Reagan and Taylor also frequently appeared in the program as actors. While original episodes were still being made, older episodes were in syndication under a different series title with other hosts; the series could still be in competition with itself in syndication, and this also made it easier for viewers to distinguish the new episodes from the older ones. The hosting segment at the beginning and the end was easily reshot with another performer having no effect on the story. Alternate hosts and titles included Frontier Adventure (Dale Robertson), The Pioneers (Will Rogers, Jr.), Trails West (Ray Milland), Western Star Theatre (Rory Calhoun) and Call of the West (John Payne). The last title was also often applied to the series' memorable, haunting theme music.
THIS EPISODE:
June 17, 1938. Blue Network. "The Burro That Had No Name". Sponsored by: Twenty Mule Team Borax. A pair of prospectors are plagued by a white burro, who makes himself right at home! John McBride ("The Old Ranger"). 25:49.

Episode 9635: Who's On First - Abbott & Costello (The Video) 1938 Mar 21, 2024

Who's on First? is a vaudeville comedy routine made most famous by Abbott and Costello. In Abbott and Costello's version, the premise of the routine is that Abbott is identifying the players on a baseball team to Costello, but their names and nicknames can be interpreted as non-responsive answers to Costello's questions. In this context, the first baseman is named "Who"; thus, the utterance "Who's on first" is ambiguous between the question ("which person is the first baseman?") and the answer ("The name of the first baseman is 'Who'"). In February 1938, Abbott and Costello joined the cast of the The Kate Smith Hour radio program, and the sketch was first performed for a national radio audience that March. The routine may have been further polished before this broadcast by burlesque producer John Grant, who became the team's writer, and Will Glickman, a staff writer on the radio show. Glickman may have added the nicknames of then-contemporary baseball players like Dizzy and Daffy Dean to set up the routine's premise. This version, with extensive wordplay based on the fact that most of a fictional baseball team's players had "strange nicknames" that seemed to be questions, became known as "Who's on First?" By 1944, Abbott and Costello had the routine copyrighted. Abbott and Costello performed "Who's on First?" numerous times in their careers, rarely performing it the same way twice. Once, they did the routine at President Roosevelt's request. The routine was featured in the team's 1940 film debut, One Night in the Tropics. The duo reprised the bit in their 1945 film The Naughty Nineties, and it is that version which is considered their finest recorded rendition. They also performed the routine numerous times on radio and television (notably in The Abbott and Costello Show episode "The Actor's Home"). In 1956 a gold record of "Who's on First?" was placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York. A video (taken from The Naughty Nineties) now plays continuously on screens at the Hall.

Episode 9634: David Harding Counterspy - "Mile High Murders" (04-11-50) Mar 21, 2024

Mile High Murders (Aired April 11, 1950)
The show was at the top of the list among programs that had developed the technique of sound effects to a fine art. Each program was written with the sound in mind, not so much sound for sound's sake, but to advance the plot, add color or create atmosphere. Two sound effects men spent a reported ten hours in rehearsal for each broadcast, in addition to the time spent by the actors. East coast actors House Jameson, Don MacLaughlin, Phil Sterling and Lawson Zerbe [MBS] (Zerbe appeared as both David Harding and Harry Peters) were the only four actors to ever assume the role of David Harding--Jameson for the first two episodes only, replaced by Don MacLaughlin for the remainder of its twelve year run. Both Connecticut residents, House Jameson premiered in the role while Lord was still auditioning talent for the lead. By the third episode, Phillips H. Lord selected Don MacLaughlin for the role. MacLaughlin was by no means new to Radio, having already appeared in some 300 Radio productions since his debut over Radio in 1935. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.
THIS EPISODE:
April 11, 1950. ABC network. "The Mile High Murders". Sponsored by: Pepsi Cola. Mass murder is routine with a Cuban gang smuggling refugees to the United States. 29:06. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9633: "A Ten Dollar Bill" (08-05-45) Mar 20, 2024

"A Ten Dollar Bill" (Aired August 5, 1945)

Dark Venture was a grim kind of thriller where the listener got inside the twisted head of the murderer and heard his thoughts. It was not supernatural horror, but horror just the same... the kind that evil minds spawn when they are scheming ways to kill someone and get away with it. The writing was sharp and gritty. These killers were hardened sociopaths that didn't give a damn about anyone else. They had no conscience and were diabolical in their plots. Unfortunately for them, the audience also liked to see others suffer, especially if that person was guilty and deserved his comeuppance. So each week millions could tune in to "see" the murderer meet his fate on the radio in their mind's eye. The killing method wasn't especially creative. It was usually the tried and true technique of strangulation, knifing, or shooting. No, what made Dark Venture interesting was the manner in which the killer plotted to get away with it all. Killers would devise sinister mind games to trick their wife into believing she was going insane, or manipulate a business partner into thinking he was being stalked by a phantom lover.

THIS EPISODE:

Log#. Dark Venture. August 15, 1947. ABC net, KECA, Los Angeles origination. "Ten Dollar Bill". Sustaining. George is a bum, sleeping in an alley. When a man is shot in the alley, George grabs a $10 bill from the man's wallet. That $10 has a story of its own to tell. Larry Marcus (writer), John Newland (narrator), William T. Johnson (director), Jack Moyles, Jack Edwards Jr., Norman Field, David Ellis, Sam Edwards, Wilms Herbert, Eddie Marr, Herb Vigran, Virginia Gregg, Rex Koury (organist), George Fenneman (announcer). 29:22 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9632: Dark Fantasy - "Men Call Me Mad" (12-19-41) Mar 19, 2024

Men Call Me Mad (Aired December 19, 1941)

Dark Fantasy was a short series with tales of the weird, adventures of the supernatural, created for you by Scott Bishop. The series aired as a horror drama on NBC between 1941 and 1942. Dark Fantasy was a series dedicated to dealings with the unknown. Originating from radio station WKY, Oklahoma City, it was written by Scott Bishop (of Mysterious Traveler and The Sealed Book fame) and was heard Fridays over stations. Tom Paxton served as announcer. The shows covered horror, science fiction and murder mysteries. Although a short series, the shows are excellent with some stories way ahead of their time. WKY's talented writer, Scott Bishop, was responsible for all of the scripts.

THIS EPISODE:

December 19, 1941. Program #5. NBC network, WKY, Oklahoma City origination. "Men Call Me Mad". Sustaining. A scientist shrinks himself to the size of an atom and enters a different world...threatened by a plague! He then falls in love with a beautiful princess in the miniature world. Scott Bishop (writer), Ben Morris, Fred Wayne, Murillo Scofield, Muir Hite, Daryl McAllister, Eleanor Naylor Corin. 24:51. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9631: Dangerous Assignment - "Intercept Dr. Korvel" (12-30-50) Mar 18, 2024

Dangerous Assignment - Intercept Dr. Korvel (Aired December 30, 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.

Episode 9630: Danger With Grainger - "Phony Photographer Cas" (1956) Mar 17, 2024

Phony Photographer Case (1956) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
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." In his investigations Steve Granger cooperates with the police and the FBI and other authorities. 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.

Episode 9629: Damon Runyon Theater - "Pick The Winner" (03-20-49) Mar 16, 2024

Pick The Winner (Aired March 20, 1949)
Broadcast from January to December 1949, "The Damon Runyon Theater" dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories for radio. Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 – December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. He spun tales of gamblers, petty thieves, actors and gangsters; few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead to be known as "Nathan Detroit", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charlie", "Dave the Dude", and so on. These stories were written in a very distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1949. Program #12. Mayfair syndication. "Pick The Winner". Commercials added locally. Hot Horse Herbie, Cutie Andrews and Broadway travel to Florida to play the horses. They run into "The Professor," which is a horse of another color! Damon Runyon (author), John Brown, Richard Sanville (director), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Frank Gallop (announcer). 27:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9628: Dad's Army - "The Menace From The Deep" (05-27-74) Mar 15, 2024

The Menace From The Deep (Aired May 27, 1974)

Dad's Army" was a long running British comedy series created and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The idea of a series came to Jimmy Perry when he realised that many people had forgotten about the contribution the Home Guard had made to the British Home Front during the years of the Second World War. Commencing in 1968, "Dad's Army" ran on BBC Television for 9 years with over eighty episodes spread within 10 series. The series is set in a small fictional seaside town called Walmington-on-Sea somewhere on the South Coast of England. "Dad's Army" is also remembered for its first class actors which starred amongst its credits, Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Arthur Wilson and Clive Dunn as Lance Corporal Jack Jones.
THIS EPISODE:

May 27, 1974 - "The Menace From The Deep"- Swallows Bank takes a direct hit during an air-raid, but the bomb fails to explode, leaving Mainwaring and Wilson stuck in the vault with it. When the Bomb Disposal officer retreats to collect the right tools, the platoon must take matters into their own hands. 27:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9627: Curtain Time - "Solid Sender" (07-26-47) Mar 14, 2024

Solid Sender (Aired July 26, 1947)

Curtain Time had two separate runs on radio. The fist run was sponsored by General Mills from 1937 to 1939 and the second aired from 1945 to 1950, sponsored by the Mars Candy Co. Interesting is that this romantic drama had a theater setting and announcements with the announcer shouting "tickets please". Many of the episodes were romantic stories where a boy meets his dream girl and what happens afterwards. Announcer for the series was Harry Halcomb who was later known best for his appearances on the 60 minutes television show. Curtain Time is truly an Old Time Radio Classic. Mutual Network, local KNX show sustained, heard Fridays 7:30 - 8:00 pm
THIS EPISODE:

July 26, 1947. NBC network, Chicago origination. "Solid Sender". Sponsored by: Snickers. Nannette Sargent, Bert Farber (arranger, conductor), Harry Holcomb (director), Patricia Dunlap, Maurice Copeland, George Cisar, Tom K. O'Hara (writer), Patrick Allen (host), Harry Elders. 27:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9626: Crime Does Not Pay - "Operation Payroll" (02-28-51) Mar 13, 2024

Operation Payroll (Aired February 28, 1951)
As must be immediately noticeable from the long list of movie actors heard in Crime Does Not Pay, this was not your everyday Golden Age Radio drama. Indeed, you might be forgiven if you fail to recognize more than a couple of Radio voice talents in the entire list. The Radio program was based on a very popular series of MGM Short Subjects they produced between 1935 and 1948 under the same name, Crime Does Not Pay. The Marcus Loew Booking Agency had owned radio station call sign WHN since 1946. In September of 1948, WHN changed their call sign to WMGM, in part to capitalize on a series of MGM programming projects they were attempting to introduce to a national audience. Programs such as The Adventures of Maisie, Crime Does Not Pay, MGM Theatre of The Air, and Dr. Kildare, all drew on material that MGM, as a Film Studio, already had in the can. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
February 28, 1951. Program #73. MGM syndication. "Operation Payroll". Commercials added locally. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of the program on WMGM, New York, from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Harold Vermilyea, Bob Williams (announcer), Marx B. Loeb (director), Ira Marion (writer), Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor). 25:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9625: The Crime Club - "Coney Island Nocturne" (07-10-47) Mar 12, 2024

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.

Episode 9624: Crime Classics - "The Axe And The Droot Family" (08-10-53) Mar 11, 2024

The Axe And The Droot Family (Aired August 10, 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 10, 1953. CBS network. "The Axe and The Droot Family: How They Fared". Sustaining. In Pennsylvania in 1795, the shortest distance to an inheritance is two crushed skulls. This is a network version. Lou Merrill (host), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Mary Jane Croft, Clayton Post, Herb Butterfield, Sam Edwards, Paul Frees, Charles Davis, George Walsh (announcer). 34:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9623: Crime & Peter Chambers - "The Hot Spot" (08-31-54) Mar 10, 2024

The Hot Spot (Aired August 31, 1954)
Crime and Peter Chambers, stared Dane Clark as a hard-hitting private eye that worked well the with police department. His counter part at the NYPD was Lt Parker played by Bill Zuckert. The series was based on the character created by Henry Kane who wrote eight Peter Chambers novels before the series came to radio. Henry Kane wrote the scripts for the radio show adaptation which aired from 6 Apr – 7 Sep 1954 on NBC. The show was directed by Fred Weihe. There are a total of 21 episodes available from the series. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

August 31, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Johnny Silver, a well known band leader, has been murdered at "The Hot Spot," a swank nightclub. Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer), Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director), William Zuckert, Rita Lynn, Donald Buka. 25:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9622: The Creaking Door - "Man In The Lift" (10-05-64) Mar 09, 2024

Man In The Lift (Aired October 5, 1964)

The Creaking Door stands on its own as a unique, well-produced, engaging supernatural thriller series on its own merit. The etymology of the name, The Creaking Door, bears some reflection. When legendary producer and director, Himan Brown first presented Inner Sanctum as one of three requested sponsorship candidates to Carter Products, he presented Inner Sanctum as The Creaking Door. Carter didn't care for the name, so on the spur of the moment Hi Brown suggested Inner Sanctum as an alternative, and voila, Radio history was made. The emphasis on high production values is perhaps the very reason that several early, morally challenged Radio traders felt they could get away with interspersing many of the Creaking Door episodes with their Inner Sanctum, Mysterious Traveler, and Strange Dr. Weird offerings to a still naive community of radio recording collectors. Although somewhat left-handed, it's still a compliment to both SABC and Springbok Radio that those early 'otr hooligans' managed to get away with the practice for well over 20 years. That takes nothing away from this excellent series in its own right.

Episode 9621: Confession - "The Esther Phillips Case" (08-02-53) Mar 08, 2024

The Esther Phillips Case (Aired August 2, 1953)
NBC 30 minutes Sunday at 9:30PM.Cast Paul Frees, James Edwards, Jester Hairston, Jay Loughlin, Jonathan Hole, Mady Norman, Don Brinkley (writer), Michael Samoge (? music), Warren Lewis (script supervisor), Homer Canfield (director), John Wald (announcer). Had a texture and sound not unlike Dragnet, indeed the influence was realized throughout the show. These were true stories of Crime and Punishment, the obvious difference that Dragnet began with the crime while Confession unfolded in reverse order, from the end. Confession was less noisy, it's theme was played on a single piano, but there was still the deadpan dialogue, the thief or killer giving his confession with an air of resignation and defeat. The criminal thus became a stream-of-consciousness narrator, with the action frequently cutting away into drama. "Names were changed to protect the legal rights of the subject"
THIS EPISODE:
August 2, 1953. NBC network. "The Esther Phillips Case". Sustaining. 9:30 P. M. Transcribed statements of actual crimes. Esther Phillips confesses to a string of robberies. The program opening and system cue are slightly up-cut. The telephone-type recording beep heard throughout the show is very uneccessary. Paul Frees, Joel Davis, Les Tremayne, Alice Reinheart, George Pirrone, Charlotte Lawrence, Vivi Janis, Lou Rusoff (writer), Michael Samoge (music), Warren Lewis (script supervisor), Homer Canfield (director), John Wald (announcer). 29:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9620: The Clock - "Eddie" - aka: Exclusive Story (11-13-47) Mar 07, 2024

Eddie - aka Exclusive Story (Aired November 13, 1947)

The Clock, is an Australian radio show, a dramatic thirty-minute suspense and mystery series. It was written by Lawrence Klee and narrated by "The Clock." First Broadcast in the United States was in November, 1946. It was syndicated by Grace Gibson syndication. At the time of production, the Australian accent, we now know and love, originating from the Irish and Cockney accents, was rather frowned upon by non other than Australians. The shows tried to sound neutral, then there was hope that the show could be sold to Great Britain and the United States. The show was bought by the ABC network in the States, although the ABC on the CD label (below) stands for the Australian Broadcast Company.
THIS EPISODE:
November 13, 1947. ABC network. "Eddie". Sustaining. A reporter falls in love with a beautiful widow, who is still suspected of killing her husband. The program may be dated November 3, 1948. The script was used on the program previously on May 25, 1947. The story is also known as "Angel With Two Faces," and "Exclusive Story." Alice Frost, Clark Andrews (director), Glenn Osser (conductor), Joe DeSantis, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer). 29:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9619: Cloak & Dagger - "The Brenner Pass Story" (06-04-50) Mar 06, 2024

The Brenner Pass Story (Aired June 4, 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 4, 1950. NBC network. "The Brenner Pass". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. Donald Harper, who was assigned to blow up an Italian highway and who succeeded with the help of a beautiful woman. Even though this O. S. S. agent did not live, his mission was a success. Hester Sondergaard, Boris Aplon, Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Berry Kroeger, Virginia Payne, Raymond Edward Johnson, Karl Weber, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Louis Sorin, Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (associate producer), Corey Ford (originator), Joseph Julian, Everett Sloane, Alistair MacBain (originator). 33:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9618: Chase & Sanborn Hour - "Guest Alan Mowbray" (11-19-39) Mar 05, 2024

The Chase and Sanborn Hour was the umbrella title for a series of US comedy and variety shows, sponsored by Chase and Sanborn Coffee, usually airing Sundays on NBC from 8pm to 9pm during the years 1929 to 1948. The series began in 1929 as The Chase and Sanborn Choral Orchestra, a half-hour musical variety show heard Sundays at 8:30pm on NBC. When Maurice Chevalier became the show's star, he received a record-breaking salary of $5000 a week. Violinist David Rubinoff (September 13, 1897 to October 06, 1986), became a regular in January 1931, introduced as "Rubinoff and His Violin."With Chevalier returning to Paris, Eddie Cantor was chosen as his replacement and the new 60-minute program.
THIS EPISODE:

November 19, 1939. Red network. Sponsored by: Chase and Sanborn Coffee. The first tune is, "Oh! Johnny." Donald Dickson meets Mortimer Snerd. John Garfield, Lurene Tuttle and Wally Maher appear in, "Courage a la Carte," by Agnes Ridgeway. "Guest Alan Mowbray" is going into the communications business: carrier pigeons. Charlie's new play is, "Who's Who in The Hoosegow." Rudy Vallee (host), Edgar Bergen, Dorothy Lamour, Robert Armbruster and His Orchestra, Donald Dickson, John Garfield, Lurene Tuttle, Wally Maher, Alan Mowbray, Agnes Ridgeway (writer), Wendell Niles (announcer, possibly Ken Niles). 01:02:04. .

Episode 9617: The Chase - "Million Dollar Hunt|" (06-29-52) Mar 04, 2024

Million Dollar Hunt (Aired June 29, 1952)
NBC first envisioned The Chase as a new Television feature. This was not uncommon during the later 1940s and early 1950s. Several Radio features straddled both media, with varying success. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a 'chase' of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations. The scripts were faced paced, starred quality east coast talent and were well written. The series' plots and themes focused primarily on predominantly fear inducing pursuits of one form or another. Thus most of the scripts were fraught with tension of one type or another. Whether mental tension, physical peril or a mix of both, the abiding theme throughout the series was the the contrasts between the 'hunter' and the 'hunted' in such Life situations. NBC's Television version of The Chase was in production during May 1953. It was to star Doug Fowley as both narrator and performer.
THIS EPISODE:
June 29, 1952. "Million Dollar Hunt" - NBC network. Sustaining. A man robs the bank in which he works. Killing the bank guard and taking $1,000,000 in cash and his greedy wife with him, he begins a desperate attempt to escape to Mexico. Daniel Sutter (director, transcriber), Fred Collins (announcer), Cathleen Cordell, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Leon Janney, Scott Tennyson. 29:16. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9616: Challenge Of The Yukon - "2 Episodes From 1944" Mar 03, 2024

"The Hannigan Brothers" 02-24-44 and "The Great Dog King" 03-02-44
Challenge of the Yukon was a long-running radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ (as had The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet). The series was first heard on February 3, 1938. Under the title Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, it later transferred to television. The program was an adventure series about Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police and his lead sled dog, Yukon King, as they fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s.

"TODAY'S SHOW: 02-24-44 "The Hannigan Brothers" and 03-02-44 "The Great Dog King"

February 24, 1944. Program #317. WXYZ, Detroit origination, The Michigan Radio Network. "The Hannigan Brothers". Sustaining. One brother likes dogs, the other one doesn't. The dog-hater is the one with the cute little daughter. Possibly recorded February 15, 1944. Jay Michael, Jack McCarthy (announcer), Fran Striker (writer). 14:24.
March 2, 1944. Program #318. WXYZ, Detroit origination, The Michigan Radio Network. "The Great Dog King". Sustaining. Henri Louis Duran owns the trading post and has a beautiful daughter. There's gold on the property too! King takes on a pack of wolves to save Duran's life! The program was possibly recorded February 22, 1944. Jay Michael, Jack McCarthy (announcer), Fran Striker, Betty Joyce. 14:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9615: Challenge Of Space - Ten Miles To The Moon (07-07-69) Mar 02, 2024

Challenge Of Space - Ten Miles To The Moon (Aired July 7, 1969)

On 1 May 1950, the first commercial radio station in South Africa, Springbok Radio took to the airwaves broadcasting in both English and Afrikaans. This followed almost 5 years of intense investigation by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and after consultations with both Lord Reith of the BBC and the South African Government it was decided to introduce commercial radio in South Africa to supplement the SABC's existing public service English and Afrikaans networks. Just imagine the BBC in Johannesburg. The Challenge of space was a 1960's South African Sci-Fi adventure series. Well written and well acted stories that, aside from the science fiction aspect, could have been easily revised to reflect everyday earthly concerns. In one episode, "Another Galaxy", a young couple's desire to marry and live as simple farmers, is looked at as foolish by the boy's father. His plans for his son's future were much, much different. A life in the war space project was all the old man could see. Sponsored by Carling beer, the series refects a time when man conquered the nearby planets and space travel was almost instantanious.

Episode 9614: The CBS Radio Workshop -"Young Man Axelbrod" (08-22-57) Feb 29, 2024

Young Man Axelbrod (Aired September 22, 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:
September 22, 1957. CBS network. "Young Man Axelbrod". Sustaining. An old Norwegian man decides to go to Yale. The last show of the series. Sinclair Lewis (author), William N. Robson (adaptator, director). 24:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9613: CBS Radio Mystery Theater "Little Green Death" (03-18-77) Feb 28, 2024

Little Green Death (Aired March 18, 1977)
The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took overA 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.
THIS EPISODE:

March 18, 1977. Program #618. CBS network. "Little Green Death". Sponsored by: G-E CB Radios, Buick, Contac, Allied Van Lines, True Value Hardware. A small town shop-keeper is accused of murder, and he can't deny it! Carol Teitel, E. G. Marshall (host), Kim Hunter, Nat Polen, Robert Dryden, Sam Dann (writer). 45:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9612: Cathy & Elliot Lewis On Stage - "An Ideal Couple" (06-18-53) Feb 28, 2024

An Ideal Couple (Aired June 18, 1953)
After working together for years on such shows as Suspense, and Sam Spade, Cathy and Elliot Lewis created On Stage in 1953. Two of the busiest people on the air, they were known as "Mr. and Mrs. Radio." On Stage provides a hodge podge of both classics and original stories, including mystery, drama, comedy, satire, and adventure. Although created at a time when radio was going out of style, On Stage is evidence of how good old time radio shows can be. With fewer constraints and less pressure due to the lack of financially-driven scripts, the Lewis duo let their creativity and talent explode into one of the greatest anthology shows of all time.

THIS EPISODE:

June 18, 1953. CBS network. "An Ideal Couple". Sustaining. The sad story of a seemingly happy marriage, told through the medium of a radio game show. Good radio writing! Cathy Lewis, Elliott Lewis, Frederick Steiner (composer, conductor), George Walsh (announcer), Ray Noble (theme composer), Tom Dickson (writer, performer), Paul Frees. 29:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9611: Casey Crime Photographer - "Unlucky Numbers" (06-15-50) Feb 27, 2024

Unlucky Numbers (Aired June 15, 1950)
Casey, whose first name was never revealed, was the major crime photographer at the fictional Morning Express newspaper. With the help of reporter Ann Williams, he tracked down criminals and solved numerous crimes on this popular mystery-adventure series. Often a picture snapped at a crime scene led Casey to play detective. Jackson Beck and Bernard Lenrow were heard as Captian Logan and John Gibson played Ethelbert. Sponsors included Anchor-Hocking glass, Toni home permanet, Toni Creme Shampoo and Philip Morris cigarettes. 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. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

June 15, 1950. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroardcast. "Unlucky Number(s)". Staats Cotsworth ; John Gibson; Ken Roberts (AFRS announcer); Jan Miner; Herman Chittison (pianist); Archie Bleyer (composer); John Dietz (director); Alonzo Deen Cole (writer); George Harmon Coxe (creator);. 24:16 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9610: Casebook Of Gregory Hood - "The Derringer Society" (07-08-46) Feb 26, 2024

The Derringer Society (Aired July 08, 1946)
In The Casebook of Gregory Hood the spokesperson was initially the legendary and versatile Radio talent, Harry Bartell. The incorporation of a sponsor's spokesperson into the ensemble cast wasn't ground-breaking for the genre. Petri had introduced their flavor of the format with their first sponsorship of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes over MBS in October 1943 and for the three following years immediately preceding their sponsorship of The Casebook of Gregory Hood. But this wasn't the earliest product placement innovation in Radio. Burns and Allen had woven their various sponsors' products into their earliest scripts, as had Bob Hope with his sponsors, Jack Benny with his sponsors, and Fred Allen with his. The format, at least under Harry Bartell's watch, was seamlessly intertwined into each script, as well as even more complementary and entertaining for Bartell's contribution. The introductions completed, Harry Bartell would inquire as to the casebook adventure for the evening. Sandy or Gregory would frame the adventure and launch into the scripted mystery. One out of context sponsor break would occur at the midpoint of the script, with Bartell transitioning into a recap of the continuing adventure. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Episode 9609: Case Dismissed - "Legal Wills" (02-06-54) Feb 25, 2024

Most of the scripts very cleverly portrayed every right way--or wrong way--to approach a range of legal matters that might concievably affect any American. After resolving the script one way or the other, the Host, John Fitzgerald, would dissect the legal issues involved in the script, point listeners to the right source of legal information--for the State of Illinois, in any case--and suggest alternate scenarios, as time permitted, to further illustrate the larger issues behind that week's topic. As a local presentation, WMAQ's production of Case Dismissed acquitted itself very well indeed. With few exceptions, the enacted legal issues were realistically depicted, thoroughly explored, and informatively resolved. The exposition for and resolution of these programs was never preachy, overly complicated, nor left unresolved. Each story had an arc that was resolved for that particular combination of legal issues and choices. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
February 6, 1954. "Legal Wills" - NBC network, WMAQ, Chicago origination. Sustaining. The program is produced in co-operation with the Chicago Bar Association. The legal problems of making a will. Alma Platts, Rita Ascot, Arthur Peterson, John C. Fitzgerald (host, Dean of the Law School, Loyola University), Robert Carmen (writer), Russ Reed, Paul Barnes, Charles Flynn, Betty Ross (producer), Herbert Littow (director), Tom Evans (sound), Harold Witteberry (engineer), Lee Bennett (announcer). 28:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9608: Carter Brown Mysteries - "The Lady Was Lethal" (4 Episodes COMPLETE) 1950 Feb 24, 2024

The Lady Was Lethal (4 Episodes COMPLETE) 1950 *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
Carter Brown Mysteries is an old time radio show using the characters from the prolific mystery writer Carter Brown. This great old time radio mystery series is known for it's quick pace, good screenplay, and acting. These stories were produced in Australia, and they are great. A lot of old time radio fans Carter Brown Mysteries, old time radioshy away from shows produced outside of the US. Usually it's because in some of those old time radio programs, the accents make it a little tougher listen. Not the case here though. All the stories are 4 parters, each about 13-14 miutes long. Of course great writing, but also acting and production values. A very popular and well regarded show. There has been a resurgence in pulp fiction novels, and CarterCarter Brown Mysteries, old time radio Brown Mysteries is one of the series that have become popular again. The artwork used on the cover of the books has become very popular with collectors. Now it's time for the old time radio version to become popular again! Episode Notes From Eddie's Old Time Radio.

Episode 9607: "Gunsmoke" Kite's Reward (TV Episode 1955) Feb 23, 2024

Dillon takes away the gun of Andy Travis after he kills a man in self defense, figuring no one will challenge an unarmed man to a gunfight.
Director
Charles Marquis Warren
Writers
John Meston/ Norman MacDonnell/ Charles Marquis Warren
Stars
James Arness/Dennis Weaver/Milburn Stone

Episode 9606: Candy Matson - "The Eric Spalding Concert" (01-13-50) Feb 22, 2024

The Eric Spalding Concert (Aired January 13, 1950)

Candy Matson, in its various guises, was one of the ground-breaking lady detective anthologies from The Golden Age of Radio. Locally produced out of the KNBC studios in San Francisco, the series was produced, written and directed by Monty Masters and starred his wife, Natalie Masters, the former Natalie Park. One of only a handful of successful female-led radio noir detective dramas of the era, Candy Matson was the eighth attempt to launch a successful distaff gumshoe series over Radio. After the fine-tuning of the audition--and the green light from NBC--Candy Matson aired as 'Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8209', with expanded characterizations for both Rembrandt and Lt. Mallard and a somewhat 'friskier' Candy herself. The combination clicked. Monty Masters' snappy dialogue, regular references to Bay Area locations, sports teams, cultural attractions and historic landmarks made for a both entertaining and familiar local production. The Jack Webb influence was unmistakeable. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Episode 9605: The Campbell Playhouse - "Mutiny On The Bounty" (01-13-39) Feb 21, 2024

Mutiny On The Bounty (Aired January 13, 1939)
The Campbell Playhouse's third season was delayed for a week over some CBS/Campbell kerfuffle about the alleged fifth column theme of the proposed original script penned by John Houseman and Wyllis Cooper. Apparently the infamous, headline-grabbing Texas Representative Martin Dies and the earliest House of Representative misadventures that eventually evolved into the House Un-American Activities Committee had something to do with the season's postponement. So it was that the third season began with the second production, Air Mail to Red Riding Hood, on November 29, 1940, starring Miriam Hopkins and Humphrey Bogart. The remaining programs were heavily promoted up through Program 25, after which Campbell's detailed spot ads tailed off and few if any of the subsequent programs were announced by either title or stars.
THIS EPISODE:
January 13, 1939. CBS network. "Mutiny On The Bounty". Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. The story of Captain Bligh and the men of "The Bounty" during a visit to Tahiti. Orson Welles reads an eloquent word portrait of ham radio operators. The intermission guest is Dorothy Hall, a ham radio operator who helped the residents of Pitcairn Island during an epidemic. Burgess Meredith, Carl Frank, Dorothy Hall, Edgar Barrier, Ernest Chappell (announcer), Frank Readick, Joseph Cotten, Memo Holt, Myron McCormick, Orson Welles (host), Ray Collins (narrator), Richard Wilson, William Alland. 59:12. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. 1:00:41

Episode 9604: Caltex Theater - "Detectives Are Not Always Right" (12-11-55) Feb 20, 2024

Detectives Are Not Always Right (Aired December 11, 1955)
This is an Australian radio production of the classic MGM science fiction movie, Forbidden Planet. The production uses all the original electronic music and effects from the film. Length: 55 Min. What can I say? Years before Starfleet officers donned uniforms in Star Trek, it was done in Forbidden Planet. Long before Han Solo held a blaster, the guys in Forbidden Planet did it. Long before Star Trek's android Data and shortly before Lost in Space's Robby, a mechanical being played a major role in Forbidden Planet. Long before big special effects films ruled movie theaters, Forbidden Planet was packed with great effects, including astounding matte paintings. Long before electronically-created music became common, Forbidden Planet featured an all-synthesizer soundtrack that gave a futuristic and creepy feeling. Long before Leslie Nielson said, "Don't call me Shirley," he wore a spacesuit and wielded a ray gun.

Episode 9603: Calling All Cars - "Six Shots At Midnight" (11-06-34) Feb 19, 2024

Six Shots At Midnight (Aired November 6, 1934)
Calling All Cars was one of radio’s earliest cop shows, dramatizing 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:
November 6, 1934. Program #50. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network). "Six Shots At Midnight". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil. A murder has been committed on Riverside Drive. The system cue has been deleted. William N. Robson (writer, producer), Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator). 30:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9602: Burns & Allen Show - "George's Movie Career" (09-25-47) Feb 18, 2024

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.

Episode 9601: Bunco Squad - "The Case Of The Bookworm" (04-15-50) Feb 17, 2024

Bonco Squad - The Case Of The Bookworm (04-15-50)
"The Case Of The Bookworm" (Aired April 20, 1950)
The Bunco Squad were from authentic cases drawn from the police files of the nation, featuring the Bunco artist, the swindler, the con man who came in a thousand disguises, had a million tricks and could make a sucker out of anyone. The program aired in 1950 and was devoted to debunking bunco schemes and warning the American public on these nefarious doings. Show Notes From My Old Radio
THIS EPISODE:
April 20, 1950. "The Case Of The Bookworm" - CBS network. Sustaining. A con-artist in St. Louis poses as a scientist. He plans to swindle his mark out of $15,000 by "publishing" his book. The date is approximate. Frank Trumbull (host), Ralph Rose (producer, director), Del Castillo (composer, conductor), Merrick Goldman (writer), Troy Leonard (writer), Joe Walters (announcer). 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9600: Bulldog Drummond - "Help Wanted" (08-13-45) Feb 16, 2024

Help Wanted (Aired August 13, 1945)
The Bulldog Drummond stories followed Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, D.S.O., M.C., a wealthy former WWI officer of the fictional Loamshire Regiment, who, after the war, spends his new-found leisure time as a private detective. Drummond is a proto-James Bond figure and a version of the imperial adventurers depicted by the likes of John Buchan. In terms of the detective genre, the first Bulldog Drummond novel was published after the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Nayland Smith/Fu Manchu novels and Richard Hannay's first three adventures including The Thirty-Nine Steps. The character first appeared in the novel Bulldog Drummond (1920), and this was followed by a lengthy series of books and adaptations for films, radio and television.
THIS EPISODE:
August 13, 1945. Mutual network. "Help Wanted". Music fill for local commercial insert. Captain Drummond is away doing war work, so his valet Denny hires his own valet and solves a murder by himself. 28:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9599: Broadway Is My Beat - The Charles Crandall Murder Case (05-12-51) Feb 13, 2024

The Charles Crandall Murder Case (Aired May 12, 1951)
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." Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
THIS EPISODE:

May 12, 1951. "The Charles Crandall Murder Case" - CBS network. Sustaining. Charles Crandall is found murdered in an alley. He has no wallet, but he does have an expensive watch and a parking ticket! Charlie Crandall proves to be very much alive. Larry Thor, Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Charles Calvert, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Jack Kruschen, Lou Merrill, Jeanette Nolan, Joe Walters (announcer), Adam Williams, Peggy Webber, Joy Terry. 31:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9598: Box 13 - "The Philanthropist" (01-30-49) Feb 11, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Remembers Nat & Natalie Cole "Unforgetable" (1991)
The Philanthropist (Aired January 30, 1949)
Alan Ladd's early portrayals of Dan Holiday did tend to be a bit pat, somewhat sparse in depth, and even wooden in the beginning. Ladd hired some excellent voice talent for his project, and these superb, veteran Radio professionals set a pretty high bar for Ladd, himself. Box 13 is highly expositional, as are most programs of the genre, and Ladd's grovelly, gritty voice lends itself well to the production. But by Episode #6 it seems apparent that Alan Ladd was beginning to hit his stride in the role. What seems to get in the way for many reviewers of this program is its somewhat implausible premise. Dan Holiday was purportedly a successful fiction writer for the Star-Times news magazine who becomes disenchanted with the utter, mind-numbing routine of it. Dan Holiday opts out. He posts an ad reading "Go anywhere, Do anything, Write Box 13".

THIS EPISODE:

Ref# 8327. Box Thirteen. January 30, 1949. Program #24. Mutual network origination, Mayfair syndication. "The Philanthropist". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Dan Holiday takes to the hobo jungles to break an unusual and cruel racket. Alan Ladd, Edmond MacDonald, Richard Sanville (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Russell Hughes (writer), Sylvia Picker, Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 27:43 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9597: Boston Blackie - "Death Wish" (10-01-47) Feb 10, 2024

Death Wish (Aired October 1, 1947)

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, it ran for 58 episodes, continuing in repeats over the following decade.
THIS EPISODE:

October 1, 1947. Program #129. "Death Wish" - Mutual net origination, Ziv syndication. Commercials added locally. Jim Wells seems to have a death wish; he doesn't care about the killers threatening him! Blackie's girlfriend has been kidnapped! Richard Kollmar, Lesley Woods, Maurice Tarplin. 29:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9596: Bold Venture - "Deadly Merchandise" (03-26-51) Feb 10, 2024

Deadly Merchandise (Aired March 26, 1951)

Bold Venture is a 1951-1952 syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions. Salty seadog Slate Shannon (Bogart) owns a Cuban hotel sheltering an assortment of treasure hunters, revolutionaries and other shady characters. With his sidekick and ward, the sultry Sailor Duval (Bacall), tagging along, he encounters modern-day pirates and other tough situations while navigating the waters around Havana. Aboard his boat, the Bold Venture, Slate and Sailor experience "adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean.

THIS EPISODE:

Ref#-837. Bold Venture. March 26, 1951. Program #1. ZIV Syndication. "Deadly Merchandise". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Bogart plays Slate Shannon who owns a hotel in Havana and gets involved in intrigue with his beautiful sidekick "Sailor." Shannon and Sailor get involved with a shipment of arms for a planned revolution. But Shannon never picked up the "merchandise" in Key West, and two murders follow because he doesn't have the guns. The characters in this series are based on those in, "To Have and Have Not," which featured both Bogart and Bacall. The plot of this episode is based on the story of the film. The date above is noted as the first known broadcast of the first episode, but that is subject to correction. The title of the story is also subject to correction. These programs were heard on over 500 stations and were broadcast is no particular sequence at no particular time. Therefore no particular dates are assigned after program #1. David Rose (composer, conductor), Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Henry Hayward (director), Jay Novello (doubles), Tony Barrett, Eve McVeagh, Betty Lou Gerson, Peter Leeds, Jester Hairston. 27:15. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9595: The Bob Hope Show - "Filling Out Income Tax With Guest Jane Russell" (03-04-53) Feb 09, 2024

Filling Out Income Tax With Guest Jane Russell (Aired March 4, 1953)
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:
March 4, 1953. "Filling Out Income Tax With Guest Jane Russell" - NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Bob tries to fill out his income tax form and then tries to convince guest Jane Russell to make a 3-D movie with him. Possibly dated April, 1952. Bill Goodwin, Bob Hope, Bob Sweeney, Hans Conried, Les Brown and His Orchestra, Margaret Whiting, Jane Russell. 23:55. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9594: The Blue Beetle - :Dancing Ghosts Of Rocky Hill 2 Pts. COMPLETE (08-21-41) Feb 08, 2024

The Blue Beetle - "Dancing Ghosts Of Rocky Hill 2 Pts. COMPLETE" (08-21-41)
The exploits of Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman who, by wearing bullet-proof blue chain mail, transformed himself into the mysterious Blue Beetle, a daring crusader for justice. The Blue Beetle was created by Charles Nicholas. The character made his first appearance in August of 1939 in the comic book Mystery Men #1, published by Fox Features Syndicate. The Blue Beetle radio serial aired from 05-15-40 to 09-13-40 as a CBS 30 minutes, syndicated series. Actor Frank Lovejoy provided the voice of the Blue Beetle for the first thirteen episodes. Later episodes were uncredited. After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime fighting reputation as a weapon against them. For this purpose he also used a "Beetle Signal" flashlight. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

40371. The Blue Beetle. August 21, 1940. Program #41. Fox Features syndication. "The Dancing Ghosts Of Rocky Hills" Part one. Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. A ciphered message to the Blue Beetle sends him to a haunted house to investigate. 12:04.
40372. The Blue Beetle. August 23, 1940. Program #42. Fox Features syndication. "The Dancing Ghosts Of Rocky Hills" Part two. Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle solves the mystery of the dancing ghosts and a counterfeiting ring too!. 12:15.

Episode 9593: Aldrich Family - "Mrs Aldrich' s Antique Chairs" (01-17-49) Feb 06, 2024

"Mrs. Aldrich' s Antique Chairs" (Aired January 17, 1949)
The Aldrich Family was launched in its own series as a summer replacement program 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 5, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, as a Sustaining program in its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

THIS EPISODE:

January 17, 1949. "Mrs. Aldrich' s Antique Chairs" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Jell-O (Meredith Willson and His Talking People). Mrs. Aldrich has bought five antique dining room chairs at an auction. This leads Henry and Homer to conclude that the Aldrich's are in financial trouble. Ezra Stone, Jackie Kelk, Dan Seymour (announcer), Parker Fennelly, Patricia Joudry (writer), Dell Dinsdale (writer), Jack Miller, House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Clifford Goldsmith (creator), Meredith Willson. 25:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9592: Agatha Christie Presents Hercule Poirot - Evil Under The Sun (Part 5 of 5) 11-19-12 Feb 05, 2024

The cast of characters is fairly large, but they are easy to keep separate, since each of them is quite distinctive. This is an especially important feature in a murder mystery that depends on keeping track of who is whom! The acting seems slightly over-the-top at first: my initial reaction was that everyone was overacting. However, this style is maintained throughout the whole film, and it doesn't take long at all before it seems perfectly in keeping with the light tone of the movie, as well as being very appropriate to the characters themselves, including a film star, producers, a gossip columnist, a playboy, and (last but not least) a very vain detective.

Episode 9591: The Alan Young Show - "Stolen Pearl Necklace" (10-04-46) Feb 04, 2024

The Stolen Pearl Necklace (Aired October 4, 1946)

The Alan Young Show was a radio and television series presented in diverse formats over a nine-year period and starring Canadian-English actor Alan Young. It began on NBC radio as a summer replacement situation comedy in 1944, featuring vocalist Bea Wain. It moved to ABC with Jean Gillespie portraying Young's girlfriend Betty. The program was next broadcast by NBC for a 1946-47 run and was off in 1948. When it returned to NBC in 1949, Louise Erickson played Betty and Jim Backus was heard as snobbish playboy Hubert Updike III. In 1950 The Alan Young Show moved to television as a variety, sketch comedy show, taking an 11-month hiatus in 1952. When it returned for its final season in 1953, the tone and format of the show changed into the more conventional sitcom, with Young playing a bank teller with Dawn Addams cast as his girlfriend and Melville Faber portraying his son.
THIS EPISODE:
October 4, 1946. "The Stolen Pearl Necklace" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Ipana, Vitalis. After Alan gives Betty a pearl necklace, he discovers it's been stolen from wealthy Mrs. Van Skuffington! Alan Young, Charlie Cantor, Doris Singleton, Ken Christy, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), The Smart Set, Jim Backus, Elvia Allman, Jean Gillespie. 29:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9590: Hercule_Poirot "Evil Under The Sun" Part 3 of 5 Feb 02, 2024

Agatha Christie Presents Hercule Poirot "Evil Under The Sun" Part 3 of 5

The centerpiece of the movie, the murder mystery itself, is interesting, and kept me guessing right up to the very end. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Evil Under the Sun is that it invites the viewer to try to figure out the puzzle along with Poirot, which makes for a fun and engaging viewing experience. The movie plays fair: although we're not privy to Poirot's thought processes, we see everything that Poirot sees, and thus we have the same opportunity to figure things out as he does. The cinematography is handled well in this regard, as Poirot's insights are shown by a quick zoom to the detail that has caught his attention; this lets the viewer know that he's seen something important, but not what, exactly, is important about it. So in theory anyone in the audience could figure out the solution before Poirot reveals it... but it's quite likely that the solution that Poirot's "little gray cells" comes up with will be a surprise. The only disappointment with the movie comes in the final revelation, however, as one of the key plot points doesn't entirely make sense, and isn't explained.

Episode 9589: Evil Under The Sun (Part 1 and 2 of 5) Feb 01, 2024

Evil Under the Sun is a classic Agatha Christie Murder Mystery, featuring the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov). In this instance, Poirot is on a working holiday, as he is put on the trail of a fake jewel that leads him to an expensive island resort in the Mediterranean. The other guests turn out to be an interesting assortment, as there are many connections (both overt and concealed) among the guests, as well as a generous helping of ill-will in various directions.It's a very entertaining movie. The fast pace keeps the movie zipping along from one scene to the next; the overall effect is not rushed, however, but sprightly. In fact, the brisk pacing seems in keeping with the fairly light-hearted tone overall. Evil Under the Sun, for all its gloomy title, does not dwell on the darker aspects of human nature, but rather on murder as an intellectual challenge for M. Poirot. The tone is handled quite well. The director uses humorous touches such as Poirot "going for a swim" to maintain the light tone, but never overdoes the humor in an attempt to get laughs out of the audience. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 OTR Pod.

Episode 9588: Henry Morgan Show - "The Radio Program Blood Test" (02-19-47) Jan 31, 2024

The Radio Program Blood Test (Aired February 19, 1947)

In 1940, Henry Morgan was offered a daily 15-minute series on Mutual Broadcasting System's flagship station, WOR. This show was a 15-minute comedy, which he opened almost invariably with "Good evening, anybody; here's Morgan." In his memoir Here's Morgan (1994), he wrote that he devised that introduction as a dig at popular singer Kate Smith, who "...started her show with a condescending, 'Hello, everybody.' I, on the other hand, was happy if anybody listened in." He mixed literately barbed ad libs, satirizing daily life's foibles, with novelty records, including those of Spike Jones. Morgan stated that Jones sent him his newest records in advance of market dates because he played them so often. He also targeted his sponsors freely. One early sponsor had been Adler Shoe Stores, which came close to canceling its account after Morgan started making references to "Old Man Adler" on the air; the chain changed its mind after it was learned business spiked upward, with many new patrons asking to meet Old Man Adler. Morgan had to read an Adler commercial heralding the new fall line of colors; Morgan thought the colors were dreadful, and said he wouldn't wear them to a dogfight, but perhaps the listeners would like them. Old Man Adler demanded a retraction on the air. Morgan obliged: "I would wear them to a dogfight." Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
102139. The Henry Morgan Show. February 19, 1947. ABC network, WCAE, Pittsburgh aircheck. Sponsored by: Eversharp-Schick, Walt's Furs (local). 10:30 P.M. How radio affects blood pressure. Two "ad men" named "Charlie" and "Henry." "Dimitri's Keyhole": a Russian gossip program. How to save on taxes. "Offenbach On Broadway." "Hortense and Gerard." "The Coming Attractions Theatre" presents a funny preview of the movie, "Blubber.". Henry Morgan, Bernard Green and His Orchestra, Arnold Stang, Charles Irving (announcer), Rector Bailey. 29:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. Catalog# 102139.

Episode 9587: The Haunting Hour - "Unidentified Body" (07-28-45) Jan 30, 2024

Unidentified Body (Aired July 28, 1945)
The Haunting Hour is a work-in-progress collection within the holdings of many serious Radio Collectors. From the meager available productions currently in circulation it's clear that the series was popular for its time, at the very least. With a known run of at least 52 unique scripts and more doubtful further 39 to 52 scripts, it would appear that the series was in demand for at least four years--in and out of syndication. Given the high quality of NBC Network voice talent in the circulating episodes, one can well imagine that the remainder of the yet alleged, undiscovered, or uncirculated episodes have at least as much to recommend them. Thankfully, as with many other examples of Golden Age Radio productions, many of the existing episodes in circulation can be directly attributed to the efforts of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service [AFRTS].

THIS EPISODE:
July 28, 1945. Program #24. NBC syndication. "Unidentified Body". Commercials added locally. An amnesiac found by a gang of crooks is told he's a professional murderer and is told to go out and kill! Edwin Wolfe (director). 24:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9586: The Honest Harold Peary Show - "Income Tax Time" (03-14-51) Jan 29, 2024

The Harold Peary Show - Income Tax Time (Aired March 14, 1951)
Honest Harold Hemp lived with his mother and nephew and did a radio homemaker's program. The series received undeserved negative ratings and general negative attitude of the critics. The Honest Harold scripts were well crafted with well developed characters and had excellent acting and production values. Many people, including Harold Peary, believed that The Great Gildersleeve would not survive without Peary. However, Willard Waterman assumed the role and most listeners didn't notice the difference, as Mr. Waterman did an excellent job in capturing the essence of the Gildersleeve character.

THIS EPISODE:

March 14, 1951. CBS network. Sustaining. It's "Income Tax Time" once again. Harold's waited until the last minute once again. Harold Peary, Gene Stone (writer), Jack Robinson (writer), Jack Meakin (composer, conductor), Norman Macdonnell (director), Jane Morgan, Joseph Kearns, Parley Baer, Cliff Arquette, Shirley Mitchell, Ken Christy, David Light, Dick Powell (writer), Roy Rowan (announcer). 31:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9585: Hancock's Half Hour - "The Blackboard Jungle" (11-23-55) Jan 28, 2024

The Blackboard Jungle (Aired November 23, 1955)

Tony Hancock starred as an exaggerated version of his own character, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. Sid James played a criminally-inclined confidante who usually managed to con Hancock, while Bill Kerr appeared as Hancock's dim-witted Australian lodger. Moira Lister also appeared in the first series before being replaced by Andrée Melly for the next two, both playing love interests for Hancock's character. In the fourth and fifth series, Hattie Jacques played Griselda Pugh, live-in secretary to Hancock and occasional girlfriend of Sid James. The series broke from the variety tradition dominant in British radio comedy into the sitcom or Situation comedy genre.

Episode 9584: "The Gangster's Son" (01-20-50) Jan 27, 2024

The Halls of Ivy - "The Gangster's Son" (Aired January 20, 1950)

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.
THIS EPISODE:
January 20, 1950. "The Gangster's Son" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Schlitz Beer. Is the son of a gangster at Ivy College? Ronald Colman, Benita Hume, William Conrad, Gil Stratton, Don Quinn (creator, writer), Henry Russell (composer, conductor), Nat Wolff (director), Ken Carpenter (announcer), Herb Butterfield, Willard Waterman, Ted Osborne, Gloria Gordon, Walter Brown Neuman (writer). 30:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9583: Blondie - "The Camping Trip" (06-29-49) Jan 26, 2024

The Camping Trip (Aired June 29, 1949)
Blondie is an American comic strip created by Murat Bernard "Chic" Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930. The success of the comic strip led to the long-running Blondie film series (1938-1950) and the popular Blondie radio program (1939-1950). Chic Young drew Blondie until his death in 1973, when the control of the strip passed to his son Dean Young, who continues to write the strip. Young has collaborated with a number of artists on Blondie, including Jim Raymond, Mike Gersher, Stan Drake, Denis Lebrun and currently, John Marshall. Through these changes, Blondie has remained popular, appearing in more than 2000 newspapers in 47 countries and translated into 35 languages, as of 2010[update]. Blondie celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2005.
THIS EPISODE:
Cat# 64470. Blondie. June, 1945. CBS network. Sponsored by: Super Suds (much of the commercials have been deleted). Alexander is getting ready to go to camp for the first time. The program was rebroadcast on, "Same Time, Same Station" (see cat. #18224). The date is approximate. Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Ken Niles (announcer), Hanley Stafford, Chic Young (creator). 22:52. Cat# 64470. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. 26:19

Episode 9582: The Black Museum - "The Brass Button" (05-10-53) Jan 25, 2024

The Brass Button (Aired May 10, 1953)
Noted Crime Reporter Percy Hoskins of London's Daily Express was integral to the development of both Whitehall 1212 and Secrets of Scotland Yard. To that end, it's worth noting that the more dramatic, morbid, or salacious elements of The Black Museum's presentations aren't nearly as exacting in detail or as precise in background as those of Secrets of Scotland Yard and Whitehall 1212. Nor, one might well argue, should they have been. By the time that The Black Museum aired, both Whitehall 1212 and Secrets of Scotland Yard had broadcast virtually all of the crimes behind The Black Museum's scripts. They didn't so much steal The Black Museum's thunder as much as virtually demand that. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.
THIS EPISODE:
May 10, 1953. Program #8. Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Brass Button". Participating sponsors. Janet Morgan, the "Swamp Girl" is found murdered. The date is approximate. Syndicated rebroadcast date: November 6, 1974. Harry Alan Towers (producer), Orson Welles (narrator), Ira Marion (writer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor). 29:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9581: Big Town - "Nightmare House" (01-11-49) Jan 23, 2024

Nightmare House (Aired January 11, 1949)
The stories were well written and directed by William N. Robson as well as McGill. The skill of this group shows in making the series very good radio. The show was a big promoter of the free press and the first amendment with its opening sequence: "Freedom of the press is a flaming sword! Use it justly...hold it high...guard it well!" The second series began immediately in the 1943 season when the production moved from Hollywood to New York. Robinson left (Trevor left two years earlier as her career starting taking off) and McGill reorganized the series placing Edward Pawley in the role of Wilson opposite Fran Carlon as Lorelei. Pawley's Wilson was more mellifluous compared to the rather nasty Robinson. The series' success continued on radio until 1952 leaving only the television version (which began in 1950). (Thanks to Robert G. Corder, author of a new biography of Edward Pawley.)

THIS EPISODE:

January 11, 1949. NBC network. "Nightmare House". Sponsored by: Lifebuoy, Rinso. Bill and Helen Barton have a new house on "Honeymoon Hill." The crooked builder of these houses stops at nothing when the homeowners complain about the construction...including arson and murder! Steve Wilson and Lorelei decide to investigate. The title of the next week's show is, "A Date With Death." Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon, Hugh James (announcer), Jerry McGill (writer, producer), Mason Adams. 34:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9580: Beyond Midnight - "The Tangled Way" (1950) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Jan 22, 2024

Beyond Midnight - ""The Tangled Way" (1950)
This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa. It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings! Show Notes From Radio Horror Hosts.

Episode 9579: Best Plays - "Night Must Fall" (12-21-52) Jan 21, 2024

"Night Must Fall" (Aired December 21, 1952)
Listeners get a taste of plays from the Broadway stage in this anthology series. The featured works were from authors as talented and varied as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Noel Coward and William Shakespeare. Stars such as Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith, and Maureen Stapleton played roles in such notable dramas as The Glass Menagerie, Of Mice and Men and Macbeth. Plenty of comedies, including a performance of Arsenic and Old Lace starring Boris Karloff, were on the bill as well. As if to guarantee the show’s quality, it's host was John Chapman, a theater critic in New York City “where the American stage begins”.
THIS EPISODE:
December 21, 1952. NBC network. "Night Must Fall". Sustaining. The program has also been dated November 19, 1952. John Chapman (host), Mary Boland, Alfred Drake, Emlyn Williams (author), Carmen Matthews, Richard Newton, Mary Michael, George Lefferts (adaptor, transcriber), Horace Braham, Cathleen Cordell, William Welch (supervisor), Fred Weihe (director), Robert Denton (announcer). 1:00.57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9578: Barry Craig Confidential Investigator - "Murder By Error" (07-13-54) Jan 20, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Peabo Bryson "Unconditional Love" (1999)

Murder By Error (Aired July 13, 1954)
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. The main reason why Gargan was so convincing as a detective was that he was probably the only actor of his time who had actually been a private detective. He first worked as a credit investigator and collection agent for a clothing firm. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
THIS EPISODE:
July 13, 1954. NBC network. "Murder By Error". Sustaining. The husband of a beautiful woman is being blackmailed for $10,000 by a strange looking midget. The case soon leads to diamond smuggling and murder! The system cue has been deleted. Arthur Jacobson (director), Edward King (announcer), Herb Vigran, William Gargan, John Roeburt (writer), Jeanne Bates, Herb Ellis, Hal Gerard, Julie Bennett. 29:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9577: Barrel Of Fun - "Charlie' s College Reunion" (01-01-42) Jan 18, 2024

Charlie' s College Reunion (Aired January 1, 1942)
Barrel of Fun was a comedy musical that ran from 1941 to 1942 and stars Charlie Ruggles who is a comedian and quick wit who loves to make endless quips. Ruggles was so versatile, he could play infants to old men and he also had one of theose famous rubbery faces. Charlie Ruggles was a comic American actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972). From 1929, Ruggles appeared in talking pictures. His first was Gentleman of the Press in which he played a comic, alcoholic newspaper reporter.
THIS EPISODE:
January 1, 1942. Program #22. "Charlie's College Reunion" - Mutual network origination, syndicated. Music fill for local commercial insert. Charlie returns to his old alma mater for his twenty-fifth college reunion. The first tune is, "Until Tonight." Charles Ruggles, Benny Rubin, Verna Felton, Sara Berner, Jerry Hausner, Linda Ware, The Sportsmen, David Rose and His Orchestra, Art Gilmore (announcer). 29:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9576: The Avenger - "The Ghost Murders" (12-27-45) Jan 17, 2024

The Ghost Murders (Aired December 27, 1945)

The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared from 1939 to 1942 in The Avenger magazine, published by Street and Smith Publications. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine from 1942 to 1943, and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. Newly-written adventures were commissioned and published by Warner Brother's Paperback Library from 1973 to 1974. The Avenger was a pulp hero who combined elements of Doc Savage and The Shadow though he was never as popular as either of these characters. The authorship of the pulp series was credited by Street and Smith to Kenneth Robeson, the same byline that appeared on the Doc Savage stories. The "Kenneth Robeson" name was a house pseudonym used by a number of different Street & Smith writers. Most of the original Avenger stories were written by Paul Ernst.
THIS EPISODE:
December 27, 1945. Program #11. Michelson syndication. "The Ghost Murders". Music fill for local commercial insert. Charles Michelson (producer), Walter Gibson (writer), Ruth Braun (writer), Gilbert Braun (writer), James Monks, Helen Adamson, Alyn Edwards (announcer), Doc Whipple (organist). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9575: WPNM - Oldies Broadcast 106-333 01-13-24-FINALE_STEREO Jan 15, 2024

W.P.N.M - Oldies Broadcast 106-333 01-13-24-FINALE_STEREO
Bob Camardella Plays Two Hours of Oldies from his hometown in Historic Germantown, Pa. This show is a repeat from 2010 and remastered in Stereo.
Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod originates from the 'Heart Of Historic Germantown," Philadelphia, Pa.
Bob Camardella began podcasting at Podomatic in October 2005 and at the Radio Nostalgia Network at Libsyn.com in January 2006. From 2006 through 2009, in addition to the top ranked Boxcars711 show at Podomatic and Libsyn, "Humphrey/Camardella Media Productions" commanded a top ten slot at Podshow (1.5 million downloads per month), a top 10 ranking at Libsyn (1.7 million downloads per month) and top rankings, which continues to date, in the Kids & Family section at I-Tunes.
For the last several years, and to date (2013), his podcast here at Podomatic generates over 5 million downloads a year and continues to grow.
Prior to the onset of podcasting, he hosted WPNM Internet Radio, broadcasting a combination of talk, easy listening and early rock and from his hometown in Philadelphia, Pa.
Bob was writer and bass singer for a popular 60's rock group with 6 releases on the Twist & Algonquin (EMI) labels. He's a member of Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
In his early 20's, Bob Attended Philadelphia Community College for Photography and the Antinelli School of Photography soon launching Robert Joseph Studios. specializing in portraits and weddings.
Podomatic Boxcars711 Bob_Camardella Duke Count Kids_and_Family Adventure Suspense Thriller Detective Comedy Mystery Sci-fi WPNM Gumshoe Westerns Game Quiz Homor Funny Old_Time_Radio OTR Soap_Opera Theater Movie Video Variety Music Rock_Roll Oldies_Still_Young Holiday Xmas Christmas Thanksgiving Holloween Drama Hollywood Love Radio Sicense_Fiction Crime Law Lawless 21st_Precinct NYPD New_York_City_Detectives JAD Juvenile_Aid_Division Philadelphia_Police_Department Mounted_Police Law Government Lurene_Tuttle Lawyer Gang_Control Family_Court Old_Time_Radio_Researchers_Group Radio_Gold_Index The_Digital_Deli Television TV Movie(s) Space Moon Planet Oldies 70's 60's 80's Morris_Bailey_Jr._(Cry_Baby_Cry_(author) Chips_Distributing_Company (Don_Wright_Promotion) Cameo_Parkway_Records_(Tom_Bell_(A&R) Artie_&_Harold_Singer_(Vocal_Teachers_Shubert_Theater) Danny_&_The_Juniors_(At_The_Hop_&_Sometimes) Hy_Lit_(W.I.B.G) Gerald_Blavat_(W.D.A.S)_(W.C.A.M)The_Geator_With_The_Heater" Band_Stand_(Dick_Clark)

Episode 9574: Author's Playhouse - "The Mysterious Stranger" (07-14-44) Jan 14, 2024

The Mysterious Stranger (Aired July 14, 1944)
Author's Playhouse was an anthology radio drama series, created by Wynn Wright, that aired on the NBC Blue Network from March 5, 1941 until October 1941. It then moved to the NBC Red Network where it was heard until June 4, 1945. Philip Morris was the sponsor in 1942-43. Premiering with "Elementals" by Stephen Vincent Benét, the series featured adaptations of stories by famous authors, such as “Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobbies” by Nelson Bond, "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, "The Piano" by William Saroyan and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. Cast members included Curley Bradley, John Hodiak, Marvin Miller, Nelson Olmsted, Fern Persons, Olan Soule and Les Tremayne.

THIS EPISODE:
July 14, 1944. NBC network. "The Mysterious Stranger". Sustaining. A fantasy about a boy who gets out of a sick bed of a day on the town with a strange yet somehow familiar man. Zachary Gold (writer). 28:30. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9573: "The Arthur Godfrey Show" Lipton Talent Scouts (05-15-50) Jan 13, 2024

Lipton Talent Scouts (05-15-50)
Godfrey's morning show was supplemented by a primetime variety show, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts broadcasting from the CBS Studio Building at 49 East 52nd Street where he had his main office. This show, a showcase for rising young performers, was a slight variation of CBS's successful Original Amateur Hour. Some of the performers had made public appearances in their home towns and were recommended to Godfrey by friends or colleagues. These "sponsors" would accompany the performers to the broadcast and introduce them to Godfrey on the air. Two acts from the same 1948 broadcast were Wally Cox and The Chordettes. Both were big hits that night, and both were signed to recording contracts. Godfrey took special interest in The Chordettes, who sang his kind of barbershop-quartet harmony, and he soon made them part of his broadcasting and recording "family."

Episode 9572: Archie Andrews - "Mr. Andrews Wallpaper Adventure" (07-17-48) Jan 12, 2024

Mr. Andrews Wallpaper Adventure (Aired July 17, 1948)

His earlier life is revealed in the "Little Archie" stories when he had a dog named Spotty. Archie is a typical small-town teenager. Generous, well-mannered, but clumsy, he is genuinely liked by many of his friends. Archie goes crazy when he sees an attractive girl, but mainly dates Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper. He has taken various employment, but despite the best intentions, often clumsily breaks things, coming in conflict with Veronica's father Hiram Lodge and Riverdale High's principal, Waldo Weatherbee.
THIS EPISODE:
July 17, 1948. "Mr. Andrews Wallpaper Adventure" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Swift's Premium Meats. Mr. Andrews decides to repaper the living room himself to "save money." Things don't quite work out that way. Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Ian Martin, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice. 29:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9571: Arch Oboler's Plays - "Crazy Town" (05-20-39) Jan 11, 2024

Crazy Town (Aired May 20, 1939)
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. Oboler sold his first radio scripts while still in high school during the 1920s and rose to fame when he began scripting the NBC horror anthology Lights Out in 1936. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.
THIS EPISODE:
May 20, 1939. Blue Network. "Crazy Town". Sustaining. Two (presumably) Italian aviators crash after a bombing mission. They find themselves imprisoned in a "crazy town." 'In a community were all men are mad, no one is mad." A strong anti-fascist, anti-war drama. Edmond O'Brien, Arch Oboler (writer), Charlotte Manson, John Brown, Paul Stewart, Betty Kane. 27:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9570: The Amazing Mr. Malone - "They All Confessed" (04-01-54) Jan 11, 2024

They All Confessed (Aired April 1, 1954)

Very few writers have managed to combine the hard boiled 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. Seemingly inept and irresponsible, he nevertheless somehow (luck of the Irish?) managed to crack the case everytime. Even if his methods were a wee bit, uh, unorthodox, and his interpretation of the law rather imaginative. Malone always seems less interested in going to trial than in playing P.I. Show Notes From Thrilling Detective.com

Episode 9569: Frank Race - "Roughnecks Will" (09-25-49) Jan 10, 2024

The Roughnecks Will (Aired September 25, 1949)
The Adventures of Frank Race was a syndicated show, out of Bruce Ells Productions in Hollywood, and began airing on radio in the spring of 1949. A total of 43 episodes were produced, broadcast first on the East coast 1949-50, and then on the West coast 1951-52. The title hero was described in the introduction by announcer Art Gilmore with these words: "Before the war, FRANK RACE worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak-and-dagger of the OSS. When the war was over, his former life was over too....adventure became his business!" Starring "Chandu The Magician" Star Tom Collins.
THIS EPISODE:
September 25, 1949. Program #22. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Roughneck's Will". Commercials added locally. A ninety-year old billionaire leaves a will specifically designed to encourage his beneficiaries to kill each other. Tom Collins, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (producer), Ivan Ditmars (organist), Art Gilmore (announcer), Tony Barrett, Frank Lovejoy, Gloria Blondell, Wilms Herbert, Michael Ann Barrett. 28:10. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9568: The Adventures Of Frank Merriwell - "The Front Page Story" (11-13-48) Jan 08, 2024

The Front Page Story (Aired November 13, 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.
THIS EPISODE:
November 13, 1948. NBC network. "The Front Page Story". Sustaining. An enterprising reporter digs up a scandal about one of the star players on the Yale football squad. Charles Webster, Elaine Rost, Hal Studer, James McCallion, Kermit Murdock, Lawson Zerbe, Paul Taubman (music), Richard Keith, Tex Antoine, William Griffis, Burt L. Standish (creator). 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9567: "The Ralph Kramden Coeporation" (The Honeymooners) Jan 07, 2024

The Honeymooners first was featured on Cavalcade of Stars on October 5, 1951, with Carney in a guest appearance as a cop (Norton did not appear until a few episodes later) and character actress Pert Kelton as Alice. Darker and fiercer than the milder later version with Audrey Meadows as Alice, the sketches proved popular with critics and viewers. As Kramden, Gleason played a frustrated bus driver with a battleaxe of a wife in harrowingly realistic arguments; when Meadows (who was 15 years younger than Kelton) took over the role after Kelton was blacklisted, the tone softened considerably.
When Gleason moved to CBS, Kelton was left behind; her name had been published in Red Channels, a book that listed and described reputed communists (and communist sympathizers) in television and radio, and the network did not want to hire her. Gleason reluctantly let her leave the cast, with a cover story for the media that she had "heart trouble". At first, he turned down Meadows as Kelton's replacement. Meadows wrote in her memoir that she slipped back to audition again and frumped herself up to convince Gleason that she could handle the role of a frustrated (but loving) working-class wife. Rounding out the cast, Joyce Randolph played Trixie, Ed Norton's wife. Elaine Stritch had played the role as a tall and attractive blonde in the first sketch but was quickly replaced by Randolph. Comedy writer Leonard Stern always felt The Honeymooners was more than sketch material and persuaded Gleason to make it into a full-hour-long episode.
In 1955, Gleason gambled on making it a separate series entirely. These are the "Classic 39" episodes, which finished 19th in the ratings for their only season. They were filmed with a new DuMont process, Electronicam. Like kinescopes, it preserved a live performance on film; unlike kinescopes (which were screenshots), the film was of higher quality and comparable to a motion picture. That turned out to be Gleason's most prescient move. A decade later, he aired the half-hour Honeymooners in syndicated reruns that began to build a loyal and growing audience, making the show a television icon. Its popularity was such that in 2000 a life-sized statue of Jackie Gleason, in uniform as bus driver Ralph Kramden, was installed outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
Gleason returned to the live format for 1956–57 with short and long versions, including hour-long musicals. These musical presentations were reprised ten years later, in color, with Sheila MacRae and Jane Keane as Alice and Trixie.
Audrey Meadows reappeared for one black-and-white remake of the '50s sketch "The Adoption", telecast January 8, 1966. Ten years later she rejoined Gleason and Carney (with Jane Kean replacing Joyce Randolph) for several TV specials (one special from 1973 was shelved).
The Jackie Gleason Show ended in June 1957. In 1959, Jackie discussed the possibility of bringing back The Honeymooners in new episodes. His dream was partially realized with a Kramden-Norton sketch on a CBS variety show in late 1960 and two more sketches on his new hour-long CBS show The American Scene Magazine in 1962.

Episode 9566: The Shadow - "Death Stalks The Shadow" (10-09-38) Jan 07, 2024

Death Stalks The Shadow (Aired October 9, 1938)

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:
October 9, 1938. Mutual network. "Death Stalks The Shadow". Sponsored by: Blue Coal. An electric eye traps the Shadow in a death cell. The program has a good electrocution scene. William Johnstone, Agnes Moorehead, Ken Roberts (announcer). 26:52. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9565: Rocky Jordan - "Gold Fever" (08-07-49) Jan 06, 2024

Gold Fever (Aired August 7, 1949)

Rocky Jordan was a radio series about an American restaurateur in Cairo who each week became involved in some kind of mystery or adventure. The show was broadcast on CBS from October 31st 1948 to September 10th 1950. and then again from June 27th 1951 to August 22nd 1951. The character of Rocky Jordan had been introduced to listeners in a similar show called A Man Named Jordan that was broadcast in 1945 but set in Istanbul rather than Cairo. The two lead roles were those of Rocky Jordan and Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo Police. For most of the show's history Jordan was played by veteran radio actor Jack Moyles, but he was replaced by a movie star, George Raft, for the brief 1951 run. Jay Novello played Sabaaya throughout the entire series.
THIS EPISODE:
August 7, 1949. CBS Pacific network. "Gold Fever". Sponsored by: Del Monte. The first show of the series sponsored by Del Monte. Rocky is offered a 30% interest in a gold strike by the owner, who has several bullets in him. Jack Moyles, Jay Novello, Larry Thor (announcer), Cliff Howell (producer, director), Richard Aurandt (composer, conductor),Larry Roman (writer), Gomer Cool (writer). 33:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9564: VIDEO Alfred Hitchcock Presents The Sorcerers Apprentice (1961) Jan 05, 2024

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
Season 7 Episode 39
Writers Robert Bloch
Produced by Joan Harrison and Alfred Hitchcock
"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" is a seventh-season episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents made in the summer of 1961 that has never been broadcast on network television. The episode was scheduled to be episode 39 of the season. The story and teleplay were written by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, and the episode was directed by Josef Leytes. The four main characters are played by Diana Dors (Irene Sadini), Brandon deWilde (Hugo), David J. Stewart (Vincent Sadini), and Larry Kert (George Morris).
Although formerly considered a lost episode, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" has since been widely distributed in syndication and – due to its status in the public domain – in numerous Hitchcock home media releases and video on demand.
Plot
Exiting his trailer on a cold windy night in Toledo for a smoke, carnival magician Sadini the Great spots an unconscious youth on the ground. Sadini and food vendor Milt carry the boy into Sadini's trailer. A short time later, Sadini's wife Irene enters. Displeased by the youth's presence, Irene finally accedes to Sadini's request to get food for the lad after the boy describes her as an angel. The boy also compares Sadini's appearance to that of the devil.

Episode 9563: I Was A Communist For FBI "Squeeze Play (09-03-52)" Jan 04, 2024

Squeeze Play (Aired September 3, 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 3, 1952. Program #20. ZIV Syndication. "Squeeze Play". Commercials added locally. The Party takes an interest in the Leo Bremmer trial, but an honest judge resists temptation. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer), Olan Soule, Byron Kane, Henry Hayward (director), David Rose (music). 26:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9562: The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin - "The Ambassador" (11-13-55) Jan 03, 2024

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin"
(The Ambassador Aired November 13, 1955)
The character of Rin Tin Tin had appeared in several movies and radio serials since 1922. One of the dogs used in the TV series was the fourth in the bloodline of the original Rin Tin Tin. Reruns of the show ran on daytime television and on Saturdays on CBS from October 1959 until September 1964. A new set of reruns was shown in 1976, and continued well into the mid-1980s. The original black and white prints were tinted light brown. An unrelated -including a German Shepherd - aired in the U.S. as Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop. The series was produced in Canada under the name Katts and Dog where the dog was named Rudy. When the series was shown in the U.S., the dog's name was dubbed "Rinty" to fit the U.S. title. The success of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin caused the cancellation of Gene Autry's The Adventures of Champion on CBS, which was replaced on February 10, 1956, by My Friend Flicka. Flicka, starring Johnny Washbrook as Ken McLaughlin, the story of a boy and his horse on a Wyoming ranch, produced thirty-nine episodes through February 1, 1957, when it was discontinued. Like Rin Tin Tin, Flicka rebroadcasts aired for years on all the networks. Rin Tin Tin guest stars include veteran western film star Roscoe Ates. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

Episode 9561: Richard Diamond Private Detective - "The Stolen Purse" (05-22-49) Jan 02, 2024

The Stolen Purse (Aired May 22, 1949)
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:
May 22, 1949. The Stolen Purse" - NBC net. Sustaining. A little old lady gives Diamond a seemingly valueless black purse. Everyone wants it very badly...bad enough to kill for it. Dick Powell sings, "Lullaby and Goodnight," or tries to. Dick Powell, Jane Morgan, Virginia Gregg, Wilms Herbert, Jack Kruschen, Hy Averback, Ed Begley, Betty Lou Gerson, Herb Butterfield, Wally Maher, David Baskerville (music director), Edward King (announcer), William P. Rousseau (director), Blake Edwards (writer). 29:27. Episode Notes

Episode 9560: "The Raleigh Cigarette Program" Starring Red Skelton "Bells and Resolutions" (01-01-46) Jan 01, 2024

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Ron Stewart "Auld Lang Syne"
The Raleigh Cigarette Program Starring Red Skelton
Bells and Resolutions (Aired 01-01-46)
After appearances on The Rudy Vallee Show in 1937, Skelton became a regular in 1939's Avalon Time on NBC, sponsored by Avalon Cigarettes. On October 7, 1941, Skelton premiered his own radio show, The Raleigh Cigarette Program, developing a number of recurring characters including punch-drunk boxer "Cauliflower McPugg," inebriated "Willy Lump-Lump" and "'Mean Widdle Kid' Junior," whose favorite phrase ("I dood it!") soon became part of the American lexicon. That, along with "He bwoke my widdle arm!" (or other body part) and "He don't know me vewy well, do he?" all found their way into various Warner Bros. cartoons.
THIS EPISODE:
January 1, 1946. NBC network, Hollywood origination. Sponsored by: Raleigh Cigarettes, Sir Walter Raleigh Tobacco. The Skelton Scrapbook Of Satire: Chapter 33, "Bells and Resolutions," with Deadeye and "Junior, The Mean Widdle Kid." Red Skelton, Rod O'Connor (announcer), David Forrester and His Orchestra, Anita Ellis, Verna Felton, GeGe Pearson, Wonderful Smith, Pat McGeehan. 29:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9559: All In The Family - "Flashback Mike Meets Archie" (10-16-71) Dec 31, 2023

"Flashback: Mike Meets Archie" (1971)
All in the Family is often regarded in the United States as one of the greatest television series in history. Following a lackluster first season, the show soon became the most watched show in the United States during summer reruns and afterwards ranked number one in the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976. It became the first television series to reach the milestone of having topped the Nielsen ratings for five consecutive years. The episode "Sammy's Visit" was ranked number 13 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ranked All in the Family as number four. Bravo also named the show's protagonist, Archie Bunker, TV's greatest character of all time. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked All in the Family the fourth-best written TV series ever.

THIS EPISODE:

October 16, 1971. "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie" is the fifth episode aired during the second season and the 18th overall episode of CBS-TV's All in the Family. The episode first aired on October 16, 1971. The episode, whose script was co-written by series co-star Rob Reiner and Philip Mishkin, was directed by John Rich. A great episode with many hilarious moments. This is the one where Archie sings "God Bless America .

Episode 9558: Christopher London - "The Price Of Sugar" (02-26-50) Dec 31, 2023

The Price Of Sugar (Aired February 26, 1950)
No Radio novice, Glenn Ford had not yet appeared in his own recurring dramatic Radio showcase. Christopher London gave millions of Glenn Ford fans an opportunity to hear him in a top-notch adventure anthology as Christopher London, a private investigator with an adventurous wanderlust reminiscent of Alan Ladd's Box Thirteen, Herbert Marshall's The Man Called X and Brian Donlevy's Dangerous Assignment--with a few elements of The Shadow and The Green Lama thrown in. The timing wasn't surprising, given Radio's mounting desperation to retain its listening audience in the face of the exponentially growing Television audience of the era.
THIS EPISODE:

February 26, 1950. NBC network. "The Price Of Sugar". Sustaining. Christopher is hired to find out why a sugar company can undersell everyone and discovers a concentration camp in the Philippines. The date is subject to correction. The final public service announcement and system cue have been deleted. Glenn Ford, Erle Stanley Gardner (creator), William N. Robson (producer, director), Lyn Murray (composer, conductor), Mindred Lord (writer), Joan Banks, Virginia Gregg, Barton Yarborough, Ted de Corsia, Alan Reed, Ben Wright. 28:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9557: The Chase - "Corpus Delicti" (02-01-53) Dec 30, 2023

Corpus Delicti (Aired February 1, 1953)
NBC first envisioned The Chase as a new Television feature. This was not uncommon during the later 1940s and early 1950s. Several Radio features straddled both media, with varying success. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a 'chase' of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations. The scripts were faced paced, starred quality east coast talent and were well written. The series' plots and themes focused primarily on predominantly fear inducing pursuits of one form or another. Thus most of the scripts were fraught with tension of one type or another.
THIS EPISODE:
February 1, 1953. NBC network. "Corpus Delecti". Sustaining. A reporter sees the dead Countess Athena in her stateroom. When the body disappears, no one will admit that she's even dead! Bryna Raeburn, Chester Stratton, Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director, transcriber), Ian Martin, Joseph Boland, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Roger De Koven, Staats Cotsworth. 29:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9556: The Adventures Of Charlie Chan - "The Romantic Engineer" (1946) Dec 30, 2023

The Romantic Engineer (1946) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1923. Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu. Chan is a detective of the Honolulu police, though many stories feature Chan traveling the world as he investigates mysteries and solves crimes. Chan first appeared in Biggers' novels, but went on to be featured in a number of media. Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan have been made, beginning in 1926. On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in different series on four networks (Blue, NBC, ABC, MBS) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan as part of Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels. Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the program's announcer. Radio Life magazine described Begley's Chan as "a good radio match for Sidney Toler's beloved film enactment."

Episode 9555: Challenge Of Space - "Ten Miles To The Moon" (07-07-69) Dec 29, 2023

Challenge Of Space - Ten Miles To The Moon (Aired July 7, 1969)

On 1 May 1950, the first commercial radio station in South Africa, Springbok Radio took to the airwaves broadcasting in both English and Afrikaans. This followed almost 5 years of intense investigation by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and after consultations with both Lord Reith of the BBC and the South African Government it was decided to introduce commercial radio in South Africa to supplement the SABC's existing public service English and Afrikaans networks. Just imagine the BBC in Johannesburg. The Challenge of space was a 1960's South African Sci-Fi adventure series. Well written and well acted stories that, aside from the science fiction aspect, could have been easily revised to reflect everyday earthly concerns. In one episode, "Another Galaxy", a young couple's desire to marry and live as simple farmers, is looked at as foolish by the boy's father. His plans for his son's future were much, much different. A life in the war space project was all the old man could see. Sponsored by Carling beer, the series reflects a time when man conquered the nearby planets and space travel was almost instantaneous.

Episode 9554: CBS World News Today - "War News" (12-31-44) Dec 28, 2023

CBS News' The World Today spawned numerous excellent news specials and regular broadcasts over the legendary history of the CBS Radio News Bureau. The hands-down standouts from CBS' Radio News division over the years that spanned the Golden Age of Radio were commentators H.V. Kaltenborn, Elmer Davis and Edward R. Murrow. The Golden Age of Radio spanned some of the most momentous news events of the Twentieth Century: the aftermath of World War I, The Wall Street Crash, The Great Depression, The League of Nations, World War II, The Korean War, and the Cold War Era. Competition for Radio news coverage of all of these historical eras was predictably stiff. NBC, CBS and MBS were the major players during this era. ABC came to the Radio news arena somewhat later during the Golden Era of Radio news coverage. News coverage during the rise of the Nazi party and the lead up to World War II was especially well covered by all three major networks of the era. Competing news bureaus, both independent and print media bureaus, kept a steady flow of fascinating coverage throughout the lead up to World War II, its prosecution and aftermath. But CBS News, in particular, was remarkably effective at consistently 'scooping' its Radio network competitors. Indeed, CBS even went as far as to rewrite broadcasting history on a few occasions, as with its attempt to take credit for the first breaking news about Nazi Germany's first acts of War during World War II. CBS' preeminence in Radio News, whether earned or perceived, remained legendary throughout the 1940s and beyond. But by far the most legendary of CBS' numerous Radio legends of the era was Edward R. Murrow and his 'boys.' Murrow and Murrow's Boys captured the imagination of America throughout the lead up to the U.S. involvement in World War II, as well as America's prosecution of the War.
oldtimeradiodownloads.com

Episode 9553: CBS Radio Workshop - "Roughing It" (10-05-56) Dec 27, 2023

INTRO: Bob Camardella Presents Samuel Clemens
AKA Mark Twain (11-30-1835 to 04-21-1910)

Roughing It (Aired October 5, 1956)
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:
October 5, 1956. CBS network. "Roughing It". Sustaining. Written by and "narrated" by Samuel Clemens. A do-it-yourself kit for Western movies. Good radio and a fine adaptation of Mark Twain. Daws Butler, Edward Marr, Harold Peary, Howard McNear, Jack Kruschen, Junius Matthews, Luis Van Rooten, Mark Twain (author), Peter Leeds. 29:58. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9552: CBS Radio Mystery Theater - "The Slick And The Dead" (01-23-76) Dec 26, 2023

The Slick And The Dead (Aired January 23, 1976)
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:
January 23, 1976. Program #420. CBS network. "The Slick and The Dead". Sponsored by: True Value Hardware, Luden's Cough Drops, Buick, Contac. E. G. Marshall (host), Ian Martin (writer), Russell Horton, Rosemary Rice, Mandel Kramer, Josephine Premice, Earl Hammond. 45:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9551: Broadway Is My Beat - "Nick Norman Santa Claus" (12-24-49) Dec 25, 2023

Broadway Is My Beat - Nick Norman Santa Claus aka: Santa Takes A Powder
(Aired December 24, 1949)
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." Danny Clover narrated the tales of the Great White Way to the accompaniment of music by Wilbur Hatch and Alexander Courage, and the recreation of Manhattan's aural tapestry required the talents of three sound effects technicians (David Light, Ralph Cummings, Ross Murray). Bill Anders was the show's announcer. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
December 24, 1949. "Nick Norman Santa Claus" - CBS network. Sustaining. A Christmas show. Nick Norman is just out of Sing Sing after fifteen years and is scheduled to play Santa Claus for the P. A. L. The day before the big day, Santa Takes A Powder, while a miserly landlord demands his rent! This is a network version. Howard McNear, Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Gil Stratton, Shepard Menken, Peggy Webber, Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Alexander Courage (composer), Wilbur Hatch (conductor), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Hal March, Bert Holland, Estelle Dodge, Joe Walters (announcer). 32:11. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9550: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Ooo Baby (1965) Dec 25, 2023

"Ooo Baby Baby" is a song written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore. It is a classic 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label. The song has inspired numerous other cover versions by other artists over the years, including covers by Ella Fitzgerald, Todd Rundgren, The Escorts, The Five Stairsteps, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. The Miracles' original version of "Ooo Baby Baby" is listed as number 266 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
A slow, remorseful number, "Ooo Baby Baby" features Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson lamenting the fact that he cheated on his female lover, and begging for her to overlook his mistakes and please forgive him. The song's highly emotional feel is supported by the Miracles' tight background vocal harmonies, arranged by Miracles member and song co-author Pete Moore, and a lush orchestral string arrangement that accents The Funk Brothers band's instrumental track.

Episode 9549: Casey Crime Photographer - "Christmas Shopping" (12-19-46) Dec 24, 2023

Christmas Shopping (Aired December 19, 1946)

Sponsors included Anchor-Hocking glass, Toni home permanet, Toni Creme Shampoo and Philip Morris cigarettes. 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:
December 19, 1946. CBS network. "Christmas Shopping". Sponsored by: Anchor Hocking Glass. Casey uses the nimble fingers of a pick pocket and a 10 ton truck to catch a pair of murderers. Tony Marvin (announcer), Staats Cotsworth, John Gibson, George Harmon Coxe (creator), Herman Chittison (piano), Alonzo Deen Cole (writer). 33:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9548: Burns & Allen Show - "Christmas Program" (12-23-40) Dec 23, 2023

Christmas Program (Aired December 18, 1947)
Burns and Allen are one of the most beloved couple in old time radio. They got started, like many of the greats of old time radio, in vaudeville, which is really just the touring popular entertainment in America prior to movies. Gracie was the sparkplug of the act, always the center of attention. George played the foil, the guy vainly trying to make sense of the ditzy world of Gracie. By the early 30s, Gracie was probably the best known woman on radio. Gracie often sang in a voice that showed she was also an excellent comedienne songstress. The shows had names after the sponsors, such as Maxwell House Coffee Time, or The Ammident Show - it was the Burns and Allen show to the public.
THIS EPISODE:
December 18, 1947. "Christmas Program"- NBC network. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O. What does Gracie really want for Christmas? George is forced to guess. The Maxwell House production commercial is based on the tune, "Glow Worm." Gracie misreads her last line, on which the whole program was based. Tobe Reed (announcer), Hans Conried, Meredith Willson and His Orchestra, Bill Goodwin, Gale Gordon, Paul Henning (writer), Keith Fowler (writer), George Burns, Gracie Allen. 31:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9547: The Life of Riley - "Christmas Present" (12-17-44) Dec 22, 2023

Christmas Present (Aired December 17, 1944)
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:

December 17, 1944. "Christmas Present" - Blue network, KECA, Los Angeles aircheck. Sponsored by: American Meat Institute. Riley has gotten a mysterious Christmas present. It's from Walla, Walla. Who is it from? William Bendix, John Brown, Ken Niles (announcer), Don Bernard (director), Lou Coslowe (music). 31:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9546: It's A Wonderful Life Pt.2 of 2 Dec 21, 2023

PART TWO
George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence coming to earth to help George...

Episode 9545: Let George Do It - "Follow That Christmas Train" (12-19-49) Dec 21, 2023

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Andy Williams "Its The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year (1963)
Let George Do It was a radio drama series produced by Owen and Pauline Vinson from 1946 to 1954. It starred Bob Bailey as detective-for-hire George Valentine (with Olan Soule stepping into the role in 1954). Clients came to Valentine's office after reading a newspaper carrying his classified ad: "Personal notice: Danger's my stock in trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine. "
The few earliest episodes were more sitcom than private eye shows, with a studio audience providing scattered laughter at the not-so-funny scripts. Soon the audience was banished, and George went from stumbling comedic hero to tough guy private eye, while the music became suspenseful. Valentine's secretary was Claire Brooks, aka Brooksie (Frances Robinson, Virginia Gregg, Lillian Buyeff). As Valentine made his rounds in search of the bad guys, he usually encountered Brooksie's kid brother, Sonny (Eddie Firestone), Lieutenant Riley (Wally Maher) and elevator man Caleb (Joseph Kearns). For the first few shows, Sonny was George's assistant, but he was soon relegated to an occasional character. Sponsored by Standard Oil, the program was broadcast on the West Coast Mutual Broadcasting System from October 18, 1946 to September 27, 1954, first on Friday evenings and then on Mondays.
THIS EPISODE:
December 19, 1949. Mutual-Don Lee network. "Follow That Christmas Train". Sponsored by: Standard Oil, Chevron. A Christmas story. George Valentine receives a letter asking for help...from Santa Claus! Claire Brooks disappears, the toys are stolen, and the kid on Santa's knee is really a midget! Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg, David Victor (writer), Jackson Gillis (writer), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, conductor), Bud Hiestand (announcer), Virginia Gregg, Wally Maher, Lawrence Dobkin, John Dehner, Virginia Eiler, Herb Butterfield, Junius Matthews, Tony Morris. 32:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9544: VIDEO "It's A Wonderful Life" MOVIE Dec 20, 2023

Bob Camardella Plays "It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946" Part One of Two

It's a Wonderful Life is a 1946 American drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra and based on the short story "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern. The film stars James Stewart as George Bailey, a man whose imminent suicide on Christmas Eve brings about the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody (Henry Travers). Clarence shows George all the lives he has touched and the contributions he has made to his community. Despite initially being considered a box office flop due to high production costs and stiff competition at the time of its release, the film has come to be regarded as a classic and a staple of Christmas television around the world. Theatrically, the film's break-even point was actually $6.3 million, approximately twice the production cost, a figure it never came close to achieving in its initial release. An appraisal in 2006 reported: "Although it was not the complete box-office failure that today everyone believes … it was initially a major disappointment and confirmed, at least to the studios, that Capra was no longer capable of turning out the populist features that made his films the must-see, money-making events they once were." It's a Wonderful Life was nominated for five Oscars without winning any, but the film has since been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number one on their list of the most inspirational American films of all time.

Episode 9543: The Jack Carson Show - "Christmas Day" (12-25-46) Dec 19, 2023

Christmas Day (Aired December 25, 1946)
During the 1930s, as vaudeville went into decline owing to increased competition from radio and the movies, Willock and Carson sought work in Hollywood, initially landing bit roles at RKO. The radio also proved to be a source of employment for the team following a 1938 appearance on the Kraft Music Hall during Bing Crosby's period as program host. This led to a number of other appearances which would culminate in Carson's own radio show in 1943. From 1950-51, Carson was one of four alternating hosts of NBC's "4 Star Revue." Other hosts that season were Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn. and Danny Thomas. The show aired Wednesday evenings. Carson's second season was his last with the comedy-variety program when its title was changed to "All Star Revue.
THIS EPISODE:
December 25, 1946. CBS network. Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. A visit to Jack's house on "Christmas Day". Jack sings, "The House I Live In." Jack Carson, Arthur Treacher, Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, Dave Willock, Del Sharbutt (announcer), Norma Jean Nilsson, Irene Ryan, Stuart Wade (vocal), The Martin Men. 29:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. 31:32

Episode 9542: The Saint - "Santa Claus Is No Saint" - Christmas Episode (12-24-50) Dec 18, 2023

INTRO: Bob Camardella Remembers The Cleftones "Heart & Soul" (1961)
In Santa Claus Is No Saint (12-24-50), the 'Robin Hood Of Modern Crime' forgoes bow and quiver to don whiskers and a red suit, for the highest of purposes: entertaining tots on Christmas Eve. The Saint's troubles begin in earnest, however, when "a tot, twenty years later" shows up at his door, armed with a gun and the notion that Simon Templar is actually one 'Fats' Boylen. It seems that Mr. Boylen was hired to play Santa at a society party, but chose to leave early, as did a box of jewellery belonging to the hostess, Carla Worth.
The tension in the story comes not from the 'who dunnit' aspects of the tale, as we know all along who 'done it'. The mystery is who Fats Boylen is working for, who has formed criminal alliances with whom, and whether these alliances will stand the tests of time and greed. The humor in the episode, and there is much, comes from both The Saint's quirky methods of interrogation and investigation, and the comedic reactions and reflections of his irregular (in more ways than one) companion, Louis the Cabby.
Santa Claus Is No Saint is a perfect showcase for the radio talents of the two stars, Vincent Price as the suave Simon Templar and Lawrence Dobkin as the strictly proletarian Louis the Cabby. Both bring the perfect blend of casual nonchalance and stoic self-assuredness to their characters (although Louis' self-assuredness may be more wishful thinking than he would care to admit).
THIS EPISODE:
Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod and The Internet Archive. Along for the sleigh-ride are Mary Shipp as Sally Walters, a cream puff trying to pass as a hard dame, and Betty Lou Gerson as the wealthy-and-it-shows, yet never ostentatious, and ultimately entrancing, Carla Worth. Hy Averback plays Hudson, Ted Osborne is Claude, and Stanley Farrar is Humphrey, the butler. Time = Minutes 33:19.

Episode 9541: Ozzie & Harriet - "The Christmas Gift" (12-19-48)-44 Dec 17, 2023

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet is an American sitcom, airing on ABC from October 3, 1952 to September 3, 1966, starring the real life Nelson family. After a long run on radio, the show was brought to television where it continued its success, running on both radio and TV for a couple of years. The series starred Ozzie Nelson and his wife, singer Harriet Nelson (née Hilliard), and their young sons, David Nelson and Eric Nelson, better known as Ricky. Don DeFore had a recurring role as the Nelsons' friendly neighbor "Thorny". The series attracted large audiences, and although it was never a top-ten hit, it became synonymous with the 1950s ideal American family life. It is the longest-running "live-action"/non-animated sitcom in US TV history. In the early 1930s, a booking at the Glen Island Casino landed Ozzie Nelson's orchestra national network radio exposure. After three years together with the orchestra, Ozzie and Harriet signed to appear regularly on The Baker's Broadcast (1933-1938), hosted first by Joe Penner, then by Robert L. Ripley, and finally by cartoonist Feg Murray. The couple married on October 8, 1935 during this series run, and realized working together in radio would keep them together more than continuing their musical careers separately.
THIS EPISODE:
December 19, 1948. NBC network. "The Christmas Gift" Sponsored by: International Silver. Ozzie gets a new phonograph player. Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard, Verne Smith (announcer), Tommy Bernard, Henry Blair, Billy May (composer, conductor). 32:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9540: Gunsmoke - "A Christmas Story" (12-20-52) Dec 15, 2023

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television version ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and still remains the United States' longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes ("Law and Order" ended in 2010 with 476 episodes).
THIS EPISODE:
December 20, 1952. CBS network. "Christmas Story". Sustaining. A good Christmas story, told by Marshal Dillon to a stranger on a strange horse out on the prairie. Christmas in Dodge City. An excellent script, great radio! William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, John Dehner, Howard McNear, Roy Rowan (announcer), Antony Ellis (writer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Rex Koury (music). 34:07.

Episode 9539: The Weird Circle - "A Terrible Night" (01-23-44) Dec 14, 2023

A Terrible Night (Aired January 23, 1944)

"The Weird Circle" was produced in New York City by the National Broadcasting Company, under the auspices of its Radio-Recording Division. Though best known for live programs over its Red and Blue Networks, NBC produced and recorded a great many shows for syndication to local stations, including such diverse dramatic programs as "Playhouse of Favorites", "Five Minute Mysteries", "Destiny Trails", and "Betty and Bob" (a five-a-week daily "soap opera" featuring Arlene Francis), as well as quarter-hour musical programs starring performers ranging from Carson Robison and his Buckaroos to Ferde Grofe and his Orchestra. The quality of these syndicated shows was, for the most part, consistent with NBC's regular prime-time fare and, a result, were often aired by local stations as either special features or programmed between other shows on the network at the time.
THIS EPISODE:
January 23, 1944. Program #22. NBC syndication. "A Terrible Night". Commercials added locally. Two friends lost in the north woods seek shelter in the house of the strange "Joel." The date is approximate. Fitzjames O'Brien (author). 26:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9538: Whistler - "Next Year Is Mine" (12-23-46) Xmas Dec 13, 2023

The Whistler - "Next Year Is Mine" (Aired December 23, 1946) Xmas
The Whistler was one of radio's most popular mystery dramas, with a 13-year run from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. If it now seems to have been influenced explicitly by The Shadow, The Whistler was no less popular or credible with its listeners, the writing was first class for its genre, and it added a slightly macabre element of humor that sometimes went missing in The Shadow's longer-lived crime stories. Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. A total of 692 episodes were produced, yet despite the series' fame, over 200 episodes are lost today. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.

THIS EPISODE:
December 23, 1946. CBS Pacific network. "Next Year Is Mine". Sponsored by: Signal Oil. Joel Malone (writer), Charles Seel, Frank Lovejoy, George W. Allen (producer), Wilbur Hatch (music), Marvin Miller (announcer). 29:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9537: Whistler - "Death Comes At Midnight" (10-18-42) Dec 12, 2023

Death Comes At Midnight (Aired October 18, 1942)
The Whistler was one of radio's most popular mystery dramas, with a 13-year run from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. If it now seems to have been influenced explicitly by The Shadow, The Whistler was no less popular or credible with its listeners, the writing was first class for its genre, and it added a slightly macabre element of humor that sometimes went missing in The Shadow's longer-lived crime stories. Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. A total of 692 episodes were produced, yet despite the series' fame, over 200 episodes are lost today. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.
THIS EPISODE:
October 18, 1942. CBS network. "Death Comes At Midnight". Sustaining. A man dreams that he's going to be killed in forty eight hours...and it looks like he's going to be proved correct! Wilbur Hatch (composer, conductor), Herbert Connor (writer), J. Donald Wilson (writer). 31:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9536: Whirehall 1212 - "The Heathrow Affair (12-23-51) Dec 11, 2023

The Heathrow Affair (Aired December 23, 1951)

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.

THIS EPISODE:
December 23, 1951. "The Heathrow Affair" - NBC network. Sustaining. An intelligent criminal plans to rob Heathrow airport of a shipment of gold. Beware the poisoned tea! The final public service announcement and the system cue have been deleted. Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director). 28:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9535: Wild Bill Hickock - "The Phantom Rustlers" (02-11-53) Dec 10, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Wild Bill Hickock" - The Phantom Rustlers (Aired February 11, 1953)

Wild Bill Hickock was quick with his fists and a quip, but Jingles (dear god that nickname) got all his glory by using his immense girth to fight the bad guys. Jingles if you couldn’t tell was the comedic element in the series. And what is it with overweight sidekicks in westerns? See Cisco Kid’s partner, the jolly and rotund Pancho. Give the horses a break. The radio program lasted until 1954. The television show was started at the same time in 1951 and lasted until 1958. Also Wild Bill was portrayed by Gary Cooper in the 1936 movie, The Plainsman. Wild Bill has shown up in various other movies and television shows, most recently in the show Deadwood on HBO.
THIS EPISODE:

February 11, 1953. Program #130. Globe Sound syndication. "The Phantom Rustlers". Commercials added locally. Rustlers are stealing one hundred head of cattle each week from the Tuttle Ranch, forcing Tuttle to sell out real cheap! Then, Wild Bill and Jingles find a dead body. Int's the government cattle inspector! The date is subject to correction. Guy Madison, Andy Devine, Charles Lyon (announcer), Richard Aurandt (music), David Hire (producer), Paul Pierce (director), Clayton Post, Tom Holland, Ted de Corsia, Ralph Moody. 22:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9534: Witch's Tale - "Rat In A Trap" (05-16-32) Dec 09, 2023

Rat In A Trap (Aired May 16, 1932)
The Witch's Tale was a horror-fantasy radio series which aired from 1931 to 1938 on WOR and Mutual and in syndication. The program was created, written and directed by Alonzo Deen Cole, who was born February 22, 1897 in St. Paul, Minnesota and died April 7, 1971. Cole's spooky show was hosted by Old Nancy, the Witch of Salem, who introduced a different terror tale each week. The role of Old Nancy was created by stage actress Adelaide Fitz-Allen, who died in 1935 at the age of 79. Cole replaced her with 13-year-old Miriam Wolfe, and Martha Wentworth was also heard as Old Nancy on occasion. Cole himself provided the sounds of Old Nancy's cat, Satan. Cole's wife, Marie O'Flynn, portrayed the lead female characters on the program, and the supporting cast included Mark Smith and Alan Devitte. For syndication, the shows were recorded live during broadcast and distributed to other stations. These recordings were destroyed by Cole in 1961, so few episodes survive. Cole was also the writer, producer and director of the radio mystery-crime drama, Casey, Crime Photographer.
THIS EPISODE:

Catalog # 90328. The Witch's Tale. January 28, 1935. MacQuarrie syndication. "Rat In A Trap". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Old Nancy is 102 years old today. After three hoboes cause a lawyer's wife to kill herself (rather than face dishonor), the lawyer takes ten years to find the hobo with a scar. The lawyer gets the hobo acquitted...for a reason! The script was previously used on "The Witch's Tale" in the United States on May 16, 1932. Alonzo Deen Cole (writer). 24:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9533: X Minus One - "Chain Of Command" (11-21-56) Dec 08, 2023

Chain Of Command (Aired November 21, 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.

THIS EPISODE:
November 21, 1956. NBC network. "Chain Of Command". Sustaining. A funny story about intelligent mice living in a top secret laboratory. John Gibson, John McGovern, Ann Thomas, Alan Bunce, Wendell Holmes, Staats Cotsworth, Stephen Arr (author), George Lefferts (adaptor), Fred Collins (announcer), Daniel Sutter (director), William Welch (producer). 28:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9532: "A Favor You Can’t Refuse" (Starring William Shatner) 05-31-74 Dec 07, 2023

"A Favor You Can’t Refuse" (Starring William Shatner) Aired May 31, 1974
The Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973-74 radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling. With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program aired in stereo for two seasons. Some of the scripts were written by Serling. Originally placed into syndication on September 3, 1973, the series was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December of that year. 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. Mutual affiliates could broadcast the series in any time slot that they wished. 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, Keenan Wynn, Richard Deacon, Patty Duke, Nina Foch, George Maharis, Susan Oliver, Brock Peters and Lurene Tuttle.

Episode 9531: The Abbott & Costello Christmas Show 2023 Dec 06, 2023

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.
Snow Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Libsyn.com Radio/Memories/Network Humphrey/Camardella Productions. Podomatic.com

Episode 9530: You Bet Your Life - "The Secret Word Is Bread" (02-08-50) Dec 05, 2023

You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The most well-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in 1949 before making the transition to the NBC Radio and NBC-TV networks in October 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show simultaneously on the radio and on television. In 1960, the show was renamed The Groucho Show and ran a further year. Most episodes are in the public domain. The play of the game, however, was secondary to the interplay between Groucho, the contestants, and occasionally Fenneman. The program was rerun into the 1970s, and later in syndication as The Best of Groucho. As such, it was the first game show to have its reruns syndicated. The mid-1940s was a depressing lull in Groucho's career. His radio show Blue Ribbon Town, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, which ran from March 1943 to August 1944, had failed to catch on and Groucho left the program in June 1944. Show Notes From The OTRR Group. Secret Word Is Bread.

Episode 9529: You Are There - "The Trial Of Marie Antoinette" (10-17-48) Dec 03, 2023

The Trial Of Marie Antoinette (Aired October 17, 1948)

You Are There is an American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks. reated by Goodman Ace for CBS Radio, it blended history with modern technology, taking an entire network newsroom on a figurative time warp each week reporting the great events of the past. Reporters included John Charles Daly, Don Hollenbeck and Richard C. Hottelet. The series was first heard on July 7, 1947 under the title CBS Is There. Its final broadcast was on March 19, 1950 under the title You Are There. According to author/historian Martin Grams, actor Canada Lee was a guest in episodes 32 and 60. Martin Gabel appeared in character in episode 82. The first 23 broadcasts went under the title "CBS Is There" and beginning with episode 24, the title changed to "You Are There".

THIS EPISODE:

October 17, 1948. CBS network. "The Trial Of Marie Antoinette". Sustaining. The events of October 16, 1793. The rabble of the Revolution try the ex-queen, with little thought of justice. Robert Lewis Shayon (writer, producer, director). 29:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9528: Your's Truly Johnny Dollar - (Stuart Palmer) "The Man Who Wrote Himself To Death" (03-21-50) Dec 03, 2023

(Stuart Palmer) The Man Who Wrote Himself To Death - (Aired March 21, 1950)
Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar attracted some of the best writers in Hollywood, including Jack Johnstone, E. Jack Neuman (using the pen name John Dawson), Robert Ryf, and Les Crutchfield. Bob Bailey also wrote a script while he was playing Johnny Dollar. He used the pen name Robert Bainter (Bainter was his middle name) as the scriptwriter for "The Carmen Kringle Matter", which was aired on Saturday, December 21, 1957 on the West Coast, and on the following day for the rest of the country. Bob Bailey, generally thought of as the most popular of the Johnny Dollars, brought a new interpretation to the character – tough, but not hard-boiled; streetwise, but not overly cynical, Bailey's Dollar was smart and gritty when he had to be. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
March 21, 1950. CBS network. "Stuart Palmer, The Man Who Wrote Himself To Death".Sustaining. No music cues are heard on this recording. A crazed writer tries to get himself killed to collect on a $100,000 policy. The music credit is given to Leith Stevens, but none of his music is present. The system cue has been deleted. Possibly recorded March 16, 1950. Edmond O'Brien, Lurene Tuttle, Bill Bouchey, Lawrence Dobkin, Bill Grey, Jack Kruschen, Herb Butterfield, Gil Doud (writer), David Ellis (writer), Leith Stevens (composer, conductor), Jaime del Valle (producer, director), Roy Rowan (announcer). 27:07 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9527: "A Christmas Carol" - 1951 (Alastair Sim) (2015) Re Broadcast Nov 29, 2023

"A Christmas Carol" - 1951 (Alastair Sim) (2015) Re Broadcast
MOVIE - A Christmas Carol - 1951 (Alastair Sim) - VIDEO

Scrooge, released as A Christmas Carol in the United States, is a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It starred Alastair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge and was directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, with a screenplay by Noel Langley. The film also features Kathleen Harrison in an acclaimed turn as Mrs. Dilber, Scrooge's charwoman. Fans of British cinema will recognise George Cole as the younger version of Scrooge, Hermione Baddeley as Mrs. Cratchit, Mervyn Johns as Bob Cratchit, Clifford Mollison as Samuel Wilkins, a debtor, Jack Warner as Mr. Jorkin, a role created for the film, Ernest Thesiger as Marley's undertaker and Patrick Macnee as a young Jacob Marley. Michael Hordern plays Marley's ghost, as well as old Marley. Peter Bull serves as narrator, by reading portions of Dickens' words at the beginning and end of the film and also appears on-screen as one of the businessmen cynically discussing Scrooge's funeral. The film was released in Great Britain under its original title, "Scrooge", to marvelous acclaim. United Artists handled the US release under the title A Christmas Carol and the film was originally slated to be shown at New York City's Radio City Music Hall as part of their Christmas attraction. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod and OTRR Group

Episode 9526: Henry Morgan Show - "The American School" (05-07-47) Nov 27, 2023

The American School (Aired May 7, 1947)
One early sponsor had been Adler Shoe Stores, which came close to canceling its account after Morgan started making references to "Old Man Adler" on the air; the chain changed its mind after it was learned business spiked upward, with many new patrons asking to meet Old Man Adler. Morgan had to read an Adler commercial heralding the new fall line of colors; Morgan thought the colors were dreadful, and said he wouldn't wear them to a dogfight, but perhaps the listeners would like them. Old Man Adler demanded a retraction on the air. Morgan obliged: "I would wear them to a dogfight." Morgan later recalled with bemusement, "It made him happy." Later, he moved to ABC (formerly the NBC Blue Network) in a half-hour weekly format that allowed Morgan more room to develop and expand his topical, often ad-libbed satires, hitting popular magazines, soap operas, schools, the BBC, baseball, summer resorts, government snooping, and landlords.
THIS EPISODE:

May 7, 1947. ABC network. Sponsored by: Eversharp-Schick. A program dedicated to "The American School" (The Progressive School), The Grammar School. Arnold Stang, Bernard Green and His Orchestra, Charles Irving, Henry Morgan, The Golden Gate Quartet. 30:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9525: Challenge Of Space - "A Clapper For The Bell" (02-09-70) Nov 24, 2023

A Clapper For The Bell (02-09-70)
Sponsored by Carling Black Label Beer, this series examined man’s early ventures into space. The space race of the 1950’s and 1960’s spawned this series, especially the Apollo missions to the moon in the late 1960’s. The series was narrated by Donald Monat as the character Charles B Ryan and was broadcast on Springbok Radio on Monday evenings at 18H30. The episodes were written by June Dixon & Hal Orlandini (never credited) & recorded at the AFS Studios in Johannesburg & produced by Donald Monat. A total of 62 episodes were broadcast, including a live broadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing, courtesy of The Voice of America Radio Broadcast & repeat broadcasts of some of the earlier episodes in the 1970's. Many of the stories were dramatisations of true events & also included futuristic tales of space exploration of the future.
The first episode was broadcast on Tuesday, 19 June 1969 & continued until Tuesday 12 October 1970. The series was sponsored throughout by the same sponsor who after the completion of the series sponsored the replacement series "Carling Country".
Actors who appeared in the series, included, Donald Monat (Narrator as Charles B.Ryan), Clive Parnell, Michael Mayer, Brian O'Shaugnessy, Hal Orlandini, Lynda Stuart, Diane Appleby, Diane Wilson, James White, Gabriel Bayman, Stuart Brown, Denis Smith, Tony Jay, George Korelin, Kerry Jordan & Elaine Lee. +Episodes Produced: 57 excluding 5 episodes repeated, including the episode "Moon Landing", which was a live crossing to the Voice of America broadcast of the Apollo 11 Moon
Challenge Of Space - A Clapper For The Bell (02-09-70)
Show Notes From oldtimeradiodownloads.com &Boxcars711

Episode 9524: Hear It Now - "Edward R. Murrow" (01-12-51) Nov 22, 2023

Hear It Now - "Edward R. Murrow" (Aired January 12, 1951)
Hear It Now, an American radio program on CBS, began in 1950 and was hosted by Edward R. Murrow and produced by Fred Friendly. It ran for one hour on Fridays at 9 p.m. One of the most popular and best selling records of 1948 was I Can Hear It Now 1933-1945. The record was a collaboration between Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly. The record interwove historical events with speeches and Murrow's narration and marked the beginning of one of the most famous pairings in journalism history. The huge success of the record prompted the pair to parlay it into a weekly radio show for CBS. That show was Hear It Now. The show had a "magazine format." It drove to include a variety of sounds from current events such as an atom smasher at work or artillery fire from Korea. It was the artillery fire that produced one of the show's more poignant moments as it backdropped the words of American soldiers fighting the Korean War. The entire premise of the show was to include the "actual sound of history in the making," according to Murrow. Some of the show's audio was what Time Magazine called "fairly routine" in 1950. Such audio soundbites as Communist China's General Wu and Russia's Vishinsky along with the U.S. Delegate Warren Austin were included among the routine group of audio use. Television, by 1955, usurped radio in terms of audience share and a reluctant Murrow, in 1951, set about doing a TV version of the radio show called See It Now. With the inception of the television version of the show in 1951 Hear It Now ended its on air run.

Episode 9523: Hawk Larabee - "Tillie Mcgoon The Preacher" (11-07-46) Nov 20, 2023

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod
The Overnight Western
Hawk Larabee was CBS' first attempt at an adult Western, predating Gunsmoke by six years but never achieving the heights of its illustrious successor. Elliott Lewis starred in its earliest incarnation (titled Hawk Durango) with Texas-native Barton Yarborough as his sidekick. Yarborough moved into the lead role for a season (supported by Barney Jones) but returned to his earlier sidekick status when Elliott Lewis reclaimed the role for the final season. Hawk Larabee aired from July 5, 1946 through February 7, 1948 with the Texas Rangers (and later the Plainsmen) providing unusual vocal bridges to set the scenes.
THIS EPISODE:

November 7, 1946. "Tillie Mcgoon The Preacher aka: Deputy Preacher" - CBS network. Sustaining. Hawk becomes a deputy preacher to convert Tillie McGoon and her desperado friends. Barton Yarborough, William N. Robson (writer). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9522: Haunting Hour "Homicide House" (06-30-45) Nov 19, 2023

Homicide House (Aired June 30, 1945)
Haunting Hour "Homicide House" (06-30-45)

The Haunting Hour is a work-in-progress collection within the holdings of many serious Radio Collectors. From the meager available productions currently in circulation it's clear that the series was popular for its time, at the very least. With a known run of at least 52 unique scripts and more doubtful further 39 to 52 scripts, it would appear that the series was in demand for at least four years--in and out of syndication. Given the high quality of NBC Network voice talent in the circulating episodes, one can well imagine that the remainder of the yet alleged, undiscovered, or uncirculated episodes have at least as much to recommend them. Thankfully, as with many other examples of Golden Age Radio productions, many of the existing episodes in circulation can be directly attributed to the efforts of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service [AFRTS].
THIS EPISODE:
June 30, 1945. NBC syndication. "Homicide House". Commercials added locally. Two reporters investigating a murder come upon a rundown mansion inhabited by a strange trio who insist it's still 1898! Edwin Wolfe (director). 24:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9521: The Honest Harold Peary Show - "Harold Vs. Mr. Walker" (05-09-51) Nov 17, 2023

The series received undeserved negative ratings and general negative comments as there were just too many similarities between the two series. Also, the series was without a sponsor, although some of the last shows were sponsored by the US Armed Forces. The series lasted only one season. The regular cast consisted of Harold Peary, Gloria Holiday, Peary’s wife, who played Gloria, Joseph Kearns as Old Doc ‘Yak Yak’ Yancy, Mary Jane Croft and Parley Baer. The announcer was Bob Lamond. The series was directed by Norman MacDonnell. Writers for the series were Harold Peary, Bill Danch, Jack Robinson and Gene Stone. Music was by Jack Meakin. The last show aired on June 13, 1951. The director of the show was Norm MacDonnell, who went on to create perhaps the greatest old time radio show - Gunsmoke, and another western, Fort Laramie. Of course, Norm was a sold radio veteran who certainly had a flare for directing comedy, so he and Peary, together with an excellent cast, made The Harold Peary Show just about as good a show as it could be. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Episode 9520: Hancock's Half Hour -" Bill & Father Christmas" (12-25-58) Nov 16, 2023

Tony Hancock starred as an exaggerated version of his own character, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. Sid James played a criminally-inclined confidante who usually managed to con Hancock, while Bill Kerr appeared as Hancock's dim-witted Australian lodger. Moira Lister also appeared in the first series before being replaced by Andrée Melly for the next two, both playing love interests for Hancock's character. In the fourth and fifth series, Hattie Jacques played Griselda Pugh, live-in secretary to Hancock and occasional girlfriend of Sid James. The series broke from the variety tradition dominant in British radio comedy into the sitcom or Situation comedy genre. Instead of sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, humour developed from the characters and situations. Hancock's experiences were based in reality and observation. From the playlet "Look Back In Hunger" in The East Cheam Drama Festival episode, Galton and Simpson showed they were in touch with developments in the British theatre, the use of sighs and silent pauses in common with the work of Harold Pinter which began to emerge towards the end of the series' run. The measured pacing of these episodes were groundbreaking in the days of fast-talking Ted Ray, where every second of airtime had to be filled. With Galton and Simpson writing scripts prolifically, continuity was not priority, with details changed to suit the episode. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Episode 9519: The Halls Of Ivy - "The Fighting Med Student" (05-24-50) Nov 14, 2023

The Fighting Med Student (Aired May 24, 1950)
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 board chairman Clarence Wellman; Willard Waterman (then starring as Harold Peary's successor as The Great Gildersleeve) as board member John Merriweather; and Bea Benadaret, Elizabeth Patterson, and Gloria Gordon as the Halls' maids. Alan Reed (television's Fred Flintstone) appeared periodically as the stuffy English teacher, Professor Heaslip.
THIS EPISODE:
May 24, 1950. NBC network. "The Fighting Med Student" - Sponsored by: Schlitz Beer. Will a medical student at Ivy give up his career to become a prize fighter? Ronald Colman, Benita Hume, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Don Quinn (creator, writer), Nat Wolff (producer, director), Henry Russell (composer, conductor), Ken Christy, Stacy Harris, Sheldon Leonard. 29:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9518: Hallmark Hall Of Fame - "A Christmas Carol" (12-19-54) Nov 11, 2023

Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television and radio. It has had a historically long run, beginning on TV in 1951. From 1954 onward, all of their productions have been shown in color, although color television productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many TV-movies have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then moved into videotaped productions before finally turning to filmed ones. The series has received seventy-eight Emmy Awards, twenty-four Christopher Awards, eleven Peabody Awards, nine Golden Globes, and four Humanitas Prizes.

THIS EPISODE:

A Christmas Carol (full title: A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas) is Charles Dickens' "little Christmas Book" . First published on December 19, 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. The story met with instant success, selling six thousand copies within a week. Originally written as a potboiler to enable Dickens to pay off a debt, the tale has become one of the most popular and enduring Christmas stories of all time. In fact, contemporaries of the time noted that the popularity of the story played a critical role in redefining the importance of Christmas and the major sentiments associated with the holiday. Few modern readers realize that A Christmas Carol was written during a time of decline in the old Christmas traditions. "If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease," said English poet Thomas Hood in his review in Hood's Magazine and Comic Review (January 1844, page 68).

Episode 9517: Hall Of Fantasy - "The Castle Of Lavoka" (03-29-54) Nov 10, 2023

The Castle Of Lavoka (Aired March 29, 1954)

Originally a local series out of Utah that found its way on to the airwaves sporadically from 1947 to 1952, this anthology was picked up for national syndication by the Mutual network and broadcast from mid-52 through mid-53. Written and directed by Richard Thorne, a prolific and talented writer and producer, this series is often overlooked, even by fans of OTR. It is unfortunate, since it provides some very unique and dramatic material; the acting in particular was superb. Early on, the series concentrated on murder mysteries, but later shows were devoted to horror and some sci-fi. Sadly, not all episodes have survived - only about 40 of perhaps over a hundred shows still exist. All episodes were standard half-hour format.
THIS EPISODE:

March 29, 1954. Mutual network, WGN, Chicago origination, KEX, Portland Oregon aircheck. "The Castle Of Lavoka". Sponsored by: National Bank Of Oregon, Harrah's. An excellent story about Baron Drago from an isolated part of Europe with an eternal mission and the real reason for the second World War! This program may be a rebroadcast of "The Hall Of Fantasy" of August 22, 1952, titled, "The Legend Of Drago." The program opening sounds edited just as the story title is given. Richard Thorne (writer). 25:50.

Episode 9516: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Doc Holiday (07-19-52) Nov 08, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Doc Holiday (Aired July 19, 1952)
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. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts.
THIS EPISODE:
July 19, 1952. CBS network. "Doc Holliday". Sustaining. Doc Holliday has come to Dodge to kill Big Jack Finley. But Big Jack's son, Thorne Finley, is the real problem. Harry Bartell, Herb Purdum (writer), Lee Millar Jr., Nestor Paiva, Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Parley Baer, Ralph Moody, Rex Koury (composer, performer), Roy Rowan (announcer), Tom Tully, William Conrad. 31:06. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9515: The Green Hornet - "A Question Of Time" (03-02-46) Nov 06, 2023

A Question Of Time (Aired March 2, 1946)

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:
March 2, 1946. ABC network, WXYZ, Detroit origination, Michelson syndication. "A Question Of Time". Commercials deleted. WFAA, Dallas aircheck. The Hornet stops a plan to sell a secret formula to Nazis hiding is South America. A small clock provides the clue. Robert Hall, George W. Trendle (creator, producer), Charles D. Livingstone (director), Lee Allman, Gilbert Shea, Rollon Parker, Dan Beattie (writer), Hal Neal (announcer). 25:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9514: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Roy Rogers Show" - The Rene Eigan Case (04-11-52) Nov 04, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Roy Rogers Show" - The Rene Eigan Case (Aired April 11, 1952)
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), was an American singer and cowboy actor, as well as the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants chain. He and his wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger, and his German Shepherd dog, Bullet, were featured in over one hundred movies and The Roy Rogers Show. The show ran on radio for nine years before moving to television from 1951 through 1957. His productions usually featured a sidekick, often either Pat Brady, (who drove a jeep called "Nellybelle") or the crotchety George "Gabby" Hayes. Roy's nickname was "King of the Cowboys". Dale's nickname was "Queen of the West."
THIS EPISODE:
April 11, 1952. NBC network. Sponsored by: Post Cereals. "The Rene Eigan Gang" uses trickery to get possession of evidence against the leader of the gang. Roy sings, "Peace In The Valley." Art Ballinger (announcer), Art Rush (producer), Bill Green, Charles Seel, Dale Evans, Forrest Lewis, Frank Hemingway, Herb Butterfield, Joseph Du Val, Milton Charles, Ray Wilson (writer), Roy Rogers, The Whippoorwills, Tom Hargis (director). 31:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9513: The Great Gildersleeve - "Leila's Returning" (09-19-43) Nov 03, 2023

Leila's Returning (Aired September 19, 1943)

The Great Gildersleeve (1941–1957), initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. Built around Throckmorton Philharmonic Gildersleeve, 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.

THIS EPISODE:
September 19, 1943. "Leila's Returning" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Dinner. Leila Ransom is coming back to Summerfield. Gildersleeve sings, "Speak To Me Of Love." Claude Sweeten (music), Earle Ross, Harold Peary, John Whedon (writer), Ken Carpenter (announcer), Lillian Randolph, Lurene Tuttle, Richard LeGrand, Sam Moore (writer), Shirley Mitchell, Walter Tetley. 31:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9512: Granby's Green Acres - "Granby Bites The Love Bug" (07-24-50) Nov 01, 2023

Granby Bites The Love Bug (Aired July 24, 1950)
Broadcast History: July 3 - August 21, 1950, CBS. 30m, Mondays at 9:30. Cast: Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet as John and Martha Granby, ex-bank teller and wife who moved to the country to become farmers. Louise Erickson as Janice, their daughter. Parley Baer as Eb, the hired hand. Announcer: Bob LeMond Music: Opie Cates Writer-Producer-Director: Jay Sommers. Granby's Green Acres grew out of characters played by Gale Gordon and Bea Benaderet on the Lucille Ball series My Favorite Husband. The names were changed, but the basic characters remained the same.
THIS EPISODE:
July 24, 1950. CBS network. "Mr. Granby Fights The Love Bug". Sustaining. Granby's corn is doing poorly, but he won't listen to the county agent's advice. Gale Gordon, Bea Benaderet, Parley Baer, Opie Cates (composer, conductor), Louise Erickson, Horace Murphy, Rye Billsbury, Jay Summers (writer, director), Jack Harvey (writer), Dave Swift (writer), Johnny Jacobs (announcer). 35:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9511: Globe Theater "The Ghost Goes West" (08-21-44) Oct 30, 2023

The Ghost Goes West (Aired August 21, 1944)

The Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) incorporated some thirty-plus exemplars from the This Is My Best canon into their own Frontline Theatre/Globe Theater syndicated transcriptions for service people overseas. For the Globe Theater run, Jimmy Wallington, Herbert Marshall, Jack Tierny and William Johnstone alternated as hosts of the denatured This Is My Best productions under the Globe Theater series designated H-5, the fifth such series to enter the growing number of AFRS offerings sent to American and Allied troops throughout World War II, and further, until the AFRS was folded into the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in the 1949-1950 time frame.

THIS EPISODE:
August 21, 1944 - AFRS network "The Ghost Goes West" - An American businessman's family convinces him to buy a Scottish castle and disassemble it to ship it to America brick by brick, where it will be put it back together. The castle though is not the only part of the deal, with it goes the several-hundred year old ghost who haunts it. 30:13. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Episode 9510: General Mills Radio Adventure Black Arrow (03-13-77) Oct 28, 2023

The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater was a 1977 anthology radio drama series with Tom Bosley as host. Himan Brown, already producing the CBS Radio Mystery Theater for the network, added this twice-weekly (Saturdays and Sundays) anthology radio drama series to his workload in 1977. It usually aired on weekends, beginning in February 1977 and continuing through the end of January 1978, on stations which cleared it. General Mills's advertising agency was looking for a means of reaching children that would be less expensive than television advertising. Brown and CBS were willing to experiment with a series aimed at younger listeners, reaching that audience through ads in comic books. Apart from Christian or other religious broadcasting, this may have been the only nationwide attempt in the U.S. in the 1970s to air such a series. General Mills did not continue as sponsor after the 52 episodes had first aired over the first 26 weekends (February 1977 through July 1977), and the series (52 shows) was then repeated over the next 26 weekends (August 1977 through the end of January 1978), as The CBS Radio Adventure Theater, with a variety of sponsors for the commercials.
THIS EPISODE:

March 13, 1977. Program #12. CBS network. "The Black Arrow". Sponsored by: General Mills. The program was repeated on September 10, 1977 as, "The CBS Radio Adventure Theatre." Tom Bosley (host), Robert Newman (adaptor from the tradition story), Skip Hinnant, Anne Costello, Himan Jackson Beck, William Griffis, Court Benson, Gilbert Mack. 49:55. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9509: General Electric Theater -" State Fair" (09-10-53) Oct 26, 2023

General Electric Theater - State Fair (Aired September 10, 1953)
General Electric Theater featured a mix of romance, comedy, adventure, tragedy, fantasy and variety music. Occupying the Sunday evening spot on CBS following the Toast of the Town/Ed Sullivan Show from 1 February 1953 to 27 May 1962, the General Electric Theater presented top Hollywood and Broadway stars in dramatic roles calculated to deliver company voice advertising to the largest possible audience. Despite a long technical and practical experience with television production, GE's previous attempts to establish a Sunday evening company program had fared poorly. In the fall of 1948 GE entered commercial television for the first time with the Dennis James Carnival, a variety show dropped after one performance. A quiz program entitled Riddle Me This substituted for twelve weeks and was also dropped. In April 1949 GE returned to Sunday evenings with the musical-variety Fred Waring Show Produced by the Young & Rubicam advertising agency under the sponsorship of GE's Appliance, Electronics and Lamp Divisions, the program occasionally included company voice messages. In November 1951 GE transferred television production to the Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn (BBDO) advertising agency, under whose direction the General Electric Theater debuted 1 February 1953 as an "all-company project" sponsored by GE's Department of Public Relations Services.
THIS EPISODE:
September 10, 1953. CBS network. "State Fair". Sponsored by: General Electric ("Ring The Bell" contest). Ann Blyth, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Wilbur Hatch (music), Jaime del Valle (transcriber), Philip Strong (author), Verna Felton, Tom Tully, Sam Edwards, Joseph Kearns, Dick Ryan, Lamont Johnson, Kathleen Hite (adaptor), Hett Manheim (editorial supervisor). 30:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9508: Gangbusters - "The Case Of The Jersey Butcher Bandits" (11-08-47) Oct 24, 2023

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.
THIS EPISODE:
November 8, 1947. Program #502. ABC net origination, syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Case Of The Jersey Butcher Bandits". Sponsored by: Jiffy Photo. Narrated by boxing champion Jim Braddock in person (not by proxy). WRVR rebroadcast date: February 5, 1973. James J. Braddock (narrator), Roger De Koven. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9507: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - Trouble Rides The Rails (05-08-53) Oct 22, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - Trouble Rides The Rails (Aired May 8, 1953)
Chandler's characterization of Chad Remington is forceful, dynamic and melodramatic and runs for the first twenty-three episodes. Veteran Film, Television and Radio actor Reed Hadley then assumes the role of Chad Remington for the remaining 24 installments. The contrast between the two characterizations is quite evident, but doesn't interfere with either the continuity of the main character or the flow of the episodes. Both principal actors acquit themselves well in the role. Wade Crosby in the role of Cherokee O'Bannon plays it well over the top, but that's what sidekicks do, after all.
THIS EPISODE:
May 8, 1953. Program #31. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "Trouble Rides The Rails". Music fill for local commercial insert. The date is approximate. Reed Hadley, Howard McNear, Wade Crosby, Ivan Ditmars (composer, conductor), Bill Forman (announcer), Bruce Eells (producer), Paul Franklin (writer, director). 29:11. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9506: Theater Royal - "The Aspern Papers" (05-23-54) Oct 20, 2023

Theater Royal - "The Aspern Papers" (05-23-54)
Harry Alan Towers produced and directed the show for his Towers of London company for international syndication, at the time in Europe, South Africa and Australia. The episodes included in this distribution are from the initial US run on NBC. However selected episodes were repeated, with a different series opening and close on the ABC Mystery Time series during the late 1950s. The show Theatre Royal remained in active syndication in the United States well up into the 1970s. Many of the copies in circulation today, come from those 1970s repeats where the individual episodes were cut to about 20 minutes. Luckily these cuts were made by the production company and generally do not take away from the actual program enjoyment. This reduced length comes from a combination for factors including removing dated introductory material from the beginning of the early episodes, making time for local stations to include hourly 5 minute newscasts and to insert commercials locally. Show Notes From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
May 23, 1954. NBC net origination, Towers Of London syndication, WRVR-FM, New York. "The Aspern Papers". Participating sponsors. WRVR-FM rebroadcast date: January 24, 1975. Ralph Richardson (host, performer), Derek Patmore (adaptor), Sidney Torch (music), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Henry James (author). 25 minutes. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9505: Theater Guild On The Air - "The Unguarded Hour" (11-17-46) Oct 19, 2023

The series originated on radio in the 1940s as Theater Guild on the Air. Organized in 1919 to improve the quality of American theater, the Theatre Guild first experimented with radio productions in Theatre Guild Dramas, a CBS series which ran from December 6, 1943 to February 29, 1944. Actress-playwright Armina Marshall (1895–1991), a co-administrator of the Theater Guild, headed the Guild's newly created Radio Department, and in 1945, Theatre Guild on the Air embarked on its ambitious plan to bring Broadway theater to radio with leading actors in major productions. It premiered September 9, 1945, on ABC with Burgess Meredith, Henry Daniell and Cecil Humphreys in Wings Over Europe, a play by Robert Nichols and Maurice Browne which the Theatrer Guild had staged on Broadway in 1928-29. Within a year the series drew some 10 to 12 million listeners each week. Presenting both classic and contemporary plays, the program was broadcast for eight years before it became a television series.
THIS EPISODE:
November 17, 1946. NBC net, KFI, Los Angeles aircheck. "The Unguarded Hour" (Aired November 17, 1946). Sponsored by: United States Steel. The series is also known as, "The United States Steel Hour." Harold Levey (composer, conductor), Homer Fickett (director), John Merryvale, Lawrence Langner (supervisor), Armina Marshall (executive producer), Bernard Merryvale (writer), Felix Debank, George Hicks (commercial spokesman), Guy Spaull, Leslie Reid (adaptor), Malcolm King, Mark Smith (editor), Michael Redgrave, Murray Matheson, Nina Foch, Norman Brokenshire (announcer), Sarah Burton, Theresa Helburn (supervisor), Van Johnson. 59:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9504: Theater Five - "The Last Land Rush" (10-06-64) Oct 17, 2023

The Last Land Rush (Aired October 6, 1964)
Theater Five probably came a bit late in ABC's Radio History to really contribute to the body of Golden Age Radio drama, but better late than never. Some have implied that Theater Five was a rather lightweight attempt to recapture the wonderful Radio heritage of the Golden Age of Radio. I suppose this should be considered a Golden Age Revival series in that respect. But in all fairness to ABC Radio, this was never a half-hearted attempt by any means. The production values, polish, direction, sound engineering, and acting were all top notch.
THIS EPISODE:

October 6, 1964. ABC network. "The Last Land Rush". Commercials deleted. An imaginative story in the day, in the not-too-distant future, when overpopulation is a more serious problem. The government allows citizens to claim land on highway medians...if they can kill to keep it! George Bamber (writer), Ted Bell (director), Neal Pultz (audio engineer), Jack C. Wilson (script editor), Alexander Vlas-Daczenco (composer), Glenn Osser (conductor), Fred Foy (announcer), Dwight Weist, Wayne Tippett, Rosemary Rice, Sam Raskin, Fran Carlon, Cecil Roy, Terry Ross (sound technician). 20:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9503: Theater 1030 - "Two Little Puncture Wounds" (1958) Oct 15, 2023

Two Little Puncture Wounds (1958) *The Exact Date Is Unknown
The old-time radio era, sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of Radio, refers to a period of radio programming in the United States lasting from the proliferation of radio broadcasting in the early 1920s until the 1950s, when television superseded radio as the medium of choice for scripted programming and radio shifted to playing popular music. During this period, when radio was dominant and filled with a variety of formats and genres, people regularly tuned into their favorite radio programs. In fact, according to a 1947 C. E. Hooper survey, 82 out of 100 Americans were found to be radio listeners. Theatrer 10:30 was a Canadian Old Time Radio show. The date of the broadcast for the episodes is generally unknown. The shows are in the genres of horror, fantasy and mystery. It was a production of CBC Radio. This series aired from September 1968 through 1971, though air dates for particular episodes are unavailable.
THIS EPISODE:
Two Little Punctures [by Anthony Lee Flanders]
An epidemic of anemia coincides with a vampire-bat migration change. An oil engineer’s wife is seen walking the strand in her nightgown. She slowly succumbs to the sickness. When the local native tribe sees her walking again, they tear up her grave! Episode Notes From The Internet Archive.

Boxcars711 Gives 5 Stars For ALL Support For The Internet Archive.
Donations Appreciated For Support At https://archive.org/details/Theatre1030_CBC

Episode 9502: Tales Of Tomarrow - "Martians Never Die" (03-12-53) Oct 12, 2023

Martians Never Die (Aired March 12, 1953)
The 1950's saw both the twilight of the Golden Age of Radio and the birth of the science fiction radio series.. Science fiction was not new to radio before 1950 but it was either targeted to juvenile audiences or were shows in a broader series. For example, ESCAPE's "The Time Machine". On March 15, 1950, the first show of Mutual's 2000 PLUS aired and becoming the very first true science fiction series in the US. DIMENSION X followed shortly on April 8, 1950 and broadcast over NBC stations. TALES OF TOMORROW was the third dedicated science fiction series over the stations of the American Broadcasting Corporation and following DIMENSION X by almost 2 years. The host of the show was Raymond Edward Johnson of INNER SANCTUM fame. Mr. Johnson handled TALES OF TOMORROW openings in a similar fashion to INNER SANCTUM openings but with a "science fiction" flavor instead of a "macabre" sense. The shows of this series were quite good, borrowing ideas from stories in "Galaxy" magazine.
SUMMARY
Martians Never Die . Once upon a time, Earth peeps try to explore Mars and fail. But the pioneer spirit triumphs, and eventually they succeed in colonizing the planet. When war breaks out back on Earth, everyone goes back to be with their families. At the very end, some humans come back to Mars to get away from Earth's wars and start over. This Episode Aired March 12, 1953.

Episode 9501: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Tales Of The Texas Rangers" - The Ice Man (03-02-52) Oct 11, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Tales Of The Texas Rangers"
The Ice Man (Aired March 2, 1952)
Tales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952. Movie star Joel McCrea starred as Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals and his faithful horse, Charcoal, to track them down. The shows were reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases. The series was produced and directed by Stacy Keach, Sr., and was sponsored for part of its run by Wheaties. Captain Manuel T. "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas, a Ranger for 30 years and who was said to have killed 31 men during his career, served as consultant for the series. The series was adapted for television from 1955 to 1957.
THIS EPISODE:
March 2, 1952. NBC network. "The Ice Man". Sustaining. Based on the events of September 17, 1948. A strange burglar who eats before he robs and who wields a mean ice pick is finally tracked down by the Rangers. Joel McCrea, Stacy Keach (producer, director), Hal Gibney (announcer), Tony Barrett, Lillian Buyeff, Whitfield Connor, Parley Baer, Phil Harris (NBC promo), Alice Faye (NBC promo), Bill Forman (NBC promo), Jack Paar (NBC promo). 29:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9500: Suspense - "Four Hours To Kill" (01-12-50) Oct 10, 2023

Four Hours To Kill (Aired January 12, 1950)
Suspense is a radio drama series broadcast on CBS Radio from 1942 through 1962. One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" and focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era. Approximately 945 episodes were broadcast during its long run, and more than 900 are extant. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes. In its early years, the program made only occasional forays into science fiction and fantasy.
THIS EPISODE:
January 12, 1950. CBS network. "Four Hours To Kill". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A good story about a man who kills his brother and then must track down and kill the woman who overheard the crime on the telephone. The script was also used on "The Philip Morris Playhouse." This is a network, sponsored. Robert Taylor, Herb Butterfield, Cathy Lewis, Joseph Kearns (announcer), Harold Swanton (writer), William Spier (producer, editor), Norman Macdonnell (director), Lucien Moraweck (cvomposer), Lud Gluskin (conductor), Harlow Wilcox (commercial spokesman). 31:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9499: Studio One - "The Thirty Nine Steps" (03-23-48) Oct 08, 2023

Studio One - The Thirty Nine Steps (Aired March 23, 1948)
Studio One received Emmy nominations every year from 1950 to 1958. The series staged some notable and memorable teleplays among its 466 episodes. Some created such an impact they were adapted into theatrical films. Reginald Rose's drama Twelve Angry Men, about the conflicts of jurors deciding a murder case, originated on Studio One on 20 September 1954, and the 1957 motion picture remake with Henry Fonda was nominated for three Academy Awards. Sal Mineo had the title role in the 2 January 1956 episode of Reginald Rose's Dino , and he reprised the role for the movie Dino (1957). In 1954, "Crime at Blossoms", scripted by Jerome Ross, was given an Edgar Award for Best Episode in a TV Series. Nathaniel Hawthorne's granddaughter received a plaque in recognition of her grandfather's writing achievements, during the 3 April 1950 telecast of The Scarlet Letter.

THIS EPISODE:
March 23, 1948. CBS network. "The Thirty Nine Steps". Sustaining. An excellent and exciting spy cops/robbers story. The basis for the classic Hitchcock movie. Glenn Ford, Cathleen Cordell, Mercedes McCambridge, Everett Sloane, Miriam Wolfe, John Stanley. 1 hour. The 39 Steps (1935) thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on the adventure novel The Thirty-nine Steps by John Buchan. In 2004, Total Film named it the 21st greatest British movie of all time. 1:00:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9498: Strange Dr. Weird "Europe Confidential Senator Payne Affair" Oct 06, 2023

5 Stars from Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod "Where The Oldies Are Still Young"
Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Presents Sir. Basil Rathbone in "Europe Confidential". Rathbone's most famous role was Sherlock Holmes, on the screen in t bvhe 1939 The Hound of the Baskervilles, and countless times on the radio. He introduces the show and the main character, reporter Mike Connoy played by actor Lionel Murton, a reporter for an American newspaper based in Paris. The character is "knee deep" in Wartime espionage, spy cases, murder, blackmail and theft. This was the best of the 1950's radio.
For in depth study, see ALL episodes at OTRCAT.com
5 Stars from Boxcar711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Episode 9497: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - Hoppy And The Iron Horse (09-24-50) Oct 05, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - Hoppy And The Iron Horse (Aired September 24, 1950)

Hopalong Cassidy is a cowboy hero, created in 1904 by Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular stories and twenty-eight novels. (At the time Mulford invented the character, the name of the historical American outlaw Butch Cassidy had been before readers of newspapers in recent years.) In his early print appearances, the character appears as a rude, dangerous and rough-talking "galoot". Beginning in 1935, the character, played by William Boyd, was transformed into the clean-cut hero of a series of 66 immensely popular films, only a few of which relied on Mulford's works for more than the character. Mulford actually rewrote his earlier stories to fit the movie conception; these led in turn to a comic book series modeled after the films.

THIS EPISODE:

September 24, 1950. Program #39. Commodore syndication. "Hoppy and The Iron Horse". Commercials added locally. Lee Garvin introduces Hoppy to foul play on the railroad. William Boyd, Joseph Du Val, Walter White Jr. (transcriber, producer), Tom Shirley (writer). 25:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9496: The Story Of Dr Kildare - "Mr. Bradley's Heart" (11-17-50) Oct 04, 2023

Mr. Bradley's Heart (Aired November 17, 1950)
The character was invented by the author Frederick Schiller Faust (aka Max Brand). The character began in the film series as a medical intern; after becoming a doctor he was mentored by an older physician, Dr. Leonard Gillespie. After the first ten films, the series eliminated the character of Kildare and focused instead on Gillespie. In the summer of 1949, MGM reunited Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore to record the radio series, The Story of Dr. Kildare, scripted by Les Crutchfield, Jean Holloway and others. After broadcasts on WMGM New York from February 1, 1950 to August 3, 1951, the series was syndicated to other stations during the 1950s. The supporting cast included Ted Osborne as hospital administrator Dr. Carough, Jane Webb as nurse Mary Lamont and Virginia Gregg as Nurse Parker, labeled "Nosy Parker" by Gillespie, with appearances by William Conrad, Stacy Harris, Jay Novello, Isabel Jewell and Jack Webb.

THIS EPISODE:
November 17, 1950. "Mr. Bradley's Heart" - Program #43. WMGM, New York City-Mutual net origination, MGM syndication. Commercials added locally. Mr. Bradley, an overworked businessman, has a badly damaged heart and needs a rare operation. The date is approximate. Lew Ayres, Lionel Barrymore, Les Crutchfield (writer), William P. Rousseau (director), Walter Schumann (composer, conductor), Virginia Gregg, Georgia Ellis, Wilms Herbert, Vic Perrin, Dick Joy (announcer). 26:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9495: The Light (1953) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Oct 01, 2023

The Light (1953) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.
This show, from the early 1950s, is a good example of the true story style of delivery made popular in radio's classic crime shows Gangbusters and Mr. District Attorney. Of course, the best and most popular of the true crime shows was Dragnet -- the monotone, "just the facts" style demanded by Jack Webb in the show made two points at once: first, that the show wasn't a typical melodramatic crime show, as had been on radio since "the good old days", and more importantly, that we were along for the ride on another day at the office -- in this case, a policeman's “day at the office". Not a true crime show, as this is drama, but this show features Chuck Morgan, as played by Glen Langen, a very believable news anchor at KOP, a Los Angeles radio station. He is pals with Lieutenant Bill Miggs of the police force, who tips him off to hot crime news. Also in on the capers is Morgan's "Gal Friday", Carol Curtis, played by Adele Jurgens. The three meet all types -- mostly on the shady side of the street. In real life, Glen and Adele were husband and wife, the two marrying in 1949. They had met on the movie set of The Treasure of Monte Cristo. On the show, the repartee between the two is strictly old school and quite enjoyable. The dialogue is solid and makes the most of the plots. Unheralded and left for dead, Stand By for Crime is well worth your time. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

Episode 9494: The Stan Freberg Show - "Great Moments In History" (08-04-57) Sep 30, 2023

Great Moments In History (Aired August 4, 1957)
Stanley Victor Freberg (born August 7, 1926 in Los Angeles) is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, puppeteer and advertising creative director. The son of a Baptist minister, Stan Freberg grew up in Pasadena, California. His traditional upbringing is reflected both in the gentle sensitivity which underpins his work (despite his liberal use of biting satire and parody), and in his refusal to accept alcohol and tobacco manufacturers as sponsors (an impediment to his radio career when he took over for Jack Benny on CBS radio), as Freberg explained to Rusty Pipes: After I replaced Jack Benny in 1957 they were unable to sell me with spot announcements in the show. That would mean that every three minutes I'd have to drop a commercial in. So I said, "Forget it, I want to be sponsored by one person like Benny was, by American Tobacco or State Farm Insurance," except that I wouldn't let them sell me to American Tobacco. I refused to let them sell me to any cigarette company.

THIS EPISODE:
August 4, 1957. "Great Moments In History" - Program #4. CBS network. Sustaining. The story behind the ride of Paul Revere, Dr. Herman Horn lectures on Hi Fi, The Lox Audio Theatre presents "Rock Around My Nose," "The Yellow Rose Of Texas." Stan Freberg (performer, writer), Billy May and His Orchestra, Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires, Peter Leeds, Peggy Taylor, Daws Butler, June Foray, Pete Barnum (producer). 28:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9493: Spy Catcher - "Keeping A Promise" (09-13-61) Sep 27, 2023

Keeping A Promise (Aired September 13, 1961)

Spy Catcher was based on the memoirs of Lt. Col. Oreste Pinto, a Dutch intelligence agent who worked for the Allied Counterintelligence Services in England during WWII - described by Eisenhower as "the greatest living expert in security". It charted the exploits of Pinto and his team of investigators as they relentlessly tried to root out potential spies entering Britain. Spy Catcher began its life in 1959 as a 19 part TV series and made a star of Bernard Archard who played Pinto. Masterminded by writer Robert Barr, Spy Catcher was produced in an almost the documentary manner and Pinto's half-hour cases were based on true stories. Each episode found Pinto interrogating a self-proclaimed Allied serviceman or political refugee. Using all the verbal and psychological tricks at his command, Pinto endeavored to find out if the interviewee was actually a Nazi spy - which often as not proved to be the case. In 1960 Robert Barr penned 26 Spy Catcher stories for BBC Radio - and these were broadcast in two seasons across the next two years again with Bernard Archard in the role of Pinto. Show Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Episode 9492: Space Patrol - "The Red Demon Of Venus" (05-29-54) Sep 25, 2023

The Red Demon Of Venus (Aired May 29, 1954)
The success of the TV show spawned a radio version, which ran for 129 episodes from October 1952 to March 1955. The same cast of actors performed on both shows. The writers, scripts, adventures and director were quite different in radio versus TV incarnations. Naturally, the series lacked the adult sophistication of such shows as X Minus One, which focused on adapting short fiction by notable genre names as Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury. But as a throwback to the sort of Golden Age space opera popularized in the 1930s, the days of science fiction's infancy, by pioneering magazine editor Hugo Gernsback, Space Patrol is prized by OTR collectors today as one of radio's most enjoyable adventures.
THIS EPISODE:
ABC network. "The Red Demon Of Venus". Sponsored by: Nestle's chocolate. The Red Demon is a spider with a nasty and fatal bite! This is a network, sponsored version of cat. #17574. Bela Kovacs, Dick Tufeld (announcer), Ed Kemmer, Ken Mayer, Larry Robertson (producer, director), Lou Huston (writer), Lyn Osborn, Mike Devery (executive producer), Mike Moser (creator), Norman Jolley. 29:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9491: Three O'Clock (12-12-56) Sep 23, 2023

Three O'Clock (Aired December 12, 1956)
Sleep No More was Nelson's Olmsted's contribution to The Golden Age of Radio's rich tradition of broadcasting compelling and stirring supernatural and suspense dramas, predominantly from the finest supernatural literature throughout modern history. Sleep No More arrived during the waning years of the Golden Age of Radio--understandably risky Radio programming for the mid-1950s. On the plus side of the equation were Nelson Olmsted's extremely loyal following throughout the U.S. combined with the classic nature of the stories which comprised the series. These stories were many of the most popular and compelling supernatural stories and adventures in literary history.
THIS EPISODE:
December 12, 1956. NBC network. "Three O'Clock". Sustaining. A man plans murder of his wife but out smarts himself. Nelson Olmsted, Ben Grauer (announcer), Kenneth MacGregor (director), Cornell Woolrich (author, using the name William Irish). 29:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9490: Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Six Shooter" - Myra Barker (06-24-54) Sep 22, 2023

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Six Shooter" - Myra Barker (Aired June 24, 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.
THIS EPISODE:

June 24, 1954. "Myra Barker" - NBC network. Sustaining. The Six-Shooter proposes marriage. A well written show, the last of the series. The program may be dated September 27 or October 11, 1954. This is a network version. Jimmy Stewart, Jack Johnstone (director), Basil Adlam (music), Virginia Gregg, Howard McNear, Parley Baer, Frank Burt (creator, writer), D. J. Thompson, John Wald (announcer). 29:55. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9489: The Mayor Of The Town - Bob Hope Visits (03-21-43) Sep 19, 2023

The Mayor Of The Town - Bob Hope Visits (03-21-43)
Bob Hope Visits (Aired March 21. 1943)
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.
THIS EPISODE:
March 21. 1943. "Bob Hope Visits" - 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). 28:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Episode 9488: The Mayor Of The Town - "Bob Hope Visits" (03-21-43) Sep 19, 2023

Bob Hope Visits (Aired March 21. 1943)
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.

THIS EPISODE:
March 21. 1943. " Bob Hope Visits" - 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). 28:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

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