View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Kids & Family

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

Related Podcasts