Boxcars711 Old Time Radio

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Avenger "2 Episodes (8-17-45) and (09-19-45)" - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 29, 2008

Show notes

The Avenger is an Old Time Radio show aired by the South African Broadcasting System in the 1940s. It featured a biochemist crime-fighter by the name of Jim Brandon. Mr. Brandon had two inventions which assisted him in the fight against crime. Mr. Brandon was able to pick up telpathic thought flashes and had a diffusion capsule which allowed him to become invisible.

The Shadow "Murder On Approval" (8-21-38) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 28, 2008

Show notes

The Shadow - In September of 1939, a new voice of the Shadow appeared in the form of radio actor Bill Johnstone. Later in 1939, Agnes Moorehead left the show and was replaced by Marjorie Anderson as Margo Lane. The plot lines began to follow the standard formula of Margo Lane being in danger and the Shadow rescuing her from the clutches of evil. Bill Johnstone would be the voice of the Shadow for five seasons, until March 1943. Bret Morrison took over the Shadow role in 1943 for one season. John Archer and Steve Courtleigh took the Shadow role through the 1944-45 season. Bret Morrison then returned to be the Shadow for the duration of the program's run which lasted until December 26, 1954. THIS EPISODE:1938. Syndicated. "Murder On Approval". Sponsored by: B. F. Goodrich Tires. A foreign agent tries to conquer America by infecting the U. S. Army with a secret disease. Orson Welles, Margot Stevenson, Ken Roberts (announcer). 1/2 hour.

Author's Playhouse "The Long Way 'round" (11-13-44) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 28, 2008

Show notes

Authorâs 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:November 13, 1944. NBC network. "The Long Way Round". Sustaining. A man has just returned from a sanitarium after a mental break-down to find that wife has developed her own mental problems. James Ronald (author). 1/2 hour.

21st Precinct "The Shooting Gallery" (9-29-53) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 27, 2008

Show notes

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. 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 operation of a single police precinct. Actual cases were used as the basis for stories. The Precinct Captain acted as the narrator for the series.THIS EPISODE:September 29, 1953. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. A young drug user tries to kick the habit by making a false alarm so he can go "cold turkey" in jail. Everett Sloane, Lawson Zerbe, Raymond Edward Johnson, Ken Lynch, Robert Readick, Gaylord Avery (announcer). 1/2 hour.

Fibber McGee & Molly "The New Fire Truck" (4-19-49) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 27, 2008

Show notes

Fibber McGee and Molly premiered in 1935. 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 programâs 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 Americaâs most famous addresses and Mollyâs warning to Fibber not to open the hall closet door (and his subsequent decision to do it) created one of radioâs 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 minerâs 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.

Box 13 "Round Robin" (8-22-48) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 26, 2008

Show notes

Box 13 - The premise of the program was that Dan Holiday was an author who wrote mystery novels. To get ideas for his novels he placed an advertisement in a newspaper saying "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything, Box 13." The ads always brought fun adventures of all kinds: from racketeer's victim to psychotic killer looking for fun. Most of the episodes were based on Dan Holiday replying to a letter he received at Box 13. He would generally solve a mystery in the process, and return to his office in time to enjoy a hearty laugh at the expense of Suzy, his amusingly stupid secretary. He would certainly not meet the strictest requirements for private eyes (not licensed, collected no fees from clients), but the definition should stretch to sneak him in under the rope. It was heard over the Mutual Broadcasting System as well as being syndicated. The series was produced by Mayfair Productions. Box 13, starring Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. Sylvia Picker played Suzy, Dan Holiday's secretary and Edmond MacDonald as Lt. Kling.THIS EPISODE:August 14, 1949. Program #52. Mayfair syndication. "Round Robin". Commercials added locally. Dan Holiday foils a blackmail plot involving a valuable necklace and a lady's gambling losses. The last show of the series. Alan Ladd, Arthur Boland (writer), Richard Sanville (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Sylvia Picker, Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 26:42.

The CBS Radio Mystery Theater "Death Rides A Stallion" (01-14-74) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 25, 2008

Show notes

CBS Radio Mystery Theater - As you walk through the creaking door you enter into another world, the world of imagination. This world is inside you, a part of you, and you take this journey alone. Each person hears and then sees with his or her mind's eye the events portrayed within these dramas. All of us interprets what they hear differently. The images we see is unique to ourselves. A voice becomes a person, living, breathing they come alive. They take on a physical form and characteristics that we assign to them. The wonders of your own mind are boundless. Scary thoughts? Perhaps, but what powers they bring us! To exercise one's imagination is to exercise one's soul. These dramas provide us with an escape from reality. To adventures beyond our own lives. Enjoy them. And pleasant dreams!THIS EPISODE:January 14, 1974. Program #9. CBS network. "Death Rides A Stallion". Sponsored by: Budweiser, Kellogg's. E. G. Marshall (host), Sam Dann (writer), Mason Adams, Marian Seldes, Paul McGrath. 52 minutes.

The Falcon "Quarrelsome Quartet" (9-03-50) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 25, 2008

Show notes

The Falcon - Regardless of the date of his first literary appearance, The Falcon was first brought to the screen in a 1941 RKO film, as a replacement for its popular series of B's featuring Leslie Charteris' The Saint. Except for the name change, at first at least it was pretty hard to tell the difference. The Falcon was also a good-looking suave, sophisticated type, a sort of freelance gentleman adventurer.THIS EPISODESeptember 3, 1950. NBC network. "Tthe Case Of The Quarrelsome Quartet". Sponsored by: Kraft Mayonnaise, Kraft Malted Milk. Who killed Dixie Saunders? Who killed George Saunders? Thieves fall out! Les Damon, Amzie Strickland, Jackson Beck, Jay Jackson (announcer), Arlo (music), Drexel Drake (creator), Richard Lewis (director), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Eugene Wang (writer). 29:30.

The Black Museum - Service Card (1952) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 24, 2008

Show notes

The Black Musuem - 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. THIS EPISODE:1952. Syndicated, WCRB, Boston aircheck. "The Service Card". A murderer is trapped by the odometer reading on his victim's car. The date is approximate. This series was heard on the Mutual net during 1952, but was probably produced in England and broadcast earlier on British radio. The series was syndicated by Harry Alan Towers after the network run for many years. Orson Welles (narrator), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Ira Marion (writer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor). 1/2 hour.

Curtain Time "Practically Engaged" (8-07-48) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod May 24, 2008

Show notes

Curtain Time, like First Nighter, presented romantic drama in a theater setting complete with the announcer shouting, âTickets please, thank youâ. The shows announcer was Harry Halcomb who was later known best for his appearances on the 60 minutes television show. Great scripts and superb acting, Curtain Time is truly an Old Time Radio Classic. Mutual Network, local KNX show sustained, heard Fridays 7:30 - 8:00 pm

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