Boxcars711 Old Time Radio

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The Lives Of Harry Lime "Blue Bride" (1-19-51) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 23, 2008

Show notes

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:October 19, 1951. Program #12. Lang-Worth syndication. "Blue Bride". Commercials added locally. Harry's involved in a counterfeiting scheme in Bordeaux. Orson Welles, Anton Karas (zither), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Tig Roe (director). 26:34.

The Haunting Hour "Occupation Murder" (8-25-45) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 23, 2008

Show notes

The Haunting Hour - The shows are classic chills from the old school, with creepy organ, overwrought women and over the top men. Perhaps not the highest of melodrama, but obsessively workmanlike. After all, they might have known they were a skeleton staff toiling relentlessly without a ghost of a chance of fame. Thanks to transcription, these unknowns are still with us. John Dunning, succinctly states in "On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio," "There were no credits, so casts and production crews are unknown."THIS EPISODE:NBC syndication, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "Occupation Murder". Participating sponsors. Syndicated rebroadcast date: January 17, 1975. . 28:20.

The Philip Morris Playhouse "The Iron Man" (7-29-49) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 22, 2008

Show notes

The Philip Morris Playhouse - Philip Morris invested heavily in radio advertising throughout the 1930s and â40s, often having two weekly programs on competing networks. The first, a variety show that ran for twelve seasons (1934-47) and combined musical and dramatic elements, was called Johnny Presents, essentially giving Roventini "top billing" above all the big name guests that appeared on the broadcasts. The cigarette company also sponsored Philip Morris Playhouse, a dramatic anthology series that lasted 14 seasons (1939-53), finally switching to television. THIS EPISODE:July 29, 1949. CBS net. "The Ironman". Sponsored by: Philip Morris, Revelation Pipe tobacco. The three owners of a failing New York bar decide to do in a barfly after taking out an insurance policy on his life. This is not as easy as it sounds. A well done production of a classic story. William Spier (director, producer, editor), Sidney Miller, Jerry Hausner, Joseph Kearns, John Holbrook (announcer), Harold Swanton (writer), Lud Gluskin (music director), Art Ballinger (announcer), James Matthews. 29:35

Bold Venture "Slates Stolen Identity" (1951) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 22, 2008

Show notes

Bold Venture - The Hollywood husband and wife team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall set sail for adventure in the Bold Venture radio series in early 1951. There were well over 400 stations that aired the program. Since thiswas syndicated * the starting date varied from station to station but Mar 26, 1951 was the official date of the first show. Humphrey Bogart portrayed Slate Shannon, owner of a rundown Havana hotel, Shannon's Place. The action took place on land as well aboard Slate's boat, The Bold Venture, thus the title of the series. Lauren Bacall was his ward Sailor Duval, a stubborn and flirtatious young woman whose late father had willed her to Slate for her protection. Together the duo found adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean.THIS EPISODE:ZIV Syndication. "Slate's Stolen Identity". Commercials added locally. A southerner hires Slate and Sailor to take his client off a freighter (the "S. S. Paloma," Didn't that ship burn in "The Maltese Falcon?"). Slate is shanghaied, his identification papers are taken and is almost arrested as being Louis Gaspar. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Barton Yarborough, Jester Hairston (singing transitions), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:39.

Green Valley Line "Episodes10 and 12" (1947) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 22, 2008

Show notes

The Green Valley Line is "the story of a back-country railroad in the early years of the 20th Century". Not much is known about the people or history of the Green Valley Line radio show. It was probably a single radio station production, since it doesn't even have credits. There's a real live quality to the show, since there's mis-reading of dialogue, and skewed inflections, but that's a great deal of the charm with this rarely-heard local show. It has simple, direct dialogue and almost no sound effects except for the great sounds of the trains and some random railroad office sounds such as typewriters and such.

The Adventures Of Dick Tracy "2 Episodes" (2-14-38) and (2-25-38) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 22, 2008

Show notes

Dick Tracy had a long run on radio, from 1934 weekdays on NBC's New England stations to the ABC network in 1948. Bob Burlen was the first radio Tracy in 1934, and others heard in the role during the 1930s and 1940s were Barry Thompson, Ned Wever and Matt Crowley. The early shows all had 15-minute episodes. On CBS, with Sterling Products as sponsor, the serial aired four times a week from February 4, 1935 to July 11, 1935, moving to Mutual from September 30, 1935 to March 24, 1937 with Bill McClintock doing the sound effects. NBC's weekday afternoon run from January 3, 1938 to April 28, 1939 had sound effects by Keene Crockett and was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which brought Dick Tracy into primetime (Saturdays at 7pm and, briefly, Mondays at 8pm) with 30-minute episodes from April 29, 1939 to September 30, 1939. The series returned to 15-minute episodes on the ABC Blue Network from March 15, 1943 to July 16, 1948, sponsored by Tootsie Rolls, which used the music theme of "Toot Toot, Tootsie" for its 30-minute Saturday ABC series from October 6, 1945 to June 1, 1946. Sound effects on ABC were supplied by Walt McDonough and Al Finelli. Directors of the series included Mitchell Grayson, Charles Powers and Bob White. Cast members at various times included Walter Kinsella as Pat Patton, Helen Lewis as Tess Trueheart and Andy Donnelly and Jackie Kelk as Junior Tracy. Announcers were Ed Herlihy and Dan Seymour.

Let George Do It "The Prairie Dog" (3-12-51) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 22, 2008

Show notes

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." 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 encounted Brooksie's kid brother, Sonny (Eddie Firestone), Lieutenant Riley (Wally Maher) and elevator man Caleb (Joseph Kearns). 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. In its last season, transcriptions were aired in New York, Wednesdays at 9:30pm, from January 20, 1954 to January 12, 1955. John Hiestand was the program's announcer. Don Clark directed the scripts by David Victor and Jackson Gillis. The background music was supplied by Eddie Dunstedter on the organ.

The Great Gildersleeve "Eves Mother Arrives" (6-04-44) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 21, 2008

Show notes

The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957) was the arguable founding father of the spin-off program, as well as one of the first true situation comedies (as opposed to sketch programs) in broadcast history. Hooked around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio hit Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest period in the 1940s, when Harold Peary graduated the character from the earlier show into the sitcom and in a quartet of likeable feature films at the height of the show's popularity.THIS EPISIODE:June 4, 1944. NBC network. Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Pabst-Ett. Eve's mother comes for a visit, and Gildersleeve meets his future mother-in-law. Bea Benaderet, 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. 29:32.

The Adventures Of Maisie "The Gambler" (4-05-51) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 21, 2008

Show notes

The Adventures Of 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." 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.

The Weird Circle "Mad Monkton" (11-05-44) - Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod Apr 21, 2008

Show notes

THE WEIRD CIRCLE was a syndicated series that was heard on Mutualstations November, 1943 through October, 1947 and very briefly inSeptember/October of 1947 on ABC. The show presented 30 minute tales of horror, frequently inspired by classic horror or ghost stories, frequently done by French authors. It opened with the sound of the surf and the chant-like opening, "In this cave by the restless sea, we are met to call from out of past, stories strange and weird. Bell keeper, toll the bell, so that all may know that we are gathered again in the Weird Circle".THIS EPISODE:April 13, 1945. Program #49. NBC syndication. "Mad Monkton". Commercials added locally. An excellent ghost story. Ancient prophesy and the unburied dead. Wilkie Collins (author). 26:00.

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