Boxcars711 Old Time Radio

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Six Shooter "A Pressing Engagement" (12-06-53) Apr 27, 2007

Show notes

The Six Shooter, the only radio series staring James Stewart, aired on September 20, 1953. In this radio western, Jimmy played Britt Ponset, a man with a reputation for having a fast gun but is really very different from the hard, tough talking gun slinger type. Here the hero is a slow talking, thinking man who is ready with his gun, but first looks for options to violence. James Stewart played this character very well. Jimmy had appeared on many other radio shows including the Hollywood Star Playhouse where the character of Britt Ponset was introduced in an episode called "The Six Shooter". The same script was used for the audition of THE SIX SHOOTER series, again with Jimmy as Britt. The show aired between September 1953 and June 1954.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Quiet Please "Kill Me Again" (11-17-47) Apr 27, 2007

Show notes

Quiet, Please had its roots in the Campbell Playhouse (1938 - 1941), the successor to Orson Welles's Mercury Theatre, who achieved notoriety with their 1938 adaptation of H. G. Wells's novel The War of the Worlds. Cooper was a writer for the Campbell Playhouse, and Chappell was the announcer. They became friends, though Chappell had little (if any) acting experience, Cooper imagined him as the star of a new radio program. Cooper's earlier Lights Out was famous for its gruesome stories and sound effects, but for Quiet, Please, Cooper would cultivate a subdued, slower-paced, and much quieter atmosphere that could still, at its best, match Lights Out for frights and thrills.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Rogue's Gallery "The House Of Fear" (11-15-45) Apr 26, 2007

Show notes

Rogue's Gallery came to the Mutual network on September 27, 1945 with Dick Powell portraying Richard Rogue, a private detective who invariably ended up getting knocked out each week and spending his dream time in acerbic conversation with his subconscious self, Eugor. Rogue's Gallery was, in a sense, Dick Powell's rehearsal for Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Powell played private detective Richard Rogue, who trailed luscious blondes, protected witness, and did whatever else detectives do to make a living. It was a good series, though not destined to make much of a mark. Under the capable direction of Dee Englebach and accompanied by the music of Leith Stevens, Powell floated through his lines with the help of such competents as Lou Merrill, Gerald Mohr, Gloria Blondell, Tony Barrett, and Lurene Tuttle. Peter Leeds played Rogue's friend Eugor, an obscure play on names with Eugor spelling Rogue backwards.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Night Beat "Lost Souls" (11-16-51) Apr 26, 2007

Show notes

Frank Lovejoy stars as Randy Stone, a toughened, street-wise Chicago Star reporter working the Nightbeat in the early 1950's. Sometimes the capers are cops and robbers. Or just normal people in trouble. Sometimes they deserve it. Sometimes fate twists their arm. Sometimes they're just too scared or confused to know the difference. Lovejoy is a seasoned pro of radio and film with an honest, gripping delivery. Solid supporting casts, good writing and direction.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Whistler "Silent City" (4-21-48) Apr 25, 2007

Show notes

The show first broadcast its fantastic thirty-minute crime mystery series in May 1942 and did not finish until September 1948. There were more than 450 shows of murder and intrigue in all. Although it ran for 6 years it was broadcast for only one year on a national network. The show opened to the sound of footsteps and an eerie whistle, which went on throughout the introductory music. The Whistler always began the show with the opening lines; I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak??

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Mystery Playhouse "Last Laugh Murder" (7-05-43) - Nero Wolfe Apr 25, 2007

Show notes

Mystery Playhouse was a short run series staring Peter Lorre as host. Each episode was preceded by Lorre's show description. In today's program, Last Laugh Murder (1943), Lorre introduces a muder mystery investigated by the famous Nero Wolfe.Wolf appears at first to be totally wrong in his evaluations, later proving his skills were never flawed and his observations no less than brilliant.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Dads Army "Keep Young And Beautiful" (4-6-76) Ep45 Apr 24, 2007

Show notes

Dadâs Army was a British broad-comedy sitcom. Consistently good writing and a wonderful cast of old timers and newer talents combined to produce a whimsical period-piece that continues, justifiably, to be savoured and has now assumed a place in the 'hall of greats' pantheon, adored by new generations of the British public. The unmistakable voice of Bud Flanagan singing 'Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?', a World War II propaganda singalong was written especially for Dads Army, (by Jimmy Perry) and served to introduce the show.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Clock "The Jekyll And Hyde Gangster" (10-02-47) Apr 24, 2007

Show notes

The Clock was a dramatic thirty-minute suspense and mystery series. It was written by Lawrence Klee and was first broadcast in November 1946. The story always began the same; âSunrise and sunset, promise and fulfilment, birth and death â the whole drama of life is written in the sands of timeâ. First Broadcast November 3rd 1946 Last Broadcast May 23rd 1948

Boxcars711 Weekend Matinee - Sherlock Holmes "The Double Zero" (11-19-45) Apr 21, 2007

Show notes

Throughout the early 1940's on American Radio, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce performed as Holmes and Watson, respectively, in several series of canonical and original Sherlock Holmes stories. When Rathbone finally departed the role before the 1947 season, Tom Conway played Sherlock Holmes opposite Nigel Bruce for one season. After a change of networks, there were two more pairings: John Stanley as Holmes and Alfred Shirley as Watson in 1947-1948 and John Stanley and Ian Martin in 1948-1949. The stories were written by Edith Meiser, a self-confessed Holmes addict. At first she used Arthur Conan Doylesâ original stories, but, after the series outlived the original material, she created her own new stories. These were so well written that she was warmly praised by Arthur Conan Doyleâs widow and son. First broadcast date October 20, 1930. Last broadcast date September 4, 1956.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Whitehall1212 "The Missing Clarinet" (8-10-52) Apr 21, 2007

Show notes

Whitehall 1212 is a crime drama featuring cases from New Scotland Yard's "Black Museum". Unlike the show starring Orson Welles, however, this series was done with the official support of The Yard and tries to downplay the sensational aspects of thes cases and highlight the rigorous police work that went into solving them.

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