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Arch Oboler's Plays - Another World (7-29-39) Apr 08, 2009

Show notes

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:

July 29, 1939. NBC network. "Another World". Sustaining. An eerie story about a woman's battle with the voice inside her...trying to take over her body! The story is also known as, "The Voice Within Me." Arch Oboler, Arnold Moss, Betty Garde, Frank Lovejoy, Gilbert Mack, Hester Sondergaard, John Brown. 29:28.

Whitehall 1212- Cartridge Case (01-20-52) & Wellington Boot (08-03-52) Apr 07, 2009

Show notes

WHITEHALL 1212 Tweaked Jan. 12, 2006 This series was very similar to the Black Museum that was hosted by Orson Welles. Both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 drew their material from the files of Scotland Yard. 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. For the benefit of American audiences, Wyllis Cooper of Quiet Please fame was hired as script writer. Interestingly enough both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 had all-British casts; both ran concurrently. Whereby Mutual Broadcasting System aired the Orson Welles version, NBC offered the Wyllis Cooper one. There were 44 episodes in the series and all but one are in circulation. None of the prorgrams were titled and as they appeared on the scene, were given names by those who collected them. For that reason there are variations of titles, some with incorrect spellings; an attempt has been made to correct this. Some of the shows had "case numbers" and when they were announced, are noted below.

January 13, 1952. Program #8. NBC network. Sustaining. A foreigner is found shot to death in his car. A "copper's narc" is then found drowned and with a bullet through his heart. Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Jack Goldstein (producer), Collie Small (producer). 29:12.

August 3, 1952. NBC network. Sustaining. A Wellington Boot" in the "Black Museum" is the key to the murder of Nora Brady. This was the only time a person in Britain was tried twice for the same murder. Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Horace Braham, Lester Fletcher, Lionel Ricou (announcer), Beulah Garrick, Harvey Hayes, Winston Ross, Jared Burke, Carl Harburg. 29:21.

A Date With Judy - Judy's Singing Debut (04-03-45) Apr 04, 2009

Show notes

A Date with Judy was a comedy radio series aimed at a teenage audience which had a long run from 1941 to 1950. The show 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 23d to September 15, 1942). Louise Erickson took over the role the following summer (June 30th to September 22, 1943) when the series, with Bristol Myers as its new sponsor, replaced The Eddie Cantor Show for the summer. Louise Erickson continued in the role of Judy over the next seven years as the series, sponsored by Tums, aired from January 18, 1944 to January 4, 1949. 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. Teenagers could relate to Judy and her problems with school, boyfriends and parental rules and adults enjoyed remembering their youth as seen through the eyes of a typical teenager. A delighful comedy that ended in 1950, A Date with Judy remains a favorite even today as we realize that teenagers will always face the same problems growing up as Judy and her friends did.A Date with Judy remains a favorite even today as we realize that teenagers will always face the same problems growing up as Judy and her friends did.

THIS EPISODE:

April 3, 1945 Judy's Singing Debut - Judy's interview with guest Charles Boyer, is more to do with her dreams of a singing career. Louise Erickson, Richard Crenna, Joseph Cotten, Dix Davis, Paul Sawtelle (composer, conductor), John Brown, Myra Marsh, Aleen Leslie (writer), Helen Mack (producer, director), Doug Gorlay (announcer). 29:35.

The FBI In Peace & War - Room For Improvement (11-16-55) Apr 03, 2009

Show notes

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:

November 16, 1955. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Room For Improvement". An F. H. A. kickback racket is broken by the Feds when Eddie Norris falls for the daughter of a gangster. Frederick L. Collins (creator). 24:30.

The Adventures Of Sam Spade - The Wheel Of Life Caper (07-11-48) Apr 01, 2009

Show notes

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). 29:45.

The Beulah Show - Summer Heat (08-13-45) Mar 31, 2009

Show notes

The Beulah Show is an American situation-comedy series that ran in radio on CBS from 1945 to 1954, and in television on ABC from 1950 to 1953. It is notable for being the first sitcom to star an African American. Originally portrayed by Caucasian actor Marlin Hurt, Beulah Brown first appeared in 1939 when Hurt introduced and played the character on the Hometown Incorporated radio series and in 1940 on NBC radio's Show Boat series. In 1943, Beulah moved over to That's Life and then became a supporting character on the popular Fibber McGee and Molly radio series in late 1944. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, The Marlin Hurt and Beulah Show, with Hurt still in the role. Beulah was employed as a housekeeper and cook for the Henderson family: father Harry, mother Alice and son Donnie. After Hurt died of a heart attack in 1946, he was replaced by another white actor, Bob Corley, and the series was retitled The Beulah Show. When black actress Hattie McDaniel took over the role on November 24, 1947, she earned $1000 a week for the first season, doubled the ratings of the original series and pleased the NAACP which was elated to see a historic first: a black woman as the star of a network radio program. McDaniel continued in the role until she became ill in 1952 and was replaced by Lillian Randolph, who was in turn replaced for the 1953-54 radio season by her sister, Amanda Randolph.

THIS EPISODE:

August 13, 1945. CBS network, KNX, Los Ageles aircheck. Sponsored by: Tums. We're having a heat wave! Cleaning the basement and keeping cool. Marlin Hurt (triples), Carol Stewart, Albert Sack and His Orchestra, Phil Leslie (writer), Helen Mack (producer, director), John Brown, Katharine Carr, Jess Kirkpatrick, Ken Niles (announcer). 29:42.

Christopher London - Pattern For Murder (05-29-50) Mar 29, 2009

Show notes

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.

The Crime Club - Murder Rents A Room (6-05-47) Mar 28, 2009

Show notes

Crime Club was a Mutual Network murder and mystery series, a product of the Doubleday Crime Book Club imprints found weekly in bookstores everywhere. The telephone rings"Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the Librarian. Murder Rents A Room? Yes, we have that Crime Club story for you.Come right over. (The organist in the shadowed corner of the Crime Club library shivers the ivories) The doorbell tones sullenly"And you are here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf." (The organist hits the scary chord) "Let's look at it under the reading lamp." The Librarian, played by Raymond E. Johnson, begins reading the tale. Veteran Willis Cooper (Lights Out, Quiet Please) did some of the scripts from the Crime Club books.

THIS EPISODE:

June 5, 1947. Mutual network. "Murder Rents A Room". Sustaining. A rich man "dies" but most of his money is missing. The man's ne'er-do-well nephew is suspect. Sarah Elizabeth Mason (writer), Elspeth Eric, Helen Shields, Shirling Oliver, Bill Smith, Cameron Prud'Homme. 1/2 hour.

The Fred Allen Show - Chief NeeDaBeh Indian Guide (2-12-41) Mar 26, 2009

Show notes

The Fred Allen Show - Born John Florence Sullivan on May 31, 1894, Fred Allen began his career in vaudeville before becoming one of radio's most acerbic and admired wits. Allen and his wife, former chorus girl Portland Hoffa, began their radio career on October 23, 1932, starring on The Linit Bath Club Revue. By 1934, Allen was starring on Town Hall Tonight, a one-hour show which featured Allen examining current events and interviewing unusual guests. It was here that Allen began radio's longest-running "feud" in 1937, when he made a series of jokes about fellow comedian Jack Benny. Allen's best-remembered feature was "Allen's Alley," a weekly segment in which he would discuss issues of the day with eccentric creations like the blustery Senator Claghorn, Brooklyn housewife Pansy Nussbaum and stoic New Englander Titus Moody. Allen was known to read up to nine newspapers a day and often spent 12 to 14 hours a day writing and re-writing his scripts. Poor health forced Allen off the air in 1944, but he returned in the fall of 1945 with The Fred Allen Show, which lasted until June 26, 1949. Fred Allen died on March 17, 1956. Fred Allen was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.

THIS EPISODE:

February 12, 1941. CBS network, WABC, New York aircheck. Sponsored by: Texaco. News Of The Week: Heavy rains have damaged the East Coast. The program's guest is Penobscot indian chief Nee Da Bay, who gives bird and animal imitations. The Texaco Workshop Players do "Truth Of Subsequences," a satire on guess-what-show hosted by "Ralph Deadwoods." This is another example of Fred's ongoing attack on the quiz show genre. Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Al Goodman and His Orchestra, Kenny Baker, Larry Elliott (commercial spokesman), Alan Reed, Nee Da Bay. 59:35.

Bonanza - The Saga Of Annie OToole (10-24-59) Mar 25, 2009

Show notes

Bonanza chronicled the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by wise widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (played by Lorne Greene). He had three biological sons, each by a different wife: the oldest was the intelligent and moody Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts); the second was the fun and lovable Eric, better known to viewers by his middle name: "Hoss" (Dan Blocker); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). The family's cook was the Chinese immigrant Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung). The family lived on a thousand-square-mile ranch called "The Ponderosa", on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada; the name refers to the Ponderosa Pine, common in the West.

THIS EPISODE:

The Saga of Annie O'Toole adapted for radio from Bonanza aired October 24, 1959. Annie O'Toole and her father head out to the Washoe Diggings after her boyfriend, Swede Lundberg, returns with the deeds to two mines. Annie takes one of the deeds in return for the grub stake she gave Swede. Upon her arrival in Nevada, her father dies and she meets up with the Cartwrights. Against Adam's advice (and with his help), Annie decides to open up a restaurant to supply meals to the hungry miners. Things seem to be going well until Swede shows up with another man who claims that Annie's mine is his.

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