Classic Radio Theater

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**Classic Radio Theater**

RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF YESTERYEAR!
Listen to the greatest radio broadcasts of the 1930s, 40s and 50s absolutely free! Each week, The Bradford Exchange presents the Classic Radio Theater, hosted by nostalgia radio expert Carl Amari.
Each and every week, we’ll bring you three hours of theater-of-the-mind radio entertainment, including The Jack Benny Program, Suspense, Gunsmoke, Dragnet, The Abbott & Costello Show, Sherlock Holmes and many more!

Latest Episodes:

Murder At Midnight Ep. #20 Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free horror episodes of Murder At Midnight

A) 6/7/46 Nightmare w/ Elspeth Eric

B) 11/1/46 The Ape Song w/ Raymond Edward Johnson

Produced in New York, “Murder At Midnight” came to ABC radio in September of 1946 and featured crime dramas and supernatural thrillers. Raymond Morgan, a former long-Island Minister, who had left the cloth For the excitement of radio, was the foreboding host who each week uttered the lines: "Midnight, the witching hour when the night is darkest, our fears the strongest, and our strength at its lowest ebb. Midnight, when the graves gape open and death strikes." Over its six-year run in syndication “Murder at Midnight” had a relatively high production budget (about $5,000 per show) which helped it pull respectable audience shares. The supporting players were New York’s best, including: Lawson Zerbe, Karl Swenson, Berry Kroeger, Lon Clark, Elspeth Eric and Raymond Edward Johnson. Anton M. Leader directed the series and the scripts were by top writers, including Joe Ruscoll, Max Erlich and Robert Newman.

The Green Hornet w/ Al Hodge Ep. #21 Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free thrilling adventures of The Green Hornet

A) 10/31/39 The Parking Lot Racket w/ Al Hodge

B) 11/24/46 Giuseppi’s Secret w/ Robert Hall

By day, Britt Reid was a successful newspaperman and publisher, by night he was The Green Hornet, a masked avenger determined to combat crime and hand out his own brand of justice. As the publisher of the Daily Sentinel, Reid had access to inside information from both police and criminal sources, and he made full use of it to combat his foes. Kato, Reid’s faithful Asian valet (and the only person who knew his secret identity) rendered valuable assistance in their crusade against crime. Armed with a gas gun to incapacitate his enemies, The Green Hornet always had the upper hand. With a roaring speedster known as the Black Beauty, the vigilante avoided capture by the police and being unmasked by his inquisitive staff reporter, Mike Axford. During World War II, The Green Hornet’s enemies included black market operators, Nazi spies and saboteurs. By 1949, The Green Hornet was smashing rackets on the waterfront, confronting juvenile delinquents, fighting Communist foes, and anyone else who, in the words of the opening narration, “sought to destroy our America.”

The Great Gildersleeve w/ Hal Peary Ep. #19 Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Great Gildersleeve

A) 4/25/43 Raising Rabbits w/ Hal Peary

B) 8/29/43 Vacation at Grass Lake w/ Hal Peary

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character appearing regularly on The Fibber McGee & Molly Show. On August 31, 1941, the character landed his own situation comedy show, The Great Gildersleeve, becoming radio’s first spin-off. Gildy moved from the town of Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where he raised his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy (Walter Tetley). The household also included a cook named Birdie (Lillian Randolph). The Great Gildersleeve was the first show to be centered on a single parent balancing raising children, work, and a social life, accomplished with taste and genuine wit, often at the expense of Gildersleeve's slightly understated pomposity. Radio veteran, Hal Peary originated the role of Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve but left the series at the height of its popularity in 1950 giving way to Peary-sound-a-like and well-known character actor, Willard Waterman. Waterman continued in the radio role until 1957 and also played Gildersleeve in a TV version syndicated in 1955.

Boston Blackie w/ Dick Kollmar Ep. #18 Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free detective adventures of Boston Blackie

A) 10/1/46 The Undersea Murder w/ Dick Kollmar

B) 5/28/47 The Ghost of Florence Newton w/ Dick Kollmar

Horatio Black was known to friend and foe as Boston Blackie -- an ex-jewel thief and safecracker constantly suspected of crimes he did not commit and forced to play the role of detective to clear his name. His girlfriend, Mary Wesley, assisted Blackie from time to time, as did his pal Shorty. Forced to defend himself against the accusations of New York Police Inspector Faraday, Blackie always managed to stay one step ahead of the cops in solving a crime. The wisecracks exchanged between Blackie and Faraday made the program an enjoyable mix of comedy and mystery. Chester Morris played the character in 15 Boston Blackie films for Columbia. When The Amos ‘N’ Andy Show needed a summer replacement in 1944, Chester Morris was lured to the NBC microphone for a short-lived Boston Blackie series sponsored by Rinso. The following year, Boston Blackie was syndicated by Ziv with Dorothy Kilgallen’s husband, Dick Kollmar, in the title role. This syndicated series lasted until 1950 and featured Maurice Tarplin as Inspector Faraday with Leslie Woods and Jan Miner as Mary. In 1951, the series made the leap to television starring Kent Taylor as Blackie, Lois Collier as Mary and Frank Orth as Faraday.

You Bet Your Life w/ Groucho Marx Ep. #17 Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free comedy/quiz episodes of You Bet Your Life

A) 4/13/57 w/ Groucho Marx

B) 3/30/57 w/ Groucho Marx

Created by John Guedel, You Bet Your Life was one of the best-loved quiz show to air on both radio and television. It was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. It debuted on radio in 1947 and lasted until 1960. For much of this time it was also seen on television. Contestant teams usually consisted of one male and one female, mostly selected from the studio audience. Groucho would engage in humorous conversations with the contestants and if they said the “secret word” (a common word revealed to the audience at the outset of each episode) a toy duck resembling Groucho – with eyeglasses and a mustache – descended from the ceiling to bring a $100 prize. After the conversations, the actual game began. Contestants were allowed to choose from a list of 20 available categories and try to answer a series of questions within the category to win additional money. At the end of the show, the contestants could play for a Jackpot question, risking half of their previous earnings in the hope of winning the Jackpot.

Box Thirteen w/ Alan Ladd Ep. #16 Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free exciting adventures of Box Thirteen

A) 2/27/48 The Better Man w/ Alan Ladd

B) 1/9/48 Damsel in Distress w/ Alan Ladd

Movie star Alan Ladd played Dan Holiday, retired newspaperman turned fiction writer and adventurer extraordinaire. To gain ideas for his books, Holiday placed an ad in the Star-Times newspaper "Adventure wanted – will go anywhere, do anything – Box 13." It wasn’t long before his Box 13 became jammed with adventures galore. Holiday always had more adventure than he had originally sought, because those who responded to his ad never revealed all of their glorious, unusual, and sometimes sinister details until they met in person and the adventure had already begun. Silvia Picker played Holiday's scatter-brained secretary, Suzy. Suzy added touches of humor to the mystery-adventure and nail-biting storylines. “Box 13” was produced by Mayfair Productions, a company run by Alan Ladd and Richard Sandville. The name came from Mayfair Restaurant, which Ladd and Sandville owned during WWII. In addition to producing “Box 13”, Ladd also wrote some of the scripts.

Hopalong Cassidy Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two western adventures of Hopalong Cassidy

A) 2/17/51 Black Gross Fever w/ William Boyd

B) 12/29/51 The Killers of Lion Canyon w/ William Boyd

Fictional cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy was created in 1904 by author Clarence E. Mulford in a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Beginning in 1935, William Boyd starred as Hoppy in 66 popular films. On screen, the white-haired Bill “Hopalong” Cassidy was clad strikingly in all black, rode a white horse named “Topper” and thwarted dishonest characters that took advantage of honest citizens. By 1946, Hopalong Cassidy became the first network Western television series. Capitalizing on the success of the films and TV series, Mutual radio began broadcasting a weekly radio version in 1950 starring William Boyd as Hoppy with Andy Clyde as his comedic sidekick “California Carlson.” By 1950 more than 100 companies were manufacturing $70 million of Hopalong Cassidy product, including children’s dinnerware, lunch-boxes, pillows, roller skates, soap, wristwatches and pocketknives.

The Whistler Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two mystery episodes of The Whistler

A) 11/25/46 Two Year Plan w/ Lurene Tuttle

B) 4/1/46 Three Times a Sinner w/ Joseph Kearns

The Whistler was one of radio’s top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955 sponsored by the Signal Oil Company. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with: 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. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. The opening dialog was heard over the echo of footsteps and Wilbur Hatch's haunting signature 13-note theme, whistled each week by Dorothy Roberts. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps. The Whistler narrated, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show’s trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener. Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator the longest. Others who portrayed the Whistler included: Gale Gordon (Lucille Ball's future television nemesis), Joseph Kearns (Mr. Wilson on TV series Dennis the Menace), Marvin Miller (soon to be television's Michael Anthony on The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (The Shadow on radio from 1938-1943) and Everett Clarke.

The Adv. of Philip Marlowe Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two detective adventures of Philip Marlowe

A) 9/15/50 The Final Payment w/ Gerald Mohr

B) 9/8/50 The Fifth Mask w/ Gerald Mohr

Raymond Chandler's celebrated hardboiled private eye, Philip Marlowe, made his radio debut in 1945 on The Lux Radio Theatre with “Murder My Sweet” starring Dick Powell. Two years later, NBC would bring the character to the air in his own weekly series starring Van Heflin in The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe. A summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show, the series was short-lived, ending September 9th, 1947. CBS revived it in 1948 with The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr as Marlowe. With Producer/Director Norman Macdonnell at the helm, the series captured the largest audience in radio by 1949. Scripts were by Gene Levitt, Robert Mitchell, Mel Dinelli and Kathleen Hite. While Chandler’s distinctive similes were largely lacking, the strong, dry, sarcastic narration was there, and the way Mohr delivered his lines made you forget they weren’t written by Chandler. Supporting Mohr, were radio’s best, including Howard McNear, Parley Baer, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginian Greg and Lou Krugman. One of the best detective shows on the air, it lasted until 1951.

My Favorite Husband Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two comedy episodes of My Favorite Husband

A) 11/6/48 Liz and Katie Switch Identities w/ Lucille Ball

B) 4/1/49 April Fool’s Day w/ Lucille Ball

My Favorite Husband began on CBS Radio July 23, 1948, starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denning as Liz and George Cugat. Midway into the first season, confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change to Liz and George Cooper. The cheerful couple lived at 321 Bundy Drive in the fictitious city of Sheridan Falls and were billed as "two people who live together and like it." George was a banker and Liz was his happily married housewife. Sponsored by Jell-O, the series transitioned to television in 1953 starring Joan Caulfield and Barry Nelson while Lucille Ball (and husband Desi Arnaz) starred in the mega-TV hit I Love Lucy.

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