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:

Inner Sanctum Mystery Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two horror episodes of Inner Sanctum Mystery

A) 10/2/45 Shadow of Death w/ Richard Widmark

B) 1/31/49 The Devil’s Fortune w/ Karl Swenson

Taking its name from a popular series of mystery novels, Inner Sanctum Mystery debuted over NBC’s Blue Network in January 1941. Inner Sanctum Mystery featured one of the most memorable and atmospheric openings in radio history: an organist hit a dissonant chord, a doorknob turned and the famous “creaking door” slowly began to open. Every week, Inner Sanctum Mystery told stories of ghosts, murderers and lunatics. Produced in New York, the cast usually consisted of veteran radio actors, with occasional guest appearances by such Hollywood stars Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Claude Rains. What made Inner Sanctum Mystery unique among radio horror shows was its host, a slightly sinister sounding fellow originally known as “Raymond.” The host had a droll sense of humor and an appetite for ghoulish puns, and his influence can be seen among horror hosts everywhere, from the Crypt-Keeper to Elvira. Raymond Edward Johnson was the show’s host until 1945; Paul McGrath took over as host until the show left the air in 1952. Producer Himan Brown would utilize the creaking door again in the 1970s, when he produced and directed The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

Have Gun, Will Travel Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two western episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel

A) 7/5/59 Comanche w/ John Dehner

B) 7/12/59 Young Man w/ John Dehner

Have Gun, Will Travel followed the adventures of Paladin, a soldier of fortune-turned-hired gunfighter, played by John Dehner. Paladin preferred to settle problems without violence, yet, when forced to fight, excelled. He lived at the swanky Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in formal wear, ate gourmet food, attended the opera and enjoyed the company of beautiful women. When working as a gun-for-hire, he dressed in all black, used calling cards and wore a holster, decorated by a characteristic chess knight emblem. The knight symbol was in reference to his name and his occupation as a champion-for-hire. One of radio’s best-loved westerns, Have Gun, Will Travel lasted on radio until 1960 and was televised from 1957 through 1963.

Dragnet Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two true-crime episodes of Dragnet

A) 10/26/54 The Big Key w/ Jack Webb

B) 9/8/53 The Big Lift w/ Jack Webb

Starring Jack Webb, Dragnet was the most famous and influential police procedural drama of all-time. It dramatized cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. Actor and producer Jack Webb took Dragnet to new highs and insisted on realism in every facet of the show. The dialog was clipped, understated and sparse, influenced by the hardboiled school of crime fiction. Scripts were fast-paced yet didn’t seem rushed. Every aspect of police work was chronicled, step-by-step, from patrols and paperwork, to crime scene investigation, lab work and questioning suspects. Friday offered voice-over narration throughout the episodes, noting the time, date and place of every scene as he and his partners went through their day investigating the crime. While most radio series used one or two sound-effects experts, Dragnet needed five. A 30-minute episode could easily require 300 separate sound effects. Dragnet came it radio in 1949 and lasted until 1957 making an easy transition to television and films.

Fibber McGee & Molly Ep. #8 Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two comedy episodes of Fibber McGee & Molly

A) 2/3/48 Fibber Makes a Lamp w/ Jim & Marian Jordan

B) 2/10/48 Repairing a Sled w/ Jim & Marian Jordan

Fibber McGee & Molly had a long and successful run on radio (1935-1959). The program showcased terrific comic and musical talent, headlined by its creators and stars, married couple Jim and Marian Jordan. Living in the fictional Midwestern city of Wistful Vista, Fibber was an American teller of tall tales and a braggart, usually to the exasperation of his long suffering wife Molly. Life in Wistful Vista followed a well-developed formula, but was always fresh. Fibber's weekly schemes would be interrupted, inspired by, and often played upon the people of Wistful Vista, a set of regular players and characters that were as beloved as the stars of the program. The program used a series of running gags that would become part of the common language, many treasures can be found in the Closet at 79 Wistful Vista. The show began as a comic reflection of Depression Era America, but as time went on and the shadows of war came over the nation, the show again caught the mood of the country. WWII was fought on the Home front on Wistful Vista as surely as anywhere else in America, but here they had the benefit of Fibber's somewhat addled perspective.

Escape Ep. #7 Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two high-adventure episodes of Escape

A) 8/18/47 The Fourth Man w/ Paul Frees

B) 2/1/47 The Vanishing Lady w/ Joan Banks

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 until September 25, 1954. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with this introduction, as intoned by Paul Frees and/or William Conrad: Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape! Following the opening theme, a second announcer (usually Roy Rowan) would add: Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure! Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits. Actors on the series included: Eleanor Audley, Parley Baer, Harry Bartell, William Conrad, Ted deCorsia, John Dehner, Sam Edwards, Virginia Gregg, Lou Merrill, Howard McNear, Jeanette Nolan, Alan Reed, Bill Johnstone, Marvin Miller, Frank Lovejoy, Berry Kroeger, Vic Perrin, Elliott Lewis, Jack Webb, Peggy Webber and Will Wright. Music was supplied by Del Castillo, organist Ivan Ditmars, Cy Feuer, Wilbur Hatch and Leith Stevens. The announcers were Paul Frees and Roy Rowan.

X Minus One Ep. #6 Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two sci-fi adventures of X Minus One

A) 5/1/56 Sea Legs w/ William Redfield

B) 8/1/57 End as a World w/ Peter Fernandez

X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio series broadcast from April 24, 1955 until January 9, 1958 over NBC. Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X (1950-51), X Minus One is widely considered among the finest science fiction dramas ever produced for radio. The first 15 episodes were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers, including Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field. New York’s finest radio actors are heard in the supporting casts, including Bob Hastings, Jan Miner, Luis Van Rooten, Teri Kean and Les Damon.

Our Miss Brooks Ep. #5 Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two comedy episodes of Our Miss Brooks

A) 10/30/49 Halloween Pary w/ Eve Arden

B) 3/25/51 Buying a Parcel of Land w/ Eve Arden

Our Miss Brooks was a situation comedy show heard on radio and seen on television and films. It starred Hollywood film and New York stage veteran Eve Arden, who had specialized in playing the wisecracking friend to the heroine. She often did it better than anyone else, receiving an Oscar nomination for 1945’s “Mildred Pierce.” Arden’s skill with the wicked one-liner and acid aside was beginning to lead to typecasting so, to find a new image, Arden signed on for the lead in radio’s Our Miss Brooks. The series centered on Connie Brooks, a smart, sharp-witted, lovable English teacher at fictional Madison High School. Between gentle wisecracks, Miss Brooks doted on nerdish student Walter Denton (Richard Crenna) and frequently locked horns with crusty, cranky Principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon). Many plot lines revolved around Miss Brooks’ longing for Philip Boynton (Jeff Chandler), the school’s bashful biology teacher. Our Miss Brooks made a successful transition to TV in 1952 while the radio series lasted until 1957.

The Adventures of Sam Spade Ep. #4 Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two detective episodes of Sam Spade

A) 6/20/48 The Deathbed Caper w/ Howard Duff

B) 9/12/48 The Lazarus Caper w/ Howard Duff

The detective character, Sam Spade, was created by Dashiell Hammett for his crime novel “The Maltese Falcon.” Spade was a hard-boiled detective with cold detachment, a keen eye for detail and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. The character is most closely associated with Humphrey Bogart who played Sam Spade in the third and most famous film version of “The Maltese Falcon.” In 1946, one of radio’s top producers (William Spier) brought Sam Spade to CBS radio starring newcomer Howard Duff with Lurene Tuttle (and occasionally Sandra Gould) as Spade’s secretary, Effie Perrine and sponsored by Wildroot Cream Oil. Duff took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character than the novel or movies. Dashiell Hammett lent his name to the radio series but had little involvement. In 1947, scriptwriters Jason James and Bob Tallman received an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama from the Mystery Writers of America. Howard Duff starred as Spade until November of 1950 when Steve Dunne took the role.

Gunsmoke with William Conrad Ep. #3 Jan 15, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two mystery episodes of Gunsmoke

A) 5/7/55 Potato Road w/ William Conrad

B) 12/13/52 Post Martin

“Around Dodge City and in the territory out West, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers and that’s with a U.S. Marshal and the smell of … GUNSMOKE!” Radio westerns were aimed at kids until 1952 when Gunsmoke hit the radio airwaves. Produced for adult listeners, the stories were grim, the deaths brutal and life on the plains was harsh. Radio audiences had never heard anything like Gunsmoke and they made it the #1 western on radio. It soon made a successful transition to television becoming the longest-running dramatic series in TV history. Join William Conrad (U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon), Parley Baer (Deputy Chester Proudfoot), Georgia Ellis (Kitty Russell) and Howard McNear (Doc Adams) in the continuing “story of the violence that moved west with young America and the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal.”

Suspense with Cary Grant Ep. #2 Jan 15, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two mystery episodes of Suspense

A) 11/16/50 On a Country Road w/ Cary Grant

B) 3/31/48 You Can’t Die Twice w/ Edward G. Robinson

Conceived as a potential radio vehicle for Alfred Hitchcock to direct, Suspense was a radio series of epic proportion. It aired on CBS from 1942 to 1962, and is considered by many to be the best mystery/drama series of the golden age. Often referred to as 'Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills' it focused on suspenseful, thrillers starring the biggest names in Hollywood. Early in the run, the episodes were hosted by the 'Man In Black' who, from an omniscient perch, narrated stories of people thrown into dangerous or bizarre situations with plots that, at the very end, usually had an unseen twist or two. Hollywood’s finest actors jumped at the chance to appear on Suspense, including: Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Alan Ladd, Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis and Orson Welles. Scripts were by John Dickson Carr, Lucille Fletcher, James Poe, Ray Bradbury and many others. Running more than 20 years, Suspense aired nearly 1,000 radio broadcasts. It made the transition to television in 1949, but it was on radio that Suspense enjoyed its glory days.

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