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:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Ep. #91 Nov 04, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free detective episodes of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

A) 2/10/47 The Strange Case of the Persecuted Millionaire w/ Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce

B) 4/18/48 The Case of the Very Best Butter w/ John Stanley and Alfred Shirley

Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the legendary, violin-playing detective and his loyal companion were first heard on the air in a 1922 local production of “The Sign of the Four” by pioneer station (Schenectady, New York). Doyle wrote 56 short stories and four novels based on the Holmes character. Radio scriptwriter Edith Meiser handled all the adaptations during the first decade and when material was running low, the Conan Doyle estate gave her permission to create original mysteries. The stories have been dramatized so often and by so many performers in every known entertainment medium that listing them would require volumes of footnotes. Of all the Sherlock Holmes dramas broadcast on radio, however, the most popular starred Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce (broadcast from 1939 until 1946). To many, these fine Hollywood actors represented the quintessential Holmes and Dr. Watson. Nigel Bruce, playing a retired Watson, usually functioned as the narrator, entertaining listeners with accounts of his adventures alongside the eccentric detective. Following Rathbone’s departure from the role in 1946, Tom Conway played Holmes to Nigel Bruce’s Dr. Watson. In 1947, both Conway and Bruce were replaced by John Stanley and Alfred Shirley, with Shirley replaced by Ian Martin for the 1948-49 season. Regardless of who performed the roles of Holmes and Watson, the quality of the stories remained constant. Well-crafted, atmospheric, and never sensationalized, these were good, solid mysteries and the millions of listeners who sat back in their easy chairs, cup of hot tea or coffee in hand, thoroughly enjoyed them.

The Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Show Ep. #90 Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Show w/ guests, Marlene Dietrich and Rosemary Clooney

A) 3/21/52 w/ guest, Marlene Dietrich

B) 9/16/52 w/ guest, Rosemary Clooney

In 1949, NBC tapped the comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis as a Summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. Dean and Jerry were popular nightclub performers with sold out crowds everywhere they played. NBC offered them Bob Hope’s vacated timeslot and committed to one of the biggest build-ups ever given to a pair of newcomers to radio comedy. Dean and Jerry didn’t disappoint and proved that they could dish out their distinctive brand of zanyism over the airwaves in a big way. The Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Show was more than just Martin’s golden voice and Lewis’ zany antics -- the network insisted on a weekly celebrity guest which included Dick Powell, Henry Fonda, Bing Crosby, John Garfield, Vincent Price, Jane Russell and even Bob Hope himself. The weekly budget was a pricey $10,000, but after a short while, the series attracted a sponsor and executives at NBC patted themselves on the back for establishing a hit show that also became a financial success. With that kind of budget, NBC could afford Norman Lear, the comedy genius later responsible for All in the Family and Sanford and Son, as writer. The success of the radio series led to Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis also appearing as monthly hosts for NBC’s Colgate Comedy Hour, a highly-rated television show. NBC used the television program to cross-promote the radio program, even recycling some of the radio sketches for the television counterpart. Film producer Hal Wallis jumped on the Martin & Lewis bandwagon, signing the boys to a multi-picture film contract. Their film comedies were box office gold catapulting them to mega-stardom. With meteoritic success on radio, TV and films, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis proved they were masters of all three commercial media. After their partnership ended in 1956, both went on to successful solo careers and neither would comment on the split nor consider a reunion.

Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator Ep. #89 Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free detective episodes of Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator starring William Gargan

A) 12/5/51 The Paper Bullets

B) 12/12/51 Death and the Purple Cow

Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator was a popular detective series heard on NBC from 1951 until 1955. Initially it was titled Barry Crane but soon became Barrie Craig. The series starred William Gargan as New York-based Barrie Craig with Ralph Bell as homicide detective, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig liked to work alone and had an office on Madison Avenue. He solved his cases efficiently, and feared no one. He was billed as “your man when you can’t go to the cops, confidentiality a specialty.” Craig’s style was laid-back, which cut against the popular hard-boiled detective stereotype. Scripts were by Louis Vittes, John Roeburt and Ernest Kinoy. The series was broadcast from New York until 1954 with the East Coast’s best supporting actors rounding out the casts. In 1954, through the end of its run in 1955, NBC moved the show to Hollywood with Himan Brown and Andrew C. Love serving as directors. The producers hired Blake Edwards to write and direct a 1952 Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator TV pilot, but it never sold. A few years earlier, William Gargan had played a similar character on radio and TV called Martin Kane, Private Eye. Maybe the reason Gargan was such a convincing detective is because he was a real detective prior to becoming an actor. He worked as a credit investigator and collection agent for a clothing firm. After that, he worked as a private detective with a New York agency for $10.00 a day and expenses. As an actor, Gargan played Ellery Queen in three movies before being cast as Martin Kane, Private Eye. After he left Martin Kane, Gargan signed a million-dollar, seven-year contract with MCA to star in Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator on NBC.

Gunsmoke Ep. #88 Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free western episodes of Gunsmoke starring William Conrad

A) 9/19/53 There Was Never a Horse

B) 9/26/53 Fawn

Around Dodge City and in the territory on 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! In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of the Phillip Marlowe radio series, asked his programming chief to develop a hardboiled Western series. Several attempts were made but the project was shelved until 1952 when Norman Macdonnell and John Meston were brought in. Produced for adult listeners, Macdonnell and Meston set Gunsmoke in Dodge City, Kansas, during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Few radio westerns gave any inkling of how brutal the Old West was in reality. On Gunsmoke, the stories were grim, the deaths violent and life on the plains was harsh. Radio audiences had never heard anything like Gunsmoke and they made it the #1 western on radio drawing critical acclaim for unprecedented realism. The dialogue was often slow and halting, and as a result of the outstanding sound effects, listeners had a nearly palpable sense of the prairie where the show was set. The effects were subtle but multilayered, giving the show a spacious and authentic feel. Gunsmoke soon made a successful transition to television (with a completely different cast) becoming the longest-running dramatic series in TV history. Several of the radio scripts were adapted for the television show. 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.

The Halls of Ivy Ep. #87 Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free detective episodes of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe w/ Gerald Mohr

A) 12/3/49 The Kid on the Corner

B) 1/28/50 The Hairpin Turn

Raymond Chandler, author of the celebrated Philip Marlowe novels, had originally wanted to approve the scripts for the radio adaption of his creation. After the success of the Marlowe movies, Chandler knew the detective was a sure-fire hit, but in the end had very little involvement with the radio program. Van Heflin was the first actor to portray the cynical sleuth in a series that debuted in 1947, a scheduled summer replacement for The Bob Hope show. With his restrained yet forceful handling of the part, Heflin turned Philip Marlowe into a slicker sleuth than most. Chandler reportedly disliked Heflin’s portrayal, believing it was “thoroughly flat,” according to a letter sent to writer Erle Stanley Gardner. Marlowe returned to the airwaves in the fall of 1948, played by Gerald Mohr. The Broadway actor’s baritone voice was perfect for the fictional Los Angeles detective, and Mohr played him as a “packed personality” who would even rough up a street urchin to get information. Marlowe was a lone wolf who hired himself out to anyone who could pay his “ten-a-day plus expenses.” When the series left the air in 1951, CBS had begun production of a television pilot in the hopes of adapting the character for the tube. Mohr went along for the ride but the pilot didn’t sell. No worries, the actor soon found himself being offered strong supporting roles in television series and motion pictures by nearly every major TV and film studio. Philip Carey was cast as Marlowe in an ABC 1959-60 TV series and Powers Boothe portrayed the celebrated detective in a top-notch HBO series from 1983-1986.

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Ep. #86 Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free detective episodes of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe w/ Gerald Mohr

A) 12/3/49 The Kid on the Corner

B) 1/28/50 The Hairpin Turn

The Jack Benny Program #85 Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free comedy episodes of The Jack Benny Program w/ Jack Benny and all his gang

A) 3/27/55 The Shooting of Dan McGrew

B) 3/4/51 Going to the Dentist

Born in Chicago, February 14, 1894, Benjamin Kubelsky would later become known as Jack Benny. As a boy, he was encouraged by his Jewish immigrant parents from Poland to become a concert violinist. He learned to play quite well and hit the vaudeville stage, where he played popular songs and honed a suave-but-fragile personality, telling self-deprecating jokes. Benny guested on Ed Sullivan’s radio show March 19, 1932 and was an instant success. Canada Dry signed him to a contract that same year and soon Jack Benny was broadcasting each week on CBS. His radio career included a long run on NBC and then a return to CBS through his final radio days. His all-star supporting cast included his wife Mary Livingstone, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mel Blanc, Frank Nelson, announcer Don Wilson and The Sportsmen Quartet. As Jerry Seinfeld would emulate years later on Seinfeld, Benny’s cast received the best jokes – many pointed at the show’s star. Expert scripts constantly reminded listeners of Benny’s portrayal of himself as a lovable, vain, miser, concerned about his receding hairline and insistence that he was no older than 39. His sponsors over the years included Canada Dry, Chevrolet, Jell-O, Grape Nuts Flakes and Lucky Strike. The Jack Benny Program made a successful transition to television with his entire supporting cast in tow. Benny’s radio and television shows ran for more than three decades and is generally regarded as the high-water mark in 20th century American comedy.

The Whistler Ep. #84 Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free mystery episodes of The Whistler w/ Frank Lovejoy

A) 7/16/47 Beyond Reasonable Doubt

B) 8/6/47 Dark Future

Eerie whistling, picked up by the orchestra for dramatic effect, was the signature tune for this CBS mystery/crime anthology created by J. Donald Wilson. Many considered The Whistler a sister program to Suspense but without the celebrity guests. Through a careless mistake or a twist of fate, nearly every killer, blackmailer, and criminal would ultimately be brought to justice by the show’s conclusion. Always looming in the shadows was the Whistler, an omnipresent figure acting almost as a guilty conscience. Having foreseen the fate of the protagonists, he nevertheless urged them on, strangely aware of what they were thinking. The Whistler’s grim chortles concluded each story of those unfortunate enough to be caught in a dark web of their own making. The program initially aired on the CBS Pacific Network without a sponsor, then in December of 1943 secured the backing of Signal Oil. Two productions with recycled scripts were also broadcast for both Chicago and the East Coast, but with a different cast. The radio program never managed to secure a coast-to-coast sponsor for a nationwide hook-up yet it still had a long and successful run airing from 1942 until 1955. For a time, Gale Gordon, Marvin Miller and Joseph Kearns supplied the voice of the Whistler but Bill Forman had the role the longest. Columbia Pictures produced a series of eight motion pictures based on the radio series from 1944 to 1948. A television series comprising 39 episodes was produced in 1954 which was distributed via syndication throughout the rest of the decade.

Boston Blackie Ep. #83 Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free detective episodes of Boston Blackie w/ Dick Kollmar

A) 7/16/46 The Green Line Trucking Murder

B) 7/23/46 The Murdering Cuckoo Clock

Everyone loves an underdog, especially one who can exchange barbs with police inspectors and prove himself smarter than the law. On radio, Boston Blackie was an ex-safecracker, constantly suspected of crimes he did not commit and forced to play the role of detective to clear his name. Girlfriend Mary Wesley assisted Blackie from time to time. As the announcer reminded listeners each week, Blackie was “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend.” Blackie helped many underworld characters resolve their disputes with the law and was forced to defend himself against the accusations of Inspector Faraday. Looking for a summer replacement for Amos ‘n’ Andy, Frederic W. Ziv test-marketed Boston Blackie nationwide. Lever Brothers sponsored the program and pitched Rinso Laundry soap. The short-run 1944 series featured Chester Morris reprising his 1941 screen role as Boston Blackie, with Richard Lane as Inspector Faraday. Blackie was aided by the Runt, a small-time hood, who also appeared in the Columbia Pictures series. For Columbia, the radio program served to cross-promote the latest Boston Blackie picture. For Ziv, the investment proved fruitful. The program was a tremendous success and quickly went into production for syndication … without Chester Morris. Beginning in 1945, Ziv released the first of what would be numerous package deals consisting of transcription discs to radio stations coast-to-coast. Broadway actor Richard Kollmar (husband to Dorothy Kilgallen) played the title role and the Runt was replaced by a character named Shorty. For the radio series, a female character was added, Mary Wesley (played by Jan Miner and Lesley Woods). In the Boston Blackie novels by Jack Boyle, Mary was Blackie’s wife but Ziv thought a girlfriend, especially one who suspected Blackie of committing crimes but hoped to be proven wrong, was more interesting. Boston Blackie proved to be among Ziv’s most lucrative investments, running a close second to The Cisco Kid but outshining his other radio ventures, including shows starring Red Skelton and Eddie Cantor.

The Kraft Music Hall Ep. #82 Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Enjoy two free musical/variety episodes of The Kraft Music Hall w/ Bing Crosby

A) 7/6/44 w/ Bing Crosby and guests, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey

B) 11/30/44 w/ Bing Crosby and guests, Spike Jones and His City Slickers

The Kraft Music Hall was a top-rated musical-variety series first airing on NBC in 1933. Paul Whiteman (billed as “The King of Jazz”) was arguably America’s first music superstar and the show’s master of ceremonies. By 1936, Bing Crosby replaced Whiteman and stayed with the show for more than a decade. Crosby’s casual style and humorous easy-going banter made The Kraft Music Hall tops with the young “country club” set. FYI: The average radio listener was 21 during this period, compared to the average age of 11 at the movie houses. Each week, Crosby rubbed elbows with Hollywood guest stars, including Lucille Ball, Boris Karloff, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, Henry Fonda and Judy Garland, to name a few. Sponsor, Kraft Foods, insisted that advertising and entertainment be kept separate. For this reason, the announcer (Ken Carpenter), not cast members, read its commercials. Crosby left in 1946 to star in Philco Radio Time, a show that could be recorded, conveniently, ahead of broadcast (having to host Kraft Music Hall live each week was cramping Crosby’s busy film and golf schedule). After a handful of short-lived hosts, Al Jolson landed the role of weekly master of ceremonies. Jolson’s sarcastic pianist and sidekick, Oscar Levant, was on hand to augment the show with his unique style of music and dry wit. Jolson stayed with the show until the end of its run in 1949. In 1958, Kraft Music Hall made a transition to television with singer Perry Como as host.

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