Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Bob Camardella Remembers The Whistler OTR "The Juggernaut"

Riginal Air Date: June 9, 1947

Starring: "Herb Butterfield"

Wilbur Hatch (music)

The Whistler was a mystery/suspense radio show, the main star of which was the ironic twist at the end of almost every episode. Usually a criminal's activity was exposed either by an overlooked (vital) detail or by their own stupidity. The Whistler himself narrated, often commenting directly upon the action, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective.

Each dramatic episode began with the whistling of a haunting tune which was composed by Wilbur Hatch and featured Dorothy Roberts whistling with an orchestra.

"I am The Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, 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."

Show Notes From Classic Mystery Radio .com

Bob Camardella Remembers Our Miss Brooks "Lack Of Coal At Madison High" (01-09-49) STEREO

Release date April 24, 1956
Our Miss Brooks is a 1956 American comedy film starring Eve Arden, Gale Gordon, Don Porter and Robert Rockwell, based on the radio and TV sitcom hit on CBS of the same name. Directed by Al Lewis, who was the chief writer for the radio and TV editions, and written by both him and Joseph Quillan, the film disregarded the past four years of television and started with a new storyline. It was distributed by Warner Brothers.

Plot

Unmarried, sarcastic English literature and grammar teacher Connie Brooks (Eve Arden) arrives in a small Midwestern town to teach at the local high school. She meets handsome, athletic biology teacher Phillip Boynton (Robert Rockwell), and they begin dating. Boynton, however, is unwilling to commit to the relationship, and several years of platonic dating pass (to Miss Brooks' consternation).
When student Gary Nolan (Nick Adams) does poorly in her class, his father—wealthy local newspaper publisher Lawrence Nolan (Don Porter)—accuses Miss Brooks of being incompetent. Brooks convinces Mr. Nolan that he's working too hard and neglecting his son. Mr. Nolan hires Miss Brooks to tutor his son in English, and agrees to spend more time with Gary. As Gary becomes a better-adjusted youth, Mr. Nolan begins to romance Miss Brooks

Bob Camardella Remembers The Fantastic Voice Of Barbra Streisand "The Way We Were"

Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (/ˈstraɪsænd/ STRY-sand; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the first performer awarded an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).

Streisand's career began in the early 1960s performing in nightclubs and Broadway theaters. Following guest appearances on various television shows, she signed to Columbia Records—retaining full artistic control in exchange for accepting lower pay, an arrangement that continued throughout her career. Her studio debut The Barbra Streisand Album (1963) won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Throughout her recording career, Streisand has topped the US Billboard 200 chart with 11 albums (the record for a woman until 2023), including People (1964), The Way We Were (1974), Guilty (1980), and The Broadway Album (1985). She also topped the US Billboard Hot 100 with five singles: "The Way We Were" , "Evergreen", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (with Neil Diamond), "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (with Donna Summer), and "Woman in Love".

Following her established recording success, Streisand ventured into film by the end of the 1960s. She starred in the critically acclaimed Funny Girl (1968), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 41st Academy Awards. Additional fame on the big screen followed with the extravagant musical Hello, Dolly! (1969), the screwball comedy What's Up, Doc? (1972), and the romantic drama The Way We Were (1973). Streisand won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for writing the love theme from A Star Is Born (1976), the first woman to be honored as a composer. With the release of Yentl (1983), Streisand became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major studio film. The film won an Oscar for Best Original Score and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Musical. Streisand also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, becoming the first (and for 37 years, the only) woman to win that award. Streisand later produced and directed The Prince of Tides (1991), and The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996).

With sales exceeding 150 million records worldwide, Streisand is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the second-highest certified female artist in the United States, with 68.5 million certified album units. Billboard ranked Streisand as the greatest solo artist on the Billboard 200 chart and the top Adult Contemporary female artist of all time.

Bob Camardella Remembers "Life With Luigi" 1948 to 1953

Life with Luigi is an American radio situation comedy series which began September 21, 1948, on CBS Radio and broadcast its final episode on March 3, 1953.

The action centered on Luigi Basco and his experiences as a newly arrived Italian immigrant in Chicago. Many episodes took place at the night school classes that Luigi attended with other immigrants from different countries. Another common theme involved Luigi's landlord/sponsor, Pasquale, scheming to get Luigi to marry his obese daughter. Perennial character actor and two-time Academy Award nominee J. Carrol Naish played Luigi.

Life with Luigi was created by Cy Howard, who had earlier created the hit radio comedy, My Friend Irma. The working title was The Little Immigrant, echoed in the sign-off of each episode, "Your lovin-a son-a, Luigi Basco, the li'l immigrant." Other characters on the show included Pasquale (Alan Reed), another Italian immigrant who is always trying to trap Luigi into marrying his daughter Rosa (Jody Gilbert); native Chicagoan Jimmy (Gil Stratton), Luigi's young business associate; Miss Spaulding (Mary Shipp), Luigi's night school teacher and ideal woman; and Schultz (Hans Conried), a German immigrant and fellow student in Luigi's citizenship class. Each episode used the framing device of Luigi narrating a letter to his mother back in Italy.

The show was popular, successfully competing with Bob Hope's The Pepsodent Show. For most of its run, Life with Luigi aired at 9 pm on Tuesdays. Despite an estimated 30% share of the audience in its timeslot, the show was without a sponsor until Wrigley's Gum bought it in 1950, continuing till the show ended in 1953.

TV Version

A live CBS Television version aired beginning on September 22, 1952, but was short-lived. Naish, Reed, Gilbert, and Shipp all portrayed their radio characters on the television show. Originating at KNXT in Hollywood, the program was sponsored by Instant Maxwell House Coffee. Mac Benoff produced and Norman Tokar directed. Benoff and Lou Derman were the writers, and Lud Gluskin directed the music.

Although it enjoyed high ratings, the show was pulled because of pressure from the Italian-American community. CBS tried to respond to advertisers' concerns by tinkering with the characters, the writing, and replacing Naish, Reed and Gilbert with Vito Scotti, Thomas Gomez, and Muriel Landers respectively, but the revised show was unsuccessful and was cancelled within weeks.

Bob Camardella Remembers "Jesus Of Nazareth MOVIE 1979

Shot on location in Israel, the film was financed primarily by Campus Crusade for Christ with a budget of $6 million, and was released without production or cast credits, as producer John Heyman declared that the creators of this picture were “simply being translators” of the New Testament's Gospel of Luke, “so nobody will know who produced or directed the film.” The end of the film states that the Good News Bible (Today's English Version) was used during filming, and instead of telling a parallel story or embellishing the Biblical account like other Biblical films, the filmmakers chose to adhere to the Gospel of Luke as closely as possible.

JESUS is often described as the most-watched motion picture of all time, in addition to being the most translated film of all time.

During the days of Emperor Augustus and King Herod the Great, Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her that she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. Later, Mary visits Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, who tells her that she is the most blessed of women and that her child is blessed.

When the Romans hold a census, Mary travels with her husband Joseph to his hometown of Bethlehem to register. There, Jesus is born in a manger. A week later, Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to present Jesus at the Temple. There, they are greeted by Simeon, who blesses Jesus as the Christ. At the age of twelve, Jesus becomes separated from his parents during a Passover trip to Jerusalem. When Mary asks about his whereabouts, Jesus tells them that he was in His Father's house. Years later, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius and King Herod Antipas, John the Baptist baptizes Jesus in the Jordan River and the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus.

Miriam Longstreet (1895–1971). The couple raised him as their son to avoid the social stigma that accompanied birth outside of wedlock at that time. Family, friends and even young Ted were told that his grandparents were his parents and that his mother was his older sister. Bundy eventually discovered the truth about his family, although his recollections of the circumstances varied; he told a girlfriend that a cousin showed him a copy of his birth certificate after calling him a "bastard, but he told biographers Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth that he had found the certificate himself. Biographer and true crime writer Ann Rule, who knew Bundy personally, wrote that he did not find out about his true parentage until 1969, when he located his original birth record in Vermont] Bundy expressed a lifelong resentment toward his mother for never telling him about his real father, and for leaving him to discover the truth about his paternity for himself.

Bundy occasionally exhibited disturbing behavior at an early age. Louise's younger sister, Julia Cowell, recalled awakening from a nap to find herself surrounded by knives from the kitchen, and her three-year-old nephew standing by the bed, smiling. In some interviews,Bundy spoke warmly of his grandparents and told Rule that he "identified with " "respected" and "clung to" his grandfather Samuel.

The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay, credited to William Roberts, is a remake – in an Old West-style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai (itself initially released in the United States as The Magnificent Seven). The ensemble cast includes Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, and Horst Buchholz as a group of seven gunfighters hired to protect a small village in Mexico from a group of marauding bandits led by Eli Wallach.

The film was released by United Artists on October 12, 1960, becoming both a critical and commercial success and has been appraised as one of the greatest films of the Western genre. It spawned three sequels, a television series that aired from 1998 to 2000, and a 2016 film remake. Elmer Bernstein's film score was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score and is listed on the American Film Institute's list of the top 25 American film scores.

In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

PLOT:

A gang of bandits led by Calvera periodically raids a poor Mexican village for food and supplies. After the latest raid, during which Calvera kills a villager, the village leaders decide to fight back. They send three villagers carrying their few objects of value to try and barter for weapons.

Yul_Brynner Steve_McQueen Host_Buchholz Charles_Bronson Robert_Vaughn

The Magnificent Seven is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay, credited to William Roberts, is a remake – in an Old West-style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai (itself initially released in the United States as The Magnificent Seven). The ensemble cast includes Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, and Horst Buchholz as a group of seven gunfighters hired to protect a small village in Mexico from a group of marauding bandits led by Eli Wallach.

The film was released by United Artists on October 12, 1960, becoming both a critical and commercial success and has been appraised as one of the greatest films of the Western genre. It spawned three sequels, a television series that aired from 1998 to 2000, and a 2016 film remake. Elmer Bernstein's film score was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score and is listed on the American Film Institute's list of the top 25 American film scores.

In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

PLOT

A gang of bandits led by Calvera periodically raids a poor Mexican village for food and supplies. After the latest raid, during which Calvera kills a villager, the village leaders decide to fight back. They send three villagers carrying their few objects of value to try and barter for weapons.

STARS:

Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Buchholz, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn

Bob Camardella Remembers "He Walked By Night" (1948)

He Walked by Night is a 1948 American police procedural film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited Anthony Mann. The film, shot in a semidocumentary tone, is loosely based on the real-life actions of Erwin "Machine-Gun" Walker, a former Glendale, California police department employee and World War II veteran who unleashed a crime spree of burglaries, robberies and shootouts in the Los Angeles area between 1945 and 1946.

During production, actor Jack Webb met the film's police technical advisor Marty Wynn and was inspired by a conversation with Wynn to create the radio program Dragnet, which later became the first modern police television drama.
He Walked by Night was released by Eagle-Lion Films. The film is notable for its camerawork by renowned film noir cinematographer John Alton.
Today the film is in the public domain.

Plot

On a Los Angeles street, Officer Rob Rawlins, a patrolman on his way home from work, stops a man whom he suspects of being a burglar and is shot and mortally wounded. The minor clues lead nowhere. Two police detectives, Marty Brennan and Chuck Jones, are assigned to catch the killer, Roy Morgan, a brilliant mystery man with no known criminal past. Morgan is hiding in a Hollywood bungalow and listening to police calls on his custom radio in an attempt to avoid capture. His only relationship is with his small dog.

The Song of Bernadette is a 1943 American biographical drama film based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Franz Werfel . It stars Jennifer Jones in the title role, which portrays the story of Bernadette Soubirous, who reportedly experienced eighteen visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary from February to July 1858 and was canonized in 1933. The film was directed by Henry King, from a screenplay by George Seaton.

The novel was extremely popular, spending more than a year on The New York Times Best Seller list and thirteen weeks heading the list. The story was also turned into a Broadway play, which opened at the Belasco Theater in March 1946.

In 1858, 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous lives in poverty with her family in Lourdes, France. She is shamed by her Catholic school teacher, Sister Vauzou for falling behind in her studies because of her asthma. That afternoon, while fetching firewood with her sister Marie and a friend, Bernadette waits for them in the Massabielle grotto. Distracted by a strange breeze and a change in the light, Bernadette sees a beautiful lady clad in white, standing on a rock niche. Bernadette tells her companions what she saw, and they promise not to tell anyone else. However, Marie tells their mother when they return home, and the story soon spreads all over Lourdes.

The novel has been adapted for the stage several times, including by playwrights Alan Lyddiard and Michael

Gene Sullivan. In 1976, a theater version of 1984 was produced in Teatar &TD, from Zagreb, former

Yugoslavia. The performance, which also included CCTV monitoring system, was adapted and directed by

Nenad Puhovski. It created some political controversies, but was never banned.

A 2013 adaptation by Robert Icke and Duncan MacMillan for the Headlong Theatre Company, which took

the novel's Newspeak appendix as its starting point, has toured the UK extensively, as well as played

commercially in the West End. A Broadway production began previews 18 May and opened on 22 June

2017 at the Hudson Theatre running until 8 October for 125 performances, while an Australian production

began a six-city limited tour from 13 May 2017.

Theater composer Jonathan Larson began writing a musical adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-Four in 1982, as

his first attempt at writing a full-length musical. Although the Orwell estate was reportedly interested, they

ultimately denied him the rights due to the then-upcoming film adaptation. Instead, Larson focused on a

similar dystopian musical titled Superbia, which used some of the cut songs from his 1984, although it also

went unproduced. Songs from Superbia, including ones originally written for Larson's 1984, have been

released over the years and are featured prominently in the autobiographical musical Tick, Tick… Boom!

and its film adaptation.

A new stage adaptation by Ryan Craig and directed by Lindsay Posner will open at the Theatre Royal, Bath

in September 2024 before embarking on a UK tour.

Bob Camardella Remembers "The Dirty Dozen" Final Mission (1967)

The Dirty Dozen is a 1967 American war film directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Lee Marvin, with an ensemble supporting cast including Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Richard Jaeckel, George Kennedy, Ralph Meeker, Robert Ryan, Trini Lopez, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, Clint Walker and Robert Webber. Set in 1944 during World War II, the film follows the titular penal military unit of twelve convicts as they are trained as commandos by the Allies for a suicide mission ahead of the Normandy landings.

The Dirty Dozen was filmed in England at MGM-British Studios and released by MGM. The screenplay is based on the 1965 bestseller of the same name by E. M. Nathanson, which itself was inspired by a real-life WWII unit of behind-the-lines demolition specialists from the 101st Airborne Division named the "Filthy Thirteen". Another possible inspiration was the public offer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt by 44 prisoners serving life sentences at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary to serve in the Pacific War on suicide missions against the Japanese.

With their commando training almost complete, the Dirty Dozen are sent for parachute training at a facility commanded by Reisman's nemesis, Colonel Everett Dasher Breed of the 101st Airborne Division. However, Breed is curiously not briefed about Project Amnesty. Rather than making inquiries to higher command, Breed makes several attempts to discover Reisman's mission, including infiltration of the Dirty Dozen's camp. Reisman, with the eager assistance of the convicts, angrily kicks Breed and his men out of the camp. Later, Breed's testimony combined with Reisman rewarding the Dirty Dozen (with the exception of Maggott, as his crime is the rape and murder of one) with prostitutes at the end of their training, prompts the ADSEC staff to consider terminating the project and sending the men back to serve their original sentences. Reisman defends the convicts' training and agrees to have them compete against Breed's men in war games to test their mettle. Breed finds this ridiculously humorous, but to his surprise, the Dirty Dozen successfully capture his headquarters and Worden allows Reisman to resume his mission.

Upon parachuting into northern France, Jiminez breaks his neck during the jump. With a man down, the mission proceeds with the German-speaking Wladislaw and Reisman infiltrating the chateau disguised as German officers. However, all surprise is lost when Maggott breaks cover by murdering an officer's spouse before he is killed by Jefferson for compromising the mission. The sound of gunfire makes the Wehrmacht officers and their companions retreat to a locked underground bomb shelter, but the unit pours gasoline through ventilation shafts and Jefferson throws grenades into the shelter through the shafts, killing the officers and their civilian guests.

After a firefight that kills nearly all the Dozen, Reisman, Bowren and Wladislaw escape back to England alive. Worden pardons Wladislaw, who is given the opportunity to resume his work in the armed forces. As the credits roll, Reisman communicates to the other convicts' next of kin that "they lost their lives in the line of duty".

Bob Camardella Remembers "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American lighthearted political satire film directed by Frank Capra, starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart, and featuring Claude Rains and Edward Arnold. The film is about a naive, newly appointed United States senator who fights against government corruption, and was written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story "The Gentleman from Montana". It was loosely based on the life of Montana US Senator Burton Wheeler, who underwent a similar experience when he was investigating the Warren Harding administration.

The film was controversial in the US when it was first released, with attacks from many politicians claiming that it brought Washington into disrepute, but it was very successful at both the domestic and international box offices, and it made Stewart a major star.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, winning Best Original Story. Considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, the film was selected by the Library of Congress as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1989, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
crucify the worshipful Smith so that their graft plan will go through, Paine tells Taylor he wants out, but Taylor reminds him that Paine is in power primarily through Taylor's influence. Paine then advises Smith to keep silent about the matter. The following day, when Smith speaks out about the bill at Senate, the machine in his state — through Paine — accuses Smith of trying to profit from his bill by producing fraudulent evidence that Smith already owns the land in question. Smith is too shocked and angry by Paine's betrayal to defend himself and runs away.

Saunders, who looked down on Smith at first, but has come to believe in him, talks him into launching a filibuster to postpone the appropriations bill and prove his innocence on the Senate floor just before the vote to expel him. In his last chance to prove his innocence, he talks non-stop for about 25 hours, reaffirming the American ideals of freedom and disclosing the dam scheme's true motives. Yet none of the senators are convinced.
The constituents try to rally around him, but the entrenched opposition is too powerful, and all attempts are crushed. Owing to the influence of Taylor's machine, newspapers and radio stations in Smith's home state, on Taylor's orders, refuse to report what Smith has to say and even distort the facts against the senator. The Boy Rangers' effort to spread the news in support of Smith results in vicious attacks on the children by Taylor's gangsters.

Although all hope seems lost, the senators begin to pay attention as Smith approaches utter exhaustion. Paine has one last card up his sleeve: he brings in bins of letters and telegrams from Smith's home state, purportedly from average people demanding his expulsion. Nearly broken by the news, Smith finds a small ray of hope in a friendly smile from the President of the Senate. Smith vows to press on until people believe him but immediately collapses in a faint. Overcome with the pangs of remorse, Paine leaves the Senate chamber and attempts to commit suicide by gunshot but is stopped by onlooking senators. He then bursts back into the Senate chamber, shouting a confession to the whole scheme; the reformed Paine further insists that he must be expelled from the Senate and affirms Smith's innocence to Clarissa's delight. The President of the Senate observes the ensuing chaos with amusement.

Bob Camardella Remembers "Scrooge" A Christmas Carol 1984

A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. In the process, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol during a period when the British were exploring and re-evaluating past Christmas traditions, including carols, and newer customs such as cards and Christmas trees. He was influenced by the experiences of his own youth and by the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving and Douglas Jerrold. Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was inspired following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged School, one of several establishments for London's street children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a selfish man to redeem himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this is a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.

Published on 19 December, the first edition sold out by Christmas Eve; by the end of 1844 thirteen editions had been released. Most critics reviewed the novella favourably. The story was illicitly copied in January 1844; Dickens took legal action against the publishers, who went bankrupt, further reducing Dickens's small profits from the publication. He subsequently wrote four other Christmas stories.

In 1849 he began public readings of the story, which proved so successful he undertook 127 further performances until 1870, the year of his death. A Christmas Carol has never been out of print and has been translated into several languages; the story has been adapted many times for film, stage, opera and other media.

A Christmas Carol captured the zeitgeist of the early Victorian revival of the Christmas holiday. Dickens acknowledged the influence of the modern Western observance of Christmas and later inspired several aspects of Christmas, including family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games and a festive generosity of spirit.

Bob Camardella Remembers "Frankinstein" (1931)

Frankenstein is a 1931 American gothic pre-Code science fiction horror film directed by James Whale, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., and adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling, which in turn was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The Webling play was adapted by John L. Balderston and the screenplay written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort, with uncredited contributions from Robert Florey and John Russell.

Frankenstein stars Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein in the novel), an obsessed scientist who digs up corpses with his assistant in order to assemble a living being from body parts. The resulting creature, often known as Frankenstein's monster, is portrayed by Boris Karloff. The makeup for the monster was provided by Jack Pierce. Alongside Clive and Karloff, the film's cast also includes Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye, and Edward Van Sloan.

Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, the film was a commercial success upon release, and was generally well received by both critics and audiences. It spawned a number of sequels and spin-offs, and has had a significant impact on popular culture: the imagery of a maniacal "mad" scientist with a hunchbacked assistant and the film's depiction of Frankenstein's monster have since become iconic. In 1991, the United States Library of Congress selected Frankenstein for preservation in the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Bob Camardella Remembers Mr. District Attorney (1947) MOVIE

Mr. District Attorney is a 1947 American film noir crime film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Adolphe Menjou and Marguerite Chapman. The film was based on the long-running and popular radio series Mr. District Attorney created by Phillips Lord.

Plot

An assistant district attorney becomes involved with a woman who works for the group that he is investigating.
Cast
Dennis O'Keefe as Steve Bennett
Adolphe Menjou as Craig Warren
Marguerite Chapman as Marcia Manning
Michael O'Shea as Harrington
George Coulouris as James Randolph
Jeff Donnell as Miss Miller
Steven Geray as Berotti
Ralph Morgan as Ed Jamison
John Kellogg as Franzen

Bob Camardella Remembers "The Chase" (1946) Full Movie

The Chase is a 1946 American film noir directed by Arthur Ripley. The screenplay by Philip Yordan is based on Cornell Woolrich's 1944 novel The Black Path of Fear. It stars Robert Cummings as Chuck Scott, a veteran who suffers from hallucinations. When he returns a lost wallet to violent mobster Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), Eddie offers to hire him as a chauffeur. Chuck becomes mixed up in a plot to help Eddie's wife Lorna (Michèle Morgan) run off to Havana to escape her cruel husband.

Chuck Scott is a World War II veteran who is now a penniless drifter in Miami tormented by bizarre dreams. After finding a wallet and returning it to Eddie Roman, a vicious gangster, he is hired by Roman to be his driver. Roman tests his new driver, whom he nicknames Scotty, by assuming control of his car from the back seat. Scotty does not know that Roman has an accelerator in the rear passenger compartment. This bizarre trick unnerves Scotty and Roman's right-hand man Gino.

Roman reveals himself as a tough gangster by killing any competition, and is harsh and controlling with his wife, Lorna. She goes for a ride every night, and one day she asks driver Scotty to take her to Havana, Cuba in exchange for $1,000. He consents and realizes that he is in love with her. When they reach Havana, they stop for a drink at a club, where Lorna is stabbed to death.

All the evidence points to Scotty as the killer, including the fact that he had, earlier that day, apparently purchased the knife used in the murder. He realizes that he is being framed. A photograph from the club that proves Scotty's innocence is destroyed by Gino, who has come to Cuba to exact revenge against Lorna and Scotty. Scotty escapes police custody but is supposedly gunned down by Gino when he returns to the curio store from which the knife was purchased. Scotty's face is never shown during this scene.

Production

The Black Path of Fear was published in 1944. The New York Times praised its "fiendishly ingenious plot and thrilling episodes."

Producer Seymour Nebenzal bought the rights to the story. In January 1946, he announced Phil Yordan, with whom he had made Whistle Stop, was writing the script.

Bob Camardella Remembers Clint Eastwood's "Hang 'Em High" (1968)

Hang 'Em High is a 1968 American revisionist Western film directed by Ted Post and written by Leonard Freeman and Mel Goldberg. It stars Clint Eastwood as Jed Cooper, an innocent man who survives a lynching; Inger Stevens as a widow who helps him; Ed Begley as the leader of the gang that lynched Cooper; and Pat Hingle as the federal judge who hires him as a Deputy U.S. Marshal.

Hang 'Em High was the first production of The Malpaso Company, Eastwood's production company. It was processed in DeLuxe Color.

Hingle portrays a fictional judge who mirrors Judge Isaac C. Parker, labeled the "Hanging Judge" due to the large number of men he sentenced to be executed during his service in the late 1800s as District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

The film also depicts the dangers of serving as a Deputy U.S. Marshal during that period, as many federal marshals were killed while serving under Parker. The fictional Fort Grant, base for operations for that district judge seat, is also a mirror of the factual Fort Smith, Arkansas, where Judge Parker's court was located.

In Oklahoma Territory in 1889, retired lawman Jed Cooper is surrounded by a posse of nine men: Captain Wilson, Reno, Miller, Jenkins, Stone, Maddow, Tommy, Loomis, and Charlie Blackfoot. They demand the receipt for the cattle Cooper is driving. The cattle seller is a robber who killed the rancher. Cooper explains that he knew nothing about the murder, but only Jenkins expresses doubts about his guilt. After Reno takes Cooper's horse and saddle and Miller takes his wallet, the men hang him from a tree and ride away.

On Christmas Eve, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Detective John McClane arrives in Los Angeles, hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, at a party held by her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation. He is driven to Nakatomi Plaza by a limo driver, Argyle, who offers to wait for McClane in the garage. While McClane washes himself, the tower is seized by the German radical Hans Gruber and his heavily armed team, including Karl and Theo. Everyone in the tower is taken hostage except for McClane, who slips away, and Argyle, who remains oblivious to events.

Gruber is posing as a terrorist to steal the $640 million in untraceable bearer bonds in the building's vault. He kills executive Joseph Takagi after failing to extract the access code from him and tasks Theo with breaking into the vault. The terrorists are alerted to McClane's presence, and Karl's brother, Tony, is sent after him. McClane kills Tony and takes his weapon and radio, which he uses to contact the skeptical Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Sergeant Al Powell is sent to investigate. Meanwhile, McClane kills more terrorists and recovers their bag of C-4 and detonators. Realizing Powell is about to leave, having found nothing amiss, McClane drops a terrorist's corpse onto his car. After Powell calls for backup, a SWAT team attempts to storm the building but is counterattacked by the terrorists. McClane throws some C-4 down an elevator shaft, causing an explosion that kills some of the terrorists and ends the counterattack.

Holly's co-worker Harry Ellis attempts to negotiate on Gruber's behalf but is killed by Gruber when McClane refuses to surrender. While checking the explosives on the roof, Gruber encounters McClane and pretends to be an escaped hostage; McClane gives Gruber a gun. Gruber attempts to shoot McClane but finds the weapon is unloaded, and he is saved only by the intervention of other terrorists. McClane escapes but is injured by shattered glass and loses the detonators. Outside, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents take control. They order the power to be shut off, which, as Gruber had anticipated, disables the final vault lock so his team can collect the bonds.

The FBI agrees to Gruber's demand for a helicopter, intending to send helicopter gunships to eliminate the group. McClane realizes Gruber plans to blow the roof to kill the hostages and fake his team's deaths. Karl, enraged by Tony's death, attacks McClane and is seemingly killed. Gruber sees a news report by Richard Thornburg on McClane's children and deduces that he is Holly's husband. The hostages are taken to the roof while Gruber keeps Holly with him. McClane drives the hostages from the roof just before Gruber detonates it and destroys the approaching FBI helicopters. Meanwhile, Theo retrieves an escape vehicle from the parking garage but is knocked out by Argyle, who has been following events on the limo's CB radio.

A weary and battered McClane finds Holly with Gruber and his remaining henchman. McClane surrenders to Gruber and is about to be shot but grabs his concealed service pistol taped to his back and uses his last two bullets to wound Gruber and kill his accomplice. Gruber crashes through a window but grabs onto Holly's wristwatch and makes a last-ditch attempt to kill the pair. McClane unclasps the watch, and Gruber falls to his death. Outside, Karl ambushes McClane and Holly but is shot dead by Powell. Holly punches Thornburg when he attempts to interview McClane. Argyle crashes through the parking garage door in the limo and drives McClane and Holly away together.

Cold Sweat is a 1970 French-Italian international co-production starring Charles Bronson and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1959 novel Ride the Nightmare by Richard Matheson. It was filmed in and around Beaulieu-sur-Mer.

An American (Charles Bronson) living in France must face his past when his wife and daughter are kidnapped by former fellow convicts turned narco-dealers he once double-crossed.

The film was known for an extended car chase with an Opel Commodore GS/E I6 involving the Bronson character's attempt to get a doctor to a wounded drug dealer in exchange for his wife.

Lady Gangster is a 1942 Warner Bros. B picture crime film directed by Robert Florey, credited as "Florian Roberts". It is based on the play Gangstress, or Women in Prison by Dorothy Mackaye, who in 1928, as #440960, served less than ten months of a one- to three-year sentence in San Quentin State Prison. Lady Gangster is a remake of the pre-Code film, Ladies They Talk About (1933). Jackie Gleason plays a supporting role.
Plot
Dorothy "Dot" Burton (Faye Emerson) is a member of a gang of v. Using her femininity and a cute dog provided her by her male cohorts, who dognapped him, she is able to enter a bank before opening time, leaving the door open and the bank guard holding her dog, thus enabling a successful robbery. When police interfere with the getaway, she faints and proclaims her innocence, but the police have strong doubts as "her" dog will not come to her and has a different name on his collar from what she calls him. After she confesses to her part in the robbery, she is sent to women's prison, where she makes an enemy of a fellow inmate who informs the governor that Burton knows where the bank's money is, thereby causing Burton to lose her parole. She is devastated by it but more trouble occurs as her old gang is going to kill her childhood sweetheart Ken Philips (Frank Wilcox), so she escapes by stealing the warden’s (Virginia Brissac) clothes and getting revenge on her rival inmate (Ruth Ford) before finally rescuing Ken.
Cast
Faye Emerson as Dorothy Drew Burton
Julie Bishop as Myrtle Reed
Frank Wilcox as Kenneth Phillips
Roland Drew as Carey Wells
Jackie Gleason as Wilson (as Jackie C. Gleason)
Ruth Ford as Lucy Fenton
Virginia Brissac as Mrs. Stoner
Dorothy Vaughan as Matron Jenkins
Dorothy Adams as Deaf Annie
William Hopper as John (as DeWitt Hopper)
Vera Lewis as Ma Silsby
Herbert Rawlinson as Lewis Sinton
Charles C. Wilson as Detective
Frank Mayo as Walker
Leah Baird as Matron
Jack Mower as Police Sergeant

Valli was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio on May 3, 1934 to an Italian family in the First Ward of Newark, New Jersey; he is the eldest of three sons. His father, Anthony Castelluccio, was a barber and display designer for Lionel model trains; his mother, Mary Rinaldi, was a homemaker and beer company employee. He was inspired to take up a singing career at age seven after his mother took him to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater in New York City. One of his early favorite singers was "Texas" Jean Valli, from whom he took his stage name. He worked as a barber until he could support himself with music.

Valli's birth year has been called into question. He never addressed the issue himself until a 2007 posting at the Official Frankie Valli Site, sponsored by his record label Universal Records. Much of his previous official publicity used 1937 as his birth year. Other sources gave his year of birth as 1934, such as the Bear Family Records release The Four Lovers (BCD 15424) and a 1965 mug shot, available through The Smoking Gun.

Music Career

Valli began his singing career in 1951 with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, Tommy DeVito, and Henry "Hank" Majewski), and was mentored in much of his early career by Nick Macioci, who later joined Valli in The Four Seasons, and by "Texas" Jean Valli, a female hillbilly singer, from whom he adopted the "Valli" surname. Geoff Herbert explains, "Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother. As a result, his first single was listed under 'Frankie Valley', and the name stuck—though he eventually changed it to the same spelling" that Texas Jean used. His desire to sing in public was initially granted when the group offered him a guest spot when they performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli and Tommy DeVito became part of the house band at The Strand in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Valli played bass and sang.

All in the Family is an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as Archie Bunker's Place, a continuation series, which picked up where All in the Family ended and ran for four seasons through April 4, 1983.

Based on the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part, All in the Family was produced by Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin. It starred Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers, and Rob Reiner. The show revolves around the life of a working-class man and his family. It broke ground by introducing challenging and complex issues into mainstream network television comedy: racism, antisemitism, infidelity, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, religion, miscarriages, abortion, breast cancer, the Vietnam War, menopause, and impotence. The series became arguably one of television's most influential comedic programs, as it injected the sitcom format with more dramatic moments and realistic, topical conflicts.

All in the Family has been ranked as one of the best American television series. The show became the most watched show in the United States during the summer reruns of the first season, and topped the yearly Nielsen ratings from 1971 to 1976, the first television series to have held the position for five consecutive years. The episode "Sammy's Visit" was ranked number 13 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time ranked All in the Family as number four. Bravo also named the show's protagonist, Archie Bunker, TV's greatest character of all time. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked All in the Family the fourth-best written TV series. In 2023, Variety ranked All in the Family #16 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows.

Bob Camardella Remembers "Frankie Valli The Four Seasons" STEREO

Valli was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio on May 3, 1934 to an Italian family in the First Ward of Newark, New Jersey; he is the eldest of three sons. His father, Anthony Castelluccio, was a barber and display designer for Lionel model trains; his mother, Mary Rinaldi, was a homemaker and beer company employee. He was inspired to take up a singing career at age seven after his mother took him to see Frank Sinatra at the Paramount Theater in New York City. One of his early favorite singers was "Texas" Jean Valli, from whom he took his stage name. He worked as a barber until he could support himself with music.

Valli's birth year has been called into question. He never addressed the issue himself until a 2007 posting at the Official Frankie Valli Site, sponsored by his record label Universal Records. Much of his previous official publicity used 1937 as his birth year. Other sources gave his year of birth as 1934, such as the Bear Family Records release The Four Lovers (BCD 15424) and a 1965 mug shot, available through The Smoking Gun.

Valli began his singing career in 1951 with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, Tommy DeVito, and Henry "Hank" Majewski), and was mentored in much of his early career by Nick Macioci, who later joined Valli in The Four Seasons, and by "Texas" Jean Valli, a female hillbilly singer, from whom he adopted the "Valli" surname. Geoff Herbert explains, "Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother. As a result, his first single was listed under 'Frankie Valley', and the name stuck—though he eventually changed it to the same spelling" that Texas Jean used. His desire to sing in public was initially granted when the group offered him a guest spot when they performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli and Tommy DeVito became part of the house band at The Strand in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Valli played bass and sang.

Shake Hands with the Devil is a 1959 British-Irish film produced and directed by Michael Anderson and starring James Cagney, Don Murray, Dana Wynter, Glynis Johns and Michael Redgrave. The film was written by Marian Spitzer based on the 1933 novel of the same title by Rearden Conner, the son of a Royal Irish Constabulary policeman.
The film is set in 1921 Dublin, where the Irish Republican Army battles the Black and Tans, ex-British soldiers sent to suppress the rebels.

The Spiral Staircase is a 1946 American psychological horror film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, and Ethel Barrymore. Set over the course of one evening, the film follows a mute young woman in an early-20th century Vermont town who is stalked and terrorized in a rural mansion by a serial killer targeting women with disabilities. Gordon Oliver, Rhonda Fleming, and Elsa Lanchester appear in supporting roles. It was adapted for the screen by Mel Dinelli from the novel Some Must Watch (1933) by Ethel Lina White.
The project originated with producer David O. Selznick, who purchased the rights to White's novel, intending to cast Ingrid Bergman in the lead role. Selznick subsequently sold the rights to RKO Radio Pictures, who commenced production and cast McGuire in the lead. Filming took place at the RKO Radio Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles between August and October 1945.

The Spiral Staircase premiered in New York City on February 6, 1946 and went on to become a box-office success, earning nearly $3 million. It was met by favorable critical reviews, praised for its cinematography, atmosphere, and suspense. Barrymore earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film. In the years since its release, film scholars have noted The Spiral Staircase for its stylistic mixture of horror and film noir elements, and cited it as a progenitor of the contemporary slasher film.

INTRO: Bob Camar della Remembers The Twilight Time "Cat Women From The Moon" (1953)

Cat-Women of the Moon is an independently made 1953 American black-and-white three-dimensional science-fiction film, produced by Jack Rabin and Al Zimbalist, directed by Arthur Hilton, that stars Sonny Tufts, Victor Jory, and Marie Windsor. The film was released by Astor Pictures.
The musical score was composed by Academy Award–winner Elmer Bernstein, whose name is misspelled as "Bernstien" in the opening credits.
Cat-Women of the Moon was remade in 1958 as Missile to the Moon.

Plot

Travelling in a spaceship equipped with wooden tables and chairs, a scientific expedition to the Moon encounters a race of cat-women, the last survivors of a two-million-year-old lunar civilization. Residing deep within a Moon cavern, the cat-women have managed to maintain not only the remnants of a breathable atmosphere and Earth-like gravity, but also a pair of gigantic Moon-spiders. The cat-women wear black unitards, have beehive hairstyles, and wear elaborate cosmetics. Realizing that their remaining atmosphere will soon be exhausted, the cat-women plan to steal the expedition's spaceship and return to Earth, where, in the words of the cat-women's leader, Alpha, "We will get their women under our power, and soon we will rule the whole world!"

Through the use of their telepathic abilities, the cat-women have been subliminally controlling Helen Salinger, the mission navigator and only female member of the Earth expedition. Once on the Moon, the cat-women take control of Helen's mind, after which she leads the entire crew (clad in spacesuits and equipped with matches, cigarettes, and a gun) to the cat-women's cavern. Although unable to directly control male minds, the cat-women are able to influence the male crew through Helen, using their own superior intellectual abilities and feminine wiles. As explained to Helen by the cat-woman Beta, "Show us their weak points. We'll take care of the rest."

Gunsmoke "Paid Killer" (11-22-59) STEREO

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that, among radio drama enthusiasts, "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." It ran unsponsored for its first few years, with CBS funding its production.

In 1955, the series was adapted for television and ran for 20 seasons. It ran for half-hour episodes from 1955 to 1961, and one-hour episodes from 1961 to 1975. A total of 635 episodes were aired over its 20 year run. At the end of its run in 1975, Los Angeles Times columnist Cecil Smith wrote: "Gunsmoke was the dramatization of the American epic legend of the west. Our own Iliad and Odyssey, created from standard elements of the dime novel and the pulp Western as romanticized by Buntline, Harte, and Twain. It was ever the stuff of legend."

Five made-for-TV movies were produced after its 20-year run. The show won 15 Primetime Emmy Awards as well as other accolades. It was frequently well received, holding a top-10 spot in the Nielsen ratings for several seasons.

Johnny Come Lately is a 1943 drama film directed by William K. Howard starring James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main and Hattie McDaniel. It was the first film produced by Cagney's brother, William Cagney.
The title is derived from the idiom "Johnny Come Lately", which refers to a newcomer who seeks to change an established system.[3] The film centers on a drifter who comes to a new town and is faced with the question of choosing integrity or financial gain.

Plot

In 1906, Tom Richards, a drifter, arrives in the small town of Plattsville. He sits reading a book in the town square when newspaper proprietor Vinnie McLeod speaks to him and offers him help. She goes to meet wealthy mayor Dougherty, a corrupt man who also owns a rival newspaper.
Mrs. McLeod re-encounters Richards in the town courtroom where he is on trial for vagrancy. She offers him a job as a journalist to allow him to escape imprisonment. He starts to shake the place up, and asks to close the paper (the Shield and Banner) for 3 days to redesign and relaunch it, specifically launching an attack on Dougherty.
Meanwhile Dougherty's son is in love with Mrs. McLeod's niece. Dougherty offers Richards a job paying three times more but he declines due to his morals. Dougherty goes to extreme measures and sends two hired guns to shoot Mrs. McLeod. They hit her in the hand. Richards (who pre-empted the attack and has a gun) chases them off, shooting one.
Mrs. McLeod's niece starts to fall in love with Richards but decides it is young Dougherty she loves.
An eccentric rich woman, nicknamed "Gashouse Mary" (clearly modelled on Mae West) gives funds usually channeled through Dougherty to the orphanage to Richards instead. When she taunts Dougherty she ends up in prison on a bail of $1,500.
Dougherty starts to bend when the entire town parades by holding an effigy of him on a gibbet. Richards and Dougherty Jr. start brawling in the street and Richards is arrested and taken off in a horse-drawn black maria. The townsfolk storm the jail and release him.
In the end Dougherty senior meets with Mrs. McLeod and Richards and agrees to leave town for the sake of his son and her niece. All agree. He also gives back Mrs. McLeod the mortgage on her property. Richards too decides to move on.
Cast
James Cagney as Tom Richards
Grace George as Vinnie McLeod (as Miss Grace George)
Marjorie Main as Gashouse Mary
Marjorie Lord as Jane
Hattie McDaniel as Aida, Mrs McLeod's servant
Edward McNamara as W.M. Dougherty
William Henry as Pete Dougherty (as Bill Henry)
Robert Barrat as Bill Swain
George Cleveland as Willie Ferguson, a kindly drunkard working for McLeod
Margaret Hamilton as Myrtle Ferguson, McLeod's receptionist
Norman Willis as Dudley Hirsh
Lucien Littlefield as Blaker
Edwin Stanley as Winterbottom
Irving Bacon as Chief of Police
Tom Dugan as First Cop
Charles Irwin as Second Cop
John Sheehan as Third Cop
Clarence Muse as Butler
John Skins Miller as First Tramp (as John Miller)
Arthur Hunnicutt as Second Tramp
Victor Kilian as Tramp in Box Car
Wee Willie Davis as Bouncer (as Wee Willie Davis)
Joseph Crehan as Judge Flynn (uncredited)
Harry Tenbrook as Saloon Patron (uncredited)

Bob Camardella Remembers Mickey Mantle

Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York Yankees, primarily as a center fielder. Mantle is regarded by many as being one of the best players and sluggers of all time. He was an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player three times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.\
Born in Spavinaw, Oklahoma, Mantle was raised by his father to become a baseball player and was trained early on to become a switch hitter. Despite a career plagued with injuries, beginning with his knee injury in the 1951 World Series, he became one of the greatest offensive threats in baseball history, and was able to hit for both average and power. He is the only player to hit 150 home runs from both sides of the plate. Mantle hit 536 career home runs while batting .300 or more ten times; he is 16th all-time in home runs per at-bat and 17th in on-base percentage.

Mantle won the Triple Crown in 1956, when he led the major leagues in batting average (.353), home runs (52), and runs batted in (RBI) (130). He was an All-Star for 16 seasons, playing in 16 of the 20 All-Star Games that he was selected for. He also had a solid .984 fielding percentage when playing center field, winning a Gold Glove in that position. He appeared in 12 World Series, winning seven championships, and holds World Series records for the most home runs (18), RBIs (40), extra-base hits (26), runs (42), walks (43), and total bases (123), and he has the highest World Series on-base and slugging percentages.

After retirement, Mantle worked as sports commentator for NBC for a few years and had a brief stint as first base and hitting coach for the Yankees in the 1970 season. Despite being one of the best paid athletes of his era, he was a poor businessman and suffered financial setbacks from business failures. His private life was plagued by tumult and tragedy. His marriage fell apart due to his alcoholism and infidelity, and three of his sons became alcoholics, two of them dying from it. Towards the end of his life, Mantle came to regret his hard lifestyle and the damage he had inflicted on his family. Before his final year, he was treated for alcoholism and became sober, afterwards warning others of the dangers of hard drinking. He died from liver cancer brought on by years of alcohol abuse in Dallas, Texas, aged 63.

Whistlin Sam (Guest Is Chester Morris) Aired May 11, 1949

Duffy's Tavern is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks (CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast. The program often featured celebrity guest stars but always hooked them around the misadventures of Archie, the tavern's manager, portrayed by Ed Gardner. Archie was prone to involvement in get-rich-quick schemes and romantic missteps, and constantly communicated with malaprops and mixed metaphors. Gardner had performed the character of Archie, talking about Duffy's Tavern, as early as November 9, 1939, when he appeared on NBC's Good News of 1940. Owner Duffy was never heard nor seen, either on the radio program or in the 1945 film adaptation or the short-lived 1954 TV series. Archie constantly bantered with Duffy's man-crazy daughter, Miss Duffy, played by several actresses, beginning with Gardner's real-life first wife, Shirley Booth, followed by Florence Halop and, later, by actress Hazel Shermet, and especially with Clifton Finnegan (Charlie Cantor, later Sid Raymond), a likeable soul with several screws loose and a knack for falling for every other salesman's scam.

THIS EPISODE:

May 11, 1949. NBC network. Sponsored by: Vitalis, Mum. "Your bath washes away the past, Mum safeguards the future." Detective Archie is on the trail of "Whistling Sam," a robber of taverns! Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Alan Reed, Charlie Cantor, Sheldon Leonard, Chester Morris (guest). 31:30. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

In this classic yet still creepy horror film, strangers hold up in a rural Pennsylvania farmhouse and battle constant attacks from dead locals who have been brought back to life by mysterious radiation.
Note: This item contains a user-contributed srt subtitle file. To use this file you must download an srt compatible player and point it at the correct video and srt files (google for srt subtitles). We include this file for advanced users who may wish to use it, however the Archive does not support any player that displays subtitles stored external to the video they are intended to be used with, nor can we vouch for the quality or completeness of the subtitling effort. This Is A Bob Camardella Special

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays "Dragnet" "The Time I'm In It For Love" From (2007)

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INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays "Dragnet" and "The Time I'm In It For Love" From (2007)

The victims have been unable to identify the criminals. Your job, get them. If you want a long cigarette, smoke the best of all long cigarettes. Smoke extra mild Fatima.
Yes, Fatima is the king size cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended to make it extra mild, to give Fatima a much different, much better flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette. That's why Fatima has more than doubled its smokers coast to coast. Enjoy extra mild Fatima yourself, best of all long cigarettes. It's wise to smoke extra mile Fatima.
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police filence, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force and action.
It was Monday, July first, was mild in Los Angeles. You're working the night Watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Walker, Captain a robbery.

It was created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston
Gunsmoke - The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program. Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Miss Kitty's occupation as a prostitute was made far more obvious on the radio version than on television. Many episodes ended on a down-note, and villains often got away with their crimes.

Danger With Granger arrived too late in the Golden Age of Radio to have any real impact on the listening public. Mutual aired this show, starting in 1956, on Monday nights at 8:30 pm. It was a half hour show that featured a private eye in New York City, STEVE GRANGER. His two primary companions were Cal Hendrix, a reporter who served as an all-purpose source of criminal info, and Jake Rankin, a police detective with whom he had a grudging rivalry. The writing on the show seemed to incorporate most of the standard cliche's of the P.I. world. Granger, who was both the star and the first-person narrator of the show (not an uncommon practice with radio gumshoes), never saw a woman, instead "he gave the doll the once-over." He didn't kick with his foot, he "lifted a size 10." Instead of paying cash, he "forked over numbered lettuce." In his investigations Steve Granger cooperates with the police and the FBI and other authorities. The mysteries he solved were fairly reasonable, and while he was a tough guy who roughed up lesser mortals, he seemed to get knocked unconscious at least once in every program.

The Case Of The Darkened Face (Aired September 22, 1946)

The series was written by Ralph Wilkinson and produced by Wally Ramsey .The show had a formula with the crime usually being committed in the first third of the program, the good doctor solving it in the second third, and then pedantically explaining the solution to someone (usually his "pretty, young" secretary, Rusty) in the conclusion. Dr. Daniel Danfield was an obnoxious unlicensed private investigator/criminal psychologist with an ego complex. Why Rusty would put up with this guy is beyond understanding. In this case, love is not only blind, but also deaf and dumb. But then, Rusty was no prize package either. In fact, the most complex person on the show is Dr. Dan Danfield's pretty young secretary, Miss Rusty Fairfax. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

September 22, 1946. Program #6. ABC network origination, Teleways Radio Productions syndication. "The Case Of The Darkened Face" . Commercials added locally. An actress with a deformed face can be cured by a miraculous cream, but the formula for the cream has been stolen! Michael Dunn, Joanne Johnson. 24:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Neat Strip (Aired December 11, 1949)

He was born Alfred Damon Runyan in Manhattan, Kansas, and grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where Runyon Field and Runyon Lake are named after him. He was a third-generation newspaperman, and started in the trade under his father in Pueblo. He worked for various newspapers in the Rocky Mountain area; at one of those, the spelling of his last name was changed from "Runyan" to "Runyon", a change he let stand. After a notable failure in trying to organize a Colorado minor baseball league, Runyon moved to New York City in 1910. For the next ten years he covered the New York Giants and professional boxing for the New York American. In his first New York byline, the American editor dropped the "Alfred", and the name "Damon Runyon" appeared for the first time.

THIS EPISODE:

December 11, 1949 - Program #50. Mayfair syndication. "Neat Strip" Commercials added locally. A burlesque queen falls for an ivy league type. John Brown, Damon Runyon (author), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Richard Sanville (director). 28:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

A Brush With The Law (Aired March 25, 1975)
INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Ed Townsend For Your Love (1958)

Dad's Army" was a long running British comedy series created and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. The idea of a series came to Jimmy Perry when he realised that many people had forgotten about the contribution the Home Guard had made to the British Home Front during the years of the Second World War. Commencing in 1968, "Dad's Army" ran on BBC Television for 9 years with over eighty episodes spread within 10 series. The series is set in a small fictional seaside town called Walmington-on-Sea somewhere on the South Coast of England. "Dad's Army" is also remembered for its first class actors which starred amongst its credits, Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Arthur Wilson and Clive Dunn as Lance Corporal Jack Jones. In May 1940, Sir Anthony Eden makes his historic speech calling for men under and over the age of active service in the armed forces to form a local defence corps. In Walmington, the Local Bank manager George Mainwaring set's up the town's Local Defence Volunteers,with the assistance of his Bank Clerk, Arthur Wilson and the Local Butcher, Jack Jones. The LDV later become known as the Home Guard or affectionately (to the TV audience) "Dad's Army" as the platoon mainly consist of Old Soldiers.From week to week they would become entangled in many exploits while defending Walmington from a possible invasion and any interference from the Local Air Raid Warden.

Crime Does Not Pay - Gasoline Cocktail (12-12-49)
Gasoline Cocktail (Aired December 12, 1949)

With the possible exception of Ed Begley, Everett Sloane, Lionel Stander and Joan Lorring, none of the other featured actors in the series ever played a major role in Radio. We don't mention this to in any way detract from these fine performers' work in this program. We simply point out the novelty of this program in the annals of Golden Age Radio history. "In the Interest of Good Citizenship and Law Enforcement," MGM presented these seventy-eight programs as syndicated transcriptions. There had been a glut of such civic minded programs between the 1940s and 1950s, so it's difficult to imagine how MGM thought they might milk even more public interest out of yet another such program. But it turned out to be a very successful program for both MGM and WMGM. Crime Does Not Pay was well-received during its run.

THIS EPISODE:

December 12, 1949. Program #10. MGM syndication. "Gasoline Cocktail". Commercials added locally. A Transylvanian arsonist is extinguished. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of the program on WMGM, New York from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Marx B. Loeb (director), Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Bela Lugosi, Ira Marion (writer), Bob Williams (announcer). 28:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Death Is A Knockout (Aired June 12, 1947)

The Crime Club was broadcast by Mutual and produced and directed by Roger Bower. The post war stories were by various different authors and adapted for radio by among others Stedman Coles and Wyllis Cooper (writer of Lights Out and Quiet Please). The narrator played by Barry Thomson is the supposed curator of the Crime Club library. He speaks to the listener as if they have just arrived or phoned and requested one of the Club's books. The telephone rings, “Hello I hope I haven’t kept you waiting. This is the librarian, Silent Witnesses; yes we have that Crime Club book for you, come right over.” The organ plays suspenseful music, the door opens and the librarian says, “Ah you’re here, good take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf…”He would take the book from the shelf and begin to tell the tale. The story would end with the Librarian informing you that there was a new Crime Club book available this week and every week in bookstores everywhere.

THIS EPISODE:

June 12, 1947. Mutual network. " Death Is A Knockout". Sustaining. A crime story with an unusual twist. The crook who tries to fix the prizefight is found murdered! Sydney Smith, Ted de Corsia, Bruce Smith, Stedman Coles (writer), Roger Bower (producer, director), Barbara Joyce, Arthur Vinton, Joan Tompkins. 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Hot Spot (Aired August 31, 1954)

Crime and Peter Chambers, stared Dane Clark as a hard-hitting private eye that worked well the with police department. His counter part at the NYPD was Lt Parker played by Bill Zuckert. The series was based on the character created by Henry Kane who wrote eight Peter Chambers novels before the series came to radio. Henry Kane wrote the scripts for the radio show adaptation which aired from 6 Apr – 7 Sep 1954 on NBC. The show was directed by Fred Weihe. There are a total of 21 episodes available from the series. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

August 31, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Johnny Silver, a well known band leader, has been murdered at "The Hot Spot," a swank nightclub. Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer), Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weih e (director), William Zuckert, Rita Lynn, Donald Buka. 25:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Incredible Trial Of Laura D. Fair (Aired August 17, 1953)

Crime Classics was a U. S. radio docudrama which aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was basically a historical true crime series, examining crimes, and especially murders, from the past. It grew out of Lewis's personal interest in famous murder cases, and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages, and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration.

THIS EPISODE:

August 17, 1953. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Incredible Trial Of Laura D. Fair". The oft-times married Miss Laura uses her "4-shooter" on a ferry in San Francisco harbor...for interesting reasons. Lou Merrill (host), Mary Jane Croft, Herb Butterfield, William Johnstone, Paula Winslowe, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Florence Wolcott, Jean Wood, Joseph Granby, Hugh Douglas (announcer). 30:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Hot Spot (Aired August 31, 1954)

Crime and Peter Chambers, stared Dane Clark as a hard-hitting private eye that worked well the with police department. His counter part at the NYPD was Lt Parker played by Bill Zuckert. The series was based on the character created by Henry Kane who wrote eight Peter Chambers novels before the series came to radio. Henry Kane wrote the scripts for the radio show adaptation which aired from 6 Apr – 7 Sep 1954 on NBC. The show was directed by Fred Weihe. There are a total of 21 episodes available from the series. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

August 31, 1954. NBC network. Sustaining. Johnny Silver, a well known band leader, has been murdered at "The Hot Spot," a swank nightclub. Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer), Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director), William Zuckert, Rita Lynn, Donald Buka. 25:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Haunted Hangman (1950) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

The Creaking Doo r was South African Radio's attempt to create a compelling program of highly suspenseful, dramatic thrillers with a supernatural bent for their sponsor, State Express Cigarettes. Some commentators insist it was conceived as a spin-off of the already successful Inner Sanctum episodes that had been syndicated for broadcast in Australia and South Africa during the 1950s. Given the format, one can see the inference, but in fact The Creaking Door stands on its own as a unique, well-produced, engaging supernatural thriller series on its own merit. When legendary producer and director, Himan Brown first presented Inner Sanctum as one of three requested sponsorship candidates to Carter Products, he presented Inner Sanctum as The Creaking Door. Carter didn't care for the name, so on the spur of the moment Hi Brown suggested Inner Sanctum as an alternative, and voila, Radio history was made. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

This was drama with a difference. Columbia Workshop was not everybody’s cup of tea and in terms of audience popularity it was always noted that it was never a strong contender for the title “Radios Top Rated Drama Series” and yet it was always considered to be the drama program that led the way in radio standards. Columbia was the first to experiment with what radio drama was all about, introducing new techniques never before used in over the airwaves drama and because it received little encouragement from established writers, actors, etc., it was only by breaking new ground with new ideas and new techniques from writers who were not versed in the old ways that it was going to survive. Unlike theater drama which required scenery to stage the settings of a play. Radio drama relied only on the imagination of the listener to interpret the scene. But without the right kind of writer the whole thing could fall flat on it’s face.

THIS EPISODE:

December 14, 1939. CBS network. "Story In Dogtown Common". Sustaining. The first radio drama by Julian Liss. A tale of the sea and witchcraft told in blank verse. Joseph Liss (author). 1/2 hour. Episode Notes From The Radio ++Gold Index.

The Kachin Story (Aired June 18, 1950)

Based on the book, Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain, the Radio rendition of these fascinating stories promised to keep any listener perched on the edge of their seat. Apart from describing the book upon which the new adventure series was based, the above is just about all the fanfare that was associated with the roll-out of NBC's only espionage program of the year. It was also one of the few solo productions that Wyllis Cooper undertook for NBC. It was also Cooper's first collaboration with British crime journalist Percy Hoskins, who would work with Cooper yet again on NBC's WHItehall-1212 a year hence. The combination of Hoskin's unfailingly accurate research and Cooper's lively, fast-paced writing and direction proved to be an excellent underpinning for an espionage adventure drama based on factual events.

THIS EPISODE:

June 18, 1950. NBC network. "The Kachin Story" . Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. An O. S. S. operative is shot down in Burmese head-hunting country. With the help of an irish priest and his Kuching friends, the American battles a wiley Japanese commander, M. I. T., class of '37! Jackson Beck, Raymond Edward Johnson, Inge Adams, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Sherman Marks (director), Karl Weber, William Quinn, Joseph Julian, Everett Sloane, Jerry Jarrett, Jack Gordon (writer), Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer), Bob Warren (announcer), Corey Ford (originator), Alistair MacBain (originator). 29:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index

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.

Glenn Ford had not yet appeared in his own recurring dramatic Radio showcase. Christopher London gave millions of Glenn Ford fans an opportunity to hear him in a top-notch adventure anthology as Christopher London, a private investigator with an adventurous wanderlust reminiscent of Alan Ladd's Box Thirteen, Herbert Marshall's The Man Called X and Brian Donlevy's Dangerous Assignment--with a few elements of The Shadow and The Green Lama thrown in. The timing wasn't surprising, given Radio's mounting desperation to retain its listening audience in the face of the exponentially growing Television audience of the era. Many of the one-offs we cited above arrived over Radio at about the same time as Christopher London. Without exception, the big name Stage and Screen actor Radio vehicles of this era were superbly mounted, with Radio's finest supporting actors, directors, producers, engineers and music directors. Christopher London was no exception. William N. Robson directed, Lyn Murray and Van Cleve scored and conducted the musical accompaniment, and West Coast Radio luminaries Joan Banks, Ben Wright, Will Wright, Charlie Lung, Ted deCorsia, Virginia Gregg, Peter Leeds, Barton Yarborough, Alan Reed, Jeanette Nolan, and Stacy Harris appeared in supporting roles throughout the production.

THIS EPISODE:

February 26, 1950. NBC network. ""The Price Of Sugar" . Sustaining. Christopher is hired to find out why a sugar company can undersell everyone and discovers a concentration camp in the Philippines. The date is subject to correction. The final public service announcement and system cue have been deleted. Glenn Ford, Erle Stanley Gardner (creator), William N. Robson (producer, director), Lyn Murray (composer, conductor), Mindred Lord (writer), Joan Banks, Virginia Gregg, Barton Yarborough, Ted de Corsia, Alan Reed, Ben Wright. 27:51. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Harry Troll's Diamond (Aired May 4, 1952)

The Chase is an exciting Old Time Radio series in which every episode contains, well, a chase. Tales, highly melodramatic and often improbable, of people on the run. The concept of "hunter and hunted" was built into the signatures. with the lone bugle of a fox hunt, the braying of dogs, the sounds of a man running, a gunshot, and the slowing footsteps and eventual fall of the victim. It may be an adventure story, a crime story, or even science fiction, but there will always be a suspense filled chase.

THIS EPISODE:

May 4, 1952. NBC network. "Harry Troll's Diamond" . Sustaining. An alcoholic named Harry Troll finds a diamond the size of a prune! He not only is unable to sell it, he can't even give it away! The title may not be accurate. Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Walter McGraw (director, transcriber), Fred Collins (announcer), Kermit Murdock, Bryna Raeburn, Court Benson, Santos Ortega, Roger De Koven, Dan Ocko, Clem Flower. 29:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" -Killer Mike Evans (Aired May 13, 1956)

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television version ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and still remains the United States' longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes ("Law and Order" ended in 2010 with 476 episodes).

THIS EPISODE:

May 13, 1956. CBS network. "Killer Mike Evans" . Sponsored by: ChesterfieMld, L & M. Evans, a tough "Mule Skinner" stands down when his girl friend is struck in her face and then ptotected by the marshall. Miss Kity takes mavis with her for protection. A man named Marcus Price, a gambler from Philadelphia, falls in love with Mavis and ignores the Mule Skinner's promise to return and "even the score". Surprise Ending. Show Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio.

Dragnet - The Big Mustache (03-23-54)

The Big Mustache (Aired March 23, 1954)

The first several months were bumpy, as Webb and company worked out the program’s format and eventually became comfortable with their characters (Friday was originally portrayed as more brash and forceful than his later usually relaxed demeanor). Gradually, Friday’s deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged, described by John Dunning as "a cop's cop, tough but not hard, conservative but caring." (Dunning, 210) Friday’s first partner was Sgt. Ben Romero, portrayed by Barton Yarborough, a longtime radio actor. When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio’s top-rated shows. While most radio shows used one or two sound effects experts, Dragnet needed five; a script clocking in at just under 30 minutes could require up to 300 separate effects. Accuracy was underlined: The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were imitated, and when a telephone rang at Friday’s desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters.

THIS EPISODE:

March 23, 1954. Program #240. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Big Mustache" . A man with a false mustache suspected of robbing a supermarket. Jack Epis Webb, Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer). 30:51. ode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Dionne Warwick & Then Spinners "Then Came You" (1974)

Boston Blackie REPAIRED- The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (06-23-44)

The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (Aired June 23, 1944)

The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer.

THIS EPISODE:

June 23, 1944. "The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap. 10:00 P. M. The first show of the series. Blackie is arrested in Chicago. He's accused of taking $10,000 from a woman's grandfather. It's all the woman's plan to help her recover, "The Jonathan Diamond." The same script was subsequently used on "Boston Blackie" on August 27, 1946. Chester Morris, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organist), Jan Miner. 29:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boston Blackie - The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (06-23-44)

The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond (Aired June 23, 1944)

The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer.

THIS EPISODE:

June 23, 1944. "The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap. 10:00 P. M. The first show of the series. Blackie is arrested in Chicago. He's accused of taking $10,000 from a woman's grandfather. It's all the woman's plan to help her recover, "The Jonathan Diamond." The same script was subsequently used on "Boston Blackie" on August 27, 1946. Chester Morris, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organist), Jan Miner. 29:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Slate Gets The Hook (Aired October 8, 1951)

One can only imagine the number of Ad agencies, networks, sponsors, and syndicators that lined up month after month to pitch a Radio project to Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. That's undoubtedly a story in itself. What the Bogarts finally settled on has become something of a cult favorite in the world of Golden Age Radio. And they settled on a gem--for both its day and for generations of Golden Age Radio fans to come. The concept of Bold Venture had to have piqued the Bogarts' interest from the first pitch. Having already bought their beloved Santana schooner from Dick Powell and June Allyson, they'd become one of America's leading seafaring families within just a couple of years. The seafaring wanderlust aspect of the concept of Bold Venture had to have been one of the project's most persuasive elements. Add to that their impending departure for the bowels of Africa to film Bogie's classic, The African Queen (1951) and Frederick Ziv's willingness to bend over backwards to get at least thirty episodes of Bold Venture taped before their departure . . . then mix in an amazing back-of-the-mike staff that included David Rose as composer and music director, Henry Hayward to direct, and both Morton Fine and David Friedkin to write the radioplays. And if that wasn't enough incentive to assure an amazing production, consider the supporting cast of some of Radio's finest voice talent. And last but by no means least, legendary choral director, songwriter and composer Jester Hairston in the almost cameo role of sidekick 'King' Moses. All in all, an amazing repertory company for the Bogarts' debut as leads in their own Radio program.

THIS EPISODE:

104834 . Bold Venture. 1951. Program #29. ZIV Syndication. "Slate Gets The Hook" . Commercials added locally. Wealthy Mr. Anderson has disappeared in Havana, with $2000 in his pocket. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lee Patrick, Ted de Corsia, Jester Hairston, Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Bathtub (Aired April 1, 1952)

Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. A number of famous people have visited the musuem including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows.

THIS EPISODE:

April 1, 1952. Program #25. Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Bathtub" . Participating sponsors. Edward Jones is married...very married. He has wives all over the place. The date is approximate. Syndicated rebroadcast date: February 26, 1975. Harry Alan Towers (producer), Orson Welles (narrator), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Ira Marion (writer). 26:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Pittsburgh Lil (Aired October 19, 1937)

Hard-nosed editor, Wilson, as played by Robinson would get the story no matter what it takes. Though sometimes over the top, Robinson was excellent in his role. The stories were well written and directed by William N. Robson as well as McGill. The skill of this group shows in making the series very good radio. The show was a big promoter of the free press and the first amendment with its opening sequence: "Freedom of the press is a flaming sword! Use it justly...hold it high...guard it well!" The second series began immediately in the 1943 season when the production moved from Hollywood to New York. Robinson left (Trevor left two years earlier as her career starting taking off) and McGill reorganized the series placing Edward Pawley in the role of Wilson opposite Fran Carlon as Lorelei. Pawley's Wilson was more mellifluous compared to the rather nasty Robinson.

THIS EPISODE:

October 19, 1937. CBS network. "Pittsburgh Lil (10-19-37)" Sponsored by: Rinso. The first show of the series. Steve Wilson is portrayed as a throughly unpleasant scandal-monger who decides to reveal that Mrs. Radsmith, a noted socialite in Big Town, is really "Pittsburgh Lil" from Alaska. Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Hanley Stafford, Paula Winslowe, Bill Wright, Carlton KaDell (announcer). 28:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Big Show - "Guests Jimmy Durante & Milton Berle" (04-29-51)-STEREO

Aired April 29, 1951

April 29, 1951. NBC network. Sponsored by: Canon Towels, Chesterfield, Anacin, RCA. Ethel Merman opens the show with, "There's No Business Like Show Business." Frank Lovejoy appears in an "I Was A Communist For The FBI" drama and the real Matt Cvetic makes a brief anti-communist speech. Rosemary Clooney sings, "Taking a Chance On Love." Gordon MacRae recalls his days as an NBC page. Uncle Miltie does a great monologue about the good old days of radio, and other topics. The cast does a salute to Meredith Willson by singing a medley of his compositions. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dee Englebach (producer, director), Ed Herlihy (announcer), Ethel Merman, Frank Lovejoy, Frank Wilson (narrator), George Foster (writer), Goodman Ace, Gordon MacRae, Jimmy Durante, Matt Cvetic, Meredith Willson and His Orchestra, Milton Berle, Morton Green (writer), Rosemary Clooney, Selma Diamond (writer), Tallulah Bankhead. 89:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Green Vase (1968) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa . It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings!

On Borrowed Time (Aired June 15, 1952)

Best Plays presents theatrical paramounts of excellence. It's hosted by the drama critic of New York’s Daily News, John Chapman. Dramatic and comedic performances outshine other theater radio shows, greatly performed by such greats as Boris Karloff and Alfred Drake. In This Episode, On Borrowed Time a 1939 film about the role death plays in life, and how we cannot live without it. It is adapted from Paul Osborn's 1938 Broadway play, which was a smash hit. The play, based on a novel by Lawrence Edward Watkin, has been revived twice on Broadway since its original run. Set in a more innocent time in small-town America, the film stars Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi and Cedric Hardwicke.

THIS EPISODE:

June 15, 1952. NBC network. "On Borrowed Time" . Sustaining. A delightful story about an old man who gets the Devil up a tree...literally! Parker Fennelly, Mildred Natwick, David Anderson, Peter Capell, William Griffis, Agnes Young, Teri Keane, Luis Van Rooten, Karl Weber, John Chapman (host), Edward King (director), Fred Collins (announcer), Paul Osborn (author), George Lefferts (adaptor). 59:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Broadcast Of August 23, 1949

Contestants were chosen from the studio audience and were usually married couples, occasionally engaged, dating, or another familial relationship. Collyer would ask them general questions (usually including where they were from and how long they'd been married) and usually asked if they had children, their ages and genders. Sometimes the couple would bring some or all of their children with them on the show. Collyer would usually take some time out to talk to the children and ask them questions like what they wanted to be when they grew up, or if the kids were not at the show to have their parents wave to them at home. The husbands on the show usually wore a business suit. Collyer would often ask the husband to take off his coat for stunts to make it less cumbersome (there were a few hooks on the contestants' podium for this purpose, or Collyer would just hold the coat). Occasionally, if there was going to be a messy stunt, the husband would come out dressed in a plastic jumpsuit to keep his own clothes clean. Similarly, wives would sometimes play in their "street clothes", but sometimes the women would appear in a jumpsuit issued to them by the show due to the fact that their own clothing might be too cumbersome or perhaps fragile. The women's jumpsuits, unlike the men's, which were rather plain, were patterned to look like a pair of overalls with a collared blouse underneath. The women would also often be issued running shoes instead of their own high heels. One couple competed against the Clock to win a prize in stunts that could require one or both members of the couple. The first stunt was called the "$100 Clock". The stunt was described and the time limit was set on a giant onstage clock. The time limit was always a multiple of 5 seconds, usually at least 30 seconds. At one point Collyer said that a 55-second time limit was the maximum, but later on, stunts occasionally had 60-second limits.

Scream For Murder (Aired July, 1953)

Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer. William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye Barry Craig while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was "your man when you can't go to the cops. Confidentiality a speciality." Like Sam Spade, Craig narrated his stories, in addition to being the leading character in this 30 minute show. As an actor, William Gargan had played Ellery Queen in three movies, before being cast as Kane. After he left Martin Kane, Gargan landed on his feet. He signed a million dollar, seven year contract with MCA for the radio show Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator on NBC.

THIS EPISODE:

July 19, 1953. NBC network. "Scream For Murder" . "A squabbling couple can always bury their differences. The question is, which of them doesn't mind an underground shelter? Marriages may be made in heaven, but they sometimes end up in the city morgue. William Gargan; John Roberts (writer); Don Pardo (announcer); Fran Carlon; Himan Brown (director);. 29:35 Episode Noyes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Department Of Death (Aired September 14, 1945)

The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared from 1939 to 1942 in The Avenger magazine, published by Street and Smith Publications. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine from 1942 to 1943, and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. Newly-written adventures were commissioned and published by Warner Brother's Paperback Library from 1973 to 1974. The Avenger was a pulp hero who combined elements of Doc Savage and The Shadow though he was never as popular as either of these characters. The authorship of the pulp series was credited by Street and Smith to Kenneth Robeson, the same byline that appeared on the Doc Savage stories. The "Kenneth Robeson" name was a house pseudonym used by a number of different Street & Smith writers. Most of the original Avenger stories were written by Paul Ernst.

THIS EPISODE:

September 14, 1945. Program #15. Michelson syndication. "The Department Of Death" . Music fill for local commercial insert. The night watchman of a department store is found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Charles Michelson (producer), Walter Gibson (writer), Ruth Braun (writer), Gilbert Braun (writer), James Monks, Helen Adamson, Alyn Edwards (announcer), Doc Whipple (organist). 27:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Between Life & Death (Aired March 24, 1944)

With the listening audience increasing in the spring and summer of 1928, the show's success prompted the Pepsodent Company to bring it to the NBC Blue Network on August 19, 1929. Amos was naïve but honest, hard-working and (after his 1933 marriage to Ruby Taylor) a dedicated family man. Andy was more blustering, with overinflated self-confidence. Andy, being a dreamer, tended to let Amos do most of the work. Their lodge leader, the Kingfish, was always trying to lure the two into get-rich-quick schemes. Other characters included John Augustus "Brother" Crawford, an industrious but long-suffering family man; Henry Van Porter, a social-climbing real estate and insurance salesman; Frederick Montgomery Gwindell, a hard-charging newspaperman; William Lewis Taylor, the well-spoken, college-educated father of Amos's fiancee; and "Lightning", a slow-moving Stepin Fetchit-type character.

THIS EPISODE:

March 24, 1944. "Between Life & Death" - NBC network. Commercials deleted. The Kingfish hires Andy to arbitrate a settlement between himself and the driver of the car that hit him. Special Guest is Victor Moore. The system cue has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Tobe Reed (announcer), Ernestine Wade, James Basquette, Victor Moore, Harlow Wilcox (announcer). 26:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Forever Walking Free (Aired April 23, 1945)

Author's Playhouse was an anthology radio drama series, created by Wynn Wright, that aired on the NBC Blue Network from March 5, 1941 until October 1941. It then moved to the NBC Red Network where it was heard until June 4, 1945. Philip Morris was the sponsor in 1942-43. Premiering with "Elementals" by Stephen Vincent Benét, the series featured adaptations of stories by famous authors, such as “Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobbies” by Nelson Bond, "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, "The Piano" by William Saroyan and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. Cast members included Curley Bradley, John Hodiak, Marvin Miller, Nelson Olmsted, Fern Persons, Olan Soule and Les Tremayne. Orchestra conductors for the program were Joseph Gallicchio, Rex Maupin and Roy Shield. Directors included Norman Felton, Homer Heck and Fred Weihe.

THIS EPISODE:

April 23, 1945. NBC network, Chicago origination. "Forever Walking Free" . Sustaining. A story of love in England during the war, with a supernatural ending. Arthur Seltzer, Bob Dearenforth, Cheer Brenson (?), Dorothy Quinnan (adaptor), Elwyn Owen (organist), Haskell Coffin, Herb Butterfield, McKinley Cantor (author), Norman Felton (producer), William Pigley. 29:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Big Dance (Aired September 4, 1948)

Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, a long-run radio series, a syndicated comic strip and animation -- The Archie Show, a Saturday morning cartoon television series by Filmation, plus Archie's Weird Mysteries. Archie Andrews began on the Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC from 1945 until September 5 1953. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings as the title character during the NBC years.The sponsor was Swift Products. The Cast: Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Arthur Kohl, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice.

THIS EPISODE:

September 4, 1948. "The Big Dance" - NBC network. Sustaining. Archie is going to a dance and Dad is trying to take a bath, not at all as easy as it sounds. Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Ian Martin, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice. 29:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Barbra Streisand The Way We Were (1973)

Mr. Ten Percent (Aired May 17, 1945)

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:

May 17, 1945. Program #6. Mutual network. "Mr. Ten-Percent". Sustaining. A good story about a Hollywood agent who finally finds a movie star to manage...and how he contributed $1 million dollars to the war effort! Program #6 of a series of 26 broadcasts. Mary Jane Croft, Bob Bailey, Earle Ross, Harry Lang, Everett Allen, Arch Oboler (writer), Bruce Elliott, Roseanne Murray. Episode

The Lucky Stiff (1947) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

Very few writers have managed to combine the hard-boiled detective novel and comedy. Jonathan Latimer succeeded with Bill Crane and Craig Rice did it with John J. Malone, her ne'er-do-well bibulous attorney. Despite being billed as "Chicago's noisiest and most noted criminal lawyer," Malone acts more like a private eye than a member of the court. And a particularly hard-drinking private eye, at that. Despite a rep for courtroom pyrotechniques, he's far more likely to be found at Joe the Angel's City Hall Bar than in any court. Along with his boozing buddies, Jake and Helene Justus, an affable young couple, he drank his way through a whole slew of novels and short stories, not to mention later film, radio and television appearances.

THIS EPISODE:

1947. NBC network. "The Lucky Stiff". Sustaining. Lucky at everything, or is he. George Petrie, Larry Haines, Craig Rice (creator), Eugene Wang (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Richard Lewis (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 29:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

On the Sunny Side of the Street (10-09-53) and Just to be With You (10-29-53)

Alka-Seltzer Time (aka The Alka-Seltzer Show) was a 15-minute radio series broadcast weekdays on both CBS and Mutual. Baritone Curt Massey starred with Martha Tilton when the program, sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, began in 1949 as Curt Massey Time (sometimes advertised as Curt Massey Time with Martha Tilton) with a title change to highlight the sponsor's product by 1952. The announcer was Fort Pearson. By 1953, the series was heard simultaneously on Mutual (at noon) and later that same day on CBS (at 5:45pm). Ads described the show as "informal song sessions" by vocalists Massey and Tilton, who was often billed as "the liltin' Martha Tilton." The two singers, both Texas-born, performed with Country Washburne and His Orchestra, featuring Charles LaVere on piano. Songs included such tunes as "Honey, I'm in Love with You," "A Gambler's Guitar," "Just to Be with You," "Moonlight When Shadows Fall," "When Love Goes Wrong," "Choo Choo Train," "I've Got Spurs that Jingle Jangle Jingle," "Put on a Bonnet," "Collegiate," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Papaya Mama" and "Istanbul, Not Constantinople." There were some theme shows, such as "Go West", music from "Old Phonograph Records" and "Salute to Hawaii." The series ended November 6, 1953. However, Massey and Tilton continued to appear together during the late 1950s on such shows as Guest Star and Stars for Defense. They also teamed to record an album, We Sing the Old Songs (1957). CD collections of Alka-Seltzer Time usually identify shows by the first performed song of each program. Today, Curt Massey is best remembered as the composer (with Paul Henning) and singer of the Petticoat Junction theme song. Episode_Notes_From_Boxcars711_Old_Time_Radio.

Parent's Day (Aired October 26, 1952)

The Aldrich Family as a separate radio show was born as a summer replacement for Jack Benny in NBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored by General Foods's popular gelatin dessert Jell-O---which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldriches ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved to CBS, running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O,.before moving back to NBC from September 05, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

THIS EPISODE:

October 26, 1952. "Parent's Day" - NBC network. Sustaining. It's Parent's Day at school. Confusion runs rampant...and then there's the spelling bee! Bobby Ellis, Jack Grimes, Clifford Goldsmith (writer), Dick Dudley (announcer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht. 29:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Old Love Letters (Aired April 3, 1945)

Alan Young Show (born November 19, 1919) is an actor best known for his television role opposite a talking horse, Mister Ed. Born in North Shields,Tyne and Wear, England, with the given name Angus Young, he was raised in Edinburgh, Scotland and in Canada. He grew to love radio when bedbound as a child because of severe asthma and became a radio broadcaster on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 1944, he made the leap to American radio with The Alan Young Show, NBC's summer replacement for Eddie Cantor. Following a move to ABC in the fall (1944-46), he returned to NBC (1946-49).

THIS EPISODE:

April 3, 1945. "Old Love Letters" - ABC Blue network. Sponsored by: Sal Hepatica, Mum. Carlotta Bullfinch, Alan's old sweetheart, wants Alan to be the best man at her wedding. Carlotta thinks Alan's going to be the groom! Possibly dated September 3, 1945. Alan Young, Kenny Delmar (announcer), The Tune Twisters, Peter Van Steeden and His Orchestra, Minerva Pious, Jean Gillespie. 30:02. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Crab Louis Caper (Aired March 2, 1951)

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:

March 2, 1951. NBC network. "The Crab Louis Caper" . Sustaining. Sam is hired to find out how an Italian crab- fisher was killed. Was it an accident or murder? The story title is also known as, "View Of Fisherman's Wharf From The Water." Steve Dunne, Lurene Tuttle, William Spier (producer, editor, director), Lud Gluskin (composer), Robert Armbruster (conductor), Harold Swanton (writer), Dashiell Hammett (creator). 28:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Case Dismissed - Criminal Liability Aired January 30, 1954

As a local presentation, WMAQ's production of Case Dismissed acquitted itself very well indeed. With few exceptions, the enacted legal issues were realistically depicted, thoroughly explored, and informatively resolved. The exposition for and resolution of these programs was never preachy, overly complicated, nor left unresolved. Each story had an arc that was resolved for that particular combination of legal issues and choices. The listener was never left hanging. Mindful of the fact that Case Dismissed was being heard in many other states besides Illinois, the program regularly reminded its listeners that the problems presented and legal remedies offered were based only on then current Illinois Law. But it's also clear that because they were mindful of a larger audience, the producers and writers very helpfully selected a broad range of legal topics that were general enough in nature to present useful choices and information to residents in virtually any state that might be listening in. All told, a fascinating, useful, and well mounted series of legal dramas that accomplished precisely what they set out to do for thirteen weeks. So effectively, in fact that the basic legal tenets put forth within most of these thirteen episodes remain almost universally applicable today.

THIS EPISODE:

January 30, 1954. NBC network, WMAQ, Chicago origination. Sustaining. The program is produced in co-operation with the Chicago Bar Association. A man listens to bad advice and ignores a summons, which winds up costing him $25,000! The moral: see a lawyer. A program about criminal liability. Fern Persons, Patricia Crain, Jack Lester, John Galvaro, Betty Ross (producer), Herbert Latow (director), Phillip Lord, Tom Evans (sound), Harry Elders. 29:12.

The Devil In The Deep Freeze (Aired November 10, 1949)

Candy Matson was the private eye star of Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8208, an NBC West Coast show which first aired in March 1949 and was created by Monty Masters. He cast his wife, Natalie Parks, in the title role of this sassy, sexy PI. Her understated love interest, Lt. Ray Mallard, was played by Henry Leff while her assistant and best pal, aptly named Rembrandt Watson, was the voice of Jack Thomas. Every show opened with a ringing telephone and our lady PI answering it with "Candy Matson, YU 2-8209" and then the organ swung into the theme song, "Candy". Each job took Candy from her apartment on Telegraph Hill into some actual location in San Francisco. The writers, overseen by Monty, worked plenty of real Bay Area locations into every plot. Candy was bright, tough, and fearless.

THIS EPISODE:

November 10, 1949. NBC network, San Francisco origination. "The Devil In The Deep Freeze". Sustaining. A restaurant owner asks Candy to get rid of a body in his meat refrigerator, and he's dressed like the devil! Guest Dorothy Warenskjold (famous opera singer) helps Candy to solve this operatic murder. The title is subject to correction. Dorothy Warenskjold, Dudley Manlove (announcer), Harry Bechtel, Henry Left, Jack Thomas, Jerry Walter, Monte Masters (writer, producer), Natalie Masters. 29:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Can You Top This was one of those programs that was tailor made for radio. Four people sat around telling jokes, each one trying to outdo the other. Can you imagine the same format on television? In the movies? Broadway? In magazines or newspapers? Only on radio could such a format survive and thrive. And thrive it did, for 14 years. In 1943 an estimated ten million people listened to the weekly program and Time magazine said "There is nothing quite like it on the U.S. air." Can You Top This was the brain child of Senator Edward Hastings Ford. The "Senator", like most of his jokes, was made up. The program itself was simply an outgrowth of a regular meeting at which Ford and the other participants would spend countless hours telling stories at New York's famous Lamb's Club. From the outset of the program in December of 1940, Ford owned the rights to the program and was a regular participant. The lynch pin for the program was actor Peter Donald who would begin each round of jokes by telling a joke submitted by a listener. Donald was born in Bristol, England into a theatrical family. By the time he was nine years old, he had traveled around the world twice. At the age of ten he began acting in radio. Later he played Ajax Cassidy on the Fred Allen Show, and dramatized the voices of Winston Churchill, Field Marshall Montgomery, King George VI and the Duke of Windsor on the March of Time.

CALTEX RADIO THEATER - OLD TIME RADIO

Caltex Theater was an Australian show similar to the American Lux Radio Theater. It was sponsored by the Caltex Oil Company. Mostly the radio shows were adapted from top movies from the time period. The show aired from 1950 - 1959 with somewhere around 490 shows. Some episodes are thought to be specials and no dates are in the log. SHOWS LIST ****Caltex Theater - 55-12-11 290 Detectives Are Not Always Right ****Caltex Theater - 59-02-15 454 Bad Day At Black Rock ****Caltex Theater - 59-04-26 463 There Was A Crooked Man ****Caltex Theater - 59-09-06 482 Forbidden Planet ****Caltex Theater - xx-xx-xx x Scrooge The Miser ****Caltex Theater - xx-xx-xx x The Big Smoke Return To Tenderness ****Caltex Theater - xx-xx-xx x You Only Die Once

After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime fighting reputation as a weapon against them. For this purpose he also used a "Beetle Signal" flashlight. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

TODAY'S SHOW:

July 3, 1940. Program #27. Fox Features syndication. "Crime Incorporated" Part One. Commercials added locally. The Overlords Of Crime are planning to form a syndicate. The Blue Beetle infiltrates the gang and is hired by them to imitate...the Blue Beetle! 12:14.
July 5, 1940. Program #28. Fox Features syndication. "Crime Incorporated" Part Two. Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle is unmasked and shot, but it's only a flesh wound. The "Magic Ray" helps the Blue Beetle break up the gang. 12:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Please Not C.O.D. (Aired April 12, 1943)

The success of the comic strip led to the long-running Blondie film series (1938-1950) and the popular Blondie radio program (1939-1950). Chic Young drew Blondie until his death in 1973, when the control of the strip passed to his son Dean Young, who continues to write the strip. Young has collaborated with a number of artists on Blondie, including Jim Raymond, Mike Gersher, Stan Drake, Denis Lebrun and currently, John Marshall. Through these changes, Blondie has remained popular, appearing in more than 2000 newspapers in 47 countries and translated into 35 languages, as of 2010[update].

THIS EPISODE:

April 12, 1943. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. " Please Not C.O.D." AKA "Blondie Demands A Refund" . AFRS program name: "Front Line Theatre." A C.O.D. package arrives for someone else. Blondie and Dagwood try to return a bridge table. The date is subject to correction. Chic Young (creator), Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Jerry Wald and His Orchestra (AFRS music fill), Hans Conried. 29:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Little Phil Alquin (Aired May 9, 1934)

As shows of this nature do it dealt with tracking killers and robbers with a recap of the justice which was enforced. The writer and director was William N. Robson. Calling All Cars episodes were dramatized true crime stories that were not only introduced by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department but were true life crime stories of the LAPD. If you are thinking early version of Dragnet, yes, but not quite as polished. Dragnet was believed to have been inspired by Calling All Cars. None of the actors on the show ever received on-air credit, but among the talent OTR fans can hear the likes of Elvia Allman, Jackson Beck, Charles Bickford, John Gibson, Richard LeGrand and Hanley Stafford, just to name a few.

THIS EPISODE:

May 9, 1934. Program #24. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network "Little Phil Alquin" . Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil. A police lieutenant has just been murdered by an unknown assailant. Frederick Lindsley is introduced as "Professor Lindsley." The system cue has been deleted. Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator). 29:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Brownstone Theater is an old-time radio dramatic anthology series in the United States. It was broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting System February 21, 1945 – September 23, 1945.
Brownstone Theater featured adaptations of stories and plays that were popular at the turn of the 20th century. The premiere offering, The Lion and the Mouse, was followed by productions such as The Man Without a Country, The Prisoner of Zenda, and Cyrano de Bergerac. A contemporary publication's radio listing described the material as "Revivals of some of the plays that thrilled Grandpa and Grandma."

Radio historian John Dunning wrote in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, "The format was faintly reminiscent of the famous First Nighter Program, with the listener led to his seat in the Brownstone Theater, and other trappings of curtains and greasepaint adding to the atmosphere."

The program was actually produced in the Longacre Theater in New York City's Times Square. The theater was leased by WOR from 1944 to 1953 and was used for productions on that station and on the Mutual network.

The host and narrator of Brownstone Theater was Clayton Hamilton , who had been a drama critic when some of the dramas were popular on Broadway.

Jackson Beck and Gertrude Warner were the original leading man and leading lady, respectively . Les Tremayne replaced Beck in July 1945. Others heard on the program included Inge Adams, Jan Miner, Elissa Landi, Jane Cowl, Edward Rose, Anthony Hope, Neil Hamilton, Walter Hampden, Michael Fitzmaurice and Shep Menken.

Sylvan Levin provided the music, and Jock MacGregor was the director. Writers for the adaptions included Peggy L. Mayer, Anzie Strickland, Florence North, Gladys Milliner, Jock MacGregor, Eleanor Abbey, and Keith Thompson.

The Charles Crandall Murder Case (Aired May 12, 1951)

Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world." Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

May 12, 1951. "The Charles Crandall Murder Case" - CBS network. Sustaining. Charles Crandall is found murdered in an alley. He has no wallet, but he does have an expensive watch and a parking ticket! Charlie Crandall proves to be very much alive. Larry Thor, Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Charles Calvert, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Jack Kruschen, Lou Merrill, Jeanette Nolan, Joe Walters (announcer), Adam Williams, Peggy Webber, Joy Terry. 29:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Polly Morrison's Gun Collection (Aired July 28, 1944)

On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer. While investigating mysteries, Blackie invaribly encountered harebrained Police Inspector Farraday (Maurice Tarplin) and always solved the mystery to Farraday's amazement. Initially, friction surfaced in the relationship between Blackie and Farraday, but as the series continued, Farraday recognized Blackie's talents and requested assistance. Blackie dated Mary Wesley (Jan Miner), and for the first half of the series, his best pal Shorty was always on hand. The humorless Farraday was on the receiving end of Blackie's bad puns and word play. Kent Taylor starred in the half-hour TV series, The Adventures of Boston Blackie. Syndicated in 1951.

THIS EPISODE:

July 28, 1944. "Polly Morrison's Gun Collection" - NBC network, WEAF, New York aircheck. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap, Bulova (local). Boston Blackie is accused of murdering the caretaker of the Devon estate. His blood-stained coat proves that he's guilty. Chester Morris, Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organ), Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Tony Barrett, Jan Miner. 29:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Terminal Key (Aired September 3, 1951)

Bold Venture was a classy production from start to finish. At an estimated cost of $36,000 per taping week [or about $12,000 per episode], it pretty much had to have been. Even subtracting the Bogarts' contribution of $5,000 per episode, that still left $7,000 per episode to fund the remaining production costs. That's about $420,000 a week in today's dollars. More than enough budget to ensure a top notch production. The cost to the sponsor-subscribers reportedly varied between $25 a week to as much as $250 a week, depending on the size and reach of the target market(s). That would have yielded anywhere from $975,000 to $9.75M over the course of three years of Bold Venture's sales. Even arbitrarily averaging the varying theoretical sales would have yielded on the order of at least $5M to Ziv and company over three years. Subtracting even $1M in production and marketing costs would have yielded at least a $4M profit. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

September 3, 1951. Program #24. ZIV Syndication. "The Terminal Key" . Commercials added locally. A dumbsounding jockey gives Slate the key to a locker at the bus station. Inside, there's a $100,000 in stolen money. Don't miss the finale...it's a shoot-out in a shooting gallery. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Tony Barrett, Jester Hairston, Nestor Paiva, Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Special Guest Is Fred Astaire (Aired February 17, 1948)

Special Guest Is Fred Astaire (Aired February 17, 1948)
After five years on the Vaudeville circuit, by his own account Hope was surprised and humbled when he and his partner Grace Louise Troxell failed a 1930 screen test for Pathé at Culver City, California. (Hope had been on the screen in small parts, 1927's The Sidewalks of New York and 1928's Smiles. Hope returned to New York City and subsequently appeared in several Broadway musicals including Roberta, Say When, the 1936 Ziegfeld Follies, and Red, Hot and Blue with Ethel Merman. His performances were generally well-received and critics noted his keen sense of comedic timing. He changed his name from "Leslie" to "Bob", reportedly because people in the US were calling him "Hopelessly", although in the 1920s he sometimes used the name "Lester Hope".

THIS EPISODE:

February 17, 1948. " Special Guest Is Fred Astaire" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Pepsodent. The program originates from Canoga Park High School, Woodland Hills, California. Fred and Bob do a skit about their start in show business. Barbara Jo Allen, the real mayor of Woodland Hills, makes a fund appeal for the United Nations Crusade For Children. Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Jerry Colonna, Barbara Jo Allen, Trudy Erwin, Les Brown and His Orchestra, Dorothy Lovett, Wendell Niles (announcer), Jack Kirkwood, Norman Sullivan (writer), Fred Williams (writer), Larry Kline (writer), Paul Laven (writer), Ray Allen (writer), Fred Fox (writer), Roger Price (writer), Chet Castellaw (writer), Glenn Wheaton (writer), Harold Goodman (writer), Hendrix Voellaris, Al Capstaff (producer), Bob Stephenson (director). 27:11. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Underworld Goes Underground (08-14-40)and (08-16-40) COMPLETE

The exploits of Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman who, by wearing bullet-proof blue chain mail, transformed himself into the mysterious Blue Beetle, a daring crusader for justice. The Blue Beetle was created by Charles Nicholas. The character made his first appearance in August of 1939 in the comic book Mystery Men #1, published by Fox Features Syndicate. The Blue Beetle radio serial aired from 05-15-40 to 09-13-40 as a CBS 30 minutes, syndicated series. Actor Frank Lovejoy provided the voice of the Blue Beetle for the first thirteen episodes. Later episodes were uncredited. After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle. In at least one radio adventure, he carries something called a "magic ray machine". The ray machine was a sort of super-scientific cutting device.

TODAY'S SHOW:

August 14, 1940. Program #39. Fox Features syndication. "The Underworld Goes Underground" Part one. Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle goes underground to find out why so many accidents are plaguing a tunnel project. . 12:05. Audio condition: Very good to excellent. Complete as above.

40370. The Blue Beetle. August 16, 1940. Program #40. Fox Features syndication. "The Underworld Goes Underground" Part two. Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle breaks out of a decompression chamber and breaks up the racket. . 12 minutes.

Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

2 Episodes - "Fire Valley" (01-31-38) and "Murder In Long Cooley" (02-07-38)

Blair of the Mounties is the story of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police -- a fictional series based on the work of the Northwest Mounted Police before the World War I. It was a fifteen minute weekly serial heard every Monday for 36 weeks beginning January 31st, 1938 and running through the 3rd of October of 1938. It may have been on the air as early as 1935, although there’s no actual proof of this. Little is known of the series other than it followed the exploits of Sgt. Blair of the Northwest Mounted Police. and probably was the inspiration for Trendell, Campbell and Muir's Challenge of the Yukon. The series was written by Colonel Rhys Davies, who also played the Colonel Blair in the series. Jack Abbot played the Constable. Jack French, one of OTR’s best researchers says this about the series: “Blair is not restricted to Canada, as other Mounties, as we find him, in a few cases, in Great Britain, solving cases. Overall the series is amateurishly written, with the actor playing Blair coming accros as a bit stuffy.”

TWO EPISODES:

Blair Of The Mounties. January 31, 1938. Program #1. Walter Biddick syndication. "Fire Valley" . Corporal Lesley has been, "Stolen Away By Ghosts." . 12:37.

February 7, 1938. Program #2. Walter Biddick syndication. "Murder In Long Cooley" . Belle La Tour is on the trail to Fort MacAllister...during a blizzard. . 12:00.

The Champagne Glass (Aired September 30, 1952)

Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. A number of famous people have visited the musuem including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows.

THIS EPISODE:

September 30, 1952. Program #26. Towers Of London syndication. "The Champagne Glass" . Commercials added locally. The date is approximate. Orson Welles (narrator), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Ira Marion (writer). 23:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Final Payment (Aired December 11, 1948)

The stories were well written and directed by William N. Robson as well as McGill. The skill of this group shows in making the series very good radio. The show was a big promoter of the free press and the first amendment with its opening sequence: "Freedom of the press is a flaming sword! Use it justly...hold it high...guard it well!" The second series began immediately in the 1943 season when the production moved from Hollywood to New York. Robinson left (Trevor left two years earlier as her career starting taking off) and McGill reorganized the series placing Edward Pawley in the role of Wilson opposite Fran Carlon as Lorelei. Pawley's Wilson was more mellifluous compared to the rather nasty Robinson. The series' success continued on radio until 1952 leaving only the television version (which began in 1950). (Thanks to Robert G. Corder, author of a new biography of Edward Pawley.)

THIS EPISODE:

December 11, 1948. NBC network. "The Final Payment" . Sponsored by: Lifebuoy, Rinso. Steve Wilson and Lorelei bust an obituary sales racket. Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon. 29:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Lancerford House (Aired January 24, 1969)

This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa. It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings! Show Notes From Radio Horror Hosts.

THIS EPISODE:

#13 "Lanceford House [aka The Green Vase]" Dennis Roidt January 24, 1969
A writer looking for solitude finds it in an old house. While there, he comes across a note advising him not to move a green vase that is located in the house. The author adheres to this instruction. However, the writer's visiting friend is made aware of the note, and he, unlike the writer, is a skeptic. Things go badly thereafter. Based on the Dennis Roidt story, 'The Green Vase' (1962). Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod. (AKA "Bob Camardella")

Ethan Frome (Aired September 13, 1953)

Listeners get a taste of plays from the Broadway stage in this anthology series. The featured works were from authors as talented and varied as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Noel Coward and William Shakespeare. Stars such as Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith, and Maureen Stapleton played roles in such notable dramas as The Glass Menagerie, Of Mice and Men and Macbeth. Plenty of comedies, including a performance of Arsenic and Old Lace starring Boris Karloff, were on the bill as well. As if to guarantee the show’s quality, it's host was John Chapman, a theater critic in New York City “where the American stage begins”. Show Notes From The Radio spirits.com.

THIS EPISODE:

September 13, 1953. NBC network. "Ethan Frome" . Sustaining. Ethan Frome is set in a fictional New England town named Starkfield, where an unnamed narrator tells the story of his encounter with Ethan Frome, a man with dreams and desires that end in an ironic turn of events. The narrator tells the story based on an account from observations at Frome's house when he had to stay there during a winter storm. John Chapman (host), Owen Davis (stage adaptor), Donald Davis (stage adaptor), Edith Wharton (author), Geraldine Page, Robert Cenedella (adaptor, transcriber), Luis Van Rooten, Arthur Maitland, Lawson Zerbe, Bill Lipton, Jane Webb, William Welch (supervisor), Edward King (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 59:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Beware The Walking Dog (Aired May 3, 1953)

Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer.William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRY CRAIG while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was "your man when you can't go to the cops. Confidentiality a speciality."Like Sam Spade, Craig narrated his stories, in addition to being the leading character in this 30 minute show. Nearly sixty episodes are in trading circulation today'.

THIS EPISODE:

CAT# 115266. Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. May 03, 1953. NBC network. "Beware The Walking Dog". Sustaining. When you're a confidential investigator, you've got more kinds of headaches than even the psychiatrists have counted. Take the one our client had, late this afternoon. Silhouettes through a frosted black door don't tell you much...except her's did. What it told me was not an investigator's business. William Gargan. 24:44.

Charlie' s College Reunion (Aired January 1, 1942)

Barrel of Fun was a comedy musical that ran from 1941 to 1942 and stars Charlie Ruggles who is a comedian and quick wit who loves to make endless quips. Ruggles was so versatile, he could play infants to old men and he also had one of theose famous rubbery faces. Charlie Ruggles was a comic American actor. In a career spanning six decades, Ruggles appeared in close to 100 feature films. He was also the brother of director, producer, and silent actor Wesley Ruggles (1889–1972). From 1929, Ruggles appeared in talking pictures. His first was Gentleman of the Press in which he played a comic, alcoholic newspaper reporter.

THIS EPISODE:

January 1, 1942. Program #22. "Charlie's College Reunion" - Mutual network origination, syndicated. Music fill for local commercial insert. Charlie returns to his old alma mater for his twenty-fifth college reunion. The first tune is, "Until Tonight." Charles Ruggles, Benny Rubin, Verna Felton, Sara Berner, Jerry Hausner, Linda Ware, The Sportsmen, David Rose and His Orchestra, Art Gilmore (announcer). 29:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Author’s Playhouse - Famous stories by celebrated authors: among them, Elementals (Stephen Vincent Benet), The Piano (William Saroyan), and The Snow Goose (Paul Gallico).March 5, 1941 till June 4, 1945, NBC; Blue Network until mid-October 1941, then the Red Network. Many briefly held 30m timeslots, including Sundays at 11:30, 1941-42; Wednesdays at 11:30, 1942-44; Mondays at 11:30, 1944-45. Sponsor was Philip Morris, 1942-43. Cast: John Hodiak, Fern Persons, Arthur Kohl, Laurette Fillbrandt, Kathryn Card, Bob Jellison, Nelson Olmsted, Marvin Miller, Olan Soule, Les Tremayne, Clarence Hartzell, Curley Bradley, etc. Orchestra: Rex Maupin, Roy Shield, J6seph Gallicchio. Creator: Wynn Wright. Directors: Norman Felton, Fred Weihe, Homer Heck, etc.

THIS EPISODE:

July 14, 1944. NBC network. "The Mysterious Stranger" . Sustaining. A fantasy about a boy who gets out of a sick bed on and on the town with a strange, yet somehow familiar man. Zachary Gold (writer). 1/2 hour. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Lipton Talent Scouts (Aired 05-15-50)

Godfrey's morning show was supplemented by a primetime variety show, Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts broadcasting from the CBS Studio Building at 49 East 52nd Street where he had his main office. This show, a showcase for rising young performers, was a slight variation of CBS's successful Original Amateur Hour. Some of the performers had made public appearances in their home towns and were recommended to Godfrey by friends or colleagues. These "sponsors" would accompany the performers to the broadcast and introduce them to Godfrey on the air. Two acts from the same 1948 broadcast were Wally Cox and The Chordettes. Both were big hits that night, and both were signed to recording contracts. Godfrey took special interest in The Chordettes, who sang his kind of barbershop-quartet harmony, and he soon made them part of his broadcasting and recording "family."

"JiveTalk" (Aired May 18, 1946)

Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, a long-run radio series, a syndicated comic strip and animation -- The Archie Show, a Saturday morning cartoon television series by Filmation, plus Archie's Weird Mysteries. Archie Andrews began on the Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC from 1945 until September 5 1953. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings as the title character during the NBC years.The sponsor was Swift Products. The Cast: Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Arthur Kohl, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice.

THIS EPISODE:

May 18, 1946. "JiveTalk" - NBC network. Sustaining. Archie and Jughead are hep! Archie tries to get a date with jive talk. It works! Don't miss the young audience tittering when Betty (the sound effects man) gives Archie a kiss. Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Ian Martin, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice, Carl Jampel (writer), Felix McGuire (organist), Charles Urquhart (director), Tex Antoine (announcer). 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Johnny Got His Gun (Starring Jimmy Cagney) Aired March 9, 1940

The original canon of scripts encompassed some ninety-plus original stories. And, as dyed in the wool Lights Out! fans will surely point out, a good number of Lights Out! stories were reprised among the Arch Oboler's Plays canon over the years as well. By the second year of Lights Out!, America was under the spell of the diminutive giant of a playwright, Archibald 'Arch' Oboler and his spellbinding, highly personalized writing style. While clearly a genius in his own right, it's also clear that much of his writing style had been informed by Wyllis Cooper at the least. Cooper's own writing style almost routinely employed a highly personalized point of view, so as to further attenuate the listening experience of his radioplays to the greatest degree. Given young Arch Oboler's close association with Cooper with Lights Out!, it's difficult to divorce Wyllis Cooper's writing style from Oboler's in many respects.

THIS EPISODE:

March 9, 1940. Blue Network. "Johnny Got His Gun" . Sustaining. A dramatization of the superb, shocking best-seller about the legless, armless, blind, deaf and dumb war veteran. An eloquent anti-war statement, Cagney was never better on the air. Dalton Trumbo (author), Arch Oboler (adaptor, producer, director), James Cagney, Gordon Jenkins (composer, conductor), Verna Felton. 29:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Comfy Collar Shirt Company (Aired June 9, 1944)

Amos Jones and Andy Brown worked on a farm near Atlanta, Georgia, and during the episodes of the first week, they made plans to find a better life in Chicago, despite warnings from a friend. With four ham and cheese sandwiches and $24, they bought train tickets and headed for Chicago where they lived in a State Street rooming house and experienced some rough times before launching their own business, the Fresh Air Taxi Company. With the listening audience increasing in the spring and summer of 1928, the show's success prompted the Pepsodent Company to bring it to the NBC Blue Network on August 19, 1929.

THIS EPISODE:

June 9, 1944. NBC network. Commercials deleted. The start of the program is delayed for D-Day bulletins (Communique #8) and invasion news (four and a half minutes). The case of Andy and "The Comfy Collar Shirt Company". The system cue has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Elinor Harriot. 26:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Mr. Morgan (Aired May 24, 1947)

Call it hard-boiled screwball comedy. Very few writers have managed to combine the hardboiled detective novel and comedy. Jonathan Latimer succeeded with Bill Crane and Craig Rice did it with JOHN J. MALONE, her ne'er-do-well bibulous attorney. Despite being billed as "Chicago's noisiest and most noted criminal lawyer," Malone acts more like a private eye than a member of the court. And a particularly hard-drinking private eye, at that. Despite a rep for courtroom pyrotechniques, he's far more likely to be found at Joe the Angel's City Hall Bar than in any court. Along with his boozing buddies, Jake and Helene Justus, an affable young couple, he drank his way through a whole slew of novels and short stories, not to mention later film, radio and television appearances. Seemingly inept and irresponsible, he nevertheless somehow (luck of the Irish?) managed to crack the case everytime. He can also count on the aid of Captain Daniel von Flannagan of the Homicide Squad.

THIS EPISODE:

REF# 80412 . The Amazing Mr. Malone. February 26, 1950 (???). ABC network. "Appearances Can Be Deceiving" . Sustaining. Gene Raymond, Henry Morgan, William P. Rousseau (director), Basil Adlam (music), Craig Rice (creator), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Dick Tufeld (announcer), Eugene Wang (writer). 29:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Judy Garland - "Danny Boy" (1955)

The Lost Watch (Aired December 7, 1952)

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Judy Garland - "Danny Boy" (1955)

The Aldrich Family as a separate radio show was born as a summer replacement for Jack Benny in NBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored by General Foods's popular gelatin dessert Jell-O---which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldriches ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved to CBS, running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O,.before moving back to NBC from September 05, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays.

THIS EPISODE:

December 7, 1952. "The Lost Watch" - NBC network. Sustaining. Henry has lost his watch. Bobby Ellis, Jack Grimes, Clifford Goldsmith (writer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Dick Dudley (announcer). 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Alan The Fullback (Aired November 13, 1945)

The Alan Young Show was a radio and television series presented in diverse formats over a nine-year period and starring Canadian-English actor Alan Young. It began on NBC radio as a summer replacement situation comedy in 1944, featuring vocalist Bea Wain. It moved to ABC with Jean Gillespie portraying Young's girlfriend Betty. The program was next broadcast by NBC for a 1946-47 run and was off in 1948. When it returned to NBC in 1949, Louise Erickson played Betty and Jim Backus was heard as snobbish playboy Hubert Updike III. In 1950 The Alan Young Show moved to television as a variety, sketch comedy show, taking an 11-month hiatus in 1952.

THIS EPISODE:

November 13, 1945. "Alan The Fullback" ABC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Alan finds himself playing football against the State Prison team, "The Rock Crushers." Alan Young, Peter Van Steeden and His Orchestra, Jim Backus, Jean Gillespie, Dickie Monahan, Bob Shepherd (announcer), Minerva Pious, Walter Tetley, Four Chicks and Chuck. 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Wheel Of Life Caper (Aired July 11, 1948)

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). 28:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Maisie, the first in 1939, was from the book "Dark Dame" by the writer Wilson Collison,who did decades of scripting for the silver screen along with Broadway plays and magazine fiction. From the first, MGM wanted Ann Sothern to play Maisie. She began in Hollywood as an extra in 1927. "Maisie and I were just together - I just understood her," Sothern, born Harriette Arlene Lake, said after several of the films made her a star. Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball, like many performers in Hollywood, had not one but two careers - one in motion pictures and one on radio. MGM Studios had created the series of ten motion pictures based on a brash blonde with a heart "of spun gold." Sothern, due in great part to the Maisie films type-casting, would ultimately admit she was "a Hollywood princess, not a Hollywood queen." But in its time, the Maisie series in film and on radio made her known and loved the world over.

THIS EPISODE:

FILE#48446. The Adventures Of Maisie. May 24, 1951 (1950). Program #67. MGM syndication. Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Maisie gets a soap opera actress to help the son of a Maharajah marry the actress' American girlfriend. The program has also been identified as program #79. The date above is the date of first broadcast on WMGM, New York City. Ann Sothern, Robert Cole, Bud Hiestand (announcer), Harry Zimmerman (composer, conductor), Hy Averback (announcer), John L. Green (writer), Lurene Tuttle, Peter Leeds, Ted de Corsia. 27:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Murder At The State Fair (09-24-44)
AKA Mrs Mullet Disappears (Aired July 30, 1944)

Based on the novels of Phoebe Atwood Taylor (writing as Alice Tilton), the 30-minute dramas were produced by Roger Bower and starred Walter Hampden as Leonidas Witherall, a New England boys' school instructor in Dalton, Massachusetts, a fictional Boston suburb. Witherall, who resembled William Shakespeare, is an amateur detective and the accomplished author of the "popular Lieutenant Hazeltine stories." His housekeeper Mrs. Mollett, who in the novels is constantly offering her "candied opinion", was played by Ethel Remey (1895-1979) and Agnes Moorehead and Jack MacBryde appeared as Police Sgt. McCloud. The announcer was Carl Caruso. Milton Kane supplied the music. The series began June 4, 1944 and continued until May 6, 1945.

THIS EPISODE:

September 24, 1944. Mutual net. Sustaining. 9:00 P. M. Three different people threaten the life of a miserable old women. When she is found dead at the state fair, all are suspect. The program is next on the air on October 8, 1944 at 7:00 P. M. Walter Hampden, Ethel Remey, Alice Tilton (creator), Howard Merrill (writer), Roger Bower (director). 29:16. Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod.

Reception With The Czar (Aired February 13, 1953)

Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester, and later the subject of films and television programs. The original Hornblower tales began with the appearance of a junior Royal Navy Captain on independent duty on a secret mission to Central America, though later stories would fill out his earlier years, starting with an unpromising beginning as a seasick midshipman. As the Napoleonic Wars progress, he gains promotion steadily as a result of his skill and daring, despite his initial poverty and lack of influential friends. Eventually, after surviving many adventures in a wide variety of locales, he rises to the pinnacle of his profession, promoted to Rear admiral of the Red Squadron, knighted as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and named the 1st Baron Hornblower. Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying, "I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know," and Winston Churchill stated, "I find Hornblower admirable."

THIS EPISODE:

February 13, 1953. "Reception With The Czar" - Program #30. Radio Luxembourg, Towers Of London syndication. Commercials added locally. A visit to the palace of the Czar, and an assassination attempt is foiled. Commodore Hornblower almost succumbs to the charms of a very friendly countess. The program closing has been deleted. Michael Redgrave, C. S. Forester (creator), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Harry Alan Towers (producer, director), Philo Higby (writer). 20:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The character also appears in numerous radio serials and comic books based on the stories. The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury. A biographical entry on Patten noted dryly that Frank Merriwell "had little in common with his creator or his readers." Patten offered some background on his character: "The name was symbolic of the chief characteristics I desired my hero to have. Frank for frankness, merry for a happy disposition, well for health and abounding vitality." Merriwell's classmates observed, "He never drinks. That's how he keeps himself in such fine condition all the time. He will not smoke, either, and he takes his exercise regularly.

THIS EPISODE:

November 6, 1948. NBC network. "The Doubtful Alibi" . Sustaining. Frank uses a horseless carriage to put out a fire and some fancy detective work to catch the culprit responsible for it. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 29:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Aired March 20, 1955 "The Canary Yellow Sack" (03-20-55)

Scripts were by Howard Merrill and Ed Adamson in the lighthearted tradition of Mr. and Mrs. North. Julie Stevens and Charles Webster starred as Jean and Pat Abbott, a San Francisco married couple who solved murder mysteries. In the supporting cast were Jean Ellyn, Sydney Slon and Luis Van Rooten. Moving to 5:30pm in 1946, Les Tremayne and Alice Reinheart took over the roles until the end of the series on August 31, 1947. Seven years later, the characters returned October 3, 1954, on NBC in The Adventures of the Abbotts, broadcast on NBC Sunday evenings at 8:30pm. The Abbotts were portrayed by Claudia Morgan and Les Damon. The NBC series ran until June 12, 1955.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1955. Program #7. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Canary-Yellow Sack" . Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, Frances Crane (creator), Howard Merrill (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Ted Lloyd (producer), Dewey Bergman (composer, conductor), Mandel Kramer, Jean Darling, Everett Sloane, Lon Clark, Harry Frazee (director, recordist). 30:09. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Adventures In Research - 2 Episodes - "Electronics In Communications" (07-02-46) and "The First American Patent" (08-20-46)

The series began about 1942 and were distributed, probably as a public service educational feature, for weekly programming. The early shows were discussions with Paul Shannon asking the questions, Dr. Phillips Thomas (research physicist for Westinghouse, specializing in electronics) answering the questions. The later programs were written by Dr. Thomas, but were dramatizations instead of the Q and A fomat. The programs themselves present a fascinating look at the state of scientific knowledge during the war and the immediate post-war years. Many of the topics are hopelessly outdated, a surprising number are still up to date and reflect the state of knowledge about the subject many years later. The purpose of instilling an interest in science in the general public is still as valid now as it was then. Even more important, the program themselves are good radio and interesting. Those listeners with little or no interest in science will still be captivated. The post-war programs feature an organist whose efforts range from mediocre to absolutely great! 28:57

EPISODE ONE:

30996. Adventures In Research. Program #5. Westinghouse syndication. "Electronics" Part 1. Sustaining. Dr. Thomas discusses his own field of electronics and how it affects our every-day lives. Paul Shannon, Phillips Thomas. 15 minutes.

EPISODE TWO:

31135. Adventures In Research. Program #187. Westinghouse syndication. "The First American Patent". Sustaining. The building of the first water-powered saw mill in America, the holder of patent number one. 15 minutes.