Saturday, June 30, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Sealed Book "Design For Death" (6-03-45)


Design For Death (Aired June 3, 1945)


The Sealed Book starred Philip Clarke as the keeper of the book, a croaking, cackling hermit, with knowledge of the black arts, who in each show unlocked the great padlock that kept the sealed book safe from prying eyes. There was a spook story each week with tales of secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages. This MUTUAL network entry in the horror and mystery genre was far from the best remembered, such as Suspense, Quiet Please, and Inner Sanctum. The Sealed Book begins with a classic intro, in which when gonged, we are escorted by the tuxedoed announcer with unseen organist as the keeper of the book opens the ponderous, albeit squeaky door "to the secret vault wherein is kept the great sealed book, in which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages, Here are tales of every kind, tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds strange and terrible beyond all belief." First broadcast date march 18th 1945. Last broadcast date september 9th 1945. Narrated by Philip Clarke and written by Bob Arthur and David Kogan, this mystery anthology was aired over the MUTUAL network Sunday nights at 10:30 p.m.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Candy Matson "Egyptian Amulet" (10-23-50)


Egyptian Amulet (Aired October 23, 1950)


Considered to be the best of the female radio detective genre, Candy Matson, Yukon 2-2809 debuted in 1949. A stunning blonde with long legs, sharp wit, and intuitive investigating skills, Candy Matson cracked cases based in San Francisco on West Coast NBC radio. She was a popular West Coast staple, as the scripts--penned by Monty Masters--included plentiful shout-outs to real-life San Francisco locations and communities including Fort Ord and Chinatown. Masters cast his wife, Natalie, in the title role and the choice seemed inspired as fans were not only drawn to the cases, but also to the voice that could only belong to someone bold, buxom, and beautiful (as far as listeners were concerned). Matson was aided in her adventures by a trusty sidekick, Rembrandt Watson (a role played by Natalie Masters' real-life uncle), and her love interest, Detective Ray Mallard. Each broadcast began with Candy answering her telephone, "Candy Matson, Yukon 2-2809," preparing listeners to dive right into another case.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Frank Race "The Reckless Daughter" (7-10-49)


The Reckless Daughter (Aired July 10, 1949)


The Adventures of Frank Race was a syndicated show, out of Bruce Ells Productions in Hollywood, and began airing on radio in the spring of 1949. A total of 43 episodes were produced, broadcast first on the East coast 1949-50, and then on the West coast 1951-52. The title hero was described in the introduction by announcer Art Gilmore with these words: "Before the war, FRANK RACE worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak-and-dagger of the OSS. When the war was over, his former life was over too....adventure became his business!" Starring "Chandu The Magician" Star Tom Collins.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Family Doctor "Episodes 05 and 06" (1932)


Episode 5 - "Once To Every Boy" and Episode 6 - "Cupid Without Wings"


A Dramatic Serial (1932)
The Family Doctor was a story about Dr. Grant Adams, a small town doctor who doubled as the community’s moral rectifier. He was more than just respected, he was loved by all. Each week he confronted issues from robbery to suicide, and always with common sense and gentle moral judgment. Though his old-fashioned remedies for sicknesses are outdated compared to modern medical practicing, The Family Doctor's attitude towards life's daily issues transcend time. Of the 39 intended episodes, only 12 were aired.
NOTE: Boxcars711 supports the efforts of the Old Time Radio Researchers Group (OTRR) whose goals include restoring, preserving and sharing the classic shows from what is commonly known as the "Golden Age of Radio" (1930-1960). Please visit and support this great organization at: http://www.otrr.org/

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Friday, June 29, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - I Was A Communist For FBI "Pennies From The Dead" (10-01-52)


Pennies From The Dead (Aired October 1, 1952)


I Was a Communist for the FBI was an American espionage thriller radio series with 78 episodes syndicated by Ziv to more than 600 stations in 1952-54. Made without FBI cooperation, the series was adapted from the book by undercover agent Matt Cvetic, who was portrayed by Dana Andrews.The series was crafted to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is very jingoistic and ultra-patriotic. Communists are evil incarnate and the FBI can do no wrong. As a relic of the Joe McCarthy era, this show is a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare.
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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The NBC University Theater "This Side Of Paradise" (7-30-49)


This Side Of Paradise (Aired July 30, 1949)


NBC University Theater is an unusual series that focused on reenacting novels by great authors for college classes. Many accredited American universities such as Washington State College, University of Louisville, and University of Tulsa, used this dramatic series as a supplement to correspondent college courses. The series' creators made study guides to accompany the courses. Students studying great literature by Steinbeck, Faulkner, Hemingway, Huxley, and many others listened to these shows every week. It was an ambitious series that remained popular despite its academic and non-commercial appeal. The shows are high quality and will please many fans of great literature.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Molle Mystery Theater "Night Must Fall" (4-12-46)


Night Must Fall (Aired April 12, 1946)


Although Molle Mystery Theatre was initially sponsored by Molle Shaving Cream, other sponsors (such as Bayer Aspirin, Ironized Yeast, Phillips Milk of Magnesia) also sponsored the program. Sometimes, when it was not sponsored by Molle, the program was called "Mystery Theater". The show was first heard on NBC, on 9/7/43. Time slot was originally Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, but was later moved to Tuesday at 9:00 PM, and Friday at 10:00 PM. In 1948, the show moved to CBS (Tues, 8:00 PM), and in 1951, it moved to ABC, where it was called "Mark Sabre", and heard on Wednesdays at either 8:00 PM or 9:30 PM.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Price Of Fear "The Ninth Removal" (1973)


The Ninth Removal (1973) *Exact Date Is Unknown


For the 1970’s late-night horror show, The Price of Fear, the BBC dramatized the most chilling stories they could find, drawing on talented new writers as well as the established master of terror who narrated tale, re-written as though Price actually experienced each chilling adventure himself. The show was enormously successful in the UK and abroad, and a number of series were made during 1973, 1975 and 1982.



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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Let George Do It "The Common Denominator" (1-28-52)


The Common Denominator (Aired January 28, 1952)


Bob Bailey played George Valentine as a detective handy man, who got his jobs from responses to a newspaper ad. Part-time detective and writer Dan Holiday in Box 13 also used the premise. It pays to advertise! The shows follow the usual formats of crime caper shows, with toughs, mysterious rendezvous and people who aren't who they say they are.Network was Mutual, Sponson was Standard Oil. STARS:Bob Bailey, Eddie Firestone jr, Francis Robinson, Joe Kearn PRODUCERsurprised wen Vinson WRITER: Polly Hopkins MUSIC: Eddie Dunstedter.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures of Superman "Pillar Of Fire At Graves" (3-Episodes From 1940)


Pillar Of Fire At Graves (3-Episodes From 1940)


Adventures of Superman – 1938-1951
This juvenile adventure series was first broadcast on Mutual in 1940 with Clayton (Bud) Collyer starring as Superman/Clark Kent. It first began as a fifteen-minute show but later, in 1949, it moved to ABC as a thirty-minute Saturday show with Michael Fitzmaurice as Superman. At the end of its thirteen-year run it had totalled over 1600 episodes. The opening for the show was one of radio’s best, setting the stage for those flights into fantasy with a cascade of voices, narration and sound effects. “Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings at a single bound!” “Look! Up in the sky!” “It’s a bird!” “It’s a plane!” “It’s Superman!
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Bickersons "Blanches Expensive Injury" (7-17-51)


Blanches Expensive Injury (Aired July 17, 1951)


This old time radio series from the 1940s was an extremely popular situation comedy performed by Don Ameche and Frances Langford as battling spouses, John and Blanche Bickerson. Other actors portrayed the parts in later years with Lew Parker ("That Girl") joining Langford and the non-stop petty insults on the television series. The unhappy couple was routinely overheard during their vituperative pillow talk sessions, spouting marital mayhem drenched in caustic wit.


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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Blue Beetle "Underworld Goes Underground" (8-14-40 Ep39-40)


Underworld Goes Underground (August 14, 1940) Ep39-40

The Blue Beetle had a relatively short career on the radio, between May and September of 1940. Motion picture and radio actor Frank Lovejoy was the Blue Beetle for the first 13 episodes, while for the rest of the shows, the voice was provided by a different, uncredited actor. The Blue Beetle was a young police officer who saw the need for extra-ordinary crime fighting. He took the task on himself by secretly donning a superhero costume to create fear in the criminals who were to learn to fear the Blue Beetle's wrath. The 13-minute segments were usually only two-parters, so the stories were often more simple than other popular programs, such as the many-parted Superman radio show.
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Monday, June 25, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Duffy's Tavern "Archie Inherits Half A Race Horse" (11-30-51)


Archie Inherits Half A Race Horse(Aired November 30, 1951)


Duffy's Tavern, an American radio situation comedy (CBS, 1941-1942; NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944; NBC, 1944-1952), often featured top-name stage and film guest stars but always hooked those around the misadventures, get-rich-quick-scheming, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, played by the writer/actor who co-created the show, Ed Gardner. In the show's familiar opening, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," either solo on an old-sounding piano or by a larger orchestra, was interrupted by the ring of a telephone and Gardner's New Yorkese accent as he answered, "Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'. Duffy ain't here — oh, hello, Duffy." Duffy, the owner, was never heard (or seen, when a film based on the show was made in 1945 or when a bid to bring the show to television was tried in 1954). But Archie always was — bantering with Duffy's man-crazy daughter, Miss Duffy (played by several actresses, beginning with Gardner's real-life first wife, Shirley Booth); with Eddie, the waiter/janitor (Eddie Green); and, especially, with Clifton Finnegan (Charlie Cantor), a likeable soul with several screws loose and a knack for falling for every other salesman's scam.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Life Of Riley "The Hold Up With Burt Lancaster" (4-08-49)


he Hold Up With Burt Lancaster (Aired April 8, 1949)


The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, was a popular radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film and continued as a long-running television series during the 1950s.The show began as a proposed Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family, but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian. Then producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab company owner Tim McGuerin in the movie The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942). The Flotsam Family was reworked with Bendix cast as blundering Chester A. Riley, riveter at a California aircraft plant, and his frequent exclamation of indignation---"What a revoltin' development this is!"---became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker."
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Sunday, June 24, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod "Big Hit And Run Killer" (Aired November 8, 1951)


Big Hit And Run Killer (Aired November 8, 1951)


Dragnet was perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in American media history. The series gave millions of Americans a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of real-life police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. Actor and producer Jack Webb’s aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals, and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media. The show's cultural impact is demonstrated by the fact that even after five decades, elements of Dragnet are known to those who've never seen or heard the program.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Campbell Playhouse "Showboat" (3-31-39)


Showboat (Aired March 31, 1939)


The Campbell Playhouse was a sponsored continuation of the Mercury Theater on the Air, a direct result of the instant publicity from the War of the Worlds panic. The switch occurred on December 9, 1938. In spite of using the same creative staff, the show had a different flavor under sponsorship, partially attributed to a guest star policy in place, which relegated the rest of the Mercury Players to supporting cast for Orson Welles and the Hollywood guest of the week. There was a growing schism between Welles, still reaping the rewards of his Halloween night notoriety, and his collaborator John Houseman, still in the producer's chair but feeling more like an employee than a partner. The writer, as during the unsponsored run, was Howard Koch.
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Friday, June 22, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Mystery In The Air "Queen Of Spades" (9-11-47)


Queen Of Spades (Aired September 11, 1947)


Mystery in the Air was a Summer series consisting of mystery / horror shows. The series was hosted by Peter Lorre who also played the title role in a few of the shows. The shows were well done and all entertaining! This collection is also included in the Peter Lorre Collection.





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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Ford Theater "The Green Pastures" (2-01-48)


The Green Pastures (Aired February 1, 1948)


In a small “Negro” church in the South, Mr. Deshee (Charles H. Moore) sets out to teach his children the Bible. He begins with a pre-Creation fish fry, which is interrupted when the angel Gabriel (Wesley Hill) arrives and announces, “Gangway! Gangway for de Lawd God Jehovah!” The Lawd God (Richard B. Harrison) enters, dressed in a Prince Albert coat, black trousers, and congress gaiters. The story then proceeds through the legends of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, Moses, and other Old Testament figures and continues up to the crucifixion of Jesus. Based on Roark Bradford's stories, the play was praised by Heywood Broun in the Telegram as “more stirring than anything I have seen in the theatre” and by Robert Littell in the World as “simply and briefly one of the finest things that the theatre of our generation has seen . . . it will move you to tears and make you gasp with the simple beauty of the Old Testament pageantry.” Theatre historian William Torbert Leonard has called Gabriel's announcement “one of the greatest entrance cues ever written for the stage.” A revival in 1954 failed to run.
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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Author's Playhouse "Cry Of The Hunted" (9-22-44)


Cry Of The Hunted (Aired September 22, 1944)


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.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Burns & Allen Show "Hit By A Club" (11-24-42)


Hit By A Club (Aired November 24, 1942)


Burns and Allen are one of the most beloved couple in old time radio. They got started, like many of the greats of old time radio, in vaudeville, which is really just the touring popular entertainment in America prior to movies. Gracie was the sparkplug of the act, always the center of attention. George played the foil, the guy vainly trying to make sense of the ditzy world of Gracie. By the early 30s, Gracie was probably the best known woman on radio. Gracie often sang in a voice that showed she was also an excellent comedienne songstress. By the early 40s, Burns decided that their act needed a change. He decided that the audience knew Gracies and his reactions well enough that it would be possible to play off them, and create situations something like screwball comedy, but with the Burns and Allen touch. Jack Benny and Burns and Allen worked much the same way with their comedy. Vaudevilles snappy patter and give and take jokes, good even if the audience didnt know you, could be developed into running gags and put-downs based on character. Burns was always astute when it came to comedy - he lead the brainstorming sessions that wrote the shows, and carefully edited his writers with the final word on what was cut and what stayed. Elvia Allman played Gracies griend Tootsie Sagwell and Gale Gordon and Hans Conried made frequent appearances.
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Falcon "Rolling Stones" (8-07-52)


Rolling Stones (Aired On August 7, 1952)


August 7, 1952. NBC net. "The Case Of The Rolling Stones". Sustaining. Not auditioned. Army Intelligence sends Mike Waring to Sicily, where "some boy is running wild with a knife." They want "The Falcon" to offer him a proposition "he might like to take a stab at." The system cue is added live. Fred Collins (announcer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer, transcriber), Richard Lewis (director), Eugene Wang (writer), Les Damon, Jone Allison, Drexel Drake (creator). 30:55.


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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod -The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes "Speckled Band" (10-01-43)


Speckled Band (Aired October 1, 1943)


Throughout the early 1940's on American Radio, Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce performed as Holmes and Watson, respectively, in several series of canonical and original Sherlock Holmes stories. When Rathbone finally departed the role before the 1947 season, Tom Conway played Sherlock Holmes opposite Nigel Bruce for one season. After a change of networks, there were two more pairings: John Stanley as Holmes and Alfred Shirley as Watson in 1947-1948 and John Stanley and Ian Martin in 1948-1949. The stories were written by Edith Meiser, a self-confessed Holmes addict. At first she used Arthur Conan Doyles’ original stories, but, after the series outlived the original material, she created her own new stories. These were so well written that she was warmly praised by Arthur Conan Doyle’s widow and son. First broadcast date October 20, 1930. Last broadcast date September 4, 1956.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Fibber Mcgee & Molly "Collecting For Red Cross" (2-27-45)


Collecting For Red Cross (Aired February 27, 1945)


Fibber McGee and Molly premiered in 1935. The program struggled in the ratings until 1940, when it became a national sensation. Within three years, it was the top-rated program in America. Few radio shows were more beloved than Fibber McGee and Molly. The program’s lovable characters included Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, Mrs. Uppington, Wallace Wimple, Alice Darling, Gildersleeve, Beulah, Myrt, and the Old Timer. 79 Wistful Vista was one of America’s most famous addresses and Molly’s warning to Fibber not to open the hall closet door (and his subsequent decision to do it) created one of radio’s best remembered running gags that audiences expected each week.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Academy Award Theater "The Informer" (5-25-46)


The Informer (Aired May 25, 1946)


Academy Award Theater began its full 39 week season with a high note -- with Bette Davis in her Oscar winning role in Jezebel. By looking at the list of actors who appeared during the series, you can see that this series ranked up there with the Lux Radio Theater in its range of movies chosen to be dramatized as well as the actors involved. Gene Hersholt, veteran radio and movie star, spoke as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences during the first show welcoming the E.R. Squibb Co., giant pharmaceutical company as sponsor. These 30 minute programs consisted of dramnatizations of movies whose pictures, players, techniques, and skills won or were nominated for the coveted golden Oscars.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Lux Radio Theater "Anchors Aweigh" (12-29-47)


Anchors Aweigh (Aired December 29, 1947)


In October of 1934, "Lux Radio Theater" debuted in New York on NBC's Blue radio network. Presenting audio versions of popular Broadway plays, the show failed to garner an audience and soon ran out of material. After switching networks to CBS and moving to Hollywood, Lux found its true market. The show began featuring adaptations of popular films, performed by as many of the original stars as possible. With an endless supply of hit films scripts and an audience of more than 40 million, Lux enjoyed a prosperous run until the curtain fell in 1956.

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