Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Creaking Door "Three Wishes" (1940)

Three Wishes (1940)





The Creaking Door was an old-time radio series of horror and suspense shows originating in South Africa. There are at present anywhere from 34-37 extant episodes in MP3 circulation, yet no currently available program logs for the series indicate the year of the series' broadcast (though it was likely sometime in the 1950s, given the generally high audio quality of the available shows), or the total number of episodes, and only a handful of them are known by their broadcast order. The stories are thrillers in the Inner Sanctum vein, and generally thought of favorably by most fans of OTR.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Nick Carter Master Detective "Angle On Murder" (10-25-43)

Angle On Murder (Aired October 25, 1943)


Nick Carter, Master Detective - Nick Carter is the name of a popular fictional detective who first appeared in in a dime novel entitled "The Old Detective's Pupil" on September 18, 1886. In 1915, Nick Carter Weekly became Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the 1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on Mutual from 1943 to 1955. Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955. Chick Carter, Boy Detective was a serial adventure that aired weekday afternoons on Mutual. Chick Carter, the adopted son of Nick Carter, was played by Bill Lipton (1943-44) and Leon Janney (1944-45). The series aired from July 5, 1943 to July 6, 1945.

THIS EPISODE:

October 25, 1943. Mutual network. "An Angle On Murder," or "The Mystery Of The Mutilated Bullet". Sustaining. Lon Clark, Helen Choate, John Kane, Humphrey Davis, Jock MacGregor (producer, director, occasional writer), Lew White (musician). 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Crime Classics "Bloody Banks Of Fall River" (9-14-53)

Bloody Banks Of Fall River (Aired September 14, 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:

September 14, 1953. CBS network. "The Bloody, Bloody Banks Of Fall River". Sustaining. What happened at 92nd Street on a hot summer's evening in 1892. Since Lizzie was acquitted, who killed Mr. and Mrs. Borden? The program is possibly dated September 30, 1953. A similar script was used on "Suspense" on October 4, 1955 (see cat. #24241). Lou Merrill, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Irene Tedrow, Jeanette Nolan, Herb Butterfield, Bob Lemond (announcer), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Betty Harford, Sarah Selby, William Johnstone, Paul Frees. 29:43.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Tom Corbett Space Cadet "Sparkling Meteo" (Pt.1 of 2) 04-08-52

Sparkling Meteo (Pt.1 of 2) Aired April 8, 1952


Tom Corbett is the main character in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television, radio, books, comic books, comic strips, coloring books, punch-out books and View-Master reels in the 1950s. The stories followed the adventures of Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning, cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the elite Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkroom, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars. The Tom Corbett universe partook of pseudo-science, not equal to the standards of accuracy set by John W. Campbell in the pages of Astounding. And yet, by the standards of the day, it was much more accurate than most media science fiction. Mars was a desert, Venus a jungle, and the asteroids a haunt of space pirates, but at least planets circled suns and there was no air in space. Contrast this with Twilight Zone, years later, where people could live on asteroids wearing ordinary clothes, or Lost in Space, years after that, where a spaceship could be passing "Jupiter and Andromeda" at the same time. Before Star Trek, Tom Corbett — Space Cadet was the most scientifically accurate series on television, in part due to official science advisor Willy Ley, and later due to Frankie Thomas. Thomas read up on science and everyone on the set turned to him for advice on matters scientific.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Shadow "Chill Of Death" (1-04-48)

Chill Of Death (Aired January 4, 1948)


On July 31, 1930 a sinister voice came over the radio into American Homes. The voice of the Shadow appeared for the first time. In the beginning the Shadow was not a crime fighter. He was a mysterious narrator of mystery tales taken from the pages of Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. The publisher Street & Smith began to use radio as an advertising medium to promote their fiction publications. The Shadow was a perfectly creepy teller of tales promoting Street & Smith. This format continued until 1935 when creative differences between Street & Smith and NBC called a halt to the Shadow on the air. On September 26, 1937, the Shadow reappeared on radio with the voice of Orson Welles playing the part. The Shadow was now a full-fledged character on radio, not just narrating and introducing stories. The Shadow had an identity as Lamont Cranston, a wealthy man about town. He was accompanied by Margo Lane, originally played by Agnes Moorehead. Margo Lane was the only person who knew that Lamont Cranston and the Shadow were one and the same. No other agents assisted the Shadow, as did in the Walter Gibson fictional accounts. This radio Shadow had hypnotic power to make himself invisible to those around him and he possessed mental telepathy to read minds. Orson Welles played the Shadow from 1937 through March 1938. The Shadow became the highest rated radio show on the air at that time.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Theater Five "Dream Of Death" (08-25-64)

Dream Of Death (Aired August 25, 1964)


Theater Five was ABC's attempt to revive radio drama during the early 1960s. The series name was derived from its time slot, 5:00 PM. Running Monday through Friday, it was an anthology of short stories, each about 20 minutes long. News programs and commercials filled out the full 30 minutes. There was a good bit of science fiction and some of the plots seem to have been taken from the daily newspaper. Fred Foy, of The Lone Ranger fame, was an ABC staff announcer in the early 60s, who, among other duties, did Theater Five.

THIS EPISODE:

August 25, 1964. Program #20. ABC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Dream Of Death". A suspense filled episode observing the reactions of a volunteer experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs. William N. Robson (writer), Ralph Camargo, Fred Foy (announcer), Ted Bell (director), George Petrie, Joan Shea, Cliff Carpenter, Richard Hurd, Jack Manning, Bill Sandreuter (audio engineer), Ed Blainey (sound technician), Jack C. Wilson (script editor), Alexander Vlas Datsenko (composer), Glenn Osser (conductor), Edward A. Byron (execuitve producer). 26:34.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Arch Obolers Plays "Night" (06-07-45)

Night (Aired June 7, 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:

June 7, 1945. Mutual network. "Night". Sustaining. An excellent, beautiful radio montage in the central theme of "night." Arch Oboler, Barney James, Bruce Elliott (narrator), David Raxon and His Orchestra, Dorothy Scott, Edmond MacDonald, Everett Allen, Frank Martin (announcer), Gloria Blondell, Griff Barnett (Swan Soap commercial), Joseph Granby, Roseanne Murray, Theodore Von Eltz, Therese Lyon. 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - A Feature of W.P.N.M Radio Clean Adventures Of Frank Merriwell "Ballot Box Mystery" (5-15-48)

Ballot Box Mystery (Aired May 15, 1948)


Adventures of Frank Merriwell first ran on NBC radio from March 26 to June 22, 1934 as a 15-minute serial airing three times a week at 5:30pm. Sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste, this program starred Donald Briggs in the title role. Harlow Wilcox was the announcer. After a 12-year gap, the series returned October 5, 1946 as a 30-minute NBC Saturday morning show, continuing until June 4, 1949. Lawson Zerbe starred as Merriwell, Jean Gillespie and Elaine Rostas as Inza Burrage, Harold Studer as Bart Hodge and Patricia Hosley as Elsie Belwood. The announcer was Harlow Wilcox, and the Paul Taubman Orchestra supplied the background music. There are at least three generations of Merriwells: Frank, his half-brother Dick, and Frank's son, Frank Jr. There is a marked difference between Frank and Dick. Frank usually handled challenges on his own. Dick has mysterious friends and skills that help him, especially an old Indian friend without whom the stories would not have been quite as interesting.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Damon Runyon Theater "Pick The Winner" (03-20-49)

Pick The Winner (Aired March 20, 1949)




The Damon Runyon Theater - Broadcast from January to December 1949, "The Damon Runyon Theatre" dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories for radio. Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 – December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. He spun tales of gamblers, petty thieves, actors and gangsters; few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead to be known as "Nathan Detroit", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charlie", "Dave the Dude", and so on. These stories were written in a very distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Rocky Jordan "The Two OClock Man" (03-06-49)

The Two OClock Man (Aired March 3, 1949)


Jordan was a hard-boiled owner of the Cafe Tambourine who spent most of his time solving mysteries that he usually became involved in by accident. During the Cairo-based run, he often encountered Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo police. John Dunning in his "On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio" describes Jordan as "a rugged hero who each week was confronted by a crime, a mystery, a beautiful woman or a combination of the three. It was a detective show with a difference: the Oriental background was played to the hilt, giving it a sound like no other." The writers worked hard to give it authenticity - actual places and streets in Cairo were often and accurately mentioned. The music score also added to the exoticness of the series. Moyles, a veteran of radio, was much more believable in the role than Raft.

THIS EPSIODE:

March 6, 1949. CBS Pacific network. "The Two O'Clock Man". Sustaining. A young boy breaks into the Cafe Tamboruine, and is later shot and killed. Rocky is held responsible! Jack Moyles, Larry Thor (announcer), Richard Aurandt (composer, conductor), Cliff Howell (producer, director), Larry Roman (editor), Gomer Cool (editor), William Froug (writer). 29:37.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Fort Laramie Audition Show "The Beginning" (7-25-55)

The Beginning (Aired July 25, 1955)






FORT LARAMIE was certainly one of the finest radio series, and were it not for GUNSMOKE, it could be termed the best adult Western program ever aired. FORT LARAMIE is a close relative of GUNSMOKE since it had the same producer-director, same writers, same sound effects men, and many of the same actors. GUNSMOKE had been running for almost four years when Norman Macdonnell brought FORT LARAMIE to CBS. The latter had the same gritty realism, attention to detail, and integrity that audiences admired in GUNSMOKE.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Real McCoys "Grandpa Sells His Gun" (10-24-57)

Grandpa Sells His Gun (Aired October 24, 1957)


A happy-go-lucking West Virginia mountain family picks up stakes and moves to a ranch in California's San Fernando Valley. Center of the action, and undisputed star of the show, was Grandpa, a porch-rockin', gol-darnin', consarnin' old geezer with a wheezy voice who liked to meddle in practically everybody's affairs, neighbors and kin alike. His kin were grandson Luke and his new bride, Kate; Luke's teenage sister, Hassie; and Luke's 11-year-old brother, Little Luke (their parents were deceased). Completing the regular cast were Pepino, their loyal farm hand; George MacMichael, their crusty neighbor and Amos' best friend; and Flora, George's spinster sister who had eyes for Amos

THIS EPISODE:

Grampa Sells His Gun adapted for radio aired on October 24, 1957. The Real McCoys was a situation comedy that aired on the ABC network from 1957 through 1962. It aired for one more season on CBS before its end in 1963. The series revolved around the lives of a mountain family who originally hailed from West Virginia. The McCoys moved to California where they became dirt farmers. The family consisted of Grampa Amos McCoy, the head of the family played by Walter Brennan, his grandson Luke played by Richard Crenna, Luke's new bride Kate played by Kathleen Nolan, teenage sister Hassie played be Lydia Reed, and 11-year-old brother Little Luke played by Michael Winkelman. The Real McCoys paved the way for such rural hits as The Beverly Hillbillies and The Andy Griffith Show.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Suspense "Hands Of Doctor Ottermole" (12-02-48)

Hands Of Doctor Ottermole (Aired December 2, 1948)


Suspense was one of the premier programs of the Golden Age of Radio (aka old-time radio), and advertised itself as "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." It was heard in one form or another from 1942 through 1962. There were approximately 945 episodes broadcast during its long run, over 900 of which are extant in mostly high-quality recordings. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors and director/producers. There were a few rules which were followed for all but a handful of episodes: Protagonists were usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation. Evildoers must be punished in the end. The program made only occasional forays into science fiction and fantasy. Among its science fiction entries were "The Man who Went Back to Save Lincoln" (a time travel fantasy), and an adaptation of "Donovan's Brain".

THIS EPISODE:

December 2, 1948. CBS network. "The Hands Of Mr. Ottermole". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. A "strangler" is prowling the streets of London, killing at will. A police sergeant is suspicious of "Mr. Newspaperman," who always seems to be nearby when the "strangler" strikes. Claude Rains, Thomas Burke (author), Ken Crossen (adaptor), Vincent Price, Verna Felton, Raymond Lawrence, Paul Frees (announcer), Harlow Wilcox (commercial spokesman), William Johnstone (commercial spokesman), Lucien Moraweck (composer), Lud Gluskin (conductor). 29:45.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Screen Directors Playhouse "Caged" (8-02-51)

Caged (Aired August 2, 1951)


From 01/09/49 to 09/28/51 this series was greatly enjoyed by the radio listening audience. It opened as NBC Theater and was also known as The Screen Director’s Guild and The Screen Director’s Assignment. But most people remember it simply as Screen Director’s Playhouse. Many of the Hollywood elite were heard recreating their screen roles over the radio. John Wayne in his rare radio appearances, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Lucille Ball, Claire Trevor, Tallulah Bankhead and many others were on the air week after week during these broadcasts. Many of Hollywood’s directors were also heard in the recreation of their movies. The President of the Screen Director’s Guild appeared on 02/13/49, and Violinist Isaac Stern supplied the music for the 04/19/51 broadcast.

THIS EPISODE:

Caged from Screen Director's Playhouse aired August 2, 1951 starring Eleanor Parker as Marie Allen and Hope Emerson as Evelyn Harper. Caged tells the story of a teenage newlywed, who is sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery. Her experiences while incarcerated, along with the killing of her husband, change her from a very frightened young girl into a hardened convict. This is one of the finest productions ever done for radio from Screen Director's Playhouse. The Academny Award performances by Parker and Emerson are nothing less than spectacular.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Ellery Queen Mysteries "Nick The Knife" (8-09-45)

Nick The Knife (Aired August 9, 1945)


Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse", Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other. Probably the biggest mystery... is how Ellery ever gets a book written. Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure", Tuska wrote, "but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations." In Ellery Queen, Master Detective, "the amorous relationship between Ellery and Nikki Porter was given a dignity, and therefore integrity", Tuska wrote, "that was lacking in the two previous entries in the series", made at Republic Pictures before Bellamy and Lindsay were signed by Columbia.

THIS EPISODE:

April 15, 1948. ABC network."Nick The Knife" "The Slicer". Sustaining. An unknown madman has murdered nineteen women by attacking them at night while they are alone. The identity of "The Slicer" is quite a surprise, you'll never guess whodunit. The "Guest Armchair Detective" is Gene Handsaker (Hollywood columnist). Paul Masterson (announcer), Gene Handsaker, Anthony Boucher (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer), Rex Koury (organist), Dick Woollen (producer, director), Lawrence Dobkin, Kaye Brinker, Herb Butterfield, Alan Reed. 29:30.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Screen Directors Playhouse "The Uninvited" (11-18-49)

The Uninvited (Aired November 18, 1949)

From 01/09/49 to 09/28/51 this series was greatly enjoyed by the radio listening audience. It opened as NBC Theater and was also known as The Screen Director’s Guild and The Screen Director’s Assignment. But most people remember it simply as Screen Director’s Playhouse. Many of the Hollywood elite were heard recreating their screen roles over the radio. John Wayne in his rare radio appearances, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Lucille Ball, Claire Trevor, Tallulah Bankhead and many others were on the air week after week during these broadcasts. Many of Hollywood’s directors were also heard in the recreation of their movies. The President of the Screen Director’s Guild appeared on 02/13/49, and Violinist Isaac Stern supplied the music for the 04/19/51 broadcast.

THIS EPISODE:

November 18, 1949. NBC networek. "The Uninvited". Sustaining. A weepy ghost story set in England. A bit heavy handed. Ray Milland, June Foray, John Dehner, Lewis Allen.1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - My Friend Irma "Dinner Party For Janes Boss" (4-11-47)

Dinner Party For Janes Boss (Aired April 11, 1947)


My Friend Irma, created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard, was a top-rated, long-run radio situation comedy, so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films and television, while Howard scored with another radio comedy hit, Life with Luigi. Dependable and level-headed Jane Stacy (Cathy Lewis) narrated the misadventures of her innocent and bewildered roommate, Irma Peterson (Marie Wilson), a dim-bulb stenographer. Wilson portrayed the character on radio, in two films and a TV series. The successful radio series with Marie Wilson ran on CBS Radio from April 11, 1947 to August 23, 1954. The TV version, seen on CBS from January 8, 1952 until June 25, 1954, was the first series telecast from the CBS Television City facility in Hollywood. The movie My Friend Irma (1949) starred Marie Wilson and Diana Lynn but is mainly remembered today for introducing Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to moviegoers, resulting in even more screen time for Martin and Lewis in the sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950).
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Lives Of Harry Lime "Blue Bride" (1-19-51)

Blue Bride (Aired January 19, 1951)


The Third Man (The Lives of Harry Lime) was a old-time radio adventure series that ran in 1951 and 1952. It was based on the 1949 film of the same name. Orson Welles stars as Harry Lime, a perpetually broke confidence man, smuggler, and general scoundrel. He will participate in virtually any criminal activity to make a fast buck, but uses his wits rather than a gun. He draws the line short of murder, blackmail, or drugs. Even so, Harry is an endearing character and listeners love to hear of his one-step-ahead-of-the-law misadventures as he hops around the globe looking for his next pigeon. The zither music of Anton Karas adds a wonderful Viennese ambience to each episode and really makes this show special.

THIS EPISODE:

October 19, 1951. Program #12. Lang-Worth syndication. "Blue Bride". Commercials added locally. Harry's involved in a counterfeiting scheme in Bordeaux. Orson Welles, Anton Karas (zither), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Tig Roe (director). 26:34.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - You Bet Your Life "Secret Word Tree" (05-24-50)

Secret Word Tree (Aired May 24, 1950)


Groucho Marx matches wits with the American public in four episodes of this classic game show. Starting on the radio in 1947, You Bet Your Life made its television debut in 1950 and aired for 11 years with Groucho as host and emcee. Sponsored rather conspicuously by the Dodge DeSoto car manufacturers, the show featured two contestants working as a team to answer questions for cash prizes. Another mainstay of these question and answer segments was the paper mache duck that would descend from the ceiling with one hundred dollars in tow whenever a player uttered the "secret word." The quiz show aspect of "You Bet Your Life" was always secondary, to the clever back-and-forth between host and contestant, which found Groucho at his funniest. It's in these interview segments that "You Bet Your Life" truly makes its mark as one of early television's greatest programs. Directed by: Robert Dwan.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Vanishing Point "Teenage Catalog Model" (12-07-84)

Teenage Catalog Model (Aired December 7, 1984)


1984-1986 There were 69 episodes in the original series. The series continued after that under various names and formats. "The point between reality and fantasy. Where imagination holds the key to new worlds. That point of no return---The Vanishing Point." Favorably compared to Rod Sterling's classic TV series, The Twilight Zone, these finely tuned radio dramas from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation provide compelling excursions into the realm of mystery and fantasy. This series produced horror and sci-fi, incorporating several 'sub-series' over the course of its long run.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Strange Dr. Weird "Secret Room" (02-13-45) and "Knife Of Death" (02-20-45)

Secret Room (02-13-45) and Knife Of Death (02-20-45)


Robert A. Arthur was the writer of these grisly, macabre fifteen-minute thrillers. Maurice Tarplin played Dr Weird, the narrator of these fantastic tales. The closing line was always the same: “Oh, you have to leave now – too bad! But perhaps you’ll drop in on me again soon. I’m always home. Just look for the house on the other side of the cemetery – the house of Dr Weird!”

THIS EPISODE:

February 13, 1945. Program #15. Mutual network aircheck, syndicated on an RCA transcription. "The Secret Room". Sponsored by: Adam Hats. Nazis find the perfect place to hide out...for Nazis that is! . 12 minutes.
February 20, 1945. Program #16. Mutual network aircheck, syndicated on an RCA transcription. "The Knife Of Death". Sponsored by: Adam Hats. The knife that Jack the Ripper used turns up during the Blitz.. with an evil force behind it! . 12 1/4 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Blondie "Dagwood Loses Dithers 5000 Dollars" (1950)

Dagwood Loses Dithers 5000 Dollars (1950)


Not many cartoon strips from the 30's are still popular, but Blondie is one of the few. Still widely read today, Blondie was also made into movies and of course, radio. Her beau, soon to be husband, Dagwood and her were an unlikely match. Dagwood actually came from money and his parents were displeased with his choice of girlfriend, but boldly defying them, he accepted being disowned and married Blondie anyway. In the beginning, Blondie was a flapper and portrayed as a bit of an airhead, but marriage seemed to mature her and she was actually the more levelheaded of the two, often getting Dagwood out of the messes he got himself into when he would cry out "BLONDIEEEEEEEE!!" Almost everyone could see a bit of themselves in the everyday lives of the Bumsteads and judging from the continued enjoyment of the characters, almost everyone still can. Truly a delightful show.

THIS EPISODE:
Blondie. 1950. ABC net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Dagwood loses an important package with $5000 in it. Now, where did he put it for safekeeping? The AFRS music fill has been deleted. Arthur Lake, Ann Rutherford, Hanley Stafford. 24:37.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Rocky Fortune "Hauling Nitro" (01-26-54)

Hauling Nitro (Aired January 26, 1954)


"Rocky Fortune" about a wanderer that took odd jobs to support himself and never stayed in one place too long. He almost always seemed to meet beautiful women along with trouble. Sinatra was good and was proving to Hollywood that he could do serious work. When casting began for the movie "From Here To Eternity", Frank campaigned tirelessly for a part and because of that and a good word put in for him by Gardner, who he was now separated from, he won a part that would mark his return to Hollywood. Sadly for us, it also meant he didn't have time to do radio and "Rocky Fortune" was rather short lived, although it was popular. It only ran from 1953 - 1954, but" It was a very good year".

THIS EPISODE:

January 26, 1954. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Hauling Nitro". Rocky's explosive job (in more ways than one!) is driving a truckload of nitroglycerine. Frank Sinatra, Frank Gerstle, George Lefferts (writer), Lynn Allen, Bill Justine, Howard Culver, Jack Carroll, Maurice Hart, Andrew C. Love (director). 25 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Hollywood Radio Theater (Lux) "One Foot In Heaven" (07-27-53)

One Foot In Heaven (Aired July 27, 1953)


April 20, 1942. CBS network. "One Foot In Heaven". Sponsored by: Lux Soaps (Mum seed premium). The trials of an impoverished parson and his wife, told with warm human emotion. The program is shortened for "a message from our government." The story was produced again on The Lux Summer Theatre, July 27, 1953 and also on The Lux Video Theatre on February 3, 1955. Fredric March, Martha Scott, Cecil B. DeMille, Bruce Payne, Dix Davis, Doris Sederholm (doubles), Eugene Forsythe, Frank Craven, Griff Barnett (doubles), Josephine Whitell (doubles), Leo Cleary (doubles), Leone LeDoux (doubles), Louis Silvers (music director), Melville Ruick (announcer), Noreen Gammill (doubles), Priscilla Lyon, Verna Felton (doubles), William Melton, Mildred Carroll (chorus), Grace Nielson (chorus), Dawn O'Day (chorus), Betty Bruce (chorus), Barbara Van Brunt (chorus), Jan Williams (chorus), Henry Kruse (chorus), Abe Dinovitz (chorus), Homer Hall (chorus), Enrico Ricardi (chorus), Camille McLain (intermission guest: "Lady Cotton, 1942"), Casey Robinson (screenwriter), Hartzell Spence (author), Sanford Barnett (director), George Wells (adaptor), Charlie Forsyth (sound effects). 46:15.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Sam Spade "The Rushlight Diamond Caper" (7-04-48)

The Rushlight Diamond Caper (Aired July 4, 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 4, 1948. CBS network. "The Rushlight Diamond Caper". Sponsored by: Wildroot Cream Oil. Sam is hired to guard the wedding presents, but not the groom, who is stabbed to death with a pair of garden shears! Sandra Gould replaces Lurene Tuttle as Effie, Sam's secretary. Howard Duff, Dashiell Hammett (creator), William Spier (producer), Sandra Gould, Dick Joy (announcer), Robert Tallman (writer), Gil Doud (writer, director), Lud Gluskin (music director). 29:43.

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