Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Dangerous Assignment "Sunken Ships Aka Sabotag" (7-12-49)

Sunken Ships Aka Sabotag (Aired July 12, 1949)


This thirty-minute international spy adventure featured Steve Mitchell (Brian Donlevy), and investigator of crimes in exotic locations. 60 episodes. Herb Butterfield played the Commissioner and Betty Moran was the Commissioner's secretary. Other cast members were GeGe Pearson, Ken Peters, Betty Lou Gerson, Dan O’Herlihy. The director was Bill Cairn and the writer for the series was Robert Ryf. The opening was the same every week “Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing though, trouble.” He would be summoned to his boss’s office where he would be given his assignment; he would then fly halfway across the globe to save the day! The worldwide locations are dealt up with a feeling of local, and the characters that inhabit these far-away places with strange sounding names are solid and capably acted by veterans. Music is an almost harsh orchestra. Donlevy carries the plots with a world-weary and wary tone that makes sense, based on his occupation.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The CBS Radio Mystery Theater - Absolute Zero (10-28-76)

Absolute Zero (Aired October 28, 1976)


Created by Himan Brown (who had by then become a radio legend due to his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries and other shows dating back to the 1930s), and aired on affiliate stations across the CBS Radio network, the series began its long run on January 6, 1974. The final episode ran on December 31, 1982. The show was broadcast nightly and ran for one hour, including commercials. Typically, a week consisted of three to four new episodes, with the remainder of the week filled out with reruns. There were a total of 1399 original episodes broadcast. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2969. The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took overA host of prominent actors from radio and screen performed on the series, including Agnes Moorehead, Joan Hackett, Mercedes McCambridge, Morey Amsterdam, Roy Thinnes, Keir Dullea, Fred Gwynne, Richard Crenna, Kim Hunter, Larry Haines, Morgan Fairchild, John Lithgow, and even a very young Sarah Jessica Parker. Actors were paid union scale at around $73.92 per show. Writers earned a flat rate of $350.00 per show. The production took place with assembly-line precision. Brown would meet with actors at 9:00 AM for the first reading of the script. He would then assign roles and recording would begin. By noon the recording of the actors was complete and Brown handed everyone their checks. Post-production would take place in the afternoon. In 1975, CBSRMT won the prestigious Peabody Award, and in 1990 it was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. In 1998, the still-active Brown attempted a brief revival of the series, rebroadcasting selected old episodes with his own introductions replacing Marshall's.

THIS EPISODE:

October 28, 1976. Program #542. CBS network. "Absolute Zero". Sponsored by: Budweiser, Buick, Certainteed Insulation, Preparation H, Bronkaid. E. G. Marshall (host), Ian Martin (writer, performer), Jada Rowland, Russell Horton, Bryna Raeburn, Court Benson. 52 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - Death Comes Invited (2-02-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - Death Comes Invited (Aired February 2, 1952)


William Boyd was Hoppy and his sidekick was played by either Andy Clyde or Joe DuVal. Boyd who began his movie career in the days of silent films was a forgotten man until he was asked to portray Hopalong Cassidy in the movies of the 1940s. By 1946 or so he had been in over 60 Hoppy movies and was crowned the king of the cowboys. He became the hero of kids around the world and this lasted until another resurgence in the form of the Hoppy radio series. Once more he attained the fame and regards of kids and adults. During the radio years, TV versions of his early films began appearing on televison. His early movies were edited for televison of the day and once more Bill Boyd entertained his fans. There's more - with the success of these old movies, still another series of original TV films came. And once again Bill Boyd as Hoppy was an immediate success. The radio series were a hard sell. And the owners could find no takers. When this series began it was offered to the various networks. They wanted nothing to do with it so the owners had to sell it in syndication. But, af- ter a short time it became extremely successful that later on it was heard on the Mutual and CBS networks.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot - Murder OnThe Links - COMPLETE (6-21-89)

Murder OnThe Links - COMPLETE (Aired June 21, 1989)


Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters: he appeared in 39 novels and 50 short stories. Poirot has been portrayed on screen, for films and TV, by various actors including Albert Finney, Peter Ustinov, Ian Holm, Tony Randall, Alfred Molina and, most recently, and famously, David Suchet. Poirot was apparently born in Spa, Belgium and, based on the conjecture that he was thirty at the time of his retirement from the Belgian police force at the time of the outbreak of the First World War, it is suggested that he was born in the mid 1880s. This is all extremely vague, as Poirot is thought to be an old man in his dotage even in the early Poirot novels, and in An Autobiography Christie admitted that she already imagined him to be an old man in 1920. (At the time, of course, she had no idea she would be going on writing Poirot books for many decades to come.) Much of the suggested dating for Poirot's age is therefore post-rationalisation on the part of those attempting to make sense of his extraordinarily long career During the first world war, Poirot left Belgium for Britain as a refugee. It was here, on 16 July 1916, that he again met his lifelong friend, Captain Arthur Hastings, and solved the first of his cases to be published: The Mysterious Affair at Styles. After that case Poirot apparently came to the attention of the British secret service, and undertook cases for the British government, including foiling the attempted abduction of the Prime Minister.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Lights Out - Valuse Trieste (3-30-38)

Valuse Trieste (Aired March 30, 1938)


Lights Out was an American old-time radio program featuring "tales of the supernatural and the supernormal." It was immensely popular, and was one of the first horror programs, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum. In its heydey, Lights Out rivalled the popularity of those shows. Lights Out ran through several series and networks, from January 1, 1934 to August 6, 1947. The principal sponsor was Ironized Yeast. Most episodes were broadcast at midnight. Lights Out then made the transition to television in 1949, where it was broadcast until 1952. Created in Chicago by writer Wyllis Cooper in 1934.

THIS EPISODE:

December 29, 1942. CBS network. "Valse Triste". Sponsored by: Ironized Yeast, Energene Cleaning Fluid. A "gentle man" imprisons two women. One must marry him, the other must die! This story is definitely not for the squeamish! Arch Oboler (host), Frank Martin (announcer), Dinah Shore, Gloria Blondell, Lou Merrill, Joseph Kearns, Wally Maher. 29:24.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - 2000 Plus - Worlds Apart (11-12-50)

Worlds Apart (Aired November 12, 1950)


2000 AD (2000 Plus) is known as the first of the network science fiction shows, although it ran on Mutual just a month prior to the introduction of the landmark series, Dimension X. It was a half hour of science fiction wonder in an exciting package. The stories have a charm that is always present in science fiction of the future that is written in the past. "When The Worlds Met" takes place "at the giant space port in Washington, temporary capitol of the federated world government as in April 21, 2000 Plus 20 (2020) crowds throng as audio and televox networks cover a space ship carrying in its space hold the first load of uranium taken from the pits of Luna, satellite of Earth.

THIS EPISODE:

November 12, 1950. Mutual network. "Worlds Apart". Sustaining. An excellent story about a space-ship landing on a very, very strange planet. The system cue has been deleted. William Griffis, Sherman H. Dreyer (producer), Ralph Bell, Gregory Morton, Robert Weenolsen (producer). 29:22.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Bob Hope Show - Guest - Basil Rathbone (1-28-41)

Guest - Basil Rathbone (Aired January 28, 1941)


From the age of twelve, Bob Hope worked at a wide variety of odd jobs at a local board walk. When not doing this he would busk, doing dance and comedy patter to make extra money. He entered many dancing and amateur talent contests, and won prizes for his impersonation of Charlie Chaplin. He also boxed briefly and unsuccessfully under the name Packy East, making it once as far as the semi-finals of the Ohio novice championship. Fallen silent film comedian Fatty Arbuckle saw one of his performances and in 1925 got him steady work with Hurley's Jolly Follies. A year later Hope had formed an act called the Dancemedians with George Burns (who would also live to see his own 100th birthday) and the Hilton Sisters, conjoined twins who had a tap dancing routine. Hope and his partner George Byrne had an act as a pair of Siamese twins as well, and both danced and sang while wearing blackface before friends advised Hope that he was funnier as himself.. 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".

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Hardy Family "Junior Chamber Of Commerce Visiting Dignitary" (01-10-50)

Junior Chamber Of Commerce Visiting Dignitary (Aired January 10, 1950)


Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an extremely successful MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol. The initial Hardy film, A Family Affair (1937), was made before a series was contemplated. It featured Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy and Spring Byington as Mrs. Hardy, Andy's parents, and Margaret Marquis as Andy's on-again-off-again sweetheart, Polly Benedict. But when the series was launched, most of the cast was changed, with the notable exceptions of Rooney and Sara Haden as his Aunt Milly. The series entries starred Lewis Stone as Judge Hardy, Fay Holden as Mrs. Hardy, Cecilia Parker as Andy's older sister Marian Hardy, and Ann Rutherford as Polly. Most of the movies were set in the Hardys' fictional hometown of Carvel, located in Idaho in the original play but described in the films as being in the Midwest. All of the films were sentimental comedies celebrating ordinary American life. The people in Carvel, by and large, were pious, patriotic, generous and tolerant. The town represented movie mogul Louis B. Mayer's idealized vision of his adopted country. Some writers have compared Carvel to Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show a generation later.

THIS EPISODE:

Program #1. MGM syndication. "Junior Chamber of Commerce". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally.. Andy finds himself "forced" to entertain a famous and beautiful athlete. She stands 6'2" tall. Mickey Rooney, Fay Holden, Lewis Stone, Jack Rubin (writer), Jameson Brewer (writer), Thomas A. McAvity (director), Jerry Fielding (composer, conductor), Aurania Rouverol (creator). 25:46.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Superman - The Dragon's Teeth (Show 3 of 3) Aired February 24, 26 and 28, 1941

The Dragon's Teeth (Show 3 of 3) Aired February 24, 26 and 28, 1941


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!” The scripts by B.P. Freeman and Jack Johnstone were directed by Robert and Jessica Maxwell, George Lowther, Allen Ducovny and Mitchell Grayson.Sound effects were created by Jack Keane, AlBinnie, Keene Crockett and John Glennon. Cast : Superman: Bud Collyer (1940-1950), Michael Fitzmaurice (1950-1951) Lois Lane: Joan Alexander, Rollie Bester, Helen Choate. Perry White: Julian Noa. Jimmy Olsen: Jack Grimes, Jackie Kelk. Jor-L: Ned Wever Lara: Agnes Moorehead. Narrator: George Lowther (1940-1942), Jackson Beck (1943-1951), Ross Martin(1951). Airing in the late afternoon (variously at 5:15pm, 5:30pm and 5:45pm), the radio serial engaged the young after school audiences.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Escape "Diary Of A Madman" (01-25-53)

Diary Of A Madman (Aired January 25, 1953)


Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed on as a sponsor for five months in 1950. Despite these problems, Escape enthralled many listeners during its seven-year run. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with the introduction, intoned by Paul Frees and William Conrad: “Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!” Of the more than 230 Escape episodes, most have survived in good condition. Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits, and the series featured more science fiction and supernatural tales than Suspense. Some of the memorable adaptations include Algernon Blackwood's "Confession", Ray Bradbury's oft-reprinted "Mars Is Heaven," George R. Stewart's Earth Abides, Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," John Collier's "Evening Primrose", later adapted to TV as a Stephen Sondheim musical starring Anthony Perkins. Vincent Price and Harry Bartell were heard in the chilling "Three Skeleton Key," the tale of three men trapped in an isolated lighthouse by thousands of rats. The half-hour was adapted from an Esquire short story by the French writer George Toudouze.

THIS EPISODE:

January 25, 1953. CBS network. "Diary Of A Madman". Sustaining. An excellent story about a band of Nazi deserters in the Sahara Desert, determined to become kings of "The Empire Of The Natives." Ben Wright, Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Edgar Barrier, Barney Phillips, Paul Richards, Roy Rowan (announcer), Norman Macdonnell (director), Les Crutchfield (writer), John Meston (editorial supervisor), Leith Stevens (composer, conductor), William Conrad (unbilled announcer). 30:17.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Let George Do It "Dead On Arrival" (11-10-52)

Dead On Arrival (Aired November 10, 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. Sponsor was Standard Oil.

THIS EPISODE:

November 10, 1952. Mutual Don-Lee network. "Dead On Arrival". Sponsored by: Standard Oil. A gentle, gray-haried man is encountered in a bus station. George Valentine and Brooksie find the man has been shot dead...and his body stolen! Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg, David Victor (writer), Kenneth Webb (director), Gaylord Carter (music), Bud Hiestand (announcer), Julie Bennett, Griff Barnett, Forrest Lewis, Harry Bartell, Dick Ryan. 29:47.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western - Cavalcade Of America "Wild Bill Hickok: The Last Of Two Gun Justice" (11-06-40)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western - Cavalcade Of America "Wild Bill Hickok: The Last Of Two Gun Justice" (Aired November 6, 1940


Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on television from 1952 to 1957. Originally on CBS the series pioneered the use of anthology drama for company audio advertising. Cavalcade of America documented historical events using stories of individual courage, initiative and achievement, often with feel-good dramatizations of the human spirit's triumph against all odds. This was consistent with DuPont's overall conservative philosophy and legacy as an American company dating back to 1802. The company's motto, "Maker of better things for better living through chemistry," was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation. The show started as part of a successful campaign to reinvigorate DuPont.

THIS EPISODE:

"Wild Bill Hickock: The Last Of Two Gun Justice" aired on Cavalcade of America November 6, 1940 with Kenny Delmar, Jeanette Nolan, William Pringle and John McIntire. The story of Jim Hickok who came to be called "Wild Bill," his life on the frontier, and how he was killed playing poker. Woody Guthrie, folk musician whose musical legacy includes "This Land Is Your Land," wrote and sings the ballad for this broadcast.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Nightfall "Angel's Kiss" (03-20-81)

Angel's Kiss (Aired March 20, 1981)


Nightfall is the title of a radio drama series produced and aired by CBC Radio ( Canadian Broadcasting Corporation ) from July 1980 to June 1983. While primarily a supernatural/horror series, Nightfall featured some episodes in other genres, such as science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama. One episode was even adapted from a folk song by Stan Rogers. Some of Nightfall's episodes were so terrifying that the CBC registered numerous complaints and some affiliate stations dropped it. Despite this, the series went on to become one of the most popular shows in CBC Radio history, running 100 episodes that featured a mix of original tales and adaptations of both classic and obscure short stories.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1981. Program #33. CBC, Toronto origination, NPR net, WPBH-FM, Middlefield, CT. aircheck. "Angel's Kiss". Sustaining. A date with the Devil...and she's beautiful! An excellent contemporary story. The WPBH-FM rebroadcast date is January 10, 1982. Nina Callaghan (production assistant), John Graham (writer), Nancy MacIlvene (production assistant), Earle Toppings (series story editor), George R. Robertson (writer), Henry Ramer (host, as "Luther Kranst"), Bill Robinson (sound effects), Elva Mai Hoover, John Evans, John Stocker, Gordon Thomson, Mary Pirie, Neil Dainard, Bill Howell (producer, director), Sandy Webster, Gerard Parkes, Ken James, Budd Knapp, John Donough, John Jessop (recording engineer). 29:00.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Whistler "Urge To Kill" (10-04-42)

Urge To Kill (Aired October 4, 1942)


The Whistler was one of radio's most popular mystery dramas, with a 13-year run from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. If it now seems to have been influenced explicitly by The Shadow, The Whistler was no less popular or credible with its listeners, the writing was first class for its genre, and it added a slightly macabre element of humor that sometimes went missing in The Shadow's longer-lived crime stories. Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. A total of 692 episodes were produced, yet despite the series' fame, over 200 episodes are lost today. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.

THIS EPISODE:

October 4, 1942. CBS network. "The Urge To Kill". Sustaining. A businessman under intense wartime production pressures develops amnesiac spells with increasing frequency. J. Donald Wilson (writer, director), Wilbur Hatch (composer, conductor). 29:54

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Inheritance "That All May Know" (07-25-54)

That All May Know (Aired July 25, 1954)


"Inheritance" - A Dramatized look into American History. NBC Network in cooperation with the AMERICAN LEGION Sundays 4:30 - 5:00 pm PRUDUCER/DIRECTOR: Albert McCleary ANNOUNCER: John Wald MUSIC: Robert Armbruster.

THIS EPISODE:

July 25, 1954. Program #16. NBC network. "That All May Know". Sustaining. Not auditioned. 4:30 P. M. The program is produced is co-operation with The American Legion. The after-drama speaker is the past National Commander of The American Legion, Kansas; Harry Kollmary Albert McCleary (producer, Director), John Wald (announcer), Robert Armbruster (composer, conductor), Harry Kollmary, Milt Kahn (writer), Hans Conried (narrator), Parley Baer, Dick Ryan, Jack Nestle, Ann Seaton, Ralph Moody, Jay Barney, Barney Phillips. 29:39.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Superman - The Dragon's Teeth (Show 2 of 3) 1941

The Dragon's Teeth (Show 2 of 3) Aired February 17, 19 and 21, 1941


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!” The scripts by B.P. Freeman and Jack Johnstone were directed by Robert and Jessica Maxwell, George Lowther, Allen Ducovny and Mitchell Grayson.Sound effects were created by Jack Keane, AlBinnie, Keene Crockett and John Glennon. Cast : Superman: Bud Collyer (1940-1950), Michael Fitzmaurice (1950-1951) Lois Lane: Joan Alexander, Rollie Bester, Helen Choate. Perry White: Julian Noa. Jimmy Olsen: Jack Grimes, Jackie Kelk. Jor-L: Ned Wever Lara: Agnes Moorehead. Narrator: George Lowther (1940-1942), Jackson Beck (1943-1951), Ross Martin(1951). Airing in the late afternoon (variously at 5:15pm, 5:30pm and 5:45pm), the radio serial engaged the young after school audiences.

THIS SERIES: Superman - THE DRAGON'S TEETH (10 Episodes)


February 17, 1941. Program #160. Mutual network. Commercials added locally. Clark Kent visits Walter Hoffman on a pretense. Perry White receives a telegram from Superman! Is it a trap? Bud Collyer, Julian Noa. 12:24.

February 19, 1941. Program #161. Mutual network. Commercials added locally. An interview with a Superman imposter, and a confrontation with the real thing! Bud Collyer. 12:28.

February 21, 1941. Program #162. Mutual network. Commercials added locally. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are flying west in an air transport plane which is running into serious trouble. Clark Kent switches to Superman, knocks out the pilots and lands the plane safely. Walter Hoffman confronts Lois Lane! Bud Collyer, Joan Alexander. 12:20.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Jack Armstrong All American Boy - 2 Episodes (05-16-41) (10-06-41)

Cave Of The Fiery Crocodile (05-16-41) and Secret Of Yucatan Jungle (10-06-41)


Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy was a radio adventure series which maintained its popularity from 1933 to 1951. The program originated at WBBM in Chicago on July 31, 1933, and was later carried on CBS, then NBC and finally ABC. The storylines centered around the globe-trotting adventures of Armstrong (played by Jim Ameche until 1938), a popular athlete at Hudson High School, his friends Billy Fairfield and his sister Betty, and their "Uncle Jim," James Fairfield, an industrialist. Frequently, "Uncle Jim" Fairfield would have to visit an exotic part of the world in connection with his business, and he would take Jack Armstrong and the Fairfield siblings along with him. Many of the adventures provided listeners with the equivalent of a travelogue, providing facts about the lands they were visiting. The show was created by writer Robert Hardy Andrews. Sponsored throughout its long run by Wheaties, the program was renamed Armstrong of the SBI when Jack graduated high school and became a government agent in the final season, when it shifted from a 15-minute serial to a half-hour complete story format. Throughout its broadcast span, the program offered radio premiums that usually related to the adventures in which Jack and his friends were involved. In the Jack Armstrong movie serial of 1947, ace science whiz Armstrong (John Hart) must escape from an island fortress after he is kidnapped by a villain who wants the secrets of atom-powered motors. That same year the Parents Institute began publishing their Jack Armstrong comic book which had a 13-issue run. Leslie N. Daniels, Jr. wrote the Big Little Book, Jack Armstrong and the Ivory Treasure (1937). Daniels' tale was based on a 1937 Talbot Mundy radio script which Mundy had first written as his novel The Ivory Trail (1919). A short Jack Armstrong animated TV pilot was developed by Hanna-Barbera for a proposed television series. However, when negotiations for rights to the characters collapsed, the planned series was reworked into what became the animated adventure Jonny Quest (1964). Some of the Jack Armstrong footage survived in the closing credits for Jonny Quest. Timothy Bottoms portrayed Jack Armstrong in the action-adventure film, American Hero (1997). Jack Armstrong entered the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.

TODAY'S SHOW: Cave Of The Fiery Crocodile (05-16-41) and Secret Of Yucatan Jungle (10-06-41)
CAST: Jim Ameche, Stanley Harris, Frank Behrens, Charles Flynn, Rye Billsbury, St John Terrell, John Gannon, Roland Butterfield, Murray McLean, Milton Guion, Dick York, Shaindel Kalish, Sarajane Wells, Loretta Poynton, Naomi May, Patricia Dunlap, Jim Goss, Don Ameche, Frank Dane and Jack Doty, Herb Butterfield, Ed Davison, Arthur Van Slyke, Olan Soule, Ken Christy, Frank Behrens, Michael Romano, Robert Barron, Ken Griffin, Carlton KaDell.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Campbell Playhouse "Counsellor At Law" (01-06-39)

Counsellor At Law (Aired January 6, 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.

THIS EPISODE:

January 6, 1939. CBS network. "Counselor At Law". Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. A good story about a powerful attorney with a secret past. Announced as the first radio performance by Gertrude Berg in a program other than, "The Goldbergs." Attorney Sam Liebowitz also appears. Orson Welles, Gertrude Berg, Aline MacMahon, Elmer Rice (author), Sam Liebowitz, Joseph Cotten. 58:26.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Superman "The Dragons Teeth" (Show 1 of 3) 1941

The Dragons Teeth (Show 1 of 3) Aired February 10, 12 and 14, 1941


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!” The scripts by B.P. Freeman and Jack Johnstone were directed by Robert and Jessica Maxwell, George Lowther, Allen Ducovny and Mitchell Grayson.Sound effects were created by Jack Keane, AlBinnie, Keene Crockett and John Glennon. Cast : Superman: Bud Collyer (1940-1950), Michael Fitzmaurice (1950-1951) Lois Lane: Joan Alexander, Rollie Bester, Helen Choate. Perry White: Julian Noa. Jimmy Olsen: Jack Grimes, Jackie Kelk. Jor-L: Ned Wever Lara: Agnes Moorehead. Narrator: George Lowther (1940-1942), Jackson Beck (1943-1951), Ross Martin(1951). Airing in the late afternoon (variously at 5:15pm, 5:30pm and 5:45pm), the radio serial engaged the young after school audiences.

THIS SERIES: Superman - THE DRAGON'S TEETH (10 Episodes)

February 10, 1941. Program #157. Mutual network. Commercials added locally. The start of a new adventure. The secret of eternal life is to be found on the ten teeth of the green dragon! This story would be used on the program again in five years, starting March 15, 1946.

February 12, 1941. Program #158. Mutual network. Commercials added locally. Dr. Wan asks Perry White to guard nine of the ten teeth of "The Green Dragon," but Perry White collapses from poisoned tea! Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen follow Perry White and Clark Kent to Chinatown, but Dr. Wan cannot say where they went. There's more poisoned tea to come! Bud Collyer, Julian Noa, Jackie Kelk, Joan Alexander. 12:25.

February 14, 1941. Program #159. Mutual network. Commercials added locally. Superman saves Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane from the poisoned tea. Evil Walter Hoffman appears in Dr. Wan's apartment and kills him to get the teeth of "The Green Dragon." Bud Collyer, Jackie Kelk, Joan Alexander. 12:49. Audio condition: Very good to excellent. Otherwise complete.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Crime Classics "Mr. Jonathon Jewett" (06-02-54)

Mr. Jonathon Jewett (Aired June 2, 1954)


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:

June 2, 1954. CBS net. "Mr. Jonathan Jewett". Sustaining. The complete story title is "Mr. Jonathan Jewett: How He Most Peculiarly He Cheated The Hangman." A prisoner about to be hanged plans to cheat the noose...with the help of a "friend." Well done, with delightfully grisly descriptions. David Friedkin (writer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director, performer), Bob Lemond (announcer), John Dehner, Lee Miller, Vic Perrin, Lou Merrill (host), Morton Fine (writer), Junius Matthews, Byron Kane. 30:28.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Clock "Valerie Lathrop" (02-05-48)

Valerie Lathrop (Aired February 5, 1948)

The Clock, Imported from Austrailia, was a dramatic thirty-minute suspense and mystery series. It was written by Lawrence Klee and was first broadcast in November 1946. The story always began the same; “Sunrise and sunset, promise and fulfilment, birth and death … the whole drama of life is written in the sands of time”. This is a great series where the main theme seems to be Retribution. Stories as told by Father Time. The first Broadcast was November 3rd 1946 and the Last Broadcast May 23rd 1948.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Diamond Dramas - 2 Episodes From 1945

TWO EPISODES FROM 1945 "The Diamond Medallion" (04-xx-45) and "Highwayman's Diamond" (05-27-45)

A series of mystery and drama from the 1940's, always with a theme that surrounded some aspect of the precious gem, always the stories of admiration, smuggling, and thievery and the evil deeds of those who wished to possess them. Today we bring you two episodes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Barry Craig Confidential Investigator "Beware The Walking Dog" (05-03-53)

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. The Shows Cast: Byron Kane, William Gargan, Betty Lou Gerson, Jack Moyles, Lou Krugman, Victor Rodman, John Roeburt (writer), Arthur Jacobson (director), Edward King (announcer).

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Amos & Andy "Andy The Sailor" (05-25-45)

Andy The Sailor (Aired May 25, 1945)


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. At this time the Blue Network was not heard on stations in the West. Western listeners complained to NBC, they wanted to hear the show. Under special arrangements Amos 'n' Andy debuted coast-to-coast November 28, 1929 on NBC's Pacific Orange Network and continued on the Blue. At the same time, the serial's central characters -- Amos, Andy and George "The Kingfish" Stevens -- relocated from Chicago to Harlem.
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. The Kingfish's catch phrase "Holy mackerel!" soon entered the American lexicon.

THIS EPISODE:

May 25, 1945. NBC network. Andy impersonates a sailor and is lucky enough to be the millionth visitor to the "Harlem Canteen." Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll. 27 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Theater Five "Sirens In The Night" (10-26-64)

Sirens In The Night (Aired October 26, 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.

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