Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Arch Oboler's Plays "Mirage" (09-06-45)

Mirage (Aired September 6, 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:
September 5, 1945. Mutual-Don Lee network. "Mirage". Sustaining. A good story about an old man who writes in the sand at night the dates people are going to die. Then script was previously used on "Lights Out" on September 21, 1943, on "Arch Oboler's Plays" on April 13, 1939 and November 25, 1939 and subsequently on December 19, 1964. Next week's story is announced as "Profits Unlimited." This broadcast has also been dated September 6, 1945. Raymond Edward Johnson, Joan Blaine, Arch Oboler (writer, producer, director). 29:33.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Philip Morris Playhouse "Apology" (04-01-49)

Apology (Aired April 1, 1949)


Philip Morris invested heavily in radio advertising throughout the 1930s and ‘40s, often having two weekly programs on competing networks. The first, a variety show that ran for twelve seasons (1934-47) and combined musical and dramatic elements, was called Johnny Presents, essentially giving Roventini "top billing" above all the big name guests that appeared on the broadcasts. The cigarette company also sponsored Philip Morris Playhouse, a dramatic anthology series that lasted 14 seasons (1939-53), finally switching to television.

THIS EPISODE:

April 1, 1949. CBS network, KNX, Los Angeles aircheck. "Apology". Sponsored by: Philip Morris, Revelation Pipe Tobacco, Tide (local). An ordinary guy lets his wife die, but then has to deal with her very tough father. An unusual drama in that all characters have New York Jewish dialects. Elliott Lewis, Alan Reed, Sidney Miller, Cathy Lewis, Ken Christy, William Spier (producer, director, editor), David Ellis (writer), Lud Gluskin (music director), Art Ballinger (announcer). 29:40.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone" - Wagon Train (04-13-48)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone" - Wagon Train (Aired April 13, 1948)


CBS started the year 1958 off with the introduction on 01/29/58 of Frontier Gentleman. That series lasted 41 broadcasts. Near the end of the year, the network launched Have Gun, Will Travel on 11/23/58, which continued for 106 programs. In between, a very short series was offered and discontinued after only 16 broadcasts, Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone. Sam Buffington starred as Luke Slaughter, a Civil War cavalryman who turned to cattle ranching in post war Arizona territory near Fort Huachuca. William N. Robson,known from his work with such series as ESCAPE, SUSPENSE and THE CBS RADIO WORKSHOP, directed. Sam Buffington enacted the title role on Luke Slaughter of Tombstone, another of CBS's prestigious adult Westerns. The series was produced and directed by William N. Robson, one of radio's greatest dramatic directors and Robert Stanley producer was aired from February 23 through June 15, 1958. Buffington portrayed the hard-boiled cattleman with scripts overseen by Gunsmoke sound effects artist (and sometimes scriptwriter) Tom Hanley. Each program had an authoritative opening statement: "Slaughter's my name, Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business, it's a big business. I got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to take it away from me." Junius Matthews was heard as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita.

THIS EPISODE:

April 13, 1958. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. A wagon train led by the evil Burnwell has killed Carl Justice and stolen $10,000 in gold. William N. Robson (director), Wilbur Hatch (music), Sam Buffington, Lawrence Dobkin, Chester Stratton. 25 minutes.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Let George Do It "Uncle Harrys Bones" (04-09-51)

Uncle Harrys Bones (Aired April 9, 1951)


Let George Do It was a radio drama series produced by Owen and Pauline Vinson from 1946 to 1954. It starred Bob Bailey as detective-for-hire George Valentine (with Olan Soule stepping into the role in 1954). Clients came to Valentine's office after reading a newspaper carrying his classified ad: "Personal notice: Danger's my stock in trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine." Valentine's secretary was Claire Brooks, aka Brooksie (Frances Robinson, Virginia Gregg, Lillian Buyeff). As Valentine made his rounds in search of the bad guys, he usually encounted Brooksie's kid brother, Sonny (Eddie Firestone), Lieutenant Riley (Wally Maher) and elevator man Caleb (Joseph Kearns). Sponsored by Standard Oil, the program was broadcast on the West Coast Mutual Broadcasting System from October 18, 1946 to September 27, 1954, first on Friday evenings and then on Mondays. In its last season, transcriptions were aired in New York, Wednesdays at 9:30pm, from January 20, 1954 to January 12, 1955. John Hiestand was the program's announcer. Don Clark directed the scripts by David Victor and Jackson Gillis. The background music was supplied by Eddie Dunstedter on the organ.

THIS EPISODE:

April 9, 1951. Mutual-Don Lee network. "Uncle Harry's Bones". Sponsored by: Standard Oil. Where is Uncle Harry? When his bones are found, the search is only beginning. It's a five year old murder, and everyone in town is a suspect! Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg, Ken Christy, Lurene Tuttle, Don Diamond, Fred Howard, Lawrence Dobkin, Joseph Du Val, Bud Hiestand (announcer), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, presenter), David Victor (writer), Jackson Gillis (writer), Don Clark (director). 29:53.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Real McCoys "New Doctor In Town" (03-17-58)

New Doctor In Town (Aired March 17, 1958)

The Real McCoys was a situation comedy. The program 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 Grandpa Amos McCoy (the head of the family; Walter Brennan), his grandson Luke (Richard Crenna), Luke's new bride Kate (Kathleen Nolan), teenage sister Hassie (Lydia Reed), and 11-year-old brother Little Luke (Michael Winkelman). The double-naming of the brothers was explained in the first episode by the elder Luke as due to their parents being so excited over the birth of the younger boy.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Songs By Sinatra "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" (01-23-46)

You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby (Aired January 23, 1946)

Songs By Sinatra CBS - sustaining Orch Conducted by: Axel Stordahl With: The Pide Pipers; The Bobby Tucker Singers Announcer: MARVIN MILLER Opening Theme: This Love Of Mine Closing Theme: Put Your Dreams Away (For Another Day) Sunday (7:15 - 7:30); 15 min Originally Broadcast on the CBS Radio Network in 1945 it is one of many different Frank Sinatra Radio Shows. On this series the orchestra was conducted by Axel Stordahl, and the Pied Pipers were also on hand. Though the quality of the recordings leave something to be desired (not having been intended to survive past the initial broadcast), these old shows give us insight into the music and culture of one of the most amazing periods of American history.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - First Nighter Program "The Tin Box" (05-06-48)

The Tin Box (Aired May 6, 1948)


The First Nighter Program aired on the Blue Network and on Thursday nights at 8:30PM till 9:00PM, sponsored by Campana and starring Don Ameche and June Meredith. On October 4, 1942, The First Nighter program switched over from CBS to Mutual and was broadcast from 6:00 to 6:30 on Sunday evenings. At the end of the regular season for The First Nighter, on May 2, 1942, Murder Clinic switched time periods and came on three hours earlier as the summer replacement for the other program.

THIS EPISODE:

May 6, 1948. CBS network. "The Tin Box". Sponsored by: Campana cosmetics. A comedy-mystery about a $10,000 ransom. How does one give it back? Barbara Luddy, Olan Soule, Willard Waterman, Lawrence Dobkin, David Ellis, Jean Fromhurst (writer), Larry Keating (commercial spokesman). 29:29.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Unexpected "Rematch (08-15-48) and The Winfield Diamond" (09-04-48)

Rematch (Aired August 15, 1948) and The Winfield Diamond (Aired September 4, 1948)


The fifteen minute format lends itself to quickly drawn weird stories, with a twist ending, so that the listener gets a sudden shock, like all good scary tales should deliver. The trick is to make the "unexpected" something the listen doesn't expect. Excellent actors like Barry Sullivan, Lurene Tuttle and Virginia Gregg, who played Helen Asher in The Adventures of Richard Diamond, make the quickie a little less abrupt. Director Frank Danzig kept the show, for the most part, on the highroad to thrilling, like Suspense, Lights Out, or Quiet Please that came before The Unexpected.

TWO EPISODES:

1948. Program #121. Hamilton Whitney syndication. "The Winfield Diamond". Music fill for local commercial insert. A woman tries to steal a huge diamond from an old eccentric and gets away with it, almost. The date is approximate. Binnie Barnes, Robert Libbott (writer), Frank Burt (writer), Frank Danzig (director). 14:01.

1948. Program #118. Hamilton Whitney syndication. "Rematch". Sponsored by: Music fill for lcoal commercial insert. A story with a surprise ending. A boxer takes a dive and gets away with it, almost. The date is approximate. Jackie Cooper. 15 minutes.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Have Gun Will Travel" Winchester Quarantine (02-22-59)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Have Gun Will Travel" Winchester Quarantine (Aired February 22, 1959)


Have Gun Will Travel debuted on November 23, 1958. The show followed the adventures of Paladin, a gentleman-turned-gunfighter played by John Dehner on radio, who preferred to settle problems without violence, yet, when forced to fight, excelled. Paladin lived in the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in semi-formal wear, ate gourmet food, and attended opera. In fact, many who initially met him mistook him for a dandy from the East. When working, he dressed in black, used calling cards and wore a holster which carried characteristic chess knight emblems, and carried a derringer under his belt. The knight symbol is of course in reference to his name — possibly a nickname or working name — and his occupation as a champion-for-hire (see paladin). The theme song of the series refers to him as "a knight without armor." In addition, Paladin drew a parallel between his methods and the chess piece's movement: "It's a chess piece, the most versatile on the board. It can move in eight different directions, over obstacles, and it's always unexpected."

THIS EPISODE:

February 22, 1959. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Winchester Quarantine". Joe Whitehorse, a mission Indian, is supposed to have diseased cattle. The local ranchers want him out. The script was used on the "Have Gun, Will Travel" television show on October 5, 1957. John Dehner, Ben Wright, Virginia Gregg, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Lillian Buyeff, Joseph Kearns, Barney Phillips, Edgar Barrier, Hugh Douglas (announcer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Herb Meadow (creator, writer), Ann Doud (adaptor), Sam Rolfe (creator), Bill James (sound effects), Tom Hanley (sound effects). 25 minutes.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Abbott & Costello Show "Radio Station with Alan" (03-30-44)

Radio Station with Alan (Aired March 30, 1944)


Abbott and Costello William (Bud) Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular teams in the history of comedy. Thanks to the endurance of their most popular and influential routine, "Who's on First?"---whose rapid-fire word play and comprehension confusion set the preponderant framework for most of their best-known routines---the team are also the only comedians known to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park, NJ, October 2, 1897 and died April 24, 1974 in Woodland Hills, California. Lou Costello was born in Paterson, NJ, March 6, 1906 and died March 3, 1959 in East Los Angeles, California. After working as Allen's summer replacement, Abbott and Costello joined Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on The Chase and Sanborn Hour in 1941, while two of their films (Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost) were adapted for Lux Radio Theater. They launched their own weekly show October 8, 1942, sponsored by Camel cigarettes. The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical interludes (usually, by singers such as Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbrook, Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott & Costello's mishaps (and often fuming in character as Costello insulted his on-air wife routinely); he was succeeded by Michael Roy, with annoncing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. The show went through several orchestras during its radio life, including those of Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Jack Meaking, Will Osborne, Freddie Rich, Leith Stevens, and Peter van Steeden. The show's writers included Howard Harris, Hal Fimberg, Parke Levy, Don Prindle, Ed Cherokee, Len Stern, Martin Ragaway, Paul Conlan, and Ed Forman, as well as producer Martin Gosch. Sound effects were handled mostly by Floyd Caton. Abbott and Costello moved the show to ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) five years after they premiered on NBC. During their ABC period they also hosted a 30-minute children's radio program(The Abbott and Costello Children's Show), which aired Saturday mornings with vocalist Anna Mae Slaughter and announcer Johnny McGovern.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Black Museum "The Pair Of Spectacles" (1952)

The Pair Of Spectacles (1952)


Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. A number of famous people have visited the musuem including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows. Following the opening, Mr. Welles would introduce the museum's item of evidence that was central to the case, leading into the dramatization. He also provided narration during the show and ended each show with his characteristic closing from the days of his Mercury Theater on the Air, 'remaining obediently yours'.

THIS EPISODE:
Syndicated. "The Pair Of Spectacles". Commercials added locally. Miss Daisy Oliver has disappeared en route to visit Mr. Smith, a strange chicken farmer. Her dismembered body is found buried on the chicken farm. Orson Welles (host). 25:54.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet "The Third Degree" (11-21-48)

The Third Degree (Aired November 21, 1948)


The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet launched on CBS October 8, 1944, making a mid-season switch to NBC in 1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from October 14, 1949, to June 18, 1954.The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, an American radio and television series, was once the longest-running, live-action situation comedy on American television, having aired on ABC from 1952 to 1966 after a ten-year run on radio. Starring Ozzie Nelson and his wife, singer Harriet Hilliard (she dropped her maiden name after the couple ended their music career), the show's sober, gentle humor captured a large, sustaining audience, although it never rated in the top ten programs, and later critics tended to dismiss it as fostering a slightly unrealistic picture of post-World War II American family life. When Skelton was drafted, Ozzie Nelson was prompted to create his own family situation comedy. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet launched on CBS October 8, 1944, making a mid-season switch to NBC in 1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from October 14, 1949, to June 18, 1954. In an arrangement that amplified the growing pains of American broadcasting, as radio "grew up" into television (as George Burns once phrased it), the Nelsons' deal with ABC gave the network itself the right to move the show to television whenever it wanted to do it---they wanted, according to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, to have talent in the bullpen and ready to pitch, so to say, on their own network, rather than risk it defecting to CBS (where the Nelsons began) or NBC. Their sons, David and Ricky, did not join the cast until five years after the radio series began. The two boys felt frustrated at hearing themselves played by actors and continually requested they be allowed to portray themselves. Prior to April 1949, the role of David was played by Joel Davis (1944-45) and Tommy Bernard, and Henry Blair appeared as Ricky. Since Ricky was only nine years old when he began on the show, his enthusiasm outstripped his ability at script reading, and at least once he jumped a cue, prompting Harriet to say, "Not now, Ricky." Other cast members included John Brown as Syd "Thorny" Thornberry, Lurene Tuttle as Harriet's mother, Bea Benaderet as Gloria, Janet Waldo as Emmy Lou, and Dick Trout as Roger. Vocalists included Harriet Nelson, the King Sisters, and Ozzie Nelson. The announcers were Jack Bailey and Verne Smith. The music was by Billy May and Ozzie Nelson. The producers were Dave Elton and Ozzie Nelson.

THIS EPISODE:

November 21, 1948. NBC network. Sponsored by: International Silver. Who is more curious...Ozzie or Harriet? And who is that beautiful girl that complimented Ozzie? A funny show. Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard. 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The New Adventures Of Nero Wolf "Stamped For Murder" (10-20-50)

Stamped For Murder (Aired October 20, 1950)


Nero Wolf is a fictional detective created by American author Rex Stout in the 1930s and featured in dozens of novels and novellas.In the stories, Wolfe is one of the most famous private detectives in the United States. He weighs about 285 pounds and is 5'11" tall. He raises orchids in a rooftop greenhouse in his New York City brownstone on West 35th Street, helped by his live-in gardener Theodore Horstmann. Wolfe drinks beer throughout the day and is a gourmâ??und. He employs a live-in chef, Fritz Brenner. He is multilingual and brilliant, though apparently self-educated, and reading is his third passion after food and orchids. He works in an office in his house and almost never leaves home, even to pursue the detective work that finances his expensive lifestyle. Instead, his leg work is done by another live-in employee, Archie Goodwin. While both Wolfe and Goodwin are licensed detectives, Goodwin is more of the classic fictional gumshoe, tough, wise-cracking, and skirt-chasing. He tells the stories in a breezy first-person narrative that is semi-hard-boiled in style.

THIS EPISODE:

October 20, 1950. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Stamped For Murder". A phoney treasure map is still worth $10,000 and several murders to a team of swindlers...why? Alfred Bester (writer), Don Stanley (announcer), Edwin Fadiman (executive producer?), Herb Vigran, Howard McNear, J. Donald Wilson (producer, director), Jay Novello, Jeanne Bates, Joseph Eamon (music?), Lawrence Dobkin, Rex Stout (author, Chairman Of The Writer's War Board), Sydney Greenstreet, Wally Maher, William Johnstone. 25 minutes.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Flash Gordon "Ep21 (09-21-35) and Ep22" (09-28-35)

Episode21 "Azura Tries To Negotiate" (09-21-35) and Episode22 "Flash Defends Azura" (09-28-35)



FIRST BROADCAST: April 1935 LAST BROADCAST: February 1936 CAST: Gale Gordon, Maurice Franklin, Bruno Wick, James Meighan PRODUCER: Himan Brown This science-fiction adventure originally began as a comic strip. Starting April 22, 1935, the strip was adapted into The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, a 26 episode weekly radio serial. The series followed the strip very closely, amounting to a week-by-week adaptation of the Sunday strip for most of its run. Flash Gordon was played by Gale Gordon, later famous for his television roles in Our Miss Brooks, Dennis the Menace, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy (the latter two with Lucille Ball). The cast also included Maurice Franklin as Dr. Zarkov and Bruno Wick as Ming the Merciless. The radio series broke with the strip continuity in the last two episodes, when Flash, Dale and Zarkov return to Earth. They make a crash landing in Africa, where they meet Jungle Jim, the star of another of Alex Raymond's comic strips. The series ended on October 26, 1935 with Flash and Dale's marriage. The next week, The Adventures of Jungle Jim picked up in that Saturday timeslot. Two days later, on October 28th, The Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon debuted as a daily show, running five days a week. This series strayed farther afield from Raymond's strip, involving Flash, Dale and Zarkov in an adventure in Atlantis. The series aired 74 episodes, ending on February 6, 1936.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Weird Circle "The Vendetta" (09-12-43)

The Vendetta (Aired September 12, 1943)


THE WEIRD CIRCLE was a syndicated series that was heard on Mutual stations November, 1943 through October, 1947 and very briefly in September/October of 1947 on ABC. The show presented 30 minute tales of horror, frequently inspired by classic horror or ghost stories, frequently done by French authors. It opened with the sound of the surf and the chant-like opening, "In this cave by the restless sea, we are met to call from out of past, stories strange and weird. Bell keeper, toll the bell, so that all may know that we are gathered again in the Weird Circle". Very little is known about this series. Neither Dunnings OTR Encyclopedia nor the many OTR log sites carry any information about the sponsors, actors, or production crew associated with The Weird Circle. All that can be said is this. The Weird Circle strived to bring the listener on a new, horrific adventure every week. Often taking its stories from popular fiction, Fall of the House of Usher and Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for instance, the series promised top of the line dramatic tetnsion each and every week. The Weird Circle is classic OTR horror in every sense of the word, and remains one of the most listened to series created during the golden age of radio.

THIS EPISODE:

Program #3. "The Vendetta". Audition show. The tragic story of the old Italian custom of, "an eye for and eye" causes a father to kill his own daughter. A gory tale with a tragic ending. Honore de Balzac (author). 25 minutes.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Nick Carter Master Detective "State's Prison Evidence" (10-18-43)

State's Prison Evidence (Aired Otober 18, 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 18, 1943. Mutual network. "State's Prison Evidence," or "The Mystery Of The Midnight Murder. Sustaining. In pursuit of a killer and forger of wills, Nick goes to jail for weeks and uses a wire recorder to catch the crooks. Lon Clark, Helen Choate, Lew White (composer, conductor), Jock MacGregor (writer, director), John King. 30:12.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Lux Radio Theater "Dust Be My Destiny" (04-14-41)

Dust Be My Destiny (Aired April 14, 1941)


Stars and movies with Oscars were the idea - in most cases, the movie stars recreated their academy award roles for the show, or in other cases, fine actors played the parts and gave it a different character. Both ways make for great radio drama and first class Hollywood motion picture star entertainment. The Lux Radio Theater had been doing this kind of radio show in the grandest manner for many years, but sponsor Squibb had the hubris and deep pockets to take on the competition by doing Academy Award Theater right after the Second World War. The year 1946 was pre-television, and so movies were still the major American visual art form, with radio the other popular network entertainment. In this final pre-TV time, Academy Award Theater was thought of as a premier radio production, a wow show, much like CinemaScope was to be in the 1950's when Hollywood felt the box office blow of early TV.

THIS EPISODE:

April 14, 1941. CBS network. "Dust Be My Destiny". Sponsored by: Lux. A Depression romance about a young couple who stay one jump ahead of the law, running from a wrongful murder rap. John Garfield, Claire Trevor, Cecil B. DeMille, Adelaide Irving, Arthur Q. Bryan, Bruce Payne, Earl Keen (as a cow), Earle Ross (doubles), Edward Arnold Jr. (doubles), George Yesner (doubles), James Eagles (doubles), Louis Silvers (music director), Melville Ruick (announcer), Pat Collins (doubles), Rex Heath, Spec O'Donnell (doubles), Tony Martelli, Lou Merrill, Griff Barnett, Warren Ashe (doubles, one part is a radio), Charles Seel (doubles), Paul O. Irving (doubles), Duane Thompson (commercial spokesman), Ann Tobin (commercial spokesman), Frederick Shields (commercial spokesman), Robert Rossen (screenwriter), Jerome Odlum (author), Sanford Barnett (director), George Wells (adaptor), Charlie Forsyth (sound effects). 1 hour.(1946)

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Lights Out "The Day The Sun Exploded" (09-01-45)

The Day The Sun Exploded (Aired September 1, 1945)

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.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Boston Blackie "Bill Crane Attorney" (09-13-45)

Bill Crane Attorney (Aired September 13, 1945)


The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer. While investigating mysteries, Blackie invaribly encountered harebrained Police Inspector Farraday (Maurice Tarplin) and always solved the mystery to Farraday's amazement. Initially, friction surfaced in the relationship between Blackie and Farraday, but as the series continued, Farraday recognized Blackie's talents and requested assistance. Blackie dated Mary Wesley (Jan Miner), and for the first half of the series, his best pal Shorty was always on hand. The humorless Farraday was on the receiving end of Blackie's bad puns and word play. Kent Taylor starred in the half-hour TV series, The Adventures of Boston Blackie. Syndicated in 1951, it ran for 58 episodes, continuing in repeats over the following decade.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Dimension X "The Potters Of Frisk" (07-28-50)

The Potters Of Frisk (Aired July 28, 1950)


Dimension X was first heard on NBC April 8, 1950, and ran until September 29, 1951. Strange that so little good science fiction came out of radio; they seem ideally compatible, both relying heavily on imagination. Some fine isolated science fiction stories were developed on the great anthology shows, Suspense and Escape. But until the premiere of Dimension X -- a full two decades after network radio was established -- there were no major science fiction series of broad appeal to adults. This show dramatized the work of such young writers as Ray Bradbury, Robert (Psycho) Bloch, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Kurt Vonnegut. In-house script writer was Ernest Kinoy, who adapted the master works and contributed occasional storied of his own. Dimension X was a very effective demonstration of what could be done with science fiction on the air. It came so late that nobody cared, but some of the stories stand as classics of the medium. Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven" is as gripping today as when first heard. His "Martian Chronicles" was one of the series' most impressive offerings. Dimension X played heavily on an "adventures in time and space, told in future tense" theme.

THIS EPISODE:

July 28, 1950. NBC network. "The Potters Of Firsk". Sponsored by: Wheaties. On a far distant planet, controlled by the planet Earth, the inhabitants of the remote village of Firsk make the most unusual pottery. The middle commercial features Ed Prentiss interviewing Luke Appling of The Chicago White Sox. Jack Vance (author), Ernest Kinoy (adaptor), Karl Weber, Wendell Holmes, Raymond Edward Johnson, Ed Prentiss, Luke Appling, Norman Rose (host), Van Woodward (producer), Edward King (director), Bob Warren (announcer). 27:49.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Father Knows Best "Superstitious Folk" (05-25-50)

Superstitious Folk (Aired May 25, 1950)


Father Knows Best, a family comedy of the 1950s, is perhaps more important for what it has come to represent than for what it actually was. In essence, the series was one of a slew of middle-class family sitcoms in which moms were moms, kids were kids, and fathers knew best. Today, many critics view it, at best, as high camp fun, and, at worst, as part of what critic David Marc once labeled the "Aryan melodramas" of the 1950s and 1960s. The brainchild of series star Robert Young, who played insurance salesman Jim Anderson, and producer Eugene B. Rodney, Father Knows Best first debuted as a radio sitcom in 1949. In the audio version the title of the show ended with a question mark, suggesting that father's role as family leader and arbiter was dubious. The partner's production company, Rodney-Young Enterprises, transplanted the series to television in 1954--without the questioning marker--where it ran until 1963, appearing at various times on each of the three networks. Young and Rodney, friends since 1935, based the series on experiences each had with wives and children; thus, to them, the show represented "reality." Indeed, careful viewing of each of the series' 203 episodes reveals that the title was actually more figurative than literal. Despite the lack of an actual question mark, father didn't always know best. Jim Anderson could not only lose his temper, but occasionally be wrong. Although wife Margaret Anderson, played by Jane Wyatt, was stuck in the drudgery of domestic servitude, she was nobody's fool, often besting her husband and son, Bud (played by Billy Gray). Daughter Betty Anderson (Elinor Donahue)--known affectionately to her father as Princess--could also take the male Andersons to task, as could the precocious Kathy (Lauren Chapin), the baby of the family.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - In The Name Of The Law "Phantom Gang" (07-05-36)

Phantom Gang (Aired July 5, 1936)


"In the name of the Law, we bring you another of the thrilling stories in this exciting series, taken from actual police case files." Two home invaders pick the wrong house and force the home owner (John Snyder) to take them to the targeted neighbors, two elderly brothers who were rumored to have cash and bonds. During the hold up, one of the brothers was shot to death. An angry town insisted on immediate results. The State Police joined the local Sherif and the search was on.

THIS EPISODE:

July 5, 1936 - Syndicated. Commercials added locally. George Richards reports that his lumber supplies store has been broken into. It's the "Phantom Gang" striking again on November 27, 1934. Officer Sherman, who's going to marry "Little Butch's" sister, is suspected of helping the gang. The acting is also a crime. . 26:34.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The FBI in Peace and War "Dumb Luck" (09-22-57)

Dumb Luck (Aired September 22, 1957)


The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewsis Collins' book, The FBI in Peace and War. The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Adamson and Collins. Airing on CBS from November 25, 1944 to September 28, 1958, it had a variety of sponsors (including Lava Soap, Wildroot Cream Oil, Lucky Strike, Nescafe and Wrigley's) over the years. Martin Blaine and Donald Briggs headed the cast.

THIS EPISODE:

September 22, 1957 CBS network. "Dumb Luck". Commercials deleted. A dumb blonde tries to pull an inheritance swindle and winds up marrying the insurance man she's trying to gyp! Jackson Beck (narrator), Charita Bauer, Arthur Winters, Louis Pelletier (writer), Betty Mandeville (producer, director), Warren Sweeney (announcer), Frederick L. Collins (creator). 20:04.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Frank Merriwell "Front Page Story" (11-13-48)

Front Page Story (Aired November 13, 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.

THIS EPISODE:

November 13, 1948. NBC network. "The Front Page Story". Sustaining. An enterprising reporter digs up a scandal about one of the star players on the Yale football squad. Charles Webster, Elaine Rost, Hal Studer, James McCallion, Kermit Murdock, Lawson Zerbe, Paul Taubman (music), Richard Keith, Tex Antoine, William Griffis, Burt L. Standish (creator). 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Damon Runyon Theater "Princess O'Hara" (02-20-49)

Princess O'Hara (Aired February 20, 1949)


Damon Runyon Theater - Broadcast from January to December 1949, "The Damon Runyon Theater" 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.

THIS EPISODE:

February 20, 1949. Program #8. Mayfair syndication. "Princess O'Hara". Commercials added locally. Broadway and his pals "borrow" a champion race horse to pull a hansom cab in order to help a doll in distress. The story was previously used in an audition recording. Damon Runyon (author), John Brown, Richard Sanville (director), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 26:35.

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