Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - I Was Communist For FBI "Trial By Fear" (03-25-53)

Trial By Fear (Aired March 25, 1953)


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

THIS EPISODE:

March 25, 1953. Program #49. ZIV Syndication. "Trial By Fear". Commercials added locally. Cvetic is present at a Party trial where a comrade is suspected or being an FBI plant. The date is subject to correction. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer). 27:14.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Haunting Hour "Bird Of Death" (03-31-45)

Bird Of Death (Aired March 31, 1945)


The shows are classic chills from the old school, with creepy organ, overwrought women and over the top men. Perhaps not the highest of melodrama, but obsessively workmanlike. After all, they might have known they were a skeleton staff toiling relentlessly without a ghost of a chance of fame. Thanks to transcription, these unknowns are still with us. John Dunning, succinctly states in "On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio," "There were no credits, so casts and production crews are unknown."

THIS EPISODE:

Program #22. NBC syndication origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Bird Of Death". A murder in the swamp works out as planned, but a crow has a tale to tell. 29:21.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" - Nebraska Jack (08-03-58)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" - Nebraska Jack (Aired August 3, 1958)


Frontier Gentleman was a radio Western series heard on CBS from February 2 to November 16, 1958. Written and directed by Antony Ellis, it followed the adventures of J.B. Kendall (John Dehner), a London Times reporter, as he roamed the Western United States, encountering various outlaws and well-known historical figures, such as Jesse James and Calamity Jane. Written and directed by Antony Ellis, it followed the adventures of journalist Kendall as he roamed the Western United States in search of stories for the Times. Along the way, he encountered various fictional drifters and outlaws in addition to well-known historical figures, such as Jesse James, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Music for the series was by Wilbur Hatch and Jerry Goldsmith, who also supplied the opening trumpet theme. The announcers were Dan Cubberly, Johnny Jacobs, Bud Sewell and John Wald. Supporting cast: Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Stacy Harris, Johnny Jacobs, Joseph Kearns, Jack Kruschen, Jack Moyles, Jeanette Nolan, Vic Perrin and Barney Phillips.

THIS EPISODE:

August 3, 1958. CBS network. "Nebraska Jack". Sustaining. Jack has five Indian wives, many children, and an understandable taste for whiskey. The public service announcements have been partially deleted. John Dehner, Joseph Kearns, Jack Moyles, Virginia Gregg, Antony Ellis (writer, producer, director), Bud Sewell (announcer). 24:16.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - NBC University Theater "Ides Of March" (01-15-50)

Ides Of March (Aired January 15, 1950)


NBC University Theater - was truly one well loved program. Beyond just its educational value, the combination of great stories... quality acting... and first class production made these shows wonderful entertainment. They are truly great radio AND a highly accessible way to introduce YOUR kids to great American Literature! Dramatic anthology Offered novels, with programs for college credit. Broadcast History : July 30th, 1948 - February 14th, 1951 NBC. Mostly 60 minutes. Mostly aired on Sundays, with occasional weeknight airings. Announcer : Don Stanley Music : Albert Harris, Henry Russell Director : Andrew C. Love Writers : Claris A. Ross, Ernest Kinoy, George Lefferts, Jack C. Wilson Sound Effects : Bob Holmes, Rod Sutton.

THIS EPISODE:

July 2, 1949. NBC network. "The Ides Of March". Sustaining. Love and intrigue in old Rome, a portrait painted by the intimate letters of Julius Caesar to an old friend. Albert Harris (composer, conductor), Andrew C. Love (director), Beaumont Brustal (intermission commentator), Ben Wright, Brainard Duffield (adaptor), Charles Seel, Don Stanley (announcer), Doris Singleton, Eda Reiss Merin, Emerson Crocker (adaptor), Georgia Backus, Henry Hull, Jan Arvan, Lawrence Dobkin, Lynn Allen, Maya Gregory, Parley Baer, Thornton Wilder (author). 59:39.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Duffy's Tavern "Archie The Detective" (05-11-49)

Archie The Detective (Aired May 11, 1949)


Duffy's Tavern, an American radio situation comedy (CBS, 1941-1942; NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944; NBC, 1944-1952), often featured top-name stage and film guest stars but always hooked those around the misadventures, get-rich-quick-scheming, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, played by the writer/actor who created the show, Ed Gardner.

THIS EPISODE:

Archie The Detective - May 11, 1949. NBC network. Sponsored by: Vitalis, Mum. "Your bath washes away the past, Mum safeguards the future." Detective Archie is on the trail of "Whistling Sam," a robber of taverns! Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Alan Reed, Charlie Cantor, Sheldon Leonard, Chester Morris (guest). 29:28.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Fort Laramie" - War Correspondents (05-13-56)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Fort Laramie" - War Correspondents (Aired May 13, 1956)


Fort Laramie opened with "Specially transcribed tales of the dark and tragic ground of the wild frontier. The saga of fighting men who rode the rim of empire and the dramatic story of Lee Quince, Captain of Cavalry". When Norman Macdonnell created Fort Laramie in late 1955, he made it clear to his writers that historical accuracy was essential to the integrity of the series. Correct geographic names, authentic Indian practices, military terminology, and utilizing actual names of the original buildings of the real fort, was insisted upon. So when the radio characters referred to the sutler's store (which is what the trading post was called prior to 1870), the surgeon's quarters, Old Bedlam (the officers' quarters) or the old bakery, they were naming actual structures in the original fort. While Macdonnell planned to use the same writers, soundmen, and supporting actors in Fort Laramie that he relied upon in Gunsmoke, he naturally picked different leads. Heading up the cast was a 39 year old, Canadian-born actor with a long history in broadcasting and the movies, Raymond Burr. He had begun his career in 1939, alternating between the stage and radio. He turned to Hollywood, and from 1946 until he got the part of Captain Lee Quince in Fort Laramie in 1956, he had appeared in thirty-seven films. A few were excellent (Rear Window, The Blue Gardenia) some were average (Walk a Crooked Mile, A Place in the Sun) but many were plain awful (Bride of Vengeance, Red Light, and Abandoned). With Burr in the lead, Macdonnell selected two supporting players: Vic Perrin as "Sgt. Goerss" and Jack Moyles as "Major Daggett", the commanding officer of the post.

THIS EPISODE:

May 13, 1956. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "War Correspondents". A reporter from a New York newspaper comes west to tell the "truth" and also to learn of the "real" west. The program was recorded April 19, 1956. Raymond Burr, Kathleen Hite (writer), Sam Edwards, Parley Baer, Lawrence Dobkin, Lou Krugman, Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Amerigo Moreno (musical supervisor), Bill James (sound patterns), Ray Kemper (sound patterns), Harry Bartell, Jack Moyles. 29:51.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Tom Corbett Space Cadet "Revolt On Prison Rock" (Part 1 of 2) 05-27-52

Revolt On Prison Rock (Part 1 of 2) Aired May 27, 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.

THIS EPISODE: Revolt On Prison Rock Part One of Two

May 27, 1952. ABC network, WJZ, New York aircheck. "Revolt On Prison Rock". Sponsored by: Kellogg's Pep, Kellogg's Raisin Bran. A revolt on the prison asteroid takes place while the Cadets are on guard duty. Al Markim, Drex Hines (director), Edward Bryce, Frank Thomas Jr., Jackson Beck (announcer), Jan Merlin, Jon Gart (organist). 25 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Adventures Of Archie Andrews "Locked Out Of The House" (11-06-48)

Locked Out Of The House (Aired November 6, 1948)


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

THIS EPISODE:

November 13, 1948. NBC network. Sustaining. The entire Andrews family decides to retire early for the evening. But, ticking alarm clocks, dripping water, and other circumstances beyond their control keep them pretty active. This program appeared in, "The Great Radio Comedians". Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Ian Martin, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice. 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Cavalcade Of America" - Last Of The Scouts Buffalo Bill (03-09-38)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Cavalcade Of America" - Last Of The Scouts Buffalo Bill (Aired March 9, 1938)


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. In the early 1930s, the Nye Committee investigations concluded that DuPont had made a fortune profiteering in World War I. The company stood accused of encouraging an arms race between WWI enemies, after being heavily subsidized by the Allies to increase black powder production. The negative effects of the investigation left the company demoralized, directionless and with a tarnished corporate image in the middle of the Great Depression. DuPont's products were primarily not for public consumption, so there was no purpose in promoting them through advertising. As a solution to DuPont's troubles, Roy Durstine, then creative director of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, proposed the creation of Cavalcade of America using the company motto. This was to be an important element in the successful re-branding of DuPont as an American legacy engaged in making products for the well-being of Americans and humanity in general.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Crime Club "Death At 7:10" (07-03-47)

Death At 7:10 (Aired July 3, 1947)


Crime club was a Mutual Network murder and mystery series, a product of the Doubleday Crime Book Club imprints found weekly in bookstores everywhere. The telephone rings"Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the Librarian. Murder Rents A Room? Yes, we have that Crime Club story for you.Come right over. (The organist in the shadowed corner of the Crime Club library shivers the ivories) The doorbell tones sullenly"And you are here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf." (The organist hits the scary chord) "Let's look at it under the reading lamp." The Librarian, played by Raymond E. Johnson, begins reading the tale. Veteran Willis Cooper (Lights Out, Quiet Please) did some of the scripts from the Crime Club books.

THIS EPISODE:

July 3, 1947. Mutual network. "Death At 7:10". Sustaining. Susan Ward Steel, a woman everybody hated is dies of atropine poisoning in the compartment of a mystery writer on a train. Her story is told through flashbacks. H. F. S. Moore (author), Stedman Coles (adaptor), Roger Bower (producer, director), Raymond Edward Johnson, Helen Shields, Cameron Prud'Homme, Ted Osborne, Eleanor Phelps, Pierce Carlton, Reese Taylor. 29:40.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Campbell Playhouse "Our Town" (05-12-39)

Our Town (Aired May 12, 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:

Our Town is a story of character development that details the interactions between citizens of an everyday town in the early 20th century through their everyday lives (particularly the lives of George Gibbs, a doctor's son, and Emily Webb, the daughter of a newspaper editor). Our Town was first performed at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey on January 22, 1938. It next opened at the Wilbur Theater in Boston on January 25, 1938. Its New York City debut was on February 4, 1938 at Henry Miller's Theatre, and later moved to the Morosco Theatre. The play was produced and directed by Jed Harris. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1938.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Wild Bill Hickock" - The Trail To Dead Rock (04-22-53)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Wild Bill Hickock" - The Trail To Dead Rock (Aired April 22, 1953)


This juvenile western followed the same format as the TV show of the same name that ran throughout the same years. This format certainly was not new as the charismatic hero and comic side-kick was something that had been done before with Hopalong Cassidy and The Cisco Kid, and to some extent with the Lone Ranger. FIRST BROADCAST: May 17, 1951 LAST BROADCAST: February 12, 1956 SPONSORS: Kellog CAST: Guy Madison and Andy Devine. ANNOUNCERS: Charlie Lyon PRODUCERS/DIRECTORS: Paul Pierce.

THIS EPISODE:

April 22, 1953. Program #148. Mutual network. "The Trail To Dead Rock". Sponsored by: Kellogg's Variety Pak (some commercials deleted). A rehearsal recording or unedited tape. No music bridges are heard. Cash Dawson has damned up Dead Rock Creek and wants to charge for the water. The system cue is added live. Guy Madison, Andy Devine, Charles Lyon (announcer), David Hire (producer), Paul Pierce (director), Larry Hayes (writer), Hal Gerard, Lou Krugman, Jack Mather, Dusty Walker, Richard Aurandt (music). 21:15.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe "Good Neighbor Policy" (07-28-51)

Good Neighbor Policy (Aired July 28, 1951)


The first portrayal of Phillip Marlowe on the radio was by Dick Powell, when he played Raymond Chandler's detective on the Lux Radio Theater on June 11, 1945. This was a radio adaptation of the 1944 movie, from RKO, in which Mr. Powell played the lead. Two years later, Van Heflin starred as Marlowe in a summer replacement series for the Bob Hope Show on NBC. This series ran for 13 shows. On September 26, 1948, Gerald Mohr became the third radio Marlowe, this time on CBS. It remained a CBS show through its last show in 1951.

THIS EPISODE:

July 28, 1951. CBS network. "The Good Neighbor Policy". Sustaining. Crossed wires on Marlowe's party line lead him to murder, a robber, and the Los Angeles library! Doris Singleton, Gerald Mohr, Hy Averback (announcer), Jane Morgan, Jeanne Bates, Kathleen Hite (writer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Parley Baer, Pierre Garriguenc (composer), Raymond Chandler (creator), Roy Rowan (announcer), Vivi Janis, Wilbur Hatch (music). 29:50.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Kraft Music Hall "Guest Humphrey Bogart" (11-06-47)

Guest Humphrey Bogart (Aired November 6, 1947)


The Kraft Music Hall was a major NBC radio variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, in a 16-year span from 1933 to 1949. Kraft Foods was the first advertiser to sponsor a two-hour radio program, in an era when many radio programs were only 15 minutes long and few were longer than a half hour. The Kraft Program debuted June 26, 1933 to promote a new product in the Kraft family, Miracle Whip. The musical-variety program featured orchestra leader Paul Whiteman and served to supplement the print advertising and in-store displays in promoting Kraft products. Al Jolson was the show's star vocalist. During its first year the show went through a series of name changes, including Kraft Musical Revue, until it finally settled on Kraft Music Hall in 1934. Paul Whiteman remained the host until December 6, 1935. Ford Bond was the announcer. Billing himself as “The King of Jazz”, Paul Whiteman was arguably America’s first popular music superstar. Whiteman’s foresight regarding the coming of the jazz age and his decisions to hire the best jazz musicians was a powerful boost for jazz, swing and blues. Though he was prohibited from hiring black performers, he hired arrangers and composers.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Adventures Of Nero Wolf "Party For Death" (02-16-51)

Party For Death (Aired February 16, 1951)


Nero Wolfe 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 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:

February 16, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Party For Death". Sustaining. Archie attends a cocktail party at which Nero Wolfe expects the guest of honor to be murder! The final public service announcement and system cue have been deleted. Sydney Greenstreet, Rex Stout (creator), J. Donald Wilson (producer, director), William Johnstone, Don Stanley (announcer), Mandred Lloyd (writer), Edwin Fadiman (producer), Harry Bartell, Herb Butterfield, Evelynne Eaton, Peter Leeds. 29:01.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Family Doctor "Ep.25 The Carnival Ep.26 Patchwork" (1932)

Ep.25 "The Carnival" Ep.26 "Patchwork" (1932)

The Family Doctor was a story about Dr. Grant Adams, a small town doctor who doubled as the community’s moral rectifier. He was more than just respected, he was loved by all. Each week he confronted issues from robbery to suicide, and always with common sense and gentle moral judgment. Though his old-fashioned remedies for sicknesses are outdated compared to modern medical practicing, The Family Doctor's attitude towards life's daily issues transcend time. Of the 39 intended episodes, only 12 were aired.

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TWO EPISODES: Ep.25 "The Carnival" and Ep.26 "Patchwork"

1932. Program #25. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "The Carnival". Music fill for local commercial insert. Doc and Mrs. Adams visit a traveling carnival to see the three-headed calf and play the old shell game. The date is approximate, possibly Transco origination. 14:40.

1932. Program #26. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "Patchwork". Music fill for local commercial insert. A visit from the doctor's son and his wife. There's conflict in the family until Doc Adams tells a story. The date is approximate, possibly Transco origination. 14:25.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Night Beat "The Kenny Day Amnesia Case" (10-06-50)

The Kenny Day Amnesia Case (Aired October 6, 1950)


Broadcast on NBC, Nightbeat ran from 1949 to 1952 and starred Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star looking for human interest stories. He met an assortment of people, most of them with a problem, many of them scared, and sometimes he was able to help them, sometimes he wasn’t. It is generally regarded as a ‘quality’ show and it stands up extremely well. Frank Lovejoy (1914-1962) isn’t remembered today, but he was a powerful and believable actor with a strong delivery, and his portrayal of Randy Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect. The scripts were excellent, given that they had to pack in a lot in a short time, and there was a good supporting cast, orchestra, and sound effects. ‘The Slasher’, broadcast on 10 November 1950, the last show of season one, has a very loosely Ripper-derived plot in which Stone searches for an artist. Supporting actors included Parley Baer, William Conrad, Jeff Corey, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Frees, Jack Kruschen, Peter Leeds, Howard McNear, Lurene Tuttle and Martha Wentworth.

THIS EPISODE:

October 6, 1950. NBC network. Sustaining. Randy Stone's car has been stolen...by an ex-cop with amnesia. The thief's name is Kenny Day, and his wife is in danger, or is his wife a victim of murder? The system cue has been deleted. Irwin Ashkenazie (writer), Eddie Fields, Frank Worth (music), Ted de Corsia, Lurene Tuttle, William Tracy, Wilms Herbert, Jack Kruschen, Barbara Dupar, Frank Lovejoy, Warren Lewis (producer, director). 29:13.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Ford Theater "The Silver Cord" (04-18-48)

The Silver Cord (Aired April 18, 1948)


The Ford Theater, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, presented hour long dramas first on NBC for one only season. The series moved to CBS for its second and last season. There were 39 NBC and 39 CBS hour- long shows (not verified). The show initially received an unfavorable review from the New York Times for poor script adaptation but was still highly rated for the actors' performance and overall production. The show was supposed to feature only original scripts but had to forgo that plan due to lack of quality material. The first season on NBC used radio actors under the direction of George Zachary. Martin Gabel announced the first show but was soon replaced by Kenneth Banghart. The second season, on CBS, used Hollywood screen actors in the lead roles, supported by radio actors. Fletcher Markle, who previously produced CBS's STUDIO ONE series, was the producer for the second season. Although a short series, it still has some of radio's best dramas.

THIS EPISODE:

April 18, 1948. NBC network. "The Silver Cord". Sponsored by: Ford. A well-written, if somewhat heavy-handed melodrama about a domineering mother who cannot let her two sons live their own lives. Evelyn Varden, Barbara Weeks, Les Tremayne, Elaine Rost, Howard Lindsay (host), Kenneth Banghart (announcer). 1 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Blondie "Blondie And Society" (05-27-45)

Blondie And Society (Aired May 27, 1945)


Blondie was a radio situation comedy adapted from the long-run Blondie comic strip by Chic Young. The radio program had a long run on several networks from 1939 to 1950. After Penny Singleton was cast in the title role of the feature film Blondie (1938), co-starring with Arthur Lake as Dagwood, she and Lake repeated their roles December 20, 1938, on The Bob Hope Show. The appearance with Hope led to their own show, beginning July 3, 1939, on CBS as a summer replacement for The Eddie Cantor Show. However, Cantor did not return in the fall, so the sponsor, Camel Cigarettes chose to keep Blondie on the air Mondays at 7:30pm. Camel remained the sponsor through the early WWII years until June 26, 1944. In 1944, Blondie was on the Blue Network, sponsored by Super Suds, airing Fridays at 7pm from July 21 to September 1. The final three weeks of that run overlapped with Blondie's return to CBS on Sundays at 8pm from August 13, 1944, to September 26, 1948, still sponsored by Super Suds. Beginning in mid-1945, the 30-minute program was heard Mondays at 7:30pm. Super Suds continued as the sponsor when the show moved to NBC on Wednesdays at 8pm from October 6, 1948, to June 29, 1949. Ann Rutherford took over the radio role of Blondie in 1949, and at times, Patricia Van Cleve and Alice White were also heard as Blondie. In its final season, the series was on ABC from October 6, 1949, to July 6, 1950, first airing Thursdays at 8pm and then (from May) 8:30pm. The radio show ended the same year as the Blondie film series (1938-50)

THIS EPISODE:

May 27, 1945. Program #10. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Mrs. Trallafran, the fat lady who's very "big" in social circles, is visiting Blondie for tea and possible membership in the "Leisure Club." The AFRS fill and closing have been deleted. The date is approximate. Arthur Lake, Penny Singleton, Hanley Stafford, Ken Niles (announcer). 27:00.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - The Sundown Kid (07-02-50)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - The Sundown Kid (Aired July 2, 1950)


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, after a short time it became extremely successful that later on it was heard on the Mutual and CBS networks.

THIS EPISODE:

January 29, 1949. Program #27. Commodore syndication. "The Sundown Kid". Commercials added locally. Eddie Langtry is found in the desert, suffering from amnesia. Is he really the Sundown Kid? William Boyd, Joseph Du Val, Walter White Jr. (producer, transcriber), Harold Swanton (writer). 28:52.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Lives Of Harry Lime (The Third Man) "The Earl On Troubled Waters" (02-08-52)

The Earl On Troubled Waters (Aired February 8, 1952)


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:

February 8, 1952. Program #28. Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Earl On Troubled Waters". Participating sponsors. Harry poses as a nobleman to smuggle $30,000 out of the country, but little Lord Randolph himself takes a hand. WRVR air date: April 22, 1975. The program number and story title are subject to correction. Orson Welles, Anton Karas (zither), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Tig Roe (director). 22:36.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Rogue's Gallery "Jealousy Is A Strange Thing" (06-06-45)

Jealousy Is A Strange Thing (Aired June 6, 1945)


Rogue's Gallery came to the Mutual network on September 27, 1945 with Dick Powell portraying Richard Rogue, a private detective who invariably ended up getting knocked out each week and spending his dream time in acerbic conversation with his subconscious self, Eugor. Rogue's Gallery was, in a sense, Dick Powell's rehearsal for Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Powell played private detective Richard Rogue, who trailed luscious blondes, protected witness, and did whatever else detectives do to make a living. It was a good series, though not destined to make much of a mark. Under the capable direction of Dee Englebach and accompanied by the music of Leith Stevens, Powell floated through his lines with the help of such competents as Lou Merrill, Gerald Mohr, Gloria Blondell, Tony Barrett, and Lurene Tuttle. Peter Leeds played Rogue's friend Eugor, an obscure play on names with Eugor spelling Rogue backwards. The gimmick in Rogue's Gallery was the presence of an alter ego, "Eugor," who arrived in the middle of the show to give Rogue enough information for his final deduction. Eugor was a state of mind, achieved when Rogue was knocked unconcious. Eugor would appear cackling like the host of Hermit's Cave and imparted some vital information the hero had overlooked. Rogue would then awaken with a vague idea of what to do next. Rogue's Gallery also starred different actors as Rogue, in later incarnations of the series, but Richard Powell was the most popular.

THIS EPISODE:

June 6, 1946. Mutual network. "Jealousy Is A Strange Thing". Sponsored by: Fitch's Shampoo, Fitch's Hair Tonic. Beautiful Patricia Flynn is sure someone's trying to kill her, but her half-sister is murdered instead! The program opening is upcut. The system cue has been deleted or is added live. Dick Powell, Jim Doyle (announcer), Gerald Mohr, Leith Stevens (composer, conductor), Ray Buffum (writer), Dee Englebach (director), Peter Leeds. 29:42.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - Land Grab (01-16-53)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - Land Grab (Aired January 16, 1953)


Chad Remington, played by Jeff Chandler for the first 23 shows, was a two fisted lawyer in the town of Dos Rios. Chad's sidekick, Cherokee O'Bannon, played by Wade Crosby, who performed his role in a WC Fields dialect. Mr. Chandler remained in the lead role for the first 23 shows and was replaced by Reed Hadley who played Remington until the end of the series. FRONTIER TOWN was a syndicated Western that ran through the 1952-1953 season.

THIS EPISODE:

January 16, 1953. Program #17. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "Land Grab". Commercials added locally. A dishonest stranger tries to cheat two Irish immigrants of their farm. The date is approximate. Jeff Chandler, Bill Forman (announcer), Paul Franklin (writer, director), Wade Crosby. 27:59.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Secrets Of Scotland Yard "Murder Most Foul" (1949)

Murder Most Foul (1949)


The Secrets of Scotland Yard was an independent production of the Towers of London syndicate in England for world wide distribution. Each week, an audience of anxious radio-listeners tuned in to hear these true crime stories of the London Metropolitan Police unfold, as the detectives at the Yard investigated some of England’s most famous criminals. Their trials have become legendary. Stories presented in the series include the theft of the British crown jewels by Colonel Thomas Blood; the story of a man who finds an armless and legless body wrapped in ribbons and lace; or the strange story of two close brothers who love one another enough to contemplate the murder of a brother’s affluent, yet unsightly and ignorant, wife. Murders, forgery, and robberies all get a through review on the program. Each time, Scotland Yard detectives are afoot to solve the crime mystery! The Secrets of Scotland Yard was initially hosted by Clive Brook, probably for the first year or so.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Whisperer "Tea Time For Teenagers" (07-08-51)

Tea Time For Teenagers (Aired July 8, 1951)


The Whisperer was an American old-time radio show broadcast from July 8 to September 30, 1951 on NBC. It ran for only 13 episodes. The premise of the series was as improbable as its storylines. The protagonist was Philip Gault (Carleton G. Young), a lawyer who, due to some unexplained accident, lost his voice and could only speak in an eerie whisper. Gault infiltrates "the syndicate" in his native Central City to bring down organized crime from within; to the underworld, he becomes known as the Whisperer. Later, his voice is restored through surgery, but he continues to lead a double life as the Whisperer, relaying instructions from the syndicate bosses in New York (who don't know he's a mole) to their lackeys in Central City, whom Gault is actually setting up. By today's standards, the stories are dated and their message-mongering usually criticized as ham-fisted, the product of what might be considered the unenlightened attitudes of the time. The first episode ("Tea Time for Teenagers") is typical, an overwrought "it can happen here" melodrama about a syndicate plot to create "200 regular marijuana addicts" among high school students. The episode makes a blatant appeal to the moral indignation of its audience, ending with Gault advising PTA's to "show some of the fine educational films available on marijuana and how it leads to a worse addiction." Carleton G. Young, who played Gault, is sometimes confused with the actor Carleton Young. Betty Moran portrayed his girlfriend Ellen, the only other person who knew Gault's double identity. Moran had to deliver lines like, "But marijuana means broken lives, heartbreak for parents!"

THIS EPISODE:

Tea Time For Teenagers (1951) - 25:32 Lawyer Philip Gault leads a double life as a syndicate operative. In this premiere episode, he stops a plan to introduce pot to Central City's teenagers.

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