Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Mister I.A. Moto "Smoke Screen" (05-27-51)

Smoke Screen (Aired May 27, 1951)


Mr. Moto is small in stature but strong and an expert in judo. He was the title character of a series of books, beginning with No Hero (1935; British title: Mr Moto Takes a Hand, reprint title: Your Turn, Mr. Moto), and of eight films between 1937 and 1939, in which he was portrayed by Peter Lorre. With the beginning of World War II, Mr. Moto fell out of favor with Americans, and no new books or movies about him appeared between 1942 and 1957. A dedicated and cold-blooded spy for Imperial Japan, Moto is not a conventional hero. He does not look for opportunities to commit violence but has no problem with killing people who obstruct his plans, and he would not hesitate to take his own life if necessary. But he is a master of concealing his true nature while under cover, and usually appears dull, naive, utterly harmless. He does not try to correct the bigoted attitudes of Westerners toward him and other Asians, and is not above encouraging such condescension. It often works to his advantage, leading Westerners to ignore or underestimate him. His black hair was carefully brushed in the Prussian style. He was smiling, showing a row of shiny gold-filled teeth, and as he smiled he drew in his breath with a polite, soft sibilant sound. From May to October 1951, the NBC Radio Broadcasting network produced and aired 23 half-hour episodes starring James Monk as Mr. I.A. Moto, International Secret Agent. Born in San Francisco but still retaining his international connections, the show focused on Mr. Moto’s fight against Communism although occasionally he also solved more mundane mysteries such as murder and blackmail.

THIS EPISODE:

May 27, 1951. NBC network. "The Smoke Screen". Sustaining. The Chinese Communists have smuggled tons of opium into America in a plot to destroy our country. A graphic if somewhat simplistic portrait of dope addiction. Mr. Moto makes a speech about bigotry and how he hates being called, "a dirty Jap." Bernard Grant, Robert Haag, Carol Irwin (producer), Edwin Bruce, Fred Collins (announcer), Harry W. Junkin (writer, director), James Monks, John P. Marquand (creator), Ross Martin. 29:29.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Voyage Of The Scarlet Queen "The Green Tourist and The Temple Belle" (12-03-47)

The Green Tourist and The Temple Belle (Aired December 3, 1947)


First heard on Mutual featuring Elliott Lewis, who as Leonard Maltin writes in "The Great American Broadcast, "…wore every hat imaginable-actor, producer, and director-also penned a good number of scripts for series he supervised, including Suspense." And Maltin says of this show, "On the terrific late-1940's high-adventure series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen he held down both jobs simultaneously as director and star." As Maltin continues, “Lewis had the ability to make you believe whatever he said. Cast as the skipper on the high-adventure series The Voyage of the Scarlet Queen, he was completely convincing as seagoing ship's master Philip Carney-never corny or overblown." So let a master captain of drama chart a course to exotic ports of call and thrilling adventures. All you have to do is step aboard The Scarlet Queen.

THIS EPISODE:

December 3, 1947. Mutual network. "The Green Tourist and The Temple Belle". Sustaining. A swashbuckling adventure series with a ship and her captain and mate getting into strange adventures of faraway islands. A white woman, posing as a jungle goddess, kidnaps a young tourist from Nevada. Elliott Lewis, Gil Doud (writer), Robert Tallman (writer), Richard Aurandt (music), James Burton (producer), Edwin Max, Gloria Blondell, John Dehner, Ben Wright, Charles Arlington (announcer). 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Recollections At 30 "The Big Bands" (10-10-56)

The Big Bands (Aired October 10, 1956)


NBC - Recollections At 30 - The thirtieth anniversary of the National Broadcasting Company took place in the mid 1950s. To honour the occasion a special program celebrating many "old time radio" broadcasts from the far back as 1927 was created. A look back at the early days of radio. This program highlighting the program stars, songs, and great moments in sports and special events from the 1927 on, included were true stars such as Sophie Tucker, Al Jolson, Red Skelton, Rudy Vallee, Connie Boswell, as well as Dinah Shore and Judy Garland's debuts. It also includes programs from Vic and Sade, Bergen and McCarthy, Lights Out, and more. In addition listeners were encouraged to write in and request old time radio shows. Some requested old children's programs, others requested such things as the earliest broadcast they could find in their sound library - which turned out to be the daily broadcast from June 11, 1927.

THIS EPISODE:

Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge, 1935. Glenn Miller from Carnegie Hall, 1939 with Marion Hutton. "Inside Story of a Jitterbug". "Manhatton Marry-Go-Round" with Melton Cross. Bing Crosby from 1937 "Music Hall". Glenn Miller plays "Danny Boy." Benny Goodman plays "'Tain't What Ya Do, It's The Way How Ya Do It" from 1935. Fred Parsons substitutes for Ed Herlihy as host.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Mr. District Attorney "Labor Pirates" (08-19-42)

Labor Pirates (Aired August 19, 1942)


Mr District Attorney was for many years the nation’s best-liked crime show. The thirty-minute drama was inspired by the real-life exploits of Thomas E Dewey, a racket-busting district attorney of the late 30s in New York. The show was directed and often written by Ed Byron, a former law student who devoted all of his time researching crime, which was the reason that the show was so topical.

THIS EPISODE:

August 19, 1942. NBC network. Sponsored by: Vitalis, Ingram Shaving Cream. The D. A. fights a scheme of "labor pirating." A shady Mr. Preston offers a war plant manager 100 skilled workers...for a price! Jay Jostyn, Vicki Vola, Len Doyle, Phillips H. Lord (creator), Peter Van Steeden (music director), Ed Byron (writer), Jerry Devine (writer). 29:23.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Quiet Please "I Remember Tomorrow" (07-27-47)

I Remember Tomorrow (Aired July 27, 1927)


Considered by many to be the best horror / science fiction series ever on radio, Quiet Please came from the pen of Lights Out creator Willis Cooper. Every episode was written in first person and starred the incredibly versatile Ernest Chappell. The shows range from deeply personal human interest shows to some of the most original horror / science fiction stories ever written.

THIS EPISODE:

July 27, 1947. Program #6. Mutual network. "I Remember Tomorrow". Sustaining. A gang of criminals hires an alcoholic physicist to build them a time machine, and he does just that. The scientist finds that he doesn't much like what the future holds in store! Ernest Chappell, Frank Dane, Frederick Bell, Gene Paratzo (music), Kermit Murdock, Wyllis Cooper (writer, director). 29:20.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Amos & Andy Show "The Stolen Car" (12-10-46)

The Stolen Car (Aired December 10, 1946)


Amos 'n' Andy was a situation comedy popular in the United States from the 1920s through the 1950s. The show began as one of the first radio comedy serials, written and voiced by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll and originating from station WMAQ in Chicago, Illinois. After the series was first broadcast in 1928, it grew in popularity and became a huge influence on the radio serials that followed. Amos 'n' Andy creators Gosden and Correll were white actors familiar with minstrel traditions. They met in Durham, North Carolina in 1920, and by the fall of 1925, they were performing nightly song-and-patter routines on the Chicago Tribune's station WGN. Since the Tribune syndicated Sidney Smith's popular comic strip The Gumps, which had successfully introduced the concept of daily continuity, WGN executive Ben McCanna thought the notion of a serialized drama could also work on radio. He suggested to Gosden and Correll that they adapt The Gumps to radio. They instead proposed a series about "a couple of colored characters" and borrowed certain elements of The Gumps. Their new series, Sam 'n' Henry, began January 12, 1926, fascinating radio listeners throughout the Midwest. That series became popular enough that in late 1927 Gosden and Correll requested that it be distributed to other stations on phonograph records in a "chainless chain" concept that would have been the first use of radio syndication as we know it today. When WGN rejected the idea, Gosden and Correll quit the show and the station that December. Contractually, their characters belonged to WGN, so when Gosden and Correll left WGN, they performed in personal appearances but could not use the character names from the radio show.

THIS EPISODE:

December 10, 1946. NBC network. "Stolen Car Show". Commercials deleted. The Kingfish's 1928 car has been stolen, will his insurance cover it? The program closing has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Carlton KaDell (anouncer). 28 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Box 13 "Daytime Nightmares" (05-15-49)

Daytime Nightmares (Aired May 15, 1949)


Box 13 was a syndicated radio series about the escapades of mystery novelist Dan Holiday (Alan Ladd), a former newsman. Created by Mayfair Productions, the series premiered August 22, 1948, on New York's WOR and aired in syndication on the East Coast from August 22, 1948, to August 14. 1949. On the West Coast, Box 13 was heard from March 15, 1948 to March 7, 1949. To seek out new ideas for his fiction, Holiday ran a classified ad in the Star-Times newspaper. "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything -- Box 13." The stories followed Holiday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him by such people as a psycho killer and various victims.

THIS EPISODE:

May 15, 1949. Program #39. Mayfair syndication. "Daytime Nightmare". Commercials added locally. Dan is railroaded into an asylum, framed for murder and winds up a hunted man. A good story. Alan Ladd, Richard Sanville (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Russell Hughes (writer), Sylvia Picker (doubles), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Paul Frees, Herb Vigran. 27:02.

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Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Have Gun Will Travel" - When In Rome (10-25-51)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Have Gun Will Travel" - When In Rome (Aired October 25, 1951)


One of the last radio shows and one of the few to go from TV to radio, HAVE GUN, WILL TRAVEL started its 106 show run on November 23, 1958. These Sunday afternoon shows were radio adaptations of the previous nights TV script with John Dehner replacing Richard Boone. Paladin, the lead character, played by John Dehner, was a man with a
short temper and a fast gun.

THIS EPISODE:

October 25, 1959. CBS network. "When In Rome". Sponsored by: Fitch Shampoo, Ex-Lax, Camels. Paladin shoots and kills "The Professor," a holdup man and accused murderer. He is also forced to wound an innocent bystander, which causes the man's wife to make an unusual request. The system cue is added live. John Dehner, Ben Wright, Virginia Gregg, Jackson Beck (commercial spokesman: Ex-Lax), Herb Meadow (creator), Sam Rolfe (creator), Frank Paris (writer, producer, director), Ralph Moody, Lurene Tuttle, Olan Soule, Barney Phillips, Hugh Douglas, Harry Bartell (doubles), Bill James (sound effects), Tom Hanley (sound effects). 25:44.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Philo Vance "The Butterfly Murder Case" (05-17-49)

The Butterfly Murder Case (Aired May 17, 1949)


Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s. Vance, in the original books, is an intellectual so highly refined he seems he might be ghostwritten by P. G. Wodehouse. Take this quote from The Benson Murder Case, 1924, as Vance pontificates in his inimitable way: "That's your fundamental error, don't y' know. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actu'lly at work, is wholly incons'quential." Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. Jose Ferrer played him in 1945. From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. The organist for the show is really working those ivories, and fans of old time radio organ will especially enjoy this series. Perhaps one reason the organist "pulls out all the stops" is because there seems to be little, if any, sound effects on the show. Philo Vance, the radio series, does pay homage to the original books in that both were, even in their own time, a bit out of date and stilted.

THIS EPISODE:

Program #45. ZIV Syndication. "The Butterfly Murder Case". Commercials added locally. Josie Daniels, "The Broadway Butterfly," is a nightclub singer that dabbles in blackmail! Jackson Beck. 27:59.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Ellery Queen "Mischief Maker" (01-13-44)

Mischief Maker (Aired January 13, 1944)


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

THIS EPISODE:

January 13, 1944. NBC network. "The Mischief Maker". Sponsored by: Bromo Seltzer. Anonymous letters are being sent to people living in an apartment house, causing all kinds of grief. Who's behind it? This is the East Coast broadcast. The West Coast program took place on January 13, 1944. Sydney Smith, Marian Shockley, Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, G. Beane (Guest Armchair Detective), P. Cusack (Guest Armchair Detective), Frederic Dannay (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer), Bob Steel (producer, director), Charles Paul (organist), Ernest Chappell (announcer). 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Broadway Is My Beat "The Lila Hunter Case" (06-16-52)

The Lila Hunter Case (Aired June 16, 1952)

Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

THIS EPISODE:

June 16, 1952. CBS network. Sustaining. "Lila Hunter's Body" has been fished out of the river. The police have been looking for her, because she was under suspicion of murder! Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Jack Kruschen. 25:02.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - 21st Precinct "The Communication" (04-13-54)

The Communication (Aired April 13, 1954)


21ST PRECINCT was one of the realistic police drama series of the early- to mid-1950's that were aired in the wake of DRAGNET. Hard-boiled private detective series that often portrayed police as inept or incompetent were losing favor. NBC's DRAGNET had proven that a realistic police show could attract and hold an audience.

THIS EPISODE:

April 13, 1955. "The Communication" CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. The system cue and music fill have been deleted. Everett Sloane, Stanley Niss (writer, director), Ken Lynch, Harold Stone, Elspeth Eric, Lola Peyser, Bill Lipton, Santos Ortega, Art Hannes (announcer), T. J. Sidney. 26:37.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Mr. Keen Tracer Of Lost Persons "The Nightmare Murder Case" (12-14-44)

The Nightmare Murder Case (Aired December 14, 1944)


When Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons first debuted over the Blue Network on October 12, 1937, the show’s title accurately described Keen’s stock-in-trade; the “kindly old investigator” tracked down individuals who had mysteriously vanished, leaving behind their families, homes, jobs and other day-to-day activities. Keen (he never had a first name, unless it was “Peachy”) was assisted in these duties by an Irishman named Mike Clancy. Mike wasn’t much of a brainiac (the quote that comprises the title of this post was a semi-catchphrase that he seemed to use on the show every week) but he could use the necessary brawn when the situation called for it. Bennett Kilpack played kindly ol' Keen throughout most of the program’s run, as well as Philip Clarke and Arthur Hughes, while Jim Kelly took the role of Clancy. The series originally aired as a thrice-weekly fifteen-minute serial from 1937-43 (the show moved to CBS in 1942), providing more than ample time for Keen to solve even the most baffling of disappearances. Beginning November 11, 1943, the program changed its format to that of a half-hour weekly offering—and though the title and theme song remained, Keen branched out into investigating murders.

THIS EPISODE:

December 14, 1944. CBS network. "The Nightmare Murder Case". Sponsored by: Anacin, Kolynos, Heet, Kriptin, Bisodol, Hills Cold Tabs. A woman spends her husband's savings on secret voice lessons for her daughter. Frank Hummert, Anne Hummert (author), Bennett Kilpack, Larry Elliott (announcer). 30:14.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Tom Corbett Space Cadet "Escort 0f Death" (04-29-52) Pt.1 of 2

Escort 0f Death (Aired April 29, 1952) Pt.1 of 2


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:

"Escort Of Death" Part One of Two

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - "X Minus One - Protection" (03-20-57)

Protection (Aired March 20, 1957)


Episodes of the show include adaptations of Robert Sheckley's "Skulking Permit," Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven," Heinlein's "Universe" and "The Green Hills of Earth", " Pohl’s "The Tunnel under the World," J. T. McIntosh’s "Hallucination Orbit," Fritz Leiber’s "A Pail of Air" and George Lefferts' "The Parade". The program opened with announcer Fred Collins delivering the countdown, leading into this introduction (although later shows were partnered with Galaxy Science Fiction rather than Astounding Science Fiction): Countdown for blastoff... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one... Fire! [Rocket launch SFX] From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of Astounding Science Fiction presents... X Minus One.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1957. NBC network. "Protection". Sustaining. A student at Columbia University comes under the protection of a Valadusian Durg, but there are drawbacks. Whatever you do, don't Lesnerize! The script was used subsequently on "Future Tense" on May 15, 1974. Robert Sheckley (author), William Redfield, Elliott Reid, William Keene, Fred Collins (announcer), Ernest Kinoy (adaptor), Kenneth MacGregor (director), William Welch (producer). 23:01.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Dark Fantasy "Pennsylvania Turnpike" (03-20-42)

Pennsylvania Turnpike (Aired March 20, 1942)


Dark Fantasy was an series dedicated to dealings with the unknown. Originating from radio station WKY, Oklahoma City, it was written by Scott Bishop (of Mysterious Traveler and The Sealed Book fame) and was heard Fridays over stations. Keith Paynton served as announcer. The shows covered horror, science fiction and murder mysteries. Although a short series, the shows are excellent with some stories way ahead of their time.

THIS EPISODE:

March 20, 1942. Program #18. NBC network, WKY, Oklahoma City origination. "Pennsylvania Turnpike". Sustaining. An aged hitch-hiker who refused to ride in any car which did not have an occupant with red hair. Scott Bishop (writer), Ben Morris, Fred Wayne, Muir Hite, Tom Paxton (announcer). 26:34.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Stars Over Hollywood "Time For Christmas" (12-12-53)

Time For Christmas (Aired December 12, 1953)


Stars Over Hollywood was a Saturday morning radio program that became an instant sucess and ran for thirteen years and dispite strong suggestions against it's acceptence in such a time slot. The program, sponsored by Dari-Rich, Carnation Milk and Armour, was informal and light-hearted. Stars such as Alan Ladd, Joan Crawford, Mary Astor, Phil Harris, and Basil Rathbone starred, often showing up to the set in pajamas or bathrobes. The tone of this series seems to be similar to that of soap operas: often sentimental material, very clearly-conveyed characters and motivations, very little ambiguity. Director Paul Pierce, refused to accept the negative predictions of hollywood critics.

THIS EPISODE:

December 12, 1953. CBS network. "Time For Christmas". Sponsored by: Carnation Milk. The case of Santa Claus and the three cuckoo clocks! Anita Louise, Art Ballinger (announcer), Isa Ashdown, John Stevenson, Rex Koury (composer, performer), Rosemary De Camp, Stanley Farrar. 30:03.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The New Adventures Of Nero Wolf "The Case Of The Slaughtered Santas" (12-22-50)

The Case Of The Slaughtered Santas (Aired December 22, 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 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:

December 22, 1950. NBC network. "The Case Of The Slaughtered Santas". Sustaining. Who is killing off the sidewalk Santas...and why? The closing promotional announcement has been deleted. Sydney Greenstreet, Lawrence Dobkin, Howard McNear, Jeanne Bates, Herb Butterfield, William Johnstone, Don Stanley (announcer). 29 minutes.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Presents "A Little Bit Of Christmas 2009"

A Little Bit Of Christmas 2009


A Little Bit of Christmas 2009, is 40 minutes in length. Download size is 9.6 megs. There are fifteen songs as listed below.

Jackson 5 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clasus

Beach Boys - Little Saint Nick

Andy Williams - Most Wonderfull Time Of The Year

Dean Martin - Baby It's Cold Outside

Bobby Helms- Jingle Bell Rock

Elvis Presley - Silver Bells (With Anne Murray)

Gloria Estefan - Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Johnny Mathis - It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Frank Sinatra - A Jolly Christmas Jingle Bells

Jose Feliciano - Feliz Navidad

Bing Crosby - White Christmas

Tony Bennett- My Favorite Things

The Chipmunks - Chipmunk Song

Nat King Cole - Frosty The Snowman

Louis Armstrong - Winter Wonderland

Bing Crosby - White Christmas

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - You Bet Your Life "Secret Word Is 'Roof'" (11-14-51)

Secret Word Is 'Roof' (Aired November 14, 1951)


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

THIS EPISODE:

Syndicated, WNEW-TV, New York audio aircheck. Secret word is Roof. Participating sponsors. The first contestant is Anna Lingren. Syndicated rebroadcast date: March 21, 1975. Anna Lingren, Groucho Marx, George Fenneman (announcer), Jack Meakin (music). 1/2 hour.

Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Hancock's Half Hour "Bill & Father Christmas" (12-25-58)

Bill & Father Christmas (Aired December 25, 1958)


Tony Hancock starred as an exaggerated version of his own character, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. Sid James played a criminally-inclined confidante who usually managed to con Hancock, while Bill Kerr appeared as Hancock's dim-witted Australian lodger. Moira Lister also appeared in the first series before being replaced by Andrée Melly for the next two, both playing love interests for Hancock's character. In the fourth and fifth series, Hattie Jacques played Griselda Pugh, live-in secretary to Hancock and occasional girlfriend of Sid James. The series broke from the variety tradition dominant in British radio comedy into the sitcom or Situation comedy genre. Instead of sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, humour developed from the characters and situations. Hancock's experiences were based in reality and observation. From the playlet "Look Back In Hunger" in The East Cheam Drama Festival episode, Galton and Simpson showed they were in touch with developments in the British theatre, the use of sighs and silent pauses in common with the work of Harold Pinter which began to emerge towards the end of the series' run. The measured pacing of these episodes were groundbreaking in the days of fast-talking Ted Ray, where every second of airtime had to be filled. With Galton and Simpson writing scripts prolifically, continuity was not priority, with details changed to suit the episode. The domestic situation varied, Hancock usually portrayed as unemployed or a hopeless, down-at-heel comedian. Sid was always on the fiddle in some way. Bill was dim and virtually unemployable (though he started as a fast-talking American-type Australian). Miss Pugh, Hancock's secretary, had such a loose job description that she cooked Sunday lunch.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Casebook Of Gregory Hood "The Sad Clown" (10-07-46)

The Sad Clown (Aired October 7, 1946)


The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Gale Gordon in the title role, took over where Sherlock Holmes had left off. Sponsored by Petri wine, it used the same "weekly visit" format and the same team of Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green that had written The New Adventured of Sherlock Holmes. Gregory Hood was modelled after true-life San Francisco importer Richard Gump, and many of the stories revolve around a mystery surrounding some particular imported treasure. Hood's sidekick Sanderson "Sandy" Taylor was played by Bill Johnstone. The show aired from June, 1946 through August, 1950. There were an additional couple of shows aired in October 1951. Hood and Sanderson were played in later episodes by Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, respectively.

THIS EPISODE:

October 7, 1946. Mutual network. "The Sad Clown". Sponsored by: Petri Wines. A set of stolen cameos and a clown that doesn't speak (he honks like Harpo Marx) leads Hood to the circus. The sad clown is murdered during his act...he dies smiling of strychnine. Hood accuses a fellow detective of the crime, then decides to buy the stolen cameos. The system cue has been deleted. Hollywood origination. Elliott Lewis, Howard McNear, Anthony Boucher (writer), Denis Green (writer), Ned Bliss (producer), Lee Bowen (director), Arthur Fulton (sound effects), Art Surrence (sound effects), Dean Fosler (composer, conductor). 29:23.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Arch Oboler's Plays "History Of A Mug" (08-09-45)

History Of A Mug (Aired August 9, 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:

August 9, 1945. Mutual network. "History Of A Mug". Sustaining. An old Italian immigrant woman tells the story of her son's life...standing by his grave. Very well-written and superbly performed by Bea Benaderet. The program may be dated September 6, 1945. Arch Oboler (writer, director, producer), Bea Benaderet, Elliott Lewis, John Alden, Leo Cleary, Gerald Mohr, Jay Novello, Roseanne Murray, Dorothy Scott, Theodore Von Eltz. 1/2 hour.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Spy Catcher "Game Set Match" (03-10-60)

Game Set Match (Aired March 10, 1960)


Spy Catcher - American producers Paramount Pictures, who backed creator Roger Mirams to begin production without having seen a script. He made the pilot episode, Spy Catcher, which impressed Paramount, and the Nine Network immediately bought the local rights. The first episode aired in Sydney on August 8, 1971, and the rest of Australia on August 26, 1971. It was originally intended to produce 26 episodes, but following the success of the first series, Mirams held talks with both Nine Network and Paramount Pictures who backed him for a second series. In all 42 episodes were produced. The series was last aired on Australian television in Adelaide on September 21, 1976, but has been re-run several times since. Famous antipodean actor Russell Crowe appeared briefly in one episode as a child actor at the age of seven. The record of Colonel Pinto and his team in trapping the spies who came to Britain is exceptional and is fully described in Colonel Pinto's two excellent books Spycatcher and Friend Or Foe? which tell in exciting detail both the methods and intentions of the spies and the patience and experience required to trap them. Every efficient spy, says Colonel Pinto, would have a plausible and well-supported story. Only the ability of the interrogator to probe beneath the surface could succeed in breaking the spy's story. Colonel Pinto lists the following qualifications "for a successful spycatcher": a phenomenal memory, patience and regard for detail, a gift for languages, courage, a detailed knowledge of the capitals and towns of the world, a thorough knowledge of international law, a gift for detection, and a long experience of the methods and tricks of spies.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Lux Radio Theater "It's AWonderful Life" (03-10-47)

It's AWonderful Life (Aired March 10, 1947)


Lux Radio Theater strove to feature as many of the original stars of the original stage and film productions as possible, usually paying them $5,000 an appearance to do the show. It was when sponsor Lever Brothers (who made Lux soap and detergent) moved the show from New York City to Hollywood in 1936 that it eased back from adapting stage shows and toward adaptations of films. The first Lux film adaptation was The Legionnaire and the Lady, with Marlene Dietrich and Clark Gable, based on the film Morocco. That was followed by a Lux adaptation of The Thin Man, featuring the movie's stars, Myrna Loy and William Powell. Many of the greatest names in film appeared in the series, most in the roles they made famous on the screen, including Abbott and Costello, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Gary Cooper, Joseph Cotton, Bing Crosby, Dan Duryea, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Vivien Leigh, Agnes Moorehead, Vincent Price, Donna Reed, Frank Sinatra, Ann Sothern, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Gene Tierney, John Wayne, Jane Wyman, Orson Welles and Loretta Young.

THIS EPISODE:

March 10, 1947. CBS network. "It's A Wonderful Life". Sponsored by: Lux Soap, Spry. Tired of his life on Earth, a man finds out what it's like never to have been born. Edwin Maxwell, Janet Scott, Noreen Gammill, Cliff Clark, Norma Jean Nilsson, Leo Cleary, Charlie Forsyth (sound effects), Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Victor Moore, William Keighley (host), John Milton Kennedy (announcer), Louis Silvers (music director), William Johnstone, John McIntire, Philip Van Doren (author), Fred MacKaye (director), Sanford Barnett (adaptor), Frank Capra (screenwriter), Frances Goodrich (screenwriter), Albert Hackett (screenwriter), Jo Swerling (screenwriter), Susan Blanchard (intermission guest), Norman Field, Franklyn Parker, Ann Carter, Charles Seel, Doris Singleton (commercial spokesman: as "Libby"), Edward Marr. 1 hour.

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