Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - The Shell Game (07-30-50)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Hopalong Cassidy" - The Shell Game (Aired July 30, 1950)


What red-blooded kid of the early 1950s didn't listen to Hopalong Cassidy on the radio. A western that was greater than The Roy Rogers Show or Gene Autry's Melody Ranch. Hoppy was a hero to one and all. He and his sidekick, California Carlson, roamed the Southwest in thrilling stories week after week. Almost every tale had a little mystery in it, and almost every story ended with Hoppy's boiserous laugh. Clarence Mulford, the author of the Hopalong Cassidy stores, created a hard- fisted, rough and tought cowboy. Nowhewre's near or liked the loveable Hoppy of the movies and radio series. He became a hero in black and on a white horse - a super hero of the West. He rescued damsels and cowboys in trouble, along with ranchers and bankers and railroad owners always against the bad guys - robbers, thieves, rustlers and the like. 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:

July 30, 1950. Program #31. Commodore syndication. "The Shell Game". Commercials added locally. Hoppy's adventure in New York City involves a gun toting Englishman out after two crates of Abalone Shells! Wonder why? Irwin Ashkenazie (writer), Joseph Du Val, Walter White Jr. (producer, transcriber), William Boyd (host). 29:17.

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