Mr. Keen Tracer Of Lost Persons - "The Case Of The Man Who Invented Death" (10-06-49)

The Case Of The Man Who Invented Death (Aired January 6, 1950)

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was one of radio's longest running shows, airing (October 12, 1937 to April 19, 1955), continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert. The sponsors included Whitehall Pharmacal (as in Anacin, Kolynos Toothpaste, BiSoDol antacid mints, Hill's cold tablets and Heet liniment), Dentyne, Aerowax, RCA Victor and Chesterfield cigarettes. It aired on the NBC Blue network until 1947, when it switched to CBS. Bennett Kilpack began as Mr. Keen in 1937 with Phil Clarke stepping into the role late in the series. For 18 years the kindly Keen and his faithful assistant, Mike Clancy (Jim Kelly), entertained followers with their intuitive perception that kept listeners coming back for more. With 1690 nationwide broadcasts, Mr. Keen was the most resilient private detective in a namesake role.

THIS EPISODE:

October 06, 1949. CBS network. "The Case Of The Man Who Invented Death". Anacin, Kolynos Toothpaste, Heet. A modern alchemist has been electrocuted to learn his secrets. Bennett Kilpack, Frank Hummert (originator, producer), Anne Hummert (originator, producer), Lawrence Klee (dialogue), Larry Elliott (announcer). 29:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of The Falcon - "The Case Of The Vanishing Varmint" (07-11-44)

The Case Of The Vanishing Varmint (Aired July 11, 1944)

The Jack Carson Show - "Jack Hires A Bodyguard" (02-05-47)

"Jack Hires A Bodyguard" (Aired February 5, 1947)

Jack Carson, because of his size — 6 ft 2 in (1.9 m) and 220 lb (100 kg), had his first stage appearance as Hercules in a college production. During a performance, he tripped and took half the set with him. A college friend, Dave Willock, thought it was so funny he persuaded Carson to team with him in a vaudeville act—Willock and Carson—and a new career began. This piece of unplanned business would be typical of the sorts of things that tended to happen to Carson during some of his film roles. During the 1930s, as vaudeville went into decline owing to increased competition from radio and the movies, Willock and Carson sought work in Hollywood, initially landing bit roles at RKO. The radio also proved to be a source of employment for the team following a 1938 appearance on the Kraft Music Hall during Bing Crosby's period as program host. This led to a number of other appearances which would culminate in Carson's own radio show in 1943. From 1950-51, Carson was one of four alternating hosts of NBC's "4 Star Revue." Other hosts that season were Jimmy Durante, Ed Wynn. and Danny Thomas. The show aired Wednesday evenings. Carson's second season was his last with the comedy-variety program when its title was changed to "All Star Revue.

The Creaking Door - "Don't Go Down The Mine" (1953)

The Creaking Door
"Don't Go Down The Mine" (1953) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

When l egendary producer and director, Himan Brown first presented Inner Sanctum as one of three requested sponsorship candidates to Carter Products, he presented Inner Sanctum as The Creaking Door. Carter didn't care for the name, so on the spur of the moment Hi Brown suggested Inner Sanctum as an alternative, and voila, Radio history was made. The emphasis on high production values is perhaps the very reason that several early, morally challenged Radio traders felt they could get away with interspersing many of the Creaking Door episodes with their Inner Sanctum, Mysterious Traveler, and Strange Dr. Weird offerings to a still naive community of radio recording collectors. Although somewhat left-handed, it's still a compliment to both SABC and Springbok Radio that those early 'otr hooligans' managed to get away with the practice for well over 20 years. That takes nothing away from this excellent series in its own right. The expositions were deftly introduced and shaded with just the right amount of chilling narrative. Not quite as chilling and melodramatic as Raymond Johnson, perhaps, but Peter Broomfield rightly camped up his delivery for The Creaking Door, and it worked. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Danger With Granger - "The Larry Simmons Case" (1956)

"The Larry Simmons Case" (1956) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

Danger With Granger arrived too late in the Golden Age of Radio to have any real impact on the listening public. Mutual aired this show, starting in 1956, on Monday nights at 8:30 pm. It was a half hour show that featured a private eye in New York City, STEVE GRANGER. His two primary companions were Cal Hendrix, a reporter who served as an all-purpose source of criminal info, and Jake Rankin, a police detective with whom he had a grudging rivalry. The writing on the show seemed to incorporate most of the standard cliche's of the P.I. world. Granger, who was both the star and the first-person narrator of the show (not an uncommon practice with radio gumshoes), never saw a woman, instead "he gave the doll the once-over." He didn't kick with his foot, he "lifted a size 10." Instead of paying cash, he "forked over numbered lettuce." In his investigations Steve Granger cooperates with the police and the FBI and other authorities.

The Adventures Of The Abbotts - "The Royal Purple Scooter" (01-23-55)

"The Royal Purple Scooter" (Aired January 23, 1955)

 

 Abbott Mysteries was a comedy-mystery radio program adapted from the novels of Frances Crane (1896-1981). Initially a summer replacement for Quick As a Flash, the series was heard on Mutual and NBC between the years 1945 and 1955. The Mutual series, sponsored by Helbros Watches, debuted June 10, 1945, airing Sundays at 6pm. Scripts were by Howard Merrill and Ed Adamson in the lighthearted tradition of Mr. and Mrs. North. Julie Stevens and Charles Webster starred as Jean and Pat Abbott, a San Francisco married couple who solved murder mysteries. In the supporting cast were Jean Ellyn, Sydney Slon and Luis Van Rooten. Moving to 5:30pm in 1946, Les Tremayne and Alice Reinheart took over the roles until the end of the series on August 31, 1947.

THIS EPISODE:
 
January 23, 1955. Program #1. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Royal Purple Scooter". Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, Ann Corio, Mandel Kramer, Frances Crane (creator), David Pfeffer, Howard Merrill (writer), Dewey Bergman (composer, conductor), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Ted Lloyd (producer), Harry Frazee (director, recordist), Roger Tuttle (announcer). 30:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" Holiday (11-09-58)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman"
"Holiday" (Aired November 9, 1958

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.

THIS EPISODE:

November 9, 1958. CBS network. "Holiday". Sponsored by: Kent, Plymouth. Cole Williams, a famous killer during the war, is dying in Batesville, Misouri. This is a network, sponsored version. John Dehner, Antony Ellis (writer, producer, director), Harry Bartell, Joseph Kearns, Virginia Gregg, Jack Moyles, Tom Hanley (writer), Richard Perkins, Helen Kleeb, Bud Sewell (announcer). 23:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Your's Truly Johnny Dollar - "The Robert Perry Case" (03-25-49)

The Robert Perry Case (Aired January 14, 1949)

There were some unusual devices used in the show that help set it apart from other shows. There was no partner, assistant, or secretary for Johnny. The character closest to a continuing role was that of Pat McCracken of the Universal Adjustment Bureau, who assigned Johnny many of his cases. Another atypical aspect gave the show additional credibility – frequently, characters on the show would mention that they had heard about Johnny’s cases on the radio. Johnny often used his time when filling out his expense accounts to give the audience background information or to express his thoughts about the current case.No fewer than eight actors played Johnny Dollar. Dick Powell, of Rogue’s Gallery fame, cut the original audition tape, but chose to do Richard Diamond, Private Detective instead. Gerald Mohr, of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe fame, auditioned in 1955, prior to Bob Bailey getting the title role. Through the first three actors to play Johnny Dollar (Charles Russell, Edmond O'Brien, and John Lund), there was little to distinguish the series from many other radio detective series. Dollar was just another hard-boiled detective in a medium that was overloaded with the stereotype.

THIS EPISODE:

January 14, 1949. "The Robert W. Perry Case". An audition recording. Johnny is hired as a bodyguard for Mr. Perry, but a bomb goes off in his office when Johnny reports for duty. The script was subsequently used on the program on March 4, 1949 and March 3, 1950. Charles Russell, Paul Dudley (writer), Gil Doud (writer), Mark Warnow (music), Richard Sanville (producer, director). 29:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dragnet - The Big Tomato (01-25-51)

 

Box 13 (Starring Alan Ladd) - The Treasure Of Hang Lee (05-29-49)

 Box 13 (Starring Alan Ladd)
"The Treasure Of Hang Lee" (Aired May 29, 1949)

Box 13 was a syndicated radio series about the escapades of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holliday, played by film star Alan Ladd. Created by Ladd's company, Mayfair Productions, Box 13 premiered in 1947. In New York City, it first aired December 31, 1947[1], on Mutual's New York flagship, WOR. To seek out new ideas for his fiction, Holliday ran a classified ad in the Star-Times newspaper where he formerly worked: "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything -- write Box 13, Star-Times." The stories followed Holliday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him by such people as a psycho killer and various victims. Sylvia Picker appeared as Holliday's scatterbrained secretary, Suzy, while Edmund MacDonald played police Lt. Kling.

THIS EPISODE:
 
May 29, 1949. Program #41. Mutual network origination, Mayfair syndication. "The Treasure Of Hang Lee". Commercials added locally. A trip to Chinatown gets Dan a priceless piece of jade, and the quest for a treasure. Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Richard Sanville (director), Mark Hofling (writer), Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker. 27:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Crime Club - Silent Witnesses (03-27-47)

 Silent Witnesses (Aired March 27, 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:

March 27, 1947. Mutual network. "Silent Witnesses". Sustaining. A woman hears two shots while asleep. A corpse is found shortly afterward, with only one hole! Roger Bower (producer), Jock MacGregor (director), Jack McBride, Julie Stevens, Helen Shields, Dan Ocko, Barry Thompson, Joe DeSantis, Robert George Dean (writer), James Earthine (adaptor), Shirling Oliver. 30:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Lineup - "The Cigar Box Bandit" (02-15-51)

The Cigar Box Bandit (Aired February 15, 1951)

The Lineup is a realistic police drama that gives radio audiences a look behind the scenes at police headquarters. Bill Johnstone plays Lt. Ben Guthrie, a quiet, calm-as-a-cupcake cucumber. Joseph Kearns (and from 1951 to 1953, Matt Maher) plays Sgt. Matt Grebb, a hot-tempered hot plate who is easily bored. The director and script writer often rode with police on the job and sat in on the police lineups to get ideas for The Lineup. They also read dozens of newspapers daily and intermeshed real stories with those that they used in the show. With Dragnet a smash hit, realism in police dramas was popular at the time this show aired. Don’t be caught without this radio show in your collection!

THIS EPISODE:

February 15, 1951. CBS network. Sustaining. "The Cigar Store Bandit" has the entire police force puzzled in this surprisingly good story with a twisted ending. David Young, Ed Begley, Eddie Dunstedter (music), Howard McNear, Jaime del Valle (producer, director), Joe Walters (announcer), John McIntire, Milton Geiger (adaptor), Peggy Webber, Wally Maher, Walter Catlett, William Johnstone. 28:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet - "Have A Cigar" (06-01-51)

Have A Cigar (Aired June 1, 1951)

When Red Skelton was drafted in March 1944, Ozzie Nelson was prompted to create his own family situation comedy. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet launched on CBS on October 8, 1944, moving to NBC in October 1948, and making a late-season switch back to CBS in April 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 total 402 radio episodes were produced. In an arrangement that amplified the growing pains of American broadcasting, as radio "grew up" into television, the Nelsons' deal with ABC gave the network the option to move their program to television.

THIS EPISODE:
 
June 1, 1951. "Have A Cigar" - ABC network. Sponsored by: Heinz. Ozzie is determined to become a cigar smoker! Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard, David Nelson, Ricky Nelson, Verne Smith (announcer), John Brown, Herb Vigran, Billy May (composer, conductor), Frank Nelson. 29:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Gangbusters - "The Case Of Blackie Thompson" (12-08-45)

The Case Of Blackie Thompson (Aired December 8, 1945)

Gangbusters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935. After the title was changed to Gang Busters January 15, 1936, the show had a 21-year run through November 20, 1957. Beginning with a barrage of loud sound effects — guns firing and tires squealing — this intrusive introduction led to the popular catch phrase "came on like Gang Busters."The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used.

THIS EPISODE:
 
December 8, 1945. Program #411. ABC network origination, WRVR-FM, New York rebroadcast. "The Case Of Blackie Thompson". Participating sponsors. The story of bank-robber Blackie Thompson, and his all-too-loyal girlfriend, Lila. WRVR rebroadcast date: May 16, 1974. The script was used previously on Gangbusters of February 24, 1940. Phillips H. Lord (producer). 21:22. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Incident At Indian Ford (03-15-59)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"
Incident At Indian Ford (Aired March 15, 1959)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"

Incident At Indian Ford (Aired March 15, 1959)

Gunsmoke - The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program. Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program.

THIS EPISODE:

March 15, 1959. CBS network. "Incident At Indian Ford". Commercials deleted. Marshal Dillon and Chester meet up with eight cavalry soldiers traveling with Mary Taber, who has just been ransomed back from the Arapahos. The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on December 2, 1961. William Conrad, John Dunkel (writer), Howard McNear, Georgia Ellis, Jeanne Bates, Jack Moyles, Vic Perrin, Parley Baer, John Meston (editorial supervisor), George Walsh (announcer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director). 24:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

David Harding Counterspy - "The Case Of The Murdering Messenger" (08-25-49)

"The Case Of The Murdering Messenger" (Aired August 25, 1949)

The show was at the top of the list among programs that had developed the technique of sound effects to a fine art. Each program was written with the sound in mind, not so much sound for sound's sake, but to advance the plot, add color or create atmosphere. Two sound effects men spent a reported ten hours in rehearsal for each broadcast, in addition to the time spent by the actors. East coast actors House Jameson, Don MacLaughlin, Phil Sterling and Lawson Zerbe [MBS] (Zerbe appeared as both David Harding and Harry Peters) were the only four actors to ever assume the role of David Harding--Jameson for the first two episodes only, replaced by Don MacLaughlin for the remainder of its twelve year run. Both Connecticut residents, House Jameson premiered in the role while Lord was still auditioning talent for the lead. By the third episode, Phillips H. Lord selected Don MacLaughlin for the role. MacLaughlin was by no means new to Radio, having already appeared in some 300 Radio productions since his debut over Radio in 1935. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

August 25, 1949. ABC network. "The Case Of The Murdering Messenger". Sponsored by: Pepsi Cola. A fast-talking man poses as himself to impersonate someone else! The system cue has been deleted. William Sweets (director), Don MacLaughlin, Mandel Kramer, Jesse Crawford (organ), Phillips H. Lord (producer). 28:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The New Adventures Of Michael Shayne - "The Case Of The Purloined Corpse" (10-09-48)

The Case Of The Purloined Corpse (Aired October 9, 1948)

Bill Rousseau's image of Michael Shayne was more after the pattern of Jack Webb's characterizations of Pat Novak for Hire, or Johnny Madero, Pier 23--but amp'd up about 150% in the process. From some seventeen potential candidates, Rousseau felt that Jeff Chandler was the natural pick over his peers. Chandler could both amp up the electricity of Shayne's character and raise the introductory prologues about 10 decibels, as well as completely reinventing Michael Shayne in Chandler's own mold. Chandler left the production after some 26 performances, to be replaced, briefly, by Film actor, Donald Curtis for two broadcast episodes. In even more of a transition, Michael Shayne returned to his roots in Florida for the last incarantion of Michael Shayne over Radio. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
 
October 9, 1948 - Broadcaster's Guild syndication, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Case Of The Purloined Corpse". The body vanishes, and with good reason. Jeff Chandler, Jack Webb, William P. Rousseau (host, director), Brett Halliday (creator). 26:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Father Knows Best - "Rainy Day Activity" (03-25-54)

"Rainy Day Activity" (Aired March 25, 1954)

 

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.The series began August 25, 1949, on NBC Radio. Set in the Midwest, it starred Robert Young as General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. His wife Margaret was first portrayed by June Whitley and later by Jean Vander Pyl. The Anderson children were Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson) and Kathy (Norma Jean Nillson). Others in the cast were Eleanor Audley, Herb Vigran and Sam Edwards. Sponsored through most of its run by General Foods, the series was heard Thursday evenings on NBC until March 25, 1954.

Author's Playhouse - Reunion (05-14-45)

"Reunion" (Aired May 14, 1945)

Famous stories by celebrated authors: among them, Elementals (Stephen Vincent Benet), The Piano (William Saroyan), and The Snow Goose (Paul Gallico).March 5, 1941 till June 4, 1945, NBC;  Blue Network until mid-October 1941, then the Red Network.  Many briefly held 30m timeslots, including Sundays at 11:30, 1941-42;  Wednesdays at 11:30, 1942-44;   Mondays at 11:30, 1944-45.  Sponsor was Philip Morris, 1942-43. Cast:  John Hodiak, Fern Persons, Arthur Kohl, Laurette Fillbrandt, Kathryn Card, Bob Jellison, Nelson Olmsted, Marvin Miller, Olan Soule, Les Tremayne, Clarence Hartzell, Curley Bradley, etc. Orchestra:  Rex Maupin, Roy Shield, J6seph Gallicchio. Creator:  Wynn Wright. Directors:  Norman Felton, Fred Weihe, Homer Heck, etc.

THIS EPISODE:

May 14, 1945. NBC network, Chicago origination. "Reunion". Sustaining. Henry Sinkin is a quiet accountant who inherits $500 and decides to make a big impression at his college reunion. Arthur Hern, Art Van Harvey, Charles Egleston, Elwyn Owen (organist), Inez Arsher (adaptor), Kay Miller, Kay Miller, Michael Romano, Nick Reikert, Norman Felton (producer), Phillips H. Lord, Stanley Gordon, Thomas Post, Vincent Sheean (author), William Fein. 28:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Agatha Christie Presents Miss Marple - "The Blue Geranium" (1952)

The Blue Geranium - A Short Story (1952)

Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who acts as an amateur detective, and lives in the village of St. Mary Mead. She is one of the most famous of Christie's characters and has been portrayed numerous times on screen. Her first published appearance was in issue 350 of The Royal Magazine for December 1927 with the first printing of the short story "The Tuesday Night Club" which later became the first chapter of The Thirteen Problems (1932). Her first appearance in a full-length novel was in The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930. Miss Jane Marple doesn’t look like your average detective.

THIS EPISODE:

1952 "The Blue Geranium" - A woman is warned by a psychic of the evil and danger in her house. On a full moon, she must watch for the signs: blue primrose means caution, blue hollyhock is danger, and blue geranium is death.

The Jack Benny Thanksgiving Program (11-29-53)

The Jack Benny Thanksgiving Program (Aired November 29, 1953)

 Benny had been only a minor vaudeville performer, but he became a national figure with The Jack Benny Program, a weekly radio show which ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS, and was consistently among the most highly rated programs during most of that run. With Canada Dry Ginger Ale as a sponsor, Benny came to radio on The Canada Dry Program, beginning May 2, 1932, on the NBC Blue Network and continuing there for six months until October 26, moving the show to CBS on October 30. With Ted Weems leading the band, Benny stayed on CBS until January 26, 1933. Arriving at NBC on March 17, Benny did The Chevrolet Program until April 1, 1934. He continued with sponsors General Tires, Jell-O and Grape Nuts. Lucky Strike was the radio sponsor from 1944 to the mid-1950s. The show returned to CBS on January 2, 1949, as part of CBS president William S. Paley's notorious "raid" of NBC talent in 1948-49. There it stayed for the remainder of its radio run, which ended on May 22, 1955.

 

THIS EPISODE:

November 29, 1953. Sponsored by Lucky Strike. Jack and Mary go shopping for a "Thanksgiving Turkey". Recorded November 19, 1953, the system cue is added live. The Sportsmen sing a Luckie commercial to the tune of, "Thanks." Portions of the script were used on October 2, 1949 and November 23, 1947. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.
 

Family Theater - "Home For Thanksgiving" (11-27-47)

"Home For Thanksgiving" (Aired November 27, 1947)

Nonsectarian in its approach, Family Theater’s basic message was simply that of strengthening the family through faith in God and prayer. Each program was preceded by the familiar announcement: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”—a quote from Alfred, Lord Tennyson. And always worked in somewhere before the end of the show was the famous slogan that became Peyton’s signature: “The family that prays together stays together!” Father Peyton’s vision of the family is expressed in his book, The Ear of God: “The family was meant to be the cradle of religion,” he wrote. “Restore to the family its religious soul and you enrich the entire country, you strengthen civilization.”

THIS EPISODE

November 27, 1947. Mutual network. "Home For Thanksgiving". Sustaining. An American woman and her Austrian husband return to the city where he grew up. Arriving on Thanksgiving, they find only ruins. A fine Thanksgiving story. The script was susequently used on "Family Theatre" on February 4, 1953. Charles Boyer (host), Joan Leslie, Paul Henreid, True Boardman (writer), Tony La Frano (announcer), Max Terr (music), David Young (director). 28:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Life With Luigi - "The Thanksgiving Dinner" (11-20-51)

The Thanksgiving Dinner (Aired November 20, 1951)

Life with Luigi was a radio comedy-drama series which began September 21, 1948 on CBS. The story concerned Italian immigrant Luigi Basco, and his experiences as an immigrant in Chicago. Many of the shows take place at the US citizenship classes that Luigi attends with other immigrants from different countries, as well as trying to fend off the repeated advances of the morbidly-obese daughter of his landlord/sponsor. Luigi was played by J. Carrol Naish, an Irish-American. Naish continued in the role on the short-lived television version in 1952, and was later replaced by Vito Scotti. With a working title of The Little Immigrant, Life with Luigi was created by Cy Howard, who earlier had created the hit radio comedy, My Friend Irma. The show was often seen as the Italian counterpart to the radio show The Goldbergs, which chronicled the experience of Jewish immigrants in New York.

THIS EPISODE:

November 20, 1951. "The Thanksgiving Dinner" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum. It's Thanksgiving, and Luigi misses having a family to celebrate with. America will be his guest. J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed, Cy Howard (creator, producer), Mac Benoff (writer, director), Lou Derman (writer), Pat Burton (associate producer), Mary Shipp, Hans Conried, Joe Forte, Ken Peters, Lud Gluskin (music director), Charles Lyon (announcer), Jody Gilbert. 29:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Rogue's Gallery - "Where There's A Will There's A Murder" aka Angela Mullins (10-17-48)

Rogue's Gallery - "Where There's A Will There's A Murder" (Aired October 17, 1948)

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:

October 17, 1948. CBS network. "Where There's A Will". Sustaining. A good story about a strange will, three strange heirs, $300,000 and a map. Gerald Mohr, Roy Rowan (announcer), Mary Shipp, Theodore Von Eltz, Parley Baer, Don Diamond, Wilms Herbert, Raymond Chandler (creator). 29:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Our Miss Brooks - "Thanksgiving Dinner" (11-19-50)

Thanksgiving Dinner (Aired November 19, 1950)

Our Miss Brooks, an American situation comedy, began as a radio hit in 1948 and migrated to television in 1952, becoming one of the earlier hits of the so-called Golden Age of Television, and making a star out of Eve Arden (1908-1990) as comely, wisecracking, but humane high school English teacher Connie Brooks. The show hooked around Connie's daily relationships with Madison High School students, colleagues, and pompous principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), not to mention favourite student Walter Denton (future television and Rambo co-star Richard Crenna, who fashioned a higher-pitched voice to play the role) and biology teacher Philip Boynton ( Jeff Chandler), the latter Connie's all-but-unrequited love interest, who saw science everywhere and little else anywhere.

THIS EPISODE:

November 19, 1950. "Thanksgiving Dinner" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Colgate Toothpaste, Lustre Creme Shampoo, Palmolive Soap. It's Thanksgiving time and there's only $5 for a turkey. Mr. Boynton suggests buying a live turkey to save money. Eve Arden, Al Lewis (writer, director), Jane Morgan, Richard Crenna, Jeff Chandler, Gale Gordon, Verne Smith (announcer), Gloria McMillan, Bob Lemond (announcer), Larry Berns (producer), Wilbur Hatch (music). 30:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Murder By Experts - "Two Coffins To Fill" (07-04-49)

Two Coffins To Fill (Aired July 4, 1949)

Murder By Experts was a radio drama anthology series that ran on American radio from 1949-1951, and was hosted first by John Dickson Carr, and later by Brett Halliday. Evidently, a mystery, authored by a leading crime fiction writer, was presented, and "guest experts," such as Alfred Hitchcock or Craig Rice, were invited to solve it. Or maybe not -- nobody seems to know much about this one. David Kogan, the writer/creator of Murder by Experts, also created and wrote The Mysterious Traveler. Guest experts: Alfred Hitchcock, Craig Rice. Guest stars: Ann Shepard, Larry Haines, Carl Eastman, Ann Sheperd, Bill Zuckert, Ralph Camargo, Burt Cullen, Lawson Zerbe, Marilyn Erskin.

THIS EPISODE:

July 4, 1949. Mutual network. "Two Coffins To Fill" - Sustaining. The story of a man who decides to kill his rich wife, but all his plans backfire. John Dickson Carr (host). 26:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Rocky Fortune (Starring Frank Sinatra) - "Murder On The Aisle" (11-24-53)

"Murder On The Aisle" (Aired November 24, 1953)

In the days prior to From Here To Eternity, Frank Sinatra's popularity was waning and this private eye show was an attempt to remedy that. In it, Frank played Rocky Fortune, a "footloose and fancy-free young man," frequently unemployed, who took numerous, adventurous odd jobs. It was a relatively undistinguished series; definitely a "B grade" radio series, saved by Sinatra's charm and a tongue-in-cheek approach. Rocky Fortune appeared on NBC for only a short run of 25 or 26 shows. The lead character, who goes by the name of Rocky Fortune but whose real name is Rocko Fortunato, was played by Frank Sinatra. Rocky, always ready with a wise remark, seems to be a magnet for trouble, most often with the variety of odd jobs he takes. There is frequently a beautiful woman involved, some good girls, some bad. Rocky's a tough guy who stays just inside of the law but we get an occasional glimpse of a soft heart beneath the hard exterior. It's a character that Mr. Sinatra plays nicely. Employed or not, Rocky possesed a variety of skills.

THIS EPISODE:
 
November 24, 1953. NBC network. "Murder On The Aisle". Sustaining. Rocky is hired to guard the life of a drunken, hated drama critic. He fails. This is a network version. Frank Sinatra, Arnold Moss, Elaine Rost, Ernest Kinoy (writer), Roger De Koven, Fred Weihe (director, transcriber), Staats Cotsworth, Elaine Rost, James Monks, William Zuckert. 24:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Vanishing Point - "Rubber Ball" (05-13-88)

"Rubber Ball" (Aired May 13, 1988)

Vanishing Point is the title of a science fiction anthology series that ran on Canadian Broadcasting Corporation  Radio from 1984 until 1986, although the show would continue under different names and formats. A descriptive intro declared that Vanishing Point. The series was produced by Bill Lane in the CBC's Toronto studios. 1984-1986 There were 69 episodes in the original series. The series continued after that under various names and formats. "The point between reality and fantasy. Where imagination holds the key to new worlds. That point of no return---The Vanishing Point." Favorably compared to Rod Sterling's classic TV series, The Twilight Zone, these finely tuned radio dramas from the CBC provide compelling excursions into the realm of mystery and fantasy.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Ben Slades Saloon (05-24-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"
Ben Slades Saloon (05-24-52)

The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program.Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Miss Kitty's occupation as a prostitute was made far more obvious on the radio version than on television. Many episodes ended on a down-note, and villains often got away with their crimes.

THIS EPISODE:

Gunsmoke. May 24, 1952. CBS network. "Ben Slade's Saloon". Sustaining. A series of murders of men who have been lucky while gambling leads Marshal Dillon to a most unusual killer. William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Norman Macdonnell (director, writer), Hy Averback, Jack Kruschen, Dick Beals, Anne Morrison, Herb Ellis, Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Roy Rowan (announcer). 30:22. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Screen Director's Playhouse - "Rogue's Regiment" (05-17-51)

Screen Director's Playhouse - "Rogue's Regiment" (05-17-51)
Rogue's Regiment (Aired May 17, 1951)

  

The radio program broadcast adaptations of films, and original directors of the films were sometimes involved in the productions, although their participation was usually limited to introducing the radio adaptations, and a brief "curtain call" with the cast and host at the end of the program. The series later had a brief run on television. The radio version ran for 122 episodes and aired on NBC from January 9, 1949 to September 28, 1951 under several different titles: NBC Theater, Screen Director's Guild Assignment, Screen Director's Assignment and, as of July 1, 1949, Screen Director's Playhouse. Actors on the radio series included Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Kirk Douglas, Irene Dunne, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, James Mason, Gregory Peck, William Powell, Edward G. Robinson, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, John Wayne, and Loretta Young. The television version was broadcast for one season of 35 half hour episodes on NBC, airing from October 5, 1955 to September 12, 1956.
 

Sears Radio Theater ( Mutual ) - "Improvisation" (04-04-79)

"Improvisation" (Aired April 4, 1979)

The Sears Radio Theater Series premiered on Monday 02/05/79 and offered a different genre each weekday night. Each genre was hosted by a different celebrity. The program was produced on Paramount's Stage F in Hollywood. These first 130 programs were broadcast over a six month period and then rebroadcast over the following six months. From 02/14/80 to 12/19/81 this series was heard again, this time over Mutual, as The Mutual Radio Theater. This was clearly one of the last big attempts to produce radio programming, with many of radio’s best talents, the way radio was heard in its “golden days.” Despite budget and talent, it just wasn’t to be.

THIS EPISODE:

April 4, 1979. Program #43. CBS network. "Improvisation". Sponsored by: Sears Roebuck and Company. Shepard Menken (writer, performer), Vincent Price (host), William Schallert, Janet Waldo, Mary Jane Croft, Daws Butler, Parley Baer, Don Diamond, Fletcher Markle (producer, director). 38:52. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Tales Of The Texas Rangers" - Dead Or Alive (09-09-50)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Tales Of The Texas Rangers"
"Dead Or Alive" (Posted September 9, 1950)

The radio series used contemporary cases and modern detective methods to solve crimes; it was a procedural drama, in many ways Dragnet with a Western flavor. The TV show was aimed at kids (and aired on Saturday mornings) and was more of a traditional Western (with chases and shoot-outs). The TV series did both modern cases and cases set in the "Old West." With new cases using a car with horse float to get the rangers to their destinations it always made sure that the use of horses was only a step away. With older themes they would always ride into town on the horses to mete out their justice, they wore differing ranger attire for new and old scenes, also their weaponry was totally different.

THIS EPISODE:

September 9, 1950. NBC network. "Dead Or Alive". Sustaining. Based on the events of April 16, 1947. The Texas City/Galveston disaster is the backdrop for a plan to have a wanted man switch identities with an unidentified corpse. Joel McCrea, Stacy Keach (producer, director), Hal Gibney (announcer). 30:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

This Is Your FBI - "Bobby Sox Bandit" (11-23-45)

BOB: Intro - Marvelletes "Forever"
Bobby Sox Bandit (Aired November 23, 1945) 

This Is Your FBI was a radio crime drama which aired in the United States on ABC from April 6, 1945 to January 30, 1953. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air." Producer-director Jerry Devine was given access to FBI files by Hoover, and the resulting dramatizations of FBI cases were narrated by Frank Lovejoy (1945), Dean Carleton (1946-47) and William Woodson (1948-53). Stacy Harris had the lead role of Special Agent Jim Taylor. Others in the cast were William Conrad, Bea Benaderet and Jay C. Flippen. This Is Your FBI was sponsored during its entire run by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States (now AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company). This is Your FBI had counterparts on the other networks. The FBI in Peace and War also told stories of the FBI, although some were not authentic. Earlier on, Gangbusters, and the previously mentioned Mr. District Attorney gave the authentic crime treatment to their stories. And Dragnet, and Tales of the Texas Rangers, took the idea on as well. Crime, especially true crime, was a genre in the magazines early on, with the Police Gazette and its predecessors in England printing lurid true crime stories prior to radio. This is Your FBI took the idea, and made it realistic, exciting and even informational.

Inner Sanctum Mysteries - "Death Is A Double-Cross" (03-26-46)

"Death Is A Double-Cross" (Aired March 26, 1946)

The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreaaaaammmmssss!" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler) to EC Comics' Crypt-Keeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt. In interviews, EC publisher Bill Gaines stated that he based EC's three horror hosts not on Raymond but on Old Nancy, host of radio's earlier The Witch's Tale (1931-38). When Johnson left the series in 1945, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "your host" or "Mr. Host."

THIS EPISODE:

March 26, 1946. CBS network. "Death Is A Double-Cross". Sponsored by: Lipton Tea, Lipton Soup. An ex-con decides to steal the huge "King Midas" diamond, by becoming an apprentice diamond cutter. Lawson Zerbe, Paul McGrath (host), Mary Bennett (commercial spokesman), Michael Sklar (writer), Himan Brown (director). 29:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Casey Crime Photographer - "Miscarriage Of Justice" (10-02-47)

"Miscarriage Of Justice" (Aired October 2, 1947)

The adventures of Casey, crack photographer for The Morning Express, were told in this series, which moved to television after a highly successful run on radio in the 1940’s. Casey hung out at the Blue Note Café, where the music was provided by the Tony Mottola Trio, and was friendly with Ethelbert, the bartender, to whom he recounted his various exploits. Richard Carlyle and John Gibson portrayed the roles when the series premiered in April, 1951, but by June they were replaced by Darren McGavin and Cliff Hall. Ann Williams, a reporter on The Morning Express, was Casey’s girlfriend. During the summer of 1951 he acquired a partner in cub reporter Jack Lipman, who wrote copy to go with Casey’s pictures. This live series was set in and broadcast from, New York City.

THIS EPISODE:

October 2, 1947. CBS network. "Miscarriage Of Justice". Sponsored by: Anchor Hocking Glass. A woman has been murdered twice? How can the killer be tried again after being freed the first time? Alonzo Deen Cole (writer), Archie Bleyer (music), Herman Chittison (piano), Jan Miner, Joe DeSantis, John Dietz (director), John Gibson, Santos Ortega, Staats Cotsworth, Tony Marvin (announcer), George Harmon Coxe (creator). 29:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Challenge Of The Yukon - "Thanksgiving In The Wilderness" (11-28-46)

Thanksgiving In The Wilderness (Aired November 28, 1946)

Challenge of the Yukon was a long-running radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ (as had The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet). The series was first heard on February 3, 1938. Under the title Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, it later transferred to television. The program was an adventure series about Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police and his lead sled dog, Yukon King, as they fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. Preston, according to radio historian Jim Harmon, first joined the Mounties to capture his father's killer, and when he was successful he was promoted to Sergeant. Preston worked under the command of Inspector Conrad, and in the early years was often assisted by a French-Canadian guide named Pierre.


THIS EPISODE:

November 28, 1946. WXYZ, Detroit origination, The Michigan Radio Network. "Thanksgiving In The Wilderness". Sustaining. A flashback story: Father Haley has been kidnapped, along with the church funds. The townspeople suspect that the new priest may have stolen the money. Father Haley's dog Shep helps Sergeant Preston solve the mystery. The system cue has been deleted. Jay Michael, Mildred Merrill (writer), Larry McCann (announcer). 13:53. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater "The Clown Who Wasn't" (04-17-77)

The General Mills Radio Adventure Theate
"The Clown Who Wasn't" (04-17-77)

 The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater was a 1977 anthology radio drama series with Tom Bosley as host. Himan Brown, already producing the CBS Radio Mystery Theater for the network, added this twice-weekly (Saturdays and Sundays) anthology radio drama series to his workload in 1977. It usually aired on weekends, beginning in February 1977 and continuing through the end of January 1978, on stations which cleared it. General Mills's advertising agency was looking for a means of reaching children that would be less expensive than television advertising. Brown and CBS were willing to experiment with a series aimed at younger listeners, reaching that audience through ads in comic books. Apart from Christian or other religious broadcasting, this may have been the only nationwide attempt in the U.S. in the 1970s to air such a series. General Mills did not continue as sponsor after the 52 episodes had first aired over the first 26 weekends (February 1977 through July 1977), and the series (52 shows) was then repeated over the next 26 weekends (August 1977 through the end of January 1978), as The CBS Radio Adventure Theater, with a variety of sponsors for the commercials.

 

THIS EPISODE:

April 17, 1977. Program #22. CBS network. "The Clown Who Wasn't". Sponsored by: General Mills. The program was repeated on October 15, 1977 as, "The CBS Radio Adventure Theatre." Tom Bosley (host), Ian Martin (writer), Ralph Bell, Corinne Orr, Himan Brown (producer, director), Leon Janney, William Griffis, Evie Juster. 49:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

 

 

The CBS Radio Workshop - "Never Bet The Devil Your Head" (07-28-57)

"Never Bet The Devil Your Head" (Aired July 28, 1957)

The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956 through September 22, 1957 and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop from the 1930s and 1940s. Creator William Froug launched the series with this powerhouse two-part adaptation of "Brave New World" and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. "We’ll never get a sponsor anyway," CBS vice president Howard Barnes explained to Time, "so we might as well try anything." The CBS Workshop regularly featured the works of the world’s greatest writers. including Ray Bradbury, Archibald MacLeish, William Saroyan, Lord Dunsany and Ambrose Bierce.

THIS EPISODE:

July 28, 1957. CBS network. "Never Bet The Devil Your Head". Sustaining. An amusing "Twain-esque" tale about Toby Dammit, who took a certain gentleman's name in vain once too often. Quality upgrade, network, sustaining version. Alan Botzer (adaptor), Amerigo Moreno (music supervisor), Daws Butler, Dick Beals, Edgar Allan Poe (author), Eleanor Audley, Howard McNear, Hugh Douglas (announcer), Jack Johnstone (director), John Dehner, Leone LeDoux. 24:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Burns & Allen Show - "Thanksgiving" (11-18-40)

INTRO: 1942 Bing Crosby - "I’ve Got Plenty To Be Thankful For"
"Thanksgiving" (11-18-40)

 

Thanksgiving (Aired November 18, 1940)

Burns and Allen are one of the most beloved couple in old time radio. They got started, like many of the greats of old time radio, in vaudeville, which is really just the touring popular entertainment in America prior to movies. Gracie was the sparkplug of the act, always the center of attention. George played the foil, the guy vainly trying to make sense of the ditzy world of Gracie. By the early 30s, Gracie was probably the best known woman on radio. Gracie often sang in a voice that showed she was also an excellent comedienne songstress. The shows had names after the sponsors, such as Maxwell House Coffee Time, or The Ammident Show - it was the Burns and Allen show to the public. Other fine radio actors were a part of the fun. Mel Blanc did the happy postman, and was also famous for his zany characters on The Jack Benny Show, and his own Mel Blanc Show. Elliott Lewis, a veteran of many radio dramas, played many of the bit parts on the Burns and Allen shows of the 40s. Burns & Allen were touring England in 1929 when they made their first radio appearance on the BBC. Gracie Allen died on August 27, 1964. George Burns died on March 9, 1996.

The Molle Mystery Theater - "Murder In The City Hall" (04-05-46)

"Murder In The City Hall" (Aired April 5, 1946)

To its everlasting credit, NBC clearly went to great lengths to promote the script titles, performers and authors of each program to the nation's newpapers. From 1943 through 1948, Mystery Theatre was one of the most well documented and promoted radio programs of its time. Indeed, so many details were available for its entire NBC run that this was one of the easiest logs we've developed in some time. We have solid, highly detailed newspaper listing provenances for almost ninety percent of the first 237 programs. Sadly, the transition from NBC to CBS didn't fare as well for Mystery Theatre. NBC and CBS were waging a major war at the time, each network nakedly poaching the other's greatest Radio talent and programs, wholesale. But judging from the way NBC and CBS -- and Frank and Anne Hummert -- promoted and supported their respective line-ups, it's clear that CBS was dropping the ball for the greater part of 1949. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

April 5, 1946. NBC network. "Murder In The City Hall". Sponsored by: Molle, Double Dandereen. A man is murdered while running for the position of judge. What does the police commissioner have in mind when he prevents a certain police lieutenant from working on the case? The story was first broadcast on this series on September 19, 1944. The story first appeared in the November, 1935 issue of "Black Mask." Bernard Lenrow (host, as "Geoffrey Barnes"), Dan Seymour (announcer), Raymond Chandler (author), George Petrie, Chuck Webster, Robert Dryden. 29:50.  Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

Jeff Regan Investigator (Starring Jack Webb) - "Pilgrim's Progress" (11-20-48) - Thanksgiving Show

Pilgrim's Progress (Aired November 20, 1948) - Thanksgiving Show

 

Webb played JEFF REGAN, a tough private eye working in a Los Angeles investigation firm run by Anthony J. Lyon. Regan introduced himself on each show "I get ten a day and expenses...they call me the Lyon's Eye." The show was fairly well-plotted, Webb's voice was great, and the supporting cast were skillful. Regan handled rough assignments from Lion, with whom he was not always on good terms. He was tough, tenacious, and had a dry sense of humor. The voice of his boss, Anthony Lion, was Wilms Herbert. The show ended in December 1948 but was resurrected in October 1949 with a new cast; Frank Graham played Regan (later Paul Dubrov was the lead) and Frank Nelson portrayed Lion.

THIS EPISODE:

November 20, 1948. CBS network. "The Pilgrim's Progress". Sustaining. At a Thanksgiving turkey shoot, Regan gets the bird and it's not the turkey that gets shot, it's Miles Standish! Jack Webb, Herb Butterfield, Mary Lansing, Paul Frees, Marvin Miller, Paul Dubov, Larry Roman (writer), Jackson Gillis (writer), Sterling Tracy (producer), Milton Charles (organ), Bob Stevenson (announcer). 29:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Abbott & Costello Show - "Turkey Dinner" (Thanksgiving) 11-25-43

The Abbott & Costello Show - "Turkey Dinner" (Thanksgiving) 11-25-43

 

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.

 

THIS EPISODE:

November 25, 1943. "Turkey Dinner" (Thanksgiving). Red network, KFI, Los Angeles aircheck. Sponsored by: Camels. Abbott and Costello plan to kill Ingrid, Costello's pet turkey, for Thanksgiving. Guest Jane Wyman joins in a routine, "What is the wind?" Connie Haines sings, "Shoo, Shoo Baby." Mel Blanc appears as Bugs Bunny. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Freddie Rich and His Orchestra, Ken Niles (announcer), Jane Wyman, Connie Haines, Mel Blanc (triples), Don Prindle (writer), Leo Solomon (writer), Alan Woods (writer), Martin Gosch (director), Billy Gray, Elvia Allman, John Brown. 29:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - The Gentleman (03-06-54)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"
The Gentleman (Aired March 6, 1954)

Two auditions were created in 1949. The first was very much like a hardboiled detective series and starred Rye Billsbury as Dillon; the second starred Straight Arrow actor Howard Culver in a more Western, lighter version of the same script. CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was told to proceed. But there was a complication. Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. The project was shelved for three years, when MacDonnell and Meston discovered it creating an adult Western series of their own. MacDonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes, "The show drew critical acclaim for unprecedented realism."

THIS EPISODE:

March 6, 1954. CBS network. "The Gentleman". Sustaining. A Philadelphia gambler named Marcus France is in love with Mavis McLeod, and heading for a showdown with a bully named Tiller Evans. The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on June 7, 1958. Eleanor Tanin, George Walsh (announcer), Georgia Ellis, Harry Bartell, Howard McNear, John Dehner, John Meston (writer), Lawrence Dobkin, Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Parley Baer, Rex Koury (composer, performer), William Conrad. 25:33. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Great Gildersleeve - Thanksgiving Dinner (11-22-42)

Thanksgiving Dinner (Aired November 22, 1942)

The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957), initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson, was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. Built around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest success in the 1940s. Actor Harold Peary played the character during its transition from the parent show into the spin-off and later in a quartet of feature films released at the height of the show's popularity. On Fibber McGee and Molly, Peary's Gildersleeve was a pompous windbag who became a consistent McGee nemesis. "You're a haa-aa-aa-aard man, McGee!" became a Gildersleeve catch phrase.

THIS EPISIODE:

November 22, 1942. "Thanksgiving Dinner"- NBC network. Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Dinner. "Thanksgiving" program. Gildersleeve tries to get a "B" ration book. Billy Mills (composer, conductor), Earle Ross, Harold Peary, John Whedon (writer), Ken Carpenter (announcer), Lillian Randolph, Lurene Tuttle, Richard LeGrand, Shirley Mitchell, Verna Felton, Walter Tetley. 29:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Whistler - The Blue Legend (03-03-47)

The Blue Legend (Aired March 3, 1947)

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

THIS EPISODE:

March 3, 1947. CBS Pacific network. "The Blue Legend". Sponsored by: Signal Oil. A schemer talks his way into a half interest in an valuable Alaskan gold mine, and then gets the nugget of an idea for murder. Alan Reed, Virginia Gregg, E. Jack Neuman (writer), George W. Allen (producer), Wilbur Hatch (music), Marvin Miller (announcer). 29:16. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - "The Case Of The Bleeding Chandelier" (06-13-48)

The Case Of The Bleeding Chandelier (Aired June 13, 1948)

He is arguably the most famous fictional detective ever created, and is one of the best known and most universally recognisable literary characters in any genre. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories that featured Holmes. All but four stories are narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson; two are narrated by Holmes himself, and two others are written in the third person. The first two stories, short novels, appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887 and Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890. The character grew tremendously in popularity with the beginning of the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine in 1891; further series of short stories and two serialised novels appeared almost right up to Conan Doyle's death in 1930. The stories cover a period from around 1878 up to 1903, with a final case in 1914.

THIS EPISODE:

June 13, 1948. Mutual network, WOR, New York aircheck. "The Case Of The Bleeding Chandelier". Sponsored by: Clipper Craft Clothes. Murder is expected at Mortlake Castle, and the chandelier is expected to bleed once again. John Stanley, Alfred Shirley, Cy Harrice (announcer), Basil Loughrane (producer, director), Edith Meiser (adaptor), Albert Buhrman (music), Arthur Conan Doyle (creator). 29:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - Thunder Over Texas (02-27-53)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town"
"Thunder Over Texas" (Aired February 27, 1953)

 

 

Frontier Town will forever reside in that twilight  of the Western genre of Golden Age Radio--between the highly self-conscious adult Westerns of the mid- to late-1950s and the rock'em, sock'em, shoot-em-up juvenile adventure Westerns of the 1930s and 1940s. It's obvious from this series that Radio westerns were beginning to lean in an adult direction--but not without some kicking and screaming in the process. Radio's Gunsmoke was already in development and Television was making impressive inroads into Radio's commercial audience. With hundreds of Hopalong Cassidy and other western hero film reruns airing night and day over Television, the race was on to find a more rivetting format for the great American western. Jeff Chandler opens the series billed as 'Tex' Chandler, in the role of Chad Remington. He acquires a sidekick in Episode #1: a garrulous quasi-scoundrel by the name of Cherokee O'Bannon, a man of obvious mixed breeding--and morals.

THIS EPISODE:

 
February 27, 1953. Program #23. Broadcasters Program Syndicate/Bruce Eells and Associates syndication. "Thunder Over Texas". Music fill for local commercial insert. Doc Slavin and his henchman "Cinco" kill the land agent to keep Danish Dairy farmers from moving to Sunbeam Valley. Jeff Chandler is billed as "Tex" Chandler. The date is approximate. Jeff Chandler, Wade Crosby, Bob Mitchell (organist), Ivan Ditmars (possible organist), Bill Forman (announcer). 28:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Nero Wolf - "The Case Of The Hasty Will" (03-02-51)

The Case Of The Hasty Will (Aired March 2, 1951)

The Adventures of Nero Wolf were first heard over the New England Network of Westinghouse Radio stations throughout Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island Nero Wolfe languished in popular media for another seven years, until he was reprised over Radio by the old New England Network as The Adventures of Nero Wolfe. Sadly, precious little is known about this first series, other than the dates of its run and its principal actor, J.B. Williams in the role of Nero Wolf. It was with the series' transition to its first national network that The Adventures of Nero Wolf was first heard by a national audience. But again, many of the details of this second, Summer 1943 run of 13 episodes--other than its episode titles and its star, famous character actor Santos Ortega in the role of Nero Wolfe--remain a mystery to this day.

THIS EPISODE:
 
March 2, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Hasty Will". Sustaining. Nero Wolf and Archie are paid $1000 to witness the execution of a will. A simple case soon involves a corpse and twin brothers. The story title is tentative. The final promotional announcement and system cue have been deleted. Sydney Greenstreet, John Edison (writer), J. Donald Wilson (producer, director), Harry Bartell, William Johnstone, Don Stanley (announcer), Victor Rodman, Louise Arthur, Hal Gerard, Rex Stout (creator). 29:15. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.