2000 Plus - "The Giant Walks" (11-08-50)

The Giant Walks (Aired November 8, 1950)

2000 AD is known as the first of the network science fiction shows, although it ran on Mutual just a month prior to the introduction of the landmark series, Dimension X. It was a half hour of science fiction wonder in an exciting package. The stories have a charm that is always present in science fiction of the future that is written in the past. "When The Worlds Met" takes place "at the giant space port in Washington, temporary capitol of the federated world government as in April 21, 2000 Plus 20 (2020) crowds throng as audio and televox networks cover a space ship carrying in its space hold the first load of uranium taken from the pits of Luna, satellite of Earth.

 

THIS EPISODE:

November 8, 1950. Mutual network. "The Giant Walks". Sustaining. A mad scientist plans a race of thirty-foot giants to take over the world, and is well on the way toward succeeding. The broadcast may be dated November 5, 1950. Julian Schneider (writer), Joseph Julian, Lon Clark. 27:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Academy Award Theater (Starring John Garfield) - "Blood On The Sun" (10-16-46)

Blood On The Sun (Aired October 16, 1946)

John Dunning in his book,"On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio,"tells us why such a fine production lasted less than a year: "The House of Squibb, a drug firm, footed a stiff bill: up to $5,000 for the stars and $1,600 a week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for use of the title. The production had all the class of a Lux or Screen Guild show…But the tariff took its toll, and after 39 weeks the series was scrapped." The Informer had to have Victor Mclaglen, and the Maltese Falcon, Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet (this movie was his first major motion picutre role) plus Mary Astor for the hat trick. Suspicion starred Cary Grant with Ann Todd doing the Joan Fontaine role, Ronald Coleman in Lost Horizon, and Joan Fontaine and John Lund were in Portrait of Jenny. How Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio were done is something to hear!

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

October 16, 1946. CBS network. "Blood On The Sun". Sponsored by: Squibb. A crusading newspaper editor in pre-war Japan uncovers the "Tanaka Plan" of world conquest. John Garfield, Jeff Chandler. 29:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Cloak & Dagger - "Behind The Lines" (05-07-50)

Behind The Lines (Aired May 7, 1950)

Based on the book, Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain, the Radio rendition of these fascinating stories promised to keep any listener perched on the edge of their seat. Apart from describing the book upon which the new adventure series was based, the above is just about all the fanfare that was associated with the roll-out of NBC's only espionage program of the year. Fast-paced writing and direction proved to be an excellent underpinning for an espionage adventure drama based on factual events.

THIS EPISODE:

 

May 7, 1950. "Behind The Lines" - NBC network. Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. Colonel Corey Ford introduces the series before the story. An announcement is made that this is the first show of the series, but in an ambiguous way. The stories are based on a book by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain. An American O. S. S. member parachutes into occupied Austria on a spying mission, but makes a serious mistake. Keep your eye on the button! The story is untitled in NBC records. The program of May 14, 1950 was pre-empted for a speech by President Truman. Joseph Julian, Berry Kroeger, Raymond Edward Johnson, Karl Weber (announcer), Winifred Wolfe (writer), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Ross Martin, Bernard Philips (?), Dolly Haas, Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Jon Gart (music director), Corey Ford (host, author), Alistair MacBain (author). 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Clock - "Retribution" (01-12-47)

Retribution (Aired January 12, 1947)

When Grace Gibson recycled The Clock almost eight years after it left American airwaves, it apparently met with far more successful acceptance with Australian and South African listeners alike. Employing at least fifty-two of the same scripts as the American run, Grace Gibson simply recast and rerecorded the series for Australian syndication and ended up with a reasonably long-running hit on its hands. And though the key to the comparative success of the Grace Gibson produced series was its wide syndication, it takes nothing away from the comparative quality of either the performances or the productions themselves. Indeed, some sixty years later, the Grace Gibson run of The Clock has long been intermingled with its surviving American counterparts--often interchangeably.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

January 12, 1947. Grace Gibson syndication. "Retribution". Sponsored by: Participting sponsors. Vera convinces her lover to kill her husband, but the hapless murderer soon sees the ghost of his victim. The ABC net series of "The Clock" ran a diferent prouction of the same script on September 25, 1947. Harp McGuire (as "The Clock"), Lawrence Klee (writer), Nigel Lovell, Margaret Christiansen, John Tate, Don Crosby, Gordon Glenwright, John Saul (director), Grace Gibson (proucer). 26:52. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Author's Playhouse - "Forever Walking Free" (04-23-45)

Forever Walking Free (Aired April 23, 1945)

Author's Playhouse was an anthology radio drama series, created by Wynn Wright, that aired on the NBC Blue Network from March 5, 1941 until October 1941. It then moved to the NBC Red Network where it was heard until June 4, 1945. Philip Morris was the sponsor in 1942-43.  Premiering with "Elementals" by Stephen Vincent Benét, the series featured adaptations of stories by famous authors, such as “Mr. Mergenthwirker’s Lobbies” by Nelson Bond, "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico, "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs, "The Piano" by William Saroyan and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber. Cast members included Curley Bradley, John Hodiak, Marvin Miller, Nelson Olmsted, Fern Persons, Olan Soule and Les Tremayne. Orchestra conductors for the program were Joseph Gallicchio, Rex Maupin and Roy Shield. Directors included Norman Felton, Homer Heck and Fred Weihe.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

April 23, 1945. NBC network, Chicago origination. "Forever Walking Free". Sustaining. A story of love in England during the war, with a supernatural ending. Arthur Seltzer, Bob Dearenforth, Cheer Brenson (?), Dorothy Quinnan (adaptor), Elwyn Owen (organist), Haskell Coffin, Herb Butterfield, McKinley Cantor (author), Norman Felton (producer), William Pigley. 29:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The CBS Radio Workshop -"Young Man Axelbrod" (08-22-57)

Young Man Axelbrod (Aired September 22, 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:

September 22, 1957. CBS network. "Young Man Axelbrod". Sustaining. An old Norwegian man decides to go to Yale. The last show of the series. Sinclair Lewis (author), William N. Robson (adaptator, director). 24:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Great Gildersleeve - New Secretary "Leila" (06-03-45)

New Secretary "Leila" (Aired June 3, 1945)

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. The character was given several conflicting first names on Fibber McGee and Molly, and on one episode his middle name was revealed as Philharmonic. Gildy admits as much at the end of "Gildersleeve's Diary" on the Fibber McGee and Molly series (10/22/40). He soon became so popular that Kraft Foods — looking primarily to promote its Parkay margarine spread — sponsored a new series with Peary's Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve as the central, slightly softened, and slightly befuddled focus of a lively new family.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

June 3, 1945. "New Secretary Leila" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Kraft Parkay, Kraft Mustards. Gildersleeve hires Leila to be his secretary, not the best idea in the world! Claude Sweeten (music), Harold Peary, John Whedon (writer), Lillian Randolph, Louise Erickson, Richard LeGrand, Sam Moore (writer), Shirley Mitchell, Verne Smith (announcer), Walter Tetley. 29:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Your's Truly Johnny Dollar - "The Classified Killer Matter" (02-23-54)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Dubs "Could This Be Magic" 1957 onb "Gone Records"

 

The Classified Killer Matter (Aired February 23, 1954)

For over twelve years, from 1949 through 1962 (including a one year hiatus in 1954-1955), this series recounted the cases "the man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar". Johnny was an accomplished 'padder' of his expense account. The name of the show derives from the fact that he closed each show by totaling his expense account, and signing it "End of report... Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". Terry Salomonson in his authoritative "A Radio Broadcast Log of the Drama Program Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar", notes that the original working title was "Yours Truly, Lloyd London". Salomonson writes "Lloyd London was scratched out of the body of (the Dick Powell) audition script and Johnny Dollar was written in. Thus the show was re-titled on this script and the main character was renamed. Why this was done was unclear – possibly to prevent a legal run-in with Lloyd’s of London Insurance Company." Although based in Hartford, Connecticut, the insurance capital of the world, freelancer Johnny Dollar managed to get around quite a bit – his adventures taking him all over the world. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

February 23, 1954. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Classified Killer Matter". An ad for a 1953 Cadillac leads to a murder in a Chicago snowstorm. John Lund. 28:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.  

Vanishing Point - "The Black Serpent" (09-30-85)

The Black Serpent (Aired September 30, 1985)

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.

The Milton Berle Show - "A Salute To Broadway" (10-14-47)

A Salute To Broadway (Aired October 14, 1947)

The Milton Berle Show brought Berle together with Arnold Stang, later a familiar face as Berle's TV sidekick. Others in the cast were Pert Kelton, Mary Schipp, Jack Albertson, Arthur Q. Bryan, Ed Begley, vocalist Dick Forney and announcer Frank Gallop. The Ray Bloch Orchestra provided the music for the series. Sponsored by Philip Morris, it aired on NBC from March 11, 1947, until April 13, 1948. His last radio series was The Texaco Star Theater, which began September 22, 1948 on ABC and continued until June 15, 1949, with Berle heading the cast of Stang, Kelton and Gallop, along with Charles Irving, Kay Armen and double-talk specialist Al Kelly. It employed top comedy writers (Nat Hiken, brothers Danny and Neil Simon, Aaron Ruben), and Berle later recalled this series as "the best radio show I ever did... a hell of a funny variety show." It served as a springboard for Berle's rise as television's first major star.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
October 14, 1947. NBC network. "Salute To Broadway" - Sponsored by: Philip Morris. Milton tries to buy tickets to a show. Frank Gallop (announcer), Milton Berle, Ray Bloch and His Orchestra. 29:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Screen Director's Playhouse - "Caged" (08-02-51)

INTRO: Bob Plays "Go Away Little Girl" by
The Happenings (1966)
Screen Director's Playhouse - Caged (08-02-51)

Caged (Aired August 2, 1951)

 
Screen Director's Playhouse is NBC's answer to Lux Theater and Screen Guild Players, both prosperous ventures on CBS. The rehash of old movies doesn't necessarily make the most vivid of radio plays but there seems to be no doubt that it attracts listeners by the hundredweight. And association with America's citadel of glamour lures the unsuspecting by the sheer weight of publicity. In this case, the association with Hollywood is even more tenuous than usual. Usually the same star that appeared in the movie shows up on the radio play, not all of them to great advantage.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

August 2, 1951. "Caged" starring Eleanor Parker as Marie Allen and Hope Emerson as Evelyn Harper. Caged tells the story of a teenage newlywed, who is sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery. Her experiences while incarcerated, along with the killing of her husband, change her from a very frightened young girl into a hardened convict. This is one of the finest productions ever done for radio from Screen Director's Playhouse. The Academy Award performances by Parker and Emerson are nothing less than spectacular. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - "The Case Of The Demon Barber" (01-28-46)

The Case Of The Demon Barber (Aired January 28, 1946)

His earliest cases, which he pursued as an amateur, came from fellow university students. According to Holmes, it was an encounter with the father of one of his classmates that led him to take up detection as a profession and he spent the six years following university working as a consulting detective, before financial difficulties led him to take Watson as a roommate, at which point the narrative of the stories begins. From 1881, Holmes is described as having lodgings at 221B Baker Street, London, from where he runs his private detective agency. 221B is an apartment up seventeen steps, stated in an early manuscript to be at the "upper end" of the road. Until the arrival of Dr. Watson, Holmes works alone, only occasionally employing agents from the city's underclass, including a host of informants and a group of street children he calls the Baker Street Irregulars. The Irregulars appear in three stories, "The Sign of the Four", "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Adventure of the Crooked Man".

 

THIS EPISODE:

January 28, 1946. Mutual network. "The Case Of Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber". Sponsored by: Petri Wines. Holmes and Watson try to keep an actor who is portraying a fiendish killer, from being driven crazy. Holmes fails when the actor is found with his throat slit, just as Sweeney Todd would have done it! Holmes almost makes a very serious mistake. The story is based on, "The Yellow Face." Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Harry Bartell (announcer), Denis Green (writer), Anthony Boucher (wrtier), Dean Fosler (music), Arthur Conan Doyle (author), Edna Best (producer). 31:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Campbell Playhouse - "Mutiny On The Bounty" (01-13-39)

"Mutiny On The Bounty" (Aired Jan

 The Campbell Playhouse's third season was delayed for a week over some CBS/Campbell kerfuffle about the alleged fifth column theme of the proposed original script penned by John Houseman and Wyllis Cooper. Apparently the infamous, headline-grabbing Texas Representative Martin Dies and the earliest House of Representative misadventures that eventually evolved into the House Un-American Activities Committee had something to do with the season's postponement. So it was that the third season began with the second production, Air Mail to Red Riding Hood, on November 29, 1940, starring Miriam Hopkins and Humphrey Bogart. The remaining programs were heavily promoted up through Program 25, after which Campbell's detailed spot ads tailed off and few if any of the subsequent programs were announced by either title or stars.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

 January 13, 1939. CBS network. "Mutiny On The Bounty". Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. The story of Captain Bligh and the men of "The Bounty" during a visit to Tahiti. Orson Welles reads an eloquent word portrait of ham radio operators. The intermission guest is Dorothy Hall, a ham radio operator who helped the residents of Pitcairn Island during an epidemic. Burgess Meredith, Carl Frank, Dorothy Hall, Edgar Barrier, Ernest Chappell (announcer), Frank Readick, Joseph Cotten, Memo Holt, Myron McCormick, Orson Welles (host), Ray Collins (narrator), Richard Wilson, William Alland. 59:12. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Amos & Andy Show - "Between Life & Death" (03-24-44)

Between Life & Death (Aired March 24, 1944)

With the listening audience increasing in the spring and summer of 1928, the show's success prompted the Pepsodent Company to bring it to the NBC Blue Network on August 19, 1929. Amos was naïve but honest, hard-working and (after his 1933 marriage to Ruby Taylor) a dedicated family man. Andy was more blustering, with overinflated self-confidence. Andy, being a dreamer, tended to let Amos do most of the work. Their lodge leader, the Kingfish, was always trying to lure the two into get-rich-quick schemes. Other characters included John Augustus "Brother" Crawford, an industrious but long-suffering family man; Henry Van Porter, a social-climbing real estate and insurance salesman; Frederick Montgomery Gwindell, a hard-charging newspaperman; William Lewis Taylor, the well-spoken, college-educated father of Amos's fiancee; and "Lightning", a slow-moving Stepin Fetchit-type character.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 March 24, 1944. "Between Life & Death" - NBC network. Commercials deleted. The Kingfish hires Andy to arbitrate a settlement between himself and the driver of the car that hit him. Special Guest is Victor Moore. The system cue has been deleted. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, Tobe Reed (announcer), Ernestine Wade, James Basquette, Victor Moore, Harlow Wilcox (announcer). 26:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Frank Race - "The Baradian Letters" (06-12-49)

"The Baradian Letters" (Aired June 12, 1949)

The Adventures of Frank Race was a syndicated show, out of Bruce Ells Productions in Hollywood, and began airing on radio in the spring of 1949. A total of 43 episodes were produced, broadcast first on the East coast 1949-50, and then on the West coast 1951-52. The title hero was described in the introduction by announcer Art Gilmore with these words: "Before the war, FRANK RACE worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak-and-dagger of the OSS. When the war was over, his former life was over too....adventure became his business!" Starring "Chandu The Magician"  Star Tom Collins.

 

THIS EPISODE:

June 12, 1949. Program #7. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Benadian Letters". Commercials added locally. Blackmail, murder and mayhem in Paris. Tom Collins, Tony Barrett, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (producer), Ivan Ditmars (organist), Art Gilmore (announcer). 34:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Barry Craig Confidential Investigator - "Murder In Duplicate" (10-10-51)

"Murder In Duplicate" (Aired October 10, 1951)

 Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer.William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRY CRAIG while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was "your man when you can't go to the cops.

 

THIS EPISODE:

October 10, 1951. NBC network. "Murder In Duplicate". A boxing champ is suspected of throwing a fight and a snoppy reporter feels he needs to hire Barry as a bodyguard.  Sustaining. The system cue has been deleted. Arthur Jacobson (director), Edward King (announcer), Herb Vigran, William Gargan, John Roeburt (writer), Jeanne Bates, Herb Ellis, Hal Gerard, Julie Bennett. 31:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Best Plays - "Ethan Frome" (09-13-53)

Ethan Frome (Aired September 13, 1953)

Listeners get a taste of plays from the Broadway stage in this anthology series. The featured works were from authors as talented and varied as Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Noel Coward and William Shakespeare. Stars such as Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith, and Maureen Stapleton played roles in such notable dramas as The Glass Menagerie, Of Mice and Men and Macbeth. Plenty of comedies, including a performance of Arsenic and Old Lace starring Boris Karloff, were on the bill as well. As if to guarantee the show’s quality, it's host was John Chapman, a theater critic in New York City “where the American stage begins”. Show Notes From The Radiospirits.com.

THIS EPISODE:

Edith Wharton is set in a fictional New England town named Starkfield, where an unnamed narrator tells the story of his encounter with "Ethan Frome", a man with dreams and desires that end in an  turn of events. The narrator tells the story based on an account from observations at Frome's house when he had to stay there during a winter storm.  John Chapman (host), Owen Davis (stage adaptor), Donald Davis (stage adaptor), Edith Wharton (author), Geraldine Page, Robert Cenedella  Luis Van Rooten, Arthur Maitland, Lawson Zerbe, Bill Lipton, Jane Webb, William (adaptor, transcriber),Welch (supervisor), Edward King (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 59:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Philo Vance - "The White Willow Murder Case" (03-22-49)

The White Willow Murder Case (Aired March 22, 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

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

March 22, 1949. Program #37. ZIV Syndication. "The White Willow Murder". Commercials added locally. A stockbroker is murdered while giving bad advice and romancing a gangster's girlfriend. Jackson Beck. 26:55. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Aldrich Family - "The Lost Watch" (12-07-52)

The Lost Watch (Aired December 7, 1952)

The Aldrich Family as a separate radio show was born as a summer replacement for Jack Benny in NBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored by General Foods's popular gelatin dessert Jell-O---which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldriches ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved to CBS, running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O,.before moving back to NBC from September 05, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays. 

THIS EPISODE:

 
December 7, 1952. "The Lost Watch" - NBC network. Sustaining. Henry has lost his watch. Bobby Ellis, Jack Grimes, Clifford Goldsmith (writer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Dick Dudley (announcer). 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Stan Freberg Show - "CBS Censor" (08-18-57)

CBS Censor (Aired August 18, 1957)

Stanley Victor Freberg (born August 7, 1926 in Los Angeles) is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, puppeteer and advertising creative director. The son of a Baptist minister, Stan Freberg grew up in Pasadena, California. His traditional upbringing is reflected both in the gentle sensitivity which underpins his work (despite his liberal use of biting satire and parody), and in his refusal to accept alcohol and tobacco manufacturers as sponsors (an impediment to his radio career when he took over for Jack Benny on CBS radio), as Freberg explained to Rusty Pipes; After I replaced Jack Benny in 1957 they were unable to sell me with spot announcements in the show. That would mean that every three minutes I'd have to drop a commercial in.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

August 18, 1957. Program #6. "CBS Censor" - CBS network. Sustaining. Elderly Man River, Face The Funnies, The Rock Island Line. Stan Freberg, Billy May and His Orchestra, Daws Butler, June Foray, Peggy Taylor, Peter Leeds. 28:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Weird Circle - "The 4:15 Express" (01-17-44)

"The 4:15 Express" (Aired January 17, 1944)

 The primarily first-person narrative of most of the stories chosen made them relatively easy to convert into script form: introduce a narrator, establish the scene, and then carry on with the plot. And, of course, since they were out of copyright, there were no literary rights to be paid -- a sizeable cost savings for any producer looking to budget a weekly series, then or now. "The Weird Circle" was produced in New York City by the National Broadcasting Company, under the auspices of its Radio-Recording Division. Though best known for live programs over its Red and Blue Networks, NBC produced and recorded a great many shows for syndication to local stations.

THIS EPISODE:

January 17, 1944. Program #21. NBC syndication. "The 4:15 Express". Commercials added locally. A ghost on the train leads to robbery, and murder. The date is approximate. Amelia Edwards (author). 24:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

This Is Your FBI - "Confidence Game" (05-04-45)

Confidence Game (Aired May 4, 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 EPISODE:

 

May 4, 1945. Blue Network. "The Confidence Game: A Crime Against Society". Sponsored by: The Equitable Life Assurance Society. William Roscoe, dressed as an Army officer, preys on lonely women and passes bad checks. The program has also been dated May 4, 1945. Frank Lovejoy (narrator), Arnold Moss, Charlotte Holland, Nathan Van Cleave (music), Carl Frank (announcer). 29:09. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Roy Rogers Show" - Hideaway (02-22-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Roy Rogers Show"
"Hideaway" (Aired February 22, 1952)

 Roy Rogers was born to Andrew ("Andy") and Mattie (Womack) Slye in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his family lived in a tenement building on 2nd Street. (Riverfront Stadium was constructed at this location in 1970 and Rogers would later joke that he had been born at second base.) Dissatisfied with his job and city life, Andy Slye and his brother Will built a 12-by-50-foot houseboat from salvage lumber, and, in July 1912, the Slye family floated on the Ohio River towards Portsmouth, Ohio. Desiring a more stable existence in Portsmouth, the Slyes purchased land on which to build a home, but the flood of 1913 allowed them to move the houseboat to their property and continue living in it on dry land.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

February 22, 1952. NBC network. Sponsored by: Post Cereals. Jake Gullick is within his rights when he refuses to allow a doctor to cross his land to treat a young girl with polio in the small town of "Hideaway" Roy yodels and sings, "The Trail To San Antone." Art Ballinger (announcer), Art Rush (producer), Robert Griffin, Charles Seel, Dale Evans, Forrest Lewis, Frank Hemingway, Herb Butterfield, Milton Charles, Pat McGeehan, Ray Wilson (writer), Roy Rogers, The Whippoorwills, Tom Hargis (director). 31:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Space Patrol - "The Queen Of Space" (11-15-52)

The Queen Of Space (Aired November 15, 1952)

The success of the TV show spawned a radio version, which ran for 129 episodes from October 1952 to March 1955. The same cast of actors performed on both shows. The writers, scripts, adventures and director were quite different in radio versus TV incarnations. Naturally, the series lacked the adult sophistication of such shows as X Minus One, which focused on adapting short fiction by notable genre names as Robert A. Heinlein and Ray Bradbury. But as a throwback to the sort of Golden Age space opera popularized in the 1930s, the days of science fiction's infancy, by pioneering magazine editor Hugo Gernsback, Space Patrol is prized by OTR collectors today as one of radio's most enjoyable adventures.
 

 

 THIS EPISODE: 

November 15, 1952. ABC network. "The Queen Of Space". Sponsored by: Ralston Cereals (Space-O-Phone premium). Jelna Fenton is the owner of Trans-Orbit Lines, a freight line to the outer planets, with big plans! Ed Kemmer, Lyn Osborn, Nina Bara, Virginia Hewitt, Norman Jolley, Mike Mosser (producer), Larry Robertson (director), (writer), Dick Tufeld (announcer). 29:16. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dark Fantasy - "Men Call Me Mad" (12-19-41)

Men Call Me Mad (Aired December 19, 1941)

Dark Fantasy was a short series with tales of the weird, adventures of the supernatural, created for you by Scott Bishop. The series aired as a horror drama on NBC between 1941 and 1942. Dark Fantasy was a 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. Tom Paxton 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. WKY's talented writer, Scott Bishop, was responsible for all of the scripts.

THIS EPISODE

 

December 19, 1941. Program #5. NBC network, WKY, Oklahoma City origination. "Men Call Me Mad". Sustaining. A scientist shrinks himself to the size of an atom and enters a different world...threatened by a plague! He then falls in love with a beautiful princess in the miniature world. Scott Bishop (writer), Ben Morris, Fred Wayne, Murillo Scofield, Muir Hite, Daryl McAllister, Eleanor Naylor Corin. 24:51. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Crime Does Not Pay - "Operation Payroll" (02-28-51)

Operation Payroll (Aired February 28, 1951)

As must be immediately noticeable from the long list of movie actors heard in Crime Does Not Pay, this was not your everyday Golden Age Radio drama. Indeed, you might be forgiven if you fail to recognize more than a couple of Radio voice talents in the entire list. The Radio program was based on a very popular series of MGM Short Subjects they produced between 1935 and 1948 under the same name, Crime Does Not Pay. The Marcus Loew Booking Agency had owned radio station call sign WHN since 1946. In September of 1948, WHN changed their call sign to WMGM, in part to capitalize on a series of MGM programming projects they were attempting to introduce to a national audience. Programs such as The Adventures of Maisie, Crime Does Not Pay, MGM Theatre of The Air, and Dr. Kildare, all drew on material that MGM, as a Film Studio, already had in the can. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.
 
 

THIS EPISODE:

 
February 28, 1951. Program #73. MGM syndication. "Operation Payroll". Commercials added locally. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of the program on WMGM, New York, from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Harold Vermilyea, Bob Williams (announcer), Marx B. Loeb (director),  Ira Marion (writer), Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor). 25:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Life of Riley - "The Dog Catcher" (05-07-44)

The Dog Catcher (Aired 7, 1944)

 

 

The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, was a popular radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film and continued as a long-running television series during the 1950s. The show began as a proposed Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family, but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian. Then producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab company owner Tim McGuerin in the movie The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942). The Flotsam Family was reworked with Bendix cast as blundering Chester A. Riley, riveter at a California aircraft plant, and his frequent exclamation of indignation---"What a revoltin' development this is!"---became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker."Beginning October 4, 1949, the show was adapted for television for the DuMont Television Network, but Bendix's film contracts prevented him from appearing in the role. Instead, Jackie Gleason starred along with Rosemary DeCamp as wife Peg, Gloria Winters as daughter Barbara (Babs), Lanny Rees as son Chester Jr. (Junior), and Sid Tomack as Gillis, Riley's manipulative best buddy and next-door neighbor. John Brown returned as the morbid counseling undertaker Digby (Digger) O'Dell ("Well, I guess I'll be... shoveling off"; "Business is a little dead tonight").

Lights Out - "Death Robbery" (Starring Boris Karloff) 07-16-47

Lights Out - "Death Robbery" (Starring Boris Karloff) 07-16-47
INTRO: Bob Plays The Skyliners "Since I Don't Have You" (1958)

Death Robbery Starring Boris Karloff (Aired July 16, 1947)

Lights Out was created in Chicago by writer Wyllis Cooper in 1934, and the first series of shows (each 15 minutes long) ran on a local NBC station, WENR. By April 1934, the series was expanded to a half hour in length and moved to midnight Wednesdays. In January 1935, the show was discontinued in order to ease Cooper's workload (he was then writing scripts for the network's prestigious Immortal Dramas program), but was brought back by huge popular demand a few weeks later. After a successful tryout in New York City, the series was picked up by NBC in April 1935 and broadcast nationally, usually late at night and always on Wednesdays. Cooper stayed on the program until June 1936, when another Chicago writer, Arch Oboler, took over. By the time Cooper left, the series had inspired about 600 fan clubs. Cooper's run was characterized by grisly stories spiked with dark, tongue-in-cheek humor, a sort of radio Grand Guignol. 

THIS EPISODE:

 
July 16, 1947. ABC network. "Death Robbery". Sponsored by: Schick Razors, Schick Pens. The opening words of the program ("Lights Out") are off-mike. A scientist brings his wife back from the dead...with pretty gruesome results. Lurene Tuttle romps through her part, leaving Boris in the dust. Boris Karloff, Lurene Tuttle, Paul Pierce (writer), Wyllis Cooper (writer), Bill Lawrence (producer, director), Leith Stevens (music), Ken Niles (announcer). 32:58. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Charlie Chan - "The Escaped Musician" (1950)

The Escaped Musician (1950) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

Charlie Chan was the Chinese detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. Over 40 Charlie Chan movies were done from the early 1930's through 1949, all of which starred non-Chinese actors as Charlie. Supposedly working as a Honolulu police detective, Charlie was almost always somewhere else, like Paris, Rio, LA, even Treasure Island…but he did have a wonderful home life, too, with a reported 14 children, including his famous #1, #2 etc. sons, ever intent on helping "pop" solve the case. Still, it's fun to hear ABC radio's daytime serial version of the Hawaiian family man who gave us all a little exotic wit and wisdom while uncovering dishonorable culprit. The other shows are more of "the incomparable" at work. Unfortunately, Chan on radio is very rare, the very opposite of the ubiquitous Charlie Chan movie reruns on TV. This is a mysterious absence even the great Charlie Chan might be needed to solve! Many mystery lovers sniff at Chan, But here's one more from Charlie that might apply…"Mind, like parachute, only function when open."

The Casebook Of Gregory Hood - "The Derringer Society" (07-08-46)

The Derringer Society (Aired July 08, 1946)

In The Casebook of Gregory Hood the spokesperson was initially the legendary and versatile Radio talent, Harry Bartell. The incorporation of a sponsor's spokesperson into the ensemble cast wasn't ground-breaking for the genre. Petri had introduced their flavor of the format with their first sponsorship of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes over MBS in October 1943 and for the three following years immediately preceding their sponsorship of The Casebook of Gregory Hood. But this wasn't the earliest product placement innovation in Radio. Burns and Allen had woven their various sponsors' products into their earliest scripts, as had Bob Hope with his sponsors, Jack Benny with his sponsors, and Fred Allen with his. The format, at least under Harry Bartell's watch, was seamlessly intertwined into each script, as well as even more complementary and entertaining for Bartell's contribution. The introductions completed, Harry Bartell would inquire as to the casebook adventure for the evening. Sandy or Gregory would frame the adventure and launch into the scripted mystery. One out of context sponsor break would occur at the midpoint of the script, with Bartell transitioning into a recap of the continuing adventure. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

David Harding Counterspy - "The Case Of The Courageous Come On (09-08-49)"

The Case Of The Courageous Come On (Aired September 8, 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:

  

September 8, 1949. ABC network. "The Case Of The Courageous Come-On". Sponsored by: Pepsi Cola. A girl is "good at being bad" until she sees a blind spot. Is the sword mightier than the pen? After the drama, Vice President Barkley speaks about hiring disabled veterans. The system cue has been deleted. Don MacLaughlin, Mandel Kramer, Phillips H. Lord (producer), Jesse Crawford (organ), William Sweets (director), Palmer Thompson (writer), Alben Barkley. 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dragnet - "The Big Children" (02-01-51)

The Big Children (Aired February 1, 1951)

Dragnet, the brainchild of Jack Webb, may very well be the most well-remembered, and the best, radio police drama series. From September, 1949 through February 1957, Dragnet's 30 minute shows, broadcast on NBC, brought to radio true police stories in a low-key, documentary style. The origins of Dragnet can be traced to a semi-documentary film, "He Walked by Night" from 1948, in which Webb had a small role. Both employed the same Los Angeles Police Department technical adviser, used actual police cases and presented the case in "just the facts" manner that became a hallmark of Dragnet. It is interesting to note that Webb employed that format in other radio series, some pre-dating the film mentioned above. Dragnet was a long running radio and television police procedural drama, about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 February 1, 1951. Program #86. NBC network. "The Big Children". Sponsored by: Fatima. Mrs. Kessler is missing. Her children are begging for food. One of them soon dies...aged twenty-two months! Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough. 30:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Nick Carter Master Detective - "The Case Of The Unwritten Letter" (07-29-45)

The Case Of The Unwritten Letter (Aired July 29, 1945)

Nick Carter, Master Detective - Nick Carter is the name of a popular fictional detective who first appeared in in a dime novel entitled "The Old Detective's Pupil" on September 18, 1886. In 1915, Nick Carter Weekly became Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the 1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on Mutual from 1943 to 1955. Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer).

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

July 29, 1945. Mutual network. "The Unwritten Letter". Sponsored by: Lin-X waxes and cleaning products. A man who died with a blank letter in his hand, and a murder solved after an interview with the corpse. Lon Clark. 29:12. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Mysterious Traveler - "New Year's Nightmare" (01-05-47)

New Year's Nightmare (Aired January 5, 1947)

Written and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Kogan, the series began on the Mutual Broadcasting System, December 5, 1943, continuing in many different timeslots until September 16, 1952. Unlike many other shows of the era, The Mysterious Traveler was without a sponsor for its entire run. The lonely sound of a distant locomotive heralded the arrival of the malevolent narrator, portrayed by Maurice Tarplin, who introduced himself each week in the following manner. This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable -- if you can!

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

January 5, 1947. Mutual network. "New Year's Nightmare". Sustaining. A man goes on a year-end bender and wakes up a year later married to a strange woman. David Kogan (writer, producer, director), Maurice Tarplin, Robert A. Arthur (writer). 29:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Jack Paar Program - "Children's Adventure Shows" (07-13-47)

INTRO: B.J. Thomas - "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" (1969) Sundance Kid
Jack Paar Show - Children's Adventure Shows (07-13-47)

Television and radio pioneer Jack Par has been called the most imitated personality in broadcasting. He virtually created the late-night talk show format as the host of The Tonight Show , one of television's longest continuously running programs. The Washington Post said, "Jack Paar was genuine, and the footprints he left on the loony moonscape of television are enormous; they will be there forever." As the stars of stage and screen were rising around him, Paar was becoming an icon himself, on television sets in the homes of millions of Americans across the country. During the Golden Age of television, Paar was its golden boy, charming guests and viewers alike. From 1957 to 1962, Paar was the king of late-night television as host of The Tonight Show, which NBC eventually renamed The Jack Paar Show. 

THIS EPISODE:

August 17, 1947. NBC network. Sponsored by: Lucky Strike. "Little Known People Who Mean Absolutely Nothing:" A lady tree surgeon. Who will be Jack's "winter replacement?" Perhaps guest Jack Benny will win the talent contest. Jack plays the violin. The announcer gets the Lucky Strike slogan incorrect at the end of the show! Jack Paar, F. E. Boone (tobacco auctioneer), L. A. Speed Riggs (tobacco auctioneer), Hy Averback, The Page Cavanaugh Trio, Trudy Erwin, Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra, Elvia Allman, Florence Halop, Hans Conried, Jack Benny, Frank Nelson, Lionel Stander. 33:12. Episode Notes From The Radio Index.

The Henry Morgan Show - "Morgan's Vacation Agency" (05-28-47)

Morgan's Vacation Agency (Aired May 28, 1947)

His usual signoff was, "Morgan'll be here on the same corner in front of the cigar store next week." But he continued to target sponsors whose advertising copy rankled him, and those barbs didn't always sit well with his new sponsors, either. When Eversharp sponsored his show to promote both Eversharp pens and Schick shaving razors and blades, Morgan threw this in during a show satirizing American schools: "They're educational. Try one. That'll teach you." Perhaps most notoriously, Life Savers candy dropped Morgan after he accused them of fraud for what amounted to hiding the holes in the famous life saver ring-shaped sweets. "I claimed that if the manufacturer would give me all those centers," Morgan remembered later, "I would market them as Morgan's Mint Middles and say no more about it." The irony is that Life Savers in the 1990s actually tried marketing Life Saver holes. He is also alleged to have said of his sponsor's Oh Henry! candy bar (after exhorting listeners to try one), "Eat two and your teeth will fall out."

I Was A Communist For FBI - "Squeeze Play" (09-03-52)

Squeeze Play (Aired September 3, 1952)

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

 

THIS EPISODE:

September 3, 1952. Program #20. ZIV Syndication. "Squeeze Play". Commercials added locally. The Party takes an interest in the Leo Bremmer trial, but an honest judge resists temptation. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer), Olan Soule, Byron Kane, Henry Hayward (director), David Rose (music). 26:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Damon Runyon Theater- "Neat Strip" (12-11-49)

Neat Strip (Aired December 11, 1949)

He was born Alfred Damon Runyan in Manhattan, Kansas, and grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, where Runyon Field and Runyon Lake are named after him. He was a third-generation newspaperman, and started in the trade under his father in Pueblo. He worked for various newspapers in the Rocky Mountain area; at one of those, the spelling of his last name was changed from "Runyan" to "Runyon", a change he let stand. After a notable failure in trying to organize a Colorado minor baseball league, Runyon moved to New York City in 1910. For the next ten years he covered the New York Giants and professional boxing for the New York American. In his first New York byline, the American editor dropped the "Alfred", and the name "Damon Runyon" appeared for the first time.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
December 11, 1949 - Program #50. Mayfair syndication. "Neat Strip" Commercials added locally. A burlesque queen falls for an ivy league type. John Brown, Damon Runyon (author), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor), Richard Sanville (director). 28:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town" - The Glory Trail (1949)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Town"
The Glory Trail (1949) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

 

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. Cherokee O'Bannon is portrayed by Wade Crosby in a somewhat over the top rendition of W.C. Fields

Boston Blackie - "The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" (06-23-44)

"The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" (Aired June 23, 1944)

The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer.

 

THIS EPISODE:

June 23, 1944. "The Jonathan Diamond aka: Rockwell Diamond" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap. 10:00 P. M. The first show of the series. Blackie is arrested in Chicago. He's accused of taking $10,000 from a woman's grandfather. It's all the woman's plan to help her recover, "The Jonathan Diamond." The same script was subsequently used on "Boston Blackie" on August 27, 1946. Chester Morris, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Richard Lane, Charles Cornell (organist), Jan Miner. 29:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Bold Venture - "The Terminal Key" (09-03-51)

The Terminal Key (Aired September 3, 1951)

Bold Venture was a classy production from start to finish. At an estimated cost of $36,000 per taping week [or about $12,000 per episode], it pretty much had to have been. Even subtracting the Bogarts' contribution of $5,000 per episode, that still left $7,000 per episode to fund the remaining production costs. That's about $420,000 a week in today's dollars. More than enough budget to ensure a top notch production. The cost to the sponsor-subscribers reportedly varied between $25 a week to as much as $250 a week, depending on the size and reach of the target market(s). That would have yielded anywhere from $975,000 to $9.75M over the course of three years of Bold Venture's sales. Even arbitrarily averaging the varying theoretical sales would have yielded on the order of at least $5M to Ziv and company over three years. Subtracting even $1M in production and marketing costs would have yielded at least a $4M profit. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
September 3, 1951. Program #24. ZIV Syndication. "The Terminal Key". Commercials added locally. A dumbsounding jockey gives Slate the key to a locker at the bus station. Inside, there's a $100,000 in stolen money. Don't miss the finale...it's a shoot-out in a shooting gallery. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Tony Barrett, Jester Hairston, Nestor Paiva, Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Arch Oboler's Plays - "Johnny Got His Gun" (Starring Jimmy Cagney) 03-09-40

Johnny Got His Gun (Starring Jimmy Cagney) Aired March 9, 1940

The original canon of scripts encompassed some ninety-plus original stories. And, as dyed in the wool Lights Out! fans will surely point out, a good number of Lights Out! stories were reprised among the Arch Oboler's Plays canon over the years as well. By the second year of Lights Out!, America was under the spell of the diminutive giant of a playwright, Archibald 'Arch' Oboler and his spellbinding, highly personalized writing style. While clearly a genius in his own right, it's also clear that much of his writing style had been informed by Wyllis Cooper at the least. Cooper's own writing style almost routinely employed a highly personalized point of view, so as to further attenuate the listening experience of his radioplays to the greatest degree. Given young Arch Oboler's close association with Cooper with Lights Out!, it's difficult to divorce Wyllis Cooper's writing style from Oboler's in many respects.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
March 9, 1940. Blue Network. "Johnny Got His Gun". Sustaining. A dramatization of the superb, shocking best-seller about the legless, armless, blind, deaf and dumb war veteran. An eloquent anti-war statement, Cagney was never better on the air. Dalton Trumbo (author), Arch Oboler (adaptor, producer, director), James Cagney, Gordon Jenkins (composer, conductor), Verna Felton. 29:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Jack Benny (Jello) Program - "The End To The Benny-Allen Feud" (03-14-37)

INTRO: Bob - Mary Wells -" You Beat Me To The Punch" (1962)
The End To The Benny-Allen Feud (Aired March 14, 1937)

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. CBS aired reruns of old radio episodes from 1956 to 1958 as The Best of Benny. 

THIS EPISODE:

 
March 14, 1937. "The End To The Benny-Allen Feud" - Red network, KFI, Los Angeles aircheck. Sponsored by: Jell-O. The program originates from The Grand Ballroom of The Hotel Pierre, New York City. "Bing" Shlepperman (Sam Hearn) offers to substitute for Kenny Baker, who's back in California. Mary sings! Jack sings the Jell-O commercial, interrupted by guest Fred Allen. Jack and Fred start an argument and wind up reminiscing about their days in Vaudeville, and they then sing a duet. Jack Benny, Don Wilson, Abe Lyman and His Orchestra, Mary Livingstone, Sam Hearn, Fred Allen, Harry Baldwin, Ed Beloin (writer), Bill Morrow (writer). 32:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Crime Classics - "Torment Of Henrietta Robinson & Why She Killed" (09-07-53)

The Torment Of Henrietta Robinson &
Why She Killed (Aired September 7, 1953)

Crime Classics was a U. S. radio docudrama which aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was basically a historical true crime series, examining crimes, and especially murders, from the past. It grew out of Lewis's personal interest in famous murder cases, and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages, and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration.

 

THIS EPISODE:

September 7, 1953. CBS network. "The Torment Of Henrietta Robinson and Why She Killed". Sustaining. A lady of Troy New York in 1845, and her doll Cecily. Very insane and very homicidal. The last show of "the summer series." Ben Wright, Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Betty Harford, Bob Lemond (announcer), David Friedkin (writer), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Joseph Kearns, Lamont Johnson, Lou Merrill (host), Morton Fine (writer), Paula Winslowe, Sam Edwards, Sammie Hill. 29:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Box 13 - "Hunt And Peck" (03-06-49)

"Hunt And Peck" (Aired March 6, 1949)

Alan Ladd's early portrayals of Dan Holiday did tend to be a bit pat, somewhat sparse in depth, and even wooden in the beginning. Ladd hired some excellent voice talent for his project, and these superb, veteran Radio professionals set a pretty high bar for Ladd, himself. Box 13 is highly expositional, as are most programs of the genre, and Ladd's grovelly, gritty voice lends itself well to the production. But by Episode #6 it seems apparent that Alan Ladd was beginning to hit his stride in the role. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
March 6, 1949. Program #29. Mutual network origination, Mayfair syndication. "Hunt and Peck". Commercials added locally. Dan saves a man from the "chair" just a few hours before the end, but at the cost of an arm. Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 27:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

21st Precinct - "The Brother" (04-14-54)

The Brother (Aired April 14, 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. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to- day operations of a single police precinct. Actual cases would be used as the basis for stories. It was mentioned in each episode's closing by the announcer that, "Twenty-first Precinct is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association an organization of more than 20,000 members of the Police Department, City of New York."

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
April 14, 1954. "The Brother" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. The music fill has been deleted. Everett Sloane, John Ives (producer), Stanley Niss (writer, director), Eileen Palmer, Bryna Raeburn, Wendell Holmes, Joe DeSantis, Martin Newman, Santos Ortega, Art Hannes (announcer). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.