Dragnet - "Benny Trounsel" (08-04-49)

Benny Trounsel  (Aired August 4, 1949)

"Dragnet" is also the hottest thing that radio and TV have ever seen.  In a business where the supercolossal is barely good enough to get by on, "Dragnet" is looked upon with awe.  It is—or was, until it went off the air a few weeks ago for the summer—the top show on radio, and the top show on TV, with nothing but "I Love Lucy," a slick situation comedy, coming any place close to it in ratings. Last summer, its doom-laden theme was turned into a popular song which was high on the hit parade until a series of hilarious parodies ("St. George and the Dragonet,"etc.) displaced it.  Webb has contracted for series of full-length "Dragnet" movies, and comic strip takes "Dragnet" into whatever parts of the land are still without TV. The success of "Dragnet" is all the more remarkable because it has been accomplished against the steady and determined resistance of all the throttlebottoms in the business.  In a field ruled by formula, it violates every formula in the book. Any producer can give you the recipe for a successful crime show.  You've got to have a murder in a hurry to grab and hold the audience.  Then, as the police fall all over their big flat feet, your wisecracking private eye, as hard as a landlady's heart, proceeds, to the accompaniment of bludgeonings, gunplay and fisticuffs and as much sex as the producer thinks he can get away with, to put the collar on the culprit or, better still, to liquidate him in a final crescendo of roaring guns. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

August 04, 1949. Program #9. NBC network. Sustaining. A small-time narcotics user named "Benny Trounsel AKA: Narcotics" has been beaten to death shortly after tipping the cops to a new narcotics ring in town. Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough, Raymond Burr. 29:18. Episode Notes Radio Gold Index. Cat #2636.  

Confession - "The Roger S Chapman Case" (09-13-53)

The Roger S. Chapman Case (Aired September 13, 1953)

NBC 30 minutes Sunday at 9:30PM.Cast Paul Frees, James Edwards, Jester Hairston, Jay Loughlin, Jonathan Hole, Mady Norman, Don Brinkley (writer), Michael Samoge (music), Warren Lewis (script supervisor), Homer Canfield (director), John Wald (announcer). Had a texture and sound not unlike Dragnet, indeed the influence was realized throughout the show. These were true stories of Crime and Punishment, the obvious difference that Dragnet began with the crime while Confession unfolded in reverse order, from the end. Confession was less noisy, it's theme was played on a single piano, but there was still the deadpan dialogue, the thief or killer giving his confession with an air of resignation and defeat. The criminal thus became a stream-of-consciousness narrator, with the action frequently cutting away into drama. "Names were changed to protect the legal rights of the subject"

THIS EPISODE:
 
September 13, 1953. NBC network. "The Case Of Roger S. Chapland". Sustaining. 9:30 P. M. A young man breaks into a store. He gets a suspended sentence, but no break from his father. A good drama ruined by that awful beeper. Paul Frees, James Edwards, Jester Hairston, Jay Loughlin, Jonathan Hole, Mady Norman, Don Brinkley (writer), Michael Samoge (music), Warren Lewis (script supervisor), Homer Canfield (director), John Wald (announcer). 29:37 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Mel Blanc Show - "Muscle Man Contest" (10-01-46)

 Muscle Man Contest (Aired October 1, 1946)

Brown introduced Blanc to animation directors Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, and Frank Tashlin, who loved his voices. The first cartoon Blanc worked on was Picador Porky as the voice of a drunken bull. He took over as Porky Pig's voice in Porky's Duck Hunt, which marked the debut of Daffy Duck, also voiced by Blanc. Blanc soon became noted for voicing a wide variety of cartoon characters from Looney Tunes, adding Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Pepé Le Pew and many others. His natural voice was that of Sylvester the Cat, but without the lispy spray. (Blanc's voice can be heard in an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies that also featured frequent Blanc vocal foil Bea Benaderet; in his small appearance, Blanc plays a vexed cab-driver.)

THIS EPISODE:

October 1, 1946. "Muscle Man Contest" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Hollywood origination. Mel enters a contest of strength with the district manager of a supermarket, expecting to lose. Zookie (also played by Mel Blanc) has his own ideas. Mel Blanc, ).Mary Jane Croft, Victor Miller and His Orchestra, Earle Ross, Joseph Kearns, Bud Hiestand (announcer 23:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Screen Guild Players - "Across The Pacific"" (Starring Humphrey Bogart) 01-25-43

 Across The Pacific (Starring Humphrey Bogart) Aired January 25, 1943

Actors on the series included Ethel Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Ingrid Bergman, Humphrey Bogart, Eddie Cantor, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Bette Davis, Jimmy Durante, Nelson Eddy, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Johnny Mercer, Agnes Moorehead, Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore. Fees these actors would typically charge were donated to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, in order to support the creation and maintenance of the Motion Picture Country Home for retired actors. The series came to an end on CBS June 29, 1952.

THIS EPISODE:
 
January 25, 1943 - "Across the Pacific" is a 1942 spy film set on the eve of the entry of the United States into World War II. The film was directed first by John Huston, then by Vincent Sherman after Huston joined the United States Army Signal Corps. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet. 29:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Milton Berle Show - "A Salute To The Railroad" (08-26-47)

Salute To The Railroad (Aired August 26, 1947)

 

In 1916, Berle enrolled in the Professional Children's School, and at age 12 he made his stage debut in Florodora. After four weeks in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the show moved to Broadway. It catapulted him into a comedic career that spanned eight decades in nightclubs, Broadway shows, vaudeville, Las Vegas, films, television, and radio. Berle's 1929 television appearance was only experimental, but by the early 1930s he had become a successful stand-up comedian. In 1933 he was hired by producer Jack White to star in the theatrical featurette Poppin' the Cork, a topical musical comedy concerning the repealing of Prohibition. Berle also co-wrote the score for this film, which was released by Educational Pictures.

THIS EPISODE:

August 26, 1947. NBC network. Sponsored by: Philip Morris. "A Salute To Railroads". Milton goes down to the railroad station to meet his Uncle Julius. Frank Gallop (announcer), Milton Berle, Ray Bloch and His Orchestra. 29:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Shadow - "The Man Who Murdered Time" (01-01-39)

The Man Who Murdered Time (01-01-39)

A man of mystery who was "never seen, only heard," The Shadow was also the first multimedia sensation and helped propel the young Orson Welles into the national spotlight. The famous character was also portrayed on radio by James LaCurto, Frank Readick, Carl Kroenke, Bill Johnstone, John Archer, Steve Courtleigh and Bret Morrison. The readers of Walter Gibson's pulp novels knew The Shadow as a master investigator who operated under the cover of darkness as he commanded a small army of agents in his war against the underworld and white-collar criminals. Radio listeners knew him as Lamont Cranston, "wealthy young man about town who years ago in the Orient learned a strange and mysterious secret--the hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." However, The Shadow first materialized not as a crimefighting sleuth but as the sinister host and narrator of mystery stories adapted from the pages of the world's first detective fiction magazine.

THIS EPISODE:

January 1, 1939. Program #22. Mutual network origination, syndicated. "The Man Who Murdered Time". Sponsored by: B.F. Goodrich Tires. Possibly a syndicated version of the network program of January 1, 1939. A mad scientist, about to die, invents a time machine with the ability to repeat December 31st eternally. William Johnstone, Agnes Moorehead, Kenny Delmar, Ray Collins, Everett Sloane, Ken Roberts (announcer). 28:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Rogue's Gallery - "The Latin Type" (05-23-46)

The Latin Type (Aired May 23, 1946)

Rogue's Gallery came to the Mutual network on September 27, 1945 with Dick Powell portraying Richard Rogue, a private detective who invariably ended up getting knocked out each week and spending his dream time in acerbic conversation with his subconscious self, Eugor. Rogue's Gallery was, in a sense, Dick Powell's rehearsal for Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Powell played private detective Richard Rogue, who trailed luscious blondes, protected witness, and did whatever else detectives do to make a living. It was a good series, though not destined to make much of a mark. Under the capable direction of Dee Englebach and accompanied by the music of Leith Stevens, Powell floated through his lines with the help of such competents as Lou Merrill, Gerald Mohr, Gloria Blondell, Tony Barrett, and Lurene Tuttle. Peter Leeds played Rogue's friend Eugor, an obscure play on names with Eugor spelling Rogue backwards. how Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli.

Dad's Army - "The King Was In His Counting House" (05-20-75)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Danleers "One Summer Night"  (1958)
Dad's Army - The King Was In His Counting House (05-20-75)

The King Was In His Counting House (Aired May 20, 1975)

The show was set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea, on the south coast of England, making the Home Guard the front line of defence against an invasion by the enemy forces across the English Channel, which formed a backdrop to the series. The first episode, The Man and the Hour, began with a scene set in the "present day" of 1968, in which Mainwaring addressed his old platoon as part of the contemporary "I'm Backing Britain" campaign. It was a flash-back to the founding of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard platoon by Mainwaring after he had heard Anthony Eden's 1940 radio broadcast. The final episode, Never Too Old, focused on the wedding of Corporal Jones and Mrs. Fox, which was interrupted as the platoon were put on full invasion alert. The first two series were in black and white. There are three lost episodes from series two. Only film copies made of the episodes from these series survive; copies of series one were made for overseas sales, but there was little interest, so none were made of any series two episodes. The three episodes that exist do so because two were film recorded to show Columbia Pictures executives and another needed to be edited post-production.

The Mysterious Traveler - "Dark Dark Destiny" (04-13-47)

Dark Dark Destiny (Aired April 13, 1947)

The Mysterious Traveler eventually became one of the sixteen highest rated Radio programs of their era. WOR and MBS took great pride in putting together a program that could rival Radio giants CBS, ABC, and NBC throughout the era. During its heyday The Mysterious Traveler spawned several similar thriller genre programs such as The Strange Dr. Wierd (1945), The Sealed Book (1945), Dark Venture (1946), Murder By Experts (1949), and The Teller of Tales (1950). The thriller genre was not new to Radio in the 1940s. The Witch's Tale had aired from 1931 to 1938 over The Mutual Broadcasting System and WOR. CBS had tried--and failed at--their own The Witching Hour for three months in 1932. Oklahoma Radio station WKY had successfully aired their own Dark Fantasy (1941) anthology of thrillers, which was immediately picked up by NBC for a national run. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

April 13, 1947. Mutual network. "Dark, Dark Destiny". Sustaining. A man needs $1500 for a surgeon to save his wife, but the money is not that easy to get! The story has a fine ironic ending. The script was used on the program three years earlier (with some changes)and on "The Sealed Book" on September 9, 1945. Elaine Kemp, Palmer Ward, Ken Lynch, Bill Smith, Maurice Tarplin (as "The Traveler"), Joseph Julian, Charles Paul (organist), Robert A. Arthur (writer, producer, director), David Kogan (writer, producer, director), Carl Caruso (announcer). 29:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Murder By Experts - "Dig Your Own Grave" (08-15-49)

Dig Your Own Grave (Aired August 15, 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:
 
August 15, 1949. Mutual network. "Dig Your Own Grave". Sustaining. A woman becomes "the seed" to promote her husband's romance with another woman. Then, she gives him the idea to commit murder. John Dickson Carr (host), Joseph Ruscoll (writer), Ken Lynch, Richard Dupage (composer), Emerson Buckley (conductor), Ann Shephard, Ron Rawson, James Stevens, Robert A. Arthur (producer, director), David Kogan (producer, director), Hester Sondergaard. 29:51. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The New Adventures Of Nero Wolf - "The Case Of The Calculated Risk" (01-19-51)

The Case Of The Calculated Risk (01-19-51)

Nero Wolf is a fictional detective created by American author Rex Stout in the 1930s and featured in dozens of novels and novellas.In the stories, Wolfe is one of the most famous private detectives in the United States. He weighs about 285 pounds and is 5'11" tall. He raises orchids in a rooftop greenhouse in his New York City brownstone on West 35th Street, helped by his live-in gardener Theodore Horstmann. Wolfe (Wolf) drinks beer throughout the day and is a glutton. He employs a live-in chef, Fritz Brenner. He is multilingual and brilliant, though apparently self-educated, and reading is his third passion after food and orchids. He works in an office in his house and almost never leaves home, even to pursue the detective work that finances his expensive lifestyle. Instead, his leg work is done by another live-in employee, Archie Goodwin. While both Wolfe and Goodwin are licensed detectives, Goodwin is more of the classic fictional gumshoe, tough, wise-cracking, and skirt-chasing. He tells the stories in a breezy first-person narrative that is semi-hard-boiled in style.

THIS EPISODE:

January 19, 1951 "The Case Of The Calculated Risk" Killers seem to be throwing themselves at Nero Wolfe, when a man with a date with murder won’t take no for an answer. The large, red bearded man claims to have intent to kill someone. What does he want for Nero to do? Carry out the revenge if he should fail at it? Dave tells how a couple acquaintances, Carl, and Mitch had fallen on hard times. In cutting their losses, and a deck of cards, they arrive at a business settlement. When a cheater is found out, Mitch is killed. In escaping, Carl left Dave with a worthless envelope of paper scraps, instead of his share of the loot. Time passes, and Carl, not his real name has become a wealthy tycoon. Nero refuses to help, so Dave goes his way, and the cops are called on to stop the killing. Without anything to go on, other than aliases, how can it be stopped? After 3 days, Archie is frustrated at a lack of progress. Will he have to search every building in the city? How many rich men can there be in town? What other clues do our detectives have to go on? Is Carl short, or tall? Is he a white collar type, or something else? The list has narrowed down, but there might still be false information to sift through. Will bodies pile up? Showdowns, gunplay, and old fashioned bluffs of calculated risk hold the answers.  Episode Notes From Retro-otr ep. #14

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Post Martin (12-13-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"
"Post Martin" (Aired December 13, 1952)

Not long after the radio show began, talk began of adapting it to television. Privately, Macdonnell had a guarded interest in taking the show to television, but publicly, he declared, "our show is perfect for radio", and he feared, as Dunning writes, "Gunsmoke confined by a picture could not possibly be as authentic or attentive to detail." "In the end", wrote Dunning, "CBS simply took it away from Macdonnell and began preparing for the television version." The television series was the longest-running, primetime, live-action television series at 20 seasons, until September 2019 with the 21st-season premiere of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The original Law and Order, which was cancelled in 2010 after tying Gunsmoke's longevity record for a live-action, primetime television series, would return air its 21 season in February 2022 as well. As of 2017, it had the highest number of scripted episodes for any U.S. primetime, commercial, live-action television series

THIS EPISODE:

December 13, 1952. "Post Martin AKA: Boston Jack" When Kathryn Blair gets off the train in Dodge City, she immediately looks out of place. She is beautiful, refined and obviously from a wealthy family. She has just arrived from Boston on a quest to find her brother, Martin Blair, who left Boston two years earlier. Matt acknowledges he knows Martin, but tells her he does not know his present whereabouts -- it seems Martin travels a great deal. Little wonder this is confusing to Chester.  He knows Martin is in the back in a jail cell and that next week he will be tried for cattle rustling, horse stealing  and murder.Featuring: William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Jeanne Bates, Sam Edwards, Ralph Moody Episode Notes From Boxcars711 Radio Pod.

Crime Does Not Pay - "Trigger Man's Moll" (11-07-49)

Trigger Man's Moll (Aired November 7, 1949)

MGM produced Crime Does Not Pay shorts through 1948, at which time WMGM began airing the Crime Does Not Pay radio program. While some of the Film version themes found their way into the Radio version, almost all seventy-eight Radio Crime Does Not Pay topics are original to the series. Many have theorized that some or all of the Crime Does Not Pay radio scripts had been works-in-progress for the Film version, or perhaps even envisioned for Television, where many of the Film shorts were already airing from time to time. Whatever the medium, Crime Does Not Pay seems to have touched a nerve with the American public. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
 
November 7, 1949. Program #5. MGM syndication. "Trigger Man's Moll". Commercials added locally. Tootsie "gets a conscience" and is rubbed out by the mob. After the "disposal squad" gets rid of the body, two years go by and Tootsie's "moll" realizes he's worth more dead than alive and she refuses to identify his killer! Ira Marion (writer), Jon Gart (music), Marx B. Loeb (director), Nancy Kelly, Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Bob Williams (announcer). 25:51. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Academy Award Theater - "Suspicion" (Starring Cary Grant) 10-30-46

 Suspicion (Starring Cary Grant) Aired October 30, 1946

The list of films and actors on Academy Award Theater is very impressive. Bette Davis begins the series in Jezebel, with Ginger Rogers following in Kitty Foyle, and then Paul Muni in The Life of Louis Pasteur. 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! Some films are less well known, such as Guest in the House, with Kirk Douglas and Anita Louise, It Happened Tomorrow, with Eddie Bracken and Ann Blythe playing Dick Powell and Linda Darnell's roles, and Cheers for Miss Bishop with Olivia de Havilland. Each adaptation is finely produced and directed by Dee Engelbach, with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Frank Wilson wrote the movie adaptations.

THIS EPISODE:
 
October 30, 1946. CBS network. "Suspicion". Sponsored by: Squibb. A woman finds her husband has been lying to her, later she suspects he may be plotting murder. Cary Grant, Ann Todd. 28:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

You Bet Your Life - "The Secret Word Is 'Roof' (11-14-51)

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

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

THIS EPISODE:

November 14, 1951. Syndicated, WNEW-TV, New York audio aircheck. "Secret Word Is Roof". Participating sponsors. The first contestant is Anna Lingren. Syndicated rebroadcast date: March 21, 1975. Anna Lingren, Groucho Marx, George Fenneman (announcer), Jack Meakin (music). 29:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Radio City Playhouse (NBC) - "Blackout" (08-15-49)

INTRO: Bob Plays Bobby Caldwell and "Even Now" 1987
"Blackout" (Aired August 15, 1949)

The Radio City Playhouse was a half-hour of drama, sometimes comedy, often very exciting and suspenseful. The cast were made up of  New York veterans of radio and stage, including Jan Minor and John Larkin as featured performers. The director, Harry W. Junkin, also served as the show's host and narrator. Each week the show introduced a new story, often written by well-known writers of fantasy and suspense such as Ray Bradbury, Cornell Woolrich, Agatha Christie and Paul Gallico. They were dramatized with a full orchestral soundtrack and excellent sound effects.

THIS EPISODE:

August 15, 1949. Program #51. NBC network. "Blackout". Sustaining. An alcoholic has committed a murder...or has he? The program is also known as, "NBC Short Story." Arnold Moss, Eugene Francis, Fred Collins (announcer), Harry W. Junkin (writer, director, host), Jan Miner, Larry Blyden, Luis Van Rooten, Roy Shield (composer, conductor). 34:10. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.
 

Screen Director's Playhouse - "The Fugitive" (07-12-51)

INTRO: Bob plays The Commadores "Three Times A Lady" 1978 #1 Hit (Motown)
The Fugitive (Aired July 12, 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 glamor lures the unsuspecting by the sheer weight of publicity. In this case, the association with Hollywood is even more tenuous than usual. The screen director, who figures so prominently in the title, has very little to do with the program beyond appearing briefly at the beginning to explain why he thought, say, "Jezebel" was a marvelous picture--a rather difficult thing to explain--and later he bobs up again at the end to exchange banter with the star, an exchange that generally takes the form of a barrage of mutual compliments.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Six Shooter" - The Capture Of Stacy Gault (11-01-53)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Six Shooter"
"The Capture Of Stacy Gault" (Aired November 1, 1953)

The theme of The Six Shooter wasn't the only aspect of the production that created a buzz throughout during the Fall and Winter of 1953-54. The term 'adult western,' when it was first coined in the late 1940s, referred to the overlaying of contemporary psychological themes onto the western genre of literature, Radio and Film. Just as in noir crime fiction in print, film noir and radio noir had ushered in a new perspective on traditional fiction; the overlaying of contemporary values, psychological themes and sophisticated social interactions between characters of a story. The adult western transformed the traditional 'black hat'-'white hat' type of shoot'em up cowboy opera format into a form that examined the deeper motivations of its characters and how those psychological themes informed the plot--but in a period western setting. Adult westerns first appeared in Film with big screen hits like Sam Fuller's classic I Shot Jesse James (1949), Winchester '73 (1950), High Noon (1952), and Shane  (1953).

THIS EPISODE:

November 1, 1953. "The Capture Of Stacy Gault" - NBC network. Sustaining. Britt forces the sheriff to go after a robber, even though the wounded crook may be the sheriff's son. This is a network, sponsored version. James McCallion is given air credit on this broadcast instead of Bert Holland. Jimmy Stewart, Jack Johnstone (director), Basil Adlam (music), Parley Baer, Herb Vigran, William Conrad, Frank Burt (writer, creator), Hal Gibney (announcer), James McCallion. 29:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Inner Sanctum Mysteries - "Detour To Terror" (05-21-46)

Detour To Terror (Aired May 21, 1946)

Produced in New York, the cast usually consisted of veteran radio actors, with occasional guest appearances by such Hollywood stars Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Claude Rains. What made Inner Sanctum Mysteries unique among radio horror shows was its host, a slightly-sinister sounding man originally known as “Raymond.” The host had a droll sense of humor and an appetite for ghoulish puns, and his influence can be seen among horror hosts everywhere, from the Crypt-Keeper to Elvira. Raymond Edward Johnson was the show’s host until 1945; Paul McGrath took over the role until the show left the air in 1952. Producer Hiram Brown would utilize the creaking door again in the 1970s, when he produced and directed The CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Inner Sanctum Mysteries was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.

THIS EPISODE:

May 21, 1946. CBS network. "Detour To Terror". Sponsored by: Lipton Tea, Lipton Soup. A man and his twin sister are lured from a country road where they meet a strange blind man and his brother. Mason Adams, Emile Tepperman (writer), Mercedes McCambridge, Himan Brown (director), Paul McGrath (host), Mary Bennett (commercial spokesman), Berry Kroeger, Santos Ortega, Donald Dane. 28:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Frank Race - "The Adventure Of The Green Doubloon" (10-02-49)

The Adventure Of The Green Doubloon (Aired October 2, 1949)

The Series was heard over all four networks over the following four years in initial syndication and rebroadcast. Given one's geographical location, a listener might well have been able to hear as many as three or four weekly airings of The Adventures of Frank Race. Seasoned writer Joel Murcott joined Broadcasters Program Syndicate for the express purpose of writing and supervising Bruce Eells' first two dramatic offerings, Frontier Town, starring Jeff Chandler under the tongue in cheek performing name 'Tex Chandler' and The Adventures of Frank Race initially starring durable and versatile character actor Tom Collins. Legendary composer Ivan Ditmars scored both the audition and production series. The audition for the series was recorded during February 1949. The audition featured Tom Collins as former attorney and O.S.S. officer, Frank Race. Race is aided by his associate, former cab driver, Marcus 'Marc' Donovan portrayed by Tony Barrett. Lurene Tuttle is also featured in the audition. The audition lays out the premise for the contemplated series.

THIS EPISODE:

October 2, 1949. Program #23. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Green Doubloon". Commercials added locally. Frank and his sidekick Mark are in rainswept Colon, Panama, tracking down an embezzler. Paul Dubov, Tony Barrett, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (producer), Ivan Ditmars (organist), Art Gilmore (announcer), Herb Butterfield, Gunnar Peterson, Jack Kruschen, Michael Ann Barrett. 28:16. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Mr. District Attorney - "Museum Mystery" (12-10-41)

Museum Mystery (Aired December 10, 1941)

The series focused on a crusading D.A., initially known only as "Mister District Attorney," or "Chief", and was later translated to television. On television the D.A. had a name, Paul Garrett, and the radio version picked up this name in the final years when David Brian played the role. A key figure in the dramas was the D.A.'s secretary, Edith Miller (Vicki Vola). Created, written, and directed by former law student Ed Byron, the series was inspired by the early years of New York governor Thomas E. Dewey. It was Dewey's public war against racketeering which led to his election as governor. Phillips H. Lord, creator of Gangbusters, helped to develop the concept and coined the title. Byron lent an air of accuracy and immediacy to his scripts through close study of crime statistics, a library of criminology texts, following the newspapers, and even going around rough bars to gain tips, background, and color from crooks and police alike. His techniques sometimes enabled Byron to accurately predicting major crime waves before the news broke. Produced throughout its run in New York City, the series began as a fifteen minute serial, becoming a half hour, self-contained series three months later.

Abbott & Costello Show - "Trip To Palm Springs" (Guest Veronica Lake) 12-02-43

Trip To Palm Springs (Guest Veronica Lake) Aired December 2, 1943

The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical interludes (usually, by singers such as Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbrook, Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott & Costello's mishaps (and often fuming in character as Costello insulted his on-air wife routinely).

THIS EPISODE:

December 2, 1943. "Trip To Palm Springs" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Camels, Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco. The boys plan to visit guest Veronica Lake, but first have to stop by the "U-Drive" car rental agency. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Ken Niles (announcer), Freddie Rich and His Orchestra, Connie Haines (vocal), Cliff Nazarro, Veronica Lake. 33:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Sleep No More -"Wax Work and Man & The Snake" (01-09-57)

Wax Work" and "Man & The Snake" (Aired January 9, 1957)

Nelson Olmsted was a national treasure. Over a broadcasting career of thirty-five years, Olmsted's soothing, reassuring, and highly versatile narrations graced thousands of broadcast recordings. While also a prolific and highly successful actor in both Radio and Television, it's Olmsted's literature readings and narrations that are the focus of this series and this article. Sleep No More was Nelson's Olmsted's contribution to The Golden Age of Radio's rich tradition of broadcasting compelling and stirring supernatural and suspense dramas, predominantly from the finest supernatural literature throughout modern history. Sleep No More arrived during the waning years of the Golden Age of Radio--understandably risky Radio programming for the mid-1950s. On the plus side of the equation were Nelson Olmsted's extremely loyal following throughout the U.S. combined with the classic nature of the stories which comprised the series. These stories were many of the most popular and compelling supernatural stories and adventures in literary history.

THIS EPISODE:
 
January 9, 1957. NBC network. "The Waxwork"  And "The Man & The Snake". Sustaining. An impoverished journalist accepts the assignment of spending a night in a wax museum. Also, a man is hypnotized by a deadly snake in his apartment. Nelson Olmsted, Ben Grauer (announcer), Ambrose Bierce (author of the second story), Al Kelly (promotional announcement), Kenneth MacGregor (director), A. M. Burrage (author). 28:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - "In Flanders Field" (05-14-45)

In Flanders Field (Aired May 14, 1945)

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:
 
May 14, 1945. Mutual Network. "In Flanders' Fields". Sponsored by: Petri Wines. The program originates from The Paramount Theatre, Hollywood, and is a benefit for The Seventh War Loan. Just before the battle of the Marne, during World War I, Holmes performs Shakespeare and foils the plans of a German spy. The story is based on, "The Adventure Of The Blanched Soldier." Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Jack Slattery (announcer), Denis Green (writer), Anthony Boucher (writer), Glenhall Taylor (producer), Arthur Conan Doyle (creator). 28:07. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Amos & Andy Show - "Kingfish At The Ball Game" (04-16-53)

Kingfish At The Ball Game (Aired April 16, 1953)

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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:
 
April 16, 1953. CBS-TV network origination, syndicated, audio + video. "The Wentworth $ 3000.00 Engagement Ring" AKA: "Kingfish At The Ball Game". Commercials deleted and/or added locally.. It could only happen to the Kingfish. While enjoying the ball-game at Yankee Stadium, a woman drops her $3000 pearl ring...and it lands in a box of Krispy Jacks being held by the Kingfish. Excellent film video. Freeman Gosden (creator), Charles Correll (creator), Bob Ross (writer), David Schwartz (writer), Alvin Childress, Spencer Williams, Tim Moore, Johnny Lee, Nicodemus Stewart, Joan Henderson ("little girl"), Michael Jackson ("first boy"), James Jackson ("second boy"), Walter Woolf King ("Mr. Wentworth"), Lois Austin ("Mrs. Wentworth"), Charles Barton (director). 26:25.  Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. Cat.#109182.  

The Adventures Of Horatio Hornblower - "Reception With The Czar" (02-13-53)

Reception With The Czar (Aired February 13, 1953)

Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester, and later the subject of films and television programs. The original Hornblower tales began with the appearance of a junior Royal Navy Captain on independent duty on a secret mission to Central America, though later stories would fill out his earlier years, starting with an unpromising beginning as a seasick midshipman. As the Napoleonic Wars progress, he gains promotion steadily as a result of his skill and daring, despite his initial poverty and lack of influential friends. Eventually, after surviving many adventures in a wide variety of locales, he rises to the pinnacle of his profession, promoted to Rear admiral of the Red Squadron, knighted as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and named the 1st Baron Hornblower. Ernest Hemingway is quoted as saying, "I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know," and Winston Churchill stated, "I find Hornblower admirable."

THIS EPISODE:
 
February 13, 1953. "Reception With The Czar" - Program #30. Radio Luxembourg, Towers Of London syndication. Commercials added locally. A visit to the palace of the Czar, and an assassination attempt is foiled. Commodore Hornblower almost succumbs to the charms of a very friendly countess. The program closing has been deleted. Michael Redgrave, C. S. Forester (creator), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Harry Alan Towers (producer, director), Philo Higby (writer). 20:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.