Wednesday, November 30, 2022

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

Thanksgiving Dinner (Aired November 19, 1950)


 
 INTRO: Bob Celebrates Thanksgiving With Bing Crosby "Iv'e Got Plenty to Be Thankful For" (1942)

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

THIS EPISODE:

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



Boston Blackie - "Uncle Frank Murdered" (07-02-46)

Uncle Frank Murdered (Aired July 2, 1946)

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.

THIS EPISODE:

July 2, 1946. "Uncle Frank Murdered" - Program #64. ABC net origination, Ziv syndication. Commercials added locally. Joe Parker murders his Uncle Frank for Frank's money. He's planned the perfect crime. Richard Kollmar, Lesley Woods, Maurice Tarplin, Henry Sylvern (organist), Jeanne Harrison (director). 27:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Mysterious Traveler - "No Grave Can Hold Me" (01-12-47)

No Grave Can Hold Me (Aired January 12, 1947)


The team of Robert Arthur, Jr., David Kogan, producer/director Sherman 'Jock' MacGregor, and actor Maurice Tarplin was a very successful one for both The Mutual Broadcasting System and Radio station WOR. Between 1944 and 1952, 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). 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. But clearly, The Mutual system and WOR appear to have acquired the inside track for the thriller genre for almost two decades during The Golden Age of Radio.

THIS EPISODE:
 
January 12, 1947. Mutual network. "No Grave Can Hold Me". Sustaining. A murderer who is about to be executed leaves very specific burial instructions, which include the names and adresses of the judge and twelve jurors who condemned him. Has "The Great Randolph" returned from the grave? Richard Coogan, Santos Ortega, Maurice Tarplin (as "The Traveler"), Shirley Blank, Bill Smith, Al Fanelli (organist), Bob Emerick (announcer), Robert A. Arthur (writer, producer, director), David Kogan (writer, producer, director). 29:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Saturday, November 26, 2022

The New Adventures Of Nero Wolf - "The Case Of The Phantom Fingers" (01-26-51)

The Case Of The Phantom Fingers (Aired January 26, 1951)


INTRO: Bob Remembers The Poni-Tales "Born To Late" (1958)

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, Wolf 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. Wolf drinks beer throughout the day and is a gourmand. 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 Wolf 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 26, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Phantom Fingers", Sustaining. A murder occurs in an isolated house in upstate New York during a flood. A well-done mystery. The final promotional announcement and system cue have been deleted. Rex Stout (creator), Sydney Greenstreet, Howard McNear, Tim Graham, Eddie Fields, Don Stanley (announcer), Gerald Mohr, Edwin Fadiman (producer), J. Donald Wilson (producer, director), GeGe Pearson. 32:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Let George Do It - "Death In Fancy Dress" (12-27-48)

Death In Fancy Dress (Aired December 27, 1948)


INTRO: Bob Plays  The Lettermen "The Way You Look Tonight" (1961) Capital Records

Let George Do It was a radio drama series produced by Owen and Pauline Vinson from 1946 to 1954. It starred Bob Bailey as detective-for-hire George Valentine (with Olan Soule stepping into the role in 1954). Clients came to Valentine's office after reading a newspaper carrying his classified ad: "Personal notice: Danger's my stock in trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine. "The few earliest episodes were more sitcom than private eye shows, with a studio audience providing scattered laughter at the not-so-funny scripts. Soon the audience was banished, and George went from stumbling comedic hero to tough guy private eye, while the music became suspenseful. Valentine's secretary was Claire Brooks, aka Brooksie (Frances Robinson, Virginia Gregg, Lillian Buyeff).

THIS EPISODE:

December 27, 1948. Mutual-Don Lee network. "Death In Fancy Dress". Sponsored by: Standard Oil, Chevron. A blackmailer is possibly responsible for murder too. Bob Bailey, Frances Robinson, Wally Maher, Jay Novello, Gloria Blondell, Ken Christy, Luis Van Rooten, Bud Hiestand (announcer), Don Clark (director), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, conductor), David Victor (writer), Herbert Little Jr. (writer). 29:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Friday, November 25, 2022

Gangbusters - "The St. Louis Jewel Robbery" (10-03-53)

The St. Louis Jewel Robbery (Aired October 3, 1953)

 INTRO: Bob Plays The Beetles "Till There Was You"  (1963)

The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used. The initial series was on NBC Radio from July 20 - October 12, 1935. It then aired on CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum. The final series was on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957. It was once narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police.

THIS EPISODE:

October 3, 1953. "The St. Louis Jewel Robbery" - CBS network. Sustaining. Wally and his two friends are planning a jewelry robbery in St. Louis. Wally's last name and the name of his two pals are not mentioned, but one of them has red hair. Wally hangs out in a candy store whose owner sounds more Brooklyn than St. Louis. Stanley Niss (writer), Mason Adams, Gaylord Avery (announcer), Leonard L. Bass (director), Amzie Strickland, Eric Dressler, John Ives (supervisor). 28:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

This Is Your FBI - "The Sinister Souvenir" (02-01-46)

The Sinister Souvenir (Aired February 1, 1946)


This is Your FBI had counterparts on the other networks. The FBI in Peace and War also told stories of the FBI, although some were not authentic. Earlier on, Gangbusters, and the previously mentioned Mr. District Attorney gave the authentic crime treatment to their stories. And Dragnet, and Tales of the Texas Rangers, took the idea on as well. Crime, especially true crime, was a genre in the magazines early on, with the Police Gazette and its predecessors in England printing lurid true crime stories prior to radio. This is Your FBI took the idea, and made it realistic, exciting and even informational.

THIS EPISODE:

February 1, 1946. ABC network. "The Sinister Souvenir". Sponsored by: The Equitable Life Assurance Society. Frederick Steiner (music director), Dean Carlton (narrator), Jerry Devine (producer), Carl Frank (announcer), Frank Faries (writer). 28:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Gangbusters - "The St. Louis Jewel Robbery" (10-03-53)

Gangbusters - The St. Louis Jewel Robbery (Aired October 3, 1953)


 INTRO: Bob Plays The Beetles "Till There Was You"  (1963)

The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used. The initial series was on NBC Radio from July 20 - October 12, 1935. It then aired on CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum. The final series was on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957. It was once narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police.

THIS EPISODE:

October 3, 1953. "The St. Louis Jewel Robbery" - CBS network. Sustaining. Wally and his two friends are planning a jewelry robbery in St. Louis. Wally's last name and the name of his two pals are not mentioned, but one of them has red hair. Wally hangs out in a candy store whose owner sounds more Brooklyn than St. Louis. Stanley Niss (writer), Mason Adams, Gaylord Avery (announcer), Leonard L. Bass (director), Amzie Strickland, Eric Dressler, John Ives (supervisor). 28:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

George Burns Gracie Allen Show S2E21

 

 

A half-hour TV series broadcast October 12, 1950 – September 22, 1958, on CBS, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show was initially staged live and broadcast every other Thursday at 8 pm ET. In fall 1952, it became a weekly series filmed on the West Coast. From March 1953 through September 1958, The Burns and Allen Show aired Mondays at 8 pm ET.  280–281 The show was an immediate success. Six episodes were produced live from the Mansfield Theatre in New York, with the stage set as the Burns's living room. The show relocated to the CBS Columbia Square facilities in Hollywood beginning with the seventh episode.


 

Ever the businessman, Burns realized it would be more efficient to do the series on film; the half-hour episodes could then be syndicated. From that point on, the show was filmed at General Service Studios without a live audience present; however, each installment was screened before an audience to provide live responses prior to the episodes being broadcast. With 291 episodes, the show had a long network run through 1958 and continued in syndicated reruns for years.  
 

THIS EPISODE:

 
George considers investing in a new musical comedy.  Features a return appearance by Hal March, the original Harry Morton (March appeared many times over the next few seasons in various guest roles.) George actually manages to get in a full chorus of "Ain't Misbehavin'" without interruption for a change.

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

The Great Gildersleeve - "Selling The Drug Store" (02-22-42)

Selling The Drug Store (Aired February 22, 1942)


The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1957) was the arguable founding father of the spin-off program, as well as one of the first true situation comedies (as opposed to sketch programs) in broadcast history. Hooked around a character who had been a staple on the classic radio hit Fibber McGee and Molly, The Great Gildersleeve enjoyed its greatest period in the 1940s, when Harold Peary graduated the character from the earlier show into the sitcom and in a quartet of likeable feature films at the height of the show's popularity.

THIS EPISODE:

February 22, 1942. "Selling The Drug Store" - NBC network. Sponsored by: raft Parkay, Kraft Dinner. Peavey's drug store up for sale. Harold Peary, Walter Tetley, Sam Moore (writer), John Whedon (writer), Ken Carpenter (announcer), Earle Ross, Lurene Tuttle, Shirley Mitchell, Lillian Randolph, Ben Alexander, Claude Sweeten (music director). 29:51. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The First Nighter Program - "A Writer In The Family" (01-29-48)

 

A Writer In The Family (Aired January 29, 1948)


INTRO: Bob Plays Meredith & Eileen Wilson "Till There Was You" (1950)

The First Nighter Program was a long-running radio anthology comedy-drama series broadcast from 1930 to 1953. The host was Mr. First Nighter (Charles P. Hughes, Macdonald Carey, Bret Morrison, Marvin Miller, Don Briggs and Rye Billsbury [later known as Michael Rye). The show's opening recreated the aural atmosphere of a Broadway opening. Before each week's drama began, Mr. First Nighter was first heard walking on Broadway, emerging from the noise of people and street traffic into the crowded lobby of "the Little Theater Off Times Square" and then taking his seat in the third row center.

THIS EPISODE:

January 29, 1948. CBS network. "A Writer In The Family". Sponsored by: Campana cosmetics, DDD Prescription. Highway Eighty Seven is coming right through the living room in a romantic/comedy of mistaken identity and "Shorty West," a writer of western adventures. James Arthur Rotie (writer), Frank Worth and His Orchestra, Olan Soule, Barbara Luddy, Paul Frees, Hugh Studebaker, Arthur Q. Bryan, Mary Lansing, Larry Keating (announcer). 30:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.
 

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Mike Hammer (That Hammer Guy) - "The Laura Fenton Case" (04-14-53)

"The Laura Fenton Case" (Aired April 14, 1953)

The 'hot potato' that "That Hammer Guy" had become ultimately resolved itself with the premiere of That Hammer Guy--over Mutual--on December 30, 1952, the beginning of a ninety-one episode series of hard-boiled Mickey Spillane mystery and adventure yarns. The series premiered with Inner Sanctum workhorse Larry Haines as Mike Hammer, aided by Jan Miner in the role of Velda, Hammer's secretary and love interest, as well as several other roles in the ensemble cast. By about three months into the run, the series attempts--rather unsuccessfully--to rename itself, Mickey Spillane-Mystery or Mickey Spillane, Mystery depending on the outlet. Neither name ever really took, and the majority of the newspaper and magazine listings of the era continued to refer to the series as either That Hammer Guy, Mike Hammer, or Mickey Spillane Mysteries. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

April 14, 1953. "The Laura Fenton Case" Mutual network. There's Something About A Dame. Sustaining. Laura Fenton offers $1000 to be the bodyguard of a beauty from France named, "Jolie." Mike's client soon turns into a corpse, "Jolie" turns out to be a French poodle! The story is complete, some public service announcements and the program closing have been deleted. Larry Haines, Mickey Spillane (creator), Ed Ladd (announcer), Edward Adamson (writer), Richard Lewis (director). 25:12. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Inspector Thorne - "The Golden Girl Murder Case" (03-03-51)

The Golden Girl Murder Case (Aired August 03, 1951)

 INTRO: Bob Plays The Velvets "Tonight (Could Be The Night)" (1961)

Inspector Thorne, as short-lived as it was, was something of an anomaly for the Hummerts, but judging from the longer run of Hearthstone of The Death Squad, they seem to have managed to salvage that particular formula somewhat. The comparisons are quite obvious between Inspectors Thorne and Hearthstone. Inspector Thorne is the Chief Detective Inspector of The Homicide Squad of New York City. Inspector Hearthstone is the Chief Inspector of The Death Squad of 'The Metropolitan Police' . Inspector Thorne has his Sergeant Muggins and Inspector Hearthstone has his assistant, Detective Sam Cook. Both productions were more murder-oriented than mystery-oriented, both productions were predictably very melodramatic, and both productions characterized their protagonists as forceful, demanding, and overbearing police officials. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE

Inspector Thorne. August 03, 1951. NBC network. "The Golden Girl Murder Case". Sustaining. Kenneth MacGregor (director), Frank Hummert (creator), Anne Hummert (creator), Fred Collins (announcer), Karl Weber, Carol Warner Gluck (writer). 29:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. Cat.# 85888.

The Black Museum - "The Khaki Handkerchief" (10-14-52)

The Khaki Handkerchief (Aired October 14, 1952)

The Black Museum had much to recommend it. First and foremost, Orson Welles' stirring narratives, framing, and exposition were head and shoulders above the competition. Clive Brook for all of the authenticity his natural British voice and accent lent to Secrets of Scotland Yard, nevertheless wasn't given the dramatic latitude that Orson Welles was. But this was very much by design. Clive Brook's expositions on Secrets of Scotland Yard were more of an historical nature, whereas Orson Welles' expositions, due to the more morbid and gruesome cases selected for The Black Museum, clearly had more to work with. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:
 
October 14, 1952. Towers Of London syndication, MGM Radio Attractions, BBC rebroadcast. "The Khaki Handkerchief". Kate Hart and Doris Lyons are found dead in a wood. The handkerchief leads to a member of the army. The date is approximate. Orson Welles (narrator), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Ira Marion (writer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor). 25:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Father Brown Mysteries - "The Mirror Of The Magistrate" (12-06-86)

The Mirror Of The Magistrate (Aired December 6, 1986)


 
 Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor (1870–1952), a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922. The relationship was recorded by O'Connor in his 1937 book Father Brown on Chesterton. Father Brown is a short, stumpy Catholic priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London," with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella, and uncanny insight into human evil. He makes his first appearance in the story "The Blue Cross" and continues through the five volumes of short stories, often assisted by the reformed criminal M.Hercule Flambeau. Father Brown also appears in a story "The Donnington Affair" that has a rather curious history. In the October 1914 issue of the obscure magazine The Premier, Sir Max Pemberton published the first part of the story, inviting a number of detective story writers, including Chesterton, to use their talents to solve the mystery of the murder described. Chesterton and Father Brown's solution followed in the November issue. The story was first reprinted in the Chesterton Review (Winter 1981, pp. 1–35) and in the book Thirteen Detectives. Unlike the more famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown's methods tend to be intuitive rather than deductive. He explains his method in 'The Secret of Father Brown'.


The CBS Radio Mystery Theater - "The God Machine" (01-28-80)

The God Machine (Aired January 28, 1980)

The show was broadcast nightly and ran for one hour, including commercials. Typically, a week consisted of three to four new episodes, with the remainder of the week filled out with reruns. There were a total of 1399 original episodes broadcast. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2969. The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took over. Each episode began with the ominous sound of a creaking door, slowly opening to invite listeners in for the evening's adventure. At the end of each show, the door would swing shut, with Marshall signing off, "Until next time, pleasant...dreams?" Despite the show's title, Himan Brown expanded its scope beyond mysteries to include horror, science fiction, historical drama, and even comedy. In addition to original stories, there were adaptations of classic tales by such writers as Edgar Allan Poe (no fewer than seven Poe stories were adapted in 1975 alone), O. Henry, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Charles Dickens and others.

Friday, November 18, 2022

The Price Of Fear (Starring Vincent Price) - Blind Man's Bluff (04-27-74)

Blind Man's Bluff (Aired April 27, 1974)


INTRO: Bob Plays John Denver "I'm Sorry" (1975)

Recorded in every corner of the world when first broadcast over the BBC's World Service, The Price of Fear soon became one of the most widely recorded offerings of its era. As with most BBC productions, the acting talent and production values were excellent throughout. The stories dramatized in the series are from some of the supernatural fiction world's finest authors. William Ingram was responsible for almost half of the stories and scripts, backed up the works of Bram Stoker, Roald Dahl, Robert Arthur, Rene Basilico, Stanley Ellin, and R. Chetwynd-Hayes. John Dyas produced and directed all three series over the ten year period. Host Vincent Price, already long since recognized throughout the world as the reigning Master of The Macabre, virtually ensured that the series would be heard. True to his legend, Price's imprimatur on the series provided a voice as chilling and familiar to World Service listeners as that of their own Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. The Price of Fear has been an international favorite ever since it's first airing. It was picked up by several short-wave and FM stations in the U.S. and enjoyed broadcast airing over several American public broadcasting stations from 1973, on. The BBC's proscription against commercial broadcast of its productions left only national or public broadcasting networks and stations capable of airing the compelling program. Show Notes From The Digital Deli
 

 THIS EPISODE:


April 27, 1974. BBC origination, Canadian rebroadcast. ""Blind Man's Bluff"". This Canadian rebroadcast is referred to as, "The As It Happens, Friday Night Theater." Vincent Price lends a helping hand to a blind man, and hears a horrifying tale. Vincent Price  25:52.

Father Knows Best - "Who Has The Time" (09-21-50)

 

INTRO: Bob Plays The Carpenters "Only Yesterday" (1975)

The series began August 25, 1949, on NBC Radio. Set in the Midwest, it starred Robert Young as General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. His wife Margaret was first portrayed by June Whitley and later by Jean Vander Pyl. The Anderson children were Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson) and Kathy (Norma Jean Nillson). Others in the cast were Eleanor Audley, Herb Vigran and Sam Edwards. Sponsored through most of its run by General Foods, the series was heard Thursday evenings on NBC until March 25, 1954. The show is often regarded as an example of the conservative and paternalistic nature of American family life in the 1950s and it is also cited as an overly rosy portrayal of American family life. On the radio program, the character of Jim differs from the later television character. The radio Jim is far more sarcastic and shows he really "rules" over his family. Bud is in charge of always having to answer the front door, which he hates. He is also shown as a somewhat dim boy who takes everything literally; for example, Jim might say "Go jump in the lake," to which Bud would reply "Okay, Dad; which lake should I go jump into?" On radio Kathy often is portrayed as a source of irritation. She whines, cries and complains about her status in the family as overlooked. She often is the source of money to her brother and sister, although she is in hock several years on her own allowance.


Sunday, November 13, 2022

Escape - "The Most Dangerous Game" (10-01-47)

"The Most Dangerous Game" (Aired October 1, 1947)

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed on as a sponsor for five months in 1950. Despite these problems, Escape enthralled many listeners during its seven-year run. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with this introduction, as intoned by Paul Frees and William Conrad: “Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!”  Following the opening theme, a second announcer (usually Roy Rowan) would add: "We offer you... Escape!

THIS EPISODE:

October 01, 1947. CBS network. "The Most Dangerous Game". Sustaining. A big game hunt for the biggest game of all...man! This script had previously produced on Suspense on September 23, 1943 and February 1, 1944. The story was published in Colliers magazine in 1924. Theodore Von Eltz; Cy Feuer (music conceiver, conductor); Paul Frees; Ian MacDonald (program opening); Norman Macdonnell (assistant producer, director); Frank Goss (announcer); William N. Robson (producer); Richard Sanville (director); Irving Ravetch (adaptor); Richard Connell (writer); Hans Conried. Cat # 11346. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Leslie Hoff Painting - "The Leslie Hoff Painting" - (09-22=50)

The Leslie Hoff Painting (Aired September 27, 1950)

INTRO: Bob Plays Whitney Houston "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (1987" #1 HIT)

The series ran 110 half-hour radio episodes from January 6, 1950 to June 25, 1952, with Quinn, Jerome Lawrence, and Robert Lee writing most of the scripts and giving free if even more sophisticated play to Quinn's knack for language play, inverted cliches and swift puns (including the show's title and lead characters), a knack he'd shown for years writing Fibber McGee and Molly. Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee continued as a writing team; their best-known play is Inherit the Wind.Cameron Blake, Walter Brown Newman, Robert Sinclair, and Milton and Barbara Merlin became writers for the program as well. But listeners were surprised to discover that the episode of 27 September 1950, "The Leslie Hoff Painting," a story tackling racial prejudice, was written by Colman himself. The sponsors were Schlitz Brewing Company and then Nabisco. Nat Wolff produced and directed, Henry Russell handled the music and radio veteran Ken Carpenter was the announcer.


Duffy's Tavern - "Special Guest Is Lucille Ball" (11-09-43)

"Special Guest Is Lucille Ball" (Aired November 9, 1943)


Duffy's Tavern, an American radio situation comedy (CBS, 1941-1942; NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944; NBC, 1944-1952), often featured top-name stage and film guest stars but always hooked those around the misadventures, get-rich-quick-scheming, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, played by the writer/actor who co-created the show, Ed Gardner. In the show's familiar opening, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," either solo on an old-sounding piano or by a larger orchestra, was interrupted by the ring of a telephone and Gardner's New Yorkese accent as he answered, "Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'. Duffy ain't here — oh, hello, Duffy."

THIS EPISODE:
 
November 9, 1943. "Special Guest Is Lucille Ball" - Program #26. Blue network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Archie's going to be listed in, "Who's That?" Johnny Johnson (vocal), Lucille Ball (guest), Ed Gardner, Florence Halop, Peter Van Steeden and His Orchestra, Howard Duff (AFRS announcer), Eddie Green, John Brown. 27:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.


Saturday, November 12, 2022

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - "How To Die For Nothing" (10-10-53)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"
How To Die For Nothing (Aired October 10, , 1953)



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

THIS EPISODE:

October 10, 1953. CBS network. "How To Die For Nothing". Sugar Crinkles, Post Toasties. After Marshal Dillon shoots a drunken cowboy, his brother swears to shoot him in the back. The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on June 23, 1956, and used again on radio May 10, 1958 (see cat. #52114). Credits are the same for both broadcasts of this script, except the 1958 show credits Jack Moyles and does not credit John Dehner!. William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, John Dehner, Vic Perrin, Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, John Meston (writer). Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index. CAT# 4560

Wednesday, November 09, 2022

Boston Blackie - "Black Market Blackie" (07-21-44)

Black Market Blackie (Aired July 21, 1944)

INTRO: Bob Plays BJ Thomas "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head" (1969)

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.

THIS EPISODE:

July 21, 1944. "Black Market Blackie" aka: Black Market Meat Ring - NBC net, WEAF, New York aircheck. Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebuoy Soap, Bulova (local). A gang of black-market meat sellers wants Blackie to join the gang. When Blackie says, "No," Inspector Farraday is of no help. Chester Morris, Richard Lane, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Charles Cornell (organ), Tony Barrett, Ray Barrett (local WEAF announcer), Jan Miner. 28:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Space Patrol - "Prison Planet" (01-08-55)

Prison Planet (Aired January 8, 1955)



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:
 
January 8, 1955. ABC network. "Prison Planet". Sponsored by: Nestle's chocolate. Meckor of the Draxock galaxy uses flaming guided meteors to wreck the Terra V and eliminate the Space Patrol. Bela Kovacs, Dick Tufeld (announcer), Ed Kemmer, Helen Mosser (executive producer), Ken Mayer, Larry Robertson (producer, director), Lou Houston (writer), Lyn Osborn, Mike Mosser (creator), Norman Jolley, Tony Sides. 28:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The New Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - "The Case Of The Unfortunate Tobacconist" (04-30-45)

The Case Of The Unfortunate Tobacconist  (Aired April 30, 1945)

 

 INTRO: The Bee Gees "How Deep Is Your Love" (1977)


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.

THIS EPISODE:

April 30, 1945. Mutual network. "The Unfortunate Tobacconist". Sponsored by: Petri Wines. Three murders in an East End cigar store have an elementary solution. One commercial and the preview of the following week's program have been deleted. Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Bill Forman (announcer), Denis Green (writer), Anthony Boucher (writer), Glenhall Taylor (producer), Arthur Conan Doyle (creator). 26 1/2 minutes. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.


Monday, November 07, 2022

Broadway Is My Beat - "The Eleanor Corbett Murder Case" (05-26-51)

The Eleanor Corbett Murder Case (Aired May 26, 1951)


INTRO: Bob Plays Hall & Oats "Sara Smile" (1975)

Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air. The series featured music by Robert Stringer, and scripts by Peter Lyon. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb (eventually succeeding him as producer). Bern Bennett was the original announcer. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin.

THIS EPISODE:

May 26, 1951. "The Eleanor Corbett Murder Case" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Al Martin has been found stabbed. Eleanor Corbett has been thrown out of a window. What's the connection? Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer), Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Jack Kruschen. 29:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The CBS Radio Workshop - "Cops and Robbers" (03-16-56)

Cops and Robbers (Aired March 16, 1956)

Beginning with CBS' Columbia Workshop from 1936 to 1947, CBS set out to experiment with Radio--to push that invisible envelope of the speed of sound, the speed of light, and to capitalize on the human listeners' comparitively narrow band of audible sound. Not so much experiment in terms of hardware technology, as in Radio's earliest efforts in 'broad casting' radio transmissions, but in concept, engineering, scoring and production technique. The most well-known and widely acclaimed proponent of these techniques was Norman Corwin. Corwin was so critically and popularly successful in experimental broadcasts that CBS gave him virtual carte blanche to produce whatever projects he deemed of possible interest--at least until the HUAC years anyway. Corwin's well-deserved acclaim aside, the various other CBS experimental programming efforts over the years very much set the bar for other networks.

THIS EPISODE:
 
March 16, 1956. CBS network. "Cops and Robbers". Sustaining. A crime is solved on the air. Real cops...not-so-real robbers. The system cue has been deleted. John Sylvester, Larry Haines, Elspeth Eric, Ken Lynch, Stanley Niss (narrator, writer, conceiver, director), Paul Roberts (producer), Art Hannes (announcer). 29:10. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Big Town - "The Charity Killers" (02-22-49)

The Charity Killers (Aired February 22, 1949)


Big Town is a radio show that aired from 1937 to 1952. Edward G. Robinson had the lead role of Steve Wilson from 1937 to 1942. Claire Trevor was Wilson's society editor sidekick Lorelei Kilbourne, with Ona Munson taking over that role in 1940. Edward J. Pawley portrayed Wilson from 1942 until 1952 when Walter Greaza was heard as Wilson in the final episodes in the radio series. When Big Town moved to television, the program was telecast live, but in 1952 the production switched to film after the move from New York City to Hollywood. The television series ran on CBS from 1950 through 1954, continuing on NBC from 1955 through 1956. Repeat episodes aired on the DuMont Network (under the title City Assignment) while Big Town was still showing first-run episodes on CBS. Reruns were also shown under the titles Heart of the City, Headline and Byline Steve Wilson.

THIS EPISODE:

February 22, 1949. NBC network. "The Charity Killers". Sponsored by: Lifebuoy Soap, Rinso ("Tour The World" contest). Two old ladies practice grand larceny and a dash of murder...all in the name of sweet charity! Lorelei uses a battery operated tape recorder to get the goods on them. One of the old ladies sounds like Shirley Booth. Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon, Jerry McGill (writer, producer), Dwight Weist (narrator). 29:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Sunday, November 06, 2022

Dark Fantasy - "Debt Of The Past" (01-16-42)

Debt Of The Past (Aired January 16, 1942)

WKY, Oklahoma City had been a highly respected and equally highly sophisticated Radio operator for over eight years by the time this series first aired, so it was no great leap for NBC to take the gamble in taking the series nationwide. NBC-Red and it's flagship station, WEAF, indeed began airing Dark Fantasy in New York simultaneously with the broadcasts airing out of WKY, Oklahoma City. WKY's talented writer, Scott Bishop, was responsible for all of the scripts. Indeed, the scripts were so chilling that both WKY and NBC felt obliged to air the program well after 1940s children had fallen soundly asleep. NBC-Red picked up Scott Bishop's Dark Fantasy series, from November 21, 1941 forward. In 1943, NBC sustained Bishop's Strange Dr. Karnac series. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
 
January 16, 1942. Program #9. NBC network, WKY, Oklahoma City origination. "Debt Of The Past". Sustaining."A strange and weird adventure, laid in modern America with the flavor of the nineteenth century. The story of a businessman who was almost too honest, who found a method of paying a long-standing debt of honor, although thirty years in his grave." Scott Bishop (writer), Tom Paxton (announcer), Jane Wyatt (guest), Ben Morris, Eleanor Naylor Corin, Muir Hite. 27:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dimension X - "Green Hills Of Earth" (12-24-50)

The Green Hills Of Earth (Aired December 24, 1950)

Dimension X was a very effective demonstration of what could be done with science fiction on the air. It came so late that nobody cared, but some of the stories stand as classics of the medium. Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven" is as gripping today as when first heard. His "Martian Chronicles" was one of the series' most impressive offerings. Dimension X played heavily on an "adventures in time and space, told in future tense" theme. Actors who worked regularly on the show included Joe Di Santis, Wendell Holmes, Santos Ortega, Joseph Julian, Jan Miner, Roger De Koven, John Gibson, Ralph Bell, John Larkin, Les Damon, and Mason Adams. It was directed by Fred Weihe and Edward King. The deep-voiced narrator was Norman Rose. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:
 
December 24, 1950. NBC network. "The Green Hills Of Earth". Sustaining. The program is preceded by President Truman's Christmas message. A beautiful story, told in song, about the troubadour of spaceways. The script was previously used on "Dimension X" on June 10, 1950 and subsequently on "X Minus One" on July 7, 1955. The "X Minus One" program was rebroadcast on "Monitor" during February, 1975. Robert Heinlein (author), Harry Truman, William Welch (producer), Norman Rose (host), Edward King (director), Bob Warren (announcer), Bob Denton (announcer for President Truman). 25:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Barry Craig Confidental Investigator - "Death Buys A Bedroom" (07-27-54)


Death Buys A Bedroom (Aired July 27, 1954)



INTRO: Bob Plays Danny & The Juniors "Sometimes When I'm All Alone" (1958)


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.

THIS EPISODE:
 
July 27, 1954. NBC network. "Death Buys A Bedroom". Sustaining. Enroute to a vacation in the mountains, Barrie meets a beautiful girl, a mysterious body and a dead man aboard the train. Byron Kane, William Gargan, Betty Lou Gerson, Jack Moyles, Lou Krugman, Victor Rodman, John Roeburt (writer), Arthur Jacobson (director), Edward King (announcer). 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Friday, November 04, 2022

Broadway Is My Beat - "The Eleanor Corbett Murder Case" (05-26-51)

The Eleanor Corbett Murder Case (Aired May 26, 1951)

INTRO: Bob Plays Hall & Oats "Sara Smile" (1975)
 

Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air. The series featured music by Robert Stringer, and scripts by Peter Lyon. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb (eventually succeeding him as producer). Bern Bennett was the original announcer. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin.

THIS EPISODE:

May 26, 1951. "The Eleanor Corbett Murder Case" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Al Martin has been found stabbed. Eleanor Corbett has been thrown out of a window. What's the connection? Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer), Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Jack Kruschen. 29:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

 

The CBS Radio Workshop - "Cops and Robbers" (03-16-56)

Cops and Robbers (Aired March 16, 1956)


 

Beginning with CBS' Columbia Workshop from 1936 to 1947, CBS set out to experiment with Radio--to push that invisible envelope of the speed of sound, the speed of light, and to capitalize on the human listeners' comparitively narrow band of audible sound. Not so much experiment in terms of hardware technology, as in Radio's earliest efforts in 'broad casting' radio transmissions, but in concept, engineering, scoring and production technique. The most well-known and widely acclaimed proponent of these techniques was Norman Corwin. Corwin was so critically and popularly successful in experimental broadcasts that CBS gave him virtual carte blanche to produce whatever projects he deemed of possible interest--at least until the HUAC years anyway. Corwin's well-deserved acclaim aside, the various other CBS experimental programming efforts over the years very much set the bar for other networks.

THIS EPISODE:
 
March 16, 1956. CBS network. "Cops and Robbers". Sustaining. A crime is solved on the air. Real cops...not-so-real robbers. The system cue has been deleted. John Sylvester, Larry Haines, Elspeth Eric, Ken Lynch, Stanley Niss (narrator, writer, conceiver, director), Paul Roberts (producer), Art Hannes (announcer). 29:10. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.


The CBS Radio Mystery Theater - "A Matter Of Conscience" (07-14-77)

INTRO: Bob Plays Dinah Washington "What A Diffrence A Day Makes" (1959)


A Matter Of Conscience (Aired July 14, 1977)

The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took over. Each episode began with the ominous sound of a creaking door, slowly opening to invite listeners in for the evening's adventure. At the end of each show, the door would swing shut, with Marshall signing off, "Until next time, pleasant...dreams?" Despite the show's title, Brown expanded its scope beyond mysteries to include horror, science fiction, historical drama, and even comedy. In addition to original stories, there were adaptations of classic tales by such writers as Edgar Allan Poe (no fewer than seven Poe stories were adapted in 1975 alone), O. Henry, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Charles Dickens and others.

THIS EPISODE:

July 14, 1977. Program #681. CBS network. "A Matter Of Conscience". Sponsored by: True Value Hardware, Buick, A.R.M., Dramamine, Wet Ones, Minute Maid. Adapted from the Ambrose Bierce story "Parker Addison, Philosopher." E. G. Marshall (host), Arnold Moss (adaptor, performer), Kristoffer Tabori, Evie Juster, Earl Hammond, Robert Dryden. 43:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.


Thursday, November 03, 2022

Calling All Cars - The Laughing Killer (02-10-37)

The Laughing Killer (Aired February 10, 1937)




Calling All Cars was one of radio’s earliest cop show, dramatizing true crime stories and introduced by officers from the Los Angeles and other police departments. The narrator of the program was speech professor Charles Frederick Lindsley, and the only other regular voice heard on the program week after week belonged to that of Sergeant Jesse Rosenquist of the L.A.P.D., whose name and voice were so unusually distinctive that he was retained for the show’s entire run. None of the actors on the show ever received on-air credit, but among the talent OTR fans can hear the likes of Elvia Allman, Jackson Beck, Charles Bickford, John Gibson, Richard LeGrand and Hanley Stafford, just to name a few.

THIS EPISODE:

February 10, 1937. Program #168. CBS Pacific net (Don Lee network) origination, syndicated. "The Laughing Killer". Music fill for local commercial insert. No law enforcement officer appears as the host. A gas station operator has been held up by three men with overcoats and hats...or were there only two of them? Gale Gordon (dispatcher, host). 26:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Box 13 - Death Is A Doll (03-13-49)

Death Is A Doll (Aired March 13, 1949)

Alan Ladd is aided by most of the better detective genre voice talent of the era, which gives the program the requisite atmosphere for the genre. Alan Ladd bankrolled the production himself under his Mayfair Transcription Company and clearly spared little expense creating a production up to his demanding standards. With radio actors of the versatility of Betty Lou Gerson, Paul Frees, Gerald Mohr, Herb Vigran, Joe Kearns, Ed Begley and Frank Lovejoy, Ladd guaranteed that the characterizations and tone of all 52 episodes would maintain the highest standards. Ladd's Production Supervisor was Vern Carstensen, a veteran of several equally well mounted detective genre productions of the era. Rudy Schrager's musical compositions and direction are a refreshing and effective atmospheric alternative to the often overbearing organ music so common to the genre. It also lends itself to the softer delivery of Alan Ladd's protagonist. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

March 13, 1949. Program #30. Mutual net origination, Mayfair syndication. "Death Is A Doll". Commercials added locally. A man is slowly dying of what appears to be witchcraft. The date is approximate. Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 26:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Milton Berle Show - "A Salute To Good Health" (10-21-47)

A Salute To Good Health (Aired October 21, 1947)


 

INTRO: Bob Plays Lou Rawls "You'll Never Find  (1976) 

In 1934-36, Berle was heard regularly on The Rudy Vallee Hour, and he got much publicity as a regular on The Gillette Original Community Sing, a Sunday night comedy-variety program broadcast on CBS from September 6, 1936 to August 29, 1937. In 1939, he was the host of Stop Me If You've Heard This One with panelists spontaneously finishing jokes sent in by listeners. Three Ring Time, a comedy-variety show sponsored by Ballantine Ale was followed by a 1943 program sponsored by Campbell's Soups. The audience participation show Let Yourself Go (1944-45) could best be described as slapstick radio with studio audience members acting out long suppressed urges (often directed at host Berle). Kiss and Make Up, on CBS in 1946, featured the problems of contestants decided by a jury from the studio audience with Berle as the Judge. He also made guest appearances on many comedy-variety radio programs during the 1930s and 1940s.

THIS EPISODE:

October 21, 1947. NBC network. Sponsored by: Philip Morris. "A Salute To Good Health" Milton visits the doctor, but is cured of the hiccoughs by his neighbor. Frank Gallop (announcer), Milton Berle, Ray Bloch and His Orchestra. 29:58. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.


Wednesday, November 02, 2022

The Adventures Of The Abbotts - "The Blue-Rocket Express" (04-17-55)

The Blue-Rocket Express (Aired April 17, 1955)

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

THIS EPISODE:

April 17, 1955. Program #11. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Blue-Rocket Express". Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, Frances Crane (creator), Howard Merrill (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Ted Lloyd (producer), Dewey Bergman (composer, conductor), Luis Van Rooten (doubles), Kenny Delmar (doubles), Mandel Kramer, Harry Frazee (director, recordist), Bill Rippe (announcer). 28:53. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.