Crime Does Not Pay - "Love Is Not All" (01-31-51)

Love Is Not All  (Aired January 31, 1951)

Crime Does Not Pay was a series based on short films of the same name produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was similar to Gangbusters, having a moralistic message about the law and lawbreaker. It was first heard over WMGM (NYC), hosted by Donald Buka. The last original show aired on Apr. 11, 1951. The series started on Monday evenings at 7:30 PM (on WMGM) and held that time/day spot until Oct. 30, 1950. The 56'th show marked a change to Wednesday night, again at 7:30. After show number 78 (Apr.11, 1951) the shows were repeated, starting with the first, "Kid With a Gun". The repeats followed the original order up until repeat of number 26, "Ingenious Woman" on Oct. 10, 1951. Repeats were not uncommon.

THIS EPISODE: 

 
January 31, 1951. Program #68. MGM syndication. "Love Is Not All". Commercials added locally. A fraud operating a Lonely Hearts Union cheats a woman out of $20,000 to start a nationwide fencing operation. He learns that C. D. N. P. The date above is the date of the first broadcast of this program on WMGM, New York, from which this syndicated version may have been taken. Ralph Forbes, Marx B. Loeb (director), Ira Marion (writer), Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Bob Williams (announcer). 1/2 hour. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Life With Luigi - "Luigi's First Citizenship Papers" (01-10-50)

Luigi's First Citizenship Papers (Aired January 10, 1950)

 

INTRO: Bob Plays Nat King Cole "That Sunday, That Summer" (1963)

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

THIS EPISODE:

January 10, 1950. "Luigi's First Citizenship Papers" CBS network. Sponsored by: Wrigley's Spearmint Chewing Gum (one commercial apparently deleted). It's time for Luigi to get his first citizenship papers. J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed, Cy Howard (creator, producer), Mac Benoff (writer, director), Lou Derman (writer), Mary Shipp, Hans Conried, Joe Forte, Ken Peters, Alger Mackey (Deputy Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, speaking from Washington, D. C.), Jody Gilbert, Sara Berner, Lud Gluskin (music director, Bob Stevenson (announcer). Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Lux Radio Theater - "Criminal Code" (01-18-37)

Criminal Code (Aired January 18, 1937)

One of the genuine classic radio anthology series (NBC Blue Network (1934-1935); CBS (1935-1954); NBC (1954-1955)) adapted first Broadway stage works, and then (especially) films to hour-long live radio presentations. It quickly became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, running more than twenty years. The program always began with an announcer proclaiming, "Ladies and gentlemen, Lux presents Hollywood!" Cecil B. DeMille was the host of the series each Monday evening from June 1, 1936, until January 22, 1945. On one occasion, however, he was replaced by Leslie Howard.

THIS EPISODE:

January 18, 1937. CBS network. "Criminal Code". Sponsored by: Lux. A nice kid with all the breaks going against him gets ten years in the Big House, and finds love! Edward G. Robinson, Beverly Roberts, Cecil B. DeMille, Frank Nelson (performer, program opening announcer), Lou Merrill (doubles), Earle Ross, Louis Silvers (music director), Melville Ruick (announcer), Noel Madison, Paul Guilfoyle, Martin Flavin (author), Gladys Lloyd (intermission guest: wife of Edward G. Robinson), James B. Holohan (intermission quest: former warden of San Quentin), Walter Kingsford, William Williams (triples), Richard Abbott (triples), Ernie Adams (doubles), Justina Wayne (doubles), Joe Franz (doubles), Hilda Haywood (doubles), Margaret Brayton (doubles, commercial spokesman), Ross Forrester (triples), David Kerman (triples), Charles Emerson (commercial spokesman), Frank Woodruff (director), George Wells (adaptor), Charlie Forsyth (sound effects). 59:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Cloak & Dagger - "Norwegian Incident" (08-20-50)

Norwegian Incident (Aired August 20, 1950)

This is the story of the WWII special governmental agency, the OSS, or Office of Strategic Services. Its mission was to develop and maintain spy networks throughout Europe and into Asia, while giving aid to underground partisan groups and developing espionage activities for Allied forces overseas.The show is based on the book of the same name by Lt. Col. Corey Ford and Major Alastair MacBain (who were associated with the OSS from its early days.) The dramas are not Hollywood-style, in that they sometimes end with plans foiled or leading characters dead.
 

THIS EPISODE:

 August 20, 1950. NBC network. "Norwegian Incident". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. Two O. S. S. agents are sent into Norway with instructions to blow up a bridge. A Gestapo officer complicates the plans, but not for long. Berry Kroeger, Raymond Edward Johnson, Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Sherman Marks (duirector, supervisor), Jerry Jarrett, Frank Barrens, Karl Weber, David Harmon (writer), Chet Hill (sound effects), Vic Gillespie, Corey Ford (creator), Alistair MacBain. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Casey Crime Photographer - "The Chivalrous Gunman" (08-14-47)

Casey Crime Photographer - "The Chivalrous Gunman" (08-14-47)

INTRO: Bob Remembers "Casey Crime Photographer - The Chivalrous Gunman"

 The Chivalrous Gunman (Aired August 14, 1947)

 The most distinguishing element of the short-lived Television Casey was its direction, with the famed future Film Director Sidney Lumet helming the series. CBS and Coxe took another run at Crime Photographer over Radio in 1954, reprising Staats Cotsworth, John Gibson and Jan Miner in their previous Radio roles. The 1954 run extended to the Spring of 1955, at which point the Crime Photographer franchise had pretty much run its course. The sleuthing photographer format didn't end with the CBS/Coxe franchise. ABC took a run at the concept with their Man With A Camera (1958), starring Charles Bronson, and running for two seasons, though it bore no resemblance whatsoever to the Casey, Crime Photographer franchise.


THIS EPISODE:
 

August 14, 1947. CBS network. "The Chivalrous Gunman". Sponsored by: Anchor Hocking Glass. The witness to a robbery and murder refuses to identiy the killer. Robbery, double-cross and a double murder, with the bad guy brought to justice with the help of the green-eyed monster. Alonzo Deen Cole (writer), Archie Bleyer (music), Herman Chittison (piano), Jan Miner, John Dietz (director), John Gibson, Staats Cotsworth, Tony Marvin (announcer), Bernard Lenrow, Byron Winget (sound effects), Jerry McCarty (sound effects), William Pearson (engineer), George Harmon Coxe (creator). 32:06. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Casebook Of Gregory Hood - "The Double Diamond" (08-05-46)

The Double Diamond (Aired August 5, 1946)

The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Gale Gordon in the title role, took over where Sherlock Holmes had left off. Sponsored by Petri wine, it used the same "weekly visit" format and the same team of Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green that had written The New Adventured of Sherlock Holmes. Gregory Hood was modelled after true-life San Francisco importer Richard Gump, and many of the stories revolve around a mystery surrounding some particular imported treasure. Hood's sidekick Sanderson "Sandy" Taylor was played by Bill Johnstone. The show aired from June, 1946 through August, 1950. There were an additional couple of shows aired in October 1951. Hood and Sanderson were played in later episodes by Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, respectively.

THIS EPISODE:

 
August 5, 1946. Mutual network. "The Double Diamond". Sponsored by: Petri Wines. A robbery has taken place aboard an airliner. A diamond's been stolen out of a diamond pendant...make that two diamonds! One of the passengers on the plane is a phoney southern colonel, who is called (with a straight face) "Mr. Keister." Gale Gordon, Harry Bartell (announcer), Dean Fosler (composer, conductor), Denis Green (writer), Anthony Boucher (writer), Howard McNear. 31:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Calling All Cars - "Reefers By The Acre" (06-25-36)

Reefers By The Acre (Aired June 25, 1936)

Calling All Cars was one of the earliest police shows on the air. It ran from November 29, 1933 through September 8, 1939. It’s sponsor was the Rio Grande Oil Company, which is why the show only ran in areas where Rio Grande "cracked" gasoline was sold. The sponsor promoted its "close ties" with police departments in Arizona and Southern California, urging listeners to buy its product for "police car performance". As shows of this nature do, it dealt with tracking killers and robbers, and with a recap of the justice which was enforced.

 

THIS EPISODE:

June 25, 1936. Program #135. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network). "Reefers By The Acre". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil ("Junior Detective Outfit" premium). The program opens with an address by a police chief originating at radio station KFBK. The search for "Mexican Jim," the man with warts on his hands, who runs the largest marijuana fields in the state! The story of the largest marijuana seizure. Jesse Rosenquist (dispatcher), Gary Breckner (narrator), W. M. Hallanan (Chief of Police, Sacramento). 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

MOVIE: Bill Cosby Himself "On Stage" 05-20-83 VIDEO

 Bill Cosby Himself "On Stage" 05-20-83

Cosby was born on July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is one of four sons of Anna Pearl (née Hite),and William Henry Cosby Sr., who served as a mess steward in the U.S. Navy. Cosby was the class president as well as captain of both the baseball and track and field teams at Mary Channing Wister Public School in Philadelphia. Teachers noted his propensity for joking around instead of studying, and he described himself as the class clown. At FitzSimons Junior High School, Cosby acted in plays and continued to compete in sports. Cosby attended Philadelphia's Central High School, a magnet school and academically rigorous college prep school, where he ran track and played baseball, football, and basketball. He transferred to Germantown High School but failed the tenth grade. In 1956, Cosby enlisted in the Navy and served as a hospital corpsman at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.He worked in physical therapy with Navy and Marine Corps personnel who were injured during the Korean War.


THIS MOVIE:

May 20, 1983. Filmed before a live audience at the First Ontario Concert Hall, in Hamilton, Ontario, Cosby gives the audience his views ranging from marriage to parenthood. The film also showcases Cosby's trademark conversational style of stand up comedy. For most of the performance, Cosby is seated at the centre of the stage, only getting up to emphasise a joke. Many of the comedic routines presented in the film were precursors to Cosby's most popular sitcom, The Cosby Show. An album of the same name was also released on Motown Records. The film is regarded by some as "the greatest stand up concert movie ever".

The Private Files Of Rex Saunders - "The Human Game" (08-01-51)

The Human Game (Aired August 1, 1951)

As a detective--gentleman or otherwise--Rex Harrison lends a distinctively intelligent and understated confidence to the role. He's not quite as nonchalant as The Thin Man's Nick Charles, not as arrogant as Philo Vance, and not as melodramatic as Sherlock Holmes or Radio's Philip Marlowe. In short, he's both 'just right' and entirely fascinating--and competent--as detective Rex Saunders. Leon Janney's rendition of Saunders' assistant, Alec, complements Harrison's delivery of his Saunders characterization. Not the typical stooge assistant, nor quite as clever as Nero Wolfe's Archie, Leon Janney's Alec is given the same latitude as some of Radio's other more helpful detective assistants. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

August 1, 1951. NBC network. "When They Track Down...The Human Game". Sponsored by: RCA Victor. The system cue has been deleted. Rex Harrison, Edward Adamson (writer), Himan Brown (director), Kenneth Banghart (announcer), Leon Janney, Lesley Woods. 28:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Frank Merriwell - "The Missing Records" (10-23-48)

The Missing Records (Aired October 23, 1948)

The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury. A biographical entry on Patten noted dryly that Frank Merriwell "had little in common with his creator or his readers." Patten offered some background on his character: "The name was symbolic of the chief characteristics I desired my hero to have. Frank for frankness, merry for a happy disposition, well for health and abounding vitality." Merriwell's classmates observed, "He never drinks. That's how he keeps himself in such fine condition all the time. He will not smoke, either, and he takes his exercise regularly.

 

THIS EPISODE:
 

October 23, 1948. NBC network. "The Mystery Of The Missing Records". Sustaining. There's a plot to keep Frank from the big game by having him not have his eligibility papers. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 29:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of The Abbotts - "The Rickshaw Red Lipstick" (01-30-55)

The Rickshaw Red Lipstick (Aired January 30, 1955)

Abbott Mysteries was a comedy-mystery radio program adapted from the novels of Frances Crane (1896-1981). Initially a summer replacement for Quick As a Flash, the series was heard on Mutual and NBC between the years 1945 and 1955. The Mutual series, sponsored by Helbros Watches, debuted June 10, 1945, airing Sundays at 6pm. Scripts were by Howard Merrill and Ed Adamson in the lighthearted tradition of Mr. and Mrs. North. Julie Stevens and Charles Webster starred as Jean and Pat Abbott, a San Francisco married couple who solved murder mysteries. In the supporting cast were Jean Ellyn, Sydney Slon and Luis Van Rooten. Moving to 5:30pm in 1946, Les Tremayne and Alice Reinheart took over the roles until the end of the series on August 31, 1947. Seven years later, the characters returned October 3, 1954, on NBC in The Adventures of the Abbotts, broadcast on NBC Sunday evenings at 8:30pm. The Abbotts were portrayed by Claudia Morgan and Les Damon. The NBC series ran until June 12, 1955.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

January 30, 1955. Program #2. NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Rickshaw-Red Lipstick". Les Damon, Claudia Morgan, Lotte Stavisky, Frances Crane (creator), Everett Sloane, Bob Hastings, Howard Merrill (writer), Dewey Bergman (composer, conductor), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Ted Lloyd (producer), Harry Frazee (director, recordist), Wayne Howell (announcer). 30:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Mr. & Mrs. North - "Diehard" (09-08-53)

Diehard (Aired September 8, 1953)

Mr. and Mrs. North are fictional American amateur detectives. Created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, the couple were featured in a series of twenty-six Mr. and Mrs. North novels, a Broadway play, a motion picture, and several different radio and television series. Mr. and Mrs. North was a radio mystery series that aired on CBS from 1942 to 1954. Alice Frost and Joseph Curtin had the title roles when the series began in 1942. Publisher Jerry North and his wife Pam lived in Greenwich Village at 24 St. Anne's Flat. They were not professional detectives but simply an ordinary couple who stumbled across a murder or two every week for 12 years. The radio program eventually reached nearly 20 million listeners. The characters originated in 1930s vignettes written by Richard Lockridge for the New York Sun, and he brought them back for short stories in The New Yorker. These stories were collected in Mr. and Mrs. North (1936).

THIS EPISODE:

September 8, 1953. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "DieHard". Pam returns to her Alma Mater for a re-union with death! Richard Denning, Barbara Britton, Frances Lockridge (creator), Richard Lockridge (creator). 26:25. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Duffy's Tavern - "A Visit From The Draft Board" (01-12-51)

A Visit From The Draft Board (Aired January 12, 1951)

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:

January 12, 1951. NBC network. "A Visit From The Draft Board". Sponsored by: RCA Victor, Anacin. Archie becomes smitten with beautiful Mary Ann, not knowing she's from the Draft Board! Archie accuses her of being a "Matzah Hari." The system cue is added live. Ed Gardner, Bert Gordon, Charlie Cantor, Cesar Concepcion and His Orchestra. 30:02. "Episode Notes From Boxcars711 OTR Pod".

Phil Harris & Alice Faye Show - "The Barbells Of Scotland" (10-16-53)

The Barbells Of Scotland (Aired October 16, 1953)

INTRO: Bob Plays Player "Baby Come Back" (1978)

A couple of actors well known on other shows were Gale Gordon and Walter Tetley. Gale Gordon (Principal Conklin on Our Miss Brooks) was Mr. Scott, the long-suffering Rexall representative, doing stealth commercials for Rexall, again like the The Jack Benny Show and Fibber McGee and Molly had done. Walter Tetley (Leroy on The Great Gildersleeve) played the delivery boy Julius Abbruzio. Nice guy? No. Other characters included Alice's deadbeat brother Willie, ably played by Robert North, and announcer Bill Forman. The show was produced and directed by Paul Phillips.

 

THIS EPISODE:
 

October 16, 1953. NBC network. Sponsored by: RCA Victor. "The Barbells Of Scotland, or "Who Put The Muscle In Mr. Harris' Bussle?" The first commercial was added live. A set of weights and a derrick to lift them, play havoc with the Harris household. This is a network, sponsored version. Alice sings, "Hi Lili, Hi Lo," Phil sings, "Pease Puddin' Hot." Unedited tape, recorded October 2, 1953. The program is preceded by an audience warm-up by Bill Forman (briefly) and Phil, who tells the audience several jokes. The warm-up sounds as if it was recorded off the P. A. or somewhat off-mike. Alan Reed, Alice Faye, Anne Whitfield, Bill Forman (announcer), Edward James (writer), Elliott Lewis, Jeanine Roos, John Hubbard, Lou Derman (writer), Phil Harris, Walter Scharf and His Orchestra, Walter Tetley, Alvino Rey (member of the orchestra), Red Nichols (member of the orchestra), The Sportsmen. 30:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Macabre - "Weekend" (11-20-61)

Weekend (Aired November 20, 1961)

INTRO: Bob Plays Bobby Caldwell "Heart Of Mine" (1989)

The series arose out of an improptu competition between The Far East Network and The Armed Forces Network-Germany. Both networks sent 15 ips audition tapes to the AFRTS Headquarters in Los Angeles and FEN Tokyo won the 'competition'. The AFRTS transcribed and distributed the Macabre series on October 4, 1961-- a month before FEN Tokyo recorded a ninth episode of Macabre for Christmas Day, titled Of Frankincense and Myrrh. FEN Launches Macabre on the lucky 13th of November 1961. Launched, appropriately enough on the 13th of November, 1961, the series ran for nine weeks, including a special Christmas Day broadcast, "Of Frankincense and Myrrh," and ending on January 8, 1962 with "Edge of Evil." Note that in the article in the 'Provenances' sidebar below mentions a run of eight weeks. That's apparently the tenuous provenance upon which most of the misinformation about the true run of Macabre has been based for the past forty years. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

November 20, 1961. Program #2. AFRTS-FEN origination. "Weekend". A weekend on a mysterious island with a mad doctor who is experimenting with a deadly drug. John Buey, Walt Sheldon, Bob Eddy, Hiroshi Ono (technical supervisor), Shirley Ashey, William Verdier, Milton Radmilovich, Al Lepage (announcer). 27:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Aldrich Family - "Raising Carrier Pigeons" (02-27-40)

Raising Carrier Pigeons (Aired February 27, 1940)

 

 

INTRO: Bob Plays Harry Nilsson "Everybody's Talking (1966)

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

THIS EPISODE: 

February 27, 1940. NBC network. "Raising Carrier Pigeons" - Sponsored by: Jell-O. The Aldrich's have just hired a maid named Martha. Henry's raising rabbitts in the cellar. Henry and his pal Tommy are now raising carrier pigeons. Harry Von Zell (announcer), Clifford Goldsmith (creator, writer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Ezra Stone, Jack Miller (composer, conductor). 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet - "Invitations To Dinner" (02-20-49)

"Invitations To Dinner"  Aired (February 20 1949)

When Red Skelton was drafted in March 1944, Ozzie Nelson was prompted to create his own family situation comedy. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet launched on CBS on October 8, 1944, moving to NBC in October 1948, and making a late-season switch back to CBS in April 1949. The final years of the radio series were on ABC (the former NBC Blue Network) from October 14, 1949 to June 18, 1954. In total 402 radio episodes were produced. In an arrangement that amplified the growing pains of American broadcasting, as radio "grew up" into television, the Nelsons' deal with ABC gave the network the option to move their program to television.

 

 THIS EPISODE:

February 20, 1949. "Invitations To Dinner" - NBC network. Sponsored by: International Silver. Ozzie accepts a dinner invitation from a man whose name he can't remember. Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard. 29:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Pete Kelly's Blues - "June Gould" (09-12-51)

 June Gould (Starring Jack Webb (Aired September 12, 1951)

Pete Kelly was a musician, a cornet player who headed his own jazz combo, "Pete Kelly's Big Seven." They worked at 417 Cherry Street, a speakeasy run by George Lupo, often mentioned but never heard. Kelly, narrating the series, described Lupo as a "fat, friendly little guy." The plots typically centered around Kelly's reluctant involvement with gangsters, gun molls, FBI agents, and people trying to save their own skins. The endings were often downbeat. The series inspired a 1955 film version of Pete Kelly's Blues, in which Jack Webb produced, directed and starred. It used many of the same musicians, including Cathcart, and Ella Fitzgerald was cast as Maggie Jackson. A lesser-known television version, still produced and directed by Webb but with William Reynolds in the lead, aired in 1959, using scripts originally written for the radio version.

THIS EPISODE:
 
September 12, 1951. Program #12. "June Gould" - NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. June Gould's mother has arrived in Kansas City looking for her, and asks Pete to help. Good radio, possibly dated September 15, 1951. Arthur Hamilton (composer), Dick Cathcart (cornet), George Van Eps (guitar), Jack Webb, Jed Demott ( bass), Joe Eisinger (writer), Matty Matlock, Moe Schneider (trombone), Nick Fatool (drums), Ray Sherman (piano). 29:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Clock - "Professor Leonard Higgens aka: The Shrunken Head" (08-25-47)

Professor Leonard Higgens aka: The Shrunken Head (Aired April 6, 1947)

It was written by Lawrence Klee and narrated by "The Clock." First Broadcast in the United States was in November, 1946. It was syndicated by Grace Gibson syndication. At the time of production, the Australian accent, we now know and love, originating from the Irish and Cockney accents, was rather frowned upon by non other than Australians. The shows tried to sound neutral, then there was hope that the show could be sold to Great Britain and the United States. The show was bought by the ABC network in the States, although the ABC on the CD label (below) stands for the Australian Broadcast Company. The settings were usually generic and the actors tried to speak without a perceptible accent and for that reason the program sounded sort of "American". They occasionally slipped up on a few words, using 'boot' instead of 'trunk' when referring to a car.

THIS EPISODE:

April 6, 1947. ABC network. "Professor Leonard Higgens aka: The Shrunken Head". Sustaining. A mysterious traveler stops at a tourist court near Death Valley with a very large and very suspicious trunk. Bernard Green (music director), Berry Kroeger, Bill Craigo (announcer), Clark Andrews (director), King Calder, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Peggy Allenby. 22:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The New Adventures Of Nero Wolf - "The Case Of The Deadly Sell-Out" (01-05-51)

The Case Of The Deadly Sell-Out (01-05-51)

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. 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 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 5, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Deadly Sellout". Sustaining. A prize fighter has disappeared, but Archie soon finds his dead body. A blackmailing dame is shot in Archie's arms. Rex Stout (creator), Edwin Fadiman (producer), Lawrence Dobkin, Sydney Greenstreet, Gerald Mohr, Don Diamond, Anne Diamond, Eddie Fields, Don Stanley (announcer), Charlotte Lawrence, J. Donald Wilson (producer, director). 29:07. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Bold Venture - "Blue Moon" (06-16-50)

 Blue Moon (Aired June 16, 1950)

The Hollywood husband and wife team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall set sail for adventure in the Bold Venture radio series in early 1951. There were well over 400 stations that aired the program. Since thiswas syndicated * the starting date varied from station to station but Mar 26, 1951 was the official date of the first show. Humphrey Bogart portrayed Slate Shannon, owner of a rundown Havana hotel, Shannon's Place. The action took place on land as well aboard Slate's boat, The Bold Venture, thus the title of the series. Lauren Bacall was his ward Sailor Duval, a stubborn and flirtatious young woman whose late father had willed her to Slate for her protection. Together the duo found adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean.

THIS EPISODE:
 

June 16, 1950. Program #11. ZIV Syndication. "Blue Moon" Commercials added locally. Mr. Cameron asks Slate Shannon to free his daughter from the clutches of Norton and his gambling ship, "The Blue Moon." Jester Hairston (singing transitions), Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, David Rose (composer, conductor), William Conrad, Gerald Mohr. 26:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Murder By Experts - "Summer Heat" (06-13-49)

Summer Heat (Aired June 13, 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:

June 13, 1949. Mutual network. "Summer Heat". Sustaining. A newly graduated lawyer awakes with a dead body in bed and has a very difficult time getting rid of that body! David Kogan (adaptor, director, producer), Phil Tonken (announcer), Bryna Raeburn, Ian Martin, Cameron Andrews, Andrew Evans (author), Emerson Buckley (conductor), John Dickson Carr (host), Lawson Zerbe, Richard Dupage (composer), Frank Behrens, William Zuckert, Robert A. Arthur (adaptor, director, producer). 28:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Lone Ranger" - Webster's Big Fire (04-01-42)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Lone Ranger" - Webster's Big Fire (Aired April 1, 1942)

Tonto was played throughout the run by actor John Todd (although there were a few isolated occasions when he was replaced by Roland Parker, better known as Kato for much of the run of sister series The Green Hornet), and other supporting players were selected from Detroit area actors and studio staff. These included Jay Michael (who also played the lead on Challenge of the Yukon aka Sgt. Preston of the Yukon), Bill Saunders (as various villains, including Butch Cavendish), Paul Hughes (as the Ranger's friend Thunder Martin and as various army colonels and badmen), future movie star John Hodiak, Janka Fasciszewska (under the name Jane Fae), and others. The part of nephew Dan Reid was played by various child actors, including Bob Martin, James Lipton, and Dick Beals. The last new radio episode of the Lone Ranger was aired on September 3, 1954.

THIS EPISODE:

April 1, 1942. Program #1434/647. Syndicated. "Jim Blake"/"Webster's Big Fire". Music fill for local commercial insert. The Webster Fur Company is trying to put its Mountain City competition out of business. Brace Beemer, John Todd, Fran Striker (writer). 29:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Secrets Of Scotland Yard - "The Kindly Doctor" (05-12-50)

The Kindly Doctor (Aired May 12, 1950)

The Secrets of Scotland Yard was an independent production of the Towers of London syndicate in England for world wide distribution. Each week, an audience of anxious radio-listeners tuned in to hear these true crime stories of the London Metropolitan Police unfold, as the detectives at the Yard investigated some of England’s most famous criminals. Their trials have become legendary. Stories presented in the series include the theft of the British crown jewels by Colonel Thomas Blood; the story of a man who finds an armless and legless body wrapped in ribbons and lace; or the strange story of two close brothers who love one another enough to contemplate the murder of a brother’s affluent, yet unsightly and ignorant, wife. Murders, forgery, and robberies all get a through review on the program. Each time, Scotland Yard detectives are afoot to solve the crime mystery! The Secrets of Scotland Yard was initially hosted by Clive Brook, probably for the first year or so. To add to the air of authenticity, Brook sometimes discusses matters with Percy Hoskins, a 1950s crime expert and reporter for the London Daily Express. Hoskins knew every nook and cranny in London’s seedier districts and personally reported on many of the major crimes of the day.

Barry Craig Confidental Investigator - "For Love Of Murder" (08-03-54)

For Love Of Murder (Aired August 3, 1954)

INTRO: Bob Plays The School Boys "Please Say You Want Me" (1957)

The main reason why Gargan was so convincing as a detective was that he was probably the only actor of his time who had actually been a private detective. He first worked as a credit investigator and collection agent for a clothing firm. Once Gargan was shot at when he attempted to get a deadbeat customer to pay his overdue account. Next, he worked for about a year as a private detective with a New York agency for "$10.00 a day and expenses." Gargan did many of the usual detective jobs: guarding payrolls, tailing possible suspects, conducting stakeouts, and protecting clients with valuables. He was fired when he lost track of a diamond salesman he was supposed to be protecting.

THIS EPISODE:
 
August 3, 1954. NBC network. "For Love Of Murder". Sustaining. Barrie bails out ofjail a Damon Runyon type. He turns out to be broken-hearted and possibly a murderer. William Gargan, Barney Phillips, Herb Ellis, Tom McKee, Barbara Fuller, Gloria Ann Simpson, John Roeburt (writer), Edward King (announcer), Arthur Jacobson (director). 23:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Philo Vance - "The Blue Lady Murder Case" (09-14-48)

The Blue Lady Murder Case (Aired November 21, 1946)

INTRO: Bob Plays Barry Manilow "Can't Smile Without You" (1978)

Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s. Vance, in the original books, is an intellectual so highly refined he seems he might be ghostwritten by P. G. Wodehouse. Take this quote from The Benson Murder Case, 1924, as Vance pontificates in his inimitable way: "That's your fundamental error, don't y' know. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actu'lly at work, is wholly incons'quential." Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. Jose Ferrer played him in 1945. From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman.

THIS EPISODE:

November 21, 1946. Program #10. Mutual net origination, Ziv syndication. "The Blue Lady Murder Case". Commercials added locally. A tough lady-gangster takes over the rackets, with a style all her own. Jackson Beck, Joan Alexander, S. S. Van Dine (creator), Jeanne K. Harrison (director), Henry Sylvern (organist). 26:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Broadway Is My Beat - "The Georgia Gray Murder Case" (04-28-51)

The Georgia Gray Murder Case (Aired April 28, 1951)

INTRO: Bob Plays Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" (1983)

Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. 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 Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world."

THIS EPISODE:

April 28, 1951. "The Georgia Gray Murder Case" - CBS network. Sustaining. Georgia Gray has been knifed in a taxi dance ballroom. She was killed by a guy who bought $5 worth of tickets Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis, Joe Walters (announcer), Jack Kruschen, Tony Barrett, Frances Chaney, Martha Wentworth, Lawrence Dobkin, Joy Terry, Leo Cleary, Junius Matthews, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Larry Thor, Charles Calvert. 30:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes - "The Serpent God" (03-14-48)

The Serpent God (Aired March 14, 1948)

INTRO: Bob Plays Nat King Cole "Unforgetabe" (1952)

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A brilliant London-based detective, Holmes is famous for his intellectual prowess, and is renowned for his skillful use of deductive reasoning (somewhat mistakenly so called — see inductive reasoning) and astute observation to solve difficult cases. He is arguably the most famous fictional detective ever created, and is one of the best known and most universally recognisable literary characters in any genre. Conan Doyle wrote four novels and fifty-six short stories that featured Holmes. All but four stories are narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson; two are narrated by Holmes himself, and two others are written in the third person.

THIS EPISODE:
 
March 14, 1948. Mutual network, WOR, New York aircheck. "The Adventure Of The Serpent God".  Sponsored by: Clipper Craft Clothes. Unrest among the community of Hindus in London is being caused by none other than evil Dr. Moriarty. Charles Penman, Barry Thompson, Arthur Conan Doyle (creator), John Stanley, Alfred Shirley, Edith Meiser (writer), Basil Loughrane (producer, director), Hal Reid (sound effects), Don Williamson (engineer), Albert Buhrman (music), Cy Harrice (announcer), Michael Fitzmaurice (New York commercial spokesman). 29:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The FBI In Peace & War - "The Bungler" (09-14-55)

The Bungler (Aired September 14, 1955)

The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewis Collins' book, The FBI in Peace and War. The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Adamson and Collins. It aired on CBS from November 25, 1944 to September 28, 1958, it had a variety of sponsors (including Lava Soap, Wildroot Cream-Oil, Lucky Strike, Nescafe and Wrigley's) over the years. In 1955 it was the eighth most popular show on radio, as noted in Time magazine.

THIS EPISODE:
 
September 14, 1955. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Bungler". The story of a bank embezzler and stickup man who couldn't seem to do anything right. Martin Blaine, Don Briggs, Rosemary Rice, Robert Readick, Frederick L. Collins (creator), Betty Mandeville (producer, director). 22:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Mysterious Traveler - "They Who Sleep" (01-06-45)

They Who Sleep (Aired January 6, 1945)

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. 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 6, 1945. Program #55. Mutual network. "They Who Sleep". Sustaining. How to transfer one man's soul into another man's body: your sister Rose is dead? Maurice Tarplin (as "The Traveler"), Henry Sylvern (organist), Phillip Clarke, Gertrude Warner, Jock MacGregor (director), Helen Claire, Robert A. Arthur (writer), David Kogan (writer). 27:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Calling All Cars - "The Army Game" (10-29-36)

The Army Game (Aired October 29, 1936)

Calling All Cars was one of the earliest police shows on the air. It ran from Nov. 29, 1933-Sept. 8, 1939. It’s sponsor was the Rio Grande Oil Company, which is why the show only ran in areas where Rio Grande "cracked" gasoline was sold. The sponsor promoted its "close ties" with police departments in Arizona and Southern California, urging listeners to buy its product for "police car performance" in their own cars. As shows of this nature do it dealt with tracking killers and robbers with a recap of the justice which was enforced. The writer and director was William N. Robson.


THIS EPISODE:
 

October 29, 1936. Program #153. CBS Pacific net (Don Lee network). "The Army Game". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil (Junior Detective Outfit premium). Two men are working a bunco racket, borrowing large sums of money on unknown properties. James E. Davis (host, Chief of The Los Angeles Police Department), Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator), Jesse Rosenquist (dispatcher). 28:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Life Of Riley - "Junior Runs Away" (03-11-45)

Junior Runs Away (Aired March 11, 1945)

 

INTRO: Bob Remembers Cloud 9 "In The Still Of The Night" (1970)

The first Life of Riley radio show was a summer replacement show heard on CBS from April 12, 1941 to September 6, 1941. The CBS program starred Lionel Stander as J. Riley Farnsworth and had no real connection with the more famous series that followed a few years later. The radio program starring William Bendix aired on the ABC Blue Network from January 16, 1944 to June 8, 1945. Then it moved to NBC, where it was broadcast from September 8, 1945 to June 29, 1951. The supporting cast featured John Brown, who portrayed not only undertaker Digger O'Dell but also Riley's co-worker Gillis. Whereas Gillis gave Riley bad information that got him into trouble, Digger gave him good information that "helped him out of a hole," as he might have put it. Brown's lines as the undertaker were often repetitive, including puns based on his profession; but, thanks to Brown's delivery, the audience loved him.

THIS EPISODE:

March 11, 1945. ABC network. Sponsored by: The American Meat Institute. "Junior Runs Away" from home. John Brown, Ken Niles (announcer), Don Bernard (diretor), William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Lou Kosloff (music), Conrad Binyon, Irving Brecher (creator, producer). 29:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Sears Radio Theater - "Two Faces Of Evil" (07-13-79)

Two Faces Of Evil (Aired July 13, 1979)

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

THIS EPISODE:

July 13, 1979 - Sears Radio Theater. Program #115. CBS network. "Two Faces Of Evil". Sponsored by: Sears Roebuck and Company. Mark Trella (writer), Howard Duff (host), Barney Phillips, Howard Culver, Byron Kane, Marvin Miller, Peggy Webber, Fletcher Markle (producer, director). 40:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Alien Worlds - "Time Clash" (07-29-79)

Time Clash (Aired July 29, 1979)

The science fiction show was first syndicated by Watermark Inc. after Lee Hansen was hired as their creative director. After advancing the concept of an action-adventure dramatic radio series, Lee began developing the concept in the fall of 1978. Watermark premiered the first episode, "The Sun Stealers", on January 7, 1979. The series gained popularity thanks to its relatable characters, full symphonic soundtrack, realistic sound effects, high production values and documentary style format. Eventually over 500 US FM radio stations, along with stations in New Zealand and Australia aired the series. Between 1979 and 1980, 26 half-hour programs were broadcast at various times on weekends, where they gained favorable worldwide press acclaim. Alien Worlds was soon heard on a weekly basis by millions of fans and was eventually carried by over 1500 top-rated FM radio stations worldwide. The series' sponsor was Peter Paul, Cadbury which advertised Cadbury Caramello chocolates touting their caramel centers. Four additional episodes were produced but never aired. The show is currently available on Sirius Satellite Radio and on the Alien Worlds website. The series is being developed for 3-D animation for television and DVD release.

The Alan Young Show - "Overdue Rent" (03-28-47)

Overdue Rent (Aired March 28, 1947)

INTRO: Bob P;ays Paul Anka "The Times Of Your Life" (1975)

Young was featured in the film Chicken Every Sunday in 1949, and the television version of The Alan Young Show began the following year. After its cancellation, Young appeared in films, including Androcles and the Lion (1952) and The Time Machine (1960). He appeared in the episode "Thin Ice" of the NBC espionage drama Five Fingers, starring David Hedison. He is best known, however, for Mister Ed, a CBS television show which ran from 1961 to 1966. He played the owner of a talking horse that would talk to no one but him. Young's television guest appearances include The Love Boat, Murder, She Wrote, St. Elsewhere, Coach, Party of Five, The Wayans Bros., Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (Episode: "Sweet Charity", playing Zelda's older love interest), USA High, Hang Time, ER and Maybe It's Me. In 1993, Young recreated his role as Filby for the mini-sequel to George Pal's The Time Machine, reuniting him with Rod Taylor, who played George, the Time Traveller. It was called Time Machine:

THIS EPISODE:

March 28, 1947. "Overdue Rent" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Ipana Toothpaste, Minit-Rub, Vitalis. Alan enters a radio contest to win $75. He has to come up with a formula for a happily married life. Alan Young, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Hans Conried, Charlie Cantor, Jim Backus, Jerry Mann, Veola Vonn, Ruth Perrott, Dick Lane, Al Schwartz (writer), Sherwood Schwartz (writer). 29:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Murder At Midnight - "Death Worshipper" (11-30-46)

Death Worshipper (Aired November 30, 1946)

According to Billboard magazine, talent and production costs for Murder At Midnight averaged about $5000 per program, one of the higher costs of canned, syndicated programming of the era. But the investment shows. And indeed, well into its almost six years of syndication, the series continued to pull respectable audience shares. The talent included well known names such as Lawson Zerbe, Karl Swenson, Berry Kroeger, Lon Clark, Frank Readick, Elspeth Eric, Mandel Kramer, Michael Fitzmaurice, Alfred Shirley, and Raymond Edward Johnson--and his wife, among many other well-respected east coast actors of the era. Anton Leader, later famous for his Television work, directed the series. The writing staff was also top-notch, with names such as Max Erlich, Joe Ruscoll and Robert Newman, among others. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

THIS EPISODE:

November 30, 1946. Program #26. KFI, Los Angeles origination, Cowan syndication, World transcription. "Death's Worshipper". Commercials added locally. A series of brutal murders is connected to a mad devil worshiper. Raymond Morgan (host), Jay Williams (writer), Anton M. Leader (director), Fess Johnson, Carl Emory, Charles Paul (organist), Louis G. Cowan (producer). 28:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Theater Five - "Point Of Impact" (03-24-65)

Point Of Impact (Aired March 24, 1965)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Vogues "Till" (1968)

Theater Five was ABC's attempt to revive radio drama during the early 1960s. The series name was derived from its time slot, 5:00 PM. Running Monday through Friday, it was an anthology of short stories, each about 20 minutes long. News programs and commercials filled out the full 30 minutes. There was a good bit of science fiction and some of the plots seem to have been taken from the daily newspaper. Fred Foy, of The Lone Ranger fame, was an ABC staff announcer in the early 60s, who, among other duties, did Theater Five.

THIS EPISODE:

March 24, 1965. Program #168. ABC network. "Point Of Impact". Commercials deleted. A missile with an atomic bomb warhead is heading towards an army base, but in an unihabited area! The program has an interesting surprise ending. Alexander Vlas Datsenko (composer), Ed Blainey (sound technician), Fred Foy (announcer), Glenn Osser (conductor), Jack C. Wilson (preparer), Joan Lovejoy, Larry Robinson, Lee Bowman, Marty Folia (audio engineer), Michael A. Hanou (? writer), Neal Pultz (audio engineer), Ralph Camargo (narrator), Robert Dryden, Stan Watt, Warren Somerville (director). 20:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

You Are There - "The Woman's Rights Convention" (06-11-50)

The Woman's Rights Convention (Aired June 18, 1950)

You Are There is an American historical educational television and radio series broadcast over the CBS Radio and CBS Television networks. reated by Goodman Ace for CBS Radio, it blended history with modern technology, taking an entire network newsroom on a figurative time warp each week reporting the great events of the past. Reporters included John Charles Daly, Don Hollenbeck and Richard C. Hottelet. The series was first heard on July 7, 1947 under the title CBS Is There. Its final broadcast was on March 19, 1950 under the title You Are There.

THIS EPISODE:

June 18, 1950. CBS network. "The Woman's Rights Convention". Sustaining. The events of September 7, 1853. The start of a campaign for the right vote and equal rights for women. Sam Abelow (producer), Werner Mishel (documentary unit supervisor), Irving Gitlin (script editor), Minerva Pious, Grace Matthews, Don Hollenbeck, Ned Calmer, Jane Lyon (writer), Peter Lyon (writer), Mitchell Grayson (director), Bill Leonard, Larry LeSueur, Amanda Randolph, Guy Sorel, Ruth Yorke, Lesley Woods, Charles Webster, Burford Hampden. 29:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Molle Mystery Theater - Make No Mistake (04-30-48)

Make No Mistake (Aired April 30, 1948)

Although Molle Mystery Theatre was initially sponsored by Molle Shaving Cream, other sponsors (such as Bayer Aspirin, Ironized Yeast, Phillips Milk of Magnesia) also sponsored the program. Sometimes, when it was not sponsored by Molle, the program was called "Mystery Theater". The show was first heard on NBC, on 9/7/43. Time slot was originally Sunday nights at 9:00 PM, but was later moved to Tuesday at 9:00 PM, and Friday at 10:00 PM. In 1948, the show moved to CBS (Tues, 8:00 PM), and in 1951, it moved to ABC, where it was called "Mark Sabre", and heard on Wednesdays at either 8:00 PM or 9:30 PM. The shows were tight and tension filled, with a fine orchestra score and solid production values. Classic tales from well-known authors, as well as modern unknowns were presented, and the endings were often twists or shockers.

THIS EPISODE:
 
April 30, 1948. NBC network. "Make No Mistake". Sponsored by: Molle, Double Danderine, Ironized Yeast. A blackmailer tries to extort $10,000 from the owner of a diner and his faithless wife. There's a surprise ending. Alan Baxter, Bernard Lenrow (host, as "Geoffrey Barnes"), Dan Seymour (announcer), George Putnam (announcer). 30:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Nick Carter Master Detective - "The Case Of The Persistant Beggars" (01-26-47)

Nick Carter Master Detective - "The Case Of The Persistant Beggars" (01-26-47)

INTRO: Bob Remembers Heat Wave "Always And Forever" (1976) 

Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955.

THIS EPISODE:
O
January 26, 1947. Mutual network. "The Case f The Persistent Beggars". Sponsored by: Old Dutch Cleanser, Del Rich Margarine. The panhandlers of the city are unionized...and controlled by crooks! Lon Clark. 29:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Milton Berle Show - "A Salute To Baseball" (04-20-49)

A Salute To Baseball (Aired April 20, 1949)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody" (1965)

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

THIS EPISODE:

April 20, 1949. ABC network. Sponsored by: Texaco. "A Salute To Baseball." Milton calls a baseball game as an Englishman, a Frenchman and a Chinaman. Milton takes his son to Ebbets Field. The program is also known as, "The Milton Berle Show." Milton Berle, Frank Gallop, Pert Kelton, Jack Albertson, Arnold Stang, Al Kelly, Charles Irving, Jacqueline Susann, John Gibson, Kay Armen, Allen Roth and His Orchestra, Alan Reed. 27:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Saint - "The Corpse Said Ouch" (08-06-50)

The Corpse Said Ouch (Aired August 6, 1950)

The Saint first came to radio in 1940, with American produced programs starting in 1945. While not the first actor to bring Templar to life over the air, it was surprisingly (at least to me) Vincent Price who played the role for the longest period, from 1947 until 1951. Knowing Price for his screen persona, it is odd at first to hear him doing this wise-cracking and lighthearted rogue. Some episodes in the Radio Spirit collection are almost slapstick, with Price being hit over the head, slapped and even thrown overboard in a single episode. It’s apparent that Price is having fun with the show, possibly as it allows him to play the handsome leading man rather than the darker heavies he was already beginning to be known for on screen. Show Notes From shotsshack.blogspot.com

THIS EPISODE:
 
August 6, 1950. NBC network. "The Corpse Said Ouch". Sustaining. Frances Blake visits "The Saint" in the middle of the night. It seems she's dead! At least, there's a dead woman that closely resembles her who's wearing her coat. The story is also known as, "Dead Girl's Diamonds." Vincent Price, Louis Vittes (writer), James L. Saphier (producer), Helen Mack (director), Vaughn Dexter (music), Don Stanley (announcer), Shirley Mitchell, Veola Vonn, Lou Merrill, Tony Barrett, Jack Moyles, Lawrence Dobkin. 29:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.