21st Precinct - The Shooting Gallery (9-29-53)

The Shooting Gallery (Aired September 29, 1953)

INTRO: Bob Plays Daryl Hall & John Oates "Shes Gone" (1973)

21st Precinct was one of the realistic police drama series of the early- to mid-1950's that were aired in the wake of Dragnet. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to-day operation of a single police precinct. Actual cases were used as the basis for stories. "21st Precinct.., It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the nine-tenths of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the East River wouldn't know, if you asked them, that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their persons, their homes, and their property is the job of the men of the 21st."

THIS EPISODE:
 
September 29, 1953. "The Shooting Gallery" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. A young drug user tries to kick the habit by making a false alarm so he can go "cold turkey" in jail. Everett Sloane, Lawson Zerbe, Raymond Edward Johnson, Ken Lynch, Robert Readick, Gaylord Avery (announcer). 25:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Archie Andrews - "Archie The Babysitter" (05-27-51)

Archie The Babysitter (Aired May 27, 1951)

Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, a long-run radio series, a syndicated comic strip and animation -- The Archie Show, a Saturday morning cartoon television series by Filmation, plus Archie's Weird Mysteries. Archie Andrews began on the Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC from 1945 until September 5 1953. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen, Jack Grimes and Burt Boyar, with Bob Hastings as the title character during the NBC years.The sponsor was Swift Products. The Cast: Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Arthur Kohl, Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice. Jughead Jones has been Archie's best friend ever since childhood. When Jughead first came to Riverdale, he was in a bad mood and tended to dismiss Archie. However, Archie, of good heart, tried to cheer up Jughead and the two have been inseparable ever since. Jughead wears a trademark "clubhouse beanie" (a Depression-era style of makeshift hatwear, crafted from an inverted fedora with a scallop-cut brim, and decorated with assorted pinbacks) and an inscrutable, closed-eyelid expression.

Box 13 - "The Clay Pigeon" (08-07-49)

The Clay Pigeon (Aired August 7, 1949)

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

THIS EPISODE:

August 7, 1949. Program #51. Mutual network origination, Mayfair syndication. "The Clay Pigeon". Commercials added locally. A mysterious man has Dan Holiday mention a name to an occult doctor, which nearly scares him to death. Alan Ladd, Richard Sanville (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Russell Hughes (writer), Sylvia Picker, Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 26:58. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Crime Does Not Pay - "A Piece Of Rope" (12-05-49)

A Piece Of Rope (Aired December 5, 1949)

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

THIS EPISODE:
 
December 5, 1949. Program #9. MGM syndication. "A Piece Of Rope". Commercials added locally. Dukie Defore works for a "service" business that murders people on contract...and Dukie always kills with a rope! 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. Cameron Mitchell, Ira Marion (writer), Marx B. Loeb (director), Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Bob Williams (announcer). 26:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Damon Runyon Theater - "For A Pal" (02-13-49)

For A Pal (Aired February 13, 1949)

INTRO: Bob Plays Kenny Rogers Live "Lady" (1980) #1 Hit

Broadcast from January to December 1949, "The Damon Runyon Theater" dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories for radio. Damon Runyon (October 4, 1884 – December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. He spun tales of gamblers, petty thieves, actors and gangsters; few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead to be known as "Nathan Detroit", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charlie", "Dave the Dude", and so on. These stories were written in a very distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions.

THIS EPISODE:

February 13, 1949 - Program #7. Mayfair syndication. "For A Pal". Commercials added locally. The story of the friendship of Little Joey and Blind Benny, and how a doll came between them. Damon Runyon (author), John Brown, Richard Sanville (director), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 26:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Crime Classics - "The Tiger & Brad Ferguson" (03-10-54)

 

 

INTRO: Bob Plays The Skyliners "Pennies From Heaven" (1959)
 

 

The Tiger & Brad Ferguson (Aired March 10, 1954)

Crime Classics was a United States radio docudrama which aired as a sustaining series over CBS from June 15, 1953, to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was a historical true crime series, examining crimes and murders from the past. It grew out of Lewis' personal interest in famous murder cases and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration. The crimes dramatized generally covered a broad time and place frame from ancient Greece to late 19th-century America. Each episode in the series was co-written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, in consultation with Lewis, although the scripting process was more a matter of research, as the stories were "adapted from the original court reports and newspaper accounts" or from the works of historians. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli.

 
THIS EPISODE:

Crime Classics. March 10, 1954. CBS net origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "New Hampshire: The Tiger and Brad Ferguson, What Happened Then". Sustainng. An excellent drama about a man who owns a carnival and drinks too much. Excellent production techniques, including one transition that really stands out. A phonograph record slowing down turns into a growl of the tiger. Lamont Johnson, Jeanne Bates, Jack Kruschen, Mary Jane Croft, Parley Baer, Paula Winslowe, John Dehner, Lou Merrill (host), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Bob Lemond (announcer). 28:08. Episode Notes From The Radio
Gold Index. Cat# 113538.

The New Adventures Of Michael Shayne - The Case Of The Eager Victim (12-09-48)

The Case Of The Eager Victim (Aired December 9, 1948)

It was perhaps The New Adventures of Michael Shayne that was the most jarring of all Michael Shayne's incarnations. Bill Rousseau's image of Michael Shayne was more after the pattern of Jack Webb's characterizations of Pat Novak for Hire, or Johnny Madero, Pier 23--but amp'd up about 150% in the process. From some seventeen potential candidates, Rousseau felt that Jeff Chandler was the natural pick over his peers. Chandler could both amp up the electricity of Shayne's character and raise the introductory prologues about 10 decibels, as well as completely reinventing Michael Shayne in Chandler's own mold.Chandler was aided by no less than Jack Webb himself, who'd already collaborated often with Bill Rousseau in several projects and who leant his talent to the New Adventures of Michael Shayne--entirely uncredited.

THIS EPISODE:

December 9, 1948. Broadcaster's Guild syndication, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Case Of The Eager Victim". A man walks into Shayne's office with $1000 and a request to kill him. These syndicated programs were recorded 1948 to 1950. Jeff Chandler, Jack Webb, Raymond Burr, William P. Rousseau (host, director), Brett Halliday (creator), John Duffy (composer, conductor), Don W. Sharpe (producer). 25:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Avenger - "The Department Of Death" (09-14-45)

The Department Of Death (Aired September 14, 1945)

The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared from 1939 to 1942 in The Avenger magazine, published by Street and Smith Publications. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine from 1942 to 1943, and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. Newly-written adventures were commissioned and published by Warner Brother's Paperback Library from 1973 to 1974. The Avenger was a pulp hero who combined elements of Doc Savage and The Shadow though he was never as popular as either of these characters. The authorship of the pulp series was credited by Street and Smith to Kenneth Robeson, the same byline that appeared on the Doc Savage stories. The "Kenneth Robeson" name was a house pseudonym used by a number of different Street & Smith writers. Most of the original Avenger stories were written by Paul Ernst.

THIS EPISODE:
 
September 14, 1945. Program #15. Michelson syndication. "The Department Of Death". Music fill for local commercial insert. The night watchman of a department store is found dead at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Charles Michelson (producer), Walter Gibson (writer), Ruth Braun (writer), Gilbert Braun (writer), James Monks, Helen Adamson, Alyn Edwards (announcer), Doc Whipple (organist). 27:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dangerous Assignment - "Lost Troop Movement Document" (08-02-50)

Lost Troop Movement Document (Aired August 2, 1950)

This thirty-minute international spy adventure featured Steve Mitchell (Brian Donlevy), and investigator of crimes in exotic locations. Herb Butterfield played the Commissioner and Betty Moran was the Commissioner's secretary. Other cast members were GeGe Pearson, Ken Peters, Betty Lou Gerson, Dan O’Herlihy. The director was Bill Cairn and the writer for the series was Robert Ryf. The opening was the same every week “Yeah, danger is my assignment. I get sent to a lot of places I can’t even pronounce. They all spell the same thing though, trouble.” He would be summoned to his boss’s office where he would be given his assignment; he would then fly halfway across the globe to save the day! The worldwide locations are dealt up with a feeling of local, and the characters that inhabit these far-away places with strange sounding names are solid and capably acted by veterans.
 
THIS EPISODE:
 
August 2, 1950. "Lost Troop Movement Document" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Wheaties. Steve Mitchell is sent to the U. S. consulate in Vienna to recover documents that have been stolen. Brian Donlevy, Frank Martin (commercial spokesman), Ed Prentiss (commercial spokesman), Luke Apling (who praises Wheaties when interviewed by Ed Prentiss), Robert Ryf (writer), Basil Adlam (music), Bill Cairn (producer, director), Ralph Hollenbeck (conductor), William Conrad. 27:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Duffy's Tavern - "Christmas Show With Monty Woolley aka: Christmas Carol" (12-21-43)

 

 

INTRO: Bob Plays Kenny Williams "Old Fashion Christmas" (1973)
 

Early in the show's life, however, its name was changed — first to Duffy's and, for four episodes, Duffy's Variety. A staffer for Bristol-Myers -- whose Ipana toothpaste was the show's early sponsor—persuaded the company's publicity director to demand the name change because the original title promoted "the hobby of drinking" too much for certain sensibilities. Bristol-Myers eventually admitted the staffer had little to go on other than a handful of protesting letters, and to the delight of fans who never stopped using the original name, anyway — the original title was restored permanently. The name change was often subverted by the Armed Forces Radio Network. Radio's Duffy's Tavern didn't translate well to film or television. Burrows and Matt Brooks collaborated on the screenplay for the 1945 film, Ed Gardner's Duffy's Tavern, in which Archie (with regulars Eddie and Finnegan) was surrounded by a throng of Paramount Pictures stars playing themselves, including Robert Benchley, William Bendix, Eddie Bracken, Bing Crosby, Cass Daley, Brian Donlevy, Paulette Goddard, Betty Hutton, Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and Dorothy Lamour.

THIS EPISODE:

December 21, 1943. Blue network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Archie tries to talk "Guest Monty Woolley" into playing the role of Santa Claus. The script was used on on the "Duffy's Tavern" program of December 22, 1950. Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Monty Woolley, Bert Reeves and His Orchestra, Charlie Cantor, Bob Graham (vocal), Dick Van Patten (as Finnegan's kid brother), John Roche (producer, director), Jack Bailey (announcer), Sandra Gould (as "Miss Duffy"). 29:47. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Crime Club - "Mr. Smith's Hat" (01-23-47)

Mr. Smith's Hat (Aired January 22, 1947)

The Crime Club was a series of 30-minute murder mystery stories adapted for radio by Stedman Coles or Wyllis Cooper from based on and featuring some of the stories from the Doubleday Crime Club books. Crime Club was broadcast by Mutual and produced and directed by Roger Bower. The post war stories were by various different authors and adapted for radio by among others Stedman Coles and Wyllis Cooper (writer of Lights Out and Quiet Please). The narrator played by Barry Thomson is the supposed curator of the Crime Club library. He speaks to the listener as if they have just arrived or phoned and requested one of the Club's books.

THIS EPISODE:

January 22, 1947. Mutual network. "Mr. Smith's Hat". Sustaining. A man calls the police to say he's going to be murdered. Ten seconds later, the man's daughter calls to say she just found the body. Roger Bower (producer, director), Elaine Kent, Raymond Edward Johnson, William Podmore, Eleanor Phelps, Paul Hammond, Shirling Oliver, Barry Thomson, Helen Riley (author), Stedman Coles (adaptor). 29:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Maisie - "Las Vegas" (04-05-51)

Las Vegas (Aired April 5, 1951)

Maisie, the first in 1939, was from the book "Dark Dame" by the writer Wilson Collison,who did decades of scripting for the silver screen along with Broadway plays and magazine fiction. From the first, MGM wanted Ann Sothern to play Maisie. She began in Hollywood as an extra in 1927. "Maisie and I were just together - I just understood her," Sothern, born Harriette Arlene Lake, said after several of the films made her a star. Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball, like many performers in Hollywood, had not one but two careers - one in motion pictures and one on radio.  MGM Studios had created the series of ten motion pictures based on a brash blonde with a heart "of spun gold." Sothern, due in great part to the Maisie films type-casting, would ultimately admit she was "a Hollywood princess, not a Hollywood queen." But in its time, the Maisie series in film and on radio made her known and loved the world over.

THIS EPISODE:

April 5, 1951. " Las Vegas" - Program #60. MGM syndication. Commercials added locally. Maisie becomes the Las Vegas good luck charm of an Indian gambler/gangster (named "Nick The Creek!"). The program has also been identified as program #72. The date above is the date of first broadcast on WMGM, New York City. Ann Sothern, Arthur Q. Bryan, Hans Conried, Harry Zimmerman (composer, conductor), Jack McCoy (announcer), Joan Banks, John L. Green (writer), Peter Leeds, William Conrad. 28:01.

Life With Luigi - Luigi Needs Drivers License (02-27-49)

Luigi Needs Drivers License (Aired February 27, 1949)

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

THIS EPISODE:
 
February 27, 1949. "Luigi Needs Drivers License" - CBS network. Sustaining. Luigi wants a driver's license. J. Carrol Naish, Alan Reed, Cy Howard (creator, producer), Mac Benoff (writer, director), Lou Derman (writer), Hans Conried, Mary Shipp, Joe Forte, Ken Peters, Jody Gilbert, Lyn Murray (music director). 29:43. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Best Plays - The Philadelphia Story (08-17-52)

The Philadelphia Story (Aired August 17, 1952)

Best Plays was another of the prestigious sustaining productions of the NBC Presents family of presentations from the National Broadcasting Company which, over the years, had presented numerous consistently rich, high-production value series' of NBC-produced and financed dramatic productions. Announced almost six weeks previously, NBC decided to wait until the summer of 1952 to introduce the series as a summer replacement for their Theater Guild series. And indeed, the series was so well received as a summer series that NBC extended the franchise for another full year season. Where this production differed was in presenting 20th Century, award winning Stage Plays exclusively. The common demoninator for the selections were, for the most part, their previous identification by the New York Drama Critics' Circle as a 'Best Play' of the season. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.
 
THIS EPISODE:
 
August 17, 1952. NBC network. "The Philadelphia Story". Sustaining. John Chapman (host), Philip Barry (author), Joan Alexander, Betty Furness, Myron McCormick, Vera Allen, Robert Tallman (adaptor), Joseph Curtin, Karl Weber, William Quinn, Denise Alexander, Edwin Jerome, Gene Leonard, William Welch (supervisor), Edward King (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 55:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Beyond Midnight - "The Green Vase" (1968)

The Green Vase (1968) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

 INTRO: Bob Plays Marvin Rainwater " So You Think You Have Troubles" (1957)

This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa. It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings!

The Clock - "A Helping Hand" (12-29-46)

A Helping Hand (Aired December 29, 1946)

INTRO: Bob Plays The School Boys "Please Say You Want Me To) (1956)

The Clock was a mix  of the traditional crime drama and the supernatural dramas of the previous fifteen years. One or the other of the two genres had been traditionally popular formats throughout the Golden Age of Radio era. To its credit, ABC gave The Clock all the time it needed to create an audience. It kept the series in pretty much the same timeslot throughout its seventy-eight episode run, maintained reasonably high standards of talent--both in front of and behind, the mike--and simply waited to see what developed. NBC, by contrast was fairly brutal in its approach to new programming: if it didn't attract a sponsor by the magical thirteenth installment, NBC moved it all over the Radio dial on the slightest programming whim, in an effort to find either a home, an audience, or a sponsor for it. The Clock might well have found a larger audience had ABC had either the budget or resolve to promote it. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli.

THIS EPISODE:

December 29, 1946. Grace Gibson syndication, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "A Helping Hand". Participating sponsors. A man and a woman pick up an apparently homicidal maniac while driving on a deserted highway. WRVR rebroadcast date: July 13, 1973. The date above is the date of this program's broadcast on ABC. The date and story title are subject to correction. Charles Tingwell, Harp McGuire, John Sahl (director), Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Owen Weingart, Ozzie Wendlin, Wendy Clayfair. 24:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

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

Debt Of The Past (Aired January 16, 1942)

 INTRO: Bob Plays Dean Martin "Baby It's Cold Outside" (1959)

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.

Dragnet - "Big Blast" (05-17-51)

The Big Blast (Aired May 17, 1951)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Penguins "Earth Angel" (Will You Be Mine) 1954

Dragnet was a long running radio and television police procedural drama, about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a Dragnet, meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Dragnet was perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in American media history. The series gave millions of Americans a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of real life police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media.

THIS EPISODE:
 
May 17, 1951. Program #101. NBC network. "The Big Blast". Sponsored by: Fatima. The program begins "Fatima is proud to present its Academy Award winning radio show" (the motion picture "Academy" never gave awards for radio programs!). Josephine Stevens has been murdered with a shotgun, as her seven-year-old boy watched! A well written, good show! Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough. 28:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Bonanza - "Gift Of Water" (02-11-62)

Bonanza chronicled the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by wise widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (played by Lorne Greene). He had three biological sons, each by a different wife: the oldest was the intelligent and moody Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts); the second was the fun and lovable Eric, better known to viewers by his middle name: "Hoss" (Dan Blocker); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). The family's cook was the Chinese immigrant Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung). The family lived on a thousand-square-mile ranch called "The Ponderosa", on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada; the name refers to the Ponderosa Pine, common in the West.

THIS EPISODE:

Febuary 11, 1962. "Gift Of Water" - A drought has ravaged the flat lands and Hoss stops to water at the Ganther farm where Jason Ganther is attempting to dig a well and get to water which he believes is just a few further feet down. Hoss decides to help him and they begin drilling for water. Meanwhile ranchers in the high country have started up a vigilante group to keep families from leaving the flat lands and settling in the high country where water is plentiful. Disgusted by the vigilantes the entire Cartwright family soon begins helping the Ganthers. Tensions mount between the two groups as the Cartwrights race against time to find the water before violence erupts. Director: Jesse Hibbs. Writer:Borden Chase. Stars: Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts and Dan Blocker.

I Was A Communist For The FBI - "Red Clouds On The Good Earth" (07-13-52)

Red Clouds On The Good Earth (Aired July 13, 1952)

INTRO:  Bob Plays Johnny Mathis It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (1958)

Throughout most of the 1940's, Matt Cvetic worked as a volunteer undercover agent for the FBI, infiltrating the Communist Party in Pittsburgh. In 1949, his testimony helped to convict several top Party members of conspiracy to overthrow the U.S. government. Cvetic sold his account to "The Saturday Evening Post" and it was serialized under the title "I Posed as a Communist for the FBI". It later became a best-selling book. In 1951, Warner Brothers released a film based on these accounts entitled "I Was A Communist For The FBI", starring with Frank Lovejoy as Cvetic. In 1952, in the midst of the Red scare of the 1950's, the Frederick W. Ziv Company produced the syndicated radio series with the same title as the movie. It was produced without assistance from the FBI.

THIS EPISODE:

July 13, 1952. Program #16. ZIV Syndication. "Red Clouds On The Good Earth". Commercials added locally. Cvetic is ordered to pose as a farm implement salesman and subvert the future farmers of our country. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer), Henry Hayward (director), David Rose (music). 27:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Campbell Playhouse - "Showboat" (03-31-39)

Showboat (Aired March 31, 1939)

The Campbell Playhouse was a sponsored continuation of the Mercury Theater on the Air, a direct result of the instant publicity from the War of the Worlds panic. The switch occurred on December 9, 1938. In spite of using the same creative staff, the show had a different flavor under sponsorship, partially attributed to a guest star policy in place, which relegated the rest of the Mercury Players to supporting cast for Orson Welles and the Hollywood guest of the week. There was a growing schism between Welles, still reaping the rewards of his Halloween night notoriety, and his collaborator John Houseman, still in the producer's chair but feeling more like an employee than a partner. The writer, as during the unsponsored run, was Howard Koch.

THIS EPISODE:

March 31, 1939. CBS network. "Show Boat". Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. Edna Ferber, the author, also makes her acting debut in the story and speaks about her novel after the drama. The classic about love on the Mississippi features Helen Morgan in the role she made famous (and that made her famous). Edna Ferber (author), Ernest Chappell (announcer), Everett Sloane, Grace Cotten, Helen Morgan, Margaret Sullavan, Orson Welles (host), Ray Collins (narrator), William Johnstone. 58:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

You Bet Your Live - "The Secret Word Is "Dress" (06-07-50)

The Secret Word Is "Dress" (Aired June 7, 1950)

You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The most well-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in 1949 before making the transition to the NBC Radio and NBC-TV networks in October 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show simultaneously on the radio and on television. In 1960, the show was renamed The Groucho Show and ran a further year. After a radio appearance with Bob Hope, in which Marx ad-libbed most of his performance after being forced to stand by in a waiting room for 40 minutes before going on the air, John Guedel, the program's producer, formed an idea for a quiz show and approached Marx about the subject. After initial reluctance by Marx, Guedel was able to convince him to host the program after Marx realized the quiz would be only a backdrop for his contestant interviews, and the storm of ad-libbing that they would elicit.

The Amazing Mr. Malone - "Hard Work Never Killed Anyone" (06-22-51)

Hard Work Never Killed Anyone (Aired June 22, 1951)

Based on Craig Rice’s (a female crime novelist who rivaled Agatha Christie in book sales) novels of crime drama, Frank Lovejoy (and later Gene Raymond and George Petrie) plays “fiction’s most famous criminal lawyer,” John J. Malone. Mr. Malone is our amazing hero, a Chicago lawyer whose bar is more famous than Cheers. His hobby is collecting clichés, and each weeks show is based off of one: cleanliness is next to Godliness, a strong offense is the best defense, seek and ye shall find, and so on. Stories are gripping.

THIS EPISODE:
 
June 22, 1951. NBC network. "Hard Work Never Killed Anyone". Sustaining. Danny Braden tries a little blackmail on a former wife and gets a bullet for his trouble. George Petrie, Larry Haines, Craig Rice (creator), Eugene Wang (writer), Richard Lewis (director), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Fred Collins (announcer). 29:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Roy Rogers Show" - Seven Arrows (10-16-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Roy Rogers Show" 

Seven Arrows (Aired October 16, 1952)

 

INTRO: Bob Plays Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994)

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

THIS EPISODE:

October 16, 1952. "Seven Arrows" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Post Cereals. Roy's Indian friends are framed for deer poaching by a renegade Indian agent and his arrow-shooting henchman. Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Pat Brady, Frank Hemingway, Herb Butterfield, Charles Seel, Ken Peters, Frank Gerstle, Art Rush (producer), Milton Charles (music), Fran Van Hartesfeldt (writer, director), Art Ballinger (announcer). 26:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Black Museum - Glass Shards (1952)

Glass Shards (1952) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. A number of famous people have visited the musuem including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry Houdini, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Orsen Welles hosted and narrated the shows. Following the opening, Mr. Welles would introduce the museum's item of evidence that was central to the case, leading into the dramatization. He also provided narration during the show and ended each show with his characteristic closing from the days of his Mercury Theater on the Air, 'remaining obediently yours'.
 

THIS EPISODE:

1952. Harry Alan Towers syndication. "Glass Shards". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. A man and his son find an intruder in their apartment. The older man is shot by a small man. Orson Welles, Ira Marion (writer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Harry Alan Towers (producer). 29:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Academy Award Theater - The White Cliffs Of Dover (09-18-46)

The White Cliffs Of Dover (Aired September 18, 1946)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Platters "The Magic Touch" (1957)

The list of films and actors on Academy Award Theater is very impressive. Bette Davis begins the series in Jezebel, with Ginger Rogers following in Kitty Foyle, and then Paul Muni in The Life of Louis Pasteur. The Informer had to have Victor Mclaglen, and the Maltese Falcon, Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet (this movie was his first major motion picutre role) plus Mary Astor for the hat trick. Suspicion starred Cary Grant with Ann Todd doing the Joan Fontaine role, Ronald Coleman in Lost Horizon, and Joan Fontaine and John Lund were in Portrait of Jenny. How Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio were done is something to hear!

THIS EPISODE:

September 18, 1946. CBS network. "The White Cliffs Of Dover". Sponsored by: Squibb. An American woman marries an English peer during the first World War in Britain. Irene Dunne, C. Aubrey Smith.  29:25

Authors Playhouse - Expense Account (10-30-44)

Expense Account (Aired October 30, 1944)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Beetles "Love Me Do" (1963)

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

THIS EPISODE:
 
October 30, 1944. NBC network. "Expense Account". Sustaining. A daring story of the way a team of reporters covers a blimp explosion. Geraldine Kaye, Gilbert Shea, Harry Bubeck (director), Kay Morrow, Louis Webb (organ), Mary C. Quinn (adaptor), Maurice Copeland, Olan Soule, Paul Gallico (author). 23:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Bold Venture - The Mystery Of Mary K (07-09-51)

The Mystery Of Mary K (Aired July 9, 1951)

Bold Venture is a 1951-1952 syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions. Salty seadog Slate Shannon (Bogart) owns a Cuban hotel sheltering an assortment of treasure hunters, revolutionaries and other shady characters. With his sidekick and ward, the sultry Sailor Duval (Bacall), tagging along, he encounters modern-day pirates and other tough situations while navigating the waters around Havana. Aboard his boat, the Bold Venture, Slate and Sailor experience "adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean."

THIS EPISODE:

July 9, 1951. Program #16. ZIV Syndication. "Mystery Of The Mary K". Commercials added locally. Slate Shannon and Sailor find four men in a drifting boat...machine gunned to death. They are in a lifeboat from the "Mary Kay," a ship missing for a year! This program may be Ziv #57. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Jester Hairston, David Rose (composer, conductor), Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Tony Barrett. 25:58. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Life Of Riley - "Gambling Doesn't Pay" (04-27-46)

Gambling Doesn't Pay (Aired April 27, 1946)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Del-Vikings "Whispering Bells" (1957)

The show began as a proposed Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family, but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian. Then producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab company owner Tim McGuerin in the movie The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942). The Flotsam Family was reworked with Bendix cast as blundering Chester A. Riley, riveter at a California aircraft plant, and his frequent exclamation of indignation---"What a revoltin' development this is!"---became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker."Beginning October 4, 1949, the show was adapted for television for the DuMont Television Network, but Bendix's film contracts prevented him from appearing in the role.

THIS EPISODE:
 
April 27, 1946. NBC network. "Gambling Doesn't Pay" - Sponsored by: Teel, Dreft. Riley tries to teach Junior about the evils of gambling, which is not as easy as it sounds! William Bendix, Paula Winslowe, Scotty Beckett, John Brown, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Irving Brecher (producer), Don Bernard (director), Lou Coslowe (music). 29:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Father Knowes Best "Moving To Chicago" (Aired November 5, 1953)

"Moving To Chicago" (Aired November 5, 1953)

 

Father Knows Best, a family comedy of the 1950s, is perhaps more important for what it has come to represent than for what it actually was. In essence, the series was one of a slew of middle-class family sitcoms in which moms were moms, kids were kids, and fathers knew best. Today, many critics view it, at best, as high camp fun, and, at worst, as part of what critic David Marc once labeled the "Aryan melodramas" of the 1950s and 1960s. The brainchild of series star Robert Young, who played insurance salesman Jim Anderson, and producer Eugene B. Rodney, Father Knows Best first debuted as a radio sitcom in 1949.The series began August 25, 1949, on NBC Radio. Set in the Midwest, it starred Robert Young as General Insurance agent Jim Anderson. His wife Margaret was first portrayed by June Whitley and later by Jean Vander Pyl. The Anderson children were Betty (Rhoda Williams), Bud (Ted Donaldson) and Kathy (Norma Jean Nillson).

THIS EPISODE:
 
November 5, 1953. "Moving To Chicago" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Sanka Coffee. Father gets a new job heading the Chicago office. This is not as easy as it sounds! Robert Young, Norma Jean Nilsson, Jean Vander Pyl, Ted Donaldson, Paul West (writer), Bill Forman (announcer), Rhoda Williams, Ben Gershwin (writer). 29:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Abbott & Costello Show - "Sam Shovel Meets The Moonshine"r (03-03-49)

Sam Shovel Meets The Moonshiner (Aired March 3, 1949)

INTRO: Bob Plays Auld Lang Syne - The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin

Abbott and Costello William (Bud) Abbott and Lou Costello (born Louis Francis Cristillo) were an American comedy duo whose work in radio, film and television made them one of the most popular teams in the history of comedy. Thanks to the endurance of their most popular and influential routine, "Who's on First?"---whose rapid-fire word play and comprehension confusion set the preponderant framework for most of their best-known routines---the team are also the only comedians known to have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bud Abbott was born in Asbury Park, NJ, October 2, 1897 and died April 24, 1974 in Woodland Hills, California. Lou Costello was born in Paterson, NJ, March 6, 1906 and died March 3, 1959 in East Los Angeles, California.

THIS EPISODE:
 
March 3, 1949. ABC network. Music fill for local commercial insert. Another "Sam Shovel" case: "Sam Shovel Meets The Moonshiner." The system cue is added live. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Matty Malneck and His Orchestra, Veola Vonn, Hal Winters (vocal), Ed Forman (writer), Paul Conlan (writer), Pat Costello (writer), Martin Ragaway (writer), Leonard Stern (writer), Charles Vanda (producer), George Fenneman (announcer). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Frank Merriwell - "Danger On The River" (03-12-49)

Danger On The River (Aired March 12, 1949)

The character also appears in numerous radio serials and comic books based on the stories. 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. He is really a remarkable freshie."

THIS EPISODE:
 
March 12, 1949. NBC network. "Danger On The River". Sustaining. Two boys fall into an icy river and are trapped on a rock in the middle of the rapids. Frank and Bart to the rescue. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 30:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Walk Softly Peter Troy - "The Second Peter Troy" (03-24-64)

Pandora's Boxer (Aired March 24, 1964)

INTRO: Bob Plays His Anual Christmas Greeting 2022 "The Backstreet Boys (1986)

Walk Softly, Peter Troy Detective Drama Aired on Springbok Radio from 10 December 1963 to 21 February 1964. This series was produced in the Durban Studios of Herrick Merril Productions. It starred Tom Meehan, John Simpson, and Merle Wayne. It was sponsored by Irving & Johnson, who also sponsored the "Gunsmoke" series which "Walk Softly, Peter Troy" replaced. A sequel to this series was heard on the English Radio Service from 19 May 1964 to 28 November 1964. The sponsors, Irving & Johnson, reportedly disliked the series, which is why it was discontinued on Springbok Radio and moved to the English Service. This was the first series on the English Service that came from an independent production house, not produced by the SABC. There was an Australian version of this radio series produced prior to the South African productions.

THIS EPISODE:

March 24, 1964. "Pandora's Boxer (03-24-64)" Program #16. Springbok Radio (South Africa), AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Second Peter Troy". Tom Meehan, Herrick Merril (producer), John Simpson, Merle Wayne. 24:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe - "Red Wind" (06-17-47)

Red Wind (Aired June 17, 1947)

The first portrayal of Philip Marlowe on the radio was by Dick Powell, when he played Raymond Chandler's detective on the Lux Radio Theater on June 11, 1945. This was a radio adaptation of the 1944 movie, from RKO, in which Mr. Powell played the lead. Two years later, Van Heflin starred as Marlowe in a summer replacement series for the Bob Hope Show on NBC. This series ran for 13 shows. On September 26, 1948, Gerald Mohr became the third radio Marlowe, this time on CBS. It remained a CBS show through its last show in 1951.

THIS EPISODE:

June 17, 1947. NBC network. "The Red Wind". Sponsored by: Pepsodent. The first show of the series, as a summer replacement for Bob Hope. The same story was re-done a year later with a different cast. Forty-one matched pearls with a diamond propeller clasp...a good reason for murder! The show is referred to as "The Pepsodent Show." Van Heflin, Lyn Murray (composer, conductor), Raymond Chandler (creator, writer), Milton Geiger (adaptor), Lurene Tuttle, Wendell Niles (announcer), William Conrad, James Fonda (producer, director), William Johnstone, Harry Bartell. 29:30. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Screen Director's Playhouse - "Jackpot" (04-26-51)

Jackpot (Aired April 26, 1951)

From 01/09/49 to 09/28/51 this series was greatly enjoyed by the radio listening audience. It opened as NBC Theater and was also known as The Screen Director’s Guild and The Screen Director’s Assignment. But most people remember it simply as Screen Director’s Playhouse. Many of the Hollywood elite were heard recreating their screen roles over the radio. John Wayne in his rare radio appearances, Cary Grant, Edward G. Robinson, Lucille Ball, Claire Trevor, Tallulah Bankhead and many others were on the air week after week during these broadcasts. Many of Hollywood’s directors were also heard in the recreation of their movies. The President of the Screen Director’s Guild appeared on 02/13/49, and Violinist Isaac Stern supplied the music for the 04/19/51 broadcast.

THIS EPISODE:

April 26, 1951. NBC network. "Jackpot". Sponsored by: RCA, Anacin, Chesterfield. The one hundredth program of the series. The "Name The Mystery Husband" program awards a fabulous "jackpot" to a happily married man...and then his troubles begin! Screen director Walter Lang appears. Anne Diamond, Betty Lou Gerson, Bill Bouchey, Bill Cairn (director), Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dawn Bender, Edward Marr, Edwin Max, Howard Wiley (producer), Jack Rubin (adaptor), Jeffrey Silver, Jerry Hausner, Jim Backus, Jimmy Stewart, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Margaret Truman, Sidney Miller, Stan Waxman, Walter Lang. 1:00:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Cloak & Dagger - "The Trap" (07-09-50)

The Trap (Aired July 9, 1950)

INTRO: Bob Plays Percy Faith "The Theme From A Summer Place" (1959)

Based on the book, Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain, the Radio rendition of these fascinating stories promised to keep any listener perched on the edge of their seat. Apart from describing the book upon which the new adventure series was based, the above is just about all the fanfare that was associated with the roll-out of NBC's only espionage program of the year. It was also one of the few solo productions that Wyllis Cooper undertook for NBC. It was also Cooper's first collaboration with British crime journalist Percy Hoskins, who would work with Cooper yet again on NBC's WHItehall-1212 a year hence.

THIS EPISODE:
 
July 9, 1950. NBC network. "The Trap". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. An O. S. S. operative is sent to a German-occupied town in France to find out if the Nazis really hid re-inforcements in the woods. The spy's abilities as a cartoonist is a definite plus, but his escape from the pursuing Nazis results in a wild flight. Virginia Payne, Raymond Edward Johnson, Karl Weber, Stefan Schnabel, Jerry Jarrett, Ralph Bell, Lotte Stavisky, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Jack Gordon, Jon Gart (music director), Corey Ford (originator), Alistair MacBain (originator), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer), Everett Sloane, Berry Kroeger, Sherman Marks (director, supervisor). 30:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Bulldog Drummond - "Help Wanted" (08-13-45)

Help Wanted (Aired August 13, 1945)

INTRO: Bob Plays Aretha Franklin "I Say A Little Prayer For You" (1967)

The Bulldog Drummond stories followed Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, D.S.O., M.C., a wealthy former WWI officer of the fictional Loamshire Regiment, who, after the war, spends his new-found leisure time as a private detective. Drummond is a proto-James Bond figure and a version of the imperial adventurers depicted by the likes of John Buchan. In terms of the detective genre, the first Bulldog Drummond novel was published after the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Nayland Smith/Fu Manchu novels and Richard Hannay's first three adventures including The Thirty-Nine Steps. The character first appeared in the novel Bulldog Drummond (1920), and this was followed by a lengthy series of books and adaptations for films, radio and television.

THIS EPISODE:

August 13, 1945. Mutual network. "Help Wanted". Music fill for local commercial insert. Captain Drummond is away doing war work, so his valet Denny hires his own valet and solves a murder by himself. 28:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Aldrich Family - "Henry Wants A School Ring" (12-11-47)

Henry Wants A School Ring (Aired December 11, 1947)

INTRO: Bob Plays The Spinners "Heaven On Earth" (1977)

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

THIS EPISODE:

December 11, 1947. "Henry Wants A School Ring" - NBC network origination, Nostalgia Broadcasting Corporation syndication. Commercials added locally. Henry wants a new class ring, which leads to a marriage for Mary, a new house for Mrs. Aldrich, and Henry running away from home! Ezra Stone, Jackie Kelk, Dan Seymour (announcer), Clifford Goldsmith (writer). 27:36.
Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

MOVIE - A Hobo's Christmas (12-06-87) VIDEO

MOVIE - A Hobo's Christmas (12-06-87) VIDEO

 

A Hobo's Christmas (Aired December 6, 1987)

 
It's been 25 years since Chance (Barnard Hughes - The Lost Boys walked out on his family and became a hobo but this Christmas he has rolled into Salt Lake City for a reason, he wants to make amends with his son Charlie (Gerald McRaney - The A-Team) and meet his grand children. Charlie is less than welcoming when he discovers his father is in town but after encouragement from girlfriend Laurie (Wendy Crewson - The Santa Clause 3) allows him to move in for a day which turns into a few days as the children warm to him and don't want him to go. But Charlie and his father have a lot of issues to work through not just with his father as his relationship with Laurie has also stalled because of his feelings for his late wife. Barnard Hughes, Gerald McRaney, Wendy Crewson, William Hickey, Lee Weaver, Jamie Sorrentini, Harley Cross.

Gunsmoke Ep128 Helping Hand (09-27-54)

 

 Gunsmoke Ep128 Helping Hand (09-27-54)

 

The last show of the series sponsored by Chesterfield. The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on March 17, 1956. Matt Dillon went to Fort Larner to collect a return prisoner to hold in Dodge until someone came to collect him for Boston. But it turned out to be a woman, Mrs Phillips and it was her husband that was coming to collect her. Mrs Phillips had been captured on her way to join her husband in Denver and had lived with the Cheyenne Indians for the last 10 years until she managed to escape

The Zero Hour - Double Date To Destiny (06-13-74)

Double Date To Destiny (Aired June 13, 1974)

The Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973-74 radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling.With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program aired in stereo for two seasons. Some of the scripts were written by Serling. Originally placed into syndication on Septermber 3, 1973, the series was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December of that year. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates could broadcast the series in any time slot that they wished. In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series on July 26, 1974. Producer J.M. Kholos was a Los Angeles advertising man who acquired the rights to suspense novels, including Tony Hillerman's The Blessing Way, for radio adaptations. The opening theme music was by Ferrante & Teicher and Don Hill produced the series.

The Whistler - Delayed Christmas Present (12-23-51)

Delayed Christmas Present (Aired December 23, 1951)

INTRO: Bob Plays Bobby Helms "Gingle Bell Rock" (1957)

Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator. Others who portrayed the Whistler at various times were Gale Gordon, Joseph Kearns, Marvin Miller (announcer for The Whistler and The Bickersons and later as Michael Anthony on TV's The Millionaire), Bill Johnstone (who had the title role on radio's The Shadow from 1938 to 1943) and Everett Clarke. Cast members included Hans Conried, Joseph Kearns, Cathy Lewis, Elliott Lewis, Gerald Mohr, Lurene Tuttle and Jack Webb. Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years, and he was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. Of the 692 episodes, over 200 no longer exist. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer.

THIS EPISODE:
 
December 23, 1951. CBS Pacific network. "Delayed Christmas Present". Sponsored by: Signal Oil. The story of a nightclub singer's flight from a gangster, as told in a cheap Panamanian saloon. Betty Lou Gerson, Bill Bouchey, Bill Forman (announcer), Britt Wood (harmonica), Edward Bloodworth (writer), George W. Allen (producer), Marvin Miller, Wilbur Hatch (music), William Conrad. 31:29. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.