Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Damon Runyon Theater "The Brain Goes Home" (4-03-49)

The Brain Goes Home" (Aired April 3, 1949)


The Damon Runyon Theater was a 52 show series that was syndicated across the USA beginning in early 1949. Damon Runyon was a gifted sports writer in New York City as well as being a great journalist and great short story writer. His stories were humorous ones, written in the "dem" and "dose" vernacular of the city's loveable and not so loveable characters of Broadway, the prize ring and the underworld. His most famous collection of short stories, Guys and Dolls, was on Broadway and later made into a movie. Many of his stories were filmed including Sorrowful Jones, A Pocketful of Miracles, Lady for a Day, Blue Plate Special, The Lemon Drop Kid (twice) and Little Miss Marker (four times). In addition to this The Damon Runyon Theater was syndicated for television in the mid 1950s.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Maisie "The Gambler" (4-05-51)

The Gambler (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." 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.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Academy Award Theater "The White Cliffs Of Dover" (9-18-46)

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


The White Cliffs of Dover is one of those overlong MGM wartime films that everyone seems to have seen a part of, but no one can remember the film as a sum total. Based on a poem by Alice Duer Miller, the story chronicles the trials and tribulations of one courageous woman through two world wars. Irene Dunne plays an American girl who, in 1914, falls in love with titled Englishman Alan Marshal. At the end of World War 1 in 1918, it is painfully clear that Marshal will not be returning from the battlefields. Remaining loyal to her husband, Irene vows to raise their child in England. Played by Roddy McDowell in his early scenes, Irene's son grows up to be Peter Lawford. At the outbreak of World War 2, Irene despairs at the thought of losing another loved one, but Lawford convinces her that his dad would have wanted him to answer his country's call to the colors. While working as a Red Cross volunteer, Irene finds that she must tend her own mortally wounded son. Unable to save his life, she is grief-stricken, but is gratified with the notion that neither her husband nor her boy have died in vain. Like many films of its ilk and era, White Cliffs of Dover struck a responsive chord with filmgoers, to the tune of a $4 million profit.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Perry Mason "The Case Of The Runaway Corpse" (11-23-57)

The Case Of The Runaway Corpse (Aired November 23, 1957)


Perry Mason is the longest running lawyer show in American television history. Its original run lasted nine years and its success in both syndication and made-for-television movies confirm its impressive stamina. Mason's fans include lawyers and judges who were influenced by this series to enter their profession. The Mason character was created by mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner and delivered his first brief in the novel The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933). From 1934 to 1937 Warners produced six films featuring Mason. A radio series also based on Mason ran every weekday afternoon on CBS radio from 1944 to 1955 as a detective/soap opera. When the CBS television series was developed as an evening drama, the radio series was changed from Perry Mason to The Edge of Night and the cast renamed so as not to compete against the television series.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Academy Award Theater "Foreign Correspondent" (7-24-46)

Foreign Correspondent (Aired July 24, 1946)


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

THIS EPISODE:
Foreign Correspondent (1940) is another of director Alfred Hitchcock's spy thrillers. It was his second American film (and hired out by David O. Selznick to independent producer Walter Wanger), one that closely resembles his earlier British films: The 39 Steps (1935) and The Lady Vanishes (1937). Originally, the screenplay was based on Vincent Sheean's best-selling autobiographical memoir Personal History, but then it evolved into an original story/screenplay (crafted by screenwriter Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison). (Additional dialogue was added to the screenplay by novelist James Hilton and Robert Benchley and many other uncredited scriptwriters.) It was touted as "The Thrill Spectacle of the Year!"

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Beyond Midnight "Thing In The Cabin 105" (1950)

Thing In The Cabin 105 (1950)


Let us journey “into the land that lies beyond midnight,” into a world of ghost hunters, men going mad, and DEATH DEATH DEATH! Written by the masterful Michael McCabe, these well-done South African radio shows will capture your attention and keep you up listening to them well beyond midnight. 1950

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Black Museum "A Can Of Weed Killer" (1951)

A Can Of Weed Killer (1951) *Exact Date Is Unknown


Orson Welles hosted and narrated the shows. Mr. Welles opened each show slightly differently but followed a standard format. For example, the show, "The Bathtub", open as follows:"This is Orson Welles speaking from London." (Big Ben starts chiming in the background). "The Black Museum, repository of death... Here, in this grim stone structure on the Thames which houses Scotland Yard, is a warehouse of homocide, where everyday objects, a piece of wire, a chemist's flask, a silver shilling, all are touched by murder." (dramatic music) Following the opening, Mr. Welles would introduce the museum's item or items 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 of the Air, remaining "obediently yours".
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Curtain Time "Inside The Line" (12-02-38)

Inside The Line (Aired December 2, 1938)


Curtain Time, like First Nighter, presented romantic drama in a theater setting complete with the announcer shouting, “Tickets please, thank you”. The shows announcer was Harry Halcomb who was later known best for his appearances on the 60 minutes television show. Great scripts and superb acting, Curtain Time is truly an Old Time Radio Classic.




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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Gangbusters "2 Episodes (3-28-41) (7-14-44)"

"The Case Of The Nickle & Dime Bandits" (Aired March 21, 1944) and "The Case Of The Costumed Killer" (Aired July 14, 1944)


Gang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935. After the title was changed to Gang Busters January 15, 1936, the show had a 21-year run through November 20, 1957. Beginning with a barrage of loud sound effects — guns firing and tires squealing — this intrusive introduction led to the popular catch phrase "came on like Gang Busters."The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes "2 Episodes (2-24-47 and (3-10-47)"

"The Horseless Carriage (Aired February 24, 1947) and "Affair Of The Ancient Egyptian Curse (Aired March 10, 1947)


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 born 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 - 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 were narrated by Holmes' friend and biographer, Dr. John H. Watson, two having been narrated by Holmes himself, and two others written in the third person. The first two stories, short novels, appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual for 1887 and Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890. The character grew tremendously in popularity with the beginning of the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine in 1891; further series of short stories and two serialized novels appeared almost right up to Conan Doyle's death in 1930. The stories cover a period from around 1878 up to 1903, with a final case in 1914.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - It's A Crime Mr Collins "Rockabye Murder" (1956)

Rockabye Murder (1956)


It's A Crime Mr. Collins. 1956. Mutual net origination, syndicated. "Rockabye Murder". Commercials added locally. Mr. Collins finds himself Mayor-for-a-day in a small town out west...and he finds murder too! The date is approximate. Mandel Kramer, Gail Collins, Richard Denning. 25 minutes.




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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Theater Guild On The Air "Jacobowsky & The Colonel" (9-16-45)

Jacobowsky & The Colonel (Aired September 16, 1945)


Jacobowsky and the Colonel (adapted by S. N. Behrman from a play by Franz Werfel; produced by the Theater Guild in association with Jack H. Skirball) uses one of the grimmest moments of the war—the fall of France—for half-satiric, half-fantastic comedy. Its comic thesis is that flight from the Nazis makes strange carfellows. A swaggering, snooty Polish colonel with "a perfect 15th-Century mind" (well played by Louis Calhern) and a rueful, humorous, clever Jewish refugee (delightfully played by Oscar Karlweis) both have to bolt from Paris on the run. The colonel cannot find a car; Jacobowsky finds one but cannot drive. Grandly tossing out Jacobowsky's luggage, the colonel condescends to take the wheel, and off they go—smack toward the Nazis in order to fetch the colonel's pretty mistress (Annabella—see p. 62). From then on, while the colonel remains majestically helpless, Jacobowsky gets the party out of tight squeezes, ferrets out food, locates gasoline. As the colonel's lady becomes more & more admiring of Jacobowsky, the colonel becomes more & more jealous, issues a challenge, creates an opéra-bouffe atmosphere that makes the trip as much a flight from reality as from the Nazis.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Jack Benny Show "Dog Catcher Of Beverly Hills" (11-10-40)

Dog Catcher Of Beverly Hills (Aired November 10, 1940)


The Jack Benny Program is a classic comedy that is truly one of the best-loved programs from the Golden Age of Radio. It started life as The Canada Dry Program in 1932 on the Blue Network and finished off as The Lucky Strike Program on CBS in 1955. In between, it kept the audience in stitches and established Benny as one of America's all-time great comedians.




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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Vanishing Point "The Playground" (11-02-84)

The Playground (Aired November 2, 1984)


"The point between reality and fantasy. Where imagination holds the key to new worlds. That point of no return---The Vanishing Point." Favorably compared to Rod Sterling's classic TV series, The Twilight Zone, these finely tuned radio dramas from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation provide compelling excursions into the realm of mystery and fantasy. The show ran from 1984-1986. There were 69 episodes in the original series. The series continued after that under various names and formats.


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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Dad's Army "The King Was In His Counting House" (5-20-75)

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


The unmistakable voice of Bud Flanagan singing 'Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?', a cod-Second World War propaganda singalong written especially for the show (by Jimmy Perry), introduced Dad's Army, the zenith of the British broad-comedy ensemble sitcom. Consistently good writing and a wonderful cast of old timers and newer talents combined to produce a whimsical period-piece that continues, justifiably, to be savoured and has now assumed a place in the 'hall of greats' pantheon, adored by new generations of the British public.

THIS EPISODE:
A Bomb hits the strong room of the bank while Mainwaring holds a social event for the platoon at home. Heading for the bank, they rescue the money and proceed with the delicate operation of counting whats left.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Bold Venture "A Bullet For Shannon" (1958)

A Bullet For Shannon (1958) *Exact Date Is Unknown


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.
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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - Gunsmoke "Trouble In Kansas" (10-16-55)

Trouble In Kansas (Aired October 16, 1955)


Gunsmoke was a long-running American old-time radio and television Western drama created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories took place in or about Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest radio dramas of all time; the television version ran from 1955 to 1975 and still holds the record for the longest-running U.S. prime time fictional television program.

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - You Are There "Columbus Discovers America" (7-28-47)

Columbus Discovers America (Aired July 28, 1947)


November 1939 to May 1940, CBS Blue Network
Dramatic historical recreation

Imagine if CBS radio news existed when the Bastille was stormed in 1789, or if radio reporters were stationed in Ford Theater as Lincoln was assassinated, or again at the Battle of Gettysburg? Indeed, such was the premise behind the CBS series, You Are There. Audiences witnessed history through the present-tense accounts of newsmen allegedly witnessing historical events transpiring before their eyes. Don Hollenbeck and John Daley (known for his TV game show panelist appearances) played the lead anchors, while real-life newsman provided the remote commentaries as the dramas unfolded. As show opened, an anchor would describe the present situation with "As it stands now…" and segue into commentaries, live remote feeds or analysis as the story unfurled.The show was well received, but perhaps was doomed to eventual failure in part due John Daly's emoting. Bernard DeVoto in Harper Magazine lamented: "We have heard his (Daly) voice vibrate with the real emotion, and our memory of the real simply turns the imagined to ham."

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - My Friend Irma "Jane's New Boyfriend" (3-08-48)

Jane's New Boyfriend (Aired March 8, 1948)


This hit radio series with Marie Wilson ran on CBS Radio from April 11, 1947 to August 23, 1954. The TV version, seen on CBS from January 8, 1952 until June 25, 1954, was the first series telecast from the CBS Television City facility in Hollywood. The movie My Friend Irma (1949) starred Marie Wilson and Diana Lynn but is mainly remembered today for introducing Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to moviegoers, resulting in even more screen time for Martin and Lewis in the sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950).

THIS EPISODE:
March 8, 1948. CBS net. Sponsored by: Swan Soap ($100,000 fur contest), Spry. "Jane's New Boyfriend". Not auditioned. Irma and Jane have had fights with Al and Richard. Plans are made for an intimate dinner for four. Professor Kropotkin is matched up with Mrs. O'Reilly. Marie Wilson, Cathy Lewis, John Brown, Cy Howard (creator, producer, director, writer), Parke Levy, Hans Conried, Frank Bingman (announcer), Leif Erickson, Gloria Gordon. 30:04

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Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod - The Adventures Of Horatio Hornblower "Horatio Deals With A Mad King" (7-07-52)

Horatio Deals With A Mad King (Aired July 7, 1952)


Based on the novels by C. S. Forester

1952-1953 Series
Broadcast 1952; Transcribed in England for the BBC; aired in U.S. on CBS, then again on ABC in 1954 and Mutual in 1957. Starring Michael Redgrave as Horatio Hornblower. a captain in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic era. The radio series was based on twelve Horatio Hornblower novels written by C.S. Forester. These novels were, and still are, well liked due to their realistic tone and historical accuracy in telling the tales of Naval life in the late 1700s through the mid 1800s. C.S. Forester was well known for his novels about military and naval life, including such fine titles as The African Queen, The Gun, The Barbary Pirates, and The General.

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