Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Our Miss Brooks "Weighing Machine" (12-05-48)

Weighing Machine (Aired December 5, 1948)


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

THIS EPISODE:

December 5, 1948. CBS network. Sponsored by: Palmolive Soap, Lustre Creme Shampoo, palmolive Shaving Cream. "The Weighing Machine". Mrs. Davis tells Connie's fortune with tea leaves. A tall, dark man, make that 3 tall dark men are entering her life. Eve Arden, Verne Smith (commercial spokesman), Gloria Gordon, Gerald Mohr, Gloria McMillan, Hal March, Gale Gordon, Jeff Chandler, Richard Crenna, Larry Berns (producer), Al Lewis (writer, director), Wilbur Hatch (music), Bob Lemond (announcer). 29:47.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Night Beat "Old Home Week" (09-04-50)

Old Home Week (Aired September 4, 1950)


Broadcast on NBC, Nightbeat ran from 1949 to 1952 and starred Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star looking for human interest stories. He met an assortment of people, most of them with a problem, many of them scared, and sometimes he was able to help them, sometimes he wasn’t. It is generally regarded as a ‘quality’ show and it stands up extremely well. Frank Lovejoy (1914-1962) isn’t remembered today, but he was a powerful and believable actor with a strong delivery, and his portrayal of Randy Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect. The scripts were excellent, given that they had to pack in a lot in a short time, and there was a good supporting cast, orchestra, and sound effects. ‘The Slasher’, broadcast on 10 November 1950, the last show of season one, has a very loosely Ripper-derived plot in which Stone searches for an artist. Supporting actors included Parley Baer, William Conrad, Jeff Corey, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Frees, Jack Kruschen, Peter Leeds, Howard McNear, Lurene Tuttle and Martha Wentworth.

THIS EPISODE:

September 4, 1950. NBC network. Sustaining. Randy is vacationing at Paradise Lake. When Randy fishes Pat Torrance from the lake, her two friends and everyone else thinks that she jumped in and drowned. Barbara Fuller, Eileen Prince, Frank Lovejoy, Frank Worth (composer, conductor), Irwin Ashkenazie (writer), Larry Marcus (writer), Martha Wentworth, Rose Hobart, Shirley Mitchell (?), Warren Lewis (director). 29:41.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Pursuit (Inspector Peter Black) "The Asiatic Killer" (03-11-52)

The Asiatic Killer (Aired March 11, 1952)

PURSUIT (CBS 1949 - 1952) was a detective series that presented the cases of the fictional Scotland Yard Inspector Peter Black. (The leading character was called Inspector Harvey in the audition show and the first episode.) The Inspector was a dedicated policeman, a man hunter, who once on the case, would not rest until the wrongdoer was brought to justice. Black was assisted in cases by Sgt. Moffet.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Alka Seltzer Show "2 Episodes" (10-09-53) and (10-29-53)

2 Episodes - "On the Sunny Side of the Street" (10-09-53) and "Just to be With You" (10-29-53)



Alka-Seltzer Time (aka The Alka-Seltzer Show) was a 15-minute radio series broadcast weekdays on both CBS and Mutual. Baritone Curt Massey starred with Martha Tilton when the program, sponsored by Alka-Seltzer, began in 1949 as Curt Massey Time (sometimes advertised as Curt Massey Time with Martha Tilton) with a title change to highlight the sponsor's product by 1952. The announcer was Fort Pearson. By 1953, the series was heard simultaneously on Mutual (at noon) and later that same day on CBS (at 5:45pm). Ads described the show as "informal song sessions" by vocalists Massey and Tilton, who was often billed as "the liltin' Martha Tilton." The two singers, both Texas-born, performed with Country Washburne and His Orchestra, featuring Charles LaVere on piano. Songs included such tunes as "Honey, I'm in Love with You," "A Gambler's Guitar," "Just to Be with You," "Moonlight When Shadows Fall," "When Love Goes Wrong," "Choo Choo Train," "I've Got Spurs that Jingle Jangle Jingle," "Put on a Bonnet," "Collegiate," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," "Papaya Mama" and "Istanbul, Not Constantinople." There were some theme shows, such as "Go West", music from "Old Phonograph Records" and "Salute to Hawaii." The series ended November 6, 1953. However, Massey and Tilton continued to appear together during the late 1950s on such shows as Guest Star and Stars for Defense. They also teamed to record an album, We Sing the Old Songs (1957). CD collections of Alka-Seltzer Time usually identify shows by the first performed song of each program. Today, Curt Massey is best remembered as the composer (with Paul Henning) and singer of the Petticoat Junction theme song.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - MGM Theater Of The Air "Public Hero Number One" (07-28-50)

Public Hero Number One (Aired July 28, 1950)


"MGM Theatre of the Air" wasn’t able to offer up a "big gun" host like Lux’s Cecil B. DeMille, so the series settled instead for Howard Dietz. Though not the legendary self-promoting showman that DeMille was, Dietz was certainly no slouch when it came to his chosen field; he was MGM’s vice president at the time and had also made his name as a publicist, lyricist of such tunes as "Dancing in the Dark". "By Myself," and "You and the Night and the Music" and librettist for such Broadway successes as "The Band Wagon" and "Revenge with Music". Assisted by announcer Ed Stokes, Dietz would announce with great fanfare the program's weekly production and guest star, serve as sort of a quasi-narrator throughout the broadcast, and then at the end would chat up the week’s star, allowing them to plug their latest project. Like most MGM radio productions - and, in fact, most syndicated series in general - "MGM Theatre of the Air" had a fairly tight budget to work with each week and (if you’ll pardon the pun) the lion’s share usually went towards securing that week’s big name performer. But the production wasn’t pennywise and pound-foolish; they wisely chose the cream of New York radio actors - Gertrude Warner, Eric Dressler, Parker Fennelly, Alice Frost - for supporting roles in each production, expertly adapted by the likes of William Kendall Clark, Welborn Kelly and Joseph Ruscoll. Raymond Cass was the producer, with Marx B. Loeb directing and music composed and conducted by Joel Herron.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Suspense "A Killing In Abilene" (12-14-50)

A Killing In Abilene (Aired December 14, 1950)


Suspense was one of the premier programs of the Golden Age of Radio (aka old-time radio), and advertised itself as "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." It was heard in one form or another from 1942 through 1962. There were approximately 945 episodes broadcast during its long run, over 900 of which are extant in mostly high-quality recordings. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors and director/producers. There were a few rules which were followed for all but a handful of episodes: Protagonists were usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation. Evildoers must be punished in the end.

THIS EPISODE:

Suspense from CBS aired "A Killing In Abilene" December 14, 1950 starring Alan Ladd. It was sponsored by Auto-Lite. An hombre rides into town to get the man who killed his brother, only to find him about to be lynched for another murder! Also in the cast is Parley Baer, Jeanette Nolan, Joseph Kearns and Barton Yarborough.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Inner Sanctum Mysteries "Black Sea Gull" (03-07-43)

Black Sea Gull (Aired March 7, 1943)


Inner Sanctum Mysteries was a popular old-time radio program that aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952. Created by Himan Brown, the anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense. The tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. A total of 526 episodes are known to have been produced. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeammsss?!" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler) to EC Comics' Crypt-Keeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt. In interviews, EC publisher Bill Gaines stated that he based EC's three horror hosts not on Raymond but on Old Nancy, host of radio's earlier The Witch's Tale (1931-38). When Johnson left the series in 1946, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "your host" or "Mr. Host." Beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with cheery commercial spokeswoman Mary Bennett, whose blithesome pitches for Lipton tea contrasted sharply with the macabre themes of the stories, and who primly chided the host for his trademark dark humor and creepy manner.

THIS EPISODE:

March 7, 1943. Blue Network. "The Black Sea Gull". Sponsored by: Carter's Little Liver Pills. A dying woman promises her husband that she will return from the grave. She does return...several times! The production makes good use of sound effects and montage. The script was originally scheduled for broadcast on February 7, 1943. Peter Lorre, Raymond Edward Johnson (host), Sigmund Miller (writer), Himan Brown (director), Santos Ortega, Ed Herlihy (? announcer). 29:18.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Fibber McGee & Molly "Inherited Yacht" (03-28-39)

Inherited Yacht (Aired March 28 , 1939)


Fibber McGee and Molly premiered in 1935. The program struggled in the ratings until 1940, when it became a national sensation. Within three years, it was the top-rated program in America. Few radio shows were more beloved than Fibber McGee and Molly. The program’s lovable characters included Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, Mrs. Uppington, Wallace Wimple, Alice Darling, Gildersleeve, Beulah, Myrt, and the Old Timer. 79 Wistful Vista was one of America’s most famous addresses and Molly’s warning to Fibber not to open the hall closet door (and his subsequent decision to do it) created one of radio’s best remembered running gags that audiences expected each week. Jim Jordan (Fibber) was born on a farm on November 16, 1896, near Peoria, Illinois. Marian Driscoll (Molly), a coal miner’s daughter, was born in Peoria on November 15, 1898. After years of hardship and touring in obscurity on the small-time show biz circuit, they arrived in Chicago in 1924, where they eventually performed on thousands of shows and developed 145 different voices and characters. Broadcast to the nation from WMAQ/Chicago, the show entertained America until March 1956, and continued on NBC’s Monitor until 1959. Jim Jordan died on April 1, 1988. Marian Jordan died on April 7, 1961. Fibber McGee and Molly was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989. First Broadcast date April 16, 1935. Last Broadcast date September 6, 1959.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The World Adventurer's Club "Episode 6 and Episode 7" (1932)

Ep.6 "Land Of Doomed Souls" and Ep7 "Land Of Death" (1932)

The year is 1932, and the nation is still suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, recovery is in sight, fueled by industry success as much as government programs. The listeners of The World Adventerer’s Club and other travelogue series in this early part of radio’s Golden Age were offered glimpses of exotic places and extraordinary events without leaving their own front room. The renewed interest in far off lands and cultures was, at least in part, also a reflection of the political situation. Many nations during this time were expanding their influence around the globe establishing colonies and outposts. You can still hear a faint echo of this influence in the stories -- some of the episodes carry a decidedly “colonial” attitude toward the native inhabitants of these countries … who are sometimes characterized in a manner that, by today’s standards, would be offensive. The setting for the series is a well-to-do gentleman’s club of the type that flourished in the 1890’s from Europe to the US. There’s even an all male chorus on hand, common to those establishments, which each week extols the virtues of living on the edge where adventures, discoveries, and the real threat of death are constant companions. Using the cigar-smoky, brandy in hand, parlor as a backdrop, each episode takes the form of a report being told to the other members of the club by someone who’s just returned from some adventure in a far away, mysterious place. Members in the radio audience need only sit back in their chair, close their eyes, and imagine that they, too, are basking in the camaraderie of the club – as they share their experiences. Sadly, nothing is known about any of the regular cast members of this show. We do know that Hanley Stafford was the featured story teller in at least six of the episodes. Hanley.

TODAY'S SHOW:

1932. Program #6. Syndicated. "Land Of Doomed Souls". The strange results of an extreme brain operation, in the South American jungle prison of Cayenne. 14:07.

1932. Program #7. Syndicated. "Land Of Death". A strange town where men are worth less than dust. A poison mystery of Hungary. 14:12

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Adventures Of Horatio Hornblower "Prisoner In 1811" (12-19-52)

Prisoner In 1811 (Aired December 19, 1952)


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.

THIS EPISODE:

"Prisoner In 1811" (December 19, 1952). Michael Redgrave, C. S. Forester (creator), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Harry Alan Towers (producer, director). 29:05.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Home Surgery (09-13-52)Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Home Surgery (09-13-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Home Surgery (Aired September 13, 1952)

The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program. Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Miss Kitty's occupation as a prostitute was made far more obvious on the radio version than on television. Many episodes ended on a down-note, and villains often got away with their crimes.

THIS EPISODE:

September 13, 1952. CBS network. "Home Surgery". Sustaining. Marshal Dillon is forced to amputate the leg of a settler on the prairie. The man's beautiful daughter is the object of Ben Walling's affection. The script was used again on Gunsmoke on June 23, 1957 and on the Gunsmoke television series on October 8, 1955. William Conrad, Parley Baer, John Meston (writer), John Dehner, Lawrence Dobkin, Sammie Hill, Norman Macdonnell (director), Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Roy Rowan (announcer). 30:56.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Strange Dr Weird - 2 Episodes (12-26-44) and (01-02-45)

Two Epsides "Stand In For Death" (Aired 12-26-44) and "Tiger Cat" (Aired 12-26-44).


Robert A. Arthur was the writer of these grisly, macabre fifteen-minute thrillers. Maurice Tarplin played Dr Weird, the narrator of these fantastic tales. The closing line was always the same: “Oh, you have to leave now – too bad! But perhaps you’ll drop in on me again soon. I’m always home. Just look for the house on the other side of the cemetery – the house of Dr Weird!”

TODAY'S SHOW:

December 26, 1944. Program #8. Mutual network aircheck, syndicated on an RCA transcription. "Stand In For Death". Sponsored by: Adam Hats. An escaped convict hides in a coffin, with the expected complications! . 11 1/2 minutes.

January 2, 1945. Program #9. Mutual netWORK aircheck, syndicated on an RCA transcription. "Tiger Cat". Sponsored by: Adam Hats. Delightfully gruesome goody about a scientist with an animal growth serum. . 12 minutes.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Mysterious Traveler "Murder Goes Free" (03-31-45)

Murder Goes Free (Aired March 31, 1945)


Written and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Kogan, the series began on the Mutual Broadcasting System, December 5, 1943, continuing in many different timeslots until September 16, 1952. Unlike many other shows of the era, The Mysterious Traveler was without a sponsor for its entire run. The lonely sound of a distant locomotive heralded the arrival of the malevolent narrator, portrayed by Maurice Tarplin, who introduced himself each week in the following manner. This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable -- if you can! Cast members included Jackson Beck, Lon Clark, Roger DeKoven, Elspeth Eric, Wendell Holmes, Bill Johnstone, Joseph Julian, Jan Miner, Santos Ortega, Bryna Raeburn, Frank Readick, Ann Shepherd, Lawson Zerbe and Bill Zuckert. Sound effects were by Jack Amrhein, Jim Goode, Ron Harper, Walt McDonough and Al Schaffer. "Behind the Locked Door," a popular episode which took place in total darkness, was much requested and was repeated several times during the years. The story involves two archaeologists who discover an old wagon train abandoned over one hundred years ago in an old cave. After a landslide traps them in the darkness, they are attacked by apparently human assailants and conclude that the descendants of the wagon train are still living in the cave.

THIS EPISODE:
March 31, 1945. Program #67. Mutual network. "Murder Goes Free". Sustaining. When a man fails in his attempt to buy off a gold-digger, he decides to commit the perfect murder. He actually does succeed, much to his sorrow! Announced as the last show of the series (which it was not), the program in fact left the air until July 14, 1946. Ed Latimer, Irene Winston, Robert A. Arthur (writer), David Kogan (writer), Jock MacGregor (director), Henry Sylvern (composer, conductor), Tony Barrett. 29:45.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Plays On Tape "Night Of The Wolf Pt.2 of 2" (08-09-75)

Night Of The Wolf Part 2 of 2 (Aired August 9, 1975)

NIGHT OF THE WOLF 1984, A Werewolf Horror Play by Victor Pemberton starring Vincent Price,Coral Browne, Peter Whitman, Sheila Grant, Elizabeth Proud, John Rye, Michael Cochrane, Hugh Manning, Haydn Jones, Paul Gaymon and Norma Ronald. Set around the end of the 19th century in Cambridge and the Fen Country. Vincent plays a Judge who encounters the terrible curse of lycanthropy in his district. Victor Pemberton was an actor who turned his hand to writing fairly early in his career. Most of his work has been for television (especially "Doctor Who " and "Timeslip", a children's program) but he also has written a number of radio plays.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Blue Beetle "Smashing The Restaurant Racket" (07-31-40)

Smashing The Restaurant Racket (Aired July 31, 1940)


The Blue Beetle had a relatively short career on the radio, between May and September of 1940. Motion picture and radio actor Frank Lovejoy was the Blue Beetle for the first 13 episodes, while for the rest of the shows, the voice was provided by a different, uncredited actor. The Blue Beetle was a young police officer who saw the need for extra-ordinary crime fighting. He took the task on himself by secretly donning a superhero costume to create fear in the criminals who were to learn to fear the Blue Beetle's wrath. The 13-minute segments were usually only two-parters, so the stories were often more simple than other popular programs, such as the many-parted Superman radio show.

THIS EPISODE:

July 31, 1940. Program #35. Fox Features syndication. "Smashing The Restaurant Racket". Commercials added locally. The Blue Beetle tackles a restaurant protection gang. . 12:54.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Plays On Tape "Night Of The Wolf Pt.1 of 2" (08-09-75)

Night Of The Wolf Part 1 of 2 (Aired August 9, 1975)

NIGHT OF THE WOLF 1984, A Werewolf Horror Play by Victor Pemberton starring Vincent Price,Coral Browne, Peter Whitman, Sheila Grant, Elizabeth Proud, John Rye, Michael Cochrane, Hugh Manning, Haydn Jones, Paul Gaymon and Norma Ronald. Set around the end of the 19th century in Cambridge and the Fen Country. Vincent plays a Judge who encounters the terrible curse of lycanthropy in his district. Victor Pemberton was an actor who turned his hand to writing fairly early in his career. Most of his work has been for television (especially "Doctor Who " and "Timeslip", a children's program) but he also has written a number of radio plays.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - The Whisperer "Taken For A Ride" (08-26-51)

Taken For A Ride (Aired August 26, 1951)


The Whisperer was an American old-time radio show broadcast from July 8 to September 30, 1951 on NBC. It ran for only 13 episodes. The premise of the series was as improbable as its storylines. The protagonist was Philip Gault (Carleton G. Young), a lawyer who, due to some unexplained accident, lost his voice and could only speak in an eerie whisper. Gault infiltrates "the syndicate" in his native Central City to bring down organized crime from within; to the underworld, he becomes known as the Whisperer. Later, his voice is restored through surgery, but he continues to lead a double life as the Whisperer, relaying instructions from the syndicate bosses in New York (who don't know he's a mole) to their lackeys in Central City, whom Gault is actually setting up. By today's standards, the stories are dated and their message-mongering usually criticized as ham-fisted, the product of what might be considered the unenlightened attitudes of the time. The first episode ("Tea Time for Teenagers") is typical, an overwrought "it can happen here" melodrama about a syndicate plot to create "200 regular marijuana addicts" among high school students. The episode makes a blatant appeal to the moral indignation of its audience, ending with Gault advising PTA's to "show some of the fine educational films available on marijuana and how it leads to a worse addiction." Carleton G. Young, who played Gault, is sometimes confused with the actor Carleton Young. Betty Moran portrayed his girlfriend Ellen, the only other person who knew Gault's double identity. Moran had to deliver lines like, "But marijuana means broken lives, heartbreak for parents!" To collectors today, the series is considered an amusing time capsule of a long gone period of America's past.

THIS EPISODE:

August 26, 1951. "Taken For A Ride" NBC network. Sustaining. Not auditioned. The Ace Trucking Company refuses to buy insurance from, "The Syndicate." One of their trucks is ordered wrecked, the driver is ordered killed. The system cue has been deleted. Carleton Young, Betty Moran, Stetson Humphrey (creator), John Duffy (original music), Bill Cairn (producer, director), Don Rickles (announcer), Julius Crowlbein, Herb Ellis, James Nusser, James Bush, Jonathan Twice (writer). 29:37.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Father Brown Mysteries "The Blue Cross" (12-02-84)

The Blue Cross (Aired December 2, 1984)


When we consider the question of clerics and mysteries, the first figure most of us think of is G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown. The first Father Brown story was published in 1910 in the Saturday Evening Post, years before Chesterton had even converted to Roman Catholicism. Forty-eight Father Brown stories were published before Chesterton’s death, and for many, the unassuming Catholic priest, who solved mysteries through close observation and intuition, remains the model clerical detective, unmatched by any subsequent efforts by other authors. Not that these authors haven’t tried. Their success depends on the same factors by which we judge any piece of fiction in general and mystery fiction in particular: is the writing evocative or flat and cliched? Are the characters three-dimensional, or are they just types who do little but lie flat on the page? Do the situations in the narrative arise organically and naturally, or are they obvious constructs? And what does the religious identity of the detective add to the story? Is it relevant to the tale, or is it merely a gimmick in a narrative that could it have just as well have been told with a gas station attendant searching for clues instead?

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - This Is Your FBI "The Diamond-Studded Double Cross" (09-20-46)

The Diamond-Studded Double Cross (Aired September 20, 1946)


This Is Your FBI was a radio crime drama which aired in the United States on ABC from April 6, 1945 to January 30, 1953. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air." Producer-director Jerry Devine was given access to FBI files by Hoover, and the resulting dramatizations of FBI cases were narrated by Frank Lovejoy (1945), Dean Carleton (1946-47) and William Woodson (1948-53). Stacy Harris had the lead role of Special Agent Jim Taylor. Others in the cast were William Conrad, Bea Benaderet and Jay C. Flippen.

THIS EPISODE:

September 20, 1946. ABC network. "The Diamond-Studded Double Cross". Sponsored by: The Equitable Life Assurance Society. John Gibson, Frederick Steiner (composer, conductor), Dean Carlton (narrator), Carl Frank (announcer), Frank Faries (writer). 29:31.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711

Boxcars711Old Time Radio Pod - Crime Classics "Old Six Toes" (03-17-54)

Old Six Toes (Aired March 17, 1954)


Crime Classics was a U. S. radio docudrama which aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was basically a historical true crime series, examining crimes, and especially murders, from the past. It grew out of Lewis's 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.

THIS EPISODE:

March 17, 1954. CBS network. "Old Sixtoes: How He Stopped Construction On The B. B. C. and I". Sustaining. An old man and a young wife is old India. A recipe for murder most foul. Lou Merrill (host), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Ben Wright, Bob Lemond (announcer), Herb Butterfield, Jack Edwards, Jack Kruschen, Jane Webb. 30:21.

FOR THIS EPISODE AND HUNDREDS MORE, FOLLOW THIS LINK TO BOXCARS711