The Adventures Of Frank Merriwell - The Doubtful Alibi (11-06-48)

The Doubtful Alibi (Aired November 6, 1948)

Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. 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.

THIS EPISODE:
 
November 6, 1948. NBC network. "The Doubtful Alibi". Sustaining.
Frank uses a horseless carriage to put out a fire and some fancy detective work to catch the culprit responsible for it. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 29:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Adventures In Research - 2 Episodes - "Electronics In Communications" (07-02-46) and "The First American Patent" (08-20-46) Electronics In Communications" (07-02-46) and "The First American Patent" (08-20-46)

Adventures In Research - 2 Episodes - "Electronics In Communications" (07-02-46) and "The First American Patent" (08-20-46) Electronics In Communications" (07-02-46) and "The First American Patent" (08-20-46)  

The series began about 1942 and were distributed, probably as a public service educational feature, for weekly programming. The early shows were discussions with Paul Shannon asking the questions, Dr. Phillips Thomas (research physicist for Westinghouse, specializing in electronics) answering the questions. The later programs were written by Dr. Thomas, but were dramatizations instead of the Q and A fomat. The programs themselves present a fascinating look at the state of scientific knowledge during the war and the immediate post-war years. Many of the topics are hopelessly outdated, a surprising number are still up to date and reflect the state of knowledge about the subject many years later. The purpose of instilling an interest in science in the general public is still as valid now as it was then. Even more important, the program themselves are good radio and interesting. Those listeners with little or no interest in science will still be captivated. The post-war programs feature an organist whose efforts range from mediocre to absolutely great! 28:57 

 EPISODE ONE: 30996. Adventures In Research. Program #5. Westinghouse syndication. "Electronics" Part 1. Sustaining. Dr. Thomas discusses his own field of electronics and how it affects our every-day lives. Paul Shannon, Phillips Thomas. 15 minutes.

EPISODE TWO: 31135. Adventures In Research. Program #187. Westinghouse syndication. "The First American Patent". Sustaining. The building of the first water-powered saw mill in America, the holder of patent number one. 15 minutes.

The Adventures Of Frank Race - "The Adventure Of The Silent Tongue" (12-04-49)

The Adventure Of The Silent Tongue (Aired December 4, 1949) The Adventures of Frank Race was a syndicated show, out of Bruce Ells Productions in Hollywood, and began airing on radio in the spring of 1949. A total of 43 episodes were produced, broadcast first on the East coast 1949-50, and then on the West coast 1951-52. The title hero was described in the introduction by announcer Art Gilmore with these words: "Before the war, Frank Race worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak-and-dagger of the OSS. When the war was over, his former life was over too....adventure became his business!" Starring "Chandu The Magician" Star Tom Collins. Tom Collins, having recently completed his leading role as Chandu in the 1948 run of Chandu The Magician, returned to One Man's Family after The Adventures of Frank Race and almost got a bid to portray his Nick Lacey character from One Man's Family for the Television version of the series in 1949. THIS EPISODE: December 4, 1949. Program #32. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Silent Tongue". Commercials added locally. A killer en route to the Chair asks Race to take a pair of baby shoes to his wife. A clue to $2 million bucks? Paul Dubov, Tony Barrett, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (producer), Ivan Ditmars (orgainist), Art Gilmore (announcer). 28:36. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Maisie - "The Maharani Mix-Up" (06-29-50)

The Maharani Mix-Up (Aired June 29, 1950) 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: 48446. The Adventures Of Maisie. May 24, 1951 (1950). Program #67. MGM syndication. Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Maisie gets a soap opera actress to help the son of a Maharajah marry the actress' American girlfriend. The program has also been identified as program #79. The date above is the date of first broadcast on WMGM, New York City. Ann Sothern, Robert Cole, Bud Hiestand (announcer), Harry Zimmerman (composer, conductor), Hy Averback (announcer), John L. Green (writer), Lurene Tuttle, Peter Leeds, Ted de Corsia. 27:27. Episode Notes From Radio Gold Index.

Blood On The Sun (Aired October 16, 1946)

INTRO: BOB: The Drifters "Save The Last Dance For Me" (#1 Hit) Atlantic Records Academy Award Theater (Starring John Garfield) - "Blood On The Sun" (10-16-46)

John Dunning in his book,"On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio,"tells us why such a fine production lasted less than a year: "The House of Squibb, a drug firm, footed a stiff bill: up to $5,000 for the stars and $1,600 a week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for use of the title. The production had all the class of a Lux or Screen Guild show…But the tariff took its toll, and after 39 weeks the series was scrapped." 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: October 16, 1946. CBS network. "Blood On The Sun". Sponsored by: Squibb. A crusading newspaper editor in pre-war Japan uncovers the "Tanaka Plan" of world conquest. John Garfield, Jeff Chandler. 29:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

ABC Mystery Time - "Four Time Loser" (1957)

Four Time Loser (1957) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. ABC Mystery Time was hosted by Don Dowd and starred Sir Laurence Olivier. Great special effects will grab your attention, accented by creepy organ rips. Stories are offered such as death gathered round a card table at a local chapter of The Suicide Club, or a man who desperately tries to hire a 24 hour bodyguard all the while trying to make himself the victim of a murder, and other baffling peculiar tales of yore. Also known as Mystery Time and Mystery Time Classics, this one is sure to excite and mystify. THIS EPISODE: 1957. ABC network. "Four-Time Loser". The program is also known as, "Mystery Time," "Mystery Time Classics" and "Masters Of Mystery." "A man with a guilty secret sometimes pays a heavy price to keep his past from being exposed." The date is approximate. Sidney Slon (writer), Don Dowd (host). 22:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Abbott & Costello Show - Trip To Palm Springs (Guest Veronica Lake) 12-02-43

Trip To Palm Springs (Guest Veronica Lake) Aired December 2, 1943 The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical interludes (usually, by singers such as Connie Haines, Marilyn Maxwell, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbrook, Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott & Costello's mishaps (and often fuming in character as Costello insulted his on-air wife routinely). THIS EPISODE: December 2, 1943. "Trip To Palm Springs" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Camels, Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco. The boys plan to visit guest Veronica Lake, but first have to stop by the "U-Drive" car rental agency. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Ken Niles (announcer), Freddie Rich and His Orchestra, Connie Haines (vocal), Cliff Nazarro, Veronica Lake. 33:40. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.