Beyond Midnight - "The Man Who Sold His Soul" (1950)

The Man Who Sold His Soul (1950) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

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!  

Dragnet - "Missing Persons - Juanita Lasky" (07-28-49)

Missing Persons - Juanita Lasky (Aired July 28, 1949)

When Dragnet hit its stride, it was one of radio's top-rated shows. Webb insisted on realism. The dialogue was clipped, understated, and sparse, influenced by the hardboiled school of crime fiction. Scripts were fast-moving but did not seem rushed. Every aspect of police work was chronicled, step by step: from patrols and paperwork, to crime scene investigation, lab work, and questioning witnesses or suspects. The detectives’ personal lives rarely took center stage. (Friday was a bachelor who lived with his mother; Romero, a Mexican-American from Texas, was an ever-fretful husband and father.) "Underplaying is still acting", Webb told Time. "We try to make it as real as a guy pouring a cup of coffee." Los Angeles police chiefs Clemence B. Horrall, William A. Worton, and (later) William H. Parker were credited as consultants, and many police officers were fans.Throughout the series' radio years, one can find glimpses of pre-renewal Downtown L.A., with working-class residents and the cheap bars, cafes, hotels, and boarding houses that served them. 

 

 THIS EPISODE:

 

Dragnet. July 28, 1949. Program #8. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Juanita Laskey" has been reported missing by her mother. The story takes place at Christmas, despite the July broadcast date (which is subject to correction). Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough, Raymond Burr. 30:37.  Cat # 46922.  Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Black Museum - "The Silencer" (1952)

The Silencer (1952) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.

The Black Museum held its audience. It was aired almost perennially between 1950 and 1954, in Europe, South Africa, Australia, North America and reprised during various other periods as late as 1974. This, despite the fact that other, competing Scotland Yard and Black Museum themed programming was almost continuously airing--often over the same networks--during the same period. What fans didn't derive from WHItehall 1212 they got from Secrets of Scotland Yard. Likewise, when The Black Museum began to air, it arrived from just enough different approach to hold that same audience for yet another thirty-eight to fifty-two installments--not to mention getting Orson Welles in the bargain. The MGM Radio Attraction transcriptions in particular were very well engineered and have held up quite well.

THIS EPISODE:

1952. Syndicated. "The Silencer". Commercials added locally. A man moving into a new house is shot and killed by a gun with a silencer. Other murders soon follow. Orson Welles (narrator), Harry Alan Towers (producer), Ira Marion (writer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor). 29:09.  Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Lights Out - "A Knock At The Door" (12-15-42)

A Knock At The Door (Aired December 15, 1942)

Lights Out was created in Chicago by writer Wyllis Cooper in 1934, and the first series of shows (each 15 minutes long) ran on a local NBC station, WENR. By April 1934, the series was expanded to a half hour in length and moved to midnight Wednesdays. In January 1935, the show was discontinued in order to ease Cooper's workload (he was then writing scripts for the network's prestigious Immortal Dramas program), but was brought back by huge popular demand a few weeks later. After a successful tryout in New York City, the series was picked up by NBC in April 1935 and broadcast nationally, usually late at night and always on Wednesdays. Cooper stayed on the program until June 1936, when another Chicago writer, Arch Oboler, took over. By the time Cooper left, the series had inspired about 600 fan clubs.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

December 15, 1942. CBS network. "A Knock At The Door". Sponsored by: Energene Cleaning Fluid. All commercials for Ironized Yeast deleted. A woman murders her impossible mother-in-law, but she refuses to stay dead! There's a good good, grisly conclusion. Arch Oboler (host), Frank Martin (announcer). 28:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Jeff Regan Investigator (Starring Jack Webb) - "The Man With The Key" (10-02-48)

The Man With The Key (Aired October 2, 1948)

Jeff Regan, Investigator was one of the three detective shows Jack Webb did before Dragnet (see also Pat Novak For Hire and Johnny Modero: Pier 23). It debuted on CBS in July 1948. Webb played Jeff Regan, a tough private eye working in a Los Angeles investigation firm run by Anthony J. Lyon. Regan introduced himself on each show "I get ten a day and expenses...they call me the Lyon's Eye." The show was fairly well-plotted, Webb's voice was great, and the supporting cast were skillful. Regan handled rough assignments from Lion, with whom he was not always on good terms. He was tough, tenacious, and had a dry sense of humor. The voice of his boss, Anthony Lion, was Wilms Herbert. The show ended in December 1948 but was resurrected in October 1949 with a new cast; Frank Graham played Regan (later Paul Dubrov was the lead) and Frank Nelson portrayed Lion.

THIS EPISODE:

October 2, 1948. CBS network. "The Man With The Key". Sustaining. Jeff, a private investigator, is hired to protect a safe deposit box key for seven hours. Bob Stevenson (announcer), Herb Butterfield, Jack Webb, June Martell, Ken Christy, Marvin Miller, Paul Frees, Yvonne Peattie, E. Jack Neuman (writer), Larry Roman (writer), Sterling Tracy (producer). 30:16. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Man Called X - "The Ononoko River Basin" (02-26-52)

The Ononoko River Basin (Aired February 26, 1952)

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

Starring Herbert Marshall as Ken Thurston, a private operative, with Han Conried as Egon Zellschmidt in this first incarnation of Ken Thurston's nemesis, and Mary Jane Croft appearing in the role of Ken's love interest, Nancy Bessington, a reporter and Thurston's erstwhile fiance. We can only interpolate from what we've already turned up for this shortest run of The Man Called X, but it would appear that Hans Conried and Mary Jane Croft may have been regulars co-stars throughout that first season. One of Radio's most successful directors, William N. Robson, directed the first season of The Man Called X and though Gordon Jenkins appears to be credited with the music for the first season, Felix Mills is also personally cited by Herbert Marshall with at least one Music Direction credit--the season finale.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

February 26, 1952. "The Ononoko River Basin" - NBC network. Herbert Marshall, Leon Belasco, J. Richard Kennedy (producer), Jack Johnstone (director), Milton Charles (organist), Hal Gibney (announcer). 28:41. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

I Was A Communist For FBI - "The Line Is Busy" (07-05-53)

The Line Is Busy (Aired July 5, 1953)

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, which refused to cooperate. I Was a Communist for the FBI consisted of 78 episodes syndicated by the Frederick W. Ziv Company to more than 600 stations, including KNX in Los Angeles, California, with original episodes running from April 23, 1952 to October 14, 1953. Each episode ended with Dana Andrew's well-remembered words, ""I was a Communist for the FBI. I walk alone". The show had a budget of $12,000 a week, a very high cost to produce a radio show at the time. 

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

July 5, 1953. Program #67. ZIV Syndication. "The Line Is Busy". Commercials added locally. Cvetic is told to rent an apartment in the same building in which lives an important American atomic scientist. The Party plans to tap his phone for any secrets he might accidentally divulge! Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer), Henry Hayward (director), David Rose (music). 27:15. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Gangbusters - "The Case Of The Chicago Tunnel Gang" (10-02-48)

The Case Of The Chicago Tunnel Gang (Aired October 2, 1948)

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. The initial series was on NBC Radio from July 20 - October 12, 1935. It then aired on CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum. The final series was on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957. It was once narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 
October 2, 1948. Program #549. ABC network origination, syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "The Case Of The Chicago Tunnel Gang". Sponsored by: World Wide Handicrafts. WRVR rebroadcast date: April 9, 1973. Ted de Corsia, Frank Readick. 22:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman" - The Actress (03-23-58)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Frontier Gentleman"
"The Actress" (Aired March 23, 1958)

 

 

Any new Radio western--no matter how novel--was pretty much doomed at the outset during the late 1950s. Television was already in reruns of the twenty to thirty western adventures that proliferated on TV during the 1950s. And it was stiff competition, to be sure. Gunsmoke had achieved off the chart ratings for years, and Have Gun, Will Travel was very much a thinking person's western. This takes nothing away from either John Dehner or Ben Wright's performances in the least. They were consistently top notch. But we'd venture to say that Frontier Gentleman is heard today by far more listeners than ever heard it when it was first broadcast. Be that as it may, it's the listeners of today that matter now. Frontier Gentleman consistently offers a wonderful variation on the western theme. Antony Ellis' scripts are well devised, historically accurate, and fully developed, given the imposed 30-minute formula. The atmosphere provided by both sound engineering and a young Jerry Goldsmith's magnificent musical background also places this program a notch or two above its peers.

THIS EPISODE:


March 23, 1958. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Actress". A British actress in the old West meets death; Kendall learns her strange secret. AFRTS program name: "Sagebrush Theatre." John Dehner, Antony Ellis (producer, director, writer), Jeanette Nolan, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Jack Moyles, James Nusser, Wilbur Hatch (composer, conductor), John Wald (announcer). 24:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Detective Mystery - "Apartment Racket" (08-10-47)

"Apartment Racket" (Aired August 10, 1947)

 

Deadline Mystery was a crime drama with a newspaper background. The series ran from April 20, 1947 through August 31, 1947 and on ABC, sponsored by Knox Pharmaceutical Company. Michael Stephen Dunne as Lucky Larson, a fast-talking columnist syndicated in more than 250 newspapers around the world. Hollywood regulars in support were June Whitley, Sam Edwards, Jack Kruschen. The director was Dave Titus. 

  

THIS EPISODE:

 

August 10, 1947. ABC network . "Apartment Racket" AKA "Eviction". Sponsored by: Cystex, Mendaco. Steve Dunne plays Lucky Larson, reporter and sleuth. Why is Mr. Quinn trying to force all the tenants to leave his apartment building? Steve Dunne, Dave Titus (director), June Whitley, Sam Edwards, Byron Kane, Jack Kruschen, John Frank, Frank Hemingway (announcer), Fred Howard (writer), Robert Neville (creator), Len Salvo (composer, conductor). 28:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Casebook Of Gregory Hood - "The Adventure Of The White Masters" (11-06-46)

The Adventure Of The White Masters (11-06-46)

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

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

November 5, 1946. Mutual-Don Lee network. "The Adventure Of The White Masters". Sponsored by: Petri Wines. A group of Neo-Nazis are preaching anti-social race hatred. Next weeks's show is titled: "Not Wise, But Too Well." Denis Green (writer), Anthony Boucher (writer), Howard McNear, Elliott Lewis, Marks Hartman (announcer), Dean Fosler (composer, conductor). 25:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Cloak & Dagger - "The People In The Forest" (06-11-50)

INTRO: Bob Remembers Smokey Robinson & The Miracles "Ooo Baby Baby"  (1965)
Cloak & Dagger - "The People In The Forest" (Aired June 11, 1950)

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:

 

June 11, 1950. NBC network. "The People In The Forest". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. Robert Scarpella parachutes into occupied France. The underground is being plagued by a traitor in their midst. The start of the program was delayed 45 seconds for golf scores. Corey Ford (originator), Alistair MacBain (originator), Alfred Hollander (associate producer), Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Larry Haines, Boris Aplon, Berry Kroeger, Jerry Jarrett, Lily Darvas, Raymond Edward Johnson, Joseph Buloff, Nancy Franklin, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Bob Warren (announcer). 27:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Duffy's Tavern - "Whistlin Sam" (Guest Is Chester Morris (AKA Boston Blackie) 05-11-49

Whistlin Sam (Guest Is Chester Morris (AKA Boston Blackie) Aired May 11, 1949

Duffy's Tavern is an American radio situation comedy that ran for a decade on several networks (CBS, 1941–42; NBC-Blue Network, 1942–44; and NBC, 1944–51), concluding with the December 28, 1951, broadcast. The program often featured celebrity guest stars but always hooked them around the misadventures of Archie, the tavern's manager, portrayed by Ed Gardner. Archie was prone to involvement in get-rich-quick schemes and romantic missteps, and constantly communicated with malaprops and mixed metaphors. Gardner had performed the character of Archie, talking about Duffy's Tavern, as early as November 9, 1939, when he appeared on NBC's Good News of 1940.  Owner Duffy was never heard nor seen, either on the radio program or in the 1945 film adaptation or the short-lived 1954 TV series. Archie constantly bantered with Duffy's man-crazy daughter, Miss Duffy, played by several actresses, beginning with Gardner's real-life first wife, Shirley Booth, followed by Florence Halop and, later, by actress Hazel Shermet, and especially with Clifton Finnegan (Charlie Cantor, later Sid Raymond), a likeable soul with several screws loose and a knack for falling for every other salesman's scam.   

 

THIS EPISODE:

  

May 11, 1949. NBC network. Sponsored by: Vitalis, Mum. "Your bath washes away the past, Mum safeguards the future." Detective Archie is on the trail of "Whistling Sam," a robber of taverns! Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Alan Reed, Charlie Cantor, Sheldon Leonard, Chester Morris (guest). 31:30. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of The Falcon - "The Case Of The Practical Choker" (02-25-51)

The Case Of The Practical Choker (Aired February 25, 1951)

This hard boiled spy drama began as an RKO Radio Pictures theatrical serial in the 1940s, went on radio in 1945, and then came to TV ten years later in this Syndicated series produced for distribution by NBC Films; Charles McGraw had been in many motion pictures before and after including "The Killers", "Spartacus" and "Cimarron"; in this series he played the title role of a man whose real name was supposedly Mike Waring, an American agent whose code name was "Falcon"; Later Charles McGraw starred in a short lived TV version of "Casablanca" (1955 - 1956) in the character of Rick; He also had a role on the detective drama "Staccato" (1959) Actor McGraw (whose birth name was Charles Butters) met an unfortunate death in real life when he fell through a shower glass door in 1980 at his home in Studio City, CA.

 

THIS EPISODE:

February 25, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Practical Choker". Kraft Cheese Spreads. Red Davis has been murdered. Chuck Morgan had been bragging that he's going to kill Morgan. Mrs. Davis remarries only twelve hours after Red's death! This is a case for Mike Waring...The Falcon!. Les Damon, Ed Herlihy (announcer), Eugene Wang (writer), Ann Williams (a drama student at Sarah Lawrence College), Drexel Drake (creator), Arlo (music), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Richard Lewis (director), Ken Lynch. 29:30.  CASE# 61924  Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Father Brown Mysteries - "Mistake Of The Machine" (10-18-86)

Mistake Of The Machine (Aired October 18, 1986)

Father Brown is a fictional character created by English novelist G. K. Chesterton, who stars in 52 short stories, later compiled in five books. Chesterton based the character on Father John O'Connor (1870–1952), a parish priest in Bradford who was involved in Chesterton's conversion to Catholicism in 1922. The relationship was recorded by O'Connor in his 1937 book Father Brown on Chesterton. Father Brown is a short, stumpy Catholic priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London," with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella, and uncanny insight into human evil. He makes his first appearance in the story "The Blue Cross" and continues through the five volumes of short stories, often assisted by the reformed criminal M.Hercule Flambeau. Father Brown also appears in a story "The Donnington Affair" that has a rather curious history. In the October 1914 issue of the obscure magazine The Premier, Sir Max Pemberton published the first part of the story, inviting a number of detective story writers, including Chesterton, to use their talents to solve the mystery of the murder described. Chesterton and Father Brown's solution followed in the November issue. The story was first reprinted in the Chesterton Review (Winter 1981, pp. 1–35) and in the book Thirteen Detectives. Unlike the more famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown's methods tend to be intuitive rather than deductive.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Lochinvar (10-17-52)

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke"
"Lochinvar" (Aired October 17, 1952)

Matt Dillon was played on radio by William Conrad and on TV by James Arness. Two versions of the same pilot episode titled "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" were produced with Rye Billsbury and Howard Culver playing Marshal "Mark" Dillon as the lead, not yet played by Conrad. Conrad was one of the last actors to audition for the role of Marshal Dillon. With a resonantly powerful and distinctive voice, Conrad was already one of radio's busiest actors. Though Meston championed him, Macdonnell thought Conrad might be overexposed. During his audition, however, Conrad won over Macdonnell after reading only a few lines. Dillon, as portrayed by Conrad, was a lonely, isolated man, toughened by a hard life. Macdonnell later claimed, "Much of Matt Dillon's character grew out of Bill Conrad." The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and  John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time."  

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

October 17, 1952. CBS network. "Lochinvar". Sustaining. Artis Nash is planning to marry Ben Martin, but not if Frank Craig has anything to say about it!. Barney Phillips, Clancey Cassell (announcer), Georgia Ellis, Herb Ellis, Howard McNear, Les Crutchfield (writer), Parley Baer, Tom Tully, Vivi Janis, William Conrad. 30:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Frank Merriwell - "The Ballot Box Mystery" (05-15-48)

The Ballot Box Mystery (Aired May 15, 1948)

The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury. A biographical entry on Patten noted dryly that Frank Merriwell "had little in common with his creator or his readers." Patten offered some background on his character: "The name was symbolic of the chief characteristics I desired my hero to have. Frank for frankness, merry for a happy disposition, well for health and abounding vitality." Merriwell's classmates observed, "He never drinks. That's how he keeps himself in such fine condition all the time. He will not smoke, either, and he takes his exercise regularly. He is really a remarkable freshie." American Olympic champion boxer and bobsledder Eddie Eagan commented in his autobiography: "To this day I have never used tobacco, because Frank Merriwell didn't. My first glass of wine, which I do not care for, was taken under social compulsion in Europe. Frank never drank." Merriwell originally appeared in a series of magazine stories starting April 18, 1896 ("Frank Merriwell: or, First Days at Fardale") in Tip Top Weekly, continuing through 1912, and later in dime novels and comic books. Patten would confine himself to a hotel room for a week to write an entire story. The Frank Merriwell comic strip began in 1928, continuing until 1936. Daily strips from 1934 provided illustrations for the 1937 Big Little Book.

 

THIS EPISODE:

 

May 15, 1948. NBC network. "The Ballot Box Mystery". Sustaining. An election of the Yale Drama Society is the setting for fraud. Two aspiring "Juliets" and a ham actor are involved. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 28:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Arch Oboler's Plays - "Immortal Gentleman" (06-17-39)

Immortal Gentleman (Aired June 17, 1939)

 

Arch Oboler's Plays was a radio drama series written, produced and directed by Arch Oboler. Minus a sponsor, it ran for one year, airing Saturday evenings on NBC from March 25, 1939 to March 23, 1940 and revived five years later on Mutual for a sustaining summer run from April 5, 1945 to October 11, 1945. Leading film actors were heard on this series, including Gloria Blondell, Eddie Cantor, James Cagney, Ronald Colman, Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Edmund Gwenn, Van Heflin, Katharine Hepburn, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Lorre, Frank Lovejoy, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Paul Muni, Alla Nazimova, Edmond O'Brien, Geraldine Page, Gale Sondergaard, Franchot Tone and George Zucco. Oboler sold his first radio scripts while still in high school during the 1920s and rose to fame when he began scripting the NBC horror anthology Lights Out in 1936. He later found notoriety with his script contribution to the 12 December 1937 edition of The Chase and Sanborn Hour. In Oboler's sketch, host Don Ameche and guest Mae West portrayed a slightly bawdy Adam and Eve, satirizing the Biblical tale of the Garden of Eden. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

Bold Venture - "Engaged In Murder" (02-18-52)

Engaged In Murder (Aired February 18, 1952

 

 

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." Calypso singer King Moses (Jester Hairston) provided musical bridges by threading plot situations into the lyrics of his songs.

  

THIS EPISODE:

 

February 18, 1952. Program #48. ZIV Syndication. "Engaged In Murder ". Commercials added locally. Matt Jeffrey dies while fishing on the "Bold Venture." Slade and Sailor are accused of the crime. The story is also known as, "The One That Got Away." Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Jester Hairston, David Rose (composer, conductor), Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Nestor Paiva. 26:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Fred Allen Show - "Fred The Boarder - With Ozzie & Harriet" (06-15-47)

 "Fred The Boarder - With Ozzie & Harriet" (Aired June 15, 1947)

 

The show that became Town Hall Tonight was the longest-running hour-long comedy-based show in classic radio history. In 1940, Allen moved back to CBS with a new sponsor and show name, Texaco Star Theater (every Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. EST on CBS, then Sundays at 9:00 p.m. in the fall of 1941). By 1942, he shortened the show to half an hour, at 9:30 p.m. EST – under network and sponsor edict, not his own. He also chafed under being forced to give up a Town Hall Tonight signature, using barely-known and amateur guests effectively, in favor of booking more recognizable guests, though he liked many of those.

 

THIS EPISODE:

June 15, 1947. "Fred The Boarder With Ozzie & Harriet" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Tenderleaf Tea, Chefford's Cheese. Allen's Alley question: "Do you think American cooking is the best in the world?" Fred rents a room at the home of Ozzie and Harriet. Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Al Goodman and His Orchestra, Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard, Kenny Delmar, Minerva Pious, Peter Donald, Parker Fennelly, The De Marco Sisters. 27:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.