Boxcars711 Old Time Radio

Lights Out was an American old-time radio program featuring "tales of the supernatural and the supernormal." It was immensely popular, and was one of the first horror programs, predating Suspense and Inner Sanctum. In its heydey, Lights Out rivalled the popularity of those shows. Lights Out ran through several series and networks, from January 1, 1934 to August 6, 1947. The principal sponsor was Ironized Yeast. Most episodes were broadcast at midnight. Lights Out then made the transition to television in 1949, where it was broadcast until 1952. Created in Chicago by writer Wyllis Cooper in 1934.

The Clitheroe Kid was James Robertson Clitheroe, Jimmy Clitheroe to most, who by some strange coincidence did come from the town of that name without having to change his family name! At his full height he was 4ft 3in, and played the naughty schoolboy from 1958 to 1972. Although plausable from a distance, he was not really able to pass himself off as a youngster close up, so a TV career did not really take off too well, but at the peak of his fame the radio show was raking in about 10 million listeners, although by the end this had dropped to a tenth of that figure. Clitheroe was a very private person, and the shows became a sort of escape for him, as well as the release from the worries of his diminutive size, but despite this, his popularity increased and increased, making this series one of the longer running on the radio - a total of 17 series. It is surprising then that with such a success, and with such a long run that the shows are rarely broadcast. The humour was very obvious and probably wouldn't stand up in todays climes, but there has been one release from the BBC radio collection, so if you wanted to hear some of the shows, you can hunt this down in the shops. I would like to thank Tony Lang for the following information about the series. I do not have any of this series on tape myself, so if anyone has comments to make I would be most grateful. The scripts were generally written by James Casey and Frank Roscoe, with the shows production by James Casey. The series sprang from a single show broadcast on 24-4-56 as part of a Variety Playhouse series The pilot series did not have individual names for the episodes. The producer was Geoff Lawrence, with the music supplied by the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra, conducted by Alyn Ainsworth, and broadcast in the North of England only.

Let George Do It - Bob Bailey played George Valentine as a detective handy man, who got his jobs from responses to a newspaper ad. Part-time detective and writer Dan Holiday in Box 13 also used the premise. It pays to advertise! The shows follow the usual formats of crime caper shows, with toughs, mysterious rendezvous and people who aren't who they say they are. Network was Mutual, Sponson was Standard Oil. STARS:Bob Bailey,Eddie Firestone jr, Francis Robinson, Joe Kearn PRODUCER:Owen Vinson WRITER: Polly Hopkins MUSIC: Eddie Dunstedter. TODAY'S SHOW: Double Feature - "Mayhem By Experts" (01-31-49) and "Most Likely To Die" (06-26-50) Mutual-Don Lee network. "Mayhem By Experts". Sponsored by: Standard Oil, Chevron. Lt. Riley and five famous mystery writers plan a birthday practical joke on George Valentine with a phoney corpse...but the joke's on death! Bob Bailey, Frances Robinson, Wally Maher, Jeanette Nolan, Fred Howard, Roland Morris, Junius Matthews, Ruth Perrott, Luis Van Rooten, David Victor (writer), Herbert Little Jr. (writer), Don Clark (director), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, conductor), Bud Hiestand (announcer). 29:48. June 26, 1950. Mutual-Don Lee network. "Most Likely To Die". Sponsored by: Standard Oil. A practical joke at a college backfires into a not-so-funny murder. Bob Bailey, Virginia Gregg, David Victor (writer), Jackson Gillis (writer), Bud Hiestand (announcer), Don Clark (director), Eddie Dunstedter (composer, conductor), Wally Maher, Bill Bouchey, Alan Reed, Sarah Selby, Lee Patrick, Lawrence Dobkin. 29:43.

Beat the Band---with Garry Moore hosting, Ted Weems (featuring a vocalist named Perry Como) leading the band, Marvel Maxwell also singing, longtime Easy Aces announcer Ford Bond in the same slot here, and General Mills sponsoring the show for its new corn cereal Kix---premieres on NBC, based in Chicago. A precedent to the later, somewhat landscape-changing hit Stop the Music, Beat the Band listeners will receive ten dollars if their question is used on the air, and the answer is always the title of a song. If they can beat the band they land twenty dollars and a case of Kix, with the musicians who miss the answer having to "feed the kitty"---tossing half dollars onto the bass drum, with the musician scoring the most points answering the listeners' questions getting to take the money home. Folks, listen for the boom of the ol' bass drum---that means the question beat the band.---Country Washburn, bassist with the Weems orchestra. Beat the Band's first incarnation will expire in 1941, but the show will be reborn in 1943, out of New York, with "The Incomparable Hildegarde" (Walter Winchell hung that tag upon the famed cabaret/supper club singer) as hostess, Harry Sosnik joining Ted Weems in handling the music, Marilyn Thorne joining Marvel Maxwell in the singing, and a slight change in the rules, tied to the new sponsor, Raleigh cigarettes. Listeners sent in musical questions and it was up to the band to identify songs from a few clues. Prizes of twenty-five dollars and a carton of the sponsor's cigarettes . . . went to contestants whose questions did not beat the band. If the question did beat the band, the contestant received fifty dollars and two cartons of cigarettes, and the boys in the band had to throw a pack of cigarettes "on the old bass drum for the men in service overseas."

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: ABC network. "Four Fatal Jugglers". Not auditioned. The program is also known as, "Mystery Time," "Mystery Time Classics" and "Masters Of Mystery." The date is approximate. Don Dowd (host). 23:48.

Damon Runyon Theater - 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. TODAY'S DOUBLE FEATURE: 1948. Program #28. Mayfair syndication. "Earthquake". Commercials added locally. A cop trails a very strong killer all the way to South America, and then fails to return to the States with his prisoner! Damon Runyon (author), John Brown, Richard Sanville (director), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 27:23. April 4, 1949. Program #17. Mayfair syndication. "Blonde Mink". Commercials added locally. Beatrice Jordan, the girlfriend of Slats Savin, wants a special kind of fur coat. When Slats dies, "Julie The Shtarker" finds out what kind of doll Beatrice really is. Damon Runyon (author), Jeff Chandler, John Brown, Richard Sanville (director), Russell Hughes (adaptor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 27:37.

Mr. and Mrs. North received the first Best Radio Drama Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America (in a tie with CBS's Ellery Queen). Also in 1946, producer-director Fred Coe brought the Owen Davis play to television (on New York City's WNBT) with John McQuade and Maxine Stewart in the leads and Don Haggerty, Joan Marlowe and Millard Mitchell repeating their Broadway roles. Barbara Britton and Richard Denning starred in the TV adaptation seen on CBS from 1952 to 1953 and on NBC in 1954. The series was unusual in that it was Mrs North who solved the cases while Mr North was just background most times. Guest appearances on this series included Raymond Burr, Hans Conried, Mara Corday, Carolyn Jones, Katy Jurado, Jimmy Lydon, Julia Meade, William Schallert and Gloria Talbott. Sixteen episodes of the TV series have been released in the "Best of TV Detectives" box set. Mr. and Mrs. North were resurrected in spirit with ABC's Hart to Hart, the 1979-84 crime drama about a wealthy husband (Robert Wagner) and wife (Stefanie Powers) who spent as much time solving murders as romancing each other and pursuing careers as an industrialist and a journalist, played the crime theme with wry wit reminiscent of the Norths in their heyday. TODAY'S SHOW: The Last Escape (04-01-52) and Diamond Noose (08-04-53)

The New Adventures Of Michael Shayne was a fictional sleuth created by Brett Halliday (a pen name for author Davis Dresser) who was first initiated into the fraternity for detectives in the 1939 novel "Dividend of Death". Dresser based the character on a "tall and rangy" brawler who once saved his life during a braw in a Mexican cantina. The Shayne character would go on to appear in 69 novels, plus a long-running mystery magazine—and in 1941, was brought to the silver screen in Paramount's Michael Shayne, Private Detective, an adaptation of Dividend of Death that starred Lloyd Nolan, and paved the way for six additional B-mysteries to follow. The New Adventures of Michael Shayne—premiered on July 15, 1948 starring Jeff Chandler. THIS EPISODE: October 2, 1948 - Broadcaster's Guild syndication, AFRTS rebroadcast. "The Case Of The Wandering Fingerprints". Mr. Zeigler can actually move fingerprints from one place to another...which gives him the idea for a clever blackmail racket. The date is approximate. See cat. #65397 for a syndicated version of this broadcast. Jeff Chandler, Jack Webb, William P. Rousseau (director, host), John Duffy (composer, conductor), Brett Halliday (creator), Don W. Sharp (producer). 1/2 hour. October 12, 1949 - Broadcaster's Guild syndication, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Case Of The Phantom Gun". Ballistics say Shayne's gun has killed twice, but that's impossible! The date is approximate, the public service announcements have been deleted. William P. Rousseau (host, director), Jeff Chandler, John Duffy (composer, performer), William Conrad. 28:01.

The Hardy Family - Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an extremely successful MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol. The initial Hardy film, A Family Affair (1937), was made before a series was contemplated. It featured Lionel Barrymore as Judge Hardy and Spring Byington as Mrs. Hardy, Andy's parents, and Margaret Marquis as Andy's on-again-off-again sweetheart, Polly Benedict. But when the series was launched, most of the cast was changed, with the notable exceptions of Rooney and Sara Haden as his Aunt Milly. The series entries starred Lewis Stone as Judge Hardy, Fay Holden as Mrs. Hardy, Cecilia Parker as Andy's older sister Marian Hardy, and Ann Rutherford as Polly. Most of the movies were set in the Hardys' fictional hometown of Carvel, located in Idaho in the original play but described in the films as being in the Midwest. All of the films were sentimental comedies celebrating ordinary American life. The people in Carvel, by and large, were pious, patriotic, generous and tolerant. The town represented movie mogul Louis B. Mayer's idealized vision of his adopted country. Some writers have compared Carvel to Mayberry, the setting of The Andy Griffith Show a generation later. THIS EPISODE: Program #1. MGM syndication. "Junior Chamber of Commerce". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally.. Andy finds himself "forced" to entertain a famous and beautiful athlete. She stands 6'2" tall. Mickey Rooney, Fay Holden, Lewis Stone, Jack Rubin (writer), Jameson Brewer (writer), Thomas A. McAvity (director), Jerry Fielding (composer, conductor), Aurania Rouverol (creator). 27:26.

Gunsmoke was created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. 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. TODAY'S SHOW: May 24, 1952. CBS netWORK. "Ben Slade's Saloon". Sustaining. A series of murders of men who have been lucky while gambling leads Marshal Dillon to a most unusual killer. William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Norman Macdonnell (director, writer), Hy Averback, Jack Kruschen, Dick Beals, Anne Morrison, Herb Ellis, Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Roy Rowan (announcer). 30:22. April 29, 1956. CBS network. "Doc's Reward". Sponsored by: L & M, Chesterfield. Doc kills a stranger trying to stop him from seeing a patient. The stranger's brother arrives in town and starts keeping his eye on Doc. The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on December 14, 1957. The system cue has been deleted. William Conrad, Howard McNear, John Meston (writer), John Dehner, Vic Perrin, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, George Fenneman (announcer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Ray Kemper (sound patterns), Bill James (sound patterns). 24:43.

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar was a radio drama about a freelance insurance investigator "with the action-packed expense account." The show aired on CBS Radio from February 11, 1949 to September 30, 1962. There were 811 episodes in the 12-year run, and over 720 still exist today. As originally conceived, Johnny Dollar was a smart, tough, wisecracking detective who tossed silver-dollar tips to waiters and bellhops. Dick Powell starred in the audition show, recorded in 1948, but withdrew from the role in favor of other projects. The role went instead to Charles Russell. With the first three actors to play Johnny Dollar -- radio actor Russell and movie tough-guy actors Edmond O'Brien and John Lund -- there was little to distinguish Johnny Dollar from other detective series at the time (Richard Diamond, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade). While always a friend of the police, Johnny wasn't necessarily a stickler for the strictest interpretation of the law. TODAY'S SHOW August 21, 1949. CBS network. "The Prize Hog," or "Out Of the Fire, Into The Frying Pan". Sustaining. Johnny travels to Iowa to protect a prized porker. Charles Russell, Parley Baer, Jack Kruschen, Sammie Hill, John Dehner, Junius Matthews, Anne Morrison, Paul Dubov, Leith Stevens (music), Pinto Colvig (as the pig!), Roy Rowan (announcer). 30:02. September 25, 1949. CBS network. "The Search For Michelle March". Sustaining. Johnny goes to Boston for the search...and finds murder! Bill Bouchey, Charles Russell, Charles Seel, Dorothy Lovett, Gil Doud (writer), Gordon T. Hughes (director), Lawrence Dobkin, Leith Stevens (composer, conductor), Myra Marsh, Paul Dudley (writer), Roy Rowan (announcer), Vic Ryan. 29:48.

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. In the audio version the title of the show ended with a question mark, suggesting that father's role as family leader and arbiter was dubious. The partner's production company, Rodney-Young Enterprises, transplanted the series to television in 1954--without the questioning marker--where it ran until 1963, appearing at various times on each of the three networks. Young and Rodney, friends since 1935, based the series on experiences each had with wives and children; thus, to them, the show represented "reality." Indeed, careful viewing of each of the series' 203 episodes reveals that the title was actually more figurative than literal. Despite the lack of an actual question mark, father didn't always know best. Jim Anderson could not only lose his temper, but occasionally be wrong. Although wife Margaret Anderson, played by Jane Wyatt, was stuck in the drudgery of domestic servitude, she was nobody's fool, often besting her husband and son, Bud (played by Billy Gray). Daughter Betty Anderson (Elinor Donahue)--known affectionately to her father as Princess--could also take the male Andersons to task, as could the precocious Kathy (Lauren Chapin), the baby of the family. TODAY'S SHOW: Time For A New Car (06-08-50) and The Skunk Must Go (10-12-50)

Box 13The premise of the program was that Dan Holiday was an author who wrote mystery novels. To get ideas for his novels he placed an advertisement in a newspaper saying "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything, Box 13." The ads always brought fun adventures of all kinds: from racketeer's victim to psychotic killer looking for fun. Most of the episodes were based on Dan Holiday replying to a letter he received at Box 13. He would generally solve a mystery in the process, and return to his office in time to enjoy a hearty laugh at the expense of Suzy, his amusingly stupid secretary. He would certainly not meet the strictest requirements for private eyes (not licensed, collected no fees from clients), but the definition should stretch to sneak him in under the rope. It was heard over the Mutual Broadcasting System as well as being syndicated. The series was produced by Mayfair Productions. Box 13, starring Alan Ladd as Dan Holiday. Sylvia Picker played Suzy, Dan Holiday's secretary and Edmond MacDonald as Lt. Kling. Other stars in the series were Betty Lou Gerson, Lurene Tuttle, Alan Reed, Luis Van Rooten, John Beal and Frank Lovejoy. Music was by Rudy Schrager and the writer was Russell Hughes. Announcer/Director was Vern Carstensen. The series was produced by Richard Sanville with Alan Ladd as co-producer. TODAY'S SHOW: October 17, 1948. Program #9. Mayfair syndication. "Book Of Poems". Commercials added locally. Robert N. Chase sends Dan Holiday a book of poetry by Sir Walter Scott, but Chase has been dead for ten years. Or has he? Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Russell Hughes (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Frank Hertosig (writer). 27:39. October 31, 1948. Program #11. Mayfair syndication. "Suicide Or Murder". Commercials added locally. A woman asks Dan Holiday to look into the death of her son who was killed in a drunken brawl. What really happened to Arthur Daily? Russell Hughes (writer), Richard Sanville (director), Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Edmond MacDonald, Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor). 26:51.

The Adventures Of Horatio Hornblower 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. TODAY'S SHOW: "Protecting The Convoy" (09-01-52) "The 43rd Marines" (04-17-53)

Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world." THIS EPISODE: March 3, 1950. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. A tough guy just out of prison named Joe Quito is knifed in the subway, just after talking to Danny. This program is possibly dated June 5, 1949 or January 27, 1950. Larry Thor, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Charles Calvert. 1/2 hour.

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 dreaaaaammmmssss!" Beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with its cheery commercial spokeswoman, Mary Bennett, whose pitches for Lipton contrasted sharply with the subject matter of the stories, and who would primly chide the host for his dark humor and creepy manner. TODAY'S SHOW: January 24, 1949. CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Deadly Dummy". The ventriloquist's wife and her lover kill the man but not the mannequin. Edward Adamson (writer), Elspeth Eric, Mason Adams, Paul McGrath (host), Robert Sloane (writer), Ted Osborne, Santos Ortega. 25:14. May 23, 1949. CBS net origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Strange Passenger". Not auditioned. The story name and date are subject to correction (the story seems to have no connection to the story title. A man inherits a decaying old house, supposed to have a fortune hidden somewhere. Following the clues, not even murder will keep him from his goal. Paul McGrath (host), Mason Adams. 23:09.

Dark Venture - Have you ever wondered what it might be like inside the mind of a criminal? The stories of Dark Venture try to imagine. In this thrilling drama series, you will be drawn in to the murky calculations behind sinister acts. How much money would make stealing worthwhile? If your business partner caught you stealing $50,000 from your company, would he turn you in to the authorities? Would you let yourself be blackmailed? Or, would you let yourself commit another, more serious crime? On the verge of breaking the law, or taking a life, all risks and dangers must be considered. THIS EPISODE: May 20, 1946. ABC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Turnabout". When a man is caught by his partner after stealing $50,000 from the company, murder seems the only way out. Howard Duff is heard in three different minor roles. AFRS program name: "Mystery Playhouse." The system cue has been deleted. The date is approximate. Howard Duff, Elliott Lewis. 24:30.

The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer. While investigating mysteries, Blackie invaribly encountered harebrained Police Inspector Farraday (Maurice Tarplin) and always solved the mystery to Farraday's amazement. Initially, friction surfaced in the relationship between Blackie and Farraday, but as the series continued, Farraday recognized Blackie's talents and requested assistance. Blackie dated Mary Wesley (Jan Miner), and for the first half of the series, his best pal Shorty was always on hand. The humorless Farraday was on the receiving end of Blackie's bad puns and word play. Kent Taylor starred in the half-hour TV series, The Adventures of Boston Blackie. Syndicated in 1951, it ran for 58 episodes, continuing in repeats over the following decade. TODAY'S SHOW: Alice Manweather (08-04-44) and Hipnotic Murder (08-06-45)

The Haunting Hour - The shows are classic chills from the old school, with creepy organ, overwrought women and over the top men. Perhaps not the highest of melodrama, but obsessively workmanlike. After all, they might have known they were a skeleton staff toiling relentlessly without a ghost of a chance of fame. Thanks to transcription, these unknowns are still with us. John Dunning, succinctly states in "On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio," "There were no credits, so casts and production crews are unknown." TODAY'S SHOW 1848 Program #3. NBC syndication. "The Hands Of Mr. Smith". Commercials added locally. A fine story with an unexpected ending about Tiny, a big guy whose hands have a mind of their own! The date is approximate . 28:10. 1948. Program #33. NBC syndication. "The Mystery Of The Southern Star". Commercials added locally. A missing diamond aboard ship, and a dead body in a trunk. 27:42.

The Adventures Of The Falcon - 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. TODAY'S SHOW: November 5, 1950. NBC network. "The Case Of The Rich Racketeer". Sponsored by: Kraft. A gangster double crosses his lawyer and slaps his wife, right after being acquitted of tax evasion. Later, he bears up his girlfriend's brother. Not-too-surprisingly, he's soon found murdered. Les Damon, Ed Herlihy (announcer), Drexel Drake (creator). 29:30. March 4, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Gangster's Girl". Sponsored by: Kraft Velveeta. Not auditioned. A girl tries to break off with her boyfriend, but he loves her too much to let her go. Will he love her to death? Les Damon, Ed Herlihy (announcer), Drexel Drake (creator), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Richard Lewis (director), Jerome Epstein (writer), Arlo (music), Jan Miner. 30:56.

The Whistler was one of radio's most popular mystery dramas, with a 13-year run from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. If it now seems to have been influenced explicitly by The Shadow, The Whistler was no less popular or credible with its listeners, the writing was first class for its genre, and it added a slightly macabre element of humor that sometimes went missing in The Shadow's longer-lived crime stories. 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. A total of 692 episodes were produced, yet despite the series' fame, over 200 episodes are lost today. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer. THIS EPISODE: November 29, 1953. CBS network origination, United States Air Forces In Europe rebroadcast. "Lady On A Yacht". A German woman, pretending to be from Argentina, plans to wed a fabulously wealthy American. An artist on a small Italian island presents a considerable complication. It sounds like John Dehner is in the cast. John Dehner (?). 23:04.

Inheritance - A Dramatized look into American History. NBC Networt in cooperation with the AMERICAN LEGION Sundays 4:30 - 5:00 pm PRUDUCER/DIRECTOR: Albert McCleary ANNOUNCER: John Wald MUSIC: Robert Armbruster. THIS EPISODE: Inheritance. July 11, 1954. Program #14. NBC network. "America's Greatest Bargain". Sustaining. Not auditioned. 4:30 P. M. The program is produced in co-operation with The American Legion. There is no after-drama speaker. Albert McCleary (producer, director), John Wald (announcer), Robert Armbruster (composer, conductor), Milt Kahn (writer), Whitfield Connor, Dennis Patrick, Clarence Straight, Gil Harmon, Ann Seaton, Tyler McVey, Jay Barney, Ben Wright, Donald Lawton. 29:32.

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: May 19, 1939. CBS network. "The Bad Man". Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. Comedy-Adventure about a Mexican Bandito and the mixed bag of Americans who cross his path. Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Diana Stevens, Edwin Jerome, Ernest Chappell (announcer), Everett Sloane, Frank Readick, Ida Lupino, Orson Welles (host), Ray Collins (narrator), William Alland. 59:55.

Crime Does Not Pay was an anthology radio crime drama series based on MGM's short film series. The films began in 1935 with Crime Does Not Pay: Buried Loot. For the most part, actors who appeared in B-films were featured, but occasionally, one of MGM's major stars would make an appearance. The radio series aired in New York on WMGM (October 10, 1949-October 10, 1951) and then moved to the Mutual network (January 7-December 22, 1952). Actors included Bela Lugosi, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, John Loder and Lionel Stander. THIS EPISODE: February 20, 1950. Program #20. MGM syndication. "Death On The Doorstep". Commercials added locally. An out-of-town hit-man does his job with a smile on his face and a silencer on his rifle. John Beal, Jon Gart (composer, conductor), Marx B. Loeb (director), Burton B. Turkas (technical advisor), Bob Williams (announcer), Ira Marion (writer). 27:34.

The Hall Of Fantasy - This thirty-minute suspense series was written and produced by Richard Thorne who also played many of the roles. There were at least 35 episodes broadcast, telling tales of the supernatural and the dark forces of the unknown. There were often terrifying tales of vampires, killer fog, the walking dead and anything and everything that your imagination could stretch to. THIS EPISOPE: January 26, 1953. Mutual network, WGN, Chicago origination. "The Black Figurine Of Death". Sustaining. Uncle Amos and his little statuette have fun from beyond the grave. One of the announcements has possibly been deleted. . 25 minutes.

The Creaking Door was an old-time radio series of horror and suspense shows originating in South Africa. There are at present anywhere from 34-37 extant episodes in MP3 circulation, yet no currently available program logs for the series indicate the year of the series' broadcast (though it was likely sometime in the 1950s, given the generally high audio quality of the available shows), or the total number of episodes, and only a handful of them are known by their broadcast order. The stories are thrillers in the Inner Sanctum vein, and generally thought of favorably by most fans of OTR.

Cruise Of The Poll Parrot - In 1922, businessman Paul Parrot sold his shoe business "Poll Parrot Shoes" to the International Shoe Company, which was already selling Red Goose and Weatherbird shoes. The shoes were designed for children and so sponsoring a children's radio show seemed like a good idea. In 1937, they launched a syndicated children's serial named "Cruise of the Poll Parrot". The show was sold in thirteen segment blocks, and three complete blocks exist today. The shows exponentially boosted shoe sales, helping International compete against the leader in children's shoes: Buster Brown.The main character for the show was a 24 year old man from St. Louis, Missouri, named Marvin Miller. This was some of his first radio work. He was the voice for the main character, Captain Roy Dalton, the Master of the ship Poll Parrot, and also the voice of the parrot that was the pet of the Captain. Marvin Miller went on to work on hundreds of other radio shows, mostly as an announcer. He acted in a number of films, most notably in 1947 starring with Humphrey Bogart in "Dead Reckoning". Miller played a crooked gambler's sadistic henchman named Krause. He became most famous as Michael Anthony, the man who handed out the million dollar checks in the 1950s TV series, "The Millionaire". Miller died in Los Angeles of a heart attack in 1984 at the age of 71. TODAY'S SHOW: Ep01 "The Crew Is Hired" (09-25-37) Ep02 "Plans For The Voyage Are Discussed (10-02-37) and Ep03 "Johnny Is Captured By El Teste" (10-09-37)

General Mills Radio Adventure Theater - The series had it origins in the meeting of two minds: the ad agency for General Mills at the time, Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample was looking for a different means to reach a child audience besides television, which was decreasing commercial minutes and increasing costs; and Himan Brown, producer-director of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, who wanted to introduce new audiences to the dramatic form on radio. Tom Bosley was chosen as the host because of his television recognition from a kid's oriented series, Happy Days. CBS chose to produce 52 original broadcasts followed by 52 repeat broadcasts. I believe they had hoped to maintain General Mills sponsorship during the complete 104 episodes, but General Mills dropped their sponsorship after the original broadcasts. The series continued for the next 52 repeats as the CBS Radio Adventure Theater. THIS EPISODE: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea(s) (French: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne, published in 1870. It is about the fictional Captain Nemo and his submarine, Nautilus, as seen by one of his passengers, Professor Pierre Aronnax. As the story begins in 1866, a mysterious sea monster, theorized by some to be a giant narwhal, is sighted by ships of several nations; an ocean liner is also damaged by the creature.

The CBS Radio Mystery Theater (or CBSRMT) was an ambitious and sustained attempt to revive the great drama of old-time radio in the 1970s. Created by Himan Brown (who had by then become a radio legend due to his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries and other shows dating back to the 1930s), and aired on affiliate stations across the CBS Radio network, the series began its long run on January 6, 1974. The final episode ran on December 31, 1982. The show was broadcast nightly and ran for one hour, including commercials. Typically, a week consisted of three to four new episodes, with the remainder of the week filled out with reruns. There were a total of 1399 original episodes broadcast. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2969. The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took over. Each episode began with the ominous sound of a creaking door, slowly opening to invite listeners in for the evening's adventure. At the end of each show, the door would swing shut, with Marshall signing off, "Until next time, pleasant...dreams?" THIS EPISODE: August 26, 1974. Program #139. CBS network. "The Deadliest Favor". Sponsored by: Budweiser, Buick. E. G. Marshall (host), Sam Dann (writer), Norman Rose, Marian Seldes, Dan Ocko, Ralph Bell. 52 minutes.

The Lineup is a realistic police drama that gives radio audiences a look behind the scenes at police headquarters. Bill Johnstone plays Lt. Ben Guthrie, a quiet, calm-as-a-cupcake cucumber. Joseph Kearns (and from 1951 to 1953, Matt Maher) plays Sgt. Matt Grebb, a hot-tempered hot plate who is easily bored. The director and script writer often rode with police on the job and sat in on the police lineups to get ideas for The Lineup. They also read dozens of newspapers daily and intermeshed real stories with those that they used in the show. With Dragnet a smash hit, realism in police dramas was popular at the time this show aired. Don't be caught without this radio show in your collection! THIS EPISODE: September 23, 1950. CBS network. Sustaining. A gas station robbery results in the attendent's death. The search for the killer is on. Jaime del Valle (producer, director), Eddie Dunstedter (music), William Johnstone, Jack Moyles, Sidney Marshall (writer), Parley Baer, Howard McNear, Bob Sweeney, Hy Averback, James Nusser, Herb Ellis, Sidney Miller, Robert Griffin, Virginia Gregg, Dan Cubberly (announcer). 23:15.

The Halls of Ivy was an NBC radio sitcom that ran from 1950-1952. It was created by Fibber McGee & Molly co-creator/writer Don Quinn before being adapted into a CBS television comedy (1954-55) produced by ITC Entertainment and Television Programs of America. Quinn developed the show after he had decided to leave Fibber McGee & Molly. The audition program featured radio veteran Gale Gordon (then co-starring in Our Miss Brooks) and Edna Best in the roles that ultimately went to British husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman and Benita Hume. The Colmans had shown a flair for radio comedy in recurring roles on The Jack Benny Program in the late 1940s, and they landed the title roles in the new show. The Halls of Ivy featured Colman as William Todhunter Hall, the president of small, Midwestern Ivy College, and his wife, Victoria, a former British musical comedy star who sometimes felt the tug of her former profession, and followed their interactions with students, friends and college trustees. Others in the cast included Herbert Butterfield as testy Clarence Wellman, Willard Waterman (then starring as Harold Peary's successor as The Great Gildersleeve) as John Merriweather, and Elizabeth Patterson and Gloria Gordon as the Halls' maid. THIS EPISODE: October 4, 1950. NBC network. Sponsored by: Schlitz Beer. Mr. bentley Brook has come to at Ivy College. He's quite good looking, and he's apparently fallen in love with Mrs. Hall! Ronald Colman, Benita Hume, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Sandra Gould, Jerome Lawrence (writer), Robert E. Lee (writer), Ken Peters, Helen Crutchfield, Mary Alden, Henry Russell (composer, conductor), Nat Wolff (director), Don Quinn (creator). 29:25.

The Fat Man"There he goes across the street into the drugstore, steps on the scale, height: 6 feet, weight: 290 pounds, fortune: Danger. Who isit? THE FAT MAN." Brad Runyon was the Fat Man, played by Jack Scott Smart. The series was created by Dashall Hammott and was first heard on the ABC network Jan. 21, 1946. J. Scott Smart fit the part of the Fat Man perfectly, weighing in at 270 pounds himself. When he spoke, there was no doubt that this was the voice of a big guy. Smart gave a witty, tongue-in-cheek performance and helped make THE FAT MAN one of the most popular detective programs on the air. Smart also appeared in The March Of Time (early 1930s), the Theater Guild On The Air, Blondie, The Fred Allen Show, and The Jack Benny Program. There was also an version made in Australia, syndicated on the Artansa lable, about 1954. There are at least 36 shows available from vendors. The Australian Fat Man was played possibly by Lloyd Berrell. Although not featuring J. Scott Smart, who really fit the part, the series is quite good. THIS EPISODE: Murder Calls The Undertaker (1951) - J. Scott Smart, Robert Sloane (director), Dashiell Hammett (author), Bernard Green (music director). 29:40.

Dangerous Assignment - This thirty-minute international spy adventure featured Steve Mitchell (Brian Donlevy), and investigator of crimes in exotic locations. 60 episodes. 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. Music is an almost harsh orchestra. Donlevy carries the plots with a world-weary and wary tone that makes sense, based on his occupation.

BEYOND TOMORROW was to be CBS's science fiction series. Three shows and one audition were transcribed to disk, but it's not certain if they were actually broadcast, despite announcements in newspapers. In the audition, the series title was BEYOND THIS WORLD and the audition show was "The Outer Limit". The first show under the series name BEYOND TOMORROW was "Requiem", a story by Robert Heinlein, which was later be done in DIMENSION X. THIS EPISODE: April 11, 1950. CBS network. "Incident At Switchpath". Sustaining. A fine story about two strange machines found buried deep in a cave. Theodore Sturgeon (author), Bret Morrison, Michael O'Day, William N. Robson (producer), Mitchell Grayson (director), Henry Sylvern (music), John Campbell Jr. (host). 1/2 hour.

THE DEVIL AND MR. O - A transcribed syndication of original broadcasts from Lights Out. With its premiere on the nationwide NBC hookup in 1935, Lights Out was billed "the ultimate in horror." Never had such sounds been heard on the air. Heads rolled, bones were crushed, people fell from great heights and splattered wetly on pavement. There were garrotings, choking, heads split by cleavers, and, to a critic at Radio Guide, "the most monstrous of all sounds, human flesh being eaten."

The Adventures Of Maisie - 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. THIS EPISODE: August 24, 1950 - MGM syndication. "The Needy Orphanage". Commercials added locally. Maisie and a wrestler battle to save an impoverished orphanage. Ann Sothern, Arthur Phillips (writer), Robert Cole, Elvia Allman, Frank Nelson, Harry Zimmerman (composer, conductor), Jack McCoy (announcer), Jeffrey Silver, Joan Banks, John McGovern, Peter Leeds, Sheldon Leonard, Tommy Bernard. 27:28.

Screen Director's Playhouse - 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: February 27, 1949. NBC network. "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes". Sustaining. A good story about a man who can see into the future, and can even see his own death! Bill Cairn (director), Cornell Woolrich (writer), Edward G. Robinson, Frank Barton (announcer), Henry Russell (composer, conductor), Howard Wiley (producer), Milton Geiger (adaptor), Paul Frees, William Demarest. 29:46.

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. THIS EPISODE: May 21, 1949. NBC network. Sustaining. Mr. Andrews has purchased a new television. When the family tries to watch a program, complications result. The concept of watching a television in your is treated as a novelty. Bob Hastings, Harlan Stone, Alice Yourman, Smith Hall (?), Gloria Mann, Rosemary Rice, John McGovern, Kenneth MacGregor (producer, director), Dick Dudley (announcer), Carl Jampel (writer). 30:03.

Blondie was a radio situation comedy adapted from the long-run Blondie comic strip by Chic Young. The radio program had a long run on several networks from 1939 to 1950. After Penny Singleton was cast in the title role of the feature film Blondie (1938), co-starring with Arthur Lake as Dagwood, she and Lake repeated their roles December 20, 1938, on The Bob Hope Show. The appearance with Hope led to their own show, beginning July 3, 1939, on CBS as a summer replacement for The Eddie Cantor Show. However, Cantor did not return in the fall, so the sponsor, Camel Cigarettes chose to keep Blondie on the air Mondays at 7:30pm. Camel remained the sponsor through the early WWII years until June 26, 1944. In 1944, Blondie was on the Blue Network, sponsored by Super Suds, airing Fridays at 7pm from July 21 to September 1. The final three weeks of that run overlapped with Blondie's return to CBS on Sundays at 8pm from August 13, 1944, to September 26, 1948, still sponsored by Super Suds. Beginning in mid-1945, the 30-minute program was heard Mondays at 7:30pm. Super Suds continued as the sponsor when the show moved to NBC on Wednesdays at 8pm from October 6, 1948, to June 29, 1949. Ann Rutherford took over the radio role of Blondie in 1949, and at times, Patricia Van Cleve and Alice White were also heard as Blondie. In its final season, the series was on ABC from October 6, 1949, to July 6, 1950, first airing Thursdays at 8pm and then (from May) 8:30pm. The radio show ended the same year as the Blondie film series (1938-50) THIS EPISODE: Blondie is arrested for littering. Penny Singleton, Anne Rutherford, Alice White, Patricia Van Cleve,Arthur Lake, Leone Ledoux, Tommy Cook, Larry Sims, Bobby Ellis, Jeffrey Silver, Leone Ledoux, Marlene Aames, Norma Jean Nilsson, Joan Rae. Announcers: Harlow Wilcox.

The Abbott & Costello Show - 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. After working as Allen's summer replacement, Abbott and Costello joined Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on The Chase and Sanborn Hour in 1941, while two of their films (Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost) were adapted for Lux Radio Theater. They launched their own weekly show October 8, 1942, sponsored by Camel cigarettes. 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); he was succeeded by Michael Roy, with annoncing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. THIS EPISODE: New Press Agent - March 8, 1945 - NBC network. Sponsored by: Camels, Prince Albert Pipe Tobacco. Costello gets a new press agent. Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Carl Hoff and His Orchestra, Amy Arnell (vocal), Bert Cordon (sound effects), John Pawlek (engineer), Ken Niles (announcer), Elvia Allman, Sharon Douglas (doubles), Mel Blanc (quadruples), Sidney Fields, Don Prindle (writer), Ed Forman (writer), Don Bernard (producer, director), Andrew Potter (producer, director). 29:46.

Beyond Midnight - 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. A replacement series for SF 68, this horror anthology was far more successful than its predecessor, running from 1968 through 1969. Its success may have been due in part to producer Michael McCabe - who also produced SF 68 - honing his talents to a higher degree. Little else is known about it, including the number of shows produced.

The Clock, Imported from Austrailia, was a dramatic thirty-minute suspense and mystery series. It was written by Lawrence Klee and was first broadcast in November 1946. The story always began the same; "Sunrise and sunset, promise and fulfilment, birth and death … the whole drama of life is written in the sands of time". This is a great series where the main theme seems to be Retribution. Stories as told by Father Time. THIS EPISODE: September 25, 1947. Grace Gibson syndication. "Retribution". Sponsored by: Participting sponsors. Vera convinces her lover to kill her husband, but the hapless murderer soon sees the ghost of his victim. The ABC net series of "The Clock" ran a diferent prouction of the same script on September 25, 1947. Harp McGuire, Lawrence Klee (writer), Nigel Lovell, Margaret Christiansen, John Tate, Don Crosby, Gordon Glenwright, John Saul (director), Grace Gibson (proucer). 20:36.

Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer.William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRY CRAIG while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. Craig's office was on Madison Avenue and his adventures were fairly standard PI fare. He worked alone, solved cases efficiently, and feared no man. As the promos went, he was "your man when you can't go to the cops. Confidentiality a speciality."Like Sam Spade, Craig narrated his stories, in addition to being the leading character in this 30 minute show. Nearly sixty episodes are in trading circulation today. THIS EPISODE: February 15, 1953. NBC network. "The Girl On The Doorstep". Sponsored by: Bromo Seltzer. Not auditioned. "I wonder if murderers, like other people, worry about their income taxes. When they make a killing, for example, do they always report it, or do they just their list victims under 'buried assets'?" William Gargan, Louis Vittes (writer), Carl Caruso (announcer). 30:12.

The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin is a children's television program which ran on ABC from October 1954 until August 1959. It starred Lee Aaker as young Rusty, a boy orphaned in an Indian raid, who was being raised by the soldiers at a cavalry post. He and his German shepherd dog Rin Tin Tin helped the soldiers to establish order in the Old West. The program was produced by Screen Gems. The character of Rin Tin Tin had appeared in several movies and radio serials since 1922. One of the dogs used in the TV series was the fourth in the bloodline of the original Rin Tin Tin. Reruns of the show ran on daytime television and on Saturdays on CBS from October 1959 until September 1964. A new set of reruns was shown in 1976, and continued well into the mid-1980s. The original black and white prints were tinted light brown. An unrelated -including a German Shepherd - aired in the U.S. as Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop. The series was produced in Canada under the name Katts and Dog where the dog was named Rudy. When the series was shown in the U.S., the dog's name was dubbed "Rinty" to fit the U.S. title. The success of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin caused the cancellation of Gene Autry's The Adventures of Champion on CBS, which was replaced on February 10, 1956, by My Friend Flicka. Flicka, starring Johnny Washbrook as Ken McLaughlin, the story of a boy and his horse on a Wyoming ranch, produced thirty-nine episodes through February 1, 1957, when it was discontinued. Like Rin Tin Tin, Flicka rebroadcasts aired for years on all the networks. Rin Tin Tin guest stars include veteran western film star Roscoe Ates.

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. TODAY'S DOUBLE FEATURE "Fibber Grows A Moustache"(12-02-41) & "Quiz Show Smoke For Folks" (12-12-44)

The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, was a popular radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film and continued as a long-running television series during the 1950s. 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. Instead, Jackie Gleason starred along with Rosemary DeCamp as wife Peg, Gloria Winters as daughter Barbara (Babs), Lanny Rees as son Chester Jr. (Junior), and Sid Tomack as Gillis, Riley's manipulative best buddy and next-door neighbor. John Brown returned as the morbid counseling undertaker Digby (Digger) O'Dell ("Well, I guess I'll be... shoveling off"; "Business is a little dead tonight"). Television's first Life of Riley won television's first Emmy (for "Best Film Made For and Shown on Television"). THIS EPISODE: The Life Of Riley. November 1, 1947. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Junior picks a pretty good football pool, which gets Riley a promotion. The date is subject to correction. William Bendix. 1/2 hour.

Challenge of the Yukon was a long-running radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYZ (as had The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet). The series was first heard on February 3, 1938. Under the title Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, it later transferred to television. The program was an adventure series about Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police and his lead sled dog, Yukon King, as they fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. Preston, according to radio historian Jim Harmon, first joined the Mounties to capture his father's killer, and when he was successful he was promoted to Sergeant. Preston worked under the command of Inspector Conrad, and in the early years was often assisted by a French-Canadian guide named Pierre. Preston's staunchest ally, who was arguably the true star of the show and indeed often did more work than he did, was the brave Alaskan husky, Yukon King. Typical plots involved the pair helping injured trappers, tracking down smugglers, or saving cabin dwellers from wolverines. Sgt. Preston's faithful steed was Rex, used primarily in the summer months, but generally Yukon King and his dog team were the key mode of transportation (as signalled by Preston's cry of "On, King! On, you huskies!." TODAY'S SHOW: "Outlaw Dog" (05-11-44) And "The Outlaws Nemesis" (05-18-44) May 11, 1944. Program #328. WXYZ, Detroit origination, The Michigan Radio Network. "Outlaw Dog". Sustaining. Tom McShane loses his poke and his claim playing poker in a Stovepipe City cafe. He even loses his faithful dog, "Marty." Possible recording date: May 4, 1944. Not auditioned. Jay Michael, Jack McCarthy (anouncer), Betty Joyce (writer). 14:17. May 18, 1944. Program #329. WXYZ, Detroit origination, The Michigan Radio Network. "The Outlaw's Nemesis". Sustaining. Jim Mckenzie was shot while his brother Pete was trying to break him out of jail. Sergeant Preston is assigned to disguise himself, travel to Towanda Lake and arrest Pete. Possible recording date: May 11, 1944. Not auditioned. Jay Michael, Jack McCarthy (announcer), Betty Joyce (writer). 14:17.

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. THIS EPISODE: July 29, 1939. NBC network. "Another World". Sustaining. An eerie story about a woman's battle with the voice inside her...trying to take over her body! The story is also known as, "The Voice Within Me." Arch Oboler, Arnold Moss, Betty Garde, Frank Lovejoy, Gilbert Mack, Hester Sondergaard, John Brown. 29:28.

WHITEHALL 1212 Tweaked Jan. 12, 2006 This series was very similar to the Black Museum that was hosted by Orson Welles. Both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 drew their material from the files of Scotland Yard. The stories were true in every respect except that the names were changed to protect the innocent, as they say. The Whitehall 1212 series boasted that for the first time Scotland Yard opened its files and the producers promised to bring to the public authentic true stories of some of the most celebrated cases. Permission for these records came from Sir Harold Scott, Commissioner of the yard at that time. There is actually a Black Museum. This area is located on the lower ground floor of Scotland Yard and it does indeed contain articles that are closely associated with the solving of a crime. And "Whitehall 1212" was the actual emergency phone number for the yard at the time. The research for the shows was done by Percy Hoskins, chief crime reporter for the London Daily Express. For the benefit of American audiences, Wyllis Cooper of Quiet Please fame was hired as script writer. Interestingly enough both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 had all-British casts; both ran concurrently. Whereby Mutual Broadcasting System aired the Orson Welles version, NBC offered the Wyllis Cooper one. There were 44 episodes in the series and all but one are in circulation. None of the prorgrams were titled and as they appeared on the scene, were given names by those who collected them. For that reason there are variations of titles, some with incorrect spellings; an attempt has been made to correct this. Some of the shows had "case numbers" and when they were announced, are noted below. January 13, 1952. Program #8. NBC network. Sustaining. A foreigner is found shot to death in his car. A "copper's narc" is then found drowned and with a bullet through his heart. Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Jack Goldstein (producer), Collie Small (producer). 29:12. August 3, 1952. NBC network. Sustaining. A Wellington Boot" in the "Black Museum" is the key to the murder of Nora Brady. This was the only time a person in Britain was tried twice for the same murder. Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Horace Braham, Lester Fletcher, Lionel Ricou (announcer), Beulah Garrick, Harvey Hayes, Winston Ross, Jared Burke, Carl Harburg. 29:21.

A Date with Judy was a comedy radio series aimed at a teenage audience which had a long run from 1941 to 1950. The show began as a summer replacement for Bob Hope's show, sponsored by Pepsodent and airing on NBC from June 24 to September 16, 1941, with 14-year-old Ann Gillis in the title role. Dellie Ellis portrayed Judy when the series returned the next summer (June 23d to September 15, 1942). Louise Erickson took over the role the following summer (June 30th to September 22, 1943) when the series, with Bristol Myers as its new sponsor, replaced The Eddie Cantor Show for the summer. Louise Erickson continued in the role of Judy over the next seven years as the series, sponsored by Tums, aired from January 18, 1944 to January 4, 1949. Ford Motors and Revere Cameras were the sponsors for the final season of the radio series on ABC from October 13, 1949 to May 25, 1950. Teenagers could relate to Judy and her problems with school, boyfriends and parental rules and adults enjoyed remembering their youth as seen through the eyes of a typical teenager. A delighful comedy that ended in 1950, A Date with Judy remains a favorite even today as we realize that teenagers will always face the same problems growing up as Judy and her friends did.A Date with Judy remains a favorite even today as we realize that teenagers will always face the same problems growing up as Judy and her friends did. THIS EPISODE: April 3, 1945 Judy's Singing Debut - Judy's interview with guest Charles Boyer, is more to do with her dreams of a singing career. Louise Erickson, Richard Crenna, Joseph Cotten, Dix Davis, Paul Sawtelle (composer, conductor), John Brown, Myra Marsh, Aleen Leslie (writer), Helen Mack (producer, director), Doug Gorlay (announcer). 29:35.