Boxcars711 Old Time Radio

The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewsis Collins' book, The FBI in Peace and War. The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Adamson and Collins. Airing on CBS from November 25, 1944 to September 28, 1958, it had a variety of sponsors (including Lava Soap, Wildroot Cream Oil, Lucky Strike, Nescafe and Wrigley's) over the years. Martin Blaine and Donald Briggs headed the cast. THIS EPISODE: November 16, 1955. CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. "Room For Improvement". An F. H. A. kickback racket is broken by the Feds when Eddie Norris falls for the daughter of a gangster. Frederick L. Collins (creator). 24:30.

The Adventures of Sam Spade was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951. The series starred Howard Duff (and later, Steve Dunne) as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as his secretary Effie, and took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character than the novel or movie. In 1947, scriptwriters Jason James and Bob Tallman received an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama from the Mystery Writers of America. Before the series, Sam Spade had been played in radio adaptations of The Maltese Falcon by both Edward G. Robinson (in a 1943 Lux Radio Theater production) and by Bogart himself (in a 1946 Academy Award Theater production), both on CBS. THIS EPISODE: July 11, 1948. CBS network. "The Wheel Of Life Caper". Sponsored by: Wildroot Cream Oil. Sam meets a mystery woman with no memory and a corpse that's been killed by a buzz saw! Sandra Gould replaces Lurene Tuttle as Effie, Sam's secretary. Howard Duff, Dashiell Hammett (creator), William Spier (producer, director), Sandra Gould, Gil Doud (writer), Robert Tallman (writer), Lud Gluskin (music director), Dick Joy (announcer). 29:45.

The Beulah Show is an American situation-comedy series that ran in radio on CBS from 1945 to 1954, and in television on ABC from 1950 to 1953. It is notable for being the first sitcom to star an African American. Originally portrayed by Caucasian actor Marlin Hurt, Beulah Brown first appeared in 1939 when Hurt introduced and played the character on the Hometown Incorporated radio series and in 1940 on NBC radio's Show Boat series. In 1943, Beulah moved over to That's Life and then became a supporting character on the popular Fibber McGee and Molly radio series in late 1944. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, The Marlin Hurt and Beulah Show, with Hurt still in the role. Beulah was employed as a housekeeper and cook for the Henderson family: father Harry, mother Alice and son Donnie. After Hurt died of a heart attack in 1946, he was replaced by another white actor, Bob Corley, and the series was retitled The Beulah Show. When black actress Hattie McDaniel took over the role on November 24, 1947, she earned $1000 a week for the first season, doubled the ratings of the original series and pleased the NAACP which was elated to see a historic first: a black woman as the star of a network radio program. McDaniel continued in the role until she became ill in 1952 and was replaced by Lillian Randolph, who was in turn replaced for the 1953-54 radio season by her sister, Amanda Randolph. THIS EPISODE: August 13, 1945. CBS network, KNX, Los Ageles aircheck. Sponsored by: Tums. We're having a heat wave! Cleaning the basement and keeping cool. Marlin Hurt (triples), Carol Stewart, Albert Sack and His Orchestra, Phil Leslie (writer), Helen Mack (producer, director), John Brown, Katharine Carr, Jess Kirkpatrick, Ken Niles (announcer). 29:42.

CHRISTOPHER LONDON was the name and the hero of this 1950 radio show that related the adventures and exploits of a private eye who will "go anywhere and do anything...for a price." Of an added interest is the fact that this guy is supposedly based on a character created by Erle Stanley Gardner. It's an excellent detective drama with Glen Ford in the lead role. Supporting cast compliment his talent. There is little else known about this NBC 1950 presentation.

Crime Club was a Mutual Network murder and mystery series, a product of the Doubleday Crime Book Club imprints found weekly in bookstores everywhere. The telephone rings"Hello, I hope I haven't kept you waiting. Yes, this is the Crime Club. I'm the Librarian. Murder Rents A Room? Yes, we have that Crime Club story for you.Come right over. (The organist in the shadowed corner of the Crime Club library shivers the ivories) The doorbell tones sullenly"And you are here. Good. Take the easy chair by the window. Comfortable? The book is on this shelf." (The organist hits the scary chord) "Let's look at it under the reading lamp." The Librarian, played by Raymond E. Johnson, begins reading the tale. Veteran Willis Cooper (Lights Out, Quiet Please) did some of the scripts from the Crime Club books. THIS EPISODE: June 5, 1947. Mutual network. "Murder Rents A Room". Sustaining. A rich man "dies" but most of his money is missing. The man's ne'er-do-well nephew is suspect. Sarah Elizabeth Mason (writer), Elspeth Eric, Helen Shields, Shirling Oliver, Bill Smith, Cameron Prud'Homme. 1/2 hour.

The Fred Allen Show - Born John Florence Sullivan on May 31, 1894, Fred Allen began his career in vaudeville before becoming one of radio's most acerbic and admired wits. Allen and his wife, former chorus girl Portland Hoffa, began their radio career on October 23, 1932, starring on The Linit Bath Club Revue. By 1934, Allen was starring on Town Hall Tonight, a one-hour show which featured Allen examining current events and interviewing unusual guests. It was here that Allen began radio's longest-running "feud" in 1937, when he made a series of jokes about fellow comedian Jack Benny. Allen's best-remembered feature was "Allen's Alley," a weekly segment in which he would discuss issues of the day with eccentric creations like the blustery Senator Claghorn, Brooklyn housewife Pansy Nussbaum and stoic New Englander Titus Moody. Allen was known to read up to nine newspapers a day and often spent 12 to 14 hours a day writing and re-writing his scripts. Poor health forced Allen off the air in 1944, but he returned in the fall of 1945 with The Fred Allen Show, which lasted until June 26, 1949. Fred Allen died on March 17, 1956. Fred Allen was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988. THIS EPISODE: February 12, 1941. CBS network, WABC, New York aircheck. Sponsored by: Texaco. News Of The Week: Heavy rains have damaged the East Coast. The program's guest is Penobscot indian chief Nee Da Bay, who gives bird and animal imitations. The Texaco Workshop Players do "Truth Of Subsequences," a satire on guess-what-show hosted by "Ralph Deadwoods." This is another example of Fred's ongoing attack on the quiz show genre. Fred Allen, Portland Hoffa, Jimmy Wallington (announcer), Al Goodman and His Orchestra, Kenny Baker, Larry Elliott (commercial spokesman), Alan Reed, Nee Da Bay. 59:35.

Bonanza chronicled the weekly adventures of the Cartwright family, headed by wise widowed patriarch Ben Cartwright (played by Lorne Greene). He had three biological sons, each by a different wife: the oldest was the intelligent and moody Adam Cartwright (Pernell Roberts); the second was the fun and lovable Eric, better known to viewers by his middle name: "Hoss" (Dan Blocker); and the youngest was the hotheaded and impetuous Joseph or "Little Joe" (Michael Landon). The family's cook was the Chinese immigrant Hop Sing (Victor Sen Yung). The family lived on a thousand-square-mile ranch called "The Ponderosa", on the shore of Lake Tahoe in Nevada; the name refers to the Ponderosa Pine, common in the West. THIS EPISODE: The Saga of Annie O'Toole adapted for radio from Bonanza aired October 24, 1959. Annie O'Toole and her father head out to the Washoe Diggings after her boyfriend, Swede Lundberg, returns with the deeds to two mines. Annie takes one of the deeds in return for the grub stake she gave Swede. Upon her arrival in Nevada, her father dies and she meets up with the Cartwrights. Against Adam's advice (and with his help), Annie decides to open up a restaurant to supply meals to the hungry miners. Things seem to be going well until Swede shows up with another man who claims that Annie's mine is his.

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed on as a sponsor for five months in 1950. Despite these problems, Escape enthralled many listeners during its seven-year run. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with the introduction, intoned by Paul Frees and William Conrad: "Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!" Of the more than 230 Escape episodes, most have survived in good condition. Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits, and the series featured more science fiction and supernatural tales than Suspense. Some of the memorable adaptations include Algernon Blackwood's "Confession", Ray Bradbury's oft-reprinted "Mars Is Heaven," George R. Stewart's Earth Abides, Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," John Collier's "Evening Primrose", later adapted to TV as a Stephen Sondheim musical starring Anthony Perkins. Vincent Price and Harry Bartell were heard in the chilling "Three Skeleton Key," the tale of three men trapped in an isolated lighthouse by thousands of rats. The half-hour was adapted from an Esquire short story by the French writer George Toudouze. TODAY'S SHOW: July 28, 1947. CBS network. "Typhoon". Sustaining. A famous sea adventure about the big storm, the dumb sea captain, and two hundred cut-throat Chinese below the decks. Frank Lovejoy, Joseph Conrad (author), Les Crutchfield (adaptor), William N. Robson (director). 1/2 hour. December 31, 1947. CBS network. "Confession". Sustaining. A good story about a shell-shocked soldier walking the fog-filled streets of London...finding murder and terror! Algernon Blackwood (author), William Conrad, Peggy Webber, William N. Robson (producer, director), John Dunkel (adaptor), Cy Feuer (music conceiver, conductor), Ramsay Hill. 29:40.

The Adventures Of Ellery Queen - Tuska cited Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) and Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery (1941) as the best of the Bellamy-Lindsay pairings. "The influence of The Thin Man series was apparent in reverse", Tuska noted about Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery. "Ellery and Nikki are unmarried but obviously in love with each other. Probably the biggest mystery... is how Ellery ever gets a book written. Not only is Nikki attractive and perfectly willing to show off her figure", Tuska wrote, "but she also likes to write her own stories on Queen's time, and gets carried away doing her own investigations." In Ellery Queen, Master Detective, "the amorous relationship between Ellery and Nikki Porter was given a dignity, and therefore integrity", Tuska wrote, "that was lacking in the two previous entries in the series", made at Republic Pictures before Bellamy and Lindsay were signed by Columbia. On radio, The Adventures of Ellery Queen was heard on all three networks from 1939 to 1948. During the 1970s, syndicated radio fillers, Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries, began with an announcer saying, "This is Ellery Queen..." and contained a short one-minute case. The radio station encouraged callers to solve the mystery and win a sponsor's prize. Once a winner was found, the solution was broadcast as confirmation. TODAY'S SHOW: March 28, 1943. NBC network. "The Adventure Of The Circus Train". Sponsored by: Bromo Seltzer. The owner of a circus is killed, three $10,000 bills have been removed from the body! The "Guest Armchair Detective" sequence has been deleted, the mystery is complete. The West Coast broadcast has been researched as being on March 25, 1943, the East Coast broadcast on March 27, 1943. Carleton Young, Marian Shockley, Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, Bruce Kamman (producer, director), Charles Paul (organ), Ernest Chappell (announcer), Frederic Dannay (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer). 28:47. September 7, 1947. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Number Thirty-One". A murdered butler provides the clue Ellery needs to convict Mr. Arkaris of diamond smuggling. AFRS program name: "Mystery Theatre." Don Hancock (announcer), Lawrence Dobkin, Chet Kingsbury (organist), Charlotte Keane, Bill Smith, Ed Latimer, Tom Everitt (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer), Tom Victor (producer, director). 24:36.

Dragnet was a long-running radio and television police procedural drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners. The show takes its name from an actual police term, a "dragnet", meaning a system of coordinated measures for apprehending criminals or suspects. Dragnet debuted inauspiciously. The first several months were bumpy, as Webb and company worked out the program's format and eventually became comfortable with their characters (Friday was originally portrayed as more brash and forceful than his later usually relaxed demeanor). Gradually, Friday's deadpan, fast-talking persona emerged, described by John Dunning as "a cop's cop, tough but not hard, conservative but caring." (Dunning, 210) Friday's first partner was Sgt. Ben Romero, portrayed by Barton Yarborough, a longtime radio actor. When Dragnet hit its stride, it became one of radio's top-rated shows. While most radio shows used one or two sound effects experts, Dragnet needed five; a script clocking in at just under 30 minutes could require up to 300 separate effects. Accuracy was underlined: The exact number of footsteps from one room to another at Los Angeles police headquarters were imitated, and when a telephone rang at Friday's desk, the listener heard the same ring as the telephones in Los Angeles police headquarters. A single minute of "A Gun For Christmas" is a representative example of the evocative sound effects featured on "Dragnet". While Friday and others investigate bloodstains in a suburban backyard, the listener hears a series of overlapping effects: a squeaking gate hinge, footsteps, a technician scraping blood into a paper envelope, the glassy chime of chemical vials, bird calls and a dog barking in the distance. Scripts tackled a number of topics, ranging from the thrilling (murders, missing persons and armed robbery) to the mundane (check fraud and shoplifting), yet "Dragnet" made them all interesting due to fast-moving plots and behind-the-scenes realism. In "The Garbage Chute" (15 December 1949), they even had a locked room mystery. TODAY'S SHOW: "Helen Corday Murdered With Pipe" (7-07-49) and "The Big Fraud" (10-27-53) July 7, 1949. Program #5. NBC network. Sustaining. A well liked waitress named Helen Corday has been murdered with a steel pipe. The suspect's name is Larson. Jack Webb, Barton Yarborough, Raymond Burr. 29:25. October 27, 1953. Program #219. NBC network. "The Big Fraud". Sponsored by: Chesterfield, Fatima. Sergeant Friday goes undercover to trap a gang posing as narcotic cops to con out-of-towners. Jack Webb, Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer), Hal Gibney (announcer), John Robinson (writer), Walter Schumann (music), Ben Hogan (Chesterfield testimonial), Vic Perrin, Paul Richards, Herb Ellis. 29:32.

The Whisperer was an American old-time radio show broadcast from July 8 to September 30, 1951 on NBC. It ran for only 13 episodes. The premise of the series was as improbable as its storylines. The protagonist was Philip Gault (Carleton G. Young), a lawyer who, due to some unexplained accident, lost his voice and could only speak in an eerie whisper. Gault infiltrates "the syndicate" in his native Central City to bring down organized crime from within; to the underworld, he becomes known as the Whisperer. Later, his voice is restored through surgery, but he continues to lead a double life as the Whisperer, relaying instructions from the syndicate bosses in New York (who don't know he's a mole) to their lackeys in Central City, whom Gault is actually setting up. By today's standards, the stories are dated and their message-mongering usually criticized as ham-fisted, the product of what might be considered the unenlightened attitudes of the time. The first episode ("Tea Time for Teenagers") is typical, an overwrought "it can happen here" melodrama about a syndicate plot to create "200 regular marijuana addicts" among high school students. The episode makes a blatant appeal to the moral indignation of its audience, ending with Gault advising PTA's to "show some of the fine educational films available on marijuana and how it leads to a worse addiction." Carleton G. Young, who played Gault, is sometimes confused with the actor Carleton Young. Betty Moran portrayed his girlfriend Ellen, the only other person who knew Gault's double identity. Moran had to deliver lines like, "But marijuana means broken lives, heartbreak for parents!" To collectors today, the series is considered an amusing time capsule of a long gone period of America's past. TODAY'S DOUBLE FEATURE:"Into Each Life (08-19-51) and "Woman On Ice" (09-09-51) August 19, 1951. NBC network. Sustaining. This program includes a scene where "The Whisperer" recounts his origins to Ellen. "The Syndicate" is determined to kill a nightclub owner who refuses to pay them off. They've already tried to assassinate him seven times! Bernard Phillips, Betty Lou Gerson, Betty Moran, Bill Cairn (director), Byron Kane, Carleton Young, Don Rickles (announcer), John Duffy (original music), Stetson Humphrey (creator). 29:20. September 9, 1951. NBC network. Sustaining. Not auditioned. "The Whisperer" gives "The Syndicate's" instructions. It's only one word, "Now." Carleton Young, Betty Moran, Stetson Humphrey (creator), John Duffy (original music), Bill Cairn (producer, director), Don Rickles (announcer), Sidney Miller, Stacy Harris, Charles Moody, Michael Ann Barrett, Jonathan Twice (writer). 29:26.

Dick Tracy had a long run on radio, from 1934 weekdays on NBC's New England stations to the ABC network in 1948. Bob Burlen was the first radio Tracy in 1934, and others heard in the role during the 1930s and 1940s were Barry Thompson, Ned Wever and Matt Crowley. The early shows all had 15-minute episodes. On CBS, with Sterling Products as sponsor, the serial aired four times a week from February 4, 1935 to July 11, 1935, moving to Mutual from September 30, 1935 to March 24, 1937 with Bill McClintock doing the sound effects. NBC's weekday afternoon run from January 3, 1938 to April 28, 1939 had sound effects by Keene Crockett and was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which brought Dick Tracy into primetime (Saturdays at 7pm and, briefly, Mondays at 8pm) with 30-minute episodes from April 29, 1939 to September 30, 1939. The series returned to 15-minute episodes on the ABC Blue Network from March 15, 1943 to July 16, 1948, sponsored by Tootsie Rolls, which used the music theme of "Toot Toot, Tootsie" for its 30-minute Saturday ABC series from October 6, 1945 to June 1, 1946. Sound effects on ABC were supplied by Walt McDonough and Al Finelli. Directors of the series included Mitchell Grayson, Charles Powers and Bob White. Cast members at various times included Walter Kinsella as Pat Patton, Helen Lewis as Tess Trueheart and Andy Donnelly and Jackie Kelk as Junior Tracy. Announcers were Ed Herlihy and Dan Seymour. TODAY'S SHOW: April 11, 1938. NBC network. Sponsored by: Quaker Cereals. Not auditioned. The announcer mentions that the program is "electrically transcribed." It is therefore possible that even though the series was being broadcast on NBC at this time, these might be syndicated versions, as no system cues are heard. Vernon Kyle is terrorizing the citizens of the Yukon to getting their radium ore (pitchblende). . 14:56. April 12, 1938. NBC network. Sponsored by: Quaker Cereals (Dick Tracy Club offer). Not auditioned. The system cue has been deleted. Vernon Kyle continues to terrorize the Yukon town of Pitchblende. What was the weird cry in the night? "The Purple Rider" offers to help Dick Tracy and the Mounties. As the dog teams pass through "Dead Man's Pass," Vernon Kyle causes an avalanche. . 15:01.

Crime and Peter Chambers - This program was born from a detective book series and inspired by author Henry Kane who became the director and producer for the radio show. The series only ran five months, 30 minutes each episode, from April 6, 1954 to September 7, 1954. Peter Chambers was played by Dane Clark who also appeared on the Suspense radio shows. Chambers acted the role of a playboy detective with an eye for solving crime and a taste for the women. Bill Zuckert, who went on to guest star in many 1970s shows including The Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Partridge Family, plays Lt. Parker. TODAY'S SHOW: "Abigail Chrisenberry" (05-04-54) and "Stoney Carter" (06-15-54) May 4, 1954. NBC net. Sustaining. Peter meets beautiful Abigail Christenberry in a bar. He soon finds himself accused of Abigail's murder! Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director), William Zuckert, Elaine Rost, Joe DeSantis, David Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer). 24:22. June 15, 1954. NBC net. Sustaining. Peter Chambers is called on to speak to a murder suspect, a boy Chambers knows. Did he do it? Dane Clark, Henry Kane (creator, writer, producer), Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director), William Zuckert, Fran Carlon, Everett Sloane.

Dark Fantasy was a series dedicated to dealings with the unknown. Originating from radio station WKY, Oklahoma City, it was written by Scott Bishop (of Mysterious Traveler and The Sealed Book fame) and was heard Fridays over stations. Tom Paxton served as announcer. The shows covered horror, science fiction and murder mysteries. Although a short series, the shows are excellent with some stories way ahead of their time. The following is a news promo promoting the show: Every since Lights Out went out several years ago, fans of the fiendish have been clamoring for more good old goose-pimple horror drama on the air. Now they have it. One of the programs that currently freezes the airwaves with its chilling stories is Dark Fantasy comparatively new to the networks. In the late hours of Friday nights these shivery, shocking stories go out over NBC - right straight from Oklahoma City, which you might not have thought of as headquarters for haunts. Station WKY is the home of the Dark Fantasy plays, and the writer is Scott Bishop, who lives in the midst of mystery and the supernatural, represented by the innurnerable volumes of thriller fiction, fantasy lore and all kinds of horror literature that fill his home andhis office. Bishop has long contributed to network broadcasting and to magazines. He says, "Give the listener enough material to let his imagination go to work, and he'll supply his own goose-pimples." Dark Fantasy has been furnishing plenty of such material since last November. And judging from enthusiastic comment, the horror fans are responding with goose-pimples galore! Tune in every Friday on Station WKY Oklahoma City. SHOW NOTES From the Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: January 9, 1942. Program #8. NBC network, WKY, Oklahoma City origination. "The Curse Of The Neanderthal". Sustaining. Not auditioned. "The story of a grave forty thousand years old, and the awesome secret that it contained." Scott Bishop (writer), Tom Paxton (announcer), Ben Morris, Eleanor Naylor Corin, Murillo Scofield, Fred Wayne, Daryl McAllister. 26:55.

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 version ran on CBS, sometimes as a West Coast regional, until August 1950. Both versions were 30 minutes, but the day and time slot changed several times. A total of 29 episodes from this series are in trading currency. TODAY'S SHOW: November 27, 1948. CBS network. "The Man Who Fought Back". Sustaining. Regan is hired to spend the weekend with Alice and Bill LaFarge. Alice is promptly shot, Bill disppears. Counterfeit football tickets are behind the caper. Laurette Fillbrandt, Charles Seel, Ken Christy, Jack Petruzzi (as Lieutenant Santucci, gets to speak in Italian), Sidney Miller, Larry Roman (writer), Sterling Tracy (producer), Milton Charles (organ), Bob Stevenson (announcer), Jack Webb, Herb Butterfield, Yvonne Peattie. 29:41. July 17, 1948. CBS network. "The Prodigal Daughter". Sustaining. Regan travels to New Orleans to find a wealthy man's daughter. He succeeds, but finds her laid out for burial...or does he? Betty Lou Gerson, Del Castillo (organ), E. Jack Neuman (writer), Eve McVeagh, Gordon T. Hughes (producer, director), Harry Lang, Jack Webb, Laurette Fillbrandt, Lou Krugman, Theodore Von Eltz, Wilms Herbert, Bob Stevenson (announcer). 29:43.

The Chase is an exciting Old Time Radio series in which every episode contains, well, a chase. Tales, highly melodramatic and often improbable, of people on the run. The concept of "hunter and hunted" was built into the signatures. with the lone bugle of a fox hunt, the braying of dogs, the sounds of a man running, a gunshot, and the slowing footsteps and eventual fall of the victim. It may be an adventure story, a crime story, or even science fiction, but there will always be a suspense filled chase. THIS EPISODE: June 15, 1952. NBC network. "Terminate Professor Kolcheck". Sustaining. An Hungarian secret policeman named Andre Provich has become disillusioned with "The Party." When Provich is ordered to liquidate his old friend Professor Kolcheck, the two decide to defect. The story has a good surprise ending. The story title may not be accurate. Edgar Stehli, Fred Collins (announcer), June Foray, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Lee Cramer (engineer), Norman Rose, Stefan Schnabel, Walter McGraw (director, transcriber). 29:29.

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: September 24, 1939. CBS net. "What Every Woman Knows". Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. Drama about an Irish M.P. and his plain and apparently useless wife. Agnes Moorehead, Alfred Shirley, Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Ernest Chappell (announcer), Eustace Wyatt, Everett Sloane, Helen Hayes (narrator), Naomi Campbell, Orson Welles (host), Ray Collins (narrator). 55:24.

Case DismissedThus with the pounding of the gavel, the fate of men and women have been decided by the judge. This is the story of our legal rights, the battle to preserve and protect them, and how easily they can be lost. The program shows us just how fragile liberty and justice can be. These stories of everyday events are still interesting, even after 50 years. Stories of criminal liability, legal wills, buying on installment, and leasing an apartment. Each story is well written, and the acting, though dated and a bit hokey by today's standards, still manages to achieve the desired effect. Not much information is available for this series, it was apparently broadcast on a limited basis, and originated on WMAQ Chicago, an NBC station. It was comprised of thirteen episodes, twelve of which are currently available, and was heard from January 30, 1954 through April 24, 1954. THIS EPISODE: February 20, 1954. NBC network, WMAQ, Chicago origination. Sustaining. The program is produced in co-operation with the Chicago Bar Association. A louse of a father plans to skip town to avoid paying his ex-wife child support. A program about child support and domestic relations. Harry Elders, Robert Carmen (writer), Betty Ross (producer), Herbert Littow (director), Rosemary Kelly, Muriel Monsell (?), Jack Lester, Claire Baum, Tom Evans (sound), John C. Fitzgerald (host, Dean of the Law School, Loyola University), Phillip Lord, Harold Witteberry (engineer), Lee Bennett (announcer). 29:09.

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: January 24, 1975. Program #211. CBS network. "Flowers Of Death". Sponsored by: Vigne Wine, Buick, Sine-Off. E. G. Marshall (host), Sam Dann (writer), Mercedes McCambridge, Larry Haines, Roberta Maxwell, Gilbert Mack. 52 minutes.

Adventures In ResearchThrough the magic of radio this unique collection of shows captures American History like no other medium can. From dramatizations of events prior to the formation of the United States and our fight for freedom from England through manifest destiny and our push to the Pacific Ocean. From live radio broadcasts of a date which will live in infamy to the resignation of a defeated and humiliated President and so much more. These shows will offer hours of entertainment bringing our early history alive and remind of us what it was like to be glued to our radios before we were glued to 24 hour news channels and instant access internet connections. A Public service production by the Westinghouse Research Labs. The series ran from the early 1940's -mid 1950's. HOST: Paul Shannon.

Candid Microphone is a 1940s radio show which soon became the long-running TV series "Candid Camera". The show involved scenarios in which unwitting members of the public would be placed in a situation where unusual things began happening (caused by actors hired by the producers as well as various props). The victim of the prank's reactions would be recorded and at some stage the joke is finally revealed to them. Introduced by Allen Funt, this is a rare bit of broadcasting history, perfect for radio buffs and Candid Camera fans who wish to revisit the program's roots. Candid Microphone was first heard on Saturday, June 28, 1947, at 7:30pm on ABC radio. Funt's concept came to television on August 10, 1948.

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.

Bulldog Drummond has come to wreak havoc on unsuspecting killers, counterfeiters, and underworld characters. The opening of the show starts with a the sounds of footsteps, foghorn, then two shots ring out, followed by three blows of a police officer's whistle. Bulldog, who's really name is Hugh (played by George Coulouris), was a methodical crime-solving sleuth who let nothing get in his way of his goal, which was to put a stop to crime! Bulldog believed in uncomplicated and decisive means of getting his way with the lords of the underworld. This usually led to their swift capture, and the easing of the city's burden brought about by these ruthless thugs. THIS EPISODE: September 24, 1945. Mutual network, WCPO, Cincinnati aircheck. "Escape Into Death". Sustaining. A chemical engineer for an explosives company is stopped by a false road barricade and killed by a thrown knife through his neck...or was he? Capt. Drummond and Denny discover a Japanese plot. . 29:17.

The FORD THEATER, sponsored by the Ford Motor Company, presented hour long dramas first on NBC for one only season. The series moved to CBS for its second and last season. There were 39 NBC and 39 CBS hour- long shows (not verified). The show initially received an unfavorable review from the New York Times for poor script adaptation but was still highly rated for the actors' performance and overall production. The show was supposed to feature only original scripts but had to forgo that plan due to lack of quality material. The first season on NBC used radio actors under the direction of George Zachary. Martin Gabel announced the first show but was soon replaced by Kenneth Banghart. The second season, on CBS, used Hollywood screen actors in the lead roles, supported by radio actors. Fletcher Markle, who previously produced CBS's STUDIO ONE series, was the producer for the second season. Although a short series, it still has some of radio's best dramas. THIS EPISODE: January 4, 1948. NBC network. "The Adventures Of A Bad Boy". Sponsored by: Ford. A fine murder mystery, deduced and solved by Ellery Queen. A good radio production; Ellery picks the killer like a rabbit out of a magician's hat...almost literally! Guy Wallace, Kenneth Banghart (announcer), Charlotte Keane, Brad Barker, Jane Houston, Walter Vaughn, Harold Dryanforth, Avril Harris, Frederic Dannay (writer, as "Ellery Queen"), Manfred B. Lee (writer, as "Ellery Queen"), Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, Sarah Fussell, Hugh Marlowe, Anne Seymour, John Gibson. 1 hour.

The Casebook of Gregory Hood,/B>, 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.

Bold Venture - The Hollywood husband and wife team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall set sail for adventure in the Bold Venture radio series in early 1951. There were well over 400 stations that aired the program. Since thiswas syndicated * the starting date varied from station to station but Mar 26, 1951 was the official date of the first show. Humphrey Bogart portrayed Slate Shannon, owner of a rundown Havana hotel, Shannon's Place. The action took place on land as well aboard Slate's boat, The Bold Venture, thus the title of the series. Lauren Bacall was his ward Sailor Duval, a stubborn and flirtatious young woman whose late father had willed her to Slate for her protection. Together the duo found adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean.

The Amazing Mr. Malone radio series aired 1947-1951 based on the John Malone series of mystery novels by Craig Rice, the author of fourteen novels, countless short stories, and a number of true crime pieces. She once rivaled Agatha Christie in sales,and was on the cover of Time Magazine in 1946. John J. Malone, socialite and ladies man, is a brilliant criminal lawyer taking up a new case in every episode. Using his finely-honed deductive and persuasive skills, he never gives up until justice is done. THIS EPISODE: 1947. NBC network. "The Lucky Stiff". Sustaining. Lucky at everything, or is he. George Petrie, Larry Haines, Craig Rice (creator), Eugene Wang (writer), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Richard Lewis (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 29:38.

The Jack Benny Show Benny had been only a minor vaudeville performer, but he became a national figure with The Jack Benny Program, a weekly radio show which ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS, and was consistently among the most highly rated programs during most of that run. With Canada Dry Ginger Ale as a sponsor, Benny came to radio on The Canada Dry Program, beginning May 2, 1932, on the NBC Blue Network and continuing there for six months until October 26, moving the show to CBS on October 30. With Ted Weems leading the band, Benny stayed on CBS until January 26, 1933. Arriving at NBC on March 17, Benny did The Chevrolet Program until April 1, 1934. He continued with sponsors General Tires, Jell-O and Grape Nuts. Lucky Strike was the radio sponsor from 1944 to the mid-1950s. The show returned to CBS on January 2, 1949, as part of CBS president William S. Paley's notorious "raid" of NBC talent in 1948-49. There it stayed for the remainder of its radio run, which ended on May 22, 1955. CBS aired reruns of old radio episodes from 1956 to 1958 as The Best of Benny. THIS EPISODE: January 17, 1954. Program #364. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. After lunch with the gang, Jack gets a Beverly Hills parking ticket. AFRS program name: "The Jack Benny Program." The program was recorded January 13, 1954. Dennis Day, Don Wilson, Sara Berner, Eddie Anderson, Frank Nelson, Mel Blanc, Milt Josefsberg (writer), Al Gordon (writer), Hal Goldman (writer), Hilliard Marks (producer, transcriber), John Tackaberry (writer), Jack Benny, Bob Crosby. 25 minutes.

Crime Classics was a U. S. radio docudrama which aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was basically a historical true crime series, examining crimes, and especially murders, from the past. It grew out of Lewis's personal interest in famous murder cases, and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages, and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration. THIS EPISODE: February 10, 1954. CBS network. "Twenty Three Knives Against Caesar". Sustaining. Hail Caesar...from a "Crime Classics" point of view. Lou Merrill (host), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Edgar Barrier, Hy Averback, Marvin Miller, Harry Bartell, Bob Lemond (announcer), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Lou Krugman, Irene Tedrow, Betty Harford. 30:12.

Cloak and Dagger - "Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission for the United States, knowing in advance you may never return alive?" Cloak and Dagger first aired over the NBC network on May 7, 1950. It had a short run through the Summer on Sundays, changing to Fridays after its Summer run. The last show aired Oct. 22, 1950. This is the story of the WWII special governmental agency, the OSS, or Office of Strategic Services. Its mission was to develop and maintain spy networks throughout Europe and into Asia, while giving aid to underground partisan groups and developing espionage activities for Allied forces overseas.The show is based on the book of the same name by Lt. Col. Corey Ford and Major Alastair MacBain (who were associated with the OSS from its early days.) The dramas are not Hollywood-style, in that they sometimes end with plans foiled or leading characters dead. THIS EPISODE: September 22, 1950. NBC network. "Operation Sell-Out". Sustaining. 8:00 P. M. A two-man mission into occupied France to locate a German submarine base is turned into a three-man mission. The final promotional announcement and system cue have been deleted. Karl Weber, Ken Field (writer), Carl Eastman, Louise Erickson, Ian Martin, Luis Van Rooten, Arnold Moss, Jon Gart (music director), Alistair MacBain (creator), Raymond Edward Johnson, Manny Segal (sound effects), John Powers (sound effects), Don Abbott (engineer), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer), Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Corey Ford (creator). 29:12.

The Adventures of Frank Merriwell first ran on NBC radio from March 26 to June 22, 1934 as a 15-minute serial airing three times a week at 5:30pm. Sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste, this program starred Donald Briggs in the title role. Harlow Wilcox was the announcer. After a 12-year gap, the series returned October 5, 1946 as a 30-minute NBC Saturday morning show, continuing until June 4, 1949. Lawson Zerbe starred as Merriwell, Jean Gillespie and Elaine Rostas as Inza Burrage, Harold Studer as Bart Hodge and Patricia Hosley as Elsie Belwood. The announcer was Harlow Wilcox, and the Paul Taubman Orchestra supplied the background music. There are at least three generations of Merriwells: Frank, his half-brother Dick, and Frank's son, Frank Jr. There is a marked difference between Frank and Dick. Frank usually handled challenges on his own. Dick has mysterious friends and skills that help him, especially an old Indian friend without whom the stories would not have been quite as interesting. THIS EPISODE: October 2, 1948. NBC network. "The Ransomed Football". Sustaining. After a hard-fought football game against Rutgers, the victory football disappears. Frank vows to return the ball before returning to Yale. The University Of Denver "Youth Month" scholarship premium is a four-year full tuition scholarship. Mr. Atwater Kent has donated an additional $500 for expenses while the winner attends college. The program closing has been partially deleted. Elaine Rost, Paul Taubman (composer, conductor), Ruth Braun (writer), Gilbert Braun (writer), William Welch (writer), Edward King (director), William Griffis, David Alexander, Ed Latimer, Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Burt L. Standish (creator). 28:48.

Counterspy was an espionage drama radio series that aired on ABC and Mutual from May 18, 1942 to November 29, 1957. David Harding (Don MacLaughlin) was the chief of the United States Counterspies, a unit engaged during World War II in counterespionage against Japan's Black Dragon and Germany's Gestapo. With spies still lurking in the post-war years, the adventures continued apace well after World War II ended. THIS EPISODE: July 28, 1946. ABC network. Sponsored by: Old Nick Candy, Bit O' Honey Candy. Not auditioned. A rehearsal recording about a stolen car racket. The cast cracks up at the end. The announcer's last words are, "32:45" (presumably the running time of the recording). Phillips H. Lord (producer). 32:46.

Hollywood Radio Theater (Lux Radio Theater) strove to feature as many of the original stars of the original stage and film productions as possible, usually paying them $5,000 an appearance to do the show. It was when sponsor Lever Brothers (who made Lux soap and detergent) moved the show from New York to Hollywood in 1936 that it eased back from adapting stage shows and toward adaptations of films. The first Lux film adaptation was The Legionnaire and the Lady, with Marlene Dietrich and Clark Gable, based on the film Morocco. That was followed by a Lux adaptation of The Thin Man, featuring the movie's stars, Myrna Loy and William Powell. THIS EPISODE: September 21, 1953. Program #92. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "I Confess". A priest hears the confession of a murderer. Because he cannot reveal the killer's identity, the priest finds himself accused of the crime. AFRS program name: "Hollywood Radio Theatre." Cary Grant, Phyllis Thaxter, Irving Cummings (host), Ken Carpenter (announcer), Rudy Schrager (music director), Jack Kruschen, Leonard Penn, Edgar Barrier, Shepard Menken, George Baxter, Anne Morrison, Charlie Lung, Jill Oppenheim, William Johnstone, Herb Butterfield, Tony Michaels, Edward Marr, George Tabori (screenwriter), William Archibald (screenwriter), Paul Anthelme (author), Earl Ebi (director), Sanford Barnett (adaptor), Charlie Forsyth (sound effects). 55 minutes.

The FalconThis 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: December 10, 1950. NBC network. "The Case Of The Raw Deal". Sponsored by: Kraft. A gunman robs a hotel room poker game of $65,000. The victims hire "The Falcon" to find the gunman, but Mike Waring suspects that one of the card players was in on the deal. Les Damon, Ed Herlihy (announcer), Drexel Drake (creator). 29:34.

Duffy's Tavern, an American radio situation comedy (CBS, 1941-1942; NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944; NBC, 1944-1952), often featured top-name stage and film guest stars but always hooked those around the misadventures, get-rich-quick-scheming, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, played by the writer/actor who created the show, Ed Gardner. THIS EPISODE: April 13, 1949. NBC network origination, Nostalgia Broadcasting Corporation syndication. Commercials added locally. Suspecting that one of his non-paying customers is really a millionaire, Archie holds an open house at Duffy's. Duffy himself enters his tavern, but is not heard. Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Charlie Cantor, Alan Reed, Ken Christy. 26:02.

Diary of Fate is a mystery and horror program where "Fate" narrates and always wins by the end of the story. These are great suspense filled stories about average people who are subject to the mysteries of their 'Fate'. TODAY'S SHOW: May 25, 1948. Program #24. Finley syndication. "The Entry Of Walter Vincent". Commercials added locally. Book 97, page 854. A chemist realizes he never should have become a scientist. His wife has bigger plans, Walter has to make a choice. The date is subject to correction. Larry Finley (producer), Herb Lytton, Tom Brown, Peter Leeds, John Arthur Gillespie, Gloria Blondell, Ray Ehrlenborn (probable sound effects), Ivan Ditmars (organ), Ivan Ditmars, Hal Sawyer. 27:45. June 29, 1948. Program #29. Finley syndication. "Victor Wakeman". Commercials added locally. Book 54, page 806. Not auditioned. An American citizen works in Berlin for U. S. government intelligence. The date is subject to correction. Herb Lytton, Mary Lansing, Barney Phillips, Walter Craig, Ray Ehrlenborn, Hal Sawyer, Gene Twombley, Larry Finley (producer). 26:07.

Burns and Allen are one of the most beloved couple in old time radio. They got started, like many of the greats of old time radio, in vaudeville, which is really just the touring popular entertainment in America prior to movies. Gracie was the sparkplug of the act, always the center of attention. George played the foil, the guy vainly trying to make sense of the ditzy world of Gracie. By the early 30s, Gracie was probably the best known woman on radio. Gracie often sang in a voice that showed she was also an excellent comedienne songstress. The shows had names after the sponsors, such as Maxwell House Coffee Time, or The Ammident Show - it was the Burns and Allen show to the public. Other fine radio actors were a part of the fun. Mel Blanc did the happy postman, and was also famous for his zany characters on The Jack Benny Show, and his own Mel Blanc Show. Elliott Lewis, a veteran of many radio dramas, played many of the bit parts on the Burns and Allen shows of the 40s. Burns & Allen were touring England in 1929 when they made their first radio appearance on the BBC. Gracie Allen died on August 27, 1964. George Burns died on March 9, 1996. First Broadcast date february 15th 1932. Last Broadcast date may 17th 1950.

Academy Award Theater - Stars and movies with Oscars were the idea - in most cases, the movie stars recreated their academy award roles for the show, or in other cases, fine actors played the parts and gave it a different character. Both ways make for great radio drama and first class Hollywood motion picture star entertainment. The Lux Radio Theater had been doing this kind of radio show in the grandest manner for many years, but sponsor Squibb had the hubris and deep pockets to take on the competition by doing Academy Award Theater right after the Second World War. The year 1946 was pre-television, and so movies were still the major American visual art form, with radio the other popular network entertainment. In this final pre-TV time, Academy Award Theater was thought of as a premier radio production, a wow show, much like CinemaScope was to be in the 1950's when Hollywood felt the box office blow of early TV. THIS EPISODE: September 25, 1946. CBS network. "Guest In The House". Sponsored by: Squibb Drugs. A neurotic disrupts the happy home life of her doctor's family. Joan Lorring, Anita Louise, Kirk Douglas. 1/2 hour.

Calling All Cars was one of radio's earliest cop shows, dramatizing true crime stories and introduced by officers from the Los Angeles and other police departments. The narrator of the program was speech professor Charles Frederick Lindsley, and the only other regular voice heard on the program week after week belonged to that of Sergeant Jesse Rosenquist of the L.A.P.D., whose name and voice were so unusually distinctive that he was retained for the show's entire run. None of the actors on the show ever received on-air credit, but among the talent OTR fans can hear the likes of Elvia Allman, Jackson Beck, Charles Bickford, John Gibson, Richard LeGrand and Hanley Stafford, just to name a few. THIS EPISODE: January 22, 1935. Program #61. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network). "The San Quentin Prison Break". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil. Four convicts have just escaped from San Quentin prison, they are reported heading north with four members of the prison board as hostages. The actual prison break happened just "last Wednesday." The program has also been dated January 16, 1935. The initial dramatization of the event (also on the Don Lee net, which was used as the CBS Pacific net) took place just a half hour after the capture of the escaped convicts. William N. Robson dramatized how this story was produced on "The Columbia Workshop" on September 5, 1936. The system cue has been deleted. Not auditioned. District Attorney Albert Bagshaw speaks from KFRC, San Francisco. William N. Robson (writer, producer), Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator), Albert Bagshaw (may be impersonated). 29:05.

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."

2000 AD (2000 Plus) is known as the first of the network science fiction shows, although it ran on Mutual just a month prior to the introduction of the landmark series, Dimension X. It was a half hour of science fiction wonder in an exciting package. The stories have a charm that is always present in science fiction of the future that is written in the past. "When The Worlds Met" takes place "at the giant space port in Washington, temporary capitol of the federated world government as in April 21, 2000 Plus 20 (2020) crowds throng as audio and televox networks cover a space ship carrying in its space hold the first load of uranium taken from the pits of Luna, satellite of Earth.

The Avenger is an Old Time Radio show aired by the South African Broadcasting System in the 1940s. It featured a biochemist crime-fighter by the name of Jim Brandon. Mr. Brandon had two inventions which assisted him in the fight against crime. Mr. Brandon was able to pick up telpathic thought flashes and had a diffusion capsule which allowed him to become invisible. SYNDICATED by:Charles Michelson WRITTER: Walter Gibson STARS: James Monks, Dick Janiver as the invisible Jim Brandon WITH: James LaCurto. THIS EPISODE: The Avenger. November 16, 1945. Program #24. Michelson syndication. "The Diploma Of Death". Commercials added locally. Charles Michelson (producer), Walter Gibson (writer), Ruth Braun (writer), Gilbert Braun (writer). 1/2 hour.

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. THIS EPISODE: November 14, 1948. Program #13. Mayfair syndication. "Damsel In Distress". Commercials added locally. Constance McLain, a wealthy girl at a private school, asks Dan to protect her from a blackmailer. She then disappears! A loud crash is heard in the studio during the program, which is ignored by the cast. Alan Ladd, Edmond MacDonald, Richard Sanville (director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Russell Hughes (writer), Sylvia Picker, Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 27:28.

Blair of the Mounties is the story of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police -- a fictional series based on the work of the Northwest Mounted Police before the World War I. It was a fifteen minute weekly serial heard every Monday for 36 weeks beginning January 31st, 1938 and running through the 3rd of October of 1938. It may have been on the air as early as 1935, although there's no actual proof of this. Little is known of the series other than it followed the exploits of Sgt. Blair of the Northwest Mounted Police. and probably was the inspiration for Trendell, Campbell and Muir's Challenge of the Yukon. The series was written by Colonel Rhys Davies, who also played the Colonel Blair in the series. Jack Abbot played the Constable. Jack French, one of OTR's best researchers says this about the series: "Blair is not restricted to Canada, as other Mounties, as we find him, in a few cases, in Great Britain, solving cases. Overall the series is amateurishly written, with the actor playing Blair coming accros as a bit stuffy." THIS EPISODE: April 4, 1938. Program #10. Walter Biddick syndication. "The Cherry Hill Mystery" Part one. An innocent man will be hanged unless Blair can find out how two men were shot...without a gun! . 12 1/4 minutes. April 11, 1938. Program #11. Walter Biddick syndication. "The Cherry Hill Mystery" Part two. With clever deduction, Blair discovers the killer and the murder weapon. . 13 1/4 minutes.

The Arthur Godfrey Show - Godfrey was born in New York City. While his family was originally well off, his mother was unsuccessful as a performer with aspirations to fame and stardom that never materialized, and his father was a failed sportswriter who left the family. With the family in sudden poverty, Godfrey tried to help them survive by going on the road accepting odd jobs, and hoboing. He served in the United States Navy from 1920 to 1924 as a radio operator on naval destroyers. Additional training in radio came during Godfrey's service in the Coast Guard from 1927 to 1930. It was during a Coast Guard stint in Baltimore that he appeared on a local talent show and became popular enough to land his own brief weekly program.

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: July 21, 1947. Syndicated, WRVR-FM, New York aircheck. "Gus Fowler". Participating sponsors. A man with a month to live and a strange bargain. WRVR rebroadcast date: August 31, 1973. The date above is the date of the first broadcast on ABC. . 1/2 hour.

The Air Adventures Of Jimmy Allen This series included the boy wonder and pilot, Jimmie Allen, his best teenage buddy, Speed Robertson, and mechanic Flash Lewis. As a team they would solve crimes often at the hands of their enemies the corrupt Black Pete and the dishonorable Digger Dawson. Young listeners could join the very popular Jimmie Allen Flying club, complete with a "personal letter" from the boy wonder himself. Jimmie Allen was so popular a character that Paramount shot the feature film The Sky Parade.

Big Town is a radio show that aired from 1937 to 1952. Edward G. Robinson had the lead role of Steve Wilson from 1937 to 1942. Claire Trevor was Wilson's society editor sidekick Lorelei Kilbourne, with Ona Munson taking over that role in 1940. Edward J. Pawley portrayed Wilson from 1942 until 1952 when Walter Greaza was heard as Wilson in the final episodes in the radio series. When Big Town moved to television, the program was telecast live, but in 1952 the production switched to film after the move from New York City to Hollywood. The television series ran on CBS from 1950 through 1954, continuing on NBC from 1955 through 1956. Repeat episodes aired on the DuMont Network (under the title City Assignment) while Big Town was still showing first-run episodes on CBS. Reruns were also shown under the titles Heart of the City, Headline and Byline Steve Wilson. THIS EPISODE: November 30, 1948. NBC network. "I Remember Murder". Sponsored by: Lifebuoy, Rinso. A band-leader steals $50,000 from The High Hatters Club and leaves town in a hurry. After he's "taken for a ride," the girl singer who was with him developes amnesia. "Harry The Hack" finds her...and the murder victim too. Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon, Mason Adams, Jerry McGill (writer, director). 29:55.

21ST PRECINCT was one of the realistic police drama series of the early- to mid-1950's that were aired in the wake of DRAGNET. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to-day operation of a single police precinct. Actual cases were used as the basis for stories. The Precinct Captain acted as the narrator for the series.The official title of the series according to the series scripts and the CBS series promotional materials was 21ST PRECINCT and not TWENTY-FIRST PRECINCT or TWENTY FIRST PRECINCT which appears in many Old-Time Radio books. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to-day operations of a single police precinct. Actual cases would be used as the basis for stories. It was mentioned in each episode's closing by the announcer that, "Twenty-firstPrecinct is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association an organization of more than 20,000 members of the Police Department, City of New York."

The Adventures of Frank Race, by Bruce Ells Productions, was first heard in May of 1949. The main character, Frank Race, was an attorney before World War II. As a result of his activities in the war, when it was over, he traded his law books for a career with the OSS. There, "Adventure" became his business. Tom Collins played the role of Frank Race initially, immediately following his stint as Chandu, The Magician. The lead role was taken over later by Paul Dubof. THIS EPISODE: January 22, 1950. Program #39. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Night Crawler". Commercials added locally. Treachery in the live bait business. Race sees that the worm turns! Paul Dubov, Tony Barrett, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (producer), Ivan Ditmars (organist), Art Gilmore (announcer), Michael Ann Barrett, Dick Ryan, Hal March, Gunnar Peterson, Wilms Herbert, Bill Crawford. 26:48.