Retro Radio Podcast

The typical scattered routine has returned to the Barber clan. Hazel and Dan look for children’s books in the library for Jack. Dan gets sidetracked by taking time to read a few. Jack stumbles in to complain about the demands of his growing brood. He takes up the quest through the books. He needs some new reading material to replace the memorized stories he now has for his girls. To make up for lost years, and compensate for his amnesia, Cliff is bent on getting all sorts of new toys for his son, Andy. Today it’s motorized airplanes. Cliff talks with his brother, Paul about some memories that are coming back to him. Does anybody else remember the carnival attractions and events that he describes? Pa Barber and Jack listen to the fuzzy memories, but they also have trouble confirming the events. Will a phone call to Claudia and Nick help? Hazel seems to be the one who can tie up the loose ends on this mystery. Cliff seems to have some distant memories mixed in with modern ones, and maybe a little imagination as well. Joan comes over, after school, to talk with Paul and the rest. She seems to have patched things up with her grandpa. Has he changed his mind about her boyfriend though? He has his own troubles with his wife, Fannie, so leaves Joan to chat with Paul Joan needs to confide in her uncle about concerns she has with her parents.

As Jack and the cast make their appearances, they talk about how well the show went last week. Mary enters, and Jack talks about their date the night before. Mary shares secrets about Jack, and his ice skating ability. Kenny sings, So Help Me. Jack announces the play, which Rochester will be helping with. With all the parts assigned, and joking around finished Phil plays a tune. The play is based on a popular film of the same name. In an army camp in a tropical jungle, Dr Benny fights against Yellow Fever as he tries to save the lives of soldiers. Will he figure out that mosqitos might be involved in the deadly disease? Or just lay out the jokes about bravery, soldiers, and medical related things? Wow, those are some pretty tough mosquitos.

Identical twins are at the center of Marlowe’s investigation. Going to meet his new client, he takes in a nightclub act where the twins perform on stage. Philip gets a good look at his client, and is descriptive as he tells about the act. A scream from backstage has Marlowe springing into action. Edie is one of the twins, and she tells about a man who stole her purse, and that her twin, Beth is missing. Rough characters begin showing up, and there’s more going on than just a few missing bucks from a green purse. Paths cross with high stakes gamblers, and Marlowe confronts his client over the lies and coverups. With one body on the scene, things get hot. Can Marlowe find the missing money, and twin, before worse things can happen? Danger is in store as Philip tries to make sense of who did what, and why. Not to mention a showstopping twist to end it all.

A study in American political optimism. America is full of opportunity, but the pendulum swings from prosperity to poverty, from success to failure. Its up to the industry of the individual to find his success. Roll the clock forward 20 years, and D’Toukfel is in jail as a political prisoner. Democracy in France has failed to a dictator. He remarks that men want to be free, but they want to also be led. In doing so, they vote away their freedoms. Influence has most impact when it’s directed to the masses, not leaders. What seems to make democracy work? Faith in man’s perfectibility, poised, religious, and very enlightened. Having a balance of equality and liberty. There needs to be a national morality, with free institutions. Rather than a dictator, or a despot, it needs self governing, self regulating bodies. Absolute equality under one man isn’t liberty, though it may be democracy if that’s what the people voted for. Liberty needs to be in regard to valuing mankind, not the liberty of a ruler. Democracy needs a system of justice, law, order, religious belief. Is libertyy defined as the love of freedom, or simply the hate of a master? Liberty should be with no master from government, but being mastered by God and the law. Liberty in a democracy means you’re not entirely independent, and not entirely free, giving up certain freedoms to stay balanced, and becoming successful and great.

Still trying to iron out the lineage of certain Pine Ridge residents, Lum talks with constable Ben Withers. In talking about some inconsistencies in the family trees, Ben Withers tells his own scandalous memories of family trees. Ben goes on at length to show how a family tree caused the marriage and divorce of one of his acquaintences. Interesting, but still not much help in figuring out who the real Hamstead heirs are. To add to the number of heirs, Abner now claims to be part of the family along with grandpap and Squire. Cousin Abner and cousin grandpap soon realize that Cedric is Lum’s grandson. How is all this happening?

The final installment finds us on the third day in the cemetary, with a thick fog covering the cround. Back at the care taker’s cottage, the story of the man who had been ringing the church bell is told. The police whistle that Parker left with Phillus had brought him running, but the alarm turns out to be a false one. It’s Captain Friday, and he has returned with a force of policemen. The mystery man has died, but his last words to doc give enough details to answer a few questions. Though some of the background and motive for trying to steal the pearls have been answered, Captain Friday goes over the clues. He recounts how Phillus grandfather lost his business to a fire years ago, and why the pearls came to be in the City of the Dead. . Friday paints a more complete picture of the mystery, making sense of the strange happenings. Who was the claw footed man? A tale of mobsters out for an easy treasure hunt emerges. Explanations of the gun trap in the church, and the real deadliness of the circumstance is revealed. Two gangs had been lurking in the mist of the night, killing, yet staying out of sight and leaving young Parker and Phillus to take the blame. The gangs providing many situations that built the distrust between Parker and the mayor. Still have questions that aren’t answered? Don’t worry, Captain Friday unravels the elaborately woven tapestry of lies. Find out where the black pearls really are, and why Phillus hadn’t recieved them yet, and more. PS: Dick Lagrand gets the chance to use a line he is famous for in his role on the Great gildersleeve program. Only this time it’s in a more serious dramatic setting when he says, “Well, I wouldn’t say that.”

Marshall Blair has just been promoted to Inspector, so let’s join him in his office as he tells about his first case. A murder on a train has him puzzled. It is made to look like a suicide, but the family is pressing to investigate closer. It would be a classic mystery novel crime with the murder taking place in a sealed room, with no way in or out, and alibis all around for the players. The audio gets a little broken up mid way through. Blair scrutinizes the physical clues and evidence, and the forensics man thinks Blair is a little too old fashioned to appreciate today’s modern 1938 technology. Blair uses his old fashioned ways to fill in a gap or two that the scientific methods can’t explain. Piecing together the new evidence, that was previously overlooked, Blair figures out a motive, and a timeframe that implicates a suspect. PS: I don’t think it’s so much a battle of old fashoned ways, and the weakness of the forensics. Whoever did the original investigation of the crime scene clearly didn’t gather all the clues, or evidence to be analyzed. It boils down to a matter of having an experienced crime scene investigator, which Blair certainly is.

Robert Bolton was an egotist who felt the world owed him a living. He lived a charmed life, taking anything he could to gain from it, and dodging the pitfalls. We find him today in the small town train station in Redman. Seemingly on a whim, he decides to get off and visit for a while. What does he expect to take from this little whistle stop of a town? In the Randolph home, Robert puts the moves on the old spinsters, with his sites on getting his hands on their sizeable inheritance. Will they believe his story of being an author? Poor, homely Martha has fallen for the smooth con man. Will her new found love blind her to the true intent of her lover? Little does she know that Robert’s plans have no room for her, other than to leave er holding the bag. The sheriff isn’t the only one who harbrs a doubt, but he can’t put his finger on the scam that’s going down. Martha’s spinster sister isn’t too keen on the intruder, and his plans have a kink thrown into the mix. Will Robert be able to pull off his scam, and get away? Will a death be standing in the wings of our little drama? Robert has a strange ending waiting for him, and justice has it’s own way of balancing his life of misdeeds.

Still woerried over the box, and wanting to keep curiosity seekers away, Lum has hidden the box. Still, Abner lets Cedric see it. Abner shares the latest about having no Hemstead heirs around to contact, and a little about what they’ve found in the box. Just some old clothes and another little box inside. Professor Crenshaw, a new figure in town is discussed. When Lum arrives we learn that Squire has been bugging him about turning the box over to him. As if on cue, Squire enters to try to convince Lum that he’s a legitimate heir. Is his family tree convincing? Abner is a little confused, but Cedric and grandpap enter with some news that might help.

On the outs with his best gal Hellen, and in need of cash after losing money on the horses, Richard needs a client. The hot, weeping woman who enters his office may not get him any points with Hellen, but she’s just the ticket to pay his bills. Richard is soon tracking down a mystery woman, and along his way he discovers a mink coat with a pistol inside. When a body is found, the heat is turned up but the search only gets more tedious in its dead ends. More bodies pile up, and Richard goes to learn what he can from his police detective friend, Walt. How did the weapon owned by the dead woman, and found on her person, manage to kill the other body after she was murdered? Richard is sure there’s a double cross going on, and heads to see a sultry dame. Besides more dead ends, it only wins the hard boiled detective a thump on the head. Will he get the message that somebody wants him to mind his own business? Waking up to face Walt, Richard learns the key clues he needs to wrap up this case. A counterfeiting operation is exposed, but the bad guys aren’t going down without gun play. Walt plays the cop role and tends to the crime scene, while Richard leaves to take down the brains behind the outfit who just got away. Not a lot of surprises about who it is, but listen in to see how Richard puts the pieces to the mtystery together. Note: Arthur Q Brian is Walt. Also features Sidney Sheldon.

The setting is the old pueblo mission of San fernando. A modern visitor takes in the sights. The grafiti on the wall, the signs of years of wine making in the mission. Then he makes another discovery when he bends to retrieve his dropped lighter. In a dark recess, he finds, and lights a lamp. Suddenly he is transported back to a time gone by. What does it mean? The lamp’s secret is learned, time travel. But the lamp isn’t without its limits though. What would you do with a time traveling lamp? Listen to see what our host, Ernest Chapel does with his. Through joy and tears, there’s safety in the past, but what about the future? What fears might lay ahead? How far might science, and society progress? The lamp allows unlimited trips to the past, but only allows one trip to the future, and can you get back, will it let you return? Enjoy a time travelling adventure with Ernest Chapel, will he be brave enough to take his one trip to the future? Will you be brave enough to go with him?

In the Burns home, the theme of the day can be summed up in two words, “woman trouble”. George has trouble with Gracie wrecking his car, Meredeth Willson needs advice on his dating woes, the Happy Postman and even Bill Goodwin are having their own troubles with the opposite sex. The Les Paul Trio plays, Begin the Beguine. Meanwhile, Gracie learns abouta military surplus sale. George isn’t impressed over the items on the sale, until he learns he can get a jeep. The answer to his car troubles with the ration board. Instead, Gracie manages to pick up 100 pairs of nylons in the sale. Why isn’t George thrilled with that set up? Meredeth Willson plays in his own Chiffon style, If I Loved You. Gracie soon has the solution to all her troubles that have had bothered her through the show. With all those nylons, she gets in good with the butcher and other merchants, Bill, and Meredeth, are suddenly in good with their girlfriends. There’s just one last problem that she overlooked when she bought that bulk lot of stockings.

Abner is impatient about knowing what’s in the box. Shouldn’t they contact the Hampstead heirs to be present? That’s what the note on the outside of the box specifies. Dreaming about the contents, Abner wonders if it contains pearls, or other treasures. Lum has the right to open the box found on his property, doesn’t he? He has an uneasy feeling about this. Might there be a vcurse on opening the box? Paranoia sets in. Are eyes burning into the back of their necks? Is there a ghost, or somebody hiding in the store, waiting to pounce at them? Will the anticipation be enough to drive Lum stark raving mad crazy insane? Suddenly, a stranger appears looking for Lum. Who is Dr Crenshaw, and what does he want?

In a preshow segment, the cast all get ready for the season opener. Both Phil and Kenny are seen off by their mothers. Mary gets a phone reminder from her mom, while Don Wilson’s wife helps him with his lines, and Rochester helps get Jack out the door. After the usual opening, the cast all joke about their Summer vacations. Kenny has been in England to make a movie. His experience won’t change him will it? He shows up with a fake English accent and a valet. The cast all settle into a routine of joking and getting reacquainted. And just in time for the show to get started, it’s time for it to end.

Hosted by Don Ameche. He takes a quick dip into the mailbag, then introduces the King Cole Trio who sing, Solid Potato Salad. Jack Douglas, comedian and singer takes over with a few words of humor. Topics include: family, girlfriend, and getting in a fight. The Army Air Force Band plays, Saludos Amigos. Don reads a few greetings from the mailbag. Al Dexter, author of the hit song, sings it, Pistol Packin Mama. Don introduces the group formerly known as the Vagabonds, now in the Merchant Marine, and now called the Merchant Marine Four as they sing the Tahitian Chant, Marcel lahini. They follow it up with a novelty version of You Are My Sunshine. Next, Don gives an intro to Betty Hutton. She reads from the mailbag then sings a tune from her latest film, Rocking Horse Ran Away. Don shares a few parting words.