Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

The Topaz Flower (Aired April 24, 1947) Crime club literary selections were all the rage during the first half of the 20th century. Doubleday was the first to form a literary Crime Club in 1928. Doubleday's distinctive 'Crime man' (left sidebar) was strategically imprinted on their Doubleday Crime Club selections. The Collins Publishing House in England had their Collins Crime Club launched in 1930, issuing Agatha Christie's first novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, as one of their first selections. The Collins Crime Club imprint (left sidebar) announced its Crime Club selections as "The sign of a good detective novel." Eno Fruit Salts, and the Columbia Basic Network joined forces in 1931 to air the Eno Crime Club. The program ran for two years over the Columbia Basic Network and for three years over NBC's Blue Network. During April 1933, the program was renamed Eno Crime Clues. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: April 24, 1947. Mutual network. "The Topaz Flower". Sustaining. A murdered man's Topaz jewelry is missing but turns up the next day in a pawn shop. Charlotte Murray Russell (writer), Wyllis Cooper (adaptor), Raymond Edward Johnson, Julie Stevens. 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Escaped Nazi Prisoners Of War (Aired April 27, 1945) This Is Your FBI was a radio crime drama which aired in the United States on ABC from April 6, 1945 to January 30, 1953. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover gave it his endorsement, calling it "the finest dramatic program on the air." Producer-director Jerry Devine was given access to FBI files by Hoover, and the resulting dramatizations of FBI cases were narrated by Frank Lovejoy (1945), Dean Carleton (1946-47) and William Woodson (1948-53). Stacy Harris had the lead role of Special Agent Jim Taylor. Others in the cast were William Conrad, Bea Benaderet and Jay C. Flippen. This Is Your FBI was sponsored during its entire run by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States (now AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company). This is Your FBI had counterparts on the other networks. The FBI in Peace and War also told stories of the FBI, although some were not authentic. THIS EPISODE: April 27, 1945. Blue Network. "The Case Of The Escaped Nazi Prisoners Of War". Sponsored by: The Equitable Life Assurance Society. The story of "a peril to the nation." Frank Lovejoy (narrator), Paul Mann, Nathan Van Cleave (music director), Lawrence MacArthur (writer), Jerry Devine (producer), Carl Frank (announcer). 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Surprise Party AKA: Putting The Bite On Miss Brooks. (Aired October 24, 1948) Our Miss Brooks, an American situation comedy, began as a radio hit in 1948 and migrated to television in 1952, becoming one of the earlier hits of the so-called Golden Age of Television, and making a star out of Eve Arden (1908-1990) as comely, wisecracking, but humane high school English teacher Connie Brooks. The show hooked around Connie's daily relationships with Madison High School students, colleagues, and pompous principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), not to mention favourite student Walter Denton (future television and Rambo co-star Richard Crenna, who fashioned a higher-pitched voice to play the role) and biology teacher Philip Boynton ( Jeff Chandler), the latter Connie's all-but-unrequited love interest, who saw science everywhere and little else anywhere. THIS EPISODE: October 24, 1948. CBS network. "Surprise Party AKA: "Putting The Bite On Miss Brooks". Sponsored by: Palmolive Soap, Colgate Toothpowder, Lustre-Creme Shampoo. All of Miss Brooks' friends borrow money from her to keep her from buying a green alligator bag for herself. Lustre Creme Shampoo jingle contest. Eve Arden, Jeff Chandler, Gale Gordon, Gloria McMillan, Jane Morgan, Richard Crenna, Verne Smith (announcer), Bob Lemond (announcer), Wilbur Hatch (music). 29:24. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Six Shooter" - More Than Kin (Aired December 13, 1953) The theme of The Six Shooter wasn't the only aspect of the production that created a buzz throughout during the Fall and Winter of 1953-54. The term 'adult western,' when it was first coined in the late 1940s, referred to the overlaying of contemporary psychological themes onto the western genre of literature, Radio and Film. Just as in noir crime fiction in print, film noir and radio noir had ushered in a new perspective on traditional fiction; the overlaying of contemporary values, psychological themes and sophisticated social interactions between characters of a story. The adult western transformed the traditional 'black hat'-'white hat' type of shoot'em up cowboy opera format into a form that examined the deeper motivations of its characters and how those psychological themes informed the plot--but in a period western setting. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: December 13, 1953. "More Than Kin" - NBC network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Britt treads the boards in the service of the bard for P. T. Barnum himself. Basil Adlam (music), Frank Burt (creator, writer), Michael Ann Barrett, Tony Barrett, Dan O'Herlihy, Ted Bliss, Marvin Miller, Hal Gibney (announcer), Jimmy Stewart, Jack Johnstone (director). 29:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Thing From The Sea (Aired November 28, 1941) Dark Fantasy was a short series with tales of the weird, adventures of the supernatural, created for you by Scott Bishop. The series aired as a horror drama on NBC between 1941 and 1942. 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. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.

The Doctor and The Lunatic (Aired April 26, 1946) The program appears to have aired sustained for its first three months, with three to five sponsors beginning to make an appearance with Program #17, "The Mystery of The Seven Keys" of December 28, 1943. There is a circulating program titled "Homicide for Hannah", that should have been the first Molle Mystery Theater, but there is no provenance anywhere that the initial program ever actually aired. This is the first circulating program in which we hear the program refer to itself as Molle Mystery Theater. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: April 26, 1946. NBC network. "The Doctor & The Lunatic". Sponsored by: Molle. Bernard Lenrow (host, as "Geoffrey Barnes"), Richard Connell (writer), Dan Seymour (announcer), Alexander Semmler (composer, conductor), Frederick Maytho ( adaptor), Luis Van Rooten, Alan Hewitt. 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

A Row At The Cannery (Aired October 22, 1851) Bold Venture is a 1951-1952 syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions. Salty seadog Slate Shannon (Bogart) owns a Cuban hotel sheltering an assortment of treasure hunters, revolutionaries and other shady characters. With his sidekick and ward, the sultry Sailor Duval (Bacall), tagging along, he encounters modern-day pirates and other tough situations while navigating the waters around Havana. Aboard his boat, the Bold Venture, Slate and Sailor experience "adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean." Calypso singer King Moses (Jester Hairston) provided musical bridges by threading plot situations into the lyrics of his songs. Music by David Rose. Beginning March 26, 1951, the Frederic W. Ziv Company syndicated 78 episodes. Some sources have claimed that the 78 episodes include reruns, and that there were only around 30 episodes but more than 50 shows have now come to light. Heard on 423 stations, the 30-minute series earned $4000 weekly for Bogart and Bacall. THIS EPISODE: October 22, 1851. Program #31. ZIV Syndication. "A Row At The Cannery". Commercials added locally. Who has deposited $1000 into Shannon's bank account? The catch is that Shannon expected to bring the son of a wanted man into Havana. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Peter Leeds, Sheldon Leonard (doubles), Tony Barrett, Jester Hairston, Nestor Paiva, Henry Hayward (director), Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), David Rose (composer, conductor). 26:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

There Shall Be No Night (Aired January 25, 1953) Best Plays presents theatrical paramounts of excellence. It's hosted by the drama critic of New York’s Daily News, John Chapman. Dramatic and comedic performances outshine other theater radio shows, greatly performed by such greats as Boris Karloff and Alfred Drake. In This Episode, On Borrowed Time a 1939 film about the role death plays in life, and how we cannot live without it. It is adapted from Paul Osborn's 1938 Broadway play, which was a smash hit. The play, based on a novel by Lawrence Edward Watkin, has been revived twice on Broadway since its original run. Set in a more innocent time in small-town America, the film stars Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi and Cedric Hardwicke. Lionel Barrymore plays Julian Northrup, a wheelchair-bound man (Barrymore had broken his hip twice previously and was now using a wheelchair, though he continued to act), who with his wife Nellie, played by Beulah Bondi, are raising their orphaned grandson, Pud. Another central character is Gramps's beloved old apple tree - by making a wish, Gramps has made the tree able to hold anyone who climbs. THIS EPISODE: January 25, 1953. NBC network. "There Shall Be No Night". Sustaining. The program has also been dated January 23, 1953. The play won a Pulitzer Prize and was rebroadcast on November 29, 1953 on, "NBC Star Playhouse" (see cat. #106190). John Chapman (host), Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Robert Sherwood (author), Robert Carroll, Joan Lorring, George Lefferts (adaptor, transcriber), Fred Collins (announcer), William Redfield, Luis Van Rooten, Leon Janney, William Zuckert, Bill Lipton, Donald Buka, John Sylvester, Ivor Francis, William Welch (supervisor), Edward King (director). 56:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Day The Sun Exploded (Aired January 27, 1940) 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: January 27, 1940. Blue Network. "The Day The Sun Exploded". Sustaining. A terrible catastrophe strikes the planet, just as mankind achieves world peace. The drama is complete, but it is one of three on the program. The two stories not heard are "Back To The Indians" and "The Laughing Man." Arch Oboler (writer). 15:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Bow Window Caper (Aired November 9, 1947) 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. THIS EPISODE: November 9, 1947. CBS network. "The Bow Window Caper". Sponsored by: Wildroot Cream-Oil. A woman with only one month to live is found murdered. Howard Duff, Dashiell Hammett (creator), Lurene Tuttle. 28:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Adventures Of Philip Marlowe - The Heart Of Gold (10-24-48) The Heart Of Gold (Aired October 24, 1948) The first portrayal of Philip Marlowe on the radio was by Dick Powell, when he played Raymond Chandler's detective on the Lux Radio Theater on June 11, 1945. This was a radio adaptation of the 1944 movie, from RKO, in which Mr. Powell played the lead. Two years later, Van Heflin starred as Marlowe in a summer replacement series for the Bob Hope Show on NBC. This series ran for 13 shows. On September 26, 1948, Gerald Mohr became the third radio Marlowe, this time on CBS. It remained a CBS show through its last show in 1951. THIS EPISODE: October 24, 1948. CBS network. "The Heart Of Gold". Sustaining. A $50 bill in advance and a heart-shaped locket lead to an apparent suicide and an old secret. Gerald Mohr, Raymond Chandler (creator), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Roy Rowan (announcer), Richard Aurandt (music conceiver and director), Jack Moyles, Ben Wright, Jeff Corey, Gloria Blondell, John Dehner. 30:09. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Alan The Reporter (Aired December 6, 1944) The Alan Young Show received two Emmy Awards during its run. Young was born Angus Young in North Shields, Northumberland, to John Cathcart Young, a shipyard worker, and Florence Pinckney, whose ancestors included a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. The family moved to Edinburgh when Young was a toddler, and later to West Vancouver, British Columbia, when Young was six years old. He came to love radio when bedridden as a child because of severe asthma. Near the start of his radio career, during World War II, Young attempted to enlist in the Royal Canadian Navy, then the Canadian Army, but was rejected due to his ill health. THIS EPISODE: December 6, 1944. "Alan The Reporter" - The Blue network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. Alan decides to become a newspaper reporter. Bea Wain's first song is, "Music Makes Me." The final AFRS music fill and system cue have been deleted. Alan Young, Bea Wain, Kenny Delmar, Peter Van Steeden and His Orchestra, Jack Kirkwood. 30:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Greatest Show In The Universe 2 Episodes COMPLETE (Aired May 20, 1952) Tom Corbett is the main character in a series of Tom Corbett — Space Cadet stories that were depicted in television, radio, books, comic books, comic strips, coloring books, punch-out books and View-Master reels in the 1950s. The stories followed the adventures of Tom Corbett, Astro, and Roger Manning, cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the elite Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkroom, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars. The Tom Corbett universe partook of pseudo-science, not equal to the standards of accuracy set by John W. Campbell in the pages of Astounding. And yet, by the standards of the day, it was much more accurate than most media science fiction. TODAY'S SHOW: May 20, 1952 - ABC network, WJZ, New York aircheck. "The Greatest Show In The Universe". Sponsored by: Kellogg's Pep, Kellogg's Raisin Bran. A circus hires the cadets to escourt it to the planet Venus. Al Markim, Drex Hines (director), Edward Bryce, Frank Thomas Jr., Jackson Beck (announcer), Jan Merlin, Jon Gart (organist). 47:59. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

King Danno (Aired April 19, 1953) NBC first envisioned The Chase as a new Television feature. This was not uncommon during the later 1940s and early 1950s. Several Radio features straddled both media, with varying success. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a 'chase' of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations. The scripts were faced paced, starred quality east coast talent and were well written. The series' plots and themes focused primarily on predominantly fear inducing pursuits of one form or another. Thus most of the scripts were fraught with tension of one type or another. Whether mental tension, physical peril or a mix of both, the abiding theme throughout the series was the the contrasts between the 'hunter' and the 'hunted' in such Life situations. NBC's Television version of The Chase was in production during May 1953. It was to star Doug Fowley as both narrator and performer. THIS EPISODE: April 19, 1953. "King Danno" - NBC network. Sustaining. The king of a small country finds himself fleeing for his life during a revolution. Anne Sargent, Dan Ocko, Fred Collins (announcer), Fred Weihe (director, transcriber), Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Lloyd Bochner, Peter Capell, William Podmore. 29:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Chinese Student (Aired February 17, 1950) 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 board chairman Clarence Wellman; Willard Waterman (then starring as Harold Peary's successor as The Great Gildersleeve) as board member John Merriweather; and Bea Benadaret, Elizabeth Patterson, and Gloria Gordon as the Halls' maids. Alan Reed (television's Fred Flintstone) appeared periodically as the stuffy English teacher, Professor Heaslip. The series ran 109 half-hour radio episodes from January 6, 1950, to June 25, 1952, with Quinn, Jerome Lawrence and Robert Lee writing many of the scripts. THIS EPISODE: February 17, 1950. "The Chinese Student" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Schlitz Beer. Dr. Hall uses the opportunity of an address in the Ivy chapel to speak of tolerance and brotherhood, after a Chinese student leaves Ivy because of prejudice. A good show! Barbara Jean Wong, Benita Hume, Don Quinn (creator, writer), Gloria Gordon, Henry Russell (composer, conductor), Herb Butterfield, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Nat Wolff (director), Ronald Colman, Walter Newman (writer), Willard Waterman. 29:34. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.