Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Mary At Sea (Aired July 30, 1945) 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.

Woman Locked In A Drug Store (1956) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the nine-tenths of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the East River wouldn't know, if you asked them, that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their persons, their homes, and their property is the job of the men of the 21st." 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 Black Radio (Aired August 27, 1950) Based on the book, Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain, the Radio rendition of these fascinating stories promised to keep any listener perched on the edge of their seat. Apart from describing the book upon which the new adventure series was based, the above is just about all the fanfare that was associated with the roll-out of NBC's only espionage program of the year. It was also one of the few solo productions that Wyllis Cooper undertook for NBC. It was also Cooper's first collaboration with British crime journalist Percy Hoskins, who would work with Cooper yet again on NBC's WHItehall-1212 a year hence. THIS EPISODE: August 27, 1950. NBC network. "The Black Radio". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. An O. S. S. operative parachutes behind the enemy lines to rendezvous with "Lucille" and set up a "black radio." When the Gestapo closes in, the plan is saved by a "Hedy Lamarr." The announcer mispronounces the "three chimes" slogan during the system cue! Raymond Edward Johnson, Jon Gart (music director), Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Larry Haines, Lily Darvas, Berry Kroeger, Arnold Moss, Stefan Schnabel, Bob Wile, Jerry Jarrett, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Jack Gordon (writer), Chet Hill (sound effect), Dick Gillespie (sound effects), Art Cooper (sound effects), Corey Ford (creator), Alistair MacBain (creator), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer). 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Jean Baptiste Troppmann - Killer Of Many (Aired February 17, 1954) To characterize Crime Classics as a 'docudrama' stretches the point to bursting. From the fictional 'expert' host to the program titles, it's clear that Elliott Lewis very much intended this project to be a tongue-in-cheek send up of some of history's most notorious and infamous crimes. Indeed, it's obvious that given the over-the-top violence depicted in each of the program's accounts, there was no better palatable way to portray them during the 'family values' sensibilities of the 1950s. Even more obvious are the often apocryphal and anecdotal details used to frame many of these notorious crimes. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: February 17, 1954. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Jean Baptiste Troppmann, Killer Of Many". In 1865 France, a mere youth devises a way to fame and fortune through murder and mayhem. Lawrence Dobkin, Junius Matthews, Joseph Kearns, Irene Tedrow, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Lou Merrill (host), Jack Edwards, Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Bernard Herrmann (composer, conductor), Kurt Martell, Dix Davis, Bob Lemond (announcer). 27:52. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Arrow Of Heaven (Aired October 12, 1986) Father Brown is a short, stumpy Catholic priest, "formerly of Cobhole in Essex, and now working in London," with shapeless clothes and a large umbrella, and uncanny insight into human evil. He makes his first appearance in the famous story "The Blue Cross" and continues through the five volumes of short stories, often assisted by the reformed criminal Flambeau. Father Brown is characteristically humble, and is usually rather quiet, but when he does talk, he almost always says something profound. Although he tends to handle crimes with a steady, realistic approach, he believes in the supernatural as the greatest reason of all. Father Brown was the perfect vehicle for conveying Chesterton's view of the world and, of all of his characters, is perhaps closest to Chesterton's own point of view, or at least the effect of his point of view. Father Brown solves his crimes through a strict reasoning process more concerned with spiritual and philosophic truths rather than scientific details, making him an almost equal counterbalance with Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, whose stories Chesterton read and admired. However, the Father Brown series commenced before Chesterton's own conversion to Catholicism.

The Visitor (Aired April 30, 1952) Nonsectarian in its approach, Family Theater’s basic message was simply that of strengthening the family through faith in God and prayer. Each program was preceded by the familiar announcement: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”—a quote from Alfred, Lord Tennyson. And always worked in somewhere before the end of the show was the famous slogan that became Peyton’s signature: “The family that prays together stays together!” Father Peyton’s vision of the family is expressed in his book, The Ear of God: “The family was meant to be the cradle of religion,” he wrote. “Restore to the family its religious soul and you enrich the entire country, you strengthen civilization.” Many people, including Hollywood entertainers, were happy to support this vision. The lineup of stars that Peyton recruited for his radio show included Hollywood’s best: Gary Cooper, Loretta Young, Lucille Ball, Jane Wyatt, Henry Fonda, Jack Benny, Rosalind Russell, Shirley Temple, Margaret O’Brien, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Durante, Gene Kelly, Natalie Wood, Vincent Price, Charlton Heston and Raymond Burr, to name a few. THIS EPISODE April 30, 1952. Mutual network. "The Visitor". Sustaining. A Martian has landed at a small private airport in Delano, California. He's the last Martian, and he's dying, but he brings a warning, "Bring God back to your conference tables!" Jane Wyatt (hostes), James Whitmore, Ward Bond, Tony La Frano (announcer), Harry Zimmerman (composer, conductor), Joseph Mansfield (director), Howard McNear, Robert Hugh O'Sullivan (writer), David Young, Tom Holland, Walter Brennan Jr., Robert Emlin, Eve McVeagh. 29:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Red Mark (Aired February 21, 1950) 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 this introduction, as intoned by Paul Frees and William Conrad: “Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!” THIS EPISODE: February 21, 1950. CBS network. "The Red Mark". Sustaining. At a French penal colony in New Caledonia, Monsieur De Nou, the island's sadistic executioner, is about to guillotine a young pick-pocket accused of manslaughter. De Nou regards the pick-pocket as his rival for the affections of his own, purchased bride, named Zelie. He has framed the young man for the crime. As the blade falls, De Nou discovers something extraordinary... (description written by Kristin Kramer). Harry Bartell, William Conrad, Paul Frees, Will Geer, Barbara Whiting, Junius Matthews, John Russell (author), Les Crutchfield (adaptor), James Poe (adaptor), William N. Robson (director). 1/2 hour. 30:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dead Man's Cavern (Aired April 13, 1944) 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. 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. THIS EPISODE: April 13, 1944. Program #1. NBC network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Adventure Of Dead Man's Cavern". A corpse is found in a cave with only one set of footprints going into the cave. AFRS program Name: "Mystery Playhouse." The script was used previously on October 22, 1939 (as "The Haunted Cave"). This is the west coast broadcast, the east coast broadcast took place on April 15, 1944. The AFRS transcription has April 14, 1944 etched on the disc matrix. Sydney Smith, Marian Shockley, Santos Ortega, Ted de Corsia, Frederic Dannay (writer), Manfred B. Lee (writer), Bob Steel (producer, director), Ernest Chappell (announcer), Charles Paul (organist), Marjorie Lawrence ("Guest Armchair Detective," soprano), Beverley Kelley ("Guest Armchair Detective," Publicity Director of The Ringling Brothers Circus). 27:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Archie Wants To Patent Electricity (02-23-49) 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 co-created the show, Ed Gardner. In the show's familiar opening, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," either solo on an old-sounding piano or by a larger orchestra, was interrupted by the ring of a telephone and Gardner's New Yorkese accent as he answered, "Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'. Duffy ain't here — oh, hello, Duffy." Duffy, the owner, was never heard (or seen, when a film based on the show was made in 1945 or when a bid to bring the show to television was tried in 1954). THIS EPISODE: February 23, 1949. NBC network origination, Nostalgia Broadcasting Corporation syndication. "Archie Wants To Patent Electricity". Commercials added locally. Slippery McGuire sells Archie a patent on electricity! Alan Reed appears as "Slippery McGuire." Don't miss Archie speaking Yiddish to a Chinaman! Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Charlie Cantor, Alan Reed, Florence Halop (as "Miss Duffy"), Matty Malneck and His Orchestra, John Morris (producer, director). 28:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Hay Is For Homicide (Aired August 31, 1954) Originally aired October 31, 1951 Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator is one of the few detective radio series that had separate versions of it broadcast from both coasts. Even the spelling changed over the years. It was first "Barry Crane" and then "Barrie Craig". NBC produced it in New York from 1951 to 1954 and then moved it to Hollywood where it aired from 1954 to 1955. It attracted only occasional sponsors so it was usually a sustainer. William Gargan, who also played the better known television (and radio) detective Martin Kane, was the voice of New York eye BARRY CRAIG while Ralph Bell portrayed his associate, Lt. Travis Rogers. THIS EPISODE: August 31, 1954. NBC network. "Hay Is For Homicide". Sustaining. While on vacation in Maine, Barry comes upon a corpse in a mound of hay. William Gargan, Parley Baer, Jack Moyles, Joyce McCluskey, Vivi Janis, Louis Vittes (writer), Arthur Jacobson (director), John Laing (announcer). 29:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Kilohertz War (Aired July 8, 1979) The concept behind "Alien Worlds" is that an organization called the International Space Authority ''watches over an eternity of uncharted galaxies and the countless planets orbiting within their starlit borders." In command of ISA is Commissioner White whose base is Starlab, a nickname for the Arthur C. Clarke Astronomical Observatory, a floating space headquarters and research center. Under his command are research director Dr. Maura Cassidy, her comedy relief assistant Tim and two space happy rocket jockies, Captains Jon Graydon and Buddy Griff. "Alien Worlds" incorporates the best elements of "Star Wars," "Star Trek - The Next Generation" and other recently successful science-fiction production and writing. The series emerges as a creative with-it, uptempo space adventure which takes full advantage of its medium. "Alien Worlds" excels in its use of multi-track sound, synthesizer tricks and symphonic music. Voices are filtered in unique ways so that the extraterrestrial beings always have a unique sound. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

The Kurt Bower Murder Case (Aired October 20, 1951) The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (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." Danny Clover narrated the tales of the Great White Way to the accompaniment of music by Wilbur Hatch and Alexander Courage, and the recreation of Manhattan's aural tapestry required the talents of three sound effects technicians (David Light, Ralph Cummings, Ross Murray). Bill Anders was the show's announcer, as was Joe Walters. The supporting cast included regulars Charles Calvert (as Sgt. Gino Tartaglia) and Jack Kruschen (as Sgt. Muggavan), with episodic roles filled by such radio actors as Irene Tedrow, Barney Phillips, Lamont Johnson, Herb Ellis, Hy Averback, Edgar Barrier, Betty Lou Gerson, Harry Bartell, Sheldon Leonard, Martha Wentworth, Lawrence Dobkin and Mary Jane Croft. THIS EPISODE: October 20, 1951. "The Kurt Bower Murder Case" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Dale Hansen suspects his wife will soon be killed, but it's the young and handsome ski instructor (Kurt Bower) who's found dead with a ski pole in his chest. Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer), Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Jack Kruschen, Betty Lou Gerson, Ted Osborne, Irene Tedrow. 31:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Butterfly Murder Case (Aired May 17, 1949) Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s. Vance, in the original books, is an intellectual so highly refined he seems he might be ghostwritten by P. G. Wodehouse. Take this quote from The Benson Murder Case, 1924, as Vance pontificates in his inimitable way: "That's your fundamental error, don't y' know. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actu'lly at work, is wholly incons'quential." Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. Jose Ferrer played him in 1945. From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: May 17, 1949. Program #45. ZIV Syndication. "The Butterfly Murder Case". Commercials added locally. Josie Daniels, "The Broadway Butterfly," is a nightclub singer that dabbles in blackmail! Jackson Beck. 26:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Brownie's Camping Trip (Aired October 22, 1950) As both Phil and Alice were known singers, there were two musical numbers in each show, and they were always for real, except some of Phil's, which were for laughs. But Phil's band gave much more than music to the show. Frankie Remley was the band's left handed guitar player, with a sardonic sense of humor out of left field. The character was first done on The Jack Benny Show, and, of course, now on a show about the band itself, Frankie was even more obnoxious. Famed radio actor Elliott Lewis played him with relish. In fact, later in the run they actually started calling the character Elliott! (Elliott Lewis changes his name on the show from Frankie Remly to Elliott because Harris stopped leading Jack Benny's band--so he wasn't connected to Remly any more. THIS EPISODE: October 22, 1950. "Brownie's Camping" - NBC network. Sustaining. Phil finds himself as the chaperone on a camping trip for the Brownies. Alice sings, "Skip To My Lou." Phil sings, "The Feathers Of A Lucky Duck." Phil Harris, Alice Faye, Ray Singer (writer), Dick Chevillat (writer), Elliott Lewis, Walter Tetley, Robert North, Walter Scharf and His Orchestra, Bill Forman (announcer), Paul Phillips (producer, director), Jeanine Roos, Anne Whitfield, Red Nichols and The Five Pennies. 29:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Careless Employee (Aired February 2, 1947) Nick Carter, Master Detective, with Lon Clark in the title role, began April 11, 1943, on Mutual, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Jock MacGregor was the producer-director of scripts by Alfred Bester, Milton J. Kramer, David Kogan and others. Background music was supplied by organists Hank Sylvern, Lew White and George Wright. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Nick's contact at the police department was Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer). The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. THIS EPISODE: February 2, 1947. Mutual network. "The Case Of The Careless Employee". Sponsored by: Old Dutch Cleanser, Del Rich Margarine. Window washers are meeting "accidental" deaths...and Nick finds this a "pane." Lon Clark, Al Hodge. 25:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.