Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

The Big Mole (Aired December 7, 1952) "Dragnet" is also the hottest thing that radio and TV have ever seen. In a business where the supercolossal is barely good enough to get by on, "Dragnet" is looked upon with awe. It is—or was, until it went off the air a few weeks ago for the summer—the top show on radio, and the top show on TV, with nothing but "I Love Lucy," a slick situation comedy, coming any place close to it in ratings. Last summer, its doom-laden theme was turned into a popular song which was high on the hit parade until a series of hilarious parodies ("St. George and the Dragonet,"etc.) displaced it. Webb has contracted for series of full-length "Dragnet" movies, and comic strip takes "Dragnet" into whatever parts of the land are still without TV. The success of "Dragnet" is all the more remarkable because it has been accomplished against the steady and determined resistance of all the throttlebottoms in the business. In a field ruled by formula, it violates every formula in the book. Any producer can give you the recipe for a successful crime show. You've got to have a murder in a hurry to grab and hold the audience. Then, as the police fall all over their big flat feet, your wisecracking private eye, as hard as a landlady's heart, proceeds, to the accompaniment of bludgeonings, gunplay and fisticuffs and as much sex as the producer thinks he can get away with, to put the collar on the culprit or, better still, to liquidate him in a final crescendo of roaring guns. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: December 7, 1952. Program #181. NBC network. "The Big Mole". Sponsored by: Chesterfield. A burglary in a dry goods store is the latest in a series of similar crimes. The burglar has a most unusual secret room! The Chesterfield commercials make health claims for the product. Jack Webb, Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer), Hal Gibney (announcer), Gwen Delano, Paul Richards, John Robinson (writer), Walter Schumann (music). 30:00. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Cake Contest (Aired September 17, 1946) The first cartoon Blanc worked on was Picador Porky as the voice of a drunken bull. He took over as Porky Pig's voice in Porky's Duck Hunt, which marked the debut of Daffy Duck, also voiced by Blanc. Blanc soon became noted for voicing a wide variety of cartoon characters from Looney Tunes, adding Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Pepé Le Pew and many others. His natural voice was that of Sylvester the Cat, but without the lispy spray. (Blanc's voice can be heard in an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies that also featured frequent Blanc vocal foil Bea Benaderet; in his small appearance, Blanc plays a vexed cab-driver.) THIS EPISODE: September 17, 1946. "The Cake Contest" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Colgate Tooth Powder, Halo Shampoo. Hollywood origination. Mel bakes a cake which is so pretty, it's going to represent the YWCA at the fair, but Mel used putty in the dough! Mel Blanc, Mary Jane Croft, Earle Ross, Leora Thatcher, Victor Miller and His Orchestra, Bud Hiestand (announcer). 23:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Stanley Hayes Must Die (Aired September 2, 1951) 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. THIS EPISODE: September 2, 1951. "Stanley Hayes Must Die" - NBC network. Sustaining. "The Syndicate" order Stanley Hayes to be killed. Carleton Young, Betty Moran, Stetson Humphrey (creator), John Duffy (original music), Bill Cairn (writer, producer, director), Don Rickles (announcer), Jerry Hausner, Julius Crowlbein, Peter Leeds, Betty Lou Gerson. 28:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Death By Plan (Aired November 16, 1948) John Dunning called Big Town "perhaps the most famous series of reporter dramas." Premiering over CBS Radio, the early series (there were two) starred the Hollywood actor Edward G. Robinson as Steve Wilson along with Clair Trevor as his sidekick and Society editor, Lorelei Kilbourne. The show was initially created around these two actors, though Trevor was then a young budding actress appearing in movies as well as radio. Producer-Director-Writer Jerry McGill had been a newspaperman and wrote the series about a crusading managing editor of the Illustrated Press. McGill took his show to heart writing stories about juvenile delinquency, drunk driving and racism, though the show was at worst melodramatic at best poignant. Hard-nosed editor, Wilson, as played by Robinson would get the story no matter what it takes. Though sometimes over the top, Robinson was excellent in his role. THIS EPISODE: November 16, 1948. NBC network. "Death By Plan". Sponsored by: Lifebuoy Soap, Rinso (Mercury-A-Day contest). Greg Barton strangles the prison psychiatrist and breaks out of jail...swearing revenge. High on his list of planned victims is Steve Wilson! Edward Pawley, Fran Carlon, Jerry McGill (writer, director). 30:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Plant (Aired December 25, 1953) 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." THIS EPISODE: December 25, 1953. "The Plant" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. The music fill has been deleted. Everett Sloane, John Ives (producer), Stanley Niss (writer, director), Elaine Rost, Ken Lynch, George Petrie, Jack Orrison, Santos Ortega, Mandel Kramer, Michael Dreyfus, Art Hannes (announcer). 30:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Ninth Removal (Aired April 20, 1974) The Price of Fear will always be associated more with Vincent Price the famous American actor and host of the series, than its British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) production history. BBC's World Service first broadcast the intial order of five The Price of Fear episodes in the Spring of 1973. The initial five episodes aired consecutively, Monday through Friday between July 2, 1973 and July 6, 1973, then again between December 17 and December 21 of the same year. The World Service broadcasts were so popular that the BBC ordered another five, which, combined with the previous five episodes, apparently aired weekly on both Tuesdays and Saturdays, from September 1, 1973 to November 6, 1973. By 1974, the BBC's Radio 4 had ordered another six installments of the series, now widely referred to as Season 2, which aired weekly from April 6, 1974 through May 11, 1974. Remember that the BBC, a state-owned broadcasting service traditionally prohibited any form of commercial messages or sponsorship. Any series that was extended or expanded was due only to listener support, letters and phone calls to the service. The series' that returned again and again over the BBC had only their listeners to thank for their longevity. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Easy Money (Aired April 16, 1946) Skelton was drafted in March 1944, so his popular series was discontinued on June 6. Shipped overseas to serve with an Army entertainment unit as a private, Skelton led an exceptionally hectic military life. In addition to his own duties and responsibilities, he was often summoned to entertain officers late at night. The perpetual motion and lack of rest resulted in a nervous breakdown in Italy. He spent three months in a hospital and was discharged in September 1945. He once joked about his military career, "I was the only celebrity who went in and came out a private." David Forrester and David Rose led the orchestra, featuring vocalist Anita Ellis. The announcers were Pat McGeehan and Rod O'Connor. The series ended May 20, 1949. THIS EPISODE: April 16, 1946. NBC network, Hollywood origination. Sponsored by: Raleigh Cigarettes. The Skelton Scrapbook Of Satire: "Easy Money." Chapter 114: "The Night Watchman At the Bank." Chapter 116: "Junior Executive," with "Junior, The Mean Widdle Kid." Red Skelton, Rod O'Connor (announcer), David Forrester and His Orchestra, GeGe Pearson, Anita Ellis, Pat McGeehan, Verna Felton. 32:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Eagle Murder Case (Aired July 13, 1948) 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. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. THIS EPISODE: July 13, 1948. Program #1. Mutual network origination, Ziv syndication. "The Eagle Murder Case". Commercials added locally. A case of murder in an ambulance. This is first show of the series that featured Jackson Beck and Joan Alexander. The first 26 programs of the series were heard on Mutual on the dates indicated and then were syndicated by Frederick W. Ziv. It's not know whether Ziv recorded the programs and then sold a package of the first 26 shows to Mutual, or simply bought the rights to the first 26 shows after they had been broadcast on Mutual. 26:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Incident In A Bar (Aired March 9, 1954) From Here to Eternity was a box-office smash, propelling Sinatra into a whole new career in Film. Thus, as with Alan Ladd in his Mayfair Productions program, Box-13, Sinatra--and Las Vegas and Hollywood--found a far greater immediate demand for his talent on stage and in Film. The Big-Screen's gain was Radio's loss. Compounding any hope of a second season of Rocky Fortune, Ava Gardner's movie Mogambo was also released on October 9, 1953. Thus, both Frank Sinatra's and Ava Gardner's careers were approaching critical junctures--a publicists dream, but rapidly dimming any possibility for a continuation of Rocky Fortune, or any other such Radio vehicle for Frank Sinatra. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: March 9, 1954. "Incident In A Bar" - NBC network. Sustaining. The vice-president of an insurance company confesses to an inebriated Rocky that he has strangled his blonde girlfriend. This is a network version. Barney Phillips, Jack Nestle, George Pirrone, Eda Reiss Merin, Frank Sinatra, George Lefferts (writer), Andrew C. Love (director), Paul Frees. 23:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Munsey's Mob (Aired May 24, 1979) The Sears Radio Theater Series premiered on Monday 02/05/79 and offered a different genre each weekday night. Each genre was hosted by a different celebrity. The program was produced on Paramount's Stage F in Hollywood. These first 130 programs were broadcast over a six month period and then rebroadcast over the following six months. From 02/14/80 to 12/19/81 this series was heard again, this time over Mutual, as The Mutual Radio Theater. This was clearly one of the last big attempts to produce radio programming, with many of radio’s best talents, the way radio was heard in its “golden days.” Despite budget and talent, it just wasn’t to be. THIS EPISODE: May 24, 1979. Program #79. CBS network. "Munsey's Mob". Sponsored by: Sears Roebuck and Company. Barney Phillips, Byron Kane, Cecily Tyson (hostess), Daws Butler, Don Blakely, Fletcher Markle (producer, director, performer), Howard Culver, Jack Carroll, Joan McCall, Norman Alden, Ted Sherdeman (writer), Vic Perrin. 49:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Rescue (Aired October 19, 1984) The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) began airing a fascinating range of classic, mystery, comedy, documentary, and supernatural drama throughout the 1970s to 1990s to a steadily expanding audience--both in Canada and throughout the northern portions of the U.S. The CBC's extensive Radio offerings were a fairly even mix of organic dramas and comedies showcasing Canada's own great actors, writers and production talent, as well as several popular transcribed, syndicated features from throughout the British Empire and the United States. Indeed many of America's most beloved, popular, versatile and award-winning character actors, musicians, and comedians were Canadian citizens who'd honed their craft in all manner of original Canadian Radio drama. There were 69 episodes in the original series. The series continued after that under various names and formats. "The point between reality and fantasy. Where imagination holds the key to new worlds. That point of no return---The Vanishing Point." Favorably compared to Rod Sterling's classic TV series, The Twilight Zone, these finely tuned radio dramas from the CBC provide compelling excursions into the realm of mystery and fantasy.

Declared Insane (Aired July 22, 1943) The Weird Circle is yet another backwater gem from The Golden Age of Radio that has been woefully mis-documented. The premise is noteworthy: an anthology of classic, supernatural mystery thrillers from the pens of the world's best known and respected supernatural fiction authors. The scripts--with rare few exceptions--acquit themselves well for the genre. The supernatural thriller genre was highly popular throughout the mid-1930s, right on through the mid-1950s over Radio. In the larger scheme of things, The Weird Circle fell in about the mid-range of the thrillers of the period. The Weird Circle was an RCA-syndicated feature from RCA Recorded Program Services, the independent programming production division of RCA Victor. Its sound quality, voice talent, and production values meet traditionally high RCA standards. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: July 22, 1943. Program #5. RCA/NBC syndication. "Declared Insane". Commercials added locally. Based on the story "Interdiction," by Honore de Balzac. A story of the justice of French "Justice." Honore de Balzac (author). 25:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Death Of Mr. Penny (Aired March 20, 1949) Each episode of The Whistler began with the sound of footsteps and a person whistling. (The Saint radio series with Vincent Price used a similar opening.) The haunting signature theme tune was composed by Wilbur Hatch and featured Dorothy Roberts performing the whistling with the orchestra. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone either by an overlooked but important detail or by their own stupidity. On rare occasions a curious twist of fate caused the story to end happily for the episode's protagonist. Ironic twist endings were a key feature of each episode. The Whistler himself narrated, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. Bill Forman had the title role of host and narrator. THIS EPISODE: March 20, 1949. CBS Pacific network. "The Death Of Mr. Penny". Sponsored by: Signal Oil. Never blackmail a blackmailer. This is a network, sponsored version of cat. #41208. Gerald Mohr, Marvin Miller (announcer), Wilbur Hatch (music), George W. Allen (producer), Gordon T. Hughes (director), Adrian Gendot (writer), Joel Murcott (writer), Dorothy Lovett, Jeff Corey. 29:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Fonier Case (Aired December 2, 1951) The Whitehall 1212 series boasted that for the first time Scotland Yard opened its files and the producers promised to bring to the public authentic true stories of some of the most celebrated cases. Permission for these records came from Sir Harold Scott, Commissioner of the yard at that time. There is actually a Black Museum. This area is located on the lower ground floor of Scotland Yard and it does indeed contain articles that are closely associated with the solving of a crime. And "Whitehall 1212" was the actual emergency phone number for the yard at the time. The research for the shows was done by Percy Hoskins, chief crime reporter for the London Daily Express. For the benefit of American audiences, Wyllis Cooper of Quiet Please fame was hired as script writer. Interestingly enough both the Black Museum and Whitehall 1212 had all-British casts; both ran concurrently. Whereby Mutual Broadcasting System aired the Orson Welles version, NBC offered the Wyllis Cooper one. THIS EPISODE: December 2, 1951. NBC network "The Fonier Case". Sustaining. A woman's body is found in an old trunk at the Charing Cross railroad station baggage claim. Who killed Mrs. Naomi Fornier? Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director). 29:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Stars Are The Styx (Aired July 24, 1956) Episodes of the show include adaptations of Robert Sheckley's "Skulking Permit," Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven," Heinlein's "Universe" and "The Green Hills of Earth", " Pohl’s "The Tunnel under the World," J. T. McIntosh’s "Hallucination Orbit," Fritz Leiber’s "A Pail of Air" and George Lefferts' "The Parade". The program opened with announcer Fred Collins delivering the countdown, leading into this introduction (although later shows were partnered with Galaxy Science Fiction rather than Astounding Science Fiction): Countdown for blastoff... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one... Fire! THIS EPISODE: July 24, 1956. NBC network. "The Stars Are The Styx". Sustaining. Young Tween is stuck on a space station, waiting for her chance to leave for the stars. Her problem? She's an albino! Craig McDonnell, Patsy O'Shea, Richard Hamilton, Charlotte Manson, Bob Hastings, Wendell Holmes, Theodore Sturgeon (author), Ernest Kinoy (adaptor), William Welch (producer), Bob Mauer (director), Fred Collins (announcer). 29:07. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.