Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

The Case Of The Desert Explosion (Aired August 18, 1949) Two sound effects men spent a reported ten hours in rehearsal for each broadcast, in addition to the time spent by the actors. East coast actors House Jameson, Don MacLaughlin, Phil Sterling and Lawson Zerbe [MBS] (Zerbe appeared as both David Harding and Harry Peters) were the only four actors to ever assume the role of David Harding--Jameson for the first two episodes only, replaced by Don MacLaughlin for the remainder of its twelve year run. Both Connecticut residents, House Jameson premiered in the role while Lord was still auditioning talent for the lead. By the third episode, Phillips H. Lord selected Don MacLaughlin for the role. MacLaughlin was by no means new to Radio, having already appeared in some 300 Radio productions since his debut over Radio in 1935. MacLaughlin's versatility, predominantly in action and straight dramatic roles, made him an ideal candidate among the twenty or so actors who auditioned for the part. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: August 18, 1949. ABC network. "The Case Of The Desert Explosion". Sponsored by: Pepsi Cola. Man-eating birds of prey are used to execute a betrayer. A smuggler uses "geometry in action." The system cue has been deleted. Don MacLaughlin, Mandel Kramer, Phillips H. Lord (producer), William Sweets (director), Jesse Crawford (organ). 30:05. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Nightmare Murder (Aired January 17, 1951) "There he goes across the street into the drugstore, steps on the scale, height: 6 feet, weight: 290 pounds, fortune: Danger. Who isit? THE FAT MAN." Brad Runyon was the Fat Man, played by Jack Scott Smart. The series was created by Dashall Hammott and was first heard on the ABC network Jan. 21, 1946. J. Scott Smart fit the part of the Fat Man perfectly, weighing in at 270 pounds himself. When he spoke, there was no doubt that this was the voice of a big guy. Smart gave a witty, tongue-in-cheek performance and helped make THE FAT MAN one of the most popular detective programs on the air. Smart also appeared in The March Of Time (early 1930s), the Theater Guild On The Air, Blondie, The Fred Allen Show, and The Jack Benny Program. There was also an version made in Australia, syndicated on the Artansa lable, about 1954. There are at least 36 shows available from vendors. The Australian Fat Man was played possibly by Lloyd Berrell. Although not featuring J. Scott Smart, who really fit the part, the series is quite good. THIS EPISODE: January 17, 1951. ABC network. "The Nightmare Murder". Sponsored by: Buick. The Fat Man is hired by a mystery writer George Dutton to prove that he killed a woman! J. Scott Smart, Dashiell Hammett (creator), Ed Begley, Mary Patton, Amzie Strickland, Harold Swanton (writer), Lyle Sudrow, Clark Andrews (director), Gertrude Warner, Mark Winston (composer), Don Lowe (announcer). 26:55. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Broken Fingerprint (Aired June 20, 1951) The Falcon radio series premiered on the American Blue Network in April 1943 and continued on the air till around September 1952. The introduction to the show began with "The Adventures of the Falcon." Then continuing with a ringing phone call to the Falcon, also known as Michael Waring, from a woman in which her voice is never heard. He would reply to her and another adventure would follow. Waring was snappy and sarcastic with the incompetent police who were inevitably unable to solve the mysteries without his help. Like the films, the radio plots mixed danger, romance and comedy in equal parts. About 70 episodes where created. The Falcon had many voices acting his part, beginning with Barry Kroeger. James Meighan later became the voice of the Falcon followed by Les Tremayne, George Petrie, and Les Damon. THIS EPISODE: June 20, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Broken Fingerprint". Sponsored by: Kraft Miracle Whip, Kraft Malted Milk. "When a fellow tries to keep a girl from wasting her life, he may help her lose it!" Les Damon, Ed Herlihy (announcer), Drexel Drake (creator), Bernard L. Schubert (producer), Richard Lewis (director), Jerome Epstein (writer), Arlo (music), Charles Webster. 31:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Big Dream (Aired March 29, 1953) 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 was perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama in American media history. The series gave millions of Americans a feel for the boredom and drudgery, as well as the danger and heroism, of real life police work. Dragnet earned praise for improving the public opinion of police officers. Actor and producer Jack Webb's aims in Dragnet were for realism and unpretentious acting. He achieved both goals and Dragnet remains a key influence on subsequent police dramas in many media. THIS EPISODE: March 29, 1953. Program #197. NBC network. "The Big Dream". Sponsored by: Chesterfield. An old man, poorly dressed, robs a liquor store and is very apologetic about it. Network, sponsored version of cat. #16304. Ben Alexander, George Fenneman (announcer), Hal Gibney (host), Jack Webb, John Robinson (writer), Ralph Moody, Victor Rodman, Walter Schumann (conductor). 29:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Echo Of Death (Aired July 5, 1943) Nick Carter, Master Detective - Nick Carter is the name of a popular fictional detective who first appeared in in a dime novel entitled "The Old Detective's Pupil" on September 18, 1886. In 1915, Nick Carter Weekly became Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Novels featuring Carter continued to appear through the 1950s, by which time there was also a popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, which aired on Mutual from 1943 to 1955. Nick Carter first came to radio as The Return of Nick Carter. Then 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. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946 and then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. The series ended on September 25, 1955. THIS EPISODE: July 5, 1943. Program #13. Mutual network. "The Echo Of Death" or "Nick Carter and The Phantom Clue". Sustaining. The sound of nails being hammered into a coffin is heard near a woodland cabin, but the murder seems impossible. The program has also been dated July 6, 1943. The program switches to Mondays, (9:30 P.M.) next week. Lon Clark, Walter Gibson (writer), Edward Gruskin (writer), Lew White (music), Jock MacGregor (director), Helen Choate. 30:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Lost Heir (Aired April 20, 1951) Nero Wolf is a fictional detective created by American author Rex Stout in the 1930s and featured in dozens of novels and novellas.In the stories, Wolfe is one of the most famous private detectives in the United States. He weighs about 285 pounds and is 5'11" tall. He raises orchids in a rooftop greenhouse in his New York City brownstone on West 35th Street, helped by his live-in gardener Theodore Horstmann. Wolfe drinks beer throughout the day and is a glutton. He employs a live-in chef, Fritz Brenner. He is multilingual and brilliant, though apparently self-educated, and reading is his third passion after food and orchids. He works in an office in his house and almost never leaves home, even to pursue the detective work that finances his expensive lifestyle. THIS EPISODE: April 20, 1951. NBC network. "The Case Of The Lost Heir". Sustaining. A blind million's daughter returns to him after being thought dead for thirteen years. But, is she his daughter? Harry Bartell, J. Donald Wilson (producer, director), Edwin Fadiman (producer), Don Stanley (announcer), Mindred Lord (writer), Martha Shaw, William Johnstone, Peter Leeds, Victor Rodman, Grey Stafford, Sydney Greenstreet, Rex Stout (creator). 30:15. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Death Writes A Letter (Aired May 18, 1948) Mysterious Traveler was the second outing for the prolific writing team of Robert Arthur, Jr. and David P. Kogan, two successful pulp fiction writers and publishers. Their first effort was a 27-program run of Dark Destiny (1942-43). Most of the Dark Destiny scripts are heard again in The Mysterious Traveler (1943), The Sealed Book (1945) and The Teller of Tales (1950). The team of Robert Arthur, Jr., David Kogan, producer/director Sherman 'Jock' MacGregor, and actor Maurice Tarplin was a very successful one for both The Mutual Broadcasting System and Radio station WOR. Between 1944 and 1952, The Mysterious Traveler eventually became one of the sixteen highest rated Radio programs of their era. THIS EPISODE: May 18, 1948. Mutual network. "Death Writes A Letter". Sustaining. A man who believes in the spirit world writes a letter to his brother from beyond the grave and tells him the date of his death! The program may be dated May 8, 1948. Maurice Tarplin, Robert A. Arthur (writer, producer, director), David Kogan (writer, producer, director), Roger De Koven, Eric Dressler, Bryna Raeburn, Paul Taubman (music). 28:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Mister Conklin's Blood Pressure (Aired July 3, 1949) 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: July 3, 1949. "Mister Conklin's Blood Pressure" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Palmolive Soap, Lustre Creme Shampoo, Palmolive Shave Cream. Plans for the July 4th weekend at Eagle Springs aren't as easy as they sound! Eve Arden, Jane Morgan, Gale Gordon, Gloria McMillan, Verne Smith (announcer), Richard Crenna, Jeff Chandler, Larry Berns (producer), Al Lewis (writer, director), Wilbur Hatch (music), Bob Lemond (announcer), Howard McNear (doubles). 30:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Doc Quits (Aired August 27, 1955) Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The radio version ran from 1952 to 1961, and John Dunning writes that among radio drama enthusiasts "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." The television version ran for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and still remains the United States' longest-running prime time, live-action drama with 635 episodes. THIS EPISODE: August 27, 1955. CBS network. "Doc Quits". Sponsored by: L & M, Chesterfield. The last show of the season. Doc Betchell comes to practice medicine in Dodge and gives Doc Adams a bit of competition. So much in fact, that Doc Adams quits! The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on February 21, 1959. This is a network, sponsored version of cat. #17335). The system cue is added live. William Conrad announces that "Gunsmoke" is coming to television in two weeks. William Conrad, Parley Baer, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Lawrence Dobkin, James Nusser, Anne Morrison, Frank Cady, John Meston (writer), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Tom Hanley (sound patterns), Bill James (sound patterns), George Walsh (announcer). 29:54. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Incident At Quito (Aired December 7, 1952) 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!” Following the opening theme, a second announcer (usually Roy Rowan) would add: "We offer you... Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure!" THIS EPISODE: December 7, 1952. CBS network. "Incident In Quito". Sustaining. A man trades his nagging wife to a tribe of headhunters for ten shrunken heads. Ross Murray (writer), Leith Stevens (composer, conductor), William Conrad (announcer), Roy Rowan (announcer), Antony Ellis (director), Larry Thor, Jeanne Bates, Edgar Barrier, Don Diamond, Fay Baker, Jack Kruschen, Tony Barrett. 33:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Dead Lie (Aired 1964) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. The Epic Casebook Of Inspector Carr (1956-85) - "... in which Inspector Carr investigates ..." - The highly successful detective series, starring Hugh Rouse as Inspector Carr. Written & Produced by Michael Silver at the CRC Studios, Johannesburg. The series aired originally on Thursday evenings at 21H30, sponsored by the Epic Oil Company of S.A. In 1977 the sponsorship ended and the series was renamed "Inspector Carr Investigates" and moved to the earlier slot of 20H30. The first actor to play Inspector Carr was Don Davis, he was replaced in 1959 by Hugh Rouse. Don returned briefly in 1963 for 14 episodes. However Hugh Rouse made this series his own. A short lived television series was made by the SABC in the early 1980's with Michael McCabe, playing the famous Inspector. Sadly the transformation from radio to television was a total disaster. The series ended in June 1985 on Springbok Radio. A local Johannesburg radio station, Radio Today 1485am tried to revive the series in 1997, sadly copyright issues could not be cleared up & the idea was abandoned.

The Fortune Teller (Aired September 21, 1952) CANDY MATSON was the private eye star of Candy Matson, YUkon 2-8208, an NBC West Coast show which first aired in March 1949 and was created by Monty Masters. He cast his wife, Natalie Parks, in the title role of this sassy, sexy PI. Her understated love interest, Lt. Ray Mallard, was played by Henry Leff while her assistant and best pal, aptly named Rembrandt Watson, was the voice of Jack Thomas. Every show opened with a ringing telephone and our lady PI answering it with "Candy Matson, YU 2-8209" and then the organ swung into the theme song, "Candy". Each job took Candy from her apartment on Telegraph Hill into some actual location in San Francisco. The writers, overseen by Monty, worked plenty of real Bay Area locations into every plot. Candy was bright, tough, and fearless. She used her pistol infrequently, but was unintimidated by bad guys, regardless of circumstances. THIS EPISODE: September 21, 1952. NBC network, San Francisco origination. "The Fortune Teller". Sustaining. Industrialist Allison Gray is missing, and the stars tell Candy that an astrologer is involved. The phone number is announced as being the one above. The phone number is different on other broadcasts. Possibly an audition. Lou Tobin, Henry Leff, Jack Thomas, Monte Masters (writer, director), Natalie Masters, Eloise Rowan (organist), Dudley Manlove (announcer), Hal Burdick, Bill Brownell (sound effects), Jane Bennett Carnell, Clarence Stevens (engineer). 28:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

2 Episodes "The Slave Smugglers" (Aired March 12, 1947) and "The Map Of Mystery" (Aired July 7, 1947) Captain Midnight was a U.S. radio serial broadcast from 1938 to 1949. Created by radio scripters Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M. Burtt, the program was developed at WGN in Chicago. Sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, it began as a syndicated show in the fall of 1938, airing on a few midwest stations through the spring of 1940. In the fall of 1940, Ovaltine took over sponsorship, and the series was then heard nationally on the Mutual Radio Network where it remained until December, 1949. The title character, Charles James Albright, was a World War I pilot. His Captain Midnight code name was given by a general who sent him on a high-risk mission. TODAY'S SHOW: March 12, 1947. Mutual network. "The Slave Smugglers". Sponsored by: Ovaltine. Chicago origination. Captain Midnight is disguised as "Shelby," and is planning a trip to "nameless island." It looks like the jig is up! A Code-A-Graph secret message is sent to listeners after the story. Tommy Moore (announcer). 14:40. April 7, 1947. Mutual network. "The Map Of Mystery". Sponsored by: Ovaltine. Chicago origination. The dead body of Ivan Shark is used as a trap for the Secret Squadron. Captain Midnight is dead too! And what about the "homeland of lost people" in the Antarctic? Tommy Moore (announcer). 14:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Our Town (Aired May 13, 1939) 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: May 13, 1939. "Our Town" is a three act play by Thornton Wilder that is, perhaps, the most frequently produced play by an American playwright. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled on several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others. Using meta-theatrical devices, the play is set in a 1930's theater. 57:44.

Installment Buying (Aired February 27, 1954) Mindful of the fact that Case Dismissed was being heard in many other states besides Illinois, the program regularly reminded its listeners that the problems presented and legal remedies offered were based only on then current Illinois Law. But it's also clear that because they were mindful of a larger audience, the producers and writers very helpfully selected a broad range of legal topics that were general enough in nature to present useful choices and information to residents in virtually any state that might be listening in. All told, a fascinating, useful, and well mounted series of legal dramas that accomplished precisely what they set out to do for thirteen weeks. So effectively, in fact that the basic legal tenets put forth within most of these thirteen episodes remain almost universally applicable today. THIS EPISODE: February 27, 1954. "Installment Buying" - NBC network, WMAQ, Chicago origination. Sustaining. The program is produced in co-operation with the Chicago Bar Association. The legal problems of installment buying. Herbert Littow (director), John C. Fitzgerald (host, Dean of the Law School, Loyola University), Betty Ross (producer), Tom Evans (sound), Harold Witteberry (engineer), Robert Carmen (writer), Lee Bennett (announcer), Sondra Gair, Jack Bivens, Harry Elders, Stanley Gordon, Arthur Peterson, Charles Flynn. 27:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.