Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

King Of The Moon (Aired September 6, 1948) Although overshadowed by the earlier classics of anthology such as the Lux Radio Theater and The Family Theater, the Radio City Playhouse is fondly remembered for its solid dramatic content, and quality radio acting. One of the dramas, "Long Distance," starred Jan Minor as a distraught wife trying to reach a judge on the West Coast to sign an immediate stay of execution that will take her innocent husband's life in a matter of hours. That show is considered as a classic that ranks with Agnes Moorehead's "Sorry, Wrong Number," of Suspense fame. THIS EPISODE: September 6, 1948. Program #10. NBC network. "The King Of The Moon". Sustaining. The love story of Michael and Margaret. Beginning next week, the program moves to Saturdays at 8:00 P. M. Joseph Shul (? writer), Ian Martin, Harry W. Junkin (director), Bob Warren (announcer), Andre Wallace, Roy Irving, Grace Keddy, Roy Shield (composer, conductor), Richard P. McDonough (NBC supervisor). 28:45. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Big Smoke (1955) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Caltex Theater was an Australian show similar to the American Lux Radio Theater. It was sponsored by the Caltex Oil Company. Mostly the radio shows were adapted from top movies from the time period. The show aired from 1950 - 1959 with somewhere around 490 shows. This hour long series was well produced, directed and acted out. Though the series ran for 9 years, it's tough finding more than ten episodes whose audio quality is up to rebroadcast standards. Broadcast details: 1948-1960 ; Sundays (and Macquarie Network) at 8.00pm. Notes: ‘Caltex Theatre’ was a continuation of ‘Macquarie Radio Theatre’ which began in 1941. One production per month came from 3AW Melbourne and was directed by Myles Wright, the other productions came from Sydney.

The Murder In Room Nine (Aired November 5, 1936) Calling All Cars was one of radio’s earliest cop shows, dramatizing true crime stories and introduced by officers from the Los Angeles and other police departments. The narrator of the program was speech professor Charles Frederick Lindsley, and the only other regular voice heard on the program week after week belonged to that of Sergeant Jesse Rosenquist of the L.A.P.D., whose name and voice were so unusually distinctive that he was retained for the show’s entire run. None of the actors on the show ever received on-air credit, but among the talent OTR fans can hear the likes of Elvia Allman, Jackson Beck, Charles Bickford, John Gibson, Richard LeGrand and Hanley Stafford, just to name a few. THIS EPISODE: November 5, 1936. Program #154. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network). "The Murder In Room Nine". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil (Junior Detective and G-Man Outfit premium). A murdered woman has been found in her room at the Prescott Hotel. W. A. Huggins (secretary to the Chief of Police of San Diego), Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator). 29:03. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - General Parsley Smith (07-02-55) 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: July 2, 1955. CBS network. "General Parsley Smith". Sponsored by: L & M. "General" Smith is warning Dodge about Drew Holt and his new bank. He accuses Holt of being a thief, but General Smith is a liar! The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on December 10, 1955. William Conrad, John Meston (writer), Parley Baer, John Dehner, Joseph Du Val, Vic Perrin, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, George Fenneman (commercial spokesman), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Rex Koury (composer, conductor), Tom Hanley (sound patterns), Bill James (sound patterns), George Walsh (announcer). 30:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Cheesecake Caper (Aired November 6, 1949) Spade was a San Francisco detective, one of the most distinctive of the hardboiled school. His jump to radio was wrought by William Spier, who had already carved out a reputation as a master of mystery in his direction of another highly rated CBS thriller, Suspense. Spier was editor, producer, director. A lifelong radio man, he had broken in during the primitive days of 1929 and earned his stripes serving on such pioneering shows as The March of Time. Spier assembled the writing team of Bob Tallman and Ann Lorraine and began putting Spade together. He was impressed by the deep, cynical, tough qualities in Howard Duff's voice. Duff had long experience as an actor, a career that traced back to his high school days in Seattle. THIS EPISODE: November 6, 1949. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Cheesecake Caper". Sam finds $50 and a photo of a blonde in his sandwich. The three words on the photo say, "Find the girl!" Howard Duff, Lurene Tuttle, Dashiell Hammett (creator). 24:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Fake Accident Racket (Aired November 23, 1937) 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 23, 1937. Program #6. "Fake Accident Racket" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Rinso. A series of hit-and-run accidents in "Big Town" turns out to be the old insurance/extortion racket by the pedestrians. Steve Wilson sends the crooks "for a walk." The date above is subject to correction. Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Evelyn Brent, Verna Felton, Bill Wright, Carlton KaDell (announcer). 29:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Marble Knights (Aired November 1, 1968) This series was written by Michael McCabe and was produced in South Africa. It was a replacement for another series McCabe produced, called SF68. That series adapted famous Sci-fi stories to radio, and it seems to have been the place where McCabe honed his craft. The subject matter to Beyond Midnight was more horror oriented, including madness, murder, and supernatural sleuths! What survives today doesn't involve a horror host per se, but a few include framing narration (by someone involved in the plot) while others just start up the story with no announcer or lead-in whatsoever. So it's possible the regular host or announcer was left off (edited out) of the recordings. The host-- if there was one-- may have only been heard by those who listened to this series when it first aired. It's another radio mystery we may never know for sure, but we're lucky to at least have some of the recordings!

Dead On Arrival (Aired November 14, 1951) Like Sam Spade, Craig narrated his stories, in addition to being the leading character in this 30 minute show. Nearly sixty episodes are in trading circulation today William Gargan as a Detective (and an actor) If William Gargan brought an air of authenticity to his roles as a private detective, there were some good very reasons. His father was a bookmaker, so Gargan learned a lot about the gambling world and met a lot of interesting characters from across the spectrum of society. The main reason why Gargan was so convincing as a detective was that he was probably the only actor of his time who had actually been a private detective. He first worked as a credit investigator and collection agent for a clothing firm. Once Gargan was shot at when he attempted to get a deadbeat customer to pay his overdue account. THIS EPISODE: November 14, 1951. NBC network. "Dead On Arrival". Sustaining. The George Washington diary in an old clock leads to a lunatic and murder. Arlene Blackburn, Don Pardo (announcer), Himan Brown (director), John Roeburt (writer), William Gargan. 28:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Secret Melody Quiz Show (Aired October 31, 1948) Amos 'n' Andy began as one of the first radio comedy series, written and voiced by Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll and originating from station WMAQ in Chicago. After the program was first broadcast in 1928, it grew and became a hugely popular radio series. Early episodes were broadcast from the El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs, California. The show ran as a nightly radio serial from 1928 until 1943, as a weekly situation comedy from 1943 until 1955, and as a nightly disc-jockey program from 1954 until 1960. A television adaptation ran on CBS-TV from 1951 until 1953, and continued in syndicated reruns from 1954 until 1966. It would not be seen to a nationwide audience again until 2012. THIS EPISODE: October 31, 1948. CBS network. "The Secret Melody Quiz Show". Sponsored by: Rinso, Lifebouy Soap. Brother-in-law Leroy sells the answer to the "Secret Melody" radio quiz show to the Kingfish. Freeman Gosden, Charles Correll, John Lake (commercial spokesman), Art Gilmore (announcer), Jeff Alexander (music). 30:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Death Swims At Midnight (Aired August 28, 1947) 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. The program ultimately left the air at the end of June 1936. The Eno Crime Club franchise was by way of a pretend Crime Club for Radio. No book tie-ins were ever associated with Eno Fruit Salts' sponsorship of the program. The program was, however, during its era viewed as a natural extension of the book club phenomena. Crime or mystery book clubs joined other monthly or quarterly selected book clubs for all manner of literary interests. Science fiction book clubs had been popularized as early as the 1920s, as well as romance fiction book clubs, supernatural thriller book clubs, and of course, childrens' book clubs. Given their popularity, natural tie-ins to Doubleday Crime Club imprint selections were inevitable. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: August 28, 1947. Mutual network. "Death Swims At Midnight". Sustaining. A corpse on the beach leads a vacationing detective to a murderer. Joe Latham, Barry Thomson, Roger Bower (producer, director), Arthur Vinton, Murray Forbes, Elspeth Eric, Ralph Camargo, James Erthein (writer), Charles Webster. 29:16 Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

A Story In Dogtown Commons (Aired December 14, 1939) This was drama with a difference. Columbia Workshop was not everybody’s cup of tea and in terms of audience popularity it was always noted that it was never a strong contender for the title “Radios Top Rated Drama Series” and yet it was always considered to be the drama program that led the way in radio standards. Columbia was the first to experiment with what radio drama was all about, introducing new techniques never before used in over the airwaves drama and because it received little encouragement from established writers, actors, etc., it was only by breaking new ground with new ideas and new techniques from writers who were not versed in the old ways that it was going to survive. Unlike theater drama which required scenery to stage the settings of a play. Radio drama relied only on the imagination of the listener to interpret the scene. But without the right kind of writer the whole thing could fall flat on it’s face. It required a blend of words and music coupled with each listener’s imagination to make the whole thing work successfully. THIS EPISODE December 14, 1939. CBS network. "Story In Dogtown Common". Sustaining. The first radio drama by Julian Liss. A tale of the sea and witchcraft told in blank verse. Joseph Liss (author). 27:01. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Mabel The Manicurist (Aired July 14, 1947) The series was written by Lawrence Klee and narrated by "The Clock." First Broadcast in the United States was in November, 1946. It was syndicated by Grace Gibson syndication. At the time of production, the Australian accent, we now know and love, originating from the Irish and Cockney accents, was rather frowned upon by non other than Australians. The shows tried to sound neutral, then there was hope that the show could be sold to Great Britain and the United States. The show was bought by the ABC network in the States, although the ABC on the CD label (below) stands for the Australian Broadcast Company. The settings were usually generic and the actors tried to speak without a perceptible accent and for that reason the program sounded sort of "American". THIS EPISODE: July 14, 1947. ABC network. "Mabel The Manicurist". Sustaining. Mabel gets out of a mental hospital...bringing her nail file with her. What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? Clark Andrews (director), Ralph Norman (music director), Fran Lafferty, Bill Craigo (announcer), Lawrence Klee (writer), Charles Webster (as "The Clock"). 26:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

MOVIE-"99 River Street" (Released (USA) October 3, 1953)-MOVIE 99 River Street is a 1953 film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring John Payne and Evelyn Keyes. It also features Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. The screenplay is by Robert Smith, based on a short story by George Zuckerman. The film was produced by Edward Small, with cinematography by Franz Planer. Ernie Driscoll is a former boxer who, after sustaining an injury in the ring severe enough to force him to give up prize fighting, is a New York taxi driver. His wife, Pauline, unhappy living a hard-up life, is having an affair with the much better-heeled Victor Rawlins, who happens to be a thief. An arrangement Rawlins made, to be paid for a batch of diamonds he has stolen, falls through; his fence indicates it is the presence of Pauline that has impeded the deal. In an effort to rekindle it, Rawlins kills Pauline and attempts to frame Driscoll for the murder. With the help of a female acquaintance (Evelyn Keyes), Driscoll tries to track down Rawlins before the criminal leaves the country.

A War Of Words (Aired September 1, 1950) "Are you willing to undertake a dangerous mission for the United States, knowing in advance you may never return alive?" Cloak and Dagger first aired over the NBC network on May 7, 1950. It had a short run through the Summer on Sundays, changing to Fridays after its Summer run. The last show aired Oct. 22, 1950. This is the story of the WWII special governmental agency, the OSS, or Office of Strategic Services. Its mission was to develop and maintain spy networks throughout Europe and into Asia, while giving aid to underground partisan groups and developing espionage activities for Allied forces overseas. THIS EPISODE: September 1, 1950. NBC network. "A War Of Words". Sustaining. An American agent is asked to deliver a message to the commandant of a Japanese camp. An exciting adventure in the jungle. The system cue has been deleted. Alistair MacBain (creator), Jon Gart (music director), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer), Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Chuck Webster, Ralph Bell, Raymond Edward Johnson, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Eric Dressler, Karl Weber, Jerry Jarrett, Joan Alison, Maurice Tarplin, Guy Repp, Jack Gordon (writer), Manny Segal (sound effects), Norman Gruenfelder (engineer), Corey Ford (creator). 29:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Elmer Versus The Invaders (1989) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Chet Chetter's Tales from the Morgue is a series of short stories as told by an old obliging morgue attendant, licensed embalmer and resident story teller named Chet Chetter to a passing stranger of the night played by you the listener. The stories Chet relates to us are all quite fanciful. They deal with topics that would be classified supernatural and science fiction. They border on outrageous but that is how they are meant to be. Roughly half of the shows feature a nice, likeable, rural southern manure hauler by the name of Elmer Korn who always finds himself involved in some inane predicament. The creators of the series themselves admit the show is rather off-beat but, you will find, not without it’s own charm which lies within the humorous writing and the recurring characters. This series was created and produced by M&J Audio Theater. The M stands for Mark Sawyer and the J is for Jay Reel. Two childhood friends who met in the 6th grade in 1977 with a tape recorder that had a mutual interest in radio drama as influenced by old time radio shows such as X Minus One, Lum and Abner, and Gunsmoke. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.