Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

The Iron Coffin (Aired July 12, 1950) The first portrayal of Phillip 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: July 12, 1950. CBS network. "The Iron Coffin". Sponsored by: Spearmint Gum. Marlowe visits a 16th century Spanish castle (in northern California) to battle the ghost of "Peter The Cruel," who lives in an eight foot iron coffin! An imaginative story, good radio! Gerald Mohr, Raymond Chandler (creator), Norman Macdonnell (producer, director), Robert Mitchell (writer), Gene Levitt (writer), Richard Aurandt (composer, conductor), Irene Tedrow, David Ellis, Edgar Barrier, Jay Novello, Parley Baer, Barney Phillips, Bob Stevenson (announcer), Lillian Buyeff. 29:53. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Mystery Of Green Hill (Aired February 12, 1949) Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The character also appears in numerous radio serials and comic books based on the stories. The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury. A biographical entry on Patten noted dryly that Frank Merriwell "had little in common with his creator or his readers." Patten offered some background on his character: "The name was symbolic of the chief characteristics I desired my hero to have. Frank for frankness, merry for a happy disposition, well for health and abounding vitality." THIS EPISODE: February 12, 1949. NBC network. "The Mystery Of Green Hill". Sustaining. Inza and her Aunt Belle discover a haunted house and a pile of bones, but Frank suspects things aren't quite all they seem. Lawson Zerbe, Hal Studer, Elaine Rost, Harlow Wilcox (announcer), Burt L. Standish (creator). 29:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Slow Boat From China (Aired February 25, 1949) Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar attracted some of the best writers in Hollywood, including Jack Johnstone, E. Jack Neuman (using the pen name John Dawson), Robert Ryf, and Les Crutchfield. Bob Bailey also wrote a script while he was playing Johnny Dollar. He used the pen name Robert Bainter (Bainter was his middle name) as the scriptwriter for "The Carmen Kringle Matter", which was aired on Saturday, December 21, 1957 on the West Coast, and on the following day for the rest of the country. Bob Bailey, generally thought of as the most popular of the Johnny Dollars, brought a new interpretation to the character – tough, but not hard-boiled; streetwise, but not overly cynical, Bailey's Dollar was smart and gritty when he had to be. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: February 25, 1949. CBS network. "The Case Of The Slow Boat From China". Sustaining. Johnny goes to Singapore to expedite a shipment of tin and finds everyone looking for a mysterious "it." The show features a bad guy who sounds like a Sydney Greenstreet imitator. Johnny even tells him, "Your mother must have been frightened by Sydney Greenstreet!" Charles Russell, Mark Warnow (composer, conductor), Paul Dudley (writer), Gil Doud (writer), Richard Sanville (producer, director). 29:13. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Secret Word Is "Sign" (Aired April 9, 1952) You Bet Your Life is an American quiz show that aired on both radio and television. The most well-known version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio in October 1947, then moved to CBS Radio in 1949 before making the transition to the NBC Radio and NBC-TV networks in October 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show simultaneously on the radio and on television. In 1960, the show was renamed The Groucho Show and ran a further year. After a radio appearance with Bob Hope, in which Marx ad-libbed most of his performance after being forced to stand by in a waiting room for 40 minutes before going on the air, John Guedel, the program's producer, formed an idea for a quiz show and approached Marx about the subject. After initial reluctance by Marx, Guedel was able to convince him to host the program after Marx realized the quiz would be only a backdrop for his contestant interviews, and the storm of ad-libbing that they would elicit.

Woman Of Mystery (Aired November 9, 1950) The adventures of Casey, crack photographer for The Morning Express, were told in this series, which moved to television after a highly successful run on radio in the 1940’s. Casey hung out at the Blue Note Café, where the music was provided by the Tony Mottola Trio, and was friendly with Ethelbert, the bartender, to whom he recounted his various exploits. Richard Carlyle and John Gibson portrayed the roles when the series premiered in April, 1951, but by June they were replaced by Darren McGavin and Cliff Hall. Ann Williams, a reporter on The Morning Express, was Casey’s girlfriend. During the summer of 1951 he acquired a partner in cub reporter Jack Lipman, who wrote copy to go with Casey’s pictures. This live series was set in and broadcast from, New York City. THIS EPISODE: November 9, 1950. Program #61. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Woman Of Mystery". A woman is found dead with a knife in her back...in a locked room. A thoroughly improbable story with plot elements stolen from, "Sunset Boulevard," which had opened only two months earlier. Staats Cotsworth, Ken Roberts (announcer),Alonzo Deen Cole (writer), George Harmon Coxe (creator), John Dietz (producer, director), John Gibson, Jan Miner, Eva Condon, Herman Chittison (piano), Jon Gart (organ). 25:23. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Insurance Fraud (Aired August 29, 1948) Box 13 is highly expositional, as are most programs of the genre, and Ladd's grovelly, gritty voice lends itself well to the production. But by Episode #6 it seems apparent that Alan Ladd was beginning to hit his stride in the role. What seems to get in the way for many reviewers of this program is its somewhat implausible premise. Dan Holiday was purportedly a successful fiction writer for the Star-Times news magazine who becomes disenchanted with the utter, mind-numbing routine of it. Dan Holiday opts out. He posts an ad reading "Go anywhere, Do anything, Write Box 13". This had become a pretty well-worked theme by 1948. Perhaps a bit too reminiscent of George Valentine's "Personal notice: Danger's my stock in trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine," from 1946's Let George Do It. The gimmick certainly made for an open-ended range of potential adventures for Box 13's protagonist. And it resulted in some pretty outrageous assignments in the course of Holiday's fifty-two adventures. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: August 29, 1948. Program #2. Mutual network origination, Mayfair syndication. "Insurance Fraud". Commercials added locally. A doctor, dead for almost seven years, is suspected of still being alive...and with good reason! Alan Ladd, Sylvia Picker, Ted Hediger (writer, director), Rudy Schrager (composer, conductor), Vern Carstensen (production supervisor). 26:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Death Is The Puppeteer (Aired May 24, 1974) The Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973-74 radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling. With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program aired in stereo for two seasons. Some of the scripts were written by Serling. Originally placed into syndication on September 3, 1973, the series was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System in December of that year. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates could broadcast the series in any time slot that they wished. In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series on July 26, 1974.

A Plain Case Of Murder (Aired October 10, 1946) Suspense was one of the premier programs of the Golden Age of Radio (aka old-time radio), and advertised itself as "radio's outstanding theater of thrills." It was heard in one form or another from 1942 through 1962. There were approximately 945 episodes broadcast during its long run, over 900 of which are extant in mostly high-quality recordings. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors and director/producers. There were a few rules which were followed for all but a handful of episodes: Protagonists were usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation. Evildoers must be punished in the end. The program made only occasional forays into science fiction and fantasy. Among its science fiction entries were "The Man who Went Back to Save Lincoln" (a time travel fantasy), and an adaptation of "Donovan's Brain". THIS EPISODE: October 10, 1946. CBS network. "A Plane Case Of Murder". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A scheming woman and her pre-war lover plan to kill her wealthy husband. A private aircraft figures in the murder plot. Robert L. Richards (writer), Joseph Kearns (announcer), William Johnstone, Hans Conried, Jerry Hausner, Ken Niles (commercial spokesman), William Spier (producer, director), John Lund, Cathy Lewis, Lucien Moraweck (composer), Lud Gluskin (conductor). 27:33.

Nurse Parker Resigns (Aired January 25, 1950) Dr. James Kildare was a fictional character, the primary character in a series of American theatrical films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show. The character was invented by the author Frederick Schiller Faust (aka Max Brand). The character began in the film series as a medical intern; after becoming a doctor he was mentored by an older physician, Dr. Leonard Gillespie. After the first ten films, the series eliminated the character of Kildare and focused instead on Gillespie. In the summer of 1949, MGM reunited Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore to record the radio series, The Story of Dr. Kildare, scripted by Les Crutchfield, Jean Holloway and others. After broadcasts on WMGM New York from February 1, 1950 to August 3, 1951, the series was syndicated to other stations during the 1950s. The supporting cast included Ted Osborne as hospital administrator Dr. Carough, Jane Webb as nurse Mary Lamont and Virginia Gregg as Nurse Parker, labeled "Nosy Parker" by Gillespie, with appearances by William Conrad, Stacy Harris, Jay Novello, Isabel Jewell and Jack Webb.

The Perfect Witness (Aired March 19, 1950) Rocky Jordan (Jack Moyles/George Raft) is the proprietor of the Café Tambourine located, according to the announcer, "not far from the Mosque Sultan Hassan," though he is originally from St. Louis. As an American restaurateur in a North African country, Jordan is somewhat similar to the Rick Blaine character in the film Casablanca, though the Café Tambourine is apparently a much less salubrious venue than Rick's Bar. The announcer describes it as being "Crowded with forgotten men, and alive with the babble of many languages". Each episode sees Jordan confronted with a "crime, a mystery, a beautiful woman, or a combination of the three". Precisely why Jordan is in Egypt is left deliberately vague, though he apparently has enemies in St. Louis so can't go back home. Sam Sabaaya (Jay Novello) is the police captain who apprehends the criminals at the end of each adventure. Sabaaya is portrayed as a diligent and competent policeman, usually as Jordan's friend and ally but sometimes as his foil. He is an Egyptian Muslim, is married, and has four children. THIS EPISODE: March 19, 1950. CBS Pacific network. "The Perfect Witness". Sponsored by: Del Monte. A woman takes several shots at a stranger in the Cafe Tambourine...and misses each time. The second time, she apparently succeeds. Jack Moyles, Jay Novello, Larry Thor (announcer), Cliff Howell (producer, director), Larry Roman (writer), Gomer Cool (writer), Richard Aurandt (composer, conductor). 29:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Barney Miller Syndicate (1953) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. The 'hot potato' that "That Hammer Guy" had become ultimately resolved itself with the premiere of That Hammer Guy--over Mutual--on December 30, 1952, the beginning of a ninety-one episode series of hard-boiled Mickey Spillane mystery and adventure yarns. The series premiered with Inner Sanctum workhorse Larry Haines as Mike Hammer, aided by Jan Miner in the role of Velda, Hammer's secretary and love interest, as well as several other roles in the ensemble cast. By about three months into the run, the series attempts--rather unsuccessfully--to rename itself, Mickey Spillane-Mystery or Mickey Spillane, Mystery depending on the outlet. Neither name ever really took, and the majority of the newspaper and magazine listings of the era continued to refer to the series as either That Hammer Guy, Mike Hammer, or Mickey Spillane Mysteries. The nomenclature didn't seem to bother Mutual in the least, and its most loyal affiliate stations continued to air Mickey Spillane-Mystery with almost no interruptions, pre-emptions or day and time changes for its entire run. In the model of Mutual's MBS-Plus co-op sponsorship, Esquire Magazine, General Mills' Kix cereal and Camel Cigarettes shared the sponsorship of the initial run of That Hammer Guy. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Tony Price (Aired June 14, 1951) The Line-Up stands as one of the most well-produced crime dramas of The Golden Age of Radio. The cast is comprised of top-tier, A-List talent from top to bottom. With Elliott Lewis directing his cast of some of the finest voice talent of the era--and top-drawer sound technicians to match--this series remains one of the best examples of the Crime Drama genre. Think of Calling All Cars, minus the jingoistic flag-waving, updated to contemporary 1950s crime themes, and peppered with the more authentic radio-verité atmospherics of Unit 99, Night Watch, and Dragnet, and you have The Line-Up. It's also been one of the most difficult series to collect over the years. The good news is that with new episodes surfacing each year, there's every possibility that we'll soon have a complete run of the series to enjoy in its entirety. Bill Johnstone gives his usual solid performance as Lieutenant Ben Guthrie of the San Francisco Police Department. He's aided for the first year of the run by the equally solid Wally Maher, with his gritty, sardonic voice characterizations. The stellar list of non-recurring talent represents some of the most respected names in Radio--and Television: Raymond Burr, Jay Novello, Joe Kearns, Elliott Lewis, Virginia Gregg, Ed Begley, Bill Bouchey, Herb Butterfield, Barton Yarborough, Wilms Herbert, Jeanette Nolan, Ted de Corsia, Howard McNear and Bill Conrad. It just doesn't get better than that. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

Riley Meets A Gangster (Aired April 8, 1949) Guest Is Burt Lancaster The first Life of Riley radio show was a summer replacement show heard on CBS from April 12, 1941 to September 6, 1941. The CBS program starred Lionel Stander as J. Riley Farnsworth and had no real connection with the more famous series that followed a few years later. The radio program starring William Bendix aired on the ABC Blue Network from January 16, 1944 to June 8, 1945. Then it moved to NBC, where it was broadcast from September 8, 1945 to June 29, 1951. The supporting cast featured John Brown, who portrayed not only undertaker Digger O'Dell but also Riley's co-worker Gillis. Whereas Gillis gave Riley bad information that got him into trouble, Digger gave him good information that "helped him out of a hole," as he might have put it. Brown's lines as the undertaker were often repetitive, including puns based on his profession; but, thanks to Brown's delivery, the audience loved him. The series was co-developed by the non-performing Marx Brother, Gummo. Procter and Gamble (Prell shampoo) and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer were the show's longtime sponsors. THIS EPISODE: April 8, 1949. "Riley Meets A Gangster" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Commercials deleted.. Riley is the victim of a hold-up. William Bendix, Ken Niles (announcer), Paula Winslowe, Irving Brecher (creator, producer), John Brown, Burt Lancaster (guest), Alan Lipscott (writer), Reuben Ship (writer), Richard Powell (writer), Mitch Lindeman (director), Lou Kosloff (music). 25:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Weed Eradicator (Aired June 29, 1952) 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. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: June 29, 1952. NBC network. Sustaining. An exhibit at the Black Museum is a "Weed Eradicator". A box of poisoned chocolates in Wales, with suspicion falling on an avid gardener who uses arsenic as a weed killer. Lots of arsenic has killed Mrs. Mildred Birdsong. The final public service announcement and the system cue has been deleted. Percy Hoskins (researcher), Wyllis Cooper (writer, director), Horace Braham, Harvey Hayes, Guy Spaull, Lionel Ricou (announcer), Maurice Delamore, Winston Ross, Lester Fletcher. 28:55. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Poisoned Hand Of Friendship (Aired September 25, 1950) The role played by Ilona Massey, a Hungarian-born actress, was created in her likeness, which included her sultry voice and her heavy accent. As a government agent, Massey witnesses train murders, orders poisoned glasses of brandy, and examines the tattoos on a rebellious pigeon. She travels to Tangiers, London, and discovers Nazi spy rings in Berlin. Pack your suitcase, slip into your designer incognito clothiers, and cut your tongue out because Ilona Massey is ready to take you on the top secret mission of a lifetime!6-12-50 to 10-26-50 NBC, various 30 minute timeslots. STAR: Ilona Massey as a Mata Hari-style operative in World War II. ORCHESTRAL: Roy Shield. WRITER-DIRECTOR: Harry W. Junkin. Top secret was highly effective, said Radio Life: the role played by the Hungarian actress was “tailor-made for her sultry voice and heavy accent”. The series was a summer replacement for, "The American Album Of Familiar Music."