Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

The Bookstore (Aired December 24, 1947) The character first appeared in the novel Bulldog Drummond (1920), and this was followed by a lengthy series of books and adaptations for films, radio and television. "Drummond... has the appearance of an English gentleman: a man who fights hard, plays hard and lives clean... His best friend would not call him good-looking but he possess that cheerful type of ugliness which inspires immediate confidence ... Only his eyes redeem his face. Deep-set and steady, with eyelashes that many women envy, they show him to be a sportsman and an adventurer. Drummond goes outside the law when he feels the ends justify the means." The opening of the radio show starts with a the sounds of footsteps, foghorn, then two shots ring out, followed by three blows of a police officer's whistle. Bulldog was a methodical crime-solving sleuth who let nothing get in his way of his goal, which was to put a stop to crime! Bulldog believed in uncomplicated and decisive means of getting his way with the lords of the underworld. THIS EPISODE: December 24, 1947. Mutual network. "The Bookstore". Captain Drummond stands in front of a bookstore to get out of the rain. He meets a beautiful blonde and murder. The program opening, closing and commercials have been deleted. 24:56. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Darkened Face (Aired September 22, 1946) The series was written by Ralph Wilkinson and produced by Wally Ramsey. The show had a formula with the crime usually being committed in the first third of the program, the good doctor solving it in the second third, and then pedantically explaining the solution to someone (usually his "pretty, young" secretary, Rusty) in the conclusion. Dr. Daniel Danfield was an obnoxious unlicensed private investigator/criminal psychologist with an ego complex. Why Rusty would put up with this guy is beyond understanding. In this case, love is not only blind, but also deaf and dumb. But then, Rusty was no prize package either. In fact, the most complex person on the show is Dr. Dan Danfield's pretty young secretary, Miss Rusty Fairfax. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: September 22, 1946. Program #6. ABC network origination, Teleways Radio Productions syndication. "The Case Of The Darkened Face". Commercials added locally. An actress with a deformed face can be cured by a miraculous cream, but the formula for the cream has been stolen! Michael Dunn, Joanne Johnson. 24:40. 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.

The Portrait Artist (Aired August 6, 1948) My Favorite Husband began as a radio sitcom on CBS Radio. The show starred Lucille Ball and Richard Denning as Liz and George Cooper (Liz and George Cugat in early episodes). The couple lived at 321 Bundy Drive in the ficticious city of Sheridan Falls, and were billed as "two people who live together and like it." The main sponsor was Jell-O, and an average of 3 "plugs" for Jell-O were made in each episode. The program ran from 1948 through 1951, throughout which 124 episodes were aired. The program initially portrayed the couple as being a well-to-do banker and his socially prominent wife. Shortly into the show's run, three new writers, Bob Carroll, Jr., Madelyn Pugh, and Jess Oppenheimer took over the scripting tasks, and the characterization of the couple was altered somewhat. Along with the change of the couple's last name to Cooper, the couple was also portrayed as being more middle-class, and thus more accessible to the average listener. When Lucille Ball was asked to do a television version of the show (with Jell-O remaining as sponsor), CBS insisted on Richard Denning continuing as her co-star. However, she said that she would not do a husband-and-wife sitcom without her real-life husband Desi Arnaz being the husband.

Deathwatch In Boston (Aired November 15, 1948) Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeammsss?!" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler) to EC Comics' Crypt-Keeper in various incarnations of Tales from the Crypt. In interviews, EC publisher Bill Gaines stated that he based EC's three horror hosts not on Raymond but on Old Nancy, host of radio's earlier The Witch's Tale (1931-38). When Johnson left the series in 1946, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "your host" or "Mr. Host." THIS EPISODE: November 15, 1948. Program #53. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "Deathwatch In Boston". A midnight visit by a raven that says, "It is later than you think!" Dr. Dickens meets "Charon" and his interesting pet. Dickens has a head in a box, Charon can predict who will die next, and the raven quotes Edgar Allan Poe! An interesting story. The program has also been identified as AFRS #114. Mason Adams, Ted Osborne, Fred Maytho (writer), Paul McGrath (host), Santos Ortega, Lesley Woods. 26:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Man With The Key (Aired October 2, 1948) Jeff Regan, Investigator was one of the three detective shows Jack Webb did before Dragnet (see also Pat Novak For Hire and Johnny Modero: Pier 23). It debuted on CBS in July 1948. Webb played Jeff Regan, a tough private eye working in a Los Angeles investigation firm run by Anthony J. Lyon. Regan introduced himself on each show "I get ten a day and expenses...they call me the Lyon's Eye." The show was fairly well-plotted, Webb's voice was great, and the supporting cast were skillful. Regan handled rough assignments from Lion, with whom he was not always on good terms. He was tough, tenacious, and had a dry sense of humor. The voice of his boss, Anthony Lion, was Wilms Herbert. The show ended in December 1948 but was resurrected in October 1949 with a new cast; Frank Graham played Regan (later Paul Dubrov was the lead) and Frank Nelson portrayed Lion. THIS EPISODE: October 2, 1948. CBS network. "The Man With The Key". Sustaining. Jeff, a private investigator, is hired to protect a safe deposit box key for seven hours. Bob Stevenson (announcer), Herb Butterfield, Jack Webb, June Martell, Ken Christy, Marvin Miller, Paul Frees, Yvonne Peattie, E. Jack Neuman (writer), Larry Roman (writer), Sterling Tracy (producer). 30:16. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Eddie Amboy Murder Case (Aired March 10, 1950) Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air. The series featured music by Robert Stringer, and scripts by Peter Lyon. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb (eventually succeeding him as producer). Bern Bennett was the original announcer. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton S. Fine and David Friedkin. 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." THIS EPISODE: March 10, 1950. "The Eddie Amboy Murder Case" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Elevator man Eddie Amboy's passenger dies of a bullet wound in the stomach. The next day, Eddie himself is crushed beneath his elevator. Larry Thor, Charles Calvert, Howard McNear, Morton Fine (writer), David Friedkin (writer), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), Alexander Courage (composer, conductor). 28:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Show Of August 21, 1951 The show made it's debut on CBS radio in 1947. Strike it rich was on CBS's primetime schedule July 4, 1951 through January 12, 1955. There were two attempts to revive the show, with Bert Parks as host in 1973 and Tom Kelly as host in 1978. Neither revival was successful. A syndicated game show of the same name with host Joe Garagiola was aired 1986-1987, but it had a different format. Known as "The quiz show with a heart" and the contestants who appeared on the show were people in need of money or down on their luck. A player was given $30 and bet part of his or her bank on the ability to answer four general knowledge questions. If unable to answer the questions correctly, the contestant could turn to the "heart line" where viewers would call in and donate money or merchandise. When needy families desparate to become contestants began arriving in New York on one-way tickets, the city's Welfare Department labeled the game show "a national disgrace."

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Gunsmoke" - Stage Holdup (Aired January 2, 1954) The radio show first aired on April 26, 1952 and ran until June 18, 1961 on the CBS radio network. The series starred William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Deputy Chester Proudfoot. Doc's first name and Chester's last name were changed for the television program. Gunsmoke was notable for its critically acclaimed cast and writing, and is commonly regarded as one of the finest old time radio shows. Some listeners (such as old time radio expert John Dunning) have argued that the radio version of Gunsmoke was far more realistic than the television program. Episodes were aimed at adults, and featured some of the most explicit content of the day: there were violent crimes and scalpings, massacres and opium addicts. Miss Kitty's occupation as a prostitute was made far more obvious on the radio version than on television. Many episodes ended on a down-note, and villains often got away with their crimes. THIS EPISODE: January 2, 1954. CBS network. "Stage Holdup". Sustaining. Jermo and Charlie rob the stage while Marshal Dillon is a sleeping passenger. The script was used on the Gunsmoke television series on October 25, 1958. William Conrad, John Meston (writer), Vic Perrin, John Dehner, Lawrence Dobkin, Georgia Ellis, Howard McNear, Parley Baer, Norman Macdonnell (director), Rex Koury (composer, conductor), George Walsh (announcer). 25:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Eyes Of Buddha (Aired July 2, 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.The show is based on the book of the same name by Lt. Col. Corey Ford and Major Alastair MacBain (who were associated with the OSS from its early days.) The dramas are not Hollywood-style, in that they sometimes end with plans foiled or leading characters dead. THIS EPISODE: July 2, 1950. NBC network. "The Eyes Of Buddha". Sustaining. 4:00 P. M. is preceded by a news bulletin: "Seoul Korea has been raided by American and Australian war planes. One of two North Korean planes shot down had a Russian red star." An O. S. S. operative flies to Siam to rescue an American held by the Japanese. After witnessing a Japanese decapitation, a daring escape is made from a Japanese prison camp. Part of the system cue has been deleted. Jerry Jarrett, Jon Gart (music director), Sherman Marks (director, supervisor), Everett Sloane, Ralph Bell, Berry Kroeger, Raymond Edward Johnson, Eileen Heckart, Martin Balsam, Winifred Wolfe (writer), Jack Gordon (writer), Corey Ford (originator), Alistair MacBain (originator), Louis G. Cowan (producer), Alfred Hollander (producer), Grant Richards, Karl Weber. 28:33. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Moving Finger Pt.2 of 2 (1943) This story is told by Jerry Burton, an RAF flyer recovering from a crash. He has been sent to the village of Lymstock to get rest and quiet. Accompanied by his sister Joanna, Jerry soon finds that all is not as peaceful as he might have hoped. A series of poison pen letters detailing the explicit and often illicit facts of the residents' lives is causing quite a stir. The fear escalates when an apparent suicide is followed by a murder. With so much wickedness abounding, the vicar's wife calls in her old friend Jane Marple, whom she considers an expert on wickedness in village life. This book is notable for its excellent characterizations. From the community-minded doctor's sister, to the charming spinster who rents the Burtons her home, to the dazzling governess of the lawyer's young boys, Mrs. Christie gives us a village filled with quirky and interesting people. Most notable is Megan Hunter, perhaps her finest young girl protagonist, who is transformed from the dowdy stepdaughter to an exquisite Cinderella. The narrative style is light and entertaining, the romance sweet, and the murder quite deadly in this fun and always ingenuous offering from the mistress of mystery. Mrs. Christie herself recalls this story in her autobiography as a personal favorite that has stood the test of time. As charming as it no doubt was when first published in 1943, The Moving Finger is a most satisfying read. Show Notes From Antoinette Klein.

The Moving Finger Pt1 of 2 (1943) Jane Marple, usually referred to as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels. Miss Marple is an elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur detective. She is one of the most famous of Christie's characters and has been portrayed numerous times on screen. Her first published appearance was in issue 350 of The Royal Magazine for December 1927 with the first printing of the short story "The Tuesday Night Club", which later became the first chapter of The Thirteen Problems (1932). Her first appearance in a full-length novel was in The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930. Miss Jane Marple is an elderly lady who lives in the little English village St. Mary Mead. Superficially stereotypical, she is dressed neatly in tweed and is frequently seen knitting or pulling weeds in her garden. Miss Marple sometimes comes across as confused or "fluffy", but when it comes to solving mysteries, she has a sharp logical mind, and an almost unmatched understanding of human nature with all its weaknesses, strengths, quirks and foibles. In the detective story tradition, she often embarrasses the local "professional" police by solving mysteries that have them stumped.

Baseball Game (Aired April 17, 1941) & Fixing Super (Aired April 24, 1941) The Baby Snooks Show was an American radio program starring comedienne and Ziegfeld Follies alumna Fanny Brice as a mischievous young girl who was 40 years younger than the actress who played her when she first went on the air. The series began on CBS September 17, 1944, airing on Sunday evenings at 6:30pm as Toasties Time. The title soon changed to The Baby Snooks Show, and the series was sometimes called Baby Snooks and Daddy. In 1944, the character was given her own show, and during the 1940s, it became one of the nation's favorite radio situation comedies, with products from a variety of sponsors (Post Cereals, Sanka, Spic-n-Span, Jell-O) being touted by a half-dozen announcers -- John Conte (early 1940s), Tobe Reed (1944-45), Harlow Willcox (mid-1940s), Dick Joy, Don Wilson and Ken Wilson. Hanley Stafford was best known for his portrayal of Snooks' long-suffering, often-cranky father, Lancelot “Daddy” Higgins, a role played earlier by Alan Reed on the 1936 Follies broadcasts. Lalive Brownell was “Mommy” Higgins, also portrayed by Lois Corbet (mid-1940s) and Arlene Harris (after 1945).

Paula Crane Is Threatened (1956) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Danger With Granger arrived too late in the Golden Age of Radio to have any real impact on the listening public. Mutual aired this show, starting in 1956, on Monday nights at 8:30 pm. It was a half hour show that featured a private eye in New York City, STEVE GRANGER. His two primary companions were Cal Hendrix, a reporter who served as an all-purpose source of criminal info, and Jake Rankin, a police detective with whom he had a grudging rivalry. The writing on the show seemed to incorporate most of the standard cliche's of the P.I. world. Granger, who was both the star and the first-person narrator of the show (not an uncommon practice with radio gumshoes), never saw a woman, instead "he gave the doll the once-over." He didn't kick with his foot, he "lifted a size 10." Instead of paying cash, he "forked over numbered lettuce." In his investigations Steve Granger cooperates with the police and the FBI and other authorities.

Daniel The Oracle (Aired July 31, 1977) The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater was a 1977 anthology radio drama series with Tom Bosley as host. Himan Brown, already producing the CBS Radio Mystery Theater for the network, added this twice-weekly (Saturdays and Sundays) anthology radio drama series to his workload in 1977. It usually aired on weekends, beginning in February 1977 and continuing through the end of January 1978, on stations which cleared it. General Mills's advertising agency was looking for a means of reaching children that would be less expensive than television advertising. THIS EPISODE: July 31, 1977. Program #52. CBS network. "Daniel, The Oracle". Sponsored by: General Mills. The program was repeated on January 28, 1978 as, "The CBS Radio Adventure Theatre." The last show of the series, except for repeats. Tom Bosley (host), Russell Horton, Jackson Beck, Himan Brown (producer, director), Norman Rose, Court Benson, Madeline Ferber (adaptor of the biblical story). 40:37.