Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Health Food (Aired November 21, 1948) As both Phil and Alice were known singers, there were two musical numbers in each show, and they were always for real, except some of Phil's, which were for laughs. But Phil's band gave much more than music to the show. Frankie Remley was the band's left handed guitar player, with a sardonic sense of humor out of left field. The character was first done on The Jack Benny Show, and, of course, now on a show about the band itself, Frankie was even more obnoxious. Famed radio actor Elliott Lewis played him with relish. In fact, later in the run they actually started calling the character Elliott! (Elliott Lewis changes his name on the show from Frankie Remly to Elliott because Harris stopped leading Jack Benny's band--so he wasn't connected to Remly any more. A couple of actors well known on other shows were Gale Gordon and Walter Tetley. Gale Gordon (Principal Conklin on Our Miss Brooks) was Mr. Scott, the long-suffering Rexall representative, doing stealth commercials for Rexall, again like the The Jack Benny Show and Fibber McGee and Molly had done.

The Bloodstained Coin (Aired October 26, 1937) Calling All Cars was one of the earliest police shows on the air. It ran from November 29, 1933 through September 8, 1939. It’s sponsor was the Rio Grande Oil Company, which is why the show only ran in areas where Rio Grande "cracked" gasoline was sold. The sponsor promoted its "close ties" with police departments in Arizona and Southern California, urging listeners to buy its product for "police car performance". As shows of this nature do, it dealt with tracking killers and robbers, and with a recap of the justice which was enforced. The writer and director was William N. Robson. Calling All Cars episodes were dramatized true crime stories that were not only introduced by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department but were true life crime stories of the LAPD. THIS EPISODE: October 26, 1937. Program #205. CBS Pacific network (Don Lee network). "The Bloodstained Coin". Sponsored by: Rio Grande Oil. The murder of Theodore Wallman has taken place in Leona Canyon. Jesse Rosenquist (dispatcher), A. C. Dowall (? host, from the Sheriff's office of Los Angles county), Charles Frederick Lindsley (narrator). 29:19. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Smashing The Drug Ring (2 Parts Complete) Aired May 15, 1940 After his father was killed by a gangster's bullet, young Dan Garrett joined the New York Police Department, but soon tired of the slow pace and red tape of police work. With the help of his friend and mentor, pharmacist and drug-store proprietor Dr. Franz, Dan acquired a costume of bullet-proof chain-mail-like cellulose material, and began a second life, fighting crime as The Blue Beetle. His calling card was a small beetle-shaped marker that he left in conspicuous places to alert criminals to his presence, using their fear of his crime fighting reputation as a weapon against them. For this purpose he also used a "Beetle Signal" flashlight. The Blue Beetle's reputation was not his only weapon -- he carried a revolver in a blue holster on his belt, and was sometimes shown wearing a multi-pouched belt after the style set by Batman. TODAY'S SHOW: May 15, 1940. Program #1. Fox Features syndication. "Smashing Dope Ring". Commercials added locally. Trying to arrest a dope peddler selling marijuana cigarettes, Dan Garrett is machine-gunned and is near death. Dr. Franz slips him some secret 2X formula and he recovers instantly. He also gains abnormal strength and superhuman vitality. Frank Lovejoy, Paul Ford. 25:18. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Shipboard Jewel Robbery (Aired October 20, 1953) As hard is it may be to believe by today's standards, Rocky Fortune was Frank Sinatra's only dramatic Radio program from The Golden Age of Radio as the lead in a recurring role. As a variety guest performer, Sinatra's Radiography goes on and on and on. But this was the program that a great many of the growing number of fans of Sinatra's acting work really wanted to hear. NBC spared no expense to showcase this growing super-star of the 1940s and 1950s, and it shows in both production values and supporting voice talent. Frank Sinatra seemed very comfortable in the role of Rocco Fortunato--'Rocky Fortune'--and the scripts that George Lefferts and Ernest Kinoy wrote for Sinatra made for some fascinating adventures. The role was clearly written specifically for him, and more importantly for the more 'adult' persona his agents and publicity reps were trying to portray of him at this point in his career. He'd already done the teen and 20-something idol gig, and he had been expressing more of an interest in dramatic work. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: October 20, 1953. NBC network. "The Shipboard Jewel Robbery". Sustaining. Rocky's a steward on an ocean liner and becomes involved in a jewel heist on the high seas. This is a network version. Frank Sinatra, Tony Barrett, Marvin Miller, George Lefferts (writer), Lynn Allen, Andrew C. Love (director), Edward King (announcer), Norma Varden, Shepard Menken. 24:14. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Case Of The Mail Order Murders (Aired September 25, 1948) Michael Shayne was a fictional sleuth created by Brett Halliday (a pen name for author Davis Dresser) who was first initiated into the fraternity for detectives in the 1939 novel "Dividend of Death". Dresser based the character on a “tall and rangy” brawler who once saved his life during a braw in a Mexican cantina. The Shayne character would go on to appear in 69 novels, plus a long-running mystery magazine—and in 1941, was brought to the silver screen in Paramount’s Michael Shayne, Private Detective, an adaptation of Dividend of Death that starred Lloyd Nolan, and paved the way for six additional B-mysteries to follow. The New Adventures of Michael Shayne—premiered on July 15, 1948 starring Jeff Chandler. THIS EPISODE: September 25, 1948. Program #10. Broadcaster's Guild syndication. "The Case Of The Crooked Wheel". Commercials added locally. Shayne travels to Mexico City to help a casino owner with a dishonest wheel. These syndicated programs were recorded 1948 to 1950. Jeff Chandler, Brett Halliday (creator), William P. Rousseau (director, host), William Conrad, Frank Lovejoy, Don W. Sharpe (producer), John Duffy (composer, conductor). 25:09. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

A Salute To California (Aired February 10, 1948) In 1934–36, Berle was heard regularly on The Rudy Vallee Hour, and he got much publicity as a regular on The Gillette Original Community Sing, a Sunday night comedy-variety program broadcast on CBS from September 6, 1936 to August 29, 1937. In 1939, he was the host of Stop Me If You've Heard This One with panelists spontaneously finishing jokes sent in by listeners. Three Ring Time, a comedy-variety show sponsored by Ballantine Ale, was followed by a 1943 program sponsored by Campbell's Soups. The audience participation show Let Yourself Go (1944–1945) could best be described as slapstick radio with studio audience members acting out long suppressed urges (often directed at host Berle). Kiss and Make Up, on CBS in 1946, featured the problems of contestants decided by a jury from the studio audience with Berle as the judge. THIS EPISODE: February 10, 1948. NBC network. Sponsored by: Philip Morris. "A Salute To California". "Miltie Of The Movies." Frank Gallop (announcer), Milton Berle, Ray Bloch and His Orchestra. 35:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

A Pail Of Air (Aired March 28, 1956) X Minus One was an NBC science fiction series that was an extension, or revival, of NBC's earlier science fiction series, Dimension X. which ran from Apr. 8, 1950 through Sept. 29, 1951. Both are remembered for bringing really first rate science fiction to the air. The first X Minus One shows used scripts from Dimension X, but soon created new shows from storied from the pages of Galaxy Magazine. The series was cancelled after the 126th broadcast on January 9, 1958. However, the early 1970s brought a wave of nostalgia for old-time radio; a new experimental episode, "The Iron Chancellor" by Robert Silverberg, was created in 1973, but it failed to revive the series. NBC also tried broadcasting the old recordings, but their irregular once-monthly scheduling kept even devoted listeners from following the broadcasts. THIS EPISODE: March 28, 1956. NBC network. "A Pail Of Air". Sustaining. A story about the last family left on a frozen Earth. The script was used subsequently on May 6, 1974 on "Future Tense" and on "Audion Theatre" on September 1, 1990. Richard Hamilton, Rita Lloyd, Ronald Liss, George Lefferts (adaptor), William Welch (producer), Daniel Sutter (director), Eleanor Phelps, Fritz Leiber Jr. (author), Joe DeSantis, Pamela Fitzmaurice, Fred Collins (announcer). 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Prescription (1952) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. Opening in 1875, the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard is the oldest museum in the world purely for recording crime. The name Black Museum was coined in 1877 by a reporter from The Observer, a London newspaper, although the museum is still referred to as the Crime Museum. The idea of a crime museum was conceived by Inspector Neame who had already collected together a number of items, with the intention of giving police officers practical instruction on how to detect and prevent burglary. It is this museum that inspired the Black Musuem radio series. The museum is not open to members of the public but is now used as a lecture theatre for the curator to lecture police and like bodies in subjects such as Forensic Science, Pathology, Law and Investigative Techniques. THIS EPISODE: 1952. Towers Of London syndication. "The Prescription". Commercials added locally. June Dawson is paralyzed and depressed. She leaves all her fortune to her nurse in a new will. The date is approximate. Orson Welles (narrator), Ira Marion (writer), Sidney Torch (composer, conductor), Harry Alan Towers (producer). 28:26. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Star Crossed Lovers (Aired April 13, 1947) The unique programming wrinkle that ABC was apparently attempting to promote with The Clock was a mix of the traditional crime drama and the supernatural dramas of the previous fifteen years. One or the other of the two genres had been traditionally popular formats throughout the Golden Age of Radio era. To its credit, ABC gave The Clock all the time it needed to create an audience. It kept the series in pretty much the same timeslot throughout its seventy-eight episode run, maintained reasonably high standards of talent--both in front of and behind, the mike--and simply waited to see what developed. THIS EPISODE: February 28, 1956. Grace Gibson syndication. "Star-Crossed Lovers". Commercials added locally. The date above is the date of first broadcast in Australia. Cliff meets Juliet, and it's love at first sight. The script was first produced and broadcast in the U.S. on April 13, 1947 on the ABC network. Lawrence Klee (writer), Harp McGuire (as "The Clock"), Wendy Playfair, John Meillon, Barbara Brunton, Leon Peers, Joan Lord, John Saul (director), Grace Gibson (producer). 23:27. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

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.

Playing Hooky (Aired March 23, 1946) The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, was a popular radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film and continued as a long-running television series during the 1950s. The show began as a proposed Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family, but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian. Then producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab company owner Tim McGuerin in the movie The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942). The Flotsam Family was reworked with Bendix cast as blundering Chester A. Riley, riveter at a California aircraft plant, and his frequent exclamation of indignation---"What a revoltin' development this is!"---became one of the most famous catch phrases of the 1940s. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker". THIS EPISODE: March 23, 1946. "Playing Hooky" - NBC network. Sponsored by: Teel, Dreft. Riley plays hooky from work, but when Junior plays hooky from school, Riley is incensed! Don Bernard (director), Irving Brecher (creator, producer), John Brown, Ken Carpenter (announcer), Lou Kosloff (music), Paula Winslowe, Scotty Beckett, William Bendix. 29:17. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Informer (Aired May 25, 1946) Each adaptation is finely produced and directed by Dee Engelbach, with music composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Frank Wilson wrote the movie adaptations. John Dunning in his book,"On the Air, The Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio,"tells us why such a fine production lasted less than a year: "The House of Squibb, a drug firm, footed a stiff bill: up to $5,000 for the stars and $1,600 a week to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for use of the title. The production had all the class of a Lux or Screen Guild show…But the tariff took its toll, and after 39 weeks the series was scrapped." THIS EPISODE: May 25, 1946. Program #343. "The Informer" - CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. A quality upgrade rebroadcast. AFRS program name: "Armed Forces Radio Theater." The program may be dated May 15, 1946. Victor McLaglen, Margo Graham, Wallace Ford, J. M. Kerrigan. 29:44. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Tom Cook Case (Aired August 20, 1949) Dick Powell starred in the Richard Diamond, Private Detective radio series as a rather light-hearted detective who often ended the episodes singing to his girlfriend, Helen (Virginia Gregg). It began airing on NBC on April 24, 1949, picked up Rexall as a sponsor on April 5, 1950, and continued until December 6, 1950. The shows were written by Blake Edwards. Its theme, "Leave It to Love", was whistled by Powell at the beginning of each episode. With Camel cigarettes as a sponsor, it moved to ABC from January 5, 1951, to June 29, 1951, with Rexall returning for a run from October 5, 1951, until June 27, 1952. Substituting for Amos 'n' Andy, it aired Sunday evenings on CBS from May 31, 1953 until September 20, 1953. THIS EPISODE: August 20, 1949. "The Tom Cook Case" - NBC network. Sustaining. A young girl is run over in Central Park and young Tom Cook is accused of murdering her. A gangland rub-out takes place at the same time! Dick Powell sings, "There's Yes, Yes In Your Eyes." Blake Edwards (writer), David Ellis, Dick Powell, Ed Begley, Edward King (director), Eleanor Audley, Frank Lovejoy, Frank Worth (composer, conductor), Richard Sanville (director), Sam Edwards, Virginia Gregg, William Johnstone, Wilms Herbert. 29:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Murder Is The Medium (Aired July 22, 1949) "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. THIS EPISODE: July 22, 1949. ABC network origination, CBC rebroadcast. "Murder Is The Medium". Sponsored by: Pepto Bismol. A ten-inch knife cuts a murder during a seance and later a poisoning or two leads the Fat Man to the killer. The middle commercial has been deleted. J. Scott Smart, Bernard Green (music director), Dashiell Hammett (creator). 27:31. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Cross Country Race (Aired June 12, 1940) The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy (1939-1953), is remembered first and foremost for its unforgettable introduction: awkward teen Henry's mother calling, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" A top-ten ratings hit within two years of its birth (in 1941, the showm carried a 33.4 Crossley rating, landing it solidly alongside Jack Benny and Bob Hope), the show is considered a prototype for teen-oriented situation comedies to follow on radio and television and is a favourite if dated find for old-time radio collectors today. THIS EPISODE: June 12, 1940. NBC network. Sponsored by: Jell-O. Henry's out to win the "Cross Country Race". Henry's pal in this program is Dizzy Stevens, not Homer. The program leaves the air until June 23, 1940, when it returns as a summer replacement for Jack Benny. Ezra Stone, Clifford Goldsmith (creator, writer), House Jameson, Katharine Raht, Harry Von Zell (announcer), Jack Miller (composer, conductor). 30:37. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.