Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Maisie Confesses To A Jewel Robbery (03-23-50) From the first, MGM wanted Ann Sothern to play Maisie. She began in Hollywood as an extra in 1927. "Maisie and I were just together - I just understood her," Sothern, born Harriette Arlene Lake, said after several of the films made her a star. Throughout the 1930s and '40s, Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball, like many performers in Hollywood, had not one but two careers - one in motion pictures and one on radio. Ann had started in radio as early as 1935, appearing on such variety shows as Rudy Vallee's "The Fleishman Hour" and Bing Crosby's Kraft Music Hall. She also did dramatic parts on "Woodbury Playhouse," "Screen Guild Theatre," and the biggest anthology of them all, Lux Radio Theatre. Throughout the 1940s, the Maisie pictures continued to be released every couple of years. "Your pictures pay for our mistakes," Arthur B. Mayer told her. "And you'll just keep making Maisies as long as you do that." In July, 1945, Ann took Maisie to radio in a half-hour weekly radio for CBS.

The Simmons Construction Murder (Aired November 29, 1945) The Boston Blackie radio series, also starring Morris, began June 23, 1944, on NBC as a summer replacement for The Amos 'n' Andy Show. Sponsored by Rinso, the series continued until September 15 of that year. Unlike the concurrent films, Blackie had a steady romantic interest in the radio show: Lesley Woods appeared as Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley. Harlow Wilcox was the show's announcer. On April 11, 1945, Richard Kollmar took over the title role in a radio series syndicated by Frederic W. Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. Over 200 episodes of this series were produced between 1944 and October 25, 1950. Other sponsors included Lifebuoy Soap, Champagne Velvet beer, and R&H beer. THIS EPISODE: November 29, 1945. Program #33. "The Simmons Construction Murder" - ABC network origination, Ziv syndication. Sponsored by: Beneficial Finance. At a construction site, Bill Woods, the foreman, is shot dead while he's on the 20th floor. For the second week, Richard Kollmar is not heard during the program. Blackie does manage to croak a few words while sick in bed (possibly voiced by Jackson Beck. Lesley Woods, Maurice Tarplin, Henry Sylvern (organist), Jeanne Harrison (director), Jackson Beck. 28:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Ghost On Bliss Terrace (Aired August 16, 1948) Let George Do It was a radio drama series produced by Owen and Pauline Vinson from 1946 to 1954. It starred Bob Bailey as detective-for-hire George Valentine (with Olan Soule stepping into the role in 1954). Clients came to Valentine's office after reading a newspaper carrying his classified ad: "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." Valentine's secretary was Claire Brooks, aka Brooksie (Frances Robinson, Virginia Gregg, Lillian Buyeff). As Valentine made his rounds in search of the bad guys, he usually encounted Brooksie's kid brother, Sonny (Eddie Firestone), Lieutenant Riley (Wally Maher) and elevator man Caleb (Joseph Kearns). Sponsored by Standard Oil, the program was broadcast on the West Coast Mutual Broadcasting System from October 18, 1946 to September 27, 1954, first on Friday evenings and then on Mondays. In its last season, transcriptions were aired in New York, Wednesdays at 9:30pm, from January 20, 1954 to January 12, 1955. THIS EPISODE: August 16, 1948. Mutual-Don Lee network. "The Ghost On Bliss Terrace". Sponsored by: Standard Oil, Chevron. Sam Mitchell has been murdered, and his empty house is now haunted! Alan Reed, Bob Bailey, Bud Hiestand (announcer), David Victor (writer), Don Clark (director), Eddie Dunstedter (music), Frances Robinson, Herbert Little Jr. (writer), Howard McNear, Sarah Selby, Stanley Farrar, Virginia Gregg, Wally Maher. 28:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Going Skiing (aka-Skis In The Classroom) Aired February 25, 1951 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: February 25, 1951. "Going Skiing (aka-Skis In The Classroom) - Program #111. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Denton Ski Claw". Miss Brooks decides to try on a pair of skis, and trouble goes down the hill with her! "The Denton Claw" is sure to help. Eve Arden, Al Lewis (writer, director), Jane Morgan, Bob Lemond (announcer), Richard Crenna, Jeff Chandler, Gloria McMillan, Gale Gordon, Wilbur Hatch (music), Larry Berns (producer), Joe Quillan (writer). 34:38. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Diamond Noose (Aired August 4, 1953) Mr. and Mrs. North was a radio mystery series that aired on CBS from 1942 to 1954. Alice Frost and Joseph Curtin had the title roles when the series began in 1942. Publisher Jerry North and his wife Pam lived in Greenwich Village at 24 St. Anne's Flat. They were not professional detectives but simply an ordinary couple who stumbled across a murder or two every week for 12 years. The radio program eventually reached nearly 20 million listeners. The characters originated in 1930s vignettes written by Richard Lockridge for the New York Sun, and he brought them back for short stories in The New Yorker. Their long-run series continued for over two decades and came to an end in 1963 with the death of Frances Lockridge. THIS EPISODE: August 4, 1953. CBS network origination, AFRS rebroadcast. "The Diamond Noose". Pam's expensive diamond necklace from Aunt Harriet is missing from their apartment. Mr. Ryan, the janitor, is a prime suspect for the theft. Barbara Britton, Richard Denning, Frances Lockridge (creator), Richard Lockridge (creator). 23:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Operation Fifty (Aired January 6, 1951) The Man Called X started over Radio with the 1944 CBS Summer replacement run for Lux Radio Theatre, comprising a total of eight episodes. The only circulating exemplar from the first run is contained within the AFRS Globe Theatre canon of transcriptions. So, yet again, we are indebted to the incredible output of AFRS and AFRTS transcriptions over the years in preserving some of Radio's rarest exemplars from The Golden Age of Radio. But if one compares that circulating episode to the spot ad for the summer run in the sidebar, one sees the program promoted as a comedy-mystery. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: January 6, 1951. "Operation Fifty" - NBC network. Sponsored by: RCA Victor, Anacin. The story of "The Himmler Plates," the most important fifty-dollar bills in the world. The trail leads to Montevideo, Uruguay. Herbert Marshall, Leon Belasco, Joan Banks, Maggie Morely, Will Wright, Stan Waxman, Daws Butler, Lou Merrill, J. Richard Kennedy (producer), Felix Mills (composer, conductor), Sidney Marshall (writer), Jack Latham (announcer). 25:13. Show Notes From The Digital Deli.

The Beeswax Candle (Aired April 24, 1946) The Casebook of Gregory Hood, starring Gale Gordon in the title role, took over where Sherlock Holmes had left off. Sponsored by Petri wine, it used the same "weekly visit" format and the same team of Anthony Boucher and Dennis Green that had written The New Adventured of Sherlock Holmes. Gregory Hood was modelled after true-life San Francisco importer Richard Gump, and many of the stories revolve around a mystery surrounding some particular imported treasure. Hood's sidekick Sanderson "Sandy" Taylor was played by Bill Johnstone. The show aired from June, 1946 through August, 1950. There were an additional couple of shows aired in October 1951. Hood and Sanderson were played in later episodes by Elliott Lewis and Howard McNear, respectively. THIS EPISODE: April 24, 1946. Mutual network. "The Beeswax Candle". Sponsored by: Petri Wine. "An empty house that screams, a Packard covertible and Harry James" (just a few of the in-jokes). Sanderson Taylor loses his wife in the Berkeley fog. A good story with several unexpected twists. Gale Gordon, Harry Bartell (announcer), Dean Fosler (composer, conductor), Denis Green (writer), Anthony Boucher (writer), Art Gilmore. 28:04. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Special Guest Is Groucho Marx (Aired February 20, 1944) Benny had been only a minor vaudeville performer, but he became a national figure with The Jack Benny Program, a weekly radio show which ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS. It was consistently among the most highly rated programs during most of that run. With Canada Dry Ginger Ale as a sponsor, Benny came to radio on The Canada Dry Program, beginning May 2, 1932, on the NBC Blue Network and continuing there for six months until October 26, moving the show to CBS on October 30. With Ted Weems leading the band, Benny stayed on CBS until January 26, 1933. Arriving at NBC on March 17, Benny did The Chevrolet Program until April 1, 1934. He continued with sponsor General Tire through the end of the season. In October, 1934, General Foods, the makers of Jell-O and Grape-Nuts, became the sponsor most identified with Jack, for the next ten years. American Tobacco's Lucky Strike was his longest-lasting radio sponsor, from October, 1944, through the end of his original radio series. THIS EPISODE: February 20, 1944. Red network. Sponsored by: Grape-Nuts, Grape-Nuts Flakes, Grape-Nuts Wheat Meal. "Special Guest Groucho Marx"'s ad libs have Jack cracking up within two minutes of Groucho's appearance. The cast does, "The Gilroy Murder Case." Rochester helps Don deliver one of the commercials. "L.S.M.F.T." is mentioned. Jack Benny, Don Wilson, Groucho Marx, Eddie Anderson, Mary Livingstone, Butterfly McQueen, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, John Brown, Ed Beloin (writer, performer), Mahlon Merrick (conductor). 30:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Evil Under The Sun (Part 3 and 4) The cast of characters is fairly large, but they are easy to keep separate, since each of them is quite distinctive. This is an especially important feature in a murder mystery that depends on keeping track of who is whom! The acting seems slightly over-the-top at first: my initial reaction was that everyone was overacting. However, this style is maintained throughout the whole film, and it doesn't take long at all before it seems perfectly in keeping with the light tone of the movie, as well as being very appropriate to the characters themselves, including a film star, producers, a gossip columnist, a playboy, and (last but not least) a very vain detective.

Doctor's Secret (Aired August 21, 1950) Broadcast on NBC, Nightbeat ran from 1949 to 1952 and starred Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star looking for human interest stories. He met an assortment of people, most of them with a problem, many of them scared, and sometimes he was able to help them, sometimes he wasn’t. It is generally regarded as a ‘quality’ show and it stands up extremely well. Frank Lovejoy (1914-1962) isn’t remembered today, but he was a powerful and believable actor with a strong delivery, and his portrayal of Randy Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect. The scripts were excellent, given that they had to pack in a lot in a short time, and there was a good supporting cast, orchestra, and sound effects. THIS EPISODE: August 21, 1950. "Doctor's Secret" - NBC network. Sustaining. Sent to Joliet to cover an execution, Randy Stone meets Dr. Graham, an alcoholic who's more guilty than the convict about to be executed. The broadcast of August 28, 1950 was pre-empted. Frank Lovejoy, Frank Worth (composer, conductor), Inge Jollos, Irene Tedrow, Jay Novello, Larry Marcus (writer), Theodore Von Eltz, Warren Lewis (director), William Johnstone, Wilms Herbert. 29:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Evil Under The Sun (Part 3 and 4) The centerpiece of the movie, the murder mystery itself, is interesting, and kept me guessing right up to the very end. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Evil Under the Sun is that it invites the viewer to try to figure out the puzzle along with Poirot, which makes for a fun and engaging viewing experience. The movie plays fair: although we're not privy to Poirot's thought processes, we see everything that Poirot sees, and thus we have the same opportunity to figure things out as he does. The cinematography is handled well in this regard, as Poirot's insights are shown by a quick zoom to the detail that has caught his attention; this lets the viewer know that he's seen something important, but not what, exactly, is important about it. So in theory anyone in the audience could figure out the solution before Poirot reveals it... but it's quite likely that the solution that Poirot's "little gray cells" comes up with will be a surprise. The only disappointment with the movie comes in the final revelation, however, as one of the key plot points doesn't entirely make sense, and isn't explained.

Evil Under The Sun (Part 1 and 2) Evil Under the Sun is a classic Agatha Christie murder mystery, featuring the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov). In this instance, Poirot is on a working holiday, as he is put on the trail of a fake jewel that leads him to an expensive island resort in the Mediterranean. The other guests turn out to be an interesting assortment, as there are many connections (both overt and concealed) among the guests, as well as a generous helping of ill-will in various directions.It's a very entertaining movie. The fast pace keeps the movie zipping along from one scene to the next; the overall effect is not rushed, however, but sprightly. In fact, the brisk pacing seems in keeping with the fairly light-hearted tone overall. Evil Under the Sun, for all its gloomy title, does not dwell on the darker aspects of human nature, but rather on murder as an intellectual challenge for M. Poirot. The tone is handled quite well. The director uses humorous touches such as Poirot "going for a swim" to maintain the light tone, but never overdoes the humor in an attempt to get laughs out of the audience.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "Sears Radio Theater (Mutual) Leavin' Cheyenne - Aired February 12, 1979 Sears Radio Theater (Mutual) was an anthology series of radio drama which ran weeknightly on CBS Radio in 1979, sponsored by the department-store chain; in its second year, 1980, it moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System and became the Mutual Radio Theater; the MBS series was repeats from the CBS run, until September of 1980, when a short season of new dramas was presented. The Mutual run was still most often sponsored by Sears. Often paired with The CBS Radio Mystery Theater on those stations which cleared it in its first season, the SRT offered a different genre of drama for each day's broadcast. Monday was "Western Night" and was hosted by Lorne Greene. Tuesday was "Comedy Night", hosted by Andy Griffith. Wednesday was "Mystery Night" with Vincent Price as host. Thursday was "Love And Hate Night" with Cicely Tyson doing honors as host. Finally, Friday brought "Adventure Night", first hosted by Richard Widmark and later by Howard Duff and then by Leonard Nimoy. THIS EPISODE: February 12, 1979. Program #6. CBS network. "Leavin' Cheyenne". Sponsored by: Sears Roebuck and Company. Percy Grainger (writer), Lorne Greene (host), John Dehner, Don Johnston, Fletcher Markle (producer, director). 48:35. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Nightmare (Aired May 16, 1979) Sears Radio Theater was a radio drama anthology series which ran weeknightly on CBS Radio in 1979, sponsored by the Sears chain. Often paired with The CBS Radio Mystery Theater during its first season, the program offered a different genre of drama for each day's broadcast. In 1980, the program moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System and became the Mutual Radio Theater. The Mutual series broadcast repeats from the CBS run until September 1980, when a short season of new dramas was presented. Sears continued as a sponsor during the Mutual run. Monday was "Western Night" and was hosted by Lorne Greene. Tuesday was "Comedy Night", hosted by Andy Griffith. Wednesday was "Mystery Night" with Vincent Price as host. Thursday was "Love And Hate Night" with Cicely Tyson doing honors as host. Finally, Friday brought "Adventure Night", first hosted by Richard Widmark and later by Howard Duff and then by Leonard Nimoy. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: May 16, 1979. Program #73. CBS network. "The Nightmare". Sponsored by: Sears Roebuck and Company. Ann Heath (writer), Fletcher Markle (producer, director, performer), Hans Conried, Howard Culver, Irene Tedrow, Joan McCall, Joe Moross, Rhoda Williams. 50:42. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Return Trip (Aired September 5, 1949) Murder By Experts was a radio drama anthology series that ran on American radio from 1949-1951, and was hosted first by John Dickson Carr, and later by Brett Halliday. Evidently, a mystery, authored by a leading crime fiction writer, was presented, and "guest experts," such as Alfred Hitchcock or Craig Rice, were invited to solve it. Or maybe not -- nobody seems to know much about this one. David Kogan, the writer/creator of Murder by Experts, also created and wrote The Mysterious Traveler. Guest experts: Alfred Hitchcock, Craig Rice. Guest stars: Ann Shepard, Larry Haines, Carl Eastman, Ann Sheperd, Bill Zuckert, Ralph Camargo, Burt Cullen, Lawson Zerbe, Marilyn Erskin. THIS EPISODE: September 5, 1949. Mutual network. "Return Trip". Sustaining. The chilling story about an escaped homicidal maniac and a bus full of people trapped by an avalanche. The program has also been dated September 19, 1949. John Dickson Carr (host). 30:49. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.