Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

The Case Of The Spectrograph (Aired December 3, 1950) The show was at the top of the list among programs that had developed the technique of sound effects to a fine art. Each program was written with the sound in mind, not so much sound for sound's sake, but to advance the plot, add color or create atmosphere. Two sound effects men spent a reported ten hours in rehearsal for each broadcast, in addition to the time spent by the actors. East coast actors House Jameson, Don MacLaughlin, Phil Sterling and Lawson Zerbe [MBS] (Zerbe appeared as both David Harding and Harry Peters) were the only four actors to ever assume the role of David Harding--Jameson for the first two episodes only, replaced by Don MacLaughlin for the remainder of its twelve year run. Show Notes From The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: December 3, 1950. NBC network. "The Case Of The Spectrograph". Sustaining. The system cue has been deleted. Don MacLaughlin, Phillips H. Lord (producer), Paula Thompson (writer), Marx B. Loeb (director), Mandel Kramer, Lionel Ricou (announcer). 28:46. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Forgotten Cave Murder Case (11-03-49) When Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons first debuted over the Blue Network on October 12, 1937, the show’s title accurately described Keen’s stock-in-trade; the “kindly old investigator” tracked down individuals who had mysteriously vanished, leaving behind their families, homes, jobs and other day-to-day activities. Keen (he never had a first name, unless it was “Peachy”) was assisted in these duties by an Irishman named Mike Clancy. Mike wasn’t much of a brainiac (the quote that comprises the title of this post was a semi-catchphrase that he seemed to use on the show every week) but he could use the necessary brawn when the situation called for it. Bennett Kilpack played kindly ol' Keen throughout most of the program’s run, as well as Philip Clarke and Arthur Hughes, while Jim Kelly took the role of Clancy. THIS EPISODE: November 3, 1949. CBS network. "The Forgotten Cave Murder Case". Sponsored by: Anacin, Kolynos, Heet, Kriptin, Bisodol, Hills Cold Tabs. Two men in a search of hidden gold find death instead. Frank Hummert (producer), Anne Hummert (writer, producer), Lawrence Klee (dialogue), Bennett Kilpack, Larry Elliott (announcer). 33:15. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Archie Wants To Patent Electricity (02-23-49) Duffy's Tavern, an American radio situation comedy (CBS, 1941-1942; NBC-Blue Network, 1942-1944; NBC, 1944-1952), often featured top-name stage and film guest stars but always hooked those around the misadventures, get-rich-quick-scheming, and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, played by the writer/actor who co-created the show, Ed Gardner. In the show's familiar opening, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," either solo on an old-sounding piano or by a larger orchestra, was interrupted by the ring of a telephone and Gardner's New Yorkese accent as he answered, "Duffy's Tavern, where the elite meet to eat. Archie the manager speakin'. Duffy ain't here — oh, hello, Duffy." Duffy, the owner, was never heard (or seen, when a film based on the show was made in 1945 or when a bid to bring the show to television was tried in 1954). THIS EPISODE: February 23, 1949. NBC network origination, Nostalgia Broadcasting Corporation syndication. "Archie Wants To Patent Electricity". Commercials added locally. Slippery McGuire sells Archie a patent on electricity! Alan Reed appears as "Slippery McGuire." Don't miss Archie speaking Yiddish to a Chinaman! Ed Gardner, Eddie Green, Charlie Cantor, Alan Reed, Florence Halop (as "Miss Duffy"), Matty Malneck and His Orchestra, John Morris (producer, director). 28:48. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Sticks (Aired November 10, 1954) Before the "Reality TV", there was "Reality Radio" and Night Watch was there. This show is a straight crime documentary with no music, sound effects, or actors. Police reporter Don Reid rode in a prowl car on the night shift with officers from the Culver City, California police department. While wearing a hidden microphone, he captures the sounds and voices of real life drama. From the worried child to the hardened criminal, their stories come through loud and clear. The names were changed to protect identities, but everything else in this gripping series is real. THIS EPISODE: November 10, 1954. "The Sticks"CBS network. Sustaining. 8:30 P. M. First call is the night watchman of an excavation site, 12 sticks of dynamite and blasting caps were stolen from a secure tool shed. Donn Reed (police recorder), W. N. Hildebrand (Chief of Police), Sterling Tracy (producer, director), Jim Headlock (producer), Ron Perkins (technical adviser). 29:44.

The Butterfly Murder Case (Aired May 17, 1949) Philo Vance was the detective creation of S. S. Van Dine first published in the mid 1920s. Vance, in the original books, is an intellectual so highly refined he seems he might be ghostwritten by P. G. Wodehouse. Take this quote from The Benson Murder Case, 1924, as Vance pontificates in his inimitable way: "That's your fundamental error, don't y' know. Every crime is witnessed by outsiders, just as is every work of art. The fact that no one sees the criminal, or the artist, actu'lly at work, is wholly incons'quential." Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. Jose Ferrer played him in 1945. From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: May 17, 1949. Program #45. ZIV Syndication. "The Butterfly Murder Case". Commercials added locally. Josie Daniels, "The Broadway Butterfly," is a nightclub singer that dabbles in blackmail! Jackson Beck. 26:57. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Yankee Pride Matter (Aired January 30, 1956) For over twelve years, from 1949 through 1962 (including a one year hiatus in 1954-1955), this series recounted the cases "the man with the action-packed expense account, America’s fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Johnny Dollar". Johnny was an accomplished 'padder' of his expense account. The name of the show derives from the fact that he closed each show by totaling his expense account, and signing it "End of report... Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". Terry Salomonson in his authoritative. THIS EPISODE: October 14, 1950. CBS network. "The Yankee Pride Mater". Sustaining. Johnny investigates murder, intrigue and sabotage in mysterious Singapore. Edmond O'Brien, Gil Doud (writer), Alexander Courage (conductor), Jaime del Valle (producer, director), Bob Stevenson (announcer), Jack Kruschen, Virginia Gregg, Tudor Owen, William Johnstone, Wally Maher, Ben Wright, Bob Sweeney. 29:42.Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Perilous Horoscope (Aired April 8, 1952) Fibber McGee and Molly premiered in 1935. The program struggled in the ratings until 1940, when it became a national sensation. Within three years, it was the top-rated program in America. Few radio shows were more beloved than Fibber McGee and Molly. The program’s lovable characters included Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, Mrs. Uppington, Wallace Wimple, Alice Darling, Gildersleeve, Beulah, Myrt, and the Old Timer. 79 Wistful Vista was one of America’s most famous addresses and Molly’s warning to Fibber not to open the hall closet door (and his subsequent decision to do it) created one of radio’s best remembered running gags that audiences expected each week. Jim Jordan (Fibber) was born on a farm on November 16, 1896, near Peoria, Illinois. Marian Driscoll (Molly), a coal miner’s daughter, was born in Peoria on November 15, 1898. THIS EPISODE: April 15, 1952. NBC network. Sponsored by: Pet Milk. "The Perilous Horoscope" .Fibber's horoscope is not good and he refuses to move from his living room chair. Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan, Harlow Wilcox, Bill Thompson, Gale Gordon, Gil Stratton, Gloria McMillan, Cliff Arquette, Billy Mills and His Orchestra, The King's Men, Lou Krugman, Phil Leslie (writer), Keith Fowler (writer), Max Hutto (director). 31:59.

The Nameless (1939) *The Exact Date Is Unknown. The Hermit's cave Ghost stories ... weird stories ... of murder, too ... the Hermit knows them all. Horror stories with Mel Johnson and howling wolves in the background, obliterating some of the introduction. This syndicated show was one of the treats for the kiddies, cuddled up to their hollow-state radio sets to keep warm in Detroit, between 1940 and 1944. The show was also heard in Beverly Hills, CA in 1943-1944, a radio horror anthology series, syndicated by WJR Detroit in the mid-1930s, sponsored by Olga Coal after the first two years. As the wind howled, the ancient Hermit narrated his horror fantasies from his cave. The cackling character of the Hermit was played by John Kent, Charles Penman, Toby Grimmer, and Klock Ryder. William Conrad produced when the show moved to KMPC Los Angeles with Mel Johnson as the Hermit (1940-42), followed by John Dehner (1942-44). Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: 1939. World syndication. "The Nameless". Sponsored by: Commercials deleted or added locally. A hard working businessman has become a millionaire in just three years. He achieved this by killing his partner, the inventor of the automobile air conditioner that had made him rich. The dead partner, now known in the morgue as "John Doe #9," returns to visit his old partner. 24:21. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Wreck (Aired August 25, 1954) 21st Precinct was one of the realistic police drama series of the early- to mid-1950's that were aired in the wake of DRAGNET. In 1953 CBS decided to use New York City as the backdrop for their own half-hour police series and focus on the day-to-day operation of a single police precinct. Actual cases were used as the basis for stories. "21st Precinct.., It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the nine-tenths of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the East River wouldn't know, if you asked them, that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their persons, their homes, and their property is the job of the men of the 21st." The Precinct Captain acted as the narrator for the series.The official title of the series according to the series scripts and the CBS series promotional materials was 21st Precinct and not Twenty-First Precinct or Twenty First Precinct which appears in many Old-Time Radio books. THIS EPISODE: August 25, 1954. "The Wreck" - CBS network origination, AFRTS rebroadcast. Captain Conelli and a patrolman are injured when an auto that disregarded the squad car's siren, hit them broadside. Everett Sloane, Ken Lynch, Harold Stone, Stanley Niss (writer, director), John Ives (producer), Art Hannes (announcer). 30:06.

Sold At Auction (Aired July 24, 1948) The Adventures of Frank Merriwell,Frank Merriwell Show a fictional character that appeared in novels and short stories. The works were penned by Gilbert Patten who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The first Frank Merriwell story was published in 1896 and became popular with readers, especially boys and girls. Frank also appears in radio adventures and comic books based on the novels. He was an all-around athlete, playing football, basketball, baseball and track at Yale while also playing the part of a detective that solved mysteries and righted various wrongs. Merriwell is clean-cut, refusing alcoholic drinks as well as cigarettes and tobacco products. The radio show The Adventures of Frank Merriwell ran on NBC in 1934 as a 15 minute show and was sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste. The series also ran from 1946-1949 as a 30 minute Saturday morning show on NBC. Broadcast from New York, the new series starred Lawson Zerbe as Frank, with Hal Studer as his pal Bart Hodge and Jean Gillespie (soon replaced by Elaine Rost) as his girlfriend, Inza Burridge.

The Coachman Murder Case (Aired November 14, 1946) . From 1948-1950, the fine radio actor Jackson Beck makes Vance as good as he gets. George Petrie plays Vance's constantly impressed public servant, District Attorney Markham. Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman. The organist for the show is really working those ivories, and fans of old time radio organ will especially enjoy this series. Perhaps one reason the organist "pulls out all the stops" is because there seems to be little, if any, sound effects on the show. Philo Vance, the radio series, does pay homage to the original books in that both were, even in their own time, a bit out of date and stilted. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group. THIS EPISODE: November 14, 1946. Program #8. Mutual net origination, Ziv syndication. "The Coachman Murder Case". Commercials added locally. A famous fly fisherman named Jonathan Zachery is found dead, floating in his pool. Jackson Beck, Joan Alexander, S. S. Van Dine (creator), Jeanne K. Harrison (director), Henry Sylvern (organist). 26:02. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Who's Sending Threatening Letters (Aired January 29, 1947) Jack Carson, because of his size — 6 ft 2 in (1.9 m) and 220 lb (100 kg), had his first stage appearance as Hercules in a college production. During a performance, he tripped and took half the set with him. A college friend, Dave Willock, thought it was so funny he persuaded Carson to team with him in a vaudeville act—Willock and Carson—and a new career began. This piece of unplanned business would be typical of the sorts of things that tended to happen to Carson during some of his film roles. During the 1930s, as vaudeville went into decline owing to increased competition from radio and the movies, Willock and Carson sought work in Hollywood, initially landing bit roles at RKO. The radio also proved to be a source of employment for the team following a 1938 appearance on the Kraft Music Hall during Bing Crosby's period as program host. THIS EPISODE: January 29, 1947. "Threatening Letters" - CBS network. Sponsored by: Campbell's Soup. Jack receives a threatening telegram and a strange woman named Tanya makes a phone call. He's only has 42 days left! This is a network, sponsored version of cat. #49636. Jack Carson, Arthur Treacher, Freddy Martin and His Orchestra, Dave Willock, Norma Jean Nilsson, Del Sharbutt (announcer), Murray Arnold (piano). 29:39. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

The Oedipus Story (Aired September 21, 1956) The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956 through September 22, 1957 and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop from the 1930s and 1940s. Creator William Froug launched the series with this powerhouse two-part adaptation of "Brave New World" and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. "We’ll never get a sponsor anyway," CBS vice president Howard Barnes explained to Time, "so we might as well try anything." The CBS Workshop regularly featured the works of the world’s greatest writers. including Ray Bradbury, Archibald MacLeish, William Saroyan, Lord Dunsany and Ambrose Bierce. THIS EPISODE: September 21, 1956. CBS network. "The Oedipus Story". Sustaining. A study of the dramatic character and psycho-analytical look at excessive mother-love from Sophocles to Eugene O'Neill. Alexander Scourby (narrator), Elspeth Eric, Jack Manning, Roger De Koven, Guy Repp, Robert Dryden, Joseph Julian. 29:08. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index

The Big Heist (Aired December 1, 1952) Suspense was actually spawned from another series called Forecast. The 1940 horror show was entitled Suspense and it was based on the Marie Belloc Lowndes' short Jack-the-Ripper novella, The Lodger. It was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who had made a 1926 silent film based on the same story (Grams, 1997, 3). Its subtle ending generated a large volume of mail which convinced CBS executives that they had a strong market. Two years later, Suspense was aired. It became one of radio's longest lasting shows, surviving twenty years of consistent success. It had numerous announcers during those two decades, ranging from the early Berry Kroeger to the veteran announcers, Paul Frees and George Walsh. But it was Joseph Kearns who evolved into "The Man in Black" host in 1943. This mysterious all-knowing narrator was similar to The Whistler.. The character lasted for over 100 episodes until March of 1945. THIS EPISODE: December 1, 1952. CBS network. "The Big Heist". Sponsored by: Auto-Lite. The best bank buster in the business takes on a new man for his next job...much to his sorrow. John Hodiak, Herb Butterfield, Joseph Kearns, Ted Bliss, Jerry Hausner, Junius Matthews, Charles Calvert, Harlow Wilcox (commercial spokesman), Elliott Lewis (producer, director), E. Jack Neuman (writer), Lucien Moraweck (composer), Lud Gluskin (conductor), Bert Holland, Larry Thor (announcer). 28:20. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Easy Riches Sudden Death (Aired June 1, 1952) NBC first envisioned The Chase as a new Television feature. This was not uncommon during the later 1940s and early 1950s. Several Radio features straddled both media, with varying success. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a 'chase' of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations. The scripts were faced paced, starred quality east coast talent and were well written. The series' plots and themes focused primarily on predominantly fear inducing pursuits of one form or another. Thus most of the scripts were fraught with tension of one type or another. Whether mental tension, physical peril or a mix of both, the abiding theme throughout the series was the the contrasts between the 'hunter' and the 'hunted' in such Life situations. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group and The Digital Deli. THIS EPISODE: June 1, 1952. NBC network. "Easy Riches, Sudden Death". Sustaining. A well-acted story about three rogues who set out for, and find $40 million in gold bars, salvaged from a sunken ship. This is a network version. George Matthews, Joe DeSantis, Kermit Murdock, Lawrence Klee (creator, writer), Walter McGraw (director, transcriber). 29:32. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.