Retro Radio Podcast

Dinner plans are sprung on Gildersleeve when he learns that Ben will be over. How is the job situation of the recently released Navy vet going? Marjorie would prefer he had a job with a briefcase, but Ben is a whiz at mechanics. How are Leroy and Marjorie spending their Spring breaks? When Runsome Bullard pops in, he shares how the problem of a trolly car being put on an empty lot could cause problems. An inspired Gildy makes the rounds with a petition to restrict zoning ordinances. Distractions begin when Leila Ransom thinks the idea of living in a trolly car is romantic. Will it really reduce property values? A visit in Peavy’s drug store adds to the number of folks who may be against the petition. The more he gets around, the more Gildy finds that throwing weight around, or using influence is resisted. He discovers the plight of real people behind the issue of the trolly car, and housing shortage. Should this be more about property value, and money? Or more about helping people?

Relax! It’s another fun adventure with Archie and all his gang. On a nice sunny Saturday, Archie gives mom a hard time about doing the chores, and wants to go swimming with his friends instead. She lets him off the hook, so Archie makes phone calls. Things just don’t go well when all Archies friends all have other plans. I guess he gets to get busy on all those chores mom wanted him to do. When Jughead’s sunburn isn’t so bad that he can’t come by, he convinces Archie to relax with a hammock. Veronica seems to have changed her plans, but Archie just spent the last of his money on his hammock, and can’t afford to take her swimming. Can he return it, or sell it? When the store won’t exchange it, Veronica tries to help, but all Archie’s friends aren’t in the market for a hammock. Maybe Veronica’s dad can help? It’s not looking good, so Archie sends Veronica away on her date with Reggie. I suppose there’s nothing left to do but enjoy that hammock afterall. Let the mix ups begin. Archie discovers that his trees are too far apart. Dad has decided a hammock will hit the spot, and upon returning from the store with his new hammock, he finds the trees on the other side of the house are too close together. Using mom as a way to shout requests back and forth, they vie for the same tools and materials to rig up a ppost to hold the other end of their hammocks. Besides the challenge of building the hammocks, there are more problems that arise, and the building, shouting, and shareing continue. Archie’s hammock is finally put up, and Betty stops by to burst his bubble, and tell about dad’s hammock on the front lawn. For some reason that I certainly don’t understand, Archie is upset and tears down his hammock, and gives it to Betty. Can you guess what dad does when Veronica stops by the front door to tell about Archie’s hammock? Wow, how wierd. With all the self imposed hammock frustration, mom comes home with her own hammock. At least she was smart enough to buy one with it’s own stand.

After dropping off his friend at a sanitarium to recover from alcoholism, Harvey and Victor’s wife, Donna drive through the night. By the time he gets home, the doctor reports Victor has escaped. When he’s found again, the doc warns if Victor doesn’t lay off the booze, his next stop may be an insane asylum. Taken far from any alcohol, Victor finds himself at sea, on Harvey’s yacht, with a small crew, and his wife Donna. Suddenly Victor is paranoid and jealous. Is his wife cheating on him? Is she and Harvey planning to do him in? Now that he’s dried out, the doc claims Victor has all the symptoms of insanity. What does this mean for Victor’s wife? After an outburst on the yacht, our crew find themselves exploring a deserted island for fresh water. After a night of searching, all that’s found is poisonous water, but when dawn breaks, it’s a knife hilt that protrudes from Victor’s chest that did him in. Or does the Whistler have one last twist up his sleeve?

Take a special train that goes nonstop to storyland. Is there anyone out there not familiar with the story of the girl with the long blonde hair? Listen in and hear it again. From the beginnings of the evil witch’s spell to blackmail the poor man and wife, to how she managed to take possession of young Rapunzel. The girl’s most notable trait is her long hair that is never cut, and keeps growing to great length. Rapunzel is also a dutiful daughter, even to the evil witch. Being kept locked away in a tower while the witch is away, a prince comes around, but how can he rescue Rapunzel from her high perch in the tower? If the witch learns of this, somebody’s going to have some ‘splaining to do. Will the prince fall victim to the witch’s spells? Can he overcome the witch, and have Rapunzel for his own? Enjoy the telling that the Pretenders to for today’s radio drama.

When Abner’s dog, old blue, return to town covered in red Clay, a search party was formed to find them in the woods. So far, the source of the clay has not been found. Grandpap, and Squire recount their failed efforts to find Lum and Abner. Old blue has been doing his best to lead the way, but now Grandpap thinks that the gents may be somewhere else, like in jail. Why does Grandpap believe that? It has to do with a strange dream that he tells squire all about. Out in the woods, Dick and Cedric follow old blue. Does he want them to go squirrel hunting? His behavior seems strange for that. Has he got a wild cat cornered and that old mineshaft ahead? When old blue digs and the red play, it dawns on dick that the gents are trapped in that cave in. There’s no time to waste, and they race to town to form the rescue party.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto ride up on an injured man. The dyeing man tells about his ambush, and of the letter that he is carrying to Lone Pines that will expose a traitor. Disguised as a Mexican, Tonto infiltrates the settlement of men who have struck out on their own for fame and fortune, only to return broken men. They await help from the Army to support them against the notorious gang leader Tarbuck. Should they give up in failure, and go home to their wives and families? Should they tough it out? The Lone Ranger rides in to diffuse the hot tempers, and expose the spy in their ranks. Letting the men know his identity as the Lone Ranger, he assures the group to hang in there, and he rides off to do what he can to break up the Tarbuck gang. Tonto and Lone Ranger discuss why Tarbuck wants the settlers off the land, and what the gang leaders motivations are. Now it’s time to ride to take the story to the Army post. The Army has to wait for requests to recieve orders from headquarters, and there’s a chance that the Army won’t be interested in the matter. Instead, Lone Ranger forms a plan that is sure to get the Army in motion, and take the bad guys down.

Homicide Detail. An unidentified woman is found strangled in a hotel room, and its up to Joe Friday to find the killer. A visit to the crime lab presents the clues that are known in the case thus far; The report of a married couple who were attacked at their hotel is given. In voiceover,. Joe Friday tells of other accounts of women being brutally murdered. Ben Romero begins to get disgusted over the lack of progress, when an important clue falls in their laps. But will the cops miss the connection in identifying the woman? Joe’s voiceover continues to describe the investigation of the woman and to marital troubles. Past landlords confirm the description of the abusive husband. Doris Frasier has also had trouble holding jobs, due to her abuse. The investigation continues to paint a consistent picture of a battered woman. But have they turned up enough evidence to hang their case on? Despite indications he may be his wife’s killer, her husband has overwhelming support in his whereabouts the night of the murder. A man known only as George gets the attention of the detectives. The investigation heats up, drugs are involved in George’s past. Time for confrontations. Visiting George on his job helps locate the connections needed,. And lies crumble.

Dan gets an extra special telegram that arrives in box 13, one that’s sure to mean extra special trouble. A snake expert warns Dan that a dangerous snake is loose somewhere in the hotel. Dan thinks it’s just a joke, but the snake expert is way too nervous for that. Why didn’t he just go to the cops? The hotel doesn’t want the bad press of being evacuated. There’s only one point that Dan thinks is fishy, that the snake accidentally got loose. Who could have done such a thing as setting it free, and why? Dan allows himself an hour to go on a snake hunt, but in the end the cops are called, and Dan returns to his office. He can’t shake the thought that he’s missing something, then the police phone about unusual happenings regarding poison, and a dead man, but it happened blocks away from the hotel. With facts flooding in, suddenly Dan has a pretty good idea what happened, but there are still some dots to connect. As Dan continues to investigate, he gains the trust of those that he can, and springs his own trap to capture the missing King Cobra, and nab the sneaky snake of a killer. Danger and intrigue await those who are brave enough to tune in and listen. See if you can spot the clues that tipped Dan off to solve this mystery.

Although a search party has been organized by Dick Huddleston and friends in town, the gents are still trapped in the Silver mine. Lum and Abner holed up as best as they can. Lum naps, while Abner talks to himself. Is there a concern that Abner is getting sick? Out in the Woods grandpap, Squire, and Dick follow old blue, Abner’s Hounddog. The red Clay on his fur is a clue. Will the friends manage to find what Old Blue is trying to tell them? They crossed paths with Cedric, who recounts where he has searched. Back in the mine, the gents are weak and hungry. How much longer can they hold out on the meager supply of sardines and crackers?

Ken Carpenter, John Scot Trotter, Stitch Henderson, Charioteers, Lena Romei. Playlist * My Heart Goes Bump De Bump (Bing). * Hawaiian War Chant (Spike Jones and his City Slickers). * Spike jokes with Bing about being John Scot Trotters former drummer. * Love in Bloom (Bing sings and is backed up by Spike and the City Slickers). * Fascinating Rhythims ()Stitch Henderson piano instrumental. * Little Surplus Me )Lena Romei). * All By Myself (Bing). * On the Boardwalk in Atlantic City (Charioteers). * The Things We Did Last Summer (Bing). Note: In the first commercial Ken calls Bing by his real name, Harry. Love in Bloom was a hit for Bing in 1934, before becoming associated with Jack Benny.

A group of low level gangsters spot an easy mark, a blonde who is loaded with jewels. They know the type. She’s out on a tryst with a lover, and when she’s robbed, she’ll be too embarrassed to report the incident, and explain where she was to her husband. There’s a little problem. Gunplay leads to a corpse, and Jerry needs to call in favors to arrange an alibi. The desperate cover up begins. Will Jery manage to keep off the radar of the cops? They come calling to question him about a murder, but it’s not the one that Jerry thought it might be. Uh-oh. He’s now being watched for a murder he hasn’t exactly got a connection to, at the same time he’s stuck in trying to ditch the body he has in his car. Jerry calls in favors from all his friends he can. Even his wife Madge pitches in to lend a hand to clear Jerry. It’s a tough job, especially with the cops following him everywhere he goes. Has it worked? Has Jerry gotten off the hook? The Whistler holds a trump card for a twist ending on the side of justice.

Note: this is clearly a wrong day for this episode, not sure what year it was aired, but the day is probably correct. Enjoyed a brief interruption to the story about being trapped in the silver mine. In the Jot Em Down store, the gents seem to have made it out of the silver mine. Cedric has entered to show off how different he looks in his new clothes. He is going to a dress rehearsal, but he doesn’t have on the right kind of costume. Does he even know what role he is playing in the play? Cédric claims to be the main character, so would that make him George Washington? Abner tries to help by offering details about George Washington. He seems to be standing up in a boat to cross of Delaware, to get his silver dollar. Using a few odds and ends around the store, Lum and Abner try to fixed up Cedric to look like George Washington. At least well enough to attend his rehearsal. Powdering Cedric’s hair with flower, painting gold buckles on his pants, a few lace doilies, and a pigtail. yeah, that should do the trick. And just what is Cedric’s main role in the play?

In a weird opening moment designed to showcase the comic range of the star, Stan argues with himself. The show starts with the sketch on musical sheep. Sheep that play music when bonked on the head. The sheep are followed by a drama about life in the future. A tale about a fictional city that is much like Las Vegas. Two competing casino owners try to out perform the other. Other voice talent includes June Foray, and musical accompaniment is from the Billy May Orchestra. PS: Get ready for more of this zany comedian, who was the Summer replacement for Jack Benny in 1957. Too bad his show didn’t catch on,, but his humor was a little too advanced for the times. Stan Freeberg is still around, and has had a long standing career doing voice acting for everything from cartoons to commercials.

Reading the evening paper, Leroy spots some big news. He reads the account to Birdie and Marjorie about a bank robber who had been reported fleeing Chicago, and headed toward Summerfield. How will Gildersleeve react to the news? Though he tries to keep- matters calm, its clear that nerves are jumpy. When the sirens at the jailhouse sound, everybody springs into self defense mode. A worried Leila Ransom phones, and the great man dons his air raid warden gear to come to her rescue. A quick call to the cops explains the harmless nature behind the siren, and Gildy is all the more brave when he goes to become Leila’s hero. Finding time to hang out with the Jolly Boys, Gildy learns there isn’t anything to worry about in town, other than the town drunk is on the loose. He is joined by Floyd the barber, and chief Gates. After Peavy shows up, Sam the drunk turns himself into the chief. But what will this mean for the worried womenfolk, as the guys sit around playing cards? To help out their pal, the Jolly Boys agree to build Guildy up for his girlfriend. Chief Gates cuffs Sam, and they all play it off that Gildy was instrumental in capturing the big, bass criminal. What could go wrong? plenty, I’m sure. But with time running short, all we get is a last moment siren to indicate a real emergency in Summerfield.

Here he is again,right out of the comic books with all his friends, Archie Andrews. The story begins with a common, pesky fly. The buzzing little critter is bugging Fred Andrews, waking him from his nap. Somehow Archie gets the heat of dad’s wrath, but mom sticks up for him. In the backyard, Archie and Jughead make plans to set out for an adventure on an island. They break the news to Betty and Veronica, but with mixed results. Back inside, dad learns of an eccentric uncle, and the strange will that was left. The inheritance depends on having Archie make claim to the property, but little does dad know that Archie has left for his island. Dad goes in search of Archie. Where could that boy be? On the island, Archie and Jughead try to catch some fish for their supper, but all they are having luck with are old tires. . Betty and Veronica decide to join the island retreat, and take the boys some sandwiches. I think they’ll need them. To make matters worse, Archie learns that his row boat has drifted away. It starts to rain and even though they may want to, Archie and Jughead can’t leave, Especially when they turn on the radio, and hear dad’s request to have Archie come home. All hope of the inheritance is gone, but dad is visited by the disgruntled parents of all Archie’s friends. Dad never knew the problem was so widespread, and the other parents are laying blame at Fred’s feet. The day is saved when the girls finally make their way to the island, although, there’s the little problem of losing their oars for their boat. Dad’s mystery of the missing teenagers is solved when the boat rental company phones. Some last minute trouble is resolved, and an unexpected secret is revealed. As frustrating as the adventure has been there’s still one more secret ending. I won’t spoil it for you, listen in to see how all the frustration resolves itself for poor old dad.