Retro Radio Podcast

Chester marvels at the world of knowledge that can be unlocked by books, then Tassie enters with a problem. A man from her past is returning to Dodge and she seeks protection from Matt. The man is possessive, and though his brother Tom has since married Tassie, he holds to the thought that she's still his gal. Is the bad blood between the brothers serious enough to result in murder? Can Tom buy out his brother's share of the ranch? Even if he does, will it solve anything between them? In the jail, Matt shows Doc a thing or two about poker, and the skills behind bluffing and calling a long shot. The time for the brotherly showdown has come, and Matt takes Chester to check on the matter. Is there anything Matt can try to do to stop the killing? There just might be a trump card up his sleeve.

Features Wonderful Smith, Ozzie Nelson, and Harriot Hilliard. After Ozzie plays a long, swinging, opening number, I I I, Red is introduced. Red talks about how he has been doing his Thanksgiving shopping in one of those new supermarkets. Also the recent earthquake, and it's affect on the supermarket. Harriot adds her slant to the supermarket ordeal. The crowds, the prices, the long lines, the holiday. Ozzie talks to Red about the produce department. Time for a sponsor break. Next up, Harriot plays a little girl who sings a song about her boyfriend. Ozzie adds to the story in song, and the two grow into an older part to sing about their love. Why Don't We Do This More Often? Wonderful Smith talks with Red about Thanksgiving, his plans, and table manners. Wonderful makes a phone call to lock on some dinner plans. Red invites the cast to his house for a dinner party. Red shows different ways people spend thanksgiving. First a football coach, who runs dinner like plays of a game. Then folks who buy a bird in advance to fatten it up. Clem Kadiddlehopper tries to dress his turkey for the big day. Ozzie plays, Take the A Train. Red talks with Ozzie about football, which is a lead in for the mid show commercial. Then a round of Junior the Mean Little Kid with Harriot as his mom. Junior talks about having to kill the turkey, and dinner preparations. To get him out of her hair, she sends Junior on an errand, taking a pie to the neighbor. Hmm... bad move mom. Looks like Junior's in line for a whippin'. Ozzie plays a transitional tune into the commercial.

Playing to the military crouwd at the Birmingham hospital, Jack, Don, and Mary tailor their jokes tolife on the post. Jokes about doctors, and medicine are a theme. Phil enters with his characteristic loud entrance, and jokes about his nightlife with the band. Larry Stevens reads a fan letter... sort of. Larry's song is snipped, and the military related jokes fade into a recap of Jack's recent ordeal with his burglar. Rochester phones in to report that Jack's robber had come back. He shares how brave he wasn't in the face of danger. Before Phil can get wound up for a band number, Joe Louis is back to show off his comedy muscles. Joe also gives a boxing lesson to Phil and Jack. After Phil's snipped number, Mary goes into flashback mode to tell about Jack's hospital stay recently. Frank Nelson is his doctor, and gives Jack an exam especially designed for a comedy sketch. A baby tosses in some strange twists to the medical results.

As George tries to get the show started we learn that Gracie is missing. We learn that she's busy at home, trying to take care of sick relatives. The whole cast is on hand to pitch in their words of humor and concern over Gracie. Artie Shaw, Bud Easton, and Senor Lee. The action moves to Gracie's house where medical jokes are the theme. Since it's that time of year in old time radio land, George tries to explain to Gracie about Thanksgiving and how the holiday came to be. The Smoothies sing, Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar. The focus switches back to Gracie, and her apartment full of wacky relatives. The Harvard sound man shares some of his woes over the big college football game, and George is teased over his dating choices. Artie Shaw and his orchestra play, Sugar. George tries to leave for his date, but finds the house has been quarantined. Is there anyway for him to get away? Will the jokes about the crazy relatives and medical conditions ever stop? It sure doesn't seem that way.

The audio is a bit scratchy in spots, it skips in spots, and the musical numbers have been snipped. Other than that, it sounds pretty good. Don teases Jack about his acting ability. The conversation turns to comparing baby pictures. After the snipped number, Jack introduces the play. It's based on a popular movie of the day, Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch. The play begins after another snipped number. Mary plays a mom with a bunch of kids. She had been abandoned, and tries to tell the kids about their deadbeat dad. In this spoof of a melodrama, running gags try to pop up, the mortgage is due, and the family is about to be tossed out. Things are looking bad, the recording skips, the casc almost stay in character. Finally, the day is saved by Mr. Schlepperman. To wrap up, Jack talks to an actress, comedian, and impersonator named Mitsy Green. Amazingly, her song, If I had a Million Dollars, didn't get snipped. It makes me wonder about the purpose behind having Mitsy Green on the show. In just over a month, Frank Black would leave the program, and Kenny Baker would take over on the program. I'm not sure if other singers made appearances at this time. Maybe it was Jack's way of making the transition, and auditioning new tallent. PS: Check out a Retro Original with Bonus tracks with the following link: Jack Benny 341118 Mrs Wiggs Of The Onion Patch (retro245)

A cabbie feels like he's being pushed around by a thug, so he takes his story to the cops where Casey happens to be hanging out. Is the passenger a crook? Why would he be putting himself in a high profile, instead of laying low? Word comes in about the murder of a theater manager, and Casey joins the investigation. A suspect is quickly identified, and it's the tough guy in the cab, who conveniently has set up his alibi. Do the cops have the right man or not? At the Blue Note, Casey reviews details of the case with Ethylbert and Ann. There's something missing in the details so it's back to the cops to figure out what doesn't add up. The tough guy in the cab, Morris, is clearly setting up an alibi for the real killer. Fortunately, Casey has a plan, a corny one to be sure, but it just might work. He lays out a plan to make the players think their partner is betraying the other. Will Morris crack first, or his gal Betty? In the Blue Note, Casey shares how love and jealousy can work for the cause of justice.

Gildy chats with the baby over his woman troubles. As sorrowful as he may be over the mess he's in, the baby has a way of cheering him up. Gildersleeves leaves the baby in the capable hands of Birdie as he tries to slip out of the house without being seen by either of his two love interests. At Peavey's, Gildersleeves gets a dose of advice, and sympathy, although it may not help in Gildy's decision. Marjorie is worried over her uncle's predicament, and offers a word of adviced based on a play she just read. Gildy tries to imagine the future, thirty years from now. A life with Adeline might settle into a quiet, mellow existence. Life with Leila could end up being a little more festive, maybe too festive. With his mind made up, he's too big of a chicken to dump Leila. Judge Hooker advises that he ought to try to get her interested in someone else, and she can break up with him. Amazingly, the Judge isn't interested in the part, so Gildy approaches Barney the bank teller. Will the plan work? It'll at least prove to be an interesting evening as they double date at Adeline and Leila's house. Especially as Gildy tries to push Barney off on Leila, who tries to push him off onto Adeline. Gildersleeves is let off the hook with Leila, but might it be too late for Adeline? Contest winners are announced, with others to be contacted by mail.

Amos confronts Andy about his wedding plans with Madam Queen. Instead, Andy has plans for a hot date. Maybe he can bum some cash from Kingfish? Maybe Kingfish will get a bright idea to open his own dating service? Henry Vanporter is in charge of the dance committee to throw a party for the local servicemen. He recruits Sapphire and Madam Queen to round up girls to attend the dance. The environment is ripe for misunderstandings and sure enough, Kingfish is caught by Sapphire when he asks the wrong kind of questions in a dating club. Will this be the end of Kingfish and Sapphire? Will he be able to win her back? Can Andy save Kingfish's marriage, and talk sense to Sapphire? Maybe, but not without putting himself into hot water with his own gal, Madam Queen. This is serious, but Sapphire comes to her senses after talking to a reverend friend, Ernie Whitman. Get ready for an impromtu renewing of marriage vows. A touching end for this show in the Easter holiday.

The Riders of the Purple Sage open with a song, Cimeron. Followed by, Hang Your Head in Shame. Jimmy Wakely sings, Down Below the Rio Grande. A group of cowboys discuss ways to blow their hard earned money to have some fun. The boys, and the Riders of the Purple Sage join the Mexican fiesta and add to the musical fun as they sing, Cool Water. The Riders try to find Jimmy, and spot him talking to a pretty senorita. The fun meanders in the style of a party as the guys joke around with each other, and pull pranks on each other. Jimmy finds himself in competition with someone named Wilbur, over the hand of the lovely Lolita. The Riders of the Purple Sage sing a verse of, Riding Down that Old Texas Trail. Jimmy joins the Riders to sing, Wanderers of the Wasteland.

Join Jack, Mary, and Rochester as they get the preparations ready for the big Thanksgiving feast. Jack is just as stingy with his food as he is with his money. Dennis Day arrives to lend a hand to help Rochester serve the meal. Don arrives with his wife, and both are ready to eat. Phil Harris sings, as his band plays, Chatanooga Choo Choo. Mr Billingsley arrives to share his latest wacky ideas. What's the bad news that Rochester has about the ducks that he's cooking for dinner? As Rochester reveals the secret, the special dinner guest arrives, it's Alice Faye. Alice is charming as Jack tries to be the life of the party. Is there a chance that Jack might get Alice to be in a movie with him? Will Jack's party make the gossip columns? Fast forward to sit in on the meal, and learn about the ducks that Jack shot, and the other delicacies that he has cooked up. I wonder how much buck shot it takes to kill a duck anyway? Alice is nvited to sing a number from her latest film, Tropical Madness. The party was such a huge success, but what will Jack do with all his leftovers? Maybe he could support the war effort? Be sure to stay tuned to discover what Jello dessert is Mary Livingston's favorite. Note: Though she gets mentioned often, this is Alice Faye's one and only appearance on the show. Bonus Track: None today, but witness the return of the bots. They're back, and there's more of them than ever before.

At an orphanage, Mr Keen talks to a police officer about a troubling case of a missing boy. A boy has been found who seems to be afraid of the sunlight,and refuses to speak much. Was he held captive by someone? Where and why? Clues soon lead to an abandoned warehouse on the water front. Through kind words, Mr Keen tries to coax information from the boy, and offer him assurance that justice will be done. The trail of the mystery of the boy and the warehouse leads Mr Keen to murder. Listen in, gather the clues, and see if you can solve this mystery before Mr Keen does. There's a happy reunion of boy and mom before it's all done.

Features Gene Kelley. A small gang of thieves is led by Arthur, played by Gene Kelley. Arttie owes money, and he hasn't been having much luck on his takes lately. Imagine that, thieves who steal from thieves. Can Artie trust the protection his mob boss is offering? Who knew gangsters were so patriotic as to have Victory Gardens? When Arttie sees his chance, he bumps off another gangster to get the cash he needs. Before he can find the stash of cash, Arthur keeps digging himself into a deeper mess. Can he blame someone else for the murder, and make a clean break of it? Hey, this thing just might work out in his favor, but there's still a detail or two to take care of. Through a strange twist of coincidence, justice is served through the greed of the theives themselves. It seems that the same set up he trapped another thug into falling for is the same trap that was set for himself. An interesting tale of justice at the hands of criminals.

Though Superman had returned the Grayson submarine and his friends to safety, Doctor Deutsch has managed to escape. Why is the spy heading back to his old hide out? What dangers await in his master plan to rule the world? Listen and learn about the secret laboratory and a few of the plans that Doctor Deutsch has in store for America. Clark is only beginning to learn how clever the expert spy really is. Only too late does he learn of how Doctor Deutsch has once again slipped through the fingers of the athorities.

Audio is good, but runs a little short. Is Blackie on the outs with his gal Mary? Even Shorty seems to hold secrets from Mary. The break up has to do with some nasty racketeers who Blackie is entangled with, and finds himself being kidnapped. Will he be set up to take the fall for a robbery and murder? Is there anything Blackie can do to stop the ruthless thugs? Will the gang believe that Mary is actually no longer Blackie's girlfriend? If not, she might be in danger. Inspector Farraday has Blackie in custody, and isn't inclined to believe his story. Still, will he stand by and let Mary suffer at the hands of the gangsters? Blackie has to put his skills at opening locks to work so he can escape, and see that justice is done. As he faces off with the Bailey gang, the audio cuts out. How does he manage the task? nobody can say, but you know that he will. e

The most commonplace tool of a man in uniform was once yesterday's secret weapon. Learn how a German inventor used black powder to propel arrows through space. With it, many arrows could be launched at once. Later, in 1862, Gatling had another plan to shoot many bullets in rapid fire. The machine became a boost to the soldiers of the Civil War. The French had developed their own rapid fire gun that was unveiled in 1870. Other European nations had their own ideas on the machine gun, and declaired it a failure. The Maxim machine gun came to be in 1882. The hand held machine gun was born. The intent was to fire it from the shoulder, but it ended up as a weapon that fired from a tripod. The basis for all modern machine guns.