Retro Radio Podcast

— Strange happenings in a London curio shop. A story of a man who commits murder, and gets away with it. A young lady goes to an antique shop where the shop owner seems to know all about her. The man holds secrets about both her, and her fiancee. Will his threats of blackmail be the motive for murder? Surely a murder can’t go undiscovered, or unpunished. Nerves, anxiety, and suspense runs high. Things get more strange when the murdered man’s brother arrives on the scene.

Fibber brings home a barometer so he can predict the weather. Fibber shows off his new toy, and compares it to what the Old Timer’s arthritis is predicting. When the barometer says it’ll snow, Fibber tries to call the weather bureau, but talks to Myrt instead. Billy Mills plays a tune. Abigail Uppington visits, and is told about the forecast. Fibber is feeling unappreciated over his warnings, even Harlow Wilcox brings the commercial in tones of disbelief at Fibber. Teeny visits and gets a lesson in weather forecasting. The Kingsmen sing, Steamboat Bill. Doc Gamble visits to get an earful from Fibber, followed by Mr. Wimple. As the McGee’s get ready to turn in for the night, Fibber gets a phone call about his barometer. He finds out that he’s wrong about the snow… or is he?

Jane tells how her boyfriend and boss planned a trip to England, and now she is lonely without him, and he hasn’t even left yet. To see him off, Richard wants Jane, Irma, and all their friends to come to the pier. The professor enters to joke about his apartment, Mrs Riley enters to joke about her love life with the professor. Al enters with his latest business idea. After a quick phone call to his friend Joe, Al plans to stowaway on the ship, and go to England as well. The emotional Jane is unaware of Irma and Al’s plans. A situation designed to embarrass Jane, and cause the most comic affect. As Al and Irma go over the lies she is to tell to cover for him, Irma gets things twisted up. But the mix ups, and twists are just beginning. Stay tuned for the big ending as our friends wish the ship a Bon Voyage.

The matter of catching Clyde the mouse turns into an obsession with Doctor Roller. Lum gets onto Abner for his interference that caused the explosion of pest control chemicals. They discuss the aftermath of the explosion. Still, Doctor Roller the pest controller isn’t discouraged. The exterminator turns to more destructive measures in his quest to concquer that one single mouse. Lum has had enough, and would rather have the mouse than the demolition job Doctor Roller is carrying out on the store. It’s going to cost Lum and Abner more to get rid of their exterminator, and do repairs than any damage that the mouse could do in a life time. The determined pest controller refuses to stop until he catches that mouse. His reputation is at stake. PS: Howard McNear is the guest voice to portray the obsessive Doctor Roller.

A little staticky and some of the music has been clipped. Jack tries to get the cast to mention Mother’s Day. Finally, Kenny arrives and saves the day. Phil plays, but the recording skips a bit. Show History: In recent episodes Phil and Jack had taken a break from a feud over a watch that Phil gave to Jack last Christmas. Now however, Jack and Phil start to bicker again. Jack gets a telegram from a mom. She requests him to do a skit about school to teach her kids a lesson. The drama is to be a nice little thing called, the Bump on Teachers Head, or Who Threw that Desk? Kenny sings, Loving You. Interesting jokes, but the class is full of the predictable bunch of unruly kids. In closing, Phil plays. Riding High. Jack gives the results of the contest where listeners voted for their favorite drama of the previous year. A sneak preview is given for the next week show. Trivia Alert: The anser to one of the questions in the school drama is “George Olson and Ethyl Sittay.” They were a husband and wife team. He was a band leader, and she was his vocalist. They were the original bandleader and singer for Jack Benny’s show.

An intriguing story about a method of dying. The busy police inspector, Schmidt has been having a rough day, when Cassidy reports even more work load when another inspector has gone on vacation. Murder doesn’t take vacations, so Schmidt is back on the job. A body is found shot in the head, a typical suicide case. So what’s the big mystery here? One key point of the crime is the wig that the victim was wearing. A match for his natural hair, blood only on the inside of it, and when in place it covered the head wound entirely. Who would want to go through such measures? Along with Cassidy, Schmidt tramps his aching feet across town to gather clues from doctors, and a cast of shady characters. The victim was a doctor, a scalp specialist, and when the office is searched nothing is found. Litterally nothing is found. No patient files or records, and the whole office just seems phoney somehow. The police try to make sense of the crazy details, and elsewhere the suspects shed light on details meant for the listener to fill in some of the story. Are the bad guys getting nervus? Will there be another murder, a power play over love and revenge? The cops find a key clue that ties together several murders, and they now have a motive to tie this case together. Time to gather the suspects together, and make them squirm. Skeletons are yanked from closets, and the killer is taken in. Still, there’s a few last words that Schmidt ties up to fill in more details of the mystery that clued in the cops to figuring out the murders.

Martha Raye hosts, and opens with a song, The Boy with the Wistful Eyes. Rudy Valley cracks some jokes with Martha before launching into a medley that includes, Old Man River, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, and others. Martha turns to read from the mail bag. Ethyl Vargas, and Ray Roberts do a piano tune. Bugs Bunny makes an appearance to talk to Martha and Rudy. After a last dip into the mail bag, Martha sings, Mr. Taganinni.

Finding himself driving to his client in Bel Aire, Philip has a close brush with a motorcycle driver. The blonde passenger is the 23 year old daughter of his client. Can Philip do anything if Adrienne wants to go crazy and endanger herself? He investigates the dare devil background of the young motorcyclist, Pepper Riggs. Is there anything shady in his carnival job, and the extreme thrills he seeks in his act? Philip takes in the act for himself. Has he turned up trouble behind the scenes? Will there be tragedy on the stunt track? Pepper’s co-stunt driver, Lou Bryant dies in an apparent accident, but Philip is certain that it was murder. A former girlfriend of Pepper, Mickie, may have some answers for Marlowe, or will she only muddy the waters of potential killers further? Its time to get rough, and let the fists fly, but the options get narrower when the body count rises. A key clue falls into Philip’s lap, but will his hunch pay off? Head thumping time. Will the killer kill again, before Philip can catch him? Talking to the police detective, Marlowe explains it all, then helps his client out with a little child discipline for the fickle 23 year old.

A little mouse has taken up residence in the Jot ‘Em Down store. Lum sees it as a pest, but Abner has claimed the critter as a pet, and named him Clyde. Can Lum call in an exterminator without making Abner suspicious? Sending Abner off on an errand, the exterminator enters to talk to Lum about a few details of his business. Will Lum be impressed by the trivial adventures of the pest control trade? Doctor Roller, the pest controller is bent on hunting termites, and a host of other vicious critters, and is taken aback to learn that his sole prey is a single mouse. Isn’t there something more elaborate for him to hunt? Lum plays up the terrors of the mouse to make it seem worth the exterminators while, but can he still keep the matter secret from Abner? PS: Listeners may recognize the voice of Doctor Roller as, Howard McNear. The same guy who portrays Doc Adams on the Gunsmoke radio sow, and Floyd the barber on television’s Andy Griffith shw.

Announcer: Ken Carpenter Playlist * Ain’t Misbehaving (Ginny Simms) * Clare De Loon. Freddie Martin) * I’ll Be Back (Sgt Gene Autry * Comedian, Pat O’Mally shares a lyrical report on the family picnic. * Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (Freddie Martin) * Be Honest with Me. (Gene Autry) * Medley (Ginny Simms) * I Don’t Want to Walk without You * Stardust * Deep Purple * Skylark * You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To

A Naval officer finds himself in a remarkable predicament. The officer’s fiancee is worried as the plane is boarded. The plane is full of distinguished, and important gentlemen. The men talk business, but the woman finds a body. The plane is flying on the wrong course, miles from land, over the Atlantic ocean. What dark deeds are afoot? Is it a kidnapping? The plot thickens when an empty cockpit is discovered. I could tell more, but it would ruin the suspense.

Or, Numerology. Fibber has an appointment with a Numerologist. Seeing the future, the Numerologist advises Fibber to change his name. The new name is to bring luck, but it’s questionable as to what kind of luck. Billy Mills plays a jazzy tune. On the way home, Fibber tries out his new name on the Old Timer, then with Mrs. Uppington. Harlow Wilcox delivers the commercial. Fibber delivers a flub or two for a few laughs. Still walking downtown, Fibber and Molly try out the new name on Mr. Wimple. Fibber’s new name is so impressive, that the cops take him in. The Kingsmen sing, I Got My Gal. Fibber can’t convince the cops that he really isn’t Homer Fink, so he plays along and spins a few tales about his criminal activity. Fortunately, Molly and Doc Gamble are able to set things right and rescue Fibber.

Irma has been having trouble at work that has her boss, Mr Clyde being pushed to the brink of needing medical help. Her depression is even evident to professor Kropotkin, who has stopped in to share some advice, and complain about his apartment. Is Irma’s ailments actually so bad as that? Does she need to see a doctor as well? At the doctor’s office, Irma gets confused at what she learns. Jane gets the news about what Irma is suffering from. It’s Spring, and she’s just lovesick for Al. All her friends pitch in and the romance flows. Most importantly, will Al get on the romantic bandwagon? With the pressure turned up, Al phones his friend Joe for help with his very serious problem. Will this be it? Will Al pop the question, and get engaged to Irma? Love doesn’t come easy, and there’s some hurt feelings before the show is done. There’s still plenty of laughs as the love birds work out their misunderstandings. Well are they engaged or not? I’m not telling, listen and learn.

Audio is a bit jumpy. Abner holds down the fort in the Jot ‘Em Down store, and Lum returns to tell how it went at the city counsil meeting. He tells how the women resigned from each of their offices, and the men were elected back in to each one. Grandpap enters, and the conversation drifts to a man who has asked after Abner, but he’s someone who Abner can’t place. Also the gents touch on supporting the Easter Seals. Cedric enters with word about a pest exterminator, but what does that have to do with Abner? Other than confusing him even further. Lum talks with Cedric about having the exterminator help with a mouse problem in the store. But he has to keep it hushed up since Abner has become fond of the little crittter.

Todays host is Lena Horne as she substitutes for Ernie. She introduces Fletcher Henderson to kick things off with, Deep Rhythm. Lena reads from the mail bag, and dedicates her song to the soldiers who requested it, Honeysuckle Rose. Eddie Green from Duffy’s Tavern with Jimmy Vasquez from Amos and Andy, talk about a haunted house an how Eddie might earn some cash by spending the night in it. Jimmy tries to build up Eddie’s bravery, but will it work? Lena calls on the Charioteers to sing, Milkman Keep Those Bottles Quiet. Followed with, All I Need Is You. After another dips back into the mailbag, Fletcher plays, Rolls Royce. Lena tells the soldiers how to send in requests. Lena sings, Mad About the Boy. Fletcher Henderson puts in a final musical word with a flaming hot jazz number. Lena signs off with her own special word for the troops. Apparently in responce to the things said in between the lines of those request letters. Things that might not be appropriate for reading directly over the air.