Retro Radio Podcast

Spike Jones and the City Slickers continue their triumphant tour of the United States. From Washington DC, Spike now plays, the Missouri Waltz. Spike is interupted by a knock at the door with an offer for a new act for his show. Dorothy Shea enters to talk with Spike about the sights of the city. Dorothy sings, Grandpa’s Getting Younger Every Day. The City Slickers pitch in with a classic French tune, with words translated by Spike so we Americans can understand. Who knew that cows could be so romantic? Or for that matter, do the Can Can. Dorothy and Spike introduce the guest, Milt Hurt. He talks with Spike about how he got his start with his band. Milt Hurt and his trio play, Earthquake Boogie. Joe King shares a word from the sponsor. The fast talking Georgie Rock enters to talk with Spike, and reads a poem to honor him. Spike and Dorothy transition into her next song, It was Just One of Those Things. Professor Feetlebaum makes his appearance to honor the approaching season of Spring by torturing the classic, When the Red Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobbing Along. At least he tries amid all the distractions, jokes, and the unavoidable horse race. Medley time: Milt Hurt and the trio play, Bye Bye blackbird. Dorothy sings, Saucy Little Bird on Nellie’s Hat. Spike plays, Mockingbird.

Lum’s plan to fill the lodge hall up with 400 prospects to join, is working. The board, all members of Squire’s Liberal Conservative party have to review the applications. As they consider each one, it gives Lum time to do his campaining. As Abner is chomping at the bit to sing his campaign song, Squire Skimp calls Lum into his office. He knows what Lum is up to, but can’t stop him. Back in the busy lodge hall, Lum let’s Abner know it’s time for giving speeches. Where is the dogcatcher? He’s home, because his dog bit him. Abner sings his campaign song, hoping it will be a catchy tune that people will all be singing soon. Between his song and Lum’s quick speech, will the people be swayed to vote the party ticket for the Broom party? Cedric’s use of slang must be wearing off on Abner when he says, “Hubba hubba good for me!” The crowd roars as Abner takes the floor. With a little prompting from Lum he’s ready to give his honest answer to any question about his platform. He’ll give a direct Yes, or no. Snake Hogan wants to know, “he has Abner stopped beating his wife?”

Previously, Ben Steel and his hired gunmen had tried to ruin the cattle market by driving 50000 head of cattle into town. After being defeated by the honest ranchers and the Lone Ranger, his rowdy cowboys party and tear up the salloons at the encouragement of Ben Steel. To stay in good with the sherriff, the cowhands are paid off and leave, but Steel is still up to no good. When Lone Ranger hears of trouble with the released cowhands, he is forced to rally support from the ranchers to help their enemy, Ben Steel. Next, Lone Ranger talks to Steel about the planned truce, but will he go for it? The former leader of the notorious, and now defunct Black Arrow rejects any help. Of course it doesn’t take long for the outlaw cowboys to get things stirred up. The Lone Ranger rallies the ranchers and sheriff to fight against the rustlers. Steel takes advantage of the outlaws to kidnap a ranchers daughter. Ride along for the exciting second half that’s full of horse riding, gun shooting action. Can the Lone Ranger rescue the girl before Carrey wil be forced to sign his ranch over to Steel? Even so, will the standoff with the outlaws come to an end and bring down justice from the law? Steel manages to get away once again to cause trouble another day.

Harry Vonzel introduces Barbara Stanwyck to get right to introducing the acts. * Would You Like to Swing on a Star? (Dick Haymes) * She makes observations that set him apart from other crooners, and reads from the mailbag. s * Sterling Hallowway, later to become the voice of Winnie the Pooh, sings, the Lady Refused. * Barbara shares a few things you never expected to hear on radio. The sound of a shower bath for some mud caked soldiers. Get clean with Earol Flynn. * A Love Like Ours (June Allison). * A Command Performance first, imagine a war ship manned entirely by women. * Captain Cass Daily addresses her crew. How is Chief Petty Officeer Stanwyck coming along with her assignment? Fireman Third Class Allison reports in, and is promoted for her performance. * What other unique troubles might arrive on deck for the feminine crew? Babies, make up, and rescuing Earol Flynn. * It Could Happen to You (Dick Haimes). * Barbara shares a parting word and a request to keep the letters coming.

After letting the captured Lieutenant Rawlings know they were there, Jack and uncle Jim Hyde as the footsteps of guards approach. Once the guards leave, uncle Jim and Jack discuss with Rawlings their chances for escape. The chances look slim that the army will arrive in time to save them. Billy arrives with the warning that people are entering the cave from the other side. Will they have time to hide in that secret side tunnel they discovered before the band of warriors gets through? With Lieutenant Rawlings untied, they do their best to get to Betty and Hyde. The band of tribesmen seemed preoccupied and didn’t notice Jack and his friends. Why are they so alarmed? The natives are getting together to light a bonfire, What does this mean? Should our heroes bee worried the light will fill the cave and expose their presence. Hey, where is Manuel, and why didn’t he come in to warn them? Note: This is the last installment I have in this story, until it picks up again in a couple weeks. Knowing that it returns, I think we know that Jack and his friends survive this crisis. Some things we might only guess at is how they got out of this scrape. I’m going to say that the highly disturbed natives were trying to evade an army troop who came to the rescue in time. In the melee that surely ensued, the army probably made short work of the natives, reclaimed the rifles, and had happy reunions with their missing officer, Jack Armstrong and all his friends. But those are my guesses. What are yours?

At dinner, Leroy is the first to be done, and ready to rush out. Is it that little girl from next door again, Brenda? After a little teasing from Gildy and Marjorie, a visitor comes over. it’s Brenda, and she has a house guest to introduce, a guy named Gerald. Will Gerald turn out to b any real competition for Leroy? Gerald is so cultured, well mannered, and plays violin. All Leroy can do is show off with his atheletic prowess, and boyish stunts. The frustrated Leroy trudges home, and Gildersleeve tries to encourage him. Later, Gildersleeve goes to Floyd’s barber shop for a little quick advice of his own before Leroy is to meet him there for a haircut, and to get spruced up. Floyd suggests a good old fight might settle the score, but Gildy wants to take a more sane approach, at least until Leroy comes in from the aftermath of getting beat up by Gerald. What Leroy needs is some tips from coach Gildersleeve to improve his boxing game. Before Leroy can confront the new kid, Gerald comes over to apologize to the family. Though it prevents more boxing matches, some secrets are shared from the overly polite Gerald that rankles Gildersleeve, and gets his temper up against his neighbor, Bullard. Gildersleeve tries to coach Leroy on doing his fighting by killing with kindness, and making a good impression at the upcoming party. The two stop in at Peavey’s to pick up some party supplies, and practice some good manners. When the judge shows up, it stretches the limits on Gildersleeve politeness and manages to get under Peavey’s skin. (although he might not say that). Back home, Marjorie helps with dancing lessons. Gildy does some music coaching. When the party starts, will all the polish and culture elevate Leroy’s standing? Will Gerald just keep blowing Leroy out of the water? Is there anything Leroy can do better than Gerald? In the end, he plays a trump card on his multi tallented rival, and in epilog, Gildersleeve and Leroy put in a plug for Easter Seals.

Boss Edwards, and candidate for mayor Abner are in the store, discussing their political campaign. They grumble that no one listened to their party line rally, because Squire upstaged them by giving away free ice cream. Even Abner stood in line for the tasty treat. Though Abner has got some good reports over listeners to the rally, Lum feels like he has been made the laughingstock of town. Abner sings a few lines of his campaign song, and makes up one for the dogcatcher. He thinks the posters they have all over town, and the campaign buttons are doing a good job. Lum is upset though, because they have no public venue to hold a rally. Squire has the lodge hall booked up, and they can’t use the school house for politics. The weather is just too cold outside for having people standing around for political speeches. Abner figures a good bonfire will help, and it will keep people warm. Lum figures by the time the fire dies down, and his speech is fired up, people would get cold and leave. He may still have a plan to get the use of the lodge hall. Can he sneak in some candidates for club membership?

Waiting on pins and needles, Fibber anticipates an important delivery in the mail. It could change his life, make him rich, healthy, and smart. Does it have to do with investing in the stock market? The mail lady arrives, but all that seems to be there is news from Molly’s rich and miserly aunt. But wait… It’s the amazing, character foretelling system in the ancient art of horoscopes. Sounds complicated to me. Billy Mills plays an upbeat dance tune. Molly takes a phone message from Stuffy Stilwell, a school chum of Fibbers. Who is Stuffy anyway? Fibbers horoscope studies don’t seem to shed much light on the topic. Harlowe Wilcox arrives to hear about the horoscope angle, then puts a slant on it to pitch the sponsor product. Who knew there was so much about horoscopes in selling wax! Trying to track down his friend, Fibber first chats with Mirt the phone operator for a misunderstood word on her relative. Does Stuffy owe Fibber money? As Fibber contemplates that question, Teeny visits. What does the kid know about astrology? The Kingsmen sing, We Don’t Like It. According to Fibbers horoscope, he needs to be nice to everybody. His patience is stretched when a visit from Abigail Uppington waits for him. Will he appreciate her experiences in occult affairs? Will the mystery of Stuffy Stilwell be solved? Stuffy shows, played by Arthur Q Brian, the future voice of Doc Gamble. The horoscope is right, that a school friend would show up to repay a debt, but it isn’t what Fibber expects.

Audio is mushy. * Liza. (Bing) * Somebody to Love. (Les Paul and Bing) * Joe Frisco talks horse racing with Bing * It Had to be You. Skitch Henderson instrumental * South America Take It Away. (Bing with the anddrews Sisters) * You don’t Have to Know the Language. (Bing with the anddrews Sisters) * So Have I. (Bing)

A man nervously paces the floor as he prepares to deliver a speech to the boss. His plan to ask for a raise turns into the boss being pleased with the slogan for their next big automotive product. And sure enough the man, Herbert Marshall, is soon on his vacation to Europe. Meanwhile, Marlene, with her fake chauffeur report to the customs officials. What are they here for? Spies? Smugglers? Something else? Posing as a damsel in distress, Marlene gets in good with the man in our opening scene. He’s on his way on vacation. What’s the game that Madeline, Marlene Dietrick, is playing? She’s trying to play on HerbertMarshall’s lack of knowledge to use him. Is she double crossing her boss? It’s definitely a story of men trying to pull a fast one over on another, but the tool of choice, a woman, has her own agenda and does what she wants. The vacationing auto worker, Bradley, is the fly that’s lured into the spider’s lair, and he thinks he’s making headway with the sultry Madeline. The time comes when Bradley, the auto worker, has served his purpose, and the fake chauffeur wants to get rid of him. Though she puts on a front of being blase, Madeline suddenly seems to have a change of heart. Her travelling companions threaten to expose what she really is to the love struck man. It seems that Madeline cares enough about him to be worried. Things get interesting when he proposes marriage to her. The romantic tension runs high for the unsuspecting Bradley. Does he really want to get married, and know what secrets are under the surface? Time for the commercial break and take a step back before the final act is presented with the big climax of this romantic roller coaster. The game of love is turned around when Bradley is about to part, and now it’s Madeline who is breathlessly expressing her love. Has she just layed her secrets on the line? Is she telling the truth this time? She comes clean about the pearls that was the target of her theft and smuggling, but will she care enough to turn them over, and go straight? Now that Bradley knows what he’s working with, he does a little playing of his own with the shady characters. The pearls are returned to their rightful owner, the girl is reformed from her life of crime, and a love is shared between her and our hero. happy endings all around. PS: Marlene Dietrick does an excellent job as her acting swings from the standoffish spy, to the vulnerable girl in love. She is definitely a far better actress than a singer, and I’m glad she doesn’t sing in this one.

Safe from their pursuers, our heroes hide in the cave, making their way to the main chamber where smuggled rifles are stored. Inching along in the dark, they explore for side tunnels or places to hide. Seeing light at the end of the tunnel, Jack and uncle Jim cautiously approach the main cave. They hide in the shadows as Billy and Jack describe the size of the cave, the number of rifles and munitions. Betty marvels that there must be enough to outfit several tribes for uprisings. They spot Lieutenant Rawlings, but is he OK? Leaving Betty and Billy behind in the Cave, uncle Jim and Jack try to do what they can to set Rawlings free. Have the guards heard them? Did they suspect something?

Roll back the clock to ancient Athens. Listen in as CBS takes you back to the fateful day when history rested on the brink of a cup of poison. Rumor has it that Socrates will drink poison while in his prison cell. Will he really do it? Can he be stopped? CBS reporters interview folks to get the general political climate and feeling of the day. Later, Plato is interviewed for his views on the contraversal events surrounding the situation. Will Socrates death mean the end of democracy? a recorded transcription of Socrates speech before the jury is played back where he defends himself, and his religious beliefs. Or lack of religion, since he was a known atheist. From his prison cell, Socrates shares more of his philosophies, and outlooks with the reporters. Whether he agrees with his fate or not, he feels there is no higher authority than the civic government that rules over us. If the government has decreed it, then he feels it to be his civic duty to go through with the poison.

Or, From the Hotel Pierre. He’s just a regular actor in New York, but Jack jokes about the luxury surroundings of the hotels that he hass been staying in. With the feud coming to a head, the taunts toward Fred Allen fly. Mary is back, and reads a telegram from the missing Kenny Baker. He had to travel back to Hollywood to make a movie. Abe Lyman is back to fill in for Phil Harris. Abe and the band play, I’ve Got Rhythm. The jokes turn towards filing income tax. Schlepperman pops in to talk about his musical ability, then Mary sings, Your So Darn Cute. As Jack helps Don out with a musical commercial, Fred Allen bursts onto the scene. With both comedians face to face, the feud takes on a new dimension without the time delay of waiting to comment on jokes made on the other’s show. Cast members get in on the jokes, then the taunts turn to each other’s movies, and more. The bickering breaks down to the two comedians taking it to the hallway. Abe Lyman plays, Hallelujah. Worried over the outcome of the big fight, Mary and the cast don’t have long to learn who won. Jack and Fred enter, catching up on old times, and clearly reconciled. Will this be the end of the great feud? Npot even close, but for now, the frieneds sing a spoof of Mary’s song Note: Though I usually like shows where Mary sings, she doesn’t do so well in this one. Too close to the mike, and very overdriven. Probably not her fault as much as the production engineers.

Escape – Shipment Of Mute Fate. 490313. Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of romantic adventure? Escape beyond the four walls of your normal life to a grim voyage of death. A man tells how his adventure started as he returned to his ship with a mysterious box, and the feeling that beady eyes are watching his every move. In flashback sequence, we learn what the box is all about. After surviving exotic ports of call, wild jungles and dangers, the man has found an oddity that intrigues him. It’s the poisonous bushmaster snake. It’s just the thing he has come looking for, and refuses to listen to reason about taking the captured snake. The seagoing man is fascinated by his snake, it never seems to sleep, or change it’s mood. It just watches, and waits. When a freak wave hits the cruise ship, the box is found overturned, and empty. Uh-Oh. Here snakie snakie. Come out and play with the nice sailor. The captain begins to panic at the thought of the deadly thing loose and endangering passengers and crew. The crew begin a low key, but systematic search. After a few days and nights, the terror begins to grow, and grate on the passengers and crew. Finally, the snake makes it’s appearance. Just when the sailor is unarmed, and as far from outside help as possible, the snake moves in. It creeps up onto him, and begins to tighten it’s coils around him… when suddenly help comes from an unexpected source. Tense moments of fright are changed into a rapid fire account of color commentary as a fight ensues. What was that help? How did the dangerous snake meet it’s doom? When the pride and most fervent efforts of men failed, a most humble, and basic of animal needs wins the day. PS: This ranks among one of the top productions of the Escape radio show. Often requested by listeners, and ran several times. Personally I have to feel more sorry for the snake, and the other passengers on the ship. The snake got killed before it could bite the sailor who took him out of his nice jungle home. I hope that captain did something about it once the danger was over. Time to find another crewman.

Judy and her brother Randolph discuss their stressed out father and his woes in filing taxes. Judy has a few dollars of income she needs to report, but she’is far from as concerned over it. Meanwhile, Judy’s father is more frustrated and angry than Judy understands. Can mother calm him down? He just can’t be bothered by the usual family drama. When Judy enters with her latest boyfriend, Willie Gibbons, Father settles down since the lad is the son of an important client. Still, he sends the growing boy off to the kitchen to remove the teenage distractions. At the breakfast table, father grumbles over his sleepless night figuring taxes before needing to run off to work. Judy shares her own dating drama, and her orchestra leading friend, Oogie Pringle’s income tax report. Randolph’s wisecracks upset Judy, and a mix up is hinted at. At work, father has to face Mr Gibbons, who sneaks a glimpse at the income tax report. As it turns out, is Judy’s for 11 dollars. How will this impress the man? Or not? Later, the mix up is discovered, but father manages to get his taxes mailed in time and all is well. Willie shows up, , but will the misunderstanding with Mr Gibbons go as well? Will Judy have her way in impressing Mr Gibbons that the family is more prosperous than he imagines? A fancy dinner and name dropping breaks the ice of understanding.