Retro Radio Podcast

Wilbur and his friend Floyd are bandits, but one is more loyal than the other. When Britt happens along, and is mistaken for someone else, there’s a tense few moments of gunplay. The mealy mouthed, cowardly Wilbur shares his story. He shot Floyd in the back and is worried that his brother Russ is going to be gunning for him. Britt sees Wilbur safely to town to collect his reward at killing the notorious outlaw, but the soft spoken man just isn’t a very likeable guy somehow. With the sheriff out of town, the jumpy Wilbur hasn’t made many friends, and when a threatening note is delivered, he decides to get out on the train to Cheyenne. The deputy knows Wilbur probably did the world a favor in his deed, but frets that folks will forget the ruthless robberies and killing that Floyd did, and make him the hero instead. When the sheriff returns, we learn he never did catch Russ, but the last anybody knew, he got away on the train to Cheyenne. In epilog, Britt tells the obvious end to the story, that only one of the men made it to his destination. Note: Does anybody else see the parallel to a historic story here? Namely the shooting in the back of Jesse James by one of his gang members. A man who became portrayed as a snivelling coward, while Jesse became a folk legend. Then the way the coward was later gunned down by the survivors in the gang? I won’t say the story is exact, but definite parallels are there.

Casey and Ann respond with the cops to investigate a murder scene. It’s a matter of a closed door murder mystery. The body was found with a knife in the back, and all the windows and doors are locked from the inside. Casey points out the old fashioned windows, and one possibility for the murder to have escaped, and leaving the windows locked. Now, who could have done the deed? Why did they do it? Join in as Casey and the cops keep the questions coming as they investigate. Was it a matter of love, jealousy, skeletons in the closet, or some other scandal? Who are the players besides Mrs Meyers, the timid border in the house? Who is the mystery man with the moustache? This is going to take a visit to the Blue Note, and a chat with Ethylbert to clear the mind and get to the bottom of the story. Though the boarder is revelling in the attention of being the star witness, Casey smells something fishy with her situation. How could the small, frail woman have committed the murder with the brute force needed to pull it off? Casey has it all figured out, but not without some surprises on his account, and in the end he explains it all.

Needing to borrow the family car for a trip down town, Judy is lectured by her mother on not being absent minded, and things to remember in using the car. It doesn’t take long for her to forget something important, like locking the keys inside. It’s worse than that, as Randolph points out, she left the engine running. Should they break out a window, or try to climb through the machinery of the car to get inside? As the engine runs, continuing to burn gasoline, the frustrations of Judy and her little brother rise. Riding in Oogie Pringle’s jalopy, they discover their dad isn’t at work. The kids brainstorm ideas on opening the hood of the car to stop the engine, when a police officer steps up. Instead of being helpful, he compounds the problem by warning they are in danger of a parking ticket. Even Oogie is in trouble for double parking. Phone calls to mother only cause her to worry that Judy has not only missed her appointments, but are making her late for her own. Back on the street, Judy is told how she can stop the engine, but the slow thinking man doesn’t have any idea on moving the car, or dealing with those pesky policemen. Finally arriving home, Judy gets an earful. During the war years, gas rationing was a huge issue, and with all the gas Judy burned off, she is chewed out by a woman over the phone for irresponsibility. Her mom gets onto her for the inconveniences, but the worst may be yet to come when father phones home. There’s a secret that could have saved her a lot of troubles today, but in the long run, did the ordeal of fines and frustrations actually save Judy any money?.

The lion-like March weather is the topic of jokes between Fred and his announcer, Jimmy Wallington. Texaco News presents the outstanding awards for Hollywood. Fred interviews a string of characters including: a producer of quickly made films, a star who was snubbed for an award, an extreme character/stunt actress who blushes on command, and even a movie fan. Kenny Baker sings, On Wings of Song. Fred warns Portland, Kenny, and Al Goodman to be on their best behavior for their guest tonight. The host from the popular game show of stuffed shirts, and intellects, Information Pleas, Franklin P Adams. Fred is surprised to hear the game host acting casually, and using poor grammar. Franklin jokes, adlibs, and shares some of his pet peeves. The Martins sing, Young Man with the Horn. Al Goodman joins Portland and Fred for a little joking around. Kenny is in on an act that he developed with Al, but Fred wants to know more before he approves of it. The drawn out speech and set up leads into confusion, and an out of control use of cues and running gags. Kenny sings, I Hear a Rhapsody. The Texaco Art Player salute the kiddies, and perform their version of Little Red Riding Hood. From the fairy tale of the same name. The trouble is that Fred’s kiddie players want action, shoot ’em ups, and adventure, so Fred tries his best to please. First, Fred serves up Little Riding Hood in the style of Gangbusters. Granny, the lovable old gun moll is robbed by Willie the wolf. Gun toting Red guns the bad guy down. Still not satisfied, the kiddies demand other exciting styles. Fred tries out the tale as Superman. Complete with the kiddie club and marketing that goes along with it. Still not satisfied? There’s more from a human interest angle. Classic quote: I was born, I lived, and here I am. Franklin Adams. Also: I started as a moron, and I worked my way up.

Trying to catch up with a native peddler, and rescue Lieutenant Rawlings, Jack and Billy climb down the cliff using a rope. Meanwhile Betty and uncle Jim are on a rock and a ledge to keep an eye on matters. The object for Jack is to get the attention of the band of hostile tribesmen who pursue them, and lead them away from the tight situation on the rocky cliff. As they make their way through the thick jungle, they watch for a good hiding place to watch the action as the chase begins. When Jack and Billy come face-to-face with the natives, the chase is on. Did the boys underestimate the natives? Are Jack and Billy sure they can out run them? If they can’t out run them, they’ll have to stop and fight. Will they all make it to safety? Will they finally confront the peddler they have sought? Danger, excitement and thrills are in store, with more to come..

Featuring Roddy McDowel as Rocky Iii. A kid is discovered packed inside of one of the cargo containers. How did the 14 year old boy get there? He promises not to be any trouble. Carney and Red play along with his story of being their prisoner, and his pirate flavored delusions. Offering the stowaway another glass of grog, also known as milk, Rockingghham tells his story to Carney. The young man is on a quest for treasure, and has decided to play pirate by sailing the seven seas. He left word with his rich uncle on his planned exxxploits, buCarney has business to conduct, and can’t take time to stop in Wellington, where the lad intended. That is, until real pirates board the Scarlet Queen to look for the imagined treasure map. Will a bamboo shoot under his fingernails cause Carney to betray his young stowaway? Jade carvings of the bird of paradise are worth a kings ransom. After a narrow escape, Carney rejoins his friends, and learns more about the kids uncle, and his involvement in the treasure hunt. Back on the high seas, the crew of the Scarlet Queen use the map to race to the prize. Catching up with the pirates who now have the kids uncle in custody, Carney fills in the details with colorful description of rescue, gun fights, and unearthing the valuables in thee chest. Now they will all be rich, right? Don\’t count on it.

Miners are treated with drinks as they await the mining syndicate leader, Drexel. After his agent, Beasley was exposed by the Lone Ranger in a previous episode, Drexel tries a different angle. He learns all he can so he can see what kind of weaknesses the Lone Ranger has. Does the Masked man have any weakness? Drexel’s plan is to use the Lone Ranger’s strengths against him. He stages a scene with a female accomplice in hopes of luring in the Lone Ranger. The guise is to sell her diamonds to save her brother’s mine. Ever the helpful one, the Lone Ranger gets set up for stealing her diamonds. Lone Ranger and Tonto manage to take some precautions, but will they be enough to avoid being tossed in jail for theft? Will the woman’s lies be convincing enough to seal the Lone Ranger’s fate? Tossed into jail, the Lone Ranger knows what he’s dealing with, he begins developing his own plan to overturn the bad guys and even recover the real diamonds. Since it has turned out that the ones he was given were fakes. First, he needs to break out of jail. Soon the bad guys are squirming, and the big time diamond thieves from back East have fallen into his trap. PS: Hey, the name of the famous diamond that was stolen is the Rockwell Diamond. I wonder if it’s the same Rockwell Diamond that was featured in an early episode of Boston Blackie.

Audio is a little scratchy. Lou has a bad cold, but it hasn’t stopped him from thinking of girls. The jokes cover topics including California, dancing, dating, and more. Susan Miller joins the fun for a few jokes, but she doesn’t play along with Lou’s amorous advances the way Marilyn Maxwell did. Bud’s wife enters for some verbal abuse from Lou. A telegram for Lou calls him to join the gold fields in Alaska. First, Bud gets Lou confused over a few words related to the Alaskan wilderness. After some travelling music, we find the guys in Alaska on their way to meet up with Lou’s uncle. Soon the guys are on the trail of gold as they ride their dog sled. One sure thing that gold attracts is girls, and Lou encounters a gold-digger. Lou also has a close encounter with a jail. Susan Miller sings, Just Around the Corner. Before Bud and Lou share a closing word.

Manuel leads Jack and his friends to a small cave opening that will take them to Lt. Rawlings. Uncle Jim has Jack go, and assure Rawlings that they are near, and word is being sent for more help. Stealth is important, since the tribes’ men would be hostile toward them, and more so to their guide. Just as Manuel slips away, a new danger makes an appearance on the trail. Jack and Billy do their best to lure the band of tribesmen away. With all the activity coming to a head, it could become quite a tight spot for our heroes.

Enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend. Boston Blackie spends some casual time with Mary when their friend Shorty arrives with news. The newspaper reports on automobile accidents that smell of a racket involving phony accident reports. People are claiming to be injured in car wrecks when they really weren’t. The listener is privvy to the racketeers making more plans for phony accidents. At the newspaper office, Blackie interviews the editor to see what he can learn about the odd happenings. At the scene of another accident, we see how the set up works. The pedestrian purposely walks into a vehicle, and claims to be greatly injured. His female accomplice acts as witness, and convinces the worried driver to settle with the alleged victim rather than file an insurance claim. When Blackie finally zeros in on the bad guys, he finds Farraday already there to investigate a murder. The gang of swindlers begins to fall apart, and arguments lead to more bodies for Farraday and Blackie. To get into the ring of racketeers, Blackie goes under cover as a hobo looking for work. Though he makes progress, there’s also danger. When the crooks learn who he is, it puts Blackie into certain danger because the crooks now suspect the cops are onto them. Watch out Blackie, you’re about to be taken out by the racketeers. Don’t worry, Blackie has a way of staying one jump ahead of both the crooks and the cops, and he explains all in the end.

Has Lum’s secret of being the silent political boss gotten out? He still has plans on being a big political wheel. Abner is concerned he may be betraying him, but it’s all part of Lum’s plans to fill plenty of seats with the broom party. The more people he can influence, the more power he can wield as the big boss. Soon, hints of another political party emerge. Can it offer more to the candidates who support it? The secret is revealed. Squire Skimp enters to try to win Abner over to his party. Will Lum be upset? Nope. It’s just the kind of competition to put him in a fighting mood and make the contest interesting.

Ignoring a page from Poor Richards Almanac, the McGee’s are sleeping late today. Will Fibber be nice, and make Molly breakfast in bed? She has been a good kid. She deserves it. Will Molly let him go through with it, or will her worry at the potential mess cause her to interrupt Fibber’s enthusiasm? Fibber tries his hand at being the good little homemaker. The recipes and instructions are a problem. Billy Mills plays a perky swing tune. As Molly relaxes on the sofa, the mail lady pops in with word about Molly’s rich aunt. Fibber’s waffle making is interrupted by the Old Timer. The old gent shares about his wedding plans. As Fibber continues pampering Molly, Harlowe Wilcox arrives to twist the domestic theme into a sponsor message. Abigail Uppington is next to learn about the yummy things that Fibber keeps burning in the kitchen. After Abigail offers her critique of the smells coming from the kitchen, the Kingsmen sing, Rosie the Riveter. Molly’s big concern now is the choice of starving, or being poisoned. Wallace Wimple pops in, and shares about his own breakfast experience. Stand by for a final secret and surprise for Molly.

First an opening sponsor message. Cecil B DeMill introduces the cast and the play for the evening. Cappy Ricks is retiring at age 60 from the sailing life, and sticking to running his business. He is greeted by his daughter with a special request. She wants to work in the shipping business. Cappy is having some legal trouble over a shipment that was lost, but he forbids his daughter to do any work in the business, When she is mistaken as a secretary, she gets some inside scoop from the captain of the missing ship when it comes in. She conspires to go into business with the errant sea captain, and recently fired employee of her dad. It doesn’t take Cappy long to regret his decision over letting that captain go, and he still is unaware of his daughter’s involvement in the deal. Looks like a pretty good rivalry is in the making. Ellen offers some inside scoop for her new partner to steal away some contracts. She also gets a kick out of her anonymous involvement in being partner in her own business against her dad. The new Red Diamond shippers gives the old Blue Star company a run for their money, stealing away contracts, ships, and captains. Cappies confidence begins to fade when his losses put him at the point of going under. Is Cappy starting to see the error of his ways by getting rid of that sea captain? When Ellen drops the bomb that she is the silent partner, it stands to drive a wedge between her and both of the men that she loves. Intermission time. The author of the Cappy Ricks novels is interviewed, and tells a little of how he came to write them. Even his testimonial for washing Cappy Ricks in Lux flakes? Just listen and you’ll understand. In the final act, Cappy faces the fact that blood is thicker than water, and sets out to do what he can to make his girl happy. Also the sea captain makes up with Ellen, but how will they all be able to reconcile with each other? Has Cappy really turned over a new leaf? Is there going to be room for both the Blue Star and the Red Diamond lines to co-exist? It will take some compromising, but I feel a happy ending in the mix.

Blazing a trail through the jungle, Jack and his friends continue to trust their pedometer, and their guide, Michel. He reports on activity with those who are pursuing our heroes. Their other friend, Manuel is in the hands of their nemesis, and uncle Jim is concerned he is being treated poorly. As they travel, Betty comments on the terrain. There’s plenty of places to hide rifles. Will their pack horses prove to be good mountain goats as they cross the rough landscape? After a close call with losing a horse, Manuel is back to report on what Yates is up to, and where the cave he is using to hide rifles. Sending Michel as a runner, he needs to cover a lot of distance to get word back to the army post.

The usual cast is joined by guest conductor, Bob Crosby. On the trail to entertain the troops at military bases, Jack learns about Judo at Fort Custer, Michigan. All the boys on the base are learning the hand to hand combat moves. Will Jack be able to trust Mary, or Dennis? If Mary can throw Jack, he ought to be able to throw Don around… right? With all the throwing done, Dennis Day sings, I Just Kissed Your Picture Goodnight. Bob Crosby to tell about the similarities he has with Phil’s dating habits. Jokes also include gambling, pay raises, and the movies. After a judo flip out the window, Rochester phones in, but has to talk with Mary instead. Bob and his Bobcats play, We’re in the Money. Jack claims his grandfather was Kit Carson Benny, and served on the base. The play is to salute that fact, but first Rochester phones in again to give Jack an update on the condition of the food pantry back home. It’s 1874 as Kit Carson Benny addresses his troop of scouts. He only has a little trouble in handling his marching troops. How’s the rest of their pioneering skills? Good thing those indians don’t know judo… or do they? Note: It’s his second broadcast with Jack, but in a few years, Bob Crosby would join the show as the full time band leader, when Phil would leave the show to do his own show.