Boxcars711 Old Time Radio Pod

Crazy Town (Aired May 20, 1939)Arch Oboler's Plays was a radio drama series written, produced and directed by Arch Oboler. Minus a sponsor, it ran for one year, airing Saturday evenings on NBC from March 25, 1939 to March 23, 1940 and revived five years later on Mutual for a sustaining summer run from April 5, 1945 to October 11, 1945. Leading film actors were heard on this series, including Gloria Blondell, Eddie Cantor, James Cagney, Ronald Colman, Joan Crawford, Greer Garson, Edmund Gwenn, Van Heflin, Katharine Hepburn, Elsa Lanchester, Peter Lorre, Frank Lovejoy, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Paul Muni, Alla Nazimova, Edmond O'Brien, Geraldine Page, Gale Sondergaard, Franchot Tone and George Zucco. Oboler sold his first radio scripts while still in high school during the 1920s and rose to fame when he began scripting the NBC horror anthology Lights Out in 1936. Show Notes From The Old Time Radio Researcher's Group.THIS EPISODE: May 20, 1939. Blue Network. "Crazy Town". Sustaining. Two (presumably) Ita

They All Confessed (Aired April 1, 1954)Very few writers have managed to combine the hard boiled detective novel and comedy. Jonathan Latimer succeeded with Bill Crane and Craig Rice did it with JOHN J. MALONE, her ne'er-do-well bibulous attorney. Despite being billed as "Chicago's noisiest and most noted criminal lawyer," Malone acts more like a private eye than a member of the court. And a particularly hard-drinking private eye, at that. Despite a rep for courtroom pyrotechniques, he's far more likely to be found at Joe the Angel's City Hall Bar than in any court. Along with his boozing buddies, Jake and Helene Justus, an affable young couple, he drank his way through a whole slew of novels and short stories, not to mention later film, radio and television appearances. Seemingly inept and irresponsible, he nevertheless somehow (luck of the Irish?) managed to crack the case everytime. Even if his methods were a wee bit, uh, unorthodox, and his interpretation of the law rather imaginative. Malone always seems

The Roughnecks Will (Aired September 25, 1949)The Adventures of Frank Race was a syndicated show, out of Bruce Ells Productions in Hollywood, and began airing on radio in the spring of 1949. A total of 43 episodes were produced, broadcast first on the East coast 1949-50, and then on the West coast 1951-52. The title hero was described in the introduction by announcer Art Gilmore with these words: "Before the war, FRANK RACE worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak-and-dagger of the OSS. When the war was over, his former life was over too....adventure became his business!" Starring "Chandu The Magician"  Star Tom Collins.THIS EPISODE:September 25, 1949. Program #22. Broadcasters Program Syndicate syndication. "The Adventure Of The Roughneck's Will". Commercials added locally. A ninety-year old billionaire leaves a will specifically designed to encourage his beneficiaries to kill each other. Tom Collins, Buckley Angel (writer, director), Joel Murcott (writer, director), Bruce Eells (prod

The Front Page Story (Aired November 13, 1948)The Adventures of Frank Merriwell first ran on NBC radio from March 26 to June 22, 1934 as a 15-minute serial airing three times a week at 5:30pm. Sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste, this program starred Donald Briggs in the title role. Harlow Wilcox was the announcer. After a 12-year gap, the series returned October 5, 1946 as a 30-minute NBC Saturday morning show, continuing until June 4, 1949. Lawson Zerbe starred as Merriwell, Jean Gillespie and Elaine Rostas as Inza Burrage, Harold Studer as Bart Hodge and Patricia Hosley as Elsie Belwood. The announcer was Harlow Wilcox, and the Paul Taubman Orchestra supplied the background music.THIS EPISODE:November 13, 1948. NBC network. "The Front Page Story". Sustaining. An enterprising reporter digs up a scandal about one of the star players on the Yale football squad. Charles Webster, Elaine Rost, Hal Studer, James McCallion, Kermit Murdock, Lawson Zerbe, Paul Taubman (music), Richard Keith, Tex Antoine, William Grif

Death Stalks The Shadow (Aired October 9, 1938)One of the most popular radio shows in history debuted in August 1930 when "The Shadow" went on the air. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The opening lines of the "Detective Story" program captivated listeners and are instantly recognizable even today. Originally the narrator of the series of macabre tales, the eerie voice known as The Shadow became so popular to listeners that "Detective Story" was soon renamed "The Shadow," and the narrator became the star of the old-time mystery radio series, which ran until 1954. A figure never seen, only heard, the Shadow was an invincible crime fighter. He possessed many gifts which enabled him to overcome any enemy. Besides his tremendous strength, he could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code, and become invisible with his famous ability to "cloud men's minds."THIS EPISODE:October 9, 1938. Mutual network. "Death Stalks The Shadow". Sponsored by: Blue Coal. An electric eye t

Gold Fever (Aired August 7, 1949)Rocky Jordan was a radio series about an American restaurateur in Cairo who each week became involved in some kind of mystery or adventure. The show was broadcast on CBS from October 31st 1948 to September 10th 1950. and then again from June 27th 1951 to August 22nd 1951. The character of Rocky Jordan had been introduced to listeners in a similar show called A Man Named Jordan that was broadcast in 1945 but set in Istanbul rather than Cairo. The two lead roles were those of Rocky Jordan and Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo Police. For most of the show's history Jordan was played by veteran radio actor Jack Moyles, but he was replaced by a movie star, George Raft, for the brief 1951 run. Jay Novello played Sabaaya throughout the entire series. THIS EPISODE:August 7, 1949. CBS Pacific network. "Gold Fever". Sponsored by: Del Monte. The first show of the series sponsored by Del Monte. Rocky is offered a 30% interest in a gold strike by the owner, who has several bullets in him. J

Squeeze Play (Aired September 3, 1952)I Was a Communist for the FBI was an American espionage thriller radio series with 78 episodes syndicated by Ziv to more than 600 stations in 1952-54. Made without FBI cooperation, the series was adapted from the book by undercover agent Matt Cvetic, who was portrayed by Dana Andrews.The series was crafted to warn people about the threat of Communist subversion of American society. The tone of the show is very jingoistic and ultra-patriotic. Communists are evil incarnate and the FBI can do no wrong. As a relic of the Joe McCarthy era, this show is a time capsule of American society during the Second Red Scare.THIS EPISODE:September 3, 1952. Program #20. ZIV Syndication. "Squeeze Play". Commercials added locally. The Party takes an interest in the Leo Bremmer trial, but an honest judge resists temptation. Dana Andrews, Truman Bradley (announcer), Olan Soule, Byron Kane, Henry Hayward (director), David Rose (music). 26:50. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Boxcars711 Overnight Western "The Adventures Of Rin Tin Tin"(The Ambassador Aired November 13, 1955)The character of Rin Tin Tin had appeared in several movies and radio serials since 1922. One of the dogs used in the TV series was the fourth in the bloodline of the original Rin Tin Tin. Reruns of the show ran on daytime television and on Saturdays on CBS from October 1959 until September 1964. A new set of reruns was shown in 1976, and continued well into the mid-1980s. The original black and white prints were tinted light brown. An unrelated -including a German Shepherd - aired in the U.S. as Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop. The series was produced in Canada under the name Katts and Dog where the dog was named Rudy. When the series was shown in the U.S., the dog's name was dubbed "Rinty" to fit the U.S. title. The success of The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin caused the cancellation of Gene Autry's The Adventures of Champion on CBS, which was replaced on February 10, 1956, by My Friend Flicka. Flicka, starring Johnny Washb

The Stolen Purse (Aired May 22, 1949)Richard Diamond, Private Detective was a radio show starring Dick Powell which aired from 1949 to 1953, first on NBC, then ABC and finally on CBS. The title character was a rather light-hearted detective who often ended the episodes singing to his girlfriend, Helen. The television series was produced by Powell's company, Four Star Television, and that series ran for 3 years from 1957 to 1960. On TV, David Janssen played the hard boiled private eye and his secretary renamed “Sam”, was only ever shown on camera from the waist down, most assurardidly to display her beautiful legs. It was later leared that  the legs belonged to Mary Tyler Moore. Original music by Frank DeVol  and pete rugolo  and later by richard shores.  Good scripts,  a solid cast and Powell’s exceptional talent made a good time 30 minute program that was quite popular during that Golden Age of Radio. THIS EPISODE:May 22, 1949. The Stolen Purse" - NBC net. Sustaining. A little old lady gives Diamond a seemin

INTRO: Bob Camardella Plays Ron Stewart "Auld Lang Syne"The Raleigh Cigarette Program Starring Red SkeltonBells and Resolutions (Aired 01-01-46)After appearances on The Rudy Vallee Show in 1937, Skelton became a regular in 1939's Avalon Time on NBC, sponsored by Avalon Cigarettes. On October 7, 1941, Skelton premiered his own radio show, The Raleigh Cigarette Program, developing a number of recurring characters including punch-drunk boxer "Cauliflower McPugg," inebriated "Willy Lump-Lump" and "'Mean Widdle Kid' Junior," whose favorite phrase ("I dood it!") soon became part of the American lexicon. That, along with "He bwoke my widdle arm!" (or other body part) and "He don't know me vewy well, do he?" all found their way into various Warner Bros. cartoons. THIS EPISODE:January 1, 1946. NBC network, Hollywood origination. Sponsored by: Raleigh Cigarettes, Sir Walter Raleigh Tobacco. The Skelton Scrapbook Of Satire: Chapter 33, "Bells and Resolutions," with Deadeye and "Junior, The Mean Widdle Kid." Red Skelton,

The Price Of Sugar (Aired February 26, 1950)No Radio novice, Glenn Ford had not yet appeared in his own recurring dramatic Radio showcase. Christopher London gave millions of Glenn Ford fans an opportunity to hear him in a top-notch adventure anthology as Christopher London, a private investigator with an adventurous wanderlust reminiscent of Alan Ladd's Box Thirteen, Herbert Marshall's The Man Called X and Brian Donlevy's Dangerous Assignment--with a few elements of The Shadow and The Green Lama thrown in. The timing wasn't surprising, given Radio's mounting desperation to retain its listening audience in the face of the exponentially growing Television audience of the era.THIS EPISODE: February 26, 1950. NBC network. "The Price Of Sugar". Sustaining. Christopher is hired to find out why a sugar company can undersell everyone and discovers a concentration camp in the Philippines. The date is subject to correction. The final public service announcement and system cue have been deleted. Glenn Ford, Erle Stanle

Corpus Delicti (Aired February 1, 1953)NBC first envisioned The Chase as a new Television feature. This was not uncommon during the later 1940s and early 1950s. Several Radio features straddled both media, with varying success. Developed as a psychological drama, the premise was that many life situations place their subjects in a 'chase' of one type or another. A chase for fame. A chase from peril. A chase to beat the clock. A chase to escape death. The added twist was the question of who is the hunter or the hunted in these situations. The scripts were faced paced, starred quality east coast talent and were well written. The series' plots and themes focused primarily on predominantly fear inducing pursuits of one form or another. Thus most of the scripts were fraught with tension of one type or another. THIS EPISODE: February 1, 1953. NBC network. "Corpus Delecti". Sustaining. A reporter sees the dead Countess Athena in her stateroom. When the body disappears, no one will admit that she's even dead! Bryna Ra

The Romantic Engineer (1946) *The Exact Date Is Unknown.Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1923. Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu. Chan is a detective of the Honolulu police, though many stories feature Chan traveling the world as he investigates mysteries and solves crimes. Chan first appeared in Biggers' novels, but went on to be featured in a number of media. Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan have been made, beginning in 1926. On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in different series on four networks (Blue, NBC, ABC, MBS) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan as part of Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels. Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number O

Challenge Of Space - Ten Miles To The Moon (Aired July 7, 1969)On 1 May 1950, the first commercial radio station in South Africa, Springbok Radio took to the airwaves broadcasting in both English and Afrikaans. This followed almost 5 years of intense investigation by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) and after consultations with both Lord Reith of the BBC and the South African Government it was decided to introduce commercial radio in South Africa to supplement the SABC's existing public service English and Afrikaans networks. Just imagine the BBC in Johannesburg. The Challenge of space was a 1960's South African Sci-Fi adventure series. Well written and well acted stories that, aside from the science fiction aspect, could have been easily revised to reflect everyday earthly concerns. In one episode, "Another Galaxy", a young couple's desire to marry and live as simple farmers, is looked at as foolish by the boy's father. His plans for his son's future were much, much different. A life in the

 CBS News' The World Today spawned numerous excellent news specials and regular broadcasts over the legendary history of the CBS Radio News Bureau. The hands-down standouts from CBS' Radio News division over the years that spanned the Golden Age of Radio were commentators H.V. Kaltenborn, Elmer Davis and Edward R. Murrow. The Golden Age of Radio spanned some of the most momentous news events of the Twentieth Century: the aftermath of World War I, The Wall Street Crash, The Great Depression, The League of Nations, World War II, The Korean War, and the Cold War Era. Competition for Radio news coverage of all of these historical eras was predictably stiff. NBC, CBS and MBS were the major players during this era. ABC came to the Radio news arena somewhat later during the Golden Era of Radio news coverage. News coverage during the rise of the Nazi party and the lead up to World War II was especially well covered by all three major networks of the era. Competing news bureaus, both independent and print media bureau

INTRO: Bob Camardella Presents Samuel ClemensAKA Mark Twain (11-30-1835 to 04-21-1910)Roughing It (Aired October 5, 1956)The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956 through September 22, 1957 and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop from the 1930s and 1940s. Creator William Froug launched the series with this powerhouse two-part adaptation of "Brave New World" and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. "We’ll never get a sponsor anyway," CBS vice president Howard Barnes explained to Time, "so we might as well try anything." The CBS Workshop regularly featured the works of the world’s greatest writers. including Ray Bradbury, Archibald MacLeish, William Saroyan, Lord Dunsany and Ambrose Bierce. THIS EPISODE: October 5, 1956. CBS network. "Roughing It". Sustaining. Written by and "narrated" by Samuel Clemens. A do-it-yourself kit for Western movies. Good radio and a fine adaptation of Mark Twain. Daws Butler, Edward Marr, Harold Peary, Howard McNear, Jack Kruschen, Junius

The Slick And The Dead (Aired January 23, 1976)The CBS Radio Mystery Theater (or CBSRMT) was an ambitious and sustained attempt to revive the great drama of old-time radio in the 1970s. Created by Himan Brown (who had by then become a radio legend due to his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries and other shows dating back to the 1930s), and aired on affiliate stations across the CBS Radio network, the series began its long run on January 6, 1974. The final episode ran on December 31, 1982. The show was broadcast nightly and ran for one hour, including commercials. Typically, a week consisted of three to four new episodes, with the remainder of the week filled out with reruns. There were a total of 1399 original episodes broadcast. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2969. The late E.G. Marshall hosted the program every year but the final one, when actress Tammy Grimes took over. Each episode began with the ominous sound of a creaking door, slowly opening to invite listeners in for the evening's a

Broadway Is My Beat - Nick Norman Santa Claus aka: Santa Takes A Powder(Aired December 24, 1949)Broadway Is My Beat, a radio crime drama, ran on CBS from February 27, 1949 to August 1, 1954. With music by Robert Stringer, the show originated from New York during its first three months on the air, with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Detective Danny Clover. John Dietz directed for producer Lester Gottlieb. Beginning with the July 7, 1949 episode, the series was broadcast from Hollywood with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast in scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. The opening theme of "I'll Take Manhattan" introduced Detective Danny Clover (now played by Larry Thor), a hardened New York City cop who worked homicide "from Times Square to Columbus Circle -- the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomest mile in the world." Danny Clover narrated the tales of the Great White Way to the accompaniment of music by Wilbur Hatch and Alexander Courage, and the recreation of Manhattan's aural tapestry

Christmas Shopping (Aired December 19, 1946)Sponsors included Anchor-Hocking glass, Toni home permanet, Toni Creme Shampoo and Philip Morris cigarettes.   Richard Carlyle and John Gibson portrayed the roles when the series premiered in April, 1951, but by June they were replaced by Darren McGavin and Cliff Hall. Ann Williams, a reporter on The Morning Express, was Casey’s girlfriend. During the summer of 1951 he acquired a partner in cub reporter Jack Lipman, who wrote copy to go with Casey’s pictures. This live series was set in and broadcast from, New York City.THIS EPISODE:December 19, 1946. CBS network. "Christmas Shopping". Sponsored by: Anchor Hocking Glass. Casey uses the nimble fingers of a pick pocket and a 10 ton truck to catch a pair of murderers. Tony Marvin (announcer), Staats Cotsworth, John Gibson, George Harmon Coxe (creator), Herman Chittison (piano), Alonzo Deen Cole (writer). 33:28. Episode Notes From The Radio Gold Index.

Christmas Program (Aired December 18, 1947)Burns and Allen are one of the most beloved couple in old time radio. They got started, like many of the greats of old time radio, in vaudeville, which is really just the touring popular entertainment in America prior to movies. Gracie was the sparkplug of the act, always the center of attention. George played the foil, the guy vainly trying to make sense of the ditzy world of Gracie. By the early 30s, Gracie was probably the best known woman on radio. Gracie often sang in a voice that showed she was also an excellent comedienne songstress. The shows had names after the sponsors, such as Maxwell House Coffee Time, or The Ammident Show - it was the Burns and Allen show to the public. THIS EPISODE:December 18, 1947. "Christmas Program"- NBC network. Sponsored by: Maxwell House Coffee, Jell-O. What does Gracie really want for Christmas? George is forced to guess. The Maxwell House production commercial is based on the tune, "Glow Worm." Gracie misreads her last line, on