Month: May 2013

EP0961: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Amy Bradshaw Matter, Part Five and Nightmare for Knight

Bob Bailey

Knight breaks into the Prince’s headquarters with a French criminal and bad results.

Original Air Date: 1958 or ’59

The wind up of the Bradshaw Matter and who really is behind the threats against Amy Bradshaw.

Original Air Date: November 25, 1955

 

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EP0960: Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band

John Gielgud

A young woman whose sister died from a mysterious poisoning asks Holmes and Watson to help, fearing her stepfather may kill her next.

Original Air Date: March 20, 1955

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EP0959: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Amy Bradshaw Matter, Parts Three and Four

Bob Bailey
Johnny begins to get too close to the case as motives for threatening Amy Bradshaw begin to multiply.

Original Air Date: November 23 and 24, 1955

 

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EP0958: The Big Guy: The Case of the Villanious Friend

A man in prison for robbery escapes with the help of a lifer…but why?

Original Air Date: August 27, 1950

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EP0957: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Amy Bradshaw Matter, Parts One and Two

Bob Bailey

A beautiful actress receives a threatening note.

Original Air Date: November 21 and 22, 1955

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Telefilm Review: The Murder of Roger Akroyd

Four years after the end of the sixth series of Poirot, the mysteries returned for a seventh series with David Suchet. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd begins with Poirot in blissful retirement in the country as he focuses on his gardening.

However, a baffling murder brings him out to investigate the buried secrets of a small town.

As usual with Poirot stories, the mystery’s not a problem, nor is the acting by the lead. The fundamental problem with this play is dramatic. Here, I try not to give away the game to anyone unfamiliar with the story. The Murder of Roger Akroyd much Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, is noted for an unusual twist solution that’s actually quite shocking in the annals of detective fiction.

The ending works great in a book or in a well-done radio adaptation like Orson Welles’ Campbell playhouse version, however it’s understandably difficult to pull off in a cinematic way.  But, what they tried to do instead failed with a gratuitous chase scene to resolve the story just didn’t  feel right.  The film also suffered somewhat from the decision to include the Poirot family of actors even if it really didn’t work for capturing the spirit of the book.

In addition, the story had a somewhat maudlin, overly sentimental feel to it. To be fair, I wasn’t following the Poirot series in 2000 and maybe fans appreciated it back then, but it doesn’t age well.

It’s a weak entry and a bumpy start to the second half of the Poirot mysteries.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.0

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Book Review: The Scandal of Father Brown

This is the final Father Brown collection, containing eight stories (or nine, depending on the collection.) From my point view, G.K. Chesterton really hadn’t lost a step in this last collection the year before Chesteron’s death in 1936.

The stories all are wonderfully unexpected with a great twist. Why for example would the very orthodox priest seem to help a woman escape with her lover in the title story. Or what was the real misdoing of a radical professor in “The Crime of the Communist?” And who is the mysterious Mr. Blue? And why can’t the combined duo of Father Brown and Flambeau solve “The Insoluable Problem?”

These are the some good little mysteries here. Others that I really enjoyed included, “The Quick One” and also if your edition includes it, “The Vampire of the Village” is probably the best story in the collection even though it was in the first edition as Chesterton published it.

Overall, this is a fine final collection and shows the enduring power of Chesterton and his little priest with the umbrella to surprise, amuse, and entertain us while also making us thing.
Rating: 4.75 out of 5.0

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EP0956: The Line Up: The Senile Slugging Case

William Johnstone
Guthrie investigates a series of brutal muggings that have targeted elderly victims.

Original Air Date: September 12, 1951

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EP0955: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Broderick Matter, Part Five and Nightmare for Knight

Bob Bailey
Knight makes a daring escape from the harem and the intrigue surrounding it grows deeper.

Original Air Date: 1958 or ’59

Johnny is all that stands between Lorraine Broderick and a leap into eternity.

Original Air Date: November 18, 1955

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EP0954: Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle

John Gielgud

A lost goose sets Holmes on the trail of a jewel thief.

Original Air Date: March 13, 1955

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EP0953: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Broderick Matter, Parts 3 and 4

Bob Bailey
Johnny finds a trail of broken hearts as disillusionment sets on the trail of Lorraine Broderick.

Original Air Date: November 16 and 17, 1955

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EP0952: The Big Guy: The Unheard Voice

Joshua Sharp tries to clear a man who runs a carousel whose beloved by his children.

Original Air Date: May 7, 1950

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EP0951: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Broderick Matter, Parts One and Two (Corrected)

 Bob Bailey

Johnny sets out to find a sweet little girl who a man saved and worked to provide her a life insurance legacy. He finds the girl may not have grown up to be so sweet.

Original Air Date: November 14 and 15, 1955

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EP0950s: The McCoy: Three Wayward Girls

Howard Duff

The McCoy investigates the murder of an old girlfriend at the request of her agent.

Audition Date: April 22, 1951

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Radio’s Most Essential People: Final Thoughts and Complete List

When I began compiling my list of radio’s most essential people, I wanted to honor  the people who’d made the greatest impact on radio. I also wanted to represent every type of person who contributed to great radio.  It’d be easy to make a list full of leading actors and actresses. But that wasn’t the stuff of old time radio. It was comedy, drama, and music. I wanted to be sure that the character actor and actresses who made radio truly great got their due, as did the creative minds who made programs like Yours Truly Johnny Dollar  and Boston Blackie as good as they weren’t without appearing behind the mike.

So after eight months, the list is done.

We had 100 names and they included lead actors, comedians, singers, band leaders, character actors, writers, and announcers. Of course, along the way, I’ve had questions and even as I look at the list there are  a few calls I struggled with.

The biggest regret were all the people who couldn’t quite fit into the top 100, so I’ll offer some honorable mentions:

Character Actors/Actresses:
Parley Baer
Herb Vigran
Barney Philips
Betty Lou Gerson
Stacy Harris
J. Carrol Naish

Lead Actor:

Alan Ladd

Comedy Teams:
The Easy Aces
Vic and Sade

Announcers:
Carlton Kadell
Don Willson

Band Leaders:
Paul Whiteman
Benny Goodman

Of course, our own biases play into our picks. Some fans may feel I overrated some choices such as Meredith Willson (#37) and Gordon Macrae (#28). Maybe, but I feel they’ve been underrated for far too long.

The toughest choice was #1.  To be honest, throughout the eight months, I went back and forth between Welles and Benny. In the end, my conviction settled around Welles, though I definitely understand the case for Mr. Benny.

My hope with this list is not that this be the last word in greats of radio, but that’ll inspire others to honor and write about the folks who made radio.

I want to acknowledge the valuable information provided by the Digital Deli, Radio Goldindex, and John Dunning’s On the Air  for the invaluable help they provided in making this list.

Below is list with links to each article. Please note that all items between links are covered at the top link.  So the link on the #100 list will contains ranks for #96-100, and the link on #95 will contain information on #91-95, and so on.

100) Vic Perrin-Character Actor.
99) Jock Macgregor-Writer, Producer, Director.
98) Humphrey Bogart, Actor, star of Bold Venture.
97) Dennis Day-Singer, star of A Day in the Life of Dennis Day.
96) Barton Yarborough, Character Actor.
95) Lon Clark, Actor, Star of Nick Carter.
94) Shirley Mitchell, Character Actress.
93) William Bendix, Star of The Life of Riley.
92) Edward Arnold, Actor, Star of Mr. President.
91) Frances Langford, Singer, Star of The Bickersons.
90) Frank Nelson, Character Actor.
89) Bill Goodwin, Announcer and Actor.
88) David Friedkin and Morton Fine, Writing Team-Broadway’s My Beat. 
87) Raymond Burr, Character Actor and Star of Fort Laramie.
86) Frank Sinatra, Singer, Actor, Star of Rocky Fortune.
85) Himan Brown, Producer/Director-Flash Gordon, Inner Sanctum, Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator, CBS Mystery Theater.
84) William Gargan, Actor/Announcer, Star of I Deal in Crime, Martin Kane, and Barrie Craig.
83) Damon Runyan, Writer.
82) Mandell Kramer, Character Actor, Star of It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar(1961-62).
81) Lucille Ball, Comedienne, Actress, Star of My Favorite Husband.
80) Arthur Godfrey, Singer, Talk Show Host.
79) Les Damon, Actor, star of The Thin Man, the Adventures of the Abbotts, The Adventures of the Falcon, ABC Mystery Theater.
78) John Dehner, Character Actor, Star of Have Gun, Will Travel.
77) Robert Ripley, Host of Ripley’s Believe it Or Not.
76) Robert Young, Actor, Star of Father Knows Best.
75) Fanny Brice, Comedienne, “Baby Snooks.”
74) Lionel Barrymore, Actor, Star of “Mayor of the Town, “Scrooge” in annual live performances of The Christmas Carol.
73) Gene Autry-Western Singer.
72) William Johnstone, Character Actor, Star of The Shadow and The Line Up.
71) Anne and Frank Hummert-Radio Writers and Producer Team.
70) Groucho Marx, Comedian, Host of You Bet Your Life.
69) Martha Wilkerson-GI Jill, host of The GI Jive during World War II.
68) Basil Rathbone-Actor, star of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Scotland Yard, and Tales of Fatima.
67) Ozzie and Harriet-Actor/Actress, Band Leader and Singer, Stars of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.
66) Fredrick Ziv-Producer of Syndicated radio programs including Boston Blackie, I Was a Communist for the FBI, and The Cisco Kid.
65) Harry Bartell, Announcer, Character Actor.
64) Cathy Lewis, Actress, Star of On Stage.
63) Abbott and Costello, Comedy Team.
62) Rudy Vallee, Singer, Variety Show Host.
61) Don Ameche, Announcer, Actor, Star of The Bickersons.
60) Harold Peary, Comedian, Singer, Star of The Great Gildersleeve and The Harold Peary Show.
59) Art Linkletter, Announcer, Host of People Are Funny and House Party.
58) Arch Oboler, Radio Writer for Light’s Out and Arch Oboler’s Plays.
57) Mercedes McCambridge, Actress, Star of Defense Attorney.
56) William N. Robson-Producer/Director/Write-Escape, Suspense, Man Behind the Gun.
55) Ben Wright, Character actor, Star of Sherlock Holmes and Pursuit.
54) Hans Conreid, Character Actor.
53) Hebert Marshall, Actor, Star of The Man Called X.
52) Phil Harris, Singer, Comedian, Star of The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show
51) Jeanette Nolan, Character Actress.
50) Howard Duff, Actor/Announcer, Star of Sam Spade.
49) Eve Arden, Actress, Star of Our Miss Brooks.
48) Claudia Morgan, Actress, Star of The Thin Man and The Adventures of the Abbotts.
47) Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Comedian.
46) Jean Hersholt, Actor, Star of Dr. Christian.
45) Agnes Moorhead, Character Actress.
44) Jackson Beck-Actor, Announcer on Adventures of Superman.
43) Jack Moyle, Character Actor, Star of Rocky Jordan.
42) Frank Lovejoy, Character Actor, Announcer, Star of Night Beat.
41) Gertrude Berg, Writer/Actress, Star of The Goldbergs.
40) Gerald Mohr, Character Actor, Star of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe.
39) Edgar Bergen, Comedian, Ventriloquist.
38) Alan Reed, Character Actor.
37) Meredith Willson, Actor, Song Writer, Band Leader.
36) Red Skelton , Comedian.
35) Glenn Miller, Band leader.
34) Norman Corwin, Writer.
33) Jimmy Durante, Comedian.
32) Carlton Morse, Writer and Producer of One Man’s Family and I Love a Mystery.
31) Dick Powell, Singer, Actor, Star of Rogue’s Gallery and Richard Diamond Private Investigator.
30) William Spier, Producer/Director-Suspense, Duffy’s Tavern, The Adventure’s of Sam Spade.
29) Paul Frees, Character Actor.
28) Gordon McRae, Singer, Star of The Railroad Hour.
27) Bud Collyer, Announcer, Star of The Adventures of Superman.
26) Eddie Cantor, Comedian and Singer.
25) Norm McDonnell, Producer/Director of Adventures of Philip Marlowe and Gunsmoke.
24) Kate Smith, Singer, Talk Show Host/Variety Show Host.
23) Bruce Beamer, Actor, star of The Lone Ranger.
22) Fred Allen, Comedian.
21) Mel Blanc, Character Actor.
20) Lum ‘n Abner, Comedy team (Norris Goff and Chester Lauck.)
19) Lurene Tuttle, Character Actress.
18) Jack Johnstone, Writer, Director, Producer, Adventures of Superman, The Man Called X, and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar.
17) Dinah Shore, Singer.
16) Amos’n Andy, Comedy Team (Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll.)
15) Lawrence Dobkin, Character Actor, star of The Adventures of Ellery Queen.
14) George Burns and Gracie Allen, Comedy Team.
13) Bob Bailey, Actor, Star of Let George Do It and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar(1955-60).
12) Al Jolson, Singer, Variety Show Host.
11) Jack Webb, Actor/Director, Creator and Star of Dragnet, Star of Pat Novak for Hire and Jeff Regan.
10) Joseph Kearns, Character Actor.
9) Elliot Lewis, Actor, Producer, Director, star of Voyage of the Scarlet Queen, Casebook of Gregory Hood, Producer of Broadway’s My Beat and Suspense.
8) Fibber McGee and Molly, Comedy Team (Jim and Marion Jordan).
7) William Conrad, Character, Star of Gunsmoke.
6) Gale Gordon, Character Actor, star of Flash Gordon and Casebook of Gregory Hood.
5) Virginia Gregg, Character Actress.
4) Bing Crosby, Singer.
3) Bob Hope, Comedian.
2) Jack Benny, Comedian.
1) Orson Welles, Actor, Director, Producer, Writer. Director and Star of <i>The Mercury Theater</i> programs. Star of <i>The Shadow</i> and <i>The Lives of Harry Lime</i>.

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