Month: May 2018

EP2526: Boston Blackie: Blackie’s Framed for Killing A Watchman

Richard Kollmar

Mary hires another private eye to follow Blackie, as Blackie tries to infiltrate a gang.

Original Air Date: June 11, 1947

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EP2525: Rocky Jordan: Up in Flames

Jack Moyles

Rocky’s offered additional fire insurance and declines it and then that evening, there’s a fire in the Cafe Tambourine.

Original Air Date: December 19, 1948

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AWR0045: Lux Radio Theater: Snow White

Amazing World of Radio

The Lux Radio Theater adaptation of the classic Disney Animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The beautiful Snow White flees from the wrath of the jealous queen and takes refuge in the house of the Seven Dwarves.

Original Air Date: December 26, 1938

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EP2524: Air Mail Mystery: Episodes 1 and 2

photo credit: freestock.ca ♡ dare to share beauty Vibrant US Air Mail Stamp via photopin (license)

Justice Department investigator Irene Delroy begins an investigation into a series of plane crashes where thousands of dollars in government cash shipments disappeared.

Original Air Date: Sometime in 1932

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EP2523: Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons: The Case of the Frightened Child

So lost, I'm fading

photo credit: Greyframe So lost, I’m fading viaphotopin (license)

Mister Keen helps out in the case of a boy whose been struck speechless and no one knows who he is.

Original Air Date: November 16, 1944

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Video Theater 0132: Boston Blackie: So Was Goliath

Blackie tries to help out a boxer/law student who wants out of the fight game, but is held in place by a contract and a crooked fight boss.

Season 2, Episode 11

Original Air Date: December 26, 1952

EP2522: Dragnet: The Big Will

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith investigate the murder of a wealthy business owner.

Original Air Date: June 7, 1953

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TV Episode Review: The Avengers: The House that Jack Built

Series: The Avengers
Season 4, Episode 23
Original Air Date: March 5, 1966

“The House that Jack Built” begins atypically for an Avengers episode. Mrs. Peel (Diana Rigg) shows up to find John Steed (Patrick Macnee) developing photos. There’s no big case. She just stops by for a friendly chat before heading off to look at a house her solicitor sent her a letter saying she’d inherited.

When Mrs. Peel arrives, she’s trapped inside the house and forced to wander through a series of confusing rooms, traps, and weird contraptions seemingly meant to reduce her to a state of terror.

This is a brilliant episode. The directing is superb, giving this situation a very haunting claustrophobic atmosphere throughout. The design of this house and the all related traps lends to the suspenseful feel.

This episode is also a showcase for Diana Rigg. While Steed finds clues that put him on Mrs. Peel’s trail and allow him to be in on the finale, the focus is on Mrs. Peel as she creeps through this house with few words. Rigg is superb. Mrs. Peel is one of the few female characters on television in this era who wouldn’t break out in hysterics. Rigg plays Mrs. Peel with appropriate coolness, without portraying a flippant bravado that would take the viewer out of the episode.

While the Avengers had a fun light touch, this episode shows the series could work with a serious and suspenseful tone, too. This episode is a classic that’s well worth watching.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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EP2521: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Shifty Looker Matter

Mandel Kramer

Johnny is called in by an insurance company because an insured child is kidnapped. Johnny’s informed he can’t call the police or the FBI because of the terms of the policy.

Original Air Date: August 27, 1961

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EP2520: Boston Blackie: The Stalking Killer

Richard Kollmar

A friend of Mary’s who’s being stalked by a blackmailing killer comes to Blackie for help.

Original Air Date: June 4, 1947

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EP2519: Rocky Jordan: Ace High Straight

Jack Moyles

Rocky lost big in a card game and is ready to payoff but several cards (men named Jack, Queen, and King) distract Rocky and the gun that killed Ace, the man he owed money to, is found in his desk.

Original Air Date: December 12, 1948

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EP2518: Man From Homicide: The Lucille Forbes Case

Dan Duryea

A woman is found dead with her wrists slit. Dana suspects murder.

Original Air Date: August 17, 1951
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EP2517: Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons: The Case of the Woman in Blue

So lost, I'm fading

photo credit: Greyframe So lost, I’m fading viaphotopin (license)

An Air Force Lieutenant on leave meets a woman at the party and then she mysteriously disappears.

Original Air Date: June 15, 1944

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My Favorite Non-Detective Old Time Radio Dramas

While we play detective shows on the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio, I love many other programs from radio’s golden age, too. If you’re looking for family drama or for an exciting adventure, this list might provide some programs that are good for you.

Family Theater (1947-57):

The program was brought to you by the idea of family prayer. This is a lovely program that engaged some of Hollywood’s finest actors from Vincent Price and Bob Hope to Edmond O’Brien and Maureen O’Sullivan and Raymond Burr. The stories range from retellings of classics to dramatic tales that illustrated powerful lessons. The program’s messages are positive, inspiring, and thought-provoking. Some dodgy moments may offend modern sensibilities. Otherwise, this is a great example of what a family program can be. My favorites include the original story, “God and the Red Scooter” and their adaptation of “The Hound of Heaven.”

Cavalcade of America (1937-55):

Cavalcade of America would occasionally tell well-known stories of American history. Those episodes are okay. However, what makes me listen to Cavalcade are all of their obscure stories. They’ll tell about some aspect of a founding father’s life few remembered back in 1937 or talk about some now unsung hero who made a great difference in American history.

Cavalcade of America tells stories about how an American began selling ice overseas or the first American to become an opera star overseas. There’s the story of a lawyer who set out to protect an abused child in the absence of laws against child abuse by trying to apply laws for the protection of small animals. I learn so much from this show, and I am more historically aware than the average person. Most Cavalcade episodes are entertaining and enlightening. A few are a little too pedantic, particularly some early episodes. This anthology series also has a great cast, including episodes featuring Orson Welles, Humphrey Bogart, Dick Powell, and Basil Rathbone.

Dr. Christian (1937-54)

After playing a kindly doctor in a series of films featuring the Dionne Quints, the Danish-born actor brought to life the kindest country doctor imaginable. As Dr. Christian, he stood at the center of the upstate New York community of Rivers End. Dr. Christian lived a life of selfless love and care for everyone in the community. He not only cared for broken bodies but broken hearts and the health of the whole community. Later episodes in the 1940s were chosen from fan-submitted scripts. The lessons in Dr. Christian are often out of fashion, but few are useless relics. Usually, they’re timeless truths that we have forgotten.
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Fort Laramie (1956)

Just before he achieved stardom on TV, Raymond Burr stars as the rugged and wise Captain Lee Quince, second in command of Fort Laramie. The program featured uncompromising realism in its portrayal of life in the army in this Old West fort. Despite this, the show wasn’t dry or constantly dark or humorless. It was intelligently written. One episode would be funny and light, reflecting some odd but true aspect of life in the West. Then it would be followed by a tragic story. That meant the tragic story hit harder than it would have otherwise. The feature has a solid recurring cast including Harry Bartel and Jack Moyles and great production values.

Voyage of the Scarlet Queen (1947-48)

Captain Phillip Carney (Elliot Lewis) captained the Scarlet Queen as she sailed across the world. He various adventures with the aid of his first mate Red Gallagher (Ed Max). This was one of the few adult adventure series on the radio. It’s brilliant, filled with great characters, suspense, and an ability to bring exotic ports to life in a Hollywood radio studio. While all 35 episodes of the series are good, the first 20 are superb. They have a running plot of a particular cargo Carney is trying to deliver with a big enemy that’s trying to stop him through the villain of the week. It’s a pretty interesting approach and not something done in the 1940s.

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1947-56):

A lot of religious dramas aired in the 1940s and 50s. In my view, this was the best. It dramatized stories from the Bible, mostly the New Testament. It features a good (but uncredited ) cast and almost no commercial interruption. Much like some later dramatization of the Bible for television, it expands on some stories to fill half an hour. Usually, this works. On occasion, new themes are drawn from the added material and take the story in an odd direction. Again, most of the time, it worked quite well. It’s a shame more episodes of the series didn’t survive, with only about 1 in 7 circulating today.

I’ll also offer honorable mentions to Bold Venture and I Was a Communist for the FBI.

Share your favorite radio dramas in the comments below.

EP2516: Dragnet: The Big Gun, Part Two

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith have captured one of the men in a car theft and narcotics racket, but now have to catch the ringleader.

Original Air Date: May 31, 1953

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Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
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