Month: June 2018

EP2542: Air Mail Mystery Episodes 8 and 9

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

With the death of a pilot, the case has gone to a new level and Irene wants answers from Powers, the head of Transamerican Airlines.

Original Air Date: 1932

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EP2541: Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons: The Strange Case of Charlie Lorimer

So lost, I'm fading

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

A woman’s fiance disappears, as does her old boyfriend.

Original Air Date: November 29, 1945

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TV Series Review: Banacek

A version of this review appeared five years ago

More than a decade prior to becoming universally associated with the character of Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, George Peppard played Thomas Banacek, a Boston-based, Polish proverb-spouting insurance investigator. He made a comfortable living solving cases the insurance company couldn’t crack and collecting ten percent of the insurance company’s savings.

The series aired from 1972-74 and it focused on classic impossible mysteries. How does a football player on the field disappear in front of thousands of fans? How does a million dollars in cash vanish from behind a locked display case? How does $23 million in paintings vanish from a truck transporting it?

Banacek takes no case where the missing item is less than a million dollars in value. While a murder usually happens in the course of the investigation, it’s not guaranteed. The focus is on the big property crime, not on violence.

Banacek was part of NBC’s Mystery Wheel, so its original running time with commercials was 90 minutes, with the shows themselves running a shade over 70 minutes in length. This allows for plenty of development, particularly in the early episodes, without a lot of fluff. A grand total of doc episodes were released.

Throughout the series, Peppard was supported by Ralph Manza who provided the comic relief as Banacek’s chauffeur and erstwhile sidekick, Jay. Manza’s character would occasionally take a crack at the solution that would be invariably offbase. Murray Mattheson played Felix Mulhol, a bookstore store owner that seemed to know everything about everything.

Banacek was portrayed as God’s gift to women, at least those who weren’t looking for a serious relationship. Among the Banacek women was future Lois Lane Margo Kidder. However, scenes in bed were avoided throughout the series, as mere verbal hints were all that would be allowed.

The second season did see some changes. In the first season, the insurance company was more than happy to hand over six-digit checks in order to avoid seven-digit losses. However, in the second season, an insurance company exec tries to thwart Banacek with the help one of his own investigators Carlie Kirkland (Christine Belford) who tried to maintain an on-again, off-again romance with Banacek while trying to beat him out of his exorbitant fees.

This was a bad move, as it tampered with the show’s dynamic, slowed down the stories, and didn’t add anything to the plot. Kirkland wasn’t particularly likable. In one story, she wormed her way into an investigation, asking to learn from Banacek while on a leave of absence from the company and then tried to sell him out to her insurance company. The character didn’t appear in the last two episodes of the second season since the episodes were set outside of Boston.

The second season disc for Banacek contains the original pilot which shows a bit of the original conception. In the original conception, Banacek only worked cold cases that hadn’t been solved in sixty days and the executive commented on how much money the insurance company has squandered on investigators’ pay and expenses searching for millions of dollars in gold. Perhaps this is why the producers went with a format where Banacek came on with a promise of reward soon after the items were stolen. It made more economic sense. In the case in the pilot, they ended up out all the money they paid the investigators plus the reward.

Peppard played Banacek differently in the pilot. He was a quieter, less flip character. He spent a good fifteen minutes straight on screen at one point saying nothing. He spoke with conviction, explaining why he didn’t change his last name to something less obviously Polish.

Jay and Carlie were also in the pilot. Jay was quite different. He owned a limo rental business based in Dallas rather than being Banacek’s employee and simply drove him around. He also pulled a classic double-cross when he bribed the operator to listen in to Banacek’s phone call and overheard a key clue which he used in hopes of collecting the reward. Definitely a different conception than the loyal, albeit dimwitted character who’d appear in the rest of the series.

Overall thoughts:

Banacek is certainly not an essential mystery series. Unlike Columbo, Poirot, or Monk, Banacek is one of those shows you can take or leave.

Peppard is at his best as the wise-cracking detective who stays one step ahead of cops and official insurance investigators while hunting down items of unbelievable value.

The first season is a well-performed series with great mysteries, solid plots, and great solutions. The second season has too much airtime taken up by Carlie Kirkland and that drags down the stories. Still, even that season has the great entry, “If Max Is So Smart, Why Doesn’t He Tell Us Where He Is?” as well as the fairly good, “Rocket to Oblivion.”

Overall, I’d give the series three 3.5 stars out of 5.0 with Season 1 getting 4 stars and Season 2 getting a 3.

In terms of availability, Banacek is a hard series to lay your hands on. The season sets are out of print. Last time, I recommended a bargain best of Banacek DVD with six episodes on it and that’s also gone out of print. I watched it originally through Netflix’s DVD rental service. but Netflix no longer carries it. If your local library doesn’t own it, viewing the series may come at a premium that could price it out for anyone but diehard fans until a new printing is done.

 

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EP2540: Dragnet: The Big Ham

Jack Webb

A young woman appears to have committed suicide in the apartment of a promising young actor.

Original Air Date: June 28, 1953

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EP2539: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Double-Barreled Matter

Mandel Kramer

Johnny flies out to the West Coast to investigate a series of burglaries of an insured couple where nothing was taken.

Original Air Date: September 24, 1961

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EP2538: Boston Blackie: The Joe Nelson Murder

Richard Kollmar

An ex-con owner of a pet shop is murdered in Blackie’s apartment while he’s on a date with Mary.

Original Air Date: June 25, 1947

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AWR0047: Victory Theater: The Philadelphia Story

Amazing World of Radio
A socialite (Katherine Hepburn) plans her second marriage but has to deal with interference from her first husband (Cary Grant) and the appearance of a clever reporter. (Jimmy Stewart)

Original Air Date: July 20, 1942

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EP2537: Rocky Jordan: Escapade with Paula

Jack Moyles

A tall, beautiful woman asks Rocky to help her find her missing husband.

Original Air Date: January 9, 1949

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EP2536: Air Mail Mystery: Episodes 5 and 6

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

Irene, Fitz, and Jimmy go to Salt Flats to intercept a suspect in the crashes and robberies of planes carrying air mail.

Original Air Date: 1932

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EP2535: Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons: The Case of the Absent-Minded Professor

So lost, I'm fading

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

A young woman is suspected when her mother is poisoned leaving her a fortune.

Original Air Date: March 15, 1945

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Video Theater 0133: Dragnet: The Big Children

Friday and Smith investigate a case of child neglect in a well-to-do neighborhood.

Original Air Date: February 11, 1954

Season 3, Episode 11

EP2534: Dragnet: The Big Revolt

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith search for a missing contractor.

Original Air Date: June 21, 1953

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Audio Drama Review: Black Jack Justice Season Three

Season Three of Black Jack Justice features six half hour episodes and finds the team in a fairly well-established routine with Jack (Christopher Mott) and Trixie (Andrea Lyons) joined by the office dog, King.

The types of cases they solve this season are far from unheard of, yet the series is enjoyable due to their great sense of style.

The season opens up with, “Payback” where Jack is determined to solve a murder case that led to him getting thrown into jail for thirty days and to get payback on the client who caused the incarceration.

“Sabian’s Law” finds Jack and Trixie on opposite sides as Trixie would rather lose a reward to the firm than have to deal with the indignity of losing a bet to Jack, which leads to an unlikely team up with their police foe Lieutenant Sabian. “Trixie’s Pet” finds Trixie getting the firm involved in investigating a case where Button Down Theo, an operative for the big detective firm in town, has landed himself in trouble.

“The Reunion” finds Jack and Trixie trying to help a wealthy widow facilitate a meeting between her and her estranged twin sister.

“Much Ado About Norman” has the two searching for their emotional client, because they fear he’s about to do something stupid, rash, and illegal.

The season concludes with, “Dance, Justice, Dance” which opens with Jack and Trixie in a firefigh. Then Jack reveals the true version of the oft-misquoted statement, “Music soothes the savage beast,” before explaining how they got a job protecting musicians who got a contract with a big casino along with anonymous warnings that they might not live to fulfill it.

There’s not a bad episode in the bunch and each has its own unique features that make for fun listening. “The Reunion” may have been the best mystery of the season. I also loved the more character-driven nature of “Much Ado About Norman.” And “Dance, Justice, Dance” has a great bit of world-weary narration, particularly the ending.

The sound effects continue to be a bit dodgy. This could be heard during the gunfight in the finale. Other than that, though, the third season of Black Jack Justice was quite a delight.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Listen to Season 3 of Black Jack Justice for free at the Decoder Ring Theater website.

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EP2533: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Buyer and Cellar Matter

Mandel Kramer

Johnny investigates the case of a wealthy man who disappeared after going to visit an eccentric collector.

Original Air Date: September 10, 1961

When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com

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EP2532: Boston Blackie: The Donald Carver Frame-Up

Richard Kollmar

A widow finds a smoking gun in the drawer of her ne’er do well son. The gun is tied to a robbery/murder that occurred at the office of her other son.

Original AIr Date: June 18, 1947

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