Golden Age Article « The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

19May/134

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 The Mercury Theater programs. Star of The Shadow and The Lives of Harry Lime.

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18May/132

Radio Drama Review: The History of Harry Niles, Box Set 2

The Adventures Harry Nile is a radio detective series recorded out of Seattle. It first began recording in 1977 and then resumed in the 1990s and continues to produce new episodes to this. Include in the second set of "The History of Harry Niles" are the last of the 1970s episodes episodes starring Phil Harper and some of the 1990s episodes and cover Harry Nile stories between 1942 and 1950.

There are two double length stories including the , "Blood Ties" which provides some crucial background on Harry's life in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles. "Hair of the Dog" sees the case of missing dog turning into a murder investigation. And as the title implies, "Aloha Means Goodbye" sees Harry traveling to Hawaii on a blackmail case. There's also two Christmas specials, the most heart-warming of which was, "Maybe, there is a Santa Claus" which finds Harry looking for a discharged soldier in Christmas 1945.

This block of episodes also features Harry's move from LA to Seattle, though in the Audible download version the order of episode was somewhat out of order, but that's the main point against this collection and it's a small one.

Producer Jim French really captured the spirit of the 1940s and 50s in these dramas. As well as capturing the history and period in Seattle history, which was definitely not covered in the golden age of radio. Harry Nile becomes to Seattle what Pat Novak is to San Francisco and what Philip Marlowe is to Los Angeles.

This set also sees Murphy (played by French's wife Pat) begin to assume a regular role on the show. First, as a librarian that Harry plugged for free advice and then growing into a regular associate of Harry's firm.

In addition, I noticed a big improvement from the first set. Early on, French seemed to struggle with Harry as a hard luck hero. In some of those early episodes, the stories crossed a thin line into making Harry look like a loser. However, in this second volume, French clearly has the character down as a much more Marlowesque sort of character, though a little bit less violent.

Overall, this is another great Harry Nile set that shows development in this great character and series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

Purchasing Information:

The set is available at French's website for $49.95 on CD or as a digital download for $25.

The History of Harry Niles, Set 1 (along with Sets 4 and 5) are available on Audible for $19.95 for members or 1 Credit. I bought this set with my an Audible listener Credit ($14.95).

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12May/130

Radio’s Most Essential People Countdown #1: Orson Welles

Previous Posts:2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8,9, 10, 12-11, 14-13, 16-15, 18-17, 20-19,22-21, 24-23, 26-25, 28-27, 30-29, 33-31, 36-34,

39-37,42-40, 45-43, 48-46, 51-49, 54-52, 57-55, 60-58, 65-61, 70-66, 71-75, 76-80,

81-85, 86-90, 91-95, 96-100

1) Orson Welles

Orson Welles

Consider the following accomplishments:

Star, director, and producer of the Mercury Theatre on the Air and notoriously set off a panic with his adaptation of War of the Worlds.
Portrayed The Shadow over radio in one of radio's most iconic performances.
Guest host for an ailing Jack Benny in the 1940s
Host of Radio Almanac and Hello Americans.
Star of The Lives of Harry Lime.
Narrator of The Black Museum.

Two of these would merit some consideration for appearance on our list, but all six added together indicates that Welles belongs at the very top.

While most people would best remember him for the 1939 War of the Worlds fright, Welles had many claims to fame both before and after the infamous performance. His `1937 performance of Les Miserables shines as he adapted the story, directed the play, and played the lead role of Jean Valjean as the age 22.

His role as The Shadow in 1937 was a precursor to superheroes like Batman with his performance at the disappearing Shadow. Then came the Mercury Theater, with War of the Worlds being just one of many well-done one hour adaptations he and his talented team of performers turned out season after season of radio dramas, most being one hour in length.

Even when not on his own programs, there was a certain majesty about Welles and anything he did. His performances on Suspense were legendary including such classics as "The Hitch-hiker, " "The Lost Special," and "Donovan's Brain." In addition to this, he also brought Shakespeare to radio, playing Hamlet at age 19 for the Columbia Workshop.

Welles was not without his flaws. His ego led to the end of his brief time hosting Cresta Blanca's This is My Best and his various problems led him to leave for England and Americans could only hear him by transcription in the 1940s. He was also a notorious ham. Yet, it must be said he could pay tribute to others like no other man alive possessed the ability.

However, warts and all, Welles remains radio's most essential person. He came along when radio was still young and audio drama, the youngest of all arts. He showed those who would follow what radio could be. He stretched its limits and left a legacy that both entertains and amazes after all these years. And while his film legacy has some highlights, it is radio where Welles did his most consistently great work.

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11May/130

Review: Columbo Mystery Movie Collection 1994-2003

This collection contains the last seven TV movies featuring Columbo from the mid-1990s to 2003. I wasn't in a rush to be out of Columbo so I watched them during platelet donations at the American Red Cross over the past year or so.

Columbo production slowed in the late 1990s. In 1994 and '95 there were a total of three films released, then four more from 1997-2003. Quality varied quite a bit.:

Butterfly in Shades of Grey: The good part is that this film marked William Shatner's second Columbo appearance. The bad part? His performance was a little off. He plays as a loud mouthed talk show host and the protective adoptive stepfather. He murders an aide whose trying to help her sell a broadway play and get away. The show really suggests that Shatner's character may be more sinister with hints that his interest in his adopted daughter may not be platonic. It was a disturbing plot twist and one they really didn't sell us on. Unlike Shatner's 1976 Columbo outing, "Fade to Murder," he felt miscast. Still, there were some decent interactions, so I'll give this one a B-.

Undercover: Once again, Falk attempts to have Columbo depart from the inverted mystery style of storytelling for an Ed McBain police procedural adaptation. The results? Not half bad actually. It's an intriguing story of people who are being killed over possession of parts of picture that provides a key to a fortune. True, this jigsaw murder stry is more procedural boilerplate than the typical more charming Columbo mystery, but Falk shows his talent that even near 70, he was able to stretch his usual characterization. Grade: B+

Strange Bedfellows: George Wendt plays the brother of man addicted to gambling. He's desperate to get his brother's stake in the family business in addition to the horse stables. He sets up a pretty decent murder scenario which begins to unravel but apparently not enough to convict. How Columbo gets the solution comes off as pretty cheap. Columbo did a far more appropriate and subdued version of this in a 1970s film in a way that worked and didn't stretch credibility. It really falls apart towards the end. The highlight of the film was Wendt saying to Columbo, "There is no one more thing." Otherwise, this was just a failed attempt for Wendt to escape from his Cheers character of Norm. Grade: C

A Trace of Murder: A woman (played by Falk's real life wife Shera Danese) and her lover (David Rasche) plan to kill one of her husband's enemies and frame her husband for the crime. This is helped by the fact that the other man works as a police scientist. This is actually a very well-done episode. Columbo doesn't psychically know the complete solution until a couple key clues give it away, but once he puts it all together, he lays a very clever trap for the killers. A very solid, well-done episode. Grade: A-

Ashes to Ashes: Patrick McGoohan returns for his fourth Columbo appearance. This time he plays mortician to the stars Eric Prince. When a gossip reporter threatens to expose a misdeed at the center of Prince's successful mortician venture, Prince kills her and cremates the remains. Really, if Falk had been looking for a classy story to exit on, this would have been it. McGoohan and Falk have great chemistry together, the mystery is pretty clever, and like the best Columbo films, this one features an unusual quirky. In this case, it's Falk questioning McGoohan at a mortician's convention where a morbid sense of humor is on display. An absolutely solid entry and the equal of McGoohan's other performances. Grade: A

Murder with Too Many Notes: A young uncredited composer (Gabriel McEnry) is perceived as the protege but of Scottish mystery film composer Findlay Crawford (Billy Connolly) has (in reality) been providing the scores that Crawford has taken credit for. When the young man threatens to expose Crawford, Crawford kills him after promising him the opportunity to start his own career and guest conduct. The mystery itself has some clever features as Crawford set it up to look like a suicide and his interactions with Columbo were humorous enough, and the bits about music in cinema were fun for fans of movies.

The weak spot in the story is total lack of motive. Part of Crawford's lie to the young composer was that Crawford would talk things over with the studio boss in a way that would make clear that the young man was a talent worth of hire while still maintaining the older man's reputation. The younger man was happy with that. Why didn't the older man decide to pursue murder instead? Dead or alive, he was going to lose the younger man's services. The younger man wouldn't expose him if he just helped him get started, a reasonable request. To actually kill the younger man, Crawford would have to be deranged.

Yet, that's never stated and we never get a handle on why he committed the crime. It would have been okay had the motive been unknown before the investigation. That was the case in the 1976 story "A Matter of Honor," we really didn't understand why the matador played by Ricardo Montalban committed the crime and to solve the crime, Columbo had to find the motive. The story helped us believe the motive. However, we get no such satisfaction here. In addition, the film contains one of the most violent scenes in Columbo history though its not related to murder, but showing the scene that the musicians are playing over in a murder mystery. Very disturbing. Grade: C+

Columbo Likes the Night Life: This film was released in 2003 when Peter Falk was 75. A man with underworld ties who is planning to invest in a new rave is extremely jealous about his ex-wife, who is dating the club he's about to invest in. When he finds about the relationship, he attacks his ex-wife and he's accidentally killed in the struggle. She and her boyfriend hide the body and keep up the appearance that he's live until the investment goes through. However, a down and reporter spots the killing and tries to blackmail the couple. The club owner kills the reporter and tries to make it look like a suicide. However, Columbo sees through it and unravels the case.

The actors in this film are virtual unknowns and the interaction between Columbo and the killers are quite a bit less than in older Columbo films. This is a much more workmanlike solution to the case. Yet, what comes through is truly the greatness of Peter Falk in this role. His portrayal is spot on and great right up until the very end. If not for the ravages of time on his mind and body, Falk had the God-given Talent to play this role forever. His portrayal was truly timeless.

This film also features one of the three best denouements in the latter day Columbo (and clearly the best since 1990) as 21st century cutting edge technology backs up Columbo's old fashioned intuition. Grade: B+

Overall, the collection was not as good as either the 1970s shows or the 1991-93 collection, and about on par with the 1989 and 90 movies. It was a mixed bag with some gems and also a couple stinkers. Overall, I think the collection deserves a grade of: B.

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5May/130

Radio’s Most Essential People Countdown #2: Jack Benny

Previous Posts: 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8,9, 10, 12-11, 14-13, 16-15, 18-17, 20-19,22-21, 24-23, 26-25, 28-27, 30-29, 33-31, 36-34,

39-37,42-40, 45-43, 48-46, 51-49, 54-52, 57-55, 60-58, 65-61, 70-66, 71-75, 76-80,

81-85, 86-90, 91-95, 96-100

2) Jack Benny

Jack Benny Benny's radio program was one of its mainstay beginning in 1932 and ending in 1955 and continuing in reruns several years thereafter, while his television career lasted another decade.

Benny was an Americann icon who set the pace for other comedians. His signature gags such as his fudging on his age (always said to be 39), playing the violin, his ego, and more than anything else, his cheapness. made for great comic fodder. Of course, in many ways, Benny's radio persona was contrary to actual nature. His willingness to play himself as a cheap egotist actually made room for many others to play off of him, and the nature of Benny's program allowed fellow performers such as Dennis Day, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Phil Harris, and Don Wilson to shine and become nationally known figures in their own right.

Benny's gags were fodder for other comics, particularly his stinginess In late 30s and early 40s, many radio comics were trying to add it to their own repertoire, but progressed nearly working a joke about Benny being cheap when they could. Benny was often quite generous with guest appearance and would give life to his "cheap" characterization with an in-performance. Benny also carried on a memorable on-air feud with fellow comedian Fred Allen for years that also became one of his hallmarks.

Benny's influence over radio was telling in that his jump from NBC to CBS spurred other performers including his long time friends George Burns and Gracie Allen to make the jump as it became known as a talent raid. At CBS, Benny was the man their line up was built around, at NBC, the focus was on finding some way to compete for ratings with Benny. No other radio entertainer could define the strategies of two networks so well.

Benny was beloved by millions and truly respected by his own industry colleagues. The idea of the golden age of radio without Jack Benny is almost unthinkable and clearly he belongs near the top of our list.

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4May/130

Book Review: His Last Bow

His Last Bow was once again intended to be the last Sherlock Holmes Collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, it didn't quite turn out that way. Although he did get Holmes retired, there'd be many more adventures written of previously unchronicled cases.

This book has the fewest stories in it it of all the Holmes collections: seven in British version and eight if you read the U.S. version. Mostly, it's a strong collection: "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge," "The Red Circle," "The Adventure of the Bruce Partington Plans," and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" are as good as any Holmes story out there. The best of these is Wisteria Lodge, there are so many great features in there: a great mystery, international intrigue and perhaps the most clever official detective introduced in the Holmes Canon.

"The Disappearance of Lady Frances Fairfax," and "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" are good not great stories and "His Last Bow" is one that's enjoyable for its sentiment and patriotism far more than its cleverness or any sort of suspense.

The somewhat controversial story "Adventure of the Cardboard Box" was left out of American editions of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes because it dealt with marital infidelities. It's not for this reason that I didn't enjoy the story . Holmes himself asked not to have his name mentioned in association with it because it was so simple. And perhaps, Watson (or Doyle) would have done better heed it. The problem with the story is that Holmes doesn't do much and the focus instead becomes on a sensation and sordid crime rather than a mind of great detectives. The results are mediocre at best.

Overall, the book holds up pretty well and shows that Doyle was just as adept at writing great mysteries in the early 1910s as he had been in the 1880s and 1890s which is why he'd find himself writing several more Holmes adventures in the 1920s.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0

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28Apr/130

Radio’s Most Essential People Countdown #3: Bob Hope

Previous Posts: 4, 5, 6,7, 8,9, 10, 12-11, 14-13, 16-15, 18-17, 20-19,22-21, 24-23, 26-25, 28-27, 30-29, 33-31, 36-34,

39-37,42-40, 45-43, 48-46, 51-49, 54-52, 57-55, 60-58, 65-61, 70-66, 71-75, 76-80,

81-85, 86-90, 91-95, 96-100

3) Bob Hope

Bob Hope's radio persona would be glad to have top billing over Bing Crosby (last week's #4). However, Hope certainly earned the spot.

Hope began his own program in 1939 on the strength of early film success on the Pepsodent Show where he would spend most of his years on the radio. In his early days, his brand of humor frequently bristled the network censors with some of his humor, but this is less remembered today.

World War II would forever change Hope and how he was perceived by the American people. While World War II brought out patriotism in Hollywood with innumerable celebrities doing their bit to help defeat the Axis, it was Bob Hope who took the lead, visiting troops more often than other. During the war, nearly every week, his program came from an overseas base. In addition to this, he was a frequent host of AEF programs like Command Performance and GI Journal.

Hope would have plenty of laughs during his show. However, his closing monologue would often be on a more serious note as an instrumental version of his signature theme "Thanks for the Memories" played, urging Americans earnestly to support worthy causes such as the March of Dimes, the Red Cross, and the Crusade for Freedom. Hope's passion comes across today unashamed and sincere even many years later. Hope's rapport with the public made him a trusted and liked personality. In 1945, Lux Radio Theater broke with its tradition of dramatizing plays and movies to dramatize Hope's book about visiting the troops, I Never Left Home. He was called upon in 1950 to do a short four part series on the emerging post-Atom Bomb world called The Quick and Dead.

Of course, this wasn't to say Hope became a serious figure. His comedy continued to delight millions. Like many Golden Age comedians, Hope relied on running gags. He began most shows for Pepsodent with a rhyming greeting. Many of the jokes focused on Hope as a "Wolf" even as he advanced through his 40s into his late 50s. Some radio fans pan hopes Humor as "too topical." Monologues have that issue, but then so did those of most radio comedians.

What makes Hope well worth listening to is that he was one of radios best ad-libbers, bar none. Hope would even ad-lib his way through radio performances of movies he'd appeared in on Lux Radio Theater and Screen Guild Theater. Hope also had great chemistry with so many great stars of the era. Of course, there was Hope's longtime friend and occasional partner Bing Crosby, however in his radio days Hope performed with a wide variety of stars including Humphrey Bogart, Chico Marx, Gracie Allen, and Jack Webb. His ability to play straight man or comic as well as to throw out the script when he had a better idea made Hope a great performer. His charaacter and personality made him a class act that made radio great.

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27Apr/130

Radio Drama Review: The Green Valley Line

The Green Valley Line was a syndicated radio drama from the 1930s. Told in 26 quarter hour parts, it tells the story of Bill Reed, the son of a wealthy railroad baron who comes to work for the Green Valley Line, a small western railroad that his father wants to buy out. His decision gains suspicion from locals who support the Green Valley Line as well as the condemnation of those who favor the acquisition as he's going against his father.

His sincerity becomes clear and that's important when an injury to railroad superintendent Pop Harkness forces Bill into taking over as acting superintendent of the line. His father and his supporters are determined to take the line by hook or by crook. The daughter of the President of the railroad Carrie Graham initially despises Bill but then at the urging of Harkness becomes a friend and an eventually ally against Bill's father and her father who is backing the acquisition.

The series was most likely produced in Detroit according to the Radio Goldindex. It featured the voice talents of John Dodd (Tonto from the Lone Ranger) and Bill was played by Rollen Parker who appeared frequently in WXYZ's famous radio programs The Lone Ranger, the Green Hornet, and Challenge of the Yukon.

There's much to like about this series. The business story of the Green Valley Line and Bill Reed's various clever maneuvers make for a solid entertainment with lots of twist. The story's weak spot is the predictable romantic subplot between Bill and Carrie. That it's predictable is not the problem, but Bill's blossoming feelings for Carrie leave him willing to quit his job as Superintendent and leave local investors who supported him in a lurch and allow his effort to fail. This doesn't make him look good in the eyes of listeners or of Carrie. The romance is pretty badly handled in the last few episodes which is a pretty sorry state of affairs given that the plot was so basic. The romance instead of adding to the story, became a detriment.

But the earliest episodes are good and enjoyable which makes up for the weak romantic plot. For a 1930s syndicated show, it was pretty good.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.00

You can download episodes of the Green Valley Line from Archive.org

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21Apr/131

Radio’s Most Essential People #4: Bing Crosby

Previous Posts: 5, 6,7, 8,9, 10, 12-11, 14-13, 16-15, 18-17, 20-19,22-21, 24-23, 26-25, 28-27, 30-29, 33-31, 36-34,

39-37,42-40, 45-43, 48-46, 51-49, 54-52, 57-55, 60-58, 65-61, 70-66, 71-75, 76-80,

81-85, 86-90, 91-95, 96-100

4) Bing Crosby

From the early 30s to the early 50s, no singer had the star power of Bing Crosby. Crosby's musical talent was well-known. Not only he was a frequent guest on others shows and constantly in demand on record request programs, he had a long line of his own programs including stints hosting the Kraft Music Hall, Philco Radio Time, the Chestfield Program, General Motors, Woodbury, and Ford. His consistent signature song was, "When the Blue of the Nigh." Crosby's popularity also made his films a no-brainer for adaptation to radio.

He was a legendary and charismatic crooner who partnered often with Bob Hope on Hope's programs, Crosby's programs, and on Command Performance. Christmas time was particularly strong for Crosby as his singing of Adeste Fideles along with a selection of sacred and secular Christmas songs.

As much of an institution as Crosby was at Christmas, the other 364 days a year, he remained a consistently popular voice throughout radio's golden age who set a standard that other singers aimed to follow.

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Filed under: Golden Age Article, Old Time Radio 1 Comment

20Apr/130

Telfilm Review: Dumb Witness

Dumb Witness was the last episode of the sixth series of Poirot and the series went on a four year hiatus afterwards.

Poriot receives an urgent letter from a woman who fears she will be murderered by her family. Poirot goes to the scene and advises her to make a change to her will. She ends up dying apparently of natural causes, but there's some suspicious circumstances as two old ladies think there was a supernatural origin. And Poirot finds that the old women's dog is the key witness in the case.

This was probably my least favorite Poirot mystery of what was a solid sixth series. The Novel Dumb Witness was an expanded version of a short story called, "The Incident of the Dog's Ball." The short story actually works quite well, but this expansion really felt like it just made the story drag on rather than adding true meat to it.

However, it must be said that David Suchet turned in a good performance as Poirot in an otherwise forgettable adaptation.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5.0

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Filed under: Golden Age Article, Hercule Poirot, Telefilm Review No Comments

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