Tag: Christmas special

AWR0181: Greatest Story Ever Told: No Room at the Inn

Amazing World of Radio

A retelling of the Nativity story.

Original Air Date: December 21, 1947

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EP3641: Man Called X: From a Starlit Hill

Herbert Marshall

The Man Called X crashes a plane in the Middle East and meets a mysterious young girl who’s decided she no longer wants to live in the world.

Original Air Date: December 23, 1950

Bonus Episode from Christmas on the Blue:

The emergency council has failed in their quest to locate Santa Claus. So they call in the Man Called X who wants to be called Y since he’s undercover.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1945

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Video Theater 218: Dragnet: The Big Little Jesus

Friday and Smith try to recover a stolen statue of the child Jesus for a church before the Christmas Mass.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1953

Season 3, Episode 17

EP3330: Mystery is My Hobby: Boston for Christmas


While visting Boston at Christmas, Bart and Inspector Danton try to help a little boy by clearing his father of murder.

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Video Theater 194: Dragnet: The Big Little Jesus

Friday and Smith try to recover a stolen statue of the child Jesus for a church before the Christmas Mass.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1953

Season 3, Episode 17

EP3328: The Fat Man: Murder Sends a Christmas Card (AU)

Brad tries to help a woman find her missing husband around Christmas.

Original Air Date: September 2, 1954

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AWR0150: Elgin’s Christmas Day Greeting to America

Amazing World of Radio

Elgin’s fourth annaul Christmas Special. Hosted by Don Ameche, featuring Bob Hope, Bob Crosby, Ginny Simms, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, and more.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1945

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Video Theater 171: Dragnet: The Big Little Jesus

Friday and Smith try to recover a stolen statue of the child Jesus for a church before the Christmas Mass.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1953

Season 3, Episode 17

AWR0089: Suspense: The Cave

Amazing World of Radio

Two young boys encounter a world of pirates, danger, and adventure in a cave on Christmas.

Original Air Date: December 20, 1955

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EP3014: Dragnet: The Big Little Jesus

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith try to find a statue of the child Jesus stolen from a natvity scene on Christmas Eve.

Original Air Date: December 22, 1953
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EP3013: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: How I Played Santa Claus And Almost Got Left Holding the Bag

Charles Russell

Johnny is sent to investigate a string of department store thefts, but the situation escalates with a murder on Christmas Eve.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1949

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AWR0087: New World A’Coming: The First Noel

Amazing World of Radio

A program of Christmas music and speeches by Black American leaders on public policy issues.

Original Air Date: December 24, 1944

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Video Theater 170: Sherlock Holmes: The Christmas Pudding

A serial killer threatens to get Holmes before he’s executed. Episode 23 of the 1954-55 Sherlock Holmes series.

Original Air Date: April 4, 1955

Audio Drama Review: The Holly Tree Inn

While Charles Dickens is beloved for his novel A Christmas Carol, that’s far from his only Christmas work. He wrote several Christmas stories. This is the fifth one that Colonial Radio Theater has adapted.

“The Holly Tree Inn” is a short story about a man caught in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve and taking refuge at the Holly Tree Inn where he wiles away time talking with the people at the Inn. As soon as the storm lifts, he’s continuing on his efforts to leave the country as he believes his sweetheart has jilted him for his best friend..

The Holly Tree Inn is a dialogue-heavy story. There’s little movement which can be a challenge with an audio drama. However, this is helped by the fact that the dialogue is by Charles Dickens which means there are some fun turns of phrases, stories told within the story, etc. In addition, Colonial does a superb job adapting it with its typical professionalism and a nice score.

The Holly Tree Inn is a sweet little story. It’s not much more than people sitting around during a snowstorm talking but it has a moral that is well-taken, if not earth-shattering. If you’d enjoy a relaxing story while wrapping presents or de-stressing from the Holidays, this is a bit of comfort listening.

Rating:3.25 out of 5

Audio Drama Review: Christmas Eve 1914

The story of the Christmas truce in 1914 during World War I is an emotionally powerful and resonant event to anyone who hears about it. I’ve seen and/or heard several dramatic presentations of it. The Audible Originals audio drama Christmas Eve 1914 is the best dramatization of the event I’ve experienced.

The production focuses on a group of young lieutenants in a company whose captain has died. They’ve rotated in on Christmas Eve and expect a quiet night, but get word from the Colonel at HQ that a German attack is expected and they need to prepare. At the same time, a fresh young Sub-Lieutenant, who lied about his age to get into the Army, joins them on the front lines.

The play is well-written. Christmas Eve 1914 takes listeners in the thick of conflict and immerses us in the war-weary world of these young officers. The play focuses on the horrors of war and the way they relate to the war and each other for most of the run-time. The truce only comes into play in the last twenty minutes. As a result, we feel the bittersweet impact of the event, knowing, in a day, our heroes will return to the nightmares of war.

The acting is solid. Almost every character is well-characterized, and the best drama comes from hearing them interact and play off each other.

The sound design and music are superb, doing a great job creating a realistic feel and atmosphere. The sound design and music never overwhelm the listeners or the story.

The Colonel was written as a stereotypical clueless and hypocritical senior officer who was gung ho about putting other people in danger. The Colonel’s best skills is not-too-subtly trying to play the lieutenants’ ambition to become the next captain against one another. Thankfully, while important, the Colonel’s part is relatively small.

Overall, Christmas Eve 1914 is a great Christmas Story, a great drama, and a great example of how good modern Audio Drama can be.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Christmas 1914 is available as one of the free Audible orignal selections for Audible subscribes during the month of December.

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