Month: December 2019

EP3022: Philip Marlowe: The Old Acquaintance

Gerald Mohr
Marlowe is hired on New Year’s Eve to a locate a missing fiancée who disappeared at the same day a dangerous convict broke out of prison.

Original Air Date: December 26, 1948

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EP3021: Candy Matson: Valley of the Moon (Encore)

Natalie Masters

Candy goes on vacation at a dude ranch at the Valley of the Moon and quickly runs into murder.

Original Air Date: December 17, 1949

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Book Review: The Innocence of Father Brown

Note: A version of this review appeared in 2009

This is the first Father Brown short story collection by G.k. Chesterton. Father Brown was in many ways a continuation of what Chesterton wrote in his classic Orthodoxy. 

The intellectuals of Chesterton’s time viewed the orthodox Christian as superstitious and weak-minded. Chesterton, in Orthodoxy, asserted his vision of orthodoxy was entirely different: conscious, sensible, winsome, and wise. 

Two years after writing Orthodoxy, he wrapped it in a Cossack and embodied it in the person of Father Brown, a physically unremarkable and humble priest, who uses his wisdom, common sense, and experience as a confessor to solve even the most baffling crimes.

It should be noted that, contrary to what many people have said, Chesterton was not a Catholic at the time he wrote the first Father Brown stories from 1910-1914. That conversion wouldn’t happen until the 1920s. However, he already knew the priest who would facilitate his confession and Father John O’Connor was the basis of the character.

To enjoy Chesterton’s books, you have to appreciate a couple of things. First of all, many are unlike any detective stories we read today.  While there’s plot and action, the main focus is the puzzle, not character development. Outside of Brown and his friend Flambeau, most of the characters remain flat. They’re stereotypical Frenchmen, Calvinists, Rich Men, and Atheists. They’re there to provide their piece of the puzzle and then get on with it.

 There’s also not any sense of danger or mayhem. There’s little violence onstage, although Chesterton can come up with some quite ghastly ways to kill a man.

This is a battle of wits between you and Father Brown, and most of the time you’re going to lose quite badly. The plot unfolds to reveal the puzzle, Father Brown solves the puzzle and the story ends, often abruptly.

What carries the stories is Chesterton’s voice which I find delightful, even when reading a book over one hundred years after the time. Chesterton uses his prose like a painter uses paint, true artistry that’s understandable to a modern reader.

Father Brown is a fun character. When he speaks, he says something important. Brown was the first in a long line of unlikely detectives that would include Charlie Chan and Inspector Columbo: the last person in the world that the criminal would be worried about finding them out. But somehow, he solves the case with a completely unexpected solution.

There are a total of twelve stories in the collection, each constituting a different mystery. Several stood out to me:

The Blue Cross: The first Father Brown story and perhaps his most iconic tale. When Chesterton originally published this short story in 1910, readers must have been shocked to see Father Brown emerge as the hero. Through the whole of the mystery, the focus had been on a police detective following him. But the makings of the great detective were in place. He would hang back as a background figure until stepping forward to solve the case. When that first story was published in September 1910, a literary star was born.

The Invisible Man: This was a fitting case, because it not only provided an extraordinarily surprising solution, but also an insight on how Father Brown surprised so many with his observations.

The Three Tools of Death: This is the first Father Brown story I heard an adaptation of, and after reading it, I appreciate it more. The solution is a gigantic surprise. It’s also a reminder that many descriptions Chesterton gives at the start of the story convey what the popular view of a character is, not necessarily what the person is really like. 

The Sign of the Broken SwordThis had to be my favorite in the collection. To give you an idea of how different these stories are from modern mysteries, the entire case takes place on an entirely different continent from where the mystery occurred, and no witnesses are questioned. The story centers around a simple riddle. 

Where does a wise man hide a leaf? In the forest. But what does he do if there is no forest?

From there, the case proceeds to a startling conclusion, all without leaving a forest an ocean away from the scene of the crime.

On the negative side, the Honour of Israel Gow was absurd. Chesterton was trying to make a point about his perception of Calvinist legalism, but it fell a little flat. The solution in the Wrong Shape was not the right shape of Chesterton’s best Father Brown stories, but it was still passable.

Overall, I found the stories enjoyable and would encourage others to read them. You can read the entire book online or you can buy it on Amazon. (affiilate link.)

EP3020: Dragnet: The Big Hat

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith search for a diamond robber.

Original Air Date: February 15, 1955

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EP3019: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: Bodyguard to the Late Robert W. Perry

Edmond O'Brien

Johnny Dollar is assigned as a bodyguard to a highly insured businessman, who dies as soon as Johnny arrives. Now he must find the killer and find out if the insurance company that’s retained him has to pay off.

Original Air Date: March 3, 1950

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

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EP3018: Boston Blackie: The Construction Contractor Murders

Richard Kollmar

A feud between two contractors turns murderous.

Original Air Date: April 27, 1949
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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

EP3017: Rocky Jordan: Dr. Markof’s Discovery

Jack Moyles

A woman leaves Rocky with a manilla envelope containing something she says is worth a lot of money.

Original Air Date: August 27, 1950

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EP3016: It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins: Death Wore Green

A mysterious woman asks Greg to protect her from dangerous men following her.

Original Air Date: April 8, 1957

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AWR0090: Prudential Family Hour of Star: The Lullaby of Christmas

Amazing World of Radio

The story of an orphaned, nonverbal special needs child living on the streets of Bethlehem and a Christmas miracle.

Original Air Date: December 19, 1948
Also includes a one minute Christmas episode of Ripley’s Believe it or Not.

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EP3015: Box 13: A Book of Poems by Sir Walter Scott

Dan receives a book of poems by Sir Walter Scott that leads him to investigate a deadly arson.

Original Air Date: December 12, 1947
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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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TV Episode Review: Murder She Wrote:A Christmas Secret

In “A Christmas Secret,” a Gulf War Veteran is set to marry Elizabeth, the daughter of a prominent Cabot Cove couple. While visiting for the holidays, Charlie receives an anonymous blackmail tape. When the woman who made the tape is nearly murdered, Jessica seeks to unravel the mystery.

What Works:

This episode has nearly everything you’d expect from a Murder She Wrote Christmas episode. The mystery has lots of suspects and potential motives as well as its share of red herrings

As this was from Season 9, the show was past the point where old Hollywood legends were showing up every week, but the recurring Cabot Cove cast is fun and the guest cast is solid.

The story has the right holiday flavor. It has just the right sentiment and rarely becomes saccharine or cheesy.

What Doesn’t Work:

Cabot Cove is supposed to be in Maine, but the show is filmed in California. That was never more obvious than seeing the streets snowless in December. The story features a Christmas trope of, “Will there be a White Christmas, it means so much to Character X.” I can’t help but feel the plot is a Hollywood ploy to avoid having to cover sets in fake snow for Christmas-related stories. It certainly feels that way here.

The solution requires a colorblind person to be completely incapable of making adjustments for her disability, and I have to admit I’m not entirely sure whether the writers have portrayed it accurately.

Overall:
This is a nice little Christmas treat. It’s neither the best Christmas mystery or the best Murder She Wrote, but it makes for fun holiday viewing.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

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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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AWR0088: Shirley Temple Time: Christmas for Two

Amazing World of Radio

A girl (Shirley Temple) gets left by her father at boarding school and needs her grumpy headmaster (Lionel Barrymore) to take her shopping.

Original Air Date: December 19, 1941

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