We begin a series looking at radio performances by actors who played villains in the 1960s Batman TV series. This week, we focus on Barbara Rush, who was the guest villain in the Season 3 episode “Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club”.
For this week’s old time radio program, we bring you the Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of Great Expectations, in which Barbara Rush plays a featured role.
An eccentric and twisted elderly woman takes an interest in an orphaned boy. When he grows up, he receives an unexpected inheritance.
Starring: Rock Hudson as Pip; Barbara Rush as Estella; William Conrad; Jeanette Nolan; Alan Reed; Peter Votrian; Susan Seaforth; Christopher Cook; Parley Baer, Vivi Janis; James McCallion; Lillian Buyeff; Norman Field; Howard McNear; Leo Britt; Edward Marr
Original Radio Broadcast Date: October 12, 1954
We then discuss the controversial “Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club”.
A nun becomes convinced that a condemned woman stranded at her Norfolk convent in the midst of torrential rains is innocent. Can the nun save her before her looming execution?
Original Radio Broadcast Date: November 9, 1953
Originating in Hollywood
Starring: Claudette Colbert as Sister Mary; Barbara Rush as Valerie Carns; Norma Varden; Paul Frees; Mary Flynn; Herb Butterfield; Ottola Nesmith; Dan O’Herlihy; Joseph Kearns; Leo Britt; Jeanne Wood; Lois Corbett; Yvonne Peattie
For around a decade, the number of episodes of the 1950s Dragnet TV series circulating out there have remained consistent, with no new episodes to be found, and more than 200 of the 276 TV episodes still missing. Then, a few weeks ago, three of them dropped on YouTube, on the channel of a company named Movie Craft. I decided to review one of those episodes, “The Big Bed”.
“The Big Bed” was broadcast on June 5, 1958, and it was the thirty-sixth episode of Dragnet’s 7th season. In it, a woman reports her brother missing. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) and Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate and find him in a scene that’s a bit intense by the standards of other existing episodes of the 1950s series. They then set about the work of finding the killer.
It has to be said that even in its seventh season, the original Dragnet TV series was still a very good television. True, it didn’t have the innovative edge of the early radio or TV series, but I think you’d be hard-pressed to say the quality of the series had declined from what we saw in season four. It managed to tell a sharp, realistic police investigation in twenty-six minutes of airtime. It had evolved to be a reliably good program and would remain so until the eighth season.
The episode did include a nod to Dragnet‘s only big attempt to build an ongoing storyline into the season, as Smith was studying for his Sergeant’s exam. The next season, Friday would become a Lieutenant and Smith a Sergeant, and it wouldn’t change much other than the opening logo. In isolation, the scene is amusing, but it’s tough to imagine anyone cared about this storyline even back then.
The episode features a guest appearance from William Boyett as Lt. Mort Geer, which is an Easter Egg, as Boyett is probably best remembered for his major role in the 1960s Dragnet spin-off Adam-12, as Sergeant MacDonald. This certainly calls to mind Webb’s 1960s productions. Yet, it wasn’t the only thing. While the series was just as good as an episode of three seasons prior, the series had changed stylistically. In many ways, Dragnet seemed to have evolved in the direction of what it would be like when it returned to TV in 1967,after a seven-and-a-half-year absence.
It really would be fascinating to see more episodes from these later seasons become available, so we can really get a feel for the evolution of the series during this era. Overall, this episode was a welcome addition to the ranks of circulating Dragnet episodes.
When a precious emerald known as the Green Eye of Calcutta vanishes, along with its owner Albert W. Winkler, Johnny is plunged into the bizarre home of Wilbert Kenworthy Blossom. As he navigates through the cluttered abode filled with treasures and trash, can Johnny recover the priceless gem and bring a killer to justice?
Original Radio Broadcast Date: January 20, 1957
Originating from Hollywood
Starring: Bob Bailey as Johnny Dollar; Howard McNear; Herb Ellis; Herb Vigran; Junius Matthews; Herb Butterfield; Frank Gerstle; Johnny Jacobs
In this gripping episode, Captain Braddock (Reed Hadley) unveil the treacherous world of illegal money lending through the harrowing tale of Carl Miller, a hardworking tailor ensnared by desperation and deceit. As Captain Braddock of the racket squad narrates, we witness the perils of “Desperate Money” and the dark underbelly of loan sharking. This real-life story, plucked from the case files of law enforcement, serves as a stark warning against the siren call of easy money and the ruthless predators lying in wait.
Today’s Mystery: From the bustling streets of Oslo to the shadowy corners of Hamburg, Mitchell races against time to intercept a stolen set of top-secret blueprints before they fall into the wrong hands.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: May 20, 1953
Originated in Hollywood
Stars: Brian Donlevy as Steve Mitchell, Herb Butterfield as the Commissioner, Brian Donlevy, Dan Riss, GeGe Pearson, Herb Butterfield, Jan Arvan, Paul Frees, Tom Holland
Bulldog Drummond takes on a gang of hijackers who are robbing trucks.
Audition Date: September 28, 1941
Today’s program was provided by Radio Archives. Email detectives@radioarchives.com to get a free audiobook, a free ebook, and free old time radio collection.
