Author: Yours Truly Johnny Blogger

EP3003: Box 13: Short Assignment

A diminutive private detective asks Dan to fill in for him in playing bodyguard to a suicidal young heir.

Original Air Date: November 28, 1947

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EP3002s: Lux Radio Theater: The Third Man

Holly Martin, a pulp writer is called to post-War Vienna by an old friend. He finds his friend dead in an apparent accident. However, Martin finds many inconsistencies and sets out to find the truth.

Original Air Date: April 9, 1951

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EP3002: Dragnet: The Big Bar (TV Soundtrack)

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith hunt for an armed robber who often kills his victims.

Soundtrack of a TV episode aired on October 14, 1954 based on a radio play that aired November 10, 1949.

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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

EP3001: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Gravedigger’s Spade

Edmond O'Brien
Johnny goes to North Dakota hoping to change the minds of an insured elderly couple who wants to commit suicide as soon as they change their beneficiary.

Original Air Date: February 17, 1950
When making your travel plans, remember http://johnnydollarair.com

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EP3000: Boston Blackie: The Tiny Philip Murders

Richard Kollmar

A short man shoots and kills a jewelry store owner to steal Boston Blackie’s watch.

Original Air Date: April 13, 1949

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EP2999: Rocky Jordan: The Broken Wing

Jack Moyles

The father of a young woman asks Rocky to protect his daughter but won’t tell him from what.

Original Air Date: August 6, 1950

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EP2998: It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins: The Bowl of Temple Fire Red

Greg is hired to find a missing priceless Chinese bowl from the Ming dynasty.

Original Air Date: March 11, 1957

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EP2997: Box 13: Shanghied

Dan receives a letter inviting him to a port and he’s knocked out, kidnapped, and made to spend days fishing at sea.

Original Air Date: November 21, 1947

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Audio Drama Review: Black Jack Justice Season Six Review

After five seasons and thirty-six episodes, Black Jack Justice had established  the main characters of Jack Justice (Christopher Mott) and Trixie Dixon, Girl Detective (Andrea Lyons). Season six features a fair share of experimental episodes.

“Cops and Robbers” is a story told mostly by the supporting cast, “The Sky’s the Limit” is a story of a Poker game where the players try to suss out what happened on a case where no one has all the facts. “Man’s Best Friend is told from the perspective of the office dog, King.

Of the three, I think “Sky’s the Limit” was probably the best. It’s definitely fun to hear the story pieced together and to be learning details as the characters are. The ending is a bit ambiguous but it’s still a lot of fun. The other two stories have their moments but don’t work as well. The side characters are not as interesting as Jack and Trixie so that limited my enjoyment of “Cops and Robbers.” As for, “Man’s Best Friend,” the dog narration part landed flat. The approach seemed to be, “I’m a dog who thinks he’s a detective.” I think it would have been funnier had he been thinking more like an actual dog.

I personally preferred the other three episodes which were more traditional Justice and Dixon mysteries. “The Albatross” was my favorite as Lieutenant Sabian (Gregg Taylor) hires them to look into the murder of a black girl in a tenement which his superiors want him to lay off of. The episode examines the idea that certain unresolved cases haunt detectives, whether official or otherwise.  It’s a well-done episode.

Overall, while I’m not crazy about all the experimental episodes in this season, I still enjoyed it pretty well.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0

You can download Black Justice Season Six from Decoder Ring Theatre.

EP2996: Dragnet: The Big Bird

Jack Webb

Friday and Smith search for a burglar who breaks into homes and kills any pet birds.

Original Air Date: February 1, 1955

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EP2995: Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The S.S. Malay Trader Ship

Edmond O'Brien

Johnny goes undercover as a seaman on a Corpus Christi-bound ship to prevent the destruction of the ship and its cargo.

Original Air Date: February 10, 1950

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

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EP2994: Boston Blackie: The Harry Clark Mob Murders

Richard Kollmar
A crook comes to Blackie for protection and is then murder.
Original Air Date: April 6, 1949

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AWR0086: Birds Eye Open House: Guest Groucho Marx

Amazing World of Radio

Groucho Marx agrees to bring the Turkey to Dinah Shore’s Thanksgiving Party and he does, but to Dinah’s chagrin, the turkey’s alive.

Original Air Date: November 22, 1945
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EP2993: Rocky Jordan: The Money Changers

Jack Moyles

Rocky finds himself targetted by a gangster when he refuses to participate in a black market currency racket.

Original Air Date: July 30, 1950

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