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Golden Age Article

Radio Detective Story Recommendations

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Recently, I saw a Tweet asking podcasters when was the last time that they recommended another episode of their podcast that listeners might enjoy based on the episode they were listening to. This specific activity isn’t something I do often with our podcast, since we’re working through different detective series and honestly, I can’t remember all the details of more than 3,800 episodes enough to be handing out 1:1 plot recommendations.

However, what did occur to me is that listeners who like the programs that we’re currently playing may enjoy another series from our archives that’s similar. I’ll be making specific recommendations for our current programs in podcast episodes next week. In this article, I’ll not only cover those series that we’re currently featuring, but those we’ve started, going back to Season Eleven. Note: I’m only going to do series that we did for a long time (apologies to so many of the short programs we’ve done).

Mondays:

If listeners enjoyed Dan Holiday’s adventures in Box 13, they might also like Night Beat. Box 13 is tough to find a match for and the characters’ motivation does differ. Dan Holiday needs to write novels and gets inspiration from the adventures that he’s sent on by people who mail Box 13, while Randy Stone spends his nights prowling around for a story that goes into the next edition of his newspaper, The Star. What both have in common is that not only do they each have a journalism background, but their methods lead to them investigating mysteries that you don’t really hear on other mystery programs.

Another tough program to match is Casey, Crime Photographer. No one’s going to match the exact quirkiness of Casey, Crime Photographer with the presence of unique characters like Ethelbert the bartender and the Blue Note (which is a character in and of itself), or Casey’s unique code of honor and role. However, if you want a similar style of mystery, you might enjoy Nick Carter, which was also produced in New York and has a similar style of crime fiction.

For people who love Spade, I’d suggest checking out Richard Diamond. This hard-boiled detective series starring Dick Powell, like Sam Spade, has plenty of humor, and like Spade it also has some romantic interludes. Diamond is a bit of a lady’s man and can spout a line of well-timed sarcasm. As a program, Richard Diamond has more violence than Sam Spade, and more and better singing.

Tuesday:

If you enjoyed the Australian version of It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins, you might also like The Adventures of the Abbotts, a 1955 NBC series whose scripts were later reused on It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins. The Abbotts generally features better quality acting and sound quality vs. It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins. 

If you liked the serialized radio adventures of Dick Tracy, unfortunately, we don’t have a detective program quite like that. However, you may enjoy our Old Time Radio Superman podcast.

For lovers of the Australian version of The Fat Man, I’d recommend checking out Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. While not advertised based on weight, Barrie is established to be a big guy who gets into and out of lots of trouble.

If you were delighted by our extended revisit to Jeff Regan, I’d suggest listening to our dedicated Jeff Regan feed where you can find all the episodes we did of the series going back to our first season. Regan is another tough series to match very well: Regan’s status as an employee, his crazy uncle boss Anthony Lyons getting him involved in weird cases because of greed isn’t something you’ll find in other series. Richard Diamond may have the most in common as on this series, as some truly silly set-ups can lead to some genuine moments of hard-boiled action and peril.

Mister Chameleon was a a bit of an acquired taste for many people. If you enjoyed it, then you might also enjoy the other programs created by Anne and Frank Hummer, including Hearthstone of the Death Squad, Inspector Throne and the longest-running detective series of all-time, Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons. We created a “Keen and Company” feed with all of those programs.

Several good matches for our current Tuesday series I Hate Crime are available. That Hammer Guy (the radio adventures of Mike Hammer), That Strong Guy (AU), and The Man From Homicide all feature more violent, rough-edged protagonists. They were among the series that some listeners complained about at the time, but if you like I Hate Crime, they may be worth checking out on my Hated Detectives feed.

Wednesdays:

Our last two Wednesday series, The Man Called X and Dangerous Assignment, featured stories of international troubleshooting and intrigue. If you enjoyed either of those series, you might want to check out The Adventures of Frank Race. In addition, we did another espionage-based series starring James Monks as I.A. Moto. The series is included with another James Monks-led series, The Avenger, in a combined podcast feed. In addition, even though it’s not in the detective genre, you might like Top Secret, starring Ilona Massey as a World War II/Cold War Secret Agent. We did the entire series for The Amazing World of Radio.

Thursdays 

Our last two Thursday series, Mystery is My Hobby and Philo Vance, have some similarities to each other. Both feature genius detectives solving cases with the glowing admiration of minions of the law. Fans of Philo Vance might enjoy Boston Blackie, a series that was also produced by Ziv Productions, features an organ-based theme and also utilized New York character actors. Fans of both series might also enjoy more famous genius detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, and Hercule Poirot. 

Fridays

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar is our Friday mainstay and each era is a little different in terms of what the show is most like.

With Edmond O’Brien as star, the series was one of the bleakest old time radio detective programs.The closest series to the tone and feel of O’Brien’s take on Johnny Dollar would be the Jack Webb episodes of Jeff Regan. If you’re into downbeat mysteries, you might also enjoy another short Webb-led series, Pete Kelly’s Blues, which is part of our Forgotten Detectives feed.

The John Lund version of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar was a big mix of different types of stories, including a lot of script reuse from series such as Richard Diamond. Overall the type of stories being featured were quite a bit different than the hard-boiled tales of the late 1940s and early 1950s. There are some very rich and multi-layered stories that reflect evolving listener tastes. Other programs from the mid-1940s, such as Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator and The Abbotts, are most comparable.

Saturday 

We’ve featured several Saturday procedural programs including The Silent Men and Tales of the Texas Rangers along with several shorter series. One program that procedural fans would do well to remember is our first Saturday series The Line Up, a series focused on realistic police cases, with each episode featuring a lineup scene. If you’ve enjoyed our other Saturday offerings, The Line Up is a must-listen.

If you have any recommendations or favorite golden age detective series that I’ve not discussed, feel to mention it in the comments.

Golden Age Article

The Top 5 World War II Era Radio Detective Programs

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Over the next three weeks, we’re going to count down the top five radio detective programs of three distinct eras during the Golden Age of Radio. The eras are the World War (1939-45), the Post-War (1945-51), and the Declining Years (1952-62).

From the outset, let’s keep in mind three things.

First, the rankings are based on the surviving programs. Right away, that is limiting. If we had more circulating episodes of some programs (or any episodes of programs that are completely lost), no doubt they would rank higher or might not be in the list all. But we work with what we have.

Second, there were detective programs prior to 1939. However, there’s not enough programs with a meaningful number of surviving episodes to allow for helpful comparison so we won’t be ranking them.

Third, many programs’ runs crossed multiple eras. Programs like Nick Carter, Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, and Mr. and Mrs. North aired during all three eras. For the purposes of our rankings, we’ll only evaluate the program for what we have of its run during the given era. It’s also possible for a series to be ranked in more than one era.

World War II Era Rankings

While there are more recordings of programs during World War II available than pre-War, many recordings are scarce. So many series from that era are lost or have left little evidence of their existence. This is partially due to the materials used for transcription disks being important for the war effort.. Still there are enough shows that have enough information for us to compare them even if we’re only basing that comparison on a few circulating episodes.

That said, let’s get on with ranking the top 5 World War II era detective programs:

5) Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons

Network: CBS

Star Bennett Kilpack

The longest-running radio detective series of all-time was in transition during the War. It was moving from being about what the title implies to solving murder cases each week. While the series has its flaws (over-the-top soap operatic acting, constantly repeating characters names), it has undeniable charm. Mister Keen is mostly true to his reputation as a “kindly investigator.” The series is fun to listen to, with reliable and lovable performances from the leads.

4) Mr. and Mrs. North

Network: NBC

Stars: Joseph Curtain and Alice Frost

When most people think of husband and wife detective teams, they think of The Thin Man. Over radio, during the War, Mr. and Mrs. North was the better series. Curtain and Frost have great performance chemistry. The scripts are witty and light. The mysteries are fun. They also have a different dynamic than other shows, where the wife was the husband’s Watson. Both Norths are capable detectives and either one can end up solving the case. It’s a fun dynamic that makes for an interesting listen.

3) The Man Called X 

Networks: CBS, Blue Network, NBC

Star Herbert Marshall

The Man Called X took its titular hero and threw him into the heart of wartime action. During the war, Ken Thurston got into all sorts of espionage mysteries, even getting into Berlin just ahead of the allies. The mysteries were well-written, with plenty of action and suspense. Comic relief was dispensed by Pegon Zellschmidt (Hans Conreid, later Leon Belasco.)

2) Nick Carter

Network: Mutual

Star: Lon Clark

Nick Carter originated as the lead character in a series of dime novels in the 1880s and had a long life in print and other media, including a three-film series starring Walter Pidgeon from 1939-41. The character’s radio program is perhaps the character’s most memorable form. Nick Carter is a master detective who has put away so many criminals it’s a lengthy task to go through even a portion of his files. The radio series had one of the most memorable openings of any program during the golden age of radio, with frantic knocking on the door. A woman answers, “What’s the matter, what is it?” A man answers, “It’s another case for Nick Carter, Master Detective!”

At a time before the coming of the hard-boiled private eye to radio, Nick Carter’s cases packed a bit more punch with more peril and excitement involved. He’d often pull off improbable escapes. They weren’t quite on the level of a 1940s Batman serial where Batman got away by pulling a full-sized acetylene torch out of his unity belt once, but they were a bit out there. The mysteries had a bit of pulp fiction flavor to them.

Carter did mostly half-hour episodes, but it also broadcast 100 serialized episodes for over twenty weeks. The series rarely touched on the War itself and provided a great diversion for folks at home.

1)The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Networks: Blue Network, Mutual

Star: Basil Rathbone

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce had starred as Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in two films already when they starred in the first series of New Adventures over the Blue Network in 1939. They did a total of three seasons that averaged twenty-four weeks each. Then came the Universal Sherlock Holmes features that placed Holmes and Watson in the World War II era and a new series over Mutual that would release a new episode every single week for two years. Through both networks runs, the duo performed  both works from Doyle’s original canon and added true new adventures. The tone would vary from week to week: from the comedic to the horrific and the poignant. Through it all, Rathbone and Bruce rolled with the punches and turned out solid performances each week .

Bruce not only played Holmes’ sidekick but an older Watson who had retired to America and would play host to the pitchman for whatever product was sponsoring them in a given season. It adds a nice touch of charm to a well-acted and written series worthy of the world’s greatest consulting detective.

 

Listener’s Choice

Listen to “The Great Detectives Present Listener's Choice” on Spreaker.

 

Standard Division Winners

20. Rocky Fortune
19. Sherlock Holmes with Tom Conway
18. Ellery Queen
17 Yours Truly Johnny Dollar with Charles Russell
16. Rogue’s Gallery
15. Boston Blackie
14. Candy Matson
13. Pat Novak for Hire
12. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar with Mandel Kramer
11. The Saint with Vincent Price
10. Let George Do It with Bob Bailey
9. Night Beat
8. Rocky Jordan
6. (Tied) Dragnet
6. (Tied) Box 13
5. Richard Diamond
3. (Tied) Philip Marlowe
3. (Tied) Nero Wolfe
2. Sherlock Holmes
1. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar

Short Division Winners

5. Pete Kelly’s Blues
4. Philip Marlowe
3. The Fat Man
2. Boston Blackie with Chester Morris
1. Hercule Poirot

Host’s Choice (Wildcards)

The Abbotts
Easy Money
Jeff Regan with Frank Graham
Sherlock Holmes with John Gieglud
Barrie Craig

Preliminary Round Listener’s Choice Result

Our first round of voting in our Listener’s Choice Poll is over.  Nearly 400 voters winnowed the choices in our standard division from forty-nine to thirty-two.

Barrie Craig Boston Blackie (Richard Kollmar) Box 13 Candy Matson
Dragnet Ellery Queen Jeff Regan (Jack Webb) Let George Do It
The Line Up Michael Shayne (Jeff Chandler) Michael Shayne (Wally Maher) Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons (Bennett Kilpack)
Nero Wolfe (Sidney Greenstreet) Nick Carter Night Beat Pat Novak for Hire (Jack Webb)
Philip Marlowe (Gerald Mohr) Richard
Diamond		 Rocky Fortune Rocky Jordan
Rogue’s Gallery (Dick Powell) The Saint
(Vincent Price)		 Sherlock
Holmes (Basil Rathbone)		 Sherlock Holmes (John Gielgud)
Sherlock
Holmes (John
Stanley)		 Sherlock
Holmes (Tom
Conway)		 Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar (Bob Bailey)		 Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (Bob
Readick)
Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar
(Charles
Russell)		 Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar
(Edmond
O’Brien)		 Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar (John Lund)		 Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (Mandel Kramer)

Preliminary Results: Heat 1 (Table)

Preliminary Results: Heat 2 (Table)

Over the past ten seasons, we’ve done a lot of old-time radio detective programs. We aim to go through each series from its earliest episode to its last existing program. The Listener’s Choice vote will serve to allow fans to vote on their favorites. In addition, in the second half of the Great Detectives of Old Time radio season, most Monday shows will be dedicated to counting down the Listener’s Choice favorites.

There will be two divisions in the listener’s choice voting process.

First is our standard division. This applies to every series for which eleven or more episodes are available. The top twenty series from the standard division will be chosen by fans. The second division is our short division for programs where only three to ten episodes are available. The top five winners from the short division will be chosen by fans.

Multiple Leads:

For the purpose of the Listener’s Choice vote, if a series had multiple leads, then each lead’s run will be considered separately. For example, there’s a different feel to the Michael Shayne episodes starring Wally Maher and those starring Jeff Chandler.

Similarly, Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone has a different feel than Sherlock Holmes starring John Stanley or John Gielgud. So our survey will allow listeners to choose between their favorite runs of a series for each lead with at least three episodes.

One exception to this rule is when a series has more than ten episodes in circulation but no single lead has more than ten surviving episodes. In this case, the series will be in the standard division with no lead differentiation.

Voting Method:

We will be using Ranked Choice voting via Demochoice polls to determine the rankings of the series. In Ranked Choice voting, you’ll rank each series from your favorite to least favorite. Those rankings will be used to tabulate the winners. For more details on how the system works, click here.

If you’ve not heard all of your shows and would like to listen to them, check out our Big List of Detective Old Time radio shows.

In January 2019, a preliminary round will be held to winnow the existing field of 49 standard series to 32. The poll will close on January 24th 2019. The results will be announced on the February 4th 2019 episode of Mister Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons at which point, the final poll for the standard division and the poll for the short division will be posted. The poll will continue until February 27th 2019. The results will be revealed in countdowns during the Listener’s Choice weeks rather than released all at once.

Patreon Supporter Benefits:

Listeners who support the Great Detectives of Old Time radio through our Patreon will receive additional benefits. Patreon supporters will be allowed to vote early and will be notified of the preliminary standard division poll early. In addition, during the Listener’s Choice period, I will notify Patreon supporters of which series we’ll be doing next month, and they will have an opportunity to nominate a favorite episode.

Programming and Host Choice

The Listener’s choice countdown will begin on March 25th, 2019 and will conclude with the last Monday show in the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio tenth season on October 21, 2019. The countdown will be interrupted to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Dragnet in June.

In addition, the twenty-five listener’s choice selections would not be sufficient to cover every Monday in this period. There will be five Host Choice wildcard selections of programs the series has done before. This may include episodes of series that were not selected by listeners as well as previously played specials.

Audio Drama Review, Golden Age Article

My Top Six Most Wanted Missing Old Time Radio Episodes

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In podcasting, few things make me happier than getting word more detective radio programs have come into circulation. Over the last few seasons, we’ve revisited several series where I’d done every available episode for only for more episodes to come available.

The list of series I would love to have new episodes for is vast. I’d love more episodes of series that have 90% of their episodes missing, such as the Fat Man and The Thin Man. I’d love episodes for shows which we have only dozens of episodes out of hundreds, such as the Saint, Barrie Craig, and Nick Carter. I’d love more episodes of series where we already have most of them such as the Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Dragnet, Richard Diamond, and Johnny Dollar.

When it comes to specific missing episodes, the list is far shorter. We have no idea what the missing episodes are about, so one missing episode could be as good as another in theory. Yet, there are some episodes where we do have tantalizing details about them that make one I’m particularly curious about. Here are my top 6:

6) Dragnet, Production 1-June 3, 1949

We are missing the very first episode of Dragnet from the radio series that ran for six years and led to four different TV series, a major motion picture, and a successful spin-off in Adam 12. Production 1 is one of only eleven lost episodes of the radio show but it’s such a historic broadcast, and it’s a shame we can’t hear it. The only reason it ranks so low is we do have Production 2, which gives us a hint of what Production 1 was like with its very different opening theme and somewhat different style. Production 1 isn’t Dragnet as most people know it, but it’s still the beginning of the series, and I’d like to be able to hear it.

Note: This episode is one various sites frequently claim to have for sale, but when you listen to the episode, it’s actually Production 2.

5)Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Lonely Hearts Matter, Episode 4: April 28, 1956

The fifteen-minute Johnny Dollar serials with Bob Bailey are the best audio dramas of radio’s golden age. Thankfully, they are almost entirely intact, with only four installments missing. Three of these missing episodes are Parts Two or Three. If a chapter is going to be missing, one of these middle chapters is best as most plot developments are readily captured in recaps.

However, the Lonely Hearts Matter is missing Episode Four. In my opinion, that’s the second worst episode to be missing. The worst possible episode to not have is the final episode of the serial since you don’t know how the story ends. Episode Four is critical as it’s in this episode that Johnny begins to move towards the solution and the drama of the final chapter is set up. As it is now, the Lonely Hearts Matter is not a satisfying listen. The leap from parts three to five is a huge one.We can read about what happened in part four thanks to John C. Abbott’s definitive book on Johnny Dollar. However, there’s nothing like actually hear the episode.

4) Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Curly Waters Matter, 02/01/1959

After the end of the serial era, the show resumed the typical half-hour format. Most episodes were entirely self-contained. So while we may not have all the episodes, we don’t need them to understand the episodes we do have. One exception to this is the Curly Waters Matter. This episode is missing and that’s bad for two reasons. First, it introduces Betty Lewis who would be a recurring character for the last year and a half of the Bob Bailey era as Johnny’s first and only ongoing girlfriend. In addition, the plot for next week’s program’s (The Date of Death Matter) is a bit of a sequel to this one. Many of the events are recapped, so you can understand what went on in that episode, but it’s disappointing we couldn’t hear these events for ourselves.

3)Let George Do It: George Meets Sam Spade-09/26/1947

Dennis at the Digital Deli located a tantalizing ad from a newspaper for the radio series, Let George Do It with the caption, “George Meets Sam Spade.”
‘
The radio show doesn’t exist in circulation (only one episode of Let George Do It from 1947 does), so we’re left with a lot of questions. Was this an actual team-up between George Valentine and Sam Spade despite being on different networks? Was it a guest appearance by Sam Spade actor Howard Duff on Let George Do It? Was it a situation where a parody of Sam Spade appeared, perhaps voiced by Elliott Lewis who worked for Mutual around this time and could be a soundalike for his friend Duff. We’ll never know until the episode is found.

2) Dragnet-The Big Cop-Original Air Date: 08/02/1951

This is the only radio/television episode of Dragnet from the 1950s to tackle the issue of police corruption. A listener emailed me with the theory the radio and TV versions of this episode were being suppressed. It doesn’t require a conspiracy. Hundreds of thousands of hours of 1950s radio are missing. That said, I’d love to see how Dragnet dealt with this topic in the 1950s.

Note: This is another episode that is often listed as being available for sale, but the episode sold is an unrelated burglary case.

1) Matthew Slade-The Day of the Phoenix, Part Three: July 1964

This episode concluded the 1960s Detective series Matthew Slade, Private Investigator. It aired in 1964, a couple years after the official end of the Golden Age of radio. The absence of the concluding episode of the Day of the Pheonix is why I’ve held off on doing this series.

This episode is tantalizing because there’s evidence it exists. It’s listed in the Digital Deli’s log, and I saw the episode for sale on a now-defunct website that offered Old Time Radio MP3 CDs. I didn’t buy it because of the seller’s shady setup, but it does give hope the show is out there.

We’re running out of great detectives that we haven’t done yet, so we may end up running Matthew Slade without Day of the Phoenix.

If you have any of these episodes, I’d love to hear them and to share them with my audience. Before emailing me, please be sure that you’ve listened to the episode and verified it is what it purports to be. (Particularly with the missing Dragnet episodes.)

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Big List of Old Time Radio Detective Shows

Listen to “The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio” on Spreaker.

I get asked a lot about what shows we’re going to play as replacements in the lineup become necessary, so I decided to make a list of the shows I would like to do, the shows I’m not going to do, and those I’m not sure about. If there’s another detective show that’s not on the list, please leave it in the comments or call the show at 208-991-GR8D (4783).

The only shows that I will consider are American-made shows or shows made for American syndication that were produced before February 15, 1972, British shows produced before June 1957, or Australian programs produced before 1969 and not currently sold by Grace Gibson Syndication.

Doing:

The Falcon (RSS) (Itunes)

Dangerous Assignment (RSS) (iTunes)

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar (RSS) (Itunes)

Mr. Chameleon (RSS) (Itunes) *

Dragnet (RSS) (Itunes)

 

Done:

Box 13 (RSS) (Itunes)

The Thin Man (RSS) (Itunes)

Adventures of the Abbotts (RSS) (Itunes)

I Deal in Crime (RSS) (Itunes)

Pat Novak for Hire (RSS) (Itunes)

Johnny Madero (RSS) (Itunes)*

San Francisco Final

Father Brown (RSS) (Itunes)

Nero Wolfe (RSS) (Itunes)

Rogue’s Gallery (RSS) (Itunes)

Candy Matson (RSS) (Itunes)

Christopher London (RSS) (Itunes)

Hercule Poirot (RSS) (Itunes)

Crime on the Waterfront (RSS) (Itunes)

Pete Kelly’s Blues (RSS) (Itunes)

The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall (RSS) (Itunes)

The Fat Man (US): (RSS) (Itunes)

Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator (RSS) (Itunes)

Call the Police (RSS)

A Life in Your Hands: (RSS)

Cases of Mr. Ace (RSS)

Policewoman

The Adventures of Frank Race (RSS) (Itunes)

The Big Guy (RSS)

Sherlock Holmes (RSS) (Itunes)

The McCoy

Mr. Moto (RSS)

Dr. Tim Detective (RSS) (Itunes)*

A Johnny Fletcher Mystery

Amazing Mr. Malone (RSS) (Itunes)

The McCoy

The Line Up (RSS) (Itunes)

Police Blotter (RSS)

Here Comes McBride

Homicide O’Kane

Casebook of Gregory Hood (RSS)

Manhunt (RSS)

Police Headquarters (RSS)

Michael Shayne (RSS) (Itunes)

Crime and Peter Chambers (RSS) (Itunes)

The Man from Homicide (RSS)

The Saint (RSS) (Itunes)

Ellery Queen (RSS)

Hearthstone of the Death Squad (RSS) (Itunes)*

Tales of Fatima (RSS)

The Avenger (RSS)

Dyke Easter

Defense Attorney (RSS)

Mark Sabre (ABC Mystery Theater) (RSS)

The Private Files of Rex Saunders (RSS)

Hollywood Mystery Time (RSS)

Inspector Thorne (RSS) (Itunes)*

The Lone Wolf (RSS)

That Hammer Guy(RSS)

Bishop and the Gargoyle

Crime Correspodent

Follow that Man

The Judge

Night Beat (RSS) (Itunes)

Pursuit (RSS) (Itunes)

Richard Diamond (RSS) (Itunes)

Rocky Fortune (RSS)

Nick Carter (RSS) (ITunes)

Security Agent USA

That Strong Guy (RSS)

Stand by For Crime (RSS)

Listener’s Choice

Let George Do It (RSS) (Itunes)

Rocky Jordan (RSS) (Itunes)

Boston Blackie (RSS) (Itunes)

Raffles (RSS)

It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins  (RSS)

Roger Kilgore, Public Defender (RSS)

Air Mail Mystery (RSS)

 

Treasury Agent (RSS)

T-Man (RSS)

Dick Tracy (RSS) (Itunes)

O’Hara (RSS) (Itunes)

Indictment (RSS) (Itunes)

Under Arrest (RSS) (Itunes)

The Fat Man (AU): (RSS) (Itunes)

Mystery is My Hobby (RSS) (Itunes)

The Silent Men  (RSS) (Itunes)

Mister Keen Tracer of Lost Persons (RSS) (Itunes)*

Philip Marlowe (RSS) (Itunes)

Top Secrets of the FBI (Itunes)*

Billy Swift, Boy Detective (Itunes)*

Adventures of Bill Lance (RSS) (Itunes)*

Squad Room (RSS) (Itunes)*

Jeff Regan (RSS) (Itunes)

Casey, Crime Photographer  (RSS) (Itunes)

The Man Called X (RSS) (Itunes)

 

This is O’Shea (Itunes)*

I Hate Crime (AU) (RSS) (Itunes)

Sara’s Private Capers (Itunes)*

Meet Miss Sherlock (RSS) (Itunes)*

Michael Piper, Detective (RSS)

Sam Spade (RSS) (Itunes)

Philo Vance (RSS) (Itunes)

Tales of the Texas Rangers (RSS) (Itunes)

Crimefighters (Itunes)*

*Indicates in group feed in Itunes.

Coming Later

Tuesdays:
Bulldog Drummond (Season 15)
Hot Copy (Season 16)
Operation Danger (Season 16)
Martin Kane (Season 16)
Matthew Slade (Season 16)
Charlie Chan (Season 16)
The Big Story (Season 16)
Results, Inc. (Season 17)
Police Reporter (Season 17)
Wednesdays:
Broadway is My Beat (Season 15)

Thursday:
Mr. and Mrs. North (Season 15)

Saturday:
Crime Fighters (Season 14)
Dragnet replay (Season 14)

To be Determined:
Ted Drake

Burton Trent

No:

Adventures by Morse

Armstrong of the SBI

Amazing Mr. Tut

Blackstone, Magic Detective

Crime Doctor

Danger Dr. Danfield

Deadline Mystery

Detectives Black and Blue

Green Lama

I Love a Mystery

I Love Adventure

Jonathan Brixton (aka Attorney for the Defense.)

Misadventures of Si and Elmer

Mr. and Mrs. North (Briton and Denning version)

Narcotics Intelligence Bureau

United States Postal Inspector

A Voice in the Night

Wrong Genre:

Big Town

Cloak and Dagger

I Was a Communist for the FBI

The Shadow

Mr. District Attorney

Audio Drama Review, Golden Age Article

Three Old Time Radio Detective Shows That Could be Rebooted in the 21st Century

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Most old time radio programs work in part because of the era they’re set in. For most programs, trying to update them to modern times would be silly. Taking Philip Marlowe, Barrie Craig, Nick Carter, or Candy Matson out of their original contexts wouldn’t make sense.

Of course, it’s always possible to do a period piece. Although modern period pieces often suffer from creators deciding they need to transport twenty-first-century sensibilities back into historical periods.

However, some old time radio detective programs could be made well set in modern times, with a few tweaks thrown in:

1) Box 13

The original concept: 1940s series starring Alan Ladd. The reporter and mystery writer Dan Holiday places an ad in the paper, “Mystery wanted, will go anywhere, do anything.” A few episodes in, Dan hired a secretary named Susie. It seems she had undiagnosed inattentive-type ADD, which unfortunately got her dismissed as ditzy at the time.

Twenty-first Century updates: He would post his ad online and receive replies to an email address with “Box 13” sneaked into it believably. He could be an adventure blogger who posts about his adventures and lives on Patreon income and Google AdSense revenue. Also, Susie could be portrayed as not being so dumb while steering clear of making her a Mary Sue.

2) The Big Guy

The original concept: 1950s radio series starring John Calvin as a widowed single father raising his two kids on his own while also being a private detective.

Twenty-First Century Update: I always thought the original concept of the show had a lot of unrealized potential. Probably the most important thing would be to pick a tone. The surviving episodes vary too much. Some try to be adult crime dramas, while others would have appealed more to kids. I would propose making it a good family show with some comedy and the kids stumbling into his cases.

3) Mr. and Mrs. North

The original concept: A publisher and his wife solve mysteries together.

Twenty-First Century update: It’s been too long since we have a loving mystery-solving couple. Tampering would be minimal. Pam and Jerry are already equal partners in the mystery-solving department. Listening to the radio programs or watching TV episodes, it’s a coin flip as to who’ll provide the solution.

She could have a separate career that leaves plenty of time for sleuthing, such as a photo blogger. Whoever wrote it would need to be careful to avoid turning her into the  “Strong Independent Woman” stock character that has replaced the damsel in distress. Pam North’s portrayal on radio and TV is witty, resourceful, funny, and fairly well-balanced. That should be maintained in any adaptation.

Honorable Mention: Night Beat

The original concept: Reporter Randy Stone roams the night in Chicago in search of stories. He writes mostly human interest tales of the best and worst of humanity in the night. Randy has a touch of cynicism, but also a lot of compassion and morality which motivates him. He’s part philosopher, as he paints broad pictures of humanity through each encounter.

Twenty-First Century update: Wouldn’t Work.

Night Beat makes a tempting target for a Twenty-First Century reboot. However, I don’t think it can be updated successfully.

Randy Stone is at the heart of the series. Unlike Box 13, you couldn’t just have him writing for a blog. He also couldn’t still be working on a newspaper.

If there were ever reporters who were close to Randy Stone, they’ve gone extinct. In the last sixty-five years, people have become more cynical about the press, and the press has become more cynical about people.

Reporters want to bring change but through partisan reporting that brings about systemic societal change. Randy Stone’s goals were nonpartisan: to be a decent person and to call other people to be decent too, regardless of politics. His nonpartisan perspective no longer flies in modern journalism. It may have been a bit fanciful in 1950. In 2018? Totally unrealistic.

The only thing a TV or radio creator could do with a modern-day Night Beat would be to ruin it by making it partisan. This would probably happen even if it was attempted as a period piece.

However, I welcome reader comments on the programs I’ve mentioned as well as any others that you think might (or might not) work with a modern day reboot.

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Book Review, Golden Age Article

Book Review: Enter the Saint

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Enter the Saint is the first short story collection featuring Simon Templar after he appeared in the novel Meet the Tiger.

The book collects three stories:

“The Man Who Was Clever” sees the Saint trying to take down a drug smuggler and blackmailer. It’s a good crime-busting yarn that allows the Saint to show his pure unadulterated nerve and ability to bait a trap.

“The Policeman with Wings” has the Saint investigating the curious case of a wealthy man who disappeared from his house after being escorted away by a mysterious policeman. This leads an elaborate and somewhat high-handed set up to uncover the true motives of the kidnappers and prevent them from harming the kidnapped man’s niece and heir.

Finally, there’s “The Lawless Lady” which finds the Saint in the background as one of his men. Dicky Tremaine goes undercover with a gang planning a big jewel heist at sea, and finds himself falling for female leader of the gang. Meanwhile, another member appears to be playing to eliminate him. The Saint does make his presence known at the end, but this is an unusual story to say the least.

The stories this book are enjoyable crime tales for the most part. It’s clear that Leslie Charteris is still developing the nature of the Saint. However, this book features most of what makes the Saint work.  You have dashing escapes, the Saint’s absolute audacity and laughing in the face of danger, and you have three good rogues who are worthy adversaries. The third story is a little strange, but it’s still entertaining.

Probably, the book’s biggest shortcoming is giving the Saint an entire organization of agents in support of him. I can see why this was done. Other popular literary figures of the era such as Doc Savage, the Shadow, and Nick Carter had their men to support him. Besides that it supported Charteris’s attempt to brand the Saint the Robin Hood of Modern Crime. After all, what’s Robin Hood without his merry men?

Yet, the Saint is really best when working with one assistant or two at most. In effect, in most of these stories, that’s what he’s doing. We really don’t get to focus on the Saint’s band, and eventually, they’d be discarded as surplus.

If you enjoy some good crime stories from the Golden Age of fiction, you could do far worse than this book. Despite its flaws, the book showcases the talent and style that would make Leslie Charteris a literary fixture for decades to come.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

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DVD Review, Golden Age Article

DVD Review: Bancroft Of The Secret Service Mysteries Collection

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These films star future President Ronald Reagan as Brass Bancroft, a flyer turned Secret Service Agent who battles alien smugglers, counterfeiters, thieves, and fifth columnist in these films from 1939-40.

From my experience of watching B films, these are about average. The films are not as good as the Nick Carter films for the same era. And despite being about a law enforcement officer, these really aren’t detective stories (except perhaps the third film). The strength of the franchise is really two fisted action and adventure.

As a historical curiosity, it’s interesting to see the future leader of the free world at work in his late 20s and looking his best. Reagan is great whenever he’s on screen exuding great charm and charisma.

The action sequences are pretty good in this one. While not up to the standards of our special effects driven world, the various chases, fistfights, and peril of these four films are fun to watch and there are some standout moments that are great for various reasons. The first film did a great job casting our villains as true menaces to decency when (in response to another Secret Service man trying to bust the plane mid-flight), the pilot opens a hatch in the plane that drops the Secret Service men as well as all the illegal aliens being smuggled right to Earth in a scene that’s very shocking. While the identity of the bad guy is not much of a secret in the third film despite the attempt at a veneer of mystery, the reveal of the “boss” is a beautiful work that’s just great to watch.

Also, viewers of the 1950s Superman TV show will recognize John Hamilton (who played Perry White) who appears in three of the four films as various authority figures.

On the downside, unlike Donald Meek’s character in the Nick Carter series, Eddie Foy Jr.’s comedic sidekick character Gabby Walters doesn’t really help the series and from a plot standpoint, it only made sense for him to be in the first film. While there are  amusing moments where Foy’s charm shines, the character far too often is annoying, particularly in the last film.

The rest of the cast was mostly serviceable. Nothing amazing but nothing really bad either. The writing was dodgy at times. In the first movie, the film really took a long round about way of achieving its goal with the Secret Service going to great pains to have Bancroft convicted by a jury under his own name on a trumped up counterfeiting Charge so he could go undercover in prison rather than simply have him imprisoned under an assumed name. as would happen in the third film In the final film, the plot involved a secret fictional weapon which the filmmakers tried to demonstrate. Unfortunately they didn’t have the budget to do it effectively and the result is a somewhat confusing end.

It’s also worth commenting on as to the dearth of women in these features. Each film has one woman each in the main cast and except for Lya Lys in Murder in the Air none of them actually stand out.

Overall, the films are okay B-movies with some nice acting by Reagan and a few standout moments. But there’s a lot of this that’s also pretty forgettable even by B-movie standards.

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Golden Age Article

You Ought to be on DVD Revisited: What’s New in Old Movies

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Last year, I wrote a series of posts about TV series and movies that were due a DVD release and hadn’t received one. I’m pleasantly surprised to see some movement on this thanks largely to the efforts of Warner Brothers and their Warner archives collections. Here are some long lost treasures that can be brought home on DVD mostly due to the efforts of Warner Archives:

Perry Mason Movies: Before Raymond Burr made Perry Mason a television icon in the late 50s and early 60s, actors such as Warren William, Ricardo Perez, and Donald Woods took their turn playing the iconic lawyer in the 1930s. Warner Archives has released all six movies on DVD which will give audiences a chance to enjoy a Perry Mason closer to Erle Stanley Gardener’s hard-boiled intention.

Philo Vance Movies: Warner Archives is out with a sampler of Philo Vance movies covering several actors. There’s the Bishop Murder Case with Basil Rathbone, The Kennel Murder Case with William Powell, The Dragon Murder Case with Warren William, The Casino Murder Case with Paul Lucas, The Garden Murder Case with Edmund Lowe, and Calling Philo Vance with James Stephenson. There’s actually three more Powell entries and another William entry that I hope will see release.

Lone Wolfe Movie: This release of the Vance and Mason movies may be tied to a recent book about Warren William. That also will explain why one entry in the Lone Wolfe series has finally seen the light of day with the release of, The Lone Wolf Meets a Lady.

While I didn’t mention the relatively short Nick Carter detective movie series with Walter Pidgeon, those have also been released.

It’s not just Mystery Series that Warner Brothers is releasing, but also standalone mystery classics. We played the Screen GUild Theater presentation of, The Mask of Demetrios for one of our specials and at last this film has earned a DVD release. The thriller is rare as it stars Peter Lorre as a hero not named Moto and Sidney Greenstreet plays a heavy.

On the comedy front, the Great Gildersleeve movies with Harold Peary have seen release along with one movie (Seven Days Leave) in which Gildersleeve is a supporting character for Lucille Ball’s lead.

Finally, while I haven’t gotten my wish about more Dr. Kildare movies making their way to DVD, the first season of the Dr. Kildare TV series starring Richard Chamberlain has been released.

Overall, Warner Archives deserves a debt of thanks from fans of classic golden age entertainment. There’s still much more unreleased material that’s part of America’s cultural heritage. From Johnny Midnight to Dick Powell’s To the Ends of the Earth, but Warner Brothers has taken some great steps by making so many productions available to a mass audience. Well done. I’ve added many of these movies to my Amazon wish list and hope to see them very soon.

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Golden Age Article

Radio’s Most Essential People: Final Thoughts and Complete List

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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 <i>The Mercury Theater</i> programs. Star of <i>The Shadow</i> and <i>The Lives of Harry Lime</i>.

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Golden Age Article

Radio’s Most Essential People Countdown: #95-#91

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Continued from Part One:

95) Lon Clark

For twelve seasons, Lon Clark played his memorable role as Nick Carter, Master Detective but this was not the limit of Clark’s radio acting. He remained a presence on all sorts of New York-based programs including Cavalcade of America and 2000 Plus. Even after the golden age of radio ended, his lent his talent to productions such as Theater Five and The CBS Mystery Theater.

94) Shirley Mitchell

One of radio’s best comedic character actresses, she had featured roles on the Joan Davis programs, the Life of Riley, Fibber McGee and Molly, and most famously on the Great Gildersleeve where she played Leila, a Southern Belle. As radio comedy declined in the mid-1950s, she became a reliable actress for CBS’ Drama series including Have Gun Will Travel, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, Suspense and Fort Laramie, often providing some comic relief, but capable of pulling off a serious performance.

William Bendix

93) William Bendix

William Bendix landed a defining role as Chester Riley in 1944. Riley was a lovable dope and a Brooklyn transplant to Los Angeles. It was Bendix’s perfect timing that made the show work for seven years over radio followed by another five over television. In addition to Life of Riley, Bendix had his share of performances on Suspense, Lux Radio Theater, the Columbia Workshop, and the Family Theater that showcased his talent.

92) Edward Arnold

Legendary film character actor Edward Arnold was a force to be reckoned with on radio. With his booming voice, and powerful presence, he made a great MC for shows like the Maxwell Good News Show of 1940 and the Hallmark Hall of Fame. He also appeared in many memorable adaptations of Hollywood films. Arnold also starred as Mr. President for six years in a legendary series that told true life stories from the lives of the men who held the highest office in the land. His performance had even Harry Truman calling him “Mr. President.”

91) Frances Langford

Frances LangfordFrances Langford had a long association with radio that began in the mid-1930s and lasted for more than a decade and a half. She appeared on musical programs with Rudy Vallee and Dick Powell, but she was best known for her association with Bob Hope. During World War II, she toured with Hope overseas. She also played Blanche on the iconic radio sitcom, The Bickersons.

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Golden Age Article

Radio’s Most Essential People Countdown: #100-#96

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As I listen to radio in a wide variety of forms, I’ve noted that some people are essential. If they had not been involved, the Golden Age of radio would not have been the same. To me the 100 people on this list best defined this virtue.

Some of these are  lead actors, others are character actors-men and women who played (in some cases) Thousands of Roles with poise and professionalism, and others were hardly heard at all as their work was behind the scenes. Yet, they were all part of making the golden age of radio sparkle. They each brought something unique and wonderful to the table that made the golden age unforgettably.

Of course, any time you make a list like this, names get left off and in a few years, I may see some others who may be promoted to a higher spot, but based on what I’ve learned of radio over the last few years, this is a solid list. I hope you enjoy this series as we work our way to the top.

100) Vic Perrin

Vic Perrin’s first radio appearance was in 1943 for Free World Theater. He’d quickly become one of radio’s most vital character actors. He was a regular stock player for Jack Webb who was used constantly. He also appeared on programs such as Family Theater and Suspense. He continued to make radio appearances as the Golden Age headed to the twilight of its existence appearing regularly on Gunsmoke, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, and Have Gun Will Travel. He also took on a rare recurring role as Sgt. Goerss on Fort Laramie. He also played a key role in Radio Revival attempts in the 1970s appearing on Rod Serling’s Zero Hour and the Sears Radio Theater. His voice work was also prominent in cartoons. He served a whole new generation of fans with his performance as Sinesto in the Super Friends, along with voicework for the 1978 Fantastic Four and 1983 Incredible Hulk animated programs

99) Jock McGregor

One of radio’s great behind the scenes men:  Macgregor’s writing, producing, and directing were behind some of radio’s most significant programs from the early 1940s to the mid-1950s including Murder Clinic, Nick Carter, The Sealed Book, X Minus One, and most famously Mysterious Traveler. 

98) Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey BogartBogart was first and foremost, a movie star.and one of the greatest of his or any other time. However, he showed time and time again that he was able to perform with the best of them on radio when his busy film schedule allowed. He adapted several of his movies to radio including The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen,  and To Have or Have Not as well as many of his Gangster roles such as Petrified Forest and Bullets or Ballots. These radio films are a rare treat for fans. Beyond these appearances, Bogart also starred in Bold Venture. Bold Venture was far from the best written radio drama with the oft-recurring plot of Bogart’s character Slade Shannon being played for a royal sucker by the underworld guest star of the week. That the show is so well-loved sixty years later is a testament to the sheer power of Bogart and Becall to overcome all odds, including those imposed by the writers.  

97) Dennis Day

Dennis Day made his first appearance on Jack Benny’s show in 1939 with the character of a naive young tenor. A character he played throughout an association with Benny that would extend for more than 30 years. In addition to his association with  Benny, the charismatic Irish singer had his own comedy show, A Day in the Life of Dennis Day.

96) Barton Yarborough

Barton Yarborough had several key recurring roles he was remembered for: Clifford Barbour on Carlton Morse’s long-running soap opera. One Man’s Family, Doc Long in I Love a Mystery, and Joe Friday’s first partner Ben Romero in Dragnet. Yarborough was the only person other than Jack Webb to narrate on Dragnet in the episode, The Big Ben which features Joe Friday being shot. At that point, Ben Romero takes over the narration. In addition to these feature recurring roles, Yarborough played countless character roles on radio. Most frequently he used his Texas twang to create a wide variety of characters who ranged from the amusing to the sinister.  Yarborough offered his services to equally wide variety shows ensuring his place as one of radio’s most essential performers. Yarborough died all too soon at the age of 51 after filming the first two television episodes of Dragnet.

Next week: #91-#95

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Poirot

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Hercule Poirot is one of the most fascinating and enduring characters in detective fiction. He made his debut in The Mysterious Affair At Styles and continued to appear in fiction for fifty-five years, with his last appearance coming in Curtain which was published in 1975.

Poirot is Belgian (not French as is often assumed by those who meet him for the first time.) He fled Belgium during the First World War and became a fixture in England, often providing aid to the British Government. Poirot is a striking character. He five foot two inches tall, immaculately dressed, obsessive compulsive,  brilliant, egotistical, and compassionate.

Poirot has been portrayed on the screen by many actors on the stage, the first being Charles Laughton.  On screen, he was portrayed by Austin Trevor, Albert Finney, and Peter Ustinov. In 1989, David Suchet took on the role and has so far portrayed Poirot in sixty-five programs over ITV, with five more films set to complete the series in 2012 and is viewed by most as the definitive Poirot.

Poirot garnered much popularity early in the United States leading to several radio adaptations.  The first radio adaptation of Poirot was a 1939 adaptation of The Murder of Roger Akroyd over the Campbell’s Playhouse with Orson Welles. In 1942 and ’43 when WOR produced Murder Clinic, which adapted popular detective stories, three Poirot short stories were chosen for adaptation.

In 1945, Mutual brought Poirot to air in his own series starring Harold Huber. Like with Mutual’s Father Brown series, Poirot was transported across the Atlantic to New York City. The show starred Harold Huber and  lasted one season. It moved to CBS where it became a fifteen minute serial airing Monday-Friday that lasted two season. Neither of these series adapted Christie stories, but as was the case with adventures of Nick Carter and most other detective heroes, these radio adventures represented new cases for the Belgian detective’s little gray cells.

Star Bio:

Harold HuberHarold Huber (1909-59): Star of screen, radio, stage, and television known best for his appearance in Charlie Chan films in the 1930s. He continued to play character roles until his death, appearing often on television. His last roles included appearances on the Phil Silvers Show and the syndicated series, Decoy.
Episode Log:

Campbell’s Playhouse:

Murder Clinic:
Agatha Christie’s Poirot:

End of Log

Log information Courtesy of Digital Deli.

Golden Age Article

Raiders of the Lost Episodes

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Todd wrote in with a question about lost episodes of the radio series, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes:

How many episodes of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes exist? This posting says that there maybe another 150 floating around. Is it true?

The Wikipedia article linked states that there are 150 episodes of the New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (with Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone/Tom Conway) in existence. Is this true? The answer is, “possibly.” On the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio, we played around 90 episodes of that run. In addition to that, I found one episode, “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box” that was so unintelligible and at such bad sound quality I couldn’t play it. I also discovered an intact episode, however it was one part of a six part telling of Hound of the Baskervilles. And I found fragments of a few other episodes with 10-15 minutes of an episode with poor sound quality.

But saying it could be true and saying it is are two different things. Indeed, someone updated the Wikipedia article to state that there was no evidence to back the assertion up (in which case, it would probably make more sense to delete the assertion.) While its true that any number of Sherlock Holmes episodes could exist, the poor sound quality episodes and fragments I’ve found higlights a big barrier to the episodes being listenable or available.

More than half the lost episodes come during World War II with all but one of the rest being pre-World War II. During World War II, the use of aluminum transcription discs was abandoned as aluminum was a vital war material. Instead, glass was used transcription discs and glass discs are far more likely to be damaged, and there’s also a possibility that metal transcription discs were given to various metal drives during the war. Of course, there are shows that ran during World War II that survive in listenable form, so it remains possible that a large number of episodes could have survived, but the odds are against the discs.

If episodes did exist in listenable form that are not available to the public or most collectors, where might they be? They could be either inaccessible or in the hands of people who don’t know what they have.

There are a large number of OTR collectors as well as educational institutions that keep their collections under wraps for a variety of reasons. For many shows, the number of episodes outstanding is quite substantial.

For example, we played the Adventures of the Thin Man, all eight playable and complete episodes in circulation. Dennis at the Digital Deli estimates that he has 30 episodes and that there may be 200-300 episodes in circulation. There are 125 episodes of Nick Carter in circulation online, the Radio Goldindex catalogs the existence of 350. Why might some of these episodes not be available to the public?

1) They don’t that anyone other than fellow collectors care: If you can find one person out of twenty who knows who the Great Gildersleeve or Fibber McGee and Molly are, you’re doing good. The idea that anyone other than fellow collectors care about it may seem odd. In addition, some may have given up the hobby but still have their collection stored.

2) They’re collectors: A g0od collection (regardless of what you’re collecting) has what no one else has. When it comes to radio shows, having programs that no one has or few people have is what makes a collection worthwhile and as long as they’re able to hold on to their collection, they’ll keep what they have under wraps.

3) Concern about Commercialization: Many collectors have been extremely piqued at commercial exploitation of Old Time Radio by OTR MP3 companies that will often take carefully preserved high quality mp3s and downgrade the audio so that they can fit 100 episodes on a $5 CD. It leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many collectors, particularly when you consider that there are some collectors who think the only real way to listen to golden age radio is right off the transcription disc. For people who have spent decades collecting, the shoddy packaging of these recordings is a big discouragement from sharing more.

For those who aren’t collectors, it’s easy to not know what they have. Golden Age radio programs are preserved chiefly on electronic transcription discs and reel-to-reel tape recorders. While the electronic transcription discs look a lot like vinyl records, they won’t play on a normal record player, and hardly anyone has a reel-to-reel tape player.

This means that items can end up in thrift stores, estate sales, or even thrown away with no one knowning what they are. If you happen to stumble on a transcription disc or golden age of radio reel-to-reel tape, contact a local Golden Age radio group or the Old Time Radio Researchers.

Will missing episodes of Sherlock Holmes and other programs be found? Yes, but many will be lost. Dennis at the Digital Deli warns fellow collectors regarding the Thin Man warning that uncirculated episodes of the Thin Man will either be digitized and appear, “or quite frankly they risk being lost forever…Despite everyone’s best efforts, those examples that remain undigitized simply continue to disintegrate or corrode beyond satisfactory recovery.”
A dire warning indeed. So we’ll see what emerges and what will be lost. In the meanwhile, we’ll enjoy the episodes that have surved to modern day.

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Golden Age Article, Sherlock Holmes, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar

The Endurance of Johnny Dollar and Sherlock Holmes

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This is the first article that’s based on a listener/reader question. Wben I was soliciting questions for starting this column on Facebook, Matthew wrote:

How about a study on why Johnny dollar and Sherlock Holmes lasted as long as they did while others shows didn’t.

There were other shows that lasted as long or longer than these two programs such as Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons (1937-55), Nick Carter (1943-55), and Mr. and Mrs. North (1942-54), but there’s no question that  Johnny Dollar (1949-54, 1955-62) and Sherlock Holmes (1930-36, 1939-42, 1943-50) carved out a spot for themselves in America’s golden age of radio that was unique and worth examining.

The glut  of radio detective shows came to air from about 1947-51. The success of Rogue’s Gallery and Sam Spade had convinced network executives that there was a market for more detectives, particularly of the hard boiled sort. While some shows were poorly made (ABC’s Danger, Dr. Granger and The Deadline Mysteries) stand out, there were many well-produced shows that got lost in a flood of similar shows. And after the early 50s, the growth of television made it impossible to launch an even well-produced shows like the Adventures of the Abbotts for more than a season.

Sherlock Holmes and Johnny Dollar are separate cases of shows that survived the glut of radio detectives and decline of radio respectively. So, let us begin with what kept Sherlock Holmes on the radio:

1) There’s Only One Sherlock Holmes

The pure number of radio shows hitting the airwaves could not compete for Sherlock Holmes’ audience. Americans had already developed a fond admiration for Holmes.  There have been countless adaptations in every imaginable media. The demand for Sherlock Holmes is and was inexhaustable. Therefore, if one network or one sponsor decided they were no longer interested, someone else would step up as they knew there was an audience.

2) Rathbone and Bruce

 While Nigel Bruce was only connected with Sherlock Holmes for seven seasons and Basil Rathbone for six, their role in securing the current and future popularity of Holmes  cannot be overstated. They were popular and well-beloved with the American people to make listening to Sherlock Holmes a radio tradition than anyone else.

3) A More Leisurely Pace

One reason that radio detective shows burned out is that the vast majority of them were year-round operations. While comedians such as Bob Hope and Jack Benny always took Summer break, radio private eyes had 52 scripts a year to perform and writers had to come up with 52 different mysteries. It was easy for actors and writers alike to run out of creative juice.  Even when a detective show did take a Summer break, it was often abbreviated, such as the 4 week Summer Break Edmond O’Brien took from Yours Truly Johnny Dollar in 1950.

With the exception of the torrid 106-week period of 1943-45 that had Rathbone and Bruce appearing every week, the show had shorter seasons. Those prior to the Rathbone-Bruce pairing ran for less than 40 weeks each, the first three Rathbone-Bruce seasons were between 23-26 episodes each, and after the marathon 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons, all subsequent Holmes seasons were 39 episodes each, giving the writers and Holmes-Watson pair 13 weeks of vacation.

Johnny Dollar:

1) Standing Out From the Crowd:

Like Holmes, the Johnny Dollar productions had something unique going for them. First, was the unique concept of focusing on an insurance investigator. While countless detectives would occasionally be hired by an insurance company, Johnny Dollar was the only network-based detective show which featured a character who specialized in insurance investigations (the syndicated Adventures of Frank Race did as well.)

Dollar was not a typical private detective with a typical relationship with the local homicide squad who was often politely (or not so politely) asked to keep his nose out of police business. Rather,  nine times out of ten, Dollar was treated with respect as someone with an official status and a right to be in on the case.

In the second half of the show’s life under producer Jack Johnstone, there was far less competition in the detective area. While a few shows (NBC’s The Big Guy and Mutual’s It’s a Crime, Mr. Collins come to mind) ran for one season each, for the most part Johnny Dollar was the only place in town for a radio detective story from 1955 on.

2) Have Expense Account, Will Travel

While most detectives were more or less stuck in one location. Dollar could easily end up jetting anywhere in the world on his cases, which gave his adventures an exotic feel. You never knew where he’d end up. His investigations could take Johnny Dollar to steel plant, down to Mexico, over near Palestine, over to England, or just down the street from his apartment in Hartford.

3) Adaptability

Johnny Dollar survived because the show adapted and changed. The original run of Johnny Dollar had Dollar as a poor man’s Sam Spade. The change to Edmond O’Brien brought a more Malowesque pathos and world-weariness.  The popularity of Dragnet spurred the show to have many episodes that were practically police procedurals. The ability to roll with the punches kept the show going while other programs went down for the count.

4) Bob Bailey and Jack Johnstone

Bob Bailey had put in at least six seasons playing a private eye in Let George Do It and was the perfect choice to revive the series after its one year hiatus. Bailey’s performance was the perfect mix of compassion, tenderness, and toughness that allowed Johnny Dollar to gain a new lease on life, while other detectives faltered.

Jack Johnstone, a veteran of Superman and the Man Called X made a show that was just as exciting for adults as Superman had been for kids. Under Johnstone, the character of Johnny Dollar began to take shape. Johnny developed a favorite hobby (fishing), a couple recurring characters including a girlfriend in the 1960 season. Some of the recurring characters Johnny dealt with included the various insurance company executives who would call on Johnny. Previous shows never re-used the same executive twice, but Johnstone not only reused insurance company men, but gave them distinct personalities. The best known of these was Pat McCracken of the Universal Adjustment Bureau. Johnstone made Johnny more realistic and three dimensional than most of his predecessors. This is why his interpretation of Johnny Dollar is still beloved more than 50 years later.

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