{"id":48895,"date":"2026-05-27T00:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T06:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/?p=48895"},"modified":"2026-05-25T14:21:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T20:21:09","slug":"great-scenes-from-great-plays-the-farmer-takes-a-wife-awr0296","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/great-scenes-from-great-plays-the-farmer-takes-a-wife-awr0296\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Scenes from Great Plays: The Farmer Takes a Wife (AWR0296)"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_4787\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-48895-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/greatdetectives\/s\/www.greatdetectives.net\/awr\/awr0296.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/greatdetectives\/s\/www.greatdetectives.net\/awr\/awr0296.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/greatdetectives\/s\/www.greatdetectives.net\/awr\/awr0296.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/greatdetectives\/s\/www.greatdetectives.net\/awr\/awr0296.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/?powerpress_pinw=48895-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/greatdetectives\/s\/www.greatdetectives.net\/awr\/awr0296.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"awr0296.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/otr-detective-the-great-detectives-of-old-time-radio\/id335549005?mt=2&amp;ls=1#episodeGuid=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.greatdetectives.net%2Fdetectives%2F%3Fp%3D48895\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_itunes\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on Apple Podcasts\" rel=\"nofollow\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7GUQWid20SBBSGRyZrPjhq\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_spotify\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on Spotify\" rel=\"nofollow\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/otrdetectives\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_amazon\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on Amazon Music\" rel=\"nofollow\">Amazon Music<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/269-otr-detective-the-g-29542022\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_iheart\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on iHeartRadio\" rel=\"nofollow\">iHeartRadio<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/feed\/podcast\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/tunein.com\/radio\/The-Great-Detectives-of-Old-Time-Radio-p329374\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_tunein\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe on TuneIn\" rel=\"nofollow\">TuneIn<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/feed\/podcast\/\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/AWR-Cover-Art-1400.jpg\" alt=\"Amazing World of Radio\" width=\"202\" height=\"202\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Go to <a href=\"http:\/\/amazing.greatdetectives.net\/\">http:\/\/amazing.greatdetectives.net<\/a> to subscribe to the podcast.<\/p>\n<p>Brought to you by the support of our Patreon listeners\u2026<a href=\"http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net\/\">http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Support the show monthly at <a href=\"http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net\/\">patreon.greatdetectives.net<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Patreon Supporter of the Day:<\/p>\n<p>Support the show on a one-time basis at <a href=\"http:\/\/support.greatdetectives.net.\/\">http:\/\/support.greatdetectives.net.<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"65\" data-end=\"301\">Welcome to another summer miniseries on <em data-start=\"105\" data-end=\"133\">The Amazing World of Radio<\/em>! This time around, we\u2019re featuring actors who played memorable killers on <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Columbo<\/span><\/span> and revisiting their work from the Golden Age of Radio.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"303\" data-end=\"656\">Our first featured performer is <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Eddie Albert<\/span><\/span>, who appeared in the Season One Columbo episode \u201cDead Weight\u201d as Major General Martin Hollister. Before television audiences knew him as a military legend with deadly secrets, Albert starred in this moving adaptation of <em data-start=\"593\" data-end=\"618\">The Farmer Takes a Wife<\/em> from <em data-start=\"624\" data-end=\"655\">Great Scenes from Great Plays<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"658\" data-end=\"997\">Originally broadcast on January 14, 1949, this radio drama captures a vanished chapter of American life along the Erie Canal, as changing times threaten an entire way of living. Co-starring <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Margo<\/span><\/span>, the play explores love, loyalty, and the painful challenge of embracing change in a rapidly modernizing world.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"999\" data-end=\"1312\">Then, after the drama, we take a deep dive into the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Columbo<\/span><\/span> episode \u201cDead Weight,\u201d examining Eddie Albert\u2019s nuanced performance, the production troubles behind the scenes, and the fascinating emotional undercurrents that make the episode more compelling than its reputation suggests.<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"1314\" data-end=\"1317\" \/>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"11j7og5\" data-start=\"1319\" data-end=\"1337\">In This Episode<\/h2>\n<ul data-start=\"1339\" data-end=\"2012\">\n<li data-section-id=\"lior74\" data-start=\"1339\" data-end=\"1411\">The origins of the \u201cColumbo\u2019s Killers in Old Time Radio\u201d summer series<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"1ktjwc0\" data-start=\"1412\" data-end=\"1478\">Inspiration from Shauna\u2019s <em data-start=\"1440\" data-end=\"1462\">Watching It For Days<\/em> YouTube channel<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"13hc5an\" data-start=\"1479\" data-end=\"1528\">Eddie Albert stars in <em data-start=\"1503\" data-end=\"1528\">The Farmer Takes a Wife<\/em><\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"whjuy1\" data-start=\"1529\" data-end=\"1576\">Life and culture along the Erie Canal in 1835<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"1yp7kvx\" data-start=\"1577\" data-end=\"1639\">Themes of change, progress, and stability in postwar America<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"q4eode\" data-start=\"1640\" data-end=\"1691\">Eddie Albert\u2019s performance and career reflections<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"avc24g\" data-start=\"1692\" data-end=\"1773\">A discussion of the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Columbo<\/span><\/span> episode \u201cDead Weight\u201d<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"xhufu5\" data-start=\"1774\" data-end=\"1824\">Production problems during Season One of Columbo<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"nw679w\" data-start=\"1825\" data-end=\"1879\">Character analysis of Major General Martin Hollister<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"iir2h2\" data-start=\"1880\" data-end=\"1923\">Suzanne Pleshette\u2019s role as Helen Stewart<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"wip7nx\" data-start=\"1924\" data-end=\"2012\">Why \u201cDead Weight\u201d works better as a character study than a traditional Columbo mystery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-start=\"2014\" data-end=\"2017\" \/>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"ybj0k0\" data-start=\"2019\" data-end=\"2035\">Featured Cast<\/h2>\n<ul data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2236\">\n<li data-section-id=\"16uh11\" data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2076\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Eddie Albert<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"btvcid\" data-start=\"2077\" data-end=\"2116\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Margo<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"u21111\" data-start=\"2117\" data-end=\"2156\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Walter Hampden<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"1j40yc5\" data-start=\"2157\" data-end=\"2196\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Suzanne Pleshette<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"4w1vzp\" data-start=\"2197\" data-end=\"2236\"><span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Peter Falk<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-start=\"2238\" data-end=\"2241\" \/>\n<h2 data-section-id=\"i15qxe\" data-start=\"2243\" data-end=\"2264\">Series Information<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"2266\" data-end=\"2382\">Program: <em data-start=\"2275\" data-end=\"2306\">Great Scenes from Great Plays<\/em><br data-start=\"2306\" data-end=\"2309\" \/>Episode: \u201cThe Farmer Takes a Wife\u201d<br data-start=\"2343\" data-end=\"2346\" \/>Original Broadcast: January 14, 1949<\/p>\n<hr data-start=\"2384\" data-end=\"2387\" \/>\n<p data-start=\"2389\" data-end=\"2527\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Listen for more entries in our \u201cColumbo\u2019s Killers in Old Time Radio\u201d series throughout the summer.<\/p>\n<p>Go to <a href=\"http:\/\/amazing.greatdetectives.net\/\">http:\/\/amazing.greatdetectives.net<\/a> to subscribe to the podcast.<\/p>\n<p>Brought to you by the support of our Patreon listeners\u2026<a href=\"http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net\/\">http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Support the show monthly at <a href=\"http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net\/\">patreon.greatdetectives.net<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Patreon Supporter of the Day:<\/p>\n<p>Support the show on a one-time basis at <a href=\"http:\/\/support.greatdetectives.net.\/\">http:\/\/support.greatdetectives.net.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/greatdetectives\/s\/www.greatdetectives.net\/awr\/awr0296.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | Email | TuneIn | RSS Go to http:\/\/amazing.greatdetectives.net to subscribe to the podcast. Brought to you by the support of our Patreon listeners\u2026http:\/\/patreon.greatdetectives.net Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net Patreon Supporter of the Day: Support the show on&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1067,6],"tags":[1075,6212,131,6207,6202,6206,5160,6203,7,6208,6211,6213,6215,288,4617,6209,6204,6214,6205,6210],"class_list":["post-48895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amazingradio","category-podcast","tag-amazing-world-of-radio","tag-classic-radio","tag-columbo","tag-columbos-killers","tag-eddie-albert","tag-erie-canal","tag-golden-age-of-radio","tag-great-scenes-from-great-plays","tag-old-time-radio","tag-old-time-radio-programs","tag-patreon-supporters","tag-podcast-series","tag-radio-adaptations","tag-radio-drama","tag-radio-history","tag-shauna","tag-the-farmer-takes-a-wife","tag-vintage-radio-shows","tag-walter-hampden","tag-youtube-channel"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pECdK-cID","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48895"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48896,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48895\/revisions\/48896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greatdetectives.net\/detectives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}