Old Time Radio

2000 Plus

Show Name: 2000 Plus Episodes Available: 15 Latest Episode: 2000 Plus 26 - The Rocket and the Skull | Uploaded: Feb 12, 2015 Categories: Science Fiction Airing History: Episodes: 92 |  Dates: Mar 15, 1950 - Jan 2, 1952 2000 Plus (aka Two Thousand Plus and 2000+) was an American old-time radio series that ran on the Mutual Broadcasting System from March 15, 1950 to January 2, 1952 in various 30-minute time slots. A Dryer Weenolsen production, it was the first adult science fiction series on radio, airing one month prior to the better known Dimension X. It was an anthology program, using all new material rather than adapting published stories. The series was the creation of Sherman H. Dryer (October 11, 1913-December 22, 1989) who scripted and produced the series with Robert Weenolsen (April 19, 1900-August 1979). Dryer directed cast members Lon Clark, Joseph Julian, Henry Norell, Bill Keene, Bryna Raeburn and Amzie Strickland and others. Emerson Buckley conducted the music composed by Elliott Jacoby. Ken Marvin was the program's announcer, and the sound effects were by Adrian Penner. In Science Fiction Television (2004), M. Keith Booker wrote: "It was not until the 1950s that science fiction radio really hit its stride, even as science fiction was beginning to appear on television as well. Radio programs such as Mutual's 2000 Plus and NBC's Dimension X were anthology series that offered a variety of exciting tales of future technology, with a special focus on space exploration (including alien invasion), though both series also often reflected contemporary anxieties about the dangers of technology." (source: wikipedia)

21st Precinct

Show Name: 21st Precinct Episodes Available: 107 Latest Episode: 21st Precinct 83 - The Surety | Uploaded: Jan 10, 2023 Categories: Crime Airing History: Dates: Jul 7, 1953 - Jul 26, 1956 21st Precinct was a police drama broadcast on CBS radio from July 7, 1953, to July 26, 1956. It was initially a summer replacement for My Friend Irma. The program was produced in cooperation with the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York and presented "adaptations from true criminal records in New York ... from the policeman's point of view." Historically, the 21st Precinct had been located near Gramercy Park in Manhattan but in 1929 the department reorganized the precinct numbering, and the 21st designation was dropped from use. No such precinct existed during the show's run, nor does a 21st exist today. Stanley Niss was the producer writer-director. The role of precinct Captain Frank Kennelly was played by Everett Sloane (for the first 109 episodes and briefly in episode 135). During episode 109 Captain Frank Kennelly was promoted to Deputy Inspector and reassigned out of the 21st Precinct. He was replaced by Captain Cronin James Gregory (1955–56) and Les Damon (1956). Other cast regulars were Ken Lynch (as Lt. Matt King), Harold Stone (as Sgt. Waters), Jack Orissa (as Sgt. Collins), and Santos Ortega (as Lt. Gorman). The program's announcer began the program's opening each week: "21st Precinct. It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the nine-tenths of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the East River wouldn't know, if you asked them, that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their persons, their homes, and their property is the job of the men of the 21st." (source: wikipedia)

A Case for Dr Morelle

Show Name: A Case for Dr Morelle Episodes Available: 13 Latest Episode: A Case for Dr Morelle 2 - Confession of Guilt | Uploaded: Jan 27, 2023 Categories: Crime | Detective A vintage radio drama series about a criminal psychologist, Dr Morelle, who solves murder cases which are too complex for the police. Morelle is played by English film actor Cecil Parker, and is alternately helped and hindered in his investigations by his secretary Miss Frayle, played by film actress Sheila Sim. The series was created by writer Ernest Dudley, who conceived the character during an air raid in 1942. The curmudgeonly and sarcastic psychologist is thought to be based on Hollywood actor and producer Erich von Stroheim; and as played by Cecil Parker the character certainly has a touch of the aristocrat about him. In a nod to the Baker Street residence of Sherlock Holmes, Morelle's London office is situated at 221b Harley Street. Most of the stories begin there, with his long-suffering secretary patiently enduring her employer's endless sarcasm. Each of the stories is self-contained, with Morelle solving the mystery in the final scene. Unusually for the time, he solves each case not by hunting for clues in the manner of Sherlock Holmes, but instead through a psychiatrist's insight into the personality of the killer: using his professional experience to consider the suspects, in order to determine which of them matches the deduced personality of the murderer. Thirteen episodes were broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1957, aired weekly from April 23rd to July 16th. (source: unknown)

The Abbott and Costello Show

Show Name: The Abbott and Costello Show Episodes Available: 145 Latest Episode: Abbott & Costello Show 94 - Trying to Hire the Andrews Sisters | Uploaded: Jul 13, 2014 Categories: Humor Abbott and Costello's first known radio appearance was on The Kate Smith Hour in February 1938. Initially, the similarities between their voices made it difficult for listeners (as opposed to stage audiences) to tell them apart due to their rapid-fire repartee. The problem was solved by having Costello affect a high-pitched childish voice. "Who's on First?" was first performed for a national radio audience the following month. They stayed on the program as regulars for two years, while landing roles in a Broadway revue, The Streets of Paris, in 1939. In 1940 Universal Studios signed them for the film One Night in the Tropics. Cast in supporting roles, they stole the show with several classic routines, including "Who's on First?" The same year they were a summer replacement on radio for Fred Allen. Two years later, they had their own NBC show. The Abbott and Costello Show mixed comedy with musical interludes (by vocalists such as Connie Haines, Ashley Eustis, the Delta Rhythm Boys, Skinnay Ennis, Marilyn Maxwell, and the Les Baxter Singers). Regulars and semi-regulars on the show included Artie Auerbach ("Mr. Kitzel"), Elvia Allman, Iris Adrian, Mel Blanc, Wally Brown, Sharon Douglas, Verna Felton, Sidney Fields, Frank Nelson, Martha Wentworth, and Benay Venuta. Ken Niles was the show's longtime announcer, doubling as an exasperated foil to Abbott and Costello's mishaps (and often fuming in character as Costello routinely insulted his on-air wife). Niles was succeeded by Michael Roy, with announcing chores also handled over the years by Frank Bingman and Jim Doyle. The show went through several orchestras during its radio life, including those of Ennis, Charles Hoff, Matty Matlock, Matty Malneck, Jack Meakin, Will Osborne, Fred Rich, Leith Stevens, and Peter van Steeden. The show's writers included Howard Harris, Hal Fimberg, Parke Levy, Don Prindle, Eddie Cherkose (later known as Eddie Maxwell), Leonard B. Stern, Martin Ragaway, Paul Conlan, and Eddie Forman, as well as producer Martin Gosch. Sound effects were handled primarily by Floyd Caton. Guest stars were plentiful, including Frank Sinatra, The Andrews Sisters, and Lucille Ball. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Abbott and Costello's Children's Show

Show Name: Abbott and Costello's Children's Show Episodes Available: 4 Latest Episode: Abbott & Costello Children's Show 41 - Guest Red Ryder | Uploaded: Jul 9, 2014 Categories: Humor William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello were an American comedy duo whose work in vaudeville and on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and early 1950s. Their patter routine "Who's on First?" is considered one of the greatest comedy routines of all time and set the framework for many of their best-known comedy bits. After working as Allen's summer replacement, Abbott and Costello joined Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy on The Chase and Sanborn Hour in 1941, while two of their films (Buck Privates and Hold That Ghost) were adapted for Lux Radio Theater. They launched their own weekly show October 8, 1942, sponsored by Camel cigarettes. On December 8, 1941, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Abbott and Costello had their prints set in concrete at what was then "Grauman's Chinese Theatre". In 1942, they were the top box office draw with four films earning a total of $10 million. They remained a top ten box office attraction until 1952. In 1947 Abbott and Costello moved the show to ABC (the former NBC Blue Network). During their time on ABC, the duo also hosted a 30-minute children's radio program (The Abbott and Costello Children's Show), which aired Saturday mornings, featuring child vocalist Anna Mae Slaughter and child announcer Johnny McGovern. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Adventures by Morse

Show Name: Adventures by Morse Episodes Available: 52 Latest Episode: Adventures by Morse 36 - The Prowling Dead Introduces Himself | Uploaded: Jan 18, 2023 Categories: Adventure | Spy/Espionage Airing History: Episodes: 52 |  Dates: Jan 8, 1944 - Dec 30, 1944 Adventures by Morse is a syndicated adventure series produced, written and directed by Carlton E. Morse in the mid-1940s, shortly after NBC canceled his I Love a Mystery series. Morse produced 52 episodes of the program, each 30 minutes long. Captain Bart Friday was a globe-trotting San Francisco-based private investigator, portrayed during the series by Elliott Lewis, David Ellis and Russell Thorson. Friday's sidekick from Texas, Skip Turner, was played mostly by Jack Edwards and occasionally by Barton Yarborough. The tales covered such areas as espionage, kidnapping and murder, along with secret Nazi bases, snake worshipers and voodoo. The series was presented in 13-episode blocks (each containing two stories), with each ten-chapter story ending with a teaser for the following three-chapter story. The City of the Dead and A Coffin for the Lady are mentioned in the promotional recordings as the first and second story respectively. (source: wikipedia)

Adventures of Champion

Show Name: Adventures of Champion Episodes Available: 3 Latest Episode: The Adventures of Champion 51 - The Ghost of Black Mountain | Uploaded: Jul 21, 2014 Categories: Animal | Western The Adventures of Champion is an American adventure serial radio drama directed by William Burch about screen cowboy Gene Autry's horse Champion. Each 15-minute episode was broadcast weekday afternoons on the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1949 and 1950. The Western mystery tales focused on twelve year old Ricky West, who is raised in the wilderness by his adopted Uncle Sandy, and his German Shepherd named Rebel. Champion was depicted as a wild horse who let only Ricky ride him. While the series covered gold mines, rustlers, and Indian problems, the primary focus was on the faith and loyalty between a boy, a dog, and a horse. The radio series was a spin-off from Gene Autry's Melody Ranch, a CBS radio network Sunday-afternoon program featuring the singing cowboy from 1940 to 1956. A television series called The Adventures of Champion aired for 26 episodes on CBS during the 1955-1956 season and starred Barry Curtis and Jim Bannon. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Adventures of Frank Race

Show Name: The Adventures of Frank Race Episodes Available: 43 Latest Episode: Adventures of Frank Race 21 - Three on a Match | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Adventure Airing History: Episodes: 43 |  Dates: May 1, 1949 - Feb 19, 1950 The Adventures of Frank Race was an American radio adventure serial syndicated by Bruce Eells Productions. The 30-minute program's first East Coast broadcast was 1949, and the show ran 43 episodes. Because it was syndicated, it aired on different stations on different days. For instance, in New York City, the first episode ran on WINS on April 9, 1949. It "began running in some markets May 1, 1949. The series was broadcast on the West Coast from 1951 - 1952. Each episode opened with a one-minute organ theme and then the following from announcer Art Gilmore: "The war changed many things; the face of the earth and the people on it. Before the war, Frank Race worked as an attorney, but he traded his law books for the cloak-and-dagger of the OSS. And when it was over, his former life was over, too... adventure had become his business!" Frank Race mainly investigated international insurance scams around the globe in various exotic locations, making him something of a cross between James Bond and Johnny Dollar. After Tom Collins played the title role for the first 22 episodes, Paul Dubov took over the lead role. Tony Barrett portrayed Race's sidekick, Mark Donovan. Other actors included Jack Kruschen, Wilms Herbert, Lillian Buyeff, Frank Lovejoy and Harry Lang. The series was written and directed by Joel Murcott and Buckley Angel. Ivan Ditmars provided the background organ music. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Adventures of Horatio Hornblower

Show Name: The Adventures of Horatio Hornblower Episodes Available: 52 Latest Episode: Horatio Hornblower 34 - The French Are Stopped | Uploaded: Jun 2, 2016 Categories: Adventure | Water/Boats | War/Armed Forces Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Napoleonic Wars era Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and radio and television programs. The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return (U.S. title Beat to Quarters) with the appearance of a junior Royal Navy captain on independent duty on a secret mission to Central America. Later stories filled out his earlier years, starting with an unpromising beginning as a seasick midshipman. As the Napoleonic Wars progress, he gains promotion steadily as a result of his skill and daring, despite his initial poverty and lack of influential friends. After surviving many adventures in a wide variety of locales, he rises to the pinnacle of his profession, promoted to Admiral of the Fleet, knighted as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB), and named the 1st Baron Hornblower. Michael Redgrave played Hornblower in a radio series of the same name between 1952 and 1953, later rebroadcast over Mutual in the United States syndicated via Towers of London. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall

Show Name: The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall Episodes Available: 7 Latest Episode: Leonidas Witherall 14 - Murder at Dandy's Dream | Uploaded: Dec 27, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Jun 4, 1944 - May 6, 1945 The Adventures of Leonidas Witherall was a radio mystery series broadcast on Mutual in the mid-1940s. Based on the novels of Phoebe Atwood Taylor (writing as Alice Tilton), the 30-minute dramas were produced by Roger Bower and starred Walter Hampden as Leonidas Witherall, a New England boys' school instructor in Dalton, Massachusetts, a fictional Boston suburb. Witherall, who resembled William Shakespeare, is an amateur detective and the accomplished author of the "popular Lieutenant Hazeltine stories." His housekeeper Mrs. Mollett, who in the novels is constantly offering her "candied opinion", was played first by Ethel Remey and then Agnes Moorehead, and Jack MacBryde appeared as Police Sgt. McCloud. The announcer was Carl Caruso. Milton Kane supplied the music. The series began June 4, 1944 and continued until May 6, 1945. (source: wikipedia)

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe

Show Name: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe Episodes Available: 103 Latest Episode: Philip Marlowe 111 - Heir For G-String | Uploaded: Feb 2, 2023 Categories: Crime | Detective The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was a radio series featuring Raymond Chandler's private eye, Philip Marlowe. It first aired 17 June 1947 on NBC radio under the title "The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe", with Van Heflin playing Marlowe. The show was a summer replacement for Bob Hope. The first episode adapted Chandler's short story "Red Wind". The NBC series ended 9 September 1947. In 1948, the series moved to CBS, where it was called "The Adventure of Philip Marlowe", with Gerald Mohr playing Marlowe. This series also began with an adaptation of "Red Wind", using a script different from the NBC adaptation. By 1949, it had the largest audience in radio. The CBS version ran for 114 episodes. Toward the end it was a summer replacement for Hopalong Cassidy. Mohr played Marlowe in all but one of the CBS shows. He was replaced by William Conrad in the 1950 episode, "The Anniversary Gift". The episode "The Birds On The Wing" (aired 11-26-49) is especially notable for its beginning and ending, both uncharacteristically breaking the fourth wall. It opens with Marlowe saying he is currently reading "Chandler's latest The Little Sister" - thus a fictional character claims to be reading an actual book in which he is the main character. Even more surreal was the ending, in which Marlowe returns to his apartment to find Gracie Allen - who asks Marlowe to find her husband George Burns a radio show on which he can sing! The program's composer was Lyn Murray, who worked in both film and radio at the time. Curiously enough, the musical cue that plays over the opening narration in the series' first two episodes (where Marlowe recites the opening sentences of Chandler's original story "Red Wind") is a theme that would reappear prominently in Murray's 1954 score for Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief". Despite the program's popularity, it had no sponsor for most of its time on the air. The exception was when Ford Motor Company sponsored it during part of 1950. (source:wikipedia)

The Adventures of Sam Spade

Show Name: The Adventures of Sam Spade Episodes Available: 67 Latest Episode: Adventures of Sam Spade 108 - Missing Newshawk Caper | Uploaded: Feb 13, 2015 Categories: Crime | Detective The Adventures of Sam Spade, Detective was a radio series based loosely on the private detective character Sam Spade, created by writer Dashiell Hammett for The Maltese Falcon. The show ran for 13 episodes on ABC in 1946, for 157 episodes on CBS in 1946-1949, and finally for 51 episodes on NBC in 1949-1951. The series starred Howard Duff (and later, Steve Dunne) as Sam Spade and Lurene Tuttle as his secretary Effie, and took a considerably more tongue-in-cheek approach to the character than the novel or movie. The announcer was Dick Joy. The series was largely overseen by producer/director William Spier. In 1947, scriptwriters Jason James and Bob Tallman received an Edgar Award for Best Radio Drama from the Mystery Writers of America. Before the series, Sam Spade had been played in radio adaptations of The Maltese Falcon by both Edward G. Robinson (in a 1943 Lux Radio Theater production) and by Bogart himself (in a 1946 Academy Award Theater production), both on CBS. Dashiell Hammett's name was removed from the series in the late 1940s because he was being investigated for involvement with the Communist Party. Later, when Howard Duff's name appeared in the Red Channels book, he was not invited to play the role when the series made the switch to NBC in 1950. In 1961 Broadcasting reported that Four Star Productions planned to film a Sam Spade television pilot with Peter Falk in the title role, but no such series ever arrived on TV. (source:wikipedia)

The Adventures of Superman

Show Name: The Adventures of Superman Episodes Available: 1164 Latest Episode: Adventures of Superman 36 - Airplane Disasters at Bridger Field ep3 | Uploaded: Nov 9, 2023 Categories: Superhero Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Man of Steel first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. The following year, the newspaper comic strip began and four audition radio programs were prepared to sell Superman as a radio series. When Superman was first heard on radio less than two years after the comic book appearance, the character took on an added dimension with Bud Collyer in the title role. The Adventures of Superman originally aired from 1940 to 1951. The serial came to radio as a syndicated show on New York City's WOR on February 12, 1940. On Mutual, it was broadcast from August 31, 1942, to February 4, 1949, as a 15-minute serial, running three or, usually, five times a week. From February 7 to June 24, 1949 it ran as a thrice-weekly half-hour show. The series shifted to ABC Saturday evenings on October 29, 1949, and then returned to afternoons, twice-a-week on June 5, 1950, continuing on ABC until March 1, 1951. In all, 2068 original episodes of The Adventures of Superman were aired on American radio. During World War II and the post-war years, the show, sponsored by Kellogg's Pep, was a huge success, with many listeners following the quest for "truth and justice" in the daily radio broadcasts, the comic book stories and the newspaper comic strip. Airing in the late afternoon (variously at 5:15pm, 5:30pm and 5:45pm), the radio serial engaged its young after-school audience with its exciting and distinctive opening, which changed slightly as the series progressed. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Adventures of the Falcon

Show Name: The Adventures of the Falcon Episodes Available: 88 Latest Episode: The Falcon 390 - Rolling Stones | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2023 Categories: Spy/Espionage | Crime Airing History: Dates: Apr 18, 1943 - Nov 27, 1954 This hard boiled spy drama began as an RKO Radio Pictures theatrical serial in the 1940s, went on radio in 1943, and then came to TV around ten years later in a Syndicated series produced for distribution by NBC Films; the series was about an American agent whose code name was "Falcon". The success of the films led to a radio series that premiered on the American Blue Network in April 1943, and aired for the next ten years on various networks. It was here that his transition into a private eye was finalized, with The Falcon, now called Michael Waring working as a hardboiled insurance investigator, with an office and a secretary, Nancy. Barry Kroeger was the first radio voice of the Falcon, followed by James Meighan, Les Tremayne, George Petrie, and Les Damon. Nearly all the shows were broadcast from New York. Each show usually started out with a telephone call to The Falcon from a beautiful woman. Answering in his slightly British accent, he would reply to her and another adventure would follow. Waring was snappy and sarcastic with the incompetent police who were inevitably unable to solve the mysteries without his help. Like the films, the radio plots mixed danger, romance and comedy in equal parts. A total of about 88 shows, representing the length of the run, are available today source : OTRRG

Adventures of the Sea Hound

Show Name: Adventures of the Sea Hound Episodes Available: 11 Latest Episode: Adventures of the Sea Hound 1944-03-09 - Phantom Raider Escape | Uploaded: Jan 11, 2015 Categories: Pirates | Water/Boats | Adventure Adventures of the Sea Hound was a popular radio show that ran on the Blue Network from 1942 to 1945, Mutual from 1946-47, and ABC in 1948. Between 1942 and 1945, it was produced on behalf of Nelson A. Rockefeller's Office of Inter-American Affairs (1940-46) and was part of a national program to strengthen inter-American relations. Broadcast five times a week, the show featured Captain Silver and his sidekick Jerry hunting Nazi spies throughout the hemisphere. Every episode took place in a different Latin American country. Listeners were encouraged to write to NBC to request Captain Silver's Sea Chart - a colorful map of the Americas that informed on the most important products and carried on its border pictures of outstanding heroes and flags of all the Latin America republics. Some 200,000 of such maps were sent out. The show spawned a short lived comic book and the 1947 Columbia serial, The Sea Hound, starring Buster Crabbe. (source: wikipedia)

Aladdin Lamp Man

Show Name: Aladdin Lamp Man Episodes Available: 36 Latest Episode: Aladdin Lamp Man 22 - First Tune: Ain't She Sweet | Uploaded: Jun 4, 2016 Categories: Humor | Mixed Bag What little is known about this series is gleaned from the pages of 'Aladdin Electric Lamps' and is used by express permission of the Aladdin Lamp Company. In the early 1930s Smilin' Ed McConnell promoted Aladdin Kerosene Lamps with remarkable success over WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. He became a well known radio personality as 'The Aladdin Lamp Man' who sang songs, told stories and sold Aladdin lamps over the air. By 1948, 145 ABC stations were subscribing to his 15 minute programs. Smilin' Ed's humor, songs, and music were condensed into a five-minute program especially for electric lamp dealers. So it is very likely that this series originated after 1948. Through his personable style, Smilin' Ed touched the lives of millions of housewives. He said in one program, 'Honey, a house without an Aladdin kerosene or electric lamp is like a house without a door -- incomplete!' (Source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

The Aldrich Family

Show Name: The Aldrich Family Episodes Available: 97 Latest Episode: The Aldrich Family 1949-05-05 - 462) Homer Engaged To Agnes | Uploaded: Jul 13, 2014 Categories: Humor | Children/Teenagers The creation of playwright Clifford Goldsmith, Henry Aldrich began on Broadway as a minor character in Goldsmith's play What a Life. Produced and directed by George Abbott, What a Life ran for 538 performances (April 13, 1938 to July 8, 1939). The actor who brought Henry to life on stage was 20-year-old Ezra Stone, who was billed near the bottom as the 20th actor in the cast. Stone was also employed as the play's production assistant. When Rudy Vallee saw the play, he asked Goldsmith to adapt it into some sketches for his radio program. This was followed in 1938 by a 39-week run of a sketch comedy series on The Kate Smith Hour with Stone continuing in the role. Kate Smith's director, Bob Welsh, is credited with the creation of the "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" opening, which became one of the most famous signature sounds in radio. The Aldrich Family was then launched in its own series as a summer replacement program for Jack Benny in NBC's Sunday night lineup, July 2, 1939, and it stayed there until October 1, 1939, when it moved to Tuesday nights at 8 p.m., sponsored by General Foods's popular gelatin dessert Jell-O, which also sponsored Jack Benny at the time. The Aldriches ran in that slot from October 10, 1939 until May 28, 1940, moving to Thursdays, from July 4, 1940 until July 20, 1944. After a brief hiatus, the show moved to CBS, running on Fridays from September 1, 1944 until August 30, 1946 with sponsors Grape Nuts and Jell-O before moving back to NBC from September 5, 1946 to June 28, 1951 on Thursdays and, then, as a Sustaining program in its final run of September 21, 1952 to April 19, 1953 on Sundays. (Source: wikipedia.org)

All Star Western Theatre

Show Name: All Star Western Theatre Episodes Available: 93 Latest Episode: All-Star Western Theatre 6 - Clem Norman's Story - Ken Curtis | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Western | Western Stars The All Star Western Theatre graced the airwaves in the mid-1940's and was made up of a variety of different shows. The shows delivered riotous laughs and down-to-earth humor that was a pleasant alternative to other heavier and intense programs. The music of these old radio shows was done by a group called "The Riders of the Purple Sage," and was fronted by Foy Willing. Enjoy a rootin' tootin' hoe-down with the best of the West and download All Star Western Theatre today! Of the 78 episodes produced, 66 are in circulation today. So sit back, relax, and enjoy some well produced radio from the 40's. (Source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Archie Andrews

Show Name: Archie Andrews Episodes Available: 49 Latest Episode: Archie Andrews 1950-11-18 - The Charleston Contest | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Humor | Children/Teenagers Archie Andrews, was created in 1941 by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana and debuted in Pep Comics 22 (December, 1941). Archie is a typical small-town teenager. Generous, well-mannered, but clumsy, he is genuinely liked by many of his friends. Archie goes crazy when he sees an attractive girl, but his two main crushes are Veronica Lodge and Betty Cooper, forming the love triangle driving the comic's plot-lines. He has the best intentions, but often comes into conflict with Veronica's father Hiram Lodge and Riverdale High's principal, Waldo Weatherbee. As the lead singer of The Archies, Archie performs with Betty and Veronica, as well as his rival Reggie, and best bud Jughead. Montana's characters were heard on radio in the early 1940s. Archie Andrews began on the NBC Blue Network on May 31, 1943, switched to Mutual in 1944, and then continued on NBC radio from 1945 until September 5, 1953. The program's original announcer was Kenneth Banghart, later succeeded by Bob Shepard (during the 1947-48 season, when Swift and Company sponsored the program) and Dick Dudley. Archie was first played by Charles Mullen (1943-1944), Jack Grimes (1944) and Burt Boyar (1945), with Bob Hastings (1945-1953) as the title character during the NBC years. Jughead was portrayed by Hal Stone, Cameron Andrews and later by Arnold Stang. During the NBC run, Rosemary Rice portrayed Betty, Gloria Mann portrayed Veronica, Alice Yourman portrayed Archie's mother, Mary Andrews and Arthur "Art" Kohl was Archie's father, Fred Andrews. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Avenger

Show Name: The Avenger Episodes Available: 26 Latest Episode: The Avenger 14 - Thoroughbred Murders | Uploaded: Oct 23, 2014 Categories: Crime | Science Fiction The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared between September 1939 and September 1942 in the pulp magazine The Avenger, published by Street and Smith Publications. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine (1942-1943), and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. This radio version of The Avenger ran for 26 episodes from September-December 1945. It can best be described as a somewhat inferior version of "The Shadow". Like The Shadow this was written by Walter Gibson (his Street and Smith house name was Maxwell Grant). It starred James Monks as Jim Brandon, and James LoCurto (who, along with Frank Readick voiced "The Shadow" before the advent of Orson Welles and Lamont Cranston). Jim Brandon who fought crime as the Avenger was a famous biochemist who perfected two inventions that aided him in the fight against crime: the telepathic indicator allowed him to pick up random thought flashes, and the secret diffusion capsule cloaked him in the "black light of invisibility". The only person that shares his secrets and knew that he was The Avenger, the man feared by the underworld is his beautiful assistant Fern Collier.

Babe Ruth

Show Name: Babe Ruth Episodes Available: 21 Latest Episode: Babe Ruth 1946-03-22 - Guest Babe Ruth | Uploaded: Jul 16, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Sports George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 - August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for three teams (1914-1935). Known for his hitting brilliance, Ruth set many career records. Ruth originally entered the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full-time right fielder. He subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters and with his home run hitting prowess, he helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles. Ruth retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves, and the following year, he became one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Ruth made many forays into various popular media. He was heard often on radio in the 1930s and 1940s, both as a guest and on his own programs with various titles: The Adventures of Babe Ruth was a 15-minute Blue Network show heard three times a week from April 16 to July 13, 1934. Three years later, he was on CBS twice a week in Here's Babe Ruth which was broadcast from April 14 to July 9, 1937. That same year he portrayed himself in "Alibi Ike" on Lux Radio Theater. His Baseball Quiz was first heard Saturdays on NBC June 5 to July 10, 1943 and then later that year from August 28 to November 20 on NBC, followed by another NBC run from July 8 to October 21, 1944. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator

Show Name: Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator Episodes Available: 59 Latest Episode: Barrie Craig 159 - Life Line | Uploaded: Nov 27, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Oct 3, 1951 - Jun 30, 1955 Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator was a detective drama heard on NBC Radio from October 3, 1951 to June 30, 1955. Detective Barrie Craig (William Gargan) worked alone from his Madison Avenue office. Unlike his contemporaries Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, Craig had a laid-back personality, somewhat cutting against the popular hard-boiled detective stereotype. Others in the cast included Ralph Bell, Elspeth Eric, Parker Fennelly, Santos Ortega, Arnold Moss, Parley Baer, Virginia Gregg and Betty Lou Gerson. Don Pardo was the announcer. Gargan also starred in the role in an unsuccessful 1952 TV pilot written and directed by Blake Edwards. It was presented on ABC's Pepsi-Cola Playhouse as "Death the Hard Way" (October 17, 1954). A few years earlier Gargan had played a similar character in Martin Kane, Private Eye. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Big Jon and Sparkie

Show Name: Big Jon and Sparkie Episodes Available: 100 Latest Episode: Big Jon and Sparkie 71 - Almost Captured | Uploaded: Jul 12, 2014 Categories: Fantasy/Whimsey | Humor Big Jon Arthur (real name Jon Arthur Goerss) was the host of the Saturday morning children's radio series Big Jon and Sparkie. Sparkie, "the little elf from the land of make-believe, who wants more than anything else in the world to be a real boy," was actually the recorded voice of Jon Arthur played at a fast speed. At WSAI in Cincinnati, Arthur began the Big Jon and Sparkie show, carried daily on 181 ABC stations beginning in 1950. ABC also aired his two-hour Saturday show, No School Today, heard weekly by 12 million listeners on 275 stations. The show's theme song was "Teddy Bears' Picnic" as sung by Ann Stephens. Cincinnati's Don Kortekamp, who was an editor at WSAI, teamed up with Arthur to become the scriptwriter of Big Jon and Sparkie. Arthur voiced all of the various characters while Kortekamp provided the scripts for their adventures. The Saturday morning No School Today usually featured Sparkie's recounting of the last serial episode of Captain Jupiter, which he and his friend Rabbit Ears McKester saw at the movies. The radio program was adapted into the comic book, Big Jon and Sparkie, published by Alden Getz for Ziff-Davis. Getz also published The Daily Weekly, a promotional newspaper giveaway based on the No School Today radio program. The comic book ran for four issues. Arthur died in California in 1982. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Black Museum

Show Name: The Black Museum Episodes Available: 51 Latest Episode: Black Museum 51 - The Wool Jacket | Uploaded: Nov 3, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 52 The Black Museum was a 1951 radio crime-drama program independently produced by Harry Alan Towers and based on real-life cases from the files of Scotland Yard's Black Museum. Ira Marion was the scriptwriter, and music for the series was omposed and conducted by Sidney Torch. Although often mistakenly cited as being produced for the BBC, the series was produced and syndicated commercially by Towers throughout the English-speaking world. Orson Welles was both host and narrator for stories of horror and mystery, based on Scotland Yard's collection of murder weapons and various ordinary objects once associated with historical true crime cases. Walking through the museum, Welles would pause at one of the exhibits, and his description of an artifact served as a device to lead into a wryly-narrated dramatised tale of a brutal murder or a vicious crime. With the story themes deriving from objects in the collection (usually with the names of the people involved changed but the facts remaining true to history), the 52 episodes had such titles as "The Tartan Scarf" and "A Piece of Iron Chain" or "Frosted Glass Shards" and "A Khaki Handkerchief". An anomaly to the series was an episode called "The Letter" as this was the only story not about murder, but about forgery. In the United States, the series aired on the Mutual Network between January 1 and December 30, 1952. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Blackstone, The Magic Detective

Show Name: Blackstone, The Magic Detective Episodes Available: 55 Latest Episode: Blackstone 27 - The Locked Book | Uploaded: Jul 11, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Crime | Media/Stars | Spinoff Harry Blackstone (September 27, 1885 - November 16, 1965) was a famed stage magician and illusionist of the 20th century. Blackstone was born Harry Bouton in Chicago, Illinois, he began his career as a magician in his teens and was popular through World War II as a USO entertainer. He was often billed as The Great Blackstone. His son Harry Blackstone, Jr. also became a famous magician. Blackstone customarily wore white tie and tails when performing, and he traveled with large illusions and a sizable cast of uniformed male and female assistants. For a number of years he toured in the Midwest, often performing throughout the day between film showings. Blackstone remained silent during much of his big stage show, which was presented to the accompaniment of a pit orchestra and such lively tunes of the time as "Who", "I Know That You Know", and "Chinatown." Books carrying Harry Blackstone's byline were ghostwritten for him by his friend, Walter B. Gibson, who also created, in 1941, the comic book Blackstone the Magician Detective and the 1948-49 radio series, Blackstone, the Magic Detective. Blackstone spent the last years of his life performing at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. He died in November 1965 at the age of 80. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Blondie

Show Name: Blondie Episodes Available: 41 Latest Episode: Blondie 1948-11-03 - Alexander's Scandal Sheet (aka The Tattletale) | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2015 Categories: Humor | Leading Ladies Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930. The success of the strip, which features the eponymous blonde and her sandwich-loving husband, led to the long-running Blondie film series (1938-1950) and the popular Blondie radio program (1939-1950). Penny Singleton was cast in the title role of the feature film Blondie (1938), co-starring with Arthur Lake as Dagwood (the first in a series of 28 produced by Columbia Pictures). They repeated their roles December 20, 1938, on The Pepsodent Show starring Bob Hope. This led to their own show, beginning July 3, 1939, on CBS as a summer replacement for The Eddie Cantor Show. However, Cantor did not return in the fall, so the sponsor, Camel Cigarettes chose to keep Blondie on the air and remained the sponsor until June 26, 1944. In 1944, Blondie was on the NBC Blue Network, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive's Super Suds. The final three weeks of that run overlapped with Blondie's return to CBS, still sponsored by Super Suds. Beginning in mid-1945, the 30-minute program was heard Mondays at 7:30pm. Super Suds continued as the sponsor when the show moved to NBC on Wednesdays at 8pm from October 6, 1948, to June 29, 1949. When Penny Singleton left the radio series in the mid-1940s, Patricia Lake, the former Patricia Van Cleeve, replaced her as the voice of Blondie for the remaining five years of the show, opposite her real-life husband Arthur Lake. Ann Rutherford and Alice White were also heard as radio's Blondie. In 1954, Lake also co-starred with her husband in an early television sitcom he created called Meet the Family. In its final season, the series was on ABC as a Sustaining Program from October 6, 1949, to July 6, 1950, first airing Thursdays at 8pm and then (from May) 8:30pm. The radio show ended the same year as the Blondie film series (1938-50). (source:wikipedia)

Blue Beetle

Show Name: Blue Beetle Episodes Available: 24 Latest Episode: Blue Beetle 35/36 - Smashing The Restaurant Racket | Uploaded: Jul 11, 2014 Categories: Superhero The original Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, first appeared in Fox Comics' Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover-dated August 1939). The Blue Beetle had a short career on the radio, between May and September 1940. Motion picture and radio actor Frank Lovejoy was the Blue Beetle for the first 13 episodes, while for the rest of the shows, the voice was provided by a different, uncredited actor. The Blue Beetle was a young police officer who saw the need for extraordinary crime fighting. He took the task on himself by secretly donning a superhero costume to create fear in the criminals who were to learn to fear the Blue Beetle's wrath. The 13-minute segments were usually only two-parters, so the stories were often simpler than other popular programs, such as the Superman radio serial. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Bobby Benson

Show Name: Bobby Benson Episodes Available: 19 Latest Episode: Bobby Benson & The B Bar B Riders 19xx-xx-xx - The Golden Palomino (Record) | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Western | Children/Teenagers "Here they come! They're riding fast and they're riding hard! It's time for action and adventure in the modern West with Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders! And out in front, astride his golden palomino Amigo, it's the cowboy kid." Well in fact Bobby Benson and the gang actually rode in two separate eras. Firstly in the very early days of juvenile radio (1932-36), and then post war (1949-55) when radio was on the wane and kids were huddling around the television. The series was created by Herbert C. Rice of the Buffalo Broadcasting Corporation. Cereal producer the Hecker H-O were looking to sponsor a children's radio show and Bobby Benson was Rice's answer. The show was a massive success with extra staff being hired to deal with the demand for premiums. When the show eventually folded in December 1936 it had aired over 700 episodes. Sadly nothing appears have survived from this first run. In 1949, thirteen years after it finished, Rice, now a Vice President with the Mutual Network brought the show back. This second run featured a smaller cast, also the ranch was renamed "The B-Bar-B". It would last six years and clock up over 350 episodes, not too shabby for an encore!

Bold Venture

Show Name: Bold Venture Episodes Available: 57 Latest Episode: Bold Venture 53 - Revenge is Sweet | Uploaded: Dec 27, 2021 Categories: Adventure | Water/Boats Airing History: Episodes: 78 |  Dates: 1951 - 1952 Bold Venture was a syndicated radio series starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall that aired from 1951 to 1952. Morton Fine and David Friedkin scripted the taped series for Bogart's Santana Productions. Salty seadog Slate Shannon (Bogart) owns a Cuban hotel, Shannon's Place, sheltering an assortment of treasure hunters, revolutionaries, and other shady characters. With his sidekick and ward, the sultry Sailor Duval (Bacall), tagging along, he encounters modern-day pirates and other tough situations while navigating the waters around Havana. Aboard his boat, the Bold Venture, Slate and Sailor experience "adventure, intrigue, mystery and romance in the sultry settings of tropical Havana and the mysterious islands of the Caribbean." Calypso singer King Moses (Jester Hairston) provided musical bridges by threading plot situations into the lyrics of his songs. Music for the series was by David Rose. The series combined elements of a number of past Bogart/Bacall film collaborations, most notably To Have and Have Not which also cast Bogart as a boat owner in the Caribbean who reluctantly becomes involved in intrigue while romancing Bacall. The relationship between Shannon and King Moses, and his ownership of an inn, is strongly reminiscent of the dynamic between Rick Blaine and Sam in Casablanca. Production Beginning in March 1951, the Frederic W. Ziv Company syndicated 78 episodes via electrical transcription. Some sources have claimed that the 78 episodes include reruns, and that there were only around 30 episodes but more than 50 shows have now come to light. Heard on 423 stations, the 30-minute series earned $5,000 weekly for Bogart and Bacall. 57 episodes are now known to exist, some are known by more than one title which can make it appear that there are more. (source: wikipedia)

Boston Blackie

Show Name: Boston Blackie Episodes Available: 198 Latest Episode: Boston Blackie 226 - Nobody at the Door | Uploaded: Nov 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Mar 26, 1944 - Oct 25, 1950 Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle (1881 - 1928). Blackie, a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's stories, became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television - an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend." Writer Jack Boyle grew up in Chicago, Illinois. While working as a newspaper reporter in San Francisco, he became an opium addict, was drawn into crime, and was jailed for writing bad checks. Later convicted of robbery, Boyle was serving a term in San Quentin when he created the character of Boston Blackie. The first four stories appeared in The American Magazine in 1914, with Boyle writing under the pen name "No. 6066". From 1917 to 1919, Boston Blackie stories appeared in The Red Book magazine, and from 1918 they were adapted for motion pictures. Actor Chester Morris was the best-known Blackie, playing the character in 14 Columbia Pictures films (1941 - 1949) and in a 1944 NBC radio series. Boston Blackie is the role for which Morris is best remembered. Concurrent with the Columbia Pictures films, a Boston Blackie radio series - also starring Chester Morris - aired on NBC June 23 - September 15, 1944, as a summer replacement for Amos 'n' Andy. Lesley Woods played Blackie's girlfriend Mary Wesley; Richard Lane played Inspector Farraday. Harlow Wilcox was the announcer for the 30-minute program. A new incarnation of the Boston Blackie radio series aired April 11, 1945 - October 25, 1950, starring Richard Kollmar. Maurice Tarplin played Inspector Farraday; Jan Miner was Mary. More than 200 half-hour episodes were transcribed and syndicated by Frederick Ziv to Mutual and other network outlets. (source: wikipedia)

Box 13

Show Name: Box 13 Episodes Available: 52 Latest Episode: Box 13 ep42 - Design For Danger | Uploaded: Dec 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 52 |  Dates: Aug 22, 1948 - Aug 14, 1949 Box 13 is a syndicated radio drama about the escapades of newspaperman-turned-mystery novelist Dan Holiday, played by film star Alan Ladd. Created by Ladd's company, Mayfair Productions, Box 13 aired in different cities over different dates and times. It first aired in several United States radio markets in October 1947. To seek out new ideas for his fiction, Holiday ran a classified ad in the Star-Times newspaper where he formerly worked: "Adventure wanted, will go anywhere, do anything - write Box 13, Star-Times". The stories followed Holiday's adventures when he responded to the letters sent to him by such people as a psycho killer and various victims. Sylvia Picker appeared as Holiday's scatterbrained secretary, Suzy, while Edmund MacDonald played police Lt. Kling. Supporting cast members included Betty Lou Gerson, Frank Lovejoy, Lurene Tuttle, Alan Reed, Luis Van Rooten, and John Beal. Vern Carstensen, who directed Box 13 for producer Richard Sanville, was also the show's announcer. Among the 52 episodes in the series were such mystery adventures as "The Sad Night", "Hot Box", "Last Will And Nursery Rhyme", "Hare And Hounds", "Hunt And Peck", "Death Is A Doll", "Tempest In a Casserole", and "Mexican Maze". The dramas featured music by Rudy Schrager. Russell Hughes, who had previously hired Ladd as a radio actor in 1935 at a $19 weekly salary, wrote most of the scripts, sometimes in collaboration with Ladd. The partners in Mayfair Productions were Ladd and Bernie Joslin, who had previously run the chain of Mayfair Restaurants. Raymond Burr appeared in some episodes. (source: wikipedia)

Buck Jones

Show Name: Buck Jones Episodes Available: 3 Latest Episode: Buck Jones in Hoofbeats 1936-xx-xx - 2) | Uploaded: Jul 9, 2014 Categories: Western | Western Stars Buck Jones (December 12, 1891 - November 30, 1942) was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, known for his work starring in many popular western movies. In his early film appearances, he was billed as Charles Jones. Buck Jones was hired by Universal Pictures for $5 per day as a bit player and stuntman. He later worked for Canyon Pictures, then Fox Film Corporation, eventually earning $40 per week as a stuntman. With Fox his salary increased to $150 per week, and company executive William Fox decided to use him as a backup to Tom Mix. This led to his first starring role, The Last Straw, released in 1920. Buck Jones had more than 160 film credits to his name, and by the 1920s, Jones joined Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix, and Ken Maynard as the top cowboy actors of the day. He lent his name and likeness to various product endorsements, including Post Grape-Nuts Flakes (his radio sponsor), and Daisy Outdoor Products. Licensing also extended to the Big Little Book series and also comics. Jones was also a consultant for Daisy, which issued a Daisy "Buck Jones" model pump action air rifle. Incorporating a compass and a "sundial" into the stock, it was one of Daisy's top-end air rifles, and sold well for several years. Buck Jones was one of the 492 victims of the 1942 Cocoanut Grove fire in Boston, Massachusetts. He died two days after the November 28 blaze. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Buck Rogers

Show Name: Buck Rogers Episodes Available: 25 Latest Episode: Buck Rogers 99 - Last Show | Uploaded: Nov 3, 2014 Categories: Science Fiction Buck Rogers first appeared in Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine Amazing Stories as Anthony Rogers. A sequel, The Airlords of Han, was published in the March 1929 issue. Philip Nowlan and the syndicate John F. Dille Company, later known as the National Newspaper Syndicate, contracted to adapt the story into a comic strip. After Nowlan and Dille enlisted editorial cartoonist Dick Calkins as the illustrator, Nowlan adapted the first episode from Armageddon 2419, A.D. and changed the hero's name from Anthony Rogers to Buck Rogers. The strip made its first newspaper appearance on January 7, 1929. In 1932, the Buck Rogers radio program, notable as the first science fiction program on radio, hit the airwaves. It was broadcast in four separate runs with varying schedules. Initially broadcast as a 15 minute show on CBS in 1932, it was on a Monday through Thursday schedule. In 1936, it moved to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule and went off the air the same year. Mutual brought the show back and broadcast it three days a week from April to July 1939 and from May to July 1940, a 30 minute version was broadcast on Saturdays. From September 1946 to March 1947, Mutual aired a 15 minute version on weekdays. The radio show again related the story of our hero Buck finding himself in the 25th century. Actors Matt Crowley, Curtis Arnall, Carl Frank and John Larkin all voiced him at various times. The beautiful and strong-willed Wilma Deering was portrayed by Adele Ronson, and the brilliant scientist-inventor Dr. Huer was played by Edgar Stehli. It was produced and directed by Carlo De Angelo and later by Jack Johnstone. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Bulldog Drummond

Show Name: Bulldog Drummond Episodes Available: 34 Latest Episode: Bulldog Drummond 44 - Blind Mans Bluff | Uploaded: Dec 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Apr 13, 1941 - Mar 28, 1954 Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, fed up with his sedate lifestyle, advertises looking for excitement, and becomes a gentleman adventurer. The character has appeared in novels, short stories, on the stage, in films, on radio and television, and in graphic novels. Bulldog Drummond was broadcast on Mutual April 13, 1941 - March 28, 1954. Garyn G. Roberts wrote in his book, Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context, "With its trademark foghorn, Bulldog Drummond was one of the premiere mystery programs of its time." Drummond and Denny were the series' only regular characters. Over the years, Drummond was played by George Coulouris, Santos Ortega, Ned Wever, and Cedric Hardwicke. Actors portraying Denny were Everett Sloane, Luis van Rooten, and Rod Hendrickson. Others appearing frequently on the program were Agnes Moorehead, Paul Stewart, Ray Collins, and Mercedes McCambridge. Announcers for Bulldog Drummond were Ted Brown, Henry Morgan, and Robert Shepard. The show's writers were Allan E. Sloane, Leonard Leslie, Edward J. Adamson, and Jay Bennett. (source: wikipedia)

The Buster Brown Gang

Show Name: The Buster Brown Gang Episodes Available: 21 Latest Episode: Buster Brown Gang 1952-09-06 - Melon Patch Murder | Uploaded: Jul 20, 2014 Categories: Mixed Bag | Children/Teenagers | Spinoff Smilin' Ed McConnell (1882 - July 23, 1954) was the host of the children's radio and television series, Smilin' Ed's Gang, closely identified with its sponsor, Buster Brown shoes and also known as The Buster Brown Program. For his work in radio, McConnell was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For the Buster Brown Show, Ed had support from producer Frank Ferrin, writer Hobart Donavan (who also wrote the Buster Brown comic book giveaways) and director Arthur Jacobson. Buster Brown and Smilin' Ed were joined together in 1944, with "Smilin' Ed's Buster Brown Gang" taking to the airwaves on September 2. The show continued on NBC radio every Saturday morning at 11:30 through April 11, 1953. There was an adventure story to open the show, plugs for Buster Brown shoes, and Froggy the Gremlin might sing a song or annoy a guest, such as Shortfellow the Poet or Alkali Pete the Cowboy. The character Midnight the Cat actually spoke a few lines on the show and Smilin' Ed was always prone to sing a novelty song or two by plunking his magic twanger. The full cast of the radio show had included June Foray, Wendall Noble, Conrad Binyon, John Dehner and Jimmy Ogg. All of them took part in the adventure stories. Foray was called upon to voice Midnight and Old Grandie the Piano, and Bud Tollefson, the sound effects engineer, growled the voice of Tige the Dog. Smilin' Ed would tell the young audiences that they could go to their local store and get a comic book without having to make a purchase. The books had many premiums to offer, including a Buster Brown Gang neckerchief, various games, music records and trinkets. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Candy Matson

Show Name: Candy Matson Episodes Available: 14 Latest Episode: Candy Matson 70 - San Juan Bautista | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Crime | Leading Ladies | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 92 |  Dates: Jun 29, 1949 - May 20, 1951 Candy Matson is a radio program on NBC West Coast that aired from June 29, 1949, to May 20, 1951. It centered on Candy Matson, a female private investigator with a wry sense of humor and a penthouse on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco. The program was notable for having a striking female character "without a trace of squeamishness" as well as a veiled gay character in Candy's best friend Rembrandt Watson, voiced by Jack Thomas. Candy's love interest was police detective Ray Mallard, voiced by Henry Leff. The announcer was Dudley Manlove. Actors frequently heard in minor roles were Helen Kleeb, John Grober, Mary Milford and Hal Burdick. In addition to the show being set in San Francisco, it was produced at San Francisco Radio City. The series concluded with a twist ending when Ray finally proposed to Candy, who accepted and retired from the detective business. It was created by Monty Masters and starred his wife Natalie Parks as Candy Matson. When Monty Masters created the show, he planned to star in it himself, as a male private detective. His mother-in-law convinced him to change the lead to a female, which led to his wife being the star. In 1950, Candy Matson was recognized with the San Francisco Examiner's Favorite Program Award. The award was presented as part of the broadcast of the episode "Symphony of Death". The aftermath of a 1950 episode illustrated the program's popularity. A newspaper story related: "It seems that during the closing moments of the last Monday's sequence, Candy is in an aircraft repeating the 'Twenty-third Psalm' as the plane crashes into a lake. At that point the show ends. And at that point the switchboard at Radio City started lighting up like a Christmas tree. More than 800 calls were received shortly after the program signed off. All of them wondering what happened to their heroine." Only 14 of the 92 episodes survive, along with the April 1949 audition show. (source: wikipedia.org)

Captain Midnight

Show Name: Captain Midnight Episodes Available: 80 Latest Episode: Captain Midnight 897 - East of Formosa | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Aviation Sponsored by the Skelly Oil Company, the Captain Midnight radio program was the creation of radio scripters Wilfred G. Moore and Robert M. Burtt, who had previously scored a success for Skelly with their boy pilot adventure serial The Air Adventures of Jimmie Allen. Developed at the Blackett, Sample and Hummert advertising agency in Chicago, Captain Midnight began as a syndicated show in 1938, airing through the spring of 1940 on a few Midwest stations, including Chicago's WGN. In 1940, Ovaltine, a product of The Wander Company, took over sponsorship. With Pierre Andre as announcer, the series was then heard nationally on the Mutual Radio Network where it remained until 1942. It moved to the Merchandise Mart and the NBC Blue Network in September 1942. When the U.S. Government broke up the NBC Red and Blue Networks, Ovaltine moved the series back to Mutual, beginning September 1945, and it remained there until December, 1949. The title character, originally Captain Jim "Red" Albright, was a World War I U. S. Army pilot. His Captain Midnight code name was given by a general who sent him on a high-risk mission from which he returned at the stroke of 12. When the show began in 1938, Albright was a private aviator who helped people, but his situation changed in 1940. When the show was taken over by Ovaltine, the origin story explained how Albright was recruited to head the Secret Squadron, an aviation-oriented paramilitary organization fighting sabotage and espionage during the period prior to the United States' entry into World War II. The Secret Squadron acted both within and outside the United States. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Captain Starr of Space

Show Name: Captain Starr of Space Episodes Available: 4 Latest Episode: Captain Starr of Space - The Queen Nilo Incident | Uploaded: Feb 5, 2015 Categories: Science Fiction Captain Starr of Space ran from 2 June 1953 to 27 May 1954. The 30 minute show was broadcast on the American Broadcast Corporation network on twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each episode began with: "From out of the future comes Captain Starr of Space-Space-Space-ace-ace-ace ... " The show is a typical vintage children's sci-fi series in the same vein as the more successful Tom Corbett Space Cadet and Space Patrol. He and his Space Rangers traveled the galaxy on their spaceship, the "Shooting Star." The show was based on characters created by Tom Hubbard, who wrote the episodes and played Cadet Sergeant Stripes. Captain Starr was played by John Larch (October 4, 1914 - October 16, 2005), he also appeared on Space Patrol as Captain Smith. Before his acting career Larch was a pro baseball player. After Captain Starr he event he went on to have a long career as a bit player in both television and movies. It is believed that a total of eight episodes survive, but only four appear to be publicly available.

Case Dismissed

Show Name: Case Dismissed Episodes Available: 12 Latest Episode: Case Dismissed 7 - Landlord and Tenant | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Crime Airing History: Episodes: 13 |  Dates: Jan 30, 1954 - Apr 24, 1954 Thus with the pounding of the gavel, the fate of men and women have been decided by the judge. This is the story of our legal rights, the battle to preserve and protect them, and how easily they can be lost. The program shows us just how fragile liberty and justice can be. These stories of everyday events are still interesting, even after 50 years. Stories of criminal liability, legal wills, buying on instalment, and leasing an apartment. Each story is well written, and the acting, though dated and a bit hokey by today's standards, still manages to achieve the desired effect. Not much information is available for this series, it was apparently broadcast on a limited basis, and originated on WMAQ Chicago, an NBC station. It was comprised of thirteen episodes, twelve of which are currently available, and was heard from January 30, 1954 through April 24, 1954. (source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

The Casebook Of Gregory Hood

Show Name: The Casebook Of Gregory Hood Episodes Available: 16 Latest Episode: Casebook of Gregory Hood 20 - The Eloquent Corpse | Uploaded: Jan 4, 2022 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Jun 3, 1946 - 1949 The Casebook of Gregory Hood was a radio detective program in the United States. It existed in several versions - with different stars on different networks in different years. Hood was an importer in San Francisco who dealt in rare items. John Dunning summarized the show's premise as follows: "With his sidekick Sanderson ('Sandy') Taylor, Hood traveled the world seeking artifacts for his import house. Each item found by Hood had an intriguing history and was inevitably linked to some present-day mystery." The character of Hood was based on real-life importer Richard Gump, who lived in San Francisco. Gump also was a consultant for the program. On June 3, 1946, The Casebook of Gregory Hood began on the Mutual Broadcasting System, replacing The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes for the summer. Although intended to be just a summer replacement, it continued in the fall, sponsored by Petri Wine. Jeffrey Marks, in his biography of co-creator Anthony Boucher, explained, "The show had originally been planned as a summer replacement for The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1946, but continued for the next year when the radio network had difficulty in reaching an agreement with the Conan Doyle estate." The program had another full-season run on ABC in 1949-50 and also "resurfaced periodically in summer slots." The show was written by Boucher and Denis Green, who also teamed to write the Holmes show. (source: wikipedia.org)

Casey, Crime Photographer

Show Name: Casey, Crime Photographer Episodes Available: 50 Latest Episode: Casey 216 - The Life of the Party | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2015 Categories: Crime | Detective Casey, Crime Photographer, known by a variety of titles on radio (aka Crime Photographer, Flashgun Casey, Casey, Press Photographer) was a media franchise from the 1930s to the 1960s. The character was the creation of novelist George Harmon Coxe. Casey was featured in the pulp magazine, Black Mask, novels, comic books, radio, film, television and legitimate theatre. Jack "Flashgun" Casey, was a crime photographer for the newspaper The Morning Express. With the help of reporter Ann Williams (best remembered portrayed by Jan Miner, Palmolive's "Madge"), he solved crimes and recounted his stories to friends at the Blue Note, their favorite tavern and jazz club where the Archie Bleyer Orchestra and the Teddy Wilson Trio were featured. Begun as over 20 popular short stories in Black Mask, there were films and novels before the stories were brought to radio under various names. The series aired on CBS. The radio show was sustained by the network when a sponsor could not be found. Sponsors of the show include Anchor Hocking, Toni home permanents, Toni Shampoo and Philip Morris. (Source: wikipedia)

Challenge of the Yukon

Show Name: Challenge of the Yukon Episodes Available: 364 Latest Episode: Challenge of the Yukon 912 - The Scent of Death | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2015 Categories: Crime | Adventure | Animal Airing History: Dates: Feb 2, 1938 Challenge of the Yukon was a radio series that began on Detroit's station WXYT and was an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on February 3, 1938. The title changed from Challenge of the Yukon to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon in November 1951, and remained under that name through the end of the series and into television. Following the success of The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet on Detroit radio station WXYZ (now known as WXYT), the station owner, George W. Trendle, asked for a similar adventure show with a working dog as the hero. Writer Tom Dougall, who had been influenced by the poems of Robert W. Service, naturally chose a Husky. The dog was called King. Dougall likewise created Sgt. Preston and the French-Canadian guide. Fran Striker, who also wrote for The Lone Ranger, contributed show scripts. Challenge of the Yukon began as a 15-minute serial, airing locally from 1938 until May 28, 1947. Shortly thereafter, the program acquired a sponsor, Quaker Oats, and the series, in a half-hour format, moved to the networks. The program aired on ABC from June 12, 1947, to December 30, 1949. It was then heard on The Mutual Broadcasting System from January 2, 1950, through the final broadcast on June 9, 1955. In November 1951, the title was changed to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. (Source: wikipedia)

Chandu the Magician

Show Name: Chandu the Magician Episodes Available: 309 Latest Episode: Chandu the Magician 1934-12-25 xxx - Bob Plans a Swap | Uploaded: Nov 5, 2014 Categories: Crime | Adventure Chandu the Magician was heard on several different networks and aired in two distinctly different series, one in the 1930s and a revival 12 years later. The series was created by Harry A. Earnshaw and Raymond R. Morgan. Launched in 1931 on KHJ in Los Angeles, the series was soon heard through the West Coast when broadcast on the Don Lee Network. It was then heard, starting in February 1932, over WOR in the East. Nationally, it aired over Mutual starting October 8, 1932. The series was sponsored by White King Soap in the West and by Beech Nut Gum in the East. Gayne Whitman played the lead role of American-born Frank Chandler, who had learned occult secrets from a yogi in India. Known as Chandu, he possessed several supernatural skills, including astral projection, teleportation and the ability to create illusions. Chandu's goal was to "go forth with his youth and strength to conquer the evil that threatens mankind". His sister, Dorothy Regent, was portrayed by Margaret MacDonald. In 1935, the production moved to WGN Chicago with a new cast, including Howard Hoffman in the title role and Cornelia Osgood as Dorothy. Twelve years later, the series was revived on Mutual June 28, 1948 as a 15-minute weekday program, starring Tom Collins as Chandu and Luis van Rooten as the villainous Roxor plotting world domination. With Howard Culver as the announcer and music by organist Korla Pandit, that series continued until January 28, 1949. The serial continuity was dropped February 2, 1949 in favor of 30-minute episodes, each with a self-contained storyline, continuing in that format until April 28, 1949. Culver often read commercials with Pandit's organ music in the background. On October 15, 1949, Chandu the Magician moved to ABC where it was heard Saturdays at 7:30pm until June and then on Wednesdays at 9:30pm. The last broadcast was September 6, 1950. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Charlie Chan

Show Name: Charlie Chan Episodes Available: 51 Latest Episode: Adventures of Charlie Chan 15 - A New Corpse | Uploaded: Nov 22, 2023 Categories: Crime | Detective Charlie Chan is a fictional U.S. Chinese detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. Loosely basing Chan on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes and villains like Fu Manchu. Chan is a detective for the Honolulu police, though many stories feature Chan traveling the world as he investigates mysteries and solves crimes. Chan first appeared in Biggers' novels, then was featured in a number of media. Over four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan were made, beginning in 1926. The character was first portrayed by East Asian actors, and the films met with little success. In 1931, the Fox Film Corporation cast Swedish actor Warner Oland as Chan in Charlie Chan Carries On; the film became popular, and Fox went on to produce fifteen more Chan films with Oland in the title role. After Oland's death, U.S. actor Sidney Toler was cast as Chan; Toler made twenty-two Chan films, first for Fox and then for Monogram Studios. After Toler's death, six films were made, starring Roland Winters. On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on four networks (Blue, N.B.C., A.B.C., M.B.S.) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels. Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in N.B.C.'s The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944-45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947-48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the announcer. Radio Life magazine described Begley's Chan as "a good radio match for Sidney Toler's beloved film enactment." (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Cisco Kid

Show Name: The Cisco Kid Episodes Available: 358 Latest Episode: The Cisco Kid 1952-12-30 - 47) Ned Dobson's Niece | Uploaded: Jul 16, 2014 Categories: Western The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in the collection Heart of the West. In movies and television, the Kid was depicted as a heroic Mexican caballero, even though he was originally a cruel outlaw. The Cisco Kid came to radio October 2, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and Louis Sorin as Pancho. With Vicki Vola and Bryna Raeburn in supporting roles and Michael Rye announcing, this series continued on Mutual until 1945. It was followed by another Mutual series in 1946, starring Jack Mather and Harry Lang, who continued to head the cast in the syndicated radio series of more than 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956. The radio episodes ended with one or the other of them making a corny joke about the adventure they had just completed. They would laugh, saying, "'oh, Pancho!" "'oh, Ceeesco!", before galloping off, while laughing. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Cloak and Dagger

Show Name: Cloak and Dagger Episodes Available: 22 Latest Episode: Cloak and Dagger 7 - Direct Line to Bombers | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: War/Armed Forces | Spy/Espionage Airing History: Episodes: 22 |  Dates: May 7, 1950 - Oct 22, 1950 Cloak and Dagger opened over the NBC network on May 7, 1950. It had a short run through the Summer on Sundays, changing to Fridays after its Summer run. The last show aired October 22, 1950. The series told fictional stories of OSS agents during World War II who took dangerous missions behind enemy lines, knowing they may never return alive. The series was based on the 1946 book "Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the OSS" by Corey Ford and Alastair MacBain. It was a tense half hour of patriots and traitors, of triumph, tragedy and failure. The stories did not always end in success -- sometimes, the hero/agent gave up his life. There were 22 episodes, broadcast in 1950. The theme music was either identical or very similar to that used by Tales of the Texas Rangers. Sherman Marks directed. The cast consisted of The Hungarian Giant, played by Raymond Edward Johnson, and Impy the Midget, played by Gilbert Mack. (source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Comic Weekly Man

Show Name: Comic Weekly Man Episodes Available: 112 Latest Episode: Comic Weekly Man 341 - Halloween, First Comic - Beetle Bailey | Uploaded: Jan 9, 2015 Categories: Mixed Bag Comic Weekly Man aired on the Mutual Broadcasting Network 1947 to 1954 and was a show where the Comic Weekly Man would read the Sunday comics in a dramatic fashion, complete with music and sound effects as well. Adults and children of all ages would tune in to hear the show and to enjoy the antics of the Comic Weekly Man. He read from such strips as Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Hi and Lois, and many, many others. These were taken from the Hearst newspaper's Sunday funnies "Puck: The Comic Weekly" section of the paper. They show's theme song starts with: "I am the Comic Weekly Man, the jolly Comic Weekly Man and I'm here to read the funnies to you happy boys and honeys." Comic Weekly Man was never credited on the programme, but he was the very talented Lon Clark (1912-1998). He is best known for playing the lead in the "Nick Carter, Master Detective" radio show, but he also appeared in a great many other programs. Lon Clark voiced all the male parts and Little Miss Honey, a female assistant, most of the female ones. Although hardly known nowadays, this has great reviews by those who stumble across it!

Crime and Peter Chambers

Show Name: Crime and Peter Chambers Episodes Available: 21 Latest Episode: Crime and Peter Chambers 10 - Cafe Tropical Bruce Eldridge | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Apr 6, 1954 - Sep 7, 1954 Crime and Peter Chambers is an American old-time radio detective program. It was broadcast on NBC from April 6, 1954, until September 7, 1954. Crime and Peter Chambers brought to radio a fictional private detective created by author Henry Kane, who also produced the show and wrote for it. Kane introduced Chambers in the 1947 novel A Halo for Nobody. and featured him in a series of novels, the last of which was Kill for the Millions (1972). Chambers was based in New York City, and his fee was $500 per day. Unlike many private detectives on radio, Chambers usually coordinated his work with that of the police. In fact, his best friend was police Lieutenant Louis Parker. Radio historian John Dunning described the program as "an undistinguished half-hour, filled with glib dialogue that played into Dane Clark's image as a screen tough guy." Dane Clark starred as Peter Chambers, and Bill Zuckert played Lieutenant Louis Parker. Actors often heard in supporting roles included Fran Carlon, Roger DeKoven, William Griffis, Leon Janney, Bryna Raeburn, Elaine Rost, Everett Sloane, Edgar Stehli, Evelyn Varden, Patricia Wheel, Lesley Woods, and Lawson Zerbe. Fred Collins was the announcer, and Fred Weihe was the director. (source: wikipedia.org)

Crime Classics

Show Name: Crime Classics Episodes Available: 51 Latest Episode: Crime Classics 39 - Robby-Boy Balfour, How He Wrecked A Big Prison's Reputation | Uploaded: Jun 12, 2016 Categories: Crime | Non-fiction Airing History: Dates: Jun 15, 1953 - Jun 30, 1954 Crime Classics is a United States radio docudrama which aired as a sustaining series over CBS Radio from June 15, 1953, to June 30, 1954. Created, produced, and directed by radio actor/director Elliott Lewis, the program was a historical true crime series, examining crimes and murders from the past. It grew out of Lewis' personal interest in famous murder cases and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages and feel of the time period. Comparatively little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration. The crimes dramatized generally covered a broad time and place frame from ancient Greece to late 19th-century America. Each episode in the series was co-written by Morton Fine and David Friedkin, in consultation with Lewis, although the scripting process was more a matter of research, as the stories were "adapted from the original court reports and newspaper accounts" or from the works of historians. The cases ranged from famous assassinations (of Abraham Lincoln, Leon Trotsky, and Julius Caesar) and the lives (and often deaths) of the likes of Cesare Borgia and Blackbeard to more obscure cases, such as Bathsheba Spooner, who killed her husband Joshua Spooner in 1778 and became the first woman tried and executed in America. The only continuing character was the host/narrator, Thomas Hyland, played by Lou Merrill. Hyland was introduced by the announcer as a "connoisseur of crime, student of violence, and teller of murders." Merrill's deadpan portrayal of Hyland provided the welcome note of tongue-in-cheek humor to the proceedings. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Crime Does Not Pay

Show Name: Crime Does Not Pay Episodes Available: 58 Latest Episode: Crime Does Not Pay 41 - Burglar Alarm | Uploaded: Jul 14, 2014 Categories: Crime Crime Does Not Pay was an anthology radio crime drama series based on MGM's short film series which began in 1935 with Crime Does Not Pay: Buried Loot. The shows were transcribed at MGM's New York station, WMGM. Written by Ira Marion and directed by Marx B. Loeb, the radio program aired in New York on WMGM for two years (October 10, 1949-October 10, 1951), including repeats. It moved to the Mutual Broadcasting System for its final run (January 7-December 22, 1952). For the most part, actors who appeared in B-films were featured, but occasionally one of MGM's major stars would make an appearance. Actors in the series included Bela Lugosi, Everett Sloane, Ed Begley, John Loder and Lionel Stander. After the play, the actors usually returned to speak with the audience. Composer-conductor John Gart furnished the music. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Cruise of the Poll Parrot

Show Name: The Cruise of the Poll Parrot Episodes Available: 39 Latest Episode: Cruise of the Poll Parrot 37 - Poll Parrot Takeover Attempt | Uploaded: Jul 12, 2014 Categories: Adventure In 1922, businessman Paul Parrot sold his shoe business "Poll Parrot Shoes" to the International Shoe Company, which was already selling Red Goose and Weatherbird shoes. The shoes were designed for children and so sponsoring a children's radio show seemed like a good idea. In 1937, they launched a syndicated children's serial named "Cruise of the Poll Parrot". The show was sold in thirteen segment blocks, and three complete blocks exist today. The shows exponentially boosted shoe sales, helping International compete against the leader in children's shoes: Buster Brown. The main character for the show was a 24 year old man from St. Louis, Missouri, named Marvin Miller. This was some of his first radio work. He was the voice for the main character, Captain Roy Dalton, the Master of the ship Poll Parrot, and also the voice of the parrot that was the pet of the Captain. Marvin Miller went on to work on hundreds of other radio shows, mostly as an announcer. He acted in a number of films, most notably in 1947 starring with Humphrey Bogart in "Dead Reckoning". Miller played a crooked gambler's sadistic henchman named Krause. He became most famous as Michael Anthony, the man who handed out the million dollar checks in the 1950s TV series, "The Millionaire". Miller died in Los Angeles of a heart attack in 1984 at the age of 71. The Cruise of the Poll Parrot takes place in 1858 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, center of the United States whaling industry. Besides Captain Roy Dalton, the cast included Ezra Grange, owner of the Poll Parrot, Ezra's little sister Sue, and her friend Johnny Robbins. Other characters on the show were first mate George Wainwright, a one legged sailor named Old Dickson, a muteness crew member named Red Mahooley, ship keeper Breckenridge, and El Testi who was an agent for another shipping company. (Source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Damon Runyon Theater

Show Name: Damon Runyon Theater Episodes Available: 52 Latest Episode: Damon Runyon Theater 52 - Dream Sweet Rose | Uploaded: Mar 20, 2017 Categories: Humor Airing History: Episodes: 52 Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 - December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To New Yorkers of his generation, a "Damon Runyon character" evoked a distinctive social type from Brooklyn or Midtown Manhattan. The adjective "Runyonesque" refers to this type of character as well as to the type of situations and dialog that Runyon depicted. He spun humorous and sentimental tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters, few of whom go by "square" names, preferring instead colorful monikers such as "Nathan Detroit", "Benny Southstreet", "Big Jule", "Harry the Horse", "Good Time Charley", "Dave the Dude", or "The Seldom Seen Kid". His distinctive vernacular style is known as "Runyonese": a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions. He is credited with coining the phrase "Hooray Henry", a term now used in British English to describe the upper class version of a loud-mouthed, arrogant twit. Runyon's fictional world is also known to the general public through the musical Guys and Dolls based on two of his stories, "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure". The musical additionally borrows characters and story elements from a few other Runyon stories, most notably "Pick The Winner". The film Little Miss Marker (and its three remakes, Sorrowful Jones, 40 Pounds of Trouble and the 1980 Little Miss Marker) grew from his short story of the same name. Runyon was also a newspaper reporter, covering sports and general news for decades for various publications and syndicates owned by William Randolph Hearst. Already known for his fiction, he wrote a well-remembered "present tense" article on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Presidential inauguration in 1933 for the Universal Service, a Hearst syndicate, which was merged with the co-owned International News Service in 1937. Runyon's short stories are told in the first person by a protagonist who is never named, and whose role is unclear; he knows many gangsters and does not appear to have a job, but he does not admit to any criminal involvement, and seems to be largely a bystander. He describes himself as "being known to one and all as a guy who is just around". The radio program The Damon Runyon Theatre dramatized 52 of Runyon's works in 1949, and for these the protagonist was given the name "Broadway", although it was admitted that this was not his real name, much in the way "Harry the Horse" and "Sorrowful Jones" are aliases.

Dan Dunn

Show Name: Dan Dunn Episodes Available: 2 Latest Episode: Dan Dunn 1 - Sabotage of Giant Bomber | Uploaded: Jul 8, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Dan Dunn was the first fictional character to make his debut in an American comic magazine, making him the forerunner of many comic book heroes. Created by Norman Marsh, he first appeared in Detective Dan, Secret Operative No. 48, a 1933 single issue one-shot by Humor Publications magazine. Later in 1933, Dan Dunn made his newspaper debut in the Dan Dunn comic strip for Publishers Syndicate. He eventually appeared in Big Little Books, which are probably the most readily available source of the character's adventures for modern readers. In 1936, Dan Dunn became the title character of a pulp magazine that lasted for two issues. As noted by comics historian Don Markstein, the square-jawed Detective Dunn was a knock-off of Dick Tracy, blowing away evil criminals with the same no-nonsense resort to violence that fans liked seeing during an era of urban crime gangs. In newspapers, however, Dunn never approached Tracy's popularity. In 1937, Dan Dunn was produced as a 15-minute radio program which ran for a total of 78 episodes. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Danger, Dr. Danfield

Show Name: Danger, Dr. Danfield Episodes Available: 26 Latest Episode: Danger Doctor Danfield 1 - The Professor | Uploaded: Dec 27, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Aug 18, 1946 - Apr 13, 1947 Danger, Dr. Danfield is an American old-time radio crime drama. It was broadcast on ABC from August 18, 1946, to April 13, 1947, and was syndicated for several years thereafter. The title character was Dr. Daniel Danfield, a criminal psychologist. Each episode featured his dictation of a summary of a case to his secretary, Rusty Fairfax. Dramatic sequences were interspersed with the narration. Danfield's cases often came in response to requests for help from law enforcement agencies. He frequently met with criminals to analyze them and their behavior. The publication Shows of Tomorrow, published by Radio Daily, described the program as having "emphasis on solution of crime rather than on murder." The 30-minute transcribed program was produced by Teleways Radio Productions. Steve Dunne played Dr. Danfield, and JoAnne Johnson played Rusty Fairfax. Herb Butterfield played Captain Otis, a homicide detective, and Jay Novello played the doctor's chauffeur. Wally Ramsey was the producer, and Ralph Wilkinson was the writer. (source: wikipedia)

Dick Cole

Show Name: Dick Cole Episodes Available: 17 Latest Episode: Dick Cole 3 - First Year Man | Uploaded: Jul 8, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Children/Teenagers The Adventures of Dick Cole was a 1942 juvenile adventure radio series based on a comic book character published by Novelty Press, and later, Star Publications. Created in 1940 by cartoonist Bob Davis (The Chameleon), Dick Cole is a heroic cadet at the fictional Farr Military Academy. The character was introduced in the "Origin of Dick Cole," in the first issue of Novelty Press' Blue Bolt Comics (June 1940). In 1942, the comic book series was adapted into a 30-minute radio program which followed the adventures of Cole (Leon Janney) at the Farr Military Academy. When Cole wasn't winning football games, he tracked evildoers with an assist from his Academy pals Simba and Ted. The announcer was Paul Luther. Lew White provided the background music. Billed as "America's Number One School Star," Dick Cole was a popular backup feature in Novelty Press' Blue Bolt (and later 4 Most), with regular stories about the young hero appearing until 1949. The character got his own book with five issues of Dick Cole (Novelty Press/Star Publications, 1948-1949), illustrated by L.B. Cole, Joe Certa, Jim Wilcox, Al Fagaly, Jack Hearne, and others. L.B. Cole continued the title for five more issues at Star Publications in 1949-1950. (Many of the stories published in the Star issues were reprints from Blue Bolt and another Novelty Press title, Target Comics.) (Source: wikipedia.org)

Dick Tracy

Show Name: Dick Tracy Episodes Available: 74 Latest Episode: Dick Tracy 1947-10-24 - The Case of the Book of Four Kings | Uploaded: Jul 11, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a square-jawed, hard-hitting, fast-shooting, and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate. Gould wrote and drew the strip until 1977. Dick Tracy had a long run on radio, from 1934 weekdays on NBC's New England stations to the ABC network in 1948. Bob Burlen was the first radio Tracy in 1934, and others heard in the role during the 1930s and 1940s were Barry Thompson, Ned Wever and Matt Crowley. The early shows all had 15-minute episodes. On CBS, with Sterling Products as sponsor, the serial aired four times a week from February 4, 1935 to July 11, 1935, moving to Mutual from September 30, 1935 to March 24, 1937 with Bill McClintock doing the sound effects. NBC's weekday afternoon run from January 3, 1938 to April 28, 1939 had sound effects by Keene Crockett and was sponsored by Quaker Oats, which brought Dick Tracy into primetime (Saturdays at 7 pm and, briefly, Mondays at 8 pm) with 30-minute episodes from April 29, 1939 to September 30, 1939. The series returned to 15-minute episodes on the ABC Blue Network from March 15, 1943 to July 16, 1948, sponsored by Tootsie Roll, which used the music theme of "Toot Toot, Tootsie" for its 30-minute Saturday ABC series from October 6, 1945 to June 1, 1946. Sound effects on ABC were supplied by Walt McDonough and Al Finelli. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Dimension X

Show Name: Dimension X Episodes Available: 50 Latest Episode: Dimension X 49 - Requiem | Uploaded: Feb 12, 2015 Categories: Science Fiction Airing History: Episodes: 50 |  Dates: Apr 8, 1950 - Sep 29, 1951 Dimension X was an NBC radio program broadcast on an unsponsored, sustaining basis from April 8, 1950 to September 29, 1951. The first 13 episodes were broadcast live, and the remainder were pre-recorded. Fred Wiehe and Edward King were the directors, and Norman Rose was heard as both announcer and narrator (his famous opening: "Adventures in time and space... told in future tense..."). Preceded by Mutual's 2000 Plus (1950-52), Dimension X was not the first adult science fiction series on radio, but the acquisition of previously published stories immediately gave it a strong standing with the science fiction community, as did the choice of well established, respected writers in the field: Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown, Robert A. Heinlein, Murray Leinster, H. Beam Piper, Frank M. Robinson, Clifford D. Simak, William Tenn, Jack Vance, Kurt Vonnegut, Jack Williamson and Donald A. Wollheim. Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts adapted most of the stories and also provided original scripts. The series opened with "The Outer Limit", Ernest Kinoy's adaptation of Graham Doar's short story from The Saturday Evening Post (December 24, 1949) about alien contact. A week later (April 15, 1950), the program presented Jack Williamson's most famous story, "With Folded Hands", first published in the July 1947 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. With a five-month hiatus from January 1951 to June 1951, the series spanned 17 months. All 50 episodes of the series survived and can be heard today. Later, NBC's X Minus One (1955-58) utilized many of the same actors and scripts. (source: wikipedia)

Doctor Tim, Detective

Show Name: Doctor Tim, Detective Episodes Available: 7 Latest Episode: Doctor Tim, Detective 9 - The Mystery of the Chest of Dynamite | Uploaded: Nov 22, 2016 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 13 |  Dates: Aug 28, 1950 - Nov 27, 1950 "Dr. Tim, Detective," a radio series to present health education by means of mystery-dramas to interest Rockford's school age boys and girls, will be presented weekly on Mondays at 6:15 p.m. over radio station WROK beginning Labor day. Dr. R.J. Mroz, president of the Winnebago County Medical society, announced the 13-week dramatized series, especially produced for young listeners, is being presented through the public relations committee of the medical society. It is offered through the co-operation of the Rockford radio council, sponsored by the Central Illinois Electric and Gas company and station WROK. Each episode will be a mystery-drama dealing with a disease or health subject. It will be presented through the scientific detection of "Doctor Tim, Detective" and his young friends, "Sandy" and "Jill." Some of the subjects to be included are safe water supply, rabies, blood fractions, rheumatic fever, the home medicine chest and contaminated foods. (Source: From the Rockford Morning Star (September 3rd, 1950) / Digital Deli)

Don Winslow of the Navy

Show Name: Don Winslow of the Navy Episodes Available: 2 Latest Episode: Don Winslow s3 ep1 - Two-man Submarines | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: War/Armed Forces | Water/Boats The idea for Don Winslow was conceived by Lieutenant Commander Frank V. Martinek USNR, himself a storied veteran of World War I Naval intelligence, after Admiral Wat T. Cluverius complained to him about the difficulties of recruiting in the Midwest. Ruminating on the challenge, Martinek decided that a comic strip that focused on Naval tradition and courage would educate and fascinate America's youth. He had previously used the character Don Winslow in some novels he wrote, so he had the main concept readymade. Colonel Frank Knox, later Secretary of the Navy helped sell the idea to the Bell Syndicate. The strip debuted on March 5, 1934 and a Sunday page was added in 1935. It would run until 1955. The title character was a spychasing Lieutenant Commander in Naval intelligence. The comic strip led to a radio adventure serial that began in 1937, as well as a film serial that began in 1942. Original comics stories also appeared in Fawcett comic books starting in 1943. Although created primarily as a Navy recruitment and propaganda tool, the strip received high marks from Coulton Waugh for "excellent suspense, and ingenious, spine-joggling situations." Ron Goulart credits Don Winslow with "intrigue, spychasing, beautiful women, and villains with names like Dr. Centaur, the Dwarf, and the Scorpion." Like all good propaganda, the strip first sought to grab the reader's attention. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Dr. Kildare

Show Name: Dr. Kildare Episodes Available: 60 Latest Episode: Dr Kildare 21 - Glaucoma | Uploaded: Jul 14, 2014 Categories: Romance | Medical Romance | Mixed Bag Dr. James Kildare is a fictional character in a series of films in the late 1930s and early 1940s, an early 1950s radio series, a 1960s television series of the same name and a comic book based on the TV show, and a short-lived second 1970s television series. The character was created by the author Frederick Schiller Faust, under the pen name Max Brand. Lionel Barrymore and Lew Ayres performed a scene from their soon-to-be-released film, Young Dr. Kildare, on MGM's "Good News of 1939" program, October 13, 1938. In the summer of 1949, MGM reunited Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore to record the radio series, The Story of Dr. Kildare, scripted by Les Crutchfield, Jean Holloway and others. After broadcasts on WMGM New York from February 1, 1950 to August 3, 1951, the series was syndicated to other stations during the 1950s. The supporting cast included Ted Osborne as hospital administrator Dr. Carew, Jane Webb as nurse Mary Lamont and Virginia Gregg as Nurse Parker, labeled "Nosy Parker" by Gillespie, with appearances by William Conrad, Stacy Harris, Jay Novello, Isabel Jewell and Jack Webb. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy

Show Name: Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Episodes Available: 206 Latest Episode: The Charlie McCarthy Show 1956-04-22 - Virginia Cox Smith | Uploaded: Jul 21, 2014 Categories: Humor Edgar John Bergen (Feb 16, 1903 - Sep 30, 1978) best known as a ventriloquist, was also the father of actress Candice Bergen. He taught himself ventriloquism from a pamphlet when he was 11. A few years later, he commissioned Chicago woodcarver Theodore Mack to sculpt a likeness of a rascally Irish newspaperboy he knew. The head went on a dummy named Charlie McCarthy, who became Bergen's lifelong sidekick. Eventually Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy began an 11-year run on The Chase and Sanborn Hour , starting May 9, 1937. Initially this incarnation of the program also featured as regulars master of ceremonies Don Ameche, singers Dorothy Lamour and Nelson Eddy, and (for the first few weeks) comedian W.C. Fields, accompanied by a different guest star each week. Beginning January 7, 1940, the regular cast apart from Bergen and McCarthy were dropped and the show was cut to a half-hour and retitled The Chase and Sanborn Program. Also beginning in 1940, the program would go on hiatus for a number of weeks each summer. CBS would fill its airtime with a different substitute show each year. In the fall of 1948 Chase and Sanborn announced that it would terminate its contract with Edgar Bergen at the end of the year. The remaining Bergen/McCarthy programs eschewed guest stars in favor of regular sketches featuring Don Ameche and Marsha Hunt as The Bickersons. In 1949 Bergen went to CBS, with a new weekly program (The Charlie McCarthy Show) sponsored by Coca-Cola. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Ellery Queen

Show Name: Ellery Queen Episodes Available: 18 Latest Episode: Ellery Queen 352 - One Diamond | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Several iterations of The Adventures of Ellery Queen appeared on different networks, with the first one broadcast on CBS June 18, 1939, and the last on ABC May 27, 1948. The show grew out of the combined efforts of producer-director George Zachary and writers Frederic Danny and Manfred Lee. Dannay and Lee, who were cousins, originated the Ellery Queen character. Initially they wrote the program's scripts, and Zachary handled production. Beginning in 1945, Anthony Boucher replaced Dannay and worked with Lee writing scripts. The primary characters and those who played each role were as follows: * Ellery Queen was played by Hugh Marlowe (1939-1940), Carleton Young (1942-43), Sydney Smith (1943-44, 1945-47), Lawrence Dobkin (1947-48) and Howard Culver (1948). * Richard Queen - Ellery's father was a police inspector,played by Santos Ortega (1939-1947), Bill Smith (1947) and Herb Butterfield (1947-1948). * Nikki Porter - A character who had not appeared in the Ellery Queen written material, Porter was added to the program as Ellery's secretary in order to provide 'love interest' that was supposed to attract the female audience." She was played by Marion Shockley (1939-1944), Barbara Terrell (1945), Gertrude Warner (1945-46), Charlotte Keane (1946-47), Virginia Gregg (1947) and Kaye Brinker (1948). * Sergeant Velie - Inspector Queen's assistant,was played by Howard Smith (1939), Ted de Corsia (1939-47), Ed Latimer (1947) and Alan Reed (1947). Announcers were Ken Roberts (1939-40), Bert Parks (1940), Ernest Chappell (1942-44), Don Hancock (1947), and Paul Masterson (1947). (Source: wikipedia.org)

Ellery Queen Minute Mysteries

Show Name: Ellery Queen Minute Mysteries Episodes Available: 80 Latest Episode: Ellery Queen Minute Mysteries 12 - Phoney Promoter | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Nobody can claim that the original Ellery Queen stories were high literature and these one-minute shows certainly do nothing to change this view. Although they are pulp radio, these shows produced by Creative Marketing and Communications, Cincinnati, Ohio, are also great throwaway fun. Bill Owen plays the role of Ellery Queen and opens every episode with "Ellery Queen's Minute Mysteries...This is Ellery Queen with the case I call the ..." It is highly doubtful that these shows were ever taken seriously, and allegedly caused much merriment in the studios that aired them. Let's hope they do the same here!

Encore Theater

Show Name: Encore Theater Episodes Available: 13 Latest Episode: Encore Theater 9 - Dark Victory | Uploaded: Dec 8, 2023 Categories: Non-fiction Airing History: Episodes: 13 |  Dates: Jun 4, 1946 - Aug 27, 1946 Encore Theatre is based on true stories and sponsored by Schenley Labs, Inc, who skimped on nothing for this brief series. It is one of those overlooked dramatic anthologies that deserve a deal more attention than they have generally achieved. You will find the series has a medical thread running through it and is in fact a highly compelling and sympathetic series of well-produced, medical-themed dramas. Within the stories, you get a great deal of medical history into the bargain. The cast members were well-known radio or screen actors and included Lurene Tuttle, Eric Snowden, Gerald Mohr, Ronald Colman, Robert Young, and Lionel Barrymore. source: OTRRG

Escape

Show Name: Escape Episodes Available: 219 Latest Episode: Escape 219 - Flood on the Goodwins (Vic Perrin) | Uploaded: Jun 13, 2016 Categories: Adventure | Mixed Bag | Horror | Science Fiction Airing History: Episodes: 230 |  Dates: Jul 7, 1947 - Sep 25, 1954 Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure radio dramas, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954. Since the program did not have a regular sponsor like Suspense, it was subjected to frequent schedule shifts and lower production budgets, although Richfield Oil signed on as a sponsor for five months in 1950. Despite these problems, Escape enthralled many listeners during its seven-year run. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with this introduction, as intoned by Paul Frees and William Conrad: "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!" Of the more than 230 Escape episodes, most have survived in good condition. Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits, and the series featured more science fiction and supernatural tales than Suspense. A television counterpart (Escape (CBS TV series)) aired on CBS TV for a few months during 1950. The program's opening announcement - "Tired of the everyday grind?" - was employed as a slogan for the counterculture magazine, New Escapologist. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The FBI in Peace and War

Show Name: The FBI in Peace and War Episodes Available: 86 Latest Episode: The FBI in Peace and War 508 - The Protection Copy | Uploaded: Dec 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Nov 25, 1944 - Sep 28, 1958 The FBI in Peace and War was a radio crime drama inspired by Frederick Lewis Collins' book of the same name. The idea for the show came from Louis Pelletier who wrote many of the scripts. Among the show's other writers were Jack Finke, Ed Adamson and Collins. It aired on CBS from November 25, 1944 to September 28, 1958, produced and directed by Max Marcin and Betty Mandeville. The show had a variety of sponsors over the years, including Lava Soap, Wildroot Cream-Oil, Lucky Strike, Nescafe and Wrigley's. In 1955 it was the eighth most popular show on radio, as noted in Time: The Nielsen ratings of the top ten radio shows seemed to indicate that not much has changed in radio: 1) Jack Benny Show (CBA), 2) Amos 'n' Andy (CBS), 3) People are Funny (NBC), 4) Our Miss Brooks (CBS) 5) Lux Radio Theater (NBC), 6) My Little Margie (CBS), 7) Dragnet (NBC), 8) FBI in Peace and War (CBS), 9) Bergen and McCarthy (CBS), 10) Groucho Marx (NBC). Martin Blaine and Donald Briggs headed the cast. The theme was the March from Prokofiev's The Love for Three Oranges, arranged for small symphony orchestra by Amedeo De Filippi, with Vladimir Selinksy conducting. The music was accompanied by a chant of "L-A-V-A," in reference to the show's sponsor being Lava soap. Actress Lisa Loughlin also voiced for the show beginning in 1952.

Flash Gordon

Show Name: Flash Gordon Episodes Available: 32 Latest Episode: Flash Gordon 41 - Flash Gordon | Uploaded: Oct 24, 2014 Categories: Science Fiction Flash Gordon started life as a hero of a science fiction comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, it as inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers strip. Starting April 22, 1935, the strip was adapted into The Amazing Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon, a 26-episode weekly radio serial. The series followed the strip very closely, amounting to a week-by-week adaptation of the Sunday strip for most of its run. Flash Gordon was played by Gale Gordon, later famous for his television roles in Our Miss Brooks, Dennis the Menace, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy (the latter two with Lucille Ball). The cast also included Maurice Franklin as Dr. Zarkov and Bruno Wick as Ming the Merciless. The radio series broke with the strip continuity in the last two episodes, when Flash, Dale and Zarkov returned to Earth. They make a crash landing in Africa, where they meet Jungle Jim, the star of another of Alex Raymond's comic strips. The series ended on October 26, 1935 with Flash and Dale's marriage. The next week, The Adventures of Jungle Jim picked up in that Saturday timeslot. Two days later, on October 28, The Further Interplanetary Adventures of Flash Gordon debuted as a daily show, running five days a week. This series strayed further from Raymond's strip, involving Flash, Dale and Zarkov in an adventure in Atlantis. The series aired 74 episodes, ending on February 6, 1936. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Fort Laramie

Show Name: Fort Laramie Episodes Available: 41 Latest Episode: Fort Laramie 20 - Young Trooper | Uploaded: Jan 14, 2023 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 41 |  Dates: Jan 22, 1956 - Oct 28, 1956 Fort Laramie is a CBS Radio Western series starring Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince. It aired Sunday afternoons January 22 - October 28, 1956. Produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, it depicted life at old Fort Laramie during the 19th Century. Raymond Burr starred as Lee Quince, captain of the cavalry. One year later, Burr became a television star as Perry Mason. In the series, the fort had to keep their eye on a nearby Sioux Indian reservation. Major Ned Daggart led the troops and he didn't always see eye to eye with Quince. Daggart had a niece called Terrie Lawson, who had her eye on the Captain. Supporting regulars included Vic Perrin as Sgt. Gorse, Harry Bartell as the slightly green Lt. Seiberts and Jack Moyles as Major Daggett. Heard on a more irregular basis were Howard McNear as Pliny the fort sutler, Sam Edwards as Trooper Harrison, and in a variety of roles, such actors as John Dehner, John McIntire, Virginia Gregg, James Nusser, Parley Baer and Barney Phillips. Amerigo Marino supplied the music. The scripts were mostly written by John Meston, Kathleen Hite, Les Crutchfield and John Dunkel. John Dehner originally auditioned for the part of Lee Quince in a story that was later remade with Burr in the lead, called "The Boatwright's Story". (Source: wikipedia.org)

Frank Merriwell

Show Name: Frank Merriwell Episodes Available: 39 Latest Episode: Frank Merriwell 102 - The Live Ghost | Uploaded: Jul 13, 2014 Categories: Children/Teenagers | Adventure Frank Merriwell first appeared in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The model for all later American juvenile sports fiction, Merriwell excelled at football, baseball, basketball, crew and track at Yale while solving mysteries and righting wrongs. He played with great strength and received traumatic blows without injury. The Adventures of Frank Merriwell first ran on NBC radio from March 26 to June 22, 1934 as a 15-minute serial airing three times a week at 5:30pm. Sponsored by Dr. West's Toothpaste, this program starred Donald Briggs in the title role. Harlow Wilcox was the announcer. After a 12-year gap, the series returned October 5, 1946 as a 30-minute Saturday morning show on NBC, continuing until June 4, 1949. Lawson Zerbe starred as Merriwell, Jean Gillespie and Elaine Rostas as Inza Burrage, Harold Studer as Bart Hodge and Patricia Hosley as Elsie Belwood. Announcers were Mel Brandt and Harlow Wilcox, and the Paul Taubman Orchestra supplied the background music. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Frontier Gentleman

Show Name: Frontier Gentleman Episodes Available: 42 Latest Episode: Frontier Gentleman 37 - The Preacher | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2023 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 41 |  Dates: Feb 2, 1958 - Nov 16, 1958 Frontier Gentleman is a short-lived radio Western series originally broadcast on the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio network from February 2 to November 16, 1958, initially heard Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m, through March when it moved to 7 p.m. Frontier Gentleman was one of several "adult westerns," along with Gunsmoke (1952-1961), Luke Slaughter of Tombstone and others, that appeared on radio and television in the early 1950s. The genre was "grittier, more realistic, and clearly intended for an older audience." Written, produced and directed by Antony Ellis, the show followed the adventures of a journalist Jeremy Brian Kendall. as he roamed the west in search of stories for the Times. Set in the post-Civil War United States. Kendall was described as an "elegant and icily effective ... veteran of the British Army in India." Along the way, he encountered various fictional drifters and outlaws in addition to well-known historical figures, such as Jesse James, Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. Music for the series was by Wilbur Hatch and Jerry Goldsmith, who also supplied the opening trumpet theme. The announcers were Dan Cubberly, Johnny Jacobs, Bud Sewell and John Wald. Supporting cast: Harry Bartell, Lawrence Dobkin, Virginia Gregg, Stacy Harris, Johnny Jacobs, Joseph Kearns, Jack Kruschen, Jack Moyles, Jeanette Nolan (later also on television), Vic Perrin and Barney Phillips. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Frontier Town

Show Name: Frontier Town Episodes Available: 47 Latest Episode: Frontier Town 26 - South of Santa Fe | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2023 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 47 |  Dates: Mar 5, 1949 - Jan 21, 1950 Frontier Town was an American radio adventure serial syndicated by Bruce Eells Productions. The 30-minute programme's first known broadcast was in 1949, and the show ran for 47 episodes. Because it was syndicated, it aired on different stations on different days. For instance, in New York City, the first episode ran on WINS on March 5, 1949. Chad Remington's quest to bring his father's killer to justice served as a springboard for a career as a crime fighting attorney in the small town of Dos Rios. Remington was played initially by Jeff Chandler, billed as Tex Chandler. Halfway through the program's run, the role was assumed by Reed Hadley. Wild Bill Elliott was originally planned as the star according to an early news story. Remington's sidekick, Cherokee O'Bannon, was played by Wade Crosby using the speech patterns of W.C. Fields. The series was written and directed by Paul Franklin. Ivan Ditmars and Bob Mitchell provided the background organ music. Each episode opened with the following: "Frontier Town, the saga of the roaring West (organ music) Frontier Town... (sounds of men whooping and horse beats) Here is the Adventure Story of the Early West, the tamed and the untamed, from Cheyenne to Calgary, from Dodge City to Poker Flats. These are the towns they fought to live in and lived to fight for, teeming crucibles of pioneer freedom. Frontier Town!" (Source: wikipedia.org)

Fu Manchu

Show Name: Fu Manchu Episodes Available: 84 Latest Episode: Fu Manchu 109 - Trapped In The King's Chamber | Uploaded: Oct 28, 2014 Categories: Crime | Spy/Espionage Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century. The character was also featured extensively in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 90 years, and has become an archetype of the evil criminal genius while lending the name to the Fu Manchu moustache. A master criminal, Fu Manchu's murderous plots are marked by the extensive use of arcane methods; he disdains guns or explosives, preferring dacoits, Thuggee, and members of other secret societies as his agents armed with knives, or using "pythons and cobras ... fungi and my tiny allies, the bacilli ... my black spiders" and other peculiar animals or natural chemical weapons. The Shadow of Fu Manchu radio show was adapted from the first nine Sax Rohmer Fu Manchu novels. The short lived series aired from 1939 to 1940 in 15-minute installments. It was carried by Station WHN in New York City and syndicated in other parts of the country. Harold Huber played the diabolical criminal mastermind Fu Manchu. British official Nayland Smith was played by Hanley Stafford and his assistant by Dr. Petrie by Gale Gordon. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Gang Busters

Show Name: Gang Busters Episodes Available: 87 Latest Episode: Gang Busters 877 - Case of the Lost Gun | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Crime Gang Busters was heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935. After the title was changed to Gang Busters January 15, 1936, the show had a 21-year run through November 20, 1957. The series dramatized FBI cases, which producer-director Phillips H. Lord arranged in close association with Bureau director J. Edgar Hoover. Hoover insisted that only closed cases would be used. Joan Banks was a regular cast member. The initial series was on NBC Radio from July 20 to October 12, 1935. It then aired on CBS from January 15, 1936 to June 15, 1940, sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and Cue magazine. From October 11, 1940 to December 25, 1948, it was heard on the Blue Network, with various sponsors that included Sloan's Liniment, Waterman pens and Tide. Returning to CBS on January 8, 1949, it ran until June 25, 1955, sponsored by Grape-Nuts and Wrigley's chewing gum. The final series was on the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 5, 1955 to November 27, 1957. It was once narrated by Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr., former head of the New Jersey State Police. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Gasoline Alley

Show Name: Gasoline Alley Episodes Available: 20 Latest Episode: Gasoline Alley 20 - Adventure of the Ancient and Honorable Autovox | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Humor Gasoline Alley was created by Frank King and first published November 24, 1918, it is the second longest running comic strip in the US (after The Katzenjammer Kids). There have been several radio adaptations. Gasoline Alley during the 1930s starred Bill Idelson as Skeezix with Jean Gillespie as Nina Clock. Jimmy McCallion was Skeezix in the series that ran on NBC from February 17 to April 11, 1941, continuing on the Blue Network from April 28 to May 9 of that same year. The 15-minute series aired weekdays at 5:30pm. Along with Nina (Janice Gilbert), the characters included Skeezix's boss Wumple (Cliff Soubier) and Ling Wee (Junius Matthews), a waiter in a Chinese restaurant. Charles Schenck directed the scripts by Kane Campbell. The syndicated series of 1948-49 featured a cast of Bill Lipton, Mason Adams and Robert Dryden. Sponsored by Autolite, the program used opening theme music by the Polka Dots, a harmonica group. The 15-minute episodes focused on Skeezix running a gas station and garage, the Wallet and Bobble Garage, with his partner, Wilmer Bobble. In New York, this series aired on WOR from July 16, 1948 to January 7, 1949. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Gene Autry's Melody Ranch

Show Name: Gene Autry's Melody Ranch Episodes Available: 72 Latest Episode: Gene Autry's Melody Ranch 1950-09-xx - Heart As Big As Texas | Uploaded: Jul 12, 2014 Categories: Media/Stars | Western Stars Gene Autry's Melody Ranch was a Western variety radio show in the United States. The program ran from January 7, 1940 to August 1, 1943, and from September 23, 1945 to May 16, 1956. The show's entire run was broadcast on CBS radio, sponsored by Doublemint gum. The approximately two-year interruption resulted from Autry's enlistment in the United States Army to fight in World War II. Initially titled Double M Ranch, the show's name was changed to Gene Autry's Melody Ranch early in 1940. Episodes were 30 minutes long except for a 15-minute version that ran from September 23, 1945 to June 16, 1946. The theme song was "Back in the Saddle Again". Centering on the talent and popularity of the star, singing cowboy Gene Autry, each episode of the program "consisted of a Western adventure interspersed with interludes of music. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Great Gildersleeve

Show Name: The Great Gildersleeve Episodes Available: 497 Latest Episode: The Great Gildersleeve 524 - Dinner With Peavey | Uploaded: Jan 21, 2023 Categories: Humor Airing History: Episodes: 552 |  Dates: Aug 31, 1941 - Jun 2, 1954 The Great Gildersleeve is a radio situation comedy initially written by Leonard Lewis Levinson. It was one of broadcast history's earliest spin-off programs. The series was built around Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, a regular character from the radio situation comedy Fibber McGee and Molly. The Great Gildersleeve premiered on NBC on August 31, 1941. It moves the title character from the McGees' Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where Gildersleeve oversees his late sister and brother-in-law's estate (said to have both been killed in a car accident) and rears his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie and Leroy Forrester. The household also includes a cook named Birdie. While Gildersleeve had occasionally mentioned his (silent) wife in some Fibber episodes, in his own series he is a confirmed bachelor. At the outset of the series, Gildersleeve administers a girdle manufacturing company ("If you want the best of corsets, of course it's Gildersleeve"); later and during the remainder of the show he serves as Summerfield's water commissioner. In 1950, Harold Peary was persuaded to move The Great Gildersleeve to CBS, but sponsor Kraft refused to sanction the move. Peary, now contracted to CBS, was legally unable to appear on NBC as a star performer, but Gildersleeve was still an NBC series. This prompted the hiring of Willard Waterman as Peary's replacement as Gildersleeve. Peary, meanwhile, began a new series on CBS which attempted to reproduce the Gildersleeve show with the names changed. The Harold Peary Show, lasting one season, included a fictitious radio show within the show. This was Honest Harold, hosted by Peary's new character. In November 1954, after an extended summer hiatus, Gildersleeve was reformatted as a 15-minute daily sitcom. Only Gildersleeve, Leroy and Birdie remained on a continuing basis. All other characters were seldom heard, and gone were Marjorie and her family as well as the studio audience, live orchestra and original scripts. The series finally ended its run in 1958. (source: wikipedia)

The Green Hornet

Show Name: The Green Hornet Episodes Available: 141 Latest Episode: The Green Hornet 1945-11-08 - The Hornet Drops a Hint - aka Smoothy Lawrence | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Crime | Masked/Mystery Men The Green Hornet first aired January 31, 1936, on WXYZ, the same local Detroit station that originated its companion shows The Lone Ranger and Challenge of the Yukon. Beginning April 12, 1938, the station supplied the series to the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network, and then to NBC Blue and its successors, the Blue Network and ABC Network, from November 16, 1939, through September 8, 1950. It returned from September 10 to December 5, 1952. It was sponsored by General Mills from January to August 1948, and by Orange Crush in its brief 1952 run. Distinguished by its use of classical music for themes and for bridges between scenes, The Green Hornet was "one of radio's best-known and most distinctive juvenile adventure shows". The series detailed the adventures of Britt Reid, debonair newspaper publisher by day, crime-fighting masked hero at night. "With his faithful valet Kato, Britt Reid, daring young publisher, matches wits with the Underworld, risking his life so that criminals and racketeers within the law may feel its weight by the sting of the Green Hornet!" One relatively minor aspect of the character that tends to be given limited exposure in the actual productions is his blood relationship to the Lone Ranger, another character created by Striker. The Lone Ranger's nephew was Dan Reid. In the Green Hornet radio shows, the Hornet's father was likewise named Dan Reid, making Britt Reid the Lone Ranger's grandnephew. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Green Lama

Show Name: The Green Lama Episodes Available: 5 Latest Episode: The Green Lama 4 - The Million Dollar Chopsticks | Uploaded: Jul 8, 2014 Categories: Adventure The Green Lama was an American pulp magazine hero of the 1940s. The Green Lama is an alias of Jethro Dumont, a rich resident of New York City, born July 25, 1903, to millionaire John Pierre Dumont and Janet Lansing. He received his A.B. from Harvard University, M.A. from Oxford, and Ph.D. from the Sorbonne; he also attended Drepung College in Tibet. He inherited his father's fortune, estimated at ten million dollars, when his father and mother were both killed in an accident while he was still at Harvard; he then spent ten years in Tibet studying to be a lama (a Buddhist Spiritual Teacher) and learning many mystical secrets in the process. More than three years after the demise of his comic book, the Green Lama was resurrected for a short-lived CBS radio series that ran for 11 episodes from June 5 to August 20, 1949, with the character's voice provided by Paul Frees. This version of the Green Lama was also written by creator Kendell Foster Crossen, along with several co-writers. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Gunsmoke

Show Name: Gunsmoke Episodes Available: 474 Latest Episode: Gunsmoke 385 - The Reed Survives | Uploaded: Jan 14, 2023 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 480 |  Dates: Apr 1952 - Jun 18, 1961 Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television. The radio series ran from 1952 to 1961. John Dunning wrote that among radio drama enthusiasts, "Gunsmoke is routinely placed among the best shows of any kind and any time." In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of the Philip Marlowe radio series, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson, to develop a hard core Western series, about a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West". Robinson delegated this to his West Coast CBS vice president, Harry Ackerman, who had developed the Philip Marlowe series. The radio series first aired on CBS on April 26, 1952, with the episode "Billy the Kid", written by Walter Newman, and ended on June 18, 1961. The show stars William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon, Howard McNear as Doc Charles Adams, Georgia Ellis as Kitty Russell, and Parley Baer as Dillon's assistant, Chester Wesley Proudfoot. Apart from the doleful tone, Gunsmoke is distinct from other radio Westerns, as the dialogue is often slow and halting, and the outstanding sound effects give a palpable sense of the prairie setting. The effects are subtle but multilayered, giving the show a spacious feel. John Dunning wrote, "The listener heard extraneous dialogue in the background, just above the muted shouts of kids playing in an alley. He heard noises from the next block, too, where the inevitable dog was barking." Gunsmoke is unique from other Westerns in that it was unsponsored in the first few years of production. The program was funded by CBS in the first two years. Series producers said that if the show were sponsored, they would have to "clean the show up". The producers wanted to find a sponsor that would allow them to keep the show the way it was. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Hall of Fantasy

Show Name: The Hall of Fantasy Episodes Available: 40 Latest Episode: Hall of Fantasy s2 31 - The Marquise of Death | Uploaded: Jun 18, 2016 Categories: Horror Airing History: Dates: Nov 1946 Sponsored by the Granite Furniture Company, The Hall of Fantasy was a "series of radio dramas dedicated to the supernatural, the unusual, and the unknown." There are conflicting accounts, but it appears the program began as a local series, broadcast out of Utah in 1947. It continued off and on until 1952 when it went national ,being syndicated by the Mutual network. This lasted a year or so. The Hall of Fantasy was written and directed by Richard Thorne, a talented writer and producer. It is thought around 200 episodes were broadcast of which about 40 have survived. Although relatively obscure and low budget, this is generally a well made series with great scripts and acting.

Hancock's Half Hour

Show Name: Hancock's Half Hour Episodes Available: 78 Latest Episode: Hancock's Half Hour s1 16 - End Of The Series | Uploaded: Jan 10, 2022 Categories: Humor Airing History: Dates: Nov 2, 1954 - Dec 29, 1959 Hancock's Half Hour was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr and Kenneth Williams. The final television series, renamed simply Hancock, starred Hancock alone. Comedian Tony Hancock starred in the show, playing an exaggerated and much poorer version of his own character and lifestyle, Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a down-at-heel comedian living at the dilapidated 23 Railway Cuttings in East Cheam. The series was influential in the development of the situation comedy, with its move away from radio variety towards a focus on character development. The radio version was produced by Dennis Main Wilson for most of its run. After Main Wilson departed for his television career, his role was taken by Tom Ronald. The television series was produced by Duncan Wood. The distinctive tuba-based theme tune was composed by Angela Morley, then known by her original name, Wally Stott. The radio series broke with the variety tradition which was then dominant in British radio comedy, highlighting a new genre: the sitcom or situation comedy. Instead of the traditional variety mix of sketches, guest stars and musical interludes, the show's humour derived from characters and situations developed in a half-hour storyline. This then relatively novel format, of what was in effect a single sketch each week lasting the entire half-hour (though in the radio version James and the others sometimes played different roles), was reflected in the show's title, which aptly described the series as Hancock's "half-hour". The comedy gradually shifted to observation, with a less strong emphasis on a narrative. Most of the radio episodes were recorded between one day and three weeks in advance of broadcast, except for Series 6 which was mostly recorded during a three-week period in June 1959 in order to avoid clashing with the recording of Series 5 of the television show. Galton and Simpson never gave titles to any of their Hancock scripts, for radio or television; this was usually left to the girl who filed the scripts at their office, who gave them names that were a reminder of what the script was about. The regular cast members generally played "themselves", in that the characters were called by the actor's real name (although the English actress Andrée Melly sister of George Melly played a French character). However, there were exceptions: Kenneth Williams played a series of unnamed characters referred to in the scripts - but not on air - as "Snide". He also played the very occasional roles of Edwardian Fred (a criminal associate of Sid's) and Hancock's Vicar, as well as various other characters. In the episode "The Emigrant" he is allowed to break the fourth wall and refer to himself as "that bloke with the funny voice". Hattie Jacques played Griselda Pugh, Hancock's secretary, with the exception of the episode "The East Cheam Drama Festival" where she played herself. Alan Simpson played an unnamed man in early episodes who listened patiently to Hancock's long-winded stories. His lines would frequently be restricted to simply "Yes", "Really?", "Mm-hmm", or "I see". (source: wikipedia)

The Harold Peary Show

Show Name: The Harold Peary Show Episodes Available: 38 Latest Episode: Harold Peary 13 - Santa at the Children's Christmas Party | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2023 Categories: Humor Airing History: Episodes: 38 |  Dates: Sep 17, 1950 - Jun 13, 1951 The Harold Peary Show is a radio situation comedy broadcast in the United States September 17, 1950-June 13, 1951 on CBS. Some sources refer to the program as Honest Harold or The Hal Peary Show. The period 1948-1950 brought major changes to network radio, as CBS hired a number of stars from NBC in what some have called "talent raids". Some of the top performers who changed networks were Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Edgar Bergen, and the husband-and-wife duo George Burns and Gracie Allen. One result of the changes was that 12 of the 15 highest-rated radio programs at the end of 1949 were on CBS. Harold Peary did not find such success, however. Peary switched to CBS, while the program in which he had starred, The Great Gildersleeve, stayed on NBC. Those changes resulted in a new program (The Harold Peary Show) for Peary and a new star (Willard Waterman) for Gildersleeve. Radio historian John Dunning commented that The Harold Peary Show "failed to gain any measure of an audience in its lone season". The Harold Peary Show featured a radio show within a radio show. The main character, Harold Hemp -- called "Honest Harold," was host of a program called "The Happy Homemaker". As one would expect from a situation comedy, humor arose from Hemp's interaction with other characters in the episodes. They included his mother, his nephew, a marshal, a doctor, the radio station's switchboard operator, and girlfriends. (source: wikipedia)

Have Gun - Will Travel

Show Name: Have Gun - Will Travel Episodes Available: 105 Latest Episode: Have Gun, Will Travel 95 - Deadline | Uploaded: Jul 20, 2014 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 106 |  Dates: Nov 23, 1958 - Nov 27, 1960 The Have Gun - Will Travel radio show broadcast 106 episodes on the CBS Radio Network between November 23, 1958, and November 27, 1960. It was one of the last radio dramas featuring continuing characters and the only significant American radio adaptation of a television series. John Dehner (a regular on the radio series version of Gunsmoke) played Paladin, and Ben Wright usually (but not always) played Hey Boy. Virginia Gregg played Miss Wong, Hey Boy's girlfriend, before the television series featured the character of Hey Girl. Unlike the small-screen version, in this medium there was usually a tag scene at the Carlton at both the beginning and the end of the episode. Initially, the episodes were adaptations of the television program as broadcast earlier the same week, but eventually original stories were produced, including a finale ("Goodbye, Paladin") in which Paladin leaves San Francisco, apparently forever, to claim an inheritance back east. The radio version was written by producer/writer Roy Winsor. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Hop Harrigan

Show Name: Hop Harrigan Episodes Available: 193 Latest Episode: Hop Harrigan 1947-12-17 1358) - Mystery Of The Wailing Witches 24 | Uploaded: Nov 27, 2014 Categories: Aviation Hop Harrigan (also known as The Guardian Angel and Black Lamp) first appeared in All American Comics #1 created by Jon Blummer (Fighting Yank, Little Boy Blue) as one of the first successful aviation heroes in comic history (Hop appeared after Tailspin Tommy, Barney Baxter, Connie Kurridge and others). Hop Harrigan was technically not a true superhero (as he had no costume or special powers) though he did meet the Justice Society of America in All American Comics #8, and he did eventually become a superhero from All American Comics #25 (April 1941) to #28 (July) as the costumed Guardian Angel. On radio, Hop Harrigan aired from August 31, 1942 to February 6, 1948. The series began on the ABC Blue network and moved October 2, 1946, to the Mutual Broadcasting System. Charles Stratton appeared in the title role with Ken Lynch as Tank. Lynch was later replaced by Jackson Beck, voice actor for Bluto (Popeye), King Leonardo and Perry White (Superman). Mitzi Gould played Hop's girlfriend, Gail Nolan. One of the writers for this series was noir novelist David Goodis. Hop Harrigan as well as other comic series from All-American Comics were purchased by DC Comics, a publisher that had close relations to All-American Publications ever since it debuted. DC Comics continued to publish the Hop comics in All-American Comics until the 99th issue in July 1948, when the aviation adventure genre was abandoned in favor of a Western theme and Harrigan was replaced with Johnny Thunder. In the end, Hop Harrigan became mostly forgotten by the majority of comic book fans, though other All-American characters including The Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman would remain popular for years to come. The opening to the radio serial was as follows: "CX4 to Control.....CX4 to Control......This is Hop Harrigan....coming in" to the roar of a prop fighter plane. From the control tower: "Control Tower to CX4: Wind southeast. Ceiling 1200. All clear." (Source: wikipedia.org)

Hopalong Cassidy

Show Name: Hopalong Cassidy Episodes Available: 102 Latest Episode: Hopalong Cassidy 44 - Death Runs Dry | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Media/Stars | Western Stars Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of popular short stories and many novels based on the character. As portrayed on the screen, the white-haired Bill "Hopalong" Cassidy was usually clad strikingly in black (including his hat, an exception to the longstanding western film stereotype that only villains wore black hats). "Hoppy" and his white horse, Topper, usually traveled through the west with two companions-one young and trouble prone with a weakness for damsels in distress, the other comically awkward and outspoken. When it looked like the character was being retired, William Boyd who played Hopalong Cassidy in 66 pictures gambled his entire future by mortgaging virtually everything he owned to buy the rights and the backlog of movies. When Hopalong Cassidy was first shown on television it was a huge success making Boyd a star. The Mutual Broadcasting System began broadcasting a radio version of Hopalong Cassidy, with Andy Clyde (later George MacMichael on Walter Brennan's ABC sitcom The Real McCoys) as the sidekick, in January 1950; at the end of September, the show moved to CBS Radio, where it ran until 1952. (Source: wikipedia.org)

I Love Adventure

Show Name: I Love Adventure Episodes Available: 13 Latest Episode: I Love Adventure 10 - The Kwan Moon Dagger | Uploaded: Jan 18, 2023 Categories: Adventure Airing History: Episodes: 13 |  Dates: Apr 25, 1948 - Jul 18, 1948 A short lived series written by Carlton E. Morse. In 1948, four years after "I Love a Mystery" ended , Jack, Reggie, and Doc returned with a title change to "I Love Adventure", broadcast on ABC from April 25 to July 18, 1948. It followed the post-war adventures of the trio who worked for the Twenty-One Old Men of 10 Gramercy Park in London, an extra-governmental organization of some power. The series ran for 13 episodes. A year later, I Love a Mystery was revived on the Mutual Broadcasting System, and the production relocated from Hollywood to New York. This series, which was sustaining, began October 3, 1949, and continued until December 26, 1952, with 15-minute episodes heard weeknights at 7 p.m. during 1949-1950 and then 10:15 p.m. from 1950 to 1952. The Mutual series recreated the original scripts written by Morse for the earlier NBC series. (source: wikipedia)

Inner Sanctum Mystery

Show Name: Inner Sanctum Mystery Episodes Available: 142 Latest Episode: Inner Sanctum Mystery 523 - The Meek Die Slowly | Uploaded: Dec 22, 2015 Categories: Horror Airing History: Dates: Jan 1, 1941 - Oct 10, 1952 Inner Sanctum Mystery, aired from January 7, 1941 to October 5, 1952, was created by producer Himan Brown and based on the generic title given to the mystery novels of Simon and Schuster. In all, 526 episodes were broadcast. The series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense, and its tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score (played by Lew White) punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeeaams, hmmmmm?" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Wyllis Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler). When Johnson left the series in May 1945 to serve in the Army, he was replaced by Paul McGrath, who did not keep the "Raymond" name and was known only as "Your Host" or "Mr. Host". (Berry Kroeger had substituted earlier for a total of four episodes). Beginning in 1945, Lipton Tea sponsored the series, pairing first Raymond and then McGrath with cheery commercial spokeswoman Mary Bennett (aka the "Tea Lady"), whose blithesome pitches for Lipton Tea contrasted sharply with the macabre themes of the stories. She primly chided the host for his trademark dark humor and creepy manner. Of more than 500 programs broadcast, only about 200 remain in circulation. (Source: wikipedia)

Inspector Thorne

Show Name: Inspector Thorne Episodes Available: 11 Latest Episode: Inspector Thorne 5 - The High Style Murder Case | Uploaded: Nov 23, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 11 |  Dates: Jul 20, 1951 - Sep 27, 1951 Inspector Thorne was produced by the husband and wife radio team of Frank and Anne Hummert. They produced crime dramas like Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons, Mr. Chameleon, and Hearthstone of The Death Squad. However more than crime dramas, they were known for their soap operas such as The Romance of Helen Trent, Backstage Wife, John's Other Wife, and Ma Perkins, as well as the comedy serial The Easy Aces. At their height, the Hummert's produced ninety hours per week of radio programming most targeted at the homemakers of the 1930s and 50s. Their detective programs were no exception and all adhere to the same formula, including Inspector Thorne. The one distinction with this series is Inspector Thorne claims to be a dumb cop but isn't. Other than that, it's the same as any Hummert mystery with most of the cases having good concepts, though the dialogue can tend towards melodrama. (source: www.greatdetectives.net)

Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy

Show Name: Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy Episodes Available: 130 Latest Episode: Jack Armstrong 1941-10-06 - The Secret of Yucatan Jungle | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Children/Teenagers | Adventure Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy was a radio adventure series which maintained its popularity from 1933 to 1951. The program originated at WBBM in Chicago on July 31, 1933, and was later carried on CBS, then NBC and finally ABC. It was created by General Mills, a pioneer in the development of unique and compelling advertising under the stewardship of Vice-president of Advertising, Samuel Chester Gale. Gale later served as President of the Ad Council. Intending to promote breakfast cereal Wheaties, Gale developed the character of Jack Armstrong as a fictitious "everyboy" whom listeners would emulate: If Jack ate Wheaties, boys across the nation would, too. Early popularity led to commissioning of a radio serial broadcast. There was a real Jack Armstrong, a member of Sam Gale's college fraternity, Phi Sigma Kappa at the University of Minnesota. Gale was impressed by both the red-blooded name and the "wholesome nature" of the young man so he incorporated it as the name of his new invented spokesman. Another creation of Sam Gale's fertile mind was the iconic Betty Crocker. The storylines centered around the globe-trotting adventures of Armstrong (played by Jim Ameche until 1938 and later portrayed by Michael Rye), a popular athlete at Hudson High School, his friends Billy Fairfield and Billy's sister Betty, and their Uncle Jim, James Fairfield, an industrialist. Frequently, Uncle Jim Fairfield would have to visit an exotic part of the world in connection with his business, and he would take Jack Armstrong and the Fairfield siblings along with him. The show was created by writer Robert Hardy Andrews. Sponsored throughout its long run by Wheaties, the program was renamed Armstrong of the SBI when Jack graduated from high school and became a government agent in the final season, when it shifted from a 15-minute serial to a half-hour complete story format. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Jackie Gleason

Show Name: Jackie Gleason Episodes Available: 3 Latest Episode: Jackie Gleason 7 - Sunny Side of the Street - Andy Russell | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Humor John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason (February 26, 1916 - June 24, 1987) was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, exemplified by his character Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners. Among his notable film roles were Minnesota Fats in the 1961 drama The Hustler (starring Paul Newman) and Buford T. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit series. Gleason disliked rehearsing. With a photographic memory he read the script once, watched a rehearsal with his co-stars and stand-in, and shot the show later that day. When he made mistakes, he often blamed the cue cards. During the 1950s he was a semi-regular guest on a paranormal-themed overnight radio show hosted by John Nebel, and wrote the introduction to Donald Bain's biography of Nebel. After his death, his large book collection was donated to the library of the University of Miami. For many years, Gleason would only travel by train; his fear of flying arose from an incident when he had only minor movie roles. Gleason would fly to Los Angeles for movie work, then back to New York when his roles were completed. After finishing one of his movies, the comedian boarded a plane for New York. Two of the plane's engines cut out, and the pilot made an emergency landing in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gleason smoked four packs of cigarettes a day. In 1978 when he suffered chest pains, forcing him to leave the show in Chicago and undergo triple-bypass surgery. Gleason delivered a critically acclaimed performance in the comedy-drama Nothing in Common (1986). It was Gleason's final film role, since he was suffering from colon cancer, liver cancer, and thrombosed hemorrhoids. On June 24, 1987, Gleason died at his Florida home. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Jeff Regan, Investigator

Show Name: Jeff Regan, Investigator Episodes Available: 53 Latest Episode: Jeff Regan, Investigator 71 - The British are Coming! | Uploaded: Nov 25, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Jul 10, 1948 - Aug 27, 1950 Jeff Regan, Investigator is a radio detective drama that ran on CBS from July 10, 1948 to December 18, 1948, and again from October 5, 1949 to August 27, 1950. The series is notable for being one of the earliest nationwide programs to feature Jack Webb. Webb, who had previously starred on the Mutual detective drama, Johnny Madero, Pier 23, played the title character, a private investigator working for Anthony J. Lyon (Herb Butterfield) at the International Detective Bureau. In the first incarnation of the series, Lyon was played by Wilms Herbert, while Webb's future Dragnet co-star, Barton Yarborough, played his co-worker, Joe Canto. This format continued until the end of the year, when Webb left the program. According to writer William Froug, Webb was fired for asking for too much money. Police Lieutenant Sanduci (Jack Petruzzi) served as a foil to Jeff Regan and could be heard on a number of episodes. The program remained on hiatus for almost a year before being brought back with voice actor Frank Graham portraying Regan. Graham, who was well known both as an announcer and for his versatility, had previously created and starred in his own detective series, The Adventures of Cosmo Jones. Lyon was also recast, with The Jack Benny Program regular Frank Nelson taking over the part. This remained the definitive lineup for the rest of the show's run, although for unknown reasons Paul Dubov filled in for Graham for several weeks. The second version of Regan remained popular in the ratings and was expected to be renewed for another season. However, Graham committed suicide on September 2, 1950. At the time of his death, five more broadcasts were scheduled for Regan, but they were never completed. Graham had completed an episode scheduled to air the night after he died, but newspaper accounts indicated that CBS chose not to broadcast it. The role of Regan was not recast, resulting in the series ending production permanently. (source: wikipedia)

Joe Palooka

Show Name: Joe Palooka Episodes Available: 22 Latest Episode: Joe Palooka 39 - My Dear Old Mother | Uploaded: Jul 13, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Sports Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher in 1921. The strip debuted in 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers. On radio Joe Palooka was broadcast on CBS from April 12 to August 18, 1932. With Teddy Bergman in the title role, the 15-minute series was heard on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sponsored by Heinz Rice Flakes. Elmira Roessler, Elsie Hitz and Mary Jane Higby played Ann Howe. Knobby Walsh was portrayed by Frank Readick and Hal Lansing. Others in the cast: Karl Swenson and Norman Gottschalk. The announcer was Harry von Zell. The strip also spawned 12 feature-length films (chiefly from Monogram Pictures), nine Vitaphone film shorts, a 1954 syndicated television series (The Joe Palooka Story), comic books and merchandise, including a 1940s board game, a 1947 New Haven Clock & Watch Company wristwatch, a 1948 metal lunchbox featuring depictions of Joe, Humphrey and Little Max, and a 1946 Wheaties cereal box cut-out mask. In 1980, a mountain in Pennsylvania was named for the character. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Journey into Space

Show Name: Journey into Space Episodes Available: 53 Latest Episode: Journey into Space - The World in Peril 5 | Uploaded: Jan 4, 2022 Categories: Science Fiction Airing History: Episodes: 58 |  Dates: Sep 6, 1954 - Jun 18, 1958 Journey Into Space is a BBC Radio science fiction programme written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. It was the last UK radio programme to attract a bigger evening audience than television. Originally, four series were produced (the fourth was a remake of the first), which was translated into 17 languages (including Hindi, Turkish and Dutch) and broadcast in countries worldwide (including Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and The United States). Chilton later wrote three best-selling novels and several comic strip stories based upon the radio series. The first series was created in 1953, soon after Riders of the Range (a popular Western, also written by Chilton) ended its six series on the BBC Light Programme. Michael Standing, then Head of the BBC Variety Department, asked Chilton if he could write a sci-fi programme, and Journey to the Moon (later known as Operation Luna) was the result. Each half-hour episode would usually end with a dramatic cliffhanger, to increase the audience's incentive to tune into the next episode. (source: wikipedia.org)

Judy Canova

Show Name: Judy Canova Episodes Available: 78 Latest Episode: The Judy Canova Show 1945-10-20 - 34) Man's Best Friend is his Dog | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Humor | Leading Ladies Judy Canova (November 20, 1913 - August 5, 1983), born Juliette Canova, was an American comedienne, actress, singer, and radio personality. She appeared on Broadway and in films. She hosted her own network radio program, a popular series broadcast from 1943 to 1955. When bandleader Rudy Vallée offered her a guest spot on his radio show in 1931, The Fleischmann Hour, the door opened to a career that spanned more than five decades. In 1943, she began her own radio program, The Judy Canova Show, that ran for twelve years - first on CBS and then on NBC. Playing herself as a love-starved Ozark bumpkin dividing her time between home and Southern California, Canova was accompanied by a cast that included voicemaster Mel Blanc as Pedro (using the accented voice he later gave the cartoons' Speedy Gonzales) and Sylvester (using the voice that later became associated with the Looney Tunes character), Ruth Perrott as Aunt Aggie, Ruby Dandridge as Geranium, Joseph Kearns as Benchley Botsford and Sharon Douglas as Brenda - with Gale Gordon, Sheldon Leonard, and Hans Conried also making periodic appearances. The Sportsmen Quartet joined the show in 1943 and backed Judy on most of her songs, and the Charles Dant Orchestra provided the rest, usually supporting Canova's country warble. Western singer and actor Eddie Dean also appeared with Canova on numerous occasions during the 1930s. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Jungle Jim

Show Name: Jungle Jim Episodes Available: 84 Latest Episode: Jungle Jim 35 - In the Enemy Camp of Derek Bluger | Uploaded: Jul 14, 2014 Categories: Jungle | Adventure Jungle Jim first saw the light of day in 1934 as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim. The character also trekked through radio, film, comic book and television adaptations. Notable was a series of films and television episodes in which Johnny Weismuller portrayed the safari-suit wearing character, after hanging up his Tarzan loincloth Syndicated by Hearst and sponsored by the Comic Weekly, The Adventures of Jungle Jim radio series premiered November 2, 1935. Matt Crowley had the title role for three years, until Gerald Mohr stepped in as Jungle Jim beginning April 24, 1938. Vicki Vola and Franc Hale portrayed Shanghai Lil, and Juano Hernandez was the Hindu servant Kolu. Each episode ran 15 minutes. Several episodes were based directly on the comic strip, such as The Ghost of the Java Sea. Gene Stafford scripted for producer Jay Clark. Glenn Riggs was the announcer, among others. In the opening episode, "The Bat Woman," Jungle Jim meets Miss Chalmers, and Jacques LaBarr gets into a barroom fight with Jim. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Let George Do It

Show Name: Let George Do It Episodes Available: 200 Latest Episode: Let George Do It 276 - Christmas Letter | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Oct 18, 1946 - Sep 27, 1954 Let George Do It was an American radio drama series produced from 1946 to 1954 by Owen and Pauline Vinson. Bob Bailey starred as private investigator George Valentine; Olan Soule voiced the role in 1954. Don Clark directed the scripts by David Victor and Jackson Gillis. The few earliest episodes were more sitcom than private eye shows, with a studio audience providing scattered laughter. The program then changed into a suspenseful tough guy private eye series. Sponsored by Standard Oil of California, now known as Chevron, the program was broadcast on the West Coast Don Lee network of the Mutual Broadcasting System from October 18, 1946 to September 27, 1954, first on Friday evenings and then on Mondays. In its last season, transcriptions were aired in New York Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. from January 20, 1954 to January 12, 1955. Clients came to Valentine's office after reading a newspaper that carried his classified ad: Personal notice: Danger's my stock in trade. If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me. George Valentine. Write full details! The newspaper ad varied from show to show, but always opened with "Danger is my stock in trade" and closed with "Write full details!" George Valentine was a professional detective. Valentine's secretary was Claire Brooks, a.k.a. Brooksie (voiced by Frances Robinson, then by Virginia Gregg, and then by Lillian Buyeff). As Valentine made his rounds in search of perpetrators, he occasionally encountered Brooksie's kid brother, Sonny (Eddie Firestone) or elevator man Caleb (Joseph Kearns). Police Lieutenant Riley (Wally Maher) was a more regular guest. For the first few shows, Sonny was George's assistant, given to exclamations such as "Jeepers!" but he was soon relegated to an occasional character. John Hiestand was the program's announcer. The background music was supplied by Eddie Dunstedter, initially with a full orchestra. When television supplanted radio as the country's primary home entertainment, radio budgets got skimpier and skimpier and Dunstedter's orchestra was replaced by an organ(played by Dunstedter), as from January 1949. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Let's Pretend

Show Name: Let's Pretend Episodes Available: 66 Latest Episode: Let's Pretend 19xx-xx-xx - Melilot | Uploaded: Jul 20, 2014 Categories: Fantasy/Whimsey Airing History: Dates: Mar 24, 1934 - Oct 23, 1954 Let's Pretend was created and directed by Nila Mack (1891-1953). Its origins date back to Aunt Jymmie and Her Tots in Tottyville beginning October 27, 1928, later followed by The Children's Club Hour with Howard Merrill and then The Adventures of Helen and Mary, scripted by Yolanda Langworthy. Between December 1930 and January 1931, the title briefly changed from The Adventures of Helen and Mary to Land O' Make Believe. With Estelle Levy, Patricia Ryan, and Alwyn Cuesta in the title roles, the fairy tale program continued until March 17, 1934. After 229 broadcasts, Nila Mack took over as director and changed the title to Let's Pretend, "radio's outstanding children's theater." Mack's Peabody Award-winning Let's Pretend began March 24, 1934, running for two decades before the final show on October 23, 1954. The show always began with a characteristic tune, sometimes with lyrics, from its long-time sponsor Cream of Wheat. George Bryan and Jackson Wheeler were the announcers. Jean Hight became the program's director after Nila Mack's death in 1953. The series received numerous awards, including two Peabody Awards, a Women's National Radio Committee Award and five Radio Daily Awards. In 1970 Telegeneral adapted these stories on vinyl records.

The Life of Riley

Show Name: The Life of Riley Episodes Available: 131 Latest Episode: Life of Riley 191 - Riley Punches his Foreman | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2015 Categories: Humor Airing History: Dates: Jan 16, 1944 - Jun 8, 1951 The Life of Riley, with William Bendix in the title role, is a popular American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a long-run 1950s television series (originally with Jackie Gleason as Riley for one truncated season, then with Bendix for six seasons), and a 1958 comic book. The script cast Bendix as blundering Chester A. Riley, a wing riveter at the fictional Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. His frequent exclamation of indignation - "What a revoltin' development this is!" - became one of the most famous catchphrases of the 1940s. It was later reused by Benjamin J. Grimm of the Fantastic Four. The radio series also benefited from the immense popularity of a supporting character, Digby "Digger" O'Dell (John Brown), "the friendly undertaker". The show initially aired on the Blue Network, later known as ABC, from January 16, 1944 to June 8, 1945. Then it moved to NBC, where it was broadcast from September 8, 1945 to June 29, 1951. The series was co-developed by the non-performing Marx Brother turned agent, Gummo. The American Meat Institute (1944-45), Procter & Gamble (Teel dentifrice and Prell shampoo) (1945-49), and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (1949-51) took turns as the radio program's sponsor. (Source: wikipedia)

Lightning Jim

Show Name: Lightning Jim Episodes Available: 41 Latest Episode: Lightning Jim 16 - Lightning Jim Meets Texas Lil | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 98 This is the story of U.S. Marshal Lightning Jim Whipple, his trusty horse Thunder, and his deputy, Whitey Larson. The shows are stereotypical portrayals of Native Americans, the history of the Union-Pacific Railroad, and other Western related subjects. The program originated in the 1940s and was called The Adventures of Lightning Jim. At this time, it was a West Coast program. The program returned as a syndicated ZIV series in the 1950s and a total of 98 radio programs were produced. (source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

The Lineup

Show Name: The Lineup Episodes Available: 79 Latest Episode: The Lineup 82 - The Big Boy's Brutish Back-Bending Case | Uploaded: Dec 28, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: 1950 - 1953 The Lineup is an American police drama which aired on CBS radio from 1950 to 1953 and on CBS television from 1954 to 1960. Syndicated reruns of the series were broadcast under the title San Francisco Beat. The radio version depicted the investigations of Lieutenant Ben Guthrie (played by Bill Johnstone, one of several actors to play The Shadow on radio) and Sergeant Matt Greb (played by Wally Maher until his death on December 27, 1951), later replaced by Sergeant Pete Carger (played by Jack Moyles), detectives in the police force of an unnamed "great American city". The television version was set specifically in San Francisco and was produced with the cooperation of the San Francisco Police Department, which received a credit at the close of each episode. It starred Warner Anderson as Guthrie and Tom Tully as Grebb. Grebb was now an inspector instead of a sergeant because at the time the series was made there was no such rank as sergeant in the Bureau of Inspectors, SFPD's investigative division, and a full inspector was the closest equivalent to the generic detective sergeant the character had been on radio. The TV version, a CBS Television production, was filmed on location, using Desilu's production facilities. (source: wikipedia)

Little Orphan Annie

Show Name: Little Orphan Annie Episodes Available: 36 Latest Episode: Little Orphan Annie 19xx-xx-xx - xxxx) Pearl Diver | Uploaded: Nov 3, 2014 Categories: Children/Teenagers | Leading Ladies Little Orphan Annie was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray and syndicated by Tribune Media Services. It took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and debuted on August 5, 1924 in the New York Daily News. The plot follows the adventures of Annie, her dog Sandy, and her benefactor Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Secondary characters include Punjab, the Asp and Mr. Am. The strip attracted adult readers with political commentary targeting (among other things) organized labor, the New Deal and communism. Little Orphan Annie was adapted to a 15-minute radio show debuting on WGN Chicago in 1930 going national on NBC's Blue Network beginning April 6, 1931. One of the first comic strips adapted to radio, it attracted about 6 million fans leaving the air in 1942. In 1931 radio had yet to establish coast-to-coast networks so two separate casts performed, one in San Francisco starring Floy Margaret Hughes and the other in Chicago starring Shirley Bell as Annie, Stanley Andrews as "Daddy", and Allan Baruck (and later Mel Tormé) as Joe Corntassel. When coast to coast networking was established in 1933, the Chicago cast became the permanent one. Bobbe Dean briefly played the character in 1934-35 during a contract dispute between the studio and Bell, and Janice Gilbert portrayed Annie from 1940 to 1942. Leonard Salvo was the show's organist. The show was initially sponsored by Ovaltine, a flavored milk supplement, and its scripts were written by Ovaltine's Chicago ad agency staff. They shunned the overt political themes of Gray's newspaper strips and concentrated instead on pitching Ovaltine, using almost seven minutes of each broadcast to do so. Fans could redeem Ovaltine proofs of purchase for a secret decoder ring or badge that decoded brief messages airing in the last moments of the show. In 1940, Quaker Puffed Wheat Sparkies became the show's sponsor and brought fictional aviator Captain Sparks to the show. Sparks eventually became the star, relegating Annie to secondary player. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Lives of Harry Lime

Show Name: The Lives of Harry Lime Episodes Available: 52 Latest Episode: The Lives of Harry Lime 49 - Paris Is Not the Same | Uploaded: Jun 4, 2016 Categories: Crime | Adventure Airing History: Episodes: 52 |  Dates: Aug 3, 1951 - Jul 25, 1952 The Lives of Harry Lime (AKA The Adventures of Harry Lime) is an old-time radio programme produced in the United Kingdom during the 1951 to 1952 season. Orson Welles reprises his role of Harry Lime from the celebrated 1949 film The Third Man. The radio series is a prequel to the film, and depicts the many misadventures of con-artist Lime in a somewhat lighter tone than that of the film. The Adventures of Harry Lime is one of the most successful series created by prolific British radio producer Harry Alan Towers and his company Towers of London. Towers and Graham Greene, author of The Third Man, had the same literary agent, and Towers learned that Greene had not sold the rights to the character of Harry Lime to Alexander Korda when he sold Korda The Third Man. Towers quickly bought the rights to the character and in 1951 he put a syndicated radio series into production. Orson Welles reprised the role of Harry Lime in a series of adventures that preceded the story told in The Third Man. Several episodes would begin with "The Third Man Theme" being played, abruptly cut off by an echoing gunshot. Then Welles would speak: "That was the shot that killed Harry Lime. He died in a sewer beneath Vienna, as those of you know who saw the movie The Third Man. Yes, that was the end of Harry Lime ... but it was not the beginning. Harry Lime had many lives ... and I can recount all of them. How do I know? Very simple. Because my name is Harry Lime." Although often cited as a BBC production, the series was one of a number produced and distributed independently by Towers of London and syndicated internationally. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Lone Ranger

Show Name: The Lone Ranger Episodes Available: 1660 Latest Episode: The Lone Ranger 3317 - Hidden Danger | Uploaded: Dec 8, 2014 Categories: Western | Masked/Mystery Men The Lone Ranger first appeared in 1933 in a radio show conceived either by WXYZ (Detroit) radio station owner George W. Trendle, or by Fran Striker, the show's writer. Each episode was introduced by the announcer as follows: "In the early days of the western United States, a masked man and an Indian rode the plains, searching for truth and justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when from out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again!" The character was originally believed to be inspired by Texas Ranger Captain John R. Hughes, to whom the book "The Lone Star Ranger" by Zane Grey was dedicated in 1915. The radio series proved to be a hit running for an amazing 2,956 episodes. It also spawned a series of books (largely written by Striker), an equally popular television show that ran from 1949 to 1957, comic books, and several movies. The title character was played on the radio show by George Seaton, Earle Graser, and Brace Beemer. Clayton Moore acted the Lone Ranger on television, although during a contract dispute, Moore was replaced temporarily by John Hart, who wore a different style of mask. On the radio, Tonto was played by, among others, John Todd and Roland Parker; and in the television series, by Jay Silverheels, who was a Mohawk from the Six Nations Indian Reserve in Ontario, Canada. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Luke Slaughter of Tombstone

Show Name: Luke Slaughter of Tombstone Episodes Available: 16 Latest Episode: Luke Slaughter 10 - Worth Its Salt | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2023 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 16 |  Dates: Feb 23, 1958 - Jun 15, 1958 Luke Slaughter Of Tombstone was a very short series of only 16 episodes starring Sam Buffington as Luke Slaughter, a Civil War cavalryman who turned to cattle ranching in post war Arizona territory near Fort Huachuca. William N. Robson, known from his work with such series as Escape, Suspense and CBS Radio Workshop, directed. Buffington portrayed the hard-boiled cattleman with scripts overseen by Gunsmoke sound effects artist (and sometimes scriptwriter) Tom Hanley. Each program had an authoritative opening statement: "Slaughter's my name, Luke Slaughter. Cattle's my business. It's a tough business, it's a big business. I got a big stake in it. And there's no man west of the Rio Grande big enough to take it away from me." Junius Matthews was heard as Slaughter's sidekick, Wichita. In his first adventure, tough-as-nails westerner Luke Slaughter guarantees he will bring a cattle herd to Tombstone despite the threats of rustlers and a spy among the ranks of his cowboys. Like the other CBS radio westerns, Have Gun, Will Travel or Frontier Gentleman, this one had plenty of action, the productions were well done and well acted. Luke Slaughter was cut short, like a lot of other radio shows, by the steady pressure from TV. (source: archive.org)

Lux Radio Theater

Show Name: Lux Radio Theater Episodes Available: 693 Latest Episode: Lux Radio Theater 610 - Daisy Kenyon | Uploaded: Oct 20, 2014 Categories: Mixed Bag Lux Radio Theatre, a long-run classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934-35); CBS Radio (1935-54), and NBC Radio (1954-55). Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays before it began adapting films. The hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences becoming the most popular anthology radio series. It was broadcast for over 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s. Broadcasting from New York, the series premiered at 2:30pm, October 14, 1934, on the NBC Blue Network. The host was fictional producer, Douglass Garrick (portrayed by John Anthony). Doris Dagmar played Peggy Winthrop, who delivered the Lux commercials. Each show featured a scripted session with Garrick talking to the lead actors. Anthony appeared as Garrick from the premiere 1934 episode until June 30, 1935. Garrick was portrayed by Albert Hayes from July 29, 1935 to May 25, 1936, when the show moved to the West Coast. Cecil B. DeMille took over as the host on June 1, 1936, continuing until January 22, 1945. On several occasions, he was temporarily replaced by various celebrities, including Leslie Howard and Edward Arnold. A clash over closed shop union rulings favored by the American Federation of Radio Artists ended DeMille's term as host. The show employed several hosts over the following year, eventually choosing William Keighley as the permanent host, a post he held until 1952. After that, producer-director Irving Cummings hosted the program until it ended in 1955. For its airings on the Armed Forces Radio Service (for which it was retitled Hollywood Radio Theater), the program was hosted by Don Wilson in the early 1950s. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Mandrake the Magician

Show Name: Mandrake the Magician Episodes Available: 29 Latest Episode: Mandrake the Magician 145 - The Green Mask Is Using A Submarine | Uploaded: Oct 23, 2014 Categories: Crime | Superhero Mandrake the Magician was created by Lee Falk (before he created The Phantom). Its publication began June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's illustrator, while Falk continued to script. The strip is distributed by King Features Syndicate. Davis worked on the strip until his death in 1964, when Falk recruited current artist Fred Fredericks. With Falk's death in 1999, Fredericks became both writer and artist. The Sunday Mandrake strip ended December 29, 2002. The daily strip ended mid-story on July 6, 2013 when Fred Fredericks retired, and a reprint of D220 "Pursuit of the Cobra" from 1995 began on July 8, 2013. On radio as a 15-minute program, Mandrake the Magician aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System from November 11, 1940, until February 6, 1942. Originally a three-day-a-week serial, it expanded to five days a week in 1941. Uttering the incantation "invovo legem magicarum" (I invoke the laws of magic) was Raymond Edward Johnson, who starred as Mandrake. Juano Hernandez portrayed Lothar, and Jessica Tandy and Francesca Lenni took the role of Princess Narda. The series was directed by Carlo De Angelo. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Mark Trail

Show Name: Mark Trail Episodes Available: 38 Latest Episode: Mark Trail 21 - Rapids of No Return | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Mixed Bag | Non-fiction Mark Trail started life as a newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Ed Dodd. Introduced April 15, 1946, the strip centers on environmental and ecological themes. It was syndicated through the New York Post in 1946 to 45 newspapers. Dodd, working as a national parks guide, had long been interested in environmental issues. The character is loosely based on the life and career of Charles N. Elliott (November 29, 1906 - May 1, 2000), at the time a U.S. forest ranger who edited Outdoor Life magazine from 1956 to 1974. Dodd once said that the physical model for Trail was John Wayt, his former neighbor in north Atlanta. On January 30, 1950, Mutual Broadcasting System launched a radio adaptation, Mark Trail, featuring Matt Crowley in the title role. The 30-minute episodes aired three times weekly, and 174 episodes were produced, running until June 8, 1951. A second radio series, starring Staats Cotsworth, was broadcast on ABC beginning September 18, 1950, with 51 half-hour shows that ran thrice weekly until January, 1952. The series then switched to a 15-minute format, producing 125 episodes that aired weekdays through June 27, 1952. Only a handful of the 15-minute episodes are known to have survived. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Matthew Slade, Private Investigator

Show Name: Matthew Slade, Private Investigator Episodes Available: 10 Latest Episode: Matthew Slade, Private Investigator 11 - Who Killed My Pen Pal | Uploaded: Nov 22, 2016 Categories: Crime | Detective Not much is known about the origins of Matthew Slade, Private Investigator. However, an original Playbill on Digital Deli proclaims: "Pacifica Players Present: The Starlight Mystery Theater featuring the adventures of William Wintersol as Matthew Slade: Private Investigator" The stories revolve around Mathew Slade (San Francisco Private Investigator), his secretary Lorretta Jones (known as "Jonesy") and Sgt. Sid Donelli of the Homicide Bureau. The cast members include: William Wintersol as Mathew Slade, Sylvia Wheeler as Jonesy and Norman Belkin as Donelli. The each show ran for 30 minutes. It was syndicated in the 1960s, and also broadcast as part of the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS). It appears that 13 episodes were broadcast of which 10 are known to have survived.

Meet Corliss Archer

Show Name: Meet Corliss Archer Episodes Available: 10 Latest Episode: Meet Corliss Archer 1946-04-28 - Photo Contest | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Children/Teenagers | Humor | Leading Ladies Airing History: Dates: Jan 7, 1943 - Sep 30, 1956 Meet Corliss Archer ran from January 7, 1943 to September 30, 1956. Although it was CBS's answer to NBC's popular A Date with Judy, it was also broadcast by NBC in 1948 as a summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show. From October 3, 1952 to June 26, 1953, it aired on ABC, finally returning to CBS. Despite the program's long run, less than 24 episodes are known to exist. Meet Corliss Archer was written by F. Hugh Herbert, who first introduced the character and her friends in the magazine story "A Private Affair," the first of a series of stories. Kiss and Tell was a 1943 play that was adapted for a 1945 film starring Shirley Temple. The 1949 sequel, A Kiss For Corliss, was re-released in 1954. Priscilla Lyon and Janet Waldo successively portrayed 15-year-old Corliss on radio. Lugene Sanders also played Corliss briefly on radio and in the Meet Corliss Archer television show. Perpetually perky, breathless and well-intentioned, Corliss is constantly at the side of her next-door neighbor and boyfriend, Dexter Franklin (Bill Christy, Sam Edwards). Clumsy, nerdy Dexter, a sweet but constant bungler with a nasal voice, is best remembered for his trademark phrase, "Holy cow!" and his braying call, "Heyyyy, Corrrrrliiiiiss!"--frequently delivered from the hedge separating their houses. Harry Archer, Corliss' father, is a lawyer gruff but gentle, he was played by both Fred Shields and Frank Martin. Janet Archer, Corliss' mother, was played by Irene Tedrow, Monty Margetts and Gloria Holden. She is calm and understanding with her daughter and her husband, both of whom sometimes try her patience. Other frequent characters include Mildred Ames, a good friend of Corliss (played by Bebe Young and Barbara Whiting); Mildred's irritating younger brother Raymond (Tommy Bernard, Kenny Godkin); and Corliss' rival, Betty Cameron (Delores Crane).(Source: wikipedia.org)

Michael Shayne

Show Name: Michael Shayne Episodes Available: 65 Latest Episode: Michael Shayne s1 25 - Meet me at Oakland Depot | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Michael Shayne is a fictional private detective character created during the late 1930s by writer Brett Halliday. The character appeared in a series of 7 films starring Lloyd Nolan for Twentieth Century Fox, 4 films from the low-budget Producers Releasing Corporation with Hugh Beaumont, a radio series under a variety of titles between 1944 and 1953, and later in 1960-1961 in a 32-episode NBC television series starring Richard Denning in the title role. Shayne debuted in the novel Dividend on Death first published in 1939, written by Halliday, a pseudonym of Davis Dresser. Dresser wrote fifty Shayne novels, with the help of Ryerson Johnson. Twenty seven more were written by Robert Terrall for a total of 77; 300 short stories, a dozen films, radio and television shows, and a few comic book appearances have included the character. Halliday later created Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, first introduced in 1956 by Renown Publications under the title Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine. The magazine continued for nearly three decades, always having at least one Shayne novella included in each edition. Very few were written by Halliday. Jeff Chandler and Wally Maher were among the actors who starred as Shayne in a weekly radio series. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Moon Mullins

Show Name: Moon Mullins Episodes Available: 2 Latest Episode: Moon Mullins 1940 Pilot - Lord Plushbottom Receives a Cable | Uploaded: Jan 15, 2015 Categories: Humor | Boxing/Martial Arts Moon Mullins, created by cartoonist Frank Willard (1893-1958), was a popular American comic strip which had a long run as both a daily and Sunday feature from June 19, 1923 to June 2, 1991. Syndicated by the Chicago Tribune/New York News Syndicate, the strip depicts the lives of diverse lowbrow characters who reside at the Schmaltz (later Plushbottom) boarding house. The central character, Moon (short for Moonshine), is a would-be prizefighter-perpetually strapped for cash but with a roguish appetite for vice and high living. Moon took a room in the boarding house at 1323 Wump Street in 1924 and never left, staying on for 67 years. Ferdinand "Ferd" Johnson (1905-1996) began as Willard's assistant a few months after the strip began in 1923. He progressed to the point where he was handling the entire operation; but it was only after Willard's death (January 11, 1958) that he began signing it. Moon Mullins did not have a period of decline; maintaining its high standard of humor and art for almost seven decades. In 1978, Ferd's son, Tom Johnson, signed on as his assistant. Ferd Johnson stayed with the strip until it came to an end upon his retirement in 1991. Johnson worked on Moon Mullins for 68 years-a stint that probably stands as the longest tenure of an artist on a single feature in the history of American comics. Moon Mullins was adapted for radio during the 1940s. (Source: wikipedia)

Mr Keen Tracer of Lost Persons

Show Name: Mr Keen Tracer of Lost Persons Episodes Available: 60 Latest Episode: Mr Keen 1335 - The Airport Murder Case | Uploaded: Nov 15, 2023 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Oct 12, 1937 - Apr 19, 1955 Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was one of radio's longest running shows, airing October 12, 1937 to April 19, 1955, continuing well into the television era. It was produced by Frank and Anne Hummert, who based it upon Robert W. Chambers' 1906 novel The Tracer of Lost Persons. The sponsors included Whitehall Pharmacal (as in Anacin, Kolynos Toothpaste, BiSoDol antacid mints, Hill's cold tablets and Heet liniment), Dentyne, Aerowax, RCA Victor and Chesterfield cigarettes. It aired on the NBC Blue network until 1947, when it switched to CBS. Bennett Kilpack began as Mr. Keen in 1937 with Arthur Hughes and then Phil Clarke stepping into the role later in the series. The kindly Keen and his faithful assistant, Mike Clancy (Jim Kelly), entertained listeners for 18 years. With 1690 nationwide broadcasts, Mr. Keen was the most resilient private detective in a namesake role. The nearest competitors were Nick Carter, Master Detective (726 broadcasts), The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (657) and The Adventures of the Falcon (473). Only 59 of the 1690 Mr. Keen programs are known to survive. Richard Leonard directed scripts by Barbara Bates, Stedman Coles, Frank Hummert, Lawrence Klee and Bob Shaw. James Fleming and Larry Elliott were the announcers. Al Rickey's band provided the background music, including the program's theme, "Someday I'll Find You." (source: wikipedia)

Mr. Moto

Show Name: Mr. Moto Episodes Available: 14 Latest Episode: Mr. Moto 8 - Project 77 | Uploaded: Dec 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 23 |  Dates: May 20, 1951 - Oct 20, 1951 Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death of Charlie Chan's creator Earl Derr Biggers. In various other media, Mr. Moto has been portrayed as an international detective. These include eight motion pictures starring Peter Lorre between 1937 and 1939, 23 radio shows starring James Monks broadcast in 1951, a 1965 film starring Henry Silva, and a 2003 comic book produced by Moonstone Books, later reprinted as Welcome Back, Mr. Moto. In Marquand's novels, the character calls himself I.A. Moto, and some other characters believe this to be a fairly obvious alias, since "moto" is usually the second part of a Japanese surname, as in Hashimoto. Though Mr. Moto is shrewd, tough and ruthless against his enemies, to most people in most situations he appears to be a harmless eccentric who sometimes calls himself stupid. The main characters in the novels are Westerners who encounter Mr. Moto in the course of their adventures in exotic lands and gradually come to realize what a formidable character he is. In the first five novels, set in the era of expansionist Imperial Japan, Mr. Moto is an agent of the empire. In the final novel, set in the 1950s inside Japan, he is a senior intelligence official in the pro-Western Japanese government. From May to October 1951, the NBC Radio Network produced and aired 23 half-hour episodes starring James Monk as Mr. I.A. Moto, International Secret Agent. Mr. Moto is an American of Japanese descent born in San Francisco but retaining his international connections. The show focused on Mr. Moto's fight against Communism although occasionally he solved more mundane mysteries such as murder and blackmail. (source: wikipedia)

My Friend Irma

Show Name: My Friend Irma Episodes Available: 50 Latest Episode: My Friend Irma 1 - Jane Meets Irma | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2015 Categories: Humor | Leading Ladies Airing History: Dates: Apr 11, 1947 - Aug 23, 1954 My Friend Irma, created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard was so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films, television, a comic strip and a comic book. Marie Wilson portrayed the title character, Irma Peterson. The radio series was broadcast on CBS Radio from April 11, 1947 to August 23, 1954. Dependable Jane Stacy (Cathy Lewis) began each weekly radio program narrating a misadventure of her scatterbrained roommate, Irma, a stenographer from Minnesota. The two central characters were in their mid-twenties. They lived together in an apartment rented from their Irish landlady, Mrs. O'Reilly (Jane Morgan, Gloria Gordon). Irma's boyfriend Al (John Brown) was a deadbeat, who had not held a job in years. His nickname for Irma was "Chicken." Al had many crazy get-rich-quick schemes, which never worked. Professor Kropotkin (Hans Conried), the Russian violinist at the Princess Burlesque theater, lived upstairs. He greeted Jane and Irma with remarks like, "My two little bunnies with one being an Easter bunny and the other being Bugs Bunny." The Professor insulted Mrs. O'Reilly, complained about his room, and reluctantly became O'Reilly's love interest in an effort to make her forget his back rent. Irma worked for the lawyer, Mr. Clyde (Alan Reed) and became more scatterbrained as the program evolved. Jane had a romantic inclination for her boss, millionaire Richard Rhinelander (Leif Erickson), but he had no real interest in her. (source:wikipedia)

My Little Margie

Show Name: My Little Margie Episodes Available: 21 Latest Episode: My Little Margie 1955-xx-xx - 76) Connie Returns From Europe | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Humor | Leading Ladies My Little Margie is an American situation comedy starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced in Los Angeles, California at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D. Reed. My Little Margie premiered on CBS as the summer replacement for I Love Lucy on June 16, 1952, under the sponsorship of Philip Morris cigarettes (when the series moved to NBC for its third season in the fall of 1953, Scott Paper Company became sponsor). In an unusual move, the series - with the same leads - aired original episodes on CBS Radio, concurrently with the TV broadcasts, from December 1952 through August 1955. Only 23 radio broadcasts are known to exist in recorded form. Set in New York City, the series stars Gale Storm as 21-year-old Margie Albright and former silent film star Charles Farrell as her widowed father, 50-year-old Vern Albright. They share an apartment at the Carlton Arms Hotel. Vern Albright is the vice-president of the investment firm of Honeywell and Todd, where his bosses are George Honeywell (Clarence Kolb) and Todd (George Meader). Roberta (Hillary Brooke) is Vern's girlfriend, and Margie's boyfriend is Freddy Wilson (Don Hayden). Mrs. Odetts (played by Gertrude Hoffmann on TV, Verna Felton on radio) is the Albrights' next-door neighbor. Other cast members include Willie Best, who plays the elevator operator, Dian Fauntelle, and silent film star Zasu Pitts. The series was canceled in 1955. Gale Storm went on to star in The Gale Storm Show which ran for 143 episodes from 1956-1960. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Mysterious Traveler

Show Name: The Mysterious Traveler Episodes Available: 67 Latest Episode: Mysterious Traveler 331 - Most Famous Man in the World | Uploaded: Sep 21, 2014 Categories: Horror Written and directed by Robert Arthur and David Kogan, the radio series was sponsored by Adams Hats. It began on the Mutual Broadcasting System, December 5, 1943, continuing in many different timeslots until September 16, 1952. The lonely sound of a distant locomotive heralded the arrival of the malevolent narrator (portrayed by Maurice Tarplin), who introduced himself each week: "This is the Mysterious Traveler, inviting you to join me on another journey into the strange and terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, that it will thrill you a little and chill you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable - if you can!" Only 75 of the original 370 Mysterious Traveler episodes still exist. The popularity of the series spawned other supernatural shows, such as The Sealed Book. With scripts by a Mysterious Traveler writer and Tarplin as host-narrator, The Strange Dr. Weird was a nearly identical program. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe

Show Name: The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe Episodes Available: 25 Latest Episode: New Adventures of Nero Wolfe 19 - The Hasty Will | Uploaded: Dec 30, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 26 |  Dates: Oct 20, 1950 - Apr 27, 1951 The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe is a 1950-51 American radio drama series starring Sydney Greenstreet as Rex Stout's fictional armchair detective Nero Wolfe. Based on Stout's principal characters but not his stories, the series aired October 20, 1950 - April 27, 1951, on NBC. It is regarded as the series that is most responsible for popularizing Nero Wolfe on radio. The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe stars Sydney Greenstreet as Rex Stout's fictional detective genius Nero Wolfe. Produced by Edwin Fadiman and directed by J. Donald Wilson, the series aired on NBC from October 20, 1950 to April 27, 1951. Don Stanley was the announcer. The episodes were written by Alfred Bester and others. Wolfe's legman Archie Goodwin was played by a succession of actors including Gerald Mohr, Herb Ellis, Lawrence Dobkin, Harry Bartell, Lamont Johnson and Wally Maher. Biographer John McAleer reported that Stout enjoyed Greenstreet's portrayal. The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe was the first radio series that, like the Nero Wolfe stories themselves, stressed characterization over plot. It is regarded as the series that is most responsible for popularizing Nero Wolfe on radio. All but one episode ("The Case of the Headless Hunter") has survived in radio collections. Greenstreet suffered from both diabetes and Bright's Disease, and his health fluctuated during the run of the radio program. (source: wikipedia)

Nick Carter, Master Detective

Show Name: Nick Carter, Master Detective Episodes Available: 126 Latest Episode: Nick Carter, Master Detective 346 - The Case of the King's Apology | Uploaded: Jul 15, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Nick Carter, Master Detective was a Mutual radio crime drama based on tales of the famed detective from Street & Smith's dime novels and pulp magazines. A veteran radio dramatist, Ferrin Fraser, wrote many of the scripts. With Lon Clark in the title role, the series commenced 11 April 1943, continuing in many different timeslots for well over a decade. Between October 1944 and April 1945, it was heard as a 30-minute program on Sunday afternoons at 3pm, sponsored by Acme Paints and Lin-X, with a 15-minute serial airing four or five times a week in 1944 from April to September. In April 1945, the Sunday series moved to 6pm, continuing in that timeslot until June 1946, and it was also heard in 1946 on Tuesday from March to August. Sponsored by Cudahy Packing and Old Dutch Cleanser and later Acme Products, the series finally settled in on Sundays at 6:30pm for broadcasts from August 18, 1946 to September 21, 1952. Libby Packing was the sponsor when the drama aired on Sundays at 6pm (1952-53). In the last two years (1953-55), the show was heard Sundays at 4:30pm. Patsy Bowen, Nick's assistant, was portrayed by Helen Choate until mid-1946; then Charlotte Manson stepped into the role. Nick and Patsy's friend was reporter Scubby Wilson (John Kane). Sgt. Mathison (Ed Latimer) was Nick's contact at the police department. The supporting cast included Raymond Edward Johnson, Bill Johnstone and Bryna Raeburn. Michael Fitzmaurice was the program's announcer. The series ended on September 25, 1955. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Night Beat

Show Name: Night Beat Episodes Available: 72 Latest Episode: Night Beat - The Elevator Caper - Audition | Uploaded: Dec 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 112 |  Dates: Feb 6, 1950 - Sep 25, 1952 Night Beat, sometimes spelled Nightbeat, is an NBC radio drama series that aired February 6, 1950 - September 25, 1952, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and Wheaties. Frank Lovejoy starred as Randy Stone, a reporter who covered the night beat for the Chicago Star, encountering criminals, eccentrics, and troubled souls. Listeners were invited to join Stone as he "searches through the city for the strange stories waiting for him in the darkness." Most episodes leaned towards suspense, crime and thriller themes, but Night Beat also featured occasional humorous or sentimental stories. Each episode ended with Stone at his desk as he finished typing a news story based on his latest exploits, and shouting for the copy boy to deliver his story to an editor. Radio historian John Dunning described Night Beat as a "superior series", carried by vivid writing and Lovejoy's sympathetic performance. Ripperologist editor Paul Begg offered this description of the series: Broadcast on NBC, Nightbeat ... starred Frank Lovejoy as Randy Stone, a tough and streetwise reporter who worked the nightbeat for the Chicago Star, looking for human interest stories. He met an assortment of people, most of them with a problem, many of them scared, and sometimes he was able to help them, sometimes he wasn't. It is generally regarded as a "quality" show, and it stands up extremely well. Frank Lovejoy (1914 - 1962) isn't remembered today, but he was a powerful and believable actor with a strong delivery, and his portrayal of Randy Stone as tough guy with humanity was perfect. The scripts were excellent, given that they had to cover much in a short time. There was a good supporting cast, orchestra and sound effects. "The Slasher," broadcast on 10 November 1950, the last show of season one, has a very loosely Ripper-derived plot in which Stone searches for an artist. Supporting actors included Joan Banks, Parley Baer, William Conrad, Jeff Corey, Lawrence Dobkin, Paul Frees, Jack Kruschen, Peter Leeds, Howard McNear, Lurene Tuttle, Martha Wentworth, and Ben Wright. The announcer was Donald Rickles. (source: wikipedia)

Old Gold Comedy Theater

Show Name: Old Gold Comedy Theater Episodes Available: 30 Latest Episode: Old Gold Comedy Theater 13 - The Show-Off | Uploaded: Jun 4, 2016 Categories: Humor Airing History: Episodes: 32 |  Dates: Oct 29, 1944 - Jun 10, 1945 The Old Gold Comedy Theater aired over NBC for one season, from October 29, 1944 to June 10, 1945. The Lennen and Mitchell ad agency wanted to produce a comedy series for Old Gold cigarettes, a brand of the Lorillard Tobacco Company. The show was patterned after the successful format used by the Lux Radio Theatre and Cecil B. DeMille. Preston Sturges, an up and coming director, was originally tapped to host the show, but was already committed elsewhere, and so suggested Harold Lloyd, a silent film star, with whom he had worked in the past. As this was his first radio program, Lloyd worked for many months to get over his fear of the microphone. Critics believed he was improving as the season progressed, and would have eventually mastered the art had the series lasted more than one season. Though the adapted scripts and the actors were top-notch, the show eventually suffered from its 30 minute format, as too much had to be cut from the original movie scripts. Lennen and Mitchell pulled the plug on the show on May 28, 1945 when they announced Meet Me at Parky's would air in its place. Currently, there are 30 of the 32 episodes still in circulation -- 29 come from the estate of Harold Lloyd, in the original un-cut version, and one from the Armed Forces Radio Service. (Source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Our Miss Brooks

Show Name: Our Miss Brooks Episodes Available: 179 Latest Episode: Our Miss Brooks 227 - Conklin the Bachelor | Uploaded: Jan 19, 2023 Categories: Humor | School Airing History: Dates: Jul 19, 1948 - Feb 24, 1957 Our Miss Brooks is an American sitcom starring Eve Arden as a sardonic high-school English teacher. It began as a radio show broadcast on CBS from 1948 to 1957. When the show was adapted to television (1952-56), it became one of the medium's earliest hits. In 1956, the sitcom was adapted for the big screen in the film of the same name. Our Miss Brooks was a hit on radio from the outset; within eight months of its launch as a regular series, the show landed several honors, including four for Eve Arden, who won polls in four individual publications of the time. Arden had actually been the third choice to play the title role. Harry Ackerman, at the time CBS's West Coast director of programming, wanted Shirley Booth for the part, but as he told historian Gerald Nachman many years later, he realized Booth was too focused on the underpaid downside of public school teaching at the time to have fun with the role. Lucille Ball was believed to have been the next choice, but she was committed to My Favorite Husband and did not audition. CBS then-chairman Bill Paley, who was friendly with Arden, persuaded her to audition for the part. With a slightly rewritten audition script - Osgood Conklin, for example, was originally written as a school board president, but was now written as the incoming new Madison principal - Arden agreed to give the newly revamped show a try. Produced by Larry Berns and written by director Al Lewis, Our Miss Brooks premiered on CBS on July 19, 1948. According to radio critic John Crosby, her lines were very "feline" in dialogue scenes with principal Conklin and would-be boyfriend Boynton, with sharp, witty comebacks. The interplay between the cast; blustery Conklin, nebbishy Denton, accommodating Harriet, absentminded Mrs. Davis, clueless Boynton, and scheming Miss Enright, also received positive reviews. Jeff Chandler played Boynton and stayed with the role for five years, even after becoming a movie star. He ultimately resigned because it was too exhausting to juggle a regular radio role with his film commitments. Others in the cast included Anne Whitfield as Conklin's daughter, Harriet. Arden won a radio listeners' poll by Radio Mirror magazine as the top-ranking comedienne of 1948-49, receiving her award at the end of an Our Miss Brooks broadcast that March. "I'm certainly going to try in the coming months to merit the honor you've bestowed upon me, because I understand that if I win this two years in a row, I get to keep Mr. Boynton", she joked. She was also a hit with the critics: a winter 1949 poll of newspaper and magazine radio editors taken by Motion Picture Daily named her the year's best radio comedienne. (source: wikipedia)

Pat Novak, for Hire

Show Name: Pat Novak, for Hire Episodes Available: 24 Latest Episode: Pat Novak for Hire 19 - The Only Way to Make Friends Is to Die | Uploaded: Dec 30, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: 1946 - Jun 18, 1949 Pat Novak, for Hire is a radio detective drama series which aired from 1946 to 1947 as a West Coast regional (produced at KGO in San Francisco) program and in 1949 as a nationwide program for ABC. The regional version originally starred Jack Webb in the title role, with scripts by his roommate Richard L. Breen. When Webb and Breen moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles to work on an extremely similar nationwide series, Johnny Madero, Pier 23, for the Mutual network, Webb was replaced by Ben Morris and Breen by other writers. In the later 1949 network version, Jack Webb resumed the Novak role, and Breen his duties as scriptwriter. The series is popular among fans for its fast-paced, hard-boiled dialogue and action and witty one-liners. Pat Novak, for Hire is set on the San Francisco waterfront and depicts the city as a dark, rough place where the main goal is survival. Novak is not a detective by trade, but he owns a boat shop on Pier 19 where he rents out boats and does odd jobs to make money. Each episode of the program, particularly the Jack Webb episodes, follows the same basic formula; a foghorn sounds and Novak's footsteps are heard approaching. He then pauses and begins by wearily saying "Sure, I'm Pat Novak . . . for hire". The foghorn repeats and leads to the intro theme, during which Novak gives a monologue about the waterfront and his job renting boats. Jack Webb narrates the story and plays the titular character. A downtrodden cynic, Novak throws off lines such as "...around here a set of morals won't cause any more stir than Mother's Day in an orphanage". He then relates a story about the trouble in which he found himself the past week. The dialogue is rife with similes found in pulp fiction. Example: 'The neighborhood was run down - the kind of place where the For Rent signs look like ransom notes.' John Galbraith played the inspector, and Phyllis Skelton was frequently heard in female roles on the program. George Fenneman was the announcer, and Basil Adlam led the orchestra. (source: wikipedia)

Perry Mason

Show Name: Perry Mason Episodes Available: 255 Latest Episode: Perry Mason 1342 - Untitled | Uploaded: Feb 13, 2015 Categories: Crime | Detective The radio show Perry Mason, based on the novels of Erle Stanley Gardner, was broadcast on CBS Radio from 1943-1955. The series was adapted into Edge of Night which ran on television for an additional 30 years. Gardner's literary success with the Perry Mason novels convinced Hollywood to try its hand, unsuccessfully, with some motion pictures. However, the Perry Mason radio show stayed on the air for 12 years. The radio series was geared more towards action than courtroom drama. As Edge of Night (EON), it ran for another 30 years on television, but Gardner disliked the proposed daytime television version due to a lack of his own creative control, withholding his endorsement thus forcing the subsequent name change. The actors portraying Mason switched frequently over the first three years, starting with Bartlett Robinson, followed by Santos Ortega and Donald Briggs, before settling on John Larkin, who played the famous attorney for the remainder of the broadcast, as well as the equivalent character on EON. Della Street, was portrayed by radio soap queens; Gertrude Warner, Jan Miner (Palmolive's "Madge" the Manicurist) and Joan Alexander (radio's Lois Lane). Radio's Mason has more in common with the daytime television serial The Edge of Night than the prime time Perry Mason television show. Gardner disagreed with the direction of the new television show and pulled his support. The sponsor, Procter & Gamble hired the writers and staff of the Perry Mason radio series, the show was retooled, and became The Edge of Night. Erle Stanley Gardner eventually aligned himself with the nighttime courtroom drama. (source:wikipedia)

Philo Vance

Show Name: Philo Vance Episodes Available: 92 Latest Episode: Philo Vance 66 - Tea Cup Murder Case | Uploaded: Nov 28, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 104 |  Dates: Jul 13, 1948 - Jul 4, 1950 Philo Vance is a fictional amateur detective originally featured in 12 crime novels by S. S. Van Dine in the 1920s and 1930s. During that time, Vance was immensely popular in books, films and radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, even foppish dandy, a New York bon vivant possessing a highly intellectual bent. "S. S. Van Dine" was the pen name of Willard Huntington Wright, a prominent art critic who initially sought to conceal his authorship of the novels. Van Dine was also a fictional character in the books, a sort of Dr. Watson figure who accompanied Vance and chronicled his exploits. Three radio drama series were created with Philo Vance as the title character. The first series, broadcast by NBC in 1945, starred José Ferrer. A summer replacement series in 1946 starred John Emery as Vance. The best-known series (and the one of which most episodes survived) ran from 1948 to 1950 in Frederick Ziv syndication and starred Jackson Beck. "Thankfully, the radio series uses only the name, and makes Philo a pretty normal, though very intelligent and extremely courteous gumshoe. ... Joan Alexander is Ellen Deering, Vance's secretary and right-hand woman." (source:wikipedia)

Planet Man

Show Name: Planet Man Episodes Available: 76 Latest Episode: Planet Man 20 - Plot to Destroy Venus | Uploaded: Feb 12, 2015 Categories: Science Fiction Planet Man, targeted at kids, was produced by Palladium Radio Productions. It is: "... the fascinating story of Dantro, the planet man, trouble-shooter for the League of Planets Organization." If you are wondering the League of Planets Organization is: "the law enforcement body for peace and justice in the celestial world." The headquarters is Planeria Rex "the capital of the planets". So Planet Man (AKA Danto) is part of the popular 1950's space rangers genre. But he was not a human. He was in fact a humanoid which was handy for his dealings with Earth. Other regular characters who appear in the show are: Dr. John Darrow and his daughter Pat, Jane and Billy and Slats his engineer.

Police Reporter

Show Name: Police Reporter Episodes Available: 26 Latest Episode: Police Reporter 26 - The Hold-up | Uploaded: Nov 25, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: 1933 Based on true crime stories, "The Police Reporter" was a fifteen minute dramatic series syndicated by Radio Release Limited. The earliest listing found for it was in the December 10, 1933 issue of the "New York Times" where it showed up on WEAF's program grid on Friday, December 15, 1933 at 10:00 pm. There are also several listings in the "Los Angeles Times" in February and March 1936 for a fifteen minute "Police Reporter" program on KGPJ at 8:00 pm. The company that produced the series, Radio Release Limited is listed in the 1934 edition of "The Writer's Market", noting that they're "looking for anything with commercial value and will consider good scripts carefully. Pays good rates". The company is also listed in the 1935 edition of "Broadcasting: Yearbook-Marketbook Issue" on page 122. "The Police Reporter" is a quarter hour drama that might remind you a bit of "Front Page Drama" in its sensationalism and melodrama. What makes the series unique is that all the stories featured are true. "Gangbusters", the pioneering "true crime" series of the period, premiered in July 1935 on NBC as "G-Men" according to Wikipedia. So, "The Police Reporter" pre-dates the more famous network show by a couple of years - if not the first, it could be one of the earliest true crime shows on the air. Program 1 of the series is about a man who has been missing for four days. A neighbor calls the police, thinking something may be wrong. It's the Lincoln murder case, which occurred in Aurora, Illinois in 1923. The program includes an announcement that this is the first program of the series. The series uses real names, dates and locations, so it's easy to track down information on the real cases dramatized on many of the programs. (source: archive.org)

Popeye, the Sailor Man

Show Name: Popeye, the Sailor Man Episodes Available: 4 Latest Episode: Popeye the Sailor Man - Popeye vs. the Trolly Car | Uploaded: Nov 3, 2014 Categories: Humor | Water/Boats Popeye the Sailor Man was created by Elzie Crisler Segar. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929. Although Segar's Thimble Theatre strip was in its tenth year when Popeye made his debut, the sailor quickly became the main focus of the strip and Thimble Theatre soon became one of King Features' most popular properties during the 1930s. Thimble Theatre was continued after Segar's death in 1938 by several writers and artists, most notably Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf. Popeye was adapted to radio in several series broadcast over three different networks by two sponsors from 1935 to 1938. Popeye and most of the major supporting characters were first featured in a thrice-weekly 15-minute radio program, Popeye the Sailor, which starred Detmar Poppen as Popeye along with most of the major supporting characters - Olive Oyl (Olive Lamoy), Wimpy (Charles Lawrence), Bluto (Jackson Beck) and Swee'Pea (Mae Questel). In the first episode, Popeye adopted Sonny (Jimmy Donnelly), a character later known as Matey the Newsboy. This program was broadcast Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at 7:15pm. September 10, 1935 through March 28, 1936 on the NBC Red Network (87 episodes), initially sponsored by Wheatena, a whole-wheat breakfast cereal, which would routinely replace the spinach references. Music was provided by Victor Irwin's Cartoonland Band. Announcer Kelvin Keech sang (to composer Lerner's "Popeye" theme) "Wheatena is his diet / He asks you to try it / With Popeye the sailor man." Wheatena paid King Features Syndicate $1,200 per week. The show was next broadcast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:15 to 7:30pm on WABC and ran from August 31, 1936 to February 26, 1937 (78 episodes). Floyd Buckley played Popeye, and Miriam Wolfe portrayed both Olive Oyl and the Sea Hag. Once again, reference to spinach was conspicuously absent. Instead, Popeye sang, "Wheatena's me diet / I ax ya to try it / I'm Popeye the Sailor Man". The third series was sponsored by the maker of Popsicle three nights a week for 15 minutes at 6:15 pm on CBS from May 2, 1938 through July 29, 1938. Of the three series, only 20 of the 204 episodes are still known to exist. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Red Ryder

Show Name: Red Ryder Episodes Available: 56 Latest Episode: Red Ryder 1947-02-11 - Pint Sized Pinto | Uploaded: Jul 13, 2014 Categories: Western Red Ryder was a popular long-running Western comic strip created by Stephen Slesinger and artist Fred Harman. Beginning Sunday, November 6, 1938, Red Ryder was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association, expanding over the following decade to 750 newspapers, translations into ten languages and a readership in the United States of 14 million. The 26-year run of the strip came to an end in 1964. The Red Ryder radio series began February 3, 1942, on the Blue Network, broadcast three times a week at 7:30pm Pacific time. When the Blue also acquired The Lone Ranger from the Mutual Broadcasting System, Mutual decided to compete by airing Red Ryder in the same time period. Thus, Red Ryder aired on the East Coast that year from May 20 to September 9 on Mutual. The series beat The Lone Ranger in the Hooper ratings, but the success was short-lived. Red Ryder was sold to a regional sponsor, Langendorf Bread, and after four months was no longer heard in the East. Mutual and Langendorf continued the series on the West Coast Don Lee Network through the 1940s at 7:30pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, always with the familiar organ theme, "The Dying Cowboy" ("Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie"). The continuing characters of the comic strip were also found in the radio series, produced by Brad Brown with writer-director Paul Franklin and writer Albert Van Antwerp. Reed Hadley portrayed Red Ryder on radio from 1942 to 1944, followed by Carlton KaDell (1945), and Brooke Temple (1946-51). Arthur Q. Bryan had the role of Roland "Rawhie" Rolinson, and Red's sidekick Buckskin was played by Horace Murphy. Jim Mather provided Indian voices. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Redbook Dramas

Show Name: Redbook Dramas Episodes Available: 19 Latest Episode: Redbook Dramas 6 - The Goat of Private Hibbs | Uploaded: Nov 28, 2021 Categories: Mixed Bag Airing History: Episodes: 24 |  Dates: May 26, 1935 - Nov 3, 1932 This series, based upon short stories originally published in Redbook Magazine, was aired in the year 1932. The United States was then in the grip of the Great Depression, and several of the episodes reflect that phenomenon. "He Knew Women" and "Kiss and Jail," for example, feature families which have been devastated by the stock market crash and its aftermath. As if to counteract the country's grim circumstances, however, many of the stories offer "love, mystery, adventure, romance" in sometimes exotic settings. Listeners are transported to such places as Yucatan, France, Dalmatia and Manchuria and encounter some remarkable characters and circumstances along the way. These include a surly Army private who gets in trouble when his pet goat butts a brigadier general into a mud puddle; an American schoolteacher who becomes involved in a political intrigue abroad and temporarily represents herself as a collector of coffins; and an intrepid little domestic servant with Holmes-like powers of observation who solves a murder case at a frozen outpost beyond the Arctic Circle. Some of the authors are noteworthy as well. For example Elaine Carrington, who wrote "The Kid," is well remembered today as creator of the famous radio soap operas When a Girl Marries and Pepper Young's Family. And Frank R. Adams, whose "A Gent Passes By" delivers a knockout sequence of startling revelations, displays the skill that enabled him to publish dozens of short stories in popular magazines of the day such as Munsey's and The Smart Set. These syndicated episodes are all fifteen minutes in length, and some could have benefited from more time to develop plot and character. But the best of them convey to us an intense flavor of their times, often with charming musical interludes and bridges, from a broadcast year that has left us with all too few programs to enjoy. (source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Show Name: Richard Diamond, Private Detective Episodes Available: 102 Latest Episode: Richard Diamond, Private Detective 112 - The Brown Envelope Case | Uploaded: May 28, 2016 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 77 |  Dates: Apr 24, 1949 - Sep 20, 1953 Richard Diamond, Private Detective is an American detective drama, created by Blake Edwards, which aired on radio from 1949 to 1953, and on television from 1957 to 1960. Shortly before his death in 2004, actor/comedian Alan King wrote a pair of short stories about the character set in 1948. They were published posthumously in 2016. Dick Powell starred in the Richard Diamond, Private Detective radio series as a light-hearted detective who often ended the episodes singing to his girlfriend, Helen (Virginia Gregg). Other regular cast members included Ed Begley as Rick's friend and former partner on the police force, Lt. Walter Levinson, and Wilms Herbert as Walt's bumbling sergeant, Otis. It began airing on NBC Radio on April 24, 1949, picked up Rexall as a sponsor on April 5, 1950, and continued until December 6, 1950. Many of the shows were either written or directed by Edwards. Its theme, "Leave It to Love", was whistled by Powell at the beginning of each episode. With Camel cigarettes as a sponsor, it moved to ABC from January 5, 1951, to June 29, 1951, with Rexall returning for a run from October 5, 1951, until June 27, 1952. Substituting for Amos 'n' Andy, it aired Sunday evenings on CBS from May 31, 1953 until September 20, 1953 Dick Powell's company, Four Star Television, produced the television version of Richard Diamond, Private Detective, which premiered in the summer of 1957 on CBS. It returned to CBS in January 1958 for the second season and in February 1959 for the third season, again on CBS. In the fall of 1959, the fourth and final season aired on NBC. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Ripley's Believe It or Not

Show Name: Ripley's Believe It or Not Episodes Available: 32 Latest Episode: Ripley's Believe It or Not 1944-01-18 - 2) Little Girls | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Non-fiction Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. In April 1930, Ripley brought "Believe It or Not" to radio, the first of several series heard on NBC, CBS and the Mutual Broadcasting System. When Ripley's 1930 debut on The Collier Hour brought a strong listener reaction, he was given a Monday night NBC series beginning April 14, 1930, followed by a 1931-32 series airing twice a week. After his strange stories were dramatized on NBC's Saturday Party, Ripley was the host of The Baker's Broadcast from 1935 to 1937. He was scheduled in several different 1937-38 NBC timeslots and then took to the road with popular remote broadcasts. In 1944, he was heard five nights a week on Mutual in shows with an emphasis on WWII. Romance, Rhythm and Ripley aired on CBS in 1945, followed by Pages from Robert L. Ripley's Radio Scrapbook (1947-48). Robert Ripley is known for several radio firsts. He was the first to broadcast nationwide on a radio network from mid-ocean, and he also participated in the first broadcast from Buenos Aires to New York. Assisted by a corps of translators, he was the first to broadcast to every nation in the world simultaneously. As the years went on, the show became less about oddities and featured guest-driven entertainment such as comedy routines. Sponsors over the course of the program included Pall Mall cigarettes and General Foods. The program ended its successful run in 1948 as Ripley prepared to convert the show format to television. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Ripley's Believe It or Not (One Minute)

Show Name: Ripley's Believe It or Not (One Minute) Episodes Available: 416 Latest Episode: Ripley's Believe It or Not 1 Minute 273 - Living Tomb | Uploaded: Mar 15, 2023 Categories: Non-fiction Here was have a second radio show from the highly successful Ripley's Believe It or Not! franchise. These must rank as some of the shortest radio programs ever broadcast. Most of them struggle to get to the full minute claimed. However in that short space of time the show impressively packs in a dramatic introduction complete with sound effects over which the narrator says: "Truth is stranger than fiction ... This is Ripley's Believe It or Not!" Then follows a fact ... an interlude for a local advertiser or sponsor ... a second fact ... and the ending music. All in 60 seconds or so ... Believe It or Not!!

Rocky Fortune

Show Name: Rocky Fortune Episodes Available: 25 Latest Episode: Rocky Fortune 16 - Hollywood or Boom | Uploaded: Nov 25, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 25 |  Dates: Oct 6, 1953 - Mar 30, 1954 Rocky Fortune is an American radio drama that aired weekly on NBC Radio beginning in October 1953. The series ended its run in March 1954 after 25 episodes. The program was created by George Lefferts. Frank Sinatra voiced the title role of Rocky Fortune for the entire series. Rocky Fortune aired Tuesday nights on NBC at 9:35pm Eastern, immediately following Dragnet (and a five-minute John Cameron Swayze newscast). It was a sustaining series, meaning that NBC presented the program without corporate sponsorship. The premiere episode, "Oyster Shucker", originally aired on October 6, 1953. Frank Sinatra portrayed Rocco Fortunato, also known as Rocky Fortune, a young man of several talents constantly in need of employment and who accepts odd jobs from the fictitious Gridley Employment Agency, often referred to simply as "the Agency." During the course of the series, he would work as a process server, museum tour guide, cabbie, bodyguard, chauffeur, truck driver, social director for a Catskills resort and a carny, in addition to various musical jobs. These assignments typically led Rocky into situations where he would track down criminals, often rescuing people (especially women) in need of help, and ultimately needing to find yet more work. Rocky made many wise remarks, using "hep" slang of the times, and seemed to attract trouble wherever he went. Sinatra infused the role of Rocky with a witty, tongue-in-cheek quality that acknowledged Sinatra's own career. For example, in the episode "Football Fix", Rocky begins to sing "I've Got the World on a String" while walking down the street, a song Sinatra had performed prior to playing the role of Rocky. Aside from Sinatra, the only other recurring role on the series was that of Hamilton J. Finger, a solid and dependable (though not very intelligent) police sergeant voiced by Barney Phillips. Other guest roles on Rocky Fortune were voiced by actors such as Raymond Burr, Ed Begley and Jack Kruschen. (source: wikipedia)

Rocky Jordan

Show Name: Rocky Jordan Episodes Available: 91 Latest Episode: Rocky Jordan 17 - Twenty Fathoms Under | Uploaded: Jun 4, 2016 Categories: Adventure | Crime Airing History: Dates: Oct 31, 1948 - Aug 22, 1951 Rocky Jordan was a radio series about an American restaurateur in Cairo who each week became involved in some kind of mystery or adventure. The show was broadcast on CBS from October 31, 1948 to September 10, 1950. and then again from June 27, 1951 to August 22, 1951. The character of Rocky Jordan had been introduced to listeners in a similar show called A Man Named Jordan that was broadcast in 1945 but set in Istanbul rather than Cairo. The two lead roles were those of Rocky Jordan and Captain Sam Sabaaya of the Cairo Police. For most of the show's history Jordan was played by veteran radio actor Jack Moyles, but he was replaced by a movie star, George Raft, for the brief 1951 run. Jay Novello played Sabaaya throughout the entire series. Other roles were played by members of Hollywood's Radio Row, and the announcer was Larry Thor. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Rogues Gallery

Show Name: Rogues Gallery Episodes Available: 23 Latest Episode: Rogues Gallery 56 - Where There's A Will There's A Murder | Uploaded: Jun 4, 2016 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Dates: Sep 27, 1945 Rogue's Gallery came to the Mutual network on September 27, 1945 with Dick Powell portraying Richard Rogue, a private detective who invariably ended up getting knocked out each week and spending his dream time in acerbic conversation with his subconscious self, Eugor. Rogue's Gallery was, in a sense, Dick Powell's rehearsal for Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Powell played private detective Richard Rogue, who trailed luscious blondes, protected witness, and did whatever else detectives do to make a living. It was a good series, though not destined to make much of a mark. Under the capable direction of Dee Englebach and accompanied by the music of Leith Stevens, Powell floated through his lines with the help of such competents as Lou Merrill, Gerald Mohr, Gloria Blondell, Tony Barrett, and Lurene Tuttle. Peter Leeds played Rogue's friend Eugor, an obscure play on names with Eugor spelling Rogue backwards. The gimmick in Rogue's Gallery was the presence of an alter ego, "Eugor," who arrived in the middle of the show to give Rogue enough information for his final deduction. Eugor was a state of mind, achieved when Rogue was knocked unconcious. Eugor would appear cackling like the host of Hermit's Cave and imparted some vital information the hero had overlooked. Rogue would then awaken with a vague idea of what to do next. Rogue's Gallery also starred different actors as Rogue, in later incarnations of the series, but Richard Powell was the most popular. This series preceded Richard Powell's most famous series, Richard Diamond, Private Detective. Rogue trailed lovely blondes and protected witnesses in the new tough guy persona of Dick Powell. This was the transition series for Powell in his quest to be recognized as an actor rather than a singer. It had some of the same cute elements that would make Richard Diamond a high spot four years later. During the summer of 1946, the show was billed as Bandwagon Mysteries, with a tip of the hat to the sponsor. In the summer of 1947, it was again revived on NBC Sundays for Fitch, with Barry Sullivan in the title role. In 1950 the character again turned up in a two-year sustainer on the ABC Wednesday-night schedule. Chester Morris played the lead. Chester Morris was the original Boston Blackie. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Roy Rogers Show

Show Name: The Roy Rogers Show Episodes Available: 92 Latest Episode: The Roy Rogers Show 1952-01-25 - 17) Downed Wires | Uploaded: Nov 7, 2014 Categories: Western | Western Stars Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye November 5, 1911 - July 6, 1998) was an American singer and cowboy actor who was one of the most popular Western stars of his era. Known as the "King of the Cowboys", he appeared in over 100 films and numerous radio and television episodes of The Roy Rogers Show. In many of his films and television episodes, he appeared with his wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger, and his German Shepherd dog Bullet. His show ran on radio for nine years before moving to television from 1951 through 1957. His productions usually featured a sidekick, often Pat Brady, Andy Devine, or George "Gabby" Hayes. In his later years, Rogers lent his name to the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain. The Roy Rogers Show radio program began in 1944, ended in 1955, and was carried on more than 500 stations. Like the television program of the same name, the show centered on Roy Rogers. Initially, the radio show differed in format from The Roy Rogers Show on TV, with the radio version being more oriented toward music. Toward its end, however, it moved more toward the adventure featured in the TV show. The main actors in the program were familiar to fans of Rogers' movies. He was the star, with wife Dale Evans and sidekick Gabby Hayes. Initially, the Sons of the Pioneers were the featured musical group; in 1948, they were replaced by Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. In the show's later years, Pat Brady replaced Hayes. Hayes was Rogers' "grizzled sidekick from the movies," whereas Brady "was a different sort of sidekick, younger and more useful, although still comical." Other people heard in the program over the years included Forrest Lewis, The Whippoorwills, and Joseph Kearns. Rogers' horse, Trigger, and dog, Bullet, were also featured regularly in the program. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Sad Sack

Show Name: The Sad Sack Episodes Available: 3 Latest Episode: The Sad Sack 1946-08-14 - Runs For Mayor | Uploaded: Jan 15, 2015 Categories: Humor | War/Armed Forces Airing History: Dates: Jun 2, 1946 - Sep 4, 1946 The Sad Sack a comic strip and comic book character was created by Sgt. George Baker during World War II. Set in the United States Army, Sad Sack depicted an unnamed, lowly private experiencing some of the absurdities and humiliations of military life. The title was a shortening of "sad sack of s**t". The phrase, common during WWII, has come to mean "an inept person" or "inept soldier". The comic strip debuted June 1942 in the first issue of Yank, the Army Weekly. Later a hardcover collection of Baker's wartime Sad Sack strips was published in 1944 and The New Sad Sack in 1946. The original book was concurrently published as an Armed Services edition mass market paperback. After the war ended, The Sad Sack ran in newspaper syndication in the United States until 1957. Baker then sold the rights to Harvey Comics, which produced a large number of commercial spin-offs. Sad Sack (played by Mel Blanc) made an appearance with Bob Hope and Betty Grable on the April 29, 1944 episode of G.I. Journal. The voice Blanc used was a stuttering delivery similar to Porky Pig. Sponsored by Old Gold Cigarettes, The Sad Sack radio program aired in 1946 as a summer replacement series for The Frank Sinatra Show. It starred Herb Vigran in the title role with Jim Backus, Sandra Gould, Ken Christy and Patsy Moran. Dick Joy was the announcer for the series which began June 12, 1946 and continued until September 4. (Source: wikipedia)

The Saint

Show Name: The Saint Episodes Available: 57 Latest Episode: The Saint 179 - No, My Darling Daughter | Uploaded: Jul 12, 2014 Categories: Crime | Adventure | Detective The Saint, a modern day Robin Hood was created by author Leslie Charteris and as the original Radio program's introduction said, he was: "known to millions from books, magazines, and motion pictures." Several versions of the program appeared on different networks. The Saint began its life on radio in January 1945. Edgar Barrier starred, and Bromo-Seltzer was the sponsor. This version ended March 31, 1945. The second iteration of The Saint on radio was a summer replacement for the Jack Carson Show on CBS, the program went off when its summer run ended September 12, 1945. Brian Aherne starred, and Campbell Soups was the sponsor. The show's third version, which began July 9, 1947, was limited to CBS' West Coast network. It ended June 30, 1948. The sponsor was Lever Brothers. Vincent Price starred in this version and in most of the show's episodes in the two versions that followed. After a year's hiatus, The Saint returned to radio July 10, 1949 - this time on Mutual. The show lasted through May 28, 1950. The program's final run began June 11, 1950, as a summer replacement for The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show. The Saint was back on its original network, NBC, for this version, which ended October 14, 1951. The show lasted longer in this version than in any other. The title role was also played briefly by Tom Conway (whose brother, George Sanders, had played Simon Templar in several films), and Barry Sullivan. Louise Arthur played Patricia Holm, Templar's assistant. Lawrence Dobkin played Louie, the cab driver. John Brown played Inspector Fernack, and Ken Christy played Hoppy, Templar's sidekick. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Screen Guild Theater

Show Name: Screen Guild Theater Episodes Available: 348 Latest Episode: Screen Guild Theater 90 - Babes in Arms | Uploaded: Oct 15, 2014 Categories: Mixed Bag The Screen Guild Theater was a popular radio anthology series during the Golden Age of Radio, broadcast from 1939 until 1952, with leading Hollywood actors performing in adaptations of popular motion pictures such as Going My Way and The Postman Always Rings Twice. The show had a long run, lasting for 14 seasons and 527 episodes. It initially was heard on CBS from January 8, 1939 until June 28, 1948, continuing on NBC from October 7, 1948 until June 29, 1950. It was broadcast on ABC from September 7, 1950 to May 31, 1951 and returned to CBS on March 13, 1952. It aired under several different titles: The Gulf Screen Guild Show, The Gulf Screen Guild Theater, The Lady Esther Screen Guild Theater and The Camel Screen Guild Theater. Fees actors would typically charge were donated to the Motion Picture Relief Fund, in order to support the creation and maintenance of the Motion Picture Country Home for retired actors. The series came to an end on CBS June 29, 1952. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Sealed Book

Show Name: The Sealed Book Episodes Available: 26 Latest Episode: The Sealed Book 4 - Devil Island | Uploaded: Nov 25, 2021 Categories: Horror Airing History: Episodes: 26 |  Dates: Mar 18, 1945 - Sep 9, 1945 The Sealed Book was a radio series of mystery and terror tales, produced and directed by Jock MacGregor for the Mutual network. Between March 18 and September 9, 1945, the melodramatic anthology series was broadcast on Sundays from 10:30 pm to 11:00 pm. Each week, after "the sound of the great gong," host Philip Clarke observed that the mysteriously silent "keeper of the book has opened the ponderous door to the secret vault wherein is kept the great sealed book, in which is recorded all the secrets and mysteries of mankind through the ages, Here are tales of every kind, tales of murder, of madness, of dark deeds strange and terrible beyond all belief." After this introduction, the dramas began, with three organ solo breaks for inserting the commercials of local stations carrying the program. Although this anthology series did not have recurring characters (other than the Narrator and the Keeper of the Book), the writers often used the same names for different characters from week to week, including "Hester", "Drake", and most especially "Roger". At the end of an episode, Clarke told listeners to tune in the following week when "the sound of the great gong heralds another strange and exciting tale from... the sealed book." Scripts were by Robert Arthur, Jr. and David Kogan, who also were responsible for The Mysterious Traveler, and recycled many of the more popular stories from that parent program. "The Hands of Death" was the first of the 26 episodes which concluded with "You Only Die Once". (Source: wikipedia)

The Shadow

Show Name: The Shadow Episodes Available: 239 Latest Episode: The Shadow 227 - Dragon's Tongue Murders | Uploaded: Nov 12, 2023 Categories: Superhero | Crime | Masked/Mystery Men In early 1930, Street & Smith Publications hired David Chrisman and Bill Sweets to adapt the Detective Story Magazine to radio format. Chrisman and Sweets felt the program should be introduced by a mysterious storyteller. A young scriptwriter, Harry Charlot, suggested the name of "The Shadow." Thus, "The Shadow" premiered over CBS airwaves on July 31, 1930, as the host of the Detective Story Hour, narrating "tales of mystery and suspense from the pages of the premier detective fiction magazine." The narrator was first voiced by James LaCurto, but became a national sensation when radio veteran Frank Readick, Jr. assumed the role and gave it "a hauntingly sibilant quality that thrilled radio listeners." The series disappeared from CBS airwaves on March 27, 1935, due to Street & Smith's insistence that the radio storyteller be completely replaced by the master crime-fighter described in Walter B. Gibson's ongoing pulps. But on September 26, 1937, The Shadow radio drama premiered with the story "The Deathhouse Rescue", in which The Shadow was characterized as having "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him." As in the magazine stories, The Shadow was not given the literal ability to become invisible. Thus began the "official" radio drama, with 22-year-old Orson Welles starring as Lamont Cranston, a "wealthy young man about town." Once The Shadow joined Mutual as a half-hour series on Sunday evenings, the program did not leave the air until December 26, 1954. Welles did not speak the signature line, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" Instead, Readick did, using a water glass next to his mouth for the echo effect. The famous catch phrase was accompanied by the strains of an excerpt from Opus 31 of the Camille Saint-Saëns classical composition, Le Rouet d'Omphale. After Welles departed the show in 1938, Bill Johnstone was chosen to replace him and voiced the character for five seasons. Following Johnstone's departure, The Shadow was portrayed by such actors as Bret Morrison (the longest tenure, with 10 years in two separate runs), John Archer, and Steve Courtleigh. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Sherlock Holmes On Radio

Title: Sherlock Holmes On Radio Issues Available: 125 Latest Issue: Sherlock Holmes (Stanley & Shirley) 33 - The Adventure Of The Golden Pinch-Nez | Uploaded: Jun 1, 2016 Sub-Categories: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (16) | Sherlock Holmes - Conway & Bruce (34) | Sherlock Holmes - Rathbone & Bruce (49) | Sherlock Holmes - Stanley & Shirley (26) Sherlock Holmes was created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A London-based "consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. Holmes, who first appeared in print in 1887, was featured in four novels and 56 short stories. The first novel, A Study in Scarlet, appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887 and the second, The Sign of the Four, in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine in 1890. The character's popularity grew with the first series of short stories in The Strand Magazine, beginning with "A Scandal in Bohemia" in 1891, and additional short-story series and two novels (published in serial form) appeared from then to 1927. The stories cover a period from about 1880 to 1914 The stories were very popular as adaptations for the stage, and later film, and still later television. The Universal Sherlock Holmes (1995) by Ronald B. DeWaal lists over 25,000 Holmes-related productions and products. It has been estimated that Sherlock Holmes is the most prolific screen character in the history of cinema.(Source: wikipedia.org)

The Six Shooter

Show Name: The Six Shooter Episodes Available: 40 Latest Episode: The Six-Shooter 18 - The Silver Buckle | Uploaded: Jan 14, 2023 Categories: Western Airing History: Episodes: 39 |  Dates: Sep 20, 1953 - Jun 24, 1954 The Six Shooter is a United States western old-time radio program starring James Stewart as a gunfighter. It was created by Frank Burt, who also wrote many of the episodes, and lasted only one season of 39 episodes on NBC (Sept. 20, 1953 - June 24, 1954). Stewart starred as Britt Ponset, a drifting cowboy in the final years of the wild west. Episodes ranged from straight western drama to whimsical comedy. A trademark of the show was Stewart's use of whispered narration during tense scenes that created a heightened sense of drama and relief when the situation was resolved. Some of the more prominent actors to perform on the program included Parley Baer, Virginia Gregg, Harry Bartell, Howard McNear, Jeanette Nolan, Dan O'Herlihy, Alan Reed, Marvin Miller and William Conrad (often credited as "Julius Krelboyne" because he was also the star of CBS's radio show Gunsmoke, playing Marshall Matt Dillon at the time). Some did multiple episodes playing different characters. Each episode opened with the announcer (Hal Gibney; John Wald in later episodes) stating: "The man in the saddle is angular and long-legged. His skin is sun-dyed brown. The gun in his holster is gray steel and rainbow mother-of-pearl, its handle unmarked. People call them both 'the Six Shooter'." The final episode, "Myra Barker", provided a satisfying (if melancholy) finale to the series: Ponset falls in love with Myra, and proposes marriage. Myra, after thinking it over, appears to accept - but then tells Britt she's heard that Sheriff Jennings of Eagle Falls has asked for his help, and Britt admits that he feels obligated to go. Myra tells Britt to go and not come back - telling him some adventure will always call him, and he'll always go, or regret not going. Britt goes, resuming his wanderings, but not before revealing to the audience that he knows he was "not" needed in Eagle Falls - and knows Myra knows that too. The moment comes across as a moment of supreme self-realization by Britt that he always will be a wanderer. (source: wikipedia)

Sky Blazers

Show Name: Sky Blazers Episodes Available: 4 Latest Episode: Sky Blazers 5 - Bill Brooks' Escapades with the Sioux Indians | Uploaded: Jul 9, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Aviation Sky Blazers first aired on CBS on December 9, 1939. It was produced by Phillips H. Lord, who also created the more famous series Gangbusters. The hero of Sky Blazers is Col. Roscoe Turner, who used his World War I discharge bonus to buy an airplane. Starting as a barnstormer, he became a pioneering aviator founding Nevada Airlines. He also flew in Howard Hughes' Hell's Angels and was an air racer. Each episode started with a radio call from Flight Control. After which Roscoe Turner introduced the episode's featured aviation hero. The show was short lived ending August 31, 1940.

Sleep No More

Show Name: Sleep No More Episodes Available: 20 Latest Episode: Sleep No More 17 - Woman in Gray - A Suspicious Gift | Uploaded: Dec 22, 2015 Categories: Horror Airing History: Dates: 1956 - 1957 Nelson Olmsted, (1914-1992) was an actor who is best known for Sleep No More an unusual NBC radio series, (1956-57), in which he narrated his own adaptations of terror tales and science-fantasy stories. Ben Grauer was the program's announcer. After study at the University of Texas, Olmsted began in radio in the late 1930s as an announcer for WBAP in Fort Worth, Texas. When he launched Black Night (1937-39), a late night 30-minute horror series, it was only a local program, but it created a sensation, with mail arriving at WBAP from ten states. A review in Radio News took note of the chilling music (by Gene Baugh) and horrific sound effects (by A.M. Woodford). Produced by Ken Douglass, the series began November 5, 1937 with Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart" and then continued on with original scripts by Virginia Wiltten. Olmsted starred and was heard in a variety of different roles. Looking back Nelson Olmsted said: "Dramatic shows cost money and there were no budgets. The cheapest drama for radio I could think of was good literature, read aloud. Especially the work of that great dramatist who never wrote a play -- Edgar Allan Poe. WBAP gave me some time with which to experiment. That was way back in 1939 -- and it worked. By 1940, the storytelling show was on NBC for a ten-year run." (Source: wikipedia)

Smokey the Bear

Show Name: Smokey the Bear Episodes Available: 16 Latest Episode: Smokey the Bear 1959-xx-xx - 6) Guest Tennessee Ernie Ford | Uploaded: Jul 9, 2014 Categories: Media/Stars | Non-fiction | Animal Smokey Bear was created by the art critic Harold Rosenberg, and is administered by three entities: the United States Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council. Smokey Bear's name and image are protected by U.S. federal law after the Smokey Bear Act of 1952! This radio series was produced by the Ad Council in 1959. In each show Smokey Bear talks to a big star of of the day about fire prevention. Music is provided by The Sons of the Pioneers, a Western Harmony group, originally formed by Len Slye who later found fame as Roy Rogers! Smokey has a message for everyone, which you must not forget: "Remember ... Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires!!

Space Patrol

Show Name: Space Patrol Episodes Available: 46 Latest Episode: Space Patrol 1953-05-02 - Venus Space Factory | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Science Fiction Space Patrol is a science fiction adventure series that was originally aimed at juvenile audiences of the early 1950s via television, radio, and comic books. However, it soon developed a sizable adult audience such that by 1954, the program consistently ranked in the top 10 shows broadcast on a Saturday. The success of the TV show spawned an almost instant radio version, which ran from 4 October 1952 to 19 March 1955 producing approximately 129 episodes. The same cast of actors performed on both shows. The writers, scripts, adventures and director had some crossover between the radio and TV incarnations however; the radio broadcasts were not limited by the studio sets and became more expansive in scope and story than the television versions. Although there was seldom any deliberate crossing-over of storylines, some of the television villains regularly appeared on the radio (notably Prince Bacarratti), and during the 'Planet X' story both the TV and radio versions explored the rogue planet's invasion of the Space Patrol universe. While the radio series lacked the adult sophistication of sci-fi shows such as the later day X Minus One, it was enjoyed as a Golden Age space opera popularized in the 1930s, the days of science fiction's infancy, by pioneering magazine editor Hugo Gernsback and it is prized by "Old Time Radio" collectors today as one of radio's most enjoyable and fascinating adventures. Unfortunately only around 117 of the original broadcasts survive. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Speed Gibson

Show Name: Speed Gibson Episodes Available: 178 Latest Episode: Speed Gibson 125 - A Poison Dart | Uploaded: Oct 25, 2014 Categories: Children/Teenagers | Aviation Airing History: Episodes: 178 |  Dates: Jan 2, 1937 - May 25, 1940 Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police was written by Virginia Cooke. It features Speed Gibson, a 15 year-old pilot who, through his uncle Clint Barlow, becomes a member of the International Secret Police. The show ran weekly from January 2, 1937 to May 25, 1940. 178 Episodes of the show were produced each lasting approximately 15 minutes. All of these have survived intact! Elliott Lewis may have starred in the title role, but this cannot be confirmed. Some also believe he played Splinters, one of the Octopus' henchmen. Howard McNear played his uncle Clint Barlow and John Gibson sidekick, Barney Dunlap, known for catch phrases such as "Suffering wangdoodles!" Other actors include: Hanley Stafford, Jack Mathers, Victor Rodman and Sam Edwards. The opening theme contains the drone of an airplane and an air traffic controller calling, "Ceiling zero ... ceiling zero ... ceiling zero!" The series is divided into two stories. The first 100 episodes cover The Menace of the Octopus. The remaining 78 shows are titled Speed Gibson And The Atlantian Syndicate. This series follows Speed as he continues his adventures on the African continent and his quest to defeat the Octopus. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Straight Arrow

Show Name: Straight Arrow Episodes Available: 5 Latest Episode: Straight Arrow 60 - Land of Our Fathers | Uploaded: Jul 11, 2014 Categories: Western | Native Americans Straight Arrow radio program was a western adventure series for juveniles which was broadcast, mostly twice weekly in the United States from 1948 or 1949 through 1951. A total of 292 episodes were aired. Although first broadcast only in California, in early 1949 it was broadcast nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting Network. All the programs were written by Sheldon Stark. The protagonist, rancher Steve Adams, became the Comanche Indian, the Straight Arrow, when bad people or other dangers threatened. In fact, Adams was a Comanche orphan who had been adopted by the Adams ranching family and later inherited the ranch. His dual identity was known to only one friend. Internal evidence places the ranch in the vicinity of the Colorado Rockies in the 1870s. Howard Culver played both Adams and Straight Arrow. The program was sponsored by Nabisco Shredded Wheat. Like many other children's programs, this one soon had cross-over presence. The Straight Arrow Comic book first came out in February 1950. Most of the stories were written by Gardner Fox. In addition, there was a Straight Arrow comic strip for which Fox wrote all the scripts as well as and Straight Arrow collectible cards of Indian crafts inserted in the cereal boxes. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Strange as It Seems

Show Name: Strange as It Seems Episodes Available: 61 Latest Episode: Strange as It Seems #073 - Hot Money | Uploaded: Jan 16, 2015 Categories: Non-fiction Airing History: Dates: Mar 22, 1935 - Apr 13, 1947 Strange as It Seems appeared as a syndicated cartoon feature in 1928. Created by John Hix, who insisted every published fact be verified by a minimum of three sources. Strange as It Seems began as a 15 minute radio program on March 22, 1935. It was broadcast over the Columbia - Don Lee Coast radio network. The show was hosted by Gayne Whitman and included two or three segments of dramatized events in mini plays. This run of the shows concluded at the end of January 1937, after over 210 shows. It began again in January 1938 as a 15 minute once a week program ending at the end of December 1938, with 53 shows in this run. The Strange as It Seems radio program was picked up as a 30 minute network program on the Columbia Broadcasting System from August 17, 1939 to December 26, 1940. There were 72 broadcasts of these broadcasts. The sponsor was Palmolive Shave Cream and the host was Alois Havrilla. Havrilla was the announcer on the Stranger Than Fiction movie shorts beginning in 1934 and continuing in that role until the shorts were ended in 1942. Stranger Than Fiction was the successor to the Strange as It Seems movie shorts that ran from 1930 until 1934. The program had one final run in its original 15 minute format from Nov. 10, 1946 to April 13, 1947, airing at 7:30 PM on Sunday nights. There were 22 episodes aired in this run. (Source: wikipedia)

The Strange Dr Weird

Show Name: The Strange Dr Weird Episodes Available: 29 Latest Episode: The Strange Dr Weird 14 - The Dark Wings of Death | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2021 Categories: Horror Airing History: Episodes: 29 |  Dates: Nov 7, 1944 - May 22, 1945 Sponsored by Adam Hats, the drama is notable in part because it was a sister series to The Mysterious Traveler, both in theme and its narrator. Maurice Tarplin, who was also the creepy voice of The Mysterious Traveler. Many of the scripts were condensed 15-minute versions of scripts originally broadcast on The Mysterious Traveler. To the accompaniment of an organ's spooky strains, Tarplin introduced each episode: Good evening. Come in, won't you? Why, what's the matter? You seem a bit nervous. Perhaps the cemetery outside this house has upset you. But there are things far worse than cemeteries. For instance... The closing line never changed: Perhaps you'll drop in on me again soon. I'm always home. Just look for the house on the other side of the cemetery... the house of Dr Weird! The 29 episodes were produced and directed by Jock McGregor and written by Robert A. Arthur, who also scripted for The Mysterious Traveler. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Suspense

Show Name: Suspense Episodes Available: 904 Latest Episode: Suspense 316 - The Screaming Woman | Uploaded: Oct 18, 2014 Categories: Horror | Crime Suspense is a radio drama series broadcast on CBS Radio from 1942 through 1962. One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" and focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era. Approximately 945 episodes were broadcast during its long run, and more than 900 are extant. Suspense went through several major phases, characterized by different hosts, sponsors, and director/producers. Formula plot devices were followed for all but a handful of episodes: the protagonist was usually a normal person suddenly dropped into a threatening or bizarre situation; solutions were "withheld until the last possible second"; and evildoers were usually punished in the end. In its early years, the program made only occasional forays into science fiction and fantasy. Notable exceptions include adaptations of Curt Siodmak's Donovan's Brain and H. P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror", but by the late 1950s, such material was regularly featured. (Source: wikipedia.org)

T-Man

Show Name: T-Man Episodes Available: 2 Latest Episode: T-Man 50-04-29 The Case of the Bleeding Gold | Uploaded: Jul 8, 2014 Categories: Crime | Spy/Espionage T-Man was first published in September 1951, by Quality Comics, the run continued until the company folded in 1956. It has the claim to fame of probably being the only comic book that ever featured a U.S. Treasury agent as its hero. T-Man was also a classic anti-communist title. In the 1920s and 1930s, FBI agents were colloquially referred to as 'G-Man', being a shortened version of 'Government man'. Soon 'T-Man' became used for a Treasury Department official. The comics book T-Man's name was Pete Trask and he also appeared on the back pages of Police Comics. The T-Man title ran for 38 issues until Quality Comics went out of business. When DC Comics acquired the rights to Quality's characters Pete Trask as T-Man was one of the titles they decided to discontinue. The T-Man radio program aired in 1950 and 1956. The first season featured Dennis O'Keefe, playing a treasury agent chasing counterfeiters. The 1956 show starred Jack Ketch who was played by Gordon Glenwright.

Tailspin Tommy

Show Name: Tailspin Tommy Episodes Available: 4 Latest Episode: Tailspin Tommy 19xx-xx-xx - Carabalanca | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Adventure | Children/Teenagers | Aviation Tailspin Tommy an air adventure comic strip was originally illustrated by Hal Forrest and initially distributed by John Wheeler's Bell Syndicate and then by United Feature Syndicate, the strip had a 14-year run from 1928 to 1942. Living in Littleville, Colorado, young Tommy Tomkins had such an obsession with flying that he was given the nickname Tailspin Tommy before he ever actually went inside a plane. Although Tommy took an aero-engineering correspondence course, his real introduction to aviation happened when mail pilot Milt Howe made an emergency landing in a field near Tommy's neighborhood. Tommy watched the downward spiral of Milt's plane and ran to help. Howe rewarded Tommy with a greasemonkey job in Texas at the Three Point Airlines, where he soon became a pilot along with his girlfriend, Betty Lou Barnes, and his best buddy, Peter "Skeeter" Milligan. The trio eventually became part owners in Three Point and took off for many airborne adventures. Tailspin Tommy was portrayed by Maurice Murphy in the 12-episode 1934 movie serial Tailspin Tommy. Another 12-chapter serial, Tailspin Tommy in the Great Air Mystery (1935), starred Clark Williams in the title role. John Trent portrayed Tommy in a series of hour-long features, including Mystery Plane, Stunt Pilot, Sky Patrol and Danger Flight. All were released in 1939. However, very little is currently known about the radio series. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Tales of the Texas Rangers

Show Name: Tales of the Texas Rangers Episodes Available: 93 Latest Episode: Tales of the Texas Rangers 82 - Travesty | Uploaded: Jul 13, 2014 Categories: Crime | Detective Tales of the Texas Rangers aired on NBC Radio from 1950 to 1952 and later on CBS Television from 1955 to 1958. Film star Joel McCrea voiced the radio version as the fictitious Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who uses the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. His faithful horse, Charcoal (or "Charky"), helps Pearson to track down the culprits. The radio shows are reenactments of actual Texas Ranger cases. On the radio Jayce Pearson often worked by request with a local sheriff's office or police department, but in the television version, Willard Parker assumed the role of Jace Pearson and had a regular partner, Ranger Clay Morgan, who had been an occasional character on the radio show. Morgan was portrayed in the television version by Harry Lauter. The radio series used contemporary cases and modern detective methods to solve crimes; it was a procedural drama, in many ways Jack Webb's Dragnet with a western flavor. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Tarzan - Lord of the Jungle

Show Name: Tarzan - Lord of the Jungle Episodes Available: 74 Latest Episode: Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle 68 - Evidence Destroyed | Uploaded: Nov 18, 2014 Categories: Jungle After his first run which lasted between 1932-1936, the radio listening audience had to wait until 1951 to again hear the adventures of Tarzan, and then it was only syndicated on the West coast on the Mutual Don-Lee network. The series, a product of Commadore Productions, was later syndicated nationwide on CBS, replacing Hopalong Cassidy. Unlike the previous series, it was not a serial. The part of Tarzan was played by Lamont Johnson. Walter White, Jr. produced the series. Most scripts were written by Bud Lesser. It opened with: "From the heart of the jungle comes a savage cry of victory. This is Tarzan, Lord of the jungle! From the black core of dark Africa, land of enchantment, mystery and violence comes one of the most colorful figures of all time. Transcribed from the immortal pen of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan, the bronzed, white son of the jungle!" The West coast syndication started on January 11, 1951. The nation-wide syndication started on March 22, 1952 and ran for sixty-seven 30-minute episodes until June 27, 1953. It's not known at this time when the West coast Mutual run ended or how many shows that run included.

Tarzan - Tarzan of the Apes

Show Name: Tarzan - Tarzan of the Apes Episodes Available: 59 Latest Episode: Tarzan of the Apes 54 - Witch Doctor Noises | Uploaded: Nov 17, 2014 Categories: Jungle Edgar Rice Burroughs' "Tarzan of The Apes" first appeared on radio on September 12, 1932 in a syndicated serial that lasted for 286 episodes. Sadly only the first 77 episodes are known to have survived, meaning we are suddenly cut off mid-stream. The show aired three times each week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each episode, not counting commercials, ran for about ten minutes. Below is part of a release from the sponsors Signal Oil & Gas Co: "Saturday, September 10th, the first Radio Premiere on record presented to radio fans all over the State the first episode in the thrilling adventures of "Tarzan of the Apes," sponsored by the Signal Oil and Gas Company. Critics and thousands of motorists who jammed the World Premiere Radio Show at Fox Pantages Theatre in Hollywood proclaimed it the most fascinating and colorful radio program they had ever heard. Among those who participated in the stage show were Jim Pierce, all-American football player and well-known actor, who takes the part of Tarzan in Signal's sensational radio serial; Miss Joan Burroughs, talented actress and daughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs; Mr. Burroughs himself, internationally known author of all "Tarzan" stories together with the entire Tarzan radio cast, including Lord and Lady Graystoke, Captain Tracy, Cecil Clayton, Yont, Professor Porter, Philander, (Joan Burroughs as Jane Porter and James Pierce as Tarzan).... "

Tarzan - The Diamond of Asher

Show Name: Tarzan - The Diamond of Asher Episodes Available: 39 Latest Episode: Tarzan - The Diamond of Asher 39 | Uploaded: Nov 18, 2014 Categories: Jungle This serial started on May 14, 1934, airing Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, consisting of 39 15-minute episodes. Tarzan was played by Carlton KaDell, the show was directed by Fred Shields and narrated by John McIntire. Although originally broadcast in 1934, the following introduction was penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs for the announcer to read introducing a 1940 broadcast of Tarzan And The Diamond of Asher. "We bring you Tarzan, that immortal fictional character of Edgar Rice Burroughs, in a new and exciting serial entitled TARZAN AND THE DIAMOND OF ASHER, which is adapted from the novel, 'Tarzan And The Forbidden City.' Deep in the heart of Africa rises a mighty cone-shaped mountain, an extinct volcano, in the huge crater of which lies The Forbidden City of Asher... To reach this stronghold two safaris endure hardships and perils that bring death to some and high adventure to all... One safari is bent on the rescue of the son of its leader... the other, headed by a wily and unscrupulous Oriental, seeks only the Father of Diamonds... And through the intrigue and mystery and the danger moves the majestic figure of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle." (source: old-time.com)

Tarzan - The Fires of Tohr

Show Name: Tarzan - The Fires of Tohr Episodes Available: 39 Latest Episode: Tarzan - The Fires of Tohr 25 | Uploaded: Nov 18, 2014 Categories: Jungle Tarzan and the Fires of Tohr was the second serial produced by Burroughs. Due to delays the show only played on ten stations, including Hawaii, Canada and Australia. The 39 episodes originally aired during 1936. Here is the original synopsis: "While investigating the illegal activities of slave traders and ivory smugglers, Tarzan and his friend, Paul D'Arnot save a member of the Burton-Ashleigh Expedition from death. After learning that the expedition is lost, Tarzan agrees to lead the group out of the jungle. Little do they realize however, that they will soon be captured by a strange yellow race, and taken to the lost city of Tohr... There they face the dangers of the arena, rogue elephants and sacrifice to the Fires of Tohr - the result of a hidden lake of volcanic fire that shoots up through a pit to the very arms of the temple god, an idol carved in the likeness of a lion. Befriending the son of the ruler of a rival city who is held as a slave in Tohr, Tarzan and his friends face death at every turn. Love, hate, jealousy, and political intrigue - as well as courage and loyalty - all play parts in this thrilling serial produced under the personal direction of Edgar Rice Burroughs."

Terry and the Pirates

Show Name: Terry and the Pirates Episodes Available: 165 Latest Episode: Terry and the Pirates 1942-04-02 - 129) Terry Nurses the Dragon Lady | Uploaded: Jul 20, 2014 Categories: Children/Teenagers | Adventure Terry and the Pirates radio serial was adapted from Milton Caniff's 1934 comic strip. With storylines of action, high adventure and foreign intrigue, the series entralled listeners from 1937 through 1948. The central character, Terry Lee, was portrayed at various times by Jackie Kelk, Cliff Carpenter, Owen Jordan, and Bill Fein. Terry's buddy Pat Ryan was played by Bud Collyer, Warner Anderson, Bob Griffin, and Larry Alexander. Others characters were Flip Corkin (Ted de Corsia), Elita (Gerta Rozan), Burma (Frances Chaney), Hotshot Charlie (Cameron Andrews) and Connie the coolie (Cliff Norton, John Gibson, Peter Donald). The main villain was the Dragon Lady (Agnes Moorehead, Adelaide Klein, Marion Sweet, Mina Reaume). When the late afternoon series began, it was heard at 5:15pm, three times a week, sponsored by Dari-Rich, airing on NBC Red Network from November 1, 1937 to June 1, 1938. It switched to NBC Blue Network on September 26, 1938, continuing until March 22, 1939. Absent from the airwaves for over two years, it returned shortly before the Attack on Pearl Harbor, heard in the Midwestern United States on the Chicago Tribune's WGN. That series, sponsored by Libby's, aired five days a week from October 16, 1941 to May 29, 1942. With increasing popularity during World War II, the show next took off at a fast pace on Blue Network, airing daily for 15 minutes on weekday afternoons beginning February 1, 1943. The Quaker Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice "shot from guns" commercials often had a patriotic pitch. Douglas Browning was the announcer during the mid-1940s. After 1945, with no wartime villains for Terry and his pals to fight, ratings began to drop in the post-WWII period until the final episode on June 30, 1948. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Theatre Royal

Show Name: Theatre Royal Episodes Available: 45 Latest Episode: Theatre Royal 48 - Country of the Blind | Uploaded: Oct 14, 2014 Categories: Mixed Bag A British anthology series, featuring plays based on the best of literature, films and theater. Produced in two series, Sir Lawrence Olivier and Sir Ralph Richardson serve as hosts, narrators and many times portray the leading roles. The program apparently was developed as a vehicle to capitalize on Olivier's name and talent. Many fine actors of the British stage and screen were involved including: Sir John Gielgud, Robert Morley, Harry Andrews, Muriel Forbes, Robert Donat, and Daphne Maddox. The music was credited to the renown British organist and arranger, Sidney Torch. However much of the same music was also used in other Harry Alan Towers productions on which Torch also worked, such as The Secrets of Scotland Yard, The Black Museum, and The Many Lives of Harry Lime. So how much of it was actually written for this series will probably never be known. Harry Alan Towers produced and directed the show for his Towers of London company for international syndication, at the time in Europe, South Africa and Australia. (Source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Tom Corbett, Space Cadet

Show Name: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Episodes Available: 46 Latest Episode: Tom Corbett, Space Cadet 27 - Double Cross in Space ep1 | Uploaded: Jul 10, 2014 Categories: Science Fiction Joseph Lawrence Greene of Grosset & Dunlap developed Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, inspired by the Robert A. Heinlein novel Space Cadet (1948) but based on his own prior work. Greene had submitted a radio script for "Tom Ranger" and the "Space Cadets" on January 16, 1946, but it remained unperformed when Heinlein's novel was published. Greene then reworked his radio script into a script for a daily newspaper adventure strip, which was never produced. Tom Corbett first appeared on television. The stories initially closely followed the scripts written for the unpublished newspaper comic strip Tom Ranger, Space Cadet, by Joseph Greene from 1949. The stories followed the adventures of Corbett, Astro, originally Roger Manning and later T.J. Thistle, cadets at the Space Academy as they train to become members of the Solar Guard. The action takes place at the Academy in classrooms and bunkrooms, aboard their training ship the rocket cruiser Polaris, and on alien worlds, both within our solar system and in orbit around nearby stars. The cast for the radio program was the same as for the television series. The show ran from January 1, 1952 - June 26, 1952, initially in 15-minute segments three times a week and then as a half-hour show twice a week. A radio version produced in Australia used local actors.

Tom Mix

Show Name: Tom Mix Episodes Available: 27 Latest Episode: Tom Mix 1939-03-10 - James' Father | Uploaded: Jul 19, 2014 Categories: Western | Western Stars Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 - October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. Between 1909 and 1935, Mix appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent movies. He was Hollywood's first Western megastar and is noted as having helped define the genre for all cowboy actors who followed. In 1933, Ralston-Purina obtained his permission to produce a Tom Mix radio series called Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters which, but for one year during World War II, was popular throughout most of the 1930s through the early 1950s. Mix never appeared on these broadcasts, and was instead played by radio actors: Artells Dickson (early 1930s), Jack Holden (from 1937), Russell Thorsen (early 1940s) and Joe "Curley" Bradley (from 1944). Others in the supporting cast included George Gobel, Harold Peary and Willard Waterman. The Ralston company offered ads during the Tom Mix radio program for listeners to send in for a series of 12 special Ralston-Tom Mix Comic books available only by writing the Ralston Company by mail. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Unexpected

Show Name: The Unexpected Episodes Available: 32 Latest Episode: The Unexpected 130 - Voodoo Night | Uploaded: Nov 24, 2023 Categories: Horror Airing History: Episodes: 40 |  Dates: Jul 11, 1947 - Nov 7, 1948 "Who knows what drama may happen tomorrow ... or an hour from now ... or in just a moment? Who knows what destiny has in store for the lady down the street, the fellow at the next desk, or you yourself? Who knows?" Produced by Hamilton-Whitney "The Unexpected" is a quarter-hour melodrama, featuring tales of mystery and the unknown. All completed with an unexpected twist at the end. Performers included Lurene Tuttle, Barry Sullivan, Jack Holt, and Marsha Hunt

Walk Softly, Peter Troy

Show Name: Walk Softly, Peter Troy Episodes Available: 48 Latest Episode: Walk Softly, Peter Troy 17 - The Odds-On Lady | Uploaded: Dec 30, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 51 |  Dates: Dec 10, 1963 - Feb 21, 1964 Walk Softly, Peter Troy Detective Drama aired on Springbok Radio from December 10, 1963 to February 21, 1964. This series was produced in the Durban Studios of Herrick Merril Productions. It starred Tom Meehan, John Simpson, and Merle Wayne. It was sponsored by Irving & Johnson, who also sponsored the Gunsmoke series which Walk Softly, Peter Troy replaced. A sequel to this series was heard on the English Radio Service from May 19, 1964 to November 28, 1964. The sponsors, Irving & Johnson, reportedly disliked the series, which is why it was discontinued on Springbok Radio and moved to the English Service. This was the first series on the English Service that came from an independent production house, not produced by the SABC. (source: Old Time Radio Researchers Group)

Weird Circle

Show Name: Weird Circle Episodes Available: 78 Latest Episode: Weird Circle 76 - The Haunted Hotel | Uploaded: Oct 14, 2014 Categories: Horror The Weird Circle was a syndicated radio drama series produced in New York and originally broadcast between 1943-1945. The series was a Ziv Production, produced at RCA's New York studios and licensed by the Mutual Broadcasting System, and later, NBC's Red network. It lasted two seasons, 39 shows each (78 total) consisting mostly of radio adaptations of classic horror stories from the pens of the world's best known and respected supernatural fiction authors like Edgar Alan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Dickens. The production values were modest and it featured very little music. (Source: wikipedia.org)

The Whistler

Show Name: The Whistler Episodes Available: 486 Latest Episode: The Whistler 409 - Lady with a Key | Uploaded: Nov 28, 2023 Categories: Horror The Whistler ran from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955 on the west-coast regional CBS radio network. The show also broadcast in Chicago and over Armed Forces Radio. On the west coast, it was sponsored by the Signal Oil Company: "That whistle is your signal for the Signal Oil program, The Whistler." There were also two short-lived attempts to form east-coast broadcast spurs: July 3 to September 25, 1946, sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company; and March 26, 1947 to September 29, 1948, sponsored by Household Finance. The program was also adapted into a film noir series by Columbia Pictures in 1944. Each episode began with the sound of footsteps and a person whistling. (The Saint radio series with Vincent Price used a similar opening.) The haunting signature theme tune was composed by Wilbur Hatch and featured Dorothy Roberts whistling with an orchestra. Writer-producer J. Donald Wilson established the tone of the show during its first two years. He was followed in 1944 by producer-director George Allen. Other directors included Sterling Tracy and Sherman Marks with final scripts by Joel Malone and Harold Swanton. Of the 692 episodes, over 200 no longer exist. In 1946, a local Chicago version of The Whistler with local actors aired Sundays on WBBM, sponsored by Meister Brau beer. The stories followed a formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone either by an overlooked but important detail or by their own stupidity. On rare occasions a curious twist of fate caused the story to end happily for the episode's protagonist. Ironic twist endings were a key feature of each episode. The Whistler himself narrated, often commenting directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the characters, guilty or innocent, from an omniscient perspective. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Whitehall 1212

Show Name: Whitehall 1212 Episodes Available: 44 Latest Episode: Whitehall 1212 ep36 - The Case of Nora Brady | Uploaded: Dec 26, 2021 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 44 |  Dates: Nov 18, 1951 - Sep 28, 1952 Whitehall 1212 was a weekly crime drama radio show in the United States that ran from November 18, 1951 until September 28, 1952. Its cases were taken from the files of Scotland Yard's Black Museum. Whitehall 1212, named after the then famous telephone number of Scotland Yard - the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Force - was written and directed by Wyllis Cooper and broadcast by NBC. It was hosted by Chief Superintendent John Davidson, curator of the Black Museum and it used many of the same picked cases by contemporary radio show The Black Museum, and nearly mirrored its broadcast run. The two shows were different in the respect that while Whitehall 1212 told the story of a case entirely from the point of view of the police starting from the crime scene, The Black Museum was more heavily dramatized and played out scenes of the actual murders and included scenes from the criminal's point of view. (source: wikipedia)

Wild Bill Hickok

Show Name: Wild Bill Hickok Episodes Available: 261 Latest Episode: Wild Bill Hickok 174 - House on Windy Hill | Uploaded: Jul 11, 2014 Categories: Western | Western Heroes The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok is an American Western television series which ran for eight seasons from 1951 through 1958. The Screen Gems series began in syndication, but ran on CBS from 1955 through 1958, and, at the same time, on ABC from 1957 through 1958. The series was also exported to Australia during the late-1950s. The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok starred Guy Madison as the legendary Old West lawman (in real life, also a gunfighter) Marshal James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, and Andy Devine as his comedy sidekick, Jingles P. Jones. Devine and Madison portrayed their roles on Mutual radio from 1951 to 1956. (Source: wikipedia.org)

X Minus One

Show Name: X Minus One Episodes Available: 121 Latest Episode: X Minus One 85 - Open Warfare | Uploaded: Feb 13, 2015 Categories: Science Fiction X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio drama series broadcast from April 24, 1955 to January 9, 1958 in various timeslots on NBC. Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X (1950-51), the first 15 episodes of X Minus One were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers, including Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Frederik Pohl and Theodore Sturgeon, along with some original scripts by Kinoy and Lefferts. Included in the series were adaptations of Robert Sheckley's "Skulking Permit," Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven", Heinlein's "Universe" and "The Green Hills of Earth", " Pohl's "The Tunnel under the World", J. T. McIntosh's "Hallucination Orbit", Fritz Leiber's "A Pail of Air", and George Lefferts' "The Parade". The program opened with announcer Fred Collins delivering the countdown, leading into the following introduction (although later shows were partnered with Galaxy Science Fiction rather than Astounding Science Fiction). The series was canceled after the 126th broadcast on January 9, 1958. However, the early 1970s brought a wave of nostalgia for old-time radio; a new experimental episode, "The Iron Chancellor" by Robert Silverberg, was produced in 1973, but it failed to revive the series. NBC also tried broadcasting the old recordings, but their irregular once-monthly scheduling kept even devoted listeners from following the broadcasts. (source: wikipedia)

Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar

Show Name: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar Episodes Available: 721 Latest Episode: Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar 731 - Two's a Crowd Matter | Uploaded: Jun 13, 2016 Categories: Crime | Detective Airing History: Episodes: 809 |  Dates: Feb 18, 1949 - Sep 30, 1962 Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar is a radio drama that aired on CBS Radio from February 18, 1949 to September 30, 1962. The first several seasons imagined protagonist Johnny Dollar as a standard private investigator drama. In 1955 after a yearlong hiatus, the series came back in its best-known incarnation with Bob Bailey starring in "the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account - America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator." There were 809 episodes (plus two not-for-broadcast auditions) in the 12-year run, and more than 720 still exist today. As originally conceived, Johnny Dollar was a smart, tough, wisecracking detective who tossed silver-dollar tips to waiters and bellhops. Dick Powell starred in the audition show, recorded in 1948, but withdrew from the role in favor of other projects. The role went instead to Charles Russell. The show, for which Powell auditioned, was originally titled "Yours Truly, Lloyd London," although the name of the show and its lead character were apparently changed before the audition tape of December 7, 1948, was actually recorded. With the first three actors to play Johnny Dollar - radio actor Russell and movie tough-guy actors Edmond O'Brien and John Lund - there was little to distinguish Johnny Dollar from other detective series at the time (Richard Diamond, Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade). While always a friend of the police, Johnny wasn't necessarily a stickler for the strictest interpretation of the law. He was willing to let some things slide to satisfy his own sense of justice, as long as the interests of his employer were also protected. The final episodes of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense, airing on CBS, are often cited as the end of the golden age of radio. The last episode of Johnny Dollar, "The Tip-Off Matter", ended at 6:35 p.m. Eastern Time on September 30, 1962, followed immediately by the final broadcast of Suspense. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Odds and Ends

Show Name: Odds and Ends Episodes Available: 2 Latest Episode: Martin Kane, Private Investigator 1953-10-29 - Unknown | Uploaded: Jul 20, 2014 Categories: Mixed Bag Here is an Odds & Ends category which we have tagged at the bottom of the Old Time Radio section. We will use it to house one-off broadcasts and shows with only single remaining episodes.