Showing results by author "Classic Radio Shows" in All Categories

Classified as a juvenile crime drama but written and acted with more adult style than most of the breed, "The Green Hornet"---whose protagonist fought crime by infiltrating or even partnering (initially) with known criminal operations, which deceive police into believing him a wanted criminal himself---was the creation of George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, the brains and head writer behind "The Lone Ranger" (whose protagonist, according to storyline, was the great-uncle of Britt Reid, the heir who assumed control of the Daily Sentinel newspaper publisher and takes the crimefighting guise of ...

Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on three networks (the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC) between 1932 and 1948. Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels.

Quiet, Please! was a radio fantasy and horror program created by Wyllis Cooper, also known for creating Lights Out. Ernest Chappell was the show's announcer and lead actor. Quiet, Please debuted June 8, 1947, on the Mutual Broadcasting System, and its last episode was broadcast June 25, 1949, on the ABC

District Attorney is a radio crime drama, produced by Samuel Bischoff, which aired on NBC and ABC from April 3, 1939, to June 13, 1952 (and in transcribed syndication through 1953). The series focused on a crusading D.A., initially known only as "Mister District Attorney," or "Chief", and was later translated to television.

Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short story writer. The Damon Runyon Theater radio series dramatized 52 of Runyon's short stories in weekly broadcasts running from October 1948 to September 1949 (with reruns until 1951). The series was produced by Alan Ladd's Mayfair Transcription Company for syndication to local radio stations. John Brown played the character "Broadway", who doubled as host and narrator. The cast also comprised Alan Reed, Luis Van Rooten, Joseph Du Val, Gerald Mohr, Frank Lovejoy, Herb Vigran, Sheldon Leonard, ...

In 1943, the United States Office of War Information (OWI), in cooperation with The Council on Books in Wartime, and the National Broadcasting Company combined to suggest a Radio program dramatisation some of the more important of these books.Words At WarThe Council on Books in Wartime was a non-profit organization founded in the Spring of 1942 by booksellers, publishers, librarians, and authors, with the purpose of channeling the use of books as “weapons in the war of ideas,” the Council’s motto. Its stated aims were “the promotion of books to influence the thinking of the American ...

Fort Laramie is a CBS Radio Western series starring Raymond Burr as Captain Lee Quince. It aired Sunday afternoons January 22–October 28, 1956, at 5:30pm ET. Produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, this Western drama depicted life at old Fort Laramie during the 19th Century.

These fifteen minute episodes of mystery and espionage from the 1939 broadcasts begin with a prolonged organ intro so the local announcer could get in a couple of commercials for the local furniture store or dairy! Each single episode lasted about 12 and 1/2 minutes, but each "case" is really quite interesting and exciting. Walter PidgeonAgent K-7 is actually a rather mild-mannered narrator of these stories. He doesn't sound or seem very heroic or interesting... which would make him all the more effective as a spy! The spy's best disguise is a perfectly ordinary and uninteresting demeanor. The...

The Witch's Tale was a horror-fantasy radio series which aired from May 21, 1931, to June 13, 1938, on WOR, the Mutual Radio Network, and in syndication. The program was created, written, and directed by Alonzo Deen Cole (February 22, 1897, St. Paul, Minnesota - April 7, 1971). Cole's spooky show was hosted by Old Nancy, the Witch of Salem, who introduced a different terror tale each week. The role of Old Nancy was created by stage actress Adelaide Fitz-Allen, who died in 1935 at the age of 79. Cole replaced her with 13-year-old Miriam Wolfe, and Martha Wentworth was also heard as Old Nancy on...

Frank Merriwell is a fictional character appearing in a series of novels and short stories by Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the pseudonym Burt L. Standish. The character appeared in over 200 dime novels between 1896 and 1930 (some between 1927 and 1930 were written by other authors with the same pen name), numerous radio dramas in 1934 and again from 1946 through 1949, a comic strip from 1928 through 1936, a comic book (four issues) Frank Merriwell At Yale, and a 12-episode serialized film in 1936. The book series was relaunched (with a different author) in 1965, but only three books were ...

Tales of the Texas Rangers, a western adventure old-time radio drama, premiered on July 8, 1950, on the US NBC radio network and remained on the air through September 14, 1952. Movie star Joel McCrea starred as Texas Ranger Jayce Pearson, who used the latest scientific techniques to identify the criminals and his faithful horse, Charcoal, to track them down.

***********SOME SHOWS SOUND QUALITY NOT GOOD********Jack Benny first appeared on radio as a guest of Ed Sullivan in 1932. He was then given his own show later that year, with Canada Dry Ginger Ale as a sponsor --The Canada Dry Program, beginning May 2, 1932, on the NBC Blue Network and continuing there for six months until October 26, moving the show to CBS on October 30. With Ted Weems leading the band, Benny stayed on CBS until January 26, 1933.Arriving at NBC on March 17, Benny did The Chevrolet Program until April 1, 1934. He continued with The General Tire Revue for the rest of that ...

Escape is an American radio drama. It 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.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was a 15 minute radio serial that ran for 52 episodes from September 9, 1943 to February 16, 1944 starring George Edwards. George Edwards (born as Harold Parks, 11 March 1886 in Kent Town, South Australia – 1953) was an Australian actor and producer. Edwards was a pioneer of the radio serial in Australia.

Murder By Experts ran on Mutual from June 1949 through December of 1951. Its total run consisted of 130 episodes of crime and mystery that quickly birthed a loyal following of listeners and swiftly gained the respect and approval from the radio world at large.

Sears Radio Theater was a radio drama anthology series which ran weeknights on CBS Radio in 1979, sponsored by the Sears chain. Often paired with The CBS Radio Mystery Theater during its first season, the program offered a different genre of drama for each evening's

Pat Novak, for Hire is an old-time radio detective drama series which aired from 1946–1947 as a West Coast regional 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 ...

Nightfall is the title of a radio drama series produced and aired by CBC Radio (see Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) from July 1980 to June 1983. While primarily a supernatural/horror series, Nightfall featured some episodes in other genres, such as science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama. One episode was even adapted from a folk song by Stan Rogers. Some of Nightfall's episodes were so terrifying that the CBC registered numerous complaints and some affiliate stations dropped it. Despite this, the series went on to become one of the most popular shows in CBC Radio history, running...

Wild Bill rode "Buckshot," and Jingles rode "Joker." Guy Madison played Marshal Wild Bill Hickok on radio and TV, with Andy Devine as Jingles. Hollywood actors did the bad guys and townsfolk. Charlie Lion did the announcing, and was "Panhandle Jim" for the Corn Pops commercials.

The Casebook of Jerry Browning, Private Detective" or "Calling All Detectives" was a crime drama radio show sponsored by Sealy Mattress company, and featured Paul Barnes who played all the roles including the role of detective Browning. During the show, Paul Barnes randomly dials a telephone number, then gives one of the audiences a chance to solve the mystery of the week. However, the random phone calls did not click so Barnes decided to dial only the numbers of the listeners. The telephone calls were removed from the program later on because it was used in syndicate. This two-man operation ...