Showing results by author "Black Eye Entertainment" in All Categories

Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll made their radio debut January 12, 1926, as the comedic, blackface characters Sam 'n' Henry. On March 19, 1928 they introduced Amos 'n' Andy, which went on to become one of the most popular and longest-running programs in radio history. During the height of its popularity, almost the entire country listened to the 15-minute, Monday through Friday adventures of Amos 'n' Andy. Department stores open in the evening piped in the broadcasts, so shoppers wouldn't miss an episode.

Based on the book Cloak and Dagger: The Secret Story of the O.S.S. by Corey Ford and Alistair McBain, the radio version of these fascinating true stories kept listeners on the edge of their seats. The combination of Hoskin’s accurate research and Cooper’s lively, fast-paced writing helped make Cloak and Dagger one of the best espionage-adventures ever to hit the airwaves. The Office of Strategic Services - the progenitor of our Central Intelligence Agency - was one of American history’s most colorful and compelling WWII intelligence gathering efforts.

Reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart’s character “Rick Blaine” from the classic film Casablanca, Rocky Jordan was banished by enemies from St. Louis and relocated to Cairo, Egypt. Now living in Northern Africa, Rocky Jordan owns and operates his gin joint (the Café Tambourine) and finds an assortment of mystery and intrigue while unwillingly moonlighting as a crime fighter. Cairo‘s Police Chief, Sam Sabaaya, is an Egyptian Muslim who strictly adheres to the law. Often times, when a crime is committed, Jordan is the prime suspect - forcing him to solve the crime so he can clear his name and save his neck.

Fort Laramie is an adult-oriented Western radio series that aired Sunday afternoons on the CBS radio network from January 22 to October 28, 1956. Produced and directed by Gunsmoke's Norman Macdonnell, this realistic Western drama depicted life at Fort Laramie, an important stop on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails as well as a staging point for various military excursions during the 19th century. In 1849 the Fort was taken over by the United States Army to protect the many wagon trains of migrant travelers on the trail. The series starred Raymond Burr as Lee Quince, captain of the cavalry.

Author Jack Boyle created the modern Robin Hood-like character, Horatio Black, known to friend and foe as Boston Blackie. Blackie was a reformed jewel thief and safecracker, constantly suspected of crimes he did not commit. Forced to defend himself against the accusations of New York Police Inspector Faraday, Blackie always managed to stay one step ahead of the cops in solving a crime. The wisecracks exchanged between Blackie and Faraday made the program an enjoyable mix of comedy and mystery. Enjoy 12 of the finest detective adventures of Boston Blackie in this thrilling collection!

Horatio Black was known to friend and foe as Boston Blackie - an ex-jewel thief and safecracker constantly suspected of crimes he did not commit and forced to play the role of detective to clear his name. His girlfriend, Mary Wesley, assisted Blackie from time to time, as did his pal Shorty. Forced to defend himself against the accusations of New York Police Inspector Faraday, Blackie always managed to stay one step ahead of the cops in solving a crime. The wisecracks exchanged between Blackie and Faraday made the program an enjoyable mix of comedy and mystery.

Initially launched as Barrie Crane, Confidential Investigator on NBC in 1951, the series soon made a name change to Barrie Craig, Confidential Investigator. It starred movie and film veteran William Gargan as hard-boiled New York-based private eye Barry Craig. Gargan had been playing Martin Kane, Private Detective on both radio and TV. In the summer of 1951, Gargan cleared the decks for his role as Barrie Craig. Gruff, blunt and sardonic but with a good sense of humor, Gargan was perfect for the genre and in the role of Barrie Craig.

Broadway Is My Beat was a dark, gritty radio crime drama that ran on CBS from 1949 until 1954. The series was originally broadcast from New York with Anthony Ross portraying Times Square Police Detective Danny Clover. Produced by Lester Gottlieb, it was directed by John Dietz. By the thirteenth episode, the series moved to Hollywood (still set in NYC) with producer Elliott Lewis directing a new cast with scripts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin (the duo that would later write and develop TV’s popular secret-agent series I Spy).

Radio westerns were aimed at kids until 1952 when Gunsmoke hit the radio airwaves. Produced for adult listeners, the stories were grim, the deaths brutal and life on the plains was harsh. Radio audiences had never heard anything like Gunsmoke and they made it the #1 western on radio. It soon made a successful transition to television becoming the longest-running dramatic series in TV history.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio - including episodes of The Jack Benny Program, Burns & Allen, Gunsmoke, The Amos ‘N’ Andy Show, Philip Marlowe, The Green Hornet, X Minus One, Sherlock Holmes and many others. Radio’s finest actors perform before the microphones, including: Jack Benny, Frank Sinatra, Danny Kaye, Groucho Marx, Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Hilliard, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Jim and Marian Jordan, Hal Peary, Eve Arden, George Burns, Gracie Allen and many more.

The Golden Age of Radio had incredible detective shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear their favorite Hollywood stars voicing fiction’s most famous gumshoes. This collection includes Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade searching for the Black Bird in The Maltese Falcon in a radio adaptation that co-starred the original film cast of Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.

The detective character, Sam Spade, was created by Dashiell Hammett for his crime novel The Maltese Falcon. Spade was a hard-boiled detective with cold detachment, a keen eye for detail and unflinching determination to achieve his own justice. The character is most closely associated with Humphrey Bogart who played Sam Spade in the third and most famous film version of The Maltese Falcon. In 1946, one of radio’s top producers (William Spier) brought “Sam Spade” to CBS radio starring newcomer Howard Duff with Lurene Tuttle.

Conceived as a potential radio vehicle for Alfred Hitchcock to direct, Suspense was a radio series of epic proportion. It aired on CBS from 1942 to 1962 and is considered by many to be the best mystery/drama series of the golden age. Known as Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills, it focused on suspenseful stories starring the biggest names in Hollywood. Early in the run, the episodes were hosted by the 'Man In Black' who, from an omniscient perch, narrated stories of people thrown into dangerous or bizarre situations.

The Lux Radio Theatre was one of the most prestigious and longest running shows from Radio’s Golden Age. It featured the greatest stars in Hollywood appearing in hour-long radio adaptations of their biggest motion pictures. Cecil B. DeMille was the host (from 1936-1945) for a lavish production of what was to become a veritable checklist of many of Hollywood’s best films from the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s. The stars of the movie usually appeared in their audio counterparts, although sometimes contracts or schedules meant that another actor took the part.

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character appearing regularly on The Fibber McGee & Molly Show. On August 31, 1941, the character landed his own situation comedy show, The Great Gildersleeve, becoming radio’s first spin-off. Gildy moved from the town of Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where he raised his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy (Walter Tetley). The household also included a cook named Birdie (Lillian Randolph).

When real life husband and wife George Burns and Gracie Allen worked together in vaudeville, George was the comic and his wife Gracie had the straight lines. They switched their roles upon discovering that Gracie's delivery got a bigger laugh than George's punch lines. The duo became a big hit on Vaudeville and in films so when radio beckoned, they delivered. Their first regular radio work was as supporting players on CBS's The Guy Lombardo Show in the 1930s.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest science fiction shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio - including episodes of X Minus One, Suspense, The CBS Radio Workshop, Escape, Murder At Midnight, and many others. Radio's finest actors perform before the microphones, including: Frank Lovejoy, Mason Adams, Eddie Bracken, Ann Blyth, Ian Martin, Lon Clark, Everett Sloane, Jackson Beck, and many more.

Like its predecessor Dragnet, Tales of the Texas Rangers adapted actual police case files for its broadcasts. Leading each week's investigation of an actual Texas Ranger case was the same Texas Ranger, Jayce Pearson, portrayed by movie star Joel McCrea. Because the stories were set in present day, Pearson used the latest scientific techniques to identify criminals. Unlike Joe Friday, Pearson didn't have a regular partner, typically working with the local sheriff instead.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest Christmas shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of Radio! Relive these classic Christmas shows from yesteryear and their legendary stars in this incredible collection.

X Minus One was a half-hour science fiction radio series broadcast from April 24, 1955 until January 9, 1958 over NBC. Initially a revival of NBC's Dimension X (1950-51), X Minus One is widely considered among the finest science fiction dramas ever produced for radio. The first 15 episodes were new versions of Dimension X episodes, but the remainders were adaptations by NBC staff writers, including Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field.