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

"The Falcon" radio series premiered in 1943, and continued until 1954. The Falcon was an alternate identity for detective Michael Waring. Like the Falcon movies, the radio plots mixed danger, romance and comedy in equal parts. Each show began with a telephone ringing and Michael Waring, The Falcon, answering the phone. Speaking with a woman whose voice was never heard, Waring would explain that he had an urgent situation in which he had to deal with. This led into the standard opening, followed by the week's tale of adventure.

Debonair British actor Herbert Marshall starred as FBl secret agent Ken Thurston, "the man who crosses the ocean as readily as you and I cross town; he is the man who fights today's war in his unique fashion, so that tomorrow's peace will make the world a neighborhood for all of us." Leon Belasco played Mr. X's comedic sidekick, Pagan Zeldchmidt, who always turned up in remote parts of the world to assist Thurston.

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.

The golden age of radio had incredible western shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear western heroes catch the bad-guys and save ladies in distress. This collection includes John Wayne and Claire Trevor starring in a radio adaptation of the John Ford film "Stagecoach", James Stewart as slow-talking maverick Britt Ponset on "The Six Shooter", William Conrad as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke", John Dehner as 'the man called Paladin' on "Have Gun, Will Travel", and more.

The golden age of radio had incredible comedy shows that kept Americans in stitches for decades. Families gathered around their living room radios to be entertained by the greatest names in Hollywood each and every day. This collection includes Lucille Ball as Liz Cooper on "My Favorite Husband", Jim & Marian Jordan as "Fibber McGee & Molly", Ed "Archie" Gardner on "Duffy's Tavern", William Bendix as Chester A. Riley on "The Life of Riley", Ozzie Nelson and Harriet Hilliard in "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet", and more.

Born in Chicago, February 14, 1894, Benjamin Kubelsky would later become known as Jack Benny. As a boy, he was encouraged by his Jewish immigrant parents from Poland to become a concert violinist. He learned to play quite well and hit the vaudeville stage, where he played popular songs and honed a suave-but-fragile personality, telling self-deprecating jokes. Benny guested on the "Ed Sullivan" radio show March 19, 1932 and was an instant success.

Taking its name from a popular series of mystery novels, Inner Sanctum Mystery debuted over NBC's Blue Network in January 1941. Inner Sanctum Mystery featured one of the most memorable and atmospheric openings in radio history: an organist hit a dissonant chord, a doorknob turned and the famous "creaking door" slowly began to open. Every week, Inner Sanctum Mystery told stories of ghosts, murderers and lunatics. Produced in New York, the cast usually consisted of veteran radio actors.

The golden age of radio had incredibly scary mystery shows that kept Americans chilled and thrilled. Families gathered around their living room radios to be entertained by the greatest names in Hollywood each and every day. This terrific collection of 12 great radio mystery shows includes Boris Karloff on "Lights Out!", Peter Lorre in the story of Jack-the-Ripper on "Mystery in the Air", Vincent Price and Ida Lupino in a tale well-calculated to keep you in "Suspense", the story of Lizzie Borden on "Crime Classics" and many more!

Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947, until September 25, 1954. The series' well-remembered opening combined Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain with this introduction, as intoned by Paul Frees and/or 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!

Hosted by Norman Rose, "Dimension X" was one of radio's first adult science-fiction series and made its mark by adapting short stories by acknowledged masters in the field, including: Isaac Asimov, Robert Bloch, Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown, Robert. A. Heinlein, Clifford D. Simak, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., and William Tenn. Scriptwriters Ernest Kinoy and George Lefferts, who also contributed their own original scripts, adapted the stories.

The Adventures of Philip Marlowe was radio's top detective program. Raymond Chandler's celebrated hardboiled private eye, Philip Marlowe, made his radio debut in 1945 on The Lux Radio Theatre with "Murder My Sweet" starring Dick Powell. Two years later, NBC would bring the character to the air in his own weekly series starring Van Heflin in The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe. Being a summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show, the series was short-lived and ended on September 9th, 1947.

First heard on network radio in 1948, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar chronicled the adventures of freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar, "the man with the action-packed expense account." For 15 years, it was one of the most popular detective shows on the air, lasting until the final days of network radio drama in 1962. Each story started with a phone call from an insurance executive calling on Johnny Dollar to investigate an unusual claim.

Created by S.S. Van Dine, Philo Vance was quite popular in books, movies and on radio. He was portrayed as a stylish, very intelligent and cultured private detective - an Americanized Sherlock Holmes - working out of New York.

Space Patrol began as a television show in 1950 and was an overnight sensation. The series followed the 30th-century interplanetary exploits of Commander-in-Chief Buzz Corry of the United Planets Space Patrol and his young sidekick Cadet Happy. Together they thwarted evildoers wanting to take over the Universe. The show was targeted to children, but attracted a sizable adult audience. A radio series soon followed with the same cast performing on both the TV and radio shows.

The CBS Radio Workshop aired from January 27, 1956, through September 22, 1957, and was a revival of the prestigious Columbia Workshop which aired from 1936 to 1943. Creator William Froug launched the series with the powerhouse two-part adaptation of Brave New World and booked author Aldous Huxley to narrate his famous novel. Enjoy 12 of the greatest episodes from this award-winning drama series.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955. Sponsored by the Signal Oil Company, The Whistler (Bill Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer's every move even before they did. The stories followed an effective formula in which a person's criminal acts were typically undone by their own missteps.

The Weird Circle" was an anthology of classic thrillers from the pens of the world's best-known and respected fiction authors of the 19th Century. The focus was horror and suspense stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson and Mary Shelley (among others) with the occasional drama by Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens and George Eliot. "The Weird Circle" was produced in New York by NBC and offered in syndication.

Our Miss Brooks was a situation comedy show heard on radio and seen on television and films. It starred Hollywood film and New York stage veteran Eve Arden, who had specialized in playing the wisecracking friend to the heroine. Arden's skill with the wicked one-liner and acid aside was beginning to lead to typecasting so, to find a new image, Arden signed on for the lead in radio's Our Miss Brooks.

Night Beat followed Randy Stone, a hard-nosed Chicago Star newsman and his quest for the human-interest story behind the headlines. Hollywood actor Frank Lovejoy voiced the role of Randy Stone, who brought the character to vivid life thanks to expert scripts written by Russell Hughes, E. Jack Neumann, John Michael Hayes (who would later write the Hitchcock film classics "To Catch a Thief" and "Rear Window"), and Larry Marcus.

Created by Blake Edwards (of "Pink Panther" fame), Richard Diamond, Private Detective came to NBC radio in 1949 starring film actor and crooner Dick Powell. Powell had recently played 'Philip Marlowe' in the popular RKO film "Murder My Sweet" and jumped at the chance to play a suave detective on radio. Richard Diamond was a light-hearted New York-based private eye who enjoyed ribbing the cops and singing songs to his millionairess girlfriend, Helen Asher (played by Virginia Gregg).