Showing results by author "Hollywood 360" in All Categories

The Mercury Theatre was an independent repertory company founded in New York City in 1937 by Orson Welles and producer John Houseman, who is best known for his Oscar-winning performance as Professor Charles Kingsfield in the The Paper Chase. After a series of acclaimed stage productions, Welles and his Mercury Theatre were offered theirown weekly hour-long radio program over the CBS radio network.

This collection contains twelve of the greatest comedy shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio. You'll hear Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll as Amos 'n' Andy, Robert Young in Father Knows Best, Jim and Marian Jordan as Fibber McGee and Molly, William Bendix as Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley, Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband, and more.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest radio shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio! You'll hear Freeman Gosden and Charlezas Correll as Amos and Andy, Howard Duff as Detective Sam Spade, Tom Conway as the immortal Sherlock Holmes, Jim and Marian Jordon as Fibber McGee and Molly, Willard Waterman as the Great Gildersleeve, Eve Arden as Connie Brooks of Our Miss Brooks, William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, Charles Laughton in a terrifying episode of Suspense, plus many more!

Dashiell Hammett created the character Sam Spade for his crime story The Maltese Falcon. Spade was a hard-boiled detective with cold detachment, a keen eye for detail, and an unflinching determination to exact his own justice. For most people, Spade is most closely associated with actor Humphrey Bogart, who played him 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 the airwaves in a radio show starring newcomer Howard Duff.

The Cinnamon Bear is arguably the best holiday series ever developed for radio. First heard in1937, this wonderful Christmas fantasy adventure was created and written by Glanville Heisch (with the help of his wife, Elisabeth) for children of all ages. It all starts with twins Judy and Jimmy Barton just before Christmas. Someone - or something - has taken the "Silver Star" from the top of their Christmas tree. The very Irish teddy bear, Paddy O'Cinnamon, comes to their rescue and tells them that the Crazy Quilt Dragon has taken the star to Maybeland.

Created by author Jack Boyle, Boston Blackie was a master safecracker and hardened criminal who served time in a California prison. Rehabilitated, he decided to use his knowledge of the underworld to fight crime as an amateur detective. Known as "an enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend", Boston Blackie's exploits were adapted to film, radio, and television.

Have Gun - Will Travel follows the adventures of Paladin, a soldier of fortune turned hired gunfighter, played by John Dehner. Paladin prefers to settle problems without violence, yet when forced to fight, he excels. He lives at the swanky Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dresses in formal wear, eats gourmet food, attends the opera, and enjoys the company of beautiful women. When working as a gun-for-hire, he dresses in all black, uses calling cards, and wears a holster decorated with a chess knight emblem. This symbol refers to his name and his occupation as a champion-for-hire.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs airing from May 16, 1942 until September 22, 1955. The Whistler was an ominous narrator who opened each episode with, "I am the Whistler, and I know many things, for I walk by night. I know many strange tales, many secrets hidden in the hearts of men andwomen who have stepped into the shadows. I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak."

Raymond Chandler'scelebrated hard-boiled 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 brought the character to the air in his own weekly series starring Van Heflin: The New Adventures of Philip Marlowe. A summer replacement for The Bob Hope Show, the series was short-lived, ending September 9,1947. CBS revived it in 1948 with TheAdventures of Philip Marlowe, starring Gerald Mohr.

Taking its name from a popular series of mystery novels, Inner Sanctum Mysteries debuted over NBC's Blue Network in January 1941. It 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 Mysteries told stories of ghosts, murderers, and lunatics.

A thrilling collection of episodes from the classic radio show Suspense.

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 series of the golden age. Often referred to as "Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills," the show focused on suspenseful thrillers starring the biggest names in Hollywood.

A hilarious collection of episodes from the beloved radio show Fibber McGee & Molly Excitable and loose-lipped Fibber means well enough, but it's not always easy for even-tempered Molly to keep him in check and out of trouble. Of course, the long suffering Mrs. McGee's penchant for patience makes it all the funnier when she's finally pushed to the point of exasperation. What both McGees have in common is that they're fabulously friendly, opening their door at 79 Wistful Vista to welcome all sorts of interesting guests, including Mayor LaTrivia, Doc Gamble, and neighborly nemesis Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve.

Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve was a popular character,appearing each week on the Fibber McGee & Molly radio show. On August 31, 1941, Gildersleeve landed his own situation comedy show, The Great Gildersleeve, which was radio’s first spin-off. Gildersleeve moved from the town of Wistful Vista to Summerfield, where he oversaw his late brother-in-law’s estate and took on the rearing of his orphaned niece and nephew, Marjorie (originally played by Lurene Tuttle and followed by Louise Erickson and Mary Lee Robb) and Leroy Forester (Walter Tetley).