Showing results by author "Original-Radio-Broadcast Original-Radio-Broadcast" in All Categories

Academy Award-winner Mercedes McCambridge stars as Martha Ellis Bryant, an experienced lawyer in private practice who has accepted the "challenge of defending the defenseless." Howard Culver plays her loving boyfriend, Jud Barnes, a reporter for the City Dispatch. In search of justice (and a good story), the two work both independently and together, checking records, talking to witnesses, and exchanging information with the police.

Doses of concentrated thrills and pure, raw excitement are delivered directly on the heels of the most explosive musical theme in radio - a crashing rendition of Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain." Produced and directed by William N. Robson, Norman MacDonnell, and Antony Ellis - and featuring stories by Rudyard Kipling, Ambrose Bierce, and more - Escape is capable of chilling spines as expertly as it accelerates heartbeats.

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was one of the best loved of all radio shows, and often one of the most listened to programs on the airwaves. The public loved the caring, fatherly sleuth who could resolve any problem and knew just how to handle any situation. Bennett Kilpack and Philip Clarke star as "The Kindly Old Tracer," in 20 digitally remastered tales of the missing and the murdered. James Kelly co-stars as Mike Clancy, the Irish former cop who not only assists the sleuth, but considers himself the old gentleman's bodyguard.

Connie Brooks (Eve Arden) rewrote the textbook on how popular culture looked at teachers - with a fresh, funny, and always human take on the pedagogic profession. Come and study these 16 terrific episodes from 1954-1956. If you travel with her through the halls, you might encounter adolescent blunderer Walter Denton (Richard Crenna), the principal’s bobby-soxer daughter Harriet (Gloria McMillan), or the fumbling frog-obsessed science teacher Philip Boynton (Robert Rockwell). Principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon) was her outstanding comic foil.

He’s a smart tough guy…or a tough smart guy. Either way, he’s Pacific Northwestern private eye Harry Nile. From the imagination of Seattle-based writer-producer Jim French come 24 tense, exciting radio thrillers produced in the classic style by modern talent. Phil Harper is back as Nile, with Pat French as Murphy, in these hard-boiled cases for hard luck customers. Get set for radio excitement the way you like it best - with The Adventures of Harry Nile!

In 1946, Life Magazine declared, "Dashiell Hammett's Fat Man is suave, witty, hardboiled and provides better than average radio entertainment." By 1948, The Fat Man was one of the top 10 shows on Friday nights, with more than six million listeners every week. And, starring as Brad Runyon, the "Fat Man" of the title, was J. Scott Smart, a 270-pound actor who sounded every pound the part.

Henry Morgan was one of the most brilliant and unsung of the radio satirists. With his predilection for poking fun at radio conventions in general, and sponsors in particular, listeners took a shine to his breezy, don't-give-a-damn sarcasm. For a half-hour every week, Henry was allowed to unleash his biting wit on anything and everything, often in the form of parodies of movies and radio programs. He was aided and abetted by a cast that included Charles Irving, Madeline Lee, Florence Halop, Joe Julian, and the one and only Arnold Stang.

Lum and Abner are off to hunt for buried treasure in the wilds of Tennessee...and end up in the museum business. When you're heading down to Pine Ridge, you just never know what will happen! The lovable old fellers from the hill country ponder the intriguing Mystery of The Stuffed Owl, spend some time get to know Abner's bewildering father, and celebrate an anniversary.

The ultra-realistic crime dramas of Dragnet were tight, tense, and always on target. Guided by Jack Webb from its radio premiere in 1949 right through to the series' end, the medium's most memorable police procedural never cut corners in its meticulous recreation of crime, investigation, and punishment. Follow LAPD Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners, Sgts. Ben Romero and Frank Smith, in 20 real-life cases from both the early weeks of the program's run and its later years!

The unpredictable adventures of freelance troubleshooter George Valentine entertained West Coast audiences for nearly a decade. Bob Bailey delivers a definitive performance in the title role, with able support from Frances Robinson as Brooksie, Eddie Firestone as Sonny, Wally Maher as Lieutenant Riley, and Joe Kearns as Caleb the Elevator Man. Together, they gave radio one of its most distinctive private-eye programs. Come experience the exciting exploits of an intelligent investigator who'd rather think than throw down...but, who could certainly handle himself in a scrap!

They say the "Old Time Radio Era" ended in 1962, but radio drama carried right on...and here's the proof! Provocative, thoughtful, and up-to-the-minute in its treatment of life as it was lived, that was Theatre 5! This powerful anthology series featured an invigorating combination of veteran performers and rising young actors in sharp, concise stories with a message and an impact!

Based on the famous detective created by Rex Stout, The New Adventures of Nero Wolfe stars Sydney Greenstreet as “the balkiest, bulkiest, smartest, and most unpredictable detective in the world...that brilliant eccentric private detective, orchid fancier and gargantuan gourmet.” Nero Wolfe, armchair detective in the classic tradition, and Archie Goodwin, wisecracking hard-boiled investigator, shine in eight radio tales from this classic detective series first broadcast in 1950-1951.

For over 40 years, Seattle-based radio personality Jim French kept the flame of radio drama alive with Imagination Theatre! Noir-ish private eye Harry Nile, globetrotting adventurer Dameron, Kincaid the Strangeseeker, the methodical investigator Mr. Darnborough - plus fresh new takes on Raffles the Gentleman Thief, and even Sherlock Holmes himself - all had compelling stories to tell.

When Howard Duff, radio’s regular Sam Spade, was dropped from the show, Steven Dunne donned the trench coat. Finding his own brash and boyish style with the role, Dunne’s Spade was much like creator Dashiell Hammett himself - a grown-up teenager who loved a put-on, but could be depended on to be loyal and true despite his own troubles. In these digitally remastered capers, Hammett’s hard-boiled hero delves in to the domains of daytime serials, journalism, the waterfront, and international intrigue.

Can a high-stepping star of the London stage find happiness as the wife of a dignified college president? Find out when you visit The Halls of Ivy! Ronald Colman and Benita Hume star in this gently comic tale of academic life, where the kindly President Hall of Ivy College and the witty Mrs. Hall find themselves embroiled in the troubles and travails of their students, their staff, and - every now and then - themselves. Here are 16 delightful episodes of this erudite 1950s classic, bridging comedy and drama with the utmost class.

Come to 221B Baker Street for 15 incredible capers from the world's only consulting detective - presented in full-cast audio! Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and dramatized by noted British writer M.J. Elliott, these absorbing adventures star John Patrick Lowrie as Holmes and Lawrence Albert as Dr. Watson. Also heard in these sterling stories are Dennis Bateman, Rick May, David Natale, Jeffrey Hitchen, Rachel Glass, Hugh Hastings, Louise Moore, and Jim French himself!

Where there's trouble, you'll find him. Where there's mystery, there he is. And when there's romance, look out! He's Michael Waring to those who know him - and to those who fear him, he's The Falcon! Les Damon stars in this collection of 16 fast-moving adventures. With a little bit of a hard-boiled edge, a little bit sarcasm, and a whole lot of charm, The Falcon solves crimes, helps the helpless, and makes time with femmes-fatale all in equal measure.

Rough, rugged, and ready for anything, Jack Benny braves the howling winds atop an icy mountain peak…until he falls down and drags himself back to the ski lodge. Get ready for the comic adventures of radio's favorite comedian as you've never heard him before. He's the manliest of men, the conqueror of every wilderness, the very personification of virile vigor! Jack heads off for 16 rootin'-tootin' outdoor escapades, along with Mary Livingstone, Phil Harris, Bob Crosby, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Kenny Baker, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson.

"If the job's too tough for you to handle, you've got a job for me." Whatever your problem, he's the solution! George Valentine is sardonic yet sympathetic as he solves mysteries, unravels crises, and gets to the bottom of whatever's complicating the lives of his paid-up clients. Bob Bailey made his first big impression on radio audiences in this series of tightly-packed, thought-provoking thrillers! Here are 16 of his most fascinating exploits, with Virginia Gregg co-starring as Claire "Brooksie" Brooks.

Radio's longest-running private detective wasn't a smart-mouthed, gun-toting wise guy. He was the gentle, dignified, soft-spoken Mr. Keen. Bennet Kilpack stars as the intelligent investigator in this 16-episode collection. The "kindly old tracer" didn't get into gunfights with thugs on foggy waterfront nights, he simply solved crimes…with a dogged determination. And he was always accompanied by his dense-but-loyal sidekick Mike Clancy (Jim Kelly). Join them as they uncover secrets and crack cases.