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

James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok was a folk hero of the American Old West known for being a lawman, gunfighter, gambler, and showman. He earned a great deal of notoriety in life and in death. His life has been depicted numerous times in literature, radio, television and film. His death is also quite notable - he was shot and killed while playing five-card stud. He was holding two pairs, black aces, and black eights, which has become known as "Dead Man's Hand".

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio from 1930 through 1955 with various actors taking over the roles of Holmes and Doctor Watson through the years. You’ll hear Basil Rathbone, Tom Conway, John Stanley, and Sir Ralph Richardson (Holmes); and Nigel Bruce, Alfred Shirley, and Sir John Gielgud (Watson) in these 16 episodes.

The golden age of radio had incredible drama shows that kept Americans glued to their radio sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to be entertained by the greatest names in Hollywood each and every day. The biggest stars from tinsel-town lent their voices to radio dramas and most of the time the producers and sponsors allowed them to take a curtain call to plug their latest film release.

World War II changed the lives of many Americans. People moved from civilian careers to often radically different lives in the military. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was one of the most storied with its top-secret intelligence operations. Most OSS agents returned home to their normal lives after the war, but for some it wasn’t that easy. For Frank Race, the war changed his life, and he become a freelance troubleshooter and insurance investigator. Enjoy 16 of his exciting radio adventures.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, came to NBC radio in 1930 starring Richard Gordon. By 1939, Basil Rathbone was heard as Holmes with Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson. The duo was simultaneously starring in a popular series of Sherlock Holmes features for Fox, and later for Universal.

In 1935 when Phillips H. Lord created Gang Busters, the crime rate was high and confidence in law enforcement was low. Crimes were highly publicized, and their perpetrators were sometimes glamorized in Hollywood movies. With most radio crime programs dramatizing pulp-fiction stories, Lord decided to portray the procedure and practices of real-life law enforcement officers, basing his dramas on court records and police files. Enjoy these 12 exciting Gang Busters episodes in this “true crime” collection!

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.

Convinced they could build on the success of the already released motion-picture series, MGM Studios hired Lew Ayres and Lionel Barrymore to reprise their screen roles as Dr. James Kildare and Dr. Leonard Gillespie in a syndicated radio series. Kildare was the compassionate, caring physician at Blair General Hospital, New York City; Gillespie a crusty, lovable diagnostician. Kildare reminded listeners each week in the opening signature.

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.

This collection includes Dick Powell as suave detective Richard Diamond; Jack Webb as Sgt. Joe Friday on Dragnet; Richard Kollmar as “enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend” on Boston Blackie; Alan Ladd as mystery writer turned amateur detective Dan Holiday on Box 13; Joel McCrea as Ranger Jace Pearson on Tales of the Texas Rangers; Jackson Beck as suave detective Philo Vance; Bob Bailey fills out another expense account on Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar; and many more!

Enjoy 16 of the greatest episodes from the Golden Age of Radio in this collection spanning from 1939 through 1956.

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 Philip Marlowe, Dragnet, Nick Carter, Philo Vance, Boston Blackie, Richard Diamond, Johnny Dollar, and many more.

Groucho Marx is your quizmaster and host to one of the funniest and most popular quiz shows from radio and television, You Bet Your Life! Enjoy 16 fun-filled comedy episodes from the long-running radio series! Created by John Guedel, You Bet Your Life was one of the best-loved quiz shows to air on both radio and television. It was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. It debuted on radio in 1947 and lasted until 1960. For much of this time it was also seen on television.

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. Join William Conrad (U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon) in the continuing “story of the violence that moved west with young America and the story of a man who moved with it, Matt Dillon, United States Marshal.”

The golden age of radio had incredible Western shows that kept Americans glued to their sets. Families gathered around their living room radios to hear Western heroes catch the bad guys and save ladies in distress. This collection includes Gregory Peck in an hour-long episode of The Gunfighter on the Screen Director's Playhouse; James Stewart as Brit Ponset, a.k.a. "the Six-Shooter"; William Holden in The Virginian on General Electric Theater; William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy; William Conrad as US Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke; and many more!

The character of Jack "Flashgun" Casey was first penned by former newspaper and advertising executive George Harmon Coxe, Jr. in the March 1934 issue of Black Mask, the legendary Pulp Magazine. Casey was a cameraman who took photographs that accompanied reporter's newspaper stories. His keen eye for detailed served him well at solving the crimes he was assigned to photograph. "Flashgun" Casey was an instant success with the Black Mask readers and soon made the leap to the silver screen and to radio.

This collection contains episodes of The Jack Benny Program, The Aldrich Family, Gunsmoke, Suspense, Fibber McGee & Molly, Dragnet, Have Gun - Will Travel, Mystery in the Air, The Kraft Music Hall, Escape, and many others. Relive the best radio shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

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. She often did it better than anyone else, receiving an Oscar nomination for 1945’s Mildred Pierce. Arden’s skill with the wicked one-liner was beginning to lead to typecasting so, to find a new image, she signed on for the lead in radio’s Our Miss Brooks.

This collection contains 16 of the greatest drama shows ever broadcast during the Golden Age of radio, including episodes of Dragnet, Escape, Gunsmoke, and many others. Relive the best radio drama shows from yesterday and the legendary stars that made them amazing in this incredible collection.

Bing Crosby stars in 16 half-hour musical-variety episodes of Philco Radio Time and invites his celebrity friends to join him!