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

Have Gun-Will Travel followed the adventures of Paladin, a soldier of fortune-turned-hired gunfighter, played by John Dehner. Paladin preferred to settle problems without violence, yet, when forced to fight, excelled. He lived at the swanky Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, where he dressed in formal wear, ate gourmet food, attended the opera and enjoyed the company of beautiful women. When working as a gun-for-hire, he dressed in all black, used calling cards and wore a holster, decorated by a characteristic chess knight emblem. 

In 1949, NBC brought mustachioed Irish-American actor Brian Donlevy to the radio microphones as international troubleshooter Steve Mitchell in the spy series Dangerous Assignment. Mitchell worked for an un-named US government intelligence agency; whose boss The Commissioner dispatched him to world trouble spots. Mitchell’s assignment was to solve problems in record time, and in accordance with US interests.

Crime Classics was a radio docudrama that aired over CBS from June 15, 1953 until June 30, 1954.  Created, produced, and directed by Elliott Lewis, the program was a true crime series, examining crimes and murders throughout history. It grew out of Lewis’ personal interest in famous murder cases and took a documentary-like approach to the subject, carefully recreating the facts, personages and feel of the times. Very little dramatic license was taken with the facts and events, but the tragedy was leavened with humor, expressed largely through the narration. 

The Cisco Kid was a popular film, radio, television and comic book series loosely based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story, “The Caballero’s Way”, published in 1907 in the collection Heart of the West. “The Cisco Kid” came to radio October 2, 1942, and was followed by another Mutual series in 1946, starring Jack Mather and Harry Lang, who continued to head the cast in the syndicated radio series with more than 600 episodes from 1947 to 1956.

Movie star Alan Ladd played Dan Holiday, retired newspaperman turned fiction writer and adventurer extraordinaire. To gain ideas for his books, Holiday placed an ad in the Star-Times newspaper “Adventure wanted - will go anywhere, do anything - Box 13.” It wasn’t long before Box 13 became jammed with adventures galore. Holiday always had more adventure than he’d originally sought, because those who responded to his ad never revealed all of their glorious, unusual, and sometimes sinister details until they met in person and the adventure had already begun.

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 with plots that, at the very end, usually had an unseen twist or two.  

The Screen Director’s Playhouse came to NBC in 1949 and became one of the top drama anthologies featuring Hollywood actors reprising their screen roles a la Lux Radio Theater. The primary focus of the program was the original movie’s director, who not only served as a guest host but also participated in an interview towards the end of the broadcast. Unlike Lux, which featured Cecil B. DeMille as a regular host, The Screen Director’s Playhouse had a different director every week. Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, and Lewis Milestone were among those appearing.  

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). It’s theme, “Leave it to Love,” was whistled by Powell at the top of each episode.

The Cisco Kid was a popular film, radio, television, and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his short story “The Caballero’s Way,” published in 1907 in the collection Heart of the West. The Cisco Kid came to radio October 2, 1942, with Jackson Beck in the title role and Louis Sorin as Pancho. With Vicki Vola and Bryna Raeburn in supporting roles and Michael Rye announcing, this series continued on Mutual until 1945. 

In 1935, the DuPont Company chose to enhance its image by dramatizing great events in American history to an audience of millions each week on The Cavalcade of America. “Cavalcade” is a term used to describe pioneers who shaped the way America operates today. DuPont’s motto, “maker of better things for better living through chemistry,” was read at the beginning of each program, and the dramas emphasized humanitarian progress, particularly improvements in the lives of women, often through technological innovation.

On March 19, 1928, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll 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 piped in the broadcasts so shoppers wouldn’t miss an episode, and movie theaters scheduled their features to end just prior to the start of Amos ‘n’ Andy so they too could pipe it in. 

In 1949, NBC brought mustachioed Irish-American actor Brian Donlevy to the radio microphones as international troubleshooter Steve Mitchell in the spy series Dangerous Assignment. Mitchell worked for an unnamed US government intelligence agency whose boss, The Commissioner, dispatched him to world trouble spots. Mitchell’s assignment was to solve problems in record time and in accordance with US interests.

Whitehall 1212 was the famous telephone number for Scotland Yard - the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Force - and also an exciting true crime drama from the golden age of radio! Whitehall 1212 was a crime drama that aired on NBC from 1951 until 1952. It was hosted by Chief Superintendent John Davidson, curator of the Black Museum, Scotland Yard’s repository of death. Similar to The Black Museum, starring Orson Welles, Whitehall 1212 dramatized true-crime cases solved by Scotland Yard. 

Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you...Escape! Escape, designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure! Escape was radio’s leading anthology series of mystery and high-adventure, airing on CBS from July 7, 1947 until September 25, 1954. Many story premises, both originals and adaptations, involved a protagonist in dire life-or-death straits.

From the pens of the world’s best-known and respected supernatural fiction authors comes The Weird Circle - tales of mystery, suspense, horror, and the macabre! Now, enjoy sixteen of the greatest mysteries of all time! 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. 

Father Knows Best was a situation comedy built around the Anderson family and life on Maple Street in the fictitious Midwestern town of Springfield. Robert Young starred as Jim Anderson, head of the household, husband of Margaret, and an insurance man by occupation. The couple had three children. The weekly radio script, although played for laughs, offered words of wisdom and “recipes for domestic happiness” that American families could identify with. Jim’s understanding wife Margaret was the picture of domesticity as mother to Betty (aged 18), Bud (16), and Kathy (10).

Information Please was a quiz show that aired on NBC radio from 1938 until 1951. Moderated by Clifton Fadiman, the show featured a panel of experts who would attempt to answer questions mailed in by audience members. Panel regulars included writer-actor-pianist Oscar Levant and newspaper columnists and renowned intellectuals Franklin P. Adams and John Kieran. Often, there was a fourth "guest" panelist, usually either a celebrity, politician, or writer. Guest panelists included Fred Allen, Boris Karloff, Rex Stout, Deems Taylor, Jackie Robinson, Orson Welles, and Basil Rathbone.

The Whistler was one of radio's top mystery programs, airing from May 16, 1942, until September 22, 1955. Airing on CBS radio and sponsored by the Signal Oil Company, the Whistler (played by Joseph Kearns, Gale Gordon, and Bill Forman) was an ominous narrator who knew the killer's every move even before they did. The Whistler often commented directly upon the action in the manner of a Greek chorus, taunting the criminal from an omniscient perspective. One of the show's trademarks was the ironic twist endings that helped serve as a payoff for the listener.  

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.

Created by author Jack Boyle, Boston Blackie was a reformed 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.