Showing results by author "Original Radio Broadcasts" in All Categories

Chester A. Riley: A husband. A father. A lovable, working-class bumbler with the proverbial heart of gold. William Bendix stars as this simple (and sometimes simple-minded) man who starts out with the best of intentions, and ends up making a big mess of things. Scaling the mountainous molehills alongside him are his patient wife Peg (Paula Winslowe), his typical American kids, and his eclectic aggregation of friends, including Gillis and Digger O'Dell, the friendly undertaker - both played by John Brown.

The war might be over, but for daring publisher Britt Reid, there's one fight that never ends - the battle against organized crime! With mask in place, gas gun in hand, and faithful valet Kato by his side, The Green Hornet surges forth against postwar racketeers and crime lords in this collection of 20 original radio adventures!

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, several different radio programs brought in Hollywood stars to reprise their performances from popular films. Among them, Screen Directors' Playhouse offered something that no other show had: the directors. Imagine, if you will, listening to a radio play of A Foreign Affair and then hearing Marlene Dietrich and director Billy Wilder share their thoughts on the making of this classic film. In addition to Wilder, you'll hear directors like Tay Garnett, Robert Siodmak, and George Marshall in this set of 16 digitally remastered and restored episodes.

Life in the little town of Valley Springs isn't as quiet as you might think. Beneath the wholesome exterior roils an inner world of gossip and backbiting, crime and intrigue, and plenty of romantic frustration for the young widow Mary Foster Lord. From the golden age of the radio soap opera comes 32 consecutive episodes of this daytime favorite, featuring Kay Campbell as Mary. Parker Fennelly co-stars as her down-to-earth father, with Agnes Young, Kenneth Lynch, Elaine Rost, and William "Bill" Quinn filling out the cast.

Wherever there's intrigue…wherever there's a dollar, a pound, a mark, or a lira to be made…wherever zither music hauntingly insinuates itself in the foggy night air…it's there that you'll find Harry Lime! Scoundrel, con man, thief, and rogue, he trots the globe in eternal quest of the main chance—and he's brought to vivid life by none other than Orson Welles.

In 1940, America was still staggering its way out of the Great Depression, and war clouds were rolling in from Europe. The upcoming Presidential campaign spotlight turned to perhaps the unlikeliest, but certainly the most entertaining, candidate of all - Gracie Allen. Politics was perfect for Gracie's particular brand of logical illogic. Join the hilarity, and the throngs of supporters, as George Burns, Gracie, and their entire cast embark on a whistle-stop tour all the way to the Surprise Party's national convention in Omaha, Nebraska.

He knows crime, and he knows criminals...because he was once on the wrong side of the law himself. That's Boston Blackie - a friend to those who have no friends, an enemy to those who make him an enemy! Broadway actor Richard Kollmar stars in his best-remembered radio role as the tough yet sympathetic ex-safecracker. Lesley Woods costars as his lady friend Mary Wesley, with Maurice Tarplin as Inspector Faraday. Join them for 16 exciting investigations of jewel heists, murder and more!

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!

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.

It's a new season, a new network, a new bandleader, and a new sponsor - but it's still the same great comedy couple! Radio favorites George Burns and Gracie Allen laugh it up big time in 16 gag-packed broadcasts from 1940-41. The cast will crack you up with silly skits, a bonkers breach of promise suit, and the madness of a mink coat mistake. You'll hear bandleader Artie Shaw, a couple of special guests, and a few rare episodes, as well!

Whoever you are, wherever you go, whatever you do, he knows the nameless terrors of which you dare not speak! Tales of crime, intrigue, and grim fate are brought to you by The Whistler! We offer you 20 edge-of-your-seat journeys into the darkest realms of the human soul from radio's preeminent showcase for stories with an unexpected twist.

Shhhhh. Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills is here to tell you a story. Would you like to revisit classic characters (like Frankenstein, Edwin Drood, John Dillinger, and Captain Bligh)? Perhaps a tale or two of bad men…or mad men? Or would you like to hear a story about someone just like you…who has found themselves in utterly desperate circumstances? They are all here…waiting for you.

An unprepossessing little man in a sweatshirt and sneakers set the world of radio ablaze in the late 1930s with a startling new vision of what radio drama could be. Eight decades later, his work is still fresh, powerful, and brilliantly original.

Wherever there are spies…there are counter-spies! From wartime espionage to postwar intrigue, secret operative David Harding is on the job protecting our nation's secrets! In this suspenseful series, produced by radio legend Phillips H. Lord, the stories were works of fiction…but the plots were often based on actual events.

Kick back and listen as Jean Shepherd discusses the vast minutiae of life. From (talking) machines to driving a Hudson Terraplane...from the end of the world to the strange (and rarely discussed) appetites of man...and much more, you will hear Shep's customary and matchless combination of wit, wisdom, and humor!

Mask in place, cloak flowing, gas gun at the ready - radio's pulpiest crime-fighter prowls the streets of a corrupt American city as The Green Hornet! Hop aboard the sleek, supercharged vehicle known as The Black Beauty with wealthy young publisher Britt Reid and his faithful valet Kato for 20 thrilling tales of urban crime! Jack McCarthy stars as Britt Reid, the mysterious vigilante, skulking in the night - raining sudden vengeance down on unwitting evildoers before vanishing back into the mists of his secret identity.

The voice of Orson Welles - smooth and sure, but edged with danger – speaks to you from London. He’s here to tell you about a repository of death, a warehouse of homicide “in the grim stone structure on the Thames which houses Scotland Yard.” Welles will draw your attention to small artifacts from murders most foul, each of which provide a vital clue to a killer’s identity. An international cast - including Joan Lord, Harp McGuire, and Joe McCormick – breathe life into these twelve tales of death.

Lum and Abner are facing off against Squire Skimp and find themselves in a bit of legal hot water. Lum considers several changes of profession, and Abner aims to take over the Jot 'Em Down Store on his own. Will Squire finally get his comeuppance? Will the Edwards-Peabody partnership end for good? Are synthetic diamonds the answer to their troubles? What changes are afoot in Pine Ridge? Come listen to Chester Lauck and Norris Goff in 36 consecutive episodes from the winter of 1943 to 1944 and find out!

Tough crimes in a tough world call for a tough man to solve them! That man is Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's king of the hard-boiled detectives - and you'll hear him in 20 radio-noir adventures produced by Norman Macdonnell and starring Gerald Mohr! Jeff Corey co-stars as Detective Lieutenant Ybarra, and Larry Dobkin is heard as Detective Lieutenant Matthews, in these action-packed tales of bullets, broads, and the good old fashioned double-cross.

The pen is mightier than the sword, but is it mightier than the .45? That's the dilemma faced by hard-nosed crime reporter Randy Stone each week in one of radio's most memorable newspaper dramas: Night Beat. While guns blaze and thugs prowl the back alleys of Stone's Chicago, the solving crimes is almost incidental to the unraveling of compelling human problems. Frank Lovejoy stars as the enterprising Chicago newspaperman, whose stories focus not on the essential corruption of humanity, but on its basic decency.