Showing results by narrator "Old Time Radio" in All Categories

Life goes on for The Couple Next Door - they are preparing for a family wedding, taking a trip, and planning the construction of a brand new house. Mr. and Mrs. Piper always manage to find a way to get things done, no matter what unpredictable obstacles pop up along the way. Here are 32 episodes of realistic scenarios tinged with a real sense of humor. This classic daytime radio favorite was created and written by Peg Lynch, who stars in these programs, along with Alan Bunce and Margaret Hamilton.

A dive bar before dive bars were cool - that’s Duffy’s Tavern. Radio’s favorite Third Avenue watering hole was full of zany New York characters and A-list guest stars, all presided over by your genial master of malaproprial management, Archie himself (played to perfection by Ed Gardner)! Join the Tavern regulars Eddie the Waiter, Clifton Finnegan, and Miss Duffy - plus VIP visitors like Bing Crosby, Dennis Day, and Artie Shaw - for 16 laugh-packed episodes!

The Halls of Ivy presents real-life husband and wife Ronald Colman and Benita Hume as the first couple of Ivy College: William Toddhunter (“Toddy”) Hall and his wife, Victoria (“Vicky”) Cromwell Hall, a former actress of the British comedy stage. Although President Hall is an erudite and polished professor, he is completely unpretentious and truly concerned for the well-being of the students and faculty. Vicky - who is always at his side, and on his side - keeps her husband in check with her playful and down-to-earth ways.

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.

Here comes the cowboy hero who took 1950 by storm - thundering across the West of your own wild imagination! Dressed in his famous black suit and riding his trusty horse Topper, it’s Hopalong Cassidy in 16 original radio adventures! William Boyd stars as Hoppy, with Joseph Duval as California Carlson. Though most of their adventures are in the general vicinity of the Bar 20 ranch, our heroes do venture out on occasion for exploits in the wider world. Listen in as they encounter scoundrels and schemes from the frontier to the formidable streets of New York!

Wherever he goes, whatever the assignment, you can count on Rocky Fortune to tackle the task with aplomb…and a wisecrack or two. Frank Sinatra stars as the versatile charmer who'll take on any job and emerge with distinction…and a gal on each arm. Whether acquiescing to assignments as an oyster shucker or short order cook, messenger or musician, tour guide or truck driver, this restless, footloose fellow follows his instincts and finds trouble. These stories, from a comparatively little-known corner of Sinatra's career, will be enjoyed by new fans and nostalgia-lovers alike.

In the anything-goes world of post-Civil War California, there were some who went looking for trouble. And there was one who sat back and let trouble come to him. Stern-voiced John Dehner stars as Paladin in twenty exciting radio adventures. The black-clad troubleshooter was a thoughtful man, a figure of erudite sophistication who preferred not to use his gun unless pressed to do so by circumstance. But you really didn't want to press him.

Celebrated authors John Dickson Carr and Bret Halliday are the hosts of Murder by Experts. This scintillating series was crafted by the suspense specialists who also brought Mysterious Traveler, The Sealed Book, and Strange Dr. Weird to radio: David Kogan and Robert A. Arthur. Each tightly-woven thriller has been selected by an elite member of the Mystery Writers of America. And, whether the plots of these tales play out on an isolated island, in the snow-swept surge of a blizzard, in a locked room, or in the warm bed right beside you, they all lead to just one place...murder!

In one corner: Connie Brooks (Eve Arden), the teacher who elevated education to a plateau never before realized from a transmitter! In the other corner: Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), the pompous principal of Madison High School who is the undisputed champion of the slow burn! On hand for the main event is a charismatic cast of characters, including squeaky-voiced student Walter Denton (Richard Crenna). As both the romantic interest of Conklin's daughter, and as one of Miss Brooks' leading co-conspirators, he was viewed with a jaundiced eye by the omnipresent principal.

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.

Crusader against crime, foe of gangland, smasher of every corrupt and vicious racket - the underworld fears the wrath of Mr. District Attorney! He's not a costumed superhero - he's even mightier, using the forces of law and order to tear down the web of corruption and vice that has ensnared a major American city. Film star David Brian stars as District Attorney Paul Garrett in 16 high-powered episodes. Can he crack the case? Can he pin the crime on the right guy and ensure that justice is served? Listen in and find out!

One of the definitive detectives of American crime fiction comes to radio - with a matchless mind, a relentless eye for detail, and just a bit of an attitude. That's Philo Vance - S.S. Van Dine's famous amateur criminologist of the 1920s and 1930s, ready for radio in the 1940s. Jackson Beck stars as Vance, with Joan Alexander as secretary Ellen Deering, and George Petrie as District Attorney Markham in 16 mind-challenging mysteries!

Classic thrills and unforgettable chills are drawn from the pages of literary mysteries. Draw the curtains, dim the lights, close your eyes, and enter The Weird Circle! With stories adapted from the works of unquestioned masters of the Gothic genre by top radio talent, you'll go from shiver to shake with every episode.

Father Peyton of the Holy Cross Fathers wanted to inspire his country with a radio program. Footing the expense of the show himself, he arranged for some of the biggest names in radio and film to donate their services, and for a network to provide the broadcast time. The series that resulted featured heartwarming stories for audiences nationwide. The commercial breaks were filled only with an earnest, non-sectarian appeal for family prayer, reminding listeners that "The family that prays together stays together."

He's a real character! In fact, Red Skelton's a whole lot of real characters! He's Clem Kadiddlehopper and Sheriff Deadeye...he's Willie Lump-Lump and Cauliflower McPugg...and, of course, he's Junior The Mean Widdle Kid! Skelton's material is broad, his creations are wild, and his catch-phrases go straight for the breadbasket. Even his rehearsals - some of which are included in this collection - are stunningly silly. Join Red, Rod O'Connor, Pat McGeehan, Lurene Tuttle, Dick Ryan, and Martha Wentworth for eight hours of fast and furious fun!

Eve Arden stars as the tart-tongued Constance Brooks, a dedicated English teacher at Madison High School. Before and after the bell rings, Miss Brooks turns her thoughts from language to love. Indulging in her perpetual pursuit of bashful biology teacher Philip Boynton (Jeff Chandler), Connie finds herself making his favorite stew, conspiring to make him sick, and pretending to be his mother! She even considers compromising her principles (and her principal)!

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.

Unsettling accounts of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances, the weight of which carry them to an inevitable fate, are presented here by the grim-voiced Father Time. This omniscient and ominous host, portrayed by both Charles Webster and William Conrad, lends the proceedings an appropriate atmosphere of foreboding. The Clock brings you the desperate obsessions, investigations, attractions, nightmares and violence of the underhanded, the unsuspecting, and the insane.

Larry Thor, a staff announcer turned actor with an expressive and powerful voice, played the role of Detective Danny Clover. His beat was Broadway, and each week he narrated a new tale of nighttime drama along the Great White Way. Writers Morton Fine and David Friedkin delivered scripts of elegant intricacy that turned routine description into near poetry. Three soundmen worked in unison to create one of the densest soundscapes on radio - capturing the chaotic buzz of the New York night as a counterpoint to the music and dialogue. It was the most lyrical crime show on the air.

Starring Irene Dunne as Susan and Fred MacMurray as George, together in Bright Star, a gay new exciting comedy adventure! Bright Star chronicles the happenings at the offices of The Hillsdale Morning Star, a small town newspaper owned and edited by Susan Armstrong. Played by Irene Dunne as a no-nonsense professional, Susan nevertheless has a sweet spot for her star reporter. George Harvey, played by Fred MacMurray as an energetic and competitive journalist, challenges, bothers, and bewilders his boss at every turn.