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

Dragnet was radio's most successful police procedural series, and by far its most influential, shaping an entire generation's view of law enforcement, and bringing police work to life in carefully-documented detail. Never sensationalistic, but always a gripping listening experience, Jack Webb's signature creation remains the standard against which crime dramas are judged. Webb, who produced and directed the series, stars as Sergeant Joe Friday in gritty dramas of unprecedented realism.

Invite faith, hope, love, and laughter into your home this Christmas with classic holiday programs from the Golden Age of Radio. Ranging from the solemn to the slapstick, each of these heartwarming episodes celebrates the spirit of the season. This collection brings you yuletide tales from Jack Benny, Gunsmoke, Fibber & Molly, The Great Gildersleeve, The Whistler, and more. There are Christmas comedies, merry mysteries, wintry Westerns, and poignant dramas to lend meaning and merriment to your festivities this, and every, holiday season.

What happens when radio's favorite comedy couple opens a closet door? A cascade of chaos and fun falls right out! Jim and Marian Jordan star as Fibber McGee & Molly in sixteen laugh-packed episodes written by Don Quinn and Phil Leslie.

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.

It's a busy winter down in Pine Ridge! You'll find a whole lot going on at the Jot-em-Down Store, as Lum and Abner return for two full months' worth of silliness and struggles. What happens when Abner sets himself up as a marriage expert? Will Lum ever recover from his terrifying experience with hair dye? There’s only one way to find out. Tune in for 36 consecutive episodes from 1944-45. Chester Lauck and Norris Goff are back as your favorite old fellers from the Ozarks!

Tough as leather, hard as nails, and always ready for frontier danger—that's Luke Slaughter of Tombstone. This Civil War soldier turned Arizona range rider is never on the wrong end of a fist fight or a gun battle. Sam Buffington stars in sixteen rough-hewn radio adventures, produced and directed by William N. Robson. Junius Matthews co-stars as Luke's sidekick Wichita. Trouble awaits them around every bend in the trail. Watch out for sketchy lawmen, corrupt politicians, cowards, corpses, false accusations, and fierce fighting!

Do you long to travel the globe in search of thrills, excitement, and wrongs to right? Let John Steele, Adventurer set you off on rollicking pulp-flavored exploits - from the blowing sands of the blazing desert to the steamy wilds of the remotest jungle to the pounding waves of the deepest ocean!

International intrigue, crime, and mystery all converge around one man—attorney turned secret agent turned globetrotting investigator Frank Race! Tom Collins stars in sixteen classic radio thrillers from the late 1940s.

You—yes, you! You might think you're getting away with it. You might think it's in the bag. You might think nobody knows what you're really up to! But The Whistler knows—and tells—in this new collection of twenty tale-twisting thrillers! Real life husbands and wives—Elliott and Cathy Lewis, Frank Lovejoy and Joan Banks, Jeanette Nolan and John McIntire—are heard in this suspenseful set, along with Bill Forman as The Whistler.

Who's that bear? And what's he doing in Jack Benny's basement? It's the famous Carmichael—guarding the vault and getting laughs! Dish up the Jell-O for Mary Livingston, Phil Harris, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, and Don Wilson in twenty classic prewar episodes—and be sure to leave a plate for you-know-who downstairs!

On the violent frontier, "justice" was often carried out on the spot…with a gun or a rope. For those hoping to sort their situation without resorting to such methods, hard-riding attorney Chad Remington was the man to turn to for help. Rugged Jeff "Tex" Chandler stars as Remington in sixteen tales of western crime and punishment. Wade Crosby co-stars as side kick Cherokee O'Bannon, along with Earle Ross as Judge Fillmore. Listen in as they handle Colorado's cases of bank robberies, mine claim-jumpers, confidence schemes, and more.

Crime is everywhere in postwar Los Angeles—and so is Sgt. Joe Friday. From robbery detail to the Bunco Squad, from narcotics to homicide, he's on the job in radio's definitive police procedural series.

Romance is in the air down in Pine Ridge! Lum is distracted by the new schoolteacher, and Abner is desperate to retain the affections of his fed-up wife Elizabeth! And that's not all. In this collection of 36 consecutive serialized episodes, Pine Ridge pauses to celebrate a wartime Thanksgiving and rolls out the welcome mat for touring war bond spokesperson Barbara Stanwyck! Every day is a new laugh with Lum and Abner! Chester Lauck and Norris Goff star in these shows from the fall of 1944.

He's the man you call when you need it done—no matter what "it" is. Freelance troubleshooter George Valentine is likely to catch absolutely any kind case—from the silly to the sinister. Bob Bailey stars radio's jack-of-all-mysteries in sixteen exciting exploits from 1950. Virginia Gregg co-stars as Brooksie, along with Ken Christy as Lieutenant Johnson and Joseph Kearns as Caleb, the sardonic elevator attendant.

Radio's favorite couple is back with more neighborhood mix-ups, ill-starred schemes, and (as always) a whole closet full of laughs. Come spend twenty relaxing half-hours with warm, familiar old friends: Fibber McGee and Molly. Jim and Marian Jordan star, along with Gale Gordon, Arthur Q. Bryan, Cliff Arquette, Dick Le Grand, and Elvia Allman—plus salesman extraordinaire Harlow Wilcox. Listen in as Fibber suffers the slings and arrows of outrageous bureaucracy, do-it-yourself home repairs, locked doors, rummage sales, and rumors.

"Even when you know who's guilty, you always receive a startling surprise at the final curtain." He knows who you are and he knows what you did! He's The Whistler—a mysterious figure of the night who knows the nameless terrors of which you dare not speak! Here's radio noir at its finest in twenty tales of crime, mystery, and fate starring Bill Forman as The Whistler. The plotters and the pawns are played by Jeff Chandler, Betty Lou Gerson, Frank Lovejoy, Gerald Mohr, Eleanor Audley, Joseph Kearns, Frances Robinson, and more.

Kidnappers, bank robbers, interstate con artists, and the occasional spy—it's all in a day's work for Special Agent Jim Taylor! Drawn from official case files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, here are sixteen intriguing investigations torn from the headlines of 1951. Film star Stacy Harris is heard as Taylor, with narration by William Woodson. Tough guys like William Conrad and Sheldon Leonard and lovely ladies like Betty Lou Gerson and Georgia Ellis round out the cast.

Elliott and Cathy Lewis are the aural medium's most formidable husband-and-wife team in On Stage. Produced by the pair for a single season in 1953-54, it's a showcase for every sort of story that can be told with the medium of sound—which is, of course, every sort of story! Mr. & Mrs. Radio tell you tales of adventure, romance, comedy, mystery, and more. Some of these unique broadcasts feature musical performances by Cathy, with Ray Noble composing and conducting. Enter the theater of the mind with the most reliable and remarkable of guides.

From Brooklyn to Inglewood, here comes radio's favorite blue-collar family man—leaving a trail of confusion wherever he goes! Chester A. Riley is back, with long-suffering wife Peg, trouble-prone kids Junior and Babs, moochy pal Gillis, and Digger O'Dell, The Friendly Undertaker, in sixteen hilarious half-hour episodes. William Bendix is heard as Riley, along with co-stars Paula Winslowe, John Brown, Tommy Cook, and Barbara Eiler—plus series creator Irving Brecher, and special guest Red Skelton!

You might think a small-town water commissioner leads a pretty dull life…but not when he's The Great Gildersleeve! This water commissioner is dealing with an unpredictable romantic life, his growing niece and nephew, and troublesome new neighbors. There's always something doing in Summerfield - and Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve is always right in the middle of it. Harold Peary stars as Gildy in these 16 classic radio episodes, along with Walter Tetley as Leroy, Louise Erickson as Marjorie, and Lillian Randolph as Birdie.