Showing results by author "original radio broadcast" in All Categories

Jack Benny's supporting cast - his "gang" - was the heart, soul, and success of his radio program. Mary Livingstone, Don Wilson, Phil Harris, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Dennis Day, Frank Nelson, Mel Blanc, Artie Auerbach, and Ronald and Benita Colman delivered many of the best jokes - and earned biggest laughs - on the show. Many members of this talented ensemble went on to star in programs of their own - always with Jack's support. This collection includes some of the gang's best work - both on and off of Benny's program.

Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons was one of the best loved of all radio shows, and often one of the most listened to programs on the airwaves. The public loved the caring, fatherly sleuth who could resolve any problem and knew just how to handle any situation. Bennett Kilpack and Philip Clarke star as "The Kindly Old Tracer," in 20 digitally remastered tales of the missing and the murdered. James Kelly co-stars as Mike Clancy, the Irish former cop who not only assists the sleuth, but considers himself the old gentleman's bodyguard.

Inner Sanctum Mysteries set the standard for what a radio horror show was all about. Equal parts wildly improbable scripting, stylized acting, and threatening organ music, the show took radio horror in a new direction - and cast an influence that would far outlast even radio drama itself. Pass through the squeal and groan of the iconic creaking door as your sinister host guides you through 12 digitally remastered episodes of the radio equivalent of a midnight ride through a carnival house of horrors…with an evil clown as your seatmate.

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.

Philo Vance, America's most popular fictional detective of the 1920s and 1930s, moved from S. S. Van Dine's novels onto the silver screen and later radio. The aristocratic amateur sleuth was portrayed in more than 100 radio broadcasts by Jackson Beck, the versatile actor who had previously starred as the Cisco Kid and announced The Adventures of Superman. Return to the scene of the crime in 18 classic whodunits, costarring Joan Alexander (radio's Lois Lane) as Ellen Deering and George Petrie as District Attorney Markham.

Reality isn't all it's cracked up to be - at least not whenever Gracie's around! That means that things are always hopping down at the Burns house in this collection of 16 laugh-packed episodes of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show! Pitchman Bill Goodwin is on hand, and so is a whole gang of famous guests (including Charles Laughton, Eddie Cantor, Herbert Marshall, Bob Burns, and Claudette Colbert). Join the stars, along with Elvia Allman as Tootsie Sagwell, Clarence Nash as Herman the Duck, and Mel Blanc as "The Happy Postman" for eight solid hours of logically-illogical fun!

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.

Mr. and Mrs. Piper are at it again - navigating the ebb and flow of postwar suburbia in The Couple Next Door. The head of the household takes up a new hobby, navigates changes at work, and faces a few domestic dilemmas - all while his lovely wife stands by...and stands her ground! Peg Lynch and Alan Bunce star in 32 consecutive episodes from 1959, featuring Margaret Hamilton as Aunt Effie!

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.

A favorite recurring feature of the Burns and Allen radio program involved George's fruitless efforts to defend himself against the schemes of the Beverly Hills Uplift Society, "an organization of women…for women…by women. This gathering of gossipy females embark on ill-advised escapades - from matchmaking to hijacking the show - all to George's dismay. The society sweethearts are played by Bea Benaderet and Elvia Allman, with jocular gentlemen Mel Blanc, Hans Conried, Elliott Lewis and Gale Gordon as part of an ensemble that set a benchmark for character acting in radio comedy.

Carrol Naish stars as earnest Italian immigrant Luigi Basco - proud of the Old Country, yet eager to become an American. Attending night classes to prepare for his citizenship test, he mingles with a smorgasbord of funny fellows who teach him how quickly friendship can cross cultural boundaries. Alan Reed co-stars as the jolly, conniving restaurateur Pasquale - consistently capitalizing on his friend's confusion about American ways. He's wily, willful, and says he wants to do whatever he can to make Luigi's life better…as long as that means marrying him to his robust daughter Rosa!

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.

Multi-talented Irish tenor Dennis Day played a charmingly naïve young man (not at all unlike his character from The Jack Benny Show) in his very own series. Singing and working the soda fountain in the town of Weaverville, his lyrical voice and comical ways delighted listeners for five seasons (1946 - 1951). Although he bemoaned his humble position in life, his lack of funds, and his inability to impress the parents of his girlfriend, Mildred Anderson (Barbara Eiler), Dennis never gave up trying.

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.

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.

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.

Tales of robbery, of violence, of murder - ripped from the headlines! Adapted from the long-running series of MGM film shorts, here are tales of real-life crime and punishment brought to vivid radio life! Americans have always enjoyed true stories of bad men versus good - the louder, the rowdier, and the bloodier the better - and even more so if they can include a solid moral. This series has it all! Come hear how con artists and contract killers get what's coming to them. Performers include Parker Fennelly, Everett Sloane, Donald Buka, Myron McCormick, and more.

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.

Michael Waring is the freelance investigator, troubleshooter, and adventurer known to one and all as The Falcon. One part The Saint, one part Boston Blackie, and one part Philip Marlowe - Waring can be suave and charming, especially when a lady is involved. But, there's never any doubt about his nail-spitting toughness, nor of his impatience with the plodding methods of the police - most often expressed in an endless stream of clenched-teeth wisecracks.

Actor and singer Dick Powell, after many musicals for the Warner Brothers and Fox studios, embarked on a new career as a hard-boiled tough guy. Powell got the opportunity to further flex his new tough-guy muscles in the medium of radio, starring in the role of investigator Richard Rogue in the crime drama Rogue’s Gallery. In this collection, Powell portrays Rogue with a charming lack of care and refusal to take things too seriously, all while delivering solid entertainment for detective and crime drama fans.