RAS #723 - Passport to Peril: Riding The Trade Winds
Ron's Amazing Stories
This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we set sail with Trade Winds, a globe-trotting mystery filled with romance, danger, and old-school Hollywood polish. Originally released as a motion picture in 1938 by United Artists, Trade Winds was directed by Tay Garnett and based on his own story. The film starred Fredric March and Joan Bennett and delivered a stylish murder mystery that spanned oceans and continents. Tonight’s presentation comes from Lux Radio Theatre, which adapted the story for radio and first broadcast it on March 4, 1940. This version stars Errol Flynn as Sam Wye, a charming,...
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RAS #722 - Danger Has Two Faces: A Gunsmoke Double Feature
Ron's Amazing Stories
This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we saddle up for a classic Gunsmoke double feature, featuring two gripping radio dramas that show danger wearing very different disguises. Set in and around Dodge City—a real town and proudly known as the Cowboy Capital of the World—these stories highlight why Gunsmoke became one of the most important series in radio and television history. At the center stands Marshal Matt Dillon, facing threats born of desperation, ambition, and the belief that violence creates legends. One story traps Matt in a snowbound cabin with killers who have already...
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RAS #721 - When Nature Turns Savage: Tales from Escape
Ron's Amazing Stories
Ron’s Amazing Stories opens the door to one of radio’s most celebrated suspense anthologies—Escape. Known for its tales of danger, obsession, and the darker corners of human (and animal) behavior, Escape rarely pulled its punches. In this double feature, we explore what happens when the natural world breaks its unspoken contract with mankind. Our first story, “A Shipment of Mute Fate,” stars Jack Webb in a harrowing tale of obsession and deadly cargo. A hunt for the world’s most dangerous snake—the legendary bushmaster—leads to a sea voyage where danger coils silently in the...
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RAS #720 - Dimension X Presents: Two Expeditions to Mars
Ron's Amazing Stories
Dimension X Presents: Two Expeditions to Mars This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we turn our attention skyward to one of the most influential works of science fiction ever written — The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. First published in 1950, Bradbury’s interconnected stories of Mars weren’t really about rockets or planets. They were about us — our memories, our habits, and the things we carry with us wherever we go. Tonight’s program features two outstanding radio adaptations from NBC’s classic series Dimension X, bringing Bradbury’s Mars to life through sound and...
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RAS #719 - Wings in the Gathering Storm: Flight Command
Ron's Amazing Stories
In this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories, we return to the tense days of 1940, when the world was already at war—and America was watching the storm clouds gather. The Story comes from Lux Radio Theatre: the radio adaptation of the MGM film Flight Command. Released in 1940, the film starred Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, and Walter Pidgeon, with all three reprising their roles for radio. It was the first Hollywood film to openly glorify the American military after the outbreak of World War II in Europe—arriving a full year before the United States entered the conflict. The story follows Navy...
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RAS #718 - Voices In The Dark
Ron's Amazing Stories
This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we wander into the shadows—literally. We’re featuring two classic old-time radio programs that built their reputations on unseen narrators and atmospheric storytelling: The Shadow and The Whistler. Each one whispers from the darkness, but with personalities that couldn’t be more different. Our first story is “Death House Rescue” from The Shadow, originally aired on September 26, 1937. In this tale, a man is wrongly sentenced to die for killing a policeman during a bank robbery. The Shadow steps in, using his uncanny ability to slip into the minds...
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RAS #717 - Captain Blood… and Ron’s Fizzy Rebellion
Ron's Amazing Stories
This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories we step aboard a ship loaded with adventure, rebellion, and old-school Hollywood charm. Our feature comes from Lux Radio Theater and is the radio adaptation of the 1935 classic Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Both reprise their roles, bringing the swashbuckling tale to life all over again. We take a moment to explore the real history behind the story—its roots in the Monmouth Rebellion, the fictional-yet-inspired character of Dr. Peter Blood, and the bold musical choices of composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, whose...
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RAS #716 - The Box 13 Double Mystery
Ron's Amazing Stories
This time on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we bring you a special Box 13 double feature suggested by listener Pete Toreck from Miami, Florida. We kick things off with the very first adventure Dan Holiday ever tackled, The First Letter. Then we follow it up with one of the most listened-to stories of the entire run, The Professor and The Puzzle. Between the two tales, we take a humorous look at the advice columnists of the 1950s—those brave souls who solved life’s everyday mysteries one letter at a time. This episode also marks a milestone: we close out the last known radio acting done by Alan...
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RAS #715 - Office of Strategic Services
Ron's Amazing Stories
This week, Alan Ladd returns for his fourth appearance on the podcast, stepping into the role of a covert agent in the Lux Radio Theater adaptation of the 1946 spy drama O.S.S. It’s classic wartime intrigue, delivered with the steady intensity only Ladd could pull off. We take a quick look at the real OSS, the film behind the broadcast, and why Ladd continues to impress every time he shows up on the show. In This Episode Alan Ladd takes on a covert wartime role A brief look at the OSS and its legacy The origins of the story and its Bond connection The full Lux Radio Theater production of...
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RAS #714 - Echoes Through Time
Ron's Amazing Stories
This week on Ron’s Amazing Stories, we take you back into the shadowy world of Suspense — one of radio’s greatest achievements and the last show to fade out at the end of the Golden Age. Our theme this time is time and perception, and we’ve got two unforgettable stories that explore both. Our first tale is Time On My Hands, a husband and wife set out to do the impossible — go back in time to stop Adolf Hitler. Can history be rewritten, or is time itself the one enemy no man can defeat? Then, we’ll step into A World of Darkness (January 20, 1944). Told through the eyes — or...
info_outlineThis week on Ron’s Amazing Stories we step aboard a ship loaded with adventure, rebellion, and old-school Hollywood charm. Our feature comes from Lux Radio Theater and is the radio adaptation of the 1935 classic Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Both reprise their roles, bringing the swashbuckling tale to life all over again.
We take a moment to explore the real history behind the story—its roots in the Monmouth Rebellion, the fictional-yet-inspired character of Dr. Peter Blood, and the bold musical choices of composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, whose groundbreaking score helped usher in the era of full symphonic soundtracks.
And at the end of the show, we answer a listener email from John Pierce of Oklahoma City, who wants to know why Alan Ladd ranks so highly on my personal list of Hollywood greats. I give my take in a short segment you won’t want to miss.
What On This week:
- Featured Story: Captain Blood from Lux Radio Theater
- Behind the Scenes: The historical backdrop of the Monmouth Rebellion
- Film Music Spotlight: How Korngold changed movie scores forever
- Listener Email: Why Alan Ladd still stands tall
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Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.
Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.
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